In humans, tissue injury and depression can both cause pain hypersensitivity, but whether this involves distinct circuits remains unknown. Here, we identify two discrete glutamatergic neuronal ...circuits in male mice: a projection from the posterior thalamic nucleus (PO
) to primary somatosensory cortex glutamatergic neurons (S1
) mediates allodynia from tissue injury, whereas a pathway from the parafascicular thalamic nucleus (PF
) to anterior cingulate cortex GABA-containing neurons to glutamatergic neurons (ACC
) mediates allodynia associated with a depression-like state. In vivo calcium imaging and multi-tetrode electrophysiological recordings reveal that PO
and PF
populations undergo different adaptations in the two conditions. Artificial manipulation of each circuit affects allodynia resulting from either tissue injury or depression-like states, but not both. Our study demonstrates that the distinct thalamocortical circuits PO
→S1
and PF
→ACC
subserve allodynia associated with tissue injury and depression-like states, respectively, thus providing insights into the circuit basis of pathological pain resulting from different etiologies.
Organic molecules which can undergo excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process have been considered as ideal gain materials for near‐infrared organic lasers owing to their effective ...four‐level systems. However, extending lasing wavelength beyond 800 nm with present ESIPT‐active gain materials is still in challenge. Herein, we established a molecular design strategy that operates via extending the π‐conjugated system of the ESIPT parent core to enhance the cascaded double ESIPT process and thus to achieve the red‐shifted six‐level system lasing. Concretely, a model molecule with 1,9‐dihydroxyanthracene as the ESIPT parent core was designed and synthesized, which was proved to undergo twice cascaded ESIPT processes while the 1,8‐dihydroxynaphthalene‐based analogue can only undergo once ESIPT process based on DFT calculations and ultrafast dynamics analyses. Finally, a six‐level system lasing toward 900 nm was achieved with a low threshold of 27.4 μJ cm−2.
A six‐level system lasing toward 900 nm was achieved with a low lasing threshold of 27.4 μJ cm−2 through engineering of the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) of the parent core. This work demonstrates that extending the π‐conjugated system of the ESIPT parent core can effectively enhance the second proton transfer process in a cascaded double ESIPT system.
Microbial arsenic (As) methylation and demethylation are important components of the As biogeochemical cycle. Arsenic methylation is enhanced under flooded conditions in paddy soils, producing mainly ...phytotoxic dimethylarsenate (DMAs) that can cause rice straighthead disease, a physiological disorder occurring widely in some rice growing regions. The key microbial groups responsible for As methylation and demethylation in paddy soils are unknown. Three paddy soils were incubated under flooded conditions. DMAs initially accumulated in the soil porewater, followed by a rapid disappearance coinciding with the production of methane. The soil from a rice straighthead disease paddy field produced a much larger amount of DMAs than the other two soils. Using metabolic inhibition, quantification of functional gene transcripts, microbial enrichment cultures and
C-labeled DMAs, we show that sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and methanogenic archaea are involved in As methylation and demethylation, respectively, controlling the dynamics of DMAs in paddy soils. We present a model of As biogeochemical cycle in paddy soils, linking the dynamics of changing soil redox potential with arsenite mobilization, arsenite methylation and subsequent demethylation driven by different microbial groups. The model provides a basis for controlling DMAs accumulation and incidence of straighthead disease in rice.
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•Melatonin may alleviate cold-induced membrane lipid peroxidation.•Melatonin treatment increased the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids.•Melatonin lightened phospholipids ...degradation and gene expression of CaPLD and CaLOX.•Melatonin treatment may activate an antioxidant defense system of bell peppers.•Melatonin treatment may be a reliable method to relieve chilling injury.
Melatonin is a kind of indoleamine that plays an important role against abiotic stress. In the current study, we investigated the effect of exogenous melatonin (100 μM) on bell pepper during storage at 4 °C for 20 d and afterward shelf at 20 °C for 3 d. Melatonin treatment reduced cell structure damage and lightened the increase in chilling injury incidence, membrane permeability, and malonaldehyde (MDA) content under cold stress. The membrane lipid content and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids increased by reducing the enzymatic activity and transcripts of phospholipase D (PLD) and lipoxygenase (LOX). Besides, melatonin application also inhibited the transcription of CaNAC1, which is the direct targeted regulator of the CaPLD gene. In addition, peppers treated with melatonin had a higher proline content than untreated peppers. Moreover, melatonin triggered the antioxidation protection system in peppers to resist oxidative damage by up-regulating the transcription level of the CaSOD, CaPOD, CaCAT, and CaAPX genes. Our results show that melatonin treatment may be a reliable method to relieve chilling injury in bell pepper fruit via the alleviation of cold-induced membrane lipid peroxidation and activating an antioxidant defense system.
