Influenza-trained mucosal-resident alveolar macrophages confer long-term antitumor immunity in the lungs.

Respiratory viral infections reprogram pulmonary macrophages with altered anti-infectious functions. However, the potential function of virus-trained macrophages in antitumor immunity in the lung, a preferential target of both primary and metastatic malignancies, is not well understood. Using mouse models of influenza and lung metastatic tumors, we show here that influenza trains respiratory mucosal-resident alveolar macrophages (AMs) to exert long-lasting and tissue-specific antitumor immunity. Trained AMs infiltrate tumor lesions and have enhanced phagocytic and tumor cell cytotoxic functions, which are associated with epigenetic, transcriptional and metabolic resistance to tumor-induced immune suppression. Generation of antitumor trained immunity in AMs is dependent on interferon-γ and natural killer cells. Notably, human AMs with trained immunity traits in non-small cell lung cancer tissue are associated with a favorable immune microenvironment. These data reveal a function for trained resident macrophages in pulmonary mucosal antitumor immune surveillance. Induction of trained immunity in tissue-resident macrophages might thereby be a potential antitumor strategy.

Unveiling intratumoral microbiota: An emerging force for colorectal cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Microbes, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other eukaryotic organisms, are commonly present in multiple organs of the human body and contribute significantly to both physiological and pathological processes. Nowadays, the development of sequencing technology has revealed the presence and composition of the intratumoral microbiota, which includes Fusobacterium, Bifidobacteria, and Bacteroides, and has shed light on the significant involvement in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we summarized the current understanding of the intratumoral microbiota in CRC and outline the potential translational and clinical applications in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of CRC. We focused on reviewing the development of microbial therapies targeting the intratumoral microbiota to improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for CRC and to identify biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC. Finally, we emphasized the obstacles and potential solutions to translating the knowledge of the intratumoral microbiota into clinical practice.

Dynamic alterations of the transcriptome-wide m6A methylome in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukaemia during initial diagnosis and relapse.

Accumulating studies have indicated that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays an important role in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). However, little is known about the m6A methylome at a transcriptome-wide scale in AML patients. We obtained three pairs of bone marrow (BM) samples from cytogenetically normal AML patients at the timepoints of diagnosis (AML) and relapse (R_AML) and three BM samples from healthy donors used as normal controls (NCs). Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation next-generation sequencing (MeRIP-Seq) was conducted to identify differences in the m6A methylomes between AML and NC and between R_AML and AML. We identified a total of 11,076 and 11,962 differential m6A peaks in AML and R_AML group, respectively. These dysregulated m6A peaks were detected on all chromosomes, especially chr1, chr19 and chr17, and were mainly enriched in 3' untranslated regions, stop codon and coding sequence regions. Moreover, GO and KEGG analyses indicated that m6A -modified genes were significantly enriched in cancer-related biological functions and pathways. Additionally, we identified a link between the m6A methylome and RNA transcriptome via combined analyses of MeRIP-seq and RNA-seq data. In addition, 5 genes, HSPG2, HOMER3, TSPO2, CXCL12 and FUT1 regulated by m6A modification potentially, were shown to be related to the prognosis of AML patients. Additionally, we detected the mRNA expression of major m6A regulators and potential target mRNA on the leukemogenesis and found that the expression of IGF2BP2, HSPG2 and HOMER3 were upregulated in AML at the time of diagnosis. Moreover, their expression became downregulated after remission and then elevated again at relapse. Our study provides the first data on the differential m6A methylome in AML patients during initial diagnosis and relapse. This study demonstrates a novel relationship between m6A modification and AML relapse and paves the way for further studies aimed at elucidating the epigenic mechanisms involved in the relapse of AML.

Propranolol ameliorates retinopathy of prematurity in mice by downregulating HIF-1α via the PI3K/Akt/ERK pathway.

