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Complex 1 based on Cu-MOF with a suitable pore environment and high stability can effectively purify ethylene from any proportion of an ethylene/acetylene mixture.

The fast-growing arbor poplar is widely distributed across the world and is susceptible to nitrogen availability. The WRKY transcription factor is an important regulatory node of stress tolerance as well as nutrient utilization. However, the potential response mechanism of WRKY genes toward nitrogen is poorly understood. Therefore, the identification of WRKY genes on the Populus trichocarpa genome was performed, and 98 PtWRKYs (i.e., PtWRKY1 to PtWRKY98) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis and the promoter cis-acting element detection revealed that PtWRKYs have multiple functions, including phosphorus and nitrogen homeostasis. By constructing multilayer-hierarchical gene regulatory networks (ML-hGRNs), it was predicted that many WRKY transcription factors were involved in the nitrogen response, such as PtWRKY33 and PtWRKY95. They mainly regulated the expression of primary nitrogen-responsive genes (NRGs), such as PtNRT2.5A, PtNR2 and PtGLT2. The integrative analysis of transcriptome and RT-qPCR results show that the expression levels of 6 and 15 PtWRKYs were regulated by nitrogen availability in roots and leaves, respectively, and those were also found in ML-hGRN. Our study demonstrates that PtWRKYs respond to nitrogen by regulating NRGs, which enriches the nitrate-responsive transcription factor network and helps to uncover the hub of nitrate and its related signaling regulation.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a global disease, it is of great significance to discover a novel target for the treatment of CRC. SPOCD1 encodes proteins belonging to the transcription factor S-II (TFIIS) transcription factor family. The expression of SPOCD1 increases in a variety of tumor types, including ovarian cancer, osteosarcoma, glioblastoma, sophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and so on. In this study, we detected the expression of SPOCD1 in CRC tissues and cells. We also evaluated the correlation between the prognosis of CRC and the expression of SPOCD1 and found SPOCD1 was overexpressed in CRC and correlated with a poor prognosis. Meanwhile, the correlations between SPOCD1 expression and drugs were evaluated as well. We observed the genetic alteration status of SPOCD1 in CRC. Immune cell infiltration showed that there is a positive correlation between SPOCD1 expression and immune function. In vitro, SPOCD1 could promote CRC cell proliferation and migration. In the meantime, apoptosis was inhibited. YAP was identified as the target gene of SPOCD1 via qRT-PCR and western blot. Compared to only transfecting siSPOCD1, the proliferation of HT29 cells was partially restored when co-transfected with siSPOCD1 and oeYAP. Background: CRC is a common digestive tract tumor with the highest incidence in the world. SPOCD1 is a novel gene that encodes proteins belonging to the transcription factor S-II (TFIIS) transcription factor family. Up to now, whether SPOCD1 contributes the pathegenesis of CRC has been poorly defined. The main purpose of our research was to find the association between SPOCD1 and CRC. Methods: We used CRC datasets from the tumor immune estimation resource, version 2 (TIMER2) database, and immune cell infiltration was created to investigate immune cell dysregulation in CRC. Western blot was used to detect the expression of SPOCD1 in CRC and non-cancerous tissue. The expression of SPOCD1 in CRC cells was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. Cell Counting Kit 8 and colony formation assay analysis were conducted to analyze the effect of SPOCD1 on cell proliferation. And cell migration was analyzed by scratch assay. Using apoptotic proteins to assess the apoptotic capacity of cells. The protein expression of SPOCD1 and YAP in CRC cells was measured by Western blot. Results: SPOCD1 was overexpressed in CRC and correlated with a poor prognosis. The higher the expression of SPOCD1, the shorter the survival rate. The expression of SPOCD1 is increased in colorectal cancer cells such as HT29 and SW480 cells. What’s more, the reduction of SPOCD1 inhibits the proliferation and migration of HT29 and SW480 cells and increases apoptosis in HT29 and SW480 cells. And the Hippo/YAP pathway was inhibited by the knockdown of SPOCD1 in HT29 and SW480 cells. Conclusion: Our study suggests that SPOCD1 may play an oncogenic role by activating the Hippo/YAP pathway to inhibit apoptosis in CRC and can be a potential target for the treatment of CRC.

