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Increasing the metal loading and downsizing the metal particle size are two effective ways to boost the electrochemical performance of catalysts. However, it is difficult to simultaneously increase the metal loading and reduce the particle size since isolated individual atoms are easy to aggregate into nanoparticles when increasing the metal loading. To tackle this contradiction, we report a bottom-up ligand-mediated strategy to facilely prepare ultrafine CoO x nanoclusters anchored on a Co-N-containing carbon matrix (CoO x @Co-NC). The co-exist of N and O atoms prevent Co atoms agglomerating into large particles and allowing the formation of ultrafine dispersed Co species with large Co loading (up to 20 wt.%). Since the relationship between ultrasmall size and large metal loading is well balanced, the CoO x nanoclusters have no inhibitory effect, but facilitate the catalytic performance of Co-N 4 sites during OER process. Consequently, due to the synergistic effect of ultrafine CoO x nanoclusters and Co-N 4 macrocycles, the as-synthesized CoO x @Co-NC exhibit promising OER activity (η 10 =370 mV, Tafel plot=40 mV/dec), bettering than that of benchmark RuO 2 (η 10 =411 mV, Tafel plot=72 mV/dec). This ligand-mediated strategy to synthesize carbonaceous materials containing dual active centers with large metal loading is promising for developing active and stable catalysts for electrocatalytic applications.

Background Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) have been identified as important prebiotics. Previous studies have found that they can significantly promote the proliferation of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum in the mouse intestine. However, it is still unclear which other bacteria in the mouse intestine can utilize FOS, and the differences in the ability to utilize FOS. In this study, the bacteria capable of utilizing FOS were isolated from mice feces and their ability to utilize FOS was compared. Draft genome sequencing was also applied to explain the differences in FOS utilization at the gene levels. Results A total of 15 species were isolated from mouse feces and 13 species were able to utilize fructofuranosylnystose (GF2). Eleven species could utilize nistose (GF3), but not Enterococcus hirae and Lactobacillus reuteri. In contrast, 1-kestose (GF4) was hardly utilized. The enzyme activity determination and draft genome sequencing-based analyses revealed that all isolated species used the phosphotransferase system or permease system to transport FOS into the cells before hydrolysis by β-fructofuranosidase. Although β-fructofuranosidase exists in all strains, there are big differences in the corresponding coding genes between bifidobacteria and non-bifidobacteria. Conclusion Compared with the other isolates, Bifidobacterium species exhibited higher enzyme activity and shorter generation time, leading to a stronger ability to utilize FOS. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Blast is caused by the host-specific lineages of the fungusMagnaporthe oryzaeand is the most important destructive disease in major crop plants, including rice and wheat. The first wheat blast outbreak that occurred in Bangladesh in 2016 and the recent epidemic in Zambia were caused by theM. oryzae Triticum(MoT) pathotype, a fungal lineage belonging toM. oryzae. Although a few reported wheat cultivars show modest resistance toMoT, the patterns of genetic variation and diversity of this pathotype make it crucial to identify additional lines of resistant wheat germplasm. Nearly 40 rice blast resistant and susceptible genes have so far been cloned. Here, we used BLAST analysis to locate two rice blast susceptible genes in the wheat reference genome,bsr-d1andbsr-k1, and identified six identical homologous genes located on subgenomes A, B, and D. We uncovered a total of 171 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS)-induced population, with mutation densities ranging from 1/1107.1 to 1/230.7 kb through Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes (TILLING) by sequencing. These included 81 SNPs located in exonic and promoter regions, and 13 coding alleles that are predicted to have severe effects on protein function, including two pre-mature mutants that might affect wheat blast resistance. The loss-of-function alleles identified in this study provide insights into new wheat blast resistant lines, which represent a valuable breeding resource.

2D/2D heterojunction photocatalysts with excellent photocatalytic activity highlight considerable potential in water disinfection. Here, an oxidized Sb/g-C

The stems of cereal crops provide both mechanical support for lodging resistance and a nutrient supply for reproductive organs. Elongation, which is considered a critical phase for yield determination in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), begins from the first node detectable to anthesis. Previously, we characterized a heavy ion beam triggered wheat mutant qd, which exhibited an altered stem elongation pattern without affecting mature plant height. In this study, we further analyzed mutant stem developmental characteristics by using transcriptome data. More than 40.87 Mb of clean reads including at least 36.61 Mb of unique mapped reads were obtained for each biological sample in this project. We utilized our transcriptome data to identify 124,971 genes. Among these genes, 4,340 differentially expressed genes (DEG) were identified between the qd and wild-type (WT) plants. Compared to their WT counterparts, qd plants expressed 2,462 DEGs with downregulated expression levels and 1878 DEGs with upregulated expression levels. Using DEXSeq, we identified 2,391 counting bins corresponding to 1,148 genes, and 289 of them were also found in the DEG analysis, demonstrating differences between qd and WT. The 5,199 differentially expressed genes between qd and WT were employed for GO and KEGG analyses. Biological processes, including protein-DNA complex subunit organization, protein-DNA complex assembly, nucleosome organization, nucleosome assembly, and chromatin assembly, were significantly enriched by GO analysis. However, only benzoxazinoid biosynthesis pathway-associated genes were enriched by KEGG analysis. Genes encoding the benzoxazinoid biosynthesis enzymes Bx1, Bx3, Bx4, Bx5, and Bx8_9 were confirmed to be differentially expressed between qd and WT. Our results suggest that benzoxazinoids could play critical roles in regulating the stem elongation phenotype of qd.

