Interfering small ubiquitin modifiers (SUMO) improves the thermotolerance of apple by facilitating the activity of MdDREB2A.

Heat stress, which is caused by global warming, threatens crops yield and quality across the world. As a kind of post-translation modification, SUMOylation involves in plants heat stress response with a rapid and wide pattern. Here, we identified small ubiquitin modifiers (SUMO), which affect drought tolerance in apple, also participated in thermotolerance. Six isoforms of SUMOs located on six chromosomes in apple genome, and all the SUMOs were up-regulated in response to heat stress condition. The MdSUMO2 RNAi transgenic apple plants exhibited higher survival rate, lower ion leakage, higher catalase (CAT) activity, and Malondialdehyde (MDA) content under heat stress. MdDREB2A, the substrate of MdSUMO2 in apple, was accumulated in MdSUMO2 RNAi transgenic plants than the wild type GL-3 at the protein level in response to heat stress treatment. Further, the inhibited SUMOylation level of MdDREB2A in MdSUMO2 RNAi plants might repress its ubiquitination, too. The accumulated MdDREB2A in MdSUMO2 RNAi plants further induced heat-responsive genes expression to strengthen plants thermotolerance, including MdHSFA3, MdHSP26.5, MdHSP18.2, MdHSP70, MdCYP18-1 and MdTLP1. In summary, these findings illustrate that interfering small ubiquitin modifiers (SUMO) in apple improves plants thermotolerance, partly by facilitating the stability and activity of MdDREB2A.

S-1 combined with paclitaxel may benefit advanced gastric cancer: Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer, as one of the increasingly common malignancies, has experienced high morbidity throughout many countries at present. Currently, chemotherapy regimen with more efficacy and safety for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) is needed. We aimed to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of S-1 combined with paclitaxel (PTX) for AGC by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published studies. METHOD: All published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of S-1 combined with PTX for AGC were searched. Studies that included patients with locally advanced or metastases' gastric cancers were included. We searched the databases included Cochrane Library of Clinical Comparative Trials, MEDLINE, Embase, American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting abstracts and China National Knowledge Internet (CNKI) from 2000 to 2018. We searched the database up to January 2018. The first endpoint was overall survival (OS). Other endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR). Safety analyses were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 7 trials (including 1407 patients, 711 patients in intervention group and 696 patients in control group) were included in the present analysis. S-1 combined with PTX significantly improved the OS [HR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.60-0.97, P = 0.000],PFS [HR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.55-0.85, P = 0.000], ORR [RR = 1.30, 95%CI: 1.05-1.60, P = 0.017] and DCR [RR = 1.15, 95%CI: 1.04-1.27, P = 0.008] of patients with AGC. The grade 3 or 4 haematological and non-hematologic toxicities were anemia [RR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.04-2.79, P = 0.03], neutropenia [RR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.32-2.06, P < 0.0001] and anorexia [RR = 1.66, 95% CI: 1.05-2.64, P = 0.03] respectively. CONCLUSION: S-1 combined with PTX may be a good choice for patients with AGC. S-1 plus PTX experienced more efficacy and safety when compared with S-1 alone or S-1 plus other drugs.