Dioecious plants have evolved effective defense strategies to deal with various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, little is known regarding sexual differences in their defense against herbivores. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of systemic defense responses in male and female Populus cathayana attacked by Plagiodera versicolora Laicharting. The results revealed that P. cathayana exhibits sexually differential responses to a defoliator. The percentage of damaged leaf area was greater in males than in females. Furthermore, the observed saccharide changes imply that males and females exhibit different response times to defoliators. The contents of flavonoids and anthocyanins were significantly increased in both sexes but were higher in females. Specifically, the jasmonic acid (JA) pathway plays an important role. Expression of pest-related genes further revealed that hormones induce changes in downstream genes and metabolites, and upregulation of JA ZIM-domain (JAZ) and CORONATINE INSENSITIVE 1 (COI1) was more significant in females. In the undamaged adjacent leaves, metabolite and gene changes displayed similar patterns to the damaged local leaves, but levels of JA, JAZ1, and COI1 were higher in females. Therefore, our data confirmed that plants initiate the JA pathway to defend against herbivores, that there is systematic signal transduction, and that this ability is stronger in females than in males. This study provides new insights into the resistance of dioecious plants to herbivory and adds a new theoretical basis for the systemic signal transduction of plants in response to biotic stress.

In the initial period, the peculiarity of artificial fish swarm algorithm is of fast searching speed and high optimization accuracy, but in the later period, the convergence speed is always slow, and artificial fish tend to gather around the local optimum. Therefore, the solving ability of the algorithm becomes weak and the global optimal value is hard to obtain. Considering the introduction of RNA computation based on biomolecular operations, the optimization capability of traditional algorithm can be enhanced effectively. Therefore, RNA computing is introduced to artificial fish swarm algorithm, and a modified artificial fish swarm algorithm is presented on the grounds of RNA computing. In the later period of artificial fish swarm algorithm, the transformation, replacement and recombination operations in RNA computation are applied to increase diversity of artificial fish, so as to further the convergence speed and optimization capability of the algorithm. In the meantime, the improved algorithm, RNA-AFSA, is tested by four typical functions, and the results prove that the modified artificial fish swarm algorithm has better optimization effects in search accuracy, stability, and other aspects.

Automatic detection of printing defect technology is significant for improving printing fabrics’ appearance and quality. In this research, we proposed an unsupervised printing defect detection method by processing the difference map between the test image and the reference image. Aimed at this, we adopted a content-based image retrieval (CBIR) method to retrieve the reference image, which includes an image database, a convolutional denoising auto-encoder (CDAE) and a hash encoder (HE): the elements of image database are extracted from only one defect-free sample image of the test fabric; the CDAE prevents the system being affected by the texture of the fabric and provides a reliable feature description of the patterns; the HE indexes the feature vectors to binary code while maintaining their similarity; both CDAE and HE are trained in an unsupervised manner. With the retrieved reference image, the defect is determined by applying the Tsallis entropy thresholding and opening operation on the difference map. The method can be implemented without labeled and defective samples, and without consideration of the periodical primitive of patterns. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method in defect detection for printed fabrics with complex patterns.

As unique secondary metabolites of Ginkgo biloba L. and relics of Ginkgoaceae, terpene trilactones (TTLs) possess great medicinal value. In this study, we investigated the effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, cold stress (4 °C), and exogenous hormone treatment on TTLs and key genes expression in ginkgo leaves in annual potted ginkgo seedlings subjected to different stress treatments. The processing conditions were as follows: UV treatment (1500 μJ/m2) for 0, 8, 16, 24, and 48 h; cold stress at 4 °C, 400 µmol photons m−2 s−1; 100 μM abscisic acid (ABA); 100 μM methyl jasmonate (MeJA); 10 mM salicylic acid (SA); and 10 mM ethephon (ETH) treatments for 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 days. Results of evaporative light-scattering detector–high-performance liquid chromatography showed that UV, cold stress, ABA, SA, MeJA, and ETH treatments increased the TTL content at various levels and up to 21.9%. The relationships among the expression levels of the key enzyme genes GbDXS, GbGGPPS, GbLPS, and GbMVD in the TTL biosynthesis pathway were also analyzed. Changes in the TTL content and expression levels of the key genes were significantly and positively correlated with TTL content. UV, cold stress, ABA, SA, MeJA, and ETH were found to increase the TTL content by upregulating the expression of the key genes. This study aimed to reveal the molecular mechanism through which TTLs are synthesized. The results can also provide theoretical guidance for the application of treatment methods to increase TTL content.