The study of the high-performance of biopolymers and current eco-friendly have recently emerged. However, the micro-behavior and underlying mechanisms during the test are still unclear. In this study, we conducted experimental and numerical tests in parallel to investigate the impact of different xanthan gum biopolymer contents sand. Then, a numerical simulation of the direct tensile test under different tensile positions was carried out. The micro-characteristics of the biopolymer-treated sand were captured and analyzed by numerical simulations. The results indicate that the biopolymer can substantially increase the uniaxial compressive strength and tensile strength of the soil. The analysis of the microparameters demonstrates the increase in the contact bond parameter values with different biopolymer contents, and stronger bonding strength is provided with a higher biopolymer content from the microscale. The contact force and crack development during the test were visualized in the paper. In addition, a regression model for predicting the direct tensile strength under different tensile positions was established. The numerical simulation results explained the mechanical and fracture behavior of xanthan gum biopolymer stabilized sand under uniaxial compression, which provides a better understanding of the biopolymer strengthening effect.

Herbal medicines and dietary supplements are widely used worldwide. However, reports have revealed that a large number of herbal medicines are implicated in the hepatic damage, which is referred to as Herbal medicines-induced liver injury (HILI). Traditional diagnostic methods for HILI include histological and serological assessments, which fail to offer real-time and unambiguous visualization of hepatotoxicity in vivo. Herein, we constructed a second near-infrared (NIR-II) luminescent nanoprobes to achieve accurate, high-efficiency, and non-invasive detection of HILI by the assembly of lanthanide-based NIR-II luminescence nanoparticles with a chromophore with absorption band in the NIR-II region. Specifically, the NIR-II luminescence of the lanthanide nanoparticles can be effectively quenched by the chromophores on the surface of nanoparticles via an absorption competition-induced quenching effect, and subsequently recovered by the pathophysiological biomarker peroxynitrite (ONOO−) generated in early HILI. It is demonstrated that the nanoprobes are capable for the screening of liver toxins in a noninvasive pattern, which is more convenient than the conventional diagnostic approaches. Finally, our luminescence detection approach offers an immediate testing technique for the identification of hepatotoxic components of herbal medicine such as colchicine, monocrotaline and stibene glucoside, providing a high-throughput screening strategy for herbal medicine-induced hepatotoxicity.

Activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway induces the glial differentiation of glioblastoma (GBM) cells, but the fate of differentiated cells remains poorly understood. Transcriptome analyses have revealed significant changes in the cell cycle- and senescence-related pathways in differentiated GBM cells induced by dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP). Further investigations showed that reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from enhanced mitochondrial function are involved in senescence induction and proliferation inhibition. Moreover, we found that IL-6 from dbcAMP- or temozolomide (TMZ)-induced senescent cells facilitates the glycolytic phenotype of GBM cells and that inhibiting the IL-6-related pathway hinders the proglycolytic effect of either agent. In patient-derived GBM xenograft models, a specific antibody targeting the IL-6 receptor tocilizumab (TCZ) significantly prolongs the survival time of TMZ-treated mice. Taken together, these results suggest that both the differentiation-inducing agent dbcAMP and the chemotherapy drug TMZ are able to drive GBM cells to senescence, and the latter releases IL-6 to potentiate glycolysis, suggesting that IL-6 is a target for adjuvant chemotherapy in GBM treatment.

The stability and bioavailability of fourteen astaxanthin esters (Asta-Es) with different molecular structures were investigated using in vitro and in vivo digestion models. The results demonstrated that Asta-E with long-chain and saturated fatty acids were more stable than other types of Asta-E. Astaxanthin diester (Asta-DE) was better than astaxanthin monoester (Asta-ME) and free astaxanthin (F-Asta), as determined based on the degradation rate constant at 60 °C. The absorbability of Asta-Es with different molecular structures was evaluated through the serum concentrations of astaxanthin (Asta). The results indicated that Asta-E with short-chain fatty acids had higher bioavailability than Asta-Es with long-chain fatty acids, whereas Asta-E with high-unsaturation fatty acids had higher bioavailability than Asta-E with low-unsaturation fatty acids. Asta-ME had significantly increased bioavailability compared with Asta-DE. We concluded that the molecular structure of Asta-E could significantly affect their stability and bioavailability.

