How plants sense and respond to osmotic stress

Drought is one of the most serious abiotic stresses to land plants. Plants sense and respond to drought stress to survive under water deficiency. Scientists have studied how plants sense drought stress, or osmotic stress caused by drought, ever since Charles Darwin, and gradually obtained clues about osmotic stress sensing and signaling in plants. Osmotic stress is a physical stimulus that triggers many physiological changes at the cellular level, including changes in turgor, cell wall stiffness and integrity, membrane tension, and cell fluid volume, and plants may sense some of these stimuli and trigger downstream responses. In this review, we emphasized water potential and movements in organisms, compared putative signal inputs in cell wall-containing and cell wall-free organisms, prospected how plants sense changes in turgor, membrane tension, and cell fluid volume under osmotic stress according to advances in plants, animals, yeasts, and bacteria, summarized multilevel biochemical and physiological signal outputs, such as plasma membrane nanodomain formation, membrane water permeability, root hydrotropism, root halotropism, Casparian strip and suberin lamellae, and finally proposed a hypothesis that osmotic stress responses are likely to be a cocktail of signaling mediated by multiple osmosensors. We also discussed the core scientific questions, provided perspective about the future directions in this field, and highlighted the importance of robust and smart root systems and efficient source-sink allocations for generating future high-yield stress-resistant crops and plants.

Genome-wide screen reveals cellular functions that counteract rifampicin lethality in Escherichia coli

IMPORTANCE

Rifamycins are a group of antibiotics with a wide antibacterial spectrum. Although the binding target of rifamycin has been well characterized, the mechanisms underlying the discrepant killing efficacy between gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria remain poorly understood. Using a high-throughput screen combined with targeted gene knockouts in the gram-negative model organism Escherichia coli, we established that rifampicin efficacy is strongly dependent on several cellular pathways, including iron acquisition, DNA repair, aerobic respiration, and carbon metabolism. In addition, we provide evidence that these pathways modulate rifampicin efficacy in a manner distinct from redox-related killing. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of rifamycin efficacy and may aid in the development of new antimicrobial adjuvants.

SPIRE: a Searchable, Planetary-scale mIcrobiome REsource

Meta'omic data on microbial diversity and function accrue exponentially in public repositories, but derived information is often siloed according to data type, study or sampled microbial environment. Here we present SPIRE, a Searchable Planetary-scale mIcrobiome REsource that integrates various consistently processed metagenome-derived microbial data modalities across habitats, geography and phylogeny. SPIRE encompasses 99 146 metagenomic samples from 739 studies covering a wide array of microbial environments and augmented with manually-curated contextual data. Across a total metagenomic assembly of 16 Tbp, SPIRE comprises 35 billion predicted protein sequences and 1.16 million newly constructed metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of medium or high quality. Beyond mapping to the high-quality genome reference provided by proGenomes3 (http://progenomes.embl.de), these novel MAGs form 92 134 novel species-level clusters, the majority of which are unclassified at species level using current tools. SPIRE enables taxonomic profiling of these species clusters via an updated, custom mOTUs database (https://motu-tool.org/) and includes several layers of functional annotation, as well as crosslinks to several (micro-)biological databases. The resource is accessible, searchable and browsable via http://spire.embl.de.

Insights into artificial intelligence in myopia management: from a data perspective

Given the high incidence and prevalence of myopia, the current healthcare system is struggling to handle the task of myopia management, which is worsened by home quarantine during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology is thriving, yet not enough in myopia. AI can serve as a solution for the myopia pandemic, with application potential in early identification, risk stratification, progression prediction, and timely intervention. The datasets used for developing AI models are the foundation and determine the upper limit of performance. Data generated from clinical practice in managing myopia can be categorized into clinical data and imaging data, and different AI methods can be used for analysis. In this review, we comprehensively review the current application status of AI in myopia with an emphasis on data modalities used for developing AI models. We propose that establishing large public datasets with high quality, enhancing the model's capability of handling multimodal input, and exploring novel data modalities could be of great significance for the further application of AI for myopia.

