Description: Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data DOI: 10.1021/je201196q

Description: Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data DOI: 10.1021/je201239s

Description: The initiation of innate immunology system could play an important role in the aspect of protection for sperms long-term storage when the sperms got into oviduct of turtles and come into contact with epithelium. The exploration of TLR2/4 distribution and expression in oviduct during hibernation could help make the storage mechanism understandable. The objective of this study was to examine the gene and protein expression profiles in Chinese soft-shelled turtle during hibernation from November to April in the next year. The protein distribution of TLR2/4 was investigated in the magnum, isthmus, uterus, and vagina of the turtle oviduct using immunohistochemistry, and the gene expression of TLR2/4 was analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The results showed positive TLR2 protein expression primarily in the epithelium of the oviduct. TLR4 immunoreactivity was widely observed in almost every part of the oviduct, particularly in the epithelium and secretory gland membrane. Analysis of protein, mRNA expression revealed the decreased expression of TLR2/4 in the magnum compared with the isthmus, uterus, and vagina during hibernation. The protein and mRNA expression of TLR2 in the magnum, isthmus, uterus, and vagina was decreased in April compared with that in November. TLR4 protein and mRNA expression in the magnum, isthmus, uterus and vagina was decreased in November compared with that in April. These results indicated that TLR2/4 expression might protect the sperm from microbial infections. In contrast to the function of TLR2, which protects sperm during the early stages of hibernation, TLR4 might play a role in later stages of storage. The present study is the first to report the functions of TLR2/4 in reptiles. Positive TLR2 protein expressed primarily in the epithelium of the oviduct. TLR4 immunoreactivity had widely spread in the oviduct, particularly in the epithelium and secretory gland membrane. In contrast to the function of TLR2, which protects sperm during the early stages of hibernation, TLR4 might play a role in later stages of storage.

Description: Journal of the American Chemical Society DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b02999

Description: Journal of the American Chemical Society DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b02553

Description: Chemical Reviews DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00430

Description: In the southwestern Okinawa Trough, a cluster of approximate 70 submarine volcanoes is located at the cross back-arc volcanic trail (CBVT), with the eruptive products dominated by rhyolites. New whole-rock major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb–O isotopic data and previously available geochemistry data of volcanic rocks from this region are presented to determine the petrogenesis of these rhyolites. The rhyolites have high SiO 2 (〉70.01 wt.%), K 2 O + Na 2 O (6.71–7.16 wt.%) contents and differentiation index (DI) values (DI 〉 93), and are metaluminous to weakly peraluminous (A/CNK = 0.99–1.11) and medium-K calc-alkaline in composition. The relatively low 10 4 *Ga/Al (2.06–2.17) and FeO*/MgO ratios (4.50–6.62), as well as Zr (91–174 ppm) and Zr + Ce + Nb + Y (175–271) contents suggest that the rhyolites, which contain hornblende, are generally similar to those of typical highly fractionated I-type granitoids. The rhyolites show arc-related features such as enrichment in LILEs (Rb, Ba, K), Th, U, Pb, and LREEs ((La/Yb) N  = 6.21–6.74) and strong depletion in HFSEs (Nb, Ta, P, Ti) with both nearly identical and more enriched isotopic compositions, including εNd (from −3.2 to −3.5), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios (0.705552 to 0.705713), δ 18 O values (+8.1‰ to +8.6‰), and Pb isotopic compositions ( 206 Pb/ 204 Pb = 18.568–18.589, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb = 15.641–15.656, and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb = 38.848–38.904). Based on these characteristics, we propose that subduction-related basalt magma and crust-derived magma mixed and homogenized within a shallow magma chamber with a homogeneous “base-level” isotopic signature of 〉0·7055 ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr) and 〉 −3 (εNd). This magma would have then experienced the extensive fractional crystallization of minerals, including plagioclase, hornblende, apatite, sphene, and Fe–Ti oxides, to form the CBVT rhyolites. Our geochemical interpretation of the existence of a long-lived, convecting magma chamber beneath the CBVT is also consistent with seismic tomography results.

