Autophagy-Mediated Targeted Protein Degradation.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved turnover process in eukaryotes, mediating the delivery of various cellular components to lysosomes for degradation and facilitating the recycling of the breakdown products to maintain homeostasis. By harnessing this powerful autophagy-lysosomal degradation system, strategies for targeted protein degradation (TPD) have been emerging to remove specific disease-related proteins (both intracellular and cell-surface proteins) for complete elimination of their functions, bringing new insights to drug discovery. Herein, we give a brief introduction on how autophagy works followed by a focus on available small-molecule and macromolecule-based strategies for TPD mediated by autophagy.

Effect of UV-C irradiation treatment on mycotoxins production in Fusarium species inoculated wheat seeds during wheat germination.

Wheat is a most important food crop worldwide. Wheat is reported to be susceptible to a variety of fungi, which could induce huge economic losses and the contamination of potential mycotoxins could bring serious toxic effects. In this work, UV-C irradiation treatment on Fusarium infected wheat seeds during germination was investigated.

Probing the Mesenchymal Stem Cell Aging through In silico Assessment of Extracellular Vesicle-mediated miRNAs.

Introduction: During mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) aging, a decrease in its proliferation and regenerative capacity occurs, which is implicated in human aging. The MSCs aging process is regulated by genetics, metabolism, the external environment, and various complex pathways.

Method: The aging of MSCs during in vitro culture poses a major challenge for developing cell therapy aimed at combating human diseases and aging.

C-Labdane diterpenoid alkaloids bearing a rare skeleton with anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities from Forsythia suspensa.

Two undescribed C-Labdane diterpenoid alkaloids, named forsylinfenines A and B (1-2), attributable to a rare 4,4,10,13-tetramethyl-1(2),3(4),5(10),6(7)-octahydrobenzo[f]quinolin skeleton, along with three known β-carboline-type alkaloids (3-5), were isolated. The chemical structures including absolute configurations of two undescribed compounds were established by means of integrated spectroscopic techniques and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculations. In addition, a plausible biosynthetic pathway for the formation of compounds 1 and 2 was proposed.

Targeting TEAD would be a potential strategy for scarless wound repair: A preliminary study.

Despite of decades of efforts, novel approaches are still limited to attenuate or prevent skin scarring. A previous report published in Science demonstrated that inhibition of YAP promotes scarless wound repair by regeneration. Due to the difficult drugability of targeting YAP, we speculated that inhibition of TEAD, a partner molecule of YAP, might exist similar therapeutic potential.

Methane emission fluxes and associated microbial community characteristics in a temperate seagrass meadow.

Seagrass meadows are acknowledged as blue carbon ecosystems, yet they are also ideal habitats for methane (CH) release, offsetting their ability to mitigate climate change. The global CH fluxes in seagrass meadows remain highly uncertain due to regional and species biases, and the microbial mechanisms driving methane release are poorly understood. Here, we investigated CH air-sea fluxes, sediment CH emission potential and microbes involved in CH release using geochemical techniques combined with qPCR and Illumina sequencing in a temperate Zostera japonica and Zostera marina mixed meadow.

Euglena gracilis polysaccharide modulated gut dysbiosis of obese individuals via acetic acid in an in vitro fermentation model.

Gut dysbiosis is a characteristic feature of obesity and targeting gut microbiota presents a promising approach to attenuate obesity. Euglena gracilis polysaccharide (EGP) has emerged as a potential prebiotic capable of promoting health-beneficial bacteria. However, its effects on the gut dysbiosis of obese individuals remain unclear.

Effects of electron beam irradiation on the sensory qualities and bioactive compounds of broccoli sprout juice.

This study investigates the effects of electron beam irradiation at varying doses on the bioactive compounds and sensory qualities and of broccoli sprout juice (BSJ). A comprehensive analysis of volatile flavor components using GC-IMS and GC-MS identified 49 compounds, including esters, aldehydes, and olefins. Notably, the sulforaphane content exhibited a strong negative correlation with irradiation intensity (R = 0.

