[Identification of terpene synthase gene family in Gynostemma pentaphyllum and expression pattern analysis under abiotic stresses].

The present study aimed to investigate the composition of the terpene synthase(TPS) gene family in Gynostemma pentaphyllum and its role in abiotic stresses. The G. pentaphyllum TPS gene family was identified and analyzed at the genome-wide level using bioinformatics analysis, and the expression patterns of these family members were analyzed in different tissues of G. pentaphyllum as well as under various abiotic stresses. The results showed that there were 24 TPS gene family members in G. pentaphyllum with protein lengths ranging from 294 to 842 aa. All of them were localized in the cytoplasm or chloroplasts and unevenly distributed on the 11 chromosomes of G. pentaphyllum. The results of the phylogenetic tree showed that the G. pentaphyllum TPS gene family members could be divided into five subfamilies. As revealed by the analysis of promoter cis-acting elements, TPS gene family members in G. pentaphyllum were predicted to respond to a variety of abiotic stresses such as salt, low temperature, and dark stress. The analysis of gene expression patterns in different tissues of G. pentaphyllum revealed that nine TPS genes were tissue-specific in expression. The qPCR results showed that GpTPS16, GpTPS17, and GpTPS21 responded to a variety of abiotic stresses. This study is expected to provide references in guiding the further exploration of the biological functions of G. pentaphyllum TPS genes under abiotic stresses.

Phase characters of optical dark solitons with third-order dispersion and delayed nonlinear response.

Dark soliton is usually seen as one of the simplest topological solitons, due to phase shift across its intensity dip. We investigate phase characters of single-valley dark soliton (SVDS) and double-valley dark soliton (DVDS) in a single-mode optical fiber with third-order dispersion and delayed nonlinear response. Notably, two different phase shifts can produce an SVDS with the same velocity under some conditions, which is not admitted for a dark soliton with only the second-order dispersion and self-phase modulation, whose phase shift and velocity is a one-to-one match. This phase property of SVDS can be used to explain the generation of previously reported DVDS in Hirota equation and make DVDSs show two types of phase profiles. Moreover, the different topological vector potentials underlying the distinct phase profiles have been uncovered. We further explore the collision properties of the DVDSs by analyzing their topological phases. Strikingly, the inelastic collision can lead to the conversion between the two types of phase profiles for DVDS. The results reveal that inelastic or elastic collision can be judged by analyzing virtual topological magnetic fields.

Longitudinal Dynamics of Cellular Responses in Recovered COVID-19 Patients.

Safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics based on the understanding of antiviral immunity are urgently needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the understanding of these immune responses, especially cellular immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, is limited. Here, we conducted a cohort study of COVID-19 patients who were followed and had blood collected to characterize the longitudinal dynamics of their cellular immune responses. Compared with healthy controls, the percentage of activation of SARS-CoV-2 S/N-specific T cells in recovered patients was significantly higher. And the activation percentage of S/N-specific CD8+ T cells in recovered patients was significantly higher than that of CD4+ T cells. Notably, SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cell responses were strongly biased toward the expression of Th1 cytokines, included the cytokines IFNγ, TNFα and IL2. Moreover, the secreted IFNγ and IL2 level in severe patients was higher than that in mild patients. Additionally, the number of IFNγ-secreting S-specific T cells in recovered patients were higher than that of N-specific T cells. Overall, the SARS-CoV-2 S/N-specific T-cell responses in recovered patients were strong, and virus-specific immunity was present until 14-16 weeks after symptom onset. Our work provides a basis for understanding the immune responses and pathogenesis of COVID-19. It also has implications for vaccine development and optimization and speeding up the licensing of the next generation of COVID-19 vaccines.

Excitation of mirror symmetry higher-order rational soliton in modulation stability regimes on continuous wave background.

