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The article examines the GoPGS gene's role in regulating pigment gland size in cotton plants and its connection to biotic stress tolerance. Researchers discovered that suppressing the GoPGS gene resulted in larger pigment glands and increased resistance to pests and pathogens. They also found that the GoPGS gene is controlled by the GoPGF gene and is involved in the jasmonic acid pathway. These findings offer insights into the development of cotton pigment glands and their role in defending against biotic stress. Manipulating the GoPGS gene's activity may be a potential method for enhancing cotton plants' resistance to biotic stresses. [Extracted from the article]

SUMMARY: Understanding and optimizing the process of grain filling helps the quest to maximize rice (Oryza sativa L.) seed yield and quality, yet the intricate mechanisms at play remain fragmented. Transcription factors (TFs) are major players in the gene networks underlying the grain filling process. Here, we employed grain incomplete filling (OsGIF1)/cell wall invertase 2, a key gene involved in grain filling, to explore its upstream TFs and identified a bZIP family TF, OsbZIP10, to be a transcriptional activator of OsGIF1. Rice grains of the knockouts of OsbZIP10 showed increased white‐core rates but lower amylose content (AC), leading to better eating and cooking qualities in all genetic backgrounds investigated, though the impact of mutations in OsbZIP10 on grain weight depended on genetic background. Multi‐omics analyses suggested that, in addition to OsGIF1, multiple genes involved in different biological processes contributing to grain filling were targeted by OsbZIP10, including OsAGPS1, a gene encoding the ADP‐Glc pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) small subunit, and genes contributing to homeostasis of reactive oxygen species. Distinct genetic make‐up was observed in OsbZIP10 between japonica and indica rice varieties, with the majority varieties of each subspecies belonging to two different haplotypes that were closely associated with AC. Overexpressing the haplotype linked to high‐AC in the low‐AC genetic background increased AC. Overall, this study sheds crucial light on the significance of the OsbZIP10–OsGIF1 module in the determination of rice grain quality, offering a potential avenue for genetic engineering of rice to produce seeds with tailored attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Securing agricultural supplies for the increasing population without negative impacts on environment demands new crop varieties with higher yields, better quality, and stronger stress resilience. But breeding such super crop varieties is restrained by growth–defense (G–D) trade‐off. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are versatile regulators of plant growth and immune responses, with several being demonstrated to simultaneously regulate crop growth and defense against biotic stresses and to balance G–D trade‐off. Increasing evidence also links miRNAs to the metabolism and signaling of phytohormones, another type of master regulator of plant growth and defense. Here, we synthesize the reported functions of miRNAs in crop growth, development, and responses to bio‐stressors, summarize the regulatory scenarios of miRNAs based on their relationship with target(s), and discuss how miRNAs, particularly those involved in crosstalk with phytohormones, can be applied in balancing G–D trade‐off in crops. We also propose several open questions to be addressed for adopting miRNAs in balancing crop G–D trade‐off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy has emerged as a promising approach in clinical oncology. For brain metastases, the presence of the robust blood-brain barrier (BBB) and potential immune-related adverse events (irAEs) pose significant challenges. Here, a multistage-responsive antibody-delivery strategy is developed for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) brain metastases, with the ultra-pH sensitivity borate bonds. The antibody-delivery nanoformulation (MB-aPDL1) is able to maintain the "silent state" in health tissue, cross the BBB/BTB by the GLUT1-mediated transcytosis, release the functionalized aPDL1 responsively, and promote the aPDL1 tumor-anchoring. In the in vivo tumor region, the MB-aPDL1 rapidly releases the activated BPA6-aPDL1, which successfully anchors to the tumor cells and improves the efficiency of ICB therapy. The two in vivo ICB therapy studies show a significant tumor growth inhibition from the MB-aPDL1 with an encouraging cure rate of 20% for the NSCLC brain metastases, due to enhanced immune response in tumor, commendably with less behavioral adverse reactions and liver damage. Taken together, this antibody-delivery strategy holds substantial potential for application in clinical treatment of brain metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous epilepsy‐related genes have been identified in recent decades by unbiased genome‐wide screens. However, the available druggable targets for temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) remain limited. Furthermore, a substantial pool of candidate genes potentially applicable to TLE therapy awaits further validation. In this study, we reveal the significant role of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3, two M‐type potassium channel genes, in the onset of seizures in TLE. Our investigation began with a quantitative analysis of two publicly available TLE patient databases to establish a correlation between seizure onset and the downregulated expression of KCNQ2/3. We then replicated these pathological changes in a pilocarpine seizure mouse model and observed a decrease in spike frequency adaptation due to the affected M‐currents in dentate gyrus granule neurons. In addition, we performed a small‐scale simulation of the dentate gyrus network and confirmed that the impaired spike frequency adaptation of granule cells facilitated epileptiform activity throughout the network. This, in turn, resulted in prolonged seizure duration and reduced interictal intervals. Our findings shed light on an underlying mechanism contributing to ictogenesis in the TLE hippocampus and suggest a promising target for the development of antiepileptic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on impression management and principal‐agent theory, this article considers Chinese A‐share listed companies from 2014 to 2020 to explore whether vertical interlocking promotes the sustainable development of enterprises from the perspective of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report greenwashing. The results show that vertical interlocking increases ESG report greenwashing and hides negative ESG information; these results remained valid through a series of robustness tests. Mechanism analysis shows that the purpose of ESG report greenwashing by vertically interlocked executives is to hollow out minority shareholders rather than to cover up earnings management to conceal actual ESG information. The vertical interlocking of executives more significantly promotes ESG report greenwashing when the property is state‐owned, has poor internal supervision mechanisms, has a large executive team and has no senior executives with green experience. This study furthers the relevant research on the factors affecting the sustainable development of enterprises and enriches and expands studies of the role of the vertical interlock from the perspective of information concealing, providing a more in‐depth reference for promoting the sustainable development of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel quantum materials have broad application prospects in spintronic devices and low‐power‐consumption devices. The kagome‐type lattice has special corner‐sharing triangle geometry, providing a rich platform to investigate the relationship of novel correlated topological states, geometry, and strong electron interactions. However, the orbital hybridization in the presence of flat band that originated from the electron localization due to the unique kagome lattice configuration is still unclear. Resonant‐angle‐resolved photoemission spectroscopy is utilized to study the valence band structures of a new vanadium‐based kagome material GdV6Sn6, combined with density functional theory calculation. Herein, a significant hybridization between V 3d and Sn 5p electrons, which paves the way to understand the formation of long‐range magnetic ordering of GdV6Sn6 and other kagome materials at low temperature, is unambiguously revealed in the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning (ML) is one of the core driving forces for the next breeding stage, and Breeding 4.0. Genotype matrix based on single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is often used in ML for genome‐to‐phenotype prediction. Genotype matrix has an inherent defect, as the feature spaces it generates across different individuals or groups are inconsistent, and this hinders the application of ML. To overcome the challenge, a genome descriptor, Genic SNPs Composition Tool (GSCtool) is developed, which counts the number of SNPs in each gene of the genome so the dimension of the feature vectors equals the number of annotated genes in a species. Compared to using the genotype matrix, using GSCtool significantly decreases the model training time and has a higher accuracy of phenotype prediction. GSCtool also achieves good performance in variety identification, which is useful in crop variety protection. In general, GSCtool will help facilitate the application and study of genomic ML. The source code and test data of GSCtool are freely available at https://github.com/SZJhacker/GSCtool and https://gitee.com/shenzijie/GSCtool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key immune cell in the brain, microglia are essential for protecting the central nervous system (CNS) from viral infections, including HIV. Microglia possess functional Toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3), a key viral sensor for activating interferon (IFN) signaling pathway‐mediated antiviral immunity. We, therefore, studied the effect of poly (I:C), a synthetic ligand of TLR3, on the activation of the intracellular innate immunity against HIV in human iPSC‐derived microglia (iMg). We found that poly (I:C) treatment of iMg effectively inhibits HIV infection/replication at both mRNA and protein levels. Investigations of the mechanisms revealed that TLR3 activation of iMg by poly (I:C) induced the expression of both type I and type III IFNs. Compared with untreated cells, the poly (I:C)‐treated iMg expressed significantly higher levels of IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) with known anti‐HIV activities (ISG15, MxB, Viperin, MxA, and OAS‐1). In addition, TLR3 activation elicited the expression of the HIV entry coreceptor CCR5 ligands (CC chemokines) in iMg. Furthermore, the transcriptional profile analysis showed that poly (I:C)‐treated cells had the upregulated IFN signaling genes (ISG15, ISG20, IFITM1, IFITM2, IFITM3, IFITM10, APOBEC3A, OAS‐2, MxA, and MxB) and the increased CC chemokine signaling genes (CCL1, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, and CCL15). These observations indicate that TLR3 is a potential therapy target for activating the intracellular innate immunity against HIV infection/replication in human microglial cells. Therefore, further studies with animal models and clinical specimens are necessary to determine the role of TLR3 activation‐driven antiviral response in the control and elimination of HIV in infected host cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Protein lysine acetylation is an important post‐translational modification mechanism involved in cellular regulation in eukaryotes. Calmodulin (CaM) is a ubiquitous Ca2+ sensor in eukaryotes and is crucial for plant immunity, but it is so far unclear whether acetylation is involved in CaM‐mediated plant immunity. Here, we found that GhCaM7 is acetylated upon Verticillium dahliae (V. dahliae) infection and a positive regulator of V. dahliae resistance. Overexpressing GhCaM7 in cotton and Arabidopsis enhances V. dahliae resistance and knocking‐down GhCaM7 makes cotton more susceptible to V. dahliae. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing GhCaM7 with mutation at the acetylation site are more susceptible to V. dahliae than transgenics overexpressing the wild‐type GhCaM7, implying the importance of the acetylated GhCaM7 in response to V. dahliae infection. Yeast two‐hybrid, bimolecular fluorescent complementation, luciferase complementation imaging, and coimmunoprecipitation assays demonstrated interaction between GhCaM7 and an osmotin protein GhOSM34 that was shown to have a positive role in V. dahliae resistance. GhCaM7 and GhOSM34 are co‐localized in the cell membrane. Upon V. dahliae infection, the Ca2+ content reduces almost instantly in plants with downregulated GhCaM7 or GhOSM34. Down regulating GhOSM34 enhances accumulation of Na+ and increases cell osmotic pressure. Comparative transcriptomic analyses between cotton plants with an increased or reduced expression level of GhCaM7 and wild‐type plants indicate the involvement of jasmonic acid signaling pathways and reactive oxygen species in GhCaM7‐enabled disease resistance. Together, these results demonstrate the involvement of CaM protein in the interaction between cotton and V. dahliae, and more importantly, the involvement of the acetylated CaM in the interaction. Significance Statement: GhCaM7 positively regulator cotton defense responses to Verticillium dahliae by acetylation and interacting with osmotin protein GhOSM34, leading to activation of Ca2+, jasmonic acid, and reactive oxygen species signaling pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Momilactone A, an important plant labdane‐related diterpenoid, functions as a phytoalexin against pathogens and an allelochemical against neighboring plants. The genes involved in the biosynthesis of momilactone A are found in clusters, i.e., momilactone A biosynthetic gene clusters (MABGCs), in the rice and barnyardgrass genomes. In addition, we know little about the origin and evolution of MABGCs. Here, we integrated results from comprehensive phylogeny and comparative genomic analyses of the