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Supplementary Figure S1. Effects of HO-1 knockdown in H460 cell lines and HO-1 over-expression in H596 cell lines. Supplementary Figure S2. Affinity Enrichment Mass Spectrometry. Supplementary Figure S3. ME-344 induced apoptosis in sensitive cell lines H460 and SHP-77 through caspase 3 activation. Supplementary Figure S4. NAC attenuated ME-344-induced increases in ROS levels in H460 and H596 cell lines. Supplementary Figure S5. ME-344-induced changes in protein expression of VDAC1 and VDAC2 in drug sensitive (H460 and SHP-77), resistant (H596 and SW900) or normal cell lines (MRC-5). Supplementary Table S1. The immunohistochemistry score system for human lung tissue microarrays (TMAs). Supplementary Table S2. Median fluorescent intensity fold changes of ROS in sensitive and resistant human lung cancer cell lines and human normal lung cell line after treatment of ME-344 (relative to control). Supplementary Table S3. Relative protein basal level of Nrf2, HO-1, GSTP, ALDH in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines (Protein/β-actin, relative to H460). Supplementary Table S4. Relative mRNA basal level of Nrf2, HO-1, GSTP, ALDH in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines (mRNA/18S rRNA, relative to H460). Supplementary Table S5. Relative protein fold change of Nrf2, HO-1, GSTP, ALDH in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines after treatment of ME-344 (Protein/β-actin, relative to control). Supplementary Table S6. Relative mRNA fold change of Nrf2, HO-1, GSTP, ALDH in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines after treatment of ME-344 (mRNA/18S rRNA, relative to control). Supplementary Table S7. Relative mRNA basal level of UPR markers in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines (mRNA/18S rRNA, relative to H460). Supplementary Table S8. Relative mRNA fold change of UPR markers in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines after treatment of ME-344 (mRNA/18S rRNA, relative to control). Supplementary Table S9. Relative protein basal level of UPR markers in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines (protein/β-actin, relative to H460). Supplementary Table S10. Relative protein fold change of UPR markers in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines after treatment of ME-344 (protein/β-actin, relative to control). Supplementary Table S15. Immunohistochemistry scores of HO-1 in lung normal and tumor specimens of different histological types. Supplementary Table S16. Immunohistochemistry scores of Nrf2 in lung normal and tumor specimens of different histological types. Supplementary Table S17. Immunohistochemistry scores of HO-1 and Nrf2 in lung normal and tumor specimens of different staging. Supplementary Table S18. GSH (nmol/mg protein) generation of H460 and H596 cell lines with pretreatment of NAC. Supplementary Table S19. IC50 (µM) of H460 and H596 cell lines with and without pretreatment of NAC. Supplementary Table S20. Relative protein basal level of VDAC1 and VDAC2 in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines (Protein/β-actin, relative to H460). Supplementary Table S21. Relative protein fold change of VDAC1 and VDAC2 in sensitive, resistant and normal cell lines after treatment of ME-344 (Protein/β-actin, relative to control). Supplementary Table S22. Basal and fold change after ME-344 treatment of ROS levels and protein expression of Nrf2 and HO-1. Supplementary Table S23. Basal and fold change after ME-344 treatment of ROS levels in HO-1 knockdown and overexpressing H460 and H596 cell lines.

Antibodies. Primers. Click Chemistry and Affinity Enrichment Mass Spectrometry. Surface Plasmon Resonance - Biacore 3000 Kinetic Determinations. Co-Immunoprecipitation. Transfections with shRNA and plasmids. Plate colony formation assay. References.

ME-344 is a second-generation isoflavone with unusual cytotoxic properties that is in clinical testing in cancer. To identify targets that contribute to its anticancer activity and therapeutic index, we used lung cancer cell lines that are naturally sensitive or resistant to ME-344. Drug-induced apoptosis was linked with enhanced levels of reactive oxygen species and this initiated a nuclear erythroid factor 2-like 2 signaling response, downstream of which, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) was also found to be time-dependently inhibited by ME-344. ME-344 specifically bound to, and altered, HO-1 structure and increased HO-1 translocation from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria, but only in drug-sensitive cells. These effects did not occur in either drug-resistant or primary lung fibroblasts with lower HO-1 basal levels. HO-1 was confirmed as a drug target by using surface plasmon resonance technology and through interaction with a clickable ME-344 compound (M2F) and subsequent proteomic analyses, showing direct binding of ME-344 with HO-1. Proteomic analysis showed that clusters of mitochondrial proteins, including voltage-dependent anion-selective channels, were also impacted by ME-344. Human lung cancer biopsies expressed higher levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 compared with normal tissues. Overall, our data show that ME-344 inhibits HO-1 and impacts its mitochondrial translocation. Other mitochondrial proteins are also affected, resulting in interference in tumor cell redox homeostasis and mitochondrial function. These factors contribute to a beneficial therapeutic index and support continued clinical development of ME-344.Significance:A novel cytotoxic isoflavone is shown to inhibit heme oxygenase, a desirable yet elusive target that disrupts redox homeostasis causing cell death.

