Microbial dysbiosis in the upper digestive tract is linked to an increased risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Overabundance of Porphyromonas gingivalis is associated with shorter ...survival of ESCC patients. We investigated the molecular mechanisms driving aggressive progression of ESCC by P. gingivalis. Intracellular invasion of P. gingivalis potentiated proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis abilities of ESCC cells via transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ)-dependent Drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic homologs (Smads)/Yes-associated protein (YAP)/Transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) activation. Smads/YAP/TAZ/TEA domain transcription factor1 (TEAD1) complex formation was essential to initiate downstream target gene expression, inducing an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness features. Furthermore, P. gingivalis augmented secretion and bioactivity of TGFβ through glycoprotein A repetitions predominant (GARP) up-regulation. Accordingly, disruption of either the GARP/TGFβ axis or its activated Smads/YAP/TAZ complex abrogated the tumor-promoting role of P. gingivalis. P. gingivalis signature genes based on its activated effector molecules can efficiently distinguish ESCC patients into low- and high-risk groups. Targeting P. gingivalis or its activated effectors may provide novel insights into clinical management of ESCC.
Upland forests are traditionally thought to be net sinks for atmospheric methane (CH4). In such forests, in situ CH4 fluxes on tree trunks have been neglected relative to soil and canopy fluxes.
We ...measured in situ CH4 fluxes from the trunks of living trees and other surfaces, such as twigs and soils, using a static closed-chamber method, and estimated the CH4 budget in a temperate upland forest in Beijing.
We found that the trunks of Populus davidiana emitted large quantities of CH4 during July 2014–July 2015, amounting to mean annual emissions of 85.3 and 103.1 μg m−2 h−1 on a trunk surface area basis on two replicate plots. The emission rates were similar in magnitude to those from tree trunks in wetland forests. The emitted CH4 was derived from the heartwood of trunks. On a plot or ecosystem scale, trunk CH4 emissions were equivalent to c. 30–90% of the amount of CH4 consumed by soils throughout the year, with an annual average of 63%.
Our findings suggest that wet heartwoods, regardless of rot or not, occur widely in living trees on various habitats, where CH4 can be produced.
Flavonoids are widely-distributed polyphenolic secondary metabolites with diverse biological activities in plants and benefit human health as protective dietary agents. They participate in plants’ ...responses to harsh environmental conditions and effectively regulate the cell differentiation and growth. In plants, the majority of their functions are attributed to their strong antioxidative properties. Similarly, dietary flavonoids protect the human body against free radicals which are associated with the development of cancer and atherosclerosis. Plants rich in polyphenols have been used to cure various diseases because of their antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal and anticancer properties. This review summarizes the up-to-date research trends and development on flavonoids and its derivatives, working mechanisms and potential functions and applications particularly in relation to plant protection and human health. Towards the end, notable concluding remarks with a close-up look at the future research directions have also been presented briefly.
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a severe complication of preterm infants characterized by increased alveolarization and inflammation. Premature exposure to hyperoxia is believed to be a key ...contributor to the pathogenesis of BPD. No effective preventive or therapeutic agents have been created. Stimulator of interferon gene (STING) is associated with inflammation and apoptosis in various lung diseases. Long non‐coding RNA MALAT1 has been reported to be involved in BPD. However, how MALAT1 regulates STING expression remains unknown. In this study, we assessed that STING and MALAT1 were up‐regulated in the lung tissue from BPD neonates, hyperoxia‐based rat models and lung epithelial cell lines. Then, using the flow cytometry and cell proliferation assay, we found that down‐regulating of STING or MALAT1 inhibited the apoptosis and promoted the proliferation of hyperoxia‐treated cells. Subsequently, qRT‐PCR, Western blotting and dual‐luciferase reporter assays showed that suppressing MALAT1 decreased the expression and promoter activity of STING. Moreover, transcription factor CREB showed its regulatory role in the transcription of STING via a chromatin immunoprecipitation. In conclusion, MALAT1 interacts with CREB to regulate STING transcription in BPD neonates. STING, CREB and MALAT1 may be promising therapeutic targets in the prevention and treatment of BPD.
