Introduction of a diverse genetic background of Pyrus into Malus through intergeneric hybridization.

Wide hybridizations across species and genera have been employed to enhance agriculturally important traits in crops. Within the tribe Maleae of the Rosaceae family, different genera and species exhibit several traits useful for increasing diversity and gene pool through hybridization. This study aimed to develop and characterize intergeneric hybrid individuals between Malus and Pyrus. Through seed germination, shoot multiplication, and rooting in vitro, acclimatized seedlings showing vegetative growth on their own roots were obtained from crosses of Malus × domestica pollinated by Pyrus communis, P. bretschneideri, and the Pyrus interspecific hybrid (P. communis × P. pyrifolia). Comparative analysis of leaf morphology, flow cytometry, and molecular genotyping confirmed the hybrid status of the individuals. Genome-wide genotyping revealed that all the hybrid individuals inherited genomic fragments symmetrically from the Malus and Pyrus parents. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the development of intergeneric hybrid seedlings between Malus × domestica and P. bretschneideri. Furthermore, the Pyrus interspecific hybrid individual served as a bridge plant for introducing the genetic background of P. pyrifolia into Malus × domestica. The results of this study provided a crucial foundation for breeding through intergeneric hybridization between Malus and Pyrus, facilitating the incorporation of valuable traits from diverse gene pools.

Stone cell formation in the pedicel of pears and apples.

MAIN CONCLUSION: For the first time, stone cells in pear and apple pedicel were studied. The lignification of the pedicel outer part was correlated with flesh, and the secondary cell wall biosynthesis genes were activated. Fruit pedicels act as bridges between the fruit and the shoot. They have secondary thickened cell walls that presumably function in mechanical support, water and nutrient transport. Stone cells are cells with a secondary cell wall thickening. In pears, yet not in apples, the stone cells affect the flesh texture. There have been few reports on stone cell formation in pear and apple pedicels; therefore, we studied these cells for the first time. The apple pedicel had few stone cells in the cortex. The formation of stone cells in pear continued until seven weeks after flowering (WAF), and the density was significantly higher than in apple. The stone cell formation degree (SFD) of pear was 3.6-7.1 times higher than that of apple. Total lignin and lignin non-condensed structure (G and S units) content in the pear pedicle outer part was 1.5-2.7 times higher than that of the apple at harvest. The SFD of the pedicel outer part had a positive correlation with the G and S units content of the flesh. The total lignin and G and S units content between flesh and the pedicel outer part were positively correlated. Correlation analysis revealed a positive relationship between fruit and pedicel formation of the stone cells. The WGCNA showed that NST3 was linked to NAC028, MYB46, CESA, POD, LAC, and VSR6. These genes were highly expressed in the outer part of the pear pedicel, while they were suppressed in that issue of the apple at 4 WAF.

Cross-Selective Aza-Pinacol Coupling via Atom Transfer Catalysis.

A cross-selective aza-pinacol coupling of aldehydes and imines has been developed to afford valuable ß-amino alcohols. This strategy enables chemoselective conversion of aliphatic aldehydes to ketyl radicals, in the presence of more easily reduced imines and other functional groups. Upon carbonyl-specific activation by AcI, a photoinitiated Mn catalyst selectively reduces the resulting α-oxy iodide by an atom transfer mechanism. The ensuing ketyl radical selectively couples to imines, precluding homodimerization by a classical reductive approach. In this first example of reductive, ketyl coupling by atom transfer catalysis, Zn serves as a terminal reductant to facilitate Mn catalyst turnover. This new strategy also enables ketyl radical couplings to alkenes, alkynes, aldehydes, propellanes, and chiral imines.

Theory-Guided Synthesis of Highly Luminescent Colloidal Cesium Tin Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals.

The synthesis of highly luminescent colloidal CsSnX3 (X = halogen) perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) remains a long-standing challenge due to the lack of a fundamental understanding of how to rationally suppress the formation of structural defects that significantly influence the radiative carrier recombination processes. Here, we develop a theory-guided, general synthetic concept for highly luminescent CsSnX3 NCs. Guided by density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations, we predict that, although there is an opposing trend in the chemical potential-dependent formation energies of various defects, highly luminescent CsSnI3 NCs with narrow emission could be obtained through decreasing the density of tin vacancies. We then develop a colloidal synthesis strategy that allows for rational fine-tuning of the reactant ratio in a wide range but still leads to the formation of CsSnI3 NCs. By judiciously adopting a tin-rich reaction condition, we obtain narrow-band-emissive CsSnI3 NCs with a record emission quantum yield of 18.4%, which is over 50 times larger than those previously reported. Systematic surface-state characterizations reveal that these NCs possess a Cs/I-lean surface and are capped with a low density of organic ligands, making them an excellent candidate for optoelectronic devices without any postsynthesis ligand management. We showcase the generalizability of our concept by further demonstrating the synthesis of highly luminescent CsSnI2.5Br0.5 and CsSnI2.25Br0.75 NCs. Our findings not only highlight the value of computation in guiding the synthesis of high-quality colloidal perovskite NCs but also could stimulate intense efforts on tin-based perovskite NCs and accelerate their potential applications in a range of high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Visible-Light-Induced Radical Carbo-Cyclization/gem-Diborylation through Triplet Energy Transfer between a Gold Catalyst and Aryl Iodides.

