A transcription factor TaTCP20 regulates the expression of Ppd-D1b in common wheat

Wei Fan,Song Tianqi,Zhou Jianfei,Cheng Jie,Li Ruibo,Yu Ming,Zhang Yunrui,Yu-Yang Song,Zhang Bo,Zhang Xiaoke 한국식물생명공학회 2021 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.15 No.3

Photoperiod (Ppd) genes play an important role in the adaptation of wheat to the ecological environment. However, the transcriptional regulation mechanism of photoperiodic genes has remained elusive. This study isolated a full-length promoter of Ppd-D1b (2518 bp) from the common wheat genome. Several essential core cis-acting elements and numerous light-responsive cis-acting regulatory elements were identifed in Ppd-D1b promoter by the in-silico analysis. Ten 5’-deleted length fragments of the Ppd-D1b promoter fused with GUS were constructed and named D0 ~D9, then transferred them into Arabidopsis thaliana. GUS gene driven by full-length (D0) in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana showed the same rhythm with Ppd-D1b in wheat under short-day conditions (SDs, 8-h light/16-h dark). The expression of GUS gene in D0 reached its peak at 3 h after dawn, then decreased to the lowest and remained stable. Analysis of the series of 5’-deleted fragments showed that at 3 h after dawn, GUS gene expression activity decreased signifcantly in D7a due to removal of CHEBS (CCA1 HIKING EXPEDITION binding site). Moreover, yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and dual-luciferase (dual-LUC) assays revealed that TaTCP20 could bind to the Ppd-D1b promoter to increase its transcriptional activity. This study revealed a transcription factor, TaTCP20, which activated Ppd-D1b by binding to CHEBS, provided a foundation for the theoretical research on wheat’s photoperiodic response mechanism.

Surface-functionalized Hexagonal Mesoporous Silica Supported 5-(4-Carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl Porphyrin Manganese(III) Chloride and Their Catalytic Activity

Wei-jie Zhang,Pingping Jiang,Ping-bo Zhang,Jia-wei Zheng,Haiyang Li 대한화학회 2012 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.33 No.12

Manganese(III) 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl porphyrin chloride (Mn(TCPP)Cl) was grafted through amide bond on silica zeolite Y (HY), zeolite beta (Hβ) and hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS). XRD, ICP-AES, N2 physisorption, SEM, TEM, FTIR and thermal analysis were employed to analyse these novel heterogeneous materials. These silica supported catalysts were shown to be used for epoxidation and good shape selectivity was observed. The effect of support structure on catalytic performance was also discussed. The catalytic activity remained when the catalysts were recycled five times. The energy changes about epoxidation of alkenes by NaIO4 and H2O2 were also computationally calculated to explain the different catalytic efficiency.

The K+/H+ antiporter AhNHX1 improved tobacco tolerance to NaCl stress by enhancing K+ retention

Wei-Wei Zhang,Jing-Jing Meng,Jin-Yi Xing,Sha Yang,Feng Guo,Xin-Guo Li,Shu-Bo Wan 한국식물학회 2017 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.60 No.3

High salinity is the one of important factors limiting plant growth and crop production. Many NHX-type antiporters have been reported to catalyze K+/H+ exchange to mediate salt stress. This study shows that an NHX gene from Arachis hypogaea L. has an important role in K+ uptake and transport, which affects K+ accumulation and plant salt tolerance. When overexpressing AhNHX1, the growth of tobacco seedlings is improved with longer roots and a higher fresh weight than the wild type (WT) under NaCl treatment. Meanwhile, when exposed to NaCl stress, the transgenic seedlings had higher K+/H+ antiporter activity and their roots got more K+ uptake. NaCl stress could induce higher K+ accumulation in the roots, stems, and leaves of transgenic tobacco seedlings but not Na+ accumulation, thus, leading to a higher K+/Na+ ratio in the transgenic seedlings. Additionally, the AKT1, HAK1, SKOR, and KEA genes, which are involved in K+ uptake or transport, were induced by NaCl stress and kept higher expression levels in transgenic seedlings than in WT seedlings. The H+-ATPase and H+-PPase activities were also higher in transgenic seedlings than in the WT seedlings under NaCl stress. Simultaneously, overexpression of AhNHX1 increased the relative distribution of K+ in the aerial parts of the seedlings under NaCl stress. These results showed that AhNHX1 catalyzed the K+/H+ antiporter and enhanced tobacco tolerance to salt stress by increasing K+ uptake and transport.

Chemical Constituents from the Aerial Parts of Isodon coetsa and their Cytotoxicity

Wei Zhao,Jian Xin Pu,Xue Du,Yong Zhao,Fei He,Hai Bo Zhang,Yong Bo Xue,Wei Lie Xiao,Han Dong Sun,Ying Li Wu,Guo Qiang Chen 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.12

Three new compounds (1-3), including a neolignan, a triterpenoid, and a diterpenoid, together with twenty known compounds (4-23), were isolated from the aerial parts of Isodon coetsa. Their structures and relative configurations were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. Compounds 1, 3, 5-9, 11-13, 16-17, and 19-23 were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against HT-29, BEL-7402, and SK-OV-3 human tumor cell lines. Compound 7 showed significant inhibitory effects on all three types of cells, with IC50 values of 2.52, 3.06, 2.14 μM, respectively.

Active Disturbance Rejection Control for Nanopositioning Systems with Piezoelectric Actuators

Wei Wei,Ran Zhang,Jing Wang,Guang-Bo Hao 제어로봇시스템학회 2016 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2016 No.10

Nanopositioning proposes a high demand for its control system. However, hysteresis, a common nonlinear phenomenon existing in piezoelectric actuator, decreases precision of nanopositioning. In this paper, active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is designed to estimate and cancel the influence of hysteresis, and integral time absolute error (ITAE) optimal index is chosen to determine the parameters of ADRC. Simulations are performed on the basis of mathematic model of nanopositioning system, and numerical results show that ADRC is effective in the control of nanopositioning.

A Hierarchical Autonomous System Based Topology Control Algorithm in Space Information Network

( Wei Zhang ),( Gengxin Zhang ),( Liang Gou ),( Bo Kong ),( Dongming Bian ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2015 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.9 No.9

This article investigates the topology control problem in the space information network (SIN) using a hierarchical autonomous system (AS) approach. We propose an AS network topology control (AS-TC) algorithm to minimize the time delay in the SIN. Compared with most existing approaches for SIN where either the purely centralized or the purely distributed control method is adopted, the proposed algorithm is a hybrid control method. In order to reduce the cost of control, the control message exchange is constrained among neighboring sub-AS networks. We prove that the proposed algorithm achieve logical k-connectivity on the condition that the original physical topology is k-connectivity. Simulation results validate the theoretic analysis and effectiveness of the AS-TC algorithm.

Surface-functionalized Hexagonal Mesoporous Silica Supported 5-(4-Carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl Porphyrin Manganese(III) Chloride and Their Catalytic Activity

Zhang, Wei-Jie,Jiang, Ping-Ping,Zhang, Ping-Bo,Zheng, Jia-Wei,Li, Haiyang Korean Chemical Society 2012 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.33 No.12

Manganese(III) 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-triphenyl porphyrin chloride (Mn(TCPP)Cl) was grafted through amide bond on silica zeolite Y (HY), zeolite beta ($H{\beta}$) and hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS). XRD, ICP-AES, $N_2$ physisorption, SEM, TEM, FTIR and thermal analysis were employed to analyse these novel heterogeneous materials. These silica supported catalysts were shown to be used for epoxidation and good shape selectivity was observed. The effect of support structure on catalytic performance was also discussed. The catalytic activity remained when the catalysts were recycled five times. The energy changes about epoxidation of alkenes by $NaIO_4$ and $H_2O_2$ were also computationally calculated to explain the different catalytic efficiency.

Experimental study on seismic behavior of reinforced concrete column retrofitted with prestressed steel strips

Bo Zhang,Yong Yang,Yuan-feng Wei,Ru-yue Liu,Chu Ding,Ke-qiang Zhang 국제구조공학회 2015 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.55 No.6

In this study, a new retrofitting method for improving the seismic performance of reinforced concrete column was presented, in which prestressed steel strips were utilized as retrofitting stuff to confine the reinforced concrete column transversely. In order to figure out the seismic performance of concrete column specimen retrofitted by such prestressed steel strips methods, a series of quasi-static tests of five retrofitted specimens and two unconfined column specimen which acted as control specimens were conducted. Based on the test results, the seismic performance including the failure modes, hysteresis performance, ductility performance, energy dissipation and stiffness degradation of all these specimens were fully investigated and analyzed. And furthermore the influences of some key parameters such as the axial force ratios, shear span ratios and steel strips spacing on seismic performance of those retrofitted reinforced concrete column specimens were also studied. It was shown that the prestressed steel strips provided large transverse confining effect on reinforced concrete column specimens, which resulted in improving the shearing bearing capacity, ductility performance, deformation capacity and energy dissipation performance of retrofitted specimens effectively. In comparison to the specimen which was retrofitted by the carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) strips method, the seismic performance of the specimens retrofitted by the prestressed steel strips was a bit better, and with much less cost both in material and labor. From this research results, it can be concluded that this new retrofitting method is really useful and has significant advantages both in saving money and time over some other retrofitting methods.