Reversible post-translational modifications represent a mechanism to control tumor metabolism. Here we show that mitochondrial Sirtuin5 (SIRT5), which mediates lysine desuccinylation, ...deglutarylation, and demalonylation, plays a role in colorectal cancer (CRC) glutamine metabolic rewiring. Metabolic profiling identifies that deletion of SIRT5 causes a marked decrease in
C-glutamine incorporation into tricarboxylic-acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and glutamine-derived non-essential amino acids. This reduces the building blocks required for rapid growth. Mechanistically, the direct interaction between SIRT5 and glutamate dehydrogenase 1 (GLUD1) causes deglutarylation and functional activation of GLUD1, a critical regulator of cellular glutaminolysis. Consistently, GLUD1 knockdown diminishes SIRT5-induced proliferation, both in vivo and in vitro. Clinically, overexpression of SIRT5 is significantly correlated with poor prognosis in CRC. Thus, SIRT5 supports the anaplerotic entry of glutamine into the TCA cycle in malignant phenotypes of CRC via activating GLUD1.
Functional passivators are conventionally utilized in modifying the crystallization properties of perovskites to minimize the non‐radiative recombination losses in perovskite light‐emitting diodes ...(PeLEDs). However, the weak anchor ability of some commonly adopted molecules has limited passivation ability to perovskites and even may desorb from the passivated defects in a short period of time, which bring about plenty of challenges for further development of high‐performance PeLEDs. Here, a multidentate molecule, formamidine sulfinic acid (FSA), is introduced as a novel passivator to perovskites. FSA has multifunctional groups (S≐O, C≐N and NH2) where the S≐O and C≐N groups enable coordination with the lead ions and the NH2 interacts with the bromide ions, thus providing the most effective chemical passivation for defects and in turn the formation of highly stable perovskite emitters. Moreover, the interaction between the FSA and octahedral PbBr64− can inhibit the formation of unfavorable low‐n domains to further minimize the inefficient energy transfer inside the perovskite emitters. Therefore, the FSA passivated green‐emitting PeLED exhibits a high external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 26.5% with fourfold enhancement in operating lifetime as compared to the control device, consolidating that the multidentate molecule is a promising strategy to effectively and sustainably passivate the perovskites.
A multidentate molecule (Formamidine Sulfinic Acid, FSA) to passivate the perovskite for efficient light‐emitting devices. Owing to its multiple roles of guaranteeing sufficient passivation durability and minimizing the energy loss, green PeLEDs based on the FSA‐perovskite films shows a superior EQE of 26.5%.
Sordariomycetes is one of the largest classes of Ascomycota that comprises a highly diverse range of fungi mainly characterized by perithecial ascomata and inoperculate unitunicate asci. Freshwater ...Sordariomycetes play an important role in ecosystems and some of them have the potential to produce bioactive compounds. This study documents and reviews the freshwater Sordariomycetes, which is one of the largest and important groups of fungi in aquatic habitats. Based on evidence from DNA sequence data and morphology, we introduce a new order Distoseptisporales, two new families, viz. Ceratosphaeriaceae and Triadelphiaceae, three new genera, viz.
Aquafiliformis
,
Dematiosporium
and
Neospadicoides
, 47 new species, viz.
Acrodictys fluminicola
,
Aquafiliformis lignicola
,
Aquapteridospora fusiformis
,
Arthrinium aquaticum
,
Ascosacculus fusiformis
,
Atractospora aquatica
,
Barbatosphaeria lignicola
,
Ceratosphaeria aquatica
,
C. lignicola
,
Chaetosphaeria aquatica
,
Ch. catenulata
,
Ch. guttulata
,
Ch. submersa
,
Codinaea yunnanensis
,
Conioscypha aquatica
,
C. submersa
,
Cordana aquatica
,
C. lignicola
,
Cosmospora aquatica
,
Cylindrotrichum submersum
,
Dematiosporium aquaticum
,
Dictyochaeta cangshanensis
,
D. ellipsoidea
,
D. lignicola
,
D. submersa
,
Distoseptispora appendiculata
,
D. lignicola
,
D. neorostrata
,
D. obclavata
,
Hypoxylon lignicola
,
Lepteutypa aquatica
,
Myrmecridium aquaticum
,
Neospadicoides aquatica
,
N. lignicola
,
N. yunnanensis
,
Ophioceras submersum
,
Peroneutypa lignicola
,
Phaeoisaria filiformis
,
Pseudostanjehughesia lignicola
,
Rhodoveronaea aquatica
,
Seiridium aquaticum
,
Sporidesmiella aquatica
,
Sporidesmium lageniforme
,
S. lignicola
,
Tainosphaeria lunata
,
T. obclavata
,
Wongia aquatica
, two new combinations, viz.
