Cadmium/zinc stresses and plant cultivation influenced soil microflora: a pot experiment conducted in field.

It's of great challenge to address for heavy metal-contaminated soil. Once the farmland is contaminated with heavy metals, the microbial ecology of the plant rhizosphere will change, which in turn impacts crop productivity and quality. However, few studies have explored the effects of heavy metals on plant rhizosphere microbes in farmland and the role that plant cultivation plays in such a phytoremediation practice. In this study, the impacts of comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.) cultivation and the stresses of cadmium/zinc (Cd/Zn) on rhizosphere soil microflora were examined. Microbial DNA was collected from soils to evaluate the prevalence of bacteria and fungi communities in rhizosphere soils. High-throughput 16 S rRNA sequencing was used to determine the diversity of the bacterial and fungal communities. The results showed that growing comfrey on polluted soils reduced the levels of Cd and Zn from the vertical profile. Both the comfrey growth and Cd/Zn stresses affected the community of rhizosphere microorganisms (bacteria or fungi). Additionally, the analysis of PCoA and NMDS indicated that the cultivation of comfrey significantly changed the bacterial composition and structure of unpolluted soil. Comfrey cultivation in polluted and unpolluted soils did not result in much variance in the fungi's species composition, but the fungal compositions of the two-type soils were noticeably different. This work provided a better understanding of the impacts of Cd/Zn stresses and comfrey cultivation on rhizosphere microbial community, as well as new insight into phytoremediation of heavy metal-contaminated soils.

Effects of Motion-Relevant Knowledge From Unlabeled Video to Human-Object Interaction Detection.

The existing works on human-object interaction (HOI) detection usually rely on expensive large-scale labeled image datasets. However, in real scenes, labeled data may be insufficient, and some rare HOI categories have few samples. This poses great challenges for deep-learning-based HOI detection models. Existing works tackle it by introducing compositional learning or word embedding but still need large-scale labeled data or extremely rely on the well-learned knowledge. In contrast, the freely available unlabeled videos contain rich motion-relevant information that can help infer rare HOIs. In this article, we creatively propose a multitask learning (MTL) perspective to assist in HOI detection with the aid of motion-relevant knowledge learning on unlabeled videos. Specifically, we design the appearance reconstruction loss (ARL) and sequential motion mining module in a self-supervised manner to learn more generalizable motion representations for promoting the detection of rare HOIs. Moreover, to better transfer motion-related knowledge from unlabeled videos to HOI images, a domain discriminator is introduced to decrease the domain gap between two domains. Extensive experiments on the HICO-DET dataset with rare categories and the V-COCO dataset with minimum supervision demonstrate the effectiveness of motion-aware knowledge implied in unlabeled videos for HOI detection.

A predictive model for postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with gastric cancer: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the risk factors of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in elderly patients with gastric cancer after radical resection and to establish a risk prediction model. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the clinicopathological data of 687 elderly patients who underwent radical gastric cancer surgery from January 2014 to January 2020 in the Third Department of Surgery, Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University was conducted. The degree of cognitive impairment was divided into POCD positive group (n=141, 20.52%) and POCD negative group (n=546, 79.48%). The general data of the two groups were compared. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors for POCD in elderly gastric cancer patients after radical surgery. A risk prediction model was established. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the model. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative ASA classification (OR=4.674, 95% CI: 1.610~12.651, P=0.020), age (OR=3.130, 95% CI: 1.307~8.669, P=0.001), operation time (OR=2.724, 95% CI: 1.232~7.234, P=0.031), preoperative PG-SGA score (OR=4.023, 95% CI: 1.011-10.883, P=0.048), and preoperative hemoglobin (OR=4.158, 95% CI: 2.255~8.227, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for POCD. Intraoperative application of dexmedetomidine (OR=0.172, 95% CI: 0.078~0.314, P=0.002) and maintaining a deeper anesthesia state (OR=0.151, 95% CI: 0.122~0.283, P=0.018) were protective factors. The area under the ROC curve of the POCD risk prediction model for elderly gastric cancer patients after surgery was 0.820 (95% CI: 0.742-0.899) (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The occurrence of postoperative POCD in elderly patients with gastric cancer is closely related to a variety of risk factors. By establishing a risk prediction model for the occurrence of POCD, high-risk patients can be effectively identified during the perioperative period, to intervene earlier.

Long noncoding RNA ASB16-AS1 inhibits adrenocortical carcinoma cell growth by promoting ubiquitination of RNA-binding protein HuR.

