The Sl TPL3–Sl WUS module regulates multi-locule formation in tomato by modulating auxin and gibberellin levels in the shoot apical meristem

Malformed fruits depreciate a plant’s market value.In tomato(Solanum lycopersicum),fruit malformation is associated with the multi-locule trait,which involves genes regulating shoot apical meristem(SAM) development.The expression pattern of TOPLESS3(SITPL3) throughout SAM development prompted us to investigate its functional significance via RNA interference(RNAi) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated nuclease 9(Cas9)-mediated gene editing.Lower SITPL3 t...     

Design and synthesis of thiazolidine-2,4-diones hybrids with 1,2-dihydroquinolones and 2-oxindoles as potential VEGFR-2 inhibitors: in-vitro anticancer evaluation and in-silico studies

A thiazolidine-2,4-dione nucleus was molecularly hybridised with the effective antitumor moieties; 2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoline and 2-oxoindoline to obtain new hybrids with potential activity against VEGFR-2. The cytotoxic effects of the synthesised derivatives against Caco-2, HepG-2, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines were investigated. Compound 12a was found to be the most potent candidate against the investigated cell lines with IC₅₀ values of 2, 10, and 40 µM, respectively. Furthermore, the synthesised derivatives were tested in vitro for their VEGFR-2 inhibitory activity showing strong inhibition. Moreover, an in vitro viability study against Vero non-cancerous cell line was investigated and the results reflected a high safety profile of all tested compounds. Compound 12a was further investigated for its apoptotic behaviour by assessing the gene expression of four genes (Bcl2, Bcl-xl, TGF, and Survivin). Molecular dynamic simulations authenticated the high affinity, accurate binding, and perfect dynamics of compound 12a against VEGFR-2.     

Association of long non-coding RNAs NEAT1, and MALAT1 expression and pathogenesis of Behçet's disease among Egyptian patients

Behçet''s disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Immunological defects have been shown to play a significant role in the progression of BD. The serum levels of two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), NEAT1 and MALAT1, were examined in patients with BD to identify their role in the disease pathogenesis. Both lncRNAs were mentioned as essential regulators of innate immune responses and have a crucial role in inflammatory diseases. Fifty patients with BD and a similar number of control individuals were involved in our study. At enrollment, data was collected from patients and controls, and the disease severity in active cases was determined using the Behçet''s Disease Current Activity Form (BDCAF). Levels of the two studied biomarkers in the serum, NEAT1 and MALAT1, were investigated by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). NEAT1 levels were significantly turned down in BD patients (fold changes = 0.77, p = 0.0001) and correlated negatively with the BDCAF (r = −0.41; p = 0.003). On the other hand, the MALAT1 levels were significantly up-regulated in BD patients (fold changes = 2.65, p = 0.003). Serum levels of NEAT1 were significantly decreased in patients with active states than in stationary cases (0.387 versus 1.99, respectively; p = 0.01) and compared with controls (p = 0.001). Also, NEAT1 levels were significantly increased in patients with stationary states compared to controls (p = 0.03). There was a positive association between NEAT1 and MALAT1 levels among BD patients (r = 0.29, p = 0.04). Our findings demonstrate a possible role of NEAT1 and MALAT1 in the pathogenesis of BD.     

Influence of Polymer Aggregation and Liquid Immiscibility on Morphology Tuning by Varying Composition in PffBT4T‐2DT/Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells

The temperature‐dependent aggregation behavior of PffBT4T polymers used in organic solar cells plays a critical role in the formation of a favorable morphology in fullerene‐based devices. However, there is little investigation into the impact of donor/acceptor ratio on morphology tuning, especially for nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs). Herein, the influence of composition on morphology is reported for blends of PffBT4T‐2DT with two NFAs, O‐IDTBR and O‐IDFBR. The monotectic phase behavior inferred from differential scanning calorimetry provides qualitative insight into the interplay between solid–liquid and liquid–liquid demixing. Transient absorption spectroscopy suggests that geminate recombination dominates charge decay and that the decay rate is insensitive to composition, corroborated by negligible changes in open‐circuit voltage. Exciton lifetimes are also insensitive to composition, which is attributed to the signal being dominated by acceptor excitons which are formed and decay in domains of similar size and purity irrespective of composition. A hierarchical morphology is observed, where the composition dependence of size scales and scattering intensity from resonant soft X‐ray scattering (R‐SoXS) is dominated by variations in volume fractions of polymer/polymer‐rich domains. Results suggest an optimal morphology where polymer crystallite size and connectivity are balanced, ensuring a high probability of hole extraction via such domains.