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Frontiers in Plant Science 2024The ongoing global expansion of salt-affected land is a significant factor, limiting the growth and yield of crops, particularly rice ( L). This experiment explores the...
Harnessing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, and to combat salt stress in rice: a study on the regulation of antioxidant defense, ion homeostasis, and photosynthetic parameters.
INTRODUCTION
The ongoing global expansion of salt-affected land is a significant factor, limiting the growth and yield of crops, particularly rice ( L). This experiment explores the mitigation of salt-induced damage in rice (cv BRRI dhan100) following the application of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR).
METHODS
Rice seedlings, at five- and six-weeks post-transplanting, were subjected to salt stress treatments using 50 and 100 mM NaCl at seven-day intervals. Bacterial cultures consisting of endophytic PGPR ( and ) and an epiphytic PGPR () were administered at three critical stages: transplantation of 42-day-old seedlings, vegetative stage at five weeks post-transplantation, and panicle initiation stage at seven weeks post-transplantation.
RESULTS
Salt stress induced osmotic stress, ionic imbalances, and oxidative damage in rice plants, with consequent negative effects on growth, decrease in photosynthetic efficiency, and changes in hormonal regulation, along with increased methylglyoxal (MG) toxicity. PGPR treatment alleviated salinity effects by improving plant antioxidant defenses, restoring ionic equilibrium, enhancing water balance, increasing nutrient uptake, improving photosynthetic attributes, bolstering hormone synthesis, and enhancing MG detoxification.
DISCUSSION
These findings highlight the potential of PGPR to bolster physiological and biochemical functionality in rice by serving as an effective buffer against salt stress-induced damage. showed the greatest benefits, while both the endophytic and epiphytic had commendable effects in mitigating salt stress-induced damage in rice plants.
PubMed: 38938633
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1419764 -
Journal of Experimental Botany Jun 2024Due to technological advances in mass spectrometry, significant progress has been achieved recently in plant hormone research. Nowadays, plant hormonomics is well...
Due to technological advances in mass spectrometry, significant progress has been achieved recently in plant hormone research. Nowadays, plant hormonomics is well established as a fully integrated scientific field focused on the analysis of phytohormones, mainly on their isolation, identification and spatiotemporal quantification in plants. This review represents a comprehensive meta-study of the advances in the phytohormone analysis by mass spectrometry over the past decade. To address current trends and future perspectives, Web of Science data were systematically collected and key features such as mass spectrometry-based analyses were evaluated using multivariate data analysis methods. Our findings showed that plant hormonomics is currently divided into targeted and untargeted approaches. Both aim to miniaturize the sample, allowing high-resolution quantification to be covered in plant organs as well as subcellular compartments. Therefore, we can study plant hormone biosynthesis, metabolism and signalling at a spatio-temporal resolution. Moreover, this trend has recently been accelerated by technological advances such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting or mass spectrometry imaging.
PubMed: 38938164
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erae267 -
Animal Bioscience Jun 2024Somatostatin (SS) plays important regulatory roles in animal growth and reproduction by affecting the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone (GH). However, the...
OBJECTIVE
Somatostatin (SS) plays important regulatory roles in animal growth and reproduction by affecting the synthesis and secretion of growth hormone (GH). However, the mechanism by which SS regulates growth and development in goats is still unclear.
METHODS
In this study, we randomly selected eight 7-month-old Dazu black goats (DBGs) of similar body weight and equally assigned four bucks as the immunised and negative control groups. The immunised group received the Salmonella typhi attenuated vaccine CSO22 (ptCS/2SS-asd) orally, whilst the negative control group received the empty vector vaccine CSO22 (pVAX-asd) orally.
RESULTS
The SS concentration in the serum of goats in the immunised group was significantly lower than that in the negative control group, and the daily gain was significantly higher (p < 0.05). SS-14 DNA vaccine immunisation resulted in significantly higher concentrations of growth-related hormones such as GH-releasing hormone and IGF-1 in the serum of goats (p < 0.05). RNA-seq analysis of hypothalamus of oral SS-14 DNA vaccine and negative control DBGs identified 31 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Pituitary gland identified 164 DEGs. A total of 246 DEGs were detected in the liver by RNA-seq. Gene ontology (GO) of DEGs was enriched in mitochondrial envelope, extracellular region, receptor binding and cell proliferation. The biological metabolic pathways associated with DEGs were explored by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis. DEGs were associated with metabolic pathways, oxidative phosphorylation, vitamin digestion and absorption and galactose metabolism. These candidate genes (e.g. DGKK, CYTB, DUSP1 and LRAT) may provide references for exploring the molecular mechanisms by which SS promotes growth and development.
