Short-Range Graphitic Nanodomains in Hypocrystalline Carbon Nanotubes Realize Fast Potassium Ion Migration and Multidirection Stress Release.

Defect-rich carbon materials are considered as one of the most promising anodes for potassium-ion batteries due to their enormous adsorption sites of K+ , while the realization of both rate capability and cycling stability is still greatly limited by unstable electrochemical kinetics and inevitable structure degradation. Herein, an Fe3+ -induced hydrothermal-pyrolysis strategy is reported to construct well-tailored hybrid carbon nanotubes network architecture (PP-CNT), in which the short-range graphitic nanodomains are in-situ localized in the pea pod shape hypocrystalline carbon. The N,O codoped hypocrystalline carbon region contributes to abundant defect sites for potassium ion storage, ensuring high reversible capacity. Meanwhile, the short-range graphitic nanodomains with expanded interlayer spacing facilitate stable K+ migration and fast electron transfer. Furthermore, the finite element analysis confirms the volume expansion caused by K+ intercalation can be availably buffered due to the multidirection stress release effect of the unique porous pea pod shape, endowing carbon nanotubes with superior structural integrity. Consequently, the PP-CNT anode exhibits superior potassium-storage performance, including high reversible capacity, exceptional rate capability, and ultralong cycling stability. This work opens a new avenue for the fabrication of advanced carbon materials for achieving durable and fast potassium storage.

Regulation of extra-embryonic endoderm stem cell differentiation by Nodal and Cripto signaling.

The signaling pathway for Nodal, a ligand of the TGFß superfamily, plays a central role in regulating the differentiation and/or maintenance of stem cell types that can be derived from the peri-implantation mouse embryo. Extra-embryonic endoderm stem (XEN) cells resemble the primitive endoderm of the blastocyst, which normally gives rise to the parietal and the visceral endoderm in vivo, but XEN cells do not contribute efficiently to the visceral endoderm in chimeric embryos. We have found that XEN cells treated with Nodal or Cripto (Tdgf1), an EGF-CFC co-receptor for Nodal, display upregulation of markers for visceral endoderm as well as anterior visceral endoderm (AVE), and can contribute to visceral endoderm and AVE in chimeric embryos. In culture, XEN cells do not express Cripto, but do express the related EGF-CFC co-receptor Cryptic (Cfc1), and require Cryptic for Nodal signaling. Notably, the response to Nodal is inhibited by the Alk4/Alk5/Alk7 inhibitor SB431542, but the response to Cripto is unaffected, suggesting that the activity of Cripto is at least partially independent of type I receptor kinase activity. Gene set enrichment analysis of genome-wide expression signatures generated from XEN cells under these treatment conditions confirmed the differing responses of Nodal- and Cripto-treated XEN cells to SB431542. Our findings define distinct pathways for Nodal and Cripto in the differentiation of visceral endoderm and AVE from XEN cells and provide new insights into the specification of these cell types in vivo.

Functional redundancy of EGF-CFC genes in epiblast and extraembryonic patterning during early mouse embryogenesis.

During early mouse embryogenesis, multiple patterning and differentiation events require the activity of Nodal, a ligand of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) family. Although Nodal signaling is known to require activity of EGF-CFC co-receptors in many contexts, it has been unclear whether all Nodal signaling in the early mouse embryo is EGF-CFC dependent. We have investigated the double null mutant phenotypes for the EGF-CFC genes Cripto and Cryptic, which encode co-receptors for Nodal, and have found that they have partially redundant functions in early mouse development. Expression of Cripto and Cryptic is non-overlapping prior to gastrulation, since Cripto is expressed solely in the epiblast whereas Cryptic is expressed in the primitive endoderm of the late blastocyst and the visceral endoderm after implantation. Despite these non-overlapping expression patterns, Cripto; Cryptic double mutants display severe defects in epiblast, extraembryonic ectoderm, and anterior visceral endoderm (AVE), resulting in phenotypes that are highly similar to those of Nodal null mutants. Our results indicate that both Cripto and Cryptic function non-cell-autonomously during normal development, and that most if not all Nodal activity in early mouse embryogenesis is EGF-CFC-dependent.

Deeply Nesting Zinc Sulfide Dendrites in Tertiary Hierarchical Structure for Potassium Ion Batteries: Enhanced Conductivity from Interior to Exterior.

Transition metal sulfides are deemed as attractive anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities based on conversion and alloying reaction. However, the main challenges are the low electronic conductivity, huge volume expansion, and consequent formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) upon potassiation/depotassiation. Herein, zinc sulfide dendrites deeply nested in the tertiary hierarchical structure through a solvothermal-pyrolysis process are designed as an anode material for KIBs. The tertiary hierarchical structure is composed of the primary ultrafine ZnS nanorods, the secondary carbon nanosphere, and the tertiary carbon-encapsulated ZnS subunits nanosphere structure. The architectural design of this material provides a stable diffusion path and enhances effective conductivity from the interior to exterior for both K+ ions and electrons, buffers the volume expansion, and constructs a stable SEI during cycling. A stable specific capacity of 330 mAh g-1 is achieved after 100 cycles at the current density of 50 mA g-1 and 208 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1 over 300 cycles. Using density functional theory calculations, we discover the interactions between ZnS and carbon interface can effectively decrease the K+ ions diffusion barrier and therefore promote the reversibility of K+ ions storage.

A viral strategy for targeting and manipulating interneurons across vertebrate species.

A fundamental impediment to understanding the brain is the availability of inexpensive and robust methods for targeting and manipulating specific neuronal populations. The need to overcome this barrier is pressing because there are considerable anatomical, physiological, cognitive and behavioral differences between mice and higher mammalian species in which it is difficult to specifically target and manipulate genetically defined functional cell types. In particular, it is unclear the degree to which insights from mouse models can shed light on the neural mechanisms that mediate cognitive functions in higher species, including humans. Here we describe a novel recombinant adeno-associated virus that restricts gene expression to GABAergic interneurons within the telencephalon. We demonstrate that the viral expression is specific and robust, allowing for morphological visualization, activity monitoring and functional manipulation of interneurons in both mice and non-genetically tractable species, thus opening the possibility to study GABAergic function in virtually any vertebrate species.

Evaluation of dendrimer SPL7013, a lead microbicide candidate against herpes simplex viruses.

Dendrimers are a novel class of polyanionic macromolecules with broad-spectrum antiviral activities and minimal toxicities. A new generation of amide dendrimer, SPL7013, was evaluated as a lead microbicide candidate against herpes simplex viruses (HSV). The plaque reduction assays showed that the 50% effective concentrations (EC(50)) determined by pre-treatment of cells were 2.0 microg/ml for HSV-1 and 0.5 microg/ml for HSV-2. Inhibitory effects were also observed on HSV-infected cells with EC(50)s of 6.1 microg/ml for HSV-1 and 3.8 microg/ml for HSV-2. These are the mean values from the test results of six batches of SPL7013. SPL7013 was also shown to be equally potent against HSV drug-resistant strains. SPL7013 completely inhibited viral adsorption to Vero cells at concentrations of higher than 3 microg/ml. Analyzed by a LightCycler assay after treatment of HSV-infected cells for 17 h, SPL7013 showed strong inhibition of HSV DNA synthesis with EC(50)s of approximately 6.2 and 2.0 microg/ml for HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively. SPL7013 retained its anti-HSV activity even after treatment at acidic pHs 3.0 and 4.0 for 2 h. The presence of 10% human serum proteins did not affect the anti-HSV activity of SPL7013. SPL7013 was not toxic to Vero cells up to the highest concentration tested (10,000 microg/ml). Effects on cell proliferation were tested on two epithelial cell lines in both stationary and dividing phases. The 50% cytotoxic concentrations (CC(50)) in all cases were greater than 10,000 microg/ml. Our data indicate that SPL7013 is a promising candidate for development as a vaginal microbicide and a therapeutic agent.

Development of cortical interneurons.

Inhibitory local circuit neurons (LCNs), often called interneurons, have vital roles in the development and function of cortical networks. Their inhibitory influences regulate both the excitability of cortical projection neurons on the level of individual cells, and the synchronous activity of projection neuron ensembles that appear to be a neural basis for major aspects of cognitive processing. Dysfunction of LCNs has been associated with neurological and psychiatric diseases, such as epilepsy, schizophrenia, and autism. Here we review progress in understanding LCN fate determination, their nonradial migration to the cortex, their maturation within the cortex, and the contribution of LCN dysfunction to neuropsychiatric disorders.

Male fertility is compatible with an Arg(840)Cys substitution in the AR in a large Chinese family affected with divergent phenotypes of AR insensitivity syndrome.

Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a disorder of male sexual development caused by an absent or dysfunctional AR. Fertile cases with mild AIS and slightly impaired AR activity had been reported in literature, and their external genitalia were documented to be usually normal or subnormal. We reported here an Arg(840)Cys substitution in the AR gene in a large Chinese pedigree affected with AIS. The mutant gene may result in infertility for some affected males with or without hypospadias. However, it was also observed that the mutation did not affect the fertility of the other patients. The gonadotropin levels for one of these patients were within the normal range. Thus, whether normal levels of the gonadotropins are necessary for the preserved fertility of patients affected with this genetic disorder remains to be elucidated.

The synergistic effects of betulin with acyclovir against herpes simplex viruses.

Betulin, a pentacyclic triterpenoid, was isolated from the bark of Betula papyrifera. The antiviral efficacies of betulin on herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) were evaluated using viral plaque reduction assays on Vero cells. The results indicate that betulin is active against both HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections with the 50% effective concentrations (EC(50)) of 0.40 and 4.15 microg/ml, respectively. The cytotoxicity of betulin was examined on Vero cells using a neutral red uptake assay. The 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC(50)) of betulin was 73.1 microg/ml. A synergistic antiviral effect between betulin and acyclovir (ACV) was determined by drug combination studies. Strong and moderate synergistic antiviral effects were observed for betulin and ACV against HSV-1 when the concentrations of ACV and betulin were higher than 0.068 and 0.4 microg/ml, respectively. At the concentrations lower than these, additive effect was found. Synergistic antiviral effects were also found against HSV-2 at higher concentrations than for HSV-1, i.e. 0.45 microg/ml of ACV combined with 8.4 microg/ml of betulin.

Monomethylation of histone H4-lysine 20 is involved in chromosome structure and stability and is essential for mouse development.

PR-Set7/Set8/KMT5A is the sole enzyme known to catalyze monomethylation of histone H4 lysine 20 (H4K20) and is present only in multicellular organisms that compact a large fraction of their DNA. We found that mouse embryos that are homozygous null mutants for the gene PR-Set7 display early embryonic lethality prior to the eight-cell stage. Death was due to the absence of PR-Set7 catalytic activity, since microinjection of the wild type, but not a catalytically inactive version, into two-cell embryos rescued the phenotype. A lack of PR-Set7 activity resulted not only in depletion of H4K20me1 but also in reduced levels of the H4K20me2/3 marks catalyzed by the Suv4-20h1/h2 enzymes, implying that H4K20me1 may be essential for the function of these enzymes to ensure the dimethylated and trimethylated states. Embryonic stem cells that were inducibly deleted for PR-Set7 passed through an initial G(2)/M phase, but the progeny were defective at the subsequent S and G(2)/M phases, exhibiting a delay in their cell cycle, accumulation at G(2)/M, massive DNA damage, and improper mitotic chromosome condensation. Cell cycle analysis after synchronization indicated that the defects were a consequence of decreased H4K20me1 due to the absence of PR-Set7. Most importantly, the lack of H4K20me1 also resulted in defects in chromosome condensation in interphase nuclei. These results demonstrate the critical role of H4K20 monomethylation in mammals in a developmental context.

Non-cell-autonomous role for Cripto in axial midline formation during vertebrate embryogenesis.

Several membrane-associated proteins are known to modulate the activity and range of potent morphogenetic signals during development. In particular, members of the EGF-CFC family encode glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins that are essential for activity of the transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) ligand Nodal, a factor that plays a central role in establishing the vertebrate body plan. Genetic and biochemical studies have indicated that EGF-CFC proteins function as cell-autonomous co-receptors for Nodal; by contrast, cell culture data have suggested that the mammalian EGF-CFC protein Cripto can act as a secreted signaling factor. Here we show that Cripto acts non-cell-autonomously during axial mesendoderm formation in the mouse embryo and may possess intercellular signaling activity in vivo. Phenotypic analysis of hypomorphic mutants demonstrates that Cripto is essential for formation of the notochordal plate, prechordal mesoderm and foregut endoderm during gastrulation. Remarkably, Cripto null mutant cells readily contribute to these tissues in chimeras, indicating non-cell-autonomy. Consistent with these loss-of-function analyses, gain-of-function experiments in chick embryos show that exposure of node/head process mesoderm to soluble Cripto protein results in alterations in cell fates toward anterior mesendoderm, in a manner that is dependent on Nodal signaling. Taken together, our findings support a model in which Cripto can function in trans as an intercellular mediator of Nodal signaling activity.