Aliphatic suberin confers salt tolerance to Arabidopsis by limiting Na+ influx,K+ efflux and water backflow

Plant and Soil - Uncontrolled uptake of Na+ is the reason that many species are sensitive to salinity. Suberin is a protective barrier found in the walls of root endodermal cells that appears to be...     

Reference gene selection and validation for mRNA expression analysis by RT-qPCR in murine M1- and M2-polarized macrophage

Molecular Biology Reports - Murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (M0) and M1- and M2-polarized macrophages are being widely used as a laboratory model for polarized macrophages related molecular...     

Screening of optimal reference genes for qRT-PCR and preliminary exploration of cold resistance mechanisms in Prunus mume and Prunus sibirica varieties

Molecular Biology Reports - Prunus sibirica and Prunus mume are closely related plant species that differ in cold tolerance. Hybrids of P. sibirica and true mume, belonging to the apricot mei...     

Novel Role of HAX-1 in Neurons Protection After Spinal Cord Injury Involvement of IRE-1

Neurochemical Research - Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the diseases with high probability of causing disability in human beings, and there is no reliable treatment at present. Neuronal...     

Identification of methylation-driven genes related to prognosis in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma

With the participation of the existing treatment methods, the prognosis of advanced clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is poor. More evidence indicates the presence of methylation in ccRCC cancer cells, but there is a lack of studies on methylation-driven genes in ccRCC. We analyzed the open data of ccRCC in The Cancer Genome Atlas database to obtain ccRCC-related methylation-driven genes, and then carried out pathway enrichment, survival, and joint survival analyses. More important, we deeply explored the correlation between differential methylation sites and the expression of these driving genes. Finally, we screened 29 methylation-driven genes via MethylMix, of which six were significantly associated with the survival of ccRCC patients. This study demonstrated that the effect of hypermethylation or hypomethylation on prognosis is different, and the level of methylation of key methylation sites is associated with gene expression. We identified methylation-driven genes independently predicting prognosis in ccRCC, which offers theoretical support in bioinformatics for the study of methylation in ccRCC and a new perspective for the epigenetic study of ccRCC.     

Induction and maintenance of specific multipotent progenitor stem cells synergistically mediated by Activin A and BMP4 signaling

We recently reported that epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs)-like cells could be derived from preimplantation embryos (named as AFSCs). Here, we established AFSCs from pre-implantation embryos of multiple mouse strains and showed that unlike EpiSCs, the derivation efficiency of AFSCs was affected by the genetic background. We then used AFSCs lines to dissect the roles of Activin A (Act A) and basic fibroblast growth factor and reported that Act A alone was capable of maintaining self-renewal but not developmental potential in vivo. Finally, we established a novel experimental system, in which AFSCs were efficiently converted to multipotent progenitor stem cells using Act A and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (named as ABSCs). Importantly, these ABSCs contributed to neural mesodermal progenitors and lateral plate mesoderm in postimplantation chimeras. Taken together, our study established a robust experimental system for the generation of specific multipotent progenitor stem cells that was self-renewable and capable of contributing to embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues.     

Receptor-mediated delivery of engineered nucleases for genome modification

Engineered nucleases, which incise the genome at predetermined sites, have a number of laboratory and clinical applications. There is, however, a need for better methods for controlled intracellular delivery of nucleases. Here, we demonstrate a method for ligand-mediated delivery of zinc finger nucleases (ZFN) proteins using transferrin receptor-mediated endocytosis. Uptake is rapid and efficient in established mammalian cell lines and in primary cells, including mouse and human hematopoietic stem-progenitor cell populations. In contrast to cDNA expression, ZFN protein levels decline rapidly following internalization, affording better temporal control of nuclease activity. We show that transferrin-mediated ZFN uptake leads to site-specific in situ cleavage of the target locus. Additionally, despite the much shorter duration of ZFN activity, the efficiency of gene correction approaches that seen with cDNA-mediated expression. The approach is flexible and general, with the potential for extension to other targeting ligands and nuclease architectures.     

Quantitative assessment of the association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and bladder cancer risk

Previous studies investigating the association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and bladder cancer risk reported controversial results. To quantify the strength of association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and bladder cancer risk, we performed this meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Embase and Wangfang databases for studies relating the association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and bladder cancer risk. We used the pooled odds ratios (ORs) with their 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) to assess the association. Finally, data were available from a total of 16 case–control studies including a total of 5, 545 subjects (2,345 cases and 3,200 controls). Meta-analysis of all 16 studies showed TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism was not associated with bladder cancer risk (All P values were more than 0.10). Subgroup analyses by ethnicity showed that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism contributed to bladder cancer risk in East Asians in three genetic models (For Pro vs. Arg, Fixed-effects OR 1.18, 95 % CI 1.05–1.32; For ProPro vs. ArgArg, Fixed-effects OR 1.40, 95 % CI 1.11–1.77; For ProPro vs. ArgPro/ArgArg, Fixed-effects OR 1.32, 95 % CI 1.07–1.62). However, there was no significant association in Caucasians and the others (All P values were more than 0.05). Heterogeneity analyses suggested ethnicity was the major sources of heterogeneity. Thus, meta-analyses of available data suggest the Pro variant of TP53 Arg72Pro contributes to bladder cancer risk in East Asians. Besides, TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism may have race-specific effects on bladder cancer risk and further studies are needed to elucidate this possible effect.     

Cloning of the Lentinula edodes B mating-type locus and identification of the genetic structure controlling B mating

During the life cycle of heterothallic tetrapolar Agaricomycetes such as Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler, the mating type system, composed of unlinked A and B loci, plays a vital role in controlling sexual development and resulting formation of the fruit body. L. edodes is produced worldwide for consumption and medicinal purposes, and understanding its sexual development is therefore of great importance. A considerable amount of mating type factors has been indicated over the past decades but few genes have actually been identified, and no complete genetic structures of L. edodes B mating-type loci are available. In this study, we cloned the matB regions from two mating compatible L. edodes strains, 939P26 and 939P42. Four pheromone receptors were identified on each new matB region, together with three and four pheromone precursor genes in the respective strains. Gene polymorphism, phylogenetic analysis and distribution of pheromone receptors and pheromone precursors clearly indicate a bipartite matB locus, each sublocus containing a pheromone receptor and one or two pheromone precursors. Detailed sequence comparisons of genetic structures between the matB regions of strains 939P42, 939P26 and a previously reported strain SUP2 further supported this model and allowed identification of the B mating type subloci borders. Mating studies confirmed the control of B mating by the identified pheromone receptors and pheromones in L. edodes.     

Reproductive biology of Oxygymnocypris stewartii in the Yarlung Zangbo River in Tibet, China

We determined the gonadal histology, reproductive characteristics and implications for management of Oxygymnocypris stewartii from individuals collected in the Yarlung Zangbo River. Based on the analyses of gonad development and the size distribution of oocytes, O. stewartii spawns just once each year. Peak spawning occurred between late March and early April, when water temperature exceeded 5°C. The standard lengths and the ages at 50 % maturity for males and females were 273 mm and 357 mm, and 5.1 year and 7.3 years, respectively. The mean fecundity of 34211 and mean relative fecundity of 25.4 eggs per gram of fish body weight suggest that O. stewartii might be especially vulnerable to exploitation.