Widely Targeted Metabolomics Analysis to Reveal Metabolite of Morus alba L. in Different Medicinal Parts.

Morus alba L. is a tradition medical and edible plant. It is rich in many important bioactive components. However, there is a dearth of systematic information about the components. Here, the Mori Cortex, Mori Folium, Mori Fructus, and Mori Ramulus were studied. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) is used to study primary and secondary metabolites. Eight hundred two metabolites were identified and classified into 10 different categories in total. Correlation analysis, hierarchical clustering analysis, and principal component analysis of metabolites showed that different parts of the sample could be significantly different. In different medicinal parts, alkaloids accounted for 4.0%, 3.6%, 5.1%, and 4.5%; flavonoids accounted for 0.7%, 27.2%, 5.6%, 1.2%; terpenes accounted for 20.1%, 2.1%, 2.6%, 2.5%. Furthermore, the abundance of phenols, phenylpropanoids, and lipids metabolites sequentially accounted for 2.3-4.4%, 0.5-1.8%, and 2.4-5.3%. These results have improved our understanding of metabolites and provided a reference for research on the medicinal and edible value of Morus alba L. In addition, the study reveals the correlation between the components of Traditional Chinese medicine and the basic theory of TCM properties and reinterprets the ancient wisdom in the world's traditional herbs through the perspective of modern science.

Molecular mechanism of a coastal cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 adapting to changing phosphate concentrations.

Phosphorus concentration on the surface of seawater varies greatly with different environments, especially in coastal. The molecular mechanism by which cyanobacteria adapt to fluctuating phosphorus bioavailability is still unclear. In this study, transcriptomes and gene knockouts were used to investigate the adaptive molecular mechanism of a model coastal cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 during periods of phosphorus starvation and phosphorus recovery (adding sufficient phosphorus after phosphorus starvation). The findings indicated that phosphorus deficiency affected the photosynthesis, ribosome synthesis, and bacterial motility pathways, which recommenced after phosphorus was resupplied. Even more, most of the metabolic pathways of cyanobacteria were enhanced after phosphorus recovery compared to the control which was kept in continuous phosphorus replete conditions. Based on transcriptome, 54 genes potentially related to phosphorus-deficiency adaptation were selected and knocked out individually or in combination. It was found that five mutants showed weak growth phenotype under phosphorus deficiency, indicating the importance of the genes (A0076, A0549-50, A1094, A1320, A1895) in the adaptation of phosphorus deficiency. Three mutants were found to grow better than the wild type under phosphorus deficiency, suggesting that the products of these genes (A0079, A0340, A2284-86) might influence the adaptation to phosphorus deficiency. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that cyanobacteria exposed to highly fluctuating phosphorus concentrations have more sophisticated phosphorus acquisition strategies. These results elucidated that Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 have variable phosphorus response mechanisms to adapt to fluctuating phosphorus concentration, providing a novel perspective of how cyanobacteria may respond to the complex and dynamic environments. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-024-00244-y.

Development of a base editor for convenient and multiplex genome editing in cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria are important primary producers, contributing to 25% of the global carbon fixation through photosynthesis. They serve as model organisms to study the photosynthesis, and are important cell factories for synthetic biology. To enable efficient genetic dissection and metabolic engineering in cyanobacteria, effective and accurate genetic manipulation tools are required. However, genetic manipulation in cyanobacteria by the conventional homologous recombination-based method and the recently developed CRISPR-Cas gene editing system require complicated cloning steps, especially during multi-site editing and single base mutation. This restricts the extensive research on cyanobacteria and reduces its application potential. In this study, a highly efficient and convenient cytosine base editing system was developed which allows rapid and precise C → T point mutation and gene inactivation in the genomes of Synechocystis and Anabaena. This base editing system also enables efficient multiplex editing and can be easily cured after editing by sucrose counter-selection. This work will expand the knowledge base regarding the engineering of cyanobacteria. The findings of this study will encourage the biotechnological applications of cyanobacteria.

Distinguishing optical and acoustic phonon temperatures of supported 2D materials by nanosecond time-resolved Raman scattering.

