ALBERT

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanjie Hou, Tian Gong, Jiangtao Zhang, Xi Yang, Yurong Guo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The thinned-young apple polysaccharides from three varieties were obtained by hot water extraction at 88 ̊C for 120 min. The compositional monosaccharides of the three polysaccharides were shown to be the same (xylose, mannose, galactose and glucose) and the molecular weights of the polysaccharides were in the range of 200–300 kDa. Compared with “Qinyang” and “Pinklady”, the polysaccharide from “Jinshiji” had the highest emulsifying capacity. Moreover, the variations in pH and cation ion concentrations had also a significant effect on the emulsifying properties of the extracted polysaccharides. At pH 2.0–4.0, the prepared emulsion had smaller droplet sizes than at higher pH values. Although the emulsion was stable at low concentrations of Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 ions, high concentrations of Na〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 and Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 led to significant destabilization of the emulsion. Conclusively, our results demonstrated the potential application of thinned-young apple polysaccharide as a natural polysaccharide emulsifying agent.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shuangdong Chen, Yixiao Gu, Qinxue Dai, Yanshu He, Junlu Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sirtuin1 (SIRT1), which is regulated by microRNA-34a (miR-34a), can modulate pathophysiology processes, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury. We previously reported that SIRT1, an NAD〈sup〉+〈/sup〉-dependent deacetylase, plays a vital role in the development of neuropathic pain. However, the role of miR-34a/SIRT1 in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain remains unclear. In the present study, we examined miR-34a and SIRT1 in CFA mice. MiR-34a levels increased, while SIRT1 decreased in the spinal cord. Inhibiting miR-34a by intrathecal injection of miR-34a antagomir attenuated CFA-induced pain behavior. Moreover, miR-34a antagomir inhibited the CFA-induced SIRT1 decrease in the spinal cord. Furthermore, the analgesic effect of miR-34a antagomir was abrogated by the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527. Our data provide support that the underlying mechanisms of miR-34a in promoting inflammatory pain may involve negative regulation of SIRT1.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Lifang Cui, He Zhao, Yujun Yin, Chao Liang, Xiaolong Mao, Yingzheng Liu, Qilin Yu, Mingchun Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉Candida albicans〈/em〉 is an important opportunistic pathogenic fungus in the human body. It is a common microbe inhabiting on the mucosa surfaces of healthy individuals, but may cause infections when the host immune system is weak. Autophagy is a “self-eating” process in eukaryotes, which can recover and utilize damaged organelles and misfolded proteins. Here we investigated the role of the autophagy-related protein Atg11 in 〈em〉C. albicans〈/em〉. Deletion of 〈em〉ATG11〈/em〉 led to the defect in growth under the nitrogen starvation condition. Western blotting and GFP localization further revealed that the transport and degradation of Atg8 was blocked in the 〈em〉atg11〈/em〉Δ/Δ mutant under both the nitrogen starvation and hypha-inducing conditions. Moreover, degradation of both Lap41 (the indicator of the cytoplasm-to-vacuole pathway) and Csp37 (the indicator of mitophagy) was also thoroughly suppressed in this mutant under nitrogen starvation. These results indicated that Atg11 plays an essential role in both non-selective and selective autophagy in 〈em〉C. albicans〈/em〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yi-meng Cao, Meng-yu Liu, Zhuo-wei Xue, Yu Qiu, Jie Li, Yang Wang, Qing-kai Wu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Promotion of wound healing is one of the most important fields in clinical medical research. This study aimed to evaluate the potential use of a new surface-structured bacterial cellulose(S-BC) biomaterial with human urine-derived stem cells (hUSCs) for wound healing. In vitro, EA.hy926 were inoculated on structured/non-structured bacterial cellulose, and the growth of EA.hy926 on bacterial cellulose in medium with/without conditioned medium of the hUSCs were observed to explore the effect of bacterial cellulose's surface structure and hUSCs-CM on vascular endothelial cell growth. In vivo, we covered wound surface with various BC materials and/or injected the hUSCs into the wound site on group BC, group S-BC, group hUSCs, group BC + hUSCs, group S-BC + hUSCs to evaluate the effect of S-BC and hUSCs on wound healing in rat full-thickness skin defect model. In vitro study, surface structure of S-BC could promote the growth and survival of EA.hy926, and the hUSCs-CM could further promote the proliferation of EA.hy926 on S-BC. In vivo study, wound healing rate of the group BC, group S-BC, group hUSCs was significantly accelerated, accompanied by faster re-epithelialization, collagen production and neovascularization than control group. It is note worthy that the effect of S-BC on wound healing was better than BC, the effect of S-BC + hUSCs on wound healing was better than BC + hUSCs. Moreover, the effect of S-BC combined with hUSCs on wound is better than treated with S-BC or hUSCs alone. All the findings suggest that the combination of S-BC and hUSCs could facilitate skin wound healing by promoting angiogenesis. This combination of the role of stem cells and biomaterial surface structures may provide a new way to address clinical wound healing problems.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Naohiro Katagiri, Satoru Nagatoishi, Kouhei Tsumoto, Hideya Endo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) is one of the effector proteins of S100A4, a metastasis-associated calcium-binding protein. This interaction is involved in angiogenesis. The region of MetAP2 that interacts with S100A4 includes amino acids 170 to 208. A peptide corresponding to this region, named as NBD, has potent anti-angiogenic activity and suppresses tumor growth in a xenograft cancer model. However, the binding mode of NBD to S100A4 was totally unknown. Here we describe our analysis of the relationship between the inhibitory activity and the structure of NBD, which adopts a characteristic helix-turn-helix structure as shown by X-ray crystallographic analysis, and peptide fragments of NBD. We conducted physicochemical analyses of the interaction between S100A4 and the peptides, including surface plasmon resonance, microscale thermophoresis, and circular dichroism, and performed docking/molecular dynamics simulations. Active peptides had stable secondary structures, whereas inactive peptides had a little secondary structure. A computational analysis of the interaction mechanism led to the design of a peptide smaller than NBD, NBD-ΔN10, that possessed inhibitory activity. Our study provides a strategy for design for a specific peptide inhibitor against S100A4 that can be applied to the discovery of inhibitors of other protein-protein interactions.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xue Mei Li, Soo Jung Kim, Dong-Kyun Hong, Kyoung Eun Jung, Chong Won Choi, Young-Joon Seo, Jeung-Hoon Lee, Young Lee, Chang-Deok Kim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that plays a role in terminal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. There are conflicting reports regarding the role of KLF4 in tumor development, with both the tumor suppressive and/or oncogenic properties depending on different conditions and cell types. In this study, we investigated the functional importance of KLF4 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Immunohistochemistry showed that KLF4 expression was relatively low in SCC lesion compared to normal epidermis. To examine the effects of KFL4, we transduced SCC lines (SCC12 and SCC13 cells) with the KLF4-expressing recombinant adenovirus. Overexpression of KLF4 significantly decreased cell proliferation and colony forming activity. In addition, overexpression of KLF4 markedly reduced invasive potential, along with the downregulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related molecules. In a mechanistic study, KLF4 inhibited SOX2, of which expression is critical for tumor initiation and growth of SCC. Further investigations indicated that SOX2 expression is induced by TGF-β/SMAD signaling, and that overexpression of KLF4 inhibited SMAD signaling via upregulation of SMAD7, an important inhibitory SMAD molecule. Based on these data, KLF4 plays a tumor suppressive role in cutaneous SCC cells.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yan Shen, Shengnan Chen, Yan Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Hyperglycemia-induced podocyte injury plays a vital role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. Sulfiredoxin-1 (Srxn1) is emerging as a cytoprotective protein that protects from various insults in a wide range of cell types. However, whether Srxn1 is involved in regulating hyperglycemia-induced podocyte injury and participates in diabetic nephropathy remains unknown. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential role of Srxn1 in regulating high glucose (HG)-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress of podocytes 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉. Results demonstrated that Srxn1 was induced in HG-stimulated podocytes. The depletion of Srxn1 by Srxn1 siRNA-mediated gene silencing significantly exacerbated HG-induced apoptosis and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), while Srxn1 overexpression attenuated HG-induced apoptosis and ROS production. In-depth molecular mechanism research revealed that Srxn1 overexpression promoted the nuclear expression of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and reinforced antioxidant response element (ARE)-mediated transcription activity. Moreover, results confirmed that Srxn1 increased the activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling associated with inactivating glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β. Notably, the inhibition of GSK-3β significantly reversed Srxn1 silencing-induced adverse effects in HG-treated cells, while the knockdown of Nrf2 abrogated the Srxn1-mediated protective effect against HG-induced podocyte injury. Taken together, our results demonstrated that Srxn1 protects podocytes from HG-induced injury by promoting the activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling associated with inactivating GSK-3β, indicating a potential role of Srxn1 in diabetic nephropathy. Our study suggests that Srxn1 may serve as a potential target for kidney protection.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19313178-fx1.jpg" width="398" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yu-Lun Huang, Gota Kawai, Atsuhiko Hasegawa, Mari Kannagi, Takao Masuda〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Reverse transcription of retroviral RNA is accomplished through a minus-strand strong stop cDNA (-sscDNA) synthesis and subsequent strand-transfer reactions. We have previously reported a critical role of guanosine (G) number at 5′-terminal of HIV-1 RNA for successful strand-transfer of -sscDNA. In this study, role(s) of the cap consisting of 7-methyl guanosine (〈sup〉7m〈/sup〉G), a hallmark of transcripts generated by RNA polymerase II, at the 5′-end G nucleotide (5′-G) of HIV-1 RNA were examined. In parallel, contribution of highly conserved GGG tract located at the U3/R boundary in 3′ terminal region of viral RNA (3′-GGG tract) was also addressed. The in vitro reverse transcription analysis using synthetic HIV-1 RNAs possessing the 5′-G with cap or triphosphate form demonstrated that the 5′-cap significantly increased strand-transfer efficiency of -sscDNA. Meanwhile, effect of the 5′-cap on the strand-transfer was retained in the reaction using mutant HIV-1 RNAs in which two Gs were deleted from the 3′-GGG tract. Lack of apparent contribution of the 3′-GGG tract during strand-transfer events in vitro was reproduced in the context of HIV-1 replication within cells. Instead, we noticed that the 3′-GGG tract might be required for efficient gene expression from proviral DNA. These results indicated that 〈sup〉7m〈/sup〉G of the cap on HIV-1 RNA might not be reverse-transcribed and a possible role of the 3′-GGG tract to accept the non-template nucleotide addition during -sscDNA synthesis might be less likely. The 5′-G modifications of HIV-1 RNAs by the cap- or phosphate-removal enzyme revealed that the cap or monophosphate form of the 5′-G was preferred for the 1st strand-transfer compared to the triphosphate or non-phosphate form. Taken together, a status of the 5′-G determined strand-transfer efficiency of -sscDNA without affecting the non-template nucleotide addition, probably by affecting association of the 5′-G with 3′-end region of viral RNA.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19312926-fx1.jpg" width="307" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 141〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): D.Y. Yeo, H.C. NO〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, two-phase drag models for a packed bed of uniform-size particles were suggested, and they were applied to the calculation of pressure drop and dryout heat flux. We provided physical basis for the two-phase flow regime model through the analysis of the interfacial friction (〈em〉F〈sub〉i〈/sub〉〈/em〉). The suggested model provides flow patterns representing bubbly, slug, and channel flow and considering three criteria including d〈sup〉2〈/sup〉〈em〉F〈sub〉i〈/sub〉〈/em〉/d〈em〉α〈/em〉〈sup〉2〈/sup〉 = 0, 〈em〉F〈sub〉i〈/sub〉〈/em〉 = maximum, and 〈em〉F〈sub〉i〈/sub〉〈/em〉 = 0. The results obtained from the three criteria were drawn with several observation-based experimental ones to generate the flow regime map (void fraction vs. particle diameter). Through the current flow regime map, we clearly saw the existence of channel flow in a packed bed with particles smaller than around 3.5 mm. Then, mechanistic interfacial friction models were developed on basis of the current two-phase flow map of bubbly flow, slug flow, channel flow and annular flow. The suggested interfacial friction models were validated with top- and bottom-flooding air-water experiments and boiling experiments. We found out that the capability of pressure drop estimation by the current model were significantly improved for a bed with small particles. Finally, a zero-dimensional dryout heat flux (DHF) model was derived using the suggested interfacial friction models, and validated against DHF experimental data for beds with 1-D configuration. The root-mean-square error (RMSE) of the suggested DHF model was 35%, which was the smallest among the RMSEs of the previous DHF models.