Bifunctional diatomic site catalysts supported by β-borophene for efficient oxygen evolution and reduction reactions.

Efficient bifunctional catalysts for oxygen evolution and reduction reactions (OERs/ORRs) are of great importance for sustainable and renewable clean energy, especially for metal-air batteries. Herein, we investigated β-borophene with double-hole sites capped with 3d transition metal atoms to explore its catalyst performance for hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs), OERs and ORRs. It was found that the borophene is a good platform for diatomic site catalysts (DASCs) due to their advantage of stability over the corresponding single-atom catalysts (SACs) or clusters.

Dihydromyricetin attenuates cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation and ferroptosis.

Background: Cisplatin is effective against various types of cancers. However, its clinical application is limited owing to its adverse effects, especially acute kidney injury (AKI). Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a flavonoid derived from Ampelopsis grossedentata, has varied pharmacological activities.

LSCIDMR: Large-Scale Satellite Cloud Image Database for Meteorological Research.

People can infer the weather from clouds. Various weather phenomena are linked inextricably to clouds, which can be observed by meteorological satellites. Thus, cloud images obtained by meteorological satellites can be used to identify different weather phenomena to provide meteorological status and future projections.

Neutral Ceramidase Is Required for the Reproduction of Brown Planthopper, (Stål).

Ceramides are bioactive sphingolipids that have been implicated in insect development; however, their role in insect reproduction remains poorly understood. Here, we report the pivotal role of neutral ceramidase (NCER) in the female reproduction of the brown planthopper (BPH), (Stål), a significant pest in rice cultivation in Asia. LC-MS/MS demonstrated that, among different developmental stages of BPH, the levels of ceramides were highest in 1st instar nymphs and lowest in adults.

Transcriptional changes revealed genes and pathways involved in the deficient testis caused by the inhibition of alkaline ceramidase (Dacer) in Drosophila melanogaster.

Sphingolipids are ubiquitous structural components of eukaryotic cell membranes which are vital for maintaining the integrity of cells. Alkaline ceramidase is a key enzyme in sphingolipid biosynthesis pathway; however, little is known about the role of the enzyme in the male reproductive system of Drosophila melanogaster. To investigate the impact of alkaline ceramidase (Dacer) on male Drosophila, we got Dacer deficiency mutants (MUs) and found they displayed apparent defects in the testis's phenotype.

Alkaline Ceramidase Mediates the Oxidative Stress Response in Drosophila melanogaster Through Sphingosine.

Alkaline ceramidase (Dacer) in Drosophila melanogaster was demonstrated to be resistant to paraquat-induced oxidative stress. However, the underlying mechanism for this resistance remained unclear. Here, we showed that sphingosine feeding triggered the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).

A neutral ceramidase, NlnCDase, is involved in the stress responses of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Stål).

Ceramidases (CDases) are vital enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of sphingolipids, which are essential components of eukaryotic membranes. The function of these enzymes in insects, however, is poorly understood. We identified a neutral ceramidase (NlnCDase) from the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, one of the most destructive hemipteran pests of rice.

Thermal sensitivity of bacteriocytes constrains the persistence of intracellular bacteria in whitefly symbiosis under heat stress.

Temperature affects the persistence of diverse symbionts of insects. Our previous study indicates that the whitefly symbionts confined within bacteriocytes or scattered throughout the body cavity outside bacteriocytes may have differential thermal sensitivity. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown.

Rice Stripe Virus Infection Alters mRNA Levels of Sphingolipid-Metabolizing Enzymes and Sphingolipids Content in Laodelphax striatellus.

Sphingolipids and their metabolites have been implicated in viral infection and replication in mammal cells but how their metabolizing enzymes in the host are regulated by viruses remains largely unknown. Here we report the identification of 12 sphingolipid genes and their regulation by Rice stripe virus in the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus Fallén), a serious pest of rice throughout eastern Asia. According to protein sequence similarity, we identified 12 sphingolipid enzyme genes in L.

