CCT2 is an aggrephagy receptor for clearance of solid protein aggregates.

Protein aggregation is a hallmark of multiple human pathologies. Autophagy selectively degrades protein aggregates via aggrephagy. How selectivity is achieved has been elusive. Here, we identify the chaperonin subunit CCT2 as an autophagy receptor regulating the clearance of aggregation-prone proteins in the cell and the mouse brain. CCT2 associates with aggregation-prone proteins independent of cargo ubiquitination and interacts with autophagosome marker ATG8s through a non-classical VLIR motif. In addition, CCT2 regulates aggrephagy independently of the ubiquitin-binding receptors (P62, NBR1, and TAX1BP1) or chaperone-mediated autophagy. Unlike P62, NBR1, and TAX1BP1, which facilitate the clearance of protein condensates with liquidity, CCT2 specifically promotes the autophagic degradation of protein aggregates with little liquidity (solid aggregates). Furthermore, aggregation-prone protein accumulation induces the functional switch of CCT2 from a chaperone subunit to an autophagy receptor by promoting CCT2 monomer formation, which exposes the VLIR to ATG8s interaction and, therefore, enables the autophagic function.

Mode Conversion Trimming in Asymmetric Directional Couplers Enabled by Silicon Ion Implantation.

An on-chip asymmetric directional coupler (DC) can convert fundamental modes to higher-order modes and is one of the core components of mode-division multiplexing (MDM) technology. In this study, we propose that waveguides of the asymmetric DC can be trimmed by silicon ion implantation to tune the effective refractive index and facilitate mode conversion into higher-order modes. Through this method of tuning, transmission changes of up to 18 dB have been realized with one ion implantation step. In addition, adjusting the position of the ion implantation on the waveguide can provide a further degree of control over the transmission into the resulting mode. The results of this work present a promising new route for the development of high-efficiency, low-loss mode converters for integrated photonic platforms, and aim to facilitate the application of MDM technology in emerging photonic neuromorphic computing.

Sevoflurane inhibits lung cancer development by promoting FUS1 transcription via downregulating IRF6.

Lung cancer is a major contributor to cancer deaths worldwide and is on the rise. Although surgical resection has been widely used as a standard therapy for lung cancer patients, the relapse rate after surgery is high. It is still unclear whether there is a potential drug that can reduce the probability of postsurgical recurrence in lung cancer patients. We used 5 typical lung cancer cell lines as well as 41 lung cancer tissue samples and paracancer tissue samples to investigate the expression levels of interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) and tumor suppressor candidate 2 (TUSC2, also known as FUS1). We also treated lung cancer cells (H322 and A549) with different concentrations of sevoflurane to study its influence on lung cancer cell tumorigenesis. Lentivirus-mediated gain-of-function studies of IRF6 and FUS1 were applied to validate the role of IRF6 and FUS1 in lung cancer. Next, we used short hairpin RNA-mediated loss of function of IRF6 and luciferase, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays to validate the regulatory role of IRF6 on FUS1. Our findings reported that IRF6 was upregulated in lung cancer tissues, while FUS1 was downregulated. Functional assays revealed that sevoflurane inhibits lung cancer development by downregulating IRF6 expression. Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative real-time PCR assays uncovered that IRF6 represses FUS1 transcriptional expression in lung cancer cells. We have shown that sevoflurane prevents lung cancer development by downregulating IRF6 to stimulate FUS1 transcription, indicating that sevoflurane can be used as the potential anesthetic drug in surgical resection to reduce postoperative tumor relapse in lung cancer patients.

Sulfur-Vacancy-Engineered Two-Dimensional Cu@SnS2-x Nanosheets Constructed via Heterovalent Substitution for High-Efficiency Piezocatalytic Tumor Therapy.

