Search

Microglia play a crucial role in the activation of immune defense mechanism as the resident macrophages in the central nervous system (CNS). Microglia can eliminate damaged neurons, plaques, and other infectious agents. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-2 (TREM-2) speculates to be beneficial in preventing inflammation-induced bystander damage of neurons. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of TREM-2 on neurons are not clarified. We cultured PC12 cells with conditioned medium which was the supernatant of LPS-treated BV2 cells and six groups of PC12 cells (control group, LPS group, TREM-2 WT + LPS group, TREM-2 over-expression + LPS group, siRNA control + LPS group, and siRNA TREM-2 + LPS group) were investigated. The mRNA levels of inflammatory mediators: Nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and Arginase-1(Arg-1) were quantified by using RT-PCR. Assessment of apoptosis in PC12 cells mediated by BV2 microglia was analyzed using TUNEL assays. The result showed that LPS stimulation significantly enhanced inducible iNOS (M1) production in BV2 cells (P < 0.01), and increased PC12 cells apoptosis (P < 0.01), while reduced the production of Arg-1 (M2) in BV2 cells (P < 0.01). These effects were attenuated by TREM-2 over-expression, but enhanced by TREM-2 silencing. It indicated that TREM-2 inhibited LPS-mediated neuronal apoptosis by down-regulating iNOS and up-regulating the expression of Arg-1 in BV2 microglia. Therefore, our findings may provide new insights in the regulation of TREM-2 on neuronal apoptosis via BV2 microglial M1/M2 modulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was initially identified in China and currently worldwide dispersed, resulting in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Notably, COVID-19 is characterized by systemic inflammation. However, the potential mechanisms of the "cytokine storm" of COVID-19 are still limited. In this study, fourteen peripheral blood samples from COVID-19 patients (n = 10) and healthy donors (n = 4) were collected to perform the whole-transcriptome sequencing. Lung tissues of COVID-19 patients (70%) presenting with ground-glass opacity. Also, the leukocytes and lymphocytes were significantly decreased in COVID-19 compared with the control group (p < 0.05). In total, 25,482 differentially expressed messenger RNAs (DE mRNA), 23 differentially expressed microRNAs (DE miRNA), and 410 differentially expressed long noncoding RNAs (DE lncRNAs) were identified in the COVID-19 samples compared to the healthy controls. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis showed that the upregulated DE mRNAs were mainly involved in antigen processing and presentation of endogenous antigen, positive regulation of T cell mediated cytotoxicity, and positive regulation of gamma-delta T cell activation. The downregulated DE mRNAs were mainly concentrated in the glycogen biosynthetic process. We also established the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of up/downregulated DE mRNAs and identified 4 modules. Functional enrichment analyses indicated that these module targets were associated with positive regulation of cytokine production, cytokine-mediated signaling pathway, leukocyte differentiation, and migration. A total of 6 hub genes were selected in the PPI module networks including AKT1, TNFRSF1B, FCGR2A, CXCL8, STAT3, and TLR2. Moreover, a competing endogenous RNA network showed the interactions between lncRNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs. Our results highlight the potential pathogenesis of excessive cytokine production such as MSTRG.119845.30/hsa-miR-20a-5p/TNFRSF1B, MSTRG.119845.30/hsa-miR-29b-2-5p/FCGR2A, and MSTRG.106112.2/hsa-miR-6501-5p/STAT3 axis, which may also play an important role in the development of ground-glass opacity in COVID-19 patients. This study gives new insights into inflammation regulatory mechanisms of coding and noncoding RNAs in COVID-19, which may provide novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic avenues for COVID-19 patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ba 0.70 Ca 0.30 Ti 1- x (Nb 0.5 Fe 0.5) x O 3 lead-free ceramics (abbreviated as BCTNF x , x = 0–0.12) were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The influence of B-site (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ substitution on phase structure, microstructure, dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of Ba 