PCBM Constructing Heterojunction for Efficient CsPbI Perovskite Quantum Dot Solar Cells.

CsPbI perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have emerged as promising photovoltaic materials for third-generation solar cells, owing to their superior optoelectronic properties. Nevertheless, the performance of CsPbI PQD solar cells is primarily hindered by low carrier extraction efficiency, largely due to the insulative ligands. In this study, we introduced a semiconductor molecule, [6,6]-phenyl C butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM), onto the surfaces of CsPbI PQDs as surface ligands to enhance photogenerated charge extraction.

Integration of Immunosyringe Sensors with Bar-Chart Chips for Prick-and-Read Testing of Prostate Specific Antigen.

Pressure-based signal transduction is of promise in developing microfluidic immunoassays such as volumetric bar-chart chips (V-chips), but new working principles are required to further simplify the methods in point-of-care testing (POCT). Herein, we developed immunosyringe sensors and integrated them with bar-chart chips for simple prick-and-read testing of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a model target. Disposable syringes served as the host for the construction of the sandwich-type immuno-recognition system.

Enzymatic characterization of a thermostable 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from and its application for NADH regeneration.

Unlabelled: 6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenases (6PGDHs) are widely existing as reduced cofactor (NADH/NADPH) regeneration biocatalysts. Herein, a thermostable 6PGDH from (Ht6PGDH) was overexpressed in and enzymologically characterized. Ht6PGDH exhibited exceptional stability and catalytic activity under high-temperature conditions, with an optimum temperature of 85 °C and the ability to maintain high activity for prolonged periods at 70 °C, which could be purified through a one-step heat treatment.

Prediction of acute myeloid leukemia prognosis based on autophagy features and characterization of its immune microenvironment.

Background: Autophagy promotes the survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells by removing damaged organelles and proteins and protecting them from stress-induced apoptosis. Although many studies have identified candidate autophagy genes associated with AML prognosis, there are still great challenges in predicting the survival prognosis of AML patients. Therefore, it is necessary to identify more novel autophagy gene markers to improve the prognosis of AML by utilizing information at the molecular level.

Transcriptome profiling of triploid Crassostrea gigas gills indicates the host immune mechanism against bacterial infection.

As an important member of global aquaculture, oysters (Crassostrea gigas) have significant economic value. With the development of commercial aquaculture, the frequent occurrence of diseases caused by Vibrio alginolyticus has become a hindrance to high-density aquaculture. Gill tissue, as an important component of immune system of the oysters, plays the key point in the face of invasion by foreign substances.

Photo-controlled cascade DNA hybridization for amplified electrochemical biosensor with tunable sensing performance.

Background: Precise control of the biorecognition process in DNA biosensors, especially for those with signal amplification, remains a challenge. It is of great significance to introduce external stimuli into the DNA system for a controllable trigger of nucleic acid cascade amplification and further for excellent biosensors.

Results: In this study, a photo-initiated hybridization chain reaction (HCR) was designed for controllable and sensitive electrochemical biosensor via the incorporation of azobenzene moiety into the assembly unit.

Development of a Colloidal Gold Immunochromatographic Strip for Specific Detection of Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida.

Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida (Pdp) is characterised by high infectivity and mortality and wide distribution, resulting in substantial economic losses to the global aquaculture industry. Therefore, it is critical to develop a simple, rapid and accurate diagnostic method for Pdp detection.

Practically complementary size exclusion chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography for the preparative separation of structurally similar flavone-C-glycosides.

In this study, a practicably complementary size exclusion chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography method was constructed and applied to efficiently separate and purify structural analogs or isomers from natural products. First, a ternary styrene-divinylbenzene matrix CHP20P medium-pressure elution system was applied for Ligustrum qianluoenenst leaf crude sample pretreatment, with a recovery of 91.2 %, and 13.

Imidazole Encapsulation Enabled by Confinement for I and CHI Coremoval.

Nitrogen-rich small molecules are frequently doped into porous materials to enhance their iodine adsorption properties. To explore how imidazole confinement in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) affects iodine adsorption, we obtained a UiO-66-based composite by embedding imidazole in UiO-66 pores via solid-phase adsorption (Im@UiO-66). Characterization confirmed that imidazole was successfully confined within the UiO-66 pores, with each unit of UiO-66 accommodating up to 27 imidazole molecules.

Chitooligosaccharide-modified PLGA-loaded PPD nanoparticles ameliorated sepsis-associated acute kidney injury the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objectives: Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) is a significant clinical challenge with high morbidity and mortality. Low bioavailability of protopanaxadiol (PPD) limits its clinical application. In this study, PPD was encapsulated with chitooligosaccharide (COS) modified polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) to develop novel nanomedicines for the treatment of SA-AKI.

Multi-Electron Transfer Halide Cathode Materials Based on Intercalation-Conversion Reaction Towards All-Solid-State Lithium Batteries.

All-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) with non-flammable solid-state electrolytes offer high energy density and enhanced safety. However, their energy densities are greatly limited by low-capacity and low-ionic-conductivity oxide cathode materials, typically relying on the intercalation-deintercalation mechanism with a catholyte content of 15-30 wt %. Here we introduce the LiFeX (X=Cl, Br) families as high-capacity and high-ionic-conductivity alternatives, operating via a 3 mol e transfer intercalation-conversion coupling reaction.

A Modified Inflammatory Pain Model to Study the Analgesic Effect in Mice.

The hot plate test is widely used to evaluate analgesic effects on inflammatory pain in mice. A commonly used model of inflammatory pain was induced with an intraplantar injection of carrageenan in one hind paw. However, the findings from our laboratory showed that mice with a single-hind-paw injection of carrageenan lifted their paws to avoid thermal nociception during the hot plate test.

Exploring the impact of substitution and conformational variations on the copigmentation ability of monomeric flavan-3-ols in wine.

Monomeric flavan-3-ols are important copigments in red wines, due to their superior copigmentation ability and high concentration. In this work, a systematic study was conducted on the copigmentation effects of eight common monomeric flavan-3-ols with malvidin-3-O-glucoside, using experimental and theoretical methods. The results revealed that the addition of a hydroxy group to the B ring and the attachment of a galloyl group at the 3-O position of monomeric flavan-3-ols both contributed to enhance copigmentation, with the latter exerting a more pronounced effect.

Structural regulation of alginate-based adsorbents based on different coordination configurations of metal ions and selective adsorption of copper ion.

To tackle the problem of developing efficient adsorbents for the selective removal of copper ions from wastewater, this investigation focused on the synthesis of Fe-GO/MMT/SA and Al-GO/MMT/SA copper ion adsorbent materials (Fe-GMS and Al-GMS), respectively, by merging two distinct metal ions (Fe(III) and Al(III)) with sodium alginate (SA), graphene oxide (GO), and montmorillonite (MMT). By introducing metal ions with different coordination configurations, the slit structure and pore density of the adsorbents can be effectively controlled, thereby enhancing the selectivity for copper ion adsorption. The results show that Fe-GMS has excellent adsorption capacity for Cu(II) compared with Al(III), and the adsorption capacity and distribution coefficient are 116.

Development of Oral, Potent, and Selective CK1α Degraders for AML Therapy.

Molecular glue degraders (MGDs) are proximity-inducing agents that mediate the cooperative interaction between a target protein and an E3 ligase, introducing an additional layer of specificity beyond that afforded by traditional small molecules. Historically, molecular glues that stabilize protein-protein interactions were often discovered serendipitously. In this study, we leveraged the reprogramming potential of cereblon (CRBN)-based ligands and conducted a CRBN-dependent proliferation screen to identify CRBN-based MGDs capable of inducing the degradation of proteins essential for cell viability.

Efficient purification and excitation energy transfer characterization of phycoerythrin 545 from Rhodomonas sp.

Cryptomonad phycoerythrin 545 (PE545) is an important type of phycobiliprotein in basic research and technological innovations. Herein, we report a minimalistic hydrophobic chromatography method for its purification. High purity was achieved, with a purity ratio (A/A) of 13.