Probabilistic cell/domain-type assignment of spatial transcriptomics data with SpatialAnno

In the analysis of both single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) data, classifying cells/spots into cell/domain types is an essential analytic step for many secondary analyses. Most of the existing annotation methods have been developed for scRNA-seq datasets without any consideration of spatial information. Here, we present SpatialAnno, an efficient and accurate annotation method for spatial transcriptomics datasets, with the capability to effectively leverage a large number of non-marker genes as well as 'qualitative' information about marker genes without using a reference dataset. Uniquely, SpatialAnno estimates low-dimensional embeddings for a large number of non-marker genes via a factor model while promoting spatial smoothness among neighboring spots via a Potts model. Using both simulated and four real spatial transcriptomics datasets from the 10x Visium, ST, Slide-seqV1/2, and seqFISH platforms, we showcase the method's improved spatial annotation accuracy, including its robustness to the inclusion of marker genes for irrelevant cell/domain types and to various degrees of marker gene misspecification. SpatialAnno is computationally scalable and applicable to SRT datasets from different platforms. Furthermore, the estimated embeddings for cellular biological effects facilitate many downstream analyses.

[Interpretation of the Implant Dentistry Core Outcome Set and Measurement international consensus report]

Selection and measurement of clinical outcome are key components of clinical research in implant dentistry. Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine took the lead and collaborated with multiple internationally renowned colleges of stomatology to develop an international consensus on the core outcome set and measurement in implant dentistry, which took two years and was published in May, 2023 in Journal of Clinical Periodontology and Clinical Oral Implants Research simultaneously. The consensus, aiming at identifying the full spectrum of benefits and harms of interventions, provides a comprehensive, agreed, and standardized set of outcomes that should be measured and reported as a minimum in clinical trials relating with implant dentistry, bone augmentation, and soft tissue augmentation. The present review describes the methodology and key elements of the consensus to help Chinese clinical researchers fully understand and appropriately apply the core outcome set and improve the overall quality of Chinese clinical research in implant dentistry.

LC/MS-based untargeted lipidomics reveals lipid signatures of nonpuerperal mastitis

BACKGROUND

Nonpuerperal mastitis (NPM) is a disease that presents with redness, swelling, heat, and pain during nonlactation and can often be confused with breast cancer. The etiology of NPM remains elusive; however, emerging clinical evidence suggests a potential involvement of lipid metabolism.

METHOD

Liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry (LC/MS)-based untargeted lipidomics analysis combined with multivariate statistics was performed to investigate the NPM lipid change in breast tissue. Twenty patients with NPM and 10 controls were enrolled in this study.

RESULTS

The results revealed significant differences in lipidomics profiles, and a total of 16 subclasses with 14,012 different lipids were identified in positive and negative ion modes. Among these lipids, triglycerides (TGs), phosphatidylethanolamines (PEs) and cardiolipins (CLs) were the top three lipid components between the NPM and control groups. Subsequently, a total of 35 lipids were subjected to screening as potential biomarkers, and the chosen lipid biomarkers exhibited enhanced discriminatory capability between the two groups. Furthermore, pathway analysis elucidated that the aforementioned alterations in lipids were primarily associated with the arachidonic acid metabolic pathway. The correlation between distinct lipid populations and clinical phenotypes was assessed through weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that untargeted lipidomics assays conducted on breast tissue samples from patients with NPM exhibit noteworthy alterations in lipidomes. The findings of this study highlight the substantial involvement of arachidonic acid metabolism in lipid metabolism within the context of NPM. Consequently, this study offers valuable insights that can contribute to a more comprehensive comprehension of NPM in subsequent investigations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Number: 2019-702-57; Date: July 2019).

Control of the injection velocity of embolic agents in embolization treatment

BACKGROUND

Embolization is a common treatment method for tumor-targeting, anti-organ hyper-function, and hemostasis. However, the injection of embolic agents largely depends on the experiences of doctors, and doctors need to work in an X-ray environment that hurts their health. Even for a well-trained doctor, complications such as ectopic embolism caused by excessive embolic agents are always inevitable.

RESULTS

This paper established a flow control curve model for embolic injection based on local arterial pressure. The end-vessel network was simplified as a porous media. The hemodynamic changes at different injection velocities and embolization degrees were simulated and analyzed. Sponge, a typical porous medium, was used to simulate the blocking and accumulation of embolic agents by capillary networks in the in vitro experimental platform.

CONCLUSIONS

The simulation and experimental results show that the local arterial pressure is closely related to the critical injection velocity of the embolic agent reflux at a certain degree of embolization. The feasibility of this method for an automatic embolic injection system is discussed. It is concluded that the model of the flow control curve of embolic injection can effectively reduce the risk of ectopic embolism and shorten the time of embolic injection. The clinical application of this model is of great value in reducing radiation exposure and improving the success rate of interventional embolization.