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 141〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tianyu Ma, Lei Feng, Hu Wang, Haifeng Liu, Mingfa Yao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Spray impingement has aroused more and more interests in recent years with the increase of injection pressure in internal combustion engines. In this paper, the near wall combustion after fuel spray impingement is studied based on an updated film development model and experiment in constant volume vessel. Relationship between spray injection and flame development under different ambient temperature is analyzed as well as the near wall distribution of combustion products. In the first part, a mathematical model that considered the effects of surface tension on spray impingement is built for better prediction of film development. Reasonable results are obtained at room temperature spray impingement case, and the split distribution of film depth is also well captured. In the second part, flame development in the near wall region is investigated based on the proposed numerical model and experiments. The result shows that the flame becomes circumferentially nonuniformed at lower ambient temperature (723 K) and the evolution of downstream flame become sensitive to the wall temperature. At lower ambient temperature (723 K), increasing wall temperature could enlarge the high temperature zone, which is helpful to accelerate the film evaporation and soot oxidation. At higher ambient temperature condition, the spray impact angle should be reduced to create more concentrated combustion (stronger stratification), which could improve the combustion efficiency in the near wall region.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiong Wang, Huishou Zhao, Wenjun Yan, Yi Liu, Tao Yin, Shan Wang, Miaomiao Fan, Congye Li, Ling Zhang, Ling Tao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Atherosclerosis is characterized by the accumulation of excess cholesterol in plaques. Reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) plays a key role in the removal of cholesterol. In the present study, we examined the effect of thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) on RCT and explored the underlying mechanism. We found that Trx-1 promoted RCT 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉, as did T0901317, a known liver X receptor (LXR) ligand. T0901317 also inhibited the development of atherosclerotic plaques but promoted liver steatosis. Furthermore, Trx-1 promoted macrophage cholesterol efflux to apoAI 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉. Mechanistically, Trx-1 promoted nuclear translocation of LXRα and induced the expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1). Apolipoprotein E knockout (apoE−/−) mice fed an atherogenic diet were daily injected intraperitoneally with saline or Trx-1 (0.33 mg/kg). Trx-1 treatment significantly inhibited the development of atherosclerosis and induced the expression of ABCA1 in macrophages retrieved from apoE−/− mice. Moreover, the liver steatosis was attenuated by Trx-1. Overall, we demonstrated that Trx-1 promotes RCT by upregulating ABCA1 expression through induction of nuclear translocation of LXRα, and protects liver from steatosis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 13 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 1〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): 〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Azuma Kosai, Nanao Horike, Yoshiaki Takei, Akihiro Yamashita, Kaori Fujita, Takashi Kamatani, Noriyuki Tsumaki〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The maturation of chondrocytes is strictly regulated for proper endochondral bone formation. Although recent studies have revealed that intracellular metabolic processes regulate the proliferation and differentiation of cells, little is known about how changes in metabolite levels regulate chondrocyte maturation. To identify the metabolites which regulate chondrocyte maturation, we performed a metabolome analysis on chondrocytes of Sik3 knockout mice, in which chondrocyte maturation is delayed. Among the metabolites, acetyl-CoA was decreased in this model. Immunohistochemical analysis of the Sik3 knockout chondrocytes indicated that the expression levels of phospho-pyruvate dehydrogenase (phospho-Pdh), an inactivated form of Pdh, which is an enzyme that converts pyruvate to acetyl-CoA, and of Pdh kinase 4 (Pdk4), which phosphorylates Pdh, were increased. Inhibition of Pdh by treatment with CPI613 delayed chondrocyte maturation in metatarsal primordial cartilage in organ culture. These results collectively suggest that decreasing the acetyl-CoA level is a cause and not result of the delayed chondrocyte maturation. Sik3 appears to increase the acetyl-CoA level by decreasing the expression level of Pdk4. Blocking ATP synthesis in the TCA cycle by treatment with rotenone also delayed chondrocyte maturation in metatarsal primordial cartilage in organ culture, suggesting the possibility that depriving acetyl-CoA as a substrate for the TCA cycle is responsible for the delayed maturation. Our finding of acetyl-CoA as a regulator of chondrocyte maturation could contribute to understanding the regulatory mechanisms controlling endochondral bone formation by metabolites.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Saujanya Acharya, Shubhankar Dutta, Sucheta Chopra, Kakoli Bose〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Human HtrA3 (High temperature requirement protease A3) is a trimeric PDZ bearing propapoptotic serine protease, which is involved in various diseases including cancer and pre-eclampsia. Proposed to be a tumor suppressor, its role as a potential therapeutic target is strongly advocated. Therefore, it becomes imperative to gain insights into its mechanism of action and regulation. Allostery is a well-known mechanism of catalytic activation for many HtrA3 homologs, which opens up avenues for manipulating enzyme functions for therapeutic intervention. In our study, through 〈em〉in silico〈/em〉 and biochemical approaches, we have reported for the first time that HtrA3 shows allosteric behaviour. We identified a novel selective binding pocket, which triggers conformational reorientations through signal propagation to the distantly situated active-site pocket via the functionally important loop regions. Using molecular docking, simulation studies and biochemical studies we have identified the regulatory movements at and around the active site pocket. Our study is the first one to report a non-classical binding site for HtrA3, which is instrumental for formation of a catalytically efficient orthosteric pocket upon substrate binding.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19313312-fx1.jpg" width="470" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Farnoush Asghari-Paskiabi, Mohammad Imani, Hashem Rafii-Tabar, Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Selenium sulfide is a well-known bioactive chemical whose biosynthesis as a nanoparticle (NP) is a controversial issue. In the present study, we employed 〈em〉Saccharomyces cerevisiae〈/em〉 to generate a novel synthetic process of selenium sulfide NPs. The addition of selenium/sulfur precursors to 〈em〉S. cerevisiae〈/em〉 culture produced NPs, which we isolated and characterized the physicochemical properties, toxicity, and antifungal activity. Transmission electron microscopy indicated the presence of the NPs inside the cells. Selenium sulfide NPs were successfully synthesized with average size of 6.0 and 153 nm with scanning electron micrographs and 360 and 289 nm in Zeta sizer using different precursors. The presence of sulfur/selenium in the particles was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and elemental mapping. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy supported the production of selenium sulfide NPs. X-ray diffractograms showed the presence of characteristic peaks of selenium sulfide NPs which were further confirmed by mass spectrometry. The obtained NPs strongly inhibited the growth of pathogenic fungi that belonged to the genera 〈em〉Aspergillus〈/em〉, 〈em〉Candida〈/em〉, 〈em〉Alternaria〈/em〉 and the dermatophytes, while no cytotoxicity was observed in MTT assay. In conclusion, efficient green synthesis of selenium sulfide NPs with appropriate physicochemical properties is possible in bio-systems like 〈em〉S. cerevisiae〈/em〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19313361-fx1.jpg" width="285" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Masashi Maekawa, Hiromi Hiyoshi, Jun Nakayama, Kohki Kido, Tatsuya Sawasaki, Kentaro Semba, Eiji Kubota, Takashi Joh, Shigeki Higashiyama〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit D (EIF3D) binds to the 5′-cap of specific mRNAs, initiating their translation into polypeptides. From a pathological standpoint, EIF3D has been observed to be essential for cell growth in various cancer types, and cancer patients with high EIF3D mRNA levels exhibit poor prognosis, indicating involvement of EIF3D in oncogenesis. In this study, we found, by mass spectrometry, that Cullin-3 (CUL3)/KCTD10 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase forms a complex with EIF3D. We also demonstrated that EIF3D is K27-polyubiquitinated at the lysine 153 and 275 residues in a KCTD10-dependent manner in human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells. Similar to other cancers, high expression of EIF3D significantly correlated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and depletion of EIF3D drastically suppressed HepG2 cell proliferation. These results indicate that EIF3D is a novel substrate of CUL3/KCTD10 Ub ligase and suggest involvement of K27-polyubiquitinated EIF3D in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaobo Chen, Chun Xu, Hong He〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Sustained antibiotic release is important to prevent the infections after surgical treatments such as guided tissue regeneration (GTR). Electrospinning provides a simple way to fabricate nanofibers for drug delivery. In this study, a simple method to achieve sustained antibiotic release by introducing mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs)with electrospinning is developed. The nanoparticles entrapped nanofibers (MSNs-PCL) were successfully fabricated, and a sustained release of gentamicin was demonstrated. The gentamicin loaded MSNs-PCL showed strong antimicrobial effects against 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉, indicated the sustained release behavior and the retained bioactivity. The MSNs-PCL synthesized by electrospinning method shows great potential for biomedical applications such as fabricating GTR membranes.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Abhishek Anil Dubey, Vikas Jain〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈em〉Mycobacterium smegmatis〈/em〉 possesses (〈em〉N〈/em〉,〈em〉N〈/em〉-dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline)-dependent (NDMA) methanol dehydrogenase (Mno) to establish methylotrophy by utilizing methanol as the source of both carbon and energy. In this study, we show that Mno forms decamer and has NADPH as the bound cofactor. Interestingly, Mno uses NDMA and not NADP〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 as an electron acceptor in 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 reactions. We further show that the operon 〈em〉mftAD〈/em〉 required for the biosynthesis of mycofactocin, a ribosomally-synthesized electron carrier, is indispensable for the growth of 〈em〉M. smegmatis〈/em〉 on methanol. Our data obtained from 2,6-Dichlorophenolindophenol reduction assays also suggest that Mno uses mycofactocin as an 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 electron acceptor for the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde. We thus provide here biochemical evidence for mycofactocin as an electron carrier in mycobacterial physiology.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 3 July 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rastine Merat, Aurore Bugi-Marteyn, Ludovic J. Wrobel, Céline Py, Youssef Daali, Christoph Schwärzler, Nicolas Liaudet〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Strategies that aim to limit the adaptive response to pathway inhibition in BRAF-mutated melanoma face the inherent limit of signaling redundancy and multiplicity of possible bypass mechanisms. Drug-induced expression of selected RNA-binding proteins, like the ubiquitously expressed HuR, has the potential to differentially stabilize the expression of many genes involved in the compensatory mechanisms of adaptive response. Here, we detect in 〈em〉BRAF〈/em〉-mutated melanoma cell lines having a higher propensity for adaptive response and in non-responding melanoma tumors, a larger proportion of HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 cells in the expression distribution of HuR. Using knockdown experiments, we demonstrate, through expression profiling and phenotypic assays, that increasing the proportion of HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 cells favors the adaptive response to BRAF inhibition, provided that the HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 state stays reversible. The MAPK dependency of melanoma cells appears to be diminished as the proportion of HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 cells increases. In single-cell assays, we demonstrate that the HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 cells display plasticity in their growth expression profile. Importantly, the adaptive over-proliferating cells emerge in the subpopulation containing the HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 cells. Therapeutic concentrations of lithium salts, although they moderately increase the global expression of HuR, are sufficient to suppress the HuR〈sup〉Low〈/sup〉 cells, induce an overall less resistant expression profile and attenuate in a HuR-dependent manner the adaptive response of melanoma cells in 〈em〉ex vivo〈/em〉 assays. The therapeutic effectiveness of this approach is also demonstrated 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 in mice xenografts. This study has immediate clinical relevance for melanoma therapy and opens a new avenue of strategies to prevent the adaptive response to targeted cancer therapy.