Estimation of the fraction of soil-borne particulates in indoor air by PMF and its impact on health risk assessment of soil contamination in Guangzhou, China.

The fraction of soil-borne particulates in indoor air (fspi), a principal exposure factor in health risk assessment of soil, is used to calculate the inhaled dose of contaminants in air particulates (PM10) from soil. To investigate the fspi, consecutive 24-h PM10 samples (n = 180) of indoor ambient were collected from September 2019 to January 2020 in Guangzhou main urban areas, China. The concentrations of twenty-six metal elements, five anions, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) in samples were measured. The sources of indoor ambient PM10 and the value of fspi were identified by the method of Positive Matrix Factor analysis (PMF). Results showed that the main sources contributing to indoor PM10 content were combustion sources (50.53%) and vehicular sources (28.17%). The soil sources (the local fspi) were 19.96%. The soil contents of indoor PM10 in Guangzhou main urban areas were in accordance with those in similar monsoon climate regions, such as Malaysia. The health risks of the inhalation route were dropped by about 62% for some common brownfield contaminants (Cr (VI), Ni, Be and Cd) with the investigated local fspi in Guangzhou main urban areas, compared with using the fspi (0.8) recommended by the C-RAG model in China. The results supplied a new effective methodology for estimation of the local fspi value in health risk assessment of soil contamination in urban areas.

Similarities and Differences of Autophagy in Mammals, Plants, and Microbes.

Autophagy, a highly conserved metabolic process in eukaryotes, is a widespread degradation/recycling system. However, there are significant differences (as well as similarities) between autophagy in animals, plants, and microorganisms such as yeast. While the overall process of autophagy is similar between different organisms, the molecular mechanisms and the pathways regulating autophagy are different, which is manifested in the diversity and specificity of the genes involved. In general, the autophagy system is much more complicated in mammals than in yeast. In addition, there are some differences in the types of autophagy present in animals, plants, and microorganisms. For example, there is a unique type of selective autophagy called the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway in yeast, and a special kind of autophagy, chloroplast autophagy, exists in plants. In conclusion, although autophagy is highly conserved in eukaryotes, there are still many differences between autophagy of animals, plants, and microorganisms.

Totally Extraperitoneal Herniorrhaphy (TEP): Lessons Learned from Anatomical Observations.

BACKGROUND: Totally extraperitoneal herniorrhaphy (TEP) is a therapeutic challenge because of its complex anatomical location in inguinal region. The aim of this study was to describe the related surgical anatomy through laparoscopic observation and share the lessons learned from a review of 250 primary inguinal hernia repair procedures performed at our hospital from January 2013 to November 2019. Patients and Methods. There were 245 men and 5 women (median age: 63.2 years). Right hernia (60.2%) was the most common site. Indirect hernia (60.5%) was the most common abnormality. The classification of type II (65.0%) was the most common form. Surgical techniques comprised retromuscular approach using cauterized dissection, management of variations of arcuate line, Retzius space and Bogros space dissection, hernia sac reduction, and mesh positioning. RESULTS: The incidence of peritoneum injury was in 27 (10.1%). No epigastric vessels were injured. There were 8 (3%) hematoma and 18 (6.8%) seroma. No mesh infection, chronic pain, and recurrence were found after follow-up of an average of 35 months. CONCLUSION: A good understanding of the anatomically complex nature in the inguinal region can make it easier and safer to learn the TEP approach. Early and midterm outcomes after TEP are satisfactory.

A VASt-domain protein regulates autophagy, membrane tension, and sterol homeostasis in rice blast fungus.

