Copper- and arsenate-induced oxidative stress in Holcus lanatus L. clones with differential sensitivity

The biochemical responses of Holcus lanatus L. to copper and arsenate exposure were investigated in arsenate‐tolerant and ‐non‐tolerant plants from uncontaminated and arsenic/copper‐contaminated sites. Increases in lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and phytochelatin (PC) production were correlated with increasing copper and arsenate exposure. In addition, significant differences in biochemical responses were observed between arsenate‐tolerant and ‐non‐tolerant plants. Copper and arsenate exposure led to the production of reactive oxygen species, resulting in significant lipid peroxidation in non‐tolerant plants. However, SOD activity was suppressed upon metal exposure, possibly due to interference with metallo‐enzymes. It was concluded that in non‐tolerant plants, rapid arsenate influx resulted in PC production, glutathione depletion and lipid peroxidation. This process would also occur in tolerant plants, but by decreasing the rate of influx, they were able to maintain their constitutive functions, detoxify the metals though PC production and quench reactive oxygen species by SOD activity.     

MV-mimicking micelles loaded with PEG-serine-ACP nanoparticles to achieve biomimetic intra/extra fibrillar mineralization of collagen in vitro

Since their discovery, matrix vesicles (MVs) containing minerals have received considerable attention for their role in the mineralization of bone, dentin and calcified cartilage. Additionally, MVs' association with collagen fibrils, which serve as the scaffold for calcification in the organic matrix, has been repeatedly highlighted. The primary purpose of the present study was to establish a MVs–mimicking model (PEG-S-ACP/micelle) in vitro for studying the exact mechanism of MVs-mediated extra/intra fibrillar mineralization of collagen in vivo. In this study, high-concentration serine was used to stabilize the amorphous calcium phosphate (S-ACP), which was subsequently mixed with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form PEG-S-ACP nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were loaded in the polysorbate 80 micelle through a micelle self-assembly process in an aqueous environment. This MVs–mimicking model is referred to as the PEG-S-ACP/micelle model. By adjusting the pH and surface tension of the PEG-S-ACP/micelle, two forms of minerals (crystalline mineral nodules and ACP nanoparticles) were released to achieve the extrafibrillar and intrafibrillar mineralization, respectively. This in vitro mineralization process reproduced the mineral nodules mediating in vivo extrafibrillar mineralization and provided key insights into a possible mechanism of biomineralization by which in vivo intrafibrillar mineralization could be induced by ACP nanoparticles released from MVs. Also, the PEG-S-ACP/micelle model provides a promising methodology to prepare mineralized collagen scaffolds for repairing bone defects in bone tissue engineering.     

The prevention of dehydration injury in celery seeds by polyethylene glycol, abscisic acid, dark and high temperature

Celery seeds ( Apium graveolens L.) given a germination induction period (3 days imbibition at 17°C in the light) could be prevented from germinating by up to 14 days subsequent exposure to high temperature (32°C), polyethylene glycol (PEG), abscisic acid (ABA) or dark (22°C). When the seeds were returned to 17°C in the light, germination occurred and, except for the high temperature treatment, was more rapid compared to seeds given a germination induction period only.
Celery seeds incubated for 3 days at 17°C in the light and then air-dried at 20°C germinated slowly when re-sown at 17°C in the light, and achieved only 19% germination after 21 days. Exposing the seeds to high temperature, PEG, ABA or dark for up to 14 days before drying maintained seed viability and subsequent germination was faster. The longer treatment periods gave increased benefit, and PEG was the most effective treatment. It is suggested that the effectiveness of the treatments in inducing dehydration tolerance relates to their ability to inhibit germination possibly via their prevention of cell expansion.     

Alternative splice isoforms of small conductance calcium-activated SK2 channels differ in molecular interactions and surface levels

Small conductance Ca²⁺-sensitive potassium (SK2) channels are voltage-independent, Ca²⁺-activated ion channels that conduct potassium cations and thereby modulate the intrinsic excitability and synaptic transmission of neurons and sensory hair cells. In the cochlea, SK2 channels are functionally coupled to the highly Ca²⁺ permeant α9/10-nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at olivocochlear postsynaptic sites. SK2 activation leads to outer hair cell hyperpolarization and frequency-selective suppression of afferent sound transmission. These inhibitory responses are essential for normal regulation of sound sensitivity, frequency selectivity, and suppression of background noise. However, little is known about the molecular interactions of these key functional channels. Here we show that SK2 channels co-precipitate with α9/10-nAChRs and with the actin-binding protein α-actinin-1. SK2 alternative splicing, resulting in a 3 amino acid insertion in the intracellular 3′ terminus, modulates these interactions. Further, relative abundance of the SK2 splice variants changes during developmental stages of synapse maturation in both the avian cochlea and the mammalian forebrain. Using heterologous cell expression to separately study the 2 distinct isoforms, we show that the variants differ in protein interactions and surface expression levels, and that Ca²⁺ and Ca²⁺-bound calmodulin differentially regulate their protein interactions. Our findings suggest that the SK2 isoforms may be distinctly modulated by activity-induced Ca²⁺ influx. Alternative splicing of SK2 may serve as a novel mechanism to differentially regulate the maturation and function of olivocochlear and neuronal synapses.     

Multi-lineage Lung Regeneration by Stem Cell Transplantation across Major Genetic Barriers

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Critical Role of Lipid Scramblase TMEM16F in Phosphatidylserine Exposure and Repair of Plasma Membrane after Pore Formation

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A Putative Calcium-Permeable Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel, CNGC18, Regulates Polarized Pollen Tube Growth

A tip-focused Ca^2＋ gradient is tightly coupled to polarized pollen tube growth, and tip-localized influxes of extracellular Ca^2＋ are required for this process. However the molecular identity and regulation of the potential Ca^2＋ channels remains elusive. The present study has implicated CNGC18 （cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 18） in polarized pollen tube growth, because its overexpression induced wider and shorter pollen tubes. Moreover, CNGC18 overexpression induced depolarization of pollen tube growth was suppressed by lower extracellular calcium （[Ca^2＋]ex）. CNGC18-yellow fluorescence protein （YFP） was preferentially localized to the apparent post-Golgi vesicles and the plasma membrane （PM） in the apex of pollen tubes. The PM localization was affected by tip-localized ROP1 signaling. Expression of wild type ROP1 or an active form of ROP1 enhanced CNGC18-YFP localization to the apical region of the PM, whereas expression of RopGAP1 （a ROP1 deactivator） blocked the PM localization. These results support a role for PM-Iocalized CNGC18 in the regulation of polarized pollen tube growth through its potential function in the modulation of calcium influxes.