MYOZ2通过负调控TCAP的表达促进C3H10T1/2细胞成脂分化

本研究旨在明确钙调磷酸酶肌小节结合蛋白2（myozenin2,MYOZ2）的组织表达特性,阐明其对C3H10T1/2细胞成脂分化的影响及可能的作用机制。采集180日龄马身猪、60日龄ICR小鼠、35日龄罗斯肉鸡和12月龄小尾寒羊背最长肌、皮下脂肪和肝组织,检测MYOZ2基因mRNA表达。结果显示,MYOZ2基因在所检测的物种中表现出相似的组织表达规律,在背最长肌表达量最高,皮下脂肪与肝组织低水平表达。在C3H10T1/2细胞中沉默MYOZ2基因后,qRT-PCR结果显示,与对照组相比,成脂关键基因PPARγ、FABP4表达极显著下调（P<0.01）;Western 印迹结果表明,PPARγ蛋白含量显著降低（P<0.05）;油红O染色发现,沉默MYOZ2基因后脂滴数明显减少,甘油三酯含量显著降低（P<0.05）。利用qRT-PCR技术检测沉默MYOZ2基因后,脂肪代谢相关基因SCD、FASN、SREBP1、NR1H3、DGAT1、PNPLA2、HSL、CES1、CPT1等的表达,结果显示,SCD、FASN、SREBP1、PNPLA2、HSL极显著下调（P<0.01）,NR1H3显著下调（P<0.05）,DGAT1表达下调但差异不显著,CES1、CPT1显著上调（P<0.05）。利用STRING数据库构建MYOZ2相关蛋白质互作网络图,发现MYOZ2可能通过肌联蛋白帽（Titin-cap,TCAP）与PPARγ相互作用进而影响成脂分化。沉默TCAP基因,qRT-PCR结果显示,与对照组相比,成脂关键基因PPARγ、FABP4表达极显著上调（P<0.01）;Western 印迹结果表明,与对照组相比,PPARγ蛋白含量显著升高（P<0.05）;油红O染色发现,沉默TCAP基因后脂滴数明显增多,甘油三酯含量显著升高（P<0.05）。利用qRT-PCR技术检测沉默MYOZ2后TCAP基因的表达结果显示,沉默MYOZ2后TCAP的表达极显著升高（P<0.01）。综上所述,MYOZ2基因在背最长肌中表达量最高,在皮下脂肪和肝组织中也有少量表达。此外,MYOZ2可能通过MYOZ2-TCAP-PPARγ途径影响成脂关键基因PPARγ和FABP4的表达,进而调控脂肪酸代谢相关基因SCD、FASN、SREBP1、NR1H3、DGAT1、PNPLA2、HSL、CES1、CPT1,在成脂分化过程中发挥重要作用。     

有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊的调控及其对酶活性和稳定性的影响

纳米胶囊化是提高有机磷水解酶（organic phosphorus hydrolase,OPH）稳定性,进而实现其实用化的最具前景的解决方案。纳米胶囊一方面能够有效保护有机磷水解酶免于失活,但另一方面胶囊的存在也会阻碍底物与酶活性中心的接近。因此,通过调节纳米胶囊的结构来调控有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊活性和稳定性是十分值得研究的课题。本文用N-羟基琥珀酰亚胺丙烯酸酯（N-succinimidyl acrylate,NAS）将有机磷水解酶表面丙烯酰化,以丙烯酰胺（acrylamide,AAM）和N-（3-氨丙基）甲基丙烯酰胺盐酸盐（N-(3-aminopropyl) methacrylamide hydrochloride,APM）为单体,在有机磷水解酶蛋白表面进行原位自由基聚合反应,制备了单分散的有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊（OPH nanocapsule,nOPH）。用透射电镜和傅里叶红外光谱对nOPH结构进行了表征。研究了不同NAS投料量在37℃下对有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊活性,及其热稳定性和有机溶剂稳定性的影响规律。当NAS投料量在75∶1以下时,纳米胶囊的存在对有机磷水解酶活性未见影响,而当大于这一投料比时,酶活性会因胶囊致密程度的上升而下降。在加热下或有机溶剂中,有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊的酶活性呈现出随着NAS投料比的增加先增加而后下降的趋势。以上结果表明,酶活性可以通过在由有机磷水解酶制得有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊的过程中,调节纳米胶囊至合适的致密程度来最大程度的保留。合适的致密程度还能显著提高有机磷水解酶纳米胶囊热稳定性和有机溶剂稳定性。这对进一步实现有机磷水解酶的实用化具有重要意义。     

