Predictive functional profiling using marker gene sequences and community diversity analyses of microbes in full-scale anaerobic sludge digesters

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is widely used in treating the sewage sludge, as it can reduce the amount of sludge, eliminate pathogens and produce biofuel. To enhance the operational performance and stability of anaerobic bioreactors, operational and conventional chemical data from full-scale sludge anaerobic digesters were collected over a 2-year period and summarized, and the microbial community diversity of the sludge sample was investigated at various stages of the AD process. For the purpose of distinguishing between the functional and community diversity of the microbes, Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) software was used to impute the prevalence of 16S rDNA marker gene sequences in the difference in various sludge samples. Meanwhile, a taxa analysis was also carried out to investigate the different sludge samples. The microbial community diversity analysis of one AD sludge sample showed that the most dominant bacterial genera were Saccharicrinis, Syntrophus, Anaerotruncus and Thermanaerothrix. Among archaea, acetoclastic Methanosaeta represented 56.0 %, and hydrogenotrophic Methanospirillum, Methanoculleus, Methanothermus and Methanolinea accounted for 41.3 % of all methanogens. The taxa, genetic and functional prediction analyses of the feedstock and AD sludge samples suggested great community diversity differences between them. The taxa of bacteria in two AD sludge samples were considerably different, but the abundances of the functional KEGG pathways took on similar levels. The numbers of identified pathogens were significantly lower in the digested sludge than in the feedstock, but the PICRUSt results showed the difference in “human diseases” abundances in the level-1 pathway between the two sludge samples was small.     

Comparison of the Morphology Development of Polymer–Fullerene and Polymer–Polymer Solar Cells during Solution‐Shearing Blade Coating

In this work, the detailed morphology studies of polymer poly(3‐hexylthiophene‐2,5‐diyl) (P3HT):fullerene(PCBM) and polymer(P3HT):polymer naphthalene diimide thiophene (PNDIT) solar cell are presented to understand the challenge for getting high performance all‐polymer solar cells. The in situ X‐ray scattering and optical interferometry and ex situ hard and soft X‐ray scattering and imaging techniques are used to characterize the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) ink during drying and in dried state. The crystallization of P3HT polymers in P3HT:PCBM bulk heterojunction shows very different behavior compared to that of P3HT:PNDIT BHJ due to different mobilities of P3HT in the donor:acceptor glass. Supplemented by the ex situ grazing incidence X‐ray diffraction and soft X‐ray scattering, PNDIT has a lower tendency to form a mixed phase with P3HT than PCBM, which may be the key to inhibit the donor polymer crystallization process, thus creating preferred small phase separation between the donor and acceptor polymer.     

NOTCH3 Is Induced in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Promotes Angiogenesis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Recent studies have shown that Notch signaling is involved in many types of cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). However, the role of Notch signaling in the tumor microenvironment is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of NOTCH3 signaling in cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in OSCCs. Immunohistochemical study of 93 human tongue OSCC cases indicated that about one third of OSCCs showed NOTCH3 expression in CAFs, and that this expression significantly correlated with tumor-size. In vitro study showed that OSCC cell lines, especially HO1-N-1 cells stimulated NOTCH3 expression in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) through direct cell-to-cell contact. Immunohistochemical and morphometric analysis using human OSCC samples demonstrated that NOTCH3 expression in CAFs significantly correlated with micro-vessel density in cancer stroma. In vitro angiogenesis assays involving co-culture of NHDFs with HO1-N-1 and human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs), and NOTCH3 knockdown in NHDFs using siRNA, demonstrated that HO1-N-1 cells significantly promoted tube formation dependent on NOTCH3-expression in NHDFs. Moreover, NOTCH3 expression in CAFs was related to poor prognosis of the OSCC patients. This work provides a new insight into the role of Notch signaling in CAFs associated with tumor angiogenesis and the possibility of NOTCH3-targeted molecular therapy in OSCCs.     

Suppressive effect of epigallocatechin‐3‐O‐gallate on endoglin molecular regulation in myocardial fibrosis in vitro and in vivo

Epigallocatechin‐3‐O‐gallate (EGCG), derived from green tea, has been studied extensively because of its diverse physiological and pharmacological properties. This study evaluates the protective effect of EGCG on angiotensin II (Ang II)‐induced endoglin expression in vitro and in vivo. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) from the thoracic aorta of adult Wistar rats were cultured and induced with Ang II. Western blotting, Northern blotting, real‐time PCR and promoter activity assay were performed. Ang II increased endoglin expression significantly as compared with control cells. The specific extracellular signal‐regulated kinase inhibitor SP600125 (JNK inhibitor), EGCG (100 μM) and c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) siRNA attenuated endoglin proteins following Ang II induction. In addition, pre‐treated Ang II‐induced endoglin with EGCG diminished the binding activity of AP‐1 by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Moreover, the luciferase assay results revealed that EGCG suppressed the endoglin promoter activity in Ang II‐induced CFs by AP‐1 binding. Finally, EGCG and the JNK inhibitor (SP600125) were found to have attenuated endoglin expression significantly in Ang II‐induced CFs, as determined through confocal microscopy. Following in vivo acute myocardial infarction (AMI)‐related myocardial fibrosis study, as well as immunohistochemical and confocal analyses, after treatment with endoglin siRNA and EGCG (50 mg/kg), the area of myocardial fibrosis reduced by 53.4% and 64.5% and attenuated the left ventricular end‐diastolic and systolic dimensions, and friction shortening in hemodynamic monitor. In conclusion, epigallocatechin‐3‐O‐gallate (EGCG) attenuated the endoglin expression and myocardial fibrosis by anti‐inflammatory effect in vitro and in vivo, the novel suppressive effect was mediated through JNK/AP‐1 pathway.     

