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As a sustainable and ecological dye resource, the biomass materials are receiving more and more attention. In this work, the pigments in Cordyceps militaris were extracted and applied for dyeing wool fabrics, and the various properties were investigated. The extracted pigments and dyed wool fibers were analyzed and characterized by ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The single-factor experiments were used to screen and optimize the dyeing process. Six metal mordants with different use order were compared with each other, and their possible mordanting mechanisms were proposed. The color fastnesses, UV resistance and antioxidant properties were evaluated after dyeing. The results showed that UV-Vis, LC-MS and FTIR analysis confirmed that the main components of C. militaris extract was lutein. The optimal dyeing process for the extract was as follows: dyestuff mass 200% (o.m.f.), dyeing temperature 90 °C, dyeing time 45 min, bath pH 5.0, Na2SO4 mass 0 g/L. Metal ions are added to form chelate bonds between the dyes and the fibers, further improving the color fastness. The dyed fabric exhibits excellent UV resistance and its UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) value increases with the color yield. Meanwhile, the dyed wool fabric could exhibit up to 94.77% antioxidant activity. These results provide new insight for the application of C. militaris pigments on wool fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) subtypes have been shown to impact cancer prognosis and resistance to immunotherapy. However, there is still a lack of systematic investigation into their molecular characteristics and clinical relevance in different cancer types. Single-cell RNA sequencing data from three different tumor types were used to cluster and type macrophages. Functional analysis and communication of TAM subpopulations were performed by Gene Ontology-Biological Process and CellChat respectively. Differential expression of characteristic genes in subpopulations was calculated using zscore as well as edgeR and Wilcoxon rank sum tests, and subsequently gene enrichment analysis of characteristic genes and anti-PD-1 resistance was performed by the REACTOME database. We revealed the heterogeneity of TAM, and identified eleven subtypes and their impact on prognosis. These subtypes expressed different molecular functions respectively, such as being involved in T cell activation, apoptosis and differentiation, or regulating viral bioprocesses or responses to viruses. The SPP1 pathway was identified as a critical mediator of communication between TAM subpopulations, as well as between TAM and epithelial cells. Macrophages with high expression of SPP1 resulted in poorer survival. By in vitro study, we showed SPP1 mediated the interactions between TAM clusters and between TAM and tumor cells. SPP1 promoted the tumor-promoting ability of TAM, and increased PDL1 expression and stemness of tumor cells. Inhibition of SPP1 attenuated N-cadherin and β-catenin expression and the activation of AKT and STAT3 pathway in tumor cells. Additionally, we found that several subpopulations could decrease the sensitivity of anti-PD-1 therapy in melanoma. SPP1 signal was a critical pathway of communication between macrophage subtypes. Some specific macrophage subtypes were associated with immunotherapy resistance and prognosis in some cancer types. Author summary: Macrophages are natural immune cell-specialized, phagocytic cells, and many studies have been conducted to analyze the functional role of macrophages, but integrating macrophages from multiple cancers to analyze the molecular functions and interactions of macrophages is poorly known.We clustered and typed macrophages using single-cell RNA sequencing data from three different tumor types. Gene Ontology-Biological Processes and Cell Chat were used for functional analysis and communication of TAM subpopulations, respectively. We found heterogeneity of TAM and identified 11 subtypes and their impact on prognosis.The SPP1 pathway is recognized as a key mediator of communication between TAM subpopulations as well as between TAM and epithelial cells, and macrophages with high expression of SPP1 have a lower survival rate. Through in vitro studies, we also found that SPP1 mediated interactions between TAM clusters and between TAM and tumor cells. SPP1 promoted the tumor-promoting ability of TAM and increased PDL1 expression and stemness of tumor cells. In addition, we performed gene enrichment analysis using the REACTOME database and identified subpopulations that decrease the sensitivity of melanoma patients to