Reactive oxygen species mediated extracellular polymeric substances production assisting the recovery of Thalassiosira pseudonana from polystyrene micro and nanoplastics exposure.

As emerging pollutants in the aquatic environments, micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) aroused widespread environmental concerns for their potential threats to the ecological health. Previous research has proved that microalgae growth could recover from the MNPs toxicities, in which the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) might play the key role. In order to comprehensively investigate the recovery process of microalgae from MNPs stress and the effecting mechanisms of EPS therein, this study conducted a series of experiments by employing two sizes (0.1 and 1 µm) of polystyrene (PS) MNPs and the marine model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana during 14 days. The results indicated: the pigments accumulations and photosynthetic recovery of T. pseudonana under MPs exposure showed in the early stage (4-5 days), while the elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and EPS contents lasted longer time period (7-8 days). EPS was aggregated with MNPs particles and microalgal cells, corresponding to the increased settlement rates. More increase of soluble (SL)-EPS contents was found than bound (B)-EPS under MNPs exposure, in which the increase of the protein proportion and humic acid-like substances in SL-EPS was found, thus facilitating aggregates formation. ROS was the signaling molecule mediating the overproduction of EPS. The transcriptional results further proved the enhanced EPS biosynthesis on the molecular level. Therefore, this study elucidated the recovery pattern of microalgae from MNPs stress and linked "ROS-EPS production changes-aggregation formation" together during the growth recovery process, with important scientific and environmental significance.

Bta-miR-301a targets ACVR1 to influence cleavage time and blastocyst formation rate of early embryos in cattle.

Accumulating evidence indicates that paternally-derived miRNAs play a crucial role in the development of early embryos and are regarded as the key factor in the successful development of somatic cell cloned embryos. In our previous study, bta-miR-301a was found to be highly expressed in bovine sperm, and was delivered into oocytes during fertilization. In this study, bioinformatics, dual luciferase reporter assays, rescue experiments and gain- and loss-of-function experiments indicated that ACVR1 is the target gene of bta-miR-301a in early bovine embryos. By microinjecting bta-miR-301a mimic into embryos of parthenogenetic or somatic cell nuclear transfer, we observed that bta-miR-301a prolonged the first cleavage time of the embryos and increased the blastocyst formation rate. Thus, this study provides preliminary evidence that bta-miR-301a influences remodeling of the microfilament skeleton, prolongs the first cleavage time, and improves the developmental competence of embryos by negatively regulating ACVR1 translation.

UV-B radiation alleviated detrimental effects of polymethyl methacrylate microplastics on marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana.

Microplastics (MPs) in marine environments simultaneously affect microalgae with UV-B radiation, while their joint effecting mechanisms remain largely unknown. To fill this research gap, the joint effects of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) MPs and UV-B radiation (natural environments intensity) on the model marine diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana were investigated. Antagonism was found between the two factors with regards to population growth. Furthermore, we found more inhibited population growth and photosynthetic parameters when pre-treated with PMMA MPs compared to pre-treated with UV-B radiation before joint-treated by the two factors. Transcriptional analysis elucidated that UV-B radiation could alleviate the down-regulation of photosynthetic (PSII, cyt b6/f complex and photosynthetic electron transport) and chlorophyll biosynthesis genes caused by PMMA MPs. Besides, the genes encoding carbon fixation and metabolisms was up-regulated under UV-B radiation, which could provide extra energy for the enhanced anti-oxidative activities and DNA replication-repair processes. These consequences showed that the toxicity of PMMA MPs was comprehensively alleviated when T. pseudonana was jointed treated by UV-B radiation. Our results reveled the underlying molecular mechanisms of antagonistic effects between PMMA MPs and UV-B radiation. This study provides important information that environmental factors like UV-B radiation should be considered when accessing the ecological risks of MPs on marine organisms.

Interfacial Design and Construction of Carbon Fiber Composites by Strongly Bound Hydroxyapatite Nanobelt-Carbon Nanotubes for Biological Applications.

