An efficient protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of Antirrhinum majus

Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L.) is a popular ornamental and model plant species, and the recently released reference genome could greatly boost its utilization in fundamental research. However, the lack of an efficient genetic transformation system is still a major limiting factor for its full application in genetic and molecular studies. In this study, a simple method for quick regeneration and efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of snapdragon was developed. Cotyledon petiole and hypocotyl explants derived from two-week-old seedlings were cultured on MS media supplemented with 2 mg/L zeatin (ZT), 0.2 mg/L 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), and 2 mg/L AgNO₃, and adventitious shoots were regenerated through organogenesis with an average regeneration of 48.00% and 41.33%, respectively. By contrast, the regeneration frequency was only 22.67% for cotyledon petiole and 25.67% for hypocotyl explants in the absence of AgNO₃. Moreover, the application of AgNO₃ promoted indirect shoot organogenesis, while direct shoot organogenesis occurred in the absence of AgNO₃ from both hypocotyl or cotyledon petiole explants. Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation systems were developed with this high-efficient regeneration system. The transformation efficiency has been improved from 0 to 1% through the direct shoot organogenesis to 3 to 4% via the indirect shoot organogenesis. This efficient regeneration and genetic transformation method could be important for future use of snapdragon as a model plant to address some fundamental questions which are hard to be solved by using other model plant species, and to accelerate the breeding process through CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

     

Inhibitory mechanism of Penicillin V on mushroom tyrosinase

Molecular Biology Reports - Penicillin V is a bacteriolytic β-lactam antibiotic drug. In the present work, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Penicillin V on the activity of mushroom...     

MicroRNA-203a regulates pancreatic β cell proliferation and apoptosis by targeting IRS2

Molecular Biology Reports - The main pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is autoimmune-mediated apoptosis of pancreatic islet β cells. We sought to characterize the function of...     

Correlation between heat shock protein 32 and chronic heat-induced liver injury in developing mice

Heat stress is one of a wide variety of factors causing liver injury, a small heat shock protein (HSP), HSP32, is induced by heat stress in the liver. But the biological function of HSP32 in this injury is unclear. To investigate the underlying role of HSP32, RT-PCR, immunocytochemical staining and ELISA were applied to confirm the expression of HSP32. And the underlying mechanism in the pathogenesis of hepatic dysfunction following hyperthermic challenge and the possible involvement of oxidative stress to induce oxidative deterioration of liver functions in developing mice were investigated in this study. Caspase-3mRNA expression and caspase-3 activity of heated liver were also analysed. The results showed that liver injury caused by chronic heat stress(39 °C, 1.5 h/day for 6 weeks) was reversible, caspase-3mRNA expression and caspase-3 activity of heat treated mice were increased after the first three weeks of heat exposure (P<0.05) and high expression levels of HSP32 were observed throughout the duration of experiment (P<0.01). A strong correlation exists between heat-induced liver injury and the induction of HSP32, which suggested that the reversibility of liver injury is involved in the induction of HSP32 in the hepatic cells under continuing heat stress.     

Mast cells expressing interleukin 17 in the muscularis propria predict a favorable prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 17 (IL-17) is considered to play a crucial role in diverse human tumors; however, its role in disease progression remains controversial. This study investigated the cellular source and distribution of IL-17 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in situ and determined its prognostic value. Immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy were used to identify IL-17-expressing cells in ESCC tissues, paying particular attention to their anatomic localization. Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to estimate overall survival in 215 ESCC patients with long-term follow-up (>10 years). The results showed that mast cells, but not T cells or macrophages, were the predominant cell type expressing IL-17 in ESCC tissues. Unexpectedly, these IL-17⁺ cells were highly enriched in the muscularis propria rather than the corresponding tumor nest (p < 0.0001). The density of IL-17⁺ cells in muscularis propria was inversely associated with tumor invasion (p = 0.016) and served as an independent predictor of favorable survival (p = 0.007). Moreover, the levels of IL-17⁺ cells in muscularis propria were positively associated with the density of effector CD8⁺ T cells and activated macrophages in the same area (both p < 0.0001). This finding suggested that mast cells may play a significant role in tumor immunity by releasing IL-17 at a previously unappreciated location, the muscularis propria, in ESCC tissues, which could serve as a potential prognostic marker and a novel therapeutic target for ESCC.     

Relationship between chemokine (C–X–C motif) ligand 12 gene variant (rs1746048) and coronary heart disease: Case–control study and meta-analysis

The goal of our study is to evaluate the contribution of CXCL12 rs1746048 (hg19, chr10:44775574) to the risk of CHD in Han Chinese, and to summarize its role in CHD through meta-analysis of existing studies among various ethnic groups. Significant association is observed between rs1746048-C and an increased risk of CHD in Han Chinese (χ² = 5.41, df = 1, P = 0.02). Post hoc analysis reveals an even stronger association of rs1746048 with the risk of CHD for subjects aged 65 years or older (genotype: χ² = 8.39, df = 2, P = 0.015; allele: χ2 = 9.13, df = 1, P = 0.003, odd ratio (OR) = 1.91, 95% confidential interval (CI) = 1.25–2.91). A break down analysis by gender shows that rs1746048 is likely a CHD risk factor under the recessive model in males (CC + CT versus TT: P = 0.05, χ² = 3.59, df = 1, OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.00–3.04). In addition, a meta-analysis of ten studies among over 107,000 individuals confirms that rs1746048 is a risk factor of CHD (P < 0.0001, OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.09–1.15) and this agrees with the findings of our case–control study in Han Chinese.     

Structure of a bacterial type IV secretion core complex at subnanometre resolution

Type IV secretion (T4S) systems are able to transport DNAs and/or proteins through the membranes of bacteria. They form large multiprotein complexes consisting of 12 proteins termed VirB1‐11 and VirD4. VirB7, 9 and 10 assemble into a 1.07 MegaDalton membrane‐spanning core complex (CC), around which all other components assemble. This complex is made of two parts, the O‐layer inserted in the outer membrane and the I‐layer inserted in the inner membrane. While the structure of the O‐layer has been solved by X‐ray crystallography, there is no detailed structural information on the I‐layer. Using high‐resolution cryo‐electron microscopy and molecular modelling combined with biochemical approaches, we determined the I‐layer structure and located its various components in the electron density. Our results provide new structural insights on the CC, from which the essential features of T4S system mechanisms can be derived.