The OsDIR55 gene increases salt tolerance by altering the root diffusion barrier.

The increased soil salinity is becoming a major challenge to produce more crops and feed the growing population of the world. In this study, we demonstrated that overexpression of OsDIR55 gene enhances rice salt tolerance by altering the root diffusion barrier. OsDIR55 is broadly expressed in all examined tissues and organs with the maximum expression levels at lignified regions in rice roots. Salt stress upregulates the expression of OsDIR55 gene in an abscisic acid (ABA)-dependent manner. Loss-function and overexpression of OsDIR55 compromised and improved the development of CS and root diffusion barrier, manifested with the decreased and increased width of CS, respectively, and ultimately affected the permeability of the apoplastic diffusion barrier in roots. OsDIR55 deficiency resulted in Na+ accumulation, ionic imbalance, and growth arrest, whereas overexpression of OsDIR55 enhances salinity tolerance and provides an overall benefit to plant growth and yield potential. Collectively, we propose that OsDIR55 is crucial for ions balance control and salt stress tolerance through regulating lignification-mediated root barrier modifications in rice.

A complete oral regimen for induction therapy of patients with high-risk APL: An oral etoposide instead of intravenous infusion for cytoreductive chemotherapy.

There is an urgent need for an oral, efficient and safe regimen for high-risk APL under the pandemic of COVID-19. We retrospectively analysed 60 high-risk APL patients. For induction therapy (IT), in addition to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and oral arsenic (RIF), 22 patients received oral etoposide (VP16) as cytotoxic chemotherapy (CC), and 38 patients received intravenous CC as historical control group. The median dose of oral VP16 was 1000 mg [interquartile rage (IQR), 650-1250]. One patient died during IT in the control group, 59 evaluable patients (100%) achieved complete haematological remission (CHR) after IT and complete molecular remission (CMR) after consolidation therapy. The median time to CHR and CMR was 36 days (33.8-44) versus 35 days (32-42; p = 0.75) and 3 months (0.8-3.5) versus 3.3 months (2.4-3.7; p = 0.58) in the oral VP16 group and in the control group. Two (9.1%) and 3 (7.9%) patients experienced molecular relapse in different group respectively. The 2-year estimated overall survival and event-free survival were 100% versus 94.7% (p = 0.37) and 90.9% versus 89.5% (p = 0.97) respectively. A completely oral, efficient and safe induction regimen including oral VP16 as cytoreductive chemotherapy combined with ATRA and RIF is more convenient to administer for patients with high-risk APL.

Dual-Signal Amplification Strategy Based on Catalytic Hairpin Assembly and APE1-Assisted Amplification for High-Contrast miRNA Imaging in Living Cells.

Early tumor diagnosis is crucial to successful treatment. Earlier studies have shown that microRNA is a biomarker for early tumor diagnosis. The development of highly sensitive miRNA detection methods, especially in living cells, plays an indispensable role for early diagnosis and treatment of tumor. Although the catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA)-based miRNA analysis strategy is commonly used for disease diagnosis, further application of CHA is hindered due to its low amplification efficiency and low tumor recognition contrast. To address these limitations, we propose a dual-signal amplification strategy based on CHA and APE1-assisted amplification, enabling highly sensitive and high-contrast miRNA imaging. The miR-221 was selected as a target model. This dual-signal amplification strategy has exhibited high amplification efficiency, which could analyze miRNA as low as 21 fM. This strategy also exhibited high specificity, which could distinguish target miRNA and nontarget with single-base differences. Moreover, this method showed significant potential for practical application, as it could successfully distinguish the expression difference of miR-221 in the plasma samples of normal people and patients. Most importantly, the expression level of the APE1 enzyme in tumor cells is higher than that in normal cells, allowing this strategy to sensitively and specifically image miRNA within tumor cells. This proposed method has also been successfully used to indicate fluctuations of intracellular miRNA and to distinguish miRNA expression between normal cells and cancer cells with high contrast. We anticipate that this method will provide fresh insights and can be a powerful tool for tumor diagnosis and treatment based on miRNA analysis.

Toehold Strand Displacement-Mediated Exponential HCR for Highly Sensitive and Specific Analysis of miRNA in Living Cells.

