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Abstract China, is characterized by its remarkable ethnical diversity, which necessitates whole genome variation data from multiple populations as crucial tools for advancing population genetics and precision medical research. However, there has been a scarcity of research concentrating on the whole genome of ethnic minority groups. To fill this gap, we developed the Guizhou Multi-ethnic Genome Database (GMGD). It comprises whole genome sequencing data from 476 healthy unrelated individuals spanning 11 ethnic minorities groups in Guizhou Province, Southwest China, including Bouyei, Dong, Miao, Yi, Bai, Gelo, Zhuang, Tujia, Yao, Hui, and Sui. The GMGD database comprises more than 16.33 million variants in GRCh38 and 16.20 million variants in GRCh37. Among these, approximately 11.9% (1,956,322) of the variants in GRCh38 and 18.5% (3,009,431) of the variants in GRCh37 are entirely new and do not exist in the dbSNP database. These novel variants shed light on the genetic diversity landscape across these populations, providing valuable insights with an average coverage of 5.5 ×. This makes GMGD the largest genome-wide database encompassing the most diverse ethnic groups to date. The GMGD interactive interface facilitates researchers with multi-dimensional mutation search methods and displays population frequency differences among global populations. Furthermore, GMGD is equipped with a genotype-imputation function, enabling enhanced capabilities for low-depth genomic research or targeted region capture studies. GMGD offers unique insights into the genomic variation landscape of different ethnic groups, which are freely accessible at https://db.cngb.org/pop/gmgd/ .

Abstract Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common and difficult to treat disease, and has a high incidence rate worldwide. As a marker of vascular disease, ED usually occurs in cardiovascular disease, 2–5 years prior to cardiovascular disease events. The extracellular matrix (ECM) network plays a crucial role in maintaining cardiac homeostasis, not only by providing structural support, but also by promoting force transmission, and by transducing key signals to intracardiac cells. However, the relationship between ECM and ED remains unclear. To help fill this gap, we profiled single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) to obtain transcriptome maps of 82,554 cavernous single cells from ED and non-ED samples. Cellular composition of cavernous tissues was explored by uniform manifold approximation and projection. Pseudo-time cell trajectory combined with gene enrichment analysis were performed to unveil the molecular pathways of cell fate determination. The relationship between cavernous cells and the ECM, and the changes in related genes were elucidated. The CellChat identified ligand-receptor pairs (e.g., PTN-SDC2, PTN-NCL, and MDK-SDC2) among the major cell types in the cavernous tissue microenvironment. Differential analysis revealed that the cell type-specific transcriptomic changes in ED are related to ECM and extracellular structure organization, external encapsulating structure organization, and regulation of vasculature development. Trajectory analysis predicted the underlying target genes to modulate ECM (e.g., COL3A1, MDK, MMP2, and POSTN). Together, this study highlights potential cell–cell interactions and the main regulatory factors of ECM, and reveals that genes may represent potential marker features of ED progression.

The Cecum is a key site for cellulose digestion in nutrient metabolism of intestine, but its mechanisms of microbial and gene interactions has not been fully elucidated during pathogenesis of obesity. Therefore, the cecum tissues of the New Zealand rabbits and their contents between the high-fat diet-induced group (Ob) and control group (Co) were collected and analyzed using multi-omics. The metagenomic analysis indicated that the relative abundances of Corallococcus_sp._CAG:1435 and Flavobacteriales bacterium species were significantly lower, while those of Akkermansia glycaniphila, Clostridium_sp._CAG:793, Mycoplasma_sp._CAG:776, Mycoplasma_sp._CAG:472, Clostridium_sp._CAG:609, Akkermansia_sp._KLE1605, Clostridium_sp._CAG:508, and Firmicutes_bacterium_CAG:460 species were significantly higher in the Ob as compared to those in Co. Transcriptomic sequencing results showed that the differentially upregulated genes were mainly enriched in pathways, including calcium signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and Wnt signaling pathway, while the differentially downregulated genes were mainly enriched in pathways of NF-kappaB signaling pathway and T cell receptor signaling pathway. The comparative analysis of metabolites showed that the glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism and cysteine and methionine metabolism were the important metabolic pathways between the two groups. The combined analysis showed that CAMK1, IGFBP6, and IGFBP4 genes were highly correlated with Clostridium_sp._CAG:793, and Akkermansia_glycaniphila species. Thus, the preliminary study elucidated the microbial and gene interactions in cecum of obese rabbit and provided a basis for further studies in intestinal intervention for human obesity.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an opportunistic pathogen that easily resists currently available antibiotics. Phages are considered alternative therapeutic agents to conventional antibiotics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria. We isolated an Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 from underground sewage in a residential area of Guiyang City in China. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 has an icosahedral head attached to a tail. This phage infects A. baumannii strain GY-4, and was found to have a short latent period of 5 min and with a burst size of 189 particles per infected host cell. Additionally, Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 remained stable at different concentrations of chloroform and varying pH levels and temperatures. Based on SDS-PAGE analysis, it contained 14 proteins with molecular weights ranging from 12 to 125 kDa. The double-strand (ds) DNA genome of Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 consisted of 41,242 bp with a GC content of 39.4%. It contained 50 open reading frames (ORFs), of which 29 ORFs had identified functions, but no virulence-related genes, antibiotic-resistance genes, or tRNAs were found. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 was a new phage in the Friunavirus genus. Acinetobacter virus Abgy202141 also showed the ability to prevent A. baumannii infections in the Galleria mellonella in vivo model.

