Overexpression of AtPYL5 under the control of guard cell specific promoter improves drought stress tolerance in Arabidopsis.

PYR/PYLs function as ABA receptors and are key regulators during plant drought stress response. Previously we screened drought tolerance of Arabidopsis ABA receptors PYR/PYLs under the control of five different promoters. In this study, we characterized drought stress tolerance of AtPYL5 transgene under the control of one guard cell specific promoter, pGC1.

Selection and validation of reference genes for normalization of quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR analysis in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Fuling).

Background: Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) requires a stable internal control to avoid misinterpretation of data or errors for gene expression normalization. However, there are still no validated reference genes for stable internal control in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Fuling).

ABA receptor PYL9 promotes drought resistance and leaf senescence.

Drought stress is an important environmental factor limiting plant productivity. In this study, we screened drought-resistant transgenic plants from 65 promoter-pyrabactin resistance 1-like (PYL) abscisic acid (ABA) receptor gene combinations and discovered that pRD29A::PYL9 transgenic lines showed dramatically increased drought resistance and drought-induced leaf senescence in both Arabidopsis and rice. Previous studies suggested that ABA promotes senescence by causing ethylene production.

RDM4 modulates cold stress resistance in Arabidopsis partially through the CBF-mediated pathway.

The C-REPEAT-BINDING FACTOR (CBF) pathway has important roles in plant responses to cold stress. How the CBF genes themselves are activated after cold acclimation remains poorly understood. In this study, we characterized cold tolerance of null mutant of RNA-DIRECTED DNA METHYLATION 4 (RDM4), which encodes a protein that associates with RNA polymerases Pol V and Pol II, and is required for RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) in Arabidopsis.

Genome-wide selection of superior reference genes for expression studies in Ganoderma lucidum.

Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used for the accurate analysis of gene expression. However, high homology among gene families might result in unsuitability of reference genes, which leads to the inaccuracy of qRT-PCR analysis. The release of the Ganoderma lucidum genome has triggered numerous studies to be done on the homology among gene families with the purpose of selecting reliable reference genes.

[Research progress of the regulation on active compound biosynthesis by the bHLH transcription factors in plants].

Transcription factor is one of the key factors in the regulation of gene expression at the transcriptional level. It plays an important role in plant growth, active components biosynthesis and response to environmental change. This paper summarized the structure and classification of bHLH transcription factors and elaborated the research progress of bHLH transcription factors which regulate the active components in plants, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids.

Identification and evaluation of reference genes for qRT-PCR normalization in Ganoderma lucidum.

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is a rapid, sensitive, and reliable technique for gene expression studies. The accuracy and reliability of qRT-PCR results depend on the stability of the reference genes used for gene normalization. Therefore, a systematic process of reference gene evaluation is needed.

Transcriptomic and physiological variations of three Arabidopsis ecotypes in response to salt stress.

Salt stress is one of the major abiotic stresses in agriculture worldwide. Analysis of natural genetic variation in Arabidopsis is an effective approach to characterize candidate salt responsive genes. Differences in salt tolerance of three Arabidopsis ecotypes were compared in this study based on their responses to salt treatments at two developmental stages: seed germination and later growth.

Oral immunogenicity of potato-derived antigens to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in mice.

The novel use of transgenic plants as vectors for the expression of viral and bacterial antigens has been increasingly tested as an alternative methodology for the production and delivery of experimental oral vaccines. Here, we examined the immunogenicity of combined plant-made vaccines that include four genes encoding immune-dominant antigens from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Compared with the wild type and other control groups, mice treated with the combined plant-made vaccines showed significantly higher levels of interferon-γ and interleukin-2 production in response to all four proteins, and higher levels of antigen-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cell responses and immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgA titers.

[Preliminary study on promoting effects of endophytic fungi to growth of Rehmannia glutinosa].

In previous studies, four endophytic fungi were isolated from different swollen roots of Rehmannia glutinosa. It's thought that Ceratobasidium sp. , one of the discovered endophytic fingi, was a major promoter for the growth of the roots.

The modified castor bean catalase intron is incompletely spliced in tobacco and Arabidopsis.

In an attempt to insert the modified castor bean catalase intron (mCBC intron) into the coding sequence of the Cre recombinase gene, we found that the mCBC intron was not completely spliced from the resulting iCre gene in tobacco and Arabidopsis. Sequencing and allele-specific PCR analyses indicated that six nucleotides (UUACAG) at the 3' terminus of the mCBC intron were retained in the mature mRNA of the iCre gene. Moreover, the mCBC intron was incompletely spliced from the Gus gene in pCAMBIA vectors.

A phytocyanin-related early nodulin-like gene, BcBCP1, cloned from Boea crassifolia enhances osmotic tolerance in transgenic tobacco.

Using the mRNA differential display combined with 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) technique, an early nodulin-like protein gene (BcBCP1) (accession no. AY243047.1) was isolated from drought-treated Boea crassifolia leaves.

Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) overexpression increases hypoxia tolerance in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Aquaculture farming may benefit from genetically engineering fish to tolerate environmental stress. Here, we used the vector pCVCG expressing the Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (vhb) gene driven by the common carp β-actin promoter to create stable transgenic zebrafish. The survival rate of the 7-day-old F(2) transgenic fish was significantly greater than that of the sibling controls under 2.

An SGS3-like protein functions in RNA-directed DNA methylation and transcriptional gene silencing in Arabidopsis.

RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) is an important epigenetic mechanism for silencing transgenes and endogenous repetitive sequences such as transposons. The RD29A promoter-driven LUCIFERASE transgene and its corresponding endogenous RD29A gene are hypermethylated and silenced in the Arabidopsis DNA demethylase mutant ros1. By screening for second-site suppressors of ros1, we identified the RDM12 locus.

Isolation and characterization of a gene encoding cinnamate 4-hydroxylase from Parthenocissus henryana.

Cinnamate 4-hydroxylase (C4H, EC 1.14.13.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a gene encoding RING zinc finger ankyrin protein from drought-tolerant Artemisia desertorum.

A RING zinc finger ankyrin protein gene,designated AdZFP1, was isolated from drought-tolerant Artemisia desertorum Spreng by mRNA differential display and RACE. Its cDNA was 1723 bp and encoded a putative protein of 445 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 47.9 kDa and an isoelectric point (pI) of 7.

Computational analysis of the relationship between allergenicity and digestibility of allergenic proteins in simulated gastric fluid.

Background: Safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) food, with regard to allergenic potential of transgene-encoded xenoproteins, typically involves several different methods, evaluation by digestibility being one thereof. However, there are still debates about whether the allergenicity of food allergens is related to their resistance to digestion by the gastric fluid. The disagreements may in part stem from classification of allergens only by their sources, which we believe is inadequate, and the difficulties in achieving identical experimental conditions for studying digestion by simulated gastric fluid (SGF) so that results can be compared.

Expression and characteristic of synthetic human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in transgenic tobacco plants.

To improve the accumulation of recombinant human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in transgenic tobacco, a highly effective vector was constructed and transformed via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The hEGF content in transgenic tobacco was up to 0.3% of the total soluble protein.

[Advance of plant symbiosis receptor-like kinase in nonlegumes].

Most plants can form a symbiosis in root with microorganisms for mutual benefit, Nonlegumes mainly form the symbiotic mycorrhiza with arbuscular fungi. The interaction is initiated by invasion of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi into the plant root, and follows by production of several special signal molecules, such as the symbiosis receptor-like kinase (SYMRK) from plant. SYMRK has an extracellular domain comprising three leucine-rich repeats (LRRs), a transmembrane domain and an cytoplasmic protein kinase domain.

Oral route of mini-proinsulin-expressing Ganoderma lucidum decreases blood glucose level in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats.

Oral administration of insulin to control blood glucose has become a hot area of diabetes research. The major issue is to produce enough insulin and prevent insulin degradation in the acidic environment of the stomach. We hypothesize that the natural structure of the cell wall and the endoplasmic reticulum in Ganoderma lucidum should help resist the digestion of insulin produced in these cells, making this fungus a feasible production and a new delivery system for oral insulin.

High content of resveratrol in lettuce transformed with a stilbene synthase gene of Parthenocissus henryana.

Resveratrol (trans-3,5,4'-trihydroxystilbene) is a plant phytoalexin which has positive effects on human health. Stilbene synthase (STS) is a key enzyme involved in resveratrol biosynthesis. To construct a vector for STS expression in lettuce plant, a cDNA-encoding STS of Parthenocissus henryana was fused to the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter, and the bar gene was used as a selective marker gene.

Production of soybean isoflavone genistein in non-legume plants via genetically modified secondary metabolism pathway.

Genetic modification of secondary metabolic pathways to produce desirable natural products is an attractive approach in plant biotechnology. In our study, we attempted to produce a typical soybean isoflavone genistein, a well-known health-promoting metabolite, in non-legume plants via genetic engineering. Both overexpression and antisense suppression strategies were used to manipulate the expression of several genes encoding key enzymes in the flavonoids/isoflavonoids pathway in transgenic tobacco, lettuce, and petunia.

Expression profile of a PAL gene from Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus and its crucial role in flux into flavonoid biosynthesis.

An important traditional Chinese medicine herb, Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus, whose dried root is known as Radix astragali ("Huangqi" in Chinese), has high flavonoid content as an essential active constituent. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.

Inducible excision of selectable marker gene from transgenic plants by the cre/lox site-specific recombination system.

In a plant transformation process, it is necessary to use marker genes that allow the selection of regenerated transgenic plants. However, selectable marker genes are generally superfluous once an intact transgenic plant has been established. Furthermore, they may cause regulatory difficulties for approving transgenic crop release and commercialization.