UV-B increases active phytochrome B to suppress thermomorphogenesis and enhance UV-B stress tolerance at high temperatures.

Plants respond to small increases in ambient temperature by changing their architecture, a response collectively termed thermomorphogenesis. Thermomorphogenesis is considered to attenuate the damage caused by potentially harmful high-temperature conditions, and multiple environmental factors can modulate this process. Among these factors, ultraviolet-B (UV-B) light has been shown to strongly suppress this response. However, the molecular mechanisms through which it regulates thermomorphogenesis and the physiological roles of the UV-B-mediated suppression of thermomorphogenesis remain poorly understood. Here, we show that UV-B inhibits thermomorphogenesis through the UVR8-COP1-phyB/HFR1 signaling module. We found that cop1 mutants maintain high levels of active phyB at high temperatures. Extensive genetic analyses revealed that the increased phyB, HFR1, and CRY1 in cop1 mutants redundantly reduce both the level and activity of a key positive regulator in thermomorphogenesis, PIF4, thereby repressing this growth response. Additionally, we found that UV-B light increases phyB stability and its photobody number through the inactivation of COP1. The UV-B-stabilized active phyB, together with HFR1, inhibits thermomorphogenesis by interfering with PIF4. We further show that the increased active phyB enhances UV-B tolerance by activating flavonoid biosynthesis and inhibiting thermomorphogenic growth. Taken together, our study demonstrates that UV-B increases the levels of active phyB and HFR1 by inhibiting COP1 to suppress PIF4-mediated growth responses, which is essential for plant tolerance to UV-B stress at high temperatures.

ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 promotes leaf hyponasty in Arabidopsis by light-mediated auxin signaling.

In plants, balancing growth and environmental responses is crucial for maximizing fitness. Close proximity among plants and canopy shade, which negatively impacts reproduction, elicits morphological adjustments such as hypocotyl growth and leaf hyponasty, mainly through changes in light quality and auxin levels. However, how auxin, synthesized from a shaded leaf blade, distally induces elongation of hypocotyl and petiole cells remains to be elucidated. We demonstrated that ASYMMETRIC LEAVES1 (AS1) promotes leaf hyponasty through the regulation of auxin biosynthesis, polar auxin transport, and auxin signaling genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). AS1 overexpression leads to elongation of the abaxial petiole cells with auxin accumulation in the petiole, resulting in hyponastic growth, which is abolished by the application of an auxin transport inhibitor to the leaf blade. In addition, the as1 mutant exhibits reduced hypocotyl growth under shade conditions. We observed that AS1 protein accumulates in the nucleus in response to shade or far-red light. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis identified the association of AS1 with the promoters of YUCCA8 (YUC8) and INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID INDUCIBLE 19 (IAA19). In addition, AS1 forms complexes with PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORs in the nucleus and synergistically induces YUC8 and IAA19 expression. Our findings suggest that AS1 plays a crucial role in facilitating phenotypic plasticity to the surroundings by connecting light and phytohormone action.

Racial and ethnic differences in healthcare access and utilization among U.S. adults with melanoma and keratinocyte carcinomas in the NIH All of Us Research Program.

There is a paucity of information on racial and ethnic disparities relating to barriers to care in healthcare access and utilization in patients with cutaneous malignancies. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of adults with melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program collected between May 2018 and July 2022. Participants included adults (aged 18 or older) with cutaneous malignancy who completed the Health Care Access and Utilization survey. We identified 5,817 adults who were diagnosed with BCC (67%), cSCC (28.9%), and melanoma (23.9%). Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and Hispanic patients were more likely than non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients to delay a primary care visit due to cost (p = 0.005 and p = 0.015, respectively). NHB patients were also more likely to delay care due to lack of transportation (p < 0.001). NHB and Hispanic patients were more likely to place importance on seeing a provider from the same background (NHB p < 0.002; Hispanic p = 0.002) and also were more likely to report never being able to see such a provider (NHB p < 0.001; Hispanic p = 0.002). Medicaid/Medicare patients, non-college graduates, and those with lower incomes also faced increased barriers to care, including delays due to cost and transportation issues. People of color with cutaneous malignancies are more likely to delay care in seeing primary care providers due to cost or transportation issues. This study provides important insights on disproportionate healthcare usage among racial/ethnic groups that may help mitigate healthcare disparities.

