Mechanisms of alternative splicing in regulating plant flowering: a review / 生物工程学报

Flowering is a critical transitional stage during plant growth and development, and is closely related to seed production and crop yield. The flowering transition is regulated by complex genetic networks, whereas many flowering-related genes generate multiple transcripts through alternative splicing to regulate flowering time. This paper summarizes the molecular mechanisms of alternative splicing in regulating plant flowering from several perspectives, future research directions are also envisioned.

Molecular mechanisms of RPD3 family members in regulating plant development and environmental responses / 生物工程学报

Lysine acetylation is one of the major post-translational modifications and plays critical roles in regulating gene expression and protein function. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are responsible for the removal of acetyl groups from the lysines of both histone and non-histone proteins. The RPD3 family is the most widely studied HDACs. This article summarizes the regulatory mechanisms of Arabidopsis RPD3 family in several growth and development processes, which provide a reference for studying the mechanisms of RPD3 family members in regulating plant development. Moreover, this review may provide ideas and clues for exploring the functions of other members of HDACs family.

Effects of rapamycin on activation of NLRP3 inflammasome induced by MPP+ in microglia / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the effect of rapamycin on 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium iodide (MPP+ )-induced activation of Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in microglia.Methods:The BV2 microglia cells were divided into control group, model group and rapamycin group.The model group and rapamycin group were treated by MPP+ to activate NLRP3 inflammasome, and rapamycin group was pretreated with rapamycin.Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the mRNA levels of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) and caspase-1.Immunofluorescence was used to detect the protein expression of NLRP3 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Western blot was carried out to assess the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, beclin1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3).Results:The mRNA levels of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 in model group were higher than those in control group ( t=4.825, 3.015, 5.853, all P<0.05). The mRNA levels of NLRP3 and caspase-1 in rapamycin group were lower than those in model group ( t=2.75, 2.89, both P<0.05). In model group, the protein expressions of NLRP3 (1.54±0.22), ASC (1.02±0.13) and caspase-1 (1.42±0.30) were higher than NLRP3 (0.66±0.15), ASC (0.41±0.14) and caspase-1 (0.70±0.10) in control group ( t=5.653, 5.602, 3.964, all P<0.01), while the protein expression of beclin1 (0.28±0.09) and LC3II/LC3I ratio(0.69±0.14) were lower than beclin1 (0.60±0.11) and LC3II/LC3I (1.29±0.23) in control group ( t=4.010, 3.982, both P<0.01). The protein expressions of NLRP3 (0.80±0.18) and ASC (0.68±0.14) in rapamycin group were lower than those in model group ( t=4.413, 3.077, both P<0.05), while the protein expression of beclin1 (0.65±0.20) and LC3II/LC3I ratio(1.42±0.36) were higher than those in model group ( t=2.965, 3.278, both P<0.05). Conclusion:MPP+ activates NLRP3 inflammasome and impairs autophagic function in microglia.Rapamycin inhibits MPP+ -induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by restoring autophagic impairment in microglia.