Polyethyleneimine-mediated assembly of DNA nanotubes for KRAS siRNA delivery in lung adenocarcinoma therapy.

Self-assembled DNA nanostructures hold great promise in biosensing, drug delivery and nanomedicine. Nevertheless, challenges like instability and inefficiency in cellular uptake of DNA nanostructures under physiological conditions limit their practical use. To tackle these obstacles, this study proposes a novel approach that integrates the cationic polymer polyethyleneimine (PEI) with DNA self-assembly. The hypothesis is that the positively charged linear PEI can facilitate the self-assembly of DNA nanostructures, safeguard them against harsh conditions and impart them with the cellular penetration characteristic of PEI. As a demonstration, a DNA nanotube (PNT) was successfully synthesized through PEI mediation, and it exhibited significantly enhanced stability and cellular uptake efficiency compared to conventional Mg2+-assembled DNA nanotubes. The internalization mechanism was further found to be both clathrin-mediated and caveolin-mediated endocytosis, influenced by both PEI and DNA. To showcase the applicability of this hybrid nanostructure for biomedical settings, the KRAS siRNA-loaded PNT was efficiently delivered into lung adenocarcinoma cells, leading to excellent anticancer effects in vitro. These findings suggest that the PEI-mediated DNA assembly could become a valuable tool for future biomedical applications.

Transcriptome modulation by endophyte drives rice seedlings response to Pb stress.

This study investigated the growth, SPAD value, chlorophyll fluorescence and transcriptome response of endophyte uninoculated and inoculated rice seedlings under Pb stress after treatment of 1 d and 5 d. Inoculation of endophytes significantly improved the plant height, SPAD value, Fv/F0, Fv/Fm and PIABS by 1.29, 1.73, 0.16, 1.25 and 1.90 times on the 1 d, by 1.07, 2.45, 0.11, 1.59 and 7.90 times on the 5 d, respectively, however, decreased the root length by 1.11 and 1.65 times on the 1 d and 5 d, respectively under Pb stress. Analysis of rice seedlings leaves by RNA-seq, there were 574 down-regulated and 918 up-regulated genes after treatment of 1 d, 205 down-regulated and 127 up-regulated genes after treatment of 5 d, of which 20 genes (11 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated) exhibited the same changing pattern after treatment of 1 d and 5 d. Using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) to annotate these DEGs, and it was found that many of DEGs involved in photosynthesis, oxidative detoxification, hormone synthesis and signal transduction, protein phosphorylation/kinase and transcription factors. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of interaction between endophyte and plants under heavy metal stress, and contribute to agricultural production in limited environments.

Neuroprotective Effects of Sodium Butyrate by Restoring Gut Microbiota and Inhibiting TLR4 Signaling in Mice with MPTP-Induced Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent type of neurodegenerative disease. There is mounting evidence that the gut microbiota is involved in the pathogenesis of PD. Sodium butyrate (NaB) can regulate gut microbiota and improve brain functioning in neurological disorders. Hence, we examined whether the neuroprotective function of NaB on PD was mediated by the modulation of gut microbial dysbiosis and revealed its possible mechanisms. Mice were administered 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) for 7 consecutive days to construct the PD model. NaB gavage was given 2 h after the daily MPTP injections for 21 days. NaB improved the motor functioning of PD mice, increased striatal neurotransmitter levels, and reduced the death of dopaminergic neurons. The 16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that NaB restored the gut microbial dysbiosis. NaB also attenuated the intestinal barrier's disruption and reduced serum, colon, and striatal pro-inflammatory cytokines, along with inhibiting the overactivation of glial cells, suggesting an inhibitory effect on inflammation from NaB throughout the gut-brain axis of the PD mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that NaB treatment suppressed the TLR4/MyD88/NF-kB pathway in the colon and striatum. In summary, NaB had a neuroprotective impact on the PD mice, likely linked to its regulation of gut microbiota to inhibit gut-brain axis inflammation.

[Studies on screening of matrix and permeation enhancer of sustained-release patches of duliang].

