Alterations in Brain Morphometric Networks and Their Relationship with Memory Dysfunction in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Cognitive dysfunction, a significant complication of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), can potentially manifest even from the early stages of the disease. Despite evidence of global brain atrophy and related cognitive dysfunction in early-stage T2DM patients, specific regions vulnerable to these changes have not yet been identified. The study enrolled patients with T2DM of less than five years’ duration and without chronic complications (T2DM group, n=100) and demographically similar healthy controls (control group, n=50). High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data were subjected to independent component analysis to identify structurally significant components indicative of morphometric networks. Within these networks, the groups’ gray matter volumes were compared, and distinctions in memory performance were assessed. In the T2DM group, the relationship between changes in gray matter volume within these networks and declines in memory performance was examined. Among the identified morphometric networks, the T2DM group exhibited reduced gray matter volumes in both the precuneus (Bonferroni-corrected p=0.003) and insular-opercular (Bonferroni-corrected p=0.024) networks relative to the control group. Patients with T2DM demonstrated significantly lower memory performance than the control group (p=0.001). In the T2DM group, reductions in gray matter volume in both the precuneus (r=0.316, p=0.001) and insular-opercular (r=0.199, p=0.047) networks were correlated with diminished memory performance. Our findings indicate that structural alterations in the precuneus and insular-opercular networks, along with memory dysfunction, can manifest within the first 5 years following a diagnosis of T2DM

The Rice SPOTTED LEAF4 (SPL4) Encodes a Plant Spastin That Inhibits ROS Accumulation in Leaf Development and Functions in Leaf Senescence

Lesion mimic mutants (LMMs) are usually controlled by single recessive mutations that cause the formation of necrotic lesions without pathogen invasion. These genetic defects are useful to reveal the regulatory mechanisms of defense-related programmed cell death in plants. Molecular evidence has been suggested that some of LMMs are closely associated with the regulation of leaf senescence in rice (Oryza sativa). Here, we characterized the mutation underlying spotted leaf4 (spl4), which results in lesion formation and also affects leaf senescence in rice. Map-based cloning revealed that the gamma ray-induced spl4-1 mutant has a single base substitution in the splicing site of the SPL4 locus, resulting in a 13-bp deletion within the encoded microtubule-interacting-and-transport (MIT) spastin protein containing an AAA-type ATPase domain. The T-DNA insertion spl4-2 mutant exhibited spontaneous lesions similar to those of the spl4-1 mutant, confirming that SPL4 is responsible for the LMM phenotype. In addition, both spl4 mutants exhibited delayed leaf yellowing during dark-induced or natural senescence. Western blot analysis of spl4 mutant leaves suggested possible roles for SPL4 in the degradation of photosynthetic proteins. Punctate signals of SPL4-fused fluorescent proteins were detected in the cytoplasm, similar to the cellular localization of animal spastin. Based on these findings, we propose that SPL4 is a plant spastin that is involved in multiple aspects of leaf development, including senescence

Blockchain-Based Privacy-Preserving System for Genomic Data Management Using Local Differential Privacy

The advances made in genome technology have resulted in significant amounts of genomic data being generated at an increasing speed. As genomic data contain various privacy-sensitive information, security schemes that protect confidentiality and control access are essential. Many security techniques have been proposed to safeguard healthcare data. However, these techniques are inadequate for genomic data management because of their large size. Additionally, privacy problems due to the sharing of gene data are yet to be addressed. In this study, we propose a secure genomic data management system using blockchain and local differential privacy (LDP). The proposed system employs two types of storage: private storage for internal staff and semi-private storage for external users. In private storage, because encrypted gene data are stored, only internal employees can access the data. Meanwhile, in semi-private storage, gene data are irreversibly modified by LDP. Through LDP, different noises are added to each section of the genomic data. Therefore, even though the third party uses or exposes the shared data, the owner’s privacy is guaranteed. Furthermore, the access control for each storage is ensured by the blockchain, and the gene owner can trace the usage and sharing status using a decentralized application in a mobile device

Inactivating transcription factor OsWRKY5 enhances drought tolerance through abscisic acid signaling pathways

