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Synthesizing single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with a narrow chirality distribution is essential for obtaining pure chirality materials through postgrowth sorting techniques. Using carbon monoxide chemical vapor deposition, we devise a ruthenium (Ru) catalyst supported by silica for the bulk production of SWCNTs containing only a few (n, m) species. The result is attributed to the limited carbon dissociation on the supported Ru clusters, favoring the growth of only small-diameter SWCNTs at comparable growth rates. The resulting materials expedite high-purity single chirality separation using gel chromatography, leading to unprecedented yields of 3.5% for (9, 1) and 5.2% for (9, 2) nanotubes, which surpass those separated from HiPco SWCNTs by two orders of magnitude. This work sheds light on the large-quantity synthesis of SWCNTs with enriched species beyond near-armchair ones for their high-yield separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium difficile clinical isolates in Guangzhou, China. One hundred twenty isolates were collected from Guangzhou General Hospital at the Guangzhou Military Command in China from March 2014 to April 2015, and 9 isolates were identified as tcdA -negative/ tcdB -positive (A − B + ) strains. Results showed that all of the strains were confirmed to be ST37 and 0 single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were found in the PaLoc region, and >60 SNVs were identified throughout the whole genome sequence. The results show the diversity of the antibiotic and gene mutations present in these strains. All of the A − B + isolates were highly resistant to clindamycin and erythromycin; showed an average sensitivity to fluoroquinolones; and maintained a high susceptibility to metronidazole, vancomycin, and tigecycline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The protein encoded by ring finger protein 157 (RNF157) is known to function as an E3 ubiquitin ligase. However, whether the level of RNF157 expression in breast cancer correlates with prognosis and immune cell infiltration among breast cancer patients remains to be further explored. Methods: In this study, publicly available datasets were used for evaluating RNF157 expression in different tumors compared with normal samples. Several independent datasets were screened for investigating the relationship between RNF157 and breast cancer survival, different mutation profiles, and tumor immune cell infiltration. We conducted a pathway enrichment analysis to identify signaling pathways associated with RNF157. Results: Analysis of public and online databases revealed that RNF157 expression markedly decreased in breast cancer tissue samples compared to non-carcinoma counterparts. Consistently, immunohistochemistry assays also demonstrated this RNF157 down-regulation in breast cancer samples. RNF157 up-regulation could predict the improved survival of breast cancer cases. Further, different RNF157 expression level groups exhibited different mutational profiles. Pathway enrichment profiling of RNF157-related genes suggested its possible involvement in regulating breast cancer via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data and genomic enrichment analysis showed that RNF157 downregulated several genes positively associated with the MAPK signaling pathway. We also explored RNF157 expression and immune cell infiltration in breast cancer and found that RNF157 mRNA levels were negatively related to non-T immune cell infiltration. Conclusion: According to our work, RNF157 may be a promising diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a member of the lymphotropic virus family and is highly correlated with some human malignant tumors. It has been reported that envelope glycoprotein 110 (gp110) plays an essential role in viral fusion, DNA replication, and nucleocapsid assembly of EBV. However, it has not been established whether gp110 is involved in regulating the host's innate immunity. In this study, we found that gp110 inhibits tumor necrosis factor α-mediated NF-κB promoter activity and the downstream production of NF-κB-regulated cytokines under physiological conditions. Using dual-luciferase reporter assays, we showed that gp110 might impede the NF-κB promoter activation downstream of NF-κB transactivational subunit p65. Subsequently, we used coimmunoprecipitation assays to demonstrate that gp110 interacts with p65 during EBV lytic infection, and that the C-terminal cytoplasmic region of gp110 is the key interaction domain with p65. Furthermore, we determined that gp110 can bind to the N-terminal Rel homologous and C-terminal domains of p65. Alternatively, gp110 might not disturb the association of p65 with nontransactivational subunit p50, but we showed it restrains activational phosphorylation (at Ser536) and nuclear translocation of p65, which we also found to be executed by the C-terminal cytoplasmic region of gp110. Altogether, these data suggest that the surface protein gp110 may be a vital component for EBV to antagonize the host's innate immune response, which is also helpful for revealing the