SB1 Encoding RING-Like Zinc-Finger Protein Regulates Branch Development as a Transcription Repressor

Inflorescence structure of rice,including the number and length of branches,and the density of the spikelet,can greatly affect the number of grains per panicle,which is one of the key factors in yield compositions.Here we identified five allelic mutants sb1-1/2/3/4/5 that related to branch development of rice.In these mutants,the branch meristem fate was prolonged sharply,resulting in delay of transition from branches to spikelets,and then increased the numbers of branches and spikelets per panicle.SB1 encodes a nuclear RING-like domain protein of SHI/LRP/SRS family and strongly expressed in branch meristems.The results of protein interaction and chromatin immunoprecipitation further suggested that SB1 directly repressed the expression of DEP1,TAW1,MOC1 and IPA1 by interacting with a co-repressor complex to affect acetylation level of histone H3 on target regions.Thus,we proposed that SB1 is a transcription repressor of branch meristem activity by widely and negatively regulating a series of genes that maintain branch meristem fate.

SPOROCYTELESS Is a Novel Embryophyte-Specific Transcription Repressor that Interacts with TPL and TCP Proteins in Arabidopsis

Germlines in plants are formed de novo during post-embryonic development, while little is known about the mechanism that controls this process. In Arabidopsis, the earliest gene controlling this process is SPOROCYTELESS （SPL）. A decade ago, we showed that loss of SPL function abolished sporogenesis in both male and female organs of Arabidopsis. However, its function is unclear up to now. In this study, we showed that SPL belongs to a novel transcription repressor family specific in embryophyte, which consists of 173 members in the land plants so far. All of them contain a conserved SPL-motif in their N-terminal and an ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression （EAR） motif in the C-terminal, therefore designated as SPL-like, EAR-containing proteins （SPEARs）. Consis- tently, SPL acts as a transcriptional repressor in yeast and tobacco cells, and SPEAR proteins are able to form homodimer and/or het- erodimer with each other in vitro. Furthermore, SPEARs interact with the TOPLESS （TPL） co-repressors via the EAR motif and TCP family transcription factors in yeast cells. Together, we propose that SPL and SPEARs most likely belong to a novel transcription repressor family in land plants which may play a variety of developmental roles in plants.

A microRNA encoded by HSV-1 inhibits a cellular transcriptional repressor of viral immediate early and early genes

Viral microRNAs are one component of the RNA interference phenomenon generated during viral infection. They were first identified in the Herpesviridae family, where they were found to regulate viral mRNA translation. In addition, prior work has suggested that Kaposi＇s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus （KSHV） is capable of regulating cellular gene transcription by miRNA. We demonstrate that a miRNA, hsvl-mir-H27, encoded within the genome of herpes simplex virus 1 （HSV-1）, targets the mRNA of the cellular transcriptional repressor Kelch-like 24 （KLHL24） that inhibits transcriptional efficiency of viral imme- diate-early and early genes. The viral miRNA is able to block the expression of KLHL24 in cells infected by HSV-1. Our dis- covery reveals an effective viral strategy for evading host cell defenses and supporting the efficient replication and prolifera- tion of HSV- 1.

Clinicopathologic significance of slug expression in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

AIM:To explore the expression and function of slug,a transcriptional repressor,in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma(IHCC)and identify its role in IHCC progression.METHODS:Expression of slug was detected in 36 cases of IHCC and 12 cases of normal intrahepatic bile ducts and liver parenchyma by immunohistochemistry.The patients were divided into low slug expression group(< 20%of carcinoma cells stained)and high slug expression group(≥20%of carcinoma cells stained).Slug expression was correlated with clinicopathological parameters of IHCC patients.The patients were defined as short-term survivors if their survival time was<12 mo and as longterm survivors if their survival time was≥12 mo.RESULTS:Slug was not expressed in normal liver epi-thelium samples,lowly expressed in 15 tissue samples (10-,5+)and highly expressed in 21 tissue samples (16++;5+++)from IHCC patients.The survival rate of patients with a low slug expression was 33.3%(n =5)and 66.7%(n=10),respectively.The survival rate of patients with a high slug expression was 61.9% (n=13)and 38.1%(n=8),respectively(P=0.02).Lymph node metastasis was found in 4(26.7%)out of the 15 patients with a low slug expression and in 14(66.7%)out of the 21 patients with a high slug expression,respectively.The incidence rate of lymph node metastasis increased with the increasing slug expression level(P=0.003),and higher in patients with a high slug expression than in those with a low slug expression.Slug expression did not significantly correlate with the tumor size and stage or histologic grade,or with the gender and age of patients.CONCLUSION:Slug expression is a novel prognostic marker for IHCC with lymph node metastasis.

