The Characteristically Slow Proton Transfer Coupled to Platinum Oxidation in Alkaline Polyelectrolyte as Elucidated at the Molecular Level.

The proton transfer in alkaline polyelectrolyte membrane (APEM)/electrode interfaces is significantly coupled to the electrochemical reactions in energy conversion and green synthesis. The OH in APEM/electrode interfaces is characteristically without cations in the surroundings but ambiguous in proton-transfer-coupled electrochemical reactions at the molecular level. Here we employed electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and high-level quantum-chemical calculations to elucidate the proton transfer in the APEM/Pt interface by using electrochemical Pt oxidation as an indicator.

Pyroptosis: A promising biomarker for predicting colorectal cancer prognosis and enhancing immunotherapy efficacy.

In this editorial, we comment on the article by Zhu published in the recent issue of the . We focus specifically on the characteristics and mechanisms of pyroptosis and the impact of changes in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) on cancer prognosis. Pyroptosis is a distinct form of programmed cell death; its occurrence can change the TIME and regulate the growth and spread of tumors and therefore is significantly correlated with cancer prognosis.

Spectroscopic Elucidation of the Electrochemical Potential Drop at Polyelectrolytes/Au Interfaces.

Polyelectrolytes have been widely applied in electrochemical devices. Understanding the polyelectrolyte/electrode interfaces is pivotal for polyelectrolyte-based applications. Here, we measured the electrochemical potential drop and the local activity of the mobile ion of H or OH at the polyelectrolytes/Au interfaces by electrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and voltammetry in three-electrode cells.

Topography of transcriptionally active chromatin in glioblastoma.

Molecular profiling of the most aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma (GBM) on the basis of gene expression, DNA methylation, and genomic variations advances both cancer research and clinical diagnosis. The enhancer architectures and regulatory circuitries governing tumor-intrinsic transcriptional diversity and subtype identity are still elusive. Here, by mapping H3K27ac deposition, we analyze the active regulatory landscapes across 95 GBM biopsies, 12 normal brain tissues, and 38 cell line counterparts.

Co-activation of super-enhancer-driven CCAT1 by TP63 and SOX2 promotes squamous cancer progression.

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are aggressive malignancies. Previous report demonstrated that master transcription factors (TFs) TP63 and SOX2 exhibited overlapping genomic occupancy in SCCs. However, functional consequence of their frequent co-localization at super-enhancers remains incompletely understood.

Targetable BET proteins- and E2F1-dependent transcriptional program maintains the malignancy of glioblastoma.

Competitive BET bromodomain inhibitors (BBIs) targeting BET proteins (BRD2, BRD3, BRD4, and BRDT) show promising preclinical activities against brain cancers. However, the BET protein-dependent glioblastoma (GBM)-promoting transcriptional network remains elusive. Here, with mechanistic exploration of a next-generation chemical degrader of BET proteins (dBET6), we reveal a profound and consistent impact of BET proteins on E2F1- dependent transcriptional program in both differentiated GBM cells and brain tumor-initiating cells.

In silico analysis of plant and animal transposable elements.

Transposable Elements (TEs) play important roles in the evolution of eukaryotic organisms. TEs widely distribute depending on their properties present in the genome. This study elucidated the molecular characteristics of TEs in land plants and animals using bioinformatics and in silico mutational approach.

[Analysis of horizontal transfer gene of Bombyx mori NPV].

For research on genetic characters and evolutionary origin of the genome of baculoviruses, a comprehensive homology search and phylogenetic analysis of the complete genomes of Bombyx mori NPV and Bombyx mori were used. Three horizontally transferred genes (inhibitor of apoptosis, chitinase, and UDP-glucosyltransferase) were identified, and there was evidence that all of these genes were derived from the insect host. The results of analysis showed lots of differences between the features of horizontal transferred genes and the ones of whole genomic genes, such as nucleotide composition, codon usagebias and selection pressure.

Molecular analysis of early rice stamen development using organ-specific gene expression profiling.

Elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of plant organ formation is an important component of plant developmental biology and will be useful for crop improvement applications. Plant organ formation, or organogenesis, occurs when a group of primordial cells differentiates into an organ, through a well-orchestrated series of events, with a given shape, structure and function. Research over the past two decades has elucidated the molecular mechanisms of organ identity and dorsalventral axis determinations.