Direct observation of nanometer size hydride precipitations in superconducting niobium.

Superconducting niobium serves as a key enabling material for superconducting radio frequency (SRF) technology as well as quantum computing devices. Niobium has a high propensity for the uptake of hydrogen. At room temperature, hydrogen commonly occupies tetragonal sites in the Nb lattice as the metal (M)-gas (H) phase.

Efficacy of Intralesional Candida Injection in the Treatment of Cutaneous Warts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Recent studies that examined the treatment efficacy of Candida antigen injection for both non-genital and genital warts yield inconsistent results. To address this, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, comparing the treatment response between Candida antigen injection therapy and other intralesional immunotherapies across all types of warts. PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from inception to 16 September 2023, and 24 eligible RCTs were identified.

Advancements in fertility preservation strategies for pediatric male cancer patients: a review of cryopreservation and transplantation of immature testicular tissue.

Recently, there has been increasing emphasis on the gonadotoxic effects of cancer therapy in prepubertal boys. As advances in oncology treatments continue to enhance survival rates for prepubertal boys, the need for preserving their functional testicular tissue for future reproduction becomes increasingly vital. Therefore, we explore cutting-edge strategies in fertility preservation, focusing on the cryopreservation and transplantation of immature testicular tissue as a promising avenue.

RNA 5-Methylcytosine Modification Regulates Vegetative Development Associated with H3K27 Trimethylation in Arabidopsis.

Methylating RNA post-transcriptionally is emerging as a significant mechanism of gene regulation in eukaryotes. The crosstalk between RNA methylation and histone modification is critical for chromatin state and gene expression in mammals. However, it is not well understood mechanistically in plants.

Direct evidence of microstructure dependence of magnetic flux trapping in niobium.

Elemental type-II superconducting niobium is the material of choice for superconducting radiofrequency cavities used in modern particle accelerators, light sources, detectors, sensors, and quantum computing architecture. An essential challenge to increasing energy efficiency in rf applications is the power dissipation due to residual magnetic field that is trapped during the cool down process due to incomplete magnetic field expulsion. New SRF cavity processing recipes that use surface doping techniques have significantly increased their cryogenic efficiency.

Evidence from EXAFS for Different Ta/Ti Site Occupancy in High Critical Current Density NbSn Superconductor Wires.

To meet critical current density, J , targets for the Future Circular Collider (FCC), the planned replacement for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the high field performance of NbSn must be improved, but champion J values have remained static for the last 10 years. Making the A15 phase stoichiometric and enhancing the upper critical field H by Ti or Ta dopants are the standard strategies for enhancing high field performance but detailed recent studies show that even the best modern wires have broad composition ranges. To assess whether further improvement might be possible, we employed Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) to determine the lattice site location of dopants in modern high-performance NbSn strands with J values amongst the best so far achieved.

Trithorax Group Proteins Act Together with a Polycomb Group Protein to Maintain Chromatin Integrity for Epigenetic Silencing during Seed Germination in Arabidopsis.

Polycomb group (PcG) and trithorax group (trxG) proteins have been shown to act antagonistically to epigenetically regulate gene expression in eukaryotes. The trxG proteins counteract PcG-mediated floral repression in Arabidopsis, but their roles in other developmental processes are poorly understood. We investigated the interactions between the trxG genes, ARABIDOPSIS HOMOLOG OF TRITHORAX1 (ATX1) and ULTRAPETALA1 (ULT1), and the PcG gene EMBRYONIC FLOWER 1 (EMF1) during early development.

PcG and trxG in plants - friends or foes.

The highly-conserved Polycomb group (PcG) and trithorax group (trxG) proteins play major roles in regulating gene expression and maintaining developmental states in many organisms. However, neither the recruitment of Polycomb repressive complexes (PRC) nor the mechanisms of PcG and trxG-mediated gene silencing and activation are well understood. Recent progress in Arabidopsis research challenges the dominant model of PRC2-dependent recruitment of PRC1 to target genes.

EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 and ULTRAPETALA1 Act Antagonistically on Arabidopsis Development and Stress Response.

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is of fundamental importance for eukaryotic development. EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 (EMF1) is a plant-specific gene that participates in Polycomb group-mediated transcriptional repression of target genes such as the flower MADS box genes AGAMOUS, APETALA3, and PISTILLATA. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism underlying the curly leaf and early flowering phenotypes caused by reducing EMF1 activity in the leaf primordia of LFYasEMF1 transgenic plants and propose a combined effect of multiple flower MADS box gene activities on these phenotypes.

Molecular and functional characterization of broccoli EMBRYONIC FLOWER 2 genes.

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins regulate major developmental processes in Arabidopsis. EMBRYONIC FLOWER 2 (EMF2), the VEFS domain-containing PcG gene, regulates diverse genetic pathways and is required for vegetative development and plant survival. Despite widespread EMF2-like sequences in plants, little is known about their function other than in Arabidopsis and rice.

EMF1 and PRC2 cooperate to repress key regulators of Arabidopsis development.

EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 (EMF1) is a plant-specific gene crucial to Arabidopsis vegetative development. Loss of function mutants in the EMF1 gene mimic the phenotype caused by mutations in Polycomb Group protein (PcG) genes, which encode epigenetic repressors that regulate many aspects of eukaryotic development. In Arabidopsis, Polycomb Repressor Complex 2 (PRC2), made of PcG proteins, catalyzes trimethylation of lysine 27 on histone H3 (H3K27me3) and PRC1-like proteins catalyze H2AK119 ubiquitination.

Influence of solute-solvent coordination on the orientational relaxation of ion assemblies in polar solvents.

We have investigated the rotational dynamics of lithium thiocyanate (LiNCS) dissolved in various polar solvents with time and polarization resolved vibrational spectroscopy. LiNCS forms multiple distinct ionic structures in solution that can be distinguished with the CN stretch vibrational frequency of the different ionic assemblies. By varying the solvent and the LiNCS concentration, the number and type of ionic structures present in solution can be controlled.

EMF1 interacts with EIP1, EIP6 or EIP9 involved in the regulation of flowering time in Arabidopsis.

The EMBRYONIC FLOWER (EMF) 1 gene has been shown to be necessary for maintenance of vegetative development. To investigate the molecular mechanism of EMF1-mediated plant development, we screened EMF1-interacting proteins and identified 11 candidate proteins using the yeast two-hybrid system. Among the candidate genes, three EMF1-Interacting Protein (EIP) genes, EIP1, EIP6 and EIP9, are predicted to encode a WNK (with-no-lysine) kinase, a B-box zinc-finger protein and a DnaJ-domain protein, respectively.

Molecular evolution of VEF-domain-containing PcG genes in plants.

Arabidopsis VERNALIZATION2 (VRN2), EMBRYONIC FLOWER2 (EMF2), and FERTILIZATION-INDEPENDENT SEED2 (FIS2) are involved in vernalization-mediated flowering, vegetative development, and seed development, respectively. Together with Arabidopsis VEF-L36, they share a VEF domain that is conserved in plants and animals. To investigate the evolution of VEF-domain-containing genes (VEF genes), we analyzed sequences related to VEF genes across land plants.

Temporal and spatial requirement of EMF1 activity for Arabidopsis vegetative and reproductive development.

EMBRYONIC FLOWER (EMF) genes are required to maintain vegetative development via repression of flower homeotic genes in Arabidopsis. Removal of EMF gene function caused plants to flower upon germination, producing abnormal and sterile flowers. The pleiotropic effect of emf1 mutation suggests its requirement for gene programs involved in diverse developmental processes.

Epigenetic regulation of gene programs by EMF1 and EMF2 in Arabidopsis.

The EMBRYONIC FLOWER (EMF) genes are required to maintain vegetative development in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Loss-of-function emf mutants skip the vegetative phase, flower upon germination, and display pleiotropic phenotypes. EMF1 encodes a putative transcriptional regulator, while EMF2 encodes a Polycomb group (PcG) protein.

