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The impact of climate warming on wetland ecosystems is a current focal point in ecological research. In this study, the Napahai wetland, a typical plateau wetland in northwest Yunnan Province, was selected as the study site to understand the growth and survival strategies of emergent plants in a plateau wetland under climate warming conditions. Open-top chambers (OTCs) were used to simulate warming in three treatments (i.e., control group, 2.0 ± 0.5°C, and 4.0 ± 0.5°C) in order to study the responses of the functional traits of the dominant emergent plant Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani to simulated warming. The results showed that simulated warming significantly reduced the photosynthetic carbon assimilation capacity and biomass accumulation of S. tabernaemontani, as well as its nitrogen content and vascular bundle density, while it significantly increased the vascular bundle size. The growing season accumulated temperature (AT) and the mean temperature of the hottest month (WT) were the main temperature factors influencing the functional traits of S. tabernaemontani. In summary, simulated warming significantly affected the functional traits of S. tabernaemontani, which demonstrated effective adaptation to warming conditions. As the temperature rises and the light and productivity decrease, S. tabernaemontani prioritizes the supply of limited resources to the underground part to ensure the biomass supply of the reproductive structure. This study provides a case for revealing the response patterns and ecological adaptation strategies of plateau wetland plants to climate warming.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a commonly used anthracycline in cancer chemotherapy. The clinical application of DOX is constrained by its cardiotoxicity. Myricetin (MYR) is a natural flavonoid widely present in many plants with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, MYR's beneficial effects and mechanisms in alleviating DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) remain unknown. C57BL/6 mice were injected with 15 mg/kg of DOX to establish the DIC, and MYR solutions were administrated by gavage to investigate its cardioprotective potentials. Histopathological analysis, physiological indicators assessment, transcriptomics analysis, and RT-qPCR were used to elucidate the potential mechanism of MYR in DIC treatment. MYR reduced cardiac injury produced by DOX, decreased levels of cTnI, AST, LDH, and BNP, and improved myocardial injury and fibrosis. MYR effectively prevented DOX-induced oxidative stress, such as lowered MDA levels and elevated SOD, CAT, and GSH activities. MYR effectively suppressed NLRP3 and ASC gene expression levels to inhibit pyroptosis while regulating Caspase1 and Bax levels to reduce cardiac cell apoptosis. According to the transcriptomic analysis, glucose and fatty acid metabolism were associated with differential gene expression. KEGG pathway analysis revealed differential gene enrichment in PPAR and AMPK pathways, among others. Following validation, MYR was found to alleviate DIC by regulating glycolipid metabolism and AMPK pathway-related genes. Our findings demonstrated that MYR could mitigate DIC by regulating the processes of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and pyroptosis. MYR is critical in improving DOX-induced myocardial energy metabolism abnormalities mediated by the AMPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, MYR holds promise as a therapeutic strategy for DIC.

Background: Human metapneumovirus(hMPV) is one of the most common viruses that cause acute lower respiratory tract infections. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) has been reported to play an important role in multiple virus replication. Patients with hMPV infection have increased levels of IL-1β which reminds IL-1β is associated with hMPV infection. However, the mechanism by which IL-1β affects hMPV replication remains unclear. In this study, we explore the effect of IL-1β on hMPV replication and investigate its specific mechanism of action. Methods: We established an hMPV infection model through Human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE). qRT-PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the expression levels of IL-1β, cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS), and interferon stimulating factor (STING). Regulating IL-1β expression by small interfering RNA (siRNA) or exogenous supplementary to study the influence of hMPV replication. The selective cGAS inhibitor RU.521, G150, and STING inhibitor H-151 were utilized to detect hMPV replication in 16HBE cells. Results: The level of IL-1β protein increased in a time-dependent and dose-dependent manner after hMPV infection. The mRNA and protein levels of cGAS and STING were significantly up-regulated. Knockdown of IL-1β could contribute to the decreased viral loads of hMPV. While the exogenous supplement of recombinant human IL-1β in cells, replication of hMPV was significantly increased. Additionally, the level of cGAS-STING protein expression would be affected by regulating IL-1β expression. Inhibitors of the cGAS-STING pathway led to a lower level of hMPV replication. Conclusion: This study found that IL-1β could promote hMPV replication through the cGAS-STING pathway, which has the potential to serve as a candidate to fight against hMPV infection, targeting IL-1β may be an effective new strategy to restrain virus replication.

Anthocyanin accumulation is acknowledged as a phenotypic indicator of phosphate (Pi) starvation. However, negative regulators of this process and their molecular mechanisms remain largely unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that WRKY33 acts as a negative regulator of phosphorus-status-dependent anthocyanin biosynthesis. WRKY33 regulates the expression of the gene encoding dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR), a rate-limiting enzyme in anthocyanin production, both directly and indirectly. WRKY33 binds directly to the DFR promoter to repress its expression and also interferes with the MBW complex through interacting with PAP1 to indirectly influence DFR transcriptional activation. Under −Pi conditions, PHR1 interacts with WRKY33, and the protein level of WRKY33 decreases; the repression of DFR expression by WRKY33 is thus attenuated, leading to anthocyanin accumulation in Arabidopsis. Further genetic and biochemical assays suggest that PHR1 is also involved in regulating factors that affect WRKY33 protein turnover. Taken together, our findings reveal that Pi starvation represses WRKY33, a repressor of anthocyanin biosynthesis, to finely tune anthocyanin biosynthesis. This “double-negative logic” regulation of phosphorus-status-dependent anthocyanin biosynthesis is required for the maintenance of plant metabolic homeostasis during acclimation to Pi starvation.

Purpose: MR-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) has the advantage of utilizing high soft tissue contrast imaging to track daily changes in target and critical organs throughout the entire radiation treatment course. Head and neck (HN) stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) has been increasingly used to treat localized lesions within a shorter timeframe. The purpose of this study is to examine the dosimetric difference between the step-and-shot intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans on Elekta Unity and our clinical volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans on Varian TrueBeam for HN SBRT. Method: Fourteen patients treated on TrueBeam sTx with VMAT treatment plans were re-planned in the Monaco treatment planning system for Elekta Unity MR-Linac (MRL). The plan qualities, including target coverage, conformity, homogeneity, nearby critical organ doses, gradient index and low dose bath volume, were compared between VMAT and Monaco IMRT plans. Additionally, we evaluated the Unity adaptive plans of adapt-to-position (ATP) and adapt-to-shape (ATS) workflows using simulated setup errors for five patients and assessed the outcomes of our treated patients. Results: Monaco IMRT plans achieved comparable results to VMAT plans in terms of target coverage, uniformity and homogeneity, with slightly higher target maximum and mean doses. The critical organ doses in Monaco IMRT plans all met clinical goals; however, the mean doses and low dose bath volumes were higher than in VMAT plans. The adaptive plans demonstrated that the ATP workflow may result in degraded target coverage and OAR doses for HN SBRT, while the ATS workflow can maintain the plan quality. Conclusion: The use of Monaco treatment planning and online adaptation can achieve dosimetric results comparable to VMAT plans, with the additional benefits of real-time tracking of target volume and nearby critical structures. This offers the potential to treat aggressive and variable tumors in HN SBRT and improve local control and treatment toxicity.