Search Results (4,918)

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) is an inhibitory neurotransmitter widely distributed in mammalian tissues, exerting its effects through binding to various receptors. It plays a crucial role in the proliferation of granulosa cells (GCs) and the development of follicles in female animals, however, its effect on porcine follicle development is not clear. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of 5-HT and its receptors in various parts of the pig ovary, as well as the effect of 5-HT on porcine follicular development by using ELISA, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and EdU assays. Firstly, we examined the levels of 5-HT and its receptors in porcine ovaries, follicles, and GCs. The findings revealed that the expression of different 5-HT receptors varied among follicles of different sizes. To investigate the relationship between 5-HT and its receptors, we exposed the GCs to 5-HT and found a decrease in 5-HT receptor expression compared to the control group. Subsequently, the treatment of GCs with 0.5 μM, 5 μM, and 50 μM 5-HT showed an increase in the expression of cell cycle-related genes, and EdU results indicated cell proliferation after the 0.5 μM 5-HT treatment. Additionally, the expression of genes involved in E2 synthesis was examined after the treatment of granulosa cells with 0.5 μM 5-HT. The results showed that CYP19A1 and HSP17β1 expression was decreased. These results suggest that 5-HT might affect the development of porcine follicle by promoting the proliferation of GCs and inhibiting the synthesis of estrogen. This provides a new finding for exploring the effect of 5-HT on follicular development, and lays a foundation for further research on the mechanism of 5-HT in follicles. Full article

High temperatures seriously threaten the global yield of maize. The objectives of the present study were to explore the key candidate gene involved in heat shock responses in maize and its potential biological function to heat stress. Here, we identified a Class C heat shock factor, ZmHSF21, from maize leaves and used molecular biological and plant physiological assays to investigate its roles in transgenic Arabidopsis. ZmHSF21 encodes a putative protein of 388 amino acids. We showed that ZmHSF21 was expressed in most tissues of maize with relatively high expression in leaves and silks but rather low in roots and stalks, and its expression level in leaves was significantly up-regulated by heat treatment. We also showed that overexpression of ZmHSF21 in Arabidopsis significantly improved the seed germination frequency and plant survival rate when exposed to heat stress. We demonstrated that, compared with wild-type plants, the activities of peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase increased while the reactive oxygen species accumulation decreased in ZmHSF21 overexpressors under heat stress conditions. We further demonstrated that ZmHSF21 promoted the transcriptional level of AtAPX2, AtGolS1, and several AtHSPs. Collectively, the first-class C HSF in maize (ZmHSF21) is cloned in this study, and the combined results suggest that ZmHSF21 is a positive regulator of heat shock response and can be applied to develop maize high-temperature-tolerant varieties for more yield. Full article

Lung cancer and cachexia are the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Cachexia is manifested by weight loss and white adipose tissue (WAT) atrophy. Limited nutritional supplements are conducive to lung cancer patients, whereas the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we used a murine cancer cachexia model to investigate the effects of a nutritional formula (NuF) rich in fish oil and selenium yeast as an adjuvant to enhance the drug efficacy of an EGFR inhibitor (Tarceva). In contrast to the healthy control, tumor-bearing mice exhibited severe cachexia symptoms, including tissue wasting, hypoalbuminemia, and a lower food efficiency ratio. Experimentally, Tarceva reduced pEGFR and HIF-1α expression. NuF decreased the expression of pEGFR and HIF-2α, suggesting that Tarceva and NuF act differently in prohibiting tumor growth and subsequent metastasis. NuF blocked LLC tumor-induced PTHrP and expression of thermogenic factor UCP1 and lipolytic enzymes (ATGL and HSL) in WAT. NuF attenuated tumor progression, inhibited PTHrP-induced adipose tissue browning, and maintained adipose tissue integrity by modulating heat shock protein (HSP) 72. Added together, Tarceva in synergy with NuF favorably improves cancer cachexia as well as drug efficacy. Full article

