Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate from acetate by metabolically engineered Aeromonas hydrophilia.

Aeromonas hydrophila 4AK4 normally produces the copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBHHx) using lauric acid as the carbon source. In this study we reported the metabolic engineering of A. hydrophila 4AK4 for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) using acetate as a main carbon source.

MDH1-mediated malate-aspartate NADH shuttle maintains the activity levels of fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells.

The connections between energy metabolism and stemness of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) at different developmental stages remain largely unknown. We generated a transgenic mouse line for the genetically encoded NADH/NAD+ sensor (SoNar) and demonstrate that there are 3 distinct fetal liver hematopoietic cell populations according to the ratios of SoNar fluorescence. SoNar-low cells had an enhanced level of mitochondrial respiration but a glycolytic level similar to that of SoNar-high cells.

Development and Validation of a Clinical Risk Score to Predict the Occurrence of Critical Illness in Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19.

Importance: Early identification of patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who may develop critical illness is of great importance and may aid in delivering proper treatment and optimizing use of resources.

Objective: To develop and validate a clinical score at hospital admission for predicting which patients with COVID-19 will develop critical illness based on a nationwide cohort in China.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Collaborating with the National Health Commission of China, we established a retrospective cohort of patients with COVID-19 from 575 hospitals in 31 provincial administrative regions as of January 31, 2020.

P53 suppresses SENP3 phosphorylation to mediate G2 checkpoint.

In response to DNA damage, p53-mediated signaling is regulated by protein phosphorylation and ubiquitination to precisely control G2 checkpoint. Here we demonstrated that protein SUMOylation also engaged in regulation of p53-mediated G2 checkpoint. We found that G2 DNA damage suppressed SENP3 phosphorylation at G2/M phases in p53-dependent manner.

Engineering Halomonas bluephagenesis for L-Threonine production.

Halophilic Halomonas bluephagenesis (H. bluephagenesis), a chassis for cost-effective Next Generation Industrial Biotechnology (NGIB), was for the first time engineered to successfully produce L-threonine, one of the aspartic family amino acids (AFAAs). Five exogenous genes including thrA*BC, lysC* and rhtC encoding homoserine dehydrogenase mutant at G433R, homoserine kinase, L-threonine synthase, aspartokinase mutant at T344M, S345L and T352I, and export transporter of threonine, respectively, were grouped into two expression modules for transcriptional tuning on plasmid- and chromosome-based systems in H.

Continuous positive airway pressure improves respiratory mechanics and efficiency of neural drive in stable COPD: an exploratory study.

Background: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is a major treatment strategy for severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially with respiratory failure. However, it remains inconclusive whether CPAP affects respiratory mechanics and neural drive in stable COPD patients without respiratory failure.

Methods: Twenty-two COPD patients without respiratory failure received CPAP starting from 4 to 10 cmHO in 1 cmHO increments.

FBXO22 degrades nuclear PTEN to promote tumorigenesis.

Nuclear localization of PTEN is essential for its tumor suppressive role, and loss of nuclear PTEN is more prominent than cytoplasmic PTEN in many kinds of cancers. However, nuclear PTEN-specific regulatory mechanisms were rarely reported. Based on the finding that nuclear PTEN is more unstable than cytoplasmic PTEN, here we identify that F-box only protein 22 (FBXO22) induces ubiquitylation of nuclear but not cytoplasmic PTEN at lysine 221, which is responsible for the degradation of nuclear PTEN.

Prenatal diagnosis and molecular cytogenetic characterization of three chromosomal abnormalities with favorable outcomes.

Objective: Here we present three cases of chromosomal abnormalities with favorable outcomes.

Case Report: In Case 1, conventional karyotyping revealed a karyotype of 46, XY,t(7; 14) (q35; q13)[4]/46,XY[26]. Array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis revealed no genomic imbalance.

Biosynthesis of functional polyhydroxyalkanoates by engineered Halomonas bluephagenesis.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) have found widespread medical applications due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability, while further chemical modification requires functional groups on PHA. Halomonas bluephagenesis, a non-model halophilic bacterium serving as a chassis for the Next Generation Industrial Biotechnology (NGIB), was successfully engineered to express heterologous PHA synthase (PhaC) and enoyl coenzyme-A hydratase (PhaJ) from Aeromonas hydrophila 4AK4, along with a deletion of its native phaC gene to synthesize the short chain-co-medium chain-length PHA copolymers, namely poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate), poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhex-5-enoate) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate-co-3-hydroxyhex-5-enoate). After optimizations of the expression cassette and ribosomal binding site combined with introduction of endogenous acyl-CoA synthetase (fadD), the resulting recombinant strain H.

Combined Application of Arachnoid Membrane and Petrosal Dura to Transpose Dual Offending Arteries in Microvascular Decompression for Trigeminal Neuralgia: Two-Dimensional Operative Video.

Trigeminal neuralgia is featured by episodic and severe unilateral facial pain triggered usually by innocuous cutaneous stimuli. Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a safe and effective treatment for cases refractory to medical treatment caused by neurovascular conflicts. This Video 1 demonstrates MVD using arachnoid membrane and petrosal dura to transpose dual offending arteries.

A flow distribution and collection feature for ensuring scalable uniform flow in a chromatography device.