core genes of MABGC‐like clusters and MABGCs in 40 monocot plant genomes, providing convincing evidence for the birth and evolution of MABGCs in grass species. The MABGCs found in the PACMAD clade of the core grass lineage (including Panicoideae and Chloridoideae) originated from a MABGC‐like cluster in Triticeae (BOP clade) via lateral gene transfer (LGT) and followed by recruitment of MAS1/2 and CYP76L1 genes. The MABGCs in Oryzoideae originated from PACMAD through another LGT event and lost CYP76L1 afterwards. The Oryza MABGC and another Oryza diterpenoid cluster c2BGC are two distinct clusters, with the latter originating from gene duplication and relocation within Oryzoideae. Further comparison of the expression patterns of the MABGC genes between rice and barnyardgrass in response to pathogen infection and allelopathy provides novel insights into the functional innovation of MABGCs in plants. Our results demonstrate LGT‐mediated origination of MABGCs in grass and shed lights into the evolutionary innovation and optimization of plant biosynthetic pathways. Significance Statement: How biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) originate and evolve is less known in eukaryotes. Momilactone A, an important defensive and allelopathic secondary chemical in plants, is synthesized by momilactone A BGCs (MABGCs). By exploiting the phylogeny and comparative genomics of the core genes of MABGC‐like clusters and MABGCs across 40 plant species, we reconstruct the evolutionary trajectory of MABGCs in grass, i.e., the PACMAD clade (including Panicoideae and Chloridoideae) acquired MABGCs from Triticeae via lateral gene transfer (LGT) of a MABGC‐like cluster and another LGT event passed the PACMAD MABGC on to Oryza. The composition of MABGCs is dynamic with gain and/or loss of genes in the recipient species after LGT. The study demonstrates that, like prokaryotes, plants are capable of moving a cluster of genes involved in the same biosynthesis pathway by LGT. The results shed light into the evolutionary innovation of BGCs and optimization of a biosynthetic pathway via synthetic biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the ferroelectric ABO3 perovskite heterointerface, the broken translational symmetry significantly alters the octahedral network and cation sublattices. Experimentally revealing the interaction between the polarization and atomic structure parameters is beneficial not only for understanding the novel physical phenomena but also for realizing exotic physical functionalities at the materials surface science. Here, it is demonstrated that the induced polarization can be realized by the cooperative interaction between the octahedral distortion and the cation sublattices at the paraelectric‐ferroelectric heterointerface in the (K,Na)NbO3 epitaxial thin film. It is found that the cation–cation displacement scales with the tetragonality of the perovskite unit cell but not with the polarization, which is minimal in the substrate but increases substantially in the thin film. Nevertheless, the oxygen octahedral distortion in the substrate, accompanied by octahedral rotation, is stronger than that in the film, resulting in a translated and stable polarization across the interface. These results demonstrate the octahedral network plays a significant role in the ferroelectric polarization and can also greatly advance the understanding of the heterointerface science for ferroelectrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Initiating ivabradine in acute heart failure (HF) is still controversial. Hypothesis: Ivabradine might be effective to be added in acute but hemodynamically stable HF. Methods: A retrospective cohort of hemodynamically stable acute HF patients was enrolled from January 2018 to January 2020 and followed until July 2020. The primary endpoints were all‐cause mortality and rehospitalization for HF. Secondary endpoints included heart rate (HR), cardiac function measured by New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and adverse events, which were compared between patients with or without ivabradine. Results: A total of 126 patients were enrolled (50 males, median age 54 years, 81% with decompensated HF, median follow‐up of 9 months). In patients treated with ivabradine, although baseline HRs were higher than the reference group (96 vs. 80 bpm), they were comparable after 3 months; more patients tolerated high doses of β‐blockers (27% vs. 7.9%), improved to NYHA class I function (55.6% vs. 23.8%) and exhibited normal LVEFs (37.8% vs. 14.3%) than the reference group (all p <.05). Ivabradine was associated with a significant reduction of rehospitalization for HF than the reference group (25.4% vs.61.9%), with longer event‐free survival times (hazard ratio: 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25–0.79), and was related with primary endpoints negatively (hazard ratio 0.51, 95% CI: 0.28–0.91) (all p <.05). Conclusion: In patients with acute but hemodynamically stable HF, ivabradine may significantly reduce HR, improve cardiac function, and reduce HF rehospitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many genes encoding nucleotide‐binding leucine‐rich repeat receptors (NLRs) are regulated and fine‐tuned by miR482 to balance the trade‐off between disease resistance and growth. Dicotyledonous plants, including cotton, usually have multiple miR482 isoforms. Each miR482 isoform can regulate several NLRs that in turn can be regulated by several different miR482 isoforms. Dissecting the functionality of individual miR482 isoforms in disease response and in balancing the disease resistance and growth trade‐off demands a collection of mutants mutated in individual miR482 members (single or multiple). In this study, we generated such a collection of cotton miR482 mutants using CRISPR/Cas9 (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas9) genome editing and transformation of pooled guide RNAs (gRNAs). In total, 84 T0 plants representing 40 independent transgenic events and harboring mutation in each of the 10 miR482 isoforms were generated. The average editing efficiency of the 18 transformed gRNAs is 75%, ranging from 0 (3 gRNAs) to 100% (8 gRNAs). Most miR482 isoforms have a diverse range of mutations, including small indels (1–44 bp) and substitutions, which are expected to impair biogenesis of miR482. All nine mutant populations used in Verticillium dahliae infection experiments showed a disease index lower than the control, with four being significantly lower. The disease assay also suggests a different role of different miR482 isoforms in disease response and a potential dosage effect of miR482l. The study demonstrates the feasibility of saturation mutagenesis of plant miRNA families with dozens of genetic loci using CRISPR/Cas9 and provides the cotton community a valuable resource for uncovering the miR482‐NLR module(s) underlying the interaction between cotton and different pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, it is of great significance to develop an effective method of recycling cyclic olefin copolymers (rCOC) due to its increasing application. But, its poor toughness is still an important