0.70 Ca 0.30 TiO 3 ceramics were systematically studied. The BCTNF x ceramics consist of diphasic tetragonal (T) and orthorhombic (O) phases at x = 0–0.04, pseudocubic (PC) and O phases at x = 0.05–0.08, cubic (C) and O phases at 0.08 < x ≤ 0.12. Increase of (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ doping improves sinterability, depresses the ferroelectric - paraelectric phase transition temperature (T m) monotonically from 128 °C at x = 0 to -86 °C at x = 0.12, induces enhanced relaxor behavior and weakens piezoelectric properties. The room temperature relative dielectric constant (ε r) and dielectric loss tangent (tan δ) increase with increasing x and reach the maximum values of 4869 and 0.06 respectively at x = 0.06. Whereas the average grain size (abbreviated as AGS), ferroelectric properties and electric field induced strain increase significantly by introducing 2.0 mol% B-site complex cations (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ into Ba 0.70 Ca 0.30 TiO 3 ceramics. The BCTNF0.02 ceramics achieve optimal electrical properties with ε r = 1268, tan δ = 0.03, T m = 102 °C, P max = 12.8 μC/cm2, P r = 6.1 μC/cm2, E C = 6.0 kV/cm, d 33 = 117 pC/N, k p % = 0.18%, Q m = 236, bipolar S max % = 0.20%, unipolar S max % = 0.16% and d 33 ∗ = 314 pm/V. The variation of electrical properties of BCTNF x ceramics is attributed to the combined action of grain size effect, phase transition, weakness of octahedral distortion, clamping effects of the internal bias electric field E i on domain wall motion induced by B-site cations (Fe 0.5 Nb 0.5)4+ displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to determine the influence of superfine grinding on the physicochemical properties of bulbs of Fritillaria unibracteata Hsiao et K.C. Hsia (BFU) powder. For this purpose, fine powder (FP) and two superfine powders (SPs) were obtained via superfine and conventional grinding methods. The properties of different powders were studied and compared. Compared with FP, SPs exhibited higher values in terms of the angle of repose, swelling capacity, ethanol extraction yield, total alkaloid content, and imperialine content, while lower values in terms of particle size and bulk density. Especially, the total alkaloid content of SP‐I increased by 66.7%. Proper grinding is more conducive to reduce particle size and improve alkaloid content. FTIR analysis indicates that no new functional groups produced after superfine grinding. XRD analysis suggests that grinding treatment lead to decreases in the crystallinity. Therefore, superfine grinding displays immense potential in the BFU application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolites are the final products of cellular regulation processes, their level is the ultimate response of biological systems to environmental and genetic changes. Therefore, the identification of key metabolites is required for the diagnosis and therapy of diseases. In this study, atherosclerosis-related gene expression profile information was extracted from ArrayExpress database (GEOD-57691), and analyzed with limma package. Furthermore, we constructed an intricate multi-omics network involved in genes, phenotypes, metabolites and their associations. To identify the prioritization of atherosclerosis-related metabolites, the relation score of each metabolite in the composite network was computed with the random walk with restart (RWR) method. The top 50 metabolites and top 100 genes were chosen based on the score in the weighted composite network. Consequently, several key metabolites that were ranked in the top 5 of relation score or degree greater than 70 were confirmed. Particularly, metabolites Tretinoin and Estraderm not only have high relation scores, but also contain more degrees. Moreover, we obtained 24 co-expression genes that may be regarded as the targets of atherosclerosis therapy. Therefore, identification of metabolite prioritizations by the composite network integrated the information of genes, phenotypes and metabolites may be available to diagnose atherosclerosis, and can provide the potential therapeutic strategies for atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by pancreatic fibrosis, associated with excessive activation of pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and increased expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Recently, our studies have shown that autophagy inhibitor could inhibit PSCs activation and reduce