Transcriptomic study of the role of MeFtsZ2-1 in pigment accumulation in cassava leaves.

MeFtsZ2-1 is a key gene for plant plastid division, but the mechanism by which MeFtsZ2-1 affects pigment accumulation in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) through plastids remains unclear. We found that MeFtsZ2-1 overexpression in cassava (OE) exhibited darker colors of leaves, with increased levels of anthocyanins and carotenoids. Further observation via Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed no apparent defects in chloroplast structure but an increase in the number of plastoglobule in OE leaves. RNA-seq results showed 1582 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves of OE. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that these DEGs were enriched in pathways related to flavonoid, anthocyanin, and carotenoid biosynthesis. This study reveals the role of MeFtsZ2-1 in cassava pigment accumulation from a physiological and transcriptomic perspective, providing a theoretical basis for improving cassava quality.

Promoter of Cassava MeAHL31 Responds to Diverse Abiotic Stresses and Hormone Signals in Transgenic Arabidopsis.

The AT-hook motif nuclear-localized (AHL) family is pivotal for the abiotic stress response in plants. However, the function of the cassava AHL genes has not been elucidated. Promoters, as important regulatory elements of gene expression, play a crucial role in stress resistance. In this study, the promoter of the cassava MeAHL31 gene was cloned. The MeAHL31 protein was localized to the cytoplasm and the nucleus. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the MeAHL31 gene was expressed in almost all tissues tested, and the expression in tuber roots was 321.3 times higher than that in petioles. Promoter analysis showed that the MeAHL31 promoter contains drought, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), abscisic acid (ABA), and gibberellin (GA) cis-acting elements. Expression analysis indicated that the MeAHL31 gene is dramatically affected by treatments with salt, drought, MeJA, ABA, and GA3. Histochemical staining in the proMeAHL31-GUS transgenic Arabidopsis corroborated that the GUS staining was found in most tissues and organs, excluding seeds. Beta-glucuronidase (GUS) activity assays showed that the activities in the proMeAHL31-GUS transgenic Arabidopsis were enhanced by different concentrations of NaCl, mannitol (for simulating drought), and MeJA treatments. The integrated findings suggest that the MeAHL31 promoter responds to the abiotic stresses of salt and drought, and its activity is regulated by the MeJA hormone signal.

Functional Characterization of the MeSSIII-1 Gene and Its Promoter from Cassava.

Soluble starch synthases (SSs) play important roles in the synthesis of cassava starch. However, the expression characteristics of the cassava SSs genes have not been elucidated. In this study, the MeSSIII-1 gene and its promoter, from SC8 cassava cultivars, were respectively isolated by PCR amplification. MeSSIII-1 protein was localized to the chloroplasts. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that the MeSSIII-1 gene was expressed in almost all tissues tested, and the expression in mature leaves was 18.9 times more than that in tuber roots. MeSSIII-1 expression was induced by methyljasmonate (MeJA), abscisic acid (ABA), and ethylene (ET) hormones in cassava. MeSSIII-1 expression patterns were further confirmed in proMeSSIII-1 transgenic cassava. The promoter deletion analysis showed that the -264 bp to -1 bp MeSSIII-1 promoter has basal activity. The range from -1228 bp to -987 bp and -488 bp to -264 bp significantly enhance promoter activity. The regions from -987 bp to -747 bp and -747 bp to -488 bp have repressive activity. These findings will provide an important reference for research on the potential function and transcriptional regulation mechanisms of the MeSSIII-1 gene and for further in-depth exploration of the regulatory network of its internal functional elements.

Integrated Analysis of Morphological, Physiological, Anatomical and Molecular Responses of Cassava Seedlings to Different Light Qualities.

Light quality is highly important for growth control of in vitro plant cultures. Here, we investigated the effect of blue light (BL), red light (RL) and combined red and blue light (RBL) on in vitro cassava growth. Our results indicate that RL facilitated radial elongation of cassava and increased stomatal conductance as well as glucose, sucrose, fructose and starch content in leaves and cellulose content in the stem. It also enhanced SOD and POD activities but decreased the stomatal density and chlorophyll and carotenoid content in leaves. In addition, RL leads to shorter palisade cells, denser chloroplasts and more starch granules. These phenotypic changes were inverted following BL treatment. The expression levels of photosynthesis-related genes MeLHCA1, MeLHCA3, MePSB27-2, MePSBY, MePETE1 and MePNSL2 in leaves were at their lowest following RL treatment, while the expression levels of MePSB27-2, MePSBY, MePETE1 and MePNSL2 were at their highest after BL treatment. The phenotypic changes after RBL treatment were between the values observed for the RL and BL treatments alone. Moreover, the responses of SC8 and SC9 cassava varieties to light quality were largely conserved. As such, we believe that the results of this study lay the foundation for controlling the in vitro growth of cassava seedlings by light quality.

