Regulation of ethylene receptor expression in Arabidopsis

The ethylene receptor family of Arabidopsis consists of five members, ETR1, ETR2, ERS1, ERS2, and EIN4. Regulation of ethylene receptor expression in Arabidopsis was studied using three different approaches. First, the effect of ethylene-pathway mutations upon expression of ETR1 was examined. Ethylene-insensitive mutations in ETR1 resulted in a post-transcriptional increase in levels of the mutant receptor. Treatment of seedlings with silver, which leads to ethylene insensitivity, also resulted in an increase in levels of ETR1. Mutations in other components of the ethylene pathway had little effect upon expression of ETR1. Second, microarray analysis was performed using reciprocal mutants to examine ethylene-regulated gene expression. A large subset of ethylene-induced genes were involved in ethylene signal transduction. Among these, the ethylenereceptors ETR2, ERS1, and ERS2 showed pronounced induction, ETR1 displayed limited induction, and EIN4 remained unchanged. Third, the effect of abiotic stress upon expression of ethylene receptors was examined. Microarray analysis indicated that the expression of ETR1, ETR2, and ERS1 was reduced after exposure to salt stress, while expression of ERS2 and EIN4 remained unchanged. Changes in gene expression were reflected at the protein level as levels of the ETR1 protein decreased following salt and osmotic stress. A role for ethylene signal transduction in the plants\u27 response to abiotic stress was confirmed by examining the effect of salt and osmotic stress upon the germination of ethylene pathway mutants. My results demonstrate that changes in expression level of ethylene receptors provide a means by which ethylene signal transduction can be activated or repressed

The Unusual Superconducting State at 49 K in Electron-Doped CaFe2As2 at Ambient

We report the detection of unusual superconductivity up to 49 K in single crystalline CaFe2As2 via electron-doping by partial replacement of Ca by rare-earth. The superconducting transition observed suggests the possible existence of two phases: one starting at ~ 49 K, which has a low critical field ~ 4 Oe, and the other at ~ 21 K, with a much higher critical field > 5 T. Our observations are in strong contrast to previous reports of doping or pressurizing layered compounds AeFe2As2 (or Ae122), where Ae = Ca, Sr or Ba. In Ae122, hole-doping has been previously observed to generate superconductivity with a transition temperature (Tc) only up to 38 K and pressurization has been reported to produce superconductivity with a Tc up to 30 K. The unusual 49 K phase detected will be discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Mutation of SLC35D3 causes metabolic syndrome by impairing dopamine signaling in striatal D1 neurons

We thank Dr. Ya-Qin Feng from Shanxi Medical University, Dr. Tian-Yun Gao from Nanjing University and Dr. Yan-Hong Xue from Institute of Biophysics (CAS) for technical assistance in this study. We are very thankful to Drs. Richard T. Swank and Xiao-Jiang Li for their critical reading of this manuscript and invaluable advice. Funding: This work was partially supported by grants from National Basic Research Program of China (2013CB530605; 2014CB942803), from National Natural Science Foundation of China 1230046; 31071252; 81101182) and from Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-R-05, KJZD-EW-L08). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Case Report: Interventional therapy for coronary artery occlusion in a 6-year-old child with Kawasaki disease

A 6-year-old girl was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease and bilateral giant coronary artery aneurysms at four months old and was subsequently referred to our hospital due to chest pain and T wave changes on electrocardiography. After admission, stress myocardial perfusion imaging showed reversible ischemia in multiple areas of the left ventricle. Coronary angiography revealed complete proximal segment occlusion of the left circumflex artery (LCX). The occluded LCX was recanalized by a Gaia 3rd micro-wire successfully passing through the occluded section to the distal end of the LCX, followed by sequential balloon dilation and drug-coated balloon angioplasty. Coronary angiography immediately after post-dilation and one-year follow-up angiography showed that the structure and blood flow of LCX was good. Although percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in pediatric patients with Kawasaki disease is limited in practice, PCI remains one of the treatment options for selected patients