collagen secretion. Saikosaponin d (SSd), the major active component of bupleurum falcatum (a medicinal plant), has anti-fibrosis effects in liver. However, it is unclear whether SSd has a role in pancreatic fibrosis. This study aimed to investigate the effect of SSd on the autophagy and activation of PSCs in vivo and in vitro. In vivo, a rat chronic pancreatitis model was induced by intravenous injection of dibutyltin dichloride. SSd was administered at a dose of 2.0 mg/kg body weight per day by gavage. After 4 weeks, the pancreas was collected for histological and molecular analysis. In vitro, PSCs were isolated and cultured for treatment with different dosages of SSd. The results showed that SSd inhibited PSCs autophagy and activation while also reducing extracellular matrix (ECM) formation and pancreatic damage. SSd inhibited autophagy through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. SSd also promoted degradation of ECM with an increasing ratio of MMPs/TIMPs and suppressed the TGF-β1/Smads pathway. From these results, we concluded that SSd prevents pancreatic fibrosis by reducing autophagy of PSCs through PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway, which has crosstalk with the TGF-β1/Smads pathway. Highlights • Saikosaponin d improved pancreatic damage induced by DBTC in rat model. • Saikosaponin d inhibited PSCs activation and ECM formation in pancreas. • Saikosaponin d inhibited PSCs activation through reducing autophagy of PSCs. • Saikosaponin d repressed autophagy through activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway in PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autophagy is of importance in the regulation of cell differentiation and senescence in podocytes. It is possible that derangement of autophagy under different pathological conditions activates or enhances Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) in podocytes, resulting in glomerular sclerosis. To test this hypothesis, the present study produced lysosome dysfunction by inhibition of the vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) to test whether deficiency of autophagic flux leads to enhancement of EMT in podocytes. Methods and Results: By Western blot and confocal analysis, lysosome inhibition using a V-ATPase inhibitor or its siRNA was found to markedly decreases the epithelial markers (P-cadherin and ZO-1) and increases the mesenchymal markers (FSP-1 and α-SMA). This enhancement was accompanied by deficient autophagic flux, as demonstrated by marked increases in LC3B-II and p62/Sequestosome 1. However, inhibition of autophagosome formation using spaudin-1 significantly attenuated both enhancement of EMT and deficiency of autophagic flux. To explore the mechanisms by which deficient autophagic flux enhances EMT, we tested the role of accumulated p62 as a signal hub in this process. Neither the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and nuclear kappa-light-chain-enhancer pathways of p62 contributed to enhanced EMT. However, inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) activity reduced the phosphorylation of p62 and enhanced EMT in podocytes similar to lysosome dysfunction. Conclusion: The lack of phosphorylated p62 leads to a faster exit from cell mitosis, enhanced EMT associated with lysosome dysfunction may be attributed to accumulation of p62 and associated reduction of p62 phosphorylation. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The effects of Mn doping on structures, electric, magnetic, and magnetocapacitive properties of the 0.33Ba0.70Ca0.30TiO3–0.67BiFeO3 + x wt%MnO2 (BCT-67BF:Mn100x, x =0–0.6) ceramics have been intensively investigated. [•] The BCT-67BF:Mn100x ceramics with x =0–0.6 have diphasic tetragonal–rhombohedral phases. Mn doping improves the densification and significantly decreases the grain size. [•] As x increases, the relaxor degree increases, the ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity weaken monotonically, while the magnetism enhances firstly, reaching the maximum near x =0.5, and then decreases. [•] The room temperature relative dielectric constant shows an obvious increase with increasing applied magnetic fields (H), the magnetocapacitive coefficient (ε r(H)− ε r(0))/ε r(0) decreases with increasing Mn content, from 2.96% for x =0 – 0.86% for x =0.6 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures, Curie temperature, dielectric relaxor behaviors, ferroelectricity, ferromagnetism, and