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Objective In Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) history, Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were used clinically as one drug, but now they are admitted as two herbal medicines in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2010 edition). This study used network pharmacology to investigate whether the two can be used interchangeably for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in TCM clinical practice. Methods Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos were compared in the inflammation mechanism including core targets, Gene Ontology (GO), pathway and principle chemical components by the method of network pharmacology. Results Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos shared in six targets accounting for 66.7% of the entire core targets and more than half of the GO terms and pathways are similar. Organic acids are dominent compounds responsible for anti-inflammatory effects. Three of the compounds that bind to core targets including luteolin, quercetin and kaempferol, are shared in both herbs. Conclusion Due to high similarity between Lonicerae Japonicae Flos and Lonicerae Flos, we believe that they can be used interchangeably for the inflammation in clinical treatment.

The persistent transactivation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) causes subsequent activation of the TGF‐β/Smad3 pathway, which is closely associated with fibrosis and cell proliferation in diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the exact mechanism of persistent EGFR transactivation in DN remains unclear. ARAP1, a susceptibility gene for type 2 diabetes, can regulate the endocytosis and ubiquitination of membrane receptors, but the effect of ARAP1 and its natural antisense long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA), ARAP1‐AS2, on the ubiquitination of EGFR in DN is not clear. In this study, we verified that the expression of ARAP1 and ARAP1‐AS2 was significantly up‐regulated in high glucose‐induced human proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK‐2 cells). Moreover, we found that overexpression or knockdown of ARAP1‐AS2 could regulate fibrosis and HK‐2 cell proliferation through EGFR/TGF‐β/Smad3 signalling. RNA pulldown assays revealed that ARAP1‐AS2 directly interacts with ARAP1. Coimmunoprecipitation, dual‐immunofluorescence and ubiquitination assays showed that ARAP1 may maintain persistent EGFR activation by reducing EGFR ubiquitination through competing with Cbl for CIN85 binding. Taken together, our results suggest that the lncRNA ARAP1‐AS2 may promote high glucose‐induced proximal tubular cell injury via persistent EGFR/TGF‐β/Smad3 pathway activation by interacting with ARAP1.

High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is widely used in the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), but the pharmacokinetic properties of HD-MTX in Chinese adult patients with NHL have not yet been established through an approach that integrates genetic covariates. The purposes of this study were to identify both physiological and pharmacogenomic covariates that can explain the inter- and intraindividual pharmacokinetic variability of MTX in Chinese adult patients with NHL and to explore a new sampling strategy for predicting delayed MTX elimination. A total of 852 MTX concentrations from 91 adult patients with NHL were analyzed using the nonlinear mixed-effects modeling method. FPGS, GGH, SLCO1B1, ABCB1 and MTHFR were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY technology platform and were screened as covariates. The ability of different sampling strategies to predict the MTX concentration at 72 h was assessed through maximum a posteriori Bayesian forecasting using a validation dataset (18 patients). A two-compartment model adequately described the data, and the estimated mean MTX clearance (CL) was 6.03 L/h (9%). Creatinine clearance (CrCL) was identified as a covariate for CL, whereas the intercompartmental clearance (Q) was significantly affected by the body surface area (BSA). However, none of the genotypes exerted a significant effect on the pharmacokinetic properties of MTX. The percentage of patients with concentrations below 0.2 µmol/L at 72 h decreased from 65.6 to 42.6% when the CrCL decreased from 90 to 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 with a scheduled dosing of 3 g/m2, and the same trend was observed with dose regimens of 1 g/m2 and 2 g/m2. Bayesian forecasting using the MTX concentrations at 24 and 42 h provided the best predictive performance for estimating the MTX concentration at 72 h after dosing. The MTX population pharmacokinetic model developed in this study might provide useful information for establishing personalized therapy involving MTX for the treatment of adult patients with NHL.

Accumulating evidence indicates that colonized microbes play a crucial role in regulating health and disease in the human body. Detecting microbes should be essential for understanding the relationship between microbes and diseases, as well as increasing our ability to detect diseases. Here, a combined metabolic labeling strategy was developed to identify different bacterial species and microbiota by the use of three different fluorescent metabolite derivatives emitting red, green, and blue (RGB) fluorescence. Upon co-incubation with microbes, these fluorescent metabolite derivatives are incorporated into bacteria, generating unique true-color fingerprints for different bacterial species and different microbiota. A portable spectrometer was also fabricated to automate the colorimetric analysis in combination with a smartphone to conveniently identify different bacterial species and microbiota. Herein, the effectiveness of this system was demonstrated by the identification of certain bacterial species and microbiota in mice with different diseases, such as skin infections and bacteremia. By analyzing the microbiota fingerprints of saliva samples from clinical patients and healthy people, this system was proved to precisely distinguish oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC, n = 29) samples from precancerous (n = 10) and healthy (n = 5) samples.

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key part of the brain networks that are closely related to the regulation of behavior, acts as a key regulator in emotion, social cognition, and decision making. Astrocytes are the majority cell type of glial cells, which play a significant role in a number of processes and establish a suitable environment for the functioning of neurons, including the brain energy metabolism. Astrocyte’s dysfunction in the mPFC has been implicated in various neuropsychiatric disorders. Glucose is a major energy source in the brain. In glucose metabolism, part of glucose is used to convert UDP-GlcNAc as a donor molecule for O-GlcNAcylation, which is controlled by a group of enzymes, O-GlcNAc transferase enzyme (OGT), and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). However, the role of O-GlcNAcylation in astrocytes is almost completely unknown. Our research showed that astrocytic OGT could influence the expression of proteins in the mPFC. Most of these altered proteins participate in metabolic processes, transferase activity, and biosynthetic processes. GFAP, an astrocyte maker, was increased after OGT deletion. These results provide a framework for further study on the role of astrocytic OGT/O-GlcNAcylation in the mPFC.

bZIP gene family is one of the largest transcription factor families. It plays an important role in plant growth, metabolic, and environmental response. However, complete genome-wide investigation of bZIP gene family in Glycyrrhiza uralensis remains unexplained. In this study, 66 putative bZIP genes in the genome of G. uralensis were identified. And their evolutionary classification, physicochemical properties, conserved domain, functional differentiation, and the expression level under different stress conditions were further analyzed. All the members were clustered into 13 subfamilies (A–K, M, and S). A total of 10 conserved motifs were found in GubZIP proteins. Members from the same subfamily shared highly similar gene structures and conserved domains. Tandem duplication events acted as a major driving force for the evolution of bZIP gene family in G. uralensis. Cis-acting elements and protein–protein interaction networks showed that GubZIPs in one subfamily are involved in multiple functions, while some GubZIPs from different subfamilies may share the same functional category. The miRNA network targeting GubZIPs showed that the regulation at the transcriptional level may affect protein–protein interaction networks. We suspected that domain-mediated interactions may categorize a protein family into subfamilies in G. uralensis. Furthermore, the tissue-specific gene expression patterns of GubZIPs were analyzed using the public RNA-seq data. Moreover, gene expression level of 66 bZIP family members under abiotic stress treatments was quantified by using qRT-PCR. The results of this study may serve as potential candidates for functional characterization in the future.

