The reduced interaction between SufS and SufU in Mycoplasma penetrans results in diminished sulfotransferase activity.

Mycoplasma Penetrans (Mpe) is an AIDS-related mycoplasma that is also closely related to respiratory diseases. Proteins involved in the first phase of Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in the SUF-like pathway are essential in Gram-positive bacteria because there is no redundant Fe-S cluster biosynthetic pathway in these proteins. In this study, we characterized two essential proteins: cysteine desulphurase (MpeSufS) and sulfurtransferase (MpeSufU) in Mpe, and resolved their crystal structures.

Growth Process of Fe-O Nanoclusters with Different Sizes Biosynthesized by Protein Nanocages.

All protein-directed syntheses of metal nanoclusters (NCs) and nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted considerable attention because protein scaffolds provide a unique metal coordination environment and can adjust the shape and morphology of NCs and NPs. However, the detailed formation mechanisms of NCs or NPs directed by protein templates remain unclear. In this study, by taking advantage of the ferritin nanocage as a biotemplate to monitor the growth of Fe-O NCs as a function of time, we synthesized a series of iron NCs with different sizes and shapes and subsequently solved their corresponding three-dimensional atomic-scale structures by X-ray protein crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy.

Functional study of the soybean stamen-preferentially expressed gene GmFLA22a in regulating male fertility.

China has a high dependence on soybean imports, yield increase at a faster rate is an urgent problem that need to be solved at present. The application of heterosis is one of the effective ways to significantly increase crop yield. In recent years, the development of an intelligent male sterility system based on recessive nuclear sterile genes has provided a potential solution for rapidly harnessing the heterosis in soybean.

Insight into the anti-proliferation activity and photoinduced NO release of four nitrosylruthenium isomeric complexes and their HSA complex adducts.

Four Ru(II)-centered isomeric complexes [RuCl(5cqn)(Val)(NO)] (1-4) were synthesized with 5cqn (5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline) and chiral Val (Val = L- or D-valine) as co-ligand, and their structures were confirmed using the X-ray diffraction method. The cytotoxicity and photodynamic activity of the isomeric complexes and their human serum albumin (HSA) complex adducts were evaluated. Both the isomeric complexes and their HSA complex adducts significantly affected HeLa cell proliferation, with an IC50 value in the range of 0.

Causal relationships between obesity and pancreatobiliary diseases: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Previous observational studies have investigated the relationship between obesity and the biliary tract and pancreas. The causality, however, is still to be confirmed. This study was designed to explore the causality between obesity which included body mass index(BMI), circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and pancreatobiliary diseases with a Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization(MR) analysis.

Synthesis, cytotoxicity, and biomacromolecule binding: Three isomers of nitrosylruthenium complexes with bidentate bioactive molecules as co-ligands.

Three isomeric nitrosylruthenium complexes [RuNO(Qn)(PZA)Cl] (P1, P2, and P3) with bioactive small molecules 8-hydroxyquinoline (Qn) and pyrazinamide (PZA) as co-ligands were synthesized, and their crystal structures were determined using X-ray diffraction technique. The cellular toxicity of the isomeric complexes was compared to understand the effects of the geometries on the biological activity of the complexes. Both the complexes and the human serum albumin (HSA) complex adducts affected the extent of proliferation of HeLa cells (IC: 0.

Sustained Improvement of Appropriateness in Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis with the Application of Quality Control Circle.

Purpose: Quality control circle (QCC) has acquired success in many fields in healthcare industry as a process management tool, whereas its efficacy in surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) remains unknown. This study aimed to implement QCC interventions to improve the appropriateness of SAP.

Methods: A QCC activity team was established to grasp the current situation of SAP in clean surgery procedure, set target, formulate corresponding countermeasures and implement and review them in stages.

Effects of water deficit at different stages on growth and ear quality of waxy maize.

Introduction: Extreme weather has occurred more frequently in recent decades, which results in more frequent drought disasters in the maize growing season. Severe drought often decreases remarkably plant growth and yield of maize, and even reduces significantly the quality of maize production, especially for waxy maize.

Results: To study the changes in plant growth, fresh ear yield, and fresh grain quality of waxy maize under water deficits occurring at different growth stages, and further strengthen the field water management of waxy maize, water deficit experiments were carried out under a rain shelter in 2019 and 2020.

