Activated dormant stem cells recover spermatogenesis in chemoradiotherapy-induced infertility.

Male infertility is a recognized side effect of chemoradiotherapy. Extant spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) may act as originators for any subsequent recovery. However, which type of SSCs, the mechanism by which they survive and resist toxicity, and how they act to restart spermatogenesis remain largely unknown.

The effects of N-addition on litter mixture effects depend on decomposition time: A case from mixed-litter decomposition in the Gurbantunggut Desert.

Changes in nitrogen (N) deposition and litter mixtures have been shown to influence ecosystem processes such as litter decomposition. However, the interactive effects of litter mixing and N-deposition on decomposition process in desert regions remain poorly identified. We assessed the simultaneous effects of both N addition and litter mixture on mass loss in a litterbag decomposition experiment using six native plants in single-species samples with diverse quality and 14-species combinations in the Gurbantunggut Desert under two N addition treatments (control and N addition).

Activation of Kupffer cells in NAFLD and NASH: mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are emerging as the leading causes of liver disease worldwide. These conditions can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and other related ailments. At present, liver transplantation remains the sole treatment option for end-stage NASH, leading to a rapidly growing socioeconomic burden.

From ecology to oncology: To understand cancer stem cell dormancy, ask a Brine shrimp (Artemia).

The brine shrimp (Artemia), releases embryos that can remain dormant for up to a decade. Molecular and cellular level controlling factors of dormancy in Artemia are now being recognized or applied as active controllers of dormancy (quiescence) in cancers. Most notably, the epigenetic regulation by SET domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4), is revealed as highly conserved and the primary control factor governing the maintenance of cellular dormancy from Artemia embryonic cells to cancer stem cells (CSCs).

A cytological revisit on parthenogenetic Artemia and the deficiency of a meiosis-specific recombinase DMC1 in the possible transition from bisexuality to parthenogenesis.

Although parthenogenesis is widespread in nature and known to have close relationships with bisexuality, the transitional mechanism is poorly understood. Artemia is an ideal model to address this issue because bisexuality and "contagious" obligate parthenogenesis independently exist in its congeneric members. In the present study, we first performed chromosome spreading and immunofluorescence to compare meiotic processes of Artemia adopting two distinct reproductive ways.

Downregulation of a CT10 regulator of kinase (Crk) promotes the formation of diapause embryos in the brine shrimp Artemia.

To survive under harsh environments, embryonic development of Artemia was arrested at the gastrula stage and released as the diapause embryo. Cell cycle and metabolism were highly suppressed in this state of quiescence. However, cellular mechanisms underlying diapause remain largely unclear.

Identification and characterization of the Doublesex gene and its mRNA isoforms in the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana.

Doublesex (DSX) proteins are members of the Doublesex/mab-3-related (DMRT) protein family and play crucial roles in sex determination and differentiation among the animal kingdom. In the present study, we identified two Doublesex (Dsx)-like mRNA isoforms in the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana (Kellogg 1906), which are generated by the combination of alternative promoters, alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation. The two transcripts exhibited sex-biased enrichment, which we termed AfrDsxM and AfrDsxF.

Embryogenic stem cell-derived intestinal crypt fission directs de novo crypt genesis.

Intestinal epithelial replenishment is fueled by continuously dividing intestinal stem cells (ISCs) resident at the crypt niche. However, the cell type(s) enabling replenishment upon damage and subsequent loss of whole crypts remain largely unclear. Using Set domain-containing protein 4 (Setd4), we identify a small population with reserve stem cell characteristics in the mouse intestine.

SETD4 cells contribute to brain development and maintain adult stem cell reservoir for neurogenesis.

Cellular quiescence facilitates maintenance of neural stem cells (NSCs) and their subsequent regenerative functions in response to brain injury and aging. However, the specification and maintenance of NSCs in quiescence from embryo to adulthood remain largely unclear. Here, using Set domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4), an epigenetic determinant of cellular quiescence, we mark a small but long-lived NSC population in deep quiescence in the subventricular zone of adult murine brain.

Exosomal DEK removes chemoradiotherapy resistance by triggering quiescence exit of breast cancer stem cells.

Tumor therapeutics often target the primary tumor bulk but fail to eradicate therapy-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) in quiescent state. These can then become activated to initiate recurrence and/or metastasis beyond therapy. Here, we identified and isolated chemoradiotherapy-resistant CSCs in quiescent state with high capacity of tumor-initiation and tumorsphere formation from three types of breast tumors in mice.

Effects of doping on photocatalytic water splitting activities of PtS/SnS van der Waals heterostructures.

Photocatalytic water splitting is a promising technology to solve serious energy and environmental problems. The PtS monolayer has been previously predicted to be a water splitting photocatalyst. But the high efficiency of carrier recombination in the monolayer results in poor photocatalytic performance.

SETD4-expressing cells contribute to pancreatic development and response to cerulein induced pancreatitis injury.