Carbon fiber composites are promising candidates for orthopedic implant applications, which calls for a combination of high mechanical strength and outstanding biotribological properties. In this work, hydroxyapatite nanobelts-carbon nanotubes (HN) were designed and constructed into carbon fiber-anhydrous dicalcium phosphate (DCPA)-epoxy composites (CDE) for simultaneously optimizing the mechanical and biotribological properties via the combined methods of pulse electrochemical deposition and injected chemical vapor deposition. HN provides more nucleation sites for the growth of DCPA and favors the infiltration of epoxy. In addition, HN optimizes the fiber/matrix interface by generating strong interfacial mechanical interlocking. Owing to the synergism of a strongly bound HN, the mechanical and biotribological properties of CDE have demonstrated significant improvement. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of HN-modified CDE (HN-CDE) increase by 52 and 170% compared with CDE, respectively. The wear rate and average friction coefficient of HN-CDE are decreased by 42% and increased by 45% compared with those of CDE, respectively. HN-CDE, with superior mechanical strength and biotribological properties, has high potential as a bone substitute and orthopedic implant.

The adsorption and absorption kinetics of BDE-47 by Chlorella sp. and the role of extracellular polymer substances influenced by environmental factors.

Microalgae act as the entrance of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) from abiotic to biotic environments, which controlled the environmental fate of PBDEs in aquatic environments. Combing with typical coastal environmental characteristics including extracellular polymer substances (EPS) enrichment, light limitation and nitrogen starvation, the changes of adsorption and absorption kinetics of BDE-47 by Chlorella sp. and the role of EPS therein were investigated. The results quantified the adsorption and absorption kinetics of BDE-47 by Chlorella sp. cells and fitted it by the Lagergren pseudo first order model. Furthermore, we found the adsorption and absorption kinetics could be changed by the above mentioned environmental factors. To be specific, the total BDE-47 adsorption amounts per microalgal cell were increased as the increase of ambient EPS (proteins or carbohydrates), attributing to the increase of soluble (SL)-EPS contents; increased total BDE-47 adsorption amounts but decreased absorption rates were found under light limitation and nitrogen starvation, which were attributed to increased bound (B)-EPS contents and protein/carbohydrates (P/C) ratios therein, respectively. Therefore, our study elucidated the adsorption and absorption kinetics of PBDEs by microalgae could be influenced by ambient environmental changes, clarified the roles of SL-EPS, B-EPS contents and P/C ratios, providing a solid basis for evaluating the environmental fate of PBDEs in the marine environments.

Different effecting mechanisms of two sized polystyrene microplastics on microalgal oxidative stress and photosynthetic responses.

Increasing marine microplastics (MPs) pollution potentially threatens the stability of phytoplankton community structures in marine environments. MPs toxicities to microalgae are largely determined by particle size, while the size-dependent mechanisms are still not fully understood. In this study, two sizes (0.1 µm and 1 µm) of polystyrene (PS) MPs were used as experimental targets to systemically compare their different effecting mechanisms on the marine model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana with respect to oxidative stress and photosynthesis. The results indicated the toxicity of 1 µm sized MPs was higher than 0.1 µm sized MPs regarding to population growth. In condition of similar microalgal population inhibition rates, we found more enhanced cellular oxidative stress and cell death happened in the 1 µm MPs treatments, which could be linked to higher zeta potential of 1 µm MPs and more severe cell surface damage; microalgal surface light shading and cellular pigments decline were more obvious in the 0.1 µm MPs treatment, which could be linked to high aggregation abilities of 0.1 µm MPs. Gene expressions supported the morphological and physiological findings on the transcriptional level. Environmental related MPs concentrations (5 µg L-1) also aroused gene expression changes of T. pseudonana while more changing genes were found under 0.1 µm MPs than 1 µm MPs. These results provide novel insights into the size-dependent mechanisms of MPs toxicity on marine microalgae, as well as their potential influence on the marine environment.

E74 knockdown represses larval development and chitin synthesis in Hyphantria cunea.

