Reniformin A suppresses non-small cell lung cancer progression by inducing TLR4/NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD-dependent pyroptosis.

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory form of programmed cell death that plays an important role in regulating tumor progression. Reniformin A (RA) is a natural compound isolated from the medicinal herb Isodon excisoides that has been applied as folk medicine in the treatment of esophageal cancer. However, whether RA has an individual function in cancer and the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), RA inhibits tumor growth by functioning as a pyroptosis inducer to promote TLR4/NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD axis. Specially, RA treatment increased Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) protein expression level by enhancing the TLR4 stability. Based on the molecular docking, we identified that RA directly bound to TLR4 to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and promote pyroptosis in A549 cells. Moreover, TLR4 is essential for RA-induced pyroptosis, and loss of TLR4 abolished RA-induced pyroptosis and further reduced the inhibitory effect of RA on NSCLC. In vivo experiments confirmed that RA inhibited the growth of lung tumors in mice by affecting pyroptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, TLR4 knockdown abolished RA-induced pyroptosis and inhibited the effect of RA chemotherapy in vivo. In conclusion, we propose that RA has a significant anticancer effect in NSCLC by inducing TLR4/NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis, which may provide a potential strategy for the treatment of NSCLC.

Molecular Mechanisms of the miR396b-GRF1 Module Underlying Rooting Regulation in Acer rubrum L.

Rooting and root development in Acer rubrum have important effects on overall growth. A. rubrum does not take root easily in natural conditions. In this study, the mechanisms of the miR396b-GRF1 module underlying rooting regulation in A. rubrum were studied. The subcellular localization and transcriptional activation of miR396b and its target gene growth regulating factor 1 (GRF1) were investigated. These experiments showed that GRF1 was localized in the nucleus and had transcriptional activation activity. Functional validation experiments in transgenic plants demonstrated that overexpression of Ar-miR396b inhibited adventitious root growth, whereas overexpression of ArGRF1 increased adventitious root growth. These results help clarify the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying adventitious root growth in A. rubrum and provide some new insights into the rooting rate in this species.

Regulatory Mechanisms of ArAux/IAA13 and ArAux/IAA16 in the Rooting Process of Acer rubrum.

Acer rubrum is difficult to root during cutting propagation. Auxin/indole-acetic acids (Aux/IAA) proteins, which are encoded by the early response genes of auxin, are transcriptional repressors that play important roles in auxin-mediated root growth and development. In this study, ArAux/IAA13 and ArAux/IAA16, which were significantly differentially expressed after 300 mg/L indole butyric acid treatment, were cloned. Heatmap analysis revealed that they might be associated with the process of adventitious root (AR) growth and development mediated by auxin. Subcellular localization analysis showed that they performed their function in the nucleus. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays revealed the interactions between them and two auxin response factor (ARF) proteins, ArARF10 and ArARF18, confirming their relevance to AR growth and development. Overexpression of transgenic plants confirmed that the overexpression of ArAux/IAA13 and ArAux/IAA16 inhibited AR development. These results help elucidate the mechanisms of auxin-mediated AR growth and development during the propagation of A. rubrum and provide a molecular basis for the rooting of cuttings.

Non-covalent binding of whey protein isolate after ultrasound pretreatment to epigallocatechin gallate: Effects on immune response and gut microbiota in BALB/c mice.

Cow's milk is one of the "big eight" most common allergenic foods, and ß-lactoglobulin and α-Lactalbumin in whey protein are two major allergens of cow's milk protein. An effective strategy for reducing the allergenicity of whey protein is needed. In the present study, protein-EGCG complexes were obtained through non-covalent interactions between untreated or sonicated whey protein isolate (WPI) and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and the allergenicity of complexes was assessed in vivo. The results showed that SWPI-EGCG complex possesses low allergenicity in BALB/c mice. As compared with untreated WPI, SWPI-EGCG complex had less effect on the body weight and organ indexes. Moreover, SWPI-EGCG complex could alleviate the WPI induced allergic reactions and intestinal damage of mice by decreasing the secretion of IgE, IgG, histamine, mMCP-1, modulating the balance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 response, and increasing the diversity of intestinal flora and the relative abundances of probiotic bacteria. These findings indicate that the interaction of sonicated WPI with EGCG could reduce the allergenicity of WPI, which could provide a new strategy for reducing food allergenicity.