A Discovery of Low Hydraulic Resistance Channel Along Meridians

Wei-Bo Zhang,Yu-Ying Tian,Hong Li,Jia-He Tian,Ming-Fu Luo,Fa-Liang Xu,Guang-Jun Wang,Tao Huang,Yi-Hui Xu,Rui-Hong Wang 사단법인약침학회 2008 Journal of Acupuncture & Meridian Studies Vol.1 No.1

A hydro-mechanic model was put forward to study the fundamental nature of acupuncture meridians. The basic state of low hydraulic resistance was tested on humans and mini pigs using three methods. The first, a modified Guyton’s method, proved that there was lower hydraulic resistance on meridians compared with nonmeridians. The second scanning method involved a single pressure transducer that can find the lowest resistance point in tissue, and the third method used two transducers and provided a more stable measurement. Using the latter method, low hydraulic resistance points were found very close to low impedance points along meridians. The transmission of artificial interstitial fluid pressure waves was measured to examine their connection to the low resistance points, with the result that a good connection between the points was confirmed. This means the points form channels along the meridians that we refer to as low hydraulic resistance channels. The channel was imaged through isotopic tracing and a migration of isotope 99mTe could be found along the channel. The layer of the channel was detected by injecting Alcian blue and the track was found beneath the skin. All of the above experiments suggest the existence of a new type of channel in living tissues that has not yet been described in modern science, but coincides quite well with the Qi channel theory of traditional Chinese medicine. A hydro-mechanic model was put forward to study the fundamental nature of acupuncture meridians. The basic state of low hydraulic resistance was tested on humans and mini pigs using three methods. The first, a modified Guyton’s method, proved that there was lower hydraulic resistance on meridians compared with nonmeridians. The second scanning method involved a single pressure transducer that can find the lowest resistance point in tissue, and the third method used two transducers and provided a more stable measurement. Using the latter method, low hydraulic resistance points were found very close to low impedance points along meridians. The transmission of artificial interstitial fluid pressure waves was measured to examine their connection to the low resistance points, with the result that a good connection between the points was confirmed. This means the points form channels along the meridians that we refer to as low hydraulic resistance channels. The channel was imaged through isotopic tracing and a migration of isotope 99mTe could be found along the channel. The layer of the channel was detected by injecting Alcian blue and the track was found beneath the skin. All of the above experiments suggest the existence of a new type of channel in living tissues that has not yet been described in modern science, but coincides quite well with the Qi channel theory of traditional Chinese medicine.

The MTHFR C677T Polymorphism and Prostate Cancer Risk: New Findings from a Meta-analysis of 7306 Cases and 8062 Controls

Zhang, Wei-Bing,Zhang, Jun-Hong,Pan, Zheng-Qi,Yang, Qi-Sheng,Liu, Bo Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.6

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is an essential enzyme involved in folate metabolism; a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) C677T has been reported to be linked with altered incidences of several diseases. We here conducted a meta-analysis of 15 published epidemiological studies with a total of 7306 cases and 8062 controls to evaluate its association with prostate cancer risk with overall and subgroup analyses. No statistical relationship was found overall with any genetic model (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.80, 95%CI = [0.62, 1.04], P = 0.094; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.97, 95%CI = [0.84; 1.12], P = 0.667; Dominant: OR = 0.94, 95%CI = [0.82; 1.07], P = 0.343; Recessive: OR = 0.81, 95%CI = [0.64; 1.04], P = 0.104), but after the exclusion of several studies, we could observe the homozygote TT to confer less susceptibility to prostate cancer in carriers; moreover, different effects of the polymorphism on prostate cancer risk was detected from subgroup analysis stratified by participants' residential region: significant reduced prostate cancer risk was found to be associated with the polymorphism from Asian studies (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.47, 95%CI = [0.33; 0.67], P < 0.001; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.73, 95%CI = [0.60; 0.90], P = 0.002; Dominant: OR = 0.67, 95%CI = [0.56; 0.82], P < 0.001; Recessive: OR = 0.55, 95%CI = [0.40; 0.76], P < 0.001) while studies from Europe indicated a slight increased risk under dominant model with marginal significance (OR = 1.14, 95%CI = [0.99; 1.30], P = 0.064). Moreover, the protective effect of the polymorphism against prostate cancer was also shown by studies performed in yellow Asians (TT vs. CC: OR = 0.48, 95%CI = [0.31; 0.75], P = 0.001; CT vs. CC: OR = 0.68, 95%CI = [0.51; 0.90], P = 0.006; Dominant: OR = 0.63, 95%CI = [0.48; 0.82], P < 0.001; Recessive: OR = 0.57, 95%CI = [0.39; 0.84], P = 0.004). We propose that these phenomena should be viewed with the consideration of folate metabolism profile and different gene background as well as living habits of different populations, and more relevant studies should be conducted to confirm our hypothesis and provide a comprehensive and clear picture concerning this topic.