Spatial variation in grain-size population of surface sediments from northern Bering Sea and western Arctic Ocean: implications for provenance and depositional mechanisms

In general, sediments in nature comprise populations of various diameters. Accurate information regarding the sources and depositional mechanisms of the populations can be obtained through their temporal and spatial comparisons. In this study, the grain size distribution of surface sediments from the Bering Sea and western Arctic Ocean were fitted and partitioned into populations using a log-normal distribution function. The spatial variations in the populations indicate differences in their sources and deposition mechanisms. The sediments on most of the Bering Sea Shelf originated from the Yukon River, and were transported westward by waves and currents. However, the presence of a coarser population outside Anadyr Bay was the result of Anadyr River transport. Additionally, a northward transport trend of fine suspended particles was observed on the west side of the Bering Sea Shelf. The sediments in Hope Valley in the south Chukchi Sea also originated from the Yukon River. The coarser population on the central Chukchi Sea Shelf originated from coast of Alaska to the east, not the Yukon River, and was transported by sea ice and bottom brine water. The populations of sediments from the Chukchi Basin and the base of the Chukchi Sea Slope are the result of sea ice and eddy action. Surface sediments from the western high Arctic Ocean predominantly comprised five populations, and two unique populations with mode diameters of 50–90 μm and 200–400 μm, respectively, were ubiquitous in the glacial and interglacial sediments. It was difficult to distinguish whether these two populations originated from sea ice or icebergs. Therefore, caution should be exercised when using either the > 63 μm or > 250 μm fractions in sediments as a proxy index for iceberg and ice sheet variation in the high Arctic Ocean

Roles of Mitochondria in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Therapy: Friend or Foe?

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) therapy is unsatisfactory, and the prevalence of the disease is increasing. The role of mitochondria in OSCC therapy has recently attracted increasing attention, however, many mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, we elaborate upon relative studies in this review to achieve a better therapeutic effect of OSCC treatment in the future. Interestingly, we found that mitochondria not only contribute to OSCC therapy but also promote resistance, and targeting the mitochondria of OSCC via nanoparticles is a promising way to treat OSCC

Proteomic Identification of Differentially Expressed Proteins between Male and Female Plants in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>

<div><p><i>Pistacia chinensis</i> is a strict dioecious plant with male and female flowers in individuals. In China, <i>P. chinensis</i> is widely planted for biodiesel oil due to high oil content in seeds. In practice it requires to grow more female plants for biodiesel production. At present, there are still no reliable methods for sex determination during the long juvenile stage of this species. In order to develop protein molecular markers for sex determination in <i>P. chinensis</i>, proteomic approach was used to identify differentially expressed proteins between male and female plants. Vegetative organs (leaf and stem) rather than reproductive organs/tissues were used for protein extraction so as to develop protein markers which can be used in siblings before flowering. Protein was extracted using a phenol-based protocol. By using two-dimensional electrophoresis, a total of 10 protein spots were found to be differentially expressed in leaf and stem between both sexes, of which 7 were successfully identified by mass spectrometry and matched to 6 functional proteins such as NB-ARC domain containing protein, light harvesting chlorophyll a/b binding protein, asorbate peroxidase (APX), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A2, temperature-induced lipocalin (TIL) and phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK). The sex-related difference displayed in a tissue-specific way, especially in stem. PGK existed in high abundance in stem phloem in the female, but was almost not detected in the male; APX and two TIL species were highly abundant in the stem of male plants, while their abundance was much lower in female plants. Moreover, these abundance differences were further confirmed in individual plants. Hence, it is assumed that APX, PGK and TIL might be promising candidates to serve as protein molecular markers for sex determination in <i>P. chinensis</i>. Our results form the basis for a further understanding of the biochemical mechanisms of sex determination in <i>P. chinensis</i>.</p></div

2-DE identification of differentially expressed proteins in stem xylems between male and female plants (10-year-old) in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>.

<p>Stem was sampled in winter. A mixed tissue powder from three different male or female individuals was used for protein extraction. <b>A</b>, 2-DE profile of xylem proteins from female plants as reference. <b>B</b>, magnified gel regions containing spots X1-X3, accompanied by column configuration of relative abundance (generated by PDQUEST). Spot X2 failed to be identified by MS/MS. f = female; m = male.</p

2-DE identification of differentially expressed proteins in leaves between male and female plants (10-year-old) in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>.

<p>A mixed tissue powder from three different male or female individuals was used for protein extraction. <b>A</b>, 2-DE profile of leaf proteins from female plants as reference. <b>B</b>, magnified gel regions containing spots L1 and L2, accompanied by column configuration of relative abundance (generated by PDQUEST). f = female; m = male. OEE2 = oxygen-evolving enhancer protein 2. Arrow indicates the prominent spot Rubisco.</p

2-DE identification of differentially expressed proteins in stem xylem between male and female individuals (10-year-old) in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>.

<p><i>Up panel</i>, two representative CBB-stained gels, xylem was sampled in winter; <i>down panel</i>, magnified gel regions containing spots X1 (APX) out of a total of 8 individuals, of which 1–4 were sampled in winter and 5–8 sampled in autumn. f = female; m = male.</p

Differentially expressed proteins identified by MS/MS analysis in vegetative tissues between male and female plants in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>.

<p><b>Note:</b> -, undetected by PDQUEST analysis. Spot P3 in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0064276#pone-0064276-g003" target="_blank">Figure 3</a> and spot X2 in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0064276#pone-0064276-g004" target="_blank">Figure 4</a> failed to be identified by MS/MS and are not listed in the table.</p>a<p>, subcellular l in UniProtKB;</p>b<p>, subcellular localization predicted by software.</p><p>PM = Plasma membrane.</p

2-DE identification of differentially expressed proteins in stem phloem between male and female individuals (10-year-old) in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>.

<p>Two representative 2-DE gels from three biological replicas are shown. Stem was sampled in winter. f = female; m = male.</p

2-DE analysis of differentially expressed proteins in stem phloems between male and female plants (10-year-old) in <i>Pistacia chinensis</i>.

<p>Stem was sampled in winter. A mixed tissue powder from three different male or female individuals was used for protein extraction. <b>A</b>, 2-DE profile of phloem proteins from female plants as reference. <b>B</b>, magnified gel regions containing spots P1, P2, P4 and P5, accompanied by column configuration of relative abundance (generated by PDQUEST). Spot P3 failed to be identified by MS/MS. f = female; m = male.</p