A gene cluster encoding a nonribosomal peptide synthetase-like enzyme catalyzes γ-aromatic butenolides.

Sea cucumber-derived fungi have attracted much attention due to their capacity to produce an incredible variety of secondary metabolites. Genome-wide information on Aspergillus micronesiensis H39 obtained using third-generation sequencing technology (PacBio-SMRT) showed that the strain contains nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS)-like gene clusters, which aroused our interest in mining its secondary metabolites. 11 known compounds (1-11), including two γ-aromatic butenolides (γ-AB) and five cytochalasans, were isolated from A. micronesiensis H39. The structures of the compounds were determined by NMR and ESIMS, and comparison with those reported in the literature. From the perspective of biogenetic origins, the γ-butyrolactone core of compounds 1 and 2 was assembled by NRPS-like enzyme. All of the obtained compounds showed no inhibitory activity against drug-resistant bacteria and fungi, as well as compounds 1 and 2 had no anti-angiogenic activity against zebrafish.

MYPT1 reduction is a pathogenic factor of erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is closely associated with smooth muscle dysfunction, but its underlying mechanisms remains incompletely understood. We here reported that the reduced expression of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1), the main regulatory unit of myosin light chain phosphatase, was critical for the development of vasculogenic ED. Male MYPT1 knockout mice had reduced fertility and the penises displayed impaired erections as evidenced by reduced intracavernous pressure (ICP). The penile smooth muscles of the knockout mice displayed enhanced response to G-Protein Couple Receptor agonism and depolarization contractility and resistant relaxation. We further identified a natural compound lotusine that increased the MYPT1 expression by inhibiting SIAH1/2 E3 ligases-mediated protein degradation. This compound sufficiently restored the ICP and improved histological characters of the penile artery of Mypt1 haploinsufficiency mice. In diabetic ED mice (db/db), the decreased expression of MYPT1 was measured, and ICP was improved by lotusine treatment. We conclude that the reduction of MYPT1 is the major pathogenic factor of vasculogenic ED. The restoration of MYPT1 by lotusine improved the function of injured penile smooth muscles, and could be a novel strategy for ED therapy.

Haplotype-resolved genome assembly and allele-specific gene expression in cultivated ginger.

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most valued spice plants worldwide; it is prized for its culinary and folk medicinal applications and is therefore of high economic and cultural importance. Here, we present a haplotype-resolved, chromosome-scale assembly for diploid ginger anchored to 11 pseudochromosome pairs with a total length of 3.1 Gb. Remarkable structural variation was identified between haplotypes, and two inversions larger than 15 Mb on chromosome 4 may be associated with ginger infertility. We performed a comprehensive, spatiotemporal, genome-wide analysis of allelic expression patterns, revealing that most alleles are coordinately expressed. The alleles that exhibited the largest differences in expression showed closer proximity to transposable elements, greater coding sequence divergence, more relaxed selection pressure, and more transcription factor binding site differences. We also predicted the transcription factors potentially regulating 6-gingerol biosynthesis. Our allele-aware assembly provides a powerful platform for future functional genomics, molecular breeding, and genome editing in ginger.

Chromosome-level genome assembly of a parent species of widely cultivated azaleas.

Azaleas (Ericaceae) comprise one of the most diverse ornamental plants, renowned for their cultural and economic importance. We present a chromosome-scale genome assembly for Rhododendron simsii, the primary ancestor of azalea cultivars. Genome analyses unveil the remnants of an ancient whole-genome duplication preceding the radiation of most Ericaceae, likely contributing to the genomic architecture of flowering time. Small-scale gene duplications contribute to the expansion of gene families involved in azalea pigment biosynthesis. We reconstruct entire metabolic pathways for anthocyanins and carotenoids and their potential regulatory networks by detailed analysis of time-ordered gene co-expression networks. MYB, bHLH, and WD40 transcription factors may collectively regulate anthocyanin accumulation in R. simsii, particularly at the initial stages of flower coloration, and with WRKY transcription factors controlling progressive flower coloring at later stages. This work provides a cornerstone for understanding the underlying genetics governing flower timing and coloration and could accelerate selective breeding in azalea.

