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Introduction REG3A, a member of the third subclass of the Reg family, has been found in a variety of tissues but is not detected in immune cells. In the past decade, it has been determined that REG3A expression is regulated by injury, infection, inflammatory stimuli, and pro-cytokines via different signaling pathways, and it acts as a tissue-repair, bactericidal, and anti-inflammatory molecule in human diseases. Recently, the role of REG3A in cancer has received increasing attention. The present article aims to investigate the structure, expression, regulation, function of REG3A, and to highlight the potential role of REG3A in tumors. Methods A detailed literature search and data organization were conducted to find information about the role of REG3A in variety of physiological functions and tumors. Results Contradictory roles of REG3A have been reported in different tumor models. Some studies have demonstrated that high expression of REG3A in cancers can be oncogenic. Other studies have shown decreased REG3A expression in cancer cells as well as suppressed tumor growth. Conclusions Taken together, better understanding of REG3A may lead to new insights that make it a potentially useful target for cancer therapy.

A biocompatibility polyelectrolyte coating capable of self-healing damages was developed via Layer-by-Layer self-assembly, a synthetic strategy that alternatively assembles layers of Chitosan (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA). The reversible interactions of the hydrogen bonding formed between CS and HA can be dynamically associated/dissociated with water, imparting the CS/HA polyelectrolyte coating with substantially improved self-healing property and significantly decreasing micro-cracks and their associated concerns. Also, through structural changes induced during the freeze-drying and self-healing processes, not only can different kinds of drug molecules be easily loaded into CS/HA polyelectrolyte coating but also a variety of nanoparticles. These features provide the CS/HA polyelectrolyte coating with extend lifespan, enhanced reliability, and considerable promise for applying in novel functional biomedical materials.

Background Aconitum carmichaelii has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating various diseases for several thousand years. The biosynthetic pathway of some alkaloids such as C19-diterpenoid alkaloids has been reported, but pathways in different varieties of A. carmichaelii remain unknown. Herein, we performed transcriptome analysis of varieties A. carmichaelii and characterized the biosynthetic pathway of salsolinol. The results expand our knowledge of alkaloids biosynthesis, and provide a theoretical basis for analysing differences in alkaloids biosynthesis patterns in different varieties. Results A total of 56 million raw reads (8.28 G) and 55 million clean reads (8.24 G) were obtained from two varieties (Z175 and R184) leaf transcriptomes, respectively, and 176,793 unigenes were annotated using six protein databases. This yielded 6,873 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the two varieties, of which 281 are involved in the salsolinol biosynthetic pathway, including 158 and 75 related to glycolysis and the shikimate pathway, respectively. Furthermore, 843 DEGs were found to be involved in the formation of C19-diterpenoid alkaloids, with 34 differed between the two varieties. These target genes were analysed to explore differences in C19-diterpenoid alkaloid biosynthesis in Z175 and R184. In addition, 322 DEGs encoding transcription factors potentially related to alkaloid accumulation were identified. Conclusions The biosynthesis pathway for C19-diterpenoid alkaloids and salsolinol included 34 and 24 DEGs in Z175 and R184, respectively. Thus, genes involved in alkaloid biosynthesis and accumulation differ between varieties. The mechanisms underlying the differences and their relevance require further exploration.