anti-PD-1 therapy. Some specific macrophage subtypes are associated with immunotherapy resistance and prognosis in certain cancer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Except for the well-known σ-hole regium bonds formed by metal nanoparticles and M(I) (M = Cu, Ag, and Au) derivatives, the existence of π-hole regions located above and below the Au atom in gold(III) derivatives suggests that gold(III) also functions as an efficient electrophilic site. In this study, a comprehensive analysis was conducted on the electrophilicity of trichloro-(p-toluonitrilo-N)-gold(III) derivatives AuL3(NCC6H4X) (L = Cl, Br, CN; X = NH2, CH3, CF3, NC, and CN) and the nature of π-hole regium bonds in the AuL3(NCC6H4X)⋯LB (LB = NH3, N(NH3)3, CH2O, C2H2, C2H4, C6H6) and (AuCl3(NCC6H4Y))n (Y = Cl, CN, NC, NO2; n = 2, 3)) complexes. The characteristics of the π-hole regium bonds were studied with respect to the influence of ligands and substituents, the strength of intermolecular interactions between Au(III) derivatives and Lewis bases, and those in the polymers. In the case of the AuL3(NCC6H4X)⋯NH3 complexes, the strength of the regium bonds increases gradually in the order of L = Cl < Br < CN and X = NH2 < CH3 < CF3 ≈ NC < CN. The ligands (L) attached to the Au atom exert a significant effect on the strength of the π-hole regium bonds in comparison to the substituents (X) on the benzene ring. The regium bonds are primarily dominated by electrostatic interaction, accompanied by moderate contribution from polarization. Linear relationships were identified between the electrostatic energies and the local most positive potentials over the Au atom, as well as between the polarization energies and the amount of charge transfer. Most of the π-hole regium bonds in the AuL3(NCC6H4X)⋯LB complexes exhibit the characters of closed shell noncovalent interactions. In the polymers (AuCl3(NCC6H4Y))n, weak face-to-face π–π stacking interactions are also present, in addition to regium bonds. The trimers displayed a slightly negative cooperativity in comparison to the dimers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that has a high mortality rate and mostly occurs in women. Although significant progress has been made in the implementation of personalized treatment strategies for molecular subtypes in breast cancer, the therapeutic response is often not satisfactory. Studies have reported that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in breast cancer and closely related to the occurrence and development of breast cancer. In addition, the high tissue and cell-type specificity makes lncRNAs particularly attractive as diagnostic biomarkers, prognostic factors, and specific therapeutic targets. Therefore, an in-depth understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of lncRNAs in breast cancer is essential for developing new treatment strategies. In this review, we systematically elucidate the general characteristics, potential mechanisms, and targeted therapy of lncRNAs and discuss the emerging functions of lncRNAs in breast cancer. Additionally, we also highlight the advantages and challenges of using lncRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis or therapeutic targets for drug resistance in breast cancer and present future perspectives in clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Objective: To investigate the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) on the level of microRNAs in mouse peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)., Methods: The mouse PBMCs were cultured in vitro and stimulated with 100 ng/mL LPS for 1 hour or 2 hours and 2.5 μg/mL phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) for 2 hours or 4 hours, respectively. The levels of miR-9, miR-122-3p, miR-181d and miR-342-3p in both PBMCs and culture supernatants were determined by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR)., Results: The levels of miR-9, miR-122-3p, miR-181d and miR-342-3p in PBMCs and culture supernatants had no significant difference between blank control and LPS stimulation group, nor did between LPS stimulation 2 hours group and 1 hour group. The levels of miR-9, miR-122-3p and miR-342-3p in PBMCs and culture supernatant had no significant difference between blank control and PHA stimulation group, nor did between PHA stimulation 4 hours group and 2 hours group. However, compared with blank control, the expression of miR-181d significantly increased after PHA stimulation, while the time of stimulation did not affect the miR-181d level significantly., Conclusion: The stimulation of PHA could promote the expression and secretion of miR-181d in mouse PBMCs.