bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Tbx5a lineage tracing shows cardiomyocyte plasticity during zebrafish heart regeneration
Authors: Sánchez-Iranzo Héctor , Galardi-Castilla María , Minguillón Carolina , Sanz-Morejón Andrés , González-Rosa Juan Manuel , Felker Anastasia , Ernst Alexander , Guzmán-Martínez Gabriela , Mosimann Christian , Mercader Nadia 
Published: January 2018

AbstractDuring development, mesodermal progenitors from the first heart field (FHF) form a primitive cardiac tube, to which progenitors from the second heart field (SHF) are added. The contribution of FHF and SHF progenitors to the adult zebrafish heart has not been studied to date. Here we find, using genetic tbx5a lineage tracing tools, that the ventricular myocardium in the adult zebrafish is mainly derived from tbx5a+ cells, with a small contribution from tbx5a− SHF progenitors. Notably, ablation of ventricular tbx5a+-derived cardiomyocytes in the embryo is compensated by expansion of SHF-derived cells. In the adult, tbx5a expression is restricted to the trabeculae and excluded from the outer cortical layer. tbx5a-lineage tracing revealed that trabecular cardiomyocytes can switch their fate and differentiate into cortical myocardium during adult heart regeneration. We conclude that a high degree of cardiomyocyte cell fate plasticity contributes to efficient regeneration.
Extension of the growing season increases vegetation exposure to frost
Authors: Liu Qiang , Piao Shilong , Janssens Ivan A. , Fu Yongshuo , Peng Shushi , Lian Xu , Ciais Philippe , Myneni Ranga B. , Peñuelas Josep , Wang Tao 
Published: January 2018

AbstractWhile climate warming reduces the occurrence of frost events, the warming-induced lengthening of the growing season of plants in the Northern Hemisphere may actually induce more frequent frost days during the growing season (GSFDs, days with minimum temperature < 0 °C). Direct evidence of this hypothesis, however, is limited. Here we investigate the change in the number of GSFDs at latitudes greater than 30° N using remotely-sensed and in situ phenological records and three minimum temperature (Tmin) data sets from 1982 to 2012. While decreased GSFDs are found in northern Siberia, the Tibetan Plateau, and northwestern North America (mainly in autumn), ~43% of the hemisphere, especially in Europe, experienced a significant increase in GSFDs between 1982 and 2012 (mainly during spring). Overall, regions with larger increases in growing season length exhibit larger increases in GSFDs. Climate warming thus reduces the total number of frost days per year, but GSFDs nonetheless increase in many areas.
Activated CD8+ T cell extracellular vesicles prevent tumour progression by targeting of lesional mesenchymal cells
Authors: Seo Naohiro , Shirakura Yoshitaka , Tahara Yoshiro , Momose Fumiyasu , Harada Naozumi , Ikeda Hiroaki , Akiyoshi Kazunari , Shiku Hiroshi 
Published: January 2018

AbstractFibroblastic tumour stroma comprising mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promotes the invasive and metastatic properties of tumour cells. Here we show that activated CD8+T cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) interrupt fibroblastic stroma-mediated tumour progression. Activated CD8+T cells from healthy mice transiently release cytotoxic EVs causing marked attenuation of tumour invasion and metastasis by apoptotic depletion of mesenchymal tumour stromal cells. Infiltration of EV-producing CD8+T cells is observed in neovascular areas with high mesenchymal cell density, and tumour MSC depletion is associated with preferential engulfment of CD8+T cell EVs in this setting. Thus, CD8+T cells have the capacity to protect tumour progression by EV-mediated depletion of mesenchymal tumour stromal cells in addition to their conventional direct cytotoxicity against tumour cells.
Towards the scale-up of the formation of nanoparticles on α-Ag2WO4 with bactericidal properties by femtosecond laser irradiation
Authors: Assis Marcelo , Cordoncillo Eloisa , Torres-Mendieta Rafael , Beltrán-Mir Héctor , Mínguez-Vega Gladys , Oliveira Regiane , Leite Edson R. , Foggi Camila C. , Vergani Carlos E. , Longo Elson , Andrés Juan 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn recent years, complex nanocomposites formed by Ag nanoparticles coupled to an α-Ag2WO4 semiconductor network have emerged as promising bactericides, where the semiconductor attracts bacterial agents and Ag nanoparticles neutralize them. However, the production rate of such materials has been limited to transmission electron microscope processing, making it difficult to cross the barrier from basic research to real applications. The interaction between pulsed laser radiation and α-Ag2WO4 has revealed a new processing alternative to scale up the production of the nanocomposite resulting in a 32-fold improvement of bactericidal performance, and at the same time obtaining a new class of spherical AgxWyOz nanoparticles.
APLP1 is endoproteolytically cleaved by γ-secretase without previous ectodomain shedding
Authors: Schauenburg Linda , Liebsch Filip , Eravci Murat , Mayer Magnus C. , Weise Christoph , Multhaup Gerhard 
Published: January 2018

