Artemisinin is highly effective against drug-resistant malarial parasites, which affects nearly half of the global population and kills 〉500 000 people each year. The primary cost of artemisinin is the very expensive...Artemisinin is highly effective against drug-resistant malarial parasites, which affects nearly half of the global population and kills 〉500 000 people each year. The primary cost of artemisinin is the very expensive process used to extract and purify the drug from Artemisia annua. Elimination of this apparently unnecessary step will make this potent antimalarial drug affordable to the global population living in endemic regions. Here we reported the oral delivery of a non-protein drug artemisinin biosynthesized （~0.8 mg/g dry weight） at clinically meaningful levels in tobacco by engineering two metabolic pathways targeted to three different cellular compartments （chloroplast, nucleus, and mitochondria）. The doubly transgenic lines showed a three-fold enhancement of isopentenyl pyrophosphate, and targeting AACPR, DBR2, and CYP71AV1 to chloroplasts resulted in higher expression and an efficient photo-oxidation of di- hydroartemisinic acid to artemisinin. Partially purified extracts from the leaves of transgenic tobacco plants inhibited in vitro growth progression of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells. Oral feeding of whole intact plant cells bioencapsulating the artemisinin reduced the parasitemia levels in challenged mice in comparison with commercial drug. Such novel synergistic approaches should facilitate low-cost production and delivery of artemisinin and other drugs through metabolic engineering of edible plants.展开更多
Vy2Vδ2 T （also known as Vy9Vδ2 T） cells exist only in primates, and in humans represent a major yδ T-cell sub-population in the total population of circulating yδ T cells. Results from recent studies suggest tha...Vy2Vδ2 T （also known as Vy9Vδ2 T） cells exist only in primates, and in humans represent a major yδ T-cell sub-population in the total population of circulating yδ T cells. Results from recent studies suggest that while （E）-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate （HMBPP） phosphoantigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis （Mtb） and other microbes activates and expands primate Vy2Vδ2 T cells, the Vy2Vδ2 T-cell receptor （TCR） recognizes and binds to HMBPP on antigen-presenting cells （APC）. In response to HMBPP stimulus, Vy2V82 TCRs array to form signaling-related nanoclusters or nanodomains during the activation of Vy2V82 T cells. Primary infections with H MBPP-producing pathogens drive the evolution of multieffector functional responses in Vy2Vδ2 T cells, although Vy2V82 T cells display different patterns of responses during the acute and chronic phases of Mtb infection and in other infections. Expanded Vy2Vδ2 T cells in primary Mtb infection can exhibit a broader TCR repertoire and a greater clonal response than previously assumed, with different distribution patterns of Vδ,2Vδ2 T-cell clones in lymphoid and non-lymphoid compartments. Emerging in vivo data suggest that HMBPP activation of Vy2W2 T cells appears to impact other immune cells during infection.展开更多
Phosphorus(P)is an essential nutrient for plant growth and reproduction.Plants preferentially absorb P as orthophosphate(Pi),an ion that displays low solubility and that is readily fixed in the soil,making P limita-ti...Phosphorus(P)is an essential nutrient for plant growth and reproduction.Plants preferentially absorb P as orthophosphate(Pi),an ion that displays low solubility and that is readily fixed in the soil,making P limita-tion a condition common to many soils and Pi fertilization an inefficient practice.To cope with Pi limitation,plants have evolved a series of developmental and physiological responses,collectively known as the Pi starvation rescue system(PSR),aimed to improve Pi acquisition and use efficiency(PUE)and protect from Pi-starvation-induced stress.Intensive research has been carried out during the last 20 years to un-ravel the mechanisms underlying the control of the PSR in plants.Here we review the results of this research effort that have led to the identification and characterization of several core Pi starvation signaling components,including sensors,transcription factors,microRNAs(miRNAs)and miRNA inhibitors,kinases,phosphatases,and components of the proteostasis machinery.We also refer to recent results revealing the existence of intricate signaling interplays between Pi and other nutrients and antagonists,N,Fe,Zn,and As,that have changed the initial single-nutrient-centric view to a more integrated view of nutrient homeostasis.Finally,we discuss advances toward improving PUE and future research priorities.展开更多
Nano-sized cerium-titanium pyrophosphates Ce1-xTixP2O7 （with x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1.0） were obtained by grinding a mixture of Ce（SO4）2·4H2O, Ti（SO4）2, and Na4P2O7·10H2O in the presence of sur...Nano-sized cerium-titanium pyrophosphates Ce1-xTixP2O7 （with x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1.0） were obtained by grinding a mixture of Ce（SO4）2·4H2O, Ti（SO4）2, and Na4P2O7·10H2O in the presence of surfactant PEG-400 at room temperature, washing the mixture with water to remove soluble inorganic salts, and drying at 100℃. The products and their calcined samples were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy （UV-vis）, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analyses （TG/DTA）, X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that nano-sized Ce1-xTixP2O7 behave as an excellent UV-shielding material. Thereinto, the CeP2O7 has the most excellent UV-shielding effect, and the amorphous state of Ce0.8Ti0.2P2O7 can keep at a higher temperature than CeP2O7. Therefore, the stabilization of the amorphous state of the cerium pyrophosphates was carded out by doping titanium. This stabilization is a significant improvement, which enables to apply these amorphous pyrophosphates not only to cosmetics and paints, but also plastics and films.展开更多
