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Nanosized activated carbon (NAC) as emerging engineered nanomaterials may interact with nanoplastics prevalent in aquatic environments to affect their fate and transport. This study investigated the effects of particle property (charge and concentration), water chemistry [electrolytes, pH, humic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA)], and hydrodynamic condition [wave (i.e., sonication) and turbulence (i.e., stirring)] on the heteroaggregation, disaggregation, and migration of NAC with positively charged amino-modified polystyrene (APS) or negatively charged bare polystyrene (BPS) nanoplastics. The homoaggregation rate of APS was slower than its heteroaggregation rate with NAC, with critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) decreasing at higher NAC concentrations. However, the homoaggregation rate of BPS was intermediate between its heteroaggregation rates under low (10 mg/L) and high (40 mg/L) NAC concentrations. The heteroaggregation rate of APS+NAC enhanced as pH increasing from 3 to 10, whereas the opposite trend was observed for BPS+NAC. In NaCl solution or at CaCl2 concentration below 2.5 mM, HA stabilized APS+NAC and BPS+NAC via steric hindrance more effectively than SA. Above 2.5 mM CaCl2, SA destabilized APS+NAC and BPS+NAC by calcium bridging more strongly than HA. The migration process of heteroaggregates was simulated in nearshore environments. The simulation suggests that without hydrodynamic disturbance, APS+NAC (971 m) may travel farther than BPS+NAC (901 m). Mild wave (30-s sonication) and intense turbulence (1500-rpm stirring) could induce disaggregation of heteroaggregates, thus potentially extending the migration distances of APS+NAC and BPS+NAC to 1611 and 2160 m, respectively. Conversely, intense wave (20-min sonication) and mild turbulence (150-rpm stirring) may further promote aggregation of heteroaggregates, shortening the migration distances of APS+NAC and BPS+NAC to 262 and 552 m, respectively. Particle interactions mainly involved van der Waals attraction, electrostatic repulsion, steric hindrance, calcium bridging, π-π interactions, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interactions. These findings highlight the important influence of NAC on the fate, transport, and risks of nanoplastics in aquatic environments.

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BACKGROUND: Laccase (LAC) gene family plays a pivotal role in plant lignin biosynthesis and adaptation to various stresses. Limited research has been conducted on laccase genes in common beans. RESULTS: 29 LAC gene family members were identified within the common bean genome, distributed unevenly in 9 chromosomes. These members were divided into 6 distinct subclades by phylogenetic analysis. Further phylogenetic analyses and synteny analyses indicated that considerable gene duplication and loss presented throughout the evolution of the laccase gene family. Purified selection was shown to be the major evolutionary force through Ka / Ks. Transcriptional changes of PvLAC genes under low temperature and salt stress were observed, emphasizing the regulatory function of these genes in such conditions. Regulation by abscisic acid and gibberellins appears to be the case for PvLAC3, PvLAC4, PvLAC7, PvLAC13, PvLAC14, PvLAC18, PvLAC23, and PvLAC26, as indicated by hormone induction experiments. Additionally, the regulation of PvLAC3, PvLAC4, PvLAC7, and PvLAC14 in response to nicosulfuron and low-temperature stress were identified by virus-induced gene silence, which demonstrated inhibition on growth and development in common beans. CONCLUSIONS: The research provides valuable genetic resources for improving the resistance of common beans to abiotic stresses and enhance the understanding of the functional roles of the LAC gene family.

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Glutathione plays a critical role in plant growth, development and response to stress. It is a major cellular antioxidant and is involved in the detoxification of xenobiotics in many organisms, including plants. However, the role of glutathione-dependent redox homeostasis and associated molecular mechanisms regulating the antioxidant system and pesticide metabolism remains unclear. In this study, endogenous glutathione levels were manipulated by pharmacological treatments with glutathione synthesis inhibitors and oxidized glutathione. The application of oxidized glutathione enriched the cellular oxidation state, reduced the activity and transcript levels of antioxidant enzymes, upregulated the expression level of nitric oxide and Ca2+ related genes and the content, and increased the residue of chlorothalonil in tomato leaves. Further experiments confirmed that glutathione-induced redox homeostasis is critical for the reduction of pesticide residues. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that miRNA156 and miRNA169 that target transcription factor SQUAMOSA-Promoter Binding Proteins (SBP) and NUCLEAR FACTOR Y (NFY) potentially participate in glutathione-mediated pesticide degradation in tomato plants. Our study provides important clues for further dissection of pesticide degradation mechanisms via miRNAs in plants.

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Due to the unique physicochemical properties, mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MONs) have been widely utilized in biomedical fields for drug delivery, gene therapy, disease diagnosis and imaging. With the extensive applications and large-scale production of MONs, the potential effects of MONs on human health are gaining increased attention. To better understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of MONs on the mouse liver, we profiled the transcriptome of 63,783 single cells from mouse livers following weekly intravenous administration of MONs for 2 weeks. The results showed that the proportion of endothelial cells and CD4+ T cells was increased, whereas that of Kupffer cells was decreased, in a dose-dependent manner after MONs treatment in the mouse liver. We also observed that the proportion of inflammation-related Kupffer cell subtype and wound healing-related hepatocyte subtype were elevated, but the number of hepatocytes with detoxification characteristics was reduced after MONs treatment. The cell-cell communication network revealed that there was more crosstalk between cholangiocytes and Kupffer cells, liver capsular macrophages, hepatic stellate cells, and endothelial cells following MONs treatment. Furthermore, we identified key ligand-receptor pairs between crucial subtypes after MONs treatment that are known to promote liver fibrosis. Collectively, our study explored the effects of MONs on mouse liver at a single-cell level and provides comprehensive information on the potential hepatotoxicity of MONs.

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With the development of minimally invasive orthopedics, injectable materials for bone repair are attracted more attention, especially for those wound with a small external mouth and sizeable internal cavity. In this work, the hydrogel with features of thermo-responsiveness, degradability and injectability was designed and fabricated. The hydrogel, named as FHCS, is composed of Pluronic F-127 (F127) loaded with carboxymethyl chitosan/sodium alginate nanoparticles (nCS) and nanohydroxyapatite (nHA). The hydrogel FHCS was non-toxic and good hemocompatible. It can enhance the ALP activity and extracellular matrix calcification of MC3T3-E1 due to the chitosan-based nanoparticle components (nCS). Moreover, FHCS-5 (containing 5 mg/mL nCS) showed relative high expression of osteogenic genes and protein markers. Osteal regeneration was observed treated by FHCS-5 hydrogel in a critical-size rat calvarial bone defect model. CT scanning showed that the whole defect was basically covered by new bone after FHCS-5 hydrogel. The results of H&E staining and Masson's trichrome staining on histological sections further confirmed that FHCS-5 hydrogel promoted new osteal formation and maturation, which up regulated the osteogenic related genes and proteins of ALP, OCN, OPN through BMP/Smad signaling pathway. Hence, this study suggests that FHCS-5 hydrogels have a promising application for non-loading bone regeneration.

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