Supplementary Table S11. All Proteins Identified. Supplementary Table S12. The Protein Groups text file from MaxQuant was processed using Perseus. Common contaminants, reversed database hits, and proteins identified by modified peptides were removed. LFQ normalized protein intensities were log2 transformed. Proteins were filtered to retain proteins identified by MS/MS (not matching between runs) in all three ME-344 pull down experiments with at least 2 peptides. Missing values in the control pull downs were imputed in Perseus with a width of 0.6 and downshift of 1.8. The difference in mean log2 protein intensities (ME344 bait - control) and fold change in abundance are provided. Supplementary Table S13. The Protein Groups text file from MaxQuant was processed using Perseus. Common contaminants, reversed database hits, and proteins identified by modified peptides were removed. LFQ normalized protein intensities were log2 transformed. Proteins were filtered to retain proteins identified by MS/MS (not matching between runs) in all three ME-344 pull down experiments with at least 2 peptides. Missing values in the control pull downs were imputed in Perseus with a width of 0.6 and downshift of 1.8. The difference in mean log2 protein intensities (ME344 bait - control) and fold change in abundance are provided. Proteins enriched with ME-344 (Difference in Log2 Protein Intensities >0). Supplementary Table S14. Proteins with at least 2 peptides identified by MS/MS in all three ME-344 pull down experiments that were not identified in the control affinity enrichment.

With the increase in pet keeping among families in China, there has been a corresponding increase in the incidence of allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis. Pet allergies pose important social and health problems, making their management in children crucial. There is an increasing trend of sensitization to cat and dog dander among Chinese children. The process underlying allergic sensitization is complex and is associated with an IgE-mediated type I hypersensitivity reaction that involves the upregulation of type 2 T-helper (Th2) cells, resulting in Th2 immunity. Compared with traditional serum-specific IgE (sIgE) and skin tests, molecular diagnosis may be better at predicting the progression of diseases. The association between pet keeping and allergic diseases in children remains controversial. Although the hygiene hypothesis is widely accepted in Chinese children, exposure to pets in early life remains a risk factor for allergies. Pet avoidance and allergy immunotherapy (AIT) are recommended for children with pet allergies. However, pet avoidance is difficult to maintain, and AIT is not widely available in China. There is an imbalance between the increase in allergic diseases and the shortage of prevention and treatment options. We hope that advancements in medicine, diagnosis, and healthcare policies will help resolve this issue.

Purpose To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the treatment of children with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Methods We retrospectively collected and compared the data of patients with CDH admitted between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021(study group) with the CDH patients admitted before the pandemic between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 (control group). Results During the pandemic, 41 patients with CDH diagnosed prenatally were transferred to our hospital, and 40 underwent surgical repair. The number of patients treated in our hospital increased by 24.2% compared with the 33 patients before the pandemic. During the pandemic, the overall survival rate, postoperative survival rate and recurrence rate were 85.4%, 87.5% and 7.3%, respectively, and there were no significant differences compared with the control group (75.8%, 83.3% and 9.1%, respectively). The average length of hospital stay in patients admitted during the pandemic was longer than that in the control group (31 days vs. 16 days, P P = 0.037). Conclusions CDH patients confirmed to be SARS-CoV-2 infection-free can receive routine treatment. Our data indicate that the implementation of protective measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with appropriate screening and case evaluation, do not have a negative impact on the prognosis of children.