During crop cultivation, water-deficit conditions retard growth, thus reducing crop productivity. Therefore, uncovering the mechanisms behind drought tolerance is a critical task for crop improvement. Here, we show that the rice (Oryza sativa) WRKY transcription factor OsWRKY5 negatively regulates drought tolerance. We determined that OsWRKY5 was mainly expressed in developing leaves at the seedling and heading stages, and that its expression was reduced by drought stress and by treatment with NaCl, mannitol, and abscisic acid (ABA). Notably, the genome-edited loss-of-function alleles oswrky5-2 and oswrky5-3 conferred enhanced drought tolerance, measured as plant growth under water-deficit conditions. Conversely, the overexpression of OsWRKY5 in the activation-tagged line oswrky5-D resulted in higher susceptibility under the same conditions. The loss of OsWRKY5 activity increased sensitivity to ABA, thus promoting ABA-dependent stomatal closure. Transcriptome deep sequencing and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses demonstrated that the expression of abiotic stress-related genes including rice MYB2 (OsMYB2) was upregulated in oswrky5 knockout mutants and downregulated in oswrky5-D mutants. Moreover, dual-luciferase, yeast one-hybrid, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that OsWRKY5 directly binds to the W-box sequences in the promoter region of OsMYB2 and represses OsMYB2 expression, thus downregulating genes downstream of OsMYB2 in the ABA signaling pathways. Our results demonstrate that OsWRKY5 functions as a negative regulator of ABA-induced drought stress tolerance, strongly suggesting that inactivation of OsWRKY5 or manipulation of key OsWRKY5 targets could be useful to improve drought tolerance in rice cultivars.Y

Simple Electrodeposition of Dendritic Pd Without Supporting Electrolyte and Its Electrocatalytic Activity Toward Oxygen Reduction and H2O2 Sensing

Metallic palladium (Pd) electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidation/reduction are prepared via electroplating on a gold metal substrate from dilute (5 to 50mM) aqueous K2PdCl4 solution. The best Pd catalyst layer possessing dendritic nanostructures is formed on the Au substrate surface from 50mM Pd precursor solution (denoted as Pd-50) without any additional salt, acid or Pd templating chemical species. The Pd-50consisted of nanostructured dendrites of polycrystalline Pd metal and micropores within the dendrites which provide high catalyst surface area and further facilitate reactant mass transport to the catalyst surface. The electrocatalytic activity of Pd-50 proved to be better than that of a commercial Pt (Pt/C) in terms of lower overpotential for the onset and half-wave potentials and a greater number of electrons (n) transferred. Furthermore, amperometric i-t curves of Pd-50 for H2O2 electrochemical reaction show high sensitivities (822.2 and -851.9μAmM-1cm-2) and low detection limits (1.1 and 7.91μM) based on H2O2 oxidation H2O2 reduction, respectively, along with a fast response (<1s). © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The MYB-related transcription factor RADIALIS-LIKE3 (OsRL3) functions in ABA-induced leaf senescence and salt sensitivity in rice

In higher plants, abscisic acid (ABA) biosynthesis and ABA signaling are associated with seed germination, leaf senescence, and abiotic stress tolerance. Here, we demonstrate that the MYB-related transcription factor Oryza saliva RADIALIS-LIKE3 (OsRL3) promotes dark-induced leaf senescence and reduces susceptibility to salt stress in rice. OsRL3 expression was upregulated in detached leaves under dark-induced senescence conditions and in seedlings under salt-stress conditions. In the dark, osrl3 null mutants exhibited a stay-green phenotype, with increased chlorophyll retention and photosynthetic capacity. RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that, compared with wild type (WT), the expression levels of chlorophyll-degradation and senescence-associated genes were lower in osrl3 mutants; this was likely responsible for their stay-green phenotype. Under salt stress, proline levels were lower in osrl3 mutants than WT due to the reduced expression of proline biosynthesis genes, thereby leading to hypersensitivity to salt stress. Among phytohormones, OsRL3 expression was induced by only ABA, and osrl3 mutants were less sensitive to exogenous ABA treatment than WT. RT-qPCR analysis indicated that ABA signaling genes were downregulated in osrl3 mutants under both dark and salt-stress treatment. Taken together, these results indicate that OsRL3 promotes leaf senescence and delays the salt-stress response via ABA signaling pathways.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201809307RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A002118CITE_RATE:3.666FILENAME:2018-6 OsRL3-EEB.pdfDEPT_NM:식물생산과학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YFILEURL:https://srnd.snu.ac.kr/eXrepEIR/fws/file/030238e5-011e-40b4-9204-478a6aa2c586/linkN

5-Bromo-4′,5′-bis(dimethylamino)fluorescein: Synthesis and Photophysical Studies

In this study, three new fluorescein derivatives—5-bromo-4′,5′-dinitrofluorescein (BDNF), 5-bromo-4′,5′-diaminofluorescein (BDAF), and 5-bromo-4′,5′-bis(dimethylamino)fluorescein (BBDMAF)—were synthesized and their pH-dependent protolytic equilibria were investigated. In particular, BBDMAF exhibited pH-dependent fluorescence, showing strong emission only at pH 3–6. BBDMAF bears a bromine moiety and thus, can be used in various cross-coupling reactions to prepare derivatives and take advantage of its unique emission properties. To confirm this, the Suzuki and Sonogashira reactions of BBDMAF with phenylboronic acid and phenylacetylene, respectively, were performed, and the desired products were successfully obtained