ISL1 and POU4F1 Directly Interact to Regulate the Differentiation and Survival of Inner Ear Sensory Neurons.

The inner ear sensory neurons play a pivotal role in auditory processing and balance control. Though significant progresses have been made, the underlying mechanisms controlling the differentiation and survival of the inner ear sensory neurons remain largely unknown. During development, ISL1 and POU4F transcription factors are co-expressed and are required for terminal differentiation, pathfinding, axon outgrowth and the survival of neurons in the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, little is understood about their functional relationship and regulatory mechanism in neural development. Here, we have knocked out Isl1 or Pou4f1 or both in mice of both sexes. In the absence of Isl1, the differentiation of cochleovestibular ganglion (CVG) neurons is disturbed and with that Isl1-deficient CVG neurons display defects in migration and axon pathfinding. Compound deletion of Isl1 and Pou4f1 causes a delay in CVG differentiation and results in a more severe CVG defect with a loss of nearly all of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs). Moreover, ISL1 and POU4F1 interact directly in developing CVG neurons and act cooperatively as well as independently in regulating the expression of unique sets of CVG-specific genes crucial for CVG development and survival by binding to the cis-regulatory elements including the promoters of Fgf10, Pou4f2, and Epha5 and enhancers of Eya1 and Ntng2 These findings demonstrate that Isl1 and Pou4f1 are indispensable for CVG development and maintenance by acting epistatically to regulate genes essential for CVG development.

The transcription regulator Lmo3 is required for the development of medial ganglionic eminence derived neurons in the external globus pallidus.

The external globus pallidus (GPe) is an essential component of the basal ganglia, a group of subcortical nuclei that are involved in control of action. Changes in the firing of GPe neurons are associated with both passive and active body movements. Aberrant activity of GPe neurons has been linked to motor symptoms of a variety of movement disorders, such as Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's disease and dystonia. Recent studies have helped delineate functionally distinct subtypes of GABAergic GPe projection neurons. However, not much is known about specific molecular mechanisms underlying the development of GPe neuronal subtypes. We show that the transcriptional regulator Lmo3 is required for the development of medial ganglionic eminence derived Nkx2.1+ and PV+ GPe neurons, but not lateral ganglionic eminence derived FoxP2+ neurons. As a consequence of the reduction in PV+ neurons, Lmo3-null mice have a reduced GPe input to the subthalamic nucleus.

Development of a Recombinase-Aided Amplification Assay for the Rapid Detection of Candida auris.

Candida auris (C. auris) was first discovered in Japan in 2009 and has since spread worldwide. It exhibits strong transmission ability, high multidrug resistance, blood infectivity, and mortality rates. Traditional diagnostic techniques for C. auris have shortcomings, leading to difficulty in its timely diagnosis and identification. Therefore, timely and accurate diagnostic assays for clinical samples are crucial. We developed a novel, rapid recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay targeting the 18S rRNA, ITS1, 5.8S rRNA, ITS2, and 28S rRNA genes for C. auris identification. This assay can rapidly amplify DNA at 39 °C in 20 min. The analytical sensitivity and specificity were evaluated. From 241 clinical samples collected from pediatric inpatients, none were detected as C. auris-positive. We then prepared simulated clinical samples by adding 10-fold serial dilutions of C. auris into the samples to test the RAA assay's efficacy and compared it with that of real-time PCR. The assay demonstrated an analytical sensitivity of 10 copies/µL and an analytical specificity of 100%. The lower detection limit of the RAA assay for simulated clinical samples was 101 CFU/mL, which was better than that of real-time PCR (102-103 CFU/mL), demonstrating that the RAA assay may have a better detection efficacy for clinical samples. In summary, the RAA assay has high sensitivity, specificity, and detection efficacy. This assay is a potential new method for detecting C. auris, with simple reaction condition requirements, thus helping to manage C. auris epidemics.

