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Many plants have the capability to accumulate anthocyanins for coloration, and anthocyanins are advantageous to human health. In the case of hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var.nudum), investigation into the mechanism of anthocyanin formation is limited to the level of protein-coding genes (PCGs). Here, we conducted a comprehensive bioinformatics analysis to identify a total of 9414 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the seed coats of purple and white hulless barley along a developmental gradient. Transcriptome-wide profiles of lncRNAs documented several properties, including GC content fluctuation, uneven length, a diverse range of exon numbers, and a wide variety of transcript classifications. We found that certain lncRNAs in hulless barley possess detectable sequence conservation with Hordeum vulgare and other monocots. Furthermore, both differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) and PCGs (DEPCGs) were concentrated in the later seed development stages. On the one hand, DElncRNAs could potentially cis-regulate DEPCGs associated with multiple metabolic pathways, including flavonoid and anthocyanin biosynthesis in the late milk and soft dough stages. On the other hand, there was an opportunity for trans-regulated lncRNAs in the color-forming module to affect seed coat color by upregulating PCGs in the anthocyanin pathway. In addition, the interweaving of hulless barley lncRNAs and diverse TFs may function in seed coat coloration. Notably, we depicted a dynamic portrait of the anthocyanin synthesis pathway containing hulless barley lncRNAs. Therefore, this work provides valuable gene resources and more insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin accumulation in hulless barley from the perspective of lncRNAs, which facilitate the development of molecular design breeding in crops.

Cell surface display technology, which expresses and anchors proteins on the surface of microbial cells, has broad application prospects in many fields, such as protein library screening, biocatalysis, and biosensor development. However, traditional cell surface display systems have disadvantages: the molecular weight of phage display proteins cannot be too large; bacterial display lacks the post-translational modification process for eukaryotic proteins; yeast display is prone to excessive protein glycosylation and misfolding of multisubunit proteins; and the compatibility of

Follicular T helper (T(FH)) cells are specialized T cells that support B cells, which are essential for humoral immunity. T(FH) cells express the transcription factor B‐cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl‐6), chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) receptor (CXCR) 5, the surface receptors programmed cell death protein 1 (PD‐1) and inducible T‐cell costimulator (ICOS), the cytokine IL‐21 and other molecules. The activation, proliferation and differentiation of T(FH) cells are closely related to dynamic changes in cellular metabolism. In this review, we summarize the progress made in understanding the development and functional differentiation of T(FH) cells. Specifically, we focus on the regulatory mechanisms of T(FH) cell functional differentiation, including regulatory signalling pathways and the metabolic regulatory mechanisms of T(FH) cells. In addition, T(FH) cells are closely related to immune‐associated diseases, including infections, autoimmune diseases and cancers.

Candida albicans is an important opportunistic fungal pathogen, and its pathogenicity is closely related to its ability to form hyphae. ESCRT system was initially discovered as a membrane-budding machinery involved in the formation of multivesicular bodies. More recently, the role of ESCRT is vastly expanded. Early reports showed that the ESCRT system is involved in inducing hyphae under neutral-alkaline environment via the Rim101 pathway. We previously found that in the environment that contains serum, one ESCRT protein, Vps4, is essential for polarity maintenance during hyphal formation, as its deletion causes the formation of multiple hyphae. In this study, we found that Vps4 is also essential for the proper localization of Cdc42 and Cdc3, which may be related to its role in polarity maintenance. We also discovered that deletions of the ESCRT proteins significantly delay germination and cause downregulation of hyphal-specific genes, most prominent of which is HGC1. Since Hgc1 is essential for many aspects of hyphal growth, its downregulation could explain our observed phenotypes. Our further studies show that ESCRT proteins are involved in the dynamics of Ras1. Deletions of VPS4 or SNF7 significantly decrease the recovery rate of GFP-Ras1 in the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching experiment. The decreased Ras1 dynamics may disrupt the signaling pathway and lead to downregulation of hyphal-specific genes. Therefore, in this study we discovered a novel and Rim101 independent mechanism used by the ESCRT system to regulate hyphal induction and polarity maintenance, which could provide insights on the pathogenicity mechanism of Candia albicans.

