Deciphering the underlying immune network of the potato defense response inhibition by Phytophthora infestans nuclear effector Pi07586 through transcriptome analysis

Phytophthora infestans, a highly destructive plant oomycete pathogen, is responsible for causing late blight in potatoes worldwide. To successfully infect host cells and evade immunity, P. infestans secretes various effectors into host cells and exclusively targets the host nucleus. However, the precise mechanisms by which these effectors manipulate host gene expression and reprogram defenses remain poorly understood. In this study, we focused on a nuclear-targeted effector, Pi07586, which has been implicated in immune suppression. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed Pi07586 was significant up-regulation during the early stages of infection. Agrobacterium-induced transient expression revealed that Pi07586 localized in the nucleus of leaf cells. Overexpression of Pi07586 resulted in increased leaf colonization by P. infestans. RNA-seq analysis revealed that Pi07586 effectively suppressed the expression of PR-1C-like and photosynthetic antenna protein genes. Furthermore, high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis indicated that Pi07586 overexpression led to a substantial decrease in abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) levels, while not affecting salicylic acid (SA) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production. These findings shed new light on the modulation of plant immunity by Pi07586 and enhance our understanding of the intricate relationship between P. infestans and host plants

Spatially Nonuniform Oscillations in Ferrimagnets Based on an Atomistic Model

The ferrimagnets, such as GdxFeCo(1-x), can produce ultrafast magnetic switching and oscillation due to the strong exchange field. The two-sublattices macrospin model has been widely used to explain the experimental results. However, it fails in describing the spatial nonuniform magnetic dynamics which gives rises to many important phenomenons such as the domain walls and skyrmions. Here we develop the two-dimensional atomistic model and provide a torque analysis method to study the ferrimagnetic oscillation. Under the spin-transfer torque, the magnetization oscillates in the exchange mode or the flipped exchange mode. When the Gd composition is increased, the exchange mode firstly disappears, and then appears again as the magnetization compensation point is reached. We show that these results can only be explained by analyzing the spatial distribution of magnetization and effective fields. In particular, when the sample is small, a spatial nonuniform oscillation is also observed in the square film. Our work reveals the importance of spatial magnetic distributions in understanding the ferrimagnetic dynamics. The method developed in this paper provides an important tool to gain a deeper understanding of ferrimagnets and antiferromagnets. The observed ultrafast dynamics can also stimulate the development of THz oscillators.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Anomalous impact of thermal fluctuations on spintransfer torque induced ferrimagnetic switching

The dynamics of a spin torque driven ferrimagnetic (FiM) system is investigated using the two-sublattice macrospin model. We demonstrate an ultrafast switching in the picosecond range. However, we find that the excessive current leads to the magnetic oscillation. Therefore, faster switching cannot be achieved by unlimitedly increasing the current. By systematically studying the impact of thermal fluctuations, we find the dynamics of FiMs can also be distinguished into the precessional region, the thermally activated region, and the cross-over region. However, in the precessional region, there is a significant deviation between FiM and ferromagnet (FM), i.e., the FM is insensitive to thermal fluctuations since its switching is only determined by the amount of net charge. In contrast, we find that the thermal effect is pronounced even a very short current pulse is applied to the FiM. We attribute this anomalous effect to the complex relation between the anisotropy and overdrive current. By controlling the magnetic anisotropy, we demonstrate that the FiM can also be configured to be insensitive to thermal fluctuations. This controllable thermal property makes the FiM promising in many emerging applications such as the implementation of tunable activation functions in the neuromorphic computing.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure

Cryogenic quasi-static embedded DRAM for energy-efficient compute-in-memory applications

Compute-in-memory (CIM) presents an attractive approach for energy-efficient computing in data-intensive applications. However, the development of suitable memory designs to achieve high-performance CIM remains a challenging task. Here, we propose a cryogenic quasi-static embedded DRAM to address the logic-memory mismatch of CIM. Guided by the re-calibrated cryogenic device model, the designed four-transistor bit-cell achieves full-swing data storage, low power consumption, and extended retention time at cryogenic temperatures. Combined with the adoption of cryogenic write bitline biasing technique and readout circuitry optimization, our 4Kb cryogenic eDRAM chip demonstrates a 1.37$\times$10$^6$ times improvement in retention time, while achieving a 75 times improvement in retention variability, compared to room-temperature operation. Moreover, it also achieves outstanding power performance with a retention power of 112 fW and a dynamic power of 108 $\mu$W at 4.2 K, which can be further decreased by 7.1% and 13.6% using the dynamic voltage scaling technique. This work reveals the great potential of cryogenic CMOS for high-density data storage and lays a solid foundation for energy-efficient CIM implementations