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is the leading cause of blindness in infants, and elevation of HIF-1α through the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways is implicated in ROP pathogenesis. The mechanism of action of propranolol in ROP remains controversial. We investigated the effect of propranolol on ROP and explored its potential mechanisms of action in an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) mouse model. METHODS: OIR mice were first treated with propranolol intraperitoneally, and the retina integrity was measured by FITC-dextran and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression of HIF-1α, VEGF, and key signaling pathway proteins was determined using real-time PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: FITC-dextran staining showed that propranolol treatment reduced damage to retinal morphology in OIR mice. Mice treated with propranolol showed a reduced number of nuclei of vascular endothelial cells penetrating the inner limiting membrane of the retina, confirming the therapeutic effect of propranolol on ROP. Further analysis showed that HIF-1α and PI3K/Akt/ERK pathway protein levels were significantly elevated in OIR mice. In contrast, propranolol treatment downregulated the expression of these proteins, indicating that the PI3K/Akt/ERK/HIF-1α axis is associated with propranolol-induced ROP alleviation. CONCLUSIONS: Propranolol has a therapeutic function against ROP, likely through the downregulation of HIF-1α via the PI3K/Akt/ERK pathway. IMPACT: Propranolol can reduce the formation of abnormal retinal neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) models, and reduce leaking, tortuous, and abnormally expanding retinal blood vessels. Propranolol possibly improves OIR by inhibiting the activated ERK and HIF-1α pathways. Furthermore, propranolol may downregulate HIF-1α via the PI3K/Akt/ERK pathway to ameliorate retinopathy of prematurity. This study elucidated that the therapeutic effect of propranolol in OIR mice does not involve the VEGFR-2 pathway.

Effects of Different Nitrogen Levels on Lignocellulolytic Enzyme Production and Gene Expression under Straw-State Cultivation in Stropharia rugosoannulata.

Stropharia rugosoannulata has been used in environmental engineering to degrade straw in China. The nitrogen and carbon metabolisms are the most important factors affecting mushroom growth, and the aim of this study was to understand the effects of different nitrogen levels on carbon metabolism in S. rugosoannulata using transcriptome analysis. The mycelia were highly branched and elongated rapidly in A3 (1.37% nitrogen). GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly involved in starch and sucrose metabolism; nitrogen metabolism; glycine, serine and threonine metabolism; the MAPK signaling pathway; hydrolase activity on glycosyl bonds; and hemicellulose metabolic processes. The activities of nitrogen metabolic enzymes were highest in A1 (0.39% nitrogen) during the three nitrogen levels (A1, A2 and A3). However, the activities of cellulose enzymes were highest in A3, while the hemicellulase xylanase activity was highest in A1. The DEGs associated with CAZymes, starch and sucrose metabolism and the MAPK signaling pathway were also most highly expressed in A3. These results suggested that increased nitrogen levels can upregulate carbon metabolism in S. rugosoannulata. This study could increase knowledge of the lignocellulose bioconversion pathways and improve biodegradation efficiency in Basidiomycetes.

Lipopolysaccharide downregulates the expression of ZO-1 protein through the Akt pathway.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal bacterial meningitis is a common neonatal disease with high morbidity, and can cause serious sequelae when left untreated. Escherichia coli is the common pathogen, and its endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) can damage the endothelial cells, increasing the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), leading to intracranial inflammation. However, the specific mechanism of bacterial meningitis induced by LPS damaging BBB remains unclear. In this study, the mouse brain microvascular endothelial (bEND.3) cells were used as a research object to investigate whether LPS damage BBB through the PI3K/Akt pathway. METHODS: The bEND.3 cells were stimulated with different concentrations of LPS for 12 h, and the expression of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, claudin-5, occludin) was detected using western blotting. The cells were challenged with the same concentration of LPS (1ug/ml) across different timepoints (0, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h). Expression of TJ proteins and signal pathway molecules (PI3K, p-PI3K, Akt, p-Akt) were detected. The distribution of ZO-1 in bEND.3 cells were detected by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: A negative correlation is observed between ZO-1 and LPS concentration. Moreover, a reduced expression of ZO-1 was most significant under 1 ug/ml of LPS, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Additionally, there is a negative correlation between ZO-1 and LPS stimulation time. Meanwhile, the expression of claudin-5 and occludin did not change significantly with the stimulation of LPS concentration and time. The immunofluorescence assay showed that the amount of ZO-1 on the surface of bEND.3 cells stimulated with LPS was significantly lower than that of the control group. After LPS stimulation, p-Akt protein increased at 2 h and peaked at 4 h. The titer of p-PI3K did not change significantly with time. CONCLUSION: LPS can downregulate the expression of ZO-1; however, its effect on claudin-5 and occludin is minimal. Akt signal pathway may be involved in the regulation of ZO-1 expression induced by LPS in bEND.3 cells.

SIRT1 reduces epigenetic and non-epigenetic changes to maintain the quality of postovulatory aged oocytes in mice.

Postovulatory oocyte aging has a major influence on the development potential of embryos. Many antioxidants can delay oocyte aging by regulating the expression of SIRT1. However, there is a lack of knowledge on SIRT1 function in postovulatory oocyte aging. In vitro transcribed RNA of Sirt1 was injected into fresh oocytes to investigate the function of SIRT1 during postovulatory oocyte aging. In the present study, SIRT1 was found to be down-regulated in aged oocytes compared with fresh oocytes. Meanwhile the intensity of acetylation of H3K9 (H3K9ac) and H3K4 methylation increased in postovulatory aged oocytes. After the oocytes were injected with SIRT1 and aged for 12 h, the intensity of H3K9ac and H3K4 methylation markedly decreased compared with controls. Furthermore, SIRT1 overexpression also reduced the aging-induced oocyte morphological changes and reactive oxygen species accumulation, maintained the spindle normal morphology and attenuated the aging-associated abnormalities of mitochondrial function. The role of SIRT1 in protecting oocyte aging was diminished when oocytes with overexpressed SIRT1 were cultured with SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527. Briefly, these present results show that SIRT1 not only reduced the non-epigenetic changes such as abnormal oocyte morphology, ROS accumulation, spindle defects and mitochondrial dysfunctions but also regulated the epigenetic changes in order to maintain the quality of postovulatory aged oocytes.

Comparison of four neonatal transport scoring methods in the prediction of mortality risk in full-term, out-born infants: a single-center retrospective cohort study.

Neonatal transport scoring systems can assess severity before and after transport, improve transport efficiency, and predict the occurrence of critical illness. The aim of this study was to compare four neonatal transport scoring methods to predict mortality risk and clinical utility within the first week after transportation. This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. All patients were full-term, out-born neonates. Each patient was assessed by the Transport Risk Index of Physiologic Stability (TRIPS), Mortality Index for Neonatal Transportation (MINT), Transport-Related Mortality Score (TREMS), and Neonatal Critical Illness Score (NCIS) scoring methods. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curve analysis (DCA) for each method were compared for their utility in predicting mortality risk within the 1st week after admission. In total, 368 full-term infants were included (368/770, 47.8% of all transported infants). Within the 1st week after admission, five infants (1.36%, 5/368) died while receiving advanced life support and full treatment, and 24 infants (6.52%, 24/368) died soon after they were discharged against medical advice. The areas under the curve (AUCs) for the MINT, TRIPS, TREMS, and NCIS for the prediction of mortality were 0.822, 0.827, 0.643, and 0.731, respectively (all p < 0.05). However, the clinical net benefits for the MINT and TRIPS were far superior than those for the NCIS and TREMS. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that the TRIPS and MINT might be more suitable for the prediction of mortality in full-term, out-born neonates in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) within the 1st week after transportation. WHAT IS KNOWN: • Neonatal transport scores can assess not only the mortality risk during transportation but also the mortality risk of critically ill newborns after admission to the NICU. • The effectiveness of neonatal transport scores in predicting mortality risk is different. WHAT IS NEW: • Our data indicate that the diagnostic efficacy of the MINT, TRIPS, and NCIS in the prediction of full-term infant mortality was high. • The TRIPS and MINT scores had better clinical utility and could be used to predict mortality within the 1st week after transportation in full-term out-born neonates.