Abstract Tubulin polymerization promoting protein 3 (TPPP3), a member of the tubulin polymerization family, participates in cell progressions in several human cancers, its biological function and the underlying mechanisms in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remain unclear. Here, we investigated the role and application value of TPPP3 in gliomas and found that the expression of TPPP3 in glioma was higher than that in normal brain tissue (NBT), and increased with the grade of glioma. Up-regulation of TPPP3 expression in glioblastoma cells confer stronger ability of migration, invasion, proliferation and lower apoptosis in vitro. Inhibition of TPPP3 expression in GBM could reduce the migration, invasion, proliferation and induce the apoptosis of glioblastoma cells. TPPP3 affected the process of EMT by regulating the expression of Snail 1 protein. In clinical data analysis, we found a positive correlation between TPPP3 and Snail1 protein expression levels in glioblastomas. Low TPPP3 expression leads to better survival expectations in glioblastomas patients. The content of this study paves the way for further in-depth exploration of the role of TPPP3 in glioblastoma in the future, and provides new treatment and research directions.

The interaction between foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) and the host is extremely important for virus infection, but there are few researches on it, which is not conducive to vaccine development and FMD control. In this study, we designed a porcine genome-scale CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library containing 93,859 single guide RNAs targeting 16,886 protein-coding genes, 25 long ncRNAs, and 463 microRNAs. Using this library, several previously unreported genes required for FMDV infection are highly enriched post-FMDV selection in IBRS-2 cells. Follow-up studies confirmed the dependency of FMDV on these genes, and we identified a functional role for one of the FMDV-related host genes: TOB1 (Transducer of ERBB2.1). TOB1-knockout significantly inhibits FMDV infection by positively regulating the expression of RIG-I and MDA5. We further found that TOB1-knockout led to more accumulation of mRNA transcripts of transcription factor CEBPA, and thus its protein, which further enhanced transcription of RIG-I and MDA5 genes. In addition, TOB1-knockout was shown to inhibit FMDV adsorption and internalization mediated by EGFR/ERBB2 pathway. Finally, the FMDV lethal challenge on TOB1-knockout mice confirmed that the deletion of TOB1 inhibited FMDV infection in vivo. These results identify TOB1 as a key host factor involved in FMDV infection in pigs.

It has been shown that exposure to hexavalent Chromium, Cr (Ⅵ), via nasal cavity can have neurotoxicological effects and induces behavioral impairment due to the fact that blood brain barrier (BBB) does not cover olfactory bulb. But whether Cr (Ⅵ) can cross the BBB and have a toxicological effects in central nervous system (CNS) remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of Cr (Ⅵ) on mice treated with different concentrations and exposure time (14 days and 28 days) of Cr (Ⅵ) via intraperitoneal injection. Results revealed that Cr accumulated in hypothalamus (HY) in a timely dependent manner. Much more severer neuropathologies was observed in the group of mice exposed to Cr (Ⅵ) for 28 days than that for 14 days. Gliosis, neuronal morphological abnormalities, synaptic degeneration, BBB disruption and neuronal number loss were observed in HY. In terms of mechanism, the Nrf2 related antioxidant stress signaling dysfunction and activated NF-κB related inflammatory pathway were observed in HY of Cr (Ⅵ) intoxication mice. And these neuropathologies and signaling defects appeared in a timely dependent manner. Taking together, we proved that Cr (Ⅵ) can enter HY due to weaker BBB in HY and HY is the most vulnerable CNS region to Cr (Ⅵ) exposure. The concentration of Cr in HY increased along with time. The accumulated Cr in HY can cause BBB disruption, neuronal morphological abnormalities, synaptic degeneration and gliosis through Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathway. This finding improves our understanding of the neurological dysfunctions observed in individuals who have occupational exposure to Cr (Ⅵ), and provided potential therapeutic targets to treat neurotoxicological pathologies induced by Cr (Ⅵ).

Dental fluorosis, resulting from long-term environmental exposure to fluoride, is prevalent among diverse populations worldwide. Severe fluorosis not only compromises the aesthetic appeal of teeth but also impairs their functionality. This study aims to investigate the oral microbiome in dental fluorosis and the health individuals of adolescents living in the endemic fluorosis area of Guizhou, China through full-length 16S rDNA sequencing. Fourty-six individuals meet the sampling criteria, and we divided these samples into the following groups: a healthy group (H = 23) and a dental fluorosis group (F = 23), and two subgroups of Miao ethnicity: a healthy Miao group (Hm = 13) and a dental fluorosis Miao group (Fm = 15). A total of 660,389 high-quality sequences were obtained, and 12,007 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were identified, revealing significant variations in oral microbiome between Fm and Hm groups. The composition of oral microbiota was similar between the H and F groups. At the genus level, Pseudopropionibacterium and at the species level, Streptococcus oralis_subsp.dentisani_clade_058 were less abundant in group F than in group H (P < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that the abundance of Capnocytophaga gingivalis and Kingella denitrificans was significantly lower in Fm fluorosis patients than in the Hm group (P < 0.05). Based on the LEfSe analysis, the potential core biomarkers in the oral of Fm fluorosis patients were identified at different taxonomic levels, ranging from phylum to species. These include Gammaproteobacteria, Prevotella sp_HMT_304, Gemella sanguinis, and Gracilibacteria_(GN02). Network analysis revealed that the microbiota in the fluorosis group exhibited more complex interactions with each other than the healthy group. Notably, within the Hm group, the potential biomarkers Capnocytophaga gingivalis and Kingella denitrificans exhibited a positive correlation. Finally, we employed PICRUSt2 analysis to explore the abundance clustering of the top 30 functional units in each sample, and we found that the metabolic pathway compositions of the four groups were similar. In summary, our findings suggest that the microbial composition of plaque in Hm patients with dental fluorosis is significantly altered, and we identified the potential marker microorganisms that contribute to these changes.

