A non-canonical role for a small nucleolar RNA in ribosome biogenesis and senescence.

Cellular senescence is an irreversible state of cell-cycle arrest induced by various stresses, including aberrant oncogene activation, telomere shortening, and DNA damage. Through a genome-wide screen, we discovered a conserved small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), SNORA13, that is required for multiple forms of senescence in human cells and mice. Although SNORA13 guides the pseudouridylation of a conserved nucleotide in the ribosomal decoding center, loss of this snoRNA minimally impacts translation. Instead, we found that SNORA13 negatively regulates ribosome biogenesis. Senescence-inducing stress perturbs ribosome biogenesis, resulting in the accumulation of free ribosomal proteins (RPs) that trigger p53 activation. SNORA13 interacts directly with RPL23, decreasing its incorporation into maturing 60S subunits and, consequently, increasing the pool of free RPs, thereby promoting p53-mediated senescence. Thus, SNORA13 regulates ribosome biogenesis and the p53 pathway through a non-canonical mechanism distinct from its role in guiding RNA modification. These findings expand our understanding of snoRNA functions and their roles in cellular signaling.

Involvement of ribosomal protein L17 and Y-box binding protein 1 in the assembly of hepatitis C virus potentially via their interaction with the 3' untranslated region of the viral genome.

The 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA genome, which contains a highly conserved 3' region named the 3'X-tail, plays an essential role in RNA replication and promotes viral IRES-dependent translation. Although our previous work has found a cis-acting element for genome encapsidation within 3'X, there is limited information on the involvement of the 3'UTR in particle formation. In this study, proteomic analyses identified host cell proteins that bind to the 3'UTR containing the 3'X region but not to the sequence lacking the 3'X. Further characterization showed that RNA-binding proteins, ribosomal protein L17 (RPL17), and Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1) facilitate the efficient production of infectious HCV particles in the virus infection cells. Using small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing in four assays that distinguish between the various stages of the HCV life cycle, RPL17 and YBX1 were found to be most important for particle assembly in the trans-packaging assay with replication-defective subgenomic RNA. In vitro assays showed that RPL17 and YBX1 bind to the 3'UTR RNA and deletion of the 3'X region attenuates their interaction. Knockdown of RPL17 or YBX1 resulted in reducing the amount of HCV RNA co-precipitating with the viral Core protein by RNA immunoprecipitation and increasing the relative distance in space between Core and double-stranded RNA by confocal imaging, suggesting that RPL17 and YBX1 potentially affect HCV RNA-Core interaction, leading to efficient nucleocapsid assembly. These host factors provide new clues to understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate HCV particle formation. IMPORTANCE: Although basic research on the HCV life cycle has progressed significantly over the past two decades, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the process of particle formation, in particular encapsidation of the genome or nucleocapsid assembly, has been limited. We present here, for the first time, that two RNA-binding proteins, RPL17 and YBX1, bind to the 3'X in the 3'UTR of the HCV genome, which potentially acts as a packaging signal, and facilitates the viral particle assembly. Our study revealed that RPL17 and YBX1 exert a positive effect on the interaction between HCV RNA and Core protein, suggesting that the presence of both host factors modulate an RNA structure or conformation suitable for packaging the viral genome. These findings help us to elucidate not only the regulatory mechanism of the particle assembly of HCV but also the function of host RNA-binding proteins during viral infection.

Ribosomal protein L24 mediates mammalian microRNA processing in an evolutionarily conserved manner.

