bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Installing amino acids and peptides on N-heterocycles under visible-light assistance
Authors: Jin Yunhe , Jiang Min , Wang Hui , Fu Hua 
Published: February 2016

AbstractReadily available natural α-amino acids are one of nature’s most attractive and versatile building blocks in synthesis of natural products and biomolecules. Peptides and N-heterocycles exhibit various biological and pharmaceutical functions. Conjugation of amino acids or peptides with N-heterocycles provides boundless potentiality for screening and discovery of diverse biologically active molecules. However, it is a great challenge to install amino acids or peptides on N-heterocycles through formation of carbon-carbon bonds under mild conditions. In this article, eighteen N-protected α-amino acids and three peptides were well assembled on phenanthridine derivatives via couplings of N-protected α-amino acid and peptide active esters with substituted 2-isocyanobiphenyls at room temperature under visible-light assistance. Furthermore, N-Boc-proline residue was successfully conjugated with oxindole derivatives using similar procedures. The simple protocol, mild reaction conditions, fast reaction and high efficiency of this method make it an important strategy for synthesis of diverse molecules containing amino acid and peptide fragments.
Universal anyons at the irradiated surface of topological insulator
Authors: Wang Rui , Chen Wei , Wang Baigeng , Xing D. Y. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractAnyons have recently received great attention due to their promising application in topological quantum computation. The best validated system that enjoys the anyonic excitations are the Laughlin states. The quasi-particles in Laughlin states are neither fermions nor bosons but possess the discrete statistical angle θ = π/m, with m being an integer. Here we report a possible realization of the universal Abelian anyons, whose statistical angle can be tuned continuously by external parameters and can take any arbitrary values interpolating θ = 0 and θ = π. The proposed setup is the surface state of a three dimensional topological insulator driven by an amplitude-modulated circularly-polarized light. It is found that the external field leads to a particular Floquet phase, which is a two-spatial-dimensional analogy of the Weyl semimetal phase in the Floquet first Brillouin zone. The chiral anomaly of this phase results in a U(1) Chern-Simons gauge theory with a tunable Floquet Chern number. Owing to this underlying gauge field theory, the irradiated surface of topological insulator constitutes a promising platform for the observation of the universal anyons.
Multiple exciton generation induced enhancement of the photoresponse of
pulsed-laser-ablation synthesized single-wall-carbon-nanotube/PbS-quantum-dots
nanohybrids
Authors: Ka Ibrahima , Le Borgne Vincent , Fujisawa Kazunori , Hayashi Takuya , Kim Yoong Ahm , Endo Morinobu , Ma Dongling , El Khakani My Ali 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe pulsed laser deposition method was used to decorate appropriately single wall
carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with PbS quantum dots (QDs), leading to the formation of a
novel class of SWCNTs/PbS-QDs nanohybrids (NHs), without resorting to any ligand
engineering and/or surface functionalization. The number of laser ablation pulses
(NLp) was used to control the average size of the PbS-QDs and their
coverage on the SWCNTs’ surface. Photoconductive (PC) devices fabricated
from these SWCNTs/PbS-QDs NHs have shown a significantly enhanced photoresponse,
which is found to be PbS-QD size dependent. Wavelength-resolved photocurrent
measurements revealed a strong photoconductivity of the NHs in the UV-visible
region, which is shown to be due to multiple exciton generation (MEG) in the
PbS-QDs. For the 6.5 nm-diameter PbS-QDs (with a bandgap
(Eg) = 0.86 eV), the MEG contribution of the NHs
based PC devices was shown to lead to a normalized internal quantum efficiency in
excess of 300% for photon energies ≥4.5Eg. While the lowest MEG
threshold in our NHs based PC devices is found to be of ~2.5Eg, the MEG
efficiency reaches values as high as
0.9 ± 0.1.
Distinct Reward Properties are Encoded via Corticostriatal Interactions
Authors: Smith David V. , Rigney Anastasia E. , Delgado Mauricio R. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe striatum serves as a critical brain region for reward processing. Yet, understanding the link between striatum and reward presents a challenge because rewards are composed of multiple properties. Notably, affective properties modulate emotion while informative properties help obtain future rewards. We approached this problem by emphasizing affective and informative reward properties within two independent guessing games. We found that both reward properties evoked activation within the nucleus accumbens, a subregion of the striatum. Striatal responses to informative, but not affective, reward properties predicted subsequent utilization of information for obtaining monetary reward. We hypothesized that activation of the striatum may be necessary but not sufficient to encode distinct reward properties. To investigate this possibility, we examined whether affective and informative reward properties were differentially encoded in corticostriatal interactions. Strikingly, we found that the striatum exhibited dissociable connectivity patterns with the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, with increasing connectivity for affective reward properties and decreasing connectivity for informative reward properties. Our results demonstrate that affective and informative reward properties are encoded via corticostriatal interactions. These findings highlight how corticostriatal systems contribute to reward processing, potentially advancing models linking striatal activation to behavior.
Inhibition of lysosomal protease cathepsin D reduces renal fibrosis in murine chronic kidney disease
Authors: Fox Christopher , Cocchiaro Pasquale , Oakley Fiona , Howarth Rachel , Callaghan Krystena , Leslie Jack , Luli Saimir , Wood Katrina M. , Genovese Federica , Sheerin Neil S. , Moles Anna 
Published: February 2016

