Absolute Length Distribution of Human Telomeres with Single-Molecule Techniques.

Human telomeres exhibit progressive shortening with each replication cycle. This phenomenon plays a critical role in the onset of senescence and the development of cancers. The measurement of absolute telomere length (TL) is not only serving as a marker of aging, but also holds substantial medical relevance.

Seasonal variation enhances dissolved arsenic dynamics in aquaculture lake at the sediment-water interface.

Aquaculture promotes the accumulation of substances in sediments and alters the microenvironment state of sediment-water interfaces (SWI). However, the response mechanism of arsenic (As) dynamics in sediments to these changes remains unclear. In this study, we employed high-resolution techniques to investigate the seasonal dynamics of As at the SWI in aquaculture-impacted lake zones, systematically analyzing its mobilization pathways and associated driving mechanisms.

Erratum: Increasing atmospheric evaporative demand across the Tibetan plateau and implications for surface water resources.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.

Muscone-specific olfactory protein MjavOBP3 identified as the putative scent-marking pheromone in the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica).

Pangolins are mammals of important conservation interest, as only eight extant species remain globally and all are considered to be at risk of extinction. The Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica) is a burrowing and nocturnal animal with poor vision, thus intraspecies communication such as mating, warning, and scent-marking relies on olfaction. The specific pheromone involved in intraspecies communication in pangolins remains unknown.

Probing Structural Variants of Irregular DNA G-Tracts ( ≤ 2) Using MspA Nanopores.

Guanine-rich DNA sequences with short G-tracts ( ≤ 2) are highly prevalent and abundant in the human genome, some of which are found to be associated with diseases (Maity et al. . 2020, 48 (6), 3315-3327).

Increasing atmospheric evaporative demand across the Tibetan plateau and implications for surface water resources.

The Tibetan Plateau, known as the "Asian water tower," is a hotspot for complex hydroclimatic changes. We reveal that the previously decreasing atmospheric evaporative demand ( ) trend at the end of the 20 century has reversed over the last two decades. Although both wind stilling and solar dimming have persisted, their effects on rates have been overshadowed by increasing air temperatures and decreasing relative humidity, leading to a net rise in for 1980-2015.

Combined effect of landuse/landcover and climate change projection on the spatiotemporal streamflow response in cryosphere catchment in the Tibetan Plateau.

Climate and landuse/landcover (LULC) change are primary drivers significantly impacting basin hydrology. However, in the Tibetan Plateau (TP), future streamflow projections that consider the combined effects of climate change and LULC change are lacking. This study aims to enhance the accuracy of future streamflow simulations in the Lhasa River Basin (LRB).

The transition from macrophyte-dominated to algae-dominated lake systems enhances arsenic release from sediments.

Declining macrophytes in eutrophic lakes are altering material cycling in sediments. However, the transformation of arsenic (As) in response to these changes remains poorly understood. In this study, high-resolution dialysis was used to measure dissolved As in sediments from macrophyte-dominated (MD) and algae-dominated (AD) zones across different seasons.

A hammerhead ribozyme selects mechanically stable conformations for catalysis against viral RNA.

Ribozymes, widely found in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, target nucleic acids and can be engineered as biotechnical tools or for gene regulation or immune therapy. Among them, hammerhead is the smallest and best characterized ribozyme. However, the structure and biochemical data of ribozymes have been disagreed on, making the understanding of its catalysis mechanism a longstanding issue.

Analyzing Telomeric Protein-DNA Interactions Using Single-Molecule Magnetic Tweezers.

Telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, are crucial for maintaining cellular longevity and genome stability. Their proper function depends on tightly regulated processes of replication, elongation, and damage response. The shelterin complex, especially Telomere Repeat-binding Factor 1 (TRF1) and TRF2, plays a pivotal role in telomere protection and has emerged as a potential anti-cancer target for drug discovery.

Novel role for Ddx39 in differentiation and telomere length regulation of embryonic stem cells.

Erk signaling is indispensable for the self-renewal and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), as well as telomere homeostasis. But how Erk regulates these biological processes remains unclear. We identified 132 Erk2 interacting proteins by co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometric analysis, and focused on Ddx39 as a potential Erk2 substrate.

Arsenic distribution characteristics and release mechanisms in aquaculture lake sediments.

It is well known that aquaculture can alter the microenvironments of lakes at sediment-water interface (SWI). However, the main mechanisms underlying the effects of aquaculture activities on arsenic (As) transformations are still unclear. In this context, the present study aims to investigate the variations in the sediment As contents in Yangcheng Lake, as well as to assess its chemical transformations, release fluxes, and release mechanisms.