As an important disease biomarker, the development of sensitive detection strategies for miRNA, especially intracellular miRNA imaging strategies, is helpful for early diagnosis of diseases, pathological research, and drug development. Hybridization chain reaction (HCR) is widely used for miRNA imaging analysis because of its high specificity and lack of biological enzymes. However, the classic HCR reaction exhibits linear amplification with low efficiency, limiting its use for the rapid analysis of trace miRNA in living cells. To address this problem, we proposed a toehold-mediated exponential HCR (TEHCR) to achieve highly sensitive and efficient imaging of miRNA in living cells using ß-FeOOH nanoparticles as transfection vectors. The detection limit of TEHCR was as low as 92.7 fM, which was 8.8 × 103 times lower compared to traditional HCR, and it can effectively distinguish single-base mismatch with high specificity. The TEHCR can also effectively distinguish the different expression levels of miRNA in cancer cells and normal cells. Furthermore, TEHCR can be used to construct OR logic gates for dual miRNA analysis without the need for additional probes, demonstrating high flexibility. This method is expected to play an important role in clinical miRNA-related disease diagnosis and drug development as well as to promote the development of logic gates.

Dual miRNA-Triggered DNA Walker Assisted by APE1 for Specific Recognition of Tumor Cells.

The identification of a specific tumor cell is crucial for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. However, it remains a challenge due to the limited sensitivity and accuracy, long response time, and low contrast of the recent approaches. In this study, we develop a dual miRNA-triggered DNA walker (DMTDW) assisted by APE1 for the specific recognition of tumor cells. miR-10b and miR-155 were selected as the research models. Without miR-10b and miR-155 presence, the DNA walker remains inactive as its walking strand of W is locked by L1 and L2. After miR-10b and miR-155 are input, the DNA walker is triggered as miR-10b and miR-155 bind to L1 and L2 of W-L1-L2, respectively, unlocking W. The DNA walker is driven by endogenous APE1 that is highly catalytic and is highly expressed in the cytoplasm of tumor cells but barely expressed in normal cells, ensuring high contrast and reaction efficiency for specific recognition of tumor cells. Dual miRNA input is required to trigger the DNA walker, making this strategy with a high accuracy. The DMTDW strategy exhibited high sensitivity for miRNA analysis with a detection limit of 44.05 pM. Living cell-imaging experiments confirmed that the DMTDW could effectively respond to the fluctuation of miRNA and specifically identified MDA-MB-231 cells from different cell lines. The proposed DMTDW is sensitive, rapid, and accurate for specific tumor cell recognition. We believe that the DMTDW strategy can become a powerful diagnostic tool for the specific recognition of tumor cells.

Autophagy dysfunction contributes to NLRP1 inflammasome-linked depressive-like behaviors in mice.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common but severe psychiatric illness characterized by depressive mood and diminished interest. Both nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing 1 (NLRP1) inflammasome and autophagy have been reported to implicate in the pathological processes of depression. However, the mechanistic interplay between NLRP1 inflammasome, autophagy, and depression is still poorly known. METHODS: Animal model of depression was established by chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Depressive-like behaviors were determined by social interaction test (SIT), sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), forced swim test (FST), and tail-suspension test (TST). The protein expression levels of NLRP1 inflammasome complexes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, phosphorylated-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p-PI3K)/PI3K, phosphorylated-AKT (p-AKT)/AKT, phosphorylated-mechanistic target of rapamycin (p-mTOR)/mTOR, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), phosphorylated-tyrosine kinase receptor B (p-TrkB)/TrkB, Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax)/B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl2) and cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 (caspase-3) were examined by western blotting. The mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were tested by quantitative real-time PCR. The interaction between proteins was detected by immunofluorescence and coimmunoprecipitation. Neuronal injury was assessed by Nissl staining. The autophagosomes were visualized by transmission electron microscopy. Nlrp1a knockdown was performed using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector containing Nlrp1a-shRNA-eGFP infusion. RESULTS: CSDS exposure caused a bidirectional change in hippocampal autophagy function, which was activated in the initial period but impaired at the later stage. In addition, CSDS exposure increased the expression levels of hippocampal NLRP1 inflammasome complexes, pro-inflammatory cytokines, p-PI3K, p-AKT and p-mTOR in a time-dependent manner. Interestingly, NLRP1 is immunoprecipitated with mTOR but not PI3K/AKT and CSDS exposure facilitated the immunoprecipitation between them. Hippocampal Nlrp1a knockdown inhibited the activity of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, rescued the impaired autophagy and ameliorated depressive-like behavior induced by CSDS. In addition, rapamycin, an autophagy inducer, abolished NLRP1 inflammasome-driven inflammatory reactions, alleviated depressive-like behavior and exerted a neuroprotective effect. CONCLUSIONS: Autophagy dysfunction contributes to NLRP1 inflammasome-linked depressive-like behavior in mice and the regulation of autophagy could be a valuable therapeutic strategy for the management of depression.

RhIII-Catalyzed Direct Heteroarylation of Unactivated C(sp3)-H with N-Heteroaryl Boronates.

Disclosed herein is a rhodium(III)-catalyzed direct heteroarylation reaction between unactivated aliphatic C(sp3)-H bonds in 2-alkylpyridines and heteroaryl organoboron reagents. This catalytic protocol is compatible with various heterocyclic boronates containing ortho- and meta-pyridine, pyrazoles, furan, and quinoline with strong coordination capability. The achievement of this methodology provides an efficient route to build new C(sp3)-heteroaryl bonds.

Esketamine accelerates emergence from isoflurane general anaesthesia by activating the paraventricular thalamus glutamatergic neurones in mice.

BACKGROUND: Delayed emergence from general anaesthesia poses a significant perioperative safety hazard. Subanaesthetic doses of ketamine not only deepen anaesthesia but also accelerate recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia; however, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain elusive. Esketamine exhibits a more potent receptor affinity and fewer adverse effects than ketamine and exhibits shorter recovery times after brief periods of anaesthesia. As the paraventricular thalamus (PVT) plays a pivotal role in regulating wakefulness, we studied its role in the emergence process during combined esketamine and isoflurane anaesthesia. METHODS: The righting reflex and cortical electroencephalography were used as measures of consciousness in mice during isoflurane anaesthesia with coadministration of esketamine. The expression of c-Fos was used to determine neuronal activity changes in PVT neurones after esketamine administration. The effect of esketamine combined with isoflurane anaesthesia on PVT glutamatergic (PVTGlu) neuronal activity was monitored by fibre photometry, and chemogenetic technology was used to manipulate PVTGlu neuronal activity. RESULTS: A low dose of esketamine (5 mg kg-1) accelerated emergence from isoflurane general anaesthesia (474 [30] s vs 544 [39] s, P=0.001). Esketamine (5 mg kg-1) increased PVT c-Fos expression (508 [198] vs 258 [87], P=0.009) and enhanced the population activity of PVTGlu neurones (0.03 [1.7]% vs 6.9 [3.4]%, P=0.002) during isoflurane anaesthesia (1.9 [5.7]% vs -5.1 [5.3]%, P=0.016) and emergence (6.1 [6.2]% vs -1.1 [5.0]%, P=0.022). Chemogenetic suppression of PVTGlu neurones abolished the arousal-promoting effects of esketamine (459 [33] s vs 596 [33] s, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that esketamine promotes recovery from isoflurane anaesthesia by activating PVTGlu neurones. This mechanism could explain the rapid arousability exhibited upon treatment with a low dose of esketamine.

Discovery of a novel BTK inhibitor S-016 and identification of a new strategy for the treatment of lymphomas including BTK inhibitor-resistant lymphomas.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) has emerged as a therapeutic target for B-cell malignancies, which is substantiated by the efficacy of various irreversible or reversible BTK inhibitors. However, on-target BTK mutations facilitating evasion from BTK inhibition lead to resistance that limits the therapeutic efficacy of BTK inhibitors. In this study we employed structure-based drug design strategies based on established BTK inhibitors and yielded a series of BTK targeting compounds. Among them, compound S-016 bearing a unique tricyclic structure exhibited potent BTK kinase inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 0.5 nM, comparable to a commercially available BTK inhibitor ibrutinib (IC50 = 0.4 nM). S-016, as a novel irreversible BTK inhibitor, displayed superior kinase selectivity compared to ibrutinib and significant therapeutic effects against B-cell lymphoma both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we generated BTK inhibitor-resistant lymphoma cells harboring BTK C481F or A428D to explore strategies for overcoming resistance. Co-culture of these DLBCL cells with M0 macrophages led to the polarization of M0 macrophages toward the M2 phenotype, a process known to support tumor progression. Intriguingly, we demonstrated that SYHA1813, a compound targeting both VEGFR and CSF1R, effectively reshaped the tumor microenvironment (TME) and significantly overcame the acquired resistance to BTK inhibitors in both BTK-mutated and wild-type BTK DLBCL models by inhibiting angiogenesis and modulating macrophage polarization. Overall, this study not only promotes the development of new BTK inhibitors but also offers innovative treatment strategies for B-cell lymphomas, including those with BTK mutations.