Ultrasound (US)-mediated piezocatalytic tumor therapy has attracted much attention due to its notable tissue-penetration capabilities, noninvasiveness, and low oxygen dependency. Nevertheless, the efficiency of piezocatalytic therapy is limited due to an inadequate piezoelectric response, low separation of electron-hole (e--h+) pairs, and complex tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, an ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) sulfur-vacancy-engineered (Sv-engineered) Cu@SnS2-x nanosheet (NS) with an enhanced piezoelectric effect was constructed via the heterovalent substitution strategy of Sn4+ by Cu2+. The introduction of Cu2+ ion not only causes changes in the crystal structure to increase polarization but also generates rich Sv to decrease band gap from 2.16 to 1.62 eV and inhibit e--h+ pairs recombination, collectively leading to the highly efficient generation of reactive oxygen species under US irradiation. Moreover, Cu@SnS2-x shows US-enhanced TME-responsive Fenton-like catalytic activity and glutathione depletion ability, further aggravating the oxidative stress. Both in vitro and in vivo results prove that the Sv-engineered Cu@SnS2-x NSs can significantly kill tumor cells and achieve high-efficiency piezocatalytic tumor therapy in a biocompatible manner. Overall, this study provides a new avenue for sonocatalytic therapy and broadens the application of 2D piezoelectric materials.

Investigation of GPR143 as a promising novel marker for the progression of skin cutaneous melanoma through bioinformatic analyses and cell experiments.

BACKGROUND: Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is an aggressive and life-threatening skin cancer. G-protein coupled receptor 143 (GPR143) belongs to the superfamily of G protein-coupled receptors. METHODS: We used the TCGA, GTEx, CCLE, and the Human Protein Atlas databases to examine the mRNA and protein expression of GPR143. In addition, we performed a survival analysis and evaluated the diagnostic efficacy using the Receiver-Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Through CIBERSORT, R programming, TIMER, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, Sangerbox, and Kaplan-Meier plotter database analyses, we explored the relationships between GPR143, immune infiltration, and gene marker expression of immune infiltrated cells. Furthermore, we investigated the proteins that potentially interact with GPR143 and their functions using R programming and databases including STRING, GeneMANIA, and GSEA. Meanwhile, the cBioPortal, UALCNA, and the MethSurv databases were used to examine the genomic alteration and methylation of GPR143 in SKCM. The Connectivity Map database was used to discover potentially effective therapeutic molecules against SKCM. Finally, we conducted cell experiments to investigate the potential role of GPR143 in SKCM. RESULTS: We demonstrated a significantly high expression level of GPR143 in SKCM compared with normal tissues. High GPR143 expression and hypomethylation status of GPR143 were associated with a poorer prognosis. ROC analysis showed that the diagnostic efficacy of the GPR143 was 0.900. Furthermore, GPR143 expression was significantly correlated with immune infiltration in SKCM. We identified 20 neighbor genes and the pathways they enriched were anabolic process of pigmentation, immune regulation, and so on. Genomic alteration analysis revealed significantly different copy number variations related to GPR143 expression in SKCM, and shallow deletion could lead to high expression of GPR143. Ten potential therapeutic drugs against SKCM were identified. GPR143 knockdown inhibited melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and colony formation while promoting apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that GPR143 serves as a novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarker and is associated with the progression of SKCM.

In Situ Electrochemical Polymerization of Cathode Electrolyte Interphase Enabling High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

Lithium metal batteries (LMBs) with high-voltage nickel-rich cathodes show great potential as energy storage devices due to their exceptional capacity and power density. However, the detrimental parasitic side reactions at the cathode electrolyte interface result in rapid capacity decay. Herein, a polymerizable electrolyte additive, pyrrole-1-propionic acid (PA), which can be in situ electrochemically polymerized on the cathode surface and involved in forming cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) film during cycling is proposed. The formed CEI film prevents the formation of microcracks in LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) secondary particles and mitigates parasitic reactions. Additionally, the COO- anions of PA promote the acceleration of Li+ transport from cathode particles and increase charging rates. The Li||NCM811 batteries with PA in the electrolyte exhibit a high capacity retention of 83.83% after 200 cycles at 4.3 V, and maintain 80.88% capacity after 150 cycles at 4.6 V. This work provides an effective strategy for enhancing interface stability of high-voltage nickel-rich cathodes by forming stable CEI film.

Discovery of L15 as a novel Vif PROTAC degrader with antiviral activity against HIV-1.

