Olfactory responses to single odors have been well characterized but in reality we are continually presented with complex mixtures of odors. We performed high-throughput analysis of single-cell ...responses to odor blends using Swept Confocally Aligned Planar Excitation (SCAPE) microscopy of intact mouse olfactory epithelium, imaging ~10,000 olfactory sensory neurons in parallel. In large numbers of responding cells, mixtures of odors did not elicit a simple sum of the responses to individual components of the blend. Instead, many neurons exhibited either antagonism or enhancement of their response in the presence of another odor. All eight odors tested acted as both agonists and antagonists at different receptors. We propose that this peripheral modulation of responses increases the capacity of the olfactory system to distinguish complex odor mixtures.
Abstract
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have significant functions in a wide range of important biological processes. Although the number of known human lncRNAs has dramatically increased, they are ...poorly annotated, posing great challenges for better understanding their functional significance and elucidating their complex functioning molecular mechanisms. Here, we present LncBook (http://bigd.big.ac.cn/lncbook), a curated knowledgebase of human lncRNAs that features a comprehensive collection of human lncRNAs and systematic curation of lncRNAs by multi-omics data integration, functional annotation and disease association. In the present version, LncBook houses a large number of 270 044 lncRNAs and includes 1867 featured lncRNAs with 3762 lncRNA–function associations. It also integrates an abundance of multi-omics data from expression, methylation, genome variation and lncRNA–miRNA interaction. Also, LncBook incorporates 3772 experimentally validated lncRNA-disease associations and further identifies a total of 97 998 lncRNAs that are putatively disease-associated. Collectively, LncBook is dedicated to the integration and curation of human lncRNAs as well as their associated data and thus bears great promise to serve as a valuable knowledgebase for worldwide research communities.
Protein separation in chemical industry applications using tight ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with multilayer asymmetric structures is hindered by challenges in their fabrication and ...fouling phenomenon. In this study, a facile co-sintering method for fabrication of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-enhanced tight ceramic ultrafiltration membranes was comprehensively investigated. The introduction of AgNPs into the membrane layer not only controlled the membrane surface charge properties, but also alleviated the sintering stress in the co-sintering process, ensuring a complete membrane layer owing to the higher ductility. The AgNPs obtained from silver nitrate were introduced before the formation of boehmite nucleation, providing a uniform distribution of AgNPs within boehmite owing to the electric double layer. The final UF membranes prepared by the co-sintering process exhibited a molecular weight cut-off of 9000 Da and permeance of 62 Lm−2h−1bar−1. Furthermore, the isoelectric point of the membrane surface could be controlled by the AgNPs (from 9.0 to 2.7), providing sustainable antifouling properties for protein purification owing to the electrostatic repulsion force. The AgNPs-enhanced ceramic membrane material also exhibits a higher stability without silver leakage due to the thermal treatment at 1000 °C. The proposed facile co-sintering process for fabrication of antifouling ceramic UF membranes with the assistance of AgNPs could decrease the sintering time and energy consumption, and thus is promising for industrial protein separation applications.
