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The structural changes of macromolecules (starch, dietary fiber and protein) in purple corn flour (PCF) modified by a low temperature impact mill (LTIM) at different air classifier speed (ACS) were investigated. LTIM changed the multi-scale structure of starch, which was characterized by increased starch damage, stronger destruction of relative crystallinity (from 37.85 % to 15.53 %) and short-range ordered structure (R

Yinhua Luo,1,&ast; Xiaohong He,2,&ast; Linbo Hu,3 Jinbo Zhao,1 Ke Su,1 Yuhua Lei,1 Yuanhong Li1 1Cardiovascular Disease Center, Central Hospital of Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, People’s Republic of China; 2Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Enshi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Enshi Prefecture, People’s Republic of China; 3Health Management Centre, Central Hospital of Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Enshi Prefecture, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuanhong Li, Cardiovascular Disease Center, Central Hospital of Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, People’s Republic of China, Email lyh0101@vip.163.comBackground: Ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) with high morbidity and mortality is closely associated with an abnormal equilibrium of circulation selenium levels. The oxidative stress theory is the most accepted theory of selenium causing ischemic cardiomyopathy. However, the role of inflammatory responses in ICM has received limited attention.Methods: This study included 119 subjects, 43 of whom were patients with ICM, and 76 were healthy controls. Blood specimens were collected from subjects and serum levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress indicators and plasma levels of selenium were measured.Results: When plasma selenium and indicators of inflammation and oxidative stress were compared between groups, plasma selenium levels were significantly lower in the ICM group than in the control group (68.83874 vs 104.39775, p=0.02032), while indicators of inflammation such as tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (79.09773 vs 46.15634, p< 0.001), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (49.41484 vs 38.46923, p< 0.01) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (3.696574 vs 2.383658, p< 0.001) were significantly higher in the ICM group than in the control group (all of these results were statistically different). Additionally, malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress, was considerably higher in the ICM group than in the control group (61.63078 vs 39.0609, p< 0.01). In contrast, there were no significant differences in superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels between groups (p> 0.05). The Poisson regression analysis revealed a significant association between selenium and high levels of MDA, IL-6 and TNF-α (p< 0.05). Additionally, selenium was negatively connected with SOD levels and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, but this relationship was not statistically significant (p=0.96, 0.15, respectively).Conclusion: Selenium deficiency is strongly associated with the development of ICM, and with levels of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with ICM. Selenium can prevent the development and delay the progression of ICM by alleviating inflammatory responses.Keywords: inflammatory responses, ischemic cardiomyopathy, oxidative stress, selenium

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy against T cell malignancies faces major challenges including fratricide between CAR-T cells and product contamination from the blasts. Allogeneic CAR-T cells, generated from healthy donor T cells, can provide ready-to-use, blast-free therapeutic products, but their application could be complicated by graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and host rejection. Here we developed healthy donor-derived, CD7-targeting CAR-T cells (RD13-01) with genetic modifications to resist fratricide, GvHD and allogeneic rejection, as well as to potentiate antitumor function. A phase I clinical trial (NCT04538599) was conducted with twelve patients recruited (eleven with T cell leukemia/lymphoma, and one with CD7-expressing acute myeloid leukemia). All patients achieved pre-set end points and eleven proceeded to efficacy evaluation. No dose-limiting toxicity, GvHD, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity or severe cytokine release syndrome (grade ≥ 3) were observed. 28 days post infusion, 81.8% of patients (9/11) showed objective responses and the complete response rate was 63.6% (7/11, including the patient with AML). 3 of the responding patients were bridged to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. With a median follow-up of 10.5 months, 4 patients remained in complete remission. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and/or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation was observed in several patients, and one died from EBV-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Expansion of CD7-negative normal T cells was detected post infusion. In summary, we present the first report of a Phase I clinical trial using healthy donor-derived CD7-targeting allogeneic CAR-T cells to treat CD7sup+/suphematological malignancies. Our results demonstrated the encouraging safety and efficacy profiles of the RD13-01 allogeneic CAR-T cells for CD7sup+/suptumors.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires the continued development of safe, long-lasting, and efficacious vaccines for preventive responses to major outbreaks around the world, and especially in isolated and developing countries. To combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we characterize a temperature-stable vaccine candidate (TOH-Vac1) that uses a replication-competent, attenuated vaccinia virus as a vector to express a membrane-tethered spike receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen. We evaluate the effects of dose escalation and administration routes on vaccine safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity in animal models. Our vaccine induces high levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and favorable T cell responses, while maintaining an optimal safety profile in mice and cynomolgus macaques. We demonstrate robust immune responses and protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants after only a single dose. Together, these findings support further development of our novel and versatile vaccine platform as an alternative or complementary approach to current vaccines., Graphical abstract, To combat SARS-CoV-2, we characterize a novel vaccine candidate (TOH-Vac1) that uses a replication-competent, attenuated vaccinia virus as a vector to express a membrane-tethered spike receptor binding domain antigen. We evaluate the effects of dose escalation and administration routes on vaccine safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity in mice and cynomolgus macaques.

