Immobilization of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac in metal-organic frameworks through biomimetic mineralization for sustainable pest management.

Traditional chemical pesticide dosage forms and crude application methods have resulted in low pesticide utilization, increased environmental pollution, and the development of resistance. Compared to traditional pesticides, nanopesticides enhance the efficiency of pesticide utilization and reduce the quantity required, thereby decreasing environmental pollution. Herein, Cry1Ac insecticidal crystal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis Subsp. Kurstaki HD-73 was encapsulated in a metal-organic framework (zeolite imidazolate framework-8, ZIF-8) through biomimetic mineralization to obtain Cry1Ac@ZIF-8 nanopesticides. The Cry1Ac@ZIF-8 nanopesticides exhibited a dodecahedral porous structure, and the introduction of Cry1Ac did not affect the intrinsic crystal structure of ZIF-8. The indoor toxicity analysis revealed that the toxicity of Cry1Ac towards Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), Helicoverpa armigera Hubner, and Spodoptera litura Fabricius was not affected by ZIF-8 encapsulation. Surprisingly, Cry1Ac@ZIF-8 still exhibited excellent pest management efficacy even after exposure to heat, UV irradiation, and long-term storage. More importantly, the encapsulation of ZIF-8 significantly enhanced the internal absorption performance of Cry1Ac in maize leaves and extended its persistence period. Thus, ZIF-8 could potentially serve as a promising carrier for the preparation of nanopesticides with enhanced applicability, stability, and persistence period, providing a powerful strategy to improve the application of Cry1Ac in future agricultural pest management.

Tripartite interactions of an endophytic entomopathogenic fungus, Asian corn borer, and host maize under elevated carbon dioxide.

BACKGROUND: Biological control of insect pests is encountering an unprecedented challenge in agricultural systems due to the ongoing rise in carbon dioxide (CO2) level. The use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) in these systems is gaining increased attention, and EPF as crop endophytes hold the potential for combining insect pest control and yield enhancement of crops, but the effects of increased CO2 concentration on this interaction are poorly understood. Here, the introduction of endophytic EPF was explored as an alternative sustainable management strategy benefiting crops under elevated CO2, using maize (Zea mays), Asian corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis), and EPF (Beauveria bassiana) to test changes in damage to maize plants from O. furnacalis, and the nutritional status (content of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), biomass, and yield of maize. RESULTS: The results showed that endophytic B. bassiana could alleviate the damage caused by O. furnacalis larvae for maize plants under ambient CO2 concentration, and this effect was enhanced under higher CO2 concentration. Inoculation with B. bassiana effectively counteracted the adverse impact of elevated CO2 on maize plants by preserving the nitrogen content at its baseline level (comparable with ambient CO2 conditions without B. bassiana). Both simultaneous effects could explain the improvement of biomass and yield of maize under B. bassiana inoculation and elevated CO2. CONCLUSION: This finding provides key information about the multifaceted benefits of B. bassiana as a maize endophyte. Our results highlight the promising potential of incorporating EPF as endophytes into integrated pest management strategies, particularly under elevated CO2 concentrations. © 2024 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Streptomyces-triggered coordination between rhizosphere microbiomes and plant transcriptome enables watermelon Fusarium wilt resistance.

The use of microbial inoculant is a promising strategy to improve plant health, but their efficiency often faces challenges due to difficulties in successful microbial colonization in soil environments. To this end, the application of biostimulation products derived from microbes is expected to resolve these barriers via direct interactions with plants or soil pathogens. However, their effectiveness and mechanisms for promoting plant growth and disease resistance remain elusive. In this study, we showed that root irrigation with the extracts of Streptomyces ahygroscopicus strain 769 (S769) solid fermentation products significantly reduced watermelon Fusarium wilt disease incidence by 30% and increased the plant biomass by 150% at a fruiting stage in a continuous cropping field. S769 treatment led to substantial changes in both bacterial and fungal community compositions, and induced a highly interconnected microbial association network in the rhizosphere. The root transcriptome analysis further suggested that S769 treatment significantly improved the expression of the MAPK signalling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction and plant-pathogen interactions, particular those genes related to PR-1 and ethylene, as well as genes associated with auxin production and reception. Together, our study provides mechanistic and empirical evidences for the biostimulation products benefiting plant health through coordinating plant and rhizosphere microbiome interaction.

