Evolutionary analysis of SLC10 family members and insights into function and expression regulation of lamprey NTCP.

The Na ( +)-taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) is a member of the solute carrier family 10 (SLC10), which consists of 7 members (SLC10a1-SLC10a7). NTCP is a transporter localized to the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and is primarily responsible for the absorption of bile acids. Although mammalian NTCP has been extensively studied, little is known about the lamprey NTCP (L-NTCP). Here we show that L-NTCP follows the biological evolutionary history of vertebrates, with conserved domain, motif, and similar tertiary structure to higher vertebrates. L-NTCP is localized to the cell surface of lamprey primary hepatocytes by immunofluorescence analysis. HepG2 cells overexpressing L-NTCP also showed the distribution of L-NTCP on the cell surface. The expression profile of L-NTCP showed that the expression of NTCP is highest in lamprey liver tissue. L-NTCP also has the ability to transport bile acids, consistent with its higher vertebrate orthologs. Finally, using a farnesoid X receptor (FXR) antagonist, RT-qPCR and flow cytometry results showed that L-NTCP is negatively regulated by the nuclear receptor FXR. This study is important for understanding the adaptive mechanisms of bile acid metabolism after lamprey biliary atresia based on understanding the origin, evolution, expression profile, biological function, and expression regulation of L-NTCP.

Application of urease-producing microbial community in seawater to dust suppression in desert.

In order to solve the dust problem caused by sandstorms, this paper aims to propose a new method of enriching urease-producing microbial communities in seawater in a non-sterile environment. Besides, the difference of dust suppression performance of enriched microorganisms under different pH conditions was also explored to adapt the dust. The Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the formation of CaCO3. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) further showed that the crystal forms of CaCO3 were calcite and vaterite. When urease activity was equivalent, the alkaline environment was conducive to the transformation of CaCO3 to more stable calcite. The mineralization rate at pH = 10 reached the maximum value on the 7th day, which was 97.49 ± 1.73%. Moreover, microbial community analysis results showed that the relative abundance of microbial community structure was different under different pH enrichment. Besides, the relative abundance of Sporosarcina, a representative genus of urease-producing microbial community, increased with the increase of pH under culture conditions, which consistent with the mineralization performance results. In addition, the genus level species network diagram also showed that in the microbial community, Sporosarcina was negatively correlated with another urease-producing genus Bacillus, and had a reciprocal relationship with Atopostipes, which means that the urease-producing microbial community was structurally stable. The enrichment of urease-producing microbial communities in seawater will provide empirical support for the large-scale engineering application of MICP technology in preventing and controlling sandstorms in deserts.

Synergistic interactions of microbial fuel cell and microbially induced carbonate precipitation technology with molasses as the substrate.

The application of microbially induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) technology is critical, but many challenges remain. In this paper, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) is used to treat molasses wastewater, and the effluent is used as the substrate to promote the growth of urease-producing bacteria. The results showed that the maximum voltage of MFC was 500 mV, and the maximum power density was 169.86 mW/m2. The mineralization rate reached 100% on the 15th day, and the mineralized product was calcite CaCO3. According to the microbial community analysis, the unclassified_Comamondaceae, Arcobacter, and Aeromonas, which could improve the OH-, signal molecular transmission and small molecular nutrients to promote the urease activity of urease-producing bacteria. The above conclusions provide a new way to reuse molasses wastewater efficiently and to apply MICP technology in dust suppression.

ß-Amyrin ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting inflammatory response and oxidative stress in mice.

The study aimed to determine efficacy and mechanisms of ß-Amyrin on pulmonary fibrosis. Use bleomycin (BLM) to induce the marine model of pulmonary fibrosis. ß-Amyrin (20, 40, 80 mg/kg) was once treated via intragastrical administration for five consecutive days when after BLM stimulation. HE/Masson staining, hydroxyproline (HYP) content, Arterial blood gas analysis (BGA), inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress factors were performed in this study. The lung gas-exchange function was significantly improved after being treated ß-Amyrin with different concentrations, while IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α and MCP-1 levels were decreased. And the increased fibrotic lesion in lung was also determined after treatment of ß-Amyrin. Additionally, reduced MDA level and increase levels of GPX, SOD and GSH were also demonstrated using ß-Amyrin in BLM-induced mice in a dose-dependent manner. In conclusions, our study determined that ß-Amyrin has a potent efficacy in protecting against BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis via suppressing inflammatory response and oxidative stress.

MiR-455 enhances adipogenic differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells through targeting uncoupling protein-1.

Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating the pathways in adipose tissue that control processes such as adipogenesis, insulin resistance, and inflammation. Adipogenic differentiation of preadipocytes is a complex process regulated by various factors including miRNAs and cytokines. MiR-455 is a well-known miRNA that enhances adipogenesis. Uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), a heparinbinding growth factor, plays a negative role in adipogenesis. In this investigation, we demonstrate that UCP-1 is a target gene of miR-455 during adipogenic differentiation in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. MiR-455 downregulates UCP-1 expression through interaction with a target site of miR-455 in the coding region of mouse UCP-1. The rare codons upstream of the target site regulate miR-455-induced translational knockdown of UCP-1, which provides more insight into the mechanism of adipogenic differentiation. Thus, these results suggest that the acceerative adipogenic effect of miR-455 in 3T3-L1 cells is due, at least in part, to suppression of UCP-1.

A practical protocol to accelerate the breeding process of rice in semitropical and tropical regions.

Breeding of excellent rice varieties is essential for modern rice production. Typical breeding procedures to introduce and maintain valuable agricultural traits require at least 8 generations from crossing to stabilization, always taking more than 4-5 years of work. This long and tedious process is the rate-limiting step in the development of new varieties, and therefore fast culturing methods are in urgent need. Taking advantage of early flowering characteristics of light-sensitive rice under short-day conditions, we have developed a practical protocol to accelerate the breeding cycle of rice, which we have termed the "1 + 2", "2 + 2", "1 + 3", and "0 + 5" methods according to the different rice varieties and different breeding purposes. We have also incorporated several techniques, including glume cutting, seed desiccation at 50°C in a drier seed dormancy breakage with low concentration of HNO3, and direct seeding. Using the above strategy, we have shortened the life cycle of light-sensitive rice varieties to about 70 days, making it possible for several rice cultivars to proliferate 4-5 generations in a single calendar year. This protocol greatly accelerates the process of new variety breeding, and can be used in rice research for shortening the process of genetic analysis and the construction of mapping populations.

Surface guided radiation therapy with an innovative open-face mask and mouth bite: patient motion management in brain stereotactic radiotherapy.

INTRODUCTION: To guarantee treatment reproducibility and stability, immobilization devices are essential. Additionally, surface-guided radiation therapy (SGRT) serves as an accurate complement to frameless stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) by aiding patient positioning and real-time monitoring, especially when non-coplanar fields are in use. At our institute, we have developed a surface-guided SRS (SG-SRS) workflow that incorporates our innovative open-face mask (OM) and mouth bite (MB) to guarantee a precise and accurate dose delivery. METHODS: This study included 40 patients, and all patients were divided into closed mask (CM) and open-face mask (OM) groups according to different positioning flow. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were performed, and the registration results were recorded before and after the treatment. Then Bland-Altman method was used to analyze the consistency of AlignRT-guided positioning errors and CBCT scanning results in the OM group. The error changes between 31 fractions in one patient were recorded to evaluate the feasibility of monitoring during treatment. RESULTS: The median of translation error between stages of the AlignRT positioning process was (0.03-0.07) cm, and the median of rotation error was (0.20-0.40)°, which were significantly better than those of the Fraxion positioning process (0.09-0.11) cm and (0.60-0.75)°. The mean bias values between the AlignRT guided positioning errors and CBCT were 0.01 cm, - 0.07 cm, 0.03 cm, - 0.30°, - 0.08° and 0.00°. The 31 inter-fractional errors of a single patient monitored by SGRT were within 0.10 cm and 0.50°. CONCLUSIONS: The application of the SGRT with an innovative open-face mask and mouth bite device could achieve precision positioning accuracy and stability, and the accuracy of the AlignRT system exhibits excellent constancy with the CBCT gold standard. The non-coplanar radiation field monitoring can provide reliable support for motion management in fractional treatment.

Effects of Helicobacter pylori Infection on the Development of Chronic Gastritis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Based on the gene expression profiles of gastric epithelial tissue at different stages of Helicobacter pylori-infected gastritis, key long noncoding RNAs and genes in the development of Helicobacter pylori infection-induced gastritis were screened to provide a basis for early diagnosis and treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We downloaded 2 sets of sample data from the database, including gastric epithelial tissue samples from gastritis patients from Bhutan and Dominican, and screened mRNAs in the differentially expressed RNAs of the 2 regions. Mfuzz clustering algorithm was used to screen RNAs related to the 3 stages of chronic gastritis. The competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulation network was constructed, and the selected key RNAs were verified. Samples from Bhutan and Dominican were subdivided into the chronic gastritis/ normal comparison groups, and the differentially expressed RNAs were screened to obtain 1067 overlapping RNAs, containing 21 long noncoding RNAs and 1046 mRNAs. RESULTS: Thirty-eight significant gene ontology functional nodes and 6 expression pattern clusters were obtained. Two ceRNA regulatory networks were constructed, and 4 shared miRNAs (hsa-miR-320b, hsa-miR-320c, hsa-miR-320d, and hsa-miR-155-5p) were obtained. Eleven important long noncoding RNAs (AFAP1-AS1, MIR155HG, LINC00472, and FAM201A) and mRNAs (CASP10, SLC26A2, TRIB1, BMP2K, SCAMP1, TNKS1BP1, and MBOAT2) regulated by these 4 miRNAs were obtained. These results indicated that Helicobacter pylori infection had a certain influence on the development of gastritis. CONCLUSIONS: The 11 key RNAs can provide a target for the early diagnosis and treatment of chronic gastritis following Helicobacter pylori infection.