The long-term stability of underground energy reserves is closely linked to salt rock creep. To study the creep behavior of salt rock, creep tests were conducted on salt rock specimens under various confining pressures and axial stresses. The test results reveal that the creep of salt rock is influenced by the combined effect of confining pressure and deviatoric stress, which represents the difference between axial and confining pressure. Subsequently, a long-term strength and time-controlled viscoplastic damage body is proposed by considering the plastic deformation in the steady-state creep stage. The viscoplastic damage body is connected in series with the fractional-order Maxwell model to form a new six-element nonlinear creep model generalized to three-dimensional form. The applicability of the new model was verified using triaxial creep test data of salt rock, and it was found to describe the creep curve more accurately compared to the Nishihara model. A sensitivity analysis of the model parameters indicates that different parameters affect various creep stages, and creep curves under different loads can be adjusted by changing these parameters.

Purpose To evaluate the association between combined exposure of selenium (Se) and other elements and cognitive function in older adults. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 416 rural older adults aged 60 or older was conducted in four areas with different soil Se levels in Enshi county, China. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine whole blood Se, copper (Cu), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) concentration. Nine standard cognitive tests were applied to assess cognitive function. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and generalized linear models (GLM) were used to determine the association between elements exposure and cognitive function. Results The results of Lasso regression show that Se, Cu, Fe, Zn, Ca and Pb were independently identified to be associated with cognition. ANCOVA and GLM consistently indicated that Se and Ca were related to cognitive function. The multi-element model incorporating these selected six elements showed higher composite Z scores of 0.32 (95%CI: 0.087 to 0.533) for log-transformed Se (p p = 0.048) and a lower score of 0.67 (95%CI: -1.263 to -0.083) for log-transformed Ca (p p for interaction = 0.031). Conclusion Our findings suggested that higher Se and Cu level were associated with better cognitive function in the elderly, and blood Se can antagonize the cognitive damage of blood Ca.

Triacylglycerol (TG) biosynthesis is an important metabolic process for intracellular storage of surplus energy, intestinal dietary fat absorption, attenuation of lipotoxicity, lipid transportation, lactation and signal transduction in mammals. Transmembrane protein 68 (TMEM68) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-anchored acyltransferase family member of unknown function. In the current study we show that overexpression of TMEM68 promotes TG accumulation and lipid droplet (LD) formation in a conserved active sites-dependent manner. Quantitative targeted lipidomic analysis showed that diacylglycerol (DG), free fatty acid (FFA) and TG levels were increased by TMEM68 expression. In addition, TMEM68 overexpression affected the levels of several glycerophospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol, as well as sterol ester contents. TMEM68 exhibited monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MGAT) and diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) activities dependent on the conserved active sites in an in vitro assay. The expression of lipogenesis genes, including DGATs, fatty acid synthesis-related genes and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ was upregulated in TMEM68-overexpressing cells. These results together demonstrate for the first time that TMEM68 functions as an acyltransferase and affects lipogenic gene expression, glycerolipid metabolism and TG storage in mammalian cells.

The recent SARS-CoV-2 and mpox outbreaks have highlighted the need to expand our arsenal of broad-spectrum antiviral agents for future pandemic preparedness. Host-directed antivirals are an important tool to accomplish this as they typically offer protection against a broader range of viruses than direct-acting antivirals and have a lower susceptibility to viral mutations that cause drug resistance. In this study, we investigate the Exchange Protein Activated by cAMP (EPAC) as a target for broad-spectrum antiviral therapy. We find that the EPAC-selective inhibitor, ESI-09 provides robust protection against a variety of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Vaccinia (VACV) - an orthopoxvirus from the same family as mpox. We show, using a series of immunofluorescence experiments, that ESI-09 remodels the actin cytoskeleton through Rac1/Cdc42 GTPases and the Arp2/3 complex, impairing internalization of viruses that use clathrin-mediated endocytosis (e.g. VSV) or micropinocytosis (e.g. VACV). Additionally, we find that ESI-09 disrupts syncytia formation and inhibits cell-to-cell transmission of viruses such as measles and VACV. When administered to immune-deficient mice in an intranasal challenge model, ESI-09 protects mice from lethal doses of VACV and prevents formation of pox lesions. Altogether, our finding show that EPAC antagonists such as ESI-09 are promising candidates for broad-spectrum antiviral therapy that can aid in the fight against ongoing and future viral outbreaks.

