Role of exosomes in the communication and treatment between OSCC and normal cells.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent cancer that needs new therapeutic targets due to the poor postoperative prognosis in patients. Exosomes are currently one of important research areas owing to their unique properties. Exosomes are capable of acting as drug transporters, as well as facilitating interactions between OSCC and normal cells. Exosomes can be detected in body fluids such as blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, and bile. When exosomes are released from donor cells, they can carry various bioactive molecules to recipient cells, where these molecules participate in biological processes. This review highlights the mechanisms of exosome transfer between normal and OSCC cells. Exosomes isolated from donor OSCC cells can carry circular RNAs (circRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) and play a role in signaling processes in the recipient OSCC cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells, and macrophages. Exosomes secreted by carcinoma-associated fibroblasts, macrophages, and stem cells can also enter the recipient OSCC cells and modulate signaling events in these cells. Exosomes isolated from OSCC plasma, serum, and saliva are also associated with OSCC prognosis. Furthermore, while exosomes were shown to be associated with chemotherapy resistance in OSCC, they can also be used for drug delivery during OSCC treatment. In this paper, we reviewed the molecular mechanisms and functions of exosomes from different cell sources in OSCC cells, providing a basis for diagnosis and prognosis prediction in OSCC patients, and offering guidance for the design of molecular targets carried by exosomes in OSCC.

ZmADF5, a Maize Actin-Depolymerizing Factor Conferring Enhanced Drought Tolerance in Maize.

Drought stress is seriously affecting the growth and production of crops, especially when agricultural irrigation still remains quantitatively restricted in some arid and semi-arid areas. The identification of drought-tolerant genes is important for improving the adaptability of maize under stress. Here, we found that a new member of the actin-depolymerizing factor (ADF) family; the ZmADF5 gene was tightly linked with a consensus drought-tolerant quantitative trait locus, and the significantly associated signals were detected through genome wide association analysis. ZmADF5 expression could be induced by osmotic stress and the application of exogenous abscisic acid. Its overexpression in Arabidopsis and maize helped plants to keep a higher survival rate after water-deficit stress, which reduced the stomatal aperture and the water-loss rate, as well as improved clearance of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, seventeen differentially expressed genes were identified as regulated by both drought stress and ZmADF5, four of which were involved in the ABA-dependent drought stress response. ZmADF5-overexpressing plants were also identified as sensitive to ABA during the seed germination and seedling stages. These results suggested that ZmADF5 played an important role in the response to drought stress.

Identification of ferroptosis-related proteins in ameloblastoma based on proteomics analysis.

PURPOSE: We used proteomic sequencing and experimental verification to identify the potential ferroptosis-related proteins in ameloblastoma. METHODS: Samples of ameloblastoma (n = 14) and normal gingival tissues (n = 5) were collected for proteomic sequencing to identify differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in ameloblastoma. Ferroptosis-related genes were downloaded from FerrDb V2, which were then compared with DEPs to obtain ferroptosis-related DEPs (FR-DEPs). A functional enrichment analysis was performed, and a protein-protein interaction network was built. The hub proteins were screened using the Cytoscape software, and potential drugs targeting them were retrieved from the DrugBank database. A hub protein was selected for immunohistochemical validation, and its expression was assessed in ameloblastomas, odontogenic keratocysts, dentigerous cysts, and normal gingival tissues. The primary ameloblastoma cells were cultured to explore the effect of the protein on the migratory properties of the tumour cells. RESULTS: A total of 58 FR-DEPs were screened, and six hub proteins were identified: mTOR, NFE2L2, PRKCA, STAT3, EGFR, and CDH1. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that mTOR expression was upregulated in ameloblastomas compared with that in odontogenic keratocysts, dentigerous cysts, and normal gingival tissues. p-mTOR was highly expressed in ameloblastomas, with a positivity rate of 83.3%. In addition, rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, can inhibit the migratory capacity of primary cultured ameloblastoma cells. CONCLUSION: Our results revealed the ferroptosis-related proteins in ameloblastomas and their underlying biological processes. Additionally, mTOR was overexpressed and was found to be associated with the aggressiveness of ameloblastomas, which may be a potential target for future treatments.

Genomic and in-vitro characteristics of a novel strain Lacticaseibacillus chiayiensis AACE3 isolated from fermented blueberry.