AbstractRegulated intramembrane proteolysis of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and its homologs, the APP like proteins APLP1 and APLP2, is typically a two-step process, which is initiated by ectodomain-shedding of the substrates by α- or β-secretases. Growing evidence, however, indicates that the cleavage process for APLP1 is different than for APP. Here, we describe that full-length APLP1, but not APP or APLP2, is uniquely cleaved by γ-secretase without previous ectodomain shedding. The new fragment, termed sAPLP1γ, was exclusively associated with APLP1, not APP, APLP2. We provide an exact molecular analysis showing that sAPLP1γ was uniquely generated by γ-secretase from full-length APLP1. Mass spectrometry analysis showed that the sAPLP1γ fragment and the longest Aβ-like peptide share the C-terminus. This novel mechanism of γ-secretase action is consistent with an ϵ-cut based upon the nature of the reaction in APP. We further demonstrate that the APLP1 transmembrane sequence is the critical determinant for γ-shedding and release of full-length APLP1. Moreover, the APLP1 TMS is sufficient to convert larger type-I membrane proteins like APP into direct γ-secretase substrates. Taken together, the direct cleavage of APLP1 is a novel feature of the γ-secretase prompting a re-thinking of γ-secretase activity modulation as a therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer disease.
High surface recombination velocity limits Quasi-Fermi level splitting in kesterite absorbers
Authors: Redinger Alex , Unold Thomas 
Published: January 2018

AbstractKelvin Probe Force Microscopy, Photoluminescence imaging and numerical simulations are used to study the surfaces of Cu2ZnSnSe4 absorber layers. In particular, the effect of NH4OH and annealing under ambient conditions is investigated. We observe drastic changes in the measured quasi Fermi-level splitting (QFLs) after chemical cleaning of the absorber surface with NH4OH, which is traced back to a removal of the surface inversion. Air annealing recovers surface inversion, which reduces the recombination current at the surface. Annealing above 200 °C leads to a permanent change in the work function which cannot be modified by NH4OH etching anymore. This modification makes the QFLs insensitive to surface cleaning and explains why air annealing in Cu2ZnSnSe4 is important. From numerical simulations we find that a large surface recombination velocity needs to be present in order to describe the experimental observations.
Template-free synthesis of porous carbon from triazine based polymers and their use in iodine adsorption and CO2 capture
Authors: Yao Chan , Li Guoyan , Wang Jiku , Xu Yanhong , Chang Limin 
Published: January 2018

AbstractA series of novel triazine-containing pore-tunable carbon materials (NT-POP@800-1-6), which was synthesized via pyrolysis of porous organic polymers (POPs) without any templates. NT-POP@800-1-6 possess moderate BET surface areas of 475–736 m2 g−1, have permanent porosity and plenty of nitrogen units in the skeletons as effective sorption sites, and display relatively rapid guest uptake of 56–192 wt% in iodine vapour in the first 4 h. In addition, all the samples exhibit the outstanding CO2adsorption capacity of 2.83–3.96 mmol g−1at 273 K and 1.05 bar. Furthermore, NT-POP@800-1-6 show good selectivity ratios of 21.2–36.9 and 3.3–7.5 for CO2/N2or CH4/N2, respectively. We believe that our new building block design provides a general strategy for the construction of triazine-containing carbon materials from various extended building blocks, thereby greatly expanding the range of applicable molecules.
Generation of all-male-like sterile zebrafish by eliminating primordial germ cells at early development
Authors: Zhou Li , Feng Yongyong , Wang Fang , Dong Xiaohua , Jiang Lan , Liu Chun , Zhao Qinshun , Li Kaibin 
Published: January 2018