Whether photosynthesis has improved with increasing yield in major crops remains controversial. Research in this area has often neglected to account for differences in light intensity experienced by cultivars released in different years. Light intensity is expected to be positively associated with photosynthetic capacity and the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus to high light but negatively associated with light-utilization efficiency under low light. Here, we analyzed the light environment, photosynthetic activity, and protein components of leaves of 26 winter wheat cultivars released during the past 60 years in China. Over time, light levels on flag leaves significantly decreased due to architectural changes, but photosynthetic rates under high or low light and the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus to high light remained steady, contrary to expectations. We propose that the difference between the actual and expected trends is due to breeding. Specifically, breeding has optimized photosynthetic performance under high light rather than low light. Moreover, breeding selectivity altered the stoichiometry of several proteins related to dynamic photosynthesis, canopy light distribution, and photoprotection. These results indicate that breeding has significantly altered the photosynthetic mechanism in wheat and its response to the light environment. These changes likely have helped increase wheat yields.

At present, studies have found that latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with a variety of human tumours, and a vaccine is not available in this field. In this research, RT–PCR was used to obtain BZLF1 (immediately expressed early antigen Z) and LMP2 (latent membrane protein 2) cDNA from EBV. A ZLP2 fusion gene containing a linker sequence that encoded the polypeptide (Gly4Ser)3 was obtained using the sequence splicing overlap extension method. Then, ZLP2 was inserted into pMV261 cells, and the recombinant plasmid pMV-ZLP2 was transformed into BCG competent cells. After EB virus-positive tumour cell (NPRC18) cancer models were established with C57BL/6 J mice, tumour weight, tumour formation time and mouse survival conditions were analyzed, and flow cytometry was used to analyze the quantities of CD8 + and CD4 + T cells. HE staining was used to detect and analyze lymphocyte infiltration, and statistical analysis was used to analyze the immunological effect of recombinant BCG (rBCG). Compared with the control group, rBCG could significantly prolong the survival time of mice, slow tumour growth and delay tumour formation time. Recombinant BCG exhibits an obvious immune effect in mice and an inhibitory effect on EBV-positive cancer. Key points • AZLP2 fusion gene with BZLF1 and LMP2 of EB virus was constructed. • ZLP2 fusion gene was expressed with rBCG. • rBCG with ZLP2 has an obvious effect on EBV-positive cancer.

The membrane-bound fatty acid desaturases (FADs) play vital roles in regulating plant fatty acid (FA) compositions which directly affect oil quality in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). In the present study, a total of 68 putative FAD genes were identified in the crop and were phylogenetically clustered into four subfamilies. Genomic localization revealed that the genes were distributed across 21 chromosomes at various densities. The structures of paralogous genes were considerably conserved in the number of exons and in the length of introns. It was found that the expansion of the B. napus FAD family was mainly attributable to whole genome duplication and segmental duplication. Rapeseed seedlings were grown hydroponically under three levels (0, 250, and 500 μM) of cadmium (Cd) and three levels (0, 50, and 100 mM) of salinity. After one week of treatment, the roots and leaves of seedlings were harvested to study the expression patterns of 68 selected BnFADs in response to the different stresses. The results from qRT-PCR analyses suggested that the FAD genes in rapeseed were differentially expressed under various abiotic stresses. The transcript levels of the FAD genes ADS4.8, ADS4.9, ADS4.10, ADS9.1 and SLD8 in the leaves of Cd-tolerant cultivar ZD619 were significantly higher than those in the leaves of sensitive cultivar ZD622 under the 250 μM Cd stress condition. Moreover, the expression levels of 8FAD genes (ADS4.1, ADS4.4, ADS4.9, ADS9.1, ADS9.2, SLD8, FAD7.4 and FAD7.5) in ZD619 roots were obviously enhanced with the increase of salinity concentrations. These results indicate the likelihood of FAD genes involved in Cd and salinity tolerance. This study provides insight on membrane-bound FAD genes involvement in tolerance to abiotic stresses and would provide some more candidate genes for the crop improvement.

Autophagy is a highly conserved intracellular degradation pathway that breaks down damaged macromolecules and/or organelles. It is involved in plant development and senescence, as well as in biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the autophagy process and related genes are largely unknown in citrus. In this study, we identified 35 autophagy-related genes (CsATGs&mdash, autophagy-related genes (ATGs) of Citrus sinensis, Cs) in a genome-wide manner from sweet orange (Citrus sinensis). Bioinformatic analysis showed that these CsATGs were highly similar to Arabidopsis ATGs in both sequence and phylogeny. All the CsATGs were randomly distributed on nine known (28 genes) and one unknown (7 genes) chromosomes. Ten CsATGs were predicted to be segmental duplications. Expression patterns suggested that most of the CsATG were significantly up- or down-regulated in response to drought, cold, heat, salt, mannitol, and excess manganese, copper, and cadmium stresses. In addition, two ATG18 members, CsATG18a and CsATG18b, were cloned from sweet orange and ectopically expressed in Arabidopsis. The CsATG18a and CsATG18b transgenic plants showed enhanced tolerance to osmotic stress, salt, as well as drought (CsATG18a) or cold (CsATG18b), compared to wild-type plants. These results highlight the essential roles of CsATG genes in abiotic stresses.

