TFIIB-Related Protein BRP5/PTF2 Is Required for Both Male and Female Gametogenesis and for Grain Formation in Rice.

Transcription factor IIB (TFIIB) is a general transcription factor for RNA polymerase II, exerting its influence across various biological contexts. In the majority of eukaryotes, TFIIB typically has two homologs, serving as general transcription factors for RNA polymerase I and III. In plants, however, the TFIIB-related protein family has expanded greatly, with 14 and 9 members in Arabidopsis and rice, respectively. BRP5/pollen-expressed transcription factor 2 (PTF2) proteins belong to a subfamily of TFIIB-related proteins found only in plants and algae. The prior analysis of an Arabidopsis atbrp5 mutant, characterized by a T-DNA insertion at the 5' untranslated region, demonstrated the essential role of BRP5/PTF2 during the process of pollen germination and embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. Using a rice transformation system based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, we have generated transgenic rice plants containing loss-of-function frameshift mutations in the BRP5/PTF2 gene. Unlike in the Arabidopsis atbrp5 mutant, the brp5/ptf2 frameshift mutations were not transmitted to progeny in rice, indicating an essential role of BRP5/PTF2 in both male and female gamete development or viability. The silencing of rice BRP5/PTF2 expression through RNA interference (RNAi) had little effect on vegetative growth and panicle formation but strongly affected pollen development and grain formation. Genetic analysis revealed that strong RNAi silencing of rice BRP5/PTF2 was still transmissible to progeny almost exclusively through female gametes, as found in the Arabidopsis atbrp5 knockdown mutant. Thus, reduced rice BRP5/PTF2 expression impacted pollen preferentially by interfering with male gamete development or viability. Drawing upon these findings, we posit that BRP5/PTF2 assumes a distinct and imperative function in the realm of plant sexual reproduction.

Sensitization characteristics of Juniperus chinensis pollen in Beijing area / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To investigate the sensitization characteristics of Juniperus chinensis pollen in patients with allergic rhinitis and/or allergic asthma in Beijing area, and to explore the characteristics of Juniper chinensis pollen sensitized population. Methods: Patients with suspected allergic rhinitis and/or asthma from January 2017 to December 2019 in the outpatient department of Allergy Department of Beijing Shijitan Hospital were selected in this study. Skin prick test (SPT) was performed with Juniper chinensis pollen allergen reagent to compare different age and disease allergen distribution, and to observe the sensitization characteristics of its population. All of the analyses were performed using SAS software version 9.4. Results: A total of 8 380 patients were enrolled in the end. The total positive rate of Juniper chinensis pollen SPT reached 49.92% (4 183/8 380). The positive rate of Juniper chinensis pollen SPT was highest in the 10-14 age group, reaching 60.99% (283/464). Compared with other age groups, there was a statistical difference (χ²=266.77, P<0.01). The SPT positive rate of patients aged less than 10 years increased with the increase of age, while the SPT positive rate of patients aged over 40 years decreased with the increase of age. Single Juniper chinensis pollen was less allergenic, accounting for about 25.05% (1 048/4 183), and the patients' age was (35.21±12.39) years. Regardless of single Juniper chinensis pollen or other pollen allergies, allergic rhinitis was the main disease. Among the patients with SPT positive Juniper chinensis pollen combined with other inhaled pollen allergens, willow pollen accounted for the first (74.99%). The positive rate of Juniper chinensis pollen was the highest in patients with single allergic rhinitis, accounting for 52.05% (3 797/7 295), and the rate in patients with single allergic asthma was the lowest, accounting for 17.49% (53/303), with statistically difference (χ²=138.99, P<0.01). Conclusions: Juniper chinensis pollen is highly sensitized in patients with allergic rhinitis and/or allergic asthma in Beijing . The positive rate of SPT is highest among 10-14 age group, most of which showed strong positive reaction, and allergic rhinitis is more common in Juniper chinensis pollen sensitization diseases.

Modified citrus pectin inhibited bladder tumor growth through downregulation of galectin-3.

Modified citrus pectin (MCP) is a carbohydrate enriched complex, which has been implicated in cancer treatment and prevention. However, the effects of MCP on urinary bladder cancer (UBC) are unknown. In this study, MCP was first tested in T24 and J82 human UBC cells and showed the inhibition of cell viability by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The MCP-treated UBC cells exhibited G2/M phase arrest with the decrease of Cyclin B1 and phosphorylated Cdc2. Caspase-3 was also activated, leading to the cleavage of Caspase-3 and PARP. We further explored the possible molecular mechanisms upon MCP treatment in UBC cells. Reduction of galectin-3 was observed and followed with the inactivation of Akt signaling pathway. Of note, galectin-3 knockdown by RNA interference recapitulated the MCP-mediated anti-proliferation, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, oral administration of MCP to the T24 xenograft-bearing nude mice inhibited the tumor growth significantly (P < 0.05). Quantification analysis of immunohistochemistry staining for Ki67 and cleaved Caspase-3 confirmed the decrease of proliferation index (P < 0.05) and the increase of apoptosis index (P < 0.01) in 700 mg/kg MCP-fed UBC xenografts. Using the information from TCGA database, we revealed that the overexpression of galectin-3 was associated with high tumor grade with lymph node metastasis, poor overall survival in UBC patients. Considering the remarkable inhibitory effects of MCP on UBC cell proliferation and survival in vitro and in vivo mainly through galectin-3, which is upregulated in UBCs, MCP may become an attractive agent, as a natural dietary fiber, for prevention and therapy of UBCs.

