From brown to green: are Asian economies on the right path? Assessing the role of green innovations and geopolitical risk on environmental quality.

Preserving the sustainability of the natural environment has emerged as a critical focus on policy agendas worldwide. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between environmental quality and key determinants, focusing on geopolitical risk (GPR), green innovations (GI), economic growth, FDI, renewable energy consumption, and urbanization. Dataset is used for the time period of 1990-2020 across selected Asian economies including China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea. Using load capacity factor (LCF) as a comprehensive proxy for environmental quality, the research utilizes panel quantile regression (QR) to provide empirical outcomes. Results of panel QR method reveal a negative impact of economic growth and GPR on LCF. On the other hand, green innovation, FDI, and renewable energy are found as supportive factors to boost environmental quality. In addition, urbanization also shows positive linkage with LCF. The application of Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) further validates the robustness of the findings. Adoption of green innovations, practicing sustainable growth patterns, transition toward cleaner energy practices, and integrated urban planning are advocated to enhance environmental quality among Asian nations. Based on empirical findings study suggests comprehensive policy measures that can help in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) including SDG-7 (energy efficiency), SDG-8 (sustainable economic growth), SDG-11 (sustainable cities), and SDG-13 (climate action) among Asian countries.

Human small intestine contains 2 functionally distinct regulatory T-cell subsets.

BACKGROUND: Regulatory T (Treg) CD4 cells in mouse gut are mainly specific for intestinal antigens and play an important role in the suppression of immune responses against harmless dietary antigens and members of the microbiota. However, information about the phenotype and function of Treg cells in the human gut is limited. OBJECTIVE: We performed a detailed characterization of Foxp3+ CD4 Treg cells in human normal small intestine (SI) as well as from transplanted duodenum and celiac disease lesions. METHODS: Treg cells and conventional CD4 T cells derived from SI were subjected to extensive immunophenotyping and their suppressive activity and ability to produce cytokines assessed. RESULTS: SI Foxp3+ CD4 T cells were CD45RA-CD127-CTLA-4+ and suppressed proliferation of autologous T cells. Approximately 60% of Treg cells expressed the transcription factor Helios. When stimulated, Helios-negative Treg cells produced IL-17, IFN-γ, and IL-10, whereas Helios-positive Treg cells produced very low levels of these cytokines. By sampling mucosal tissue from transplanted human duodenum, we demonstrated that donor Helios-negative Treg cells persisted for at least 1 year after transplantation. In normal SI, Foxp3+ Treg cells constituted only 2% of all CD4 T cells, while in active celiac disease, both Helios-negative and Helios-positive subsets expanded 5- to 10-fold. CONCLUSION: The SI contains 2 subsets of Treg cells with different phenotypes and functional capacities. Both subsets are scarce in healthy gut but increase dramatically in active celiac disease.

Inflammatory activation of endothelial cells increases glycolysis and oxygen consumption despite inhibiting cell proliferation.

Endothelial cell function and metabolism are closely linked to differential use of energy substrate sources and combustion. While endothelial cell migration is promoted by 2-phosphofructokinase-6/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFKFB3)-driven glycolysis, proliferation also depends on fatty acid oxidation for dNTP synthesis. We show that inflammatory activation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), despite inhibiting proliferation, promotes a shift toward more metabolically active phenotype. This was reflected in increased cellular glucose uptake and consumption, which was preceded by an increase in PFKFB3 mRNA and protein expression. However, despite a modest increase in extracellular acidification rates, the increase in glycolysis did not correlate with extracellular lactate accumulation. Accordingly, IL-1ß stimulation also increased oxygen consumption rate, but without a concomitant rise in fatty acid oxidation. Together, this suggests that the IL-1ß-stimulated energy shift is driven by shunting of glucose-derived pyruvate into mitochondria to maintain elevated oxygen consumption in HUVECs. We also revealed a marked donor-dependent variation in the amplitude of the metabolic response to IL-1ß and postulate that the donor-specific response should be taken into account when considering targeting dysregulated endothelial cell metabolism.

