The superior allele LEA12OR in wild rice enhances salt tolerance and yield.

Soil salinity has negative impacts on food security and sustainable agriculture. Ion homeostasis, osmotic adjustment and reactive oxygen species scavenging are the main approaches utilized by rice to resist salt stress. Breeding rice cultivars with high salt tolerance (ST) and yield is a significant challenge due to the lack of elite alleles conferring ST. Here, we report that the elite allele LEA12OR, which encodes a late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) protein from the wild rice Oryza rufipogon Griff., improves osmotic adjustment and increases yield under salt stress. Mechanistically, LEA12OR, as the early regulator of the LEA12OR-OsSAPK10-OsbZIP86-OsNCED3 functional module, maintains the kinase stability of OsSAPK10 under salt stress, thereby conferring ST by promoting abscisic acid biosynthesis and accumulation in rice. The superior allele LEA12OR provides a new avenue for improving ST and yield via the application of LEA12OR in current rice through molecular breeding and genome editing.

ZnO nanorods anchored on CNTs incorporating carbon cloth flexible electrode as a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor.

Monitoring glucose, uric acid (UA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) concentration has emerged as a critical health care issue to prevent acute complications and to minimize the hazard of long-term complications. In this paper, a novel non-enzyme electrochemical sensor was proposed with nanorod-like zinc oxide anchored on carbon nanotubes using a direct precipitation method and then decorated onto carbon cloth (ZnO/CNTs/CC). The ZnO/CNTs composite was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectrum, TEM microscope and electrochemistry. The sensing of UA, glucose and H2O2individually or simultaneously was done on a ZnO/CNTs/CC electrode, and the superior performance lies in its wide linear range, low detection limit and high selectivity, which is attributed to the synergistic effect of (a) the good electrocatalytic activity of ZnO nanorods, and (b) the large surface area with high conductivity offered by CNTs. Moreover, the ZnO/CNTs/CC electrode showed good reproducibility, stability and selectivity. Importantly, the developed sensor platform has been successfully applied to probe glucose, UA and H2O2in human serum with satisfactory recoveries. Our proposed approach is simple in fabrication and operation, which provides a straightforward assay for the reliable and cost-effective determination of glucose, UA and H2O2in clinical diagnosis and biomedical applications.

Glucose and UA sensing based on Cu nanoparticle decorated Nif/GO flexible electrode.

A novel, green, and facile approach has been developed to construct an ultrasensitive flexible enzyme-less electrochemical sensor on the basis of chitosan and graphene oxide composites decorated with Cu nanoparticles supported on nickel foam (Nif/Cs/GO@Cu), in which GO functions as the intermediate between Nif and Cu nanoparticles. The Nif/Cs/GO@Cu sensing platform was successfully fabricated by the drop casting method to load Cs/GO onto Nif followed by an additionally electrodeposition to support Cu nanoparticles on Nif/Cs/GO. Impressively, the Nif/Cs/GO@Cu exhibited much higher electrocatalytic activity for glucose and UA oxidation as compared to that of Nif or Nif@Cu. For glucose and UA at about 0.6 V and 0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), linearity could be obtained in the concentration ranges 5 µM-4 mM and 5-345 µM; the sensitivities were 16 and 2.5 µA µM-1 cm-2, and the detection limits 83 nM and 0.3 µM, respectively. The improved performance of the composite electrode was ascribed to the synergistic effect of Cu nanoparticles, Nif and GO, in which GO provides high electron conductivity and large surface area to prevent the agglomeration of Cu nanoparticles; Cu nanoparticles and Nif offer abundant active sites towards analytes oxidation. Additionally, the method was applied to determine both analytes successfully in blood serum samples with excellent recovery and also opens up an attractive route to potential applications of the flexible nickel foam-based electrochemical sensor.

Sphingolipid metabolism plays a key role in diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

INTRODUCTION: As the most common chronic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM), diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) seriously affects the quality of life of DM patients. So, it is of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of DPN. In recent years, there have been numerous studies on pathogenesis and biomarkers of DM, but there are few studies on the biomarkers of DPN. OBJECTIVES: This research is intended to identify abnormal metabolic pathways, search for potential biomarkers of DPN, and provide a metabolic basis for the diagnosis and mechanism of DPN. METHODS: Serum samples from 23 healthy controls (HC), 42 DM patients and 30 DPN patients and urine samples from 42 HC, 40 DM patients, and 30 DPN patients were collected. UPLC-Q-TOF/MS was used to analyze the samples. Potential biomarkers were screened from principal component analysis (PCA) to orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and further evaluated by receiver operating characteristic analysis (ROC). The biomarkers were then enriched and pathway analyzed. RESULTS: 12 potential DPN biomarkers were identified from patient's serum. 11 potential DPN biomarkers were identified from the patient's urine. Among them, the diagnostic ability of gluconic acid, lipoic acid, sphinganine, bilirubin, sphingosine and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid was increased by ROC analysis. Potential biomarkers suggest that the disorder of DPN metabolism may be linked to sphingolipid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This research laid a theoretical foundation for the diagnosis and pathogenesis of DPN.

A metabolic biomarker panel of restless legs syndrome in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a neuromotor disorder, and dialysis patients are more likely to develop RLS. RLS often causes sleep disorders, anxiety and depression in patients. It will increase the risk of death and severely affect the life of patients. At present, RLS has not received enough recognition and attention, and the misdiagnosis rate can reach more than 10%. METHODS: The discovery set selected 30 peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and 27 peritoneal dialysis patients with RLS (PD-RLS). A metabolomics method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometric method (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was used to analyze the differential metabolites of the two groups. 51 PD patients and 51 PD-RLS patients were included in the validation set. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the early diagnostic biomarkers, and the correlation between the differential metabolites and laboratory test indexes was analyzed to explore the biological function of the differential metabolites. RESULTS: Through the integrated analysis, four metabolites can be used as markers for the diagnosis of PD-RLS, including Hippuric acid, Phenylacetylglutamine, N,N,N-Trimethyl-L-alanyl-L-proline betaine and Threonic acid. Through ROC analysis, it is found that they can be used as a metabolic biomarker panel, and the area under the curve of this combination is more than 0.9, indicating that the panel has good diagnostic and predictive ability. CONCLUSION: Metabolomics based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS technology can effectively identify the potential biomarkers, and provide a theoretical basis for the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment on PD-RLS.

Mechanism of Lycopodii herba for RA-ILD using integrated metabolomics and network pharmacology.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most common complication of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which highly increases the morbidity and mortality of RA. Lycopodii herba (SJC) has been used as a widespread traditional Chinese medicine to treat RA and the related complications for more than 500 years. However, its therapeutic effect on RA-ILD and related mechanisms are not clear. The purpose of this work was to confirm the efficacy of SJC for RA-ILD and clarify its mechanism. In this study, we first determined the efficacy of SJC on RA-ILD. Then, 15 potential biomarkers of SJC were identified by metabolomics in rat serum, which were mainly associated with ether lipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism. 21 pathways were related to SJC by network pharmacology. Combined with the results of metabolomics and network pharmacology and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) validation, the mechanism of SJC for RA-ILD may be related to the Ras signaling pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway by regulating the expression of PLA2G1B and PI3KCA. This work preliminary confirmed the preventive and therapeutic effects of SJC on RA-ILD and elucidated the mechanism from the metabolic perspective.

Shengmai Yin formula exerts cardioprotective effects on rats with chronic heart failure via regulating Linoleic Acid metabolism.

The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effects of Shengmai Yin(SMY) on rats with chronic heart failure(CHF).Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish a CHF animal model via ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery and exhaustive swimming.Echocardiography, serum biochemical indicators and histopathology were used to evaluate the pharmacodynamics of SMY in CHF rats.UPLC-Q-TOF/MS analysis based on serum was performed to identify the potential metabolites in the pathological process of CHF. Metabolic pathway analysis was carried out to elucidate the metabolic network associated with SMY treatment of CHF.Moreover,quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blotting (WB), and Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to measure the RNA and protein expression levels in related pathways. Results revealed that SMY significantly restored the cardiac function of CHF rats, reduced the serum biochemical indicators, and alleviated cardiac histological damage. Metabolomics analysis shows that the therapeutic effect of SMY for CHF involves 14 biomarkers and 8 metabolic pathways, especially linoleic acid pathway, to be influenced, which implied the potential mechanism of SMY in treating CHF. Two key indicators Lipoxygenase arachidonic acid 15 lipoxygenase (ALOX15) and Cytochrome P450 1A2(CYP1A2) of linoleic acid metabolism pathway were verified by RT-PCR, WB and ELISA. Verification result showed that compared with the model group, expression levels of ALOX15 and CYP1A2 in SMY group were lower. In conclusion, SMY has cardioprotective effect on chronic heart failure rats, and its mechanism may be related to linoleic acid metabolism pathway.

Synthetic Fe-rich nontronite as a novel activator of bisulfite for the efficient removal of tetracycline.

In this work, the iron-containing smectite nontronite (NNT) was artificially prepared by hydrothermal process and used as a heterogeneous catalyst to activate bisulfite (BS) for degradation of tetracycline (TC). Two NNT samples with different iron content (NNT1 and NNT2) were characterized by XRD, FTIR, XPS and SEM-EDS analysis. Under dark condition, the TC removal rates of NNT1/BS and NNT2/BS reached about 91.7% and 95.5% respectively at 60 min. Due to the heterogeneous catalysis of structural Fe(III), the NNT catalysts showed great catalytic activity and low iron leaching at the pH range 3.0-7.5. In addition, NNT particles were also stable and reusable in activating BS for TC removal. According to the EPR and radical quenching experiments, it could be proved that the precursor radical •SO3- was first generated in NNT/BS system, then •SO4- and •OH were the active species that played a role in TC degradation. The synthetic NNT clay is a promising Fe-based catalyst for treatment of TC wastewater thanks to its high activity, good stability and effective reusability.

Rice FLOURY ENDOSPERM 18 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein required for 5' processing of mitochondrial nad5 messenger RNA and endosperm development.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins, composing one of the largest protein families in plants, are involved in RNA binding and regulation of organelle RNA metabolism at the post-transcriptional level. Although several PPR proteins have been implicated in endosperm development in rice (Oryza sativa), the molecular functions of many PPRs remain obscure. Here, we identified a rice endosperm mutant named floury endosperm 18 (flo18) with pleiotropic defects in both reproductive and vegetative development. Map-based cloning and complementation tests showed that FLO18 encodes a mitochondrion-targeted P-type PPR protein with 15 PPR motifs. Mitochondrial function was disrupted in the flo18 mutant, as evidenced by decreased assembly of Complex I in the mitochondrial electron transport chain and altered mitochondrial morphology. Loss of FLO18 function resulted in defective 5'-end processing of mitochondrial nad5 transcripts encoding subunit 5 of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydrogenase. These results suggested that FLO18 is involved in 5'-end processing of nad5 messenger RNA and plays an important role in mitochondrial function and endosperm development.

The nuclear-localized PPR protein OsNPPR1 is important for mitochondrial function and endosperm development in rice.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins constitute one of the largest protein families in land plants. Recent studies revealed the functions of PPR proteins in organellar RNA metabolism and plant development, but the functions of most PPR proteins, especially PPRs localized in the nucleus, remain largely unknown. Here, we report the isolation and characterization of a rice mutant named floury and growth retardation1 (fgr1). fgr1 showed floury endosperm with loosely arranged starch grains, decreased starch and amylose contents, and retarded seedling growth. Map-based cloning showed that the mutant phenotype was caused by a single nucleotide substitution in the coding region of Os08g0290000. This gene encodes a nuclear-localized PPR protein, which we named OsNPPR1, that affected mitochondrial function. In vitro SELEX and RNA-EMSAs showed that OsNPPR1 was an RNA protein that bound to the CUCAC motif. Moreover, a number of retained intron (RI) events were detected in fgr1. Thus, OsNPPR1 was involved in regulation of mitochondrial development and/or functions that are important for endosperm development. Our results provide novel insights into coordinated interaction between nuclear-localized PPR proteins and mitochondrial function.

The Ultrafast and Continuous Fabrication of a Polydimethylsiloxane Membrane by Ultraviolet-Induced Polymerization.

The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane commonly used for separation of biobutanol from fermentation broth fails to meet demand owing to its discontinuous and polluting thermal fabrication. Now, an UV-induced polymerization strategy is proposed to realize the ultrafast and continuous fabrication of the PDMS membrane. UV-crosslinking of synthesized methacrylate-functionalized PDMS (MA-PDMS) is complete within 30 s. The crosslinking rate is three orders of magnitude larger than the conventional thermal crosslinking. The MA-PDMS membrane shows a versatile potential for liquid and gas separations, especially featuring an excellent pervaporation performance for n-butanol. Filler aggregation, the major bottleneck for the development of high-performance mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), is overcome, because the UV polymerization strategy demonstrates a freezing effect towards fillers in polymer, resulting in an extremely high-loading silicalite-1/MA-PDMS MMM with uniform particle distribution.

