Tree drought physiology: critical research questions and strategies for mitigating climate change effects on forests.

Droughts of increasing severity and frequency are a primary cause of forest mortality associated with climate change. Yet, fundamental knowledge gaps regarding the complex physiology of trees limit the development of more effective management strategies to mitigate drought effects on forests. Here, we highlight some of the basic research needed to better understand tree drought physiology and how new technologies and interdisciplinary approaches can be used to address them.

Small molecule protein assembly modulators with pan-cancer therapeutic efficacy.

Two structurally unrelated small molecule chemotypes, represented by compounds PAV-617 and PAV-951, with antiviral activity in cell culture against Mpox virus (formerly known as monkeypox virus) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) respectively, were studied for anti-cancer efficacy. Each exhibited apparent pan-cancer cytotoxicity with reasonable pharmacokinetics. Non-toxicity is demonstrated in a non-cancer cell line and in mice at doses achieving drug exposure at active concentrations.

Combined effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotic enrofloxacin and rising sea temperatures on the health of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis): Exploring physiological, biochemical, and energetic balance dynamics.

Human activity exposes organisms in marine ecosystems to numerous stressors, including rising seawater temperatures and antibiotic contamination. The present study investigated the impacts of environmentally relevant concentrations of the fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotic enrofloxacin (ENR), specifically 5 and 500 ng/L, in Mytilus galloprovincialis under ambient (20 °C) and predicted warming (25 °C) conditions after 14 days of exposure, followed by a 14-day recovery period in the absence of ENR. The chemical analyses revealed significant variability in bioaccumulation in mussel tissues.

In-silico identification and validation of Silibinin as a dual inhibitor for ENO1 and GLUT4 to curtail EMT signaling and TNBC progression.

The aberrant metabolic reprogramming endows TNBC cells with sufficient ATP and lactate required for survival and metastasis. Hence, the intervention of the metabolic network represents a promising avenue to alleviate the Warburg effect in TNBC cells to impair their invasive and metastatic potential. Multitudinous in-silico analysis identified Enolase1 (ENO1) and the surface transporter protein, GLUT4 to be the potential targets for the abrogation of the metabolic network.

Transcriptomic Analysis of the CAM Species Under Low- and High-Temperature Regimes.

Temperature stress is one of the major limiting environmental factors that negatively impact global crop yields. is an obligate crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant species, exhibiting much higher water-use efficiency and tolerance to drought and heat stresses than C or C plant species. Previous studies on gene expression responses to low- or high-temperature stress have been focused on C and C plants.

Reaction Intermediates Involved in the Epoxidation of Ethylene Over Silver Revealed by In Situ Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Ethylene oxide (EO) is a crucial building block in the chemical industry, and its production via ethylene epoxidation (EPO) is a pivotal process. Silver-based catalysts are known for their high selectivity and are currently largely used in the industrial process. Extensive research over the past 20 years has assumed the oxametallacycle (OMC) as a reaction intermediate, implying that ethylene reacts with adsorbed oxygen on the surface of silver.

Unraveling the Nanomechanical and Vibrational Properties of the Mayaro Virus.

Mayaro virus (MAYV) is an emerging mosquito-borne viral pathogen whose infection results in arthritogenic disease. Despite ongoing research efforts, MAYV biology is largely unknown. Physical virology can assess MAYV nanoparticle metastability, assembly/disassembly, and polymorphism, allowing us to understand virion architecture and dynamics.

Highly Stretchable 3D Microelectrode Array for Noninvasive Functional Evaluation of Cardiac Spheroids and Midbrain Organoids.

Organoids are 3D biological models that recapitulate the complex structures and functions of human organs. Despite the rapid growth in the generation of organoids, in vitro assay tools are still limited to 2D forms. Thus, a comprehensive and continuous functional evaluation of the electrogenic organoids remains a challenge.

Radiation-Resistant Bacteria Deinococcus radiodurans-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Potential Radioprotectors.

The increasing use of radiation presents a risk of radiation exposure, making the development of radioprotectors necessary. In the previous study, it is investigated that Deinococcus radiodurans (R1-EVs) exert the antioxidative properties. However, the radioprotective activity of R1-EVs remains unclear.

Analyzing the efficacy of trimethylolpropane trioleate oil for predicting cutting power and surface roughness in high-speed drilling of Al-6061 through machine learning.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of a lubricant derived from trimethylolpropane trioleate on power consumption and surface roughness during high-speed drilling of Al-6061, with the goal of developing an environmentally friendly cutting fluid. The study investigated the impact of additive concentration, spindle speed, and feed rate on energy consumption and surface roughness using a Taguchi L27 orthogonal array. Through analysis of the Taguchi experimental outcomes and single-to-noise ratios, the parameters were ranked accordingly.

Effects of live yeast on milk yield, feed efficiency, methane emissions and fertility of high-yielding dairy cows.

Live yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) products have the potential to increase milk yield of dairy cows in early lactation by improving rumen fermentation. Greater milk yields, however, are sometimes associated with poorer reproductive performance. This study aimed to assess the effect of a live yeast supplement on milk yield, methane emissions and reproduction indicators in high-yielding dairy cows.

Efficiency and process development for microbial biomass production using oxic bioelectrosynthesis.

Autotrophic microbial electrosynthesis (MES) processes are mainly based on organisms that rely on carbon dioxide (CO) as an electron acceptor and typically have low biomass yields. However, there are few data on the process and efficiencies of oxic MES (OMES). In this study, we used the knallgas bacterium Kyrpidia spormannii to investigate biomass formation and energy efficiency of cathode-dependent growth.

Editorial Note: Strategic engineering and functional mechanism elucidation of advanced materials in adsorption and catalysis for detoxification of contaminated water matrices.