There is substantial evidence for the probiotic activity of anthocyanins, but the relationship between anthocyanins involved in the regulation of microbiota and intestinal inflammation has not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory effects of black rice anthocyanin extract (BRAE) on intestinal microbiota imbalance in mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced chronic colitis. DSS was added into drinking water to induce a mouse model of chronic experimental colitis, and BRAE was given by gavage (200 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. Body weight, fecal viscosity, and hematochezia were monitored during administration. After mice were sacrificed, the serum concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the composition of intestinal flora was analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed that BRAE significantly suppressed DSS-induced colonic inflammatory phenotypes and maintained colon length in mice. In addition, BRAE reduced intestinal permeability and improved intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice with colitis. Gut microbiota analysis showed that BRAE significantly improved the imbalance of intestinal microecological diversity caused by DSS, inhibited the increase in the relative abundance of inflammatory bacteria, and promoted the abundance of anti-inflammatory probiotics including Akkermansia spp.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) based elastomers have witnessed increasing applications in various emerging fields, and the crystallization modification of the PET-based elastomers with functional nanoparticles is considered as the effective strategy for simultaneously improving their processing efficiency, mechanical properties as well as functionalities. Therefore, we herein have synthesized a range of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with different sizes using a high temperature resistance polymer as the surface capping agent. Furthermore, we found that the melt crystallization of a semi-crystallized PET-based elastomer, which was obtained by introducing the flexible polyethylene glycol (PEG1000) segment into PET backbone via condensation polymerization, can be effectively tuned by the synthesized Ag NPs with different sizes. The surface morphology, optical properties, crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of the Ag NPs modified PET-PEG elastomers have been systematically characterized using SEM, optical spectroscopy, DSC, XRD, polarized optical microscope and electromechanical analyzer. The results indicated that the Ag NPs with average size of ~ 60 nm serve as the optimized nucleating agent to not only accelerate the crystallization but also enhance the mechanical properties of PET-PEG elastomers (i.e., tensile strength and modulus were enhanced by 9.6% and 76.6%, respectively). Meanwhile, the intrinsic blue fluorescence emission of PET-PEG elastomers is well preserved after Ag NPs modification. Given the diverse functional properties of Ag NPs, the present work will open the new way for fabrication of multifunctional polyester elastomers with tunable mechanical properties.

Studies have established the association between blood β-amyloid (Aβ) levels and Alzheimer's disease, but population-based studies concerning the association between selenium (Se) and Aβ levels in blood samples are very limited. Therefore, we explored the association in an elderly population with Se status and serum Aβ measures.A cross-sectional study on 469 elderly individuals from four rural counties with diverse soil Se levels was carried out. Fasting blood Se, serum selenoprotein P (SELENOP), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), serum Aβ42, and Aβ40 were measured. Quantile regression models were used to determine the associations of blood Se, serum GPX, and SELENOP with Aβ levels.Significant negative associations were observed between blood Se and serum Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels at all percentiles (P 0.05). The associations were generally stronger at higher Aβ42 and Aβ40 percentiles than lower Aβ42 and Aβ40 percentiles. Blood Se was positively associated with serum Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio at 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles. Significant positive associations were observed between serum GPX and Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels at all percentiles (P 0.05). The positive associations were generally stronger at higher Aβ42 and Aβ40 percentiles than at lower percentiles. Serum GPX was negatively associated with Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio at 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th percentiles. No associations with serum SELENOP and Aβ levels were observed.Our results suggest that higher Se levels are associated with lower serum Aβ42 and Aβ40 levels and with higher Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio, and the results are specific for different selenoproteins.