A ligand with a flexible conformation can be obtained by modifying functional groups. We modified H4DCBA with –CH3/–CF3 groups to construct three Zr-MOFs; the torsion of the central benzene ring changes the topologies. The three Zr-MOFs showed high adsorption rates for Cr2O72−, and the CF3-functional groups enhanced the adsorption capacity of UPC-49 for Cr2O72−.

Paeonia rockii is a promising woody oil crop because its seeds are rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids especially α-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is an essential fatty acid that the human body cannot synthesize and is the direct synthetic precursor of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, which play crucial roles in the development of the blood vessels, brain and nervous system of humans. However, the mechanisms underlying the dynamic changes in ALA during seed development are unknown. In this study, we found that the fatty acid content gradually increased with P. rockii seed development, with ALA being the main unsaturated acid component (37-44%). The content of ALA reached the peak value of 306.26 mg/g DW 20 days before the seeds had fully maturated. Seeds from three different developmental stages were selected for transcriptome and miRNA sequencing analyses to explore the molecular mechanism of ALA accumulation in P. rockii seeds. A total of 39 differentially expressed genes were screened for their involvement in ALA biosynthesis, among which FAD2/8, GPAT, PDAT, LACS, LPAAT, and KAS II might be the key structural genes of ALA accumulation. The differential expression of these genes was dependent on the regulation of five miRNAs (mdm_miR156b, novel miR_91, novel miR_133, novel miR_291, and novel miR_405) and four transcription factors (AP2, SNL2, TGA-like, and SPL). This study reveals the mechanism behind the dynamic changes of ALA contents in P. rockii during seed development, and also provides an important theoretical basis for the breeding of excellent varieties of P. rockii.

Ginkgo biloba L. is an ancient relict plant with rich pharmacological activity and nutritional value, and its main physiologically active components are flavonoids and terpene lactones. The bZIP gene family is one of the largest gene families in plants and regulates many processes including pathogen defense, secondary metabolism, stress response, seed maturation, and flower development. In this study, genome-wide distribution of the bZIP transcription factors was screened from G. biloba database in silico analysis. A total of 40 bZIP genes were identified in G. biloba and were divided into 10 subclasses. GbbZIP members in the same group share a similar gene structure, number of introns and exons, and motif distribution. Analysis of tissue expression pattern based on transcriptome indicated that GbbZIP08 and GbbZIP15 were most highly expressed in mature leaf. And the expression level of GbbZIP13 was high in all eight tissues. Correlation analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis suggested that GbbZIP08 and GbbZIP15 might be involved in the flavonoid biosynthesis. The transcriptional levels of 20 GbbZIP genes after SA, MeJA, and low temperature treatment were analyzed by qRT-PCR. The expression level of GbbZIP08 was significantly upregulated under 4°C. Protein–protein interaction network analysis indicated that GbbZIP09 might participate in seed germination by interacting with GbbZIP32. Based on transcriptome and degradome data, we found that 32 out of 117 miRNAs were annotated to 17 miRNA families. The results of this study may provide a theoretical foundation for the functional validation of GbbZIP genes in the future.

