Genetic requirements for cell division in a genomically minimal cell.

Genomically minimal cells, such as JCVI-syn3.0, offer a platform to clarify genes underlying core physiological processes. Although this minimal cell includes genes essential for population growth, the physiology of its single cells remained uncharacterized. To investigate striking morphological variation in JCVI-syn3.0 cells, we present an approach to characterize cell propagation and determine genes affecting cell morphology. Microfluidic chemostats allowed observation of intrinsic cell dynamics that result in irregular morphologies. A genome with 19 genes not retained in JCVI-syn3.0 generated JCVI-syn3A, which presents morphology similar to that of JCVI-syn1.0. We further identified seven of these 19 genes, including two known cell division genes, ftsZ and sepF, a hydrolase of unknown substrate, and four genes that encode membrane-associated proteins of unknown function, which are required together to restore a phenotype similar to that of JCVI-syn1.0. This result emphasizes the polygenic nature of cell division and morphology in a genomically minimal cell.

Hybrid Hydrogen Bonding Strategy to Construct Instantaneous Self-Healing Highly Elastic Ionohydrogel for Multi-Functional Electronics.

Gels show great promise for applications in wearable electronics, biomedical devices, and energy storage systems due to their exceptional stretchability and adjustable electrical conductivity. However, the challenge lies in integrating multiple functions like elasticity, instantaneous self-healing, and a wide operating temperature range into a single gel. To address this issue, a hybrid hydrogen bonding strategy to construct gel with these desirable properties is proposed. The intricate network of hybrid strong weak hydrogen bonds within the polymer matrix enables these ionohydrogel to exhibit remarkable instantaneous self-healing, stretching up to five times their original length within seconds. Leveraging these properties, the incorporation of ionic liquids, water, and zinc salts into hybrid hydrogen bond crosslinked network enables conductivity and redox reaction, making it a versatile ionic skin for real-time monitoring of human movements and respiratory. Moreover, the ionohydrogel can be used as electrolyte in the assembly of a zinc-ion battery, ensuring a reliable power supply for wearable electronics, even in extreme conditions (-20 °C and extreme deformations). This ionohydrogel electrolyte simplifies the diverse structural requirements of gels to meet the needs of various electronic applications, offering a new approach for multi-functional electronics.

Epiphytic microorganisms of submerged macrophytes effectively contribute to nitrogen removal.

Submerged macrophytes play important roles in nutrient cycling and are widely used in ecological restoration to alleviate eutrophication and improve water quality in lakes. Epiphytic microbial communities on leaves of submerged macrophytes might promote nitrogen cycling, but the mechanisms and quantification of their contributions remain unclear. Here, four types of field zones with different nutrient levels and submerged macrophytes, eutrophic + Vallisneria natans (EV), eutrophic + V. natans + Hydrilla verticillata, mesotrophic + V. natans + H. verticillata, and eutrophic without macrophytes were selected to investigate the microbial communities that involved in nitrification and denitrification. The alpha diversity of bacterial community was higher in the phyllosphere than in the water, and that of H. verticillata was higher compared to V. natans. Bacterial community structures differed significantly between the four zones. The highest relative abundance of dominant bacterioplankton genera involved in nitrification and denitrification was observed in the EV zone. Similarly, the alpha diversity of the epiphytic ammonia-oxidizing archaea and nosZI-type denitrifiers were highest in the EV zone. Consist with the diversity patterns, the potential denitrification rates were higher in the phyllosphere than those in the water. Higher potential denitrification rates in the phyllosphere were also found in H. verticillata than those in V. natans. Anammox was not detected in all samples. Nutrient loads, especially nitrogen concentrations were important factors influencing potential nitrification, denitrification rates, and bacterial communities, especially for the epiphytic nosZI-type taxa. Overall, we observed that the phyllosphere harbors more microbes and promotes higher denitrification rates compared to water, and epiphytic bacterial communities are shaped by nitrogen nutrients and macrophyte species, indicating that epiphytic microorganisms of submerged macrophytes can effectively contribute to the N removal in shallow lakes.

Age and sex differences in the effects of short- and long-term exposure to air pollution on endothelial dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: The effects of air pollution on endothelial function remain unclear across populations. We aimed to use brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) to identify demographic differences in the effects of air pollution exposure on endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: We measured FMD in 850 participants from October 2016 to January 2020. Location-specific concentrations of fine particulate matter < 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), inhalable particulate matter < 10 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) measured by fixed ambient air monitoring stations were collected for short- and long-term exposure assessment. Multiple linear regression models and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the associations before and after stratification by age and sex. RESULTS: This study eventually included 828 participants [551 (66.5%) younger than 65 years and 553 (66.8%) men]. Each 10 µg/m3 increase in 7-day exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was significantly linearly associated with a 0.07% (ß = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.004) and 0.05% (ß = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.10 to -0.004) decrease in FMD in the fully adjusted model. After full adjustment, long-term exposure to all air pollutants was significantly associated with impaired FMD. Each 10 µg/m3 increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was significantly associated with a -0.18% (95% CI: -0.34 to -0.03) and - 0.23% (95% CI: -0.40 to -0.06) change in FMD, respectively. After stratification, the associations of lower FMD with long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO significantly persisted in men and participants younger than 65 years instead of women or older participants. For short-term exposure, we observed differences consistent with long-term exposure and a stronger effect of 7-day exposure to SO2 in men due to a significant interaction effect. CONCLUSION: Short- and long-term exposure to different air pollutants are strongly associated with decreased endothelial function, and susceptibility to air pollution varies significantly with age and sex.

Utility of the psychomotor vigilance task in screening for obstructive sleep apnoea.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to assess the performance of the PVT in patients with suspected OSA, evaluate its role in population screening for OSA. METHODS: The NoSAS, STOP-Bang, ESS scores and PVT tests were performed after suspected OSA patients' admission, followed by PSG. Then we compared the PVT results, calculated the sensitivity, specificity and ROC curve of PVT, and analyzed the accuracy of STOP-Bang and NoSAS questionnaire combined with PVT in predicting OSA. RESULTS: A total of 308 patients were divided into four groups based on AHI: primary snoring (2.74 ± 1.4 events/h, n = 37); mild OSA (9.96 ± 3.25 events/h, n = 65); moderate OSA (22.41 ± 4.48 events/h, n = 76); and, severe OSA (59.42 ± 18.37 events/h, n = 130). There were significant differences in PVT lapses (p < 0.001) and reaction time (RT, p = 0.03) among the four groups. The PVT lapses and RT were positively correlated with AHI (p < 0.001) and ODI (p < 0.001), and negatively correlated with LSpO2 (p < 0.001). When diagnosing OSA (AHI ≥ 5 events/h), the AUCs of PVT, ESS, STOP-Bang, and NoSAS were 0.679, 0.579, 0.727, and 0.653, respectively; the AUCs of STOP-Bang and NoSAS combined with PVT increased. After combined PVT, the diagnostic specificity of STOP-Bang and NoSAS at nodes with AHI ≥ 5, ≥ 15 and ≥ 30 events/h increased to varying degrees. CONCLUSION: Patients with OSA exhibited impairment in the PVT, and the combination of the PVT and STOP-Bang or NoSAS scores can improve the diagnostic efficacy and specificity for OSA.

Nonadjacent Wireless Electrotherapy for Tissue Repair by a 3D-Printed Bioresorbable Fully Soft Triboelectric Nanogenerator.

Electrotherapy is a promising tissue repair technique. However, electrotherapy devices are frequently complex and must be placed adjacent to injured tissue, thereby limiting their clinical application. Here, we propose a general strategy to facilitate tissue repair by modulating endogenous electric fields with nonadjacent (approximately 44 mm) wireless electrotherapy through a 3D-printed entirely soft and bioresorbable triboelectric nanogenerator based stimulator, without any electrical accessories, which has biomimetic mechanical properties similar to those of soft tissue. In addition, the feasibility of using the stimulator to construct an electrical double layer with tissue for nonadjacent wireless electrotherapy was demonstrated by skin and muscle injury models. The treated groups showed significantly improved tissue repair compared with the control group. In conclusion, we developed a promising electrotherapy strategy and may inspire next-generation electrotherapy for tissue repair.

[Afferent baroreflex failure with hyponatremia: A case report].

Afferent baroreflex failure (ABF) is a rare disease. It refers to the clinical syndrome caused by the impairment of the afferent limb of the baroreflex or its central connections at the level of the medulla. The recognized causes include trauma, surgery in related areas (radical neck tumor surgery, carotid endarterectomy), neck radiotherapy, brain stem stroke, tumor growth paraganglioma and hereditary diseases, among which the most common cause is extensive neck surgery or radiotherapy for neck cancer. The main manifestations are fluctuating hypertension, orthostatic hypotension, paroxysmal tachycardia and bradycardia. This case is a young man, whose main feature is blood pressure fluctuation, accom-panied by neurogenic orthostatic hypotension (nOH). After examination, the common causes of hypertension and nOH were ruled out. Combined with the previous neck radiotherapy and neck lymph node dissection, it was considered that the blood pressure regulation was abnormal due to the damage of carotid sinus baroreceptor after radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma and neck lymph node dissection, which was called ABF. At the same time, the patient was complicated with chronic hyponatremia. Combined with clinical and laboratory examination, the final consideration was caused by syndrome of in- appropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH). Baroreceptors controlled the secretion of heart rate, blood pressure and antidiuretic hormone through the mandatory "inhibition" signal. We speculate that the carotid sinus baroreceptor was damaged after neck radiotherapy and surgery, which leads to abnormal blood pressure regulation and nOH, while the function of inhibiting ADH secretion was weakened, resulting in higher ADH than normal level and mild hyponatremia. The goal of treating ABF patients was to reduce the frequency and amplitude of sudden changes in blood pressure and heart rate, and to alleviate the onset of symptomatic hypotension. At present, drug treatment is still controversial, and non-drug treatment may alleviate some patients' symptoms, but long-term effective treatment still needs further study. The incidence of ABF is not high, but it may lead to serious cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, and the mechanism involved is extremely complicated, and there are few related studies. The reports of relevant medical records warn that patients undergoing neck radiotherapy or surgery should minimize the da-mage to the baroreceptor in the carotid sinus in order to reduce the adverse prognosis caused by complications.

Effect of DHCR7 for the co-occurrence of hypercholesterolemia and vitamin D deficiency in type 2 diabetes: Perspective of health prevention.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a complex disease caused by multiple factors, which are often accompanied by the disorder of glucose and lipid metabolism and the lack of vitamin D.Over the years, researchers have conducted numerous studies into the pathogenesis and prevention strategies of diabetes. In this study, diabetic SD rats were randomly divided into type 2 diabetes group, vitamin D intervention group, 7-dehydrocholesterole reductase (DHCR7) inhibitor intervention group, simvastatin intervention group, and naive control group. Before and 12 weeks after intervention, liver tissue was extracted to isolate hepatocytes. Compared with naive control group, in the type 2 diabetic group without interference, the expression of DHCR7 increased, the level of 25(OH)D3 decreased, the level of cholesterol increased. In the primary cultured naive and type 2 diabetic hepatocytes, the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism and vitamin D metabolism were differently regulated in each of the 5 treatment groups. Overall, DHCR7 is an indicator for type 2 diabetic glycolipid metabolism disorder and vitamin D deficiency. Targeting DHCR7 will help with T2DM therapy.The management model of comprehensive health intervention can timely discover the disease problems of diabetes patients and high-risk groups and reduce the incidence of diabetes.

Association of vascular endothelial function and quality of life in patients with ischemia and non-obstructive coronary artery disease.

