Spongia Sponges: Unabated Sources of Novel Secondary Metabolites.

Marine sponges of the genus Spongia have proven to be unabated sources of novel secondary metabolites with remarkable scaffold diversities and significant bioactivities. The discovery of chemical substances from Spongia sponges has continued to increase over the last few years. The current work provides an up-to-date literature survey and comprehensive insight into the reported metabolites from the members of the genus Spongia, as well as their structural features, biological activities, and structure-activity relationships when available. In this review, 222 metabolites are discussed based on published data from the period from mid-2015 to the beginning of 2024. The compounds are categorized into sesquiterpenes, diterpenes, sesterterpenes, meroterpenes, linear furanoterpenes, steroids, alkaloids, and other miscellaneous substances. The biological effects of these chemical compositions on a vast array of pharmacological assays including cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, neuroprotective, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B)-inhibitory, and phytoregulating activities are also presented.

Deficiency of histone deacetylases 3 in macrophage alleviates monosodium urate crystals-induced gouty inflammation in mice.

BACKGROUND: Gout is caused by monosodium urate (MSU) crystals deposition to trigger immune response. A recent study suggested that inhibition of Class I Histone deacetylases (HDACs) can significantly reduce MSU crystals-induced inflammation. However, which one of HDACs members in response to MSU crystals was still unknown. Here, we investigated the roles of HDAC3 in MSU crystals-induced gouty inflammation. METHODS: Macrophage specific HDAC3 knockout (KO) mice were used to investigate inflammatory profiles of gout in mouse models in vivo, including ankle arthritis, foot pad arthritis and subcutaneous air pouch model. In the in vitro experiments, bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from mice were treated with MSU crystals to assess cytokines, potential target gene and protein. RESULTS: Deficiency of HDAC3 in macrophage not only reduced MSU-induced foot pad and ankle joint swelling but also decreased neutrophils trafficking and IL-1ß release in air pouch models. In addition, the levels of inflammatory genes related to TLR2/4/NF-κB/IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway were significantly decreased in BMDMs from HDAC3 KO mice after MSU treatment. Moreover, RGFP966, selective inhibitor of HDAC3, inhibited IL-6 and TNF-α production in BMDMs treated with MSU crystals. Besides, HDAC3 deficiency shifted gene expression from pro-inflammatory macrophage (M1) to anti-inflammatory macrophage (M2) in BMDMs after MSU challenge. CONCLUSIONS: Deficiency of HDAC3 in macrophage alleviates MSU crystals-induced gouty inflammation through inhibition of TLR2/4 driven IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway, suggesting that HDAC3 could contribute to a potential therapeutic target of gout.

Advanced Progress of Histone Deacetylases in Rheumatic Diseases.

Rheumatic disease is a disease which is not yet fully clarified to etiology and also involved in a local pathological injury or systemic disease. With the continuous improvement of clinical medical research in recent years, the development process of rheumatic diseases has been gradually elucidated; with the intensely study of epigenetics, it is realized that environmental changes can affect genetics, among which histone acetylation is one of the essential mechanisms in epigenetics. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play an important role in regulating gene expression in various biological processes, including differentiation, development, stress response, and injury. HDACs are involved in a variety of physiological processes and are promising drug targets in various pathological conditions, such as cancer, cardiac and neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation, metabolic and immune disorders, and viral and parasitic infections. In this paper, we reviewed the roles of HDACs in rheumatic diseases in terms of their classification and function.

Evaluation of Genetic Parameters and Comparison of Stress Tolerance Traits in Different Strains of Litopenaeus vannamei.

