Volatile allelochemicals of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. induced mitochondrion-mediated Ca2+-dependent and Caspase-dependent apoptosis signaling pathways in receptor plant cells

Plant and Soil - This study aims to explain the mechanism of action of allelochemical effect of Chenopodium ambrosioides L. volatile oil on mitochondrial characteristics of receptor plants. This...     

Genome-wide identification and abiotic stress responses of <Emphasis Type="Italic">DGK</Emphasis> gene family in maize

Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) is a kind of phosphokinase that catalyzes the formation of signaling molecule phosphatidic acid. In this study, seven maize (Zea mays) DGK gene family members were identified by an exploration of maize genome via multiple online databases, and designated as ZmDGK1-7, respectively. The proteins encoded by ZmDGKs ranged from 487 to 716 amino acids, and had a molecular weight (MWs) between 54.6 and 80.2 kDa. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ZmDGKs grouped into three clusters as described for known plant DGK families: Cluster I was composed of three maize DGKs, ZmDGK1, ZmDGK4 and ZmDGK5, cluster II contained ZmDGK6, and the isoforms ZmDGK2, ZmDGK3 and ZmDGK7 fell into cluster III. ZmDGK proteins featured the typical functional domains, while all seven ZmDGKs have a conserved catalytic domain DGKc, only the cluster I ZmDGKs have the DAG/PE binding domain. Most ZmDGK genes showed ubiquitous expression profiles at various developmental stages, while a high relative expression was observed at the tasseling stage. ZmDGK genes exhibited differential expression patterns in response to abiotic stresses including cold, salinity and drought, and all ZmDGK genes were found obviously up-regulated by cold. The distinct roles of ZmDGKs in cold response was also supported by the finding that an accumulation of DGK products–PA under low temperature. This study will help to better understand the roles of DGKs in the development and abiotic stress responses in major crops.     

Heme oxygenase-1 protects bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from iron overload through decreasing reactive oxygen species and promoting IL-10 generation

Iron overload (IO) caused by frequent blood transfusion in hematological diseases has become a major concern. In this study, up-regulation of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a protector against oxidative stress, was observed in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) at the early stage of IO and had favorable prognosis in an IO mouse model. Given that the protective role of HO-1 in IO damage of BMMSCs was still unknown, the mechanism was explored in vitro and in vivo. BMMSCs were transfected with HO-1/siHO-1 in vitro, and the mouse model was established to further evaluate the effect of HO-1 on IO in vivo. As a result, HO-1 decreased the apoptotic rate of BMMSCs with IO through reducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) but increasing IL-10 secretion. In addition, IL-10 was mediated by HO-1 via the ERK pathway. Intracellular iron was down-regulated by hepcidin depending on IL-10. In conclusion, HO-1 protects BMMSCs from ROS by secreting IL-10 upon iron overload.     

Rare case of osteomyelitis of tibial shaft caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nocardia cyriacigeorgica</Emphasis>

Nocardiosis is a rare infection caused by the aerobic actinomycete of the Nocardia genus. In most cases, nocardiosis manifests as a lung infection or a bone lesion. Due to the nonspecific and mild clinical manifestations of nocardiosis, the establishment of definite diagnosis can be difficult. When antibiotic therapy is incorrectly targeted, only the symptoms of the disease are suppressed. The mainstay in the treatment of Nocardia osteomyelitis has so far been the combined surgical debridement with long-term, initially intravenous, antibiotic administration. We present the successful conservative treatment of a nocardiosis osteomyelitis of the tibia caused by the Nocardia cyriacigeorgica species in an 81-year-old female patient that manifested itself as a secondary affection on top of a primary nocardiosis infection of the lung. From microbiological examination, N. cyriacigeorgica was discovered; the identification was made using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) with an identification score of 1.9. The sensitivity was evaluated using E test. Sensitivity to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, amikacin, imipenem, and linezolid was demonstrated. The bacteria were shown to be resistant to ciprofloxacin. For treatment, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was used due to the value of minimum inhibitory concentration, which was 0.25 mg/L. The initial dose of 960 mg of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole every 8 h was reduced to 960 mg every 12 h after 3 months. The total duration of treatment was 7.5 months. Under the established treatment, the bone and lung lesions healed. Nocardiosis of the long bone is considered a rare disease and its precise diagnosis has not yet been standardized. We used the MALDI-TOF MS method for the identification of the causal organism which is a fast and reliable method according to current world literature even when compared with the rRNA genetic sequencing reference method. Our case study presents a rare case of osteomyelitis of tibial shaft caused by N. cyriacigeorgica and its successful conservative treatment.     