Dynamic levitation behavior is crucial to the stable operation of superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB). In this article, we mainly focus on the axial vibration characteristic of levitation force for the radial-type SMB. The axial levitation force is calculated by using the H-formulation two-dimensional (2-D) axial-symmetry finite element model established in COMSOL. Also, experimental measurements of the levitation force are carried out under the field-cooling and zero-field cooling conditions. The comparisons show a good agreement and validate the modeling method. Based on the model, the dynamic levitation behaviors of radial-type SMB are investigated when the permanent magnet (PM) rotor vibrates axially. The influences of different axial vibration amplitude and period on the levitation behavior are mainly concerned and validated by experimental measurements. It is concluded that the levitation force will vary as a rule similar to the position variation of the PM rotor and the overall attenuation trend is similar to the trend of relaxation for the levitation force. Besides, the degree of attenuation increases obviously and is related to the vibration period and amplitude. The obtained results may be useful to the study of dynamic levitation behavior and the engineering applications of SMB.

A series of novel BiI/Bi2WO6 nanosheets was successfully synthesized using a simple and efficient one-step hydrothermal method; the obtained specimens were subsequently characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and electronic impedance spectroscopy testing. The results indicated that the photocatalytic performance of the BiI/Bi2WO6 composites for the degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TC) from aqueous media under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm) was higher than that of pure Bi2WO6. The 0.8I-BiI/BWO composite (where 0.8 is the I : W molar ratio) presented the best photocatalytic performance of all analyzed specimens, and was able to degrade approximately 90% of the TC in 80 min. In addition, radical-capture experiments have demonstrated that superoxide anion radicals and hydroxyl radicals were the main active species for degrading organic pollutants, and a photocatalytic mechanism for the BiI/Bi2WO6 system was proposed. This study not only provides a method for the simple preparation of BiI/Bi2WO6, but could also present important implications for ecological risk management and prevention against antibiotic pollution.

It is crucial to calculate the levitation force and model the levitation behaviour in the designation of superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB). At present, the related research focuses on the single degree of freedom (DoF) levitation behaviour of the SMB independently, for instance the axial or radial levitation force. Practically, the superconducting magnetic levitation is passive levitation at directions of multi-DoF. Additionally, the non-ideal conditions in fabrication, such as the joint effect of superconducting bulks, lead to complex 3-D-induced current distributions which generate the levitation force. There are coupling effects which affect the levitation forces at the directions of different DoFs. This paper investigates the multi-DoF modelling and levitation behaviour of the radial-type SMB. By adopting the Power-law E-J relation, the dependence of conductivity on electric field is derived to define the superconductive material. Then, the software MagNet is employed to establish the 3-D multi-DoF finite element model. Under the external disturbance of the PM rotor with axial constant speed and constant load, the multi-DoF levitation behaviours of radial-type SMB are discussed considering the joint effect of superconducting bulks. It is also obtained that the influence of the revolving speed, the static, and dynamic eccentricity on the axial levitation force.

Invasive fungal infection (IFI) is one of the leading causes of death in the intensive care unit (ICU) due to its high morbidity and mortality among immunocompromised patients. Early diagnosis of IFI is typically infeasible because of the lack of clinical signs and symptoms. By virtue of the cationic conjugated polymer-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (CCP-FRET) technology, we develop a rapid, visible, simple, and sensitive method for simultaneous detection and discrimination of three types of pathogens, including Candida albicans (C. albicans), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), and Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans). The CCP-FRET system contains a CCP fluorescent probe and pathogen-specific DNA labeled with fluorescent dyes. These two components spontaneously self-assemble into the complex under electrostatic attraction, resulting in an efficient FRET from CCP to fluorescent dyes when irradiated with a 380 nm ultraviolet (UV) light. The CCP-FRET method can specifically identify the DNA molecules that are extracted from culture pathogen strains or blood samples via PCR and single base extension (SBE) reactions, without any cross-reactions on the DNA of nonspecific strains. In particular, the sensitivity of this method is down to 0.03125 ng, which is ten times higher than that of real-time PCR. We further evaluate its detection efficiency by testing 15 blood samples from neonatal patients who suffer from pathogen infections, in which some of them have undergone antipathogen treatments. Using the CCP-FRET method, 33.3% (5/15) of samples tested positive for C. albicans and/or K. pneumoniae infections, whereas no pathogen DNAs are recognized with real-time PCR, despite using the same primers. Interestingly, the CCP-FRET method can output unique fluorescent color as well as RGB patterns to different types of pathogen infections, by which the infection type can be conveniently determined. Collectively, the CCP-FRET method is a sensitive and reliable detection platform for rapid identification of fungal and bacterial multiple infections, holding great promise for uses in clinical testing.