The present study aimed to detect selenium (Se) levels in the blood of Enshi Prefecture residents in China and investigate the relationship between blood Se levels and glucose or lipid metabolism disorder. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and 1876 subjects were selected through cluster random sampling from Enshi Prefecture using a questionnaire survey, physical examinations, and biochemical blood tests. The mean blood Se level in the overall population was 0.128 ± 0.178 μg/mL. Se exhibits a “U”-shaped curve on the serum fasting plasma glucose (FPG) of the total samples, that is, when the blood Se is more than 0.131 μg/mL or less than 0.062 μg/mL, the FPG increases significantly. A significant negative correlation was demonstrated between the FPG levels of the 4–17-year-old age group and different blood Se levels (P

Eliminating colloidal toxicity and enabling its intrinsic fluorescence in aggressive environmental conditions are the key challenges for commercializing hydrophobic cadmium based quantum dots (QD). Polyarylene ether nitriles (PEN) are an example of super-engineering thermoplastics that possess a unique combination of thermal stability, intrinsic fluorescence, biocompatibility and distinct emulsion self-assembly feature. Herein, the co-self-assembly of amphiphilic PEN with hydrophobic CdSe@ZnS QD, confined in the three dimensional (3D) oil-in-water emulsion droplets, has been explored to fabricate fluorescent microparticles (FMP). It was found that these FMP demonstrated good biocompatibility (cell viability above 90%), while exhibiting a fluorescence emission in aqueous solution that was retained (intensity retention ratio above 80%) within the whole pH range of 1–14, as well as, after being subjected to autoclaving at 120 °C for 1 h. Interestingly, it was discovered that introduction of calcium ions in the emulsion self-assembly contributed to in-situ generation of phase changing nanoplates inside the FMP, which led to the photo-thermal modulated solid state fluorescence from drop-casted FMP film. Thanks to their versatile fluorescence, these FMP colloids were exploited as fluorescent probes for macrophages imaging, while micro-patterns with reversible changing of emission color were induced via thermal treatment and direct laser lithography.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination has resulted in serious environmental pollution and threatens human health and ecosystems. Our recent studies have demonstrated that Pseudomonas chenduensis strain MBR can decrease Cd bio-availability and reduce Cd accumulation in rice; however, the transcriptional mechanisms underlying the bacterial response during and particularly after Cd bioremediation are still unclear. In this study, we used RNA-Seq to investigate the transcriptional profiles of strain MBR during and after Cd bioremediation. During Cd bioremediation, MBR removed all Cd2+ ions in solution within 24 h, accompanied by 564 upregulated and 363 downregulated expressed genes compared with that of the control (without Cd supplementation). Specifically, under Cd stress, the upregulation of czc (czcA, czcB, and czcC) and mer (merA, merT, merC, and merP) genes enabled Cd efflux from the cytoplasm and conferred resistance of MBR to Cd toxicity. The upregulation of genes (algK, algX, and alg44) related to biofilm formation enabled Cd absorption and contributed to Cd bioremediation. After Cd bioremediation, MBR was transferred to non-Cd medium, and the genes related to histidine metabolism and flagellar assembly still showed similar expression patterns as those during bioremediation (defined as Cd legacy effects). However, the genes involved in Cd resistance and bioremediation were not influenced by Cd legacy effects. This study provides new and thorough insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying Cd bioremediation by a functional microbe. • The upregulation of czc and mer genes is responsible for MBR resistance to Cd. • The upregulation of genes related to biofilm formation contributes to Cd bioremediation. • Cd effects on genes involved in histidine metabolism and flagellar assembly are long-lasting.

Introduction The objective of this study was to report on the clinical performance of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for trisomies 21, 18 and 13 in twin pregnancies and to define the performance of NIPT by combining our cohort study results with published studies in a systematic meta-analysis. Material and methods A cohort study was carried out in the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University and Kanghua Hospital. Meanwhile, searches of PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science for all relevant peer-reviewed articles were performed with a restriction to English language publication before 15 June 2019. Quality assessments were conducted with the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 checklist. Data analysis, heterogeneity, subgroup analysis and publication bias were carried out using META-DISC 1.4 and STATA 12.0. Results In all, 141 twin pregnancies included in our cohort study; confirmation revealed one true-positive case for trisomy 21 and 140 true-negative cases. The sensitivity and specificity for trisomy 21 by NIPT were both 100%. Twenty-two eligible studies were enrolled in this meta-analysis together with our study. There were 199 cases of trisomy 21, 58 cases of trisomy 18, 14 cases of trisomy 13 and 6347 cases of euploids in total. For trisomy 21, NIPT showed the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.99, 1.00, 145.81, 0.06 and 1714.09, respectively. For trisomy 18, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio and diagnostic odds ratio were 0.88, 1.00, 200.98, 0.19 and 483.68, respectively. Conclusions The performance of NIPT for trisomy 21 in twin pregnancy was excellent and it was similar to that reported in singleton pregnancy. However, due to publication bias (trisomy 18) and small number of cases (trisomy 13), accurate assessment of the predictive performance of NIPT for trisomies 18 and 13 could not be achieved.

Nanoparticles exhibiting good biocompatibility and multifunctional optical, magnetic, and reactive properties are essential materials for the construction of next generation theranostics platforms. The core-shell structured CdSe@CdS is one of few semiconductor quantum dots (QD) that shows ideal photoluminescence for biological application including unity quantum yields, identical photoluminescence for ensembles and single dot, nonblinking, and antibleaching. However, overcoming toxicity concerns from Cd

Although the association between selenium (Se) and diabetes has been well-discussed in recent years, few studies have focused on the effects of long-term natural Se exposure and rarely concerned the effects of different Se biomarkers. To address this question, we carried out a 7-year longitudinal study on older adults aged over 65 and another cross-sectional study on middle-aged and older adults aged 40 and above from Chinese soil Se-deplete and Se-optimum areas. Cox proportional hazard models were used to evaluate the associations between nail Se levels and incidence risk of diabetes. Unconditional logistic regression models and analysis of variance models were used to examine the associations between serum Se levels and the prevalence risk of diabetes. The nail and serum Se levels were 0.47 ± 0.20 μg/g and 111.09 ± 55.01 μg/L for the two study populations, respectively. For both of the independent studies, higher Se levels were observed to be associated with a higher risk of diabetes and prediabetes. Compared with the Second nail Se quartile (Q2), the adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) of diabetes for Q1, Q3 and Q4 were 1.24(0.70, 2.21), 1.53(0.98, 2.39) and 1.31(0.76, 2.26), respectively, and the adjusted HRs (95 % CIs) of prediabetes were 1.47(0.77, 2.81), 1.38(0.83, 2.30), and 1.97(1.13, 3.44), respectively. Compared with the first serum Se quintile (Q1), the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % CIs of diabetes for higher quintiles were 1.12(0.75, 1.66), 1.05(0.71, 1.57), 1.09(0.73, 1.62) and 1.51(1.02, 2.19), and the adjusted ORs (95 % CIs) of prediabetes were 1.27(0.77, 2.09), 1.70(1.05, 2.74), 1.94(1.21, 3.11) and 1.67(1.03, 2.71). Our findings consistently suggest that higher Se status is associated with a higher risk of diabetes in adults.

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics clearly demonstrate the need for innovative multiplex therapies that attack the tumour on multiple fronts. Oncolytic or “cancer-killing” viruses (OVs) represent up-and-coming multi-mechanistic immunotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of cancer. In this study, we perform an in-vitro screen based on virus-encoded artificial microRNAs (amiRNAs) and find that a unique amiRNA, herein termed amiR-4, confers a replicative advantage to the VSVΔ51 OV platform. Target validation of amiR-4 reveals ARID1A, a protein involved in chromatin remodelling, as an important player in resistance to OV replication. Virus-directed targeting of ARID1A coupled with small-molecule inhibition of the methyltransferase EZH2 leads to the synthetic lethal killing of both infected and uninfected tumour cells. The bystander killing of uninfected cells is mediated by intercellular transfer of extracellular vesicles carrying amiR-4 cargo. Altogether, our findings establish that OVs can serve as replicating vehicles for amiRNA therapeutics with the potential for combination with small molecule and immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Polyethersulfone (PES) is one of the most widely used high-performance polymers in biomedicine due to its unique combination of mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, the intrinsic hydrophobicity of PES hinders its biomedical application efficiency because of biofouling or non-specific adsorption concerns, which could be mitigated by introducing hydrophilic moieties into PES. In this work, we have synthesized, for the first time, a novel amphiphilic block copolymer named as amPENS containing both the hydrophobic PES segment and the hydrophilic polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) segment. Furthermore, the synthesized amPENS has been transformed into sub-micrometer-sized microparticles via the emulsion solvent evaporation-induced self-assembly, and the size as well as fine morphology of the obtained PENS microparticles can be readily modulated by varying different experimental parameters. Finally, as a proof-of-concept application, the monoclonal antibody against insulin has been covalently immobilized on the surface of the optimized PENS microparticles, which allows specific qualitative discrimination of insulin in a suspension immunoassay via flow cytometry.

