Regulation of flowering time: all roads lead to Rome

Plants undergo a major physiological change as they transition from vegetative growth to reproductive development. This transition is a result of responses to various endogenous and exogenous signals that later integrate to result in flowering. Five genetically defined pathways have been identified that control flowering. The vernalization pathway refers to the acceleration of flowering on exposure to a long period of cold. The photoperiod pathway refers to regulation of flowering in response to day length and quality of light perceived. The gibberellin pathway refers to the requirement of gibberellic acid for normal flowering patterns. The autonomous pathway refers to endogenous regulators that are independent of the photoperiod and gibberellin pathways. Most recently, an endogenous pathway that adds plant age to the control of flowering time has been described. The molecular mechanisms of these pathways have been studied extensively in Arabidopsis thaliana and several other flowering plants.     

tRNA structural and functional changes induced by oxidative stress

Oxidatively damaged biomolecules impair cellular functions and contribute to the pathology of a variety of diseases. RNA is also attacked by reactive oxygen species, and oxidized RNA is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to neurodegenerative complications in humans. Recently, evidence has accumulated supporting the notion that tRNA is involved in cellular responses to various stress conditions. This review focuses on the intriguing consequences of oxidative modification of tRNA at the structural and functional level.     

Susceptibility variants for male-pattern baldness on chromosome 20p11

We carried out a genome-wide association study in 296 individuals with male-pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia) and 347 controls. We then investigated the 30 best SNPs in an independent replication sample and found highly significant association for five SNPs on chromosome 20p11 (rs2180439 combined P = 2.7 x 10(-15)). No interaction was detected with the X-chromosomal androgen receptor locus, suggesting that the 20p11 locus has a role in a yet-to-be-identified androgen-independent pathway.     

Molecular pathways driving disease-specific alterations of intestinal epithelial cells

Due to the fact that chronic inflammation as well as tumorigenesis in the gut is crucially impacted by the fate of intestinal epithelial cells, our article provides a comprehensive overview of the composition, function, regulation and homeostasis of the gut epithelium. In particular, we focus on those aspects which were found to be altered in the context of inflammatory bowel diseases or colorectal cancer and also discuss potential molecular targets for a disease-specific therapeutic intervention.     

真实驾驶循环中的发动机电基合成燃料评估

电基合成燃料（E-Fuels）是实现环境和气候目标的一个重要组成部分。其中C1含氧化合物因其具备清洁燃烧的特性而备受关注,包括氧化亚甲基醚（OME）、碳酸二甲酯（DMC）和甲酸甲酯（MeFo）。为探索新型燃料在内燃机中的潜力,对汽油和柴油燃烧、排放模型进行了优化和扩展。在成功验证和标定模型后,对虚拟测试车辆进行了研究,重点关注燃料的效率潜力、排放水平和经济性。首先,基于现代汽油、柴油和天然气发动机,开发了不同概念的OME和DMC/MeFo发动机;其次,在真实驾驶循环（RDE）中对这些发动机概念在E级乘用车和40 t卡车上的应用进行了评估。结果表明,通过调整喷射策略和匹配废气再循环,OME发动机能实现最佳的热效率和极低的排放;混合燃料DMC/MeFo由于高抗爆性,结合先进的发动机技术,能达到接近柴油机的热效率,且发动机复杂性大大降低,这使得DMC/MeFo燃料在重型卡车应用中具有广阔的前景。