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•AgNPs could be well dispersed and stabilized among the tight ceramic membranes.•A novel method based on ellipsometry was developed to characterize the porosities of ceramic membranes.•The co-sintering stress and membrane surface charge could be controlled by the AgNPs.•Such co-sintering process greatly decreased the fabrication period and energy consumption of ceramic membrane.•AgNPs-enhanced membranes exhibited satisfactory antifouling performances for separation of protein solutions.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Two experiments were carried out to examine the impacts of hydroxytyrosol (HT) on lipid metabolism and mitochondrial function in Megalobrama amblycephala. Triplicate groups of fish were fed four test ...diets: (1) low-fat diet (LFD, 5% fat), (2) high-fat diet (HFD, 15% fat), (3) LFD + 100 mg/kg HT (LFD + HT), and (4) HFD + 100 mg/kg HT (HFD + HT) (in vivo). Hepatocytes from the same batch were exposed to three media including L-15 medium (L15), oleic acid (OA) medium L15 + 400 μM OA, and OA + HT medium L15 + 400 μM OA + 10 μM HT to explore the roles of HT in mitochondrial function (in vitro). Fish fed HFD had excessive fat deposition in the liver, and HT inclusion in the HFD decreased hepatic fat deposition. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the HFD triggers loss of cristae and metrical density and hydropic changes in mitochondria and that HT supplementation attenuates the ultrastructural alterations of mitochondria. The in vitro test showed that HT decreases fat deposition in hepatocytes, suppresses the reactive oxygen species formation, and facilitates the expression of phospho-AMPK protein and the genes involved in mitochondria biogenesis (PGC-1, NRF-1, TFAM) and autophagy (PINK1, Mul1, Atg5). These findings suggest the lipid-lowering effect of HT mediated by activation of mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy through the AMPK pathway.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Abstract
GWAS Atlas (https://bigd.big.ac.cn/gwas/) is a manually curated resource of genome-wide variant-trait associations for a wide range of species. Unlike existing related resources, it features ...comprehensive integration of a high-quality collection of 75 467 variant-trait associations for 614 traits across 7 cultivated plants (cotton, Japanese apricot, maize, rapeseed, rice, sorghum and soybean) and two domesticated animals (goat and pig), which were manually curated from 254 publications. We integrated these associations into GWAS Atlas and presented them in terms of variants, genes, traits, studies and publications. More importantly, all associations and traits were annotated and organized based on a suite of ontologies (Plant Trait Ontology, Animal Trait Ontology for Livestock, etc.). Taken together, GWAS Atlas integrates high-quality curated GWAS associations for animals and plants and provides user-friendly web interfaces for data browsing and downloading, accordingly serving as a valuable resource for genetic research of important traits and breeding application.
Abstract
Epigenome-Wide Association Study (EWAS) has become increasingly significant in identifying the associations between epigenetic variations and different biological traits. In this study, we ...develop EWAS Atlas (http://bigd.big.ac.cn/ewas), a curated knowledgebase of EWAS that provides a comprehensive collection of EWAS knowledge. Unlike extant data-oriented epigenetic resources, EWAS Atlas features manual curation of EWAS knowledge from extensive publications. In the current implementation, EWAS Atlas focuses on DNA methylation—one of the key epigenetic marks; it integrates a large number of 329 172 high-quality EWAS associations, involving 112 tissues/cell lines and covering 305 traits, 1830 cohorts and 390 ontology entities, which are completely based on manual curation from 649 studies reported in 401 publications. In addition, it is equipped with a powerful trait enrichment analysis tool, which is capable of profiling trait-trait and trait-epigenome relationships. Future developments include regular curation of recent EWAS publications, incorporation of more epigenetic marks and possible integration of EWAS with GWAS. Collectively, EWAS Atlas is dedicated to the curation, integration and standardization of EWAS knowledge and has the great potential to help researchers dissect molecular mechanisms of epigenetic modifications associated with biological traits.
Objective： The aim of this study was to summarize the interactions between hepatitis C virus （HCV） infection and iron overload, and to understand the mechanisms of iron overload in chronic hepatitis ...C （CHC） and the role iron plays in HCV life cycle. Data Sources： This review was based on data in articles published in the PubMed databases up to January 28, 2017, with the keywords ＂hepatitis C virt, s＂, ＂iron overload＂, ＂iron metabolism＂, ＂hepcidin＂, ＂translation＂, and ＂＇replication＂. Study Selection： Articles related to iron metabolism, iron overload in patients with CHC, or the effects of iron on HCV life cycle were selected for the review. Results： Iron overload is common in patients with CHC. The mechanisms involve decreased hepcidin levels caused by HCV through signal transducer and activator of transcription 3, naitogen-activated protein kinase, or bone morphogenetic protein/SMAD signaling pathways, and the altered expression of other iron-metabolism-related genes. Some studies found that iron increases HCV replication, while other studies found the opposite result. Most of the studies suggest the positive role of iron on HCV translation, the mechanisms of which involve increased expression levels of factors associated with HCV internal ribosome entry site-dependent translation, such as eukaryotic initiation factor 3 and La protein. Conclusion： The growing literature demonstrates that CHC leads to iron overload, and iron affects the HCV life cycle in turn. Further research should be conducted to clarify the mechanism involved in the complicated interaction between iron and HCV.