To investigate the mechanism(s) underlying the expression of primate-specific microRNAs (miRs), we sought DNA regulatory elements and proteins mediating expression of the primate-specific hsa-miR-608 (miR-608), which is located in the SEMA4G gene and facilitates the cholinergic blockade of inflammation by targeting acetylcholinesterase mRNA. 'Humanized' mice carrying pre-miR-608 flanked by 250 bases of endogenous sequences inserted into the murine Sema4g gene successfully expressed miR-608. Moreover, by flanking miR-608 by shortened fragments of its human genome region we identified an active independent promoter within the 150 nucleotides 5' to pre-miR-608, which elevated mature miR-608 levels by 100-fold in transfected mouse- and human-originated cells. This highlighted a regulatory role of the 5' flank as enabling miR-608 expression. Moreover, pull-down of the 150-base 5' sequence revealed its interaction with ribosomal protein L24 (RPL24), implicating an additional mechanism controlling miR-608 levels. Furthermore, RPL24 knockdown altered the expression of multiple miRs, and RPL24 immunoprecipitation indicated that up- or down-regulation of the mature miRs depended on whether their precursors bind RPL24 directly. Finally, further tests showed that RPL24 interacts directly with DDX5, a component of the large microprocessor complex, to inhibit miR processing. Our findings reveal that RPL24, which has previously been shown to play a role in miR processing in Arabidopsis thaliana, has a similar evolutionarily conserved function in miR biogenesis in mammals. We thus characterize a novel extra-ribosomal role of RPL24 in primate miR regulation.

RPL35A drives ovarian cancer progression by promoting the binding of YY1 to CTCF promoter.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common gynaecological malignancies with poor prognosis and lack of effective treatment. The improvement of the situation of ovarian cancer urgently requires the exploration of its molecular mechanism to develop more effective molecular targeted drugs. In this study, the role of human ribosomal protein l35a (RPL35A) in ovarian cancer was explored in vitro and in vivo. Our data identified that RPL35A expression was abnormally elevated in ovarian cancer. Clinically, high expression of RPL35A predicted short survival and poor TNM staging in patients with ovarian cancer. Functionally, RPL35A knock down inhibited ovarian cancer cell proliferation and migration, enhanced apoptosis, while overexpression had the opposite effect. Mechanically, RPL35A promoted the direct binding of transcription factor YY1 to CTCF in ovarian cancer cells. Consistently, RPL35A regulated ovarian cancer progression depending on CTCF in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, RPL35A affected the proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells through PPAR signalling pathway. In conclusion, RPL35A drove ovarian cancer progression by promoting the binding of YY1 and CTCF promoter, and inhibiting this process may be an effective strategy for targeted therapy of this disease.

Ribosomal protein RPL11 haploinsufficiency causes anemia in mice via activation of the RP-MDM2-p53 pathway.

Recent discovery of the ribosomal protein (RP) RPL11 interacting with and inhibiting the E3 ubiquitin ligase function of MDM2 established the RP-MDM2-p53 signaling pathway, which is linked to biological events, including ribosomal biogenesis, nutrient availability, and metabolic homeostasis. Mutations in RPs lead to a diverse array of phenotypes known as ribosomopathies in which the role of p53 is implicated. Here, we generated conditional RPL11-deletion mice to investigate in vivo effects of impaired RP expression and its functional connection with p53. While deletion of one Rpl11 allele in germ cells results in embryonic lethality, deletion of one Rpl11 allele in adult mice does not affect viability but leads to acute anemia. Mechanistically, we found RPL11 haploinsufficiency activates p53 in hematopoietic tissues and impedes erythroid precursor differentiation, resulting in insufficient red blood cell development. We demonstrated that reducing p53 dosage by deleting one p53 allele rescues RPL11 haploinsufficiency-induced inhibition of erythropoietic precursor differentiation and restores normal red blood cell levels in mice. Furthermore, blocking the RP-MDM2-p53 pathway by introducing an RP-binding mutation in MDM2 prevents RPL11 haploinsufficiency-caused p53 activation and rescues the anemia in mice. Together, these findings demonstrate that the RP-MDM2-p53 pathway is a critical checkpoint for RP homeostasis and that p53-dependent cell cycle arrest of erythroid precursors is the molecular basis for the anemia phenotype commonly associated with RP deficiency.