Litopenaeus vannamei stands out globally in aquaculture for its fast growth, broad salt tolerance, disease resistance, and high protein levels. Selective breeding requires the precise estimation of the variance components and genetic parameters for important traits. This study formed lineages from 20 full sibling families of L. vannamei, with progenitors from Thailand and the USA. We then assessed the genetic resilience traits of juvenile shrimp from these families to high ammonia-N, high pH, and low salinity by performing a 96 h acute toxicity test. Mortality rates for the families under 96 h exposure to high ammonia-N, high pH, and low salinity were 19.52-92.22%, 23.33-92.22%, and 19.33-80.00%, respectively, showing significant variance in stress tolerance among families (p < 0.05). Survival heritability estimates, using threshold male and female models, were 0.44 ± 0.12 in high ammonia-N, 0.41 ± 0.12 in high pH, and 0.27 ± 0.08 in low salinity, respectively. Genetic correlations between growth and stress resistance traits varied from 0.0137 ± 0.2406 to 0.8327 ± 0.0781, and phenotypic correlations ranged from 0.0019 ± 0.0590 to 0.6959 ± 0.0107, indicating a low-to-high positive correlation significant at (p < 0.05). It was found that the survival rate of families No. 2 and No. 9 was higher under high ammonia-N and high pH stresses, while the survival rate of family No. 10 was higher under low salinity stress after comparing two selection criteria, the breeding values and phenotypic values. Thus, these three families are identified as potential breeding program candidates. Through the creation of a genetic parameter estimation model, the genetic variances across mating combinations for stress resistance traits were obtained and families with heightened stress resistance were identified, laying the groundwork for enhanced genetic selection of L. vannamei.

Effect of Fly Maggot Protein as Dietary on Growth and Intestinal Microbial Community of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei.

As the intensive development of aquaculture persists, the demand for fishmeal continues to grow; however, since fishery resources are limited, the price of fishmeal remains high. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new sources of protein. They are rich in proteins, fatty acids, amino acids, chitin, vitamins, minerals, and antibacterial substances. Maggot meal-based diet is an ideal source of high-quality animal protein and a new type of protein-based immune enhancer with good application prospects in animal husbandry and aquaculture. In the present study, we investigated the effects of three different diets containing maggot protein on the growth and intestinal microflora of Litopenaeus vannamei. The shrimp were fed either a control feed (no fly maggot protein added), FM feed (compound feed with 30% fresh fly maggot protein added), FF feed (fermented fly maggot protein), or HT feed (high-temperature pelleted fly maggot protein) for eight weeks. The results showed that fresh fly maggot protein in the feed was detrimental to shrimp growth, whereas fermented and high-temperature-pelleted fly maggot protein improved shrimp growth and survival. The effects of different fly maggot protein treatments on the intestinal microbiota of L. vannamei also varied. Fermented fly maggot protein feed and high-temperature-pelleted fly maggot protein feed increased the relative abundance of Ruegeria and Pseudomonas, which increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria and thus inhibited the growth of harmful bacteria. In contrast, fresh fly maggot proteins alter the intestinal microbiome, disrupting symbiotic relationships between bacteria, and causing invasion by Vibrio and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These results suggest that fresh fly maggot proteins affect the composition of intestinal microorganisms, which is detrimental to the intestinal tract of L. vannamei, whereas fermented fly maggot protein feed affected the growth of L. vannamei positively by improving the composition of intestinal microorganisms.

Genus Litophyton: A Hidden Treasure Trove of Structurally Unique and Diversely Bioactive Secondary Metabolites.

Marine soft corals are prolific sources of various natural products that have served as a wealthy reservoir of diverse chemical scaffolds with potential as new drug leads. The genus Litophyton contains almost 100 species but only a small proportion of them has been chemically investigated, which calls for more attentions from global researchers. In the current work, 175 secondary metabolites have been discussed, drawing from published data spanning almost five decades, up to July 2023. The studied species of the genus Litophyton resided in various tropical and temperate regions and encompassed a broad range of biologically active natural products including terpenes, steroids, nitrogen-containing metabolites, lipids, and other metabolites. A wide spectrum of pharmacological effects of these compounds had been evaluated, such as cytotoxic, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-malarial, antifeedant, anti-inflammatory, molluscicidal, PTP1B inhibitory, insect growth inhibitory, and neuroprotective activities. This review aims to offer an up-to-date survey of the literature and provide a comprehensive understanding of the chemical structures, taxonomical distributions, and biological activities of the reported metabolites from the title genus whenever available.

First transcriptome profiling in gill and hepatopancrease tissues of Metapenaeus ensis in response to acute ammonia-N stress.