Description: Placental trophoblast invasion is crucial for embryo implantation and successful pregnancy. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)/urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) are expressed on trophoblasts and involved in trophoblast invasion. The transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1) (c-FOS and c-JUN) and fucosyltransferase IV (FUT4) have been found to be involved in trophoblast invasion. However, the relationship of uPA/uPAR, AP1 and FUT4 is unclear in trophoblast invasion. The current study aimed to investigate the role of AP1 in uPA/uPAR-induced FUT4 expression and trophoblast invasion. In this study, we found that p-c-FOS and p-c-JUN were decreased in abortion patients compared to that in normal pregnant women. Employing human trophoblastic cell lines, we then demonstrated that uPA/uPAR induced the expression of p-c-FOS and p-c-JUN. Applying an electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), we further proved that AP1 is the specific trans factor for the FUT4 promoter that could transcriptionally increase FUT4 transcriptional activity, further promoting trophoblast cell migration and invasion. Taken together, these results suggest that uPA/uPAR induces FUT4 expression and trophoblast cell invasion mediated by the AP-1 transcription factors c-FOS and c-JUN. Our findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of the early events of pregnancy. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Description: The mechanism of transition from chronic pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure is still unclear. Angiotensin II (Ang II) may be an important factor that mediates the transition in the end-stage of cardiac hypertrophy. In the present study, Goldblatt two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) rat model was used to simulate Ang II-induced hypertension. The elevated Ang II not only induced the concentric hypertrophy of left ventricle and cardiac fibrosis, but also increased the expression and glycosylation of CD147 in 2K1C rats. The left ventricular structure and function detected by echocardiogram showed a sign of the transition from cardiac hypertrophy to heart failure in 16 weeks of 2K1C rats. Ang II can activate N-acetylglucosamine transferase V (GnT-V), a key enzyme for CD147 glycosylation. Retinoic acid, an agonist of GnT-V, further increased glycosylated CD147 and activated matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in the hypertrophied left ventricle of 2K1C rat. Meanwhile, collagen cross-linking in the hypertrophied left ventricle significantly reduced in 2K1C rats. On the contrary, tunicamycin, an inhibitor of N-glycan biosynthesis, inhibited glycosylation of CD147 and activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9, and then maintained a stable of collagen cross-linking in the 2K1C rat hearts. The above results suggested that Ang II increased glycosylated CD147 which activated MMP-2 and MMP-9. Collagens were degraded by the activated MMPs and then reduced collagen cross-linking. Finally, the hypertrophied left ventricle was progressively dilated in chronic pressure overload due to losing the limitation of collagen cross-linking. Therefore, the compensated hypertrophy of left ventricle gradually transited to congestive heart failure. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Description: Wood density (WD) is not only an important parameter to estimate aboveground biomass but also an indicator of timber quality and plant adaptation strategies to stressful conditions (i.e., windthrow, pests, and pathogens). This study had three objectives: (1) to compare WD among seven subtropical tree species; (2) to determine how tree growth traits may influence possible differences in WD between the pioneer and shade-tolerant species; and (3) to examine whether or not WD differs by tree social status (dominant vs. suppressed trees) within species. To do this, 70 trees were destructively harvested. From each tree, disks at different stem heights were obtained and subjected to a method of stem analysis to measure whole tree level WD. The results showed that WD differed significantly among the seven species ( p  〈 .001). Their average WD was 0.537 g/cm 3 , ranging from 0.409 g/cm 3 for Choerospondias axillaris to 0.691 g/cm 3 for Cyclobalanopsis glauca . The average WD of the four pioneer species (0.497 ± 0.13 g/cm 3 ) was significantly lower ( p  〈 .01) than that of the three shade-tolerant species (0.589 ± 0.12 g/cm 3 ). The WD of the pioneers had a significant positive correlation with their stem diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height ( H ), and tree age, but WD had a significant negative correlation with relative growth rate (RGR). In contrast, the WD of the shade-tolerant tree species had no significant relationships with DBH, H , tree age, or RGR. The dominant trees of the pioneer species had a higher WD than the suppressed trees, whereas the shade-tolerant species had a lower WD for dominant trees than the suppressed trees. However, the differences in WD between dominant and suppressed trees were not significant. Taken together, the results suggest that classifying species into pioneer and shade-tolerant groups to examine the effects of tree growth traits and social status could improve our understanding of intra- and interspecific variation in WD among subtropical tree species. We investigated inter- and intraspecific variation in WD among seven tree species in the subtropical region of Jingzhou County, Hunan Province, southern China. And the results imply that influences of tree growth traits and social status on WD were more pronounced for early successional tree species than late successional tree species in subtropical China