Camellia japonica petals are colorful, rich in anthocyanins, and possess important ornamental, edible, and medicinal value. However, the regulatory mechanism of anthocyanin accumulation in C. japonica is still unclear. In this study, an integrative analysis of the metabolome and transcriptome was conducted in five C. japonica cultivars with different petal colors. Overall, a total of 187 flavonoids were identified (including 25 anthocyanins), and 11 anthocyanins were markedly differentially accumulated among these petals, contributing to the different petal colors in C. japonica. Moreover, cyanidin-3-O-(6″-O-malonyl) glucoside was confirmed as the main contributor to the red petal phenotype, while cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside were responsible for the deep coloration of the C. japonica petals. Furthermore, a total of 12,531 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and overlapping DEGs (634 DEGs) were identified by RNA sequencing, and the correlation between the expression level of the DEGs and the anthocyanin content was explored. The candidate genes regulating anthocyanin accumulation in the C. japonica petals were identified and included 37 structural genes (especially CjANS and Cj4CL), 18 keys differentially expressed transcription factors (such as GATA, MYB, bHLH, WRKY, and NAC), and 16 other regulators (mainly including transporter proteins, zinc-finger proteins, and others). Our results provide new insights for elucidating the function of anthocyanins in C. japonica petal color expression.

Regulating the structure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) by adjusting the ligands reasonably is expected to enhance the interaction of MOFs on special molecules/ions, which has significant application value for the selective adsorption of guest molecules. Herein, two tricarboxylic ligands H3 L-Cl and H3 L-NH2 were designed and synthesized based on the ligand H3 TTCA by replacing part of the benzene rings with C=C bonds and modifying the chlorine and amino groups on the 4-position of the benzene ring. Two 3D Fe-MOFs (UPC-60-Cl and UPC-60-NH2 ) with the new topology types were constructed. As the C=C bonds of the ligands have flexible torsion angles, UPC-60-Cl features three types of irregular 2D channels, while UPC-60-NH2 has a cage with two types of windows on the surface. The synergistic effect of unique channels and modification of functional groups endows UPC-60-Cl and UPC-60-NH2 with high adsorption capacity for organic dyes. Compound UPC-60-Cl shows high adsorption capacity for CV (147.2 mg g-1 ), RHB (100.3 mg g-1 ), and MO (220.9 mg g-1 ), whereas UPC-60-NH2 exhibits selective adsorption of MO (158.7 mg g-1 ). Meanwhile, based on the diverse pore structure and modification of active sites, UPC-60-Cl and UPC-60-NH2 show the selective separation of equimolar C2 H2 /CO2 . Therefore, reasonable regulation of organic ligands plays a significant role in guiding the structure diversification and performance improvement of MOFs.

The cold chain logistics distribution center connects manufacturers and customers, which is the most important infrastructure in the cold chain logistics, and affects the distribution efficiency of the whole logistics system. Therefore, this paper establishes a location model of cold chain logistics distribution center with the goal of minimizing the total cost, including manufacturers, distribution centers and customers. At the same time, the characteristics of fireworks algorithm are used to improve the deficiency of fish swarm algorithm that is easy to fall into local extreme value in the late stage, and the modified algorithm is applied to the model. The results show that the FWA-artificial fish swarm algorithm can achieve better results in terms of solving accuracy, stability and convergence speed.

Regulating the structure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) by adjusting the ligands reasonably is expected to enhance the interaction of MOFs on special molecules/ions, which has significant application value for the selective adsorption of guest molecules. Herein, two tricarboxylic ligands H

The separation of ethylene (C2 H4 ) from a mixture of ethane (C2 H6 ), ethylene (C2 H4 ), and acetylene (C2 H2 ) at normal temperature and pressure is a significant challenge. The sieving effect of pores is powerless due to the similar molecular size and kinetic diameter of these molecules. We report a new modification method based on a stable ftw topological Zr-MOF platform (MOF-525). Introduction of a cyclopentadiene cobalt functional group led to new ftw-type MOFs materials (UPC-612 and UPC-613), which increase the host-guest interaction and achieve efficient ethylene purification from the mixture of hydrocarbon gases. The high performance of UPC-612 and UPC-613 for C2 H2 /C2 H4 /C2 H6 separation has been verified by gas sorption isotherms, density functional theory (DFT), and experimentally determined breakthrough curves. This work provides a one-step separation of the ternary gas mixture and can further serve as a blueprint for the design and construction of function-oriented porous structures for such applications.

