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Seed germination is a complex physiological process that allows the seed embryo to grow and develop into a photosynthetic organism. The two major constituents of rice seed include the embryo and endosperm, with embryo being of much significance despite its small size. In this study, we conducted a systematic proteomic analysis of the embryos dissected from rice seed at different stages of germination through a combination of gel-based and gel-free strategies. In total, 343 differentially expressed proteins were identified. Among them, 191 were decreased and 152 were increased in terms of expression levels. All these proteins could be sorted into 11 functional groups based on MapMan analysis. Some starch biosynthesis-related enzymes such as starch branching enzyme, granule-bound starch synthase 1 and starch synthase increased during the early stage of germination and then decreased at the late stage, which was similar to the expressional patterns of glycolysis-related enzymes. However, tricarboxylic acid cycle-related enzymes only increased at the later stage. It was also found that sucrose might be an important intermediate for the biosynthesis of starch in embryos. Furthermore, gel-based proteomic analysis of the dissected endosperm showed that the biological processes in the endosperm were heavily regulated by the embryo. This study could provide some new insights into the distinct roles of the embryo and endosperm in rice seed germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed germination is a well regulated process, which incorporates many events including signal transduction, mobilization of reserves, reactive oxygen species scavenging and cell division. Although many transcriptomic and proteomic studies have been conducted on this process, regulation of protein modification has not been studied. To better understand the mechanism, a gel-based comparative phosphoproteomic study was performed on rice embryo during the germination process. In total, 168 protein spots exhibited significantly changed Pro-Q staining intensity during germination. Using matrix-assisted laser deionization-time of flight/time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) analysis, 193 proteins were identified. By combining Pro-Q and Coomassie brilliant blue stain intensity analyses, 109 proteins were verified to be phosphorylation regulation proteins. Functional analyses indicated that phosphorylation of proteins involved in stress response and storage was gradually enhanced. Phosphorylation of signal transduction proteins was mainly activated during the early stage of germination, while stress response and storage protein phosphorylation were enhanced at the late stage. Enzyme assays proved that the phosphorylation of fructokinase, pyruvate kinase, malate dehydrogenase, GDP-mannose 3,5-epimerase1, ascorbate peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase could consistently enhance their activity. This study showed the dynamic changes of protein phosphorylation status in rice embryo during germination and provided new insight into understanding the mechanism underlying this process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Seed germination is a complex physiological process during which mobilization of nutrient reserves happens. In different crops, this event might be mediated by different regulatory and metabolic pathways. Proteome profiling has been proved to be an efficient way that can help us to construct these pathways. However, no such studies have been performed in soybean germinating seeds up to date. Results: Proteome profiling was conducted through one-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry strategy in the germinating seeds of soybean (glycine max). Comprehensive comparisons were also carried out between rice and soybean germinating seeds. 764 proteins belonging to 14 functional groups were identified and metabolism related proteins were the largest group. Deep analyses of the proteins and pathways showed that lipids were degraded through lipoxygenase dependent pathway and proteins were degraded through both protease and 26S proteosome system, and the lipoxygenase could also help to remove the reactive oxygen species during the rapid mobilization of reserves of soybean germinating seeds. The differences between rice and soybean germinating seeds proteome profiles indicate that each crop species has distinct mechanism for reserves mobilization during germination. Different reserves could be converted into starches before they are totally utilized during the germination in different crops seeds. Conclusions: This study is the first comprehensive analysis of proteome profile in germinating soybean seeds to date. The data presented in this paper will improve our understanding of the physiological and biochemical status in the imbibed soybean seeds just prior to germination. Comparison of the protein profile with that of germinating rice seeds gives us new insights on mobilization of nutrient reserves during the germination of crops seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water absorption is a prerequisite for seed germination. During imbibition, water influx causes the resumption of many physiological and metabolic processes in growing seed. In order to obtain more complete knowledge about the mechanism of seed germination, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis was applied to investigate the protein profile changes of rice seed during the first 48 h of imbibition. Thirty-nine differentially expressed proteins were identified, including 19 down-regulated and 20 up-regulated proteins. Storage proteins and some seed development- and desiccation-associated proteins were down regulated. The changed patterns of these proteins indicated extensive mobilization of seed reserves. By contrast, catabolism-associated proteins were up regulated upon imbibition. Semi-quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that most of the genes encoding the down- or up-regulated proteins were also down or up regulated at mRNA level. The expression of these genes was largely consistent at mRNA and protein levels. In providing additional information concerning gene regulation in early plant life, this study will facilitate understanding of the molecular mechanisms of seed germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of arsenic contaminated water and cereals is a serious threat to humans all over the world. Rice ( Oryza sativa 'Nipponbare'), as a main cereal crop, can accumulate arsenic more than 10-fold that of in other cereals. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the response of rice subjected to 100 µM arsenate stress, a comparative proteomic analysis of rice shoots in combination with morphological and biochemical investigations have been performed in this study. The results demonstrated that arsenate suppressed the growth of rice seedlings, destroyed the cellular ultra-structure and changed the homeostasis of reactive oxygen species. Moreover, a total of 38 differentially displayed proteins, which were mainly involved in metabolism, redox and protein-metabolism, were identified. The data suggest the arsenic can inhibit rice growth through negatively affecting chloroplast structure and photosynthesis. In addition, upregulation of the proteins involved in redox and protein metabolism might help the rice to be resistant or tolerant to arsenic toxicity. In general, this study improves our understanding about the rice arsenic responsive mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cancer, a major public health issue worldwide, is the second most common cause of death. Initiatives such as the Human Genome Project (HGP) and Human Proteome Project (HPP) have greatly advanced the understanding of human health and disease, including cancer, and are supporting the current trend towards personalized/precision medicine. In this review, we will overview recent technological achievements, the key hallmarks of cancer, and unmet clinical needs. We will specifically detail the importance of cancer biomarkers in diagnosis and treatment, the role of the microbiome in health and disease, the potential of emerging omics technologies and the goals of personalized/precision medicine. Finally, we will discuss future perspectives, both from the standpoint of perceived advances in treatment, but also from the hurdles that have to be overcome. As of 2020 the human genome and proteome are both at >90% completion based on high stringency analyses. This has been largely achieved by major technological advances over the last 20 years and has enlarged our understanding of human health and disease, including cancer, and is supporting the current trend towards personalized/precision medicine. This is due to improved screening, novel therapeutic approaches and an increased understanding of underlying cancer biology. However, cancer is a complex, heterogeneous disease modulated by genetic, molecular, cellular, tissue, population, environmental and socioeconomic factors, which evolve with time. In spite of recent advances in treatment that have resulted in improved patient outcomes, prognosis is still poor for many patients with certain cancers (e.g., mesothelioma, pancreatic and brain cancer) with a high death rate associated with late diagnosis. In this review we overview key hallmarks of cancer (e.g., autophagy, the role of redox signaling), current unmet clinical needs, the requirement for sensitive and specific biomarkers for early detection, surveillance, prognosis and drug monitoring, the role of the microbiome and the goals of personalized/precision medicine, discussing how emerging omics technologies can further inform on these areas. Exemplars from recent onco-proteogenomic-related publications will be given. Finally, we will address future perspectives, not only from the standpoint of perceived advances in treatment, but also from the hurdles that have to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]