Viral infectivity factor (Vif) has been recognized as a new therapeutic target for human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infected patients. In our previous work, we have synthesized a novel class of Vif inhibitors with 2-amino-N-(5-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)-6-((4-nitrophenyl)thio)benzamide scaffold, which show obvious activity in HIV-1 infected cells and are also effective against drug-resistant strains. Proteolytic targeting chimera (PROTAC) utilizes the ubiquitin-proteasome system to degrade target proteins, which is well established in the field of cancer, but the antiviral PROTAC molecules are rarely reported. In order to explore the effectiveness of PROTAC in the antiviral area, we designed and synthesized a series of degrader of HIV-1 Vif based on 2-amino-N-(5-hydroxy-2-methoxyphenyl)-6-((4-nitrophenyl)thio)benzamide scaffold. Among them, L15 can degrade Vif protein obviously in a dose-dependent manner and shows certain antivirus activity. Meanwhile, molecular dynamics simulation indicated that the ternary complex formed by L15, Vif, and E3 ligase adopted a reasonable binding mode and maintained a stable interaction. This provided a molecular basis and prerequisite for the selective degradation of the Vif protein by L15. This study reports the HIV-1 Vif PROTAC for the first time and represents the proof-of-concept of PROTACs-based antiviral drug discovery in the field of HIV/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Zonisamide attenuates pressure overload-induced myocardial hypertrophy in mice through proteasome inhibition.

Myocardial hypertrophy is a pathological thickening of the myocardium which ultimately results in heart failure. We previously reported that zonisamide, an antiepileptic drug, attenuated pressure overload-caused myocardial hypertrophy and diabetic cardiomyopathy in murine models. In addition, we have found that the inhibition of proteasome activates glycogen synthesis kinase 3 (GSK-3) thus alleviates myocardial hypertrophy, which is an important anti-hypertrophic strategy. In this study, we investigated whether zonisamide prevented pressure overload-caused myocardial hypertrophy through suppressing proteasome. Pressure overload-caused myocardial hypertrophy was induced in mice by trans-aortic constriction (TAC) surgery. Two days after the surgery, the mice were administered zonisamide (10, 20, 40 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for four weeks. We showed that zonisamide administration significantly mitigated impaired cardiac function. Furthermore, zonisamide administration significantly inhibited proteasome activity as well as the expression levels of proteasome subunit beta types (PSMB) of the 20 S proteasome (PSMB1, PSMB2 and PSMB5) and proteasome-regulated particles (RPT) of the 19 S proteasome (RPT1, RPT4) in heart tissues of TAC mice. In primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs), zonisamide (0.3 µM) prevented myocardial hypertrophy triggered by angiotensin II (Ang II), and significantly inhibited proteasome activity, proteasome subunits and proteasome-regulated particles. In Ang II-treated NRCMs, we found that 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid (18α-GA, 2 mg/ml), a proteasome inducer, eliminated the protective effects of zonisamide against myocardial hypertrophy and proteasome. Moreover, zonisamide treatment activated GSK-3 through inhibiting the phosphorylated AKT (protein kinase B, PKB) and phosphorylated liver kinase B1/AMP-activated protein kinase (LKB1/AMPKα), the upstream of GSK-3. Zonisamide treatment also inhibited GSK-3's downstream signaling proteins, including extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and GATA binding protein 4 (GATA4), both being the hypertrophic factors. Collectively, this study highlights the potential of zonisamide as a new therapeutic agent for myocardial hypertrophy, as it shows potent anti-hypertrophic potential through the suppression of proteasome.

