Targeting CD300ld to normalize the tumor microenvironment: an emerging insight in cancer immunotherapy.

In a recent Nature elegant study, Wang et al. identified CD300ld, a novel functionally highly conserved tumor immunosuppressive receptor, highly expressed specifically on polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs), as well as a key receptor in the regulation of recruitment and immunosuppressive function of PMN-MDSCs. Targeting CD300ld could remodel the tumor immune microenvironment, resulting in a broad-spectrum anti-tumor effect.

Association Between the Serum Copper Levels and Environmental Tobacco Exposure on the Risk of Overweight and Obesity in Children: a Study Based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

This study was to assess the individual effects of serum copper levels and environmental tobacco exposure and their joint effects on the risk of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents of 6 to 19 year olds. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 1849 children and adolescents participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2011 and 2016. Environmental tobacco exposure was determined by cotinine levels. The serum copper level was divided into < median group and ≥ median groups according to the median of 109.81 µg/dL. The outcome was overweight/obese in children and adolescents. Weighted multinomial multivariate logistic regression models were used to assess the association of serum copper and cotinine levels, with the risk of overweight/obesity, and the joint effects on the risk of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents. The subgroup analyses based on age, gender, and household smoking status were conducted. Among 1849 children and adolescents, 332 children and adolescents had overweight BMI, and 450 children and adolescents had obese BMI. Higher serum copper levels were associated with the risk of obesity in children and adolescents (odds ratio (OR) 2.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39-6.31, P = 0.006). A positive association between increasing levels of cotinine levels and the risk of overweight (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.16-2.87, P = 0.010) and obesity (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.03-6.40, P = 0.044) in children and adolescents was observed. A remarkable association was found between higher serum copper in combination with higher cotinine levels and the risk of overweight (OR 3.23, 95% CI 1.19-8.83, P = 0.023) and obesity (OR 8.76, 95% CI 2.14-35.87, P = 0.003) in children and adolescents. The subgroup analyses revealed positive associations between high serum copper levels in combination with high cotinine levels and overweight and obesity in children and adolescents aged ≥ 12 years, of female sex, and without smoking family members. There may exist a joint effect of serum copper levels and environmental tobacco exposure on overweight/obesity among children and adolescents. These findings offer an insight that early weight control and reduction of tobacco exposure and the detection of serum copper levels may be important in reducing the risk of obesity in children.

Gut microbiota and atopic dermatitis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that alterations in gut microbiota composition and diversity are associated with Atopic dermatitis (AD). But until now, the causal association between them has been unclear. Methods: We employed a two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) study to estimate the potential causality of gut microbiota on AD risk. The summary statistics related to the gut microbiota were obtained from a large-scale genome-wide genotype and 16S fecal microbiome dataset from 18,340 individuals (24 cohorts) analyzed by the MiBioGen Consortium, comprising 211 gut microbiota. AD data were also derived from strictly defined AD data collected by FinnGen biobank analysis, which included 218,467 European ancestors (5,321 AD patients and 213,146 controls). The inverse variance weighted method (IVW), weighted median (WME), and MR-Egger were used to determine the changes of AD pathogenic bacterial taxa, followed by sensitivity analysis including horizontal pleiotropy analysis, Cochran's Q test, and the leave-one-out method to assess the reliability of the results. In addition, MR Steiger's test was used to test the suppositional relationship between exposure and outcome. Results: A total of 2,289 SNPs (p < 1 × 10-5) were included, including 5 taxa and 17 bacterial characteristics (1 phylum, 3 classes, 1 order, 4 families, and 8 genera), after excluding the IVs with linkage disequilibrium (LD). Combining the analysis of the results of the IVW models, there were 6 biological taxa (2 families, and 4 genera) of the intestinal flora positively associated with the risk of AD and 7 biological taxa (1 phylum, 2 classes, 1 order, 1 family, and 2 genera) of the intestinal flora negatively associated. The IVW analysis results showed that Tenericutes, Mollicutes, Clostridia, Bifidobacteriaceae, Bifidobacteriales, Bifidobacterium, and Christensenellaceae R 7 group were negatively correlated with the risk of AD, while Clostridiaceae 1, Bacteroidaceae, Bacteroides, Anaerotruncus, the unknown genus, and Lachnospiraceae UCG001 showed the opposite trend. And the results of the sensitivity analysis were robust. MR Steiger's test showed a potential causal relationship between the above intestinal flora and AD, but not vice versa. Conclusion: The present MR analysis genetically suggests a causal relationship between changes in the abundance of the gut microbiota and AD risk, thus not only providing support for gut microecological therapy of AD but also laying the groundwork for further exploration of the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota contributes to the pathogenesis of AD.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum N-1 improves autism-like behavior and gut microbiota in mouse.

