4-Formyl-2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-phenol: an ESIPT chromophore

In the present work, excited state intramolecular proton transfer(ESIPT) emission properties of a new benzotriazole derivative 4-formyl-2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-phenol(C1) were studied. 4-Formyl-2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-methoxy-benzene(C2), 4-formyl-2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-phenyl acetate(C3) and 4-methyl-2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-phenol(C4) were used as the reference molecules.1H NMR chemical shift of hydroxy group in C1 was located at more down field than that of C4 or p-hydroxy-benzaldehyde(C5), respectively. C1 showed two absorption bands in the range of 260–400 nm zones in various solvents, while C2 and C3 exhibited single absorption band. The equal molar mixtures of C2/C5 or C3/C5 showed single absorption band.C2 and C3 displayed single fluorescence emission band in various solvents, while C1 exhibited dual emission bands in some strong polar solvents. Furthermore, the second emission band in these strong polar solvents showed the large Stokes shift. The results show that the second emission band of C1 was produced by ESIPT. C2 and C3 could not undergo ESIPT due to no hydroxy group. The geometry optimization calculation of enol and keto forms in the ground and excited states of C1 provided tough theoretical evidences of ESIPT.

Effects of fish meal replacement with Chlorella meal on growth performance,pigmentation,and liver health of largemouth bass(Micropterus salmoides)

Chlorella meal is a potential protein source for aquafeeds.However,the physiological response of carnivorous fish fed Chlorella meal remains elusive.This study evaluated the effects of replacing dietary fish meal with Chlorella meal on growth performance,pigmentation,and liver health in largemouth bass.Five diets were formulated to replace dietary fish meal of 0%(C0,control),25%(C25),50%(C50),75%(C75),and 100%(C100)with Chlorella meal,respectively.Total 300 fish(17.6±0.03 g)were randomly assigned to 15 tanks(3 tanks/group).Fish were fed the experimental diet twice daily for 8 weeks.The increased dietary Chlorella meal quadratically influenced the final body weight(FBW),weight gain rate(WGR),specific growth rate(SGR),and feed intake(FI),which were significantly lower in the C100 group than in the other groups(P<0.05).The feed conversion ratio(FCR)increased linearly or quadratically with dietary Chlorella meal.Dietary Chlorella meal linearly or quadratically increased the lutein content of plasma,liver,and dorsal muscle of largemouth bass(P<0.05).Compared to the C0 group,all supplemented Chlorella meal groups significantly improved the yellowness(b*)of the dorsal body(1.5 to 2.0 fold),abdominal body(1.5 to 1.8 fold),and dorsal muscle(3.8 to 5.4 fold)of largemouth bass(P<0.05).In addition,compared to the C0 group,the liver vacuolation area of fish was significantly increased in the C75 and C100 groups(P<0.05).Transcriptional levels of apoptosis-related genes of b-cell lymphoma-2(bcl2),caspase-9-like(casp9),and caspase-3a(casp3)were markedly upregulated(0.9 to 1.6 fold)in the C100 group compared to the C0 group(P<0.05).Based on the quadratic regression analysis between FBW,WGR,or SGR and dietary Chlorella meal level,largemouth bass had the best growth when replacing 31.7%to 32.6%of fish meal with 15.03%to 15.43%dietary Chlorella meal.The present results indicated that dietary supplementation with Chlorella meal(11.85%to 47.45%)significantly enhanced the pigmentation;however,total replacement of fish meal(40%)with Chlorella meal(47.45%)caused growth retardation,apoptosis,and liver damage in largemouth bass.

Depletion of insulin receptors leads to β-cell hyperplasia in zebrafish

Hyperglycemia in type 2 diabetes results from an inability of insulin to regulate gluconeogenesis.To characterize the role of the insulin/insulin receptor pathway in glycometabolism and type 2 diabetes,we created a zebrafish model in which insulin receptors a and b(insra and insrb) have been ablated.We first observed that insra and insrb were both expressed abundantly during embryonic development and in various adult tissues.Increased expression of insulin and number of b-cells were observed in insra-/-/-insrb-/-fish together with higher glucose in insra-/-,insrb-/-,or insra-/-/-insrb-/-fish,indicating that insra and insrb were knocked out effectively.However,compared to the wild-type fish,insra-/-/-insrb-/-fish died between 5 and 16 days post-fertilization(dpf) with severe pericardial edema and increased level of cell apoptosis,which was not induced by increased total body glucose content.Increased gluconeogenesis and decreased glycolysis were also observed in both single and double knockout fish,but no mortality or malformation was observed in single knockout fish.Given the importance of insulin receptors in glucose homeostasis and embryonic development,transcriptome analysis was used to provide an important model of defective insulin signaling and to study its developmental consequences in zebrafish.The results indicated that both insra and insrb played a pivotal role in glucose metabolism and embryonic development,and insra was more critical than insrb in the insulin signaling pathway.

Mechanics of molecular beacons for mRNA detecting

Decoding genetic information is crucial for gene therapy and cancer diagnosis,which has attracted growing interest in the field of clinical medicine and life science.In this study,we conducted a comprehensive exploration to obtain the detection mechanism of molecular beacons from a mechanics point of view.The potential energy function of molecular beacon/target system is established firstly,based on which the profile of molecular beacons is solved by genetic algorithm optimization.The length of stem and the total energy are further calculated when the target is hybridized with loop and stem.The results show that the hybridization between target and stem is energetically favorable compared with that between target and loop,indicating a new detection strategy.These analyses may cast light on understanding the mechanism of molecular beacons detection,and further help to design novel molecular beacons with high resolution and quantification.

Systematic genome editing of the genes spanning an entire chromosome by CRISPR/Cas9 in a vertebrate——zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Deciphering the biological functions of each gene in the genome is fundamental for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying normal development, physiology,and behavior, as well as diseases. One common approach to determine gene function is to disrupt individual genes and assess the consequences. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been gaining popularity as a model organism to analyze gene function. This is particularly true in China.