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"Zhao, Dian"
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A nonmetallic plasmonic catalyst for photothermal CO2 flow conversion with high activity, selectivity and durability
The meticulous design of active sites and light absorbers holds the key to the development of high-performance photothermal catalysts for CO
2
hydrogenation. Here, we report a nonmetallic plasmonic catalyst of Mo
2
N/MoO
2
-
x
nanosheets by integrating a localized surface plasmon resonance effect with two distinct types of active sites for CO
2
hydrogenation. Leveraging the synergism of dual active sites, H
2
and CO
2
molecules can be simultaneously adsorbed and activated on N atom and O vacancy, respectively. Meanwhile, the plasmonic effect of this noble-metal-free catalyst signifies its promising ability to convert photon energy into localized heat. Consequently, Mo
2
N/MoO
2
-
x
nanosheets exhibit remarkable photothermal catalytic performance in reverse water-gas shift reaction. Under continuous full-spectrum light irradiation (3 W·cm
−2
) for a duration of 168 h, the nanosheets achieve a CO yield rate of 355 mmol·gcat
−1
·h
−1
in a flow reactor with a selectivity exceeding 99%. This work offers valuable insights into the precise design of noble-metal-free active sites and the development of plasmonic catalysts for reducing carbon footprints.
In this work, the authors design a Mo
2
N/MoO
2
-
x
nonmetallic plasmonic catalyst by regulating synergy between two specific active sites. Highly efficient, selective, and durable CO
2
hydrogenation under relatively mild reaction conditions is achieved
Journal Article
Wolbachia supplement biotin and riboflavin to enhance reproduction in planthoppers
Symbiont-mediated nutritional mutualisms can contribute to the host fitness of insects, especially for those that feed exclusively on nutritionally unbalanced diets. Here, we elucidate the importance of B group vitamins in the association of endosymbiotic bacteria
Wolbachia
with two plant-sap feeding insects, the small brown planthopper,
Laodelphax striatellus
(Fallén), and the brown planthopper,
Nilaparvata lugens
(Stål). Infected planthoppers of both species laid more eggs than uninfected planthoppers, while the experimental transfer of
Wolbachia
into uninfected lines of one planthopper species rescued this fecundity deficit. The genomic analysis showed that
Wolbachia
strains from the two planthopper species encoded complete biosynthesis operons for biotin and riboflavin, while a metabolic analysis revealed that
Wolbachia
-infected planthoppers of both species had higher titers of biotin and riboflavin. Furthermore, experimental supplementation of food with a mixture of biotin and riboflavin recovered the fecundity deficit of
Wolbachia
-uninfected planthoppers. In addition, comparative genomic analysis suggested that the riboflavin synthesis genes are conserved among
Wolbachia
supergroups. Biotin operons are rare in
Wolbachia
, and those described share a recent ancestor that may have been horizontally transferred from
Cardinium
bacteria. Our research demonstrates a type of mutualism that involves a facultative interaction between
Wolbachia
and plant-sap feeding insects involving vitamin Bs.
Journal Article
Structure of cryptophyte photosystem II–light-harvesting antennae supercomplex
Cryptophytes are ancestral photosynthetic organisms evolved from red algae through secondary endosymbiosis. They have developed alloxanthin-chlorophyll
a/c2
-binding proteins (ACPs) as light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). The distinctive properties of cryptophytes contribute to efficient oxygenic photosynthesis and underscore the evolutionary relationships of red-lineage plastids. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Photosystem II (PSII)–ACPII supercomplex from the cryptophyte
Chroomonas placoidea
. The structure includes a PSII dimer and twelve ACPII monomers forming four linear trimers. These trimers structurally resemble red algae LHCs and cryptophyte ACPI trimers that associate with Photosystem I (PSI), suggesting their close evolutionary links. We also determine a Chl
a
-binding subunit, Psb-γ, essential for stabilizing PSII–ACPII association. Furthermore, computational calculation provides insights into the excitation energy transfer pathways. Our study lays a solid structural foundation for understanding the light-energy capture and transfer in cryptophyte PSII–ACPII, evolutionary variations in PSII–LHCII, and the origin of red-lineage LHCIIs.
Cryptophytes are ancestral photosynthetic organisms. Here the authors report the cryo-EM structure of the PSII–ACPII from the cryptophyte
Chroomonas placoidea
, showing that cryptophyte PSII–ACPII consists of a PSII dimer and twelve ACPII monomers that are organised into four linear trimers.
Journal Article
Selective photoelectrochemical synthesis of adipic acid using single-atom Ir decorated α-Fe2O3 photoanode
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) synthesis offers a sustainable route for fine chemicals production, yet comprehending and modulating the reaction processes at the atomic level remains a challenge. Herein, we develop a single-atom Ir decorated Ti-doped
α
-Fe
2
O
3
photoanode for selective PEC synthesis of adipic acid from cyclohexanone using water as the oxygen source. The PEC system achieves 6.0 μmol cm
–2
h
–1
adipic acid production with ~60% Faradaic efficiency and ~88% selectivity. The single-atom Ir promotes the photogenerated carrier separation and transfer, while regulating the electronic structure of Ti-doped
α
-Fe
2
O
3
photoanode to optimize its adsorption strength of OH
–
and cyclohexanone. Mechanistic studies reveal a non-free-radical reaction pathway at the atomic level, driven by photogenerated holes through an adsorbed hydroxyl transfer. Notably, integrating the photoanode and an amorphous silicon-based photocathode leads to a bias-free PEC device that enables stable adipic acid production for over 80 hours, underscoring the potential for sustainable light-driven synthesis.
The authors report a single-atom Ir-decorated Ti-doped α-Fe
2
O
3
photoanode for bias-free photoelectrochemical adipic acid synthesis via a non-free-radical pathway, achieving high efficiency, selectivity and stability using water as the oxygen source.
Journal Article
Electro-activated indigos intensify ampere-level CO2 reduction to CO on silver catalysts
The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO
2
) to carbon monoxide (CO) is challenged by a selectivity decline at high current densities. Here we report a class of indigo-based molecular promoters with redox-active CO
2
binding sites to enhance the high-rate conversion of CO
2
to CO on silver (Ag) catalysts. Theoretical calculations and in situ spectroscopy analyses demonstrate that the synergistic effect at the interface of indigo-derived compounds and Ag nanoparticles could activate CO
2
molecules and accelerate the formation of key intermediates (*CO
2
–
and *COOH) in the CO pathway. Indigo derivatives with electron-withdrawing groups further reduce the overpotential for CO production upon optimizing the interfacial CO
2
binding affinity. By integrating the molecular design of redox-active centres with the defect engineering of Ag structures, we achieve a Faradaic efficiency for CO exceeding 90% across a current density range of 0.10 − 1.20 A cm
–2
. The Ag mass activity toward CO increases to 174 A mg
–1
Ag
. This work showcases that employing redox-active CO
2
sorbents as surface modification agents is a highly effective strategy to intensify the reactivity of electrochemical CO
2
reduction.
It is challenging to maintain the CO selectivity under high current densities in CO
2
electro-reduction process. Here the authors report the synergistic interface between redox active CO
2
organic sorbents and defective Ag catalysts that can enable an ampere level CO
2
-to-CO conversion.
Journal Article
Wolbachia enhances ovarian development in the rice planthopper Laodelphax striatellus through elevated energy production
The endosymbiont
Wolbachia
can both benefit host nutrition and manipulate host reproduction to its own advantage. However, the mechanisms of its nutritional benefits remain unclear. We show that
Wolbachia
enhances ovarian development in the small brown planthopper
Laodelphax striatellus
by boosting energy production.
Wolbachia
-infected females have increased fecundity, accelerated ovarian development, and prolonged oviposition. Enhanced activity of mitochondrial complex I is linked to increased ATP production and the expression of energy metabolism-related genes. We further identify that
Wolbachia
-synthesized riboflavin is crucial for ATP production and ovarian development. A riboflavin transporter,
slc52a3a
, positively correlates with
Wolbachia
density and is required for normal ovarian maturation. Our findings demonstrate that
Wolbachia
-produced riboflavin drives energy production and accelerates ovarian maturation, thus improving host fecundity. This research reveals insights into symbiont-host metabolic interactions and underscores the role of nutrient delivery in symbiosis.
Wolbachia
affects host reproduction and nutrition, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. This study suggests
Wolbachia
enhances ovarian development in
Laodelphax striatellus
via riboflavin synthesis, driving ATP production and ovarian maturation.