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Akira Nakashima, Hisateru Yamaguchi, Yu Kodani, Yoko S. Kaneko, Miho Kawata, Hiroshi Nagasaki, Toshiharu Nagatsu, Akira Ota〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which catalyzes the conversion of 〈span〉l〈/span〉-tyrosine to 〈span〉l〈/span〉-DOPA, is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of catecholamines. It is well known that both α-synuclein and 14-3-3 protein family members bind to the TH molecule and regulate phosphorylation of its N-terminus by kinases to control the catalytic activity. In this present study we investigated whether other proteins aside from these 2 proteins might also bind to TH molecules. Nano-LC-MS/MS analysis revealed that 5′-nucleotidase domain-containing protein 2 (NT5DC2), belonging to a family of haloacid dehalogenase-type (HAD) phosphatases, was detected in the immunoprecipitate of PC12D cell lysates that had been reacted with Dynabeads protein G-anti-TH antibody conjugate. Surprisingly, NT5DC2 had already been revealed by Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) as a gene implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, which are diseases related to the abnormality of dopamine activity in the brain, although the role that NT5DC2 plays in these diseases remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effect of NT5DC2 on the TH molecule. The down-regulation of NT5DC2 by siRNA increased the synthesis of catecholamines (dopamine, noradrenaline, and adrenaline) in PC12D cells. These increases might be attributed to the catalytic activity of TH and not to the intracellular stability of TH, because the intracellular content of TH assessed by Western blotting was not changed by the down-regulation of NT5DC2. Collectively, our results indicate that NT5DC2 inhibited the synthesis of dopamine by decreasing the enzymatic activity of TH.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Meilin Shi, Lina Dong, Shaohui Zheng, Pingfu Hou, Lulu Cai, Mingming Zhao, Xiuli Zhang, Qi Wang, Jingjing Li, Kai Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉“Bottom-up” method is a popular approach for the preparation of molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 QDs) benefitting from less time consumption and no high-powered sonication required. But the relatively low fluorescent quantum yield of the obtained MoS〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 QDs and the rare study about their 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 behavior stimulate us to do more research in this area. In this paper, we proposed a “bottom-up” hydrothermal method to prepare MoS〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 QDs with a quantum yield (QY) of 34.55% by optimizing a series of reaction conditions. The successful fluorescence imaging of tumor cells 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 and 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 as well as the systematic 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉 behavior study such as biocompatibility, biodistribution and metabolism route provided the good basis for their wider biomedical applications.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 141〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Youqiang Liao, Xiaohui Sun, Baojiang Sun, Yonghai Gao, Zhiyuan Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The three–phase gas–liquid–solid flow, caused by hydrate decomposition in cuttings is a main concern during drilling through gas–hydrate reservoir. In this study, a transient gas–liquid–solid flow model is developed considering the coupling interactions between hydrate dynamic decomposition, cuttings transport and heat transfer in multiphase flow. Using this model, the transient gas–liquid–solid flow behaviors are investigated. Numerical simulations show that the decomposition rate of hydrate in formation is only 1/140 of that in annular cuttings for a unit depth, therefore, the influences of hydrate decomposition in hydrate layers can be neglected. Hydrate particles undergo three processes from bottom hole to wellhead in annulus: non–decomposition, slow decomposition and rapid decomposition. In annulus where the depth is more than 400 m, hydrates decompose slowly and the decomposed gas hardly expands due to the high pressure. While, if the hydrates and decomposed gas return upwards to the position where the depth less than 400 m, the gas void fraction increases significantly, not only due to the faster decomposition rate of hydrates but also due to the more intense expansion of decomposed gas. After the hydrate particles return upwards to the wellhead, the behaviors of gas–liquid–solid flow tend to be a quasi–stable state. If there is no backpressure device at the wellhead, that is, the wellhead backpressure is 0 MPa, the gas void fraction at the wellhead can reach 0.68, which is enough to cause blowout accident. Increasing wellhead backpressure to 2 MPa through managed pressure devices and lowering the inlet temperature of drilling fluid to 17.5 °C except adjusting drilling fluid density can manage the gas void fraction within 10%.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: October 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 141〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ronghui Qi, Chuanshuai Dong, Li-Zhi Zhang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The focus of this work is on the liquid-air mass transfer mechanism that is critical for liquid desiccant dehumidification and many other absorption processes. Most existing mass transfer correlations heavily rely on specific experiments and show poor universality. Therefore, we proposed a new set of mass transfer correlations theoretically based on the film instability during falling film dehumidification. The flow dynamic, Marangoni effect and liquid/air contact conditions that affecting the interface characteristics and wetting factors are considered. The correlations were verified by comparing with experimental data from several widely-cited literatures. The tests in these literatures were conducted under a wide range of operating conditions and dehumidifier types. The newly-developed correlations provide an acceptable prediction for liquid-air mass transfer, showing close trends to all previous experimental results. The overall error of the new predictions, 20–30%, is close to those of empirical equations built in the specific literature. The factors that affect the interphase mass transfer by changing the film instability and the wetting factor are also analyzed. The increase in liquid Reynolds number shows the most significant effect as it could effectively increase the film instability and liquid-air contact area. The liquid contact angle on solid surfaces, regarding the wettability, also affects the mass transfer considerably. By reducing the contact angle from 90° to 10°, although the increase in Sherwood number is slight due to the suppression of film instability, the wetting factor is almost doubled, resulting in a significant growth in mass transfer performance. This new correlation examines the falling film mass transfer process in more detail, and is based on fewer simplifying assumptions and attempts to take more realistic situations into account. Findings presented herein contribute to a more fully understanding on the falling film behaviors during liquid/gas contact such as liquid desiccant dehumidification.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 3 September 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 4〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Shan Li, Meilian Yao, Chengqun Niu, Dan Liu, Zhiming Tang, Chunming Gu, Hongyan Zhao, Jing Ke, Shengying Wu, Xiong Wang, Fuyun Wu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Intracellular Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 signals play many important cellular functions such as migration, proliferation and differentiation. Store-operated Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 entry (SOCE) is a major route of Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 entry in nonexcitable cells. The activation of SOCE requires engagement between stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) molecules on the endoplasmic reticulum and Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 release-activated Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 (CRAC) channel Orais (Orai1-3) on the plasma membrane. Accumulating evidence indicates that SOCE plays critical roles in cancer cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis. Here, we used the synthetic intracellular peptides derived from the C-termini of Orai channels to treat the breast cancer cells. We have found that Orai3-CT peptide exhibits stronger binding to STIM1 than Orai1-CT, and Orai3-CT peptide acts in a dominant negative fashion, blocking the STIM1-Orai1 interaction and reducing the Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉 entry and proliferation of breast cancer cells.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Schematic model for Orai peptide inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells. SOAR domain of STIM1 binding to CT and NT of Orai1 leads to the channel opened and calcium entry. The synthetic intracellular peptides derived from Orai channels competitive interact with STIM1, blocking the STIM1-Orai1 interaction and calcium entry, thus reducing the activation of Ca〈sup〉2+〈/sup〉-dependent transcription factors and inhibiting the proliferation of breast cells.〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19313075-fx1.jpg" width="283" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Miho Sawada, Hiroyasu Yamamoto, Ayako Ogasahara, Yuya Tanaka, Shinji Kihara〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Backgroud〈/h6〉 〈p〉Among various myocyte-derived bioactive molecules (myokines), β-aminoisobutyric acid (BAIBA) is a unique myokine that attenuates skeletal muscle insulin resistance and inflammation, increases browning of white adipose tissue, and enhances hepatic fatty acid oxidation, resulting in upregulated energy expenditure of the whole body. In the present study, we investigated the effects of BAIBA on the vascular endothelial cell function.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Methods〈/h6〉 〈p〉The mRNA levels of proinflammatory molecules, antioxidants, and their related transcription regulators were examined by quantitative RT-PCR in BAIBA-treated human aortic or umbilical vein endothelial cells (HAEC or HUVEC, respectively), with or without tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α stimulation. The protein expression and phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were determined by Western blot analysis.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Results〈/h6〉 〈p〉BAIBA pretreatment significantly suppressed the mRNA levels of the adhesion molecules in the TNF-α-stimulated HAEC and HUVEC. BAIBA treatment significantly increased the mRNA levels of antioxidant molecules, catalase, superoxide dismutases, thioredoxin, and gamma-glutamylcysteine ligases, together with mitochondrial biogenesis-related molecules, nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial transcription factor A. In addition, BAIBA treatment significantly increased the transcription factors that regulated these genes [〈em〉i.e.〈/em〉, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-δ, PPAR-γ, estrogen-related receptor α (ERRα), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator (PGC)-1β]. Adenovirus-mediated PGC-1β overexpression significantly increased the mRNA levels of all antioxidant molecules. The phosphorylation levels of AMPK and eNOS were unaltered by BAIBA.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈div〉 〈h6〉Conclusions〈/h6〉 〈p〉In vascular endothelial cells, BAIBA had antiatherogenic effects through the PGC-1β−ERRα/PPAR-δ and PPAR-γ pathway. This can explain the beneficial effects of exercise on vascular endothelial function.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanli Lu, Linlin Wang, Jian Zhang, Jun Li, Guohua Wan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Commensal microbiota modulates the anti-tumor immune response and alters the tumor infiltration of T cells in numerous human malignancies. Moreover, the existence of commensals and microbial metabolites has been directly observed inside numerous epithelial tumors. Their effects on the host immune system, independent of the pre-existing malignancy, are not completely understood. To resolve this issue, we compared immune modulatory roles of the fecal bacteria from healthy individuals and the fecal bacteria from colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells that were provided by healthy donors were used as study systems. Overall, fecal bacteria could potently activate the degranulation and cytotoxicity of CD8〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 T cells. Interestingly, fecal bacteria from CRC patients in general induced higher degranulation and higher cytotoxicity than fecal bacteria from healthy individuals. These effects were dependent on the presence of antigen-presenting cells, such as monocytes and B cells, as fecal bacteria added directly to isolated CD8〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 T cells failed to induce high cytotoxicity. Additionally, fecal bacteria from CRC patients induced stronger upregulation of CD80 and NOS2 expression in monocytes than fecal bacteria from healthy individuals. On the other hand, the viability of CD8〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 T cells was significantly reduced with increasing levels of bacterial stimulation. Overall, we demonstrated that fecal bacteria from CRC patients could upregulate degranulation and cytotoxicity of CD8〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 T cells in a manner that was dependent on antigen-presenting cells, and was more proinflammatory than fecal bacteria from healthy individuals.