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The phytophagous mite Tetranychus truncatus is a serious pest in East Asia but has a relatively narrower host range than the pest mite Tetranychus urticae, which can feed on over 1200 plant species. Here, we generated a high‐quality chromosomal level genome of T. truncatus and compared it with that of T. urticae, with an emphasis on the genes related to detoxification and chemoreception, to explore the genomic basis underlying the evolution of host range. We also conducted population genetics analyses (in 86 females from 10 populations) and host transfer experiments (in 4 populations) to investigate transcription changes following transfer to a low‐quality host (Solanum melongena, eggplant), and we established possible connections between fitness on eggplant and genes related to detoxification and chemoreception. We found that T. truncatus has fewer genes related to detoxification, transport, and chemoreception than T. urticae, with a particularly strong reduction in gustatory receptor (GR) genes. We also found widespread transcriptional variation among T. truncatus populations, which varied in fitness on eggplant. We characterized selection on detoxification‐related genes through ω values and found a negative correlation between expression levels and ω values. Based on the transcription results, as well as the fitness and genetic differences among populations, we identified genes potentially involved in adaptation to eggplant in T. truncatus. Our work provides a genomic resource for this pest mite and new insights into mechanisms underlying the adaptation of herbivorous mites to host plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Many spider mites are important agricultural pests in both fields and greenhouses worldwide and are diversified in their host plant range. How spider mites perceive their suitable host plants remains not completely clear. In this study, we found that spider mites cannot locate suitable host plants by volatile odours from a long distance, but they can use olfactory sensation in combination with gustatory sensation to make a precise selection for suitable host plants at a short distance. Highly polyphagous species showed strong sensitivity in sensing suitable host plants rather than the expected lowered sensitivity. We also found that the similarity among the five spider mite species in their performance in perceiving suitable host plants was highly correlated with their relative phylogenetic relationship. Spider mites belonging to the genus Tetranychus infest many important agricultural crops in both fields and greenhouses worldwide and are diversified in their host plant range. How spider mites perceive their suitable host plants remains not completely clear. Here, through two-host-choice designs (bean vs. tomato, and bean vs. eggplant), we tested the efficacies of the olfactory and gustatory systems of five spider mite species (T. urticae, T. truncatus, T. pueraricola, T. piercei, and T. evansi), which differ in host plant range in sensing their suitable host plant, by Y-tube olfactometer and two-choice disc experiments. We found that spider mites cannot locate their suitable host plants by volatile odours from a long distance, but they can use olfactory sensation in combination with gustatory sensation to select suitable host plants at a short distance. Highly polyphagous species displayed strong sensitivity in sensing suitable host plants rather than the lowered sensitivity we expected. Intriguingly, our principal component analyses (PCAs) showed that the similarity among five spider mite species in the performance of perceiving suitable host plants was highly correlated with their relative phylogenetic relationships, suggesting a close relationship between the chemosensing system and the speciation of spider mites. Our results highlight the necessity of further work on the chemosensing system in relation to host plant range and speciation of spider mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diet breadth of generalist herbivores when compared to specialists tends to be associated with greater transcriptional plasticity. Here, we consider whether it may also contribute to variation in host range among two generalists with different levels of polyphagy. We examined two related polyphagous spider mites with different host ranges, Tetranychus urticae (1200 plants) and Tetranychus truncatus (90 plants). Data from multiple populations of both species domesticated on common beans and transferred to new plant hosts (cotton, cucumber, eggplant) were used to investigate transcriptional plasticity relative to population‐based variation in gene expression. Compared to T. truncatus, T. urticae exhibited much higher transcriptional plasticity. Populations of this species also showed much more variable expression regulation in response to a plant host, particularly for genes related to detoxification, transport, and transcriptional factors. In response to the different plant hosts, both polyphagous species showed enriched processes of drug/xenobiotics metabolism, with T. urticae orchestrating a relatively broader array of biological pathways. Through co‐expression network analysis, we identified gene modules associated with host plant response, revealing shared hub genes primarily involved in detoxification metabolism when both mites fed on the same plants. After silencing a shared hub CYP gene related to eggplant exposure, the performance of both species on the original bean host improved, but the fecundity of T. truncatus decreased when feeding on eggplant. The extensive transcriptomic variation shown by T. urticae might serve as a potential compensatory mechanism for a deficiency of hub genes in this species. This research points to nuanced differences in transcriptomic variability between generalist herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-type lectins (LTLs) have leguminous lectin domains that bind to high-mannose-type oligosaccharides. LTLs are involved in glycoprotein secretory pathways and associated with many immune responses. In the present research, three LTL homologs from obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus , designated as ToVIP36-1 , ToVIP36-2 , and ToVIP36-3 , were first cloned and identified. The open reading frames of ToVIP36-1, ToVIP36-2, and ToVIP36-3 were 1068, 1002, and 1086 bp in length, respectively, and encode polypeptides with 355, 333, and 361 amino acids, respectively. Key conserved residues and functional domains, including lectin_leg-like domain (LTLD), transmembrane region, and C-terminal trafficking signal KRFY, were identified in all ToVIP36s. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the three ToVIP36s were widely expressed in six examined tissues and had relatively high expression levels in the liver and intestine. The expression levels of ToVIP36s were remarkably altered in the liver and kidney after induction by Vibrio harveyi and Staphylococcus aureus. Subsequently, the recombinant LTLDs of ToVIP36s (rToVIP36-LTLDs) were prepared by prokaryotic expression. Three rToVIP36-LTLD proteins agglutinated with S. aureus , V. harveyi , Vibrio parahaemolyticus , and Aeromonas hydrophila in a calcium-dependent manner. In the absence of calcium, rToVIP36-LTLD proteins bound to the bacteria by binding to lipopolysaccharides, peptidoglycans, d -mannose, and d -galactose and inhibited the growth of S. aureus and V. harveyi. Our results indicated that ToVIP36s function as pattern-recognition receptors in T. obscurus immunity, providing insights into the role of LTLs in the antibacterial immunity of fishes. • Three new L-type lectins were identified from Takifugu obscurus. • Three ToVIP36s were significantly upregulated after bacterial challenge. • rToVIP36-LTLDs exerted the ability of agglutination with different bacteria. • rToVIP36-LTLDs bound to four bacteria and four carbohydrates. • rToVIP36-LTLDs inhibited the growth of bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), and ultrasonic/microwave-assisted extraction (UMAE) were separately conducted on the extraction of Liuhuanggou bituminous coal (LBC) sequentially using petroleum ether, carbon disulfide (CDS), methanol, and isometric CDS/acetone mixture as solvents to afford extracts 1–4 (E 1 -E 4 ) from MAE (E M1 -E M4 ), UAE (E U1 -E U4 ), and UMAE (E UM1 -E UM4 ). The highest total extract yield of 10.6 wt% was obtained by UMAE, while MAE is the most effective for extracting highly condensed arenes from LBC. The carbon types in LBC mainly consist of aliphatic (22.2%) and aromatic (73.7%) carbons. Each aromatic cluster of LBC contains 2 or 3 aromatic rings on average. The molecular masses of E U3 , E U4 , E M3 , and E M4 range from 200 to 1500 u , while those in E UM3 and E UM4 distribute from 100 to 900 u . E UM2 is a promising feedstock to produce advanced aromatic polymers and E UM3 could be converted to clean light oil by catalytic hydroconversion after removing heteroatom-containing species (HACSs). MAE and UMAE are ideal tools to obtain value-added chemicals for their high selectivity of extracting HACSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructured silicon (Si) materials have been fabricated by femtosecond (fs) laser ablation and have been hyperdoped with gold (Au) impurities. The ablated Si materials showed large and thermostable infrared absorption at 1.1-2.5 μm wavelengths, which was contributed by sub-band absorption and laser-induced defects absorption. The Au-Si alloy was formed after laser irradiation onto the Au-coated Si surface, which was determined by XRD characterization. Using N-type Si substrate, the fabricated Au-doped Si performed lower sheet carrier density due to the self-compensation effect between deep donor and acceptor energy lever of Au in bulk Si material. From Hall measurement, both the p- and n- types of Au-doped Si samples can be obtained by controlling the type of Si substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhaotong lignite (ZL) was subjected to ethanolysis at 305 °C to afford soluble portion 1 (SP 1 ) and residue 1 (R 