The greasyback shrimp, Metapenaeus ensis, suffers from ammonia-N stress during intensive factory aquaculture. Optimizing ammonia-N stress tolerance has become an important issue in M. ensis breeding. The metabolic and adaptive mechanisms of ammonia-N toxicity in M. ensis have not been comprehensively understood yet. In this study, a large number of potential simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the transcriptome of M. ensis were identified. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the gill and hepatopancreas at 24 h post-challenges under high concentrations of ammonia-N treatment were detected. We obtained 20,108,851-27,681,918 clean reads from the control and high groups, assembled and clustered a total of 103,174 unigenes with an average of 876 bp and an N50 of 1189 bp. Comparative transcriptome analyses identified 2000 different expressed genes in the gill and 2010 different expressed genes in the hepatopancreas, a large number of which were related to immune function, oxidative stress, metabolic regulation, and apoptosis. The results suggest that M. ensis may counteract ammonia-N toxicity at the transcriptome level by increasing the expression of genes related to immune stress and detoxification metabolism, and that selected genes may serve as molecular indicators of ammonia-N. By exploring the genetic basis of M. ensis' ammonia-N stress adaptation, we constructed the genetic networks for ammonia-N adaptation. These findings will accelerate the understanding of M. ensis' ammonia-N adaptation, contribute to the research of future breeding, and promote the level of factory aquaculture of M. ensis.

Transcriptome and molecular regulatory mechanisms analysis of gills in the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon under chronic low-salinity stress.

Background: Salinity is one of the main influencing factors in the culture environment and is extremely important for the survival, growth, development and reproduction of aquatic animals. Methods: In this study, a comparative transcriptome analysis (maintained for 45 days in three different salinities, 30 psu (HC group), 18 psu (MC group) and 3 psu (LC group)) was performed by high-throughput sequencing of economically cultured Penaeus monodon. P. monodon gill tissues from each treatment were collected for RNA-seq analysis to identify potential genes and pathways in response to low salinity stress. Results: A total of 64,475 unigenes were annotated in this study. There were 1,140 upregulated genes and 1,531 downregulated genes observed in the LC vs. HC group and 1,000 upregulated genes and 1,062 downregulated genes observed in the MC vs. HC group. In the LC vs. HC group, 583 DEGs significantly mapped to 37 signaling pathways, such as the NOD-like receptor signaling pathway, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway; in the MC vs. HC group, 444 DEGs significantly mapped to 28 signaling pathways, such as the MAPK signaling pathway, Hippo signaling pathway and calcium signaling pathway. These pathways were significantly associated mainly with signal transduction, immunity and metabolism. Conclusions: These results suggest that low salinity stress may affect regulatory mechanisms such as metabolism, immunity, and signal transduction in addition to osmolarity in P. monodon. The greater the difference in salinity, the more significant the difference in genes. This study provides some guidance for understanding the low-salt domestication culture of P. monodon.

Effect of Air Exposure and Re-Submersion on the Histological Structure, Antioxidant Response, and Gene Expression of Procambarus Clarkii.

Air exposure is an important environmental stressor during the transportation and cultivation of Procambarus clarkii. We evaluated the effect of re-submersion for 24 h after dry transportation for 24 h on the histological structure, antioxidant activity, and gene expression of crayfish. The antioxidant parameters of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and the relative expression of CAT, SOD, HSP70, and ferritin genes were subsequently measured in the hepatopancreas and gills at both stages. Histopathology found that air exposure led to vacuolation of the hepatopancreas and disorderly arrangement of respiratory epithelial cells (REC) in the gills. The activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) in the hepatopancreas and gills increased with short-term air exposure. The relative expression of genes (CAT, SOD, HSP70, and Ferritin) were induced after short-term air exposure. During re-submersion, MDA content and CAT and SOD activities in the hepatopancreas and gills were restored after 24 h, however, LDH activity and hepatopancreatic tissue damage were not repaired. Our results indicate that air exposure can cause oxidative damage to P. clarkii, and CAT and SOD can be used to determine the response of crayfish exposed to air, in addition to some damage that can be eliminated after re-submersion to a limited degree. This study provides foundational data that re-submersion can improve crayfish performance under hypoxic stress to a certain extent and will lead to the development of more effective transportation strategies and decrease economic losses in the future.