Ethanol-type fermentation (ETF) is one of three fermentation types during the acidogenesis of the anaerobic biological treatment. Ethanoligenens, a representative genus of ETF, displays acidophilic, autoaggregative, and ethanol-H

To achieve the high-level stable expression of chlorothalonil hydrolytic dehalogenase (Chd), the gene chd was first integrated into the chromosome of Bacillus subtilis WB800. High generation stability was achieved by almost no gene lost after six generations but Chd activity decreased. aprE promoter alteration, translation initiation region modification and multi-copy chromosome integration were studied and these modifications could increase Chd activity by 270%, 2304% and 25%. Chlorothalonil residual exhibited inhibition on bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass. The addition of Chd crude enzyme (60 μL per g wheat straw) could increase glucose production by 36.10% and 39.65% in synergistic hydrolysis and separate hydrolysis by laccase and cellulase with 120 mg/L residual chlorothalonil. Filter paper activity and carboxymethyl cellulase activity were enhanced by 12.84% and 23.95%, and biomass of Trichoderma reesei was increased by 76.67% under 50 μg chlorothalonil/g dry straw in solid-state fermentation. Thus, the high-level stable expressed Chd effectively eliminated chlorothalonil inhibition on enzymatic hydrolysis and solid-state fermentation. It showed promising potential for bioremediation of chlorothalonil pollution and improving conversion efficiency of lignocellulose.

Background Astaxanthin ester (Asta-E) is used as functional nutraceuticals in many food products. Unfortunately, Asta-E utilization is currently limited owing to its chemical instability and low bioavailability. The purpose of this study is to investigate the promotion effect of oil matrixes on the stability, antioxidant activity, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Asta-E. Results The results showed that the stability of Asta-E in six oil matrixes was improved. Based on the 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity experiment, the antioxidant activity of Asta-E was positively correlated with the degree of unsaturation of the oil matrixes, but not with the side chain length. The in vitro gastrointestinal tract (GIT) simulation model and in vivo experiment using mice were also employed to investigate the digestion and absorption characteristics of Asta-E in various oil matrixes. The results demonstrated that the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Asta-E increased with the increase of fatty acid chain length of oil matrixes (triglyceride oleate > triglyceride caprylate > triglyceride butyrate), as well as with the decrease of unsaturation degree (olive oil > corn oil > fish oil). Conclusion Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and long-chain triglyceride (LCT) in an oil matrix were the factors that could efficiently improve the bioavailability of Asta-E. Moreover, the size of the mixed micelles of Asta-E during digestion was the main factor influencing the bioaccessibility of Asta-E. This study provides references for the design of suitable oil matrixes for Asta-E. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Previous studies have suggested that increased mortality and disability in patients with brain tumor are associated with peritumoral brain edema. However, the mechanism of peritumoral brain edema in brain tumors is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Piezo1 overexpression on peritumoral brain edema in glioblastomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Piezo1 expression in cell lines and paired samples was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Sixty-four patients with glioblastomas were analyzed retrospectively. The Piezo1 expression of tumor tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. The diameters of tumor and edema were measured by preoperative MR imaging, and the edema index value was calculated. RESULTS: Western blot and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction showed that Piezo1 expression was higher in 6 glioma cell lines than in the normal astrocyte cell line. Compared with peritumoral tissues, Piezo1 was up-regulated in tumor tissues. Sixty-four patients with glioblastomas were enrolled in further study. Piezo1 was higher in the moderate edema group than in the mild edema group (P < .001), higher in the severe edema group than in the moderate edema group (P < .001), and correlated with the edema index (r = 0.73; P < .001). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the edema index yielded an area under the curve of 0.867 (95% CI, 0.76–0.97; P < .001), with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 70%. CONCLUSIONS: Piezo1 overexpression is positively correlated with the degree of peritumoral brain edema in glioblastomas. Predicting high Piezo1 expression in tumor tissues based on the edema extent shows good sensitivity and specificity.

