scholarly journals Pinus massoniana Introgression Hybrids Display Differential Expression of Reproductive Genes

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiaxing Mo ◽  
Jin Xu ◽  
Yuting Cao ◽  
Liwei Yang ◽  
Tongming Yin ◽  
...  

Pinus massoniana and P. hwangshanensis are two conifer species located in southern China, which are of both economic and ornamental value. Around the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, P. massoniana occurs mainly at altitudes below 700 m, while P. hwangshanensis can be found above 900 m. At altitudes where the distribution of both pines overlaps, a natural introgression hybrid exists, which we will further refer to as the Z pine. This pine has a morphological character that shares attributes of both P. massoniana and P. hwangshanensis. However, compared to the other two pines, its reproductive structure, the pinecone, has an ultra-low ripening rate with seeds that germinate poorly. In this study, we aimed to find the reason for the impaired cone maturation by comparing transcriptome libraries of P. massoniana and Z pine cones at seven successive growth stages. After sequencing and assembly, we obtained unigenes and then annotated them against NCBI’s non-redundant nucleotide and protein sequences, Swiss-Prot, Clusters of Orthologous Groups, Gene Ontology and KEGG Orthology databases. Gene expression levels were estimated and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the two pines were mined and analyzed. We found that several of them indeed relate to reproductive process. At every growth stage, these genes are expressed at a higher level in P. massoniana than in the Z pine. These data provide insight into understanding which molecular mechanisms are altered between P. massoniana and the Z pine that might cause changes in the reproductive process.

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 766
Author(s):  
Junjie Yang ◽  
Zhenhao Guo ◽  
Yingting Zhang ◽  
Jiaxing Mo ◽  
Jiebing Cui ◽  
...  

Cryptomeria fortunei Hooibrenk (Chinese cedar) is a coniferous tree from southern China that has an important function in landscaping and timber production. Lignin is one of the key components of secondary cell walls, which have a crucial role in conducting water and providing mechanical support for the upward growth of plants. It is mainly biosynthesized via the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway, of which the molecular mechanism remains so far unresolved in C. fortunei. In order to obtain further insight into this pathway, we performed transcriptome sequencing of the C. fortunei cambial zone at 5 successive growth stages. We generated 78,673 unigenes from transcriptome data, of which 45,214 (57.47%) were successfully annotated in the non-redundant protein database (NR). A total of 8975 unigenes were identified to be significantly differentially expressed between Sample_B and Sample_A after analyzing their expression profiles. Of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), 6817 (75.96%) and 2158 (24.04%) were up- and down-regulated, respectively. 83 DEGs were involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism, 37 DEGs that encoded v-Myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) transcription factor (TF), and many candidates that encoded lignin synthesizing enzymes. These findings contribute to understanding the expression pattern of C. fortunei cambial zone transcriptome. Furthermore, our results provide additional insight towards understanding the molecular mechanisms of wood formation in C. fortunei.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 795
Author(s):  
Lukas Gorecki ◽  
Martin Andrs ◽  
Jan Korabecny

Selective killing of cancer cells while sparing healthy ones is the principle of the perfect cancer treatment and the primary aim of many oncologists, molecular biologists, and medicinal chemists. To achieve this goal, it is crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms that distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones. Accordingly, several clinical candidates that use particular mutations in cell-cycle progressions have been developed to kill cancer cells. As the majority of cancer cells have defects in G1 control, targeting the subsequent intra‑S or G2/M checkpoints has also been extensively pursued. This review focuses on clinical candidates that target the kinases involved in intra‑S and G2/M checkpoints, namely, ATR, CHK1, and WEE1 inhibitors. It provides insight into their current status and future perspectives for anticancer treatment. Overall, even though CHK1 inhibitors are still far from clinical establishment, promising accomplishments with ATR and WEE1 inhibitors in phase II trials present a positive outlook for patient survival.