In the adult pancreas, the presence of progenitor or stem cells and their potential involvement in homeostasis and regeneration remains unclear. Here, we identify that SET domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4), a histone lysine methyltransferase, is expressed in a small cell population in the adult mouse pancreas. Genetic lineage tracing shows that during pancreatic development, descendants of SETD4 cells make up over 70% of pancreatic cells and then contribute to each pancreatic lineage during pancreatic homeostasis.

Setd4 controlled quiescent c-Kit cells contribute to cardiac neovascularization of capillaries beyond activation.

Blood vessels in the adult mammal exist in a highly organized and stable state. In the ischemic heart, limited expansion capacity of the myocardial vascular bed cannot satisfy demands for oxygen supply and the myocardium eventually undergoes irreversible damage. The predominant contribution of endogenous c-Kit cells is understood to be in the development and homeostasis of cardiac endothelial cells, which suggests potential for their targeting in treatments for cardiac ischemic injury.

Conservative treatment of left ventricular pseudoaneurysm after mitral valve replacement due to early left ventricular rupture: a case report.

Background: Left ventricular pseudoaneurysm due to early left ventricle rupture is a serious complication after cardiac surgery. Urgent surgery is recommended in most cases with a high mortality rate. Conservative treatment of a left ventricular pseudoaneurysm due to early left ventricle rupture is very rare.

Caenorhabditis elegans homologue of Fam210 is required for oogenesis and reproduction.

Mitochondria are the central hub for many metabolic processes, including the citric acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and fatty acid oxidation. Recent studies have identified a new mitochondrial protein family, Fam210, that regulates bone metabolism and red cell development in vertebrates. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has a Fam210 gene, y56a3a.

Memantine Displays Antimicrobial Activity by Enhancing Pathogen-Induced Formation of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps.

Bacterial infection remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide due to the continuous rise of multiple antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Focusing solely on bacteria as the drug targets is a major limitation inherent in the conventional antibiotic therapy. Recently, host-directed therapies have become such an innovative approach to modulate the host defense system and the interplay of innate and adaptive immunity.

[Transcriptome analysis reveals candidate genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis in Ziziphora bungeana].

Ziziphora bungeana is a kind of medicinal plants belongs to Labiatae,and it also a kind of geoherbs in Xinjiang. The main active ingredient linarin has a higher content in inflorescence than in other parts. In this study,high-throughput sequencing technology was used to reveal the transcriptome of the inflorescence of Z.

SET Domain-Containing Protein 4 Epigenetically Controls Breast Cancer Stem Cell Quiescence.

Quiescent cancer stem cells (CSC) play important roles in tumorigenesis, relapse, and resistance to chemoradiotherapy. However, the determinants of CSC quiescence and how they sustain themselves to generate tumors and relapse beyond resistance to chemoradiotherapy remains unclear. Here, we found that SET domain-containing protein 4 (SETD4) epigenetically controls breast CSC (BCSC) quiescence by facilitating heterochromatin formation via H4K20me3 catalysis.

DEK terminates diapause by activation of quiescent cells in the crustacean .

To cope with harsh environments, the shrimp produces gastrula embryos in diapause, a state of obligate dormancy, having cellular quiescence and suppressed metabolism. The mechanism behind these cellular events remains largely unknown. Here, we study the regulation of cell quiescence using diapause embryos of We found that DEK (-DEK), a nuclear factor protein, was down-regulated in the quiescent cells of diapause embryos and enriched in the activated cells of post-diapause embryos.

Identification and characterization of a symbiotic agglutination-related C-type lectin from the hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata.

Rimicaris exoculata (Decapoda: Bresiliidae) is one of the dominant species of hydrothermal vent communities, which inside its gill chamber harbors ectosymbioses with taxonomic invariability while compositional flexibility. Several studies have revealed that the establishment of symbiosis can be initiated and selected by innate immunity-related pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), such as C-type lectins (CTLs). In this research, a CTL was identified in R.

The chloride channel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) controls cellular quiescence by hyperpolarizing the cell membrane during diapause in the crustacean .

Cellular quiescence, a reversible state in which growth, proliferation, and other cellular activities are arrested, is important for self-renewal, differentiation, development, regeneration, and stress resistance. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying cellular quiescence remain largely unknown. In the present study, we used embryos of the crustacean in the diapause stage, in which these embryos remain quiescent for prolonged periods, as a model to explore the relationship between cell-membrane potential () and quiescence.

An H-ferritin from the hydrothermal vent shrimp Rimicaris exoculata and its potential role in iron metabolism.

Rimicaris exoculata (Decapoda: Bresiliidae) is one of the dominant species among hydrothermal vent communities along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This shrimp can tolerate high concentrations of heavy metals such as iron, but the mechanisms used for detoxification and utilization of excess metals remain largely unknown. Ferritin is a major iron storage protein in most living organisms.

Magnolol exerts anticancer activity in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptotic signaling.

Introduction: Magnolol (Mag), a biologically active compound isolated from the root and stem bark of , has been reported to induce apoptosis in several cancer cell lines in vitro. In the present study, we aimed to determine the anticancer effects of Mag on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.

Materials And Methods: The HepG2 cells were treated with varying concentrations of Mag (10, 20, and 30 μM) for 48 hours.