Overexpression of A RING finger ubiquitin ligase gene AtATRF1 enhances aluminium tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana

Xiaomei Qin,Sheng Huang,Yanqing Liu,Mingdi Bian,Wuliang Shi,Zecheng Zuo,Zhenming Yang 한국식물학회 2017 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.60 No.1

Aluminium (Al) toxicity is a primary limitation of crop production in acid soils, which take over 40% of arable soil worldwide. In previous studies, a series of genes have been identified to regulate the plant Al resistance or tolerance. However, none of E3 ubiquitin ligase, the key factor of ubiquitination that plays an important role in plant growth and development, has been characterized for Al response in Arabidopsis. In this study, an E3 ubiquition ligase gene AtATRF1 (Al Tolerance RING Finger 1), a homolog of RAD18 interacting RAD6 to repair the damaged DNA in human and yeast, is isolated from Arabidopsis. It encodes a predicted protein of 296 amino acids with a C3HC4 type RING finger domain. The expression of AtATRF1 is induced by Al, and the transgenic plant overexpressing AtATRF1 enhances the Al tolerance. Similar as RAD18, the AtATRF1 locates in nucleus and regulates the expression of AtATR, which involves in DNA repair and Al response in Arabidopsis. Our results indicate that nuclearlocated AtATRF1 may interact and ubiquitinate the transcriptional regulator of AtATR to mediate the Al tolerance of Arabidopsis.

Characterization and antioxidant properties of chitosan/ethyl-vanillin edible films produced via Schiff-base reaction

Jianfei Zhu,Xiaomei Chen,Tingting Huang,Dongling Tian,Ruiping Gao 한국식품과학회 2023 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.32 No.2

In this paper, chitosan/ethyl-vanillin (CS-EV) Schiff-base edible films with CS and EV at different concentrations and ratios were successfully prepared. The optical barrier properties, water contact angle, mechanical performance, water vapor transmission, antioxidant properties, thermal properties, and morphological structure of the films were compared. The results suggested that the tensile strength (TS) attained a maximum value of 64.63 MPa at a concentration of 4% EV. Moreover, water diffusion was prevented through the compact structure of the CS-EV edible film. Additionally, the two sides of the CS-EV film show different textures due to their different hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity. In particular, the films of CS possessed superior thermal stability, while those of CS-EV exhibited higher antioxidant activity.

Complete genome sequence of the sesame pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum strain SEPPX 05

Xinshen Li,Xiaomei Huang,Gongyou Chen,Lifang Zou,Lingen Wei,Juling Hua 한국유전학회 2018 Genes & Genomics Vol.40 No.6

Ralstonia solanacearum is a soil-borne phytopathogen associated with bacterial wilt disease of sesame. R. solanacearum is the predominant agent causing damping-off from tropical to temperate regions. Because bacterial wilt has decreased the sesame industry yield, we sequenced the SEPPX05 genome using PacBio and Illumina HiSeq 2500 systems and revealed that R. solanacearum strain SEPPX05 carries a bipartite genome consisting of a 3,930,849 bp chromosome and a 2,066,085 bp megaplasmid with 66.84% G+C content that harbors 5,427 coding sequences. Based on the whole genome, phylogenetic analysis showed that strain SEPPX05 is grouped with two phylotype I strains (EP1 and GMI1000). Pan-genomic analysis shows that R. solanacearum is a complex species with high biological diversity and was able to colonize various environments during evolution. Despite deletions, insertions, and inversions, most genes of strain SEPPX05 have relatively high levels of synteny compared with strain GMI1000. We identified 104 genes involved in virulence-related factors in the SEPPX05 genome and eight absent genes encoding T3Es of GMI1000. Comparing SEPPX05 with other species, we found highly conserved secretion systems central to modulating interactions of host bacteria. These data may provide important clues for understanding underlying pathogenic mechanisms of R. solanacearum and help in the control of sesame bacterial wilt.

Graphitization of graphene oxide films under pressure

Chen, Xianjue,Deng, Xiaomei,Kim, Na Yeon,Wang, Yu,Huang, Yuan,Peng, Li,Huang, Ming,Zhang, Xu,Chen, Xiong,Luo, Da,Wang, Bin,Wu, Xiaozhong,Ma, Yufei,Lee, Zonghoon,Ruoff, Rodney S. Elsevier 2018 Carbon Vol.132 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Lightweight, flexible graphite foils that are chemically inert, high-temperature resistant, and highly electrically and thermally conductive can be used as component materials in numerous applications. “Graphenic” foils can be prepared by thermally transforming graphene oxide films. For this transformation, it is desirable to maintain a densely packed film structure at high heating rates as well as to lower the graphitizing temperatures. In this work, we discuss the pressure-assisted thermal decomposition of graphene oxide films by hot pressing at different temperatures (<I>i.e.</I>, 300 °C, 1000 °C, or 2000 °C). The films pressed at 1000 °C or 2000 °C were subsequently heated at 2750 °C to achieve a higher degree of graphitization. The combination of heating and pressing promotes the simultaneous thermal decomposition and graphitic transformation of G-O films. Films pressed at 2000 °C as well as films further graphitized at 2750 °C show high chemical purity, uniformity, and retain their flexibility. For films pressed at 2000 °C and then further heated at 2750 °C, the mechanical performances outperform the reported values of the “graphite” foils prepared by calendering exfoliated graphite flakes; the electrical conductivity is ∼3.1 × 10<SUP>5</SUP> S/m and the in-plane thermal conductivity is ∼1.2 × 10<SUP>3</SUP> W/(m·K).</P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Preparation and characterization of vanillin-conjugated chitosan-stabilized emulsions via a Schiff-base reaction

Jianfei Zhu,Tingting Huang,Xiaomei Chen,Dongling Tian,Lei Wang,Ruiping Gao 한국식품과학회 2023 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.32 No.11

In the current work, vanillin-conjugated chitosan stabilized emulsions (CSVAEs) were successfully prepared and its characterization and antibacterial properties were investigated. Under stirring condition, CSVAEs were produced by a Schiff base reaction between the vanillin aldehyde group and the chitosan active amino group. The CSVAEs were described through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet spectrophotometry and thermogravimetric analysis, which demonstrated the generation of Schiff bases between vanillin and chitosan. Furthermore, the CSVAEs displayed differences at different pH values, indicating their potential as pH-responsive materials. By studying their release behavior, pH 4 was a critical point at which the properties of the CSVAEs changed. The antibacterial tests showed that the CSVAEs had good pH-responsive antibacterial abilities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Optimal design of EMI filters for PV system based on parasitic parameter and stability analysis

Jiao Zhang,Wenjie Chen,Bin Zhang,Xiaomei Song,Hao Huang 전력전자학회 2015 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2015 No.6

Electromagnetic magnetic interference (EMI) issue has become one of the urgent problems to be solved in the photovoltaic (PV) inverter system. Therefore, it should not be ignored. In order to optimize the EMI filter design, high frequency characteristic of a PV system is studied in this paper. A conducted EMI model is proposed. The proposed model take into consider the influences of PV array parameters, DC side cable impedance, inverter parasitic capacitance and the unbalance of AC side impedance. Based upon that model, a passive EMI filter used for the DC side of a PV system is designed and fabricated. And the designing steps have been given thoroughly. To acquire the best performance of the filter, a stabilization analysis based on Routh criterion is also made. Finally, experimental results are presented to verify the efficient of the proposed EMI filter.

Sputum Transcriptomics Reveals FCN1+ Macrophage Activation in Mild Eosinophilic Asthma Compared to Non-Asthmatic Eosinophilic Bronchitis

Zhan Wenzhi,Luo Wei,Zhang Yulong,Xiang Keheng,Chen Xiaomei,Shen Shuirong,Huang Chuqing,Xu Tingting,Ding Wenbin,Chen Yuehan,Lin Mingtong,Pan Xinghua,Lai Kefang 대한천식알레르기학회 2024 Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research Vol.16 No.1

Purpose: Eosinophilic asthma (EA) and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (EB) share similar eosinophilic airway inflammation. Unlike EA, EB did not present airway hyperresponsiveness or airflow obstruction. We aimed to compare the mechanism underlying the different manifestations between EA and EB via sputum transcriptomics analysis. Methods: Induced-sputum cells from newly physician-diagnosed EA, EB patients, and healthy controls (HCs) were collected for RNA sequencing. Results: Bulk RNA sequencing was performed using sputum cells from patients with EA (n = 18), EB (n = 15) and HCs (n = 28). Principal component analysis revealed similar gene expression patterns in EA and EB. The most differentially expressed genes in EB compared with HC were also shared by EA, including IL4, IL5 IL13, CLC, CPA3, and DNASE1L3. However, gene set enrichment analysis showed that the signatures regulating macrophage activation were enriched in EA compared to EB. Sputum cells were profiled using single-cell RNA sequencing. FABP4+ macrophages, SPP1+ macrophages, FCN1+ macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, B cells, mast cells, and epithelial cells were identified based on gene expression profiling. Analysis of cell-cell communication revealed that interactions between FCN1+ macrophages and other cells were higher in EA than in EB. A wealth of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) interactions between FCN1+ macrophages and other cells have been shown in EA. The gene expression levels of EREG, TGFBI, and VEGFA in FCN1+ macrophages of EA were significantly higher than those of EB. Furthermore, signatures associated with the response to TGF-β, cellular response to VEGF stimulus and developmental cell growth were enriched in FCN1+ macrophages of EA compared to those of EB. Conclusions: FCN1+ macrophage activation associated with airway remodeling processes was upregulated in EA compared to that in EB, which may contribute to airway hyperresponsiveness and airflow obstruction.

