Virulence-mediated colonization mechanism for TEP as a promising watershed-scale recorder and source-tracking indicator of human pathogens.

Waterborne pathogens related diseases have been a global health concern. Precise source tracking of pathogens in rivers is crucial for understanding and reducing waterborne pathogens transmission risks. Current microbial source tracking techniques are still limited by identifying pathogen indicators at low concentrations, particularly in highly dynamic confluence zones of rivers where the coalescence of microbiomes exacerbates community disturbances.

Sexually dimorphic control of affective state processing and empathic behaviors.

Recognizing the affective states of social counterparts and responding appropriately fosters successful social interactions. However, little is known about how the affective states are expressed and perceived and how they influence social decisions. Here, we show that male and female mice emit distinct olfactory cues after experiencing distress.

Polysaccharide preferred minority-dominant community assembly and exoenzyme enrichment in transparent exopolymer particles: Implication for global carbon cycle in water.

The ubiquitous transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs) are an important organic carbon pool and an ideal microhabitat for bacteria in aquatic environments. They play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Organic matter transformation and carbon turnover in TEPs strongly depend on the assembly of their associated bacterial communities and enzyme activity.

The Lateral Parabrachial Nucleus Inputs to the Lateral Hypothalamus Trigger Nocifensive Behaviors.

The lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) is known to play a key role in relaying noxious information from the spinal cord to the brain. Different LPBN efferent mediate different aspects of the nocifensive response. However, the function of the LPBN → lateral hypothalamus (LH) circuit in response to noxious stimuli has remained unknown.

Regulation of anxiety-like behaviors by S-palmitoylation and S-nitrosylation in basolateral amygdala.

Protein posttranslational modification regulates synaptic protein stability, sorting and trafficking, and is involved in emotional disorders. Yet the molecular mechanisms regulating emotional disorders remain unelucidated. Here we report unknown roles of protein palmitoylation/nitrosylation crosstalk in regulating anxiety-like behaviors in rats.

System analysis identifies UBE2C as a novel oncogene target for adrenocortical carcinoma.

Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme 2C (UBE2C) is an emerging target gene for tumor progression. However, the tumorigenic effect and mechanism of UBE2C in adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) remains unclear. Systematic investigation of the tumorigenic effect of UBE2C may help in understanding its prognostic value in adrenocortical carcinoma.

Differences in the neural basis and transcriptomic patterns in acute and persistent pain-related anxiety-like behaviors.

Background: Both acute and persistent pain is associated with anxiety in clinical observations, but whether the underlying neural mechanisms differ is poorly understood.

Methods: We used formalin or complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) to induce acute or persistent pain. Behavioral performance was assessed by the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), open field (OF), and elevated plus maze (EPM) tests.

APT1-Mediated Depalmitoylation Regulates Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity.

Palmitoylation may be relevant to the processes of learning and memory, and even disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and aging-related cognitive decline. However, underlying mechanisms of palmitoylation in these processes remain unclear. Herein, we used acyl-biotin exchange, coimmunoprecipitation and biotinylation assays, and behavioral and electrophysiological methods, to explore whether palmitoylation is required for hippocampal synaptic transmission and fear memory formation, and involved in functional modification of synaptic proteins, such as postsynapse density-95 (PSD-95) and glutamate receptors, and detected if depalmitoylation by specific enzymes has influence on glutamatergic synaptic plasticity.

Enriched Environment Prevents Surgery-Induced Persistent Neural Inhibition and Cognitive Dysfunction.

Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) encompass short-term delirium and long-term cognitive dysfunction. Aging increases the susceptibility to PND, yet the neural mechanism is not known. In this study, we monitored the dynamic changes of neuronal activity in the prelimbic cortex before and after surgery.

Acid-sensing ion channels in trigeminal ganglion neurons innervating the orofacial region contribute to orofacial inflammatory pain.

Orofacial pain is a common clinical symptom that is accompanied by tooth pain, migraine and gingivitis. Accumulating evidence suggests that acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs), especially ASIC3, can profoundly affect the physiological properties of nociception in peripheral sensory neurons. The aim of this study is to examine the contribution of ASICs in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons to orofacial inflammatory pain.