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xin Yan, Jian Wang, Yanting Zhu, Wei Feng, Cui Zhai, Lu Liu, Wenhua Shi, Qingting Wang, Qianqian Zhang, Limin Chai, Manxiang Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The upregulation of osteopontin(OPN) has been found to contribute to the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells(PASMCs), and activation of PPARγ has been shown to suppress OPN expression in THP-1 cells. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the upregulation of OPN expression and PPARγ agonist modulation of OPN expression in PASMCs remain largely unclear. Here we found that S1P stimulated PASMCs proliferation and up-regulated OPN expression in rat PASMCs, which was accompanied with the activation of phospholipase C(PLC), calcineurin and translocation of NFATc3 to nucleus. Further study showed that inhibition of PLC by U73122, suppression of calcineurin activity by cyclosporine A(CsA) or knockdown of NFATc3 using small interfering RNA suppressed S1P-induced OPN up-regulation. Activation of PPARγ by pioglitazone suppressed S1P-induced activation of calcineurin/NFATc3 signaling pathway and followed OPN up-regulation. Taken together, our study indicates that S1P stimulates OPN expression by activation of PLC/calcineurin/NFATc3 signaling pathway, and activation of PPARγ suppresses calcineurin/NFATc3-mediated OPN expression in PASMCs.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ryan A. Bennick, Alexis A. Nagengast, Justin R. DiAngelo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In Western societies where food is abundant, these excess nutrients are stored as fats mainly in adipose tissue. Fats are stored in structures known as lipid droplets, and a genome-wide screen performed in 〈em〉Drosophila〈/em〉 cells has identified several genes that are important for the formation of these droplets. One group of genes found during this screen included those that regulate mRNA splicing. Previous work from our lab has identified some splicing factors that play a role in regulating fat storage; however, the full complement of splicing proteins that regulate lipid metabolism is still unknown. In this study, the levels of a number of serine-arginine (SR) domain containing splicing factors (RSF1, RBP1, RBP1-like, SF2 and Srp-54) were decreased using RNAi in the adult fat body to assess their role in the control of 〈em〉Drosophila〈/em〉 metabolism. Decreasing SF2 and RBP1 showed increased triglycerides, while inducing RNAi towards RSF1, RBP1-Like and Srp-54 had no effect on triglycerides. Interestingly, the increased triglyceride phenotype in the SF2-RNAi flies was due to an increase in the amount of fat stored per cell while the RBP1-RNAi flies have more fat cells. In addition, the splicing of the β-oxidation enzyme, CPT1, was altered in the SF2-RNAi flies potentially promoting the increased triglycerides in these animals. Together, this study identifies novel splicing factors responsible for the regulation of lipid storage in the 〈em〉Drosophila〈/em〉 fat body and contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms, which influence the regulation of fat storage in adipose-like cells.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Malena Landoni, Tamara Piñero, Luciana L. Soprano, Facundo Garcia-Bournissen, Laura Fichera, Monica I. Esteva, Vilma G. Duschak, Alicia S. Couto〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study shows the effects of tamoxifen, a known estrogen receptor antagonist used in the treatment of breast cancer, on the sphingolipid pathway of 〈em〉Trypanosoma cruzi,〈/em〉 searching for potential chemotherapeutic targets. A dose-dependent epimastigote growth inhibition at increasing concentration of tamoxifen was determined. In blood trypomastigotes, treatment with 10 μM showed 90% lysis, while 86% inhibition of intracellular amastigote development was obtained using 50 μM. Lipid extracts from treated and non-treated metabolically labelled epimastigotes evidenced by thin layer chromatography different levels of sphingolipids and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis assured the identity of the labelled species. Comparison by HPLC-ESI mass spectrometry of lipids, notably exhibited a dramatic increase in the level of ceramide in tamoxifen-treated parasites and a restrained increase of ceramide-1P and sphingosine, indicating that the drug is acting on the enzymes involved in the final breakdown of ceramide. The ultrastructural analysis of treated parasites revealed characteristic morphology of cells undergoing an apoptotic-like death process. Flow cytometry confirmed cell death by an apoptotic-like machinery indicating that tamoxifen triggers this process by acting on the parasitic sphingolipid pathway.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19312872-fx1.jpg" width="254" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kaiyue Zhang, Wenwen Yang, Hongbin Yu, Can Fu, Xiaxia Liu, Jian Liu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The TFIIB-related factor (BRF) family plays vital roles in RNA polymerase (Pol) III transcription initiation. However, little is known about the role of BRF in plants. Here, we report BRF1 and BRF2 are involved in Arabidopsis reproduction. In this study, we generated BRF1 and BRF2 double mutant plants. We found that no homozygous double mutants of 〈em〉brf1brf2〈/em〉 were obtained when 〈em〉brf1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉brf2〈/em〉 were crossed, although 〈em〉brf1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉brf2〈/em〉 mutants individually developed and reproduced normally. Further experiments revealed that heterozygous 〈em〉brf1/〈/em〉 + 〈em〉brf2/〈/em〉 + produced abnormal pollen and had no seeds in some placentas of siliques. Genetic data derived from reciprocal crosses showed that BRF2 plays a dominant role in Arabidopsis reproduction. Taken together, a double mutation of BRF1 and BRF2 results in a high degree of aborted macrogametes and microgametes and complete failure in zygote generation, ultimately leading to sterility.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hai Yu, Suojun Zhang, Ahmed N. Ibrahim, Jia Wang, Zhong Deng, Maode Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Regulator of chromosome condensation 2 (RCC2) is a regulator of cell-cycle progression linked in multiple cancers to pro-tumorigenic phenomena including promotion of tumor growth, tumor metastases and poorer patient prognoses. However, the role of RCC2 in GBM remains under-investigated. Here, we sought to determine the relevance of RCC2 in GBM, as well as its roles in GBM development, progression and prognosis. Initial clinical evaluation determined significant RCC2 enrichment in GBM when compared to normal brain tissue, and elevated expression was closely associated with a poorer prognosis in glioma patients. Via shRNA inhibition, we determined that RCC2 is essential to tumor proliferation and tumorigenicity 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 and 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉. Additionally, RCC2 was determined to promote radioresistance of GBM tumor cells. Investigation of the underlying mechanisms implicated DNA mismatch repair, JAK-STAT pathway and activated transcription of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). For validation, pharmacologic inhibition via administration of a DNMT1 inhibitor demonstrated attenuated GBM tumor growth both 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 and 〈em〉in vivo〈/em〉. Collectively, this study determined a novel therapeutic target for GBM in the form of RCC2, which plays a pivotal role in GBM proliferation and radio-resistance via regulation of DNMT1 expression in a p-STAT3 dependent manner.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ke Gong, Zi-Jun Gong, Pin-Xiang Lu, Xiao-ling Ni, Sheng Shen, Han Liu, Ji-Wen Wang, De-Xiang Zhang, Hou-Bao Liu, Tao Suo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is always diagnosed at an advanced stage, and patients often miss the opportunity for surgery. Gemcitabine (GEM) and platinum-based drugs, including oxaliplatin (OXA), are mainstays of chemotherapy. However, drug resistance causes treatment failure. Hence, salvage mechanisms are critical to improve outcomes. This study revealed the positive correlation between placenta-specific protein 8 (PLAC8) overexpression and PD-L1 overexpression in GBC. Given the roles of PLAC8 and PD-L1 in chemotherapy resistance, GEM-resistant and OXA-resistant cell lines (SGC966GR and SGC966OR, respectively) were established to test whether and how PLAC8 and PD-L1 function in chemotherapy resistance. Drug-insensitive SGC966GR and SGC966OR cells upregulated MRP and MDR1 and had high expression of PLAC8. PLAC8 blockade using siRNA reversed chemotherapy resistance and downregulated MRP and MDR1 in SGC966GR and SGC966OR cells, suggesting that PLAC8 mediates chemotherapy resistance in GBC. Consistent with the increased mRNA levels of PD-L1 after the acquisition of resistance, PLAC8 knockdown reduced PD-L1 mRNA expression in SGC966GR and SGC966OR cells. In conclusion, PLAC8 overexpression in GBC patients positively correlated with PD-L1 expression. PLAC8 conferred resistance to GEM and OXA by upregulating PD-L1 expression, and PLAC8 or PD-L1 blockade may have potential for overcoming chemotherapy resistance, providing therapeutic options for chemotherapy-refractory GBC patients.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yuya Miki, Tomoaki Morioka, Atsushi Shioi, Kenta Fujimoto, Takeshi Sakura, Hideki Uedono, Yoshinori Kakutani, Akinobu Ochi, Katsuhito Mori, Tetsuo Shoji, Masanori Emoto, Masaaki Inaba〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Oncostatin M (OSM) is a cytokine of the interleukin-6 family and plays a role in various disorders such as cancer and inflammatory diseases, which are often accompanied by skeletal muscle atrophy, or sarcopenia. However, the role of OSM in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass remains to be identified. In this study, we investigated the effect of OSM on C2C12 myotube formation 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉. C2C12 myoblasts were induced to differentiate into myotubes for 3 days and then treated with OSM for 24 or 48 h. The diameter of differentiated C2C12 myotubes were reduced by 18.7% and 23.3% compared to control cells after treatment with OSM for 24 and 48 h, respectively. The expression levels of MyoD and myogenin were decreased, while those of atrogin-1, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein δ, and OSM receptor were increased in C2C12 myotubes treated with OSM for 24 h compared to control cells. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of OSM on myotube formation was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with an inhibitor of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 or by knockdown of 〈em〉Stat3〈/em〉. Finally, the OSM-induced changes in the expression levels of MyoD, myogenin, and atrogin-1 were reversed by pretreatment with an inhibitor of STAT3 or by 〈em〉Stat3〈/em〉 knockdown in C2C12 myotubes. In conclusion, OSM induces C2C12 myotube atrophy by inhibiting myogenic differentiation and activating muscle degradation in a STAT3-dependent manner.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Paola Francini Fávero, Victor Augusto Vieira de Lima, Priscila Helena dos Santos, Ana Paula Marques Andrade, Leonardo Oliveira Mendes, Francis Lopes Pacagnelli, Anthony César de Souza Castilho〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To assist in evaluating and quantifying tissue changes, fractal dimension (FD) is a useful method for assessing the organization in an image from fractals that describes the amount of space and the self-similarity of the structure, once FD detects subtle morphological changes and performs functional quantitative measures. Here, we hypothesized that fractal analysis may be different in functional and regressing bovine corpus luteum (CL) and may be correlated with differential expression of genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling. CL presents two developmental stages, the functional and regressing CL, according to progesterone levels and morphology. First, we found a lower FD in functional CL using HE staining and picrosirius red approach. Additionally, we found a great amount of total collagen in regressing CL. Regarding gene expression, we showed an up regulation of 〈em〉COL1A1, COL1A2, MMP2〈/em〉, and 〈em〉MMP14〈/em〉 and a down regulation of 〈em〉TIMP1〈/em〉 and 〈em〉TIMP2〈/em〉 in regressing CL compared to the functional one. Thus, we concluded that differential FD observed during luteal regression is an effective method to evaluate the tissue changes observed during luteal development in cattle and is related to differential quantity of genes involved in extracellular matrix remodeling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tangliang Zhao, Xiaolong Liang, Junming Chen, Yi Bao, Anbang Wang, Xinxin Gan, Xin Lu, Linhui Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Angiopoietin-like proteins (ANGPTLs) 〈u〉comprise〈/u〉 a group of proteins that are structurally similar to angiopoietins. In our previous studies, we found that ANGPTL3 can inhibit sorafenib resistance in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). According to bioinformatics analysis based on data in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we found that expression of ANGPTL3 was significantly lower in RCC tissues than in adjacent tissues and that disease-free survival and overall survival were significantly shorter in patients with lower ANGPTL3 levels than in those with higher ANGPTL3 levels. Consistent with these results, we demonstrated that RCC tissues exhibited lower ANGPTL3 mRNA and protein expression levels than paired adjacent tissues. Moreover, we found that ANGPTL3 upregulation was associated with better clinical outcomes in RCC patients. ANGPTL3 overexpression inhibited the metastatic ability in RCC cells. Mechanistically, ANGPTL3 〈u〉binds〈/u〉 to vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) and inhibits its phosphorylation at amino acid 157 in RCC cells. Finally, ANGPTL3 expression and VASP-157 phosphorylation 〈u〉may〈/u〉 be combined to predict the prognosis of RCC patients. Overall, our findings describe the role of ANGPTL3 in inhibiting RCC metastasis and thus provide new molecular 〈u〉markers〈/u〉 for RCC treatment and prognosis.