Membrane Structure Research Articles

A nucleus-targeting fluorescence probe for rapid diagnosis of colorectal cancer

Due to non-specific signs in the early stage of colorectal cancers, most patients result in a low early diagnosis rate. Survivin protein is upregulated in many malignant tumors, making it an ideal diagnostic and therapeutic target for colorectal cancers. However, the survivin protein is located in the cell nucleus, which needs the probe to penetrate the complex nuclear membrane structure for targeting and recognizing. Here, we have developed a sub-100 nm perovskite-based fluorescent probe modified with the survivin antibody, which can freely target survivin protein through the nuclear membrane. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) coated perovskite crystals are obtained by the supersaturated crystallization, which keep the probe with great fluorescence intensity and resistance of water and oxygen. We have established colorectal cancer cell lines and colorectal cancer tissues to test the feasibility and efficacy of the probe. After investigating the fluorescence intensity values of 20 probing samples, the average fluorescence intensity of colorectal cancer sections is 8.7 times higher than that of paracancerous tissues. Our work demonstrates that the survivin can be an ideal fluorescence target for rapid diagnosis of colorectal cancer, which also provides a research foundation for fluorescence-guided surgery and nano-therapy for targeting the survivin protein.

LrHSP17.2 Plays an Important Role in Abiotic Stress Responses by Regulating ROS Scavenging and Stress-Related Genes in Lilium regale.

As an important part of heat shock response module, heat shock proteins (HSP) play an important role in plant defense response against heat stress; however, the involvement of the majority of the HSP family members against other abiotic stresses remains poorly understood. In the present study, LrHSP17.2 was identified and its function against abiotic stress was analyzed. The expression level of LrHSP17.2 was significantly induced by heat. Heterologous transgenes of LrHSP17.2 showed that LrHSP17.2 can increase the activity of catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase to removes excess reactive oxygen species (ROS), maintain the stability of the membrane structure, and regulate genes related to antioxidant enzymes and defense under abiotic stress. In addition, LrHSP17.2 could be regulated by exogenous abscisic acid and melatonin, and the related hormone synthesis genes of transgenic plants were significantly up-regulated under heat stress. Taken together, our results revealed that LrHSP17.2 is involved in regulating abiotic stress responses by regulating ROS scavenging and stress-related genes in Lilium regale.

Mitochondria dysfunction is one of the causes of diclofenac toxicity in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as diclofenac (DCF), form a significant group of environmental contaminants. When the toxic effects of DCF on plants are analyzed, authors often focus on photosynthesis, while mitochondrial respiration is usually overlooked. Therefore, an in vivo investigation of plant mitochondria functioning under DCF treatment is needed. In the present work, we decided to use the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a model organism. Synchronous cultures of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain CC-1690 were treated with DCF at a concentration of 135.5 mg × L-1, corresponding to the toxicological value EC50/24. To assess the effects of short-term exposure to DCF on mitochondrial activity, oxygen consumption rate, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) production were analyzed. To inhibit cytochrome c oxidase or alternative oxidase activity, potassium cyanide (KCN) or salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) were used, respectively. Moreover, the cell's structure organization was analyzed using confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that short-term exposure to DCF leads to an increase in oxygen consumption rate, accompanied by low MMP and reduced mtROS production by the cells in the treated populations as compared to control ones. These observations suggest an uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation due to the disruption of mitochondrial membranes, which is consistent with the malformations in mitochondrial structures observed in electron micrographs, such as elongation, irregular forms, and degraded cristae, potentially indicating mitochondrial swelling or hyper-fission. The assumption about non-specific DCF action is further supported by comparing mitochondrial parameters in DCF-treated cells to the same parameters in cells treated with selective respiratory inhibitors: no similarities were found between the experimental variants. The results obtained in this work suggest that DCF strongly affects cells that experience mild metabolic or developmental disorders, not revealed under control conditions, while more vital cells are affected only slightly, as it was already indicated in literature. In the cells suffering from DCF treatment, the drug influence on mitochondria functioning in a non-specific way, destroying the structure of mitochondrial membranes. This primary effect probably led to the mitochondrial inner membrane permeability transition and the uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation. It can be assumed that mitochondrial dysfunction is an important factor in DCF phytotoxicity. Because studies of the effects of NSAIDs on the functioning of plant mitochondria are relatively scarce, the present work is an important contribution to the elucidation of the mechanism of NSAID toxicity toward non-target plant organisms.

