TGF-β promotes pericyte-myofibroblast transition in subretinal fibrosis through the Smad2/3 and Akt/mTOR pathways

Zhao Zhenzhen,Zhang Yumeng,Zhang Chaoyang,Zhang Jingting,Luo Xueting,Qiu Qinghua,Luo Dawei,Zhang Jingfa 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Subretinal fibrosis remains a major obstacle to the management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Choroidal pericytes were found to be a significant source of subretinal fibrosis, but the underlying mechanisms of pericyte-myofibroblast transition (PMT) remain largely unknown. The goal of this study was to explore the role and potential mechanisms by which PMT contributes to subretinal fibrosis. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was induced by laser photocoagulation in transgenic mice with the collagen1α1-green fluorescent protein (Col1α1-GFP) reporter, and recombinant adeno-associated virus 2 (rAAV2)-mediated TGF-β2 (rAAV2-TGF-β2) was administered intravitreally to further induce PMT. Primary mouse choroidal GFP-positive pericytes were treated with TGF-β2 in combination with siRNAs targeting Smad2/3, the Akt inhibitor MK2206 or the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin to examine cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation into myofibroblasts. The involvement of the Akt/mTOR pathway in PMT in subretinal fibrosis was further investigated in vivo. Intraocular TGF-β2 overexpression induced GFP-positive pericyte infiltration and PMT in subretinal fibrosis, which was mimicked in vitro. Knockdown of Smad2/3 or inhibition of Akt/mTOR decreased cell proliferation, PMT and migration in primary mouse pericytes. Combined inhibition of Smad2/3 and mTOR showed synergistic effects on attenuating α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression and cell proliferation. In mice with laser-induced CNV, the administration of the Akt/mTOR inhibitors suppressed pericyte proliferation and alleviated the severity of subretinal fibrosis. Our results showed that PMT plays a pivotal role in subretinal fibrosis, which was induced by TGF-β2 through the Smad2/3 and Akt/mTOR pathways. Thus, inhibiting PMT may be a novel strategy for the treatment of subretinal fibrosis.

Measurement of Lateral and Interfacial Thermal Conductivity of Single- and Bilayer MoS₂ and MoSe₂ Using Refined Optothermal Raman Technique

Zhang, Xian,Sun, Dezheng,Li, Yilei,Lee, Gwan-Hyoung,Cui, Xu,Chenet, Daniel,You, Yumeng,Heinz, Tony F.,Hone, James C. American Chemical Society 2015 ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES Vol.7 No.46

<P>Atomically thin materials such as graphene and semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted extensive interest in recent years, motivating investigation into multiple properties. In this work, we demonstrate a refined version of the optothermal Raman technique1,2 to measure the thermal transport properties of two TMDC materials, MoS<SUB>2</SUB> and MoSe<SUB>2</SUB>, in single-layer (1L) and bilayer (2L) forms. This new version incorporates two crucial improvements over previous implementations. First, we utilize more direct measurements of the optical absorption of the suspended samples under study and find values ∼40% lower than previously assumed. Second, by comparing the response of fully supported and suspended samples using different laser spot sizes, we are able to independently measure the interfacial thermal conductance to the substrate and the lateral thermal conductivity of the supported and suspended materials. The approach is validated by examining the response of a suspended film illuminated in different radial positions. For 1L MoS<SUB>2</SUB> and MoSe<SUB>2</SUB>, the room-temperature thermal conductivities are 84 ± 17 and 59 ± 18 W/(m·K), respectively. For 2L MoS<SUB>2</SUB> and MoSe<SUB>2</SUB>, we obtain values of 77 ± 25 W and 42 ± 13 W/(m·K). Crucially, the interfacial thermal conductance is found to be of order 0.1–1 MW/m<SUP>2</SUP> K, substantially smaller than previously assumed, a finding that has important implications for design and modeling of electronic devices.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/aamick/2015/aamick.2015.7.issue-46/acsami.5b08580/production/images/medium/am-2015-085805_0004.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/am5b08580'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>

Synthesis and structure of two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides

Shi, Yumeng,Zhang, Hua,Chang, Wen-Hao,Shin, Hyeon Suk,Li, Lain-Jong Cambridge University Press (Materials Research Soc 2015 MRS bulletin Vol.40 No.7

<▼1><B>Abstract</B><P/></▼1><▼2><P>Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) exhibit unique electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties, which enable them to be used as building blocks in compact and lightweight integrated electronic systems. The controllable and reliable synthesis of atomically thin TMDCs is essential for their practical application. Recent progress in large-area synthesis of monolayer TMDCs paves the way for practical production of various 2D TMDC layers. The intrinsic optical and electrical properties of monolayer TMDCs can be defined by stoichiometry during synthesis. By manipulating the lattice structure or layer stacking manner, it is possible to create atomically thin van der Waals materials with unique and unexplored physical properties. In this article, we review recent developments in the synthesis of TMDC monolayers, alloys, and heterostructures, which shine light on the design of novel TMDCs with desired functional properties.</P></▼2>

Hybrid Resource Allocation Scheme in Secure Intelligent Reflecting Surface-Assisted IoT

