1 Introduction Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth.They can influence the succession of individual microbial populations,biogeochemical cycles of C/N and,ultimately,microbial community structure...1 Introduction Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth.They can influence the succession of individual microbial populations,biogeochemical cycles of C/N and,ultimately,microbial community structure through killing展开更多
Mucin genes are the main component of mucus. The sea anemone species, Aulactinia veratra (Phylum Cnidaria) contains different types of mucin genes. In the intertidal zone, A. veratra is found to be exposed to air duri...Mucin genes are the main component of mucus. The sea anemone species, Aulactinia veratra (Phylum Cnidaria) contains different types of mucin genes. In the intertidal zone, A. veratra is found to be exposed to air during the low tide and produces large quantities of mucus as an external covering. The relation between low tide and mucus secretion is still unclear, and what is the role of mucin during arial exposure is not yet investigated. This study hypothesised that the mucin genes in A. veratra would have significantly high expression in response to aerial exposure. Therefore, the aim of current study was to examine and analyses the response of A. veratra mucins in response to an experiment involving three hours of aerial exposure. To achieve this, aim the RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were used to examine the expression profile of A. veratra mucin genes in response to aerial exposure. The generated results have shown that, Mucin4-like and mucin5B-like were up-regulated in response to the three hours of aerial exposure in A. veratra. This finding shows a significant role of mucin5B-like and mucin4-like genes in response to air stress at low tide. The data generated from this study could be used in conjunction with future mucin gene studies of sea anemones and other cnidarians to compare A. veratra mucin gene expression results across time, and to extend our understanding of mucin stress response in this phylum.展开更多
Grain size and shape are important determinants of grain weight and yield in rice. Here, we report a new major quantitative trait locus （QTL）, qTGW3, that controls grain size and weight in rice. This locus, qTGW3, e...Grain size and shape are important determinants of grain weight and yield in rice. Here, we report a new major quantitative trait locus （QTL）, qTGW3, that controls grain size and weight in rice. This locus, qTGW3, encodes OsSK41 （also known as OsGSK5）, a member of the GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3/SHAGGY-like family. Rice near-isogenic lines carrying the loss-of-function allele of OsSK41 have increased grain length and weight. We demonstrate that OsSK41 interacts with and phosphorylates AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 4 （OsARF4）. Co-expression of OsSK41 with OsARF4 increases the accumulation of OsARF4 in rice protoplasts. Loss of function of OsARF4 results in larger rice grains. RNA-sequencing analysis suggests that OsARF4 and OsSK41 repress the expression of a common set of downstream genes, including some auxin-responsive genes, during rice grain development. The loss-of-function form of OsSK41 at qTGW3 represents a rare allele that has not been extensively utilized in rice breeding. Suppression of OsSK41 function by either targeted gene editing or QTL pyramiding enhances rice grain size and weight. Thus, our study reveals the important role of OsSK41 in rice grain development and provides new candidate genes for genetic improvement of grain yield in rice and perhaps in other cereal crops.展开更多
Pathogenic Escherichia coli cause chicken colibacillosis, which is economically devastating to the poultry in- dustry worldwide （Bagheri et al., 2014）. Owing to in- creasing antibiotic resistance, phage therapy reag...Pathogenic Escherichia coli cause chicken colibacillosis, which is economically devastating to the poultry in- dustry worldwide （Bagheri et al., 2014）. Owing to in- creasing antibiotic resistance, phage therapy reagents have been developed to treat bacterial infections （Xu et al., 2015）.展开更多
