No abstract

No abstract

Highly blue fluorescence carbon dots were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal treatment of potatoes. The as-obtained C-dots have been applied to bioimaging of HeLa cells, which shows their excellent biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity. The results reveal that C-dots are promising for real cell imaging applications. In addition, the carbon dots can be utilized as a probe for sensing phosphate.

Aim East Asia is known for its exceptionally high levels of biodiversity, which is connected to its high level of species differentiation. Geological movements are the most important factor promoting the species differentiation in East Asia. In this paper, we choose Biston panterinaria, a moth species widely distributed in East Asia, to study the relative contributions of geographical isolation and glaciation cycles to its current genetic constitution. Location East Asia.Methods Phylogenetic analyses were based on three data sets. beast was used to estimate the divergence time and reconstruct the maximum clade credibility tree. Mismatch distribution and Bayesian skyline plots (BSP) were used to infer historical population fluctuations. maxent was used to predict the potential species distributions during two periods: the present day and the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).Results The phylogenetic tree and the median joining network strongly supported four reciprocally monophyletic lineages: northern, Yunnan-Tibet, southern and Yunnan-SE. The estimates of divergence time suggested that three differentiation processes occurred at approximately 1.17, 0.76 and 0.67 Ma. Within the northern and southern lineages, lineage divergence occurred at approximately 0.17 and 0.16 Ma. Mismatch distribution and BSP suggested that the northern and southern lineages experienced one expansion after the LGM, and this result was consistent with the result of the ecological niche model. Main conclusionsOur results suggested that B. panterinaria experienced three fragmentations of wide-ranging ancestral populations, and that mountain barrier isolation induced by geological movements is the main driver of lineage differentiation. Climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene affected the population differentiation within both the northern and southern lineages. The distribution of the four lineages of B. panterinaria is generally consistent with the zoogeographical regionalization of China. This study provides direct evidence for the importance of mountain barriers in promoting population differentiation.

No abstract

RNA-based vaccine represents an irresistible and safe immunization strategy with decreasing theoretical risks of genomic integration and malignant cell transformation. To our knowledge, however, there is no report about development of RNA vaccine against Toxoplasma gondii infection. We have previously demonstrated that the recombinant T. gondii nucleoside triphosphate hydrolase-II (NTPase-II) protein is able to provide protective Th1 cell-mediated immunity against T. gondii. Herein, we evaluated the immunogenic potential of a self-amplifying RNA vaccine-encoding T. gondii NTPase-II gene, RREP-NTPase-II, delivered by a synthetic lipid nanoparticle (LNP). Immunization of mice with naked RREP-NTPase-II induced a strong cellular and humoral immune response with high-IgG antibody titers and IFN-γ production. The immunized mice displayed significantly prolonged survival time and reduction in brain parasite load (46.4%) compared with control group. Furthermore, mice vaccinated with RREP-NTPase-II-encapsulated LNP displayed significantly enhanced protection against acute infection as well as chronic infection with PRU cyst, which shows 62.1% reduction in brain cyst burden in comparison to control group. These results suggest that the combination of self-amplifying RNA and LNP ion would be beneficial to the development of a safe and long-acting vaccine against toxoplasmosis.

No abstract

No abstract