In practical industrial applications, the separation of light hydrocarbon mixtures is a very important technology. In recent years, some progress has been made in metal-organic framework materials for light hydrocarbon separation, but further research is still needed. This Minireivew presents a systematic discussion on the latest developments and separation mechanisms of metal-organic framework materials for C2 and C3 mixtures, discusses the problems faced by metal-organic framework materials in the study of light hydrocarbon adsorption and separation, and provides a reference for the design, preparation and process development of low-carbon hydrocarbon adsorption and separation materials in the future.

Cryptochrome (CRY) is a blue light receptor that is widely distributed in animals, plants, and microorganisms. CRY as a coding gene of cryptochrome that regulates the organism gene expression and plays an important role in organism growth and development. In this study, we identified four photolyase/cryptochrome (PHR/CRY) members from the genome of Ginkgo biloba. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the Ginkgo PHR/CRY family members were closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum. We isolated a cryptochrome gene, GbCRY1, from G. biloba and analyzed its structure and function. GbCRY1 shared high similarity with AtCRY1 from A. thaliana. GbCRY1 expression level was higher in stems and leaves and lower in roots, male strobili, female strobili. GbCRY1 expression level fluctuated periodically within 24 h, gradually increased in the dark, and decreased under blue light. The newly germinated ginkgo seedlings were cultured under dark, white light, and blue light conditions. The blue light normally induced photomorphogenesis of ginkgo seedlings, which included hypocotyl elongation inhibition, leaf expansion inhibition, and chlorophyll formation. Treating dark-adapted ginkgo leaves with blue light could induce stomatal opening. At the same time, blue light reduced the expression level of GbCRY1 in the process of inducing photomorphogenesis and stoma opening. Our results provide evidence that GbCRY1 expression is affected by space, circadian cycle and light, and also proves that GbCRY1 is related to ginkgo circadian clock, photomorphogenesis and stoma opening process.

The ornamental plant Camellia japonica is widely distributed worldwide and is susceptible to various environmental stresses. The WRKY transcription factor (TF) is an important node of plant tolerance. However, WRKY TFs from C. japonica have not been reported yet. In this study, 48 CjWRKYs, namely, CjWRKY1 to CjWRKY48, were identified. Protein structure analysis revealed that CjWRKY proteins contain a highly conserved motif (WRKYGQK) and two variant motifs (WRKYGKK and WRKYGRK). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 48 CjWRKYs can be divided into three groups, which are further classified into six subgroups, namely, I-C, II-a, II-b, II-c, II-e, and III, which contain 10, 6, 8, 13, 7, and 4 members, respectively. The expression patterns of 15 CjWRKYs under salicylic acid (SA) treatment were investigated by real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Results showed that the 15 CjWRKYs could be induced by SA treatment. This study is the first to screen CjWRKYs and identify the expression profile of CjWRKYs under SA treatment and provides a theoretical basis for analyzing the function of CjWRKY genes to SA stress tolerance in C. japonica.

Background Leaf color variation is a common trait in plants and widely distributed in many plants. In this study, a leaf color mutation in Camellia japonica (cultivar named as Maguxianzi, M) was used as material, and the mechanism of leaf color variation was revealed by physiological, cytological, transcriptome and microbiome analyses. Results The yellowing C. japonica (M) exhibits lower pigment content than its parent (cultivar named as Huafurong, H), especially chlorophyll (Chl) and carotenoid, and leaves of M have weaker photosynthesis. Subsequently, the results of transmission electron microscopy(TEM) exhibited that M chloroplast was accompanied by broken thylakoid membrane, degraded thylakoid grana, and filled with many vesicles. Furthermore, comparative transcriptome sequencing identified 3,298 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). KEGG annotation analysis results showed that 69 significantly enriched DEGs were involved in Chl biosynthesis, carotenoid biosynthesis, photosynthesis, and plant-pathogen interaction. On this basis, we sequenced the microbial diversity of the H and M leaves. The sequencing results suggested that the abundance of Didymella in the M leaves was significantly higher than that in the H leaves, which meant that M leaves might be infected by Didymella. Conclusions Therefore, we speculated that Didymella infected M leaves while reduced Chl and carotenoid content by damaging chloroplast structures, and altered the intensity of photosynthesis, thereby causing the leaf yellowing phenomenon of C. japonica (M). This research will provide new insights into the leaf color variation mechanism and lay a theoretical foundation for plant breeding and molecular markers.

