Explore the vast range of titles available.

A network pharmacology approach was employed to identify key bioactive compounds and core targets in hawthorn leaves with potential anti-inflammatory properties. The predicted biological effects and underlying mechanisms were systematically validated through target enzyme activity evaluations, molecular docking simulations, LPS-induced inflammatory models in RAW264.7 macrophages, western blot and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses. Molecular docking studies revealed strong binding affinities of triterpenoids 99, 102, and 116 to SRC (Proto-Oncogene Tyrosine-Protein Kinase Src), a critical regulator of inflammatory signaling pathways. These interactions were further substantiated by enzymatic activity assays and macrophage-based inflammatory models. Notably, the triterpenoids showed strong anti-inflammatory properties by significantly reducing nitric oxide (NO) release and altering the expression of inflammatory genes in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages. Among them, triterpenoid 99 demonstrated the most pronounced activity, primarily by downregulating SRC mRNA and protein expression. These findings provide compelling scientific evidence supporting the use of hawthorn leaves as a natural reservoir of anti-inflammatory agents, offering a strong foundation for future pharmacological and therapeutic developments.

The ocean has been a regulator of climate change throughout the history of Earth. One key mechanism is the mediation of the carbon reservoir by refractory dissolved organic carbon (RDOC), which can either be stored in the water column for centuries or released back into the atmosphere as CO2 depending on the conditions. The RDOC is produced through a myriad of microbial metabolic and ecological processes known as the microbial carbon pump (MCP). Here, we review recent research advances in processes related to the MCP, including the distribution patterns and molecular composition of RDOC, links between the complexity of RDOC compounds and microbial diversity, MCP-driven carbon cycles across time and space, and responses of the MCP to a changing climate. We identify knowledge gaps and future research directions in the role of the MCP, particularly as a key component in integrated approaches combining the mechanisms of the biological and abiotic carbon pumps for ocean negative carbon emissions.In this Review, Jiao, Robinson and colleagues examine recent advances related to the microbial carbon pump, exploring its role in the carbon cycle and climate change, and proposing future research directions and approaches to ocean negative carbon emissions.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) are a prominent class of plant metabolites with significant pharmaceutical and industrial significance that have garnered substantial attention from researchers worldwide. BIAs exhibit several pharmacological activities and have been used extensively. Examples include analgesics such as morphine, tetrahydropalmatine, antimicrobials such as berberine, and antineoplastic agents including cepharanthine. Most BIAs are derived and isolated from medicinal plants; however, these plants are predominantly wild resources that are scarce. Their high environmental impact, slow growth rate, scarcity of resources, and expensive direct extraction costs pose a significant challenge. Certain BIAs are present in trace amounts in medicinal plants; moreover, they have complex chemical structures and unstable properties. Designing chemical synthesis routes and processes is challenging. Thus, a major obstacle in developing and utilizing these natural products in the pharmaceutical industry lies in their low abundance in nature. Consequently, the limited supply of these molecules fails to meet high research and market demands. In recent years, biosynthesis approaches have emerged as a novel and efficient method to obtain BIAs. In this review, recent progress in the field of enzymes related to the elucidation of biosynthetic pathways and the biosynthesis of BIAs are discussed, and future perspectives for designing viable strategies for their targeted manipulation are presented.

Exosomes are lipid bilayer membrane vesicles and are emerging as competent nanocarriers for drug delivery. The clinical translation of exosomes faces many challenges such as massive production, standard isolation, drug loading, stability and quality control. In recent years, artificial exosomes are emerging based on nanobiotechnology to overcome the limitations of natural exosomes. Major types of artificial exosomes include ‘nanovesicles (NVs)’, ‘exosome-mimetic (EM)’ and ‘hybrid exosomes (HEs)’, which are obtained by top-down, bottom-up and biohybrid strategies, respectively. Artificial exosomes are powerful alternatives to natural exosomes for drug delivery. Here, we outline recent advances in artificial exosomes through nanobiotechnology and discuss their strengths, limitations and future perspectives. The development of artificial exosomes holds great values for translational nanomedicine.

