Search for: All records

Abstract Mitochondrial stress within the nervous system can trigger non-cell autonomous responses in peripheral tissues. However, the specific neurons involved and their impact on organismal aging and health have remained incompletely understood. Here, we demonstrate that mitochondrial stress in γ-aminobutyric acid-producing (GABAergic) neurons inCaenorhabditis elegans(C. elegans) is sufficient to significantly alter organismal lifespan, stress tolerance, and reproductive capabilities. This mitochondrial stress also leads to significant changes in mitochondrial mass, energy production, and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). DAF-16/FoxO activity is enhanced by GABAergic neuronal mitochondrial stress and mediates the induction of these non-cell-autonomous effects. Moreover, our findings indicate that GABA signaling operates within the same pathway as mitochondrial stress in GABAergic neurons, resulting in non-cell-autonomous alterations in organismal stress tolerance and longevity. In summary, these data suggest the crucial role of GABAergic neurons in detecting mitochondrial stress and orchestrating non-cell-autonomous changes throughout the organism. 

Abstract The burgeoning field of semiconductor‐mediated organic conversion is of paramount significance, with zinc indium sulfide (ZnIn₂S₄) emerging as a standout candidate owing to its benign nature, optimal bandgap, extensive light absorption spectrum, remarkable physicochemical properties, and straightforward synthesis. This review examines the latest breakthroughs and the trajectory of ZnIn₂S₄‐based photocatalysts in the realm of selective organic transformation. We start with a distinct overview of the intrinsic physical attributes of ZnIn₂S₄and the underlying mechanisms driving its efficacy in photocatalytic organic transformations. Subsequently, the preparation methods of ZnIn₂S₄are summarized. The main focus is the state‐of‐the‐art photocatalytic application of various ZnIn₂S₄‐based photocatalysts, such as redox reactions, the construction of C−C, C−S and S−S bonds, and the cleavage of C−O, C−C, and C=C bonds. In the conclusion part, we provide our perspectives on the prospective advancements and the remaining challenges that lie ahead in the optimization of ZnIn₂S₄‐based photocatalysts, with the ultimate goal of enhancing their efficacy for a diverse array of photosynthetic applications. It is anticipated to inspire the strategic engineering of ZnIn₂S₄and other semiconductor‐based photocatalysts for various artificial photosynthesis reactions. 

Abstract Epialleles are meiotically heritable variations in expression states that are independent from changes in DNA sequence. Although they are common in plant genomes, their molecular origins are unknown. Here we show, using mutant and experimental populations, that epialleles in Arabidopsis thaliana that result from ectopic hypermethylation are due to feedback regulation of pathways that primarily function to maintain DNA methylation at heterochromatin. Perturbations to maintenance of heterochromatin methylation leads to feedback regulation of DNA methylation in genes. Using single base resolution methylomes from epigenetic recombinant inbred lines (epiRIL), we show that epiallelic variation is abundant in euchromatin, yet, associates with QTL primarily in heterochromatin regions. Mapping three-dimensional chromatin contacts shows that genes that are hotspots for ectopic hypermethylation have increases in contact frequencies with regions possessing H3K9me2. Altogether, these data show that feedback regulation of pathways that have evolved to maintain heterochromatin silencing leads to the origins of spontaneous hypermethylated epialleles. 

Lock picking and key bumping are the most common attacks on traditional pin tumbler door locks. However, these approaches require physical access to the lock throughout the attack, increasing suspicion and chances of the attacker getting caught. To overcome this challenge, we propose Keynergy, a stealthy offline attack that infers key bittings (or secret) by substantially extending and improving prior work that only utilizes a still image of the key. Keynergy effectively utilizes the inherent audible “clicks” due to a victim's key insertion, together with video footage of the victim holding the key, in order to infer the victim's key's bittings. We evaluate Keynergy via a proof-of-concept implementation and real-world experiments comprising of participants that perform multiple key insertions across a total of 75 keys with the related audio recorded using different microphone types placed at varying distances. We demonstrate that Keynergy achieves an average reduction rate of around 75% with an acoustics-based approach alone. When we combine both acoustics and video together, Keynergy obtains a reduced keyspace below ten keys for 8% of the keys (i.e., six keys out of 75 keys tested). 

Matrix metalloproteinase-12 ( Mmp12 ) is upregulated by cigarette smoke (CS) and plays a critical role in extracellular matrix remodeling, a key mechanism involved in physiological repair processes, and in the pathogenesis of emphysema, asthma, and lung cancer. While cigarette smoking is associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and lung cancer, in utero exposures to CS and second-hand smoke (SHS) are associated with asthma development in the offspring. SHS is an indoor air pollutant that causes known adverse health effects; however, the mechanisms by which in utero SHS exposures predispose to adult lung diseases, including COPD, asthma, and lung cancer, are poorly understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that in utero SHS exposure aggravates adult-induced emphysema, asthma, and lung cancer. Methods: Pregnant BALB/c mice were exposed from gestational days 6–19 to either 3 or 10mg/m 3 of SHS or filtered air. At 10, 11, 16, or 17weeks of age, female offspring were treated with either saline for controls, elastase to induce emphysema, house-dust mite (HDM) to initiate asthma, or urethane to promote lung cancer. At sacrifice, specific disease-related lung responses including lung function, inflammation, gene, and protein expression were assessed. Results: In the elastase-induced emphysema model, in utero SHS-exposed mice had significantly enlarged airspaces and up-regulated expression of Mmp12 (10.3-fold compared to air-elastase controls). In the HDM-induced asthma model, in utero exposures to SHS produced eosinophilic lung inflammation and potentiated Mmp12 gene expression (5.7-fold compared to air-HDM controls). In the lung cancer model, in utero exposures to SHS significantly increased the number of intrapulmonary metastases at 58weeks of age and up-regulated Mmp12 (9.3-fold compared to air-urethane controls). In all lung disease models, Mmp12 upregulation was supported at the protein level. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that in utero SHS exposures exacerbate lung responses to adult-induced emphysema, asthma, and lung cancer. Our data show that MMP12 is up-regulated at the gene and protein levels in three distinct adult lung disease models following in utero SHS exposures, suggesting that MMP12 is central to in utero SHS-aggravated lung responses.