贵州省藜芦科一新记录属——白丝草属

报道贵州省藜芦科一新记录属——白丝草属Chamaelirium Willd.,一新记录种——中国白丝草Chamaelirium chinense (K. Krause) N. Tanaka,并对该种的形态特征、生境、分类变动进行描述及讨论。     

Curcumin alleviates acute kidney injury in a dry‐heat environment by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in a rat model

Curcumin exhibits anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We investigated the protective effects of curcumin in a renal injury rat model under dry‐heat conditions. We divided Sprague‐Dawley rats into four groups: dry‐heat 0‐ (normal temperature control group), 50‐, 100‐, and 150‐minute groups. Each group was divided into five subgroups (n = 10): normal saline (NS), sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMCNa), and curcumin pretreated low, medium, and high‐dose (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg, respectively) groups. Compared to the normal temperature group, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urinary kidney injury molecule‐1, and neutrophil gelatinase‐associated load changes in lipoprotein (NGAL) levels were significantly increased in the dry‐heat environment group (P < .05); inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) expression and malondialdehyde (MDA) and related inflammatory factor levels were increased in the kidney tissue. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) levels were decreased. However, following all curcumin pretreatment, the serum levels of kidney injury indicators and NGAL were decreased in the urine compared to those in the NS and CMCNa groups (P < .05), whereas renal SOD and CAT activities were increased and MDA was decreased (P < .05). Renal tissues of the 150‐minute group showed obvious pathological changes. Compared to the NS group, pathological changes in the renal tissues of the 100‐ and 200‐mg/kg curcumin groups were significantly reduced. Furthermore, iNOS and COX‐2 expression and inflammatory factor levels were decreased after curcumin treatment. Curcumin exerted renoprotective effects that were likely mediated by its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory effects in a dry‐heat environment rat model.     

Reunderstanding Cairo through urban metabolism: Formal versus informal districts resource flow performance in fast urbanizing cities

Urban expansion can be seen as the most pervasive human impact on the environment where its high resource use contributes negatively to climate change and resource scarcity crises. Many experts call for decoupling resource use, economic development, and related urban development especially within cities of the Global South. This paper focuses on investigating resource efficiency through the lens of urban metabolism. It investigates current resource flows, through material flow analysis, from source to sink, in two diverse districts in Cairo: a formal district and an informal one, regarding materials (waste) and mobility. Consequently, the paper discusses locally responsive interventions that address local priorities as opposing to citywide one‐size fits all solution. The paper relies on parcel audits, which are embedded in an Urban Metabolism Information System developed by the Ecocity Builders and their partners, through a joint project with Cairo University. The methodology couples crowd‐sourced data, parcel audits, and experts’ knowledge to better understand resource flows based on a bottom‐up approach, given the unavailability of governmental data on the local level. The paper further correlates the perceived quality of life with the actual resource flows. It utilizes fieldwork investigations to argue against the local misconceptions regarding the inefficiency of informal areas/systems versus the higher efficiency of planned areas/systems. The paper concludes by proposing integrated solutions that respond to local needs and resources. It highlights the challenges and lessons of this tailored bottom‐up approach and its applicability in other cities worldwide.     

Distinctive probiotic features share common TLR2‐dependent signalling in intestinal epithelial cells

The underlying mechanisms of probiotics and postbiotics are not well understood, but it is known that both affect the adaptive and innate immune responses. In addition, there is a growing concept that some probiotic strains have common core mechanisms that provide certain health benefits. Here, we aimed to elucidate the signalization of the probiotic bacterial strains Lactobacillus paragasseri K7, Limosilactobacillus fermentum L930BB, Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis IM386 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum WCFS1. We showed in in vitro experiments that the tested probiotics exhibit common TLR2‐ and TLR10‐dependent downstream signalling cascades involving inhibition of NF‐κB signal transduction. Under inflammatory conditions, the probiotics activated phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt anti‐apoptotic pathways and protein kinase C (PKC)‐dependent pathways, which led to regulation of the actin cytoskeleton and tight junctions. These pathways contribute to the regeneration of the intestinal epithelium and modulation of the mucosal immune system, which, together with the inhibition of canonical TLR signalling, promote general immune tolerance. With this study we identified shared probiotic mechanisms and were the first to pinpoint the role of anti‐inflammatory probiotic signalling through TLR10.     