MS1 is essential for male fertility by regulating the microsporocyte cell plate expansion in soybean.

Male sterility is an essential trait in hybrid seed production, especially for monoclinous and autogamous food crops. Soybean male-sterile ms1 mutant has been known for more than 50 years and could be instrumental in making hybrid seeds. However, the gene responsible for the male-sterile phenotype has remained unknown.

Structural and Photodynamic Studies on Nitrosylruthenium-Complexed Serum Albumin as a Delivery System for Controlled Nitric Oxide Release.

How to deliver nitric oxide (NO) to a physiological target and control its release quantitatively is a key issue for biomedical applications. Here, a water-soluble nitrosylruthenium complex, [(CH)N][RuCl(5cqn)(NO)] (H5cqn = 5-chloro-8-quinoline), was synthesized, and its structure was confirmed with H NMR and X-ray crystal diffraction. Photoinduced NO release was investigated with time-resolved Fourier transform infrared and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopies.

Synthesis, Biomacromolecular Interactions, Photodynamic NO Releasing and Cellular Imaging of Two [RuCl(qn)(Lbpy)(NO)]X Complexes.

Two light-activated NO donors [RuCl(qn)(Lbpy)(NO)]X with 8-hydroxyquinoline (qn) and 2,2'-bipyridine derivatives (Lbpy) as co-ligands were synthesized (Lbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxyl-2,2'-dipyridine, X = Cl and Lbpy = 4,4'-dimethoxycarbonyl-2,2'-dipyridine, X = NO), and characterized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR), elemental analysis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) spectra. The [RuCl(qn)(Lbpy)(NO)]NO complex was crystallized and exhibited distorted octahedral geometry, in which the Ru-N(O) bond length was 1.752(6) Å and the Ru-N-O angle was 177.

ATG4 Mediated ES4326-Induced Autophagy Dependent on Salicylic Acid in .

ES4326/ () was widely used as the reaction system of hypersensitive response (HR) in . The study showed that in , was more effective at inducing the production of autophagosome and autophagy flux than that in . The mRNA expression of , and were more in during the early HR.

Construction of gold-siRNA nanoparticles for effective and quick silencing of in .

In recent years, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been widely used as gene silencing agents and therapeutics for treatment of cancers due to their high transfection efficiency and lack of cytotoxicity, but their roles in gene silencing in plants have not yet been reported. Here, we report synthesis of AuNPs-branched polyethylenimine and its integration with the small interfering RNAs (siRNA) of to form a AuNPs-siRNA compound. Our results showed that AuNPs-siRNA was capable of infiltrating into cells.

Crack Propagation Calculations for Optical Fibers under Static Bending and Tensile Loads Using Continuum Damage Mechanics.

Static fatigue behavior is the main failure mode of optical fibers applied in sensors. In this paper, a computational framework based on continuum damage mechanics (CDM) is presented to calculate the crack propagation process and failure time of optical fibers subjected to static bending and tensile loads. For this purpose, the static fatigue crack propagation in the glass core of the optical fiber is studied.

Rapid preparation and characterization of methacrylate-based monoliths for chromatographic and electrophoretic separation.

Butyl-methacrylate-based porous monoliths were rapidly prepared in the fused-silica capillary with a 10-cm stripe of polyimide removed from its exterior. The photopolymerization could be carried out in 150 s using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linking agent; 1-propanol, 1,4-butanediol, and water as tri-porogenic solvents; and Irgacure 1800 as a photo-initiator. The effect of different morphologies on the efficiency and retention properties was investigated using pressure-assisted CEC (p-CEC), CEC, and low pressure-assisted liquid chromatography modes (LPLC).

Comparison of microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography with high-performance liquid chromatography for fingerprint analysis of resina draconis.

Microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC) has been developed for fingerprint analysis of resina draconis, a substitute for sanguis draconis in the Chinese market. The microemulsion as the running buffer was made up of 3.3% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 6.

Analysis of pharmaceutical samples of Resina Draconis by HPLC-PAD.

Introduction: The quality evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents a particular challenge owing to the complexity of the matrix, which renders separation and identification of the individual components extremely difficult. In recent years, fingerprinting of TCMs has played a dominant role in quality control. Resina Draconis was authorised as a new TCM in 1991, but a satisfactory HPLC fingerprint method for this preparation has not yet been published.