Vaccarin suppresses diabetic nephropathy through inhibiting the EGFR/ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is recognized as one of the primary causes of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Vaccarin (VAC) confers favorable effects on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Nonetheless, the potential role and mechanism of VAC in the etiology of DN have yet to be completely elucidated. In this study, a classical mouse model of T2DM is experimentally induced via a high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozocin (STZ) regimen. Renal histological changes are assessed via H&E staining. Masson staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are employed to assess renal fibrosis. RT-PCR is utilized to quantify the mRNA levels of renal fibrosis, oxidative stress and inflammation markers. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as the content of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), are measured. The protein expressions of collagen I, TGF-ß1, α-SMA, E-cadherin, Nrf2, catalase, SOD3, SOD2, SOD1, p-ERK, p-EGFR (Y845), p-EGFR (Y1173), p-NFκB P65, t-ERK, t-EGFR and t-NFκB P65 are detected by western blot analysis. Our results reveal that VAC has a beneficial effect on DN mice by improving renal function and mitigating histological damage. This is achieved through its inhibition of renal fibrosis, inflammatory cytokine overproduction, and ROS generation. Moreover, VAC treatment effectively suppresses the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a crucial characteristic of renal fibrosis, in high glucose (HG)-induced HK-2 cells. Network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking identify epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as a potential target for VAC. Amino acid site mutations reveal that Lys-879, Ile-918, and Ala-920 of EGFR may mediate the direct binding of VAC to EGFR. In support of these findings, VAC reduces the phosphorylation levels of both EGFR and its downstream mediator, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), in diabetic kidneys and HG-treated HK-2 cells. Notably, blocking either EGFR or ERK1/2 yields renal benefits similar to those observed with VAC treatment. Therefore, this study reveals that VAC attenuates renal damage via inactivation of the EGFR/ERK1/2 signaling axis in T2DM patients.

The mitochondria-targeted antioxidant MitoQ ameliorates inorganic arsenic-induced DCs/Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg differentiation partially by activating PINK1-mediated mitophagy in murine liver.

Inorganic arsenic is a well-established environmental toxicant linked to acute liver injury, fibrosis, and cancer. While oxidative stress, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis are known contributors, the role of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1)-mediated mitophagy in arsenic-induced hepatic immunotoxicity remains underexplored. Our study revealed that acute arsenic exposure prompts differentiation of hepatic dendritic cells (DCs) and T helper (Th) 1, Th2, Th17, and regulatory T (Treg) cells, alongside increased transcription factors and cytokines. Inorganic arsenic triggered liver redox imbalance, leading to elevated alanine transaminase (ALT), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway. PINK1-mediated mitophagy was initiated, and its inhibition exacerbates H2O2 accumulation while promoting DCs/Th1/Th2/Treg differentiation in the liver of arsenic-exposed mice. Mitoquinone (MitoQ) pretreatment relieved arsenic-induced acute liver injury and immune imbalance by activating Nrf2/HO-1 and PINK1-mediated mitophagy. To our knowledge, this is the first report identifying PINK1-mediated mitophagy as a protective factor against inorganic arsenic-induced hepatic DCs/Th1/Th2 differentiation. This study has provided new insights on the immunotoxicity of inorganic arsenic and established a foundation for exploring preventive and therapeutic strategies targeting PINK1-mediated mitophagy in acute liver injury. Consequently, the application of mitochondrial antioxidant MitoQ may offer a promising treatment for the metalloid-induced acute liver injury.

Design, synthesis, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α inhibitory activity evaluation of panaxadiol derivatives containing a thiazole moiety.

The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway has been implicated in tumor angiogenesis, growth, and metastasis. Therefore, the inhibition of this pathway is an important therapeutic target for cancer. Here, three series of panaxadiol derivatives containing a thiazole moiety (5a-l, 7a-i, and 9a-i) were synthesized and evaluated for HIF-1α inhibitory activity using a Hep3B cell-based luciferase reporter assay. Compounds 5d and 7b showed the strongest inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 17.37 and 6.42 µM, respectively, and did not show any significant cytotoxicity. Western blot assay results indicated that these two compounds exhibited more potent inhibition, compared with panaxadiol, of the expression of HIF-1α protein in Hep3B cells at a concentration of 50 µM. Molecular docking experiments were also performed to investigate the structure-activity relationship.

Preparation of CoFe@C composite modified electrode for neohesperidin dihydrochalcone sensing and its application in Chinese medicine.

