Differential Protein Expression in Set5p-Mediated Acetic Acid Stress Response and Novel Targets for Engineering Yeast Stress Tolerance.

Acetic acid is a prevalent inhibitor in lignocellulosic hydrolysate, which represses microbial growth and bioproduction. Histone modification and chromatin remodeling have been revealed to be critical for regulating eukaryotic metabolism. However, related studies in chronic acetic acid stress responses remain unclear. Our previous studies revealed that overexpression of the histone H4 methyltransferase Set5p enhanced acetic acid stress tolerance of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In this study, we examined the role of Set5p in acetic acid stress by analyzing global protein expression. Significant activation of intracellular protein expression under the stress was discovered, and the functions of the differential proteins were mainly involved in chromatin modification, signal transduction, and carbohydrate metabolism. Notably, a substantial increase of Set5p expression was observed in response to acetic acid stress. Functional studies demonstrated that the restriction of the telomere capping protein Rtc3p, as well as Ies3p and Taf14p, which are related to chromatin regulation, was critical for yeast stress response. This study enriches the understanding of the epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying yeast stress response mediated by histone-modifying enzymes. The results also benefit the development of robust yeast strains for lignocellulosic bioconversion.

Transcriptome analysis of Kluyveromyces marxianus under succinic acid stress and development of robust strains.

Kluyveromyces marxianus has become an attractive non-conventional yeast cell factory due to its advantageous properties such as high thermal tolerance and rapid growth. Succinic acid (SA) is an important platform molecule that has been applied in various industries such as food, material, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. SA bioproduction may be compromised by its toxicity. Besides, metabolite-responsive promoters are known to be important for dynamic control of gene transcription. Therefore, studies on global gene transcription under various SA concentrations are of great importance. Here, comparative transcriptome changes of K. marxianus exposed to various concentrations of SA were analyzed. Enrichment and analysis of gene clusters revealed repression of the tricarboxylic acid cycle and glyoxylate cycle, also activation of the glycolysis pathway and genes related to ergosterol synthesis. Based on the analyses, potential SA-responsive promoters were investigated, among which the promoter strength of IMTCP2 and KLMA_50231 increased 43.4% and 154.7% in response to 15 g/L SA. In addition, overexpression of the transcription factors Gcr1, Upc2, and Ndt80 significantly increased growth under SA stress. Our results benefit understanding SA toxicity mechanisms and the development of robust yeast for organic acid production. KEY POINTS: • Global gene transcription of K. marxianus is changed by succinic acid (SA) • Promoter activities of IMTCP2 and KLMA_50123 are regulated by SA • Overexpression of Gcr1, Upc2, and Ndt80 enhanced SA tolerance.

Influences of dietary Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract on the hepatic lipid metabolism, inflammation response, intestinal antioxidant capacity, intestinal microbiota, and disease resistance of the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus).

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of Eucommia ulmoides leaf extract (ELE) on the common occurrence of liver steatosis, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, disturbance of gut microbiota, and disease susceptibility in high-fat diet-fed channel catfish. Channel catfish fed three diets, including a high-fat diet (11% crude fat) and ELE-supplemented diets containing 1‰ or 2‰ ELE for 4 weeks. The results showed the contents of liver triacylglycerol of 1‰ and 2‰ ELE groups were reduced, and ELE treatments decreased the expression of lipogenesis related genes (srebp-1c, pparγ, and acc-1), and increased the expression of lipolysis related genes (pparα). In addition, the supplementation of ELE improved the inflammatory response of the liver and intestine. ELE could improve the destruction of intestinal morphology structure and increase the expression level of hif-1a and tight junction proteins (Occludin, Claudin2, Claudin15). 2‰ ELE significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of intestine by increasing the activity of SOD enzyme. Moreover, the supplement of ELE significantly increased the abundance of Cetobacterium and Romboutsia (p < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of immune factor nf-κb had a significant decrease, and il-1ß showed a tendency to decrease in the ELE supplement groups after pathogenic bacteria challenge. In conclusion, the ELE alleviated fatty liver disease and inflammation response, improved the oxidative capacity and physiological structure of intestine, and improved the structure of intestinal microbiota and disease resistance in HFD-fed channel catfish.