A ligand with a flexible conformation can be obtained by modifying functional groups. We modified H4DCBA with -CH3/-CF3 groups to construct three Zr-MOFs; the torsion of the central benzene ring changes the topologies. The three Zr-MOFs showed high adsorption rates for Cr2O72-, and the CF3-functional groups enhanced the adsorption capacity of UPC-49 for Cr2O72-.

As a common mutation trait in plants, leaf colour mutation is related to the degree of chlorophyll and anthocyanin changes and the destruction of chloroplast structure. This study summarizes the latest research progress in leaf colour mutation mechanism, including the metabolic basis of plant leaf colour mutation, leaf colour mutation caused by gene mutation in the chlorophyll metabolism pathway, leaf colour mutation caused by blocked chloroplast development, leaf colour mutation controlled by key transcription factors and non-coding RNAs, leaf colour mutation caused by environmental factors, and leaf colour mutation due to the involvement of the mevalonate pathway. These results will lay a theoretical foundation for leaf colour development, leaf colour improvement, and molecular breeding for leaf colour among tree species.

The WD40 transcription factor family is a superfamily found in eukaryotes and implicated in regulating growth and development. In this study, 167 WD40 family genes are identified in the Ginkgo biloba genome. They are divided into 5 clusters and 16 subfamilies based on the difference analysis of a phylogenetic tree and domain structures. The distribution of WD40 genes in chromosomes, gene structures, and motifs is analyzed. Promoter analysis shows that five GbWD40 gene promoters contain the MYB binding site participating in the regulation of flavonoid metabolism, suggesting that these five genes may participate in the regulation of flavonoid synthesis in G. biloba. The correlation analysis is carried out based on FPKM value of WD40 gene and flavonoid content in 8 tissues of G. biloba. Six GbWD40 genes that may participate in flavonoid metabolism are screened. The biological functions of the WD40 family genes in G. biloba are systematically analyzed, providing a foundation for further elucidating their regulatory mechanisms. A number of WD40 candidate genes involved in the biosynthesis and metabolism of G. biloba also predicted. This study presents an important basis and direction for conducting further research on the regulatory network of flavonoid synthesis and metabolism.

The basic artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is easy to fall into local optimum, and it has poor exploitation ability and slow convergence speed. According to the defects, the improved algorithm is proposed, which is based on damping motion and artificial fish swarm(AFS) algorithm. In the employed bees phase, the swarm behavior of AFS algorithm which can avoid sinking into local optimum is introduced. At the same time, considering the slow convergence speed, employed bees adopt the multidimensional updating process in the early stage of iteration. In the onlooker bees phase, an adaptive step size based on damping motion is designed to replace the random step size, which can balance the global exploration and the local exploitation. Through the simulation of six test functions, we get the average convergence algebra, the mean, the best and the variance of the optimal solution through 30 experiments. Simulation shows that the improved algorithm has a better performance than the basic one.

In order to improve the existing problems of the artificial fish swarm algorithm, the fish swarm algorithm is improved by using the characteristics of RNA computing, and the RNA-artificial fish swarm algorithm is proposed. Since cold-chain food has the characteristics of perishable quality and can generate a large number of carbon emissions during its transportation, this paper establishes a model for optimizing cold chain low carbon logistics location in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, including factors such as food spoilage, refrigeration and carbon emissions. The logistics location optimization model is solved 30 times with the basic fish swarm algorithm and the RNA-artificial fish swarm algorithm respectively. The simulation results prove the effectiveness of the RNA-artificial fish swarm algorithm.