Journal Article
Population genomic data in spider mites point to a role for local adaptation in shaping range shifts
Local adaptation is particularly likely in invertebrate pests that typically have short generation times and large population sizes, but there are few studies on pest species investigating local adaptation and separating this process from contemporaneous and historical gene flow. Here, we use a population genomic approach to investigate evolutionary processes in the two most dominant spider mites in China, Tetranychus truncatus Ehara and Tetranychus pueraricola Ehara et Gotoh, which have wide distributions, short generation times, and large population sizes. We generated genome resequencing of 246 spider mites mostly from China, as well as Japan and Canada at a combined total depth of 3,133×. Based on demographic reconstruction, we found that both mite species likely originated from refugia in southwestern China and then spread to other regions, with the dominant T. truncatus spreading ~3,000 years later than T. pueraricola. Estimated changes in population sizes of the pests matched known periods of glaciation and reinforce the recent expansion of the dominant spider mites. T. truncatus showed a greater extent of local adaptation with more genes (76 vs. 17) associated with precipitation, including candidates involved in regulation of homeostasis of water and ions, signal transduction, and motor skills. In both species, many genes (135 in T. truncatus and 95 in T. pueraricola) also showed signatures of selection related to elevation, including G‐protein‐coupled receptors, cytochrome P450s, and ABC‐transporters. Our results point to historical expansion processes and climatic adaptation in these pests which could have contributed to their growing importance, particularly in the case of T. truncatus.
Journal Article
Gut microbiota composition in the sympatric and diet‐sharing Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi shaped largely by community assembly processes rather than regional species pool
Clarifying the mechanisms underlying microbial community assembly from regional microbial pools is a central issue of microbial ecology, but remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigated the gut bacterial and fungal microbiome assembly processes and potential sources in Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi, two wild, sympatric insect species that share a common diet of waxberry. While some convergence was observed, the diversity, composition, and network structure of the gut microbiota significantly differed between these two host species. Null model analyses revealed that stochastic processes (e.g., drift, dispersal limitation) play a principal role in determining gut microbiota from both hosts. However, the strength of each ecological process varied with the host species. Furthermore, the source‐tracking analysis showed that only a minority of gut microbiota within D. simulans and D. wallichii bowringi are drawn from a regional microbial pool from waxberries, leaves, or soil. Results from function prediction implied that host species‐specific gut microbiota might arise partly through host functional requirement and specific selection across host–microbiota coevolution. In conclusion, our findings uncover the importance of community assembly processes over regional microbial pools in shaping sympatric insect gut microbiome structure and function. The diversity, composition, and network of gut microbiota differed between the sympatric and diet‐sharing Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi. Host species shape the bacterial and fungal community in two insect hosts by altering the relative contribution of community assembly processes. A minority of gut microbiota within D. simulans and D. wallichii bowringi are drawn from a regional microbial pool from waxberries, leaves, or soil. The composition of insect gut microbiota is driven by community assembly processes in a host species‐dependent manner more than regional microbial pools. Highlights The diversity, composition, and network of gut microbiota differed between the sympatric and diet‐sharing Drosophila simulans and Dicranocephalus wallichii bowringi. Host species shape the bacterial and fungal community in two insect hosts by altering the relative contribution of community assembly processes. A minority of gut microbiota within D. simulans and D. wallichii bowringi are drawn from a regional microbial pool from waxberries, leaves, or soil. The composition of insect gut microbiota is driven by community assembly processes in a host species‐dependent manner more than regional microbial pools.
Journal Article
KIFC1 promotes the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common type of malignant tumor worldwide with a high mortality rate. In the past 20 years, the morbidity rate of HCC has increased. Progress has been made in the clinical diagnosis and therapy for HCC. However, due to the high heterogeneity and metastasis targeted therapy for HCC exhibits great promise, and novel therapeutic targets for HCC are urgently required. Kinesin family member C1 (KIFC1) is a member of the kinesin superfamily of proteins. Previous studies have indicated a potential association between KIFC1 and cancer progression. However, the potential role of KIFC1 in the development of HCC remains unclear. The present study aimed to explore the function of KIFC1 in HCC. Immunohistochemical (IHC) assays were performed to explore the KIF15 expression levels in 74 samples of HCC and corresponding non-tumor tissues. The potential association between KIF15 expression levels and clinical features was analyzed, and the effects of KIF15 on cell proliferation of HCC were detected by colony formation and MTT assays. In addition, the proliferation-related proteins Ki67 and PCNA were detected by western blotting. The possible effects of KIF15 on tumor growth were measured in mice. The results demonstrated that a high expression level of KIFC1 was associated with poor prognosis of HCC. Further results indicated that KIFC1 promoted cell proliferation of HCC in vitro. In addition, knockdown of KIFC1 suppressed tumor formation and growth in mice. Therefore, these results provide a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.
Journal Article