Transcriptome features of stone cell development in weevil-resistant and susceptible Sitka spruce.

Stone cells are a specialized, highly lignified cell type found in both angiosperms and gymnosperms. In conifers, abundance of stone cells in the cortex provides a robust constitutive physical defense against stem feeding insects. Stone cells are a major insect-resistance trait in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), occurring in dense clusters in apical shoots of trees resistant (R) to spruce weevil (Pissodes strobi) but being rare in susceptible (S) trees.

A case of cutaneous metastasis mimicking herpes zoster rash.

Cutaneous metastasis is a rare occurrence and often is confused with infectious etiology most commonly herpes zoster rash. We present a case 49 year old male with history of metastatic colon cancer with persistent dermatomal vesicular rash that thought to be due to herpes zoster. A skin biopsy eventually revealed malignant cells.

Cell-type- and tissue-specific transcriptomes of the white spruce (Picea glauca) bark unmask fine-scale spatial patterns of constitutive and induced conifer defense.

Plant defenses often involve specialized cells and tissues. In conifers, specialized cells of the bark are important for defense against insects and pathogens. Using laser microdissection, we characterized the transcriptomes of cortical resin duct cells, phenolic cells and phloem of white spruce (Picea glauca) bark under constitutive and methyl jasmonate (MeJa)-induced conditions, and we compared these transcriptomes with the transcriptome of the bark tissue complex.

Biosynthesis of the psychotropic plant diterpene salvinorin A: Discovery and characterization of the Salvia divinorum clerodienyl diphosphate synthase.

Salvia divinorum commonly known as diviner's sage, is an ethnomedicinal plant of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Salvia divinorum is rich in clerodane-type diterpenoids, which accumulate predominantly in leaf glandular trichomes. The main bioactive metabolite, salvinorin A, is the first non-nitrogenous natural compound known to function as an opioid-receptor agonist, and is undergoing clinical trials for potential use in treating neuropsychiatric diseases and drug addictions.

Heartwood-specific transcriptome and metabolite signatures of tropical sandalwood (Santalum album) reveal the final step of (Z)-santalol fragrance biosynthesis.

Tropical sandalwood (Santalum album) produces one of the world's most highly prized fragrances, which is extracted from mature heartwood. However, in some places such as southern India, natural populations of this slow-growing tree are threatened by over-exploitation. Sandalwood oil contains four major and fragrance-defining sesquiterpenols: (Z)-α-santalol, (Z)-β-santalol, (Z)-epi-β-santalol and (Z)-α-exo-bergamotol.

Exploring diterpene metabolism in non-model species: transcriptome-enabled discovery and functional characterization of labda-7,13E-dienyl diphosphate synthase from Grindelia robusta.

Grindelia robusta or gumweed, is a medicinal herb of the sunflower family that forms a diverse suite of diterpenoid natural products. Its major constituents, grindelic acid and related grindelane diterpenoids accumulate in a resinous exudate covering the plants' surfaces, most prominently the unopened composite flower. Recent studies demonstrated potential pharmaceutical applications for grindelic acid and its synthetic derivatives.

Diterpene synthases of the biosynthetic system of medicinally active diterpenoids in Marrubium vulgare.

Marrubium vulgare (Lamiaceae) is a medicinal plant whose major bioactive compounds, marrubiin and other labdane-related furanoid diterpenoids, have potential applications as anti-diabetics, analgesics or vasorelaxants. Metabolite and transcriptome profiling of M. vulgare leaves identified five different candidate diterpene synthases (diTPSs) of the TPS-c and TPS-e/f clades.

Gene discovery of modular diterpene metabolism in nonmodel systems.

Plants produce over 10,000 different diterpenes of specialized (secondary) metabolism, and fewer diterpenes of general (primary) metabolism. Specialized diterpenes may have functions in ecological interactions of plants with other organisms and also benefit humanity as pharmaceuticals, fragrances, resins, and other industrial bioproducts. Examples of high-value diterpenes are taxol and forskolin pharmaceuticals or ambroxide fragrances.

Biosynthesis of wine aroma: transcript profiles of hydroxymethylbutenyl diphosphate reductase, geranyl diphosphate synthase, and linalool/nerolidol synthase parallel monoterpenol glycoside accumulation in Gewürztraminer grapes.

In developing grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) berries, precursor volatile organic compounds (PVOCs) are largely stored as glycosides which may be hydrolyzed to release VOCs during fruit ripening, wine making, or aging. VOCs can be further transformed by yeast metabolism.

Bifunctional cis-abienol synthase from Abies balsamea discovered by transcriptome sequencing and its implications for diterpenoid fragrance production.

The labdanoid diterpene alcohol cis-abienol is a major component of the aromatic oleoresin of balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and serves as a valuable bioproduct material for the fragrance industry. Using high-throughput 454 transcriptome sequencing and metabolite profiling of balsam fir bark tissue, we identified candidate diterpene synthase sequences for full-length cDNA cloning and functional characterization. We discovered a bifunctional class I/II cis-abienol synthase (AbCAS), along with the paralogous levopimaradiene/abietadiene synthase and isopimaradiene synthase, all of which are members of the gymnosperm-specific TPS-d subfamily.

Mutational analysis of white spruce (Picea glauca) ent-kaurene synthase (PgKS) reveals common and distinct mechanisms of conifer diterpene synthases of general and specialized metabolism.

Conifer diterpene synthases (diTPSs) catalyze the multi-step cycloisomerization of geranylgeranyl diphosphate, or copalyl diphosphate, to a variety of diterpenes in general (i.e., primary) and specialized (i.

The bouquet of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Cabernet Sauvignon) flowers arises from the biosynthesis of sesquiterpene volatiles in pollen grains.

Terpenoid volatiles are important information molecules that enable pollinators to locate flowers and may protect reproductive tissues against pathogens or herbivores. Inflorescences of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) are composed of tiny green flowers that produce an abundance of sesquiterpenoid volatiles.

Loss of mir-146a function in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

The pattern of microRNA (miRNA) expression is associated with the degree of tumor cell differentiation in human prostate cancer. MiRNAs bind complementarily to either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, which are consequently silenced, resulting in alterations of tumorigenecity. We have detected eight down-regulated and three up-regulated known miRNAs in androgen-independent human prostate cancer cells compared to those in androgen-dependent cells, using miRNA microarray analyses.

Androgen receptor regulates CD168 expression and signaling in prostate cancer.

Dysregulation of the androgen receptor (AR) and its signaling in the prostate often occurs during normal aging or after androgen ablation, consequently leading to the development of hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Hyaluronan (HA) plays an important role in this transformation of androgen-independent cancer. Previous studies have shown that activation of the receptor for hyaluronan-mediated motility, CD168, was correlated with the Gleason's score, cancer stage, transformation and metastasis in >90% of HRPC patients.