Sterols are a class of lipids critical for fundamental biological processes and membrane dynamics. These molecules are synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and are transported bi-directionally between the ER and plasma membrane (PM). However, the trafficking mechanism of sterols and their relationship with macroautophagy/autophagy are still poorly understood in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Here, we identified the VAD1 Analog of StAR-related lipid transfer (VASt) domain-containing protein MoVast1 via co-immunoprecipitation in M. oryzae. Loss of MoVAST1 resulted in conidial defects, impaired appressorium development, and reduced pathogenicity. The MoTor (target of rapamycin in M. oryzae) activity is inhibited because MoVast1 deletion leads to high levels of sterol accumulation in the PM. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that the 902 T site is essential for localization and function of MoVast1. Through filipin or Flipper-TR staining, autophagic flux detection, MoAtg8 lipidation, and drug sensitivity assays, we uncovered that MoVast1 acts as a novel autophagy inhibition factor that monitors tension in the PM by regulating the sterol content, which in turn modulates the activity of MoTor. Lipidomics and transcriptomics analyses further confirmed that MoVast1 is an important regulator of lipid metabolism and the autophagy pathway. Our results revealed and characterized a novel sterol transfer protein important for M. oryzae pathogenicity.Abbreviations: AmB: amphotericin B; ATMT: Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation; CM: complete medium; dpi: days post-inoculation; ER: endoplasmic reticulum; Flipper-TR: fluorescent lipid tension reporter; GO: Gene ontology; hpi: hours post-inoculation; IH: invasive hyphae; KEGG: kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes; MoTor: target of rapamycin in Magnaporthe oryzae; PalmC: palmitoylcarnitine; PM: plasma membrane; SD-N: synthetic defined medium without amino acids and ammonium sulfate; TOR: target of rapamycin; VASt: VAD1 Analog of StAR-related lipid transfer; YFP, yellow fluorescent protein.

Identification of and solution for false D-dimer results.

BACKGROUND: Clinically, D-dimer (DD) levels are mainly used to exclude diseases such as deep venous thrombosis (DVT). In clinical testing, DD assays can be subjected to interference that may cause false results, which directly affect the clinical diagnosis. Our hypothesis was that the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of the fibrin degradation product (FDP)/DD and fibrinogen (Fib)/DD ratios were used to identify these false results and corrected via multiple dilutions. METHODS: In total, 16 776 samples were divided into three groups according to the DD levels detected by Sysmex CS5100 and CA7000: Group A, DD ≥ 2.0 µg/mL fibrinogen equivalent unit (FEU); group B, 0.5 < DD < 2.0 µg/mL FEU; and group C, DD ≤ 0.5 µg/mL FEU. The 95% CIs of the FDP/DD and Fib/DD ratios were calculated. Six abnormal DD results were found according to the 95% CIs. For verification, we performed multiple dilutions, compared the results with those of other instruments, and tested the addition of heterophilic blocking reagent (HBR). RESULTS: The median and 95% CI of the FDP/DD ratio were 3.76 and 2.25-8.15 in group A, 5.63 and 2.86-10.58 in group B, 10.23 and 0.91-47.71 in groups C, respectively. For the Fib/DD ratio, the 95% CIs was 0.02-2.21 in group A, 0.68-8.15 in group B, and 3.82-55.27 in groups C. Six abnormal results were identified after multiple dilutions, by comparison with other detection systems, and after HBR addition. CONCLUSIONS: The FDP/DD ratio is more reliable for identifying false results. If the FDP/DD ratio falls outside the 95% CI, it should be verified by different methods.

