Notes

Structural along with functional consequences involving NEDD8 phosphorylation.
Adult male and female mosquitoes consume sugar as floral and extrafloral nectar. Earlier work demonstrated that mosquito populations and their vector potential are dependent upon the availability of sugar sources. Thus, a novel method of vector control may involve targeting sugar-feeding mosquitoes. Multiple human-safe sugar substitutes are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are readily available. However, plant-based sugar substitutes such as stevia (erythritol) have been shown to affect lifespan in other flies. Therefore, the current study was carried out to test the potential of commercially available sugar substitutes to adversely affect the survival, fecundity, and metabolism of adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Of the four sugar substitutes tested, erythritol (Stevia), sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), and saccharin (Sweet'N Low), only erythritol negatively affected mosquito longevity and fecundity. Forskolin The effect on fecundity was probably due in part to a corresponding decrease in glycogen and lipid levels over time in mosquitoes fed on erythritol. Comparative mosquito head transcriptomes indicated upregulation of a gene in the mannose biosynthesis pathway in females fed on erythritol, suggesting that N-linked glycosylation might be responsible for the negative impact of erythritol feeding in mosquitoes. Mosquitoes preferred sucrose when a choice was given but were not averse to erythritol. Our results suggest the possibility of using erythritol alone or in combination with sucrose as a component of attractive toxic sugar baits for a human-safe approach for mosquito control.Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown in animals to play roles in a wide range of biological processes. In plant, light modulates the growth and development as a key external signal. However, little is known about the role of plant lncRNA in response to light. In this study, we sequenced the messenger RNAs (mRNAs), lncRNAs and microRNAs (miRNAs) in Arabidopsis seedlings under blue light for 2 h and 8 h. Compared to dark, we identified 4197 mRNAs, 375 miRNAs and 481 lncRNAs, or 5207 mRNAs, 286 miRNAs and 545 lncRNAs of differential expressions under blue light treatments for 2 h or 8 h respectively. Subsequently, a total of 407 competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) pairs (lncRNA-mRNA-miRNA) were constructed. We identified a blue light-induced lncRNA which plays roles in blue light-directed plant photomorphogenesis and response to mannitol stress by serving as a ceRNA to sequester miR167 in a type of target mimicry. These results revealed previously unknown roles of the lncRNA in blue light signaling and mannitol stress, and provided useful resources of lncRNAs associated with miRNAs in response to blue light.Exposure to particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disorders and mortality. The cytotoxicity of PM is mainly due to the abnormal increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which damage cellular components such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. The correlation between PM exposure and human disorders, including mortality, is based on long-term exposure. In this study we have investigated acute responses of mucus-secreting goblet cells upon exposure to PM derived from a heavy diesel engine. To this end, we employed the mucociliary epithelium of amphibian embryos and human Calu-3 cells to examine PM mucotoxicity. Our data suggest that acute exposure to PM significantly impairs mucus secretion and results in the accumulation of mucus vesicles in the cytoplasm of goblet cells. RNA-seq analysis revealed that acute responses to PM exposure significantly altered gene expression patterns; however, known regulators of mucus production and the secretory pathway were not significantly altered. Interestingly, pretreatment with α-tocopherol nearly recovered the hyposecretion of mucus from both amphibian and human goblet cells. We believe this study demonstrates the mucotoxicity of PM and the protective function of α-tocopherol on mucotoxicity caused by acute PM exposure from heavy diesel engines.Cover cropping is proposed to enhance soil microbial diversity and activity, with cover crop type affecting microbial groups in different ways. We compared fungal community compositions of bulk soils differing by cover crop treatment, season, and edaphic properties in the third year of an organic, conventionally tilled rotation of corn-soybean-wheat planted with winter cover crops. We used Illumina amplicon sequencing fungal assemblages to evaluate effects of nine treatments, each replicated four times, consisting of six single winter cover crop species, a three-species mixture, a six-species mixture, and fallow. Alpha-diversity of fungal communities was not affected by cover crop species identity, function, or diversity. Sampling season influenced community composition as well as genus-level abundances of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Cover crop mixtures, specifically the three-species mixture, had distinct AM fungal community compositions, while cereal rye and forage radish monocultures had unique Core OTU compositions. Soil texture, pH, permanganate oxidizable carbon, and chemical properties including Cu, and P were important variables in models of fungal OTU distributions across groupings. These results showed how fungal composition and potential functions were shaped by cover crop treatment as well as soil heterogeneity.Four-dimensional (4D) printing can add active and responsive functions to three-dimensional (3D) printed objects in response to various external stimuli. Light, among others, has a unique advantage of remotely controlling structural changes to obtain predesigned shapes. In this study, we demonstrate multicolor 4D printing of shape-memory polymers (SMPs). Using color-dependent selective light absorption and heating in multicolor SMP composites, we realize remote actuation with light illumination. We experimentally investigate the temperature changes in colored SMPs and observe a clear difference between the different colors. We also present simulations and analytical calculations to theoretically model the structural variations in multicolor composites. Finally, we consider a multicolor hinged structure and demonstrate the multistep actuation by changing the color of light and duration of illumination. 4D printing can allow complex, multicolor geometries with predesigned responses. Moreover, SMPs can be reused multiple times for thermal actuation by simply conducting thermomechanical programming again.
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