Expression of some salt tolerance genes isolated from Egyptian gray mangrove (Avicennia marina)

Mangroves are well-adapted halophytes that thrive in coastal saline environments. They live under difficult environmental conditions, such as high light intensity and external salt concentrations, as well as low-oxygen environments, such as water-logged muck, that are typically inappropriate for the survival of other plants. Salinity is a major abiotic factor that affects plant growth, productivity, and dispersal in tropical and semitropical intertidal areas. Furthermore, it affects approximately 20% of all cultivable land and 50% of all irrigated land on the planet. Mangroves have developed a sophisticated salt filtration mechanism and a complicated root structure to withstand salty water exposure and tidal movement. The expression patterns of five salt tolerance genes (amFer1, amDhna, amSod1, amCat1, and amUbc2) in the Egyptian gray mangrove (Avicennia marina Forssk.) grown under different environmental conditions in South Sinai protectorates (Nabq, Ras Mohamed, Safaga, and Wadi El-Gemal), Egypt, were investigated in this study. This study aimed to assess and examine the genetic behavior of mangroves in response to salinity by using quantitative real-time PCR. Findings revealed differences in the expression patterns of the investigated genes under various conditions, showing that salinity influences plant genetic response. Ferritin gene expression was high in all locations, indicating that ferritin represents an essential component of the mangrove response mechanisms.

Remediation of pear iron chlorosis by nanocellulose-iron chelation and mechanisms

Background: Nanocrystal cellulose has a strong ability to chelate iron and the nanocomposite possesses strong adsorptive property. Iron deficiency chlorosis (IDC) is a mineral disorder that weakens pear photosynthesis and cause a significant decline in plant yield and quality. Conventional methods to control IDC are generally due to low efficiency and overuse of chemicals. The purpose of this study was to explore the capability of nanocellulose (NC)-Fe chelate to remediate pear IDC. Acidic hydrolyzed NCs were chelated with Fe (NCFe) based on the net charge density of the components. Foliar application of NCFe was employed to pre-etiolated seedlings of Pyrus betulifolia as a plant material. The ability of NCFe to promote active iron content (CFe), photosynthesis rate, and relative gene expression was studied. Results: Nanocrystal cellulose prepared by acidic hydrolysis exhibit rod-like whiskers carrying on negative charges. When NCs were mixed with FeSO4, the NCFe particles maintained a small, whisker-like morphology with small dots (Fe) on the surface of the NC particles. The Z-average hydrodynamic diameter and zeta potential of the NC whiskers measured by DLS were 84.3 ± 0.2 nm and -47.3 ± 1.7 mV, respectively. The particle size and zeta potential of NCFe were 107.4±3.0 nm and -9.7±0.4 mV, respectively. The results showed that NCFe could significantly mitigate IDC in seedlings by increasing CFe, photosynthesis parameters, major physiological indicators, and regulating the expression of key enzymes. When NCFe was prepared at a NC-to-Fe charge density ratio of 1:3,000, CFe and chlorophyll contents were enhanced by approximately 9 times and 72.7%, respectively; the major physiological indicators were all significantly increased. Interestingly, NCFe treatment significantly downregulated the expression of the pectin methylesterase gene (PbPME) and upregulated the expression of the ferritin gene (PbFER) to increase CFe.Conclusion: NCs have strong potential to promote plant photosynthesis when chelated with Fe. The remediation capability of NCFe to IDC is attributed to the enhancement of photosynthesis parameters and indicators. NCFe treatment significantly downregulated the expression of the PME gene (PbPME) and upregulated the expression of the ferritin gene (PbFER) to increase the active iron content. This finding will provide a good alternative and a complementary strategy for Fe-chelate applications in plant iron chlorosis management.

Mitochondrial Ferritin: Its Role in Physiological and Pathological Conditions

In 2001, a new type of human ferritin was identified by searching for homologous sequences to H-ferritin in the human genome. After the demonstration that this ferritin is located specifically in the mitochondrion, it was called mitochondrial ferritin. Studies on the properties of this new type of ferritin have been limited by its very high homology with the cytosolic H-ferritin, which is expressed at higher levels in cells. This great similarity made it difficult to obtain specific antibodies against the mitochondrial ferritin devoid of cross-reactivity with cytosolic ferritin. Thus, the knowledge of the physiological role of mitochondrial ferritin is still incomplete despite 20 years of research. In this review, we summarize the literature on mitochondrial ferritin expression regulation and its physical and biochemical properties, with particular attention paid to the differences with cytosolic ferritin and its role in physiological condition. Until now, there has been no evidence that the alteration of the mitochondrial ferritin gene is causative of any disorder; however, the identified association of the mitochondrial ferritin with some disorders is discussed.

Sialic acid-engineered mesoporous polydopamine dual loaded with ferritin gene and SPIO for achieving endogenous and exogenous synergistic T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of HCC

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most effective imaging methods for the early diagnosis of HCC. However, the current MR contrast agents are still facing challenges in the early diagnosis of HCC due to their relatively low sensitivity and biosafety. Thus, the development of effective MR agents is highly needed for the early diagnosis of HCC. Results Herein, we fabricated an HCC-targeted nanocomplexes containing SPIO-loaded mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA@SPIO), sialic acid (SA)-modified polyethyleneimine (SA-PEI), and alpha-fetoprotein regulated ferritin gene (AFP-Fth) which was developed for the early diagnosis of HCC. It was found that the prepared nanocomplexes (MPDA@SPIO/SA-PEI/AFP-Fth) has an excellent biocompatibility towards the liver cells. In vivo and in vivo studies revealed that the transfection of AFP-Fth gene in hepatic cells significantly upregulated the expression level of ferritin, thereby resulting in an enhanced contrast on T2-weighted images via the formed endogenous MR contrast. Conclusions The results suggested that MPDA@SPIO/SA-PEI/AFP-Fth had a superior ability to enhance the MR contrast of T2-weighted images of tumor region than the other preparations, which was due to its HCC-targeted ability and the combined T2 contrast effect of endogenous ferritin and exogenous SPIO. Our study proved that MPDA@SPIO/SA-PEI/AFP-Fth nanocomplexes could be used as an effective MR contrast agent to detect HCC in the early stage.

FTH1 Pseudogenes in Cancer and Cell Metabolism

Ferritin, the principal intracellular iron-storage protein localized in the cytoplasm, nucleus, and mitochondria, plays a major role in iron metabolism. The encoding ferritin genes are members of a multigene family that includes some pseudogenes. Even though pseudogenes have been initially considered as relics of ancient genes or junk DNA devoid of function, their role in controlling gene expression in normal and transformed cells has recently been re-evaluated. Numerous studies have revealed that some pseudogenes compete with their parental gene for binding to the microRNAs (miRNAs), while others generate small interference RNAs (siRNAs) to decrease functional gene expression, and still others encode functional mutated proteins. Consequently, pseudogenes can be considered as actual master regulators of numerous biological processes. Here, we provide a detailed classification and description of the structural features of the ferritin pseudogenes known to date and review the recent evidence on their mutual interrelation within the complex regulatory network of the ferritin gene family.