Upon laser irradiation, 2D materials experience a cascading energy transfer from electrons to optical phonons (OPs) and then to acoustic phonons (APs), resulting in a significant thermal non-equilibrium among energy carriers. This non-equilibrium presents challenges for Raman-based thermal characterization, as Raman scattering measures only OP temperature rise, while APs are the primary energy carriers. Despite recent efforts to address this issue, OP-AP thermal non-equilibrium in supported 2D materials remains poorly resolved. Here, we develop a method to distinguish the OP and AP temperature rises based on their different temporal thermal responses under laser irradiation: the OP-AP temperature difference responds almost immediately (∼a few to tens of ps), while the AP temperature rise takes longer to establish (∼tens of ns). Using energy transport-state resolved Raman, we probe the transient thermal response of Si-supported nm-thick MoS2 from 20 to 100 ns. We find that the OP-AP temperature difference exceeds 120% of the AP temperature rise under ∼0.439 µm radius laser heating. The intrinsic interfacial thermal conductance of the samples, based on the true AP temperature rise, varies from 0.199 to 1.46 MW·m-2·K-1, showing an increasing trend with sample thickness.

Numerical Study of the Combustion Characteristics of an 800-1200 kW High-Power Porous Media Combustor at Atmospheric Pressure.

Porous media combustion has the advantages of high combustion efficiency and low pollutant emissions. However, there are few studies on the combustion characteristics and pollutant emissions of high-power porous media combustion chambers and fire tubes. Based on the computational fluid dynamics method, the stable combustion characteristics and pollutant emission rules of methane-air were explored in a high-power porous media combustion chamber of 800-1200 kW. The results show that the combustion of the porous media combustor is stabilized at an inlet velocity of 0.8-1.6 m/s with an equivalence ratio of Φ = 0.5-0.9. The high-power porous medium combustor has the highest limiting temperature at Φ = 0.7. Temperature increases gradually with increasing porosity within the -2.5 to 1 m axial center interval. The outlet radial temperature distribution tends to be uniform with the increase of porosity, and the outlet temperature is highest for porous media with a thickness of 400 mm. NO emission was lowest at an inlet velocity of 1.2 m/s. A significant reduction in NO emissions was observed with increasing equivalence ratio. NO generation increases with increasing porosity at porosities between 0.75 and 0.85. NO generation increases with the thickness of the porous media and increases sharply at 600 mm. The results above can provide guidelines for the design of a high-efficiency high-power porous combustor.

Ultrathin In2O3thin-film transistors deposited from trimethylindium and ozone.

Indium oxide (In2O3) is a promising channel material for thin-film transistors (TFTs). In this work, we develop an atomic layer deposition (ALD) process of using trimethylindium and ozone (O3) to deposit In2O3films and fabricate ultrathin In2O3TFTs. The In2O3TFTs with 4 nm channel thickness show generally good switching characteristics with a highIon/Ioffof 108, a high mobility (µFE) of 16.2cm2V-1s-1and a positive threshold voltage (Vth) of 0.48 V. Although the 4 nm In2O3TFTs exhibit short channel effect, it can be improved by adding an ALD Ga2O3capping layer to afford the bilayer In2O3/Ga2O3channel structure. The afforded In2O3/Ga2O3TFTs exhibit improved immunity to the short channel effect, with good TFT characteristics ofIon/Ioffof 107,µFEof 9.3cm2V-1s-1, and positiveVthof 2.23 V. Overall, the thermal budget of the entire process is only 400 °C, which is suitable for the display and CMOS back-end-of-line-compatible applications.

Clinical outcomes of multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis receiving anti-tuberculosis regimens containing bedaquiline or delamanid.

The treatment of multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis poses challenges, and research investigating the efficacy of bedaquiline or delamanid as treatment for this condition is limited. This retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2017 to 2021. The study extracted data of patients with multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis from medical records and followed up on prognoses. Participants were divided into three groups: the bedaquiline, delamanid, and control group. Clinical outcomes and the risk factors associated with early culture conversion were analyzed. This study included 101 patients, with 32, 25, and 44 patients in the bedaquiline, delamanid, and control groups respectively. The differences in the treatment success rates among the three groups did not show statistical significance. Both the bedaquiline and delamanid groups had significantly higher culture conversion rates compared to the control after 2 or 6 months of treatment, with significantly shorter median times to culture conversion (bedaquiline group: 2 weeks, delamanid group: 2 weeks, control group: 12 weeks, P < 0.001). Treatment with bedaquiline or delamanid were identified as independent predictors of culture conversion at 2 months (bedaquiline group: aOR = 13.417, 95% CI 4.067-44.260, delamanid group: aOR = 9.333, 95% CI 2.498-34.878) or 6 months (bedaquiline group: aOR = 13.333, 95% CI 3.379-52.610, delamanid group: aOR = 5.000, 95% CI 1.357-18.426) of treatment through multivariable logistic regression analyses. The delamanid group showed better improvement in lumen stenosis compared to bedaquiline. Regimens containing bedaquiline or delamanid may accelerate the culture conversion during the early treatment phase in multidrug-resistant tracheobronchial tuberculosis, and delamanid appears to have the potential to effectively improve airway stenosis.

A global transcriptional activator involved in the iron homeostasis in cyanobacteria.

Cyanobacteria use a series of adaptation strategies and a complicated regulatory network to maintain intracellular iron (Fe) homeostasis. Here, a global activator named IutR has been identified through three-dimensional chromosome organization and transcriptome analysis in a model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Inactivation of all three homologous IutR-encoding genes resulted in an impaired tolerance of Synechocystis to Fe deficiency and loss of the responses of Fe uptake-related genes to Fe-deplete conditions. Protein-promoter interaction assays confirmed the direct binding of IutR with the promoters of genes related to Fe uptake, and chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing analysis further revealed that in addition to Fe uptake, IutR could regulate many other physiological processes involved in intracellular Fe homeostasis. These results proved that IutR is an important transcriptional activator, which is essential for cyanobacteria to induce Fe-deficiency response genes. This study provides in-depth insights into the complicated Fe-deficient signaling network and the molecular mechanism of cyanobacteria adaptation to Fe-deficient environments.

Crystal Field Engineering Inducing Transformation from Narrow Band of Eu3+ to Broadband of Eu2.

The complete transformation from narrow peak emission of Eu3+ to broadband emission of Eu2+ was first realized in La1-xSr2+xAl1-xSixO5:Eu series solutions relying on crystal field engineering and adjustment of synthesis parameters. The original red phosphor La0.97Sr2AlO5:0.03Eu3+peaks at 703 nm originated from 5D0 →7F4 transition of Eu3+ under 395 nm excitation. As the x value regularly increased, Sr2SiO4-type green phosphor La0.17Sr2.8Al0.2Si0.8O5:0.03Eu2+ was synthesized at x = 0.8, which can be efficiently excited by UV/blue light chips. Moreover, when x > 0.975, Sr3SiO5:Eu2+ type broadband orange phosphor Sr2.945Al0.025Si0.975O5:0.03Eu2+ with excellent thermal stability (91.3% peak intensity at 150 °C) was obtained. Variations in the crystal structure, phase, and luminescence properties were studied in detail. We hope this work can provide a reference that solid solution between distinct but structurally related systems is a strategy to explore the possible phosphors for phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes.

Environmentally relevant concentrations of microplastics from agricultural mulch and cadmium negatively impact earthworms by triggering neurotoxicity and disrupting homeostasis.

Recent research has highlighted the ecological risk posed by microplastics (MPs) from mulching film and heavy metals to soil organisms. However, most studies overlooked real environmental levels of MPs and heavy metals. To address this gap, pristine and aged polyethylene (PE) mulching film-derived MPs (PMPs, 500 mg/kg; AMPs, 500 mg/kg) were combined with cadmium (Cd, 0.5 mg/kg) to assess the acute toxicity to earthworms and investigate associated molecular mechanisms (oxidative stress, osmoregulation pressure, gut microbiota, and metabolic responses) at environmentally relevant concentrations. Compared to Cd alone and Cd + PMPs treatments (11.15 ± 4.19 items/g), Cd + AMPs treatment resulted in higher MPs bioaccumulation (23.73 ± 13.14 items/g), more severe tissue lesions, and increased cell membrane osmotic pressure in earthworms' intestines. Cd + AMPs induced neurotoxicity through elevated levels of glutamate and acetylcholinesterase. Earthworm intestines (0.98 ± 0.49 to 3.33 ± 0.37 mg/kg) exhibited significantly higher Cd content than soils (0.19 ± 0.01 to 0.51 ± 0.06 mg/kg) and casts (0.15 ± 0.01 to 0.25 ± 0.05 mg/kg), indicating PE-MPs facilitated Cd transport in earthworms' bodies. Metabolomic analysis showed Cd + AMPs exposure depleted energy and nucleotide metabolites, disrupted cell homeostasis more profoundly than Cd and Cd + PMPs treatments. Overall, co-exposure to AMPs + Cd induced more severe neurotoxicity and disruption of homeostasis in earthworm than Cd and PMPs + Cd treatments. Our study, using Cd and MPs with environmental relevance, underscores MPs' role in amplifying Cd accumulation and toxicity in earthworms.

Heat-moisture treatment of freshly harvested high-amylose maize kernels improves its starch thermal stability and enzymatic resistance.

The objective of this work was to study the effects of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) of freshly harvested mature high-amylose maize (HAM) kernels on its starch structure, properties, and digestibility. Freshly harvested HAM kernels were sealed in Pyrex glass bottles and treated at 80 °C, 100 °C, or 120 °C. HMT of HAM kernels had no impact on its starch X-ray diffraction pattern but increased the relative crystallinity. This result together with the increased starch gelatinization temperatures and enthalpy change indicated starch molecules reorganization forming long-chain double-helical crystalline structure during HMT of HAM kernels. The aggregation of starch granules were observed after HMT, indicating interaction of starch granules and other components. This interaction and the high-temperature crystalline structure led to reductions in the starch digestibility, swelling power, solubility, and pasting viscosity of the HAM flours. Some starch granules remained intact and showed strong birefringence after the HAM flours were precooked at 100 °C for 20 min and followed by enzymatic hydrolysis, and the amount of undigested starch granules increased with increasing HMT temperatures. This result further supported that HMT of HAM kernels with high moisture level could increase the starch thermal stability and enzymatic resistance.

[The Preventive Effect of Levofloxacin Combined with G-CSF or Only G-CSF Supportive Therapy on Infection in Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of levofloxacin combined with recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or only G-CSF supportive therapy in preventing infection in autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(ASCT), and to analyze the length of hospital stay, hospitalization cost and post-transplant survival of the patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed in the patients with hematological malignancies who accepted ASCT at our hospital from January 2012 to July 2022, the febrile neutropenia, the incidence of bacterial infection and the use rate of intravenous antibiotics in the levofloxacin+G-CSF group and only G-CSF support group during ASCT were observed. The length of hospital stay, total cost during hospitalization and survival after 90 days of transplantation between the two groups were compared. RESULTS: A total of 102 cases were included in this study, including 57 cases of multiple myeloma, 36 cases of acute leukaemia, 7 cases of lymphoma, 3 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome, 1 case of light chain amyloidosis, and 1 case of POEMS syndrome. 47 patients received levofloxacin+ G-CSF antibacterial prophylaxis, and 55 patients received G-CSF supportive therapy. In the levofloxacin+ G-CSF group, 40 cases (85.11%) developed febrile neutropenia, and 13 cases (27.66%) were confirmed as bacterial infection. In the G-CSF group, 44 cases (80.00%) developed febrile neutropenia, and 16 cases (29.09%) were bacterial infection. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of febrile neutropenia and bacterial infection between the two groups (χ2=0.46，P =0.50; χ2=0.03，P =0.87). The use rate of intravenous antibiotics in the levofloxacin+ G-CSF group was 85.11% (40/47), which was not statistically different from 85.45% (47/55) in the G-CSF group (χ2=0.04，P =0.84). The detection rates of levofloxacin-resistant bacteria in the levofloxacin+ G-CSF group and G-CSF group were 8.57% (3/35) and 21.43% (6/28), respectively, with no statistical difference (χ2=0.65, P >0.05). The median length and median cost of hospitalization in the levofloxacin+ G-CSF group and G-CSF group were 25 d vs 22 d and 78 216.24 yuan vs 80 724.38 yuan, with no statistically significant differences ( t =3.00，P =0.09; t =0.94，P =0.09). Within 90 days after transplantation, two cases (4.26%) died in the levofloxacin+ G-CSF group and one case (1.82%) died in the G-CSF group, with no statistically significant difference between the two groups (χ2=0.53，P =0.47). CONCLUSION: Application of levofloxacin+ G-CSF showed no significant benefit compared to G-CSF support for the prevention of bacterial infections during ASCT.

Elevated temperature alters bacterial community from mutualism to antagonism with Skeletonema costatum: insights into the role of a novel species, Tamlana sp. MS1.