Is myopia accelerated in type 1 diabetes mellitus children? Analyses from the ocular parameters

BACKGROUND

This study compares the ocular biometry with or without myopia in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and healthy children in China to analyse the difference between myopia in T1DM and healthy children.

METHODS

A case-control study was conducted at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University. The children were divided into four subgroups depending on myopia or non-myopia, T1DM or non-DM. The participants were evaluated for anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), axial length (AL), average keratometry (K) and lens power (P). Furthermore, cycloplegic refraction was performed and the spherical equivalent (SE) was acquired.

RESULTS

One hundred and ten patients with T1DM and 102 healthy subjects were included in this study. In the age-sex adjusted analysis, the myopia T1DM subgroup showed thicker LT (p = 0.001), larger P (p = 0.003) and similar ACD, AL, K and SE (all p > 0.05) compared to the myopia control subgroup. Additionally, the myopia T1DM subgroup showed longer AL (p < 0.001) and similar ACD, LT, K and P (all p > 0.05) as the non-myopia T1DM subgroup. In the multivariate linear regression, for T1DM patients, eyes with longer AL, shallower ACD, and larger P were associated with a decrease in SE (p < 0.001, p = 0.01, and p < 0.001, respectively). Meanwhile, for healthy controls, eyes with longer AL and larger P were associated with a decrease in SE (all p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The ACD and LT of myopia T1DM children remained unchanged compared to non-myopia T1DM children. This means that the lens in the former group could not lose power as compensation for AL growth, thus providing evidence for the acceleration of myopia in T1DM children.

Increased serum 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid levels are correlated with an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy in both children and adults with diabetes

PURPOSE

To investigate the relationship between serum 12-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

METHODS

Children from the Shanghai Children and Adolescent Diabetes Eye (SCADE) study and adults from the Shanghai Cohort Study of Diabetic Eye Disease (SCODE) were examined in 2021. Serum 12-HETE levels were detected and compared. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between 12-HETE and the rate of DR in diabetic patients.

RESULTS

The child study included 4 patients with new-onset DR and 24 patients with T1DM without DR. In children with T1DM, the 12-HETE level was significantly higher in those with DR (P = 0.003). The adult study had two sets, for testing and verification. The test set included 28 patients with new-onset DR and 24 T2DM patients with a course of ≥ 20 years who had never developed DR. The verification set included 41 patients with DR, 50 patients without DR and 50 healthy controls. In the adult test set, the 12-HETE level was significantly higher in patients with DR than in those with T2DM without DR (P = 0.003). In the verification set, the 12-HETE level of patients with DR was significantly higher than that of patients without DR (P < 0.0001) and the healthy controls (P < 0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that 12-HETE was independently associated with DR in both children (odds ratio [OR] 1.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.13, P = 0.041) and adults (test set [OR 9.26, 95% CI 1.77-48.59, P = 0.008], verification set [OR 10.49, 95% CI 3.23-34.05, P < 0.001]).

CONCLUSION

Higher serum 12-HETE levels are positively correlated with an increased risk of DR in children with T1DM and adults with T2DM.

The Relationship Between Serum Folate Level and Residual Renal Function in CAPD Patients

Objective

To investigate the relationship between serum folate (FA) levels and residual renal function (RRF) in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients.

Methods

Clinical data were collected from 180 hospitalized patients who received CAPD regularly. Patients were divided into the FA deficiency group and the FA non-deficiency group according to serum FA level. Data on age, sex, PD vintage, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, serum FA, total Kt/V, residual kidney Kt/V, peritoneum Kt/V, creatinine clearance (Ccr), ultrafiltration volume, cystatin C (cytC), serum creatinine (Scr), urea nitrogen, retinol-binding protein and the primary disease were gathered from 2 groups. Statistical methods were used to analyze the relationship between serum FA level and RRF.

Results

Peritoneal Kt/V, cytC, Scr were higher, and residual kidney Kt/V was lower in FA deficiency group than in non-deficiency group. Univariate correlation showed the peritoneal Kt/V, cytC, Scr negatively correlated with serum FA while residual kidney Kt/V positively correlated with serum FA, and there was a simple linear regression relationship between serum FA and residual kidney Kt/V. Differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).

Conclusion

There is a relationship between serum FA and RRF in CAPD patients. Prospective studies or trials should be performed to clarify the importance of FA supplementation on RRF during peritoneal dialysis.

Insulin resistance surrogates predict hypertension plus hyperuricemia

AIMS/INTRODUCTION

To compare the association of hypertension plus hyperuricemia with four insulin resistance surrogates, including glucose and triglycerides (TyG index), TyG index with body mass index (TyG-BMI), the ratio of triglycerides divided by high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) and metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data from a cross-sectional epidemiological study enrolling a representative population sample aged ≥65 years were used to calculate the four indexes. The association with hypertension plus hyperuricemia and insulin resistance surrogates was examined with multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic.

RESULTS

A total of 4,352 participants were included, including 93 (2.1%) patients with hyperuricemia alone, 2,875 (66.1%) with hypertension alone and 587 (13.5%) with hypertension plus hyperuricemia. Mutivariate logistic regression showed that TyG index, TyG-BMI, TG/HDL-C and METS-IR were all significantly correlated with hyperuricemia, hypertension and hypertension plus hyperuricemia. Compared with the lowest quartile, the odds ratios (OR) of the highest quartile of the four indicators for hypertension plus hyperuricemia were TyG index: OR 6.39 (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.17-9.78); TyG-BMI: OR 8.54 (95% CI 5.58-13.09); TG/HDL-C: OR 7.21 (95% CI 4.72-11.01); METS-IR: OR 9.30 (95% CI 6.00-14.43), respectively. TyG-BMI and METS-IR had moderate discriminative abilities for hypertension plus hyperuricemia and the AUC values were 0.72 (95% CI 0.70-0.74) and 0.73 (95% CI 0.70-0.75).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study suggested that TyG index, TyG-BMI, TG/HDL-C and METS-IR had a significant correlation with hypertension plus hyperuricemia, and TyG-BMI and METS-IR had discriminative abilities for hypertension plus hyperuricemia.

Blue light-dependent interactions of CRY1 with GID1 and DELLA proteins regulate gibberellin signaling and photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis

Cryptochromes are blue light photoreceptors that mediate various light responses in plants and mammals. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) mediates blue light-induced photomorphogenesis, which is characterized by reduced hypocotyl elongation and enhanced anthocyanin production, whereas gibberellin (GA) signaling mediated by the GA receptor GA-INSENSITIVE DWARF1 (GID1) and DELLA proteins promotes hypocotyl elongation and inhibits anthocyanin accumulation. Whether CRY1 control of photomorphogenesis involves regulation of GA signaling is largely unknown. Here, we show that CRY1 signaling involves the inhibition of GA signaling through repression of GA-induced degradation of DELLA proteins. CRY1 physically interacts with DELLA proteins in a blue light-dependent manner, leading to their dissociation from SLEEPY1 (SLY1) and the inhibition of their ubiquitination. Moreover, CRY1 interacts directly with GID1 in a blue light-dependent but GA-independent manner, leading to the inhibition of the interaction between GID1 with DELLA proteins. These findings suggest that CRY1 controls photomorphogenesis through inhibition of GA-induced degradation of DELLA proteins and GA signaling, which is mediated by CRY1 inhibition of the interactions of DELLA proteins with GID1 and SCFSLY1, respectively.

Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 controls photomorphogenesis through regulation of H2A.Z deposition

Light is a key environmental cue that fundamentally regulates plant growth and development, which is mediated by the multiple photoreceptors including the blue light (BL) photoreceptor cryptochrome 1 (CRY1). The signaling mechanism of Arabidopsis thaliana CRY1 involves direct interactions with CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1)/SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 1 and stabilization of COP1 substrate ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5). H2A.Z is an evolutionarily conserved histone variant, which plays a critical role in transcriptional regulation through its deposition in chromatin catalyzed by SWR1 complex. Here we show that CRY1 physically interacts with SWC6 and ARP6, the SWR1 complex core subunits that are essential for mediating H2A.Z deposition, in a BL-dependent manner, and that BL-activated CRY1 enhances the interaction of SWC6 with ARP6. Moreover, HY5 physically interacts with SWC6 and ARP6 to direct the recruitment of SWR1 complex to HY5 target loci. Based on previous studies and our findings, we propose that CRY1 promotes H2A.Z deposition to regulate HY5 target gene expression and photomorphogenesis in BL through the enhancement of both SWR1 complex activity and HY5 recruitment of SWR1 complex to HY5 target loci, which is likely mediated by interactions of CRY1 with SWC6 and ARP6, and CRY1 stabilization of HY5, respectively.

Socioeconomic mechanisms of myopia boom in China: a nationwide cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To assess the association between socioeconomic development and the myopia boom in China.