Raman mapping of piezoelectric poly(l-lactic acid) films for force sensors.

Poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) is a synthetic, biocompatible, biodegradable polymer with good piezoelectric properties. The prepared PLLA films were annealed in the oven at 140 °C for 0 h, 3 h, 12 h, and 24 h, respectively. The influences of temperature treatment time on the optoelectronic properties of the PLLA films and piezoelectric sensors based on them were investigated. The morphology and crystal structure of the PLLA films obtained under various post-processing conditions were examined by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The micromechanical equipment for tension-compression measurements was built in the laboratory for the tested piezoelectric sensors. The analysis of the structure shows that the increase in the crystallite size of the PLLA film influences the growth of the piezoelectric signal of the sensors based on them. The vibrational analysis of the PLLA films confirmed their crystal structure. The improvement in the structure and the stretching of the dipole C[double bond, length as m-dash]O for the film obtained after 3 h treatment increased the piezoelectric properties of the PLLA films. The analysis of Raman mapping added information that the area of the ordered phase of the PLLA films depends on the time of temperature treatment. The maximum value of the piezoelectric signal was 0.98 mV for sensors prepared on films annealed for 3 h at a load of 20 N. For films without temperature annealing at the same load, the maximum value was 0.45 mV. Thus, efficient converters of mechanical energy into electrical energy were obtained, which opens new innovative perspectives for the creation of flexible pressure sensors based on PLLA.

Protective effect of active components of Eucommia ulmoides leaves on gastric ulcers in rats: Involvement of the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway.

Eucommia ulmoides leaves are widely developed as food and medicines in China and Japan. Its main components have anti-inflammatory properties against gastric ulcers. The purpose of this study was to assess the protective role of an extract derived from the active components of Eucommia ulmoides leaves (EUL 50) against a gastric ulcer and analyze the underlying antiulcer mechanism. The main components of EUL 50 were identified using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method. Network pharmacology and molecular docking were performed to predict the possible mechanism of action of EUL 50 in the treatment of gastric ulcers. The rats received EUL 50 intragastric administration twice a day for 3 days. Hydrochloric acid/ethanol (HCl/EtOH) was utilized to induce gastric ulcers, followed by histopathological and histochemical evaluation of the ulcer tissues and determination of the main oxidative stress parameters and inflammatory cytokines. The expression of PI3K/Akt/NF-κB pathway-related proteins was measured. Neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, rutin, and so on were identified as the major components of EUL 50 by UPLC. The prediction results identified the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway as the main possible protective mechanism against gastric ulcers. Furthermore, in a dose-dependent manner, EUL 50 reduced gastric tissue damage. In addition, the high dose of EUL 50 administration resulted in remarkable reductions in the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) by 22.64%, 42.61%, 57.78%, and 56.51%, respectively, and suppression of the phosphorylation of Akt, p65, IKKα, and IκBα by 60.87%, 67.65, 74.58%, and 59.57%, respectively, and increased the antioxidant enzyme activity. EUL 50 is rich in flavonoids and organic acids that can act on the PI3K/Akt/NF-κB signaling pathway; as a result, oxidative stress and inflammation are considerably reduced, and gastric ulcers caused by HCl/EtOH are reduced. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: As a medicinal and food substance, Eucommia ulmoides leaves are widely used in the development of health products. EUL 50, a moderately polar part of E. ulmoides leaves, was obtained by extraction and enrichment and was found to have a better protective effect against HCl/EtOH-induced gastric ulcers. This finding can enrich the traditional application of E. ulmoides leaves and provide a basis for their health product development.

L3MBTL2-mediated CGA transcriptional suppression promotes pancreatic cancer progression through modulating autophagy.

L3MBTL2 is a crucial component of ncPRC1.6 and has been implicated in transcriptional repression and chromatin compaction. However, the repression mechanism of L3MBTL2 and its biological functions are largely undefined. Here, we found that L3MBTL2 plays a distinct oncogenic role in tumor development. We demonstrated that L3MBTL2 repressed downstream CGA through an H2AK119ub1-dependent mechanism. Importantly, the binding of the MGA/MAX heterodimer to the E-box on the CGA promoter enhanced the specific selective repression of CGA by L3MBTL2. CGA encodes the alpha subunit of glycoprotein hormones; however, we showed that CGA plays an individual tumor suppressor role in PDAC. Moreover, CGA-transcript1 (T1) was identified as the major transcript, and the tumor suppression function of CGA-T1 depends on its own glycosylation. Furthermore, glycosylated CGA-T1 inhibited PDAC, partly by repression of autophagy through multiple pathways, including PI3K/Akt/mTOR and TP53INP2 pathways. These findings reveal the important roles of L3MBTL2 and CGA in tumor development.

Ribosome 18S m6A methyltransferase METTL5 promotes pancreatic cancer progression by modulating c­Myc translation.

Methyltransferase N6­adenosine (METTL5) is a methyltransferase that specifically catalyzes 18S rRNA N6 methylation at adenosine 1832 (m6A1832), which is located in a critical position in the decoding center, therefore suggesting its potential importance in the regulation of translation. However, the underlying mechanism of METTL5­mediated translation regulation of specific genes and its biological functions are largely undefined. To the best of our knowledge, the present study demonstrated for the first time that METTL5 was an oncogene that promoted cell proliferation, migration, invasion and tumorigenesis in pancreatic cancer. In addition, the oncogenic function of METTL5 may involve an increase in c­Myc translation, as evidenced by the fact that the oncogenic effect caused by METTL5 overexpression could be abolished by c­Myc knockdown. Notably, m6A modifications at the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) and coding DNA sequence region (near the 5'UTR) of c­Myc mRNA played a critical role in the specific translation regulation by METTL5. In addition, it was further demonstrated that METTL5 and its cofactor tRNA methyltransferase activator subunit 11­2 synergistically promote pancreatic cancer progression. These findings revealed important roles for METTL5 in the development of pancreatic cancer and present the METTL5/c­Myc axis as a novel therapeutic strategy for treatment.

An Acoustic Platform for Single-Cell, High-Throughput Measurements of the Viscoelastic Properties of Cells.

Cellular processes including adhesion, migration, and differentiation are governed by the distinct mechanical properties of each cell. Importantly, the mechanical properties of individual cells can vary depending on local physical and biochemical cues in a time-dependent manner resulting in significant inter-cell heterogeneity. While several different methods have been developed to interrogate the mechanical properties of single cells, throughput to capture this heterogeneity remains an issue. Here, single-cell, high-throughput characterization of adherent cells is demonstrated using acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS). AFS works by simultaneously, acoustically driving tens to hundreds of silica beads attached to cells away from the cell surface, allowing the user to measure the stiffness of adherent cells under multiple experimental conditions. It is shown that cells undergo marked changes in viscoelasticity as a function of temperature, by altering the temperature within the AFS microfluidic circuit between 21 and 37 °C. In addition, quantitative differences in cells exposed to different pharmacological treatments specifically targeting the membrane-cytoskeleton interface are shown. Further, the high-throughput format of the AFS is utilized to rapidly probe, in excess of 1000 cells, three different cell lines expressing different levels of a mechanosensitive protein, Piezo1, demonstrating the ability to differentiate between cells based on protein expression levels.

Pencil-Drawing Skin-Mountable Micro-Supercapacitors.

In this study, integrated plaster-like micro-supercapacitors based on medical adhesive tapes are fabricated by a simple pencil drawing process combined with a mild solution deposition of MnO2 . These solid micro-supercapacitors not only exhibit excellent stretchability, flexibility, and biocompatibility, but also possess outstanding electrochemical performances, such as exceptional rate capability and cycling stability. Hence they may act as skin-mountable and thin-film energy storage devices of high efficiency to power miniaturized and wearable electronic devices.

Determination of L-arginine content in Radix isatidis by a composite fluorescent probe of Pd (II).

In the presence of Britton-Robinson buffer solution (pH = 9.5) and surfactant of Tween-80, fluorescence intensity of calcein was quenched by Pd2+. However, the fluorescence intensity can be enhanced after adding a certain concentration of L-arginine, and the rate of the enhancement showed a good liner relationship with the added amount of L-arginine. We then established a fluorescence spectrometry for the determination of L-arginine. In addition, the linear range, along with detection limit, was different when the slit width changed. Thus, we could use a different slit width to meet our requirements according to the samples we treated. By testing actual samples and the reliability of our method, we found that our method was reliable for determining the content of L-arginine in Radix isatidis.