Identification and molecular characterization of the nicotianamine synthase gene family in bread wheat

Nicotianamine (NA) is a non‐protein amino acid involved in fundamental aspects of metal uptake, transport and homeostasis in all plants and constitutes the biosynthetic precursor of mugineic acid family phytosiderophores (MAs) in graminaceous plant species. Nicotianamine synthase (NAS) genes, which encode enzymes that synthesize NA from S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM), are differentially regulated by iron (Fe) status in most plant species and plant genomes have been found to contain anywhere from 1 to 9 NAS genes. This study describes the identification of 21 NAS genes in the hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genome and their phylogenetic classification into two distinct clades. The TaNAS genes are highly expressed during germination, seedling growth and reproductive development. Fourteen of the clade I NAS genes were up‐regulated in root tissues under conditions of Fe deficiency. Protein sequence analyses revealed the presence of endocytosis motifs in all of the wheat NAS proteins as well as chloroplast, mitochondrial and secretory transit peptide signals in four proteins. These results greatly expand our knowledge of NAS gene families in graminaceous plant species as well as the genetics underlying Fe nutrition in bread wheat.     

JSI-124 Suppresses Invasion and Angiogenesis of Glioblastoma Cells In Vitro

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the utmost malignant tumors. Excessive angiogenesis and invasiveness are the major reasons for their uncontrolled growth and resistance toward conventional strategies resulting in poor prognosis. In this study, we found that low-dose JSI-124 reduced invasiveness and tumorigenicity of GBM cells. JSI-124 effectively inhibited VEGF expression in GBM cells. In a coculture study, JSI-124 completely prevented U87MG cell–mediated capillary formation of HUVECs and the migration of HUVECs when cultured alone or cocultured with U87MG cells. Furthermore, JSI-124 inhibited VEGF-induced cell proliferation, motility, invasion and the formation of capillary-like structures in HUVECs in a dose-dependent manner. JSI-124 suppressed VEGF-induced p-VEGFR2 activity through STAT3 signaling cascade in HUVECs. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed that the expression of CD34, Ki67, p-STAT3 and p-VEGFR2 protein in xenografts was remarkably decreased. Taken together, our findings provide the first evidence that JSI-124 effectively inhibits tumor angiogenesis and invasion, which might be a viable drug in anti-angiogenesis and anti-invasion therapies.     

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Patterns in Chinese Cherry (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Prunus pseudocerasus</Emphasis> Lindl) Landraces

Chinese cherry (Prunus pseudocerasus Lindl.) is an ancient fruit crop with highly economic and ornamental values. It originated in China and the cultivation history can be traced back to 3,000 - 4,000 years ago. Over such a long-term domestication process, a large number of genetic variations have been accumulated in different landraces. However, their utilization for cultivar improvement is limited by the scarcity of information involving genetic diversity and population structure. Here, 17 populations comprised of 140 individuals were collected from four geographic areas: Sichuan Basin (SC), Qinglin Mountain (QL), Yungui Plateau (YG) and North of China (NC), and analyzed using a set of 20 microsatellite markers. In total, 126 polymorphic loci were generated, with 6.3 loci per primer. The global expected heterozygosity (He = 0.63) and Shannon information index (I = 1.23) implied a moderately high level of genetic variation. Two major clusters (cluster 1 and cluster 2) were demonstrated based on population structure analysis, which implied the presence of two potential domestication sites of Chinese cherry landraces. Individuals from SC were assigned to cluster 1 and those from QL, YG and NC were grouped into cluster 2. Samples from QL region contained the most plentiful admixture genetic components, implied the possibility of being one transition region of genetic variation. Moreover, botanical characteristics, such as long lifespan, inbreeding preference as well as vegetative propagation, might lead to a relatively low level but significant genetic divergence among populations. Finally, conservation strategies were proposed to protect these valuable natural germplasm based on these results.     

