AAV2-PDE6B restores retinal structure and function in the retinal degeneration 10 mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa by promoting phototransduction and inhibiting apoptosis

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of inherited diseases that lead to retinal degeneration and photoreceptor cell death.However,there is no effective treatment for retinitis pigmentosa caused by PDE6B mutation.Adeno-associated virus(AAV)-mediated gene therapy is a promising strategy for treating retinitis pigmentosa.The aim of this study was to explore the molecular mechanisms by which AAV2-PDE6B rescues retinal function.To do this,we injected retinal degeneration 10(rd10)mice subretinally with AAV2-PDE6B and assessed the therapeutic effects on retinal function and structure using dark-and light-adapted electroretinogram,optical coherence tomography,and immunofluorescence.Data-independent acquisition-mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis was conducted to investigate protein expression levels and pathway enrichment,and the results from this analysis were verified by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.AAV2-PDE6B injection significantly upregulated PDE6βexpression,preserved electroretinogram responses,and preserved outer nuclear layer thickness in rd10 mice.Differentially expressed proteins between wild-type and rd10 mice were closely related to visual perception,and treating rd10 mice with AAV2-PDE6B restored differentially expressed protein expression to levels similar to those seen in wild-type mice.Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome analysis showed that the differentially expressed proteins whose expression was most significantly altered by AAV2-PDE6B injection were enriched in phototransduction pathways.Furthermore,the phototransductionrelated proteins Pde6α,Rom1,Rho,Aldh1a1,and Rbp1 exhibited opposite expression patterns in rd10 mice with or without AAV2-PDE6B treatment.Finally,Bax/Bcl-2,p-ERK/ERK,and p-c-Fos/c-Fos expression levels decreased in rd10 mice following AAV2-PDE6B treatment.Our data suggest that AAV2-PDE6B-mediated gene therapy promotes phototransduction and inhibits apoptosis by inhibiting the ERK signaling pathway and upregulating Bcl-2/Bax expression in retinitis pigmentosa.

Oviposition Site Selection of the Plateau Frog (Nanorana pleskei) in the Zoige Wetland, China

For oviparous species, oviposition site selection influences adult reproductive success as well as the fitness of the resulting offspring. Females usually choose potential egg-laying sites depending on abundance and quality to maximize their reproductive success. We focused on the oviposition site selection of this plateau frog in Zoige wetland and investigated how the egg-laying pattern of the females influences their offspring＇s survival. We found that shallow waters, decentralized spawning patterns, and egg attachment to appropriate distance to the water surface were the main spawning strategies of Nanorana pleskei endemic to Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We argued that drought caused by increasing temperature and variable precipitation has probably influenced N. pleskei reproductive success, which may be a crucial reason for its population decline. Our findings have important significance for habitat preservation, increasing embryo survival and establishing practical conservation policies.

La ions-enhanced NH_(3)-SCR performance over Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts

Lanthanum(La)ions are generally recognized to cause a decline of the catalytic performance for Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite in the selective catalytic reduction of NO_(x)with NH_(3)(NH_(3)-SCR).Herein,we demonstrate that the NH_(3)-SCR performance and hydrothermal stability of Cu-La-SSZ-13 zeolites can be enhanced with the incorporation of a small amount of La ions.The incorporation of La ions into SSZ-13 favors more Z_(2)Cu^(2+)ions at six-membered rings(6MRs),which results in higher hydrothermal stability of Cu-La-SSZ-13 than that of Cu-SSZ-13.The NO conversion of Cu-La-SSZ-13 achieves 5%–10%higher than that of Cu-SSZ-13 at the temperature range of 400–550℃ after hydrothermal ageing.While introducing excess amount of La ions in SSZ-13 may cause the formation of inactive CuO_(x),leading to the decrease of catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability.Notably,the low-temperature activity of Cu-SSZ-13 with a low Cu content(≤2 wt.%)can be boosted by the introduction of La ions,which is largely due to the improved redox ability of Cu active sites modified by La ions.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations indicate that La ions prefer to locate at eight-membered rings(8MRs)and thus promoting the formation of more Z_(2)Cu^(2+)ions.Meanwhile,the existence of La ions in SSZ-13 inhibits the dealumination process and the transformation from Z_(2)Cu^(2+)to CuO_(x),resulting in its enhanced hydrothermal stability.The present work sheds a new insight into the regulation of secondary metal cations for promoting high NH_(3)-SCR performance over Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite catalysts.

Advances in Measures of Reducing Chemical Pesticides to Control Plant Diseases

In order to provide the technological support for further implementing measures of reducing chemical pesticide to control plant diseases,the research progress on non-chemical pesticide measures to control plant diseases are reviewed from the aspects of agricultural control,botanical pesticide control and microbial pesticide control,and the development prospects are proposed,including accelerating innovative research on botani-cal pesticide control such as Chinese herb extracts,and screening microbial pesticides from valuable bio-control bacteria or plant endophyte metabolites for commercial production and utilization.

Impact of Chronic Stress on Attention Control:Evidence from Behavioral and Event-Related Potential Analyses

Chronic stress affects brain function,so assessing its hazards is important for mental health.To overcome the limitations of behavioral data,we combined behavioral and event-related potentials(ERPs)in an attention network task.This task allowed us to differentiate between three specific aspects of attention:alerting,orienting,and execution.Forty-one participants under chronic stress and 31 non-stressed participants were enrolled.On the performance level,the chronically stressed group showed a significantly slower task response and lower accuracy.Concerning ERP measures,smaller cue-N1,cueN2,and larger cue-P3 amplitudes were found in the stressed group,indicating that this group was less able to assign attention to effective information,i.e.,they made inefficient use of cues and had difficulty in maintaining alerting.In addition,the stressed group showed larger target-N2 amplitudes,indicating that this group needed to allocate more cognitive resources to deal with the conflict targets task.Subgroup analysis revealed lower target-P3 amplitudes in the stressed than in the non-stressed group.Group differences associated with the attention networks were found at the ERP level.In the stressed group,excessive depletion of resources led to changes in attention control.In this study,we examined the effects of chronic stress on individual executive function from a neurological perspective.The results may benefit the development of interventions to improve executive function in chronically stressed individuals.

One-Pot Three-Dimensional Printing Robust Self-Supporting MnO_(x)/Cu-SSZ-13 Zeolite Monolithic Catalysts for NH_(3)-SCR

Honeycomb cordierite coated with Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite is widely used for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_(x) with NH_(3)(NH_(3)-SCR)to reduce pollutants from vehicle emissions.However,conventional honeycomb catalysts fabricated via coating techniques are limited by low zeolite loadings,loss of the deposited zeolites,and complicated preparation processes.Herein,a facile,one-step three-dimensional(3D)printing strategy is developed to construct MnO_(x)/Cu-SSZ-13 monolithic catalysts with excellent catalytic performance for NH_(3)-SCR.Iron-containing halloysite nanotubes(Fe-HNTs)are introduced as printing ink additives to ensure mechanical stability and modulate the NH_(3)-SCR performance of monolithic catalysts in high temperature conditions.In situ incorporation of Mn into the Cu-SSZ-13 zeolite monoliths during the 3D printing process boosts the mechanical strength of the monolithic structures from 2.54 MPa to 4.33 MPa as well as broadens the temperature window(165-550℃)of the catalysts for NH_(3)-SCR with NO_(x) conversion of above 80%.Such robust multicomponent-integrated 3D-printed selfsupporting catalysts not only possess high zeolite loading and excellent catalytic activity,but also avoid complicated manufacturing processes,which contrasts with conventional honeycomb catalysts fabricated by extrusion coupled with coating.