AbstractDuring chronic kidney disease (CKD) there is a dysregulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) homeostasis leading to renal fibrosis. Lysosomal proteases such as cathepsins (Cts) regulate this process in other organs, however, their role in CKD is still unknown. Here we describe a novel role for cathepsins in CKD. CtsD and B were located in distal and proximal tubular cells respectively in human disease. Administration of CtsD (Pepstatin A) but not B inhibitor (Ca074-Me), in two mouse CKD models, UUO and chronic ischemia reperfusion injury, led to a reduction in fibrosis. No changes in collagen transcription or myofibroblasts numbers were observed. Pepstatin A administration resulted in increased extracellular urokinase and collagen degradation. In vitro and in vivo administration of chloroquine, an endo/lysosomal inhibitor, mimicked Pepstatin A effect on renal fibrosis. Therefore, we propose a mechanism by which CtsD inhibition leads to increased collagenolytic activity due to an impairment in lysosomal recycling. This results in increased extracellular activity of enzymes such as urokinase, triggering a proteolytic cascade, which culminates in more ECM degradation. Taken together these results suggest that inhibition of lysosomal proteases, such as CtsD, could be a new therapeutic approach to reduce renal fibrosis and slow progression of CKD.
Hierarchy of cellular decisions in collective behavior: Implications for wound healing
Authors: Wickert Lisa E. , Pomerenke Shaun , Mitchell Isaiah , Masters Kristyn S. , Kreeger Pamela K. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractCollective processes such as wound re-epithelialization result from the integration of individual cellular decisions. To determine which individual cell behaviors represent the most promising targets to engineer re-epithelialization, we examined collective and individual responses of HaCaT keratinocytes seeded upon polyacrylamide gels of three stiffnesses (1, 30 and 100 kPa) and treated with a range of epidermal growth factor (EGF) doses. Wound closure was found to increase with substrate stiffness, but was responsive to EGF treatment only above a stiffness threshold. Individual cell behaviors were used to create a partial least squares regression model to predict the hierarchy of factors driving wound closure. Unexpectedly, cell area and persistence were found to have the strongest correlation to the observed differences in wound closure. Meanwhile, the model predicted a relatively weak correlation between wound closure with proliferation and the unexpectedly minor input from proliferation was successfully tested with inhibition by aphidicolin. Combined, these results suggest that the poor clinical results for growth factor-based therapies for chronic wounds may result from a disconnect between the individual cellular behaviors targeted in these approaches and the resulting collective response. Additionally, the stiffness-dependency of EGF sensitivity suggests that therapies matched to microenvironmental characteristics will be more efficacious.
Post-floral Erection of Stalks Provides Insight into the Evolution of Fruit Orientation and Its Effects on Seed Dispersal
Authors: Niu Yang , Zhou Zhuo , Sha Wen , Sun Hang 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThat stalks reorient after flowering to face upwards is a common phenomenon in many flowering plants, indicating the potential importance of fruit orientation on seed dispersal. But this idea has not been subject to an empirical test. We examined this hypothesis by analysing the evolutionary correlation between fruit orientation and other characters and by investigating the effects of fruit orientation on seed dispersal. We found that 1) in a sub-alpine plant community, upward fruit orientation strongly correlates with fruits that act as seed containers, which are often of dry type and are dispersed by non-animal vectors; 2) as exemplified by the Campanulaceae s. str., fruit orientation strongly correlates with dehiscence position. Upwardly-oriented capsules dehisce at the apex, whereas pendent ones dehisce at the base, in both cases ensuring that seeds are released from an upright position; 3) in manipulation experiments on Silene chungtienensis, upward fruits (the natural state) exhibit much greater dispersal distances and more dispersive pattern than pendent ones and have a more even distribution of dispersal direction than horizontal ones. Our results suggest that fruit orientation may have important function in seed dispersal, which may be the reason why the phenomenon that stalk erection after flowering occurs widely.
Novel functional microRNAs from virus-free and infected Vitis vinifera plants under water stress
Authors: Pantaleo Vitantonio , Vitali Marco , Boccacci Paolo , Miozzi Laura , Cuozzo Danila , Chitarra Walter , Mannini Franco , Lovisolo Claudio , Gambino Giorgio 
Published: February 2016

