Identification of Milk Component in Ancient Food Residue by Proteomics

Proteomic approaches based on mass spectrometry have been recently used in archaeological and art researches, generating promising results for protein identification. Little information is known about eastward spread and eastern limits of prehistoric milking in eastern Eurasia.In this paper, an ancient visible food remain from Subeixi Cemeteries (cal. 500 to 300 years BC) of the Turpan Basin in Xinjiang, China, preliminarily determined containing 0.432 mg/kg cattle casein with ELISA, was analyzed by using an improved method based on liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS to further identify protein origin. The specific sequence of bovine casein and the homology sequence of goat/sheep casein were identified.The existence of milk component in ancient food implies goat/sheep and cattle milking in ancient Subeixi region, the furthest eastern location of prehistoric milking in the Old World up to date. It is envisioned that this work provides a new approach for ancient residue analysis and other archaeometry field

Prediction and functional analysis of GGDEF/EAL domaincontaining proteins in Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571

[Objective] c-di-GMP,an important second messenger regulating multiple functions of bacteria,is generally synthesized and hydrolysed by proteins containing GGDEF or EAL domain.In this study,we analyzed the genome-wide GGDEF/EAL domain-containing proteins of Azorhizobium caulinodans ORS571,and selected three GGDEF-EAL composite proteins (AZC_3085,AZC_3226 and AZC_4658) for functional analysis.[Methods] SMART and CLUSTALW were used for prediction and multi-alignment of GGDEF/EAL domain-containing proteins.Mutants were constructed by homologous recombination.Phenotypes including cell motility,exopolysaccharide (EPS) production,biofilm formation and nodulation with legume host were investigated.[Results] There were 37 GGDEF/EAL domain-containing proteins in A.caulinodans ORS571.Mutant Delta4658 showed deficiency in cell motility,while its EPS production and biofilm formation were higher than that of wild type.Mutant Delta4658 showed stronger competitiveness than wild type in competitive nodulation assay.The loss of AZC_4658 led to the increase of intracellular c-di-GMP level.Mutants Delta3085 and Delta3226 did not show obvious difference in comparison with wild type.[Conclusion] The vast number of GGDEF/EAL domain-containing proteins suggested that c-di-GMP may play an important role in signal transduction of ORS571.The GGDEF-EAL composite protein AZC_4658 was involved in cell motility,EPS production,biofilm formation and nodulation of A.caulinodans ORS571.</p

The Effect of Titanium Carbonitride on the Viscosity of High-Titanium-Type Blast Furnace Slag

In this paper, the effect of titanium carbonitride (Ti(C,N)) on the viscosity of high-titanium-type blast furnace slags was investigated. The different Ti(C,N) contents were achieved by adjusting the reduction degree of TiO2 to reflect the real characteristics of the high-titanium slag. The results show that the viscosity of the slag increased with the increasing Ti(C,N) content and decreased with the rising temperature. A deviation between the measured and the fitted viscosity appeared as the content of the Ti(C,N) was beyond 4 wt%. Furthermore, the apparent viscous flow activation energy of the slag ranged from 106.13 kJ/mol to 235.46 kJ/mol by varying the Ti(C,N) contents from 0 wt% to 4.97 wt%, which was evidently different from the results of previous studies. The optical microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis show that numerous bubble cavities were embedded in the slags and the Ti(C,N) particles agglomerated in the solidified samples. This phenomenon further indicates that the high-titanium slag is a polyphase dispersion system, which consists of liquid slag, solid Ti(C,N) particles and bubbles

Hepatic HDAC3 Regulates Systemic Iron Homeostasis and Ferroptosis via the Hippo Signaling Pathway

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are epigenetic regulators that play an important role in determining cell fate and maintaining cellular homeostasis. However, whether and how HDACs regulate iron metabolism and ferroptosis (an iron-dependent form of cell death) remain unclear. Here, the putative role of hepatic HDACs in regulating iron metabolism and ferroptosis was investigated using genetic mouse models. Mice lacking Hdac3 expression in the liver (Hdac3-LKO mice) have significantly reduced hepatic Hamp mRNA (encoding the peptide hormone hepcidin) and altered iron homeostasis. Transcription profiling of Hdac3-LKO mice suggests that the Hippo signaling pathway may be downstream of Hdac3. Moreover, using a Hippo pathway inhibitor and overexpressing the transcriptional regulator Yap (Yes-associated protein) significantly reduced Hamp mRNA levels. Using a promoter reporter assay, we then identified 2 Yap-binding repressor sites within the human HAMP promoter region. We also found that inhibiting Hdac3 led to increased translocation of Yap to the nucleus, suggesting activation of Yap. Notably, knock-in mice expressing a constitutively active form of Yap (Yap K342M) phenocopied the altered hepcidin levels observed in Hdac3-LKO mice. Mechanistically, we show that iron-overload-induced ferroptosis underlies the liver injury that develops in Hdac3-LKO mice, and knocking down Yap expression in Hdac3-LKO mice reduces both iron-overload- and ferroptosis-induced liver injury. These results provide compelling evidence supporting the notion that HDAC3 regulates iron homeostasis via the Hippo/Yap pathway and may serve as a target for reducing ferroptosis in iron-overload-related diseases

The concentration of standard bovine casein and sample's OD absorbance.

<p>The concentration of standard bovine casein and sample's OD absorbance.</p