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A novel electron-rich dendrimer 4,4′,4″-(9,9′-(5-((6-(9H-carbazol-4-yl)hexyl)oxy)-1,3-phenylene)bis(9H-carbazole)-9-yl)-tris( N , N -bis(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)aniline)(TCTA-O-MCP) containing conventional hole-transporting material 4,4,4″-tris( N -carbazolyI)-triphenylamine (TCTA) and 1,3-Bis( N -carbazolyl)benzene (MCP) is designed and mixed with electron-transporting materials 1,3,5-Tris( N -phenylbenzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (TPBI) to form ternary exciplex system. When TCTA-O-MCP and TPBI are mixed physically, the exciplex display 440 nm blue emission. In addition, The TCTA-O-MCP:TPBI exciplex system exhibited a small singlet–triplet splitting energy (Δ E ST ) of 0.07 eV, resulting in an efficient reverse intersystem crossing process (RISC) with a longer lifetime (0.43 µs) and unique thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) characteristics. The exciplex can significantly weaken the electromer emission compared to the TCTA:TPBI and MCP:TPBI exciplex systems. The strategy of using dendrimer may provide inspiration for the molecular design in controlling the electromer emission.

Molecules with donor–spacer–acceptor configuration have been developed rapidly given their peculiar properties. How to utilize intermolecular interactions and charge transfers for solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) greatly relies on molecular design strategy. Herein, soluble luminophores with D-spacer-A motif were constructed via shortening the alkyl chain from nonane to propane, where the alkyl chain was utilized as a spatial linker between the donor and acceptor. The alkyl chain blocks the molecular conjugation and induces the existence of aggregation-induced intermolecular CT emission, as well as the improved solubility and morphology in a solid-state film. In addition, the length of the alkyl chain affects the glass transition temperature, carrier transport and balance properties. The mCP-3C-TRZ with nonane as the spacer shows better thermal stability and bipolar carrier transport ability, so the corresponding solution-processable phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes exhibit superior external quantum efficiency of 9.8% when using mCP-3C-TRZ as a host material. This work offers a promising strategy to establish a bipolar host via utilizing intermolecular charge transfer process in an aggregated state.

Background Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV) is a major pathogen in cattle and has led to significant economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide, and therefore a more optimal method for the rapid diagnosis of IBRV infection is highly needed. In this study, we described the development of a lateral flow dipstrip (LFD) of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method for rapid detection of IBRV. Methods Distinct regions were selected as a candidate target for designing the LFD-RPA primers and probes. The analytical sensitivity of the RPA assay was determined using ten-fold serially diluted IBRV DNA. The specificity of the assay was assessed with other viral pathogens of cattle with similar clinic and other herpesviruses. The clinical performance was evaluated by testing 106 acute-phase high fever clinical specimens. Results RPA primers and probe were designed to target the specific conserved UL52 region fragment of IBRV. The detection could be completed at a constant temperature of 38 °C for 25 min, and the amplification products were easily visualized on a simple LFD. The detection limit of this assay was 5 copies per reaction of IBRV DNA and there was no cross-reactivity with other viruses causing bovine gastrointestinal and respiratory infections or other herpesviruses. The assay performance on acute-phase high fever clinical samples collected from cattle with no vaccine against IBRV, which were suspected to be infected with IBRV, was validated by detecting 24 fecal, 36 blood, 38 nasal swab and 8 tissue specimens, and compared with SYBR Green I based real-time PCR. The coincidence between IBRV LFD-RPA and real-time PCR was 100%. Conclusion IBRV LFD-RPA was fast and much easier to serve as an alternative to the common measures used for IBRV diagnosis, as there is reduction in the use of instruments for identification of the infected animals. In addition, this assay may be the potential candidate to be used as point-of-care diagnostics in the field.

Fungal infections have emerged as a major concern among immunocompromised patients, causing approximately 2 million deaths each year worldwide. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying antifungal immunity remain elusive and require further investigation. The E3 ligase Trim26 belongs to the tripartite motif (Trim) protein family, which is involved in various biological processes, including cell proliferation, antiviral innate immunity, and inflammatory responses. Herein, we report that Trim26 exerts protective antifungal immune functions after fungal infection. Trim26 -deficient mice are more susceptible to fungemia than their wild-type counterparts. Mechanistically, Trim26 restricts inflammatory neutrophils infiltration and limits proinflammatory cytokine production, which can attenuate kidney fungal load and renal damage during Candida infection. Trim26-deficient neutrophils showed higher proinflammatory cytokine expression and impaired fungicidal activity. We further demonstrated that excessive neutrophils infiltration in the kidney was because of the increased production of chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2, which are mainly synthesized in the macrophages or dendritic cells of Trim26 -deficient mice after Candida albicans infections. Together, our study findings unraveled the vital role of Trim26 in regulating antifungal immunity through the regulation of inflammatory neutrophils infiltration and proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression during candidiasis.