125Ⅰ seed brachytherapy for recurrent salivary gland carcinoma after external radiotherapy / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical application and efficacy of 125Ⅰ radioactive seeds implantation in the treatment of recurrent salivary gland carcinoma after external radiotherapy.@*METHODS@#From July 2004 to July 2016, 43 cases of recurrent salivary gland carcinoma of the neck after external radiotherapy or surgery combined with external radiotherapy were treated. According to the conventional segmentation radiotherapy for head and neck cancer (once a day, 1.8-2.0 Gy each time, 5 days per week), the cumulative radiation dose of the patients in this group was calculated. In the study, 26 patients received 50-60 Gy, 7 patients received less than 50 Gy, 4 patients received 60-70 Gy, and 6 patients received more than 80 Gy (range: 80-120 Gy). The interval between the last external irradiation and local recurrence was 4-204 months, and the median interval was 48 months. Among them, 25 cases were treated with 125Ⅰ radioactive seeds implantation only and 18 cases were treated with 125Ⅰ radioactive seeds implantation after operation. The prescription dose was 100-140 Gy. The control rate, survival rate and disease-free survival rate were recorded to evaluate the side effects.@*RESULTS@#The median follow-up time was 27 months (ranging from 2.5 to 149.0 months). Among them, the median follow-up time of adenoid cystic carcinoma patients was 31 months (range: 2.5-112.0 months), and the median follow-up time of mucoepidermoid carcinoma patients was 18 months (range: 5-149 months). The local control rates for 1, 3 and 5 years were 66.5%, 48.8% and 42.7%, respectively. The 1-, 3- and 5- year survival rates were 88.0%, 56.7% and 45.8%, respectively. The disease-free survival rates of 1, 3 and 5 years were 58.3%, 45.4% and 38.1%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in local control rate, survival rate, and disease-free survival between the radioactive seeds implantation group and the radioactive seeds implantation group after surgical resection. There were 2 cases of acute radiation reaction Ⅰ/Ⅱ and 3 cases of reaction Ⅲ or above. In the late stage of radiotherapy, there were 8 cases with Ⅰ/Ⅱ grade reaction and 3 cases with Ⅲ grade or above reaction. The incidence of radiation reactions of Grade Ⅲ and above was 7%.@*CONCLUSION@#125Ⅰ radioactive seeds implantation provides an alternative method for the treatment of recurrent salivary gland carcinoma after external radiotherapy. The local control rate and survival rate are improved on the premise of low incidence of side effects.

MoFap7, a ribosome assembly factor, is required for fungal development and plant colonization of Magnaporthe oryzae.

Fap7, an important ribosome assembly factor, plays a vital role in pre-40S small ribosomal subunit synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae via its ATPase activity. Currently, the biological functions of its homologs in filamentous fungi remain elusive. Here, MoFap7, a homologous protein of ScFap7, was identified in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, which is a devastating fungal pathogen in rice and threatens food security worldwide. ΔMofap7 mutants exhibited defects in growth and development, conidial morphology, appressorium formation and infection, and were sensitive to oxidative stress. In addition, site-directed mutagenesis analysis confirmed that the conserved Walker A motif and Walker B motif in MoFap7 are essential for the biological functions of M. oryzae. We further analyzed the regulation mechanism of MoFap7 in pathogenicity. MoFap7 was found to interact with MoMst50, a regulator functioning in the MAPK Pmk1 signaling pathway, that participates in modulating plant penetration and cell-to-cell invasion by regulating the phosphorylation of MoPmk1. Moreover, MoFap7 interacted with the GTPases MoCdc42 and MoRac1 to control growth and conidiogenesis. Taken together, the results of this study provide novel insights into MoFap7-mediated orchestration of the development and pathogenesis of filamentous fungi.

The casein kinase MoYck1 regulates development, autophagy, and virulence in the rice blast fungus.

Casein kinases are serine/threonine protein kinases that are evolutionarily conserved in yeast and humans and are involved in a range of important cellular processes. However, the biological functions of casein kinases in the fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of destructive rice blast disease, are not characterized. Here, two casein kinases, MoYCK1 and MoHRR25, were identified and targeted for replacement, but only MoYCK1 was further characterized due to the possible nonviability of the MoHRR25 deletion mutant. Disruption of MoYCK1 caused pleiotropic defects in growth, conidiation, conidial germination, and appressorium formation and penetration, therefore resulting in reduced virulence in rice seedlings and barley leaves. Notably, the MoYCK1 deletion triggered quick lipidation of MoAtg8 and degradation of the autophagic marker protein GFP-MoAtg8 under nitrogen starvation conditions, in contrast to the wild type, indicating that autophagy activity was negatively regulated by MoYck1. Furthermore, we found that HOPS (homotypic fusion and vacuolar protein sorting) subunit MoVps41, a putative substrate of MoYck1, was co-located with MoAtg8 and positively required for the degradation of MoAtg8-PE and GFP-MoAtg8. In addition, MoYCK1 is also involved in the response to ionic hyperosmotic and heavy metal cation stresses. Taken together, our results revealed crucial roles of the casein kinase MoYck1 in regulating development, autophagy and virulence in M. oryzae.

