A pyrene-degrading bacterial consortium was obtained from deep-sea sediments of the Pacific Ocean. The consortium degraded many kinds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including ...naphthalene, phenanthrene, pyrene, acenaphthene, fluorene, anthracene, fluoranthene, 2-methylnaphthalene and 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene, but it did not grow with chrysene and benzoαpyrene. With methods of plate cultivation and polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), 72 bacteria belonging to 22 genera were detected from this consortium. Among the detected bacteria, the following genera frequently occurred: Flavobacterium, Cycloclasticus, Novosphingobium, Halomonas, Achromobacter, Roseovarius and Alcanivorax. The first two genera showed the strongest bands in denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) profiles and appeared in all PAH treatments. By now, only one isolate designated P1 was confirmed to be a pyrene degrader. It was identified to be Cycloclasticus spirillensus (100%). Although P1 can degrade pyrene independently, other bacteria, such as Novosphingobium sp. (Band 14), Halomonas sp. (Band 16) and an unidentified bacterium (Band 35), were involved in pyrene degradation in some way; they persist in the consortium in the test of dilution to extinction if only the consortium was motivated with pyrene. However, the secondary most important member Flavobacterium sp. evaded from the community at high dilutions. As a key member of the consortium, P1 distinguished itself by both cell morphology and carbon source range among the isolates of this genus. Based on intermediate analyses of pyrene degradation, P1 was supposed to take an upper pathway different from that previously reported. Together with the results of obtained genes from P1 homology with those responsible for naphthalene degradation, its degradation to pyrene is supposed to adopt another set of genes unique to presently detected. Summarily, an efficient pyrene-degrading consortium was obtained from the Pacific Ocean sediment, in which Cycloclasticus bacterium played a key role. This is the first report to exploit the diversity of pyrene-degrading bacteria in oceanic environments.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
HAPLN1 maintains aggregation and the binding activity of extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules (such as hyaluronic acid and proteoglycan) to stabilize the macromolecular structure of the ECM. An ...increase in HAPLN1 expression is observed in a few types of musculoskeletal diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA); however, its functions are obscure. This study examined the role of HAPLN1 in determining the viability, proliferation, mobility, and pro-inflammatory phenotype of RA- fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs) by using small interfering RNA (siHAPLN1), over-expression vector (HAPLN1
OE
), and a recombinant HAPLN1 (rHAPLN1) protein. HAPLN1 was found to promote proliferation but inhibit RA-FLS migration. Metformin, an AMPK activator, was previously found by us to be able to inhibit FLS activation but promote HAPLN1 secretion. In this study, we confirmed the up-regulation of HAPLN1 in RA patients, and found the positive relationship between HAPLN1 expression and the AMPK level. Treatment with either si-HAPLN1 or HAPLN1
OE
down-regulated the expression of AMPK-ɑ gene, although up-regulation of the level of p-AMPK-ɑ was observed in RA-FLSs. si-HAPLN1 down-regulated the expression of proinflammatory factors like TNF-ɑ, MMPs, and IL-6, while HAPLN1
OE
up-regulated their levels. qPCR assay indicated that the levels of TGF-β, ACAN, fibronectin, collagen II, and Ki-67 were down-regulated upon si-HAPLN1 treatment, while HAPLN1
OE
treatment led to up-regulation of ACAN and Ki-67 and down-regulation of cyclin-D1. Proteomics of si-HAPLN1, rHAPLN1, and mRNA-Seq analysis of rHAPLN1 confirmed the functions of HAPLN1 in the activation of inflammation, proliferation, cell adhesion, and strengthening of ECM functions. Our results for the first time demonstrate the function of HAPLN1 in promoting the proliferation and pro-inflammatory phenotype of RA-FLSs, thereby contributing to RA pathogenesis. Future in-depth studies are required for better understanding the role of HAPLN1 in RA.