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the post-transcriptional control of several pathway intermediates, thus playing pivotal roles in plant growth, development and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. In recent years, the grapevine genome release, small(s)-RNAseq and degradome-RNAseq together has allowed the discovery and characterisation of many miRNA species, thus rendering the discovery of additional miRNAs difficult and uncertain. Taking advantage of the miRNA responsiveness to stresses and the availability of virus-free Vitis vinifera plants and those infected only by a latent virus, we have analysed grapevines subjected to drought in greenhouse conditions. The sRNA-seq and other sequence-specific molecular analyses have allowed us to characterise conserved miRNA expression profiles in association with specific eco-physiological parameters. In addition, we here report 12 novel grapevine-specific miRNA candidates and describe their expression profile. We show that latent viral infection can influence the miRNA profiles of V. vinifera in response to drought. Moreover, study of eco-physiological parameters showed that photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance and hydraulic resistance to water transport were significantly influenced by drought and viral infection. Although no unequivocal cause–effect explanation could be attributed to each miRNA target, their contribution to the drought response is discussed.
Changes in intestinal microflora of Caenorhabditis elegans following Bacillus nematocida B16 infection
Authors: Niu Qiuhong , Zhang Lin , Zhang Keqin , Huang Xiaowei , Hui Fengli , Kan Yunchao , Yao Lunguang 
Published: February 2016

AbstractThe effect of pathogenic bacteria on a host and its symbiotic microbiota is vital and widespread in the biotic world. The soil-dwelling opportunistic bacterium Bacillus nematocida B16 uses a “Trojan horse” mechanism to kill Caenorhabditis elegans. The alterations in the intestinal microflora that occur after B16 infection remain unknown. Here, we analyzed the intestinal bacteria presented in normal and infected worms. The gut microbial community experienced a complex change after B16 inoculation, as determined through marked differences in species diversity, structure, distribution and composition between uninfected and infected worms. Regardless of the worm’s origin (i.e., from soil or rotten fruits), the diversity of the intestinal microbiome decreased after infection. Firmicutes increased sharply, whereas Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria decreased to different degrees. Fusobacteria was only present 12 h post-infection. After 24 h of infection, 1228 and 1109 bacterial species were identified in the uninfected and infected groups, respectively. The shared species reached 21.97%. The infected group had a greater number of Bacillus species but a smaller number of Pediococcus, Halomonas, Escherichia and Shewanella species (P < 0.01). Therefore, this study provides the first evaluation of the alterations caused by pathogenic bacteria on symbiotic microbiota using C. elegans as the model species.
Age-dependent inverse correlations in CSF and plasma amyloid-β(1–42) concentrations prior to amyloid plaque deposition in the brain of 3xTg-AD mice
Authors: Cho Soo Min , Lee Sejin , Yang Seung-Hoon , Kim Hye Yun , Lee Michael Jisoo , Kim Hyunjin Vincent , Kim Jiyoon , Baek Seungyeop , Yun Jin , Kim Dohee , Kim Yun Kyung , Cho Yakdol , Woo Jiwan , Kim Tae Song , Kim YoungSoo 
Published: February 2016

