In silico analysis of the wheat BBX gene family and identification of candidate genes for seed dormancy and germination.

BACKGROUND: B-box (BBX) proteins are a type of zinc finger proteins containing one or two B-box domains. They play important roles in development and diverse stress responses of plants, yet their roles in wheat remain unclear. RESULTS: In this study, 96 BBX genes were identified in the wheat genome and classified into five subfamilies. Subcellular localization prediction results showed that 68 TaBBXs were localized in the nucleus. Protein interaction prediction analysis indicated that interaction was one way that these proteins exerted their functions. Promoter analysis indicated that TaBBXs may play important roles in light signal, hormone, and stress responses. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that 14 TaBBXs were highly expressed in seeds compared with other tissues. These were probably involved in seed dormancy and germination, and their expression patterns were investigated during dormancy acquisition and release in the seeds of wheat varieties Jing 411 and Hongmangchun 21, showing significant differences in seed dormancy and germination phenotypes. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed that the three candidates TaBBX2-2 A, TaBBX4-2 A, and TaBBX11-2D were nuclear proteins. Transcriptional self-activation experiments further demonstrated that TaBBX4-2A was transcriptionally active, but TaBBX2-2A and TaBBX11-2D were not. Protein interaction analysis revealed that TaBBX2-2A, TaBBX4-2A, and TaBBX11-2D had no interaction with each other, while TaBBX2-2A and TaBBX11-2D interacted with each other, indicating that TaBBX4-2A may regulate seed dormancy and germination by transcriptional regulation, and TaBBX2-2A and TaBBX11-2D may regulate seed dormancy and germination by forming a homologous complex. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the wheat BBX gene family was identified and characterized at the genomic level by bioinformatics analysis. These observations provide a theoretical basis for future studies on the functions of BBXs in wheat and other species.

Sulforaphane suppresses skin squamous cell carcinoma cells proliferation through miR-199a-5p/Sirt1/CD44ICD signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to explore the impact of sulforaphane on the growth of sSCC cells, and the activation of miR-199a-5p/Sirt1 and CD44ICD signaling pathways. METHODS: Cell viability, count, apoptosis, and invasion assays were performed in the sSCC cell line (SCC-13) in which miR-199a-5p was over-expressed or under-expressed. The expression levels of miR-199a-5p, Sirt1 and CD44ICD mRNA were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: Sulforaphane significantly inhibited the cell growth and invasion of SCC-13 cells, and dramatically induced cell apoptosis. Additionally, sulforaphane also greatly increased miR-199a-5p expression and suppressed Sirt1 and CD44ICD mRNA levels. Moreover, miR-199a-5p overexpression considerably down-regulated the expressions of Sirt1 and CD44ICD mRNA, and promoted the ability of sulforaphane to represses cell growth and invasion, and to induce cell apoptosis. However, miR-199a-5p underexpression has the opposite effects. CONCLUSIONS: Sulforaphane appears to inhibit sCC progression by impacting its growth and invasion ability, and regulates miR-199a-5p/Sirt1 and CD44ICD signaling pathways, and may be utilized to develop a curative approach for sSCC.

SASH1 Suppresses the Proliferation and Invasion of Human Skin Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells via Inhibiting Akt Cascade.

OBJECTIVE: The SAM- and SH3-domain containing 1 gene (SASH1) has been considered as a tumor suppressor in some cancers. Nevertheless, the effect of SASH1 on the proliferation and invasion of human skin squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) remains poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to observe the potential role of SASH1 in cSCC and investigate its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The overexpression of SASH1 was constructed by transfecting the pcDNA3.1/SASH1 vector into SCL-1 and A431 cells, and SASH1 knockdown was generated by transfecting the SASH1 siRNA into cSCC cells. Then, cell proliferation, invasion, apoptosis, and Akt pathway were observed. RESULTS: The expression levels of SASH1 mRNA and protein were greatly reduced in cSCC cells. The overexpression of SASH1 inhibited the viability and invasion of cSCC cells, while its knockdown induced the viability and invasion of cSCC cells. The overexpression of SASH1 also suppressed the expression levels of p-Akt and its target genes, including cyclin D1, Bcl-2, and metal matrix proteinase 2(MMP-2). By contrast, SASH1 knockdown exerted the opposite role. Furthermore, inhibition of Akt obviously decreased the inducible effect of cSCC knockdown on the proliferation and invasion of cSCC cells. CONCLUSION: Overall, these results found that SASH1 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of cSCC cells via suppressing Akt cascade, indicating a tumor inhibitory effect of SASH1 in cSCC cells.

Selenium levels and skin diseases: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have investigated the association between selenium levels and skin diseases, but reached inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between selenium levels and skin diseases. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in public databases to identify all relevant studies, and study-specific standard mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled to compare the selenium levels between different groups. RESULTS: Twenty-seven studies were identified with a total of 1315 patient and 7181 healthy controls. Compared with controls, no significant difference in selenium was found in patients with vitiligo (SMD = 0.53, 95% CI: -0.40 to 1.45), alopecia areata (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI: -2.72 and 3.65), or eczema (SMD = 0.12, 95% CI: -0.24 to 0.48). A lower selenium level was found in patients with psoriasis (SMD = -0.62, 95% CI: -1.15 to -0.10), acne vulgaris (SMD = -1.02, 95% CI: -1.45 to -0.60), chloric acne (SMD = -2.35, 95% CI: -3.15 to -1.55), and atopic dermatitis (SMD = -2.62, 95% CI: -3.00 to -2.24). As for disease severity, severe patients had a higher selenium level than mild patients in psoriasis (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.07-1.38), but no difference was found in vitiligo (SMD = -0.26, 95% CI: -2.38 to 1.85) and alopecia areata (SMD = 0.46, 95% CI: -0.34 to 1.26). CONCLUSION: Selenium levels were associated with several skin diseases and the disease severity, and high selenium levels tended to be a protective factor in certain skin diseases.