TaRLK-6A promotes Fusarium crown rot resistance in wheat.

The plasma membrane-localized phytosulfokine receptor-like protein TaRLK-6A, interacting with TaSERK1, positively regulates the expression of defense-related genes in wheat, consequently promotes host resistance to Fusarium crown rot.

Silencing of Hsa_circ_0055440 Alleviates Hypoxia-Induced Cardiomyocyte Injury by Regulating the MiR-499b-5p/ACSL1 Axis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new type of regulatory RNAs, which are involved in various cardiac processes. However, the role of circRNA hsa_circ_0055440 (circ-USP39) in acute myocardial infarction regulation has not been studied yet.This study aims to explore the effect of circ-USP39 on hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury.The head-to-tail splicing of circ-USP39 was verified by agarose gel electrophoresis. AC16 cell viability was detected using 3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) -2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays. The apoptosis of the AC16 cell was determined by flow cytometry and detection of caspase-3 activity. The levels of creatine kinase-muscle/brain and cTnl were evaluated by specific detection kits. The interactions between miR-499b-5p and circ-USP39 (or acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member-1 (ACSL1) ) were verified by luciferase reporter assays.After confirming the circular characteristics of circ-USP39, we further found that the circ-USP39 expression was upregulated in hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes and the circ-USP39 knockdown facilitated the viability of hypoxia-induced AC16, while suppressing cardiomyocyte apoptosis and injury. Importantly, circ-USP39 negatively regulated miR-499b-5p expression. As a downstream target of miR-499b-5p, ACSL1 partially counteracted the protective effect of circ-USP39 depletion on cardiomyocyte injury.Silencing of circ-USP39 alleviates hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury via the miR-499b-5p/ACSL1 axis.

A Novel Wall-Associated Kinase TaWAK-5D600 Positively Participates in Defense against Sharp Eyespot and Fusarium Crown Rot in Wheat.

Sharp eyespot and Fusarium crown rot, mainly caused by soil-borne fungi Rhizoctonia cerealis and Fusarium pseudograminearum, are destructive diseases of major cereal crops including wheat (Triticum aestivum). However, the mechanisms underlying wheat-resistant responses to the two pathogens are largely elusive. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of wall-associated kinase (WAK) family in wheat. As a result, a total of 140 TaWAK (not TaWAKL) candidate genes were identified from the wheat genome, each of which contains an N-terminal signal peptide, a galacturonan binding domain, an EGF-like domain, a calcium binding EGF domain (EGF-Ca), a transmembrane domain, and an intracellular Serine/Threonine protein kinase domain. By analyzing the RNA-sequencing data of wheat inoculated with R. cerealis and F. pseudograminearum, we found that transcript abundance of TaWAK-5D600 (TraesCS5D02G268600) on chromosome 5D was significantly upregulated, and that its upregulated transcript levels in response to both pathogens were higher compared with other TaWAK genes. Importantly, knock-down of TaWAK-5D600 transcript impaired wheat resistance against the fungal pathogens R. cerealis and F. pseudograminearum, and significantly repressed expression of defense-related genes in wheat, TaSERK1, TaMPK3, TaPR1, TaChitinase3, and TaChitinase4. Thus, this study proposes TaWAK-5D600 as a promising gene for improving wheat broad resistance to sharp eyespot and Fusarium crown rot (FCR) in wheat.

The somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase TaSERK1 participates in the immune response to Rhizoctonia cerealis infection by interacting and phosphorylating the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase TaRLCK1B in wheat.

The sharp eyespot, caused by necrotrophic pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis, often causes serious yield loss in wheat (Triticum aestivum). However, the mechanisms underlying wheat resistant responses to the pathogen are still limited. In this study, we performed a genome-wide analysis of somatic embryogenesis receptor kinase (SERK) family in wheat. As a result, a total of 26 TaSERK candidate genes were identified from the wheat genome. Only 6 TaSERK genes on the chromosomes 2A, 2B, 2D, 3A, 3B, and 3D showed obvious heightening expression patterns in resistant wheat infected with R. cerealis compared than those un-infected wheat. Of them, the transcripts of 3 TaSERK1 homoeologs on the chromosomes 2A, 2B, and 2D were significantly up-regulated in the highest level compared to other TaSERKs. Importantly, silencing of TaSERK1 significantly impaired wheat resistance to sharp eyespot. Further bio-molecular assays showed that TaSERK1 could interact with the defence-associated receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase TaRLCK1B, and phosphorylated TaRLCK1B. Together, the results suggest that TaSERK1 mediated resistance responses to R. cerealis infection by interacting and phosphorylating TaRLCK1B in wheat. This study sheds light on the understanding of the wheat SERKs in the innate immunity against R. cerealis, and provided a theoretical fulcrum to identify candidate resistant genes for improving wheat resistance against sharp eyespot in wheat.

