The antioxidant responsive element (ARE) mediates transcriptional regulation of phase II detoxification enzymes and antioxidant proteins such as NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), glutathione S-transferases, and glutamate-cysteine ligase. In this study, we demonstrate that NF-E2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) plays a major role in transcriptional activation of ARE-driven genes and identify Nrf2-dependent genes by oligonucleotide microarray analysis using primary cortical astrocytes from Nrf2 ؉/؉ and Nrf2 ؊/؊ mice. Nrf2 ؊/؊ astrocytes had decreased basal NQO1 activity and no induction by tert-butylhydroquinone compared with Nrf2 ؉/؉ astrocytes. Similarly, both basal and induced levels of human NQO1-ARE-luciferase expression in Nrf2 ؊/؊ astrocytes were significantly lower than in Nrf2 ؉/؉ astrocytes. Furthermore, human NQO1-ARE-luciferase expression in Nrf2 ؊/؊ astrocytes was restored by overexpression of Nrf2, whereas ARE activation in Nrf2 ؉/؉ astrocytes was completely blocked by dominantnegative Nrf2. In addition, we observed that Nrf2-dependent genes protected primary astrocytes from H 2 O 2 -or platelet-activating factor-induced apoptosis. In support of these observations, we identified Nrf2-dependent genes encoding detoxification enzymes, glutathione-related proteins, antioxidant proteins, NADPHproducing enzymes, and anti-inflammatory genes using oligonucleotide microarrays. Proteins within these functional categories are vital to the maintenance and responsiveness of a cell defense system, suggesting that an orchestrated change in gene expression via Nrf2 and the ARE gives a synergistic protective effect against oxidative stress.

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The antioxidant responsive element (ARE) is a cis-acting regulatory element of genes encoding phase II detoxification enzymes and antioxidant proteins, such as NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1, glutathione S-transferases, and glutamate-cysteine ligase. Interestingly, it has been reported that Nrf2 (NF-E2-related factor 2) regulates a wide array of ARE-driven genes in various cell types. Nrf2 is a basic leucine zipper transcription factor, which was originally identified as a binding protein of locus control region of ß-globin gene. The DNA binding sequence of Nrf2 and ARE sequence are very similar, and many studies demonstrated that Nrf2 binds to the ARE sites leading to up-regulation of downstream genes. The function of Nrf2 and its downstream target genes suggests that the Nrf2-ARE pathway is important in the cellular antioxidant defense system. In support of this, many studies showed a critical role of Nrf2 in cellular protection and anti-carcinogenicity, implying that the Nrf2-ARE pathway may serve as a therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases and cancers, in which oxidative stress is closely implicated.

Hemicellulose, the second, most common polysaccharide in nature constitutes approximately 20-35% of lignocellulosic biomass. Effective utilization of biomass, hitherto underutilized, is gaining tremendous importance for the production of energy, fuels, and chemicals. Amongst the vast array of chemicals derived from lignocellulosics, furfural is the key chemical that fi nds wide applications in oil refi ning, plastics, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. There is no synthetic route for the production of furfural. A few conventional technologies currently in practice for its separation and subsequent isolation are appropriately reviewed. Major disadvantages associated with processes currently used for the production of furfural based on acid-catalyzed hydrolysis have been discussed. A need to develop a process which is devoid of all the shortcomings associated with conventional process is emphasized. Several important aspects of chemistry underlying the acid hydrolysis of xylose are discussed. The importance of myriad pre-treatment steps involved to surmount the physical and chemical barriers and to liberate xylose from the confi nes of acid-resistant layer of lignin has been emphasized. New developments in the production of furfural from cyclodehydration of xylose using solid acid catalysts in the recent past have been reviewed appropriately in present communication. Finally, the production of furfural and furfuryl alcohol, their domestic market and export in China deserve some coverage and therefore have appropriately been discussed as well.

SUMMARY As a Mendelian neurodegenerative disorder, the genetic risk of Huntington’s disease (HD) is conferred entirely by an HTT CAG repeat expansion whose length is the primary determinant of the rate of pathogenesis leading to disease onset. To investigate the pathogenic process that precedes disease, we used genome-wide association (GWA) analysis to identify loci harboring genetic variations that alter the age at neurological onset of HD. A chromosome 15 locus displays two independent effects that accelerate or delay onset by 6.1 years and 1.4 years, respectively, whereas a chromosome 8 locus hastens onset by 1.6 years. Association at MLH1 and pathway analysis of the full GWA results support a role for DNA handling and repair mechanisms in altering the course of HD. Our findings demonstrate that HD disease modification in humans occurs in nature and offer a genetic route to identifying in-human validated therapeutic targets in this and other Mendelian disorders.

Electrocatalysts for oxygen-reduction and oxygen-evolution reactions (ORR and OER) are crucial for metal-air batteries, where more costly Pt- and Ir/Ru-based materials are the benchmark catalysts for ORR and OER, respectively. Herein, for the first time Ni is combined with MnO species, and a 3D porous graphene aerogel-supported Ni/MnO (Ni-MnO/rGO aerogel) bifunctional catalyst is prepared via a facile and scalable hydrogel route. The synthetic strategy depends on the formation of a graphene oxide (GO) crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel that allows for the efficient capture of highly active Ni/MnO particles after pyrolysis. Remarkably, the resulting Ni-MnO/rGO aerogels exhibit superior bifunctional catalytic performance for both ORR and OER in an alkaline electrolyte, which can compete with the previously reported bifunctional electrocatalysts. The MnO mainly contributes to the high activity for the ORR, while metallic Ni is responsible for the excellent OER activity. Moreover, such bifunctional catalyst can endow the homemade Zn-air battery with better power density, specific capacity, and cycling stability than mixed Pt/C + RuO catalysts, demonstrating its potential feasibility in practical application of rechargeable metal-air batteries.

In this work, a networked MoS2/CNT nanocomposite has been synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. The as-prepared sample exhibits high catalytic activity for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution.