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Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mediates Cd-caused germ cell apoptosis in testis. The effects of 4-phenylbutyric acid (PBA), a classical chaperone, were investigated on Cd-induced apoptosis in mouse GC-1 spermatogonia cells. The cells were pretreated with PBA before Cd exposure. TUNEL and flow cytometry assays were applied to determine apoptosis. Some key biomarkers of ER stress were analyzed using RT-PCR and western blot. as expected, the apoptotic cells exposed to Cd apparently increased. The mRNA and protein expression levels of GRP78 and ATF6α, were elevated in the Cd groups. Additional experiments displayed that Cd notably increased IRE1α and JNK phosphorylation, and upregulated XBP-1 mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, p-eIF2α and CHOP expressions were clearly elevated in the Cd groups. Interestingly, PBA almost completely inhibited ER stress and protected spermatogonia against apoptosis induced by Cd. PBA alleviated Cd-induced ER stress and spermatogonia apoptosis, and may have the therapeutic role in Cd-induced male reproductive toxicity. • CdCl 2 induced spermatogonia apoptosis in vitro. • CdCl 2 triggered spermatogonia ER stress. • 4-PBA alleviated CdCl 2 -induced spermatogonia apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 1-MCP + ethylene absorbent (EA) treatment increase shelf-life of 'Fenjiao' banana. • EA does not have the negative effect on the ripening of 'Fenjiao' banana. • 1-MCP+EA repress the enzymes activity related to fruit softening. • 1-MCP +EA modulate the expression of gene related of ripening. • 1-MCP +EA treatment is easy to promote and apply in the banana industry. The 'Fenjiao' banana (Musa ABB Pisang Awak) has a high commercial and nutritional value and is harvested when it is highly plump at between 85 and 90 % commercial maturity. The fruit are less angular at this stage. However, these fruit soften rapidly after harvest. 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) significantly delays ripening, but it can cause ripening disorders when used improperly. Ethylene absorbent (EA) is also widely used to increase the postharvest life of fruit, but it has less of an effect on 'Fenjiao' banana. This study was conducted to optimize the concentrations of 1-MCP combined with EA to increase the shelf life of these bananas. The results showed that a low concentration of 1-MCP (7 g L−1) combined with EA (2 g kg−1) significantly prolonged the shelf life of the 'Fenjiao' banana and maintained its high quality. The combination of 1-MCP and EA repressed the activities of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase, ACC synthase, pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase and pectate lyase in the peel and pulp of 'Fenjiao' banana, as well as the corresponding levels of expression of MbACS1, MbACO1, MbPG1, MbPL1 , except for MbPME1 , which are induced by 1-MCP. This study provides a useful technique for preserving 'Fenjiao' fruit with a study on its possible physiological mechanism, which could be applied in the postharvest production of 'Fenjiao' banana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) is a common pollutant with reproductive toxicity. Our previous study revealed that Cd triggered spermatogonia ferroptosis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) mediates ferritinophagy and specific degradation of ferritin through lysosomes, resulting in the release of ferrous ions. Excessive autophagy can lead to ferroptosis. This study investigated the role of autophagy in Cd-triggered ferroptosis using GC-1 spermatogonial (spg) cells which exposed to CdCl 2 (5 μM, 10 μM, or 20 μM) for 24 without/with CQ. The cells which transfected with Ncoa4-siRNA were used to explore the role of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy in Cd-triggered ferroptosis. The results revealed that Cd caused mitochondrial swelling, rupture of cristae, and vacuolar-like changes. The Cd-treated cells exhibited more autophagosomes. Simultaneously, Cd increased intracellular iron, reactive oxygen species, and malondialdehyde concentrations while decreasing glutathione content and Superoxide Dismutase-2 activity. Moreover, Cd upregulated mRNA levels of ferritinophagy-associated genes (Ncoa4, Lc3b and Fth1), as well as enhanced protein expression of NCOA4, LC3B, and FTH1. While Cd decreased the mRNA and protein expression of p62/SQSTM1. These results showed that Cd caused ferritinophagy and ferroptosis. The use of chloroquine to inhibit autophagy ameliorated Cd-induced iron overload and ferroptosis. Moreover, Ncoa4 knockdown in spermatogonia significantly reduced intracellular iron concentration and alleviated Cd-triggered ferroptosis. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that Cd activates the ferritinophagy pathway mediated by NCOA4, resulting in iron accumulation through ferritin degradation. This causes oxidative stress, ultimately initiating ferroptosis in spermatogonia. Our results may provide new perspectives and potential strategies for preventing and treating Cd-induced reproductive toxicity. [Display omitted] • Cd causes iron overload and triggers ferroptosis in spermatogonia. • Cd induces ferritinophagy in spermatogonia. • CQ antagonizes against Cd-caused iron overload in spermatogonia. • NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy participates in Cd-triggered ferroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urinary extracellular vesicles miRNAs' expression pattern of RCC patients was examined. • uEV miR-135b-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-203a-3p were upregulated in RCC patients. • A three-uEV miRNA panel could discriminate RCC patients from controls with the AUC of 0.785. • An uEV-miRNA panel could also distinguish early-stage RCC patients with the AUC of 0.786. The potential of urinary-derived extracellular vesicle (uEV) microRNAs (miRNAs) as noninvasive molecular biomarkers for identifying early-stage renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients is rarely explored. The present study aims to explore the possibility of uEV miRNAs as novel molecular biomarkers for distinguishing early-stage RCC. uEVs were extracted by ExoQuick-TC™ kit and miRNA concentrations were measured by RT-qPCR. ROC curves and bioinformatics analysis were employed to predict the diagnostic efficacy and regulatory mechanisms of dysregulated miRNAs. Through a multiphase case-control study on uEV miRNAs screening, training, and validation in RCC cells (ACHN, Caki-1) and control cells (HK-2) and in uEVs of 125 RCC patients and 128 age- and sex-matched controls, we successfully identified four uEVs miRNAs (miR-135b-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-203a-3p) were significantly and stably upregulated in RCC in vitro and in vivo. When adjusted with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the AUC of the three-uEV miRNA panel (miR-135b-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-203a-3p) was 0.785 (95 % CI = 0.729–0.842, P < 0.0001) for discriminating RCC patients from controls. Notably, this panel exhibited similar performance in distinguishing early-stage (stage Ⅰ) RCC patients, with an AUC of 0.786 (95 %CI = 0.727–0.844, P < 0.0001). Bioinformatics analysis predicted that candidate miRNAs were involved in cancer progressing. Our study identified a four uEV miRNAs panel (miR-135b-5p, miR-196b-5p, miR-200c-3p, and miR-203a-3p) may serve as an auxiliary noninvasive indication of early-stage RCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]