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Background Intratumoral microbial communities have been recently discovered to exist in a variety of cancers and have been found to be intricately involved in tumour progression. Therefore, investigating the profiles and functions of intratumoral microbial distribution in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is imperative. Methods To verify the presence of microorganisms in HCC, we performed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using HCC tissues and conducted MiSeq using 99 HCC and paracancerous tissues to identify the key microorganisms and changes in metabolic pathways affecting HCC progression through a variety of bioinformatics methods. Results Microbial diversity was significantly higher in HCC tissues than in adjacent tissues. The abundances of microorganisms such as Enterobacteriaceae , Fusobacterium and Neisseria were significantly increased in HCC tissues, while the abundances of certain antitumour bacteria such as Pseudomonas were decreased. Processes such as fatty acid and lipid synthesis were significantly enhanced in the microbiota in HCC tissues, which may be a key factor through which intratumoral microbes influence tumour progression. There were considerable differences in the microbes and their functions within tumour tissue collected from patients with different clinical features. Conclusion We comprehensively evaluated the intratumoral microbial atlas of HCC tissue and preliminarily explored the mechanism of the effects of the microbial community involving changes in lipid metabolism and effects on HCC progression, which lays the foundation for further research in this field.

Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. Metabolic abnormalities are one of the hallmarks of pancreatic cancer, and pancreatic cancer cells can adapt to biosynthesis, energy intake, and redox needs through metabolic reprogramming to tolerate nutrient deficiency and hypoxic microenvironments. Pancreatic cancer cells can use glucose, amino acids, and lipids as energy to maintain malignant growth. Moreover, they also metabolically interact with cells in the tumour microenvironment to change cell fate, promote tumour progression, and even affect immune responses. Importantly, metabolic changes at the body level deserve more attention. Basic research and clinical trials based on targeted metabolic therapy or in combination with other treatments are in full swing. A more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the metabolic regulation of pancreatic cancer cells will not only enrich the understanding of the mechanisms of disease progression but also provide inspiration for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

Background Post-transcriptional methylation modifications, including 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification, are closely related to the tumorigenesis of cancers. However, the mRNA profile of m5C modification in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is unknown. Methods Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing was performed to identify m5C peaks on mRNA of human HCC tissues and adjacent tissues, and differences in m5C between the two groups were analyzed. In addition, we conducted a bioinformatics analysis to predict the function of specific methylated transcripts. Results We found that there was a noticeable difference in m5C between HCC and paired non-tumor tissues, suggesting that m5C could play a role in the pathogenesis of HCC. In addition, analyses of gene ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes showed that the unique distribution pattern of mRNA m5C in HCC was associated with a wide range of cellular functions. Conclusions Our results revealed different distribution patterns of m5C in HCC and adjacent tissues and provided new insights into a novel function of m5C RNA methylation of mRNA in HCC progression.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is the most malignant digestive tumor. The global incidence of pancreatic cancer has been rapidly trending upwards, necessitating an exploration of potential prognostic biomarkers and mechanisms of disease development. One of the most prevalent RNA modifications is 5-methylcytosine (m5C); however, its contribution to PAAD remains unclear. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, including genes, copy number variations (CNVs), and simple nucleotide variations (SNVs), were obtained in the present study to identify gene signatures and prognostic values for m5C regulators in PAAD. Regulatory gene m5C changes were significantly correlated with TP53, BRCA1, CDKN2A, and ATM genes, which play important roles in PAAD pathogenesis. In particular, there was a significant relationship between m5C regulatory gene CNVs, especially in genes encoding epigenetic “writers”. According to m5C-regulated gene expression in clinically graded cases, one m5C-regulated genes, DNMT3A , showed both a strong effect on CNVs and a significant correlation between expression level and clinical grade ( P  < 0.05). Furthermore, low DNMT3A expression was not only associated with poor PAAD patient prognosis but also with the ribosomal processing. The relationship between low DNMT3A expression and poor prognosis was confirmed in an International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) validation dataset.

