Rapid mechanochemical synthesis of high-performance Na4Fe2.94Al0.04(PO4)2(P2O7)/C cathode material for sodium-ion storage.

Na4Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7) is regarded as a promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its affordability, non-toxic nature, and excellent structural stability. However, its electrochemical performance is hampered by its poor electronic conductivity. Meanwhile, most of the previous studies utilized spray-drying and sol-gel methods to synthesize Na4Fe3(PO4)2(P2O7), and the large-scale synthesis of the cathode material is still challenging. This study presents a composite cathode material, Na4Fe2.94Al0.04(PO4)2(P2O7)/C, prepared via a straightforward ball-milling technique. By substituting Al3+ minimally into the Fe2+ site of NFPP, Fe defects are introduced into the structure, hindering the formation of NaFePO4 and thereby enhancing Na-ion diffusion kinetics and conductivity. Additionally, the average length of AlO bonds (2.18 Å) is slightly smaller than that of FeO bonds (2.19 Å), contributing to the superior structural stability. The smaller ionic radii of Al3+ induce lattice contraction, further enhancing the structural stability. Moreover, the surface of material particles is coated with a thin layer of carbon, ensuring excellent electrical conductivity and outstanding structure stability. As a result, the Na4Fe2.94Al0.04(PO4)2(P2O7)/C cathode exhibits excellent electrochemical performance, leading to high discharge capacity (128.1 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C), outstanding rate performance (98.1 mAh g-1 at 10 C), and long cycle stability (83.7 % capacity retention after 3000 cycles at 10 C). This study demonstrates a low-cost, ultra-stable, and high-rate cathode material prepared by simple mechanical activation for sodium-ion batteries which has application prospects for large-scale production.

Sustainable synthesis of Ni, Mn co-doped FePO4@C cathode material for Na-ion batteries.

Olivine FePO4 is widely regarded as an optimal cathode material for sodium-ion batteries due to its impressive theoretical capacity of 177.7 mAh g-1. Nonetheless, the material's limited application stems from its intrinsic low electronic and ionic conductivities and ion diffusion rate. Previously, most modifications of olivine FePO4 are conducted through electrochemical or ion exchange processes in organic solvents, which severely restricted its potential for large-scale applications. In this research, a novel water-based ion exchange method is proposed for the synthesis of Ni-doped, Mn-doped, and Ni, Mn co-doped FePO4@C, which is non-toxic, cost-effective, and demonstrating promising prospects for various applications. Fe2.7Mn0.2Ni0.1PO4@C (0.2Mn0.1Ni-FP@C) is synthesized by a straightforward ion exchange method in aqueous media. The material exhibits a discharge capacity of 154.4 mAh g-1 at 0.1C rate. After 300 cycles at 1C, the capacity retention rate remains at 70.7 %. Numerous tests and calculations conducted in this study demonstrate that 0.2Mn0.1Ni-FP@C, modified through Mn3+ and Ni3+ co-doping, exhibits superior electrochemical performance due to its enhanced electronic conductivity and ion diffusion rate.

Self-Supporting Mn-RuO2 Nanoarrays for Stable Oxygen Evolution Reaction in Acid.

Currently, the process of an acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) necessitates the use of Iridium dioxygen (IrO2), which is both expensive and incredibly scarce on Earth. Ruthenium dioxygen (RuO2) offers high activity for acidic OERs and presents a potential substitution for IrO2. Nevertheless, its practical application is hindered by its relatively poor stability. In this study, we have developed Mn-doped RuO2 (Mn-RuO2) nanoarrays that are anchored on a titanium (Ti) mesh utilizing a two-step methodology involving the preparation of MnO2 nanoarrays followed by a subsequent Ru exchange and annealing process. By precisely optimizing the annealing temperature, we have managed to attain a remarkably low overpotential of 217 mV at 10 mA cm-2 in a 0.5 M H2SO4 solution. The enhanced catalytic activity of our Mn-RuO2 nanoarrays can be attributed to the electronic modification brought about by the high exposure of active sites, Mn dopant, efficient mass transfer, as well as the efficient transfer of electrons between the Ti mesh and the catalyst arrays. Furthermore, these self-supported Mn-RuO2 nanoarrays demonstrated excellent long-term stability throughout a chronoamperometry test lasting for 100 h, with no discernible changes observed in the Ru chemical states.

Heterologous Single-Strand DNA-Annealing and Binding Protein Enhance CRISPR-Based Genome Editing Efficiency in Komagataella phaffii.

The industrial yeast Komagataella phaffii is a highly effective platform for heterologous protein production, owing to its high protein expression and secretion capacity. Heterologous genes and proteins are involved in multiple processes, including transcription, translation, protein folding, modification, transportation, and degradation; however, engineering these proteins and genes is challenging due to inefficient genome editing techniques. We employed Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage single-stranded DNA-annealing protein (SSAP) PapRecT and P. aeruginosa single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) PaSSB to introduce SSAP-SSB-based homology recombination, which facilitated K. phaffii CRISPR-based genome engineering. Specifically, a host-independent method was developed by expressing sgRNA with PapRecT-PaSSB in a single plasmid, with which only a 50 bp short homologous arm (HA) reached a 100% positive rate for CRISPR-based gene insertion, reaching 18 colony-forming units (CFU) per µg of donor DNA. Single deletion using 1000 bp HA attained 100%, reaching 68 CFUs per µg of donor DNA. Using this efficient CRISPR-based genome editing tool, we integrated three genes (INO4, GAL4-like, and PAB1) at three different loci for overexpression to realize the collaborative regulation of human-lactalbumin (α-LA) production. Specifically, we strengthened phospholipid biosynthesis to facilitate endoplasmic reticulum membrane formation and enhanced recombinant protein transcription and translation by overexpressing transcription and translation factors. The final production of α-LA in the 3 L fermentation reached 113.4 mg L-1, two times higher than that of the strain without multiple site gene editing, which is the highest reported titer in K. phaffii. The CRISPR-based genome editing method developed in this study is suitable for the synergistic multiple-site engineering of protein and biochemical biosynthesis pathways to improve the biomanufacturing efficiency.

HISTONE DEACETYLASE 6 interaction with ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE 5 decreases apple drought tolerance.

Understanding the molecular regulation of plant response to drought is the basis of drought-resistance improvement through molecular strategies. Here, we characterized apple (Malus × domestica) histone deacetylase 6 (MdHDA6), which negatively regulates apple drought tolerance by catalyzing deacetylation on histones associated with drought-responsive genes. Transgenic apple plants over-expressing MdHDA6 were less drought-tolerant, while those with down-regulated MdHDA6 expression were more drought-resistant than nontransgenic apple plants. Transcriptomic and histone 3 acetylation (H3ac) Chromatin immunoprecipitation-seq analyses indicated that MdHDA6 could facilitate histone deacetylation on the drought-responsive genes, repressing gene expression. Moreover, MdHDA6 interacted with the abscisic acid (ABA) signaling transcriptional factor, ABSCISIC ACID-INSENSITIVE 5 (MdABI5), forming the MdHDA6-MdABI5 complex. Interestingly, MdHDA6 facilitated histone deacetylation on the drought-responsive genes regulated by MdABI5, resulting in gene repression. Furthermore, a dual-Luc experiment showed that MdHDA6 could repress the regulation of a drought-responsive gene, RESPONSIVE TO DESICCATION 29A (MdRD29A) activated by MdABI5. On the one hand, MdHDA6 can facilitate histone deacetylation and gene repression on the positive drought-responsive genes to negatively regulate drought tolerance in apple. On the other hand, MdHDA6 directly interacts with MdABI5 and represses the expression of genes downstream of MdABI5 via histone deacetylation around these genes to reduce drought tolerance. Our study uncovers a different drought response regulatory mechanism in apple based on the MdHDA6-MdABI5 complex function and provides the molecular basis for drought-resistance improvement in apple.

Cell factory-based milk protein biomanufacturing: Advances and perspectives.

The increasing global population and protein demand cause global challenges for food supply. Fueled by significant developments in synthetic biology, microbial cell factories are constructed for the bioproduction of milk proteins, providing a promising approach for scalable and cost-effective production of alternative proteins. This review focused on the synthetic biology-based microbial cell factory construction for milk protein bioproduction. The composition, content, and functions of major milk proteins were first summarized, especially for caseins, α-lactalbumin, and ß-lactoglobulin. An economic analysis was performed to determine whether cell factory-based milk protein production is economically viable for industrial production. Cell factory-based milk protein production is proved to be economically viable for industrial production. However, there still exist some challenges for cell factory-based milk protein biomanufacturing and application, including the inefficient production of milk proteins, insufficient investigation of protein functional property, and insufficient food safety evaluation. Constructing new high-efficiency genetic regulatory elements and genome editing tools, coexpression/overexpression of chaperone genes, and engineering protein secretion pathways and establishing a cost-effective protein purification method are possible ways to improve the production efficiency. Milk protein biomanufacturing is one of the promising approaches to acquiring alternative proteins in the future, which is of great importance for supporting cellular agriculture.