We study the relationship between the structures of the nonlinear localized waves and the distribution characteristics of the modulation stability regime in a nonlinear fiber with both third-order and fourth-order effects. On the background frequency and background amplitude plane, the modulation stability region consists of two symmetric curves on the left and right and a point on the symmetry axis. We find that the higher-order excitation characteristics are obviously different at different positions in the modulation stability region. Their excitation characteristics are closely related to the modulation instability distribution characteristics of the system. It is shown that asymmetric high-order rational solitons are excited at the left and right stable curves, and the symmetric one is excited at the stable points. Interestingly, the asymmetric higher-order rational solitons on the left and right sides are mirror-symmetrical to each other, which coincides with the symmetry of the modulation instability distribution. These results can deepen our understanding of the relationship between nonlinear excitation and modulation instability and enrich our knowledge about higher-order nonlinear excitations.

Multivalley dark solitons in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates with repulsive interactions.

We obtain multivalley dark soliton solutions with asymmetric or symmetric profiles in multicomponent repulsive Bose-Einstein condensates by developing the Darboux transformation method. We demonstrate that the width-dependent parameters of solitons significantly affect the velocity ranges and phase jump regions of multivalley dark solitons, in sharp contrast to scalar dark solitons. For double-valley dark solitons, we find that the phase jump is in the range [0,2π], which is quite different from that of the usual single-valley dark soliton. Based on our results, we argue that the phase jump of an n-valley dark soliton could be in the range [0,nπ], supported by our analysis extending up to five-component condensates. The interaction between a double-valley dark soliton and a single-valley dark soliton is further investigated, and we reveal a striking collision process in which the double-valley dark soliton is transformed into a breather after colliding with the single-valley dark soliton. Our analyses suggest that this breather transition exists widely in the collision processes involving multivalley dark solitons. The possibilities for observing these multivalley dark solitons in related Bose-Einstein condensates experiments are discussed.

A Carrier-Free Folate Receptor-Targeted Ursolic Acid/Methotrexate Nanodelivery System for Synergetic Anticancer Therapy.

PURPOSE: To avoid undefined metabolic mechanisms and to eliminate potential side effects of traditional nanocarriers, new green carriers are urgently needed in cancer treatment. Carrier-free nanoparticles (NPs) based on ursolic acid (UA) have attracted significant attention, but the UA NPs targeting the folate receptor have never been explored. We designed a novel self-assembled UA-Methotrexate (MTX) NPs targeting the folate-receptor and its synergetic anticancer activity was studied in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: UA-MTX NPs were prepared using the solvent precipitation method. Characterization of the UA-MTX NPs preparation was performed using a size analyzer, transmission electron microscopy, and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The in vitro pH-responsive drug release capability of UA-MTX NPs was tested at different pH values. The UA-MTX NPs targeting of folates was determined by comparing the endocytosis rates of cell lines with low or overexpression of the folate receptor (A549 and MCF-7 cells). The cytotoxicity and cell apoptosis of UA-MTX NPs were also studied to determine the in vitro synergistic effects. Combination chemotherapy of UA-MTX NPs in vivo was evaluated using MCF-7 xenografted tumor models. RESULTS: Compared with free UA or MTX, the water solubility of UA-MTX NPs improved significantly. Drug-release from the UA-MTX NPs was faster at pH 5.0 than pH 7.4, suggesting MTX-UA NPs could rapidly release MTX in the acidic conditions of the tumor microenvironment. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed the excellent folate receptor targeting of UA-MTX NPs in MCF-7 cells. Cytotoxicity and cell apoptosis results demonstrated greater antiproliferative capacity of UA-MTX NPs than that of free drug in folate receptor overexpressing MCF-7 cells. Anticancer effects in vivo suggested MTX-UA NPs exhibited good biological safety and could enhance antitumor efficacy due to the combination therapy. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the UA-MTX NPs targeting folate-receptors is an efficient strategy for combination chemotherapy.