[Microcirculatory visualization and metabolomics of Dalbergia cochinchinensis in ameliorating coronary microvascular dysfunction in rats].

This study employed microcirculation visualization and metabolomics methods to explore the effect and possible mechanism of Dalbergia cochinchinensis in ameliorating coronary microvascular dysfunction(CMD) induced by microsphere embolization in rats. Sixty SPF-grade male SD rats were randomized into sham, model, and low-, medium-, and high-dose [1.5, 3.0, and 6.0 g·kg~(-1)·d~(-1), respectively] D. cochinchinensis water extract groups. The rats in sham and model groups were administrated with equal volume of normal saline by gavage once a day for 7 consecutive days. The rat model of CMD was prepared by injecting polyethylene microspheres into the left ventricle, while the sham group was injected with an equal amount of normal saline. A blood flow meter was used to measure blood flow, and a blood rheometer to measure blood viscosity and fibrinogen content. An automatic biochemical analyzer and reagent kits were used to measure the serum levels of myocardial enzymes, glucose, and nitric oxide(NO). Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the pathological changes of myocardial tissue. DiI C12/C18 perfusion was used to infuse coronary microvessels, and the structural and morphological changes were observed using a confocal laser scanning microscope. AngioTool was used to analyze the vascular area, density, radius, and mean E lacunarity in the microsphere embolization area, and vascular blood flow resistance was calculated based on Poiseuille's law. Non-targeted metabolomics based on high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed screen potential biomarkers and differential metabolites regulated by D. cochinchinensis and the involved metabolic pathways were enriched. The pharmacodynamic results showed that compared with the model group, D. cochinchinensis significantly increased mean blood flow, reduced plasma fibrinogen content, lowered the levels of myocardial enzymes such as creatine kinase(CK), creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB), and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH), alleviate myocardial injury, and protect damaged myocardium. In addition, D. cochinchinensis significantly increased serum NO content, promoted vascular smooth muscle relaxation, dilated blood vessels, lowered serum glucose(GLU) level, improved myocardial energy metabolism, and alleviated pathological changes in myocardial fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. The results of coronary microcirculation perfusion showed that D. cochinchinensis improved the vascular morphology, increased the vascular area, density, and radius, reduced vascular mean E lacunarity and blood flow resistance, and alleviated vascular endothelial damage in CMD rats. The results of metabolomics identified 45 differential metabolites between sham and model groups, and D. cochinchinensis recovered the levels 25 differential metabolites, which were involved in 8 pathways including arachidonic acid metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, and sphingolipids metabolism. D. cochinchinensis can ameliorate coronary microcirculation dysfunction caused by microsphere embolization in rats, and it may alleviate the pathological changes of CMD rats by regulating inflammatory reaction, endothelial damage, and phospholipid metabolism.

Bifunctional Chiral Electrocatalysts Enable Enantioselective α-Alkylation of Aldehydes.

Herein, we describe an innovative approach to the asymmetric electrochemical α-alkylation of aldehydes facilitated by a newly designed bifunctional chiral electrocatalyst. The highly efficient bifunctional chiral electrocatalyst combines a chiral aminocatalyst with a redox mediator. It plays a dual role as a redox mediator for electrooxidation, while simultaneously providing remarkable asymmetric induction for the stereoselective α-alkylation of aldehydes. Additionally, this novel catalyst exhibits enhanced catalytic activity and excellent stereoselective control comparable to conventional catalytic systems. As a result, this strategy provides a new avenue for versatile asymmetric electrochemistry. The electrooxidation of diverse phenols enables the C-H/C-H oxidative α-alkylation of aldehydes in a highly chemo- and stereoselective fashion. Detailed mechanistic studies by control experiments and cyclic voltammetry analysis demonstrate possible reaction pathways and the origin of enantio-induction.