The effect of anti-TP0136 antibodies on the progression of syphilis is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of anti-TP0136 antibodies on the progression of lesions in an infected rabbit model. Intramuscular injection of rTP0136 into rabbits in the immunized group (n = 4) elicited high titers of anti-TP0136 antibodies, and rabbits were then challenged with 105T. pallidum per site along their back. Lesion development was observed, and the injection sites were biopsied for tp0574 mRNA and histological analyses every week until the wound healed. The rabbits in the control group were injected with normal saline instead of rTP0136. Viable T. pallidum in the challenged rabbits was assessed with rabbit infectivity tests. The lesions in the immunized group took longer to heal than those in the control group (42 d vs. 28 d, P < 0.001) and had markedly higher levels of total cellular infiltrates. The mRNA level of tp0574 in the immunized group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Viable T. pallidum was detected in rabbit lymph nodes in both the immunized and control groups. Our study showed that high titers of anti-TP0136 antibodies promoted the infiltration of inflammatory cells into local lesions and intensified tissue damage, thus delaying wound healing, and had no protective effect on the occurrence of syphilis in the rabbit model.

Acupuncture as a traditional Chinese medicine has been used for thousands of years to treat diseases. Acupuncture is one of the effective forms of stimulation of the central nervous system. Acupuncture plays an important role in the functional reorganization and compensation of the brain. Different factors and conditions can cause various compensatory changes in the structural function and morphology of neurons or synapses, which are called neuronal plasticity. This process includes changes in morphology, structure, electrophysiology, and biochemistry. This article reviews the effects of acupuncture on the plasticity of neurons.

Summary Natural enzymes are mainly composed by the protein part and metallic cofactor part, both of which work cooperatively to achieve high catalytic activity. Here, natural melanin particles (NMPs) were extracted from human hair and further bound with metal ions to mimic natural enzymes. The different metal-bound NMPs (M-NMPs) exhibited different enzyme-like activities with great promise in diverse biomedical applications. It was found that Fe-bound NMPs (Fe-NMPs) showed outstanding peroxidase (POD)-like activity that possessed potential in antibacterial applications, and Mn-bound NMPs (Mn-NMPs) displayed catalase (CAT)-like activity with a remarkable radiotherapy sensitization effect in cancer therapy. Besides, Cu-bound NMPs (Cu-NMPs) could serve as combined POD, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and CAT alternatives, which exhibited prominent reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging ability, revealing great potential in anti-inflammation. The versatile enzyme-like activities of M-NMPs derived from hair might give extensive perspective for designing biomedical materials and provide a promising tool in solving biomedical problems., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Natural enzyme mimicking based on human hairs • Efficient, stable, and low-cost enzyme alternatives • Different enzyme-like activities of different M-NMPs • Enzyme-like activities provide the potential in biomedical application, Biochemistry; Natural Product Biochemistry; Materials Science; Biomaterials

Cadmium (Cd) immobilization in the cell wall is responsible for Cd detoxification in Cd-accumulating cultivars. Lignin is the dominant constituent of the secondary cell wall (SCW), but its role in Cd compartmentalization is poorly understood. The mechanism of Cd compartmentalization by lignin was thus investigated herein. Lignin content and composition, as well as related genes and proteins, were analyzed in the Cd pollution-safe cultivar Brassica parachinensis L. ‘SJ19’. The lignin microstructural regions and Cd affinities were characterized by 2D-heteronuclear single quantum coherence nuclear magnetic resonance (HSQC NMR) and density functional theory (DFT). Lignin combined with 14.2% of the total Cd in SJ19, with a higher Cd distribution in acid-insoluble lignin (AIL). Additionally, the proportion of AIL increased under Cd treatment. The increase in the proportion of the lignin aromatic region syringyl (S) and decrease in the guaiacyl (G) proportion were in accordance with the significant up-regulation of peroxidase P7 and down-regulation of caffeoyl-CoA O-methyltransferase At1g67980 under Cd stress. Moreover, the Cd affinity associating with the lignin aromatic region ranked as S > G > H (p-hydroxyphenyl). Therefore, rather than lignin biosynthesis, the simultaneous elevation of AIL and S lignin was recognized as the preliminary strategy for lignin compartmentalization of Cd in SCW for the first time herein. This is beneficial for Cd detoxification in the Cd pollution-safe cultivar of B. parachinensis.

Phytoestrogens are polyphenol compounds which have similar structure to 17β-estradiol (E2), a kind of main estrogen in women. Thus, phytoestrogens may affect the reproductive and endocrine systems, leading to the development of estrogen-related cancers. The effect of genistein (Gen), one of the most studied phytoestrogens, on human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) was investigated in this study. It was found that Gen at concentrations of 0.001, 0.01, 0.1 and 1 µmol·L-1 promoted the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Gen increased the portion of HeLa cells in S phase and decreased the portion of the cells in G1 phase. Besides, apoptosis rate of the cells was significantly lower when treated with Gen compared with the control group. It was also found that the expression of ERα, Akt or nuclear NF-κB p65 protein was activated by Gen. The correlation between these three proteins may be as following: ERα was the upstream, followed by Akt, and then nuclear NF-κB p65 protein. In addition, the downstream genes of activated nuclear NF-κB p65 were found to be associated with cell cycle and apoptosis of cancer cells. Our results suggested that Gen may stimulate cell proliferation partially through the estrogen receptor-mediated PI3K/Akt-NF-κB pathway and the further activation of the downstream genes of nuclear NF-κB p65.

The incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing worldwide. Current approved medication for IBD treatment in the clinic mainly includes corticosteroids and neutralization antibodies to pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, drug resistance and severe side effect hinder long-term efficacy of these agents. The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3) is exclusively expressed in several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Excessive expression, aberrant activation, polymorphism, and gain-of-function mutation of the NLRP3 inflammasome contribute to IBD pathogenesis. In this article, we summarize the regulatory factors to NLRP3, and review recently developed NLRP3 inhibitors and their preclinical and clinical applications in treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We present our views on the therapeutic potential of NLRP3 inhibitors as emerging therapeutic avenue for IBD.

Heat-shock protein 90 (Hsp 90) acts as a molecular chaperone that maintains protein stability and regulates cell proliferation, survival, differentiation and apoptosis. The present study investigated the effect of Hsp90 inhibition on human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells using the novel small-molecule inhibitor SNX-2112. We found that SNX-2112 more potently inhibited KG-1a cell growth than the classical Hsp90 inhibitor 17-(2-dimethylaminoethyl)amino‑17-demethoxygeldanamycin as determined by CCK-8 assay. Flow cytometry was used to examine the cell cycle, differentiation, and apoptosis, and western blotting and qRT-PCR were used to analyze the underlying mechanism. The results revealed that low concentrations of SNX-2112 arrested the cells in the G2/M phase and induced their differentiation and apoptosis, possibly by suppressing Akt and inhibitor of κB kinase, a component of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway. We also found that SNX-2112 increased the expression of the differentiation transcription factors PU.1 and CCAAT‑enhancer-binding protein-α. Thus, SNX-2112 induced KG-1a cell differentiation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via modulation of Akt and NF-κB signaling, suggesting that it is a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of AML.