ABHD6 suppresses colorectal cancer progression via AKT signaling pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) continues to be a prevalent malignancy, posing a significant risk to human health. The involvement of alpha/beta hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6), a serine hydrolase family member, in CRC development was suggested by our analysis of clinical data. However, the role of ABHD6 in CRC remains unclear. This study seeks to elucidate the clinical relevance, biological function, and potential molecular mechanisms of ABHD6 in CRC. We investigated the role of ABHD6 in clinical settings, conducting proliferation, migration, and cell cycle assays. To determine the influence of ABHD6 expression levels on Oxaliplatin sensitivity, we also performed apoptosis assays. RNA sequencing and KEGG analysis were utilized to uncover the potential molecular mechanisms of ABHD6. Furthermore, we validated its expression levels using Western blot and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection assays. Our results demonstrated that ABHD6 expression in CRC tissues was notably lower compared to adjacent normal tissues. This low expression correlated with a poorer prognosis for CRC patients. Moreover, ABHD6 overexpression impeded CRC cell proliferation and migration while inducing G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. In vivo experiments revealed that downregulation of ABHD6 resulted in an increase in tumor weight and volume. Mechanistically, ABHD6 overexpression inhibited the activation of the AKT signaling pathway and decreased ROS levels in CRC cells, suggesting the role of ABHD6 in CRC progression via the AKT signaling pathway. Our findings demonstrate that ABHD6 functions as a tumor suppressor, primarily by inhibiting the AKT signaling pathway. This role establishes ABHD6 as a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for CRC patients.

Potential crosstalk between SPP1 + TAMs and CD8 + exhausted T cells promotes an immunosuppressive environment in gastric metastatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy brings new hope to patients with advanced gastric cancer. However, liver metastases can reduce the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) may be the cause of this reduction in efficacy. SPP1 + TAMs are considered to have immunosuppressive properties. We aimed to investigate the involvement of SPP1 + TAMs in the metastasis of gastric cancer. METHODS: The single-cell transcriptome was combined with batched BULK datasets for analysis. Animal models were used to verify the analysis results. RESULTS: We reveal the interaction of SPP1 + TAMs with CD8 + exhausted T cells in metastatic cancer. Among these interactions, GDF15-TGFBR2 may play a key immunosuppressive role. We constructed an LR score to quantify interactions based on ligands and receptors. The LR score is highly correlated with various immune features and clinical molecular subtypes. The LR score may also guide the prediction of the efficacy of immunotherapy and prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: The crosstalk between SPP1 + TAMs and CD8 + exhausted T cells plays a key immunosuppressive role in the gastric metastatic cancer microenvironment.

Multiple factors trigger the formation and resuscitation of the VBNC state in alcohol-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Klebsiella pneumoniae can enter a viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state to survive in unfavorable environments. Our research found that high-, medium-, and low-alcohol-producing K. pneumoniae strains are associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the presence of the three Kpn strains has not been reported in the VBNC state or during resuscitation. In this study, the effects of different strains, salt concentrations, oxygen concentrations, temperatures, and nutrients in K. pneumoniae VBNC state were evaluated. The results showed that high-alcohol-producing K. pneumoniae induced a slower VBNC state than medium-alcohol-producing K. pneumoniae, and low-alcohol-producing K. pneumoniae. A high-salt concentration and micro-oxygen environment accelerated the loss of culturability. Simultaneously, both real-time quantitative PCR and droplet digital PCR were developed to compare the quantitative comparison of three Kpn strain VBNC states by counting single-copy gene numbers. At 22°C or 37°C, the number of culturable cells decreased significantly from about 108 to 105-106 CFU/mL. In addition, imipenem, ciprofloxacin, polymyxin, and phiW14 inhibited cell resuscitation but could not kill VBNC-state cells. These results revealed that the different environments evaluated play different roles in the VBNC induction process, and new effective strategies for eliminating VBNC-state cells need to be further studied. These findings provide a better understanding of VBNC-state occurrence, maintenance, detection, and absolute quantification, as well as metabolic studies of resuscitation resistance and ethanol production.IMPORTANCEBacteria may enter VBNC state under different harsh environments. Pathogenic VBNC bacteria cells in clinical and environmental samples pose a potential threat to public health because cells cannot be found by routine culture. The alcohol-producing Kpn VBNC state was not reported, and the influencing factors were unknown. The formation and recovery of VBNC state is a complete bacterial escape process. We evaluated the influence of multiple induction conditions on the formation of VBNC state and recovery from antibiotic and bacteriophage inhibition, and established a sensitive molecular method to enumerate the VBNC cells single-copy gene. The method can improve the sensitivity of pathogen detection in clinical, food, and environmental contamination monitoring, and outbreak warning. The study of the formation and recovery of VBNC-state cells under different stress environments will also promote the microbiological research on the development, adaptation, and resuscitation in VBNC-state ecology.

