Specific binding between Arabidopsis thaliana phytochrome-interacting factor 3 (AtPIF3) bHLH and G-box originated prior to embryophyte emergence.

The basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) domain via critical amino acid residues on basic region binding to E-box (5'-CANNTG-3') is known in embryophyte. However, the dictated E-box types selection by bHLH dimers and the significant impact of these critical amino acid residues along embryophyte evolution remain unclear. The Arabidopsis thaliana PIF3-bHLH (AtPIF3-bHLH) recombinant protein and a series of AtPIF3-bHLH mutants were synthesized and analyzed.

Tomato NADPH oxidase SlWfi1 interacts with the effector protein RipBJ of Ralstonia solanacearum to mediate host defence.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a crucial role in regulating numerous functions in organisms. Among the key regulators of ROS production are NADPH oxidases, primarily referred to as respiratory burst oxidase homologues (RBOHs). However, our understanding of whether and how pathogens directly target RBOHs has been limited.

Homoharringtonine as a PHGDH inhibitor: Unraveling metabolic dependencies and developing a potent therapeutic strategy for high-risk neuroblastoma.

Neuroblastoma, a childhood cancer affecting the sympathetic nervous system, continues to challenge the development of potent treatments due to the limited availability of druggable targets for this aggressive illness. Recent investigations have uncovered that phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH), an essential enzyme for de novo serine synthesis, serves as a non-oncogene dependency in high-risk neuroblastoma. In this study, we show that homoharringtonine (HHT) acts as a PHGDH inhibitor, inducing intricate alterations in cellular metabolism, and thus providing an efficient treatment for neuroblastoma.

Arabidopsis histone H3 lysine 9 methyltransferases KYP/SUVH5/6 are involved in leaf development by interacting with AS1-AS2 to repress KNAT1 and KNAT2.

The Arabidopsis H3K9 methyltransferases KRYPTONITE/SUPPRESSOR OF VARIEGATION 3-9 HOMOLOG 4 (KYP/SUVH4), SUVH5 and SUVH6 are redundantly involved in silencing of transposable elements (TEs). Our recent study indicated that KYP/SUVH5/6 can directly interact with the histone deacetylase HDA6 to synergistically regulate TE expression. However, the function of KYP/SUVH5/6 in plant development is still unclear.

Allopatric Lineage Divergence of the East Asian Endemic Herb Inferred from Low-Copy Nuclear and Plastid Markers.

The evolutionary histories of ornamental plants have been receiving only limited attention. We examined the origin and divergence processes of an East Asian endemic ornamental plant, . is an understory herb occurring in primary forests, which has been grouped into two varieties.

Insight into the Phylogeny and Binding Ability of WRKY Transcription Factors.

WRKY transcription factors (TFs), which make up one of the largest families of TFs in the plant kingdom, are key players in modulating gene expression relating to embryogenesis, senescence, pathogen resistance, and abiotic stress responses. However, the phylogeny and grouping of WRKY TFs and how their binding ability is affected by the flanking regions of W-box sequences remain unclear. In this study, we reconstructed the phylogeny of WRKY across the plant kingdom and characterized the DNA-binding profile of WRKY (WRKY54) based on its W-box recognition sequence.

Phylogenetic and Structural Analysis of NIN-Like Proteins With a Type I/II PB1 Domain That Regulates Oligomerization for Nitrate Response.

Absorption of macronutrients such as nitrogen is a critical process for land plants. There is little information available on the correlation between the root evolution of land plants and the protein regulation of nitrogen absorption and responses. -like protein () transcription factors contain a Phox and Bem1 (PB1) domain, which may regulate nitrate-response genes and seem to be involved in the adaptation to growing on land in terms of plant root development.

An effective computational-screening strategy for simultaneously improving both catalytic activity and thermostability of α-l-rhamnosidase.

Catalytic efficiency and thermostability are the two most important characteristics of enzymes. However, it is always tough to improve both catalytic efficiency and thermostability of enzymes simultaneously. In the present study, a computational strategy with double-screening steps was proposed to simultaneously improve both catalysis efficiency and thermostability of enzymes; and a fungal α-l-rhamnosidase was used to validate the strategy.

Red cell distribution width is associated with all-cause mortality in patients with acute stroke: a retrospective analysis of a large clinical database.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and mortality in patients with stroke.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on patients with stroke in the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care Database III. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios of 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality in relation to the RDW level.

Sensitive and Specific Cadmium Biosensor Developed by Reconfiguring Metal Transport and Leveraging Natural Gene Repositories.

Whole-cell biosensors are useful for monitoring heavy metal toxicity in public health and ecosystems, but their development has been hindered by intrinsic trade-offs between sensitivity and specificity. Here, we demonstrated an effective engineering solution by building a sensitive, specific, and high-response biosensor for carcinogenic cadmium ions. We genetically programmed the metal transport system of to enrich intracellular cadmium ions and deprive interfering metal species.

Structure of Arabidopsis HISTONE DEACETYLASE15.

Mammalian histone deacetylases (HDACs) undergo phosphorylation to regulate their localization, activity, and function. However, little is known about the regulation of plant HDAC function and activity by phosphorylation. Here, we report the crystal structure of the Reduced Potassium Dependency3/Histone Deacetylase1 (RPD3/HDA1) type class II histone deacetylase HDA15 in Arabidopsis ().

Structural insights into Arabidopsis ethylene response factor 96 with an extended N-terminal binding to GCC box.

