植物激素相关核酸和蛋白质二级数据库的构建与应用

以NCBI维护的一级数据库为数据源建立植物激素相关核酸和蛋白质二级数据库。将该二级数据库设计为基因、蛋白质和文献三部分, 编写软件从上述数据源中采集数据, 并以XML作为中间格式保存, 通过解析提交到二级数据库中并集成部分生物信息学工具软件, 初步实现了数据检索、统计分析、基于Web的本地化BLAST同源序列检索、序列的自动拼接以及蛋白质结构和功能位点的分析等功能。该二级数据库的构建为植物激素作用分子机理研究提供了高针对性的植物激素数据源和生物信息学辅助工具。     

一种快速、无损大豆种子DNA提取方法的建立和应用

基因分型是进行植物基因功能的遗传分析和分子标记辅助育种的重要环节。该研究以大豆(Glycine max)成熟种子为材料, 建立了通过钻孔采集样品、快速提取DNA进行基因型鉴定的方法。用此方法, 一个熟练的工作人员可以在1个小时内完成120个样品的采集和DNA提取; 同时种子钻孔取样后, 不会对大豆种子的萌发造成影响。利用该方法获得的DNA可满足PCR扩增的要求。实验重复性好, 成功率在98%以上。这种快速且无损的大豆种子基因型鉴定方法可以用于鉴定杂交种子、品种纯度以及遗传分析等研究工作。     

人IL17-RD胞外区真核表达及其单克隆抗体的制备

为了进一步研究白介素17受体D (IL-17RD) 在IL-17信号的调节作用,探索是否可以通过单克隆抗体阻断IL-17RD介导的IL-17信号通路而缓解自身免疫疾病,利用昆虫表达载体从Sf9细胞中表达纯化人IL-17RD-ECD蛋白,免疫Balb/C小鼠30 d,取小鼠脾脏细胞并与小鼠骨髓瘤细胞SP2/0进行融合,应用有限稀释法进行筛选,经过克隆化后筛选到一株能稳定分泌抗IL-17RD-ECD的杂交瘤细胞株1F8。经过初步鉴定,该细胞株分泌的抗体类型为IgG1+kappa类,经过Western blot     

USP31 acetylation at Lys1264 is essential for its activity and cervical cancer cell growth

Ubiquitin-specific protease 31 (USP31) is a member of deubiquitinase family that is involved in nuclear factor-κB activation and sarcomagenesis.However,little i...     

Global patterns and climatic drivers of above-and belowground net primary productivity in grasslands

Understanding patterns and determinants of net primary productivity(NPP) in global grasslands is ongoing challenges, especially for belowground NPP(BNPP) and its fraction(fBNPP). By developing a comprehensive field-based dataset, we revealed that, along with gradients of mean annual precipitation, actual evapotranspiration, and aridity, aboveground NPP(ANPP), BNPP,and total NPP(TNPP) exhibited hump-shaped patterns, whereas fBNPPshowed an opposite trend. ANPP and TNPP showed positive correlations with mean annual temperature, but fBNPPwas negatively correlated with it. The relationship between BNPP and climatic factors was considerably weak, indicating that BNPP was relatively stable regardless of the climate conditions. We also observed that the sensitivities of ANPP and BNPP to interannual temperature variability and those of BNPP to interannual precipitation fluctuations exhibited large variations among different study sites, and differed from those at the spatial scale. In contrast, the temporal sensitivities of ANPP to interannual precipitation variability were highly similar across all the individual sites and much smaller than those at the spatial scale. Overall, these results highlight that precipitation, temperature and evapotranspiration all play vital roles in shaping ANPP pattern and its partitioning to belowground and that the patterns of BNPP along climatic gradients do not mirror those of the ANPP.     

JQ-1 ameliorates schistosomiasis liver granuloma in mice by suppressing male and female reproductive systems and egg development of Schistosoma japonicum

Schistosomiasis is a serious and widespread parasitic disease caused by infection with Schistosoma. Because the parasite’s eggs are primarily responsible for schistosomiasis dissemination and pathogenesis, inhibiting egg production is a potential approach to control the spread and severity of the disease. The bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins represent promising targets for the development of epigenetic drugs against Schistosoma. JQ-1 is a selective inhibitor of the BET protein family. In the present study, JQ-1 was applied to S. japonicum in vitro. By using laser confocal scanning microscopy and EdU incorporation assays, we showed that application of JQ-1 to worms in vitro affected egg laying and the development of both the male and female reproductive systems. JQ-1 also inhibited the expression of the reproductive-related genes SjPlk1 and SjNanos1 in S. japonicum. Mice infected with S. japonicum were treated with JQ-1 during egg granuloma formation. JQ-1 treatment significantly reduced the size of the liver granulomas and levels of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in mice and suppressed both egg laying and the development of male and female S. japonicum reproductive systems in vivo. Moreover, the mRNA expression levels of some proinflammatory cytokines were decreased in the parasites. Our findings suggest that JQ-1 treatment attenuates S. japonicum egg–induced hepatic granuloma due at least in part to suppressing the development of the reproductive system and egg production of S. japonicum. These findings further suggest that JQ-1 or other BET inhibitors warrant additional study as a new approach for the treatment or prevention of schistosomiasis.     