Electro-fermentation systems (EFSs) are an emerging technology capable of regulating microbial fermentation pathways by tuning oxidation-reduction potentials and electron flow. However, there is limited understanding of the bioenergy conversion and metabolic regulation of fermentative bacteria in EFSs. In this study, we investigated how electrode potentials in EFSs affect the metabolic products and global transcriptome expression of Ethanoligenens harbinense. The E. harbinense-inoculated anodic EFS (AEFS) with a poised potential of 0 V or the cathodic EFS (CEFS) with a poised potential of 0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl reference electrode) obtained the maximum H2 production of 1888–1986 mL/L-medium, which increased by 23–26% compared with open-circuit fermentation (OC-EFSs). The highest H2 yield of 1.190 ± 0.009–1.197 ± 0.001 mol-H2/mol-glucose was obtained by the AEFS0 and the OC-EFS. Ethanol production of AEFS-0.4 increased by 30.7 ± 13.3% compared with OC-EFSs. In addition, glucose uptake and cell growth in the EFS were enhanced with an increase in cellular energy supply. Transcriptome analysis revealed that overexpression of the [FeFe]-hydrogenase, ferredoxin, and rubredoxin genes in the AEFS with a poised potential of 0 V promoted the H2 production rate. Genes involved in electron transfer and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) regeneration were upregulated in the AEFS, leading to more ethanol production. In addition, substrate transmembrane transport was suppressed by underexpression of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) transporter system-related genes at lower or higher potentials. These results confirm that an EFS effectively regulates the metabolite spectrum of H2-producing bacteria by coordinating electron transfer, NADH regeneration, and substrate transmembrane transport to provide a flexible approach for improving bioenergy production by fermentative bacteria.

Oncolytic virotherapy is a novel and intriguing treatment strategy for cancer therapy. However, the clinical potential of oncolytic virus as single agent is limited. M1 virus is a promising oncolytic virus that has been tested in preclinical studies. In this study, we investigated the effect of the combination use of M1 virus and Bcl-2 family inhibitors. A chemical compounds screening including ten Bcl-2 family inhibitors demonstrated that pan-Bcl-2 inhibitors selectively augmented M1 virus oncolysis in cancer cells at very low doses. The mechanism of the enhanced antitumor effect of pan-Bcl-2 inhibitors with M1 virus is mainly due to the inhibition of Bcl-xL, which synergizes with M1-induced upregulation of Bak to trigger apoptosis. In xenograft mouse models and patient-derived tumor tissues, the combination of M1 and pan-Bcl-2 inhibitors significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged survival, suggesting the potential therapeutic value of this strategy. These findings offer insights into the synergy between Bcl-xL inhibition and oncolytic virus M1 as a combination anticancer treatment modality.

The p-n heterojunction with internal electric field (IEF) is flourishingly developed in photocatalysis. Enlarging the space charge region width can effectively improve the migration/separation of charge carriers. Here, adequate functional groups (–COOH, -N-(C)3, -C-N–H) were generated from graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) decomposition, worked as the dispersant and electric charge contributor in the heterojunction. Bi ions were adsorbed on –COOH to achieve localized nucleation, formed Bi2S3 can be uniformly dispersed on GCN surface to form FGBS/GCN. Additionally, the incorporation of functional groups not only ameliorated the 3D cavity structure and optimized the band structure of functional groups modified Bi2S3 (FGBS) but also widened the space charge region of IEF in FGBS/GCN and resulted in efficient carriers separation. Benefit from functional groups, the initial rate of bisphenol A (BPA) degradation over 2FGBS/GCN was 0.0280 mmol⋅gcat-1⋅h−1. This work provides new insight into the regulation of the space charge region in the p-n heterojunction.

Stress granules are conserved cytosolic ribonucleoprotein (RNP) compartments that undergo dynamic assembly and disassembly by phase separation in response to stressful conditions. Gene mutations may lead to aberrant phase separation of stress granules eliciting irreversible protein aggregations. A selective autophagy pathway called aggrephagy may partially alleviate the cytotoxicity mediated by these protein aggregates. Cells must perceive when and where the stress granules are transformed into toxic protein aggregates to initiate autophagosomal engulfment for subsequent autolysosomal degradation, therefore, maintaining cellular homeostasis. Indeed, defective aggrephagy has been causally linked to various neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In this review, we discuss stress granules at the intersection of autophagy and ALS pathogenesis.

As a green and sustainable approach, nitrogen photofixation makes a strong contribution in suppressing the energy crisis. Boosting ammonia photosynthesis efficiency without additional sacrificial agents remains a significant challenge. In this study, an electron-rich reduced graphite oxide-modified red phosphorus (rGORP) was synthesized for ammonia visible-light photo-production. The rGORP composite retained the lattice structure of RP, activating N N through the acceptance and donation of electrons during nitrogen photofixation. Moreover, the incorporation of rGO increased the number of lone pairs of electrons and optimized the band structure of rGORP as well. Benefiting from appropriate conduction band, sufficient electrons, and effective electron transfer in 0.02rGORP (0.02 is the mass ratio of rGO to RP), activated N2 could be reduced into ammonia by a simultaneous three-electron reduction process, with a high ammonia synthesis rate of 7.74 mg/(L⋅h) without any organic scavengers. The system restricted the intermediate products formation and elevated the photocatalytic efficiency, thereby extending the application of non-metal materials in nitrogen photofixation.

Salinity stress has become an increasing threat to food security worldwide and elucidation of the mechanism for salinity tolerance is of great significance. Induced mutation, especially spaceflight mutagenesis, is one important method for crop breeding. In this study, we show that a spaceflight-induced wheat mutant, named salinity tolerance 1 (st1), is a salinity-tolerant line. We report the characteristics of transcriptomic sequence variation induced by spaceflight, and show that mutations in genes associated with sodium ion transport may directly contribute to salinity tolerance in st1. Furthermore, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between salinity-treated st1 and wild type suggested that the homeostasis of oxidation-reduction process is important for salt tolerance in st1. Through KEGG pathway analysis, “Butanoate metabolism” was identified as a new pathway for salinity responses. Additionally, key genes for salinity tolerance, such as genes encoding arginine decarboxylase, polyamine oxidase, hormones-related, were not only salt-induced in st1 but also showed higher expression in salt-treated st1 compared with salt-treated WT, indicating that these genes may play important roles in salinity tolerance in st1. This study presents valuable genetic resources for studies on transcriptome variation caused by induced mutation and the identification of salt tolerance genes in crops.

The dwarfing wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) breeding has promoted a dramatic increase in yields. Since the utilized dwarfing genes in wheat are very limited, identification of novel dwarfing genes is necessary for improving the genetic diversity of wheat. In this study, more than 300 dwarfing wheat lines from induced mutation were screened by kompetitive allele-specific PCR and gibberellin (GA) treatment. The 17.49% of Rht-D1b and 1.37% of Rht-B1b dwarfing mutants were identified in this mutant group. Additionally, Rht-D1b mutants showed more effective in reduction of plant height and higher 1000-grain weight comparing with that of Rht-B1b mutants. By combing with comparison of yield components and expression profile of GA biosynthetic genes with wild-type, the GA-responsive mutant dm15 without directly involvement in GA metabolism, significantly increased 1000-grain weight but no change of other yield components in two locations of field experiments. Meanwhile, another elite mutant dm11 with change of GA biosynthetic genes expression was also identified. These mutants will be promising candidates for dwarfing wheat breeding.

To identify novel allelic variations in key genes of wheat quality, the present study used the targeting induced local lesions in genomes platform to detect point mutations in target genes. The wheat variety Longfumai 17 was treated by the mutagen ethyl methanesulfonate to produce a bulk M2 generation, and the population included 1122 plants. A total length of 3906.80 kb nucleotides was analyzed, and the average mutation density was 1/244.17 kb. The identified mutations included G>A substitutions (43.75%), C>T substitutions (31.25%), A insertions (12.50%), T insertions (6.25%), and deletions (6.25%). These point mutations led to changes in amino acids and thus the encoded protein sequences, ultimately producing 18.75% of missense mutations, 12.50% of frame shift mutations, 6.25% of nonsense mutations, 25.00% of silent mutations and 37.50% of non-coding region mutations. In the kernel hardness gene Pinb and 3 starch synthesis genes waxy, Agp2 and SSIIa-A, we detected 16 different point mutations in 25 mutant lines. The Pinb gene harbored two missense mutations and a nonsense mutation; the C>T missense mutation resulted in a novel allele, this novel allele and the nonsense mutation alerted protein 3D structure; the waxy gene presented missense and frame shift mutations; the Agp2 gene carried a missense mutation; the SSIIa-A incurred a missense mutation and a frame shift mutation that resulted in premature protein termination. All the frame shift mutations, nonsense mutations and the Pinb novel allele resulted in allelic variation of their corresponding genes, which in turn affected their gene functions. The identified mutant lines can be used as intermediate materials in wheat quality improvement schemes.

Background Heading time is one of the most important agronomic traits in wheat, as it largely affects both adaptation to different agro-ecological conditions and yield potential. Identification of genes underlying the regulation of wheat heading and the development of diagnostic markers could facilitate our understanding of genetic control of this process. Results In this study, we developed 400 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) by crossing a γ-ray-induced early heading mutant (eh1) with the late heading cultivar, Lunxuan987. Bulked Segregant Analysis (BSA) of both RNA and DNA pools consisting of various RILs detected a quantitative trait loci (QTL) for heading date located on chromosomes 5B, and further genetic linkage analysis limited the QTL to a 3.31 cM region. We then identified a large deletion in the first intron of the vernalization gene VRN-B1 in eh1, and showed it was associated with the heading phenotype in the RIL population. However, it is not the mutation loci that resulted in early heading phonotype in the mutant compared to that of wildtype. RNA-seq analysis suggested that Vrn-B3 and several newly discovered genes, including beta-amylase 1 (BMY1) and anther-specific protein (RTS), were highly expressed in both the mutant and early heading pool with the dominant Vrn-B1 genotype compared to that of Lunxuan987 and late heading pool. Enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified several key pathways previously reported to be associated with flowering, including fatty acid elongation, starch and sucrose metabolism, and flavonoid biosynthesis. Conclusion The development of new markers for Vrn-B1 in this study supplies an alternative solution for marker-assisted breeding to optimize heading time in wheat and the DEGs analysis provides basic information for VRN-B1 regulation study.