Novel Roles of the Greatwall Kinase Rim15 in Yeast Oxidative Stress Tolerance through Mediating Antioxidant Systems and Transcriptional Regulation.

The Greatwall-family protein kinase Rim15 is associated with the nutrient starvation response, whereas its role in oxidative stress responses remains unclear. Here, acetic acid and peroxide were used as two oxidative stress elicitors. The antioxidant indicator assay under acetic acid stress revealed the impaired growth in rim15Δ related to the regulation of antioxidant systems. Comparative transcriptome analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are predicted to be mostly regulated by oxidative stress-responsive transcriptional factor Yap1. Among the DEGs, acetic acid stress-induced genes were found, and YAP1 disruption also inhibited their induction. The deletion of Rim15 or the Rim15 kinase domain in yap1Δ did not further decrease the gene expression, suggesting that Rim15 functions together with Yap1 in regulating acetic acid stress-induced genes, which requires Rim15 kinase activity. Additionally, Rim15 regulated H2O2 stress tolerance through partially similar but special mechanisms in that Rim15 kinase activity impacted acetic acid and H2O2 stress tolerance in different degrees, indicating the different mechanisms underlying Rim15-mediated redox regulation against different stressors. These results benefit the better understanding of stress signaling pathways related to Rim15. Given that Rim15 and some of its target genes are conserved across eukaryotes, these results also provide a basis for studies of oxidative stress-related processes in other organisms.

Engineering yeast cell factories to produce biodegradable plastics and their monomers: Current status and prospects.

Traditional plastic products have caused serious environmental pollution due to difficulty to be degraded in the natural environment. In the recent years, biodegradable plastics are receiving increasing attention due to advantages in natural degradability and environmental friendliness. Biodegradable plastics have potential to be used in food, agriculture, industry, medicine and other fields. However, the high production cost of such plastics is the bottleneck that limits their commercialization and application. Yeasts, including budding yeast and non-conventional yeasts, are widely studied to produce biodegradable plastics and their organic acid monomers. Compared to bacteria, yeast strains are more tolerable to multiple stress conditions including low pH and high temperature, and also have other advantages such as generally regarded as safe, and no phage infection. In addition, synthetic biology and metabolic engineering of yeast have enabled its rapid and efficient engineering for bioproduction using various renewable feedstocks, especially lignocellulosic biomass. This review focuses on the recent progress in biosynthesis technology and strategies of monomeric organic acids for biodegradable polymers, including polylactic acid (PLA), polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polybutylene succinate (PBS), and polybutylene adipate terephthalate (PBAT) using yeast cell factories. Improving the performance of yeast as a cell factory and strategies to improve yeast acid stress tolerance are also discussed. In addition, the critical challenges and future prospects for the production of biodegradable plastic monomer using yeast are also discussed.

Clptm1, a new target in suppressing epileptic seizure by regulating GABAA R-mediated inhibitory synaptic transmission in a PTZ-induced epilepsy model.

Disruption of gamma-amino butyric acid type A receptors (GABAA Rs) synaptic clustering and a decrease in the number of GABAA Rs in the plasma membrane are thought to contribute to alteration of the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, which promotes seizure induction and propagation. The multipass transmembrane protein cleft lip and palate transmembrane protein 1 (Clptm1) controls the forward trafficking of GABAA R, thus decaying miniature inhibitory postsynaptic current (mIPSC) of inhibitory synapses. In this study, using a pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epilepsy rat model, we found that Clptm1 regulates epileptic seizures by modulating GABAA R-mediated inhibitory synaptic transmission. First, we showed that Clptm1 expression was elevated in the PTZ-induced epileptic rats. Subsequently, we found that downregulation of Clptm1 expression protected against PTZ-induced seizures, which was attributed to an increase in the number of GABAA Rγ2s in the plasma membrane and the amplitude of mIPSC. Taken together, our findings identify a new anti-seizure target that provides a theoretical basis for the development of novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of epilepsy.