Skeletonema costatum, a cosmopolitan diatom primarily inhabiting coastal ecosystems, exhibits a typically close yet variable relationship with heterotrophic bacteria. The increasing temperature of surface seawater is expected to substantially affect the viability and ecological dynamics of S. costatum, potentially altering its relationship with bacteria. However, it remains unclear to what extent the elevated temperature could change these relationships. Here, the relationship between axenic S. costatum and natural seawater bacteria underwent a dramatic shift from mutualism to antagonism as the co-culture temperature increased from 20°C to 25°C. The co-occurrence network indicated significantly increased complexity of interaction between S. costatum and bacteria community after temperature elevation, especially with Flavobacteriaceae, implying their potential role in eliminating S. costatum under higher temperatures. Additionally, a Flavobacteriaceae isolate, namely MS1 identified as Tamlana genus, was isolated from the co-culture system at 25°C. MS1 had a remarkable ability to eliminate S. costatum, with the mortality rate at 25°C steadily rising from 30.2% at 48 h to 92.4% at 120 h. However, it promoted algal growth to some extent at 20°C. These results demonstrated that increased temperature promotes MS1 shifts from mutualism to antagonism with S. costatum. According to the comparative genomics analysis, changes in the lifestyle of MS1 were attributed to the increased gliding motility and attachment of MS1 under elevated temperature, enabling it to exert an algicidal effect through direct contact with alga. This investigation provided an advanced understanding of interactions between phytoplankton and bacteria in future warming oceanic ecosystems. IMPORTANCE: Ocean warming profoundly influences the growth and metabolism of phytoplankton and bacteria, thereby significantly reshaping their interactions. Previous studies have shown that warming can change bacterial lifestyle from mutualism to antagonism with phytoplankton, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that high temperature promotes Tamlana sp. MS1 adhesion to Skeletonema costatum, leading to algal lysis through direct contact, demonstrating a transition in lifestyle from mutualism to antagonism with increasing temperature. Furthermore, the gliding motility of MS1 appears to be pivotal in mediating the transition of its lifestyle. These findings not only advance our understanding of the phytoplankton-bacteria relationship under ocean warming but also offer valuable insights for predicting the impact of warming on phytoplankton carbon sequestration.

Modeling Analysis of Complex Deformation of Woven Coating Film during the Cyclic Tensile Process.

It is difficult for the existing Burgers model to accurately depict the off-axis cyclic drawing process of woven coatings. In this paper, the mechanical deformation of woven PVC (polyvinyl chloride)-coated film at different temperatures is investigated. One-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) constitutive models were established to characterize cyclic deformation processes. The 1D model is an improved Burgers model. The effects of the time dependence of the viscosity coefficient and the ratio of elastic to viscous deformation are considered simultaneously. The accuracy of the 1D model for predicting the cyclic nonlinear deformation at different temperatures and loading rates is improved. The 2D model is a nonlinear orthotropic model using polynomials. On the basis of the single-objective genetic algorithm, the inverse algorithm is used to obtain the shear polynomial coefficients in the tension phase and the shear modulus in the unloading phase, which circumvents performing the difficult shear test. UMAT subroutines of off-axis stretching and off-axis cyclic stretching are written separately. The intelligent inverse algorithm program consists of a single-objective genetic algorithm program, a finite element parametric modelling program, and a UMAT subroutine. The simulation results are compared with the off-axis cyclic tensile test data to validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed 2D model for the analysis of the woven PVC-coated films in the tension-shear coupling state.

Research of the transition from a aqueous zinc ion battery to an aqueous hydrogen proton battery triggered by the Cu@Cu31S16 cathode material development.

The aqueous zinc ion battery (AZIB) has been widely studied due to its rapid kinetics and high specific capacity attributed to the chemical insertion of H+ protons. However, the current research landscape lacks comprehensive investigations into copper-based sulfide materials and the intricate co-embedding/extraction mechanism of H+/Zn2+. In this study, we employed an innovative in-situ etching method to synthesize a current collector-integrated Cu@Cu31S16 cathode material. Cu31S16 not only exhibits excellent stability and conductivity but also activates proton insertion chemistry. Consequently, we have demonstrated, for the first time, efficient and reversible co-embedding/extraction behavior of H+/Zn2+ in Zn-Cu31S16 batteries. Specifically, owing to the lower charging and discharging plateaus of zinc ions (0.65 V, 0.45 V) compared to H+ (0.97 V, 0.84 V) in Zn-Cu31S16 batteries, two distinct plateaus were observed. Moreover, we delved into the mechanism of ion co-embedding/extraction by exploring different ions (Zn2+, H+/Zn2+, H+) within varying voltage ranges. This exploration led to the development of three types of ion batteries, where Zn2+, H+/Zn2+, and H+ exhibit co-embedding/extraction within voltage ranges of 0.3-0.9 V, 0.3-1.05 V, and 0.5-1.05 V, respectively. These batteries have achieved impressive performance with specific capacities of 282.74 mAh g-1, 587.4 mAh g-1 and 687.3 mAh g-1, respectively. Introducing the concept of "Voltage-Selective Ion Co-Embedding/Extraction", this study broadens the research scope of AZIBs. This research not only offers a feasible solution and theoretical guidance for future proton batteries but also underscores the tremendous potential of AHPB.