Carbon dots (CDs) with high quantum yield (QY), low toxicity and good biocompatibility are the major quests of biomedical research. In this paper, we develop a green, simple hydrothermal approach to synthesize water-soluble, nontoxic, highly photoluminescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) from Metronidazole, which possess selective antibacterial activity against obligate anaerobes for the first time. Metronidazole was used as a sole precursor to prepare CNDs at 250 °C (CNDs-250) for 8 h. After the CNDs-250 with an average size of 2.9 nm, consisting of a highly carbon crystalline core and various surface groups were obtained, the formation and fluorescence mechanisms of CNDs were further explored by adjusting the reaction time and reaction temperatures, respectively. Biological experimental data proved that CNDs-250 can only inhibit the growth of obligate anaerobes, such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) directly, instead of further functionalization. Besides, CNDs-250 with a QY around 28.1% exhibit an obvious excitation-dependent emission, which will be conducive to multicolor bioimaging. And it may not only develop a new approach for researchers to prepare multifunctional CDs, but also provide a valuable strategy for the theranostics of some diseases as well as other fields.

Background Iron (Fe) deficiency is a common problem in citrus production. As the second largest superfamily of transcription factors (TFs), the basic/helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins have been shown to participate in the regulation of Fe homeostasis and a series of other biological and developmental processes in plants. However, this family of members in citrus and their functions in citrus Fe deficiency are still largely unknown. Results In this study, we identified a total of 128 CgbHLHs from pummelo (Citrus grandis) genome that were classified into 18 subfamilies by phylogenetic comparison with Arabidopsis thaliana bHLH proteins. All of these CgbHLHs were randomly distributed on nine known (125 genes) and one unknown (3 genes) chromosomes, and 12 and 47 of them were identified to be tandem and segmental duplicated genes, respectively. Sequence analysis showed detailed characteristics of their intron-exon structures, bHLH domain and conserved motifs. Gene ontology (GO) analysis suggested that most of CgbHLHs were annotated to the nucleus, DNA-binding transcription factor activity, response to abiotic stimulus, reproduction, post-embryonic development, flower development and photosynthesis. In addition, 27 CgbHLH proteins were predicted to have direct or indirect protein-protein interactions. Based on GO annotation, RNA sequencing data in public database and qRT-PCR results, several of CgbHLHs were identified as the key candidates that respond to iron deficiency. Conclusions In total, 128 CgbHLH proteins were identified from pummelo, and their detailed sequence and structure characteristics and putative functions were analyzed. This study provides comprehensive information for further functional elucidation of CgbHLH genes in citrus.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a fatal malignant tumor of biliary epithelial cells involving intra- or extra-hepatic bile ducts. The prognosis of CCA is generally poor due to its diagnosis at the late stages. The currently employed chemotherapeutic agents do not increase the survival rate in patients with unresectable CCA. Accordingly, there is a need to identify new therapeutic agents for the effective management of intra- and extra-hepatic CCA. Clinical as well as preclinical studies have suggested the key role of the activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in the induction and progression of CCA. There is an up-regulation of different Wnt ligands including Wnt2, Wnt3, Wnt5, Wnt7 and Wnt10 along with redistribution of β-catenin (more expression in the nucleus and lesser on the cell surface due to nuclear translocation of β-catenin) in different types of malignant biliary tumors. Apart from the role of this pathway in the induction and progression of CCA, this pathway is also involved in inducing multidrug resistance by inducing the expression of P-glycoprotein efflux pump on the cancer cells. These deleterious effects of Wnt/β-catenin signaling are mediated in association with other signaling pathways involving microRNAs (miRNAs), PI3K/AKT/PTEN/GSK-3β, retinoic acid receptors (RARs), dickkopf-1 (DKK1), protein kinase A regulatory subunit 1 α (PRKAR1A/PKAI), (SLAP), liver kinase B1 (LKB1) and CXCR4. The selective inhibitors of Wnt/β-catenin signaling may be potentially employed to overcome multidrug-resistant, fatal CCA. The present review discusses the role of Wnt/β-catenin along with its relation with other signaling pathways in the induction and progression of CCA.

Herbs are typically prescribed in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to treat complex diseases. The multicomponent nature of herbal drug ingredients makes it difficult to readily understand their mode of action. To decipher their molecular mechanisms, here we proposed a novel computational systems pharmacology based approach, which consisted of transcriptome profiling, data collection, statistical analysis, network algorithm, bioinformatics analysis and pharmacological validation. The network algorithm called signed random walk with restart (SRWR) was used to simulate the propagation of drugs' effects on networks. This algorithm could identify proteins either positively or negatively regulated (activated or inhibited) by drugs on human signaling networks. To establish proof of principle, the herbal product Deng-Zhan-Xi-Xin injection (DZXXI), which exhibits pharmacological effects in ischemic stroke but its mechanism was unclear, was analyzed. Eighty-three targets were predicted with high confidence for DZXXI's active compounds in plasma, and 87 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in MCF7 cells treated with DZXXI. These target genes were further found to be associated with pathways involved in neuronal apoptosis in ischemic stroke, such as NF-κB signaling, TNF signaling, and PI3K-Akt signaling. Intersection analysis between DZXXI's putative targets with ischemic stroke-associated genes identified two important targets (PTGS1, PTGS2) corresponding to four DZXXI compounds, which were further validated using in silico and in vitro/vivo models. The most inhibited genes identified by the SRWR algorithm were significantly enriched with ischemic stroke-associated disease genes, antiplatelet associated pathways, and their encoded proteins were enriched in brain, vascular endothelium and platelets. The CMAP analysis based on DEGs suggested that DZXXI could function as both an anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet agent. Taken together, the computational analysis suggested that DZXXI exhibited anti-platelet and neuroprotective effects in the treatment of ischemic stroke. These deductions were preliminarily confirmed by subsequent in vitro/vivo studies. This approach provides a systems perspective to study the relevance between herbal drugs and disease processes, and can reveal possible pharmacological effects of multiple ingredients within herbal product.

