Methcathinone(MCAT)belongs to the designer drugs called synthetic cathinones,which are abused worldwide for recreational purposes.It has strong stimulant effects,including enhanced euphoria,sensation,alertness,and emp...Methcathinone(MCAT)belongs to the designer drugs called synthetic cathinones,which are abused worldwide for recreational purposes.It has strong stimulant effects,including enhanced euphoria,sensation,alertness,and empathy.However,little is known about how MCAT modulates neuronal activity in vivo.Here,we evaluated the effect of MCAT on neuronal activity with a series of functional approaches.C-Fos immunostaining showed that MCAT increased the number of activated neurons by 6-fold,especially in sensory and motor cortices,striatum,and midbrain motor nuclei.In vivo single-unit recording and two-photon Ca2+ imaging revealed that a large proportion of neurons increased spiking activity upon MCAT administration.Notably,MCAT induced a strong de-correlation of population activity and increased trial-to-trial reliability,specifically during a natural movie stimulus.It improved the information-processing efficiency by enhancing the single-neuron coding capacity,suggesting a cortical network mechanism of the enhanced perception produced by psychoactive stimulants.展开更多
The members of the fourth subgroup of R2R3-MYB(Sg4 members)are well-known inhibitors of phenylpropanoid and lignin synthesis pathways.The C2 domain is closely related to the transcriptional inhibitory activity of Sg4 ...The members of the fourth subgroup of R2R3-MYB(Sg4 members)are well-known inhibitors of phenylpropanoid and lignin synthesis pathways.The C2 domain is closely related to the transcriptional inhibitory activity of Sg4 members.Phosphorylation modification enhances the transcriptional inhibitory activity of Sg4 members.Here,we identified a phosphorylation site on the C2 domain of Cs MYB4a from tea plants(Camellia sinensis).A mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK),named Cs MPK3-2,phosphorylated this site on the C2 domain of Cs MYB4a.Further experiments revealed that phosphorylation of Cs MYB4a weakened its ability to inhibit the gene expression of PAL,C4H,and 4CL in the phenylpropanoid pathway and activated the expression of transcription factor YABBY5,maintaining the adaxial-abaxial polarity of the leaf.Knocking out Nt YAB5 in Cs MYB4a transgenic tobacco partially repaired the leaf wrinkling phenotype caused by Cs MYB4a.The C1 domain exhibited an activation function when the C2 domain of Cs MYB4a was phosphorylated by Cs MPK3-2,causing this reversal phenomenon.These results enrich our understanding of the regulatory diversity of Sg4 members.展开更多
Background:Rabies virus(RABV)-derived neuronal tracing tools are extensively applied in retrograde tracing due to their strict retrograde transsynaptic transfer property and low neurotoxicity.However,the RABV infectio...Background:Rabies virus(RABV)-derived neuronal tracing tools are extensively applied in retrograde tracing due to their strict retrograde transsynaptic transfer property and low neurotoxicity.However,the RABV infection and expression of fluorescence products would be gradually cleared while the infected neurons still survive,a phenomenon known as non-cytolytic immune clearance(NCLIC).This phenomenon introduced the risk of fluorescence loss and led to the omission of a subset of neurons that should be labeled,thereby interfering in the analysis of tracing results.Methods:To compensate for the fluorescence loss problem,in this study,we developed a novel marker footprints(MF)mouse,involving a Cre recombinase-dependent red fluorescent reporter system and systemic expression of glycoprotein(G)and ASLV-A receptor(TVA).Using this mouse model combined with the well-developed RABV-EnvA-ΔG-GFP-Cre viral tool,we developed a novel green-to-red spectral labeling strategy.Results:Neurons in the MF mouse could be co-labeled with green fluorescence from the very quick expression of the viral tool and with red fluorescence from the relatively slow expression of the neuron itself,so neurons undergoing NCLIC with green fluorescence loss could be relabeled red.Furthermore,newly infected neurons could be labeled green and other neurons could be labeled yellow due to the temporal expression difference between the two fluorescent proteins.Conclusions:This is the first polysynaptic retrograde tracing labeling strategy that could label neurons using spectral fluorescence colors with only one injection of the viral tool,enabling its application in recognizing the labeling sequence of neurons in brain regions and enhancing the spatiotemporal resolution of neuronal tracing.展开更多
