Suppressing a mitochondrial calcium uniporter activates the calcium signaling pathway and promotes cell elongation in cotton

Mitochondrial calcium uniporter(MCU)is a conserved calcium ion(Ca^(2+))transporter in the mitochondrial inner membrane of eukaryotic cells.How MCU proteins regulate Ca^(2+)flow and modulate plant cell development remain largely unclear.Here,we identified the gene GhMCU4 encoding a MCU protein that negatively regulates plant development and fiber elongation in cotton(Gossypium hirsutum).GhMCU4expressed constitutively in various tissues with the higher transcripts in elongating fiber cells.Knockdown of GhMCU4 in cotton significantly elevated the plant height and root length.The calcium signaling pathway was significantly activated and calcium sensor genes,including Ca^(2+)dependent modulator of interactor of constitutively active ROP(GhCMI1),calmodulin like protein(GhCML46),calciumdependent protein kinases(GhCPKs),calcineurin B-like protein(GhCBLs),and CBL-interacting protein kinases(GhCIPKs),were dramatically upregulated in GhMCU4-silenced plants.Metabolic processes were preferentially enriched,and genes related to regulation of transcription were upregulated in GhMCU4-silenced plants.The contents of Ca^(2+)and H_(2)O_(2)were significantly increased in roots and leaves of GhMCU4-silenced plants.Fiber length and Ca^(2+)and H_(2)O_(2)contents in fibers were significantly increased in GhMCU4-silenced plants.This study indicated that GhMCU4 plays a negative role in regulating cell elongation in cotton,thus expanding understanding in the role of MCU proteins in plant growth and development.

Elucidating the interplay of ferroptosis-related genes in keloid formation:Insights from bioinformatics analysis

Background:Keloids are benign skin tumors characterized by fibroblast proliferation,tumor-like biological behavior,and excessive deposition of extracellular matrix in wounded skin.Ferroptosis,a type of programmed cell death,is critical in tumor pathogenesis.We aimed to investigate the role of ferroptosis in keloid formation.Methods:We downloaded public high-throughput sequencing raw count data(GSE92566),containing three normal skin and four keloid samples,from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.Ferroptosis-related genes were obtained from the Ferroptosis database website.The ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes(FRDEGs)were obtained by merging differentially expressed genes with ferroptosis-related genes.The FRDEGs were then used for Gene Ontology,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes,Gene Set Enrichment Analysis,proteinprotein interaction(PPI)network,and microRNA(miRNA)-mRNA network analysis.Finally,real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was performed to validate our findings.Results:We found 25 FRDEGs,including 8 up-regulated and 17 down-regulated genes.Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that the Hippo and transforming growth factorβsignaling pathways were significantly upregulated in keloids.In contrast,regulation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathway,glutathione metabolism,and unsaturated fatty acid metabolic process were down-regulated.PPI and FRDEGs hub networks were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software.Ten hub genes were identified,including PLA2G6,RARRES2,SNCA,CYP4F8,CDKN2A,ALOX12,FABP4,ALOX12B,NEDD4,and NEDD4L.We constructed a miRNA-mRNA network,which predicted hsa-mir-155-5p,hsa-let-7b-5p,hsa-mir-124-3p,hsa-mir-145-5p,hsa-mir-328-3p,hsa-mir-24-3p,and hsa-mir-10b-5p as the most connected miRNAs regulating ferroptosis in keloids.Finally,we verified the expression levels of the hub genes by RT-qPCR,which confirmed that ALOX12,ALOX12B,and CYP4F8 expression were reduced in keloids.Conclusions:This study provides novel information on ferroptosis-mediated keloid pathogenesis,underscoring the importance of further research in this area to unlock new therapeutic avenues for keloid treatment.

Immunometabolism: A target for the comprehension of immune response toward transplantation

Organ transplantation is a life-saving procedure, however predicting graft survival is still challenging. Understanding immune-cell pathobiology is critical to the development of effective therapies to prevent rejection. Over the recent years it has become progressively evident that the complex nature of immune cell behavioral dynamics is strongly dependent on cellular metabolism, which in turn, relies on competition for nutrients, oxygen and metabolites with other immune cells and microbiota. Furthermore, the influence of the inflammatory state can lead to substantial changes in conditions within the tissue microenvironment. Considering the context of immunity, alterations in metabolic pathways (glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the pentose phosphate pathway, the fatty acid oxidation and synthesis, and the amino acid metabolic pathways) will influence the production of different sets of cytokines and affect transplantation outcome. It is now known that na?ve, resting and effector cells acquire different metabolic profiles and studies have shown that specifically targeting some of these metabolic routes can prevent differentiation of effector T cells in favor of Tregs. Ultimately, to develop effective therapies that will prevent graft loss and understanding how cell metabolism impacts the fate and function of immune cells is now a critical point of discussion. The distinct metabolic features and requirements observed in effector and suppressive cell subsets offer promising opportunities for selective regulation of the immune responses in transplantation and will be discussed in this review.

Transcriptome sequencing and annotation of the halophytic microalga Dunaliella salina

The unicellular green alga Dunaliella salina is well adapted to salt stress and contains compounds（including β-carotene and vitamins） with potential commercial value.A large transcriptome database of D.salina during the adjustment, exponential and stationary growth phases was generated using a high throughput sequencing platform.We characterized the metabolic processes in D.salina with a focus on valuable metabolites, with the aim of manipulating D.salina to achieve greater economic value in large-scale production through a bioengineering strategy.Gene expression profiles under salt stress verified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction（qPCR） implied that salt can regulate the expression of key genes.This study generated a substantial fraction of D.salina transcriptional sequences for the entire growth cycle, providing a basis for the discovery of novel genes.This first full-scale transcriptome study of D.salina establishes a foundation for further comparative genomic studies.