F-box proteins MoFwd1, MoCdc4 and MoFbx15 regulate development and pathogenicity in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae.

The Skp1-Cul1-F-box-protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligases are important parts of the ubiquitin system controlling many cellular biological processes in eukaryotes. However, the roles of SCF ubiquitin ligases remain unclear in phytopathogenic Magnaporthe oryzae. Here, we cloned 24 F-box proteins and confirmed that 17 proteins could interact with MoSkp1, showing their potential to participate in SCF complexes. To determine their functions, null mutants of 21 F-box-containing genes were created. Among them, the F-box proteins MoFwd1, MoCdc4 and MoFbx15 were found to be required for growth, development and full virulence. Fluorescent-microscopy observations demonstrated that both MoFbx15 and MoCdc4 were localized to the nucleus, compared with MoFwd1, which was distributed in the cytosol. MoCdc4 and MoFwd1 bound to MoSkp1 via the F-box domain, the deletion of which abrogated their function. Race tube and qRT-PCR assays confirmed that MoFwd1 was involved in circadian rhythm by regulating transcription and protein stability of the core circadian clock regulator MoFRQ. Moreover, MoFWD1 also orchestrates conidial germination by influencing conidial amino acids pools and oxidative stress release. Overall, our results indicate that SCF ubiquitin ligases play indispensable roles in development and pathogenicity in M. oryzae.

Current opinions on autophagy in pathogenicity of fungi.

The interaction between pathogens and their host plants is a ubiquitous process. Some plant fungal pathogens can form a specific infection structure, such as an appressorium, which is formed by the accumulation of a large amount of glycerin and thereby the creation of an extremely high intracellular turgor pressure, which allows the penetration peg of the appressorium to puncture the leaf cuticle of the host. Previous studies have shown that autophagy energizes the accumulation of pressure by appressoria, which induces its pathogenesis. Similar to other eukaryotic organisms, autophagy processes are highly conserved pathways that play important roles in filamentous fungal pathogenicity. This review aims to demonstrate how the autophagy process affects the pathogenicity of plant pathogens.

VPS9 domain-containing proteins are essential for autophagy and endocytosis in Pyricularia oryzae.

Pyricularia oryzae is the causal pathogen of rice blast disease. Autophagy has been shown to play important roles in P. oryzae development and plant infection. The P. oryzae endosomal system is highly dynamic and has been shown to be associated with conidiogenesis and pathogenicity as well. To date, the crosstalk between autophagy and endocytosis has not been explored in P. oryzae. Here, we identified three P. oryzae VPS9 domain-containing proteins, PoVps9, PoMuk1 and PoVrl1. We found that PoVps9 and PoMuk1 are localized to vesicles and are each co-localized with PoVps21, a recognized marker of early endosomes. Deletion of PoVPS9 resulted in severe defects in endocytosis and autophagosome degradation and impaired the localization of PoVps21 to endosomes. Additionally, deletion of the PoMUK1 gene in the ΔPovps9 mutant background exhibited more severe defects in development, autophagy and endocytosis compared with the ΔPovps9 mutant. Pull-down assay showed that PoVps9 interacts with PoVps21, PoRab11 and PoRab1, which have been verified to participate in endocytosis. Furthermore, yeast two-hybrid and co-immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that PoVps9 directly interacts with the GDP form of PoVps21. Thus, PoVps9 is a key protein involved in autophagy and in endocytosis.

