TaGW2-TaVOZ1 module regulates wheat salt tolerance via both E3 ligase-dependent and -independent pathways.

Wheat production is limited by the rapid expansion of salinized arable land worldwide. Identification of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the salt stress response is of great importance. Here, we uncovered the NAC-type transcription factor, TaVOZ1, as a positive regulator of wheat salt tolerance.

Covalent organic framework membranes for CO separation: recent advances and challenges.

Global carbon dioxide (CO) emissions caused by the massive utilization of fossil fuels continue to rise, exacerbating the greenhouse effect. Membrane-based CO separation processes are a promising technology for carbon reduction. Covalent organic framework (COF) membranes have shown great potential in the field of gas separation due to their high porosity, tunable pore size, and chemical stability.

TaFAR5-TaFAR3 module regulates cuticular wax biosynthesis and drought tolerance in wheat.

Plant cuticular waxes function as a protective barrier to mitigate environmental stresses, especially water deficit, although the molecular mechanisms and natural genetic variations underlying wax accumulation in crops remain unclear. Our genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the contents of cuticular wax components in wheat seedlings demonstrated that allelic variations in TaFAR5, encoding a fatty acyl-CoA reductase, contribute to the differences in leaf cuticular wax accumulation. Molecular and transgenic analyses revealed that variations in the TaFAR5 promoter affect the binding affinity between cis-regulatory elements and several transcription factors, including TaLBD16, TaERF12, TaNAC2, TaWRKY2, TaMYBC1, and TaNAC6, consequently modulating TaFAR5 expression.

Spatially-confined bubble plasma oxidation induced by microchannel discharge to boost energy efficiency in water treatment.

Water pollutants, in particular emerging contaminants, pose severe risks to aquatic ecosystems and public health due to their high persistence and bioaccumulation potential. While advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) offer sustainable solutions for pollutant degradation, plasma-based AOPs often suffer from low energy efficiency and slow mass transfer of active species. Here we report a spatially-confined plasma AOP, generated in situ by electrical discharge within microchannel during bubble formation.

Effective Tumor Annotation for Automated Diagnosis of Liver Cancer.

In recent years, visual cancer information retrieval using Artificial Intelligence has been shown to be effective in diagnosis and treatment. Especially for a modern liver-cancer diagnosis system, the automated tumor annotation plays a crucial role. So-called tumor annotation refers to tagging the tumor in Biomedical images by computer vision technologies such as Deep Learning.

Integrative spatial and single-cell transcriptomics elucidate programmed cell death-driven tumor microenvironment dynamics in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Programmed cell death (PCD) mechanisms play crucial roles in cancer progression and treatment response. This study aims to develop a PCD scores prediction model to evaluate the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and elucidate the tumor microenvironment differences.

Methods: We analyzed transcriptomic data from 363 HCC patients in the TCGA database and 221 patients in the GEO database to develop a PCD prediction model.

Trends in the molecular epidemiology of human papillomavirus in males from the plateau region of Southwest China: an 11-year retrospective analysis (2014-2024).

Background: Persistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection may increase the risk of malignancies in males, including penile, rectal, anal, prostate, bladder, and oropharyngeal cancers. However, few studies focused on the epidemiology of human papillomavirus (HPV) in male patients. This study aims to retrospectively investigate the trends of HPV molecular epidemiology in males residing in the plateau region of Southwest China from 2014 to 2024.

Androgen receptor promotes arachidonic acid metabolism and angiogenic microenvironment in AFP-negative hepatocellular carcinoma.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a classic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AFP-positive HCC (AFP HCC) has been intensively investigated; however, the genomic, transcriptomic and microenvironmental characteristics of AFP-negative HCC (AFP HCC) remain to be deciphered. Here we show that tumors display mild differences in genetic alterations between AFP HCC and AFP HCC patients, while AFP HCC exhibits hyperactive arachidonic acid metabolism.

Targeting Cystine Metabolism in the Lung Cancer Environment Enhances the Efficacy of Immune Checkpoint Inhibition.

Immunotherapy with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) has shown promising therapeutic effects in the treatment of lung cancer, the overall efficacy of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors is only 20%-30%. Thus, more effective combination therapies are needed. This study finds that cystine and cysteine levels in tumor tissues of lung cancer patients are significantly higher than adjacent non-tumor tissues.

AutoPM3: enhancing variant interpretation via LLM-driven PM3 evidence extraction from scientific literature.

Motivation: Rare diseases affect over 300 million people worldwide and are often caused by genetic variants. While variant detection has become cost-effective, interpreting these variants-particularly collecting literature-based evidence like ACMG/AMP PM3-remains complex and time-consuming.

Results: We present AutoPM3, a method that automates PM3 evidence extraction from literatures using open-source large language models (LLMs).

Cornea Nerves Can Identify Different Types of Parkinson's Disease.

Purpose: To investigate whether the cornea nerve can distinguish between different subtypes of Parkinson's disease.

Methods: A total of 63 patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease-comprising tremor-dominant (TD), postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD), and mixed subtypes-were included alongside 31 age- and gender-matched control participants. All participants underwent In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) examinations along with comprehensive assessments of clinical neurological symptoms using the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Hoehn and Yahr stages, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores.

Bioinformatics analysis to investigate the potential relationship between mitochondrial structure and function-related genes and the immune microenvironment in atherosclerosis.

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the interactions between genes associated with mitochondrial structure and function and the immune microenvironment in atherosclerosis.