Ultrafast evanescently coupled waveguide MUTC-PDs with high responsivity.

Novel evanescently coupled waveguide modified uni-traveling carrier photodiodes (MUTC-PDs) employing a thick multi-layer coupling waveguide are reported. To improve the optical-to-electrical (O/E) conversion efficiency, a thick multi-layer coupling waveguide with a gradually increased refractive index from the bottom layer to the absorption layer is utilized. The refractive index profile facilitates the upward transmission of incident light into the absorption region, thereby enhancing the evanescent coupling efficiency. Meanwhile, the coupling waveguide, with a total thickness of 1.75 µm, expands the mode field diameter, thereby reducing the input coupling loss. Additionally, the top layer of the coupling waveguide also serves as the drift layer. This configuration facilitates efficient light absorption within a short PD length, thus ensuring ultrawide bandwidth and high O/E conversion efficiency simultaneously. Without an additional spot size coupler or anti-reflection coating, the measured responsivity is as high as 0.38 A/W for the PD with an active area of 5 × 6 µm2. Meanwhile, an ultrawide 3-dB bandwidth of 153 GHz has been demonstrated.

Verifying Quantum Advantage Experiments with Multiple Amplitude Tensor Network Contraction.

The quantum supremacy experiment, such as Google Sycamore [F. Arute et al., Nature (London) 574, 505 (2019).NATUAS0028-083610.1038/s41586-019-1666-5], poses a great challenge for classical verification due to the exponentially increasing compute cost. Using a new-generation Sunway supercomputer within 8.5 d, we provide a direct verification by computing 3×10^{6} exact amplitudes for the experimentally generated bitstrings, obtaining a cross-entropy benchmarking fidelity of 0.191% (the estimated value is 0.224%). The leap of simulation capability is built on a multiple-amplitude tensor network contraction algorithm which systematically exploits the "classical advantage" (the inherent "store-and-compute" operation mode of von Neumann machines) of current supercomputers, and a fused tensor network contraction algorithm which drastically increases the compute efficiency on heterogeneous architectures. Our method has a far-reaching impact in solving quantum many-body problems, statistical problems, as well as combinatorial optimization problems.

Individualized Structural Perturbations on Normative Brain Connectome Restrict Deep Brain Stimulation Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) respond to deep brain stimulation (DBS) variably. However, how brain substrates restrict DBS outcomes remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: In this article, we aim to identify prognostic brain signatures for explaining the response variability. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated a cohort of patients with PD (n = 141) between 2017 and 2022, and defined DBS outcomes as the improvement ratio of clinical motor scores. We used a deviation index to quantify individual perturbations on a reference structural covariance network acquired with preoperative T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. The neurobiological perturbations of patients were represented as z scored indices based on the chronological perturbations measured on a group of normal aging adults. RESULTS: After applying stringent statistical tests (z > 2.5) and correcting for false discoveries (P < 0.01), we found that accelerated deviations mainly affected the prefrontal cortex, motor strip, limbic system, and cerebellum in PD. Particularly, a negative network within the accelerated deviations, expressed as "more preoperative deviations, less postoperative improvements," could predict DBS outcomes (mean absolute error = 0.09, R2 = 0.15). Moreover, a fusion of personal brain predictors and medical responses significantly improved traditional evaluations of DBS outcomes. Notably, the most important brain predictor, a pathway connecting the cognitive unit (prefrontal cortex) and motor control unit (cerebellum and motor strip), partially mediates DBS outcomes with the age at surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that individual structural perturbations on the cognitive motor control circuit are critical for modulating DBS outcomes. Interventions toward the circuit have the potential for additional clinical improvements. © 2024 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Increased intrinsic and synaptic excitability of hypothalamic POMC neurons underlies chronic stress-induced behavioral deficits.