Primary immune thrombocytopenia(ITP)is an autoimmune hemorrhagic disorder in which macrophages play a critical role.Mammalian sterile-20-like kinase 4(MST4),a member of the germinal-center kinase STE20 family,has been...Primary immune thrombocytopenia(ITP)is an autoimmune hemorrhagic disorder in which macrophages play a critical role.Mammalian sterile-20-like kinase 4(MST4),a member of the germinal-center kinase STE20 family,has been demonstrated to be a regulator of inflammation.Whether MST4 participates in the macrophage-dependent inflammation of ITP remains elusive.The expression and function of MST4 in macrophages of ITP patients and THP-1 cells,and of a macrophage-specific Mst4−/−(Mst4ΔM/ΔM)ITP mouse model were determined.Macrophage phagocytic assays,RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)analysis,immunofluorescence analysis,coimmunoprecipitation(co-IP),mass spectrometry(MS),bioinformatics analysis,and phosphoproteomics analysis were performed to reveal the underlying mechanisms.The expression levels of the MST4 gene were elevated in the expanded M1-like macrophages of ITP patients,and this elevated expression of MST4 was restored to basal levels in patients with remission after high-dose dexamethasone treatment.The expression of the MST4 gene was significantly elevated in THP-1-derived M1 macrophages.Silencing of MST4 decreased the expression of M1 macrophage markers and cytokines,and impaired phagocytosis,which could be increased by overexpression of MST4.In a passive ITP mouse model,macrophage-specific depletion of Mst4 reduced the numbers of M1 macrophages in the spleen and peritoneal lavage fluid,attenuated the expression of M1 cytokines,and promoted the predominance of FcγRIIb in splenic macrophages,which resulted in amelioration of thrombocytopenia.Downregulation of MST4 directly inhibited STAT1 phosphorylation,which is essential for M1 polarization of macrophages.Our study elucidates a critical role for MST4 kinase in the pathology of ITP and identifies MST4 kinase as a potential therapeutic target for refractory ITP.展开更多
The increasing emergence of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli(E.coli)has become a global concern,primarily due to the limitation of antimicrobial treatment options.Phage therapy has been considered as a promising ...The increasing emergence of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli(E.coli)has become a global concern,primarily due to the limitation of antimicrobial treatment options.Phage therapy has been considered as a promising alternative for treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant E.coli.However,the application of phages as a promising antimicrobial agent is limited by their narrow host range and specificity.In this research,a recombinant T4-like phage,named WGqlae,has been obtained by changing the receptor specificity determinant region of gene 37,using a homologous recombination platform of T4-like phages established by our laboratory previously.The engineered phage WGqlae can lyse four additional hosts,comparing to its parental phages WG01 and QL01.WGqlae showed similar characteristics,including thermo and pH stability,optimal multiplicity of infection and one-step growth curve,to the donor phage QL01.In addition,sequencing results showed that gene 37 of recombinant phage WGqlae had genetically stable even after 20 generations.In planktonic test,phage WGqlae had significant antimicrobial effects on E.coli DE192 and DE205 B.The optical density at 600 nm(OD600)of E.coli in phage WGqlae treating group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P\0.01).Besides,phage WGqlae demonstrated an obvious inhibitory effect on the biofilm formation and the clearance of mature biofilms.Our study suggested that engineered phages may be promising candidates for future phage therapy applications against pathogenic E.coli in planktonic and biofilm forms.展开更多
Most E26 transformation-specific （ETS） transcription factors are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer. This is in part due to the roles of ETS transcription factors in basic biological processes su...Most E26 transformation-specific （ETS） transcription factors are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer. This is in part due to the roles of ETS transcription factors in basic biological processes such as growth, proliferation, and differentiation, and also because of their regulatory functions that have physiological relevance in tumorigenesis, immunity, and basal cellular homoeostasis. A member of the E74-1ike factor （ELF） subfamily of the ETS transcription factor family--myeloid elf-l-Uke factor （MEF）, designated as ELF4~has been shown to be critically involved in immune response and signalling, osteogenesis, adipo- genesis, cancer, and stem cell quiescence. ELF4 carries out these functions as a transcriptional activator or through interactions with its partner proteins. Mutations in ELF4 cause aberrant interactions and induce downstream processes that may lead to dis- eased cells. Knowing how ELF4 impinges on certain cellular processes and how it is regulated in the cells can lead to a better understanding of the physiological and pathological consequences of modulated ELF4 activity.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41002123 & 41030211)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2011CB808800)+1 种基金State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (No. GBL11201)the Fundamental Research Funds for National University, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)