Restoration of soil quality of degraded grassland can be accelerated by reseeding in an arid area of Northwest China.

Grassland restoration measures control soil degradation and improve soil quality (SQ) worldwide, but there is little knowledge about the effectiveness of restoration measures affecting SQ in arid areas, and the restoration rate of degraded grasslands to natural restoration grasslands and reseeded grasslands remains unclear. To establish a soil quality index (SQI) to evaluate the effects of different grassland restoration measures on SQ, continuous grazing grassland (CG) (as a reference), grazing exclusion grassland (EX), and reseeding grassland (RS) were selected and sampled in the arid desert steppe. Two soil indicator selection methods were conducted (total data set (TDS) and minimum data set (MDS)), followed by three SQ indices (additive soil quality index (SQIa), weighted additive soil quality index (SQIw), and Nemoro soil quality index (SQIn)). The results indicated that SQ was better assessed using the SQIw (R 2 = 0.55) compared to SQIa and SQIn for indication differences among the treatments due to the larger coefficient of variance. The SQIw-MDS value in CG grassland was 46% and 68% lower than that of EX grassland and RS grassland, respectively. Our findings provided evidence that restoration practices of grazing exclusion and reseeding can significantly improve the SQ in the arid desert steppe, and native plant reseeded can accelerate soil quality restoration.

The metabolic adaptation of bile acids and cholesterol after biliary atresia in lamprey via transcriptome-based analysis.

Lamprey underwent biliary atresia (BA) at its metamorphosis stage. In contrast to patients with BA who develop progressive disease, lamprey can grow and develop normally, suggesting that lamprey has several adaptations for BA. Here we show that adaptive changes in bile acid and cholesterol metabolism are produced after lamprey BA. Among 1102 differentially expressed genes (DGEs) after BA in lamprey, many are enriched in gene ontology (GO) terms and pathways related to steroid metabolism. We find that among the DGEs related to bile acids and cholesterol metabolism, the expression of cytochrome P450 family 7 subfamily A member 1 (CYP7A1), sodium-dependent taurine cotransport polypeptide (NTCP) are significantly downregulated, whereas nuclear receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR), multidrug resistance-associated protein 3 (MRP3), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), sterol O-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1), and ATP binding cassette subfamily A member 1 (ABCA1) are remarkably upregulated. The changes in expression level are also validated by RT-qPCR. Furthermore, the level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in juvenile serum is higher compared to larvae. Taken together, the findings collectively indicate that after BA, lamprey may maintain bile acids and cholesterol homeostasis in liver tissue by inhibiting bile acids synthesis and uptake, promoting its efflux back to circulation, and enhancing cholesterol esterification for storage as lipid droplets and its egress to form nascent HDL (nHDL). Understanding the possible molecular mechanisms of lamprey metabolic adaptation sheds new light on the understanding of the development and treatment of diseases caused by abnormal bile acid and cholesterol metabolism in humans.

Effects of rotation grazing time on the characteristics of soil seed bank in desert steppe.

Exploring the characteristics of soil seed bank under seasonal grazing plays an important role in the reasonable use of desert steppe. We examined seed bank species composition, density, vertical distribution, diversity in the soil of 0-5, 5-10, 10-15 cm soil layers and the relationship with vegetation and soil environmental factors in Ningxia desert steppe. The treatments included enclosure (FY), traditional time rotation grazing (FG), delayed to start rotation grazing (YG), early to end rotation grazing (TG), delayed to start and early to end rotation grazing (YT) and free grazing (ZY). The results showed that there were nine families and 21 species in the soil seed bank in the study area. The species composition of soil seed bank in TG seed bank with 13 species was the largest, while FY and ZY soil seed banks had the least, with 8 species, respectively. The den-sity of ZY soil seed bank was significantly higher than that of FY, YG, TG and YT. The number of perennial species seeds in the soil seed bank of FY was the largest, reaching 32.0%, while that in the ZY was the least, only 12.4%, mainly with sexually reproduced annual weeds. Soil seed bank was mainly concentrated in the 0-5 cm surface layer. With increasing soil depth, the size of soil seed bank decreased. The dominance and diversity of soil seed bank were the highest in FY, while the dominance, diversity and uniformity were the lowest in ZY. The similarity between soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation was generally low. In contrast, the FG and ZY seed banks had higher similarity with vegetation, and the FY was the lowest. Soil moisture, organic matter, total nitrogen concentration, total phosphorus concentration, and soil bulk density were the main soil factors affecting soil seed bank. Compared with traditional whole year free grazing, seasonal four-zone rotation grazing could increase species richness and abundance of perennial plants in soil seed bank of desert steppe, as well as the total species richness, diversity and uniformity of the seed bank. Although the effect sof seasonal four-zone rotation grazing on seed bank was not as good as the long-term enclosure grassland, it was of great significance to the utilization and protection of desert steppe.