Flavonoids constitute the main nutraceuticals in the leaves of tea plants(Camellia sinensis).To date,although it is known that drought stress can negatively impact the biosynthesis of flavonoids in tea leaves,the mech...Flavonoids constitute the main nutraceuticals in the leaves of tea plants(Camellia sinensis).To date,although it is known that drought stress can negatively impact the biosynthesis of flavonoids in tea leaves,the mechanism behind this phenomenon is unclear.Herein,we report a protein phosphorylation mechanism that negatively regulates the biosynthesis of flavonoids in tea leaves in drought conditions.Transcriptional analysis revealed the downregulation of gene expression of flavonoid biosynthesis and the upregulation of CsMPK4a encoding a mitogen-activated protein kinase in leaves.Luciferase complementation and yeast two-hybrid assays disclosed that CsMPK4a interacted with CsWD40.Phosphorylation assay in vitro,specific protein immunity,and analysis of protein mass spectrometry indicated that Ser-216,Thr-221,and Ser-253 of CsWD40 were potential phosphorylation sites of CsMPK4a.Besides,the protein immunity analysis uncovered an increased phosphorylation level of CsWD40 in tea leaves under drought conditions.Mutation of the three phosphorylation sites generated dephosphorylated CsWD403A and phosphorylated CsWD403D variants,which were introduced into the Arabidopsis ttg1 mutant.Metabolic analysis showed that the anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin content was lower in ttg1:CsWD403D transgenic plants than ttg1::CsWD403A transgenic and wild type plants.The transient overexpression of CsWD403D downregulated the anthocyanidin biosynthesis in tea leaves.The dual-fluorescein protein complementation experiment showed that CsWD403D did not interact with CsMYB5a and CsAN2,two key transcription factors of procyanidins and anthocyanidins biosynthesis in tea plant.These findings indicate that the phosphorylation of CsWD40 by CsMPK4a downregulates the flavonoid biosynthesis in tea plants in drought stresses.展开更多
The tea plant(Camellia sinensis)is rich in polyphenolic compounds.Particularly,flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins(PAs)are essential for the flavor and disease-resistance property of tea leaves.The fifth subgroup of R2...The tea plant(Camellia sinensis)is rich in polyphenolic compounds.Particularly,flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins(PAs)are essential for the flavor and disease-resistance property of tea leaves.The fifth subgroup of R2R3-MYB transcription factors comprises the primary activators of PA biosynthesis.This study showed that subgroup 5 R2R3-MYBs in tea plants contained at least nine genes belonging to the TT2,MYB5,and MYBPA types.Tannin-rich plants showed an expansion in the number of subgroup 5 R2R3-MYB genes compared with other dicotyledonous and monocot plants.The MYBPA-type genes of tea plant were slightly expanded.qRT–PCR analysis and GUS staining analysis of promoter activity under a series of treatments revealed the differential responses of CsMYB5s to biotic and abiotic stresses.In particular,CsMYB5a,CsMYB5b,and CsMYB5e responded to high-intensity light,high temperature,MeJA,and mechanical wounding,whereas CsMYB5f and CsMYB5g were only induced by wounding.Three genetic transformation systems(C.sinensis,Nicotiana tabacum,and Arabidopsis thaliana)were used to verify the biological function of CsMYB5s.The results show that CsMYB5a,CsMYB5b,and CsMYB5e could promote the gene expression of CsLAR and CsANR.However,CsMYB5f and CsMYB5g could only upregulate the gene expression of CsLAR but not CsANR.A series of site-directed mutation and domain-swapping experiments were used to verify functional domains and key amino acids of CsMYB5s responsible for the regulation of PA biosynthesis.This study aimed to provide insight into the induced expression and functional diversity model of PA biosynthesis regulation in tea plants.展开更多
Bone regeneration remains a great clinical challenge. Low intensity near-infrared(NIR) light showed strong potential to promote tissue regeneration, offering a promising strategy for bone defect regeneration. However,...Bone regeneration remains a great clinical challenge. Low intensity near-infrared(NIR) light showed strong potential to promote tissue regeneration, offering a promising strategy for bone defect regeneration. However, the effect and underlying mechanism of NIR on bone regeneration remain unclear. We demonstrated that bone regeneration in the rat skull defect model was significantly accelerated with low-intensity NIR stimulation. In vitro studies showed that NIR stimulation could promote the osteoblast differentiation in bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) and MC3T3-E1 cells, which was associated with increased ubiquitination of the core circadian clock protein Cryptochrome 1(CRY1) in the nucleus. We found that the reduction of CRY1 induced by NIR light activated the bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) signaling pathways, promoting SMAD1/5/9 phosphorylation and increasing the expression levels of Runx2 and Osterix. NIR light treatment may act through sodium voltage-gated channel Scn4a, which may be a potential responder of NIR light to accelerate bone regeneration. Together, these findings suggest that low-intensity NIR light may promote in situ bone regeneration in a CRY1-dependent manner, providing a novel, efficient and non-invasive strategy to promote bone regeneration for clinical bone defects.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31871089 and 31871028)Junior Thousand Talents Program of China,Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(HUST:2172019kfyXKJC077 and HUST:2172019kfyRCPY064)Key Laboratory of Forensic Toxicology,Ministry of Public Security of China(Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau:2020FTDWFX02 and 2019FTDWFX06).
摘要Methcathinone(MCAT)belongs to the designer drugs called synthetic cathinones,which are abused worldwide for recreational purposes.It has strong stimulant effects,including enhanced euphoria,sensation,alertness,and empathy.However,little is known about how MCAT modulates neuronal activity in vivo.Here,we evaluated the effect of MCAT on neuronal activity with a series of functional approaches.C-Fos immunostaining showed that MCAT increased the number of activated neurons by 6-fold,especially in sensory and motor cortices,striatum,and midbrain motor nuclei.In vivo single-unit recording and two-photon Ca2+ imaging revealed that a large proportion of neurons increased spiking activity upon MCAT administration.Notably,MCAT induced a strong de-correlation of population activity and increased trial-to-trial reliability,specifically during a natural movie stimulus.It improved the information-processing efficiency by enhancing the single-neuron coding capacity,suggesting a cortical network mechanism of the enhanced perception produced by psychoactive stimulants.
基金supported by the joint funds of National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.U21A20232,32372756,32072621)。
摘要The members of the fourth subgroup of R2R3-MYB(Sg4 members)are well-known inhibitors of phenylpropanoid and lignin synthesis pathways.The C2 domain is closely related to the transcriptional inhibitory activity of Sg4 members.Phosphorylation modification enhances the transcriptional inhibitory activity of Sg4 members.Here,we identified a phosphorylation site on the C2 domain of Cs MYB4a from tea plants(Camellia sinensis).A mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK),named Cs MPK3-2,phosphorylated this site on the C2 domain of Cs MYB4a.Further experiments revealed that phosphorylation of Cs MYB4a weakened its ability to inhibit the gene expression of PAL,C4H,and 4CL in the phenylpropanoid pathway and activated the expression of transcription factor YABBY5,maintaining the adaxial-abaxial polarity of the leaf.Knocking out Nt YAB5 in Cs MYB4a transgenic tobacco partially repaired the leaf wrinkling phenotype caused by Cs MYB4a.The C1 domain exhibited an activation function when the C2 domain of Cs MYB4a was phosphorylated by Cs MPK3-2,causing this reversal phenomenon.These results enrich our understanding of the regulatory diversity of Sg4 members.
基金Hubei Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:2024AFB593。
摘要Background:Rabies virus(RABV)-derived neuronal tracing tools are extensively applied in retrograde tracing due to their strict retrograde transsynaptic transfer property and low neurotoxicity.However,the RABV infection and expression of fluorescence products would be gradually cleared while the infected neurons still survive,a phenomenon known as non-cytolytic immune clearance(NCLIC).This phenomenon introduced the risk of fluorescence loss and led to the omission of a subset of neurons that should be labeled,thereby interfering in the analysis of tracing results.Methods:To compensate for the fluorescence loss problem,in this study,we developed a novel marker footprints(MF)mouse,involving a Cre recombinase-dependent red fluorescent reporter system and systemic expression of glycoprotein(G)and ASLV-A receptor(TVA).Using this mouse model combined with the well-developed RABV-EnvA-ΔG-GFP-Cre viral tool,we developed a novel green-to-red spectral labeling strategy.Results:Neurons in the MF mouse could be co-labeled with green fluorescence from the very quick expression of the viral tool and with red fluorescence from the relatively slow expression of the neuron itself,so neurons undergoing NCLIC with green fluorescence loss could be relabeled red.Furthermore,newly infected neurons could be labeled green and other neurons could be labeled yellow due to the temporal expression difference between the two fluorescent proteins.Conclusions:This is the first polysynaptic retrograde tracing labeling strategy that could label neurons using spectral fluorescence colors with only one injection of the viral tool,enabling its application in recognizing the labeling sequence of neurons in brain regions and enhancing the spatiotemporal resolution of neuronal tracing.
基金supported by Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation(2308085MC94,202204c06020035)the joint funds of National Natural Science Foundation of China(U21A20232)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of China(32000366,32372756)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFF1003103).