Chronic stress exposure induces maladaptive behavioral responses and increases susceptibility to neuropsychiatric conditions. However, specific neuronal populations and circuits that are highly sensitive to stress and trigger maladaptive behavioral responses remain to be identified. Here we investigate the patterns of spontaneous activity of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus following exposure to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) for 10 days, a stress paradigm used to induce behavioral deficits such as anhedonia and behavioral despair [1, 2]. CUS exposure increased spontaneous firing of POMC neurons in both male and female mice, attributable to reduced GABA-mediated synaptic inhibition and increased intrinsic neuronal excitability. While acute activation of POMC neurons failed to induce behavioral changes in non-stressed mice of both sexes, subacute (3 days) and chronic (10 days) repeated activation of POMC neurons was sufficient to induce anhedonia and behavioral despair in males but not females under non-stress conditions. Acute activation of POMC neurons promoted susceptibility to subthreshold unpredictable stress in both male and female mice. Conversely, acute inhibition of POMC neurons was sufficient to reverse CUS-induced anhedonia and behavioral despair in both sexes. Collectively, these results indicate that chronic stress induces both synaptic and intrinsic plasticity of POMC neurons, leading to neuronal hyperactivity. Our findings suggest that POMC neuron dysfunction drives chronic stress-related behavioral deficits.

Assessment of the three-test genetic toxicology battery for groundwater metabolites.

The two-test in vitro battery for genotoxicity testing (Ames and micronucleus) has in the majority of cases replaced the three-test battery (as two-test plus mammalian cell gene mutation assay) for the routine testing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and agrochemical metabolites originating from food and feed as well as from water treatment. The guidance for testing agrochemical groundwater metabolites, however, still relies on the three-test battery. Data collated in this study from 18 plant protection and related materials highlights the disparity between the often negative Ames and in vitro chromosome aberration data and frequently positive in vitro mammalian cell gene mutation assays. Sixteen of the 18 collated materials with complete datasets were Ames negative, and overall had negative outcomes in in vitro chromosome damage tests (weight of evidence from multiple tests). Mammalian cell gene mutation assays (HPRT and/or mouse lymphoma assay (MLA)) were positive in at least one test for every material with this data. Where both MLA and HPRT tests were performed on the same material, the HPRT seemed to give fewer positive responses. In vivo follow-up tests included combinations of comet assays, unscheduled DNA synthesis, and transgenic rodent gene mutation assays, all gave negative outcomes. The inclusion of mammalian cell gene mutation assays in a three-test battery for groundwater metabolites is therefore not justified and leads to unnecessary in vivo follow-up testing.