Improvements are required in the quality of life (QoL) of patients with ischemia and non-obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA). Several patients with INOCA experience vascular endothelial dysfunction. However, the relationship between endothelial function and QoL remains unelucidated. This study aimed to initially investigate the relationship between endothelial function and QoL in patients with INOCA. This prospective observational study included 121 patients with INOCA (aged 31-85 years). Vascular endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) of the peripheral brachial artery. QoL was evaluated using the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Patients with INOCA were divided into two groups according to the median FMD change during the 1-year follow-up (group A, ≥ median FMD change cut-off; group B, < median FMD change cut-off). The median change in FMD was 0.92%. The mean baseline SF-36 scores were comparable between the two groups (53.95 ± 6.46 vs. 53.92 ± 4.29, p = 0.98). The QoL at follow-up was better in group A than in group B (56.61 ± 5.50 vs. 53.32 ± 5.58, p = 0.002). The change in FMD (r = 0.34, p < 0.01), rather than FMD at baseline (r = - 0.01, p = 0.89) or follow-up (r = 0.13, p = 0.15), was related to the follow-up SF-36 scores. FMD improvement was an independent predictor of increased QoL (odds ratio, 3.90; 95% confidence interval: 1.59-9.53, p = 0.003). Endothelial function change is associated with QoL, and patients with improved endothelial function have a better QoL than those without.

Spectacular Behavior of a Viscoelastic Droplet Impinging on a Superhydrophobic Mesh.

Spray formation using the droplet impact on superhydrophobic mesh surfaces is particularly important because of its application in different industries. The present study revealed that adding a trivial amount of the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymer to a water droplet can considerably change the impact phenomena on the superhydrophobic mesh surfaces and suppress the spray formation. Droplet rebound is observed only in a narrow range of impact velocities of PEO aqueous droplets when the tiny filaments still connect the surface and droplet. Rebound suppression and deposition of the PEO aqueous droplet is attributed to the higher interaction between the polymer chains and the superhydrophobic mesh surface. After a critical impact velocity and We number which is independent of the PEO concentration, the liquid penetrates the mesh pores. The penetrated liquid formed the ligaments that grow until they reach the maximum length and surprisingly retract back to the mesh surface and the mother droplet. The ligaments destabilized at low PEO concentrations (c = 0.5 and 1 g/L) and a mesh opening size of H = 357 µm to the crest swell droplets when the droplet size is reduced by increasing the impact velocity. The ligament fragmentation and droplet detachment are observed only at high impact velocities when c = 0.5 and 1 g/L and H = 357 µm. The result shows that the PEO additive does not significantly affect the maximum spreading diameter. An empirical model to calculate the maximum spreading factor is developed.

Successive Rebounds of Impinging Water Droplets on Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

When a water droplet strikes a superhydrophobic surface, there may be several to a few tens of rebounds before it comes to rest. Although this intriguing multiphase flow phenomenon has received a great deal of attention from interfacial scientists and engineers, the underlying dynamics have not yet been completely resolved. In this paper, we report on an experimental investigation into the bouncing behavior of water droplets impinging on macroscopically flat superhydrophobic surfaces. We show that the restitution coefficient, which quantifies the energy consumed during impact and rebound, exhibits a nonmonotonic dependence on the Weber number. It is the droplet-surface friction that restricts the rebound height of the impinging droplet, so its restitution coefficient increases with the Weber number when the impact velocity is below a critical value. Above this value, the viscous friction within a thin liquid layer close to the superhydrophobic surface becomes dominant, and thus, the restitution coefficient decreases sharply. On the basis of energy analyses, semiempirical formulas are proposed to describe the restitution coefficient, and these can be employed to predict the number of successive rebounds of impinging droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces.

Ion-Specific Effects on Vesicle-to-Micelle Transitions of an Amino Acid Surfactant Probed by Chemical Trapping.