We discuss how the efficiency of a chromatography device could be enhanced by incorporating a new feature which ensures flow uniformity. The overall flow of fluid within the device, which has a cuboid shape, could be visualized as a combination of two z patterns. The device is therefore designated as cuboid z.

Comparative proteomic and genomic analyses of Brucella abortus biofilm and planktonic cells.

The present study aimed to explore the differences in protein and gene expression of Brucella abortus cultured under biofilm and planktonic conditions. The proteins unique to biofilms and planktonic B. abortus were separated by two‑dimensional (2‑D) electrophoresis and then identified by matrix‑assisted laser desorption/ionization‑tandem time of flight‑mass spectrometry (MALDI‑TOF/TOF‑MS).

Correction: Progress on particulate matter filtration technology: basic concepts, advanced materials, and performances.

Correction for 'Progress on particulate matter filtration technology: basic concepts, advanced materials, and performances' by Hui Liu, et al., Nanoscale, 2020, DOI: 10.1039/c9nr08851b.

Progress on particulate matter filtration technology: basic concepts, advanced materials, and performances.

The PM (particulate matter)-induced haze problem has caused serious environmental and health concerns. It is still a huge challenge to control PM pollution because of the complex structure, diverse sources and intricate evolution mechanism of the particles. In recent years, there has been increasing efforts to develop advanced strategies for PM treatment.

Dopamine Grafted Iron-Loaded Waste Silk for Fenton-Like Removal of Toxic Water Pollutants.

Dispersion of iron was achieved on waste silk fibers (wSF) after grafting of polydopamine (PDA). The catalytic activity of the resulting material (wSF-DA/Fe) was investigated in Fenton-like removal of toxic aromatic dyes (Methylene Blue, Cationic Violet X-5BLN, and Reactive Orange GRN) water. The dye removal yield reached 98%, 99%, and 98% in 10-40 min for Methylene Blue, Cationic Violet X-5BLN, and Reactive Orange GRN, respectively.

Simulation and experimental study of the transport of protein bands through cuboid packed-bed devices during chromatographic separations.

Recent studies have demonstrated that box-shaped or cuboid packed-bed chromatographic devices represent an efficient alternative to conventional cylindrical columns for high-resolution preparative protein separations. This has been attributed to the greater uniformity of flow within these devices. However, for a more complete explanation, it is important to understand how the system hydrodynamics affects band broadening during the transport of proteins through these devices.

Multimaterial and multicolor 3D-printed model in training of transnasal endoscopic surgery for pituitary adenoma.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the practical value of a multimaterial and multicolor 3D-printed model in anatomical teaching, surgical training, and preoperative planning of transnasal endoscopic surgery for pituitary adenoma.

Methods: Multimodality neuroimaging data were obtained in a 42-year-old healthy male volunteer and a 40-year-old female patient with an invasive nonfunctional pituitary adenoma. Three 3D-printed models were produced: a monomaterial and monocolor model, a monomaterial and multicolor model, and a multimaterial and multicolor model.

Efficient capture of monoclonal antibody from cell culture supernatant using protein A media contained in a cuboid packed-bed device.

A box-shaped or cuboid packed-bed device was used for monoclonal antibody (mAb) separation using protein A affinity chromatography. The separation efficiency of the device was compared with an equivalent column i.e.

Computer-Assisted Design of Environmentally Friendly and Light-Stable Fluorescent Dyes for Textile Applications.

Five potentially environmentally friendly and light-stable hemicyanine dyes were designed based on integrated consideration of photo, environmental, and computational chemistry as well as textile applications. Two of them were synthesized and applied in dyeing polyacrylonitrile (PAN), cotton, and nylon fabrics, and demonstrated the desired properties speculated by the programs. The computer-assisted analytical processes includes estimation of the maximum absorption and emission wavelengths, aquatic environmental toxicity, affinity to fibers, and photo-stability.

Erlotinib overcomes paclitaxel-resistant cancer stem cells by blocking the EGFR-CREB/GRβ-IL-6 axis in MUC1-positive cervical cancer.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are often enriched after chemotherapy and contribute to tumor relapse. While epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are widely used for the treatment of diverse types of cancer, whether EGFR-TKIs are effective against chemoresistant CSCs in cervical cancer is largely unknown. Here, we reveal that EGFR correlates with reduced disease-free survival in cervical cancer patients with chemotherapy.

A tight cold-inducible switch built by coupling thermosensitive transcriptional and proteolytic regulatory parts.

Natural organisms have evolved intricate regulatory mechanisms that sense and respond to fluctuating environmental temperatures in a heat- or cold-inducible fashion. Unlike dominant heat-inducible switches, very few cold-inducible genetic switches are available in either natural or engineered systems. Moreover, the available cold-inducible switches still have many shortcomings, including high leaky gene expression, small dynamic range (<10-fold) or broad transition temperature (>10°C).

Author Correction: PTENα and PTENβ promote carcinogenesis through WDR5 and H3K4 trimethylation.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Synthetic Biology and Genome-Editing Tools for Improving PHA Metabolic Engineering.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are a diverse family of biopolyesters synthesized by many natural or engineered bacteria. Synthetic biology and DNA-editing approaches have been adopted to engineer cells for more efficient PHA production. Recent advances in synthetic biology applied to improve PHA biosynthesis include ribosome-binding site (RBS) optimization, promoter engineering, chromosomal integration, cell morphology engineering, cell growth behavior reprograming, and downstream processing.