In contrast to the extensive investigation of the electrochemical performance of conventional carbon materials in sodium-ion batteries, there has been scarcely any study of sodium storage property of fluorine-doped carbon. Here we report for the first time the application of fluorine-doped carbon particles (F-CP) synthesized through pyrolysis of lotus petioles as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. Electrochemical tests demonstrate that the F-CP electrode delivers an initial charge capacity of 230 mA h g–1 at a current density of 50 mA g–1 between 0.001 and 2.8 V, which greatly outperforms the corresponding value of 149 mA h g–1 for the counterpart banana peels-derived carbon (BPC). Even under 200 mA g–1, the F-CP electrode could still exhibit a charge capacity of 228 mA h g–1 with initial charge capacity retention of 99.1% after 200 cycles compared to the BPC electrode with 107 mA h g–1 and 71.8%. The F-doping and the large interlayer distance as well as the disorder structure contribute to a lowering of the sodium ion insertion–extraction barrier, thus promoting the Na+ diffusion and providing more active sites for Na+ storage. In specific, the F-CP electrode shows longer low-discharge-plateau and better kinetics than does the common carbon-based electrode. The unique electrochemical performance of F-CP enriches the existing knowledge of the carbon-based electrode materials and broadens avenues for rational design of anode materials in sodium-ion batteries.

The molecular mechanism involved in tolerance and adaptation of ethanologenic Saccharomyces cerevisiae to inhibitors (such as furfural, acetic acid, and phenol) represented in lignocellulosic hydrolysate is still unclear. Here, 18 O-labeling-aided shotgun comparative proteome analysis was applied to study the global protein expression profiles of S. cerevisiae under conditions of treatment of furfural compared with furfural-free fermentation profiles. Proteins involved in glucose fermentation and/or the tricarboxylic acid cycle were upregulated in cells treated with furfural compared with the control cells, while proteins involved in glycerol biosynthesis were downregulated. Differential levels of expression of alcohol dehydrogenases were observed. On the other hand, the levels of NADH, NAD ؉ , and NADH/NAD ؉ were reduced whereas the levels of ATP and ADP were increased. These observations indicate that central carbon metabolism, levels of alcohol dehydrogenases, and the redox balance may be related to tolerance of ethanologenic yeast for and adaptation to furfural. Furthermore, proteins involved in stress response, including the unfolded protein response, oxidative stress, osmotic and salt stress, DNA damage and nutrient starvation, were differentially expressed, a finding that was validated by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR to further confirm that the general stress responses are essential for cellular defense against furfural. These insights into the response of yeast to the presence of furfural will benefit the design and development of inhibitor-tolerant ethanologenic yeast by metabolic engineering or synthetic biology.

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SLE-like syndrome can be induced by ALD DNA in normal mice. This induced model may be useful for elucidating the mechanisms involved in autoimmunity to DNA and the development of SLE.

Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans, human-pathogenic fungi found worldwide, are receiving increasing attention due to high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. In the present work, 110 fungus pairs were constructed by coculturing 16 wood-decaying basidiomycetes, among which coculture of Trametes robiniophila Murr and Pleurotus ostreatus was found to strongly inhibit pathogenic fungi through bioactivity-guided assays. A combination of metabolomics and molecular network analysis revealed that 44 features were either newly synthesized or produced at high levels in this coculture system and that 6 of the features that belonged to a family of novel and unusual linear sesterterpenes contributed to high activity with MICs of 1 to 32 g/ml against pathogenic fungi. Furthermore, dynamic 13 C-labeling analysis revealed an association between induced features and the corresponding fungi. Unusual sesterterpenes were 13 C labeled only in P. ostreatus in a time course after stimulation by the coculture, suggesting that these sesterterpenes were synthesized by P. ostreatus instead of T. robiniophila Murr. Sesterterpene compounds 1 to 3 were renamed postrediene A to C. Real-time reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis revealed that transcriptional levels of three genes encoding terpene synthase, farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyltransferase, and oxidase were found to be 8.2-fold, 88.7-fold, and 21.6-fold higher, respectively, in the coculture than in the monoculture, indicating that biosynthetic gene cluster 10 was most likely responsible for the synthesis of these sesterterpenes. A putative biosynthetic pathway of postrediene A to postrediene C was then proposed based on structures of sesterterpenes and molecular network analysis.

