Genome-wide identification, molecular evolution and expression analysis of the B-box gene family in mung bean (Vigna radiata L.).

BACKGROUND: Mung bean (Vigna radiata L.) is an important warm-season grain legume. Adaptation to extreme environmental conditions, supported by evolution, makes mung bean a rich gene pool for stress tolerance traits. The exploration of resistance genes will provide important genetic resources and a theoretical basis for strengthening mung bean breeding. B-box (BBX) proteins play a major role in developmental processes and stress responses. However, the identification and analysis of the mung bean BBX gene family are still lacking. RESULTS: In this study, 23 VrBBX genes were identified through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis and named based on their physical locations on chromosomes. All the VrBBXs were divided into five groups based on their phylogenetic relationships, the number of B-box they contained and whether there was an additional CONSTANS, CO-like and TOC1 (CCT) domain. Homology and collinearity analysis indicated that the BBX genes in mung bean and other species had undergone a relatively conservative evolution. Gene duplication analysis showed that only chromosomal segmental duplication contributed to the expansion of VrBBX genes and that most of the duplicated gene pairs experienced purifying selection pressure during evolution. Gene structure and motif analysis revealed that VrBBX genes clustered in the same group shared similar structural characteristics. An analysis of cis-acting elements indicated that elements related to stress and hormone responses were prevalent in the promoters of most VrBBXs. The RNA-seq data analysis and qRT-PCR of nine VrBBX genes demonstrated that VrBBX genes may play a role in response to environmental stress. Moreover, VrBBX5, VrBBX10 and VrBBX12 are important candidate genes for plant stress response. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we systematically analyzed the genomic characteristics and expression patterns of the BBX gene family under ABA, PEG and NaCl treatments. The results will help us better understand the complexity of the BBX gene family and provide valuable information for future functional characteristics of specific genes in this family.

Twin and dislocation mechanisms in tensile W single crystal with temperature change: a molecular dynamics study.

Molecular dynamics simulations are performed to investigate the orientation and temperature dependence of tensile response in single crystal W. It is found that W single crystal exhibits distinct temperature-dependent deformation behaviors along different orientations. With increasing temperature, the yield strain in the [001] orientation increases, while those in [110] and [111] orientations first increase and then decrease. The tensile deformations along orientations close to [001] are found to be dominated by twinning; the nucleation and growth of twins are accomplished through the nucleation and glide of ⅙111 partial dislocations on {112} planes. In contrast, the deformations along orientations close to [110] and [111] are found to be dominated by the slip of ½111 full dislocations, which move in a stay-and-go fashion. Moreover, intermediate deformation behaviors, which may become unstable at high temperatures, are observed for some intervening orientations. The distinct deformation behaviors of W along different orientations are rationalized based on the twinning-antitwinning asymmetry of ⅙111 partial dislocations on {112} planes.

Nurses' knowledge and attitudes on comfort nursing care for hospitalized patients.

To investigate the knowledge and attitudes of practicing nurses on comfort care for hospitalized patients, a survey was conducted in 311 registered nurses from a major teaching hospital. A total of 212 (68.1%) of the participants showed an adequate knowledge of comfort care. Participants who had 6 years or more working experience returned a higher mean scores on physiological and psychological aspects of comfort care (P < 0.05). The total scores were the highest among participants from intensive care unit and the lowest among participants from the oncology department. Although 282 (90.7%) participants were involved in comfort care, only 210 (67.5%) received formal hospital-based training in this practice. We conclude that there was a large difference in the knowledge between nurses from different departments on comfort care. Continuing education programmes are required to improve the knowledge and skills in comfort care.

EGR1 Promotes Erastin-induced Ferroptosis Through Activating Nrf2-HMOX1 Signaling Pathway in Breast Cancer Cells.

Purpose: Early growth response 1 (EGR1) is a crucial transcription factor composed of zinc finger structures, inhibitory and activating regulatory regions. We identified the biological effect and molecular mechanisms of EGR1 in breast cancer (BC). Methods: We used qRT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of EGR1 in BC samples. CCK-8 and colony assay were performed to reveal the effect of EGR1 on the proliferation of BC cells. LDH release assay, MCB assay, MDA assay, C-AM assay and TMRE assay were performed to measure the levels of LDH release, GSH, MDA, LIP and mitochondrial membrane potential. The regulation of EGR1 on the expression of Nrf2 and HMOX1 was investigated through Western blot. Xenograft models were conducted to determine the impact of EGR1 overexpression on BC in vivo. Results: The expression of EGR1 was downregulated in BC tissues compared with the normal tissues, and lower expression of EGR1 associated with poorer clinical outcome in BC patients. Through in vitro experiments, we found that EGR1 downregulation facilitated the proliferation of BC cells, and overexpression of EGR1 inhibited the proliferation of BC cells. In addition, EGR1 knockdown alleviated erastin-induced ferroptosis and overexpression of EGR1 facilitated erastin-induced ferroptosis in BC cells. Moreover, overexpression of EGR1 facilitated the anti-tumor effect caused by erastin in vivo. Mechanistically, the phosphorylation levels of Nrf2 and the expression of HMOX1 were reduced due to the downregulation of EGR1, and increased due to the upregulation of EGR1. Additionally, the finding that EGR1 facilitated erastin-induced ferroptosis was alleviated by the inhibition of Nrf2-HMOX1. Conclusion: The expression of EGR1 is downregulated in BC, which is correlated with poor prognosis of BC patients. EGR1 suppresses the proliferation of BC cells and facilitates erastin-induced ferroptosis by activating Nrf2-HMOX1 signaling pathway in BC cells.

MicroRNA-143 enhances chemosensitivity of Quercetin through autophagy inhibition via target GABARAPL1 in gastric cancer cells.

MicroRNAs have emerged as fundamental regulators in gene expression through silencing gene expression at the post-transcriptional and translational levels. In this study, miR-143 expression and biological functions in AGS/MNK28 cell lines was investigated. Results indicated that the expression of miR-143 was significantly down-regulated in cancer tissues and in gastric cancer (GC) cell lines. Target prediction algorithms (Target Scan and miRanda) showed that GABARAPL1 was a potential target gene of miR-143. GABARAPL1, also regarded as autophagy-related protein 8 (Atg8) is a ubiquitin-like protein required for the formation of autophagosomal membranes. Then, several different assays were conducted to detect autophagy in AGS/MNK28 after transfected with miR-143. In the present study, miR-143 was firstly identified as a autophagy inhibitor in GC cells via targeting GABARAPL1. Quercetin is one of the most prominent dietary antioxidants in human diet and lately it is grabbing some serious attention as a potentially powerful cancer fighter. However, the effect of Quercetin was unexpected decreased in GC cells on account of the appearance of Quercetin-induced autophagy. Therefore, applicable autophagy inhibitors might enhance the chemosensitivity of Quercetin. Furthermore, the therapeutic response of Quercetin in the combination of miR-143 was evaluated by MTT, Hochest and western blot, results suggesting that the chemosensitivity of Quercetin was enhanced when in combination with miR-143 in AGS/MNK28 cells. In conclusion, we determined miR-143 as a potent inhibitor of autophagy via targeting GABARAPL1 and miR-143 could improve the efficacy of Quercetin though autophagy inhibition in GC cell lines, thus representing a novel potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.