Enhanced Dielectric Properties of a Poly(dimethyl siloxane) Bimodal Network Percolative Composite with MXene.

Excellent comprehensive dielectric properties (including dielectric constant and loss) are essential for electromechanical transducers. This work introduced a bimodal network composite with poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS) and delaminated Ti3C2Tx sheets (d-Ti3C2Tx) modified with hyperbranched polysiloxane (HPSi) (referred to as HPSi-d-Ti3C2Tx). Before the final cross-linking, HPSi-d-Ti3C2Tx, trapped with short-chain PDMS (CS-PDMS) and long-chain PDMS (CL-PDMS), was pre-reacted, which formed a distinct bimodal network structure. d-Ti3C2Tx/PDMS and HPSi-d-Ti3C2Tx/PDMS composites with different filler loadings were prepared, and their percolation thresholds (fc) were 1.32 and 1.43 vol %, respectively The dielectric constant of 1.40 vol % HPSi-d-Ti3C2Tx/PDMS is 23.7 at 102 Hz, which is 1.5 times that of 1.28 vol % d-Ti3C2Tx/PDMS and 8.5 times that of pure PDMS. Meanwhile, the dielectric loss of HPSi-d-Ti3C2Tx/PDMS composite is still relatively small (0.11 at 103 Hz). The origin of dielectric property optimization of the composite is attributed to the boundary capacitor model, the accumulated charges at the interfaces between the conductive filler and the insulating polymer matrix of the composite, and the distinct bimodal network structure.

[Carbon and Nitrogen Removal Characteristics of ABR Decarbonization-CANON Coupling Process].

If municipal wastewater can be treated by the completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) process, it will greatly reduce the energy consumption of municipal wastewater treatment. The CANON reactor with a fiber carrier was started up by seeding nitrosation sludge and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX) sludge in the continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). An ABR decarbonization system was added to the front of the CANON system to build the ABR decarbonization-CANON coupling process to examine carbon and nitrogen removal characteristics of the whole system. The high throughput sequencing technology of MiSeq was also employed to analyze the structure of the microbial community before and after the reactivation. The results showed that mixing nitrosation sludge and ANAMMOX sludge in the CSTR reactor under controlled parameters (DO of 0.5-2 mg·L-1; HRT for 6 h; pH of 8) allowed the CANON system to successfully start within 55 d, with a TN removal rate of 81%-87% and ammonia nitrogen load of 0.195 kg·(m3·d)-1. The effluent COD concentration of the ABR decarbonizing system did not adversely affect the subsequent CANON system, and the TN removal rate of the ABR decarbonization-CANON process was between 74% and 87%. Additionally, the average concentration of COD in the effluent was 40 mg·L-1. At the same time, the Proteobacteria gate significantly improved after the CANON system began, and the proportion of Sphingobacteria decreased to 6.8%. Nitrifying bacteria and anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria in the CANON system continuously eliminated the inferior bacterial groups to become the dominant group in the reactor. The integrated ABR decarbonization-CANON process had a positive effect on the denitrification and decarbonization of urban sewage.

EFLDO induces apoptosis in hepatic cancer cells by caspase activation in vitro and suppresses tumor growth in vivo.

