Soil management legacy alters weed-crop competition through biotic and abiotic pathways

Plant and Soil - Agricultural practices often have persistent effects on soil physicochemical properties and soil biota, which can feedback to influence plant performance. We investigated...     

The Stress Hormone Corticosterone Increases Synaptic ��-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid (AMPA) Receptors via Serum- and Glucocorticoid-inducible Kinase (SGK) Regulation of the GDI-Rab4 Complex

Corticosterone, the major stress hormone, plays an important role in regulating neuronal functions of the limbic system, although the cellular targets and molecular mechanisms of corticosteroid signaling are largely unknown. Here we show that a short treatment of corticosterone significantly increases α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR)-mediated synaptic transmission and AMPAR membrane trafficking in pyramidal neurons of prefrontal cortex, a key region involved in cognition and emotion. This enhancing effect of corticosterone is through a mechanism dependent on Rab4, the small GTPase-controlling receptor recycling between early endosome and plasma membrane. Guanosine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI), which regulates the cycle of Rab proteins between membrane and cytosol, forms an increased complex with Rab4 after corticosterone treatment. Corticosterone also triggers an increased GDI phosphorylation at Ser-213 by the serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase (SGK). Moreover, AMPAR synaptic currents and surface expression and their regulation by corticosterone are altered by mutating Ser-213 on GDI. These results suggest that corticosterone, via SGK phosphorylation of GDI at Ser-213, increases the formation of GDI-Rab4 complex, facilitating the functional cycle of Rab4 and Rab4-mediated recycling of AMPARs to the synaptic membrane. It provides a potential mechanism underlying the role of corticosteroid stress hormone in up-regulating excitatory synaptic efficacy in cortical neurons.     

DIA-Based Proteomics Identifies IDH2 as a Targetable Regulator of Acquired Drug Resistance in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Drug resistance is a critical obstacle to effective treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. To understand the underlying resistance mechanisms in response to imatinib mesylate (IMA) and adriamycin (ADR), the parental K562 cells were treated with low doses of IMA or ADR for 2 months to generate derivative cells with mild, intermediate, and severe resistance to the drugs as defined by their increasing resistance index. PulseDIA-based (DIA [data-independent acquisition]) quantitative proteomics was then employed to reveal the proteome changes in these resistant cells. In total, 7082 proteins from 98,232 peptides were identified and quantified from the dataset using four DIA software tools including OpenSWATH, Spectronaut, DIA-NN, and EncyclopeDIA. Sirtuin signaling pathway was found to be significantly enriched in both ADR-resistant and IMA-resistant K562 cells. In particular, isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 was identified as a potential drug target correlated with the drug resistance phenotype, and its inhibition by the antagonist AGI-6780 reversed the acquired resistance in K562 cells to either ADR or IMA. Together, our study has implicated isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP(+)) 2 as a potential target that can be therapeutically leveraged to alleviate the drug resistance in K562 cells when treated with IMA and ADR.     

Aurin tricarboxylic acid, the anti-AIDS compound, prevents the binding of interferon-alpha to its receptor

Binding of HIV to its receptor, the CD4 molecule of lymphocytes, can be prevented by chemical agents. These agents could be considered as potential anti-AIDS drugs. We have shown that aurin tricarboxylic acid (ATA, 3 microM) specifically blocks the binding of gp120, the HIV coat protein, to the CD4 molecule. We have also found that ATA prevents the binding of interferon-alpha to its receptor in a dose-dependent manner (12-50 microM range). Membrane potential shift, associated with binding of interferon-alpha to its receptor, was also blocked by ATA in a dose-dependent fashion. Our results indicate that potential anti-AIDS drugs should be screened for such undesired side effects.     

Genome Sequence and Comparative Genomics Analysis of a Vibrio cholerae O1 Strain Isolated from a Cholera Patient in Malaysia

The genome sequence analysis of a clinical Vibrio cholerae VC35 strain from an outbreak case in Malaysia indicates multiple genes involved in host adaptation and a novel Na⁺-driven multidrug efflux pump-coding gene in the genome of Vibrio cholerae with the highest similarity to VMA_001754 of Vibrio mimicus VMA223.     

The Treatment of Missing Values in Logistic Regression

The efficiencies of the estimators in the linear logistic regression model are examined using simulations under six missing value treatments. These treatments use either the maximum likelihood or the discriminant function approach in the estimation of the regression coefficients. Missing values are assumed to occur at random. The cases of multivariate normal and dichotomous independent variables are both considered. We found that in general, there is no uniformly best method. However, mean substitution and discriminant function estimation using existing pairs of values for correlations turn out to be favourable for the cases considered.     

Efficiency of Neopsylla abagaitui fleas as plague vectors in Transbaikalia

Experiments have shown that the block of proventriculus develops in 1.1 to 1.5% of individuals of the flea Neopsylla abagaitui infected with plague microbe. These insects transmit the agent during bloodsucking to different plague carriers (Citellus dauricus, C. undulatus, Meriones unguiculatus, Microtus gregalis). The plague microbe is preserved in fleas for 65 days (the observation period).     

Advances in the molecular biology of plant seed storage proteins

Plant seed storage proteins were among the first proteins to be isolated (20); however, only recently, as a result of using molecular biology techniques, have the amino acid sequences of many of these proteins been determined. With the accumulation of amino acid sequence data for many vicilin-type storage proteins much has been learned concerning the location of conserved amino acid regions and other regions which can tolerate amino acid sequence variation. Combining this knowledge with recent advances in plant gene transfer technologies will allow molecular biologists to correct (by using amino acid replacement mutations) the sulfur amino acid deficiency inherent to bean seed storage proteins. The development of more nutritious soybean and common bean seeds will be of benefit to programs involving human and animal nutrition.     

Transformation of Soybean (Glycine max) by Infecting Germinating Seeds with Agrobacterium tumefaciens

The transfer of genetic material into soybean tissue was accomplished by using an avirulent strain of Agrobacterium tumefaciens which contained the binary vector pGA482. The method used for transformation requires no tissue culture steps as it involves the inoculation of the plumule, cotyledonary node, and adjacent cotyledon tissues of germinating seeds. The identification of neomycin phosphotransferase (NPT) II enzyme activity in the tissues of 16 (R₀) soybean plants indicated that the plant expressible Nos-NPT II gene, contained within the T-DNA region from pGA482, had been transferred at least into somatic tissues. Putative transformed R₀ soybean plants were advanced to produce R₁ plants which were also assayed for the presence of the transferred Nos-NPT II gene. The combined results of these assays indicated that about 0.7% of the surviving inoculated seeds yielded transformed tissues in the R₀ plant, and that about 1/10 of these plants yielded transformed R₁ plants. The presence of the Nos-NPT II gene in DNAs isolated from both R₀ and R₁ plant was demonstrated by using genomic blot hybridization and polymerase chain reaction methods. Integration of this gene into the soybean genome was demonstrated for three R₁ soybean plants.     

Stimulation of progesterone and prostaglandin E2 production by lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid

The role of several lipoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid in the action of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) on ovarian hormone production was investigated. Like LHRH, treatment of rat granulosa cells with 5-HETE, 5-HPETE, 12-HETE, 15-HETE or 15-HPETE stimulated progesterone (P) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. 12-HEPE was most potent and stimulated P and PGE2 equally well. By contrast, 5-HETE stimulated P better than PGE2, while 15-HETE was a potent stimulator of PGE2 but not of P. Stimulation of P and PGE2 by LHRH or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) was further augmented by several HETEs and HPETEs. Like protein kinase C, arachidonic acid metabolites appear to mediate the multiple actions of LHRH in the ovary.