NUAK2 is a critical YAP target in liver cancer

Hippo-YAP pathway plays an important role in cancers; however the in vivo relevance of YAP/TAZ target genes is unclear. Here, the authors show that NUAK2 is a target of YAP and participates in a feedback loop to maximize YAP activity. Inhibition of NUAK2 suppresses YAP-driven hepatomegaly and liver cancer growth, offering a new target for cancer therapy

Ultrasound characteristics of the cervical vagus nerve in patients with type 2 diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy

Introduction: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and autonomic neuropathy are commonly coexistent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Current assessment tools for diabetic neuropathy remain complicated and limited. We aimed to investigate the sonographic changes of the cervical vagus nerve in DPN patients with T2DM. Material and methods: Patients with T2DM were divided into a DPN group (DPN, n = 44) and non-DPN controls (NDPN, n = 43) based on electromyogram results. Another 43 healthy controls (CON) were included. High-frequency ultrasound (HFU) of the vagus nerve was performed in all participants. Results: Compared with controls, the honeycomb structure of the vagus nerve in patients with T2DM decreased, p < 0.001. The DPN group had higher cross-sectional area (CSA) of the right vagus nerve than the NDPN group (1.60 ± 0.52 vs. 2.00 ± 0.57 mm2, p =0.001). Logistic regression showed that right vagus nerve CSA was a risk factor of DPN (odds ratio [OR] = 3.924, p = 0.002). Right vagus nerve CSA was positively correlated with diabetes duration (p = 0.003), and negatively correlated with the motor conduction velocity (MCV) of the ulnar, median, and common peroneal nerves (p < 0.001 for all), as well as the sensor conduction velocity (SCV) of the ulnar and median nerve (both p < 0.005). Conclusion: HFU shows thickening of the cervical vagus nerve in patients with DPN, which is a potential diagnostic feature of diabetic neuropathy

A Deep Insight into Ferroptosis in Renal Disease: Facts and Perspectives

Background: Ferroptosis, a newly recognized form of programmed cell death, is distinguished by its reliance on reactive oxygen species and iron-mediated lipid peroxidation, setting it apart from established types like apoptosis, cell necrosis, and autophagy. Recent studies suggest its role in exacerbating or mitigating diseases by influencing metabolic and signaling pathways in conditions such as tumors and ischemic organ damage. Evidence also links ferroptosis to various kidney diseases, prompting a review of its research status and potential breakthroughs in understanding and treating these conditions. Summary: In acute kidney disease (AKI), ferroptosis has been confirmed in animal kidneys after being induced by various factors such as renal ischemia-reperfusion and cisplatin, and glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) is linked with AKI. Ferroptosis is associated with renal fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD), TGF-β1 being crucial in this regard. In diabetic nephropathy (DN), high SLC7A11 and low nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4) expressions are linked to disease progression. For polycystic kidney disease (PKD), ferroptosis promotes the disease by regulating ferroptosis in kidney tissue. Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and lupus nephritis (LN) also have links to ferroptosis, with mtDNA and iron accumulation causing RCC and oxidative stress causing LN. Key Messages: Ferroptosis is a newly identified form of programmed cell death that is associated with various diseases. It targets metabolic and signaling pathways and has been linked to kidney diseases such as AKI, CKD, PKD, DN, LN, and clear cell RCC. Understanding its role in these diseases could lead to breakthroughs in their pathogenesis, etiology, and treatment

A Study on the Radiosensitivity of Radiation-Induced Lung Injury at the Acute Phase Based on Single-Cell Transcriptomics

Background and AimsRadiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is the most common complication associated with chest tumors, such as lung and breast cancers, after radiotherapy; however, the pathogenic mechanisms are unclear. Single-cell RNA sequencing has laid the foundation for studying RILI at the cellular microenvironmental level. This study focused on changes during the acute pneumonitis stage of RILI at the cellular microenvironmental level and investigated the interactions between different cell types.MethodsAn acute RILI model in mice and a single-cell transcriptional library were established. Intercellular communication networks were constructed to study the heterogeneity and intercellular interactions among different cell types.ResultsA single-cell transcriptome map was established in a mouse model of acute lung injury. In total, 18,500 single-cell transcripts were generated, and 10 major cell types were identified. The heterogeneity and radiosensitivity of each cell type or subtype in the lung tissues during the acute stage were revealed. It was found that immune cells had higher radiosensitivity than stromal cells. Immune cells were highly heterogeneous in terms of radiosensitivity, while some immune cells had the characteristics of radiation resistance. Two groups of radiation-induced Cd8+Mki67+ T cells and Cd4+Cxcr6+ helper T cells were identified. The presence of these cells was verified using immunofluorescence. The ligand-receptor interactions were analyzed by constructing intercellular communication networks. These explained the origins of the cells and revealed that they had been recruited from endothelial cells to the inflammatory site.ConclusionsThis study revealed the heterogeneity of in vivo radiosensitivity of different cell types in the lung at the initial stage post irradiatio