Search

A new 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) derivative, 3,8-bis(5-methylthiophen-2-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline (PHT1), has been synthesized and fully characterized including by single-crystal X-ray structure analysis. The electron-donating effects of the two 5-methylthiophene groups lead to distinctive fluorescence emission enhancement on complexation with Zn2+ compared with non-emissive Phen. However, PHT1 shows stronger Zn2+-sensing ability than 3,8-bis(thiophen-2-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline (PHT0) or 3,8-bis(3-methylthiophen-2-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline (PHT2) and longer-wavelength fluorescence emission ( λem = 461 nm), which is vital for studies of living systems, mainly because of the lower steric hindrance and the electron-donating effects of the 5-methyl groups on the thiophene rings. More interestingly, PHT1 displays high selectivity towards Zn2+ over a broad range of pH and has an extremely low detection limit (5 ppb). An approximately 51-fold Zn2+-selective CHEF response has been attributed to the formation of a 1:2 metal-ligand complex, and the association equilibrium constant ( Kass0) of [Zn(PHT1)2](ClO4)2 was determined to be 3.4 × 1012. Anionic effects and variations in the 1H NMR spectra before and after zinc(II) ion complextion were observed. Moreover, the ability of probe PHT1 to sense Zn2+ within living HL-60, yeast, and HepG-2 cells has been explored, and the Zn2+-probing process in living cells was found to be reversible with a zinc chelator solution of N, N, N′, N′-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine (TPEN). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc finger-homeodomain (ZHD) proteins constitute a plant-specific transcription factor family that play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, we investigated a total of 10, 17, and 31 ZHD gene members in the peach, Arabidopsis, and apple genome, respectively. The phylogenetic tree divided the identified ZHD genes into 4 subfamilies based on their domain organization, gene structure, and motif distribution with minor variations. The ZHD gene family members were unevenly distributed throughout in apple, peach, and Arabidopsis genomes. Segmental duplication was observed for 14 pairs of genes in apple. Transcript analysis found that ZHD genes mostly expressed in various tissues, particularly in leaves and flowers. Moreover, the transcript of most ZHD genes was significantly affected at different time points in response to various flowering-related exogenous hormones (sugar, gibberellin [GA], and 6-benzylaminopurine [6-BA]), signifying their possible role in the flowering induction in apple. Furthermore, the transcripts of CaZHD6, CaZHD7, CaZHD3, and CaZHD8 have induced in response to abiotic stresses including heat, drought, salt, and cold, indicating their possible involvement in response to abiotic stresses. Our research work systemically presents the different roles of ZHD genes. We believe that this study will provide a platform for future functional characterization of ZHD genes and to deeply unfold their roles in the regulation of flowering induction in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc finger-homeodomain (ZHD) proteins constitute a plant-specific transcription factor family that play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, we investigated a total of 10, 17, and 31 ZHD gene members in the peach, Arabidopsis, and apple genome, respectively. The phylogenetic tree divided the identified ZHD genes into 4 subfamilies based on their domain organization, gene structure, and motif distribution with minor variations. The ZHD gene family members were unevenly distributed throughout in apple, peach, and Arabidopsis genomes. Segmental duplication was observed for 14 pairs of genes in apple. Transcript analysis found that ZHD genes mostly expressed in various tissues, particularly in leaves and flowers. Moreover, the transcript of most ZHD genes was significantly affected at different time points in response to various flowering-related exogenous hormones (sugar, gibberellin [GA], and 6-benzylaminopurine [6-BA]), signifying their possible role in the flowering induction in apple. Furthermore, the transcripts of CaZHD6, CaZHD7, CaZHD3, and CaZHD8 have induced in response to abiotic stresses including heat, drought, salt, and cold, indicating their possible involvement in response to abiotic stresses. Our research work systemically presents the different roles of ZHD genes. We believe that this study will provide a platform for future functional characterization of ZHD genes and to deeply unfold their roles in the regulation of flowering induction in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc finger-homeodomain (ZHD) proteins constitute a plant-specific transcription factor family that play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, we investigated a total of 10, 17, and 31 ZHD gene members in the peach, Arabidopsis, and apple genome, respectively. The phylogenetic tree divided the identified ZHD genes into 4 subfamilies based on their domain organization, gene structure, and motif distribution with minor variations. The ZHD gene family members were unevenly distributed throughout in apple, peach, and Arabidopsis genomes. Segmental duplication was observed for 14 pairs of genes in apple. Transcript analysis found that ZHD genes mostly expressed in various tissues, particularly in leaves and flowers. Moreover, the transcript of most ZHD genes was significantly affected at different time points in response to various flowering-related exogenous hormones (sugar, gibberellin [GA], and 6-benzylaminopurine [6-BA]), signifying their possible role in the flowering induction in apple. Furthermore, the transcripts of CaZHD6, CaZHD7, CaZHD3, and CaZHD8 have induced in response to abiotic stresses including heat, drought, salt, and cold, indicating their possible involvement in response to abiotic stresses. Our research work systemically presents the different roles of ZHD genes. We believe that this study will provide a platform for future functional characterization of ZHD genes and to deeply unfold their roles in the regulation of flowering induction in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]