A Putative Calcium-Permeable Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel, CNGC18, Regulates Polarized Pollen Tube Growth

A tip-focused Ca^2＋ gradient is tightly coupled to polarized pollen tube growth, and tip-localized influxes of extracellular Ca^2＋ are required for this process. However the molecular identity and regulation of the potential Ca^2＋ channels remains elusive. The present study has implicated CNGC18 （cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 18） in polarized pollen tube growth, because its overexpression induced wider and shorter pollen tubes. Moreover, CNGC18 overexpression induced depolarization of pollen tube growth was suppressed by lower extracellular calcium （[Ca^2＋]ex）. CNGC18-yellow fluorescence protein （YFP） was preferentially localized to the apparent post-Golgi vesicles and the plasma membrane （PM） in the apex of pollen tubes. The PM localization was affected by tip-localized ROP1 signaling. Expression of wild type ROP1 or an active form of ROP1 enhanced CNGC18-YFP localization to the apical region of the PM, whereas expression of RopGAP1 （a ROP1 deactivator） blocked the PM localization. These results support a role for PM-Iocalized CNGC18 in the regulation of polarized pollen tube growth through its potential function in the modulation of calcium influxes.     

Construction and Characterization of a CTLA-4-Targeted scFv–Melittin Fusion Protein as a Potential Immunosuppressive Agent for Organ Transplant

Immunotoxins with selective cytotoxicity are frequently used as therapeutic immunosuppressive agents in solid-organ transplantation because of their efficiency and high specificity. In this study, we present a new recombinant immunotoxin termed anti-CTLA-4-scFv–melittin prepared from Escherichia coli aimed at clearing activated T cells at the same time avoiding all-round decline in systematic immunity. This fusion protein is composed of anti-CTLA-4-scFv unit and melittin analog unit with properties of low immunogenicity and selective cytotoxicity to CTLA-4-positive T cells. In preliminary biological activity assays, our results confirmed the feasibility of activated T cell clearance strategy and there were significant differences in cell survival rates between CTLA-4-positive group and control group at all experimental concentrations of the immunotoxin. The selective cytotoxicity, low immunogenicity, and low production cost make it an attractive alternate to traditional immunosuppressants.     

Extracellular vesicles in bone and tooth: A state-of-art paradigm in skeletal regeneration

Bone and tooth, fundamental parts of the craniofacial skeleton, are anatomically and developmentally interconnected structures. Notably, pathological processes in these tissues underwent together and progressed in multilevels. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-released small organelles and transfer proteins and genetic information into cells and tissues. Although EVs have been identified in bone and tooth, particularly EVs have been identified in the bone formation and resorption, the concrete roles of EVs in bone and tooth development and diseases remain elusive. As such, we review the recent progress of EVs in bone and tooth to highlight the novel findings of EVs in cellular communication, tissue homeostasis, and interventions. This will enhance our comprehension on the skeletal biology and shed new light on the modulation of skeletal disorders and the potential of genetic treatment.     

Mutational analysis of slyD, an Escherichia coli gene encoding a protein of the FKBP immunophilin family

slyD encodes a 196 amino acid polypeptide that is a member of the FKBP family of cis–trans peptidyl–prolyl isomerases (PPIases). slyD mutations affect plaque formation by the phage φX174 by blocking the action of the phage lysis protein E. Here we describe the selection of a set of spontaneous slyD mutations conferring resistance to the expression of gene E from a plasmid. These mutations occur disproportionately in residues of SlyD that, based on the structure of the prototype mammalian FKBP12, make ligand contacts with immunosuppressing drug molecules or are conserved in other FKBP proteins. A wide variation in the plating efficiency of φX174 on these E  ^R strains is observed, relative to the parental, indicating that these alleles differ widely in residual SlyD activity. Moreover, it is found that slyD mutations cause significant growth rate defects in Escherichia coli B and C backgrounds. Finally, overexpression of slyD causes filamentation of the host. Thus, among the FKBP genes found in organisms across the evolutionary spectrum, slyD is unique in having three distinct drug-independent phenotypes.     

Self-assembly of Large-scale Two-dimensional Plasmonic Superlattices Based on Single-Crystal Au Nanospheres and the FDTD Simulation of Its Optical Properties

Plasmonics - Large-scale ordered two-dimensional (2D) superlattices at oil/water interface were fabricated using single-crystal Au nanospheres (NSs) with different diameters as building blocks. A...     

DESCRIPTIONS OF LAST INSTAR LARVAE OF THREE ENNOMINAE (LEPIDOPTERA: GEOMETRIDAE) SPECIES FROM KOREA

Abstract Morphological features of mature larvae of Petelia rivulosa (Butler), Exangerona prattiaria (Leech) and Culcula panterinaria (Bremer & Grey) of Ennominae are described and illustrated. All specimens examined are deposited in the Insect Collection of Department of Forest Resources Protection, Kangwon National University, Korea.