Bismuth-promoted （1% and 3%） vanadyl pyrophosphate catalysts were prepared by refluxing Bi（NO3）4.5H2O and VOPO4.2H2O in isobutanol. The incorporation of Bi into the catalysts lattice increased the surface area and...Bismuth-promoted （1% and 3%） vanadyl pyrophosphate catalysts were prepared by refluxing Bi（NO3）4.5H2O and VOPO4.2H2O in isobutanol. The incorporation of Bi into the catalysts lattice increased the surface area and lowered the overall V oxidation state. Profiles of temperature programmed reduction （TPR） in H2 show a significant shift of the maxima of major reduction peaks to lower temperatures for the Bi-promoted catalysts. A new peak was also observed at the low temperature region for the catalyst with 3% of Bi dopant. The addition of Bi also increased the total amount of oxygen removed from the catalysts. The reduction pattern and reactivity information provide fundamental insight into the catalytic properties of the catalysts. Bi-promoted catalysts were found to be highly active （71% and 81% conversion for 1% and 3% Bi promoted catalysts, respectively, at 703 K）, as compared to the unpromoted material （47% conversion）. The higher activity of the Bi-promoted catalysts is due to that these catalysts possess highly active and labile lattice oxygen. The better catalytic performance can also be attributed to the larger surface area.展开更多
Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are specialized effector cells that have gained prominence as immunotherapy agents due to their ability to target and kill cells with altered pyrophosphate metabolites.In our effort to understand how ...Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are specialized effector cells that have gained prominence as immunotherapy agents due to their ability to target and kill cells with altered pyrophosphate metabolites.In our effort to understand how cancer cells evade the cell-killing activity of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells,we performed a comprehensive genome-scale CRISPR screening of cancer cells.We found that four molecules belonging to the butyrophilin(BTN)family,specifically BTN2A1,BTN3A1,BTN3A2,and BTN3A3,are critically important and play unique,nonoverlapping roles in facilitating the destruction of cancer cells by primary Vγ9Vδ2 T cells.The coordinated function of these BTN molecules was driven by synchronized gene expression,which was regulated by IFN-γsignaling and the RFX complex.Additionally,an enzyme called QPCTL was shown to play a key role in modifying the N-terminal glutamine of these BTN proteins and was found to be a crucial factor in Vγ9Vδ2 T cell killing of cancer cells.Through our research,we offer a detailed overview of the functional genomic mechanisms that underlie how cancer cells escape Vγ9Vδ2 T cells.Moreover,our findings shed light on the importance of the harmonized expression and function of gene family members in modulating T-cell activity.展开更多
文摘Artemisinin is highly effective against drug-resistant malarial parasites, which affects nearly half of the global population and kills 〉500 000 people each year. The primary cost of artemisinin is the very expensive process used to extract and purify the drug from Artemisia annua. Elimination of this apparently unnecessary step will make this potent antimalarial drug affordable to the global population living in endemic regions. Here we reported the oral delivery of a non-protein drug artemisinin biosynthesized （~0.8 mg/g dry weight） at clinically meaningful levels in tobacco by engineering two metabolic pathways targeted to three different cellular compartments （chloroplast, nucleus, and mitochondria）. The doubly transgenic lines showed a three-fold enhancement of isopentenyl pyrophosphate, and targeting AACPR, DBR2, and CYP71AV1 to chloroplasts resulted in higher expression and an efficient photo-oxidation of di- hydroartemisinic acid to artemisinin. Partially purified extracts from the leaves of transgenic tobacco plants inhibited in vitro growth progression of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells. Oral feeding of whole intact plant cells bioencapsulating the artemisinin reduced the parasitemia levels in challenged mice in comparison with commercial drug. Such novel synergistic approaches should facilitate low-cost production and delivery of artemisinin and other drugs through metabolic engineering of edible plants.
文摘Vy2Vδ2 T （also known as Vy9Vδ2 T） cells exist only in primates, and in humans represent a major yδ T-cell sub-population in the total population of circulating yδ T cells. Results from recent studies suggest that while （E）-4-hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate （HMBPP） phosphoantigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis （Mtb） and other microbes activates and expands primate Vy2Vδ2 T cells, the Vy2Vδ2 T-cell receptor （TCR） recognizes and binds to HMBPP on antigen-presenting cells （APC）. In response to HMBPP stimulus, Vy2V82 TCRs array to form signaling-related nanoclusters or nanodomains during the activation of Vy2V82 T cells. Primary infections with H MBPP-producing pathogens drive the evolution of multieffector functional responses in Vy2Vδ2 T cells, although Vy2V82 T cells display different patterns of responses during the acute and chronic phases of Mtb infection and in other infections. Expanded Vy2Vδ2 T cells in primary Mtb infection can exhibit a broader TCR repertoire and a greater clonal response than previously assumed, with different distribution patterns of Vδ,2Vδ2 T-cell clones in lymphoid and non-lymphoid compartments. Emerging in vivo data suggest that HMBPP activation of Vy2W2 T cells appears to impact other immune cells during infection.
基金the Ministry of Science and Innovation,Spain(grant numbers BIO2017-89530-R and BIO2020-118750RB-100).
文摘Phosphorus(P)is an essential nutrient for plant growth and reproduction.Plants preferentially absorb P as orthophosphate(Pi),an ion that displays low solubility and that is readily fixed in the soil,making P limita-tion a condition common to many soils and Pi fertilization an inefficient practice.To cope with Pi limitation,plants have evolved a series of developmental and physiological responses,collectively known as the Pi starvation rescue system(PSR),aimed to improve Pi acquisition and use efficiency(PUE)and protect from Pi-starvation-induced stress.Intensive research has been carried out during the last 20 years to un-ravel the mechanisms underlying the control of the PSR in plants.Here we review the results of this research effort that have led to the identification and characterization of several core Pi starvation signaling components,including sensors,transcription factors,microRNAs(miRNAs)and miRNA inhibitors,kinases,phosphatases,and components of the proteostasis machinery.We also refer to recent results revealing the existence of intricate signaling interplays between Pi and other nutrients and antagonists,N,Fe,Zn,and As,that have changed the initial single-nutrient-centric view to a more integrated view of nutrient homeostasis.Finally,we discuss advances toward improving PUE and future research priorities.
基金supported by the Natural Sci-ence Foundation of Guangxi Province, China (No. 0640009)
文摘Nano-sized cerium-titanium pyrophosphates Ce1-xTixP2O7 （with x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 1.0） were obtained by grinding a mixture of Ce（SO4）2·4H2O, Ti（SO4）2, and Na4P2O7·10H2O in the presence of surfactant PEG-400 at room temperature, washing the mixture with water to remove soluble inorganic salts, and drying at 100℃. The products and their calcined samples were characterized using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy （UV-vis）, thermogravimetry and differential thermal analyses （TG/DTA）, X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results show that nano-sized Ce1-xTixP2O7 behave as an excellent UV-shielding material. Thereinto, the CeP2O7 has the most excellent UV-shielding effect, and the amorphous state of Ce0.8Ti0.2P2O7 can keep at a higher temperature than CeP2O7. Therefore, the stabilization of the amorphous state of the cerium pyrophosphates was carded out by doping titanium. This stabilization is a significant improvement, which enables to apply these amorphous pyrophosphates not only to cosmetics and paints, but also plastics and films.
文摘Bismuth-promoted （1% and 3%） vanadyl pyrophosphate catalysts were prepared by refluxing Bi（NO3）4.5H2O and VOPO4.2H2O in isobutanol. The incorporation of Bi into the catalysts lattice increased the surface area and lowered the overall V oxidation state. Profiles of temperature programmed reduction （TPR） in H2 show a significant shift of the maxima of major reduction peaks to lower temperatures for the Bi-promoted catalysts. A new peak was also observed at the low temperature region for the catalyst with 3% of Bi dopant. The addition of Bi also increased the total amount of oxygen removed from the catalysts. The reduction pattern and reactivity information provide fundamental insight into the catalytic properties of the catalysts. Bi-promoted catalysts were found to be highly active （71% and 81% conversion for 1% and 3% Bi promoted catalysts, respectively, at 703 K）, as compared to the unpromoted material （47% conversion）. The higher activity of the Bi-promoted catalysts is due to that these catalysts possess highly active and labile lattice oxygen. The better catalytic performance can also be attributed to the larger surface area.
基金funding from the National Science Foundation of China(31930016)the Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences+4 种基金ZW received funding from the State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases(2024KF00001)the National Science Foundation of China(82350119)CCW received funding from the Talent Introduction Funds from the Chinese Academy of Medical Science(2022-RC310-10)the National Science Foundation of China(32150005)the Research Funds from Health@InnoHK Program,launched by the Innovation Technology Commission of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
文摘Vγ9Vδ2 T cells are specialized effector cells that have gained prominence as immunotherapy agents due to their ability to target and kill cells with altered pyrophosphate metabolites.In our effort to understand how cancer cells evade the cell-killing activity of Vγ9Vδ2 T cells,we performed a comprehensive genome-scale CRISPR screening of cancer cells.We found that four molecules belonging to the butyrophilin(BTN)family,specifically BTN2A1,BTN3A1,BTN3A2,and BTN3A3,are critically important and play unique,nonoverlapping roles in facilitating the destruction of cancer cells by primary Vγ9Vδ2 T cells.The coordinated function of these BTN molecules was driven by synchronized gene expression,which was regulated by IFN-γsignaling and the RFX complex.Additionally,an enzyme called QPCTL was shown to play a key role in modifying the N-terminal glutamine of these BTN proteins and was found to be a crucial factor in Vγ9Vδ2 T cell killing of cancer cells.Through our research,we offer a detailed overview of the functional genomic mechanisms that underlie how cancer cells escape Vγ9Vδ2 T cells.Moreover,our findings shed light on the importance of the harmonized expression and function of gene family members in modulating T-cell activity.