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound in Monitoring the Efficacy of Gout: A Prospective Study Based on Tophus and Double Contour Sign

Background: In patients with gout receiving uric acid-lowering therapy, musculoskeletal ultrasound has the potential to observe changes in gout lesions. Aims: To analyze the effectiveness of uric acid-lowering therapy in patients with gout over one year using musculoskeletal ultrasound as a monitoring technique. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: A total of 215 patients meeting the 1977 American College of Rheumatology gout classification criteria and treated with uric acid-lowering therapy were separated into two groups, treat-to-target and treat-to-non-target depending on the target serum urate levels. Lower extremity joints were evaluated by ultrasound before therapy (M0), as well as three (M3), six (M6), and twelve (M12) months after therapy. At various moments during uric acid-lowering therapy, the tophus size and the semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system of double contour sign were measured in the treat-to-target and treat-to-non-target groups. Results: Ninety-five tophi (45 in treat-to-target and 50 in treat-to-non-target) and sixty-seven double contour sign (34 in treat-to-target and 33 in treat-to-non-target) were evaluated longitudinally. In both groups, the long diameter, short diameter, and area of tophus in treat-to-target decreased as the duration of uric acid-lowering treatment increased. Differences in the long diameter of tophus between M12 and M0, M3 and M6 were statistically significant (P < 0.05), while differences between the other time points were not significant (P > 0.05). No statistically significant differences were observed in the short diameter and the area of tophus between M0 and M3 (P > 0.05), while there were statistically significant differences between other periods (P < 0.05). In treat-to-non-target, the long diameter, short diameter, and area of tophus showed a slight increase at different uric acid-lowering therapy time points. The differences in the long diameter, short diameter, and area of tophus at different uric acid-lowering therapy time points were not significant (P > 0.05). The semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system of double contour sign of treat-to-target and treat-to-non-target showed a decreasing trend with increasing uric acid-lowering therapy time, with a more pronounced drop in treat-to-target than treat-to-non-target. In treat-to-target, the difference in the semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system of double contour sign at each uric acidlowering therapy time point was significant (P < 0.05). In treat-tonon- target, the difference in semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system of double contour sign scores between M0 and M3 was not statistically significant (P >0.05), but it was statistically significant for the remaining time points (P < 0.05). Conclusion: After one year of uric acid-lowering therapy in patients with gout, an ultrasound indicated that the size of tophus and the semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system of double contour sign score decreased dramatically in the treat-to-target group. Semiquantitative ultrasound scoring system of double contour sign score was dramatically reduced in the treat-to-non-target group, but the size of the tophus remained the same. Therefore, musculoskeletal ultrasound is an effective tool to monitor the efficacy of uric acid-lowering therapy.

Transcriptome analysis of hepatopancreas in penaeus monodon under acute low pH stress.

The decrease of seawater pH can affect the metabolism, acid-base balance, immune response and immunoprotease activity of aquatic animals, leading to aquatic animal stress, impairing the immune system of aquatic animals and weakening disease resistance, etc. In this study, we performed high-throughput sequencing analysis of the hepatopancreas transcriptome library of low pH stress penaeus monodon, and after sequencing quality control, a total of 43488612-56271828 Clean Reads were obtained, and GO annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the obtained Clean Reads, and a total of 395 DEGs were identified. we mined 10 differentially expressed and found that they were significantly enriched in the Metabolic pathways (ko01100), Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites (ko01110), Nitrogen metabolism (ko00910) pathways, such as PIGA, DGAT1, DGAT2, UBE2E on Metabolic pathways; UGT, GLT1, TIM genes on Biosynthesis of secondary metabolites; CA, CA2, CA4 genes on Nitrogen metabolism, are involved in lipid metabolism, induction of oxidative stress and inflammation in the muscular body of spot prawns. These genes play an important role in lipid metabolism, induction of oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the muscle of the shrimp. In summary, these genes provide valuable reference information for future breeding of low pH-tolerant shrimp.

Expression Analysis of a Novel Oxidoreductase Glutaredoxin 2 in Black Tiger Shrimp, Penaeus monodon.