Ion-specific effects widely exist in biological and chemical systems and cannot be explained by classical theories. The complexity of ion-specific effects in protein systems at the molecular level necessitates the use of mimetic models involving smaller molecules, such as amino acids, oligopeptides, and other organic molecules bearing amide bonds. Therefore, it is of theoretical value to determine the effect of additional salts on the aggregation transitions of acyl amino acid surfactants. Herein, the effects of specific tetraalkylammonium ions (TAA+) on sodium lauroyl glycinate (SLG) aggregation were studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy. Although previous studies have shown that the kosmotropic TAA+ ions tend to induce micellar growth or micelle-to-vesicle transitions of some anionic surfactants, TAA+ addition in the present study induced partial vesicle-to-micelle transitions in SLG solutions. The chemical trapping (CT) method was employed to estimate changes in the interfacial molarities of water, amide bonds, and carboxylate groups during such transitions. The vesicle-to-micelle transitions were accompanied by a marked rise in interfacial water molarity and a decline in interfacial amide bonds molarity, suggesting that the hydrated TAA+ entered the interfacial region and disrupted hydrogen bonding, thus preventing the SLG monomers from packing tightly. Molecular dynamic simulation was also performed to demonstrate the salt-induced cleavage of amide-amide bonds between SLG headgroups. Furthermore, both CT and DLS results show that the ability of tetraalkylammonium cations to induce such transitions increased with increasing size and hydrophobicity of the cation, which follows the Hofmeister series. The current study offers critical molecular-level evidence for understanding the specific effects of tetraalkylammonium ions on the aggregation transitions of an acyl amino acid surfactant.

Interfacial Composition of Surfactant Aggregates in the Presence of Fragrance: A Chemical Trapping Study.

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in daily-use chemical products providing a pleasant scent. The added fragrance molecules may induce microstructural transitions of surfactant aggregates, which further affect the physical and chemical properties of the products. Here, the effects of four types of aromatic alcohols (cinnamyl alcohol, phenyl ethanol, phenyl methanol and anisyl alcohol) on cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)/KBr aggregates were studied. The combined results from rheology, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy measurements showed that cinnamyl alcohol induced significant micellar growth, while increases in micellar growth were less obvious for the other aromatic alcohols. The changes in the interfacial molarities of water, aromatic alcohol, and bromide ions during such transitions were studied using the chemical trapping method. Transitions resulting from added cinnamyl alcohol were accompanied by significant declines in interfacial water and bromide ion molarities, and a rise in interfacial alcohol molarity. The marked decrease in interfacial water molarity was not observed in previous studies of the octanol induced formation of wormlike micelles and vesicles, indicating that a different mechanism was presented in the current system. Nuclear magnetic resonance investigation showed that π-π stacking between cinnamyl alcohols, but not cation-π interactions between alcohols and CTAB headgroups, facilitated the tight packing of alcohol molecules in CTAB aggregates and the repulsion of water from the interfacial region. The current study may provide a theoretical basis for the morphological regulation of surfactant aggregates in the presence of additives.

Simultaneous determination of interfacial molarities of an alcohol, bromide ion, and water during an alcohol induced microstructural transition: the difference between medium and long chain alcohols.

The transitions between surfactant aggregate structures are triggered by changes in chemical or physical stimulations, including addition of additives. Effects of added alcohols on aggregate morphologies correlate strongly with alcohol chain length. The local molarities of alcohol, water, and counterions in the interfacial regions play an important role in controlling the aggregate morphologies. However, direct experimental estimates of changes of interfacial alcohol molarities during alcohol induced micelle-to-vesicle transitions have never been reported. Ellipsoidal-wormlike micelle-vesicle transitions in CTAB/KBr aqueous solutions in the presence of long-chain octanol were characterized by using combined rheological, dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and turbidity measurements. However, the transitions are absent with added butanol. The chemical trapping method (CT) was employed to understand the differences between medium- and long-chain alcohols in determining aggregate morphology. The CT method was used to estimate interfacial water, alcohol, and counterion molarities with increasing stoichiometric alcohol concentrations. With 55 mM alcohol added, the interfacial octanol molarity is 0.9 M, which is three times higher than that for butanol. With added octanol, the ellipsoidal-wormlike micelle-vesicle transition is accompanied by a concurrent sharp increase of interfacial water molarities and a decrease of interfacial counterion molarity, which is not observed with added butanol. The CT data was also employed to estimate the changes of Israelachvili's packing parameter with increasing added alcohol concentration. Our result provides critical molecular level information for understanding the morphological transitions of CTAB/additives.

