Novel insights into the mechanism of dynamic changes in microstructure and physicochemical properties of corn straw pretreated by ball milling and feasibility analysis of anaerobic digestion.

In this study, the effects of Ball milling (BM) pretreatment (0-240 min) on the microstructure, physicochemical properties and subsequent methanogenesis performance of corn straw (CS) were explored, and the feasibility analysis was carried out. The results showed that BM pretreatment destroyed the dense structure of the CS, and the particle size was significantly reduced (D50: 13.85 µm), transforming it into a cell-scale granular form. The number of mesopores increased, the pore volume (PV) (0.032 cm3/g) and specific surface area (SSA) (4.738 m2/g) considerably increased, and the water-absorbent property was improved. The crystalline order of cellulose was disrupted and the crystallinity (CrI) (8.61 %) and crystal size (CrS) (3.37) were remarkably reduced. The cross-links between lignocelluloses were broken, and the relative content and functional groups did not alter obviously. The bulk density (BD), repose angle (RA) and slip angle (SA) dramatically increased. As a result, CS was more readily accessible, attached and utilized by microorganisms and enzymes, causing the hydrolysis and acidification of AD to be greatly facilitated. Compared with the untreated group, the cumulative methane production (CMP) increased by 35.83 %-101.97 %, and the lag phase time (λ) was shortened by 33.04 %-71.17 %. The results of redundancy analysis, Pearson analysis and Mantel test showed that BM pretreatment affects the process of AD by changing the physicochemical factors of CS. The normalization analysis showed that particle size (D90) and BD can be used as direct indicators to evaluate the performance of AD and predict the threshold of biodegradation of CS. Energy analysis and energy conversion assessment showed that BM is a green and efficient AD pretreatment strategy. This result provides a theoretical basis for the industrial application of BM pretreatment towards more energy-efficient and sustainable development.

Small molecule Z363 co-regulates TAF10 and MYC via the E3 ligase TRIP12 to suppress tumour growth.

BACKGROUND: The MYC oncoprotein, also known as the master regulator of genes, is a transcription factor that regulates numerous physiological processes, including cell cycle control, apoptosis, protein synthesis and cell adhesion, among others. MYC is overexpressed in approximately 70% of human cancers. Given its pervasive role in cancer biology, MYC down-regulation has become an attractive cancer treatment strategy. METHODS: The CRISPR/Cas9 method was used to produce KO cell models. Western blot was used to analyzed the expressions of MYC and TATA-binding proteinassociated factors 10 (TAF10) in cancer cells (MCF7, A549, HepG2 cells) Cell culture studies were performed to determine the mechanisms by which small molecules (Z363119456, Z363) affects MYC and TAF10 expressions and functions. Mouse studies were carried out to investigate the impact of Z363 regulation on tumor growth. RESULTS: Z363 activate Thyroid hormone Receptor-interacting Protein 12 (TRIP12), which phosphorylates MYC at Thr58, resulting in MYC ubiquitination and degradation and thereby regulating MYC target genes. Importantly, TRIP12 also induces TAF10 degradation, which reduces MYC protein levels. TRIP12, an E3 ligase, controls MYC levels both directly and indirectly by inhibiting MYC or TAF10 activity. CONCLUSIONS: In summary,these results demonstrate the anti-cancer properties of Z363, a small molecule that is co-regulated by TAF10 and MYC.

Taurine Promotes In-vitro Follicle Development, Oocyte Maturation, Fertilization and Cleavage of rats.

It is well known that a large quantity of taurine is present in mammalian ovaries. Taurine reportedly promotes the secretion of female reproductive hormones by stimulating hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis function. Therefore, we speculated that taurine may have beneficial effects on follicle growth, oocyte maturation, fertilization and cleavage. Here, we cultured rat follicles, immature oocytes and sperms in vitro and treated with taurine to observe the changes in follicle diameter, estradiol concentration as well as the rate of oocytes maturation, fertilization and cleavage using an inverted microscope. The results showed that taurine can elevate ovarian follicles growth and oocyte maturation, fertilization, and cleavage rates in vitro, which may be attributed to its osmoregulation and stimulation on the estradiol secretion. Our results provide important insights into taurine application in female production, although the underlying mechanism need to be further addressed.

Paenibacillusliaoningensis sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A novel bacterial strain, designated as LNUB461T, was isolated from soil sample taken from the countryside of Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. The isolate was a Gram-stain-positive, aerobiotic, motile, endospore-forming and rod-shaped bacterium. The organism grew optimally at 30-33 °C, pH 6.5-7.0 and in the absence of NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on the nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed high sequence similarity with Paenibacillus algorifonticola XJ259T (98.5 %), Paenibacillus xinjiangensis B538T (96.8 %), Paenibacillus glycanilyticus DS-1T (96.1 %) and Paenibacillus lupini RLAHU15T (96.1 %). The predominant cellular fatty acid and the only menaquinone were anteiso-C15:0 and MK-7, respectively. The main polar lipids of LNUB461T included phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylcholine (PC) and two unknown amino phospholipids (APL), and the cell-wall peptidoglycan was meso-diaminopimelic acid (A1γ). The DNA G+C content of LNUB461T was 49.1 mol%. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between LNUB461T and the most closely related species (P. algorifonticola) was 41.8 %. On the basis of these data, LNUB461T was classified as representing a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus liaoningensis sp. nov was proposed. The type strain is LNUB461T (=JCM 30712T=CGMCC 1.15101T).

Virtual screening of potential inhibitors from TCM for the CPSF30 binding site on the NS1A protein of influenza A virus.

Inhibition of CPSF30 function by the effector domain of influenza A virus of non-structural protein 1 (NS1A) protein plays a critical role in the suppression of host key antiviral response. The CPSF30-binding site of NS1A appears to be a very attractive target for the development of new drugs against influenza A virus. In this study, structure-based molecular docking was utilized to screen more than 30,000 compounds from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) database. Four drug-like compounds were selected as potential inhibitors for the CPSF30-binding site of NS1A. Docking conformation analysis results showed that these potential inhibitors could bind to the CPSF30-binding site with strong hydrophobic interactions and weak hydrogen bonds. Molecular dynamics simulations and MM-PBSA calculations suggested that two of the inhibitors, compounds 32056 and 31674, could stably bind to the CPSF30-binding site with high binding free energy. These two compounds could be modified to achieve higher binding affinity, so that they may be used as potential leads in the development of new anti-influenza drugs.