The overlapping frequency domain equalization (O-FDE) in digital signal processing (DSP) is frequently employed to provide dispersion compensation in long-distance coherent fiber optical ...communications. However, the change in overlapping symbol length that occurs during the processing of the O-FDE algorithm will typically be influenced by the decision and zero filling of the last subblock, which is harmful to the robustness of the O-FDE algorithm. In this study, with a thorough robustness analysis on changing overlapping symbol length, we present a novel method for decision and zero filling of the last subblock and examine the correspondingly resulting error vector magnitude (
EVM
) and symbol error ratio (
SER
) under different values of optical signal-to-noise ratio (
OSNR
), chromatic dispersion, and overlapped symbol lengths.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder and neuroinflammation may contribute to the pathogenesis of ASD. However, the exact mechanisms of abnormal release of ...proinflammatory mediators in ASD remain poorly understood. This study reports elevated plasma levels of the proinflammatory chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 (CCL5) in children with ASD, suggesting an aberrant inflammatory response appearing in the development of ASD. Mining of the expression data of brain or blood tissue from individuals with ASD reveals that mTOR signaling is aberrantly activated in ASD patients. Our
study shows that suppression of mTOR reduces the gene expression and release of CCL5 from human microglia, supporting that CCL5 expression is regulated by mTOR activity. Furthermore, bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced CCL5 expression can be counteracted by siRNA against NF-κB, suggests a determining role of NF-κB in upregulating CCL5 expression. However, a direct regulatory relationship between the NF-κB element and the mTOR signaling pathway was not observed in rapamycin-treated cells. Our results show that the phosphorylated CREB can be induced to suppress CCL5 expression by outcompeting NF-κB in binding to CREB-binding protein (CREBBP) once the mTOR signaling pathway is inhibited. We propose that the activation of mTOR signaling in ASD may induce the suppression of phosphorylation of CREB, which in turn results in the increased binding of CREBBP to NF-κB, a competitor of phosphorylated CREB to drive expression of CCL5. Our study sheds new light on the inflammatory mechanisms of ASD and paves the way for the development of therapeutic strategy for ASD.
Traditional Chinese herbal medicine aiming at nourishing
yin
formed a distinctive school of thought in history to achieve anti-aging and longevity. In the formula Gancao nourishing
yin
(GCNY) ...decoction, all of the ingredients show antioxidant properties. However, in real clinical practice, extractions of herbs are rarely applied alone but are prescribed as the integrated formula. To investigate whether GCNY possesses anti-oxidation potential, we applied GCNY to treat rats to acquire medicated serum, which was then added on H
2
O
2
(200 μM)-modeled human microglial cell line HMC-3 in comparison with its control serum. The results revealed that GCNY-medicated serum decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Inflammatory cytokines such as pNF-κB p65 (ser536) and IL-6 were also decreased. Nrf2 and its pathway-related molecules, such as HO1, ABCC2, GLCM, ME1, NQO1, and TKT, were activated by H
2
O
2
modeling while declined by treating with GCNY-medicated serum, which indicated attenuated oxidative stress of GCNY. Furthermore, mRNA-seq analysis showed 58 differential expressed genes (DEGs), which were enriched in pathways including antigen processing and presentation, longevity regulation, oxidative phosphorylation, and Parkinson’s disease progression. DEGs that were downregulated by H
2
O
2
modeling but upregulated by GCNY treatment include CENPF, MKI67, PRR11, and TOP2A. Those targets were reported to be associated with the cell cycle and cell proliferation and belong to the category of growth factor genes. In conclusion, this study verified anti-oxidation effects of GCNY and indicated its promising application for cognitive degeneration and aging-related disorders.
Aims/Introduction
Emerging evidence suggests that expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are more likely to associate with complex diseases. Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily ...M member 5 (TRPM5) is a ubiquitously expressed voltage‐gated cation channel that acts indispensably to trigger insulin secretion in pancreatic β‐cells. The present study evaluated the association between TRPM5 eQTL single‐nucleotide polymorphisms and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in a Chinese population.
Materials and Methods
A total of 380 unrelated Chinese pregnant women including 241 GDM patients and 139 controls were included in this study. The eQTL single‐nucleotide polymorphisms of TRPM5 were obtained from the GTEx eQTL Browser, and were subsequently genotyped using the Agena MassARRAY iPLEX platform.
Results
Logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis showed that rs35197079 and rs74848824 were significantly associated with reduced GDM risk and lower fasting plasma glucose levels after adjusting confounder factors in dominant genetic models. Stratification analysis based on pre‐pregnancy body mass index validated a strong association between rs35197079 and GDM susceptibility in underweight and normal weight individuals. Luciferase and electrophoretic mobility shift assays carried out in rat pancreatic β‐cells showed that rs35197079 was functional.
Conclusions
The TRPM5 eQTL single‐nucleotide polymorphism rs35197079 was associated with decreased GDM susceptibility in a Chinese population, especially in underweight and normal weight pregnant women, and it was functional in modulating gene transcription.