Integrating ATAC-seq and RNA-seq Reveals the Dynamics of Chromatin Accessibility and Gene Expression in Apple Response to Drought.

Drought resistance in plants is influenced by multiple signaling pathways that involve various transcription factors, many target genes, and multiple types of epigenetic modifications. Studies on epigenetic modifications of drought focus on DNA methylation and histone modifications, with fewer on chromatin remodeling. Changes in chromatin accessibility can play an important role in abiotic stress in plants by affecting RNA polymerase binding and various regulatory factors. However, the changes in chromatin accessibility during drought in apples are not well understood. In this study, the landscape of chromatin accessibility associated with the gene expression of apple (GL3) under drought conditions was analyzed by Assay for Transposase Accessible Chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) and RNA-seq. Differential analysis between drought treatment and control identified 23,466 peaks of upregulated chromatin accessibility and 2447 peaks of downregulated accessibility. The drought-induced chromatin accessibility changed genes were mainly enriched in metabolism, stimulus, and binding pathways. By combining results from differential analysis of RNA-seq and ATAC-seq, we identified 240 genes with higher chromatin accessibility and increased gene expression under drought conditions that may play important functions in the drought response process. Among them, a total of nine transcription factor genes were identified, including ATHB7, HAT5, and WRKY26. These transcription factor genes are differentially expressed with different chromatin accessibility motif binding loci that may participate in apple response to drought by regulating downstream genes. Our study provides a reference for chromatin accessibility under drought stress in apples and the results will facilitate subsequent studies on chromatin remodelers and transcription factors.

The impact of avoidant attachment on marital satisfaction of Chinese married people: Multiple mediating effect of spousal support and coping tendency.

In this study, the relationship between attachment avoidance and marital satisfaction of Chinese married people as well as the multiple mediating role of spousal support and coping tendency were explored. A model was developed using data of a sample of 510 Chinese married people. Four scales (the Experience of Close Relationships Scale, the Support Scale in Intimate Relationships, the Simple Coping Style Scale, and the Olson Marital Quality Questionnaire) were used to assess attachment avoidance, spousal support, coping tendency, and marital satisfaction, respectively. The results of correlation analysis showed that attachment avoidance was significantly negatively correlated with spousal support, coping tendency, and marital satisfaction. Spousal support was significantly positively correlated with both coping tendency and marital satisfaction. Coping tendency was significantly positively correlated with marital satisfaction. The mediation model indicated significant mediating effects of spousal support and coping tendency between attachment avoidance and marital satisfaction, respectively, where the mediating path of spousal support exerted the largest effect. The multiple mediating effect of attachment avoidance → spousal support → coping tendency → marital satisfaction was also significant. Chinese married people with high levels of attachment avoidance might perceive lower levels of spousal support and are therefore more inclined to employ negative coping when handling conflicts, which lowers marital satisfaction.

Efficient Bioproduction of Human Milk Alpha-Lactalbumin in Komagataella phaffii.

Alpha-lactalbumin (α-LA; the most abundant whey protein in human milk) contributes to infant development, providing bioactive peptides and essential amino acids. Here, Komagataella phaffii (K. phaffii) was selected as the production host. We found that the K. phaffii host X33 was suitable for expressing the target protein, yielding 5.2 mg·L-1 α-LA. Thereafter, several secretory signal peptides were applied to obtain a higher titer of α-LA. The strain with α-factor secretory signal peptide secreted the highest extracellular titer. Additionally, promoters AOX1, GAP, and GAP(m) were compared and applied. The strain with the promoter AOX1 produced the highest extracellular titer. In addition, coexpressing human protein disulfide isomerase A3 (hPDIA3) increased the titer by 27%. Human α-LA production by the strain X33-pPICZαA-hLALBA-hPDIA3 reached 56.3 mg·L-1 in a 3 L bioreactor. This is the first report of successful secretory human α-LA expression in K. phaffii and lays foundations for the simulation of human milk for infant formulas and further development of bioengineered milk.