Cryptochrome (CRY) is a blue light receptor that is widely distributed in animals, plants, and microorganisms. CRY as a coding gene of cryptochrome that regulates the organism gene expression and plays an important role in organism growth and development. In this study, we identified four photolyase/cryptochrome (PHR/CRY) members from the genome of Ginkgo biloba. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that the Ginkgo PHR/CRY family members were closely related to Arabidopsis thaliana and Solanum lycopersicum. We isolated a cryptochrome gene, GbCRY1, from G. biloba and analyzed its structure and function. GbCRY1 shared high similarity with AtCRY1 from A. thaliana. GbCRY1 expression level was higher in stems and leaves and lower in roots, male strobili, female strobili. GbCRY1 expression level fluctuated periodically within 24 h, gradually increased in the dark, and decreased under blue light. The newly germinated ginkgo seedlings were cultured under dark, white light, and blue light conditions. The blue light normally induced photomorphogenesis of ginkgo seedlings, which included hypocotyl elongation inhibition, leaf expansion inhibition, and chlorophyll formation. Treating dark-adapted ginkgo leaves with blue light could induce stomatal opening. At the same time, blue light reduced the expression level of GbCRY1 in the process of inducing photomorphogenesis and stoma opening. Our results provide evidence that GbCRY1 expression is affected by space, circadian cycle and light, and also proves that GbCRY1 is related to ginkgo circadian clock, photomorphogenesis and stoma opening process.

Abnormal proliferation, migration, and phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are critical factors in neointima formation during restenosis. The purpose of this study is to determine the efficacy and possible cell signaling mechanisms of apigenin in VSMC activation induced by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB and injury-induced neointima formation. Our data revealed a dose-dependent apigenin inhibition of PDGF-BB-induced proliferation of VSMCs by arresting cells in G0/G1-phase of the cell cycle as determined using 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation and flow cytometry. This was associated with the inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4,6 expression and an increase in p27Kip1 levels in PDGF-stimulated VSMCs. Moreover, apigenin was also found to regulate PDGF-induced migration and expression of smooth-muscle-specific contractile markers. Mechanistically, the PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of PDGF-receptor β (PDGF-Rβ), Akt/glycogen synthase kinase(GSK)3β, extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2), and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) is negatively modulated by apigenin. For the in vivo studies using a mouse carotid arterial injury model, the administration of apigenin resulted in a significant inhibition of the neointima/media ratio and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells. These results demonstrate that apigenin can suppress PDGF-induced VSMC activation and neointima hyperplasia after vascular injury; these beneficial effects are probably the result of the blockade of PDGF-Rβ phosphorylation and its downstream signal transduction, including the Akt/GSK-3β, ERK1/2, and STAT3 pathways. The results suggest that apigenin may be a potential therapeutic candidate for the prevention of restenosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 1198–1207, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Background 3, 3′diindolylmethane (DIM), a natural phytochemical, has shown inhibitory effects on the growth and migration of a variety of cancer cells; however, whether DIM has similar effects on vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of DIM on the proliferation and migration of cultured VSMCs and neointima formation in a carotid injury model, as well as the related cell signaling mechanisms. Methodology/Principal Findings DIM dose-dependently inhibited the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB-induced proliferation of VSMCs without cell cytotoxicity. This inhibition was caused by a G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest demonstrated by fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis. We also showed that DIM-induced growth inhibition was associated with the inhibition of the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 as well as an increase in p27Kip1 levels in PDGF-stimulated VSMCs. Moreover, DIM was also found to modulate migration of VSMCs and smooth muscle-specific contractile marker expression. Mechanistically, DIM negatively modulated PDGF-BB-induced phosphorylation of PDGF-recptorβ (PDGF-Rβ) and the activities of downstream signaling molecules including Akt/glycogen synthase kinase(GSK)3β, extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2), and signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3). Our in vivo studies using a mouse carotid arterial injury model revealed that treatment with 150 mg/kg DIM resulted in significant reduction of the neointima/media ratio and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells, without affecting apoptosis of vascular cells and reendothelialization. Infiltration of inflammatory cells was also inhibited by DIM administration. Conclusion These results demonstrate that DIM can suppress the phenotypic modulation of VSMCs and neointima hyperplasia after vascular injury. These beneficial effects on VSMCs were at least partly mediated by the inhibition of PDGF-Rβ and the activities of downstream signaling pathways. The results suggest that DIM has the potential to be a candidate for the prevention of restenosis.