A plant-based mutant huntingtin model-driven discovery of impaired expression of GTPCH and DHFR.

Pathophysiology associated with Huntington's disease (HD) has been studied extensively in various cell and animal models since the 1993 discovery of the mutant huntingtin (mHtt) with abnormally expanded polyglutamine (polyQ) tracts as the causative factor. However, the sequence of early pathophysiological events leading to HD still remains elusive. To gain new insights into the early polyQ-induced pathogenic events, we expressed Htt exon1 (Htt) with a normal (21), or an extended (42 or 63) number of polyQ in tobacco plants.

MYC2 Transcription Factors TwMYC2a and TwMYC2b Negatively Regulate Triptolide Biosynthesis in Hairy Roots.

Triptolide, an important bioactive diterpenoid extracted from the plant , exhibits many pharmacological activities. MYC2 transcription factor (TF) plays an important role in the regulation of various secondary metabolites in plants. However, whether MYC2 TF could regulate the biosynthesis of triptolide in is still unknown.

Isolation and Functional Characterization of the Promoters of Miltiradiene Synthase Genes, and , and Interaction Analysis with the Transcription Factor TwTGA1 from .

Miltiradiene synthase (MS) genes, and , are the key diterpene synthase genes in the biosynthesis of triptolide, which is an important medicinally active diterpenoid in . However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of key genes in triptolide biosynthesis remains unclear. In this study, the promoters of (1496 bp) and (1862 bp) were isolated and analyzed.

Glycoengineering tobacco plants to stably express recombinant human erythropoietin with different N-glycan profiles.

Plant-based expression system has many potential advantages to produce biopharmaceuticals, but plants cannot be directly used to express human glycoproteins because of their differences in glycosylation abilities from mammals. To exploit plant-based expression system for producing recombinant human erythropoietin (rhuEPO), we glycoengineered tobacco plants by stably introducing seven to eight mammalian genes including a target human EPO into tobacco in order to generate capacities for β1,4-galactosylation, bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) and sialylation. Wild type human β1,4-galactosyltransferase gene (GalT) or a chimeric GalT gene (ST/GalT) was co-expressed to produce rhuEPO bearing β1,4-galactose-extended N-glycan chains as well as compare their β1,4-galactosylation efficiencies.

Validation of suitable reference genes for quantitative gene expression analysis in Tripterygium wilfordii.

Validation of suitable reference genes is critical in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. Suitable and reliable reference genes for the normalization of gene expression data are characterized by high gene expression stability across tissues and different experimental conditions. This study evaluated the gene expression stability of ten reference genes commonly used in Arabidopsis thaliana for their suitability in qRT-PCR analysis in Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.

Cloning, Expression Analysis and Functional Characterization of Squalene Synthase (SQS) from Tripterygium wilfordii.

Celastrol is an active triterpenoid compound derived from which is well-known as a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. Squalene synthase has a vital role in condensing two molecules of farnesyl diphosphate to form squalene, a key precursor of triterpenoid biosynthesis. In the present study, squalene synthase (TwSQS) was cloned followed by prokaryotic expression and functional verification.

A MDR transporter contributes to the different extracellular production of sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids between adventitious root and hairy root liquid cultures of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f.

TwMDR1 transports sesquiterpene pyridine alkaloids, wilforine and wilforgine, into the hairy roots of T. wilfordii Hook.f.

Differential expressed analysis of Tripterygium wilfordii unigenes involved in terpenoid backbone biosynthesis.

Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. is the traditional medicinal plants in China.

Effects of plant stress signal molecules on the production of wilforgine in an endophytic actinomycete isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f.

The endophytic actinomycete F4-20 was isolated from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f. and was confirmed to produce wilforgine, a secondary metabolite discovered in its host.

Establishment of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. Hairy root culture and optimization of its culture conditions for the production of triptolide and wilforine.

In order to solve the shortage of natural Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. plant resource for the production of the important secondary metabolites triptolide and wilforine, hairy roots were induced from its root calli by Agrobacterium rhizogenes.

An EAR-motif-containing ERF transcription factor affects herbivore-induced signaling, defense and resistance in rice.

Ethylene responsive factors (ERFs) are a large family of plant-specific transcription factors that are involved in the regulation of plant development and stress responses. However, little to nothing is known about their role in herbivore-induced defense. We discovered a nucleus-localized ERF gene in rice (Oryza sativa), OsERF3, that was rapidly up-regulated in response to feeding by the rice striped stem borer (SSB) Chilo suppressalis.

[Effects of elicitors on aphid growth and development and on specific genes expression in wheat].

This paper studied the development duration, adult weight, and mean relative growth rate (MRGR) of aphid Schizapis graminum, and the specific genes expression in wheat variety 98-10-30 (Triticum aestivum) after treated with different elicitors. The results showed that needling penetration, aphid feeding and BTH application could shorten the development duration of the aphid and decrease its adult weight, but had no significant effect on aphid MRGR. Different elicitors induced different specific genes expression in quality and quantity.