Phytohormone auxins play important roles in plant growth and development. The primary auxin-response genes can be classified into three major groups: Aux/IAAs, SAURs and GH3s. Significant progress has been made in understanding these gene families by approaches of the functional genomics, molecular genetics and molecular biology. In this review, we focused on the structures, functions and models of the expressional regulation of plant GH3 genes. The interactions in the signal transduction pathways between auxins and other signals mediated by the GH3 genes, the relationship between the GH3 genes and the stress adaptation responses of plants are emphasized.
Arabidopsis Proteins ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Genes, Plant ; Ligases ; genetics ; Multigene Family ; Plant Growth Regulators ; genetics ; Soybean Proteins ; genetics

Thlaspi caerulescens, the famous model plant of heavy-metal hyperaccumulator, can uptake and accumulate large amount of heavy metals in its above-ground part of the plants. However, the very low biomass in Thlaspi caerulescens makes this plant unfit for direct application in phytoremediation. In recent years, there are many reports about the physiological and molecular characterization of Thlaspi caerulescens under heavy metals stresses, including absorption, transport and intracellular detoxification processes (e.g., chelation and compartmentation). Research teams have conducted many studies of chelators in plants, such as organ acid, amino acid, phytochelatins, metallothioneins and nicotianamine, and so on. Several transport protein families, such as Zinc Regulated Protein, Cation Diffusion Facilitator, Natural Resistance and Macrophage Protein and Heavy Metal ATPase, play important role in short/long distance transport in the plant. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the physiological and molecular mechanisms of heavy metals accumulation in Thlaspi caerulescens, with particular emphasis on the roles of transporters and chelatins in modulating plant heave-metal-stress responses.
Absorption ; Azetidinecarboxylic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; metabolism ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Cation Transport Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Metalloproteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Metals, Heavy ; metabolism ; Phytochelatins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Thlaspi ; genetics ; metabolism

Under the influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic, the disadvantages of traditional blended teaching, which has been developed for 20 years, are gradually being revealed. With the help of modern network technology and under the guidance of minimalism, the new blended teaching model adheres to the principle of systematic, holistic, ecological, and collaborative reform and thus can not only efficiently realize the teaching goal of "improvement in self-learning ability and high-order thinking ability", but also achieve innovation and inheritance of "excellent teaching concepts and methods". On this basis, this study forms the "151 framework and BASIC mechanism", which will promote the reform and upgrading of blended teaching from point to surface and then to a three-dimensional structure and ensure that blended teaching has stronger vitality in the new era.

OBJECTIVECytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is an important metabolizing enzyme involved in oxidative stress responses to benzene, a chemical associated with bone marrow toxicity and leukemia. We aimed to identify the CYP2E1 genetic biomarkers of susceptibility to benzene toxicity in support of environmental and occupational exposure prevention, and to test whether a model using immortal human lymphocytes might be an efficient tool for detecting genetic biomarkers.

METHODSImmortalized human lymphocyte cell lines with independent genotypes on four CYP2E1 SNP sites were induced with 0.01% phenol, a metabolite of benzene. CYP2E1 gene function was evaluated by mRNA expression and enzyme activity. DNA damage was measured by Single-Cell Gel Electrophoresis (SCGE).

RESULTSAmong the four SNPs, cells with rs2070673TT and rs2030920CC showed higher levels of CYP2E1 transcription and enzymatic activity than the other genotypes in the same SNP site. Cells with higher gene expression genotypes also showed higher comet rates compared with lower gene expression genotypes.

CONCLUSIONThese results suggest that CYP2E1 rs2070673 and rs2030920 might be the genetic biomarkers of susceptibility to benzene toxicity and that the immortalized human lymphocytes model might be an efficient tool for the detection of genetic biomarkers of susceptibility to chemicals.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Benzene ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; genetics ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Phenol ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Young Adult

