The microRNA miR-17 regulates lung FoxA1 expression during lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a severe pulmonary disease that causes a high number of fatalities worldwide. Studies have shown that FoxA1 expression is upregulated during ALI and may play an important role in ALI by promoting the apoptosis of alveolar type II epithelial cells. However, the mechanism of FoxA1 overexpression in ALI is unclear. In this study, an in vivo murine model of ALI and alveolar type II epithelial cells injury was induced using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS upregulated FoxA1 in the lung tissue of the in vivo ALI model and in LPS-challenged type II epithelial cells. In contrast, miR-17 was significantly downregulated in these models. After miR-17 antagomir injection, the expression of FoxA1 was significantly increased in ALI mice. MiR-17 mimics could significantly inhibit FoxA1 mRNA and protein expression, whereas the miR-17 inhibitor could significantly increase FoxA1 mRNA and protein expression in LPS-induced type II epithelial cells. Thus, our results suggest that the downregulation of miR-17 expression could lead to FoxA1 overexpression in ALI.     

Expression of baculovirus anti-apoptotic genes p35 and op-iap in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) enhances tolerance to verticillium wilt

Background

Programmed cell death plays an important role in mediating plant adaptive responses to the environment such as the invasion of pathogens. Verticillium wilt, caused by the necrotrophic pathogen Verticillium dahliae, is a serious vascular disease responsible for great economic losses to cotton, but the molecular mechanisms of verticillium disease and effective, safe methods of resistance to verticillium wilt remain unexplored.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In this study, we introduced baculovirus apoptosis inhibitor genes p35 and op-iap into the genome of cotton via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and analyzed the response of transgenic plants to verticillium wilt. Results showed that p35 and op-iap constructs were stably integrated into the cotton genome, expressed in the transgenic lines, and inherited through the T₃ generation. The transgenic lines had significantly increased tolerance to verticillium wilt throughout the developmental stages. The disease index of T₁–T₃ generation was lower than 19, significantly (P<0.05) better than the negative control line z99668. After treatment with 250 mg/L VD-toxins for 36 hours, DNA from negative control leaves was fragmented, whereas fragmentation in the transgenic leaf DNA did not occur. The percentage of cell death in transgenic lines increased by 7.11% after 60 mg/L VD-toxin treatment, which was less than that of the negative control lines''s 21.27%. This indicates that p35 and op-iap gene expression partially protects cells from VD-toxin induced programmed cell death (PCD).

Conclusion/Significance

Verticillium dahliae can trigger plant cells to die through induction of a PCD mechanism involved in pathogenesis. This paper provides a potential strategy for engineering broad-spectrum necrotrophic disease resistance in plants.     

亨利兜兰的离体快速繁殖

1植物名称 亨利兜兰（Paphiopedilum henryanum Bream）。 2材料类别 种子。 3培养条件 种子萌发和原球茎分化培养基：（1）1/2MS;（2）1/2MS＋1g·L-1活性炭;（3）1/2MS＋1g·L-1活性炭＋100mL·L-1椰子乳;     

陕南早寒武世ANABARITES壳体内部结构及亲缘关系探讨

陕南灯影组宽川铺段的小壳化石具完好的三维保存方式。Anabarites是三辐射对称、单管底栖群居生物,亲缘关系不明。作者通过对陕南宁强下寒武统宽川铺段进行数次系统采样,经过对样品的醋酸溶蚀处理和电子扫描电镜照像后,发现Anabarites壳体内部具螺旋状微结构;经测试分析后认为该结构可能与中槽的深浅成正相关,两者的形成可能与微环境中水体的变化有关。探讨其可能的亲缘关系及其演化序列。     

表面活性剂CHAPS对紫膜脂双层微环境的作用

利用顺磁性自旋标记技术,探测在表面活性剂ＣＨＡＰＳ（３－〔（３－Ｃｈｏｌａｍｉｄｏｐｒｏｐｙｌ）ｄｉｍｅｔｈｙｌ－ａｍｍｏｎｉｏ〕ｐｒｏｐａｎｅｓｕｌｆｏｎｉｃ ａｃｉｄ）作用下,紫膜脂双层微环境的物理参数（序参数Ｓ和旋转相关不同。表层序参数Ｓ值随ＣＨＡＰＳ浓度的增加而逐渐减小;深层旋转相关时间τｃ值开始随ＣＨＡＰＳ浓度的增加而增大,在ＣＨＡＰＳ浓度为５ｍｍｏｌ／Ｌ时,τｃ值呈现最大值,随着ＣＨＡ     

转基因在玉米中的遗传分离与整合特性的研究

用ＰＣＲ和ＤＮＡ分子杂交方法研究了转基因Ｂｔ在３种不同方法获得的８个转化体后代中的遗传分离、整合性质及其稳定性,结果表明：（１）转基因在大多数转化体后中呈简单的孟德尔遗传;在Ｒ１至Ｒ２代,部分家系中转化体比例偏低,有的发生转基因丢失,但到Ｒ３代以后均趋于正常的孟德尔遗传方式,在群体中固定下来;（２）转基因在不同转化体中的整合类型有一定差异,但整合的位点和拷贝数都较少,且多呈串联或紧密连锁的整合;（     

谷胱甘肽的测定方法进展

谷胱甘肽参与动植物体内的各种代谢活动,起着重要的作用。谷胱甘肽的测定方法有多种,如碘量法、纸层析法、高效液相色谱法等,但目前为止还没有一种快速、简便、准确、经济的方法。本文就谷胱甘肽的测定方法进展进行了简要概述。     

流式细胞术在水体微型生物研究中的应用

综述了流式细胞术（flow cytometry)在水体微型生物研究中的应用。包括微型生物的识别、记数和生物量研究,微型生物的细胞周期分析以及生态与生理学研究。讨论了FCM在淡水微型生物和环境生物学中的应用。FCM技术与食品的改进将促进水体微型生物的研究,从而有助于对水生生态系统的深入认识。     

Dichotomous effects of IFN-γ on dendritic cell function determine the extent of IL-12-driven antitumor T cell immunity

Sustained intratumoral delivery of IL-12 and GM-CSF can overcome tumor immune suppression and promote T cell-dependent eradication of established disease in murine tumor models. However, the antitumor effector response is transient and rapidly followed by a T suppressor cell rebound. The mechanisms that control the switch from an effector to a regulatory response in this model have not been defined. Because dendritic cells (DC) can mediate both effector and suppressor T cell priming, DC activity was monitored in the tumors and the tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) of IL-12/GM-CSF-treated mice. The studies demonstrated that therapy promoted the recruitment of immunogenic DC (iDC) to tumors with subsequent migration to the TDLN within 24-48 h of treatment. Longer-term monitoring revealed that iDC converted to an IDO-positive tolerogenic phenotype in the TDLN between days 2 and 7. Specifically, day 7 DC lost the ability to prime CD8(+) T cells but preferentially induced CD4(+)Foxp3(+) T cells. The functional switch was reversible, as inhibition of IDO with 1-methyl tryptophan restored immunogenic function to tolerogenic DC. All posttherapy immunological activity was strictly associated with conventional myeloid DC, and no functional changes were observed in the plasmacytoid DC subset throughout treatment. Importantly, the initial recruitment and activation of iDC as well as the subsequent switch to tolerogenic activity were both driven by IFN-γ, revealing the dichotomous role of this cytokine in regulating IL-12-mediated antitumor T cell immunity.