Rise of PD-L1 expression during metastasis of colorectal cancer: Implications for immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) was implicated in predicting anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy efficacy. However, therapeutic response has also been found in patients without PD-L1 expression in the primary tumor. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the prevalence of PD-L1 in primary and metastatic CRC. METHODS: The expression of PD-L1 was determined by immunohistochemistry in matched primary and metastatic CRC. RESULTS: PD-L1 expression was significantly more prevalent in metastatic CRCs than in primary tumors, and the expression of PD-L1 in primary CRC may not represent the tumors that spread to distant organs. Positive expression of PD-L1 was found in 81.8% of metastatic CRC, being significantly more prevalent than in primary CRC (40.9%; P = 0.012, Fisher's exact test). While comparing the primary and metastatic lesions of the same patients, we found that PD-L1 expression frequently increased during the metastatic process. However, PD-L1 expression was rarely decreased in metastatic lesions. Intratumoral heterogeneity expression of PD-L1 was found in both metastatic CRC (22.2%) and primary CRCs (33.3%). PD-L1 was prevalently expressed in metastatic CRC, and increased PD-L1 expression was frequently found in metastatic CRC as compared to primary tumors. CONCLUSION: PD-L1 expression in metastatic CRC should be considered as an independent factor while evaluating the suitability of patients for immunotherapy.

DNMT1-maintained hypermethylation of Krüppel-like factor 5 involves in the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the major subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that is resistant to conventional radiation and chemotherapy. It is a challenge to explore effective therapeutic targets and drugs for this kind of cancer. Transcription factor Krüppel-like factor 5 (KLF5) exerts diverse functions in various tumor types. By analyzing cohorts of the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data sets, we find that KLF5 expression is suppressed in ccRCC patients and higher level of KLF5 expression is associated with better prognostic outcome. Our further investigations demonstrate that KLF5 genomic loci are hypermethylated at proximal exon 4 and suppression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) expression by ShRNAs or a methylation inhibitor 5-Aza-CdR can recover KLF5 expression. Meanwhile, there is a negative correlation between expressions of KLF5 and DNMT1 in ccRCC tissues. Ectopic KLF5 expression inhibits ccRCC cell proliferation and migration/invasion in vitro and decreases xenograft growth and metastasis in vivo. Moreover, 5-Aza-CdR, a chemotherapy drug as DNMTs' inhibitor that can induce KLF5 expression, suppresses ccRCC cell growth, while knockdown of KLF5 abolishes 5-Aza-CdR-induced growth inhibition. Collectively, our data demonstrate that KLF5 inhibits ccRCC growth as a tumor suppressor and highlight the potential of 5-Aza-CdR to release KLF5 expression as a therapeutic modality for the treatment of ccRCC.

Preparation of Acid-Resistant Microcapsules with Shell-Matrix Structure to Enhance Stability of Streptococcus Thermophilus IFFI 6038.

Microencapsulation is an effective technology used to protect probiotics against harsh conditions. Extrusion is a commonly used microencapsulation method utilized to prepare probiotics microcapsules that is regarded as economical and simple to operate. This research aims to prepare acid-resistant probiotic microcapsules with high viability after freeze-drying and optimized storage stability. Streptococcus thermophilus IFFI 6038 (IFFI 6038) cells were mixed with trehalose and alginate to fabricate microcapsules using extrusion. These capsules were subsequently coated with chitosan to obtain chitosan-trehalose-alginate microcapsules with shell-matrix structure. Chitosan-alginate microcapsules (without trehalose) were also prepared using the same method. The characteristics of the microcapsules were observed by measuring the freeze-dried viability, acid resistance, and long-term storage stability of the cells. The viable count of IFFI 6038 in the chitosan-trehalose-alginate microcapsules was 8.34 ± 0.30 log CFU g-1 after freeze-drying (lyophilization), which was nearly 1 log units g-1 greater than the chitosan-alginate microcapsules. The viability of IFFI 6038 in the chitosan-trehalose-alginate microcapsules was 6.45 ± 0.09 log CFU g-1 after 120 min of treatment in simulated gastric juices, while the chitosan-alginate microcapsules only measured 4.82 ± 0.22 log CFU g-1 . The results of the long-term storage stability assay indicated that the viability of IFFI 6038 in chitosan-trehalose-alginate microcapsules was higher than in chitosan-alginate microcapsules after storage at 25 °C. Trehalose played an important role in the stability of IFFI 6038 during storage. The novel shell-matrix chitosan-trehalose-alginate microcapsules showed optimal stability and acid resistance, demonstrating their potential as a delivery vehicle to transport probiotics.

