9 research outputs found
Adopting Strategic Niche Management to Evaluate EV Demonstration Projects in China
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are considered to be a potential viable technology to address the persistent unsustainable problems in transport sector. In this paper, we focus on analyzing the transition processes of EVs in China because the sustainability of developing countries is essential for the worldwide sustainability. The two-round demonstration programs of EVs in China were analyzed by adopting the strategic niche management (SNM) approach so as to find out what niche protection has been provided and which obstacles hamper the further development of EVs. The results show that the financial subsidy is the most important protective measure. However, the diffusion results of EVs in different pilot cities are greatly different. The main reason lies in the uneven geographical landscape. In addition, some obstacles were exposed during the niche internal processes including low quality of expectations and poor alignment within the network. Based on the analysis results, we develop a list of suggestions that are important to consider when developing EVs
Ubiquitination and degradation of SIK2 by DNA-PKcs deficiency promote radiation-induced mitotic catastrophe
DNAāPKcs/AKT1 inhibits epithelialāmesenchymal transition during radiationāinduced pulmonary fibrosis by inducing ubiquitination and degradation of Twist1
Abstract Introduction Radiationāinduced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF) is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung interstitial disease that develops after radiotherapy. Although several previous studies have focused on the mechanism of epithelialāmesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung epithelial cells, the essential factors involved in this process remain poorly understood. The DNAādependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNAāPKcs) exhibits strong repair capacity when cells undergo radiationāinduced damage; whether DNAāPKcs regulates EMT during RIPF remains unclear. Objectives To investigate the role and molecular mechanism of DNAāPKcs in RIPF and provide an important theoretical basis for utilising DNAāPKcsātargeted drugs for preventing RIPF. Methods DNAāPKcs knockout (DPKā/ā) mice were generated via the Cas9/sgRNA technique and subjected to whole chest ionizing radiation (IR) at a 20Ā Gy dose. Before whole chest IR, the mice were intragastrically administered the DNAāPKcsātargeted drug VND3207. Lung tissues were collected at 1 and 5 months after IR. Results The expression of DNAāPKcs is low in pulmonary fibrosis (PF) patients. DNAāPKcs deficiency significantly exacerbated RIPF by promoting EMT in lung epithelial cells. Mechanistically, DNAāPKcs deletion by shRNA or inhibitor NU7441 maintained the protein stability of Twist1. Furthermore, AKT1 mediated the interaction between DNAāPKcs and Twist1. High Twist1 expression and EMTāassociated changes caused by DNAāPKcs deletion were blocked by insulinālike growth factorā1 (IGFā1), an AKT1 agonist. The radioprotective drug VND3207 prevented IRāinduced EMT and alleviated RIPF in mice by stimulating the kinase activity of DNAāPKcs. Conclusion Our study clarified the critical role and mechanism of DNAāPKcs in RIPF and showed that it could be a potential target for preventing RIPF
LEUTX regulates porcine embryonic genome activation in somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos
Summary: Emerging evidence highlights the regulatory role of paired-like (PRD-like) homeobox transcription factors (TFs) in embryonic genome activation (EGA). However, the majority of PRD-like genes are lost in rodents, thus prompting an investigation into PRD-like TFs in other mammals. Here, we showed that PRD-like TFs were transiently expressed during EGA in human, monkey, and porcine fertilized embryos, yet they exhibited inadequate expression in their cloned embryos. This study, using pig as the research model, identified LEUTX as a key PRD-like activator of porcine EGA through genomic profiling and found that LEUTX overexpression restored EGA failure and improved preimplantation development and cloning efficiency in porcine cloned embryos. Mechanistically, LEUTX opened EGA-related genomic regions and established histone acetylation via recruiting acetyltransferases p300 and KAT2A. These findings reveal the regulatory mechanism of LEUTX to govern EGA in pigs, which may provide valuable insights into the study of early embryo development for other non-rodent mammals