Xiamen University

About: Xiamen University is a education organization based out in Amoy, Fujian, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Population. The organization has 50472 authors who have published 54480 publications receiving 1058239 citations. The organization is also known as: Amoy University & Xiàmén Dàxué.

Pyrene-excimer probes based on the hybridization chain reaction for the detection of nucleic acids in complex biological fluids.

Abstract: China Scholarship Council (CSC); ACS; US NIH; China NSFC[20805038]; National Basic Research Program of China[2007CB935603, 2010CB732402]; China National Grand Program on Key Infectious Disease[2009ZX10004-312]; Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of China[90606003]; International Science & Technology Cooperation Program of China[2010DFB30300]; Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China[10JJ7002]

Bioconjugated Manganese Dioxide Nanoparticles Enhance Chemotherapy Response by Priming Tumor-Associated Macrophages toward M1-like Phenotype and Attenuating Tumor Hypoxia.

Abstract: Hypoxia promotes not only the invasiveness of tumor cells, but also chemoresistance in cancer. Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) residing at the site of hypoxic region of tumors have been known to cooperate with tumor cells, and promote proliferation and chemoresistance. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new strategies to alleviate tumor hypoxia and enhance chemotherapy response in solid tumors. Herein, we have taken advantage of high accumulation of TAMs in hypoxic regions of tumor and high reactivity of manganese dioxide nanoparticles (MnO2 NPs) toward hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for the simultaneous production of O2 and regulation of pH to effectively alleviate tumor hypoxia by targeted delivery of MnO2 NPs to the hypoxic area. Furthermore, we also utilized the ability of hyaluronic acid (HA) modification in reprogramming anti-inflammatory, pro-tumoral M2 TAMs to pro-inflammatory, antitumor M1 macrophages to further enhance the ability of MnO2 NPs to lessen tumor hypoxia and modulate chemoresistanc...

Selective sensing of saccharides using simple boronic acids and their aggregates

Abstract: The reversible boronic acid–diol interaction empowers boronic acid receptors' saccharide binding capacities, rendering them a class of lectin mimetic, termed “boronlectins”. Boronic acids follow lectin functions not just in being able to bind saccharides, but in multivalent saccharide binding that enhances both affinity and selectivity. For almost a decade, efforts have been made to achieve and improve selectivity for given saccharide targets, most notably glucose, by using properly positioned boronic acids, offering multivalent interactions. Incorporation of several boronic acid groups into a covalent framework or non-covalent assembly of boronic acid are two general methods used to create such smart sensors, of which the latter resembles lectin oligomerisation that affords multivalent saccharide-binding architectures. In this review, we discuss supramolecular selective sensing of saccharides by using simple boronic acids in their aggregate forms, after a brief survey of the general aspects of boronic acid-based saccharide sensing.

Pyroptosis is driven by non-selective gasdermin-D pore and its morphology is different from MLKL channel-mediated necroptosis

Abstract: Necroptosis and pyroptosis are two forms of programmed cell death with a common feature of plasma membrane rupture. Here we studied the morphology and mechanism of pyroptosis in comparison with necroptosis. Different from necroptosis, pyroptosis undergoes membrane blebbing and produces apoptotic body-like cell protrusions (termed pyroptotic bodies) prior to plasma membrane rupture. The rupture in necroptosis is explosion-like, whereas in pyroptosis it leads to flattening of cells. It is known that the execution of necroptosis is mediated by mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) oligomers in the plasma membrane, whereas gasdermin-D (GSDMD) mediates pyroptosis after its cleavage by caspase-1 or caspase-11. We show that N-terminal fragment of GSDMD (GSDMD-N) generated by caspase cleavage also forms oligomer and migrates to the plasma membrane to kill cells. Both MLKL and GSDMD-N are lipophilic and the N-terminal sequences of both proteins are important for their oligomerization and plasma membrane translocation. Unlike MLKL which forms channels on the plasma membrane that induces influx of selected ions which osmotically swell the cells to burst, GSDMD-N forms non-selective pores and does not rely on increased osmolarity to disrupt cells. Our study reveals the pore-forming activity of GSDMD and channel-forming activity of MLKL determine different ways of plasma membrane rupture in pyroptosis and necroptosis.

How mangrove forests adjust to rising sea level

Abstract: Mangroves are among the most well described and widely studied wetland communities in the world. The greatest threats to mangrove persistence are deforestation and other anthropogenic disturbances that can compromise habitat stability and resilience to sea-level rise. To persist, mangrove ecosystems must adjust to rising sea level by building vertically or become submerged. Mangroves may directly or indirectly influence soil accretion processes through the production and accumulation of organic matter, as well as the trapping and retention of mineral sediment. In this review, we provide a general overview of research on mangrove elevation dynamics, emphasizing the role of the vegetation in maintaining soil surface elevations (i.e. position of the soil surface in the vertical plane). We summarize the primary ways in which mangroves may influence sediment accretion and vertical land development, for example, through root contributions to soil volume and upward expansion of the soil surface. We also examine how hydrological, geomorphological and climatic processes may interact with plant processes to influence mangrove capacity to keep pace with rising sea level. We draw on a variety of studies to describe the important, and often under-appreciated, role that plants play in shaping the trajectory of an ecosystem undergoing change.