DNA Cryogels with Anisotropic Mechanical and Responsive Properties for Specific Cell Capture and Release.

Due to their programmable stimuli-responsiveness, excellent biocompatibility, and water-rich and soft structures similar to biological tissues, smart DNA hydrogels hold great promise for biosensing and biomedical applications. However, most DNA hydrogels developed to date are composed of randomly oriented and isotropic polymer networks, and the resulting slow response to biotargets and lack of anisotropic properties similar to those of biological tissues have limited their extensive applications. Herein, anisotropic DNA hydrogels consisting of unidirectional void channels internally oriented up to macroscopic length scales were constructed by a directional cryopolymerization method, as exemplified by a DNA-incorporated covalently cross-linked DNA cryogel and a DNA duplex structure noncovalently cross-linked DNA cryogel. Results showed that the formation of unidirectional channels significantly improved the responsiveness of the gel matrix to biomacromolecular substances and further endowed the DNA cryogels with anisotropic properties, including anisotropic mechanical properties, anisotropic swelling/shrinking behaviors, and anisotropic responsiveness to specific biotargets. Moreover, the abundant oriented and long macroporous channels in the gel matrix facilitated the migration of cells, and through the introduction of aptamer structures and thermosensitive polymers, an anisotropic DNA cryogel-based platform was further constructed to achieve the highly efficient capture and release of specific cells. These anisotropic DNA hydrogels may provide new opportunities for the development of anisotropic separation and biosensing systems.

Solar-powered simultaneous highly efficient seawater desalination and highly specific target extraction with smart DNA hydrogels.

Obtaining freshwater and important minerals from seawater with solar power facilitates the sustainable development of human society. Hydrogels have demonstrated great solar-powered water evaporation potential, but highly efficient and specific target extraction remains to be expanded. Here, we report the simultaneous highly efficient seawater desalination and specific extraction of uranium with smart DNA hydrogels. The DNA hydrogel greatly promoted the evaporation of water, with the water evaporation rate reached a high level of 3.54 kilograms per square meter per hour (1 kilowatt per square meter). Simultaneously, uranyl-specific DNA hydrogel exhibited a high capture capacity of 5.7 milligrams per gram for uranium from natural seawater due to the rapid ion transport driven by the solar powered interfacial evaporation and the high selectivity (10.4 times over vanadium). With programmable functions and easy-to-use devices, the system is expected to play a role in future seawater treatment.

An optimized grey model for predicting non-renewable energy consumption in China.

The large amount of the non-renewable energy consumption in China brings certain challenges to the realization of carbon neutrality. This paper proposes a new grey model to predict the consumption of non-renewable energy in China. Based on the traditional grey model, the proposed model introduces two parameters to adjust the weight of information. Simultaneously, the intelligent optimization algorithm determines the optimal parameters. Three cases verify the feasibility of the model. The forecast results show that the amount of oil and natural gas consumption will continue to grow at a faster rate. By 2026, the amount of oil consumption will exceed 37 EJ (EJ) and natural gas consumption will exceed 22 EJ. Compared to 2021, oil consumption is up nearly 24%, and natural gas consumption is up more than 60%. While the consumption of coal will maintain a small up rate and gradually be leveled off.

Fast Transport and Transformation of Biomacromolecular Substances via Thermo-Stimulated Active "Inhalation-Exhalation" Cycles of Hierarchically Structured Smart pNIPAM-DNA Hydrogels.

Although smart hydrogels hold great promise in biosensing and biomedical applications, their response to external stimuli is governed by the passive diffusion-dependent substance transport between hydrogels and environments and within the 3D hydrogel matrices, resulting in slow response to biomacromolecules and limiting their extensive applications. Herein, inspired by the respiration systems of organisms, an active strategy to achieve highly efficient biomolecular substance transport through the thermo-stimulated "inhalation-exhalation" cycles of hydrogel matrices is demonstrated. The cryo-structured poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM)-DNA hydrogels, composed of functional DNA-tethered pNIPAM networks and free-water-containing macroporous channels, exhibit thermally triggered fast and reversible shrinking/swelling cycles with high-volume changes, which drive the formation of dynamic water stream to accelerate the intake of external substances and expelling of endogenous substances, thus promoting the functional properties of hydrogel systems. Demonstrated by catalytic DNAzyme and CRISPR-Cas12a-incorporating hydrogels, significantly enhanced catalytic efficiency with up to 280% and 390% is achieved, upon the introduction of active "inhalation-exhalation" cycles, respectively. Moreover, remotely near-infrared (NIR)-triggering of "inhalation-exhalation" cycles is achieved after the introduction of NIR-responsive MXene nanosheets into the hydrogel matrix. These hydrogel systems with enhanced substance transport and transformation properties hold promise in the development of more effective biosensing and therapeutic systems.