U2AF2-SNORA68 promotes triple-negative breast cancer stemness through the translocation of RPL23 from nucleoplasm to nucleolus and c-Myc expression.

BACKGROUND: Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) play key roles in ribosome biosynthesis. However, the mechanism by which snoRNAs regulate cancer stemness remains to be fully elucidated. METHODS: SNORA68 expression was evaluated in breast cancer tissues by in situ hybridization and qRT‒PCR. Proliferation, migration, apoptosis and stemness analyses were used to determine the role of SNORA68 in carcinogenesis and stemness maintenance. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), cell fractionation and coimmunoprecipitation assays were conducted. RESULTS: SNORA68 exhibited high expression in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and was significantly correlated with tumor size (P = 0.048), ki-67 level (P = 0.037), and TNM stage (P = 0.015). The plasma SNORA68 concentration was significantly lower in patients who achieved clinical benefit. The SNORA68-high patients had significantly shorter disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.036). Functionally, SNORA68 was found to promote the cell stemness and carcinogenesis of TNBC in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, elevated SNORA68 expression led to increased nucleolar RPL23 expression and retained RPL23 in the nucleolus by binding U2AF2. RPL23 in the nucleolus subsequently upregulated c-Myc expression. This pathway was validated using a xenograft model. CONCLUSION: U2AF2-SNORA68 promotes TNBC stemness by retaining RPL23 in the nucleolus and increasing c-Myc expression, which provides new insight into the regulatory mechanism of stemness.

Effects of rpl1001 Gene Deletion on Cell Division of Fission Yeast and Its Molecular Mechanism.

The rpl1001 gene encodes 60S ribosomal protein L10, which is involved in intracellular protein synthesis and cell growth. However, it is not yet known whether it is involved in the regulation of cell mitosis dynamics. This study focuses on the growth, spore production, cell morphology, the dynamics of microtubules, chromosomes, actin, myosin, and mitochondria of fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) to investigate the impact of rpl1001 deletion on cell mitosis. RNA-Seq and bioinformatics analyses were also used to reveal key genes, such as hsp16, mfm1 and isp3, and proteasome pathways. The results showed that rpl1001 deletion resulted in slow cell growth, abnormal spore production, altered cell morphology, and abnormal microtubule number and length during interphase. The cell dynamics of the rpl1001Δ strain showed that the formation of a monopolar spindle leads to abnormal chromosome segregation with increased rate of spindle elongation in anaphase of mitosis, decreased total time of division, prolonged formation time of actin and myosin loops, and increased expression of mitochondrial proteins. Analysis of the RNA-Seq sequencing results showed that the proteasome pathway, up-regulation of isp3, and down-regulation of mfm1 and mfm2 in the rpl1001Δ strain were the main factors underpinning the increased number of spore production. Also, in the rpl1001Δ strain, down-regulation of dis1 caused the abnormal microtubule and chromosome dynamics, and down-regulation of hsp16 and pgk1 were the key genes affecting the delay of actin ring and myosin ring formation. This study reveals the effect and molecular mechanism of rpl1001 gene deletion on cell division, which provides the scientific basis for further clarifying the function of the Rpl1001 protein in cell division.