Enhancing wheat regeneration and genetic transformation through overexpression of TaLAX1.

In the realm of genetically transformed crops, the process of plant regeneration holds utmost significance. However, the low regeneration efficiency of several wheat varieties currently restricts the use of genetic transformation for gene functional analysis and improved crop production. This research explores overexpression of TaLAX PANICLE1 (TaLAX1), which markedly enhances regeneration efficiency, thereby boosting genetic transformation and genome editing in wheat. Particularly noteworthy is the substantial increase in regeneration efficiency of common wheat varieties previously regarded as recalcitrant to genetic transformation. Our study shows that increased expression of TaGROWTH-REGULATING FACTOR (TaGRF) genes, alongside that of their co-factor, TaGRF-INTERACTING FACTOR 1 (TaGIF1), enhances cytokinin accumulation and auxin response, which may play pivotal roles in the improved regeneration and transformation of TaLAX1-overexpressing wheat plants. Overexpression of TaLAX1 homologs also significantly increases the regeneration efficiency of maize and soybean, suggesting that both monocot and dicot crops can benefit from this enhancement. Our findings shed light on a gene that enhances wheat genetic transformation and elucidate molecular mechanisms that potentially underlie wheat regeneration.

Rare complication of acute adrenocortical dysfunction in adrenocortical carcinoma after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare and highly invasive endocrine malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. Although surgical resection is the main treatment for ACC, postoperative recurrence and metastasis have become the important factors of death. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an important option for the treatment of advanced ACC with liver metastasis. However, due to the small number of patients treated for ACC, the safety of the operation is not completely clear and needs to be further studied. CASE SUMMARY: A 47-year-old patient with ACC after surgery was admitted for reexamination by abdominal computerized tomography suggesting liver metastasis. Because the patient expressed reluctance to undergo surgery again, we treated her with TACE for the liver lesions. After treatment, symptoms of acute adrenal dysfunction such as decreased blood pressure, anorexia, and fatigue appeared, which were relieved after hydrocortisone treatment. To date, the patient's liver lesion is well controlled and no other metastases are observed. CONCLUSION: We report a rare case of acute adrenal hypofunction after TACE. Glucocorticoid supplementation can alleviate the symptoms.

A specific selenium-chelating peptide isolated from the protein hydrolysate of Grifola frondosa.

Background: Grifola frondosa is a type of edible medicinal mushroom with abundant proteins. Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for human. Many animal experiments and clinical studies had indicated that Se plays an important role in diverse physiologic actions. Most inorganic selenium compounds are toxic, and the lowest lethal dose is relatively small. Peptide-Se chelate can probably be dietary supplements in functional foods for humans with Se deficiency. Methods: In this study, a specific tripeptide Arg-Leu-Ala (RLA) with strong Se-chelating capacity was purified from Grifola frondosa through ultrafiltration, reversed-phase HPLC and gel filtration chromatography. The UV, SEM, XRD, 1H NMR spectra are shown to provide more information about characterization of RLA-Se chelates. The bioavailability of RLA-Se chelate in Caco-2 cell line was investigated by using human colon cancer Caco-2 cells as model. iTRAQ comparative proteomics approach were used to identify the differentially expressed proteins. Results: The Se binding capacity of RLA was 84.47 ± 1.21 mg g-1. The results of UV, X-ray diffraction (XRD), 1H NMR and SEM structure analysis showed that the binding of selenium in the hydrolysate of Grifola frondosa protein was successful, and the amino and carboxyl groups of RLA were involved in the coordination of Se, which was the main site of chelation. The results of absorption of RLA-Se chelate in Caco-2 cells showed that RLA-Se chelate could be used as selenium supplement source. Using iTRAQ comparative proteomics approach, 40 proteins found significant. RLA-Se treatment had been demonstrated to present a higher accumulation of Se compared with control treatment and show an effective absorption by Caco-2 with the result that E3 protein performed up regulation. RLA-Se may play roles in cell cycle and apoptosis as an essential micronutrient. To sum up, our research results show that Grifola polypeptide-Se chelate is a promising multifunctional organic selenium product, which can be used as a new functional supplement for selenium deficiency.

