-
International Journal of Molecular... Jan 2018Auxin plays a crucial role in the diverse cellular and developmental responses of plants across their lifespan. Plants can quickly sense and respond to changes in auxin... (Review)
Review
Auxin plays a crucial role in the diverse cellular and developmental responses of plants across their lifespan. Plants can quickly sense and respond to changes in auxin levels, and these responses involve several major classes of auxin-responsive genes, including the () family, the () family, (), and the () family. Aux/IAA proteins are short-lived nuclear proteins comprising several highly conserved domains that are encoded by the auxin early response gene family. These proteins have specific domains that interact with ARFs and inhibit the transcription of genes activated by ARFs. Molecular studies have revealed that Aux/IAA family members can form diverse dimers with to regulate genes in various ways. Functional analyses of Aux/IAA family members have indicated that they have various roles in plant development, such as root development, shoot growth, and fruit ripening. In this review, recently discovered details regarding the molecular characteristics, regulation, and protein-protein interactions of the Aux/IAA proteins are discussed. These details provide new insights into the molecular basis of the Aux/IAA protein functions in plant developmental processes.
Topics: Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Indoleacetic Acids; Multigene Family; Plant Development; Plant Proteins; Plants
PubMed: 29337875
DOI: 10.3390/ijms19010259 -
Nature Sep 2020Temperature controls plant growth and development, and climate change has already altered the phenology of wild plants and crops. However, the mechanisms by which plants...
Temperature controls plant growth and development, and climate change has already altered the phenology of wild plants and crops. However, the mechanisms by which plants sense temperature are not well understood. The evening complex is a major signalling hub and a core component of the plant circadian clock. The evening complex acts as a temperature-responsive transcriptional repressor, providing rhythmicity and temperature responsiveness to growth through unknown mechanisms. The evening complex consists of EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3), a large scaffold protein and key component of temperature sensing; ELF4, a small α-helical protein; and LUX ARRYTHMO (LUX), a DNA-binding protein required to recruit the evening complex to transcriptional targets. ELF3 contains a polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat, embedded within a predicted prion domain (PrD). Here we find that the length of the polyQ repeat correlates with thermal responsiveness. We show that ELF3 proteins in plants from hotter climates, with no detectable PrD, are active at high temperatures, and lack thermal responsiveness. The temperature sensitivity of ELF3 is also modulated by the levels of ELF4, indicating that ELF4 can stabilize the function of ELF3. In both Arabidopsis and a heterologous system, ELF3 fused with green fluorescent protein forms speckles within minutes in response to higher temperatures, in a PrD-dependent manner. A purified fragment encompassing the ELF3 PrD reversibly forms liquid droplets in response to increasing temperatures in vitro, indicating that these properties reflect a direct biophysical response conferred by the PrD. The ability of temperature to rapidly shift ELF3 between active and inactive states via phase transition represents a previously unknown thermosensory mechanism.
Topics: Acclimatization; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins; Hot Temperature; Models, Molecular; Peptides; Phase Transition; Prion Proteins; Protein Domains; Repressor Proteins; Temperature; Transcription Factors
PubMed: 32848244
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2644-7 -
Biomolecules Jan 2023Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a highly conserved molecular chaperone that assists in the maturation of many client proteins involved in cellular signal transduction.... (Review)
Review
Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a highly conserved molecular chaperone that assists in the maturation of many client proteins involved in cellular signal transduction. As a regulator of cellular signaling processes, it is vital for the maintenance of cellular proteostasis and adaptation to environmental stresses. Emerging research shows that Hsp90 function in an organism goes well beyond intracellular proteostasis. In metazoans, Hsp90, as an environmentally responsive chaperone, is involved in inter-tissue stress signaling responses that coordinate and safeguard cell nonautonomous proteostasis and organismal health. In this way, Hsp90 has the capacity to influence evolution and aging, and effect behavioral responses to facilitate tissue-defense systems that ensure organismal survival. In this review, I summarize the literature on the organismal roles of Hsp90 uncovered in multicellular organisms, from plants to invertebrates and mammals.
Topics: Humans; Animals; HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; Molecular Chaperones; Signal Transduction; Proteostasis; Stress, Physiological; Mammals
PubMed: 36830620
DOI: 10.3390/biom13020251 -
Trends in Cancer Oct 2019Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy (CBT) has revolutionized cancer treatment; however, the cellular and molecular factors that govern responsiveness to immunotherapy... (Review)
Review
Checkpoint blockade immunotherapy (CBT) has revolutionized cancer treatment; however, the cellular and molecular factors that govern responsiveness to immunotherapy remain poorly understood. One emerging area of clinical importance is differential responsiveness to CBT across different tissue sites of tumor growth. Each tissue site in the body can contain unique tissue-resident immune cells from both the lymphoid and the myeloid compartment and differences in tissue-specific immune cell composition might predispose tumors in certain tissue sites to be more or less responsive to immunotherapy. Understanding the interplay between tissue-resident and systemic immune responses against tumors will help to determine how to better therapeutically target the immune system to fight cancer. This review summarizes clinical and preclinical investigations of tissue-specific antitumor immune responses and how they influence the tumor immune microenvironment and the efficacy of immunotherapy.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers, Tumor; Dendritic Cells; Energy Metabolism; Humans; Immunity; Immunity, Innate; Immunotherapy; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Myeloid Cells; Neoplasm Staging; Neoplasms; Organ Specificity; T-Lymphocytes; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 31706507
DOI: 10.1016/j.trecan.2019.07.006 -
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2021Despite being the most widely studied mood stabilizer, researchers have not confirmed a mechanism for lithium's therapeutic efficacy in Bipolar Disorder (BD).... (Review)
Review
Despite being the most widely studied mood stabilizer, researchers have not confirmed a mechanism for lithium's therapeutic efficacy in Bipolar Disorder (BD). Pharmacogenomic applications may be clinically useful in the future for identifying lithium-responsive patients and facilitating personalized treatment. Six genome-wide association studies (GWAS) reviewed here present evidence of genetic variations related to lithium responsivity and side effect expression. Variants were found on genes regulating the glutamate system, including GAD-like gene 1 () and gene, a mutually-regulated target of lithium. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) discovered on may account for lithium's exceptional ability to permeate cell membranes and mediate autoimmune and renal effects. Studies also corroborated the importance of epigenetics and stress regulation on lithium response, finding variants on long, non-coding RNA genes and associations between response and genetic loading for psychiatric comorbidities. Overall, the precision medicine model of stratifying patients based on phenotype seems to derive genotypic support of a separate clinical subtype of lithium-responsive BD. Results have yet to be expounded upon and should therefore be interpreted with caution.
PubMed: 33804842
DOI: 10.3390/ph14040287 -
Interdisciplinary Topics in Gerontology... 2020The collective loss of immune protection during aging leads to poor vaccine responses and an increased severity of infection for the elderly. Here, we review our current... (Review)
Review
The collective loss of immune protection during aging leads to poor vaccine responses and an increased severity of infection for the elderly. Here, we review our current understanding of effects of aging on the cellular and molecular dysregulation of innate immune cells as well as the relevant tissue milieu which influences their functions. The innate immune system is composed of multiple cell types which provide distinct and essential roles in tissue surveillance and antigen presentation as well as early responses to infection or injury. Functional defects that arise during aging lead to a reduced dynamic range of responsiveness, altered cytokine dynamics, and impaired tissue repair. Heightened inflammation influences both the dysregulation of innate immune responses as well as surrounding tissue microenvironments which have a critical role in development of a functional immune response. In particular, age-related physical and inflammatory changes in the skin, lung, lymph nodes, and adipose tissue reflect disrupted architecture and spatial organization contributing to diminished immune responsiveness. Underlying mechanisms include altered transcriptional programming and dysregulation of critical innate immune signaling cascades. Further, we identify signaling functions of bioactive lipid mediators which address chronic inflammation and may contribute to the resolution of inflammation to improve innate immunity during aging.