Glutaredoxin (Grx) is a glutathione-dependent oxidoreductase that is an important component of the redox system in organisms. However, there is a serious lack of sequence information and functional validation related to Grx in crustaceans. In this study, a novel Grx was identified in Penaeus monodon (PmGrx2). The full-length cDNA of PmGrx2 is 998 bp, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 441 bp, encoding 119 amino acids. Sequence alignment showed that PmGrx2 had the highest identity with Grx2 of Penaeus vannamei at 96.64% and clustered with Grx2 of other crustaceans. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that PmGrx2 was expressed in all examined tissues, with higher expression levels in the stomach and testis. PmGrx2 was continuously expressed during development and had the highest expression level in the zygote stage. Both ammonia-N stress and bacterial infection could differentially induce the expression of PmGrx2 in hepatopancreas and gills. When PmGrx2 was inhibited, the expression of antioxidant enzymes was suppressed, the degree of apoptosis increased, and the GSH content decreased with the prolongation of ammonia-N stress. Inhibition of PmGrx2 resulted in shrimp being exposed to a greater risk of oxidative damage. In addition, an SNP locus was screened on the exons of PmGrx2 that was significantly associated with an ammonia-N-stress-tolerance trait. This study suggests that PmGrx2 is involved in redox regulation and plays an important role in shrimps' resistance to marine environmental stresses.

Identification and Expression Analysis of Dsx and Its Positive Transcriptional Regulation of IAG in Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon).

Doublesex (Dsx) is a polymorphic transcription factor of the DMRTs family, which is involved in male sex trait development and controls sexual dimorphism at different developmental stages in arthropods. However, the transcriptional regulation of the Dsx gene is largely unknown in decapods. In this study, we reported the cDNA sequence of PmDsx in Penaeus monodon, which encodes a 257 amino acid polypeptide. It shared many similarities with Dsx homologs and has a close relationship in the phylogeny of different species. We demonstrated that the expression of the male sex differentiation gene Dsx was predominantly expressed in the P. monodon testis, and that PmDsx dsRNA injection significantly decreased the expression of the insulin-like androgenic gland hormone (IAG) and male sex-determining gene while increasing the expression of the female sex-determining gene. We also identified a 5'-flanking region of PmIAG that had two potential cis-regulatory elements (CREs) for the PmDsx transcription. Further, the dual-luciferase reporter analysis and truncated mutagenesis revealed that PmDsx overexpression significantly promoted the transcriptional activity of the PmIAG promoter via a specific CRE. These results suggest that PmDsx is engaged in male reproductive development and positively regulates the transcription of the PmIAG by specifically binding upstream of the promoter of the PmIAG. It provides a theoretical basis for exploring the sexual regulation pathway and evolutionary dynamics of Dmrt family genes in P. monodon.

Identification of multifunctionality of the PmE74 gene and development of SNPs associated with low salt tolerance in Penaeus monodon.

Members of the E74-like factor (ELF) subfamily are involved in the immune stress process of organisms by regulating immune responses and the development of immune-related cells. PmE74 of Penaeus monodon was characterized and functionally analyzed in this study. The full length of PmE74 was 3106 bp, with a 5'-UTR of 297 bp, and a 3'-UTR of 460 bp. The ORF (Open reading frame) was 2349 bp and encoded 782 amino acids. Domain analysis showed that PmE74 contains a typical Ets domain. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic tree analysis showed that PmE74 clustered with Litopenaeus vannamei E74 and displayed significant similarity (98.98%). PmE74 was expressed in all tissues tested in P. monodon, with the highest levels of expression observed in the testis, intestine, and epidermis. Different pathogen stimulation studies have revealed that PmE74 expression varies in response to different pathogen stimuli. A 96-h acute low salt stress study revealed that PmE74 in the hepatopancreas was upregulated and downregulated in the salinity 17 group and considerably downregulated in the salinity 3 group, whereas PmE74 in gill tissue was considerably downregulated in both groups. Further, by knocking down PmE74 and learning the trends of its linkage genes PmAQP1, PmNKA, PmE75, PmFtz-f1, PmEcR, and PmRXR in response to low salt stress, it was further indicated that PmE74 could have a vital role in the regulation of low salt stress. The SNP test revealed that PmE74-In1-53 was significantly associated with low salt tolerance traits in P. monodon (P < 0.05). The findings of this study can aid in the advancement of molecular marker-assisted breeding in P. monodon, as well as provide fundamental data and methodologies for further investigation of its low salt tolerance strains in P. monodon.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of differentially expressed genes and pathways in Procambarus clarkii (Louisiana crawfish) at different acute temperature stress.

