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Organic-inorganic hybrid covalent superlattice for temperature-compensated ratiometric gas sensing
Inhibiting CXCR4 reduces immunosuppressive effects of myeloid cells in breast cancer immunotherapy
An optimised faecal microRNA sequencing pipeline reveals fibrosis in Trichuris muris infection
Abstract The intestine is a site of diverse functions including digestion, nutrient absorption, immune surveillance, and microbial symbiosis. Intestinal microRNAs (miRNAs) are detectable in faeces and regulate barrier integrity, host-microbe interactions and the immune response, potentially offering valuable non-invasive tools to study intestinal health. However, current experimental methods are suboptimal and heterogeneity in study design limits the utility of faecal miRNA data. Here, we develop an optimised protocol for faecal miRNA detection and report a reproducible murine faecal miRNA profile in healthy mice. We use this pipeline to study faecal miRNAs during infection with the gastrointestinal helminth, Trichuris muris, revealing roles for miRNAs in fibrosis and wound healing. Intestinal fibrosis was confirmed in vivo using Hyperion® imaging mass cytometry, demonstrating the efficacy of this approach. Further applications of this optimised pipeline to study host-microbe interactions and intestinal disease will enable the generation of hypotheses and therapeutic strategies in diverse contexts.
One-year longitudinal study of corneal changes after different vitrectomy procedures using confocal microscopy
Fungal Als proteins hijack host death effector domains to promote inflammasome signaling
Abstract High-damaging Candida albicans strains tend to form hyphae and exacerbate intestinal inflammation in ulcerative colitis patients through IL-1β-dependent mechanisms. Fungal agglutinin-like sequence (Als) proteins worsen DSS-induced colitis in mouse models. FADD and caspase-8 are important regulators of gut homeostasis and inflammation. However, whether they link directly to fungal proteins is not fully understood. Here, we report that Als proteins induce IL-1β release in immune cells. We show that hyphal Als3 is internalized in macrophages and interacts with caspase-8 and the inflammasome adaptor apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC). Caspase-8 is essential for Als3-mediated ASC oligomerization and IL-1β processing. In non-immune cells, Als3 is associated with cell death core components FADD and caspase-8. N-terminal Als3 (N-Als3) expressed in Jurkat cells partially inhibits apoptosis. Mechanistically, N-Als3 promotes oligomerization of FADD and caspase-8 through their death effector domains (DEDs). N-Als3 variants with a mutation in the peptide-binding cavity or amyloid-forming region are impaired in DED oligomerization. Together, these results demonstrate that DEDs are intracellular sensors of Als3. This study identifies additional potential targets to control hypha-induced inflammation.
Author Correction: Exploring the capture and desorption of CO2 on graphene oxide foams supported by computational calculations
Hyperuniform disordered solids with crystal-like stability
Pre- and post- COVID-19 trends related to dementia caregiving on Twitter
Fast autoxidation of unsaturated lipid films on indoor surfaces
Epidemiology of caprine gastrointestinal nematodes and associated efficacy of anthelmintic drugs in Punjab districts, India
Direct synthesis of a semiconductive double-helical phosphorus allotrope in a metal-organic framework
Abstract There remains much ambiguity regarding the structure of red phosphorus. We report the adsorption and photo-polymerisation of P4 molecules encapsulated in an indium(III)-based metal-organic framework to afford a double-helical chain composite comprising of [P8] units. The similarity between the Raman spectrum of bulk red phosphorus and of the metal-organic framework – (P8)n adduct suggests the presence of such helical chains in the structure of amorphous red phosphorus. This provides crystallographic evidence of the structural building blocks of the red phosphorus allotrope stabilized within the pores of a metal-organic host. The (P8)n inclusion compound is an air-stable semiconductor with a band gap of 2.3 eV, which is relevant for gas detection and photo-catalysis. We demonstrate that this phosphorus adduct demonstrates a 10-fold increase in conversion in the oxidation of methyl orange dye compared with the parent metal-organic framework material.