magnetocapacitance of the (1− x) Ba0.70 Ca0.30 TiO3- x BiFeO3 [(1− x) BCT- x BF, x = 0-0.90] solid solutions have been systematically investigated. The ceramics have coexisted tetragonal (T) and orthorhombic (O) phases when x ≤ 0.06, coexisted pseudocubic (PC) and O phases when x = 0.065, coexisted cubic and O phases when 0.07 ≤ x ≤ 0.12, PC phase when 0.21 ≤ x ≤ 0.42, coexisted T and rhombohedral (R) phases when 0.52 ≤ x ≤ 0.70, and R phase when x ≥ 0.75. Significantly, composition-dependent microstructures and Curie temperature are observed, the average grain size increases from 1.9 μm for x = 0, reaches 12.0 μm for x = 0.67, and then decreases to 1.3 μm for x = 0.90. At room temperature, the ceramics with x = 0.42-0.70 show piezoelectric properties and multiferroic behaviors, characterized by the polarization-electric field, polarization current intensity-electric field, and magnetization-magnetic field curves, the composition with x = 0.67 has maximum polarization, remnant polarization, maximum magnetization, and remnant magnetization of 15.0 μC/cm2, 9.1 μC/cm2, 0.33 emu/g, and 0.14 emu/g, respectively. In addition, the magnetocapacitance is evidenced by the increased relative dielectric constant with increasing the applied magnetic field ( H). With Δ H = 8 kOe, the composition with x = 0.67 shows the largest values of (εr( H) − εr(0))/εr(0) = 2.96% at room temperature. The structure-property relationship is discussed intensively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics of Ba0.70Ca0.30Ti1−x Fe x O3 (x=0–0.03) have been synthesized by a conventional solid state reaction method. The influence of Fe content on the microstructure, phase transition, dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties is investigated systematically. The ceramics with x≤0.02 are diphasic composites of tetragonal Ba0.80Ca0.20TiO3:Fe and orthorhombic Ba0.07Ca0.93TiO3:Fe solid solutions. The tetragonal phase is gradually suppressed as x increases, the ceramic with x=0.03 is found to have diphasic pseudocubic and orthorhombic phases. And the grain size is dependent on Fe content significantly. Introduction of Fe at B-sites improves the densification and decreases the sintering temperature. As x increases from 0 to 0.03, the room temperature relative dielectric permittivity enhances, dielectric loss decreases, and the Curie temperature decreases monotonically from 128°C to 58°C. However, the ferroelectricity enhances slightly and reaches the maximum near x=0.005, and then weakens with increasing x. On the other hand, the piezoelectric coefficient (d 33) and the electromechanical coupling coefficient (k p ) decrease simultaneously with increasing x, whereas the mechanical quality factor (Q m ) increases significantly. The structure–electrical properties relationship is discussed intensively to give more information on (Ba,Ca)TiO3-based lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of sintering temperature and poling conditions on the electrical properties of tetragonal and orthorhombic diphasic Ba0.70Ca0.30TiO3 (BCT) lead-free ceramics have been systematically investigated. On the one hand, with increasing sintering temperature from 1270°C to 1400°C, the bulk density increases monotonically and the Curie temperature keeps almost constant with the value of ∼120°C, whereas the grain size, the maximum relative dielectric constant, room temperature polarization reach the maximum values for samples sintered at 1340°C. On the other hand, it is found that the piezoelectric property depends on poling electric field and poling temperature significantly. An enhanced piezoelectric behavior of d 33=126pC/N, k p =0.29, and Q m =588 is obtained for the BCT ceramics poled at 100°C with 30kV/cm field for 20min. The aging behavior of the piezoelectric property is also investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Lead-free piezoelectric ceramics of (1 − x) Ba0.70 Ca0.30 TiO3- x BiFeO3 [(1 − x) BCT- x BF, x = 0-0.065] have been prepared and investigated. The ceramics with x ≤ 0.06 have diphasic tetragonal and orthorhombic crystal structures, whereas tetragonal phase is suppressed by the introduction of BF. As a result, the composition with x = 0.065 is found to have diphasic pseudocubic and orthorhombic phases. Significantly composition-dependent grain size is observed. With increasing x from 0 to 0.065, the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition temperature decreases monotonically from 128°C