Endogenous Enzyme-Powered DNA Nanomotor Operating in Living Cells for microRNA Imaging.

Accurate and specific imaging of low-abundance microRNA (miRNA) in living cells is extremely important for disease diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression. DNA nanomotors have shown great potential for imaging molecules of interest in living cells. However, inappropriate driving forces and complex design and operation procedures have hindered their further application. Here, we proposed an endogenous enzyme-powered DNA nanomotor (EEPDN), which employs an endogenous APE1 enzyme as fuel to execute repetitive cycles of motion for miRNA imaging in living cells. The whole motor system is constructed based on gold nanoparticles without other auxiliary additives. Due to the high efficiency of APE1, this EEPDN system has achieved highly sensitive miRNA imaging in living cells within 1.5 h. This strategy was also successfully used to differentiate the expression of specific miRNA between tumor cells and normal cells, demonstrating a high tumor cell selectivity. This strategy can promote the development of novel nanomotors and is expected to be a perfect intracellular molecular imaging tool for biological and medical applications.

Construction of Core-shell Sb2 s3 @Cds Nanorod with Enhanced Heterointerface Interaction for Chromium-Containing Wastewater Treatment.

How to collaboratively reduce Cr(VI) and break Cr(III) complexes is a technical challenge to solve chromium-containing wastewater (CCW) pollution. Solar photovoltaic (SPV) technology based on semiconductor materials is a potential strategy to solve this issue. Sb2 S3 is a typical semiconductor material with total visible-light harvesting capacity, but its large-sized structure highly aggravates disordered photoexciton migration, accelerating the recombination kinetics and resulting low-efficient photon utilization. Herein, the uniform mesoporous CdS shell is in situ formed on the surface of Sb2 S3 nanorods (NRs) to construct the core-shell Sb2 S3 @CdS heterojunction with high BET surface area and excellent near-infrared light harvesting capacity via a surface cationic displacement strategy, and density functional theory thermodynamically explains the breaking of SbS bonds and formation of CdS bonds according to the bond energy calculation. The SbSCd bonding interaction and van der Waals force significantly enhance the stability and synergy of Sb2 S3 /CdS heterointerface throughout the entire surface of Sb2 S3 NRs, promoting the Sb2 S3 -to-CdS electron transfer due to the formation of built-in electric field. Therefore, the optimized Sb2 S3 @CdS catalyst achieves highly enhanced simulated sunlight-driven Cr(VI) reduction (0.154 min-1 ) and decomplexation of complexed Cr(III) in weakly acidic condition, resulting effective CCW treatment under co-action of photoexcited electrons and active radicals. This study provides a high-performance heterostructured catalyst for effective CCW treatment by SPV technology.

Phospholipase iPLA2ß averts ferroptosis by eliminating a redox lipid death signal.

Ferroptosis, triggered by discoordination of iron, thiols and lipids, leads to the accumulation of 15-hydroperoxy (Hp)-arachidonoyl-phosphatidylethanolamine (15-HpETE-PE), generated by complexes of 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) and a scaffold protein, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE)-binding protein (PEBP)1. As the Ca2+-independent phospholipase A2ß (iPLA2ß, PLA2G6 or PNPLA9 gene) can preferentially hydrolyze peroxidized phospholipids, it may eliminate the ferroptotic 15-HpETE-PE death signal. Here, we demonstrate that by hydrolyzing 15-HpETE-PE, iPLA2ß averts ferroptosis, whereas its genetic or pharmacological inactivation sensitizes cells to ferroptosis. Given that PLA2G6 mutations relate to neurodegeneration, we examined fibroblasts from a patient with a Parkinson's disease (PD)-associated mutation (fPDR747W) and found selectively decreased 15-HpETE-PE-hydrolyzing activity, 15-HpETE-PE accumulation and elevated sensitivity to ferroptosis. CRISPR-Cas9-engineered Pnpla9R748W/R748W mice exhibited progressive parkinsonian motor deficits and 15-HpETE-PE accumulation. Elevated 15-HpETE-PE levels were also detected in midbrains of rotenone-infused parkinsonian rats and α-synuclein-mutant SncaA53T mice, with decreased iPLA2ß expression and a PD-relevant phenotype. Thus, iPLA2ß is a new ferroptosis regulator, and its mutations may be implicated in PD pathogenesis.

