Dynamics of p53: A Master Decider of Cell Fate

Cellular stress-induced temporal alterations?i.e., dynamics?are typically exemplified by the dynamics of p53 that serve as a master to determine cell fate. p53 dynamics were initially identified as the variations of p53 protein levels. However, a growing number of studies have shown that p53 dynamics are also manifested in variations in the activity, spatial location, and posttranslational modifications of p53 proteins, as well as the interplay among all p53 dynamical features. These are essential in determining a specific outcome of cell fate. In this review, we discuss the importance of the multifaceted features of p53 dynamics and their roles in the cell fate decision process, as well as their potential applications in p53-based cancer therapy. The review provides new insights into p53 signaling pathways and their potentials in the development of new strategies in p53-based cancer therapy

China is on the track tackling Enteromorpha spp forming green tide

Green tide management is supposed to be a long term fight rather than an episode during the 29th Olympic Games for China, since it has been gaining in scale and frequency during the past 3 decades in both marine and estuary environment all over the world. A number of rapid-responding studies including oceanographic comprehensive surveys along the coastline have been conducted during the bloom and post-bloom periods in 2008 by Chinese marine scientists. The preliminary results are as below: (1) phylogenetic analysis indicates that the bloom forming alga forms a clade with representatives of the green seaweed Enteromorpha linza, though, the alga has been identified as E. proliera by means of morphological; (2) the present data suggest that the bloom was originated from south of Yellow Sea, but not the severely affected area near Qingdao City; (3) pathways of reproduction for E. prolifera have approved to be multifarious, including sexual, asexual and vegetative propagation; (4) somatic cells may act as a propagule bank, which is supposed to be a very dangerous transmitting way for its marked movability, adaptability and viability; (5) pyrolysis of the alga showed that three stages appeared during the process, which are dehydration (18–20^o^C), main devolatilization (200–450^o^C) and residual decomposition (450–750^o^C), and activation energy of the alga was determined at 237.23 KJ•mol^-1^. Although the scarce knowlegde on E. prolifera not yet allow a fully understanding of the green tide, some of the results suggests possible directions in further green tide research and management

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated cycle syndrome: a case report and literature review

Recurring episodes of fever characterize tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS) which is autosomal dominant. The primary symptoms of patients with TRAPS include prolonged fever, abdominal pain, muscle pain, and skin rashes. The prevalence of TRAPS appeared higher in Western countries than in Asian countries. Herein, we present the case of a 13-year-old girl who experienced intermittent fever for 8 years, with episodes that occur every 2 years. The patient demonstrated periodic fever, headache, vomiting, rash, and elevated inflammatory marker levels during the disease course. A heterozygous C55Y mutation was identified via a direct DNA sequencing of her genomic DNA. This mutation is located in exon 4 of TNFRSF1A. Genetic studies of her sister and mother revealed that they possessed the C55Y heterozygous mutation without demonstrating any clinical signs, while the father did not. Further, we conducted a thorough assessment of the literature and compiled the information from the eight TRAPS case series

Simultaneous spectroscopic determination of trace mixed organic acids in aqueous samples using magnetic solid phase extraction coupled with chemometrics method

243-249The polyaniline-coated magnetite/silica nanomaterials (Fe3O4@SiO2/PANI) have been synthesized and successfully applied as an effective sorbent for preconcentration of several typical organic acids from environmental water samples. The properties of Fe3O4@SiO2/PANI are characterized by FT-IR and XPS. These magnetic materials can enrich trace organic acids effectively by solid-phase extraction. Three kinds of organic acids, including benzoic acids, phthalic acids, and p-toluene sulfonic acids, are selected as target analytes for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE). Various experimental parameters of the MSPE were investigated and optimized. After the desorption process, the elution is detected by the UV-visible spectrophotometer. The spectroscopic data are analyzed through the partial least squares (PLS) method, which facilitate quantitation of mixture from complex data. The enrichment factor of benzoic acids, phthalic acids and p-toluene sulfonic acids reached 19.53, 20.31, and 16.89, respectively. A wide measurement range of 10 μg L-1 to 50 mg L-1 is obtained. The LOD is 0.8 μg L-1. The spiked recoveries in the range of 94%-101% with RSD (n=8) lower than 4%. The results illustrated that the combined approach of MSPE and PLS has great applied potential for a mixture of trace compounds in different fields because of its high efficiency, easy to operate conditions, speediness, and simplicity

Ototoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics in mice, HEI-OC1 cells and zebrafish