Procambarus clarkii is an important economic species in China, and exhibit heat and cold tolerance in the main culture regions. To understand the mechanisms, we analyzed the hepatopancreas transcriptome of P. clarkii treated at 10 °C, 25 °C, and 30 °C, then 2092 DEGs and 6929 DEGs were found in 30 °C stress group and 10 °C stress group, respectively. KEGG pathway enrichment results showed that immune pathway is the main stress pathway for 10 °C treatment and metabolic pathway is the main response pathway for 30 °C treatment, which implies low temperature stress induces the damage of the immune system and increases the susceptibility of bacteria while the body response to high temperature stress through metabolic adjustment. In addition, flow cytometry proved that both high and low temperature stress caused different degrees of apoptosis of hemocytes, and dynamic transcription heat map analysis also identified the differential expression of HSPs family genes and apoptosis pathway genes under different heat stresses. This indicates that preventing damaged protein misfolding and accelerating cell apoptosis are necessary mechanisms for P. clarkii to cope with high and low temperature stress. Our research has deepened our understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms of P. clarkii in response to acute temperature stress, and provided a potential strategy for aquatic animals to relieve environmental duress.

Single-Cell Sequencing Reveals Types of Hepatopancreatic Cells and Haemocytes in Black Tiger Shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and Their Molecular Responses to Ammonia Stress.

The cell types and developmental trajectories of shrimp cells based on the transcriptional level have not been established, and gene expression profile and function at the single-cell level is unclear. We aimed to use scRNA-seq to construct a single-cell resolution transcriptional map of hepatopancreas and haemocytes in shrimp to analyse the molecular mechanisms of the immune response to ammonia nitrogen stress. In the present study, seven cell clusters were successfully identified in each of the two tissues (haemocytes, Hem1-7; hepatopancreas, Hep1-7) based on specifically-expressed marker genes. The developmental starting points of haemocytes and hepatopancreatic cells were Hem2 and Hep1, respectively. We propose that Hem2 has oligopotent potential as the initiation site for haemocyte development and that Hem4 and Hem5, located at the end of development, are the most mature immune cell types in haemocytes. Hep5 and Hep6 were the developing terminal cells of hepatopancreas. The antioxidant system and proPO system of shrimp were activated under ammonia nitrogen stress. A large number of DEGs were involved in oxidative stress, detoxification metabolism, and immune defence. In particular, important response genes such as AMPs, proPO, and GST were not only marker genes for identifying cell groups but also played an important role in shrimp cell differentiation and functional plasticity. By successfully applying 10× Genomics based scRNA-seq to the study of shrimp, the single-cell transcriptional profiles of hepatopancreatic cells and haemocytes of shrimp innate immune responses under ammonia stress were constructed for the first time. This atlas of invertebrate hepatopancreatic cells and haemocytes at single-cell resolution identifies molecular events that underpin shrimp innate immune system responses to stress.

Structure of an Al64Cu22Co14 decagonal quasicrystal studied by Cs-corrected STEM.

During the last several decades, since the discovery of a decagonal quasicrystal, a 2 nm cluster model has been widely accepted as its basic quasi-unit-cell (QUC). Instead of the traditional 2 nm QUC, a 3.2 nm QUC is proposed in this paper. The 3.2 nm QUC can fill all the blank areas. The 3.2 nm QUC consists of 251 atoms. The element type and position of each atom are determined using high-angle annular detector dark-field (HAADF) images taken along three projection directions, i.e., one along the ten-fold symmetry and the other two along the two-fold symmetry with an intersection angle of 18 degrees. The proposed model opens an avenue for further investigation of the aperiodic atomic structure of other quasicrystals.