ALOX5 inhibition protects against dopaminergic neurons undergoing ferroptosis.

Oxidative disruption of dopaminergic neurons is regarded as a crucial pathogenesis in Parkinson's disease (PD), eventually causing neurodegenerative progression. (-)-Clausenamide (Clau) is an alkaloid isolated from plant Clausena lansium (Lour.), which is well-known as a scavenger of lipid peroxide products and exhibiting neuroprotective activities both in vivo and in vitro, yet with the in-depth molecular mechanism unrevealed. In this study, we evaluated the protective effects and mechanisms of Clau on dopaminergic neuron. Our results showed that Clau directly interacted with the Ser663 of ALOX5, the PKCα-phosphorylation site, and thus prevented the nuclear translocation of ALOX5, which was essential for catalyzing the production of toxic lipids 5-HETE. LC-MS/MS-based phospholipidomics analysis demonstrated that the oxidized membrane lipids were involved in triggering ferroptotic death in dopaminergic neurons. Furthermore, the inhibition of ALOX5 was found to significantly improving behavioral defects in PD mouse model, which was confirmed associated with the effects of attenuating the accumulation of lipid peroxides and neuronal damages. Collectively, our findings provide an attractive strategy for PD therapy by targeting ALOX5 and preventing ferroptosis in dopaminergic neurons.

Reducing lipid peroxidation attenuates stress-induced susceptibility to herpes simplex virus type 1.

Psychological stress increases the susceptibility to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection. There is no effective intervention due to the unknown pathogenesis mechanisms. In this study we explored the molecular mechanisms underlying stress-induced HSV-1 susceptibility and the antiviral effect of a natural compound rosmarinic acid (RA) in vivo and in vitro. Mice were administered RA (11.7, 23.4 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) or acyclovir (ACV, 206 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for 23 days. The mice were subjected to restraint stress for 7 days followed by intranasal infection with HSV-1 on D7. At the end of RA or ACV treatment, mouse plasma samples and brain tissues were collected for analysis. We showed that both RA and ACV treatment significantly decreased stress-augmented mortality and alleviated eye swelling and neurological symptoms in HSV-1-infected mice. In SH-SY5Y cells and PC12 cells exposed to the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) plus HSV-1, RA (100 µM) significantly increased the cell viability, and inhibited CORT-induced elevation in the expression of viral proteins and genes. We demonstrated that CORT (50 µM) triggered lipoxygenase 15 (ALOX15)-mediated redox imbalance in the neuronal cells, increasing the level of 4-HNE-conjugated STING, which impaired STING translocation from the endoplasmic reticulum to Golgi; the abnormality of STING-mediated innate immunity led to HSV-1 susceptibility. We revealed that RA was an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation by directly targeting ALOX15, thus RA could rescue stress-weakened neuronal innate immune response, thereby reducing HSV-1 susceptibility in vivo and in vitro. This study illustrates the critical role of lipid peroxidation in stress-induced HSV-1 susceptibility and reveals the potential for developing RA as an effective intervention in anti-HSV-1 therapy.

Nintedanib Induces the Autophagy-Dependent Death of Gastric Cancer Cells by Inhibiting the STAT3/Beclin1 Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are currently the most widely studied targeted therapies for gastric cancer. As a triple tyrosine inhibitor, nintedanib can alleviate the progression of a variety of cancers, but it is poorly studied in gastric cancer. AIMS: To investigate the effect of nintedanib on gastric cancer. METHODS: This study investigated nintedanib's effect on gastric cancer autophagy in vivo and in vitro, and the activity and morphological changes of gastric cancer cells were detected by MTT and HE staining. Proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT-related marker proteins of AGS and MKN-28 cells were detected. The effects of nintedanib on autophagy in gastric cancer cells were detected by acridine orange, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting assays. The regulation of nintedanib on STAT3 and Beclin1 was detected by qPCR and Western blotting assays. Subsequently, the effects of nintedanib on the tumor STAT3/Beclin1 pathway were verified by stably overexpressing STAT3 in gastric cancer cell lines and tumor-bearing experiments in nude mice. RESULTS: The results showed that nintedanib could inhibit gastric cancer cells' proliferation and EMT process. Meanwhile, autophagy was induced in AGS and MKN-28 cells, and the expression of autophagy-related protein Beclin1 was upregulated, and the phosphorylation level of STAT3 was downregulated. Nintedanib inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and upregulated Beclin1 to inhibit tumor growth in gastric cancer cell lines with stable STAT3 overexpression and tumor-bearing experiments in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS: By inhibiting STAT3, nintedanib upregulated Beclin1 and caused autophagic death in gastric cancer cells.

Inhibitory effect of (E)-2-heptenal on Aspergillus flavus growth revealed by metabolomics and biochemical analyses.

The prevention of fungal proliferation in postharvest grains is critical for maintaining grain quality and reducing mycotoxin contamination. Fumigation with natural gaseous fungicides is a promising and sustainable approach to protect grains from fungal spoilage. In this study, the antifungal activities of (E)-2-alkenals (C5-C10) on Aspergillus flavus were tested in the vapor phase, and (E)-2-heptenal showed the highest antifungal activity against A. flavus. (E)-2-Heptenal completely inhibited A. flavus growth at 0.0125 µL/mL and 0.2 µL/mL in the vapor phase and liquid contact, respectively. (E)-2-Heptenal can disrupt the plasma membrane integrity of A. flavus via leakage of intracellular electrolytes. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the mycelial morphology of A. flavus was remarkably affected by (E)-2-heptenal. Metabolomic analyses indicated that 49 metabolites were significantly differentially expressed in A. flavus mycelia exposed to 0.2 µL/mL (E)-2-heptenal; these metabolites were mainly involved in galactose metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, the phosphotransferase system, and ATP-binding cassette transporters. ATP production was reduced in (E)-2-heptenal-treated A. flavus, and Janus Green B staining showed reduced cytochrome c oxidase activity. (E)-2-Heptenal treatment induced oxidative stress in A. flavus mycelia with an accumulation of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide and increased activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase. Simulated storage experiments showed that fumigation with 400 µL/L of (E)-2-heptenal vapor could completely inhibit A. flavus growth in wheat grains with 20% moisture; this demonstrates its potential use in preventing grain spoilage. This study provides valuable insights into understanding the antifungal effects of (E)-2-heptenal on A. flavus. KEY POINTS : • (E)-2-Heptenal vapor showed the highest antifungal activity against A. flavus among (C5-C10) (E)-2-alkenals. • The antifungal effects of (E)-2-heptenal against A. flavus were determined. • The antifungal actions of (E)-2-heptenal on A. flavus were revealed by metabolomics and biochemical analyses.

Protection of postharvest grains from fungal spoilage by biogenic volatiles.

Fungal spoilage of postharvest grains poses serious problems with respect to food safety, human health, and the economic value of grains. The protection of cereal grains from deleterious fungi is a critical aim in postharvest grain management. Considering the bulk volume of grain piles in warehouses or bins and food safety, fumigation with natural gaseous fungicides is a promising strategy to control fungal contamination on postharvest grains. Increasing research has focused on the antifungal properties of biogenic volatiles. This review summarizes the literature related to the effects of biogenic volatiles from microbes and plants on spoilage fungi on postharvest grains and highlights the underlying antifungal mechanisms. Key areas for additional research on fumigation with biogenic volatiles in postharvest grains are noted. The research described in this review supports the protective effects of biogenic volatiles against grain spoilage by fungi, providing a basis for their expanded application in the management of postharvest grains.

Bamboo-like Vortex Chains Confined in Canals with Suppressed Superconductivity and Standing Waves of Quasiparticles.

The vortex core can be regarded as a nanoscale confined system for quasiparticles in a type-II superconductor. It is very interesting to investigate the interplay between the vortex core and other microscopic quantum confined systems. We observe band-like canals with the width of about 15 nm on the surface of KCa2(Fe1-xNix)4As4F2 (x = 0.05) by scanning tunneling microscopy. Some canals suppress superconductivity and confine parallel standing waves due to the quasiparticle interference. Upon magnetic fields being applied, some elongated vortices are formed within canals showing bamboo-like one-dimensional vortex chains. Interestingly, the confined vortex cores are elongated roughly along the perpendicular direction of canals, and the local density of states at positive and negative energies shows an in-phase oscillation at zero field; but, it becomes out-of-phase crossing the vortex cores. Our work reveals a new type of vortex patterns in confined canals and its interplay with the quasiparticle interference.