Thermomechanical characterisation and plane stress linear viscoelastic modelling of ethylene-tetra-fluoroethylene foils

Ethylene-tetra-fluoroethylene (ETFE) is a polymer employed in tension membrane structures with mechanical properties that strongly depend on time and temperature effects. A comprehensive understanding of the mutual influence of these variables and a unified viscoelastic constitutive model design can enable wider exploitation of ETFE in sustainable lightweight construction. This study presents a thermomechanical characterisation of ETFE foils through quasi-static tensile experiments spanning two orders of magnitude of strain rates, creep, relaxation, shear and dynamic cyclic tests in a wide range of temperatures suitable for building applications, from −20∘ C\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$-20^{\\circ }\ ext{ C}$\\end{document} to 60∘ C\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$60^{\\circ }\ ext{ C}$\\end{document}. The experimental results in different material orientations are used to identify the limits of the linear viscoelastic domain, define the direction-dependent creep compliance master curves and calibrate the parameters of a plane stress orthotropic linear viscoelastic model, employing the Boltzmann superposition and the time-temperature superposition principles. The model has been numerically implemented using a recursive integration algorithm and its code is provided open source. A validation on independently acquired data shows the accuracy of the constitutive model in predicting ETFE behaviour within the linear viscoelastic regime usually adopted during structural design, with excellent extrapolation capabilities outside the range of the calibration data.

Tuning the Properties of Polyvinylidene Fluoride/Alkali Lignin Membranes to Develop a Biocatalytic Membrane Reactor for an Organophosphorus Pesticide Degradation.

It has been observed that the immobilization of a phosphotriesterase enzyme (PTE) onto polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes significantly decreased the enzyme activity, and this negative effect was attributed to the hydrophobic character of the membrane. The indirect indication of this reason was that the same enzyme immobilized on other membrane materials bearing hydrophilic character showed better performance. In this work, we provide direct evidence of the mechanism by immobilizing a PTE on a PVDF membrane hydrophilized by blending it with alkali lignin (AL). The PTE was immobilized on PVDF membrane by a covalent bond with the same procedure used in earlier studies to attribute changes in enzyme activity solely to the wettability properties (and not to the material chemistry). The activity of the PTE immobilized on the PVDF membrane hydrophilized with AL was 50% higher than that of the enzyme immobilized on the PVDF hydrophobic membrane. Further improvements of the membrane structure tailored for the development of a biocatalytic membrane reactor (BMR) were also promoted. In particular, the performance of the BMR was studied as a function of the thickness of the membrane, which allowed us to modulate the residence time into the enzyme-loaded membrane pores while maintaining the flow rate through the pores at a constant.

Prewetting couples membrane and protein phase transitions to greatly enhance coexistence in models and cells.

Both membranes and biopolymers can individually separate into coexisting liquid phases. Here we explore biopolymer prewetting at membranes, a phase transition that emerges when these two thermodynamic systems are coupled. In reconstitution, we couple short poly-L-Lysine and poly-L-Glutamic Acid polyelectrolytes to membranes of saturated lipids, unsaturated lipids, and cholesterol, and detect coexisting prewet and dry surface phases well outside of the region of coexistence for each individual system. Notability, polyelectrolyte prewetting is highly sensitive to membrane lipid composition, occurring at 10 fold lower polymer concentration in a membrane close to its phase transition compared to one without a phase transition. In cells, protein prewetting is achieved using an optogenetic tool that enables titration of condensing proteins and tethering to the plasma membrane inner leaflet. Here we show that protein prewetting occurs for conditions well outside those where proteins condense in the cytoplasm, and that the stability of prewet domains is sensitive to perturbations of plasma membrane composition and structure. Our work presents an example of how thermodynamic phase transitions can impact cellular structure outside their individual coexistence regions, suggesting new possible roles for phase-separation-prone systems in cell biology.

Multi-modal control and position optimization of solar panels

This paper investigates the impact of the position of piezoelectric actuators on the vibration control effect of the membrane plane composed of solar sail materials with a given unit area. Firstly, the nonlinear vibration equation of the membrane structure is perfected based on the system equation established by Yifan Lu et al. Then, the modal coupling effect pointed out by Liu Xiang is considered, and the fourth-order modal displacement generated by the piezoelectric actuator in vibration control is derived. Subsequently, the sliding mode controller used in vibration control is designed based on Lyapunov stability theory, and its effectiveness is verified through Simulink simulation. The sliding mode controller is used to calculate the required excitation signal and apply it to the piezoelectric patches. The reverse force is generated through the inverse piezoelectric effect of the patches to actively suppress the vibration of the solar sail. By changing the position and size of each piezoelectric actuator on the solar sail plane, this paper compares the impact of different layout positions on vibration control, and proposes an optimal layout scheme for the position of the piezoelectric patches in terms of control effectiveness.