RNA interference (RNAi) is one of the important defense responses against viral infection, but its mechanism and impact remain unclear in mycovirus infections. In our study, reverse genetics and virus-derived small RNA sequencing were used to show the antiviral responses of RNAi components in Aspergillus flavus infected with Aspergillus flavus partitivirus 1 (AfPV1). qRT-PCR revealed that AfPV1 infection induced the expression of the RNAi components in A. flavus compared with noninfected A. flavus. Knock mutants of each RNAi component were generated, but the mutants did not exhibit any obvious phenotypic changes compared with the A. flavus parental strain. However, after AfPV1 inoculation, production of AfPV1 was significantly less than in the parental strain. Furthermore, sporulation was greater in each AfPV1-infected mutant compared with the AfPV1-infected parental A. flavus. We also investigated the sensitivity of virus-free and AfPV1-infected RNAi mutants and the parental strain to cell wall stress, osmotic stress, genotoxic stress, and oxidative stress. The mutants of DCLs and AGOs infected by AfPV1 displayed more changes than RDRP mutants in response to the first three stresses. Small RNA sequencing analysis suggested that AfPV1 infection reduced the number of unique reads of sRNA in A. flavus, although there were many vsiRNA derived from the AfPV1 genome. GO term and KEGG pathway analyses revealed that the functions of sRNA affected by AfPV1 infection were closely related to vacuole production. These results provide a better understanding of the functional role of RNAi in the impact of AfPV1 on the hypovirulence of A. flavus.

Abstract The mesenchymal (MES) subtype of glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive, malignant and proliferative cancer that is resistant to chemotherapy. Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) was shown to support MES GBM, however, its underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, we identified USP10 as a deubiquitinating enzyme that regulates RUNX1 stabilization and is mainly expressed in MES GBM. Overexpression of USP10 upregulated RUNX1 and induced proneural-to-mesenchymal transition (PMT), thus maintaining MES properties in GBM. Conversely, USP10 knockdown inhibited RUNX1 and resulted in the loss of MES properties. USP10 was shown to interact with RUNX1, with RUNX1 being stabilized upon deubiquitylation. Moreover, we found that USP10 inhibitor Spautin-1 induced RUNX1 degradation and inhibited MES properties in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, USP10 was strongly correlated with RUNX1 expression in samples of different subtypes of human GBM and had prognostic value for GBM patients. We identified USP10 as a key deubiquitinase for RUNX1 protein stabilization. USP10 maintains MES properties of GBM, and promotes PMT of GBM cells. Our study indicates that the USP10/RUNX1 axis may be a potential target for novel GBM treatments.

Abstract Background Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and DNA methylation are crucial regulators of essential hypertension (EH). Amyloid precursor protein (APP) mutations are implicated in hypertension development. Nonetheless, studies on the association of APP gene polymorphism and promoter methylation with hypertension are limited. Therefore, this case–control aims to evaluate the genetic association of APP gene polymorphism and promoter methylation with EH in Guizhou populations. Objective and methods We conducted a case–control study on 343 EH patients and 335 healthy controls (including Miao, Buyi, and Han populations) in the Guizhou province of China to analyze 11 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs2040273, rs63750921, rs2211772, rs2830077, rs467021, rs368196, rs466433, rs364048, rs364051, rs438031, rs463946) in the APP gene via MassARRAY SNP. The MassARRAY EpiTYPER was employed to detect the methylation levels of the promoters. Results In the Han population, the rs2211772 genotype distribution was significantly different between disease and control groups (χ 2 = 6.343, P = 0.039). The CC genotype reduced the risk of hypertension compared to the TT or TC genotype (OR 0.105, 95%CI 0.012–0.914, P = 0.041). For rs2040273 in the Miao population, AG or GG genotype reduced the hypertension risk compared with the AA genotype (OR 0.533, 95%CI 0.294–0.965, P = 0.038). Haplotype TCC (rs364051–rs438031–rs463946) increased the risk of EH in Guizhou (OR 1.427, 95%CI 1.020–1.996, P = 0.037). Each 1% increase in CpG_19 (− 613 bp) methylation level was associated with a 4.1% increase in hypertension risk (OR 1.041, 95%CI 1.002–1.081, P = 0.039). Each 1% increase in CpG_1 (− 296 bp) methylation level was associated with an 8% decrease in hypertension risk in women (OR 0.920, 95%CI 0.860–0.984, P = 0.015). CpG_19 significantly correlated with systolic blood pressure (r = 0.2, P = 0.03). The methylation levels of CpG_19 in hypertensive patients with rs466433, rs364048, and rs364051 minor alleles were lower than that with wild-type alleles (P