difficulty to limit its effective recycling. In this article, we introduced PA6 into the POE‐g‐MAH/rCOC composites. Because of the good compatibility of POE‐g‐MAH between PA6 and rCOC, it just led to an overall improvement in mechanical properties of PA6/POE‐g‐MAH/rCOC (45/15/40) composites. Its tensile strength reached 42.3 MPa, which was more than 41.9% compared with that of POE‐g‐MAH/rCOC composites. Its notched impact strength was 11.7 kJ/m2, which was higher than 875.0% compared with rCOC. Furthermore, the component of PA6 was wrapped by nonpolar rCOC and POE‐g‐MAH, resulting in a low water absorption rate (1.0%). So, the strength of the composites only dropped a little after water adsorption. In summary, the addition of PA6 helped the composites effectively utilize the toughness of POE‐g‐MAH. Thus, we developed an easy method to recycle rCOC and prepare the responding composites with high strength and toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Circular RNA (circRNA) is a kind of new regulatory RNA with diverse biological functions. Numerous circRNAs have been identified in many plant species; however, evolution of plant circRNAs remains largely unknown.In this study, we assembled full‐length sequences of 6519 rice (Oryza sativa) circRNAs and analyzed their conservation in another 46 plant species based on comparison of sequences and expression patterns.We found that, at the genomic level, 8.7% of the 6519 circRNAs were conserved in dicotyledonous plants and 49.1% in Oryza genus. Meanwhile, 57.8% of parental protein‐coding genes of the rice circRNAs originated recently after divergence of monocotyledonous plants, implying recent origin of the majority of rice circRNAs, a conclusion further supported by the results based on analysis of 4663 full‐length circRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana. Accordingly, we proposed three models to address the origination of different types of circRNAs.Taken together, the results obtained in this study provide new insights for the evolutionary dynamics of plant circRNAs and candidate circRNAs for further functional exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Moderately rolled leaf is one of the target traits of the ideal plant architecture in rice breeding. Many genes, including homeodomain leucine zipper IV transcription factors ROC5 and ROC8, regulating rice leaf rolling have been cloned and functionally analysed. However, the molecular mechanism by which these genes modulate leaf‐rolling remains largely elusive. In this study, we demonstrated the transcription activation activity of both ROC8 and ROC5. Overexpressing ROC8 caused adaxially rolled leaves due to decreased number and size of bulliform cells, whereas knockout of ROC8 induced abaxially rolled leaves due to increased number and size of bulliform cells. ROC8 and ROC5 each could form homodimer, but ROC8 interacted preferably with ROC5 to forms a heterodimer. Importantly, we showed that the ROC8‐ROC5 heterodimer rather than the homodimer of ROC8 or ROC5 was functional as neither overexpressing ROC8 in the ROC5 mutant nor overexpressing ROC5 in the ROC8‐knockout line could rescue the mutant phenotype. This was further partially supported by the identification of a large number of common differentially expressed genes in single and double mutants of roc8 and roc5. ROC8 and ROC5 were functionally additive as the phenotype of abaxially rolled leaves was stronger in the roc5roc8 double mutant than in their single mutants. Our results provide evidence for the role of dimerization of ROC members in regulating leaf rolling of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This follow‐up study aimed to examine the 8‐year efficacy and safety of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) in southern China. Methods: The follow‐up data of 10 patients with PD undergoing STN‐DBS were analyzed. Motor symptoms were assessed before and 1, 3, 5, and 8 years after the surgery with stimulation‐on in both off‐medication (off‐med) and on‐medication (on‐med) status using the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale Part III. The quality of life was assessed using the 39‐item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire. The sleep, cognition, and emotion were evaluated using a series of nonmotor scales. Levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) and stimulation parameters were recorded at each follow‐up. Results: The motor symptoms were improved by 50.9%, 37.7%, 36.7%, and 37.3% in 1, 3, 5, and 8 years, respectively, in the off‐med / stimulation‐on status compared with the baseline. The quality of life improved by 39.7% and 56.1% in 1 and 3 years, respectively, but declined to the preoperative level thereafter. The sleep, cognition, and emotion were mostly unchanged. LEDD reduced from 708.1 ± 172.5 mg to 330 ± 207.8 mg in 8 years. The stimulation parameters, including amplitude, pulse width, and frequency, were 2.77 ± 0.49 V, 71.3 ± 12.8 μs, and 121.5 ± 21 Hz, respectively, in 8 years. Conclusion: Long‐term therapeutic efficacy of STN‐DBS could be achieved even with relatively low stimulation intensity and medication dosage for PD patients in southern China. Motor improvement and medication reduction were maintained through the 8‐year follow‐up, but improvement in quality of life lasted for only 3 years. No definite changes was found in nonmotor symptoms after STN‐DBS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chiral property of cellulose can be transferred to final materials, here artificial helical polymer, right‐handed helical poly(phenyl isocyanide) (PPI) is grafted onto ethyl cellulose (EC) with expecting to enhance the chiral effect of PPI. EC‐2,3‐g‐PPIn copolymers are prepared via "click" chemistry of copper‐catalyzed alkyne‐azide cycloaddition, and confirmed by high‐resolution 1H and 13C NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The resulting EC‐2,3‐g‐PPIn copolymer takes a right‐handed helical structure with super circular dichroism intensity which is 302% higher than that of PPI, which indicates that EC backbone promotes the right‐handed chirality of PPIn. Furthermore, EC‐2,3‐g‐PPIn exhibits good chiral recognition ability of the D/L‐Ala‐DNSP fluorescent probe, and induces a uniquely visible blue shift for L‐Ala‐DNSP. Therefore, a novel facile strategy is provided to highly improve chiral property and chiral recognition ability of artificial helical polymers by grafting onto EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, cardiovascular disease is one of the important factors of human death, and there are many kinds of proteins involved. Sirtuins family proteins are involved in various physiological and pathological activities of the human body. Among them, there are more and more studies on the relationship between sirtuin2 (SIRT2) protein and cardiovascular diseases. SIRT2 can effectively inhibit pathological cardiac hypertrophy. The effect of SIRT2 on ischaemia‐reperfusion injury has different effects under different conditions. SIRT2 can reduce the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may help to reduce the severity of diabetic cardiomyopathy. SIRT2 can affect