Lysosome-Targeted Polarity-Sensitive NIR Fluorescence Probe for Imaging Injured Lung and Liver in Diabetes.

Diabetes is a chronic disease marked by high blood glucose. With the progress of diabetes, complications gradually appear, and various organs may be affected. However, due to the lack of noninvasive in situ detection probes, the diagnosis of organ damage caused by diabetes is significantly delayed, which will cause many complications that cannot be treated in time.

Enzyme-Activated Biomimetic Vesicles Confining Mineralization for Bone Maturation.

Inspired by the crucial role of matrix vesicles (MVs), a series of biomimetic vesicles (BVs) fabricated by calcium glycerophosphate (CaGP) modified polyurethane were designed to mediate the mineralization through enzyme activation for bone therapy. In this study, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was harbored in the porous BVs by adsorption (Ad-BVs) or entrapment (En-BVs). High encapsulation of ALP on En-BVs was effectively self-activating by calcium ions of CaGP-modified PU that specifically hydrolyzed the organophosphorus (CaGP) to inorganic phosphate, thus promoting the formation of the highly oriented bone-like apatite .

Based ATP-gating mechanism for detection of alkaline phosphatase in single-glass micropipettes functionalized by three-dimensional DNA network.

The construction of gating system in artificial channels is a cutting-edge research direction in understanding biological process and application sensing. Here, by mimicking the gating system, we report a device that easily synthesized single-glass micropipettes functionalized by three-dimensional (3D) DNA network, which triggers the gating mechanism for the detection of biomolecules. Based on this strategy, the gating mechanism shows that single-glass micropipette assembled 3D DNA network is in the "OFF" state, and after collapsing in the presence of ATP, they are in the "ON" state, at which point they exhibit asymmetric response times.

Biodegradable Polyurethane Scaffolds in Regeneration Therapy: Characterization and Real-Time Degradation Monitoring by Grafted Fluorescent Tracer.

There is an urgent need to assess material degradation and in real time for their promising application in regeneration therapy. However, traditional monitoring methods cannot always profile the complicated behavior . This study designed and synthesized a new biodegradable polyurethane (PU-P) scaffold with polycaprolactone glycol, isophorone diisocyanate, and l-lysine ethyl ester dihydrochloride.

Ecological differentiation and assembly processes of abundant and rare bacterial subcommunities in karst groundwater.

The ecological health of karst groundwater has been of global concern due to increasing anthropogenic activities. Bacteria comprising a few abundant taxa (AT) and plentiful rare taxa (RT) play essential roles in maintaining ecosystem stability, yet limited information is known about their ecological differentiation and assembly processes in karst groundwater. Based on a metabarcoding analysis of 64 groundwater samples from typical karst regions in southwest China, we revealed the environmental drivers, ecological roles, and assembly mechanisms of abundant and rare bacterial communities.

Creation of New Oregano Genotypes with Different Terpene Chemotypes via Inter- and Intraspecific Hybridization.

Oregano is a medicinal and aromatic plant of value in the pharmaceutical, food, feed additive, and cosmetic industries. Oregano breeding is still in its infancy compared with traditional crops. In this study, we evaluated the phenotypes of 12 oregano genotypes and generated F progenies by hybridization.

Synergetic Effect of Electrical and Topographical Cues in Aniline Trimer-Based Polyurethane Fibrous Scaffolds on Tissue Regeneration.

Processibility and biodegradability of conductive polymers are major concerns when they are applied to tissue regeneration. This study synthesizes dissolvable and conductive aniline trimer-based polyurethane copolymers (DCPU) and processes them into scaffolds by using electrospinning with different patterns (random, oriented, and latticed). The effects of topographic cue changes on electrical signal transmission and further regulation of cell behaviors concerning bone tissue are researched.

Population diversity analyses provide insights into key horticultural traits of Chinese native thymes.

Chinese native thymes (CNTs) in the genus (family Lamiaceae) are rich in bioactive terpenes, which exert antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidation, immunological, and antimicrobial effects. Plants exhibit morphological variation, including erect-type and creeping-type growth forms; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying important horticultural traits have not been determined. Here, we collected 39 CNTs providing strategic plant resources for studies of lignin, terpenoids, and glandular trichomes of thymes.

One Stone, Three Birds: A Smart Single Fluorescent Probe for Simultaneous and Discriminative Imaging of Lysosomes, Lipid Droplets, and Mitochondria.

Complex intracellular life processes are usually completed through the cooperation of multiple organelles. Real-time tracking of the interplays between multiple organelles with a single fluorescent probe (SFP) is very helpful to deepen our understanding of complex biological processes. So far, SFP for simultaneously differentiating and visualizing of more than two different organelles has not been reported.

Creation of new germplasm resources, development of SSR markers, and screening of monoterpene synthases in thyme.

Background: Thyme derived essential oil and its components have numerous applications in pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetic industries, owing to their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. To obtain thyme essential oil with different terpene composition, we developed new germplasm resources using the conventional hybridization approach.

Results: Phenotypic characteristics, including essential oil yield and composition, glandular trichome density, plant type, and fertility, of three wild Chinese and seven European thyme species were evaluated.

Full-length transcriptome-referenced analysis reveals crucial roles of hormone and wounding during induction of aerial bulbils in lily.