OsNDUFA9 encoding a mitochondrial complex I subunit is essential for embryo development and starch synthesis in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: Loss of function of a mitochondrial complex I subunit (OsNDUFA9) causes abnormal embryo development and affects starch synthesis by altering the expression of starch synthesis-related genes and proteins. Proton-pumping NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (also called complex I) is thought to be the largest and most complicated enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. Mutations of complex I subunits have been revealed to link with a number of growth inhibitions in plants. However, the function of complex I subunits in rice remains unclear. Here, we isolated a rice floury endosperm mutant (named flo13) that was embryonic lethal and failed to germinate. Semi-thin sectioning analysis showed that compound starch grain development in the mutant was greatly impaired, leading to significantly compromised starch biosynthesis and decreased 1000-grain weight relative to the wild type. Map-based cloning revealed that FLO13 encodes an accessory subunit of complex I protein (designated as OsNDUFA9). A single nucleotide substitution (G18A) occurred in the first exon of OsNDUFA9, introducing a premature stop codon in the flo13 mutant gene. OsNDUFA9 was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues and the OsNDUFA9 protein was localized to the mitochondria. Quantitative RT-PCR and protein blotting indicated loss of function of OsNDUFA9 altered gene expression and protein accumulation associated with respiratory electron chain complex in the mitochondria. Moreover, transmission electron microscopic analysis showed that the mutant lacked obvious mitochondrial cristae structure in the mitochondria of endosperm cell. Our results demonstrate that the OsNDUFA9 subunit of complex I is essential for embryo development and starch synthesis in rice endosperm.

Short Peptides Directing 1D Helical Arrays of Polyoxometalates with Controllable Pitches.

A series of cationic peptides with alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic residues were elaborately designed and synthesized. These kinds of short peptides with protonated lysine groups can interact with anionic polyoxometalate nanoclusters through multivalent ionic bonds and hydrogen bonds, resulting in the formation of helical polyoxometalate arrays in aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) were utilized to characterize the self-assembled structures. TEM revealed that the polyoxometalate clusters form periodic arrays within the helical nanofibers. This work reports that the handedness of the helical fibers was attributed to the precise chirality expression of peptides. The l-type peptide directed the formation of left-handed polyoxometalate arrays, whereas right-handed polyoxometalate arrays were observed when the peptide was constituted by d-amino acids. It was also found that the pitch of the helical nanofibers is inversely proportional to the hydrophobicity of peptides with less hydrophobicity giving a larger helical pitch.

Wet and Functional Adhesives from One-Step Aqueous Self-Assembly of Natural Amino Acids and Polyoxometalates.

Sessile organisms have undergone long-term evolution to develop the unique ability by positioning themselves on wet solid surface through secreting adhesive proteins. The present study reveals that natural amino acid monomers can also exhibit similar adhesion capacity. This kind of biomimetic adhesives were created by the one-step aqueous assembly of basic amino acids with assistance of anionic polyoxometalates. The polyoxometalates not only serve as multivalent scaffold to initiate the supramolecular cross-linking of amino acid molecules, but also function as a redox component, bestowing the wet adhesives with electrochromic features.

Engineering the Ionic Self-Assembly of Polyoxometalates and Facial-Like Peptides.

The self-assembly behavior of polyoxometalates (PMs) and facial-like cationic peptides carrying lysine residues were systematically investigated. Circular dichroism and UV/Vis spectra demonstrated that the multivalent electrostatic attractions between polyanionic PMs and short peptides with protonated lysine residues initiated the conformational transition of peptide molecules from random-coil to ß-sheet state, and subsequently the co-assembly. TEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements showed that uniform nanofibers formed with decreasing size of the PMs or increasing the intermolecular forces of the peptides, such as through hydrogen-bonding, hydrophobic, and/or π-π interactions. Additionally, the stability of the nanostructures can be improved by rational suppression of the electrostatic repulsion of the shell peptides covering the surface of the nanostructures. These results provide new insight into understanding the ionic self-assembly of peptides and PMs and controlling their final morphology.

Heteropoly acids triggered self-assembly of cationic peptides into photo- and electro-chromic gels.

A series of cationic peptides with alternating lysines and hydrophobic residues were designed and synthesized. These kinds of short peptides with protonated lysines can complex with anionic heteropoly acids (HPAs) to form a stable gel in water/ethanol mixed solution. Circular dichroism spectroscopy showed that the short peptides adopted a mixed conformation (ß-sheet and random-coil) within the gel matrix. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the heteropoly acids, acting as nanosized cross-linkers, first initiated the self-assembly of the cationic peptides into spherical nanostructures. Then these nanospheres accumulated with each other through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions to form large sheet-like assemblies, which further interconnected with each other forming continuous 3D network structures. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the structural integrity of the HPAs was maintained during the gelation process. The resultant hybrid gels showed reversible photo- and elecrtro-chromic properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the hybrid gels, capable of persistent and reversible changes of their colour, are attributed to the intervalence charge-transfer transition of the HPAs. Reversible information writing and erasing were demonstrated through a repeated photo-lithograph or electric stimuli without significant loss of the gel performance.

