Effect of tensile deformation on the optoelectronic properties of black phosphine-doped lithium atoms.

Context: First-principles calculations based on the generalized gradient approximation gradient and the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof function (GGA-PBE generalized function) are carried out on the intrinsic and lithium-doped black phosphine systems to investigate the effects of different uniaxial tensile deformations on the electronic and optical properties of the systems. It is shown that the structural stability of the intrinsic and lithium-doped systems decreases with increasing tensile deformation, and all systems are most stable at 0% tensile deformation. The intrinsic black phosphazene system is a direct band gap semiconductor, and its band gap increases and then decreases with tensile deformation and reaches a maximum value of 1.

Systematic analysis reveals novel insight into the molecular determinants of function, diversity and evolution of sweet taste receptors T1R2/T1R3 in primates.

Sweet taste is a primary sensation for the preference and adaption of primates to diet, which is crucial for their survival and fitness. It is clear now that the sweet perception is mediated by a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR)-sweet taste receptor T1R2/T1R3, and many behavioral or physiological experiments have described the diverse sweet taste sensitivities in primates. However, the structure-function relationship of T1R2s/T1R3s in primates, especially the molecular basis for their species-dependent sweet taste, has not been well understood until now.

New Insight Into the Structure-Activity Relationship of Sweet-Tasting Proteins: Protein Sector and Its Role for Sweet Properties.

Sweet-tasting protein is a kind of biomacromolecule that has remarkable sweetening power and is regarded as the promising sugar replacer in the future. Some sweet-tasting proteins has been used in foods and beverages. However, the structure and function relationship of these proteins is still elusive, and guidelines for their protein engineering is limited.

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) promotes cardiac differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via activating ERK1/2 signaling.

Background/aims: The differentiation efficiency of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) is low in vivo after transplantation. Therefore, it is necessary to look for effective reagents for enhancing cardiac differentiation of BM-MSCs. It has been reported that cardiac differentiation of stem cells depends on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein 1/2 (ERK1/2) signaling.

Telocytes: a potential defender in the spleen of Npc1 mutant mice.

Niemann-Pick disease, type C1 (Npc1), is an atypical lysosomal storage disorder caused by autosomal recessive inheritance of mutations in Npc1 gene. In the Npc1 mutant mice (Npc1 ), the initial manifestation is enlarged spleen, concomitant with free cholesterol accumulation. Telocytes (TCs), a novel type of interstitial cell, exist in a variety of tissues including spleen, presumably thought to be involved in many biological processes such as nursing stem cells and recruiting inflammatory cells.

N-cadherin regulates beta-catenin signal and its misexpression perturbs commissural axon projection in the developing chicken spinal cord.

N-cadherin is a calcium-sensitive cell adhesion molecule that plays an important role in the formation of the neural circuit and the development of the nervous system. In the present study, we investigated the function of N-cadherin in cell-cell connection in vitro with HEK293T cells, and in commissural axon projections in the developing chicken spinal cord using in ovo electroporation. Cell-cell connections increased with N-cadherin overexpression in HEK293T cells, while cell contacts disappeared after co-transfection with an N-cadherin-shRNA plasmid.

Pax3 and Pax7 interact reciprocally and regulate the expression of cadherin-7 through inducing neuron differentiation in the developing chicken spinal cord.

Pax3 and Pax7 are closely related transcription factors that are widely expressed in the developing nervous system and somites. In the CNS, both genes are expressed in the dorsal part of the neural tube during development. Pax3 and Pax7 are involved in the sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway and are inhibited by Shh overexpression.

Restricted expression of classic cadherins in the spinal cord of the chicken embryo.

Classic cadherins belong to the family of cadherin genes and play important roles in neurogenesis, neuron migration, and axon growth. In the present study, we compared the expression patterns of 10 classic cadherins (Cdh2, Cdh4, Cdh6, Cdh7, Cdh8, Cdh9, Cdh11, Cdh12, Cdh18, and Cdh20) in the developing chicken spinal cord (SP) by in situ hybridization. Our results indicate that each of the investigated cadherins exhibits a spatially restricted and temporally regulated pattern of expression.