The Wheat Wall-Associated Receptor-Like Kinase TaWAK-6D Mediates Broad Resistance to Two Fungal Pathogens Fusarium pseudograminearum and Rhizoctonia cerealis.

The soil-borne fungi Fusarium pseudograminearum and Rhizoctonia cerealis are the major pathogens for the economically important diseases Fusarium crown rot (FCR) and sharp eyespot of common wheat (Triticum aestivum), respectively. However, there has been no report on the broad resistance of wheat genes against both F. pseudograminearum and R. cerealis. In the current study, we identified TaWAK-6D, a wall-associated kinase (WAK) which is an encoding gene located on chromosome 6D, and demonstrated its broad resistance role in the wheat responses to both F. pseudograminearum and R. cerealis infection. TaWAK-6D transcript induction by F. pseudograminearum and R. cerealis was related to the resistance degree of wheat and the gene expression was significantly induced by exogenous pectin treatment. Silencing of TaWAK-6D compromised wheat resistance to F. pseudograminearum and R. cerealis, and repressed the expression of a serial of wheat defense-related genes. Ectopic expression of TaWAK-6D in Nicotiana benthamiana positively modulated the expression of several defense-related genes. TaWAK-6D protein was determined to localize to the plasma membrane in wheat and N. benthamiana. Collectively, the TaWAK-6D at the plasma membrane mediated the broad resistance responses to both F. pseudograminearum and R. cerealis in wheat at the seedling stage. This study, therefore, concludes that TaWAK-6D is a promising gene for improving wheat broad resistance to FCR and sharp eyespot.

TaWAK2A-800, a Wall-Associated Kinase, Participates Positively in Resistance to Fusarium Head Blight and Sharp Eyespot in Wheat.

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and sharp eyespot are important diseases of the cereal plants, including bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and barley. Both diseases are predominately caused by the pathogenic fungi, Fusarium graminearum and Rhizoctonia cerealis. The roles of the wheat-wall-associated kinases (WAKs) in defense against both F. graminearum and R. cerealis have remained largely unknown. This research reports the identification of TaWAK2A-800, a wheat WAK-coding gene located on chromosome 2A, and its functional roles in wheat resistance responses to FHB and sharp eyespot. TaWAK2A-800 transcript abundance was elevated by the early infection of R. cerealis and F. graminearum, or treatment with exogenous chitin. The gene transcript seemed to correspond to the resistance of wheat. Further functional analyses showed that silencing TaWAK2A-800 compromised the resistance of wheat to both FHB (F. graminearum) and sharp eyespot (R. cerealis). Moreover, the silencing reduced the expression levels of six defense-related genes, including the chitin-triggering immune pathway-marker genes, TaCERK1, TaRLCK1B, and TaMPK3. Summarily, TaWAK2A-800 participates positively in the resistance responses to both F. graminearum and R. cerealis, possibly through a chitin-induced pathway in wheat. TaWAK2A-800 will be useful for breeding wheat varieties with resistance to both FHB and sharp eyespot.

The cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase TaCRK3 contributes to defense against Rhizoctonia cerealis in wheat.

Sharp eyespot, caused by the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia cerealis, is a devastating disease of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying wheat defense against R. cerealis are still largely unknown. In this study, by comparative transcriptomic analysis we identified a novel cysteine-rich receptor-like kinase (CRK)-encoding gene, designated as TaCRK3, and investigated its role in defense against R. cerealis. TaCRK3 transcript abundance was significantly elevated by R. cerealis and exogenous ethylene treatments. Silencing of TaCRK3 significantly compromised resistance to R. cerealis and repressed expression of an ethylene biosynthesis enzyme-encoding gene, ACO2, and a subset of defense-associated genes in wheat, whose transcript levels are up-regulated by ethylene stimulus. TaCRK3 protein was localized at the plasma membrane in wheat. Noticeably, both the heterologously expressed TaCRK3 protein and its partial peptide harboring two DUF26 (DOMAIN OF UNKNOWN FUNCTION 26) domains could inhibit growth of R. cerealis mycelia. These results suggest that TaCRK3 mediates wheat resistance to R. cerealis through direct antifungal activity and heightening the expression of defense-associated genes in the ethylene signaling pathway. Moreover, its DUF26 domains are required for the antifungal activity of TaCRK3. Our results reveal that TaCRK3 is a promising gene for breeding wheat varieties with resistance to R. cerealis.

