MetaCONNET: A metagenomic polishing tool for long-read assemblies.

Accurate and high coverage genome assemblies are the basis for downstream analysis of metagenomic studies. Long-read sequencing technology is an ideal tool to facilitate the assemblies of metagenome, except for the drawback of usually producing reads with high sequencing error rate. Many polishing tools were developed to correct the sequencing error, but most are designed on the ground of one or two species.

Legume nodulation and nitrogen fixation require interaction of DnaJ-like protein and lipid transfer protein.

The lipid transport protein (LTP) product of the AsE246 gene of Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus) contributes to the transport of plant-synthesized lipids to the symbiosome membranes (SMs) that are required for nodule organogenesis in this legume. However, the mechanisms used by nodule-specific LTPs remain unknown. In this study, a functional protein in the DnaJ-like family, designated AsDJL1, was identified and shown to interact with AsE246.

G-type receptor-like kinase AsNIP43 interacts with rhizobia effector nodulation outer protein P and is required for symbiosis.

In the Rhizobium-Legume symbiosis, the nodulation outer protein P (NopP) effector is one of the key regulators for rhizobial infection and nodule organogenesis. However, the molecular mechanism through which host legume plants sense NopP remains largely unknown. Here, we constructed an nopP deletion mutant of Mesorhizobium huakuii and found that nopP negatively regulates nodulation on Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus).

A Lipopolysaccharide O-Antigen Synthesis Gene in Plays Differentiated Roles in Root Nodule Symbiotic Compatibility with .

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a ubiquitous microbial-associated molecular pattern. Plants can sense the three components of LPS, including core polysaccharide, lipid A, and O-antigen. LPS biosynthesis is an essential factor for the successful establishment of symbiosis in the rhizobium-legume plant system.

A Germin-Like Protein GLP1 of Legumes Mediates Symbiotic Nodulation by Interacting with an Outer Membrane Protein of Rhizobia.

Rhizobia can infect legumes and induce the coordinated expression of symbiosis and defense genes for the establishment of mutualistic symbiosis. Numerous studies have elucidated the molecular interactions between rhizobia and host plants, which are associated with Nod factor, exopolysaccharide, and T3SS effector proteins. However, there have been relatively few reports about how the host plant recognizes the outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of rhizobia to mediate symbiotic nodulation.

Anticancer mechanism studies of iridium(III) complexes inhibiting osteosarcoma HOS cells proliferation.

Three iridium (III) polypyridine complexes [Ir(bzq)(maip)](PF) (Ir1，bzq = benzo[h]quinoline, maip = 3-aminophenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline), [Ir(bzq)(apip)](PF) (Ir2, apip = 2-aminophenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) and [Ir(bzq)(paip)](PF) (Ir3, paip = 4-aminophenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline) were synthesized and characterized. The cytotoxic activities of the three complexes against human osteosarcoma HOS, U2OS, MG63 and normal LO2 cells were evaluated by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) method. The results showed that Ir1-3 exhibited moderate antitumor activity against HOS with IC of 21.

Hepatic Tumor Stiffness Measured by Shear Wave Elastography Is Prognostic for HCC Progression Following Treatment With Anti-PD-1 Antibodies Plus Lenvatinib: A Retrospective Analysis of Two Independent Cohorts.

Background: The clinical significance of liver stiffness (LS) measured by shear wave elastography (SWE) in programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) inhibitors treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of baseline LS by SWE prior to PD-1 inhibitor treatment in combination with lenvatinib.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients (n=133) with HCC who received anti-PD-1 antibodies plus lenvatinib at two high-volume medical centres, between January 2020 and June 2021.

Cross talk between acetylation and methylation regulators reveals histone modifier expression patterns posing prognostic and therapeutic implications on patients with colon cancer.

Background: Alterations in histone modifications have been reported to be related to tumorigenicity and tumor progression. However, whether histone modification can aid the classification of patients or influence clinical behavior in patients with colon cancer remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate histone modifier expression patterns using the unsupervised clustering of the transcriptomic expressions of 88 histone acetylation and methylation regulators.

Analysis of Outer Membrane Vesicles Indicates That Glycerophospholipid Metabolism Contributes to Early Symbiosis Between HH103 and Soybean.

Gram-negative bacteria can produce outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), and most functional studies of OMVs have been focused on mammalian-bacterial interactions. However, research on the OMVs of rhizobia is still limited. In this work, we isolated and purified OMVs from HH103 under free-living conditions that were set as control (C-OMVs) and symbiosis-mimicking conditions that were induced by genistein (G-OMVs).

Antitumor activity studies of iridium (III) polypyridine complexes-loaded liposomes against gastric tumor cell in vitro.

Two iridium (III) polypyridine complexes [Ir(ppy)(BIP)]PF (ppy = 2-phenylpyridine, BIP = 2-biphenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline, Ir1), [Ir(piq)(BIP)]PF (piq = 1-phenylisoquinoline, Ir2) and their liposomes Ir1lipo and Ir2lipo were synthesized and characterized. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to evaluate cytotoxic activity against several cancer cells (A549, HepG2, SGC-7901, Bel-7402, HeLa) and non-cancer cell (mouse embryonic fibroblast, NIH3T3). The results showed that Ir1lipo displays the high cytotoxicity toward SGC-7901 with IC value of 5.

Dithienocoronene diimide (DTCDI)-derived triads for high-performance air-stable, solution-processed balanced ambipolar organic field-effect transistors.