infectivity and pathogenesis of EBV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial paper aims to highlight the main topics investigated in the Special Issue (SI) "Water Optics and Water Colour Remote Sensing". The outcomes of the 21 papers published in the SI are presented, along with a bibliometric analysis in the same field, namely, water optics and water colour remote sensing. This editorial summarises how the research articles of the SI approach the study of bio-optical properties of aquatic systems, the development of remote sensing algorithms, and the application of time-series satellite data for assessing long-term and temporal-spatial dynamics in inland, coastal, and oceanic waters. The SI shows the progress with a focus on: (1) bio-optical properties (three papers); (2) atmospheric correction and data uncertainties (five papers); (3) remote sensing estimation of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) (eight papers); (4) remote sensing estimation of suspended matter and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) (four papers); and (5) water quality and water ecology remote sensing (four papers). Overall, the SI presents a variety of applications at the global scale (with case studies in Europe, Asia, South and North America, and the Antarctic), achieved with different remote sensing instruments, such as hyperspectral field and airborne sensors, ocean colour radiometry, geostationary platforms, and the multispectral Landsat and Sentinel-2 satellites. The bibliometric analysis, carried out to include research articles published from 1900 to 2016, indicates that "chlorophyll-a", "ocean colour", "phytoplankton", "SeaWiFS" (Sea-ViewingWide Field-of-View Sensor), and "chromophoric dissolved organic matter" were the five most frequently used keywords in the field. The SI contents, along with the bibliometric analysis, clearly suggest that remote sensing of Chl-a is one of the topmost investigated subjects in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncontrolled inflammation occurred in sepsis results in multiple organ injuries and shock, which contributes to the death of patients with sepsis. However, the regulatory mechanisms that restrict excessive inflammation are still elusive. Here, we identified an Ig-like receptor called signaling lymphocyte activation molecular family 7 (SLAMF7) as a key suppressor of inflammation during sepsis. We found that the expression of SLAMF7 on monocytes/macrophages was significantly elevated in patients with sepsis and in septic mice. SLAMF7 attenuated TLR-dependent MAPK and NF-κB signaling activation in macrophages by cooperating with Src homology 2–containing inositol-5′-phosphatase 1 (SHIP1). Furthermore, SLAMF7 interacted with SHIP1 and TNF receptor–associated factor 6 (TRAF6) to inhibit K63 ubiquitination of TRAF6. In addition, we found that tyrosine phosphorylation sites within the intracellular domain of SLAMF7 and the phosphatase domain of SHIP1 were indispensable for the interaction between SLAMF7, SHIP1, and TRAF6 and SLAMF7-mediated modulation of cytokine production. Finally, we demonstrated that SLAMF7 protected against lethal sepsis and endotoxemia by downregulating macrophage proinflammatory cytokines and suppressing inflammation-induced organ damage. Taken together, our findings reveal a negative regulatory role of SLAMF7 in polymicrobial sepsis, thus providing sights into the treatment of sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) has high morbidity and mortality, the cure rate of surgical treatment and drug chemotherapy is not ideal. Therefore, development of new treatment strategies is necessary. We aimed to identify the mechanism underlying Sp1 regulation of GC progression. Methods and Methods: The levels of Sp1, β-catenin, SET domain bifurcated 1 (SETDB1), and 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD) were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis. The targets of SETDB1 were predicted by AnimalTFDB, and dual-luciferase reporter assay was used for confirming the combination of Sp1, β-catenin, and SETDB1. HGC27 or AGS cells (1×106 cells/mouse) were injected into mice via the caudal vein for GC model establishment. The level of Ki67 was detected using immunohistochemistry, and hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed for evaluating tumor metastasis in mice with GC. Results: HPGD was inhibited, while the protein levels of Sp1, β-catenin, and SETDB1 were up-regulated in GC tissues and cell lines. HPGD overexpression or SETDB1 silencing inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of GC cells, and Sp1 regulated the proliferation, invasion, and migration of GC cells in a β-catenin-dependent manner. Furthermore, HPGD served as a target of SETDB1, and it was negatively regulated by SETDB1; additionally, Sp1 and β-catenin bound to the SETDB1 promoter and negatively regulated HPGD expression. We proved that Sp1 regulated GC progression via the SETDB1/HPGD axis. Conclusions: Our findings revealed that Sp1 transcriptionally inhibited HPGD via SETDB1 in a β-catenin-dependent manner and promoted the proliferation and metastasis of GC cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied feeding intake and food selection of nine captive forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) offered 17 species of plants in China. We also determined nutrient characteristics related to plant quality to assess their effect on food selection. Results indicated that forest musk deer exhibited positive selectivity for four species of plants (M. azedarach, M. baccata, K. japonica and C. orbiculatus) and negative selectivity for the remainder. Two plant species with the highest selectivity values accounted for 47.39 % of total food intake; thus, forest musk deer exhibited the strongest preference for these species. Food intake was positively correlated with feeding frequency and duration (r = 0.764, p < 0.005; r = 0.843, p < 0.005) but was not correlated with sniffing frequency or duration. However, olfaction did play an important role in food recognition by the deer. Pearson correlation analysis (data were log10 transformed) indicated that leaf intake was positively correlated with crude protein content (r = 0.708, p = 0.001) and negatively correlated with crude fiber content (r = -0.811, p < 0.001) and ash content (r = -0.496, p = 0.043). In addition, forest musk deer preferred tannin-rich plants with high protein and low fiber. Food intake was also positively correlated with potassium content (r = 0.672, p < 0.005). Our results suggest that forest musk deer is able to positively select high quality food (high protein content) and avoid low quality food (high fiber content). However, the fact that musk deer also prefer tannin-rich food requires further research to gain deeper insight into the underlying mechanisms in the food selection of forest musk deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese genebank contains 23,587 soybean landraces collected from 29 provinces. In this study, a representative collection of 1,863 landraces were assessed for genetic diversity and genetic differentiation in order to provide useful information for effective management and utilization. A total of 1,160 SSR alleles at 59 SSR loci were detected including 97 unique and 485 low-frequency alleles, which indicated great richness and uniqueness of genetic variation in this core collection. Seven clusters were inferred by STRUCTURE analysis, which is in good agreement with a neighbor-joining tree. The cluster subdivision was also supported by highly significant pairwise F st values and was generally in accordance with differences in planting area and sowing season. The cluster HSuM, which contains accessions collected from the region between 32.0 and 40.5°N, 105.4 and 122.2°E along the central and downstream parts of the Yellow River, was the most genetically diverse of the seven clusters. This provides the first molecular evidence for the hypotheses that the origin of cultivated soybean is the Yellow River region. A high proportion (95.1%) of pairs of alleles from different loci was in LD in the complete dataset. This was mostly due to overall population structure, since the number of locus pairs in LD was reduced sharply within each of the clusters compared to the complete dataset. This shows that population structure needs to be accounted for in association studies conducted within this collection. The low value of LD within the clusters can be seen as evidence that much of the recombination events in the past have been maintained in soybean, fixed in homozygous self-fertilizing landraces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is very important to efficiently study and use genetic diversity resources in crop breeding and sustainable agriculture. In this study, different sampling methods and sample sizes were compared in order to optimize the strategies for building a rationally sized core collection of Chinese soybean ( Glycine max). The diversity in the core collection captured more than 70% of that in the pre-core collection, no matter what sampling methods were used, at a sampling proportion of 1%. Core collections established with both simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker data and agronomic traits were more representative than those chosen on an independent basis. An optimal sampling method for a soybean core collection was determined, in which strategy ‘S’ (allocating accessions to clusters according to the proportion of square root of the original sample size within each ecotype) was used based on SSR and agronomic data. Curve estimation was used to estimate the allelic richness of the entire Chinese soybean germplasm and a minimum sample size for a core collection, on which a sampling proportion of about 2% was determined to be optimal for a core collection. Further analysis on the core collection with fourteen agronomic traits and allelic constitution at 60 SSR loci suggested that it highly represented the entire collections both on genetic structure and diversity distribution. This core collection would provide an effective platform in proper exploitation of soybean germplasm resources for the study of complex traits and discovering important novel traits for crop genetic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]