Exploring Plant Meiosis: Insights from the Kinetochore Perspective.

The central player for chromosome segregation in both mitosis and meiosis is the macromolecular kinetochore structure, which is assembled by >100 structural and regulatory proteins on centromere DNA. Kinetochores play a crucial role in cell division by connecting chromosomal DNA and microtubule polymers. This connection helps in the proper segregation and alignment of chromosomes. Additionally, kinetochores can act as a signaling hub, regulating the start of anaphase through the spindle assembly checkpoint, and controlling the movement of chromosomes during anaphase. However, the role of various kinetochore proteins in plant meiosis has only been recently elucidated, and these proteins differ in their functionality from those found in animals. In this review, our current knowledge of the functioning of plant kinetochore proteins in meiosis will be summarized. In addition, the functional similarities and differences of core kinetochore proteins in meiosis between plants and other species are discussed, and the potential applications of manipulating certain kinetochore genes in meiosis for breeding purposes are explored.

Shikonin attenuates hyperhomocysteinemia-induced CD4+ T cell inflammatory activation and atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice by metabolic suppression.

T cell metabolic activation plays a crucial role in inflammation of atherosclerosis. Shikonin (SKN), a natural naphthoquinone with anti-inflammatory activity, has shown to exert cardioprotective effects, but the effect of SKN on atherosclerosis is unclear. In addition, SKN was found to inhibit glycolysis via targeting pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme 2 (PKM2). In the present study, we investigated the effects of SKN on hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy)-accelerated atherosclerosis and T cell inflammatory activation in ApoE-/- mice and the metabolic mechanisms in this process. Drinking water supplemented with Hcy (1.8 g/L) was administered to ApoE-/- mice for 2 weeks and the mice were injected with SKN (1.2 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle every 3 days. We showed that SKN treatment markedly attenuated HHcy-accelerated atherosclerosis in ApoE-/- mice and significantly decreased inflammatory activated CD4+ T cells and proinflammatory macrophages in plaques. In splenic CD4+ T cells isolated from HHcy-ApoE-/- mice, SKN treatment significantly inhibited HHcy-stimulated PKM2 activity, interferon-γ secretion and the capacity of these T cells to promote macrophage proinflammatory polarization. SKN treatment significantly inhibited HHcy-stimulated CD4+ T cell glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. Metabolic profiling analysis of CD4+ T cells revealed that Hcy administration significantly increased various glucose metabolites as well as lipids and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1, which were reversed by SKN treatment. In conclusion, our results suggest that SKN is effective to ameliorate atherosclerosis in HHcy-ApoE-/- mice and this is at least partly associated with the inhibition of SKN on CD4+ T cell inflammatory activation via PKM2-dependent metabolic suppression.

[LncRNAs and cardiovascular diseases].

Cardiovascular disease has been a huge threat to human health. Studies of cardiovascular disease is always an important field of basic medicine. Noncoding RNAs, once thought to be useless, are gaining attention from researchers along with the development of genetics and medical informatics. Most of noncoding RNAs are long noncoding RNA. Evidences suggest that long noncoding RNAs are connected to cardiovascular doisease, yet we still dont know much about their functions and how they work. Here we review the functions and characteristics of long noncoding RNAs and the relationship between long noncoding RNAs and cardiovascular disease. These studies may contribute to better comprehension of the etiology and pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease.