[Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of TCP gene family of Andrographis paniculata under abiotic stress].

Andrographis paniculata is an important medicinal plant in the Lingnan region of China, which has the functions of clearing heat, removing toxins, and resisting bacteria and inflammation. The TCP gene family is a class of transcription factors that regulate plant growth, development, and stress response. In order to analysis the role of the TCP gene family under abiotic stress in A. paniculata, this study identified the TCP gene family of A. paniculata at the genome-wide level and analyzed its expression pattern in response to abiotic stress. The results showed that the A. paniculata TCP gene family had 23 members, with length of amino acid ranging from 136 to 508, the relative molecular mass between 14 854.71 and 55 944.90 kDa, and the isoelectric point between 5.67 and 10.39. All members were located in the nucleus and unevenly distributed on 13 chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis classified them into three subfamilies: PCF, CIN and CYC/TB1. Gene structure and conserved motif analysis showed that most members of the TCP gene family contained motif 1, motif 2, motif 3 in the same order and 1-3 CDS. The analysis of promoter cis-acting elements showed that the transcriptional expression of the TCP gene family in A. paniculata might be induced by light, hormones, and adversity stress. In light of the expression pattern analysis and qRT-PCR verification, the expression of ApTCP4, ApTCP5, ApTCP6, and ApTCP11 involved in response by various abiotic stresses such as drought, high temperature, and MeJA. This study lays the foundation for in-depth exploration of the functions of A. paniculata TCP genes in response to abiotic stress.

[Identification and expression analysis of R2R3-MYB gene family in Andrographis paniculata].

The plant growth, development, and secondary metabolism are regulated by R2 R3-MYB transcription factors. This study identified the R2 R3-MYB genes in the genome of Andrographis paniculata and analyzed the chromosomal localization, gene structure, and conserved domains, phylogenetic relationship, and promoter cis-acting elements of these R2 R3-MYB genes. Moreover, the gene expression profiles of R2 R3-MYB genes under abiotic stress and hormone treatments were generated by RNA-seq and validated by qRT-PCR. The results showed that A. paniculata contained 73 R2 R3-MYB genes on 21 chromosomes. These members belonged to 34 subfamilies, 19 of which could be classified into the known subfamilies in Arabidopsis thaliana. The 73 R2 R3-MYB members included 36 acidic proteins and 37 basic proteins, with the lengths of 148-887 aa. The domains, motifs, and gene structures of R2 R3-MYBs in A. paniculata were conserved. The promoter regions of these genes contains a variety of cis-acting elements related to the responses to environmental factors and plant hormones including light, ABA, MeJA, and drought. Based on the similarity of functions of R2 R3-MYBs in the same subfamily and the transcription profiles, ApMYB13/21/35/67/73(S22) may regulate drought stress through ABA pathway; ApMYB20(S11) and ApMYB55(S2) may play a role in the response of A. paniculata to high temperature and UV-C stress; ApMYB5(S7) and ApMYB33(S20) may affect the accumulation of andrographolide by regulating the expression of key enzymes in the MEP pathway. This study provides theoretical reference for further research on the functions of R2 R3-MYB genes in A. paniculata and breeding of A. paniculata varieties with high andrographolide content.

Evaluation of cigarette flavoring quality via surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Herein, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) combined with principal component analysis (PCA) has been successfully applied in the evaluation of cigarette flavoring quality using monolayer films of Au nanoparticles as substrates. With such a method, even a slight difference in the formula of the essence that cannot be directly identified by SERS can be distinguished.

Anti-inflammatory effect of external use of escin on cutaneous inflammation: possible involvement of glucocorticoids receptor.

Escin, as an internally applied anti-inflammatory agent, has been widely used in the treatment of inflammation and edema resulting from trauma or operation in the clinic. However, the effect of its external use on cutaneous inflammation and edema remains unexplored. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory and anti-edematous effects of external use of escin were studied in carrageenan-induced paw edema and histamine-induced capillary permeability in rats, paraxylene-induced ear swelling in mice, and cotton pellet-induced granuloma in rats. Effects of external use of escin gel on prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) were determined by ELISA. The anti-inflammatory mechanism was explored by detecting the expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) with Western blotting and Real-time PCR analyses, with further exploration of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38MAPK) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) expressions. We demonstrated that external use of escin showed significant anti-inflammatory effects on acute and chronic inflammation in different animal models and its anti-inflammatory effects might be related to down-regulation of PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-1ß. The results also showed that escin exerted its anti-inflammatory effects by promoting the expression of GR, with the possible mechanism being inhibition of the expressions of GR-related signaling molecules such as NF-κB and AP-1.