The numerical study on the transport loss reduction in REBCO double pancake (DP) coil is presented in this paper. An axisymmetric finite element model based on H formulation and E-J power law is established. The influence of the gap between two pancakes on the transport losses of DP coils is investigated. The use of magnetic flux diverters to reduce the ac loss of the DP coil by decreasing the perpendicular magnetic field applied to the tape surface is also studied. It is found that the perpendicular magnetic field is decreased clearly by attaching the flux diverter in the middle and end positions of DP coil. Compared with the ac losses of DP coils without flux diverters, the use of flux diverters can decrease the ac losses by 70% when the applied current is at half the critical current of DP coil.

A 2 kW/28.5 kJ superconducting flywheel energy storage system (SFESS) with a radial-type high-temperature superconducting (HTS) bearing was set up to study the electromagnetic and rotational characteristics. The structure of the SFESS as well as the design of its main parts was reported. A mathematical model based on the finite element method (FEM) was established to research the electromagnetic characteristics of the HTS bearing during the levitation process, which show that a part of the magnetic flux penetrates into the edge of the HTS bulks and then goes back to the opposite pole of the permanent magnet rotor (PMR). The induced current mainly distributes in the edge of the HTS bulks, indicating that larger force acts on the edge part of the HTS bulks and probably causes them to crack. The free rotations of the rotor at different steady-state speeds of 2500–5000 rpm and its radial vibration were displayed. The induced voltage of the stator winding of the motor in this process was analyzed. The rotational characteristics are related to the vibration of the rotor. Below the resonant frequency, the vibration increases significantly with the speed. Enhancing the radial stiffness to limit the vibration amplitude of the rotor is an effective approach to improve the speed.

Human tetratricopeptide repeat domain 3 (TTC3) is a gene on 21q22.2 within the Down syndrome critical region (DSCR). Earlier studies suggest that TTC3 may be an important regulator in individual development, especially in neural development. As an E3 ligase, TTC3 binds to phosphorylated Akt and silence its activity via proteasomal cascade. Several groups also reported the involvement of TTC3 in familial Alzheimer's disease recently. In addition, our previous work shows that TTC3 also regulates the degradation of DNA polymerase gamma and over-expressed TTC3 protein tends to form insoluble aggregates in cells. In this study, we focus on the solubility and intracellular localization of TTC3 protein. Over-expressed TTC3 tends to form insoluble aggregates over time. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 treatment resulted in more TTC3 aggregates in a short period of time. We fused the fluorescent protein to either terminus of the TTC3 protein and found that the intracellular localization of fluorescent signals are different between the N-terminal tagged and C-terminal tagged proteins. Western blotting revealed that the TTC3 protein is cleaved into fragments of different sizes at multiple sites. The N-terminal sub-fragments of TTC3 are prone to from nuclear aggregates and the TTC3 nuclear import is mediated by signals within the N-terminal 1 to 650 residues. Moreover, over-expressed TTC3 induced a considerable degree of cytotoxicity, and its N-terminal sub-fragments are more potent inhibitors of cell proliferation than full-length protein. Considering the prevalent proteostasis dysregulation in neurodegenerative diseases, these findings may relate to the pathology of such diseases.

It is usually difficult to obtain the radial levitation force of the radial-type superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) due to the massive numerical calculations and the sophisticated experimental measurements. This study presents a method for fast calculating the radial levitation force of radial-type SMB, which is based on the infinitesimal method and the 2D finite-element method. During the modelling, the radial-type SMB is assumed to be composed circumferentially of infinite superconductor-permanent magnet (SC-PM) infinitesimals with shape of rectangular thin slice. The dependence of levitation force for the SC-PM infinitesimal on the air-gap length between the SC stator and the PM rotor can be obtained using the 2D finite-element model established in Cartesian coordinate system. Moreover, a simplified analytical model of calculating radial levitation force is developed based on the infinitesimal method and the circumferential distribution formula of non-uniform air-gap when the PM rotor exhibits radial eccentricity. The results of theoretical calculation and experimental measurement of radial levitation force show a good agreement, which verifies the feasibility of the proposed method. It has the advantages of fastness and easiness, and can be used as a theoretical tool for the design, optimisation and performance prediction of the radial-type SMB.

