Accelerated Dynamic Reconstruction in Metal-Organic Frameworks with Ligand Defects for Selective Electrooxidation of Amines to Azos Coupling with Hydrogen Production.

Electrosynthesis coupled hydrogen production (ESHP) mostly involves catalyst reconstruction in aqueous phase, but accurately identifying and controlling the process is still a challenge. Herein, we modulated the electronic structure and exposed unsaturated sites of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) via ligand defect to promote the reconstruction of catalyst for azo electrosynthesis (ESA) coupled with hydrogen production overall reaction. The monolayer Ni-MOFs achieved 89.8 % Faraday efficiency and 90.8 % selectivity for the electrooxidation of 1-methyl-1H-pyrazol-3-amine (Pyr-NH2) to azo, and an 18.5-fold increase in H2 production compared to overall water splitting. Operando X-ray absorption fine spectroscopy (XAFS) and various in situ spectroscopy confirm that the ligand defect promotes the potential dependent dynamic reconstruction of Ni(OH)2 and NiOOH, and the reabsorption of ligand significantly lowers the energy barrier of rate-determining step (*Pyr-NH to *Pyr-N). This work provides theoretical guidance for modulation of electrocatalyst reconstruction to achieve highly selective ESHP.

Boosting Hydrogen Production via Selective Two-electron Mild Electrochemical Oxidation of Tetrahydroisoquinolines Completely to Dihydroisoquinolines.

Different from the previous study that biomass derivatives replace water oxidation for enhancing hydrogen production, we found that mild oxidation was more conductive to cathodic hydrogen production. In this study, maximum Faradaic efficiency (>99 %) and lower energy consumption for hydrogen production was achieved by precisely controlling the two-electron mild electrochemical oxidation of tetrahydroisoquinolines (THIQs) to dihydroisoquinolines (DHIQs) in place of the four-electron deep oxidation to isoquinolines (IQs). Moreover, the high value-added DHIQs were prepared from THIQs with high selectivity (>99 %) at the low potential of 1.36 V. Operando electrochemical Raman and density functional theory proved that the high selectivity was attributed to the regulable active species of NiOOH induced by the interaction of Co and Fe for preferentially breaking C-H bond rather than N-H of THIQs. This novel method provides important insight into efficient biomass-assisted hydrogen production.

Insights into Resistance Mechanisms of Inhibitors to Mps1 C604Y Mutation via a Comprehensive Molecular Modeling Study.

Mono-polar spindle 1 (Mps1/TTK) represents a protein kinase reported to be vital for cell division processes and is generally regarded as an attractive target for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, breast carcinoma, and colon cancer. However, the C604Y mutation has been linked to acquired resistance. Recently, three potential small-molecule inhibitors of Mps1 (i.e., reversine, NMS-P715, and its derivative Cpd-5) were reported for the C604Y mutation that exhibit significant resistance to NMS-P715 and Cpd-5, but retain affinity for reversine. In this study, classical molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, accelerated MD (aMD) simulations, and umbrella sampling (US) simulations were performed to illustrate the resistance mechanisms of inhibitors to Mps1. The classical MD simulations combined with free energy calculations revealed that reversine features similar binding affinity characteristics to both Mps1WT and Mps1C604Y, but both NMS-P715 and Cpd-5 feature much higher binding affinities to Mps1WT than to Mps1C604Y. The major variations were shown to be controlled by electrostatic energy and the conformational change of A-loop-induced entropy increased. The large conformational changes of Mps1C604Y bound to NMS-P715 and Cpd-5 were also observed in aMD simulations. The US simulation results further suggest that reversine and Cpd-5 both exhibit similar dissociation processes from both Mps1WT and Mps1C604Y, but Cpd-5 and NMS-P715 were found to dissociate more easily from Mps1C604Y than from Mps1WT, thus a reduced residence time was responsible for the inhibitors resistance to the C604Y mutation. The physical principles provided by the present study may provide important clues for the discovery and rational design of novel inhibitors to combat the C604Y mutation of Mps1.

Proteomic Analysis Reveals Coordinated Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis through Signal Transduction and Sugar Metabolism in Black Rice Leaf.

Black rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered to be a healthy food due to its high content of anthocyanins in the pericarp. The synthetic pathway of anthocyanins in black rice grains has been identified, however, the proteomic profile of leaves during grain development is still unclear. Here, isobaric Tags Relative and Absolute Quantification (iTRAQ) MS/MS was carried out to identify statistically significant changes of leaf proteome in the black rice during grain development. Throughout three sequential developmental stages, a total of 3562 proteins were detected and 24 functional proteins were differentially expressed 3-10 days after flowering (DAF). The detected proteins are known to be involved in various biological processes and most of these proteins were related to gene expression regulatory (33.3%), signal transduction (16.7%) and developmental regulation and hormone-like proteins (12.5%). The coordinated changes were consistent with changes in regulatory proteins playing a leading role in leaves during black rice grain development. This indicated that signal transduction between leaves and grains may have an important role in anthocyanin biosynthesis and accumulation during grain development of black rice. In addition, four identified up-regulated proteins associated with starch metabolism suggested that the remobilization of nutrients for starch synthesis plays a potential role in anthocyanin biosynthesis of grain. The mRNA transcription for eight selected proteins was validated with quantitative real-time PCR. Our results explored the proteomics of the coordination between leaf and grain in anthocyanins biosynthesis of grain, which might be regulated by signal transduction and sugar metabolism in black rice leaf.

Production of oleanane-type sapogenin in transgenic rice via expression of ß-amyrin synthase gene from Panax japonicus C. A. Mey.

BACKGROUND: Panax japonicus C. A. Mey. is a rare traditional Chinese herbal medicine that uses ginsenosides as its main active ingredient. Rice does not produce ginsenosides because it lacks a key rate-limiting enzyme (ß-amyrin synthase, ßAS); however, it produces a secondary metabolite, 2,3-oxidosqualene, which is a precursor for ginsenoside biosynthesis. RESULTS: In the present study, the P. japonicus ßAS gene was transformed into the rice cultivar 'Taijing 9' using an Agrobacterium-mediated approach, resulting in 68 rice transgenic plants of the T0 generation. Transfer-DNA (T-DNA) insertion sites in homozygous lines of the T2 generation were determined by using high-efficiency thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (hiTAIL-PCR) and were found to vary among the tested lines. Approximately 1-2 copies of the ßAS gene were detected in transgenic rice plants. Real-time PCR and Western blotting analyses showed that the transformed ßAS gene could be overexpressed and ß-amyrin synthase could be expressed in rice. HPLC analysis showed that the concentration of oleanane-type sapogenin oleanolic acid in transgenic rice was 8.3-11.5 mg/100 g dw. CONCLUSIONS: The current study is the first report on the transformation of P. japonicus ßAS gene into rice. We have successfully produced a new rice germplasm, "ginseng rice", which produces oleanane-type sapogenin.

Genome re-sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of a nutraceutical rice.

The genomes of two rice cultivars, Nipponbare and 93-11, have been well studied. However, there is little available genetic information about nutraceutical rice cultivars. To remedy this situation, the present study aimed to provide a basic genetic landscape of nutraceutical rice. The genome of Black-1, a black pericarp rice containing higher levels of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and a more potent antioxidant capacity, was sequenced at ≥30 × coverage using Solexa sequencing technology. The complete sequences of Black-1 genome shared more consensus sequences with indica cultivar 93-11 than with Nipponbare. With reference to the 93-11 genome, Black-1 contained 675,207 single-nucleotide polymorphisms, 43,130 insertions and deletions (1-5 bp), 1,770 copy number variations, and 10,911 presence/absence variations. These variations were observed to reside preferentially in Myb domains, NB-ARC domains and kinase domains, providing clues to the diversity of biological functions or secondary metabolisms in this cultivar. Intriguingly, 496 unique genes were identified by comparing it with the genomes of these two rice varieties; among the genes, 119 genes participate in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Furthermore, several unique genes were predicted to be involved in the anthocyanins synthesis pathway. The genome-wide landscape of Black-1 uncovered by this study represents a valuable resource for further studies and for breeding nutraceutical rice varieties.

DNp73 improves generation efficiency of human induced pluripotent stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have found that p53 and its' associated cell cycle pathways are major inhibitors of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell generation. In the same family as p53 is p73, which shares sequence similarities with p53. However, p73 also has distinct properties of its own, such as two alternative promoters to express transactivation of p73 (TAp73) and N terminal deleted p73 (DNp73). Functionally, TAp73 acts similarly to p53 in tumor suppression. However, DNp73, on the other hand acts as an oncogene to suppress p53 and p73 induced apoptosis. Therefore, how can p73 have opposing roles in human iPS cell generation? RESULTS: Transcription factors, Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and cMyc (4TF, Yamanaka factors) are used as basal conditions to generate iPS cells. In addition, the factor of DNp73(actually alpha splicing DNp73, DNp73α) is used to generate iPS cells. The experiment found that the addition of DNp73 gene increases human iPS cell generation efficiency by 12.6 folds in comparison to human fibroblast cells transduced with only the basal conditions. Also, iPS cells generated with DNp73 expression are more resistant to in vitro and in vivo differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: This study found DNp73, a family member of p53, is also involved in the human iPS cell generation. Specifically, that the involvement of DNp73 generates iPS cells that are more resistant to in vitro and in vivo differentiation. Therefore, this data may prove to be useful in future developmental studies and cancer researches.

Advances in Biomimetic Photoelectrocatalytic Reduction of Carbon Dioxide.

Emerging photoelectrocatalysis (PEC) systems synergize the advantages of electrocatalysis (EC) and photocatalysis (PC) and are considered a green and efficient approach to CO2 conversion. However, improving the selectivity and conversion rate remains a major challenge. Strategies mimicking natural photosynthesis provide a prospective way to convert CO2 with high efficiency. Herein, several typical strategies are described for constructing biomimetic photoelectric functional interfaces; such interfaces include metal cocatalysts/semiconductors, small molecules/semiconductors, molecular catalysts/semiconductors, MOFs/semiconductors, and microorganisms/semiconductors. The biomimetic PEC interface must have enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity, preferentially activate CO2 , and have an efficient conversion ability; with these properties, it can activate CO bonds effectively and promote electron transfer and CC coupling to convert CO2 to single-carbon or multicarbon products. Interfacial electron transfer and proton coupling on the biomimetic PEC interface are also discussed to clarify the mechanism of CO2 reduction. Finally, the existing challenges and perspectives for biomimetic photoelectrocatalytic CO2 reduction are presented.

High-level expression of modified gene encoding human adiponectin in transgenic rice.

Adiponectin is a polypeptide specifically secreted from human adipocytes, and its deficiency is closely linked to increased obesity and type II diabetes. There is an urgent demand for large-scale production of human adiponectin for pharmaceutical applications. Here, we report that we have successfully obtained a high-level of expression of modified genes encoding human adiponectin in transgenic rice. The 735 bp cDNA of the native human sequence was adopted to rice codon usage, fused to the translation initiation sequence in the N terminus and to the KDEL signal sequence in the C terminus. An amplification promoting sequence acting as an enhancer of transcription was also introduced to enhance gene expression. The presence of the transgene and mRNA transcripts was confirmed by PCR, Southern blot and RT-PCR. Western blot analysis revealed that a protein of approximately 30 kDa was produced in rice leaves. ELISA analysis was used to determine the amount of recombinant adiponectin in transformants with the modified gene in up to 0.32% of total soluble leaf protein. Our results establish the feasibility of high-level expression of recombinant human adiponectin in transgenic rice.

Highly Efficient Photoelectrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Methanol by a p-n Heterojunction CeO2/CuO/Cu Catalyst.

Photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to fuels has great potential for reducing anthropogenic CO2 emissions and also lessening our dependence on fossil fuel energy. Herein, we report the successful development of a novel photoelectrocatalytic catalyst for the selective reduction of CO2 to methanol, comprising a copper catalyst modified with flower-like cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) (a n-type semiconductor) and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) (a p-type semiconductor). At an applied potential of - 1.0 V (vs SCE) under visible light irradiation, the CeO2 NPs/CuO NPs/Cu catalyst yielded methanol at a rate of 3.44 µmol cm-2 h-1, which was approximately five times higher than that of a CuO NPs/Cu catalyst (0.67 µmol cm-2 h-1). The carrier concentration increased by ~ 108 times when the flower-like CeO2 NPs were deposited on the CuO NPs/Cu catalyst, due to synergistic transfer of photoexcited electrons from the conduction band of CuO to that of CeO2, which enhanced both photocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic CO2 reduction on the CeO2 NPs. The facile migration of photoexcited electrons and holes across the p-n heterojunction that formed between the CeO2 and CuO components was thus critical to excellent light-induced CO2 reduction properties of the CeO2 NPs/CuO NPs/Cu catalyst. Results encourage the wider application of composite semiconductor electrodes in carbon dioxide reduction.

Antagonistic actions of boron against inhibitory effects of aluminum toxicity on growth, CO2 assimilation, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, and photosynthetic electron transport probed by the JIP-test, of Citrus grandis seedlings.

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the amelioration of boron (B) on aluminum (Al)-induced photosynthesis inhibition. Sour pummelo (Citrus grandis) seedlings were irrigated for 18 weeks with nutrient solution containing 4 B levels (2.5, 10, 25 and 50 microM H3BO3) x 2 Al levels (0 and 1.2 mM AlCl3.6H2O). The objectives of this study were to determine how B alleviates Al-induced growth inhibition and to test the hypothesis that Al-induced photosynthesis inhibition can be alleviated by B via preventing Al from getting into shoots. RESULTS: B had little effect on plant growth, root, stem and leaf Al, leaf chlorophyll (Chl), CO2 assimilation, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco), Chl a fluorescence (OJIP) transient and related parameters without Al stress except that root, stem and leaf B increased with increasing B supply and that 50 muM B decreased slightly root dry weight. Al-treated roots, stems and leaves displayed a higher or similar B. B did not affect root Al under Al stress, but decreased stem and leaf Al level. Shoot growth is more sensitive to Al stress than root growth, CO2 assimilation, Chl, Rubisco, OJIP transient and most related parameters. Al-treated leaves showed decreased CO2 assimilation, but increased or similar intercellular CO2 concentration. Both initial and total Rubisco activity in Al-treated leaves decreased to a lesser extent than CO2 assimilation. Al decreased maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry and total performance index, but increased minimum fluorescence, K-band, relative variable fluorescence at J- and I-steps. B could alleviate Al-induced increase or decrease for all these parameters. Generally speaking, the order of B effectiveness was 25 microM > 10 microM >or= 50 microM (excess B) > 2.5 microM. CONCLUSION: We propose that Al-induced photosynthesis inhibition was mainly caused by impaired photosynthetic electron transport chain, which may be associated with growth inhibition. B-induced amelioration of root inhibition was probably caused by B-induced changes in Al speciation and/or sub-cellular compartmentation. However, B-induced amelioration of shoot and photosynthesis inhibition and photoinhibitory damage occurring at both donor and acceptor sides of photosystem II could be due to less Al accumulation in shoots.

Phosphorus alleviates aluminum-induced inhibition of growth and photosynthesis in Citrus grandis seedlings.

Limited data are available on the effects of phosphorus (P) and aluminum (Al) interactions on Citrus spp. growth and photosynthesis. Sour pummelo (Citrus grandis) seedlings were irrigated for 18 weeks with nutrient solution containing 50, 100, 250 and 500 microM KH(2)PO(4)x 0 and 1.2 mM AlCl(3). 6H(2)O. Thereafter, P and Al in roots, stems and leaves, and leaf chlorophyll (Chl), CO(2) assimilation, ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) and Chl a fluorescence (OJIP) transients were measured. Under Al stress, P increased root Al, but decreased stem and leaf Al. Shoot growth is more sensitive to Al than root growth, CO(2) assimilation and OJIP transients. Al decreased CO(2) assimilation, Rubisco activity and Chl content, whereas it increased or did not affect intercellular CO(2) concentration. Al affected CO(2) assimilation more than Rubisco and Chl under 250 and 500 microM P. Al decreased root, stem and leaf P, leaf maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry (F(v)/F(m)) and total performance index (PI(tot,abs)), but increased leaf minimum fluorescence (F(o)), relative variable fluorescence at K- and I-steps. P could alleviate Al-induced increase or decrease for all these parameters. We conclude that P alleviated Al-induced inhibition of growth and impairment of the whole photosynthetic electron transport chain from photosystem II (PSII) donor side up to the reduction of end acceptors of photosystem I (PSI), thus preventing photosynthesis inhibition through increasing Al immobilization in roots and P level in roots and shoots. Al-induced impairment of the whole photosynthetic electron transport chain may be associated with growth inhibition.

Chemoprevention of elite tea variety CFT-1 rich in EGCG against chemically induced liver cancer in rats.

Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze cv. CFT-1 is an elite tea variety bred by sexual hybridization with a high content of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as 134.2 mg/g (which is 2.54-fold that of the common variety). This study was to evaluate the chemopreventive effects of CFT-1 green tea infusion (CFT-1) against N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats and its mechanisms. The results showed that CFT-1 had a superior inhibitory effect in NDEA-initiated hepatocarcinogenesis compared to that of common tea. CFT-1 significantly reduced the hepatic nodules incidence, size, and number and prevented the hepatic adenoma or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation. In particular, CFT-1-treated animals had the least incidence of HCC (8.33%) followed by common tea treatment (40.00%) and model control rats (87.50%). CFT-1 treatment significantly ameliorated abnormal liver function enzymes, reduced serum AFP, CEA, TSGF, and TNF-α levels, inhibited the dickkopf-related protein-1 expression, enhanced antioxidant capacity, suppressed the production of livers 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, and regulated hepatic phase I and II xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes. Transcriptomic analysis of liver tissue suggested that compared to common tea, administration of CFT-1 regulated larger gene sets, which were located in several important pathways of antioxidants, inflammatory network, xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and metabolism associated with liver tumorigenesis. We identified some genes as potential molecular targets involved in the prevention of CFT-1 and found that CFT-1 inhibited inflammation response, proliferation, and accelerated apoptosis by inhibiting NF-κB and PI3K/Akt pathway. Thus, EGCG-rich CFT-1 green tea might be a potential choice for liver cancer prevention/treatment in the future.

Preventive effects of combinative natural foods produced by elite crop varieties rich in anticancer effects on N-nitrosodiethylamine-induced hepatocellular carcinoma in rats.

The World Cancer Research Fund International has released 32 anticancer effects (ACEs) that targeted every stage of cancer processes. Thus, we designed two formulas of natural food combination Diet I and Diet II, mainly produced by elite crop varieties rich in ACEs with different mixture ratios, and evaluated their cancer preventive effects on N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. After 20 weeks of dietary intervention, Diet I and Diet II reduced incidence, size, and number of hepatic nodules (p < 0.01) and prevented hepatic tumor formation in NDEA-induced hepatocarcinogenesis rats. Low-grade hepatic dysplasia incidence was 20% for Diet II and 40% for Diet I, and apparent hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) rates were both 0, while 90% HCC in control diet treatment group (p < 0.01). Diet I and Diet II ameliorated abnormal liver function enzymes, reduced serum alpha fetal protein, tumor-specific growth factor, dickkopf-related protein 1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 levels, regulated hepatic phase I and II xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes, enhanced antioxidant capacity, suppressed NDEA-initiated oxidative DNA damage, and induced apoptosis coupled to down-regulation of proinflammatory, invasion, and angiogenesis markers. Daily intake of combination diet produced from ACEs-rich elite crop varieties can effectively prevent or delay occurrence and development of NDEA-induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats.

Aluminum-induced effects on Photosystem II photochemistry in citrus leaves assessed by the chlorophyll a fluorescence transient.