The Wall-Associated Receptor-Like Kinase TaWAK7D Is Required for Defense Responses to Rhizoctonia cerealis in Wheat.

Sharp eyespot, caused by necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis, is a serious fungal disease in wheat (Triticum aestivum). Certain wall-associated receptor kinases (WAK) mediate resistance to diseases caused by biotrophic/hemibiotrophic pathogens in several plant species. Yet, none of wheat WAK genes with positive effect on the innate immune responses to R. cerealis has been reported. In this study, we identified a WAK gene TaWAK7D, located on chromosome 7D, and showed its positive regulatory role in the defense response to R. cerealis infection in wheat. RNA-seq and qRT-PCR analyses showed that TaWAK7D transcript abundance was elevated in wheat after R. cerealis inoculation and the induction in the stem was the highest among the tested organs. Additionally, TaWAK7D transcript levels were significantly elevated by pectin and chitin treatments. The knock-down of TaWAK7D transcript impaired resistance to R. cerealis and repressed the expression of five pathogenesis-related genes in wheat. The green fluorescent protein signal distribution assays indicated that TaWAK7D localized on the plasma membrane in wheat protoplasts. Thus, TaWAK7D, which is induced by R. cerealis, pectin and chitin stimuli, positively participates in defense responses to R. cerealis through modulating the expression of several pathogenesis-related genes in wheat.

Up-regulation of long non-coding RNA THRIL in coronary heart disease: Prediction for disease risk, correlation with inflammation, coronary artery stenosis, and major adverse cardiovascular events.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) THRIL in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. METHODS: A total of 420 patients who underwent coronary arteriography due to suspected symptoms of CHD were enrolled, in which 220 were diagnosed as CHD and 200 were set as control subjects. LncRNA THRIL in plasma samples of CHD patients and control subjects was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Gensini score and biochemical indexes were evaluated in CHD patients and control subjects. Plasma inflammatory cytokines were detected, and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were recorded in CHD patients. RESULTS: Both before and after adjustment by age/gender, lncRNA THRIL was increased in CHD patients compared with control subjects (both P < .001), and it well predicted enhanced CHD risk by receiver operating characteristic curves. For coronary artery stenosis, it was positively correlated with Gensini score (P < .001, r = .430). For clinical characteristics, lncRNA THRIL was positively correlated with diabetes mellitus occurrence (P < .001) and fasting blood glucose (FBG) level (P = .029, r = .147). For inflammation, it was positively associated with CRP (P < .001, r = .374), TNF-α (P < .001, r = .249), IL-1ß (P = .001, r = .222), IL-8 (P < .001, r = .254), and IL-17 (P = .011, r = .172), while negatively correlated with IL-10 (P < .001, r = -.244). For prognosis, lncRNA THRIL was positively associated with MACE accumulating rate (P = .037) in CHD patients. CONCLUSION: Long non-coding RNA THRIL was increased in CHD patients and well predicted elevated CHD risk. Moreover, it was correlated with enhanced coronary stenosis, systematic inflammation, FBG level, and MACE risk in CHD patients.

[Chemical profiling for bile acid derivatives in yak bile].

Bile acids( BAs),the major constituents of bile,are also known to be potential biomarkers of various diseases,especially liver disease. The systematic analysis of BAs is believed to be of great importance towards the clarification of the effective material basis for bile-type medicines,and the diagnosis and therapy of related diseases as well. As a part of systematic study on bile-type medicine ongoing in our group,this study lays emphasis on the isomer discrimination,and the improvement of analytical method of BAs. Further,this method was subsequently applied to elucidate in depth the chemical profile of BAs in yak bile. Regarding isomer discrimination for BAs,we constructed relative response-collision energy curves( RRCECs) by high performance liquid chromatographyion trap-time of flight-mass spectrometry( HPLC-IT-TOF-MS) in combination with high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry( HPLC-Qtrap-MS). As a result,both the optimum collision energy( OCE) and CE_(50) exhibited great correlations with structural characteristics,thus enabling the isomer distinguishing,such as unconjugated BAs,glycine-conjugated BAs,and taurine-conjugated BAs. According to information provided by mass spectrometry,the comparison of OCE and CE_(50),retention time matching,combined with reference substances and database retrieval,a total of 30 bile acid derivatives were observed and identified in yak bile. The newly developed method could serve as a feasible tool for the in-depth characterization of BAs in bile and biological samples.

Serial hyphenation of dried spot, reversed phase liquid chromatography, hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, and tandem mass spectrometry towards direct chemical profiling of herbal medicine-derived liquid matrices, an application in Cistanche sinensis.

Inspired by dried blood spots (DBS), "dried spots of herbal medicines" (DSHM) concept was proposed here. In response to this superior sampling means, a new platform integrating dried spot, serially coupled reversed phase liquid chromatography and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (RPLC-HILIC), and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), was configured for directly, comprehensively chemical profiling of HM-derived liquid matrices. As an important original source of Cistanches Herba (Chinese name: Roucongrong) that is a well-known tonic HM, Cistanche sinensis (Csi) was employed to illustrate and validate the applicability. Dried spots (I.D.  3.0 mm) were prepared by loading 2 µL aliquots of Csi extract onto filter paper. Each dried spot was packed into an in-line filter holder (I.D. 3.0 mm × 4.0 mm) and then inserted behind the auto-sampler of a well-defined instrumentation named RPLC-HILIC-MS/MS. Hybrid ion trap-time of flight MS and hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap MS were deployed in combination for the in-depth MS/MS data acquisition of diverse chemical families, such as phenylethanoid glycosides, lignans, iridoids, amino acids, and so forth. To assist chemical profiling, an in-house chemical library was built by collecting as much prior knowledge as possible. A total of 88 components were detected and tentatively annotated in Csi by matching their multi-stage MS spectra with those of authentic standards and literature data. Collectively, DSHM carried all merits of DBS, and the integrative dried spot-RPLC-HILIC-MS/MS platform was a promising analytical tool for direct chemical analysis and rapid quality evaluation of HMs, in particular those traditional Chinese medicine injections.

Clinical Value of Controlling Nutritional Status Score in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of present study was to assess the predictive value of the admission prognostic nutrition index (PNI), controlling nutritional status (CONUT) associated with delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), and 3-month neurological outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). METHODS: The clinical data from 252 patients with aSAH were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was performed to assess the predictive ability of the PNI and CONUT score and identify the cutoff point. Multivariate analysis was conducted to assess the role of the PNI and CONUT score in predicting for DCI and outcomes at 3 months after aSAH treatment. RESULTS: We enrolled 252 patients with aSAH in our study. Of the 252 patients, 53 experienced DCI and 57 patients had a poor outcome. Patients with unfavorable outcomes had a lower serum albumin, lymphocyte count, total cholesterol, and PNI but a high CONUT score, Hunt-Hess grade, and aneurysm size (P < 0.05). Both the PNI and CONUT score correlated with the Hunt-Hess grade (r = -0.289 and P < 0.001; r = 0.512 and P < 0.001), modified Rankin scale score at 3 months (r = -0386 and P < 0.001; r = 0.533 and P < 0.001), aneurysm size (r = -0.219 and P < 0.001; r = 0.422 and P < 0.001). Only a CONUT score <4 (odds ratio, 0.241; 95% confidence interval, 0.071-0.842; P = 0.022) independently predicted the functional outcome status but not DCI at 3 months after aSAH. However, PNI was an unrelated factor associated with DCI and the clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Our results have indicated that the CONUT score might efficiently predict for the clinical outcomes at 3 month after aSAH.

Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio Is an Independent Predictor for Neurological Deterioration and 90-Day Mortality in Spontaneous Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is an independent predictive factor of clinical outcome of acute ischemic stroke and cancer, but the predictive effect of LMR in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is unknown. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the impact of peripheral LMR on the neurological deterioration (ND) during the initial week after spontaneous ICH onset, as well as 90-day mortality. MATERIAL AND METHODS The clinical data of 558 consecutive patients with ICH were retrospectively analyzed. LMR is calculated by absolute lymphocyte count divided by absolute monocyte count. RESULTS Of these patients, 166 patients experienced ND during the first week after admission and 72 patients died within 90 days. Multivariate analysis indicated that white blood cells (WBC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), absolute lymphocyte count (ALC), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), LMR were significantly associated with ND during the initial week after ICH onset and also were associated with 90-day mortality. Moreover, NLR and LMR showed a higher predictive ability in ND during the initial week after ICH onset than 90-day mortality in receiver operating characteristic analysis. The best cut-off points of NLR and LMR in predicting ND and 90-day mortality were 10.24 and 2.21 and 16.81 and 2.19, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that LMR on admission is a predictive factor for ND during the initial week after ICH onset, as well as 90-day mortality.

MicroRNA-21 promotes cell proliferation, migration, and resistance to apoptosis through PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in esophageal cancer.

Our study aimed to explore associations between microRNA-21 (miR-21) and PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and, further, to elucidate the regulation of miR-21 on biological behaviors in human esophageal cancer cells. The expressions of miR-21, PTEN, PI3K, and AKT were detected in 89 esophageal cancer samples and 58 adjacent normal tissues respectively. The human esophageal cancer cells (TE11) were grouped as following: blank (TE11 cells without transfection), negative (TE11 cells with miR-21 negative inhibitor), and Inhibition-miR21 (TE11 cells with miR-21 inhibitor). Western blot was used for detection of PTEN, P13K, and AKT protein expressions, MTT method for cell proliferation, Transwell assay for cell migration and invasion, and flow cytometry for cell cycle and apoptosis. MiR-21, PI3K, and AKT have higher expressions, but PTEN has lower expression in esophageal cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. The esophageal cancer tissues with lymph node metastasis and poor differentiation showed significantly low positive rate of PTEN protein, but high positive rates of PI3K and AKT proteins. Compared with blank and negative groups, PTEN expression of TE11 cells in Inhibition-miR21 group was significantly up-regulated, but PI3K and AKT were down-regulated. Further, PTEN was a target gene of miR-21. Besides, compared with blank and negative groups, the proliferation, migration, and invasion of TE11 cells were less active in Inhibition-miR21 group. TE11 cells were significantly increased in the G0/G1 phase of cell cycles, but decreased in the S and G2/M phase in Inhibition-miR21 group. The TE11 cells exhibited significantly increased apoptosis rates. MiR-21 targets key proteins in PTEN/PI3K/AKT signal pathway, promoting proliferation, migration, invasion, and cell cycle, and inhibiting apoptosis of human esophageal cancer cells. It may serve as a novel therapeutic target in esophageal cancer.

[Matrix Effect of Fe and Ca on EDXRF Analysis of Ce Concentration in Bayan Obo Ores].

When Energy-Dispersive X-RayFluorescence (EDXRF) used for measuring cerium (Ce) content in the Bayan Obo ores, matrix effect mainly comes from iron (Fe) and calcium (Ca). Due to extensive concentration variability of the two elements, commonly employed standard sample method for matrix effect correction is invalid. To overcome the problem, testing samples were prepared based on the average contents of elements in the Bayan Obo ores, and the influence of Fe and Ca on the coefficient in a linear relationship between Ce content and XRF signal was determined by linear least squares fitting for multivariate analysis. The coefficients thus determined reflected the matrix effect on Ce emitted fluorescence from Fe emitted fluorescence and Ca absorption. When the coefficients were used in analyzing Ce content in Bayan Obo mine by EDXRF, the relative error is less than 10%.

Step nonisothermal method to study stability of drugs.

A step nonisothermal experiment under high oxygen pressure and a new computation with optimization for step nonisothermal experiment on stability study of drugs was introduced. The kinetics parameters of captopril oxidation in aqueous solution were determined by this method. It is reported that the reaction of captopril solution occurs under either aerobic or anaerobic condition, giving different products. Then the total rate constant k(total) can be expressed as [image omitted] where k(anaerobic) and k(aerobic) are the rate constants of anaerobic and aerobic degradations, respectively. The results indicated that the parameters obtained in the step nonisothermal experiment were comparable with those obtained in the isothermal-isobaric experiments. By a computer simulation, the estimates for the kinetic parameters (E(a) and k(0)) obtained with step nonisothermal method were statistically evaluated. Results indicated that the estimates obtained with isothermal-isobaric method were somewhat more precise than those obtained with step nonisothermal method. However, the experimental period needed by isothermal-isobaric method was much longer than that needed by step nonisothermal method.

Step nonisothermal method in kinetics studies of captopril oxidation under compressed oxygen.

A step nonisothermal experiment under high oxygen pressure and a computation with optimization for a step nonisothermal experiment on a stability study of drugs are introduced. The kinetics parameters of captopril oxidation in aqueous solution were determined with this method. It is reported that the reaction of captopril solution occurs under either aerobic or anaerobic conditions, giving different products. Then the total rate constant k(total) can be expressed as: k(total)=k(anaerobic)+k(aerobic)=A(anaerobic) exp (-E(a, anaerobic)/RT)+A(aerobic) exp (-E(a, aerobic)/RT)p(O(2)), where k(anaerobic) and k(aerobic) are the rate constants of anaerobic and aerobic degradation, respectively. The results indicate that the parameters obtained in the step nonisothermal experiment are comparable to those obtained in isothermal-isobaric experiments.