1 ). R 1 was ethanolyzed with NaOH at 305 °C to obtain soluble portion 2 (SP 2 ) and residue 2 (R 2 ). SP 2 was separated to extracts 1–3 (E 1 -E 3 ) by sequential extraction with petroleum ether, carbon disulfide, and dichloromethane. SP 1 and E 1 -E 3 were analyzed with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer, while ZL, R 1 , and R 2 were characterized with a Curie-point pyrolyzer-gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer. The total yield of SP 1 and E 1 -E 3 is 88.8%, indicating that most of organic matter in ZL was converted to soluble species by the two-step depolymerization. Ethyl alkanoates are the most abundant species detected in SP 1 . The distribution of group components in SP 1 is quite different from that in the pyrolysis products from ZL, e.g., the relative content of alkoxyphenols is much lower than that of phenol and alkylphenols in SP 1 , but much higher in the pyrolysis products from ZL, indicating that the mechanism for ZL ethanolysis is quite different from that for ZL pyrolysis. Carbazole is the predominant nitrogen-containing compound in the products from R 1 pyrolysis. Sulfur-containing organic compounds were only released from R 2 pyrolysis. The mechanisms for the formation of typical group components from the ethanolysis of ZL, NaOH-involved ethanolysis of R 1 , and pyrolysis of ZL, R 1 , and R 2 were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As x-ray probe pulses approach the subfemtosecond range, conventional x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is expected to experience a reduction in spectral resolution due to the effects of the pulse broadening. However, in the case of resonant x-ray photoemission, also known as resonant Auger scattering (RAS), the spectroscopic technique maintains spectral resolution when an x-ray pulse is precisely tuned to a core-excited state. We present theoretical simulations of XPS and RAS spectra on a showcased CO molecule using ultrashort x-ray pulses, revealing significantly enhanced resolution in the RAS spectra compared to XPS, even in the sub-femtosecond regime. These findings provide a novel perspective on potential utilization of attosecond x-ray pulses, capitalizing on the well-established advantages of detecting electron signals for tracking electronic and molecular dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L-type lectins (LTLs) contain a carbohydrate recognition domain homologous to leguminous lectins, and have functions in selective protein trafficking, sorting and targeting in the secretory pathway of animals. In this study, a novel LTL, designated as ToERGIC-53 , was cloned and identified from obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus. The open reading frame of ToERGIC-53 contained 1554 nucleotides encoding 517 amino acid residues. The deduced ToERGIC-53 protein consisted of a signal peptide, a leguminous lectin domain (LTLD), a coiled-coil region, and a transmembrane region. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that ToERGIC-53 was expressed in all examined tissues, with the highest expression level in the liver. The expression of ToERGIC-53 was significantly upregulated after infection with Vibrio harveyi and Staphylococcus aureus. Recombinant ToERGIC-53-LTLD (rToERGIC-53-LTLD) protein could not only agglutinate and bind to one Gram-positive bacterium (S. aureus) and three Gram-negative bacteria (V. harveyi , V. parahaemolyticus and Aeromonas hydrophila), but also bind to glycoconjugates on the surface of bacteria such as lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, mannose and galactose. In addition, rToERGIC-53-LTLD inhibited the growth of bacteria in vitro. All these results suggested that ToERGIC-53 might be a pattern recognition receptor involved in antibacterial immune response of T. obscurus. • ToERGIC-53 was first identified from Takifugu obscurus. • ToERGIC-53 was significantly regulated after stimulation with V. harveyi and S. aureus. • rToERGIC-53-LTLD could agglutinate several Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. • rToERGIC-53-LTLD could bind to a variety of bacteria and saccharides. • rToERGIC-53-LTLD could inhibit the growth of V. harveyi and S. aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Normal alkanes and arenes are the most abundant in SP I and SP 1 , respectively. • Both SP 2 and SP II are rich in arenes. • Alkyl-substituted benzenes in SP I and SP II are higher than those in SP 1 and SP 2. • Abundant heteroatom-containing species are concentrated into SP 3 and SP III. • N 1 and N 1 O 1 species are predominant in SP III and SP 3 , respectively. Liuhuanggou bituminous coal (LBC) and its extraction residue (ER) were thermally dissolved sequentially in cyclohexane, toluene, and ethanol at 300 °C to obtain soluble portions (SPs) 1–3 (SP 1 -SP 3) from the thermal dissolution (TD) In the total yield (TY) of 10.4% and SPs I-III (SP I -SP III) from the TD in the TY of 4.9%, respectively. The SPs were analyzed by multiple analytical tools, including gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS), quadrupole