Enhancing the enzymatic saccharification of bamboo shoot shell by sequential biological pretreatment with Galactomyces sp. CCZU11-1 and deep eutectic solvent extraction.

In this study, sequential biological pretreatment (BP) with Galactomyces sp. CCZU11-1 at 30 °C for 3 days and deep eutectic solvent (DES) choline chloride: oxalic acid (ChCl:OA, 1 mol/2 mol) extraction at 120 °C for 1.5 h was used for pretreating BSS. It was found that combination pretreatment could effectively remove xylan and lignin for enhancing enzymatic saccharification. The reducing sugars and glucose from the hydrolysis of 100 g/L pretreated BSS with complexed cellulases of Galactomyces sp. CCZU11-1 were obtained in the yields of 81.0% and 74.1%, respectively. The BSS-hydrolyzates had no inhibitory effects on the lipid-accumulating microorganism Bacillus sp. CCZU11-1, and the cell mass and TAG accumulation were 4.8 g CDW/L and 2.2 g TAG/L, respectively. Fatty acids including palmitic acid (C16:0; 25.3%), palmitoleic acid (C16:1; 24.4%), stearic acid (C18:0; 15.1%), and oleic acid (C18:1; 21.6%) were accumulated in cells. Clearly, this combination pretreatment has high potential application in future.

Effective Biotransformation of Ethyl 4-Chloro-3-Oxobutanoate into Ethyl (S)-4-Chloro-3-Hydroxybutanoate by Recombinant E. coli CCZU-T15 Whole Cells in [ChCl][Gly]-Water Media.

To increase the biocatalytic activity of Escherichia coli CCZU-T15 whole cells, choline chloride/glycerol ([ChCl][Gly]) was firstly used as biocompatible solvent for the effective biotransformation of ethyl 4-chloro-3-oxobutanoate (COBE) into ethyl (S)-4-chloro-3-hydroxybutanoate [(S)-CHBE]. Furthermore, L-glutamine (150 mM) was added into [ChCl][Gly]-water ([ChCl][Gly] 12.5 vol%, pH 6.5) media instead of NAD+ for increasing the biocatalytic efficiency. To further improve the biosynthesis of (S)-CHBE (>99 % e.e.) by E. coli CCZU-T15 whole cells, Tween-80 (7.5 mM) was also added into this reaction media, and (S)-CHBE (>9 % e.e.) could be effectively synthesized from 2000 and 3000 mM COBE in the yields of 100 and 93.0 % by whole cells of recombinant E. coli CCZU-T15, respectively. TEM image indicated that the cell membrane was permeabilized and lost its integrity and when the cell was exposed to [ChCl][Gly]-water media with Tween-80. Clearly, this bioprocess has high potential for the effective biosynthesis of (S)-CHBE (>99 % e.e.).

MoRad6-mediated ubiquitination pathways are essential for development and pathogenicity in Magnaporthe oryzae.