CoFe@C was first prepared by calcining the precursor of CoFe-metal-organic framework-74 (CoFe-MOF-74), then an electrochemical sensor for the determination of neohesperidin dihydrochalcone (NHDC) was constructed, which was stemmed from the novel CoFe@C/Nafion composite film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The CoFe@C/Nafion composite was verified by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to evaluate its electrical properties as a modified material for an electrochemical sensor. Compared with CoFe-MOF-74 precursor modified electrode, CoFe@C/Nafion electrode exhibited a great synergic catalytic effect and extremely increased the oxidation peak signal of NHDC. The effects of various experimental conditions on the oxidation of NHDC were investigated and the calibration plot was tested. The results bespoken that CoFe@C/Nafion GCE has good reproducibility and anti-interference under the optimal experimental conditions. In addition, the differential pulse current response of NHDC was linear with its concentration within the range 0.08 ~ 20 µmol/L, and the linear regression coefficient was 0.9957. The detection limit was as low as 14.2 nmol/L (S/N = 3). In order to further verify the feasibility of the method, it was successfully used to determine the content of NHDC in Chinese medicine, with a satisfactory result, good in accordance with that of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Reconstructing Solvation Structure by Steric Hindrance-Coordination Push-Pull of Dipolymer-H2O-Zn2+ toward Long-life Aqueous Zinc-Metal Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-metal batteries are prospective energy storge devices due to their intrinsically high safety and cost effectiveness. Yet, uneven deposition of zinc ions in electrochemical reduction and side reactions at the anode interface significantly hinder their development and application. Here, we propose a solvation-interface attenuation strategy enabled by a frustrated tertiary amine amphiphilic dipolymer electrolyte additive. The configuration of superhydrophilic segments with covalently bonded lipophilic spacers enables coupled steric hindrance/coordination, which establishes a balanced push-pull dynamic of dipolymer-H2O-Zn2+. Such interplay reconstructs the solvation structure of Zn2+ and allows the formation of a stable dipolymer-inorganic hybrid solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer. This SEI layer effectively shields the zinc-metal anode from water and anions, significantly reducing side reactions. In addition, the dipolymer adsorbed at the zinc-metal anode interface regulates the interfacial electrochemical reduction kinetics and ensures uniform zinc deposition. As a result, the Zn-Zn symmetric cells with dipolymer-containing electrolyte exhibit remarkable cycling stability exceeding 5800 h (242 days). The Zn-NVO batteries and Zn-AC hybrid ion supercapacitors also deliver stable cycling for up to 1440 h (60 days) with high-capacity retention over 80 %. This research demonstrates the potential to facilitate the development and commercialization of zinc-based energy storage devices.

Defect-Repaired g-C3N4 Nanosheets: Elevating the Efficacy of Sonodynamic Cancer Therapy Through Enhanced Charge Carrier Migration.

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) has garnered growing interest owing to its high tissue penetration depth and minimal side effects. However, the lack of efficient sonosensitizers remains the primary limiting factor for the clinical application of this treatment method. Here, defect-repaired graphene phase carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets are prepared and utilized for enhanced SDT in anti-tumor treatment. After defect engineering optimization, the bulk defects of g-C3N4 are significantly reduced, resulting in higher crystallinity and exhibiting a polyheptazine imide (PHI) structure. Due to the more extended conjugated structure of PHI, facilitating faster charge transfer on the surface, it exhibits superior SDT performance for inducing apoptosis in tumor cells. This work focuses on introducing a novel carbon nitride nanomaterial as a sonosensitizer and a strategy for optimizing sonosensitizer performance by reducing bulk defects.

Multi-Enzyme Mimetic MoCu Dual-Atom Nanozyme Triggering Oxidative Stress Cascade Amplification for High-Efficiency Synergistic Cancer Therapy.