The complete genome sequences of a negative single-stranded RNA virus and a double-stranded RNA virus coinfecting the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana Vuillemin.

Beauveria bassiana Vuillemin is an entomopathogenic fungus that has been developed as a biological insecticide. B. bassiana can be infected by single or multiple mycoviruses, most of which are double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses, while infections with single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) viruses, especially negative single-stranded RNA (-ssRNA) viruses, have been observed less frequently. In the present study, we sequenced and analyzed the complete genomes of two new different mycoviruses coinfecting a single B. bassiana strain: a -ssRNA virus which we have named "Beauveria bassiana negative-strand RNA virus 1" (BbNSRV1), and a dsRNA virus, which we have named "Beauveria bassiana orthocurvulavirus 1" (BbOCuV1). The genome of BbNSRV1 consists of a single segment of negative-sense, single-stranded RNA with a length of 6169 nt, containing a single open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) with 1949 aa (220.1 kDa). BLASTx analysis showed that the RdRp had the highest sequence similarity (59.79%) to that of Plasmopara viticola lesion associated mononegaambi virus 2, a member of the family Mymonaviridae. This is the first report of a -ssRNA mycovirus infecting B. bassiana. The genome of BbOCuV1 consists of two dsRNA segments, 2164 bp and 1765 bp in length, respectively, with dsRNA1 encoding a protein with conserved RdRp motifs and 70.75% sequence identity to the putative RdRp of the taxonomically unassigned mycovirus Fusarium graminearum virus 5 (FgV5), and the dsRNA2 encoding a putative coat protein with sequence identity 64.26% to the corresponding protein of the FgV5. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that BbOCuV1 belongs to a taxonomically unassigned group of dsRNA mycoviruses related to members of the families Curvulaviridae and Partitiviridae. Hence, it might be the member of a new family that remains to be named and formally recognized.

Head-to-head comparison between [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA PET/CT in a diverse cohort of patients with pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas.

PURPOSE: To compare the detection ability of 68Ga-labelled DOTA-l-Nal3-octreotide ([68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC) and 6-[18F]fluoro-L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ([18F]DOPA) in patients with phaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) of different origins and gene mutations, such as germline succinate dehydrogenase complex genes (SDHx). METHODS: Eighty-five patients with histopathologically confirmed PPGLs who underwent both [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA PET/CT from March 2017 to June 2023 were enrolled in this retrospective study. For comparative analyses, PPGLs were classified as phaeochromocytoma (PCC), sympathetic paraganglioma (sPGL), and head/neck paraganglioma (HNPGL). Detection rates were analyzed on per-patient and per-lesion bases and compared using the Chi-square/Fischer's exact test. RESULTS: Among 85 patients with PPGLs (48 males; 43 years ± 17 [SD]), the patient-based detection rates of [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA PET/CT were 87.1% (74/85) and 89.4% (76/85), respectively (p = 0.634), and the lesion-based detection rates were 80.8% (479/593) and 71.2% (422/593), respectively (p < 0.001). Only one patient with a recurrent PCC presented double-negative imaging, while 66 patients exhibited double-positive imaging. The remaining patients were either [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC-negative/[18F]DOPA-positive (n = 10) or [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC-positive/[18F]DOPA-negative (n = 8). In subgroup analyses, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT detected significantly more metastases of sPGL (91.1%, 236/259) and SDHx-related PPGL (89.6%, 86/96) than [18F]DOPA PET/CT (48.6%[126/259] and 50.0%[48/96], respectively; both p < 0.001). However, [18F]DOPA showed significantly higher detection rates of PCC in both primary/recurrent and metastatic lesions (94.3%[50/53] vs. 62.3%[33/53] and 87.9%[174/198] vs. 69.2%[137/198], respectively; both p < 0.001). Regarding metastases in different organs, [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC PET/CT detected more lesions than [18F]DOPA PET/CT in bone (96.2%[176/183] vs. 66.1%[121/183]; p < 0.001) and lymph nodes (82.0%[73/89] vs. 53.9%[48/89]; p < 0.001) but less lesions in peritoneum (20%[4/20] vs. 100%[20/20]; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC and [18F]DOPA are complementary in diagnosing PPGL under the appropriate clinical setting. [68Ga]Ga-DOTA-NOC should be considered as the ideal first-line tracer for detecting metastases of sPGL and SDHx-related tumours, whereas [18F]DOPA may be the optimal tracer for evaluating non-SDHx-related PCC, especially in detecting primary lesions and monitoring recurrence.

