Voltage control of magnetism (VCM) is attracting increasing interest and exciting significant research activity driven by its profound physics and enormous potential for application. This review ...article aims to provide a comprehensive review of recent progress in VCM in different thin films. We first present a brief summary of the modulation of magnetism by electric fields and describe its discovery, development, classification, mechanism, and potential applications. In the second part, we focus on the classification of VCM from the viewpoint of materials, where both the magnetic medium and dielectric gating materials, and their influences on magnetic modulation efficiency are systematically described. In the third part, the nature of VCM is discussed in detail, including the conventional mechanisms of charge, strain, and exchange coupling at the interfaces of heterostructures, as well as the emergent models of orbital reconstruction and electrochemical effect. The fourth part mainly illustrates the typical performance characteristics of VCM, and discusses, in particular, its promising application for reducing power consumption and realizing high-density memory in several device configurations. The present review concludes with a discussion of the challenges and future prospects of VCM, which will inspire more in-depth research and advance the practical applications of this field.
Microplastics are ubiquitous in aquatic ecosystems worldwide, but knowledge on their impacts on phytoplankton, especially freshwater microalgae, is still limited. To investigate this issue, ...microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was exposed to polystyrene (PS) microplastics with 4 concentration gradients (5, 25, 50 and 100 mg/L), and the growth, chlorophyll a fluorescence, photosynthetic activities (Fv/Fm), the contents of malondialdehydes (MDA), soluble proteins, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and settlement rate were accordingly measured. Results showed that the density of microalgae decreased as the increase of PS microplastics concentrations, and the highest inhibitory rate (IR) was 45.8% on the 7th day under the concentration of 100 mg/L. The high concentration (100 mg/L) of microplastics evidently inhibited the content of EPS released by microalgae into the solution. PS under all dosages tested could reduce both the chlorophyll a fluorescence yields and photosynthetic activities. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) images demonstrated that microplastic beads were wrapped on the surface of microalgae and damaged their membranes, which could suggest the reduction of photosynthetic activities and the increase of soluble proteins and MDA content. The results also showed that PS microplastics could inhibit the settlement of microalgae at the later stage, which also indicated the recovery of microalgae from the toxic environment. Our findings will contribute to understanding the effects of microplastics on freshwater microalgae, as well as evaluating the possible influences of microplastics on aquatic ecosystems.
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•The effects of microplastics on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii were investigated.•The highest growth inhibitory rate was 45.8%.•Microplastics could reduce chlorophyll a fluorescence yields and photosynthetic activities.•Chlamydomonas reinhardtii could recover from the microplastics-contained toxic environment.
Extracellular vesicles (EV) are endogenously produced, membrane-bound vesicles that contain various molecules. Depending on their size and origins, EVs are classified into apoptotic bodies, ...microvesicles, and exosomes. A fundamental function of EVs is to mediate intercellular communication. In kidneys, recent research has begun to suggest a role of EVs, especially exosomes, in cell-cell communication by transferring proteins, mRNAs, and microRNAs to recipient cells as nanovectors. EVs may mediate the cross talk between various cell types within kidneys for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. They may also mediate the cross talk between kidneys and other organs under physiological and pathological conditions. EVs have been implicated in the pathogenesis of both acute kidney injury and chronic kidney diseases, including renal fibrosis, end-stage renal disease, glomerular diseases, and diabetic nephropathy. The release of EVs with specific molecular contents into urine and plasma may be useful biomarkers for kidney disease. In addition, EVs produced by cultured cells may have therapeutic effects for these diseases. However, the role of EVs in kidney diseases is largely unclear, and the mechanism underlying EV production and secretion remains elusive. In this review, we introduce the basics of EVs and then analyze the present information about the involvement, diagnostic value, and therapeutic potential of EVs in major kidney diseases.
An evaluation index system for the coupled and coordinated development of China's digital economy and rural revitalization, including a total of 46 indicators for the digital economy and rural ...revitalization subsystems, was constructed and combined with the entropy weight method, the coupling coordination degree model, Zhou's constraint identification index, the Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition method, and the panel spatial econometric model to analyze the level of coupled and coordinated development of China's digital economy and rural revitalization. The results found that: (1) the coupling and coordination between the two have gradually improved. The constraints of the digital economy on rural revitalization were gradually alleviated from 2011 to 2015, but after the 19th Party Congress, the development trend of rural revitalization has significantly outstripped the digital economy. (2) the spatial differences in the degree of coupling and coordination between the two are dominated by inter-regional differences and show significant spatial convergence and spatial correlation. Differentiated digital economy development strategies and more radiation in polarized areas are important for reducing regional differences in the level of coupling and coordination between the digital economy and rural revitalization. This will help China's digital countryside grow more efficiently.
Phytoene synthase （PSY） is the crucial plastidial enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway. However, its post-translational regulation remains elusive. Likewise, Clp protease constitutes a ...central part of the plastid protease network, but its substrates for degradation are not well known. In this study, we report that PSY is a substrate of the Clp protease. PSY was uncovered to physically interact with various Clp protease subunits （i.e., ClpS1, CIpC1, and CIpD）. High levels of PSY and several other carotenogenic enzyme proteins overac- cumulate in the clpcl, clpp4, and clprl-2 mutants. The overaccumulated PSY was found to be partially enzy- matically active. Impairment of Clp activity in clpcl results in a reduced rate of PSY protein turnover, further supporting the role of Clp protease in degrading PSY protein. On the other hand, the ORANGE （OR） protein, a major post-translational regulator of PSY with holdase chaperone activity, enhances PSY protein stability and increases the enzymatically active proportion of PSY in clpcl, counterbalancing CIp-mediated proteol- ysis in maintaining PSY protein homeostasis. Collectively, these findings provide novel insights into the qual- ity control of plastid-localized proteins and establish a hitherto unidentified post-translational regulatory mechanism of carotenogenic enzymes in modulating carotenoid biosynthesis in plants.