RAWUL: a new ubiquitin-like domain in PRC1 ring finger proteins that unveils putative plant and worm PRC1 orthologs.

Background: Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are a set of chromatin-modifying proteins that play a key role in epigenetic gene regulation. The PcG proteins form large multiprotein complexes with different activities. The two best-characterized PcG complexes are the PcG repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and 2 (PRC2) that respectively possess histone 2A lysine 119 E3 ubiquitin ligase and histone 3 lysine 27 methyltransferase activities.

EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 participates in polycomb group-mediated AG gene silencing in Arabidopsis.

Polycomb group (PcG)-mediated gene silencing is a common developmental strategy used to maintain stably inherited repression of target genes and involves different protein complexes known as Polycomb-repressive complexes (PRCs). In animals, the two best-characterized PcG complexes are PRC1 and PRC2. In this report, we demonstrate that the plant-specific protein EMBRYONIC FLOWER1 (EMF1) functions in maintaining the repression of the flower homeotic gene AGAMOUS (AG) during vegetative development in Arabidopsis thaliana by acting in concert with the EMF2 complex, a putative equivalent of Drosophila melanogaster PRC2.

Complexity beneath the silence.

Polycomb group (PcG)-mediated silencing by proteins that are conserved across plants and animals is a key feature of eukaryotic gene regulation. Investigation of PcG-mediated gene silencing has revealed a surprising degree of complexity in the molecular mechanisms that recruit the protein complexes, repress expression, and maintain the epigenetic silent state of target genes. This review summarizes our current understanding of the mechanism of PcG-mediated gene silencing in animals and higher plants.

Interaction of Polycomb-group proteins controlling flowering in Arabidopsis.

In Arabidopsis, the EMBYRONIC FLOWER2 (EMF2), VERNALISATION2 (VRN2) and FERTILISATION INDEPENDENT ENDOSPERM2 (FIS2) genes encode related Polycomb-group (Pc-G) proteins. Their homologues in animals act together with other Pc-G proteins as part of a multimeric complex, Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), which functions as a histone methyltransferase. Despite similarities between the fis2 mutant phenotype and those of some other plant Pc-G members, it has remained unclear how the FIS2/EMF2/VRN2 class Pc-G genes interact with the others.

The elongation defective1 mutant of Arabidopsis is impaired in the gene encoding a serine-rich secreted protein.

Coordinated cell growth and differentiation is crucial for the development of higher plants. Using the elongation defective 1-1 (eld1-1) mutant, we cloned the ELD1 gene, which encodes a serine-rich protein. Genes homologous to ELD1 can be found in plants, including Arabidopsis, rice, and tobacco, but not in other organisms.

PICKLE acts throughout the plant to repress expression of embryonic traits and may play a role in gibberellin-dependent responses.

A seed marks the transition between two developmental states; a plant is an embryo during seed formation, whereas it is a seedling after emergence from the seed. Two factors have been identified in Arabidopsis that play a role in establishment of repression of the embryonic state: PKL (PICKLE), which codes for a putative CHD3 chromatin remodeling factor, and gibberellin (GA), a plant growth regulator. Previous observations have also suggested that PKL mediates some aspects of GA responsiveness in the adult plant.

Intercellular calcium waves mediate preferential cell growth toward the wound edge in polarized hepatic cells.

During liver regeneration, hepatocytes sense the damage and initiate proliferation of the quiescent cells through poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we have used cultured hepatic cells to study the roles played by intercellular calcium in mediating wound-healing processes. Well-differentiated and polarized Hep-G2 cells repaired an experimentally induced wound by induction of cell divisions.

EMF genes maintain vegetative development by repressing the flower program in Arabidopsis.

The EMBRYONIC FLOWER (EMF) genes EMF1 and EMF2 are required to maintain vegetative development and repress flower development. EMF1 encodes a putative transcriptional regulator, and EMF2 encodes a Polycomb group protein homolog. We examined expression profiles of emf mutants using GeneChip technology.