Metarhizium rileyi with broad-spectrum insecticidal ability confers resistance against phytopathogens and insect pests as a phytoendophyte.

BACKGROUND: Entomophagous fungi (EPF) not only directly kill insect pests, but also colonize plants and improve their resistance against pests. However, most previous research has focused on Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae, and there are few reports on whether other EPF can enhance resistance against pests via endogenous colonization. Herein, an EPF strain was isolated from diseased larvae of Spodoptera litura in a soybean field, and subjected to genome-wide sequencing at the chromosomal level. The pathogenicity of the isolate toward various pest insects was evaluated, and the ability to colonize plants and induce resistance against phytopathogens and insect pests was tested. RESULTS: The purified isolate was identified as M. rileyi and designated MrS1Gz1-1. Biological assays revealed its strong pathogenicity toward five insect pests belonging to Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. Furthermore, the strain inhibited the growth of soil-borne plant disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vitro. It colonized plants as an endophyte via soil application, thereby inducing plant resistance-related genes against phytopathogen infection, and it disrupted the feeding selectivity of S. litura larvae. CONCLUSION: M. rileyi MrS1Gz1-1 has potential as a broad-spectrum microbial control agent that can induce resistance against phytopathogens and insect pests feeding as an endotype. The complete genome provides a valuable resource for exploring host interactions. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-fat diet promotes liver tumorigenesis via palmitoylation and activation of AKT.

OBJECTIVE: Whether and how the PI3K-AKT pathway, a central node of metabolic homeostasis, is responsible for high-fat-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain a mystery. Characterisation of AKT regulation in this setting will provide new strategies to combat HCC. DESIGN: Metabolite library screening disclosed that palmitic acid (PA) could activate AKT. In vivo and in vitro palmitoylation assay were employed to detect AKT palmitoylation. Diverse cell and mouse models, including generation of AKT1C77S and AKT1C224S knock-in cells, Zdhhc17 and Zdhhc24 knockout mice and Akt1C224S knock-in mice were employed. Human liver tissues from patients with NASH and HCC, hydrodynamic transfection mouse model, high-fat/high-cholesterol diet (HFHCD)-induced NASH/HCC mouse model and high-fat and methionine/choline-deficient diet (HFMCD)-induced NASH mouse model were also further explored for our mechanism studies. RESULTS: By screening a metabolite library, PA has been defined to activate AKT by promoting its palmitoyl modification, an essential step for growth factor-induced AKT activation. Biologically, a high-fat diet could promote AKT kinase activity, thereby promoting NASH and liver cancer. Mechanistically, palmitoyl binding anchors AKT to the cell membrane in a PIP3-independent manner, in part by preventing AKT from assembling into an inactive polymer. The palmitoyltransferases ZDHHC17/24 were characterised to palmitoylate AKT to exert oncogenic effects. Interestingly, the anti-obesity drug orlistat or specific penetrating peptides can effectively attenuate AKT palmitoylation and activation by restricting PA synthesis or repressing AKT modification, respectively, thereby antagonising liver tumorigenesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings elucidate a novel fine-tuned regulation of AKT by PA-ZDHHC17/24-mediated palmitoylation, and highlight tumour therapeutic strategies by taking PA-restricted diets, limiting PA synthesis, or directly targeting AKT palmitoylation.

Hypovirulence-associated mycovirus epidemics cause pathogenicity degeneration of Beauveria bassiana in the field.