Geminal diboronates have attracted significant attention because of their unique structures and reactivity. However, benzofuran-, indole-, and benzothiophene-based benzylic gem-diboronates, building blocks for biologically relevant compounds, are unknown. A promising protocol using visible light and aryl iodides for constructing valuable building blocks, including benzofuran-, indole-, and benzothiophene-based benzylic gem-diboronates, via radical carbo-cyclization/gem-diborylation of alkynes with a high functional group tolerance is presented. The utility of these gem-diboronates has been demonstrated by a 10 g scale conversion, by versatile transformations, by including the synthesis of approved drug scaffolds and two approved drugs, and even by polymer synthesis. The mechanistic investigation indicates that the merging of the dinuclear gold catalyst (photoexcitation by 315-400 nm UVA light) with Na2CO3 is directly responsible for photosensitization of aryl iodides (photoexcitation by 254 nm UV light) with blue LED light (410-490 nm, λmax = 465 nm) through an energy transfer (EnT) process, followed by homolytic cleavage of the C-I bond in the aryl iodide substrates.

Evidence for calpains in cancer metastasis.

Metastatic dissemination represents the final stage of tumor progression as well as the principal cause of cancer-associated deaths. Calpains are a conserved family of calcium-dependent cysteine proteinases with ubiquitous or tissue-specific expression. Accumulating evidence indicates a central role for calpains in tumor migration and invasion via participating in several key processes, including focal adhesion dynamics, cytoskeletal remodeling, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and apoptosis. Activated after the increased intracellular calcium concentration ( [Ca2+]i ) induced by membrane channels and extracellular or intracellular stimuli, calpains induce the limited cleavage or functional modulation of various substrates that serve as metastatic mediators. This review covers established literature to summarize the mechanisms and underlying signaling pathways of calpains in cancer metastasis, making calpains attractive targets for aggressive tumor therapies.

The Combination of Benzaldehyde and Nickel-Catalyzed Photoredox C(sp3 )-H Alkylation/Arylation.

Herein we report a highly selective photoredox C(sp3 )-H alkylation/arylation of ethers through the combination of a photo-organocatalyst (benzaldehyde) and a transition-metal catalyst (nickel). This method provides a simple and general strategy for the C(sp3 )-H alkylation/arylation of ethers. A selective late-stage modification of (-)-ambroxide has also been conducted to demonstrate the applicability of the method.

Dual Gold/Silver Catalysis Involving Alkynylgold(III) Intermediates Formed by Oxidative Addition and Silver-Catalyzed C-H Activation for the Direct Alkynylation of Cyclopropenes.

While gold-mediated synergistic catalytic processes involving transmetalations with other metals are well understood, AuI /AuIII cycles in these reactions are rarely reported. Herein a gold-catalyzed direct alkynylation of cyclopropenes is enabled by two operating catalytic cycles, an oxidative catalytic cycle involving an alkynyl AuIII complex formed by oxidative addition and one involving a silver-mediated C-H activation.

Estrogen decreases tight junction protein ZO-1 expression in human primary gut tissues.

Females have a higher prevalence of most autoimmune diseases; however, the mechanism is unknown. In this study, we examined the expression of tight junction protein zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) and estrogen receptor (ER)-α/ß in human primary gut tissues by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and qPCR. The expression of ZO-1 and ER-ß but not ER-α was present in both male and female gut tissues. There was no sex difference in ER-ß expression, but ZO-1 expression was decreased in females compared to males. In vitro, estrogen treatment decreased ZO-1 mRNA and protein expression, ZO-1 promoter activity, IL-6 production, and NF-κB activation in human primary gut tissues or the Caco-2 cells, but increased the ER-ß expression in Caco-2 cells. Consistently, plasma IL-6 levels in females were reduced relative to males in vivo. Our finding indicates that estrogen may play a role in gut tight junction expression and permeability.