Safety and adherence of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis among adults in Guiyang China: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) depends on participants adherence, making it crucial to assess and compare regimen options to enhance human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prophylaxis strategies. However, no prospective study in China has shown that the completion rate and adherence of single-tablet regimens in HIV PEP are higher than those of multi-tablet preparations. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the completion rate and adherence of two HIV PEP regimens. METHODS: In this single-center, prospective, open-label cohort study, we included 179 participants from May 2022 to March 2023 and analyzed the differences in the 28-day medication completion rate, adherence, safety, tolerance, and effectiveness of bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, emtricitabine, and dolutegravir (TDF/FTC + DTG). RESULTS: The PEP completion rate and adherence were higher in the BIC/FTC/TAF group than in the TDF/FTC + DTG group (completion rate: 97.8% vs. 82.6%, P = 0.009; adherence: 99.6 ± 2.82% vs. 90.2 ± 25.29%, P = 0.003). The incidence of adverse reactions in the BIC/FTC/TAF and TDF/FTC + DTG groups was 15.2% and 10.3% (P = 0.33), respectively. In the TDF/FTC + DTG group, one participant stopped PEP owing to adverse reactions (1.1%). No other participants stopped PEP due to adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: BIC/FTC/TAF and TDF/FTC + DTG have good safety and tolerance as PEP regimens. BIC/FTC/TAF has a higher completion rate and increased adherence, thus, is recommended as a PEP regimen. These findings emphasize the importance of regimen choice in optimizing PEP outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (registration number: ChiCTR2200059994(2022-05-14), https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=167391 ).

Detecting and quantifying Veillonella by real-time quantitative PCR and droplet digital PCR.

Veillonella spp. are Gram-negative opportunistic pathogens present in the respiratory, digestive, and reproductive tracts of mammals. An abnormal increase in Veillonella relative abundance in the body is closely associated with periodontitis, inflammatory bowel disease, urinary tract infections, and many other diseases. We designed a pair of primers and a probe based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences of Veillonella and conducted real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to quantify the abundance of Veillonella in fecal samples. These two methods were tested for specificity and sensitivity using simulated clinical samples. The sensitivity of qPCR was 100 copies/µL, allowing for the accurate detection of a wide range of Veillonella concentrations from 103 to 108 CFU/mL. The sensitivity of ddPCR was 11.3 copies/µL, only allowing for the accurate detection of Veillonella concentrations from 101 to 104 CFU/mL because of the limited number of droplets generated by ddPCR. ddPCR is therefore more suitable for the detection of low-abundance Veillonella samples. To characterize the validity of the assay system, clinical samples from children with inflammatory bowel disease were collected and analyzed, and the results were verified using isolation methods. We conclude that molecular assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene provides an important tool for the rapid diagnosis of chronic and infectious diseases caused by Veillonella and also supports the isolation and identification of Veillonella for research purposes. KEY POINTS: • With suitable primer sets, the qPCR has a wider detection range than ddPCR. • ddPCR is suitable for the detection of low-abundance samples. • Methods successfully guided the isolation of Veillonella in clinical sample.

DIA-Based Proteomics Identifies IDH2 as a Targetable Regulator of Acquired Drug Resistance in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

Drug resistance is a critical obstacle to effective treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. To understand the underlying resistance mechanisms in response to imatinib mesylate (IMA) and adriamycin (ADR), the parental K562 cells were treated with low doses of IMA or ADR for 2 months to generate derivative cells with mild, intermediate, and severe resistance to the drugs as defined by their increasing resistance index. PulseDIA-based (DIA [data-independent acquisition]) quantitative proteomics was then employed to reveal the proteome changes in these resistant cells. In total, 7082 proteins from 98,232 peptides were identified and quantified from the dataset using four DIA software tools including OpenSWATH, Spectronaut, DIA-NN, and EncyclopeDIA. Sirtuin signaling pathway was found to be significantly enriched in both ADR-resistant and IMA-resistant K562 cells. In particular, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 was identified as a potential drug target correlated with the drug resistance phenotype, and its inhibition by the antagonist AGI-6780 reversed the acquired resistance in K562 cells to either ADR or IMA. Together, our study has implicated isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 as a potential target that can be therapeutically leveraged to alleviate the drug resistance in K562 cells when treated with IMA and ADR.

