scholarly journals Transcriptome Profiling Unravels a Vital Role of Pectin and Pectinase in Anther Dehiscence in Chrysanthemum

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (23) ◽  
pp. 5865
Author(s):  
Qian Li ◽  
Ze Wu ◽  
Huijun Wu ◽  
Weimin Fang ◽  
Fadi Chen ◽  
...  

Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium (Ramat.) Kitamura) plants have great ornamental value, but their flowers can also be a source of pollen contamination. Previously, morphological and cytological studies have shown that anthers of some chrysanthemum cultivars such as ‘Qx-115′ fail to dehisce, although the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of anther indehiscence in chrysanthemum via transcriptome analysis of a dehiscent cultivar (‘Qx-097′) and an indehiscent cultivar (‘Qx-115′). We also measured related physiological indicators during and preceding the period of anther dehiscence. Our results showed a difference in pectinase accumulation and activity between the two cultivars during dehiscence. Detection of de-esterified pectin and highly esterified pectin in anthers during the period preceding anther dehiscence using LM19 and LM20 monoclonal antibodies showed that both forms of pectin were absent in the stomium region of ‘Qx-097′ anthers but were abundant in that of ‘Qx-115′ anthers. Analysis of transcriptome data revealed a significant difference in the expression levels of two transcription factor-encoding genes, CmLOB27 and CmERF72, between ‘Qx-097′ and ‘Qx-115′ during anther development. Transient overexpression of CmLOB27 and CmERF72 separately in tobacco leaves promoted pectinase biosynthesis. We conclude that CmLOB27 and CmERF72 are involved in the synthesis of pectinase, which promotes the degradation of pectin. Our results lay a foundation for further investigation of the role of CmLOB27 and CmERF72 transcription factors in the process of anther dehiscence in chrysanthemum.

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7960
Author(s):  
Sun-Hyung Lim ◽  
Bora Park ◽  
Da-Hye Kim ◽  
Sangkyu Park ◽  
Ju-Hee Yang ◽  
...  

Dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) catalyzes a committed step in anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin biosynthesis by reducing dihydroflavonols to leucoanthocyanidins. However, the role of this enzyme in determining flower color in the economically important crop chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) is unknown. Here, we isolated cDNAs encoding DFR from two chrysanthemum cultivars, the white-flowered chrysanthemum “OhBlang” (CmDFR-OB) and the red-flowered chrysanthemum “RedMarble” (CmDFR-RM) and identified variations in the C-terminus between the two sequences. An enzyme assay using recombinant proteins revealed that both enzymes catalyzed the reduction of dihydroflavonol substrates, but CmDFR-OB showed significantly reduced DFR activity for dihydrokaempferol (DHK) substrate as compared with CmDFR-RM. Transcript levels of anthocyanin biosynthetic genes were consistent with the anthocyanin contents at different flower developmental stages of both cultivars. The inplanta complementation assay, using Arabidopsis thaliana dfr mutant (tt3-1), revealed that CmDFR-RM, but not CmDFR-OB, transgenes restored defective anthocyanin biosynthesis of this mutant at the seedling stage, as well as proanthocyanidin biosynthesis in the seed. The difference in the flower color of two chrysanthemums can be explained by the C-terminal variation of CmDFR combined with the loss of CmF3H expression during flower development.


Author(s):  
Adil Abozaid Eissa ◽  
Bijar Ali Haji ◽  
Adnan Anwar Al-Doski

Abstract Objective The current study initiated to address the effect of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency on the pathogenesis and the severity of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia (NHB). Study Design A total of 100 newborns with moderate to severe indirect hyperbilirubinemia and 50 normal neonates without hyperbilirubinemia had been enrolled in the current case–control study. All enrolled neonates had been tested for ABO and Rh(D) blood grouping, Total serum bilirubin measurement, complete blood count, morphology, reticulocyte counts, direct Coombs' test, and G6PD enzyme assay. Results From all enrolled hyperbilirubinemic neonates, 16% were G6PD deficient and this displays a statistically significant difference in comparison to controls (only 6% were G6PD deficient). Also, significant difference was found in the level of serum indirect bilirubin among G6PD-deficient neonate in comparison to G6PD nondeficient neonates which had contributed significantly to the difference in the duration of phototherapy and hospitalization among deficient neonate. Despite this, no significant difference found in the onset of presentation, reticulocytes count, and age of neonates between the two groups (G6PD-deficient and G6PD nondeficient neonates). Conclusion The current study augments the etiological role of G6PD in the causation and severity of NHB in the region; however, in the absence of significant difference in the reticulocytes and the hemoglobin level, the underlying mechanism cannot be backed to the excess hemolysis alone.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengfei Shi ◽  
Xiaojing Lu ◽  
Yi Zhou ◽  
Chaojing Sun ◽  
Liying Wang ◽  
...  

Despite the fact that companies increasingly value online star endorsements as Internet celebrity economy booms, scientific knowledge on the effect of online star endorsements on consumers’ purchase intention is limited. Based on the theories of self and construal level theory, this study investigates the impact of online star vs. celebrity endorsements on purchase intention and explores the underlying mechanism as well as boundary conditions. The results of four studies reveal the following: (1) Compared with no endorsement, both celebrity endorsements and online star endorsements lead to increases in consumers’ purchase intention, with no significant difference between the two. (2) Self-concept mediates these relationships; specifically, celebrity and online star endorsements activate the ideal and actual self respectively, and enhance consumers’ willingness to purchase. (3) The effect of endorsements on consumers’ purchase intention is moderated by advertising appeals. That is, celebrity endorsements enhance purchase intention when consumers are exposed to symbolic appeals in advertisements, and online star endorsements enhance purchase intention when it is matched with functional advertising appeals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahnawaz D. Jadeja ◽  
Jay M. Mayatra ◽  
Jayvadan Vaishnav ◽  
Nirali Shukla ◽  
Rasheedunnisa Begum

Vitiligo is characterized by circumscribed depigmented macules in the skin resulting due to the autoimmune destruction of melanocytes from the epidermis. Both humoral as well as cell-mediated autoimmune responses are involved in melanocyte destruction. Several studies including ours have established that oxidative stress is involved in vitiligo onset, while autoimmunity contributes to the disease progression. However, the underlying mechanism involved in programing the onset and progression of the disease remains a conundrum. Based on several direct and indirect evidences, we suggested that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress might act as a connecting link between oxidative stress and autoimmunity in vitiligo pathogenesis. Oxidative stress disrupts cellular redox potential that extends to the ER causing the accumulation of misfolded proteins, which activates the unfolded protein response (UPR). The primary aim of UPR is to resolve the stress and restore cellular homeostasis for cell survival. Growing evidences suggest a vital role of UPR in immune regulation. Moreover, defective UPR has been implicated in the development of autoimmunity in several autoimmune disorders. ER stress-activated UPR plays an essential role in the regulation and maintenance of innate as well as adaptive immunity, and a defective UPR may result in systemic/tissue level/organ-specific autoimmunity. This review emphasizes on understanding the role of ER stress-induced UPR in the development of systemic and tissue level autoimmunity in vitiligo pathogenesis and its therapeutics.


