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Chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) are vital environmental concerns due to their low biodegradability and long-term persistence. Catalytic combustion technology is one of the more commonly used technologies for the treatment of CVOCs. Catalysts with high low-temperature activity, superior selectivity of non-toxic products, and resistance to chlorine poisoning are desirable. Here we adopted a plasma treatment method to synthesize a tin-doped titania loaded with ruthenium dioxide (RuO2) catalyst, possessing enhanced activity (T90%, the temperature at which 90% of dichloromethane (DCM) is decomposed, is 262 °C) compared to the catalyst prepared by the conventional calcination method. As revealed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, the high surface area of the tin-doped titania catalyst and the enhanced dispersion and surface oxidation of RuO2 induced by plasma treatment were found to be the main factors determining excellent catalytic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the CIPK family, the CBL-interacting protein kinases have shown crucial roles in hormone signaling transduction, and response to abiotic stress in plant developmental processes. The CIPK family is characterized by conserved NAF/FISL (Asn-Ala-Phe) and PPI (protein-phosphatase interaction) domains in the C-terminus. However, little data has been reported about the CIPK family in apple. A total of 34 MdCIPK genes were identified from the apple genome in this study and were later divided into two groups according to the CIPK domains, characterized by gene structure and chromosomal distribution, and then mapped onto 17 chromosomes. All MdCIPK genes were expressed in the four apple tissues (leaf, root, flower, and fruit). In addition, the MdCIPK gene expression profile showed that five members among them revealed enhanced expression during the pollen tube growth stages. The MdCIPK4 was the most expressive during the entire fruit development stages. Under stress conditions 21 MdCIPK genes transcript levels were up-regulated in response to fungal and salt treatments. This suggested the possible features of these genes’ response to stresses in apples. Our findings provide a new insight about the roles of CIPK genes in apples, which could contribute to the cloning and functional analysis of CIPK genes in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to evaluate the chemical extraction, chemical composition, and antioxidant and antibacterial properties of the total flavonoids in Willow Buds (TFW). We investigated the optimal extraction of TFW using response surface methodology (RSM). Chemical compounds were analyzed using Q-Orbitrap LC–MS/MS. The DPPH radical scavenging capacity, hydroxy radical inhibitory ability, and superoxide anion radical inhibitory ability were explored to determine the antioxidant properties of flavonoid extractions. The antibacterial effect was assessed via minimal inhibitory concentration. The results demonstrated that the optimal extraction conditions were an ethanol concentration of 50%, a time of 35 min, and a liquid/material ratio of 70:1 mL/g. Under these conditions, the yield of TFW was 7.57%. Eight flavonoids, a phenolic glycoside, and an alkaloid were enriched in the Willow Buds. The TFW exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with IC50 values of 0.18-0.24 mg/mL and antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. TFW may be explored as potential and natural compounds in food and pharmacological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp.) is a common food crop used in many parts of the world for nutritional purposes. One of its chemical constituents is cajanin stilbene acid (CSA), which exerts anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo. In an effort to identify molecular targets of CSA, we performed a kinome-wide approach based on the measurement of the enzymatic activities of 252 human kinases. The serine-threonine kinase WNK3 (also known as protein kinase lysine-deficient 3) was identified as the most promising target of CSA with the strongest enzymatic activity inhibition in vitro and the highest binding affinity in molecular docking in silico. The lowest binding affinity and the predicted binding constant pKi of CSA (−9.65 kcal/mol and 0.084 µM) were comparable or even better than those of the known WNK3 inhibitor PP-121 (−9.42 kcal/mol and 0.123 µM). The statistically significant association between WNK3 mRNA expression and cellular responsiveness to several clinically established anticancer drugs in a panel of 60 tumor cell lines and the prognostic value of WNK3 mRNA expression in sarcoma biopsies for the survival time of 230 patients can be taken as clues that CSA-based inhibition of WNK3 may improve treatment outcomes of cancer patients and that CSA may serve as a valuable supplement to the currently used combination therapy protocols in oncology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sugar, acting as a signal, can regulate the production of some chemical substance during plant defense responses. However, the molecular basis and regulatory mechanisms of sugar in poplar and other forest trees are still unclear. Sorbitol is a sugar-signaling molecule associated with plant defense. In this study, the pathogen-infested status of poplar was alleviated after exogenous feeding of 50 mM sorbitol. We sequenced and analyzed the transcriptome of poplar leaves before and after inoculation. The results showed that the genes PR1, WRKY, ceramide kinases (CERK) and so on responded to sorbitol feeding and pathogen infestation. We screened for genes related to disease resistance such as PsWRKY25 and PsCERK1 and found that significant disease spots occurred on day six of strep throat infestation. Under sorbitol feeding conditions, the appearance of spots was delayed after the pathogen inoculation. Due to the overexpression of PsWRKY25, the overexpression of PsCERK1 triggered the defense response in poplar. This was also confirmed by PsWRKY25 overexpression experiments. These findings present new insights into the influence of sorbitol on Populus simonii Carr. disease resistance. These results emphasize the value of molecular phenotypes in predicting physiological changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green synthesis of gold nanoparticles using plant extracts is one of the more promising approaches for obtaining environmentally friendly nanomaterials for biological applications and environmental remediation. In this study, proanthocyanidins-functionalized gold nanoparticles were synthesized via a hydrothermal method. The obtained gold nanoparticles were characterized by ultraviolet and visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. UV-Vis and FTIR results indicated that the obtained products were mainly spherical in shape, and that the phenolic hydroxyl of proanthocyanidins had strong interactions with the gold surface. TEM and XRD determination revealed that the synthesized gold nanoparticles had a highly crystalline structure and good monodispersity. The application of proanthocyanidins-functionalized gold nanoparticles for the removal of dyes and heavy metal ions Ni2+, Cu2+, Cd2+ and Pb2+ in an aqueous solution was investigated. The primary results indicate that proanthocyanidins-functionalized gold nanoparticles had high removal rates for the heavy metal ions and dye, which implies that they have potential applications as a new kind of adsorbent for the removal of contaminants in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]