Comparative Analysis of Endogenous Hormones and Metabolite Profiles in Early-Spring Flowering Plants and Unflowered Plants Revealing the Strategy of Blossom

Journal of Plant Growth Regulation - Early-spring plants are a special type of plant that complete their life cycle promptly in cold, early spring. Very little effort has been made into researching...     

Antagonistic Interplay between MicroRNA-155 and IL-10 during Lyme Carditis and Arthritis

MicroRNA-155 has been shown to play a role in immune activation and inflammation, and is suppressed by IL-10, an important anti-inflammatory cytokine. The established involvement of IL-10 in the murine model of Borrelia burgdorferi-induced Lyme arthritis and carditis allowed us to assess the interplay between IL-10 and miR-155 in vivo. As reported previously, Mir155 was highly upregulated in joints from infected severely arthritic B6 Il10^-/- mice, but not in mildly arthritic B6 mice. In infected hearts, Mir155 was upregulated in both strains, suggesting a role of miR-155 in Lyme carditis. Using B. burgdorferi-infected B6, Mir155^-/-, Il10^-/-, and Mir155^-/- Il10^-/- double-knockout (DKO) mice, we found that anti-inflammatory IL-10 and pro-inflammatory miR-155 have opposite and somewhat compensatory effects on myeloid cell activity, cytokine production, and antibody response. Both IL-10 and miR-155 were required for suppression of Lyme carditis. Infected Mir155^-/- mice developed moderate/severe carditis, had higher B. burgdorferi numbers, and had reduced Th1 cytokine expression in hearts. In contrast, while Il10^-/- and DKO mice also developed severe carditis, hearts had reduced bacterial numbers and elevated Th1 and innate cytokine expression. Surprisingly, miR-155 had little effect on Lyme arthritis. These results show that antagonistic interplay between IL-10 and miR-155 is required to balance host defense and immune activation in vivo, and this balance is particularly important for suppression of Lyme carditis. These results also highlight tissue-specific differences in Lyme arthritis and carditis pathogenesis, and reveal the importance of IL-10-mediated regulation of miR-155 in maintaining healthy immunity.     

The protective effect of cycloastragenol on aging mouse circadian rhythmic disorder induced by d-galactose

Aging process in mammals is associated with a decline in amplitude and a long period of circadian behaviors which are regulated by a central circadian regulator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and local oscillators in peripheral tissues. It is unclear whether enhancing clock function can retard aging. Using fibroblasts expressing per2::lucSV and senescent cells, we revealed cycloastragenol (CAG), a natural aglycone derivative from astragaloside IV, as a clock amplitude enhancing small molecule. CAG could activate telomerase to antiaging, but no reports focused on its effects on circadian rhythm disorders in aging mice. Here we analyze the potential effects of CAG on d -galactose-induced aging mice on the circadian behavior and expression of clock genes. For this purpose, CAG (20 mg/kg orally), was administered daily to d -galactose (150 mg/kg, subcutaneous) mice model of aging for 6 weeks. An actogram analysis of free-running activity of these mice showed that CAG significantly enhances the locomotor activity. We further found that CAG increase expressions of per2 and bmal1 genes in liver and kidney of aging mouse. Furthermore, CAG enhanced clock protein BMAL1 and PER2 levels in aging mouse liver and SCN. Our results indicated that the CAG could restore the behavior of circadian rhythm in aging mice induced by d -galactose. These data of present study suggested that CAG could be used as a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of age-related circadian rhythm disruption.     

独岛枝芽胞杆菌MCCC 1A00493产生的4-乙烯基苯酚鉴定和作用南方根结线虫特性研究

【目的】根结线虫危害严重,难防难控,前期研究发现一株深海来源的独岛枝芽胞杆菌(Virgibacillus dokdonensis) MCCC 1A00493对南方根结线虫具有良好的体外拮抗效果,本研究分离鉴定菌株发酵液中杀线虫活性物质,对其作用线虫的多种模式进行研究,为菌株有效控制植物病原线虫的应用奠定理论基础。【方法】采用硅胶柱层析和半制备高效液相色谱对独岛枝芽胞杆菌发酵上清液中的杀线虫活性物质进行分离纯化,采用液相色谱质谱联用、核磁共振对纯化物进行结构鉴定;并对其趋避、诱杀、熏杀和卵孵化抑制活性进行检测。【结果】结构鉴定确定独岛枝芽胞杆菌MCCC 1A00493发酵液中分离的杀线虫活性物质为4-乙烯基苯酚。4-乙烯基苯酚对线虫具有触杀、熏杀、卵孵化抑制和高浓度驱避低浓度引诱活性,15μg/mL 4-乙烯基苯酚72 h触杀线虫校正死亡率为71.23%±9.06%;20 mg/mL 4-乙烯基苯酚24 h熏杀线虫死亡率达100%;100μg/mL4-乙烯基苯酚作用线虫卵10d后,卵孵化抑制率达66.2%;在琼脂平板上,10mg/mL的4-乙烯基苯酚对线虫有驱避作用,1 mg/mL的4-...