Microbial metabolic response to winter warming stabilizes soil carbon.

Current consensus on global climate change predicts warming trends with more pronounced temperature changes in winter than summer in the Northern Hemisphere at high latitudes. Moderate increases in soil temperature are generally related to faster rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition in Northern ecosystems, but there is evidence that SOC stocks have remained remarkably stable or even increased on the Tibetan Plateau under these conditions. This intriguing observation points to altered soil microbial mediation of carbon-cycling feedbacks in this region that might be related to seasonal warming. This study investigated the unexplained SOC stabilization observed on the Tibetan Plateau by quantifying microbial responses to experimental seasonal warming in a typical alpine meadow. Ecosystem respiration was reduced by 17%-38% under winter warming compared with year-round warming or no warming and coincided with decreased abundances of fungi and functional genes that control labile and stable organic carbon decomposition. Compared with year-round warming, winter warming slowed macroaggregate turnover rates by 1.6 times, increased fine intra-aggregate particulate organic matter content by 75%, and increased carbon stabilized in microaggregates within stable macroaggregates by 56%. Larger bacterial "necromass" (amino sugars) concentrations in soil under winter warming coincided with a 12% increase in carboxyl-C. These results indicate the enhanced physical preservation of SOC under winter warming and emphasize the role of soil microorganisms in aggregate life cycles. In summary, the divergent responses of SOC persistence in soils exposed to winter warming compared to year-round warming are explained by the slowing of microbial decomposition but increasing physical protection of microbially derived organic compounds. Consequently, the soil microbial response to winter warming on the Tibetan Plateau may cause negative feedbacks to global climate change and should be considered in Earth system models.

Molecular characteristics of the new emerging global clone ST1193 among clinical isolates of Escherichia coli from neonatal invasive infections in China.

Sequence type 1193 (ST1193) constitutes an emerging fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli clone in several countries. However, reports of such isolates in neonatal invasive diseases are limited. Here, we assessed the antimicrobial resistance and molecular characteristics of E. coli ST1193 isolates causing neonatal bloodstream infections and meningitis in China. A total of 56 E. coli isolates were collected from neonatal blood and cerebrospinal fluid between September 2009 and June 2015. Antimicrobial susceptibility was evaluated using E-test methods. Polymerase chain reaction amplification was used to detect antibiotic resistance genes including blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX-M groups. Molecular typing was performed via multi-locus sequence typing. Among 56 E. coli isolates, 17 (17/56, 30.4%) were extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) producers, and 37(37/56, 66.1%) were multidrug-resistant. The most frequent sequence types were ST1193 (12/56), followed by ST95 and ST62. ST1193 isolates exhibited a 91.7% resistance rate to ciprofloxacin, amoxicillin, and sulfonamides, and 83.3% resistance rate to tetracycline. A total of 4 (33.3%) among the 12 ST1193 isolates were ESBL producers, of which three carried both blaCTX-M-15 and blaTEM genes with the remaining isolate harboring blaCTX-M-27 and blaTEM genes. Additionally, 1 of the 3 ST1193 isolates obtained from cerebrospinal fluid was an ESBL producer that carried both blaCTX-M-15 and blaTEM genes. This study revealed for the first time the molecular characteristics of E. coli ST1193 causing neonatal invasive diseases in China. Notably, we found that ST1193 isolates were multidrug-resistant. Further multicenter studies are needed to assess the molecular epidemiology of ST1193 in China to control its spread.

Theoretical Combined Experimental Study of Unique He Behaviors in High-Entropy Alloys.

Exploring new structural materials with strong He damage tolerance is one of the key tasks for the development of nuclear reactors. Helium (He), one of the most common elements in the nuclear environment, often forms undesired bubbles in metallic materials and may result in void swelling as well as high-temperature intergranular embrittlement. In this study, the behaviors of He in high-entropy alloy (HEA) TiZrHfMoNb and its constituents are systematically investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Density functional theory calculations show that the He atom prefers to occupy tetrahedral and octahedral interstitial sites in a HEA. The migration pathway for He in TiZrHfMoNb is explored and the migration energy barrier is determined. Besides, the He clustering behavior in TiZrHfMoNb is investigated. Through transmission electron microscopy analysis, a smaller He bubble size is observed in TiZrHfMoNb than in Ti, which is proposed to result from the lower tendency to form He clusters, a weaker coarsening effect, and severe lattice distortion in HEA. The current study thus provides deep insights into the He behaviors in HEAs and may help to develop structural materials with enhanced He damage tolerance in nuclear reactors.

Genetic and functional analysis of the Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor HADA-1 in Hypsizygus marmoreus.

Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factors are critical for the reproductive growth and sexual development of fungi, but their roles in Basidiomycota remain unclear. In this study, the Hypsizygus marmoreus gene hada-1 was shown to encode a Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor, the growth rate of mycelia was decreased, hyphae were angulated, and fruiting body development was hindered in the hada-1-silenced strains. In addition, mitochondrial stability was lost, and the mitochondria morphologies changed from oval shaped to dumbbell or linear shaped in the silenced strains. Regarding mitochondrial instability, the mitochondrial complex II, III, and V activities and adenosine triphosphate content were significantly decreased. At the same time, the activities of the carbohydrate metabolism-related enzymes glucose-6-plosphatase, glucose dehydrogenase, and laccase were significantly decreased, which might have resulted in the reduction of carbon metabolism. Furthermore, hada-1 was shown to regulate the reactive oxygen species (ROS) level; compared with the wild-type (WT) strain, the silenced mycelia exhibited higher ROS contents and were more sensitive to oxidative stress. Taken together, these results indicate that, as a global regulator, hada-1 plays crucial roles in mycelial growth, fruiting body development, carbon metabolism, mitochondrial stability, and oxidative stress in the basidiomycete H. marmoreus. KEY POINTS: • Zn(II)2Cys6 transcription factor, mitochondrial stability, fruiting body development.

The physical structure of compost and C and N utilization during composting and mushroom growth in Agaricus bisporus cultivation with rice, wheat, and reed straw-based composts.

The cultivation of Agaricus bisporus with compost made from wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and reed (Phragmites australis Trin.) straw was investigated. Straw degradation was analyzed at the microscopic level, and the corresponding changes in the breakdown of different lignocellulose components during different phases of composting and mushroom production helped in understanding the yield-limiting factors of using different straws to grow mushrooms. The wheat straw compost resulted in the highest mushroom production and had the highest bioconversion efficiency. The rice straw was limited by the softer texture, which resulted in low-porosity and overdecomposed compost in the composting process and decreased the amount of available lignocellulose during mycelial growth. Although reed straw had the largest carbon resources, its utilization rate was the lowest. The hard structure, low water holding capacity, and high porosity increased the recalcitrance of reed straw to degradation and prolonged the composting time, which resulted in large N and C losses and an increased C/N ratio. Moreover, reed straw failed to transform into "ready-to-consume C" in composting. Therefore, a high C/N ratio and deficiency of available nutrition decreased the utilization efficiency of the lignocellulosic components by A. bisporus during mycelial colonization and mushroom production. The investigation revealed that degradability by and availability to microbiota and A. bisporus seemed to be the overriding factors for optimizing the composting process with different straw types. KEY POINTS: • The physical structure of compost has a significant influence on the composting process. • Degradability and availability are key factors in compost quality evaluation. • Lignocellulose utilization efficiency positively correlated with mushroom yield.