Resident memory CD8 T cells persist for years in human small intestine.

Resident memory CD8 T (Trm) cells have been shown to provide effective protective responses in the small intestine (SI) in mice. A better understanding of the generation and persistence of SI CD8 Trm cells in humans may have implications for intestinal immune-mediated diseases and vaccine development. Analyzing normal and transplanted human SI, we demonstrated that the majority of SI CD8 T cells were bona fide CD8 Trm cells that survived for >1 yr in the graft. Intraepithelial and lamina propria CD8 Trm cells showed a high clonal overlap and a repertoire dominated by expanded clones, conserved both spatially in the intestine and over time. Functionally, lamina propria CD8 Trm cells were potent cytokine producers, exhibiting a polyfunctional (IFN-γ+ IL-2+ TNF-α+) profile, and efficiently expressed cytotoxic mediators after stimulation. These results suggest that SI CD8 Trm cells could be relevant targets for future oral vaccines and therapeutic strategies for gut disorders.

Rice leaf hydrophobicity and gas films are conferred by a wax synthesis gene (LGF1) and contribute to flood tolerance.

Floods impede gas (O2 and CO2 ) exchange between plants and the environment. A mechanism to enhance plant gas exchange under water comprises gas films on hydrophobic leaves, but the genetic regulation of this mechanism is unknown. We used a rice mutant (dripping wet leaf 7, drp7) which does not retain gas films on leaves, and its wild-type (Kinmaze), in gene discovery for this trait. Gene complementation was tested in transgenic lines. Functional properties of leaves as related to gas film retention and underwater photosynthesis were evaluated. Leaf Gas Film 1 (LGF1) was identified as the gene determining leaf gas films. LGF1 regulates C30 primary alcohol synthesis, which is necessary for abundant epicuticular wax platelets, leaf hydrophobicity and gas films on submerged leaves. This trait enhanced underwater photosynthesis 8.2-fold and contributes to submergence tolerance. Gene function was verified by a complementation test of LGF1 expressed in the drp7 mutant background, which restored C30 primary alcohol synthesis, wax platelet abundance, leaf hydrophobicity, gas film retention, and underwater photosynthesis. The discovery of LGF1 provides an opportunity to better understand variation amongst rice genotypes for gas film retention ability and to target various alleles in breeding for improved submergence tolerance for yield stability in flood-prone areas.

Endothelial IL-33 Expression Is Augmented by Adenoviral Activation of the DNA Damage Machinery.

IL-33, required for viral clearance by cytotoxic T cells, is generally expressed in vascular endothelial cells in healthy human tissues. We discovered that endothelial IL-33 expression was stimulated as a response to adenoviral transduction. This response was dependent on MRE11, a sensor of DNA damage that can also be activated by adenoviral DNA, and on IRF1, a transcriptional regulator of cellular responses to viral invasion and DNA damage. Accordingly, we observed that endothelial cells responded to adenoviral DNA by phosphorylation of ATM and CHK2 and that depletion or inhibition of MRE11, but not depletion of ATM, abrogated IL-33 stimulation. In conclusion, we show that adenoviral transduction stimulates IL-33 expression in endothelial cells in a manner that is dependent on the DNA-binding protein MRE11 and the antiviral factor IRF1 but not on downstream DNA damage response signaling.

Structure of the NheA component of the Nhe toxin from Bacillus cereus: implications for function.

The structure of NheA, a component of the Bacillus cereus Nhe tripartite toxin, has been solved at 2.05 Å resolution using selenomethionine multiple-wavelength anomalous dispersion (MAD). The structure shows it to have a fold that is similar to the Bacillus cereus Hbl-B and E. coli ClyA toxins, and it is therefore a member of the ClyA superfamily of α-helical pore forming toxins (α-PFTs), although its head domain is significantly enlarged compared with those of ClyA or Hbl-B. The hydrophobic ß-hairpin structure that is a characteristic of these toxins is replaced by an amphipathic ß-hairpin connected to the main structure via a ß-latch that is reminiscent of a similar structure in the ß-PFT Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin. Taken together these results suggest that, although it is a member of an archetypal α-PFT family of toxins, NheA may be capable of forming a ß rather than an α pore.