Organic semiconductor molecules possess chemical tunability and large stimulated emission cross section, representing a promising candidate for laser gain medium. However, for the pursuit of ...telecom‐wavelength organic lasers, one of the major obstacles is the lack of effective energy‐level systems with high optical gain to compensate the exciton deactivation losses. Herein, the effects of molecular conformation‐dependent distinct cascaded proton‐transfer six‐level energy gain systems on lasing emission properties are systematically investigated based on organic polymorphs, proving that an energy‐level gain system without reversible transition channels is more conducive to the formation of efficient population inversion and high optical gain. Notably, the one‐way irreversible six‐level energy system of β‐phase polymorph supports more favorable population inversions than the two‐way reversible six‐level system of α‐phase polymorph due to the irreversible excited‐state second proton transfer and the irreversible ground‐state recovery, achieving the amplified spontaneous emission at telecom‐wavelength of ≈850 nm. This study provides useful guidelines for constructing efficient energy‐level gain systems, promoting the exploration of high‐gain organic semiconductor laser materials from visible to near‐infrared region.
The one‐way irreversible six‐level energy system of β‐phase polymorph supports more favorable population inversions than the two‐way reversible six‐level system of α‐phase polymorph due to the irreversible excited‐state second proton transfer and the irreversible ground‐state recovery, which thus supports the lasing emission at telecom‐wavelength of ≈850 nm.
Excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT)‐active organic semiconductor materials, characterized by a or several resonance‐assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs), are supposed to be ideal ...candidates for achieving high‐performance near‐infrared (NIR) lasers. However, according to the energy gap law, the development of ESIPT‐active gain materials is still limited by the serious nonradiative decays. Herein, it is demonstrated that RAHBs can activate ESIPT lasing by inhibiting nonradiative decays. A new ESIPT‐active material 1,5‐dihydroxy‐2,6‐diphenylanthraquinone (DP‐DHAQ) containing two centrosymmetric RAHBs is developed, which exhibits a ≈100‐fold higher radiative decay rate (kr = 1.1 × 1010 s–1) in doped polystyrene (PS) film than that of 1‐hydroxy‐5‐methoxy‐2,6‐diphenylanthraquinone (DP‐HMAQ) and 1,5‐dimethoxy‐2,6‐diphenylanthraquinone (DP‐DMAQ), in which one and two RAHBs are broken, respectively, by introducing methyl groups. Both DP‐DHAQ and DP‐HMAQ can form four‐level systems based on the ESIPT processes, but only DP‐DHAQ doped PS microspheres exhibit laser emission at 710 nm under the test conditions. It is worth mentioning that single‐crystal microplates of DP‐DHAQ can realize NIR laser emission at 725 nm. The results suggest that RAHBs can effectively activate the gain property of ESIPT‐active materials, which deepens insights into NIR ESIPT lasing and provides a new proposal for the design of organic laser‐active molecules.
This work demonstrates that resonance‐assisted hydrogen bonds (RAHBs) can activate lasing by effectively suppressing nonradiative transitions besides participating in the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer process. Furthermore, the insights from this work on the construction of high‐performance near‐infrared organic solid‐state lasers via RAHBs will be of interest to those engaged in organic laser‐active materials science research.
Anxiety is a remarkably common condition among patients with pharyngitis, but the relationship between these disorders has received little research attention, and the underlying neural mechanisms ...remain unknown. Here, we show that the densely innervated pharynx transmits signals induced by pharyngeal inflammation to glossopharyngeal and vagal sensory neurons of the nodose/jugular/petrosal (NJP) superganglia in mice. Specifically, the NJP superganglia project to norepinephrinergic neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS
). These NTS
neurons project to the ventral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (vBNST) that induces anxiety-like behaviors in a murine model of pharyngeal inflammation. Inhibiting this pharynx→NJP→NTS
→vBNST circuit can alleviate anxiety-like behaviors associated with pharyngeal inflammation. This study thus defines a pharynx-to-brain axis that mechanistically links pharyngeal inflammation and emotional response.