In this study, a panel of 13 STR loci locate on chromosome 3, 4, and 17 (D3S2402, D3S2452, D3S1766, D3S4554, D3S2388, D3S3051, D3S3053, D4S2404, D4S2364, AC001348A, AC001348B, D17S975, and D17S1294) were assessed for pairwise kinship analysis. Map distances between these STR loci ranged from 0.07 cM to 97.03 cM. The population genetic study of Chinese Han population showed that linkage disequilibrium exists in two clusters of closely linked markers (D4S2404-D4S2364 and D17S975-D17S1294), in which the recombination fractions were 0.0026 and 0.0001, respectively. The recombination fractions derived from the Rutgers Map for the closely linked markers (genetic distance < 0.5 cM) were significant underestimates in comparison to those of direct observation of STR transmissions in families. When effect of linkage on pairwise kinship testing was evaluated by comparing likelihood ratio (LR) values taking linkage into account, overall LR values increased. But extremely low LRs were also observed. Finally, the power of the 13 STR loci to discriminate relationship among full-sibs, half-sibs, grandparent-grandchild, uncle-niece, and unrelated pairs was assessed with a category fraction. The results showed that about 72.64% of full-sib pairs and about 82.84% of unrelated pairs could be classified correctly. But the category fractions of second-degree relationships drastically reduced to 7.34-35.48%. If only pairs of grandparent-grandchild, half-sibs, and uncle-niece were distinguished, the category fraction was 0.5512, 0.1147, and 0.4362, respectively. Our study results demonstrated that linked STRs were helpful to differentiate the most frequent relationships in pairwise kinship analysis.

A new bilobalide isomer (1), together with two flavonol glycosides (2, 3), have been isolated and elucidated from the extract of Ginkgo biloba leaves. Significantly, 1 was a new sesquiterpene lactone with two lactone ring groups, both 2 and 3 were two flavonol glycosides with a same cis-coumaroylated fragment. Their chemical structures were elucidated by NMR and MS spectroscopic date and the absolute configuration of 1 was specific established by Cu-Kα X-ray crystallographic analyses. However, 1-3 showed no obvious anti-platelet aggregation activity.

Our previous study demonstrated that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) were capable of differentiation into germ cells in vitro. To assess this potential in vivo, HUMSCs were microinjected into the lumen of seminiferous tubules of immunocompetent mice, which were treated with busulfan to destroy endogenous spermatogenesis. Bromodeoxyuridine labeling studies demonstrated that HUMSCs survived in the tubule for at least 120 days, exhibited a round cell shape typical of proliferating or differentiating germ cells, migrated to the basement of the tubule, where proliferating spermatogonia reside and returned to the luminal compartment, where differentiating spermatids and spermatozoa reside. The migration pattern resembled that of germ cell development in vivo. Immunohistochemical and colocalization studies revealed that transplanted HUMSCs expressed the germ cell markers octamer-binding transcription factor 4, α6 integrin, C-kit and VASA, confirming the germ cell differentiation. In addition, it was observed that tubules transplanted with HUMSCs exhibited marked improvement in the histological features damaged by the chemotherapeutic busulfan, as judged by morphology and quantitative histology. Taken together, these data demonstrated the capacity of HUMSCs to form germ cells in the testes and to repair testicular tissue. These findings suggest a potential utility of HUMSCs to treat the infertility and testicular insufficiency caused by cancer therapeutics.

Two loci concurrent mutations in non-exclusion paternity case were reported based on 19 STR loci available from Goldeneye™ DNA ID System 20A (Peoplespot, Beijing, China). When 9508 family trios with Paternity index (PI) threshold of >10,000 was analyzed, 14 families show mutations at two loci. The paternity was confirmed by using an additional 19 STR markers. When the probability of occurrence of two mutations was compared with the expected probability deduced from binomial model, the observed mutational probability was significantly larger than the expectation. However, the characteristics of mutations agree with those reported previously. Our result indicates that larger samples is still need to estimate mutation rates accurately and reveal the relationship between mutations with multiple loci and the characterization of human mutations based on microsatellites.

Allele frequencies and forensic statistical parameters for 12 STRs contained in the Investigator HDplex Kit (D2S1360, D3S1744, D4S2366, D5S2500, SE33, D6S474, D7S1517, D8S1132, D10S2325, D12S391, D18S51, and D21S2055) were estimated from a sample of 503 unrelated individuals from the Guangdong Han population of South China. No significant departure from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or genetic linkage disequilibrium was observed (after Bonferroni correction). The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.6411 to 0.9414. The allele frequencies in Guangdong Han significantly differed from that in Shanghai Han, Korea, Northern Italian, Swedish, Dutch, Somalia, and Argentinean populations at 2 to 12 loci. The markers included in the kit have highly polymorphic information that could be used for forensic DNA analysis as potential tools for differentiating Han population from other populations in the world.

Mutation analysis of 42 Y chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) loci was performed using a sample of 1160 father–son pairs from the Chinese Han population in Eastern China. The results showed that the average mutation rate across the 42 Y-STR loci was 0.0041 (95% CI 0.0036–0.0047) per locus per generation. The locus-specific mutation rates varied from 0.000 to 0.0190. No mutation was found at DYS388, DYS437, DYS448, DYS531, and GATA_H4. DYS627, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS449 could be classified as rapidly mutating Y-STRs, with mutation rates higher than 1.0 × 10−2. DYS458, DYS630, and DYS518 were moderately mutating Y-STRs, with mutation rates ranging from 8 × 10−3 to 1 × 10−2. Although the characteristics of the Y-STR mutations were consistent with those in previous studies, mutation rate differences between our data and previous published data were found at some rapidly mutating Y-STRs. The single-copy loci located on the short arm of the Y chromosome (Yp) showed relatively higher mutation rates more frequently than the multi-copy loci. These results will not only extend the data for Y-STR mutations but also be important for kinship analysis, paternal lineage identification, and family relationship reconstruction in forensic Y-STR analysis.

