Vibrio alginolyticus PEPCK Mediates Florfenicol Resistance through Lysine Succinylation Modification.

Protein succinylation modification is a common post-translational modification (PTM) that plays an important role in bacterial metabolic regulation. In this study, quantitative analysis was conducted on the succinylated proteome of wild-type and florfenicol-resistant Vibrio alginolyticus to investigate the mechanism of succinylation regulating antibiotic resistance. Bioinformatic analysis showed that the differentially succinylated proteins were mainly enriched in energy metabolism, and it was found that the succinylation level of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxyl kinase (PEPCK) was highly expressed in the florfenicol-resistant strain. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to mutate the lysine (K) at the succinylation site of PEPCK to glutamic acid (E) and arginine (R), respectively, to investigate the function of lysine succinylation of PEPCK in the florfenicol resistance of V. alginolyticus. The detection of site-directed mutagenesis strain viability under florfenicol revealed that the survival rate of the E mutant was significantly higher than that of the R mutant and wild type, indicating that succinylation modification of PEPCK protein may affect the resistance of V. alginolyticus to florfenicol. This study indicates the important role of PEPCK during V. alginolyticus antibiotic-resistance evolution and provides a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of vibriosis and the development of new antibiotics.

Construction of an Anoikis-Related Gene Prognostic Signature and Identification of ANGPTL4 as a Key Oncogene in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Anoikis plays an important role in cancer invasion and metastasis. However, the role of anoikis-related genes, AnRGs, in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is not clear. First, anoikis-related genes (AnRGs) were obtained from the Genecard database. Second, the prognostic risk model of AnRGs was established by univariate Cox analysis, the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) analysis, and multivariate Cox analysis. Finally, in vitro cell experiments were carried out to determine the expression and function of the key gene AnRGs. Three AnRGs (angiopoietin-like 4, ANGPTL4; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 3, CDKN3; Solute Carrier Organic Anion Transporter Family Member 1B3, SLCO1B3) were screened for the construction of risk prediction model. Additionally, ANGPTL4 was significantly highly expressed in tumor cells, and the knockdown of ANGPTL4 expression on tumor cells could inhibit tumor cell migration and apoptosis. Constructing a risk model based on anoikis-related genes can effectively differentiate the prognosis of LUAD. ANGPTL4 can be used as a potential new target for LUAD treatment.

Water-Etched Approach to Hierarchically Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks with High Stability.

The development of hierarchically porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with high stability is desirable to expand their applications but remains challenging. Herein, an anionic sodalite-type microporous MOF (Yb-TTCA; TTCA3- = triphenylene-2,6,10-tricarboxylate) was synthesized, which shows outstanding catalytic activities for the cycloaddition of CO2 into cyclic carbonates. Moreover, the microporous Yb-TTCA can be transformed into a hierarchical micro- and mesoporous Yb-TTCA by water treatment with the mesopore sizes of 2 to 12 nm. The hierarchically porous Yb-TTCA (HP-Yb-TTCA) not only exhibits a high thermal stability up to 500 °C but also shows a high chemical stability in aqueous solutions with pH values ranging from 2 to 12. In addition, the HP-Yb-TTCA displays enhanced performance for the removal of organic dyes in comparison with microporous Yb-TTCA. This work provides a facile way to construct hierarchically porous MOF materials.

Multifunctional Dinuclear Dy-Based Coordination Complex Showing Visible Photoluminescence, Single-Molecule Magnet Behavior, and Proton Conduction.

A new Dy-based complex, [Dy2(phen)4(PAA)4](ClO4)2 (1), was obtained by using 4-hydroxyphenyl acetate (HPAA) as a ligand and 1,10-phenanthroline as an auxiliary ligand. Complex 1 shows a dinuclear structure and a 2D supramolecular layer constructed by π-π stacking interactions. The complex displays a characteristic Dy(III) emission. Moreover, magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that 1 exhibits a single-molecule magnet (SMM) behavior. In addition, it also shows a proton conductivity of 1.08 × 10-5 S cm-1 under 353 K and 100% relative humidity conditions, which is mainly assigned to H-bonded networks formed by the undeprotonated and uncoordinated phenolic groups of HPAA ligands and guest water molecules. Remarkably, 1 is the first example of a dinuclear complex showing photoluminescence, SMM behavior, and proton conduction.

Experiments and Analyses of Anonymization Mechanisms for Trajectory Data Publishing.

