Enhancement of succinate yield by manipulating NADH/NAD ratio and ATP generation.

We previously engineered Escherichia coli YL104 to efficiently produce succinate from glucose. In this study, we investigated the relationships between the NADH/NAD ratio, ATP level, and overall yield of succinate production by using glucose as the carbon source in YL104. First, the use of sole NADH dehydrogenases increased the overall yield of succinate by 7% and substantially decreased the NADH/NAD ratio.

The organoarsenical biocycle and the primordial antibiotic methylarsenite.

Arsenic is the most pervasive environmental toxic substance. As a consequence of its ubiquity, nearly every organism has genes for resistance to inorganic arsenic. In bacteria these genes are found largely in bacterial arsenic resistance (ars) operons.

Construction of Novel Plasmid Vectors for Gene Knockout in Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori infection plays an important role in the etiology of various gastroduodenal diseases. However, pathogenic mechanism of H. pylori is not clear.

ATP-Based Ratio Regulation of Glucose and Xylose Improved Succinate Production.

We previously engineered E. coli YL104H to efficiently produce succinate from glucose. Furthermore, the present study proved that YL104H could also co-utilize xylose and glucose for succinate production.

A network signal amplification strategy of ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical immunosensing carcinoembryonic antigen based on CdSe/melamine network as label.

Taking advantage of CdSe/melamine network as label and Au-TiO2 as substrate, this work developed a novel kind of signal amplification strategy for fabricating photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay. The melamine, a star-shaped triamino molecule, was firstly used for readily capturing CdSe QDs and forming a CdSe/melamine network, which was formed through strong interactions between the carboxyl groups of TGA-stabilized CdSe QDs and the three amino groups of each melamine molecule. In this strategy, the primary antibody (Ab1) was immobilized onto Au-TiO2 substrate, which made the photoelectric conversion efficiency increase significantly.

Expression of arsenic resistance genes in the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482, a gut microbiome bacterium.

The response of the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides vulgatus ATCC 8482, a common human gut microbiota, to arsenic was determined. B. vulgatus ATCC 8482 is highly resistant to pentavalent As(V) and methylarsenate (MAs(V)).

Functional profile of gastric epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori strains.

Helicobacter pylori infection represents a key factor in the etiology of various gastro-duodenal diseases, ranging from chronic gastritis to the development of peptic ulcer disease and end-stage gastric cancer. In the present study, the 26695 and SS1 strains of H. pylori were used to study the differential functional profiles of gastric epithelial cells infected with H.

Label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on enhanced signal amplification between Au@Pd and CoFe2O4/graphene nanohybrid.

The improvement of sensitivity of electrochemical immunosensor can be achieved via two approaches: increasing loading capacities of antibody and enlarging responding electrochemical signals. Based on these, CoFe2O4/graphene nanohybrid (CoFe2O4/rGO) as support was firstly used for preparing electrochemical biosensor, and with the addition of Au@Pd nanorods (NRs) as mimic enzyme, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor was prepared. Due to the high electrical conductivity, open porous structure and large loading capacities of CoFe2O4/rGO, the enhanced signal amplification between Au@Pd NRs and CoFe2O4/rGO was studied.

Plasmon enhanced photoelectrochemical sensing of mercury (II) ions in human serum based on Au@Ag nanorods modified TiO₂ nanosheets film.

Taking advantages of the monodisperse TiO2 nanosheets (NSs) with high active crystal face exposure and the tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties of Au@Ag nanorods (NRs), this study demonstrated that TiO2 NSs film with trace amount of Au@Ag NRs modification possess a strong enhancement of photocurrent response, which was remarkably inhibited with the addition of mercury (II) ions (Hg(2+)). Based on the selective decrease of photocurrent with the addition of Hg(2+), a simple photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor has been assembled. The PEC sensor exhibits wide linear range (0.

[Development of Silk Fibroin Composite Films for Corneal Repair].

It is important to design a long-period transparent bioactive material for corneal repair in the process of corneal tissue renovation. This article discusses the silk fibroin and formamide blend membranes as a corneal stroma repair material. Silk fibroin solution was mixed with formamide in different proportions to obtain insoluble transparent silk fibroin film by casting method.

DNA methylation in cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) gene promoter induced by ox-LDL in macrophages and in apoE knockout mice.

Recent studies suggest that epigenetic alterations such as DNA methylation control many aspects of monocytes/macrophages and participate in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, a lipid-driven inflammatory disorder. Our and other groups demonstrated that dysregulation of cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) -hydrogen sulfide (H2S) pathway was involved in monocyte/macrophages-mediated inflammation and atherosclerosis. However, it remains unknown whether altered cse methylation in macrophages may play a role in linking CSE-H2S dysregulation and atherosclerosis.

Fabrication of functional PLGA-based electrospun scaffolds and their applications in biomedical engineering.

Electrospun PLGA-based scaffolds have been applied extensively in biomedical engineering, such as tissue engineering and drug delivery system. Due to lack of the recognition sites on cells, hydropholicity and single-function, the applications of PLGA fibrous scaffolds are limited. In order to tackle these issues, many works have been done to obtain functional PLGA-based scaffolds, including surface modifications, the fabrication of PLGA-based composite scaffolds and drug-loaded scaffolds.

An Efficient Augmented Lagrangian Method for Statistical X-Ray CT Image Reconstruction.

Statistical iterative reconstruction (SIR) for X-ray computed tomography (CT) under the penalized weighted least-squares criteria can yield significant gains over conventional analytical reconstruction from the noisy measurement. However, due to the nonlinear expression of the objective function, most exiting algorithms related to the SIR unavoidably suffer from heavy computation load and slow convergence rate, especially when an edge-preserving or sparsity-based penalty or regularization is incorporated. In this work, to address abovementioned issues of the general algorithms related to the SIR, we propose an adaptive nonmonotone alternating direction algorithm in the framework of augmented Lagrangian multiplier method, which is termed as "ALM-ANAD".

Potential of biocompatible regenerated silk fibroin/sodium N-lauroyl sarcosinate hydrogels.

Hydrogels are becoming widely used in biomaterial applications. The available methods for the preparation of these materials are continually growing. The gelation time (GT) of silk protein fibroin is difficult to control by physical methods.

Homocysteine Triggers Inflammatory Responses in Macrophages through Inhibiting CSE-H2S Signaling via DNA Hypermethylation of CSE Promoter.

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Unfortunately, Hcy-lowering strategies were found to have limited effects in reducing cardiovascular events. The underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

The influence of the hydrophilic-lipophilic environment on the structure of silk fibroin protein.

The present study examines the influence of the hydrophilic-lipophilic environment, mediated by small molecules, on the structural changes in silk protein fibroin. Small molecules mediate the various hydrophilic-lipophilic balances (HLBs) that impact the organisation of silk protein chains. Changes in the silk fibroin structure due to additives are related to the HLB value.

WNK1 is involved in Nogo66 inhibition of OPC differentiation.

LINGO-1 is a transmembrane receptor expressed primarily in the central nervous system (CNS) and plays an important role in myelination. Recent studies have indicated that it is also involved in oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) survival and differentiation; however, the downstream signaling pathway underlying OPC development is unknown. In our previous study, we found that LINGO-1 is associated with WNK1 in mediating Nogo-induced neurite extension inhibition by RhoA activation.

[Association between Helicobacter pylori infection and newly diagnosed childhood immune thrombocytopenia].

Objective: To study the role of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in newly diagnosed childhood immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

Methods: A total of 495 children with newly diagnosed ITP who were hospitalized for the first time between January 2011 and December 2013 were included as the case group.

[Effects of Ca2+ on photosynthetic parameters of Pinellia ternata and accumulations of active components in heat stress].

Objective: To study the effect of exogenous Ca2+ on photosynthetic parameters of Pinellia ternate and accumulations of active components under high temperature stress.

Method: The pigment contents of P. ternata leaves, photosynthesis parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of P.

Synergistic effect of nanomaterials and BMP-2 signalling in inducing osteogenic differentiation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

The lack of complete understanding in the signalling pathways that control the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells hinders their clinical application in the reconstruction of large bone defects and non-union bone fractures. The aim of this study is to gain insight into the interactions of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and bone biomimetic scaffolds in directing osteogenic differentiation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) and the underlying signalling pathways involved. We demonstrated that bioactive glass nanoparticles (nBG) incorporated polycaprolactone (PCL) coating on hydroxyapatite/β-tricalcium phosphate (HA/TCP) scaffold exerted a synergistic effect with 3days of BMP-2 treatment in promoting osteogenic gene expression levels (Runx-2, collagen I, osteopontin and bone sialoprotein) and alkaline phosphatase activity in ASCs.

Structure of Escherichia coli Grx2 in complex with glutathione: a dual-function hybrid of glutaredoxin and glutathione S-transferase.

The structure of glutaredoxin 2 (Grx2) from Escherichia coli co-crystallized with glutathione (GSH) was solved at 1.60 Å resolution. The structure of a mutant with the active-site residues Cys9 and Cys12 changed to serine crystallized in the absence of glutathione was solved to 2.

Statins upregulate cystathionine γ-lyase transcription and H2S generation via activating Akt signaling in macrophage.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), the third gaseous transmitter, is implicated in various pathophysiologic processes. In the cardiovascular system, H2S exerts effects of cardioprotection, vascular tone regulation, and atherogenesis inhibition. Recent studies demonstrated that atorvastatin, the inhibitor of 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl coenzyme A reductase, affected H2S formation in kidney and other organs.

Preparation of animal polysaccharides nanofibers by electrospinning and their potential biomedical applications.

Animal polysaccharides belong to a class of biological macromolecules. They are natural biopolymers with numerous advantages for biomedical applications, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-antigenicity and non-toxicity. Electrospinning is a versatile and facile technique which can produce continuous fibers with nanoscale from a wide range of natural and synthetic polymers.

Roles for Tbx3 in regulation of two-cell state and telomere elongation in mouse ES cells.

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cell cultures exhibit heterogeneity and recently are discovered to sporadically enter the 2-cell (2C)-embryo state, critical for ES potency. Zscan4 could mark the sporadic 2C-state of ES cells. However, factors that regulate the Zscan4(+)/2C state remain to be elucidated.