The genus Corydalis (Papaveraceae), which is distributed in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, has been taxonomically studied mainly on the basis of morphological and molecular genomic ...information. In the present study, 14 species that belong to the Korean section Corydalis were collected in South Korea and phylogenetically analyzed using four chloroplast genomic regions, which include matK, rbcL, rpL16 genes and the trnG intron. The author tried to include the nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) region in the phylogenetic analysis; however, multiple PCR bands and various band sizes observed led to the conclusion that the ITS region is not suitable for the phylogenetic study of Corydalis. When the four chloroplast genomic regions were separately analyzed, different levels of resolution for species delimitation were observed, and in most cases the resolution levels were quite low. When matK and rpL16 were concatenated, the highest resolution for species delimitation was observed. However, when other regions were added to this concatenated region to improve the resolution, the resolution decreased, which was in contrast to the author's expectation and deserves further analysis. At the same time, the author observed inconsistencies between the previously established taxonomy based on morphology and the molecular phylogenies in the present study. This discrepancy needs to be addressed in further detail, so that the taxonomy of the genus Corydalis can fully incorporate both morphology and molecular genomic information. Overall, the present study provides insights into the taxonomy of Corydalis, and clearly demonstrates that proper combinations of chloroplast markers can lead to successful discrimination of the species in this genus. Indeed, this study suggests ways to better utilize phylogenetic analyses and species delimitation in this interesting and complicated taxon. Since Corydalis is taxonomically challenging and widely used as medicinal plants in Asia, this study can be a valuable source of information on this genus.
Detecting and locating accurately structure damages at an early stage is essential to minimization of catastrophic disasters, prevention of fatalities and provision of cost‐effective maintenance. We ...herein report a facile approach to detect structure damages and to accurately identify their locations by using an electrically conductive epoxy/graphene nanocomposite film. A percolation threshold of electrical conductivity was observed at 0.58 vol% of graphene platelets (GnPs, ~3 nm in thickness and ~15 μm in length); electrical conductivity of 3.3 S/cm was obtained at 9.00 vol% of GnPs. The epoxy/GnP composite film containing 9.00 vol% of GnPs was employed as an array of electrically conductive paths in horizontal and vertical directions to detect and locate structure's damages. Thermal stability and temperature coefficient of the composite film were studied. Relative resistance change due to temperature effect was fitted into an exponential function, which showed strong correlation with the temperature change. This implies that an algorithm can be developed to compensate drift errors in resistance measurement due to temperature variation. With the help of Internet of Things, our self‐sensing epoxy/graphene nanocomposite films have great potential for smart aerospace structural health monitoring.
Detecting early structural damages and identifying their locations and shapes are essential in health monitoring for smart self‐sensing applications. This study developed a series of electronically conductive epoxy nanocomposites containing graphene platelets (GnPs). The resulting nanocomposite film with 9 vol% of GnPs showed an excellent sensitivity to the structural failures and their details with a high accuracy, thus having a great potential as a flexible smart sensor for the aerospace application.
Malignancy can be suppressed by the immune system in a process termed immunosurveillance. However, to what extent immunosurveillance occurs in spontaneous cancers and the composition of participating ...cell types remains obscure. Here, we show that cell transformation triggers a tissue-resident lymphocyte response in oncogene-induced murine cancer models. Non-circulating cytotoxic lymphocytes, derived from innate, T cell receptor (TCR)αβ, and TCRγδ lineages, expand in early tumors. Characterized by high expression of NK1.1, CD49a, and CD103, these cells share a gene-expression signature distinct from those of conventional NK cells, T cells, and invariant NKT cells. Generation of these lymphocytes is dependent on the cytokine IL-15, but not the transcription factor Nfil3 that is required for the differentiation of tumor-infiltrating NK cells, and IL-15 deficiency, but not Nfil3 deficiency, results in accelerated tumor growth. These findings reveal a tumor-elicited immunosurveillance mechanism that engages unconventional type-1-like innate lymphoid cells and type 1 innate-like T cells.
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•Cell transformation expands tissue-resident ILC1ls and ILTC1s•ILC1ls and ILTC1s share a distinct gene expression program•ILC1ls and ILTC1s exhibit potent cytotoxicity against tumor cells•IL-15 deficiency depletes ILC1ls and ILTC1s, resulting in tumor outgrowth
Cell transformation triggers a cancer immunosurveillance mechanism that engages tissue-resident lymphocytes derived from innate, TCRαβ, and TCRγδ lineages.
Ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. MEYER, Araliaceae), which contains protopanaxadiol-type and protopanaxatriol-type ginsenosides, has been used for inflammation, fatigue, stress, and tumor in Asian ...countries. Orally administered ginsenosides are metabolized to their aglycones 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) by gut microbiota. However, their anti-fatigue effects have not been studied thoroughly. Therefore, we investigated the anti-fatigue activities of PPD and PPT in mice, using the weight-loaded swimming (WLS) and the rota-rod tests. Ginseng water extract (GW), ginseng saponin fraction (GWS) and ginseng polysaccharide fraction (GWP) at concentrations of 50 and 100 mg/kg and PPD and PPT at 5 and 10 mg/kg were orally administered to mice once daily for 5 d. GW, GWS, and PPT significantly increased the WLS time, however, GWP and PPD did not cause any significant change. PPT induced the most significant increase in WLS time. PPD (10 mg/kg) and PPT (5 and 10 mg/kg) inhibited the WLS-induced increase in corticosterone, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatinine levels as well as the reduction in glucose level. PPT increased the riding time in the rota-rod test, and also inhibited corticosterone, lactate, and creatinine levels. These findings suggest that the anti-fatigue effect of ginseng may be attributable to its saponins, particularly PPT, rather than to its polysaccharides.
