Flexible nanofibrous membranes of dual metallic metal-organic framework with enhanced Lewis basic sites and high loading mass for efficient CO capture.

Excessive CO emissions and the resultant global warming present significant environmental challenges, posing threats to human health and public safety. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), known for their high specific area and large porosity, hold the promise for CO capture. However, a major obstacle is the low loading mass of MOFs and the limited interface affinity and compatibility between MOFs and substrates.

Proton Donor-Regulated Mechanically Robust Aramid Nanofiber Aerogel Membranes for High-Temperature Thermal Insulation.

High-performance thermal insulators are urgently desired for energy-saving and thermal protection applications. However, the creation of such materials with synchronously ultralow thermal conductivity, lightweight, and mechanically robust properties still faces enormous challenges. Herein, a proton donor-regulated assembly strategy is presented to construct asymmetric aramid nanofiber (ANF) aerogel membranes with a dense skin layer and a high-porous nanofibrous body part.

Unraveling Chiral Selection in the Self-assembly of Chiral Fullerene Macroions: Effects of Small Chiral Components Including Counterions, Co-ions, or Neutral Molecules.

Lactic acid-functionalized chiral fullerene (C) molecules are used as models to understand chiral selection in macroionic solutions involving chiral macroions, chiral counterions, and/or chiral co-ions. With the addition of Zn cations, the C macroions exhibit slow self-assembly behavior into hollow, spherical, blackberry-type structures, as confirmed by laser light scattering (LLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. Chiral counterions with high charge density show no selection to the chirality of AC macroions (LAC and DAC) during their self-assembly process, while obvious chiral discrimination between the assemblies of LAC and DAC is observed when chiral counterions with low charge density are present.

Continuous Curvature Change into Controllable and Responsive Onion-like Vesicles by Rigid Sphere-Rod Amphiphiles.

We observe the formation of highly controllable and responsive onion-like vesicles by using rigid sphere-rod amphiphilic hybrid macromolecules, composed of charged, hydrophilic Keggin-type clusters (spheres) and hydrophobic rod-like oligofluorenes (OFs). Unlike the commonly used approach, which mainly relies on chain bending of flexible molecules to satisfy different curvatures in onion-like vesicles, the rigid hybrids form flexible interdigitations by tuning the angles between OFs, leading to the formation of bilayers with different sizes. The self-assembled vesicles possess complete onion-like structures from most inner to outer layers, and their size (layer number) can be accurately manipulated by different solution conditions including solvent polarity, ionic strength, temperature, and hybrid concentration, with fixed interbilayer distance under all conditions.

Design, synthesis and biological activity of flavonoid derivatives as selective agonists for neuromedin U 2 receptor.

Central neuromedin U 2 receptor (NMU2R) plays important roles in the regulation of food intake and body weight. Identification of NMU2R agonists may lead to the development of pharmaceutical agents to treat obesity. Based on the structure of rutin, a typical flavonoid and one of the NMU2R agonists we previously identified from an in-house made natural product library, 30 flavonoid derivatives have been synthesized and screened on a cell-based reporter gene assay.

Global view of transcriptome in the brains of aged NR2B transgenic mice.

NR2B subunits are involved in regulating aging, in particular, age-related learning and memory deficits. We examined 19-month-old NR2B transgenic mice and their littermate controls. First, we detected expression of the NR2B subunit gene, Grin2b, in the neocortex of transgenic mice using real-time PCR.

NR2B overexpression leads to the enhancement of specific protein phosphorylation in the brain.

n-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are highly expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) including the cerebral cortex, and it has been found that they contribute significantly to the processes of learning and memory. Dysfunctions of NMDARs are implicated in many neurological disorders. To further investigate the specific role of the NR2B subunit of NMDARs in brain functions, we have examined differences in gene expression in the cerebral cortex between NR2B transgenic mice and their wild-type littermates using the DNA microarray.

Long distance multiple-site directed plasmid mutagenesis by one-step PCR using non-overlapped primers.

Site-directed mutagenesis is a very important technique in molecular biological researches. We have developed a new method for long distance multiple-site plasmid mutation by one-step PCR using non-overlap primers. These primers were carefully designed and contained desired mutations in the middle of the primers flanked with 18-25 bp of correct sequence.

Butyrate-induced GPR41 activation inhibits histone acetylation and cell growth.

Butyrate has been recently identified as a natural ligand of the G-protein-coupled receptor 41 (GPR41). In addition, it is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase (HDAC). Butyrate treatment results in the hyperacetylation of histones, with resultant multiple biological effects including inhibition of proliferation, induction of cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis, in a variety of cultured mammalian cells.

Involvement of GPR12 in the regulation of cell proliferation and survival.

GPR12, a member of the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor family, constitutively activates the Gs protein and increases intracellular cyclic AMP concentrations. GPR12 can be activated by its known ligand-sphingosylphosphorylcholine, which regulates cellular physiological activities, including proliferation, neurite extension, cell clustering, and maintenance of meiotic arrest. However, signaling pathways involved in the GPR12-mediated physiological and biochemical changes are still not clearly illustrated.

Generation and characterization of hD5 and C-terminal Mutant hD(5m) transgenic rats.

Dopamine D1-like receptors play important roles in many brain activities such as cognition and emotion. We have generated human hD5 and mutant human hD5 (hD(5m)) transgenic rats. The C-terminal juxtamembrane domain of mutant hD5 was identical to that of hD5 pseudogenes.

Curcumin enhances neurogenesis and cognition in aged rats: implications for transcriptional interactions related to growth and synaptic plasticity.

Background: Curcumin has been demonstrated to have many neuroprotective properties, including improvement of cognition in humans and neurogenesis in animals, yet the mechanism of such effects remains unclear.

Methodology: We assessed behavioural performance and hippocampal cell proliferation in aged rats after 6- and 12-week curcumin-fortified diets. Curcumin enhanced non-spatial and spatial memory, as well as dentate gyrate cell proliferation as compared to control diet rats.

Involvement of GPR12 in the induction of neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells.

GPR12, an orphan G protein-coupled receptor, constitutively activates the Gs signaling pathway and further increases intracellular cyclic AMP. GPR12 overexpression has been reported to promote neurite extension in neurons or transform neuro2a neuroblastoma cells into neuron-like cells. However, the possible effects and mechanisms of GPR12 in the differentiation of PC12 cells are still unknown.

Fructose-derived carbohydrates from Alisma orientalis.

Nine fructose-derived carbohydrates were obtained from the methanol extract from the rhizome of Alisma orientalis. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis, their structures were determined to be alpha-D-fructofuranose (1), beta-D-fructofuranose (2), ethyl alpha-D-fructofuranoside (3), ethyl beta-D-fructofuranoside (4), 5-hydroxymethyl-furaldehyde (5), sucrose (6), raffinose (7), stachyose (8) and verbascose (9), along with two oligosaccharides of manninotriose (10) and verbascotetraose (11). Compounds 3, 4 and 7-11 were isolated from this plant for the first time.

The repertoire of G-protein-coupled receptors in Xenopus tropicalis.

Background: The G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily represents the largest protein family in the human genome. These proteins have a variety of physiological functions that give them well recognized roles in clinical medicine. In Xenopus tropicalis, a widely used animal model for physiology research, the repertoire of GPCRs may help link the GPCR evolutionary history in vertebrates from teleost fish to mammals.

Steroids from the leaves of Chinese Melia azedarach and their cytotoxic effects on human cancer cell lines.

Three new (1-3) and several known (4-6) steroids were isolated from the leaves of Chinese Melia azedarach. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods including 2D NMR techniques and mass spectrometry to be (20S)-5,24(28)-ergostadiene-3beta,7alpha,16beta,20-tetrol (1), (20S)-5-ergostene-3beta,7alpha,16beta,20-tetrol (2), and 2alpha,3beta-dihydro-5-pregnen-16-one (3). The cytotoxicities of the isolated compounds against three human cancer cell lines (A549, H460, U251) were evaluated; only compounds 1, 2, and (20S)-5-stigmastene-3beta,7alpha,20-triol (4) were found to show significant cyctotoxic effects with IC(50)s from 12.

Effects of lysophosphatidylcholine on beta-amyloid-induced neuronal apoptosis.

Aim: We have investigated the effects of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), a product of lipid peroxidation, on Abeta(1-42)-induced SH-SY5Y cell apoptosis.

Methods: The viability of cultured SH-SY5Y cells was measured using a CCK-8 kit. Apoptosis was determined by Chip-based flow cytometric assay.

Curcumin induces apoptosis and inhibits growth of human Burkitt's lymphoma in xenograft mouse model.

Curcumin, a natural compound extracted from rhizomes of curcuma Curcuma species, has been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-oxidative properties. However, the mechanism of action of the compound remains poorly understood. In this report, we have analyzed the effects of curcumin on the cell proliferation of Burkitt's lymphoma Raji cells.

Translational responses of NR2B overexpression in the cerebral cortex of transgenic mice: a liquid chromatography-based proteomic approach.

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor 2B subunit (NR2B) is important for long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic plasticity. The NR2B transgenic mice exhibited larger LTP in the hippocampal CA1 region and enhanced behavioral performance in several learning and memory tasks. In this study, we applied two-dimensional liquid chromatography-based proteomic approach to examine the expression levels of cerebral cortical proteins from 6-month NR2B transgenic (Tg) and their wild-type (WT) mice that were maintained on the same genetic background.