Opposite effects of HDAC5 and p300 on MRTF-A-related neuronal apoptosis during ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

Our recent study has revealed that the myocardin-related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A) is involved in the apoptosis of cortical neurons induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) and histone acetyltransferase p300 (P300) are two well-known regulators for transcription factors; however, their roles in MRTF-A-related effect on neuronal injuries during I/R are still unclear. In this study, in a model rat cerebral I/R injury via middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion, we found that the expression and activity of HDAC5 was upregulated, whereas p300 and MRTF-A were downregulated both in expression and activity during I/R. Their expression changes and the interaction of the MRTF-A with HDAC5 or p300 were further verified by double immunofluorescence and co-immunoprecipitation. In cultured neuronal apoptosis model induced by H2O2, MRTF-A exhibited an anti-apoptotic effect by enhancing the transcription of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 via CArG box binding. MRTF-A-induced anti-apoptotic effect was effectively inhibited by HDAC5, but was significantly enhanced by p300. The results suggest that both HDAC5 and p300 are involved in MRTF-A-mediated effect on neuronal apoptosis during ischemia/reperfusion injury, but with opposite effects.

The role of myocardin-related transcription factor-A in Aß25-35 induced neuron apoptosis and synapse injury.

Myocardin-related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A) highly expressed in brain has been demonstrated to promote neuronal survival via regulating the transcription of related target genes as a powerful co-activator of serum response factor (SRF). However, the role of MRTF-A in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is still unclear. Here, we showed that MRTF-A was significantly downregulated in cortex of the Aß25-35-induced AD rats, which played a key role in Aß25-35 induced cerebral neuronal degeneration in vitro. Bilateral intracerebroventricular injection of Aß25-35 caused significantly MRTF-A expression decline in cortex of rats, along with significant neuron apoptosis and plasticity damage. In vitro, transfection of MRTF-A into primary cultured cortical neurons prevented Aß25-35 induced neuronal apoptosis and synapses injury. And luciferase reporter assay determined that MRTF-A could bind to and enhance the transactivity of the Mcl-1 (Myeloid cell leukemia-1) and Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein) promoters by activating the key CArG box element. These data demonstrated that the decreasing of endogenous MRTF-A expression might contribute to the development of AD, whereas the upregulation MRTF-A in neurons could effectively reduce Aß25-35 induced synapse injury and cell apoptosis. And the underlying mechanism might be partially due to MRTF-A-mediated the transcription and expression of Mcl-1 and Arc by triggering the CArG box.

Papillary thyroid cancer located in malignant struma ovarii with omentum metastasis: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The present of malignant transformation in struma ovarii is exceedingly rare. Malignant struma ovarii is usually asymptomatic and infrequently diagnosed preoperatively. Because of its rarity, there is no consensus about diagnosis and management in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 40-year-old female presented for her obstetric examination with an incidental finding of a pelvic mass. Patient was asymptomatic at presentation. A follow-up ultrasound confirmed the presence of a 3-cm mass in the left adnexa. Patient underwent a cytoreductive surgery (hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy and oophorectomy, omentectomy, appendectomy, and pelvic lymphadenectomy). Histopathology revealed a malignant struma ovarii with a focus of papillary thyroid carcinoma and the omentum metastasis. The patient with stage FIGO IIIc received 6 cycles of paclitaxel/carboplatin regimen after surgery. The patient subsequently had a thyroid scan that was normal with normal thyroid function. At a follow-up of 12 months, she is alive, in good clinical condition, and disease-free. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the rarity of these tumors and their lack of firm prognostic factors, treatment decisions should be made individually, based on pathologic and clinical parameters.

Baicalin inhibiting cerebral ischemia/hypoxia-induced neuronal apoptosis via MRTF-A-mediated transactivity.