CONCLUSION
Overall, these results demonstrated that the SS DNA vaccine enhanced the growth of DBGs by altering growth-related hormone concentrations and regulating the expression of growth-related genes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-liver axis.
PubMed: 38938026
DOI: 10.5713/ab.24.0121 -
BMC Plant Biology Jun 2024Salt is an important factor that affects crop productivity. Plant hexokinases (HXKs) are key enzymes in the glycolytic pathway and sugar signaling transduction pathways...
BACKGROUND
Salt is an important factor that affects crop productivity. Plant hexokinases (HXKs) are key enzymes in the glycolytic pathway and sugar signaling transduction pathways of plants. In previous studies, we identified and confirmed the roles of GmHXK2 in salt tolerance.
RESULTS
In this study, we analyzed the tissue-specific expression of GmHXK2 at different growth stages throughout the plant's life cycle. The results showed that GmHXK2 was expressed significantly in all tissues at vegetative stages, including germination and seedling. However, no expression was detected in the pods, and there was little expression in flowers during the later mature period. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing the GmHXK2 (OE) had more lateral roots. The OE seedlings also produced higher levels of auxin and ascorbic acid (AsA). Additionally, the expression levels of genes PMM, YUC4/YUC6/YUC8, and PIN/LAX1,LAX3, which are involved respectively in the synthesis of AsA and auxin, as well as polar auxin transport, were upregulated in OE plants. This upregulation occurred specifically under exogenous glucose treatment. AtHKT1, AtSOS1, and AtNHX1 were up-regulated in OE plants under salt stress, suggesting that GmHXK2 may modulate salt tolerance by maintaining ion balance within the cells and alleviating damage caused by salt stress. Additionally, we further confirmed the interaction between GmHXK2 and the protein GmPMM through yeast two-hybridization and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, respectively.
CONCLUSION
The expression of GmHXK2 gene in plants is organ-specific and developmental stage specific. GmHXK2 not only regulates the synthesis of AsA and the synthesis and distribution of auxin, but also promotes root elongation and induces lateral root formation, potentially enhancing soil water absorption. This study reveals the crosstalk between sugar signaling and hormone signaling in plants, where GmHXK2 acts as a glucose sensor through its interaction with GmPMM, and sheds light on the molecular mechanism by which GmHXK2 gene is involved in salt tolerance in plants.
Topics: Seedlings; Indoleacetic Acids; Salt Tolerance; Glycine max; Ascorbic Acid; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Plant Proteins; Arabidopsis; Plants, Genetically Modified
PubMed: 38937682
DOI: 10.1186/s12870-024-05301-3 -
ENeuro Jun 2024Ghrelin is a stomach-derived hormone that increases feeding and is elevated in response to chronic psychosocial stressors. The effects of ghrelin on feeding are mediated...
Ghrelin is a stomach-derived hormone that increases feeding and is elevated in response to chronic psychosocial stressors. The effects of ghrelin on feeding are mediated by the binding of ghrelin to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), a receptor located in hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic regions important for regulating food intake and metabolic rate. The ability of ghrelin to enter the brain, however, seems to be restricted to circumventricular organs like the median eminence and the brain stem area postrema (AP), whereas ghrelin does not readily enter other GHSR expressing regions like the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Interestingly, social stressors result in increased blood brain barrier permeability, and this could therefore facilitate the entry of ghrelin into the brain. To investigate this, we exposed mice to social defeat stress for 21 days, then peripherally injected a Cy5-labelled biologically active ghrelin analogue. Results demonstrate that chronically stressed mice exhibit higher Cy5-ghrelin fluorescence in several hypothalamic regions in addition to the ARC, including the hippocampus and midbrain. Furthermore, Cy5-ghrelin injections resulted in increased FOS expression in regions associated with the reward system in the chronically stressed mice. Further histologic analyses identified a reduction in branching of hypothalamic astrocytes in the ARC-median eminence junction, suggesting increased blood-brain barrier permeability. These data support the hypothesis that during metabolically challenging conditions like chronic stress, ghrelin may be more able to cross the blood brain barrier and diffuse throughout the brain to target GHSR expressing brain regions away from circumventricular organs. Ghrelin is secreted in response to negative energy balance states including stress and is associated with changes in food intake and energy balance. The receptors for ghrelin are found throughout the brain but ghrelin seems to only reach circumventricular regions where the blood brain barrier is more porous. In this paper we demonstrate that chronic social defeat stress increases brain permeability to ghrelin to allow for entry and activation of target sites in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system that are not accessible to ghrelin under non-stress conditions. Overall, these results provide for an explanation as to how ghrelin can access the mesolimbic dopaminergic system in a state dependent manner.
