Abstract
Massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) play a crucial role in star formation. Given that MYSOs were previously identified based on the extended structure and the observational data for them ...is limited, screening the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) objects showing green features (for the common coding of the 4.6
μ
m band as the green channel in three-color composite WISE images) will yield more MYSO candidates. Using WISE images in the whole Galactic plane (0° <
l
< 360° and ∣
b
∣ < 2°), we identified sources with strong emissions at the 4.6
μ
m band, then according to morphological features divided them into three groups. We present a catalog of 2135 WISE Green Objects (WGOs). 264 WGOs have an extended structure. 1366 WGOs show compact green features but without extended structure. 505 WGOs have neither extended structure nor green features, but the intensity at 4.6
μ
m is numerically at least 4.5 times that of 3.4
μ
m. According to the analysis of the coordinates of WGOs, we find WGOs are mainly distributed in ∣
l
∣ < 60°, coincident with the position of the giant molecular clouds in ∣
l
∣ > 60°. Matching results with various masers show that those three groups of WGOs are at different evolutionary stages. After crossmatching WGOs with published YSO survey catalogs, we infer that ∼50% of WGOs are samples of newly discovered YSOs. In addition, 1260 WGOs are associated with Hi-GAL sources, according to physical parameters estimated by spectral energy distribution fitting, of which 231 are classified as robust MYSOs and 172 as candidate MYSOs.
Mammalian testis exhibits remarkably high transcriptome complexity, and spermatogenesis undergoes two periods of transcriptional cessation. These make the RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) the utmost ...importance during male germ cell development. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins (hnRNPs) are a large family of RBPs implicated in many steps of RNA processing; however, their roles in spermatogenesis are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of 12 hnRNP family members in mouse testes and found that most detected members are highly expressed in the testis. Furthermore, we found that most of the detected hnRNP proteins (hnRNPD, hnRNPK, hnRNPQ, hnRNPU, and hnRNPUL1) display the highest signals in the nuclei of pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids, and Sertoli cells, whereas hnRNPE1 exclusively concentrates in the manchette of elongating spermatids. The expression of these hnRNP proteins showed both similarities and specificity, suggesting their diverse roles in spermatogenesis.
Darwin's naturalisation conundrum describes the paradox that the relatedness of exotic species to native residents could either promote or hinder their success through opposing mechanisms: niche ...pre‐adaptation or competitive interactions. Previous studies focusing on single snapshots of invasion patterns have provided support to both sides of the conundrum. Here, by examining invasion dynamics of 480 plots over 40 years, we show that exotic species more closely related to native species were more likely to enter, establish and dominate the resident communities, and that native residents more closely related to these successful exotics were more likely to go locally extinct. Therefore, non‐random displacement of natives during invasion could weaken or even reverse the negative effects of exotic–native phylogenetic distances on invasion success. The scenario that exotics more closely related to native residents are more successful, but tend to eliminate their closely related natives, may help to reconcile the 150‐year‐old conundrum.
Decidual macrophages (dMϕ) contribute to maternal-fetal tolerance. However, the mechanism of dMϕ differentiation during pregnancy is still largely unknown. Here, we report that receptor activator for ...nuclear factor-κ B ligand (RANKL), secreted by human embryonic trophoblasts and maternal decidual stromal cells (DSCs), polarizes dMϕ toward a M2 phenotype. This polarization is mediated through activation of Akt/signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) signaling, which is associated with the upregulation of histone H3 lysine-27 demethylase Jmjd3 and IRF4 in dMϕ. Such differentiated dMϕ can induce a Th2 bias that promotes maternal-fetal tolerance. Impaired expression of RANKL leads to dysfunction of dMϕ in vivo and increased rates of fetal loss in mice. Transfer of RANK
Mϕ reverses mouse fetal loss induced by Mϕ depletion. Compared with normal pregnancy, there are abnormally low levels of RANKL/RANK in villi and decidua from miscarriage patients. These results suggest that RANKL is a pivotal regulator of maternal-fetal tolerance by licensing dMϕ to ensure a successful pregnancy outcome. This observation provides a scientific basis on which a potential therapeutic strategy can be targeted to prevent pregnancy loss.