A multiplexed targeted method for profiling of serum gangliosides and glycosphingolipids: application to GM2-gangliosidosis

The analysis of gangliosides and glycosphingolipids is crucial for understanding cellular membrane structure and function as well as to accurately diagnose certain inborn errors of metabolism. GM2-gangliosidosis represents a rare and fatal group of lysosomal storage disorders characterized by accumulation of GM2 gangliosides in various tissues and organs. These disorders arise due to deficiency or functional impairment of the β-hexosaminidase A or B enzymes, which are responsible for degradation of GM2 ganglioside. Deficient enzyme activity primarily leads to the accumulation of GM2 gangliosides within the lysosomes of cells. Accurate and rapid diagnostic methods that detect increased levels of GM2 gangliosides in patients with GM2-gangliosidosis can play a significant role in early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of this condition. To address this need, we developed a multiplexed liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method targeting 84 species of gangliosides and other glycosphingolipids involved in ganglioside metabolism. Reproducibility, linearity, extraction efficiency, and sample stability were evaluated and proof-of-concept data obtained from analysis of serum samples from confirmed cases of GM2-gangliosidosis. This method has the potential to simultaneously monitor the biosynthesis of gangliosides and the lysosomal catabolic pathway serving as a valuable tool for screening and diagnosing an important group of lysosomal storage disorders.

Expanding super-resolution imaging versatility in organisms with multi-confocal image scanning microscopy

Abstract Resolving complex three-dimensional subcellular dynamics noninvasively in live tissues demands imaging tools that balance spatiotemporal resolution, field-of-view and phototoxicity. Image scanning microscopy (ISM), as an advancement of confocal laser scanning microscopy, provides a two-fold 3D resolution enhancement. Nevertheless, the relatively low imaging speed has been the major obstacle for ISM to be further employed in in vivo imaging of biological tissues. Our proposed solution, multi-confocal image scanning microscopy (MC-ISM), aims to overcome the limitations of existing techniques in terms of spatiotemporal resolution balancing by optimizing pinhole diameter and pitch, eliminating out-of-focus signals, and introducing a frame reduction reconstruction algorithm. The imaging speed is increased by 16 times compared with multifocal structured illumination microscopy. We further propose single-galvo scan, akin to the Archimedes spiral in spinning disk confocal system, to ensure high speed ang high accuracy scan without galvanometer's inertial motion. Benefitting from its high photon efficiency, MC-ISM allows continuous imaging of mitochondria dynamics in live cell for 1000 frames without apparent phototoxicity, reaching an imaging depth of 175 μm. Noteworthy, MC-ISM enables the observation of the inner membrane structure of living mitochondria in Arabidopsis hypocotyl for the first time, demonstrating its outstanding performance.

The Role of Exosomal Long Non-Coding RNAs in Tumors and Tumour Metabolism

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNAs that do not have protein-coding functions and are involved in a wide range of important regulatory processes through four modes of (1) signaling (2) guidance (3) structural backbone (4) decoying, which regulate gene expression at epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles released by various cells, whose contents are protected from degradation and stabilized in the extracellular environment due to their lipid bilayer membrane structure, and which are thought to play an important role in many diseases, including tumors. The exosomes secreted by tumor cells and stromal cells contain proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, cytokines, transcription factors and other biologically active substances. With the help of exosomes, they are stably transported between cells and mediate the exchange of substances and information between cells in order to achieve intercellular communication, thus affecting the biological activities of target cells. Among them, lncRNAs are selectively sorted into exosomes, which can regulate tumor metabolism as well as tumor progression through exosomes in various ways. In this paper, the role of exosomal lncRNAs in the tumor microenvironment and tumor metabolism is reviewed, with a view to providing markers, targets and directions for clinical diagnosis, tumor therapy and tumor-related research.