PubMed: 38937108
DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0093-24.2024 -
Journal of Clinical Oncology : Official... Jun 2024Long-term outcomes of patients with stage I human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1)...
Adjuvant Trastuzumab Emtansine Versus Paclitaxel Plus Trastuzumab for Stage I Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer: 5-Year Results and Correlative Analyses From ATEMPT.
PURPOSE
Long-term outcomes of patients with stage I human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer receiving adjuvant trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) remain undefined, and prognostic predictors represent an unmet need.
METHODS
In the ATEMPT phase II trial, patients with stage I centrally confirmed HER2-positive breast cancer were randomly assigned 3:1 to adjuvant T-DM1 for 1 year or paclitaxel plus trastuzumab (TH). Coprimary objectives were to compare the incidence of clinically relevant toxicities between arms and to evaluate invasive disease-free survival (iDFS) with T-DM1. Correlative analyses included the HER2DX genomic tool, multiomic evaluations of HER2 heterogeneity, and predictors of thrombocytopenia.
RESULTS
After a median follow-up of 5.8 years, 11 iDFS events were observed in the T-DM1 arm, consistent with a 5-year iDFS of 97.0% (95% CI, 95.2 to 98.7). At 5 years, the recurrence-free interval (RFI) was 98.3% (95% CI, 97.0 to 99.7), the overall survival was 97.8% (95% CI, 96.3 to 99.3), and the breast cancer-specific survival was 99.4% (95% CI, 98.6 to 100). Comparable iDFS was observed with T-DM1 irrespective of tumor size, hormone receptor status, centrally determined HER2 immunohistochemical score, and receipt of T-DM1 for more or less than 6 months. Although ATEMPT was not powered for this end point, the 5-year iDFS in the TH arm was 91.1%. Among patients with sufficient tissue for HER2DX testing (n = 187), 5-year outcomes significantly differed according to HER2DX risk score, with better RFI (98.1% 81.8%, hazard ratio [HR], 0.10, = .01) and iDFS (96.3% 81.8%, HR, 0.20, = .047) among patients with HER2DX low-risk versus high-risk tumors, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Adjuvant T-DM1 for 1 year leads to outstanding long-term outcomes for patients with stage I HER2-positive breast cancer. A high HER2DX risk score predicted a higher risk of recurrence in ATEMPT.
PubMed: 38935923
DOI: 10.1200/JCO.23.02170 -
Clinical Endocrinology Jun 2024Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) may develop premature pubarche (PP). We investigated the frequency of PP, and its potential precursors and sequelae, in PWS.
OBJECTIVES
Children with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) may develop premature pubarche (PP). We investigated the frequency of PP, and its potential precursors and sequelae, in PWS.
DESIGN, PATIENTS AND MEASUREMENTS
A chart review of children with PWS treated at our institution between 1990 and 2021 was performed. PP was defined as Tanner stage 2 (TS2) pubic hair in girls <8 and boys <9 years old. Demographic, anthropometric, and laboratory data were collected to assess predisposing factors and consequences of PP in comparison to patients with PWS who had normal pubarche (NP).