AbstractAmyloid-β (Aβ) plays a critical role as a biomarker in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) diagnosis. In addition to its diagnostic potential in the brain, recent studies have suggested that changes of Aβ level in the plasma can possibly indicate AD onset. In this study, we found that plasma Aβ(1–42) concentration increases with age, while the concentration of Aβ(1–42) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) decreases in APPswe, PS1M146V and TauP301L transgenic (3xTg-AD) mice, if measurements were made before formation of ThS-positive plaques in the brain. Our data suggests that there is an inverse correlations between the plasma and CSF Aβ(1–42) levels until plaques form in transgenic mice’s brains and that the plasma Aβ concentration possesses the diagnostic potential as a biomarker for diagnosis of early AD stages.
Reversible interconversion and maintenance of mammary epithelial cell characteristics by the ligand-regulated EGFR system
Authors: Fukuda Shinji , Nishida-Fukuda Hisayo , Nanba Daisuke , Nakashiro Koh-ichi , Nakayama Hironao , Kubota Hiroyuki , Higashiyama Shigeki 
Published: February 2016

AbstractEpithelial cell plasticity is controlled by extracellular cues, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully understood. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and amphiregulin (AREG) are high- and low-affinity ligands for EGF receptor (EGFR), respectively. EGFR signaling is known to promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by the activation of ERK and the induction of an EMT transcription factor, ZEB1. Here, we demonstrate that ligand-switching between EGF and AREG at equivalent molarity reversibly interconverts epithelial and mesenchymal-like states of EGFR signal-dependent mammary epithelial cells. The EGF- and AREG-cultured cells also differ in their epithelial characteristics, including the expression of cell surface markers, the mode of migration and the ability for acinus-formation. The ligand-switching between EGF and AREG temporally alters strength of the shared EGFR-ERK signaling. This alteration inverts relative expression levels of ZEB1 and its antagonizing microRNAs, miR-205 and miR-200c, those are critical determinants of the epithelial phenotype. Further, AREG-induced EGFR accumulation on the plasma membrane compensates for the weak association between AREG and EGFR. The EGFR dynamics enables AREG to support proliferation as efficiently as EGF at equivalent molarity and to maintain epithelial characteristics. Our findings reveal a role of EGFR ligands-generated signal strength in the regulation of mammary epithelial cell plasticity.
Grafting cucumber onto luffa improves drought tolerance by increasing ABA biosynthesis and sensitivity
Authors: Liu Shanshan , Li Hao , Lv Xiangzhang , Ahammed Golam Jalal , Xia Xiaojian , Zhou Jie , Shi Kai , Asami Tadao , Yu Jingquan , Zhou Yanhong 
Published: February 2016

AbstractBalancing stomata-dependent CO2 assimilation and transpiration is a key challenge for increasing crop productivity and water use efficiency under drought stress for sustainable crop production worldwide. Here, we show that cucumber and luffa plants with luffa as rootstock have intrinsically increased water use efficiency, decreased transpiration rate and less affected CO2 assimilation capacity following drought stress over those with cucumber as rootstock. Drought accelerated abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation in roots, xylem sap and leaves and induced the transcript of ABA signaling genes, leading to a decreased stomatal aperture and transpiration in the plants grafted onto luffa roots as compared to plants grafted onto cucumber roots. Furthermore, stomatal movement in the plants grafted onto luffa roots had an increased sensitivity to ABA. Inhibition of ABA biosynthesis in luffa roots decreased the drought tolerance in cucumber and luffa plants. Our study demonstrates that the roots of luffa have developed an enhanced ability to sense the changes in root-zone moisture and could eventually deliver modest level of ABA from roots to shoots that enhances water use efficiency under drought stress. Such a mechanism could be greatly exploited to benefit the agricultural production especially in arid and semi-arid areas.
Human X-linked Intellectual Disability Factor CUL4B Is Required for Post-meiotic Sperm Development and Male Fertility
Authors: Lin Chien-Yu , Chen Chun-Yu , Yu Chih-Hsiang , Yu I-Shing , Lin Shu-Rung , Wu June-Tai , Lin Ying-Hung , Kuo Pao-Lin , Wu Jui-Ching , Lin Shu-Wha 
Published: February 2016