The ubiquitin system modulates protein functions through targeting substrates for ubiquitination. Here, E2 conjugating enzyme MoRad6-related ubiquitination pathways are identified and analyzed in Magnaporthe oryzae, the causal agent of rice blast disease. Disruption of MoRad6 leads to severe defects in growth, sporulation, conidial germination, appressorium formation, and plant infection. To depict the functions of MoRad6, three putative ubiquitin ligases, MoRad18, MoBre1 and MoUbr1, are also characterized. Deletion of MoRad18 causes minor phenotypic changes, while MoBre1 is required for growth, conidiation and pathogenicity in M. oryzae. Defects in ΔMobre1 likely resulted from the reduction in di- and tri-methylation level of Histone 3 lysine 4 (H3K4). Notably, MoUbr1 is crucial for conidial adhesion and germination, possibly by degrading components of cAMP/PKA and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) Pmk1 signaling pathways via the N-end rule pathway. Germination failure of ΔMoubr1 conidia could be rescued by elevation of cAMP level or enhanced Pmk1 phosphorylation resulting from further deletion of MoIra1, the M. oryzae homolog of yeast Ira1/2. These reveal vital effects of cAMP/PKA and MAPK Pmk1 signaling on conidial germination in M. oryzae. Altogether, our results suggest that MoRad6-mediated ubiquitination pathways are essential for the infection-related development and pathogenicity of M. oryzae.

[Study on the Effects of Alq3:CsF Composite Cathode Buffer Layer on the Performances of CuPc/C60 Solar Cells].

This paper introduces the methods improving the performance and stability of copper-phthalocyanine(CuPc) / fullerene (C60) small molecule solar cells by using tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum(Alq3): cesium fluoride(CsF) composite cathode buffer layer. The device with Alq3:CsF composite cathode buffer layer with a 4 wt. % CsF at a thickness of 5 nm exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 0.76%, which is an improvement of 49%, compared to a device with single Alq3 cathode buffer layer and half-lifetime of the cell in air at ambient circumstance without any encapsulation is almost 9.8 hours, 6 times higher than that of without buffer layer, so the stability is maintained. The main reason of the device performance improvement is that doping of CsF can adjust the interface energy alignment, optimize the electronic transmission characteristics of Alq3 and improve the short circuit current and the fill factor of the device using ultraviolet-visible absorption, external quantum efficiency and single-electron devices. Placed composite cathode buffer layer devices with different time in the air, by comparing and analyzing current voltage curve, Alq3:CsF can maintain a good stability as Alq3. Alq3:CsF layer can block the diffusion of oxygen and moisture so completely as to improve the lifetime of the device.

Autophagy in plant pathogenic fungi.

Autophagy is a conserved cellular process that degrades cytoplasmic constituents in vacuoles. Plant pathogenic fungi develop special infection structures and/or secrete a range of enzymes to invade their plant hosts. It has been demonstrated that monitoring autophagy processes can be extremely useful in visualizing the sequence of events leading to pathogenicity of plant pathogenic fungi. In this review, we introduce the molecular mechanisms involved in autophagy. In addition, we explore the relationship between autophagy and pathogenicity in plant pathogenic fungi. Finally, we discuss the various experimental strategies available for use in the study of autophagy in plant pathogenic fungi.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation: An efficient tool for insertional mutagenesis and targeted gene disruption in Harpophora oryzae.

The endophytic filamentous fungus Harpophora oryzae is a beneficial endosymbiont isolated from the wild rice. H. oryzae could not only effectively improve growth rate and biomass yield of rice crops, but also induce systemic resistance against the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae. In this study, Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation (ATMT) was employed and optimized to modify the H. oryzae genes by either random DNA fragment integration or targeted gene replacement. Our results showed that co-cultivation of H. oryzae conidia with A. tumefaciens in the presence of acetosyringone for 48 h at 22 °C could lead to a relatively highest frequency of transformation, and 200 µM acetosyringone (AS) pre-cultivation of A. tumefaciens is also suggested. ATMT-mediated knockout mutagenesis was accomplished with the gene-deletion cassettes using a yeast homologous recombination method with a yeast-Escherichia-Agrobacterium shuttle vector pKOHo. Using the ATMT-mediated knockout mutagenesis, we successfully deleted three genes of H. oryzae (HoATG5, HoATG7, and HoATG8), and then got the null mutants ΔHoatg5, ΔHoatg7, and ΔHoatg8. These results suggest that ATMT is an efficient tool for gene modification including randomly insertional mutagenesis and gene deletion mutagenesis in H. oryzae.