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Abstract Major pathological response (MPR) is a potential surrogate for overall survival. We determined whether the dynamic changes in 18F‐labeled fluoro‐2‐deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F‐FDG PET/CT) were associated with MPR in patients receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Forty‐four patients with stage II–III non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received neoadjuvant immunotherapy and radical surgery were enrolled. Moreover, 18F‐FDG PET/CT scans were performed at baseline and within 1 week before surgery to evaluate the disease. All histological sections were reviewed to assess MPR. The detailed clinical features of the patients were analyzed. The reliability of the clinical variables was assessed in differentiating between MPR and non‐MPR using logistic regression. Receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified the SUVmax changes threshold most associated with MPR. Most of the patients were pathologically diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and received anti‐PD‐1 antibodies plus chemotherapy. The immunotherapy regimens included nivolumab, pembrolizumab, and camrelizumab. MPR was observed in more than half of lesions. Tumors with MPR had a higher decrease in the longest dimension on dynamic PET/CT than those without MPR. Furthermore, the decline in SUVmax was significantly different between MPR and non‐MPR diseases, and MPR lesions had a prominent mean reduction in SUVmax. SUVmax reduction was independently associated with MPR in the multivariate regression. On ROC analysis, the threshold of SUVmax decrease in 60% was associated with MPR. Dynamic changes in SUVmax were associated with MPR. The tumors with MPR showed a greater PET/CT response than those without MPR. A SUVmax decrease of more than 60% is more likely to result in an MPR after receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy.

Flax is an important cash crop globally with a variety of commercial uses. It has been widely used for fiber, oil, nutrition, feed and in composite materials. Growth regulatory factor (GRF) is a transcription factor family unique to plants, and is involved in regulating many processes of growth and development. Bioinformatics analysis of the GRF family in flax predicted 17 LuGRF genes, which all contained the characteristic QLQ and WRC domains. Equally, 15 of 17 LuGRFs (88%) are predicted to be regulated by lus-miR396 miRNA. Phylogenetic analysis of GRFs from flax and several other well-characterized species defined five clades; LuGRF genes were found in four clades. Most LuGRF gene promoters contained cis-regulatory elements known to be responsive to hormones and stress. The chromosomal locations and collinearity of LuGRF genes were also analyzed. The three-dimensional structure of LuGRF proteins was predicted using homology modeling. The transcript expression data indicated that most LuGRF family members were highly expressed in flax fruit and embryos, whereas LuGRF3, LuGRF12 and LuGRF16 were enriched in response to salt stress. Real-time quantitative fluorescent PCR (qRT-PCR) showed that both LuGRF1 and LuGRF11 were up-regulated under ABA and MeJA stimuli, indicating that these genes were involved in defense. LuGRF1 was demonstrated to be localized to the nucleus as expected for a transcription factor. These results provide a basis for further exploration of the molecular mechanism of LuGRF gene function and obtaining improved flax breeding lines.

Saline stress is a major abiotic stress that inhibits plant growth and yields worldwide. The plant transcription factor (TF) family plays an important role in converting abiotic stress signals into gene expression changes. In this study, a transcriptome-based comparative analysis was performed to investigate the global gene expression of all the TFs in diploid and autotetraploid rice during the early stage of NaCl stress and recovery period. The phenotypic data indicated that the tetraploid rice exhibited a superior salt-tolerant ability compared to the diploid rice. A total of 55 TF families were co-expressed in the tetraploid and diploid rice, and the cumulative number of TF-expressed genes was relatively higher in the diploid rice than in the tetraploid rice at all time points. Unlike the diploid rice, the overall gene expression levels of the tetraploid rice were comparable to the control during recovery. The number of differentially expressed TFs (DE-TFs) in the tetraploid rice decreased after recovery, whereas it increased to a large extent in the diploid rice. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of the DE-TFs discovered the early switching of the ABA-activated signaling pathway and specific circadian rhythm in the tetraploid rice. Combining the PPI network and heatmap analysis, some core DE-TFs were found that may have potential roles to play in tetraploid salt tolerance. This study will pave the way for elucidating the complex network regulatory mechanisms of salt tolerance in tetraploid rice.

Whole-genome duplication is a significant evolutionary mechanism in plants, with polyploid plants often displaying larger organs and enhanced adaptability to unfavorable conditions compared to their diploid counterparts. The cell wall acts as a primary defense for plant cells against external stresses, playing an essential role in the plant’s resistance to various stressors. In this study, we utilized both autotetraploid and its donor diploid rice (Oryza sativa L.) to analyze their phenotypic differences comparatively, the composition of key cell wall components, and the expression of related genes under normal conditions, as well as under stress from Magnaporthe oryzae (M. oryzae) and salt. Our findings indicated that autotetraploid rice exhibits significantly larger phenotypic characteristics under normal conditions than diploid rice. At the seedling stage, the lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin levels in autotetraploid rice were markedly lower than in diploid rice. Additionally, 24 genes associated with major cell wall components showed differential expression between diploid and tetraploid rice. At the filling stage, the lignin and pectin content in autotetraploid rice were significantly higher than in diploid rice, while the levels of cellulose and hemicellulose were notably lower. Under M. oryzae stress or salt stress, autotetraploid rice showed smaller lesion areas and less wilting than diploid rice. The increased lignin content in autotetraploid rice under M. oryzae stress suggested a stronger adaptive capacity to adverse conditions. Compared to salt stress, M. oryzae stress induced more differential expression of genes related to major cell wall components. In this study, we explored the differences in the major cell wall components of diploid and homologous tetraploid rice under various treatment conditions. This study provides valuable insights into understanding the cell wall’s adaptive mechanisms in autotetraploid rice when facing blast disease and salt stress, and it reveals the differential gene expression linked to these adaptive capabilities.

: Amplification of the EGFR gene and its truncation mutant EGFRvIII are hallmarks of glioblastoma. Although coexpression of EGFR and EGFRvIII confers a growth advantage, how EGFR and EGFRvIII influence the tumor microenvironment remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that EGFR and EGFRvIII cooperate to induce macrophage infiltration via upregulation of the chemokine CCL2. EGFRvIII was significantly enriched in glioblastoma patient samples with high CCL2, and knockout of CCL2 in tumors coexpressing EGFR and EGFRvIII led to decreased infiltration of macrophages. KRAS was a critical signaling intermediate for EGFR- and EGFRvIII-induced expression of CCL2. Our results illustrate how EGFR and EGFRvIII direct the microenvironment in glioblastoma. SIGNIFICANCE: Full-length EGFR and truncated EGFRvIII work through KRAS to upregulate the chemokine CCL2 and drive macrophage infiltration in glioblastoma.