OsABA3 is Crucial for Plant Survival and Resistance to Multiple Stresses in Rice.

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) is a serious problem in rice production as it leads to reductions in grain yield and quality. However, the underlying mechanism of PHS in rice remains unclear. In this study, we identified and characterized a preharvest sprouting and seedling lethal (phssl) mutant.

The Association Between Hyperuricemia and Obesity Metabolic Phenotypes in Chinese General Population: A Retrospective Analysis.

Purpose: Serum uric acid (UA) not only affects the development of obesity but also alters the metabolic status in obese subjects; thus we investigated the relationship between serum UA and the overweight/obese metabolic phenotypes.

Methods: The demographic, biochemical, and hematological data were collected for 12,876 patients undergoing routine physical examination, and 6,912 participants were enrolled in our study. Participants were classified into four obesity metabolic phenotypes according to their BMI and the presence of metabolic syndrome: metabolically healthy overweight/obese (MHOO), metabolically healthy and normal weighted (MHNW), metabolically abnormal and overweight/obese (MAOO), and metabolically abnormal but normal weighted (MANW).

A Novel Cleavage Pattern of Complement C5 Induced by Infection the Chlamydial Protease CPAF.

Urogenital infection is one of the most common bacterial sexually transmitted diseases globally. Untreated infections can ascend to the upper genital tract and establish a series of severe complications. Previous studies using C3 and C5 mice models demonstrated that C3-independent activation of C5 occurred during infection.

Bioinformatic prediction of immunodominant regions in spike protein for early diagnosis of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Background: To contain the pandemics caused by SARS-CoV-2, early detection approaches with high accuracy and accessibility are critical. Generating an antigen-capture based detection system would be an ideal strategy complementing the current methods based on nucleic acids and antibody detection. The spike protein is found on the outside of virus particles and appropriate for antigen detection.

Circulating levels of IL-33 are elevated by obesity and positively correlated with metabolic disorders in Chinese adults.

Background: Interleukin-33 (IL-33) plays a pivotal role in regulating innate immune response and metabolic homeostasis. However, whether its circulating level is correlated with obesity and metabolic disorders in humans remains largely unknown. We aimed to address this gap by determining IL-33 serum level and its downstream type 2 inflammatory cytokines interleukin-5 (IL-5) and interleukin-13 (IL-13) in overweight/obese population, and analyzing the specific associations between IL-33 and obesity metabolic phenotypes.

Immunodominant regions prediction of nucleocapsid protein for SARS-CoV-2 early diagnosis: a bioinformatics and immunoinformatics study.

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is sweeping the world and posing serious health problems. Rapid and accurate detection along with timely isolation is the key to control the epidemic. Nucleic acid test and antibody-detection have been applied in the diagnosis of COVID-19, while both have their limitations.

Quantitative Magnetization Transfer Detects Renal Fibrosis in Murine Kidneys With Renal Artery Stenosis.

Background: Renal fibrosis is a common pathway in tubulointerstitial injury and a major determinant of renal insufficiency. Collagen deposition, a key feature of renal fibrosis, may serve as an imaging biomarker to differentiate scarred from healthy kidneys.

Purpose: To test the feasibility of using quantitative magnetization transfer (qMT), which assesses tissue macromolecule content, to measure renal fibrosis.

Transfer of cGAMP into Bystander Cells via LRRC8 Volume-Regulated Anion Channels Augments STING-Mediated Interferon Responses and Anti-viral Immunity.

The enzyme cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) senses cytosolic DNA in infected and malignant cells and catalyzes the formation of 2'3'cGMP-AMP (cGAMP), which in turn triggers interferon (IFN) production via the STING pathway. Here, we examined the contribution of anion channels to cGAMP transfer and anti-viral defense. A candidate screen revealed that inhibition of volume-regulated anion channels (VRACs) increased propagation of the DNA virus HSV-1 but not the RNA virus VSV.

Epigenetic regulator CXXC5 recruits DNA demethylase Tet2 to regulate TLR7/9-elicited IFN response in pDCs.

TLR7/9 signals are capable of mounting massive interferon (IFN) response in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) immediately after viral infection, yet the involvement of epigenetic regulation in this process has not been documented. Here, we report that zinc finger CXXC family epigenetic regulator CXXC5 is highly expressed in pDCs, where it plays a crucial role in TLR7/9- and virus-induced IFN response. Notably, genetic ablation of CXXC5 resulted in aberrant methylation of the CpG-containing island (CGI) within the gene and impaired IRF7 expression in steady-state pDCs.

Tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 mediates C-type lectin receptor-induced activation of the kinase Syk and anti-fungal TH17 responses.

Fungal infection stimulates the canonical C-type lectin receptor (CLR) signaling pathway via activation of the tyrosine kinase Syk. Here we identify a crucial role for the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 in mediating CLR-induced activation of Syk. Ablation of the gene encoding SHP-2 (Ptpn11; called 'Shp-2' here) in dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages impaired Syk-mediated signaling and abrogated the expression of genes encoding pro-inflammatory molecules following fungal stimulation.