RESULTS
Analysis included 43 children with PWS, 23 (53.5%) with PP and 20 (46.5%) with NP. Median age at pubarche was 7.0 years in PP group and 10.0 years in NP group. Age at pubarche was not correlated with age of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) initiation, body mass index (BMI) z-score, or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) at pubarche. BMI z-score at pubarche was modestly correlated with degree of pubarchal BA advancement (p = 0.033). Those with PP were more likely to have a lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) (1.05 mmol/L vs. 1.41 mmol/L in the NP group, p = 0.041). The difference between target and final height did not differ between groups (p = 0.507).
CONCLUSION
PP is common in PWS but does not compromise final height in comparison to the NP group. Obesity and insulin resistance were not associated with PP in children with PWS, contrary to what has been seen in obese children without PWS.
PubMed: 38935853
DOI: 10.1111/cen.15108 -
ACS Nano Jun 2024Nanoplastics (NPs), as emerging contaminants, have been shown to cause testicular disorders in mammals. However, whether paternal inheritance effects on offspring health...
Nanoplastics (NPs), as emerging contaminants, have been shown to cause testicular disorders in mammals. However, whether paternal inheritance effects on offspring health are involved in NP-induced reproductive toxicity remains unclear. In this study, we developed a mouse model where male mice were administered 200 nm polyethylene nanoparticles (PE-NPs) at a concentration of 2 mg/L through daily gavage for 35 days to evaluate the intergenerational effects of PE-NPs in an exclusive male-lineage transmission paradigm. We observed that paternal exposure to PE-NPs significantly affected growth phenotypes and sex hormone levels and induced histological damage in the testicular tissue of both F and F generations. In addition, consistent changes in sperm count, motility, abnormalities, and gene expression related to endoplasmic reticulum stress, sex hormone synthesis, and spermatogenesis were observed across paternal generations. The upregulation of microRNA (miR)-1983 and the downregulation of miR-122-5p, miR-5100, and miR-6240 were observed in both F and F mice, which may have been influenced by reproductive signaling pathways, as indicated by the RNA sequencing of testis tissues and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction findings. Furthermore, alterations in the gut microbiota and subsequent Spearman correlation analysis revealed that an increased abundance of and and a decreased abundance of were positively associated with spermatogenic dysfunction. These findings were validated in a fecal microbiota transplantation trial. Our results demonstrate that changes in miRNAs and the gut microbiota caused by paternal exposure to PE-NPs mediated intergenerational effects, providing deeper insights into mechanisms underlying the impact of paternal inheritance.
PubMed: 38935618
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c06298 -
Endocrinology May 2024
Correction to: "Liver-Specific GH Receptor Gene-Disrupted (LiGHRKO) Mice Have Decreased Endocrine IGF-I, Increased Local IGF-I, and Altered Body Size, Body Composition, and Adipokine Profiles".
Topics: Animals; Mice; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; Liver; Adipokines; Body Composition; Mice, Knockout; Receptors, Somatotropin; Body Size
PubMed: 38935339
DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqae065 -
International Journal of Surgery... Jun 2024Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women worldwide, with 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths annually. It has the highest incidence in North...
BACKGROUND
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer among women worldwide, with 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths annually. It has the highest incidence in North America, Europe, and Australia and lower rates in parts of Asia and Africa. Risk factors include age, family history, hormone replacement therapy, obesity, alcohol consumption, and lack of physical activity. BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations significantly increase the risk. The five-year survival rate is over 90% in developed countries but lower in developing ones. Early screening and diagnosis, using mammography and MRI, are crucial for reducing mortality. In recent years, significant progress has been made in studying BC immunophenotyping, particularly in multicolor flow cytometry, molecular imaging techniques, and tumor microenvironment analysis. These technologies improve diagnosis, classification, and detection of minimal residual disease. Novel immunotherapies targeting the tumor microenvironment, like CAR-T cell therapy, show high efficiency and fewer side effects. High levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) correlate with better prognosis, while immune checkpoint molecules (PD-1, PD-L1) help cancer cells evade the immune system. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote invasion and metastasis. Blocking molecules like CTLA-4, LAG-3, and TIM-3 enhance anti-tumor responses, and cytokines like IL-10 and TGF-β aid tumor growth and immune evasion. Mendelian randomization (MR) studies use genetic variants to reduce confounding bias and avoid reverse causation, providing robust causal inferences about immune cell phenotypes and BC. This approach supports the development of precision medicine and personalized treatment strategies for BC.
