The nuclear localization signal is required for the function of squamosa promoter binding protein-like gene 9 to promote vegetative phase change in Arabidopsis

Plant Molecular Biology - A mutation in the nuclear localization signal of squamosa promoter binding like-protein 9 (SPL9) delays vegetative phase change by disrupting its nuclear localization. The...     

Lateral Organ Boundaries Domain 19 (LBD19) negative regulate callus formation in Arabidopsis

Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC) - Callus is a remarkable regeneration tissue. The genes correlated with root development can be involved in regulating callus development in higher...     

Mechanisms of kinesin‐7 CENP‐E in kinetochore–microtubule capture and chromosome alignment during cell division

Chromosome congression is essential for faithful chromosome segregation and genomic stability in cell division. Centromere‐associated protein E (CENP‐E), a plus‐end‐directed kinesin motor, is required for congression of pole‐proximal chromosomes in metaphase. CENP‐E accumulates at the outer plate of kinetochores and mediates the kinetochore‐microtubule capture. CENP‐E also transports the chromosomes along spindle microtubules towards the equatorial plate. CENP‐E interacts with Bub1‐related kinase, Aurora B and core kinetochore components during kinetochore–microtubule attachment. In this review, we introduce the structures and mechanochemistry of kinesin‐7 CENP‐E. We highlight the complicated interactions between CENP‐E and partner proteins during chromosome congression. We summarise the detailed roles and mechanisms of CENP‐E in mitosis and meiosis, including the kinetochore–microtubule capture, chromosome congression/alignment in metaphase and the regulation of spindle assembly checkpoint. We also shed a light on the roles of CENP‐E in tumourigenesis and CENP‐E's specific inhibitors.     

Biofunctionalized self-assembly of peptide amphiphile induces the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neural cells

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are multipotential differentiation cells which can differentiate into different cell types such as osteoblasts,...     

Size,sex and social experience: Experimental tests of multiple factors mediating contest behaviour in a rockpool fish

Aggressive contests amongst conspecifics are important to understand from an ecological and evolutionary perspective as contest dynamics can directly influence individual fitness. For some species, individual attributes such as relative body size closely predict the outcome, intensity and duration of contests, whereas for others, prior social experiences play a key role. However, disentangling the relative effects of individual attributes and social experiences is challenging from an experimental perspective, and because of this, few studies have investigated relative effects of multiple factors. Rockpool fishes have been well studied in terms of factors governing abundance, distribution and community structure, but much less so in terms of contest behaviour. This is surprising because contest dynamics are likely to directly affect the distribution of fishes along the rocky shore, and hence indirectly govern population and community composition. Here, we explored multiple factors potentially influencing contest behaviour in a numerically dominant, resident intertidal fish species, Bathygobius cocosensis (Gobiidae). Using a series of staged pairwise contest trials, we investigated the effect of size, sex and social experiences (namely prior residency and winner–loser experiences) on contest dynamics. We found no evidence that prior residency influenced contest outcome, suggesting social experiences play a minor role in contest dynamics. Previous winner/loser experience also did not influence contest outcome, although this is likely a product of low sample size. In addition, the likelihood of winning was unrelated to contestant sex, and the combination of sexes in paired contests did not influence contest intensity or duration. Instead, body size was related to contest outcome, intensity and duration in the majority of experimental trials. These results suggest that body size rather than sex or social experiences is the key determinant of contest dynamics in this species. We suggest that the dynamic biotic and abiotic environment inhabited by intertidal fish may reduce the influence of prior social experiences in modulating contest dynamics.     

Blocking P2X7 receptor ameliorates oxidized LDL-mediated podocyte apoptosis

Molecular Biology Reports - The purpose of our research is to elucidate whether oxLDL activates P2X7R in cultured human podocytes and if the activation of P2X7R leads to podocyte apoptosis....     

Enhanced Expression of PD-L1 on Microglia After Surgical Brain Injury Exerts Self-Protection from Inflammation and Promotes Neurological Repair

Neurochemical Research - Neuroinflammation and brain edema are major complications in the pathophysiology of surgical brain injury (SBI). Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), an immune inhibitory...     

Expression Changes of NMDA and AMPA Receptor Subunits in the Hippocampus in rats with Diabetes Induced by Streptozotocin Coupled with Memory Impairment

Neurochemical Research - Cognitive impairment in diabetes (CID) is a severe chronic complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). It has been hypothesized that diabetes can lead to cognitive dysfunction...     

Moderate- and Low-Dose of Atorvastatin Alleviate Cognition Impairment Induced by High-Fat Diet via Sirt1 Activation

Neurochemical Research - Mounting evidences have demonstrated that diet-induced obesity is associated with cognition impairment via increasing oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain....