A conserved strategy of chalcone isomerase-like protein to rectify promiscuous chalcone synthase specificity.

Land plants produce diverse flavonoids for growth, survival, and reproduction. Chalcone synthase is the first committed enzyme of the flavonoid biosynthetic pathway and catalyzes the production of 2',4,4',6'-tetrahydroxychalcone (THC). However, it also produces other polyketides, including p-coumaroyltriacetic acid lactone (CTAL), because of the derailment of the chalcone-producing pathway.

Modulation of Human Neutrophil Peptides on Killing, Epithelial Cell Inflammation and Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Secretome Profiles.

Objective: Neutrophil infiltration and release of the abundant human neutrophil peptides (HNP) are a common clinical feature in critically ill patients. We tested a hypothesis that different cell types respond to HNP differently in lung microenvironment that may influence the host responses.

Methods: Plasma concentrations of HNP were measured in healthy volunteers and patients with sepsis.

Inhibition of post-transcriptional gene silencing of chalcone synthase genes in petunia picotee petals by fluacrypyrim.

In petals of picotee petunia (Petunia hybrida) cultivars, margin-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) of chalcone synthase A (CHSA) inhibits anthocyanin biosynthesis, resulting in marginal white tissue formation. In this study, we found that a low molecular mass compound, fluacrypyrim, inhibits PTGS of CHSA, and we explored the site-specific PTGS mechanism of operation. Fluacrypyrim treatment abolished the picotee pattern and eliminated site-specific differences in the levels of anthocyanin-related compounds, CHSA expression, and CHSA small interfering RNA (siRNA).

Recent advances in flower color variation and patterning of Japanese morning glory and petunia.

The Japanese morning glory () and petunia (), locally called "Asagao" and "Tsukubane-asagao", respectively, are popular garden plants. They have been utilized as model plants for studying the genetic basis of floricultural traits, especially anthocyanin pigmentation in flower petals. In their long history of genetic studies, many mutations affecting flower pigmentation have been characterized, and both structural and regulatory genes for the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway have been identified.

Genome sequence and analysis of the Japanese morning glory Ipomoea nil.

Ipomoea is the largest genus in the family Convolvulaceae. Ipomoea nil (Japanese morning glory) has been utilized as a model plant to study the genetic basis of floricultural traits, with over 1,500 mutant lines. In the present study, we have utilized second- and third-generation-sequencing platforms, and have reported a draft genome of I.

Neuromuscular Blocking Agent Cisatracurium Attenuates Lung Injury by Inhibition of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor-α1.

Background: Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) bind the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α1 (nAChRα1) that also contributes to inflammatory signaling. Thus, the author hypothesized that the use of NMBA mitigates lung injury by improving ventilator synchrony and decreasing inflammatory responses.

Methods: Lung injury was induced by intratracheal instillation of hydrogen chloride in rats that were randomized to receive no NMBA with evidence of asynchronous ventilation (noNMBA/aSYNC, n = 10); no NMBA with synchronous ventilation (noNMBA/SYNC, n = 10); cisatracurium (CIS, n = 10); or pancuronium (PAN, n = 10).

Spontaneous mutations of the UDP-glucose:flavonoid 3-O-glucosyltransferase gene confers pale- and dull-colored flowers in the Japanese and common morning glories.

UDP-glucose:flavonoid 3- O -glucosyltransferase is essential for maintaining proper production quantity, acylation, and glucosylation of anthocyanin, and defects cause pale and dull flower pigmentation in morning glories. The Japanese (Ipomoea nil) and the common (I. purpurea) morning glory display bright blue and dark purple flowers, respectively.

A petal-specific InMYB1 promoter from Japanese morning glory: a useful tool for molecular breeding of floricultural crops.

Production of novel transgenic floricultural crops with altered petal properties requires transgenes that confer a useful trait and petal-specific promoters. Several promoters have been shown to control transgenes in petals. However, all suffer from inherent drawbacks such as low petal specificity and restricted activity during the flowering stage.

A chalcone isomerase-like protein enhances flavonoid production and flower pigmentation.

Flavonoids are major pigments in plants, and their biosynthetic pathway is one of the best-studied metabolic pathways. Here we have identified three mutations within a gene that result in pale-colored flowers in the Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil). As the mutations lead to a reduction of the colorless flavonoid compound flavonol as well as of anthocyanins in the flower petal, the identified gene was designated enhancer of flavonoid production (EFP).