Topics: Aged; Aging; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Inflammation; Lung; Lymph Nodes; Skin; Vaccination
PubMed: 32294641
DOI: 10.1159/000504480 -
Research (Washington, D.C.) 2023Cancer immunotherapy has achieved tremendous successful clinical results and obtained historic victories in tumor treatments. However, great limitations associated with... (Review)
Review
Cancer immunotherapy has achieved tremendous successful clinical results and obtained historic victories in tumor treatments. However, great limitations associated with feeble immune responses and serious adverse effects still cannot be neglected due to the complicated multifactorial etiology and pathologic microenvironment in tumors. The rapid development of nanomedical science and material science has facilitated the advanced progress of engineering biomaterials to tackle critical issues. The supramolecular biomaterials with flexible and modular structures have exhibited unparalleled advantages of high cargo-loading efficiency, excellent biocompatibility, and diversiform immunomodulatory activity, thereby providing a powerful weapon for cancer immunotherapy. In past decades, supramolecular biomaterials were extensively explored as versatile delivery platforms for immunotherapeutic agents or designed to interact with the key moleculars in immune system in a precise and controllable manner. In this review, we focused on the crucial role of supramolecular biomaterials in the modulation of pivotal steps during tumor immunotherapy, including antigen delivery and presentation, T lymphocyte activation, tumor-associated macrophage elimination and repolarization, and myeloid-derived suppressor cell depletion. Based on extensive research, we explored the current limitations and development prospects of supramolecular biomaterials in cancer immunotherapy.
PubMed: 37705962
DOI: 10.34133/research.0211 -
Exploration (Beijing, China) Dec 2022Nanomedicines are attractive paradigms to deliver drugs, contrast agents, immunomodulators, and gene editors for cancer therapy and diagnosis. However, the currently... (Review)
Review
Nanomedicines are attractive paradigms to deliver drugs, contrast agents, immunomodulators, and gene editors for cancer therapy and diagnosis. However, the currently developed nanomedicine suffers from poor serum stability, premature drug release, and lack of responsiveness. Crosslinking strategy can be utilized to overcome these shortcomings by employing stimuli-responsive chemical bonds to tightly hold the nanostructure and releasing the payloads spatiotemporally in a highly controlled manner. In this Review, we summarize the recently ingenious design of the stimuli-responsive crosslinked nanomedicines (SCN) in the field of cancer treatment and their advances in circumventing the drawbacks of the conventional drug delivery system. We classify the SCNs into three categories based on the crosslinking strategies, including built-in, on-surface, and inter-particle crosslinking nanomedicines. Thanks to the stimuli-responsive crosslinkages, SCNs are capable of keeping robust stability during systemic circulation. They also respond to the particular tumoral conditions to experience a series of dynamic changes, such as the changes in size, surface charge, targeting moieties, integrity, and imaging signals. These characteristics allow them to efficiently overcome different biological barriers and substantially improve the drug delivery efficiency, tumor-targeting ability, and imaging sensitivities. With the examples discussed, we envision that our perspectives can inspire more attempts to engineer intelligent nanomedicine to achieve effective cancer therapy and diagnosis.
PubMed: 37324805
DOI: 10.1002/EXP.20210134 -
ABIOTECH Mar 2022Wheat production requires at least ~ 2.4% increase per year rate by 2050 globally to meet food demands. However, heat stress results in serious yield loss of wheat... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Wheat production requires at least ~ 2.4% increase per year rate by 2050 globally to meet food demands. However, heat stress results in serious yield loss of wheat worldwide. Correspondingly, wheat has evolved genetic basis and molecular mechanisms to protect themselves from heat-induced damage. Thus, it is very urgent to understand the underlying genetic basis and molecular mechanisms responsive to elevated temperatures to provide important strategies for heat-tolerant varieties breeding. In this review, we focused on the impact of heat stress on morphology variation at adult stage in wheat breeding programs. We also summarize the recent studies of genetic and molecular factors regulating heat tolerance, including identification of heat stress tolerance related QTLs/genes, and the regulation pathway in response to heat stress. In addition, we discuss the potential ways to improve heat tolerance by developing new technologies such as genome editing. This review of wheat responses to heat stress may shed light on the understanding heat-responsive mechanisms, although the regulatory network of heat tolerance is still ambiguous in wheat.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42994-021-00064-z.
PubMed: 36304198
DOI: 10.1007/s42994-021-00064-z