Xyloketal B, a marine compound, acts on a network of molecular proteins and regulates the activity and expression of rat cytochrome P450 3a: a bioinformatic and animal study.

Natural compounds are becoming popular for the treatment of illnesses and health promotion, but the mechanisms of action and safety profiles are often unknown. Xyloketal B (XKB) is a novel marine compound isolated from the mangrove fungus Xylaria sp., with potent antioxidative, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective effects.

Construction and characterization of a recombinant human beta defensin 2 fusion protein targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor: in vitro study.

The HER2/neu proto-oncogene encodes a 185-kDa trans-membrane glycoprotein kinase with extensive homology to the epidermal growth factor receptor and plays a key role in the transformation and growth of malignant tumors. To date, two antibody drugs targeting HER2/neu have been developed successfully. In order to reduce the cost and the time of clinical treatment, we produced a fusion protein composed of human beta defensin 2 (hBD2) and anti-HER2/neu single-chain variable fragment (scFv 4D5), which is capable of specifically targeting, significantly inhibiting, and promptly killing HER2/neu-positive cancer cells.

Large-scale expression, purification, and glucose uptake activity of recombinant human FGF21 in Escherichia coli.

As a novel important regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism homeostasis, human fibroblast growth factor 21 (hFGF21) has become a potential drug candidate for the treatment of metabolic diseases including obesity, and type 2 diabetes, as well as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. To improve the production of recombinant hFGF21 to meet the increasing demand in clinical applications, an artificial gene encoding its mature peptide sequence was constructed, cloned into vector pET-3c and then expressed in Escherichia coli Origami B (DE3). Under optimal conditions in a 50-L fermentor, the average bacterial yield and the soluble expression level of recombinant hFGF21 of six batches attained 1750 ± 185 g and 32 ± 1.

Dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase and cAMP are associated with cadmium-mediated Leydig cell damage.

Cadmium (Cd) directly inhibits testosterone production in Leydig cells, but its mechanism is still unclear. To further explore the signaling pathway of Cd-mediated toxicity to Leydig cells, various concentrations of Cd were cultured with R2C cells for 24h, and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE)-based proteomics profiling was used to analyze the change of protein expressions. Cd caused a concentration-dependent inhibition of cell viability with IC(25), IC(50) and IC(75) of 2.

Identification of potential biomarkers for predicting acute dermal irritation by proteomic analysis.

In vitro alternative tests aiming at replacing the traditional animal test for predicting the irritant potential of chemicals have been developed, but the assessment parameters or endpoints are still not sufficient for analysis. To discover novel endpoints for skin irritation responses, a proteomics approach was used to analyze the protein expression in human keratinocytes exposed to sodium lauryl sulfate in the present study. Among the 20 identified proteins with altered expression, small heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) and superoxide dismutase [Cu-Zn] were down-regulated while cofilin-1 was up-regulated significantly in response to the chemical challenge.

Comparison of bacterial diversity in wheat bran and in the gut of larvae and newly emerged adult of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) by use of ethidium monoazide reveals bacterial colonization.

The objective of the current study is to investigate the bacterial colonization within the gut of the house fly, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), at the larval stage and the bacterial community of the gut of the house fly at the newly emerged adult stage. After using ethidium monoazide to inhibit recovery of nucleic acids from dead bacteria, three polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified 16S rDNA libraries from wheat bran, larvae, and newly emerged adults was constructed, analyzed, and compared.

Expression and Purification of glutathione transferase-small ubiquitin-related modifier-metallothionein fusion protein and its neuronal and hepatic protection against D-galactose-induced oxidative damage in mouse model.

The present study aimed to produce and pathophysiologically evaluate the metallothionein (MT) fusion protein. A recombinant plasmid containing DNA segment coding the pET-glutathione transferase (GST)-small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO)-MT fusion protein was inserted into Escherichia coli for expression. The expression level of the fusion protein was very high, reaching to 38.