Changes in sucrose metabolism patterns affect the early maturation of Cassava sexual tetraploid roots.

BACKGROUND: Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important multiuse crop grown for economic and energy purposes. Its vegetative organs are storage roots, in which the main storage material is starch. The accumulation characteristics of starch in cassava roots can directly affect the yield, starch content and maturation of cassava storage roots. In this study, we used a cassava sexual tetraploid (ST), which showed early maturation heterosis in previous work, as the main test material. We analyzed the sucrose metabolism and starch accumulation characteristics of the ST and its parents from the leaf "source" to the storage root "sink" during different developmental stages and explored the regulatory mechanisms of ST storage root early maturation by combining the transcriptome data of the storage roots during the expansion period. RESULTS: The results showed that the trends in sucrose, glucose and fructose contents in the ST leaves were similar to those of the two parents during different stages of development, but the trends in the ST storage roots were significantly different from those of their parents, which showed high sucrose utilization rates during the early stage of development and decreased utilization capacity in the late developmental stage. Transcriptome data showed that the genes that were expressed differentially between ST and its parents were mainly involved in the degradation and utilization of sucrose in the storage roots, and four key enzyme genes were significantly upregulated (Invertase MeNINV8/MeVINV3, Sucrose synthase MeSuSy2, Hexokinase MeHXK2), while the expressions of key enzyme genes involved in starch synthesis were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that the pattern of sucrose degradation and utilization in the cassava ST was different from that of its parents and promoted early maturation in its tuberous roots. Starch accumulation in the ST from sucrose mainly occurred during the early expansion stage of the storage roots, and the starch content during this period was higher than that of both parents, mainly due to the regulation of invertase and hexokinase activities during sucrose metabolism. This study provides a basis for further genetic improvements to cassava traits and for breeding varieties that mature early and are adapted well to provide starch supply requirements.

Double/triple hit lymphoma in the gastrointestinal tract: clinicopathological features, PD-L1 expression and screening strategy.

We aimed to detect the clinicopathological features and immune microenvironment of double-hit/triple-hit lymphoma in the gastrointestinal tract (GI-DHL/THL) and identify the best diagnostic strategies. A total of 114 cases, including 15 GI-DHL/THL, 42 non-GI-DHL/THL and 57 control diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cases, were comparatively analyzed for their clinicopathological characteristics, the expression of the immune-regulatory checkpoint PD-L1 and immune microenvironment. We applied univariate and multivariate analyses to determine predictors of DHL/THL. GI-DHL/THL patients showed a higher prevalence of previous infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) than those with GI-DLBCL. Morphologically, 87% of cases exhibited features of DLBCL. Regarding immunohistochemistry results, the MYC protein expression and the Ki-67 proliferation index were significantly higher in the GI-DHL/THL group than in the GI-DLBCL group. The main source of PD-L1 expression in DHL was tumor-associated macrophages, whereas some tumor cells were positive for PD-L1 in GI-DLBCL cases, as determined through multiplex immunofluorescence staining. The multivariable logistic analysis suggested that 5 variables, namely, age, Mum1, CD10, MYC, and HBV infection status, reflect the risk of DHL/THL. The GI-DHL/THL group show different clinicopathological features and immune microenvironments from DLBCL, which might suggest that different signaling pathways are involved. More work is needed to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of GI-DHL/THL.

Genome-Wide Identification of Cassava Glyoxalase I Genes and the Potential Function of MeGLYâ -13 in Iron Toxicity Tolerance.