Single-atom nanozymes (SAzymes) with ultrahigh atom utilization efficiency have been extensively applied in reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated cancer therapy. However, the high energy barriers of reaction intermediates on single-atom sites and the overexpressed antioxidants in the tumor microenvironment restrict the amplification of tumor oxidative stress, resulting in unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we report a multi-enzyme mimetic MoCu dual-atom nanozyme (MoCu DAzyme) with various catalytic active sites, which exhibits peroxidase, oxidase, glutathione (GSH) oxidase, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase mimicking activities. Compared with Mo SAzyme, the introduction of Cu atoms, formation of dual-atom sites, and synergetic catalytic effects among various active sites enhance substrate adsorption and reduce the energy barrier, thereby endowing MoCu DAzyme with stronger catalytic activities. Benefiting from the above enzyme-like activities, MoCu DAzyme can not only generate multiple ROS, but also deplete GSH and block its regeneration to trigger the cascade amplification of oxidative stress. Additionally, the strong optical absorption in the near-infrared II bio-window endows MoCu DAzyme with remarkable photothermal conversion performance. Consequently, MoCu DAzyme achieves high-efficiency synergistic cancer treatment incorporating collaborative catalytic therapy and photothermal therapy. This work will advance the therapeutic applications of DAzymes and provide valuable insights for nanocatalytic cancer therapy.

Honeycomb-ring hybrid random mesh design with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding for low stray light.

A honeycomb-ring hybrid random mesh structure is designed to achieve low stray light performance. The honeycomb-ring hybrid random mesh comprises the random honeycomb and random ring, achieving two random superpositions in the structure distribution. The stray light distribution is very low by the combination design with different random hybrid structures. In order to illustrate the advantages of the hybrid random structure, we design a random honeycomb network by randomly offsetting vertices. At the same time, for the random honeycomb structure, we replace each vertex with the ring structure with the size of the ring randomly controlled. Thus, the corresponding honeycomb-ring hybrid random structure is obtained. Compared with the random honeycomb, the maximal normalized high-order diffraction energy of the honeycomb-ring hybrid random mesh is about a 62.85% drop, and the shielding performance is increased by about 50%. At the same time, the optical transmittance remains nearly unchanged. Due to the enjoyable property of the designed honeycomb-ring hybrid random mesh, a sample was prepared for performance verification. The measurement results show that it achieves eminent diffraction pattern distribution with the maximal normalized high-order diffraction energy of about -31.8 dB. At the same time, the average optical transmittance exceeds 86%, and the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE) in the Ku band is greater than 26 dB. Based on the fine photoelectric performance of the honeycomb-ring hybrid random mesh structure, it has great application potential for high-quality optical windows.

Ultracompact terahertz plasmonic mode division multiplexer.

In this Letter, an ultracompact terahertz (THz) mode division multiplexer based on THz spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) is proposed. Compared with traditional optical multiplexing devices, the proposed mode multiplexer can be designed with a reduced footprint by exploiting more degrees of freedom in the parameters of the unit cell, namely a rectangular metallic pillar. The ultracompact mode division multiplexer can simultaneously support the propagation of four mode channels: the TM0, TM1, TM2, and TM3 modes. Then, we numerically evaluate the performance of a cascaded plasmonic mode division circuit composed of a mode multiplexer and demultiplexer. The cross talk and excess loss of the whole circuit are lower than -15 dB and 3.7 dB, respectively, for all four mode channels at a center frequency of 0.65 THz. The footprint of the whole device is about 27 × 2.3 mm and the length of each coupling region is about 2.7 mm. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a mode division multiplexer based on THz spoof SPPs is reported, which will form core devices for future THz on-chip multimode communication systems.

Development of PROTAC degrader probe of CDK4/6 based on DCAF16.

Treatment of breast cancer has greatly evolved during the last decades, but triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) with a higher degree of malignancy cannot be directly and effectively treated. Abnormal cell cycle is generally found in human breast cancer and other malignant tumors, and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 4/6, a cell cycle-related regulatory nuclear protein, is deemed as an effective target for breast cancer treatment so far. Since DCAF16 E3 ligase is also mainly distributed in the nucleus, in this study, by combining Palbociclib and DCAF16 E3 ligase ligand KB02 with different linkers, a series of DCAF16 based CDK4/6 degraders were designed and synthesized. Among them, compound A4 showed potent inhibitory activity against CDK4/6, and decreased the level of CDK4/6 protein in MDA-MB-231 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, the toxicity of A4 in normal cells showed 7 times lower than that of Palbociclib, and A4 exhibits therapeutic potential in MDA-MB-231 xenograft models in vivo. These findings indicate that A4, as a novel CDK4/6 degrader based on DCAF16, is worthy of further investigating for the treatment of TNBC.