Pulmonary infiltration as the initial manifestation of chronic lymphoproliferative disorder of natural killer cells: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphoproliferative disorder of natural killer cells (CLPD-NK) is an extremely rare haematological disease. To the best of our knowledge, pulmonary infiltration in CLPD-NK has not been reported before. Our case study aimed to present the clinical characteristics, chest computed tomography (CT) findings, and flow cytometry immunophenotyping (FCI) results of an unusual case of migratory pulmonary infiltration in a patient with CLPD-NK. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital on October 8, 2019. Eight months before this visit, she had been diagnosed with pneumonia in a community hospital with 1 month of low-grade fever and had recovered after oral antibiotic administration. During follow-up, the patient presented with persistent peripheral blood (PB) lymphocytosis and ground-glass opacities on lung CT scans without any symptoms and signs or any evidence of infectious, allergic or autoimmunity pulmonary diseases. Abnormal NK cells were identified in the PB, bone marrow and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) using FCI in our hospital. Eventually, the patient was diagnosed with pulmonary infiltration of CLPD-NK. The patient had an indolent clinical course without symptoms, hepatosplenomegaly or palpable lymphadenopathy and did not receive any therapy. The patient has remained in a good performance status 13 months after the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our study described a unique case of pulmonary infiltration in a patient with CLPD-NK. The present case highlights the importance of FCI of the BALF in patients with lymphocytosis and pulmonary shadows to avoid misdiagnosis.

Optical control of an Airy beam via four-wave mixing and six-wave mixing.

We use a conventional linear Airy beam to prepare a nonlinear Airy beam via four-wave mixing (FWM) and six-wave mixing (SWM) processes in an atomic vapor. We find that its ballistic trajectory is a result of the competition between the transverse self-acceleration and nonlinear phase shift, and the intensity of Airy beam's sub lobes or main lobe is suppressed due to destructive interference of the FWM and SWM processes. By controlling the nonlinear overlap area of the linear Airy beam and two Gaussian beams, we find that the Airy beam's profile varies from one-dimensional (1D) to two-dimensional (2D). The profile evolution process can be applied to create a new (to our knowledge) type of nonlinear filter. In addition, we also observe the Airy beam's pattern in momentum space with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in an atomic vapor. Our research results open up new possibilities for manipulating Airy beams that cannot be achieved with a conventional Airy beam.

A Density Functional Theory Study of the Hydrogen Absorption in High Entropy Alloy TiZrHfMoNb.

The high entropy alloy is promising for hydrogen storage, especially in regard to its adjustable hydrogen storage properties. Despite several experimental investigations, there still lacks a detailed atomic-level understanding of the hydrogenation process. In this study, based on first-principles calculations, the hydrogen behaviors and microstructural evolution in high entropy alloy TiZrHfMoNb during the hydrogen absorption are investigated systematically. At low hydrogen content, hydrogen atoms prefer to occupy the octahedral interstitial sites of the BCC phase, which is different from that in BCC pure metals; when the hydrogen content reaches 1.08 wt %, the BCC TiZrHfMoNb hydrides transform into FCC phase, and hydrogen atoms are more favorable to occupy the tetrahedral interstitial sites. Further radial distribution function (RDF) analysis indicates that the enhanced disorder of bonds and decreased lattice distortion of the metal structure destabilize the BCC TiZrHfMoNb hydride and eventually induce the BCC → FCC phase transformation, which is quite different from that in conventional alloys; the difference originates from the severe lattice distortion in high entropy alloy. The phonon spectra of different TiZrHfMoNb hydrides show that the hydride with a H/M ratio of 2 dynamically has a stable lattice, corresponding to a hydrogen storage capacity of 1.94 wt %. The present study demonstrates that the high entropy alloys have unique hydrogen absorption ability, which may advance the related experimental and theoretical studies.

The functions of glutathione peroxidase in ROS homeostasis and fruiting body development in Hypsizygus marmoreus.

