Effects of copper enrichment on survival,growth and photosynthetic pigment of seedlings and young plants of the eelgrass Zostera marina

Copper (Cu²⁺) is an essential nutrient for plants but toxic at high concentrations. We subjected seedlings and young plants of eelgrass Zostera marina to different seawater Cu concentrations (3, 4, 5, 10, 30 and 50?µg?l^?1) for over 30 days under controlled laboratory conditions. Natural seawater without added Cu (3?µg?l^?1) was used as reference seawater. We measured plant response in terms of survivorship, morphology, growth, productivity and leaf pigment concentration. Survival analysis combined with morphological, dynamic and productive assessment suggested that the optimum seawater Cu concentration for the establishment of Z. marina seedlings and young plants is 4?μg?l^?1. The photosynthetic response of young plants to copper enrichment, including an increase in chlorophyll content under low Cu concentration treatment but significant decrease when treated with high concentrations of Cu, is similar to those reported for other seagrass species. NOEC (no observed effect concentration), LOEC (lowest observed effect concentration) and LC₅₀ (lethal concentration that caused an increase in mortality to 50% of that of the control) values of seedlings were significantly lower than those of young plants, implying a reduced Cu tolerance to high concentrations (>10?μg?l^?1). This study provides data that could prove helpful in the development of successful eelgrass restoration and conservation.     

(4-Piperidinylphenyl)aminoethyl amides as a novel class of non-covalent cathepsin K inhibitors

A series of (4-piperidinylphenyl)aminoethyl amides based on dipeptide anilines were synthesized and tested against cathepsin K, cathepsin L and cathepsin B. These new non-covalent inhibitors exhibited single-digit nM inhibition of the cysteine proteases. Compounds 3 and 7 demonstrated potency in both mouse and human osteoclast resorption assays.     

基于沟眶象属两近缘种不同虫态转录组的气味受体基因鉴定及表达分析

[目的]基于沟眶象属Eucryptorrhynchus两近缘种沟眶象E.scrobiculatus和臭椿沟眶象E.brandti不同虫态的转录组数据进行气味受体(odorant receptor,OR)基因的鉴定及表达特征分析,补充两种象甲的气味受体信息,为之后的功能研究提供理论依据.[方法]从沟眶象(幼虫、蛹和成虫)...     

辽西北风沙地区不同无性系桑树抗旱性

为选育适合辽西北风沙地区生长的优良桑树品种,以沈阳农业大学选育的"沈桑1号"(SS)、辽宁省阜新市彰武县优株(ZW)、吉林省通化市集安县桑树优株(JS)3种优质桑树无性系以及东北主栽品种"龙桑1号"(LS)为试验材料,通过测定不同无性系桑树在干旱胁迫下的叶片光合色素含量、光响应曲线、不同光强对气体交换参数的影响以及光系...     

Intranasal immunization with a peptide conjugated to Salmonella flagellin induces both systemic and mucosal peptide‐specific antibody responses in mice

In this study, the mucosal adjuvant activity of Salmonella flagellin as a carrier in a conjugate of EXP153–rFliC was investigated. EXP153–rFliC was made by conjugation of a synthetic B‐cell epitope peptide derived from Plasmodium falciparum exported protein‐1(EXP153) to recombinant phase 1 flagellin of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium expressed in Escherichia coli (rFliC), and used to immunize BALB/c mice via intranasal instillation. It was found that robust EXP153‐specific serum IgG antibodies were induced without additional adjuvant. EXP153‐specific sIgA antibodies were also induced, these being detected in bronchoalveolar, nasal, vaginal and intestinal washes. These observations demonstrate that Salmonella flagellin as a carrier is an effective mucosal adjuvant in that its conjugated peptide induces antibody responses.     

Characterization of binding of leukotriene C4 by human multidrug resistance protein 1: evidence of differential interactions with NH2- and COOH-proximal halves of the protein

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) is capable of actively transporting a wide range of conjugated and unconjugated organic anions. The protein can also transport additional conjugated and unconjugated compounds in a GSH- or S-methyl GSH-stimulated manner. How MRP1 binds and transports such structurally diverse substrates is not known. We have used [(3)H]leukotriene C(4) (LTC(4)), a high affinity glutathione-conjugated physiological substrate, to photolabel intact MRP1, as well as fragments of the protein expressed in insect cells. These studies revealed that: (i) LTC(4) labels sites in the NH(2)- and COOH-proximal halves of MRP1, (ii) labeling of the NH(2)-half of MRP1 is localized to a region encompassing membrane-spanning domain (MSD) 2 and nucleotide binding domain (NBD) 1, (iii) labeling of this region is dependent on the presence of all or part of the cytoplasmic loop (CL3) linking MSD1 and MSD2, but not on the presence of MSD1, (iv) labeling of the NH(2)-proximal site is preferentially inhibited by S-methyl GSH, (v) labeling of the COOH-proximal half of the protein occurs in a region encompassing transmembrane helices 14-17 and appears not to require NBD2 or the cytoplasmic COOH-terminal region of the protein, (vi) labeling of intact MRP1 by LTC(4) is strongly attenuated in the presence of ATP and vanadate, and this decrease in labeling is attributable to a marked reduction in LTC(4) binding to the NH(2)-proximal site, and (vii) the attenuation of LTC(4) binding to the NH(2)-proximal site is a consequence of ATP hydrolysis and trapping of Vi-ADP exclusively at NBD2. These data suggest that MRP1-mediated transport involves a conformational change, driven by ATP hydrolysis at NBD2, that alters the affinity with which LTC(4) binds to one of two sites composed, at least in part, of elements in the NH(2)-proximal half of the protein.     

Colorectal cancer-associated fibroblasts promote metastasis by up-regulating LRG1 through stromal IL-6/STAT3 signaling

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been shown to play a strong role in colorectal cancer metastasis, yet the underlying mechanism remains to be fully elucidated. Using CRC clinical samples together with ex vivo CAFs-CRC co-culture models, we found that CAFs induce expression of Leucine Rich Alpha-2-Glycoprotein 1(LRG1) in CRC, where it shows markedly higher expression in metastatic CRC tissues compared to primary tumors. We further show that CAFs-induced LRG1 promotes CRC migration and invasion that is concomitant with EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) induction. In addition, this signaling axis has also been confirmed in the liver metastatic mouse model which displayed CAFs-induced LRG1 substantially accelerates metastasis. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that CAFs-secreted IL-6 (interleukin-6) is responsible for LRG1 up-regulation in CRC, which occurs through a direct transactivation by STAT3 following JAK2 activation. In clinical CRC tumor samples, LRG1 expression was positively correlated with CAFs-specific marker, α-SMA, and a higher LRG1 expression predicted poor clinical outcomes especially distant metastasis free survival, supporting the role of LRG1 in CRC progression. Collectively, this study provided a novel insight into CAFs-mediated metastasis in CRC and indicated that therapeutic targeting of CAFs-mediated IL-6-STAT3-LRG1 axis might be a potential strategy to mitigate metastasis in CRC.Subject terms: Colon cancer, Cancer microenvironment