MicroRNA profile in HBV-induced infection and hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exhibit essential regulatory functions related to cell growth, apoptosis, development and differentiation. Dysregulated expression of miRNAs is associated with a wide variety of human diseases. As such miRNA signatures are valuable as biomarkers for disease and for making treatment decisions. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here we screened for miRNAs in chronic HBV associated HCC. METHODS: To determine the miRNAs in HCC occurrence associated with HBV infection, we analyzed global miRNA expression profiles in 12 pairs of HCC and adjacent matched non-HCC tissues from HBV-positive and HBV-negative patients using microarray analyses. The microarray result was validated by real-time PCR in 32 HBV-positive and 24 HBV-negative patient HCC samples. The potential candidate target genes of the miRNAs were predicted by miRWalk software. Genes simultaneously predicted as targets by two or more miRNAs were subjected to GO and KEGG pathway analysis. The miRNA regulatory network analysis was performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software. RESULTS: Eight miRNAs (miR-223, miR-98, miR-15b, miR-199a-5p, miR-19b, miR-22, miR-451, and miR-101) were involved in HBV-unrelated HCC, 5 miRNAs (miR-98, miR-375, miR-335, miR-199a-5p, and miR-22) were involved in HBV infection, and 7 miRNAs (miR-150, miR-342-3p, miR-663, miR-20b, miR-92a-3p, miR-376c-3p and miR-92b) were specifically altered in HBV-related HCC. Gene Ontology and KEGG analyses predict that these HBV-related HCC miRNAs are involved in the regulation of: transcription, RNA polymerase II promoter, phosphorylation of proteins through MAPK signaling pathway, focal adhesion, and actin cytoskeleton. IPA analysis also suggest that these miRNAs act on AGO2, TP53, CCND1, and 11 other genes that significantly influence HCC occurrence and HBV infection. CONCLUSION: Our data indicates that the unique 7 miRNAs expression signature could be involved in the development HBV- related HCC.

Stereoselective α-Hydroxylation of Amides Using Oppolzer's Sultam as Chiral Auxiliary.

An Oppolzer's sultam-based highly stereoselective α-hydroxylation of amides was developed to deliver the desired products in good yield and excellent diastereoselectivity (>20/1). The generally crystalline products and the recyclability of the chiral auxiliary illustrate the practicability and scalability of the current approach.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells mediate synergistic effects of HIV and lipopolysaccharide on CD27+ IgD- memory B cell apoptosis.

UNLABELLED: The effects of heightened microbial translocation on B cells during HIV infection are unknown. We examined the in vitro effects of HIV and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on apoptosis of CD27+ IgD- memory B (mB) cells from healthy controls. In vivo analysis was conducted on a cohort of 82 HIV+ donors and 60 healthy controls. In vitro exposure of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to LPS and HIV led to mB cell death via the Fas/Fas ligand (FasL) pathway. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) produced FasL in response to HIV via binding to CD4 and chemokine coreceptors. HIV and LPS increased Fas expression on mB cells in PBMCs, which was dependent on the presence of pDCs and monocytes. Furthermore, mB cells purified from PBMCs and pretreated with both HIV and LPS were more sensitive to apoptosis when cocultured with HIV-treated pDCs. Blocking the interferon receptor (IFNR) prevented HIV-stimulated FasL production in pDCs, HIV-plus-LPS-induced Fas expression, and apoptosis of mB cells. In vivo or ex vivo, HIV+ donors have higher levels of plasma LPS, Fas expression on mB cells, and mB cell apoptosis than controls. Correspondingly, in HIV+ donors, but not in controls, a positive correlation was found between plasma FasL and HIV RNA levels and between Fas expression on mB cells and plasma LPS levels. This work reveals a novel mechanism of mB cell apoptosis mediated by LPS and HIV through the Fas/FasL pathway, with key involvement of pDCs and type I IFN, suggesting a role for microbial translocation in HIV pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE: This study demonstrates that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and type I interferon (IFN) play an important role in memory B cell apoptosis in HIV infection. It reveals a previously unrecognized role of microbial translocation in HIV pathogenesis.

Echocardiography detection of fetal ventricular aneurysm: A report of three cases.

