Mei Yang

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs responsible for amino acid translocation during protein synthesis and are ubiquitously found in organisms. With certain modifications and under specific conditions, tRNAs can be sheared and fragmented into small non-coding RNAs, also known as tRNA-derived small RNAs (tDRs). With the development of high-throughput sequencing technologies and bioinformatic strategies, more and more tDRs have been identified and their functions in organisms have been characterized. tRNA and it derived tDRs, have been shown to be essential not only for transcription and translation, but also for regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and immunity. Aberrant expression of tDRs is associated with a wide range of human diseases, especially with tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex ecosystem consisting of various cellular and cell-free components that are mutually compatible with the tumor. It has been shown that tDRs regulate the TME by regulating cancer stem cells, immunity, energy metabolism, epithelial mesenchymal transition, and extracellular matrix remodeling, playing a pro-tumor or tumor suppressor role. In this review, the biogenesis, classification, and function of tDRs, as well as their effects on the TME and the clinical application prospects will be summarized and discussed based on up to date available knowledge.

The key to the development of non-noble metal catalysts with high activity and durability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline water/seawater conditions is to construct multi-interface electrocatalysts. Herein, the CoMoO4 nanorod arrays grown on foam nickel (NF) was first prepared by a hydrothermal method. Then, Ni(PO3)2-CoP4 with multi-interface was prepared by soaking the nanorod arrays into a nickel nitrate solution and then by phosphating via chemical vapor deposition. The Ni(PO3)2-CoP4/CoMoO4/NF electrode exhibits superior HER electrocatalytic performance under alkaline conditions with an ultralow overpotential of 79 mV@100 mA·cm–2, which outperforms other reported earth–abundant transition-metal phosphide catalysts. It also maintains long-term durability in alkaline water/seawater electrolytes in 60 h at a constant 100 mA·cm–2. In the alkaline natural seawater electrolyte, Ni(PO3)2-CoP4/CoMoO4/NF (−)||NiFe LDH (+) pair has good long-term stability of 60 h for the voltage of only 1.60 V@100 mA·cm–2. The excellent performance is attributed to the plentiful active sites and the rapid electron-transfer rate. This work affords a new path to rationalize the design strategy of low-cost and multi-interface 3D catalysts for alkaline water/seawater electrolysis.