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Tea polyphenols are considered one of the effective means to reduce protein sensitization, and it is necessary to study their binding mechanism. Therefore, this study investigated the major polyphenol theaflavin (TF) in black tea to investigate its interaction mechanism with egg white lysozyme (LYZ) using multispectral techniques and computer simulations. Molecular global docking and local docking showed that the binding sites of TF and LYZ overlapped highly with the sensitizing linear epitopes. Fluorescence spectroscopy experiments showed that TF formed a ground state complex with LYZ mainly through electrostatic forces to quench its endogenous fluorescence and lead to a decrease in surface hydrophobicity, and the binding reaction proceeded spontaneously; circular dichroism spectra indicated that the addition of TF affected the secondary structure of LYZ. In addition, enzymatic activity assays and in vitro antioxidant assays showed that this interaction slightly reduced the activity of LYZ on the one hand and the antioxidant activity of TF on the other. These results reveal the potential of TF to reduce the allergenicity of egg at the molecular level and provide a theoretical basis for applying tea polyphenols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tetraspanin 8 (TSPAN8), a transmembrane glycoprotein, is implicated in various pathological conditions including human malignancies. However, the roles and underlying mechanisms of TSPAN8 in promoting gastric cancer(GC) progression are yet to be fully understood. Methods and results: Our study found that TSPAN8 expression was significantly elevated in GC tissues. We also observed a positive correlation between high TSPAN8 expression and various clinicopathological characteristics of GC, including tumor differentiation, invasion depth, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage. Moreover, the elevated TSPAN8 expression was indicative of poor prognosis. Functionally, we observed that knockdown of TSPAN8 significantly attenuated while overexpression of TSPAN8 promoted GC cell migration and invasion. In vivo experiments, knockdown of TSPAN8 suppressed lung metastasis in nude mice. We further explored the underlying mechanisms of TSPAN8 and found that it regulated EGFR expression in GC cells by accelerating phosphorylation of EGFR and AKT. Conclusions: Our study reveals that TSPAN8 plays a significant role in promoting tumor metastasis by activating the EGFR/AKT pathway, indicating that it may serve as a promising therapeutic target of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ORP5 is a transmembrane protein anchored to the endoplasmic reticulum, which mainly functions as a lipid transporter and has reportedly been linked to cancer. However, the specific mechanism of ORP5 action in cervical cancer (CC) is unclear. In this study, we found that ORP5 promotes the migration and invasive ability of CC cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, ORP5 expression was linked to endoplasmic reticulum stress, and ORP5 encouraged CC metastasis by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress. Mechanistically, ORP5 inhibited endoplasmic reticulum stress in CC cells by stimulating ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of SREBP1 to reduce its expression. In conclusion, ORP5 promotes the malignant progression of CC by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress, providing a therapeutic target and strategy for CC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate data consists of multiple high-dimensional time series and multiple-dimensional space series with unknown series. These unknown series in climate data hide the complex co-variation relation patterns. By exploring these co-variation relation patterns, we can further reveal the complex representations between time series and space series in climate data. Therefore, it is a tough task to explore what kinds of relation patterns from high-dimensional climate data containing unknown complicated multi-variables. To address this, we proposed neural networks with three layers according to Brenier's theorem. Brenier's theorem rigorously proves that the data distribution in the background space is consistent with the data distribution in the reconstructed feature space with greatest probability, thereby ensuring that the relation patterns extracted by the proposed model are as close as possible to the original relation patterns. For the three series sets (i.e., a time series set, a spatial series set containing longitude, and a spatial series set containing latitude) in the climate dataset, we adopted the compact coding manner that one layer encodes a series set correspondingly, in order to maintain the consistency between a time series and two spatial series. Results on the ECMWF climate datasets show that the proposed method gains deeper relation patterns than competitors, i.e., the relation patterns captured by our method outperforms competitors in terms of regularity (for spatial series) and periodicity (for