Upregulated PPP1R14B is connected to cancer progression and immune infiltration in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma

Background Protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 14B (PPP1R14B) is an oncogenic gene found in a variety of tumors, but its role in the prognosis and development of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remains unknown. Our study aimed to determine whether PPP1R14B could be a prognostic biomarker for KIRC and its role in the development of KIRC. Methods In this work, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to explore the expression of PPP1R14B in tumor tissues, its relationship with the prognosis of tumor patients, and its role in tumor occurrence and development. We validated our findings using the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) cohort, our clinical samples, and in vitro experiments. Results PPP1R14B was upregulated in KIRC compared to adjacent normal tissue. Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that upregulated PPP1R14B expression was an independent risk factor for KIRC progression. High-PPP1R14B groups had shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in TCGA and ICGC cohorts. We used Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) and scratch wound healing assay to explore the proliferation and migration of KIRC cells following PPP1R14B knockdown. Our results indicated that PPP1R14B knockdown significantly reduced the proliferation and migration of KIRC cells in vitro. We also explored the possible cellular mechanisms of PPP1R14B through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene ontology (GO) analysis, and TISIDB analysis. The function enrich analysis revealed that PPP1R14B-related genes were mainly enriched in purine metabolism and the macromolecule catabolic process. PPP1R14B expression was associated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in the TCGA cohort, and the results of single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA) further demonstrated that PPP1R14B expression was associated with the enhanced infiltration of CD8 + T lymphocytes (AU)

Upregulated PPP1R14B is connected to cancer progression and immune infiltration in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit 14B (PPP1R14B) is an oncogenic gene found in a variety of tumors, but its role in the prognosis and development of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remains unknown. Our study aimed to determine whether PPP1R14B could be a prognostic biomarker for KIRC and its role in the development of KIRC. METHODS: In this work, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to explore the expression of PPP1R14B in tumor tissues, its relationship with the prognosis of tumor patients, and its role in tumor occurrence and development. We validated our findings using the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) cohort, our clinical samples, and in vitro experiments. RESULTS: PPP1R14B was upregulated in KIRC compared to adjacent normal tissue. Moreover, multivariate analysis revealed that upregulated PPP1R14B expression was an independent risk factor for KIRC progression. High-PPP1R14B groups had shorter overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in TCGA and ICGC cohorts. We used Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) and scratch wound healing assay to explore the proliferation and migration of KIRC cells following PPP1R14B knockdown. Our results indicated that PPP1R14B knockdown significantly reduced the proliferation and migration of KIRC cells in vitro. We also explored the possible cellular mechanisms of PPP1R14B through the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene ontology (GO) analysis, and TISIDB analysis. The function enrich analysis revealed that PPP1R14B-related genes were mainly enriched in purine metabolism and the macromolecule catabolic process. PPP1R14B expression was associated with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs) in the TCGA cohort, and the results of single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA) further demonstrated that PPP1R14B expression was associated with the enhanced infiltration of CD8 + T lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: PPP1R14B may serve as a prognostic biomarker in KIRC, affect purine metabolism, activate immune infiltration, and promote KIRC cell migration.

Zeolite enhanced iron-modified biocarrier drives Fe(II)/Fe(III) cycle to achieve nitrogen removal from eutrophic water.

The problem of nitrogen removal in eutrophic water needs to be solved. Two new autotrophic nitrogen removal technologies, ammonia oxidation coupled with Fe(III) reduction (Feammox) and Nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation (NDFO), have been shown to have the potential to treat eutrophic water. However, the continuous addition of iron sources not only costs more, but also leads to sludge mineralization. In this study, nano-sized iron powder was loaded on the surface of K3 filler as a solid iron source for the extracellular metabolism of iron-trophic bacteria. At the same time, due to the high selective adsorption of zeolite for ammonia can improve the low nitrogen metabolism rate caused by low nitrogen concentrations in eutrophic water, three kinds of modified functional biological carriers were prepared by mixing zeolite powder and iron powder in different proportions (Z1, Zeolite:iron = 1; Z2, Zeolite:iron = 2; Z3, Zeolite:iron = 3). Z3 exhibited the best performance, with removal efficiencies of 54.8% for total nitrogen during 70 days of cultivation. The chemical structure and state of iron compounds changed under microorganism activity. The ex-situ test detected high NDFO and Feammox activities, with values of 1.02 ± 0.23 and 0.16 ± 0.04 mgN/gVSS/h. The enrichment of NDFO bacteria (Gallionellaceae, 0.73%-1.43%-0.74%) and Feammox bacteria (Alicycliphilus, 1.51%-0.88%-2.30%) indicated that collaboration between various functional microorganisms led to autotrophic nitrogen removal. Hence, zeolite/iron-modified biocarrier could drive the Fe(II)/Fe(III) cycle to remove nitrogen autotrophically from eutrophic water without carbon and Fe resource addition.

