In Situ Construction of Specific SEI Layer Affords Effective Prelithiation.

Silicon-based anodes have been attracting attention due to their high theoretical specific capacity, but their low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) seriously hinders their commercial application. Direct contact prelithiation is considered to be one of the effective means of solving this problem. By means of prelithiation, a specific solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) was constructed, which inhibited the volume expansion of the SiO/C composite anode during prelithiation and reduced the local current generated when the lithium source was in contact with the anode. On the one hand, it can reduce the side reactions derived from the decomposition of electrolytes in the prelithiation process, and on the other hand, it can slow down the prelithiation process and inhibit the volume expansion of the SiO/C composite anode in the prelithiation process. The results of XPS, TOF-SIMS, and other tests show that the use of an electrolyte whose main component is LiTFSI can construct SEI film whose main component is LiF, which to a certain extent can slow down the rate of prelithiation, reduce the local current generated when the lithium source is in contact with the negative electrode, minimize the occurrence of side reactions, and inhibit the volume expansion of the negative electrode material. The full battery assembled with NCM111 positive electrode still exhibits 83.5% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 1 C current density. These studies provide some ideas to enhance the performance of silicon-based materials.

Synthesis of α/ß-Aromatic Peroxy Thiols Mediated by Iodine Source.

Peroxygenated compounds have wide applications in various fields, including chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, medicine, and materials science. However, there is still a need for more efficient and environmentally friendly synthesis methods for such compounds. Herein, we investigated the two-step, one-pot, regioselective synthesis of α/ß-aromatic peroxy thiols. We explored various substrates and solvents for the reaction and identified the optimal reaction conditions. We successfully obtained several peroxy thiols in moderate to good yields via the selective generation of effective intermediates of iodoalkyl peroxides at room temperature without the need for metal catalysts.

RNA-seq analysis of lncRNA-controlled developmental gene expression during puberty in goat & rat.

BACKGROUND: Puberty is a pivotal stage in female animal development, and marks the onset of reproductive capability. However, little is known about the function of lncRNAs (long noncoding RNAs) in puberty. Therefore, RNA-seq analysis were performed between goats and rats to clarify the roles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in the onset of puberty. RESULTS: In the present study, the length of lncRNAs, the length of the open reading frame and the exon count were compared between the two species. Furthermore, functional annotation analysis based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of lncRNAs target genes and differentially expressed mRNA demonstrated the significantly enriched terms, such as AMPK signaling pathway, oxytocin signaling pathway, insulin secretion as well as pheromone receptor activity, and some other signaling pathways which were involved in the regulation of female puberty. Moreover, our results of siRNA interference in vitro showed the candidate lncRNA XLOC_446331 may play a crucial role in regulating female puberty. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the RNA-seq analysis between goat and rat provide novel candidate regulators for genetic and molecular studies on female puberty.

Screening and evaluating of long noncoding RNAs in the puberty of goats.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in regulating animal development, however, their function in the onset of puberty in goats remain largely unexplored. To identify the genes controlling the regulation of puberty in goats, we measured lncRNA and mRNA expression levels from the hypothalamus. RESULTS: We applied RNA sequencing analysis to examine the hypothalamus of pubertal (case; n = 3) and prepubertal (control; n = 3) goats. Our results showed 2943 predicted lncRNAs, including 2012 differentially expressed lncRNAs, which corresponded to 5412 target genes. We also investigated the role of lncRNAs that act cis and trans to the target genes and found a number of lncRNAs involved in the regulation of puberty and reproduction, as well as several pathways related to these processes. For example, oxytocin signaling pathway, sterol biosynthetic process, and pheromone receptor activity signaling pathway were enriched as Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) or gene ontology (GO) analyses showed. CONCLUSION: Our results clearly demonstrate that lncRNAs play an important role in regulating puberty in goats. However, further research is needed to explore the functions of lncRNAs and their predicted targets to provide a detailed expression profile of lncRNAs on goat puberty.

DNA Methylation Patterns in the Hypothalamus of Female Pubertal Goats.