Sulfide (H 2 S, HS − and S 2− ) oxidation to sulfite and thiosulfate by heterotrophic bacteria, using sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (SQR) and persulfide dioxygenase (PDO), has recently been reported as a possible detoxification mechanism for sulfide at high levels. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the sqr and pdo genes were common in sequenced bacterial genomes, implying the sulfide oxidation may have other physiological functions. SQRs have previously been classified into six types. Here we grouped PDOs into three types and showed that some heterotrophic bacteria produced and released H 2 S from organic sulfur into the headspace during aerobic growth, and others, for example, Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1, with sqr and pdo did not release H 2 S. When the sqr and pdo genes were deleted, the mutants also released H 2 S. Both sulfide-oxidizing and non-oxidizing heterotrophic bacteria were readily isolated from various environmental samples. The sqr and pdo genes were also common in the published marine metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data, indicating that the genes are present and expressed. Thus, heterotrophic bacteria actively produce and consume sulfide when growing on organic compounds under aerobic conditions. Given their abundance on Earth, their contribution to the sulfur cycle should not be overlooked.

The implementation of crisis response strategies, such as natural hazards, pandemics, and conflicts, is necessary during times of emergency. Despite the importance of these interventions, mental health outcomes in emergency situations remain poorly understood. There is a lack of research on the comparative effectiveness of different interventions. Therefore, this study addresses the following question: \"How do crisis interventions affect mental health outcomes in emergencies?\". This study aims to conduct a scoping review of the impact mechanisms of crisis intervention on the mental health of witnesses or participants in the context of emergencies. The study encompassed a wide array of studies, emphasizing the efficacy of several crisis intervention modalities, such as psychological first aid and trauma-focused therapy. Most of the existing results were based on hospitals, schools and communities as research scenarios. The findings revealed substantial beneficial effects on mental health outcomes, such as decreased symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Nevertheless, discrepancies in the efficacy were observed depending on the nature of the emergency, the model of intervention, and the demographic variables. The study highlights the intricate nature of executing crisis interventions during emergencies, taking into account aspects such as cultural sensitivity, resource availability, and the necessity for customized approaches. Crisis interventions are crucial in reducing the detrimental effects on mental health caused by emergencies. However, additional focused and enduring investigations are necessary to understand their efficacy in various emergency scenarios and demographics. Therefore, future research can further enrich psychological crisis intervention methods and deepen research on the impact of crisis intervention on mental health.

A critical question in microbial ecology is how the complex microbial communities are formed in natural ecosystems with the existence of thousands different species, thereby performing essential ecosystem functions and maintaining ecosystem stability. Previous studies disentangling the community assembly mechanisms mainly focus on microbial taxa, ignoring the functional traits they carry. Microorganisms drive much of the marine nitrogen (N) cycle, which jointly controls the primary production in the global ocean. However, our understanding of the microbial communities driving the global ocean N cycle remains fragmented. Focusing on “who is doing what, where, and how?”, this study draws a clear picture describing the global biogeography of marine N-cycling microbial communities by utilizing the Tara Oceans shotgun metagenomes. The marine N-cycling communities are highly variable taxonomically but relatively even at the functional trait level, showing clear functional redundancy properties. The functional traits and taxonomic groups are shaped by the same set of geo-environmental factors, among which, depth is the major factor impacting marine N-cycling communities, differentiating mesopelagic from epipelagic communities. Latitudinal diversity gradients and distance-decay relationships are observed for taxonomic groups, but rarely or weakly for functional traits. The composition of functional traits is strongly deterministic as revealed by null model analysis, while a higher degree of stochasticity is observed for taxonomic composition. Integrating multiple lines of evidence, in addition to drawing a biogeographic picture of marine N-cycling communities, this study also demonstrated an essential microbial ecological theory—determinism governs the assembly of microbial communities performing essential biogeochemical processes; the environment selects functional traits rather than taxonomic groups; functional redundancy underlies stochastic taxonomic community assembly. IMPORTANCE A critical question in microbial ecology is how the complex microbial communities are formed in natural ecosystems with the existence of thousands different species, thereby performing essential ecosystem functions and maintaining ecosystem stability. Previous studies disentangling the community assembly mechanisms mainly focus on microbial taxa, ignoring the functional traits they carry. By anchoring microbial functional traits and their carrying taxonomic groups involved in nitrogen cycling processes, this study demonstrated an important mechanism associated with the complex microbial community assembly. Evidence shows that the environment selects functional traits rather than taxonomic groups, and functional redundancy underlies stochastic taxonomic community assembly. This study is expected to provide valuable mechanistic insights into the complex microbial community assembly in both natural and artificial ecosystems.