BACKGROUND: The entomogenous fungus Beauveria bassiana is used as a biological insecticide worldwide, wild B. bassiana strains with high pathogenicity in the field play an important role in controlling insect pests via not only screening of highly virulent strains but also natural infection, but the pathogenicity degeneration of wild strains severely affected aforementioned effects. Previous studies have showed that multiple factors contributed to this phenomenon. It has been extensively proved that the mycovirus infection caused hypovirulence of phytopathogenic fungi, which has been used for plant disease biocontrol. However, it remains unknown whether the mycovirus epidemics is a key factor causing hypovirulence of B. bassiana naturally in the field. METHODS: Wild strains of B. bassiana were collected from different geographic locations in Jilin Province, China, to clarify the epidemic and diversity of the mycoviruses. A mycovirus Beauveria bassiana chrysovirus 2 (BbCV2) we have previously identified was employed to clarify its impact on the pathogenicity of host fungi B. bassiana against the larvae of insect pest Ostrinia furnacalis. The serological analysis was conducted by preparing polyclonal antibody against a BbCV2 coat protein, to determine whether it can dissociate outside the host fungal cells and subsequently infect new hosts. Transcriptome analysis was used to reveal the interactions between viruses and hosts. RESULTS: We surprisingly found that the mycovirus BbCV2 was prevalent in the field as a core virus in wild B. bassiana strains, without obvious genetic differentiation, this virus possessed efficient and stable horizontal and vertical transmission capabilities. The serological results showed that the virus could not only replicate within but also dissociate outside the host cells, and the purified virions could infect B. bassiana by co-incubation. The virus infection causes B. bassiana hypovirulence. Transcriptome analysis revealed decreased expression of genes related to insect epidermis penetration, hypha growth and toxin metabolism in B. bassiana caused by mycovirus infection. CONCLUSION: Beauveria bassiana infected by hypovirulence-associated mycovirus can spread the virus to new host strains after infecting insects, and cause the virus epidemics in the field. The findings confirmed that mycovirus infection may be an important factor affecting the pathogenicity degradation of B. bassiana in the field.

Endophytic Beauveria bassiana promotes plant biomass growth and suppresses pathogen damage by directional recruitment.

Introduction: Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) can colonize and establish symbiotic relationships with plants as endophytes. Recently, EPF have been reported to suppress plant pathogens and induce plant resistance to diseases. However, the potential mechanisms via which EPF as endophytes control major plant diseases in situ remain largely unknown. Methods: Pot and field experiments were conducted to investigate the mechanisms via which an EPF, Beauveria bassiana, colonizes tomato, under Botrytis cinerea infection stress. B. bassiana blastospores were inoculated into tomato plants by root irrigation. Tomato resistance to tomato gray mold caused by B. cinerea was evaluated by artificial inoculation, and B. bassiana colonization in plants and rhizosphere soil under B. cinerea infection stress was evaluated by colony counting and quantitative PCR. Furthermore, the expression levels of three disease resistance-related genes (OXO, CHI, and atpA) in tomato leaves were determined to explore the effect of B. bassiana colonization on plant disease resistance performance in pot experiments. Results: B. bassiana colonization could improve resistance of tomato plants to gray mold caused by B. cinerea. The incidence rate, lesion diameter, and disease index of gray mold decreased in both the pot and field experiments following B. bassiana colonization. B. bassiana was more likely to accumulate in the pathogen infected leaves, while decreasing in the rhizosphere soil, and induced the expression of plant resistance genes, which were up-regulated in leaves. Discussion: The results indicated that plants could "recruit" B. bassiana from rhizosphere soil to diseased plants as directional effects, which then enhanced plant growth and resistance against pathogens, consequently inhibiting pathogen infection and multiplication in plants. Our findings provide novel insights that enhance our understanding of the roles of EPF during pathogen challenge.

Copper deprivation enhances the chemosensitivity of pancreatic cancer to rapamycin by mTORC1/2 inhibition.

Cuproplasia, or copper-dependent cell proliferation, has been observed in varieties of solid tumors along with aberrant copper homeostasis. Several studies reported good response of patients to copper chelator assisted neoadjuvant chemotherapy, however, the internal target molecules are still undetermined. Unravel copper-associated tumor signaling would be valuable to forge new links to translate biology of copper into clinical cancer therapies. We evaluated the significance of high-affinity copper transporter-1 (CTR1) by bioinformatic analysis, and in 19 pairs of clinical specimens. Then, with the help of gene interference and chelating agent, enriched signaling pathways were identified by KEGG analysis and immunoblotting. Accompanying biological capability of pancreatic carcinoma-associated proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and angiogenesis were investigated. Furthermore, a combination of mTOR inhibitor and CTR1 suppressor has been assessed in xenografted tumor mouse models. Hyperactive CTR1 was investigated in pancreatic cancer tissues and proven to as the key point of cancer copper homeostasis. Intracellular copper deprivation induced by CTR1 gene knock-down or systematic copper chelation by tetrathiomolybdate suppressed proliferation and angiogenesis of pancreatic cancer cell. PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway was suppressed by inhibiting the activation of p70(S6)K and p-AKT, and finally inhibited mTORC1 and mTORC2 after copper deprivation. Additionally, CTR1 gene silencing successfully improved the anti-cancer effect of mTOR inhibitor rapamycin. Our study reveals that CTR1 contributes to pancreatic tumorigenesis and progression, by up-regulating the phosphorylation of AKT/mTOR signaling molecules. Recovering copper balance by copper deprivation addresses as promising strategy for improved cancer chemotherapy.

