植物谷氨酰胺合成酶研究进展及其应用前景

氮素是制约作物产量的主要营养元素之一,谷氨酰胺合成酶(Glutamine synthase,GS;EC 6.3.1.2)是氮素代谢途径中的关键酶。目前,拟南芥、水稻、小麦和玉米等植物中的GS成员均已被分离鉴定。研究表明,超表达GS能够提高植物对氮素的利用效率,从而在植株的生长发育特别是产量形成过程中发挥重要作用,但是其功能在不同植物上并不完全一致,可能与GS基因受到转录和翻译后等水平的调控有关。以下综述了植物GS基因分类、QTL定位、对氮素代谢响应、组织表达特异性、生物学功能及其分子调控机制等方面的研究进展,并展望了植物GS基因的应用前景,以期为利用GS基因来提高植物氮素利用效率提供具有参考价值的信息。     

miR-188-5p suppresses cellular proliferation and migration via IL6ST: A potential noninvasive diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer

Previously, serum miR-188-5p is differentially expressed in breast cancer, but the diagnostic potential of circulating miR-188-5p as well as its regulatory mechanism in breast cancer remain uncertain. Herein, serum miR-188-5p was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction in patients with breast cancer, breast fibroadenoma, and healthy subjects. Circulating miR-188-5p was abnormally elevated in patients with breast cancer as compared with these other two groups, and was reduced in patients with breast cancer following surgical treatment. Increased serum miR-188-5p corresponded to lymph node metastasis status and TNM stages of breast cancer. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the ability to circulate miR-188-5p to distinguish between patients with breast cancer and either noncancerous patients or patients with breast fibroadenoma yielded corresponding areas under the curve of 0.894 and 8.814. miR-188-5p was downregulated in the highly malignant cancer line MDA-MB-231 relative to the less malignant MCF-7 cells. In vitro, functional analyses conducted via transfecting cells with mimics and inhibitors revealed miR-188-5p to suppress breast cancer cell proliferation and migration, which was mediated by its downstream target IL6ST. Comparison of intracellular and exosomal miR-188-5p levels indicated that miR-188-5p was selectively sorted into exosomes derived from MDA-MB-231 cells rather than those from MCF-7 cells. However, exosomal miR-188-5p levels in the serum of patients with breast cancer were reduced compared to healthy controls and did not differ relative to patients with breast fibroadenoma. In summary, miR-188-5p acts in a tumor-suppressive manner in breast cancer progression and may serve as a noninvasive early diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target in breast cancer.     

CIRBP-OGFR axis safeguards against cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapy

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRBP) is documented to be required for maintaining cardiac function, however, its role in chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity remains obscured. Herein, we report that CIRBP decreases cardiomyocyte apoptosis and attenuates cardiotoxicity through disrupting OGF-OGFR signal. CIRBP deficiency is involved in diverse chemotherapeutic agents induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Delivery of exogenous CIRBP to the mouse myocardium significantly mitigated doxorubicin-induced cardiac apoptosis and dysfunction. Specifically, OGFR was identified as a downstream core effector responsible for chemotherapy-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. CIRBP was shown to interact with OGFR mRNA and to repress OGFR expression by reducing mRNA stability. CIRBP-mediated cytoprotection against doxorubicin-induced cardiac apoptosis was demonstrated to largely involve OGFR repression by CIRBP. NTX as a potent antagonist of OGFR successfully rescued CIRBP ablation-rendered susceptibility to cardiac dyshomeostasis upon exposure to doxorubicin, whereas another antagonist ALV acting only on opioid receptors did not. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CIRBP confers myocardium resistance to chemotherapy-induced cardiac apoptosis and dysfunction by dampening OGF/OGFR axis, shedding new light on the mechanisms of chemo-induced cardiotoxicity and providing insights into the development of an efficacious cardioprotective strategy for cancer patients.     

土荆芥挥发油对蚕豆根尖细胞的化感潜力

化感作用是外来植物成功入侵的机制之一。本研究以蚕豆根尖为材料,采用DNA Ladder分析技术和蚕豆根尖微核技术,分析了入侵植物土荆芥挥发油经土壤载体诱导的细胞凋亡以及对细胞的遗传损伤。结果表明：（1）经挥发油处理24 h和48 h,低剂量（＜5 μL）挥发油对蚕豆根的生长与根尖细胞有丝分裂具有显著的促进作用,但随着处理剂量增大（＞5 μL）和处理时间延长,根的生长与细胞有丝分裂过程明显受到抑制。（2）挥发油具有诱导染色体畸变的效应,根尖细胞微核率随处理剂量增加和时间延长而增大,但当挥发油剂量大于15 μL,这种诱导效应降低。（3）通过DNA Ladder分析,经挥发油处理后根尖细胞发生了凋亡,其中24 h处理组DNA未发生特异性降解,当剂量大于15 μL处理48 h和剂量大于10 μL处理72 h后,DNA开始发生特异性降解,形成DNA Ladder,表明随着挥发油剂量增大和作用时间延长,细胞凋亡过程加剧。本研究结果表明土荆芥释放的挥发性化感物质能以土壤为载体对根细胞产生影响。     

金雀异黄素对SGC-7901胃癌细胞超微结构及极光激酶A基因表达的影响

应用原子力显微镜(Atomic Force Microscope,AFM)技术、Real-time PCR及Western blotting方法,分别检测金雀异黄素(genistein)对SGC-7901胃癌细胞超微结构、Aurora-A基因mRNA和蛋白表达的影响.AFM扫描显示,经20μg/mLgenistein处理SGC-7901胃癌细胞48 h,细胞的超微结构呈现凋亡形态特征改变;Aurora-A表达分析,5μg/mL组、10μg/mL组和20μg/mL组与对照组比较,其mRNA表达量分别下降(31.6±0.02)%、(38.8±0.04)%和(59.9±0.02)%,其中5μg/mL组与10μg/mL组间比较无显著性差异(P＞0.05),其余组间比较均有显著性差异(P＜0.05);其蛋白表达量分别下降(26.8±0.04)%、(33.0±0.10)%和(48.5±0.09)%,组间比较均有显著性差异(P＜0.05).由此推断金雀异黄素诱导SGC-7901胃癌细胞凋亡的分子机制可能涉及极光激酶A mRNA及蛋白表达下调.     

川西平原灌区不同水旱轮作模式周年土壤呼吸特征

水旱轮作是川西平原灌区重要的稻田种植模式,为探究本区域不同水旱轮作模式对周年土壤呼吸的影响,在四川崇州设置蒜-稻(GR)、麦-稻(WR)和油-稻(RR)三种水旱轮作模式,采用静态箱-气相色谱法测定不同模式周年土壤呼吸,并同步测定温度、水层高度等水热生态因子。结果表明:三种轮作模式周年土壤呼吸累积排放量表现为GRRRWR,分别为193.36、160.27、157.28 kg/hm~2;土壤呼吸速率日动态规律基本一致,均表现为单峰型变化趋势,最高值出现在12:00—15:00,6—8月的日变幅高于其余月份;土壤呼吸速率季节动态均呈双峰型变化趋势,在6月和9月达到峰值,其中GR模式土壤呼吸速率年均值最高;三种模式土壤呼吸速率均受0—10 cm、10—20 cm土壤温度的显著影响,而与土壤含水量无显著相关性。土壤温度是旱季土壤呼吸速率季节变化的主要影响因素,土壤水层深度和土壤温度共同作用影响了稻季土壤呼吸速率的变化。