Serum exosomal miR-192 serves as a potential detective biomarker for early pregnancy screening in sows

Gao Ruonan,Li Qingchun,Qiu Meiyu,Xie Su,Sun Xiaomei,Huang Tao 아세아·태평양축산학회 2023 Animal Bioscience Vol.36 No.9

Objective: The study was conducted to screen differentially expressed miRNAs in sows at early pregnancy by high-throughput sequencing and explore its mechanism of action on embryo implantation. Methods: The blood serum of pregnant and non-pregnant Landrace×Yorkshire sows were collected 14 days after artificial insemination, and exosomal miRNAs were purified for high throughput miRNA sequencing. The expression patterns of 10 differentially expressed (DE) miRNAs were validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The qRT-PCR quantified the abundance of serum exosomal miR-192 in pregnant and control sows, and the diagnostic power was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The target genes of DE miRNAs were predicted with bioinformatics software, and the functional and pathway enrichment analysis was performed on gene ontology and the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes terms. Furthermore, a luciferase reporter system was used to identify the target relation between miR-192 and integrin alpha 4 (ITGA4), a gene influencing embryo implantation in pigs. Finally, the expression levels of miRNAs and the target gene ITGA4 were analyzed by qRT-PCR, and western blot, with the proliferation of BeWo cells detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8). Results: A total of 221 known miRNAs were detected in the libraries of the pregnant and non-pregnant sows, of which 55 were up-regulated and 67 were down-regulated in the pregnant individuals compared with the non-pregnant controls. From these, the expression patterns of 10 DE miRNAs were validated. The qRT-PCR analysis further confirmed a significantly higher expression of miR-192 in the serum exosomes extracted from pregnant sows, when compared to controls. The ROC analysis revealed that miR-192 provided excellent diagnostic accuracy for pregnancy (area under the ROC curve [AUC] = 0.843; p>0.001). The dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that miR-192 directly targeted ITGA4. The protein expression of ITGA4 was reduced in cells that overexpressed miR-192. Overexpression of miR-192 resulted in the decreased proliferation of BeWo cells and regulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes. Conclusion: Serum exosomal miR-192 could serve as a potential biomarker for early pregnancy in pigs. miR-192 targeted ITGA4 gene directly, and miR-192 can regulate cellular proliferation.

Study of the relationship between variants near CCNL1/LEKR1 and in ADCY5 with low birth weight in a Chinese population

Xuejin Fan,Qi Peng,Yanhua Chen,Zeke Ma,Xiaoguang He,Biying Deng,Hui Huang,Juan Zeng,Chuyun Cheng,Shaoji Liu,Xiaomei Lu 한국유전학회 2015 Genes & Genomics Vol.37 No.12

The aim of this study was to test the impact of variants rs900400 (located near LEKR1 and CCNL1) and rs9883204 (located in ADCY5) on birth weight in a Chinese population. We conducted a case–control study including 156 low-birth- weight infants as the case group and 100 normal-birth-weight infants as the control group. The rs900400 and rs9883204 variants were analyzed by gene sequencing in all the participants. Our results revealed a significant difference in the genotype distribution (v2 = 10.449, p = 0.005) and allele distribution (v2 = 9.277, p = 0.002) of rs900400 between the case group and the control group. The C allele of rs900400 was associated with lower birth weight (OR 1.771 [95 % CI 1.237–2.535]) in the Chinese population. However, the rs9883204 polymorphism was not informative in the Chinese population. Our study shows that the ‘‘birth weightlowering’’ variant rs900400 located near LEKR1 and CCNL1, which is strongly associated with birth weight in European cohorts, appears to have a similar association in Chinese cohorts. However, the rs9883204 variant located in ADCY5 does not appear to be correlated with low birth weight in the same population. Moreover, we found that the variant rs900400 may also be associated with premature birth, thereby supporting the need for further research in this area.