Meiofauna promotes litter decomposition in stream ecosystems depending on leaf species

Litter decomposition, a fundamental process of nutrient cycling and energy flow in freshwater ecosystems, is driven by a diverse array of decomposers. As an important component of the heterotrophic food web, meiofauna can provide a trophic link between leaf‐associated microbes (i.e., bacteria and fungi)/plant detritus and macroinvertebrates, though their contribution to litter decomposition is not well understood. To investigate the role of different decomposer communities in litter decomposition, especially meiofauna, we compared the litter decomposition of three leaf species with different lignin to nitrogen ratios in litter bags with different mesh sizes (0.05, 0.25, and 2 mm) in a forested stream, in China for 78 days. The meiofauna significantly enhanced the decomposition of leaves of high‐and medium‐ quality, while decreasing (negative effect) or increasing (positive effect) the fungal biomass and diversity. Macrofauna and meiofauna together contributed to the decomposition of low‐quality leaf species. The presence of meiofauna and macrofauna triggered different aspects of the microbial community, with their effects on litter decomposition varying as a function of leaf quality. This study reveals that the meiofauna increased the trophic complexity and modulated their interactions with microbes, highlighting the important yet underestimated role of meiofauna in detritus‐based ecosystems.     

miR-133a Regulates Adipocyte Browning In Vivo

Prdm16 determines the bidirectional fate switch of skeletal muscle/brown adipose tissue (BAT) and regulates the thermogenic gene program of subcutaneous white adipose tissue (SAT) in mice. Here we show that miR-133a, a microRNA that is expressed in both BAT and SATs, directly targets the 3′ UTR of Prdm16. The expression of miR-133a dramatically decreases along the commitment and differentiation of brown preadipocytes, accompanied by the upregulation of Prdm16. Overexpression of miR-133a in BAT and SAT cells significantly inhibits, and conversely inhibition of miR-133a upregulates, Prdm16 and brown adipogenesis. More importantly, double knockout of miR-133a1 and miR-133a2 in mice leads to elevations of the brown and thermogenic gene programs in SAT. Even 75% deletion of miR-133a (a1^−/−a2^+/−) genes results in browning of SAT, manifested by the appearance of numerous multilocular UCP1-expressing adipocytes within SAT. Additionally, compared to wildtype mice, miR-133a1^−/−a2^+/− mice exhibit increased insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, and activate the thermogenic gene program more robustly upon cold exposure. These results together elucidate a crucial role of miR-133a in the regulation of adipocyte browning in vivo.     

Improvement in the docosahexaenoic acid production of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizochytrium</Emphasis> sp. S056 by replacement of sea salt

Schizochytrium is a marine microalga that requires high concentrations of sea salt for growth, although problems arise with significant amounts of chloride ions in the culture medium, which corrodes the fermenters. In this work, we evaluated that cell growth and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) production can be improved when using 1 % (w/v) sodium sulfate instead of 2 % (w/v) sea salt in the culture medium for Schizochytrium sp. S056. In practice, the use of sodium sulfate as the sodium salt led to chloride ion levels in the medium that can be completely removed, thus avoiding fermenter corrosion during Schizochytrium sp. S056 growth, reducing cost and increasing DHA production, and simplifying the disposal of fermentation wastewater. Additionally, we demonstrated that the osmolality of growth media did not play a crucial role in the production of DHA. These findings may be significantly important to companies involved in production of PUFAs by marine microbes.     

Optimization on conditions of podophyllotoxin-loaded liposomes using response surface methodology and its activity on PC3 cells

The purpose of this study was to optimize the preparation conditions of podophyllotoxin liposomes (PPT-Lips), and to investigate their effects on PC3 cells. PPT-Lips were prepared by using a thin-film dispersion method. In order to achieve maximum drug encapsulation efficiency (EE), the process and formulation variables were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum preparation conditions were cholesterol to lecithin ratio of 3.6:40 (w/w), lipid to drug ratio of 15.8:1 (w/w), and the ultrasonic intensity of 35% (total power of 400?W). The experimental EE of PPT-Lips was 90.425%, which was consistent with the theoretically predicted value. The characterization studies showed that PPT-Lips were well-dispersible spherical particles with an average size of 106?nm and a zeta potential of –10.1?mV. A gradual and time-dependent pattern of PPT from liposomes was found in in vitro drug release with a cumulative release amount up to 70.3% in 24?h. Results of cell viability experiments on PC3 cells demonstrated that PPT-Lips exhibited more effective anticancer activity in comparison with free PPT. Therefore, PPT-Lips represent an efficient and promising drug delivery system for PPT.     