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of the NheA component of the Nhe toxin from Bacillus cereus.

The nonhaemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) of Bacillus cereus plays a key role in cases of B. cereus food poisoning. The toxin is comprised of three different proteins: NheA, NheB and NheC. Here, the expression in Escherichia coli, purification and crystallization of the NheA protein are reported. The protein was crystallized by the sitting-drop vapour-diffusion method using PEG 3350 as a precipitant. The crystals of NheA diffracted to 2.05 Å resolution and belonged to space group C2, with unit-cell parameters a = 308.7, b = 58.2, c = 172.9 Å, ß = 110.6°. Calculation of V(M) values suggests that there are approximately eight protein molecules per asymmetric unit.

Inhibition of cytotoxicity by the Nhe cytotoxin of Bacillus cereus through the interaction of dodecyl maltoside with the NheB component.

Nhe ('nonhaemolytic enterotoxin') is a three-component cytotoxin implicated in the pathogenesis of diarrhoea by Bacillus cereus. Nhe forms pores in pure lipid bilayers, but the function of the individual components (NheA, NheB and NheC) remains unclear. NheB and NheC are structural homologues of ClyA, a pore-forming cytotoxin of Escherichia coli. The non-ionic detergent dodecyl maltoside (DDM) has been shown to inhibit haemolysis of ClyA. We used DDM as a probe to examine the response of the Nhe proteins to DDM micelles. At its critical micellar concentration (0.2 mM), DDM inhibited propidium uptake by the native Nhe complex in Vero and HT29 cell suspensions. Pre-incubation of NheC with DDM did not inhibit cytotoxicity. NheB exhibited marked changes in 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulphonic acid (ANS) fluorescence after pre-exposure to DDM. Pre-incubation of NheB with DDM resulted in large molecular weight complexes as detected by size exclusion chromatography and diffusion through sized dialysis membranes and prevented binding of NheB to Vero cell monolayers. These data support a model in which conformational changes and oligomerization of NheB are prerequisite events in the process of pore formation.

Formation of very large conductance channels by Bacillus cereus Nhe in Vero and GH(4) cells identifies NheA + B as the inherent pore-forming structure.

The nonhemolytic enterotoxin (Nhe) produced by Bacillus cereus is a pore-forming toxin consisting of three components, NheA, -B and -C. We have studied effects of Nhe on primate epithelial cells (Vero) and rodent pituitary cells (GH(4)) by measuring release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), K(+) efflux and the cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)). Plasma membrane channel events were monitored by patch-clamp recordings. Using strains of B. cereus lacking either NheA or -C, we examined the functional role of the various components. In both cell types, NheA + B + C induced release of LDH and K(+) as well as Ca(2+) influx. A specific monoclonal antibody against NheB abolished LDH release and elevation of [Ca(2+)](i). Exposure to NheA + B caused a similar K(+) efflux and elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) as NheA + B + C in GH(4) cells, whereas in Vero cells the rate of K(+) efflux was reduced by 50% and [Ca(2+)](i) was unaffected. NheB + C had no effect on either cell type. Exposure to NheA + B + C induced large-conductance steps in both cell types, and similar channel insertions were observed in GH(4) cells exposed to NheA + B. In Vero cells, NheA + B induced channels of much smaller conductance. NheB + C failed to insert membrane channels. The conductance of the large channels in GH(4) cells was about 10 nS. This is the largest channel conductance reported in cell membranes under quasi-physiological conditions. In conclusion, NheA and NheB are necessary and sufficient for formation of large-conductance channels in GH(4) cells, whereas in Vero cells such large-conductance channels are in addition dependent on NheC.