Preparation of a novel polyvinyl chloride ultrafiltration membrane modified with graphene oxide nanoparticle derived from plastic waste for wastewater purification

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to improve the performance of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ultrafiltration membrane with graphene oxide (GO) that was synthesized from the pyrolysis of polypropylene (PP) bottles. The amount of GO loading in the membrane structure was 0.05, 0.15, and 0.25 wt%. x‐ray diffractometer, FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle (CA), water content, porosity, mechanical strength were used to characterize the synthesized membranes. Cross‐sectional SEM results of membranes indicated that the modification of the membrane caused the formation of finger‐like pores in the bottom part and also these holes increased the dye rejection efficiency in the membranes of (18 wt% PVC/2 wt% PVP/0.15 wt% GO) and (14 wt% PVC/2 wt% PVP/0.25 wt% GO). The CA of the synthesized membranes were decreased from 70 in (18 wt% PVC/2 wt% PVP) to 62 in (14 wt% PVC/2 wt% PVP/0.15 wt% GO), which indicates the increase in hydrophilicity of these membranes. The results showed that the best performance is related to the membranes (18 wt% PVC/2 wt% PVP/0.15 wt% GO) and (14 wt% PVC/2 wt% PVP/0.25 wt% GO) with a rejection efficiency of 92% and 83% for 100 ppm methyl blue.

Fabrication of ultrafiltration membranes based on methacrylate copolymers containing quaternary ammonium and PEG units for dye removal

Abstract Phase inversion involves in a complex process due to numerous factors affecting the membrane formation. Among them, polymer chain entanglement from polymeric membrane materials plays a critical role in regulating membrane structure and is still worth further exploration. Herein, a series of methacrylate copolymers with different contents of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate (PEGMA) were designed and synthesized, and ultrafiltration membranes cast from these copolymers were systematically investigated regarding structural evolution and filtration performance. Surface zeta potential of membranes gradually transformed from positive to negative with the increasing PEGMA content due to nonsolvent-induced surface migration of element oxygen, and meanwhile the transformation from finger-like pore structure to sponge-like pore structure in the support layer was observed, which could be attributed to chain entanglement of the PEGMA-rich copolymer. Filtration experiments indicated that sponge-like membranes possessed better separation effect of Victoria blue B compared with finger-like membranes, and the optimized mPP40-15 % showed a retention rate of 99.55 % and permeance of 110.26 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and displayed good selective separation of dye/salt mixture. Besides, sponge-like membranes also exhibited easy regeneration, anti-fouling property and filtration stability. This work will provide guidance for modulating membrane structure and offer an alternative material for membrane separation in handling dye wastewater.

Reinforced facilitated transport PEBA membrane by 2D Fe-doped TiO2 macroporous nanosheets for CO2 separation: Utilizing cationic and non-ionic surfactants

In this study, macroporous nanosheets of 2D Fe-Doped TiO2 were synthesized, and subsequently, membranes composed of polyether block amide (PEBA) were prepared. These membranes were incorporated with the nanosheets mentioned above, as well as two distinct types of surfactant. The structure and gas separation properties of the membranes were studied using different methods, including atomic force microscopy (AFM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as gas permeation analyses and tensile test. The findings indicated that the nanosheets underwent a porous transformation following the doping process. This occurrence improved the bonding between the nanosheets and PEBA chains, consequently boosting the mechanical strength of the membranes embedded with these nanosheets. Incorporating these nanosheets into the membrane (4 wt%) established a more efficient facilitated transport mechanism via Lewis acid centers, resulting in a 12.5 % increase in CO2 permeability and a 136 % rise in the selectivity of CO2/N2 compared to the pure PEBA membrane. Two different surfactants were introduced to the PEBA/FeTiO2 matrix, resulting in varying impacts on membrane structure and performance. The Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a cationic surfactant led to membrane stiffening and a significant 241 % enhancement in CO2/N2 selectivity at 1 wt%. On the other hand, the Polysorbat (Tween) as a non-ionic surfactant softened the membrane and boosted CO2 permeability by 53 % at 6 wt% compared to the pure membrane.