凝溶胶蛋白基因的生物学功能及其应用研究进展

凝溶胶蛋白(gelsolin,GSN)是Gelsolin/Villin超家族的核心成员,是一种多功能的钙依赖性肌动蛋白结合蛋白,在细胞中Ca^2+和PIP2等多因素的调控下,对细胞凋亡、吞噬功能、肌动蛋白微丝切割、细胞信号转导等方面起着重要的作用。近年来,凝溶胶蛋白还被频繁用于相关疾病的预防、诊断与治疗,但其在调控细胞凋亡、炎症等病理生理中的作用机制还存在些许争议。本研究综述了凝溶胶蛋白的结构特点、生物学功能以及对疾病的诊断和治疗,旨在了解凝溶胶蛋白在生物医学及动物科学等领域的应用以及未来凝溶胶蛋白的发展前景。     

5种杀虫剂对滇东白背飞虱种群的毒性及其田间药效

【目的】为持续有效防控白背飞虱,研究云南东部白背飞虱种群对常用5种杀虫剂的敏感性及药剂的田间防治效果。【方法】采用室内稻茎浸渍法测定白背飞虱种群对5种杀虫剂的敏感性,同期通过田间小区试验评价5种杀虫剂对白背飞虱种群的防治效果。【结果】与敏感种群比较,噻虫嗪、噻嗪酮、吡虫啉、吡蚜酮和毒死蜱对滇东白背飞虱种群的LC_(50)分别为0.208、0.459、0.608、3.108、1.256 mg·L~(-1),抗性倍数分别为2.2、10.4、5.6、6.5、5.3倍;白背飞虱对噻虫嗪无抗性,对吡虫啉、吡蚜酮和毒死蜱为低水平抗性,对噻嗪酮为中等水平抗性;5种杀虫剂药后1、5和10 d对白背飞虱种群的田间防控效果均有显著差异。除了吡蚜酮外,其他药剂的防效均在80%以上,其中以吡虫啉和噻嗪酮的持续期较长,药后10 d仍在90%以上;噻虫嗪和吡虫啉药后1和5 d的防效达90%以上;吡蚜酮药效在供试药剂中防效最低,在64.88%～77.82%之间。【结论】滇东师宗白背飞虱种群对噻嗪酮为中等水平抗性,对吡虫啉、吡蚜酮和毒死蜱均为低水平抗性,对噻虫嗪无抗性,田间防控效果以吡虫啉和噻嗪酮为最好。建议滇东稻区可以使用吡虫啉和噻嗪酮药剂防控白背飞虱,注意控制吡蚜酮的使用次数与用量。     

Immunolocalization and possible effect of a moth allatotropin-like substance in a fly, Phormia regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Insect allatotropin upregulates the biosynthesis of juvenile hormones by the corpus allatum. We raised two rabbit antisera against the allatotropin of Manduca sexta (Mas AT) using a synthetic, multiple-antigenic-peptide that contains a branching heptalysine core and eight Mas AT molecules. Both antisera recognized specifically the same neurons in the larval brain, frontal ganglion and terminal abdominal ganglion of M. sexta as previously reported by others. Immunoassay showed reactivity specific to the Mas AT. Very low or nearly no cross-reactivity was found for two Mas AT-like peptides, a myotropin from Locusta migratoria and a Mas AT-like peptide deduced from the DNA sequence of Aedes aegypti, respectively. Immunopositive neurons also were identified in adult Phormia regina, Dacus dorsalis, Oncopeltus fasciatus, and Mythimna loreyi, and in larval M. loreyi, Bombyx mori, and Andraca bipunctata. At 20 pmol per 25 μl incubation medium (i.e. 8x10(-7) M), synthetic Mas AT significantly stimulated in vitro juvenile hormone biosynthesis by the corpus allatum of adult, sugar-fed females of P. regina to 2.64-fold that of controls. Thus, this study provides the first demonstration that at the higher end of the physiological concentration range, the Mas AT has allatotropic effect in vitro to CA of non-lepidopterans. However, in vivo functions of Mas AT and/or Mas AT-like peptide in P. regina remain to be defined.