As an environmentally friendly and promising semiconductor, graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) was widely used in photocatalytic treatment of aqueous organic pollutants. In this study, cobalt-to-oxygen doped graphitic carbon nitride with feeble nitrogen vacancies (Co-OCNVN) as metal-to-ligand charge transfer was synthesized via a facile thermal polymerization method with low cost and non-toxic precursors. The oxygen doped graphitic carbon nitride with feeble nitrogen vacancies (OCNVN) ligand was successfully formed and cobalt was presented in OCNVN in an ionic form (in the form of Co2+-Nx). The cobalt atoms were chemically coordinated to the OCNVN matrix rather than forming cobalt oxide on the surface of OCNVN. The embedded cobalt atoms maintained the absorption margin of ligand OCNVN (up to 700 nm) and served as the separation centers to promote the interfacial electron transfer as well. Due to the synergistic effects of the embedded cobalt atoms and oxygen doping, the Co-OCNVN showed an outstanding activity for the visible-light photocatalytic oxidation of endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA).

Activation of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A (cAMP/PKA) pathway induces glial differentiation of glioblastoma (GBM) cells, but the mechanism by which microRNA (miRNA) regulate this process remains poorly understood. In this study, by performing miRNA genomics and loss- and gain-of-function assays in dibutyryl-cAMP-treated GBM cells, we identified a critical negative regulator, hsa-miR-1275, that modulates a set of genes involved in cancer progression, stem cell maintenance, and cell maturation and differentiation. Additionally, we confirmed that miR-1275 directly and negatively regulates the protein expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker of mature astrocytes. Of note, tri-methyl-histone H3 (Lys27) (H3K27me3), downstream of the PKA/polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) pathway, accounts for the downregulation of miR-1275. Furthermore, decreased miR-1275 expression and induction of GFAP expression were also observed in dibutyryl-cAMP-treated primary cultured GBM cells. In a patient-derived glioma stem cell tumor model, a cAMP elevator and an inhibitor of H3K27me3 methyltransferase inhibited tumor growth, induced differentiation, and reduced expression of miR-1275. In summary, our study shows that epigenetic inhibition of miR-1275 by the cAMP/PKA/PRC2/H3K27me3 pathway mediates glial induction of GBM cells, providing a new mechanism and novel targets for differentiation-inducing therapy.

Crop productivity is highly dependent on the application of N fertilizers, but ever-increasing N application is causing serious environmental impacts. To facilitate the development of new wheat cultivars that can thrive in low N growth conditions, key loci and genes associated with wheat responses to low N must be identified. In this GWAS and t-test study of 190 M6 mutant wheat lines (Jing 411-derived) based on genotype data from the wheat 660k SNP array, we identified a total of 221 significant SNPs associated four seedling phenotypic traits that have been implicated in resistance to low N: relative root length, relative shoot length, relative root weight, and relative shoot weight. Notably, we detected large numbers of significantly associated SNP in what appear to be genomic 'hotspots' for resistance to low N on chromosomes 2A and 6B, strongly suggesting that these regions are functionally related to the resistance phenotypes that we observed in some of the mutant lines. Moreover, the candidate genes, including genes encoding high-affinity nitrate transporter 2.1, gibberellin responsive protein, were identified for resistance to low N. This study raises plausible mechanistic hypotheses that can be evaluated in future applied or basic efforts by breeders or plant biologists seeking to develop new high-NUE wheat cultivars.

Additional file 4: Figure S3. The QQ plots from genome-wide association analysis of the investigated traits across environments.