Semiconductors that can provide optical gain at extremely low carrier density levels are critically important for applications such as energy efficient nanolasers. However, all current semiconductor lasers are based on traditional semiconductor materials that require extremely high density levels above the so-called Mott transition to realize optical gain. The new emerging 2D materials provide unprecedented opportunities for studying new excitonic physics and exploring new optical gain mechanisms at much lower density levels due to the strong Coulomb interaction and co-existence and mutual conversion of excitonic complexes. Here, we report a new gain mechanism involving charged excitons or trions in electrically gated 2D molybdenum ditelluride well below the Mott density. Our combined experimental and modelling study not only reveals the complex interplay of excitonic complexes well below the Mott transition but also establishes 2D materials as a new class of gain materials at densities 4–5 orders of magnitude lower than those of conventional semiconductors and provides a foundation for lasing at ultralow injection levels for future energy efficient photonic devices. Additionally, our study could help reconcile recent conflicting results on 2D materials: While 2D material-based lasers have been demonstrated at extremely low densities with spectral features dominated by various excitonic complexes, optical gain was only observed in experiments at densities several orders of magnitude higher, beyond the Mott density. We believe that our results could lead to more systematic studies on the relationship between the mutual conversion of excitonic species and the existence of optical gain well below the Mott transition.Trion tricks give optical gainA new mechanism for amplifying optical signals in two-dimensional semiconductors could be used to develop nano-sized lasers with little input power. When high-energy photons strike a semiconductor they produce excitons – pairs comprising an excited electron and the positively-charged ‘hole’ that it leaves behind, or even trions - states comprising two electrons and one hole, or one electron and two holes. However, scientists have so far limited understanding of the many exotic exciton states that can exist and mutually convert. Cun-Zheng Ning at Tsinghua University in Beijing and co-workers studied ultra-thin single and dual layers of molybdenum ditelluride, and observed a complex interplay between excitons and trions. The trion states enabled the system to show optical gain – a vital property for lasers - despite being orders of magnitude below the so-called Mott transition density, a minimum condition for optical gain in conventional semiconductors.

Monolayer 2D semiconductors provide an attractive option for valleytronics due to valley-addressability. But the short valley-polarization lifetimes for excitons have hindered potential valleytronic applications. In this paper, we demonstrate a strategy for prolonging the valley-polarization lifetime by converting excitons to trions through efficient gate control and exploiting the much longer valley-polarization lifetimes for trions than for excitons. At charge neutrality, the valley lifetime of monolayer MoTe 2 increases by a factor of 1000 to the order of nanoseconds from excitons to trions. The exciton-to-trion conversion changes the dominant depolarization mechanism from the fast electron-hole exchange for excitons to the slow spin-flip process for trions. Moreover, the degree of valley polarization increases to 38% for excitons and 33% for trions through electrical manipulation. Our results reveal the depolarization dynamics and the interplay of various depolarization channels for excitons and trions, providing an effective strategy for prolonging the valley polarization. Here, the authors devise a strategy for prolonging the valley polarization lifetime in monolayer MoTe 2 by converting excitons to trions through gate control, and by taking advantage of the longer valley polarization lifetime of trions.

Aberrant long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression and fatty acid signaling dysfunction both contribute to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) occurrence and development. However, the relationship and interaction mechanism between lncRNAs and fatty acid signaling in HCC remain unclear. Data regarding RNA expression and clinical outcomes for patients with HCC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), HCCDB, and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Hallmark pathways were identified using the single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) method. ConsensusClusterPlus was used to establish a consistency matrix for classifying samples into three subtypes. A risk signature was established, and predictive values for key lncRNAs related to prognosis were evaluated using Kaplan–Meier analysis and receiver operating characteristic curves. The ESTIMATE algorithm, MCP-Counter, and ssGSEA were used to evaluate the characteristics of the tumor immune microenvironment. The CTRP2.0 and PRISM were used to analyze drug sensitivity in HCC subtypes. We discovered seven fatty-acid-associated lncRNAs with predictive prognostic capabilities, including TRAF3IP2 - AS1 , SNHG10 , AL157392 .2, LINC02641 , AL357079 . 1 , AC046134.2 , and A1BG-AS . Three subtypes were obtained, which presented with differences in prognosis, clinical information, mutation features, pathway traits, immune characteristics, and drug sensitivity. The seven key lncRNAs identified in this study might serve as promising biomarkers for predicting prognosis in patients with HCC, and the three HCC subtypes classified according to lncRNA expression profiles could improve HCC classification.

With the surging demand for high-performance energy storage devices, enhancing the energy density and charge-discharge efficiency of lithium-ion batteries has become an urgent need. Co3O4, with a high theoretical specific capacity of 890 mAh g−1, is regarded as a promising anode candidate. In this work, rod-like hybrid Co3O4/SnO2 composites were successfully prepared via the pyrolysis of cobalt-tin ethylene glycolate precursor. Notably, when the Co/Sn molar ratio is tuned to 3.8:1, the product evolves into nanorods. Lithium-ion batteries using Co3.8Sn1 as the anode deliver an initial specific capacity of 1588.9 mAh g−1, and retain a reversible capacity of 427.9 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 2 A g−1, demonstrating that Sn-doping-induced optimization of morphology and conductivity effectively enhances electrochemical performance.

As one of the most malignant cancers and despite various treatment breakthroughs, the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unsatisfactory. The immune status of the tumor microenvironment (TME) relates closely to HCC progression; however, the mechanism of immune cell infiltration in the TME remains unclear. In this study, we performed a new combination algorithm on lncRNA expression profile data from the TCGA-LIHC cohort to identify lncRNAs related to immune disorders. We identified 20 immune disorder-related lncRNAs and clustered HCC samples based on these lncRNAs. We identified four clusters with differences in immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint gene expression. We further analyzed differences between groups 1 and 3 and found that the poor prognosis of group 3 may be due to specific and non-specific immunosuppression of the TME, upregulation of immune checkpoint pathways, and activation of tumor proliferation and migration pathways in group 3. We also developed a prognostic model and verified that it has good stability, effectiveness, and prognostic power. This study provides a basis for further exploration of the immune cell infiltration mechanism in HCC, differential HCC prognosis, and improvement of the efficacy of ICIs for the treatment of HCC.

Based on their clonality, RAS mutations have a key role as driver mutations. [...]RAS mutations are potential immunotherapy targets (2).Baleeiro et al.identified immunogenic peptides derived from codon 12 RAS mutants (G12A, G12C, G12D, G12R, G12S, and G12V), which bind to HLA-A * 02:01 and HLA-A * 03:01 and trigger a strong peptide-specific CD8+ T cell response. Recently, CD274 inhibitor (durvalumab) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin (GemCis) was reported to improve the response rate of patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (approximately 10%–26.7%) when compared with GemCis in a phase 3 randomized clinical trial.Zeng et al.identified the determinants associated with the beneficial outcome of this combination therapy. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher. 1JiangJDiazDANuguruSPMittraAManneA.Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) plus immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.Cancers (Basel)(2022)15(1):50. doi:10.3390/cancers15010050 2PriorIAHoodFEHartleyJL.The frequency of ras mutations in cancer.Cancer Res(2020)80(14):2969–74. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-3682 3KimRDChungVAleseOBEl-RayesBFLiDAl-ToubahTE.A phase 2 multi-institutional study of nivolumab for patients with advanced refractory biliary tract cancer.JAMA Oncol(2020)6(6):888–94. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.0930 4SchumacherTNSchreiberRD.Neoantigens in cancer immunotherapy.Science(2015)348(6230):69–74. doi:10.1126/science.aaa4971 5RuanHSongZCaoQNiDXuTWangK.IMPDH1/YB-1 positive feedback loop assembles cytoophidia and represents a therapeutic target in metastatic tumors.Mol Ther(2020)28(5):1299–313. doi:10.1016/j.ymthe.2020.03.001