Soybean provides essential protein and amino acids for humans and animals, while sulfur-containing amino acids (SAA), including methionine (Met) and cysteine (Cys), are very limited. In this study, we constructed a high-density bin-map with 3420 bin markers using 676 857 SNPs of a recombinant-inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Kefeng no. 1 and Nannong 1138-2. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was performed for Cys, Met, SAA, and the protein content using this high-density bin-map. Twenty-five QTLs linked to these four traits were identified, and four genomic regions located on chromosomes (Chr) 07, 08, 15, and 20 were overlapped by multiple QTLs. Among them, bin 115-124 located on Chr 15 was associated with all four traits and was a novel locus with a high LOD value. These findings will provide a basis for nutritional quality improvement using marker-assisted selection breeding and clarify the genetic mechanisms of SAA and protein in soybean.

Simple Summary The high-quality lambskin of the Chinese Zhongwei goat has a high economic value. The quality of lamb skin is mainly affected by the curvature of the wool, which is regulated by the growth and development of hair follicles. In this study, the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) of 45-day-old and 108-day-old Zhongwei goats were constructed by the Ribo Zero RNA sequencing. A total of 60 differential lncRNAs and 352 differential mRNAs were identified. The functional annotation of differential lncRNAs target genes showed that they were mainly enriched in PI3K-Akt and Arachidonic acid metabolic signaling pathways. In combination with qRT-PCR and WGCNA results, we speculate that LOC102172600 and LOC102191729 might affect hair follicle development and wool curvature by regulating the target genes. These results provide new insights into the potential role of lncRNA in regulating wool bending. Abstract Chinese Zhongwei goat is a rare and precious fur breed as its lamb fur is a well-known fur product. Wool bending of lamb fur of the Zhongwei goat is its most striking feature. However, the curvature of the wool decreases gradually with growth, which significantly affects its quality and economic value. The mechanism regulating the phenotypic changes of hair bending is still unclear. In the present study, the skin tissues of Zhongwei goats at 45 days (curving wool) and 108 days (slight-curving wool) after birth were taken as the research objects, and the expression profiling of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs were analyzed based on the Ribo Zero RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) method. In total, 46,013 mRNAs and 13,549 lncRNAs were identified, of which 352 were differentially expressed mRNAs and 60 were. lncRNAs. Functional enrichment analysis of the target genes of lncRNAs were mainly enriched in PI3K-Akt, Arachidonic acid metabolic, cAMP, Wnt, and other signaling pathways. The qRT-PCR results of eight selected lncRNAs and target genes were consistent with the sequencing result, which indicated our data were reliable. Through the analysis of the weighted gene co-expression network, 13 co-expression modules were identified. The turquoise module contained a large number of differential expressed lncRNAs, which were mainly enriched in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and cAMP signaling pathway. The predicted LOC102172600 and LOC102191729 might affect the development of hair follicles and the curvature of wool by regulating the target genes. Our study provides novel insights into the potential roles of lncRNAs in the regulation of wool bending. In addition, the study offers a theoretical basis for further study of goat wool growth, so as to be a guidance and reference for breeding and improvement in the future.

In response to various stimuli, naïve macrophages usually polarize to M1 (classically activated) or M2 (alternatively activated) cells with distinct biological functions. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) is involved in M1 macrophage polarization at an early stage. Here, we show for the first time that NOS1 is dispensable for M2 macrophage polarization for the first time. Further, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by NOS1 signaling in M1-polarized macrophages stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were characterized by transcriptome analysis of wild-type (WT) and NOS1 knockout mouse macrophages. Thousands of affected genes were detected 2 h post LPS challenge, and this wide-ranging effect became greater with a longer stimulation time (8 h post LPS). NOS1 deficiency caused dysregulated expression of hundreds of LPS-responsive genes. Most DEGs were enriched in biological processes related to transcription and regulation of the immune and inflammatory response. At 2 h post-LPS, the toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathway were the major pathways affected, whereas the main pathways affected at 8 h post-LPS were Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation, FoxO, and AMPK signaling pathway. Identified DEGs were validated by real-time quantitative PCR and interacted in a complicated signaling pathway network. Collectively, our data show that NOS1 is dispensable for M2 macrophage polarization and reveal novel insights in the role of NOS1 signaling at different stages of M1 macrophage polarization through distinct TLR4 plasma membrane-localized and endosome-internalized signaling pathways.

Hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) has been considered as one of the most hazardous heavy metals because of its strong and persistent toxicity to the ecosystem and human beings. Herein, we have synthesized a double hydrophilic block co-polyarylene ether nitriles (abbreviated as dhPEN) bearing aromatic backbone as well as pendent carboxyl and sulfonate groups. Afterward, the synthesized dhPEN has been co-assembled with the lanthanide Tb