Bioremediation of Diesel-Contaminated Soil by Fungal Solid-State Fermentation.

To address the poor removal of diesel in soil by indigenous microorganisms, we proposed a fungal solid-state fermentation (SSF) method for bioremediation. We screened Pycnoporus sanguineus 5.815, Trametes versicolor 5.996, and Trametes gibbosa 5.952 for their diesel-degrading abilities, with Trametes versicolor 5.996 showing the most promise. The fungal inoculum was obtained through SSF using wood chips and bran. Trametes versicolor 5.996 was applied to two treatments: natural attenuation (NA, diesel-contaminated soil) and bioremediation (BR, 10% SSF added to diesel-contaminated soil). Over 20 days, NA removed 12.9% of the diesel, while BR achieved a significantly higher 38.3% degradation rate. BR also increased CO2 and CH4 emissions but reduced N2O emissions. High-throughput sequencing indicated SSF significantly enriched known diesel-degrading microorganisms like Ascomycota (83.82%), Proteobacteria (46.10%), Actinobacteria (27.88%), Firmicutes (10.35%), and Bacteroidota (4.66%). This study provides theoretical support for the application of fungal remediation technology for diesel and improves understanding of microbiologically mediated diesel degradation and soil greenhouse gas emissions.

Selective and Sensitive Detection of Hg2+ and Ag+ by a Fluorescent and Colorimetric Probe with Large Stokes Shift.

Development of fluorescent sensors with large Stokes shift for selective detection of heavy metals is of great importance. A novel fluorescent probe with extremely large Stokes shift (212 nm) was synthesized for selective and simultaneous detection of Hg2+ and Ag+ ions. The deep yellow probe turned colorless or pale yellow after addition of Hg2+ or Ag+. The new probe could be utilized for absorption spectral detection of Hg2+ and Ag+ both in ethanol and aqueous solution. Addition of Hg2+ and Ag+ ions caused significant decrease in the fluorescence intensity of the new probe and the selective recognition of Hg2+ and Ag+ was not interfered by common competitive metal ions including Li+, Na+, K+, Cu2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+, Sr2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Al3+, Cr3+ and Fe3+. The detection limit for Hg2+ and Ag+ was calculated to be 4.68 µM and 4.29 µM, respectively. Application of the new probe for quantitative determination of Hg2+ and Ag+ concentrations in real water samples was accomplished.

Potential relevance between soybean nitrogen uptake and rhizosphere prokaryotic communities under waterlogging stress.

Waterlogging in soil can limit the availability of nitrogen to plants by promoting denitrification and reducing nitrogen fixation and nitrification. The root-associated microorganisms that determine nitrogen availability at the root-soil interface can be influenced by plant genotype and soil type, which potentially alters the nitrogen uptake capacity of plants in waterlogged soils. In a greenhouse experiment, two soybean genotypes with contrasting capacities to resist waterlogging stress were grown in Udic Argosol and Haplic Alisol soils with and without waterlogging, respectively. Using isotope labeling, high-throughput amplicon sequencing and qPCR, we show that waterlogging negatively affects soybean yield and nitrogen absorption from fertilizer, atmosphere, and soil. These effects were soil-dependent and more pronounced in the waterlogging-sensitive than tolerant genotype. The tolerant genotype harbored more ammonia oxidizers and less nitrous oxide reducers. Anaerobic, nitrogen-fixing, denitrifying and iron-reducing bacteria such as Geobacter/Geomonas, Sphingomonas, Candidatus Koribacter, and Desulfosporosinus were proportionally enriched in association with the tolerant genotype under waterlogging. These changes in the rhizosphere microbiome might ultimately help the plant to improve nitrogen uptake under waterlogged, anoxic conditions. This research contributes to a better understanding of the adaptability of soybean genotypes under waterlogging stress and might help to formulate fertilization strategies that improve nitrogen use efficiency of soybean. Schematic representation of the effects of waterlogging on nitrogen uptake and rhizosphere microbiota in dependence of soil type and soybean genotype.

The biochar/Fe-modified biocarrier driven simultaneous NDFO and Feammox to remove nitrogen from eutrophic water.

Novelty techniques of Fe(III) reduction coupled to anaerobic ammonium oxidation (i.e. Feammox) and nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation (i.e. NDFO) provide new insights into autotrophic nitrogen removal from eutrophic waters. Given that Feammox and NDFO can theoretically complete the simultaneous NH+ 4-N and NO- 3-N removal via Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle, this study introduces iron powder to the surface of the biocarrier as a solid-phase source of Fe, and biochar was used as an electron shuttle to mix with the iron powder to improve the bioavailability of iron. Batch experiments was carried out for 70 days using simulated eutrophic water as the medium to investigate the effects of the modified biocarrier for enhanced nitrogen removal. The results showed that BC1 (Fe:BC=1:1) with the highest relative Fe content exhibited the highest nitrogen removal efficiency of 66.74%. XPS and XRD results showed both Fe(III) and Fe(II) compounds on the biocarrier surface, confirming the occurrence of Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle. The ex-situ activity test indicated that functional activity was positively correlated with the iron content of the biocarrier. The in-situ experiments with different substrates showed the occurrence of Feammox and NDFO. NDFO bacteria (Gallionellaceae), Feammox bacteria (Alicycliphilus), denitrifying and digesting bacteria were enriched, suggesting that the coupled nitrogen removal of NDFO and Feammox is the result of cooperation between different functional microorganisms. Thus, the Fe-modified biocarrier showed superior performance and application potential in catalyzing autotrophic nitrogen removal from eutrophic water by functional microorganisms.

Efficient nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate by single-stage partial-nitritation anammox using expanded granular sludge bed.

The effective retention of anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox) bacteria and its high sensitivity to toxic substances and oxygen posed a major challenge to the application of partial nitrification combined with anammox (PN/A) in mature landfill leachate treatment, although it is a promising and efficient nitrogen removal process. In this study, a single-stage PN/A process based on expanded granular sludge bed was proposed to treat the mature landfill leachate. During the last phase, when the NH+ 4-N concentration of mature landfill leachate in influent was 1150.0 mg/L, the nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) was 83.64% with 1.07 kg N/(m3·d) nitrogen removal rate (NRR). The activity of anammox bacteria (AnAOB) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was 9.21 ± 0.22 mg N/(gVSS·h) and 14.34 ± 0.65 mg N/(gVSS·h), respectively. The bacteria produced a high amount of tightly bound extracellular polymeric substance (TB-EPS) i.e., 4071.79 mg/(g·VSS). This helped to create granular sludge and provided favorable spatial conditions for the distribution of functional bacteria that were adapted to different environments. Due to the efficient retention of functional bacteria by the granular sludge, the relative abundance of Ca.Brocadia and Ca.Kuneneia was 1.71% and 0.31%, respectively. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and microbial correlation network diagram showed that the relative abundance of Ca. Kuenenia, Nitrosomonas and Truepera had a stronger positive correlation with the increase of the proportion of mature landfill leachate added to the influent. Overall, the PN/A process based on granular sludge provides an effective method for autotrophic biological nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate.

Transgenic soybean of GsMYB10 shapes rhizosphere microbes to promote resistance to aluminum (Al) toxicity.

