ABSTRACT Fixation of CO2 through photocatalytic cycloaddition with epoxides to synthesize cyclic carbonates is an important but challenging process. In this work, carbon dots (CDs) synthesized from gallic acid and polyethylenimine are used for the efficient catalytic cycloaddition of CO2 with epoxides in the absence of any solvent, additives, and halides, and importantly upon irradiation by natural sunlight. Specifically, carbon dots generated thermal energy and electrons upon solar irradiation, which together with their surface N‐sites activated the inert CO2. Meanwhile, epoxides were activated by the surface hydroxyl and carboxylic groups of the carbon dots, which reacted with activated CO2 at solar thermal‐induced high temperatures. The CDs shows excellent stability and recyclability during the catalysis. A 1000 mmol scale reaction for cyclic carbonate synthesis performed well upon irradiation with natural sunlight in the presence of CDs, showing great potential for the industrial application due to the simple, mild, and energy‐saving process.
Hafiz Talha Hafeez, Hafiz Shahzad Muzammil, Zulfiqar Ahmad
et al.
With the ever-increasing global population, dietary needs, and nutritional scarcities like micronutrient inadequacies of Vitamin A and C, the present study was planned to improve nutritional, antioxidant, physicochemical stability, and organoleptic characteristics of nutrient-dense carrot powder (CP) supplemented (0.75–2%) goat milk yogurt at 0–14 days of storage. CP and goat milk were found to uphold appreciable magnitudes of ash, dietary fiber, and protein content as 4.89 and 0.92 g/100g, 10.68 and 0.005 g/100g, 6.38 and 3.40 g/100g, respectively. The results for the nutritional and physicochemical characteristics of CP supplemented (0–2%) goat milk yogurt at the 0–14th day of storage elucidated a significant (p < 0.05) increase in total solids (10.9–13.3 %), vitamin A (0.05–1.97 mg/100g), vitamin C (2.3–3.3 mg/100g) and carotenoid contents (0.84–1.3 mg/100g). Likewise, total flavonoids, total phenolics, FRAP and DPPH values of the supplemented yogurt significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced from 117.7 to 120.2 mg CE/g, 8.2–12.1 mg GAE/100g, 39.8–41.3 μM TE/g and 58.3–59.6 %, respectively. However, a∗ value (i.e., redness) increased from −0.76 to 12.3 among color parameters. The results for the supplemented yogurt's pH, vitamin A, and carotenoid contents showed slight variation in the storage of 0–14 days. Sensory evaluation of value-added yogurt showed the highest aroma and textural scores for T2 (1.25 %), i.e., 8.2 and 8.1, whereas the data also showed the highest overall acceptability of the finished product for the treatment T2 (1.25 %), i.e., 8.1. Conclusively, CP is a promising carrier of vitamins A and C, which could be used as a viable ingredient of choice to develop novel food products with health-improving properties.
Agriculture (General), Nutrition. Foods and food supply
郭俊宏(GUO Junhong), 李丹青(LI Danqing), 王琪瑶(WANG Qiyao)
et al.
The underground-bud plants, namely, the geophytes, constitute an important category in bud classification of plants. These plants include a significant number of ornamental flowers. These plants adapt to cold and other unfavorable environments through the dormancy of buds (including persistent organs) that are partially or fully covered beneath the surface of the growth substrate. Therefore, the regulatory mechanism of underground-bud dormancy is a crucial aspect in the research field of ornamental flowers. In this paper, we systematically reviewed the research findings on the physiological and molecular regulatory mechanisms involved in the induction, maintenance, and release of endodormancy in underground-bud ornamental flowers over the past decade or more. They covered external environmental factors such as light and temperature, as well as internal factors such as hormone metabolism, carbohydrate conversion, reactive oxygen species clearance, secondary metabolism, epigenetics, and intercellular communication via symplast. Subsequently, a comparison of various research findings and experimental methods was conducted between underground-bud ornamental flowers and Poplar spp., which is the model plant for bud dormancy research. Finally, we analyzed the bud-dormancy research characteristics of two important categories in underground-bud ornamental flowers (perennial flowers and bulbous flowers). This review helps to comprehensively understand the latest research progress of the underground-bud dormancy research in landscape plant and ornamental horticulture field and can provide systematic theoretical support for flower cultivation and production.
