SlMKK4 is responsible for pollen development in tomato.

The development of viable pollen is a determinant of male fertility and plays an essential role in the reproductive process of angiosperms. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades modulate diverse aspects of plant growth, but their involvement in post-meiotic pollen development is unclear. In this study, SlMKK4 was identified as a crucial regulator in overseeing pollen development in tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum).

Integrated Manipulation and Addressing of Spin Defect in Diamond.

Scalable and addressable integrated manipulation of qubits is crucial for practical quantum information applications. Different waveguides have been used to transport the optical and electrical driving pulses, which are usually required for qubit manipulation. However, the separated multifields may limit the compactness and efficiency of manipulation and introduce unwanted perturbation.

Characterization and evaluation of an oral vaccine via nano-carrier for surface immunogenic protein (Sip) delivery against Streptococcus agalactiae infection.

Streptococcus agalactiae causes systemic disease in a variety of wild and farmed fish, resulting in high levels of morbidity and mortality, as well as serious economic losses to the Nile tilapia aquaculture industry. The development of economic and applicable oral vaccines is therefore urgently needed for the sustainable development of Nile tilapia aquaculture. In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) were fabricated using sol-gel synthesis technology, and the antigens of surface immunogenic protein (Sip) was loaded into MSNs to develop a nanovaccine MSNs-Sip@HP55.

Mechanism of regulation of the Helicobacter pylori Cagβ ATPase by CagZ.

The transport of the CagA effector into gastric epithelial cells by the Cag Type IV secretion system (Cag T4SS) of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is critical for pathogenesis. CagA is recruited to Cag T4SS by the Cagβ ATPase.

Ultrathin quantum light source with van der Waals NbOCl crystal.

Interlayer electronic coupling in two-dimensional materials enables tunable and emergent properties by stacking engineering. However, it also results in significant evolution of electronic structures and attenuation of excitonic effects in two-dimensional semiconductors as exemplified by quickly degrading excitonic photoluminescence and optical nonlinearities in transition metal dichalcogenides when monolayers are stacked into van der Waals structures. Here we report a van der Waals crystal, niobium oxide dichloride (NbOCl), featuring vanishing interlayer electronic coupling and monolayer-like excitonic behaviour in the bulk form, along with a scalable second-harmonic generation intensity of up to three orders higher than that in monolayer WS.

Sevoflurane protects against intracerebral hemorrhage via microRNA-133b/FOXO4/BCL2 axis.

The application of Sevoflurane (Sev) in neurological diseases has been documented. We herein clarified the role of Sev in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Through bioinformatics analysis, ICH-related microRNA (miRNA) was collected with microRNA-133b (miR-133b) chosen for the study subject.

Structural Characteristics of Polysaccharide GP2a in and Its Immunomodulatory Effect on Macrophages.

Here, we elucidated the structural characteristics of a polysaccharide isolated from Ellis (labeled as GP2a) and its immunomodulatory activity. GP2a is an acidic polysaccharide with a molecular weight of 44.8 kDa, mostly comprising galacturonic acid.

Structural insights into the CP312R protein of the African swine fever virus.

African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal hemorrhagic disease that affects domestic pigs and wild boars. There is no medication available for ASF to date. The ability to mount antigen-specific responses to viral vectored CP312R makes it a crucial potential target for designing vaccines or drugs.

Crystal Structure of the Disease-Specific Protein of Rice Stripe Virus.

The rice stripe virus (RSV) is responsible for devastating effects in East Asian rice-producing areas. The disease-specific protein (SP) level in rice plants determines the severity of RSV symptoms. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assays confirmed the interaction between an R3H domain-containing host factor, OsR3H3, and RSV SP and .

Structural insight into African swine fever virus I73R protein reveals it as a Z-DNA binding protein.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious viral haemorrhagic disease of swine, leading to enormous economic losses in the swine industry. However, vaccines and drugs to treat ASF have yet to be developed. African swine fever virus (ASFV) encodes more than 150 proteins, but 50% of them have unknown functions.

Near-Field Modulation of Differently Oriented Single Photon Emitters with A Plasmonic Probe.

Single photon emitters (SPEs) are critical components of photon-based quantum technology. Recently, the interaction between surface plasmons and emitters has attracted increasing attention because of its potential to improve the quality of single-photon sources through stronger light-matter interactions. In this work, we use a hybrid plasmonic probe composed of a fiber taper and silver nanowire to controllably modulate the radiation properties of SPEs with differently oriented polarization.

Structure-guided rational design of the Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius feruloyl esterase GthFAE to improve its thermostability.