Surface-Displayed Amuc_1100 From Akkermansia muciniphila on Lactococcus lactis ZHY1 Improves Hepatic Steatosis and Intestinal Health in High-Fat-Fed Zebrafish.

Fatty liver and intestinal barrier damage were widespread in most farmed fish, which severely restrict the development of aquaculture. Therefore, there was an urgent need to develop green feed additives to maintain host liver and intestinal health. In this study, a probiotic pili-like protein, Amuc_1100 (AM protein), was anchored to the surface of Lactococcus lactis ZHY1, and the effects of the recombinant bacteria AM-ZHY1 on liver fat accumulation and intestinal health were evaluated. Zebrafish were fed a basal diet, high-fat diet, and high-fat diet with AM-ZHY1 (108 cfu/g) or control bacteria ZHY1 for 4 weeks. Treatment with AM-ZHY1 significantly reduced hepatic steatosis in zebrafish. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) detection showed that the expression of the lipogenesis [peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors (PPARγ), sterol regulatory element-binding proteins-1c (SREBP-1c), fatty acid synthase (FAS), and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1)] and lipid transport genes (CD36 and FABP6) in the liver were significantly downregulated (p < 0.05), indicating that AM-ZHY1 could reduce liver fat accumulation by inhibiting lipid synthesis and absorption. Moreover, supplementing AM-ZHY1 to a high-fat diet could significantly reduce serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, indicating that liver injury caused by high-fat diets was improved. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a and interleukin (IL)-6 in the liver decreased significantly (p < 0.05), while IL-1ß and IL-10 did not change significantly in the AM-ZHY1 group. Compared to the high-fat diet-fed group, the AM-ZHY1 group, but not the ZHY1 group, significantly increased the expression of intestinal tight junction (TJ) proteins (TJP1a, claudina, claudin7, claudin7b, claudin11a, claudin12, and claudin15a; p < 0.05). Compared to the high-fat diet group, the Proteobacteria and Fusobacteria were significantly reduced and increased in the AM-ZHY1 group, respectively. In conclusion, the recombinant bacteria AM-ZHY1 has the capacity to maintain intestinal health by protecting intestinal integrity and improving intestinal flora structure and improving fatty liver disease by inhibiting lipid synthesis and absorption. This study will lay a foundation for the application of AM protein in improving abnormal fat deposition and restoring the intestinal barrier in fish.

Highly Efficient Deamidation of Wheat Gluten by Glucose-Citric Acid-Based Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent: A Potential Effective Reaction Media.

An efficient technique using citric acid and glucose based natural deep eutectic solvent (G-C-NADES) was developed to obtain ultrahigh deamidated wheat gluten (UDWG) (deamidation degree (DD) > 90%). FTIR and 1H NMR indicated intensive hydrogen bonds (HBs) in G-C-NADES supermolecules. Quantum chemical calculations and molecular dynamic simulations demonstrated that 10 wt % diluted G-C-NADES still had a myriad of HBs. Physicochemical results showed UDWG had DD up to 92.45% after G-C-NADES deamidation, that is, 22% higher than citric-acid-DWG with a weak degree of hydrolysis (1.75%). Conformational characterization demonstrated the obvious conversion from α-helix to ß-sheet via FTIR, the least amount of disulfide bonds by Raman spectra, and more exposure of tryptophan residues by fluorescence measurement for UDWG. It is proven that enhanced accessible conformation of WG reached with HBs of G-C-NADESs could contribute to the improvement on nucleophilic attack of deamidation, declaring that G-C-NADES might be a potential solvent for obtaining an ultrahigh deamidation for WG to successfully guarantee the safety of wheat gluten based cereal food regarding to lowering its allergy.

[Synthesis, spectral analysis and photocatalysis of Ag/K4Nb6,O17 heterojunction catalysts].