time series). We demonstrate that by this compact coding manner, neural networks capture deeper relation patterns from high-dimensional data containing complicated multiple variables due to this coding manner can accurately filter out more non-eigenvalue information from those complicated data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy in females and is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among women worldwide. Midkine (MDK) is a heparin-binding growth factor that is abnormally expressed at high levels in various human malignancies. We aimed to uncover the biological function and molecular mechanism of MDK in BC cells. Methods and results: MDA-MB-231-shMDK and T47D-shMDK BC cells were established. The in vitro biological functions of MDK were demonstrated by CCK-8 assays, Transwell assays and Western blotting, whereas qPCR pathway arrays were implemented to explore the mechanism of MDK in BC cells. Functionally, we verified that silencing MDK significantly suppressed BC cell proliferation and migration by inhibiting the activation of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway and the nuclear distribution of NF-κB. Meanwhile, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) and a qPCR pathway array revealed that silencing MDK decreased the expression of NR3C1, a potential downstream target of the NF-κB pathway. We also confirmed that treatment with an NF-κB inhibitor suppressed NR3C1 expression in BC cells. Finally, we demonstrated that silencing NR3C1 repressed BC cell proliferation and migration. Conclusions: Our findings highlight a novel mechanism by which MDK influences BC progression via regulation of the NF-κB-NR3C1 pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-component signal system (TCS) is the predominant bacterial sense-and-response machinery. RpfC/RpfG TCS involved in quorum sensing molecule Diffuse Signal Factor (DSF) signal perception and transduction was well studied in many bacteria. However, whether other environmental factors participating in the signal perception and transduction of RpfC/RpfG was still unclear. Here, we showed that RpfC/RpfG could integrate temperature and DSF signal partially controlling the production of the temperature-dependent protease (SmtP) in S. maltophilia FF11, a strain isolated from frozen Antarctic krill, exhibited spoilage potential due to secret more protease at low temperatures involving in protein degradation. qRT-PCR analysis revealed rpf system mediating approximately 60% transcription activity of Clp, a critical transcription factor linking with LotS/LotR, consisting a signal network controlling completely the SmtP production in previous study. Protease production was partially reduced in rpfF (coding DSF synthetase) mutant strains at 15 °C or 25 °C, not be increased through addition DSF or overexpression RpfF in WT at 37 °C, indicating that DSF was effective for protease production only at low temperatures in S. maltophilia. Additionally, biochemical analysis revealed the enzymatic activity of RpfG from strain FF11 cultured at 37 °C or DSF-deficient strains grown at 25 °C was significantly reduced compared to that of RpfG from strain FF11 cultured at 25 °C. These findings outline an interplay mechanism that allows S. maltophilia to integrate quorum sensing and temperature cues controlling protease production, and imply a potential relationship between two distinct systems of RpfC/RpfG and LotS/LotR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to arsenic-contaminated air and food caused by the burning of coal in unventilated indoor stoves is a major environmental public health concern in Guizhou Province, China. The liver is one of the main target organs for coal-fired arsenic exposure; however, there is little information about the risk assessment between cumulative arsenic exposure and the prevalence of liver damage. This study first evaluated the chronic daily intake (CDI) for two exposure pathways (inhalation and ingestion) and five environmental media (i.e., indoor and outdoor air, drinking water, rice, corn, and chili peppers) in 1998, 2006, 2014, and 2017. Then, the dose-effect and dose-response relationship between hair arsenic (HA) and cumulative arsenic (CA) levels and liver damage was analyzed. The results clearly show that the CDI in 1998 was 34.9 μg·kg−1·d−1, 22.9 μg·kg−1·d−1 in 2006, 11.7 μg·kg−1·d−1 in 2014, and 6.7 μg·kg−1·d−1 in 2017 in the arsenic exposure area. All of these values were higher than the daily baseline level of 3.0 μg·kg−1·d−1 as recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), and the increased HA and CA can increase the risk of coal-fired arsenic-induced liver damage. In addition, we analyzed the possible maximum acceptable CA exposure level for coal-fired arsenic-induced liver damage using the Bayesian benchmark dose. The recommended maximum acceptable CA exposure level for liver damage caused by coal-burning arsenic is 7120 mg. This study provides scientific insight into understanding the dose-response relationship of liver damage caused by coal-burning arsenic