Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced PSCs (iPSCs), can differentiate into cells of the three germ layers, suggesting that PSCs have great potential for basic developmental biology research and wide applications for clinical medicine. Genuine ESCs and iPSCs have been derived from mice and rats, but not from livestock such as the pig—an ideal animal model for studying human disease and regenerative medicine due to similarities with human physiologic processes. Efforts to derive porcine ESCs and iPSCs have not yielded high-quality PSCs that can produce chimeras with germline transmission. Thus, exploration of the unique porcine gene regulation network of preimplantation embryonic development may permit optimization of in vitro culture systems for raising porcine PSCs. Here we summarize the recent progress in porcine PSC generation as well as the problems encountered during this progress and we depict prospects for generating porcine naive PSCs.

Model organisms such as Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and rice (Oryza sativa) have proven essential for efficient scientific discovery and development of new methods. With the diversity of plant lineages, some important processes such as C₄ photosynthesis are not found in either Arabidopsis or rice, so new model species are needed. Due to their small diploid genomes, short life cycles, self-pollination, small adult statures and prolific seed production, domesticated foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and its wild ancestor, green foxtail (S. viridis), have recently been proposed as novel model species for functional genomics of the Panicoideae, especially for study of C₄ photosynthesis. This review outlines the development of these species as model organisms, and discusses current challenges and future potential of a Setaria model.

In recent years, dramatic progress has been made in the genomics of fruit crops. The publication of a dozen fruit crop genomes represents a milestone for both functional genomics and breeding programs in fruit crops. Rapid advances in high-throughput sequencing technology have revolutionized the manner and scale of genomics in fruit crops. Research on fruit crops is encompassing a wide range of biological questions which are unique and cannot be addressed in a model plant such as Arabidopsis. This review summarizes recent achievements of research on the genome, transcriptome, proteome, miRNAs and epigenome of fruit crops.

The Tibetan antelope is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, China, and is now considered an endangered species. As a possible rescue strategy, the development of embryos constructed by interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) was examined. Tibetan antelope fibroblast cells were transferred into enucleated bovine, ovine and caprine oocytes. These cloned embryos were then cultured in vitro or in the oviducts of intermediate animals.

Less than 0.5% of the reconstructed antelope-bovine embryos cultured in vitro developed to the blastocyst stage. However, when the cloned antelope-bovine embryos were transferred to caprine oviducts, about 1.6% of the embryos developed to the blastocyst stage. In contrast, only 0.7% of the antelope-ovine embryos developed to the morula stage and none developed to blastocysts in ovine oviducts. The treatment of donor cells and bovine oocytes with trichostatin A did not improve the embryo development even when cultured in the oviducts of ovine and caprine. When the antelope-bovine embryos, constructed from oocytes treated with roscovitine or trichostatin A, were cultured in rabbit oviducts 2.3% and 14.3% developed to blastocysts, respectively. It is concluded that although some success was achieved with the protocols used, interspecies cloning of Tibetan antelope presents difficulties still to be overcome. The mechanisms resulting in the low embryo development need investigation and progress might require a deeper understanding of cellular reprogramming.

Spring radiation frost (SRF) is a severe environmental stress which impairs wheat yield and productivity worldwide. To better understand the mechanism of wheat (Triticum aestivum) responding to SRF, a comparative proteomic analysis was performed to analyze the changes of the key proteins in two wheat cultivars Jimai22 and Luyuan301 with high and low tolerance to SRF respectively. A total of 43 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) which mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, resistance proteins and antioxidant enzymes, photosynthesis and cellular respiration proteins, cell-wall related proteins, protein translation/processing/degradation and signal transduction were isolated and identified by two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF-TOF MS. The results revealed that of the 21 DEPs in Jimai22 responding to the SRF, 13 DEPs were upregulated and 8 DEPs were downregulated, and that of the 22 DEPs in Luyuan301, 9 DEPs were upregulated and 13 DEPs were downregulated. These DEPs might be responsible for the stronger cold resistance of Jimai22 compared to Luyuan301. The expression pattern and function analysis of these DEPs were very significant to understanding the mechanism of the SRF responses in wheat.

An effectively mild solvent solution containing NaOH/PEG was employed to dissolve the cellulose extracted from the wheat straw. With further combined regeneration process and freeze-drying, the cellulose aerogel was successfully obtained. Scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction technique, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller were used to characterize this cellulose aerogel of low density (about 40 mg·cm^-3) and three-dimensional network with large specific surface area (about 101 m²·g^-1). Additionally, with a hydrophobic modification by trimethylchlorosilane, the cellulose aerogel showed a strong absorptive capacity for oil and dye solutions.

While the differential responses of trees to changes in climatic and environmental conditions have been demonstrated as they age, the underlying mechanisms and age control of tree growth and development are complex and poorly understood particularly at a molecular level. In this paper, we present a transcriptome analysis of Larix kaempferi, a deciduous conifer that is widely-grown in the northern hemisphere and of significant ecological and economic value. Using high-throughput RNA sequencing, we obtained about 26 million reads from the stems of 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, 25- and 50-year-old L. kaempferi trees. Combining these with the published Roche 454 sequencing reads and the expressed sequence tags (both mainly from Larix embryogenic cell cultures), we assembled 26670549 reads into 146786 transcripts, of which we annotated 79182 to support investigations of the molecular basis of tree aging and adaption, somatic embryogenesis and wood formation. Using these sequences we also identified many single-nucleotide polymorphisms, simple sequence repeats, and insertion and deletion markers to assist breeding and genetic diversity studies of Larix.

In this study two main management strategies are discussed: one is to develop resource conservation-based capture fisheries, and the other is to develop environmentally friendly aquaculture. During the resource recovery period, the development of environmentally friendly aquaculture should be encouraged, especially in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, which is adaptive, efficient and sustainable. For future development and better understanding the ecosystem, it is necessary to further strengthen basic research.