Bioinformatic analysis and in vivo validation of angiogenesis related genes in inflammatory bowel disease

Angiogenesis plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).The aim of this study is to explore potential angiogenesis related genes(ARGs)in IBD through bioinformatics analysis and in vivo experiments.Methods:GSE57945,GSE87466,and GSE36807 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database.GSE57945 was used as the training set,while GSE87466 and GSE36807 were used as the validation set.The key ARGs associated with IBD were identified using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)and random forest methods.These identified ARGs were then utilized to construct a diagnostic model for IBD.The Single-Sample Genome Enrichment Analysis,Cibersort,and Xcell methods were used to evaluate the immune infiltration.Expression of amyloid beta precursor protein(APP)was verified in the IBD mouse model induced by dextran sulfate sodium using immunohistochemistry(IHC).Results:The receiver operating curve area of GSE57945 was 0.948.Two distinct clusters were identified using consensus clustering and non-negative matrix factorization clustering.Subsequent analyses revealed significant differences in immune levels and functional enrichment between the two clusters.The successful construction of the animal model for the IBD was evident by hematoxylin and eosin staining,while IHC results showed a high expression of APP in IBD and a low expression in normal tissues.Conclusion:Our findings provide new insights into the diagnosis of IBD by ARGs,and APP could be a potential novel biomarker for IBD and promising therapeutic targets.

Screening Rat Hypertension-Related Genes By Differential Display

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Effects of Manganese on the Antioxidant System and Related Gene Expression Levels in the “Hong Yang” Kiwifruit Seedlings

To explore how manganese affects the antioxidant system and the expression levels of related genes of“Hong yang”seedlings,the leaves of its tissue cultured seedlings were taken as test materials,and single factor treatment was performed by changing the manganese chloride(MnCl_(2)·4H_(2)O)solution concentration when spraying the leaves.The expression levels of Mn-SOD,POD64 and POD27 genes in leaves were quantitatively analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)at different determination times.Meanwhile,the contents of malondial-dehyde(MDA),hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)),the activities of antioxidant enzymes,including catalase(CAT),peroxidase(POD),and superoxide dismutase(SOD).The results showed that the SOD,CAT,POD,ascorbate peroxidase(APX),and reduced glutathione(GSH)activities in leaves were the highest at 12 h post-treatment with 50μM MnCl_(2)·4H_(2)O.Furthermore,the contents of MDA and H_(2)O_(2) in leaves also peaked when the concentration of H_(2)O_(2) is 50μM,which is the minimum value.Additionally at 50μM Mn^(2+),the Mn-SOD and POD27 expression was up-regulated as compared to the control,which promoted the expression of their respective enzyme activities.However,POD64 expression increased with the increasing Mn^(2+) concentration.Therefore,50μM is the optimal concentration of Mn when exogenously applied on“Hong yang”,which improve the antioxidant enzyme activity and regulate the plant’s physiological and biochemical functions.

Effects of Temperature on Haemocyte and Granulocyte Counts and Expressions of Immunity-Related Genes in Haemocytes of Scallop Chlamys farreri After Vibrio anguillarum Infection

Bivalve live in aquatic environment and the water temperature can affect their immunity directly.In this research,the scallop Chlamys farreri was injected with 10^4 or 10^7 CFU mL^-1 Vibrio anguillarum and cultured at 11℃,17℃,23℃,and 28℃,respectively.For the control scallop,only phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)was injected.Then total haemocytes and granulocytes were measured by ELISA using monoclonal antibodies.In the meantime,expressions of six immunity-related genes,including lipopolysaccharide andβ-1,3-glucan binding protein(CfLGBP),C-type lectin(CfLec-2),Toll-like receptor(Cf TLR),Lysozyme(CfLYZ),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and phenoloxidase(CfPO)in haemocytes were measured using quantitative real-time PCR.The results showed that total haemocytes counts in 10^4 CFU mL^-1 injection groups showed no differences compared to the control group at all temperatures.However,they varied significantly in 10^7 CFU mL^-1 injection groups at 3 h at 11℃,6–12 h at 17℃,3–48 h at 23℃,and 12–48 h at 28℃.Granulocytes counts in 10^4 CFU mL^-1 injection groups showed no variance compared to the control group at all temperatures,except for 12 h at 23℃,and 24–36 h at 28℃.They were significantly decreased in 10^7 CFU mL^-1 injection groups during 6–48 h at 11℃,12–48 h at 17℃,3–48 h at 23℃,and 3–72 h at 28℃.The expression levels of six immunity-related genes in haemocytes of 10^7 CFU mL^-1 injection groups were significantly higher than those of control group and 10^4 CFU mL^-1 injection groups at all temperatures.The results indicated that infected with high concentration of vibrios,haemocyte counts,granulocyte counts and the expressions of immunity-related genes in scallop C.farreri were significantly affected by environmental temperature.

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Three Novel Genes Related to Fatty Acid Degradation and Their Responses to Abiotic Stresses in Gossypium hirsutum L.

Fatty acid metabolism is responsible not only for oilseed metabolism but also for plant responses to abiotic stresses. In this study, three novel genes related to fatty acid degradation designated GhACX, Gh4CL, and GhMFP, respectively, were isolated from Gossypium hirsutum acc. TM-1. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that amino acid sequences of GhACXand GhMFP have the highest homology with those from Vitis vinifera, and Gh4CL has a closer genetic relationship with that from Camellia sinensis. Tissue- and organ-specific analysis showed that the three genes expressed widely in all the tested tissues, including ovules and fiber at different developing stages, with expressed preferentially in some organs. Among them, GhACX showed the most abundant transcripts in seeds at 25 d post anthesis （DPA）, however, GhMFP and Gh4CL have the strongest expression level in ovules on the day of anthesis. Based on real-time quantitative RT-PCR, the three genes were differentially regulated when induced under wounding, methyl jasmonate （MeJA）, cold, and abscisic acid （ABA） treatments. The characterization and expression pattern of three novel fatty acid degradation related genes will aid both to understand the roles of fatty acid degradation related genes as precursor in stress stimuli and to elucidate the physiological function in cotton oilseed metabolism.

Piriformospora indica confers drought tolerance on Zea mays L.through enhancement of antioxidant activity and expression of drought-related genes

Drought stress is one of the most severe environmental constraints to plant growth and crop productivity. Plant growth is greatly affected by drought stress, and plants, to survive,adapt to this stress by invoking different pathways. Piriformospora indica, a root-colonizing endophytic fungus of Sebacinales, promotes plant growth and confers resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, including drought stress, by affecting the physiological properties of the host plant. The fungus strongly colonizes the roots of maize(Zea mays L.) and promotes shoot and root growth under both normal growth conditions and drought stress. We used polyethylene glycol(PEG-6000) to mimic drought stress and found that root fresh and dry weight, leaf area, SPAD value, and leaf number were increased in P. indica-colonized plants.The antioxidative activities of catalases and superoxide dismutases were upregulated within 24h in the leaves of P. indica-colonized plants. Drought-related genes DREB2A, CBL1,ANAC072, and RD29A were upregulated in drought-stressed leaves of P. indica-colonized plants. Furthermore, after drought treatment, proline content increased, whereas accumulation of malondialdehyde(MDA), an indicator of membrane damage, decreased in P. indica-colonized maize. We conclude that P. indica-mediated plant protection against the detrimental effects of drought may result from enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity,proline accumulation, and expression of drought-related genes and lower membrane damage in maize plants.