Comparative study on HPLC characteristic spectra of Humuli Scandentis Herba from different habitats in Hebei province / 中草药

Objective: To establish and compare the HPLC characteristic spectra of Humuli Scandentis Herba form different habitats in Hebei province. Methods: HPLC was performed on Agilent 5 TC-C18 (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column, with the mobile phase of acetonitrile -0.2% phosphoric acid at flow rate of 1.0 mL/min; Detection wavelength was 340 nm; The column temperature was 25 ℃ and the sample size was 10 μL. Eleven batches of Humuli Scandentis Herba samples form different habitats in Hebei province were determined and the characteristic spectra of those were established. The fingerprint evaluation software (2004 edition) for Chinese materia medica (CMM) was used to evaluate the similarity of the 11 batches of samples. Results: There were nine characteristic peaks identified in the characteristic spectra of Humuli Scandentis Herba samples. Peak 7 was luteoloside and Peak 8 was apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucosidase. The similarities of seven batches of Humuli Scandentis Herba samples were proved to be higher than 0.900 and four batches of them were proved to be less than 0.900. Conclusion: The method is simple, accurate, and reproducible, and can provide the scientific evidence for controlling the internal quality standards effectively.

GC-MS analysis and cytotoxic activity of the supercritical extracts from roots and stems of Zanthoxylum nitidum / 中国中药杂志

The volatile components of roots and stems of Zanthoxylum nitidum were investigated by supercritical fluid carbon dioxide extraction (SFE-CO2) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). Thirty-one and fifty-one compounds were identified in the supercritical extracts from roots and stems of Z. nitidum, respectively, and total twenty-seven compounds were the common constituents. Among them, the major constituents in root and stem supercritical extracts were spathulenol (18.49 and 26.18%), n-hexadecanoic acid (14.24% and 12.79%), ar-tumerone (6.95% and 8.88%), oleic acid (8.39% and 5.71%) and hexanoic acid (4.39% and 7.78%). The in-vitro MTT assay showed that the volatile components of roots and stems of Z. nitidum did not exhibited any cytotoxic activity against human cancer Huh-7 and normal IEC-6 cells. These results indicated the same nature of the volatile constituents in the root and stem of Z. nitidum. This investigation may provide further evidence for expansion of medicinal parts of Z. nitidum.

Active neuraminidase constituents of Polygonum cuspidatum against influenza A(H1N1) influenza virus / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To isolate and identify active neuraminidase constituents of Polygonum cuspidatum against influenza A (H1N1) influenza virus.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>On the basis of the bioassay-guided fractionation,such chromatographic methods as silica gel, sephadex LH-20 and HPLC were adopted to isolate active constituents of extracts from Polygonum cuspidatum, and their molecular structures were identifiied on the basis of their spectral data such as NMR and MS and physico-chemical properties.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Seven compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of P. cuspidatum and identified as 2-methoxystypandrone (1), emodin (2), resveratrol (3), polydatin (4), emodin-8-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), (E)-3, 5, 12-trihydroxystilbene-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside-2'-(3", 4", 5"-trihydroxybenzoate) (6) and catechin-3-O-gallate (7), respectively. Among them, the NA test showed that compounds 3, 6 and 7 had inhibitory effect against NAs activity, with IC50 values of 129.8, 44.8 and 21.3 micromol x L(-1), respectively. Moreover, the further CPE test showed compounds 6 and 7 had significant inhibitory effect against H1N influenza virus (EC50 = 5.9, 0.9 micromol x L(-1), respectively), with very low cytotoxicity to the host cells, their therapeutic selective index(SI) in MDCK cells ranged from 56 to 269.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The neuraminidase inhibitors against H1N1 anti-influenza virus isolated from extracts of P. cuspidatum on the basis of the bioassay-guided fractionation are significant in specifying their therapeutic material basis and drug R&D against influenza.</p>

Studies on stability of chlorogenic acid in extract of Flos lonicerae / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the stability of chlorogenic acid in extract of flos lonicerae in different conditions.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The stability of chlorogenic acid in extract of flos lonicerae in phosptat buffe with different pH values, methanol, ethanol and different base solutions(Ca(OH)2 and NaOH) was investigated by the classical isothermal method.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The experiments showed the chlorogenic acid in extract of flos lonicerae was more stable in acidic water than in basic water. It was stable in these organic solutions and base solution[Ca(OH)2].</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In different conditions, the stability of chlorogenic acid in extract of flos lonicerae was different. It provided a reference to the extraction and analysis of chlorogenic acid and production of chlorogenic acid preparation.</p>