The use of nitroarenes as amino sources in synthesis is challenging. Herein is reported an unusual, straightforward, and transition metal-free method for the net 3 + 2-cycloaddition reaction of ...2-azaallyl anions with nitroarenes. The products of this reaction are diverse 2,5-dihydro-1,2,4-oxadiazoles (>40 examples, up to 95% yield). This method does not require an external reductant to reduce nitroarenes, nor does it employ nitrosoarenes, which are often used in N-O cycloadditions. Instead, it is proposed that the 2-azaallyl anions, which behave as super electron donors (SEDs), deliver an electron to the nitroarene to generate a nitroarene radical anion. A downstream 2-azaallyl radical coupling with a newly formed nitrosoarene is followed by ring closure to afford the observed products. This proposed reaction pathway is supported by computational studies and experimental evidence. Overall, this method uses readily available materials, is green, and exhibits a broad scope.
Gas sensors based on SnO2, Fe2O3, and their nanocomposites are promising candidates for sensing of acetone, ethanol, hydrogen, NO2, ozone, and formaldehyde. In this work, a rational hydrothermal ...route is designed to prepare α‐Fe2O3/SnO2 porous sphere arrays assembled with hierarchical nanostructure (denoted as α‐Fe2O3(x%)/SnO2). The results demonstrate that the α‐Fe2O3(4%)/SnO2 based sensor exhibits excellent sensing performance, the short response/recovery time of 3 and 4 s, respectively. A very low working temperature of 200 °C, wide linear detection range (from 500 ppb to 500 ppm), and long‐term cycling stability of as long as 90 days, and stable performance at 80% of relative humidity. The sensing signals can be accurately sampled and processed by the integrated circuit system, to collect and monitor the acetone concentration alteration signals in real time. Furthermore, the gas sensing performance is interpreted by the functions of hierarchical nanostructure and synergistic effect of Fe2O3/SnO2 nanohybrids.
The α‐Fe2O3/SnO2 nanosphere arrays are prepared via one‐step hydrothermal method. The gas‐sensing performance of the composite is studied towards acetone from 500 ppb to 500 ppm at 200 °C. The response of Fe2O3(4%)/SnO2 is 73.7 at 500 ppm. Specifically, the sensing signals can be accurately sampled and processed by the integrated circuit system.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
A photocatalytic acyl lactonization of unsaturated carboxylic acids using simple and inexpensive acyl chlorides has been developed for a modular synthesis of acyl lactones. Significantly, the simple ...protocol could allow an efficient construction of biologically important phthalide framework. The transformation could be extended to a wide variety of unsaturated carboxylic acids, including substituted 2‐vinyl benzoic acids and different types of alkenoic acids. Moreover, a series of aroyl, heteroaroyl chlorides could serve as coupling partners. Notably, functional groups including MeO, F, Cl and Br could survive. It is believed that acyl radicals generated from acyl chlorides under photoredox catalysis reacted with alkenes via atom‐transfer radical addition (ATRA) and triggered subsequent lactonization in the process. Preliminary mechanistic investigations revealed that the transformation probably proceeded through a free radical pathway.
A photocatalytic acyl lactonization of alkenoic acids with simple and inexpensive acyl chlorides has been developed for a modular synthesis of acyl lactones. The protocol allows an efficient construction of biologically important phthalide framework, which features excellent yields, good functional group tolerance and broad substrate scope. Preliminary mechanistic investigations revealed that the transformation probably proceeded through a free radical pathway.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UPUK
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