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<p>Scale worms in the family Polynoidae are common inhabitants of both shallow-water and deep-sea ecosystems, but their diversity in the deep-sea remains poorly known. In the West Pacific, only 10 polynoid species have been described from deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems including hydrothermal vents and methane seeps. Here, we described two new species of polynoids based on specimens collected from hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough. Levensteiniella undomarginata sp. nov. is distinguished from other congeners by having elytra with a wave-shaped edge, and that males possess two pairs of nephridial papillae. Branchinotogluma elytropapillata sp. nov. differs from other congeners by having papillae on the elytral edge, and by having a single pair of nephridial papillae and five pairs of C-shaped lamellae in males. Furthermore, we redescribed Lepidonotopodium okinawae (Sui and Li, 2017) and Branchinotogluma japonicus Miura and Hashimoto, 1991, because the original description of the former species did not cover males and that of the latter did not cover females. Sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene in these four species confirmed the sexual dimorphism in vent polynoids for the first time, and provided reliable barcoding sequences for identifying these polychaetes.</p

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<p>Scale worms in the family Polynoidae are common inhabitants of both shallow-water and deep-sea ecosystems, but their diversity in the deep-sea remains poorly known. In the West Pacific, only 10 polynoid species have been described from deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems including hydrothermal vents and methane seeps. Here, we described two new species of polynoids based on specimens collected from hydrothermal vents in the Okinawa Trough. Levensteiniella undomarginata sp. nov. is distinguished from other congeners by having elytra with a wave-shaped edge, and that males possess two pairs of nephridial papillae. Branchinotogluma elytropapillata sp. nov. differs from other congeners by having papillae on the elytral edge, and by having a single pair of nephridial papillae and five pairs of C-shaped lamellae in males. Furthermore, we redescribed Lepidonotopodium okinawae (Sui and Li, 2017) and Branchinotogluma japonicus Miura and Hashimoto, 1991, because the original description of the former species did not cover males and that of the latter did not cover females. Sequencing of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene in these four species confirmed the sexual dimorphism in vent polynoids for the first time, and provided reliable barcoding sequences for identifying these polychaetes.</p

Scale-Up Investigation of the Continuous Phase-Transfer-Catalyzed Hypochlorite Oxidation of Alcohols and Aldehydes

The use of bleach to oxidize alcohols with the aid of a phase-transfer catalyst (PTC) offers several benefits over traditional oxidants: low material cost, mild reaction conditions, and no metallic waste. Mass transport limitations often dictate overall reaction rates of such PTC reactions, and continuous-flow reactors with superior mass and heat transport performance are consequently used to enhance their rates. Three PTC hypochlorite oxidation reactions are chosen to illustrate scaling of PTC reactions from microfluidic to mesoscale systems [Corning Low Flow Reactor (LFR) and Advanced Flow Reactor (AFR)]. The successful scaling from microliters per hour in microreactors to intermediate milliliters per minute without sacrificing mass transport performance leads to significant increases in production rate and constitutes an efficient flow reactor scaling approach. The production rate increases up to 700 times in the scaling process from a spiral microreactor to the LFR and then to the AFR

DataSheet1_Morphology and rheology of composites of poly(styrene-co-2-vinyl pyridine) copolymers and phosphotungstic acid.pdf

Morphological and rheological properties are examined for poly(styrene-co-2-vinyl pyridine) (P(S-co-2VP)) copolymers upon introducing phosphotungstic acid, one kind of polyoxometalates (POMs). The phosphotungstic acid protonates the 2VP monomers, and the deprotonated phosphotungstic acid effectively crosslinks the protonated 2VP monomers, inducing phase segregation into the S-rich and 2VP-rich domains. Linear viscoelasticity (LVE) of the composite samples strongly relies on the continuity of the 2VP-rich domains and can be classified into the following three types. (1) For 2VP-rich sphere domains in the S-rich matrix, LVE is akin to the conventional elastomer characterized by a wide rubbery regime before the terminal relaxation. (2) For bicontinuous morphology, where both the 2VP-rich and S-rich domains are continuous, two glassy processes manifest in LVE, and the chain relaxation is controlled by the continuous ion dissociation in the less mobilized 2VP-rich domain. (3) When the 2VP-rich domain is the only continuous phase, only the glassy modulus of the 2VP-rich domain manifests in LVE, and the chain relaxation is activated by the continuous ionic dissociations in the matrix. Surprisingly, the relaxation time obtained for all three abovementioned morphologies can be reduced to a universal behavior once the average glass transition temperature of the 2VP-rich region and the number of effective stickers per chain have been properly normalized, indicating that these two parameters control the chain-dimensional dynamics.</p