exactive orbitrap mass spectrometer (QEOTMS), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The analysis with GC/MS shows that normal alkanes are the most abundant in SP I , while arenes are predominant in SP 1 , SP 2 , and SP II. According to the analysis with QEOTMS, abundant heteroatom-containing organic species were concentrated into SP 3 and SP III with molecular masses of 150–750 u. The relative contents of N 1 and N 1 O 1 species are predominantly high in SP III and SP 3 , respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Aire might affect Tfh differentiation by regulating the expression of ICOSL in RA. • Aire-BMDCs could affect Tfh differentiation and GC B cell development in CIA mice. • Aire-BMDCs could affect anti-CII Abs and RF level partly via ICOSL in CIA mice. • Aire-BMDCs could alleviate the symptoms in CIA mice. To assess the expression levels of autoimmune regulator (Aire) and inducible costimulator molecule ligand (ICOSL), as well as T follicular helper (Tfh) cell numbers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and to explore their relationship with RA severity. We also aimed to investigate the effect of Aire on arthritis and its underlying mechanisms. The expression levels of Aire, ICOSL, and Tfh cell numbers were measured in RA patients. The relationship between these factors and the levels of anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies (Anti-CCP) as well as the Disease Activity Score in 28 joints (DAS28) was analyzed. To investigate the effect of Aire on arthritis, Aire-overexpressing bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (Aire-BMDCs) and recombinant ICOSL were transferred into collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice, the symptoms, clinical scores, anti-collagen type II antibodies (anti-CII Abs), rheumatoid factor (RF), proportions of Tfh cells, and percentages of germinal center (GC) B cells in CIA mice were examined. The results showed that Aire levels were significantly decreased in CD14+ PBMCs from patients with RA, and there were negative correlations between ICOSL expression levels, Tfh cell numbers, and Aire expression. Additionally, these factors were correlated with Anti-CCP levels and DAS28. Aire-BMDCs could influence Tfh differentiation, GC B cell development, as well as the levels of anti-CII Abs and RF, which further alleviate the symptoms and reduce clinical scores partly through ICOSL in CIA mice. The findings suggest that Aire may alleviate rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting ICOSL, which further inhibits Tfh cell differentiation and autoantibody production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cabozantinib (XL184) is a small molecule tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor, which targets c-Met and VEGFR2. Cabozantinib has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat advanced medullary thyroid cancer and renal cell carcinoma. In the present study, we evaluated the ability of cabozantinib to modulate the function of the ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) by sensitizing cells that are resistant to ABCG2 substrate antineoplastic drugs. We used a drug-selected resistant cell line H460/MX20 and three ABCG2 stable transfected cell lines ABCG2-482-R2, ABCG2-482-G2, and ABCG2-482-T7, which overexpress ABCG2. Cabozantinib, at non-toxic concentrations (3 or 5 μM), sensitized the ABCG2-overexpressing cells to mitoxantrone, SN-38, and topotecan. Our results indicate that cabozantinib reverses ABCG2-mediated multidrug resistance by antagonizing the drug efflux function of the ABCG2 transporter instead of downregulating its expression. The molecular docking analysis indicates that cabozantinib binds to the drug-binding site of the ABCG2 transporter. Overall, our findings demonstrate that cabozantinib inhibits the ABCG2 transporter function and consequently enhances the effect of the antineoplastic agents that are substrates of ABCG2. Cabozantinib may be a useful agent in anticancer treatment regimens for patients who are resistant to ABCG2 substrate drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal dissolution of Zhaotong lignite in cyclohexane and methanol was conducted at 300 °C for 2 h. The yields of the resulting cyclohexane- and methanol-soluble portions (CHSP and MSP) are 10.1% and 24.3%, respectively. CHSP and MSP were analyzed with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS) and negative-ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FTICRMS). According to analysis with GC/MS, the compounds detected in CHSP and MSP can be classified into alkanes, alkenes, arenes, arenols, anisols, ketones, esters, nitrogen-containing compounds, and sulfur-containing compounds. The most abundant group components in CHSP and MSP are arenols and arenes, respectively. The analysis with FTICRMS shows that O n ( n = 1–6) class species with double bond equivalent (DBE) values of 1–15 are the main acidic compounds in both CHSP and MSP, and the predominant class species in CHSP and MSP