Ectopic Expression of OsDREB1G, a Member of the OsDREB1 Subfamily, Confers Cold Stress Tolerance in Rice

Plants adapt to adverse environmental conditions through physiological responses, such as induction of the abscisic acid signaling pathway, stomatal regulation, and root elongation. Altered gene expression is a major molecular response to adverse environmental conditions in plants. Several transcription factors function as master switches to induce the expression of stress-tolerance genes. To find out a master regulator for the cold stress tolerance in rice, we focused on functionally identifying DREB subfamily which plays important roles in cold stress tolerance of plants. Here, we characterized OsDREB1G (LOC_Os02g45450), a functionally unidentified member of the DREB1 subgroup. OsDREB1G is specifically induced under cold stress conditions among several abiotic stresses examined. This gene is dominantly expressed in leaf sheath, blade, node, and root. Transgenic rice overexpressing this gene exhibited strong cold tolerance and growth retardation, like transgenic rice overexpressing other OsDREB1 genes. However, unlike these rice lines, transgenic rice overexpressing OsDREB1G did not exhibit significant increases in drought or salt tolerance. Cold-responsive genes were highly induced in transgenic rice overexpressing DREB1G compared to wild type. In addition, OsDREB1G overexpression directly induced the expression of a reporter gene fused to the promoters of cold-induced genes in rice protoplasts. Therefore, OsDREB1G is a typical CBF/DREB1 transcription factor that specifically functions in the cold stress response. Therefore, OsDREB1G could be useful for developing transgenic rice with enhanced cold-stress tolerance

Primary Cardiac Angiosarcoma Presenting With Cardiac Tamponade

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a very rare disease with a poor prognosis. We report a case of a patient with a primary cardiac angiosarcoma who presented with cardiac tamponade; the angiosarcoma was successfully resected surgically

DWA1 and DWA2, Two Arabidopsis DWD Protein Components of CUL4-Based E3 Ligases, Act Together as Negative Regulators in ABA Signal Transduction[C][W]

This article reports that DWA1 and DWA2 may be the substrate receptors for a CULLIN E3 ligase and that they interact with themselves and each other. Heterodimeric cooperation between DWAs is a previously unknown regulatory mechanism for the action of CULLIN E3 ligases

Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Quantitative Detection of β‑Galactosidase Activity in Senescent Cells

We reported a ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe (SG1) for β-galactosidase (β-gal) and its application to quantitative detection of β-gal activity during cellular senescence in live cells and in aged tissues. This probe is characterized by a significant two-photon excited fluorescence, a marked blue-to-yellow emission color change in response to β-gal, easy loading, insensitivity to pH and reactive oxygen species (ROS), high photostability, and low cytotoxicity. In addition, we show that SG1 labeling is an effective tool for quantitative detection of senescence-associated β-gal activity at the subcellular level in situ. This finding demonstrates that SG1 will find useful applications in biomedical research, including studies of cell aging

A New Perspective on the Advanced Microblade Cutting Method for Reliable Adhesion Measurement of Composite Electrodes

The microblade cutting method, so-called SAICAS, is widely used to quantify the adhesion of battery composite electrodes at different depths. However, as the electrode thickness or loading increases, the reliability of adhesion values measured by the conventional method is being called into question more frequently. Thus, herein, a few underestimated parameters, such as friction, deformation energy, side-area effect, and actual peeing area, are carefully revisited with ultrathick composite electrodes of 135 μm (6 mAh cm-2). Among them, the existence of side areas and the change in actual peeling area are found to have a significant influence on measured horizontal forces. Thus, especially for ultrahigh electrodes, we can devise a new SAICAS measurement standard: 1) the side-area should be precut and 2) the same actual peeling area must be secured for obtaining reliable adhesion at different depths. This guideline will practically help design more robust composite electrodes for high-energy-density batteries.1

OsTGA2 confers disease resistance to rice against leaf blight by regulating expression levels of disease related genes via interaction with NH1.

How plants defend themselves from microbial infection is one of the most critical issues for sustainable crop production. Some TGA transcription factors belonging to bZIP superfamily can regulate disease resistance through NPR1-mediated immunity mechanisms in Arabidopsis. Here, we examined biological roles of OsTGA2 (grouped into the same subclade as Arabidopsis TGAs) in bacterial leaf blight resistance. Transcriptional level of OsTGA2 was accumulated after treatment with salicylic acid, methyl jasmonate, and Xathomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo), a bacterium causing serious blight of rice. OsTGA2 formed homo- and hetero-dimer with OsTGA3 and OsTGA5 and interacted with rice NPR1 homologs 1 (NH1) in rice. Results of quadruple 9-mer protein-binding microarray analysis indicated that OsTGA2 could bind to TGACGT DNA sequence. Overexpression of OsTGA2 increased resistance of rice to bacterial leaf blight, although overexpression of OsTGA3 resulted in disease symptoms similar to wild type plant upon Xoo infection. Overexpression of OsTGA2 enhanced the expression of defense related genes containing TGA binding cis-element in the promoter such as AP2/EREBP 129, ERD1, and HOP1. These results suggest that OsTGA2 can directly regulate the expression of defense related genes and increase the resistance of rice against bacterial leaf blight disease