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Arsenate [As(V)] is a metalloid with heavy metal properties and is widespread in many environments. Dietary intake of food derived from arsenate-contaminated plants constitutes a major fraction of the potentially health-threatening human exposure to arsenic. However, the mechanisms underlying how plants respond to arsenate stress and regulate the function of relevant transporters are poorly understood. Here, we observed that As(V) stress induces a significant Ca2+ signal in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) roots. We then identified a calcium-dependent protein kinase, CALCIUM-DEPENDENT PROTEIN KINASE 23 (CPK23), that interacts with the plasma membrane As(V)/Pi transporter PHOSPHATE TRANSPORTER 1;1 (PHT1;1) in vitro and in vivo. cpk23 mutants displayed a sensitive phenotype under As(V) stress, while transgenic Arabidopsis plants with constitutively active CPK23 showed a tolerant phenotype. Furthermore, CPK23 phosphorylated the C-terminal domain of PHT1;1, primarily at Ser514 and Ser520. Multiple experiments on PHT1;1 variants demonstrated that PHT1;1S514 phosphorylation is essential for PHT1;1 function and localization under As(V) stress. In summary, we revealed that plasma-membrane-associated calcium signaling regulates As(V) tolerance. These results provide insight for crop bioengineering to specifically address arsenate pollution in soils.

DNA polymerase η (Pol η) catalyzes accurate bypass of ultraviolet light-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, and it also functions in several other related processes, including bypassing DNA with unusual structures. Here, we performed unbiased proteome-wide profiling of Pol η-interacting proteins by using two independent approaches, i.e., proximity labeling and affinity pull-down followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. We identified several helicases, including DHX9, as novel Pol η-interacting proteins. Additionally, ChIP-Seq analysis showed that Pol η is enriched at guanine quadruplex (G4) structure sites in chromatin. Moreover, Pol η promotes the recruitment of DHX9 to G4 structure loci in chromatin and facilitates DHX9-mediated unwinding of G4 structures. Deficiency in Pol η or DHX9 leads to attenuated replication across G4 regions in genomic DNA. Together, we unveiled the interaction between Pol η and DHX9 and demonstrated that the interaction promotes the replicative bypass of G4 structures in chromatin.

In the field of social networks rumor control, finding the important nodes with the greatest propagating influence is of great practical importance to effectively control the propagation of rumors. In order to solve the problem that the network coupling information and information transfer mechanism in the existing node importance metric affects the accuracy of the metric, we propose a measure of node importance based on Multiple Feature Fusion (MFF). The method uses an improved Dempster-Shafer evidence theory to fuse the centrality, transmissibility, and prestige measurement of nodes and rank the importance of nodes based on the fusion results. The proposed method was first evaluated against similar methods on six real networks in terms of robustness and vulnerability, as well as in terms of SIR propagation characteristics. Then, we simulated the changes in the number of users who believed the rumor after the rumor was propagated in three cases: before the control, after suppress rumors by random nodes, and after suppress rumors by important nodes. The experimental results show that the proposed method is more accurate for node importance measurement and more effective in rumor control.

Invasion of carcinoma cells into surrounding tissue affects breast cancer staging, influences choice of treatment, and impacts on patient outcome. KIF21A is a member of the kinesin superfamily that has been well-studied in congenital extraocular muscle fibrosis. However, its biological relevance in breast cancer is unknown. This study investigated the functional roles of KIF21A in this malignancy and examined its expression pattern in breast cancer tissue. The function of KIF21A in breast carcinoma was studied in vitro by silencing its expression in breast cancer cells and examining the changes in cellular activities. Immunohistochemical staining of breast cancer tissue microarrays was performed to determine the expression patterns of KIF21A. Knocking down the expression of KIF21A using siRNA in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 human breast cancer cells resulted in significant decreases in tumor cell migration and invasiveness. This was associated with reduced Patched 1 expression and F-actin microfilaments. Additionally, the number of focal adhesion kinase- and paxillin-associated focal adhesions was increased. Immunohistochemical staining of breast cancer tissue microarrays showed that KIF21A was expressed in both the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments of carcinoma cells. Predominance of cytoplasmic KIF21A was significantly associated with larger tumors and high grade cancer, and prognostic of cause-specific overall patient survival and breast cancer recurrence. The data demonstrates that KIF21A is an important regulator of breast cancer aggressiveness and may be useful in refining prognostication of this malignant disease.

