110 research outputs found
A20 deficiency in myeloid cells protects mice from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance due to increased fatty acid metabolism
Obesity-induced inflammation is a major driving force in the development of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes (T2D), and related metabolic disorders. During obesity, macrophages accumulate in the visceral adipose tissue, creating a low-grade inflammatory environment. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) signaling is a central coordinator of inflammatory responses and is tightly regulated by the anti-inflammatory protein A20. Here, we find that myeloid-specific A20-deficient mice are protected from diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance despite an inflammatory environment in their metabolic tissues. Macrophages lacking A20 show impaired mitochondrial respiratory function and metabolize more palmitate both in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesize that A20-deficient macrophages rely more on palmitate oxidation and metabolize the fat present in the diet, resulting in a lean phenotype and protection from metabolic disease. These findings reveal a role for A20 in regulating macrophage immunometabolism
Flexible and Transparent All-Graphene Circuits for Quaternary Digital Modulations
In modern communication system, modulation is a key function that embeds the
baseband signal (information) into a carrier wave so that it can be
successfully broadcasted through a medium such as air or cables. A flexible
signal modulation scheme is hence essential to wide range of applications based
on flexible electronics. Here we report a fully bendable all-graphene modulator
circuit with the capability to encode a carrier signal with quaternary digital
information for the first time. By exploiting the ambipolarity and the
nonlinearity in a graphene transistor, we demonstrated two types of quaternary
modulation schemes: 4-ary amplitude-shift keying (4-ASK) and quadrature
phase-shift keying (QPSK). Remarkably, 4-ASK and QPSK can be realized with just
1 and 2 all-graphene transistors, respectively, representing a drastic
reduction in circuit complexity when compared with conventional digital
modulators. In addition, the circuit is not only flexible but also highly
transparent (~95% transmittance) owing to their all-graphene design with every
component (channel, interconnects, load resistor, and source/drain/gate
electrodes) fabricated from graphene films. Taken together, these results
represent a significant step toward achieving a high speed communication system
that can be monolithically integrated on a flexible and transparent platform.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figures, 1 tabl
Studies on the mechanical stretchability of transparent conductive film based on graphene-metal nanowire structures
Transparent electrodes with superior flexibility and stretchability as well as good electrical and optical properties are required for applications in wearable electronics with comfort designs and high performances. Here, we present hybrid nanostructures as stretchable and transparent electrodes based on graphene and networks of metal nanowires, and investigate their optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. High electrical and optical characteristics, superb bendability (folded in half), excellent stretchability (10,000 times in stretching cycles with 100% in tensile strain toward a uniaxial direction and 30% in tensile strain toward a multi-axial direction), strong robustness against electrical breakdown and thermal oxidation were obtained through comprehensive study. We believe that these results suggest a substantial promise application in future electronicsopen1
A20 prevents chronic liver inflammation and cancer by protecting hepatocytes from death
An important regulator of inflammatory signalling is the ubiquitin-editing protein A20 that acts as a break on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation, but also exerts important cytoprotective functions. A20 knockout mice are cachectic and die prematurely due to excessive multi-organ inflammation. To establish the importance of A20 in liver homeostasis and pathology, we developed a novel mouse line lacking A20 specifically in liver parenchymal cells. These mice spontaneously develop chronic liver inflammation but no fibrosis or hepatocellular carcinomas, illustrating an important role for A20 in normal liver tissue homeostasis. Hepatocyte-specific A20 knockout mice show sustained NF-κB-dependent gene expression in the liver upon tumor necrosis factor (TNF) or lipopolysaccharide injection, as well as hepatocyte apoptosis and lethality upon challenge with sublethal doses of TNF, demonstrating an essential role for A20 in the protection of mice against acute liver failure. Finally, chronic liver inflammation and enhanced hepatocyte apoptosis in hepatocyte-specific A20 knockout mice was associated with increased susceptibility to chemically or high fat-diet-induced hepatocellular carcinoma development. Together, these studies establish A20 as a crucial hepatoprotective factor
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