Plant resistance genes could affect rhizosphere microbiota, which in turn enhanced plant resistance to stresses. Our previous study found that overexpression of the GsMYB10 gene led to enhanced tolerance of soybean plants to aluminum (Al) toxicity. However, whether GsMYB10 gene could regulate rhizosphere microbiota to mitigate Al toxicity remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the rhizosphere microbiomes of HC6 soybean (WT) and transgenic soybean (trans-GsMYB10) at three Al concentrations, and constructed three different synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), including bacterial, fungal and cross-kingdom (bacteria and fungi) SynComs to verify their role in improving Al tolerance of soybean. Trans-GsMYB10 shaped the rhizosphere microbial communities and harbored some beneficial microbes, such as Bacillus, Aspergillus and Talaromyces under Al toxicity. Fungal and cross-kingdom SynComs showed a more effective role than the bacterial one in resistance to Al stress, and these SynComs helped soybean resist Al toxicity via affecting some functional genes that involved cell wall biosynthesis and organic acid transport etc. Overall, this study reveals the mechanism of soybean functional genes regulating the synergistic resistance of rhizosphere microbiota and plants to Al toxicity, and also highlights the possibility of focusing on the rhizobial microbial community as a potential molecular breeding target to produce crops.

Mainstream deammonification at ambient temperature treating real sewage by a plug-flow fixed-bed reactor based on zeolite/tourmaline-modified polyurethane carriers.

A plug-flow fixed-bed reactor (PFBR) with zeolite/tourmaline-modified polyurethane (ZTP) carriers (PFBRZTP) was constructed to realize mainstream deammonification for real domestic sewage treatment. The PFBRZTP and PFBR were operated for 111 days treating aerobically pretreated sewage in parallel. A higher nitrogen removal rate of 0.12 kg N·(m3·d)-1 was achieved in PFBRZTP despite lowering the temperature (16.8-19.7 °C) and fluctuating water quality. Meanwhile, it was indicated that anaerobic ammonium oxidation dominated (64.0 ± 13.2%) in PFBRZTP, by nitrogen removal pathway analysis and high anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) activity (2.89 mg N·(g VSS·h)-1). And, the lower protein/polysaccharides (PS) ratio further indicated a better biofilm structure in PFBRZTP owing to a higher abundance of microorganisms relevant to PS and cryoprotective EPS secretion. Furthermore, partial denitrification was an important nitrite supply process in PFBRZTP based on low AOB activity/AnAOB activity ratio, higher Thauera abundance and a remarkably positive correlation between Thauera abundance and AnAOB activity.

Nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate through enhanced Partial Nitrification-Anammox process in an innovative multi-stage fixed biofilm reactor.

In the current integrated PN/A method/process for mature landfill leachate treatment, microbial inhibition and low nitrogen removal capacity are the big barriers due to high ammonia concentration and low C/N. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a high-rate nitrogen removal lab-scale reactor, which combines pre-denitrification and Partial Nitrification-Anammox (PN/A) in a multi-stage fixed biofilm reactor (MFBR), for mature landfill leachate treatment. A nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of 90.43 % and an average nitrogen removal rate (NRR) of 0.94 kg/m3·d were observed at an influent NH+ 4-N concentration of 2274.39 mg/L during the last operational phase. The nitrogen mass balance showed that the nitrogen concentration gradually decreases along the course, and nitrogen was mainly removed in the aerobic chambers, in which Anammox contributed to 86.4 % of the removed nitrogen, while the front anoxic chamber is mainly used to remove NO- 3-N from the recirculation. Redundancy analysis showed that the variation in NH+ 4-N concentration along the course was the main factor affecting microbial community succession, which shows that the reactor configuration enables efficient cooperation and distribution of different microorganisms. Moreover, economic analysis of MFBR process showed that the energy consumption and carbon addition were reduced by 58.9 % and 100 %, respectively. Therefore, the MFBR established in this study, with its new configuration, achieves efficient treatment of landfill leachate in a single reactor and is environmentally friendly, and could be considered as a reference for full-scale landfill leachate treatment.

Linking plant functional genes to rhizosphere microbes: a review.

The importance of rhizomicrobiome in plant development, nutrition acquisition and stress tolerance is unquestionable. Relevant plant genes corresponding to the above functions also regulate rhizomicrobiome construction. Deciphering the molecular regulatory network of plant-microbe interactions could substantially contribute to improving crop yield and quality. Here, the plant gene-related nutrient uptake, biotic and abiotic stress resistance, which may influence the composition and function of microbial communities, are discussed in this review. In turn, the influence of microbes on the expression of functional plant genes, and thereby plant growth and immunity, is also reviewed. Moreover, we have specifically paid attention to techniques and methods used to link plant functional genes and rhizomicrobiome. Finally, we propose to further explore the molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways of microbe-host gene interactions, which could potentially be used for managing plant health in agricultural systems.

Enhanced nitrogen removal in mainstream deammonification systems at ambient temperature by novel modified carriers and differentiation of microbial community transformation.

Zeolite-modified polyurethane (ZP) carriers and zeolite/tourmaline-modified polyurethane (ZTP) carriers were proposed to enhance mainstream deammonification. The system with ZTP carriers was rapidly established in 28 days with a nitrogen removal rate (NRR) of 0.150 kg N·(m3·d)-1. Moreover, the facilitative effect of tourmaline was suggested by the highest humic acid peak intensity and more balanced potential activity. Besides, SEM-EDS analysis revealed carrier characteristic improvement was achieved in both novel carriers while maintaining an excellent spatial structure. Moreover, the microbial analysis suggested that both modified carriers support the substrate supply to anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) by enhancing dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium and partial denitrification under nitrate accumulation conditions. Nevertheless, the ZTP system had a greater advantage over maintaining the original AnAOB (Candidatus Jettenia) and ammonium oxidizing bacteria (Nitrosomonas) abundance. Overall, this study provides ZTP carriers with great potential for facilitating the establishment of mainstream deammonification at full-scale WWTPs.

Landfill leachate treatment by graphite engineered anaerobic membrane bioreactor: Performance enhancement and membrane fouling mitigation.

Low efficiency of anaerobic digestion and membrane fouling, treating landfill leachate, are big barriers in the application of anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). Anaerobic digestion enhancement and membrane fouling mitigation of AnMBR with graphite addition, treating landfill leachate, were investigated in this study. The effect of graphite on organics removal, biogas production, methane content in biogas, membrane fouling, microbial responses and foulant compositions were analyzed. With the graphite addition, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal of 78% was achieved for influent COD concentration of 3000 mg/l, which was significantly higher than the stage without graphite addition (65%) for influent COD concentration of 2000 mg/l. Similarly, methane content in biogas with graphite addition was 56%, while without graphite addition it was 46%. These digestion improvements were due to the promotion of organics degradation, facilitated by direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) mechanism via graphite addition in AnMBR. The graphite addition prolonged membrane cleaning cycle from 13 days to 30 days. Protein content in loosely bound extracellular polymeric substance (LB-EPS) was the main fouling agent, which decreased with the graphite addition. The main mechanism behind membrane fouling mitigation was the protein content reduction in LB-EPS, which was biodegraded by Trichococcus being increased in relative abundance with the graphite addition. Furthermore, abundance of Denitratisoma decreased in anaerobic sludge and its accumulation reduced on membrane surface, subsequently membrane fouling was mitigated. Overall, graphite addition in AnMBR is a potential eco-innovative approach that efficiently removes pollutants from landfill leachate, enhances biogas quality and mitigates membrane fouling.

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of 100 adult patients with pure red cell aplasia.

Adult pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a rare syndrome characterized by a severe normocytic anemia, reticulocytopenia, and absence of erythroblasts from bone marrow. The standard treatment has not yet been established for PRCA, although cyclosporine (CsA), corticosteroids (CS) showed a response in PRCA. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 60 primary and 40 secondary adult patients with acquired PRCA. The proportion of secondary PRCA is relatively high and commonly associated with large granular lymphocyte leukemia (LGLL) (28 cases, 70.0%). The remission-induced regimens included CS, CsA, or other agents, and the response rate was 66.7%, 71.4%, and 50%, respectively (P = 0.336). When treating with CsA, the response rate of LGLL-associated PRCA was lower than primary PRCA (42.1% vs 85.7%, P = 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that ORR was inversely related to LGLL-associated PRCA. LGLL-associated PRCA had poor therapeutic efficacy to CsA.

Regiocontrolled Annulation of Benzocyclobutenols with Alkynes.