Glutathione peroxidase (GPX) is one of the most important antioxidant enzymes for maintaining reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis. Although studies on fungi have suggested many important physiological functions of GPX, few studies have examined the role of this enzyme in Basidiomycetes, particularly its functions in fruiting body developmental processes. In the present study, GPX-silenced (GPxi) strains were obtained by using RNA interference. The GPxi strains of Hypsizygus marmoreus showed defects in mycelial growth and fruiting body development. In addition, the results indicated essential roles of GPX in controlling ROS homeostasis by regulating intracellular H2O2 levels, maintaining GSH/GSSG balance, and promoting antioxidant enzyme activity. Furthermore, lignocellulose enzyme activity levels were reduced and the mitochondrial phenotype and mitochondrial complex activity levels were changed in the H. marmoreus GPxi strains, possibly in response to impediments to mycelial growth and fruiting body development. These findings indicate that ROS homeostasis has a complex influence on growth, fruiting body development, GSH/GSSG balance, and carbon metabolism in H. marmoreus.Key points• ROS balance, energy metabolism, fruiting development.

Silencing of Tenascin-C Inhibited Inflammation and Apoptosis Via PI3K/Akt/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Cell Model.

OBJECTIVES: Tenascin-C (TNC) is upregulated in serum and cerebrospinal fluid after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and the deficiency of TNC could alleviate neuronal apoptosis and neuroinflammation after SAH. However, the specific mechanism of TNC regulating neuronal apoptosis and neuroinflammation after SAH is not well recognized. The aim of this study was to investigate whether PI3K/Akt/ NF-κB signaling pathway is involved in the regulation of TNC on early brain injury after SAH. METHODS: Oxygen hemoglobin (OxyHb) was used to induce SAH models in PC12 cells, and classified into control, SAH, LY294002, SAH+TNC-siRNA and SAH+TNC-siRNA+LY groups. Western blotting was applied to examine the protein expression of TNC, Caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, PI3K, p-Akt, and p-NF-κB. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was applied to examine the TNC mRNA expression. Cholecystokinin (CCK)-8 and flow cytometry were used to examine cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. ELISA was applied to examine the content of interleukin 6, interleukin 1ß, and tumor necrosis factor α. We showed that the TNC protein was highly expressed in SAH cell model. RESULTS: OxyHb inhibited cell proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis and the expression of proapoptotic protein, and promoted proinflammatory cytokine secretion in PC12 cells, which were restored following TNC gene silencing. Moreover, OxyHb decreased the expression of PI3K and p-Akt and increased the expression of p-NF-κB p65 in PC12 cells, which were activated following TNC gene silencing. The LY294002 weakened the effect of TNC gene silencing. CONCLUSIONS: The TNC gene silencing relieved neuronal apoptosis and neuroinflammation by activating the PI3K/Akt/ NF-κB signaling pathway. TNC-induced neuroinflammation would be a new target to improve outcome after SAH.

Lead Tolerance and Enrichment Characteristics of Several Ornamentals Under Hydroponic Culture.

The growth response, tolerance, and enrichment characteristics of six ornamental species, Chlorophytum comosum, Calendula officinalis, Iris lacteal, Belamcanda chinensis, Saponaria officinalis, and Polygonum lapathifolium were studied under hydroponic culture with lead (Pb) concentrations ranging from 0 to 1000 mg/L. The results showed that the growth of the tested ornamental species under Pb stress was inhibited. Belamcanda chinensis presented the largest tolerance index (0.75), and Calendula officinalis had the highest toxicity threshold (500 mg/L) under Pb stress. The highest Pb contents in the shoots were detected in Iris lacteal and Belamcanda chinensis. The enrichment coefficients in the shoots of Iris lacteal and Belamcanda chinensis were significantly higher than those in the other ornamental species. In conclusion, Iris lacteal and Belamcanda chinensis are the most tolerant and have the greatest Pb enrichment and translocation abilities under Pb stress, and thus, they have a strong potential to restore Pb-contaminated water bodies and soils.