METHODS
This study aims to conduct Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis on 731 immune cell phenotypes with BC in the BCAC and Finngen R10 datasets, followed by a meta-analysis of the primary results using the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method and multiple corrections for the significance p values from the meta-analysis. Specifically, the study is divided into three parts: First, data on 731 immune cell phenotypes and BC are obtained and preprocessed from the GWAS Catalog and Open GWAS (BCAC) and the Finngen R10 databases. Second, MR analysis is performed on the 731 immune cell phenotypes with BC data from the BCAC and Finngen R10 databases, followed by a meta-analysis of the primary results using the IVW method, with multiple corrections for the significance p values from the meta-analysis. Finally, the positively identified immune cell phenotypes are used as outcome variables, and BC as the exposure variable for reverse MR validation.
RESULTS
The study found that two immune phenotypes exhibited strong significant associations in MR analysis combined with meta-analysis and multiple corrections. For the immune phenotype CD3 on CD28+ CD4-CD8- T cells, the results were as follows: In the BCAC dataset, the IVW result was Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.942 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.915 ~ 0.970, P = 6.76 × 10-5), β = -0.059; MR Egger result was β = -0.095; and the weighted median result was β = -0.060. In the Finngen R10 dataset, the IVW result was OR = 0.956 (95% CI = 0.907 ~ 1.01, P = 0.092), β = -0.045; MR Egger result was β = -0.070; and weighted median result was β = -0.035. The β values were consistent in direction across all three MR methods in both datasets. The meta-analysis of the IVW results from both datasets showed OR = 0.945 (95% CI = 0.922 ~ 0.970, P = 1.70 × 10-5). After Bonferroni correction, the significant P-value was P = 0.01, confirming the immune phenotype as a protective factor against BC. For the immune phenotype HLA DR on CD33- HLA DR+, the results were as follows: In the BCAC dataset, the IVW result was OR = 0.977 (95% CI = 0.964 ~ 0.990, P = 7.64 × 10-4), β = -0.023; MR Egger result was β = -0.016; and the weighted median result was β = -0.019. In the Finngen R10 dataset, the IVW result was OR = 0.960 (95% CI = 0.938 ~ 0.983, P = 6.51 × 10-4), β = -0.041; MR Egger result was β = -0.064; and weighted median result was β = -0.058. The β values were consistent in direction across all three MR methods in both datasets. The meta-analysis of the IVW results from both datasets showed OR = 0.973 (95% CI = 0.961 ~ 0.984, P = 3.80 × 10-6). After Bonferroni correction, the significant P-value was P = 0.003, confirming this immune phenotype as a protective factor against BC. When the immune cell phenotypes CD3 on CD28+ CD4-CD8- T cells and HLA DR on CD33- HLA DR+ were used as outcomes and BC was used as exposure, the data processing and analysis procedures were the same. The MR analysis results are as follows: Data from the FinnGen database regarding the effect of positive immune phenotypes on malignant neoplasm of the breast indicated a β coefficient of -0.011, OR = 0.99 (95% CI = -0.117 ~ 0.096, P = 0.846); data from the BCAC database regarding favorable immune phenotypes for BC demonstrated a β coefficient of -0.052, OR = 0.095 (95% CI = -0.144 ~ 0.040, P = 0.266). The results suggest insufficient evidence in both databases to indicate that BC inversely affects these two immune cell phenotypes.
CONCLUSIONS
Evidence suggests that the immune cell phenotypes CD3 on CD28+ CD4-CD8- T cells and HLA DR on CD33- HLA DR+ protect against BC. This protective effect may be achieved through various mechanisms, including enhancing immune surveillance to recognize and eliminate tumor cells; secreting cytokines to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and growth directly; triggering apoptotic pathways in tumor cells to reduce their number; modulating the tumor microenvironment to make it unfavorable for tumor growth and spread; activating other immune cells to boost the overall immune response; and inhibiting angiogenesis to reduce the tumor's nutrient supply. These mechanisms work together to help protect BC patients and slow disease progression. Both immune cell phenotypes are protective factors for BC patients and can be targeted to enhance their function and related pathways for BC treatment.
PubMed: 38935111
DOI: 10.1097/JS9.0000000000001840