Biology subjects

Li, S.-H.

Publications and source records attributed to Li, S.-H..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

White eye-rings coevolved with diurnal behaviors as a trait enhancing visual appeal in rodents

Conspicuous colorations are widespread in animals, yet their adaptive functions remain unclear, particularly in mammals. White eye-rings (WER), the bright-colored pelage encircling eyes, are prevalence in rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia). Phylogenetic analyses across 601 rodents show that WER has repeatedly emerged with transitions to diurnalism and disappeared with reversions to nocturnalism during rodent evolution. To explore WERs function, we performed behavioral tests on the Nile rat (Arvicanthis niloticus, diurnal with WER) and the house mouse (Mus musculus, nocturnal without WER), and found that WER enhances visual appeal (the ability to attract attention or preference), likely by accentuating facial bilateral symmetry. This effect is neither associated with sexual selection nor species recognition and was absent in mice. Thus, WER appears selectively favored in diurnal rodents capable of perceiving and responding to it, but is constrained in nocturnal species. These findings illustrate how ecological factors and shared sensory preferences shape conspicuous color patterns.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Inhibition of miR-199b-5p reduces pathological alterations in Osteoarthritis by targeting Fzd6 and Gcnt2

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease with a high prevalence in the elderly population, but our understanding of its mechanisms remains incomplete. Analysis of serum exosomal small RNA sequencing data from clinical patients and gene expression data from OA patient serum and cartilage obtained from the GEO database revealed a common dysregulated miRNA, miRNA-199b-5p. In vitro cell experiments demonstrated that miRNA-199b-5p inhibits chondrocyte vitality and promotes extracellular matrix degradation. Conversely, inhibition of miRNA-199b-5p under inflammatory conditions exhibited protective effects against damage. Local viral injection of miRNA-199b-5p into mice induced a decrease in pain threshold and OA-like changes. In an OA model, inhibition of miRNA-199b-5p alleviated the pathological progression of OA. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis and experimental validation identified Gcnt2 and Fzd6 as potential target genes of miRNA-199b-5p. Thus, these results indicated that miRNA-199b-5p/Gcnt2 and Fzd6 axis might be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of OA.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2018

The first set of universal nuclear protein-coding loci markers for avian phylogenetic and population genetic studies

Multiple nuclear markers provide genetic polymorphism data for molecular systematics and population genetic studies. They are especially required for the coalescent-based analyses that can be used to accurately estimate species trees and infer population demographic histories. However, in avian evolutionary studies, these powerful coalescent-based methods are hindered by the lack of a sufficient number of markers. In this study, we designed PCR primers to amplify 136 nuclear protein-coding loci (NPCLs) by scanning the published Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) and Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) genomes. To test their utility, we amplified these loci in 41 bird species representing 23 Aves orders. The sixty-three best-performing NPCLs, based on high PCR success rates, were selected which had various mutation rates and were evenly distributed across 17 avian autosomal chromosomes and the Z chromosome. To test phylogenetic resolving power of these markers, we conducted a Neoavian phylogenies analysis using 63 concatenated NPCL markers derived from 48 whole genomes of birds. The resulting phylogenetic topology, to a large extent, is congruence with results resolved by previous whole genome data. To test the level of intraspecific polymorphism in these makers, we examined the genetic diversity in four populations of the Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) at 17 of NPCL markers chosen at random. Our results showed that these NPCL markers exhibited a level of polymorphism comparable with mitochondrial loci. Therefore, this set of pan-avian nuclear protein-coding loci has great potential to facilitate studies in avian phylogenetics and population genetics.

evolutionary biology↗