The relationship between protein modified folding molecular network and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis based on BAG2-HSC70-STUB1-MAPT expression patterns analysis.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and cognitive decline, while its pathological mechanism remains unclear. Tauopathies is one of the most widely accepted hypotheses. In this study, the molecular network was established and the expression pattern of the core gene was analyzed, confirming that the dysfunction of protein folding and degradation is one of the critical factors for AD. Methods: This study analyzed 9 normal people and 22 AD patients' microarray data obtained from GSE1297 in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The matrix decomposition analysis was used to identify the correlation between the molecular network and AD. The mathematics of the relationship between the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the expression level of the genes involved in the molecular network was found by Neural Network (NN). Furthermore, the Support Vector Machine (SVM) model was for classification according to the expression value of genes. Results: The difference of eigenvalues is small in first three stages and increases dramatically in the severe stage. For example, the maximum eigenvalue changed to 0.79 in the severe group from 0.56 in the normal group. The sign of the elements in the eigenvectors of biggest eigenvalue reversed. The linear function of the relationship between clinical MMSE and gene expression values was observed. Then, the model of Neural Network (NN) is designed to predict the value of MMSE based on the linear function, and the predicted accuracy is up to 0.93. For the SVM classification, the accuracy of the model is 0.72. Conclusion: This study shows that the molecular network of protein folding and degradation represented by "BAG2-HSC70-STUB1-MAPT" has a strong relationship with the occurrence and progression of AD, and this degree of correlation of the four genes gradually weakens with the progression of AD. The mathematical mapping of the relationship between gene expression and clinical MMSE was found, and it can be used in predicting MMSE or classification with high accuracy. These genes are expected to be potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of AD.

Transcriptomic analysis of entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana infected by a hypervirulent polymycovirus BbPmV-4.

Polymycoviridae is a recently established family of mycoviruses. Beauveria bassiana polymycovirus 4 (BbPmV-4) was previously reported. However, the effect of the virus on host fungus B. bassiana was not clarified. Here, a comparison between virus-free and virus-infected isogenic lines of B. bassiana revealed that BbPmV-4 infection of B. bassiana changes morphology and could lead to decreases in conidiation and increases in virulence against Ostrinia furnacalis larvae. The differential expression of genes between virus-free and virus-infected strains was compared by RNA-Seq and was consistent with the phenotype of B. bassiana. The enhanced pathogenicity may be related to the significant up-regulation of genes encoding mitogen activated protein kinase, cytochrome P450, and polyketide synthase. The results enable studies of the mechanism of interaction between BbPmV-4 and B. bassiana.

First record of Aspergillus nomiae as a broad-spectrum entomopathogenic fungus that provides resistance against phytopathogens and insect pests by colonization of plants.

Introduction: Aspergillus nomiae is known as a pathogenic fungus that infects humans and plants but has never been reported as an entomophagous fungus (EPF) that can provide other functions as an endotype. Methods: A strain of EPF was isolated and identified from diseased larvae of Spodoptera litura in a soybean field and designated AnS1Gzl-1. Pathogenicity of the strain toward various insect pests was evaluated, especially the ability to colonize plants and induce resistance against phytopathogens and insect pests. Results: The isolated EPF strain AnS1Gzl-1 was identified as A. nomiae; it showed strong pathogenicity toward five insect pests belonging to Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. Furthermore, the strain inhibited the growth of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in vitro, a causal agent of soil-borne plant disease. It colonized plants as an endophyte via root irrigation with a high colonization rate of 90%, thereby inducing plant resistance against phytopathogen infection, and disrupting the feeding selectivity of S. litura larvae. Discussion: This is the first record of a natural infection of A. nomiae on insects. A. nomiae has the potential to be used as a dual biocontrol EPF because of its ability to not only kill a broad spectrum of insect pests directly but also induce resistance against phytopathogens via plant colonization.