a variety of cardiovascular diseases, energy metabolism and the ageing of cardiomyocytes, thereby affecting heart failure. SIRT2 also plays an important role in vascular disease. For endothelial cell damage used by oxidative stress, the role of SIRT2 is bidirectional, which is related to the degree of oxidative stress stimulation. When the degree of stimulation is small, SIRT2 plays a protective role, and when the degree of stimulation increases to a certain level, SIRT2 plays a negative role. In addition, SIRT2 is also involved in the remodelling of blood vessels and the repair of skin damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulated studies have been implemented for comprehending the mechanism of myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury (MI/RI). Nuclear factor erythroid‐2 related factor 2 (NRF2)‐mediated transcription activity in MI/RI has not been completely interpreted from the perspective of microRNA‐29a‐3p (miR‐29a‐3p) and cyclin T2 (CCNT2). Therein, this study intends to decode the mechanism of NRF2/miR‐29a‐3p/CCNT2 axis in MI/RI. Rat MI/RI models were established by left anterior descending artery ligation. Rats were injected with NRF2 or CCNT2 overexpression plasmids or miR‐29a‐3p agomir to explore their effects on MI/RI. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cardiomyocytes were established and transfected with restored NRF2 or miR‐29a‐3p or CCNT2 for further exploration of their roles. NRF2, miR‐29a‐3p, and CCNT2 expression in myocardial tissues in rats with MI/RI and in cardiomyocytes in H/R injury were detected. ChIP assay verified the relationship between miR‐29a‐3p and NRF2, and the bioinformatics software and dual‐luciferase reporter experiment verified the interaction between miR‐29a‐3p and CCNT2. NRF2 and miR‐29a‐3p were down‐regulated while CCNT2 was up‐regulated in myocardial tissues in rats with MI/RI and in H/R‐treated cardiomyocytes. Restoration of NRF2 or miR‐29a‐3p improved hemodynamics and myocardial injury and suppressed serum inflammation and cardiomyocyte apoptosis via CCNT2 in rats with MI/RI. Upregulation of NRF2 or miR‐29a‐3p inhibited LDH and CK‐MB activities, oxidative stress, and apoptosis and promoted viability of cardiomyocytes with H/R injury. NRF2 bound to the promoter of miR‐29a‐3p and CCNT2 was targeted by miR‐29a‐3p. This study elucidates that up‐regulating NRF2 or miR‐29a‐3p attenuates MI/RI via inhibiting CCNT2, which may renew the existed knowledge of MI/RI‐related mechanism and provide a novel guidance toward MI/RI treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymers have played a vital part in the development of drug delivery systems (DDS). For DDS, having a controllable diameter and distribution are conducive to reproducibility of drug release behavior and efficacy. In this work, an ibuprofen prodrug (Ibu@PMMA) was synthesized by methyl methacrylate (MMA), ibuprofen monomer (Ibu@HEMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) via emulsion polymerization. The Ibu@PMMA exhibits spherical shapes, and its structural properties were characterized by NMR, FTIR, and SEM techniques. In addition, the hydrodynamic diameter and polydispersity index (PDI) of Ibu@PMMA were reduced by increasing the proportion of emulsifier. Meanwhile, by increasing the amount of initiator, the hydrodynamic diameter and PDI of Ibu@PMMA were decreased. Moreover, Ibu@PMMA exhibits good sustained‐release ability in vitro, which could be used as a potential delivery system for anti‐inflammatory agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Cardiac complications are common and associated with mortality in critically ill patients with COVID‐19; however, the diagnostic and prognostic implications of critical care echocardiography (CCE) have not been studied. Methods and results: A cohort of 43 patients with COVID‐19 who were in the intensive care unit (ICU) underwent bedside CCE during their disease course. Demographic, clinical, and survival data were collected. The echocardiographic analyses revealed high frequencies of pericardial effusion (90.7%), increased left ventricular mass index (60.5%), elevated relative wall thickness (76.7%), and reduced left ventricular stroke volume index (LVSVi; 53.5%) and cardiac index (51.2%). Twenty‐two (51.2%) patients died in the ICU. In multivariate Cox regression, the strongest predictor of in‐ICU death was decreased cardiac index [hazard ratio (HR), 0.67, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.45–0.98; P = 0.041], after adjusting for male sex, shock status, high‐sensitivity cardiac troponin I, and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide. Negative associations with mortality were observed for LVSVi (HR, 0.91, 95% CI 0.85–0.96; P = 0.002), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (HR, 0.74, 95% CI 0.64–0.84; P < 0.001), and S′ (HR, 0.78, 95% CI 0.69–0.88; P < 0.001). Kaplan–Meier analyses indicated that reductions in LVSVi, cardiac index, TAPSE, and S′ were associated with a shorter survival time. Conclusions: Pericardial effusion and increased ventricular mass in COVID‐19 might indicate a swollen heart. Both left and right heart dysfunction and a reduced cardiac index may lead to an increased risk of mortality. Clinicians should pay special attention to cardiac haemodynamic disorders in critical patients with COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Some plant microRNA (miRNA) families contain multiple members generating identical or highly similar mature miRNA variants. Mechanisms underlying the expansion of miRNA families remain elusive, although tandem and/or segmental duplications have been proposed. In this study of two tetraploid cottons, Gossypium hirsutum and Gossypium barbadense, and their extant diploid progenitors, Gossypium arboreum and Gossypium raimondii, we investigated the gain and loss of members of the miR482/2118 superfamily, which modulates the expression of nucleotide‐binding site leucine‐rich repeat (NBS‐LRR) disease resistance genes. We found significant expansion of MIR482/2118d in G. barbadense, G. hirsutum and G. raimondii, but not in G. arboreum. Several newly expanded MIR482/2118d loci have mutated to produce different miR482/2118 variants with altered target‐gene specificity. Based on detailed analysis of sequences flanking these MIR482/2118 loci, we found that this expansion of MIR482/2118d and its derivatives resulted from an initial capture of an MIR482/2118d by a class‐II DNA transposable element (TE) in G. raimondii prior to the tetraploidization event, followed by transposition to new genomic locations in G. barbadense, G. hirsutum and G. raimondii. The 'GosTE' involved in the capture and proliferation of MIR482/2118d and its derivatives belongs to the PIF/Harbinger superfamily, generating a 3‐bp target site duplication upon insertion at new locations. All orthologous MIR482/2118 loci in the two diploids were retained in the two tetraploids, but mutation(s) in miR482/2118 were observed across all four species as well as in different cultivars of both G. barbadense and G. hirsutum, suggesting a dynamic co‐evolution of miR482/2118 and its NBS‐LRR targets. Our results provide fresh insights into the mechanisms contributing to MIRNA proliferation and enrich our knowledge on TEs. Significance Statement: This study discovered expansion of the MIR482/2118 family in cotton through the capture of MIR482/2118d by a DNA transposable element following proliferation of the transposable element with the captured MIR482/2118d, and demonstrated the dynamic co‐evolution of miR482/2118 and its target NBS‐LRR genes by finding species‐ and cultivar‐specific miR482/2118 isoforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxidative stress injury is involved in many cardiovascular diseases, like hypertension and myocardial infarction. Ubiquitination is a ubiquitous protein post‐translational modification that controls a wide range of biological functions and plays a crucial role in maintaining the homeostasis of cells in physiology and disease. Many studies have shown that oxidative stress damage is inextricably linked to ubiquitination. We demonstrate that Smurf2, an E3 ubiquitinated ligase, is involved in HUVEC apoptosis induced by oxidative stress to alleviate H2O2‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). At the same time, we found that Smurf2 can bind the poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase‐1(PARP1), and the interaction is enhanced under the stimulation of oxidative stress. We further study and prove that Smurf2 can promote PARP1 ubiquitination and degradation. Collectively, we demonstrate Smurf2 degradation of overactivated PARP1 by ubiquitin‐proteasome pathway to protect HUVEC and alleviate oxidative stress injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosis is a fundamental biological phenomenon characterized by the superior performance of a hybrid compared with its parents. The underlying molecular basis for heterosis, particularly for allopolyploids, remains elusive. In this study we analyzed the transcriptomes of Brassica napus parental lines and their F1 hybrids at three stages of early flower development. Phenotypically, the F1 hybrids show remarkable heterosis in silique number and grain yield. Transcriptome analysis revealed that various phytohormone (auxin and salicylic acid) response genes are significantly altered in the F1 hybrids relative to the parental lines. We also found evidence for decreased expression divergence of the homoeologous gene pairs in the allopolyploid F1 hybrids and suggest that high-parental expression-level dominance plays an important role in heterosis. Small RNA and methylation studies aimed at examining the epigenetic effect of the changes in gene expression level in the F1 hybrids showed that the majority of the small interfering RNA (si RNA) clusters had a higher expression level in the F1 hybrids than in the parents, and that there was an increase in genome-wide DNA methylation in the F1 hybrid. Transposable elements associated with si RNA clusters had a higher level of methylation and a lower expression level in the F1 hybrid, implying that the non-additively expressed si RNA clusters resulted in lower activity of the transposable elements through DNA methylation in the hybrid. Our data provide insights into the role that changes in gene expression pattern and epigenetic mechanisms contribute to heterosis during early flower development in allopolyploid B. napus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endosperm cellularization is essential for embryo development and viable seed formation. Loss of function of the FERTILIZATION INDEPENDENT SEED ( FIS) class Polycomb genes, which mediate trimethylation of histone H3 lysine27 (H3K27me3), as well as imbalanced contributions of parental genomes interrupt this process. The causes of the failure of cellularization are poorly understood. In this study we identified PICKLE RELATED 2 ( PKR2) mutations which suppress seed abortion in fis1/ mea by restoring endosperm cellularization. PKR2, a paternally expressed imprinted gene ( PEG), encodes a CHD3 chromatin remodeler. PKR2 is specifically expressed in syncytial endosperm and its maternal copy is repressed by FIS1. Seed abortion in a paternal genome excess interploidy cross was also partly suppressed by pkr2. Simultaneous mutations in PKR2 and another PEG, ADMETOS ( ADM), additively rescue the seed abortion in fis1 and in the interploidy cross, suggesting that PKR2 and ADM modulate endosperm cellularization independently and reproductive isolation between plants of different ploidy is established by imprinted genes. Genes upregulated in fis1 and downregulated in the presence of pkr2 are enriched in glycosyl-hydrolyzing activity, while genes downregulated in fis1 and upregulated in the presence of pkr2 are enriched with microtubule motor activity, consistent with the cellularization patterns in fis1 and the suppressor line. The antagonistic functions of FIS1 and PKR2 in modulating endosperm development are similar to those of PICKLE ( PKL) and CURLY LEAF ( CLF), which antagonistically regulate root meristem activity. Our results provide further insights into the function of imprinted genes in endosperm development and reproductive isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To increase the robustness of the toque ripple peak values in mass productions of surface‐mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor (SPMSM), the multi‐objectives robust optimisation for the 9‐slot 8‐pole SPMSMs is developed in this study. To increase the search ability and reduce the calculation time of the optimisation, an analytical‐based particle swarm optimisation (PSO) method is proposed. Analytical exact subdomain model is used to calculate the torque ripple values and the PSO method is to find the optimal machine design. To verify the effectiveness of the method, the robustness of the performance characteristics are compared between the initial design SPMSM and the design after optimisation by both the simulations and the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of noncoding circular RNAs (circ RNAs) with regulatory potency have been identified in animals, but little attention has been given to plant circ RNAs., We performed genome-wide identification of circ RNAs in Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana using publically available RNA-Seq data, analyzed and compared features of plant and animal circ RNAs., circ RNAs (12037 and 6012) were identified in Oryza sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana, respectively, with 56% (10/18) of the sampled rice exonic circ RNAs validated experimentally. Parent genes of over 700 exonic circ RNAs were orthologues between rice and Arabidopsis, suggesting conservation of circ RNAs in plants. The introns flanking plant circ RNAs were much longer than introns from linear genes, and possessed less repetitive elements and reverse complementary sequences than the flanking introns of animal circ RNAs. Plant circ RNAs showed diverse expression patterns, and 27 rice exonic circ RNAs were found to be differentially expressed under phosphate-sufficient and -starvation conditions. A significantly positive correlation was observed for the expression profiles of some circ RNAs and their parent genes., Our results demonstrated