It is important and complicated to model and optimize the levitation behavior of superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB). That is due to the nonlinear constitutive relationships of superconductor and ferromagnetic materials, the relative movement between the superconducting stator and PM rotor, and the multi-parameter (e.g., air-gap, critical current density, and remanent flux density, etc.) affecting the levitation behavior. In this paper, we present a theoretical calculation and optimization method of the levitation behavior for radial-type SMB. A simplified model of levitation force calculation is established using 2D finite element method with H-formulation. In the model, the boundary condition of superconducting stator is imposed by harmonic series expressions to describe the traveling magnetic field generated by the moving PM rotor. Also, experimental measurements of the levitation force are performed and validate the model method. A statistical method called Taguchi method is adopted to carry out an optimization of load capacity for SMB. Then the factor effects of six optimization parameters on the target characteristics are discussed and the optimum parameters combination is determined finally. The results show that the levitation behavior of SMB is greatly improved and the Taguchi method is suitable for optimizing the SMB.

Mediated through the combined action of STIM proteins and Orai channels, store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) functions ubiquitously among different cell types. The existence of multiple STIM and Orai genes has made it difficult to assign specific roles of each STIM and Orai homolog in mediating Ca2+ signals. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tools, we generated cells with both STIM or all three Orai homologs deleted and directly monitored store Ca2+ and Ca2+ signals. We found that unstimulated, SOCE null KO cells still retain 50~70% of ER Ca2+ stores of wildtype (wt) cells. After brief exposure to store-emptying conditions, acute refilling of ER Ca2+ stores was totally blocked in KO cells. However, after 24 h in culture, stores were eventually refilled. Thus, SOCE is critical for immediate refilling of ER Ca2+ but is dispensable for the maintenance of long-term ER Ca2+ homeostasis. Using the Orai null background triple Orai-KO cells, we examined the plasma membrane translocation properties of a series of truncated STIM1 variants. FRET analysis reveals that, even though PM tethering of STIM1 expedites the activation of STIM1 by facilitating its oligomerization, migration, and accumulation in ER-PM junctions, it is not required for the conformational switch, oligomerization, and clustering of STIM1. Even without overt puncta formation at ER-PM junctions, STIM11–491 and STIM11–666 could still rescue SOCE when expressed in STIM KO cells. Thus, ER-PM trapping and clustering of STIM molecules only facilitates the process of SOCE activation, but is not essential for the activation of Orai channels. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00424-018-2165-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

For stable and safe operation of high-temperature superconducting flywheel energy storage system, adequate levitation force and stiffness of the high-temperature superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB) are necessary. In order to validate the design and research the levitation characteristics further, a three-dimensional measurement system for high-temperature SMB is developed in our laboratory. The measurement system consists of experiment system, motor drivers, data acquisition and processing, automatic control, and auxiliary devices. The measurement system has the following characteristics: high measurement precision and sensitivity, measurement suitable for both axial-type and radial-type SMB with different diameter and height, measurement of the axial and radial levitation forces, stiffness, and time relaxation, and measurement of force with precise displacement in three-dimensional space. The maximal axial and radial levitation forces that the measurement system can measure are 3000 and 2000 N with the precision of 1.5 0 / 00 . The measurement precision is calibrated and the test results for high-temperature SMB are presented.

There are some disadvantages in conventional cryogenic liquid pumps (CLPs) with mechanical bearings, such as difficult lubrication and short working life. In this paper, we propose a new structure of CLP-submerged cryogenic disk motor-pump with superconducting magnetic bearing (SMB). The impeller and the rotor of the disk motor are combined as the suspension rotor of the disk motor-pump. The suspension rotor which is supported by SMB system, rotates frictionlessly with self-stabilized. The SMB system includes a radial-type SMB, an axial-type permanent magnet bearing, and an axial flux disk motor. Theoretical calculations and experimental measurements of levitation forces in the SMB system are carried out. The levitation force of radial-type SMB is calculated by using H -formulation finite-element model in COMSOL. The kinetic model of the suspension rotor is established to ensure the force balance and torque balance. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed submerged cryogenic disk motor-pump with SMB.

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) coils are key parts of many large-scale AC applications, such as transformers, superconducting magnetic energy storage, and motors. The estimation of AC losses of pancake coils is necessary for optimizing the design of HTS devices and cryogenic systems. To speed up the computation of AC losses, the numerical model of an infinitely long HTS stack is often utilized. An HTS stack is a good approximation of the circular coil only if the coil radius is sufficiently large, since AC losses will exhibit a stronger asymmetry along the radial direction for small values of coil radii. To assess the validation of an infinitely long stack approximation, the comparisons of AC losses between infinitely long stacks and circular coils with different radii are presented. The turn number varies from 10 to 80. We find that the AC losses of HTS circular coils will gradually increase to the same value as an infinitely long stack with increasing coil radii. A new parameter is proposed to quantitatively describe the correctness of infinitely long stack approximation. Finally, a method of AC loss estimation of HTS pancake coils is proposed.

