Nemo-like Kinase Drives Foxp3 Stability and Is Critical for Maintenance of Immune Tolerance by Regulatory T Cells

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Light from heat lamps affects sow behaviour and piglet salivary melatonin levels

The light environment regulates animal physiology and behaviour. As widely used supplementary heat sources in creep areas, the effect of visible light radiated by infrared heat lamps on pigs is worth investigating. To investigate the effects of light from heat lamps on the behaviour of sows and piglets and possible endocrine mechanisms, 24 primiparous sows were randomly assigned to three supplementary heat source treatments: (1) 250 W non-luminous ceramic heat lamps (CE, n = 8), (2) 175 W red heat lamps (RL, n = 8), and (3) 175 W transparent heat lamps (TL, n = 8). All heat lamps were turned off on Day 15 postpartum. Piglets were weighed on days 3 and 21 postpartum. The number and duration of suckling within 24 h were analysed via video recordings on days 4, 8, and 16 postpartum. Sow posture changes during the day and night were detected using the YOLOv4 target detection network model. One marked piglet from six litters randomly selected from each treatment was used for saliva collection. Saliva samples were collected at 0800, 1400, 2000, and 0200 (+1 d) on days 10 and 20 postpartum. The results showed that the mean postural change frequency of TL sows was higher than that of CE sows (P < 0.05), while that of RL sows was not different from that of CE and TL sows. However, the duration of the sows being in each posture was not affected by the treatment. The total suckling duration of TL piglets was significantly longer than that of CE piglets, but there was no significant difference in the performance of the piglets. The melatonin concentrations in the saliva of piglets at 10 and 20 days of age in the three treatments showed different diurnal rhythms, but there was no significant difference in the levels of melatonin in TL piglets between night and day. Differences in salivary cortisol levels only appeared between the CE and RL groups at 20 days of age. Based on the present results, the illuminance and spectrum of the transparent heat lamps were sufficient to stimulate sow activity and inhibit melatonin levels in piglets. However, the stimulating effect on suckling was not sufficient to significantly improve the performance of piglets. Exposure to red heat lamps, rather than ceramic lamps, resulted in the strongest circadian rhythm of salivary melatonin in piglets.     

Effects of magnolol and honokiol blend on performance,egg quality,hepatic lipid metabolism,and intestinal morphology of hens at late laying cycle

Magnolol and its isomer honokiol are polyphenols with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. We evaluated the effects of magnolol and honokiol supplementation alone or in combination with hen diets during the late laying cycle. A total of 540 Jingfen pink-shell laying hens (50 weeks old) were randomly assigned to six treatments: a control diet and diets supplemented with 300 mg/kg magnolol (M₃₀₀), honokiol (H₃₀₀), or 300 mg/kg total phenols with a magnolol/honokiol ratio of 2:1 (M₂₀₀H₁₀₀), 1:2 (M₁₀₀H₂₀₀), and 1:1 (M₁₅₀H₁₅₀). Compared with that of the control, all supplementation groups had higher laying rates and the M₃₀₀, M₁₀₀H₂₀₀, and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups showed comparatively lower feed conversion ratios. Magnolol and honokiol supplementation increased the Haugh units of fresh eggs at week 62 and alleviated the decline of the Haugh units of eggs stored for 14 days. Compared with that of the control group, the serum total antioxidant capacity of the M₁₀₀H₂₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups significantly increased, and all supplementation groups had higher total antioxidant capacity and lower malondialdehyde content in the liver. With respect to lipid metabolism, the M₂₀₀H₁₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups had lower total and relative liver weights compared with those of the control and H₃₀₀ groups. The mRNA expression levels of CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha, sterol regulatory element binding protein-1, fatty acid synthase and stearyl coenzyme A desaturase 1 involved in lipogenesis; microsomal triglyceride transfer protein and apolipoprotein B involved in fatty acid transport; and the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 beta were lower in all supplementation groups compared with those in the control. With respect to gut health, the heights of the jejunum and ileum villi significantly increased in all supplementation groups compared with those of the control, and the jejunum villus heights of the M₃₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups were higher than those of the H₃₀₀ and M₁₀₀H₂₀₀ groups. The H₃₀₀ and M₁₅₀H₁₅₀ groups had higher mRNA expression levels of zonula occludens-1 in the ileum compared with those in the control and M₃₀₀ groups, whereas all supplementation groups had higher mRNA levels of claudin-1 than that of the control group. In conclusion, magnolol and honokiol improved hen performance and the albumen quality of fresh and stored eggs by improving the antioxidant capacity, liver lipid metabolism, and intestinal health of laying hens. The combination of magnolol and honokiol at a 1:1 ratio may be an optimal choice for hen diet supplementation.     

Ultrasound-induced biophysical effects in controlled drug delivery

Ultrasound is widely used in biomedical engineering and has applications in conventional diagnosis and drug delivery. Recent advances in ultrasound-induced drug delivery have been summarized previously in several reviews that have primarily focused on the fabrication of drug delivery carriers. This review discusses the mechanisms underlying ultrasound-induced drug delivery and factors affecting delivery efficiency, including the characteristics of drug delivery carriers and ultrasound parameters. Firstly, biophysical effects induced by ultrasound, namely thermal effects, cavitation effects, and acoustic radiation forces, are illustrated. Secondly, the use of these biophysical effects to enhance drug delivery by affecting drug carriers and corresponding tissues is clarified in detail. Thirdly, recent advances in ultrasound-triggered drug delivery are detailed. Safety issues and optimization strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce side effects are summarized. Finally, current progress and future directions are discussed.

     

Engineering Saccharomyces cerevisiae-based biosensors for copper detection

Heavy metals, that is Cu(II), are harmful to the environment. There is an increasing demand to develop inexpensive detection methods for heavy metals. Here, we developed a yeast biosensor with reduced-noise and improved signal output for potential on-site copper ion detection. The copper-sensing circuit was achieved by employing a secondary genetic layer to control the galactose-inducible (GAL) system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The reciprocal control of the Gal4 activator and Gal80 repressor under copper-responsive promoters resulted in a low-noise and sensitive yeast biosensor for copper ion detection. Furthermore, we developed a betaxanthin-based colorimetric assay, as well as 2-phenylethanol and styrene-based olfactory outputs for the copper ion detection. Notably, our engineered yeast sensor confers a narrow range switch-like behaviour, which can give a ‘yes/no’ response when coupled with a betaxanthin-based visual phenotype. Taken together, we envision that the design principle established here might be applicable to develop other sensing systems for various chemical detections.     

Fine-scale spatial distribution of soil organic carbon and its fractions after afforestation with Pinus sylvestris and Salix psammophila in a semiarid desert of China

半干旱沙漠中樟子松和沙柳造林后土壤有机碳及其组分的小尺度空间分布 半干旱沙漠造林有助于改善土壤功能以及增加土壤有机碳(SOC)固定,但人们对造林后SOC及其不稳定(LOC)组分的小尺度空间分布了解甚少。本研究以毛乌素沙地东南缘樟子松(Pinus sylvestris)和沙柳 (Salix psammophila)为研究对象,量化了距离树体20、80、150和240 cm处SOC、LOC组分及其相关变量的小尺度空间分布。研究结果表明,沙柳和樟子松造林显著提高了SOC、总氮(TN)、可溶性有机碳 (DOC)、微生物碳(MBC)和易氧化有机碳(ROOC)含量;在距离树体20 cm处,0–100 cm土层樟子松SOC 储量比沙柳高27.21%;在距离树体80和150 cm处,沙柳SOC储量分别比樟子松高5.50%和5.66%;与流 沙地相比,在距离树体20、80、150 和240 cm处,沙柳和樟子松SOC储量显著增加了94.90%、39.50%、 27.10%和18.50%;沙柳和樟子松ROOC分别占SOC的14.09%和18.93%。总之,造林促进了半干旱流沙地SOC的积累,樟子松比沙柳分配更多的有机质到距离树体<80 cm范围内的土体中。     

Coloration and phenology manifest nutrient variability in senesced leaves of 46 temperate deciduous woody species

颜色和物候表明46种温带落叶木本植物衰老叶片的养分变异 不同共生植物的叶片养分含量差异显著,反映了不同的叶片养分利用策略。然而,衰老叶片养分的种间变异及其驱动因素尚不清楚。本研究旨在探讨衰老叶片养分的种间变异及其驱动因素。我们在中国东北的帽儿山森林生态系统研究站测定了46种共存温带落叶木本植物新鲜落叶的碳、氮、磷浓度。 采用随机森林模型量化10个生物因素(菌根类型、固氮类型、生长形态、耐阴性、叶片质地、变色程度、变色类型、叶片变色峰期、落叶峰期和落叶末期)的相对重要性。研究结果表明,落叶氮浓度种间变化为4倍,磷浓度变化达9倍。较高的氮和磷平均浓度(15.38和1.24 mg g⁻¹)表明该森林氮和磷限制较弱。功能群仅对特定养分及其比值有显著影响。磷浓度、氮磷比与外生菌根树种的落叶高峰日和落叶结束日呈负相关。颜色鲜艳的叶片(红色＞棕色＞黄色＞黄绿色＞绿色)倾向于比绿色叶片氮和磷浓度更低而碳氮比和碳磷比较高。随机森林模型表明,秋季叶变色和落叶物候贡献了80%的种间变异解释量。这些结果增加了我们对温带森林木本植物营养策略之衰老叶片养分变异性的理解。     

Erythrocyte immune system: beyond the gas transporter

Accumulating research has revealed that erythrocytes play unique roles in the innate immune system. Once thought of as immunologically inert cells, erythrocytes are functional cells that exert diverse immunological effects. Although mature mammal erythrocytes lack internal organelles, they express various receptors, which provide an extraordinary ability for erythrocytes to clear or sequester circulating molecules that affect immune functions. In this review, we elucidate some crucial immunological molecules associated with erythrocytes, such as CR1, CD47, TLR9, and cytokines. CR1 acts as a bridge in clearing off immune complexes and an entrance gate for some pathogens. CD47, once bound to SIRPα, generates an inhibitory signal in macrophage phagocytosis. Reciprocally, erythrocyte CD47 undergoes a conformational change during oxidative stress-induced cellular senescence, subsequently activating phagocytic signals through binding to TSP-1. TLR9 recognizes unmethylated CpG-DNA present in viruses and bacteria. Erythrocyte TLR9 also binds to and eliminates mitochondrial DNA. Erythrocytes can recruit chemokines and modulate plasma chemokine levels through the Duffy antigen receptor for chemokines (DARC). Moreover, erythrocytes may exert immune functions by releasing danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), i.e., heme, IL-33, ATP, and Hsp70. Heme bound with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has the potential to trigger an inflammatory response. Similarly, IL-33, ATP, and Hsp70 from damaged erythrocytes may be involved in the innate immune response via diverse signaling mechanisms. This review provides novel insight into the immunological functions of erythrocytes, which play an irreplaceable role in innate immune responses. We argue that erythrocyte-involved immune function is a widespread area warranting intensive investigation.     

Activity based fingerprinting of proteases using FRET peptides

We have successfully developed a protease assay using fluorescence resonance energy transfer based peptide libraries, which allows not only general detection of enzymatic activities, but more importantly substrate fingerprinting of proteases from different classes. The method allows the generation of substrate fingerprints of a protease from both the nonprime and prime sites. Therefore, it is well suited for profiling of major metalloproteases such as thermolysin and MMPs. We envisage that this method will provide a useful tool in the emerging field of Catalomics for high-throughput studies of proteases.