A Bivalent Aptamer-Based DNA Agonist for EGFR Signaling Effectively Alleviates Ulcerative Colitis In Vivo.

While epidermal growth factor (EGF) shows promise in addressing the clinical manifestations of intestinal ulcerative diseases by activating the EGF receptor (EGFR)-mediated cell signaling, its clinical application is hampered by poor protein hydrolytic stability, low thermostability, and difficulty in modification. The development of a novel EGFR agonist for ulcerative colitis remains an urgent need, necessitating innovative solutions to overcome the limitations of current therapies via recombinant EGF protein. Herein, we introduce a novel DNA agonist for EGFR, Dimer-YL, which employs a bivalent aptamer to induce stable receptor dimerization, thereby activating the EGFR signaling and related cell behaviors.

A lineage-resolved cartography of microRNA promoter activity in C. elegans empowers multidimensional developmental analysis.

Elucidating the expression of microRNAs in developing single cells is critical for functional discovery. Here, we construct scCAMERA (single-cell cartography of microRNA expression based on reporter assay), utilizing promoter-driven fluorescent reporters in conjunction with imaging and lineage tracing. The cartography delineates the transcriptional activity of 54 conserved microRNAs in lineage-resolved single cells throughout C.

Spatiotemporal analysis of mRNA-protein relationships enhances transcriptome-based developmental inference.

Elucidating the complex relationships between mRNA and protein expression at high spatiotemporal resolution is critical for unraveling multilevel gene regulation and enhancing mRNA-based developmental analyses. In this study, we conduct a single-cell analysis of mRNA and protein expression of transcription factors throughout C. elegans embryogenesis.

Metabolic plasticity sustains the robustness of Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis.

Embryogenesis is highly dependent on maternally loaded materials, particularly those used for energy production. Different environmental conditions and genetic backgrounds shape embryogenesis. The robustness of embryogenesis in response to extrinsic and intrinsic changes remains incompletely understood.

Isolation and Identification of Novel Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus (H5N8) Subclade 2.3.4.4b from Geese in Northeastern China.

H5N8, a highly pathogenic avian influenza, has become a new zoonotic threat in recent years. As of December 28, 2021, at least 3,206 H5N8 cases had been reported in wild birds and poultry worldwide. In January 2021, a novel virus strain named A/goose/China/1/2021 was isolated during an H5N8 goose influenza outbreak in northeastern China.

Defect-buffering cellular plasticity increases robustness of metazoan embryogenesis.

Developmental processes are intrinsically robust so as to preserve a normal-like state in response to genetic and environmental fluctuations. However, the robustness and potential phenotypic plasticity of individual developing cells under genetic perturbations remain to be systematically evaluated. Using large-scale gene perturbation, live imaging, lineage tracing, and single-cell phenomics, we quantified the phenotypic landscape of C.

A SYBR Green-based real-time RT-PCR assay to differentiate the H1N1 influenza virus lineages.

The H1N1 subtype influenza viruses (H1N1) have been causing persistent epidemics in human, swine and poultry populations since 1918. This subtype has evolved into four relatively stable genetic lineages, including classical swine influenza virus lineage, seasonal human influenza virus lineage, avian influenza virus lineage and Eurasian avian-like swine influenza virus lineage. In this study, four pairs of primers, based on the relatively conserved HA nucleotide regions of each H1N1 genetic lineage, were designed to establish a SYBR Green-based real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR) assay to differentiate between the H1N1 genetic lineages.

Assessing the effects of a two-amino acid flexibility in the Hemagglutinin 220-loop receptor-binding domain on the fitness of Influenza A(H9N2) viruses.

The enzootic and zoonotic nature of H9N2 avian influenza viruses poses a persistent threat to the global poultry industry and public health. In particular, the emerging sublineage h9.4.

Characterization of Newcastle disease virus obtained from toco toucan.

Given that the current Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection in wild birds poses the threat to poultry, surveillance of Newcastle disease in captive wild birds was carried out in Jilin, China in 2018. Here, an NDV strain obtained from toco toucan was firstly characterized. The results showed that the F gene of the NDV isolate Toucan/China/3/2018 is classified as genotype II in class II.

Nanomaterials-based Electrochemical Immunosensors.

With the development of nanomaterials and sensor technology, nanomaterials-based electrochemical immunosensors have been widely employed in various fields. Nanomaterials for electrode modification are emerging one after another in order to improve the performance of electrochemical immunosensors. When compared with traditional detection methods, electrochemical immunosensors have the advantages of simplicity, real-time analysis, high sensitivity, miniaturization, rapid detection time, and low cost.