Complement expression in different strains of mice.

<p>A, Haemolytic activity of serum from different strains of mice. Mean ± SEM, N = 12 mice. B–D, complement gene expression in the liver (B), retina (C) and RPE/choroid (D) of different strains of 24-month old mice. Results are expressed as relative gene fold change of CCR2 KO or CCL2 KO mice against WT mice. Mean ± SEM, N = 6∼8, *, P<0.05 in comparison to WT mice, Dunnett's multiple comparison test.</p

Fundus images of WT and CCL2 KO or CCR2 KO mice.

<p>(A–F) TEFI images of a 3-month old WT mouse (A), 24-month old WT mouse (B), 24-month old CCR2 mice (C, E) and 24-month old CCL2 KO mice (D, F). Arrows in E and F show patches of retinal lesion. G and H, fluorescein angiography images of a 3-month old WT mouse (G) and a 24-month old WT mouse (H). Arrowhead in H shows a localized fluorescein leakage.</p

Phenotype and function of myeloid-derived cells in different strains of mice.

<p>A, Bone marrow and blood cells collected from different strains of mice were stained for different cell surface markers and analysed by flow cytometry. Mean ± SEM, N = 6. B, Cytokine gene expression in LPS stimulated BM-DMs of different strains of mice. Mean ± SEM, N = 3. *, P<0.05; **, P<0.01; compared to WT cells. Unpaired Student t test. Experiments were performed four times. C–D, Nitrotyrosine (green) and PI (red) staining in the eye of a 20-month old WT mouse (C) and a 20-month old CCL2 KO mouse (D). E, isotype control staining. Ch, choroid; RPE, retinal pigment epithelium. F, Endocytosis of BM-DMs using dextran method (see Materials & Methods). MFI, mean fluorescence intensity. G, Phagocytosis of E. coli by BM-DMs (see Materials & Methods). Mean ± SEM, N = 3. *, P<0.05, **, P<0.01 compared to WT cells of the same time point. Dunnett Multiple comparison test. Experiments were performed twice.</p

TEM images of RPE/photoreceptor of different strains of mice.

<p>A, an image from a 22-month old WT mouse showing RPE basal laminar deposits (asterisk). B, an image from 22-month old CCR2 KO mouse showing a photoreceptor outer segment (arrowhead) in parallel with RPE cells, multiple vacuoles (white arrows) in RPE cells and basal laminar deposits (asterisk). C, an image from a 22-month old CCL2 KO mouse showing multiple vacuoles in RPE cells (white arrows) and basal laminar deposits (asterisk). D, an image from a 24-month old CCL2 KO mouse showing multiple vacuoles and reduced melanin granules in degenerated RPE cells, basal laminar deposits (asterisk). E, an image from a 24-month old CCR2 KO mouse showing photoreceptor inner segment degeneration (black arrows), and a gap between RPE cells and photoreceptor outer segments. F, an image from a 20-month old CCL2 KO mouse showing photoreceptor inner segment degeneration (black arrows), reduced melanin granules in RPE cells and RPE basal laminar deposition (asterisk). G, an image from a 20-month old CCL2 KO mouse showing a patch of RPE atrophy, disorganised photoreceptor outer segments, a lack of choriocapillaris, and fibrotic tissues in the choroid (black asterisks). H and I, images from a 24-month old CCL2 KO mouse showing the loss of electron-dense materials in the cytoplasm, the loss of cytoplasm organelles and membrane, and a nucleus with reduced electron-dense materials in the RPE layer; choriocapillaris basal laminar deposition in the choroid; a layer of melanin granule-containing cells (block arrowheads) on top of the degenerated RPE cells with their process extending towards the photoreceptor outer segments. RPE, retinal pigment epithelia. (J), A confocal image of RPE/choroidal flatmount of a 24-month CCL2 KO mouse showing accumulation of macrophages/microglia at the site of RPE damage. RPE damages were highlighted with disorganised actins (phalloidin staining) and subretinal macrophages were labelled with Iba-1.</p

Phenotype of subretinal macrophage/microglia.

<p>RPE/choroidal flatmounts from aged (20–24 months) WT (A, C) and CCL2 KO (B, D) mice were dual stained for Iba-1/arginase-1 (A, B), or CD68/P2Y12 (C, D) and observed by confocal microscopy. Images presented are representatives from 6 mice in each group. E, Z-stack images of a retinal flatmount stained for Iba-1 (green) and Propidium iodide (PI) showing three Iba-1⁺ cells in the photoreceptor outer segment layer. Arrows: cell dendrites pointing toward the inner retina in z-sections.</p

Histology of mouse eyes.

<p>Mouse eyes were taken from 18–24 months old mice and processed for H-E staining. A–C, representative images of a 22-month WT (A) a 22-month CCL2 KO (B) and a 22-month CCR2 KO (C) mouse showing photoreceptors. D & E, quantitative analysis of the number of photoreceptor nuclei. D, a schematic image showing the locations where the photoreceptor nuclei were counted. E, the numbers of photoreceptor in 20–24 months old mice WT, CCL2- or CCR2-deficient mice. *, P<0.05 compared to the WT mice at the same location . Mean ± SEM, n = 8–10 eyes, ANOVA (Kruskal-Wallis test) followed by Dunn's multiple comparison test. F–I, Representative images from aged CCL2 KO (F), CCR2 KO (G), and WT (H) mice showing RPE vacuolation (arrows). I, the number of RPE vacuoles in different strains of mice. Mean ± SEM, n = 12 eyes, *, P<0.05; **, P<0.01. ANOVA Dunn's multiple comparison test. J & K, retinal images from a 20-month (J) and a 24-month (K) CCL2 KO mouse showing areas of RPE cell damage (arrowheads) and inflammatory cell infiltration (insert in J). A layer of pigmented cells on top of degenerated (damaged) RPE cells was observed in K.</p

Subretinal microglia in different strains of mice.

<p>A–D, Autofluorescent (AF) images of a 3-month WT mouse (A), a 24-month WT mouse (B), a 24-month old CCR2 KO mouse, (C) and a 24-month CCL2 KO mouse (D). E–G, confocal images of RPE flatmounts stained for microglia with Iba-1 antibody (see Methods) from a 20-month old WT mouse (E), a 20-month old CCR2 KO mouse (F) and a 20-month old CCL2 KO mouse (G). (H) The number of subretinal Iba-1⁺ microglia in 20-month old of different strains of mice. Mean ± SD, N = 8∼12. *, P<0.05 compared to WT, ANOVA Dunn's multiple comparison test. I, a TEM image from a CCL2 KO mouse showing a subretinal microglial cell (MG) with lipofuscin (arrows) on the surface of RPE cells.</p

A Bio-Based Molecule to Afford a Lithium-Metal Battery by Modification with the Electrode–Electrolyte Interphase

Lithium (Li)-metal batteries with LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) as the cathode are expected to reach excellent energy density batteries, but their performance is still far below what is projected. The key points in these batteries are regarded to be the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI). Here, the bio-based molecule eugenol, a lignin monomer model compound, is used as an effectively modified molecule for establishing SEI and CEI stability for the first time. Lithium-ion (Li+) uniform distribution is encouraged by the strong interaction between the phenolic hydroxyl group and Li+, which suppresses the growth of lithium dendrites. Additionally, eugenol is preferentially reduced to SEI at the anode and oxidized to CEI at the cathode, which lessens the side reaction between the electrolyte and electrode. Maintaining the stability of the electrode–electrolyte interphase helps to prevent materials from collapsing. As a result, the Li/Li cell cycling stability has been improved to 1500 h at 3 mA cm–2, and the capacity retention rate of eugenol@Li/NCM811 batteries has remained at 50% after 500 cycles at 1C

Genome-wide investigation of sucrose synthase gene family in pineapple: Characterization and expression profile analysis during fruit development

Sucrose content influences the flavour and quality of fruits. Sucrose synthase (SUS; EC 2.4.1.13) mediates the reversible conversion of uridine diphosphate and sucrose to uridine diphosphate-glucose and fructose. Although genome-wide analyses of SUS gene families exist for various species, such studies are lacking for pineapple. The specific SUS gene(s) involved in sucrose metabolism during pineapple development remain unknown. This study identified six SUS genes (AcSUS1–6) and analysed their chromosomal locations, synteny, structure, motif composition, sequence alignments, and phylogenetic relationships. Gene promoter analysis revealed a predominance of light-response elements in the AcSUS gene family. AcSUS1 was predominantly expressed in the peduncle, pericarp, and core, whereas AcSUS4 was highly expressed in the flesh. The levels of sucrose, glucose, and fructose increase during pineapple fruit development. Further gene expression analysis indicated that AcSUS2, AcSUS3, and AcSUS5 were down-regulated during this period. These results suggest that AcSUS2, AcSUS3, and AcSUS5 may modulate sucrose breakdown in pineapple. This study contributes to our understanding of SUS gene function in regulating sucrose metabolism and offers valuable theoretical guidance for the genetic improvement of pineapples.</p

C3d and C5b-9 deposition at the retina/choroidal interface of different strains of mice.

<p>Cryosections of eyes from 22–24-month old mice were stained for C3d (red) or C5b-9 (green in F and G) and observed by confocal microscopy. A, an image from a 22-momth old WT mouse. B, an image from a 22-momth old CCR2 KO mouse. C, an image from a 22-momth old CCL2 KO mouse. D and E, images taken from a 24-momth old CCL2 KO mouse showing area of RPE cell death (asterisks) and extensive C3d deposition (red). F and G, images taken from a 24-momth old CCR2 KO mouse (F) and a 24-month old CCL2 KO mouse showing areas of RPE cell death (arrows) with C3d deposition (red), but no C5b-9 deposition (green). H, a retina from a mouse with EAU <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0022818#pone.0022818-Xu2" target="_blank">[25]</a>, <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0022818#pone.0022818-Copland1" target="_blank">[35]</a> was used as positive control for C5b-9 staining (green). I, Isotype control antibody staining for C3d in a 24-month CCL2 KO mouse showing no background staining. ONL, outer nuclear layer. RPE, retinal pigment epithelia. Ch, choroid.</p