植物WRKY转录因子在应对盐胁迫中的作用研究进展

土壤中的高含盐量严重限制了植物的生长和作物的产量。植物的许多转录因子在植物逆境胁迫中发挥着重要的作用,但仍有很多转录因子的分子机制目前尚不清楚。WRKY转录因子作为高等植物中最大的转录因子家族之一,参与并影响着植物生长发育的多个方面,在盐胁迫的多种不同响应途径中发挥重要作用。WRKY蛋白对基因表达的调控主要是通过与DNA特定顺式调控元件——W-box元件（TTGACC）的结合来实现的。近年来,从模式植物拟南芥（Arabidopsis）到农作物,已经有许多研究揭示了WRKY家族成员的作用和机制。本文综述了WRKY转录因子在应对盐胁迫方面的最新研究进展,探讨了WRKY转录因子研究目前存在的问题和未来的展望。     

Plant abiotic stress response and nutrient use efficiency

Abiotic stresses and soil nutrient limitations are major environmental conditions that reduce plant growth, productivity and quality.Plants have evolved mechanisms to perceive these environmental challenges, transmit the stress signals within cells as well as between cells and tissues, and make appropriate adjustments in their growth and development in order to survive and reproduce. In recent years, significant progress has been made on many fronts of the stress signaling research, particularly in understanding the downstream signaling events that culminate at the activation of stress-and nutrient limitation-responsive genes, cellular ion homeostasis, and growth adjustment. However, the revelation of the early events of stress signaling, particularly the identification of primary stress sensors, still lags behind. In this review, we summarize recent work on the genetic and molecular mechanisms of plant abiotic stress and nutrient limitation sensing and signaling and discuss new directions for future studies.     

Epigenetic regulation in plant abiotic stress responses

In eukaryotic cells, gene expression is greatly influenced by the dynamic chromatin environment. Epigenetic mechanisms, including covalent modifications to DNA and histone tails and the accessibility of chromatin, create various chromatin states for stress‐responsive gene expression that is important for adaptation to harsh environmental conditions. Recent studies have revealed that many epigenetic factors participate in abiotic stress responses, and various chromatin modifications are changed when plants are exposed to stressful environments. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the cross‐talk between abiotic stress response pathways and epigenetic regulatory pathways in plants. Our review focuses on epigenetic regulation of plant responses to extreme temperatures, drought, salinity, the stress hormone abscisic acid, nutrient limitations and ultraviolet stress, and on epigenetic mechanisms of stress memory.     

miRNA在植物重金属胁迫应答中的作用

microRNA （miRNA）是一种新型的长度为20~24 nt的非编码RNA,通过对靶基因的表达调节进而参与调控植物体的多种生理代谢活动。重金属是一类重要的环境污染物,严重危害植物的生长发育,甚至导致植物死亡。植物在长期的进化过程中形成了抵御重金属胁迫的多种机制,如miRNA对特定基因转录后水平的调控就在逆境胁迫应答中发挥重要作用。本文综述了植物中参与重金属胁迫应答miRNA的种类及作用机制,为揭示重金属胁迫条件下基因表达调控机制,以及利用基因工程手段改良植物对重金属的耐受性提供了线索和依据。     

Gene Networks in Plant Ozone Stress Response and Tolerance

For many plant species ozone stress has become much more severe in the last decade. The accumulating evidence for the significant effects of ozone pollutant on crop and forest yield situate ozone as one of the most important environmental stress factors that limits plant productivity woddwide. Today, transcdptomic approaches seem to give the best coverage of genome level responses. Therefore, microarray serves as an invaluable tool for global gene expression analyses, unravelling new information about gene pathways, in-species and crose-species gene expression comparison, and for the characterization of unknown relationships between genes. In this review we summadze the recent progress in the transcdptomics of ozone to demonstrate the benefits that can be harvested from the application of integrative and systematic analytical approaches to study ozone stress response. We focused our consideration on microarray analyses identifying gene networks responsible for response and tolerance to elevated ozone concentration. From these analyses it is now possible to notice how plant ozone defense responses depend on the interplay between many complex signaling pathways and metabolite signals.     

Gene Networks in Plant Ozone Stress Response and Tolerance

For many plant species ozone stress has become much more severe in the last decade. The accumulating evidence for the significant effects of ozone pollutant on crop and forest yield situate ozone as one of the most important environmental stress factors that limits plant productivity woddwide. Today, transcdptomic approaches seem to give the best coverage of genome level responses. Therefore, microarray serves as an invaluable tool for global gene expression analyses, unravelling new information about gene pathways, in-species and crose-species gene expression comparison, and for the characterization of unknown relationships between genes. In this review we summadze the recent progress in the transcdptomics of ozone to demonstrate the benefits that can be harvested from the application of integrative and systematic analytical approaches to study ozone stress response. We focused our consideration on microarray analyses identifying gene networks responsible for response and tolerance to elevated ozone concentration. From these analyses it is now possible to notice how plant ozone defense responses depend on the interplay between many complex signaling pathways and metabolite signals.     

STAT3 in immune responses and inflammatory bowel diseases

STAT3 has been known as a mediator for gene expression induced by many important cytokines. Recent studies have suggested that STAT3 has important functions in regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity. Loss of STAT3 in immune cells caused severe inflammation in response to pathogens. This review discusses the recent progress and suggests directions for the future research on this interesting molecule.     

6种防御酶调控植物体应答虫害胁迫机制的研究进展

植物防御体系应对虫害胁迫产生一系列防御性生理生化反应,其中防御酶活性呈现显著变化.本文综述了超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)、多酚氧化酶(PPO)、脂氧合酶(LOX)和苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL) 6种常见防御酶应对虫害胁迫的机制,解析了6种防御酶的作用机理及其异同.梳理了6种防御酶应对虫害胁迫而相互协调的程序,总结了植物体遭虫害胁迫之后防御酶活性的变化及其与防御酶基因的关联,提出了植物体防御酶机制研究中的重要问题并展望前景.     

Axonal branch patterning and neuronal shape diversity: roles in developmental circuit assembly: Axonal branch patterning and neuronal shape diversity in developmental circuit assembly

Recent progress in human genetics and single cell sequencing rapidly expands the list of molecular factors that offer important new contributions to our understanding of brain wiring. Yet many new molecular factors are being discovered that have never been studied in the context of neuronal circuit development. This is clearly asking for increased efforts to better understand the developmental mechanisms of circuit assembly [1]. Moreover, recent studies characterizing the developmental causes of some psychiatric diseases show impressive progress in reaching cellular resolution in their analysis. They provide concrete support emphasizing the importance of axonal branching and synapse formation as a hotspot for potential defects. Inspired by these new studies we will discuss progress but also challenges in understanding how neurite branching and neuronal shape diversity itself impacts on specificity of neuronal circuit assembly. We discuss the idea that neuronal shape acquisition itself is a key specificity factor in neuronal circuit assembly.     

Microbial responses to microgravity and other low-shear environments.

Microbial adaptation to environmental stimuli is essential for survival. While several of these stimuli have been studied in detail, recent studies have demonstrated an important role for a novel environmental parameter in which microgravity and the low fluid shear dynamics associated with microgravity globally regulate microbial gene expression, physiology, and pathogenesis. In addition to analyzing fundamental questions about microbial responses to spaceflight, these studies have demonstrated important applications for microbial responses to a ground-based, low-shear stress environment similar to that encountered during spaceflight. Moreover, the low-shear growth environment sensed by microbes during microgravity of spaceflight and during ground-based microgravity analogue culture is relevant to those encountered during their natural life cycles on Earth. While no mechanism has been clearly defined to explain how the mechanical force of fluid shear transmits intracellular signals to microbial cells at the molecular level, the fact that cross talk exists between microbial signal transduction systems holds intriguing possibilities that future studies might reveal common mechanotransduction themes between these systems and those used to sense and respond to low-shear stress and changes in gravitation forces. The study of microbial mechanotransduction may identify common conserved mechanisms used by cells to perceive changes in mechanical and/or physical forces, and it has the potential to provide valuable insight for understanding mechanosensing mechanisms in higher organisms. This review summarizes recent and future research trends aimed at understanding the dynamic effects of changes in the mechanical forces that occur in microgravity and other low-shear environments on a wide variety of important microbial parameters.     

Microbial Responses to Microgravity and Other Low-Shear Environments

Microbial adaptation to environmental stimuli is essential for survival. While several of these stimuli have been studied in detail, recent studies have demonstrated an important role for a novel environmental parameter in which microgravity and the low fluid shear dynamics associated with microgravity globally regulate microbial gene expression, physiology, and pathogenesis. In addition to analyzing fundamental questions about microbial responses to spaceflight, these studies have demonstrated important applications for microbial responses to a ground-based, low-shear stress environment similar to that encountered during spaceflight. Moreover, the low-shear growth environment sensed by microbes during microgravity of spaceflight and during ground-based microgravity analogue culture is relevant to those encountered during their natural life cycles on Earth. While no mechanism has been clearly defined to explain how the mechanical force of fluid shear transmits intracellular signals to microbial cells at the molecular level, the fact that cross talk exists between microbial signal transduction systems holds intriguing possibilities that future studies might reveal common mechanotransduction themes between these systems and those used to sense and respond to low-shear stress and changes in gravitation forces. The study of microbial mechanotransduction may identify common conserved mechanisms used by cells to perceive changes in mechanical and/or physical forces, and it has the potential to provide valuable insight for understanding mechanosensing mechanisms in higher organisms. This review summarizes recent and future research trends aimed at understanding the dynamic effects of changes in the mechanical forces that occur in microgravity and other low-shear environments on a wide variety of important microbial parameters.