OBJECTIVE: To screen the matrix and permeation enhancer of Duliang Patches. METHODS: Based on L9 (3(4)) orthogonal experimental design, the content of imperatorin of the release rate and transdermal osmolality were regarded as evaluation indexes to optimize the matrix and permeation enhancer of patches suing of Drug dissolution tester and Franz diffusion cell. RESULTS: The best prescriplion of sustained-release patch of Duliang was: the quality percentage content of the starch, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, glycerin, azone, propylene glycol and PEG400 was 6%, 2%, 30%, 1%, 15% and 2.5% respectively. The release behavior of sustained-release patches of Duliang tallied with Higuchi equation and the effect of sustained-release was apparent. CONCLUSION: The sustained-release patches of Duliang have good property of sustained-release and transdermal in vitro and the stability of patches is also sound while the release in vivo awaits further inspection.

Elevated carbon dioxide and/or ozone concentrations induce hormonal changes in Pinus tabulaeformis.

We investigated endogenous plant hormones and needle growth in Pinus tabulaeformis plants grown in open-top chambers and exposed to ambient or elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and/or ozone (O(3)). Exposure to elevated CO(2) for 100 days significantly increased the change in fresh needle weight, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), isopentenyl-adenosine (iPA), and dihydrozeatin riboside (DHZR) content. Abscisic acid (ABA) content decreased, and no effect was observed on zeatin riboside (ZR) content or changes in needle dry weight. The ratios of IAA/ABA and total cytokinins (CKs)/ABA [Formula: see text] were increased. Elevated O(3) significantly decreased IAA and ZR, and decreased the ratios of IAA/ABA and CKs/ABA. Ozone treatment increased ABA content but did not change iPA or DHZR content or change fresh or dry needle weights. The combination treatment significantly increased ABA content and the IAA/ABA ratio but decreased the total CKs/ABA ratio and had no effect on CKs or IAA content or change in fresh and dry needle weights. The results indicate that elevated CO(2) ameliorated the effects of elevated O(3) on tree growth.

[Study on the sorption and isolation of shikimic acid by 717 anion exchange resin].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a convenient, practical and environmental method for extracting and isolating shikimic acid. METHODS: The content of shikimic acid was measured by RP-ion-pair HPLC, the effects of different pH, temperature, sample concentration and eluate concentration on 717 anion exchange resin were studied. RESULTS: The yield of shikimic acid was 96.52% on the condition of 22 degrees C, pH > 6.5, 7.5 mg /ml sample concentration and 0.03 mol/L HCl eluting. CONCLUSION: This method is feasible and suitable for the extraction and isolation of shikimic acid.

[Cu and Pb absorption and tolerance of Agrostis stolonifera and Festuca arundinacea].

This paper studied the seed germination rate, chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate, SOD activity, and Cu and Pb absorption of Agrostis stolonifera and Festuca arundinacea under Cu and Pb pollution. The results showed that Cu and Pb pollution had a significant effect on the seed germination rate of F. arundinacea. The chlorophyll content of F. arundinacea decreased dramatically under Pb and Cu-Pb pollution, while decreased slightly under Cu pollution. No significant effect of Cu and Pb was observed on the chlorophyll content of A. stolonifera. The SOD activity of A. stolonifera increased under 350 mg Cu x kg(-1) and all test concentrations of Pb, while that of F. arundinacea only increased under 700 mg Pb x kg(-1) and 350 mg Cu x kg(-1) + 1100 mg Pb x kg(-1). The net photosynthetic rate of F. arundinacea decreased more under Pb pollution than under Cu pollution, but that of A. stolonifera all decreased under Cu or Pb pollution. It was suggested that A. stolonifera was more tolerant in physiological characteristics to Cu and Pb pollution than F. arundinacea, while F. arundinacea was more tolerant to Cu than to Pb. The Cu absorption amount of F. arundinacea was relatively large, but did not increase with increasing Cu pollution. A. stolonifera had a high absorption ability of Pb, and the absorbed Pb amount was increased with increasing Pb pollution. A. stolonifera and F. arundinace could be the potential phytoremediation plants for Pb and Cu-polluted soil, respectively.

[Specific promoters used in plant gene engineering].

The choice of specific promoters used within a transgene construct is a vital strategy to achieve the transgene regulation in the temporal, spatial and measurable manner. The strategy has been widely used in diverse aspects of plant gene engineering, such as quality improvement, resistance breeding and bioreactor. In this paper, we describe the structure feature, classification and research method of the specific promoter and its application progresses in plant gene engineering.