Methane emissions and microbial communities under differing flooding conditions and seasons in littoral wetlands of urban lake.

Wetlands are the largest natural sources of methane (CH) emissions worldwide. Littoral wetlands of urban lakes represent an ecotone between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and are strongly influenced by water levels, environmental conditions, and anthropogenic activities. Despite these littoral zones being potential "hotspots" of CH emissions, the status of CH emissions therein and the role of physicochemical properties and microbial communities regulating these emissions remain unclear.

Effects of soil heterogeneity and preferential flow on the water flow and isotope transport in an experimental hillslope.

Soil water movement plays vital roles in hillslope runoff generation and groundwater and surface water interaction. However, there are still knowledge gaps about the impacts of soil heterogeneity and preferential flow on the internal water flow and transport process. In this study, the vertical soil heterogeneity focused on the variations in soil retention capacity, and the consideration of lateral preferential flow emphasized the higher hydraulic conductivity.

PAFAH2 suppresses synchronized ferroptosis to ameliorate acute kidney injury.

Synchronized ferroptosis contributes to nephron loss in acute kidney injury (AKI). However, the propagation signals and the underlying mechanisms of the synchronized ferroptosis for renal tubular injury remain unresolved. Here we report that platelet-activating factor (PAF) and PAF-like phospholipids (PAF-LPLs) mediated synchronized ferroptosis and contributed to AKI.

Data-driven assessment of soil total nitrogen on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The investigation of soil total nitrogen (STN) holds significant importance in the preservation and sustainability of Earth's ecosystems. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), renowned as the world's most expansive plateau and characterized by its exceptionally delicate ecosystem, demands an in-depth exploration of its STN content. In this study, we use a machine learning approach to extrapolate point-scale measured STN stocks to the entire QTP and calculated STN storage from 0 to 2 m.

Transcriptome analysis and identification of genes related to environmental adaptation of Zhou & Ren 2023.

is a true cave insect living in the dark areas of caves. It has the characteristics of sparse skin pigmentation, degeneration of the compound eyes and monocular eyes, and obvious preference for high-humidity and low-temperature environments. Given the highly specialized, rare, and limited distribution, is considered an endangered species and also a first-level national protected insect in China.

The role of halogens in Au-S bond cleavage for energy-differentiated catalysis at the single-bond limit.

The transformation from one compound to another involves the breaking and formation of chemical bonds at the single-bond level, especially during catalytic reactions that are of great significance in broad fields such as energy conversion, environmental science, life science and chemical synthesis. The study of the reaction process at the single-bond limit is the key to understanding the catalytic reaction mechanism and further rationally designing catalysts. Here, we develop a method to monitor the catalytic process from the perspective of the single-bond energy using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy single-molecule junctions.

Simulation and prediction of changes in maximum freeze depth in the source region of the Yellow River under climate change.

The source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) is located at the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), which is completely covered by frozen ground. Due to relatively higher temperatures, the frozen ground in the SRYR is particularly fragile and susceptible to the impacts of global climate change. This study discusses the maximum freeze depth (MFD) of frozen ground in the SRYR, including analysis of measured data at the stations, comparison of simulation models, and projection of future changes.

Capture of colloidal fine suspended particle by aquatic vegetation under rainfall.

The capture of colloidal fine suspended particles by vegetation plays an important role in water quality of the shallow aquatic system under rainfall. Quantifying impact of rainfall intensity and vegetation condition on this process remains poorly characterized. In this study, the colloidal particle capture rates under three rainfall intensities, four vegetation densities and with submerged or emergent vegetation were investigated in different travel distance in a laboratory flume.

Co-transport of arsenic and micro/nano-plastics in saturated soil.

Contaminants can co-exist and migrate together in the environment, causing complex (and sometimes unexpected) transport dynamics which challenge the efficient remediation of individual contaminants. The co-transport dynamics, however, remained obscure for some contaminants, such as arsenic and micro/nano-plastics (MNPs). To fill this knowledge gap, this study explored the co-transport dynamics of arsenic and MNP particles in saturated soil by combining laboratory experiments and stochastic model analysis.

Changes in permafrost spatial distribution and active layer thickness from 1980 to 2020 on the Tibet Plateau.

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is experiencing extensive permafrost degradation due to climate change, which seriously threatens sustainable water and ecosystem management in the TP and its downstream areas. Understanding the evolution of permafrost is critical for studying changes in the water cycle, carbon flux, and ecology of the TP. In this study, we mapped the spatial distribution of permafrost and active layer thickness (ALT) at 1 km resolution for each decade using empirical models and machine learning methods validated with borehole data.