exposure and the monitoring and prevention of arsenic poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate and compare the clinical outcomes of patients underwent PVP for OVCF as day surgery with the outcomes of patients managed as traditional inpatients. Methods: According to the selection criteria, patients who underwent PVP for single-segment thoracolumbar OVCF were included retrospectively in the day surgery procedure (DSP) group and the traditional inpatient procedure (TIP) group between April 2018 and September 2019. The visual analog scale score (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score were recorded preoperatively and 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. Duration of hospital stay, preoperative waiting time, hospital cost, and postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed. Results: A total of 335 patients (53 in DSP group; 282 in TIP group) were enrolled and completed 12-month follow-up. The mean duration of hospital stay, the mean preoperative waiting time, and the mean hospital costs were significant lower in the DSP group. The postoperative VAS and ODI scores in both groups were significantly improved after surgery. Moreover, both VAS and ODI scores at each follow-up stage were also significantly lower than the previous follow-up stage. However, the ODI score in the DSP group was significantly lower at 1-day, 1-week, 1-month, and 3-month follow-up, respectively. For cement leakage and secondary vertebral compression fractures, there was no statistical difference between the two groups. Conclusions: We suggest that PVP for OVCFs in day surgery procedure is worthy of wide application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

SARS-CoV-2 can infect many domestic animals, including dogs. Herein, we show that dog angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (dACE2) can bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein receptor binding domain (RBD), and that both pseudotyped and authentic SARS-CoV-2 can infect dACE2-expressing cells. We solved the crystal structure of RBD in complex with dACE2 and found that the total number of contact residues, contact atoms, hydrogen bonds and salt bridges at the binding interface in this complex are slightly fewer than those in the complex of the RBD and human ACE2 (hACE2). This result is consistent with the fact that the binding affinity of RBD to dACE2 is lower than that of hACE2. We further show that a few important mutations in the RBD binding interface play a pivotal role in the binding affinity of RBD to both dACE2 and hACE2. Our work reveals a molecular basis for cross-species transmission and potential animal spread of SARS-CoV-2, and provides new clues to block the potential transmission chains of this virus. Many domestic animals, among them dogs, have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, the authors present the crystal structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD) bound to its receptor, dog angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (dACE2), and show that the RBD N501Y mutation increases the infectivity and host range of SARS-CoV-2, which highlights the need to monitor emerging SARS-CoV-2 mutations in domestic animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, we present the convergence of time-varying networks. Then, we apply the convergence property to cooperative control of nonlinear multiagent systems (MASs) with unknown control directions (UCDs), and illustrate a new kind of Nussbaum-type function based control algorithms. It is proven that if the time-varying networks are cut-balance, the convergence of nonlinear MASs with nonidentical UCDs is achieved using the presented algorithms. A critical feature of this application is that the designed algorithms can deal with nonidentical UCDs by employing conventional Nussbaum-type functions. Finally, one simulation example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the presented algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

α -Ketoglutaric acid is a versatile chemical. Traditional methods for producing α -ketoglutaric acid rely on certain some enzymes, but these methods have disadvantages related to difficult separation and high costs. Therefore, it is necessary to make improvements based on the original route. The novel immobilized enzyme, nanocomposite is a relatively superior method. Manganese-l-glutamate oxidase hybrid nanocomposites (Mn-LGOX) were obtained, characterized and optimized in terms of their structural and enzymatic properties. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) assays were used to discover and confirm that l-glutamate oxidase (LGOX) was successfully assembled with manganese phosphate. In addition, the nanocomposites exhibited improved resistance to temperature and pH and increased recyclability compared to the earlier free enzyme catalyst method. After recycling six times, the activity of the nanocomposites was maintained over 30% more compared to the original more. In short, the hybrid nanocomposites ideally improve the structural character, the resistance to pH and temperature in the reaction and the storage stability. These data emphasize that Mn-LGOX nanocomposites show great potential for industrial bioconversion [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is a pesticide that is persistent in aerobic but not in anaerobic conditions. The aim of this investigation was to elucidate the impacts of different electron donors on the degradation of hexachlorocyclohexane and their relationships with the microbial community in submerged soils. Materials and methods: Soil samples were collected from a pesticides-polluted site which was previously used for long-term storage of pesticides since the 1960s. Residual amounts of HCHs in submerged soils were assessed to evaluate the efficiency of the added electron donors after incubation. Changes in microbial community were monitored during incubation. Results and discussion: The efficiencies of removal of HCHs by Fe0, Fe0 + straw and glucose treatments were 63.8%, 40.3%, and 22.0%, compared with 5.4% by the control. Soil redox potential decreased rapidly following addition of Fe0 and became anaerobic, but there was no significant decrease in redox potential following the addition of glucose. Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) confirms that the electron donors greatly affected the soil bacterial community. Furthermore, community composition analysis shows that Firmicutes was the dominant phylum after addition of carbon sources (straw and glucose) but Proteobacteria were dominant in the control and the Fe0 treatment. Prauserella, Actinobacteria, and Streptomyces showed highly significant increases in the Fe0 treatment and were positively correlated with total HCH residues. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the addition of organic materials (straw and glucose) had a gradual effect on the degradation of HCH while Fe0 acted rapidly. Elucidation of the relationships between electron donors and soil microbial communities will help in the bioremediation of HCH-contaminated sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous reports have suggested that many gut microbiomes were associated with the development of colorectal cancer (CRC), and could modulate response to numerous forms of cancer therapy, including checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. Here we evaluated the protective efficacy of Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) cell lysates combined with an anti-CTL antigen-4 blocking antibody (CTLA-4 mAb) in syngeneic BALB/c mice CRC models induce by a single intraperitoneal injection of 10 mg/kg azoxymethane (AOM), followed by three cycles of 2% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in drinking water. In contrast to CTLA-4 mAb monotherapy, L. acidophilus lysates could attenuate the loss of body weight and the combined administration significantly protected mice against CRC development, which suggested that the lysates enhanced antitumor activity of CTLA-4 mAb in model mice. The enhanced efficacy was associated with the increased CD8 + T cell, increased effector memory T cells (CD44 + CD8 + CD62L+), decreased Treg (CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3+) and M2 macrophages (F4/80 + CD206+) in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, our results revealed that L. acidophilus lysates had an immunomodulatory effect through inhibition the M2 polarization and the IL-10 expressed levels of LPS-activated Raw264.7 macrophages. Finally, the 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal microbiota demonstrated that the combined administration significantly inhibited the abnormal increase in the relative abundance of proteobacteria and partly counterbalance CRC-induced dysbiosis in model mice. Overall, these data support promising clinical possibilities of L. acidophilus lysates with CTLA-4 mAb in cancer patients and the hypothesis that probiotics help shape the anticancer immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport sector contributed numerous carbon emissions in China. It is important to promote low-carbon bicycle-sharing using in China. This paper aims to analyze the influencing factors of the satisfaction and engagement of bicycle-sharing in China. An extended model of customer satisfaction is established, which considers both customer satisfaction theory and customer engagement theory. We explore the different effect of convenience, health, safety, and facility on satisfaction of bicycle-sharing using. We also explore the role of satisfaction on three different dimensions of engagement: enthusiasm, participation, and social interaction. Multi-group structure equation model is employed to explore the different roles of gender on the determinants of satisfaction and engagement of bicycle-sharing using. The findings reveal that facilities had the larger effect on satisfaction of bicycle-sharing using than safety and health for male. Safety had the largest influence on satisfaction of bicycle-sharing using for female, followed by facility, convenience, and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) resistance significantly limits its use in clinical practice. It has been reported that 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) can enhance TRAIL's cytotoxicity. Our studies were designed to investigate the mechanisms of 2-DG reversing TRAIL resistance therapy in gastric cancer cells.Methods: Gastric cancer cells (MGC803, SGC7901) were treated with 2-DG and TRAIL. Cell viability was determined by CCK-8 assay and detection of apoptosis by flow cytometry. Autophagic and apoptosis protein expression and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) phosphorylation were determined by Western blotting. Autophagy response and JNK activities were inhibited by specific inhibitor, 3MA or SP600125, respectively. LDH release assay was used to detect cytotoxicity.Results: We confirmed that TRAIL triggered an autophagic response in TRAIL-resistant gastric cancer cells, MGC803 and SGC7901, and depended on JNK activation. Blocking autophagy or JNK activation with specific inhibitor, 3MA or SP600125, potentiated cell death and caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, we confirmed that 2-DG inhibited the viability of gastric cancer cells, phosphorylation of JNK induced by TRAIL and increased gastric cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptosis.Conclusions: Taken together, we show that 2-DG can sensitize TRAIL-induced apoptosis, at least in part, through suppressing JNK-mediated cytoprotective autophagic signaling in MGC803 and SGC7901cells. These results may have significant implications for the development of new strategies to reverse TRAIL resistance in gastric tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of repeated application of two types of sewage sludge, domestic and industrial (petrochemical, PSS) sludges, into paddy fields over a 5-year period on the soil properties and microbial ecology were studied and compared with conventional NPK fertilizer application. Soil organic matter and total nitrogen contents were significantly higher in the two sludge treatments than that in fertilized plots after 5 years. Soil concentrations of potentially toxic metals were low after 5 years of both sludge treatments, but the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) showed differences between the two sludge types. Concentrations of high-molecular-weight PAHs were significantly higher ( p < 0.05) in the petrochemical sludge treatment than the domestic sludge treatment or the fertilizer control, although the total concentrations of 16 types of PAH in the petrochemical sludge treatment were only slightly higher than in the domestic sludge treatment and the control. The biological toxicity of soil dimethyl sulfoxide extracts from the petrochemical sludge treatment was also significantly higher ( p < 0.05) than those from the fertilizer control and the domestic sludge treatment when evaluated using Photobacterium phosphoreum T3. Both types of sewage sludge increased soil microbial activity, but only the petrochemical sludge led to enrichment with specific PAH degraders such as Mycobacterium, Nocardioides, and Sphingomonas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of Ta concentration on the fundamental mechanical properties of W–Ta alloys has been studied from first principles study. The lattice constants, the cell volumes, and the formation energies of the W1−xTax (x = 0.0625, 0.125, 0.1875, 0.25, 0.3125, 0.5, 0.5625, 0.625, 0.75) alloys were calculated. It is shown that Ta alloying in bcc W lattice is an infinite solid solution and the W0.5Ta0.5 have the lowest formation energy. With the optimized geometry and lattice, the elastic constants are calculated and then the elastic moduli and other mechanical parameters are derived. Results show that although the mechanical strength of the W–Ta alloys is lower than that of pure W metal, it is much higher than that of pure Ta metal. On the other hand, the B/G ratio and the Poisson's ratio of the W–Ta alloys is much higher than that of pure W, and even higher than that of pure Ta, indicating that Ta alloying can improve the ductility of bcc W substantially. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Plant growth-promoting yeasts are often over looked as a mechanism to improve phytoremediation of heavy metals. In this study, Cryptococcus sp. NSE1, a Cd-tolerant yeast with plant growth capabilities, was isolated from the rhizosphere of the heavy metal hyperaccumulator Sedum plumbizincicola. The yeast exhibited strong tolerance to a range of heavy metals including Cd, Cu, and Zn on plate assays. The adsorption rate Cd, Cu, Zn by NSE1 was 26.1, 13.2, and 25.2 %, respectively. Irregular spines were formed on the surface of NSE1 when grown in MSM medium supplemented with 200 mg L Cd. NSE1 was capable of utilizing 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) as a sole nitrogen source and was capable of solubilization of inorganic phosphate at rates of 195.2 mg L. Field experiments demonstrated that NSE1 increased phytoremediation by increasing the biomass of Cd hyperaccumulator S. plumbizincicola (46 %, p < 0.05) during phytoremediation. Overall, Cd accumulation by S. plumbizincicola was increased from 19.6 to 31.1 mg m though no difference in the concentration of Cd in the shoot biomass was observed between NSE1 and control. A Cd accumulation ratio of 38.0 % for NSE1 and 17.2 % for control was observed. The HCl-extractable Cd and CaCl-extractable Cd concentration in the soil of the NSE1 treatment were reduced by 39.2 and 29.5 %, respectively. Community-level physiology profiling, assessed using Biolog Eco plates, indicated functional changes to the rhizosphere community inoculated with NSE1 by average well color development (AWCD) and measurement of richness (diversity). Values of Shannon-Weiner index, Simpson index, and McIntosh index showed a slight but no significant increases. These results indicate that inoculation of NSE1 could increase the shoot biomass of S. plumbizincicola, enhance the Cd accumulation in S. plumbizincicola, and decrease the available heavy metal content in soils significantly without overall significant changes to the microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn), two metalloids (As and Sb) and two rare metals (In and Tl) were selected as target elements to ascertain their concentrations and accumulation in the soil-plant system and their effects on the structure of the soil microbial community in a typical area of rare metal smelting in south China. Twenty-seven soil samples 100, 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000 m from the smelter and 42 vegetable samples were collected to determine the concentrations of the target elements. Changes in soil micro-organisms were investigated using the Biolog test and 454 pyrosequencing. The concentrations of the eight target elements (especially As and Cd) were especially high in the topsoil 100 m from the smelter and decreased markedly with increasing distance from the smelter and with increasing soil depth. Cadmium bio-concentration factors in the vegetables were the highest followed by Tl, Cu, Zn, In, Sb, Pb, and then As. The concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in vegetables were 86.7, 100 and 80.0 %, respectively, over the permissible limits and possible contamination by Tl may also be of concern. Changes in soil microbial counts and average well colour development were also significantly different at different sampling distances from the smelter. The degree of tolerance to heavy metals appears to be fungi > bacteria > actinomycetes. The 454 pyrosequencing indicates that long-term metal contamination from the smelting activities has resulted in shifts in the composition of the soil bacterial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Peanut yield and quality are seriously compromised by continuous monoculturing in the red soil region of southern China. Monoculturing can cause soil degradation and an increase in soil-borne diseases. This research aimed to investigate the influence of long-term peanut monocropping and different fertilization treatments on peanut growth, soil physical and chemical properties and soil microbial community. Methods: A long-term fertilization experiment established in 1996 was utilized to examine the effect of various fertilization treatments including chemical and organic fertilizers treatments. Deep 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing highlighted changes in the abundance and structure of bacterial communities, especially of the pathogenic and beneficial bacterial communities in long term chemical fertilizer treatment in comparison to the organic manure treatment. Results: Chemical fertilizer treatment causes a shift in bacterial community structure and decrease in diversity under the long-term monocropping in comparison to organic fertilizer. The abundance of the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum, a causative agent of peanut wilt, was found to be associated with a loss of community diversity and loss of the peanut yield. Conclusions: The organic fertilizers more effectively increase microbial diversity in the soil and changed the community structure. Long-term use of the chemical fertilizer leads to a decrease in microbial diversity of the soil and an increase in R. solanacearum with associated increase of peanut wilt. The potential decrease in diversity and competition between the bacterial community and the pathogen may be a contributing factor to increased disease during long-term chemical fertilizer use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wnt secretion protein Wntless (Wls)/GPR177 has been reported to be involved in the development of several human cancers. However, the biological significance of Wls in breast cancer progression has not been clarified. In this study, we show for the first time that Wls is an important molecule related to breast cancer. We find that Wls expression is markedly increased in clinical breast tumors compared with adjacent noncancerous tissues. Downregulation of Wls by short-hairpin RNA severely suppressed the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Wls is a core Wnt signaling component, and we show that knockdown of Wls is sufficient to inhibit Wnt secretion and its downstream signaling. Taken together, these results indicate that Wls contributes to the proliferation of breast cancer cells by regulating Wnt signaling. Therefore, Wls could be a novel therapeutic target for inhibiting cell growth in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR) has been reported to be involved in the development of several human cancers. However, the role of EPCR in gastric cancer progression has not been clarified. In this study, we show for the first time that EPCR is related to gastric cancer. Our results indicate that EPCR is highly expressed in clinical gastric cancer tissue. Knockdown of EPCR by small interference RNA suppressed the proliferation and migration of MGC803 gastric cancer cells dominantly. Blocking antibodies to protease-activated receptor-1(PAR1) also suppressed the proliferation and migration of MGC803 cells. Knockdown EPCR and blocking PAR1 inhibit activation of extracellular signaling-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). Taken together, these results indicate that EPCR contributes to the proliferation and migration of MGC803 gastric cancer cells by activating ERK1/2, and this effect of EPCR may be dependent on PAR1. Therefore, EPCR may be act as a novel therapeutic target for inhibiting cell growth in gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to isolate plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) that exhibit heavy metal resistance to examine their influence on Cd uptake and soil microbial community structure during phytoremediation. Materials and methods: Heavy metal-tolerant PGPR were isolated from the roots of possible hyperaccumulators using plates with 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) as sole nitrogen source. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of each isolate were determined by the plate dilution method. The impacts of isolated PGPR on the growth and Cd accumulation of Sedium plumbizincicola were conducted in a pot experiment. In addition, the effect of PGPR inoculation on the microbial community during phytoextraction by S. plumbizincicola was studied by 454 pyrosequencing. Results and discussion: A total of nine Cd-resistant strains were isolated from the roots of Cd accumulators, and their plant growth-promoting activities were characterized. Isolates were able to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) (28-133 mg L) and solubilize phosphate (65-148 mg L). In a pot experiment, the inoculation of isolates NSX2 and LCR1 significantly enhanced the growth of and uptake of Cd by the Cd hyperaccumulator S. plumbizincicola. 454 pyrosequencing revealed that the inoculation of the PGPR lead to a decrease in microbial community diversity in the rhizopshere during phytoextraction. Specifically, indigenous heavy metal-tolerant PGPR such as Actinospica, Bradyrhizobium, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium, and Mycobacterium were selectively enriched in the treatments in which PGPR were added. It is suggested that a unique constitution of microbial communities in inoculated treatments plays a key role in enhancing Cd phytoremediation. Conclusion: Inoculation of strains Rhodococcus erythropolis NSX2 and Cedecea davisae LCR1 could promote S. plumbizincicola growth and enhance the remediation efficiency. The introduced PGPR could also affect the indigenous microbial community structure and the diversity in Cd-contaminated soil during phytoremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The objectives of this study were to elucidate the mechanisms of interaction between root exudates of tall fescue and functional bacteria associated with petroleum degradation and whether components of the exudates can enhance petroleum removal from soil. Methods: Root exudates of tall fescue were collected through a continuous root exudate trapping system and identified by GC-MS. Chemotaxis, swarming, and in vitro assay were conducted to assess the effects of the organic acids of root exudates on Klebsiella sp. D5A (plant growth promoting rhizobacterium), Pseudomonas sp. SB (biosurfactant producing bacterium), and Streptomyces sp. KT (petroleum-degrading bacterium). A pot experiment with organic acid amendment was conducted to study the effects of these components of root exudates on petroleum remediation. Microbial physiological metabolisms affected by organic acids were tested using Biolog Eco plates. Results: Palmitic acid was found to be most effective in promoting D5A colonization on tall fescue. ρ-Hydroxybenzoic and palmitic acids significantly stimulated the growth of strains D5A, SB, and KT. Furthermore, palmitic acid amendment significantly enhanced petroleum removal in pot experiment. Conclusions: Palmitic acid was the critical organic acid to facilitate petroleum removal during phytoremediation. These findings provide insight into the mechanisms by which tall fescue enhances the degradation of petroleum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs that bind directly to complementary sequences on target messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts, resulting in translational repression and/or target mRNA degradation. MiRNAs have been proven to play critical roles on the development, differentiation, and function of immune cells. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are of importance in maintaining immune homeostasis and self-tolerance. Although many transcription factors and cytokines are known to regulate Tregs, scientists began to focus on the role of noncoding RNA on the regulation of Treg cells. This review provides an overview of the entire microRNA network and specific miRNAs in the development, differentiation, and function of Tregs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nosiheptide is one of the EU-approved sulfur-containing peptides in feed industry to inhibit the growth of the majority of Gram-positive bacteria. The main purpose of this study is directed to breed the high nosiheptide-producers by genome shuffling and ribosome engineering in Streptomyces actuosus AW7. The starting population for shuffling was generated by combining Coγ-irradiation with LiCl mutagenesis treatments on the spores. After four rounds of protoplast fusion exposed to streptomycin as adaptive pressure, a high-yield recombinant strain D92 was obtained. In a 10-L fermenter, nosiheptide production reached 1.54 g/L which was 9.20-fold compared to that of the parental strain. Hyphae development, metabolic process, and ribosomal protein S12 sequence were investigated to characterize the differentiation among the recombinants. Several mutations in S12 were believed to be responsible to streptomycin resistance in the tested strain. The results demonstrated that the combination of genome shuffling and ribosome engineering is an efficient approach to breed high-yield industrial strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copolymer of starch grafted with lactic acid (LA) could be directly prepared by reaction of cornstarch with lactic acid and with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) as the catalyst. The structure of starch/LA copolymer was characterized by IR, XRD, SEM and H-NMR. The effects of NaOH concentration, ratios of starch and LA, reaction temperature and reaction time on the grafting degree were also investigated and the results showed that the highest grafting degree of starch could reach 33·60% when the graft copolymerization was carried out in 0·40 mol l NaOH aqueous solution for 9 h at 90°C with 1: 6 ratio of starch and lactic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mode information of Markovian jumping systems is always not accessible due to unexpected phenomenon such as data packet losses in networked control systems. It is thus extremely desirable to develop mode-independent filtering techniques for Markovian jumping systems. In this paper, a new mode-independent filtering design strategy is presented for a class of discrete-time singular time-delay systems with Markovian jumping parameters. Sufficient conditions are established so that the derived error system is regular, causal and stochastically stable with a prescribed H performance level. In addition, it is illustrated that the proposed results are less conservative numerically than those in the references. Finally, two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Midkine (MK), a new member of the heparin-binding growth factor family, was found recently to have a high expression level in many carcinoma specimens, including those of the esophagus, gall bladder, pancreas, colorectum, breast and lung. Estrogen receptor beta (ER-β), a recently cloned estrogen receptor subtype, was also found to be highly expressed in lung tumor tissue, in contrast to a lower level of expression in normal lung tissue. However, few relevant studies on these proteins have been published. The aims of our study were to investigate the expression of midkine and ER-β proteins in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to examine the relationship between their expression and the clinicopathologic data as well as to analyse the correlation of their expression in NSCLC. By immunohistochemistry, MK and ER-β were examined in 24 surgically resected cases of NSCLC with their corresponding paraneoplastic and normal lung tissues. MK and ER-β were overexpressed in NSCLC. The levels of MK and ER-β expression in NSCLC were found to be significantly negatively correlated with the pathological classification ( P = 0.042 and 0.021, respectively), and their expression decreased with a raise in the classification. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the correlation of their expression in NSCLC was strong (correlation coefficient [ r s ] = 0.535, P = 0.007 < 0.01). The expression levels of MK and ER-β to some extent reflect the malignant degree of NSCLC, and their combined detection may be of great value in early diagnosis, treatments of patients with NSCLC and can predict the prognoses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]