A tandem reaction that involves an unprecedented Rh-catalyzed intramolecular annulation of benzocyclobutenols with alkynes and subsequent ZnCl2-promoted dehydration was developed, offering an efficient approach to 2H-furan-, pyran-, and oxepine-fused naphthalenes. Furthermore, the 2H-furan motif may undergo a ring-opening reaction through Fe-catalyzed reductive C-O bond cleavage. As a consequence, the formal intermolecular annulation of 2-hydroxybenzocyclobutenols with alkynes was realized with complete regioselectivity through a two-step protocol.

Effects of Waterlogging on Soybean Rhizosphere Bacterial Community Using V4, LoopSeq, and PacBio 16S rRNA Sequence.

Waterlogging causes a significant reduction in soil oxygen levels, which in turn negatively affects soil nutrient use efficiency and crop yields. Rhizosphere microbes can help plants to better use nutrients and thus better adapt to this stress, while it is not clear how the plant-associated microbes respond to waterlogging stress. There are also few reports on whether this response is influenced by different sequencing methods and by different soils. In this study, using partial 16S rRNA sequencing targeting the V4 region and two full-length 16S rRNA sequencing approaches targeting the V1 to V9 regions, the effects of waterlogging on soybean rhizosphere bacterial structure in two types of soil were examined. Our results showed that, compared with the partial 16S sequencing, full-length sequencing, both LoopSeq and Pacific Bioscience (PacBio) 16S sequencing, had a higher resolution. On both types of soil, all the sequencing methods showed that waterlogging significantly affected the bacterial community structure of the soybean rhizosphere and increased the relative abundance of Geobacter. Furthermore, modular analysis of the cooccurrence network showed that waterlogging increased the relative abundance of some microorganisms related to nitrogen cycling when using V4 sequencing and increased the microorganisms related to phosphorus cycling when using LoopSeq and PacBio 16S sequencing methods. Core microorganism analysis further revealed that the enriched members of different species might play a central role in maintaining the stability of bacterial community structure and ecological functions. Together, our study explored the role of microorganisms enriched at the rhizosphere under waterlogging in assisting soybeans to resist stress. Furthermore, compared to partial and PacBio 16S sequencing, LoopSeq offers improved accuracy and reduced sequencing prices, respectively, and enables accurate species-level and strain identification from complex environmental microbiome samples. IMPORTANCE Soybeans are important oil-bearing crops, and waterlogging has caused substantial decreases in soybean production all over the world. The microbes associated with the host have shown the ability to promote plant growth, nutrient absorption, and abiotic resistance. High-throughput sequencing of partial 16S rRNA is the most commonly used method to analyze the microbial community. However, partial sequencing cannot provide correct classification information below the genus level, which greatly limits our research on microbial ecology. In this study, the effects of waterlogging on soybean rhizosphere microbial structure in two soil types were explored using partial 16S rRNA and full-length 16S gene sequencing by LoopSeq and Pacific Bioscience (PacBio). The results showed that full-length sequencing had higher classification resolution than partial sequencing. Three sequencing methods all indicated that rhizosphere bacterial community structure was significantly impacted by waterlogging, and the relative abundance of Geobacter was increased in the rhizosphere in both soil types after suffering waterlogging. Moreover, the core microorganisms obtained by different sequencing methods all contain species related to nitrogen cycling. Together, our study not only explored the role of microorganisms enriched at the rhizosphere level under waterlogging in assisting soybean to resist stress but also showed that LoopSeq sequencing is a less expensive and more convenient method for full-length sequencing by comparing different sequencing methods.

A comprehensive review on the use of conductive materials to improve anaerobic digestion: Focusing on landfill leachate treatment.

Globally, around 70% of waste is disposed of in open dumps or landfill sites, with the leachate generated from these sites containing high concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds, which will adversely affect aquatic environments if discharged without proper treatment. Anaerobic digestion of landfill leachate is an environmentally-friendly method that efficiently converts organic compounds into methane-rich biogas. However, the widespread application of anaerobic digestion has been hindered by poor system stability, low methanogenic activity and a high level of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) accumulation, increasing the operational costs of treatment. Conductive materials can be added to the digester to improve the performance of anaerobic digestion in landfill leachate treatment systems and studies reporting the use of conductive materials for this purpose are hereby thoroughly reviewed. The mechanism of microbial growth and enrichment by conductive materials is discussed, as well as the subsequent effect on waste metabolism, methane production, syntrophic relationships and interspecies electron transfer. The porous structure, specific surface area and conductivity of conductive materials play vital roles in the facilitation of syntrophic relationships between fermentative bacteria and methanogenic archaea. In addition, the mediation of direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) by conductive materials increases the methane content of biogas from 16% to 60% as compared to indirect interspecies electron transfer (IIET) in conventional anaerobic digestion systems. This review identifies research gaps in the field of material-amended anaerobic systems, suggesting future research directions including investigations into combined chemical-biological treatments for landfill leachate, microbial management using conductive materials for efficient pollutant removal and the capacity for material reuse. Moreover, findings of this review provide a reference for the efficient and large-scale treatment of landfill leachate by anaerobic digestion with conductive materials.