From March 2007 to September 2009, we have screened with echocardiography a total of 6,502 pregnant women for fetal heart disease. We found three cases of fetal ventricular aneurysm. The relatively large size of the aneurysm in these three cases was clearly visible under standard four-chamber view. Two were right ventricular aneurysms arisen from the ventricular free wall, and both showed characteristics of true aneurysm with a thin wall and a large communication with the ventricular chamber. Color Doppler showed passive movement of aneurysm during right ventricle contraction. The third case was a large left ventricular aneurysm outpouching from a small opening of the left ventricular wall close to the apical region. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 43:257-261, 2015.

Carbonyl cross-metathesis via deoxygenative gem-di-metal catalysis.

Carbonyls and alkenes are versatile functional groups, whose reactivities are cornerstones of organic synthesis. The selective combination of two carbonyls to form an alkene-a carbonyl cross-metathesis-would be a valuable tool for their exchange. Yet, this important synthetic challenge remains unsolved. Although alkene/alkene and alkene/carbonyl cross-metathesis reactions are known, there is a lack of analogous methods for deoxygenative cross-coupling of two carbonyl compounds. Here we report a pair of strategies for the cross-metathesis of unbiased carbonyls, allowing an aldehyde to be chemo- and stereoselectively combined with another aldehyde or ketone. These mild, catalytic methods are promoted by earth-abundant metal salts and enable rapid access to an unprecedentedly broad range of either Z- or E-alkenes by two distinct mechanisms-entailing transiently generated (1) carbenes and ylides (via Fe catalysis) or (2) doubly nucleophilic gem-di-metallics (via Cr catalysis).

Cyclopropanation of unactivated alkenes with non-stabilized iron carbenes.

Cyclopropanes are ubiquitous in medicines, yet robust synthetic access to a wide range of sterically and electronically diverse analogs remains a challenge. To address the synthetic limitations of the most direct strategy, (2+1) cycloaddition, we sought to develop a variant that employs non-stabilized carbenes. We present herein an FeCl2-catalyzed cyclopropanation that uniquely employs aliphatic (enolizable) aldehydes as carbene precursors. A remarkably broad range of alkenes may be coupled with these non-stabilized, alkyl carbenes. This extensive scope enables the synthesis of novel classes of cyclopropanes bearing alkyl, benzyl, allyl, halide, and heteroatom substituents, as well as spirocyclic and fused bicycles. Over 40 examples illustrate the broad generality, efficiency, selectivity, functional group tolerance, and practical utility of this approach. Mechanistic insights, gathered from stereochemical probes and competition experiments, are included to reveal the applicability of this non-stabilized carbene route for novel cyclopropane synthesis.

Targeting the sphingolipid rheostat in IDH1 mut glioma alters cholesterol homeostasis and triggers apoptosis via membrane degradation.

The cross-regulation of metabolism and trafficking is not well understood for the vital sphingolipids and cholesterol constituents of cellular compartments. While reports are starting to surface on how sphingolipids like sphingomyelin (SM) dysregulate cholesterol levels in different cellular compartments (Jiang et al., 2022), limited research is available on the mechanisms driving the relationship between sphingolipids and cholesterol homeostasis, or its biological implications. Previously, we have identified sphingolipid metabolism as a unique vulnerability for IDH1 mut gliomas via a rational drug design. Herein, we show how modulating sphingolipid levels affects cholesterol homeostasis in brain tumors. However, we unexpectedly discovered for the first time that C17 sphingosine and NDMS addition to cancer cells alters cholesterol homeostasis by impacting its cellular synthesis, uptake, and efflux leading to a net decrease in cholesterol levels and inducing apoptosis. Our results reflect a reverse correlation between the levels of sphingosines, NDMS, and unesterified, free cholesterol in the cells. We show that increasing sphingosine and NDMS (a sphingosine analog) levels alter not only the trafficking of cholesterol between membranes but also the efflux and synthesis of cholesterol. We also demonstrate that despite the effort to remove free cholesterol by ABCA1-mediated efflux or by suppressing machinery for the influx (LDLR) and biosynthetic pathway (HMGCR), apoptosis is inevitable for IDH1 mut glioma cells. This is the first study that shows how altering sphingosine levels directly affects cholesterol homeostasis in cancer cells and can be used to manipulate this relationship to induce apoptosis in IDH1 mut gliomas.

Disruption of MerTK increases the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitor by enhancing ferroptosis and immune response in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, particularly PD-1/PD-L1 blockades, have been approved for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, high resistance rates still limit their efficacy, highlighting the urgent need to understand the underlying mechanisms and develop strategies for overcoming the resistance. In this study, we demonstrate that HCC with high MER proto-oncogene tyrosine kinase (MerTK) expression exhibits anti-PD-1/PD-L1 resistance in two syngeneic mouse models and in patients who received anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Mechanistically, MerTK renders HCC resistant to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 by limiting ferroptosis with the upregulation of SLC7A11 via the ERK/SP1 pathway and facilitating the development of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) with the recruitment of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Sitravatinib, an inhibitor of MerTK, sensitizes resistant HCC to anti-PD-L1 therapy by promoting tumor ferroptosis and decreasing MDSC infiltration into the TME. In conclusion, we find that MerTK could serve as a predictive biomarker for patient stratification and as a promising target to overcome anti-PD-1/PD-L1 resistance in HCC.

Early Diagnosis and Prognosis Prediction of Pancreatic Cancer Using Engineered Hybrid Core-Shells in Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

Effective detection of bio-molecules relies on the precise design and preparation of materials, particularly in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS). Despite significant advancements in substrate materials, the performance of single-structured substrates remains suboptimal for LDI-MS analysis of complex systems. Herein, designer Au@SiO2@ZrO2 core-shell substrates are developed for LDI-MS-based early diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC). Through controlling Au core size and ZrO2 shell crystallization, signal amplification of metabolites up to 3 orders is not only achieved, but also the synergistic mechanism of the LDI process is revealed. The optimized Au@SiO2@ZrO2 enables a direct record of serum metabolic fingerprints (SMFs) by LDI-MS. Subsequently, SMFs are employed to distinguish early PC (stage I/II) from controls, with an accuracy of 92%. Moreover, a prognostic prediction scoring system is established with enhanced efficacy in predicting PC survival compared to CA19-9 (p < 0.05). This work contributes to material-based cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

[Essential oil from Artemisia lavandulaefolia induces apoptosis and necrosis of HeLa cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Artemisia lavandulaefolia essential oil on apoptosis and necrosis of HeLa cells. METHODS: Cell viability was assayed using MTT method. The morphological and structure alterations in HeLa cells were observed by microscopy. Furthermore, cell apoptosis was measured by DNA Ladder and flow cytometry. DNA damage was measured by comet assay, and the protein expression was examined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: MTT assay displayed essential oil from Artemisia lavandulaefolia could inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. After treated with essential oil of Artemisia lavadulaefolia for 24 h, HeLa cells in 100 and 200 microg/mL experiment groups exhibited the typical morphology changes of undergoing apoptosis, such as cell shrinkage and nucleus chromatin condensed. However, the cells in the 400 microg/mL group showed the necrotic morphology changes including cytomembrane rupture and cytoplasm spillover. In addition, DNA Ladder could be demonstrated by DNA electrophoresis in each experiment group. Apoptosis peak was also evident in flow cytometry in each experiment group. After treating the HeLa cells with essential oil of Artemisia lavadulaefolia for 6 h, comet tail was detected by comet assay. Moreover, western blotting analysis showed that caspase-3 was activated and the cleavage of PARP was inactivated. CONCLUSION: Essential oil from Artemisia lavadulaefolia can inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells in vitro. Low concentration of essential oil from Artemisia lavadulaefolia can induce apoptosis, whereas high concentration of the compounds result in necrosis of HeLa cells. And,the mechanism may be related to the caspase-3-mediated-PARP apoptotic signal pathway.

System Analysis Based on Lipid-Metabolism-Related Genes Identifies AGT as a Novel Therapy Target for Gastric Cancer with Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and chemotherapy is still a standard strategy for treating patients with advanced GC. Lipid metabolism has been reported to play an important role in the carcinogenesis and development of GC. However, the potential values of lipid-metabolism-related genes (LMRGs) concerning prognostic value and the prediction of chemotherapy responsiveness in GC remains unclear. A total of 714 stomach adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Using univariate Cox and LASSO regression analyses, we developed a risk signature based on LMRGs that can distinguish high-GC-risk patients from low-risk patients with significant differences in overall survival. We further validated this signature prognostic value using the GEO database. The R package "pRRophetic" was applied to calculate the sensitivity of each sample from high- and low-risk groups to chemotherapy drugs. The expression of two LMRGs, AGT and ENPP7, can predict the prognosis and response to chemotherapy in GC. Furthermore, AGT significantly promoted GC growth and migration, and the downregulation of AGT enhanced the chemotherapy response of GC both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, AGT induced significant levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the PI3K/AKT pathway. The PI3K/AKT pathway agonist 740 Y-P can restore the EMT of GC cells impaired by AGT knockdown and treatment with 5-fluorouracil. Our findings suggest that AGT plays a key role in the development of GC, and targeting AGT may help to improve the chemotherapy response of GC patients.