Cadmium (Cd) as a ubiquitous toxic heavy metal is reported to affect the nervous system. Selenium (Se) has been shown to have antagonistic effects against heavy metal toxicity. In addition, it shows ...potential antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the possible mechanism of brain injury after high Cd exposure and the mitigation of Nano-selenium (Nano-Se) against Cd-induced brain injury. In this study, the Cd-treated group showed a decrease in the number of neurons in brain tissue, swelling of the endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria, and the formation of autophagosomes. Nano-Se intervention restored Cd-caused alterations in neuronal morphology, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondrial structure, thereby reducing neuronal damage. Furthermore, we found that some differentially expressed genes were involved in cell junction and molecular functions. Subsequently, we selected eleven (11) related differentially expressed genes for verification. The qRT-PCR results revealed the same trend of results as determined by RNA-Seq. Our findings also showed that Nano-Se supplementation alleviated Cx43 phosphorylation induced by Cd exposure. Based on immunofluorescence colocalization it was demonstrated that higher expression of GFAP and lower expressions of Cx43 were restored by Nano-Se supplementation. In conclusion, the data presented in this study establish a direct association between the phosphorylation of Cx43 and the occurrence of autophagy and neuroinflammation. However, it is noteworthy that the introduction of Nano-Se supplementation has been observed to mitigate these alterations. These results elucidate the relieving effect of Nano-Se on Cd exposure-induced brain injury.
(Dan-shen in pinyin), a classic Chinese herb, has been extensively used to treat diabetic retinopathy in clinical practice in China for many years. However, the pharmacological mechanisms of
remain ...vague. The aim of this study was to decrypt the underlying mechanisms of
in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy using a systems pharmacology approach.
A network pharmacology-based strategy was proposed to elucidate the underlying multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway mode of action of
against diabetic retinopathy. First, we collected putative targets of
based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology database and a network of the interactions among the putative targets of
and known therapeutic targets of diabetic retinopathy was built. Then, two topological parameters, "degree" and "closeness certainty" were calculated to identify the major targets in the network. Furthermore, the major hubs were imported to the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery to perform a pathway enrichment analysis.
A total of 130 nodes, including 18 putative targets of
, were observed to be major hubs in terms of topological importance. The results of pathway enrichment analysis indicated that putative targets of
mostly participated in various pathways associated with angiogenesis, protein metabolism, inflammatory response, apoptosis, and cell proliferation. The putative targets of
(vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinases, plasminogen, insulin-like growth factor-1, and cyclooxygenase-2) were recognized as active factors involved in the main biological functions of treatment, which implied that these were involved in the underlying mechanisms of
on diabetic retinopathy.
could alleviate diabetic retinopathy via the molecular mechanisms predicted by network pharmacology. This research demonstrates that the network pharmacology approach can be an effective tool to reveal the mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine from a holistic perspective.
The widely used Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been reported to exhibit ubiquitous environmental and global health hazards. The bioaccumulation and environmental persistence of DEHP can cause ...serious health hazards in wildlife animals and human. However, DEHP-induced nephrotoxicity in bird is remained unknown. Thus, this study explored the related mechanism of DEHP nephrotoxicity in quail. For this purpose, quail were exposed with DEHP at doses of 0, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kg body weight daily by gavage administration for 45 days. The results showed that DEHP exposure induced renal injury, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) degeneration. Low level DEHP (250 mg/kg) exposure inhibited Nrf2 signaling pathway and induced renal injury via oxidative stress and suppressed the unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling pathway and induced ER stress in the kidney. But surprisingly, high level DEHP (500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg) exposure activated Nrf2 and UPR signaling pathways and protected kidney, but they still couldn't resist the toxicity of DEHP. Our study demonstrated that DEHP-induced nephrotoxicity in quail was associated with activating Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense response and UPR signaling pathway.