E74 is a key transcription factor induced by 20E, which plays a broad role in many physiological events during insect growth and development, including vitellogenesis, organ remodeling and new tissue formation, programmed cell death and metamorphosis. However, whether it is involved in regulating insect chitin biosynthesis remains largely unclear. Here, the E74 gene was identified for the first time from Hyphantria cunea, a notorious defoliator of forestry. Thereafter, the role of HcE74 in regulating growth, development and chitin synthesis in H. cunea larvae was evaluated. Bioinformatics analysis showed that HcE74 shared the highest identity (95.53%) with E74A of Spodoptera litura, which belonged to Ets superfamily. The results of RNAi bioassay showed that the larval mortality on 6 d after HcE74 knockdown was up to 51.11 ± 6.94%. Meanwhile, a distinct developmental deformity phenotype was found when HcE74 was silenced. These results indicated that HcE74 plays an important role in the development and molting of H. cunea larvae. Moreover, HcE74 knockdown also significantly decreased the expression of four key genes related to chitin synthesis, including glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (HcG6PI), UDP-N-acetylglucosamine pyrophosphorylase (HcUAP), chitin synthetase A (HcCHSA), and chitin synthetase B (HcCHSB). As a result, the content of chitin in midgut and epidermis decreased by 0.54- and 0.08-fold, respectively. Taken together, these results demonstrated that HcE74 not only plays a critical role in the growth and molting of H. cunea larvae, but also probably participates in the transcriptional regulation of genes involved in chitin biosynthesis.

Effects of different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite on dentine adhesion and the recovery application of sodium erythorbate. / ä¸åŒæµ“åº¦æ¬¡æ°¯é ¸é’ å¤„ç†å¯¹ç‰™æœ¬è´¨ç²˜æŽ¥çš„å½±å“åŠå¼‚æŠ—åè¡€é ¸é’ çš„æ¢å¤ä½œç”¨.

OBJECTIVES: Root canal therapy is the most effective and common method for pulpitis and periapical periodontitis. During the root canal preparation, chemical irrigation plays a key role. However, sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), the widely used irrigation fluid, may impact the bonding strength between dentin and restorative material meanwhile sterilization and dissolving. Therefore, it's important to explore the influence of NaOCl on the adhesion between dentin and restoration materials to ensure clinical efficacy. This study aims to explore the effect of NaOCl on dentine adhesion and evaluate the effect of dentine adhesion induced by sodium erythorbate (ERY), and to provide clinical guidance on dentin bonding after root canal therapy. METHODS: Seventy freshly complete extracted human third molars aged 18-33 years old, without caries and restorations were selected. A diamond saw was used under running water to achieve dentine fragments which were divided into 10 groups with 14 fragments in each group: 2 control [deionized water (DW)±10% ERY] and 8 experimental groups (0.5%, 1%, 2.5%, and 5.25% NaOCl±10% ERY). The dentine specimens in the control group (treated with DW) and the experimental groups (treated with 0.5% NaOCl, 1% NaOCl, 2.5% NaOCl, and 5.25% NaOCl) were immersed for 20 min using corresponding solutions which were renewed every 5 min. The other 5 groups were immersed in 10% ERY for 5 min after an initial washing with DW for 1 min. Then, we selected 4 dentine fragments from all 14 fragments in each group and the numbers and diameters of opening dentinal tubules were observed under scanning electron microscope (SEM). The other 10 dentine fragments from each group were used to make adhesive samples by using self-etch adhesive wand composite resin. All the above adhesive samples were sectioned perpendicular to the bonded interface into 20 slabs with a cross-sectional area of 1 mm×1 mm using a diamond saw under the cooling water, and then the morphology of 10 slabs in each group's bonding interface was observed from aspects of formation of resin tags, depth of tags in dentin, and formation of hybrid layer under SEM. The other 10 slabs of each group's microtensile bond strength and failure modes were also analyzed. RESULTS: Among the 0.5% NaOCl, 1% NaOCl, 2.5% NaOCl, and 5.25% NaOCl groups, the number and diameter of patent dentinal tubules gradually increased with the rise of concentration of NaOCl solution (all P<0.05). Among the DW, 0.5% NaOCl, 1% NaOCl, 2.5% NaOCl, and 5.25% NaOCl groups, the number and diameter of patent dentinal tubules increased after using ERY, but without significant difference (all P>0.05). Among the DW, 0.5% NaOCl, 1% NaOCl, and 2.5% NaOCl groups, the scores of formation of resin tags under SEM gradually increased with the increase of concentration of NaOCl solution, while the score in the 5.25% NaOCl group decreased significantly compared with the score of the 2.5% NaOCl group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between using 10% ERY groups and without using 10% ERY groups (all P>0.05). The scores of length of the tags under SEM in the 5.25% NaOCl group was significantly higher than the scores of DW, 0.5% NaOCl, and 1% NaOCl groups (all P<0.05), and it was also higher than the score of the 2.5% NaOCl group, but without significant difference (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between using 10% ERY groups and without using 10% ERY groups (P>0.05). The scores of formation of hybrid layer under SEM in the 2.5% NaOCl and 5.25% NaOCl groups significantly decreased compared with the score of the DW group (all P<0.05). There were significant differences between the 2.5% NaOCl±10% ERY groups and between the 5.25% NaOCl±10% ERY groups (all P<0.05). Microtensile bond strength was greater in the 0.5% NaOCl, 1% NaOCl, and 2.5% NaOCl groups, but lower in the 5.25% NaOCl group than that in the DW group (all P<0.05). There were significant differences between the 2.5% NaOCl±10% ERY groups and between the 5.25% NaOCl±10% ERY groups (all P<0.05). The incidence of type "Adhesive" of failure modes in the 5.25% NaOCl group was significantly higher than that in other groups (all P<0.05), while the incidence of type "Adhesive" in the 5.25% NaOCl+10% ERY group was lower than that in the 5.25% NaOCl group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The bonding strength to dentine increases with the increase of NaOCl concentration when the concentration lower than 2.5%; whereas it is decreased at a higher concentration (such as 5.25%). 10% ERY has a definite recovery effect on attenuated bonding strength to 5.25% NaOCl-treated dentine.

