Thalassiosira and related taxa i.e. the taxa within Thalassiosirales are among the most abundant and widespread diatoms. The vast majority have one marginal rimoportula, but very few always have two. The knowledge on Thalassiosiroid taxa in Chinese waters is restricted, and to explore the diversity, monoclonal strains were established from southern Chinese coastal waters. Morphological data were based on light and scanning electron microscopy. The D1‒D3 region of the ribosomal large subunit (LSU) and the...

Bupleurum chinense DC. is a perennial herb plant belonging to the Umbelliferae family, genus Bupleurum, that is used as a traditional Chinese medicine. Coumarins are characteristic secondary metabolites of the Apiaceous family, which possess anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and antiviral activities, among others. Few studies on the coumarin biosynthesis pathways in B. Chinese have been reported. In this study, we identified 89 differentially expressed genes belonging to 7 gene families involved in the synthesis of coumarins in...

Pyroptosis is an inflammatory programmed cell death, showing potentials to be a novel anti-cancer approach. However, the roles of pyroptosis-related (PR) genes (PRGs) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) remain elusive. In the present study, we constructed a novel PR risk signature through the lasso regression analysis. The risk signature was greatly conducive to PAAD prognostic assessment. PR risk score was identified as an independent prognostic factor and could distinguish the prognostic differences of most clinical subgroups....

Glioma is one of the leading causes of tumor-related deaths worldwide, but its potential mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the biological role and potential mechanism of argininosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1) in glioma. The relative expression levels of ASS1 in glioma specimens and cell lines were calculated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting. The biological functions of ASS1 were demonstrated using the 5-ethynyl-2ʹ-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay, transwell assay, and in...

New whole-rock major and trace element, Sr-Nd isotopic, Zircon U-Pb, and Hf isotopic data for the Late Triassic intermediate-felsic intrusive rocks in the Liaodong Peninsula in the northeastern part of the North China Craton (NCC) were obtained in order to investigate their petrogenesis and provide insights into the Late Triassic tectonic evolution of the eastern segment of the NCC. The laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb ages indicate that they were emplaced...

New whole-rock major and trace element, Sr-Nd isotopic, Zircon U-Pb, and Hf isotopic data for the Late Triassic intermediate-felsic intrusive rocks in the Liaodong Peninsula in the northeastern part of the North China Craton (NCC) were obtained in order to investigate their petrogenesis and provide insights into the Late Triassic tectonic evolution of the eastern segment of the NCC. The laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U-Pb ages indicate that they were emplaced...

Massive infiltrated and enriched decidual macrophages (dMφ) have been widely regarded as important regulators of maternal-fetal immune tolerance and trophoblast invasion, contributing to normal pregnancy. However, the characteristics of metabolic profile and the underlying mechanism of dMφ residence remain largely unknown. Here, we observe that dMφ display an active glycerophospholipid metabolism. The activation of ENPP2-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) facilitates the adhesion and retention, and M2 differentiation of dMφ during normal pregnancy. Mechanistically, this process is mediated...

Massive infiltrated and enriched decidual macrophages (dMφ) have been widely regarded as important regulators of maternal-fetal immune tolerance and trophoblast invasion, contributing to normal pregnancy. However, the characteristics of metabolic profile and the underlying mechanism of dMφ residence remain largely unknown. Here, we observe that dMφ display an active glycerophospholipid metabolism. The activation of ENPP2-lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) facilitates the adhesion and retention, and M2 differentiation of dMφ during normal pregnancy. Mechanistically, this process is mediated...

Stegosaurs are a major clade of ornithischian dinosaurs, yet because of their fragmentary fossil record, their interrelationships and early evolution are poorly understood. Here, we describe a new stegosaur, Bashanosaurus primitivus, gen. et sp. nov., and some other indeterminate stegosaur materials. We provide new U-Pb detrital zircon ages for horizons bounding the holotypic quarry in the Lower Member of the Shaximiao Formation, Yunyang, Chongqing Municipality, China, which indicate a Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) age. Bashanosaurus represents...

Growth-regulating factors (GRFs) are plant-specific transcription factors with vital roles in multiple biological processes. Although GRFs have been identified in various plant species, a comprehensive analysis of GRF genes in peach (Prunus persica) has not yet been reported. In this study, 10 PpGRF genes distributed on 6 chromosomes were identified in peach genome and their properties were analyzed systematically. Expression pattern analysis suggested that most PpGRFs were preferentially expressed in young tissues. Multiple types of...

Amino acids play crucial roles in the MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) complex 1 (MTORC1) pathway. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we establish a cell-free system to mimic the activation of MTORC1, by which we identify CANX (calnexin) as an essential regulator for leucine-stimulated MTORC1 pathway. CANX translocates to lysosomes after leucine deprivation, and its loss of function renders either the MTORC1 activity or the lysosomal translocation of MTOR insensitive...

Tire wear particles (TWP) have caused widespread contamination in the environment. However, their behavior and potential impacts in soil remain unclear since studies have so far been mainly conducted in aquatic ecosystems. It is possible that soil ecosystems are already under pressure from pollution by TWP. We here firstly synthesize knowledge about the composition, distribution, and behavior of TWP in soils. By comparing with effects of microplastics (MP) in soil, we further outline several potential...