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地下芽植物是植物芽位分类中的一个重要类别，许多观赏花卉属于地下芽植物。它们通过全部或部分覆盖于生长基质表面之下的芽或延存器官的休眠来适应寒冷等不利环境。因此，地下芽休眠的调控机制是观赏花卉研究领域里的重要内容。本文系统综述了过去十余年间地下芽观赏花卉的生理休眠诱导、维持和解除过程中的生理和分子调控机制研究结果，涉及光、温等外部环境因素和激素代谢、碳水化合物转换、活性氧清除、次生代谢、表观遗传、共质体胞间运输等内在因素。随后，将地下芽观赏花卉与芽休眠研究的模式植物杨树的研究结果和实验方法进行比较，并分析了地下芽观赏花卉中的2类重要植物（宿根花卉和球根花卉）的芽休眠特征。本文有助于园林植物与观赏园艺界全面了解地下芽休眠的最新研究进展，也可为花卉栽培和生产实践提供系统的理论支持。
Wassamon Moyadee, Sittiruk Roytrakul, Janthima Jaresitthikunchai
et al.
Abstract Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a lethal, viral-induced immune-mediated disease that remains a challenge for diagnosis and treatment in cats. Proteomic profiling, which analyzes the protein content of biological samples, offers the potential to identify novel biomarkers that could improve the diagnosis and management of FIP. This study aims to assess the serum proteome and identify proteins that differentiate healthy cats from cats diagnosed with effusive FIP using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). A total of 30 cats diagnosed with effusive FIP and 27 clinically normal cats were enrolled. Twenty-three proteins were significantly (p < 0.01, ≥ fivefold change in abundance) differentially expressed between cats with effusive FIP and controls. Among these, the P2X purinoceptor, DNA topoisomerase, Notch receptor 2, and cadherin-17 were identified as key proteins of interest in cats with effusive FIP. Our findings suggest that these differentially expressed proteins could serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for FIP. However, further studies are needed to validate these findings and explore their potential applications.
Keisuke Toriyama, Wan Kin Au Yeung, Azusa Inoue
et al.
Abstract Background Genome-wide DNA demethylation occurs in mammalian primordial germ cells (PGCs) as part of the epigenetic reprogramming important for gametogenesis and resetting the epigenetic information for totipotency. Dppa3 (also known as Stella or Pgc7) is highly expressed in mouse PGCs and oocytes and encodes a factor essential for female fertility. It prevents excessive DNA methylation in oocytes and ensures proper gene expression in preimplantation embryos: however, its role in PGCs is largely unexplored. In the present study, we investigated whether or not DPPA3 has an impact on CG methylation/demethylation in mouse PGCs. Results We show that DPPA3 plays a role in genome-wide demethylation in PGCs even before sex differentiation. Dppa3 knockout female PGCs show aberrant hypermethylation, most predominantly at H3K9me3-marked retrotransposons, which persists up to the fully-grown oocyte stage. DPPA3 works downstream of PRDM14, a master regulator of epigenetic reprogramming in embryonic stem cells and PGCs, and independently of TET1, an enzyme that hydroxylates 5-methylcytosine. Conclusions The results suggest that DPPA3 facilitates DNA demethylation through a replication-coupled passive mechanism in PGCs. Our study identifies DPPA3 as a novel epigenetic reprogramming factor in mouse PGCs.
Fien De Witte, Ivana A. Penagos, Davy Van de Walle
et al.