AbstractIn this study, we demonstrate that an E3-ubiquitin ligase associated with human X-linked intellectual disability, CUL4B, plays a crucial role in post-meiotic sperm development. Initially, Cul4bΔ/Y male mice were found to be sterile and exhibited a progressive loss in germ cells, thereby leading to oligoasthenospermia. Adult Cul4b mutant epididymides also contained very low numbers of mature spermatozoa and these spermatazoa exhibited pronounced morphological abnormalities. In post-meiotic spermatids, CUL4B was dynamically expressed and mitosis of spermatogonia and meiosis of spermatocytes both appeared unaffected. However, the spermatids exhibited significantly higher levels of apoptosis during spermiogenesis, particularly during the acrosome phase through the cap phase. Comparative proteomic analyses identified a large-scale shift between wild-type and Cul4b mutant testes during early post-meiotic sperm development. Ultrastructural pathology studies further detected aberrant acrosomes in spermatids and nuclear morphology. The protein levels of both canonical and non-canonical histones were also affected in an early spermatid stage in the absence of Cul4b. Thus, X-linked CUL4B appears to play a critical role in acrosomal formation, nuclear condensation and in regulating histone dynamics during haploid male germ cell differentiation in relation to male fertility in mice. Thus, it is possible that CUL4B-selective substrates are required for post-meiotic sperm morphogenesis.
Deficiency in DGCR8-dependent canonical microRNAs causes infertility due to multiple abnormalities during uterine development in mice
Authors: Kim Yeon Sun , Kim Hye-Ryun , Kim Hyongbum , Yang Seung Chel , Park Mira , Yoon Jung Ah , Lim Hyunjung J. , Hong Seok-Ho , DeMayo Francesco J. , Lydon John P. , Choi Youngsok , Lee Dong Ryul , Song Haengseok 
Published: February 2016

AbstractDGCR8 is an RNA-binding protein that interacts with DROSHA to produce pre-microRNA in the nucleus, while DICER generates not only mature microRNA, but also endogenous small interfering RNAs in the cytoplasm. Here, we produced Dgcr8 conditional knock-out mice using progesterone receptor (PR)-Cre (Dgcr8d/d) and demonstrated that canonical microRNAs dependent on the DROSHA-DGCR8 complex are required for uterine development as well as female fertility in mice. Adult Dgcr8d/d females neither underwent regular reproductive cycles nor produced pups, whereas administration of exogenous gonadotropins induced normal ovulation in these mice. Interestingly, immune cells associated with acute inflammation aberrantly infiltrated into reproductive organs of pregnant Dgcr8d/d mice. Regarding uterine development, multiple uterine abnormalities were noticeable at 4 weeks of age when PR is significantly increased and the severity of these deformities increased over time. Gland formation and myometrial layers were significantly reduced and the stromal cell compartment did not expand and became atrophic during uterine development in these mice. These results were consistent with aberrantly reduced stromal cell proliferation and completely failed decidualization. Collectively, we suggest that DGCR8-dependent canonical microRNAs are essential for uterine development and physiological processes such as proper immune modulation, reproductive cycle and steroid hormone responsiveness in mice.
The phylogeny and evolutionary history of tyrannosauroid dinosaurs
Authors: Brusatte Stephen L. , Carr Thomas D. 
Published: February 2016

AbstractTyrannosauroids—the group of carnivores including Tyrannosaurs rex—are some of the most familiar dinosaurs of all. A surge of recent discoveries has helped clarify some aspects of their evolution, but competing phylogenetic hypotheses raise questions about their relationships, biogeography and fossil record quality. We present a new phylogenetic dataset, which merges published datasets and incorporates recently discovered taxa. We analyze it with parsimony and, for the first time for a tyrannosauroid dataset, Bayesian techniques. The parsimony and Bayesian results are highly congruent and provide a framework for interpreting the biogeography and evolutionary history of tyrannosauroids. Our phylogenies illustrate that the body plan of the colossal species evolved piecemeal, imply no clear division between northern and southern species in western North America as had been argued and suggest that T. rex may have been an Asian migrant to North America. Over-reliance on cranial shape characters may explain why published parsimony studies have diverged and filling three major gaps in the fossil record holds the most promise for future work.