Quantifying energetic and fitness consequences of seasonal heterothermy in an Arctic ungulate

Animals have adapted behavioral and physiological strategies to conserve energy during periods of adverse conditions. Heterothermy is one such adaptation used by endotherms. While heterothermy—fluctuations in body temperature and metabolic rate—has been shown in large vertebrates, little is known of the costs and benefits of this strategy, both in terms of energy and in terms of fitness. Hence, our objective was to model the energetics of seasonal heterothermy in the largest Arctic ungulate, the muskox (Ovibos moschatus), using an individual‐based energy budget model of metabolic physiology. We found that the empirically based drop in body temperature (winter max ~−0.8°C) overwinter in adult females resulted in substantial fitness benefits in terms of reduced daily energy expenditure and body mass loss. Body mass and energy reserves were 8.98% and 14.46% greater in modeled heterotherms compared to normotherms by end of winter. Based on environmental simulations, we show that seasonal heterothermy can, to some extent, buffer the negative consequences of poor prewinter body condition or reduced winter food accessibility, leading to greater winter survival (+20%–30%) and spring energy reserves (+10%–30%), and thus increased probability of future reproductive success. These results indicate substantial adaptive short‐term benefits of seasonal heterothermy at the individual level, with potential implications for long‐term population dynamics in highly seasonal environments.     

Differential responses to fertilization and competition among invasive,noninvasive alien,and native Bidens species

Comparative studies of invasive, noninvasive alien, and native congenic plant species can identify plant traits that drive invasiveness. In particular, functional traits associated with rapid growth rate and high fecundity likely facilitate invasive success. As such traits often exhibit high phenotypic plasticity, characterizing plastic responses to anthropogenic environmental changes such as eutrophication and disturbance is important for predicting the invasive success of alien plant species in the future. Here, we compared trait expression and phenotypic plasticity at the species level among invasive, noninvasive alien, and native Bidens species. Plants were grown under nutrient addition and competition treatments, and their functional, morphological, and seed traits were examined. Invasive B. frondosa exhibited higher phenotypic plasticity in most measured traits than did the alien noninvasive B. pilosa or native B. bipinnata. However, differential plastic responses to environmental treatments rarely altered the rank of trait values among the three Bidens species, except for the number of inflorescences. The achene size of B. frondosa was larger, but its pappus length was shorter than that of B. pilosa. Two species demonstrated opposite plastic responses of pappus length to fertilization. These results suggest that the plasticity of functional traits does not significantly contribute to the invasive success of B. frondosa. The dispersal efficiency of B. frondosa is expected to be lower than that of B. pilosa, suggesting that long‐distance dispersal is likely not a critical factor in determining invasive success.     

玉米灵芝菌粮营养成分及加工特性变化研究

玉米作为主要的杂粮谷物,营养价值高,维生素、膳食纤维等含量丰富,可以预防多种亚健康疾病,受到市场追捧。但是玉米粉营养结构不均衡、加工性差,限制其应用。有研究表明,微生物发酵技术可以改善谷物的营养成分、大分子物质结构和加工特性。基于此,利用灵芝固态发酵玉米,得到玉米灵芝菌粮（简称菌粮）,从营养成分、大分子物质结构和加工特性3个方面对其进行评价。结果显示,与未发酵玉米相比,菌粮中碳水化合物、蛋白质含量分别提高了748%、28.00%,且蛋白质的氨基酸评分提高,而脂肪含量降低了52.56%;维生素C、核黄素和烟酸含量均显著提高（P<0.05）,分别提高了56.19%、73.91%和20.27%,且玉米中缺乏的硫胺素在菌粮中被检测到;菌粮中各类淀粉和纤维的含量也发生了显著变化（P<0.05）,淀粉、支链淀粉含量分别降低了11.17%、34.70%,直链淀粉含量提高了26.66%,粗纤维、不溶性膳食纤维含量分别降低了21.07%、21.47%,可溶性膳食纤维含量提高了13.57%;菌粮粉粘度降低,水溶性指数提高,吸水性指数和溶胀力降低;此外,与灵芝子实体相比,菌粮中灵芝三萜和灵芝酸含量均显著提高（P<0.05）,分别为灵芝子实体的1.68和2.07倍。灵芝固态发酵玉米得到的玉米灵芝菌粮,营养结构更加均衡,功能活性提高,具有更高的营养价值;大分子物质结构发生改变,加工特性得到改善,冲调特性更好。研究结果为食用菌发酵改良谷物特性的研究提供了参考和指导。