Albiflorin alleviates ovalbumin (OVA)-induced pulmonary inflammation in asthmatic mice.

In the present study, the effects of albiflorin (ALB) on the pulmonary inflammation induced by ovalbumin (OVA) in an asthmatic mouse model were investigated. Airway hyperreactivity (AHR) in asthmatic mice was detected using the acetylcholine stimulation test. Eosinophilia cells in the serum of asthmatic mice were counted. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue. Inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to detect the mitogen-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor kappa B (MAPK/NF-κB) signaling pathway in the lungs of asthmatic mice. The results from the present study indicated that ALB dramatically suppressed the expression of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, and inflammatory cells. In addition, ALB significantly decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) content as well as increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. ALB also alleviated AHR in asthmatic mice and improved pathological changes in the lungs. In addition, ALB inhibited the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway in the lungs of the asthmatic mice. Thus, ALB appears to inhibit lung inflammation in asthmatic mice via regulation of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Fluoxetine, an Antidepressant Drug, Inhibited Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation and Apoptosis in Rats.

The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of fluoxetine (Flu) against cigarette smoke (CS)-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to five groups: control group, CS group, dexamethasone (2 mg/kg) group, and flu (2 mg/kg). H&E staining demonstrated that Flu inhibited CS-induced pathological injury. In addition, Flu could restore the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum. Flu also inhibited the levels of cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß). Furthermore, flu significantly inhibited the protein levels of TLR/NF-κB and apoptosis pathway in CS-induced rats. Our findings suggested that flu might effectively ameliorate the progression of COPD via inflammation and apoptosis pathway in rats.

Astragaloside IV ameliorates necrotizing enterocolitis by attenuating oxidative stress and suppressing inflammation via the vitamin D3-upregulated protein 1/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a flavonoid from the plant Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch) Bge that has a wide range of therapeutic effects. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of AS-IV on rats with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) under oxidative stress and inflammation. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were induced with NEC by asphyxia and hypothermia applied on 3 consecutive days. The rats were orally administered AS-IV at 25, 50 and 75 mg/kg for 4 days. The results revealed that AS-IV administration prevented NEC-induced decrease in the concentration of malondialdehyde and myeloperoxidase, and increase in the activity of glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase in murine models. AS-IV also inhibited NEC-induced elevation in the levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-α and nuclear factor (NF)-κB. The effects of AS-IV were achieved under inflammation and oxidative stress. Western blotting demonstrated that AS-IV substantially inhibited the phosphorylated (p)-IκBα, NF-κBp65, p-NF-κBp65 protein levels and increased vitamin D3 upregulated protein 1 (VDUP1) and IκBα protein levels. These data indicate that AS-IV may be effective in the protection of NEC-induced ileum degeneration by inhibiting the levels of inflammatory markers and oxidative stress via the regulation of the VDUP1/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Suppression of P2X7/NF-κB pathways by Schisandrin B contributes to attenuation of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses in acute lung injury.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects and mechanisms of Schisandrin B (SchB) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI). ALI was induced in mice by intratracheal instillation of LPS (1 mg/kg), and SchB (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg) was injected 1 h before LPS challenge by gavage. After 12 h, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples and lung tissues were collected. Histological studies demonstrated that SchB attenuated LPS-induced interstitial edema, hemorrhage, and infiltration of neutrophils in the lung tissue. SchB pretreatment at doses of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg was shown to reduce LPS-induced lung wet-to-dry weight ratio and lung myeloperoxidase activity. In addition, pretreatment with SchB lowered the number of inflammatory cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß, and interleukin-6 in BALF. The mRNA and protein expression levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling-related molecules activated by P2X7 were investigated to determine the molecular mechanism of SchB. The findings presented here suggest that the protective mechanism of SchB may be attributed partly to the decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines through the inhibition of P2X7/NF-κB activation.