Regulation of oxidative stress response and antioxidant modification in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

As an efficient and safe industrial bacterium, Corynebacterium glutamicum has extensive application in amino acid production. However, it often faces oxidative stress induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to diminished production efficiency. To enhance the robustness of C. glutamicum, numerous studies have focused on elucidating its regulatory mechanisms under various stress conditions such as heat, acid, and sulfur stress. However, a comprehensive review of its defense mechanisms against oxidative stress is needed. This review offers an in-depth overview of the mechanisms C. glutamicum employs to manage oxidative stress. It covers both enzymatic and non-enzymatic systems, including antioxidant enzymes, regulatory protein families, sigma factors involved in transcription, and physiological redox reduction pathways. This review provides insights for advancing research on the antioxidant mechanisms of C. glutamicum and sheds light on its potential applications in industrial production.

Chicken ovarian follicular atresia: interaction network at organic, cellular, and molecular levels.

Most of follicles undergo a degenerative process called follicular atresia. This process directly affects the egg production of laying hens and is regulated by external and internal factors. External factors primarily include nutrition and environmental factors. In follicular atresia, internal factors are predominantly regulated at 3 levels; organic, cellular and molecular levels. At the organic level, the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis plays an essential role in controlling follicular development. At the cellular level, gonadotropins and cytokines, as well as estrogens, bind to their receptors and activate different signaling pathways, thereby suppressing follicular atresia. By contrast, oxidative stress induces follicular atresia by increasing ROS levels. At the molecular level, granulosa cell (GC) apoptosis is not the only factor triggering follicular atresia. Autophagy is also known to give rise to atresia. Epigenetics also plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression in processes that seem to be related to follicular atresia, such as apoptosis, autophagy, proliferation, and steroidogenesis. Among these processes, the miRNA regulation mechanism is well-studied. The current review focuses on factors that regulate follicular atresia at organic, cellular and molecular levels and evaluates the interaction network among these levels. Additionally, this review summarizes atretic follicle characteristics, in vitro modeling methods, and factors preventing follicular atresia in laying hens.

Wheat VQ Motif-Containing Protein VQ25-A Facilitates Leaf Senescence via the Abscisic Acid Pathway.

Leaf senescence is an important factor affecting the functional transition from nutrient assimilation to nutrient remobilization in crops. The senescence of wheat leaves is of great significance for its yield and quality. In the leaf senescence process, transcriptional regulation is a committed step in integrating various senescence-related signals. Although the plant-specific transcriptional regulation factor valine-glutamine (VQ) gene family is known to participate in different physiological processes, its role in leaf senescence is poorly understood. We isolated TaVQ25-A and studied its function in leaf senescence regulation. TaVQ25-A was mainly expressed in the roots and leaves of wheat. The TaVQ25-A-GFP fusion protein was localized in the nuclei and cytoplasm of wheat protoplasts. A delayed senescence phenotype was observed after dark and abscisic acid (ABA) treatment in TaVQ25-A-silenced wheat plants. Conversely, overexpression of TaVQ25-A accelerated leaf senescence and led to hypersensitivity in ABA-induced leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. A WRKY type transcription factor, TaWRKY133, which is tightly related to the ABA pathway and affects the expression of some ABA-related genes, was found to interact with TaVQ25-A both in vitro and in vivo. Results of this study indicate that TaVQ25-A is a positive regulator of ABA-related leaf senescence and can be used as a candidate gene for wheat molecular breeding.

Individualized Short-Term Electric Load Forecasting Using Data-Driven Meta-Heuristic Method Based on LSTM Network.

Short-term load forecasting is viewed as one promising technology for demand prediction under the most critical inputs for the promising arrangement of power plant units. Thus, it is imperative to present new incentive methods to motivate such power system operations for electricity management. This paper proposes an approach for short-term electric load forecasting using long short-term memory networks and an improved sine cosine algorithm called MetaREC. First, using long short-term memory networks for a special kind of recurrent neural network, the dispatching commands have the characteristics of storing and transmitting both long-term and short-term memories. Next, four important parameters are determined using the sine cosine algorithm base on a logistic chaos operator and multilevel modulation factor to overcome the inaccuracy of long short-term memory networks prediction, in terms of the manual selection of parameter values. Moreover, the performance of the MetaREC method outperforms others with regard to convergence accuracy and convergence speed on a variety of test functions. Finally, our analysis is extended to the scenario of the MetaREC_long short-term memory with back propagation neural network, long short-term memory networks with default parameters, long short-term memory networks with the conventional sine-cosine algorithm, and long short-term memory networks with whale optimization for power load forecasting on a real electric load dataset. Simulation results demonstrate that the multiple forecasts with MetaREC_long short-term memory can effectively incentivize the high accuracy and stability for short-term power load forecasting.

