Testis-specific H2B.W1 disrupts nucleosome integrity by reducing DNA-histone interactions.

Multiple testis-specific histone variants are involved in the dynamic chromatin transitions during spermatogenesis. H2B.W1 (previously called H2BFWT) is an H2B variant specific to primate testis with hitherto unclear functions, although its single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are closely associated with male non-obstructive infertility.

Parental histone transfer caught at the replication fork.

In eukaryotes, DNA compacts into chromatin through nucleosomes. Replication of the eukaryotic genome must be coupled to the transmission of the epigenome encoded in the chromatin. Here we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) replisomes associated with the FACT (facilitates chromatin transactions) complex (comprising Spt16 and Pob3) and an evicted histone hexamer.

Synergism between CMG helicase and leading strand DNA polymerase at replication fork.

The replisome that replicates the eukaryotic genome consists of at least three engines: the Cdc45-MCM-GINS (CMG) helicase that separates duplex DNA at the replication fork and two DNA polymerases, one on each strand, that replicate the unwound DNA. Here, we determined a series of cryo-electron microscopy structures of a yeast replisome comprising CMG, leading-strand polymerase Polε and three accessory factors on a forked DNA. In these structures, Polε engages or disengages with the motor domains of the CMG by occupying two alternative positions, which closely correlate with the rotational movement of the single-stranded DNA around the MCM pore.

Serum metabolomic analysis reveals key metabolites in drug treatment of central precocious puberty in female children.

Precocious puberty (PP) is a common condition among children. According to the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, PP can be divided into central precocious puberty (CPP, gonadotropin dependent), peripheral precocious puberty (PPP, gonadotropin independent), and incomplete precocious puberty (IPP). Identification of the variations in key metabolites involved in CPP and their underlying biological mechanisms has increased the understanding of the pathological processes of this condition.

Serum Metabonomics Reveals Key Metabolites in Different Types of Childhood Short Stature.

Nowadays, short stature (SS) in childhood is a common condition encountered by pediatricians, with an increase in not just a few families. Various studies related to the variations in key metabolites and their biological mechanisms that lead to SS have increased our understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. However, little is known about the role of metabolite variation in different types of childhood SS that influence these biological processes and whether the understanding of the key metabolites from different types of childhood SS would predict the disease progression better.

Adverse Effects Associated With Currently Commonly Used Antifungal Agents: A Network Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

Invasive fungal infections (IFI) is an important contributing factor in morbidity and mortality of immunocompromised and critically ill patients. Although the therapeutic effects of these drugs on IFI have been well documented, the long-term use of antifungal agents has raised concerns about drug tolerability and treatment-related toxicity risks. We searched articles published before June 30, 2020 in four electronic databases: Web of Science, Cochrane Library, embase and PubMed.

Association of β-blocker use with survival and pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of β-blockers (BBs) on respiratory function and survival in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as the difference between the effects of cardioselective and noncardioselective BBs.

Methods And Results: We searched for relevant literature in four electronic databases, namely, PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, and compared the differences in various survival indicators between patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease taking BBs and those not taking BBs. Forty-nine studies were included, with a total sample size of 670 594.

Structural basis of ion transport and inhibition in ferroportin.

Ferroportin is an iron exporter essential for releasing cellular iron into circulation. Ferroportin is inhibited by a peptide hormone, hepcidin. In humans, mutations in ferroportin lead to ferroportin diseases that are often associated with accumulation of iron in macrophages and symptoms of iron deficiency anemia.

TrkA undergoes a tetramer-to-dimer conversion to open TrkH which enables changes in membrane potential.

TrkH is a bacterial ion channel implicated in K uptake and pH regulation. TrkH assembles with its regulatory protein, TrkA, which closes the channel when bound to ADP and opens it when bound to ATP. However, it is unknown how nucleotides control the gating of TrkH through TrkA.

Projecting the current and future potential global distribution of Hyphantria cunea (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) using CLIMEX.

Background: The international invasive and quarantined defoliating insect Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) causes huge ecological and economic losses in the world. Furthermore, future climate change may alter the distribution of H. cunea and aggravate the damage.

Structure of an EIIC sugar transporter trapped in an inward-facing conformation.

The phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) transports sugar into bacteria and phosphorylates the sugar for metabolic consumption. The PTS is important for the survival of bacteria and thus a potential target for antibiotics, but its mechanism of sugar uptake and phosphorylation remains unclear. The PTS is composed of multiple proteins, and the membrane-embedded Enzyme IIC (EIIC) component transports sugars across the membrane.

A clinical and mechanistic study of topical borneol-induced analgesia.

Bingpian is a time-honored herb in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is an almost pure chemical with a chemical composition of (+)-borneol and has been historically used as a topical analgesic for millennia. However, the clinical efficacy of topical borneol lacks stringent evidence-based clinical studies and verifiable scientific mechanism.

A new species of genus Leluthia Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizing Agrilus sp. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from China with a key to the East Palaearctic species.

A new species of genus Leluthia Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), L. chinensis Li & van Achterberg, sp. nov.

Evidence for contact sex recognition pheromone of the Asian longhorned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae).

Field observations of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) mating behavior in China suggested that a female-produced contact pheromone was almost certainly involved in sex recognition. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of A. glabripennis adults' whole body cuticular extracts indicates that a series of long-chain hydrocarbons comprise the cuticular waxes of both sexes.