Recently, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely used in various applications as antimicrobial agents, anticancer, diagnostics, biomarkers, cell labels, and drug delivery systems for the treatment of various diseases. Microorganisms generally acquire resistance to antibiotics through the course of antibacterial therapy. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) has become a growing problem in the treatment of infectious diseases, and the widespread use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has resulted in the development of antibiotic resistance by numerous human and animal bacterial pathogens. As a result, an increasing number of microorganisms are resistant to multiple antibiotics causing continuing economic losses in dairy farming. Therefore, there is an urgent need for the development of alternative, cost-effective, and efficient antimicrobial agents that overcome antimicrobial resistance. Here, AgNPs synthesized using the bio-molecule quercetin were characterized using various analytical techniques. The synthesized AgNPs were highly spherical in shape and had an average size of 11 nm. We evaluated the efficacy of synthesized AgNPs against two MDR pathogenic bacteria, namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, which were isolated from milk samples produced by mastitis-infected goats. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of AgNPs against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were found to be 1 and 2 μg/mL, respectively. Our findings suggest that AgNPs exert antibacterial effects in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Results from the present study demonstrate that the antibacterial activity of AgNPs is due to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and leakage of proteins and sugars in bacterial cells. Results of the present study showed that AgNP-treated bacteria had significantly lower lactate dehydrogenase activity (LDH) and lower adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels compared to the control. Furthermore, AgNP-treated bacteria showed downregulated expression of glutathione (GSH), upregulation of glutathione S-transferase (GST), and downregulation of both superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). These physiological and biochemical measurements were consistently observed in AgNP-treated bacteria, thereby suggesting that AgNPs can induce bacterial cell death. Thus, the above results represent conclusive findings on the mechanism of action of AgNPs against different types of bacteria. This study also demonstrates the promising use of nanoparticles as antibacterial agents for use in the biotechnology and biomedical industry. Furthermore, this study is the first to propose the mode of action of AgNPs against MDR pathogens isolated from goats infected with subclinical mastitis.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate allelic association and linkage of 18 adjacent syntenic short tandem repeat (STR) pairs form out of 30 markers located on 12 different autosomes. Linkage disequilibrium was tested by using the unknown gametic phase genotypes and phased haplotypes from 290 unrelated individuals from Chinese Han population. Genetic linkage analysis between syntenic STRs was performed based on 145 two-generation families which involved 628 meioses. The results showed no significant linkage disequilibrium at any STR pairs and independent inheritance between syntenic STR pairs was indicated. Significant linkage (maximum logarithm of odd (LOD) scores >3.0) was found in 6 out of the 18 adjacent syntenic STR pairs (D1S1627-D1S1677, CSF1PO-D5S818, D6S1017-D6S1043, D6S1043-D6S474, D12S391-vWA, and D19S253-D19S433). These significant linkage marker pairs had a genetic distance ranged from 11.94 to 41.33 cM deduced from HapMap. When recombination fractions determined in families were compared to those derived from Kosambi mapping function based on HapMap data, the latter may have an overestimation. In summary, our results demonstrated that product rule included syntenic STRs can be used for unrelated individual profile probability and the recombination fraction based on family data was superior to the estimation from HapMap for kinship analysis.

The family Trigonalyidae is considered to be one of the most basal lineages in the suborder Apocrita of Hymenoptera. Here, we determine the first complete mitochondrial genome of the Trigonalyidae, from the species Taeniogonalos taihorina (Bischoff, 1914). This mitochondrial genome is 15,927 bp long, with a high A + T-content of 84.60%. It contains all of the 37 typical animal mitochondrial genes and an A + T-rich region. The orders and directions of all genes are different from those of previously reported hymenopteran mitochondrial genomes. Eight tRNA genes, three protein-coding genes and the A + T-rich region were rearranged, with the dominant gene rearrangement events being translocation and local inversion. The arrangements of three tRNA clusters, trnY – trnM – trnI – trnQ , trnW – trnL2 – trnC , and trnH – trnA – trnR – trnN – trnS – trnE – trnF, and the position of the cox1 gene, are novel to the Hymenoptera, even the insects. Six long intergenic spacers are present in the genome. The secondary structures of the RNA genes are normal, except for trnS2 , in which the D-stem pairing is absent.

Recombination fractions between forensic STRs can be extrapolated from the International HapMap Project, but the concordance between recombination fractions predicated from genetic maps and derived from observation of STR transmissions in families is still ambiguous for autosomal STRs because of limited family studies. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to compare recombination fractions estimated by pedigree analysis with those derived from HapMap phase SNP data. Genotypes of nine autosomal STR pairs (TPOX-D2S1772, D5S818-CSF1PO, D7S3048-D7S820, D8S1132-D8S1179, TH01-D11S2368, vWA-D12S391, D13S325-D13S317, D18S51-D18S1364, and D21S11-PentaD) from 207 two-generation families with two to five children (the number of families with five, four, three, and two children was 2, 3, 20, and 182, respectively) were used to analyze the recombination. The linkage analysis showed that significant linkage was observed at six STR pairs (D5S818-CSF1PO, D8S1132-D8S1179, TH01-D11S2368, vWA-D12S391, D13S325-D13S317, and D18S51-D18S1364) with genetic distances

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were originally generated from mouse fibroblasts by enforced expression of Yamanaka factors (Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc). The technique was quickly re- produced with human fibroblasts or mesenchymal stem cells. Although having been showed therapeutic po- tential in animal models of sickle cell anemia and Parkinson's disease, iPS cells generated by viral methods do not suit all the clinical applications. Various non-viral methods have appeared in recent years for application of iPS cells in cell transplantation therapy. These methods mainly include DNA vector-based approaches, transfection of mRNA, and transduction of reprogramming proteins. This review summarized these non-viral methods and compare the advantages, disadvantages, efficiency, and safety of these methods.

Background/Aims: The aim of our study was to reveal the role of CD44-Hyaluronic acid (HA) in the homing and improving renal function of systemically transplanted MSCs in chronic renal failure. Methods: First, a remnant kidney model was established in rats and the expression of HA was determined using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blotting. Next, chemotaxis assay using flow cytometry, and cell migration assay of MSCs were performed in vitro. Then, MSCs were transplanted into rats, thus, sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into sham group, 5/6 nephrectomy (5/6 Nx) group, MSC group and MSC/Anti-CD44 group (n = 8 for all groups). Migration of MSCs to the kidney in these rats was assessed by using cell tracking experiments, and tissue damage was evaluated by morphological analysis using Masson's trichrome staining and periodic acid Schiff staining. Results: HA was significantly observed in 5/6 Nx group, but not in sham group. Meanwhile, HA was discovered induced MSCs migration remarkably (p < 0.05) and anti-CD44 antibody inhibited the migration significantly (p < 0.05) in vitro. In vivo, the GFP-MSCs were observed in MSC group and the cells reduced in MSC/Anti-CD44 groups, especially, in the tubulointerstitium. Conclusion: Our findings reveal that CD44-HA has the potential to induce MSCs homing to injured tissue, while its effect on the ability of MSCs, improving tissue function, is not significant.