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: 27 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, Volume 516, Issue 3〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong Won Choi, Ga Eun Nam, Young Hwa Kim, Jung Eun Yoon, Ji Hee Park, Jang Hee Kim, Seok Yun Kang, Tae Jun Park〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉 oncogene mutation occurs in various cancers and is associated with tumor initiation. However, genetic modification of B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉 in cells induces MAPK activation and results in oncogene-induced senescence. Overcoming the oncogene-induced senescence by B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉 requires activation of another oncogene pathway, such as AKT signaling. In the present study, we explored the factors involved in overcoming the senescence program in cells activated by B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉 and AKT signaling. B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉 activation caused a feedback inhibition of AKT phosphorylation and resulted in downregulation of FoxM1, one of the AKT downstream components. AKT activation by PTEN downregulation induced FoxM1 expression, and co-expression of B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉 and FoxM1 overcame the cellular senescence. These observations suggested that FoxM1 is critical downstream gene of AKT and functions to overcome B-Raf〈sup〉V600E〈/sup〉-induced senescence.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 29 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Jaehak Lee, Ilju Kim, Eunsu Yoo, Seung Joon Baek〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug activated gene-1 (NAG-1), also known as growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15), is a TGF-β (transforming growth factor beta) superfamily protein with a distinctive secretion pathway. NAG-1 is associated with multiple diseases including cancer, wherein it plays a role in both pro- and anti-cancer activities. We previously reported that NAG-1 is translocated to different subcellular compartments and its activity depends on its localization. In this paper, we report that the transfection of a novel peptide corresponding to the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of NAG-1 blocks its translocation to the nucleus. Further, accumulation of NAG-1 in the cytoplasm decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, thus implying apoptosis induction as a consequence. Overall, our results indicate that the novel peptide derived from NAG-1 NLS sequence is a promising tool for enhancing the anti-tumorigenic activity of NAG-1.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19316134-fx1.jpg" width="350" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 29 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yanjun Zeng, Qingwu Qin, Keyu Li, Haitao Li, Chao Song, Yi Li, Minhui Dai, Fengyu Lin, Zhi Mao, Qian Li, Yuan Long, Yifei Fan, Pinhua Pan〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉To explore the effect of double-stranded RNA-dependent kinase (PKR) in acute lung injury (ALI) and resultant acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A mouse model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI was used to evaluate the levels of phosphorylated (p)-PKR and NLRP3 in lung tissue, and the protective effects of a PKR inhibitor on lung injury. And in vitro, macrophages were incubated with LPS, with or without PKR inhibitor pre-treatment. It was observed that the levels of p-PKR protein and NLRP3 protein were significantly increased compared with those in control tissues after LPS administration. Meanwhile, treatment with PKR inhibitor decreased inflammation, injury score, wet/dry weight ratio, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) protein levels, neutrophil count in BALF, myeloperoxidase activity and expression of high-mobility group box1(HMGB1) and interleukin(IL)-1β in the lungs of LPS-challenged mice. In vitro, we demonstrated that the levels of p-PKR and NLRP3, and cell mortality rate were increased in macrophages which were incubated with LPS compared with those without LPS administration, and PKR inhibitor significantly suppressed the level of NLRP3, caspase-1, HMGB1 and IL-1β. These results indicate that PKR plays a key role in ALI through NLRP3-pyrotosis pathway and pharmacological inhibition of PKR may have potential therapeutic effects in the treatment of patients with ALI and ARDS.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 29 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marcelo Gomes Granja, Luis Eduardo Gomes Braga, Raphael Monteiro de Oliveira, Eliezer de Mello Silva, Cassiano Felippe Gonçalves-de-Albuquerque, Adriana Ribeiro Silva, Hugo Caire de Castro-Faria-Neto, Aline Araujo dos Santos, Elizabeth Giestal-de-Araujo〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Trophic factors are involved in different cellular responses. Previously we demonstrated that IL-4 treatment induces an increase in retinal ganglion cell survival (RGCS) and regulates cholinergic differentiation of retinal cells 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉. Data from literature show that IGF-1 also promotes RGCS, an effect mediated by PI-3K/AKT pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of IGF-1 and IGF-1R on RGCS mediated by IL-4 treatment and the role of M1 acetylcholine receptors in this effect. Here we show that the effect of IL-4 on RGCS depends on IGF-1 and IGF-1R activation, the PI-3K/AKT and NFkB intracellular pathways and depends on M1 mAChRs activation. IGF-1 increases the levels of M1 mAChRs in 15min, 45min, 24 h and 48 h in mixed retinal cells culture, modulates the levels of IL-4, pIGF-1R, IGF-1R. IL-4 modulates IGF-1, pIGF-1R and IGF-1R levels in different time intervals. These results put in evidence a crosstalk between IL-4 and IGF-1 and a role of M1 mAChRs, IGF-1 and IGF-1R in RGCS mediated by IL-4.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wahiba Yaïci, Evgueniy Entchev〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉 〈p〉In recent years, considerable interest has been given to the application of solar-powered cooling technology for use in buildings. Solar cooling systems look like to be a suitable substitution to the traditional vapour-compression electrical-driven machines. Solar systems have the advantage of using harmless working fluids, especially water. They also have the capacity to decrease the peak loads for electricity utilities and can contribute to a substantial reduction of the harmful CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 emissions, which produce the notorious greenhouse effect that in turn is responsible for global warming and its devastating consequences. Amongst cooling technologies, low-temperature, solar-powered adsorption chillers/heat pumps are arising as a sustainable alternative to electrical vapour-compression systems.〈/p〉 〈p〉This study aims at examining the impact of design and operating factors on an adsorption cooling system’s performance in a residential application. An unsteady Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) combined with a heat and mass transfer model of the adsorption cooling system using adsorbent/water pair, was created in order to predict the following: (1) Flow behaviour; (2) Pressure; (3) Temperature; and (4) Water adsorption distributions. For possible adsorbents, both silica gel and zeolite 13X were considered; however, it is worth mentioning that silica gel was used at a lower working temperature range, as required by the operation. This makes silica gel an efficient option for solar/heat driven residential cooling applications. For the CFD model implemented equations, two geometries found in literature were employed for validation. Validation of the unsteady simulation results with experimental data found in literature showed favourable agreements. In a parametric study, various computation cases underwent simulation over the duration of the adsorption mode, which considered the following set of factors: heat transfer fluid (HTF) velocity (〈em〉v〈/em〉); adsorbent bed thickness (〈em〉l〈sub〉bed〈/sub〉〈/em〉); heat exchanger tube thickness (〈em〉b〈/em〉); and adsorbent particle diameter (〈em〉d〈sub〉p〈/sub〉〈/em〉) in order to perform a detailed investigation for main geometrical and operating parameters’ influence upon system performance. Results obtained from CFD disclosed the significance of 〈em〉v〈/em〉, 〈em〉l〈sub〉bed〈/sub〉〈/em〉 and 〈em〉d〈sub〉p〈/sub〉〈/em〉 whereas 〈em〉b〈/em〉 was found having relatively minor modifications within the system performance. Additionally, the development of CFD combined with heat and mass transfer model serves as an effective tool for both simulation and optimisation of adsorption cooling systems as well as for performance predicting purposes.〈/p〉 〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenzhong Gao, Qiaye Qi, Jiahao Zhang, Guangming Chen, Dawei Wu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Spray flash evaporation is an effective desalination method, which increases specific surface area of salty water by liquid atomization, thereby improving desalination performance and maximising low-grade heat source utilization. During evaporation, explosive boiling phenomenon occurs inside superheated droplets on a heated surface. In order to understand the mechanism of explosive boiling, spray flash evaporation of distilled water and 3.5 wt% salty water in a high vacuum vessel was observed visually. Meanwhile, a parametric study was carried out to scrutinize the impacts of the variation of ambient pressure, heat flux, and surface superheat degree. The experiment data indicates that nucleate site is located in the upper layer of a droplet due to internal superheated liquid and Marangoni convection. In different operating conditions, bubble fragmentation process or crown fragmentation process happens at nucleate site. The fragmentation time of pure water, which is mainly influenced by heat flux and surface superheat degree, shrinks with higher heat flux and higher surface superheat degree. The fragmentation time of 3.5 wt% salty water decreases with ambient pressure drops and superheat degree increments.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Miaomiao Chen, Zhigang Yang, Zheyan Jin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In the present study, we experimentally investigated the melting process of an ice bead on the smooth and micro-grooved surfaces under a hot shear flow. One smooth silicon surface and three micro-grooved silicon surfaces were fabricated and tested. A parameter study of the substrate surface temperature and the air flow speed was conducted. During the experiment, an ice bead was first formed from a freezing water droplet on a cold substrate surface. Then, the ice bead was exposed to a hot shear flow and its melting process was recorded by a CCD camera and an infrared camera simultaneously. As for the micro-grooved surfaces, the direction of the hot shear flow was parallel to the micro-grooves. The results showed that the melting process of the ice bead on the smooth and micro-grooved surfaces under a hot shear flow could be divided into three categories. The air flow speed, the surface temperature, and the type of the surface had a significant influence on which category the melting process of the ice bead belonged to. Besides, the presence of the micro-grooves was found to apparently affect the wetting length, the removable time, and the temperature along the centerline of the ice bead. In general, the micro-grooved surfaces were found to be more favorable for the ice bead melting process than the smooth surface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Kai Yang, Geng-Hui Jiang, Hai-Feng Peng, Xiao-Wei Gao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, combination of radial integration boundary element method (RIBEM) with complex variable and Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm (LMA) is firstly proposed to identify temperature-dependent conductivity in the inverse heat conduction problem. To obtain the simulative temperature, radial integration boundary element method is used to solve the transient nonlinear heat conduction problem with temperature-dependent conductivity. What’s more, RIBEM with complex variable, which transforms the real variables into complex ones in boundary element method, makes it possible to perform complex variable derivative method (CVDM) in LMA. Furthermore, because of the introduction of CVDM, the sensitivity coefficient matrix can be calculated accurately and efficiently, and then the identification of unknown variable can be achieved admirably in the inverse heat problem. Finally, different initial guess value and measurement errors are considered, respectively, and various numerical examples are presented to fully demonstrate the accuracy and feasibility of the proposed method in identifying temperature-dependent conductivity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wonkeun Baik, Rin Yun〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The condensation heat-transfer coefficient and pressure drop for pure CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 + N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 mixtures were investigated under the near-critical condition, which simulates the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 transporting conditions under Carbon Capture, Transportation, and Storage (CCS). The experimental apparatus consists of a test section, heat exchangers, mass flow meters, temperature sensors, a magnetic gear pump, and a differential pressure transducer. The test section made with a copper tube was assembled with Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipe to form a double tube. The condensation temperature and mole fraction of N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 of the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 mixtures ranged from 20 °C to 30 °C, and 1 to 5%, respectively. The mass flux was changed from 500, 600 and 700 kg·m〈sup〉−2〈/sup〉s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉. The average heat transfer coefficient of the CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 + N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 mixtures decreased by 2.23 to 15.9% based on the average heat transfer coefficient of pure CO〈sub〉2〈/sub〉, and the pressure drop decreased by 53.4 to 77.3% at the condensation temperature of 25 °C with increase of the mole fraction of N〈sub〉2〈/sub〉.