Uncovering the influence of gold tailings on foam stability and mechanical performances of foamed concrete
Methylmercury demethylation and volatilization by animals expressing microbial enzymes
Assessment of landslide susceptibility in watersheds during extreme rainfall using a complex network of slope units
Author Correction: CRISPR screens reveal convergent targeting strategies against evolutionarily distinct chemoresistance in cancer
Genomic correlation, shared loci, and causal association between obesity, periodontitis and tooth loss
Negative refraction of light in an atomic medium
Abstract The quest to manipulate light propagation in ways not possible with natural media has driven the development of artificially structured metamaterials. One of the most striking effects is negative refraction, where the light beam deflects away from the boundary normal. However, due to material characteristics, the applications of this phenomenon, such as lensing that surpasses the diffraction limit, have been constrained. Here, we demonstrate negative refraction of light in an atomic medium without the use of artificial metamaterials, employing essentially exact simulations of light propagation. High transmission negative refraction is achieved in atomic arrays for different level structures and lattice constants, within the scope of currently realised experimental systems. We introduce an intuitive description of negative refraction based on collective excitation bands, whose transverse group velocities are antiparallel to the excitation quasi-momenta. We also illustrate how this phenomenon is robust to lattice imperfections and can be significantly enhanced through subradiance.
Controlling mildew of tobacco leaf by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ZH-2 and its effect on storage quality of tobacco leaf
Abstract Tobacco mildew is a common fungal disease that reduces tobacco quality, resulting in serious economic losses in the tobacco industry. In this study, the pathogens Aspergillus niger , Aspergillus flavus , and Rhizopus arrhizus were isolated from infected leaves. Furthermore, five plant endophytic bacteria isolated from healthy tobacco leaves were found to possess strong antifungal activity against these pathogens. Among these strains, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ZH-2 exerted the strongest antagonistic effect against all mildew types (bacteriosphere diameter > 22 mm). The antagonistic action of ZH-2 was further observed using scanning electron microscopy, which revealed signs of contraction, deformation, and dissolution of the treated mycelia compared with that seen in the control group. The ZH-2 strain was found to produce high levels of proteases, chitinases, and β-1,3-glucanase, contributing to its antifungal activity via fungal cell wall rupture. The antifungal activity of ZH-2 was also demonstrated in the application test, as indicated by the significant reduction in mildew disease severity in tobacco leaves treated with this strain. Fermentation tests showed that the quality of ZH-2–treated, solid-state fermented tobacco leaves was superior to that of the control. Specifically, the alkaloid content significantly decreased by 10.62%, whereas the total and reduced sugar contents increased by 12.9 and 55.75%, respectively. Furthermore, macromolecular starch, cellulose, and protein contents significantly decreased by 25.85, 12.77, and 10.04%, respectively. These results indicate that the Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ZH-2 strain is effective against tobacco mildew and can improve tobacco quality upon solid-state fermentation.
Dense, continuous membrane labeling and expansion microscopy visualization of ultrastructure in tissues
Abstract Lipid membranes are key to the nanoscale compartmentalization of biological systems, but fluorescent visualization of them in intact tissues, with nanoscale precision, is challenging to do with high labeling density. Here, we report ultrastructural membrane expansion microscopy (umExM), which combines an innovative membrane label and optimized expansion microscopy protocol, to support dense labeling of membranes in tissues for nanoscale visualization. We validate the high signal-to-background ratio, and uniformity and continuity, of umExM membrane labeling in brain slices, which supports the imaging of membranes and proteins at a resolution of ~60 nm on a confocal microscope. We demonstrate the utility of umExM for the segmentation and tracing of neuronal processes, such as axons, in mouse brain tissue. Combining umExM with optical fluctuation imaging, or iterating the expansion process, yields ~35 nm resolution imaging, pointing towards the potential for electron microscopy resolution visualization of brain membranes on ordinary light microscopes.