Seedlings of Citrus grandis (L.) Osbeck cv. Tuyou were irrigated daily for 5 months with nutrient solution containing 0 (control), 0.2, 0.6 or 1.6 mM aluminum (Al) from AlCl(3).6H(2)O. Shoot growth was more sensitive to Al toxicity than root growth, gas exchange, chlorophyll (Chl) concentration, polyphasic Chl a fluorescence (OJIP) induction and related parameters. Leaves of Al-treated plants showed decreased CO(2) assimilation and Chl concentration, yet intercellular CO(2) concentration increased and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) activity was unchanged. Chlorophyll a fluorescence induction analysis of Al-stressed leaves showed a large rise at the O-step and a large depression at the P-step, accompanied by two new bands at 300 micros (K-band) and at about 150 micros (L-band). Maximum fluorescence, maximum quantum yield of primary photochemistry, oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), quantum yield of electron transport, quantum yield of electron transport from Q(A) (-) to the Photosystem I end electron acceptors, IP phase and total performance index were decreased in leaves of Al-treated plants, whereas minimum fluorescence, relative variable fluorescence at the J-step and I-step, and dissipated energy were increased. We propose that impaired electron transport capacity accompanied by lack of reducing equivalents were the main factors contributing to decreased CO(2) assimilation in Al-treated plants. Aluminum-induced photoinhibition occurring at both the donor (i.e., the OEC) and the acceptor sides of Photosystem II may be associated with growth inhibition. Besides decreased light absorption due to reduced Chl concentration, enhanced energy dissipation protected the leaves of Al-treated plants from photo-oxidative damage in high light.

Pretreatment of wheat straw leads to structural changes and improved enzymatic hydrolysis.

Wheat straw (WS) is a potential biomass for production of monomeric sugars. However, the enzymatic hydrolysis ratio of cellulose in WS is relatively low due to the presence of lignin and hemicellulose. To enhance the enzymatic conversion of WS, we tested the impact of three different pretreatments, e.g. sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and hot water pretreatments to the enzymatic digestions. Among the three pretreatments, the highest cellulose conversion rate was obtained with the 4% NaOH pretreatment at 121 °C (87.2%). In addition, NaOH pretreatment was mainly effective in removing lignin, whereas the H2SO4 pretreatment efficiently removed hemicellulose. To investigate results of pretreated process for enhancement of enzyme-hydolysis to the WS, we used scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to analyze structural changes of raw and treated materials. The structural analysis indicated that after H2SO4 and NaOH pretreatments, most of the amorphous cellulose and partial crystalline cellulose were hydrolyzed during enzymatic hydrolysis. The findings of the present study indicate that WS could be ideal materials for production of monomeric sugars with proper pretreatments and effective enzymatic base hydrolysis.

Production of Marker-free Transgenic Rice (Oryza sativa L.) with Improved Nutritive Quality Expressing AmA1.

Background: Rice seed proteins are lacking essential amino acids (EAAs). Genetic engineering offers a fast and sustainable method to solve this problem as it allows the specific expression of heterologous EAA-rich proteins. The use of selectable marker gene is essential for generation of transgenic crops, but might also lead to potential environmental and food safety problems. Therefore, the production of marker-free transgenic crops is becoming an extremely attractive alternative and could contribute to the public acceptance of transgenic crops. Objectives: The present study was conducted to examine whether AmA1 can be expressed specifically in rice seeds, and generate marker-free transgenic rice with improved nutritive value. Materials and Methods:AmA1 was transferred into rice using Agrobacterium-mediated co-transformation system with a twin T-DNA binary vector and its integration in rice genome was confirmed by southern blot. Transcription of AmA1 was analyzed by Real-Time PCR and its expression was verified by western analysis. Protein and amino acid content were measured by the Kjeldahl method and the high-speed amino acid analyzer, respectively. Results: Five selectable marker-free homozygous transgenic lines were obtained from the progeny. The expression of recombinant AmA1 was confirmed by the observation of a 35 kDa band in SDS-PAGE and western blot. Compared to the wild-type control, the total protein contents in the seeds of five homozygous lines were increased by 1.06~12.87%. In addition, the content of several EAAs, including lysine, threonine, and valine was increased significantly in the best expressing line. Conclusions: The results indicated that the amino acid composition of rice grain could be improved by seed-specific expression of AmA1.

iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomics Analysis of Black Rice Grain Development Reveals Metabolic Pathways Associated with Anthocyanin Biosynthesis.