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yong Jin, Mohammed Albaity, Yusuf Shi, Noreddine Ghaffour, Peng Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Water condensation is an important phase change phenomenon whose applications range from power generation to water desalination. In the present study, we compared condensation occurring on two different substrates (namely square and strip) and demonstrated the effect of substrate geometry on water condensation. It is found that condensation on different regions of the same substrate is dramatically different due to different local vapor flux. In general, the condensation rate is linearly proportional to vapor flux while average vapor flux can be improved by creating geometrical discontinuity (strip substrate) within rigid substrates. Experimental result of water collection confirms that the condensation rate is increased by around 40% on the strip substrate compared to the square substrate. This study demonstrates that water condensation can be enhanced by rationally tuning the geometry of the condensation substrate. Performance of water condensation of a specific substrate can be predicated by simulating the vapor flux over the substrate.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Hao Zhang, Ningfei Wang, Zhiwen Wu, Wanzhi Han, Rui Du〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A new theoretical model has been developed to calculate the regression rate of solid fuel scramjet (SF-Scramjet). This model obtains the local regression rate by calculating the local heat flux on the fuel surface, which is obtained by a standard wall function. A two-dimensional, axisymmetric, turbulent, one-reaction model which used the new method was developed to study the solid fuel regression rate for SF-Scramjet numerically with a flight environment of 25 km and a Mach number of 6. The quasi-steady state numerical method has been adopted to calculate the regression rate at different times. Experiments were carried out on the ground dedicated connected-pipe static test facility under the same boundary conditions to verify the correctness of the model. The results demonstrate that the numerical results agree well with the experimental results in the first few seconds. In the next few seconds of combustion, the numerical results of the regression rate gradually deviate from the experimental results. This may be due to the gradual accumulation of errors in the quasi-steady method.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fan Wu, Liang Li, Jiefeng Wang, Xiaojun Fan, Changhe Du〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In this paper, four swirl and impingement composite cooling structures are established to deeply study the flow and heat transfer characteristics, where the swirl nozzles and impingement nozzles are reasonably arranged. Numerical simulation is conducted by solving the Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with the standard 〈em〉k〈/em〉-〈em〉ω〈/em〉 model. Meanwhile, numerical results are compared with the cooling behaviors of swirl cooling and impingement cooling under the same condition. Results revealed that the pressure distribution of four composite cooling structures is quite different from that of swirl cooling and impingement cooling. Hence, the nozzle mass flow ratio distribution of composite cooling structures displays a large fluctuation with the variation of the nozzle location, which has an influence on the flow and heat transfer characteristics. Moreover, the heat transfer characteristics of swirl and impingement composite cooling combine the advantages of impingement cooling and swirl cooling, where there both exists extremely high local heat transfer regions and uniform heat transfer regions. As for composite cooling 3 and composite cooling 4, the alternate locations of impingement nozzles and swirl nozzles could effectively increase the band-shaped high heat transfer area. Meanwhile, the low heat transfer area caused by the continuous arrangement of impingement nozzles is reduced. Among four composite cooling structures, the composite cooling 4 has the highest average heat transfer coefficient and the minimum pressure loss. The globally average heat transfer of composite cooling 4 is 3.49% lower than swirl cooling but is 19.12% higher than impingement cooling. Its total pressure loss is 4.29% lower than swirl cooling and is slightly lower compared with impingement cooling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Fang Li, Wenhui Zhu, Hu He〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Microchannel cooling technology using nanofluid is one of the effective ways to solve the rapid heat dissipation in a limited space for high power density device. In this work, the field synergy and heat transfer performance of nanofluid in the microchannel with non-uniform internal spoiler cavities configuration based on conjugate heat transfer and homogenous model were investigated. The heat transfer enhancement mechanism of nanofluid in this complex microchannel was discussed through the analysis of field synergy angle, field synergy factor, and flow and heat transfer characteristics. It was found that the flow and heat transfer performance of the nanofluid in the microchannel can be well explained by the field synergy principle. The nanofluid heat transfer enhancement phenomenon could be attributed to the improvement of the field synergy of the thermal boundary layer under the axial thermal conductive effect. In addition, the field synergy analysis of nanofluid in complex microchannel revealed that the heat transfer enhancement was affected by the combination of perturbation effect, the axial thermal conduction effect and the thermal boundary redevelopment.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yang Xu, Chanhee Moon, Jin-Jun Wang, Oleg G. Penyazkov, Kyung Chun Kim〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉This study experimentally investigated the combined effects of the wall temperature (〈em〉T〈sub〉w〈/sub〉〈/em〉〈sub〉0〈/sub〉) and the orifice-to-wall distance (〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉) on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of an impinging synthetic jet. Thermographic phosphor thermometry (TPT) was used to measure the wall surface temperature, and the quantitative flow velocity was obtained using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV). A cavity-diaphragm actuator was employed to generate a round synthetic jet to impinge onto a heated wall that was coated with Mg〈sub〉4〈/sub〉FGeO〈sub〉6〈/sub〉:Mn (MFG) for use as a temperature sensor. Three orifice-to-wall distances (〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉 = 10, 15, and 20) and three wall temperatures (〈em〉T〈sub〉w〈/sub〉〈/em〉〈sub〉0〈/sub〉 = 60 °C, 90 °C, and 120 °C) were tested for comparison, whereas the the operating conditions of the incident synthetic jet were kept constant. It was found that the maximum temperature drop at the stagnation point could reach approximately 50°C although the orifice-to-wall distance was relatively large in this study, which indicated a good cooling performance of the synthetic jet. The penetration of the wall shear layer played an important role on the cooling performance of the impinging synthetic jet. For a heated wall with high 〈em〉T〈sub〉w〈/sub〉〈/em〉〈sub〉0〈/sub〉, the enhanced buoyancy and thermal boundary layer resulted in the formation of a strong wall shear layer, which was more difficult for the impinging synthetic jet to affect or penetrate. For a large 〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉, the vortex rings of the synthetic jet lose coherence completely before impacting the wall. Thus, they have no ability to penetrate the wall’s shear layer to interact with it directly. As a result, the cooling performance of the impinging synthetic jet gradually decreased as both 〈em〉T〈sub〉w〈/sub〉〈/em〉〈sub〉0〈/sub〉 and 〈em〉H〈/em〉/〈em〉D〈/em〉 increased. In particular, the maximum cooling effect by the synthetic jet impingement can achieve 64% of the theoretical maximum.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0017931019325189-ga1.jpg" width="419" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Panding Wang, Hongshuai Lei, Xiaolei Zhu, Haosen Chen, Daining Fang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Powder-based metallic additive manufacturing (AM) technology is opening new avenues to fabricate highly complex components from metallic powders. However, most of the powder-scale modeling methods are limited to single track process and ideal particle microstructure. Nevertheless, the presence of hollow particles significantly influences the heat conduction during AM processing and experimental quantification of the heat conduction between hollow particles is extremely challenging. Herein, we have used X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) to reconstruct 3D structures of AlSi10Mg particles. The morphology, location and distribution of intact and hollow particles are studied to analyze their role in AM processing. Based on X-ray tomography images, two 3D image-based finite element models of statistically representative particles with imperfect geometry are reconstructed and compared to simulate the thermal conduction in the powder bed. Simulation results shows that thermal conduction is governed not only by cell topology but also by cavities in particles induced by powder production. The calculation results are consistent with the Serial-Parallel Model, which is based on the reconstruction geometry model and statistical results. The results reveal that the presence of cavities in particles significantly influences the thermal conduction and, consequently, reduces the sintered density during selective laser sintering (SLS).〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0017931019301486-ga1.jpg" width="319" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ukmin Han, Heeseung Kang, Hongyoung Lim, Jeongwan Han, Hoseong Lee〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Recently, there has been great attention to find new materials of a heat exchanger to replace aluminum which has been typically used for a long time as a basic material of heat exchangers. In this context, polymeric materials are considered as candidates due to their characteristics of lightweight and excellent corrosion resistance. Despite substantial benefits of polymeric materials, there is a critical issue as used for the heat exchanger, which is the low heat transfer performance due to their extremely low thermal conductivity. In this study, to overcome this limitation, a novel polymer heat exchanger is proposed with the new heat flow design. The finless teardrop-shaped tube bundle polymer heat exchanger is newly designed and its thermal-hydraulic performances are investigated with experiments and simulations. Then, the geometries of the novel polymer heat exchanger are optimized to maximize the thermal and hydraulic performance by using the online approximation-assisted optimization technique.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: December 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 144〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Rui Hou, Fengbo Wen, Yuxi Luo, Xiaolei Tang, Songtao Wang〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The thermal and flow fields of round and trenched holes in the flat-plate model are investigated using large eddy simulation (LES) after validated against the experimental results. The focus is on understanding the influence of the trenched hole on downstream vortex structures at blowing ratios M = 0.5 and 1.0, which may benefit its effective application in cooling design. At M = 1.0, the transverse trench increases turbulent fluctuations and augments the complexity of vortex structures. Dynamic mode decomposition analysis is employed to extract the primary vortex structures. The dominant vortices of the trenched hole include K-H vortices and hairpin-like vortices near the centerline. This series of hairpin-like vortices present a larger spatial size than the hairpin vortex downstream of the round hole. Besides, they correspond to the downstream counter-rotating vortex pair in the mean flow field, which is detrimental to the local film cooling effectiveness. At lower blowing ratio M = 0.5, the previous spatially large hairpin-like vortices are replaced by a smaller one which alternatively appears on both sides of the centerline. In the mean flow field, each branch of the CVP is caught between two anti-CVPs. The suppression of adjacent vortices guarantees the attachment of coolant to the surface.