Polystyrene nanoplastics are a novel class of pollutants. They are easily absorbed by living organisms, and their potential toxicity has raised concerns. However, the impact of polystyrene nanoplastics on auditory organs remains unknown. Here, our results showed that polystyrene nanoplastics entered the cochlea of mice, HEI-OC1 cells, and lateral line hair cells of zebrafish, causing cellular injury and increasing apoptosis. Additionally, we found that exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics resulted in a significant elevation in the auditory brainstem response thresholds, a loss of auditory sensory hair cells, stereocilia degeneration and a decrease in expression of Claudin-5 and Occludin proteins at the blood-lymphatic barrier in mice. We also observed a significant decrease in the acoustic alarm response of zebrafish after exposure to polystyrene nanoplastics. Mechanistic analysis revealed that polystyrene nanoplastics induced up-regulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, increased levels of malondialdehyde, and decreased superoxide dismutase and catalase levels in cochlea and HEI-OC1 cells. Furthermore, we observed that the expression of ferroptosis-related indicators GPX4 and SLC7A11 decreased as well as increased expression of ACLS4 in cochlea and HEI-OC1 cells. This study also revealed that polystyrene nanoplastics exposure led to increased expression of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and COX2 in cochlea and HEI-OC1 cells. Further research found that the cell apoptosis, ferroptosis and inflammatory reactions induced by polystyrene nanoplastics in HEI-OC1 cells was reversed through the pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine, a reactive oxygen species inhibitor. Overall, our study first discovered and systematically revealed the ototoxicity of polystyrene nanoplastics and its underlying mechanism

The genome and transcriptome of Japanese flounder provide insights into flatfish asymmetry

Flatfish have the most extreme asymmetric body morphology of vertebrates. During metamorphosis, one eye migrates to the contralateral side of the skull, and this migration is accompanied by extensive craniofacial transformations and simultaneous development of lopsided body pigmentation(1-5). The evolution of this developmental and physiological innovation remains enigmatic. Comparative genomics of two flatfish and transcriptomic analyses during metamorphosis point to a role for thyroid hormone and retinoic acid signaling, as well as phototransduction pathways. We demonstrate that retinoic acid is critical in establishing asymmetric pigmentation and, via cross-talk with thyroid hormones, in modulating eye migration. The unexpected expression of the visual opsins from the phototransduction pathway in the skin translates illumination differences and generates retinoic acid gradients that underlie the generation of asymmetry. Identifying the genetic underpinning of this unique developmental process answers long-standing questions about the evolutionary origin of asymmetry, but it also provides insight into the mechanisms that control body shape in vertebrates.National Natural Science Foundation of China [31130057, 31461163005, 31530078, 31472269, 31472262, 31472273]; State 863 High Technology R&D Project of China [2012AA092203, 2012AA10A408, 2012AA10A403-2]; Education and Research of Guangdong Province [2013B090800017]; Taishan Scholar Climb Project Fund of Shandong of China; Taishan Scholar Project Fund of Shandong of China for Young Scientists; Shanghai Universities First-class Disciplines Project of Fisheries; Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at the Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning; Shanghai Municipal Science, Special Project on the Integration of Industryinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Soil fertility increases rapidly during the 6-10 years following conversion of cropland to grassland in China’s Loess Plateau region

Change in land use causes changes in soil properties and soil fertility, with long-term effects on ecosystem and crop productivity. This study determined soil fertility along sequential conversion of cropland to grassland in China’s Loess Plateau. Soil samples were collected in 2015 at two sites in the semiarid region, following the conversion of cropland to grassland. Soil particle-size distribution, bulk density (BD), pH, organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), available potassium (AK) and available phosphorus (AP) were measured in the study. In addition, we analysed the changes of soil OC, TN, and TP, and evaluated soil fertility after the conversion from cropland to grassland. The establishment of grassland significantly increased soil OC, N and P content, especially in the 0–10 cm soil layer. The highest change in soil OC, N and P content occurred 6–10 years after land conversion. The measured soil variables did not change significantly after 10 years of land conversion. The overall increase in soil fertility after the land conversion was 13% at one site and 26% at the other site. The results suggested that establishing grassland could enhance soil fertility in the semiarid Loess Plateau region of China, and this enhancement is optimal 6-10 years after the establishment of grassland.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Molecular simulation of transport in Yttria stabilized-zirconia and silica nanopore

abstractpublished_or_final_versionChemistryDoctoralDoctor of Philosoph