Biparatopic anti-PCSK9 antibody enhances the LDL-uptake in HepG2 cells.

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) has emerged as a promising therapeutic target to reduce lipids. In 2020, we reported a chimeric camelid-human heavy chain antibody VHH-B11-Fc targeting PCSK9. Recently, it was verified that VHH-B11 binds one linear epitope in the PCSK9 hinge region.

A national-scale assessment of land subsidence in China's major cities.

China's massive wave of urbanization may be threatened by land subsidence. Using a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar interferometry technique, we provided a systematic assessment of land subsidence in all of China's major cities from 2015 to 2022. Of the examined urban lands, 45% are subsiding faster than 3 millimeters per year, and 16% are subsiding faster than 10 millimeters per year, affecting 29 and 7% of the urban population, respectively.

Does Forest Soil Fungal Community Respond to Short-Term Simulated Nitrogen Deposition in Different Forests in Eastern China?

Nitrogen (N) deposition has changed plants and soil microbes remarkably, which deeply alters the structures and functions of terrestrial ecosystems. However, how forest fungal diversity, community compositions, and their potential functions respond to N deposition is still lacking in exploration at a large scale. In this study, we conducted a short-term (4-5 years) experiment of artificial N addition to simulated N deposition in five typical forest ecosystems across eastern China, which includes tropical montane rainforest, subtropical evergreen broadleaved forest, temperate deciduous broadleaved forest, temperate broadleaved and conifer mixed forest, and boreal forest along a latitudinal gradient from tropical to cold temperature zones.

Effects of nitrogen addition on microbial residues and their contribution to soil organic carbon in China's forests from tropical to boreal zone.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has a significant influence on soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation in forest ecosystems. Microbial residues, as by-products of microbial anabolism, account for a significant fraction of soil C pools. However, how N deposition affects the accumulation of soil microbial residues in different forest biomes remains unclear.

Different responses of soil bacterial and fungal communities to nitrogen deposition in a subtropical forest.

China has experienced a widespread increase in N deposition due to intensive anthropogenic activities, particularly in the subtropical regions. However, the effects of long-term N deposition on soil bacterial and fungal abundance, diversity, and community composition remain largely unclear. We assessed the effects of N deposition on soil microbial communities in summer and winter, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Illumina Miseq sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS genes from subtropical natural forest soils.

Responses of forest ecosystems to increasing N deposition in China: A critical review.

China has been experiencing a rapid increase in nitrogen (N) deposition due to intensified anthropogenic N emissions since the late 1970s. By synthesizing experimental and observational data taken from literature, we reviewed the responses of China's forests to increasing N deposition over time, with a focus on soil biogeochemical properties and acidification, plant nutrient stoichiometry, understory biodiversity, forest growth, and carbon (C) sequestration. Nitrogen deposition generally increased soil N availability and soil N leaching and decreased soil pH in China's forests.

The response of tree growth to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in a tropical montane rainforest.

Rapid increase of global nitrogen (N) deposition has greatly altered carbon cycles and functioning of forest ecosystems. Previous studies have focused on changes in carbon dynamics of temperate and subtropical forests through N enrichment experiments; however, the effects of N deposition on tree growth remain inconsistent, especially in tropical forests. Here, we conducted a five-year N addition experiment (0 and 50kgNhayr) in a tropical montane rain forest in Hainan Island, China, to explore the effects of enhanced N deposition on growth of trees.

Effects of nitrogen deposition on soil microbial communities in temperate and subtropical forests in China.

Increasing nitrogen (N) deposition has aroused large concerns because of its potential negative effects on forest ecosystems. Although microorganisms play a vital role in ecosystem carbon (C) and nutrient cycling, the effect of N deposition on soil microbiota still remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the responses of microbial biomass C (MBC) and N (MBN) and microbial community composition to 4-5years of experimentally simulated N deposition in temperate needle-leaf forests and subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests in eastern China, using chloroform fumigation extraction and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) methods.

Nitrogen deposition has minor effect on soil extracellular enzyme activities in six Chinese forests.

Soil extracellular enzymes play a key role in mediating a range of forest ecosystem functions (i.e., carbon and nutrients cycling and biological productivity), particularly in the face of atmospheric N deposition that has been increasing at an unprecedented rate globally.

Scaling of nitrogen and phosphorus across plant organs in shrubland biomes across Northern China.

Allocation of limiting resources, such as nutrients, is an important adaptation strategy for plants. Plants may allocate different nutrients within a specific organ or the same nutrient among different organs. In this study, we investigated the allocation strategies of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in leaves, stems and roots of 126 shrub species from 172 shrubland communities in Northern China using scaling analyses.

A test of the generality of leaf trait relationships on the Tibetan Plateau.

Leaf mass per area (LMA), nitrogen concentration (on mass and area bases, N(mass) and N(area), respectively), photosynthetic capacity (A(mass) and A(area)) and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) are key foliar traits, but few data are available from cold, high-altitude environments. Here, we systematically measured these leaf traits in 74 species at 49 research sites on the Tibetan Plateau to examine how these traits, measured near the extremes of plant tolerance, compare with global patterns. Overall, Tibetan species had higher leaf nitrogen concentrations and photosynthetic capacities compared with a global dataset, but they had a slightly lower A(mass) at a given N(mass).