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a conserved cellular mechanism to degrade unneeded cytoplasmic proteins and organelles to recycle their components, and it is critical for embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and somatic cell reprogramming. Whereas autophagy is essential for early development of embryos, no information exists regarding its functions during the transition from naive-to-primed pluripotency. Here, by using an in vitro transition model of ESCs to epiblast-like cells (EpiLCs), we find that dynamic changes in ATG7-dependent autophagy are...

Plant seed germination is easily influenced by endogenous gene expression, hormones and environmental conditions. Here, we investigated a Populus R2R3-MYB transcription factor (referred to as MYB94) that plays a role in seed germination in close relation to the hormone abscisic acid (ABA). Two independent Arabidopsis transgenic lines overexpressing MYB94 (Oe-lines) and wild-type (Wt) were no clear differences in the seed germination rates under normal conditions, but the germination rates of the two Oe-lines were both...

An integrated study was carried out on four anorogenic syenite-granite complexes (i.e. Banke, Dutsen Wai, Guraka, and Zuku) from the Nigerian Younger Granite (NaYG) province, in a bid to constrain their magma sources, rare metal mineralization potentials, and tectonic implications. These four complexes primarily consist of quartz syenite, granite porphyry, arfvedsonite aegirine granite, and biotite granite. The studied rocks are chemically characterized by high alkalis, HFSEs, Ga/Al ratios, and zircon saturation temperature (776–1127°C, average =...

Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by decreased expression of frataxin (FXN) protein. Previous studies have shown that antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and single-stranded silencing RNAs can be used to increase expression of frataxin in cultured patient-derived cells. In this study, we investigate the potential for oligonucleotides to increase frataxin expression in a mouse model for FA. After confirming successful in vivo delivery of oligonucleotides using a benchmark gapmer targeting the nuclear noncoding...

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a conserved cellular mechanism to degrade unneeded cytoplasmic proteins and organelles to recycle their components, and it is critical for embryonic stem cell (ESC) self-renewal and somatic cell reprogramming. Whereas autophagy is essential for early development of embryos, no information exists regarding its functions during the transition from naive-to-primed pluripotency. Here, by using an in vitro transition model of ESCs to epiblast-like cells (EpiLCs), we find that dynamic changes in ATG7-dependent autophagy are...

Macroautophagy/autophagy is a cellular and energy homeostatic mechanism that contributes to maintain the number of primordial follicles, germ cell survival, and anti-ovarian aging. However, it remains unknown whether autophagy in granulosa cells affects oocyte maturation. Here, we show a clear tendency of reduced autophagy level in human granulosa cells from women of advanced maternal age, implying a potential negative correlation between autophagy levels and oocyte quality. We therefore established a co-culture system and show that...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by lung scarring and has no effective treatment. Fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and myofibroblast proliferation and migration are major clinical manifestations of this disease; hence, blocking these processes is a practical treatment strategy. Here, highly upregulated LINC00941/lncIAPF was found to accelerate pulmonary fibrosis by promoting fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation and myofibroblast proliferation and migration. Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments elucidated that histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) activated...

Recent research unveiled that LINC00857 plays a regulatory role in multiple human cancers, such as lung adenocarcinoma and gastric cancer. Nevertheless, the function of LINC00857 in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) remains unclear. This study concentrates on LINC00857 to discuss the relevant molecular mechanism of this gene in PAAD. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot were implemented for measuring the expressions of RNAs and proteins. Wound healing and Transwell assays were used to...

To investigate the performance of H22954, a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), in inhibiting glucose uptake in leukemia cells. 18F-FDG uptake, RNA half-life quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and luciferase assays were performed to detect the glucose uptake in the condition of leukemia. Microarrays and qRT-PCR analyses were used to identify the related genes or proteins and elucidate the underlying these processes. H22954, a novel lncRNA, inhibited glucose uptake in leukemia cells. Using bioinformatics...

To investigate the performance of H22954, a novel long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), in inhibiting glucose uptake in leukemia cells. 18F-FDG uptake, RNA half-life quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and luciferase assays were performed to detect the glucose uptake in the condition of leukemia. Microarrays and qRT-PCR analyses were used to identify the related genes or proteins and elucidate the underlying these processes. H22954, a novel lncRNA, inhibited glucose uptake in leukemia cells. Using bioinformatics...

Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) causes a severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and non-human primates with high morbidity and mortality. EBOV infection is dependent on its structural glycoprotein (GP), but high levels of GP expression also trigger cell rounding, detachment, and downregulation of many surface molecules that is thought to contribute to its high pathogenicity. Thus, EBOV has evolved an RNA editing mechanism to reduce its GP expression and increase its fitness. We now report that the...

The endolysosomal system not only is an integral part of the cellular catabolic machinery that processes and recycles nutrients for synthesis of biomaterials, but also acts as signaling hub to sense and coordinate the energy state of cells with growth and differentiation. Lysosomal dysfunction adversely influences vesicular transport-dependent macromolecular degradation and thus causes serious problems for human health. In mammalian cells, loss of the lysosome associated membrane proteins LAMP1 and LAMP2 strongly affects autophagy and...

The urban development boundary (UDB) is a core issue in territorial spatial planning and remains a research focus in urban development. However, in the past, land use simulations of coastal cities have had some limitations. For example, new urban land outside the research boundary could not be effectively simulated, resulting in a large gap between the simulation results and reality. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) cellular automata (CA) model based on a...