Background The bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) glycoprotein neutralization site 1 (also referred as G 1 protein), is a critical protein responsible for virus infectivity and eliciting immune-protection, however, binding peptides of BEFV G 1 protein are still unclear. Thus, the aim of the present study was to screen specific polypeptides, which bind BEFV G 1 protein with high-affinity and inhibit BEFV replication. Methods The purified BEFV G 1 was coated and then reacted with the M13-based Ph.D.-7 phage random display library. The peptides for target binding were automated sequenced after four rounds of enrichment biopanning. The amino acid sequences of polypeptide displayed on positive clones were deduced and the affinity of positive polypeptides with BEFV G 1 was assayed by ELISA. Then the roles of specific G 1 -binding peptides in the context of BEFV infection were analyzed. Results The results showed that 27 specific peptide ligands displaying 11 different amino acid sequences were obtained, and the T18 and T25 clone had a higher affinity to G 1 protein than the other clones. Then their antiviral roles of two phage clones (T25 and T18) showed that both phage polypeptide T25 and T18 exerted inhibition on BEFV replication compared to control group. Moreover, synthetic peptide based on T18 (HSIRYDF) and T25 (YSLRSDY) alone or combined use on BEFV replication showed that the synthetic peptides could effectively inhibit the formation of cytopathic plaque and significantly inhibit BEFV RNA replication in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion Two antiviral peptide ligands binding to bovine ephemeral fever virus G 1 protein from phage display peptide library were identified, which may provide a potential research tool for diagnostic reagents and novel antiviral agents.

Background Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is a bacterium that causes bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) in cattle, buffaloes and bison. Rapid point-of-care diagnosis or regular testing of Pasteurellosis, therefore, could contribute greatly to early detection, and screening infected animal is important. Up to now, there are no published reports on the use of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) for P. multocida detection. Results This study proposes a promising isothermal detection method for P. multocida with the potential to be developed as an on-site test for Pasteurellosis. The method includes an RPA combined with LFD . First, the analytical sensitivity and specificity of P. multocida RPA-LFD were tested. The RPA-LFD, performed at 39 °C, successfully detected P. multocida DNA in 30 min, with a detection limit of up to 120 copies per reaction. Then, the practicability of RPA-LFD was analysed using 62 nasal swabs and 33 fresh lungs samples from 17 different dairy farms. Compared to real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), the RPA-LFD assay yielded a clinical specificity of 95.15%, positive predictive value (PPV) of 95.15% and 0.958 kappa coefficient. Compared with the culture method, it achieved 100% sensitivity, 67.20% specificity and a 0.572 kappa coefficient. Conclusions These results combined with the simple conditions required for the performance of the RPA-LFD assay, have demonstrated the effectiveness and practicability of the method for development into a regular on-site protocol for the diagnosis of Pasteurellosis.

Novel organic semiconductor composite thin film doped with 40% and 50% dibenzo[b,d]thiophene-2-yl(4-(3,6-di-tert-butyl-9H-carbozl-9-yl)phenyl) (DBT-BZ-tBuCz) in (4,4′-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-1,1′-biphenyl) (CBP) and methanone solution was prepared in dichloromethane (DCM) using the spin-coating process. The band energy recorded for DBT-BZ-tBuCz solutions was 3.79 eV which is less than the electron affinity of n-Si (4.03 eV). This lower band energy proved the advantage of the combined CBP and DBT-BZ-tBuCz:DCM system. The CBP and DBT-BZ-tBuCz:DCM thin film was also coated with poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)/Si to form an organic/C–Si/organic structure. It was observed that the open-circuit voltage and the fill factor of the solar cell device improved significantly with coating; a relative increase of 75% power conversion efficiency was noted. Further, the results indicated that the increase in high power conversion efficiency value is attributable to the reduction of recombinative and resistive losses at the rear side of the device, which contributed to the efficient electron-selective CBP in combination with DBT-BZ-tBuCz:DCM contact. Furthermore, the developed solar cell device is economical, inexpensive, and efficient. It has been concluded that these thin films can be used as selective electronic contacts to customize the energy band structure in currently dopant-free silicon (Si) heterojunction solar cells.