Adrenocortical carcinoma is one of the aggressive malignancies and it originates from the cortex of adrenal gland. Dysregulation of long non-coding RNA plays important roles in the development of adrenocortical carcinoma. Here, we found that lncRNA ASB16-AS1 was down-regulated in adrenocortical carcinoma and ASB16-AS1 functions as tumor suppressor in vitro and in vivo. We then found that IGF1R and CDK6 are regulated by ASB16-AS1 in adrenocortical carcinoma cells by transcriptome RNA sequencing. ASB16-AS1 associates with RNA-binding protein HuR (ELAVL1) as revealed by RNA pull-down following mass spectrometry. Also, ASB16-AS1 inhibits HuR expression post-translationally by promoting its ubiquitination. ASB16-AS1 regulates IGF1R and CDK6 mRNA expression through RNA-binding protein HuR. We then found that inhibition of ASB16-AS1 attenuates the binding of ubiquitin E3 ligase BTRC to HuR and subsequently inhibits HuR protein unbiquitination and degradation. BTRC knock-down could reverse the effect of AB16-AS1 on HuR, CDK6, and IGF1R levels. Collectively, these results demonstrate that ASB16-AS1 regulates adrenocortical carcinoma cell proliferation and tackling the level of ASB16-AS1 may be developed to treat adrenocortical carcinoma.

Community structure, dispersal ability and functional profiling of microbiome existing in fat body and ovary of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

The endosymbionts play vital roles in growth, development and reproduction in insects. Yeast-like endosymbionts (YLSs) have been well studied in Nilaparvata lugens (N. lugens), but little is known about the tissue-specific bacterial microbiomes, especially on the microbial intersection among internal tissues. Here, the correlation of microbial composition, structure, dispersal ability and functional profiling were illuminated in two tissues, the fat body and ovary in N. lugens. A total of 11 phyla and 105 genera were captured from all samples; Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the most predominant and accounted for more than 99% in all samples. However, the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria was significantly different in ovary and fat body through Fisher's Least Significant Difference test. Microbial diversity but not the richness index in the two tissues exhibited significant difference. Furthermore, the microbial community structure of the ovary and fat body were primarily determined by tissue quality. Firmicutes showed strong dispersal ability between ovary and fat body based on the quantitative null model assessing, indicating the frequent interaction of these microbiomes in the two tissues. In addition, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways of microbial participation were delineated. The ten most abundant pathways counted for over 46% of the annotation and were shared between the two tissues, mainly containing Energy Metabolism and Amino Acid Metabolism/Biosynthesis. The results will provide insights into the correlation of microbial community structure between ovary and fat body of N. lugens.

PD-L1 expression and association with malignant behavior in pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas.

The immunosuppressive effect of the programmed death (PD)-1/PD-L1 pathway plays an important role in the treatment of a variety of tumors, such as lung and breast cancer, but there is little literature about PD-1/PD-L1 in pheochromocytomas/paragangliomas (PCCs/PGLs). We explored the relationship of PD-L1 and malignant behavior in 77 cases of PCC/PGL using immunohistochemistry (IHC) to assess protein expression and RNAscope to detect mRNA expression in 20 cases. The IHC data showed that 59.74% of the PCCs/PGLs expressed PD-L1, and the extent of expression was highly correlated with Ki-67 (P = .019) and hypertension (P = .013) but not with age, sex, tumor size, capsular invasion, tumor necrosis, relapse/distant metastasis, secretion of noradrenaline/adrenaline/dopamine, or diabetes mellitus. In addition, we found an excellent correlation of PD-L1 mRNA and protein expression with a κ coefficient of 0.828, and further stratification of the IHC and RNAscope findings showed high consistency (Pearson coefficient 0.753). The correlation of PD-L1 and Ki-67 indicated that PD-L1 could be considered a malignant proliferation biomarker for PCCs/PGLs, which would be a putative biomarker for anti-PD-L1 therapies.

Long noncoding RNA LOXL1-AS1 regulates prostate cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression through miR-541-3p and CCND1.

Prostate cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies affecting men. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. LncRNA LOXL1-AS1 participates in the pathogenesis of the exfoliation syndrome. However, the role of LOXL1-AS1 in cancer remains largely unknown. Here, we found that LOXL1-AS1 down-regulation inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that it regulates the expression of cell cycle-related genes. LOXL1-AS1 is predominantly distributed in the cytoplasm, where it interacts with miR-541-3p. In addition, miR-541-3p targets the cell cycle regulator CCND1 in prostate cancer cells. LOXL1-AS1 down-regulation inhibits the expression of CCND1 and cell cycle progression, whereas these effects are abolished upon miR-541-3p suppression. In summary, our study revealed that LOXL1-AS1 regulates prostate cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression through miR-541-3p and CCND1. Modulation of their levels may be used to treat prostate cancer.

Long noncoding RNA FTX regulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis by targeting miR-29b-1-5p and Bcl2l2.