that circ RNAs are widespread in plants, revealed the common and distinct features of circ RNAs between plants and animals, and suggested that circ RNAs could be a critical class of noncoding regulators in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In surface‐mounted permanent magnet synchronous motors, two types of magnet tolerances: magnet misplacements and magnetisation errors, cause additional torque ripple harmonic components and lead to the dispersion of torque ripple in mass production of motors. This paper analyses the effects of the magnet tolerances on torque ripple and estimates the statistical values of the magnitudes in each harmonic of additional torque ripple resulting from Gaussian distributed magnet tolerances. By using synthesis method, the analytical expressions are derived which reveal the relationship between the magnet tolerances and the magnitudes of the additional torque ripple harmonics. Based on the analytical expressions, the statistical values of each harmonic's magnitude are predicted. The expected values and standard deviations of the harmonics' magnitudes are calculated and verified by both the simulations and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main Problem Epilepsy is one of the more common neurological disorders. The medication is often ineffective to the patients suffering from intractable temporal lobe epilepsy ( TLE). As their seizures are usually self-terminated, the elucidation of the mechanism underlying endogenous seizure termination will help to find a new strategy for epilepsy treatment. We aim to examine the role of inhibitory interneurons in endogenous seizure termination in TLE patients. Methods Whole-cell recordings were conducted on inhibitory interneurons in seizure-onset cortices of intractable TLE patients and the temporal lobe cortices of nonseizure individuals. The intrinsic property of the inhibitory interneurons and the strength of their GABAergic synaptic outputs were measured. The quantitative data were introduced into the computer-simulated neuronal networks to figure out a role of these inhibitory units in the seizure termination. Results In addition to functional downregulation, a portion of inhibitory interneurons in seizure-onset cortices were upregulated in encoding the spikes and controlling their postsynaptic neurons. A patch-like upregulation of inhibitory neurons in the local network facilitated seizure termination. The upregulations of both inhibitory neurons and their output synapses synergistically shortened seizure duration, attenuated seizure strength, and terminated seizure propagation. Conclusion Automatic seizure termination is likely due to the fact that a portion of the inhibitory neurons and synapses are upregulated in the seizure-onset cortices. This mechanism may create novel therapeutic strategies to treat intractable epilepsy, such as the simultaneous upregulation of cortical inhibitory neurons and their output synapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Although polysulfone (PSU) is a potential thermoplastic engineering plastic with high heat resistance, good dimensional stability and excellent mechanical properties, its poor processability has greatly restricted its application in electrical, aerospace, and medical fields. In this work, polyamide 6 (PA6) and PSU-PA6 block copolymer (PSU- b-PA6) were used to improve the processibility and formability of PSU depending on their excellent fluidity and good compatibility between two components. Furthermore, the fluidity, thermal and mechanical properties of the blends were carefully investigated. It was found that, melt flow index of PSU could be increased above 10 times, and strength and toughness could be enhanced by 4-10% with the introduction of 10 wt % PA6 and PSU- b-PA6 without compromising the heat resistance of PSU obviously. The processing conditions of PSU could be improved while maintaining a decent comprehensive performance. Thus, the method has great potential for extending the applications of PSU. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 41139. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short noncoding RNAs have been demonstrated to play important roles in regulation of gene expression and stress responses, but the repertoire and functions of long noncoding RNAs ( lnc RNAs) remain largely unexplored, particularly in plants., To explore the role of lnc RNAs in disease resistance, we used a strand-specific RNA-sequencing approach to identify lnc RNAs responsive to Fusarium oxysporum infection in Arabidopsis thaliana., Antisense transcription was found in c. 20% of the annotated A. thaliana genes. Several noncoding natural antisense transcripts responsive to F. oxysporum infection were found in genes implicated in disease defense. While the majority of the novel transcriptionally active regions ( TARs) were adjacent to annotated genes and could be an extension of the annotated transcripts, 159 novel intergenic TARs, including 20 F. oxysporum-responsive lnc TARs, were identified. Ten F. oxysporum-induced lnc TARs were functionally characterized using T- DNA insertion or RNA-interference knockdown lines, and five were demonstrated to be related to disease development. Promoter analysis suggests that some of the F. oxysporum-induced lnc TARs are direct targets of transcription factor(s) responsive to pathogen attack., Our results demonstrated that strand-specific RNA sequencing is a powerful tool for uncovering hidden levels of transcriptome and that Inc RNAs are important components of the antifungal networks in A. thaliana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly reusable magnetic polymer beads was employed as adsorbent to extract Ag+ and Zn2+ from aqueous solution. Because of its excellent ability to adsorb Ag+ and Zn2+, after adsorption, the residual concentration of Zn2+ or Ag+ is far lower than the wastewater discharge Standard of China. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was suitable to describe the responding adsorption behavior. The adsorption isotherm of Ag+ fitted best with Langmuir model, suggesting a monolayer adsorption occurred between metal ions on these magnetic beads. But the adsorption isotherm of Zn2+ could be well described by Freundlich model. From the thermodynamic parameters, it indicated that this adsorption process was endothermic. Furthermore, the binding metal ions on the magnetic adsorbent could be easily recovered by eluting with acidic solution without changing the valance state of these metal ions. Moreover, the responding regeneration of these magnetic beads could be performed in alkali solution. Even after 20 runs of adsorption-desorption-regeneration, the adsorption ability of these magnetic beads changed little. These advantages, including excellent stability, favorable adsorption capacity, simple operation, and prominent recoverability, bring great potential to this technology in the removal of hazardous heavy metal ions from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to use molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study the influence of hydrogen bonding on the structure and glass transition temperature ( Tg) of maleimide-isobutene alternating copolymers (poly(RMI- alt-IB)), a promising material used in the optoelectronics industry. The Tg obtained by MD simulation shows that the incorporation of hydrogen bonding increased the Tg for 48 K. The static and dynamic properties of poly(RMI- alt-IB)s are examined in this study. All the results prove that intermolecular CO...HO is the main hydrogen bond in the copolymers, while negligible intramolecular hydrogen bonding is observed. The segmental mobility and chain mobility are decreased because of the existance of the hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of a MIRNA set and genome sequence of wild rice ( Oryza rufipogon) has prevented us from determining the role of MIRNA genes in rice domestication., In this study, a genome, three small RNA populations and a degradome of O. rufipogon were sequenced by Illumina platform and the expression levels of microRNAs (mi RNAs) were investigated by mi RNA chips., A de novo O. rufipogon genome was assembled using c. 55× coverage of raw sequencing data and a total of 387 MIRNAs were identified in the O. rufipogon genome based on c. 5.2 million unique small RNA reads from three different tissues of O. rufipogon. Of these, O. rufipogon MIRNAs, 259 were not found in the cultivated rice, suggesting a loss of these MIRNAs in the cultivated rice. We also found that 48 MIRNAs were novel in the cultivated rice, suggesting that they were potential targets of domestication selection. Some mi RNAs showed significant expression differences between wild and cultivated rice, suggesting that expression of mi RNA could also be a target of domestication, as demonstrated for the miR164 family., Our results illustrated that MIRNA genes, like protein-coding genes, might have been significantly shaped during rice domestication and could be one of the driving forces that contributed to rice domestication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulated gene expression and progeny production are essential for persistent and chronic infection by human pathogens, such as hepatitis B virus (HBV), which affects >400 million people worldwide and is a major cause of liver disease. In this study, we provide the first direct evidence that a liver-specific microRNA, miRo122, binds to a highly conserved HBV pregenomic RNA sequence v/a base-pairing interactions and inhibits HBV gene expression and replication. The miR-122 target sequence is located at the coding region of the mRNA for the viral polymerase and the 3' untranslated region of the mRNA for the core protein. In cultured cells, HBV gene expression and replication reduces with increased expression of miR-122, and the expression of miR-122 decreases in the presence of HBV infection and replication. Furthermore, analyses of clinical samples demonstrated an inverse linear correlation in vivo between the miR-122 level and the viral loads in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of HBV-positive patients. Our results suggest that miR-122 may down-regulate HBV replication by binding to the viral target sequence, contributing to the persistent/chronic infection of HBV, and that HBV-induced modulation of miR-122 expression may represent a mechanism to facilitate viral pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rapid and effective method to specifically isolate the antibodies from human serum was presented based on the fast magnetic separation and specific adsorption of the novel thiophilic magnetic polymer nanospheres, which were synthesized by using miniemulsion copolymerization. After the thiophilic heterocyclic ligands of 2-mercaptonicotinic acid were first activated via divinyl sulfone, they were immobilized on the surface of these magnetic nanospheres, through which the strong specificity to immunoglobulin G was evidently expressed in the isolation of antibodies from human serum. The mild conditions used in the process, including the physiological pH range, low temperature, and low ion strength, were so favorable for keeping the biological activity of antibodies, which resulted in their bioactivity purity to exceed 99%. The efficient isolation, simplicity process, mild conditions, and the conventional equipments required make this technology so attractive to purify antibodies from human serum. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2009 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It has been shown that overexpression of MIR156b/c resulted in a bushy phenotype in maize and rice. Our results indicated that the MIR156b/c locus was highly conserved among cereals, but not in dicots and that genome duplication events played an important role in the evolution of the miR156 family. Genetic diversity investigation at the locus indicated that only ∼9% of nucleotide diversity observed in wild rice (O. rufigogon) was maintained in the cultivated rice and the neutral model was rejected (P <0.05) based on Tajima’s D and Fu and Li’s D ∗ and F ∗ tests. To our knowledge, this is the first example of miRNA gene to be targeted by both natural and domestication selection in plants. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Investigates the role of hormones produced in adipocytes in the regulation of body energy content. Effects of Leptin to suppression of food intake; Use of animal models in research of human obesity; Homology of leptin to cytokine receptors.

Fear memory is a pivotal biological function by which organisms can predict possible danger to avoid or reduce harm. However, dysregulation of fear memory processing may lead to pathological fear or anxiety and produce serious clinical symptoms, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Iron deficiency (ID) is reported to inhibit the initiation of fear memory. In our study, we found that ferroportin1 (FPN1), the only known cellular iron export protein in mammals, and ablation in neurons and astrocytes caused iron deficiency in the cortex and hippocampus. However, little is known about its role in the development of fear memory. Moreover, direct evidence of the role of FPN1, or the related molecular mechanisms of such a role, in balancing brain iron homeostasis, especially in neuronal cells, is lacking. Herein, we deleted Fpn1 in mouse neurons, using Nestin-cre transgenic mice, and explored the impact on neuronal iron recycling and brain iron homeostasis in the cortex and hippocampus. We investigated the response of the mice to contextual fear and found that formation of fear memory was impeded after neuronal FPN1 depletion. We also found that FPN1 ablation in neurons and astrocytes caused an atypical expression of iron metabolism-related proteins in these two regions: decreased expression of DMT1, Ft-H, and Ft-L, and increased TfR1 expression. In addition, the decreased FPN1 in brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMVECs) also shed light on the cause of the decreased iron delivery to the brain through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Our research highlights the major role played by FPN1 in brain iron homeostasis and identifies a potential target for the treatment of PTSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]