With H2O or NH3 stimuli, the blue cobalt‐based metal–organic framework (MOF) BP can reversibly transform to red RP. The removal/recovery of terephthalate ligands accompanied by the transformation ...leads to a gate effect, which allows the encapsulation and release of small solvent molecules under certain conditions. This is the first example of topology transformation from a self‐penetrating to interpenetrating net in 3D MOFs.
Conjugated small‐molecule hole‐transport materials (HTMs) with tunable energy levels are designed and synthesized for efficient perovskite solar cells. A champion device with efficiency of 16.2% is ...demonstrated using a dopant‐free DERDTS‐TBDT HTM, while the DORDTS‐DFBT‐HTM‐based device shows an inferior performance of 6.2% due to its low hole mobility and unmatched HOMO level with the valence band of perovskite film.
Constituting approximately 10% of flowering plant species, orchids (Orchidaceae) display unique flower morphologies, possess an extraordinary diversity in lifestyle, and have successfully colonized ...almost every habitat on Earth. Here we report the draft genome sequence of Apostasia shenzhenica, a representative of one of two genera that form a sister lineage to the rest of the Orchidaceae, providing a reference for inferring the genome content and structure of the most recent common ancestor of all extant orchids and improving our understanding of their origins and evolution. In addition, we present transcriptome data for representatives of Vanilloideae, Cypripedioideae and Orchidoideae, and novel third-generation genome data for two species of Epidendroideae, covering all five orchid subfamilies. A. shenzhenica shows clear evidence of a whole-genome duplication, which is shared by all orchids and occurred shortly before their divergence. Comparisons between A. shenzhenica and other orchids and angiosperms also permitted the reconstruction of an ancestral orchid gene toolkit. We identify new gene families, gene family expansions and contractions, and changes within MADS-box gene classes, which control a diverse suite of developmental processes, during orchid evolution. This study sheds new light on the genetic mechanisms underpinning key orchid innovations, including the development of the labellum and gynostemium, pollinia, and seeds without endosperm, as well as the evolution of epiphytism; reveals relationships between the Orchidaceae subfamilies; and helps clarify the evolutionary history of orchids within the angiosperms.
Interleukin‐33 (IL‐33), a member of the IL1 family, has been found to be expressed in oligodendrocytes (OLGs) and released as an alarmin from injured OLGs to work on other glial cell‐types in the ...central nervous system. However, its functional role in OLGs remains unclear. Herein, we present that IL‐33 was mainly expressed in the nucleus of CC1+‐oligodendrocytes (OLGs) in mouse and rat corpus callosum, as well as NG2+‐oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). The in vitro study indicated that the amount of IL‐33 expressing in OPCs was higher when compared to that detected in OLGs. Results from the experiments using lentivirus‐mediated shRNA delivery against IL‐33 expression (IL33‐KD) in OPCs showed that IL33‐KD reduced the differentiation of OLGs into mature OLGs along with the down‐regulation of OLG differentiation‐related genes and mature OLG marker proteins, myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP). Alternatively, we observed reduced differentiation of OLGs that were prepared from the brains of IL‐33 gene knockout (IL33‐KO) mice with anxiolytic‐like behavior. Observations were correlated with the results showing lower levels of MBP and PLP in IL33‐KO cultures than those detected in the control cultures prepared from wildtype (WT) mice. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that the myelin structures in the corpus callosum of the IL33‐KO mice were impaired compared to those observed in the WT mice. Overall, this study provides important evidence that declined expression of IL‐33 in OPCs suppresses the maturation of OLGs. Moreover, gene deficiency of IL‐33 can disrupt OLG maturation and interfere with myelin compaction.
Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14522
Our study demonstrates that declined expression of IL‐33 (IL33‐KD) or IL‐33 gene ablation (IL33‐KO) in oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) reduced oligodendrocyte (OLG) maturation along with the down‐regulation of Olig2, Myrf, and Sox10, as well as OLG lineage markers (MBP, PLP, and CNPase). The findings also implicate that loss of IL‐33 function in OPCs might impair myelin integrity in the white matter.