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1150
Author(s):  
Jana Tomc ◽  
Nataša Debeljak

Patients with idiopathic erythrocytosis are directed to targeted genetic testing including nine genes involved in oxygen sensing pathway in kidneys, erythropoietin signal transduction in pre-erythrocytes and hemoglobin-oxygen affinity regulation in mature erythrocytes. However, in more than 60% of cases the genetic cause remains undiagnosed, suggesting that other genes and mechanisms must be involved in the disease development. This review aims to explore additional molecular mechanisms in recognized erythrocytosis pathways and propose new pathways associated with this rare hematological disorder. For this purpose, a comprehensive review of the literature was performed and different in silico tools were used. We identified genes involved in several mechanisms and molecular pathways, including mRNA transcriptional regulation, post-translational modifications, membrane transport, regulation of signal transduction, glucose metabolism and iron homeostasis, which have the potential to influence the main erythrocytosis-associated pathways. We provide valuable theoretical information for deeper insight into possible mechanisms of disease development. This information can be also helpful to improve the current diagnostic solutions for patients with idiopathic erythrocytosis.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 332
Author(s):  
Min Li ◽  
Haoyun Wang ◽  
Xizhou Zhao ◽  
Zhongke Lu ◽  
Xueguang Sun ◽  
...  

Masson pine is an important afforestation species in southern China, where seasonal drought is common. The present study focused on the effects of Suillus placidus, an ectomycorrhizal fungus, inoculation on the growth and physiological and biochemical performance of masson pine seedlings under four different watering treatments (well-watered, mild drought, moderate drought, and severe drought) to evaluate the symbiotic relationship between S. placidus and masson pine seedlings. Ectomycorrhizal-inoculated (ECM) and non-inoculated (NM) seedlings were grown in pots and maintained for 60 days using the weighing method. Results showed that seedlings’ growth, dry weight, RWC, chlorophyll content, PSII efficiency, and photosynthesis decreased as drought stress intensified in both ECM and NM plants. This suggests that drought stress significantly limits the growth and photosynthetic performance of masson pine seedlings. Nevertheless, increased An/gs and proline contents in both NM and ECM prevented oxidative damage caused by drought stress. In addition, increased peroxidase (POD) activity is an essential defense mechanism of ECM seedling under drought stress. Compared with NM, ECM seedlings showed faster growth, higher RWC, and photosynthetic performance, and lower lipid peroxidation in cell membranes under drought stress, as indicated by higher POD activity and lower proline and malondialdehyde (MDA). Our experiment found that S. placidus inoculation can enhance the drought resistance of masson pine seedlings by increasing antioxidant enzyme activity, water use efficiency, and proline content, thereby enhancing growth under water-deficiency conditions. S. placidus can be used to cultivate high-quality seedlings and improve their survival in regions that experience seasonal droughts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4209
Author(s):  
Karolina Kot ◽  
Natalia Łanocha-Arendarczyk ◽  
Michał Ptak ◽  
Aleksandra Łanocha ◽  
Elżbieta Kalisińska ◽  
...  

Leishmaniasis, malaria, toxoplasmosis, and acanthamoebiasis are protozoan parasitic infections. They remain important contributors to the development of kidney disease, which is associated with increased patients’ morbidity and mortality. Kidney injury mechanisms are not fully understood in protozoan parasitic diseases, bringing major difficulties to specific therapeutic interventions. The aim of this review is to present the biochemical and molecular mechanisms in kidneys infected with Leishmania spp., Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Acanthamoeba spp. We present available mechanisms of an immune response, oxidative stress, apoptosis process, hypoxia, biomarkers of renal injury in the serum or urine, and the histopathological changes of kidneys infected with the selected parasites. Pathomechanisms of Leishmania spp. and Plasmodium spp. infections have been deeply investigated, while Toxoplasma gondii and Acanthamoeba spp. infections in the kidneys are not well known yet. Deeper knowledge of kidney involvement in leishmaniasis and malaria by presenting their mechanisms provides insight into how to create novel and effective treatments. Additionally, the presented work shows gaps in the pathophysiology of renal toxoplasmosis and acanthamoebiasis, which need further research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuo Yang ◽  
Jian-Ping An ◽  
Chong-Yang Li ◽  
Xue-Na Shen ◽  
Ya-Jing Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractJasmonic acid (JA) plays an important role in regulating leaf senescence. However, the molecular mechanisms of leaf senescence in apple (Malus domestica) remain elusive. In this study, we found that MdZAT10, a C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factor (TF) in apple, markedly accelerates leaf senescence and increases the expression of senescence-related genes. To explore how MdZAT10 promotes leaf senescence, we carried out liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry screening. We found that MdABI5 physically interacts with MdZAT10. MdABI5, an important positive regulator of leaf senescence, significantly accelerated leaf senescence in apple. MdZAT10 was found to enhance the transcriptional activity of MdABI5 for MdNYC1 and MdNYE1, thus accelerating leaf senescence. In addition, we found that MdZAT10 expression was induced by methyl jasmonate (MeJA), which accelerated JA-induced leaf senescence. We also found that the JA-responsive protein MdBT2 directly interacts with MdZAT10 and reduces its protein stability through ubiquitination and degradation, thereby delaying MdZAT10-mediated leaf senescence. Taken together, our results provide new insight into the mechanisms by which MdZAT10 positively regulates JA-induced leaf senescence in apple.


Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 43
Author(s):  
Marco Mangiagalli ◽  
Marina Lotti

β-galactosidases (EC 3.2.1.23) catalyze the hydrolysis of β-galactosidic bonds in oligosaccharides and, under certain conditions, transfer a sugar moiety from a glycosyl donor to an acceptor. Cold-active β-galactosidases are identified in microorganisms endemic to permanently low-temperature environments. While mesophilic β-galactosidases are broadly studied and employed for biotechnological purposes, the cold-active enzymes are still scarcely explored, although they may prove very useful in biotechnological processes at low temperature. This review covers several issues related to cold-active β-galactosidases, including their classification, structure and molecular mechanisms of cold adaptation. Moreover, their applications are discussed, focusing on the production of lactose-free dairy products as well as on the valorization of cheese whey and the synthesis of glycosyl building blocks for the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6644
Author(s):  
Xupeng Zang ◽  
Ting Gu ◽  
Wenjing Wang ◽  
Chen Zhou ◽  
Yue Ding ◽  
...  

Due to the high rate of spontaneous abortion (SAB) in porcine pregnancy, there is a major interest and concern on commercial pig farming worldwide. Whereas the perturbed immune response at the maternal–fetal interface is an important mechanism associated with the spontaneous embryo loss in the early stages of implantation in porcine, data on the specific regulatory mechanism of the SAB at the end stage of the implantation remains scant. Therefore, we used high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics tools to analyze the healthy and arresting endometrium on day 28 of pregnancy. We identified 639 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) and 2357 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at the end stage of implantation, and qRT-PCR was used to verify the sequencing data. Gene set variation analysis (GSVA), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and immunohistochemistry analysis demonstrated weaker immune response activities in the arresting endometrium compared to the healthy one. Using the lasso regression analysis, we screened the DELs and constructed an immunological competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network related to SAB, including 4 lncRNAs, 11 miRNAs, and 13 genes. In addition, Blast analysis showed the applicability of the constructed ceRNA network in different species, and subsequently determined HOXA-AS2 in pigs. Our study, for the first time, demonstrated that the SAB events at the end stages of implantation is associated with the regulation of immunobiological processes, and a specific molecular regulatory network was obtained. These novel findings may provide new insight into the possibility of increasing the litter size of sows, making pig breeding better and thus improving the efficiency of animal husbandry production.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Carvalho ◽  
B.A. Garner ◽  
T. Dew ◽  
H. Fazakerley ◽  
C.M. Pariante

1995 ◽  
Vol 347 (1319) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  

Over the past three or four years, great strides have been made in our understanding of the proteins involved in recombination and the mechanisms by which recombinant molecules are formed. This review summarizes our current understanding of the process by focusing on recent studies of proteins involved in the later steps of recombination in bacteria. In particular, biochemical investigation of the in vitro properties of the E. coli RuvA, RuvB and RuvC proteins have provided our first insight into the novel molecular mechanisms by which Holliday junctions are moved along DNA and then resolved by endonucleolytic cleavage.


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