Colonization of root cells and plant growth promotion by Piriformospora indica occurs independently of plant common symbiosis genes

Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) fungi (Glomeromycota) form symbiosis with and deliver nutrients via the roots of most angiosperms. AM fungal hyphae are taken up by living root epidermal cells, a program which relies on a set of plant common symbiosis genes (CSGs). Plant root epidermal cells are also infected by the plant growth-promoting fungus Piriformospora indica (Basidiomycota), raising the question whether this interaction relies on the AM-related CSGs. Here we show that intracellular colonization of root cells and intracellular sporulation by P. indica occurred in CSG mutants of the legume Lotus japonicus and in Arabidopsis thaliana, which belongs to the Brassicaceae, a family that has lost the ability to form AM as well as a core set of CSGs. A. thaliana mutants of homologs of CSGs (HCSGs) interacted with P. indica similar to the wild-type, suggesting that AM fungi and P. indica exploit different host pathways for infection. Moreover, increased biomass of A. thaliana evoked by P. indica was unaltered in HCSG mutants. We conclude that colonization and growth promotion by P. indica are independent of the CSGs

MicroRNA390 is involved in cadmium tolerance and accumulation in rice

Cadmium (Cd) is a non-essential heavy metal that is toxic to plants. microRNAs (miRNAs) are 21-nucleotide RNAs that are ubiquitous regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Several plant miRNAs, such as miR390, have vital roles in plant growth, development and responses to environmental stresses including heavy metal stress. In this study, the expression of mature miR390 was significantly down-regulated under Cd stress in rice. Consequently, the target gene of miR390, OsSRK was dramatically induced by Cd treatment. Transgenic rice plants overexpressing miR390 displayed reduced Cd tolerance and higher Cd accumulation compared with wild-type plants. Simultaneously, expression of OsSRK was less pronounced in 35S:MIR390 plants than in wild-type. These results indicate that miR390 was a negative regulator involved in Cd stress tolerance in rice

Small RNA profiles of the rice PTGMS line Wuxiang S reveal miRNAs involved in the fertility transition

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in the regulation of plant growth and developmental processes. In this study, the RNA-seq technique was employed to examine the expression profiles of miRNAs in a novel rice photo-thermo sensitive generic male sterile (PTGMS) line Wuxiang S (WXS) during the fertility transition. A total of 497 known miRNAs and 273 novel miRNAs were identified. By means of the differentially expression analysis, a total of 26 miRNAs were discovered to be significant difference expression between WXS (Sterility, S) and WXS (Fertility, F). And some of these miRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Among these miRNAs, eleven of which were decreased, and fifteen of which were increased in the expression levels of genes when WXS (S) compared with WXS (F), respectively. Some of these miRNAs such as osa-miR156a-j, osa-miR164d and osa-miR528, were showed to be negatively correlated with their targets. These targets have previously been reported to be related with pollen development and male sterility, suggesting that these miRNAs might be involved in the regulation of pollen development in the rice PTGMS line WXS. Furthermore, the miRNAs editing events were also observed. A possible control model of miRNAs and signaling pathway was proposed in the process of fertility transition of rice PTGMS line WXS in this study. These findings contribute to our understanding of the roles of miRNAs during anther development of PTGMS occurrence in rice

DNA demethylation upregulated Nrf2 expression in Alzheimer's disease cellular model

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is an important transcription factor in the defense against oxidative stress. Cumulative evidence has shown that oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous animal and clinical studies had observed decreased expression of Nrf2 in AD. However, the underlying regulation mechanisms of Nrf2 in AD remain unclear. Here, we used the DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) inhibitor 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza) to test whether Nrf2 expression was regulated by methylation in N2a cells characterizing by expressing human Swedish mutant amyloid precursor protein (N2a/APPswe). We found 5-Aza treatment increased Nrf2 at both mRNA and protein levels via down-regulating the expression of Dnmts and DNA demethylation. In addition, 5-Aza mediated upregulation of Nrf2 expression was concomitant with increased nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and higher expression of Nrf2 downstream target gene NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductas (NQO1). Our study showed that DNA demethylation promoted the Nrf2 cell signaling pathway, which may enhance the antioxidant system against AD development