Novel Muscle-Specific Genes TCAP,TNNI1, and FHL1 in Cattle: SNVs,Linkage Disequilibrium,Combined Genotypes,Association Analysis of Growth Performance,and Carcass Quality Traits and Expression Studies

TCAP, TNNI1, and FHL1 regulate muscle growth and development. In this study, four single nucleotide variants (SNVs) were discovered in almost all of the exon and intron regions of the TCAP, TNNI1, and FHL1 genes using DNA pooled sequencing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-RFLP, and forced-PCR-RFLP methods in 576 cattle. Four SNVs were significantly associated with the growth performance and carcass quality traits of the cattle. In addition, the haplotype, haplotype frequency, and linkage disequilibrium coefficient of three sequence variants were also evaluated in the cattle population. Haplotype analysis demonstrated that eight haplotypes were present in the Qinchuan cattle population and no haplotypes were present in the Chinese Holstein population; haplotype 1 had the highest frequency in the Qinchuan (42.7%) population. Statistical analyses of 12 combined genotypes indicated that some were significantly associated with the growth performance and carcass quality traits of the Qinchuan cattle population. Moreover, the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results demonstrated that the bovine TCAP, TNNI1, and FHL1 genes were exclusively expressed in muscle tissue. These data support the high potentials of the TCAP, TNNI1, and FHL1 as marker genes to improve the growth performance and carcass quality traits of Qinchuan cattle or other animals selection programs.     

Ar + H<Subscript>2</Subscript> Plasma Interacting with Lithium-Filled Capillary Porous Structure

Ar + H₂ plasma interacting with liquid lithium was carried out on a one-cathode linear plasma device (SCU-PSI). The lithium sample was covered with capillary porous structure (CPS). It is found that the electron temperature of applied plasma ranged from ~0–1 eV and electron density ranged from 0.1 × 10²⁰ to 1 × 10²⁰ m^?3. The experimental results indicate that a reduction in the electron temperature and the lithium evaporation is found as the percentage of H₂ increases When the ratio of argon and hydrogen keeps constant, the electron temperature and lithium evaporation increase with applied input power, respectively. The retention of hydrogen atoms in lithium surface results in reducing the lithium evaporation. The XRD analysis result shows that during plasma radiation no LiH is formed.     

RAB26-dependent autophagy protects adherens junctional integrity in acute lung injury

Microvascular barrier dysfunction is the central pathophysiological feature of acute lung injury (ALI). RAB26 is a newly identified small GTPase involved in the regulation of endothelial cell (EC) permeability. However, the mechanism behind this protection has not been clearly elucidated. Here we found that RAB26 promoted the integrity of adherens junctions (AJs) in a macroautophagy/autophagy-dependent manner in ALI. RAB26 is frequently downregulated in mouse lungs after LPS treatment. Mice lacking Rab26 exhibited phosphorylated SRC expression and increased CDH5/VE-cadherin phosphorylation, leading to AJ destruction. rab26-null mice showed further aggravation of the effects of endotoxin insult on lung vascular permeability and water content. Depletion of RAB26 resulted in upregulation of phosphorylated SRC, enhancement of CDH5 phosphorylation, and aggravation of CDH5 internalization, thereby weakening AJ integrity and endothelial barrier function in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMECs). RAB26 overexpression caused active interaction between SRC and the autophagy marker LC3-II and promoted degradation of phosphorylated SRC. Furthermore, RAB26 was involved in a direct and activation-dependent manner in autophagy induction through interaction with ATG16L1 in its GTP-bound form. These findings demonstrate that RAB26 exerts a protective effect on endothelial cell (EC) permeability, which is in part dependent on autophagic targeting of active SRC, and the resultant CDH5 dephosphorylation maintains AJ stabilization. Thus, RAB26-mediated autophagic targeting of phosphorylated SRC can maintain barrier integrity when flux through the RAB26-SRC pathway is protected. These findings suggest that activation of RAB26-SRC signaling provides a new therapeutic opportunity to prevent vascular leakage in ALI.

Abbreviations: AJs: adherens junctions; ALI: acute lung injury; ARDS: acute respiratory distress syndrome; ATG5: autophagy related 5; ATG12: autophagy related 12; ATG 16L1: autophagy related 16 like; 1 BALF: bronchoalveolar lavage fluidCQ: chloroquine; Ctrl: control; EC: endothelial cell; GFP: green fluorescent protein; HA-tagged; RAB26^WT: HA-tagged wild-type; RAB26 HA-tagged; RAB26^QL: HA-tagged; RAB26^Q123LHA-tagged; RAB26^NI: HA-tagged; RAB26^N177IHPMECs: human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells; H&E: hematoxylin & eosin; IgG: immunoglobulin; GIF: immunofluorescence; IP: immunoprecipitationi;. p.: intraperitoneal; LPS: lipopolysaccharide; PBS: phosphate-buffered salinesi; RNA: small interfering;RNASQSTM1/p62, sequestosome; 1TBS: Tris-buffered saline; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; WB: western blot; WT: wild-type