The Soft Coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum: A Warehouse of Terpenoids with Structural and Pharmacological Diversity.

The soft coral Sarcophyton trocheliophorum, which was frequently encountered on Indo-Pacific and Red Sea coral reefs, furnished a wealth of secondary metabolites. Notably, terpenoids dominated the chemical profile of this species. In this review, we summarized the discovery of 156 terpenoids from the soft coral S. trocheliophorum specimens in different geographical areas. The structures comprised 13 terpenoidal classes with various functionalities. We covered the era from the first report of S. trocheliophorum-derived metabolites in 1976 up to October 2022. The biological effects of these chemical compositions on a vast array of potential pharmacological activities such as protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) inhibitory, neuroprotective, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antivirus, and immunomodulatory activities were also presented. This review also revealed an immense demand to explore the terpene biosynthetic gene clusters of this species besides the chemo- and bio-investigations.

microRNA-223 Deficiency Exacerbates Acute Inflammatory Response to Monosodium Urate Crystals by Targeting NLRP3.

OBJECTIVE: MicroRNAs were identified as master-switch molecules limiting acute inflammatory response. This study investigated the potential role of microRNA (miR)-223 in the mechanism of gout. METHODS: Wild-type (WT) and miR-223 knock-out (KO) mice were used to evaluate the phenotypes of gout models. Inflammatory cytokines were measured in air pouch and peritoneal cavity lavage fluid. In addition to miR-223 level in gout patients, miR-223 and pro-inflammatory genes were examined in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from mice as well as peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy controls (HC) treated with monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in vitro. RESULTS: MiR-223 was up-regulated in the early phase in BMDMs from WT mice after MSU challenge and decreased rapidly, and this was not observed in miR-223 KO mice in vitro. In addition, miR-223 was required for macrophages homeostasis. In comparison with WT mice in vivo, miR-223 deficiency exacerbated swelling index of MSU-induced inflammation in foot pad and ankle joint models. MiR-223 deficiency also markedly aggravated inflammatory cells infiltration and cytokines release including interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in the air pouch and peritonitis models. In the in vitro experiments, miR-223 deficiency promoted the inflammatory response by targeting NLR family pyrin domain containing protein 3 (NLRP3). Besides, miR-223 level was down-regulated in gout patients and in HC exposed to MSU in vitro. CONCLUSION: MiR-223 was down-regulated in gout patients and miR-223 deficiency exacerbated inflammatory response in diverse murine models, suggesting that up-regulation of miR-223 could be a potential therapeutic strategy for alleviating gouty inflammation.

Transcriptome reveals the important role of metabolic imbalances, immune disorders and apoptosis in the treatment of Procambarus clarkii at super high temperature.

Temperature is an important environmental factor in the living environment of crustaceans. Changes in temperature can affect their normal growth and metabolism and even cause bacterial disease. Currently, the potential anti-reverse molecular reaction mechanism of crustaceans during high-temperature conditions has not yet been fully understood. Therefore, in this study, we characterised the transcriptome of Procambarus clarkii using RNA sequencing and performed a comparison between super-high-temperature treated samples and controls. After assembly and annotation, 81,097 unigenes with an average length of 069 bp and 358 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Among these DEGs, 264 were differentially upregulated and 94 were differentially downregulated. To obtain comprehensive gene function information, we queried seven databases, namely, Nr, Nt, Pfam, KOG, Swiss-Prot, KEGG, and GO to annotate gene functions. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the identified DEGs have significant effects on immune-related pathways, including lysosomal and phagosomal pathways, and that super-high-temperature conditions can cause disease in P. clarkii. Some significantly downregulated genes are involved in oxidative phosphorylation and the PPAR signalling pathway; this suggests a metabolic imbalance in P. clarkia during extreme temperature conditions. In addition, elevated temperature changed the expression patterns of key apoptosis genes XIAP, CASP2, CASP2, CASP8, and CYTC, thereby confirming that high-temperature conditions caused immune disorders, metabolic imbalance, and, finally, triggered apoptosis. Our results provide a useful foundation for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the responses of P. clarkii during high-temperature conditions.