Overexpression of the Cytokinin Oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKX) from Medicago sativa Enhanced Salt Stress Tolerance of Arabidopsis

Shuxia Li,Yunru An,Shaya Hailati,Jing Zhang,Yuman Cao,Yushi Liu,Jincai Geng,Tianming Hu,Peizhi Yang 한국식물학회 2019 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.62 No.5

Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase (CKXs) areinvolved in various physiological processes, includingcytokinins (CKs) catabolism, root system architecture andresponse to abiotic stresses in plants. Alfalfa (Medicagosativa) is a widely cultivated forage which is frequentlythreatened by high salinity, and the potential role of CKXs inalleviating the salt stress in alfalfa lacked attention. In thisstudy, we isolated a CKX gene from alfalfa, MsCKX(MK177192), and identified its biological functions byoverexpressing it in Arabidopsis. MsCKX shares high sequenceidentity with CKX from other legume plants, especiallyMedicago truncatula (98%). MsCKX was clearly tissuespecific,and it was mainly expressed in roots. In addition,the expression of MsCKX increased under salt stress andabscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Overexpression of MsCKXgene increased the activity of CKX, which led to an enlargedroot system in transgenic Arabidopsis plants. Overexpressionof MsCKX gene enhanced salt tolerance of transgenic plantsby maintaining a higher K+/Na+ ratio, enhancing the activities ofantioxidant enzymes to scavenge ROS and increasing theexpression levels of stress-related genes (P5CS1, DREB2,ion transporters and H+ pumps). Taken together, these resultsshed light on the roles of MsCKX involved in salt toleranceand may have applications in salt-resistant breeding ofalfalfa.

Programmed Cell Death-Related Gene Signature Associated with Prognosis and Immune Infiltration and the Roles of HMOX1 in the Proliferation and Apoptosis were Investigated in Uveal Melanoma

Zhao Yubao,Wang Liang,Li Xiaoyan,Jiang Junzhi,Ma Yan,Guo Shuxia,Zhou Jinming,Li Yingjun 한국유전학회 2024 Genes & Genomics Vol.46 No.7

Background Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary ocular malignancy, with a wide range of symptoms and outcomes. The programmed cell death (PCD) plays an important role in tumor development, diagnosis, and prognosis. There is still no research on the relationship between PCD-related genes and UVM. A novel PCD-associated prognostic model is urgently needed to improve treatment strategies. Objective We aim to screen PCD-related prognostic signature and investigate its proliferation ability and apoptosis in UVM cells. Methods The clinical information and RNA-seq data of the UVM patients were collected from the TCGA cohort. All the patients were classified using consensus clustering by the selected PCD-related genes. After univariate Cox regression and PPI network analysis, the prognostic PCD-related genes were then submitted to the LASSO regression analysis to build a prognostic model. The level of immune infiltration of 8-PCD signature in high- and low-risk patients was analyzed using xCell. The prediction on chemotherapy and immunotherapy response in UVM patients was assessed by GDSC and TIDE algorithm. CCK-8, western blot and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining were used to explore the roles of HMOX1 in UVM cells. Results A total of 8-PCD signature was constructed and the risk score of the PCD signature was negatively correlated with the overall survival, indicating strong predictive ability and independent prognostic value. The risk score was positively correlated with CD8 Tcm, CD8 Tem and Th2 cells. Immune cells in high-risk group had poorer overall survival. The drug sensitivity demonstrated that cisplatin might impact the progression of UVM and better immunotherapy responsiveness in the high-risk group. Finally, Overespression HMOX1 (OE-HMOX1) decreased the cell viability and induced apoptosis in UVM cells. Recuse experiment results showed that ferrostatin-1 (fer-1) protected MP65 cells from apoptosis and necrosis caused by OE-HMOX1. Conclusion The PCD signature may have a significant role in the tumor microenvironment, clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis and drug sensitivity. More importantly, HMOX1 depletion greatly induced tumor cell growth and inhibited cell apoptosis and fer-1 protected UVM cells from apoptosis and necrosis induced by OE-HMOX1. This work provides a foundation for effective therapeutic strategy in tumour treatment. Background Uveal melanoma (UVM) is the most common primary ocular malignancy, with a wide range of symptoms and outcomes. The programmed cell death (PCD) plays an important role in tumor development, diagnosis, and prognosis. There is still no research on the relationship between PCD-related genes and UVM. A novel PCD-associated prognostic model is urgently needed to improve treatment strategies. Objective We aim to screen PCD-related prognostic signature and investigate its proliferation ability and apoptosis in UVM cells. Methods The clinical information and RNA-seq data of the UVM patients were collected from the TCGA cohort. All the patients were classified using consensus clustering by the selected PCD-related genes. After univariate Cox regression and PPI network analysis, the prognostic PCD-related genes were then submitted to the LASSO regression analysis to build a prognostic model. The level of immune infiltration of 8-PCD signature in high- and low-risk patients was analyzed using xCell. The prediction on chemotherapy and immunotherapy response in UVM patients was assessed by GDSC and TIDE algorithm. CCK-8, western blot and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining were used to explore the roles of HMOX1 in UVM cells. Results A total of 8-PCD signature was constructed and the risk score of the PCD signature was negatively correlated with the overall survival, indicating strong predictive ability and independent prognostic value. The risk score was positively correlated with CD8 Tcm, CD8 Tem and Th2 cells. Immune cells in high-risk group had poorer overall survival. The drug sensitivity demonstrated that cisplatin might impact the progression of UVM and better immunotherapy responsiveness in the high-risk group. Finally, Overespression HMOX1 (OE-HMOX1) decreased the cell viability and induced apoptosis in UVM cells. Recuse experiment results showed that ferrostatin-1 (fer-1) protected MP65 cells from apoptosis and necrosis caused by OE-HMOX1. Conclusion The PCD signature may have a significant role in the tumor microenvironment, clinicopathological characteristics, prognosis and drug sensitivity. More importantly, HMOX1 depletion greatly induced tumor cell growth and inhibited cell apoptosis and fer-1 protected UVM cells from apoptosis and necrosis induced by OE-HMOX1. This work provides a foundation for effective therapeutic strategy in tumour treatment.

Organic-rich source rock characterization and evaluation of the Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation: results from geophysical logs of the second scientific drilling borehole in the Songliao Basin, NE China

Xiaohuan Zhang,Changchun Zou,Jinhuan Zhao,Ning Li,Shuxia Zhang,Kouamelan Serge Kouamelan,Liang Xiao,Huolin Ma,Yixiong Niu 한국지질과학협의회 2019 Geosciences Journal Vol.23 No.1

The second continental scientific drilling (SKII east) borehole in the Songliao Basin has been planned to be the deepest borehole to drill through the Cretaceous continental strata under the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) up to date. This borehole was designed not only to explore the potential relationships between dinosaur extinction and climate environment during the Cretaceous but also to achieve new breakthroughs in oil and gas exploration. The high hydrocarbon (oil and gas) potential of a source rock is highly dependent on its organic content. We used geophysical log data of Borehole SKII east to evaluate the organic content of organic-rich source rock. In the period of the first member in the Qingshankou Formation (K2qn1) from the study area, high accommodation space and anoxic environment could promote organic matter deposition. Firstly, based on geological information and abundant geophysical log data, the basic geophysical characteristics (including petrophysical, lithological, mineralogical, and sedimentary properties) of the Qingshankou Formation in Borehole SKII east were studied. Secondly, geophysical log response characteristics (including resistivity, porosity, radioactivity, mineral and element) of organic-rich source rocks were analyzed. Thirdly, we tried to obtain suitable methods to predict total organic carbon (TOC) content of the target formation with geophysical log data. The laboratorymeasured TOC values of core samples from Borehole SKI south were used to make calibrations with calculated TOC values from geophysical logs. Results from improved ΔlogR technique and Dual_Vsh method are consistent, and indicate that these two methods are effective in this formation. The calculated TOC values from these two methods are relatively desirable, and show that the organic-rich source rocks with high TOC content occurred in the K2qn1 (1646.00~1669.00 m). The highest TOC content can reach 9.15%. The bed thicknesses of organic-rich source rocks are totally up to 7.88 m. These organic-rich source rocks can be considered as excellent. This study demonstrated that improve ΔlogR technique can be applied to evaluate source rocks in the formations without maturity data, and the new method Dual_Vsh is also valid in the Qingshankou Formation. The organic-rich source rock evaluation results could promote further exploration and development of oil and gas resources in the upper Cretaceous formations, Songliao Basin.

Gene Co-expression Network Analysis Associated with Acupuncture Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Animal Model

Dea Louise Ravn,Afsaneh Mohammadnejad,Kemal Sabaredzovic,Weilong Li,Jesper Lund,Shuxia Li,Anders Jørgen Svendsen,Veit Schwämmle,Qihua Tan 대한침구의학회 2020 대한침구의학회지 Vol.37 No.2

Background: Classical acupuncture is being used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To explore the biological response to acupuncture, a network-based analysis was performed on gene expression data collected from an animal model of RA treated with acupuncture.Methods: Gene expression data were obtained from published microarray studies on blood samples from rats with collagen induced arthritis (CIA) and non-CIA rats, both treated with manual acupuncture. The weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify gene clusters expressed in association with acupuncture treatment time and RA status. Gene ontology and pathway analyses were applied for functional annotation and network visualization.Results: A cluster of 347 genes were identified that differentially downregulated expression in association with acupuncture treatment over time; specifically in rats with CIA with module-RA correlation at 1 hour after acupuncture (-0.27; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and at 34 days after acupuncture (-0.33; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Functional annotation showed highly significant enrichment of porphyrin-containing compound biosynthetic processes (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The network-based analysis also identified a module of 140 genes differentially expressed between CIA and non-CIA in rats (<i>p</i> < 0.001). This cluster of genes was enriched for antigen processing and presentation of exogenous peptide antigen (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Other functional gene clusters previously reported in earlier studies were also observed.<br>Conclusion: The identified gene expression networks and their hub-genes could help with the understanding of mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of RA, as well understanding the effects of acupuncture treatment of RA.