Periodontal ligament stem cells in the periodontitis niche: inseparable interactions and mechanisms.

Periodontitis is characterized by the periodontium's pathologic destruction due to the host's overwhelmed inflammation to the dental plaque. The bacterial infections and subsequent host immune responses have shaped a distinct microenvironment, which generally affects resident periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs). Interestingly, recent studies have revealed that impaired PDLSCs may also contribute to the disturbance of periodontal homeostasis. The putative vicious circle underlying the interesting "positive feedback" of PDLSCs in the periodontitis niche remains a hot research topic, whereas the inseparable interactions between resident PDLSCs and the periodontitis niche are still not fully understood. This review provides a microscopic view on the periodontitis progression, especially the quick but delicate immune responses to oral dysbacterial infections. We also summarize the interesting crosstalk of the resident PDLSCs with their surrounding periodontitis niche and potential mechanisms. Particularly, the microenvironment reduces the osteogenic properties of resident PDLSCs, which are closely related to their reparative activity. Reciprocally, these impaired PDLSCs may disrupt the microenvironment by aggravating the host immune responses, promoting aberrant angiogenesis, and facilitating the osteoclastic activity. We further recommend that more in-depth studies are required to elucidate the interactions of PDLSCs with the periodontal microenvironment and provide novel interventions for periodontitis.

Overexpression of microRNA-221 promotes the differentiation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth to neurons through activation of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway via inhibition of CHD8.

microRNAs have been proved to function in some processes of differentiation and the effect is favorable. At present, the differentiation of stem cells is not so ideal because of the high expenses and inaccessibility. Therefore, we explored the possibility that microRNA-221 (miR-221) affects differentiation from stem cells from human deciduous tooth (SHEDs) to neurons through Wnt/ß-catenin pathway via binding to CHD8. After collection of SHEDs, differentiation from SHEDs to neurons was conducted by neurotrophic factor induction method in vitro, followed by gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Expression of neuron-related genes in SHEDs was examined by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between CHD8 and miR-221 was detected by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were used to determine miR-221 expression, and the mRNA and protein expression of CHD8, Wnt/ß-catenin pathway- and neuron-related genes. Cell viability, and cell cycle and apoptosis were investigated by MTT assay and flow cytometry respectively. Dual luciferase reporter assay displayed that miR-221 targeted CHD8 and then affected the differentiation progression. Results of RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis showed that expression of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway-related genes increased significantly, CHD8 expression decreased in neuron-induced SHEDs after miR-221 overexpression or CHD8 silencing. In response to miR-221 overexpression and CHD8 silencing, cell viability and cell cycle entry were increased, and apoptosis was reduced. Moreover, overexpression of miR-221 or silencing of CHD8 elevated the expression of neuron-related genes in neuron-induced SHEDs. Taken together, upregulation of miR-221 promotes differentiation from SHEDs to neuron cells through activation of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway by binding to CHD8.

Genome-wide association study reveals novel loci associated with body size and carcass yields in Pekin ducks.

BACKGROUND: Pekin duck products have become popular in Asia over recent decades and account for an increasing market share. However, the genetic mechanisms affecting carcass growth in Pekin ducks remain unknown. This study aimed to identify quantitative trait loci affecting body size and carcass yields in Pekin ducks. RESULTS: We measured 18 carcass traits in 639 Pekin ducks and performed genotyping using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Loci-based association analysis detected 37 significant loci for the 17 traits. Thirty-seven identified candidate genes were involved in many biological processes. One single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (Chr1_140105435 A > T) located in the intron of the ATPase phospholipid transporting 11A gene (ATP11A) attained genome-wide significance associated with five weight traits. Eight SNPs were significantly associated with three body size traits, including the candidate gene plexin domain containing 2 (PLXDC2) associated with breast width and tensin 3 (TNS3) associated with fossil bone length. Only two SNPs were significantly associated with foot weight and four SNPs were significantly associated with heart weight. In the gene-based analysis, three genes (LOC101791418, TUBGCP3 (encoding tubulin gamma complex-associated protein 3), and ATP11A) were associated with four traits (42-day body weight, eviscerated weight, half-eviscerated weight, and leg muscle weight percentage). However, no loci were significantly associated with leg muscle weight in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The novel results of this study improve our understanding of the genetic mechanisms regulating body growth in ducks and thus provide a genetic basis for breeding programs aimed at maximizing the economic potential of Pekin ducks.