Glyoxalase I (GLYI) is a key enzyme in the pathway of the glyoxalase system that degrades the toxic substance methylglyoxal, which plays a crucial part in plant growth, development, and stress response. A total of 19 GLYI genes were identified from the cassava genome, which distributed randomly on 11 chromosomes. These genes were named MeGLYI-1-19 and were systematically characterized. Transcriptome data analysis showed that MeGLYIs gene expression is tissue-specific, and MeGLYI-13 is the dominant gene expressed in young tissues, while MeGLYI-19 is the dominant gene expressed in mature tissues and organs. qRT-PCR analysis showed that MeGLYI-13 is upregulated under 2 h excess iron stress, but downregulated under 6, 12, and 20 h iron stress. Overexpression of MeGLYI-13 enhanced the growth ability of transgenic yeast under iron stress. The root growth of transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings was less inhibited by iron toxicity than that of the wild type (WT). Potted transgenic Arabidopsis blossomed and podded under iron stress, but flowering of the WT was significantly delayed. The GLYI activity in transgenic Arabidopsis was improved under both non-iron stress and iron stress conditions compared to the WT. The SOD activity in transgenic plants was increased under iron stress, while the POD and CAT activity and MDA content were decreased compared to that in the WT. These results provide a basis for the selection of candidate genes for iron toxicity tolerance in cassava, and lay a theoretical foundation for further studies on the functions of these MeGLYI genes.

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling of Cassava Tuberous Roots in Response to Postharvest Physiological Deterioration.

Cassava is one of the most versatile tuberous-root crops on Earth. However, the postharvest storage properties of cassava tuberous root mean that it is perishable through a process known as postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD), which seriously affects its starch quality. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the transcriptional regulatory activity of cassava against the PPD response is necessary in order to extract key molecular mechanisms related to PPD tolerance. In this study, we found that RYG1 tuberous roots showed delayed PPD compared to those of SC8. In addition, RYG1 roots maintained a more stable cell wall structure after storage than those of SC8. The transcriptome changes in tuberous roots were analyzed for both RYG1 and SC8 after 21 days of storage (SR and SS) compared to fresh (FR and FS) by the RNA-Seq method. The total number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the various comparisons of these four samples ranged from 68 to 3847. Of these, a total of 2008 co-DEGs in SR vs. SS were shared by either SR vs. FR or SS vs. FS. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis revealed that upregulated co-DEGs in SR vs. SS were mainly enriched in photosynthesis, protein processing, hormone and cutin, suberine and wax biosynthesis. By contrast, the downregulated co-DEGs were mainly related to cell wall organization, starch and sucrose metabolism, galactose metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, diterpenoid biosynthesis, cysteine and methionine metabolism and flavonoid biosynthesis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks of the co-DEGs showed a complex interaction of genes in different pathways, and 16 hub genes were characterized to have a degree in excess of 15, among which eight genes were associated with photosynthesis. These results provide new information for the study of cassava resistance to PPD and lay a foundation for the further molecular breeding of storage-tolerant cassava varieties.

Character changes and Transcriptomic analysis of a cassava sexual Tetraploid.

BACKGROUND: Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important food crop known for its high starch content. Polyploid breeding is effective in its genetic improvement, and use of 2n gametes in sexual polyploid breeding is one of the potential methods for cassava breeding and improvement. In our study, the cassava sexual tetraploid (ST), which carries numerous valuable traits, was successfully generated by hybridizing 2n female gametes SC5 (♀) and 2n male gametes SC10 (♂). However, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. To understand these underlying molecular mechanisms behind the phenotypic alterations and heterosis in ST plants, we investigated the differences in gene expression between polyploids and diploids by determining the transcriptomes of the ST plant and its parents during the tuber root enlargement period. We also compared the characters and transcriptomes of the ST plant with its parents. RESULTS: The ST plant was superior in plant height, stem diameter, leaf area, petiole length, plant weight, and root weight than the parent plants, except the leaf number, which was lower. The number of starch granules was higher in the roots of ST plants than those in the parent plants after five months (tuber root enlargement period), which could be due to a higher leaf net photosynthetic rate leading to early filling of starch granules. Based on transcriptome analysis, we identified 2934 and 3171 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the ST plant as compared to its female and male parents, respectively. Pathway enrichment analyses revealed that flavonoid biosynthesis and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis were significantly enriched in the ST plants, which might contribute to the colors of petiole (purple-red), root epidermis (dark brown), and tuber starch accumulation, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: After sexual polyploidization, the phenotype of ST has changed significantly in comparison to their diploid parents, mainly manifest as enlarged biomass, yield, early starch filling, deep colored petiole and root epidermis. The tetraploid plants were also mature early due to early starch grain filling. Owing to enriched flavonoid biosynthesis and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, they are possibly resistant to adversity stresses and provide better yield, respectively.

Identification of a five-immune gene model as an independent prognostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. We aimed to identify a new prognostic model of HCC based on differentially expressed (DE) immune genes. METHODS: The DE immune genes were identified based on an analysis of 374 cases of HCC and 50 adjacent non-tumor specimens from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Univariate Cox analysis, Lasso regression, and multivariate Cox analysis were used to construct the model based on the training group. Survival analysis and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate model performance. The testing group and the entire group were subsequently used for validation of the model. RESULTS: A five-immune gene model consisted of HSPA4, ISG20L2, NDRG1, EGF, and IL17D was identified. Based on the model, the overall survival was significantly different between the high-risk and low-risk groups (P = 7.953e-06). The AUCs for the model at 1- and 3-year were 0.849 and 0.74, respectively. The reliability of the model was confirmed using the validation groups. The risk score was identified as an independent prognostic parameter and closely related to the content of immune cells from human HCC specimens. CONCLUSION: We identified a five-immune gene model that can be used as an independent prognostic marker for HCC.

Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study on the Effects of the Carbon Chain Length of Gemini Surfactants on the Inhibition of the Acid-Rock Reaction Rate.

A series of gemini surfactants were synthesized to examine their adsorption properties. The properties of gemini surfactants, including critical micelle concentration, electrostatic potential distributions, charge, occupied volume, lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO), were evaluated using conductivity and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The calculation results indicated that the electrostatic potential distributions were similar among the four gemini surfactants. Moreover, surfactants with longer carbon chains are more likely to be oblique on the rock surface according to the energy gap between the HOMO of the surfactants and the LUMO of the calcite surface. Experimental tests and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to analyze the calcite-surfactant interactions. Combined with the free energy (ΔG) based on the contact angle and adsorption energy (E) based on MD simulation, the adsorption ability increases as the carbon chain length decreases. MD simulation is used to understand the form of surfactant molecules on the calcite at an atomic scale at different times. An obvious aggregation of gemini surfactants was found with an increase in the carbon chain length, which reduces the adsorption density and covered area of the surfactant. The adsorption behavior of the gemini surfactant is beneficial for isolating H+ transfer and retarding the acid reaction with the rock. The retarding ability and etching morphology were studied by acid etching. The acid-rock reaction rate showed that 12-4-12 had the best inhibition performance. Meanwhile, the uneven surface pattern following 12-4-12 etching is beneficial for maintaining the acid fracturing conductivity.

Pathological study of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through postmortem core biopsies.

Data on pathologic changes of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are scarce. To gain knowledge about the pathology that may contribute to disease progression and fatality, we performed postmortem needle core biopsies of lung, liver, and heart in four patients who died of COVID-19 pneumonia. The patients' ages ranged from 59 to 81, including three males and one female. Each patient had at least one underlying disease, including immunocompromised status (chronic lymphocytic leukemia and renal transplantation) or other conditions (cirrhosis, hypertension, and diabetes). Time from disease onset to death ranged from 15 to 52 days. All patients had elevated white blood cell counts, with significant rise toward the end, and all had lymphocytopenia except for the patient with leukemia. Histologically, the main findings are in the lungs, including injury to the alveolar epithelial cells, hyaline membrane formation, and hyperplasia of type II pneumocytes, all components of diffuse alveolar damage. Consolidation by fibroblastic proliferation with extracellular matrix and fibrin forming clusters in airspaces is evident. In one patient, the consolidation consists of abundant intra-alveolar neutrophilic infiltration, consistent with superimposed bacterial bronchopneumonia. The liver exhibits mild lobular infiltration by small lymphocytes, and centrilobular sinusoidal dilation. Patchy necrosis is also seen. The heart shows only focal mild fibrosis and mild myocardial hypertrophy, changes likely related to the underlying conditions. In conclusion, the postmortem examinations show advanced diffuse alveolar damage, as well as superimposed bacterial pneumonia in some patients. Changes in the liver and heart are likely secondary or related to the underlying diseases.