DEHP exposure induced renal injury and destroyed the pathophysiological integrity of the kidney in quail. DEHP-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with oxidative stress, which could be regulated by Nrf2-mediated defense response. DEHP exposure activated the UPR signaling pathway to prevent ER stress in the kidney. Display omitted
•DEHP-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with oxidative stress.•DEHP activates Nrf2 signaling pathway in the kidney.•DEHP-induced nephrotoxicity triggers renal ER stress.•DEHP activates UPR in the kidney.•DEHP induces crosstalk between UPR and Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense in renal injury.
DEHP-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with crosstalk between activated UPR and Nrf2-mediated antioxidant defense mechanism.
Linear triquinane sesquiterpenoids represent an important class of natural products. Most of these compounds were isolated from fungi, sponges, and soft corals, and many of them displayed a wide ...range of biological activities. On account of their structural diversity and complexity, linear triquinane sesquiterpenoids present new challenges for chemical structure identification and total synthesis. 118 linear triquinane sesquiterpenoids were classified into 8 types, named types I⁻VIII, based on the carbon skeleton and the position of carbon substituents. Their isolation, structure elucidations, biological activities, and chemical synthesis were reviewed. This paper cited 102 articles from 1947 to 2018.
BackgroundSuccessful human reproduction requires normal spermatogenesis, oogenesis, fertilisation and early embryonic development, and abnormalities in any of these processes will result in ...infertility. Early embryonic arrest is commonly observed in infertile patients with recurrent failure of assisted reproductive technology (ART). However, the genetic basis for early embryonic arrest is largely unknown.ObjectiveWe aim to identify genetic causes of infertile patients characterised by early embryonic arrest.MethodsWe pursued exome sequencing in a proband with embryonic arrest from the consanguineous family. We further screened candidate genes in a cohort of 496 individuals diagnosed with early embryonic arrest by Sanger sequencing. Effects of mutations were investigated in HeLa cells, oocytes and embryos.ResultsWe identified five independent individuals carrying biallelic mutations in NLRP2. We also found three individuals from two families carrying biallelic mutations in NLRP5. These mutations in NLRP2 and NLRP5 caused decreased protein expression in vitro and in oocytes and embryos.Conclusions NLRP2 and NLRP5 are novel mutant genes responsible for human early embryonic arrest. This finding provides additional potential diagnostic markers for patients with recurrent failure of ART and helps us to better understand the genetic basis of female infertility characterised by early embryonic arrest.
The emerging role of heparanase in tumor initiation, growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance is well recognized and is encouraging the development of heparanase inhibitors as anticancer drugs. Unlike ...the function of heparanase in cancer cells, very little attention has been given to heparanase contributed by cells composing the tumor microenvironment. Here we used a genetic approach and examined the behavior and function of macrophages isolated from wild-type (WT) and heparanase-knockout (Hpa-KO) mice. Hpa-KO macrophages express lower levels of cytokines (e.g., TNFα, IL1-β) and exhibit lower motility and phagocytic capacities. Intriguingly, inoculation of control monocytes together with Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells into Hpa-KO mice resulted in nearly complete inhibition of tumor growth. In striking contrast, inoculating LLC cells together with monocytes isolated from Hpa-KO mice did not affect tumor growth, indicating that heparanase is critically required for activation and function of macrophages. Mechanistically, we describe a linear cascade by which heparanase activates Erk, p38, and JNK signaling in macrophages, leading to increased c-Fos levels and induction of cytokine expression in a manner that apparently does not require heparanase enzymatic activity. These results identify heparanase as a key mediator of macrophage activation and function in tumorigenesis and cross-talk with the tumor microenvironment.
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