Gliomas are the leading cause in more than 50% of malignant brain tumor cases. Prognoses, recurrences, and mortality are usually poor for gliomas that have malignant features. In gliomas, there are four grades, with grade IV gliomas known as glioblastomas (GBM). Currently, the primary methods employed for glioma treatment include surgical removal, followed by chemotherapy after the operation, and targeted therapy. However, the outcomes of these treatments are unsatisfactory. Gliomas have a high number of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), which consist of brain microglia and macrophages, making them the predominant cell group in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The glioma cohort was analyzed using single-cell RNA sequencing to quantify the genes related to TAMs in this study. Furthermore, the ssGSEA analysis was utilized to assess the TAM-associated score in the glioma group. In the glioma cohort, we have successfully developed a prognostic model consisting of 12 genes, which is derived from the TAM-associated genes. The glioma cohort demonstrated the predictive significance of the TAM-based risk model through survival analysis and time-dependent ROC curve. Furthermore, the correlation analysis revealed the significance of the TAM-based risk model in the application of immunotherapy for individuals diagnosed with GBM. Ultimately, the additional examination unveiled the prognostic significance of PTX3 in the glioma group, establishing it as the utmost valuable prognostic indicator in patients with GBM. The PCR assay revealed the PTX3 is significantly up-regulated in GBM cohort. Additionally, the assessment of cell growth further confirms the involvement of PTX3 in the GBM group. The analysis of cell proliferation showed that the increased expression of PTX3 enhanced the ability of glioma cells to proliferate. The prognosis of glioblastomas and glioma is influenced by the proliferation of tumor-associated macrophages.

ABSTRACT African swine fever virus (ASFV) causes acute hemorrhagic infectious disease in pigs. The ASFV genome encodes various proteins that enable the virus to escape innate immunity; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The present study found that ASFV MGF-360-10L significantly inhibits interferon (IFN)-β-triggered STAT1/2 promoter activation and the production of downstream IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). ASFV MGF-360-10L deletion (ASFV-Δ10L) replication was impaired compared with the parental ASFV CN/GS/2018 strain, and more ISGs were induced by the ASFV-Δ10L in porcine alveolar macrophages in vitro. We found that MGF-360-10L mainly targets JAK1 and mediates its degradation in a dose-dependent manner. Meanwhile, MGF-360-10L also mediates the K48-linked ubiquitination of JAK1 at lysine residues 245 and 269 by recruiting the E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC5 (HECT and RLD domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 5). The virulence of ASFV-Δ10L was significantly lower than that of the parental strain in vivo, which indicates that MGF-360-10L is a novel virulence factor of ASFV. Our findings elaborate the novel mechanism of MGF-360-10L on the STAT1/2 signaling pathway, expanding our understanding of the inhibition of host innate immunity by ASFV-encoded proteins and providing novel insights that could contribute to the development of African swine fever vaccines. IMPORTANCE African swine fever outbreaks remain a concern in some areas. There is no effective drug or commercial vaccine to prevent African swine fever virus (ASFV) infection. In the present study, we found that overexpression of MGF-360-10L strongly inhibited the interferon (IFN)-β-induced STAT1/2 signaling pathway and the production of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Furthermore, we demonstrated that MGF-360-10L mediates the degradation and K48-linked ubiquitination of JAK1 by recruiting the E3 ubiquitin ligase HERC5. The virulence of ASFV with MGF-360-10L deletion was significantly less than parental ASFV CN/GS/2018. Our study identified a new virulence factor and revealed a novel mechanism by which MGF-360-10L inhibits the immune response, thus providing new insights into the vaccination strategies against ASFV.

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM), the most malignant type of astrocytic tumor, is one of the deadliest cancers prevalent in adults. Along with tumor growth, patients with GBM generally suffer from extensive cerebral edema and apparent symptoms of intracranial hyper-pressure. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that circRNA plays a critically important role in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the biological function and the underlying mechanism of circRNA in GBM remain elusive. In this study, by conducting gene expression detection based on 15 pairs of GBM clinical specimens and the normal adjunct tissues, we observed that circPOSTN showed abnormally higher expression in GBM. Both loss-of-function and gain-of-function biological experiments demonstrated that circPOSTN scheduled the proliferation, migration, and neovascularization abilities of GBM cells. Further, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay, quantitative RT-PCR, and subcellular separation suggested that circPOSTN was predominately localized in the cytoplasm and may serve as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA). CircRNA-miRNA interaction prediction based on online analytical processing, AGO2-RIP assay, biotin labeled RNA pulldown assay, and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that circPOSTN sponged miR-219a-2-3p, limited its biological function, and ultimately upregulated their common downstream gene STC1. Finally, by carrying out in vitro and in vivo functional assays, we uncovered a new regulatory axis circPOSTN/miR-219a-2-3p/STC1 that promoted GBM neovascularization by increasing vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) secretion. Our study underscores the critical role of circPOSTN in GBM progression, providing a novel insight into GBM anti-tumor therapy.

