Fan-Chun Meng, Jun-Kai Lin

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 139-146, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15185747911701

Abstract Inhibition of tumor metastasis is one of the most important purposes in colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment. This study aimed to explore the effects of liquiritigenin, a flavonoid extracted from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, on HCT116 cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We found that liquiritigenin significantly inhibited HCT116 cell proliferation, invasion, and the EMT process, but had no influence on cell apoptosis. Moreover, liquiritigenin remarkably reduced the expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) in HCT116 cells. Overexpression of Runx2 obviously reversed the liquiritigenininduced invasion and EMT inhibition. Furthermore, liquiritigenin inactivated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/ protein kinase B… More >

Hao Chen, Yi Zhang, Hai Su, Hui Shi, Qijiang Xiong, Zulu Su

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 325-334, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15251282086836

Abstract It is well known that activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) expression is closely associated with progression of many cancers. We found that miR-1283 could directly target ATF4. However, the precise mechanisms of miR-1283 in glioma have not been well clarified. Our study aimed to explore the interaction between ATF4 and miR-1283 in glioma. In this study, we found that the level of miR-1283 was dramatically decreased in glioma tissues and cell lines, the expression of ATF4 was significantly increased, and the low level of miR-1283 was closely associated with high expression of ATF4 in glioma tissues. Moreover, introduction of miR-1283… More >

FENG ZHU^*, QINQIN ZHANG, YANGKAI ZHOU, QIPING ZHANG, MENGYAO CAO, ZHAOLIN JI

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.9, pp. 2123-2131, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020229

Abstract The NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) superfamily is one of the largest plant-specific families containing transcription factors. An increasing number of studies suggest that NAC1 is involved in plants response to different biotic and abiotic stimulis. Nicotiana benthamiana is a widely used system for evaluating plant-pathogen interactions. In order to study the biochemical function of NbNAC1, NbNAC1 protein and antibody are essential. Therefore, we focused on developing a prokaryotic expression system for producing the Nicotiana benthamiana NbNAC1 protein of in Escherichia coli and the preparation of its polyclonal antibody. Firstly, we constructed two different molecular weight prokaryotic expression vectors: pGE… More >

XIN LI¹, JIANMIN PAN¹, FAISAL ISLAM², JUANJUAN LI¹, ZHUONI HOU¹, ZONGQI YANG¹, LING XU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1947-1958, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019806

Abstract NAC (NAM, ATAF, CUC) is a class of transcription factors involved in plant growth regulation, abiotic stress responses, morphogenesis and metabolism. Salvia miltiorrhiza is an important Chinese medicinal herb, but the characterization of NAC genes in this species is limited. In this study, based on the Salvia miltiorrhiza genomic databases, 82 NAC transcription factors were identified, which were divided into 14 groups. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analysis, gene structure, chromosomal localization and potential role of SmNACs in abiotic stress conditions were also studied. The results revealed that some SmNACs had different structures than others, which advised that these genes may have multiple/distinct… More >

Shiqin Yang^1,2,#, Tao Jiang^3,#, Peilin Shen¹, Shengjie Ren³, Zhun Gu¹, Fangjun Feng², Yunpeng Peng^2,4, Wei Wang⁵, Kai Xu^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.8, pp. 1671-1686, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.018996

Abstract Plant height is an important morphological trait that affects crop yield. Several genes related to plant height and yield have been reported in rice (Oryza sativa L.), however, the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of these traits is still not completely understood. VP64 is widely used as a transcriptional activator to investigate the biological function of genes encoding transcription factors. Here, we identified a novel bZIP transcription factor OsbZIP62 that is involved in modulating agronomic traits in rice. Overexpression of OsbZIP62-VP64 (OsbZIP62V) significantly increases the plant height and yield per plant in rice. RNA-seq analysis showed that some plant height… More >

HE LI¹, RUNAN CHEN¹, ZHONGCHENG CHEN¹, JIAXIN LIN¹, XIJUN JIN¹, CHUNYUAN REN¹, QIUSEN CHEN¹, FENGQIONG CHEN¹, GAOBO YU^1,*, YUXIAN ZHANG^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1575-1592, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018762

