The Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1) complex plays a central role in the initiation stage of autophagy. However, the function of ULK1 in the late stage of autophagy is unknown. Here, ...we report that ULK1, a central kinase of the ULK1 complex involved in autophagy initiation, promotes autophagosome-lysosome fusion. PKCα phosphorylates ULK1 and prevents autolysosome formation. PKCα phosphorylation of ULK1 does not change its kinase activity; however, it decreases autophagosome-lysosome fusion by reducing the affinity of ULK1 for syntaxin 17 (STX17). Unphosphorylated ULK1 recruited STX17 and increased STX17's affinity towards synaptosomal-associated protein 29 (SNAP29). Additionally, phosphorylation of ULK1 enhances its interaction with heat shock cognate 70 kDa protein (HSC70) and increases its degradation through chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). Our study unearths a key mechanism underlying autolysosome formation, a process in which the kinase activity of PKCα plays an instrumental role, and reveals the significance of the mutual regulation of macroautophagy and CMA in maintaining the balance of autophagy.
Raising triplet exciton utilization of pure organic luminescent materials is of significant importance for efficiency advancement of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Herein, by introducing ...bromine atom(s) onto a typical molecule (bis(carbazol-9-yl)-4,5-dicyanobenzene) with thermally activated delayed fluorescence, we demonstrate that the heavy atom effect of bromine can increase spin–orbit coupling and promote the reverse intersystem crossing, which endow the molecules with more distinct delayed fluorescence. In consequence, the triplet exciton utilization is improved greatly with the increase of bromine atoms, affording apparently advanced external quantum efficiencies of OLEDs. Utilizing the enhancement effect of bromine atoms on delayed fluorescence should be a simple and promising design concept for efficient organic luminogens with high exciton utilization.
It is well-known that the adaptability of coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis to thermal stress varies among coral species, but the cause and/or mechanism behind it are not well-understood. In this ...study, we aimed to explore this issue based on zooxanthellae density (ZD) and Symbiodiniaceae genus/subclade. Hemocytometry and next-generation sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer region 2 (ITS2) marker gene were used to observe ZDs and Symbiodiniaceae genera/subclades associated with 15 typical coral species in the southern South China Sea (SCS). Average ZDs of all corals were in low levels, ranging from 0.84 to 1.22 × 10
6
cells cm
−2
, with a total of five Symbiodiniaceae genera,
Symbiodinium, Cladocopium, Durusdinium, Fugacium
, and
Gerakladium
, as well as 24 dominant subclades, were detected and varied among these coral species.
Pocillopora verrucosa
was dominated by
Durusdinium
(subclade D1/D1a), and other colonial corals were dominated by
Cladocopium
, but the subclades were varied among these species.
Porites lutea
and
Montipora efflorescens
were dominated by C15, and
Echinopora lamellosa, Hydnophora exesa
, and
Coscinaraea exesa
were dominated by C40.
Acropora corymbosa, Merulina ampliata
, and five species of Faviidae were mainly associated with
Cladocopium
types of C3u and Cspc. In contrast to other colonial corals, the dominant subclade of solitary
Fungia fungites
was C27, with high host specificity. Our study indicates that coral thermal stress adaptability is mainly affected by dominant Symbiodiniaceae type instead of ZD in the southern SCS. Some heat-sensitive corals, such as
P. verrucosa
corals, have acquired a high abundance of heat-tolerant
Durusdinium
to adapt to thermal stress. This could be the main reason for these corals becoming the dominant corals in this reef region. Background subclades analyses showed significant differences among coral species in subclade quantity and diversity. These suggest that numbers of coral species may have adapted to high environmental temperature by adopting various symbionts and/or associating with heat-tolerant Symbiodiniaceae.
The large-scale production and frequent use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have led to the continuous release and wide distribution of these pollutions in the natural environment. At low ...levels, EDC exposure may cause metabolic disorders, sexual development, and reproductive disorders in aquatic animals and humans. Adsorption treatment, particularly using nanocomposites, may represent a promising and sustainable method for EDC removal from wastewater. EDCs could be effectively removed from wastewater using various carbon-based nanomaterials, such as carbon nanofiber, carbon nanotubes, graphene, magnetic carbon nanomaterials, carbon membranes, carbon dots, carbon sponges, etc. Important applications of carbon nanocomposites for the removal of different kinds of EDCs and the theory of adsorption are discussed, as well as recent advances in carbon nanocomposite synthesis technology and characterization technology. Furthermore, the factors affecting the use of carbon nanocomposites and comparisons with other adsorbents for EDC removal are reviewed. This review is significant because it helps to promote the development of nanocomposites for the decontamination of wastewater.
