Callus production and regeneration of the medicinal plant Papaver orientale

Papaver orientale is an important medicinal plant and source of the valuable alkaloids. In this study, callus production and regeneration of P. orientale under in vitro conditions was investigated with different levels of kinetin (Kin), 6-benzylamine purine (BA) and α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) on Murashige and Skoog (MS) and Gamborg's B5 (B5) media. For callogenesis, explants as cotyledonshypocotyls were placed on the solidified MS andB5media with hormones under 16-h photoperiod and 20°C conditions. Results showed that the best media for callus induction of P. orientale consisted of the MS basic media supplemented with 0.5 mg/l BA and 0.5 or 1 mg/l NAA. Shoots were regenerated in cultures grown on MS medium containing 0.5 mg/l Kin and (0.5 or 1.0 mg/l) NAA and were induced to root on B5 medium containing 1 mg/l Kin and 1.0 mg/l NAA.Key word: Callus induction, in vitro regeneration, Papaveraceae, Papaver orientale

The dual-inhibitory effect of miR-338-5p on the multidrug resistance and cell growth of hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver cancer: Therapeutic potential of a microRNA A small RNA molecule inhibits the growth of liver cancer cells while also making the cells sensitive to the anti-cancer drugs. These twin effects of the natural microRNA miR-338-5p were discovered by researchers in China, led by Chunzhu Li and Jin Ren at the Center for Drug Safety Evaluation and Research in Shanghai. MicroRNAs control gene activity by interacting with the messenger RNA copies of genes that guide synthesis of the proteins the genes encode. The research identified a gene whose expression miR-338-5p inhibits to restrict the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma – the most common form of liver cancer. This is also one of the most drug-resistant forms of liver cancer. A different gene whose activity miR-338-5p controls to sensitize cells to chemotherapeutic drugs was also identified. Using miR-338-5p to treat liver cancer warrants further investigation