The complete chloroplast genome of Lilium nepalense (Liliaceae)

Lilium nepalense is a useful plant species not only for its showy flowers but also has high medicinal value. In this study, the whole chloroplast genome of L. nepalense was sequenced for the first time. The genome size of L. nepalense, was 152,956bp, with typical tetragonal structure: one large single copy (82,573 bp), one small single copy (17,527 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs, 26,428 bp). The overall GC content was 37.0%. The complete genome contained 131 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that L. nepalense was a close relationship between L. leucanthum and L. henryi. Phylogenetic analysis placed L. nepalense under the family Liliaceae

The complete chloroplast genome of Lilium rosthornii Diels (Liliopsida: Liliaceae) from Hunan, China

Lilium rosthornii is the perennial herbaceous bulbous plant belonging to the Lily of the Liliaceae, with high ornamental value and medicinal values. In this present study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of Lilium rosthornii by Illumina Hiseq X Ten and PacBio RS technologies firstly. The genome size of L. rosthornii, was 152,242bp, with typical tetragonal structure: one large single-copy (LSC, 81,875 bp), one small single-copy (SSC, 17,553 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs, 26,407 bp). The overall GC content was 37.02%. The complete genome contained 131 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis placed L. rosthornii under the family Liliaceae

The complete chloroplast genome of Lilium amoenum (Liliopsida: Liliaceae) from Yunnan, China

Lilium amoenum E. H. Wilson ex Sealy is classified in Liliaceae, and it is an important ornamental plant with wonderful rose-red color and pleasant rose fragrance. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome of L. amoenum by Illumina Hiseq X Ten and PacBio RS technologies. The genome size of L. amoenum is 152,280 bp, and displays a typical quadripartite structure: one large single-copy (LSC, 81,977 bp), one small single-copy (SSC, 17,539 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs, 26,382 bp). The overall GC content was 37.0%. The complete genome contained 131 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis showed that L. amoenum is closely related to L. taliense and L. bakerianum. The present study could afford crucial genetic information for further researches on the genus and related genera

Gene expression profiles and bioinformatics analysis in lung samples from ovalbumin-induced asthmatic mice

Abstract Background Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation and airway remodeling. However, limited study is conducted on the gene expression profiles of ovalbumin (OVA) induced asthma in mice. Here, we explored the gene expression profiles in lung tissues from mice with OVA-induced asthma using microarray and bioinformatics analysis. Methods For establishment of OVA-induced asthma model, mice first received intraperitoneal sensitization with OVA on day 0, 7 and 14, followed by atomizing inhalation of OVA 3 times a week for 8 weeks. The lung tissues were collected and subjected to microarray analysis, bioinformatics analysis and expression validation. Results Microarray data of lung tissues suggested that 3754 lncRNAs and 2976 mRNAs were differentially expressed in lung tissues between control and asthmatic mice, including 1647 up-regulated and 2106 down-regulated lncRNAs, and 1201 up-regulated and 1766 down-regulated mRNAs. GO analysis displayed that the up-regulated genes were enriched in inflammatory response, leukocyte migration involved in inflammatory response, and Notch signaling pathway. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the enriched pathway terms of the up-regulated gene included Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and Th17 cell differentiation signaling pathway. Additionally, based on the previously published literatures on asthma and inflammation, we screened out down-regulated genes, such as Smg7, Sumo2, and Stat5a, and up-regulated genes, such as Myl9, Fos and Tlr4. According to the mRNA-lncRNA co-expression network, we selected lncRNAs associated with above genes, including the down-regulated lncRNAs of NONMMUT032848, NONMMUT008873, NONMMUT009478, and NONMMUT006807, and the up-regulated lncRNAs of NONMMUT052633, NONMMUT05340 and NONMMUT042325. The expression changes of the above genes were validated in lung tissues by real-time quantitaive PCR and Western blot. Conclusions Overall, we performed gene microarray on lung samples from OVA-induced asthmatic mice and summarized core mRNAs and their related lncRNAs. This study may provide evidence for further research on the therapeutic targets of asthma

Arenobufagin Promoted Oxidative Stress-Associated Mitochondrial Pathway Apoptosis in A549 Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line

Arenobufagin (ARE) has demonstrated potent anticancer activity in various types of tumor, but the role and mechanism of ARE for lung cancer remain unclear. Oxidative stress exists under normal conditions and is an inevitable state in the body. A variety of noxious stimuli can break the equilibrium state of oxidative stress and promote apoptosis. Here, we used a CCK-8 assay to examine cell viability. We determined oxidative stress damage by measuring levels of intracellular ROS and levels of GSH, SOD, and MDA. Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining assay, as well as the Hoechst 33258 staining, was used to detect ARE-induced apoptosis in A549 cell. Evaluation of the expression level of the specified molecule was indicated by Western blot and qRT-PCR. Loss of function experiment was carried out using NAC pretreatment. The experimental results show that ARE significantly declines in the viability of A549 cells and increases the apoptosis rate of A549 cells. As reflected in cell morphology, the A549 cells showed features of shrinkage and had incompletely packed membranes; the same phenomenon is manifested in Hoechst 33258 staining. Following ARE treatment, the ROS level in A549 cells was rising in a concentration-dependent manner, and so were MDA and GSH levels, while the SOD level was decreasing. Moreover, we found that ARE can decrease mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and a cascade of apoptotic processes can be triggered by decreased MMP. Importantly, we found significant changes in protein expression levels and mRNA levels of apoptosis-related proteins. Furthermore, when we used NAC to restrain oxidative stress, the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins have also changed accordingly. Our data demonstrate that apoptosis in the non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line A549 is caused by oxidative stress due to ARE. Our research also shows that ARE may have the potential to become a targeted therapeutic for the treatment of NSCLC in the future

Valley Pseudospin with a Widely Tunable Bandgap in Doped Honeycomb BN Monolayer

Valleytronics is a promising paradigm to explore the emergent degree of freedom for charge carriers on the energy band edges. Using ab initio calculations, we reveal that the honeycomb boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer shows a pair of inequivalent valleys in the vicinities of the vertices of hexagonal Brillouin zone even without the protection of the <i>C</i>₃ symmetry. The inequivalent valleys give rise to a 2-fold degree of freedom named the valley pseudospin. The valley pseudospin with a tunable bandgap from deep ultraviolet to far-infrared spectra can be obtained by doping h-BN monolayer with carbon atoms. For a low-concentration carbon periodically doped h-BN monolayer, the subbands with constant valley Hall conductance are predicted due to the interaction between the artificial superlattice and valleys. In addition, the valley pseudospin can be manipulated by visible light for high-concentration carbon doped h-BN monolayer. In agreement with our calculations, the circularly polarized photoluminescence spectra of the B_0.92NC_2.44 sample show a maximum valley-contrasting circular polarization of 40% and 70% at room temperature and 77 K, respectively. Our work demonstrates a class of valleytronic materials with a controllable bandgap