Association of Plasma C1q/TNF-Related Protein 3 (CTRP3) in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a highly prevalent cardiac arrhythmia characterized by atrial remodeling. Complement C1q tumor necrosis factor-related protein 3 (CTRP3) is one of the adipokines associated with obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. The association between plasma CTRP3 levels and AF is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma CTRP3 concentrations were correlated with AF. Our study included 75 AF patients who underwent catheter ablation at our hospital and 47 sinus rhythm patients to determine the difference in plasma CTRP3 concentrations. Blood samples before the ablation were collected, and ELISA was used to measure the concentrations of CTRP3. Plasma CTRP3 concentrations were significantly lower in AF patients compared with control group (366.9 ± 105.2 ng/ml vs. 429.1 ± 100.1 ng/ml, p = 0.002). In subgroup studies, patients with persistent AF had lower plasma CTRP3 concentrations than those with paroxysmal AF (328.3 ± 83.3 ng/ml vs. 380.0 ± 109.2 ng/ml, p = 0.037). The concentrations of plasma CTRP3 in the recurrence group after radiofrequency catheter ablation of AF were lower than those in the nonrecurrence group (337.9 ± 77.3 ng/ml vs. 386.6 ± 108.1 ng/ml, p = 0.045). Multivariate regression analysis revealed the independent correlation between plasma CTRP3 level and AF. Plasma CTRP3 concentrations were correlated with the presence of AF and AF recurrence.

CircHIPK3 Promotes Thyroid Cancer Tumorigenesis and Invasion through the Mirna-338-3p/RAB23 Axis.

Objective：Thyroid cancer is a common type of endocrine malignancy, and its incidence has been steadily increasing in many regions of the world. Numerous studies have found that the circRNAs in various cancer types are aberrantly expressed, which could be potential biological diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of circHIPK3 in the development and progression of thyroid cancer and its mechanism. Subject and Methods：qRT-PCR was used to detect the relative expression levels of circHIPK3 in thyroid cancer cell lines (K1, CAL-62, TPC1), human thyroid normal cells (Nthy-ori 3-1), 10 pairs of thyroid cancer tissues and corresponding adjacent normal tissues. CCK-8 and Transwell assays were used to detect the proliferation and metastasis ability of cells. The targeted relationships between circHIPK3-miR-338-3p and miR-338-3p-RAB23 were predicted by bioinformatics analysis and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Results and Conclusion: The downregulation of circHIPK3 significantly reduced the migration, invasion and proliferation of thyroid carcinoma. Then, we demonstrated that circHIPK3 up-regulated the expression of its target gene RAB23 by sponging miR-338-3p to promote the tumorigenesis and invasiveness of thyroid cancer. This study is the first to find that circHIPK3 plays the role of oncogenetic circRNA in thyroid cancer, which may provide new insights into how circRNA affects the progression of thyroid cancer. Our study also showed that circHIPK3 could be a novel biomarker for thyroid cancer.

Polar Effects of Transposon Insertion into a Minimal Bacterial Genome.

Global transposon mutagenesis is a valuable tool for identifying genes required for cell viability. Here we present a global analysis of the orientation of viable Tn5-Puror (Tn5-puromycin resistance) insertions into the near-minimal bacterial genome of JCVI-syn2.0. Sixteen of the 478 protein-coding genes show a noticeable asymmetry in the orientation of disrupting insertions of Tn5-Puror Ten of these are located in operons, upstream of essential or quasi-essential genes. Inserts transcribed in the same direction as the downstream gene are favored, permitting read-through transcription of the essential or quasi-essential gene. Some of these genes were classified as quasi-essential solely because of polar effects on the expression of downstream genes. Three genes showing asymmetry in Tn5-Puror insertion orientation prefer the orientation that avoids collisions between read-through transcription of Tn5-Puror and transcription of an adjacent gene. One gene (JCVISYN2_0132 [abbreviated here as "_0132"]) shows a strong preference for Tn5-Puror insertions transcribed upstream, away from the downstream nonessential gene _0133. This suggested that expression of _0133 due to read-through from Tn5-Puror is lethal when _0132 function is disrupted by transposon insertion. This led to the identification of genes _0133 and _0132 as a toxin-antitoxin pair. The three remaining genes show read-through transcription of Tn5-Puror directed downstream and away from sizable upstream intergenic regions (199 bp to 363 bp), for unknown reasons. In summary, polar effects of transposon insertion can, in a few cases, affect the classification of genes as essential, quasi-essential, or nonessential and sometimes can give clues to gene function.IMPORTANCE In studies of the minimal genetic requirements for life, we used global transposon mutagenesis to identify genes needed for a minimal bacterial genome. Transposon insertion can disrupt the function of a gene but can also have polar effects on the expression of adjacent genes. In the Tn5-Puror construct used in our studies, read-through transcription from Tn5-Puror can drive expression of downstream genes. This results in a preference for Tn5-Puror insertions transcribed toward a downstream essential or quasi-essential gene within the same operon. Such polar effects can have an impact on the classification of genes as essential, quasi-essential, or nonessential, but this has been observed in only a few cases. Also, polar effects of Tn5-Puror insertion can sometimes give clues to gene function.