Open Science: This manuscript was awarded with the Open Materials Badge
For more information see: https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/
Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14522
Replication fork reversal which restrains DNA replication progression is an important protective mechanism in response to replication stress. PARP1 is recruited to stalled forks to restrain DNA ...replication. However, PARP1 has no helicase activity, and the mechanism through which PARP1 participates in DNA replication restraint remains unclear. Here, we found novel protein-protein interactions between PARP1 and DNA translocases, including HLTF, SHPRH, ZRANB3, and SMARCAL1, with HLTF showing the strongest interaction among these DNA translocases. Although HLTF and SHPRH share structural and functional similarity, it remains unclear whether SHPRH contains DNA translocase activity. We further identified the ability of SHPRH to restrain DNA replication upon replication stress, indicating that SHPRH itself could be a DNA translocase or a helper to facilitate DNA translocation. Although hydroxyurea (HU) and MMS induce different types of replication stress, they both induce common DNA replication restraint mechanisms independent of intra-S phase activation. Our results suggest that the PARP1 facilitates DNA translocase recruitment to damaged forks, preventing fork collapse and facilitating DNA repair.
Summary
The Orchidaceae is a diverse and ecologically important plant family. Approximately 69% of all orchid species are epiphytes, which provide diverse microhabitats for many small animals and ...fungi in the canopy of tropical rainforests. Moreover, many orchids are of economic importance as food flavourings or ornamental plants. Phalaenopsis aphrodite, an epiphytic orchid, is a major breeding parent of many commercial orchid hybrids. We provide a high‐quality chromosome‐scale assembly of the P. aphrodite genome. The total length of all scaffolds is 1025.1 Mb, with N50 scaffold size of 19.7 Mb. A total of 28 902 protein‐coding genes were identified. We constructed an orchid genetic linkage map, and then anchored and ordered the genomic scaffolds along the linkage groups. We also established a high‐resolution pachytene karyotype of P. aphrodite and completed the assignment of linkage groups to the 19 chromosomes using fluorescence in situ hybridization. We identified an expansion in the epiphytic orchid lineage of FRS5‐like subclade associated with adaptations to the life in the canopy. Phylogenetic analysis further provides new insights into the orchid lineage‐specific duplications of MADS‐box genes, which might have contributed to the variation in labellum and pollinium morphology and its accessory structure. To our knowledge, this is the first orchid genome to be integrated with a SNP‐based genetic linkage map and validated by physical mapping. The genome and genetic map not only offer unprecedented resources for increasing breeding efficiency in horticultural orchids but also provide an important foundation for future studies in adaptation genomics of epiphytes.
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in many cross-sectional studies, but the prospective ...association between NAFLD and the progression of atherosclerosis has not been evaluated. This study was conducted to evaluate the association between NAFLD and the progression of coronary atherosclerosis.
This retrospective cohort study included 4731 adult men and women with no history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), liver disease or cancer at baseline who participated in a repeated regular health screening examination between 2004 and 2013. Fatty liver was diagnosed by ultrasound based on standard criteria, including parenchymal brightness, liver-to-kidney contrast, deep beam attenuation and bright vessel walls. Progression of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores was measured using multidetector CT scanners.
The average duration of follow-up was 3.9 years. During follow-up, the annual rate of CAC progression in participants with and without NAFLD were 22% (95% CI 20% to 23%) and 17% (16% to 18%), respectively (p<0.001). The multivariable ratio of progression rates comparing participants with NAFLD with those without NAFLD was 1.04 (1.02 to 1.05; p<0.001). The association between NAFLD and CAC progression was similar in most subgroups analysed, including in participants with CAC 0 and in those with CAC >0 at baseline.
In this large cohort study of adult men and women with no history of CVD, NAFLD was significantly associated with the development of CAC independent of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. NAFLD may play a pathophysiological role in atherosclerosis development and may be useful to identify subjects with a higher risk of subclinical disease progression.
Background and Purpose
Our recent studies show that the reduced activity of epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) in endothelial cells accounts for the adaptation of vasculature to salt in Sprague–Dawley ...rats. The present study examines a hypothesis that enhanced ENaC activity mediates the loss of vasorelaxation in Dahl salt‐sensitive (SS) rats.
Experimental Approach
We used the cell‐attached patch‐clamp technique to record ENaC activity in split‐open mesenteric arteries. Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to evaluate the levels of aldosterone, ENaC, eNOS and NO. Blood pressure was measured with the tail‐cuff method and the artery relaxation was measured with the wire myograph assay.