AbstractProduction of all-male and sterile fish may not only substantially improve yield but also be crucial for the application of genome modified species in aquaculture. Previously, it was reported that the fish lacking primordial germ cells (PGCs) becomes infertile, and nitroreductase, an enzyme converting non-toxic metronidazole (MTZ) into toxic metabolites, induces targeted toxicity to kill the cells expressing it. In this study, we generated a transgenic zebrafish line of Tg(nanos3:nfsB-mCherry-nanos3 3′UTR) in which the NfsB nitroreductase is solely expressed in PGCs. Treating the embryos derived from the female transgenic zebrafish with MTZ from 0 through 2 dpf (days post fertilization), we found that the germ cells were completely eliminated in the ones older than 2.5 dpf. At 20 dpf, the MTZ-treated juvenile had no germ cells in their gonads. At 100 dpf, the MTZ-treated adult exhibited male-like morphology and showed normal mating behaviors although they had no germ cells but only supporting cells in their gonads. Taken together, our results demonstrated that conditional elimination of PGCs during early development make the zebrafish male-like and infertile. It may provide an alternative strategy to make sterile and all-male farmed fish that is good for increasing aquaculture yield and preventing the genome modified species from potential ecological risks.
Detection of tick-borne bacteria and babesia with zoonotic potential in Argas (Carios) vespertilionis (Latreille, 1802) ticks from British bats
Authors: Lv Jizhou , Fernández de Marco Maria del Mar , Goharriz Hooman , Phipps L. Paul , McElhinney Lorraine M. , Hernández-Triana Luis M. , Wu Shaoqiang , Lin Xiangmei , Fooks Anthony R. , Johnson Nicholas 
Published: January 2018

AbstractTicks host a wide range of zoonotic pathogens and are a significant source of diseases that affect humans and livestock. However, little is known about the pathogens associated with bat ticks. We have collected ectoparasites from bat carcasses over a seven year period. Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) were extracted from 296 ticks removed from bats and the species designation was confirmed in all ticks as Argas (Carios) vespertilionis. A subset of these samples (n = 120) were tested for the presence of zoonotic pathogens by molecular methods. Babesia species, Rickettsia spp., within the spotted fever group (SFG), and Ehrlichia spp. were detected in ticks removed from 26 bats submitted from 14 counties across England. The prevalence of Rickettsia spp. was found to be highest in Pipistrellus pipistrellus from southern England. This study suggests that the tick species that host B. venatorum may include the genus Argas in addition to the genus Ixodes. As A. vespertilionis has been reported to feed on humans, detection of B. venatorum and SFG Rickettsia spp. could present a risk of disease transmission in England. No evidence for the presence of flaviviruses or Issyk-Kul virus (nairovirus) was found in these tick samples.
Effect of the consumption of green tea extract during pregnancy and lactation on metabolism of mothers and 28d-old offspring
Authors: Hachul Ana Claudia Losinskas , Boldarine Valter Tadeu , Neto Nelson Inácio Pinto , Moreno Mayara Franzoi , Carvalho Patricia Oliveira , Sawaya Alexandra C. H. F. , Ribeiro Eliane Beraldi , Oller do Nascimento Claudia Maria , Oyama Lila Missae 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe objective was to investigate the effects of the maternal consumption of the green tea extract during pregnancy and lactation on mothers and offspring metabolism. The female Wistar rats, on the first day of pregnancy until the end of lactation, was divided into groups: MC– received water and ME– received green tea extract (400 mg/kg body weight/day), both ingested control diet. After lactation, at day 28th post-partum, the mothers and pups from each mother were euthanized and composed the groups: FC– pup from mother received water and FE– pup from mother received green tea extract. The ME group increased IL-10/TNF-α ratio and IL-1β content in the mesenteric and IL-1β content in retroperitoneal adipose tissues, and decreased catalase activity. The FE group decreased the retroperitoneal adipose tissue relative weight and SOD activity, but increased adiponectin, LPS, IL-10 and IL-6 content and IL-10/TNF-α ratio in retroperitoneal, IL-10 and TNF-α content in gonadal, and IL-6 content in mesenteric adipose tissues. In summary, the maternal consumption of green tea extract associated with control diet ingestion during pregnancy and lactation altered the inflammatory status of mothers and 28d-old offspring. These data elucidate the effects of green tea during pregnancy and lactation on maternal and offspring metabolism.
Borrelia burgdorferi surface protein Lmp1 facilitates pathogen dissemination through ticks as studied by an artificial membrane feeding system
Authors: Koci Juraj , Bernard Quentin , Yang Xiuli , Pal Utpal 
Published: January 2018

