ARGONAUTE PIWI domain and microRNA duplex structure regulate small RNA sorting in Arabidopsis.

Small RNAs (sRNAs) are loaded into ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins to induce gene silencing. In plants, the 5'-terminal nucleotide is important for sRNA sorting into different AGOs. Here we show that microRNA (miRNA) duplex structure also contributes to miRNA sorting. Base pairing at the 15th nucleotide of a miRNA duplex is important for miRNA sorting in both Arabidopsis AGO1 and AGO2. AGO2 favours miRNA duplexes with no middle mismatches, whereas AGO1 tolerates, or prefers, duplexes with central mismatches. AGO structure modelling and mutational analyses reveal that the QF-V motif within the conserved PIWI domain contributes to recognition of base pairing at the 15th nucleotide of a duplex, while the DDDE catalytic core of AtAGO2 is important for recognition of the central nucleotides. Finally, we rescued the adaxialized phenotype of ago1-12, which is largely due to miR165 loss-of-function, by changing miR165 duplex structure which we predict redirects it to AGO2

The analysis and fabrication of a novel tin-nickel mixed salt electrolytic coloured processing and the performance of coloured films for Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy in acidic and alkali corrosive environments.

We present for the first time the analysis and fabrication of a novel Tin-Nickel mixed salt electrolytic coloured processing and the performance of coloured films for Al-12.7Si-0.7Mg alloy. This alloy is a novel alloy containing high silicon aluminum alloy extrusion profile which presents excellent mechanical properties as well as broad market prospects. Nevertheless, this kind of material is urgent in need of surface treatment technology. The orthogonal design and single factor tests were applied to optimize for electrolytic coloured technological conditions. By controlling operation conditions, the uniform electrolytic coloured films with different color were obtained. Analysis of microstructure showed that tin particles had been deposited in the coloured film. The coloured films, about 10 mu m thick, were uniform, dense and firmly attached to the substrate. After the coloured samples were maintained at 400AC for 1 h, or quenched from 300AC to room temperature, the coloured films did not change, demonstrating excellent thermostability and thermal shock resistance. Acid and alkali corrosion tests and potentiodynamic polarization showed that corrosion resistance of coloured sample was much better than those of untreated samples. After 240 h neutral salt spray test, protection ratings and appearance ratings of coloured films were Grade 9

Light Controllable Electronic Phase Transition in Ionic Liquid Gated Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides

Ionic liquid gating has proved to be effective in inducing emergent quantum phenomena such as superconductivity, ferromagnetism, and topological states. The electrostatic doping at two-dimensional interfaces relies on ionic motion, which thus is operated at sufficiently high temperature. Here, we report the in situ tuning of quantum phases by shining light on an ionic liquid-gated interface at cryogenic temperatures. The light illumination enables flexible switching of the quantum transition in monolayer WS2 from an insulator to a superconductor. In contrast to the prevailing picture of photoinduced carriers, we find that in the presence of a strong interfacial electric field conducting electrons could escape from the surface confinement by absorbing photons, mimicking the field emission. Such an optical tuning tool in conjunction with ionic liquid gating greatly facilitates continuous modulation of carrier densities and hence electronic phases, which would help to unveil novel quantum phenomena and device functionality in various materials

Genome-wide analysis of plant nat-siRNAs reveals insights into their distribution, biogenesis and function

Background: Many eukaryotic genomes encode cis-natural antisense transcripts (cis-NATs). Sense and antisense transcripts may form double-stranded RNAs that are processed by the RNA interference machinery into small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). A few so-called nat-siRNAs have been reported in plants, mammals, Drosophila, and yeasts. However, many questions remain regarding the features and biogenesis of nat-siRNAs. Results: Through deep sequencing, we identified more than 17,000 unique siRNAs corresponding to cis-NATs from biotic and abiotic stress-challenged Arabidopsis thaliana and 56,000 from abiotic stress-treated rice. These siRNAs were enriched in the overlapping regions of NATs and exhibited either site-specific or distributed patterns, often with strand bias. Out of 1,439 and 767 cis-NAT pairs identified in Arabidopsis and rice, respectively, 84 and 119 could generate at least 10 siRNAs per million reads from the overlapping regions. Among them, 16 cis-NAT pairs from Arabidopsis and 34 from rice gave rise to nat-siRNAs exclusively in the overlap regions. Genetic analysis showed that the overlapping double-stranded RNAs could be processed by Dicer-like 1 (DCL1) and/or DCL3. The DCL3-dependent nat-siRNAs were also dependent on RNA-dependent RNA polymerase 2 (RDR2) and plant-specific RNA polymerase IV (PoIIV), whereas only a fraction of DCL1-dependent nat-siRNAs was RDR- and PoIIV-dependent. Furthermore, the levels of some nat-siRNAs were regulated by specific biotic or abiotic stress conditions in Arabidopsis and rice. Conclusions: Our results suggest that nat-siRNAs display distinct distribution patterns and are generated by DCL1 and/or DCL3. Our analysis further supported the existence of nat-siRNAs in plants and advanced our understanding of their characteristics.http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000308544200005&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=8e1609b174ce4e31116a60747a720701Biotechnology & Applied MicrobiologyGenetics & HereditySCI(E)48ARTICLE3null1

Modeling Rett Syndrome Using TALEN-Edited MECP2 Mutant Cynomolgus Monkeys

Gene-editing technologies have made it feasible to create nonhuman primate models for human genetic disorders. Here, we report detailed genotypes and phenotypes of TALEN-edited MECP2 mutant cynomolgus monkeys serving as a model for a neurodevelopmental disorder, Rett syndrome (RTT), which is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the human MECP2 gene. Male mutant monkeys were embryonic lethal, reiterating that RTT is a disease of females. Through a battery of behavioral analyses, including primate-unique eye-tracking tests, in combination with brain imaging via MRI, we found a series of physiological, behavioral, and structural abnormalities resembling clinical manifestations of RTT. Moreover, blood transcriptome profiling revealed that mutant monkeys resembled RTT patients in immune gene dysregulation. Taken together, the stark similarity in phenotype and/or endophenotype between monkeys and patients suggested that gene-edited RTT founder monkeys would be of value for disease mechanistic studies as well as development of potential therapeutic interventions for RTT

Sex Differences in Abnormal Intrinsic Functional Connectivity After Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered to induce abnormal intrinsic functional connectivity within resting-state networks (RSNs). The objective of this study was to estimate the role of sex in intrinsic functional connectivity after acute mild TBI. We recruited a cohort of 54 patients (27 males and 27 females with mild TBI within 7 days post-injury) from the emergency department (ED) and 34 age-, education-matched healthy controls (HCs; 17 males and 17 females). On the clinical scales, there were no statistically significant differences between males and females in either control group or mild TBI group. To detect whether there was abnormal sex difference on functional connectivity in RSNs, we performed independent component analysis (ICA) and a dual regression approach to investigate the between-subject voxel-wise comparisons of functional connectivity within seven selected RSNs. Compared to female patients, male patients showed increased intrinsic functional connectivity in motor network, ventral stream network, executive function network, cerebellum network and decreased connectivity in visual network. Further analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between the functional connectivity in executive function network and insomnia severity index (ISI) scores in male patients (r = 0.515, P = 0.006). The abnormality of the functional connectivity of RSNs in acute mild TBI showed the possibility of brain recombination after trauma, mainly concerning male-specific