Sheep bone powder modified PVDF membrane for highlyefficient oil-in-water emulsion separation

BackgroundThe wetting properties and roughness modification of membrane surfaces are crucial for their application in emulsion separation. However, traditional membrane modification methods suffer from high cost, complex preparation, and secondary pollution. MethodsIn this study, a novel, simple, and economical interfacial engineering method was developed using tannic acid (TA), sodium alginate (SA), and sheep bone powder (BP) as raw materials. Through vacuum filtration, these materials were deposited onto polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane to fabricate superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic filtration membrane (PDBS). BP induced surface roughness and wetting properties to the membrane, while preserving the porous structure of the substrate membrane. The complex formed by TA and SA encapsulated BP onto the surface of PVDF microfiltration membrane, enhancing its mechanical properties. Significant FindingsThe prepared membrane exhibited a membrane flux of 347 Lm−2h−1 bar−1 and a separation efficiency of 99.9 % for emulsified oil. Furthermore, after soaking in NaCl solution for 30 h, the membrane still showed excellent stability. Therefore, this study developed a new membrane surface modification strategy with promising application prospects in oily wastewater treatment.

Fabrication of ultra-permeable membranes with antibiofouling capability by incorporating bifunctionalized zeolite

Poor water permeance and biofouling significantly limit the application of nanofiltration (NF) membranes in wastewater treatment and seawater desalination. Herein, bifunctionalized FAU-Ag-OH zeolites, featuring abundant hydroxyl groups and silver ions on their surface, were designed and incorporated into polyamide (PA) layer of a thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane, effectively enhancing the antibiofouling properties and water permeance of membrane. The plentiful hydroxyl groups and well-dispersed silver ions on the bifunctionalized FAU-Ag-OH zeolites impart the membrane with more negative surface charge, increased hydrophilicity, and superior antibiofouling property. Additionally, the doped FAU-Ag-OH zeolites can retard the diffusion of piperazine during interfacial polymerization (IP) process and have improved chemical compatibility with polymers, which results in desirable membrane structure. Consequently, the optimal M–0.05 membrane containing FAU-Ag-OH zeolites exhibited a 2.3-fold increase in water permeance (18.8 ± 2.0 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) and enhanced antibiofouling ability (with antibacterial efficiency up to 95.4 % and flux recovery ratio up to 85 %) compared with the TFC membrane. The successful fabrication of such membrane with enhanced antibiofouling properties and improved water permeance is expected to promote the application of NF membranes in water treatment.

Mechanistic insights into metabolic function of dynamin-related protein 1

Dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) plays crucial roles in mitochondrial and peroxisome fission. However, the mechanisms underlying the functional regulation of DRP1 in adipose tissue during obesity remain unclear. To elucidate the metabolic and pathological significance of diminished DRP1 in obese adipose tissue, we utilized adipose tissue–specific DRP1 KO mice challenged with a high-fat diet. We observed significant metabolic dysregulations in the KO mice. Mechanistically, DRP1 exerts multifaceted functions in mitochondrial dynamics and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-lipid droplet crosstalk in normal mice. Loss of function of DRP1 resulted in abnormally giant mitochondrial shapes, distorted mitochondrial membrane structure, and disrupted cristae architecture. Meanwhile, DRP1 deficiency induced the retention of nascent lipid droplets in ER, leading to perturbed overall lipid dynamics in the KO mice. Collectively, dysregulation of the dynamics of mitochondria, ER, and lipid droplets contributes to whole-body metabolic disorders, as evidenced by perturbations in energy metabolites. Our findings demonstrate that DRP1 plays diverse and critical roles in regulating energy metabolism within adipose tissue during the progression of obesity.

Role of lipids in the organization of tight junction.

Cell membrane structures are supramolecular complexes that require the ordered assembly of membrane proteins and lipids. The morphology of various cell adhesion structures in multicellular organisms, such as those between epithelial cells, neural synapse and immune synapses, was initially described through electron microscopic analyses. Subsequent studies aimed to catalog their constituent proteins, which encompass transmembrane cell adhesion molecules, cytoskeletal proteins, and scaffolding proteins that bind the two components. However, the diversity of plasma membrane lipids and their significance in the organization of cell adhesion structures were underappreciated until recently. It is now understood that phase separation of lipids and liquid-liquid phase separation of proteins are important driving forces for such self-assembly. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the role of lipids as scaffolds for supramolecular complexes, using tight junctions in epithelial cells as an example.