are O 2 and O 3 class species, respectively. Arenepolyols and aromatic carboxylic acids with 1–3 rings account for most of the O n class species based on DBE distributions. In addition, fatty acids are also present in CHSP and MSP. Combination of GC/MS and FTICRMS can provide detailed composition information on coal-derived liquids at the molecular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethanolysis of an ethanolyzed residue (ER) from Zhaotong lignite with NaOH was conducted to afford extracts 1–4 (E 1 –E 4 ). The yields of E 1 –E 4 are 47.1%, 10.6%, 3.0%, and 10.0%, respectively. All the extracts were analyzed with a negative-ion electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (ESI FTICRMS). In addition, carbon skeleton structures in the ER were determined using a solid-state 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The results suggest that the carbon types in the ER mainly consist of aliphatic (52.3%) and aromatic (42.0%) carbons. C H 3 – and – C H 2 – are the major aliphatic carbons. Each aromatic cluster contains one or two aromatic rings on average. According to analysis with FTICRMS, thousands of compounds were detected in the extracts, mainly being oxygen-containing ( O x , x = 1–8) class species with double bond equivalent (DBE) values of 1–18 and carbon numbers of 7–37. The most abundant class species in E 1 –E 4 are O 2 , O 2 , O 3 , and O 4 , respectively. E 4 contains low relative contents of O 2 – O 3 class species but high relative contents of O 4 – O 6 class species. The identified O x class species are mainly ascribed to fatty acids, areneols, and arenecarboxylic acids. Furthermore, nitrogen-containing multiheteroatomic ( N 1 O x and N 2 O x , x = 1–8) class species with DBE values of 3–17 and carbon numbers of 13–34 were also identified in the extracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Laurani Au–Ag–Cu deposit is a typical high-sulfidation (HS) epithermal deposit genetically related to volcanic rocks in the Bolivian Altiplano polymetallic belt (BAPB), yet few studies have been carried out on these volcanic rocks. Detailed petrographic observations show that the Laurani volcanic rocks comprise monzogranite porphyries, dacites, dacitic porphyries and tuffs. Zircon U–Pb dating demonstrates that they formed at 7.44 ± 0.15 Ma ∼7.65 ± 0.09 Ma in the late Miocene during the rapid uplift of the Altiplano. Geochemical features indicate these volcanic rocks belong to high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonite series, enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) and depleted in high field strength elements (HFSE) and heavy rare earth elements (HREE), with no Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.80–1.11, mean = 0.95). We suggest that the magma sources of the Laurani volcanic rocks are primarily generated from the partial melting of the thickened lower crust, for: (1) No Eu anomalies indicate that plagioclase is absent in the residue, and the extensively depleted HREE and positively correlated high (Gd/Yb) N , (Dy/Yb) N , and (La/Yb) N ratios indicate that garnet is a dominant residual mineral in their source, which are consistent with the thickened lower crust; (2) 176Hf/177Hf ratios (0.282409–0.282544) and negative ε Hf (t) values (−13.15 to −8.37) confirm that the magmas are mainly evolved from the partial melting of the old lower crust; (3) Inherited zircons ages of 1.87–1.62 Ga are consistent with the basement ages of the Arequipa Massif between 1.9 Ga and 1.8 Ga, indicating that the magma sources are mainly generated from the partial melting of the Paleoproterozoic crust. These observations coincide with the thickened (60–80 km) felsic to intermediate lower crust beneath the Altiplano. Combined with the geodynamic process of rapid uplift of the Altiplano, we propose that the removal of the lower crust and/or mantle lithosphere and/or its interaction with the asthenosphere provide heat to contribute to the partial melting of the thickened lower crust to generate parental magma, then parental magma emplaces along the strike-slip Eucaliptus fault to form the Laurani volcanic rocks. Furthermore, numerous inherited zircon ages with a weighted mean of 1189 ± 30 Ma reflect the intense Grenvillian metamorphism in the Mesoproterozoic and the two ages 259.9 ± 5.11 and 231.7 ± 2.2 Ma indicate the Permian magmatic events in northern Bolivia. From this study, we infer that partial melting of the thickened lower crust during the rapid uplift of the orogenic belt may be an important magma formation mechanism. [Display omitted] • Zircon U–Pb dating demonstrates the Laurani volcanic rocks formed at ∼7.5 Ma. • The parental magma of the Laurani volcanic rocks generated from the partial melting of the thickened lower crust. • Inherited zircon ages indicate the existence of the Arequipa Massif and the Grenvillian metamorphism in the Central Andes. • Partial melting of the thickened lower crust is an important magma formation mechanism during uplift of orogenic belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]