Background: Morbidity of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increased, with many complications and high mortality rates. The characteristics of oral microbiome in CKD patients have not been reported. This study aims to analyze the oral microbiome, and to demonstrate the potential of microbiome as noninvasive biomarkers for CKD patients. Methods: The study collected 253 oral samples from different regions of China (Central China and East China) prospectively and finally 235 samples completed Miseq sequencing, including 103 samples from CKD patients and 132 healthy controls (HCs). Results: Compared with HCs (n=88), the oral microbial diversity in CKD patients (n=44) was increased. Fourteen genera including Streptococcus, Actinomyces and Leptotrichia were enriched, while six genera including Prevotella and Haemophilus were decreased in CKD patients. Moreover, 49 predicted microbial gene functions including arginine metabolism and tryptophan metabolism increased, while 55 functions including Ribosome and DNA repair recombination proteins decreased. Furthermore, correlation analysis demonstrated that 38 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were closely related to 5 clinical indicators of CKD. Notably, 7 optimal biomarkers were identified using random forest model, and the classifier model respectively reached an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9917 and 0.8026 in the discovery and validation phase, achieving a cross-region validation. Conclusions: We first illustrated the characteristics of the oral microbiome of patients with CKD, identified the potential of oral microbial makers as noninvasive tools for the diagnosis of CKD and achieved cross-region validation.

Inorganic superionic conductor holds great promise for high-performance all-solid-state lithium batteries. However, the ionic conductivity of traditional inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) is always unsatisfactory owing to the grain boundary resistance and large thickness. Here, a 13 μm-thick laminar framework with ~ 1.3 nm interlayer channels is fabricated by self-assembling rigid, hydrophilic vermiculite (Vr) nanosheets. Then, Li 0.33 La 0.557 TiO 3 (LLTO) precursors are impregnated in interlayer channels and afterwards in-situ sintered to large-size, oriented, and defect-free LLTO crystal. We demonstrate that the confinement effect permits ordered arrangement of LLTO crystal along the c-axis (the fastest Li + transfer direction), permitting the resultant 15 μm-thick Vr-LLTO electrolyte an ionic conductivity of 8.22×10 -5 S cm -1 and conductance of 87.2 mS at 30 o C. These values are several times' higher than that of traditional LLTO-based electrolytes. Moreover, Vr-LLTO electrolyte has a compressive modulus of 1.24 GPa. Excellent cycling performance is demonstrated with all-solid-state Li/LiFePO 4 battery.

DNA methylation plays vital roles in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. There are three forms of DNA methylation in prokaryotes:N6-methyladenine (6mA),N4-methylcytosine (4mC), and 5-methylcytosine (5mC). Although many sequencing methods have been developed to sequence specific types of methylation, few technologies can be used for efficiently mapping multiple types of methylation. Here, we present NT-seq for mapping all three types of methylation simultaneously. NT-seq reliably detects all known methylation motifs in two bacterial genomes and can be used for identifying de novo methylation motifs. NT-seq provides a simple and efficient solution for detecting multiple types of DNA methylation.

Inorganic superionic conductor holds great promise for high-performance all-solid-state lithium batteries. However, the ionic conductivity of traditional inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) is always unsatisfactory owing to the grain boundary resistance and large thickness. Here, a 13 μm-thick laminar framework with ≈1.3 nm interlayer channels is fabricated by self-assembling rigid, hydrophilic vermiculite (Vr) nanosheets. Then, Li

Invasion of carcinoma cells into surrounding tissue affects breast cancer staging, influences choice of treatment, and impacts on patient outcome. KIF21A is a member of the kinesin superfamily that has been well-studied in congenital extraocular muscle fibrosis. However, its biological relevance in breast cancer is unknown. This study investigated the functional roles of KIF21A in this malignancy and examined its expression pattern in breast cancer tissue.The function of KIF21A in breast carcinoma was studied in vitro by silencing its expression in breast cancer cells and examining the changes in cellular activities. Immunohistochemical staining of breast cancer tissue microarrays was performed to determine the expression patterns of KIF21A.Knocking down the expression of KIF21A using siRNA in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 human breast cancer cells resulted in significant decreases in tumor cell migration and invasiveness. This was associated with reduced Patched 1 expression and F-actin microfilaments. Additionally, the number of focal adhesion kinase- and paxillin-associated focal adhesions was increased. Immunohistochemical staining of breast cancer tissue microarrays showed that KIF21A was expressed in both the cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments of carcinoma cells. Predominance of cytoplasmic KIF21A was significantly associated with larger tumors and high grade cancer, and prognostic of cause-specific overall patient survival and breast cancer recurrence.The data demonstrates that KIF21A is an important regulator of breast cancer aggressiveness and may be useful in refining prognostication of this malignant disease.

