Role of CYP311A1 in wing development of Drosophila melanogaster.

Lipid homeostasis is crucial for growth and development of organisms. Several cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (CYPs) are involved in lipid metabolism. The function of Cyp311a1 in the anterior midgut as a regulator of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster has been demonstrated, as depletion of Cyp311a1 caused larval growth arrest that was partially rescued by supplying PE. In this study, we investigated the role of CYP311A1 in wing morphogenesis in Drosophila. Using the GAL4-UAS system, Cyp311a1 was selectively knocked down in the wing disc. A deformed wing phenotype was observed in flies with reduced Cyp311a1 transcripts. BODIPY and oil red O staining revealed a reduction of neutral lipids in the wing disc after the depletion of Cyp311a1. In addition, we observed an enhanced sensitivity to Eosin Y penetration in the wings of Cyp311a1 knocked-down flies. Moreover, the reduction of CYP311A1 function in developing wings does not affect cell proliferation and apoptosis, but entails disordered Phalloidin or Cadherin distribution, suggesting an abnormal cell morphology and cell cortex structure in wing epithelial cells. Taken together, our results suggest that Cyp311a1 is needed for wing morphogenesis by participating in lipid assembly and cell homeostasis.

Toxicity Evaluation of Potassium Sorbate In Vivo with Drosophila Melanogaster.

Potassium sorbate (PS) is a preservative widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. Improper and careless use of PS can lead to various health issues and potential environmental problems. Drosophila is capable of making rapid and sensitive responses to stress or other stimuli. Here we utilized Drosophila as a model organism to evaluate the potential toxicity of PS. Our study revealed that PS ingestion reduced the lifespan and fecundity of Drosophila. In addition, excessive PS ingestion led to cell apoptosis and ROS accumulation in the midgut. Furthermore, PS intake also enhanced the mitophagy of midgut cells. Strikingly, PS affected the cell differentiation progression as well, leading to the production of more enteroendocrine (EE) cells. We further demonstrated that the expression of notch (N), a vital player in intestinal stem cell (ISC) differentiation, was down-regulated in the midgut. This indicates that the differentiation progression was affected potentially by repressing the N expression.

Design and Optimization of a Novel Hybrid Membrane-Electrochemical Hydrogen Pump Process for Recovering Helium from NRU off Gas.

Due to the low boiling point of helium, the nitrogen-rich off gas of the nitrogen rejection unit (NRU) in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant usually contains a small amount of CH4, approximately 1-4% He, and associated gases, such as H2. However, it is difficult to separate hydrogen and helium. Here, we propose two different integrated processes coupled with membrane separation, pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and the electrochemical hydrogen pump (EHP) based on different sequences of hydrogen gas removal. Both processes use membrane separation and PSA in order to recover and purify helium, and the EHP is used to remove hydrogen. The processes were strictly simulated using UniSim Design, and an economic assessment was conducted. The results of the economic assessment show that flowsheet #2 was more cost-effective due to the significant reduction in the capacity of the compressor and PSA because of the pre-removal of hydrogen. Additionally, using the response surface methodology (RSM), a Box-Behnken design experiment was conducted, and an accurate and reliable quadratic response surface regression model was fitted through variance analysis. The optimized operating parameters for the integrated process were determined as follows: the membrane area of M101 was 966.6 m2, the permeate pressure of M101 was 100 kPa, and the membrane area of M102 was 41.2 m2. The maximum recovery fraction was 90.66%, and the minimum cost of helium production was 2.21 $/kg. Thus, proposed flowsheet #2 has prospects and value for industrial application.

Next-generation sequencing sheds light on the interaction between virus and cell during foot-and-mouth disease virus persistent infection.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) infection can be either persistent or acute in susceptible animals. The mechanisms involved in FMDV replication and clearance during persistent infection remain unclear. To identify host factors that are critical for FMDV replication during persistent infection, we used RNA-seq to compare the transcriptomes of infected (BHK-Op) cells and bystander (BHK-VEC) cells, which are exposed to FMDV but not infected. In total, 1917 genes were differentially expressed between BHK-Op cells and BHK-VEC cells, which were involved in ribosome biogenesis, cell cycle, and dilated cardiomyopathy. We further identified host genes potentially involved in viral clearance during persistent FMDV infection by comprehensive crossover analysis of differentially expressed genes in ancestral host cells, evolved infected host cells, and evolved bystander cells, which are resistant to infection by wild-type FMDV and FMDV-Op that co-evolved with host cells during persistent infection. Among the identified genes were Cav1 and Ccnd1. Subsequent experiments showed that knockdown of Cav1 and Ccnd1 in host cells significantly promoted and inhibited FMDV replication, respectively, confirming that the overexpression of Cav1 and the downregulation of Ccnd1 contribute to virus clearance during persistent FMDV infection. In addition, we found that BHK-Op cells contained mixtures of multiple genotypes of FMDV viruses, shedding light on the diversity of FMDV genotypes during persistent infection. Our findings provide a detailed overview of the responses of infected cells and bystander cells to persistent FMDV infection.