Interaction between Gtr2p and ribosomal Rps31p affects the incorporation of Rps31p into ribosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In yeast, ras-like small G proteins, Gtr1p and Gtr2p, form heterodimers that affect cell division, detect amino acids, and regulate the activity of TORC1, a protein complex that integrates various signals, including those related to nutrient availability, growth factors, and stress signals. To explore novel roles of Gtr2p, yeast two-hybrid screening was performed using gtr2S23Np, an active form of Gtr2p, which identified Rps31p and Rpl12p as Gtr2p-interacting proteins. In the present study, we found that Gtr2p, but not Gtr1p, interacts with Rps31p, a 40S ribosomal subunit, and a component of the ubiquitin fusion protein Ubi3p, which is essential for the initiation and elongation of translation. In yeast cells expressing gtr2Q66Lp, an inactive form of Gtr2p, the interaction between Rps31p and gtr2Q66Lp, as well as the level of exogenous expression of Rps31p, was reduced. However, the level of exogenous expression of Rpl12p was unaffected. Introducing a mutation in ubiquitin target lysine residues to arginine (rps31-K5R) restored the level of exogenously expressed Rps31p and rescued the rapamycin and caffeine sensitivity of gtr2Q66L cells. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of yeast cell lysate expressing Rps31p and gtr2Q66Lp revealed that exogenously expressed Rps31p was poorly incorporated, whereas rps31-K5Rp was efficiently incorporated, into ribosomes. These results suggest that Gtr2p influences incorporation of Rps31p into ribosomes and contributes to drug resistance through its interaction with Rps31p.

ZBTB7A interferes with the RPL5-P53 feedback loop and reduces endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a primary mechanism leading to cell apoptosis, making it of great research interests in cancer management. This study delves into the function of ribosomal protein L5 (RPL5) in ER stress within pancreatic cancer (PCa) cells and investigates its regulatory mechanisms. Bioinformatics predictions pinpointed RPL5 as an ER stress-related gene exhibiting diminished expression in PCa. Indeed, RPL5 was found to be poorly expressed in PCa tissues and cells, with this reduced expression correlating with an unfavorable prognosis. Moreover, RPL5 overexpression led to heightened levels of p-PERK, p-eIF2α, and CHOP, bolstering the proapoptotic effect of Tunicamycin, an ER stress activator, on PCa cells. Additionally, the RPL5 overexpression curbed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Tunicamycin enhanced the binding between RPL5 and murine double minute 2 (MDM2), thus suppressing MDM2-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of P53. Consequently, P53 augmentation intensified ER stress, which further enhanced the binding between RPL5 and MDM2 through PERK-dependent eIF2α phosphorylation, thereby establishing a positive feedback loop. Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A (ZBTB7A), conspicuously overexpressed in PCa samples, repressed RPL5 transcription, thereby reducing P53 expression. Silencing of ZBTB7A heightened ER stress and subdued the malignant attributes of PCa cells, effects counteracted upon RPL5 silencing. Analogous outcomes were recapitulated in vivo employing a xenograft tumor mouse model, where ZBTB7A silencing dampened the tumorigenic potential of PCa cells, an effect reversed by additional RPL5 silencing. In conclusion, this study suggests that ZBTB7A represses RPL5 transcription, thus impeding the RPL5-P53 feedback loop and mitigating ER-induced apoptosis in PCa cells.

Probable digenic inheritance of Diamond-Blackfan anemia.

A 26-year-old female proband with a clinical diagnosis and consistent phenotype of Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA, OMIM 105650) without an identified genotype was referred to the Undiagnosed Diseases Network. DBA is classically associated with monoallelic variants that have an autosomal-dominant or -recessive mode of inheritance. Intriguingly, her case was solved by a detection of a digenic interaction between non-allelic RPS19 and RPL27 variants. This was confirmed with a machine learning structural model, co-segregation analysis, and RNA sequencing. This is the first report of DBA caused by a digenic effect of two non-allelic variants demonstrated by machine learning structural model. This case suggests that atypical phenotypic presentations of DBA may be caused by digenic inheritance in some individuals. We also conclude that a machine learning structural model can be useful in detecting digenic models of possible interactions between products encoded by alleles of different genes inherited from non-affected carrier parents that can result in DBA with an unrealized 25% recurrence risk.

