Lysin Motif (LysM) Proteins: Interlinking Manipulation of Plant Immunity and Fungi

The proteins with lysin motif (LysM) are carbohydrate-binding protein modules that play a critical role in the host-pathogen interactions. The plant LysM proteins mostly function as pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that sense chitin to induce the plant’s immunity. In contrast, fungal LysM blocks chitin sensing or signaling to inhibit chitin-induced host immunity. In this review, we provide historical perspectives on plant and fungal LysMs to demonstrate how these proteins are involved in the regulation of plant’s immune response by microbes. Plants employ LysM proteins to recognize fungal chitins that are then degraded by plant chitinases to induce immunity. In contrast, fungal pathogens recruit LysM proteins to protect their cell wall from hydrolysis by plant chitinase to prevent activation of chitin-induced immunity. Uncovering this coevolutionary arms race in which LysM plays a pivotal role in manipulating facilitates a greater understanding of the mechanisms governing plant-fungus interactions.     

The Innate Immune Glycoprotein Lactoferrin Represses the Helicobacter pylori cag Type IV Secretion System

Chronic infection with Helicobacter pylori increases risk of gastric diseases including gastric cancer. Despite development of a robust immune response, H. pylori persists in the gastric niche. Progression of gastric inflammation to serious disease outcomes is associated with infection with H. pylori strains which encode the cag Type IV Secretion System (cag T4SS). The cag T4SS is responsible for translocating the oncogenic protein CagA into host cells and inducing pro-inflammatory and carcinogenic signaling cascades. Our previous work demonstrated that nutrient iron modulates the activity of the T4SS and biogenesis of T4SS pili. In response to H. pylori infection, the host produces a variety of antimicrobial molecules, including the iron-binding glycoprotein, lactoferrin. Our work shows that apo-lactoferrin exerts antimicrobial activity against H. pylori under iron-limited conditions, while holo-lactoferrin enhances bacterial growth. Culturing H. pylori in the presence of holo-lactoferrin prior to co-culture with gastric epithelial cells, results in repression of the cag T4SS activity. Concomitantly, a decrease in biogenesis of cag T4SS pili at the host-pathogen interface was observed under these culture conditions by high-resolution electron microscopy analyses. Taken together, these results indicate that acquisition of alternate sources of nutrient iron plays a role in regulating the pro-inflammatory activity of a bacterial secretion system and present novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of H. pylori-related disease.     

Targeting NF-κB-Inducing Kinase (NIK) in Immunity,Inflammation, and Cancer

NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), the essential upstream kinase, which regulates activation of the noncanonical NF-κB pathway, has important roles in regulating immunity and inflammation. In addition, NIK is vital for maintaining cellular health through its control of fundamental cellular processes, including differentiation, growth, and cell survival. As such aberrant expression or regulation of NIK is associated with several disease states. For example, loss of NIK leads to severe immune defects, while the overexpression of NIK is observed in inflammatory diseases, metabolic disorders, and the development and progression of cancer. This review discusses recent studies investigating the therapeutic potential of NIK inhibitors in various diseases.     

The global avalanche characteristics of two Boolean functions and algebraic immunity

The global avalanche characteristics criterion of two Boolean functions was introduced by Zhou et al. [On the global avalanche characteristics criterion of two Boolean functions and the higher order nonlinearity, Inform. Sci. 180(2) (2010), pp. 256–265] to measure the cryptographic behaviour in a global characteristic. The two indicators σ _{f, g} and Δ _{f, g} of Boolean functions f and g were presented. In this paper, a new upper bound on σ _{f, g} is derived, and a technique on constructing Boolean functions to attain the lower bound on the sum-of-squares indicator is described by using the disjoint spectra method. Some new upper bounds on Δ _{f, g} and σ _{f, g} are deduced for two special Boolean functions. Two relationships between σ _{f, g} and algebraic immunity of the two Boolean functions are obtained. Finally, some links among different cryptographic indicators are shown.     

The vicious cycle of vitamin a deficiency: A review

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a serious and widespread public health problem and the leading cause of preventable blindness in young children. It is also associated with increased rates of death from severe infections, especially in developing countries. Over the past 35 years, researchers have examined the numerous activities of vitamin A in different tissues of the human body. VAD can lead to a series of ocular symptoms, anemia, and weak resistance to infection, which can increase the severity of infectious diseases and the risk of death. Cell development, vision, growth, and normal metabolism are among the vital processes that are insufficiently supported in the presence of VAD. VAD leads to impaired tissue function especially during the developmental periods of infancy, childhood, pregnancy, and lactation. We describe a multidirectional model of VAD that demonstrates how VAD can have progressive, negative effects on vital processes of the human body throughout the life cycle. This model starts with impaired intake and its link to decreased absorption and digestion and includes outcomes such as malnutrition, inflammation, and improper growth processes, including possible mechanisms. Together, these clinical and biochemical manifestations contribute to the vicious cycle of VAD.     

考虑用户定量需求的优质电力园区DVR优化配置

优质电力园区是针对区域性高品质供电问题的一种有效解决方案,其中定制电力设备配置方案的确定是园区规划建设的重要内容。针对园区中动态电压恢复器(dynamic voltage restorer,DVR)的配置问题,提出一种考虑用户短时电压质量定量需求的DVR优化配置策略。基于过程抗扰时间和物理参数变化曲线,将用户对过程运行状态需求映射为短时电压质量需求,实现用户需求量化;以DVR投资最少为目标,满足用户需求为约束,建立DVR优化配置模型,用Tabu搜索算法求解,得到优化配置方案。对典型园区的仿真结果表明,该方法所得配置方案经济、可行,能在满足用户短时电压质量定量需求的同时,保证DVR投资最少。     

基于一种电压暂降新型描述的敏感设备免疫能力评估

介绍了电压暂降传统描述方法,分析了其在敏感设备免疫能力评估过程中的局限性。结合设备电压耐受曲线提出采用多暂降阈值和持续时间的电压暂降新型描述方法,并在此基础上提出针对设备免疫能力评估的单个事件和站点评估方法,给出站点暂降描述图的概念,可与设备电压耐受曲线方便的结合起来,评估设备因暂降发生故障的频次与频次区间。提出基于新型描述方法的电压暂降严重程度综合指标,较好解决了传统方法存在的过度评估与不精确问题。最后运用所提出的站点评估方法对PLC、ASD、AC Relay、PC 4类典型敏感设备电压暂降免疫能力进行评估,并与传统方法所得结果进行对比分析,验证了本文所分析的传统方法过度评估的缺点以及采用本文方法进行设备电压暂降免疫能力评估的可行性。