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 143〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Wenyao Zhang, Qiuwang Wang, Min Zeng, Cunlu Zhao〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A systematic theoretical study of thermoelectric effect and temperature-gradient-driven electrokinetic flow of electrolyte solutions in charged nanocapillaries is presented. The study is based on a semianalytical model developed by simultaneously solving the nonisothermal Poisson-Nernst-Planck-Navier-Stokes equations with the lubrication theory. Particularly, this paper clarifies the interplay and relative importance of the thermoelectric mechanisms due to (a) the convective transport of ions caused by the fluid flow, (b) the dependence of ion electrophoretic mobility on temperature, (c) the difference in the intrinsic Soret coefficients of cation and anion. Additionally, synergy conditions for the three thermoelectric mechanisms to fully cooperate are proposed for thermo-phobic/philic electrolytes. The temperature-gradient-driven electrokinetic flow is shown to be a nearly unidirectional flow whose axial velocity profiles vary with the axial location. Also, the flow can be regarded as a consequence of the counteraction or cooperation between a thermoelectric-field-driven electroosmotic flow and a thermo-osmotic flow driven by the osmotic pressure gradient and dielectric body force. Moreover, the Seebeck coefficient and the fluid average velocity are demonstrated to be affected by electrolyte-related parameters. The results are beneficial for understanding the temperature-gradient-driven electrokinetic transport in nanocapillaries and also serve as theoretical foundation for the design of low-grade waste heat recovery devices and thermoosmotic pumps.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0017931019322598-ga1.jpg" width="268" alt="Graphical abstract for this article" title=""〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 143〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Marco Gandolfi, Giulio Benetti, Christ Glorieux, Claudio Giannetti, Francesco Banfi〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉In order to account for non-Fourier heat transport, occurring on short time and length scales, the often-praised Dual-Phase-Lag (DPL) model was conceived, introducing a causality relation between the onset of heat flux and the temperature gradient. The most prominent aspect of the first-order DPL model is the prediction of wave-like temperature propagation, the detection of which still remains elusive. Among the challenges to make further progress is the capability to disentangle the intertwining of the parameters affecting wave-like behaviour. This work contributes to the quest, providing a straightforward, easy-to-adopt, analytical mean to inspect the optimal conditions to observe temperature wave oscillations. The complex-valued dispersion relation for the temperature scalar field is investigated for the case of a localised temperature pulse in space, and for the case of a forced temperature oscillation in time. A modal quality factor is introduced showing that, for the case of the temperature gradient preceding the heat flux, the material acts as a bandpass filter for the temperature wave. The bandpass filter characteristics are accessed in terms of the relevant delay times entering the DPL model. The optimal region in parameters space is discussed in a variety of systems, covering nine and twelve decades in space and time-scale respectively. The here presented approach is of interest for the design of nanoscale thermal devices operating on ultra-fast and ultra-short time scales, a scenario here addressed for the case of quantum materials and graphite.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 143〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xiaoling Yu, Zhao Lu, Liyu Zhang, Lichuan Wei, Xin Cui, Liwen Jin〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The thermal characteristics of lithium-ion battery affect significantly charging/discharging performance, cycle life and safety of electric vehicles (EVs) battery packs. In this study, a stagger-arranged battery pack consisting of three battery modules was developed to explore its transient thermal characteristics in charging/discharging process under the two cooling strategies, i.e., natural cooling and forced air cooling. The investigation of heat generation behavior of the battery with Li(Ni〈sub〉x〈/sub〉Co〈sub〉y〈/sub〉Al〈sub〉z〈/sub〉)O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 cathode showed that the heat generation rate of the battery remains almost unchanged along the main discharging process, while a rapid increase in heat production is detected at the end of discharging. It was found that the maximum temperature and temperature difference in the battery pack subject to a moderate charging/discharging rate, e.g., 0.5 C, can be maintained within the desirable ranges by natural cooling. The forced air cooling strategy employing longitudinal airflow remarkably improves the battery’s transient thermal characteristics with achieving the depth of discharge (DOD) up to 84.2%, which is capable to prolong the battery pack’s cycle life to a large extent. Lastly, the appropriate air supply velocity of 0.8 m⋅s〈sup〉−1〈/sup〉 is recommended for the proposed battery pack subject to a higher discharging rate, e.g., 1 C, from the viewpoint of cooling effectiveness.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Investigating slow earthquake activity in subduction zones provides insight into the slip behavior of megathrusts, which can provide important clues about the rupture extent of future great earthquakes. Using the S-net ocean-bottom seismograph network along the Japan Trench, we mapped a detailed distribution of tectonic tremors, which coincided with very-low-frequency earthquakes and a slow slip event. Compiling these and other related observations, including repeating earthquakes and earthquake swarms, we found that the slow earthquake distribution is complementary to the Tohoku-Oki earthquake rupture. We used our observations to divide the megathrust in the Japan Trench into three along-strike segments characterized by different slip behaviors. We found that the rupture of the Tohoku-Oki earthquake, which nucleated in the central segment, was terminated by the two adjacent segments.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Stimuli-responsive materials activated by biological signals play an increasingly important role in biotechnology applications. We exploit the programmability of CRISPR-associated nucleases to actuate hydrogels containing DNA as a structural element or as an anchor for pendant groups. After activation by guide RNA–defined inputs, Cas12a cleaves DNA in the gels, thereby converting biological information into changes in material properties. We report four applications: (i) branched poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels releasing DNA-anchored compounds, (ii) degradable polyacrylamide-DNA hydrogels encapsulating nanoparticles and live cells, (iii) conductive carbon-black–DNA hydrogels acting as degradable electrical fuses, and (iv) a polyacrylamide-DNA hydrogel operating as a fluidic valve with an electrical readout for remote signaling. These materials allow for a range of in vitro applications in tissue engineering, bioelectronics, and diagnostics.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Understanding genomic variation and population structure of 〈i〉Plasmodium falciparum〈/i〉 across Africa is necessary to sustain progress toward malaria elimination. Genome clustering of 2263 〈i〉P. falciparum〈/i〉 isolates from 24 malaria-endemic settings in 15 African countries identified major western, central, and eastern ancestries, plus a highly divergent Ethiopian population. Ancestry aligned to these regional blocs, overlapping with both the parasite’s origin and with historical human migration. The parasite populations are interbred and shared genomic haplotypes, especially across drug resistance loci, which showed the strongest recent identity-by-descent between populations. A recent signature of selection on chromosome 12 with candidate resistance loci against artemisinin derivatives was evident in Ghana and Malawi. Such selection and the emerging substructure may affect treatment-based intervention strategies against 〈i〉P. falciparum〈/i〉 malaria.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: November 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, Volume 143〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yonghui Jia, Hang Wang, Qichi Le〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉A transient 2D axisymmetric mathematical model that couples the pulse electromagnetic field with fluid flow and solidification was established by using the COMSOL Multiphysics software. Based on the measured pulse currents under different electromagnetic parameters, the model was firstly validated, and then the solidification processes of direct-chill (DC) casting in the absence and presence of pulse magnetic field (PMF) were simulated and discussed, including the variations in fluid flow, heat transfer, and solidification characteristics at different locations of the melt. Finally, effects of pulse electromagnetic parameters (current intensity, electromagnetic frequency, and duty cycle) on Lorentz force, flow field, temperature field, and solidification during DC casting of AZ80 magnesium alloy were studied systematically. The forced convection induced by PMF can significantly accelerate the melt flow and heat extraction. As the increase of current intensity, Lorentz force, melt convection, and heat extraction are strengthened considerably, and the increase of frequency has the opposite effect on them. The effect of duty cycle on solidification process is extremely limited. For billets with different magnesium alloy systems and sizes, a fined and uniform solidified structures can be obtained by adjusting the current intensity and electromagnetic frequency in pulse electromagnetic DC casting.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yunfen Huang, Yuying Li, Yingying Qu, Yue Zheng, Mengting Ouyang, Yunqing Zhang, Wei Lai, Qingfang Xu〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Autophagy has been associated with a variety of diseases especially aging. Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) can internalize and then degrade elastin, collagen and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in lysosomes, which plays prominent roles in extracellular matrix homeostasis and AGEs removal in the dermis. Although autophagy has been reported to be decreased in photoaged fibroblasts, the underlying mechanism and its relevance to photoaging remain elusive. Here, we showed that GFP-LC3 puncta per cell, LC3Ⅰ/Ⅱ conversion and p62 expression were significantly increased, whereas beclin1 expression was not altered in UVA-induced photoaged fibroblasts compared with non-photoaged control. Moreover, autophagic flux was not significantly affected by chloroquine treatment, but was remarkably induced by rapamycin treatment in photoaged fibroblasts, suggesting that UVA-induced photoaging might inhibit autophagy at the degradation stage. Further lysosomal function studies demonstrated that degradation of formed autophagosomes, LC3Ⅱprotein and DQ-Green BSA was all dramatically decreased in photoaged fibroblasts. LysoSensor yellow/blue DND 160 staining and flow cytometry assays demonstrated that photoaging obviously attenuated lysosomal acidification. Also, decreased expression of cathepsin B, L and D was found in photoaged fibroblasts. These data suggest that lowered lysosomal acidity and decreased cathepsins expression might contribute to the inhibition of autophagic degradation, which might be crucial in the development of photoaging through impairing intracellular degradation.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Xuanzhong Wang, Shan Lu, Chuan He, Chongcheng Wang, Lei Wang, Meihua Piao, Guangfan Chi, Yinan Luo, Pengfei Ge〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉RSL3 is a type of small molecular compound which can inactivate glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and induce ferroptosis, but its role in glioma cell death remains unclear. In this study, we found RSL3 inhibited the viabilities of glioma cells and induced glioma cell death in a dose-dependent manner. In vitro studies revealed that RSL3-induced cell death was accompanied with the changes of autophagy-associated protein levels and was alleviated by pretreatment of 3-Methyladenine, bafilomycin A1 and knockdown of ATG5 with siRNA. The ATP and pyruvate content as well as the protein levels of HKII, PFKP, PKM2 were decreased in cells treated by RSL3, indicating that RSL3 induced glycolysis dysfunction in glioma cells. Moreover, supplement of exterior sodium pyruvate, which was a final product of glycolysis, not only inhibited the changes of autophagy-associated protein levels caused by RSL3, but also prevented RSL3-induced cell death. In vivo data suggested that the inhibitory effect of RSL3 on the growth of glioma cells was associated with glycolysis dysfunction and autophagy activation. Taken together, RSL3 induced autophagic cell death in glioma cells via causing glycolysis dysfunction.