Abstract The Type-B authentic response regulator (ARR-Bs) gene family is one of the important plant-specific transcription factor families involved in variety of physiological processes. However, study of ARR-Bs gene family in soybean is limited. Genome-wide analysis and expression profiling of the ARR-Bs gene family were performed in the soybean genome. 31 ARR-Bs genes (namely GmARR-B1-31) were identified, containing conserved catalytic domains with protein lengths and molecular weights ranging from 246 to 699 amino acids (aa) and 28.30 to 76.86 kDa, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis grouped ARR-Bs genes into three clusters—Cluster I, Cluster II, and Cluster III—which included 15, 12, and 4 genes,… More >

Ying Chen^1,#, Chuanqiang Liu^1,#, Qingqing He¹, Jianjian Li², Jingjing Wang², Ling Li², Xiang Yao², Shenghao Zhou³, Haoran Wang^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.3, pp. 651-665, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.017633

Abstract As a macronutrient, Phosphorus (P) takes many roles in plant growth and development. It should be significant to explore the molecular mechanism of low-phosphorus stress response of plants. Phosphate starvation response (PHR) transcription factors play important roles in response to phosphorus deficiency stress in plants. In this study, we isolated a gene related to the plant phosphorus signaling system from the acid-soil-resistant centipedegrass (Eremochloa ophiuroides [Munro] Hack.), termed EoPHR2. The subcellular localization of EoPHR2 protein was observed to be nuclear located. The expression patterns of EoPHR2 in different tissues and Al/Pi-stress conditions were analyzed by qRT-PCR, they suggested a potential… More >

CÜNEYT UÇARLI^*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.6, pp. 1673-1685, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.016316

Abstract RAV (Related to ABI3/VP1) transcription factors are unique members of the AP2-ERF superfamily with AP2 and B3 domains and play important roles in the regulation of seed germination, plant growth, and stress response. In the study, 7 RAV genes, named HvRAVs, were identified in barley based on the available genome sequences. While five of the seven HvRAVs were located on chromosome 3, HvRAV5 and HvRAV7 were located on chromosome 1 and 4, respectively. Six of the predicted HvRAVs were intron-less, except HvRAV2, which had one intron. HvRAV proteins have shown basic, instable, and hydrophilic properties. The AP2 domain specific RAYD… More >

XINGYU MEI, ZHOUWEI WU, CHENGZHONG ZHANG, YUE SUN, WEIMIN SHI^*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.6, pp. 1551-1559, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015376

Abstract Vitiligo results in an autoimmune disorder destructing skin pigment cells, melanocytes (Mcs). This study aimed to investigate whether Astragaloside IV (AIV) could efficiently induce differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) into Mcs. BMMSCs were induced and differentiated into Mcs with 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/L AIV during 150-day. Morphologic changes of differentiated cells were observed. Levels of some melanocytic specific genes (TRP-1, TRP-2, MART-1, Mitf) were measured with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) at 90, 120, and 150 days of induction. After 90-day induction, the differentiated cells with 0.4 mg/L AIV demonstrated the typical morphology of Mcs, positive… More >

ISIDORA PETROVIC¹, MILENA MILIVOJEVIC¹, ANA ARSENIJEVIC², ANDRIJANA LAZIC¹, NATASA KOVACEVIC GRUJICIC¹, MARIJA SCHWIRTLICH¹, JELENA POPOVIC³, MILENA STEVANOVIC^1,4,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.5, pp. 1355-1367, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015817

Abstract Genetic and molecular heterogeneity, together with intrinsic and acquired resistance to therapy, represent the major obstacles to the successful treatment of different types of breast carcinoma. Increasing evidence demonstrates that SOX transcription factors in breast carcinomas could act both as oncogenes and tumor suppressors and have been associated with tumor stage and grade, poor prognosis, and therapy resistance. Both SOX2 and SOX18 overexpression has been correlated with poor prognosis in breast carcinomas, and these genes are recognized as potential antitumor targets. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of retinoic acid (RA), a well-known cyto-differentiating agent, on breast carcinoma cells… More >