膜蛋白ATAD3A在线粒体质量控制中的作用

线粒体质量控制对于线粒体网络的稳态和线粒体功能的正常发挥具有重要意义。三磷酸腺苷酶家族蛋白3A(ATAD3A)是同时参与调节线粒体结构功能、线粒体动力学和线粒体自噬等重要生物学过程的线粒体膜蛋白之一。近期研究表明,ATAD3A既可与Mic60/Mitofilin和线粒体转录因子A (TFAM)等因子相互作用以维持线粒体嵴的形态和氧化磷酸化功能,又能与发动蛋白相关蛋白1 (Drp1)结合而正性/负性调节线粒体分裂,还可作为线粒体外膜转位酶（TOM）复合物和线粒体内膜转位酶（TIM）复合物之间的桥接因子而介导PTEN诱导激酶（PINK1）输入线粒体进行加工,显示出促自噬或抗自噬活性。本文对ATAD3A在调控线粒体质量控制中的作用及其机制进行了综述。     

Exploring the mechanism of Cassiae semen in regulating lipid metabolism through network pharmacology and experimental validation

Background: Multiple studies have assessed the role of Cassiae semen (CS) in regulating lipid metabolism. However, the mechanism of action of CS on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has seen rare scrutiny. Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the regulatory mechanism of CS on lipid metabolism in NAFLD. Methods: Components of CS ethanol extract (CSEE) were analyzed and identified using UPLC-Q-Orbirap HRMS. The candidate compounds of CS and its relative targets were extracted from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology, Swiss-Target-Prediction, and TargetNet web server. The Therapeutic Target Database, Genecards, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, and DisGeNET were searched for NAFLD targets. Binding affinity between potential core components and key targets was established employing molecular docking simulations. After that, free fatty acid (FFA)-induced HepG2 cells were used to further validate part of the network pharmacology results. Results: Six genes, including Caspase 3 (CASP3), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit α (PIK3CA), epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and amyloid β (A4) precursor protein (APP) were identified as key targets. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was found to associate closely with CS’s effect on NAFLD. Per molecular docking findings, toralactone and quinizarin formed the most stable combinations with hub genes. About 0.1 (vs. FFA, P<0.01) and 0.2 (vs. FFA, P<0.05) mg/ml CSEE decreased lipid accumulation in vitro by reversing the up-regulation of CASP3, EGFR, and APP and the down-regulation of PIK3CA. Conclusion: CSEE can significantly reduce intracellular lipid accumulation by modulating the MAPK signaling pathway to decrease CASP3 and EGFR expression.     

A novel protein RASON encoded by a lncRNA controls oncogenic RAS signaling in KRAS mutant cancers

Mutations of the RAS oncogene are found in around 30% of all human cancers yet direct targeting of RAS is still considered clinically impractical except for the KRAS^G12C mutant. Here we report that RAS-ON (RASON), a novel protein encoded by the long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 00673 (LINC00673), is a positive regulator of oncogenic RAS signaling. RASON is aberrantly overexpressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients, and it promotes proliferation of human PDAC cell lines in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of Rason in mouse embryonic fibroblasts inhibits KRAS-mediated tumor transformation. Genetic deletion of Rason abolishes oncogenic KRAS-driven pancreatic and lung cancer tumorigenesis in LSL-Kras^G12D; Trp53^R172H/+ mice. Mechanistically, RASON directly binds to KRAS^G12D/V and inhibits both intrinsic and GTPase activating protein (GAP)-mediated GTP hydrolysis, thus sustaining KRAS^G12D/V in the GTP-bound hyperactive state. Therapeutically, deprivation of RASON sensitizes KRAS mutant pancreatic cancer cells and patient-derived organoids to EGFR inhibitors. Our findings identify RASON as a critical regulator of oncogenic KRAS signaling and a promising therapeutic target for KRAS mutant cancers.Subject terms: Gastrointestinal cancer, Cancer therapy     

Pathologically high intraocular pressure disturbs normal iron homeostasis and leads to retinal ganglion cell ferroptosis in glaucoma

Glaucoma can result in retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death and permanently damaged vision. Pathologically high intraocular pressure (ph-IOP) is the leading cause of damaged vision during glaucoma; however, controlling ph-IOP alone does not entirely prevent the loss of glaucomatous RGCs, and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we reported an increase in ferric iron in patients with acute primary angle-closure glaucoma (the most typical glaucoma with ph-IOP damage) compared with the average population by analyzing free iron levels in peripheral serum. Thus, iron metabolism might be involved in regulating the injury of RGCs under ph-IOP. In vitro and in vivo studies confirmed that ph-IOP led to abnormal accumulation of ferrous iron in cells and retinas at 1–8 h post-injury and elevation of ferric iron in serum at 8 h post-injury. Nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)-mediated degradation of ferritin heavy polypeptide 1(FTH1) is essential to disrupt iron metabolism in the retina after ph-IOP injury. Furthermore, knockdown of Ncoa4 in vivo inhibited FTH1 degradation and reduced the retinal ferrous iron level. Elevated ferrous iron induced by ph-IOP led to a marked accumulation of pro-ferroptotic factors (lipid peroxidation and acyl CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4) and a depletion of anti-ferroptotic factors (glutathione, glutathione peroxidase 4, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). These biochemical changes resulted in RGC ferroptosis. Deferiprone can pass through the blood-retinal barrier after oral administration and chelated abnormally elevated ferrous iron in the retina after ph-IOP injury, thus inhibiting RGC ferroptosis and protecting visual function. In conclusion, this study revealed the role of NCOA4-FTH1-mediated disturbance of iron metabolism and ferroptosis in RGCs during glaucoma. We demonstrate the protective effect of Deferiprone on RGCs via inhibition of ferroptosis, providing a research direction to understand and treat glaucoma via the iron homeostasis and ferroptosis pathways.Subject terms: Neurological disorders, Pathogenesis, Peripheral nervous system, Metals