The magnetism of substrate has significant influence on the transport loss in high temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductors (CCs). Taking three types of substrates (i.e., nonmagnetic, weakly magnetic, and strongly magnetic) into account, a study on the frequency dependence (in the range of 10–1000 Hz) of transport loss in HTS CCs with these substrates is performed numerically and experimentally. Different loss components and magnetic field profile are calculated individually to clarify the effect of substrate magnetism. Results show that HTS CCs with magnetic substrate exhibit higher transport loss than CCs with nonmagnetic substrate. Both hysteresis loss in HTS layer and eddy current loss in conventional metal increase with the enhancement of substrate magnetism.

The copolymer P(AM-DMC), one kind of cationic polyacrylamide, was synthesized by using acrylamide (AM) and methacryloxyethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (DMC) as monomers with ultraviolet initiation. The copolymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The composition of the copolymer was determined from the chlorine content by silver nitrate titration. The effects of monomer feed ratio and conversion on the composition of copolymer were discussed. Reactivity ratios were determined by the Fineman-Ross, Kelen-Tudos and Yezrielev-Brokhina-Roskin methods, indicating that their positive order calculation results were very different with those of reverse order, when the reactivity ratios were determined by Fineman-Ross. However, their positive order and reverse order calculation results were similar when the reactivity ratios were determined by the Kelen-Tudos and Yezrielev-Brokhina-Roskin methods. Therefore, the reactivity ratios were determined using the average results of the Kelen-Tudos and Yezrielev-Brokhina-Roskin methods. The reactivity ratios of AM and DMC were 2.3398 and 0.2285, respectively. This result showed that the copolymerization of AM and DMC was a non-ideal random copolymerization. Furthermore, the content of AM segments decreased with the increase of AM feed content, but the content of DMC segments increased. Moreover, the sequence length distribution was irregular and narrow, because AM was prone to homopolymerization.

Neurofibrillary tangles are the main pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Insoluble tau protein is the major component of neurofibrillary tangles. Defects in the tau protein degradation pathway in neurons can lead to the accumulation of tau and its subsequent aggregation. Currently, contradictory results on the tau degradation pathway have been reported by different groups. This discrepancy is most likely due to different cell lines and methods used in those studies. In this study, we found that cycloheximide treatment induced mild activation of a ZVAD-sensitive protease in Drosophila Kc cells, resulting in cleavage of tau at its C-terminus; this cleavage could generate misleading tau protein degradation pattern results depending on the antibodies used in the assay. Because cycloheximide is a broadly used chemical reagent for the study of protein degradation, the unexpected artificial effect we observed here indicates that cycloheximide is not suitable for the study of tau degradation. Other methods, such as inducible expression systems and pulse-chase assays, may be more appropriate for studying tau degradation under physiological conditions.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen, and its pathogenicity is associated with hyphal formation. Previous studies have shown that at neutral-to-alkaline pH, hyphal growth is dependent on the Rim101 pathway whose activation requires Snf7, a member of the ESCRT system. In this work, we described the purification and characterization of the C. albicans Vps4, an AAA ATPase required for recycling of the ESCRTs. Its role on hyphal growth has been investigated. Our data suggest deletion of Vps4 decreases overall hyphal growth at pH 7 and increases the growth of multiple hyphae induced by serum, which indicates that the ESCRTs may make a Rim101-independent contribution to hyphal growth. Furthermore, DBeQ, an inhibitor of the AAA ATPase p97, was shown to inhibit the ATPase activity of Vps4 with an IC50 of about 11.5 μM. To a less degree, it also inhibits hyphal growth. Our work may provide a new strategy to control C. albicans infection.