Objective To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)of YTHDF1 rs6011668,HNRNPA2B1 rs2070601 and rs76558212 with the risk of gastric cancer.Methods A total of 457 cases with gastric cancer and 525 healthy controls were collected.The candidate SNPs were genotyped using Hi-SNP genotyping methods by multiplex rounds of PCR and high-throughput sequencing;the association between the three SNPs with the risk of gastric cancer was analyzed by test and Logistic regression.Multifactorial logistic regression and Risk Score(RS)model was used to analyze the influence of environmental and genetic factors on the risk of gastric cancer.Results YTHDF1rs6011668 TT genotype carriers had 3.075 times higher risk of gastric cancer than CC genotype carriers(95%CI:1.128～8.382,P = 0.028),and 2.961 times higher risk than CC/TC genotypes carriers(95%CI:1.091～8.033,P = 0.033).Subgroups-analysis revealed that TT genotype mainly increased the risk of gastric cancer in non-tea drinkers,pickled food eaters and fried food eaters(P<0.05).In addition,TT genotype carriers had the increased risk of gastric cancer infiltration,lymph node metastasis,distal metastasis and intermediate to advanced stages(P<0.05).The RS of the case and control groups were calculated by combining environmental and genetic factors.The higher the RS score,the higher the risk of gastric cancer was found in the RS quartile groups.Compared with the RS

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of total saponins of Dioscoreae Nipponicae Rhizoma （TSDN） in treating gouty arthritis （GA） by regulating cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2）-mediated M1 macrophage reprogramming by in vivo and in vitro experiments. MethodsIn vivo experiment： 24 male SD rats were randomly allocated into blank， model （GA）， TSDN， and celecoxib groups， with 6 rats in each group. After 7 days of administration， pathological changes in the ankle synovial tissue were observed via hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to quantify the mRNA levels of NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein （ASC）， Caspase-1， COX-2， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the synovial tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the serum levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）， IL-1β， CD86， CD80， CD206， and arginase-1 （Arg-1）. In vitro experiment： The GA model was established by lipopolysaccharide （LPS） + MSU induction， and the inhibitor concentration was screened by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay. RAW264.7 cells were allocated into blank， model， TSDN， dexamethasone， COX-2 inhibitor （celecoxib）， and TSDN + COX-2 inhibitor groups. The levels of iNOS， IL-1β， CD86， CD80， CD206， and Arg-1 in the cell supernatant of each group were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， IL-1β， and TNF-α in each group were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blot， respectively. ResultsIn vivo experiment： compared with the model group， TSDN reduced the mRNA levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the synovial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ELISA results showed that TSDN lowered the serum levels of iNOS， IL-1β， CD86， and CD80 （P<0.01） while increasing the serum levels of CD206 and Arg-1 （P<0.01）. In vitro experiment： compared with the model group， TSDN and inhibitor down-regulated the mRNA levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， IL-1β， and TNF-α and the protein levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， cleaved IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.01）. Compared with TSDN alone， TSDN + COX-2 inhibitor further reduced the mRNA and protein levels of the markers above （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， TSDN and COX-2 inhibitor decreased the levels of IL-1β， iNOS， CD80， and CD86 （P<0.01） and increased the levels of CD206 and Arg-1 （P<0.01） in cells. Compared with TSDN alone， TSDN + COX-2 inhibitor reduced IL-1β， iNOS， CD80， and CD86 levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） and elevated CD206 and Arg-1 levels （P<0.01） in cells. ConclusionTSDN can alleviate GA by downregulating COX-2-mediated M1 macrophage reprogramming and suppressing the inflammatory factors.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of total saponins of Dioscoreae Nipponicae Rhizoma （TSDN） in treating gouty arthritis （GA） by regulating cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2）-mediated M1 macrophage reprogramming by in vivo and in vitro experiments. MethodsIn vivo experiment： 24 male SD rats were randomly allocated into blank， model （GA）， TSDN， and celecoxib groups， with 6 rats in each group. After 7 days of administration， pathological changes in the ankle synovial tissue were observed via hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to quantify the mRNA levels of NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome， apoptosis-associated speck-like protein （ASC）， Caspase-1， COX-2， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the synovial tissue. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the serum levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）， IL-1β， CD86， CD80， CD206， and arginase-1 （Arg-1）. In vitro experiment： The GA model was established by lipopolysaccharide （LPS） + MSU induction， and the inhibitor concentration was screened by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium （MTT） assay. RAW264.7 cells were allocated into blank， model， TSDN， dexamethasone， COX-2 inhibitor （celecoxib）， and TSDN + COX-2 inhibitor groups. The levels of iNOS， IL-1β， CD86， CD80， CD206， and Arg-1 in the cell supernatant of each group were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The mRNA and protein levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， IL-1β， and TNF-α in each group were determined by Real-time PCR and Western blot， respectively. ResultsIn vivo experiment： compared with the model group， TSDN reduced the mRNA levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the synovial tissue （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ELISA results showed that TSDN lowered the serum levels of iNOS， IL-1β， CD86， and CD80 （P<0.01） while increasing the serum levels of CD206 and Arg-1 （P<0.01）. In vitro experiment： compared with the model group， TSDN and inhibitor down-regulated the mRNA levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， IL-1β， and TNF-α and the protein levels of NLRP3 inflammasome， COX-2， cleaved IL-1β， and TNF-α （P<0.01）. Compared with TSDN alone， TSDN + COX-2 inhibitor further reduced the mRNA and protein levels of the markers above （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， TSDN and COX-2 inhibitor decreased the levels of IL-1β， iNOS， CD80， and CD86 （P<0.01） and increased the levels of CD206 and Arg-1 （P<0.01） in cells. Compared with TSDN alone， TSDN + COX-2 inhibitor reduced IL-1β， iNOS， CD80， and CD86 levels （P<0.05， P<0.01） and elevated CD206 and Arg-1 levels （P<0.01） in cells. ConclusionTSDN can alleviate GA by downregulating COX-2-mediated M1 macrophage reprogramming and suppressing the inflammatory factors.