Hypermethylation and expression regulation of secreted frizzled-related protein genes in colorectal tumor

AIM: To investigate the functions of promoter hyper- methylation of secreted frizzled-related proteins (sFRPs) genes in colorectal tumorigenesis and progression. METHODS: The promoter hypermethylation and expression of sFRP genes in 72 sporadic colorectal carcinomas, 33 adenomas, 18 aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and colorectal cancer cell lines RKO, HCT116 and SW480 were detected by methylation-specific PCR and reverse transcription PCR, respectively. RESULTS: None of the normal colorectal mucosa tissues showed methylated bands of any of four sFRP genes. sFRP1, 2, 4 and 5 were frequently methylated in colorectal carcinoma, adenoma and ACF (sFRP1 > 85%, sFRP2 >75%, sFRP5 > 50%), and the differences between three colorectal tissues were not significant (P > 0.05). Methylation in colorectal tumors was more frequent than in normal mucosa and adjacent normal mucosa. The mRNA of sFRP1-5 genes was expressed in all normal colorectal mucosa samples. Expression of sFRP1, 2, 4 and 5 and sFRP1 , 2 and 5 was downregulated in carcinoma and adenoma, respectively. The downregulation of sFRP2, 4 and 5 was more frequent in carcinoma than in adenoma. Expression of sFRP3 which promoter has no CpG island was downregulated in only a few of colorectal tumor samples (7/105). The downregulation of sFRP1, 2, 4 and 5 expression was significantly associated with promoter hypermethylation in colorectal tumor. After cells were treated by DAC/TSA combination, the silenced sFRP mRNA expression could be effectively re-expressed in colorectal cancer cell lines.CONCLUSION: Hypermethylation of sFRP genes is acommon early event in the evolution of colorectal tumor, occurring frequently in ACF, which is regarded as the earliest lesion of multistage colorectal carcinogenesis. It appears to functionally silence sFRP genes expression. Methylation of sFRP1, 2 and 5 genes might serve as indicators for colorectal tumor.

Systemic acquired resistance, NPR1, and pathogenesis-related genes in wheat and barley

In Arabidopsis, systemic acquired resistance （SAR） is established beyond the initial infection by a pathogen or is directly induced by treatment with salicylic acid （SA） or its functional analogs, 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid （INA） and benzothiadiazole （BTH）. NPR1 protein is considered the master regulator of SAR in both SA signal sensing and transduction. In wheat （Triticum aesfivum） and barley （Hordeum vulgare）, both pathogen infection and BTH treatment can induce broad-spectrum resistance to various diseases, including powdery mildew, leaf rust, Fusarium head blight, etc. However, three different types of SAR-like responses including acquired resistance （AR）, systemic immunity （SI）, and BTH-induced resistance （BIR） seem to be achieved by activating different gene pathways. Recent research on wheat and barley NPR1 homologs in AR and SI has provided the initial clue for understanding the mechanism of SAR in these two plant species. In this review, the specific features ofAR, Si, and BIR in wheat and barley were summarized and compared with that of SAR in model plants of Arabidopsis and rice. Research updates on downstream genes of SAR, including pathogenesis-related （PR） and BTH-induced genes, were highlighted.

Advance in Pathogenesis of Gout and Related Gene Polymorphism

Gout is an independent risk factor for hypertension,diabetes mellitus,hyperlipidemia,coronary heart disease and cerebral infarction.At present,the studies on the mechanism of gout at home and abroad have mainly focused on immune inflammation,gene polymorphism and related studies.Uric acid deposition or crystal precipitation activates phagocytes,fibroblasts and mast cells in synovium,produces IL-1β,TNF and chemokine IL-8(CXCL8),thereby activating neutrophils,urate crystal polyanion surface can be coated with immunoglobulins and other serum proteins as substrates for complement activation,complement substitution pathways and classical complement pathways to activate complements.Uric acid crystals activate inflammation-related signal transduction pathways including the activation of inflammation-related signal transduction pathway by uric acid crystals and TLRS/MyD88 signal transduction pathways.Gene polymorphism is related to inflammation and signaling pathway,EGF gene is closely related to gout inflammation,which may be involved in the regulation of gout inflammation,among which NLRP3 inflammatory signaling pathway and gene polymorphism have been deeply studied in the pathogenesis of gout,which is the main therapeutic target of anti-inflammatory and uric acid lowering.

Cloning and Characterization of a Pathogenesis-Related Protein Gene TaPR10 from Wheat Induced by Stripe Rust Pathogen

Pathogenesis-related proteins （PRs） play many important roles in plant defense response against pathogen attack. To better understand the molecular mechanism of PR genes involved in wheat adult plant resistance （APR） to stripe rust, based on a differentially expressed transcribed derived fragment （TDF）, a novel PR gene from wheat cv. Xingzi 9104 infected by the Puccinia striiformis Westend f. sp. tritici Erikss. pathotype CY32, which was highly similar to the maize ZmPRIO gene and designated as TaPRIO, was identified using in silico cloning and RT-PCR method. This novel TaPRIO gene was predicted to encode a 160-amino acid protein with a deduced molecular weight of 17.06 kDa and an isoelectronic point （pI） of 5.19. An amino acid sequence analysis of TaPR10 demonstrated the presence of a typical conserved domain of pathogenesis related protein Bet v I family. Multiple alignment analysis based on the amino acids encoded by 10 different PRIO genes from maize （Zea mays）, rice （Oryza sativa）, broomcorn （Sorghum bicolor）, and wheat （Triticum aestivum） indicated that PR proteins of class 10 was conserved among the 4 plant species with about 80% similarity. DNA sequence of TaPRIO suggested the presence of one 84-bp intron with the splicing sites of GT-AT bi-nucleotide sequence between 188 and 271 bp. Using a real-time quantitative RT-PCR （qRT-PCR）, expression profiles of TaPRIO revealed that at the adult-plant stage, TaPRIO transcript was up-regulated as early as 12 h post-inoculation （hpi）, with the occurrence of maximum induction at 24 hpi. At the seedling stage, TaPRIO was also slightly induced 18 hpi. However, the transcript amount was relatively lower than that of the adult-plant stage. Taken together, these results suggest that TaPRIO may participate in wheat defense response of APR to stripe rust.

Alterations of tumor-related genes do not exactly match the histopathological grade in gastric adenocarcinomas

AIM:To investigate the diverse characteristics of different pathological gradings of gastric adenocarcinoma (GA) using tumor-related genes.METHODS:GA tissues in different pathological gradings and normal tissues were subjected to tissue arrays.Expressions of 15 major tumor-related genes were detected by RNA in situ hybridization along with 3' terminal digoxin-labeled anti-sense single strandedoligonucleotide and locked nucleic acid modifying probe within the tissue array.The data obtained were processed by support vector machines by four different feature selection methods to discover the respective critical gene/gene subsets contributing to the GA activities of different pathological gradings.RESULTS:In comparison of poorly differentiated GA with normal tissues,tumor-related gene TP53 plays a key role,although other six tumor-related genes could also achieve the Area Under Curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic independently by more than 80%.Comparing the well differentiated GA with normal tissues,we found that 11 tumor-related genes could independently obtain the AUC by more than 80%,but only the gene subsets,TP53,RB and PTEN,play a key role.Only the gene subsets,Bcl10,UVRAG,APC,Beclin1,NM23,PTEN and RB could distinguish between the poorly differentiated and well differentiated GA.None of a single gene could obtain a valid distinction.CONCLUSION:Different from the traditional point of view,the well differentiated cancer tissues have more alterations of important tumor-related genes than the poorly differentiated cancer tissues.

Expression profiles of sex-related genes in gonads of genetic male Takifugu rubripes after 17β-estradiol immersion

Estradiol treatment during early life stages of tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes induces feminization in genetic males.However,the ovaries in genetic males may revert to testes once estradiol treatment is halted.Therefore studies should investigate molecular mechanisms underlying ovary-to-testis recovery in genetic males after treatment.In the present study,tiger puffer were exposed to 10,and 100μg/L 17β-estradiol(E 2)from 15 to 100 days post-hatching(dph),then gonad phenotypes and expression profi les of six sex-related genes(cyp19a,foxl2,dmrt1,amh,sox9a,and sox9b)were characterized after the exposure.Results showed that both 10 and 100μg/L E2 induced ovarian development in genetic males at 100 dph.However,all ovaries induced by 10μg/L E2 first developed into intersexual gonads and subsequently reverted to testes after the exposure.As for treatment of 100μg/L E2,while the rest of the ovaries maintained morphological stability,percentages of intersexual gonads reached 38%-57%,and none were reverted to testes.Increased mRNA levels of cyp19a,foxl2 and sox9b and decreased mRNA levels of dmrt1,amh,and sox9a were observed during the ovarian development in genetic males.While contrary gene expression profiles were detected during ovary-to-testis transformation.The mRNA levels of all the six genes were increased during the development of intersexual gonads.These results indicated that up-regulation of dmrt1,amh and sox9a is associated with initial ovary-to-intersexual transformation,and suppression of foxl2,cyp19a and sox9b is essential for complete ovary-to-testis recovery in genetic males.This research will help to trace the molecular processes underlying gonadal transformation in teleosts.

Expression of Sex-Related Genes in Chicken Embryos During Male-to-Female Sex Reversal Exposure to Diethylstilbestrol

Sex emerges out of a delicate dance between a variety of promale, anti-male, and possibly profemale genes. To investigate the role that sex-related genes play in sex determination and gonadal differentiation of fowl, we constructed a male-to- female sex-reversal model of chick induced by diethylstilbestrol （DES） at onset of incubation （E0）. The results of semi- quantitative PCR showed that the expression of Sf1, the orphan nuclear receptor steroidogenic factor-1 gene, was put forward from E7d to E5d and up-regulated during E5-7d; the Dmrt1, the double sex and the Mab-3 related to transcription factor 1 gene, was down-regulated during E3-7d. Meanwhile, anti-Müllerian hormone gene （Amh） expressed at a similar level in the genetic females and sex-reversal females before E7d, while no expression products of the three female-specific genes Wpkci, Fet1 and Foxl2 were detected in male-to-female embryos. These findings suggest that the expression of some certain sex-related genes, induced by the exogenous estrogen during period of sex determination and gonadal differentiation, results in the male-to-female sex reversal. Moreover, high activity of Sf1 gene during E5-7d might be related to the profemale process, while low activity of Dmrt1 gene during E3-5d might be anti-male. The expression activity of Amh gene might only contribute to the promale process after E7d, however, it is possibly not an anti-female gene in chick embryos.

RELATED GENES IN LUNG CANCER TISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH RESIDENTIAL HIGH RADON EXPOSURE

Objective: To investigate the related genes in lung cancer tissues associated with residential high radon exposure. Methods: Differentially expressed gene fragments in lung cancer and normal lung tissues were discovered by differential display and reverse Northern blot hybridization method. The fragments positive in lung cancer and negative in normal lung tissue were determined. Results: Seven differential displayed fragments were sequenced. One of them named NA7 is 95% homologous with AI208667 in EAT of Genbank. Another fragment named NG2 is up to 98% homologous with five fragments. The remained one CA1 may be a new gene fragment. Conclusion: 3 gene fragments were discovered from lung cancer and normal lung tissues of high radon exposure resident.

Screening of methylation genes in age-related cataract

AIM： To analyze and screen the methylation status of whole-genome in age-related cataract samples. METHODS： Anterior lens capsule samples were collected from age-related cortical cataract patients over 50 years of age with LOCS III score of nuclear color ≥4 along with control subjects. DNAs were extracted and subjected to methylation microarray for the identification of methylated genes employing the high-throughput sequencing approach. RESULTS： Compared with the control group, 843 sites were found methylated, including 802 hypermethylation sites with 542 corresponding genes, 41 demethylation sites with 29 corresponding sites. COL4 A1, GJA3, SIPA1 L3 were confirmed by mass spectrometry, the results were consistent with high-throughput sequencing. CONCLUSION： DNA methylation microarrays is an efficient way for screening the aberrantly methylated genes. In this study, we are able to screen a few age-related cataract genes such as COL4 A1, GJA3, and SIPA1 L3 for their aberrant methylation patterns in cataract patients however further work is warranted to understand the significance of these findings.

THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TUMOR ANGIOGENESIS AND INVASIVENESS-RELATED GENE EXPRESSIONS IN GASTRIC CANCER

Objective: To investigate the correlation among tumor angiogenesis, expressions of p53, nm23-I1, CD44v6, c-erbB-2 proteins and biological behavior and clinical outcome of gastric cancer. Methods: The intratumoral microvessel density (MVD) and expressions of p53, nm23-H1, CD44v6, c-erbB-2 were analyzed semiquantitively by immunohistochemical staining (S-P) of 59 paraffin-embedded gastric tumor specimens that were radically resected at the Department of surgery, Beijing Institute for Cancer Research, between January 1990 and December 1992. The median follow-up period was 75 month (range: 60~96 months). The significdance of these indicators was analyzed retrospectively. Results: MVD for tumors with lymph node metastasis and vascular invasion was significantly higher than those without (P=0.0168 and 0.0176, respectively). The levels of p53, CD44v6, c-erbB-2 expression were significantly higher in the groups of lymph node metastasis, serosal infiltration and vascular invasion than in those without. All differences reached the statistically significant levels (P<0.01~<0.05). The low expression of nm23-H1 was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis, serosal infiltration and vascular invasion (P<0.01; <0.05 and <0.01, respectively). Univariate analysis showed that the overall survival of patients with higher MVD, or overexpressions of p53, CD44v6, c-erbB-2, or low expression of nm23-H1 were significantly worse than those with opposite conditions (P=0.0214, 0.0062, 0.0045, 0.0159, and 0.0162, respectively). Multivariate analysis showed that expression of p53 in this series was an independent prognostic indicator. Conclusion: The data suggested that the above-mentioned factors might be helpful in evaluating the metastatic potential of gastric cancer and making more effective assessment of prognosis for individual patient. Further study with larger samples and prospective investigation of these results would be worthwhile.

Liver expression of Nrf2-related genes in different liver diseases

BACKGROUND： The KEAP1-Nrf2 antioxidant signaling pathway is important in protecting liver from various insults. However,little is known about the expression of Nrf2-related genes in human liver in different diseases.METHODS： This study utilized normal donor liver tissues（n=35）, samples from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma（HCC, n=24）, HBV-related cirrhosis（n=27）, alcoholic cirrhosis（n=5） and end-stage liver disease（n=13）. All of the liver tissues were from the Oriental Liver Transplant Center, Beijing,China. The expressions of Nrf2 and Nrf2-related genes, including its negative regulator Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1（KEAP1）, its targeted gene NAD（P）H-quinone oxidoreductase 1（NQO1）, glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit（GCLC） and modified subunit（GCLM）, heme oxygenase 1（HO-1） and peroxiredoxin-1（PRDX1） were evaluated. RESULTS： The expression of Nrf2 was decreased in HCC, increased in alcoholic cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. The expression of KEAP1 was increased in all of the liver samples.The most notable finding was the increased expression of NQO1 in HCC（18-fold）, alcoholic cirrhosis（6-fold）, endstage liver disease（5-fold） and HBV-related cirrhosis（3-fold）.Peri-HCC also had 4-fold higher NQO1 m RNA as compared to the normal livers. GCLC m RNA levels were lower only in HCC, as compared to the normal livers and peri-HCC tissues.GCLM m RNA levels were higher in HBV-related cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease. HO-1 m RNA levels were increased in all liver tissues except for HCC. Peri-HCC had higher PRDX1 m RNA levels compared with HCC and normal livers.CONCLUSION： Nrf2 and Nrf2-related genes are aberrantly expressed in the liver in different diseases and the increase of NQO1 was the most notable finding, especially in HCC.

Expression Comparisons of Pathogenesis-Related(PR) Genes in Wheat in Response to Infection/Infestation by Fusarium, Yellow dwarf virus(YDV) Aphid-Transmitted and Hessian Fly

Expression profiles of ten pathogenesis-related （PR） genes during plant defense against Fusarium, Yellow dwarf virus （YDV） aphid-transmitted and Hessian fly （Hf） were compared temporally in both resistant and susceptible genotypes following pathogen infection or insect infestation. Quantitative real-time PCR （qRT-PCR） revealed that PR1, PR2, PR3, PR5, PR6, PR8, PR9, and PR15 appeared to be induced or suppressed independently in response to Fusarium, YDV aphid-transmitted or Hf during the interactions. The PR gene（s） essential to defense against one organism may play little or no role in defense against another pathogen or pest, suggesting the alternative mechanisms may be involved in different interactions of wheat- Fusarium, wheat-YDV aphid-transmitted and wheat-Hf. However, strong up- or down-regulation of PRl2 and PR14 encoding low molecular membrane acting protein, defensin and lipid transfer protein （LTP）, respectively, had been detected after either pathogen infection or insect infestation, therefore showed broad responses to pathogens and insects. It was postulated that low molecular proteins such as defensins and LTPs might play a role in the early stages of pathogenesis in the signaling process that informs plants about the attack from biotic stresses. In addition, a synergistic action between different PR genes might exist in plants to defense certain pathogens and insects on the basis of comprehensive expression profiling of various pathogenesis-related genes revealed by qRT-PCR in this study.

Genetic Evaluation of Starch Synthesis-Related Genes and Starch Quality Traits in Special Rice Resources

The genetic diversity of 36 rice landraces and 43 breeding materials in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China was studied by intragenic molecular markers of 26 starch synthesis-related loci.And research on quality traits such as the amylose content(AC),gel consistency(GC)and alkali spreading value(ASV)to analyze genetic differences in quality traits.The results showed that the number of alleles,average gene diversity and polymorphism information content values of landraces were higher than those of breeding materials.The genetic similarity coefficient(GS)of 79 rice materials ranged from 0.392 to 1,with an average of 0.757.There were significant variations in the quality traits of rice landraces and breeding materials,and the high-quality compliance rates were low,only 6.3%of the varieties have an amylose content that reached grade 1.The results of cluster analysis and population structure analysis are generally consistent;that is,the two resource types are closely related and cannot be clustered independently.This study can provide a basis for genetic improvement of rice starch quality.Make full use of the quality genetic diversity of landraces in modern breeding work,further broaden the genetic base of rice and improve rice quality.

Effects of epinephrine on angiogenesis-related gene expressions in cultured rat cardiomyocytes

Epinephrine is often used for the treatment of patients with heart failure, low cardiac output and cardiac arrest. It can acutely improve hemodynamic parameters; however, it does not seem to improve longer term clinical outcomes. Therefore, we hypothesized that epinephrine may induce unfavorable changes in gene expression of cardiomyocyte. Thus, we investigated effects of epinephrine exposure on the mediation or modulation of gene expression of cultured cardiomyocytes at a genome-wide scale. Our investigation revealed that exposure of cardiomyocytes to epinephrine in an in vitro environment can up-regulate the expression ofangiopoietin-2 gene （~ 2.1 times）, and down-regulate the gene expression of neuregulin 1 （-3.7 times）, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 （-2.4 times） and SPARC-related modular calcium-binding protein-2 （-4.5 times）. These changes suggest that epinephrine exposure may induce inhibition of angiogenesis-related gene expressions in cultured rat cardiomyocytes. The precise clinical significance of these changes in gene expression, which was induced by epinephrine exposure, warrants further experimental and clinical investigations.