To study the apoptosis induced by EFLDO (ent-3α-formylabieta-8(14), 13(15)-dien-16,12ß-olide), extracted from the Euphorbia lunulata Bge, in the HepG2 cell line and to study the antitumor activity of this compound in vivo, Cell viability and migration were evaluated with CCK-8 (2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3- (4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, monosodium salt) and wound healing assays, respectively. In addition, the cell cycle was examined using flow cytometry after propidium iodide (PI) staining. Apoptosis was analyzed by using the Annexin V/PI staining assay. Pro-caspase activation and apoptosis protein expression were evaluated by western blotting. A HepG2 xenograft model in nude mice was also established to study the antitumor activity of EFLDO in vivo. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of Ki67 in the tumors in situ. EFLDO could induce dose- and time-dependent apoptosis in HepG2 human hepatic cancer cells. Activation of caspases 3, 8, and 9 played an important role in EFLDO-induced apoptosis in vitro. Decreased levels of Bcl-2 and Survivin and increased level of BAX were also involved in this process. Furthermore, EFLDO could inhibit HepG2 tumor growth in nude mice, and the proliferation characteristics, reflected by the Ki67 index, were suppressed significantly. The results indicated that EFLDO could induce apoptosis in hepatic cancer cells by caspase activation in vitro and suppress tumor growth in vivo.

3D matrix pattern based Support Vector Machines for identifying pulmonary cancer in CT scanned images.

A novel algorithm of Three Dimension matrix (3D matrix) pattern based Minimum Within-Class Scatter Support Vector Machines (MCSVMs(3Dmatrix)) is presented. Combining Minimum Within-Class Scatter Support Vector Machines (MCSVMs) and higher-order tensor technology, decision functions of MCSVMs(3Dmatrix) are calculated along with three orthogonal directions in the 3D space. And then the final decision is made by Majority Vote Method. In previous reports, each CT image is solely processed and the relation among successive CT scanned images is neglected. The case results in defective judgment at whiles. The proposed method solves the problem effectively and improves the accuracy of classification to a certain extent.

In vitro study on hepatitis B virus infecting human choriocarcinoma JEG3 cells and its mechanism.

AIM: To build a hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected human trophoblast cell model in vitro and determine the mechanism of intrauterine HBV infection. METHODS: Serum from hepatitis B-infected patients containing HBV DNA >10(9) was drawn, subsequently inoculated into human trophoblast cells in vitro (JEG3) and passage-cultured. The supernatants and intracellular HBV viral load of inoculated cells were tested by real-time PCR, and HBV DNA was determined by Southern blot. RESULTS: From inoculation of the 1st passage JEG3 cells, the supernatant viral load of the 1st passage was seen increasing over time, which peaked at 120 h, whereas the HBV viral load was seen decreasing gradually in subsequent passages, and tested negative after the 6th passage. In addition, infected cells of HBV DNA were tested by Southern blot, and showed continual expression in the subsequent cell passages 1-5 while passage 6 was negative. HBsAg was tested as positive from different passages 1-5, and its concentration was also seen decreasing with each subsequent passage cultured until the 6th passage when it tested negative. CONCLUSION: HBV could infect human trophoblast cells (JEG3) in vitro, and it showed continual expression in subsequent cell passages 1-5.

Diversity and stability study on rice mutants induced in space environment.

To further study the characteristics of changes on the molecular level of rice mutants induced in space environment, we analyzed proteins in leaves and seeds of four rice mutants (two high-tillering and two low-tillering) in the 8(th) and 9(th) generations after a 15-day spaceflight, and compared with their ground controls by two-dimentional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reverse phase liquid chromatography (RPLC). In addition, the albumin, globulin, prolamine, glutelin, and amylose of the mutant seeds were analyzed by RPLC and ultra-violet spectrometry. The results showed that the low-abundance proteins of leaves in the peak tillering stage are more likely to be induced compared with their corresponding controls. The albumin, globulin, and prolamine of the mutant seeds revealed changes when compared with their controls, and the characteristics of changes in different mutants were stably inherited in the 8(th) and 9(th) generations, suggesting that they can be used as bio markers to identity the mutants induced by spaceflight. Moreover, two proteins (SSP9111 and SSP6302) were found to be expressed with high intensity (two-fold change) in different mutants, which were both correlated with photosystem according to mass spectrometry and database searching.