In the present study, for the first time, we systematically examined the relationship between transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 5 expression quantitative trait loci single‐nucleotide polymorphisms and gestational diabetes mellitus susceptibility. We identified that rs35197079 was significantly associated with decreased gestational diabetes mellitus risk in a Chinese population, and it could function to modulate gene transcription.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Tectonothermal evolution has an important control on maturity and hydrocarbon‐generation of source rocks. On the basis of analysis of the present‐day geothermal gradient, rock thermophysical ...parameters and heat flow, the thickness contour and vitrinite reflectance can be identified, and the distribution of thermal anomaly was discussed. The paleogeotemperature and paleogeothermal gradients are calculated after the recovery of the erosional thickness. With the theory of the recovering of the superposed and modified sedimentary basin, the evolutionary history since the end of Triassic, the end of Jurassic, the Late Early Cretaceous is presented for two sets of source rocks recovered in various perspectives of plans, cross‐sections, important wells, and typical areas. The impact of tectonothermal evolution on the maturity and hydrocarbon‐generation history of the source rocks is discussed. The paleogeothermal gradient (4.0 °C/100 m on average) is higher than the present one (2.9 °C/100 m on average). With the slightly continuous increase since the Late Paleozoic, the paleogeotemperature of the Ordos Basin reached its maximum in Late Early Cretaceous and decreased continuously from then on. The paleogeotemperature and maturity of the source rocks continuously increased before Late Early Cretaceous. The tectonothermal event during Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous controlled the source rocks with the high temperature and maturity in the Wuqi‐Qingyang‐Fuxian. The temperature decreased, and the maturity hardly changed after the Late Cretaceous. The source rocks of the Shanxi Formation reached maturity, high maturity and over‐maturity at the Late Triassic, the Late Jurassic, and the Early Cretaceous, respectively. The source rocks of the Yanchang Formation reached low maturity and maturity sequentially all in the Early Cretaceous.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Research on the characteristics of faults and their evolutionary history since the Cretaceous in the Suhongtu-Dagu depressions can provide a theoretical basis for geological evaluation of the coal ...seams in the Suhongtu Formation in the northern-central region of the Yin'e Basin. Using 3-D seismic-logging inversion techniques, seismic stratigraphic calibration, stratigraphic sequence delineation, and thickness calculations on the Suhongtu-Dagu depressions were carried out to clarify the planar and profile distributions of the faults, as well as the evolutionary history of these faults and the tectonic history of the depressions. The results of this study revealed that the distribution of the faults in the Suhongtu-Dagu depressions in the northern part of the Yin'e Basin varies with region, and the fault system was multi-period, orthotropic, north-east-trending, and north-north-east-trending, with a certain degree of inheritance in terms of the geological setting. Three types of faults were identified: Y-shaped fractures, reverse Y-shaped fractures, and parallel fractures, which can be classified as Paleozoic-Cenozoic continuous syncline faults and intra-depression faults from the top of the Permian to the Upper Cretaceous series and inter-stratigraphic adjustment faults within the Cretaceous System, respectively. The evolution of these faults can be divided into three phases: the controlling faults were the faults that existed before the Early Cretaceous and had been active since then; synclinal faults that formed during the Early Cretaceous; and modified faults that formed since the Early Cretaceous. The development and modification of the coal seams in the Cretaceous Suhongtu Formation in the Hari, Kuanzihu, and Babei sags were strongly controlled and influenced by a multi-phase complex fault system.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Analysis of tectonothermal history of the Yanchang Formation in the western Weibei Uplift and in the northwestern Weihe Basin can reconstruct the cooling history of the southwest most remained Upper ...Triassic source rock of the North China Plate. Apatite fission-track (AFT) and (U-Th-Sm)/He (AHe) analysis were used to recover the cooling and uplift history of the Upper Triassic here. Ten sandstones from the Middle-Upper Triassic strata yield AFT ages between 179.8 ± 7.4 and 127.6 ± 8.1 Ma. AHe ages of two sandstones have the value of 37.7 ± 2.3–131.1 ± 8.1 and 45.7 ± 2.8–83.5 ± 5.2 Ma. Time-temperature modeling results showed that tectonothermal history of the Yanchang Formation was initially different in time-space relationships but then became almost identical through time followed by different cooling rate. Modeling results of the Triassic strata in the Qianyang area and the Yaojiagou area revealed three different uplift-cooling stages commencing in the Late Jurassic at ∼165 Ma and in Early Cretaceous at ∼110 Ma, respectively, both followed by first similar cooling histories to the Early Miocene at ∼20–23 Ma and then different since the Late Miocene. Uplift-cooling rate since the Late Miocene at ∼8 Ma were different between the Western Weibei Uplift and the Northwestern Weihe Basin. The timing, cooling-uplift rates of the Yaojiagou area, which was mainly controlled by movements related to the Liupanshan Mountains, the Qinling Orogens and the Weibei Uplift, had the earliest onset of uplift-cooling for the Upper Triassic series compared to other regions within the Weibei Uplift. Cooling paths for the Upper Triassic series became uniform regionally in the Early Cretaceous marking a key time for the tectonothermal evolutionary history of Upper Triassic series in the southwestern North China Plate.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Cycloclasticus sp. strain P1 was isolated from deep-sea sediments of the Pacific Ocean and characterized as a unique bacterium in the degradation of pyrene, a four-ring polycyclic aromatic ...hydrocarbon (PAH). Here we report the complete genome of P1 and genes associated with PAH degradation.