ObjectiveA case-control study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS3) gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in the Han, Miao, and Buyi populations in Guizhou China.MethodsDNA was collected from the blood samples of 353 essential hypertension patients and 342 healthy controls from Guizhou province of China. Eight polymorphisms of the NOS3 gene were genotyped using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. For genetic analysis, SPSS 26.0, Haploview, SNPStats, SHEsis, and MDR were utilized.ResultsAll SNPs (rs11771443, rs1808593, rs753482, rs3918186, rs3918188, rs3918227, rs7830, and rs891512) satisfied the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test (P > 0.05). The allele and genotype frequencies of rs7830 and rs1808593 in case-control groups demonstrated significant differences (P < 0.05). Compared to the TT genotype of rs1808593, the TG or GG genotype reduced the risk of hypertension in the Miao population (OR = 0.410, 95% CI: 0.218-0.770, P = 0.006). Compared to the GG or GT genotype of rs7830, the TT genotype increased the risk of hypertension in the overall populations (OR = 1.716, 95%CI: 1.139-2.586, P = 0.010). The CATT (rs3918227-rs391818186-rs1808593-rs7830) haplotype was a risk factor for hypertension in the Miao and Han populations (OR = 1.471, 95%CI: 1.010-2.143, P = 0.044 and OR = 1.692, 95%CI: 1.124-2.545, P = 0.011). The CAGG haplotype in the Miao population was a protective factor against hypertension (OR = 0.555, 95%CI: 0.330-0.934, P = 0.025). The rs3918188, rs1808593, and rs7830 in the Miao population showed an interaction effect on hypertension (P < 0.001). The rs11771443, rs3918188, and rs7830 in the Buyi and Han populations showed an interaction effect on hypertension (P = 0.013 and P < 0.001).ConclusionThe single nucleotide polymorphisms rs1808593 and rs7830 of NOS3 gene are associated with essential hypertension in Guizhou ethnic populations.

Psychostimulants, such as methamphetamine (METH) can induce structural remodeling of synapses by remodeling presynaptic and postsynaptic morphology. Escalating or long-lasting high dose METH accounts for neurodegeneration by targeting multiple neurotransmitters. However, the effects of low dose METH on synaptic structure and the modulation mechanism remain elusive. This study aims to assess the effects of low dose (2 mg/kg) and high dose (10 mg/kg) of METH on synaptic structure alternation in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) and to reveal the underlying mechanism involved in the process. Low dose METH promoted spine formation, synaptic number increase, post-synaptic density length elongation, and memory function. High dose of METH induced synaptic degeneration, neuronal number loss and memory impairment. Moreover, high dose, but not low dose, of METH caused gliosis in PFC and hippocampus. Mechanism-wise, low dose METH inactivated ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1) and activated cell division control protein 42 homolog (Cdc42); whereas high dose METH inactivated Cdc42 and activated Rac1. We provided evidence that low and high doses of METH differentially regulate synaptic plasticity in cortex and hippocampus.

Plasmonic nanomaterials have attracted great attention in the field of catalysis and sensing for their outstanding electrical and optical properties. Here, a representative type of nonstoichiometric Cu2−xSe nanoparticles with typical near-infrared (NIR) localized surface plasma resonance (LSPR) properties originating from their copper deficiency was applied to catalyze the oxidation of colorless TMB into their blue product in the presence of H2O2, indicating they had good peroxidase-like activity. However, glutathione (GSH) inhibited the catalytic oxidation of TMB, as it can consume the reactive oxygen species. Meanwhile, it can induce the reduction of Cu(II) in Cu2−xSe, resulting in a decrease in the degree of copper deficiency, which can lead to a reduction in the LSPR. Therefore, the catalytic ability and photothermal responses of Cu2−xSe were decreased. Thus, in our work, a colorimetric/photothermal dual-readout array was developed for the detection of GSH. The linear calibration for GSH concentration was in the range of 1–50 μM with the LOD as 0.13 μM and 50–800 μM with the LOD as 39.27 μM. To evaluate the practicability of the assay, tomatoes and cucumbers were selected as real samples, and good recoveries indicated that the developed assay had great potential in real applications.

Astrocytes are widely distributed in the central nervous system and play an essential role in the function of neuronal cells. Associations between astrocytes and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been noted, and recent work has implicated circular RNA (circRNA) and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in the development of AD. However, few reports have investigated which lncRNA and circRNA are involved in the influence of amyloid beta (Aβ) and senescence on astrocytes. This study therefore examines changes at the transcriptome level to explore the effects of Aβ and senescence on astrocytes. Primary cultured astrocytes were treated with Aβ and cultured for 90 days in vitro, and high-throughput sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed RNAs. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses revealed that differentially expressed genes were associated with the focal adhesion signaling pathway, extracellular matrix receptor signaling pathway, and the extracellular matrix. The protein–protein interaction network was then constructed, and 103 hub genes were screened out; most of these were strongly associated with the expression of the extracellular matrix, extracellular matrix receptor signaling pathway, and focal adhesion. Two competing endogenous RNA networks were constructed based on the selected hub gene and differential RNAs, and we identified multiple competing endogenous RNA regulatory axes that were involved in the effects of Aβ and senescence on astrocytes. This is the first study to explore the molecular regulation mechanism of Aβ and senescence on primary astrocytes from the perspective of the whole transcriptome. In uncovering the signaling pathways and biological processes involved in the effects of Aβ and senescence on astrocytes, this work provides novel insights into the pathogenesis of AD at the level of competing endogenous RNA network regulation.