Su, Yumeng,Gao, Hongyuan,Zhang, Shibo Korean Society for Internet Information 2022 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.16 No.10

With the rapid development of information and communications technology, the construction of efficient, reliable, and safe Internet of Things (IoT) is an inevitable trend in order to meet high-quality demands for the forthcoming 6G communications. In this paper, we study a secure intelligent reflecting surface (IRS)-assisted IoT system where malicious eavesdropper trying to sniff out the desired information from the transmission links between the IRS and legitimate IoT devices. We discuss the system overall performance and propose a hybrid resource allocation scheme for maximizing the secrecy capacity and secrecy energy efficiency. In order to achieve the trade-off between transmission reliability, communication security, and energy efficiency, we develop a quantum-inspired marine predator algorithm (QMPA) for realizing rational configuration of system resources and prevent from eavesdropping. Simulation results demonstrate the superiority of the QMPA over other strategies. It is also indicated that proper IRS deployment and power allocation are beneficial for the enhancement of system overall capacity.

Effects of zinc-bearing palygorskite on rumen fermentation in vitro

Mengjiao Chen,Yumeng Xi,Lin Zhang,Hanfang Zeng,Yeqing Li,Zhaoyu Han 아세아·태평양축산학회 2019 Animal Bioscience Vol.32 No.1

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of zinc-bearing palygorskite (Zn-Pal) on rumen fermentation by in vitro gas-production system. Methods: In trial, 90 incubators were evenly divided into five groups: control (0% Zn-Pal), treatment I (0.2% Zn-Pal), treatment II (0.4% Zn-Pal), treatment III (0.6% Zn-Pal), and treatment IV (0.8% Zn-Pal). The contents of zinc for treatments were 0, 49, 98, 147, 196 mg/kg, respectively. The main chemical composition and microstructure of Zn-Pal was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The physicochemical features were evaluated by Zeta potential analysis, cation-exchange capacity, ethylene blue absorption and specific surface area (the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method). In vitro gas production (GP) was recorded at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 h incubation. Incubation was stopped at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h and the inoculants were tested for pH, microbial protein yield (MCP), NH3-N, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Results: The results showed that the GP in the treatment groups was not significantly different from the control groups (p>0.05). Compared to the control group, pH was higher at 24 h, 48 h (p<0.05), and 72 h (p<0.01) (range 6 to 7). The concentration of NH3-N in the three treatment groups was higher than in the control group at 24 h (p<0.01), meanwhile, it was lower at 48 h and 72 h (p<0.01), except in the treatment IV. The concentration of MCP in treatment I group was higher than in the control at 48 h (p<0.01). Compared with control, the LPS concentration in treatment III became lower at 12 h (p<0.05). Total VFAs in treatments were higher than in the control at 24 h, 48 h (p<0.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that the addition of Zn-Pal can improve the rumen fermentation, especially when adding 0.2% Zn-Pal.

Complete genome and phylogenetic analysis of bovine papillomavirus type 15 in Southern Xinjiang dairy cow

Hu, Jianjun,Zhang, Wanqi,Chauhan, Surinder Singh,Shi, Changqing,Song, Yumeng,Zhao, Yubing,Wang, Zhehong,Cheng, Long,Zhang, Yingyu The Korean Society of Veterinary Science 2020 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.21 No.2

Background: Bovine papilloma is a neoplastic disease caused by bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs), which were recently divided into 5 genera and at least 24 genotypes. Objectives: The complete genome sequence of BPV type 15 (BPV Aks-02), a novel putative BPV type from skin samples from infected cows in Southern Xinjiang China, was determined by collecting warty lesions, followed by DNA extraction and amplicon sequencing. Methods: DNA was analyzed initially by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the degenerate primers FAP59 and FAP64. The complete genome sequences of the BPV Aks-02 were amplified by PCR using the amplification primers and sequencing primers. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis were performed using bio-informatic software. Results: The nucleotide sequence of the L1 open reading frame (ORF) of BPV Aks-02 was 75% identity to the L1 ORF of BPV-9 reference strain from GenBank. The complete genome consisted of 7,189 base pairs (G + C content of 42.50%) that encoded 5 early (E8, E7, E1, E2, and E4) and 2 late (L1 and L2) genes. The E7 protein contained a consensus CX₂CX₂₉CX₂C zinc-binding domain and a LxCxE motif. Among the different members of this group, the percentages of the complete genome and ORFs (including 5 early and 2 late ORFs) sequence identity of BPV Aks-02 were closer to the genus Xipapillomavirus 1 of the Xipapillomavirus genus. Phylogenetic analysis and sequence similarities based on the L1 ORF of BPV Aks-02 revealed the same cluster. Conclusions: The results suggest that BPV type (BPV Aks-02) clustered with members of the Xipapillomavirus genus as BPV 15 and were closely related to Xipapillomavirus 1.