Associated lifestyle factors of elevated plasma aldosterone concentration in community population, gender-stratified analysis of a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Aldosterone plays important parts in development of cardio-metabolic diseases as end product of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. However, factors elevating circulating aldosterone are not clear, and lifestyle-related factors are suggested to be involved, whereas less studied. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association of lifestyle factors with plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) in community population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited participants using multistage random sampling from Emin China in 2019, and collected data and fasting blood samples. The considered lifestyle factors included obesity parameters (neck circumference, abdominal circumference), alcohol consumption, blood pressure (BP), physical activity, sleep duration, sleep quality, mental state (depression and anxiety), fasting blood glucose (FBG), and lipid profiles (total cholesterol and triglyceride). PAC was measured using radioimmunoassay. We performed sex-stratified linear and logistic regressions to explore associated factors of PAC. Component analysis was further performed to identify the main factors affecting PAC. RESULTS: Twenty-seven thousand four hundred thirty-six participants with 47.1% men were included. Obesity parameters (neck circumference, abdominal circumference), glucose metabolism (FBG), psychological status (anxiety status in men and women, depression status in men), BP, liver function (in men), lipid metabolism (TC and TG in men), sleep parameters (sleep quality in women), and renal function (in women) are the main factors associated with elevated PAC. CONCLUSION: lower physical activity, alcohol consumption, higher BP, fat accumulation, dyslipidemia, higher fasting blood glucose, and presence of depression and anxiety were the main factors associated with eleveated PAC.

Purine synthesis suppression reduces the development and progression of pulmonary hypertension in rodent models.

AIMS: Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a hallmark of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Proliferative cells utilize purine bases from the de novo purine synthesis (DNPS) pathways for nucleotide synthesis; however, it is unclear whether DNPS plays a critical role in VSMC proliferation during development of PH. The last two steps of DNPS are catalysed by the enzyme 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase/inosine monophosphate cyclohydrolase (ATIC). This study investigated whether ATIC-driven DNPS affects the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and the development of PH. METHODS AND RESULTS: Metabolites of DNPS in proliferative PASMCs were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. ATIC expression was assessed in platelet-derived growth factor-treated PASMCs and in the lungs of PH rodents and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Mice with global and VSMC-specific knockout of Atic were utilized to investigate the role of ATIC in both hypoxia- and lung interleukin-6/hypoxia-induced murine PH. ATIC-mediated DNPS at the mRNA, protein, and enzymatic activity levels were increased in platelet-derived growth factor-treated PASMCs or PASMCs from PH rodents and patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. In cultured PASMCs, ATIC knockdown decreased DNPS and nucleic acid DNA/RNA synthesis, and reduced cell proliferation. Global or VSMC-specific knockout of Atic attenuated vascular remodelling and inhibited the development and progression of both hypoxia- and lung IL-6/hypoxia-induced PH in mice. CONCLUSION: Targeting ATIC-mediated DNPS compromises the availability of purine nucleotides for incorporation into DNA/RNA, reducing PASMC proliferation and pulmonary vascular remodelling and ameliorating the development and progression of PH.

ATIC-Associated De Novo Purine Synthesis Is Critically Involved in Proliferative Arterial Disease.

BACKGROUND: Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a hallmark of arterial diseases, especially in arterial restenosis after angioplasty or stent placement. VSMCs reprogram their metabolism to meet the increased requirements of lipids, proteins, and nucleotides for their proliferation. De novo purine synthesis is one of critical pathways for nucleotide synthesis. However, its role in proliferation of VSMCs in these arterial diseases has not been defined. METHODS: De novo purine synthesis in proliferative VSMCs was evaluated by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The expression of ATIC (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase/inosine monophosphate cyclohydrolase), the critical bifunctional enzyme in the last 2 steps of the de novo purine synthesis pathway, was assessed in VSMCs of proliferative arterial neointima. Global and VSMC-specific knockout of Atic mice were generated and used for examining the role of ATIC-associated purine metabolism in the formation of arterial neointima and atherosclerotic lesions. RESULTS: In this study, we found that de novo purine synthesis was increased in proliferative VSMCs. Upregulated purine synthesis genes, including ATIC, were observed in the neointima of the injured vessels and atherosclerotic lesions both in mice and humans. Global or specific knockout of Atic in VSMCs inhibited cell proliferation, attenuating the arterial neointima in models of mouse atherosclerosis and arterial restenosis. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal that de novo purine synthesis plays an important role in VSMC proliferation in arterial disease. These findings suggest that targeting ATIC is a promising therapeutic approach to combat arterial diseases.

