Evolution and Expression of the Meprin and TRAF Homology Domain-Containing Gene Family in Solanaceae.

Meprin and TRAF homology (MATH)-domain-containing proteins are pivotal in modulating plant development and environmental stress responses. To date, members of the MATH gene family have been identified only in a few plant species, including Arabidopsis thaliana, Brassica rapa, maize, and rice, and the functions of this gene family in other economically important crops, especially the Solanaceae family, remain unclear. The present study identified and analyzed 58 MATH genes from three Solanaceae species, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), potato (Solanum tuberosum), and pepper (Capsicum annuum). Phylogenetic analysis and domain organization classified these MATH genes into four groups, consistent with those based on motif organization and gene structure. Synteny analysis found that segmental and tandem duplication might have contributed to MATH gene expansion in the tomato and the potato, respectively. Collinearity analysis revealed high conservation among Solanaceae MATH genes. Further cis-regulatory element prediction and gene expression analysis showed that Solanaceae MATH genes play essential roles during development and stress response. These findings provide a theoretical basis for other functional studies on Solanaceae MATH genes.

Network pharmacology-based strategy to investigate the active ingredients and molecular mechanisms of Scutellaria Barbata D. Don against radiation pneumonitis.

INTRODUCTION: Herbal medicines combined with radiotherapy significantly reduced the incidence of radiation pneumonitis (RP), and the Scutellaria barbata D. Don (SBD) is a perennial herb that has been reported to protect against radiation-induced pneumonitis. However, the exact molecular mechanism is not known. The objective of this research was to investigate the against radiation pneumonitis ingredients and their functional mechanisms in SBD. METHODS: Based on the network pharmacology approaches, we collected active ingredients and target genes in SBD against RP through Traditional Chinese Medicine System Pharmacology (TCMSP) Database, and the "Herb-Ingredients-Target Genes-Disease" Network was constructed by using of Cytoscape. STRING analysis was performed to reveal the protein-protein interactions, and then we applied enrichment analysis on these target proteins, gene function, and pathways. RESULTS: A total of 18 ingredients in SBD regulate 65 RP related target proteins, which show that quercetin, luteolin, baicalein, wogonin may be the key active ingredients, while IL6, AKT1, VEGFA, MMP9, CCL2, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) (cyclooxygenase-2 [COX-2]), CXCL8, IL1B, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK1), and IL10 were identified as critical targets. Besides, the results of Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis indicated that predicted targets of SBD are mostly associated with the pathological process of oxidative stress and inflammation. AGE- Receptor of Advanced Glycation Endproducts (RAGE) signaling pathway in diabetic complications, IL-17 signaling pathway, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway, NF-kappa B signaling pathway might serve as the principal pathways for RP treatment. CONCLUSION: In our study, the pharmacological and molecular mechanism of SBD against RP was predicted from a holistic perspective, and the results provided theoretical guidance for researchers to explore the mechanism in further research.