Correlation between high blood IL-6 level, hyperglycemia, and glucose control in septic patients.

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the blood IL-6 level, the blood glucose level, and glucose control in septic patients.

Methods: This retrospective observational study in a general ICU of a university hospital included a total of 153 patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock who were admitted to the ICU between 2005 and 2010, stayed in the ICU for 7 days or longer, and did not receive steroid therapy prior to or after ICU admission. The severity of stress hyperglycemia, status of glucose control, and correlation between those two factors in these patients were investigated using the blood IL-6 level as an index of hypercytokinemia.

Tandemly arranged chalcone synthase A genes contribute to the spatially regulated expression of siRNA and the natural bicolor floral phenotype in Petunia hybrida.

The natural bicolor floral traits of the horticultural petunia (Petunia hybrida) cultivars Picotee and Star are caused by the spatial repression of the chalcone synthase A (CHS-A) gene, which encodes an anthocyanin biosynthetic enzyme. Here we show that Picotee and Star petunias carry the same short interfering RNA (siRNA)-producing locus, consisting of two intact CHS-A copies, PhCHS-A1 and PhCHS-A2, in a tandem head-to-tail orientation. The precursor CHS mRNAs are transcribed from the two CHS-A copies throughout the bicolored petals, but the mature CHS mRNAs are not found in the white tissues.

A bHLH transcription factor, DvIVS, is involved in regulation of anthocyanin synthesis in dahlia (Dahlia variabilis).

Dahlias (Dahlia variabilis) exhibit a wide range of flower colours because of accumulation of anthocyanin and other flavonoids in their ray florets. Two lateral mutants were used that spontaneously occurred in 'Michael J' (MJW) which has yellow ray florets with orange variegation. MJOr, a bud mutant producing completely orange ray florets, accumulates anthocyanins, flavones, and butein, and MJY, another mutant producing completely yellow ray florets, accumulates flavones and butein.

Isolation and characterization of the fragrant cyclamen O-methyltransferase involved in flower coloration.

Anthocyanin O-methyltransferase (OMT) is one of the key enzymes for anthocyanin modification and flower pigmentation. We previously bred a novel red-purple-flowered fragrant cyclamen (KMrp) from the purple-flowered fragrant cyclamen 'Kaori-no-mai' (KM) by ion-beam irradiation. Since the major anthocyanins in KMrp and KM petals were delphinidin 3,5-diglucoside and malvidin 3,5-diglucoside, respectively, inactivation of a methylation step in the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway was indicated in KMrp.

The effects of body temperature control on cytokine production in a rat model of ventilator-induced lung injury.

Background And Purpose: Injurious ventilation with high peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) is known to cause systemic inflammatory response through cytokine production. This study was performed to examine whether body temperature could regulate cytokine production in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) model.

Methods: After performing anesthesia, tracheostomy, and catheter insertion, rats were ventilated with 17cmH(2)O of PIP in the low-pressure (LP) group or 35cmH(2)O in the high-pressure (HP) group.

Fourier transform microwave spectrum of CO-dimethyl ether.

Two sets of 32 rotational transitions were observed for the carbon monoxide-dimethyl ether (CO-DME) complex and two sets of 30 transitions for both (13)CO-DME and C(18)O-DME, in the frequency region from 3.5 to 25.2 GHz, with J ranging from 1<--0 up to 7<--6, by using a Fourier transform microwave spectrometer.

A bHLH regulatory gene in the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea, controls anthocyanin biosynthesis in flowers, proanthocyanidin and phytomelanin pigmentation in seeds, and seed trichome formation.

The transcriptional regulators for anthocyanin pigmentation include proteins containing R2R3-MYB domains, bHLH domains and conserved WD40 repeats, and their interactions determine the set of genes to be expressed. Spontaneous ivory seed (ivs) mutants of Ipomoea purpurea displaying pale pigmented flowers and ivory seeds are caused by insertions of DNA transposons into the bHLH2 gene that encodes a bHLH transcriptional regulator. A partial reduction in the expression of all structural genes encoding enzymes for anthocyanin biosynthesis was observed in the young flower buds of these ivs mutants.