ME-344 is a second-generation cytotoxic isoflavone with anticancer activity promulgated through interference with mitochondrial functions. Using a click chemistry version of the drug together with affinity-enriched mass spectrometry, voltage-dependent anion channels (VDACs) 1 and 2 were identified as drug targets. To determine the importance of VDAC1 or 2 to cytotoxicity, we used lung cancer cells that were either sensitive (H460) or intrinsically resistant (H596) to the drug. In H460 cells, depletion of VDAC1 and VDAC2 by small interfering RNA impacted ME-344 effects by diminishing generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), preventing mitochondrial membrane potential dissipation, and moderating ME-344-induced cytotoxicity and mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis. Mechanistically, VDAC1 and VDAC2 knockdown prevented ME-344-induced apoptosis by inhibiting Bax mitochondrial translocation and cytochrome c release as well as apoptosis in these H460 cells. We conclude that VDAC1 and 2, as mediators of the response to oxidative stress, have roles in modulating ROS generation, Bax translocation, and cytochrome c release during mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis caused by ME-344. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Dissecting preclinical drug mechanisms are of significance in development of a drug toward eventual Food and Drug Administration approval.

Fog computing has attracted considerable attention to meet the location awareness and real-time response requirements of various applications. However, compared to cloud computing, fog devices have relatively limited power supplies, computation resources, and communication resources, raising design challenges to meet real-time response requirements. To balance response time and energy consumption for multiple fog devices running multiple applications, this work presents an energy-efficient offloading decision mechanism and an offloading dispatcher to dispatch applications to the corresponding device by effectively managing the computation and communication resources of all devices in a fog computing environment. The offloading tasks are composed of several subtasks with an end-to-end deadline. To meet the response time requirements of such applications, a run-time scheduler with an end-to-end latency schedulability consideration is also presented. Evaluation results show considerable energy savings using this framework and a real platform study provides validation.

A pyrene-containing salicylic acid derivative (4) was found to be low in fluorescence, but its derivative pyrene-containing methyl salicylate (3) was found to be highly fluorescent in aqueous solut...

Traumatic brain injury-induced acute lung injury (TBI-ALI) is a serious complication of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Our previous clinical study found that high levels of blood glutamate after TBI were closely related to the occurrence and severity of TBI-ALI, while it remains unknown whether a high concentration of blood glutamate directly causes or aggravates TBI-ALI. We found that inhibition of the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) after brain injury alleviated the TBI-ALI; however, it is unknown whether lowering blood glutamate levels in combination with inhibiting the A2AR would lead to better effects. Using mouse models of moderate and severe TBI, we found that intravenous administration of L-glutamate greatly increased the lung water content, lung-body index, level of inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and acute lung injury score and significantly decreased the PaO2/FiO2 ratio. Moreover, the incidence of TBI-ALI and the mortality rate were significantly increased, and the combined administration of A2AR activator and exogenous glutamate further exacerbated the above damaging effects. Conversely, lowering the blood glutamate level through peritoneal dialysis or intravenous administration of oxaloacetate notably improved the above parameters, and a further improvement was seen with concurrent A2AR genetic inactivation. These data suggest that A2AR activation aggravates the damaging effect of high blood glutamate concentrations on the lung and that combined treatment targeting both A2AR and blood glutamate may be an effective way to prevent and treat TBI-ALI.

Phylogenetic relationships among the six Iris subgenera were reconstructed by chloroplast trnL-F sequences data using maximum likelihood. The entire matrix of aligned bases analyzed includes 1043 characters and the length of all sequences varied from 747 bp to 893 bp, and mutation sites accounted for 18.79% of the total length. The cluster analysis results accorded well with the subgeneric classification of Chinese Iris species. Results suggested rhizomes and sepals lacking ornament are ancestral characters, and subg. Xyridion and subg. Limniris are more primordial than another four subgenera. Subgenus Nepalensis and subg. Xyridion were resolved as monophyletic.

Energy-efficient scheduling in wireless embedded devices is a critical consideration due to limited energy supplies and the latency constraint of sensory data processing. Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is a low power solution that provides a user-defined connection interval parameter for extending the sleep time of BLE nodes. Instead of minimizing the values for this connection parameter to minimize latency, which can lead to excessive energy consumption, this paper presents a practical energy-efficient scheduling framework for multiple BLE devices having applications with latency constraints. First, we determine the required connection interval for a single BLE node with multi-rate sensing applications. Then, considering the scheduling issues caused by non-preemptive data transmission, we present an energy-efficient connection interval assignment for a sensor network with multiple BLE nodes to meet the latency constraints of sensing applications. Finally, based on the proposed connection interval determination, we propose a priority inversion awareness scheduler for the BLE master node to schedule all slave node transmissions in the network. Extensive experiments show that the proposed algorithms prolonged network lifetime by 235% compared with a simple pessimistic setting.

(a) Rapamycin nanotherapeutic pre-treatment improves tracheal allograft outcome after transplantation. (b) Nanotherapy reduces aortic allograft vasculopathy. (c) Dose dependency of the nanotherapy in aortic interposition allografts., Hypothermic preservation is the standard of care for storing organs prior to transplantation. Endothelial and epithelial injury associated with hypothermic storage causes downstream graft injury and, as such, the choice of an ideal donor organ preservation solution remains controversial. Cold storage solutions, by design, minimize cellular necrosis and optimize cellular osmotic potential, but do little to assuage immunological cell activation or immune cell priming post transplantation. Thus, here we explore the efficacy of our previously described novel Targeted Rapamycin Micelles (TRaM) as an additive to standard-of-care University of Wisconsin preservation solution as a means to alter the immunological microenvironment post transplantation using in vivo models of tracheal and aortic allograft transplantation. In all models of transplantation, grafts pre-treated with 100 ng mL–1 of TRaM augmented preservation solution ex vivo showed a significant inhibition of chronic rejection post-transplantation, as compared to UW augmented with free rapamycin at a ten-fold higher dose. Here, for the first time, we present a novel method of organ pretreatment using a nanotherapeutic-based cellular targeted delivery system that enables donor administration of rapamycin, at a ten-fold decreased dose during cold storage. Clinically, these pretreatment strategies may positively impact post-transplant outcomes and can be readily translated to clinical scenarios.

Traumatic brain injury-induced acute lung injury (TBI-ALI) is a serious complication after brain injury for which predictive factors are lacking. In this study, we found significantly elevated blood glutamate concentrations in patients with TBI or multiple peripheral trauma (MPT), and patients with more severe injuries showed higher blood glutamate concentrations and longer durations of elevated levels. Although the increase in amplitude was similar between the two groups, the duration was longer in the patients with TBI. There were no significant differences in blood glutamate concentrations in the patients with MPT with regard to ALI status, but the blood glutamate levels were significantly higher in the patients with TBI-ALI than in those without ALI. Moreover, compared to patients without ALI, patients with TBI showed a clearly enhanced inflammatory response that was closely correlated with the blood glutamate levels. The blood glutamate concentration was also found to be a risk factor (adjusted odds ratio, 2.229; 95% CI, 1.082–2.634) and was a better predictor of TBI-ALI than the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score. These results indicated that dramatically increased blood glutamate concentrations were closely related to the occurrence of TBI-ALI and could be used as a predictive marker for “at-risk” patients.

Background: Nickel compounds are well-established human carcinogens with weak mutagenic activity. Histone methylation has been proposed to play an important role in nickel-induced carcinogenesis. Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) decreases histone methylation in several cancer cells by altering the cellular ratio of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). However, the role of NNMT in nickel-induced histone methylation remains unclear. Methods: BEAS-2B cells were exposed to different concentrations of nickel chloride (NiCl2) for 72 h or 200 μM NiCl2 for different time periods. Histone H3 on lysine 9 (H3K9) mono-, di-, and trimethylation and NNMT protein levels were measured by western blot analysis. Expressions of NNMT mRNA and the H3k9me2-associated genes, mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAP2K3) and dickkopf1 (DKK1), were determined by qPCR analysis. The cellular ratio of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) to reduced NAD (NADH) and SAM/SAH ratio were determined. Results: Exposure of BEAS-2B cells to nickel increased H3K9 dimethylation (H3K9me2), suppressed the expressions of H3K9me2-associated genes (MAP2K3 and DKK1), and induced NNMT repression at both the protein and mRNA levels. Furthermore, over-expression of NNMT inhibited nickel-induced H3K9me2 and altered the cellular SAM/SAH ratio. Additionally, the NADH oxidant phenazine methosulfate (PMS) not only reversed the nickel-induced reduction in NAD+/NADH but also inhibited the increase in H3K9me2. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the repression of NNMT may underlie nickel-induced H3K9 dimethylation by altering the cellular SAM/SAH ratio.

ME-344 is a second-generation isoflavone with unusual cytotoxic properties that is in clinical testing in cancer. To identify targets that contribute to its anticancer activity and therapeutic index, we used lung cancer cell lines that are naturally sensitive or resistant to ME-344. Drug-induced apoptosis was linked with enhanced levels of reactive oxygen species and this initiated a nuclear erythroid factor 2-like 2 signaling response, downstream of which, heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) was also found to be time-dependently inhibited by ME-344. ME-344 specifically bound to, and altered, HO-1 structure and increased HO-1 translocation from the rough endoplasmic reticulum to mitochondria, but only in drug-sensitive cells. These effects did not occur in either drug-resistant or primary lung fibroblasts with lower HO-1 basal levels. HO-1 was confirmed as a drug target by using surface plasmon resonance technology and through interaction with a clickable ME-344 compound (M2F) and subsequent proteomic analyses, showing direct binding of ME-344 with HO-1. Proteomic analysis showed that clusters of mitochondrial proteins, including voltage-dependent anion-selective channels, were also impacted by ME-344. Human lung cancer biopsies expressed higher levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 compared with normal tissues. Overall, our data show that ME-344 inhibits HO-1 and impacts its mitochondrial translocation. Other mitochondrial proteins are also affected, resulting in interference in tumor cell redox homeostasis and mitochondrial function. These factors contribute to a beneficial therapeutic index and support continued clinical development of ME-344. Significance: A novel cytotoxic isoflavone is shown to inhibit heme oxygenase, a desirable yet elusive target that disrupts redox homeostasis causing cell death.

To investigate the differences of metabolic pathways of leucocyte-deplated RBCs prepared by using lipid whole blood and nomal blood during routine storage so as to provide some reference for clinical blood use.Twenty U whole blood from 20 donors, including 10 U lipid blood and 10 U normal whole blood, were selected for preparing leukodepleted red blood cells, red blood cells were taken from storage bags on day 0, 14 and 35, respectively. Metabolites in the red blood cells were analyzed, red blood cell metabolic extracts were detected by UPLC-MS/MS. The metabolite data of RBC from 2 groups were analyzed by SIMCA-P 13.0 software using OPLS-DA and by SPSS 19.0 using Mann-Whitney U test. Difference of metabolic pathways was described according to different metabolites.The glucose, adenine, pyruvic acid, GSH, GSSG and niacinamide levels on day 0 in lipid RBCs were higher than those in the control group(P0.05). The glucose, pyruvic acid and GSH levels on day 14 in lipid RBCs were lower than those in the control group (P0.05), and the levels of adenine, GSSG and niacinamide were higher than that in the control group (P0.05). The glucose level on day 0 was lower than that in the control group (P0.05), and the levels of adenine and niacinamide were higher than those in the control group (P0.05). but the pyruvic acid, GSH and GSSG levels were not significantly different between 2 groups (P0.05).Compared with the normal red blood cells, the energy metabolism pathway decreases in lipid red blood cells within the storage period and pentose phosphate pathway increases.

BackgroundAcute lung injury (ALI) is a serious complication of stroke that occurs with a high incidence. Our preclinical results indicated that ALI might be related to blood glutamate levels after brain injury. The purpose of this study was to assess dynamic changes in blood glutamate levels in patients with stroke and to determine the correlation between blood glutamate levels, ALI, and long-term prognosis after stroke.MethodsVenous blood samples were collected from controls and patients with stroke at admission and on the third and seventh day after the onset of stroke. Patients were followed for 3 months. The correlations among blood glutamate levels, severities of stroke and ALI, and long-term outcomes were analyzed, and the predictive values of blood glutamate levels and severity scores for ALI were assessed.ResultsIn this study, a total of 384 patients with stroke were enrolled, with a median age of 59 years. Patients showed significantly increased blood glutamate levels within 7 days of stroke onset (p

8-OxodGuo and Fapy·dG induced 10-22% mutations, predominantly G → T transversions, in human embryonic kidney 293T cells in four TG*N sequence contexts, where N = C, G, A, or T. siRNA knockdown of pol λ resulted in 34 and 55% increases in the level of mutations in the progeny from the 8-oxodGuo construct in the TG*T and TG*G sequences, respectively, suggesting that pol λ is involved in error-free bypass of 8-oxodGuo. For Fapy·dG, in contrast, the level of G → T mutations was reduced by 27 and 46% in the TG*T and TG*G sequences, respectively, suggesting that pol λ is responsible for a significant fraction of Fapy·dG-induced G → T mutations.

Glucocorticoids are commonly used for the treatment of pancreatitis and complicated acute lung injury and help to reduce the mortality rates of both. The effect of gene variants in heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), a key chaperone molecule of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), on the therapeutic effect of glucocorticoids is unclear. Our study aims to investigate the different susceptibility to glucocorticoid treatment in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice carrying different Hsp90 genotypes in an animal model of pancreatitis-induced lung injury. Compared with BALB/c mice, C57BL/6 mice have lower mortality rates, decreased water content in their lungs, and a lower level of IL-1 beta in an animal model of acute pancreatitis. C57BL/6 mice show a greater therapeutic effect and increased GR binding activities with glucocorticoid responsive element compared to BALB/c mice after a 0.4 mg/kg dexamethasone (DEX) treatment. Treatment with a higher dose of DEX (4 mg/kg) significantly reduced mortality rates and increased GR-GRE binding activity in both strains of mice, and there was no significant difference between the two strains. DEX did not exert a protective role after geldanamycin, a specific inhibitor of Hsp90, was administered in both strains of mice. Our study revealed that Hsp90 gene variants are responsible for the greater therapeutic effect of DEX in C57BL/6 mice compared to BALB/c mice, which implies that combining DEX treatment with Hsp90 regulation would promote the efficiency of DEX and would be an effective way to alleviate the side effects of hormone therapy.

Bioluminescence is a useful tool for imaging of cancer in in vivo animal models that endogenously express luciferase, an enzyme that requires a substrate for visual readout. Current bioluminescence imaging, using commonly available luciferin substrates, only lasts a short time (15–20 min). To avoid repeated administration of luciferase substrate during cancer detection and surgery, a long lasting bioluminescence imaging substrate or system is needed. A novel water-soluble biotinylated luciferase probe, B-YL (1), was synthesized. A receptor-targeted complex of B-YL with streptavidin (SA) together with a biotinylated epidermal growth factor short peptide (B-EGF) (SA/B-YL/B-EGF = 1:3:1, molar ratio) was then prepared to demonstrate selective targeting. The complex was incubated with brain cancer cell lines overexpressing the EGF receptor (EGFR) and transfected with the luciferase gene. Results show that the complex specifically detects cancer cells by bioluminescence. The complex was further used to image xenograft brain tumors transfected with a luciferase gene in mice. The complex detects the tumor immediately, and bioluminescence lasts for 5 days. Thus, the complex generates a long lasting bioluminescence for cancer detection in mice. The complex with selective targeting may be used in noninvasive cancer diagnosis and accurate surgery in cancer treatment in clinics in the future.

Jatropha curcas is a new promising bioenergy crop due to the high oil content in its seeds that can be converted into biodiesel. Seed size, a major determinant of Jatropha oil yield, is a target trait for Jatropha breeding. Due to the vital roles of phytohormone auxin in controlling seed and fruit development, we screened key genes in auxin pathway including ARF and IAA families and downstream effectors to identify candidate genes controlling seed size in Jatropha. As a result, JcARF19 was mapped in the major quantitative trait locus (QTL) region and significantly associated with seed length. By using expression QTL (eQTL) analysis to link variants with functional candidate genes, we provided evidences that seed traits were affected by the interaction of JcARF19 and JcIAA9. ARF19 and IAA9, involved in auxin signal transduction, were conserved in higher plants. These data including the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the two genes could lead to utilization of the genes by integrating favored alleles into elite varieties through marker-assisted selection.

Significant developments, in the past two decades, in deploying intelligent transportation systems (ITS) by various operating agencies throughout China. This paper describes urgent needs, approaches designed, and up-to-date progress being made to establish the key performance indicators (KPI) to support the performance evaluation as a part of the “China’s Transit Metropolis Demonstration Project.” The concentrated efforts have been supported through both China Ministry of Transport (CN.MOT), China Academy of Transport Science (CATS), and Volvo Research Foundation since 2010. New technologies, such as the ITS applications (smart public transport terminals, ITS APTS technology, bus rapid transit, and alternative energy vehicles, etc.), are being implemented.

Till now, China is still short of science-based indicator system and methodology to evaluate the management and service of public transport operators. Because of this, public transport authorities and operators have no principles to follow when executing the public transport priority strategy. As a result, this paper builds up a set of evaluation indicator system in compliance with the national conditions of China, which can be used to evaluate the management of the public transport operators, to locate the problems and shortcomings of the urban public transport operators in their operations, and to help them improve their service quality. Furthermore, the evaluation indicator system can also provide basis for the government to make public transport investment decisions and allocate subsidies, balance the public transport capacity and volume, reform the make-up of the urban public transport vehicles, strengthen the supervising capacity and adopt the incentive/penalty policy for the public transport operators.