Deoxyribonuclease 1-like 3 Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression by Inducing Apoptosis and Reprogramming Glucose Metabolism

HCC has remained one of the challenging cancers to treat, owing to the paucity of drugs targeting the critical survival pathways. Considering the cancer cells are deficient in DNase activity, the increase of an autonomous apoptisis endonuclease should be a reasonable choice for cancer treatment. In this study, we investigated whether DNASE1L3, an endonuclease implicated in apoptosis, could inhibit the progress of HCC. We found DNASE1L3 was down-regulated in HCC tissues, whereas its high expression was positively associated with the favorable prognosis of patients with HCC. Besides, serum DNASE1L3 levels were lower in HCC patients than in healthy individuals. Functionally, we found that DNASE1L3 inhibited the proliferation of tumor cells by inducing G0/G1 cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis in vitro. Additionally, DNASE1L3 overexpression suppressed tumor growth in vivo. Furthermore, we found that DNASE1L3 overexpression weakened glycolysis in HCC cells and tissues via inactivating the rate-limiting enzymes involved in PTPN2-HK2 and CEBPβ-p53-PFK1 pathways. Finally, we identified the HBx to inhibit DNASE1L3 expression by up-regulating the expression of ZNF384. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that DNASE1L3 could inhibit the HCC progression through inducing cell apoptosis and weakening glycolysis. We believe DNASE1L3 could be considered as a promising prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.     

外源NO缓解蝴蝶兰低温胁迫伤害的生理机制研究

以蝴蝶兰品种‘台湾黄金’幼苗(苗龄15个月)为试验材料,通过叶面喷施200μmol·L-1的NO供体硝普钠(SNP),低温胁迫(昼/夜:12℃/7℃)处理5d和10d,分别测定叶片电解质渗漏率、丙二醛(MDA)含量、pH、渗透调节物质含量及几种保护酶活性,探讨外源NO缓解蝴蝶兰低温胁迫伤害的生理机制。结果表明:低温胁迫条件下,预施SNP处理可以有效抑制蝴蝶兰叶片电解质渗漏率、MDA含量和pH的上升,显著提高叶片可溶性糖、可溶性蛋白及脯氨酸(Pro)含量,显著延缓超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和抗坏血酸过氧化物酶(APX)等抗氧化酶活性的下降,增强多酚氧化酶(PPO)和苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)的活性。研究认为,外源NO供体SNP可以通过保护蝴蝶兰幼苗的细胞膜系统,增加渗透调节物质含量,提高保护酶活性来减轻低温胁迫对蝴蝶兰幼苗的伤害,提高其抗低温胁迫的能力。     

Statistical optimization of the medium composition by response surface methodology to enhance schizophyllan production by Schizophyllum commune

The response surface methodology (RSM) involving central composite design (CCD) was employed to optimize the fermentation medium for the cell growth and schizophllan production by Schizophyllum commune CGMCC 5.113 in submerged culture at pH 6.5 and 26 degrees C. The four variables involved in this study were glucose, yeast extract, ammonium nitrate, and magnesium sulfate. The statistical analysis of the results showed that, in the range studied, glucose and yeast extract had a highly significant effect on schizophyllan production. The optimal medium for schizophyllan production calculated from the regression model of RSM was as follows: glucose, 18 g/l; yeast extract, 0.5 g/l; NH4NO3, 0.48 g/l; and MgSO4, 0.05 g/l, with a predicted maximum schizophyllan production of 11.74 g/l. These predicted values were experimentally validated. The excellent correlation between predicted and measured values justifies the validity of the response model. The results of bioreactor fermentation also show that the optimized medium enhanced schizophyllan production (12.80 g/l) by S. commune in a 5-1 fermenter.     

Stage-dependent Dishevelled-1 expression during mouse spermatogenesis suggests a role in regulating spermatid morphological changes

Dishevelled (Dsh in Drosophila or DVL in mice) is a member of the highly conserved Wg/Wnt signaling pathway, which regulates important processes such as cell proliferation, polarity, and specification of cell fate. Three orthologous genes of Dishevelled (Dvl-1, Dvl-2, and Dvl-3) have been found in both humans and mice. They play pivotal roles in regulating cell morphology and a variety of changes in cell behaviors. In the present study, we show that the expression of Dvl-1 is stage-dependent during mouse spermatogenesis, although Dvl-2 and Dvl-3 show relative consistent expression. The expression of Dvl-1 mRNA first appears in pachytene spermatocytes, increases in round and elongating spermatids, and then turns to an undetectable level in mature sperm cells. Analyses of immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence staining show that DVL-1 is present diffusely in the cytoplasm of pachytene spermatocytes and exhibits mainly a vesicular pattern and perinuclear distribution and a weak diffusely cytoplasmic signal in round and elongating spermatids. The vesicular pattern of DVL-1 has been observed by previous studies in somatic cells, and suggested to play roles in signal transduction. Immunoprecipitation experiments show that DVL-1 coimmunprecipitates with spermatogenic cells beta-actin rather than alpha-tubulin. These results indicate that DVL-1 may be involved in spermatid morphological changes during mouse spermiogenesis through mediating signal transduction and/or regulating actin cytoskeleton organization.     

Domain organization of photosystem II in membranes of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 investigated by electron microscopy

The supramolecular organization of photosystem II (PSII) complexes in the photosynthetic membrane of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803 was studied by electron microscopy. After mild detergent solubilization, crystalline PSII arrays were extracted in which dimeric PSII particles associate in multiple rows. Image processing of the arrays shows that the PSII dimers are tightly packed at distances of 12.2 and 16.7 nm. The domains are considered to be an important type of association for preventing either spill-over energy from PSII towards photosystem I (PSI) or direct energy flow from phycobilisomes to PSI, because the latter can only be at periphery of the arrays.