The landscape of the long non-coding RNAs in developing mouse retinas.

BACKGROUND: The long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical regulators of diverse biological processes. Nevertheless, a global view of its expression and function in the mouse retina, a crucial model for neurogenesis study, still needs to be made available. RESULTS: Herein, by integrating the established gene models and the result from ab initio prediction using short- and long-read sequencing, we characterized 4,523 lncRNA genes (MRLGs) in developing mouse retinas (from the embryonic day of 12.5 to the neonatal day of P28), which was so far the most comprehensive collection of retinal lncRNAs. Next, derived from transcriptomics analyses of different tissues and developing retinas, we found that the MRLGs were highly spatiotemporal specific in expression and played essential roles in regulating the genesis and function of mouse retinas. In addition, we investigated the expression of MRLGs in some mouse mutants and revealed that 97 intergenic MRLGs might be involved in regulating differentiation and development of retinal neurons through Math5, Isl1, Brn3b, NRL, Onecut1, or Onecut2 mediated pathways. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this work significantly enhanced our knowledge of lncRNA genes in mouse retina development and provided valuable clues for future exploration of their biological roles.

Triply Hiding Optical Information via Excitation-Dependent Allochroic Photoluminescence Based on Cellulose Derivates.

Optical encryption technologies are widely used in information security, whereas the technology with one single optical secret key can be easily cracked. Here, a triple encryption is reported, which hides patterned information in excitation-dependent allochroic materials with long afterglow, enhancing the security level. The allochroic materials are based on a uniaxial co-assembly structure of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and silica. The assembled CNCs present blue emission with quantum yield of 19.8% under 367 nm UV radiation. The blue emission is maintained in the inverse structure when CNCs are calcinated and converted to carbon dots (CDs). The inverse uniaxial-assembly structure improves the CD emission by 6.7 times. The assembly structure can even improve the phosphorescence of CDs, leading to excellent excitation-dependent allochroic properties. Specifically, the materials maintain a cyan long afterglow luminescence at 480 nm after removing 365 nm UV light, whose lifetime is 0.492 s. Changing the excitation wavelength to 254 nm, a UV emission at 343 nm can be obtained, alongside a blue long afterglow luminescence of 420 nm, whose lifetime is 1.574 s. Combining with blue afterglow materials, optical encryption labels are prepared, which hide different patterned information in three scenarios: natural light, UV light, and afterglow luminescence.

Lead Vacancy Promotes Sodium Solubility to Achieve Ultra-High zT in Only Ternary Pb1- x Nax Te.

Chemical doping of sodium is an indispensable means to optimize thermoelectric properties of PbTe materials, while a bottleneck is that an aliovalent atom doping leads to spontaneous intrinsic defects in the PbTe matrix, resulting in low dopant solubility. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the doping efficiency of Na for maximizing optimization. Here, an amazing new insight that the intentionally introduced Pb vacancies can promote Na solubility in ternary Pb1- x Nax Te is reported. Experimental analysis and theoretical calculations provide new insights into the inherent mechanism of the enhancement of Na solubility. The Pb vacancies and the resultant more dissolved Na not only synergistically optimize the carrier concentration and further facilitate the band convergence, but also induce a large number of dense dislocations in the grains. Consequently, benefiting from the self-enhancement of Seebeck coefficient and the minimization of lattice thermal conductivity, an 18% growth is obtained for the figure of merit zT in vacancy-containing Pb0.95 Na0.04 Te sample, reaching maximum zTmax  ≈ 2.0 at 823 K, which achieves an ultra-high performance in only Na-doped ternary Pb1- x Nax Te materials. The strategy utilized here provides a novel route to optimize PbTe materials and represents an important step forward in manipulating thermoelectrics to improve dopant solubility.