Publications by authors named "Hengmin Tang"

The Cleavage Stimulation Factor (CstF) complex, consisting of three subunits, is essential for the 3' end processing of precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA). In mammals, this complex includes CstF50, CstF64, and CstF77, named according to their molecular weights, and these proteins are conserved across many organisms. However, the functional roles of the three CstF genes (, , and ) in , a major rice pest, have not been fully explored.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers cloned the NlMSL3 gene from the brown planthopper and found it to be highly conserved among insects, with significant expression differences between males and females.
  • * Knocking down NlMSL3 led to high mortality in males and severely affected females' development and reproductive capabilities, showing its importance for the growth and reproduction of this pest.
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Introduction: The brown planthopper (BPH) poses a significant threat to rice production in Asia. The use of resistant rice varieties has been effective in managing this pest. However, the adaptability of BPH to resistant rice varieties has led to the emergence of virulent populations, such as biotype Y BPH.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the interactions between rice plants and brown planthoppers (BPHs), focusing on the molecular mechanisms involved in these plant-insect relationships.
  • It emphasizes the role of small RNAs (sRNAs) in regulating various biological processes and suggests they are crucial for mediating gene silencing during rice-BPH interactions.
  • The review highlights recent findings on cross-kingdom RNA interference (ckRNAi) between plants and insects, and discusses potential applications of this knowledge for developing safer pest management strategies for rice crops.
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G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are important drug targets that mediate various signaling pathways by activating G proteins and engaging β-arrestin proteins. Despite its importance for the development of therapeutics with fewer side effects, the underlying mechanism that controls the balance between these signaling modes of GPCRs remains largely unclear. Here, we show that assembly into dimers and oligomers can largely influence the signaling mode of the platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR).

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Applications of enzymes are intensively studied, particularly for biomedical applications. However, encapsulation or immobilization of enzymes without deactivation and long-term use of enzymes are still at issue. This study focuses on the polymeric vesicles "PICsomes" for encapsulation of enzymes to develop a hecto-nanometer-scaled enzyme-loaded reactor.

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Transdermal delivery is a useful and attractive method for drug delivery, even though the stratum corneum is a major barrier of protein translocation into the skin. To achieve protein delivery through the stratum corneum, we first cast gold nanorods, acting as a heating device in response to near-infrared light irradiation, onto the skin surface. After applying an aqueous solution of ovalbumin to the skin, the skin was irradiated by near-infrared laser light.

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