AbstractIn its natural infection cycle, the pathogen of Lyme borreliosis transits between a tick vector and a mammalian host. As relatively a minor fraction of spirochetes transits between the host and the vector precluding their reliable detection at early infection, artificial membrane feeders emerged as useful tools to study roles of spirochete proteins in pathogen entry, persistence, and exit through ticks. Here we report the development of a modified membrane feeder to study the role of a Borrelia burgdorferi surface protein called Lmp1 in spirochete transitions between the murine host and ticks. We show that our membrane feeder supports the blood meal engorgement process where ticks can acquire spirochetes from the feeder containing extremely low levels of pathogens (102 cells/ml of blood). Our data revealed that in comparison to wild-type spirochetes, lmp1 deletion mutants are significantly impaired for acquisition in naïve ticks as well as transmission from infected ticks. Taking together, our data suggest that Lmp1 plays an essential role in spirochete transitions between hosts and the vector. These studies also underscore the usefulness of artificial membrane feeding system as a valuable tool to study the role of B. burgdorferi gene-products in pathogen persistence in and passage through vector ticks.
Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus wall teichoic acid glycoepitopes by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy provides novel insights into the staphylococcal glycocode
Authors: Grunert Tom , Jovanovic Dijana , Sirisarn Wanchat , Johler Sophia , Weidenmaier Christopher , Ehling-Schulz Monika , Xia Guoqing 
Published: January 2018

AbstractSurface carbohydrate moieties are essential for bacterial communication, phage-bacteria and host-pathogen interaction. Most Staphylococcus aureus produce polyribitolphosphate type Wall teichoic acids (WTAs) substituted with α- and/or β-O-linked N-acetyl-glucosamine (α-/β-O-GlcNAc) residues. GlcNAc modifications have attracted particular interest, as they were shown to govern staphylococcal adhesion to host cells, to promote phage susceptibility conferring beta-lactam resistance and are an important target for antimicrobial agents and vaccines. However, there is a lack of rapid, reliable, and convenient methods to detect and quantify these sugar residues. Whole cell Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy could meet these demands and was employed to analyse WTAs and WTA glycosylation in S. aureus. Using S. aureus mutants, we found that a complete loss of WTA expression resulted in strong FTIR spectral perturbations mainly related to carbohydrates and phosphorus-containing molecules. We could demonstrate that α- or β-O-GlcNAc WTA substituents can be clearly differentiated by chemometrically assisted FTIR spectroscopy. Our results suggest that whole cell FTIR spectroscopy represents a powerful and reliable method for large scale analysis of WTA glycosylation, thus opening up a complete new range of options for deciphering the staphylococcal pathogenesis related glycocode.
Lnc2Catlas: an atlas of long noncoding RNAs associated with risk of cancers
Authors: Ren Chao , An Gaole , Zhao Chenghui , Ouyang Zhangyi , Bo Xiaochen , Shu Wenjie 
Published: January 2018

AbstractLnc2Catlas (http://lnc2catlas.bioinfotech.org/) is an atlas of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with cancer risk. LncRNAs are a class of functional noncoding RNAs with lengths over 200 nt and play a vital role in diverse biological processes. Increasing evidence shows that lncRNA dysfunction is associated with many human cancers/diseases. It is therefore important to understand the underlying relationship between lncRNAs and cancers. To this end, we developed Lnc2Catlas to compile quantitative associations between lncRNAs and cancers using three computational methods, assessing secondary structure disruption, lncRNA-protein interactions, and co-expression networks. Lnc2Catlas was constructed based on 27,670 well-annotated lncRNAs, 31,749,216 SNPs, 1,473 cancer-associated proteins, and 10,539 expression profiles of 33 cancers from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Lnc2Catlas contains 247,124 lncRNA-SNP pairs, over two millions lncRNA-protein interactions, and 6,902 co-expression clusters. We deposited Lnc2Catlas on Alibaba Cloud and developed interactive, mobile device-compatible, user-friendly interfaces to help users search and browse Lnc2Catlas with ultra-low latency. Lnc2Catlas can aid in the investigation of associations between lncRNAs and cancers and can provide candidate lncRNAs for further experimental validation. Lnc2Catlas will facilitate an understanding of the associations between lncRNAs and cancer and will help reveal the critical role of lncRNAs in cancer.
Cognitive Impairment In Treatment-Naïve Bipolar II and Unipolar Depression
Authors: Mak Arthur D. P. , Lau Domily T. Y. , Chan Alicia K. W. , So Suzanne H. W. , Leung Owen , Wong Sheila L. Y. , Lam Linda , Leung C. M. , Lee Sing 
Published: January 2018