Aspergillus flavus is an important fungal pathogen of animals and plants. Previously, we reported a novel partitivirus, Aspergillus flavus partitivirus 1 (AfPV1), infecting A. flavus. In this study, we obtained a small double-stranded (ds) RNA segment (734 bp), which is a satellite RNA of the helper virus, AfPV1. The presence of AfPV1 altered the colony morphology, decreased the number of conidiophores, created significantly larger vacuoles, and caused more sensitivity to osmotic, oxidative, and UV stresses in A. flavus, but the small RNA segment could attenuate the above symptoms caused by the helper virus AfPV1 in A. flavus. Moreover, AfPV1 infection reduced the pathogenicity of A. flavus in corn (Zea mays), honeycomb moth (Galleria mellonella), mice (Mus musculus), and the adhesion of conidia to host epithelial cells, and increased conidial death by macrophages. However, the small RNA segment could also attenuate the above symptoms caused by the helper virus AfPV1 in A. flavus, perhaps by reducing the genomic accumulation of the helper virus AfPV1 in A. flavus. We used this model to investigate transcriptional genes regulated by AfPV1 and the small RNA segment in A. flavus, and their role in generating different phenotypes. We found that the pathways of the genes regulated by AfPV1 in its host were similar to those of retroviral viruses. Therefore, some pathways may be of benefit to non-retroviral viral integration or endogenization into the genomes of its host. Moreover, some potential antiviral substances were also found in A. flavus using this system.

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic bacteria that is one of the leading causes of antibiotic-associated diarrhea. The cell wall protein 66 gene (cwp66) encodes a cell wall protein, which is the second major cell surface antigen of C. difficile. Although immunological approaches, such as antibodies and purified recombinant proteins, have been implemented to study the role of Cwp66 in cell adhesion, no deletion mutant of the cwp66 gene has yet been characterized. We constructed a cwp66 gene deletion mutant using Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats Cpf1 (CRISPR-Cpf1) system. The phenotypic and transcriptomic changes of the Δcwp66 mutant compared with the wild-type (WT) strain were studied. The deletion of the cwp66 gene led to the decrease of cell adhesive capacity, cell motility, and stresses tolerance (to Triton X-100, acidic environment, and oxidative stress). Interestingly, the Δcwp66 mutant is more sensitive than the WT strain to clindamycin, ampicillin, and erythromycin but more resistant than the latter to vancomycin and metronidazole. Moreover, mannitol utilization capability in the Δcwp66 mutant was lost. Comparative transcriptomic analyses indicated that (i) 22.90-fold upregulation of cwpV gene and unable to express gpr gene were prominent in the Δcwp66 mutant; (ii) the cwp66 gene was involved in vancomycin resistance of C. difficile by influencing the expression of d-Alanine-d-Alanine ligase; and (iii) the mannose/fructose/sorbose IIC and IID components were upregulated in Δcwp66 mutant. The present work deepens our understanding of the contribution of the cwp66 gene to cell adhesion, stress tolerance, antibiotic resistance, and mannitol transportation of C. difficile. IMPORTANCE The cell wall protein 66 gene (cwp66) encodes a cell wall protein, which is the second major cell surface antigen of C. difficile. Although immunological approaches, such as antibodies and purified recombinant proteins, have been implemented to study the role of Cwp66 in cell adhesion, no deletion mutant of the cwp66 gene has yet been characterized. The current study provides direct evidence that the cwp66 gene serves as a major adhesion in C. difficile, and also suggested that deletion of the cwp66 gene led to the decrease of cell adhesive capacity, cell motility, and stresses tolerance (to Triton X-100, acidic environment, and oxidative stress). Interestingly, the antibiotic resistance and carbon source utilization profiles of the Δcwp66 mutant were significantly changed. These phenotypes were detrimental to the survival and pathogenesis of C. difficile in the human gut and may shed light on preventing C. difficile infection.

Methamphetamine (METH), a psychostimulant, has the potential to cause neurodegeneration by targeting the cerebrum and cerebellum. It has been suggested that the NLRP3 inflammasome may be responsible for the neurotoxicity caused by METH. However, the role of NLRP3 in METH-induced cerebellar Purkinje cell (PC) degeneration and the underlying mechanism remain elusive. This study aims to determine the consequences of NLRP3 modulation and the underlying mechanism of chronic METH-induced cerebellar PC degeneration. In METH mice models, increased NLRP3 expression, PC degeneration, myelin sheath destruction, axon degeneration, glial cell activation, and motor coordination impairment were observed. Using the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950, we found that inhibiting NLRP3 alleviated the above-mentioned motor deficits and cerebellar pathologies. Furthermore, decreased mature IL-1β expression mediated by Caspase 1 in the cerebellum may be associated with the neuroprotective effects of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition. Collectively, these findings suggest that mature IL-1β secretion mediated by NLRP3-ASC-Caspase 1 may be a critical step in METH-induced cerebellar degeneration and highlight the neuroprotective properties of inflammasome inhibition in cerebellar degeneration.