Ethanol-type fermentation (ETF) is one of three fermentation types during the acidogenesis of the anaerobic biological treatment. Ethanoligenens, a representative genus of ETF, displays acidophilic, autoaggregative, and ethanol-H2 co-producing characteristics and facilitates subsequent methanogenesis. Here, the latest advances in the molecular mechanisms of the metabolic regulation of ethanol-H2 co-producing bacteria based on multi-omics studies were comprehensively reviewed. Comparative genomics demonstrated a low genetic similarity between Ethanoligenens and other hydrogen-producing genera. FeFe‑hydrogenases (FeFe-H2ases) and pyruvate ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) played critical roles in the ethanol-H2 co-metabolic pathway of Ethanoligenens. Global transcriptome analysis revealed that highly expressed [FeFe]-H2ases and ferredoxins drove hydrogen production by Ethanoligenens at low pH conditions (4.0-4.5). Quantitative proteomic analysis also proved that this genus resists acetic acid-induced intracellular acidification through the up-regulated expression of pyrimidine metabolism related proteins. The autoaggregation of Ethanoligenen facilitated its granulation with acetate-oxidizing bacteria in co-culture systems and mitigated a fast pH drop, providing a new approach for solving a pH imbalance and improving hydrogen production. In-depth studies of the regulatory mechanism underlying ethanol-H2 co-production metabolism and the syntrophic interactions of ethanol-H2 co-producing Ethanoligenens with other microorganisms will provide insights into the improvement of bioenergy recovery in anaerobic biotechnology. The coupling of ETF with other biotechnologies, which based on the regulation of electron flow direction, syntrophic interaction, and metabolic flux, can be potential strategies to enhance the cascade recovery of energy and resources.

The influence of different fatty acid carbon chains on the kinetic interactions of nanocomplexes between esterified astaxanthin (E-Asta) and β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) were investigated by multi-spectroscopy and molecular modeling techniques. We synthesized ten different E-Asta bound to β-Lg and formed nanocomplexes (300 nm). Fluorescence spectroscopy showed moderate affinities (binding constants Ka = 10

This study focused on the fabrication of a peculiar 3D/2D ZnIn2S4/oxygen-doped graphitic carbon nitride (ZnIn2S4/SO-GCN) through a simple hydrothermal method. The flower-like morphology of hexagonal ZnIn2S4 disperse on the SO-GCN nanosheets are evidenced by XRD, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The as-synthesized nanocomposites were intensively applied for the visible light photocatalytic removal of aqueous phase 2,4-D. The heterojunction creation and the well-developed combined interface between ZnIn2S4 and SO-GCN significantly increases its photogenerated charge separation capability. The photo-degradation mechanism disclose that the heterojunction has improved catalytic degradation activity, due to efficient transferring of photogenerated electron-holes pairs. Under visible-light irradiation, these nanocomposites showed 3–5 times higher degradation rate of 2,4-D (i.e. 0.0112/min, by 30%-ZnIn2S4/SO-GCN), as compared to solo ZnIn2S4 and SO-GCN, attributed to the composite’s synergistic effect in unique 3D/2D heterojunction, that accelerates the electron-hole separation. The h+ and •OH species contribute a noteworthy role in the degradation process of 2,4-D over 30%-ZnIn2S4/SO-GCN. In addition, the synthesized nanocomposites sustained their reusability performance in five cyclic run. Our research have implications of constructing 3D/2D nanocomposites which is beneficial for scalable solution of efficient photocatalysts.

Gibberellin (GA) is essential for determining plant height. Alteration of GA content or GA signaling results in a dwarf or slender phenotype. Here, we characterized a novel wheat mutant, quick development (qd), in which GA regulates stem elongation but does not affect mature plant height. qd and wild-type plants did not exhibit phenotypic differences at the seedling stage. From jointing to heading stage, qd plants were taller than wild-type plants due to elongated cells. However, wild-type and qd plants were the same height at heading. Unlike wild-type plants, qd plants were sensitive to exogenous GA due to mutation of Rht-B1. With continuous GA stimulation, qd seedlings and adult plants were taller than wild-type. Thus, the GA content of qd plants might differ from that of wild-type during the growth process. Analysis of GA biosynthetic gene expression verified this hypothesis and showed that TaKAO, which is involved in catalyzing the early steps of GA biosynthesis, was differentially expressed in qd plants compared with wild-type. The bioactive GA associated gene TaGA20ox was downregulated in qd plants during the late growth stages. Measurements of endogenous GA content were consistent with the gene-expression analysis results. Consistent with the GA content variation, the first three basal internodes were longer and the last two internodes were shorter in qd than in wild-type plants. The qd mutant might be useful in dissecting the mechanism by which GA regulates stem-growing process, and it may be serve as a GA responsive semi-dwarf germplasm in breeding programs.

