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Cell apoptosis plays an important role in early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), a member of the small heat shock protein (HSP) family, is induced by various stress factors and exerts protective role on cells. However, the role of HSP27 in brain injury after SAH needs to be further clarified. Here, we reported that HSP27 level of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is increased obviously at day 1 in patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) and related to the grades of Hunt and Hess (HH), World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS), and Fisher score. In rat SAH model, HSP27 of CSF is first increased and then obviously declined; overexpression of HSP27, not knockdown of HSP27, attenuates SAH-induced neurological deficit and cell apoptosis in the basal cortex; and overexpression of HSP27 effectively suppresses SAH-elevated activation of mitogen-activated protein Kinase Kinase 4 (MKK4), the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), c-Jun, and caspase-3. In an in vitro hemolysate-damaged cortical neuron model, HSP2765−90 peptide effectively inhibits hemolysate-induced neuron death. Furthermore, TAT-HSP2765−90 peptide, a fusion peptide consisting of trans-activating regulatory protein (TAT) of HIV and HSP2765−90 peptide, effectively attenuates SAH-induced neurological deficit and cell apoptosis in the basal cortex of rats. Altogether, our results suggest that TAT-HSP27 peptide improves neurologic deficits via reducing apoptosis.

Cell apoptosis plays an important role in early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), a member of the small heat shock protein (HSP) family, is induced by various stress factors and exerts protective role on cells. However, the role of HSP27 in brain injury after SAH needs to be further clarified. Here, we reported that HSP27 level of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is increased obviously at day 1 in patients with aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) and related to the grades of Hunt and Hess (HH), World Federation of Neurological Surgeons (WFNS), and Fisher score. In rat SAH model, HSP27 of CSF is first increased and then obviously declined; overexpression of HSP27, not knockdown of HSP27, attenuates SAH-induced neurological deficit and cell apoptosis in the basal cortex; and overexpression of HSP27 effectively suppresses SAH-elevated activation of mitogen-activated protein Kinase Kinase 4 (MKK4), the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), c-Jun, and caspase-3. In an in vitro hemolysate-damaged cortical neuron model, HSP2765−90 peptide effectively inhibits hemolysate-induced neuron death. Furthermore, TAT-HSP2765−90 peptide, a fusion peptide consisting of trans-activating regulatory protein (TAT) of HIV and HSP2765−90 peptide, effectively attenuates SAH-induced neurological deficit and cell apoptosis in the basal cortex of rats. Altogether, our results suggest that TAT-HSP27 peptide improves neurologic deficits via reducing apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (IPI; EC5.3.3.2) catalyzes isomerization between isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), both of which are essential precursors for terpenoid biosynthesis. A novel gene encoding isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase (designated as SlIPI) was isolated from tomato based on tentative consensus (TC183769) and unigene SGN-U569721 sequences. The SlIPI cDNA contained a 708-bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a 235-amino-acid protein. The deduced SlIPI protein had an isoelectric point of 5.06 and molecular weight of about 27.18 kDa. Amino acid sequence comparison analysis showed 83–95% similarity to IPIs from other plant species. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that SlIPI had the closest relationship to IPI from Nicotiana tabacum. The SlIPI was likely to be localized in cytoplasm; while, SlIPI2 contained a chloroplast transit peptide. A three dimensional structure modeling revealed that the structure of SlIPI was similar to that of SlIPI2. Tissue expression analysis indicated that SlIPI was constitutively expressed, with the highest expression level detected in the root. Heterologous expression of the recombinant SlIPI in engineered Escherichia coli resulted in the production and accumulation of carotenoid in E. coli, thus confirming that the SlIPI was a functional gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The full genomic region of the root knot nematode ( Meloidogyne spp.) resistance gene Mi-1 was cloned from tomato and transformed into lettuce to investigate its function in a heterologous system. Transgenic lettuce lines containing the Mi-1 gene were developed using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Ectopic expression of the Mi-1 gene was observed in transgenic lines, and resistance to root knot nematode was improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) and its isoform, eIF(iso)4E, play important roles in protein translation and recently reported to be involved in plant–virus interactions. A cDNA encoding the tomato eIF(iso)4E was cloned based on a tentative consensus (TC170275) in TIGR (), and was designated as SleIF(iso)4E, with an open reading frame of 603 nucleotides encoding a protein of 200 amino acids. The calculated molecular weight of the SleIF(iso)4E protein was 22.85 kD, and the theoretical isoelectric point was 5.76. The amino acid sequence of SleIF(iso)4E showed 66–91% identity with eIF(iso)4Es in pepper, tobacco, pea and maize, and 44–51% identity with eIF4Es from other plants. The phylogenetic relationship and tertiary structure comparisons indicate that SleIF(iso)4E share high homology and strict conserved regions with other members of the eIF4E family, a characteristic of all members of this family. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed varying expression levels of SleIF(iso)4E in different tissues. By comparing eIF(iso)4E coding sequences between resistant and susceptible tomato genotypes, correlation between sequence variations and virus resistance was identified. These findings provide good grounds for future research on the role of SleIF(iso)4E in translation initiation and plant–virus interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) cause major economic damage to numerous crop species around the world. Plant resistance is the most important attribute that is able to suppress invasion by the root-knot nematodes. In the present study, a candidate root-knot nematode resistance gene (Mi) was isolated from the resistant tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum L.) line RN-1. Expression profiling analysis revealed that this gene was expressed specifically in the roots, stems, and leaves, but not in the flowers or fruits. To verify the real function of this candidate gene, both sense and inteference RNA (RNAi) vectors were constructed. We obtained 31 transgenic plants with between one and seven copies of T-DNA inserts of sense Mi from two nematode-susceptible tomato cultivars as assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Southern blotting analysis. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis revealed that expression levels of the Mi gene varied in different transgenic plants. Nematode assays showed that the resistance to root-knot nematodes was significantly improved in some transgenic lines compared with untransformed susceptible controls and that the resistance was heritable in selfed progeny. Loss of function via RNAi further confirmed the role of the Mi gene and the original resistant lines became susceptible to root-knot nematodes. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, biotechnology has permitted regulation of the expression of endogenous plant genes to improve agronomically important traits. Genetic modification of crops has benefited from emerging knowledge of new genes, especially genes that exhibit novel functions, one of which is eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E). eIF4E is one of the most important translation initiation factors involved in eukaryotic initiation. Recent research has demonstrated that virus resistance mediated by eIF4E and its isoform eIF (iso)4E occurs in several plant-virus interactions, thus indicating a potential new role for eIF4E/eIF(iso)4E in resistance strategies against plant viruses. In this review, we briefly describe eIF4E activity in plant translation, its potential role, and functions of the eIF4E subfamily in plant-virus interactions. Other initiation factors such as eIF4G could also play a role in plant resistance against viruses. Finally, the potential for developing eIF4E-mediated resistance to plant viruses in the future is discussed. Future research should focus on elucidation of the resistance mechanism and spectrum mediated by eIF4E. Knowledge of a particular plant-virus interaction will help to deepen our understanding of eIF4E and other eukaryotic initiation factors, and their involvement in virus disease control. (Managing editor: Li-Hui Zhao) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The B-BOX (BBX) proteins encode a class of zinc-finger transcription factors possessing one or two B-BOX domains and in some cases an additional CCT (CO, CO-like, and TOC1) motif, which play important roles in regulating plant growth, development and stress response. Nevertheless, no systematic study of BBX genes has been undertaken in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Here we present the results of a genome-wide analysis of the 29 BBX genes in this important vegetable species. Their structures, conserved domains, phylogenetic relationships, subcellular localizations, and promoter cis-regulatory elements were analyzed; their tissue expression profiles and expression patterns under various hormones and stress treatments were also investigated in detail. Tomato BBX genes can be divided into five subfamilies, and thirteen of them were found to be segmentally duplicated. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that most BBX genes exhibited different temporal and spatial expression patterns, such as SlBBX24, which was constitutively expressed with high abundance in nearly all tissues studied, and eight genes (SlBBX4, 5, 6, 11, 16, 18, 19, and 22) showed relatively higher expression levels in vegetative tissues and non-ripening fruits. The expression of most BBX genes can be induced by drought, polyethylene glycol-6000 or heat stress. Some BBX genes were induced strongly by phytohormones such as abscisic acid, gibberellic acid or ethephon. The majority of tomato BBX proteins was predicted to be located in nuclei, and the transient expression assay using Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts demonstrated that all the seven BBX members tested (SlBBX5, 7, 15, 17, 20, 22 and 24) were localized in nucleus. Our analysis of tomato BBX genes on the genome scale would provide valuable information for future functional characterization of specific genes in this family.