Numerous different species of LAB are used in different fields due to their unique characteristics. However, Lacticaseibacillus chiayiensis, a newly established species in 2018, has limited microorganism resources, and lacks comprehensive evaluations of its properties. In this study, L. chiayiensis AACE3, isolated from fermented blueberry, was evaluated by genomic analysis and in vitro assays of the properties. The genome identified genes associated with biofilm formation (luxS, ccpA, brpA), resistance to oxidative stress (tpx, trxA, trxB, hslO), tolerance to acidic conditions (dltA, dltC), resistance to unfavorable osmotic pressure (opuBB, gbuA, gbuB, gbuC), and adhesion (luxS, dltA, dltC). The AACE3 showed 112 unique genes, relative to the other three L. chiayiensis strains. Among them, the presence of genes such as clpP, pepO, and feoA suggests a possible advantage of AACE3 over other L. chiayiensis in terms of environmental adaptation. In vitro evaluation of the properties revealed that AACE3 had robust antibacterial activity against eight common pathogens: Streptococcus agalactiae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, Salmonella choleraesuis, Shigella flexneri, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. In addition, AACE3 showed more than 80% survival rate in all tests simulating gastrointestinal fluid, and it exhibited high antioxidant capacity. Interestingly, the cell culture supernatant was superior to intact organisms and ultrasonically crushed bacterial extracts in all tests of antioxidant capacity. These results suggested that the antioxidant capacity may originate from certain metabolites and extracellular enzymes produced by AACE3. Moreover, AACE3 was a moderate biofilm producer due to the self-agglomeration effect. Taken together, L. chiayiensis AACE3 appears to be a candidate strain for combating the growing incidence of pathogen infections and antioxidant production.

Assessment of the safety and probiotic characteristics of Lactobacillus salivarius CGMCC20700 based on whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic analysis.

Lactic acid bacteria are generally regarded as alternatives to antibiotics in livestock and poultry farming, especially Lactobacillus strains, which are safe and have probiotic potential. Although Lactobacillus salivarius has long been proposed to be a probiotic, the understanding of the roles of this species is still in its infancy. Here, a strain of L. salivarius CGMCC20700 isolated from the intestinal mucosa of Yunnan black-bone chicken broilers was investigated in the context of its safety and probiotic characteristics by whole-genome sequencing in parallel with phenotypic analysis. Whole-genome sequencing results showed that L. salivarius CGMCC20700 has a single scaffold of 1,737,577 bp with an average guanine-to-cytosine (GC) ratio of 33.51% and 1,757 protein-coding genes. The annotation of Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) classified the predicted proteins from the assembled genome as possessing cellular, metabolic, and information-related functions. Sequences related to risk assessment, such as antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, were identified, and the strain was further confirmed as safe according to the results of antibiotic resistance, hemolytic, and acute oral toxicology tests. Two gene clusters of antibacterial compounds and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity were identified using genome mining tools and antibacterial spectrum tests. Stress resistance genes, active stressor removal genes, and adhesion related genes that were identified and examined with various phenotypic assays (such as stress tolerance tests in acids and bile salts and auto aggregation and hydrophobicity assays). The strain showed a high survival rate in the presence of bile salts and under acidic conditions and exhibited significant auto aggregation capacity and hydrophobicity. Overall, L. salivarius CGMCC20700 demonstrated excellent safety and probiotic potential at both the genomic and physiological levels and can be considered an appropriate candidate probiotic for livestock and poultry farming.

A novel bacteriocin against multiple foodborne pathogens from Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus isolated from juice ferments: ATF perfusion-based preparation of viable cells, characterization, antibacterial and antibiofilm activity.

Foodborne pathogens and their biofilms pose a risk to human health through food chain. However, the bacteriocin resources combating this threat are still limited. Here, Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, one of the most used probiotics in food industry, was prepared on a large scale using alternating tangential flow (ATF) perfusion-based technology. Compared to the conventional fed-batch approach, ATF perfusion remarkably increased the viable cells of L. rhamnosus CLK 101 to 11.93 ± 0.14 log CFU/mL. Based on obtained viable cells, we purified and characterized a novel bacteriocin CLK_01 with a broad spectrum of activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative foodborne pathogens. LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that CLK_01 has a molecular mass of 701.49 Da and a hydrophobic amino acid composition of I-K-K-V-T-I. As a novel bacteriocin, CLK_01 showed high thermal stability and acid-base tolerance over 25-121 °C and pH 2-10. It significantly reduced cell viability of bacterial pathogens (p < 0.001), and strongly inhibited their biofilm formation. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated deformation of pathogenic cells caused by CLK_01, leading to cytoplasmic content leakage and bacterial death. Summarily, we employed ATF perfusion to obtain viable L. rhamnosus, and presented that bacteriocin CLK_01 could serve as a promising biopreservative for controlling foodborne pathogenic bacteria and their biofilms.

Financing the capital-constrained online retailer with risk aversion: coordinating strategy analysis.

This paper considers a capital-constrained online retailer (OR) selling products through an e-commerce platform (EP) who also offers financial services to retailers. During the selling season, the OR exerts an effort to promote market demand through activities like sales promotions, advertising and live-streaming selling events. To investigate the EP-based financing scheme, a game-theoretic model is developed where the EP functions as the leader determining the interest rate and platform usage fee rate, and the OR functions as the follower determining the order quantity and effort level. We explore the impacts of the OR's risk-aversion and find that when the OR is risk-averse (1) she sets a high effort level, and the EP sets a high usage fee rate; (2) a high risk-averse OR orders less products than low risk-averse OR. We design specific revenue-cost sharing contracts to coordinate the supply chain and demonstrate that the designed contracts are feasible. Moreover, we find that the OR consistently prefers EP financing compared to bank financing.