Population genetic data and forensic statistics of 22 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci (D1S1656, D2S1338, D3S3045, D4S2366, D5S2500, D6S477, D7S3048, D8S1132, D9S925, D10S1435, D11S2368, D12S391, D13S325, D14S608, D15S659, D16S539, D17S1290, D18S535, D19S253, D20S470, D21S1270 and GATA198B05) were determined for a sample of 515 unrelated individuals from Han population in Southern China. The expected heterozygosity and the discrimination power varied from 0.7358 to 0.8733 and 0.8915 to 0.9702, respectively. The probability of excluding an unrelated man as the true father (assuming no background relatedness in the population) for trios and for duos ranged from 0.5126 to 0.7415 and 0.3331 to 0.5864, respectively. The studied STRs appear to provide a significant improvement in the statistical power of kinship analysis.

Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis is a primary tool in forensic casework. Population data and mutation rates of STRs are very important for paternity testing and forensic genetics. However, the population data and mutation rates of STRs in Han nationality based on large samples have still not been fully described in China. In this study, the allelic frequencies, forensic parameters, and mutation rate of 19 STR loci (D19S433, D5S818, D21S11, D18S51, D6S1043, D3S1358, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, CSFIPO, PentaD, vWA, D8S1179, TPOX, Penta E, TH01, D12S391, D2S1338, and FGA) based on the Goldeneye™ DNA ID System 20A in Southern China Han nationality among seven provinces were investigated. Furthermore, population stratification of Southern China Han nationality among seven provinces was established. The multidimensional scaling (MDS) plot based on genetic distances (Fst) showed that the studied populations can be clustered into two major groups. However, relationships among populations were weak (Fst

As nonionic surfactants derived from naturally renewable resources, sugar fatty acid esters (SFAEs) have been widely utilized in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, six enzymes were screened as catalyst for synthesis of glucose laurate. Aspergillus oryzae lipase (AOL) and Aspergillus niger lipase (ANL) yielded conversions comparable to the results obtained by commercial enzymes such as Novozyme 435 and Lipozyme TLIM. The productivity obtained by AOL catalysis in anhydrous 2–methyl–2–butanol (2M2B) (38.7 mmol/L/h and 461.0 μmol/h/g) was much higher than the other literature results. Factors affecting the synthetic reaction were investigated, including water content, enzyme amount, substrate concentrations and reaction temperature. The process was greatly improved by applying the Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM). Solubilities of glucose in 14 different organic solvents were determined, which were found to be closely associated with the polarity of the solvents. Aspergillus oryzae lipase is a promising enzyme capable of efficiently catalyzing the synthesis of sugar fatty acid esters with excellent productivity.

I n this study, we present a new approach for biomass assessment in insect cell culture using a disposable microcentrifuge tube, which is composed with an upper chamber for sample loading and a lower 5 μL capillary for cell collection during centrifugation. The height of the cell pellet within the capillary is measured and expressed as the packed cell volume (PCV). PCV method showed an excellent correlation with cell counting measurement, but with lower average of the errors (3.3%) compared to manual cell counting (12.4%). PCV method was shown to be statistically reliable and more precise, rapid. And it also demonstrates the potential use of this method to monitor the changes in insect cell culture that can affect cell size, for example as seen under baculovirus infection.

To develop a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system with 12 X-chromosomal short-tandem repeat (X-STR) loci and to investigate their polymorphism and linkage and/or independence, the 12 loci (DXS6807, DXS8378, DXS9902, DXS6800, DXS6803, DXS6799, DXS6804, GATA172D05, DXS6854, HPRTB, DXS8377, and DXS7423) were simultaneously analyzed in 1,005 unrelated individuals (574 males and 431 females) from Guangdong Han individuals and Kazakh populations living in China. The allele frequencies and mutation rates were investigated. Allele frequency distribution among different populations was compared. Haplotypes of linkage disequilibrium markers (DXS6807-DXS8378-DXS9902) and linked markers (DXS6804-GATA172D05 and DXS8377-DXS7423) were also reported. A total of 117 alleles, ranging from five to 20 for each locus, were observed in our selected populations. Eight cases with mutation of the selected loci were detected in 9,480 meioses. Pairwise comparisons of allele frequencies distribution showed statistically significant differences at most loci among different populations. Haplotype diversity of linked markers was 0.9404-0.9694. The results indicated that this multiplex system is very useful for forensic analysis and may be complementarities for X-12 kits or X-8 kits in forensic case.

In despite of many researches on relations between biomass carbon and tree growth,the similar soil organic carbon(SOC) relations were rarely surveyed and conclusions are also controversial to date.Through the clarification of these growth-related differences between biomass and SOC,we tried to explore some simple indicators for identifying the changes of SOC during forest development.An investigation was carried out on the biomass,aboveground litter mass and SOC dynamics of 139 chronosequence plots of larch plantation forests in Northeast China.Our results showed that: 1) Tree age was a credible parameter to describe biomass carbon changes.Significant linear correlations between larch body size(DBH: diameter at breast height,tree height and plant biomass) and tree age were observed(P0.001).Similarly,significant increases in stand biomass density(biomass per one unit area of soil) with tree age were also observed(R2=0.35—0.6,P0.001);2) Surface litter mass was quadratically related with tree age,i.e.,obvious escalation before the age of 37,but decrease thereafter was observed(P0.05).Other growth parameters,such as DBH,tree height,tree size as well as biomass density were linearly correlated with the litter mass above soil surface(R2=0.14—0.82,P0.001),and the best correlation was found in tree height.Thus,tree height should be the optimal parameter to evaluate the changes of litter mass in larch plantations;3) Various parameters of tree age,tree size and biomass density had rather similar relations with SOC storage in different soil layers.In general,SOC in deep soils(40 cm) was negatively correlated with plantation age,while positive mounting SOC was found in the surface soil(but without statistical significance(P0.05)).This contrary changes made the SOC ratio between 0—40 cm and 40—80 cm increased significantly with plantation age(P0.01).Similarly,the tree size parameters were significantly negatively correlated with deep SOC(P0.05) and the ratio between surface and deep soil SOC also displayed a significant upward trend with increasing DBH and tree height(P0.05).However,stand biomass density(above and below ground),which has taken the individual tree size and tree density into account,did not significantly correlated with the SOC changes(P0.05).These results suggested that the simple parameters of stand age,tree height and DBH are even better than some sophisticated parameters(e.g.biomass density) for evaluating the change of SOC(both vertical distribution and absolute storage).Owing to the fact that SOC in deep soil is more stable than that in surface,the increase of SOC ratio indicates that more SOC may accumulate in surface layer,and this will be a risk of soil carbon return atmosphere(for example in a fire).In all,carbon storage changes during the development of larch plantation forests is obvious both aboveground and belowground.Besides the main part of biomass carbon,soil carbon is also remarkable and should be carefully considered in carbon budget studies.This discovery is of a guiding significance for the afforestation of carbon sink larch forests in northeastern China.