Recent studies have implicated the phenazine biosynthesis-like domain-containing protein (PBLD) in the negative regulation of the development and progression of various cancers. However, its function in viral infection remains unknown. In this study, we found that PBLD plays important roles in multiple virus infections including BPIV3, SeV, VSV, and HSV-1. Our study revealed that PBLD enhances the expression of type I interferon (IFN-I) and ISGs through interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Further study indicated that PBLD promotes transcriptional phosphorylation of IRF3 (S385/386), thereby facilitating virus-induced IFN-I production. Interestingly, PBLD mediates virus-triggered mitochondrial apoptosis through its dependence on IRF3 (K313/315). Mechanistically, PBLD facilitated virus-induced apoptosis by recruiting the Puma protein to the mitochondria via IRF3. Additionally, we performed mutational analyses of IRF3, showing that its loss of either transcriptional or apoptotic function markedly increased viral replication. Moreover, macrophages with PBLD deficiency during viral infection exhibited decreased the IFN-I and ISGs expression, exacerbating viral infection. Importantly, mice deficient in PBLD exhibited increased viral replication and susceptibility to SeV infection, leading to decreased survival. Notably, Cedrelone, a chemical activator of PBLD, has the ability to reduce SeV replication. Collectively, we first discovered the new function of PBLD in viral infection, broadening our understanding of potential therapeutic targets and offering new insights for antiviral drug development.

Background Bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV), the causative agent of bovine ephemeral fever, is an economically important pathogen of cattle and water buffalo. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous 21-23 nt small non-coding RNA molecules that binding to a multiple of target mRNAs and functioning in the regulation of viral replication including the miRNA-mediated antiviral defense. However, the reciprocal interaction between bovine ephemeral fever virus replication and host miRNAs still remain poorly understood. The aim of our study herein was to investigate the exact function of miR-3470b and its molecular mechanisms during BEFV infection. Results In this study, we found a set of microRNAs induced by BEFV infection using small RNA deep sequencing, and further identified BEFV infection could significantly up-regulate the miR-3470b expression in Baby Hamster Syrian Kidney cells (BHK-21) after 24 h and 48 h post-infection (pi) compared to normal BHK-21 cells without BEFV infection. Additionally, the target association between miR-3470b and mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) was predicted by target gene prediction tools and further validated using a dual-luciferase reporter assay, and the expression of MAVS mRNA and protein levels was negatively associated with miR-3470b levels. Furthermore, the miR-3470b mimic transfection significantly contributed to increase the BEFV N mRNA, G protein level and viral titer, respectively, whereas the miR-3470b inhibitor had the opposite effect on BEFV replication. Moreover, the overexpression of MAVS or silencing of miR-3470b by its inhibitors suppressed BEFV replication, and knockdown of MAVS by small interfering RNA also promoted the replication of BEFV. Conclusions Our findings is the first to reveal that miR-3470b as a novel host factor regulates BEFV replication via directly targeting the MAVS gene in BHK-21 cells and may provide a potential strategy for developing effective antiviral therapy.

Background Mycoplasma bovis ( M. bovis ) is a major etiological agent of bovine mycoplasmosis around the world. Point-of-care testing in the field is lacking owing to the requirement for a simple, robust field applicable test that does not require professional laboratory equipment. The recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) technique has become a promising isothermal DNA amplify assay for use in rapid and low-resource diagnostics. Results Here, a method for specific detection of M. bovis DNA was established, which was RPA combined with lateral flow dipstick (LFD). First, the analytical specificity and sensitivity of the RPA primer and LF-probe sets were evaluated. The assay successfully detected M. bovis DNA in 30 min at 39 °C, with detection limit of 20 copies per reaction, which it was compared the real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay. This method was specific because it did not detect a selection of other bacterial pathogens in cattle. Both qPCR and RPA-LFD assays were used to detect M. bovis 442 field samples from 42 different dairy farms in Shandong Province of China, also the established RPA-LFD assay obtained 99.00% sensitivity, 95.61% specificity, and 0.902 kappa coefficient compared with the qPCR. Conclusions To the author’s knowledge, this is the first report using an RPA-FLD assay to visualise and detect M. bovis . Comparative analysis with qPCR indicates the potential of this assay for rapid diagnosis of bovine mycoplasmosis in resource limited settings.