Genome-wide gene phylogeny of CIPK family in cassava and expression analysis of partial drought-induced genes

Cassava is an important food and potential biofuel crop that is tolerant to multiple abiotic stressors. The mechanisms underlying these tolerances are currently less known. CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs) have been shown to play crucial roles in plant developmental processes, hormone signaling transduction, and in the response to abiotic stress. However, no data is currently available about the CPK family in cassava. In this study, a total of 25 CIPK genes were identified from cassava genome based on our previous genome sequencing data. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that 25 MeCIPKs could be classified into four subfamilies, which was supported by exon-intron organizations and the architectures of conserved protein motifs. Transcriptomic analysis of a wild subspecies and two cultivated varieties showed that most MeCIPKs had different expression patterns between wild subspecies and cultivatars in different tissues or in response to drought stress. Some orthologous genes involved in CIPK interaction networks were identified between Arabidopsis and cassava. The interaction networks and co-expression patterns of these orthologous genes revealed that the crucial pathways controlled by CIPK networks may be involved in the differential response to drought stress in different accessions of cassava. Nine MeCIPK genes were selected to investigate their transcriptional response to various stimuli and the results showed the comprehensive response of the tested MeCIPK genes to osmotic, salt, cold, oxidative stressors, and ABA signaling. The identification and expression analysis of CIPK family suggested that CIPK genes are important components of development and multiple signal transduction pathways in cassava. The findings of this study will help lay a foundation for the functional characterization of the CIPK gene family and provide an improved understanding of abiotic stress responses and signaling transduction in cassava

Co-sensitization and cross-reactivity of Blomia tropicalis with two Dermatophagoides species in Guangzhou, China

Around 85.50% of patients were sensitized to Der p, 85.37% of patients were sensitized to Der f, and 71.54% of patients were sensitized to Blo t. Further, 70.14% of patients were co-sensitized to Blo t, Der p, and Der f, and only seven patients were sensitized solely to Blo t. With increasing sIgE levels for Blo t, the positive rates of severe-level (class 5-6) co-sensitization to Der p or Der f significantly increased. Blo t was moderately associated with Der p and Der f, with correlation coefficients of 0.6998 and 0.6782, respectively. Der p and Der f inhibited IgE binding to Blo t more strongly than Blo t inhibited IgE binding to Der p or Der f in the patient groups CBlo t  < CDer p and CBlo t  < CDer f .Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease [SKLRD-OP-201803, SKLRD-OP-201809]; Science and Technology Innovation Committee Project of Guangzhou [201831802]; Bureau of traditional Chinese Medicine Scientific Research Project of Guangdong [20192048]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [81601394, 81802076, 81871736]Open access articleThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

A Quantitative Method for Detecting Ara h 2 by Generation and Utilization of Monoclonal Antibodies

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is one of the most common food allergens that can induce fatal anaphylaxis, and Ara h 2 is one of the major allergen components involved in peanut allergy. The aim of this study was to develop a quantitative method for detecting peanut allergen using monoclonal antibodies against Ara h 2. The splenocytes of immunized mice were fused with myeloma cells (SP2/0), and stable mAb-producing clones were obtained by limiting dilution. mAbs against Ara h 2 were isolated from mouse ascites, and specificity was confirmed by immunoblotting. Five mAbs with high purity and specific reactivity were obtained, which were referred to as 1-2E10, 2-1D5, 3-1C5, 4-1C2, and 5-1G4, respectively. After screening different mAb combinations for development of a sandwich ELISA, we selected 5-1G4 as the capture antibody and 1-2E10 as the detection antibody for the measurement of Ara h 2 from which an optimal correlation between the Ara h 2 concentration and the OD value was obtained. This sandwich ELISA could specifically detect Ara h 2 in peanut extract at concentrations as low as 5 ng/mL and up to 10 μg/mL. These mAbs can, therefore, serve as quantitative diagnostic reagents for peanut and peanut product risk assessment

Cellulose nanofiber‐derived carbon aerogel for advanced room‐temperature sodium–sulfur batteries

Abstract Room‐temperature sodium–sulfur (RT/Na–S) batteries are regarded as promising large‐scale stationary energy storage systems owing to their high energy density and low cost as well as the earth‐abundant reserves of sodium and sulfur. However, the diffusion of polysulfides and sluggish kinetics of conversion reactions are still major challenges for their application. Herein, we developed a powerful and functional separator to inhibit the shuttle effect by coating a lightweight three‐dimensional cellulose nanofiber‐derived carbon aerogel on a glass fiber separator (denoted NSCA@GF). The hierarchical porous structures, favorable electronic conductivity, and three‐dimensional interconnected network of N,S‐codoped carbon aerogel endow a multifunctional separator with strong polysulfide anchoring capability and fast reaction kinetics of polysulfide conversion, which can act as the barrier layer and an expanded current collector to increase sulfur utilization. Moreover, the hetero‐doped N/S sites are believed to strengthen polysulfide anchoring capability via chemisorption and accelerate the redox kinetics of polysulfide conversion, which is confirmed from experimental and theoretical results. As a result, the assembled Na–S coin cells with the NSCA@GF separator showed a high reversible capacity (788.8 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C after 100 cycles) and superior cycling stability (only 0.059% capacity decay per cycle over 1000 cycles at 1 C), thereby demonstrating the significant potential for application in high‐performance RT/Na–S batteries

Mast Cell Targeted Chimeric Toxin Can Be Developed as an Adjunctive Therapy in Colon Cancer Treatment

The association of colitis with colorectal cancer has become increasingly clear with mast cells being identified as important inflammatory cells in the process. In view of the relationship between mast cells and cancer, we studied the effect and mechanisms of mast cells in the development of colon cancer. Functional and mechanistic insights were gained from ex vivo and in vivo studies of cell interactions between mast cells and CT26 cells. Further evidence was reversely obtained in studies of mast cell targeted Fcε-PE40 chimeric toxin. Experiments revealed mast cells could induce colon tumor cell proliferation and invasion. Cancer progression was found to be related to the density of mast cells in colonic submucosa. The activation of MAPK, Rho-GTPase, and STAT pathways in colon cancer cells was triggered by mast cells during cell-to-cell interaction. Lastly, using an Fcε-PE40 chimeric toxin we constructed, we confirmed the promoting effect of mast cells in development of colon cancer. Mast cells are a promoting factor of colon cancer and thus also a potential therapeutic target. The Fcε-PE40 chimeric toxin targeting mast cells could effectively prevent colon cancer in vitro and in vivo. Consequently, these data may demonstrate a novel immunotherapeutic approach for the treatment of tumors

Reduction of the Number of Major Representative Allergens: From Clinical Testing to 3-Dimensional Structures

Vast amounts of allergen sequence data have been accumulated, thus complicating the identification of specific allergenic proteins when performing diagnostic allergy tests and immunotherapy. This study aims to rank the importance/potency of the allergens so as to logically reduce the number of allergens and/or allergenic sources. Meta-analysis of 62 allergenic sources used for intradermal testing on 3,335 allergic patients demonstrated that in southern China, mite, sesame, spiny amaranth, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and house dust account for 88.0% to 100% of the observed positive reactions to the 62 types of allergenic sources tested. The Kolmogorov-Smironov Test results of the website-obtained allergen data and allergen family featured peptides suggested that allergen research in laboratories worldwide has been conducted in parallel on many of the same species. The major allergens were reduced to 21 representative allergens, which were further divided into seven structural classes, each of which contains similar structural components. This study therefore has condensed numerous allergenic sources and major allergens into fewer major representative ones, thus allowing for the use of a smaller number of allergens when conducting comprehensive allergen testing and immunotherapy treatments