The small-molecule, water-soluble molecular beacon probe 1 is hydrolyzed by the lysate and living cells of human prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP), resulting in strong green fluorescence. In contrast, probe 1 does not undergo significant hydrolysis in either the lysate or living cells of human nontumorigenic prostate cells (RWPE-1). These results, corroborated by UV-Vis spectroscopy and fluorescent microscopy, reveal that probe 1 is a sensitive and specific fluorogenic and chromogenic sensor for the detection of human prostate cancer cells among nontumorigenic prostate cells and that carboxylesterase activity is a specific biomarker for human prostate cancer cells.

To provide policy recommendations for deepening implementation of the national public transport priority strategy, authors analyzed the status quo of China’s urban transport, and pointed out that the deteriorating traffic environment, lack of related laws, unlimited increase of car ownership and improper management system are the main problems severely restraining sustainable development of the urban public transport. Based on research on causes of the problems, authors put forward the relevant policy recommendations, from the view points of law construction, smooth traffic projects, car use guidance and reform of administration system. These policy recommendations are quite necessary and significant to promote sound development of China’s urban public transport.

In this study, we synthesized small-molecule, water-soluble, fluorescein-containing ureido compounds 6 and 8 as target receptors for cytosine free bases and then investigated the binding of cytosine free bases with the receptors using 15 N NMR spectroscopy and partially labeled cytosine-2,4- 13 C-1,3,4- 15 N-cytosine. Binding with the receptor 6a (the disodium form of 6 ) caused the chemical shift of the nitrogen atom of the amino group of cytosine to move downfield; binding of the receptor 8a (the disodium form of 8 ), which is possessing no corresponding aryl nitrogen atom, had no effect on this signal. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that binding of cytosine and its derivatives led to quenching of the fluorescence of receptor 6a ; in contrast, the quenching of receptor 8a was only slightly affected by cytosine. Because the fluorescence of 6a was not quenched by either deoxycytidine or uracil, it appears that this receptor is a specific for cytosine among the DNA bases. We used the fluorescence of 6a to measure the apparent binding constants for various cytosine derivatives, including the anticancer prodrug 5-fluorocytosine. Receptor 6a is the first small-molecule, water-soluble fluorescent receptor for the specific binding of cytosine free bases in aqueous solution.

Tobacco SABP2, a 29kDa protein catalyzes the conversion of methyl salicylic acid (MeSA) into salicylic acid (SA) to induce SAR. Pretreatment of plants with acibenzolar-S-methyl (ASM), a functional analog of salicylic acid induces systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Data presented in this paper suggest that SABP2 catalyzes the conversion of ASM into acibenzolar to induce SAR. Transgenic SABP2-silenced tobacco plants when treated with ASM, fail to express PR-1 proteins and do not induce robust SAR expression. When treated with acibenzolar, full SAR is induced in SABP2-silenced plants. These results show that functional SABP2 is required for ASM-mediated induction of resistance.

During DNA repair, uracil DNA glycosylase (UDG) pulls unwanted uracil into its active site through hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking interactions. The reason why UDG binds only uracil tightly--and not its derivatives, such as thymine--remains unclear. In this study, we synthesized the stable, water-soluble receptor 1a as a structural mimic of the active site in UDG. Compound 1a contains a 2,6-bis(glycylamino)pyridine group, which mimics the amino acid residues of UDG that interact with uracil through a hydrogen-bonding network; it also possesses a pyrene moiety as a pi-pi stacking interaction element and fluorescent probe that mimics the aromatic groups (phenyl and fluorescent indolyl units) found in the active site of UDG. Receptor 1a binds selectively to uracil and derivatives (including thymine, 5-formyluracil, 5-fluorouracil, and 5-nitrouracil) and some DNA and RNA nucleosides (including thymidine and uridine) through hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking interactions. Interestingly, a plot of log K(b) with respect to the values of pK(a) of the N(3)H units of uracil and its derivatives was linear, with a negative slope (beta) of -0.24 +/- 0.03. Thus, compounds featuring lower values of pK(a) for their N(3)H units provided greater apparent binding constants for their complexes with receptor 1a, suggesting acidity-dependent binding of uracil and its derivatives to this receptor; notably, uracil bound more tightly than did thymine. Our study provides some insight into how uracil and its derivatives in DNA are bound by DNA repair enzymes through hydrogen bonding and pi-pi stacking interactions.

Two pyrene containing fluorescent receptors, 2-(1-pyrenyl)benzoic acid (FR-1) and 8-(1-pyrenyl)-1-naphthoic acid (FR-2), have been designed and synthesized to mimic a pyrene dinucleotide for molecular recognition of 9-butyladenine (9-BuA). The X-ray crystal structures of the receptors FR-1 and FR-2 along with the binding substrate 9-BuA have been determined. FR-1 has the carboxyl group in the same plane as the phenyl group whereas the pyrenyl group is perpendicular to the phenyl group. However, both carboxyl and pyrenyl groups in FR-2 are parallel to each other but perpendicular to the naphthyl group. The binding constant for FR-2 to 9-BuA was found to be 7896±2187 M−1, which is 8.3-fold greater than that for FR-1 (953±129 M−1). The results indicate that the complex of 9-BuA with FR-2 is more stable than that with FR-1 by 1.2 kcal/mol. In addition, the molecular recognition of 9-BuA with the receptors can also be observed using fluorescence spectroscopy.

A simple synthesis of fresh alkyl iodides using alcohols and hydriodic acid (HI) is reported. The alkyl iodides were obtained in quick and easy work-up with good to excellent yields (66–94%) and very high purities (97–99%). Freshly prepared iodomethane and 1-iodobutane were applied to synthesize biologically relevant 3,7-dimethyladenine and 9-butyladenine, which were characterized thoroughly using 1D and 2D NMR, individually.

Fapy.dG is produced in DNA as a result of oxidative stress from a precursor that also forms OxodG. Bypass of Fapy.dG in a shuttle vector in COS-7 cells produces G --T transversions slightly more frequently than does OxodG (Kalam, M. A., et al. (2006) Nucleic Acids Res. 34, 2305). The effect of Fapy.dG on replication in Escherichia coli was studied by transfecting M13mp7(L2) bacteriophage DNA containing the lesion within the lacZ gene in 4 local sequence contexts. For comparison, experiments were carried out side-by-side on OxodG. The efficiency of lesion bypass was determined relative to that of a genome containing native nucleotides. Fapy.dG was bypassed less efficiently than OxodG. Bypass efficiency of Fapy.dG and OxodG increased modestly in SOS-induced cells. Mutation frequencies at the site of the lesions in the originally transfected genomes were determined using the REAP assay (Delaney, J. C., Essigmann, J. M. (2006) Methods Enzymol. 408, 1). G --T transversions were the only mutations observed above background when either Fapy.dG or OxodG was bypassed. OxodG mutation frequencies ranged from 3.1% to 9.8%, whereas the G --T transversion frequencies observed upon Fapy.dG bypass wereor=1.9% in wild-type E. coli. In contrast to OxodG bypass, Fapy.dG mutation frequencies were unaffected by carrying out experiments in mutM/mutY cells. Overall, these experiments suggest that Fapy.dG is at most weakly mutagenic in E. coli. Steady-state kinetic experiments using the Klenow fragment of DNA polymerase I from E. coli suggest that a low dA misincorporation frequency opposite Fapy.dG and inefficient extension of a Fapy.dG:dA base pair work synergistically to minimize the levels of G --T transversions.

Terpenoid phytoalexins function as defense compound against a broad spectrum of pathogens and pests in the plant kingdom. However, the role of phytoalexin in antiviral defense is still elusive. In this study, we identified the biosynthesis pathway of a sesquiterpenoid phytoalexin, capsidiol 3-acetate as an antiviral response against RNA virus Potato Virus X (PVX) in Nicotiana benthamiana. NbTPS1 and NbEAH genes were found strongly induced by PVX-infection. Enzymatic activity and genetic evidence indicated that both genes were involved in the PVX-induced biosynthesis of capsidiol 3-acetate. NbTPS1- or NbEAH-silenced plant was more susceptible to PVX. The accumulation of capsidiol 3-acetate in PVX-infected plant was partially regulated by jasmonic acid signaling receptor COI1. These findings provide an insight into a novel mechanism of how plant uses the basal arsenal machinery to mount a fight against virus attack even in susceptible species.