The role of CRYAB in tumor prognosis and immune infiltration: A Pan-cancer analysis.

Purpose: There is evidence that the Crystallin Alpha B (CRYAB) gene is involved in the regulation of the tumor microenvironment and influences tumor prognosis in some cancers. However, the role of CRYAB gene in prognosis and immunology in pan-cancer is still unclear. Methods: In this study, we analyzed the transcriptional profiles and survival data of cancer patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. CRYAB gene and its relationships with pan-cancer were analyzed using R packages, TIMER2.0, GEPIA2, Sangerbox, UALCAN, cBioPortal, ESTIMATE algorithm, and STRING. Besides, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was utilized to detect CRYAB expression in KIRC and a human KIRC cell line (Caki-1). Results: We found that CRYAB expression was different in tumors and adjacent tumors in human cancers, affecting patients' prognosis in 15 cancer types. Additionally, CRYAB expression significantly correlated with tumor microenvironment (TME), immune checkpoints (ICP), tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) in human cancers. Besides, CRYAB expression was positively associated with the immune infiltration of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and endothelial cells in most human cancers. Based on enrichment analysis, the most prevalent CRYAB gene mechanism in malignant tumors may be through anti-apoptotic activity. Moreover, some FDA-approved drugs were found to be associated with CRYAB and might be potential cancer therapeutic candidates. Conclusions: CRYAB is a crucial component of the TME and influences immune cell infiltration, making it a promising biomarker to assess immune infiltration and prognosis in many malignancies.

Implication of exogenous abscisic acid (ABA) application on phytoremediation: plants grown in co-contaminated soil.

Abscisic acid (ABA) may play an important role in alleviating negative effects of heavy metal stress on growth performance of plants. A pot experiment was conducted to investigate differential effects of exogenous ABA with different concentrations (0, 20, 40, and 60 µmol/L) on heavy metal accumulation and physiological response of Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii Hance and non-hyperaccumulator Hylotelephium spectabile (Boreau) H. Ohba grown in co-contaminated soil. In the experiment, Cd, Zn, or Pb concentration in stem and leaf of H. spectabile was significantly increased by exogenous ABA application than control. However, the opposite pattern was observed for S. alfredii. With decrease of Cd concentration, Zn or Pb concentration in root of H. spectabile grown in co-contaminated soil was significantly increased by exogenous ABA application than control. Cd, Zn, or Pb concentration in root of S. alfredii was significantly increased by exogenous ABA application than control. Compared with S. alfredii, BCF and TF of Cd, Zn, or Pb for H. spectabile were significantly increased by exogenous ABA application. With negative effect on root growth, total biomass of the two species, especially H. spectabile, was significantly increased by exogenous ABA application than control. With increase of their total chlorophyll content, antioxidant capacity of the two species subjected to heavy metal stress was improved by exogenous ABA application than control. Heavy metal-induced growth inhibition was significantly alleviated by exogenous ABA application when the two species were grown in co-contaminated soil. We tentatively concluded that differential effects of exogenous ABA application on transport pathway of ions incurred different patterns of heavy metal accumulation between Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator S. alfredii and non-hyperaccumulator H. spectabile. It is suggested that compared with Cd/Zn hyperaccumulator S. alfredii, exogenous ABA application may improve heavy metal uptake in root and transport of heavy metal ions between different organs for non-hyperaccumulator H. spectabile grown in co-contaminated soil. Our results provide insight into effects of exogenous ABA application on phytoremediation of Cd-, Pb-, and Zn-co-contaminated soil.