Identification of the effect and mechanism of Yiyi Fuzi Baijiang powder against colorectal cancer using network pharmacology and experimental validation.

Background: Yiyi Fuzi Baijiang powder (YFBP) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat colorectal cancer, although its bioactivity and mechanisms of action have not been studied in depth yet. The study intended to identify the potential targets and signaling pathways affected by YFBP during the treatment of colorectal cancer through pharmacological network analysis and to further analyze its chemical compositions and molecular mechanisms of action. Methods: The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), Traditional Chinese Medicine Integrated Database (TCMID), HitPredict (HIT), and Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH) databases were used to screen the bioactive components and promising targets of YFBP. Targets related to colorectal cancer were retrieved from the GeneCards and Gene Ontology databases. Cytoscape software was used to construct the "herb-active ingredient-target" network. The STRING database was used to construct and analyze protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Afterward, the R packages clusterProfiler and Cytoscape Hub plug-in were used to perform Gene Ontology (GO) functional and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of target genes. The results of the network pharmacological analysis were also experimentally validated. Results: In total, 33 active components and 128 target genes were screened. Among them, 46 target genes were considered potential therapeutic targets that crossed the CRC target genes. The network pharmacology analysis showed that the active components of YFBP were correlated positively with CRC inflammatory target genes such as TLR4, TNF, and IL-6. The inflammation-related signaling pathways affected by the active components included the TNF-α, interleukin-17, and toll-like receptor signaling pathways. The active ingredients of YFBP, such as luteolin, ß-sitosterol, myristic acid, and vanillin, may exert anti-tumor effects by downregulating SMOX expression via anti-inflammatory signaling and regulation of the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Conclusion: In the present study, the potential active components, potential targets, and key biological pathways involved in the YFBP treatment of CRC were determined, providing a theoretical foundation for further anti-tumor research.

Hydroxyl-Imidazolium Ionic Liquid-Functionalized MIL-101(Cr): A Bifunctional and Highly Efficient Catalyst for the Conversion of CO2 to Styrene Carbonate.

Considerable attention has been focused on the development of catalysts for the coupling reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2) and epoxides due to the distinct advantages and importance of this reaction. To develop high-performance and easy-to-recycle catalyst is still a hot topic, especially for candidates with excellent activity under moderate conditions. A new heterogeneous catalyst, MIL-101-ImEtOH, is reported by post-synthesis modification, in which 2-(1-imidazol-1-yl) ethanol (Im-EtOH) is immobilized on MIL-101(Cr). In the absence of solvent and co-catalyst, MIL-101-ImEtOH exhibits high activity for the cycloaddition of CO2 and styrene oxide. A 95.6% yield is achieved under 0.5 MPa CO2 pressure and 90 °C by utilization of 50 mg of catalyst for 3 h. Moreover, MIL-101-ImEtOH is easily separated from the catalytic system by simple filtration. To elucidate the influence of hydroxyl group and porous structure on catalysis, other two supported ionic liquids, MIL-101-EtIm and PS-ImEtOH, are prepared and used to catalyze the title reaction under the same conditions. The contribution of each active component is determined by density functional theory along with noncovalent interaction analysis.

Interspecific spread of dsRNA mycoviruses in entomogenous fungi Beauveria spp.

Mycoviruses can spread interspecifically and intraspecifically in plant pathogenic fungi, as well as spreading intraspecifically in entomogenous fungi, especially Beauveria bassiana. However, whether mycoviruses are common in Beauveria spp. and can spread interspecifically between Beauveria species are unclear. Herein, four Beauveria species, but not B. bassiana, were randomly selected for double stranded RNA (dsRNA) detection. Furthermore, two previously reported dsRNA mycoviruses from B. bassiana, BbCV-2 and BbPmV-4, were used to study the interspecific transmission among B. bassiana, B. amorpha, and B. aranearum, using hyphal anastomosis and a novel insect coinfection transmission method. The results showed that dsRNA mycoviruses exist universally in Beauveria spp. and could spread interspecifically between different Beauveria species. The transmission efficiency from B. bassiana to the other two Beauveria species was significantly higher than that of the reverse transmission. Both viruses could stably and vertically spread in B. amorpha and B. aranearum, which affected their growth rate and colony morphology.