With the advancing of location-detection technologies and the increasing popularity of mobile phones and other location-aware devices, trajectory data is continuously growing. While large-scale trajectories provide opportunities for various applications, the locations in trajectories pose a threat to individual privacy. Recently, there has been an interesting debate on the reidentifiability of individuals in the Science magazine. The main finding of Sánchez et al. is exactly opposite to that of De Montjoye et al., which raises the first question: "what is the true situation of the privacy preservation for trajectories in terms of reidentification?" Furthermore, it is known that anonymization typically causes a decline of data utility, and anonymization mechanisms need to consider the trade-off between privacy and utility. This raises the second question: "what is the true situation of the utility of anonymized trajectories?" To answer these two questions, we conduct a systematic experimental study, using three real-life trajectory datasets, five existing anonymization mechanisms (i.e., identifier anonymization, grid-based anonymization, dummy trajectories, k-anonymity and ε-differential privacy), and two practical applications (i.e., travel time estimation and window range queries). Our findings reveal the true situation of the privacy preservation for trajectories in terms of reidentification and the true situation of the utility of anonymized trajectories, and essentially close the debate between De Montjoye et al. and Sánchez et al. To the best of our knowledge, this study is among the first systematic evaluation and analysis of anonymized trajectories on the individual privacy in terms of unicity and on the utility in terms of practical applications. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11390-022-2409-x.

Incorporation of Chromophores into Metal-Organic Frameworks for Boosting CO2 Conversion.

The exploitation of highly stable and active catalysts for the conversion of CO2 into valuable fuels is desirable but is a great challenge. Herein, we report that the incorporation of chromophores into metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could afford robust catalysts for efficient CO2 conversion. Specifically, a porous Nd(III) MOF (Nd-TTCA; TTCA3- = triphenylene-2,6,10-tricarboxylate) was constructed by incorporating one-dimensional Nd(CO2)n chains and TTCA3- ligands, which exhibits a very high stability, retaining its framework not only in the air at 300 °C for 2 h but also in boiling aqueous solutions at pH 1-12 for 7 days. More importantly, Nd-TTCA has achieved a 5-fold improvement in photocatalytic activity for reducing CO2 to HCOOH and a 10-fold improvement in catalytic activity for the cycloaddition of CO2 into cyclic carbonate in comparison to those of H3TTCA itself. This work gives a new strategy to design efficient artificial crystalline catalysts for CO2 conversion.

A cost-effective fluorescence biosensor for cocaine based on a "mix-and-detect" strategy.

The efficient detection of illicit drugs such as cocaine continues to be important for the fight against drug trafficking. Herein, we report a one-step method for rapid and specific cocaine detection. The method is based on our finding that small-molecule Thioflavin T (ThT) can act as a fluorescence indicator, which can be bonded with the anti-cocaine aptamer (MNS-4.1) to generate an enhanced fluorescence signal. More interestingly, upon cocaine binding, the intercalated ThT can be replaced, causing a drastic fluorescence reduction. We further optimized the sequence of MNS-4.1 and a new anti-cocaine aptamer (coc.ap2-GC) was obtained. This aptamer showed a higher affinity to both ligands, which increased the ThT binding fluorescence intensity and showed the highest quenching efficiency. Based on the fluorescence change induced by competitive binding, cocaine detection could be accomplished by a "mix-and-detect" strategy within seconds. Such a label-free method exhibits high sensitivity to cocaine with a low detection limit of 250 nM. Moreover, the practical sample analysis (2.5% human urine and saliva) also exhibits good precision and high sensitivity.

Visual search tasks: measurement of dynamic visual lobe and relationship with display movement velocity.

Visual lobe is a useful tool for predicting visual search performance. Up till now, no study has focused on dynamic visual lobe. This study developed a dynamic visual lobe measurement system (DVLMS) that could effectively map dynamic visual lobe and calculate visual lobe shape indices. The effects of display movement velocity on lobe shape indices were examined under four velocity conditions: 0, 4, 8 and 16 deg/s. In general, with the increase of display movement velocity, visual lobe area and perimeter became smaller, whereas lobe shape roundness, boundary smoothness, symmetry and regularity deteriorated. The elongation index was not affected by velocity. Regression analyses indicated that display movement velocity was important in determining dynamic visual lobe shape indices. Dynamic visual lobe provides another option for better understanding dynamic vision, in addition to dynamic visual acuity. Findings of this study can provide guidelines for analysing and designing dynamic visual tasks. Practitioner Summary: Dynamic visual lobe is important in reflecting the visual ability of searching for a moving target. We developed a dynamic visual lobe measurement system (DVLMS) and examined display movement velocity's effects on lobe shape. Findings revealed that velocity was a key factor affecting dynamic visual lobe shape indices.

Shape representation modulating the effect of motion on visual search performance.

The effect of motion on visual search has been extensively investigated, but that of uniform linear motion of display on search performance for tasks with different target-distractor shape representations has been rarely explored. The present study conducted three visual search experiments. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants finished two search tasks that differed in target-distractor shape representations under static and dynamic conditions. Two tasks with clear and blurred stimuli were performed in Experiment 3. The experiments revealed that target-distractor shape representation modulated the effect of motion on visual search performance. For tasks with low target-distractor shape similarity, motion negatively affected search performance, which was consistent with previous studies. However, for tasks with high target-distractor shape similarity, if the target differed from distractors in that a gap with a linear contour was added to the target, and the corresponding part of distractors had a curved contour, motion positively influenced search performance. Motion blur contributed to the performance enhancement under dynamic conditions. The findings are useful for understanding the influence of target-distractor shape representation on dynamic visual search performance when display had uniform linear motion.