Identification of an alternative splicing signature as an independent factor in colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer is a common malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. Abnormal alternative splicing (AS) events played a part in the occurrence and metastasis of the tumor. We aimed to develop a survival-associated AS signature in colon cancer. METHODS: The Percent Spliced In values of AS events were available in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) SpliceSeq database. Univariate Cox analysis was carried out to detect the prognosis-related AS events. We created a predictive model on account of the survival-associated AS events, which was further validated with a training-testing group design. Kaplan-Meier analysis was applied to assess patient survival. The area under curve (AUC) of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was performed to evaluate the predictive values of this model. Meanwhile, the clinical relevance of the signature and its regulatory relationship with splicing factors (SFs) were also evaluated. RESULTS: In total, 2132 survival-related AS events were identified from colon cancer samples. We developed an eleven-AS signature, in which the 5-year AUC value was 0.911. Meanwhile, the AUC values at five years were 0.782 and 0.855 in the testing and entire cohort, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression displayed that the T category and the risk score of the signature were independent risk factors of colon cancer survival. Also, we constructed an SFs-AS network based on 11 SFs and 48 AS events. CONCLUSIONS: We identified an eleven-AS signature of colon cancer. This signature could be treated as an independent prognostic factor.

Development and validation of a five-immune gene prognostic risk model in colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colon cancer is a common and highly malignant cancer. Its morbidity is rapidly increasing, and its prognosis is poor. Currently, immunotherapy is a rapidly developing therapeutic modality of colon cancer. This study aimed to construct a prognostic risk model based on immune genes for the early diagnosis and accurate prognostic prediction of colon cancer. METHODS: Transcriptomic data and clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Immune genes were obtained from the ImmPort database. Differentially expressed (DE) immune genes between 473 colon cancer and 41 adjacent normal tissues were identified. The entire cohort was randomly divided into the training and testing cohort. The training cohort was used to construct the prognostic model. The testing and entire cohorts were used to validate the model. The clinical utility of the model and its correlation with immune cell infiltration were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 333 DE immune genes (176 up-regulated and 157 down-regulated) were detected. We developed and validated a five-immune gene model of colon cancer, including LBP, TFR2, UCN, UTS2, and MC1R. This model was approved to be an independent prognostic variable, which was more accurate than age and the pathological stage for predicting overall survival at five years. Besides, as the risk score increased, the content of CD8+ T cells in colon cancer was decreased. CONCLUSIONS: We developed and validated a five-immune gene model of colon cancer, including LBP, TFR2, UCN, UTS2, and MC1R. This model could be used as an instrumental variable in the prognosis prediction of colon cancer.

Construction and Validation of a 7-Immune Gene Model for Prognostic Assessment of Esophageal Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND We constructed a predictive risk model of esophageal carcinoma (EC) for prognostic prediction. MATERIAL AND METHODS Immune genes and the expression data were downloaded from the ImmPort database and The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Univariate analysis, Lasso regression, and multivariate analysis were applied to screen the ultimately included prognostic immune genes for the model based on the training cohort. Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were applied to evaluate the model. The model was further validated in the testing and entire cohorts, and the clinical utility of the model and its ability to assess the subtypes of EC were evaluated in the entire cohort. RESULTS We detected 297 differentially expressed immune genes, including 241 upregulated genes and 56 downregulated genes in EC patients. Based on these genes, we developed a 7-immune gene model of EC, including HSPA6, S100A12, NOS2, DKK1, OSM, AR, and OXTR. The area under the curve (AUC) of the model at 1 year was 0.825. Similarly, the AUC values for the validating cohorts were 0.813 and 0.816, respectively. Pathological stage and risk score of the model were independent prognostic factors. This model was effective for both subtypes of EC. CONCLUSIONS We constructed a 7-gene model consisting of HSPA6, S100A12, NOS2, DKK1, OSM, AR, and OXTR. This risk model could be used for prognostic prediction of EC.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with high viral loads in patients with chronic hepatitis B: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated the vitamin D status in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and its relationship with HBV replication, the results however were inconsistent. The present meta-analysis was carried out to compare the vitamin D levels between patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and healthy controls, and to determine whether vitamin D levels were correlated with HBV viral loads significantly. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted via PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library to identify eligible studies until September 28, 2017. We calculated pooled mean difference (MD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) to quantitatively estimate the difference of vitamin D levels between CHB patients and controls. In addition, correlation between serum vitamin D levels and HBV viral loads was defined by summary correlation coefficient (r value) and the corresponding 95% CI. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies involving 814 CHB patients and 696 healthy controls were included. A significantly decreased vitamin D levels was found in CHB patients compared with healthy controls: pooled MD (95% CI) was - 2.03 ng/mL (- 2.60, - 1.46). Latitude-stratified subgroup analysis indicated this difference was more obvious in low latitude areas, with a bigger pooled MD (95% CI) of - 2.72 ng/mL (- 4.57, - 0.87). In addition, we observed an inverse correlation between serum vitamin D levels and HBV viral loads: pooled r (95% CI) was - 0.41(- 0.54, - 0.27). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that vitamin D levels were lower in CHB patients than that of healthy controls and inversely correlated with HBV viral loads, although future comprehensive studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

Identification and expression analysis of MinD gene involved in plastid division in cassava.

