Antibody-Targeted Immunocarriers for Cancer Treatment

Nanocarrier’s engineering based on fine chemical design and novel structural tailoring can provide practical solution to solve the problems in traditional cancer immunotherapy. Nanoimmunotherapy is thus defined as the application and further development of novel nanocarriers for enhancing immunotherapy. It has become one of the most intriguing fields due to its unique power in treatment and even cure of cancer since reported in last year. Herein, this chapter illustrates the state-of-the-art development in antibody engineering and cancer immunotherapy and gives an explanation why functional nanocarries including micelles and liposomes can be efficient for nanoimmunotherapy. We further illustrate how to promote the nanoimmunotherapy by the chemical design and carrier’s engineering for the first time

Research progress on the roles of actin-depolymerizing factor in plant stress responses

Actin-depolymerizing factors (ADFs) are highly conserved small-molecule actin-binding proteins found throughout eukaryotic cells. In land plants, ADFs form a small gene family that displays functional redundancy despite variations among its individual members. ADF can bind to actin monomers or polymerized microfilaments and regulate dynamic changes in the cytoskeletal framework through specialized biochemical activities, such as severing, depolymerizing, and bundling. The involvement of ADFs in modulating the microfilaments’ dynamic changes has significant implications for various physiological processes, including plant growth, development, and stress response. The current body of research has greatly advanced our comprehension of the involvement of ADFs in the regulation of plant responses to both biotic and abiotic stresses, particularly with respect to the molecular regulatory mechanisms that govern ADF activity during the transmission of stress signals. Stress has the capacity to directly modify the transcription levels of ADF genes, as well as indirectly regulate their expression through transcription factors such as MYB, C-repeat binding factors, ABF, and 14-3-3 proteins. Furthermore, apart from their role in regulating actin dynamics, ADFs possess the ability to modulate the stress response by influencing downstream genes associated with pathogen resistance and abiotic stress response. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current advancements in plant ADF gene research and suggests that the identification of plant ADF family genes across a broader spectrum, thorough analysis of ADF gene regulation in stress resistance of plants, and manipulation of ADF genes through genome-editing techniques to enhance plant stress resistance are crucial avenues for future investigation in this field

High-Throughput Phenotyping Accelerates the Dissection of the Phenotypic Variation and Genetic Architecture of Shank Vascular Bundles in Maize (Zea mays L.)

The vascular bundle of the shank is an important ‘flow’ organ for transforming maize biological yield to grain yield, and its microscopic phenotypic characteristics and genetic analysis are of great significance for promoting the breeding of new varieties with high yield and good quality. In this study, shank CT images were obtained using the standard process for stem micro-CT data acquisition at resolutions up to 13.5 μm. Moreover, five categories and 36 phenotypic traits of the shank including related to the cross-section, epidermis zone, periphery zone, inner zone and vascular bundle were analyzed through an automatic CT image process pipeline based on the functional zones. Next, we analyzed the phenotypic variations in vascular bundles at the base of the shank among a group of 202 inbred lines based on comprehensive phenotypic information for two environments. It was found that the number of vascular bundles in the inner zone (IZ_VB_N) and the area of the inner zone (IZ_A) varied the most among the different subgroups. Combined with genome-wide association studies (GWAS), 806 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, and 1245 unique candidate genes for 30 key traits were detected, including the total area of vascular bundles (VB_A), the total number of vascular bundles (VB_N), the density of the vascular bundles (VB_D), etc. These candidate genes encode proteins involved in lignin, cellulose synthesis, transcription factors, material transportation and plant development. The results presented here will improve the understanding of the phenotypic traits of maize shank and provide an important phenotypic basis for high-throughput identification of vascular bundle functional genes of maize shank and promoting the breeding of new varieties with high yield and good quality

Overexpression of GhSWEET42, a SWEET-like gene from cotton, enhances the oil content and seed size

AbstractSWEET (‘sugars will eventually be exported transporters’) family genes reportedly play a critical role in sugar translocation and oil biosynthesis in various plant species. However, their functions in cotton are unknown. The present study demonstrated that while GhSWEET42 was widely expressed in different cotton tissues, it had the highest expression level in the developing ovules. Hence, it performs a vital role in seed development. We constructed GhSWEET42 transgenic Arabidopsis lines to verify the biological function of this gene and found that the oil content and weight of the seeds produced by the overexpression lines were 18–23% and 19–20% higher, respectively than those of the wild-type. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis revealed that it was mainly a relative increase in unsaturated fatty acids (FAs) that contributed to the relative increase in oil content in the transgenic seeds. Moreover, the latter exhibited comparative upregulation of certain genes associated with FA and triacylglycerol biosynthesis as well as cell expansion. GhSWEET42 might work synergistically with the aforementioned genes. This finding indicates that GhSWEET42 may be essential in oil biosynthesis and seed development in cotton. The results of the present work may facilitate further explorations into the molecular mechanism of cottonseed oil biosynthesis as well as the cultivation of novel oil-rich cotton varieties

High-Throughput Phenotyping Accelerates the Dissection of the Phenotypic Variation and Genetic Architecture of Shank Vascular Bundles in Maize (<i>Zea mays</i> L.)

The vascular bundle of the shank is an important ‘flow’ organ for transforming maize biological yield to grain yield, and its microscopic phenotypic characteristics and genetic analysis are of great significance for promoting the breeding of new varieties with high yield and good quality. In this study, shank CT images were obtained using the standard process for stem micro-CT data acquisition at resolutions up to 13.5 μm. Moreover, five categories and 36 phenotypic traits of the shank including related to the cross-section, epidermis zone, periphery zone, inner zone and vascular bundle were analyzed through an automatic CT image process pipeline based on the functional zones. Next, we analyzed the phenotypic variations in vascular bundles at the base of the shank among a group of 202 inbred lines based on comprehensive phenotypic information for two environments. It was found that the number of vascular bundles in the inner zone (IZ_VB_N) and the area of the inner zone (IZ_A) varied the most among the different subgroups. Combined with genome-wide association studies (GWAS), 806 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified, and 1245 unique candidate genes for 30 key traits were detected, including the total area of vascular bundles (VB_A), the total number of vascular bundles (VB_N), the density of the vascular bundles (VB_D), etc. These candidate genes encode proteins involved in lignin, cellulose synthesis, transcription factors, material transportation and plant development. The results presented here will improve the understanding of the phenotypic traits of maize shank and provide an important phenotypic basis for high-throughput identification of vascular bundle functional genes of maize shank and promoting the breeding of new varieties with high yield and good quality

Using High-Throughput Phenotyping Analysis to Decipher the Phenotypic Components and Genetic Architecture of Maize Seedling Salt Tolerance

Soil salinization is a worldwide problem that limits agricultural production. It is important to understand the salt stress tolerance ability of maize seedlings and explore the underlying related genetic resources. In this study, we used a high-throughput phenotyping platform with a 3D laser sensor (Planteye F500) to identify the digital biomass, plant height and normalized vegetation index under normal and saline conditions at multiple time points. The result revealed that a three-leaf period (T3) was identified as the key period for the phenotypic variation in maize seedlings under salt stress. Moreover, we mapped the salt-stress-related SNPs and identified candidate genes in the natural population via a genome-wide association study. A total of 44 candidate genes were annotated, including 26 candidate genes under normal conditions and 18 candidate genes under salt-stressed conditions. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a high-throughput phenotyping platform to accurately, continuously quantify morphological traits of maize seedlings in different growing environments. And the phenotype and genetic information of this study provided a theoretical basis for the breeding of salt-resistant maize varieties and the study of salt-resistant genes

Systematic identification and characterization of the soybean (Glycine max) B-box transcription factor family

AbstractIn plants, the B-box (BBX) transcription factors (TFs) are a subfamily of zinc-finger TFs that act to regulate diverse plant growth and development processes. The BBX TFs have been the subject of considerable attention, and are well characterized in diverse plant species, including in rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis thaliana, but less so in the economically important soybean (Glycine max). In this work, we systematically identified and characterized 57 soybean BBX genes (GmBBX1 to GmBBX57). These genes were mapped to all 20 soybean chromosomes and were divided into five clades with high intra-clade intron–exon similarity. The majority of GmBBX gene promoter cis-acting elements were responsive to light, abscisic acid, salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate, as well as a diverse array of other stimuli. Quantitative RT-PCR indicated that several GmBBX genes exhibited tissue-specific and phytohormone- and abiotic stress-responsiveness. The results of this study will be useful in the continued characterization of soybean BBX gene functions and provide new ideas for soybean breeding