Key Results
High‐salt (HS) diet significantly increased plasma aldosterone and ENaC activity in the endothelial cells of Dahl SS rats. The endothelium‐dependent artery relaxation was blunted by HS challenge in these rats. Amiloride, a potent blocker of ENaC, increased both phosphorylated eNOS and NO and therefore prevented the HS‐induced loss of vasorelaxation. As, in SS rats, endogenous aldosterone was already elevated by HS challenge, exogenous aldosterone did not further elevate ENaC activity in the rats fed with HS. Eplerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, attenuated the effects of HS on both ENaC activity and artery relaxation.
Conclusions and Implications
These data suggest that HS diet blunts artery relaxation and causes hypertension via a pathway associated with aldosterone‐dependent activation of ENaC in endothelial cells. This pathway provides one of the mechanisms by which HS causes hypertension in Dahl SS rats.
Linked Articles
This article is part of a themed section on Spotlight on Small Molecules in Cardiovascular Diseases. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.8/issuetoc
Functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) are being produced in increased volume because of the ease of dispersion and maintenance of the pristine material physicochemical properties when used in ...composite materials as well as for other commercial applications. However, the potential adverse effects of f-CNTs have not been quantitatively or systematically explored. In this study, we used a library of covalently functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (f-MWCNTs), established from the same starting material, to assess the impact of surface charge in a predictive toxicological model that relates the tubes’ pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrogenic effects at cellular level to the development of pulmonary fibrosis. Carboxylate (COOH), polyethylene glycol (PEG), amine (NH2), sidewall amine (sw-NH2), and polyetherimide (PEI)-modified MWCNTs were successfully established from raw or as-prepared (AP-) MWCNTs and comprehensively characterized by TEM, XPS, FTIR, and DLS to obtain information about morphology, length, degree of functionalization, hydrodynamic size, and surface charge. Cellular screening in BEAS-2B and THP-1 cells showed that, compared to AP-MWCNTs, anionic functionalization (COOH and PEG) decreased the production of pro-fibrogenic cytokines and growth factors (including IL-1β, TGF-β1, and PDGF-AA), while neutral and weak cationic functionalization (NH2 and sw-NH2) showed intermediary effects. In contrast, the strongly cationic PEI-functionalized tubes induced robust biological effects. These differences could be attributed to differences in cellular uptake and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, which depends on the propensity toward lysosomal damage and cathepsin B release in macrophages. Moreover, the in vitro hazard ranking was validated by the pro-fibrogenic potential of the tubes in vivo. Compared to pristine MWCNTs, strong cationic PEI-MWCNTs induced significant lung fibrosis, while carboxylation significantly decreased the extent of pulmonary fibrosis. These results demonstrate that surface charge plays an important role in the structure–activity relationships that determine the pro-fibrogenic potential of f-CNTs in the lung.
PeDL1 and PeDL2 are involved in orchid gynostemium and ovule development and provide insights into the evolution of orchid reproductive organ development.
Abstract
Orchid gynostemium, the fused organ ...of the androecium and gynoecium, and ovule development are unique developmental processes. Two DROOPING LEAF/CRABS CLAW (DL/CRC) genes, PeDL1 and PeDL2, were identified from the Phalaenopsis orchid genome and functionally characterized. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the most recent common ancestor of orchids contained the duplicated DL/CRC-like genes. Temporal and spatial expression analysis indicated that PeDL genes are specifically expressed in the gynostemium and at the early stages of ovule development. Both PeDLs could partially complement an Arabidopsis crc-1 mutant. Virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) of PeDL1 and PeDL2 affected the number of protuberant ovule initials differentiated from the placenta. Transient overexpression of PeDL1 in Phalaenopsis orchids caused abnormal development of ovule and stigmatic cavity of gynostemium. PeDL1, but not PeDL2, could form a heterodimer with Phalaenopsis equestris CINCINNATA 8 (PeCIN8). Paralogous retention and subsequent divergence of the gene sequences of PeDL1 and PeDL2 in P. equestris might result in the differentiation of function and protein behaviors. These results reveal that the ancestral duplicated DL/CRC-like genes play important roles in orchid reproductive organ innovation.
PDF
