Correlations among Six Hormone-Induced Transcription Factors and the Alcohol Acyltransferase Gene in Apple

Qing-Qing Li,JIN SHENG,Pengcheng Li,Dapeng Li,Cheng-Chao Zheng,Dequan Li,Huairui Shu 한국식물학회 2012 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.55 No.4

Alcohol acyltransferase (AAT) plays an important role in ester biogenesis in ripening fruit. In apple, MdAAT2 is up-regulated in response to treatment with defense-related hormones. We cloned a novel MdAAT2 promoter via thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR). Sequence analysis indicated the presence of salicylic acid (SA)- and methyl jasmonate (MeJA)-responsive elements in the promoter region. To examine further the operational mechanism for transcription factors (TFs) in regulating expression of the MdAAT2 promoter, we isolated and investigated six potential stress-induced TFs -- MdMYB1, MdMYB2, MdMYB6,MdERF1, MdERF2, and WRKY. These were monitored during various stages of fruit development as well as under several hormonal treatments. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis showed that all of these TF genes, as well as MdAAT2, were detectable in the stigmas. Levels of expression by MdMYB1, MdMYB2, and MdERF1were significantly correlated with that by MdAAT2 during fruit ontogeny. Moreover, transcription of three TFs (MdMYB1,MdMYB6, and MdERF1) was significantly correlated with that of MdAAT2 upon exposure to ethephon, SA, or MeJA. Sequence analysis demonstrated that CAAT, CCAAT elements,and several MYB transcription factor binding sites (CNGTTmotif,AACCA, and CTAACCA elements) existed in the MdAAT2 promoter region. Using that analysis, we performed modeling of MdMYB1 and MdMYB6 based on PROTEINDNA complex1 and complex3 (PDB Accession Numbers 1H88 and 1H8A). There, similarities were found with the protein complex of CAAT or CCAAT consensus sequences. Thus, we propose that two TFs -- MdMYB1 and MdMYB6-- are directly or indirectly involved in the activation of MdAAT2 expression in apple fruit.

Transcriptional response of Methoprene-tolerant (Met) gene to three insect growth disruptors in Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say)

Qing-Wei Meng,Qing-Yu Xu,Pan Deng,Kai-Yun Fu,Wen-Chao Guo,Guo-Qing Li 한국응용곤충학회 2018 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.21 No.2

Some insect growth disruptors (IGDs), such as pyriproxyfen and halofenozide, may be used to control Leptinotarsa decemlineata. However, their mechanism of action remains elusive. Methoprene-tolerant (Met) mediates juvenile hormone (JH) signal to control numerous essential physiological processes. In the present paper, we identified a Met gene (LdMet). LdMet protein was a typical basic helix-loop-helix/Per-Arnt-Sim (bHLHPAS) transcription factor with a bHLH domain, two PAS domains (PAS-A and PAS-B) and a region called PAS associated C terminal (PAC). Eight conserved amino acids critical for JH binding were located in PAS-B and PAC domains. The temporal expression pattern of LdMet was in accordance with the variation of circulating JH titers. Feeding of juvenoid methoprene or pyriproxyfen, or provide for JH dose-dependently stimulated the expression of LdMet. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of two JH degradation genes increased the transcription of LdMet, while silencing of a JH biosynthesis gene repressed the transcription. Conversely, ingestion of an ecdysteroid agonist halofenozide or 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) reduced the mRNA levels of LdMet, in a dosedependent manner, whereas knockdown of either ecdysteroidogenesis or 20E signaling genes increased the mRNA accumulation. Providing that the expression of LdMet can be disturbed by methoprene, pyriproxyfen and halofenozide, LdMet may be a potential target of these IGDs in L. decemlineata larvae.

Isolation and Functional Analysis of spy1 Responsible for Pristinamycin Yield in Streptomyces pristinaespiralis

( Qing Chao Jin ),( Hua Li Yin ),( Xiao Wei Hong ),( Zhi Hua Jin ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2012 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.22 No.6

A gene related to high pristinamycin yield in Streptomyces pristinaespiralis was selected by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and its functions were investigated by gene disruption. First, a 561 bp polymorphic sequence was acquired by AFLP from high-yield recombinants compared with the S. pristinaespiralis ancestor ATCC25486, indicating that this approach is an effective means of screening for valuable genes responsible for antibiotic yield. Then, a 2,127 bp open reading frame of a gene designated spy1 that overlaps with the above fragment was identified and its structure and biological functions were investigated. In silico analysis of spy1 encoding a deduced 708-amino-acid-long serine/threonine protein kinase showed that it only contains a catalytic domain in the N-terminal region, which is different from some known homologs. Gene inactivation of chromosomal spy1 indicated that it plays a pleiotropic regulatory function in pristinamycin production, with a positive correlation to pristinamycin I biosynthesis and a negative correlation to pristinamycin II biosynthesis.