Genomic Scan for Runs of Homozygosity and Selective Signature Analysis to Identify Candidate Genes in Large White Pigs.

Large White pigs are extensively utilized in China for their remarkable characteristics of rapid growth and the high proportion of lean meat. The economic traits of pigs, comprising reproductive and meat quality traits, play a vital role in swine production. In this study, 2295 individuals, representing three different genetic backgrounds Large White pig populations were used: 500 from the Canadian line, 295 from the Danish line, and 1500 from the American line. The GeneSeek 50K GGP porcine HD array was employed to genotype the three pig populations. Firstly, genomic selective signature regions were identified using the pairwise fixation index (FST) and locus-specific branch length (LSBL). By applying a top 1% threshold for both parameters, a total of 888 candidate selective windows were identified, harbouring 1571 genes. Secondly, the investigation of regions of homozygosity (ROH) was performed utilizing the PLINK software. In total, 25 genomic regions exhibiting a high frequency of ROHs were detected, leading to the identification of 1216 genes. Finally, the identified potential functional genes from candidate genomic regions were annotated, and several important candidate genes associated with reproductive traits (ADCYAP1, U2, U6, CETN1, Thoc1, Usp14, GREB1L, FGF12) and meat quality traits (MiR-133, PLEKHO1, LPIN2, SHANK2, FLVCR1, MYL4, SFRP1, miR-486, MYH3, STYX) were identified. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the genetic basis of economic traits in Large White pigs and may have potential use in future pig breeding programs.

Quality and Agronomic Trait Analyses of Pyramids Composed of Wheat Genes NGli-D2, Sec-1s and 1Dx5+1Dy10.

Due to rising living standards, it is important to improve wheat's quality traits by adjusting its storage protein genes. The introduction or locus deletion of high molecular weight subunits could provide new options for improving wheat quality and food safety. In this study, digenic and trigenic wheat lines were identified, in which the 1Dx5+1Dy10 subunit, and NGli-D2 and Sec-1s genes were successfully polymerized to determine the role of gene pyramiding in wheat quality. In addition, the effects of ω-rye alkaloids during 1BL/1RS translocation on quality were eliminated by introducing and utilizing 1Dx5+1Dy10 subunits through gene pyramiding. Additionally, the content of alcohol-soluble proteins was reduced, the Glu/Gli ratio was increased and high-quality wheat lines were obtained. The sedimentation values and mixograph parameters of the gene pyramids under different genetic backgrounds were significantly increased. Among all the pyramids, the trigenic lines in Zhengmai 7698, which was the genetic background, had the highest sedimentation value. The mixograph parameters of the midline peak time (MPT), midline peak value (MPV), midline peak width (MPW), curve tail value (CTV), curve tail width (CTW), midline value at 8 min (MTxV), midline width at 8 min (MTxW) and midline integral at 8 min (MTxI) of the gene pyramids were markedly enhanced, especially in the trigenic lines. Therefore, the pyramiding processes of the 1Dx5+1Dy10, Sec-1S and NGli-D2 genes improved dough elasticity. The overall protein composition of the modified gene pyramids was better than that of the wild type. The Glu/Gli ratios of the type I digenic line and trigenic lines containing the NGli-D2 locus were higher than that of the type II digenic line without the NGli-D2 locus. The trigenic lines with Hengguan 35 as the genetic background had the highest Glu/Gli ratio among the specimens. The unextractable polymeric protein (UPP%) and Glu/Gli ratios of the type II digenic line and trigenic lines were significantly higher than those of the wild type. The UPP% of the type II digenic line was higher than that of the trigenic lines, while the Glu/Gli ratio was slightly lower than that of the trigenic lines. In addition, the celiac disease (CD) epitopes' level of the gene pyramids significantly decreased. The strategy and information reported in this study could be very useful for improving wheat processing quality and reducing wheat CD epitopes.