Low density lipoprotein (LDL), at concentrations high enough for receptor binding but not high enough to saturate the receptor, induces activation of phosphatidylinositot (PtdIns) turnover in a variety of cell types with various biological functions. Using both biochemical and electron microscopic studies, we have shown that blood platelets take up and degrade LDL in a manner reminiscent of phagocytic cell types. The activation of both PtdlIns turnover and LDL metabolism is inhibited by high density lipoprotein. Thus, LDL at hormonal concentrations causes general cellular activation.Since all cell types studied responded to LDL with increased PtdIns turnover and uptake of LDL cholesterol, the PtdIns cycle may also be involved in the cellular regulation of LDL cholesterol metabolism.It has recently been demonstrated that low density lipoprotein (LDL), at concentrations in the range of its dissociation constant (Kd) for receptor binding, =1 nM, rapidly affects human platelets in several ways: (i) their shape and ultrastructural morphology are transiently altered; (ii) phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) turnover and the molar concentration of intracellular free calcium, [Ca2+]i, are increased; and (iii) thromboxane B2 formation is enhanced (1). All of these effects are inhibited by high density lipoprotein fraction 3 (HDL3), which is known to interfere with LDL binding in platelets (2).Studies with fibroblasts have shown that Ca2+-and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C, which is activated by stimulation ofPtdIns turnover, controls the activity ofcertain enzymes involved in cellular LDL cholesterol (LDL-Chol) metabolism (3-5). This suggests an interrelationship between the PtdIns response and LDL-Chol metabolism, but it is not known whether low concentrations of LDL stimulate the PtdIns cycle in cells other than platelets. Furthermore, it remains to be clarified whether platelets, like other cells, are capable of metabolizing LDL-Chol. Although platelets, which freely exchange cholesterol with plasma under normocholesteremic conditions, are unable to synthesize cholesterol, there is an unexplained increase in the cholesterol-phospholipid ratio in familial and experimental hypercholesterolemia (6-9). Also HDL fractions are known to be internalized and degraded by platelets (10). These findings suggested to us that there might be a catabolic pathway for LDL-Chol in the platelets.We show here that the LDL-induced activation of the PtdIns cycle occurs not only in platelets but also in various cell types that metabolize LDL-Chol, including arterial smooth muscle cells, lung fibroblasts, lymphocytes, and vascular endothelial cells. We also establish that the catabolism of lipoproteins occurs not only in these cell types but also in platelets. Thus, LDL induces general cellular activation at concentrations near the Kd for receptor binding, which appears to be comparable to hormonal effects. MATERIALS AND METHODSLipoprotein Isolation. LDL (density, 1.019-1.063 g/ml) and HDL3 (density, 1.125-1.3 g/ml) were isolate...

Traditionally, nisin was produced industrially by using Lactococcus lactis in the neutral fermentation process. However, nisin showed higher activity in the acidic environment. How to balance the pH value for bacterial normal growth and nisin activity might be the key problem. In this study, 17 acid-tolerant genes and 6 lactic acid synthetic genes were introduced in L. lactis F44, respectively. Comparing to the 2810 IU/mL nisin yield of the original strain F44, the nisin titer of the engineered strains over-expressing hdeAB, ldh and murG, increased to 3850, 3979 and 4377 IU/mL, respectively. These engineered strains showed more stable intracellular pH value during the fermentation process. Improvement of lactate production could partly provide the extra energy for the expression of acid tolerance genes during growth. Co-overexpression of hdeAB, murG, and ldh(Z) in strain F44 resulted in the nisin titer of 4913 IU/mL. The engineered strain (ABGL) could grow on plates with pH 4.2, comparing to the surviving pH 4.6 of strain F44. The fed-batch fermentation showed nisin titer of the co-expression L. lactis strain could reach 5563 IU/mL with lower pH condition and longer cultivation time. This work provides a novel strategy of constructing robust strains for use in industry process.