文摘1 Introduction Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth.They can influence the succession of individual microbial populations,biogeochemical cycles of C/N and,ultimately,microbial community structure through killing
文摘Mucin genes are the main component of mucus. The sea anemone species, Aulactinia veratra (Phylum Cnidaria) contains different types of mucin genes. In the intertidal zone, A. veratra is found to be exposed to air during the low tide and produces large quantities of mucus as an external covering. The relation between low tide and mucus secretion is still unclear, and what is the role of mucin during arial exposure is not yet investigated. This study hypothesised that the mucin genes in A. veratra would have significantly high expression in response to aerial exposure. Therefore, the aim of current study was to examine and analyses the response of A. veratra mucins in response to an experiment involving three hours of aerial exposure. To achieve this, aim the RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were used to examine the expression profile of A. veratra mucin genes in response to aerial exposure. The generated results have shown that, Mucin4-like and mucin5B-like were up-regulated in response to the three hours of aerial exposure in A. veratra. This finding shows a significant role of mucin5B-like and mucin4-like genes in response to air stress at low tide. The data generated from this study could be used in conjunction with future mucin gene studies of sea anemones and other cnidarians to compare A. veratra mucin gene expression results across time, and to extend our understanding of mucin stress response in this phylum.
基金This work was financially supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China （2016YFD0100902）, the National Natural Science Foundation of China （numbers 31400223, 31471461, and 31625004）, the Basic Research Program from the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission （14JC1400800）, the Basic Application Research Program from the Shanghai Municipal Agriculture Commission （2014-7-1-2）, and the Agricultural Seed Project of Shandong Province.
文摘Grain size and shape are important determinants of grain weight and yield in rice. Here, we report a new major quantitative trait locus （QTL）, qTGW3, that controls grain size and weight in rice. This locus, qTGW3, encodes OsSK41 （also known as OsGSK5）, a member of the GLYCOGEN SYNTHASE KINASE 3/SHAGGY-like family. Rice near-isogenic lines carrying the loss-of-function allele of OsSK41 have increased grain length and weight. We demonstrate that OsSK41 interacts with and phosphorylates AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 4 （OsARF4）. Co-expression of OsSK41 with OsARF4 increases the accumulation of OsARF4 in rice protoplasts. Loss of function of OsARF4 results in larger rice grains. RNA-sequencing analysis suggests that OsARF4 and OsSK41 repress the expression of a common set of downstream genes, including some auxin-responsive genes, during rice grain development. The loss-of-function form of OsSK41 at qTGW3 represents a rare allele that has not been extensively utilized in rice breeding. Suppression of OsSK41 function by either targeted gene editing or QTL pyramiding enhances rice grain size and weight. Thus, our study reveals the important role of OsSK41 in rice grain development and provides new candidate genes for genetic improvement of grain yield in rice and perhaps in other cereal crops.
基金supported by grants from the Nature Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (grant nos.ZR2013CQ024 and ZR2015CM020)
文摘Pathogenic Escherichia coli cause chicken colibacillosis, which is economically devastating to the poultry in- dustry worldwide （Bagheri et al., 2014）. Owing to in- creasing antibiotic resistance, phage therapy reagents have been developed to treat bacterial infections （Xu et al., 2015）.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82370130,81870098,82300146)the Program of the Shanghai Academic/Technology Researcher Leader(20XD1401000)+2 种基金the Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Tumor Multi-Target Gene Diagnosis(20DZ2254300)the Key Subject Construction Program of the Shanghai Health Administrative Authority(ZK2019B30)the Science and Technology Commission of the Shanghai Municipality(21ZR1459000).
文摘Primary immune thrombocytopenia(ITP)is an autoimmune hemorrhagic disorder in which macrophages play a critical role.Mammalian sterile-20-like kinase 4(MST4),a member of the germinal-center kinase STE20 family,has been demonstrated to be a regulator of inflammation.Whether MST4 participates in the macrophage-dependent inflammation of ITP remains elusive.The expression and function of MST4 in macrophages of ITP patients and THP-1 cells,and of a macrophage-specific Mst4−/−(Mst4ΔM/ΔM)ITP mouse model were determined.Macrophage phagocytic assays,RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)analysis,immunofluorescence analysis,coimmunoprecipitation(co-IP),mass spectrometry(MS),bioinformatics analysis,and phosphoproteomics analysis were performed to reveal the underlying mechanisms.The expression levels of the MST4 gene were elevated in the expanded M1-like macrophages of ITP patients,and this elevated expression of MST4 was restored to basal levels in patients with remission after high-dose dexamethasone treatment.The expression of the MST4 gene was significantly elevated in THP-1-derived M1 macrophages.Silencing of MST4 decreased the expression of M1 macrophage markers and cytokines,and impaired phagocytosis,which could be increased by overexpression of MST4.In a passive ITP mouse model,macrophage-specific depletion of Mst4 reduced the numbers of M1 macrophages in the spleen and peritoneal lavage fluid,attenuated the expression of M1 cytokines,and promoted the predominance of FcγRIIb in splenic macrophages,which resulted in amelioration of thrombocytopenia.Downregulation of MST4 directly inhibited STAT1 phosphorylation,which is essential for M1 polarization of macrophages.Our study elucidates a critical role for MST4 kinase in the pathology of ITP and identifies MST4 kinase as a potential therapeutic target for refractory ITP.
基金supported by Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(U1803109)Key research and development plan of Jiangsu province(BE2019304)+2 种基金National Key R&D Program of China(2018YFC1602500)the Central University Basic Scientific Research Fund-Animal pathogenic bacteria(KYZ201846)Jiangsu modern agriculture(waterfowl)industrial technology system disease prevention and control innovation team(JATS[2018]222)
文摘The increasing emergence of multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli(E.coli)has become a global concern,primarily due to the limitation of antimicrobial treatment options.Phage therapy has been considered as a promising alternative for treating infections caused by multi-drug resistant E.coli.However,the application of phages as a promising antimicrobial agent is limited by their narrow host range and specificity.In this research,a recombinant T4-like phage,named WGqlae,has been obtained by changing the receptor specificity determinant region of gene 37,using a homologous recombination platform of T4-like phages established by our laboratory previously.The engineered phage WGqlae can lyse four additional hosts,comparing to its parental phages WG01 and QL01.WGqlae showed similar characteristics,including thermo and pH stability,optimal multiplicity of infection and one-step growth curve,to the donor phage QL01.In addition,sequencing results showed that gene 37 of recombinant phage WGqlae had genetically stable even after 20 generations.In planktonic test,phage WGqlae had significant antimicrobial effects on E.coli DE192 and DE205 B.The optical density at 600 nm(OD600)of E.coli in phage WGqlae treating group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P\0.01).Besides,phage WGqlae demonstrated an obvious inhibitory effect on the biofilm formation and the clearance of mature biofilms.Our study suggested that engineered phages may be promising candidates for future phage therapy applications against pathogenic E.coli in planktonic and biofilm forms.
文摘Most E26 transformation-specific （ETS） transcription factors are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of cancer. This is in part due to the roles of ETS transcription factors in basic biological processes such as growth, proliferation, and differentiation, and also because of their regulatory functions that have physiological relevance in tumorigenesis, immunity, and basal cellular homoeostasis. A member of the E74-1ike factor （ELF） subfamily of the ETS transcription factor family--myeloid elf-l-Uke factor （MEF）, designated as ELF4~has been shown to be critically involved in immune response and signalling, osteogenesis, adipo- genesis, cancer, and stem cell quiescence. ELF4 carries out these functions as a transcriptional activator or through interactions with its partner proteins. Mutations in ELF4 cause aberrant interactions and induce downstream processes that may lead to dis- eased cells. Knowing how ELF4 impinges on certain cellular processes and how it is regulated in the cells can lead to a better understanding of the physiological and pathological consequences of modulated ELF4 activity.