Gender composition mediates social facilitation effect in co-action condition.

Working with co-actors is a common work-organization mode. Whether the presence of opposite-sex co-actors (OCs) can induce social facilitation effect and how an actor's performance is influenced by the gender composition of co-actors remain unknown. The present study aims to examine the influence of the gender composition of co-actors on the intensity of the social facilitation effect. In Experiment 1, participants performed visual search tasks alone and in six co-action conditions with varying gender compositions. In Experiment 2, the participants performed modular arithmetic tasks in three conditions with electroencephalogram activity recorded and salivary cortisol measured: alone, with a same-sex co-actor (SC), and with an OC. Results indicated that the social facilitation effect was stronger in the presence of OCs than in the presence of only SCs. The intensities of social facilitation effect resulting from the varying gender composition of co-actors were obtained and compared. A participant's power of alpha band was lower, whereas power of beta band and normalised cortisol level were higher in the presence of an OC than in the presence of an SC. These findings provide insights into the influencing mechanisms of gender composition on the intensity of the social facilitation effect in the co-action condition.

NPs/NPRs Signaling Pathways May Be Involved in Depression-Induced Loss of Gastric ICC by Decreasing the Production of mSCF.

It is well known that natriuretic peptides (NPs) are involved in the regulation of gastrointestinal motility. Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are the pacemaker cells of gastrointestinal motility and gastrointestinal dyskinesia is one of the important digestive tract symptoms of depression. However, it is unclear whether they are involved in depression-induced loss of ICC. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the natriuretic peptide signaling pathway and depression-induced loss of gastric ICC in depressed rats. These results showed that the expression of c-kit and stem cell factor (SCF) in smooth muscle layers of stomach were down-regulated in depressed rats at the mRNA and protein levels. The expression of natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-A, B and C were up-regulated in the stomach of depressed rats at the mRNA and protein levels. NPR-A, B and C can significantly decrease the expression of SCF to treat cultured gastric smooth muscle cells (GSMCs) obtained from normal rats with different concentrations of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP). Pretreatment of cultured GSMCs with 8-Brom-cGMP (8-Br-cGMP, a membrane permeable cGMP analog), cANF (a specific NPR-C agonist) and CNP (10-6 mol/L) demonstrated that 8-Br-cGMP had a similar effect as CNP, but treatment with cANF did not. The results of the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay indicated that high concentrations of cANF (10-6 mol/L) restrained the proliferation of cultured GSMCs. Taken together, these results indicate that the up-regulation of the NPs/NPR-C and NPs/NPR-A, B/cGMP signaling pathways may be involved in depression-induced loss of gastric ICC.

CNP signal pathway up-regulated in rectum of depressed rats and the interventional effect of Xiaoyaosan.

AIM: To investigate the distribution and expression of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP)/natriuretic peptide receptor B (NPR-B) in the rectum of a rodent depression model and the interventional effect of Xiaoyaosan (XYS). METHODS: Male rats (n = 45) of clean grade (200 ± 20 g) were divided into five groups after one week of adaptive feeding: primary control, depression model, low dose XYS, middle dose XYS, and high dose XYS. The animal experiment continued for 3 wk. Primary controls were fed normally ad libitum. The rats of all other groups were raised in solitary and exposed to classic chronic mild unpredictable stimulation each day. XYS groups were perfused intragastrically with low dose, middle dose, and high dose XYS one hour before stimulation. Primary control and depression model groups were perfused intragastrically with normal saline under similar conditions as the XYS groups. Three weeks later, all rats were sacrificed, and the expression levels of CNP and NPR-B in rectum tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and Western blotting. RESULTS: CNP and NPR-B were both expressed in the rectum tissues of all rats. However, the expression levels of CNP and NPR-B at both gene and protein levels in the depression model group were significantly higher when compared to the primary control group (n = 9; P < 0.01). XYS intervention markedly inhibited the expression levels of CNP and NPR-B in depressed rats. The expression levels of CNP and NPR-B in the high dose XYS group did not significantly differ from the expression levels in the primary control group. Additionally, the high and middle dose XYS groups (but not the low dose group) significantly exhibited lower CNP and NPR-B expression levels in the rectum tissues of the respectively treated rats compared to the untreated depression model cohort (n = 9; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The CNP/NPR-B pathway is upregulated in the rectum of depressed rats and may be one mechanism for depression-associated digestive disorders. XYS antagonizes this pathway at least partially.