Endometrial protein expression and phosphorylation landscape decipher aberrant insulin and mTOR signalling in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What are the proteomic and phosphoproteomic differences between the endometrium of women with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and the endometrium of healthy control women during the proliferative and secretory phases of the menstrual cycle? DESIGN: In total, 54 endometrial samples were collected during the proliferative and secretory phases from women with RPL (n = 28) and healthy controls (n = 26). Comprehensive proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses were conducted using label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (n = 44), and verified through Western blotting (n = 10). Three comparison groups were established: total RPL endometrium versus total control endometrium; RPL proliferative endometrium versus control proliferative endometrium; and RPL secretory endometrium versus control secretory endometrium. RESULTS: Differentially expressed proteins and differentially phosphorylated proteins were identified in the three comparison groups. Combining pathway enrichment, network analysis and soft clustering analysis, the insulin/cyclic nucleotide signalling pathway and AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway were identified as the major contributors to the aberration of RPL endometrium. Western blotting verified altered expression of four proteins: cAMP-dependent protein kinase type I-ß regulatory subunit, adenylate cyclase type 3, 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase catalytic subunit α-2 and phosphatidate phosphatase LPIN2. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study provides insights into the differentiated protein expression and phosphorylation profiles of the endometrium of women with RPL in both the proliferative and sectretory phases of the menstrual cycle. The results highlight potential proteins associated with the pathogenesis of RPL that may serve as potential indicators for RPL. The findings contribute to the identification of potential targets for RPL treatment as well as its pathogenesis.

LncRNA RPL29P2 promotes peritoneal fibrosis and impairs peritoneal transport function via miR-1184 in peritoneal dialysis.

Peritoneal dialysis (PD), hemodialysis and kidney transplantation are the three therapies to treat uremia. However, PD is discontinued for peritoneal membrane fibrosis (PMF) and loss of peritoneal transport function (PTF) due to damage from high concentrations of glucose in PD fluids (PDFs). The mechanism behind PMF is unclear, and there are no available biomarkers for the evaluation of PMF and PTF. Using microarray screening, we found that a new long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), RPL29P2, was upregulated in the PM (peritoneal membrane) of long-term PD patients, and its expression level was correlated with PMF severity and the PTF loss. In vitro and rat model assays suggested that lncRNA RPL29P2 targets miR-1184 and induces the expression of collagen type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1). Silencing RPL29P2 in the PD rat model might suppress the HG-induced phenotypic transition of Human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs), alleviate HG-induced fibrosis and prevent the loss of PTF. Overall, our findings revealed that lncRNA RPL29P2, which targets miR-1184 and collagen, may represent a useful marker and therapeutic target of PMF in PD patients.

Impact of sperm DNA fragmentation in couples with unexplained recurrent pregnancy loss: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) has a multifactorial etiology, with a majority of cases remaining unexplained. To account for these unexplained cases, possible male factors are being explored. Conventional semen analysis lacks a qualitative assessment of sperms and information regarding sperm DNA integrity. Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has diagnostic value in unexplained RPL, and it may account for a number of unexplained cases. Hence, we planned a study to explore and evaluate the impact of sperm DNA fragmentation in couples with unexplained recurrent pregnancy losses. STUDY DESIGN: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary-level referral facility in India between August 2021 and July 2023. Participants (n = 70) were divided into two groups-male partners of couples with unexplained RPL (following spontaneous conceptions) (n = 35) and men with at least one previous live birth (spontaneous or following fertility treatments for female factor infertility such as ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination) as controls (n = 35). Neither of the two groups of couples recruited for this study had undergone ART as fertility treatment. Primary outcome assessed was mean DNA fragmentation index (DFI). Secondary outcomes included differences in semen parameters such as sperm concentration, progressive sperm motility and morphology, proportion of men with high (≥30%) and low DFI in the two groups, and the association between various semen parameters and DFI. RESULTS: Univariate logistic regression revealed that sperm DNA fragmentation was higher in men with unexplained RPL (30.0; IQR (interquartile range) 19.0, 46.0) as compared to controls (22.0; IQR 14.0, 30.0) although it was not statistically significant (OR, odds ratio, 1.02; 95% CI 1.0-1.1, p = 0.08). A higher proportion of men with unexplained RPL had DFI ≥30% compared to controls (54.2% vs. 25.7%; OR 3.43 (95% CI 1.2-9.4); p = 0.02). No statistically significant differences were observed in semen volume, sperm concentration, progressive motility, and morphology between the two groups. Sperm DNA fragmentation index also showed a weak but significant inverse relationship with sperm morphology (r = -0.336, p = 0.004). CONCLUSION: The current study did not show any significant difference in the mean sperm DNA fragmentation levels in male partners of couples with unexplained RPL compared to controls. However, a higher proportion of men with DFI ≥30% were observed in unexplained RPL population when compared to controls.

Australasian Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Clinical Management Guideline 2024 Part I.

Guidelines for the investigation and management of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) have been developed in Europe, USA and UK, but there is currently no Australasian guideline. The Australasian Certificate of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Consensus Expert Panel on Trial Evidence group has prepared a two-part guideline to provide guidance on the management of RPL. In Part I chromosomal, anatomical, and endocrine factors are outlined along with relevant recommendations for clinical management, levels of evidence and grades of consensus. In Part II thrombophilia, autoimmune factors, infective, inflammatory, and endometrial causes, environmental and lifestyle factors, male factor and unexplained causes will be outlined.

Australasian recurrent pregnancy loss clinical management guideline 2024, part II.

Part II of the Australasian guideline for the investigation and management of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) provides evidence-based guidance on the management of RPL provided. The implications of inherited and acquired thrombophilia with respect to RPL and suggestions for clinical management are provided. Autoimmune factors, including human leukocyte antigen, cytokines, antinuclear antibodies and coeliac antibodies, and guidance for management are discussed. Infective, inflammatory and endometrial causes of RPL are discussed in detail. Environmental and lifestyle factors, male factor and unexplained causes are outlined. Levels of evidence and grades of consensus are provided for all evidence-based statements.

Q-RPL: Q-Learning-Based Routing Protocol for Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Smart Grids.

Efficient and reliable data routing is critical in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) within Smart Grids, dictating the overall network performance and resilience. This paper introduces Q-RPL, a novel Q-learning-based Routing Protocol designed to enhance routing decisions in AMI deployments based on wireless mesh technologies. Q-RPL leverages the principles of Reinforcement Learning (RL) to dynamically select optimal next-hop forwarding candidates, adapting to changing network conditions. The protocol operates on top of the standard IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), integrating it with intelligent decision-making capabilities. Through extensive simulations carried out in real map scenarios, Q-RPL demonstrates a significant improvement in key performance metrics such as packet delivery ratio, end-to-end delay, and compliant factor compared to the standard RPL implementation and other benchmark algorithms found in the literature. The adaptability and robustness of Q-RPL mark a significant advancement in the evolution of routing protocols for Smart Grid AMI, promising enhanced efficiency and reliability for future intelligent energy systems. The findings of this study also underscore the potential of Reinforcement Learning to improve networking protocols.

3MSF: A Multi-Modal Adaptation of the 6TiSCH Minimal Scheduling Function for the Industrial IoT.

Although wireless devices continuously gain communication capabilities, even state-of-the-art Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) architectures, such as Internet Protocol version 6 over the Time-Slotted Channel Hopping (TSCH) mode of IEEE 802.15.4 (6TiSCH), continue to use network-wide, fixed link configurations. This presents a missed opportunity to (1) forego the need for rigorous manual setup of new deployments; and (2) provide full coverage of particularly heterogeneous and/or dynamic industrial sites. As such, we devised the Multi-Modal Minimal Scheduling Function (3MSF) for the TSCH link layer, which, combined with previous work on the routing layer, results in a 6TiSCH architecture able to dynamically exploit modern multi-modal hardware on a per-link basis through variable-duration timeslots, simultaneous transmission, and routing metric normalization. This paper describes, in great detail, its design and discusses the rationale behind every choice made. Finally, we evaluate three basic scenarios through simulations, showcasing both the functionality and flexibility of our 6TiSCH implementation.

