ARRDC3 polymorphisms may affect the risk of glioma in Chinese Han

Functional & Integrative Genomics - This study ascertained to explore the potential contribution of ARRDC3 polymorphisms in the risk and prognosis of glioma. One thousand sixty-one patients and...     

Genome-wide comparative analysis of DNAJ genes and their co-expression patterns with HSP70s in aestivation of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

Functional & Integrative Genomics - DNAJ proteins function as co-chaperones of HSP70 and play key roles in cell physiology to promote protein folding and degradation, especially under...     

Two calcium-dependent protein kinases enhance maize drought tolerance by activating anion channel ZmSLAC1 in guard cells

Stomatal closure is an important process to prevent water loss in plants response to drought stress, which is finely modulated by ion channels together with their regulators in guard cells, especially the S-type anion channel AtSLAC1 in Arabidopsis. However, the functional characterization and regulation analyses of anion channels in gramineous crops, such as in maize guard cells are still limited. In this study, we identified an S-type anion channel ZmSLAC1 that was preferentially expressed in maize guard cells and involved in stomatal closure under drought stress. We found that two Ca²⁺-dependent protein kinases ZmCPK35 and ZmCPK37 were expressed in maize guard cells and localized on the plasma membrane. Lesion of ZmCPK37 resulted in drought-sensitive phenotypes. Mutation of ZmSLAC1 and ZmCPK37 impaired ABA-activated S-type anion currents in maize guard cells, while the S-type anion currents were increased in the guard cells of ZmCPK35- and ZmCPK37-overexpression lines. Electrophysiological characterization in maize guard cells and Xenopus oocytes indicated that ZmCPK35 and ZmCPK37 could activate ZmSLAC1-mediated Cl^- and NO₃^- currents. The maize inbred and hybrid lines overexpressing ZmCPK35 and ZmCPK37 exhibited enhanced tolerance and increased yield under drought conditions. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that ZmSLAC1 plays crucial roles in stomatal closure in maize, whose activity is regulated by ZmCPK35 and ZmCPK37. Elevation of ZmCPK35 and ZmCPK37 expression levels is a feasible way to improve maize drought tolerance as well as reduce yield loss under drought stress.     

Distribution characteristics of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms and their responses to external nitrogen and carbon in sediments of a freshwater reservoir,China

Aquatic Ecology - Ammonia oxidation driven by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) plays a significant role in the nitrogen cycle, but the mechanism of this important action...     

A facile fluorescence turn-on biosensor customized for monitoring of protein kinase activity based on carboxylic carbon nanoparticle–peptide complexes

In this study, we present a facile and low-cost approach for detecting protein kinase A (PKA) by assembling a purpose-designed carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-labelled peptide with carboxylic carbon nanoparticles (CNPs). Fluorescence of the FAM-labelled peptide gradually decreases to a low background signal as a result of the electron transfer from CNPs to FAM-labelled peptide via the peptide, which acts as a bridge. The reaction in the sensor in the presence of adenosine 5′-triphosphate and PKA phosphorylates the substrate peptide and disrupts the electrostatic repulsive force between the CNPs and the peptide, therefore altering the spectroscopic signal of the system. The change in fluorescence signal was directly proportional to the PKA concentration in the range 0–1.8 U/ml with a detection limit of 0.04 U/ml. These results suggest that PKA activity can be effectively measured using the developed PKA biosensor. Moreover, the fluorescence biosensor was successfully used in the investigation of PKA in spiked human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells lysates, indicating its potential applications in protein kinase-related biochemical fundamental research.     

Analytical comparison of absolute quantification strategies to investigate the insulin signaling pathway in fat cells

So far, mass spectrometry-based targeted proteomics is the most sensitive approach to answer and address specific biological questions in an accurate and quantitative fashion. However, the data analysis design used for such quantification varies in the field leading to discrepancies in the reported values. In this study, different quantification strategies based on calibration curves were evaluated and compared. The best accuracy and coefficient of variation was achieved by ratio to ratio calibration curves. We applied the ratio to ratio quantification approach to analyze very low abundant insulin signaling proteins such as PIK3RA (0.10–0.93 fmol/μg), AKT1 (0.1–0.39 fmol/μg), and the insulin receptor (0.22–2.62 fmol/μg) in a fat cell model and demonstrated the adaptation of this pathway at different states of insulin sensitivity.     

深共熔溶剂提取杨树桑黄多酚类物质工艺优化及提取物抗氧化活性研究

桑黄是一类应用广泛的药用真菌,桑黄多酚具有抗氧化、抗炎和降糖作用。本研究中的杨树桑黄属于桑黄中重要且能栽培的一种。本研究采用深共熔溶剂(deep eutectic solvent,DES)从栽培杨树桑黄子实体中提取多酚类化合物,考察了不同提取条件对提取率的影响。采用氯化胆碱与尿素组成的DES体系对多酚进行提取,并进一步采用响应面法对提取条件进行优化,获得最佳提取工艺参数为21 min、80 ℃、料液比1:260 g/mL。在此条件下,多酚的提取率高达(23.17±0.88) mg/g,远高于传统方法(12.45±1.88) mg/g。最优条件提取的多酚显示了很强的DPPH和ABTS的清除能力。由此可见,采用DES法从杨树桑黄子实体中提取酚类化合物比传统方法更有效。