Acrodictys aquatica
,
Cylindrotrichum aquaticum
, and 9 new records, viz.
Chaetomium globosum
,
Chaetosphaeria cubensis
,
Ch. myriocarpa
,
Cordana abramovii
,
Co. terrestris
,
Cuspidatispora xiphiago
,
Sporidesmiella hyalosperma
,
Stachybotrys chartarum
,
S. chlorohalonata
. A comprehensive classification of the freshwater Sordariomycetes is presented based on updated literature. Phylogenetic inferences based on DNA sequence analyses of a combined LSU, SSU, RPB2 and TEF1α dataset comprising species of freshwater Sordariomycetes are provided. Detailed information including their habitats distribution, diversity, holotype, specimens collected and classification are provided.
During their lifetime, plants encounter numerous biotic and abiotic stresses with diverse modes of attack. Phytohormones, including salicylic acid (SA), ethylene (ET), jasmonate (JA), abscisic acid ...(ABA), auxin (AUX), brassinosteroid (BR), gibberellic acid (GA), cytokinin (CK) and the recently identified strigolactones (SLs), orchestrate effective defense responses by activating defense gene expression. Genetic analysis of the model plant
has advanced our understanding of the function of these hormones. The SA- and ET/JA-mediated signaling pathways were thought to be the backbone of plant immune responses against biotic invaders, whereas ABA, auxin, BR, GA, CK and SL were considered to be involved in the plant immune response through modulating the SA-ET/JA signaling pathways. In general, the SA-mediated defense response plays a central role in local and systemic-acquired resistance (SAR) against biotrophic pathogens, such as Pseudomonas syringae, which colonize between the host cells by producing nutrient-absorbing structures while keeping the host alive. The ET/JA-mediated response contributes to the defense against necrotrophic pathogens, such as
, which invade and kill hosts to extract their nutrients. Increasing evidence indicates that the SA- and ET/JA-mediated defense response pathways are mutually antagonistic.
Lead telluride has long been realized as an ideal p‐type thermoelectric material at an intermediate temperature range; however, its commercial applications are largely restricted by its n‐type ...counterpart that exhibits relatively inferior thermoelectric performance. This major limitation is largely solved here, where it is reported that a record‐high ZT value of ≈1.83 can be achieved at 773 K in n‐type PbTe‐4%InSb composites. This significant enhancement in thermoelectric performance is attributed to the incorporation of InSb into the PbTe matrix resulting in multiphase nanostructures that can simultaneously modulate the electrical and thermal transport. On one hand, the multiphase energy barriers between nanophases and matrix can boost the power factor in the entire temperature range via significant enhancement of the Seebeck coefficient and moderately reducing the carrier mobility. On the other hand, the strengthened interface scattering at the intensive phase boundaries yields an extremely low lattice thermal conductivity. This strategy of constructing multiphase nanostructures can also be highly applicable in enhancing the performance of other state‐of‐the‐art thermoelectric systems.
A new strategy of constructing multiphase nanostructures can enhance the thermoelectric power factor and reduce the lattice thermal conductivity simultaneously. Through this strategy, it is reported that a record‐high ZT value of ≈1.83 can be achieved at 773 K in n‐type PbTe‐4%InSb composites. Furthermore, the mechanisms introducing multiphase nanostructures are also highly applicable in other thermoelectric systems.
Structure material properties are heterogeneous in nature and would be characterized with different statistics at different length scales due to the spatially averaging effects. This work develops a ...framework for the modal analysis of beam structures with random field models at multiple scales. In this framework, the random field theory is adopted to model heterogeneous material properties, and the cross-correlations between material properties are explicitly considered. The modal parameters of a structure are then evaluated using the finite element (FE) method with the simulated heterogeneous material properties taken as input. With the aid of Monte Carlo simulation, the modal parameters are analyzed in a probabilistic manner. In addition, to accommodate the necessity of different mesh sizes in FE models, an approach of evaluating random field parameters and generating random field material properties at different length scales is developed. The performance of the proposed framework is demonstrated through the modal analysis of a simply supported beam, where the formulation of the multiscale random field approach is validated and the effects of heterogeneous material properties on modal parameters are analyzed. Parametric studies on the random field parameters, including the coefficient of variation and the scale of fluctuation, are also conducted to further investigate the relations between the random field parameters at different scales.
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