Block Copolymer-Quantum Dot Micelles for Multienzyme Colocalization

To mimic the structure and functionality of multienzyme complexes, which are widely present in Nature, Pluronic-based micelles were designed to colocalize multiple enzymes. To stabilize the micelles as well as to enable characterization of single enzyme immobilization and multienzyme colocalization by Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET), quantum dots (QDs) were incorporated into the micelles to form Pluronic-QD micelles using a novel microreactor. Model enzymes glucose oxidase (GOX) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) were respectively labeled with fluorescent dyes. The results indicated that FRET occurred between the QDs and dyes that labeled each type of enzyme in single enzyme immobilization studies as well as between the dyes in colocalization studies. These observations were consistent with increases in micelle size after adsorption of dye-enzymes as verified by dynamic light scattering. In addition, the activity of single enzymes was retained after immobilization. An optimized colocalization process improved the overall conversion rate by approximately 100% compared to equivalent concentrations of free enzymes in solution. This study demonstrates a versatile platform for multienzyme colocalization and an effective strategy to characterize multienzyme immobilization and colocalization, which can be applicable to many other multienzyme systems

The mitochondrial genome of the deep-sea glass sponge <i>Lophophysema eversa</i> (Porifera, Hexacinellida, Hyalonematidae)

<div><p></p><p>We reported a nearly complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) from the glass sponge <i>Lophophysema eversa</i>, the second mitogenome in the order Amphidiscosida and the ninth in the class Hexactinellida. It is 20,651 base pairs in length and contains 39 genes including 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA subunit genes and 24 tRNA genes. The gene content and order of <i>L. eversa</i> are identical to those of <i>Tabachnickia</i> sp., the other species with a sequenced mitogenome in Amphidiscosida, except with two additional tRNAs and three tRNA translocations. The <i>cob</i> gene has a +1 translational frameshift. These results will contribute to a better understanding of the phylogeny of glass sponges.</p></div

Anion–Caffeine Interactions Studied by ¹³C and ¹H NMR and ATR–FTIR Spectroscopy

This work investigates the interactions of a series of 11 anions with caffeine by utilizing ¹³C and ¹H NMR and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR–FTIR) spectroscopy. The aim of this study is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of ion interactions with caffeine and to study how these interactions affect caffeine aggregation in aqueous solution. The chemical shift changes of caffeine ¹³C and ¹H in the presence of salts provide a measure for anions’ salting–out/salting–in abilities on individual carbon and hydrogen atoms in caffeine. The relative influences of anions on the chemical shift of individual atoms in the caffeine molecule are quantified. It is observed that strongly hydrated anions are excluded from the carbons on the six-member ring in caffeine and promote caffeine aggregation. On the other hand, weakly hydrated anions decrease caffeine aggregation by accumulating around the periphery of the caffeine molecule and binding to the ring structure. The ATR–FTIR results demonstrate that strongly hydrated anions desolvate the caffeine molecule and increase aggregation, while weakly hydrated anions have the opposite effects and salt caffeine into solution

Novel Salt Cocrystal of Chrysin with Berberine: Preparation, Characterization, and Oral Bioavailability