Uncontrolled anthropogenic activities have contaminated water resources with emerging contaminants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, microplastics, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and heavy metals, making them unsuitable for living ecosystems. Emerging contaminants pose a severe threat to ecosystems. Hence water treatment methods through improved efficiencies are essential for removing these contaminants at ease of application and at low energy.

Defaunation Increases Clustering and Fine-Scale Spatial Genetic Structure in a Small-Seeded Palm Despite Remaining Small-Bodied Frugivores.

Anthropogenic pressures such as hunting are increasingly driving the localised functional extinctions of large- and medium-sized wildlife in tropical forests, a phenomenon broadly termed 'defaunation'. Concurrently in these areas, smaller-bodied species benefit from factors such as competitive release and increase in numbers. This transformation of the wildlife community can impact species interactions and ecosystem services such as seed dispersal and seed-mediated geneflow with far-reaching consequences.

Digging deep for nutrients and metabolites derived from high dietary protein intake and their potential functions in metabolic health.

Intake of high quantities of dietary proteins sourced from dairy, meat or plants can affect body weight and metabolic health in humans. To improve our understanding of how this may be achieved, we reviewed the data related to the availability of nutrients and metabolites in the faeces, circulation and urine. All protein sources (≥20% by energy) increased faecal levels of branched-chain fatty acids and ammonia and decreased the levels of butyrate.

Tailoring microbial fitness through computational steering and CRISPRi-driven robustness regulation.

The widespread application of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs) across diverse sectors underscores the pressing need for robust strategies to mitigate the risks associated with their potential uncontrolled escape. This study merges computational modeling with CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to refine GMM metabolic robustness. Utilizing ensemble modeling, we achieved high-throughput in silico screening for enzymatic targets susceptible to expression alterations.

Recent advances and factors affecting the adsorption of nano/microplastics by magnetic biochar.

The increase in nano/microplastics (NPs/MPs) from various everyday products entering aquatic environments highlights the urgent need to develop mitigation strategies. Biochar (BC), known for its excellent adsorption capabilities, can effectively target various harmful organic and inorganic pollutants. However, traditional methods involving powdered BC necessitate centrifugation and filtration, which can lead to the desorption of pollutants and subsequent secondary pollution.

RB-TnSeq barcode abundance data sets for grown on the β-5-linked aromatic dimer dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol.

A randomly barcoded transposon insertion sequencing (RB-TnSeq) library of DSM12444 was grown in media containing either glucose or the β-5-linked aromatic dimer dehydrodiconiferyl alcohol (DC-A) as the sole carbon source. The cultures were grown to saturation and then sequenced, yielding the barcode abundance data sets presented here.

Maternal investment, body condition and calf growth in humpback whales.

Given recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) reproductive output and calf survival, there is additional urgency to better understand how mother-calf pairs allocate energy resources across their migratory cycle. Here, unoccupied aerial system (UAS; or drone) photogrammetry was used to quantify the body size and condition (BC) of humpback whales on their Hawai'i (HI) breeding and Southeast Alaska (SEAK) feeding grounds. Between 2018 and 2022, we collected 2410 measurements of 1659 individuals.

Impact of long-term mass-rearing on the genetic structure of tsetse fly Glossina palpalis gambiensis colonies.

Tsetse flies are the sole cyclic vectors of African trypanosomes, which cause human and animal African trypanosomiases in Africa. Tsetse fly control remains a promising option for disease management. The sterile insect technique (SIT) stands as an environmentally friendly tool to control tsetse populations.

Distinct roles of ascorbic acid in extracellular vesicles and free form: Implications for metabolism and oxidative stress in presymptomatic Huntington's disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG trinucleotide repeat expansion in the first exon of the huntingtin gene. The huntingtin protein (Htt) is ubiquitously expressed and localized in several organelles, including endosomes, where it plays an essential role in intracellular trafficking. Presymptomatic HD is associated with a failure in energy metabolism and oxidative stress.

Energetic cost of gestation and prenatal growth in humpback whales.

Improving our understanding of energy allocation in reproduction is key for accurately parameterizing bioenergetic models to assess population responses to environmental perturbations and anthropogenic disturbance. We quantified the energetic cost of gestation in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) using historical whaling records, non-invasive unoccupied aerial system (UAS) photogrammetry and post mortem tissue samples. First, we estimated relative birth size using body length measurements of 678 mother-fetus pairs from historical whaling records and 987 mother-calf pairs measured in situ using UAS-photogrammetry.

A putative mycobacterial GDP-mannose dependent α-mannosyltransferase Rv0225 acts as PimC: an study.

The complex cell envelope of pathogenic mycobacteria provides a strong barrier against the host immune system and various antibiotics. Phosphatidyl-myo-inositol mannosides (PIMs), lipomannan (LM), and lipoarabinomannan (LAM) are structurally important elements of mycobacterial cell envelope and also play crucial roles in modulating the host immune functions. At the cytoplasmic side of the mycobacterial inner membrane, phosphatidyl-myo-inositol (PI) is mannosylated by α-mannosyltransferases PimA and PimB' to synthesize PIM using GDP-mannose (GDPM) as the mannose donor.

MIBiG 4.0: advancing biosynthetic gene cluster curation through global collaboration.

Specialized or secondary metabolites are small molecules of biological origin, often showing potent biological activities with applications in agriculture, engineering and medicine. Usually, the biosynthesis of these natural products is governed by sets of co-regulated and physically clustered genes known as biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs). To share information about BGCs in a standardized and machine-readable way, the Minimum Information about a Biosynthetic Gene cluster (MIBiG) data standard and repository was initiated in 2015.