Dextro-transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA) is a critical congenital heart defect that can impact neurodevelopment due to cerebral perfusion and oxygenation disorders followed by alterations in synaptogenesis, gyrification, sulcation, and the microstructure. Brain injuries can occur both pre-operatively and postoperatively, especially white matter injuries, neuronal loss, and stroke. Materials and Methods: In a retrospective study conducted at a tertiary center between 2016 and 2023, we investigated the early effects of Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) administration and balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) on cerebral blood flow and oxygenation in inborn neonates with D-TGA. Cerebral Doppler Ultrasound in the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) was performed to assess the resistive index (RI), Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV), and End-Diastolic Velocity (EVD) before PGE1, before the BAS procedure, and 24 h after birth. Cerebral regional saturations of oxygen (crSO₂) and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction (cFTOE) were evaluated. D-TGA patients were divided into the PGE1 group and the PGE1 + BAS group. Age-matched healthy controls were used for comparison. Results: All 83 D-TGA newborns received PGE1 within two hours after delivery, of whom 46 (55.42%) underwent BAS. In addition, 77 newborns composed the control group. PGE1 administration increased crSO₂ from 47% to 50% in the PGE1 group, but lower than in controls at 24 h of life, while cFTOE remained elevated. The RI increased 24 h after delivery (0.718 vs. 0.769; p = 0.000002) due to decreased EDV (10.71 vs. 8.74; p < 0.0001) following PGE1 treatment. The BAS procedure resulted in a significant increase in crSO₂ from 42% to 51% at 24 h of life in the PGE1 + BAS group. Doppler parameters exhibited a similar trend as observed in the PGE1 group. Conclusions: PGE1 treatment and BAS are lifesaving interventions that may improve cerebral perfusion and oxygenation in newborns with D-TGA during the transition period, as reflected by increasing SpO₂ and crSO₂. Full article

A simple two-stage extraction and recovery method for macromolecules from microalgae biomass, termed CASS (concentrating the microalgae solution, acid pretreatment, high-shear-assisted lipid extraction, and separation), was developed. This method effectively processed the wet biomass of Chlorella sp. ABC-001 at a moderately low biomass concentration (50 g/L). The optimal conditions were acid pretreatment with 5 wt.% H₂SO₄ at 100 °C for 1 h, followed by high-shear extraction using hexane at 3000 rpm for 30 min. The acid pretreatment hydrolyzed carbohydrates and phospholipids, disrupting the cell wall and membrane, while high-shear mixing enhanced mass transfer rates between solvents and lipids, overcoming the hydraulic barrier at the cell surface. Within 10 min after completing the process, the extraction mixture achieved natural phase separation into water, solvent, and biomass residue layers, each enriched with carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, respectively. The CASS process demonstrated high esterifiable lipid yields (91%), along with substantial recovery of glucose (90%) and proteins (100%). The stable phase separation prevented emulsion formation, simplifying downstream processing. This study presents the results on cell disruption, optimal acid treatment concentration, and high-shear mixing to achieve macromolecule separation, expanding the lipid-centric microalgal process to a comprehensive biorefinery concept. Full article

To address the larger numbers of small objects and the issues of occlusion and clustering in UAV aerial photography, which can lead to false positives and missed detections, we propose an improved small object detection algorithm for UAV aerial scenarios called YOLOv8 with tiny prediction head and Space-to-Depth Convolution (HSP-YOLOv8). Firstly, a tiny prediction head specifically for small targets is added to provide higher-resolution feature mapping, enabling better predictions. Secondly, we designed the Space-to-Depth Convolution (SPD-Conv) module to mitigate the loss of small target feature information and enhance the robustness of feature information. Lastly, soft non-maximum suppression (Soft-NMS) is used in the post-processing stage to improve accuracy by significantly reducing false positives in the detection results. In experiments on the Visdrone2019 dataset, the improved algorithm increased the detection precision mAP0.5 and mAP0.5:0.95 values by 11% and 9.8%, respectively, compared to the baseline model YOLOv8s. Full article

DNAJB6, a major member of the DNAJ/HSP40 family, plays an important role in tumor development. We explored the effect of DNAJB6 expression on the prognosis of patients and its biological role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). mRNA and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Enriched pathways were determined by the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. A nomogram incorporating DNAJB6 and three clinical features was constructed to predict the survival rate. DNAJB6 expression and function in LUAD were explored using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, proliferation, cell cycle analysis, RNA sequencing, and xenograft tumor assays. DNAJB6 mRNA levels were elevated in the LUAD-TCGA dataset. DNAJB6 protein levels were higher in LUAD tumor tissues than in normal tissues. A high DNAJB6 level was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with LUAD. The proportion of tumor-infiltrating immune cells significantly differed between high and low DNAJB6 expression. DNAJB6 was associated with cell cycle pathways; therefore, its knockdown induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and inhibited LUAD cell proliferation. This is the first report of the DNAJB6 requirement for LUAD cell proliferation and its potentially crucial role in LUAD prognosis. Full article