Palm oil (PO), a semi-solid fat at room temperature, is a popular food ingredient. To steer the fat functionality, sucrose esters (SEs) are often used as food additives. Many SEs exist, varying in their hydrophilic-to-lipophilic balance (HLB), making them suitable for various food and non-food applications. In this study, a stearic–palmitic sucrose ester with a moderate HLB (6) was studied. It was found that the SE exhibited a complex thermal behavior consistent with smectic liquid crystals (type A). Small-angle X-ray scattering revealed that the mono- and poly-esters of the SE have different packings, more specifically, double and single chain-length packing. The polymorphism encountered upon crystallization was repeatable during successive heating and cooling cycles. After studying the pure SE, it was added to palm oil, and the crystallization behavior of the mixture was compared to that of pure palm oil. The crystallization conditions were varied by applying cooling at 20 °C/min (fast) and 1 °C/min (slow) to 0 °C, 20 °C or 25 °C. The samples were followed for one hour of isothermal time. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) showed that nucleation and polymorphic transitions were accelerated. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) unraveled that the α-to-β′ polymorphic transition remained present upon the addition of the SE. SAXS showed that the addition of the SE at 0.5 wt% did not significantly change the double chain-length packing of palm oil, but it decreased the domain size when cooling in a fast manner. Ultra-small-angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) revealed that the addition of the SE created smaller crystal nanoplatelets (CNPs). The microstructure of the fat crystal network was visualized by means of polarized light microscopy (PLM) and cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). The addition of the SE created a finer and space-filling network without the visibility of separate floc structures.
Hoa Nhu Le, Martiela Vaz de Freitas, Dinler Amaral Antunes
Cellular immunity relies on the ability of a T-cell receptor (TCR) to recognize a peptide (p) presented by a class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) receptor on the surface of a cell. The TCR-peptide-MHC (TCRpMHC) interaction is a crucial step in activating T-cells, and the structural characteristics of these molecules play a significant role in determining the specificity and affinity of this interaction. Hence, obtaining 3D structures of TCRpMHC complexes offers valuable insights into various aspects of cellular immunity and can facilitate the development of T-cell-based immunotherapies. Here, we aimed to compare three popular web servers for modeling the structures of TCRpMHC complexes, namely ImmuneScape (IS), TCRpMHCmodels, and TCRmodel2, to examine their strengths and limitations. Each method employs a different modeling strategy, including docking, homology modeling, and deep learning. The accuracy of each method was evaluated by reproducing the 3D structures of a dataset of 87 TCRpMHC complexes with experimentally determined crystal structures available on the Protein Data Bank (PDB). All selected structures were limited to human MHC alleles, presenting a diverse set of peptide ligands. A detailed analysis of produced models was conducted using multiple metrics, including Root Mean Square Deviation (RMSD) and standardized assessments from CAPRI and DockQ. Special attention was given to the complementarity-determining region (CDR) loops of the TCRs and to the peptide ligands, which define most of the unique features and specificity of a given TCRpMHC interaction. Our study provides an optimistic view of the current state-of-the-art for TCRpMHC modeling but highlights some remaining challenges that must be addressed in order to support the future application of these tools for TCR engineering and computer-aided design of TCR-based immunotherapies.
For survival and quality of human life, the search for better ways to ensure food safety is constant. However, food contaminants still threaten human health throughout the food chain. In particular, food systems are often polluted with multiple contaminants simultaneously, which can cause synergistic effects and greatly increase food toxicity. Therefore, the establishment of multiple food contaminant detection methods is significant in food safety control. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique has emerged as a potent candidate for the detection of multicomponents simultaneously. The current review focuses on the SERS-based strategies in multicomponent detection, including the combination of chromatography methods, chemometrics, and microfluidic engineering with the SERS technique. Furthermore, recent applications of SERS in the detection of multiple foodborne bacteria, pesticides, veterinary drugs, food adulterants, mycotoxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are summarized. Finally, challenges and future prospects for the SERS-based detection of multiple food contaminants are discussed to provide research orientation for further.
There is critical need for a predictive model of human cardiac physiology in drug development to assess compound effects on human tissues. In vitro two-dimensional monolayer cultures of cardiomyocytes provide biochemical and cellular readouts, and in vivo animal models provide information on systemic cardiovascular response. However, there remains a significant gap in these models due to their incomplete recapitulation of adult human cardiovascular physiology. Recent efforts in developing in vitro models from engineered heart tissues have demonstrated potential for bridging this gap using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in three-dimensional tissue structure. Here, we advance this paradigm by implementing FRESH™ 3D bioprinting to build human cardiac tissues in a medium throughput, well-plate format with controlled tissue architecture, tailored cellular composition, and native-like physiological function, specifically in its drug response. We combined hiPSC-CMs, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts in a cellular bioink and FRESH™ 3D bioprinted this mixture in the format of a thin tissue strip stabilized on a tissue fixture. We show that cardiac tissues could be fabricated directly in a 24-well plate format were composed of dense and highly aligned hiPSC-CMs at >600 million cells/mL and, within 14 days, demonstrated reproducible calcium transients and a fast conduction velocity of ∼16 cm/s. Interrogation of these cardiac tissues with the β-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol showed responses consistent with positive chronotropy and inotropy. Treatment with calcium channel blocker verapamil demonstrated responses expected of hiPSC-CM derived cardiac tissues. These results confirm that FRESH™ 3D bioprinted cardiac tissues represent an in vitro platform that provides data on human physiological response.
Xenie Kourilova, Iva Pernicova, Michaela Vidlakova
et al.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are microbial polyesters that have recently come to the forefront of interest due to their biodegradability and production from renewable sources. A potential increase in competitiveness of PHA production process comes with a combination of the use of thermophilic bacteria with the mutual use of waste substrates. In this work, the thermophilic bacterium <i>Tepidimonas taiwanensis</i> LMG 22826 was identified as a promising PHA producer. The ability to produce PHA in <i>T. taiwanensis</i> was studied both on genotype and phenotype levels. The gene encoding the Class I PHA synthase, a crucial enzyme in PHA synthesis, was detected both by genome database search and by PCR. The microbial culture of <i>T. taiwanensis</i> was capable of efficient utilization of glucose and fructose. When cultivated on glucose as the only carbon source at 50 °C, the PHA titers reached up to 3.55 g/L, and PHA content in cell dry mass was 65%. The preference of fructose and glucose opens the possibility to employ <i>T. taiwanensis</i> for PHA production on various food wastes rich in these abundant sugars. In this work, PHA production on grape pomace extracts was successfully tested.
Radhian Amandito, Rinawati Rohsiswatmo, Michelle Halim
et al.
Abstract Objective It has been established that genetic factors play a substantial role in the development of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. The population of Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries has similar, yet different genetic makeup compared to the rest of Asia. Aside from UGT1A1, variants of SLCO1B1 have also been known to contribute to the severity of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in Asian populations. Since there has been no report on SLCO1B1 polymorphism in relation with hyperbilirubinemia in Indonesia, this study aims to explore incidence of SLCO1B1*1B polymorphism in Indonesia based on 3 hospitals from different provinces and population, and their association with hyperbilirubinemia severity. Methods Our study included 88 neonates with mild and moderate-severe hyperbilirubinemia from 3 NICU in hospitals representing homogenous and heterogenous populations: Biak General Hospital Papua, Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (Jakarta), and M Yunus Hospital (Bengkulu). We collected samples between November 2016 and September 2017. DNA was obtained from existing samples of the patients from previous studies and were subjected to Polymerase Chain Reaction – Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). We analyzed the *1B variant located in exon 5 of SLCO1B1 with TaqI restriction endonuclease. Clinical, demographic, and laboratory data was also collected from medical records and parents’ interviews. Results The most dominant variant of SLCO1B1*1B in our population is the homozygous G/G (68.18%), followed by heterozygous A/G (26.14%), and wild type A/A (5.68%). The heterozygous A/G had an Odds Ratio (OR) of 0.73 (95% CI 0.10–5.2) and homozygous G/G with OR of 0.51 (95%CI 0.08–3.27), both were not significant. Genotypic distribution across the different centers were also similar and not significant. The significant risk factors for moderate-severe hyperbilirubinemia were the population the neonate originated from (p = < 0.001) and the delivery location (p = 0.001), while SLCO1B1*1B was not associated with the different severity of hyperbilirubinemia. Conclusions SLCO1B1*1B is not associated with higher bilirubin levels among neonates with hyperbilirubinemia in Indonesia. Further study is needed to find other potentially important genetic polymorphisms in the development of severe hyperbilirubinemia in Indonesia.
Sri Agung Fitri Kusuma, Ida Parwati, Tina Rostinawati
et al.
MPT64 is a specific protein that is secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). The objective of this study was to obtain optimum culture conditions for MPT64 synthetic gene expression in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) by response surface methodology (RSM). The RSM was undertaken to optimize the culture conditions under different cultivation conditions (medium concentration, induction time and inducer concentration), designed by the factorial Box-Bhenken using Minitab 17 statistical software. From the randomized combination, 15 treatments and three center point repetitions were obtained. Furthermore, expression methods were carried out in the flask scale fermentation in accordance with the predetermined design. Then, the MPT64 protein in the cytoplasm of E. coli cell was isolated and characterized using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrilamide electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) then quantified using the ImageJ program. The optimum conditions were two-fold medium concentration (tryptone 20 mg/mL, yeast extract 10 mg/mL, and sodium chloride 20 mg/mL), 5 h of induction time and 4 mM rhamnose. The average concentration of recombinant MPT64 at optimum conditions was 0.0392 mg/mL, higher than the predicted concentration of 0.0311 mg/mL. In conclusion, the relationship between the selected optimization parameters strongly influenced the level of MPT64 gene expression in E. coli BL21 (DE3).
Abstract Background Genomic structural variation represents a source for genetic and phenotypic variation, which may be subject to selection during the environmental adaptation and population differentiation. Here, we described a genome-wide analysis of copy number variations (CNVs) in 16 populations of yak based on genome resequencing data and CNV-based cluster analyses of these populations. Results In total, we identified 51,461 CNV events and defined 3174 copy number variation regions (CNVRs) that covered 163.8 Mb (6.2%) of yak genome with more “loss” events than both “gain” and “both” events, and we confirmed 31 CNVRs in 36 selected yaks using quantitative PCR. Of the total 163.8 Mb CNVR coverage, a 10.8 Mb region of high-confidence CNVRs directly overlapped with the 52.9 Mb of segmental duplications, and we confirmed their uneven distributions across chromosomes. Furthermore, functional annotation indicated that the CNVR-harbored genes have a considerable variety of molecular functions, including immune response, glucose metabolism, and sensory perception. Notably, some of the identified CNVR-harbored genes associated with adaptation to hypoxia (e.g., DCC, MRPS28, GSTCD, MOGAT2, DEXI, CIITA, and SMYD1). Additionally, cluster analysis, based on either individuals or populations, showed that the CNV clustering was divided into two origins, indicating that some yak CNVs are likely to arisen independently in different populations and contribute to population difference. Conclusions Collectively, the results of the present study advanced our understanding of CNV as an important type of genomic structural variation in yak, and provide a useful genomic resource to facilitate further research on yak evolution and breeding.
