OsPPG encodes a pseudouridine-5'-phosphate glycosidase and regulates rice spikelet development

Florets are the basic structural units of spikelets,and their morphogenesis determines the yield and quality of rice grains.However,whether and how pseudouridine-5’-phosphate glycosidase participates in rice spikelet development remains an open question.In this study,we identified a novel gene,OsPPG,which encodes a peroxisome-localized pseudouridine-5’-phosphate glycosidase and regulates the development of rice spikelets.osppg mutants exhibited abnormal sterile lemma,lemma,palea,lodicule,stamens,and pistils;male sterility;shorter panicles;and reduced plant height.OsPPG was found to regulate several OsMADS genes,thereby affecting the morphogenesis of rice spikelets.Furthermore,metabolomics revealed that the OsPPG gene was involved in the decomposition of pseudouridine via the pyrimidine metabolism pathway and may affect the jasmonic acid signaling pathway.These results suggest that OsPPG is a key regulator of rice spikelet development.

Intra-Articular injection of acid-sensitive stearoxyl-ketal-dexamethasone microcrystals for long-acting arthritis therapy

Despite advances in treatment of chronic arthritis,there is still a strong need for the development of long-acting formulations that can enable local and sustained drug release at the inflamed tissues.In this work,we fabricated microcrystals of an acid-sensitive stearoxyl-ketal-dexamethasone prodrug for treatment of arthritis.Microcrystals of the prodrug with two sizes were successfully engineered and showed pH-dependent hydrolysis kinetics in vitro.In a collagen-induced arthritis rat model,we evaluated the influence of particle size and injection dose on anti-inflammatory effect after intra-articular injection.Such prodrug demonstrated long-acting anti-arthritis effects with good safety.Our results indicate ketal-based prodrugs are promising for the development of long-acting injectables and may stimulate the development of new treatments for chronic diseases.

The Mechanism of Lipofectamine 2000 Mediated Transmembrane Gene Delivery

In this paper, the relatived mechanism between lipofectamine 2000 mediated transmembrane gene delivery and endocytic pathway were investigated. Clathrin and caveolae-mediated endocytic pathway contributions to transfection efficiency were studied. The inhibitors of endocytosis were used to treat HEp-2 cells before lipofectamine 2000/pGFP-N2 transfection. Transfection efficiency was evaluated with green fluorescence protein (GFP) expression assays. Cell viability and cytotoxicity were evaluated with MTT method. The results indicated that inhibitors of clathrin (chlorpromazine or wortmannin) and caveolin (genistein) could reduce the cell transfection efficiency observably. Both clathrin and caveolae-mediated endocytic pathways play important roles in transmembrane gene delivery.

O-Alkylation of Chitosan for Gene Delivery by Using Ionic Liquid in an in- situ Reactor

An in-situ reactor was elaborately designed for O-alkylation of chitosan in an ionic liquid ([BMIM]Cl) solvent, using N, N'-carbonyldiimidazole? as bonding agent. The original chitosan and the modified chitosan were characterized by FT-IR and XRD analysis. FT-IR spectra revealed that the alkylation of chitosan selectively occurred at hydroxyl groups, with unprotected amino groups untouched. It was proposed that the particular properties of the ionic liquid solvent should be responsible for the selectively alkylation. The result from X-ray diffraction showed that the crystallinity of O-alkylation of chitosan decreases, most likely due to the decomposition of CS in the ionic liquid. The solubility test of O-alkylated chitosan in aqueous HAc solution (w/w: 0.1%) confirmed that the product could be easily dissolved in aqueous HAc solution because of its abundant free amino groups. It was suggested that the O-alkylated chitosan was suitable for the coming cell transfection test in vitro.

A Novel Method for the Protection and Activation of Histidine

The yield and purity of synthetic peptides were greatly related to the amino acid protection and activation during the synthesis process. Therefore, the amino acid protection and activation are the most important steps in peptide synthesis. By using tetrahydrofuran as the solvent, 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl as protection group, 2-(7-azobenzotri- azol-1-yl)-N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyluronium hexafluorophosphate (HATU) as condensation reagent an amino protected histidine ester was given. In this article a novel synthesis method for N-(9- fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-histidine active ester was established. The reaction conditions for preparing this active ester were optimized. The experimental results indicated that solvents and active reagents had remarkable effects on the yield of active ester. The best conditions for preparing the active ester was a ratio of n (Fmoc-His-OH): n (HATU) = 1:1.2 with THF used as the solvent at room temperature. The yield of the final product was about 80% with a purity of over 85%. This simple method would provide fundamentals for the synthesis of other protected amino acid active esters.

Control of Rice Embryo Development, Shoot Apical Meristem Maintenance, and Grain Yield by a Novel Cytochrome P450

Angiosperm seeds usually consist of two major parts： the embryo and the endosperm. However, the molec- ular mechanism（s） underlying embryo and endosperm development remains largely unknown, particularly in rice, the model cereal. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of the rice GIANT EMBRYO （GE） gene. Mutation of GE resulted in a large embryo in the seed, which was caused by excessive expansion of scuteUum cells. Post-embryonic growth of ge seedling was severely inhibited due to defective shoot apical meristem （SAM） mainte- nance. Map-based cloning revealed that GE encodes a CYP78A subfamily P450 monooxygenase that is localized to the endoplasmic reticulum. GE is expressed predominantly in the scutellar epithelium, the interface region between embryo and endosperm. Overexpression of GE promoted cell proliferation and enhanced rice plant growth and grain yield, but reduced embryo size, suggesting that GE is critical for coordinating rice embryo and endosperm development. Moreover, transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing AtCYP78AlO, a GE homolog, also produced bigger seeds, implying a con- served role for the CYP78A subfamily of P450s in regulating seed development. Taken together, our results indicate that GE plays critical roles in regulating embryo development and SAM maintenance.