Background N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation may play an important role in the process of malignant transformation of cells induced by environmental carcinogens. However, the specific roles and mechanisms need to be further explored. Objective To explore the role and mechanism of m6A binding protein insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) in the malignant transformation of human gastric mucosal epithelial cells GES-1 induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG). Methods Based on the GES-1 malignant transformation cells MC-30, a stable knockdown IGF2BP3 MC-30 cell line (MC30-shIGF2BP3, abbreviated as MC30-shI3) was constructed by lentiviral transfection technology, and a negative control group (MC30-NC) was also prepared. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were applied to detect the mRNA expression and protein levels of IGF2BP3. RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP-qPCR) was used to examine the combination between IGF2BP3 protein and MYC mRNA in malignant cells MC-30. Furthermore, the stability of MYC mRNA was detected by actinomycin D assay. CCK-8 and Transwell respectively were employed to detect cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Western blotting was applied to detect the expression of EMT markers (N-cadherin, Vimentin, α-SMA, and Snail). The role of the downstream target gene MYC was further elucidated by a rescue assay in MC30-shI3 cells transfected with a plasmid overexpressing MYC to observe changes in cellular phenotypes (proliferation, migration, invasion) and expression of key EMT proteins. Results Compared with the control group, the expression of IGF2BP3 mRNA was up-regulated after 5, 10, 20, and 40 μmol·L⁻¹ MNNG infection of GES-1 cells (P<0.05). After 20 μmol·L⁻¹ MNNG infection, the expression level of IGF2BP3 mRNA increased with prolongation of exposure time (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the mRNA and protein expression levels of IGF2BP3 were up-regulated in the 10th, 20th, and 30th generations of 5 μmol·L⁻¹ MNNG malignant transformation (P<0.05). The results of qRT-PCR and Western blotting showed that, compared with the MC30-NC group, the IGF2BP3 and MYC mRNA expression and protein expression decreased in the MC30-shI3 group (P<0.01). The CCK8 and transwell assay results showed that, compared with the MC30-NC group, the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities significantly reduced in the MC30-shI3 group (P<0.01). The results of the Western blotting showed that, compared with the MC30-NC group, the protein levels of EMT markers N-cadherin, Vimentin, α-SMA, and Snail decreased in the MC30-shI3 group (P<0.01). The results of RIP-qPCR showed that, compared with the IgG group, the mRNA level was higher for the enriched MYC in the IGF2BP3 group (P<0.01); the results of the actinomycin D assay showed that, compared with the MC30-NC group, the stability of MYC mRNA significantly reduced in the MC30-shI3 group (P<0.01). While the rescue experiment showed that, compared with the IGF2BP3 knock-down+vector group, the MYC protein level significantly increased in the IGF2BP3 knock-down + MYC over-expression group (P<0.01), the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities significantly enhanced (P<0.01), and the EMT key proteins (N-cadherin, Vimentin, α-SMA, Snail) increased in the MC30-shI3+MYC group (P<0.01). Conclusion Exposure to MNNG could result in up-regulation of IGF2BP3 expression in GES-1 cells. IGF2BP3 may enhance the proliferation, migration, and invasion of malignantly transformed human gastric epithelial cells by binding to MYC mRNA and increasing its stability and expression level and thus promoting the EMT process, which in turn affects the progression of malignant transformation.