Baicalin has been shown to provide the neuroprotective effect by alleviating cerebral ischemia injury. However, little's known about the underlying mechanism. Here, a cerebral artery occlusion (MACO)/reperfusion rat model and rat primary cortical neuron culture exposed to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were established to evaluate the effect of baicalin on ischemia-induced neuronal apoptosis. We found baicalin can significantly less neurological deficit and reduced infarct volume in vivo. And it efficiently inhibited neuronal apoptosis in vivo and vitro, which was especially characterized by the enhancing of transcription and expression of myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2) in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, Baicalin markedly increased myocardin-related transcription factor-A (MRTF-A) level either in ischemic hemisphere or in primary cortical neuron cultures, whiles the anti-apoptosis effect of baicalin was significantly inhibited by transfected with the small interfering RNA of MRTF-A (MRTF-A siRNA) in primary cortical neuron cultures. The luciferase assays also indicated baicalin enhanced the transactivity of MCL-1 and BCL-2 promoter by activating the key CArG box (CC [A/T] 6GG) element, which was reduced by MRTF-A siRNA, suggesting MRTF-A may participate the anti-apoptosis effect of baicalin, and MRTF-A was involved in the transcriptional activity of MCL-1 and BCL-2 that was induced by baicalin. LY294002 (phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) inhibitor) and PD98059 (extracellular signal regulates kinase-1/2 (ERK1/2) inhibitor) obviously reduced baicalin-induced MRTF-A expression and transactivity and expression of MCL-1 and BCL-2, which further abolished the anti-apoptotic effect of baicalin on neuronal apoptosis. Taken together, our data provided the evidence demonstrating the neuroprotective effect of baicalin partially due to MRTF-A-mediated transactivity and expression of MCL-1 and BCL-2 by triggering the CArG box, which might be controlled by the activation of PI3K and ERK1/2.

[Uses of fresh herbs with antioxidant effect and prospect for population ecology reconstruction in Macau].

The average life expectancy in Macau is ranking the second in the world, the consumption of fresh medicinal plants is a profound culture in Macau. The paper focus on the distribution of the antioxidant herbs, a comprehensive investigation and analysis the amount of the plant resources was carried out. The antioxidant activity of alcohol extracts was determined by using the DPPH method, and six kinds fresh herbs with high antioxidant free radical activity were screened out. Reference to adult daily dose of vitamin C, it is calculated that the daily dose amount of fresh herbs is less than 200 g. For the expected shortage of resources and the ecological status of Macau, we give some suggestions of herbal introduction in population ecology reconstruction.

Effects of fucoxanthin on proliferation and apoptosis in human gastric adenocarcinoma MGC-803 cells via JAK/STAT signal pathway.

In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effects and possible mechanisms of fucoxanthin, which has been reported to inhibit tumor proliferation and induce apoptosis in vitro or in vivo. Human gastric adenocarcinoma MGC-803 cells were treated with fucoxanthin (25µM, 50µM or 75µM). Data of flow cytometry revealed that fucoxanthin (50µM or 75µM) increased the ratio of cell in G2/M phase and apoptotic MGC-803 cells varying on a dose-dependent manner. Results from reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot showed that treatment with fucoxanthin (50µM or 75µM) significantly decreased the expressions of CyclinB1, survivin and STAT3 in MGC-803 cells in a dose-dependent manner both at the time of 24h and 48h. In addition, immunofluorescence microscopy analysis also revealed the suppressed expressions of CyclinB1 and survivin by fucoxanthin. After pretreatment with AG490 (the inhibitor for JAK/STAT signal pathway), the expressions of p-STAT3 and survivin remained also slightly lower than the vehicle control group. Co-treated with fucoxanthin (75µM) and AG490, the reduction on the expressions of STAT3, p-STAT3 and CyclinB1 by fucoxanthin were attenuated while that of survivin was enhanced. Taken together, fucoxanthin can down-regulate the expressions of CyclinB1 and survivin, inducing cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase, and apoptosis in MGC-803 cells. The reduction of CyclinB1 by fucoxanthin was associated with JAK/STAT signal pathway.

Protective effects of scutellarin against cerebral ischemia in rats: evidence for inhibition of the apoptosis-inducing factor pathway.

Scutellarin (Scu) is the major active principle (flavonoid) extracted from Erigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand-Mazz, a Chinese herbal medicine. In this paper, we investigated the effects of Scu on brain injury through the inhibition of AIF-mediated apoptosis induced by transient focal brain ischemia in rats. Rats were treated with Scu for 7 d and then subjected to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced by a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). After 2 h of ischemia and 22 h of reperfusion, the infarct volume and the neurological deficit were determined by TTC staining and Longa's score. IN SITU end-labeling of nuclear DNA fragments (TUNEL) was employed to determine the degree of DNA fragmentation. NAD content and PARP activity in brain homogenate were determined. The expression of AIF in the nucleus was analyzed by Western blot. The present study showed that Scu significantly reduced the infarct volume and ameliorated the neurological deficit. An increase in the number of TUNEL-positive cells and a decrease in the NAD level were also observed after 2 h of ischemia and 22 h of reperfusion. At the same time, Scu (50 and 75 mg kg (-1), i. g.) treatment reversed brain NAD depletion and reduced DNA fragmentation. Scu also inhibited PARP overactivation and AIF translocation from the mitochondria to the nucleus following cerebral I/R. These findings suggested that the neuroprotective effects of Scu on brain ischemic injury-induced apoptosis might be associated with inhibition of PARP-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent translocation of AIF.