Carotenoids are indispensable natural pigments to plants and humans. Phytoene synthase (PSY), the rate-limiting enzyme in the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, and ORANGE (OR), a regulator of ...chromoplast differentiation and enhancer of carotenoid biosynthesis, represent two key proteins that control carotenoid biosynthesis and accumulation in plants. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying their posttranscriptional regulation. Here we report that PSY and OR family proteins Arabidopsis thaliana OR (AtOR) and AtOR-like physically interacted with each other in plastids. We found that alteration of OR expression in Arabidopsis exerted minimal effect on PSY transcript abundance. However, overexpression of AtOR significantly increased the amount of enzymatically active PSY, whereas an ator ator-like double mutant exhibited a dramatically reduced PSY level. The results indicate that the OR proteins serve as the major posttranscriptional regulators of PSY. The ator or ator-like single mutant had little effect on PSY protein levels, which involves a compensatory mechanism and suggests partial functional redundancy. In addition, modification of PSY expression resulted in altered AtOR protein levels, corroborating a mutual regulation of PSY and OR. Carotenoid content showed a correlated change with OR-mediated PSY level, demonstrating the function of OR in controlling carotenoid biosynthesis by regulating PSY. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism by which carotenoid biosynthesis is controlled via posttranscriptional regulation of PSY in plants.
Renal fibrosis is mainly characterized by activation and proliferation of interstitial fibroblasts and by excessive synthesis and accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, including ...fibronectin (FN) and collagen. This study investigated the effects of curcumin on proliferation of renal interstitial fibroblasts and their underlying mechanisms in vivo and in vitro. ECM components were visualized by Sirius red and immunohistochemistry staining and quantified by western blot analysis in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). Duplex staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), as well as MTT and flow cytometry assays, were performed to measure fibroblast proliferation. Protein expression of phosphorylated Smad2/3 (p-Smad2/3) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) were assessed by western blotting. Curcumin treatment decreased the accumulation of type I collagen and FN in the kidney of animals with UUO. Activation of rat renal interstitial fibroblasts (NRK-49F) was induced by TGF-β1. Curcumin treatment inhibited fibroblast proliferation and the cell cycle was arrested in the G1 phase. Curcumin treatment upregulated the expression of PPAR-γ and downregulated the expression of p-Smad2/3. These results suggest that curcumin treatment ameliorates renal fibrosis by reducing fibroblast proliferation and ECM accumulation mediated by PPAR-γ and Smad-dependent TGF-β1 signaling.
Anthocyanins are responsible for the color of many flowers, fruits, and vegetables. An interesting and unique Purple (Pr) gene mutation in cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var botrytis) confers an ...abnormal pattern of anthocyanin accumulation, giving the striking mutant phenotype of intense purple color in curds and a few other tissues. To unravel the nature of the Pr mutation in cauliflower, we isolated the Pr gene via a combination of candidate gene analysis and fine mapping. Pr encoded a R2R3 MYB transcription factor that exhibited tissue-specific expression, consistent with an abnormal anthocyanin accumulation pattern in the mutant. Transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and cauliflower plants expressing the Pr-D allele recapitulated the mutant phenotype, confirming the isolation of the Pr gene. Up-regulation of Pr specifically activated a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor and a subset of anthocyanin structural genes encoding flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase, dihydroflavonol 4-reductase, and leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase to confer ectopic accumulation of pigments in the purple cauliflower. Our results indicate that the genetic variation including a Harbinger DNA transposon insertion in the upstream regulatory region of the Pr-D allele is responsible for the up-regulation of the Pr gene in inducing phenotypic change in the plant. The successful isolation of Pr provides important information on the regulatory control of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Brassica vegetables, and offers a genetic resource for development of new varieties with enhanced health-promoting properties and visual appeal.
•Induced biocrust growth varied between slope aspect, steepness and plant cover.•Slope aspect affect biocrust development and soil properties significantly.•Soil factors affected by microhabitats ...influence biocrust distribution.
Cyanobacterial inoculation can accelerate the formation of induced biological soil crusts (IBSCs) and is suggested as an effective strategy for desertification reversal. However, previous studies concerning the spatial distribution of IBSCs at the micro scale are insufficient. In this study, IBSCs distributed in microhabitats differing in slope aspect, slope gradient and plant cover were investigated to reveal the effects of microhabitats on soil properties and IBSC development. There are significant differences in soil environmental factors including microclimates and soil physical properties, and soil component factors including SOC, TN, TP and dissolved organic matter components among sites with different microhabitats. Compared with IBSCs on south-facing slopes and in interspaces, those under plant cover and on north-facing slopes were characterized by higher biomass and moss abundance, indicating later successional stages. The relative contributions of microhabitat characteristics to the variance in environmental conditions and soil properties were slope aspect (59.5%) > shrub cover (13.8%) > slope gradient (6.2%). Furthermore, these environmental and soil component factors contributed equally and interactively to IBSC development. Our findings reveal that soil environmental factors and soil composition affected by microhabitats drive the distinct development of IBSCs in interactive and essential ways. More attention should be paid to these microhabitat-related soil factors in the IBSC rehabilitation and maintenance engineering.
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