Internal motions in a complex consisting of a rare gas atom and a C2v molecule: theoretical formulations and their applications to Fourier transform microwave spectra of Ne-dimethyl ether and Ar-dimethyl ether.

The internal motion of the rare gas atom, i.e., the relative motion of the two constituents, in a complex shown in the title was discussed by paying special attention to its effect on the rotational motion of the complex in order to extract as much precise information on this motion as possible from the observed rotational spectra.

Isolation of cDNAs for R2R3-MYB, bHLH and WDR transcriptional regulators and identification of c and ca mutations conferring white flowers in the Japanese morning glory.

The transcriptional regulators for anthocyanin biosynthesis include members of proteins containing an R2R3-MYB domain, a bHLH (basic helix-loop-helix) domain and conserved WD40 repeats (WDRs). Spacial and temporal expression of the structural genes encoding the enzymes for anthocyanin biosynthesis is thought to be determined by combinations of the R2R3-MYB, bHLH and WDR factors and their interactions. While the wild-type Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil) exhibits blue flowers with colored stems and dark-brown seeds, the c mutants display white flowers with red stems and colored seeds, and the ca mutants exhibit white flowers with green stems and ivory seeds.

Acylated peonidin glycosides from duskish mutant flowers of Ipomoea nil.

Five acylated peonidin glycosides were isolated from the pale gray-purple flowers of a duskish mutant in the Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil or Pharbitis nil) as major pigments, along with a known anthocyanin, Heavenly Blue Anthocyanin (HBA). Three of these were based on peonidin 3-sophoroside and two on peonidin 3-sophoroside-5-glucoside as their deacylanthocyanins; both deacylanthocyanins were acylated with caffeic acid and/or glucosylcaffeic acids. By spectroscopic and chemical methods, the structures of the former three pigments were determined to be 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-(trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside], 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-(3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(4-O-(6-O-(3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranoside], and 3-O-[2-O-(6-O-(trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-6-O-(4-O-(6-O-(3-O-(beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranosyl)-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranoside] of peonidin.

Japanese morning glory dusky mutants displaying reddish-brown or purplish-gray flowers are deficient in a novel glycosylation enzyme for anthocyanin biosynthesis, UDP-glucose:anthocyanidin 3-O-glucoside-2''-O-glucosyltransferase, due to 4-bp insertions in the gene.

Bright blue or red flowers in the Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil) contain anthocyanidin 3-O-sophoroside derivatives, whereas the reddish-brown or purplish-gray petals in its dusky mutants accumulate anthocyanidin 3-O-glucoside derivatives. The Dusky gene was found to encode a novel glucosyltransferase, UDP-glucose:anthocyanidin 3-O-glucoside-2''-O-glucosyltransferase (3GGT), which mediates the glucosylation of anthocyanidin 3-O-glucosides to yield anthocyanidin 3-O-sophorosides. Ipomoea nil carries one copy of the 3GGT gene that contains no intron and produces 1.

Genetics and epigenetics in flower pigmentation associated with transposable elements in morning glories.

Among the genus Ipomoea, three morning glories, I. nil (the Japanese morning glory), I. purpurea (the common morning glory), and I.

Genetics and epigenetics in flower pigmentation associated with transposable elements in morning glories.

Among the genus Ipomoea, three morning glories, I. nil the Japanese morning glory), I. purpurea (the common morning glory), and I.

An intragenic tandem duplication in a transcriptional regulatory gene for anthocyanin biosynthesis confers pale-colored flowers and seeds with fine spots in Ipomoea tricolor.

While the wild-type morning glory (Ipomoea tricolor) displays bright-blue flowers and dark-brown seeds, its spontaneous mutant, Blue Star, carrying the mutable ivory seed-variegated (ivs-v) allele, exhibits pale-blue flowers with a few fine blue spots and ivory seeds with tiny dark-brown spots. The mutable allele is caused by an intragenic tandem duplication of 3.3 kbp within a gene for transcriptional activator containing a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) DNA-binding motif.

Spontaneous mutations of the flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase gene conferring reddish flowers in the three morning glory species.

Among the Ipomoea plants, both Ipomoea nil and Ipomoea tricolor display bright blue flowers, and Ipomoea purpurea exhibits dark purple flowers. While all of these flowers contain cyanidin-based anthocyanin pigments, the mutants of I. nil, I.