Search

The volatile components in Houttuynia cordata Thunb. have a distinctive odor, which is the source of their unique flavor as food. Although volatile compounds are widely present in Houttuynia cordata Thunb., little is known about their accumulation in vertical distribution in different organs. In this study, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and chemometrics were used to determine volatile substance's types and relative contents, especially 2-undecanone in different parts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. The results showed that 933 species and 16 classes of volatile compounds were identified in the leaves, aerial stems, subterranean stems, and roots. Among them, the accumulation of 2-undecanone, d -limonene, and α-pinene were significantly higher in subterranean stems than in other organs. The related KEGG pathway-limonene and pinene degradation, was identified. The study's results can provide a reference for the industrial extraction and utilization of volatile compounds from different parts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. • The first analyze to volatile compounds in four different organs of H. cordata. • 933 species volatile compounds were identified. • 2-undecanone was significantly accumulated in subterranean stems. • The KEGG pathway cluster analysis provided reference for regulation mechanism. • Reveal the reasons why people in different regions like to eat different parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microcystin-leucine arginine (MC-LR) is the most toxic and abundant microcystin produced by cyanobacteria. Previous studies have demonstrated that MC-LR can lead to DNA damage by increasing intracellular reactive oxygen species content to induce oxidative stress. However, the direct effect of MC-LR on DNA has not been fully described. In this study, the direct effect of MC-LR on DNA was explored by using spectral analysis and molecular biology technology. First, the fluorescent probe Bptp-R2 was developed to monitor different types of DNA and explore the direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR. The significant differences in the fluorescence of probe–plasmid DNA and probe–ds DNA at various MC-LR concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30 μmol/L) and MC-LR exposure times (0, 6, 12, and 24 h) showed that the direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR was significant (P ≤ 0.01). Gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR cannot cause DNA strand breaks or change DNA configuration. Then, PCR experiments revealed that the direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR cannot affect DNA replication in a PCR system (P ≤ 0.01). This study discovered that the effects of MC-LR on DNA originate mainly from the secondary effects of MC-LR rather than from the direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR. [Display omitted] • The fluorescence responses of the developed probe to various types of DNA significantly differed (P ≤ 0.01). • The developed fluorescent probe demonstrated significant direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR (P ≤ 0.01). • Gel electrophoresis illustrated that the direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR cannot cause DNA strand breakage or change DNA configuration. • The direct interaction between DNA and MC-LR did not influence DNA replication in the PCR system (P ≤ 0.01). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytoplasmic thiouridylase Ctu1-Ctu2 protein complex is responsible for thiolation on the wobble base U34 of tRNAs and plays an important role in cell development in model organisms. However, the biological function of this protein complex in plant pathogenic fungi remains unknown. In this study, we identified a cytosolic thiouridylase gene MoCTU2 in the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The Δ Moctu2 mutant showed reduced vegetative hyphal growth and conidiation, and increased responses to rapamycin and high temperature. However, MoCTU2 had a minor impact on the ability of the mutant causing blast disease on rice. MoCTU2 was constitutively expressed at various developmental stages, with a peak during appressorium formation; the MoCtu2-GFP fusion was evenly distributed in the cytoplasm. Altogether, our findings indicate that the cytosolic thiouridylase gene MoCTU2 is required for fungal development, conidiation, and responses to rapamycin and high temperature in the blast fungus. • MoCTU2 is important to vegetative hyphal growth and conidiation. • MoCTU2 is required for the sensitivity to rapamycin and high temperature. • MoCtu2 is localized into the cytoplasm and highly expressed in the appressorium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcriptional activation function of YAP in cancer development has been widely studied. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, we found that EP300, one histone acetyltransferase, interacted with YAP and was recruited into the phase separated condensates of YAP. Transcriptomic analysis revealed substantial alterations in gene expression upon EP300 depletion, with downregulated genes associated with cancer progression and Hippo-YAP pathway. Notably, disruption of EP300 inhibited the transcriptional activation of YAP and reduced the binding of H3K27ac on YAP target oncogenes in Hippo pathway. Moreover, depletion of EP300 effectively inhibited YAP-driven tumor growth. Taken together, these results indicate that EP300 contributes to lung cancer progression by promoting the oncogenic transcription of YAP through H3K27ac, which suggests that YAP-EP300 axis may be potential therapeutic targets for lung cancer treatment. • EP300 interacts with YAP and is recruited into the phase separated condensates of YAP. • Depletion of EP300 suppresses the oncogenic transcription of YAP target genes in Hippo pathway. • Inhibition of EP300 reduces the binding of H3K27ac on YAP target genes. • Blockade of EP300 suppresses YAP-driven tumor growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with aging, and the number of people affected is rapidly increasing. Abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau filaments and extracellular deposits of amyloid β-peptides (Aβ) fibrils are two important pathological hallmarks of AD. Currently, stopping the production of Aβ and blocking its aggregation is the main strategy for the treatment of AD. Turmeric is effective in treating neurodegenerative diseases, but there is no effective way to identify active compounds from their complicated chemical compositions. Instead of using conventional extraction and separation methods with low efficiency and time-consuming, our group tried to use atomic materials in high-throughput chemical screening due to their structural characteristics and the unique advantages of surface atomic. Herein, a novel atomic zinc sites with hierarchical porous carbon (Zn-HPC) was synthesized to quickly screen potential inhibitors of Aβ aggregation in turmeric. As-combined Aβ@Zn-HPC demonstrates superior storage stability and high selectivity, outperforming the most reported supporters for ligand fishing. Five compounds with strong affinity on Aβ@Zn-HPC were selected by high-performance liquid chromatography-hybrid linear ion trap/orbitrap mass spectrometer after incubation with turmeric extract. Finally, it was shown that curcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin can inhibit Aβ aggregation by using thioflavin-T fluorescence assay and biolayer interferometry. A new application for the accurate identification of Aβ aggregation inhibitors from turmeric were developed based on the active compounds possessing binding affinity to Aβ to inhibit its aggregation. The developed method could provide a promising tool for efficient drug discovery from natural product resources. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]