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of eight Xiakucao Oral liquid-related compounds in rat plasma and its application in pharmacokinetic study.

Xiakucao Oral Liquid (XKCOL) has been widely used for treating mammary gland hyperplasia and goiter in China. However, its pharmacokinetic data have been missing to date. To conduct its pharmacokinetic study, we established an LC-tandem mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of eight XKCOL-related compounds in rat plasma. Liquid-liquid extraction was used for the sampling process. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Phenomenon Luna C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol and 2 mM ammonium acetate, using gradient elution at a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. Detection was performed in the multiple reaction monitoring mode using negative electrospray ionization (ESI-) with optimized MS parameters. Endogenous substances and carryover did not interfere in the detection of analytes. The calibration curves showed a good linear relationship within the linear ranges. The intra- and inter-batch accuracy and precision were 94.8%-110.0% and ≤11.2%, respectively. There was no significant matrix effect and the recovery was reproducible. The dilution of samples did not affect the accuracy and precision. The solution and plasma samples were stable under the various test conditions. The major components of XKCOL absorbed into the blood were salvianic acid A and rosmarinic acid. They demonstrated linear kinetics over the dose range used in this study.

Delta-5 elongase knockout reduces docosahexaenoic acid and lipid synthesis and increases heat sensitivity in a diatom.

Recent global marine lipidomic analysis reveals a strong relationship between ocean temperature and phytoplanktonic abundance of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are essential for human nutrition and primarily sourced from phytoplankton in marine food webs. In phytoplanktonic organisms, EPA may play a major role in regulating the phase transition temperature of membranes, while the function of DHA remains unexplored. In the oleaginous diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, DHA is distributed mainly on extraplastidial phospholipids, which is very different from the EPA enriched in thylakoid lipids. Here, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of delta-5 elongase (ptELO5a), which encodes a delta-5 elongase (ELO5) catalyzing the elongation of EPA to synthesize DHA, led to a substantial interruption of DHA synthesis in P. tricornutum. The ptELO5a mutants showed some alterations in transcriptome and glycerolipidomes, including membrane lipids and triacylglycerols under normal temperature (22°C), and were more sensitive to elevated temperature (28°C) than wild type. We conclude that PtELO5a-mediated synthesis of small amounts of DHA has indispensable functions in regulating membrane lipids, indirectly contributing to storage lipid accumulation, and maintaining thermomorphogenesis in P. tricornutum. This study also highlights the significance of DHA synthesis and lipid composition for environmental adaptation of P. tricornutum.

Exposure to resorcinol bis (diphenyl phosphate) induces colonization of alien microorganisms with potential impacts on the gut microbiota and metabolic disruption in male zebrafish.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) have been demonstrated to induce various forms of toxicity in aquatic organisms. However, a scarcity of evidence impedes the conclusive determination of whether OPEs manifest sex-dependent toxic effects. Here, we investigated the effects of tris (1-chloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and resorcinol bis (diphenyl phosphate) (RDP) on the intestines of both female and male zebrafish. The results indicated that, in comparison to TCPP, RDP induced more pronounced intestinal microstructural damage and oxidative stress, particularly in male zebrafish. 16S rRNA sequencing and metabolomics revealed significant alterations in the species richness and oxidative stress-related metabolites in the intestinal microbiota of zebrafish under exposure to both TCPP and RDP, manifesting gender-specific effects. Based on differential species analysis, we defined invasive species and applied invasion theory to analyze the reasons for changes in the male fish intestinal community. Correlation analysis demonstrated that alien species may have potential effects on metabolism. Overall, this study reveals a pronounced gender-dependent impact on both the intestinal microbiota and metabolic disruptions of zebrafish due to OPEs exposure and offers a novel perspective on the influence of pollutants on intestinal microbial communities and metabolism.