K4Nb6O17 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by low-temperature hydrothermal method with layer structure. Considering that a large number of hydroxyl (Nb-OH) and oxygen species (Nb==O, Nb--O-) exist on the surface of K4Nb6O17 synthesized by hydrothermal method, Ag(en)2+ precursors were employed to synthesize Ag/K4Nb6O17 heterostructure photo-catalysts with highly dispersed Ag. Photocatalytic performance evaluation results show that the photodegradation rate of MO for K4Nb6O17 was remarkably improved when a small amont of Ag was loaded. The best loading dose of Ag is 0.5 at%. Based on various characterizations results of XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis DRS, XRF and TEM, the photocatalytic mechanism of Ag/ K4Nb6O17 heterostructure catalysts was illuminated in detail and the conclusions were drawn as follows: (1) K4Nb6O17 nanocrystals serve as electron and hole sources for degradation of an organic dye; (2) Ag nanoparticles on the surface of K4Nb6O17 nanocrystals act as a sink for the electrons, promote interfacial charge-transfer kinetics between the metal and semiconductor, improve the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and thus enhance the photocatalytic activity of Ag/K4Nb6O17 photocatalyst.

Molecular identification, expression and function analysis of peroxidasin in Chilo suppressalis.

Peroxidasin plays a unique role in the formation and stability of extracellular matrix (ECM) in the animal kingdom; however, it was only characterized in Diptera, not in other insect orders. In this study peroxidasin (CsPxd) was first identified and characterized from Chilo suppressalis, a lepidopteran pest. CsPxd complementary DNA with a 4080 bp open reading frame encodes a peptide of 1359 amino acids; the derived amino acid sequence of CsPxd harbors the typical structural characteristics of peroxidasin family in heme-peroxidase superfamily, including the signal peptide at N-terminal, leucine-rich repeat domain, Ig-loop motifs and peroxidase domain, signifying the extracellular location of protein and the involvement in ECM formation. Eukaryotic expression reveals CsPxd protein displays peroxidase activity on H2 O2 , justifying the membership of peroxidase. Phyletic analysis shows the monophyletic evolution pattern of peroxidasin in insect phyle, and moreover only one peroxidasin is present in each species of insects, suggesting its evolutionary conservation on function. Peroxidasin messenger RNA is mainly expressed in egg and the final instar larvae stage. Injection of peroxidasin double-stranded RNA into the final instar larvae impacts the cuticle sclerotization during the metamorphosis from larvae to pupa, and eventually lead to lethality of larvae and pupa. These results suggest the presence of collagen crosslink in chorion and cuticle of insects, and indicate peroxidasin plays a role in the development of chorion and cuticle; furthermore peroxidasin might be the one of potential target genes for pest control using RNA interference.

[Effect of electro-acupuncture in treating morphine sulfate caused constipation in tumor patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) for treatment of morphine sulfate caused constipation in tumor patients. METHODS: Sixty-six tumor patients suffering from constipation caused by oral taking of morphine sulfate controlled-release tablet were equally randomized into the treated group treated with EA [on the bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Tianshu (ST25) points] and the control group treated with citrate-mosapride tablet. The overall therapeutic effect and scores of constipation in both groups were estimated after treatment. RESULTS: Scores of constipation in terms of frequency, time, and difficulty degree of defecation, as well as stool properties, were all improved in both groups after treatment (P<0.01, P<0.05); the total score of constipation was 5.52 +/- 1.54 and 5.70 +/- 2.49 in the two groups respectively, which in the treated group was better, and showed significant difference compared with the score in the control group (P<0.01). The overall effective rate was 97.0% in the treated group and 87.9% in the control group. CONCLUSION: EA has a good effect in treating constipation caused by oral taking of morphine sulfate controlled-release tablet.

[Studies on Ag-TiO2/KIT-6 composite nanosized photocatalyst].

In the present paper, ordered mesoporous silica (KIT-6) as support, nanosized TiO2 into KIT-6 was synthesized by titanium tetraisopropoxide hydrolysis. Then silver was loaded by deposition-precipitation method. Ag-TiO2/KIT-6 composite nanosized photocatalyst was firstly synthesized and a series of correlated catalysts were synthesized by the same preparation method. Methyl orange is presently adopted as a representative organic pollutant to evaluate the photocatalytic performance of the as-synthesized catalysts. The order of photocatalytic activity of the as-synthesized samples was found as Ag-TiO2/KIT-6 > Ag/TiO2 > TiO2/KIT-6 > TiO2 > Ag/KIT-6. Detailed characterizations were conducted by techniques including XRD, N2 physical adsorption, XPS, UV-Vis DRS and TEM. It was found that the Ag-TiO2 /KIT-6 sample shows the highest photocatalytic activity, which should be attributed to the Ag-TiO2 heterojunction structure and higher BET surface area of the Ag-TiO2/KIT-6 sample. Ag-TiO2 heterojunction improves the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, thus enhancing the photocatalytic activity; Ag-TiO2/KIT-6 sample possesses high BET surface area, which facilitates adsorption and transportation of dye molecules, also leading to higher photocatalytic activity.

Verifiable fully outsourced attribute-based signcryption system for IoT eHealth big data in cloud computing.

The entrance of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to healthcare industry has impacted the explosion of eHealth big data. Cloud computing is widely considered to be the promising solution to store this data because of the presence of abundant resources at a lower cost. However, the privacy and security of the IoT generated data cannot be ensured as the data is kept far from the owner's phys- ical domain. In order to resolve the underlined issues, a reassuring solution is to adopt attribute-based signcryption (ABSC) due to the desirable cryptographic properties it holds including fine-grained ac- cess control, authentication, confidentiality and data owner privacy. Nonetheless, executing expensive computation such as pairing and modular exponential operations in resource-constrained IoT device platform can be too taxing and demanding. To address the challenges stated above, we proposed in this paper, a more efficient scheme where computation power is borrowed from the cloud server to process expensive computations while leaving simple operations to local users. In order to realize this, trusted attribute authority, signcryptor and designcryptor outsources to the cloud expensive tasks for key gener- ation, signcryption and designcryption respectively. Moreover, validity and correctness of outsourced computations can be verified by employing outsourcing verification server. Security analysis, compar- isons evaluation and simulation of the proposed scheme is presented. The output demonstrates that it is efficient, secure and therefore suitable for application in resource-constrained IoT devices.

Gluten-starch interactions in wheat gluten during carboxylic acid deamidation upon hydrothermal treatment.

After carboxylic acid deamidation upon heating (CADH), wheat gluten still contains a total of ∼10% insoluble fractions, of which ∼10% is starch, which depreciate the values of wheat gluten. To elucidate gluten-starch interactions and their role in the deamidation behavior of gluten, the macrostructural characteristics of gluten citric acid suspensions of different concentrations (1% and 10%, w/v) and with different types of residual starch chains (achieved by enzyme hydrolyzed by α-amylase and/or glucoamylase assisted by sonication) were investigated. We found the degradation of long starch chains and branched short chains induced dramatic bond-cleavages in insoluble glutenins and gliadins. FTIR and SDS-PAGE analyses indicated that without these two types of chains in the precipitates, the insoluble deamidated wheat gluten exhibited minimal changes in the molecular force and the conformation. Their glycosylation, hydrophobic force and hydrogen bonds between amylopectin and small proteins, such as LMW-GS and α, ß, γ-gliadins, were detected. FTIR suggested that the associations between gliadins and amylopectin were covalent. Gluten-starch interactions were likely to cause an incomplete dissolution of wheat gluten during CADH. A simple model was proposed to clarify the aggregation state and the relationships between starch granules and wheat gluten components during CADH.