The alligator weed flea beetle, Agasicles hygrophila is a monophagous natural enemy of the invasive alligator weed Alternanthera philoxeroides. Oogenesis plays a vital role in the process of ...individual development and population continuation of oviparous insects. Sox is an ancient and ubiquitous metazoan gene family that plays a key regulatory role in various physiological processes, including oogenesis, which is closely related to fecundity. In this study, two Sox genes AhDichaete and AhSox3 were cloned and characterized, and then the expression profiles of AhDichaete and AhSox3 were qualified by a quantitative reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction. The result showed that these two Sox genes were expressed significantly higher in ovary, especially in the adult developmental stage. Furthermore, the functions of AhDichaete and AhSox3 in A. hygrophila females were studied using RNA interference (RNAi). Fewer offsprings were produced when AhDichaete and AhSox3 RNAi females mated with wild‐type males. Moreover, dsAhSox3 injection reduced the hatching rate of eggs but injection with dsAhDichaete did not. Further study of the reproductive system of AhDichaete and AhSox3 RNAi females showed that yolk protein deposition reduction in the ovarioles, then the expression of vitellogenin gene AhVg2 in ovaries was decreased. These results indicate that AhDichaete and AhSox3 play an important regulatory role in the process of ovarian development and oogenesis by affecting yolk synthesis in the ovary of A. hygrophila.
Using RNA interference (RNAi), Dong et al. found that dsAhDichaete and dsAhSox3 injection significantly decreased female fecundity of Agasicles hygrophila, inhibited yolk protein deposition, and the expression of vitellogenin gene AhVg2 in ovaries. This study demonstrates that AhDichaete and AhSox3 play a key regulatory role in ovarian development and oogenesis of adult female A. hygrophila.
Research Highlights
1.First clone and characterize two Sox genes AhDichaete and AhSox3 from Agasicles hygrophila.
2.Higher expression levels of AhDichaete and AhSox3 in adult ovary.
3.AhDichaete and AhSox3 are essential for ovarian development and oogenesis of A. hygrophila.
•An integrated strategy was presented for authentication of herbal medicines.•“Commercial-homophyletic” comparison was used to obtain robust biomarkers.•Automatic metabolites annotation was achieved ...by UNIFI™.•Eleven robust biomarkers were deduced to differentiate four parts of P. ginseng.•ANN models enabled exact authentication of P. ginseng including adulteration.
A key segment in authentication of herbal medicines is the establishment of robust biomarkers that embody the intrinsic metabolites difference independent of the growing environment or processing technics. We present a strategy by nontargeted metabolomics and “Commercial-homophyletic” comparison-induced biomarkers verification with new bioinformatic vehicles, to improve the efficiency and reliability in authentication of herbal medicines. The chemical differentiation of five different parts (root, leaf, flower bud, berry, and seed) of Panax ginseng was illustrated as a case study. First, an optimized ultra-performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight-MSE (UPLC/QTOF-MSE) approach was established for global metabolites profiling. Second, UNIFI™ combined with search of an in-house library was employed to automatically characterize the metabolites. Third, pattern recognition multivariate statistical analysis of the MSE data of different parts of commercial and homophyletic samples were separately performed to explore potential biomarkers. Fourth, potential biomarkers deduced from commercial and homophyletic root and leaf samples were cross-compared to infer robust biomarkers. Fifth, discriminating models by artificial neutral network (ANN) were established to identify different parts of P. ginseng. Consequently, 164 compounds were characterized, and 11 robust biomarkers enabling the differentiation among root, leaf, flower bud, and berry, were discovered by removing those structurally unstable and possibly processing-related ones. The ANN models using the robust biomarkers managed to exactly discriminate four different parts and root adulterant with leaf as well. Conclusively, biomarkers verification using homophyletic samples conduces to the discovery of robust biomarkers. The integrated strategy facilitates authentication of herbal medicines in a more efficient and more intelligent manner.
All known riboswitches use their aptamer to senese one metabolite signal and their expression platform to regulate gene expression. Here, we characterize a SAM-I riboswitch (SAM-I
) from the ...Xanthomonas campestris that regulates methionine synthesis via the met operon. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that SAM-I
controls the met operon primarily at the translational level in response to cellular S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) levels. Biochemical and genetic data demonstrate that SAM-I
expression platform not only can repress gene expression in response to SAM binding to SAM-I
aptamer but also can sense and bind uncharged initiator Met tRNA, resulting in the sequestering of the anti-Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence and freeing the SD for translation initiation. These findings identify a SAM-I riboswitch with a dual functioning expression platform that regulates methionine synthesis through a previously unrecognized mechanism and discover a natural tRNA-sensing RNA element. This SAM-I riboswitch appears to be highly conserved in Xanthomonas species.
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