Female pubertal development is tightly controlled by complex mechanisms, including neuroendocrine and epigenetic regulatory pathways. Specific gene expression patterns can be influenced by DNA methylation changes in the hypothalamus, which can in turn regulate timing of puberty onset. In order to understand the relationship between DNA methylation changes and gene expression patterns in the hypothalamus of pubertal goats, whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA-sequencing analyses were carried out. There was a decline in DNA methylation levels in the hypothalamus during puberty and 268 differentially methylated regions (DMR) in the genome, with differential patterns in different gene regions. There were 1049 genes identified with distinct expression patterns. High levels of DNA methylation were detected in promoters, introns and 3'-untranslated regions (UTRs). Levels of methylation decreased gradually from promoters to 5'-UTRs and increased from 5'-UTRs to introns. Methylation density analysis demonstrated that methylation level variation was consistent with the density in the promoter, exon, intron, 5'-UTRs and 3'-UTRs. Analyses of CpG island (CGI) sites showed that the enriched gene contents were gene bodies, intergenic regions and introns, and these CGI sites were hypermethylated. Our study demonstrated that DNA methylation changes may influence gene expression profiles in the hypothalamus of goats during the onset of puberty, which may provide new insights into the mechanisms involved in pubertal onset.

Role of Nesfatin-1 in the Reproductive Axis of Male Rat.

Nesfatin-1 is an important molecule in the regulation of reproduction. However, its role in the reproductive axis in male animals remains to be understood. Here, we found that nesfatin-1 was mainly distributed in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), periventricular nucleus (PeN), and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of the hypothalamus; adenohypophysis and Leydig cells in male rats. Moreover, the concentrations of serum nesfatin-1 and its mRNA in hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) vary with the age of the male rat. After intracerebroventricular injection of nesfatin-1, the hypothalamic genes for gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH), kisspeptin (Kiss-1), pituitary genes for follicle-stimulate hormone ß(FSHß), luteinizing hormone ß(LHß), and genes for testicular steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) expression levels were decreased significantly. Nesfatin-1 significantly increased the expression of genes for 3ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3ß-HSD), 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17ß-HSD), and cytochrome P450 cleavage (P450scc) in the testis of pubertal rats, but their levels decreased in adult rats (P < 0.05), along with the serum FSH, LH, and testosterone (T) concentrations. After nesfatin-1 addition in vitro, T concentrations of the supernatant were significantly higher than that in the control group. These results were suggestive of the role of nesfatin-1 in the regulation of the reproductive axis in male rats.

Effect of estrogen on the expression of GnRH and kisspeptin in the hypothalamus of rats during puberty.

The aim of this study was to assess whether changes in kisspeptin and GnRH levels could be attributed to sex steroids at puberty onset. We used the ovariectomy (OVX) model in rats treated with 17ß-estradiol (E2; OVX + E2), or oil (OVX + oil), and in intact rats treated with E2 (intact + E2) or oil only (intact + oil) to determine gene expression changes of Kiss1 and Gnrh1 in the hypothalamus and protein expression of kisspeptin and GnRH in the different areas of the hypothalamus. In the intact + E2 and OVX + E2 rats on the day of the onset of puberty, GnRH-immunoreactive (ir) cell numbers decreased (P < 0.05) in the arcuate nucleus but were increased in the preoptic area; Kisspeptin-ir cells increased (P < 0.05) in the arcuate nucleus, periventricular nucleus, and preoptic area; no difference (P > 0.05) was found in the paraventricularis nucleus for GnRH-ir or kisspeptin-ir cells. Additionally, levels of Kiss1 and Gnrh1 messenger RNA in the hypothalamus were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the OVX + E2 or intact + E2 rats than in the OVX + oil or intact + oil animals, respectively. In the OVX + oil rats, OVX significantly increased (P < 0.05) levels of Gnrh1 and Kiss1 messenger RNA and the expression of GnRH and kisspeptin in the hypothalamus compared to intact + oil animals. These results suggest that kisspeptin and GnRH play major roles in modulating the activity of estrogen circuits at the onset of puberty.