to 50°C, accompanied by enhanced ferroelectric relaxor behavior, as indicated by the widened diffused phase transition temperature. The room temperature polarization-electric field ( P-E) hysteresis loops and strain-electric field ( S-E) curves indicate that the ferroelectricity enhances slightly and reaches the maximum near x = 0.05, and then weakens with increasing x. On the other hand, the piezoelectric coefficient ( d 33) and electromechanical coupling coefficient ( kp) decrease simultaneously with increasing x, whereas the mechanical quality factor ( Qm) reaches the maximum near x = 0.05. The structure-property relationship is discussed intensively. Our results may be helpful for further understanding and designing BaTiO3-related lead-free ferroelectric/piezoelectric materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study used astragalus membranaceus (AM) to treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) model mice during pregnancy, aiming to explore the role of AM in Helper T cell 17 (Th17) differentiation and SLE during pregnancy. Methods: We used lipopolysaccharide to constructed the SLE mouse model. AM decoction given by intragastric administration lasted from the eighth week of the mouse age until the mouse was killed. We estimated the messenger RNA levels of IL‐17a and Rorc, counted the Th17 cell number and examined the levels of cytokines including interleukin (IL)‐12, tumor necrosis factor α, interferon gamma, IL‐17A in mouse serum. Periodic acid‐Schiff staining and renal glomerular/tubulointerstitial (TI) score were used to evaluate the progression of lupus nephritis (LN). Results: AM treatment improved the conception rate and increased the number and average weight of fetuses in SLE mice. It significantly decreased the urinary albumin/creatinine ratios and reduced the glomerular scores and TI scores in the pregnant SLE mice. AM gavage significantly decreased the weight of spleen, mesenteric lymph node, total splenocytes and T cells, and the expression of proinflammatory factors. Furthermore, AM treatment reduced the ratio of Th17 cells and the expression levels of RORγt and IL‐17A. Conclusion: AM significantly improved pregnancy outcomes and inhibited lupus nephritis during pregnancy in SLE mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1′,4′-trans-diol-ABA is a key precursor of the biosynthesis of abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis in fungi. We successfully obtained the pure compound from a mutant of Botrytis cinerea and explored its function and possible mechanism on plants by spraying 2 mg/L 1′,4′-trans-diol-ABA on tobacco leaves. Our results showed that this compound enhanced the drought tolerance of tobacco seedlings. A comparative transcriptome analysis showed that a large number of genes responded to the compound, exhibiting 1523 genes that were differentially expressed at 12 h, which increased to 1993 at 24 h and 3074 at 48 h, respectively. The enrichment analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were primarily enriched in pathways related to hormones and resistance. The DEGs of transcription factors were generally up-regulated and included the bHLH, bZIP, ERF, MYB, NAC, WRKY and HSF families. Moreover, the levels of expression of PYL/PYR, PP2C, SnRK2, and ABF at the ABA signaling pathway responded positively to exogenous 1′,4′-trans-diol-ABA. Among them, seven ABF transcripts that were detected were significantly up-regulated. In addition, the genes involved in salicylic acid, ethylene and jasmonic acid pathways, reactive oxygen species scavenging system, and other resistance related genes were primarily induced by 1′,4′-trans-diol-ABA. These findings indicated that treatment with 1′,4′-trans-diol-ABA could improve tolerance to plant abiotic stress and potential biotic resistance by regulating gene expression, similar to the effects of exogenous ABA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is a sensitive and widely used technique for quantifying gene expression levels, and its accuracy depends on the reference genes used for data normalization. To date, no reference gene has been reported in the nutritious and functional vegetable okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). Herein, 11 candidates of reference genes were selected and evaluated for their expression stability in okra in different tissues at different developmental stages by using three software algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper) and a web-based tool (RefFinder). Among them, eukaryotic initiation factor 4 alpha (eIF4A) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) showed the highest stability, while TUA5 had the lowest stability. The combined usage of these two most stable reference genes was sufficient to normalize gene expression in okra. Then, the above results were further validated by normalizing the expression of the cellulose synthase gene CesA4. This work provides appropriate reference genes for transcript normalization in okra, which will facilitate subsequent functional gene research on this vegetable crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cadmium (Cd) stress induced oxidative stress and reduced photosynthesis in tomato. • E3 ubiquitin ligase gene SlRING1 highly expressed in roots in response to Cd stress. • Silencing SlRING1 aggravated Cd phytotoxicity, H 2 O 2 content and oxidative damage. • SlRING1 deficiency reduced Cd-induced expression of CAT , DHAR , MDHAR , GSH , and PCS. • Suppression of SlRING1 expression increased Cd accumulation in shoots and roots. The E3 ubiquitin ligases participate in the degradation of plant proteins and play a regulatory role in stress response. However, the role of tomato E3 ubiquitin ligase genes in plant response to heavy metal stress remains elusive. Here, we identified 17 tomato E3 ubiquitin ligase genes using blast analysis of highly expressed E3 ubiquitin ligase genes of Arabidopsis thaliana. Through organ expression analysis, three E3 ubiquitin ligase genes with higher expression levels in roots were further screened out, and they were named Sl1 , SlRHE1, and SlRING1. Among these three genes, SlRING1 expression was the highest in response to cadmium (Cd) stress. Silencing SlRING1 significantly decreased chlorophyll content, Fv/Fm, photosynthetic rate, and biomass accumulation under Cd stress. The levels of H 2 O 2 , electrolyte leakage, and malondialdehyde significantly increased in SlRING1 –silenced plants under Cd stress compared with that in non-silenced tomato plants. Cd stress-induced increases in the transcript levels of antioxidant and detoxification genes such as CAT, DHAR, MDHAR, GSH, and PCS were compromised by SlRING1 silencing. Moreover, Cd accumulation in shoots and roots significantly increased in SlRING1 -silenced plants compared with non-silenced tomato plants. These findings suggest that SlRING1 plays a positive role in plant tolerance to Cd stress in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The non-coding small RNA tRFs (tRNA-derived fragments) and phasiRNAs (plant-specific) exert important roles in plant growth, development and stress resistances. However, whether the tRFs and phasiRNAs respond to the plant important stress hormone abscisic acid (ABA) remain enigma. Results: Here, the RNA-sequencing was implemented to decipher the landscape of tRFs and phasiRNAs in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves and their responses when foliar spraying exogenous ABA after 24 h. In total, 733 tRFs and 137 phasiRNAs were detected. The tRFs were mainly derived from the tRNAAla transporting alanine, which tended to be cleaved at the 5'terminal guanine site and D loop uracil site to produce tRFAla with length of 20 nt. Most of phasiRNAs originated from NBS-LRR resistance genes. Expression analysis revealed that 156 tRFs and 68 phasiRNAs expressed differentially, respectively. Generally, exogenous ABA mainly inhibited the expression of tRFs and phasiRNAs. Furthermore, integrating analysis of target gene prediction and transcriptome data presented that ABA significantly downregulated the abundance of phsaiRNAs associated with biological and abiotic resistances. Correspondingly, their target genes such as AP2/ERF, WRKY and NBS-LRR, STK and RLK, were mainly up-regulated. Conclusions: Combined with the previous analysis of ABA-response miRNAs, it was speculated that ABA can improve the plant resistances to various stresses by regulating the expression and interaction of small RNAs (such as miRNAs, tRFs, phasiRNAs) and their target genes. This study enriches the plant tRFs and phasiRNAs, providing a vital basis for further investigating ABA response-tRFs and phasiRNAs and their functions in biotic and abiotic stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective The inhibition of Aluminum (Al)-induced root tip cell elongation is a major cause of plant root elongation suppression. The inhibition of root tip cell