Author(s):  
Bin Liang ◽  
Yufei Sun ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Yu Zheng ◽  
Wenbo Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Abscisic acid (ABA) plays a vital role in coordinating physiological processes during fresh fruit ripening. Binding of ABA to receptors facilitates the interaction and inhibition of type 2C phosphatase (PP2C) co-receptors. However, the exact mechanism of PP2C during fruit ripening is unclear. In this study, we determined the role of tomato ABA co-receptor type 2C phosphatase SlPP2C3, a negative regulator of ABA signalling and fruit ripening. SlPP2C3 selectively interacted with monomeric ABA receptors and SlSnRK2.8 kinase in both yeast and tobacco epidermal cells. Expression of SlPP2C3 was ABA-inducible, which was negatively correlated with fruit ripening. Tomato plants with suppressed SlPP2C3 expression exhibited enhanced sensitivity to ABA, while plants over-expressing SlPP2C3 were less sensitive to ABA. Importantly, lack of SlPP2C3 expression accelerated fruit ripening onset and affected fruit glossiness by altering the outer epidermis structure. There was a significant difference in expression of cuticle-related genes in pericarp between wild-type and SlPP2C3 suppressed lines based on RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that SlPP2C3 plays an important role in the regulation of fruit ripening and fruit glossiness in tomato.


Author(s):  
Ehsan Namaziandost ◽  
Mehdi Nasri ◽  
Meisam Ziafar

AbstractConsidering the vital role of comprehensible input, this study attempted to compare the effects of input with various difficulty levels on Iranian EFL learners’ reading comprehension and reading motivation. To fulfil this objective, 54 Iranian pre-intermediate EFL learners were selected from two intact classes (n = 27 each). The selected participants were randomly assigned to two equal groups, namely “i + 1″ (n = 27) and “i-1″ group (n = 27). Then, the groups were pretested by a researcher-made reading comprehension test. After carrying out the pre-test, the treatment (i.e., extensive reading at different levels of difficulty) was practiced on the both groups. The participants in “i + 1″ group received reading passages beyond the current level, on the other hand, the “i-1″ group received those reading passages which were below their current level. After the instruction ended, a modified version of pre-test was conducted as posttest to determine the impacts of the treatment on the students’ reading comprehension. The obtained results indicated that there was a significant difference between the post-tests of “i + 1″ and “i-1″ groups. The findings showed that the “i + 1″ group significantly outperformed the “i-1″ group (p < .05) on the post-test. Moreover, the findings indicated that “i + 1″ group’s motivation increased after the treatment. The implications of the study suggest that interactive type of input is beneficial to develop students’ language skills.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-112
Author(s):  
Afroze Ali ◽  
Milad H. Kamjani ◽  
Marc M. Kesselman

: To date, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV- 2) has infected millions of individuals worldwide. This virus causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has led to numerous deaths worldwide. A large percentage of infected patients present asymptomatically, augmenting the spread of the virus. Symptomatic COVID-19 commonly causes mild to severe respiratory disease and fever, but some individuals experience serious complications resulting in death. Immune compromised, high risk, and elderly individuals are at an increased risk of more severe consequences of the illness such as respiratory failure, organ dysfunction, and shock. Cytokine storm (also known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS)), a systemic inflammatory response that can be triggered by an infection, has been associated with the symptom progression of COVID-19. This review evaluates several published studies that have implemented tocilizumab (TCZ), an IL-6 receptor antibody (US20120253016A1), in COVID-19 treatment. Outcomes and biomarkers of patients treated with TCZ are compared to patients treated with standard of care regimens. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), a prominent inflammatory cytokine involved in CRS in various inflammatory conditions, may have a vital role in the underlying mechanism involved in debilitating SARS-CoV-2 infections and could serve as a viable treatment target. Studies suggest that TCZ may aid in the recovery of patients with COVID-19 and reduce mortality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bishnu Joshi ◽  
Bhupender Singh ◽  
Aftab Nadeem ◽  
Fatemeh Askarian ◽  
Sun Nyunt Wai ◽  
...  

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) have a vital role in bacterial pathogenesis. However, to date, the small RNA-cargo of EVs released by the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus has not been characterized. Here, we shed light on the association of small RNAs with EVs secreted by S. aureus MSSA476 cultured in iron-depleted bacteriologic media supplemented with a subinhibitory dosage of vancomycin to mimic infection condition. Confocal microscopy analysis on intact RNase-treated EVs indicated that RNA is associated with EV particles. Transcriptomic followed by bioinformatics analysis of EV-associated RNA revealed the presence of potential gene regulatory small RNAs and high levels of tRNAs. Among the EV-associated enriched small RNAs were SsrA, RsaC and RNAIII. Our finding invites new insights into the potential role of EV-associated RNA as a modulator of host-pathogen interaction.


Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 5012-5012
Author(s):  
Hillary J Taylor ◽  
Galen Goldscheitter ◽  
Jason A Taylor

Abstract Introduction Persons with hemophilia have decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and increased risk of fracture. Our group has demonstrated that mice with factor VIII deficiency have decreased BMD and decreased biomechanical strength. The underlying mechanism for the decreased skeletal health remains undetermined. This study uses small interfering(si) RNA to knockdown prothrombin gene expression to test the hypothesis that thrombin deficiency results in decreased skeletal health. Method Seventeen 3-week old male C57BL/6J wild-type mice were given subcutaneous injections of siRNA against α-prothrombin (1 mg/Kg) and compared to an equal number of mice injected with saline. Mice were injected at 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 weeks of age with a volume of 200 ul and measurements taken at peak bone mass at 20 weeks of age. In initial dose response studies, this regimen results in >85% knockdown of prothrombin gene expression (data not shown). Studies included whole body and femoral BMD, thromboelastography (TEG) of plasma, micro computed tomography (µCT), and three-point breaking. Results TEG studies show significant differences between mice treated with siRNA (n=17) and mice treated with normal saline (n=6) with R, K and α-angle being p < 0.02, p < 0.014, and p < 0.005 respectively. These results confirm that the thrombin is knocked down by the siRNA against α-prothrombin. Comparative analysis of the whole body and femoral BMD between the treatment and saline groups demonstrate no significant differences (p = 0.64 and p = 0.74). There was no significant difference seen in µCT scans of the right femur, including femoral cortical area (p=0.19), cortical thickness (p= 0.63), and cancellus area (p= 0.25). Three-point break data show no significant difference in ultimate force (p = 0.268), strength (p = 0.546), or modulus (p = 0.07). Conclusion This study seeks to understand the underlying mechanism for bone disease in hemophilia. The results indicate that >85% prothrombin knockdown in wild-type mice starting at 3 weeks of age does not significantly alter skeletal health. This suggests that either 1) thrombin deficiency is not involved in the mechanism of decreased skeletal health in hemophilia or; 2) the role of thrombin deficiency occurs early in bone development (prior to 3 weeks of age). To evaluate these two potential explanations, thrombin deficiency needs to be evaluated earlier in development. Thrombin deficient mice are embryonically lethal. Therefore our laboratory is currently using a series of transgenic mice to characterize the role of thrombin receptors present osteoblasts and their role in bone metabolism. Disclosures Taylor: Alnylam: Research Funding; Shire: Research Funding; CSL: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Bioverativ: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Chow ◽  
Stephen Yortsos ◽  
Najmedin Meshkati

This article focuses on a major human factors–related issue that includes the undeniable role of cultural factors and cockpit automation and their serious impact on flight crew performance, communication, and aviation safety. The report concentrates on the flight crew performance of the Boeing 777–Asiana Airlines Flight 214 accident, by exploring issues concerning mode confusion and autothrottle systems. It also further reviews the vital role of cultural factors in aviation safety and provides a brief overview of past, related accidents. Automation progressions have been created in an attempt to design an error-free flight deck. However, to do that, the pilot must still thoroughly understand every component of the flight deck – most importantly, the automation. Otherwise, if pilots are not completely competent in terms of their automation, the slightest errors can lead to fatal accidents. As seen in the case of Asiana Flight 214, even though engineering designs and pilot training have greatly evolved over the years, there are many cultural, design, and communication factors that affect pilot performance. It is concluded that aviation systems designers, in cooperation with pilots and regulatory bodies, should lead the strategic effort of systematically addressing the serious issues of cockpit automation, human factors, and cultural issues, including their interactions, which will certainly lead to better solutions for safer flights.


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