Endophytic blastospores of Beauveria bassiana provide high resistance against plant disease caused by Botrytis cinerea.

The entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana is widely used for insect pest control and can produce three distinct infective unit types under different nutritional and environmental conditions: aerial conidia, blastospores, and submerged conidia. Here, we identified endophytic colonization ability and existing forms of the three types of B. bassiana infective units after inoculating Arabidopsis plants via soil drenching, and tested their effects on their presence mold disease caused by Botrytis cinerea. We found that all B. bassiana infective unit types colonized Arabidopsis leaves, with germinating and producing hyphae by hydrophilic blastopores and submerged conidia; further, we showed that blastospores were more effective in defending against B. cinerea, compared with aerial conidia. These findings suggest that in addition to aerial conidia, the colonization of other two types of entomopathogenic fungal infective units could also have important impacts on plant resistance. This study contributes to better understanding on the function of B. bassiana as fungal endophytes, which could lead to a new paradigm for how to successfully use these organisms in biological control against plant diseases.

Targeting protein kinases benefits cancer immunotherapy.

Small-molecule kinase inhibitors have been well established and successfully developed in the last decades for cancer target therapies. However, intrinsic or acquired drug resistance is becoming the major barrier for their clinical application. With the development of immunotherapies, in particular the discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), the combination of ICIs with other therapies have recently been extensively explored, among which combination of ICIs with kinase inhibitors achieves promising clinical outcome in a plethora of cancer types. Here we comprehensively summarize the potent roles of protein kinases in modulating immune checkpoints both in tumor and immune cells, and reshaping tumor immune microenvironments by evoking innate immune response and neoantigen generation or presentation. Moreover, the clinical trial and approval of combined administration of kinase inhibitors with ICIs are collected, highlighting the precise strategies to benefit cancer immune therapies.

Establishment of a Long-Term Survival Swine Model for the Observation of Transplanted Islets: a Preliminary Step in an Allogeneic Transplant Experiment.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of an experimental and preclinical islet transplantation (IsletTx) model to elucidate associated clinical problems is vital. This study aimed to introduce a simple methodology for producing a swine autologous IsletTx model as a preliminary step in an allogeneic transplant experiment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Twenty-seven pigs were included in the study. Total pancreatectomy (TP) was performed in 8 pigs (TP group), TP with autologous IsletTx in 9 (TP + IsletTx group), and distal pancreatectomy (DP) with autologous IsletTx in 10 (DP + IsletTx group). An open biopsy was performed on all pigs during postoperative day 14 using an infrared imaging (IRI) system. Laboratory data and postoperative survival were analyzed and compared according to the procedures done. RESULTS: Postoperative survival rate was significantly higher in the pigs with autologous IsletTx than in those without (P = .026). There were no significant differences in survival between the TP + IsletTx and DP + IsletTx groups (P = .746). Significant hyperglycemia was not observed in both groups, but the DP + IsletTx group remained relatively stable throughout the postoperative course. There were no differences in serum creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase levels between the 2 groups. By selective liver lobe transplantation and administration of the IRI system, localization of the transplanted islets via open biopsy was achieved. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed an autologous IsletTx model and an open biopsy system using a swine model. This study will aid in the development of an allogeneic IsletTx experiment that may improve transplantation outcomes.

Endophytic colonization of entomopathogenic fungi increases plant disease resistance by changing the endophytic bacterial community.

Various mechanisms are involved in plant disease resistance mediated by entomopathogenic fungi; however, the role of plant endophytic microbes in disease resistance is unknown. In the present study, we showed that the disease incidence of northern corn leaf blight caused by Exserohilum turcicum (Et) on maize was reduced significantly by soil inoculation with Beauveria bassiana (Bb). Meanwhile, B. bassiana colonization and E. turcicum infection increased the diversity and abundance and diversity of endophytic bacteria and fungi, respectively, while the abundance of endophytic bacterial of the Bb + Et treatment decreased significantly compared with that of Et treatment alone. However, Bb + Et treatment increased the relative abundance of plant beneficial bacteria significantly, for example, Burkholderia and Pseudomonas. Network analyses showed that the microbiome complexity increased after soil inoculation with B. bassiana. Taken together, these results revealed the potential mechanism by which entomopathogenic fungi exert biological control of maize leaf spot disease.