China is the global leader in mariculture production. Increasing sequestered marine carbon（also known as blue carbon） via mariculture activities is a promising approach for mitigating climate change and promoting the development of a low-carbon economy. Mariculture blue carbon is also considered an important component of China＇s ＂sea granary＂. In addition to shellfish and macroalgae yields, which represent carbon removed from mariculture environment, blue carbon also includes other important components, which have been largely neglected in the past, such as the carbon transformed by microbes,dissolved organic carbon（mainly referred to as recalcitrant dissolved organic carbon）, and sedimentary particulate carbon. Hence,from different aspects, a comprehensive study on the formation processes and mechanisms of carbon sequestration is of great significance for comprehensively unveiling the carbon sequestration capability in coastal mariculture environment, which will contribute to the sustainable development of the fishery economy and construction of an ecological civilization. Moreover, it may add significant economic benefits to the future carbon-trading market.

Cell type annotation is an essential step in single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis, and numerous annotation methods are available. Most require a combination of computational and domain-specific expertise, and they frequently yield inconsistent results that can be challenging to interpret. Large language models have the potential to expand accessibility while reducing manual input and improving accuracy, but existing approaches suffer from hyperconfidence, hallucinations, and lack of reasoning. To address these limitations, we developed CASSIA for automated, accurate, and interpretable cell annotation of single-cell RNA-sequencing data. As demonstrated in analyses of 970 cell types, CASSIA improves annotation accuracy in benchmark datasets as well as complex and rare cell populations, and also provides users with reasoning and quality assessment to ensure interpretability, guard against hallucinations, and calibrate confidence. Assigning cell types in single-cell RNA-seq is essential yet challenging, as it requires expertise, time, and is often subjective. Here, the authors present CASSIA, a multi-agent AI system that provides automated, interpretable, and quality-controlled annotations with high accuracy.

Tetrahydroprotoberberines (THPBs) are plant-specific alkaloids with significant medicinal value. They are present in trace amounts in plants and are difficult to chemically synthesize due to stereoselectivity and an unfavorable environment. In this study, a selective methylation strategy was developed for the biocatalysis of seven high-value-added THPB compounds using 4’-O-methyltransferase (Cj4’OMT), norcoclaurine 6-O-methyltransferase (Cj6OMT), and (S)-scoulerine 9-O-methyltransferase (SiSOMT and PsSOMT) in engineered E. coli. The methyltransferases Cj4’OMT, Cj6OMT, PsSOMT, and SiSOMT were expressed heterologously in E. coli. Compound 1 (10-methoxy-2,3,9-tetrahydroxyberbine) was synthesized using the recombinant E. coli strain Cj4’OMT and the substrate 2,3,9,10-tetrahydroxyberbine. Compound 2 (9-methoxy-2,3,10-tetrahydroxyberbine) was produced in the recombinant Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain PsSOMT, and compounds 2 and 3 (discretamine) were produced in the recombinant E. coli strain SiSOMT. Compounds 4 (9,10-methoxy-2,3-tetrahydroxyberbine) and 5 (corypalmine) were obtained by co-culturing the recombinant strains Cj4’OMT and SiSOMT with substrate. Compounds 6 (scoulerine) and 7 (isoscoulerine) were produced by co-culturing the substrate with the recombinant strains Cj4’OMT and Cj6OMT. To increase the yield of novel compound 2, the flask culture conditions of the engineered SiSOMT strain were optimized, resulting in the production of 165.74 mg/L of this compound. This study thus presents an enzymatic approach to the synthesis of high-value-added THPBs with minimum environmental wastage.