// Yueqing Gong 1, 2, 3 , Xiaolan Wang 1, 2, 3 , Xuan Shang 1, 2, 3 , Sheng Ping Xiao 1, 2, 3 , Wanjie Li 2 , Yu Shang 2 and Fei Dou 1, 2, 3 1 State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning and IDG, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 2 Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Regulation Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China 3 Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China Correspondence to: Fei Dou, email: douf@bnu.edu.cn Keywords: TTC3; POLG; ubiquitination; proteostasis; mitochondrion Received: May 17, 2017 Accepted: October 28, 2017 Published: November 17, 2017 ABSTRACT Tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) domain 3 (TTC3) is a protein that contains canonical RING finger and TPR motifs. It is encoded by the TTC3 gene located in the Down syndrome critical region (DSCR). In this study, we used a yeast two-hybrid assay to identify several proteins that physically interact with TTC3, including heat shock proteins and DNA polymerase γ (POLG). When TTC3 was overexpressed in mammalian cells, the ubiquitination of POLG was inhibited and its degradation slowed. High TTC3 protein expression led to the development of intracellular TTC3 aggregates, which also contained POLG. Co-expression with Hsp70 or placing the TTC3 gene under control of an inducible promoter alleviated the aggregation and facilitated POLG degradation. As a result of POLG’s effects on aging processes, we propose that a copy number variant of the TTC3 may contribute to Down syndrome pathogenesis.

To study the function of CaPpt1, we deleted PPT1 gene from the Candida albicans genome by sequentially replacing the entire coding region with the selectable markers ARG4 and HIS1. The results showed that the deletion of Ppt1 did not affect the hyphal formation of C. albicans under serum induction and caused enhanced sensitivity to DNA damage, Calcofluor white and salt-induced stress. We also found that Ppt1 was not required for the phenotypic response of cells treated with the genotoxins, methylmethane sulfonate and hydroxyurea. Flow cytometric analyses indicated that ppt1Δ cells and wild-type cells showed similar G2/M arrest profiles when exposed to DNA damage stress. Ppt1 was not required for the activation of the DNA damage response pathway, as indicated by normal phosphorylation of Rad53 and Rfa2 in ppt1Δ cells under DNA damage stress. We suggest that Ppt1 plays important roles in response to various stress conditions in C. albicans.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic human pathogen. Emergence of drug-resistant strains makes it necessary to develop new anti-Candida drugs. Vps4 is an AAA ATPase critical for the function of the ESCRT system. Studies have shown that the deletion of Vps4 is sufficient to abolish the pathogenicity of Candida albicans. In this work, we performed a virtual screening study on the homology model of the Candida albicans Vps4. Our results provide a list of compounds that can be later validated experimentally. The simulation found that the aromatic rings of small molecules can penetrate into a tunnel at the purine binding pocket that is not fully occupied by ATP. This tunnel also shows marked structural variations between the human and Candida albicans proteins. Therefore, by exploring this tunnel, we may develop potent competitive inhibitors that can distinguish the human and Candida albicans Vps4.

As a newly identified transcription factor in Candida albcians, CaSfl1 has been shown to be involved in cell flocculation and filamentation and in the negative regulation of several genes involved in hyphal growth. In this study, we constructed Casfl1Δ/Δ mutants and confirmed that deletion of this gene indeed affected cell flocculation and filamentation. In addition, by RT-PCR we found that while Casfl1 repressed the expression of several hypha-specific genes including HWP1, ECE1, ALS1, ALS3, and FLO8, it strongly activated the expression of the heat-shock protein genes HSP30 and HSP90 under certain stress conditions. Therefore, we propose that CaSfl1 can act as both positive and negative regulators, thereby playing a dual role in transcriptional controls in Candida albicans.

Candida albicans is the most prominent opportunistic fungal pathogen in humans. Multiple factors are associated with the virulence of C. albicans, including morphogenesis, cell wall organization and growth rate. Here, we describe the identification and functional characterization of CaECM25, a gene that has not been reported before. We constructed Caecm25Delta/Delta mutants and investigated the role of the gene in morphogenesis, cell wall organization and virulence. CaECM25 deletion resulted in defects in cell separation, a slower growth rate, reduced filamentous growth and attenuated adherence to plastic surfaces. The Caecm25Delta/Delta mutant was also significantly less virulent than wild type when tested for systemic infection in mice. Therefore, CaECM25 plays important roles in morphogenesis, cell wall organization and virulence.

This paper aims to analyze the change of energy efficiency in the Chinese electric power industrial chain during the year of 2005-2010. It adopts DEA-based Malmquist index to measure energy efficiency change and utilize DEAP 2.1 software to obtain the results. The result shows that energy efficiency increases in a steady but slow way with a 3.4% average growth rate. Technical progress is the main cause of its improvement, while pure technical efficiency has limited contribution and scale efficiency is the major impediment. This paper contributes in finding out the causes of energy efficiency improvement and thereby providing recommendations.