5.9
CiteScore
5.9
Impact Factor

2013 Vol. 40, No. 9

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Review
Roles of MicroRNAs in the Caenorhabditis elegans Nervous System
Lingfeng Meng, Liang Chen, Zhaoyong Li, Zheng-Xing Wu, Ge Shan
2013, 40(9): 445-452. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.07.002
Abstract (106) HTML PDF (0)
Abstract:
The first microRNA was discovered in Caenorhabditis elegans in 1993, and since then, thousands of microRNAs have been identified from almost all eukaryotic organisms examined. MicroRNAs function in many biological events such as cell fate determination, metabolism, apoptosis, and carcinogenesis. So far, more than 250 microRNAs have been identified in C. elegans; however, functions for most of these microRNAs are still unknown. A small number of C. elegans microRNAs are associated with known physiological roles such as developmental timing, cell differentiation, stress response, and longevity. In this review, we summarize known roles of microRNAs in neuronal differentiation and function ofC. elegans, and discuss interesting perspectives for future studies.
Original research
Derivation of Putative Porcine Embryonic Germ Cells and Analysis of Their Multi-Lineage Differentiation Potential
Yimei Cong, Jing Ma, Ruizhen Sun, Jianyu Wang, Binghua Xue, Jiaqiang Wang, Bingteng Xie, Juan Wang, Kui Hu, Zhonghua Liu
2013, 40(9): 453-464. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.06.003
Abstract (71) HTML PDF (2)
Abstract:
Embryonic germ (EG) cells are cultured pluripotent stem cells derived from the primordial germ cells (PGCs) that migrate from the dorsal mesentery of the hindgut to the developing genital ridge. In this study, the morphology of the porcine genital ridge was assessed in embryos harvested on days 22–30 of pregnancy. PGCs from embryos at these stages were cultured to obtain porcine EG cell lines, and EG-like cells were derived from PGCs from embryos harvested on days 24–28 of pregnancy. The EG-like cells expressed Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, SSEA-3, SSEA-4 and alkaline phosphatase (AP). These cells were able to form embryoid bodies (EBs) in suspension culture and differentiate into cells representative of the three germ layers as verified by a-fetoprotein (AFP), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and Nestin expression. Spontaneous differentiation from the porcine EG-like cells of delayed passage in vitro showed that they could differentiate into epithelial-like cells, mesenchymal-like cells and neuron-like cells. In vitro directed differentiation generated osteocytes, adipocytes and a variety of neural lineage cells, as demonstrated by alizarin red staining, oil red O staining, and immunofluorescence for neuronal class Ⅲ β-tubulin (Tuj1), glial fibrillary protein (GFAP) and galactosylceramidase (GALC), respectively. These results indicate that porcine EG-like cells have the potential for multi-lineage differentiation and are useful for basic porcine stem cell research.
Abscisic Acid Suppresses the Highly Occurred Somatic Homologous Recombination in Arabidopsis rfc1 Mutant
Tingxiu Yao, Dan Jin, Qian Liu, Zhizhong Gong
2013, 40(9): 465-471. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.05.006
Abstract (85) HTML PDF (0)
Abstract:
The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) regulates many aspects of plant growth, including seed germination, root growth and cell division. Previous study indicates that ABA treatment increases DNA damage and somatic homologous recombination (HR) in Arabidopsis abo4/pol ɛ (aba overly-sensitive 4 /DNA polymerase ɛ) mutants. DNA replication factor C (RFC) complex is required for loading PCNA (Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen) during DNA replication. The defect in RFC1, the largest subunit of RFC, causes the high HR and DNA damage sensitivity in Arabidopsis. Here we found that like pol ε/abo4, rfc1 is sensitive to ABA in both ABA-inhibiting seed germination and root growth. However, ABA treatment greatly reduces HR and also reduces the expression of the DNA-damaged marker genes in rfc1. These results suggest that RFC1 plays critical roles in ABA-mediated HR in Arabidopsis.
Genetic and Proteomic Analyses of a Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris purC Mutant Deficient in Purine Biosynthesis and Virulence
Zhihui Yuan, Li Wang, Shutao Sun, Yao Wu, Wei Qian
2013, 40(9): 473-487. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.05.003
Abstract (90) HTML PDF (1)
Abstract:
Bacterial proliferation in hosts requires activation of a number of housekeeping pathways, including purine de novo biosynthesis. Although inactivation of purine biosynthesis genes can attenuate virulence, it is unclear which biochemical or virulence factors are associated with the purine biosynthesis pathway in vivo. We report that inactivation of purC, a gene encoding phosphoribosylaminoimidazole-succinocarboxamide synthase, caused complete loss of virulence inXanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, the causal agent of black rot disease of cruciferous plants. The purC mutant was a purine auxotroph; it could not grow on minimal medium, whereas addition of purine derivatives, such as hypoxanthine or adenine plus guanine, restored growth of the mutant. The purC mutation also significantly enhanced the production of an unknown purine synthesis associated pigment and extracellular polysaccharides by the bacterium. In addition, comparative proteomic analyses of bacteria grown on rich and minimal media revealed that the purC mutation affected the expression levels of diverse proteins involved in purine and pyrimidine synthesis, carbon and energy metabolisms, iron uptake, proteolysis, protein secretion, and signal transduction. These results provided clues to understanding the contributions of purine synthesis to bacterial virulence and interactions with host immune systems.
Letter to the Editor
Association Analysis of Four Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Two Chinese Populations
Lan Cao, Yun Liu, Qin Shen, Xinzhi Zhao, Ting Wang, Lin He
2013, 40(9): 489-491. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.08.001
Abstract (93) HTML PDF (0)
Abstract:
Fine Mapping and Analysis of DWARF TILLER1 in Controlling Rice Architecture
Wenfei Wang, Huangwei Chu, Dabing Zhang, Wanqi Liang
2013, 40(9): 493-495. doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2013.04.010
Abstract (83) HTML PDF (0)
Abstract: