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Kalimeris indica (L.) Sch Bip (K. indica) is a plant of the genus Kalimeris in Asteraceae, and its whole herb can be used as medicine for the treatment of intestinal inflammatory diseases. But the mechanism is not clear. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the mechanism of K. indica (KI) in colitis-associated colorectal cancer. The expression levels of miR-31-5p and proinflammatory factors were detected using THP-1 and Caco2 cells in vitro. KI could rescue the upregulation of miR-31-5p induced by IL-6 and TNF-α in Caco2 and THP-1 cells. In LPS-stimulated PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells, KI restored miR-31-5p expression by downregulating the expression of IL-6 and TNF-α. C57BL/6 mice were used to construct CAC model through the induction of azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium. The successfully established CAC mice were treated with water extract of KI through intragastric administration for 5 weeks. The result showed that KI could significantly reduce the atypical hyperplasia in colon tissue, and inhibit the expression of proinflammatory factors such as IL-6, TNF, IL-11, IL-7, etc. At the same time, KI could restore the level of miR-31-5p in mice, and therefore the downstream LATS2 to inhibit the development of CAC. These above results indicate that KI is a potentially effective herb medicine to prevent CAC.

Adoptive transfer of antigen-specific T cells represents a major advance in cancer immunotherapy, with robust clinical outcomes in some patients.sup.1. Both the number of transferred T cells and their differentiation state are critical determinants of effective responses.sup.2,3. T cells can be expanded with T cell receptor (TCR)-mediated stimulation and interleukin-2, but this can lead to differentiation into effector T cells.sup.4,5 and lower therapeutic efficacy.sup.6, whereas maintenance of a more stem-cell-like state before adoptive transfer is beneficial.sup.7. Here we show that H9T, an engineered interleukin-2 partial agonist, promotes the expansion of CD8.sup.+ T cells without driving terminal differentiation. H9T led to altered STAT5 signalling and mediated distinctive downstream transcriptional, epigenetic and metabolic programs. In addition, H9T treatment sustained the expression of T cell transcription factor 1 (TCF-1) and promoted mitochondrial fitness, thereby facilitating the maintenance of a stem-cell-like state. Moreover, TCR-transgenic and chimeric antigen receptor-modified CD8.sup.+ T cells that were expanded with H9T showed robust anti-tumour activity in vivo in mouse models of melanoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Thus, engineering cytokine variants with distinctive properties is a promising strategy for creating new molecules with translational potential. H9T, an engineered IL-2 partial agonist, promotes the expansion of T cells while maintaining a stem-cell-like state, leading to improved efficacy of adoptive cell therapy in mouse models of melanoma and acute lymphoblastic leukaemia., Author(s): Fei Mo [sup.1] , Zhiya Yu [sup.2] , Peng Li [sup.1] , Jangsuk Oh [sup.1] , Rosanne Spolski [sup.1] , Liang Zhao [sup.3] , Caleb R. Glassman [sup.4] , [...]

Increasing density is an effective way to enhance wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) yield under limited cultivated areas. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying the reduction in grain weight when density increased are still unclear. Three field experiments were conducted during the 2014–2019 growing seasons to explore the physiological mechanisms by which polyamines affect grain weight formation. The results showed that when wheat planting density exceeded 450 × 104 seedlings ha−1 and 525 × 104 seedlings ha−1, wheat yield tended to decrease. Compared to moderate density (DM, 450 × 104 seedlings ha−1), the filling rate of inferior grains was reduced before 25 days after anthesis (DAA) and the active filling period was shortened by 6.4%–7.4% under high density (DH, 600 × 104 seedlings ha−1), resulting in a loss of 1000‐grain weight by 5.4%–8.1%. DH significantly reduced sucrose and starch content in inferior grains at the filling stage. Meanwhile, DH inhibited the activity of key enzymes involved in polyamine synthesis [SAMDC (EC 4.1.1.50) and SpdSy (EC 2.5.1.16)] and induced the activity of ethylene (ETH) precursor synthase, resulting in a significant decrease in endogenous spermidine (Spd) content in inferior grains, but a significant increase in ETH release rate. Post‐flowering application of exogenous Spd increased the accumulation of sucrose and starch in the inferior grains and positively regulated the filling and grain weight of the inferior grains, whereas exogenous ETH had a negative effect. Overall, Spd may affect wheat grain weight at high planting density by promoting the synthesis of sucrose and starch in inferior grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to study and analyze the composition and content of routine nutrients, amino acids, fatty acids, and mineral elements in muscle of three cultured populations of Cipangopaludina cathayensis, so as to provide a reference for the development and utilization of Cipangopaludina cathayensis germplasm resources. A total of 180 Cipangopaludina cathayensis with an average weight of (32.12±0.17) g were randomly divided into three groups with 60 Cipangopaludina cathayensis in each group. After shelling, the muscles were taken to test their nutritional components. The results showed that the crude protein, total amino acids, essential amino acids, and delicious amino acids in muscle of Luchuan County population were significantly higher than those of other populations (P<0.05). The amino acid score, chemical score, and essential amino acid index of Liujiang population were the highest. The contentrations of unsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in muscle of Luchuan County population were significantly higher than those of other populations, and the atherosclerosis index (IA) and thrombosis index (IT) were lower than those of other populations (P<0.05). The ratio of sigma-n-3/sigma-n-6PUFA of the three populations was in line with the recommended value of FAO/WHO for human diet (0.1~0.2). The contentrations of P and Ca in muscle of Rongshui County population were significantly higher than those of other populations (P<0.05). The study indicates that the muscle protein content of the three cultured populations is higher, the fat content is lower, and the delicious amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids are higher. The nutritional value of the muscle of Luchuan County population are better than those of other populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]