Developing ambipolar organic semiconducting materials is essential for use in complementary-like inverters and light-emitting transistors. In this study, three new dithienocoronenediimide (DTCDI)-derived triads, DTCDI-BT, DTCDI-BBT and DTCDI-BNT, were designed and synthesized, in which various sizes of terminal groups, i.e.

A Single-Pixel RGB Device in a Colorful Alphanumeric Electrofluorochromic Display.

With the rapid development of human society, consumer electronics have brought marvelous changes to human daily life, but they are accompanied by the much higher demand of display quality and visual experience. Therefore, ideal conversion among the three primary colors-red (R), green (G), and blue (B)-in a single pixel has been a better way to avoid the insurmountable technical barrier of subpixel technology of modern displays. Electrofluorochromic (EFC) materials capable of a novel luminescent switching, open a powerful way to design optoelectronic devices for displays and information storage etc.

Two Isomeric Azulene-Decorated Naphthodithiophene Diimide-based Triads: Molecular Orbital Distribution Controls Polarity Change of OFETs Through Connection Position.

Altering the charge carrier transport polarities of organic semiconductors by molecular orbital distribution has gained great interest. Herein, we report two isomeric azulene-decorated naphthodithiophene diimide (NDTI)-based triads (e.g.

Osteogenesis activity of isocoumarin a through the activation of the PI3K-Akt/Erk cascade-activated BMP/RUNX2 signaling pathway.

Bone formation refers to a series of complex events related to the activities of osteoblasts. In this study, we evaluated the osteogenesis activity of a natural compound named isocoumarin A that was isolated from the rhizomes of Polygonum amplexicaule on the non-transformed preosteoblastic cell line MC3T3-E1 for an in vitro study, and the results revealed that it increased the proliferation and promoted the mineralization of the extracellular matrix of MC3T3-E1 cells after treatment for 3 d in a dose-dependent manner. The cell metabolic activity peaked at 169% at 10 μM, and the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) tripled to 15.

Firefly-Inspired Approach to Develop New Chemiluminescence Materials.

Bioluminescence, wherein marine and terrestrial organisms chemically produce light for communication, is a burgeoning area of research. Herein, we demonstrate a new series of artificial chemiluminescent compounds inspired by the enol-degradation reaction of natural bioluminescent molecules, luciferins. Based on systematic optical experiments, isotope labeling, and theoretical calculations, the chemiluminescent mechanism of these new materials and the relationship of enol-degradation reaction and chemiluminescence are fully discussed.

HtpG Interaction with nsLTP AsE246 Is Required for Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation.

Plant nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) are involved in a number of biological processes including root nodule symbiosis. However, the role of nsLTPs in legume-rhizobium symbiosis remains poorly understood, and no rhizobia proteins that interact with nsLTPs have been reported to date. In this study, we used a bacteria two-hybrid system and identified the high temperature protein G (HtpG) from that interacts with the nsLTP AsE246.

A Genome-Wide Prediction and Identification of Intergenic Small RNAs by Comparative Analysis in 7653R.

In bacteria, small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) are critical regulators of cellular adaptation to changes in metabolism, physiology, or the external environment. In the last decade, more than 2000 of sRNA families have been reported in the Rfam database and have been shown to exert various regulatory functions in bacterial transcription and translation. However, little is known about sRNAs and their functions in .

A purple acid phosphatase plays a role in nodule formation and nitrogen fixation in Astragalus sinicus.

The AsPPD1 gene from Astragalus sinicus encodes a purple acid phosphatase. To address the functions of AsPPD1 in legume-rhizobium symbiosis, its expression patterns, enzyme activity, subcellular localization, and phenotypes associated with its over-expression and RNA interference (RNAi) were investigated. The expression of AsPPD1 was up-regulated in roots and nodules after inoculation with rhizobia.

Whole-genome sequencing of Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R provides molecular insights into host specificity and symbiosis island dynamics.

Background: Evidence based on genomic sequences is urgently needed to confirm the phylogenetic relationship between Mesorhizobium strain MAFF303099 and M. huakuii. To define underlying causes for the rather striking difference in host specificity between M.

RNA-Seq and microarrays analyses reveal global differential transcriptomes of Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R between bacteroids and free-living cells.

Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R occurs either in nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with its host plant, Astragalus sinicus, or free-living in the soil. The M. huakuii 7653R genome has recently been sequenced.

A nodule-specific lipid transfer protein AsE246 participates in transport of plant-synthesized lipids to symbiosome membrane and is essential for nodule organogenesis in Chinese milk vetch.

Rhizobia in legume root nodules fix nitrogen in symbiosomes, organelle-like structures in which a membrane from the host plant surrounds the symbiotic bacteria. However, the components that transport plant-synthesized lipids to the symbiosome membrane remain unknown. This study identified and functionally characterized the Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus) lipid transfer protein AsE246, which is specifically expressed in nodules.

Identification of a novel gene for biosynthesis of a bacteroid-specific electron carrier menaquinone.

Ubiquinone (UQ) has been considered as an electron mediator in electron transfer that generates ATP in Rhizobium under both free-living and symbiosis conditions. When mutated, the dmtH gene has a symbiotic phenotype of forming ineffective nodules on Astragalus sinicus. The gene was isolated from a Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R transposon-inserted mutant library.

Phylogeny of bradyrhizobia from Chinese cowpea miscellany inferred from 16S rRNA, atpD, glnII, and 16S-23S intergenic spacer sequences.

The cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L.), peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), and mung bean (Vigna radiata L.