Phosphorus, an essential macroelement for plant growth and development, is a major limiting factor for sustainable crop yield. The Rho of plant (ROP) GTPase is involved in regulating multiple signal transduction processes in plants, but potentially including the phosphate deficiency signaling pathway remains unknown. Here, we identified that the rop6 mutant exhibited a dramatic tolerant phenotype under Pi-deficient conditions, with higher phosphate accumulation and lower anthocyanin content. In contrast, the rop6 mutant was more sensitive to arsenate (As(V)) toxicity, the analog of Pi. Immunoblot analysis displayed that the ROP6 protein was rapidly degraded through ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway under Pi-deficient conditions. In addition, pull-down assay using GST-RIC1 demonstrated that the ROP6 activity was decreased obviously under Pi-deficient conditions. Strikingly, protein-protein interaction and two-voltage clamping assays demonstrated that ROP6 physically interacted with and inhibited the key phosphate uptake transporters PHT1;1 and PHT1;4 in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, genetic analysis showed that ROP6 functioned upstream of PHT1;1 and PHT1;4. Thus, we conclude that GTPase ROP6 modulates the uptake of phosphate by inhibiting the activities of PHT1;1 and PHT1;4 in Arabidopsis.

Gut microbiota make up the largest microecosystem in the human body and are closely related to chronic metabolic diseases. Herein, 520 fecal samples are collected from different regions of China, the gut microbiome in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized, and CKD classifiers based on microbial markers are constructed. Compared with healthy controls (HC, n = 210), gut microbial diversity is significantly decreased in CKD (n = 110), and the microbial community is remarkably distinguished from HC. Genera Klebsiella and Enterobacteriaceae are enriched, while Blautia and Roseburia are reduced in CKD. Fifty predicted microbial functions including tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolisms increase, while 36 functions including arginine and proline metabolisms decrease in CKD. Notably, five optimal microbial markers are identified using the random forest model. The area under the curve (AUC) reaches 0.9887 in the discovery cohort and 0.9512 in the validation cohort (49 CKD vs 63 HC). Importantly, the AUC reaches 0.8986 in the extra diagnosis cohort from Hangzhou. Moreover, Thalassospira and Akkermansia are increased with CKD progression. Thirteen operational taxonomy units are correlated with six clinical indicators of CKD. In conclusion, this study comprehensively characterizes gut microbiome in non‐dialysis CKD and demonstrates the potential of microbial markers as non‐invasive diagnostic tools for CKD in different regions of China., Compared with healthy controls, gut microbial diversity in CKD is significantly reduced, Klebsiella and Akkermansia are significantly increased, Roseburia and Faecalibacterium are significantly reduced, and the predictive function of gut microbiota such as ascorbate metabolism and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis is significantly enhanced. Akkermansia increases along with the progression of CKD, which is positively correlated with serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, and negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate, and could be used as a therapeutic target to improve the prognosis of CKD. Importantly, gut microbial markers have strong diagnostic potential for CKD and achieve cross‐regional validation, which can be used as a non‐invasive diagnostic tool for CKD.

The development of thin solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and mechanical strength is essential for high-performance all-solid-state lithium batteries. Although Inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs) possess high ionic conductivity, fabricating thin and mechanically stable ISEs is still challenging. Herein, Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) nanosheets with lateral size of 3–5 μm and thickness of ~4.5 nm were prepared, and then self-assembled into thin, defect-free, and freestanding LLZO laminar ISE (LLISE). Compared to LLZO pellet (>200 μm) obtained by cold-pressing method, LLISE with a thickness of 12 μm attains an almost 10-times higher ionic conductivity of 1.30 × 10−4 S cm−1 at 30 °C because of the short Li-ion diffusion distance. Importantly, this thin thickness gives high ionic conductance (0.17 S at 30 °C) and energy density of 340 Wh kg−1, ranking one of the highest values among reported solid-state electrolytes. Meanwhile, the compressive strength of LLISE with a thickness of 20 μm (LLISE-20) reaches 3.2 Gpa. The Li symmetrical cell assembled with LLISE-20 can work over 1500 h without obvious polarization under a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2 at 60 °C. The LFP/Li cell exhibits superior cycling stability of 143.2 mAh g−1 at 0.5C and 60 °C after 200 cycles with low capacity decay of 0.05% per cycle.

Background: To study the effects of Tristetraprolin (TTP) on Doxorubicin (DOX)-induced experimental kidney injury (KI). Methods: DOX was used to induce kidney injury in Balb/c male mice (in vivo) and in human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2) and normal rat kidney epithelial cell line (NRK-52E) (in vitro). Body weight of the animal groups under investigation were recorded daily throughout the experimental period. Histological changes were observed using Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and levels of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and serum cystatin C in KI mice, and ROS, MDA, LDH and SOD in cells were detected using the corresponding kits. Meanwhile, intracellular levels of oxidative stress were assessed using 2, 7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) fluorescent staining. TTP and Kim-1 expression levels were measured by immunohistochemistry and western blot. The TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels were evaluated by ELISA. Expressions of IL-13, STAT6, p-STAT6, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved-caspase3 were detected via western blot, respectively. CCK-8 was conducted for analyzing cell viability, and cells apoptosis were assessed by DAPI staining and flow cytometry. Results: DOX treatment decreased body weight and aggravated renal injury without changes in water and food intake. DOX significantly reduced TTP expression, stimulated IL-13/STAT6 pathway and elevated the levels of several factors related to renal injury, including inflammatory response, oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, which were significantly restored by the treatment of overexpression TTP in vitro. Conclusion: Overexpression of TTP significantly reduces DOX-induced adverse outcomes so as to prevent renal injury. Inhibition of IL-13/STAT6 pathway may be the functional mechanism under TTP in experimental KI.

To study the effects of Tristetraprolin (TTP) on Doxorubicin (DOX)-induced experimental kidney injury (KI). DOX was used to induce kidney injury in Balb/c male mice (in vivo) and in human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cell line (HK-2) and normal rat kidney epithelial cell line (NRK-52E) (in vitro). Body weight of experimental mice were recorded daily. Histological changes were observed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and levels of blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and serum cystatin C in KI mice, and MDA, LDH and SOD in cells were detected using the corresponding kits. Meanwhile, the 2, 7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCF-DA) fluorescent staining was used to assess intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). TTP and Kim-1 expressions were measured by immunohistochemistry and western blot. The TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels were evaluated by ELISA. Expressions of IL-13, STAT6, p-STAT6, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved-caspase3 were detected using western blot, respectively. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) was conducted for analyzing cell viability, and cells apoptosis were assessed by DAPI staining and flow cytometry. DOX treatment decreased body weight and aggravated renal injury without changes in water and food intake. DOX significantly reduced TTP expression, stimulated IL-13/STAT6 pathway and elevated the levels of several factors related to renal injury, including inflammatory response, oxidative stress and cell apoptosis, which were significantly restored by the treatment of overexpression TTP in vitro. Overexpression of TTP significantly reduces DOX-induced adverse outcomes so as to prevent renal injury. Inhibition of IL-13/STAT6 pathway may be the functional mechanism under TTP in experimental KI.

The reaction kinetics of the Fe(II)-induced catalytic oxidation of S(IV) in a concentration range of 10–6 M ≤ [Fe(II)] ≤ 1 M was studied. The S(IV) catalytic oxidation reaction order for O2 and HSO3– was found to be 0 and 1 in this iron concentration range. The reaction order toward Fe(II) was 1 for 10–6 M ≤ [Fe(II)] ≤ 10–4 M, 0 for 10–4 M < [Fe(II)] ≤ 10–2 M, and −0.2 for 10–2 M ≤ [Fe(II)] ≤ 1 M. At 30–50 °C the activation energy values were low but increased after an increase in the ionic strength. The ionic strength had a negative influence on the reaction rate constant in the iron concentration range. By analyzing the radical mechanisms and reaction kinetic results, a simplified model for the Fe(II)-induced catalytic oxidation of S(IV), which enables a better analysis and elucidation of the experimental results, is proposed.

A process for flue gas desulfurization (FGD) with simultaneous polymeric ferric sulfate (PFS) production was investigated, using a ferrous sulfate (FeSO 4 ) solution as the absorbent, sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) in flue gas as the raw material and sodium chlorate (NaClO 3 ) as the oxidant. The results indicate that SO 2 removal efficiency in a packed column could be maintained at a high level, with an average value of more than 95% during experiments. Liquid PFS that met established quality standard was produced simultaneously. Meanwhile, the solid PFS by-products would be obtained in a spray-drying column due to the high temperature inlet flue gas and its quality parameters were determined. The liquid and solid PFS by-products were used to treat three types of wastewater, and it is found that two types of synthesized PFS were close or better than commercially available solid PFS for chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and the performance of liquid PFS was found to be superior to that of solid PFS.

The strong electron-accepting ability of transition metal ions enables them to catalyze the oxidation of S(IV) to S(VI) in solution. This reaction has been applied in many fields, such as flue gas desulfurization, hydrometallurgy, atmospheric chemistry, and chemical engineering. To understand the characteristics of the catalysis, this paper reviews the status of research on this reaction in the different fields. This work aims to promote the mutual appreciation of research results among different fields, and reports on the progress in studies on the reaction.

To cope with the deterioration of the atmospheric environment and to examine flue gas desulfurization for recyclable resources, a flue gas desulfurization technology using scrap iron was developed, which achieved better desulfurization performance in a small-scale experimental study. In addition, economically valuable by-products can be produced from the proposed flue gas desulfurization. Based on the small-scale experimental study, a horizontal cross-flow packed absorbing device is designed. Its desulfurization performance was optimized by scaling-up the empirical data. This paper provides a basis for designing a pilot plant for flue gas desulfurization by scrap iron.