Psychometric analysis of a simplified version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire in Mexican adults: The ERQ-CA-9

Background: The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) is the most widely used measure of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, two core emotion regulation strategies. However, the original ERQ has complex wording, which may make it difficult for readers of lower educational levels. Objective: We aimed to examine the psychometric properties of a simplified version of the ERQ, initially designed for children and adolescents: the ERQ-CA. Method: A sample of 397 Mexican adults was studied (77.3% women, 22.7% men; mean age = 22.84). A confirmatory factor analysis, as well as a graded response model, were used to study the internal functioning of the instrument. In addition, its associations with three psychopathological variables (anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation) were examined. Results: A 9-item version of the ERQ-CA showed adequate fit (CFI = .95, RMSEA = .06), as well as good reliability (ωreappraisal = .76; ωsuppression = .75). Both subscales performed better at levels closer to the mean of their respective constructs. Finally, significant correlations were found between both subscales and the psychopathological variables. Conclusion: The 9-item ERQ-CA constitutes a promising alternative to measure cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression in the Mexican adult population.

Antecedentes: El Cuestionario de Regulación Emocional (ERQ) es la medida más utilizada para la reevaluación cognitiva y la supresión expresiva, dos estrategias centrales de regulación emocional. Sin embargo, el ERQ original tiene una redacción compleja, lo que puede dificultar su lectura a los lectores de menor nivel educativo. Objetivo: Se buscó examinar las propiedades psicométricas de una versión simplificada del ERQ, inicialmente diseñada para niños y adolescentes: el ERQ-CA. Método: Una muestra de 397 adultos mexicanos fue estudiada (77.3% mujeres, 22.7% hombres; edad promedio = 22.84). Se utilizó un análisis factorial confirmatorio, así como un modelo de respuesta graduada, para estudiar el funcionamiento interno del instrumento. Además, se examinaron sus asociaciones con tres variables psicopatológicas (ansiedad, depresión e ideación suicida). Resultados: Una versión de 9 ítems del ERQ-CA mostró un ajuste adecuado (CFI = .95, RMSEA = .06), así como una buena fiabilidad (ωreevaluación = .76; ωsupresión = .75). Ambas subescalas se comportaron mejor en los niveles más cercanos a la media de sus respectivos constructos. Finalmente, se encontraron correlaciones significativas entre ambas subescalas y las variables psicopatológicas. Conclusión: El ERQ-CA de 9 ítems constituye una alternativa prometedora para medir la reevaluación cognitiva y la supresión expresiva en la población adulta mexicana.

Anti-virus effects of interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) identified in ascidian Ciona savignyi.

Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are key transcription factors that function in the immune system via the interferon (IFN) pathway. In the current study, we identified and characterized three IRFs (CsIRFL1, CsIRFL2, and CsIRFL3) from ascidian Ciona savignyi. Phylogenetic analysis showed that CsIRFL1 was clustered with two IRFs from Ciona robusta and shrimp IRF apart from the vertebrate IRFs, whereas CsIRFL2 and CsIRFL3 were grouped with an unnamed protein from Oikopleura dioica into a sub-branch highly identifying with the vertebrate IRF4, IRF8, and IRF9. Gene expression analysis revealed that CsIRFL1 and CsIRFL2 expressed in all the examined adult tissues (stomach, intestines, eggs, hemocytes, gonad, heart, and pharynx) and predominantly in hemocytes. However, the expression of CsIRFL3 was undetectable in the tested adult tissues. Furthermore, in situ hybridization showed that CsIRFL1 and CsIRFL2 mainly expressed in immunocytes within hemolymph, including phagocytes, macrophage-like cells, morula cells, and amoebocytes, suggesting CsIRFL1 and CsIRFL2 were involved in ascidian immune responses. We then performed LPS and poly(I:C) challenge assay and found that CsIRFL1 highly expressed in the cultured hemocytes following LPS infection for 24 h. After viral analogue poly(I:C) stimulation, the expression of CsIRFL2 was dramatically upregulated from 12 to 24 h. Meanwhile, two critical components of the IFN signaling pathways, STAT and TBK1, showed the increased expression as well after poly(I:C) induction, indicating that CsIRFL2 and IFN pathways genes were activated under the infection of viral analogue. Thus, our findings suggested that CsIRFL2 was a potential transcriptional regulatory factor that participated in regulating the ascidian anti-virus immune response.

Novel transcription regulatory sequences and factors of the immune evasion protein ICP47 (US12) of herpes simplex viruses.

BACKGROUND: Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cause encephalitis. Its infected cell polypeptide 47 (ICP47), encoded by immediate-early gene US12, promotes immune escape. ICP47 was modified in the clinically approved oncolytic HSV (oHSV) T-Vec. However, transcription regulatory sequence (TRS) and transcription regulatory factor (TRF) of HSV US12 are seldom reported. METHODS: Previously, our laboratory isolated a new HSV strain named HSV-1-LXMW from a male patient with oral herpes in Beijing, China. Firstly, the genetic tree was used to analyze its genetic relationship. The US12 TRS and TRF in HSV-1-LXMW were found by using predictive software. Secondly, the further verification by the multi-sequence comparative analysis shown that the upstream DNA sequence of HSV US12 gene contained the conserved region. Finally, the results of literature search shown that the expression of transcription factors was related to the tissue affinity of HSV-1 and HSV-2, so as to increase the new understanding of the transcriptional regulation of HSV biology and oncolytic virus (OVs) therapy. RESULTS: Here we reported the transcriptional regulation region sequence of our new HSV-1-LXMW, and its close relationship with HSV-1-CR38 and HSV-1-17. Importantly we identified eight different kinds of novel TRSs and TRFs of HSV US12 for the first time, and found they are conserved among HSV-1 (c-Rel, Elk-1, Pax-4), HSV-2 (Oct-1, CF2-II, E74A, StuAp) or both HSVs (HNF-4). The TRFs c-Rel and Oct-1 are biologically functional respectively in immune escape and viral replication during HSV infection. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings have important implication to HSV biology, infection, immunity and oHSVs.

[Effect of electroacupuncture on SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway in adipose tissue of obese rats].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on insulin sensitivity, adipose tissue inflammatory reaction and silent information regulation factor 1(SIRT1)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway in obese rats. METHODS: A total of 100 SPF-grade Wistar male rats were collected. Thirteen rats of them were selected randomly as the normal group and fed with common forage, and the rest rats were fed with high-fat forage. Eight weeks later, 39 rats that met the obesity criteria were randomized into a model group, an EA group and a sham-EA group, 13 rats in each one. In each group, 3 rats were collected randomly and the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was exerted to record glucose infusion rate (GIR) so as to determine insulin sensitivity. Afterwards, in the EA group, EA was applied to "Zusanli" (ST 36), "Fenglong" (ST 40), "Zhongwan" (CV 12) and "Guanyuan" (CV 4), stimulated with continuous wave, 2 Hz in frequency, 1 mA in current intensity, for 15 min. The treatment was given once every 2 days, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks totally. In the sham-EA group, the needles were inserted shallowly at the sites, 5 mm lateral to each of the acupoints stimulated in the EA group, and the electrodes were attached to the needle handles, but without electric stimulation exerted. The rest management was the same as the EA group. Before and after intervention, the body mass and the insulin sensitivity were measured. After intervention, the white adipose tissue was collected from the kidney in the rats. Western blot was adopted to detect the relative protein expressions of SIRT1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and acetylated NF-κB (Ac-NFκB). The real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of SIRT1, IL-6 and TNF-α. The immunofluorescence double labeling method was applied to detect the co-expression of SIRT1 and Ac-NFκB in adipose tissue. RESULTS: After fed with high-fat forage for 8 weeks, the body mass was significantly increased and GIR decreased in the rats of the model group as compared with the normal group (P<0.01), suggesting that the model of obese rat with insulin resistance was successfully established. After 8-week intervention, compared with the model group, the body mass was reduced and GIR increased in the rats of the EA group (P<0.01). The differences were not significant statistically in comparison between the sham-EA group and the model group (P>0.05). Compared with the normal group, in the model group, the protein and mRNA expressions of SIRT1 in adipose tissue were decreased, and the protein expression of Ac-NFκB increased, the protein and mRNA expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, in the EA group, the protein and mRNA expressions of SIRT1 in adipose tissue were increased significantly, the protein expression of Ac-NFκB decreased, and the protein and mRNA expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in each index between the sham-EA group and the model group (P>0.05). The results of immunofluorescence double labeling showed that SIRT1 and Ac-NFκB were co-expressed in adipose tissue. CONCLUSION: Electroacupuncture significantly reduces the body mass, inflammatory reaction conditions of adipose tissue and improves insulin sensitivity in obese rats. Regarding the potential mechanism, after the activation of SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway by electroacupuncture, and down-regulates the transcription of downstream inflammatory factors.

A conserved interferon regulation factor 1 (IRF-1) from Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas functioned as an activator of IFN pathway.

Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs), a family of transcription factors with a novel helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif, play important roles in regulating the expression of interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes. In the present study, an interferon regulation factor 1 was identified from oyster Crassostrea gigas (designated CgIRF-1), and its immune function was characterized to understand the regulatory mechanism of interferon system against viral infection in invertebrates. The open reading frame (ORF) of CgIRF-1 was 990 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 329 amino acids with a typical IRF domain (also known as DNA-binding domain). The mRNA transcripts of CgIRF-1 were detected in all the tested tissues with the highest expression level in hemocyte. CgIRF-1 protein was distributed in both nucleus and cytoplasm of the oyster hemocyte. The mRNA expression of CgIRF-1 in hemocytes was significantly up-regulated at 48 h after poly (I:C) stimulation (p < 0.05). The recombinant CgIRF-1 (rCgIRF-1) could interact with classically IFN-stimulated response elements (ISRE) in vitro. The relative luciferase activity of interferon-like protein promotor reporter gene (pGL-CgIFNLP promotor) was significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced in HEK293T cell after transfection of CgIRF-1. These results indicated that CgIRF-1 could bind ISRE and regulate the expression of CgIFNLP as a transcriptional regulatory factor, and participated in the antiviral immune response of oysters.

[Iron uptake and biofilm formation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa].

Biofilms are surface-associated communities of microorganisms embedded within self-secreted extracellular polymeric substances, and a major cause of chronic and persistent infections. Respiratory Pseudomona aeruginosa infection is the leading reason for morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis patients. The formation of biofilms by P. aeruginosa in the airway is thought to increase persistence and antibiotic resistance during infection. Biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa is regulated by complicated signaling systems including quorum sensing and two-component systems that control the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substances. Furthermore, iron is an essential and scarce nutrient for bacteria and an important signal factor. P. aeruginosa has developed multiple iron uptake systems to sequester enough iron for its survival, with important regulatory roles in both release of virulence factors and formation of biofilms. In this review, we summarize recent advances in biofilm formation and its regulation along with the iron-uptake strategies in P. aeruginosa, to provide new insights and understanding to fight bacterial biofilms.

Identification of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) XBP1S as a primary member in ER stress.

X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1), a vital basic leucine zipper transcription factor for the related gene transcription in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, belongs to the CREB/ATF family. In mammals, XBP1S is the activated one of XBP1 isoform. In order to study the role of fish XBP1S, we cloned and identified the XBP1S (KU509247) from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) (named CiXBP1S) by homologous cloning and RACE technique. The full length of CiXBP1S is 1694 bp along with 124 bp of 5' UTR, 418 bp of 3' UTR and the longest open reading frame (1152 bp) encoding a polypeptide of 383 amino acids with a well conserved DNA binding domain (BRLZ domain). CiXBP1S shares significant homology to zebrafish XBP1S (∼90%) at amino acid level. RT-PCR showed that the expression of CiXBP1S was ubiquitous in all tested grass carp tissues and was significantly up-regulated under the stimulation with tunicamycin (Tm) in CIK (C. idellus kidney) cells. To study the molecular mechanism of transcriptional regulation for XBP1 signaling pathway in fish, we cloned grass carp XBP1 promoter sequence. Its promoter is 1036 bp in length and divided into two distinct regions in which an ER stress response element (ERSE) exists in the proximal region. Meanwhile, grass carp ATF6 (CiATF6N) and CiXBP1S were expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and purified by affinity chromatography with the Ni-NTA His-Bind resin. Gel mobility shift assay showed that CiATF6N and CiXBP1S had the high affinity with CiXBP1 promoter sequence in vitro. Co-transfection of pcDNA3.1-CiATF6 (or pcDNA3.1-CiXBP1S respectively) with pGL3-CiXBP1P2 (or pGL3-CiXBP1P1 respectively) into epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells showed that CiATF6 and CiXBP1S played a positive role in CiXBP1S transcription. CiXBP1S also had high affinity with CiGRP78 and CiGRP94 promoter sequences. In addition, recombinant plasmids of pGL3-CiGRP78P and pGL3-CiGRP94P were constructed and transiently co-transfected with pcDNA3.1-CiXBP1S (pcDN3.1-CiXBP1S-nBRLZ, respectively) into EPC cells. The result showed that CiXBP1S can activate CiGRP78 and CiGRP94 promoters.

MicroRNA expression analysis of rosette and folding leaves in Chinese cabbage using high-throughput Solexa sequencing.

In this study, a global analysis of miRNA expression from rosette leaves (RLs) and folding leaves (FLs) of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) was conducted using high-throughput Solexa sequencing. In total, over 12 million clean reads were obtained from each library. Sequence analysis identified 64 conserved miRNA families in each leaf type and 104 and 95 novel miRNAs from RLs and FLs, respectively. Among these, 61 conserved miRNAs and 61 novel miRNAs were detected in both types of leaves. Furthermore, six conserved and 21 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed between the two libraries. Target gene annotation suggested that these differentially expressed miRNAs targeted transcription factors, F-box proteins, auxin and Ca(2+) signaling pathway proteins, protein kinases and other proteins that may function in governing leafy head formation. This study advanced our understanding of the important roles of miRNAs in regulating leafy head development in Chinese cabbage.