The model precatalyst sp³- and sp²-N dinitrogen-coordinated zinc–heteroimidazole has been used as an efficient catalyst for the ring-opening polymerization of cyclic esters. Subsequent to our exceptional active 5,6,7-trihydroquinolin-8-amine-zinc catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of ε-caprolactone, various pyridine-fused cycloalkanones (ring size from five to eight) are developed for the correspondent fused amine–pyridine derivatives and their zinc–heteroimidazole chloride complexes Zn1–Zn8 (LZnCl₂) bearing N-diphenylphosphinoethyl pendants. Activated with two equivalents of LiN(SiMe₃)₂, the title zinc complexes efficiently promote the ROP of L-lactide (L-LA) in situ; among them, Zn4/2Li(NSiMe₃)₂ catalyzed 500 equivalent L-LA at 80 °C with 92% conversion in 5 min (TOF: 5520 h⁻¹). Under the same conditions, the catalytic efficiency for the ROP of rac-LA by Zn1–Zn8/2Li(NSiMe₃)₂ was slightly lower than that for L-LA (highest TOF: 4440 h⁻¹). In both cases, cyclooctyl-fused pyridyl–zinc complexes exhibited higher activity than others, while the cycloheptyl-fused zinc complexes showed the lowest activity. The microstructure analysis of the polymers showed they possessed a linear structure capped with CH₃O as major and cyclic structure as minor. In this work, all the ligands and zinc complexes were well characterized by ¹H/¹³C/³¹P NMR, FT-IR spectroscopy as well as elemental analysis. Full article

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) signaling is crucial for regulating the biotransformation of xenobiotics and physiological processes like inflammation and immunity. Meanwhile, Thalassophryne nattereri Peptide (TnP), a promising anti-inflammatory candidate from toadfish venom, demonstrates therapeutic effects through immunomodulation. However, its influence on AHR signaling remains unexplored. This study aimed to elucidate TnP’s molecular mechanisms on the AHR–cytochrome P450, family 1 (CYP1) pathway upon injury-induced inflammation in wild-type (WT) and Ahr2-knockdown (KD) zebrafish larvae through transcriptomic analysis and Cyp1a reporters. TnP, while unable to directly activate AHR, potentiated AHR activation by the high-affinity ligand 6-Formylindolo [3,2-b]carbazole (FICZ), implying a role as a CYP1A inhibitor, confirmed by in vitro studies. This interplay suggests TnP’s ability to modulate the AHR-CYP1 complex, prompting investigations into its influence on biotransformation pathways and injury-induced inflammation. Here, the inflammation model alone resulted in a significant response on the transcriptome, with most differentially expressed genes (DEGs) being upregulated across the groups. Ahr2-KD resulted in an overall greater number of DEGs, as did treatment with the higher dose of TnP in both WT and KD embryos. Genes related to oxidative stress and inflammatory response were the most apparent under inflamed conditions for both WT and KD groups, e.g., Tnfrsf1a, Irf1b, and Mmp9. TnP, specifically, induces the expression of Hspa5, Hsp90aa1.2, Cxcr3.3, and Mpeg1.2. Overall, this study suggests an interplay between TnP and the AHR-CYP1 pathway, stressing the inflammatory modulation through AHR-dependent mechanisms. Altogether, these results may offer new avenues in novel therapeutic strategies, such as based on natural bioactive molecules, harnessing AHR modulation for targeted and sustained drug effects in inflammatory conditions. Full article