[Effects of quercetin and quercetin in combination with cisplatin on adhesion, migration and invasion of HeLa cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of quercetin and quercetin in combination with cisplatin on adhesion, migration and invasion of HeLa cells. METHODS: Adhesion, migration and invasion of HeLa cells treated with quercetin and quercetin in combination with cisplatin were measured by adhesion assay, wound healing assay, and transwell chamber method respectively. RESULTS: The results showed that quercetin and quercetin in combination with cisplatin could inhibit adhesion, migration and invasion of HeLa cells. The adhesive ratio, migration rate and the invasiveness were negatively proportional to concentration of quercetin and quercetin in combination with cisplatin. With increasing concentration of quercetin from 20 to 80 micromol/L, the adhesive ratio decreased from (82.2 +/- 1.5)% to (48.4 +/- 1.1)%; the migration rate decreased from (7.26 +/- 0.20) microm/h to (3.78 +/- 0.64) microm/h; the invasiveness decreased from (124.3 +/- 1.5) piece to (90.7 +/- 2.1) piece (P < 0.05). In quercetin and quercetin in combination with 10 micromol/L cisplatin treatment group, with quercetin concentration increasing from 20 to 80 micromol/L, the adhesive ratio decreased from (42.6 +/- 1.2)% to (27.5 +/- 1.7)%, the migration rate decreased from (2.20 +/- 0.33) microm/h to (0.72 +/- 0.19) microm/h and the invasiveness decreased from (78.7 +/- 2.5) piece to (44.0 +/- 4.0) piece (P < 0.05). Compared with the quercetin groups, quercetin in combination with cisplatin groups had significantly higher inhibitory effects (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Quercetin and quercetin in combination with cisplatin can inhibit adhesion and migration and invasion of HeLa cells. Quercetin can enhance the inhibitory effect of cisplatin on HeLa cell adhesion, migration and invasion.

[Responses of soil nitrogen transformation to long-term nitrogen fertilization and precipitation changes in a broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains, China.] / 长白山阔叶红松林土壤氮转化过程对长期施氮和降水变化的响应.

Soil nitrogen (N) cycling, one of the most important biogeochemical processes in forest ecosystems, has significant environmental effects. However, little is known about how it responds to N deposition and precipitation changes. Here, we examined the main effects of N deposition (NF), rainfall reduction (RR) and their interactive effect (RF) on soil N cycling by N addition and transparent V-shaped board interception in a broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains. The responses of soil nitrification, denitrification, nitrifying functional genes (ammonia-oxidizing archaea AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria AOB), denitrifying functional genes (nirK, nirS and nosZ) and N fixing function genes (nifH) to NF, RR and RF treatments were analyzed. We found significant positive correlations between nitrification and soil NH4+-N, denitrification and and NO3--N, respectively. Soil nitrification and denitrification were not significantly influenced by the three treatments, while denitrification showed an obvious seasonal dynamics. Long-term RR treatment inhibited soil net nitrification, while NF and RF treatments promoted soil net nitrification; nifH and nosZ genes of bacteria were strong resistant to stress, and their diversity was not susceptible to the changes of N and rainfall. Under drought condition, nirK gene of soil bacteria was more susceptible to N deposition. AOA had a higher sensitivity to drought, while AOB had higher sensitivity to NF and RF treatments. The three treatments affected soil net nitrification and altered the diversity of AOB, AOA and nirK-harboring denitrifier in varying degrees, which might affect the release of N-containing gas and ecosystem services.

[Study on the spectra of Au/alpha-Fe2O3 catalysts modified by ZrO2 and Nb2O5 promoters].

A series of Au/alpha-Fe2O3 catalysts promoted with ZrO2 and Nb2O5 were prepared by parallel co-precipitation method. Detailed characterizations were conducted by techniques including UV-Vis-DRS, XPS, TEM and XRF. Results indicated that the enrichment of Au, ZrO2 and Nb2O5 on the surface induced by the strong interaction between ZrO2 and Nb2O5 kept the nanoparticles apart, delaying sintering. Performance tests carried out in the reformed methanol steam showed that its CO conversion almost reached the maximum value of 99% at 200 degrees C, and maintained a better stability compared with unmodified samples within 50 h on-stream. All these indicated that ZrO2 and Nb2O5 promoters efficiently improved the performance of the Au/alpha-Fe2O3 catalysts.