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis correlates with the pathogenesis of heart disease. Long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) emerges as a class of noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression and participate in various cellular processes. However, the role of lncRNAs in cardiomyocyte apoptosis remains to be elucidated. In our study, we found that lncRNA FTX is significantly down-regulated upon ischemia/reperfusion injury and hydrogen peroxide treatment. Enhanced expression of FTX inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide. miR-29b-1-5p was found to interact with FTX and regulate the expression of Bcl2l2. Inhibition of miR-29b-1-5p attenuated cardiomyocyte apoptosis upon hydrogen peroxide treatment. We then found that FTX functions as endogenous sponge for miR-29b-1-5p and regulates the activity of miR-29b-1-5p. The results demonstrate that FTX regulates cardiomyocyte apoptosis through modulating the expression of Bcl2l2 which is mediated by miR-29b-1-5p. Our findings reveal a novel regulatory model which is composed of FTX, miR-29b-1-5p and Bcl2l2. Manipulating of their levels may become a new approach to tackling cardiomyocyte apoptosis related heart diseases.

Dual effects of insect nAChR chaperone RIC-3 on hybrid receptor: Promoting assembly on endoplasmic reticulum but suppressing transport to plasma membrane on Xenopus oocytes.

Resistance to inhibitors of cholinesterase (RIC) -3 promotes the maturation (folding and assembly) of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as a molecular chaperone. The modulation effects of RIC-3 on homomeric α7 nAChRs are always positive, but its effects on heteromeric subtypes are inconsistent among reports. In this study, five RIC-3 isoforms were identified from Locusta migratoria. Four isoforms showed obvious effects on hybrid receptor Locα1/rß2 expressed in Xenopus oocytes. As a representative, the co-expression of RIC-3v4 exhibited the decreased agonist responses (Imax) on oocytes, lower specific [3H]epibatidine binding (Bmax) on plasma membrane protein (PMP), and reduced subunit levels in PMP, which showed that the mature Locα1/rß2 on the plasma membrane was decreased by the co-expression of RIC-3. In contrast, the [3H]epibatidine binding and mature Locα1/rß2 levels in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane protein (ERMP) were much increased when co-expressing with RIC-3v4. The [3H]epibatidine binding and mature Locα1/rß2 levels in total membrane protein (TMP) gave the similar results as that in ERMP. Taking data together, the results showed that the co-expression of RIC-3 increased the mature Locα1/rß2 receptor levels on ER of Xenopus oocytes, but these mature receptors were mostly kept on ER and suppressed to transport to plasma membrane.

Characterization of the Fifth Putative Acetylcholinesterase in the Wolf Spider, Pardosa pseudoannulata.

Background: Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is an important neurotransmitter hydrolase in invertebrate and vertebrate nervous systems. The number of AChEs is various among invertebrate species, with different functions including the 'classical' role in terminating synaptic transmission and other 'non-classical' roles. Methods: Using rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technology, a new putative AChE-encoding gene was cloned from Pardosa pseudoannulata, an important predatory natural enemy. Sequence analysis and in vitro expression were employed to determine the structural features and biochemical properties of this putative AChE. Results: The cloned AChE contained the most conserved motifs of AChEs family and was clearly clustered with Arachnida AChEs. Determination of biochemical properties revealed that the recombinant enzyme had the obvious preference for the substrate ATC (acetylthiocholine iodide) versus BTC (butyrylthiocholine iodide). The AChE was highly sensitive to AChE-specific inhibitor BW284C51, but not butyrylcholinesterase-specific inhibitor tetraisopropyl pyrophosphoramide (ISO-OMPA). Based on these results, we concluded that a new AChE was identified from P. pseudoannulata and denoted as PpAChE5. Conclusion: Here we report the identification of a new AChE from P. pseudoannulata and increased the AChE number to five in this species. Although PpAChE5 had the biggest Vmax value among five identified AChEs, it showed relatively low affinity with ATC. Similar sensitivity to test insecticides indicated that this AChE might serve as the target for both organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides.

Novel miR-122 delivery system based on MS2 virus like particle surface displaying cell-penetrating peptide TAT for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Current treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have shown inadequate. MicroRNA-122 (miR-122) mediated RNA interference brings new prospects. A safe, efficient miRNA delivery system is an indispensable assurance. Previously, we developed an MS2 bacteriophage virus-like particle (VLP)-based microRNA delivery system crosslinked with the HIV TAT peptide, which served as an effective inhibitor in the treatments of systemic lupus erythematosus and osteoporosis. However, defects, such as low crosslinking efficiency, high cost, and potential toxicity of the crosslinking agent, needed to be confronted. Therefore, TAT peptide was designed to display on the surface of MS2 VLPs, instead of being chemically crosslinked, using the platform of phage surface display. The results reflected that MS2 VLPs displaying TAT could effectively penetrate the cytomembrane and deliver miR-122. Additionally, its inhibitory effects on HCC were significant in Hep3B, HepG2, and Huh7 cells and Hep3B related animal models. Thus, we have established a novel miR-122 delivery system based on MS2 VLPs surface displaying TAT peptide, which could effectively perform the function of penetrating cytomembrane and the inhibition of HCC.