Multi-Spectral Fluorescence Imaging of Colon Dysplasia InVivo Using a Multi-Spectral Endoscopy System.

Background And Study Aim: To develop a molecular imaging endoscopic system that eliminates tissue autofluorescence and distinguishes multiple fluorescent markers specifically on the cancerous lesions.

Methods: Newly developed multi-spectral fluorescence endoscope device has the potential to eliminate signal interference due to autofluorescence and multiplex fluorophores in fluorescent probes. The multiplexing capability of the multi-spectral endoscope device was demonstrated in the phantom studies and multi-spectral imaging with endoscopy and macroscopy was performed to analyze fluorescence signals after administration of fluorescent probe that targets cancer in the colon.

Capsicum annuum transcription factor WRKYa positively regulates defense response upon TMV infection and is a substrate of CaMK1 and CaMK2.

Plants are constantly exposed to pathogens and environmental stresses. To minimize damage caused by these potentially harmful factors, plants respond by massive transcriptional reprogramming of various stress-related genes via major transcription factor families. One of the transcription factor families, WRKY, plays an important role in diverse stress response of plants and is often useful to generate genetically engineered crop plants.

Nonlinear secret image sharing scheme.

Over the past decade, most of secret image sharing schemes have been proposed by using Shamir's technique. It is based on a linear combination polynomial arithmetic. Although Shamir's technique based secret image sharing schemes are efficient and scalable for various environments, there exists a security threat such as Tompa-Woll attack.

Capsicum annuum WRKY transcription factor d (CaWRKYd) regulates hypersensitive response and defense response upon Tobacco mosaic virus infection.

WRKY transcription factors regulate biotic, abiotic, and developmental processes. In terms of plant defense, WRKY factors have important roles as positive and negative regulators via transcriptional regulation or protein-protein interaction. Here, we report the characterization of the gene encoding Capsicum annuum WRKY transcription factor d (CaWRKYd) isolated from microarray analysis in the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)-P(0)-inoculated hot pepper plants.

An A/ENTH domain-containing protein functions as an adaptor for clathrin-coated vesicles on the growing cell plate in Arabidopsis root cells.

Cytokinesis is the process of partitioning the cytoplasm of a dividing cell, thereby completing mitosis. Cytokinesis in the plant cell is achieved by the formation of a new cell wall between daughter nuclei using components carried in Golgi-derived vesicles that accumulate at the midplane of the phragmoplast and fuse to form the cell plate. Proteins that play major roles in the development of the cell plate in plant cells are not well defined.

Identification of sorting motifs of AtβFruct4 for trafficking from the ER to the vacuole through the Golgi and PVC.

Although much is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in transporting soluble proteins to the central vacuole, the mechanisms governing the trafficking of membrane proteins remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the mechanism involved in targeting the membrane protein, AtβFructosidase 4 (AtβFruct4), to the central vacuole in protoplasts. AtβFruct4 as a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein was transported as a membrane protein during transit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) through the Golgi apparatus and the prevacuolar compartment (PVC).

Capsicum annuum WRKYb transcription factor that binds to the CaPR-10 promoter functions as a positive regulator in innate immunity upon TMV infection.

In plant, some WRKY transcription factors are known to play an important role in the transcriptional reprogramming associated with the immune response. By using WRKY-domain-specific differential display procedure, we isolated CaWRKYb gene, which is rapidly induced during an incompatible interaction between hot pepper and Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) pathotype P(0) infection. The recombinant CaWRKYb bound to the W box-containing CaPR-10 promoter probes efficiently and the specificity of binding was confirmed by mutant study and competition with cold oligonucleotides.

Mutation of the membrane-associated M1 protease APM1 results in distinct embryonic and seedling developmental defects in Arabidopsis.

Aminopeptidase M1 (APM1), a single copy gene in Arabidopsis thaliana, encodes a metallopeptidase originally identified via its affinity for, and hydrolysis of, the auxin transport inhibitor 1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA). Mutations in this gene result in haploinsufficiency. Loss-of-function mutants show irregular, uncoordinated cell divisions throughout embryogenesis, affecting the shape and number of cotyledons and the hypophysis, and is seedling lethal at 5 d after germination due to root growth arrest.

EpsinR2 interacts with clathrin, adaptor protein-3, AtVTI12, and phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate. Implications for EpsinR2 function in protein trafficking in plant cells.

Members of the epsin family of proteins (epsins) are characterized by the presence of an epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domain. Epsins have been implicated in various protein-trafficking pathways in animal and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) cells. Plant cells also contain multiple epsin-related proteins.

Arabidopsis EPSIN1 plays an important role in vacuolar trafficking of soluble cargo proteins in plant cells via interactions with clathrin, AP-1, VTI11, and VSR1.

Epsin and related proteins play important roles in various steps of protein trafficking in animal and yeast cells. Many epsin homologs have been identified in plant cells from analysis of genome sequences. However, their roles have not been elucidated.

Functional characterization of sequence motifs in the transit peptide of Arabidopsis small subunit of rubisco.

The transit peptides of nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins are necessary and sufficient for targeting and import of proteins into chloroplasts. However, the sequence information encoded by transit peptides is not fully understood. In this study, we investigated sequence motifs in the transit peptide of the small subunit of the Rubisco complex by examining the ability of various mutant transit peptides to target green fluorescent protein reporter proteins to chloroplasts in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) leaf protoplasts.

AtRMR1 functions as a cargo receptor for protein trafficking to the protein storage vacuole.

Organellar proteins are sorted by cargo receptors on the way to their final destination. However, receptors for proteins that are destined for the protein storage vacuole (PSV) are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the biological role that Arabidopsis thaliana receptor homology region transmembrane domain ring H2 motif protein (AtRMR) 1 plays in protein trafficking to the PSV.

The Arabidopsis rab5 homologs rha1 and ara7 localize to the prevacuolar compartment.

Rha1, an Arabidopsis Rab5 homolog, plays a critical role in vacuolar trafficking in plant cells. In this study, we investigated the localization of Rha1 and Ara7, two Arabidopsis proteins that have highly similar amino acid sequence homology to Rab5 in animal cells. Both Ara7 and Rha1 gave a punctate staining pattern and colocalized when transiently expressed as GFP- (green fluorescent protein) or small epitope-tagged forms in Arabidopsis protoplasts.

A hot pepper cDNA encoding ascorbate peroxidase is induced during the incompatible interaction with virus and bacteria.

Capsicum annuum L. is infected by a number of viruses, including the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). To study the defense-related genes that are induced by TMV in hot peppers, the pepper plant, which is susceptible to P1.

The potential use of a viral coat protein gene as a transgene screening marker and multiple virus resistance of pepper plants coexpressing coat proteins of cucumber mosaic virus and tomato mosaic virus.

Transgenic pepper plants coexpressing coat proteins (CPs) of cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-Kor) and tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) were produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. To facilitate selection for positive transformants in transgenic peppers carrying an L gene, we developed a simple and effective screening procedure using hypersensitive response upon ToMV challenge inoculation. In this procedure, positive transformants could be clearly differentiated from the nontransformed plants.

Induction of pepper cDNA encoding a lipid transfer protein during the resistance response to tobacco mosaic virus.

Pepper (Capsicum annuum) plants exhibit hypersensitive response (HR) against infection by many tobamoviruses. A clone encoding a putative nonspecific lipid transfer protein (CaLTP1) was isolated by differential screening of a cDNA library from resistant pepper leaves when inoculated with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) pathotype P0. The predicted amino acid sequence of CaLTP1 is highly similar to that of the other plant LTPs.