Comprehensive metabolomic and proteomic analyses reveal candidate biomarkers and related metabolic networks in atrial fibrillation.

INTRODUCTION: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by an irregular beating of the atria and is associated with an increased risk of heart failure, dementia, and stroke. Currently, the perturbation of plasma content due to AF disease onset is not well known. OBJECTIVES: To investigate dysregulated molecules in blood plasma of untreated AF patients, with the goal of identifying biomarkers for disease screening and pathological studies. METHODS: LC-MS based untargeted metabolomics, lipidomics and proteomics analyses were performed to find candidate biomarkers. A targeted quantification assay and an ELISA were performed to validate the results of the omics analyses. RESULTS: We found that 24 metabolites, 16 lipids and 16 proteins were significantly dysregulated in AF patients. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the purine metabolic pathway and fatty acid metabolism were perturbed by AF onset. FA 20:2 and FA 22:4 show great linear correlational relationship with the left atrial area and could be considered for AF disease stage monitoring or prognosis evaluation. CONCLUSION: we used a comprehensive multiple-omics strategy to systematically investigate the dysregulated molecules in the plasma of AF patients, thereby revealing potential biomarkers for diagnosis and providing information for pathological studies.

Identification and application of markers closely linked to the restorer gene (Rfm) in rapeseed (Brassica napus L.).

The Mutsu-Isuzu cytoplasmic male sterility (MI CMS) system is one of the three-line hybrid systems used in China. As we know, the hybrid system is tightly associated with the yield variation in F1 heterosis, while the restorer gene for the MI CMS (Rfm) has not been finely mapped for further application in marker-assisted selection (MAS). In this study, the sets of near-isogenic lines (NILs) of Rfm in two different genetic backgrounds were hybridized with the genome-wide 60 K single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip of Brassica for screening the possible associated genomic region of Rfm. Through screening genotypes with SNP loci and sequencing the candidate loci, one 2.5 Mb physical region (covering three scaffolds) on chrA09 was identified as the candidate for the Rfm region. Then, the SSR markers for the target scaffolds were used to detect the recombination in an F2 population and narrowed the Rfm gene within the genetic distance of 0.52 cM, equivalent to a 350 kb physical segment. Moreover, the markers were tested to improve new elite restoration lines and to assess the percentage of hybrid seeds. Our results could potentially accelerate the map-based cloning of the Rfm gene to benefit rapeseed breeding.

Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells with Improved Fill Factor via Interface Engineering with Graphene.

Organic-inorganic hybrid lead halide perovskites have been widely investigated in optoelectronics both experimentally and theoretically. The present work incorporates chemically modified graphene into nanocrystal SnO2 as the electron transporting layer (ETL) for highly efficient planar perovskite solar cells. The modification of SnO2 with highly conductive two-dimensional naphthalene diimide-graphene can increase surface hydrophobicity and form van der Waals interaction between the surfactant and the organic-inorganic hybrid lead halide perovskite compounds. As a result, highly efficient perovskite solar cells with power conversion efficiency of 20.2% can be achieved with an improved fill factor of 82%, which could be mainly attributed to the augmented charge extraction and transport.