catena-Poly[[[(1,10-phenanthroline)copper(I)]-μ-cyanido] ethanol hemisolvate]

In the title coordination polymer, {[Cu(CN)(C12H10N2)]·0.5C2H5OH}n, there are two CuI ions, two 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligands and two cyanide ions in the asymmetric unit along with a highly disordered ethanol solvent mol­ecule, which was modelled as being disordered over two sets of sites in a 0.829 (7):0.171 (7) ratio. The orientation/ordering of the C and N atoms of the cyanide ions could not be determined in the present refinement and they were modelled as being statistically disordered. Both copper ions are coordinated by an N,N′-bidentate phen ligand and two cyanide ligands, generating distorted tetra­hedral CuN2 Q 2 (Q = C or N) tetra­hedra. The μ-cyanide ligands link the metal ions, forming a zigzag chain propagating in [001]. The chains are cross-linked by numerous aromatic π–π stacking contacts between adjacent phen rings [minimum centroid–centroid separation = 3.620 (3) Å]

Identification and characterization of potential NBS-encoding resistance genes and induction kinetics of a putative candidate gene associated with downy mildew resistance in Cucumis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Due to the variation and mutation of the races of <it>Pseudoperonospora cubensis</it>, downy mildew has in recent years become the most devastating leaf disease of cucumber worldwide. Novel resistance to downy mildew has been identified in the wild <it>Cucumis </it>species, <it>C. hystrix </it>Chakr. After the successful hybridization between <it>C. hystrix </it>and cultivated cucumber (<it>C. sativus </it>L.), an introgression line (IL5211S) was identified as highly resistant to downy mildew. Nucleotide-binding site and leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes are the largest class of disease resistance genes cloned from plant with highly conserved domains, which can be used to facilitate the isolation of candidate genes associated with downy mildew resistance in IL5211S.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Degenerate primers that were designed based on the conserved motifs in the NBS domain of resistance (R) proteins were used to isolate NBS-type sequences from IL5211S. A total of 28 sequences were identified and named as cucumber (<it>C. sativus </it>= CS) resistance gene analogs as CSRGAs. Polygenetic analyses separated these sequences into four different classes. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that these CSRGAs expressed at different levels in leaves, roots, and stems. In addition, introgression from <it>C. hystrix </it>induced expression of the partial CSRGAs in cultivated cucumber, especially CSRGA23, increased four-fold when compared to the backcross parent CC3. Furthermore, the expression of CSRGA23 under <it>P. cubensis </it>infection and abiotic stresses was also analyzed at different time points. Results showed that the <it>P. cubensis </it>treatment and four tested abiotic stimuli, MeJA, SA, ABA, and H₂O_2,triggered a significant induction of CSRGA23 within 72 h of inoculation. The results indicate that CSRGA23 may play a critical role in protecting cucumber against <it>P. cubensis </it>through a signaling the pathway triggered by these molecules.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Four classes of NBS-type RGAs were successfully isolated from IL5211S, and the possible involvement of CSRGA23 in the active defense response to <it>P. cubensis </it>was demonstrated. These results will contribute to develop analog-based markers related to downy mildew resistance gene and elucidate the molecular mechanisms causing resistance in IL5211S in the future.</p

Bis[2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzoato]copper(II) dihydrate

In the title compound, [Cu(C14H9N2O2)2]·2H2O, the Cu(II) ion lies on a centre of symmetry and is four-coordinated by two N atoms and two O atoms from two 2-(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)benzoate ligands in a square-planar environment. The benzimidazol and benzyl rings form a dihedral angle of 42.8 (5)°. The mol­ecule contains two H-bonded carboxyl O acceptors and two H-bonded N—H donors in the benzimidazol groups, which inter­act with two symmetry-related uncoordinated water mol­ecules so that neighboring mol­ecular units are linked by (O—H)water⋯Ocarbox­yl hydrogen bonds with an R 2 4(8) graph-set motif, generating a helical chain in the a-axis direction. These chains are, in turn, inter­connected by (N—H)benzimidazol⋯Owater hydrogen bonds, forming a three-dimensional supra­molecular network

Erbium-ytterbium co-doped lithium niobate single-mode microdisk laser with an ultralow threshold of 1 uW

We demonstrate single-mode microdisk lasers in the telecom band with ultra-low thresholds on erbium-ytterbium co-doped thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). The active microdisk were fabricated with high-Q factors by photo-lithography assisted chemo-mechanical etching. Thanks to the erbium-ytterbium co-doping providing high optical gain, the ultra-low loss nanostructuring, and the excitation of high-Q coherent polygon modes which suppresses multi-mode lasing and allows high spatial mode overlap factor between pump and lasing modes, single-mode laser emission operating at 1530 nm wavelength was observed with an ultra-low threshold, under 980-nm-band optical pump. The threshold was measured as low as 1 uW, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the best results previously reported in single-mode active TFLN microlasers. And the conversion efficiency reaches 0.406%, which is also the highest value reported in single-mode active TFLN microlasers.Comment: 5 pages,3 figure

HTRA1 variant increases risk to neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Chinese population

AbstractAge-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment in the world. Advanced AMD can be divided into wet AMD (choroidal neovascularization) and dry AMD (geographic atrophy, GA). Drusen is characterized by deposits in the macula without visual loss and is an early AMD sign in the Caucasian population. rs11200638 in the promoter of HTRA1 has recently been shown to increases the risk for wet AMD in both Caucasian and Hong Kong Chinese populations. In order to replicate these results in a different cohort, we genotyped rs11200638 for 164 Chinese patients (90 wet AMD and 74 drusen) and 106 normal controls in a Han Mainland Chinese cohort. The genotypes were compared using chi square analysis for an additive allelic model. rs11200638 was significantly associated with wet AMD (p=5.00×10−12). Unlike in the Caucasian population, the risk allele of rs11200638 was not associated with drusen in our Chinese population. These findings confirm the association of HTRA1 with wet AMD

Dual regulatory switch through interactions of Tcf7l2/Tcf4 with stage-specific partners propels oligodendroglial maturation

Constitutive activation of Wnt/β-catenin inhibits oligodendrocyte myelination. Tcf7l2/Tcf4, a β-catenin transcriptional partner, is required for oligodendrocyte differentiation. How Tcf7l2 modifies β-catenin signalling and controls myelination remains elusive. Here we define a stage-specific Tcf7l2-regulated transcriptional circuitry in initiating and sustaining oligodendrocyte differentiation. Multistage genome occupancy analyses reveal that Tcf7l2 serially cooperates with distinct co-regulators to control oligodendrocyte lineage progression. At the differentiation onset, Tcf7l2 interacts with a transcriptional co-repressor Kaiso/Zbtb33 to block β-catenin signalling. During oligodendrocyte maturation, Tcf7l2 recruits and cooperates with Sox10 to promote myelination. In that context, Tcf7l2 directly activates cholesterol biosynthesis genes and cholesterol supplementation partially rescues oligodendrocyte differentiation defects in Tcf712 mutants. Together, we identify stage-specific co-regulators Kaiso and Sox10 that sequentially interact with Tcf7l2 to coordinate the switch at the transitions of differentiation initiation and maturation during oligodendrocyte development, and point to a previously unrecognized role of Tcf7l2 in control of cholesterol biosynthesis for CNS myelinogenesis