Abstract Sweet potato vine (SPV) is an abundant agricultural waste, which is easy to obtain at low cost and has the potential to produce clean energy via anaerobic digestion (AD). The main objectives of this study were to reveal methane production and process stability of SPV and the mixtures with animal manure under various total solid conditions, to verify synergetic effect in co-digestion of SPV and manure in AD systems, and to determine the kinetics characteristics during the full AD process. The results showed that SPV was desirable feedstock for AD with 200.22 mL/g VSadded of methane yield in wet anaerobic digestion and 12.20 Lmethane/Lworking volume in dry anaerobic digestion (D-AD). Synergistic effects were found in semi-dry anaerobic digestion and D-AD with each two mixing feedstock. In contrast with SPV mono-digestion, co-digestion with manure increased methane yield within the range of 14.34–49.11% in different AD digesters. The values of final volatile fatty acids to total alkalinity (TA) were below 0.4 and the values of final pH were within the range of 7.4–8.2 in all the reactors, which supported a positive relationship between carbohydrate hydrolysis and methanogenesis during AD process. The mathematical modified first order model was applied to estimate substrate biodegradability and methane production potential well with conversion constant ranged from 0.0003 to 0.0953 1/day, which indicated that co-digestion increased hydrolysis efficiency and metabolic activity. This work provides useful information to improve the utilization and stability of digestion using SPV and livestock or poultry manure as substrates.
Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most significant cause of acute lower respiratory infection in children. However, there is no licensed vaccine available. Here, we investigated the effect of five or 20 copies of C-Class of CpG ODN (CpG-C) motif incorporated into a plasmid DNA vaccine encoding RSV fusion (F) glycoprotein on the vaccine-induced immune response. The addition of CpG-C motif enhanced serum binding and virus-neutralizing antibody responses in BALB/c mice immunized with the DNA vaccines. Moreover, mice vaccinated with CpG-modified vaccines, especially with the higher 20 copies, resulted in an enhanced shift toward a Th1-biased antibody and T-cell response, a decrease in pulmonary pathology and virus replication, and a decrease in weight loss after RSV challenge. This study suggests that CpG-C motif, cloned into the backbone of DNA vaccine encoding RSV F glycoprotein, functions as a built-in adjuvant capable of improving the efficacy of DNA vaccine against RSV infection.
Raluca Cristina ANDREI(GURIENCU), Victor CRISTEA, Lorena DEDIU
et al.
The aim of this paper was to analyze some morphometric characteristics and the correlation between them for Russian sturgeon juveniles (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) reared in a recirculating aquaculture system fed at different fed with different ratio: 1% body weight (BW), 1.5% BW, 2% BW and ad libitum feeding (which was around 2.8% BW).Fish, with an average body mass around 248.194 ± 1.59 g. Following biometric measurements were made for each fish, including weight (W), total length (TL), standard length (SL), fork length (FL), maximum body depth (last depth of caudal peduncle, H); preanal distance (AD), predorsal distance (PD), length of head (C), preorbital distance (PO), length of pectoral fin (LPF), interorbital distance (ID), maximum width of head (MH), width of mouth (WM), width of the head at the level of the mouth (WHM). The obtained results showed significant differences between all morphometric measurements (p<0.05) for all the experimental variants, emphasizing that in the ad libitum feeding all morphometric measurements were significantly higher than in the other experimental variants. In order to highlight more eloquent these differences, were developed some linear regressions between the morphometric measurements and significant positive correlation (p<0.05) between dependent and independent variables were found.
Abstract Protein–protein interactions are responsible for many biological processes, and the study of how proteins undergo a conformational change induced by other proteins in the immobilized state can help us to understand a protein’s function and behavior, empower the current knowledge on molecular etiology of disease, as well as the discovery of putative protein targets of therapeutic interest. In this study, a bottom-up approach was utilized to fabricate micro/nanometer-scale protein patterns. One cysteine mutated calmodulin (CaM), as a model protein, was immobilized on thiol-terminated pattern surfaces. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was then employed as a tool to investigate the interactions between CaM and CaM kinase I binding domain, and show that the immobilized CaM retains its activity to interact with its target protein. Our work demonstrate the potential of employing AFM to the research and assay works evolving surface-based protein–protein interactions biosensors, bioelectronics or drug screening.