DESIGN

Nationwide cross-sectional study.

SETTING

We used data from the China Family Panel Study (CFPS 2010), and the Chinese National Survey on Students' Constitution and Health (CNSSCH 2010).

PARTICIPANTS

Participants included 33 600 individuals and 14 226 families from the CFPS 2010, and 86 199 students aged 7-12 years from the CNSSCH 2010.

MEASURES

The main measure was students' visual impairment (defined as Snellen visual acuity ≤20/25 (0.8) in the worse eye) rate of each province (or municipality or autonomous region); other measures included the Gini coefficient of property, logarithm of average property, Gini coefficient of education, average education duration and return-to-education rate of each province (or municipality or autonomous region). The visual impairment rate was calculated using students' data, aged 7-12 years, from the CNSSCH 2010. The Gini coefficient of property and logarithm of average property were calculated using the families' data from the CFPS 2010; the Gini coefficient of education, average education duration and return-to-education rate were calculated using individuals' data aged 18-44 years from the CFPS 2010.

RESULTS

The urban environment (coefficient: 0.209; p<0.001), Gini coefficient of property (coefficient: 1.979; p=0.005), logarithm of average property (coefficient: 0.114; p<0.001), average education duration (coefficient: 0.041; p<0.001) and return-to-education rate (coefficient: 0.195; p<0.001) were positively associated with the logit function of visual impairment rate.

CONCLUSIONS

Economic development may promote an increased desire to pursue wealth. Regarding high return to education and a fairly competitive education system, individuals are likely to pursue wealth through education, which is associated with a heavier education burden and higher prevalence rates of myopia.

Third-generation EGFR inhibitor HS-10296 in combination with famitinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, exerts synergistic antitumor effects through enhanced inhibition of downstream signaling in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer cells

BACKGROUND

As a highly heterogeneous disease, lung cancer has a multitude of cellular components and patterns of gene expression which are not dependent on a single mutation or signaling pathway. Thus, using combined drugs to treat lung cancer may be a practical strategy.

METHODS

The combined antitumor effects of HS-10296, a third-generation EGFR inhibitor targeting EGFR T790M mutation, with the multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) famitinib in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were evaluated by in vitro methods such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, angiogenesis assays, and in vivo animal efficacy studies.

RESULTS

Famitinib strengthened the effects of HS-10296 on inhibiting proliferation and inducing apoptosis of NSCLC cells, possibly by synergistic inhibition of AKT and ERK phosphorylation. Meanwhile, HS-10296 significantly potentiated the effects of famitinib on inhibiting the proliferation and migration of HUVEC, which may be through synergistic inhibition of ERK phosphorylation in HUVEC, suggesting that HS-10296 may improve the inhibition of angiogenesis by famitinib. Moreover, combination of HS-10296 and famitinib exerted synergistic antitumor activity in NCI-H1975 and PC-9 xenograft models, and this effect may be accomplished by synergistic inhibition of phosphorylation of AKT and ERK and tumor angiogenesis in tumor tissues.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our results indicate that HS-10296 and famitinib exhibit significant synergistic antitumor activity, suggesting that the third-generation EGFR inhibitor combined with VEGFR inhibitor provides a promising strategy in the treatment of EGFR-mutant NSCLC.

Influence of Endogenous and Exogenous Estrogenic Endocrine on Intestinal Microbiota in Zebrafish

Gender is one of the factors influencing the intestinal microbial composition in mammals, but whether fish also have gender-specific intestinal microbial patterns remains unknown. In this decade, endocrine disrupting chemicals in surface and ground water of many areas and increasing observation of freshwater male fish displaying female sexual characteristics have been reported. Here we identified the difference in intestinal microbiota between male and female zebrafish, and revealed the influence of endocrine disrupting chemicals on zebrafish intestinal microbiota by using high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated that Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were dominant in the gut of zebrafish and there were no obvious gender-specific intestinal microbial patterns. Two endocrine disrupting chemicals, Estradiol (E2) and Bisphenol A (BPA), were selected to treat male zebrafish for 5 weeks. E2 and BPA increased vitellogenin expression in the liver of male zebrafish and altered the intestinal microbial composition with the abundance of the phylum CKC4 increased significantly. Our results suggested that because of the developmental character and living environment, gender did not influence the assembly of intestinal microbiota in zebrafish as it does in mammals, but exposure extra to endocrine disrupting chemicals disturbed the intestinal microbial composition, which may be related to changes in host physiological metabolism.