Aerial bulbils are important vegetative reproductive organs in Lilium. They are often perpetually dormant in most Lilium species, and little is known about the induction of these vegetative structures. The world-famous Oriental hybrid lily cultivar 'Sorbonne', which blooms naturally devoid of aerial bulbils, is known for its lovely appearance and sweet fragrance.

Chromosome-level assembly and analysis of the Thymus genome provide insights into glandular secretory trichome formation and monoterpenoid biosynthesis in thyme.

Thyme has medicinal and aromatic value because of its potent antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. However, the absence of a fully sequenced thyme genome limits functional genomic studies of Chinese native thymes. Thymus quinquecostatus Čelak.

Highly Sensitive Glass Nanopipette Sensor Using Composite Probes of DNA-Functionalized Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Pore structure-based analytical techniques have great potential applications for the detection of biological molecules. However, the sophistication of traditional pore sensors is restricted in their applicability of analytical chemistry due to a lack of effective carrier probes. Here, we used porous coordination network-224 (PCN-224) composite probes in conjunction with a glass nanopipette (GN) as a sensing platform.

Analysis of edible characteristics, antioxidant capacities, and phenolic pigment monomers in Lilium bulbs native to China.

Lilium is cherished for its health-promoting properties in China. The bulbs of Lilium are rich in phenolic compounds, which are associated with antioxidant capacity. However, no systematic evaluation on phenolic compositions and antioxidant capacities for the edible Lilium native to China has been conducted.

Metal-organic framework-based micropipette is a metal ion responsive nanochannel after adsorbing HS.

Glass micropipettes are easy to fabricate, have excellent flexibility and stable properties. HKUST-1 and MIL-68(In) are in situ grown in the tip of a micropipette to construct porous nanochannels. After absorbing H2S, the MIL-68(In)-based nanochannel shows effective metal ion responsiveness for Hg2+-detection.

Porous Electroactive and Biodegradable Polyurethane Membrane through Self-Doping Organogel.

In order to improve the processability of conductive polyurethane (CPU) containing aniline oligomers, a new CPU containing aniline trimer (AT) and l-lysine (PUAT) are designed and synthesized. Further, the 3D porous PUAT membranes have been prepared by a simple gel cooperated with freeze-drying method. Chemical testings and conductive properties testify a self- doping model of PUAT based on the rich electronic l-lysine and electroaffinity AT moities.

The in vitro evaluation of antibacterial efficacy optimized with cellular apoptosis on multi-functional polyurethane sealers for the root canal treatment.

To solve the high instances of failure caused by endodontic reinfection, herein, an improved root filling material was produced to meet the multi-functional demand of sealers for root canal therapy. In this study, polyurethane (PU)-based nanocomposites were prepared by loading bismuth oxide, hydroxyapatite and antibacterial agents, namely AgPO and ZnO nanoparticles, which were named CP-Ag and CP-Zn sealers, respectively. A parallel biological evaluation at bacterial and cellular levels was performed to determine the fate of the different components of the PU-based sealers.

Highly efficient zinc finger peptide detection with ZIF-8-modified micropipets.

Zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)-modified micropipets can be an effective sensing platform for zinc finger peptides, the limit of detection of which reaches 10-2 μg ml-1. A series of techniques for detecting biomolecules are expected to emerge because of its simplicity, low cost, and universality by modifying other functional materials into the micropipets.

Global Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Inhibitory Effects of Paclobutrazol on Leaf Growth in Lily (Lilium Longiflorum-Asiatic Hybrid).

As a popular ornamental flower, potted lily is an important object of lily breeding. Paclobutrazol, a chemical growth retardation compound, is often used to dwarf plant in producing potted lilies. However, in recent years, the plants with inherited dwarf traits by using genetic engineer breeding technology are being developed.

Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Leaf Color Regulation Mechanism in Chimera Hosta "Gold Standard" Leaves.

Leaf color change of variegated leaves from chimera species is regulated by fine-tuned molecular mechanisms. Hosta "Gold Standard" is a typical chimera Hosta species with golden-green variegated leaves, which is an ideal material to investigate the molecular mechanisms of leaf variegation. In this study, the margin and center regions of young and mature leaves from Hosta "Gold Standard", as well as the leaves from plants after excess nitrogen fertilization were studied using physiological and comparative proteomic approaches.

Water translocation between ramets of strawberry during soil drying and its effects on photosynthetic performance.

To explore the mechanisms underlying water regulation in clonal plants and its effects on carbon assimilation under water stress, we studied the responses of water status, gas exchange and abscisic acid (ABA) contents to water stress in leaves of pairs of strawberry ramets that consist of mother and daughter ramets. There was a greater decrease in photosynthetic rates (P(n)) and stomatal conductance (G(s)) in the disconnected mother ramets than the connected mother ramets upon exposure to water stress, indicating that water stress in mother ramets was alleviated by water translocation from the well-watered daughter ramets. Conversely, the connected mother ramets displayed enhanced symptoms of water stress when the connected daughter ramets were exposed to water deficit.

Ecophysiological evaluation of the potential invasiveness of Rhus typhina in its non-native habitats.

Rhus typhina L. (staghorn sumac) is a clonal woody species that is considered potentially invasive in its non-native habitats. It is slow growing as seedlings, but grows fast once established.