Coral reefs are continuing to decline worldwide due to anthropogenic climate change. The study of the molecular diversity and biogeographical patterns of Symbiodiniaceae, is essential to understand ...the adaptive potential and resilience of coral-algal symbiosis. Next generation sequencing was used to analyze the Symbiodiniaceae rDNA internal transcribed spacer 2 marker genes from 178 reef-building coral samples in eight coral habitats across approximately 13° of latitude in the South China Sea (SCS). A total of three Symbiodiniaceae genera,
,
, and
, as well as 31 dominant Symbiodiniaceae types, were identified. Symbiodiniaceae richness, diversity, and community composition varied according to latitude; intermediate and low latitude coral reefs (IR and LR) have higher Symbiodiniaceae richness and diversity than high latitude coral habitats (HC and HR). A PERMANOVA analysis found significant differences in the Symbiodiniaceae community composition in the SCS (
= 14.75,
= 0.20,
= 0.001 < 0.01). The major dominant Symbiodiniaceae types were C1 in the HC and the HR, C1/Cspc/C50/C15 and D1 in the IR, and C3u and C15 in the LR. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that the relative abundance of different Symbiodiniaceae types is affected by multiple environmental factors. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Symbiodiniaceae type
, which shared common ancestors, shows similar environmental adaptability. Based on these results, we suggest that coral host species played a relatively small role in the identity of the dominant Symbiodiniaceae type. Therefore, the biogeographical patterns of Symbiodiniaceae may be mainly affected by environmental factors. Our research provides a comprehensive overview of the biogeography of Symbiodiniaceae in the SCS, where coral communities and reefs are widely distributed across different latitude regions and have variable environmental conditions. Our data will provide support for further study of the regional diversification of Symbiodiniaceae and the ecological resilience of the coral-Symbiodiniaceae symbioses.
Blockchain technology has triggered a new round of technological innovation and industrial change. Promoting the deep integration of blockchain technology and smart water conservancy has become an ...essential part of the digital transformation of the Chinese smart water conservancy industry. On the basis of the analysis of the framework of the smart water conservancy system and the technology infrastructure model of the blockchain, a conceptual model of a smart water conservancy information sharing platform is established. The platform has four-in-one and multicentralized participants including government departments, water conservancy enterprises, the public, and third-party maintenance, and the design of “alliance chain + private chain” dual chain smart contract. Moreover, the multidimensional scenarios of smart water conservancy innovation applications incorporating blockchain platform technology are addressed. Then, the water rights trading market is taken as an example to propose an innovative development path with consensus mechanisms, smart contracts, asymmetric encryption, and information source tracing. Although there may be some questions and challenges related to smart water conservancy and blockchain technology, this paper can provide a reference for the sustainable development of the smart water conservancy industry due to its fundamental societal contributions.
Mature cystic teratoma (MCT) is a common type of ovarian tumors that can, in rare cases, undergo malignant transformation. It has been discovered that MCT patients may experience psychiatric symptoms ...due to the presence of anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibodies, which is the underlying cause of autoimmune encephalitis. Here, we present the first documented case of a patient with anti-NMDAR encephalitis who also had a morphology of low-grade glioma within MCT.
A 45-year-old woman presented with seizures, altered consciousness, abnormal NMDAR antibody IgG titers, and abnormal brain MRI findings confirm the diagnosis of anti-NMDAR encephalitis. Physical examination revealed an oval mixed echo mass measuring 54 × 37 mm in the left adnexal area on ultrasound of the uterine appendage. The patient underwent laparoscopic left ovarian and fallopian tube resection. The pathological gross examination revealed a pile of grayish-red cystic and solid fragmented tissue measuring 7 × 6 × 2.2 cm. Histological examination revealed characteristic components of MCT. Furthermore, the solid component of the gross tissue showed proliferative and densely arranged astrocytes with cellular atypia, which were positive for GFAP and Olig-2, negative for IDH1 and EMA. And the Ki67 index was approximately 10%, suggesting the presence of low-grade glioma lesions. The patient was diagnosed with malignant transformation of MCT into a morphology of low-grade glioma, not otherwise specified. After the removal of the ovarian tumor, the patient's psychiatric symptoms improved.
Low-grade glioma within MCT is a rare occurrence, and the presence of this malignant transformation in patients with anti-NMDAR encephalitis is even more uncommon.
•Ultrasound (U), homogenization (H) and combined UH/HU treatment changed ALa structure.•HU-ALa possessed the highest binding affinity with Mog compared to other treated ALa.•The sequence of ...foamability in ALa/Mog complex was listed: HU > U > H > UH.•HU-ALa had the highest foam stability among all samples.•U/H treatment and Mog increased the adsorption speed of ALa at air–water interface.
The purpose of this study was to investigate effect of physical treatment (ultrasound, U/high pressure homogenization, H/combined treatment, UH or HU) and surfactant (Mogroside V, Mog) on air/water interface adsorption and foaming properties of α-lactalbumin (ALa). Firstly, the binding of Mog and all physical-treated ALa was a static quenching process. Mog had the greatest binding affinity for HU-ALa among all treated samples. U or H treatment could change surface hydrophobicity of ALa/Mog complex. Secondly, at the molar ratio (ALa:Mog) of 1:50, foaming ability (FA) of all ALa samples got the maximum. The sequence of FA in ALa and ALa/Mog complex was listed as follow: HU > U > H > UH. Moreover, foaming stability (FS) of HU-ALa was the highest, followed by H-ALa, U-ALa and UH-ALa. Meanwhile, low concentration Mog increased FS of ALa or UH-ALa, but it reduced FS of H-ALa, U-ALa and HU-ALa. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) experiment indicated that ALa/Mog complex after U or H treatment was quickly absorbed at air/water interface, compared with the treated ALa, and HU-ALa/Mog had the largest frequency shift. In addition, HU-ALa had the thickest bubble membrane and the highest dissipation shift in all samples, indicating that the absorbed membrane thickness and viscoelasticity of samples was correlated with foam stability. Therefore, U and H treatment synergism with Mog was an effective approach to enhance foam properties of ALa, which indicated that HU-treated ALa/Mog complex could be viewed as the safe and efficient foaming agent applied in food processing.
Serpinc1 is a serine protease inhibitor in the coagulation cascade, but its role in tumor biology remains obscure. Here, we report an unexpected role of serpinc1 in suppression of hepatocellular ...carcinoma (HCC). In HCC patients, the mRNA and protein expression of serpinc1 is upregulated, which is negatively correlated with tumor grade, and has a better prognosis than patients with low serpinc1. In addition, patients with high expression of serpinc1 generally have a better tumor immune microenvironment, accompanied by changes in multiple immune cells and mediators. In particular, tumor-promoting M2 macrophages are negatively correlated with serpinc1 expression and the prognosis of HCC patients.
In vitro
experiments further show that overexpression of serpinc1 inhibits the growth of HCC cells (HepG2 and SMMC7721) by inducing apoptosis. Accordingly, cell co-culture experiments reveal the direct role of serpinc1-overexpressed HCC cells in inhibiting the formation of M2 macrophages. Subsequent unbiased quantitative proteomic and ubiquitinome analyses identify that multiple poly-ubiquitination of proteins involved in signal pathways (such as autophagy, apoptosis, lactate metabolism, and VEGF signaling) are regulated by serpinc1. Overall, these findings establish a serpinc1-dependent ubiquitin-proteasome system to control apoptosis and antitumor immunity.
Traditionally, investigations into the climatic response of various tree species have spanned different regions. However, dendrochronological studies within a single region, characterized by minor ...climatic differences, have received comparatively less attention. Therefore, this study collected 230 tree cores from four prevalent conifer species (P. yunnanensis, A. forrestii, P. likiangensis, and T. dumosa) in the Lugu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve of southwestern China, a region undergoing climate warming and drying. This study employed dendrochronological methods to investigate tree growth–climate static responses, individual tree responses to climate, and dynamic tree–climate interactions. Our findings revealed that as the trend of warming and drying persists, tree growth exhibits an initial increase followed by a subsequent decrease. Dynamic response analyses, along with standardized assessments, indicate that in the early stages of warming, tree growth benefits from elevated temperatures. However, in the later stages of warming, the combined effects of warming and drying become more pronounced. During this phase, the facilitating impact of temperature diminishes, while the controlling influence of moisture conditions intensifies. Looking ahead, with the ongoing intensification of warming and drying, tree growth in the region is anticipated to become increasingly reliant on the water supply. This shift may lead to the decline or mortality of tree species intolerant to drought, such as T. dumosa.
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