Evaluation of Adenosine Triphosphate-Binding Cassette Transporter A1 (ABCA1) R219K and C-Reactive Protein Gene (CRP) +1059G/C Gene Polymorphisms in Susceptibility to Coronary Heart Disease.

BACKGROUND This meta-analysis investigated the correlation of ABCA1 R219K and C-Reactive Protein Gene (CRP) +1059G/C gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to coronary heart disease (CHD). MATERIAL AND METHODS We searched PubMed, Springer link, Wiley, EBSCO, Ovid, Wanfang database, VIP database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases to retrieve published studies by keyword. Searches were filtered using our stringent inclusion and exclusion criteria. Resultant high-quality data collected from the final selected studies were analyzed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis 2.0 software. Eleven case-control studies involving 3053 CHD patients and 3403 healthy controls met our inclusion criteria. Seven studies were conducted in Asian populations, 3 studies were done in Caucasian populations, and 1 was in an African population. RESULTS Our major finding was that ABCA1 R219K polymorphism increased susceptibility to CHD in allele model (OR=0.729, 95% CI=0.559~0.949, P=0.019) and dominant model (OR=0.698, 95% CI=0.507~0.961, P=0.027). By contrast, we were unable to find any significant association between the CRP +1059G/C polymorphism and susceptibility to CHD (allele model: OR=1.170, 95% CI=0.782~1.751, P=0.444; dominant model: OR=1.175, 95% CI=0.768~1.797, P=0.457). CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis provides convincing evidence that polymorphism of ABCA1 R219K is associated with susceptibility to CHD while the CRP +1059G/C polymorphism appears to have no correlation with susceptibility to CHD.

MMP3 -1171 5A/6A Promoter Genotype Influences Serum MMP3 Levels and Is Associated with Deep Venous Thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of MMP3 (matrix metalloproteinase-3) gene polymorphism and protein expression in deep venous thrombosis (DVT) among Chinese Han population. METHODS: A total of 280 subjects were included in this study and categorized as case group (144 DVT patients) and control group (136 healthy individuals). Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to detect MMP3 promoter -1171 5A>6A genotype and allele frequencies. MMP3 serum levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. SPSS version 18.0 statistical software was used for data analysis. RESULTS: There was significant difference in genotype frequencies of MMP3 gene -1171 5A>6A between the case group and the control group (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the 6A allele on MMP3 -1171 5A>6A may be associated with increased risk of DVT (odds ratio 1.961, 95% confidence interval 1.309-2.939, P < 0.01). The MMP3 serum level in DVT patients was markedly higher than the control group (case group: 28.45 ± 10.97 vs. CONTROL GROUP: 18.18 ± 9.03, P < 0.05). Serum MMP3 level in DVT patients carrying 5A/6A and 6A/6A genotypes was higher than the control group (P < 0.05). The bilateral calf circumference difference was significantly higher in DVT patients than the control group among all the genotypes at MMP3 gene -1171 5A>6A (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: MMP3 gene -1171 5A>6A polymorphism and upregulated protein expression may be associated with DVT risk in Chinese Han population.

Polyoxometalate-Driven Self-Assembly of Short Peptides into Multivalent Nanofibers with Enhanced Antibacterial Activity.

Multivalent peptide nanofibers have attracted intense attention as promising platforms, but the fabrication of those nanofibers is mainly dependent on the spontaneous assembly of ß-sheet peptides. Herein we report an alternative approach to the creation of nanofibers: the polyoxometalate-driven self-assembly of short peptides. The resultant nanofibers with concentrated positive charges are excellent multivalent ligands for binding with bacterial cells and thus lead to a salient improvement in bioactivity.

Dynamic self-assembly of coordination polymers in aqueous solution.

The construction of supramolecular polymers has been intensively pursued because the nanostructures formed through weak non-covalent interactions can be triggered by external stimuli leading to smart materials and sensors. Self-assemblies of coordination polymers consisting of metal ions and organic ligands in aqueous solution also provide particular contributions in this area. The main motivation for developing those coordination polymers originates from the value-added combination between metal ions and ligands. This review highlights the recent progress of the dynamic self-assembly of coordination polymers that result from the sophisticated molecular design, towards fabricating stimuli-responsive systems and bio-related materials. Dynamic structural changes and switchable physical properties triggered by various stimuli are summarized. Finally, the outlook for aqueous nanostructures originated from the dynamic self-assembly of coordination polymers is also presented.