Sublethal effects of beta-cypermethrin on the bird cherry-oat aphid Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Qing-Qing Zhang,Wen-Qiang Li,Zeng-Bin Lu,Li-Li Li,Yi Yu,Chao Li,Xing-Yuan Men 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.3

Rhopalosiphum padi is a sap-sucking aphid and an important pest of wheat that causes considerable yield loss. Beta-cypermethrin, a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide, has a broad insecticide spectrum and is considered effective for aphid control, while its residual concentrations may have sublethal effects on R. padi. Here, the sublethal effects of beta-cypermethrin on R. padi were conducted under laboratory conditions. The acute toxicity test showed that LC 10 , LC 20 , and LC 25 of beta-cypermethrin to R. padi adults were 0.003, 0.031 and 0.079 mg L −1 , respectively. The pre-adult survival rate was significantly reduced by all three concentrations. LC 20 significantly extended the development duration of 1st instar nymphs, pre-oviposition period, and oviposition period of R. padi. The adult longevity was also reduced by LC 25 . However, the fecundity did not differ between the betacypermethrin treatment and control. For life table parameters, both the finite rate (λ) and intrinsic rate of increase (r) decreased at LC 10 and LC 20 , as well as the net reproductive rate (R 0 ) reduced at LC 10 and LC 25 , while mean generation time (T) increased at LC 20 . Thus, at the concentrations of beta-cypermethrin tested here, there were negative impacts on R. padi fitness by decreased pre-adult survival rate, λ, r, and R 0 , and delayed the development of some stages and increased T.

Pathological Lesions and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Expressions in the Liver of Mice Experimentally Infected with Clonorchis sinensis

Qing-Li Yang,Ji-Qing Shen,Yan Xue,Xiao-Bing Cheng,Zhi-Hua Jiang,Yi-Chao Yang,Ying-Dan Chen,Xiao-Nong Zhou 대한기생충학열대의학회 2015 The Korean Journal of Parasitology Vol.53 No.6

The nitric oxide (NO) formation and intrinsic nitrosation may be involved in the possible mechanisms of liver fluke-associated carcinogenesis. We still do not know much about the responses of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) induced by Clonorchis sinensis infection. This study was conducted to explore the pathological lesions and iNOS expressions in the liver of mice with different infection intensity levels of C. sinensis. Extensive periductal inflammatory cell infiltration, bile duct hyperplasia, and fibrosis were commonly observed during the infection. The different pathological responses in liver tissues strongly correlated with the infection intensity of C. sinensis. Massive acute spotty necrosis occurred in the liver parenchyma after a severe infection. The iNOS activity in liver tissues increased, and iNOS-expressing cells with morphological differences were observed after a moderate or severe infection. The iNOS-expressing cells in liver tissues had multiple origins.

Modification of a Smoking Motivation Questionnaire for Chinese Medical Students

Jiang, Chao,Sun, Wen-Jie,Wan, Yan-Chun,Wei, Ming-Wei,Mu, Yong-Ping,Tarver, Siobhan L.,Gao, Yong-Qing,Hu, Tian,Xu, Chao,Gordon, James,Feng, Cindy Xin,Wen, Yu-Feng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Introduction: Smoking prevalence among the medical students is high in China. Therefore, understanding the smoking motivations of medical students is crucial for smoking control, but currently there are no scales questionnaires customized for probing the smoking motivations of medical students. This aim of study was to test and modify a questionnaire for investigating smoking motivations among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,125 medical students at Xuzhou Medical College in China in 2012.The model fit and validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the reliability was tested by single-item reliability, composite reliability, and item-total correlation. Results: The prevalence of smoking was 9.84 % among study population. In the modified scales, the global fit indices identified a CFI value of 0.96, TLI was 0.96, and the RMSEA was 0.063. CFA supported the two dimensional structure of the instrument. The average variance extracted ranged from 0.45 to 0.62. All single-item reliability scores were greater than 0.20, and the composite reliability ranged from 0.74 to 0.91. Conclusion: Modified scales could be the preliminary instrument used in evaluating the smoking motivations of medical students. However, it should be further assessed using other forms and methods of validity and reliability, additional motivations of smoking, and the survey of other medical colleges in China.

Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition and Its Role in the Pathogenesis of Colorectal Cancer

Zhu, Qing-Chao,Gao, Ren-Yuan,Wu, Wen,Qin, Huan-Long Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a collection of events that allows the conversion of adherent epithelial cells, tightly bound to each other within an organized tissue, into independent fibroblastic cells possessing migratory properties and the ability to invade the extracellular matrix. EMT contributes to the complex architecture of the embryo by permitting the progression of embryogenesis from a simple single-cell layer epithelium to a complex three-dimensional organism composed of both epithelial and mesenchymal cells. However, in most tissues EMT is a developmentally restricted process and fully differentiated epithelia typically maintain their epithelial phenotype. Recently, elements of EMT, specially the loss of epithelial markers and the gain of mesenchymal markers, have been observed in pathological states, including epithelial cancers. Increasing evidence has confirmed its presence in human colon during colorectal carcinogenesis. In general, chronic inflammation is considered to be one of the causes of many human cancers including colorectal cancer(CRC). Accordingly, epidemiologic and clinical studies indicate that patients affected by ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease, have an increased risk of developing CRC. A large body of evidence supports roles for the SMAD/STAT3 signaling pathway, the NF-kB pathway, the Ras-mitogenactivated protein kinase/Snail/Slug and microRNAs in the development of colorectal cancers via epithelial-tomesenchymal transition. Thus, EMT appears to be closely involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer, and analysis refered to it can yield novel targets for therapy.