Introduction: The gut-brain axis has been widely recognized in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and probiotics are considered to potentially benefit the rescuing of autism-like behaviors. As a probiotic strain, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum N-1(LPN-1) was utilized to investigate its effects on gut microbiota and autism-like behaviors in ASD mice constructed by maternal immune activation (MIA). Methods: Adult offspring of MIA mice were given LPN-1 at the dosage of 2 × 109 CFU/g for 4 weeks before subject to the behavior and gut microbiota evaluation. Results: The behavioral tests showed that LPN-1 intervention was able to rescue autism-like behaviors in mice, including anxiety and depression. In which the LPN-1 treatment group increased the time spent interacting with strangers in the three-chamber test, their activity time and distance in the central area increased in the open field test, and their immobility time decreased when hanging their tails. Moreover, the supplementation of LPN-1 reversed the intestinal flora structure of ASD mice by enhancing the relative abundance of the pivotal microorganisms of Allobaculum and Oscillospira, while reducing those harmful ones like Sutterella at the genus level. Discussion: These results suggested that LPN-1 supplementation may improve autism-like behaviors, possibly via regulating the gut microbiota.

Modification of Polymeric Carbon Nitride with Au-CeO2 Hybrids to Improve Photocatalytic Activity for Hydrogen Evolution.

The construction of a multi-component heterostructure for promoting the exciton splitting and charge separation of conjugated polymer semiconductors has attracted increasing attention in view of improving their photocatalytic activity. Here, we integrated Au nanoparticles (NPs) decorated CeO2 (Au-CeO2) with polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) via a modified thermal polymerization method. The combination of the interfacial interaction between PCN and CeO2 via N-O or C-O bonds, with the interior electronic transmission channel built by the decoration of Au NPs at the interface between CeO2 and PCN, endows CeAu-CN with excellent efficiency in the transfer and separation of photo-induced carriers, leading to the enhancement of photochemical activity. The amount-optimized CeAu-CN nanocomposites are capable of producing ca. 80 µmol· H2 per hour under visible light irradiation, which is higher than that of pristine CN, Ce-CN and physical mixed CeAu and PCN systems. In addition, the photocatalytic activity of CeAu-CN remains unchanged for four runs in 4 h. The present work not only provides a sample and feasible strategy to synthesize highly efficient organic polymer composites containing metal-assisted heterojunction photocatalysts, but also opens up a new avenue for the rational design and synthesis of potentially efficient PCN-based materials for efficient hydrogen evolution.

Translational Regulation by eIFs and RNA Modifications in Cancer.

Translation is a fundamental process in all living organisms that involves the decoding of genetic information in mRNA by ribosomes and translation factors. The dysregulation of mRNA translation is a common feature of tumorigenesis. Protein expression reflects the total outcome of multiple regulatory mechanisms that change the metabolism of mRNA pathways from synthesis to degradation. Accumulated evidence has clarified the role of an increasing amount of mRNA modifications at each phase of the pathway, resulting in translational output. Translation machinery is directly affected by mRNA modifications, influencing translation initiation, elongation, and termination or altering mRNA abundance and subcellular localization. In this review, we focus on the translation initiation factors associated with cancer as well as several important RNA modifications, for which we describe their association with cancer.

Synthesis of Layered Carbonitrides from Biotic Molecules for Photoredox Transformations.

The construction of layered covalent carbon nitride polymers based on tri-s-triazine units has been achieved by using nucleobases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil) and urea to establish a two-dimensional semiconducting structure that allows band-gap engineering applications. This biomolecule-derived binary carbon nitride polymer enables the generation of energized charge carrier with light-irradiation to induce photoredox reactions for stable hydrogen production and heterogeneous organosynthesis of C-O, C-C, C-N and N-N bonds, which may enrich discussion on chemical reactions in prebiotic conditions by taking account of the photoredox function of conjugated carbonitride semiconductors that have long been considered to be stable HCN-derived organic macromolecules in space.

Molecular Engineering of Conjugated Polybenzothiadiazoles for Enhanced Hydrogen Production by Photosynthesis.

The search for metal-free organic photocatalysts for H2 production from water using visible light remains a key challenge. Reported herein is a molecular structural design of pure organic photocatalysts, derived from conjugated polybenzothiadiazoles, for photocatalytic H2 evolution using visible light. By alternating the substitution position of the electron-withdrawing benzothiadizole unit on the phenyl unit as a comonomer, various polymers with either one- or three-dimensional structures were synthesized and the effect of the molecular structure on their catalytic activity was investigated. Photocatalytic H2 evolution efficiencies up to 116 µmol h(-1) were observed by employing the linear polymer based on a phenyl-benzothiadiazole alternating main chain, with an apparent quantum yield (AQY) of 4.01 % at 420 nm using triethanolamine as the sacrificial agent.