Supplementation with kaempferol relieves oxidative stress and enhances development of early bovine embryos in vitro.

Oxidative stress (OS) has been considered the principle cause of developmental failure of early embryos cultured in vitro; therefore, the addition of antioxidants is very important for improving in vitro culture (IVC) systems. Various antioxidants have been tested for IVC systems, but most have exhibited some side effects. Kaempferol (3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-[4-hydroxyphenyl]-4 h-1-benzopyran-4-one, KAE) is a flavonoid with strong antioxidant activity and no obvious side effects. This study explored the effect of KAE on antioxidant capacity and developmental competence of bovine embryos after fertilization. KAE was added to bovine IVC medium and significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in 2-, 4- and 8-cell stage embryos and increased blastocyst formation. In addition, the level of H3K9ac was increased, the apoptotic index was reduced and total cell numbers and trophectoderm cell numbers in day 7 blastocysts were increased significantly in KAE-treated embryos compared to control. Expression of the apoptotic gene, Bcl-2, was higher in blastocysts after KAE treatment, while expression of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress genes, Bip and HDAC1, and the pro-apoptotic gene, Bax, were significantly lower in the KAE group. Thus, KAE significantly reduced ROS damage and improved development of IVC bovine embryos.

Metformin-induced AMPK activation suppresses larval growth and molting probably by disrupting 20E synthesis and glycometabolism in fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea Drury.

Metformin, considered to be a potent AMPK activator, is widely used for clinical therapy of cancer and diabetes due to its distinct function in regulating cell energy balance and body metabolism. However, the effect of metformin-induced AMPK activation on the growth and development of insects remains largely unknown. In the present study, we focused on the role of metformin in regulating the growth and development of Hyphantria cunea, a notorious defoliator in the forestry. Firstly, we obtained the complete coding sequences of HcAMPKα2, HcAMPKß1, HcAMPKγ2 from H. cunea, which encoded a protein of 512, 281, and 680 amino acids respectively. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis revealed that these three subunits were highly homologous with the AMPK subunits from other lepidopteran species. According to the bioassay, we found metformin remarkably restrained the growth and development of H. cunea larvae, and caused molting delayed and body weight reduced. In addition, expressions of HcAMPKα2, HcAMPKß1, and HcAMPKγ2 were upregulated 3.30-, 5.93- and 5.92-folds at 24 h after treatment, confirming that metformin activated AMPK signaling at the transcriptional level in H. cunea larvae. Conversely, the expressions of two vital Halloween genes (HcCYP306A1 and HcCYP314A1) in the 20E synthesis pathway were remarkably suppressed by metformin. Thus, we presumed that metformin delayed larval molting probably by impeding 20E synthesis in the H. cunea larvae. Finally, we found that metformin accelerated glycogen breakdown, elevated in vivo trehalose level, promoted chitin synthesis, and upregulated transcriptions of the genes in chitin synthesis pathway. Taken together, the findings provide a new insight into the molecular mechanisms by which AMPK regulates carbohydrate metabolism and chitin synthesis in insects.

Surface Engineering Assisted Size and Structure Modulation of Gold Nanoclusters by Ionic Liquid Cations.

Surface modification induced core size/structure change is a recent discovery in inorganic nanoparticles research, and has rarely been revealed at the molecular level. Here, we exemplify with atomically precise Au nanoclusters (NCs) that proper surface modification can selectively stabilize the desired Au0 core, conducive to the formation of size/structure-controlled Au NCs. Leveraging π-π enhanced ion-pairing interactions, ionic liquid (IL) cations are bonded to AuI -thiolate complexes. The hydrophobic-hydrophobic interactions between IL cations subsequently provide a good mechanism to prolong the size of the AuI -thiolate complexes, selectively producing small-sized Au NCs upon reduction. Through combined control over the structure and concentration of IL cations, pH and solvent polarity, we are able to produce atomically precise Au NCs with customizable size, atomic packing structure, and surface chemistry. This work also provides a facile means to integrate/synergize the materials functionalities of Au NCs and ILs, increasing their acceptance in diverse fields.

The effects of two sized polystyrene nanoplastics on the growth, physiological functions, and toxin production of Alexandrium tamarense.

Micro- and nano-plastics (MNPs) are increasingly prevalent pollutants in marine ecosystems and result in various deleterious effects on marine organisms. There have been studies evaluated the toxic effects of MNPs on marine microalgae, but few of them focused on the effects of MNPs on dinoflagellate species and their toxins production, which could have significant implications on human health and ecological safety in coastal areas. In this study, the common harmful algal blooms-causing dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense was exposed to 0.1 and 1 µm sized polystyrene nanoplastics (NPs) to investigate the responding patterns of population growth, multiple physiological functions, as well as the intracellular paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) productions. The results indicated the population growth, photosynthetic parameters, nutrients (nitrate and phosphate) uptake rates and extracellular carbonic anhydrase activities (CAext) were all inhibited by the two sized NPs, accompanied by the prolonged and more aggregated microalgal cells under the observation of scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the inhibition effects were more severe under 1 µm sized NPs than 0.1 µm sized NPs. Finally, we found the intracellular PSTs contents increased 73.59% exposed to 0.1 µm sized NPs while decreased 85.50% exposed to 1 µm sized NPs comparing the controls at 96 h, without significant changes of relative compositions. These results provided evidence that MNPs were toxic to A. tamarense and affected their intracellular PSTs productions within 96 h, which is critical to consider when evaluating the potential risks of MNPs in marine ecosystems.

3-Bromopyruvate-induced glycolysis inhibition impacts larval growth and development and carbohydrate homeostasis in fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea Drury.