AbstractCognition dysfunction may reflect trait characteristics of bipolarity but cognitive effects of medications have confounded previous comparisons of cognitive function between bipolar II and unipolar depression, which are distinct clinical disorders with some overlaps. Therefore, we examined the executive function (WCST), attention, cognitive speed (TMT-A) and memory (CAVLT, WMS-Visual reproduction) of 20 treatment-naïve bipolar II patients (BPII), 35 treatment-naïve unipolar depressed (UD) patients, and 35 age/sex/education matched healthy controls. The subjects were young (aged 18–35), and had no history of psychosis or substance use, currently depressed and meeting either RDC criteria for Bipolar II Disorder or DSM-IV-TR criteria for Major Depressive Disorder. The patients were moderately depressed (MADRS) and anxious(HAM-A), on average within 3.44 years of illness onset. Sociodemographic data and IQ were similar between the groups. UD patients had significantly slower cognitive speed and cognitive flexibility (WCST perseverative error). BPII depressed patients showed relatively intact cognitive function. Verbal memory (CAVLT List A total) correlated with illness chronicity only in BPII depression, but not UD. In conclusion, young and treatment-naïve BPII depressed patients differed from unipolar depression by a relatively intact cognitive profile and a chronicity-cognitive correlation that suggested a stronger resemblance to Bipolar I Disorder than Unipolar Depression.
Extracellular DNA as a genetic recorder of microbial diversity in benthic deep-sea ecosystems
Authors: Corinaldesi C. , Tangherlini M. , Manea E. , Dell’Anno A. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractExtracellular DNA in deep-sea sediments represents a major repository of genes, which previously belonged to living organisms. However, the extent to which these extracellular genes influence current estimates of prokaryotic biodiversity is unknown. We investigated the abundance and diversity of 16S rDNA sequences contained within extracellular DNA from continental margins of different biogeographic regions. We also compared the taxonomic composition of microbial assemblages through the analysis of extracellular DNA and DNA associated with living cells. 16S rDNA contained in the extracellular DNA pool contributed up to 50% of the total 16S rDNA copy number determined in the sediments. Ca. 4% of extracellular Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) were shared among the different biogeographic regions revealing the presence of a core of preserved OTUs. A higher fraction of OTUs was exclusive of each region potentially due to its geographic and thermohaline characteristics. Ca. one third of the OTUs identified in the extracellular DNA were absent from living prokaryotic assemblages, possibly representing the signatures of past assemblages. Our findings expand the knowledge of the contribution of extracellular microbial sequences to current estimates of prokaryotic diversity obtained through the analyses of “environmental DNA”, and open new perspectives for understanding microbial successions in benthic ecosystems.
Antibody-mediated enhancement aggravates chikungunya virus infection and disease severity
Authors: Lum Fok-Moon , Couderc Thérèse , Chia Bing-Shao , Ong Ruo-Yan , Her Zhisheng , Chow Angela , Leo Yee-Sin , Kam Yiu-Wing , Rénia Laurent , Lecuit Marc , Ng Lisa F. P. 
Published: January 2018

AbstractThe arthropod-transmitted chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes a flu-like disease that is characterized by incapacitating arthralgia. The re-emergence of CHIKV and the continual risk of new epidemics have reignited research in CHIKV pathogenesis. Virus-specific antibodies have been shown to control virus clearance, but antibodies present at sub-neutralizing concentrations can also augment virus infection that exacerbates disease severity. To explore this occurrence, CHIKV infection was investigated in the presence of CHIKV-specific antibodies in both primary human cells and a murine macrophage cell line, RAW264.7. Enhanced attachment of CHIKV to the primary human monocytes and B cells was observed while increased viral replication was detected in RAW264.7 cells. Blocking of specific Fc receptors (FcγRs) led to the abrogation of these observations. Furthermore, experimental infection in adult mice showed that animals had higher viral RNA loads and endured more severe joint inflammation in the presence of sub-neutralizing concentrations of CHIKV-specific antibodies. In addition, CHIKV infection in 11 days old mice under enhancing condition resulted in higher muscles viral RNA load detected and death. These observations provide the first evidence of antibody-mediated enhancement in CHIKV infection and pathogenesis and could also be relevant for other important arboviruses such as Zika virus.