elongation is caused by a disruption of cell wall component metabolism, growth signaling, or cellular damage. The aim of this study was to identify the proteins involved in the metabolism of the root cell wall components under Al stress in the Al-tolerant wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar ET8. Methods Differentially expressed proteins of Al-tolerant wheat roots were screened via isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ). Furthermore, their expression changes were detected via RT-PCR analysis. The contents of major components of the cell wall and their changes in metabolic enzyme activities were also investigated. Results A total of 97 differentially expressed proteins from Al-tolerant wheat roots were screened and nine of these 97 proteins were root cell wall component related. The known nucleic acid sequences of proteins were 14-3-3 protein, the plasm membrane (PM) H+-ATPase, phospholipase D, peroxidase, and glycosyltransferase. For 14-3-3 protein, phospholipase D and peroxidase, the protein expression and mRNA expression were consistent with Al-treatment; however, for PM H+-ATPase and glycosyltransferase, the protein expression and mRNA expression were inconsistent under Al-stress. Furthermore, both cellulase activity and callase activity were down-regulated by Al stress, while the phenylalanineammonialyase (PAL), cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), and peroxidase (POD) activities were up-regulated. Furthermore, the PM H+-ATPase activity was decreased in response to Al stress. In addition, the contents of callose, cellulose, lignin, and H 2 O 2 varied significantly. Conclusions The cell wall components, relative metabolism enzymes activity, and gene expression also changed followed by protein expression changed in response to Al stress. The results suggest that Al stress leads to marked variations in metabolic enzyme activity, carbohydrate content, followed by changes of root cell components in wheat roots. Highlights • Differently expressed proteins related to root cell wall components metabolism under Al stress were screened by iTRAQ. • Al stress leads to marked variations in root cell wall metabolic enzyme activity. • Root cell wall components was changed by Al stress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, Zn-Ni composite coatings with different Ni contents were deposited on low-carbon steel using Low pressure cold spray (LPCS) method. The morphology, element distribution and phase compositions of powders and as-sprayed coatings were analyzed by using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray diffraction respectively. The corrosion protection mechanism of these composite coatings were investigated using electrochemical technique and their corrosion morphologies. The results show that Zn-Ni composite coatings exhibited a better sacrificial anodic protection and physical shielding effect, where the corrosion resistance of the coating with 10 wt% Ni in the feedstock was best. The corrosion products were mainly composed of Zinc hydroxide Zn(OH) 2 , basic zinc chloride hydrate ZnCl 2 ·4Zn(OH) 2 ·H 2 O, basic zinc carbonate hydrate Zn 4 ·CO 3 (OH) 6 ·H 2 O and the corrosion products is not mixed with alumina. The corrosion process mainly includes active dissolution of zinc, zinc cathodic protection, physical shielding caused by corrosion products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experimental study about pre-desliming flotation was made for the difficult-to-float coal slime from Tonghua, which is characterized by high content of clay mineral and high-ash fine fraction. The efficient desliming process was explored by small taper angle hydrocyclone, the particle size and mineral composition of cyclone products were analyzed, and underflow products were studied through progressive release flotation. The results show that (f)150 mm hydrocyclone is chosen as the main desliming equipment. In the process of ф150 mm and ф75 mm hydraulic cyclone series connection, the whole desliming efficiency of fine particles <0. 045 mm is up to 67. 73%, the ash content is 50. 10%,and the minerals of Kaolinite and illite are got enriched in overflow. The two kinds of underflow can be used as feed of the flotation alone or mixed,and compared with the direct flotation of the raw coal slime, both the combustible material recovery and clean coal production rate are improved by 2-3 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]