Germline mutations of 24 short tandem repeat (STR) loci (TPOX, D3S1358, FGA, D5S818, CSF1PO, D7S820, D8S1179, TH01, vWA, D13S317, Penta E, D16S539, D18S51, Penta D, D21S11, D2S1772, D6S1043, D7S3048, D8S1132, D11S2368, D12S391, D13S325, D18S1364, and GATA198B05) were studied for 6,441 parent-child meioses taken from the paternity testing cases in Chinese Han population. In total, 195 mutations were identified at 22 of the 24 loci. Among them, 189 (96.92%) mutations were one step, five mutations (2.56%) were two step, and one mutation (0.51%) was three step. No mutation was found at the TH01 and TPOX loci. The overall mutation rate estimated was 0.0013 (95% CI 0.0011-0.0015), and the locus-specific mutation rate estimated ranged from 0 to 0.0034. There was a bias in the STR mutations that repeat gains were more common than losses (∼1.7:1). Mutation events in the male germline were more frequent than in the female germline (∼4.3:1). Furthermore, loci with a larger heterozygosity tended to have a higher mutation rate. Mutation in short alleles was biased towards expansion, whereas mutation in long alleles favored contraction. The long alleles have a higher allelic mutational probability than short alleles.

Under the government of China's environmental program known as Returning Farmland To Forests (RFTF), about 28 million hectares of farmland have been converted to tree plantation. This has led to a large accumulation of biomass carbon, but less is known about underground carbon-related processes. One permanent plot (25 years of observation) and four chronosequence plot series comprising 159 plots of larch (Larix gmelinii) plantations in northeastern China were studied. Both methods found significant soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation (96.4 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹) and bulk density decrease (5.7 mg cm⁻³ yr⁻¹) in the surface soil layer (0-20 cm), but no consistent changes in deeper layers, indicating that larch planting under the RFTF program can increase SOC storage and improve the physical properties of surface soil. Nitrogen depletion (4.1-4.3 g m⁻² yr⁻¹), soil acidification (0.007-0.022 pH units yr⁻¹) and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio increase (0.16-0.46 per year) were observed in lessive soil, whereas no significant changes were found in typical dark-brown forest soil. This SOC accumulation rate (96.4 g m⁻² yr⁻¹) can take 39% of the total carbon sink capacity [net ecosystem exchange (NEE)] of larch forests in this region and the total soil carbon sequestration could be 87 Tg carbon within 20 years of plantation by approximating all larch plantations in northeastern China (4.5 Mha), showing the importance of soil carbon accumulation in the ecosystem carbon balance. By comparison with the rates of these processes in agricultural use, the RFTF program of reversing land use for agriculture will rehabilitate SOC, soil fertility and bulk density slowly (< 69% of the depletion rate in agricultural use), so that a much longer duration is needed to rehabilitate the underground function of soil via the RFTF program. Global forest plantations on abandoned farmland or function to protecting farmland are of steady growth and our findings may be important for understanding their underground carbon processes.

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the most important immediate energy source for driving intracellular biochemical reactions in nearly all life forms. Controllable generation of ATP in life is still an unrealized goal. Here, thylakoid fragments are recombined with lipid molecules to synthesize a synthetic/biological hybrid proteoliposome, named highly efficient life-support intracellular opto-driven system (HELIOS) for the generation of ATP. With red light irradiation, HELIOS can improve the intracellular ATP concentration to 1.38-2.45 times in various cell lines. Moreover, it is noticed that HELIOS-mediated ATP generation can comprehensively promote cell functions such as protein synthesis and insulin secretion. At organ and individual levels, it is also proved that HELIOS can rescue a mouse heart from myocardial infarction and sustain life of fasting zebrafish Danio rerio models. The photo-powered artificial organelle can deepen our understanding of metabolism and enable the development of optical therapy that targets intracellular energy supply.

GT elements are DNA sequences occurred in tandem repeats in the promoter region of plant genes, which are rich in nucleotides T and A in promoters. A few GT elements and their functions have been characterized in different plants. Factors GT are transcription factors with trihelix motifs for DNA-binding domains and specific binding to GT elements. Presently, GT factors are only observed in plants. The interaction of GT factors and GT elements can regulate the transcrip-tion of related genes and improve resistance of plants or involve in plant morphogenesis. In this article, we summarized the discover, structure, and interaction of GT factors and GT elements.

A new triterpenoid saponin named clematichinenoside AR(2), along with the six known compounds, was isolated and characterized from Clematis chinensis Osbeck (Ranunculaceae), a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatoid activities. The structure of the new saponin was elucidated as 3-O-beta-[(O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 6)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 --> 4)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 --> 4)-O-beta-D-ribopyranosyl-(1 --> 3)-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 2)-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]olean-12-en-21alpha-hydroxy-28-oic acid-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1 --> 4)-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 --> 6)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl ester (1) by spectral analysis and chemical methods. The effects of two major saponins (clematichinenosides AR and AR(2)) on the secretion of TNF-alpha in murine peritoneal macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharides were further investigated. The result indicated that a majority of triterpenoid saponins of this herb may be useful in the exploration of lead compounds for the treatment of some autoimmune diseases.

Chinese clematis is a Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatoid properties. Studies showed the triterpenoid saponins of this herb represent the major active components with therapeutic activities for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. The LC–ELSD method was developed to quantitatively analyze seven major triterpenoid saponins in 22 samples from different habitats. The linearity, sensitivity, precision, and accuracy were investigated. It showed the great variation of the contents of each saponin. We concluded clematichinenoside AR is the major saponin in all the samples. This method can be used to effectively evaluate and monitor the quality of Chinese clematis in clinical use.