The transcriptional regulator JAZ8 interacts with the C2 protein from geminiviruses and limits the geminiviral infection in Arabidopsis

Jasmonates(JAs) are phytohormones that finely regulate critical biological processes, including plant development and defense. JASMONATE ZIM-DOMAIN(JAZ) proteins are crucial transcriptional regulators that keep JA-responsive genes in a repressed state. In the presence of JA-Ile, JAZ repressors are ubiquitinated and targeted for degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome system,allowing the activation of downstream transcription factors and, consequently, the induction of JA-responsive genes. A growing body of evidence has shown that JA signaling is crucial in defending against plant viruses and their insect vectors. Here, we describe the interaction of C2proteins from two tomato-infecting geminiviruses from the genus Begomovirus, tomato yellow leaf curl virus(TYLCV) and tomato yellow curl Sardinia virus(TYLCSaV), with the transcriptional repressor JAZ8 from Arabidopsis thaliana and its closest orthologue in tomato, SlJAZ9. Both JAZ and C2proteins colocalize in the nucleus, forming discrete nuclear speckles. Overexpression of JAZ8did not lead to altered responses to TYLCV infection in Arabidopsis;however, knock-down of JAZ8 favors geminiviral infection. Low levels of JAZ8 likely affect the viral infection specifically,since JAZ8-silenced plants neither display obvious developmental phenotypes nor present differences in their interaction with the viral insect vector. In summary, our results show that the geminivirus-encoded C2 interacts with JAZ8 in the nucleus, and suggest that this plant protein exerts an anti-geminiviral effect.

A hybrid RNA-protein biosensor for high-throughput screening of adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis

Genetically encoded circuits have been successfully utilized to assess and characterize target variants with desirable traits from large mutant libraries.Adenosylcobalamin is an essential coenzyme that is required in many intracellular physiological reactions and is widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.High-throughput screening techniques capable of detecting adenosylcobalamin productivity and selecting superior adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis strains are critical for the creation of an effective microbial cell factory for the production of adenosylcobalamin at an industrial level.In this study,we developed an RNA-protein hybrid biosensor whose input part was an endogenous RNA riboswitch to specifically respond to adenosylcobalamin,the inverter part was an orthogonal transcriptional repressor to obtain signal inversion,and the output part was a fluorescent protein to be easily detected.The hybrid biosensor could specifically and positively correlate adenosylcobalamin concentrations to green fluorescent protein expression levels in vivo.This study also improved the operating concentration and dynamic range of the hybrid biosensor by systematic optimization.An individual cell harboring the hybrid biosensor presented over 20-fold higher fluorescence intensity than the negative control.Then,using such a biosensor combined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting,we established a high-throughput screening platform for screening adenosylcobalamin overproducers.This study demonstrates that this platform has significant potential to quickly isolate high-productive strains to meet industrial demand and that the framework is acceptable for various metabolites.

The working dead:repurposing inactive CRISPR-associated nucleases as programmable transcriptional regulators in plants

Targeted gene manipulation is highly desirable for fundamental plant research,plant synthetic biology,and molecular breeding.The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated(Cas)nuclease is a revolutionary tool for genome editing,and has received snowballing popularity for gene knockout applications in diverse organisms including plants.Recently,the nuclease-dead Cas(dCas)proteins have been repurposed as programmable transcriptional regulators through translational fusion with portable transcriptional repression or activation domains,which has paved new ways for flexible and multiplex control over the activities of target genes of interest without the need to generate DNA lesions.Here,we review the most important breakthroughs of dCas transcriptional regulators in non-plant organisms and recent accomplishments of this growing field in plants.We also provide perspectives on future development directions of dCas transcriptional regulators in plant research in hope to stimulate their quick evolution and broad applications.

The miR157-SPL-CNR module acts upstream of bHLH101 to negatively regulate iron deficiency responses in tomato

Iron(Fe)homeostasis is critical for plant growth,development,and stress responses.Fe levels are tightly controlled by intricate regulatory networks in which transcription factors(TFs)play a central role.A series of basic helix-loop-helix(b HLH)TFs have been shown to contribute to Fe homeostasis,but the regulatory layers beyond b HLH TFs remain largely unclear.Here,we demonstrate that the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE(SPL)TF Sl SPL-CNR negatively regulates Fe-deficiency responses in tomato(Solanum lycopersicum)roots.Fe deficiency rapidly repressed the expression of Sl SPL-CNR,and Fe deficiency responses were intensified in two clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats(CRISPR)/CRISPRassociated protein 9-generated Sl SPL-CNR knockout lines compared to the wild-type.Comparative transcriptome analysis identified 47 Fe deficiencyresponsive genes the expression of which is negatively regulated by Sl SPL-CNR,one of which,Slb HLH101,helps regulate Fe uptake genes.Sl SPLCNR localizes the nucleus and interacts with the GTAC and BOX 4(ATTAAT)motifs in the Slb HLH101 promoter to repress its expression.Inhibition of Sl SPL-CNR expression in response to Fe deficiency was well correlated with the expression of the micro RNA Slymi R157.Slymi R157-overexpressing tomato lines displayed enhanced Fe deficiency responses,as did Sl SPL-CNR loss-of-function mutants.We propose that the Slymi R157-Sl SPL-CNR module represents a novel pathway that acts upstream of Slb HLH101 to regulate Fe homeostasis in tomato roots.