Methods: Differentially expressed mitochondria-related genes (DE-MRGs) were identified through the analysis of two gene expression datasets, GSE100927 and GSE159677, in conjunction with a list of mitochondria-related genes sourced from the MitoCarta3.0 database.

Unveiling lipoprotein subfractions signature in high-FNPO PCOS: implications for PCOM diagnosis and risk assessment using advanced machine learning models.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common reproductive and metabolic disorder in the reproductive-age women. The international evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of PCOS 2023 now suggests raising the follicle number per ovary (FNPO) threshold from 12 to 20 to define its key feature, polycystic ovarian morphology (PCOM). However, understanding of low- and high-FNPO PCOS cases defined in this cutoff is very limited.

Viral Infections in Elderly Individuals: A Comprehensive Overview of SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Susceptibility, Pathogenesis, and Clinical Treatment Strategies.

As age increases, the immune function of elderly individuals gradually decreases, increasing their susceptibility to infectious diseases. Therefore, further research on common viral infections in the elderly population, especially severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses, is crucial for scientific progress. This review delves into the genetic structure, infection mechanisms, and impact of coinfections with these two viruses and provides a detailed analysis of the reasons for the increased susceptibility of elderly individuals to dual viral infections.

Dynamic interplay between niche variation and flight adaptability drove a hundred million years' dispersion in iconic lacewings.

The form and change of animal biogeography reflects the long-term interplay between organisms and their environment, involving physiological limitation, dispersal capability, and adaptive evolution versus plate tectonics, global climatic shifts, and changing landscapes. This is especially manifest for lineages with extended geological histories, which, therefore, evokes questions as to the associated processes producing such patterns. Insects, as the earliest flying animals, have exceptional abilities for expanding their range and habitats and to avoid detrimental conditions.

Discovery of benzethonium chloride as a potent STAT3 inhibitor for the treatment of HNSCC.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a prevalent malignancy with high mortality, and effective treatment strategies remain limited. This study investigated the effects of benzethonium chloride (BZN), an FDA-approved anti-infective agent, on HNSCC cell lines and its underlying mechanisms. BZN significantly inhibited the proliferation of HNSCC cell lines CAL27 and FaDu and induced apoptosis in both cell lines .

Bariatric Surgery Impact on Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Bariatric surgery has emerged as a promising intervention for obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a condition strongly associated with obesity and anovulatory infertility. While weight management is a key therapeutic strategy, the optimal approach remains uncertain. A recent randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of bariatric surgery on ovulation rates in obese women with PCOS.

KunMingShanHaiTang formula reprograms macrophage metabolism and promotes M2 polarization via the HIF-1α pathway to alleviate ulcerative colitis symptoms in a rat model.

The KunMingShanHaiTang Formula (KMSHTF), adjusted by Professor Zhong Chuanhua for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC), is the work of a renowned veteran practitioner of Chinese medicine. However, its specific mechanism remains unknown. Consequently, it is intriguing to investigate the molecular mechanism by which KMSHTF treats UC.

Characterizing HLA-A2-restricted CD8 T-cell epitopes and immune responses to Omicron variants in SARS-CoV-2-inactivated vaccine recipients.

Introduction: Recent surveillance has identified the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron ariant, which exhibits the ability to evade multiple neutralizing antibodies generated by prior infection or vaccination. However, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the CD8 T-cell immune reactivity to the Omicron variant. This study aims to evaluate the characteristics of HLA-A2-restricted CD8 T-cell epitopes from the Omicron variant and analyze epitope-specific CD8 T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccines.

Architecture of genome-wide transcriptional regulatory network reveals dynamic functions and evolutionary trajectories in .

The model Gram-negative plant pathogen utilises hundreds of transcription factors (TFs) to regulate its functional processes, including virulence and metabolic pathways that control its ability to infect host plants. Although the molecular mechanisms of regulators have been studied for decades, a comprehensive understanding of genome-wide TFs in 1448A remains limited. Here, we investigated the binding characteristics of 170 of 301 annotated TFs through chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq).

Interleukin-16 enhances anti-tumor immune responses by establishing a Th1 cell-macrophage crosstalk through reprogramming glutamine metabolism in mice.

Overcoming immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial for developing novel cancer immunotherapies. Here, we report that IL-16 administration enhances the polarization of T helper 1 (Th1) cells by inhibiting glutamine catabolism through the downregulation of glutaminase in CD4 T cells and increases the production of Th1 effector cytokine IFN-γ, thus improving anti-tumor immune responses. Moreover, we find that establishing an IL-16-dependent, Th1-dominant TME relies on mast cell-produced histamine and results in the increased expression of the CXCR3 ligands in tumor-associated macrophages (TAM), thereby improving the therapeutic effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB).

A system genetics analysis uncovers the regulatory variants controlling drought response in wheat.

Plants activate a variable response to drought stress by modulating transcription of key genes. However, our knowledge of genetic variations governing gene expression in response to drought stress remains limited in natural germplasm. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptional variability of 200 wheat accessions in response to drought stress by using a systems genetics approach integrating pan-transcriptome, co-expression networks, transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS), and expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) mapping.

LPA released from dying cancer cells after chemotherapy inactivates Hippo signaling and promotes pancreatic cancer cell repopulation.

Purpose: The Hippo pathway in the tumorigenesis and progression of PDAC, with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) regulating the Hippo pathway to facilitate cancer progression. However, the impact of the Hippo signaling pathway on tumor repopulation in PDAC remains unreported.

Methods: Direct and indirect co-culture models to investigate gemcitabine-induced apoptotic cells can facilitate the repopulation of residual tumor cells.