Indole/Tetrahydroquinoline as Renewable Natural Resource-Inspired Scaffolds in the Devising and Preparation of Potential Fungicide Candidates.

As a continuous effort toward developing novel and highly efficient agrochemicals for integrated management of crop pathogens, two series of oxime ester derivatives from indole and tetrahydroquinoline natural scaffolds were prepared. Guided by the preliminary inhibition rates against ubiquitous and representative fungi, the antifungal profile of the target compounds against Valsa mali was intensively and extensively studied. The tetrahydroquinoline-based derivatives 12a-12r exerted a promising inhibition effect, especially against V. mali. The remarkable compounds 12p (R = 4-OCF3) and 12r (R = 4-OBn) with EC50 values of 0.81 and 0.47 µg/mL, respectively, have a far more prominent activity than commercial fungicide trifloxystrobin. The biochemistry and physiology responses of V. mali after treatment with target compound 12p was examined, and the fruit body production, hyphae morphology, and organelles were profoundly affected. Moreover, the curative effects of compound 12p on apple detached branches and leaves were 57.69 and 64.84% at 100 µg/mL, respectively, which were even superior to that of trifloxystrobin. Meanwhile, the three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship model [comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA): q2 = 0.823, r2 = 0.924, F = 189.781, and standard error of estimation (SEE) = 0.138 and comparative molecular similarity index analysis (CoMSIA): q2 = 0.795, r2 = 0.904, F = 145.644, and SEE = 0.156] indicated that the antifungal activity of target compounds was facilitated by crucial structural factors, which would render inspiration for further design and discovery of novel fungicidal candidates.

Dicer1 Promotes Colon Cancer Cell Invasion and Migration Through Modulation of tRF-20-MEJB5Y13 Expression Under Hypoxia.

Hypoxia plays a key role in colorectal cancer (CRC) metastasis, but its underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Dicer1, an RNase, has been considered as a tumor regulator in many tumors. However, whether Dicer1 affects CRC progression under hypoxia remains uncertain. In this study, we found that Dicer1 expression was induced by hypoxia in CRC cells and it mediates hypoxia-induced CRC cell progression. Furthermore, we found that the expression of tRF-20-MEJB5Y13, a small non-coding RNA derived from tRNA, was increased under hypoxic conditions, and its upregulation by Dicer1 resulted in hypoxia-induced CRC cell invasion and migration. These results advance the current understanding of the role of Dicer1 in regulating hypoxia signals and provide a new pathway for the development of therapeutic interventions for inhibiting cancer progression.

TRF-20-M0NK5Y93 suppresses the metastasis of colon cancer cells by impairing the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition through targeting Claudin-1.

tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are derived from corresponding tRNAs and have been shown by several studies to be novel biological markers for tumour diagnosis and therapy. However, until now, the effects of tRFs on the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) and especially on the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have remained unknown. Our study aimed to assess CRC-related tRFs and examine the effects of key tRFs on CRC progression and related mechanisms. After hypoxic treatment, tRF sequencing and real-time PCR assays were performed to identify key tRFs. Then, functional tests were designed to verify the effects and evaluate the mechanism after cell transfection under normoxic conditions. A total of 14 tRFs were differentially expressed in the hypoxia and control groups. Based on the results of PCR assay verification and conditional selection, tRF-20-M0NK5Y93 could be a promising target for exploration, as its expression was significantly lower under hypoxic conditions than under control conditions. tRF-20-M0NK5Y93 inhibited CRC cell migration and invasion partly by targeting Claudin-1, an EMT-related molecule. The results of the present study suggest that tRF-20-M0NK5Y93 promotes CRC cell migration and invasion partly by regulating Claudin-1 during EMT.