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 22 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Ning Luo, Dan-dan Chen, Li Liu, Li Li, Zhong-ping Cheng〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉The CXCL12/CXCR4 axis is strongly implicated as key determinant of tumor invasion and metastasis in ovarian cancer. However, little is known about the potential downstream signals of the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis that contribute to ovarian cancer cell invasion and metastasis. ARHGAP10, a member of Rho GTPase activating proteins is a potential tumor suppressor gene in ovarian cancer. In this study, a negative correlation between the protein levels of CXCL12, CXCR4, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) and ARHGAP10 was uncovered in ovarian cancer tissues and paired adjacent noncancerous tissues. CXCL12 stimulation reduced the expression of ARHGAP10. Furthermore, the pretreatment of CXCR4 inhibitor (AMD3100) or the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) inhibitor (SU1498) abrogated the CXCL12-deduced expression of ARHGAP10. Finally, an 〈em〉in vitro〈/em〉 functional assay revealed that CXCL12 did not stimulate ovarian cancer cell invasion when ARHGAP10 was overexpressed or when ovarian cancer cells were pre-treated with AMD3100 or SU1498. Knockdown of ARHGAP10 significantly suppressed the inhibitory effects of SU1498 on ovarian cancer cell invasion and lung metastasis. In summary, these findings suggest that CXCL12/CXCR4 promotes ovarian cancer cell invasion by suppressing ARHGAP10 expression, which is mediated by VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yojiro Ishida, Keiko Inouye, Ouyang Ming, Masayori Inouye〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉MazF is a sequence-specific endoribonuclease or mRNA interferase, which cleaves RNA at a specific sequence. Since the expression of a specific gene or a group of specific genes can be regulated by MazF, expanding the repertoire of recognition sequences by MazF mRNA interferases is highly desirable for biotechnological and medical applications. Here, we identified a gene for a MazF homologue (MazFme) from 〈em〉Methanohalobium evestigatum〈/em〉, an extremely halophilic archaeon. In order to suppress the toxicity of MazFme to the 〈em〉E. coli〈/em〉 cells, the C-terminal half of the cognate antitoxin MazEme was fused to the N-terminal end of MazFme. Since the fusion of the C-terminal half of MazEme to MazFme was able to neutralize MazFme toxicity, the MazEme-MazFme fusion protein was expressed in a large amount without any toxic effects. After purification of the MazEme, the free MazFme RNA cleavage specificity was determined by primer extension and synthetic ribonucleotides, revealing that MazFme is a CUGGU/UUGGU-specific endoribonuclease.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Takujiro Homma, Sho Kobayashi, Junichi Fujii〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Singlet oxygen causes a cytotoxic process in tumor cells in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and skin photoaging. The mechanism responsible for this cytotoxicity is, however, not fully understood. 1-Methylnaphthalene-4-propionate endoperoxide (MNPE) is a cell-permeable endoperoxide that generates pure singlet oxygen. We previously reported that cell death induced by MNPE did not show the typical profile of apoptosis, and the cause of this cell death remains elusive. We report herein on an investigation of the mechanism for MNPE-induced cell death from the view point of ferroptosis. The findings indicate that the MNPE treatment decreased the viabilities of mouse hepatoma Hepa 1-6 cells in vitro, and that this decrease was accompanied by increases in the concentrations of both intracellular ferrous iron and the level of lipid peroxidation, but that the caspase-mediated apoptotic pathway was not activated. The intracellular levels of cysteine and glutathione were not affected by the MNPE treatment. Importantly, an assay of lactate dehydrogenase activity revealed that the cell death caused by MNPE was suppressed by ferrostatin-1, a ferroptosis-specific inhibitor. Collectively, these results strongly indicate that ferroptosis is the main cell death pathway induced by singlet oxygen.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Tian Wang, Xi-Ya Sun, Ai-Ling Li, Ming-Xing Zhou, Yang Han, Jiao-Zhen Zhang, Dong-Mei Ren, Hong-Xiang Lou, Xiao-Ning Wang, Tao Shen〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Oxidative stress is one of the main pathogenesis for many human diseases. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway plays a key role in regulating intracellular antioxidant responses, and thus activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway is a potential chemopreventive or therapeutic strategy to treat diseases caused by oxidative damage. In the present study, we have found that treatment of Beas-2B cells with botrysphins D (BD) attenuated sodium arsenite [As (III)]-induced cell death and apoptosis. Meanwhile, BD was able to upregulate protein levels of Nrf2 and its downstream genes NQO1 and γ-GCS through inducing Nrf2 nuclear translocation, enhancing protein stability, and inhibiting ubiquitination. It was also found that BD-induced activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway was regulated by PI3K, MEK1/2, PKC, and PERK kinases. Collectively, BD is a novel activator of Nrf2/ARE pathway, and is verified to be a potential preventive agent against oxidative stress-induced damage in human lung tissues.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19315918-fx1.jpg" width="496" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): ChuanLing Tang, JiaPing Pan, Hui Li, Bin He, Ling Hong, XiaoMing Teng, DaJin Li〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Oxidative stress is associated with functional disorder of trophoblast cells. Our previous studies have demonstrated that cyclosporin A (CsA) promotes the activity of normal human trophoblast cells. We further investigated the role and mechanism of CsA on oxidative stress in trophoblast cells. JEG-3 cells were co-cultured with H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 and CsA. Cell viability and morphology were measured by MTT assay and inverted microscope. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) was analyzed by fluorescence microscopy. Cell mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was determined by flow cytometric analysis. Malondialdehyde (MDA) production, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were examined using colorimetric assays. The expression and phosphorylation of FAK and Src kinase proteins were examined by western blotting. CsA increased JEG-3 cell viability and reduced the morphologic injury induced by H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 treatment. CsA decreased ROS and MDA production, increased SOD and CAT activities, and restored the MMP of H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉 treated JEG-3 cells. CsA administration suppressed H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-induced reduction of FAK and Src phosphorylation. Blocking the activation of FAK or Src attenuated the protective effect of CsA on JEG-3 cells in H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-induced oxidative injury. CsA protects JEG-3 cells from H〈sub〉2〈/sub〉O〈sub〉2〈/sub〉-induced oxidative injury, and the FAK/Src signaling pathway plays an important role in this process.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Publication date: Available online 21 August 2019〈/p〉 〈p〉〈b〉Source:〈/b〉 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications〈/p〉 〈p〉Author(s): Yu Zhao, Gautam Mahajan, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli, Xue-Long Sun〈/p〉 〈div xml:lang="en"〉 〈h5〉Abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉Cell surface receptors are the key contributors of macrophage function. Most macrophage cell surface receptors are glycoproteins with sialic acids at the terminal of their glycans. It is well recognized that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces cell surface sialylation changes that may in turn contribute to macrophage functions. In addition, cellular mechanics such as elasticity is also a major determinant of macrophage function, which in turn is modulated by LPS. In this report, we characterized the sialylation status of macrophages upon LPS stimulation and assessed the changes in its mechanical properties and function. Specifically, we confirmed that sialylation status is closely related to macrophage biomechanical characteristics (elastic modulus, tether force, tether radius, adhesion force, and membrane tension) and thus directly involved in macrophage function. Further, we modulated macrophage sialylation status by feeding the cell with exogenous free sialic acid (Neu5Ac, Neu5Gc) and sialidase inhibitors, and examined the resulting effects on cellular mechanics and function. A systematic recognition of sialylation status related to cellular mechanics of macrophages will contribute to defining their phenotypes and elucidate macrophage functional diversity.〈/p〉〈/div〉 〈/div〉 〈h5〉Graphical abstract〈/h5〉 〈div〉〈p〉〈figure〉〈img src="https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0006291X19316122-fx1.jpg" width="258" alt="Image 1" title="Image 1"〉〈/figure〉〈/p〉〈/div〉

Description: 〈p〉Membraneless organelles involved in RNA processing are biomolecular condensates assembled by phase separation. Despite the important role of intrinsically disordered protein regions (IDRs), the specific interactions underlying IDR phase separation and its functional consequences remain elusive. To address these questions, we used minimal condensates formed from the C-terminal disordered regions of two interacting translational regulators, FMRP and CAPRIN1. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of FMRP-CAPRIN1 condensates revealed interactions involving arginine-rich and aromatic-rich regions. We found that different FMRP serine/threonine and CAPRIN1 tyrosine phosphorylation patterns control phase separation propensity with RNA, including subcompartmentalization, and tune deadenylation and translation rates in vitro. The resulting evidence for residue-specific interactions underlying co–phase separation, phosphorylation-modulated condensate architecture, and enzymatic activity within condensates has implications for how the integration of signaling pathways controls RNA processing and translation.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉SARM1 (sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1) is responsible for depletion of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide in its oxidized form (NAD〈sup〉+〈/sup〉) during Wallerian degeneration associated with neuropathies. Plant nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors recognize pathogen effector proteins and trigger localized cell death to restrict pathogen infection. Both processes depend on closely related Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domains in these proteins, which, as we show, feature self-association–dependent NAD〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 cleavage activity associated with cell death signaling. We further show that SARM1 SAM (sterile alpha motif) domains form an octamer essential for axon degeneration that contributes to TIR domain enzymatic activity. The crystal structures of ribose and NADP〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 (the oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) complexes of SARM1 and plant NLR RUN1 TIR domains, respectively, reveal a conserved substrate binding site. NAD〈sup〉+〈/sup〉 cleavage by TIR domains is therefore a conserved feature of animal and plant cell death signaling pathways.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉The near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu is a 900-m-diameter dark object expected to contain primordial material from the solar nebula. The Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) landed on Ryugu’s surface on 3 October 2018. We present images from the MASCOT camera (MASCam) taken during the descent and while on the surface. The surface is covered by decimeter- to meter-sized rocks, with no deposits of fine-grained material. Rocks appear either bright, with smooth faces and sharp edges, or dark, with a cauliflower-like, crumbly surface. Close-up images of a rock of the latter type reveal a dark matrix with small, bright, spectrally different inclusions, implying that it did not experience extensive aqueous alteration. The inclusions appear similar to those in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Van Meter 〈i〉et al〈/i〉. (Reports, 27 April 2018, p. 427) warn that achieving nitrogen reduction goals in the Gulf of Mexico will take decades as a result of legacy nitrogen effects. We discuss limitations of the modeling approach and demonstrate that legacy effects ranging from a few years to decades are equally consistent with observations. The presented time scales for system recovery are therefore highly uncertain.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Malaria parasites adopt a remarkable variety of morphological life stages as they transition through multiple mammalian host and mosquito vector environments. We profiled the single-cell transcriptomes of thousands of individual parasites, deriving the first high-resolution transcriptional atlas of the entire 〈i〉Plasmodium berghei〈/i〉 life cycle. We then used our atlas to precisely define developmental stages of single cells from three different human malaria parasite species, including parasites isolated directly from infected individuals. The Malaria Cell Atlas provides both a comprehensive view of gene usage in a eukaryotic parasite and an open-access reference dataset for the study of malaria parasites.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Soil organisms represent the most biologically diverse community on land and govern the turnover of the largest organic matter pool in the terrestrial biosphere. The highly complex nature of these communities at local scales has traditionally obscured efforts to identify unifying patterns in global soil biodiversity and biogeochemistry. As a result, environmental covariates have generally been used as a proxy to represent the variation in soil community activity in global biogeochemical models. Yet over the past decade, broad-scale studies have begun to see past this local heterogeneity to identify unifying patterns in the biomass, diversity, and composition of certain soil groups across the globe. These unifying patterns provide new insights into the fundamental distribution and dynamics of organic matter on land.〈/p〉

Description: 〈p〉Welding of ceramics is a key missing component in modern manufacturing. Current methods cannot join ceramics in proximity to temperature-sensitive materials like polymers and electronic components. We introduce an ultrafast pulsed laser welding approach that relies on focusing light on interfaces to ensure an optical interaction volume in ceramics to stimulate nonlinear absorption processes, causing localized melting rather than ablation. The key is the interplay between linear and nonlinear optical properties and laser energy–material coupling. The welded ceramic assemblies hold high vacuum and have shear strengths comparable to metal-to-ceramic diffusion bonds. Laser welding can make ceramics integral components in devices for harsh environments as well as in optoelectronic and/or electronic packages needing visible-radio frequency transparency.〈/p〉