The retina and its development： The retina is an essential part of the visual system. A myriad of eye diseases are characterized by retinal degeneration, caused by either genetic or environmental factors. This unders...The retina and its development： The retina is an essential part of the visual system. A myriad of eye diseases are characterized by retinal degeneration, caused by either genetic or environmental factors. This underscores the importance of studying the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate the generation and maintenance of neurons in the mammalian retina. Our recent studies demonstrate that two related transcription factors Onecutl （Ocl） and Onecut2 （0c2） regulate multiple cell fates in the mouse retina, and their absence results in progressive retinal neurodegeneration （Wu et al., 2012, 2013; Sapkota et al., 2014）.展开更多
Podoplanin （PDPN） is a mucin-type O-glycoprotein expressed in diverse cell types, such as lymphatic endothelial cells （LECs） in the vascular system and fibroblastic reticular cells （FRCs） in lymph nodes. PDPN on...Podoplanin （PDPN） is a mucin-type O-glycoprotein expressed in diverse cell types, such as lymphatic endothelial cells （LECs） in the vascular system and fibroblastic reticular cells （FRCs） in lymph nodes. PDPN on LECs or FRCs activates CLEC-2 in platelets, triggering platelet activation and/or aggregation through downstream signaling events, including activation of Syk kinase. This mechanism is required to initiate and maintain separation of blood and lymphatic vessels and to stabilize high endothelial venule integrity within lymph nodes. In the vascular system, normal expression of PDPN at the LEC surface requires transcriptional activation of Pdpn by Proxl and modification of PDPN with core 1-derived O-glycans. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the roles of PDPN in vascular development and lymphoid organ maintenance and discusses the mechanisms that regulate PDPN expression related to its function.展开更多
The atmospheric boundary layer （ABL） is an important physical characteristic of the Earth＇s atmosphere. Compared with the typical ABL, the ABL in arid regions has distinct features and is formed by particular mecha...The atmospheric boundary layer （ABL） is an important physical characteristic of the Earth＇s atmosphere. Compared with the typical ABL, the ABL in arid regions has distinct features and is formed by particular mechanisms. In this paper, the depth of the diurnal and nocturnal ABLs and their related thermodynamic features of land surface processes, including net radiation, the ground-air temperature difference and sensible heat flux, under typical summer and winter conditions are discussed on the basis of comprehensive observations of the ABL and thermodynamic processes at the land surface carried out in the extreme arid zone of Dunhuang. The relationships of the ABL depth in the development and maintenance stages with these thermodynamic features are also investigated. The results show that the depth of the ABL is closely correlated with the thermodynamic features in both development and maintenance stages and more energy is consumed in the development stage. Further analysis indicates that wind velocity also affects ABL development, especially the development of a stable boundary layer in winter. Taken together, the analysis results indicate that extremely strong thermodynamic processes at the land surface are the main driving factor for the formation of a deep ABL in an arid region.展开更多
基金Research in the Mu lab is supported by grants from the National Eye Institute(EY020545)the SUNY/RF Research Collaboration Fundan unrestricted grant from Research to Prevent Blindness
文摘The retina and its development： The retina is an essential part of the visual system. A myriad of eye diseases are characterized by retinal degeneration, caused by either genetic or environmental factors. This underscores the importance of studying the genetic and molecular mechanisms that regulate the generation and maintenance of neurons in the mammalian retina. Our recent studies demonstrate that two related transcription factors Onecutl （Ocl） and Onecut2 （0c2） regulate multiple cell fates in the mouse retina, and their absence results in progressive retinal neurodegeneration （Wu et al., 2012, 2013; Sapkota et al., 2014）.
基金Acknowledgements This study was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 31400692）.
文摘Podoplanin （PDPN） is a mucin-type O-glycoprotein expressed in diverse cell types, such as lymphatic endothelial cells （LECs） in the vascular system and fibroblastic reticular cells （FRCs） in lymph nodes. PDPN on LECs or FRCs activates CLEC-2 in platelets, triggering platelet activation and/or aggregation through downstream signaling events, including activation of Syk kinase. This mechanism is required to initiate and maintain separation of blood and lymphatic vessels and to stabilize high endothelial venule integrity within lymph nodes. In the vascular system, normal expression of PDPN at the LEC surface requires transcriptional activation of Pdpn by Proxl and modification of PDPN with core 1-derived O-glycans. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the roles of PDPN in vascular development and lymphoid organ maintenance and discusses the mechanisms that regulate PDPN expression related to its function.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40830957, 40805009)
文摘The atmospheric boundary layer （ABL） is an important physical characteristic of the Earth＇s atmosphere. Compared with the typical ABL, the ABL in arid regions has distinct features and is formed by particular mechanisms. In this paper, the depth of the diurnal and nocturnal ABLs and their related thermodynamic features of land surface processes, including net radiation, the ground-air temperature difference and sensible heat flux, under typical summer and winter conditions are discussed on the basis of comprehensive observations of the ABL and thermodynamic processes at the land surface carried out in the extreme arid zone of Dunhuang. The relationships of the ABL depth in the development and maintenance stages with these thermodynamic features are also investigated. The results show that the depth of the ABL is closely correlated with the thermodynamic features in both development and maintenance stages and more energy is consumed in the development stage. Further analysis indicates that wind velocity also affects ABL development, especially the development of a stable boundary layer in winter. Taken together, the analysis results indicate that extremely strong thermodynamic processes at the land surface are the main driving factor for the formation of a deep ABL in an arid region.
