植物中逆境反应相关的WRKY转录因子研究进展

WRKY转录因子是植物体内一类比较大的转录因子家族,它在植物的生长发育以及抗逆境反应中起着非常重要的作用。本文综述了WRKY转录因子在植物应对冻害、干旱、盐害等非生物胁迫与病原菌、虫害等生物胁迫反应中的重要调控功能,并概括了WRKY转录因子在调控这些逆境反应中的机制。     

Investigation of key microRNAs associated with hepatocellular carcinoma using small RNA-seq data

To identify key microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using small RNA-seq data. Small RNA-seq data for two HCC samples and two normal samples were downloaded from NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus. MiRNAs were identified through database search. Differentially expressed miRNAs were screened out with t test and their target genes were retrieved. Functional enrichment analysis was performed to uncover their biological functions. Regulatory networks and core metabolic networks were also constructed to present the global patterns. In addition, new miRNAs and their target genes were predicted. A total of 59 differentially expressed miRNAs were obtained, 12 up-regulated and 47 down-regulated. A total of 3,306 target genes were retrieved for eight miRNAs. Pathway enrichment analysis for the target genes showed that “pathways in cancer” and “MAPK signaling pathway” were significantly over-represented. Functional enrichment analysis found that “biological regulation” and “macromolecule modification” were significantly related to the target genes. Two regulatory networks were constructed for up- and down-regulated differentially expressed miRNAs with information from Ingenuity Pathway Analysis database. Two metabolic networks were also established based upon “pathways in cancer” and “MAPK signaling pathway”, consisting of miRNAs, target genes, compounds and others genes. Moreover, a number of new miRNAs and relevant target genes were predicted. Our study discloses a number of miRNAs as well as genes which may be involved in the development of HCC and these findings are beneficial in guiding future researches.     

转辽宁碱蓬SlNAC4拟南芥差异表达基因分析

以实验室前期获得的转SlNAC4基因拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)和野生型拟南芥为材料, 通过基因芯片技术检测其基因表达谱。结果表明, 与野生型拟南芥相比, 转SlNAC4基因拟南芥中差异表达的基因共有3 094个。 通过GO分析, 发现与非生物胁迫相关的差异基因共有195个, 与生长发育相关的差异基因共有47个, 其中包含MYB和WRKY转录因子基因。KEGG分析表明, 差异表达基因主要涉及植物激素信号转导和油菜素内酯合成等信号通路。进一步选择部分差异表达基因进行实时荧光定量PCR分析, 所得结果与芯片检测结果一致。该研究结果表明, SlNAC4可直接或间接地调控多个下游基因的表达, 进而调控植物的生长发育, 提高其抗逆性。     

Analysis of expressed sequence tags from a NaHCO3-treated alkali-tolerant plant,Chloris virgata

Chloris virgata Swartz (C. virgata) is a gramineous wild plant that can survive in saline-alkali areas in northeast China. To examine the tolerance mechanisms of C. virgata, we constructed a cDNA library from whole plants of C. virgata that had been treated with 100 mM NaHCO₃ for 24 h and sequenced 3168 randomly selected clones. Most (2590) of the expressed sequence tags (ESTs) showed significant similarity to sequences in the NCBI database. Of the 2590 genes, 1893 were unique. Gene Ontology (GO) Slim annotations were obtained for 1081 ESTs by BLAST2GO and it was found that 75 genes of them were annotated with GO terms “response to stress”, “response to abiotic stimulus”, and “response to biotic stimulus”, indicating these genes were likely to function in tolerance mechanism of C. virgata.In a separate experiment, 24 genes that are known from previous studies to be associated with abiotic stress tolerance were further examined by real-time RT-PCR to see how their expressions were affected by NaHCO₃ stress. NaHCO₃ treatment up-regulated the expressions of pathogenesis-related gene (DC998527), Win1 precursor gene (DC998617), catalase gene (DC999385), ribosome inactivating protein 1 (DC999555), Na⁺/H⁺ antiporter gene (DC998043), and two-component regulator gene (DC998236).     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Physcomitrella patens</Emphasis> is highly tolerant against drought,salt and osmotic stress

In order to determine the degree of tolerance of the moss Physcomitrella patens to different abiotic stress conditions, we examined its tolerance against salt, osmotic and dehydration stress. Compared to other plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, P. patens exhibits a high degree of abiotic stress tolerance, making it a valuable source for the identification of genes effecting the stress adaptation. Plants that had been treated with NaCl tolerated concentrations up to 350 mM. Treatments with sorbitol revealed that plants are able to survive concentrations up to 500 mM. Furthermore, plants that had lost 92% water on a fresh-weight basis were able to recover successfully. For molecular analyses, a P. patens expressed sequence tag (EST) database was searched for cDNA sequences showing homology to stress-associated genes of seed plants and bacteria. 45 novel P. patens genes were identified and subjected to cDNA macroarray analyses to define their expression pattern in response to water deficit. Among the selected cDNAs, we were able to identify a set of genes that is specifically up-regulated upon dehydration. These genes encode proteins exerting their function in maintaining the integrity of the plant cell as well as proteins that are known to be members of signaling networks. The identified genes will serve as molecular markers and potential targets for future functional analyses.