Biology subjects

Luo, D.

Publications and source records attributed to Luo, D..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Combination of Dynamic Turbidimetry and Tube Agglutination to Identify Procoagulant Genes by Transposon Mutagenesis in Staphylococcus aureus

Agglutinating function is responsible for an important pathogenic pattern in S.aureus. Although the mechanism of aggregation has been widely studied since S.aureus has been found, the agglutinating detailed process remains largely unknown. Here, we screened a transposon mutant library of Newman strain using tube agglutination and dynamic turbidmetry test and identified 8 genes whose insertion mutations lead to a decrease in plasma agglomerate ability. These partial candidate genes were further confirmed by gene knockout and gene complement as well as RT-PCR techniques. these insertion mutants, including NWMN_0166, NWMN_0674, NWMN_0756, NWMN_0952, NWMN_1282, NWMN_1228, NWMN_1345 and NWMN_1319, which mapped into coagulase, clumping factor A, oxidative phosphorylation, energy metabolism, protein synthesis and regulatory system, suggesting that these genes may play an important role in aggregating ability. The newly constructed knockout strains of coa, cydA and their complemented strains were also tested aggregating ability. The result of plasma agglutination was consistent between coa knockout strain and coa mutant strain, meanwhile, cydA complement strain didnt restored its function. Further studies need to confirm these results. These findings provide novel insights into the mechanisms of aggregating ability and offer new targets for development of drugs in S.aureus.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Lung Cancer Explorer (LCE): an open web portal to explore gene expression and clinical associations in lung cancer

We constructed a lung cancer-specific database housing expression data and clinical data from over 6,700 patients in 56 studies. Expression data from 23 \"whole-genome\" based platforms were carefully processed and quality controlled, whereas clinical data were standardized and rigorously curated. Empowered by this lung cancer database, we created an open access web resource - the Lung Cancer Explorer (LCE), which enables researchers and clinicians to explore these data and perform analyses. Users can perform meta-analyses on LCE to gain a quick overview of the results on tumor vs normal differential gene expression and expression-survival association. Individual dataset-based survival analysis, comparative analysis, and correlation analysis are also provided with flexible options to allow for customized analyses from the user.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2018

The plasma miR-122 basal levels respond to circulating catecholamine in rats

miR-122 in circulation is a promising non-invasive biomarker as a replacement or supplement of current serum biomarkers for liver injuries. But the concept was questioned by recent studies, mainly due to its release from hepatocytes in absence of overt cellular injuries. In this study, we reported that the hepatic metabolism of circulating catecholamines resulted in the release of hepatocyte-specific miR-122. Acute stress-induced hepatocellular deformation was histopathologically different from drug-induced liver injury with significant increases of plasma miR-122 levels. The basal levels of human plasma miR-122 could be significantly altered by emotional responses. Interday variances of plasma miR-122 measurements were reduced effectively by stress-relief measures. The metabolism of basal circulating norepinephrine and epinephrine in liver might contribute to the basal levels of plasma miRNAs expressed in hepatocytes.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2017

SWEET11 and 15 as key players in seed filling in rice

SummaryO_LIDespite the relevance of seed filling mechanisms for crop yield, we still have only a rudimentary understanding of the pathways and transport processes for supplying the caryopsis with sugars. We hypothesized that the recently identified SWEET sucrose transporters may play important roles in nutrient import pathways in the rice caryopsis.\nC_LIO_LIWe used a combination of mRNA quantification, histochemical analyses, translational promoter-reporter fusions and analysis of knock out mutants created by genomic editing to evaluate the contribution of SWEET transporters to seed filling.\nC_LIO_LIIn rice caryopses, SWEET11 and 15 had the highest mRNA levels and proteins localized to four key sites: the nucellus proper at early stages, the nucellar projection close to the dorsal vein, the nucellar epidermis that surrounds the endosperm, and the aleurone. ossweet11;15 double knock-out lines accumulated starch in the pericarp while caryopses did not contain a functional endosperm.\nC_LIO_LIJointly, SWEET11 and 15 show all hallmarks of being responsible for seed filling with sucrose efflux function at the nucellar projection and transfer across the nucellar epidermis/aleurone interface, delineating two major steps for apoplasmic seed filling, observations that are discussed in relation to observations made in rice and barely on the relative prevalence of these two potential import routes.\nC_LI

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2017

Endophyte Chaetomium globosum D38 and its elicitors promote tanshinones accumulation of Salvia miltiorrhiza

Due to the low yield of tanshinones and their analogues in Salvia miltiorrhiza, there are all kinds of stimulation strategies having been applied to improve tanshinones output in plant tissue cultures. Endophytic fungi have formed various different relationships with their host plants withstanding host and environmental factors, including symbiotic, mutualistic, commensalistic, and parasitic. Thus we take the assumption that endophytic fungi may be an emerging microbial tool used to promote secondary metabolism, which will promote the production of active compounds through endophyte-based biology method. Our study therefore aimed to examine the effects of live endophytic fungus Chaetomium globosum D38 and its elicitors on the accumulation of tanshinones in hairy root cultures of Salvia miltiorrhiza. C. globosum D38 mainly colonized in the intercellular gap of xylem parenchyma cells of S. miltiorrhiza hairy root, during long term co-existence without any toxicity against S. miltiorrhiza hairy root. Moreover, both of the live fungus and its mycelia extracts could induce the production of tanshinones, in special dihydrotanshinone I and cryptotanshinone. The effects of mycelia extracts were much stronger than that of the live fungus on tanshinones synthesis, which increased the transcriptional activity of genes with repect to tanshinone biosynthetic pathway obviously. Our results indicated that both of the live C. globosum D38 and its mycelia extracts could be utilized for tanshinones accumulation in S. miltiorrhiza hairy root. Whats more, D38 also could be made into biotic fertilizer applying into S.miltiorrhiza seddlings, which not only promoted host growth but the tanshinones and phenylpropionic acid accumulation. In the soil environment, D38 had formed bitrophic and mutual beneficial relationship with the host and enhanced the primary metabolism on the whole so as to have facilitative effects on phenylpropionic acid accumulation. To sum up, Chaetomium globosum D38 was a highly effective endophytic fungus for S. miltiorrhiza.

developmental biology↗