Feruloyl esterases are indispensable biocatalysts catalyzing the cleavage of ester bonds between polysaccharides and their hydroxycinnamoyl cross-links. GthFAE from Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius was identified as a thermophilic alkaline feruloyl esterase with potential applications in paper manufacturing. To improve the enzymatic properties rationally and efficiently, the structure of GthFAE was solved at 1.

The 14-3-3 protein GF14c positively regulates immunity by modulating the protein homoeostasis of the GRAS protein OsSCL7 in rice.

Various types of transcription factors have been reported to be involved in plant-pathogen interactions by regulating defence-related genes. GRAS proteins, plant- specific transcription factors, have been shown to play essential roles in plant growth, development and stress responses. By performing a transcriptome study on rice early defence responses to Magnaporthe oryzae, we identified a GRAS protein, OsSCL7, which was induced by M.

Strongly Enhanced Second Harmonic Generation in a Thin Film Lithium Niobate Heterostructure Cavity.

Boosting second-order optical nonlinear frequency conversion over subwavelength thickness has long been pursued through optical resonance in micro- and nanophotonics. However, the availability of thin film materials with high second-order nonlinearity is limited to III-V semiconductors, which have low transparency in the visible. Here, we experimentally demonstrated strongly enhanced second harmonic generation in one-dimensional heterostructure cavities on thin film lithium niobate.

pH-Controlled Release of Antigens Using Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles Delivery System for Developing a Fish Oral Vaccine.

The development of effective vaccines and delivery systems in aquaculture is a long-term challenge for controlling emerging and reemerging infections. Cost-efficient and advanced nanoparticle vaccines are of tremendous applicability in prevention of infectious diseases of fish. In this study, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH) antigens of were loaded into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) to compose the vaccine delivery system.

Early immune response in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) after immunization with oral vaccine.

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been used in the field of biomedicine as antigen carriers and adjuvants for protective antigens. In the present study, an oral nanovaccine against Vibrio alginolyticus was prepared employing MSNs as carriers. The uptake of the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH) antigens in the intestine of large yellow croaker was evaluated using an immunohistochemistry assay.

Structural Insights into a Novel Esterase from the East Pacific Rise and Its Improved Thermostability by a Semirational Design.

Lipolytic enzymes are essential biocatalysts in food processing as well as pharmaceutical and pesticide industries, catalyzing the cleavage of ester bonds in a variety of acyl chain substrates. Here, we report the crystal structure of an esterase from the deep-sea hydrothermal vent of the East Pacific Rise (EprEst). The X-ray structure of EprEst in complex with the ligand, acetate, has been determined at 2.

The crystal structure of Arabidopsis BON1 provides insights into the copine protein family.

The Arabidopsis thaliana BON1 gene product is a member of the evolutionary conserved eukaryotic calcium-dependent membrane-binding protein family. The copine protein is composed of two C2 domains (C2A and C2B) followed by a vWA domain. The BON1 protein is localized on the plasma membrane, and is known to suppress the expression of immune receptor genes and to positively regulate stomatal closure.

The crystal structure of the TCP domain of PCF6 in Oryza sativa L. reveals an RHH-like fold.

The Teosinte branched 1/Cycloidea/Proliferating cell factor (TCP) domain is an evolutionarily conserved DNA binding domain unique to the plant kingdom. To date, the functions of TCPs have been well studied, but the three-dimensional structure of the TCP domain is lacking. Here, we have determined the crystal structure of the TCP domain from OsPCF6.

Excitation and analyzation of different surface plasmon modes on a suspended Ag nanowire.

Silver nanowires (AgNWs), as one of the most important plasmonic waveguides, can support several different plasmonic modes. These surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes have different electric field distributions, effective mode areas, propagation lengths and losses and thus can be used for different applications, from efficiently collecting single photons to carrying quantum entanglement. Therefore, the excitation and analysis of these different SPP modes are of pivotal importance for the development of subwavelength optical devices.

Label-free multiphoton imaging of -amyloid plaques in Alzheimer's disease mouse models.

-Amyloid ( ) plaque, representing the progressive accumulation of the protein that mainly consists of , is one of the prominent pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Label-free imaging of plaques holds the potential to be a histological examination tool for diagnosing AD. We applied label-free multiphoton microscopy to identify extracellular plaque as well as intracellular accumulation for the first time from AD mouse models.

KSRP modulates melanoma growth and efficacy of vemurafenib.

The majority of melanomas carry an oncogenic BRAF mutation (BRAF), which results in constitutive kinase activity driving melanoma proliferation. While inhibitors of BRAF (BRAFi) effectively lead to rapid tumor shrinkage, most patients treated with BRAFi develop acquired resistance. Identification of factors as regulators of melanoma growth and as potential sources of resistance is thus crucial for the design of improved therapies to treat advanced melanoma with more durable responses.