GmHSP40.1, a nuclear-localized soybean J domain protein, participates in regulation of flowering time through interacting with EMF1 and JMJ14.

Heat shock protein 40s (HSP40s) are a group of J domain proteins (JDPs), which serve as co-chaperones for heat shock protein 70s. We previously reported that over-expression of a soybean class C JDP, GmHSP40.1, in Arabidopsis activated defense responses.

Mast cell activation by NGF drives the formation of trauma-induced heterotopic ossification.

Soft tissue trauma can cause immune system disturbance and neuropathological invasion, resulting in heterotopic ossification (HO) due to aberrant chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, the molecular mechanisms behind the interaction between the immune and nervous systems in promoting HO pathogenesis are unclear. In this study, we found that mast cell-specific deletion attenuated localized tissue inflammation, with marked inhibition of HO endochondral osteogenesis.

CLC2 (Clathrin Light Chain 2)-ATG8h/ATG8i interactions connect clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and the autophagy pathway.

Extensive interconnection has been established between clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and the macroautophagy/autophagy pathway in yeast and mammals. However, the evidence that connects these two pathways in plants has been limited. Starting from the phenotypic similarities in carbon starvation and immune responses shared between the double mutant of CLC2 (clathrin light chain 2) and , , and the mutant in Arabidopsis, we found that the autophagy pathway is compromised in the mutant.

Induction of human stem cells into ameloblasts by reaggregation strategy.

Background: Human epithelium-derived stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) possess the capability to support tooth formation and differentiate into functional enamel-secreting ameloblasts, making them promising epithelial-component substitutes for future human tooth regeneration. However, current tissue recombination approaches are not only technically challenging, requiring precise induction procedures and sophisticated microsurgery, but also exhibit low success rates in achieving tooth formation and ameloblastic differentiation.

Methods: Suspended human keratinocyte stem cells (hKSCs) or cells from three hiPSC lines were directly mixed with dissociated embryonic mouse dental mesenchymal cells (mDMCs) that possess odontogenic potential in different proportions and reaggregated them to construct bioengineered tooth germs.

Clinical and epidemiological features of imported loiasis in Beijing: a report from patients returned from Africa.

Background: Loiasis is one of the significant filarial diseases for people living in West and Central Africa with wide endemic area but is not seen in China. As economy booms and international traveling increase, China faces more and more imported parasitic diseases that are not endemic locally. Loiasis is one of the parasitic diseases that enter China by travelers infected in Africa.

RanGAP1 maintains chromosome stability in limb bud mesenchymal cells during bone development.

Background: Bone development involves the rapid proliferation and differentiation of osteogenic lineage cells, which makes accurate chromosomal segregation crucial for ensuring cell proliferation and maintaining chromosomal stability. However, the mechanism underlying the maintenance of chromosome stability during the rapid proliferation and differentiation of Prx1-expressing limb bud mesenchymal cells into osteoblastic precursor cells remains unexplored.

Methods: A transgenic mouse model of RanGAP1 knockout of limb and head mesenchymal progenitor cells was constructed to explore the impact of RanGAP1 deletion on bone development by histomorphology and immunostaining.

[Silencing genes accelerated senescence and enhanced disease resistance in soybean].

Autophagy plays an essential role in recycling/re-utilizing nutrients and in adaptions to numerous stresses. However, the roles of autophagy in soybean have not been investigated extensively. In this study, a virus-induced gene silencing approach mediated by bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) was used to silence () genes in soybean (referred to as ).

[ plays a positive regulatory role in soybean defense responses].

Heterotrimeric GTP-binding protein (G-proteins) complex, which consists of Gα, Gβ and Gγ subunits, plays critical roles in defense signaling. genome contains only a single Gβ-encoding gene, . Loss function of in results in enhanced susceptibility to a wide range of pathogens.

Partially knocking out NtPDK1a/1b/1c/1d simultaneously in Nicotiana tabacum using CRISPR/CAS9 technology results in auxin-related developmental defects.

The eukaryotic AGC protein kinase subfamily (protein kinase A/ protein kinase G/ protein kinase C-family) is involved in regulating numerous biological processes across kingdoms, including growth and development, and apoptosis. PDK1(3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1) is a conserved serine/threonine kinase in eukaryotes, which is both a member of AGC kinase and a major regulator of many other downstream AGC protein kinase family members. Although extensively investigated in model plant Arabidopsis, detailed reports for tobacco PDK1s have been limited.

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids delay intervertebral disc degeneration by inhibiting nuclear receptor coactivator 4-mediated iron overload.

n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are closely related to the progression of numerous chronic inflammatory diseases, but the role of n-3 PUFAs in the intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) remains unclear. In this study, male C57BL/6 wildtype mice (WT group, n = 30) and transgenic mice (TG group, n = 30) were randomly selected to construct the IVDD model. The results demonstrated that the optimized composition of PUFAs in the TG mice had a significant impact on delaying IVDD and cellular senescence of intervertebral disc (IVD).

ANGPTL4 binds to the leptin receptor to regulate ectopic bone formation.

Leptin protein was thought to be unique to leptin receptor (LepR), but the phenotypes of mice with mutation in LepR [ (diabetes)] and leptin [ (obese)] are not identical, and the cause remains unclear. Here, we show that , but not , mice had defect in tenotomy-induced heterotopic ossification (HO), implicating alternative ligand(s) for LepR might be involved. Ligand screening revealed that ANGPTL4 (angiopoietin-like protein 4), a stress and fasting-induced factor, was elicited from brown adipose tissue after tenotomy, bound to LepR on PRRX1 mesenchymal cells at the HO site, thus promotes chondrogenesis and HO development.

β-hemolysin causes skin inflammation by acting as an agonist of epidermal growth factor receptor.

is a Gram-positive opportunistic bacterium that is responsible for the majority of skin infections in humans. Our study provides important molecular insights into the pathogenesis of skin infections and identifies a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of these infections. Our findings also indicate that β-hemolysin (Hlb) secreted by colonized is a risk factor for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-related diseases by acting as an agonist of EGFR.

Silencing Leads to Accelerated Senescence and Enhanced Disease Resistance in Soybean.

Autophagy plays a critical role in nutrient recycling/re-utilizing under nutrient deprivation conditions. However, the role of autophagy in soybeans has not been intensively investigated. In this study, the () gene in soybeans (referred to as ) was silenced using a virus-induced gene silencing approach mediated by (BPMV).

Angiopoietin-2 Promotes Mechanical Stress-induced Extracellular Matrix Degradation in Annulus Fibrosus Via the HIF-1α/NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Objective: Mechanical stress is an important risk factor for intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Angiopoietin-2 (ANG-2) is regulated by mechanical stress and is widely involved in the regulation of extracellular matrix metabolism. In addition, the signaling cascade between HIF-1α and NF-κB is critical in matrix degradation.

PD-L2 Blockade Exacerbates Liver Lesion in Mice Infected with through Reducing Alternatively Activated Macrophages.

is a seriously neglected zoonotic parasite, which infects the liver of mammalian hosts, causing fibrosis or even hepatic failure. At present, the immune responses elicited by are not fully understood, and the role(s) of the programmed death 1 (PD-1) signaling pathway in the context of -induced pathology are not known. In this study, we identify that the late stage of infection with -especially the egg-derived antigens-modulates the host immune responses to promote alternatively activated macrophage (M2) polarization and programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2) expression.

[Retracted] Isopsoralen‑mediated suppression of bone marrow adiposity and attenuation of the adipogenic commitment of bone marrow‑derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Following the publication of the above article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that Figs. 1C and 2 in the paper appeared to contain instances of duplicated data. The authors were able to consult their original data files, and realized that these figures had indeed been assembled incorrectly.

Clusterin negatively modulates mechanical stress-mediated ligamentum flavum hypertrophy through TGF-β1 signaling.

Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (LFH) is a major cause of lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS). The pathomechanisms for LFH have not been fully elucidated. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) technology, proteomics assessments of human ligamentum flavum (LF), and successive assays were performed to explore the effect of clusterin (CLU) upregulation on LFH pathogenesis.

mTORC1 coordinates NF-κB signaling pathway to promote chondrogenic differentiation of tendon cells in heterotopic ossification.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a pathological bone formation based on endochondral ossification distinguished by ossification within muscles, tendons, or other soft tissues. There has been growing studies focusing on the treatment with rapamycin to inhibit HO, but the mechanism of mTORC1 on HO remains unclear. Tendon cells (TDs) are the first cells to form during tendon heterotopic ossification.

Mechanical Stress-Induced IGF-1 Facilitates col-I and col-III Synthesis via the IGF-1R/AKT/mTORC1 Signaling Pathway.

Mechanical stress promotes human ligamentum flavum cells (LFCs) to synthesize multitype collagens, leading to ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (LFH). However, the mechanism of mechanical stress in the formation of collagen remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between mechanical stress and collagen synthesis in the present study.

A Rare Case of Cysticercosis Involving the Whole Spinal Canal.

Background: Cysticercosis is the commonest parasitic disease to affect the central nervous system (CNS). However, cysticercosis affecting the spine is extremely rare. We reported a rare case of cysticercosis involving the whole spinal canal in China.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis induced by Leishmania infantum infection.

Background: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) could progress to secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which is a rare but life-threatening condition with poor prognosis. So far, the clinical and laboratory characteristics of VL associated HLH have not been well elucidated.

Method And Findings: In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the clinical and laboratory profiles between 17 patients with VL associated HLH and 27 patients with VL alone admitted at the Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from May 2016 to March 2021.