Cassava is a tropical crop known for its starchy root and excellent properties. Considering that starch biosynthesis in the amyloplast is affected by its division, it appears conceivable that the regulation of plastid division plays an important role in starch accumulation. As a member of the Min system genes, MinD participated in the spatial regulation of the position of the plastid division site.In our studies, sequence analysis and phylogenetic analysis showed that MeMinD has been highly conserved during the evolutionary process. Subcellular localisation indicated that MeMinD carries a chloroplast transit peptide and was localised in the chloroplast. Overexpression of MeMinD resulted in division site misplacement and filamentous formation in E. coli, indicating that MeMinD protein was functional across species. MeMinD exhibited different spatial and temporal expression patterns which was highly expressed in the source compared to that in the sink organ.

Overexpression of MinE gene affects the plastid division in cassava.

The MinE protein plays an important role in plastid division. In this study, the MinE gene was isolated from the cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) genome. We isolated high quality and quantity protoplasts and succeed in performing the transient expression of the GFP-fused Manihot esculenta MinE (MeMinE) protein in cassava mesophyll protoplasts. The transient expression of MeMinE-GFP in cassava protoplasts showed that the MeMinE protein was located in the chloroplast. Due to the abnormal division of chloroplasts, overexpression of MeMinE proteins in cassava mesophyll protoplasts could result in fewer and smaller chloroplasts. Overexpression of MeMinE proteins also showed abnormal cell division characteristics and minicell occurrence in Escherichia coli caused by aberrant septation events in the cell poles.

Genome-Wide Analysis of Dynamin Gene Family in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) and Transcriptional Regulation of Family Members ARC5 in Hormonal Treatments.

The Dynamin gene family play a significance role in many physiological processes, especially ARC5 (Accumulation and replication of chloroplasts 5) in the process of plastid division. We performed a genome-wide analysis of the cassava Dynamin family based on the published cassava genome sequence and identified ARC5. 23 cassava Dynamins (MeDynamins) were identified and renamed. 23 MeDynamins were further divided into five major groups based on their structural and phylogenetic characteristics. The segmental duplication events have a significant impact on the expansion of MeDynamins. ARC5 expression analysis showed that there were differences between leaves and roots of cassava at different developmental stages. The tissue-specific expression analysis of the MeDynamins showed that most of MeDynamins were expressed in stem apical meristem and embryogenesis, whereas ARC5 was mainly expressed in leaves. The processing of IAA (Indole-3-acetic Acid) and MeJA (Methyl Jasmonate) verified the prediction results of cis-elements, and ACR5 was closely related to plant growth and positively correlated. It also indicated that high concentrations of MeJA treatment caused the cassava defense mechanism to function in advance. In conclusion, these findings provide basic insights for functional validation of the ARC5 genes in exogenous hormonal treatments.

A Time-Series Analysis of Severe Burned Injury of Skin Gene Expression Profiles.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Major burn injury is one of the main severe forms of wound which lead to a mass of clinical debilitation, this study was to identify core biomarkers for the recovery of severe burned injury. METHODS: Gene expression profiles (GSE19743) from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) was downloaded, followed by background correction, normalization of raw microarray dataset and identification of differential expression genes (DEGs) . Soft clustering of DEGs was used for the screening of gene clusters that with sustained increasing (SIG) and decreasing expression (SDG) profiles along with the recovery process of burned injury. The significantly enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways of SIGs and SDGs were obtained through the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), based on which the miRNA-gene regulation network for SIGs and SDGs were constructed from the miRWalk database. RESULTS: Ten clusters were obtained through soft clustering. The SIGs and SDGs were found to be closely associated with the biological processes of immune system. The miRNA-gene regulation network analysis suggested different roles between SIGs and SDGs in the recovery of severe burned injury. Furthermore, a bunch of important biomarkers were identified, which would be helpful in the treatment of burned patients. CONCLUSION: Our current findings suggest an interesting molecular link between transcriptional regulation potentially involved in immunosuppressive state after major burn injury, which warrants further exploration for their utilization in the treatment of major burn injury.