Flexible use of facial features supports face identity processing.

People prioritize diagnostic features in classification tasks. However, it is not clear whether this priority is fixed or is flexibly applied depending on the specific classification decision, or how feature use behavior contributes to individual differences in performance. Here we examined whether flexibility in features used in a face identification task supports face recognition ability. In Experiment 1, we show that the facial features most useful for identification vary-to a surprising degree-depending on the specific face identity comparison at hand. While the ears and eyes were the most diagnostic for face identification in general, they were the most diagnostic feature for just 22% and 14% of identity decisions, respectively. In three subsequent experiments, we find that flexibility in feature use contributes to an individual's face identity matching ability. Higher face identification accuracy was associated with being aware of (Experiments 2 and 4) and attending to (Experiments 3 and 4) the most diagnostic features for a specific facial comparison. This conferred an enhanced benefit relative to focusing on features that were diagnostic of face identity decisions in general (Experiment 4). We conclude that adaptability in information sampling supports face recognition ability and discuss theoretical and applied implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A florigen-expressing subpopulation of companion cells expresses other small proteins and reveals a nitrogen-sensitive FT repressor.

The precise onset of flowering is crucial to ensure successful plant reproduction. The gene FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) encodes florigen, a mobile signal produced in leaves that initiates flowering at the shoot apical meristem. In response to seasonal changes, FT is induced in phloem companion cells located in distal leaf regions. Thus far, a detailed molecular characterization of the FT-expressing cells has been lacking. Here, we used bulk nuclei RNA-seq and single nuclei RNA (snRNA)-seq to investigate gene expression in FT-expressing cells and other phloem companion cells. Our bulk nuclei RNA-seq demonstrated that FT-expressing cells in cotyledons and in true leaves differed transcriptionally. Within the true leaves, our snRNA-seq analysis revealed that companion cells with high FT expression form a unique cluster in which many genes involved in ATP biosynthesis are highly upregulated. The cluster also expresses other genes encoding small proteins, including the flowering and stem growth inducer FPF1-LIKE PROTEIN 1 (FLP1) and the anti-florigen BROTHER OF FT AND TFL1 (BFT). In addition, we found that the promoters of FT and the genes co-expressed with FT in the cluster were enriched for the consensus binding motifs of NITRATE-INDUCIBLE GARP-TYPE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSOR 1 (NIGT1). Overexpression of the paralogous NIGT1.2 and NIGT1.4 repressed FT expression and significantly delayed flowering under nitrogen-rich conditions, consistent with NIGT1s acting as nitrogen-dependent FT repressors. Taken together, our results demonstrate that major FT-expressing cells show a distinct expression profile that suggests that these cells may produce multiple systemic signals to regulate plant growth and development.

Protocol to isolate and characterize pulmonary-specific extracellular vesicles in mice.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous nanoparticles classified based on their size and surface markers, which can be specific to various cell origins. Here, we present a protocol for the isolation of pulmonary-specific EVs in mice. We describe steps for differential centrifugation, density gradient centrifugation, and commercially available polyethylene glycol(PEG)-based precipitation, employing pulmonary-specific EV-bound chemicals and antibodies. We then detail procedures for the characterization of these EVs through nanoparticle tracking analysis, flow cytometry, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Lee et al.1,2,3,4.