LncRNA NONRATT021972 involved the pathophysiologic processes mediated by P2X<Subscript>7</Subscript> receptors in stellate ganglia after myocardial ischemic injury

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) acts on P2X receptors to initiate signal transmission. P2X₇ receptors play a role in the pathophysiological process of myocardial ischemic injury. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in numerous biological functions independent of protein translation. LncRNAs are implicated in nervous system diseases. This study investigated the effects of NONRATT021972 small interference RNA (siRNA) on the pathophysiologic processes mediated by P2X₇ receptors in stellate ganglia (SG) after myocardial ischemic injury. Our results demonstrated that the expression of NONRATT021972 in SG was significantly higher in the myocardial ischemic (MI) group than in the control group. Treatment of MI rats with NONRATT021972 siRNA, the P2X₇ antagonist brilliant blue G (BBG), or P2X₇ siRNA improved the histology of injured ischemic cardiac tissues and decreased the elevated concentrations of serum myocardial enzymes, creatine kinase (CK), CK isoform MB (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) compared to the MI rats. NONRATT021972 siRNA, BBG, or P2X₇ siRNA treatment in MI rats decreased the expression levels of P2X₇ immunoreactivity, P2X₇ messenger RNA (mRNA), and P2X₇ protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in the SG compared to MI rats. NONRATT021972 siRNA treatment prevented the pathophysiologic processes mediated by P2X₇ receptors in the SG after myocardial ischemic injury.     

Detection and characterization of diverse alpha- and betacoronaviruses from bats in China

Bats have been implicated as important reservoir hosts of alpha- and betacoronaviruses. In this study, diverse coronaviruses (CoVs) were detected in 50 of 951 (positive rate 5.3%) intestinal specimens of eight bat species collected in four provinces and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China by pan-coronavirus RT-PCR screening. Based on 400-nt RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) sequence analysis, eight belonged to genus Alphacoronavirus and 42 to Betacoronavirus. Among the 50 positive specimens, thirteen gave rise to CoV full-length RdRP gene amplification for further sequence comparison, of which three divergent sequences (two from a unreported province) were subjected to full genome sequencing. Two complete genomes of betacoronaviruses (JTMC15 and JPDB144) and one nearly-complete genome of alphacoronavirus (JTAC2) were sequenced and their genomic organization predicted. The present study has identified additional numbers of genetically diverse bat-borne coronaviruses with a wide distribution in China. Two new species of bat CoV, identified through sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis, are proposed.

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A Questionnaire Survey of the Type of Support Required by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Yogo</Emphasis> Teachers to Effectively Manage Students Suspected of Having an Eating Disorder

Background

Many studies have focused on the decreasing age of onset of eating disorders (EDs). Because school-age children with EDs are likely to suffer worse physical effects than adults, early detection and appropriate support are important. The cooperation of Yogo teachers is essential in helping these students to find appropriate care. To assist Yogo teachers, it is helpful to clarify the encounter rates (the proportion of Yogo teachers who have encountered ED students) and kinds of requested support (which Yogo teachers felt necessary to support ED students). There are no studies that have surveyed the prevalence rates of ED children by ED type as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), nor were we able to find any quantitative study surveying the kinds of support Yogo teachers feel helpful to support ED students.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was administered to 655 Yogo teachers working at elementary/junior high/senior high/special needs schools in Chiba Prefecture. The questionnaire asked if the respondents had encountered students with each of the ED types described in DSM-5 (anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and other types of EDs (Others)), and the kinds of support they felt necessary to support these students. The encounter rates and the kinds of requested were obtained and compared, taking their confidence intervals into consideration.

Results

The encounter rates for AN, BN, BED, ARFID, and Others were 48.4, 14.0, 8.4, 10.7, and 4.6 %, respectively. When classified by school type, AN, BN, BED, and ARFID had their highest encounter rates in senior high schools. Special needs schools had the highest rate for Others. The support most required for all ED types was “a list of medical/consultation institutions.”

Conclusions

Our results have clarified how to support Yogo teachers in the early detection and support of ED students. We found that the encounter rate of AN was the highest, and that it is effective to offer “a list of medical/consultation institutions” to junior and senior high schools where the encounter rates for AN are high.

     

Crystal structure of human S100A8 in complex with zinc and calcium

Background

S100 proteins are a large family of calcium binding proteins present only in vertebrates. They function intra- and extracellularly both as regulators of homeostatic processes and as potent effectors during inflammation. Among these, S100A8 and S100A9 are two major constituents of neutrophils that can assemble into homodimers, heterodimers and higher oligomeric species, including fibrillary structures found in the ageing prostate. Each of these forms assumes specific functions and their formation is dependent on divalent cations, notably calcium and zinc. In particular, zinc appears as a major regulator of S100 protein function in a disease context. Despite this central role, no structural information on how zinc bind to S100A8/S100A9 and regulates their quaternary structure is yet available.

Results

Here we report two crystallographic structures of calcium and zinc-loaded human S100A8. S100A8 binds two zinc ions per homodimer, through two symmetrical, all-His tetracoordination sites, revealing a classical His-Zn binding mode for the protein. Furthermore, the presence of a (Zn)₂-cacodylate complex in our second crystal form induces ligand swapping within the canonical His₄ zinc binding motif, thereby creating two new Zn-sites, one of which involves residues from symmetry-related molecules. Finally, we describe the calcium-induced S100A8 tetramer and reveal how zinc stabilizes this tetramer by tightening the dimer-dimer interface.

Conclusions

Our structures of Zn²⁺/Ca²⁺-bound hS100A8 demonstrate that S100A8 is a genuine His-Zn S100 protein. Furthermore, they show how zinc stabilizes S100A8 tetramerization and potentially mediates the formation of novel interdimer interactions. We propose that these zinc-mediated interactions may serve as a basis for the generation of larger oligomers in vivo.

     

Effect of EGCG On Fe(III)‐induced conformational transition of silk fibroin,a model of protein related to neurodegenerative diseases

The abnormal aggregation of amyloid proteins is reported to play a critical role in the etiology of neurodegenerative disorders. Studies have shown that excessive ferric irons are associated with the misfolding of amyloid proteins, and that (‐)‐epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a good metallic ion chelator with inhibitory effect on the aggregation of amyloid proteins. EGCG has been thus considered as a potential drug candidate for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the mechanism of action for EGCG in inhibition of aggregation of amyloid proteins is still remaining unclear. Silk fibroin (SF) shares similarities with amyloid proteins in some amino acid sequences and fibrillation kinetics. In this work, therefore, we used SF as a model of protein to investigate the effects of Fe(III) and EGCG on conformational transition by using turbidity assay, thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscope (AFM). We demonstrated that low concentration of Fe(III) ions promoted the formation of β‐sheet conformers, while high concentration of Fe(III) ions inhibited further aggregation of SF. EGCG could significantly inhibit the conformational transition of SF when induced by Fe(III), and decrease the amount of β‐sheet conformers dose‐dependently. The findings provide important information regarding to EGCG as a potential agent for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Fe(III) can accelerate the conformation transition of silk fibrion (SF) from random coil into β‐sheet, while (‐)‐epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) inhibits Fe(III)‐induced β‐sheet aggregation of SF., 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 100–107, 2016     

烟粉虱内共生菌Rickettsia在植物体内的形态及动态变化

[目的]通过研究烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci取食传入植物体内的昆虫内共生菌种类,探明其在不同植物中的分布形态及时空动态.[方法]以B型烟粉虱、棉花、番茄、豇豆为实验材料,利用常规PCR检测烟粉虱取食后传入植物体内的共生菌种类;利用透射电镜(Transmission electron microscope,TEM)检测Rickettsia传入植物后的分布及形态;利用q-PCR技术检测豇豆叶片中Rickettsia含量的动态变化.[结果]B型烟粉虱体内含有原生共生菌P0rtiera、次生共生菌Ricfettsia,Hamiltonella和Hemipteriphilus,但只检测到Rickettsia可经烟粉虱传入棉花、番茄、豇豆植物体内,并可在植物体内存活、转移.在3种植物体内Rickettsia均分布于叶片韧皮部的筛管细胞中.烟粉虱、棉花、番茄组织内的Rickettsia形态基本一致,但豇豆中Rickettsia在形态上较小而钝圆.相同数量的烟粉虱取食,在豇豆体内最先检测到Rickettsia.随着烟粉虱取食时间的增加,豇豆体内的Rickettsia含量先增加后下降;而当无烟粉虱持续取食时,一定时间段内豇豆体内的Rickettsia先下降再小幅度上升,并可以在一定时间内保持不变.基于16S rDNA序列的系统发育分析表明,传入棉花、番茄、豇豆叶片中的Rickettsia与B型烟粉虱体内的Rickettsia高度同源.[结论]Rickettsia可经烟粉虱取食传入植物体内,分布并存活于韧皮部的筛管细胞中,并可在植物不同叶片之间转移;在不同植物宿主中,Rickettsia的形态会发生轻微变化;烟粉虱对Rickettsia的传播效率受到植物种类的影响.