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Liver secretes proliferative factors participating compensatory hyperplasia of islets during obesity and insulin resistance. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate intercellular communication by delivering inner factors to recipient cells. This study explored the biological effects of hepatocellular EVs on islet β cells during obesity. Compared with standard chow diet (CD), hepatocellular EVs derived from high-fat diet (HFD) induced obese mice promoted proliferation of β cell line-MIN6 cells, but didn't influence their insulin secretion. Microarray analysis found 13 miRNAs with significantly differential expression in hepatocellular EVs between HFD with CD group. Meanwhile, RNA-sequencing detected 80 genes with significantly differential expression in MIN6 cells treated with HFD and CD hepatocellular EVs respectively. Six miRNAs and 11 potential target genes were pre-screened by synthesizing TargetScan prediction and RNA-sequencing results. After miRNA mimic transfection and testing the expressions of target genes and cell vitality, miR-7218-5p was verified to affect MIN6 cell proliferation through targeting CD74 gene. SiRNA transfection and dual luciferase reporter assay further confirmed the binding and regulation of miRNA-7218-5p on CD74. These findings suggest HFD induced obesity could change miRNA profiles in hepatocellular EVs, which modulate expression of multiple genes and proliferation of MIN6 cells and maybe mediate compensatory hyperplasia of islets. • High-fat diet changes miRNA profiles in extracellular vesicles (EVs) from hepatocytes. • Hepatocellular EVs can modulate genes expression and proliferation of β cell line. • miR-7218-5p in Hepatocellular EVs targets CD74 mediating proliferation of β cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of ecosystems and their services is threatening human wellbeing, making ecosystem service (ES) conservation an urgent necessity. In ES conservation planning, conservation area identification is crucial for the success of conservation initiatives. However, different decision-making preferences have not been fully considered and integrated in ES conservation area identification. This study takes the Dawen River watershed as the study area and considers three water-related ESs to be conserved. We aim to integrate the decision-making preferences of cost-effectiveness, ES sustainable supply, and ES social benefit into identifying ES conservation areas by using conservation cost, ecosystem health, and ES social importance as spatial constraints, respectively. We identified ES conservation area alternatives under the scenarios set according to different decision-making preferences. Specifically, ES conservation targets, i.e., the expected proportion of each ES in conservation areas, are designed to be met where there is low conservation cost (cost-oriented scenario), high ecosystem health (ES sustainable supply scenario), or high ES social importance (ES social benefit scenario). A balanced scenario considering all three decision-making preferences together is further established. The results show that under each scenario, the identified conservation areas can concurrently meet the conservation targets and decision-making preferences. The consideration of different decision-making preferences can greatly influence the spatial distributions of ES conservation areas. Moreover, a severe trade-off between conservation cost and ES social importance is observed under the ES social benefit scenario, and the balanced scenario can achieve a synergy of decision-making preferences. Our study provides a method to integrate the decision-making preference into ES conservation area identification, which can improve the rationality and practicality of ES conservation planning. • Conservation area identification is crucial for ecosystem service (ES) conservation. • The decision-making preference needs to be considered in ES conservation. • We integrated decision-making preferences into ES conservation area identification. • Decision-making preferences are reflected by spatial constraints of conservation. • Different decision-making preferences used change ES conservation area patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas plecoglossicida is a Gram-negative pathogenic bacterium that causes visceral white spot disease in several marine fish species, resulting in high mortality and financial loss. Based on previous RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) results, rpoD gene expression is significantly up-regulated in P. plecoglossicida during infection, indicating that rpoD may contribute to bacterial pathogenicity. To investigate the role of this gene, five specific short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) were designed and synthesized based on the rpoD gene sequence, with all five mutants exhibiting a significant decrease in rpoD gene expression in P. plecoglossicida. The mutant with the highest silencing efficiency (89.2%) was chosen for further study. Compared with the wild-type (WT) P. plecoglossicida strain NZBD9, silencing rpoD in the rpoD -RNA interference (RNAi) strain resulted in a significant decrease in growth, motility, chemotaxis, adhesion, and biofilm formation in P. plecoglossicida. Silencing of rpoD also resulted in a 25% increase in the survival rate, a one-day delay in the onset of death, and a significant decrease in the number of white spots on the spleen surface of infected orange-spotted groupers (Epinephelus coioides). In addition, rpoD expression and pathogen load were significantly lower in the spleens of E. coioides infected with the rpoD -RNAi strain than with the WT strain of P. plecoglossicida. We performed RNA-seq of E. coioides spleens infected with different P. plecoglossicida strains. Results showed that rpoD silencing in P. plecoglossicida led to a significant change in the infected spleen transcriptomes. In addition, comparative transcriptome analysis showed that silencing rpoD caused significant changes in complement and coagulation cascades and the IL-17 signaling pathway. Thus, this study revealed the effects of the rpoD gene on P. plecoglossicida pathogenicity and identified the main pathway involved in the immune response of E. coioides. • Pseudomonas plecoglossicida rpoD gene was silenced by RNA interference with an efficiency of 89.2%. • Silencing rpoD resulted in a 25% increase in the survival rate of E. coioides infected by P. plecoglossicida. • Silencing rpoD significant affected the immune response of infected E. coioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To study the roles of the exbB gene in Pseudomonas plecoglossicida during interactions with Epinephelus coioides , five short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) were designed and synthesized to silence the exbB gene in P. plecoglossicida which resulted in significant reductions in exbB mRNA expression. The mutant with the best silencing efficiency (89.3%) was selected for further study. Silencing exbB in the exbB -RNA interference (RNAi) strain resulted in a 70% increase in the survival rate and a 3-day delay in the onset of infection in E. coioides. Silencing of the exbB gene also resulted in a significant decrease in the number of white spots on the spleen surface and in the spleen pathogen load. The results of dual RNA-seq showed that exbB silencing in P. plecoglossicida also resulted in a significant change in both the pathogen and host transcriptomes in the spleens of infected E. coioides. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that silencing exbB caused significant changes in multiple signaling molecules and interaction- and immune system-related genes in E. coioides. Gene silencing also resulted in the differential expression of flagellar assembly and the bacterial secretion system in P. plecoglossicida during the infection period, and most of the DEGs were down-regulation. These host-pathogen interactions may make it easier for E. coioides to eliminate the exbB -RNAi strain of P. plecoglossicida , suggesting a significant decrease in the pathogenicity of this strain. These results indicated that exbB was a virulence gene of P. plecoglossicida which contributed a lot in the pathogen-host interactions with E. coioides. • RNAi significantly reduced the expression of exbB gene with the best silencing efficiency of 89.3%. • Silencing exbB significantly reduced pathogenicity of P. plecoglossicida to E. coioides. • Silencing exbB significantly affected host-pathogen interactions of P. plecoglossicida with E. coioides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-dimensional hybrid with N,P co-doped carbon nanowires threaded CoP nanoparticles is rationally fabricated by employing surface modified coordination polymers as a precursor. Ultrasmall CoP nanoparticles are well encapsulated in N,P co-doped carbon nanowires, which can effectively buffer the volume expansion of active CoP and facilitate fast lithium-ion/electron transfer during charge/discharge processes. Moreover, N,P co-doped carbon with high defect density and graphitic-N content are obtained, which facilitates high lithium storage capacity and fast electron transfer. As a result, attractive lithium storage properties are gained by employing this unique architecture as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, including high reversible charge/discharge capacities, good rate capability, and excellent long-term cycling stability. Kinetic investigation shows that the fast lithium ion uptake/release is related to the remarkable capacitive contribution. This work may offer an effective way for design well-defined transition metal phosphide-based anodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The structural evolution of a Co-rich Co-Cu catalyst in HAS was investigated. • Fast phase separation and sintering was observed in the first 2 h time on stream. • Carbidization of Co0 and its sintering occurred till steady state after 40 h TOS. • The final active structure consists of intergrown Cu0 and Co 2 C nanoparticles. • Multifunctional Co 2 C/Cu0 interface sites lead to the high selectivity to oxygenates. Bimetallic Co-Cu catalysts are widely applied in higher alcohol synthesis (HAS), but the formation of the final active structure has not yet been fully clarified, especially for Co-rich catalysts. We investigated the structural evolution of a Co-Cu catalyst (Co:Cu = 2) from the hydrotalcite precursor containing additional Al3+ and Zn2+ to the final active state after 80 h under reaction conditions at 280 °C and 60 bar. The reconstruction of the bimetallic Co-Cu nanoparticles obtained by H 2 reduction was induced by the feed gas consisting of an equimolar H 2 and CO syngas mixture resulting in fast phase separation and sintering of metallic Cu0 and Co0 in the first 2 h time on stream (TOS) and a continuous carbidization of Co0 forming Co 2 C and its sintering until steady state was reached after 40 h TOS. An intergrowth of metallic Cu0 nanoparticles with Co 2 C nanoparticles was observed to occur under reaction conditions. The high selectivity to oxygenates amounting to 41% compared with 29% to hydrocarbons is ascribed to the multi-functional Co 2 C/Cu0 interface enabling dissociative CO adsorption, hydrogenation and CO insertion. The formation of hydrogenated carbon species (C x H y) originating from dissociative CO chemisorption is assumed to be favored by hydrogen spillover from Cu0 to Co 2 C. The adsorption sites for molecular CO provided by both Cu0 and Co 2 C facilitate its insertion into the C x H y intermediates thus leading to a higher selectivity to alcohols following the Anderson-Schulz-Flory distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Thermal treatments enhance the OER performance of cryptomelane-type α-(K)MnO 2. • Heating in water vapor to 300 °C is most favorable. • A decrease of 60 mV overpotential is achieved, reaching 10 mA cm−2 at 1.677 V RHE. • Evidence is provided for more Mn3+ sites, structural defects and µ-oxo bridges. Sustainable energy storage systems require the development of non-precious metal catalysts for water splitting. Cryptomelane-type α-(K)MnO 2 is one of the few oxides of manganese with promising electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). We report a strategy to boost the performance of cryptomelane-type α-(K)MnO 2 in OER electrocatalysis in alkaline electrolyte by thermal treatments in specific gas atmospheres. The thermal treatment of α-(K)MnO 2 at 300 °C in He, H 2 O/He and air can lower the potential required to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 for the OER by up to 60 mV. We discuss the structural changes on the atomic level, by combining X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The simultaneous presence of three structural features for MnO x -based water oxidation catalysts is considered essential: (i) Mn3+ sites, (ii) structural defects, and (iii) mono- and di-µ-oxo bridges, which can be tailored on the surface and in the bulk. Notably, extended X-ray absorption fine structure measurements suggest that more Mn3+ sites are detected in the corner-sharing positions, which are suggested to be the favorable sites for the electrocatalytic water oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pseudomonas plecoglossicida is a highly pathogenic bacterium for maricultured fish and causes serious losses. A transcriptional regulator gene RK21_RS10315 was found up-regulated during the whole infection process, which was confirmed by qRT-PCR. Five shRNA were designed to silence RK21_RS10315 gene, and the gene expression was reduced up to 96.1%. Compared with the counterpart infected with wild type strain, the infection of RK21_RS10315 -RNAi strain resulted in the death time delay, and 90% reduction in mortality of Epinephelus coioides , as well as the alleviation in the symptoms of E. coioides spleen. Moreover, compared with the fish infected with wild type strain, the infection of RK21_RS10315 -RNAi strain of P. plecoglossicida resulted in a significant change both in transcriptome of spleen of infected E. coioides and P. plecoglossicida. The KEGG analysis showed that genes of 16 immune pathways in E. coioides were affected by the silence of RK21_RS10315 of P. plecoglossicida. Among them, intestinal immune network for IgA production pathway and leukocyte transendothelial migration pathway were more prominent than other pathways. 19 euk-DEMs in these immune pathways had varying degrees of correlation with 19 pro-DEMs, and the expression of ipxA , grpE , yhbJ , truD and suhB from 19 pro-DEMs were predicted more related to RK21_RS10315 in P. plecoglossicida. Highlights • RNAi significantly reduced the content of RK21_RS10315 mRNA of P. plecoglossicida. • RNAi of RK21_RS10315 significantly reduced the pathogenicity of P. plecoglossicida to E. coioides. • Correlations in gene expression between euk-DEMs and pro-DEMs were affected in the pathogen-host interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pseudomonas plecoglossicida is an important and highly pathogenic bacterium for aquaculture and causes serious losses. The expression level of flgM was found to be significantly upregulated post-infection compared with in vitro results, which was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. RNAi significantly reduced the expression level of flgM mRNA of P. plecoglossicida. Compared with infection with the wild-type strain, infection with the flgM -RNAi strain resulted in a delay in death and a 75% reduction in the mortality of Epinephelus coioides , followed by alleviation of the symptoms in E. coioides spleen. Moreover, compared with infection with the wild-type strain, infection with the flgM -RNAi strain of P. plecoglossicida resulted in a significant change in the transcriptome of the spleens of infected E. coioides and P. plecoglossicida. KEGG analysis for E. coioides showed that genes of 17 immune pathways were most affected by flgM -RNAi of P. plecoglossicida. Among them, the expression of mhc2 , zap70 , rhoh , tlr2 , ca79a , hcst and cd32 in E. coioides spleen was predicted to be negatively related to flgM in P. plecoglossicida but positively related to genes involved in communication, metabolism and motility. Highlights • The pathogenicity of P. plecoglossicida to E. coioides was significantly reduced for the flgM -RNAi strain. •. RNAi of flgM significantly resulted in upregulation of immune pathways in E. coioides infected with P. plecoglossicida • The upregulated E. coioides immune genes co-expressed with P. plecoglossicida genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]