BACKGROUND: Black rice (Oryza sativa L.), whose pericarp is rich in anthocyanins (ACNs), is considered as a healthier alternative to white rice. Molecular species of ACNs in black rice have been well documented in previous studies; however, information about the metabolic mechanisms underlying ACN biosynthesis during black rice grain development is unclear. RESULTS: The aim of the present study was to determine changes in the metabolic pathways that are involved in the dynamic grain proteome during the development of black rice indica cultivar, (Oryza sativa L. indica var. SSP). Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) MS/MS were employed to identify statistically significant alterations in the grain proteome. Approximately 928 proteins were detected, of which 230 were differentially expressed throughout 5 successive developmental stages, starting from 3 to 20 days after flowering (DAF). The greatest number of differentially expressed proteins was observed on 7 and 10 DAF, including 76 proteins that were upregulated and 39 that were downregulated. The biological process analysis of gene ontology revealed that the 230 differentially expressed proteins could be sorted into 14 functional groups. Proteins in the largest group were related to metabolic process, which could be integrated into multiple biochemical pathways. Specifically, proteins with a role in ACN biosynthesis, sugar synthesis, and the regulation of gene expression were upregulated, particularly from the onset of black rice grain development and during development. In contrast, the expression of proteins related to signal transduction, redox homeostasis, photosynthesis and N-metabolism decreased during grain maturation. Finally, 8 representative genes encoding different metabolic proteins were verified via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis, these genes had differed in transcriptional and translational expression during grain development. CONCLUSIONS: Expression analyses of metabolism-related protein groups belonging to different functional categories and subcategories indicated that significantly upregulated proteins were related to flavonoid and starch synthesis. On the other hand, the downregulated proteins were determined to be related to nitrogen metabolism, as well as other functional categories and subcategories, including photosynthesis, redox homeostasis, tocopherol biosynthetic, and signal transduction. The results provide valuable new insights into the characterization and understanding of ACN pigment production in black rice.

Production of dammarane-type sapogenins in rice by expressing the dammarenediol-II synthase gene from Panax ginseng C.A. Mey.

Ginsenosides are the main active ingredients in Chinese medicinal ginseng; 2,3-oxidosqualene is a precursor metabolite to ginsenosides that is present in rice. Because rice lacks a key rate-limiting enzyme (dammarenediol-II synthase, DS), rice cannot synthesize dammarane-type ginsenosides. In this study, the ginseng (Panax ginseng CA Mey.) DS gene (GenBank: AB265170.1) was transformed into rice using agrobacterium, and 64 rice transgenic plants were produced. The Transfer-DNA (T-DNA) insertion sites in homozygous lines of the T2 generation were determined by using high-efficiency thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (hiTAIL-PCR) and differed in all tested lines. One to two copies of the T-DNA were present in each transformant, and real-time PCR and Western blotting showed that the transformed DS gene could be transcribed and highly expressed. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis showed that the dammarane-type sapogenin 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) content was 0.35-0.59 mg/g dw and the dammarane-type sapogenin 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) content was 0.23-0.43 mg/g dw in the transgenic rice. LC/MS analysis confirmed production of PPD and PPT. These results indicate that a new "ginseng rice" germplasm containing dammarane-type sapogenins has been successfully developed by transforming the ginseng DS gene into rice.

[Negative air ions generated by plants upon pulsed electric field stimulation applied to soil].

This paper investigated the capacity of plants (Schlumbergera truncata, Aloe vera var. chinensis, Chlorophytum comosum, Schlumbergera bridgesii, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. friedrichii, Aspidistra elatior, Cymbidium kanran, Echinocactus grusonii, Agave americana var. marginata, Asparagus setaceus) to generate negative air ions (NAI) under pulsed electric field stimulation. The results showed that single plant generated low amounts of NAI in natural condition. The capacity of C. comosum and G. mihanovichii var. friedrichii generated most NAI among the above ten species, with a daily average of 43 ion · cm(-3). The least one was A. americana var. marginata with the value of 19 ion · cm(-3). When proper pulsed electric field stimulation was applied to soil, the NAI of ten plant species were greatly improved. The effect of pulsed electric field u3 (average voltage over the pulse period was 2.0 x 10(4) V, pulse frequency was 1 Hz, and pulse duration was 50 ms) was the greatest. The mean NAI concentration of C. kanran was the highest 1454967 ion · cm(-3), which was 48498.9 times as much as that in natural condition. The lowest one was S. truncata with the value of 34567 ion · cm(-3), which was 843.1 times as much as that in natural condition. The capacity of the same plants to generate negative air ion varied extremely under different intensity pulsed electric fields.