Trust-Based Optimized Reporting for Detection and Prevention of Black Hole Attacks in Low-Power and Lossy Green IoT Networks.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is empowering various sectors and aspects of daily life. Green IoT systems typically involve Low-Power and Lossy Networks (LLNs) with resource-constrained nodes. Lightweight routing protocols, such as the Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (RPL), are increasingly being applied for efficient communication in LLNs. However, RPL is susceptible to various attacks, such as the black hole attack, which compromises network security. The existing black hole attack detection methods in Green IoT rely on static thresholds and unreliable metrics to compute trust scores. This results in increasing false positive rates, especially in resource-constrained IoT environments. To overcome these limitations, we propose a delta-threshold-based trust model called the Optimized Reporting Module (ORM) to mitigate black hole attacks in Green IoT systems. The proposed scheme comprises both direct trust and indirect trust and utilizes a forgetting curve. Direct trust is derived from performance metrics, including honesty, dishonesty, energy, and unselfishness. Indirect trust requires the use of similarity. The forgetting curve provides a mechanism to consider the most significant and recent feedback from direct and indirect trust. To assess the efficacy of the proposed scheme, we compare it with the well-known trust-based attack detection scheme. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme has a higher detection rate and low false positive alarms compared to the existing scheme, confirming the applicability of the proposed scheme in green IoT systems.

ACTOR: Adaptive Control of Transmission Power in RPL.

RPL-Routing Protocol for Low-Power and Lossy Networks (usually pronounced "ripple")-is the de facto standard for IoT networks. However, it neglects to exploit IoT devices' full capacity to optimize their transmission power, mainly because it is quite challenging to do so in parallel with the routing strategy, given the dynamic nature of wireless links and the typically constrained resources of IoT devices. Adapting the transmission power requires dynamically assessing many parameters, such as the probability of packet collisions, energy consumption, the number of hops, and interference. This paper introduces Adaptive Control of Transmission Power for RPL (ACTOR) for the dynamic optimization of transmission power. ACTOR aims to improve throughput in dense networks by passively exploring different transmission power levels. The classic solutions of bandit theory, including the Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) and Discounted UCB, accelerate the convergence of the exploration and guarantee its optimality. ACTOR is also enhanced via mechanisms to blacklist undesirable transmission power levels and stabilize the topology of parent-child negotiations. The results of the experiments conducted on our 40-node, 12-node testbed demonstrate that ACTOR achieves a higher packet delivery ratio by almost 20%, reduces the transmission power of nodes by up to 10 dBm, and maintains a stable topology with significantly fewer parent switches compared to the standard RPL and the selected benchmarks. These findings are consistent with simulations conducted across 7 different scenarios, where improvements in end-to-end delay, packet delivery, and energy consumption were observed by up to 50%.

Deciphering molecular basis of pesticide-induced recurrent pregnancy loss: insights from transcriptomics analysis.

Recent studies have revealed a notable connection between pesticide exposure and Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL), yet the precise molecular underpinning of this toxicity remains elusive. Through the alignment of Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) of healthy and RPL patients with the target genes of 9 pesticide components, we identified a set of 12 genes responsible for RPL etiology. Interestingly, biological process showed that besides RPL, those 12 genes also associated with preeclampsia and cardiovascular disease. Enrichment analysis showed the engagement of these genes associated with essential roles in the molecular transport of small molecules, as well as the aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption, endocrine and other factor-regulated calcium reabsorption, mineral absorption, ion homeostasis, and ion transport by P-type ATPases. Notably, the crosstalk targets between pesticide components played crucial roles in influencing RPL results, suggesting a role in attenuating pesticide agents that contribute to RPL. It is important to note that non-significant concentration of the pesticide components observed in both control and RPL samples should not prematurely undermine the potential for pesticides to induce RPL in humans. This study emphasizes the complexity of pesticide induced RPL and highlights avenues for further research and precautionary measures.