Rational modulation of coumarin-hemicyanine platform based on OH substitution for higher selective detection of hypochlorite.

To monitor delicate changes of biological HOCl in vivo, a new probe (OH-substituted coumarin-hemicyanine, probe 2) was synthesized for NIR and ratiometric HOCl detection. Selectivity studies indicated that the electron-donating group (OH) substituted on the indolium moiety enhanced the selectivity to detect HOCl. With HOCl, the probe showed a ratiometric fluorescence (I500/I650) with a low detection limit (49.1 nM) and a rapid response (within 2 min). In addition, probe 2 was successfully applied to visualize exogenous and endogenous HOCl in living cells and animals and exhibited a perfect mitochondria target ability. This probe has been further studied as a potential and powerful tool to probe HOCl in arthritis models.

A Ratiometric and Colorimetric Hemicyanine Fluorescent Probe for Detection of SO2 Derivatives and Its Applications in Bioimaging.

Based upon the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanism, a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe EB was developed to detect SO32-/HSO3-. The probe displayed both colorimetric and ratiometric responses toward SO32-/HSO3-. It displayed a quick response (within 60 s), good selectivity and high sensitivity (a detection limit of 28 nM) towards SO32-/HSO3-. The SO32-/HSO3- sensing mechanism was confirmed as the Michael addition reaction by ESI-MS. Moreover, the probe could be applied to measure the level of sulfite in real samples, like sugar and chrysanthemum, and it could also be used to detect SO32-/HSO3- in HepG2 cells through confocal fluorescence microscopy, which proved its practical application in clinical diagnosis.

Nondegenerate bound-state solitons in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates.

We investigate nondegenerate bound-state solitons systematically in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates, through developing the Darboux transformation method to derive exact soliton solutions analytically. In particular, we show that bright solitons with nodes correspond to the excited bound states in effective quantum wells, in sharp contrast to the bright solitons and dark solitons reported before (which usually correspond to ground state and free state, respectively). We further demonstrate that bound-state solitons with nodes are induced by incoherent superposition of solitons in different components. Moreover, we reveal that the interactions between these bound-state solitons are usually inelastic, caused by the incoherent interactions between solitons in different components and the coherent interactions between solitons in the same component. Additionally, the detailed spectral stability analysis demonstrates the stability of nondegenerate bound-state solitons. The bound-state solitons can be used to study many different physical problems, such as beating dynamics, spin-orbit coupling effects, quantum fluctuations, and even quantum entanglement states.

Several localized waves induced by linear interference between a nonlinear plane wave and bright solitons.

We investigate linear interference effects between a nonlinear plane wave and bright solitons, which are admitted by a pair-transition coupled two-component Bose-Einstein condensate. We demonstrate that the interference effects can induce several localized waves possessing distinctive wave structures, mainly including anti-dark solitons, W-shaped solitons, multi-peak solitons, Kuznetsov-Ma like breathers, and multi-peak breathers. Specifically, the explicit conditions for them are clarified by a phase diagram based on the linear interference properties. Furthermore, the interactions between these localized waves are discussed. The detailed analysis indicates that the soliton-soliton interaction induced phase shift brings the collision between these localized waves which can be inelastic for solitons involving collision and can be elastic for breathers. These characters come from the fact that the profile of solitons depends on the relative phase between bright solitons and a plane wave, and the profile of breathers does not depend on the relative phase. These results would motivate more discussions on linear interference between other nonlinear waves. Specifically, the solitons or breathers obtained here are not related to modulational instability. The underlying reasons are discussed in detail. In addition, possibilities to observe these localized waves are discussed in a two species Bose-Einstein condensate.

[VOCs Characteristics and Sources Apportionment in Yixing City During the G20 Summit].