Regenerating liver phosphatase 1 (PRL1) is an established oncogene in various cancers, although its biological function and the underlying mechanisms in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remain unclear. Here, we showed that PRL1 was significantly upregulated in glioma tissues and cell lines, and positively correlated with the tumor grade. Consistently, ectopic expression of PRL1 in glioma cell lines significantly enhanced their tumorigenicity and invasion both in vitro and in vivo by promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Conversely, knocking down PRL1 blocked EMT in GBM cells, and inhibited their invasion, migration and tumorigenic growth. Additionally, PRL1 also stabilized Snail2 through its deubiquitination by activating USP36, thus revealing Snail2 as a crucial mediator of the oncogenic effects of PRL1 in GBM pathogenesis. Finally, PRL1 protein levels were positively correlated with that of Snail2 and predicted poor outcome of GBMs. Collectively, our data support that PRL1 promotes GBM progression by activating USP36-mediated Snail2 deubiquitination. This novel PRL1/USP36/Snail2 axis may be a promising therapeutic target for glioblastoma.

Pluripotency maintenance and exit in embryonic stem cells is a focal topic in stem cell biology. However, the effects of screening under very stringent culture conditions (e.g., differentiation medium, no leukemia inhibitory factor, no chemical inhibitors such as PD0325901 and CHIR99021, and no feeder cells) and of prolonging culture for key factors that regulate pluripotency exit, have not yet been reported. Here, we used a genome-wide CRISPR library to perform such a screen in mouse embryonic stem cells. Naïve NANOG-GFP mESCs were first transfected with a mouse genome-wide CRISPR knockout library to obtain a mutant mESCs library, followed by screening for two months in a strict N2B27 differentiation medium. The clones that survived our stringent screening were analyzed to identify the inserted sgRNAs. In addition to identifying the enriched genes that were reported in previous studies (Socs3, Tsc1, Trp53, Nf2, Tcf7l1, Csnk1a1, and Dhx30), we found 17 unreported genes, among which Zfp771 and Olfr769 appeared to be involved in pluripotency exit. Furthermore, Zfp771 knockout ESCs showed a differentiation delay in embryonic chimera experiments, indicating Zfp771 played an important role in pluripotency exit. Our results show that stringent screening with the CRISPR library can reveal key regulators of pluripotency exit.

Animal cloning is of great importance to the production of transgenic and genome-edited livestock. Especially for multiple gene-editing operations, recloning is one of the most feasible methods for livestock. In addition, a multiple-round cloning method is practically necessary for animal molecular breeding. However, cloning efficiency remains extremely low, especially for serial cloning, which seriously impedes the development of livestock breeding based on genome editing technology. The incomplete reprogramming and failure in oocyte activation of some pluripotent factors were deemed to be the main reason for the low efficiency of animal recloning. Here, to overcome this issue, which occurred frequently in the process of animal recloning, we established a reporter system in which fluorescent proteins were driven by pig OCT4 or SOX2 promoter to monitor the reprogramming process in cloned and recloned pig embryos. We studied the effect of different histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors on incomplete reprogramming. Our results showed that Trichostatin A (TSA) could activate pluripotent factors and significantly enhance the development competence of recloned pig embryos, while the other two inhibitors, valproic acid (VPA) and Scriptaid, had little effect on that. Furthermore, we found no difference in OCT4 mRNA abundance between TSA-treated and untreated embryos. These findings suggest that TSA remarkably improves the reprogramming state of pig recloned embryos by restoring the expression of incompletely activated pluripotent genes OCT4 and SOX2.

Several studies have shown that activation of unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays a crucial role in severe cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Autophagy occurs within hours after cerebral ischemia, but the relationship between ER stress and autophagy remains unclear. In this study, we established experimental models using oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation in PC12 cells and primary neurons to simulate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. We found that prolongation of oxygen-glucose deprivation activated the ER stress pathway protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK)/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit alpha (eIF2α)-activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4)-C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), increased neuronal apoptosis, and induced autophagy. Furthermore, inhibition of ER stress using inhibitors or by siRNA knockdown of the PERK gene significantly attenuated excessive autophagy and neuronal apoptosis, indicating an interaction between autophagy and ER stress and suggesting PERK as an essential target for regulating autophagy. Blocking autophagy with chloroquine exacerbated ER stress-induced apoptosis, indicating that normal levels of autophagy play a protective role in neuronal injury following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Findings from this study indicate that cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury can trigger neuronal ER stress and promote autophagy, and suggest that PERK is a possible target for inhibiting excessive autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Abstract Objectives This study aims to investigate the links between the clinical, demographic, and psychosocial factors and cancer-related worry in patients with early-stage lung cancer after surgery. Methods The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design. Questionnaires, including assessments of cancer-related worry, symptom burden, illness perception, psychological resilience, coping modes, social support and participant characteristics, were distributed to 302 individuals in early-stage lung cancer patients after surgery. The data collection period spanned from January and October 2023. Analytical procedures encompassed descriptive statistics, independent Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, Kruskal-Wallis- H- test, Spearman correlation analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression. Results After surgery, 89.07% had cancer-related worries, with a median (interquartile range, IQR) CRW score of 380.00 (130.00, 720.00). The most frequently cited concern was the cancer itself (80.46%), while sexual issues were the least worrisome (44.37%). Regression analyses controlling for demographic variables showed that higher levels of cancer-related worry (CRW) were associated with increased symptom burden, illness perceptions, and acceptance-rejection coping modes, whereas they had lower levels of psychological resilience, social support and confrontation coping modes, and were more willing to obtain information about the disease from the Internet or applications. Among these factors, the greatest explanatory power in the regression was observed for symptom burden, illness perceptions, social support, and sources of illness information (from the Internet or applications), which collectively explained 52.00% of the variance. Conclusions Healthcare providers should be aware that worry is a common issue for early stage lung cancer survivors with a favorable prognosis. During post-operative recovery, physicians should identify patient concerns and address unmet needs to improve patients’ emotional state and quality of life through psychological support and disease education.

The advancement in the miniaturization technology of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems and SAR three-dimensional (3D) imaging has enabled the 3D imaging of urban areas through Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-borne array Interferometric SAR (array-InSAR), offering significant utility in urban cartography, complex environment reconstruction, and related domains. Despite the challenges posed by multipath signals in urban scene imaging, these signals serve as a crucial asset for imaging hidden targets in Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) areas. Hence, this paper studies NLOS targets in UAV-borne array-InSAR 3D imaging at low altitudes and establishes a multipath model for 3D imaging at low altitudes. Then, a calculation method is proposed for obtaining the multipath reachable range in urban canyon areas based on building plane fitting. Finally, a relocation method for NLOS targets is presented. The simulation and real data experiments of UAV-borne array-InSAR show that the proposed method can effectively obtain 3D images and relocate NLOS targets in urban canyon areas, with errors typically below 0.5 m, which realizes the acquisition of hidden NLOS region information.

Fine terrain classification is one of the main applications of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). In the multiband fully polarized SAR operating mode, obtaining information on different frequency bands of the target and polarization response characteristics of a target is possible, which can improve target classification accuracy. However, the existing datasets at home and abroad only have low-resolution fully polarized classification data for individual bands, limited regions, and small samples. Thus, a multidimensional SAR dataset from Hainan is used to construct a multiband fully polarized fine classification dataset with ample sample size, diverse land cover categories, and high classification reliability. This dataset will promote the development of multiband fully polarized SAR classification applications, supported by the high-resolution aerial observation system application calibration and verification project. This paper provides an overview of the composition of the dataset, and describes the information and dataset production methods for the first batch of published data (MPOLSAR-1.0). Furthermore, this study presents the preliminary classification experimental results based on the polarization feature classification and classical machine learning classification methods, providing support for the sharing and application of the dataset.

With the widespread application of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in ship detection and recognition, accurate and efficient ship classification has become an urgent issue that needs to be addressed. In few-shot learning, conventional methods often suffer from limited generalization capabilities. Herein, additional information and features are introduced to enhance the understanding and generalization capabilities of the model for targets. To address this challenge, this study proposes a few-shot ship classification method for SAR images based on scattering point topology and Dual-Branch Convolutional Neural Network (DB-CNN). First, a topology structure was constructed using scattering key points to characterize the structural and shape features of ship targets. Second, the Laplacian matrix of the topology structure was calculated to transform the topological relations between scattering points into a matrix form. Finally, the original image and Laplacian matrix were used as inputs to the DB-CNN for feature extraction. Regarding network architecture, a DB-CNN comprising two independent convolution branches was designed. These branches were tasked with processing visual and topological features, employing two cross-fusion attention modules to collaboratively merge features from both branches. This approach effectively integrates the topological relations of target scattering points into the automated learning process of the network, enhancing the generalization capabilities and enhancing the classification accuracy of the model. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed approach obtained average accuracies of 53.80% and 73.00% in 1-shot and 5-shot tasks, respectively, on the OpenSARShip dataset. Similarly, on the FUSAR-Ship dataset, it achieved average accuracies of 54.44% and 71.36% in 1-shot and 5-shot tasks, respectively. In the case of both 1-shot and 5-shot tasks, the proposed approach outperformed the baseline by >15% in terms of accuracy, underscoring the effectiveness of incorporating scattering point topology in few-shot ship classification of SAR images.

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 3D point clouds reconstruction can eliminate the problems of layover in 2D SAR image projections, the recognition of the reconstructed point cloud can significantly enhance target identification and information extraction. Current SAR 3D point cloud segmentation methods, based on traditional machine learning clustering approaches, suffer from poor automation and accuracy. However, the absence of publicly labeled SAR datasets impedes the progress of deep learning-based SAR 3D point cloud segmentation methods. To tackle the aforementioned challenges, we introduce, for the first time, an alternative training approach for SAR 3D point cloud segmentation using LiDAR annotated data, which offers a more abundant sample pool, thus alleviating the lack of training sets. Nevertheless, a segmentation model trained on LiDAR point clouds exhibits a significant decline in performance when directly applied to SAR 3D reconstructed point clouds due to the cross-domain discrepancy. This research presents a pioneering domain adaptation 3D semantic segmentation framework to implement cross-modal learning for SAR point clouds. In our scheme, a simple yet effective technique is developed to achieve segmentation of SAR double-bounce scattering regions called SARDBS-Mix, which employs a mixing strategy, to capture the distinctive reflection characteristics of SAR data. Furthermore, we implement approaches including center alignment and normalization, local augmentation, and weighted cross entropy to mitigate LiDAR and SAR domain gap and class imbalances. The experimental results validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method for SAR 3D reconstructed point cloud segmentation.