Phosphate fertilizers are applied to the soil surface, especially in vineyards in production in subtropical regions. Nowadays, phosphorus (P) is not incorporated into the soil to avoid mechanical damage to the root system in orchards. However, over the years, successive surface P applications can increase the P content only in the topsoil, maintaining low P levels in the subsurface, which can reduce its use by grapevines. For this reason, there is a need to propose strategies to increase the P content in the soil profile of established orchards. The study aimed to evaluate the effect of management strategies to (i) increase the P content in the soil profile; (ii) enhance the grape production; and (iii) maintain the grape must composition. An experiment on the ‘Pinot Noir’ grape in full production was carried out over three crop seasons. The treatments were without P application (C), P on the soil surface without incorporation (SP), P incorporated at 20 cm (IP20), P incorporated at 40 cm (IP40), and twice the P dose incorporated at 40 cm (2IP40). The P concentration in leaves at flowering and veraison, P content in the soil, grape production and its components, and chemical parameters of the grape must (total soluble solids, total polyphenols, total titratable acidity, total anthocyanins, and pH) were evaluated. The P concentration in leaves did not differ among the P application modes. The application of P associated with soil mobilization, especially at 20 cm depth, increased grape production. The P application modes did not affect the values of the chemical parameters of the grape must except for the total anthocyanins, which had the highest values when the vines were subjected to 2IP40. Finally, the P application and incorporation into the soil profile was an efficient strategy for increasing the grape production in full production vineyards. Full article

Butirosins are naturally occurring aminoglycoside (AG) antibiotics featuring a 4,5-disubstituted 2-deoxystreptamine (2-DOS) with a (2S)-4-amino-2-hydroxybutyrate (AHBA) side chain. This side chain has been shown to confer resistance against AG-modifying enzymes, leading to ongoing studies on the butirosin biosynthetic pathway and the corresponding enzymes. Butirosin is produced by Niallia (formerly Bacillus) circulans and Bacillus vitellinus, with most research focused on the first strain. To date, no whole-genome analysis has been performed on B. vitellinus. In this study, we sequenced the complete genome of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 and performed a comparative analysis of different butirosin biosyntheric gene clusters (BGCs), including those from N. circulans. The complete genome of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 comprises a 6,331,192-base circular chromosome with GC content of 52.68%. The annotation revealed the presence of 5605 CDSs, 70 tRNA genes, 30 rRNA genes, and 3 ncRNA genes in NBRC 13296. The highest dDDH and ANI values between NBRC 13296 and the most closely related type strain, Paenibacillus chitinolyticus KCCM 41,400, were 97.8% and 98.66%, respectively. Based on these genome-based comparative analyses, we propose reclassifying B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 as P. chitinolyticus. Genome mining revealed 18 gene clusters encoding the biosynthesis of diverse secondary metabolites in the genome of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296, indicating the enormous biosynthetic potential of this strain. The predicted structural diversity of the secondary metabolites includes aminoglycosides, PKS, NRPS, PKS–NRPS hybrids, metallophores, phosphonates, terpenes, β-lactones, and RiPP peptides. We then comparatively characterized the butirosin BGCs previously studied in several N. circulans strains. Additionally, the comparative genome analysis revealed complete butirosin BGCs identified from P. chitinolyticus KCCM 41,400, P. chitinolyticus NRRL B-23119, P. chitinolyticus NRRL B-23120, P. chitinolyticus B-14908, P. chitinolyticus YSY-3.1, P. chitinolyticus JMW06, Paenibacillus sp. GbtcB18, Paenibacillus sp. HGH0039, and Paenibacillus sp. MZ04-78.2. Finally, we identified the core region consisting of BtrS, BtrN, BtrM, BtrL, BtrA, BtrB, BtrC, BtrD, BtrD, BtrE, BtrF, BtrG, BtrH, BtrI, BtrI, BtrJ, BtrK, BtrO, BtrP, and BtrV, followed by an upstream region organizing BtrQ, BtrW, BtrX, BtrY, and BtrZ in the same transcriptional direction and sequential genetic arrangement, and a downstream region organizing various proteins based on BtrT, BtrR2, BtrU, and BtrR1. Our study provides insights into the reclassification of B. vitellinus NBRC 13296 to P. chitinolyticus and suggests the need for continued studies on butirosin biosynthesis from an enzymatic perspective. Full article

Vanilla planifolia is grown as a high-value orchid spice for its odor and savor attributes that increase due to the curing process associated with microbial colonization. This tends to influence the aromatic properties of vanilla. Hence, 11 Bacillus sp. strains were isolated from V. planifolia and identified with 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The liquid culture (1 mL of 10⁷ CFU mL⁻¹) of selected Bacillus vallismortis NR_104873.1:11-1518, Bacillus velezensis ZN-S10, and Bacillus tropicus KhEp-2 effectively fermented green-blanched vanilla pods kept at 10 °C during the sweating stage. GC-MS analysis showed that the methanol extract of non-coated, and B. vallismortis treated vanilla detected three (3) volatile compounds, whereas seven (7) components were obtained in B. tropicus and B. velezensis treatment. 4H-pyran-4-one, 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl was found in B. velezensis ZN-S10, B. tropicus KhEp-2, and B. vallismortis while it was not present in the control samples. This ketone compound suggested a Maillard reaction resulting in brown-increased aroma pods. Linoleic acid and Hexadecanoic acid ethyl esters were detected only in ZN-S10 strain-coated vanilla. A novel 3-Deoxy-d-mannoic lactone was detected only in B. vallismortis-treated vanilla characterized as a new compound in V. planifolia which suggested that the new compound can be altered with the coating of bacteria in vanilla during fermentation. Thus, the Bacillus strains improved the volatile profile and exhibited a new aroma and flavor profile of vanilla owing to bacteria fermentation during the curing process. Full article

The endolichenic fungus Aspergillus sp. was isolated from the lichen Xanthoparmelia conspersa harvested in France. Aspergillus sp. was grown on a solid culture medium to ensure the large-scale production of the fungus with a sufficient mass of secondary metabolites. The molecular network analysis of extracts and subfractions enabled the annotation of 22 molecules, guiding the purification process. The EtOAc extract displayed an antiproliferative activity of 3.2 ± 0.4 µg/mL at 48 h against human colorectal cancer cells (HT-29) and no toxicity at 30 µg/mL against human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells (MDA-MB-231) and human embryonic kidney (HEK293) non-cancerous cells. Among the five prenylated compounds isolated, of which four are echinulin derivatives, compounds 1 and 2 showed the most important activity, with IC₅₀ values of 1.73 µM and 8.8 µM, respectively, against HT-29 cells. Full article

The subfamily Picobiinae (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) comprises obligate and permanent parasites of birds found exclusively in the quills of contour feathers. We studied associations of picobiine mites with birds of the family Sturnidae (Aves: Passeriformes) across the Palaearctic, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Oceanian zoogeographical regions. Among the 414 examined bird individuals belonging to 44 species (35.2% of all sturnids), 103 individuals from 24 species (54.5% of examined species) were parasitised by quill mites. The diversity of mites was represented by five species, including one newly described, Picobia malayi Patan and Skoracki sp. n. Statistical analysis of the Picobiinae–Sturnidae bipartite network demonstrated a low connectance value (Con = 0.20) and high modularity, with significant differences in the H₂′ specialisation index compared to null model values. The network structure, characterised by four distinct modules, highlighted the specificity and limited host range of the Picobiinae–Sturnidae associations. The distribution of Picobia species among starlings was congruent with the phylogeny of their hosts, with different mites parasitising specific clades of starlings. Additionally, the findings suggest that the social and breeding behaviours of starlings influence quite a high prevalence. Finally, our studies support the validity of museum collections to study these parasitic interactions. Full article

As an important part of heat shock response module, heat shock proteins (HSP) play an important role in plant defense response against heat stress; however, the involvement of the majority of the HSP family members against other abiotic stresses remains poorly understood. In the present study, LrHSP17.2 was identified and its function against abiotic stress was analyzed. The expression level of LrHSP17.2 was significantly induced by heat. Heterologous transgenes of LrHSP17.2 showed that LrHSP17.2 can increase the activity of catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase to removes excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), maintain the stability of the membrane structure, and regulate genes related to antioxidant enzymes and defense under abiotic stress. In addition, LrHSP17.2 could be regulated by exogenous abscisic acid and melatonin, and the related hormone synthesis genes of transgenic plants were significantly up-regulated under heat stress. Taken together, our results revealed that LrHSP17.2 is involved in regulating abiotic stress responses by regulating ROS scavenging and stress-related genes in Lilium regale. Full article