Abstract
NGC 4839 is the brightest galaxy (cD) of the NGC 4839 group at
R
≈ 1 Mpc in the southwest of the Coma cluster, which is known to be falling into Coma. However, it has been controversial ...whether it is in the first phase of infall or in the second phase of infall after passing the Coma center. We present a wide field study of globular clusters (GCs) in NGC 4839 and its environment based on Hyper Suprime-Cam
gr
images in the Subaru archive. We compare the GC system of NGC 4839 with that of NGC 4816, which is the brightest member (S0) of the nearby group and lies at a similar distance in the west from the Coma center. Interestingly the spatial distribution of the GCs in NGC 4839 is significantly more compact than that of the GCs in NGC 4816. In addition, the radial number density profile of the GCs in NGC 4839 shows an abrupt drop at
R
N4839
≈ 80 kpc, while that of the GCs in NGC 4816 shows a continuous slow decline even in the outer region at 80 <
R
N4816
< 500 kpc. The effective radius of the NGC 4839 GC system is about 3 times smaller than that of the NGC 4816 GC system. This striking difference can be explained if NGC 4839 lost a significant fraction of the GCs in its outskirt when it passed through Coma. This supports strongly the second-infall scenario where the NGC 4839 passed the Coma center about 1.6 Gyr ago, and began the second infall after reaching the apocenter in the southwest recently.
Bone regeneration achieved using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and nonviral gene therapy holds great promise for patients with fractures seemingly unable to heal. Previously, MSCs overexpressing bone ...morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) were shown to differentiate into the osteogenic lineage and induce bone formation. In the present study, we evaluated the potential of osteogenic differentiation in porcine adipose tissue- and bone marrow-derived MSCs (ASCs and BMSCs, respectively) in vitro and in vivo when induced by nucleofection with rhBMP-2 or rhBMP-6. Our assessment of the in vivo efficiency of this procedure was made using quantitative micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). Nucleofection efficiency and cell viability were similar in both cell types; however, the micro-CT analyses demonstrated that in both ASCs and BMSCs, nucleofection with rhBMP-6 generated bone tissue faster and of higher volumes than nucleofection with rhBMP-2. RhBMP-6 induced more efficient osteogenic differentiation in vitro in BMSCs, and in fact, greater osteogenic potential was identified in BMSCs both in vitro and in vivo than in ASCs. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that BMSCs nucleofected with rhBMP-6 are superior at inducing bone formation in vivo than all other groups studied.
Panax ginseng C.A. MEYER (Araliaceae), which contains ginsenosides as its main components, has been shown to have various biological effects, including anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, anti-stress, and ...anti-tumor effects. Orally administered ginsenoside Rb1 and Re are metabolized to 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) and compound K via ginsenoside Rd and 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) and ginsenoside Rh1 via ginsenoside Rg1 by gut microbiota, respectively. Therefore, we investigated the anti-stress effects of these metabolites, PPD and PPT, by measuring their anxiolytic and anti-inflammatory effects in immobilized mice. Treatment with PPD and PPT prior to immobilization stress increased the time spent in open arms and open arm entries in the elevated plus-maze (EPM) test. The anxiolytic effects of PPD (10 mg/kg) and PPT (10 mg/kg) were comparable to that of buspirone (1 mg/kg). This observed anxiolytic effect of PPD was significantly blocked by flumazenil or bicuculline, and the effect of PPT was blocked by WAY-100635. Treatment with PPD also potently suppressed immobilization stress-induced serum levels of corticosterone and interleukin (IL)-6 by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. However, PPT treatment did not suppress them. Based on these findings, PPD and PPT may exhibit the anxiolytic effect via γ-aminobutyrateA (GABAA) receptor(s) and serotonergic receptor(s), respectively, and PPD may have an anti-inflammatory effect that is more potent than that of PPT.
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia characterized by the abnormal accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) in the brain. Aβ misfolding is associated with neuroinflammation and ...synaptic dysfunction, leading to learning and memory deficits. Therefore, Aβ production and aggregation have been one of the most popular drug targets for AD. Failures of drug candidates regulating the aforementioned Aβ cascade stimulated development of immunotherapy agents for clearance of accumulated Aβ in the brain. Here, we report that quinacrine, a blood–brain barrier penetrating antimalarial chemical drug, dissociates Aβ plaques in the brain of AD transgenic mice. When co-incubated with pre-formed Aβ fibrils, quinacrine decreased thioflavin T-positive β-sheets in vitro, on top of its inhibitory function on the fibril formation. We confirmed that quinacrine induced dissociation of high-molecular-weight Aβ aggregates into low-molecular-weight species by dot blots in association with size cut-off filtrations. Quinacrine was then administered to adult 5XFAD transgenic mice via weekly intravenous injections for 6 weeks, and we found a significant reduction of Aβ plaques and astrocytosis in their cortex and hippocampus. In western blots of quinacrine-administered mouse brains, amelioration of AD-related biomarkers, glial fibrillary acidic protein, postsynaptic protein 95, phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein, phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase were observed. Lastly, quinacrine-stimulated dissociation of misfolded aggregates induced recovery of synaptic function associated with Aβ in excitatory post-synaptic current recordings of primary rat cortical neurons treated with Aβ aggregates and quinacrine. Collectively, quinacrine can directly dissociate Aβ fibrils and alleviate decreased synaptic functions.
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