The melastatin-like transient receptor potential 7 (TRPM7) has been implicated in proliferation or apoptosis of some cancers, indicating the potential of TRPM7 as an anti-anaplastic target. Here, we identified the characteristic TRPM7 channel currents in human malignant glioma MGR2 cells, which could be blocked by a pharmacologic inhibitor Gd3+. We mined the clinical sample data from Oncomine Database and found that human malignant glioma tissues expressed higher TRPM7 mRNA than normal brain ones. Importantly, we identified a widely used clinical anesthetic midazolam as a TRPM7 inhibitor. Midazolam treatment for seconds suppressed the TRPM7 currents and calcium influx, and treatment for 48 h inhibited the TRPM7 expression. The inhibitory effect on TRPM7 accounts for the proliferation loss and G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest induced by midazolam. Our data demonstrates that midazolam represses proliferation of human malignant glioma cells through inhibiting TRPM7 currents, which may be further potentiated by suppressing the expression of TRPM7. Our result indicates midazolam as a pharmacologic lead compound with brain-blood barrier permeability for targeting TRPM7 in the glioma.

Airport accessibility is an important criterion for airport competition. The relevance of airport accessibility and airport competition was studied in this paper based on the panel data collected from nine large airports in Jiangsu province, China from 2005 to 2014. The results showed that the cost of expense, time and fatigue for the arrival at the airport are proposed to quantify levels of fastness, economy and amenity for the passengers to arrive at airport. The airport accessibility is significantly affected by airport passenger traffic and airline frequency. The passenger traffic can be increased by 2% with 1% increase of airport accessibility based on the analysis results of the nine large airports in Jiangsu province.

It is of great importance to control the structure of titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalysts for the elimination of organic pollutants in water. The intrinsic highly efficient and ubiquitously employed click reaction is currently underutilized by environmental scientists. In this paper, we report the use of thiol-ene click reaction for the facile preparation of TiO2-bacterial cellulose (BC) composite using two chemically functionalized precursors, i.e. thiol-functionalized uniform TiO2 nanoparticles of different sizes and vinyl-functionalized bacterial cellulose. Results from the electron spin resonance experiments showed that one could easily increase the number of main oxidative species, i.e. OH radicals, of the BC/TiO2 composite by using smaller TiO2 nanoparticles and further nitrogen doping, exhibiting higher photocatalytic reactivity. Consequently, our photocatalysts with well structural control have demonstrated remarkably higher reactivity for the degradation of various organic molecules than many previously reported TiO2-based photocatalysts. With more virtues of excellent reusability and stability, our sample has shown its great potential for the removal of organic molecules in real polluted water. Our work has also presented a novel methodology for the design of inorganic/organic composite materials with readily tunable structure and composition since our protocol could be easily applied to other systems.

Raffinose has become a major focus of research interest and recent studies have shown that besides beneficial bifidobacteria and lactobacilli, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium and Streptococcus pneumoniae can also utilize raffinose and raffinose might lead to flatulence in some hosts. Therefore, it is required to find out the raffinose-metabolizing bacteria in the gut and the bacteria responsible for the flatulence. The BLASTP search results showed that the homologous proteins of glycosidases related to raffinose utilization are widely distributed in 196 of the 528 gut bacterial strains. Fifty-nine bacterial strains belonging to nine species of five genera were isolated from human feces and were found to be capable of utilizing raffinose; of these species, Enterococcus avium and Streptococcus salivarius were reported for the first time. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis of the supernatants of the nine species revealed that the bacteria could utilize raffinose in different manners. Glucose and melibiose were detected in the supernatants of Enterococcus avium E5 and Streptococcus salivarius B5, respectively. However, no resulting saccharides of raffinose degradation were detected in the supernatants of other seven strains, indicating that they had different raffinose utilization types from Enterococcus avium E5 and Streptococcus salivarius B5. Gas was produced with raffinose utilization by Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecium, Streptococcus macedonicus, Streptococcus pasteurianus and Enterococcus avium. Thus, more attention should be paid to the raffinose-utilizing bacteria besides bifidobacteria and further studies are required to reveal the mechanisms of raffinose utilization to clarify the relationship between raffinose and gut bacteria.

An optimization model of airport shuttle bus routes is constructed by taking operational reliability maximization as a main goal in this paper. Also, a hybrid genetic algorithm is designed to solve this problem. Then the theoretical method is applied to the case of Nanjing Lukou International Airport. During the research, a travel time reliability estimation method is proposed based on back propagation (BP) neural network. Absolute error and regression fitting methods are used to test the measurement results. It is proved that this method has higher accuracy and is applicable to calculate airport bus routes reliability. In algorithm design, the hill-climbing algorithm with strong local search ability is integrated into genetic algorithm. Initial solution is determined by hill-climbing algorithm so as to avoid the search process falling into a local optimal solution, which makes the accuracy of calculation result improved. However, the calculation results show that the optimization process of hybrid genetic algorithm is greatly affected by both the crossover rate and mutation rate. A higher mutation rate or lower crossover rate will decrease the stability of the optimization process. Multiple trials are required to determine the optimal crossover rate and mutation rate. The proposed method provides a scientific basis for optimizing the airport bus routes and improving the efficiency of airport’s external transportation services.