Evolutionary Neural Network based on Quantum Elephant Herding Algorithm for Modulation Recognition in Impulse Noise

( Hongyuan Gao ),( Shihao Wang ),( Yumeng Su ),( Helin Sun ),( Zhiwei Zhang ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2021 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.15 No.7

In this paper, we proposed a novel modulation recognition method based on quantum elephant herding algorithm (QEHA) evolving neural network under impulse noise environment. We use the adaptive weight myriad filter to preprocess the received digital modulation signals which passing through the impulsive noise channel, and then the instantaneous characteristics and high order cumulant features of digital modulation signals are extracted as classification feature set, finally, the BP neural network (BPNN) model as a classifier for automatic digital modulation recognition. Besides, based on the elephant herding optimization (EHO) algorithm and quantum computing mechanism, we design a quantum elephant herding algorithm (QEHA) to optimize the initial thresholds and weights of the BPNN, which solves the problem that traditional BPNN is easy into local minimum values and poor robustness. The experimental results prove that the adaptive weight myriad filter we used can remove the impulsive noise effectively, and the proposed QEHA-BPNN classifier has better recognition performance than other conventional pattern recognition classifiers. Compared with other global optimization algorithms, the QEHA designed in this paper has a faster convergence speed and higher convergence accuracy. Furthermore, the effect of symbol shape has been considered, which can satisfy the need for engineering.

Complete genome and phylogenetic analysis of bovine papillomavirus type 15 in Southern Xinjiang dairy cow

Jianjun Hu,Wanqi Zhang,Surinder Singh Chauhan,Changqing Shi,Yumeng Song,Yubing Zhao,Zhehong Wang,Long Cheng,Yingyu Zhang 대한수의학회 2020 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.21 No.6

Background: Bovine papilloma is a neoplastic disease caused by bovine papillomaviruses (BPVs), which were recently divided into 5 genera and at least 24 genotypes. Objectives: The complete genome sequence of BPV type 15 (BPV Aks-02), a novel putative BPV type from skin samples from infected cows in Southern Xinjiang China, was determined by collecting warty lesions, followed by DNA extraction and amplicon sequencing. Methods: DNA was analyzed initially by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the degenerate primers FAP59 and FAP64. The complete genome sequences of the BPV Aks-02 were amplified by PCR using the amplification primers and sequencing primers. Sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis were performed using bio-informatic software. Results: The nucleotide sequence of the L1 open reading frame (ORF) of BPV Aks-02 was 75% identity to the L1 ORF of BPV-9 reference strain from GenBank. The complete genome consisted of 7,189 base pairs (G + C content of 42.50%) that encoded 5 early (E8, E7, E1, E2, and E4) and 2 late (L1 and L2) genes. The E7 protein contained a consensus CX2CX29CX2C zinc-binding domain and a LxCxE motif. Among the different members of this group, the percentages of the complete genome and ORFs (including 5 early and 2 late ORFs) sequence identity of BPV Aks-02 were closer to the genus Xipapillomavirus 1 of the Xipapillomavirus genus. Phylogenetic analysis and sequence similarities based on the L1 ORF of BPV Aks-02 revealed the same cluster. Conclusions: The results suggest that BPV type (BPV Aks-02) clustered with members of the Xipapillomavirus genus as BPV 15 and were closely related to Xipapillomavirus 1.

A-to-I RNA Editing Contributes to Proteomic Diversity in Cancer

Peng, Xinxin,Xu, Xiaoyan,Wang, Yumeng,Hawke, David H.,Yu, Shuangxing,Han, Leng,Zhou, Zhicheng,Mojumdar, Kamalika,Jeong, Kang Jin,Labrie, Marilyne,Tsang, Yiu Huen,Zhang, Minying,Lu, Yiling,Hwu, Patrick Cell Press 2018 CANCER CELL Vol. No.

Transcriptomic analyses reveal novel genes with sexually dimorphic expression in Takifugu rubripes brain during gonadal sex differentiation

Xufang Shen,Hongwei Yan,Lei Zhang,Zhen Yuan,Wenlei Liu,Yumeng Wu,Qi Liu,Xiaoyi Luo,Ying Liu 한국유전학회 2020 Genes & Genomics Vol.42 No.4

Background Quantification of mRNAs in gonads and other tissues at the early critical development stage of sex differentiation may help to provide a global view of regulatory mechanisms underlying sex differentiation. We have recently reported the transcriptomic profiling of fugu gonad associated with sex differentiation. Objectives This study attempted to identify the genes in the brain that are involved in gonadal differentiation and development. Methods In this study, a transcriptomic scan of potential candidate genes involved in sex differentiation was conducted in the brains of fugu larvae at 30 and 40 dah (morphological gonadal sex differentiation had not yet occurred). The dimorphic expression patterns of several candidate genes were verified using quantitative PCR. Results A total of 28.24 Gb of clean reads were obtained and 22,337 genes were identified in the brains of fugu larvae. These included 1008 novel genes that provide abundant data for functional analysis of sex differentiation. 229 genes were identified in the 30 dah larvae that were abundant in the XY brain and 21 that were abundant in the XX brain. In the 40 dah larvae, 325 genes were identified abundant in the XY brain and 174 were identified abundant in the XX brain. Conclusion This is the first investigation into the transcriptome of the fugu larvae brain at the early sex differentiation stage. The results obtained here will enhance the understanding of molecular mechanisms that underly fugu sex differentiation.