The phytohormone ethylene is widely involved in many developmental processes and is a crucial regulator of defense responses against biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. Ethylene-responsive element binding protein, a member of the APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily, is a transcription factor that regulates stress-responsive genes by recognizing a specific cis-acting element of target DNA. A previous study showed only the NMR structure of the AP2/ERF domain of AtERF100 in complex with a GCC box DNA motif.

Citrus Taste Modification Potentials by Genetic Engineering.

Citrus fruits are mainly consumed as fresh fruit and processed juice products. They serve as nutritional and a tasty diet in our daily life. However, the formidable bitterness and delayed bitterness significantly impact the citrus industry attributable to the two major bitter compounds naringin and limonin.

Heterologous overexpression, purification and functional analysis of plant cellulose synthase from green bamboo.

Background: The cellulose synthase complex (CSC), composed of cellulose synthase (CesA) proteins, is a catalytic enzyme complex involved in cellulose synthesis in the plant cell. CesA proteins synthesize cellulose microfibrils corresponding to the microtubule direction and export linear products across the plasma membrane. However, the CSC arrangement and the mechanism of cellulose synthesis in plant cells remain unclear.

Heterologous Expression and Characterization of a New Clade of Aspergillus α-L-Rhamnosidase Suitable for Citrus Juice Processing.

α-L-Rhamnosidase is a glycoside hydrolase capable of removing naringin from citrus juice. However, α-L-rhamnosidases always have broad substrate spectra, causing negative effects on citrus juice. In this study, a α-L-rhamnosidase-expressing fungal strain, JMU-TS529, was identified, and its α-L-rhamnosidase was characterized.

Quinazolin-2,4-dione-Based Hydroxamic Acids as Selective Histone Deacetylase-6 Inhibitors for Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

We designed and synthesized quinazolin-2,4-dione-based hydroxamic acids to serve as selective competitive inhibitors of histone deacetylase-6 (HDAC6). The most potent and selective compound, 3d (IC, 4 nM, HDAC6; IC > 10 μM, HDAC1), substantially increased acetylation of α-tubulin instead of histones in the lung cancer cell line, LL2. Paclitaxel in combination with 3d had a synergistic anticancer effect on reduction of programmed death-ligand 1 expression in LL/2 cells.

A highly HDAC6-selective inhibitor acts as a fluorescent probe.

HDAC6 receives great attention because of its therapeutic potential for the treatment of various diseases. Selective fluorescence imaging for HDAC6 is important for its pathological and biological studies. However, specific detection of HDAC6 by using a fluorescent small molecule probe remains a great challenge.

HISTONE DEACETYLASE6 Acts in Concert with Histone Methyltransferases SUVH4, SUVH5, and SUVH6 to Regulate Transposon Silencing.

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play important roles in regulating gene expression. In yeast and animals, HDACs act as components of multiprotein complexes that modulate transcription during various biological processes. However, little is known about the interacting proteins of plant HDACs.

Structural basis of jasmonate-amido synthetase FIN219 in complex with glutathione S-transferase FIP1 during the JA signal regulation.

Far-red (FR) light-coupled jasmonate (JA) signaling is necessary for plant defense and development. FR insensitive 219 (FIN219) is a member of the Gretchen Hagen 3 (GH3) family of proteins in and belongs to the adenylate-forming family of enzymes. It directly controls biosynthesis of jasmonoyl-isoleucine in JA-mediated defense responses and interacts with FIN219-interacting protein 1 (FIP1) under FR light conditions.

Expression patterns and structural modelling of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in a fish-borne zoonotic nematode Anisakis pegreffii.

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are essential molecular chaperones that are highly conserved across organisms. They have a pivotal function in responding to thermal stress and are responsible for many cellular functions. Here, we aimed to elucidate the possible roles of Hsp70 and Hsp90 in the life cycle of the parasitic nematode Anisakis, particularly third- and fourth-stage larvae, from cold-blooded fish to warm-blooded marine mammals or accidentally to human hosts.

Effect of different temperatures on the expression of the newly characterized heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) in L3 of Anisakis spp. isolated from Scomber australasicus.

Anisakid nematodes are distributed worldwide in a wide variety of marine fishes and they are known to cause the zoonotic disease, anisakiasis. The temperature control is commonly applied for prevention and control of anisakiasis. To analyze the cellular response to temperature stress in Anisakis, the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) was chosen in the present study, as it plays a key role in many cellular processes and responds to stress conditions such as heat or cold shock.

Combining secondary-structure and protein solvent-accessibility predictions in methionine substitution for anomalous dispersion.

In X-ray crystallographic analysis, the single-wavelength and multi-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD and MAD) methods have been widely used in order to solve the phase problem. Selenium-labelled methionine has been shown to be very effective for anomalous dispersion phasing, and at least one selenomethionine is required for every 100 amino acids. Some proteins, such as the Arabidopsis thaliana thylakoid lumen protein AtTLP18.

Ralstonia solanacearum RSc0411 (lptC) is a determinant for full virulence and has a strain-specific novel function in the T3SS activity.

Previously, we have identified an avirulent Ralstonia solanacearum mutant carrying a transposon insertion in RSc0411, a gene homologous to the Escherichia coli LPS-transporting protein LptC. However, how the disruption of RSc0411 affects the bacterium-plant interactions and leads to decreased pathogenicity was not known. Here we show that the disruption of RSc0411 leads to pleiotropic defects, including reducing bacterial motility, biofilm formation, root attachment, rough-form LPS production and virulence in tomato and increasing membrane permeability.