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Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease and a severe form of pulmonary fibrosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of alveolar epithelial cells is induced in response to epithelial injury, which leads to the accumulation of extracellular matrix in the lung parenchyma and contributes to pulmonary fibrosis. NPAS2 (neuronal PAS domain protein 2) is significantly increased in the lung tissues of IPF patients according to microarray dataset GSE10667 and NPAS2 is downregulated in differentiated human pulmonary type 2 epithelial cells in vitro based on microarray dataset GSE3306 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). In this study, we demonstrated that NPAS2 was increased in bleomycin (BLM)- induced fibrotic lungs in mice. Knockdown of NPAS2 inhibited EMT in primary mouse lung alveolar type 2 epithelial (pmATII) cells and human lung alveolar type 2 epithelial cell line A549 cells under BLM challenge in vitro. Moreover, the silence of NPAS2 alleviated the BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in a murine model. Mechanistically, NPAS2 promotes EMT through positively regulating hairy and enhancer of split 1 (HES1) expression. In this study, we present novel findings that have not been previously reported, emphasizing that p53 transcriptionally activates NPAS2 in ATII cells and overexpression of NPAS2 weakens the effects of TP53 knockdown on EMT of pmATII and A549 cells. Our results suggest NPAS2 is a novel target gene of p53 in regulating BLM-mediated EMT in ATII cells and pulmonary fibrosis. [Display omitted] • NPAS2 is upregulated in the lung tissues of IPF patients. • NPAS2 is increased in the bleomycin (BLM)- induced fibrotic lungs in mice. • NPAS2 is a novel target gene of p53 in regulating BLM-induced EMT in ATII cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flowering time of soybean is a highly important agronomic characteristic, which affects the adaptability and yield. AtMRF1 , a MORN-repeat motif gene, acts as a floral promoter in Arabidopsis , its functions in soybean are not yet understood. Here, we employed qRT-PCR to analyze the tissue expression patten of MRF1 homologs in soybean and determined that the GmMRF2 gene, containing a MORN-motif, highly expressed in the shoot and responded to photoperiod. GmMRF2 overexpression soybean lines exhibited earlier flowering time under long-day (LD) conditions, and increased plant height under both LD and short-day (SD) conditions compared to wild-type (WT) plants. The expression levels of gibberellic acid (GA) pathway genes that positively regulate plant height genes and flowering-promoting genes were up-regulated in the GmMRF2 overexpression lines, were up-regulated in the GmMRF2 overexpression lines. Further study revealed that Gm MRF2 interacted with GmTCP15 to co-induce the expression of GmSOC1b. Together, our results preliminarily reveal the functions and mechanisms of GmMRF2 in regulating flowering time and plant height, provide a new promising gene for soybean crop improvement. • GmMRF2 overexpression promoted flowering and increased plant height in soybean. • The expression level of GA pathway and flowering related genes was alerted in the GmMRF2 overexpression lines. • GmMRF2 interacted with GmTCP15 to co-induce the expression of GmSOC1b to accelerate soybean flowering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SOX17, a member of SRY-related high-mobility-group box (SOX) family, involves in endoderm formation, angiogenesis and carcinogenesis, and its expression characteristics are different in spermatogenesis among several vertebrates. In this study, we cloned a full-length cDNA sequence of sox17 from Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri , and determined its expression characteristics in gonad at mRNA and protein levels. The cDNA sequence was 2802 bp in length, predicted to encode a protein of 511 amino acids and contained a conservative HMG-box of SOX family, while lacked the C-terminal region of SOX17 comparing to vertebrates. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR showed that C. farreri sox17 ( Cf-sox17 ) mRNA exhibited a different tissue distribution, and the transcript abundance was the highest in the gonads. In situ hybridization determined that the Cf-sox17 mRNA was located in various germ cells in testis and ovary. Similar result of Cf- SOX17 protein was also observed by immunohistochemical detection. The location in gonad is different from that of mammals and fish in which SOX17 is only located in some specific germ cells. Our finding revealed a different characteristic of sox17 expression in gametogenesis between scallop and vertebrates, which implied that Cf-sox17 may involve in gametogenesis of bivalves and the function may differ from that in vertebrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]