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RNA binding proteins (RBPs) regulate nearly all post-transcriptional processes within cells. To fully understand RBP function, it is essential to identify their in vivo targets. Standard techniques for profiling RBP targets, such as crosslinking immunoprecipitation (CLIP) and its variants, are limited or suboptimal in some situations, e.g. when compatible antibodies are not available and when dealing with small cell populations such as neuronal subtypes and primary stem cells. This review summarizes and compares several genetic approaches recently designed to identify RBP targets in such circumstances. TRIBE (targets of RNA binding proteins identified by editing), RNA tagging, and STAMP (surveying targets by APOBEC-mediated profiling) are new genetic tools useful for the study of post-transcriptional regulation and RBP identification. We describe the underlying RNA base editing technology, recent applications, and therapeutic implications.

The environment project in the greater Mekong sub-region was the largest multi-field environmental cooperation launched by six countries (China, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia) in 2006, since the cooperation mechanism was established by Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 1992. How to establish the indicators to assess the achievements of the biological corridor construction and the status of ecological environment quantitatively is one of the prerequisites for the future project ongoing phase. The popular Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework was employed in this study to assess the natural and human pressure, the healthy state of regional natural environment, and the subsequent response of ecosystem dynamic change in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Instead of using surveying based data as driving parameters, large amount of driving factors were retrieved from multi-source remote sensing data from 2000 to 2017, which provides access to larger updated and real-time databases, more tangible data allowing more objective goal management, and better spatially covered. The driving factors for pressure analysis included digital elevation, land surface temperature, evapotranspiration, light index, road network map, land cover dynamic change and land use degree, which were derived directly and indirectly from remote sensing. The indicators for state evaluation were composed of vegetation index, leaf area index, and fractional vegetation cover from remote sensing directly. The comprehensive response index was mainly determined by the pressure and state indicators. Through the analysis based on an overlay technique, it showed that the ecological environment deteriorated firstly from 2000 to 2010 and then started to improve from 2010 to 2017. The proofs indicated that the natural forest and wetland ecosystems were improved and the farmland area was decreased between 2000 and 2017. This study explored effective indicators from remote sensing for the ecological and environmental assessment, which can provide a strong decision-making basis for promoting the sustainable development of the ecological environment in the greater Mekong subregion, as well as the technological support for the construction of the biodiversity corridor.

This paper proposes a method of lossless micromagnetic detection in the geomagnetic field for detecting traces of carbon impurity defects in crystalline silicon. The magnetization tests show that crystalline silicon is a diamagnetic substance with a stronger relative permeability than carbon. Micromagnetic decay theory is gained according to the energy decay. When the geomagnetic field penetrates through the materials, the apparent magnetic susceptibility can be calculated and subsequently used to project the images. The resulting image clearly showed the location of the defects. Test results are proved by the metallographic phase and spectral analysis. New method and ideas are provided for effective detection of trace carbon impurity defects in the crystalline silicon.

Our previous study of interleukin-2 (IL-2) signaling found that redox factor-1 (Ref-1) mRNA was upregulated by IL-2. In this study, we further studied the function of Ref-1 in the potential redox regulation of IL-2 signaling in BA/F3β cells. Western blot analysis confirmed that IL-2 stimulation increases Ref-1 protein. Flow cytometric assay by using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate indicated that IL-2 stimulation results in an oxidative shift of intracellular environment. However, IL-2-induced activator protein-1 (AP-1) is oxidation-sensitive. Gel shift assays of nuclear extracts immunodepleted of Ref-1 protein demonstrated that IL-2-induced AP-1 DNA binding is dependent on the presence of Ref-1. This was further confirmed by the restoration of AP-1 DNA binding upon the re-addition of immunoprecipitated Ref-1. Additionally, reporter gene assays showed that AP-1 transcriptional activity was enhanced by the overexpression of Ref-1 and attenuated by the introduction of antisense Ref-1. These results suggest that the induction of Ref-1 ensures AP-1 activation in the intracellular oxidative environment of IL-2-stimulated BA/F3β cells.