A novel salt cocrystal of chrysin (ChrH) with berberine (BerbOH), [Berb⁺–Chr^–]-2ChrH (<b>1</b>), was prepared. Crystal structure analysis shows one chrysin lost its proton in 7-hydroxyl group and turned into a chrysin anion. Two neutral chrysin molecules interact simultaneously with chrysin anion through charge-assisted strong hydrogen-bonding interactions between phenolic anion and hydroxyl groups of chrysin to give rise to a 1:3 salt cocrystal based on berberine and chrysin. Density functional theoretical calculations indicate that the 1:3 stoichiometry of berberine and chrysin is more stable due to its largest interaction energies. The bioavailability of chrysin in the form of cocrystal <b>1</b> in rats is about 1.7 times than that of pure chrysin

A Non-Climacteric Fruit Gene <i>CaMADS-RIN</i> Regulates Fruit Ripening and Ethylene Biosynthesis in Climacteric Fruit

<div><p>MADS-box genes have been reported to play a major role in the molecular circuit of developmental regulation. Especially, <i>SEPALLATA</i> (<i>SEP</i>) group genes play a central role in the developmental regulation of ripening in both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of <i>SEP</i> genes to non-climacteric fruits ripening are still unclear. Here a <i>SEP</i> gene of pepper, <i>CaMADS-RIN</i>, has been cloned and exhibited elevated expression at the onset of ripening of pepper. To further explore the function of <i>CaMADS-RIN</i>, an overexpressed construct was created and transformed into <i>ripening inhibitor</i> (<i>rin</i>) mutant tomato plants. Broad ripening phenotypes were observed in <i>CaMADS-RIN</i> overexpressed <i>rin</i> fruits. The accumulation of carotenoid and expression of <i>PDS</i> and <i>ZDS</i> were enhanced in overexpressed fruits compared with <i>rin</i> mutant. The transcripts of cell wall metabolism genes (<i>PG</i>, <i>EXP1</i> and <i>TBG4</i>) and lipoxygenase genes (<i>TomloxB</i> and <i>TomloxC</i>) accumulated more abundant compared to <i>rin</i> mutant. Besides, both ethylene-dependent genes including <i>ACS2</i>, <i>ACO1</i>, <i>E4</i> and <i>E8</i> and ethylene-independent genes such as <i>HDC</i> and <i>Nor</i> were also up-regulated in transgenic fruits at different levels. Moreover, transgenic fruits showed approximately 1–3 times increase in ethylene production compared with <i>rin</i> mutant fruits. Yeast two-hybrid screen results indicated that CaMADS-RIN could interact with TAGL1, FUL1 and itself respectively as SlMADS-RIN did in vitro. These results suggest that <i>CaMADS-RIN</i> affects fruit ripening of tomato both in ethylene-dependent and ethylene-independent aspects, which will provide a set of significant data to explore the role of <i>SEP</i> genes in ripening of non-climacteric fruits.</p></div

An Alkaline Nanocage Continuously Activates Inflammasomes by Disrupting Multiorganelle Homeostasis for Efficient Pyroptosis

Pyroptosis has garnered increasing attention because of its ability to trigger robust antitumor immunity. Pyroptosis is initiated by the activation of inflammasomes, which are regulated by various organelles. The collaboration among organelles offers several protective mechanisms to prevent activation of the inflammasome, thereby limiting the induction of efficient pyroptosis. Herein, a multiorganelle homeostasis disruptor (denoted BLL) is constructed by encapsulating liposomes and bortezomib (BTZ) within a layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanocage to continuously activate inflammasomes for inducing efficient pyroptosis. In lysosomes, the negatively charged liposomes are released to recruit the NLRP3 inflammasomes through electrostatic interactions. ER stress is induced by BTZ to enhance the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Meanwhile, the BLL nanocage exhibited H+-scavenging ability due to the weak alkalinity of LDH, thus disrupting the homeostasis of the lysosome and alleviating the degradation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by lysosomal-associated autophagy. Our results suggest that the BLL nanocage induces homeostatic imbalance in various organelles and efficient pyroptosis. We hope this work can provide new insights into the design of an efficient pyroptosis inducer by disrupting the homeostatic balance of multiple organelles and promote the development of novel antineoplastic platforms