Generation of Mt3 Homozygote murine ES cell lines via CRISPR/Cas9 technology.

Metallothioneins belong to a superfamily of intracellular metal-binding proteins, have bearing on almost all biochemical processes,include free radical scavenging, apoptosis, regulation of intracellular redox balance, and anti-inflammatory processes. By using a CRISPR/Cas 9 system, we generated Mt3 mES line. This cell line has contributed to further investigation of the functions of Mtt3 during early development, as well as a cell model for screening for metal-related detoxificationan and antioxidant response phenotype during stem cell differentiation.

Intravenous administration of sodium propionate induces antidepressant or prodepressant effect in a dose dependent manner.

Propionate has been reported to exert antidepressant effects, but high-dose propionate may induce autism-like symptoms in experimental animals through induction of dysbiosis of neurotransmitters. The bi-directional effects of propionate seem to be dose-dependent. However, due to the pathological discrepancies between depression and autism, conclusions drawn from autism may not be simply transferable to depression.

Selenium modulates cadmium-induced ultrastructural and metabolic changes in cucumber seedlings.

Intensive insight into the potential mechanisms of Se-induced Cd tolerance in cucumber seedlings is essential for further improvement of vegetable crop cultivation and breeding to obtain high yields and quality in Cd-contaminated soil. To reveal the ultrastructural and metabolic differences in Se-induced Cd tolerance, we examined the ultrastructures of chloroplasts and root cells and characterised 155 differentially expressed metabolites under Cd and/or Se stress using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS)-based metabolomics. Exogenous Se greatly relieved Cd-caused injuries to the ultrastructures of cucumber leaves and roots; for example, the shapes of chloroplasts treated with Cd + Se improved or even began to return to normal, the nuclei of root cells began to regenerate better and the chromatin was well-distributed compared with plants treated with Cd alone.

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin in the hyaluronic acid films.

Hemoglobin (Hb) in the hyaluronic acid (HA) was cast at pyrolytic graphite (PG) electrodes for researching its electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties. The formal potential and electron transfer rate constant of Hb on HA films were determined, and the stability of the films, the pH effect, and the influence of supporting electrolyte concentrations upon Hb electrochemistry on the films were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry. UV-Vis absorption and reflectance absorption infrared (RAIR) spectra showed that the protein on HA film retained near-native secondary structure.