Disruption of ecdysis in Leptinotarsa decemlineata by knockdown of chitin deacetylase 1

Jian-Jian Wu,Li-Li Mu,Zhong-Chao Chen,Kai-Yun Fu,Wen-Chao Guo,Chao Li,Guo-Qing Li 한국응용곤충학회 2019 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.22 No.2

Chitin deacetylases (CDAs) catalyze N-deacetylation of chitin, a crucial process for chitin modification. In the present paper, LdCDA1 was identified in Leptinotarsa decemlineata. It was copiously expressed in larval foregut, hindgut and epidermis. Just before the molt in the first, second and third larval instars, the mRNA levels of LdCDA1 were high. In the fourth (final)-instar larvae, a peak occurred 4 days after ecdysis. In vivo results revealed that LdCDA1 transcriptionally responded, positively and negatively respectively, to 20-hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone titers. Moreover, knockdown of LdCDA1 significantly reduced foliage consumption, lengthened developing period and prevented growth in the final instar larvae. Three distinct lethal phenotypes were noted in the LdCDA1 RNAi larvae. About 30% of the RNAi larvae became moribund and finally died; approximately 50% of deformed pupae died as pharate adults; and around 20% of LdCDA1 depleted pupae finally emerged as abnormal adults and eventually died within 1 week after emergence. Furthermore, chitin content was low and the mRNA levels of five chitin biosynthesis transcripts (LdUAP1, LdUAP2, LdChSAa, LdChSAb and LdChSB) were significantly declined in the LdCDA1 RNAi larvae. In addition, glucose, trehalose and glycogen contents were increased in the LdCDA1 depleted hypomorphs, along with highly expressed genes coding for trehalose and glycogen synthesis enzymes. The findings provide a compelling piece of evidence that CDA1 is critical for chitin deposition in L. decemlineata. Moreover, LdCDA1 may be a potential target for control of the larvae.

Family with Sequence Similarity 83 Member H Promotes the Viability and Metastasis of Cervical Cancer Cells and Indicates a Poor Prognosis

Chao Chen,Hua-Feng Li,Yu-Jie Hu,Meng-Jie Jiang,Qing-Sheng Liu,Jia Zhou 연세대학교의과대학 2019 Yonsei medical journal Vol.60 No.7

Purpose: Family with sequence similarity 83 member H (FAM83H) plays key roles in tumorigenesis. However, the specific rolesof FAM83H in cervical cancer (CC) have not been well studied. Materials and Methods: The RNA-seq data of 306 CC tissues and three normal samples downloaded from The Cancer GenomeAtlas were used to analyze the expression of FAM83H. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves. Associationsbetween FAM83H expression and clinicopathological factors were analyzed by chi-square test. Cox proportional hazards modelwas used to analyze prognostic factors. Loss-of-function assays were conducted to discover the biological functions of FAM83Hin cell proliferation, colony formation, invasion, and migration. Real-time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR (qRT-PCR)and Western blotting were used to measure the expression levels of FAM83H in CC cell lines. Results: Our results demonstrated that FAM83H is overexpressed in CC tissues and that high FAM83H expression is associatedwith worse overall survival (OS). High FAM83H expression in CC was associated with clinical stage, pathologic tumor, and pathologicnode. Univariate analysis suggested that FAM83H expression was significantly related to the OS of CC patients. Althoughmultivariate analysis showed that FAM83H expression was not an independent prognostic factor for the OS of CC patients, the effectsof FAM83H on CC cell growth and motility was significant. Loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that knockdown ofFAM83H inhibited proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of CC cells by inactivating PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusion: FAM83H might play a crucial role in CC progression and could act as a novel therapeutic target in CC.

Experiments on the bearing capacity of tapered concrete filled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) stub columns

Qing-Xin Ren,Chao Hou,Dennis Lam,Lin-Hai Han 국제구조공학회 2014 Steel and Composite Structures, An International J Vol.17 No.5

Tapered concrete filled double skin steel tubular (CFDST) columns have been used in China for structures such as electricity transmission towers. In practice, the bearing capacity related to the connection details on the top of the column is not fully understood. In this paper, the experimental behaviour of tapered CFDST stub columns subjected to axial partial compression is reported, sixteen specimens with top endplate and ten specimens without top endplate were tested. The test parameters included: (1) tapered angle, (2) top endplate thickness, and (3) partial compression area ratio. Test results show that the tapered CFDST stub columns under axial partial compression behaved in a ductile manner. The axial partial compressive behaviour and the failure modes of the tapered CFDST stub columns were significantly influenced by the parameters investigated. Finally, a simple formula for predicting the cross-sectional capacity of the tapered CFDST sections under axial partial compression is proposed.