As a typical glycolytic inhibitor, 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) has been extensively studied in cancer therapy in recent decades. However, few studies focused on 3-BrPA in regulating the growth and development of insects, and the relationship and regulatory mechanism between glycolysis and chitin biosynthesis remain largely unknown. The Hyphantria cunea, named fall webworm, is a notorious defoliator, which caused a huge economic loss to agriculture and forestry. Here, we investigated the effects of 3-BrPA on the growth and development, glycolysis, carbohydrate homeostasis, as well as chitin synthesis in H. cunea larvae. To elucidate the action mechanism of 3-BrPA on H. cunea will provide a new insight for the control of this pest. The results showed that 3-BrPA dramatically restrained the growth and development of H. cunea larvae and resulted in larval lethality. Meanwhile, we confirmed that 3-BrPA caused a significant decrease in carbohydrate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), pyruvic acid (PA), and triglyceride (TG) levels by inhibiting glycolysis in H. cunea larvae. Further studies indicated that 3-BrPA significantly affected the activities of hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK), pyruvate kinase (PK), glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and trehalase, as well as expressions of the genes related to glycolysis, resulting in carbohydrate homeostasis disorder. Moreover, it was found that 3-BrPA enhanced 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) signaling by upregulating HcCYP306A1 and HcCYP314A1, two critical genes in 20E synthesis pathway, and accelerated chitin synthesis by upregulating transcriptional levels of genes in the chitin synthesis pathway in H. cunea larvae. Taken together, our findings provide a novel insight into the mechanism of glycolytic inhibitor in regulating the growth and development of insects, and lay a foundation for the potential application of glycolytic inhibitors in pest control as well.

Revealing the etching process of water-soluble Au25 nanoclusters at the molecular level.

Etching (often considered as decomposition) is one of the key considerations in the synthesis, storage, and application of metal nanoparticles. However, the underlying chemistry of their etching process still remains elusive. Here, we use real-time electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to study the reaction dynamics and size/structure evolution of all the stable intermediates during the etching of water-soluble thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs), which reveal an unusual "recombination" process in the oxidative reaction environment after the initial decomposition process. Interestingly, the sizes of NC species grow larger and their ligand-to-metal ratios become higher during this recombination process, which are distinctly different from that observed in the reductive growth of Au NCs (e.g., lower ligand-to-metal ratios with increasing sizes). The etching chemistry revealed in this study provides molecular-level understandings on how metal nanoparticles transform under the oxidative reaction environment, providing efficient synthetic strategies for new NC species through the etching reactions.

Ligand Design in Ligand-Protected Gold Nanoclusters.

The design of surface ligands is crucial for ligand-protected gold nanoclusters (Au NCs). Besides providing good protection for Au NCs, the surface ligands also play the following two important roles: i) as the outermost layer of Au NCs, the ligands will directly interact with the exterior environment (e.g., solvents, molecules and cells) influencing Au NCs in various applications; and ii) the interfacial chemistry between ligands and gold atoms can determine the structures, as well as the physical and chemical properties of Au NCs. A delicate ligand design in Au NCs (or other metal NCs) needs to consider the covalent bonds between ligands and gold atoms (e.g., gold-sulfur (Au-S) and gold-phosphorus (Au-P) bond), the physics forces between ligands (e.g., hydrophobic and van der Waals forces), and the ionic forces between the functional groups of ligands (e.g., carboxylic (COOH) and amine group (NH2 )); which form the underlying chemistry and discussion focus of this review article. Here, detailed discussions on the effects of surface ligands (e.g., thiolate, phosphine, and alkynyl ligands; or hydrophobic and hydrophilic ligands) on the synthesis, structures, and properties of Au NCs; highlighting the design principles in the surface engineering of Au NCs for diverse emerging applications, are provided.

Biological information and functional analysis reveal the role of discoidin domain receptor 1 in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to establish a framework for the role of discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) through biological data and functional analysis. STUDY DESIGN: The GSE31056 series of the Gene Expression Omnibus database and UALCAN website were used to assess DDR1 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and OSCC. DDR1 RNA sequencing data for 260 HNSCC samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas were overlaid to evaluate its association with tumor progression and prognosis. To identify the function of DDR1 in OSCC, 38 patients with OSCC were followed for 8 years and immunohistochemical analysis, western blotting, Cell Counting Kit-8, and colony formation assays were conducted on OSCC cell lines to reveal DDR1 expression and function. RESULTS: DDR1 was overexpressed in HNSCC and OSCC tumor specimens and its expression correlated with overall survival and T-stage classification (P = .049, P = .0316). Furthermore, DDR1 was related to OSCC tumor growth because its expression increased with the T-stage level (P = .0071) but not N-stage level, histologic stage, or recurrence (P > .05). DDR1 was highly expressed in OSCC cell lines and promoted cell proliferation, which was repressed by nilotinib (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: DDR1 has an oncogenic role in OSCC and might be a novel target for anti-OSCC therapy.

