Bioinformatics analysis of laccases involved in active lignans′ biosynthesis in Isatis indigotica / 药学实践杂志

Objective Identifying laccases, as one of the key synthetases in the lariciresinol biosynthetic pathway, by analyzing the transcriptome sequencing results in Isatis indigotica would provide a dependable foundation for later functional study of Isatis indigotica′s laccases. Methods Bioinformatical softwares and kinds of analytical methods online were used to find out the characteristics of the laccases from I. indigotica, including physical and chemical properties, homology, and the properties after induction of MeJA. Results The transcriptional results showed that Iilac3 and Iilac5 from I. indigotica were corresponded ith the accumulation of the effective metabolites, making them the potential functional genes participated in lariciresinol synthesis. Conclusion Through the detailed bioinformatical analysis of Iilacs,which laid a solid foundation for the further study of the physiological and biochemical mechanisms and structural characteristics of the functional proteins.

Ribozyme riboswitch based gene expression regulation systems for gene therapy applications: progress and challenges / 药学学报

Robust and efficient control of therapeutic gene expression is needed for timing and dosing of gene therapy drugs in clinical applications. Ribozyme riboswitch provides a promising building block for ligand-controlled gene-regulatory system, based on its property that exhibits tunable gene regulation, design modularity, and target specificity. Ribozyme riboswitch can be used in various gene delivery vectors. In recent years, there have been breakthroughs in extending ribozyme riboswitch's application from gene-expression control to cellular function and fate control. High throughput screening platforms were established, that allow not only rapid optimization of ribozyme riboswitch in a microbial host, but also straightforward transfer of selected devices exhibiting desired activities to mammalian cell lines in a predictable manner. Mathematical models were employed successfully to explore the performance of ribozyme riboswitch quantitively and its rational design predictably. However, to progress toward gene therapy relevant applications, both precision rational design of regulatory circuits and the biocompatibility of regulatory ligand are still of crucial importance.