Plant‐Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Potential Emerging Tools for Cancer Therapeutics

AbstractExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are membranous structures secreted by cells that play important roles in intercellular communication and material transport. Due to its excellent biocompatibility, lipophilicity, and homing properties, EVs have been used as a new generation of drug delivery systems for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Despite the potential clinical benefits of animal‐derived extracellular vesicles (AEVs), their large‐scale production remains sluggish due to the exorbitant cost of cell culture, challenging quality control measures, and limited production capabilities. This constraint significantly hinders their widespread clinical application. Plant‐derived extracellular vesicles (PEVs) share similar functionalities with AEVs, yet they hold several advantages including a wide variety of source materials, cost‐effectiveness, ease of preparation, enhanced safety, more stable physicochemical properties, and notable efficacy. These merits position PEVs as promising contenders with broad potential in the biomedical sector. This review will elucidate the advantages of PEVs, delineating their therapeutic mechanisms in cancer treatment, and explore the prospective applications of engineered PEVs as targeted delivery nano‐system for drugs, microRNAs, small interfering RNAs, and beyond. The aim is to heighten researchers’ focus on PEVs and expedite the progression from fundamental research to the transformation of groundbreaking discoveries.

A “like-zwitterionic” forward osmosis membranes with electrostatic deposition of aluminosilicate nanotubes for resisting positively and negatively charged protein and oil contaminant

Membrane fouling has always been a huge obstacle to the development of membrane separation technology, including forward osmosis (FO) technology. In this work, polyamide (PA) thin-film composite (TFC) membranes were simply immersed in aluminosilicate nanotubes (ANTs) dispersions to obtain thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) FO membranes. With the help of the opposite surface charge of ANTs and PA layer, and the representative “peak-valley” structure of PA TFC membrane, ANTs are stably bound to the surface of TFC membrane by electrostatic adsorption and physical confinement. The TFN membrane has greatly enhanced hydration ability due to the rich hydrophilic hydroxyl groups of ANTs, “like-zwitterionic” surface composition and rough nanostructure morphology, resulting in good underwater superoleophobicity. Combined with the water transport channel formed by its nanoporous structure, the surface anti-protein adhesion and anti-oil–water emulsion adhesion can be achieved without affecting the water flux. It is worth noting that the surface potential of TFN membrane is close to neutral due to charge neutralization. This avoids the electrostatic interaction between the membrane surface and the contaminant, and further achieves a universal anti-fouling ability that is not affected by protein or emulsion charge, and the irreversible adsorption is close to zero. In addition, the rigid ANTs coating exhibits excellent stability and reusability under long-term use, and the water flux after cleaning can be restored to nearly 99.9%. In general, this method of using ANTs deposition to improve the antifouling performance of PA based TFC membrane is simple, efficient, stable, and easy scalable. This method is not only limited to FO membrane, but also can be extended to PA based reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes, which has great practical application potential.

Exposure to toxic cadmium concentration induce physiological and molecular mechanisms alleviating herbivory infestation in Wedelia

Cadmium (Cd) toxicity induces significant disruptions in growth and development, plants have developed strategies to alleviate metal toxicity promoting establishment even during herbivores infestation. The study demonstrates that W. trilobata maintains growth and development under the combined stress of Cd exposure and herbivore invasion by Spodoptera litura, in contrast to W. chinensis. Cd toxicity markedly reduce shoot elongation and total fresh biomass, and a significant decrease in the dry weight of the shoot biomass and leaf count by 19%, 18%, 16%, and 19% in W. trilobata compared to controls. An even more pronounced decrease of 35%, 43%, 45% and 43% was found in W. chinensis. Compared to W. chinensis, W. trilobata showed a higher increase in phytohormone production including abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA3), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and methyl jasmonic acid (JA-me) under both Cd and herbivory stress as compared with respective controls. In addition, leaf ultra-structure also showed the highest damage to cell membranous structures by Cd-toxicity in W. chinensis. Furthermore, RNA-seq analysis revealed numerous genes viz., EMSY, MCCA, TIRI, BED-type, ABA, JAZ, CAB-6, CPSI, LHCII, CAX, HNM, ABC-Cd-trans and GBLP being differentially expressed between Cd-stress and herbivory groups in both W. trilobata and W. chinensis, with a particular emphasis on genes associated with metal transport and carbohydrate metabolism. Analyses employing the Gene Ontology (GO) system, the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) categorization, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, highlight the functional and evolutionary relationships among the genes of the Phenylpropanoid and Flavonoid biosynthesis pathways and brassinosterod metabolism, associated with plant growth and development under Cd-toxicity and herbivory. W. trilobata opposite of W. chinensis, significantly improve plant growth and mitigates Cd toxicity through modulation of metabolic processes, and regulation of responsible genes, to sustain its growth under Cd and herbivory stress, which can be used in stress improvement in plants for sustainable ecosystem biodiversity and food security.