Ox-LDL promotes migration and adhesion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells via regulation of MCP-1 expression.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) are the most important cell source for stem cell transplant therapy. The migration capacity of MSCs is one of the determinants of the efficiency of MSC-based transplant therapy. Our recent study has shown that low concentrations of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) can stimulate proliferation of bmMSCs.

Expression patterns of the ADAMs in early developing chicken cochlea.

Members of the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) family are type I transmembrane proteins involved in biological processes of proteolysis, cell adhesion, cell-matrix interaction, as well as in the intracellular signaling transduction. In the present study, expression patterns of seven members of the ADAM family were investigated at the early stages of the developing cochlea by in situ hybridization. The results show that each individual ADAM is expressed and regulated in the early developing cochlea.

Lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 expresses in mouse bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and stimulates their proliferation.

The bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) have been widely used in cell transplant therapy, and the proliferative ability of bmMSCs is one of the determinants of the therapy efficiency. Lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1 (LOX-1) as a transmembrane protein is responsible for binding, internalizing and degrading oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). It has been identified that LOX-1 is expressed in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts and monocytes.

Expression of multiple delta-protocadherins during feather bud formation.

The expression of the chicken delta-protocadherin (Pcdh) subfamily was investigated in the developing feather buds of the chicken. The expression profiles of the eight investigated Pcdhs in the cells and tissues of the feather buds differ from each other. Pcdh1, Pcdh7, Pcdh8 and Pcdh10 are differentially expressed in the epidermis of the feather bud.

Anatomical expression patterns of delta-protocadherins in developing chicken cochlea.

The delta-protocadherin (δ-Pcdh) family of transmembrane proteins belongs to the cadherin superfamily, which is involved in embryogenesis mediated by a homophilic binding during the embryonic development. In the present study, expression patterns of eight members of the δ-Pcdh family were investigated in the developing chicken cochlea by in situ hybridization. Our results provide a dynamical profile to show that the δ-Pcdhs are expressed spatially and temporally in the developing chicken cochleae.

Expression of delta-protocadherins in the spinal cord of the chicken embryo.

Protocadherins constitute the largest subfamily of cadherin genes and are widely expressed in the nervous system. In the present study, we cloned eight members of the delta-protocadherin subfamily of cadherins (Pcdh1, Pcdh7, Pcdh8, Pcdh9, Pcdh10, Pcdh17, Pcdh18, and Pcdh19) from the chicken, and investigated their expression in the developing chicken spinal cord by in situ hybridization. Our results showed that each of the investigated delta-protocadherins exhibits a spatially restricted and temporally regulated pattern of expression.

Molecular characterization and functional analysis of a protease-related protein in Chang-liver cells.

In this study, the cDNA library of Chang-liver cells was immunoscreened using common ADAMs antibody to obtain ADAM related genes. We found one positive clone that was confirmed as a new gene by Blast, which is an uncharacterized helical and coil protein and processes protease activity, and named protease-related protein 1 (ARP1). The submitted GenBank accession number is AY078070.

Study on construction of cDNA library of the treated changliver cell and quality analysis.

The study aims to construct cDNA library of Changliver cell by SMART (switching mechanism at 5' end of RNA transcript) technique and analyze its quality. cDNA of Changliver cell was made with RT-PCR and LD-PCR (long-distance PCR), the cDNA library was constructed with SMART cDNA library construction kit. Through testing, the high quality cDNA library containing whole long cDNA of Changliver cell had been constructed.

Study on construction of cDNA libraries from rat normal liver and regeneration liver with smart technique.

The aim of the study is to construct cDNA libraries from the normal liver and regeneration liver of rat by SMART (switching mechanism at 5' end of RNA transcript) technique and analyze their quality. The total RNA was separated from the normal liver and regeneration liver of rat and the frist-strand cDNA was synthesized through reverse transcription by a modified oligo (dT) primer (contained sfi IB site) while the SMART oligonucleotide (contained sfi IA site) was utilized as a template so that the first-strand cDNA could be extended over the 5' end of mRNA. The double-strand cDNA was amplified by LD-PCR (long-distance PCR) with the above two primers and then digested by sfi I (IA & IB) restriction, enzyme.