A continuous measurement was conducted in Yixing city urban area from 24th August to 15th September using TH-300B continuous online GC-MS instrument during G20 summit in Hangzhou, 2016. The VOCs average mass concentrations of alkane, alkene, aromatic, acetylene, haloalkane hydrocarbons, OVOC and acetonitrile were 11.00×10-9, 1.93×10-9, 5.78×10-9, 1.23×10-9, 4.16×10-9, 10.37×10-9, 0.27×10-9, respectively. The photochemical reaction activity was calculated by using the maximum potential coefficient of Ozone Formation Potential. Alkene and aromatic hydrocarbons were the most active components of OFP. By applying the positive matrix factorization(PMF)model, five major factors were extracted to identify the sources of NMHCs in Yixing city, including industry(42.2%),vehicle exhaust(17.9%), fuel evaporation(20.8%), paint/solvent usage(7.0%)and plant(12.1%). Combined with the conditional probability function(CPF) analysis, source of anthropogenic pollution was related to the distribution of industrial enterprises in the northwest and southeast, while the plant source was related to the forest hilly region of Southwest Yixing city. The effect of air pollutant emission reduction showed that the primary emission air pollutants had declined significantly during the strict control period from 1th to 6th September in G20 summit,2016, and the industry proportion was reduced to 30.5%, whereas the plant proportion increased to 16.8%.

[Alteration of the expression ratio between WT1 gene and its isomers during all-trans retinoic acid-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore expression ratio alteration between WT1 gene and its isomers during differentiation of leukemia cell line HL-60 induced by all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and the relationship existed between them. METHODS: The degree of cellular maturation was verified by NBT reduction test and immunophenotyping. Expression of unspliced WT1, WT1 (17AA+) and WT1 (KTS+) were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR during the induced differentiation of HL-60 cells. The relative ratio of four splicing variants WT1 (+/+), WT1 (+/-), WT1 (-/+), WT1 (-/-) were analyzed. RESULTS: During the induced differentiation of HL-60 cells, NBT reduction rate and CD11b positive rate increased significantly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). The expression of WT1 gene decreased from (4.17 +/- 2.21) x 10(-3) at 0 hour to (7.53 +/- 2.30) x 10(-4) at the 96th hour. The ratio of 17AA+decreased from 0.60 +/- 0.05 at 0 hour to 0.42 +/- 0.08 at the 96th hour. The ratio of KTS+ decreased from 0.53 +/- 0.08 at 0 hour to 0.41 +/- 0.04 at the 96th hour. The ratio of WT1 (+/+) decreased gradually from 0.32 +/- 0.06 at 0 hour to 0.17 +/- 0.03 at the 96th hour. Change of ratios of other two isomers not significant. CONCLUSIONS: During the induced differentiation of HL-60 cells, WT1 gene expression decreases gradually. The phenotype of the majority of uninduced HL-60 cells is WT1 (+/+), in contrast to WT1 (-/-) phenotype after the induction of cell differentiation, indicating that WT1 gene may participate in the regulation of hematopoietic cell differentiation through modulation of the expression ratios of its four spliced variants.

Use of star volume to measure the size of the alveolar space in the asthmatic guinea-pig lung.

BACKGROUND: The ovalbumin-sensitized guinea-pig is a useful small-animal model of allergic asthma; however, it is unclear whether considerable morphological changes occur in the lung. METHODOLOGY: Guinea-pigs were initially given ovalbumin (i.p. injection) for 14 days and asthma was then induced by daily challenges with aerosolized ovalbumin for 10 days. During this time, animals were treated with either saline (positive control) or dexamethasone. Pulmonary sections were prepared to estimate the volume and surface area of the alveolar space, mean thickness of the alveolar septum and star volume of the alveolar space using stereological methods. RESULTS: The primary change in the lung in the positive control group was a significantly increased star volume, which was approximately threefold that of animals not treated with ovalbumin and the dexamethasone-treated group. There were no significant differences in other morphometric parameters between the groups. CONCLUSION: Star volume of the alveolar space appears to be a good and useful parameter to detect morphological changes of the asthmatic lung.