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Objectives: Emerging evidence suggests that N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A) methylation plays a critical role in cancers through various mechanisms. This work aims to reveal the essential role of m 6 A methylation “readers” in regulation of cancer prognosis at the pan-cancer level. Methods: Herein, we focused on one special protein family of the “readers” of m 6 A methylation, YT521-B homology (YTH) domain family genes, which were observed to be frequently dysregulated in tumor tissues and closely associated with cancer prognosis. Then, a comprehensive analysis of modulation in cancer prognosis was conducted by integrating RNA sequencing (RNAseq) datasets of YTH family genes and clinical information at the pan-cancer level. Results: YTH family genes were significantly differentially expressed in most of the cancers, particularly increased in Gastrointestinal cancers, and decreased in Endocrine and Urologic cancers. In addition, they were observed to be associated with overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) with various extent, especially in lower grade glioma (LGG), thyroid cancer (THCA), liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) and kidney clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), so were some “writers” (METLL3, METLL14, WTAP) and “erasers” (FTO, ALKBH5). Further survival analysis illustrated that YTH family genes specifically YTHScore constructed by combining 5 YTH family genes, as well as RWEScore calculated by combining genes from “readers”-“writers”-“erasers” could dramatically distinguish tumor prognosis in 4 representative cancers. As expected, YTHScore presented an equally comparable prognostic classification with RWEScore. Finally, analysis of immune signatures and clinical characteristics implied that, the activity of the innate immune, diagnostic age, clinical stage, Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage and immune types, might play specific roles in modulating tumor prognosis. Conclusions: The study demonstrated that YTH family genes had the potential to predict tumor prognosis, in which the YTHScore illustrated equal ability to predict tumor prognosis compared to RWEScore, thus providing insights into prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets at the pan-cancer level.

Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) acts in maintaining orderly cyclic recruitment of early follicles, suggesting that it is a promising candidate for influencing animal reproductive efficiency. This study aimed to elucidate the effect of a missense mutation of Val566Ile on the structure of AMH protein and the genetic association of Val566Ile and AMH expression with egg production in chickens. Structural perturbations of Val566Ile were predicted by homology modeling. The association of the variant with the number of eggs was tested using a quantitative trait transmission disequilibrium test model. AMH expression in granulosa cells in Lueyang black-boned chickens was compared with that in Nick chickens. The Val566 of AMH is a non-conservative amino acid among mammals and birds, but its hydrophobicity is completely conservative. The substitution of Val566 for Ile566 potentially disrupted hydrogen bonds and solvent accessibility of 22 residues and created a short α-helix in the C terminus of AMH. Despite having striking structure-disrupting potential, the variant was not statistically associated with the number of eggs (P>0.05) in the Lueyang black-boned chickens. We did not detect differential expression of AMH between Lueyang black-boned chickens and Nick chickens (P>0.05). These results confirmed the structural impact of Val566Ile, but suggested that Val566Ile and AMH expression might not be the major genetic determinants for egg production in Lueyang black-boned chickens.

Wastewater treatment is in a dilemma: more energy and efforts have to be put forth to obtain an effluent with better quality, while a significant amount of sludge is generated and the treatment or disposal expenses are high. Even if the sludge is disposed of properly, the components can be released and pollute the environment again. Therefore, conversion and recovery of the contaminants to resources is the way out of the dilemma. An ion exchange membrane (IEM) is a special type of membrane, which allows charged solutes to pass through it while retaining uncharged components. Attributed to this character, IEMs are taking more important roles in separation and conversion processes recently. They act as key elements in many resource recovery systems, such as in separation and concentration, salt valorization, energy conversion, and even in microbial systems. This review summarizes the important processes for waste conversion and resource recovery from wastewaters by using IEMs. Drawbacks and perspectives are summarized in view of the development of the processes and the membranes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]