The molecular response mechanisms of a diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana to the toxicity of BDE-47 based on whole transcriptome analysis.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitously distributed persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine environments. Phytoplankton are the entrance of PBDEs entering to biotic environments from abiotic environments, while the responding mechanisms of phytoplankton to PBDEs have not been full established. Therefore, we chose the model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana in this study, by integrating whole transcriptome analysis with physiological-biochemical data, to reveal the molecular responding mechanisms of T. pseudonana to the toxicity of BDE-47. Our results indicated the changes of genes expressions correlated to the physiological-biochemical changes, and there were multiple molecular mechanisms of T. pseudonana responding to the toxicity of BDE-47: Gene expressions evidence explained the suppression of light reaction and proved the occurrence of cellular oxidative stress; In the meanwhile, up-regulations of genes in pathways involving carbon metabolisms happened, including the Calvin cycle, glycolysis, TCA cycle, fatty acid synthesis, and triacylglycerol synthesis; Lastly, DNA damage was found and three outcome including DNA repair, cell cycle arrest and programmed cell death (PCD) happened, which could finally inhibit the cell division and population growth of T. pseudonana. This study presented the most complete molecular responding mechanisms of phytoplankton cells to PBDEs, and provided valuable information of various PBDEs-sensitive genes with multiple functions for further research involving organic pollutants and phytoplankton.

ROS-mediated programmed cell death (PCD) of Thalassiosira pseudonana under the stress of BDE-47.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a series of highly persistent organic pollutants (POPs) ubiquitously distributed in marine environments. As key primary producers, microalgae are the start of PBDEs bioaccumulations and vulnerable to their toxicities. In order to deeply investigate the toxic mechanism of PBDEs on microalgal cells, the occurrence of programmed cell death (PCD) in a model diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana and its possible mediating mechanism were studied. The results indicated: cell death of T. pseudonana happened under the stress of BDE-47, which was proved to be PCD based on the correlations with three biochemical markers (DNA fragmentation, phosphatidylserine externalization and caspase activity) and three molecular markers [Metacaspase 2 gene (TpMC2), Death-associated protein gene (DAP3) and Death-specific protein 1 gene (TpDSP1)]; Furthermore, the changes of cellular ROS levels were correlated with the PCD markers and the dead cell rates, and the cell membrane and the chloroplast were identified as the major ROS production sites. Therefore, we concluded that PCD might be an important toxic mechanism of PBDEs on microalgal cells, and that chloroplast- and cell membrane-produced ROS was an important signaling molecule to mediate the PCD activation process. Our research firstly indicated microalgal PCD could be induced by PBDEs, and increased our knowledge of the toxic mechanisms by which POPs affect microalgal cells.

The toxicity, bioaccumulation and debromination of BDE-47 and BDE-209 in Chlorella sp. under multiple exposure modes.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a series of important persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in marine environments. Microalgae are the start of PBDEs bioaccumulated and bioconcentrated along the marine food web. In order to investigate the variations of PBDEs bioaccumulation by microalgae and its influencing factors, we set up a series of experiments with Chlorella sp. under different BDE-47 or BDE-209 exposure modes to measure their toxicity, bioaccumulation and degradation patterns. The inhibition effect on cell growth was much more obvious in BDE-47 than BDE-209, with the EC50 values at 96 h calculated as 64.7 µg L-1 and 4070 µg L-1, respectively. Microalgal uptake rates showed BDE-209 diffused less into cells than BDE-47, with highest measured uptake rates of 0.145 × 10-7 µg h-1 cell-1 and 0.45 × 10-7 µg h-1 cell-1, respectively. The bioaccumulation amount by unit microalgal cell varied with PBDE concentrations and culture time, which appeared to be related to the changes of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and cellular neutral lipids under the toxicity of PBDEs. Finally, we found Chlorella sp. delayed the debromination patterns of BDE-209 compared to seawater. This study linked the toxicity, microalgal bioaccumulation and metabolism of PBDEs, provided new insights in the research of POPs by microalgae and marine food webs.