Minimally Invasive Injectable Cosmetic Procedures Increase Feelings of Authenticity.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive cosmetic dermatology procedures continue to be increasingly popular; however, the extant literature has poorly documented the psychological antecedents of interest in cosmetic procedures and their psychological consequences. OBJECTIVE: To better inform dermatologists on their patients' motivations for cosmetic enhancement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a general population survey, an online representative sample of 984 Americans reported the extent to which they feel authentic using the validated authenticity scale and whether they were interested in undergoing a cosmetic procedure. In a prospective dermatology office survey, 102 participants reported their feelings of authenticity immediately before and 2 weeks after receiving a minimally invasive injectable cosmetic procedure. RESULTS: In the general population survey, participants interested in cosmetic procedures felt significantly less authentic than participants who were not interested ( p = .003). In the prospective dermatology office survey, participants felt significantly more authentic 2 weeks after their minimally invasive injectable cosmetic procedure than before ( p = .018). CONCLUSION: Lower feelings of authenticity are associated with interest in cosmetic procedures. Participants felt more authentic 2 weeks after receiving a minimally invasive injectable cosmetic procedure. Cosmetic procedures may present patients with an opportunity to feel more like their real, genuine selves.

Insight from expression profiles of FT orthologs in plants: conserved photoperiodic transcriptional regulatory mechanisms.

Floral transition from the vegetative to the reproductive stages is precisely regulated by both environmental and endogenous signals. Among these signals, photoperiod is one of the most important environmental factors for onset of flowering. A florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) in Arabidopsis, has thought to be a major hub in the photoperiod-dependent flowering time regulation. Expression levels of FT likely correlates with potence of flowering. Under long days (LD), FT is mainly synthesized in leaves, and FT protein moves to shoot apical meristem (SAM) where it functions and in turns induces flowering. Recently, it has been reported that Arabidopsis grown under natural LD condition flowers earlier than that grown under laboratory LD condition, in which a red (R)/far-red (FR) ratio of light sources determines FT expression levels. Additionally, FT expression profile changes in response to combinatorial effects of FR light and photoperiod. FT orthologs exist in most of plants and functions are thought to be conserved. Although molecular mechanisms underlying photoperiodic transcriptional regulation of FT orthologs have been studied in several plants, such as rice, however, dynamics in expression profiles of FT orthologs have been less spotlighted. This review aims to revisit previously reported but overlooked expression information of FT orthologs from various plant species and classify these genes depending on the expression profiles. Plants, in general, could be classified into three groups depending on their photoperiodic flowering responses. Thus, we discuss relationship between photoperiodic responsiveness and expression of FT orthologs. Additionally, we also highlight the expression profiles of FT orthologs depending on their activities in flowering. Comparative analyses of diverse plant species will help to gain insight into molecular mechanisms for flowering in nature, and this can be utilized in the future for crop engineering to improve yield by controlling flowering time.

Gonadal efficacy of Thymus quinquecostatus Celakovski: Regulation of testosterone levels in aging mouse models.

Late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) is an age-related disease in men characterized by decreased testosterone levels with symptoms such as decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, and depression. Thymus quinquecostatus Celakovski (TQC) is a plant used as a volatile oil in traditional medicine, and its bioactive compounds have anti-inflammatory potential. Based on this knowledge, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of TQC extract (TE) on LOH in TM3 Leydig cells and in an in vivo aging mouse model. The aqueous extract of T. quinquecostatus Celakovski (12.5, 25, and 50 µg/mL concentrations) was used to measure parameters such as cell viability, testosterone level, body weight, and gene expression, via in vivo studies. Interestingly, TE increased testosterone levels in TM3 cells in a dose-dependent manner without affecting cell viability. Furthermore, TE significantly increased the expression of genes involved in the cytochrome P450 family (Cyp11a1, Cyp17a1, Cyp19a1, and Srd5a2), which regulate testosterone biosynthesis. In aging mouse models, TE increased testosterone levels without affecting body weight and testicular tissue weight tissue of an aging animal group. In addition, the high-dose TE-treated group (50 mg/kg) showed significantly increased expression of the cytochrome p450 enzymes, similar to the in vitro results. Furthermore, HPLC-MS analysis confirmed the presence of caffeic acid and rosmarinic acid as bioactive compounds in TE. Thus, the results obtained in the present study confirmed that TQC and its bioactive compounds can be used for LOH treatment to enhance testosterone production.

Florigen-producing cells express FPF1-LIKE PROTEIN 1 that accelerates flowering and stem growth in long days with sunlight red/far-red ratio in Arabidopsis.

Seasonal changes in spring induce flowering by expressing the florigen, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), in Arabidopsis. FT is expressed in unique phloem companion cells with unknown characteristics. The question of which genes are co-expressed with FT and whether they have roles in flowering remains elusive. Through tissue-specific translatome analysis, we discovered that under long-day conditions with the natural sunlight red/far-red ratio, the FT-producing cells express a gene encoding FPF1-LIKE PROTEIN 1 (FLP1). The master FT regulator, CONSTANS (CO), controls FLP1 expression, suggesting FLP1's involvement in the photoperiod pathway. FLP1 promotes early flowering independently of FT, is active in the shoot apical meristem, and induces the expression of SEPALLATA 3 (SEP3), a key E-class homeotic gene. Unlike FT, FLP1 facilitates inflorescence stem elongation. Our cumulative evidence indicates that FLP1 may act as a mobile signal. Thus, FLP1 orchestrates floral initiation together with FT and promotes inflorescence stem elongation during reproductive transitions.

Synthetic ShK-like Peptide from the Jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai Has Human Voltage-Gated Potassium-Channel-Blocking Activity.

We identified a new human voltage-gated potassium channel blocker, NnK-1, in the jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai based on its genomic information. The gene sequence encoding NnK-1 contains 5408 base pairs, with five introns and six exons. The coding sequence of the NnK-1 precursor is 894 nucleotides long and encodes 297 amino acids containing five presumptive ShK-like peptides. An electrophysiological assay demonstrated that the fifth peptide, NnK-1, which was chemically synthesized, is an effective blocker of hKv1.3, hKv1.4, and hKv1.5. Multiple-sequence alignment with cnidarian Shk-like peptides, which have Kv1.3-blocking activity, revealed that three residues (3Asp, 25Lys, and 34Thr) of NnK-1, together with six cysteine residues, were conserved. Therefore, we hypothesized that these three residues are crucial for the binding of the toxin to voltage-gated potassium channels. This notion was confirmed by an electrophysiological assay with a synthetic peptide (NnK-1 mu) where these three peptides were substituted with 3Glu, 25Arg, and 34Met. In conclusion, we successfully identified and characterized a new voltage-gated potassium channel blocker in jellyfish that interacts with three different voltage-gated potassium channels. A peptide that interacts with multiple voltage-gated potassium channels has many therapeutic applications in various physiological and pathophysiological contexts.

The phytochrome-interacting factor genes PIF1 and PIF4 are functionally diversified due to divergence of promoters and proteins.

Phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) are basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors that regulate light responses downstream of phytochromes. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), 8 PIFs (PIF1-8) regulate light responses, either redundantly or distinctively. Distinctive roles of PIFs may be attributed to differences in mRNA expression patterns governed by promoters or variations in molecular activities of proteins. However, elements responsible for the functional diversification of PIFs have yet to be determined. Here, we investigated the role of promoters and proteins in the functional diversification of PIF1 and PIF4 by analyzing transgenic lines expressing promoter-swapped PIF1 and PIF4, as well as chimeric PIF1 and PIF4 proteins. For seed germination, PIF1 promoter played a major role, conferring dominance to PIF1 gene with a minor contribution from PIF1 protein. Conversely, for hypocotyl elongation under red light, PIF4 protein was the major element conferring dominance to PIF4 gene with the minor contribution from PIF4 promoter. In contrast, both PIF4 promoter and PIF4 protein were required for the dominant role of PIF4 in promoting hypocotyl elongation at high ambient temperatures. Together, our results support that the functional diversification of PIF1 and PIF4 genes resulted from contributions of both promoters and proteins, with their relative importance varying depending on specific light responses.

Low temperature-mediated repression and far-red light-mediated induction determine morning FLOWERING LOCUS T expression levels.

In order to flower in the appropriate season, plants monitor light and temperature changes and alter downstream pathways that regulate florigen genes such as Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT). In Arabidopsis, FT messenger RNA levels peak in the morning and evening under natural long-day conditions (LDs). However, the regulatory mechanisms governing morning FT induction remain poorly understood. The morning FT peak is absent in typical laboratory LDs characterized by high red:far-red light (R:FR) ratios and constant temperatures. Here, we demonstrate that ZEITLUPE (ZTL) interacts with the FT repressors TARGET OF EATs (TOEs), thereby repressing morning FT expression in natural environments. Under LDs with simulated sunlight (R:FR = 1.0) and daily temperature cycles, which are natural LD-mimicking environmental conditions, FT transcript levels in the ztl mutant were high specifically in the morning, a pattern that was mirrored in the toe1 toe2 double mutant. Low night-to-morning temperatures increased the inhibitory effect of ZTL on morning FT expression by increasing ZTL protein levels early in the morning. Far-red light counteracted ZTL activity by decreasing its abundance (possibly via phytochrome A (phyA)) while increasing GIGANTEA (GI) levels and negatively affecting the formation of the ZTL-GI complex in the morning. Therefore, the phyA-mediated high-irradiance response and GI play pivotal roles in morning FT induction. Our findings suggest that the delicate balance between low temperature-mediated ZTL activity and the far-red light-mediated functions of phyA and GI offers plants flexibility in fine-tuning their flowering time by controlling FT expression in the morning.

Capillary gingival hemangioma in a cat.

A 12-year-old spayed female American short-haired cat presented with a palatal gingival mass located between the right maxillary third incisor and the canine teeth. The mass was dark red and had a narrow attachment to the gingival margin of the canine tooth. The mass was completely removed by marginal excision and the histopathological diagnosis was a capillary hemangioma. The mass did not relapse until 1 year later; however, the tooth was extracted because of cervical resorption of the right maxillary canine immediately adjacent to the mass resection site. This report presents a rare case of the gingival hemangioma in a cat and the possibility of a causal relationship between the occurrence of external cervical tooth resorption and hemangioma resection.

Industry Culture Matters: Sexual Harassment in the South Korean Film Industry.

This study analyzes factors of sexual harassment in the workplace based on sample survey data on women working in the Korean film industry (n = 449) using logistic regression analysis. It finds higher education, younger age, and union membership increase harassment risk, suggesting backlash against feminism post-#MeToo. A higher proportion of men at shooting locations raises harassment likelihood, reflecting the industry's unique conditions. Longer work hours also increase harassment probability. The findings highlight the importance of considering industrial context in addressing workplace harassment. They emphasize the need for policies improving gender representation in film.

Development of Reproducible and Scalable Culture Conditions for In Vitro Maintenance of Pig Embryonic Stem Cells Using the Sandoz Inbred Swiss Mouse Thioguanine-Resistant Ouabain-Resistant Cell Line as a Feeder Layer.

Feeder cells play a crucial role in maintaining the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) by secreting various extrinsic regulators, such as extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and growth factors. Although primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) are the most widely used feeder cell type for the culture of ESCs, they have inevitable disadvantages such as batch-to-batch variation and labor-intensive isolation processes. Here, we revealed that the Sandoz inbred Swiss Mouse (SIM) thioguanine-resistant ouabain-resistant (STO) cell line, an immortalized cell line established from mouse SIM embryonic fibroblasts, can be used as a feeder layer for in vitro culture of authentic pig ESCs instead of primary MEFs. First, the expression of genes encoding ECM proteins and growth factors was analyzed to compare their secretory functions as feeder cells. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) showed that the gene expression of these pluripotency-associated factors was downregulated in STO cells compared to primary MEFs of similar density. Therefore, subsequent optimization of the culture conditions was attempted using higher STO cell densities. Notably, pig ESCs cultured on STO cell density of 3 × (187,500 cells/cm2) exhibited the most similar pluripotent state to pig ESCs cultured on primary MEF density of 1 × (62,500 cells/cm2), as determined by alkaline phosphatase staining, qPCR, and immunocytochemistry. In addition, pig ESCs cultured on STO cell density of 3 × formed complex teratoma containing multiple types of tissues derived from all three germ layers. Our culture conditions using optimal STO cell density can be applied to fields requiring reproducible and scalable production of pig ESCs, such as preclinical research and cellular agriculture.