摘要Flavonoids constitute the main nutraceuticals in the leaves of tea plants(Camellia sinensis).To date,although it is known that drought stress can negatively impact the biosynthesis of flavonoids in tea leaves,the mechanism behind this phenomenon is unclear.Herein,we report a protein phosphorylation mechanism that negatively regulates the biosynthesis of flavonoids in tea leaves in drought conditions.Transcriptional analysis revealed the downregulation of gene expression of flavonoid biosynthesis and the upregulation of CsMPK4a encoding a mitogen-activated protein kinase in leaves.Luciferase complementation and yeast two-hybrid assays disclosed that CsMPK4a interacted with CsWD40.Phosphorylation assay in vitro,specific protein immunity,and analysis of protein mass spectrometry indicated that Ser-216,Thr-221,and Ser-253 of CsWD40 were potential phosphorylation sites of CsMPK4a.Besides,the protein immunity analysis uncovered an increased phosphorylation level of CsWD40 in tea leaves under drought conditions.Mutation of the three phosphorylation sites generated dephosphorylated CsWD403A and phosphorylated CsWD403D variants,which were introduced into the Arabidopsis ttg1 mutant.Metabolic analysis showed that the anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin content was lower in ttg1:CsWD403D transgenic plants than ttg1::CsWD403A transgenic and wild type plants.The transient overexpression of CsWD403D downregulated the anthocyanidin biosynthesis in tea leaves.The dual-fluorescein protein complementation experiment showed that CsWD403D did not interact with CsMYB5a and CsAN2,two key transcription factors of procyanidins and anthocyanidins biosynthesis in tea plant.These findings indicate that the phosphorylation of CsWD40 by CsMPK4a downregulates the flavonoid biosynthesis in tea plants in drought stresses.
基金Thisworkwas financially supported by the joint funds of National Natural Science Foundation of China(U21A20232)the Natural Science Foundation of China(32002088,31870676,32072621)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2018YFD1000601).
摘要The tea plant(Camellia sinensis)is rich in polyphenolic compounds.Particularly,flavan-3-ols and proanthocyanidins(PAs)are essential for the flavor and disease-resistance property of tea leaves.The fifth subgroup of R2R3-MYB transcription factors comprises the primary activators of PA biosynthesis.This study showed that subgroup 5 R2R3-MYBs in tea plants contained at least nine genes belonging to the TT2,MYB5,and MYBPA types.Tannin-rich plants showed an expansion in the number of subgroup 5 R2R3-MYB genes compared with other dicotyledonous and monocot plants.The MYBPA-type genes of tea plant were slightly expanded.qRT–PCR analysis and GUS staining analysis of promoter activity under a series of treatments revealed the differential responses of CsMYB5s to biotic and abiotic stresses.In particular,CsMYB5a,CsMYB5b,and CsMYB5e responded to high-intensity light,high temperature,MeJA,and mechanical wounding,whereas CsMYB5f and CsMYB5g were only induced by wounding.Three genetic transformation systems(C.sinensis,Nicotiana tabacum,and Arabidopsis thaliana)were used to verify the biological function of CsMYB5s.The results show that CsMYB5a,CsMYB5b,and CsMYB5e could promote the gene expression of CsLAR and CsANR.However,CsMYB5f and CsMYB5g could only upregulate the gene expression of CsLAR but not CsANR.A series of site-directed mutation and domain-swapping experiments were used to verify functional domains and key amino acids of CsMYB5s responsible for the regulation of PA biosynthesis.This study aimed to provide insight into the induced expression and functional diversity model of PA biosynthesis regulation in tea plants.
基金funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2021YFC2400404,to L.C.)the Key Program of National Natural Science of China(82030070,to L.C.)+1 种基金the National Science Foundation for Excellent Young Scholars of China(31725011,to L.C.)the Youth Clinical Research Fund of Chinese Stomatological Association(CSA-O2020-10,to Q.T.)。
摘要Bone regeneration remains a great clinical challenge. Low intensity near-infrared(NIR) light showed strong potential to promote tissue regeneration, offering a promising strategy for bone defect regeneration. However, the effect and underlying mechanism of NIR on bone regeneration remain unclear. We demonstrated that bone regeneration in the rat skull defect model was significantly accelerated with low-intensity NIR stimulation. In vitro studies showed that NIR stimulation could promote the osteoblast differentiation in bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) and MC3T3-E1 cells, which was associated with increased ubiquitination of the core circadian clock protein Cryptochrome 1(CRY1) in the nucleus. We found that the reduction of CRY1 induced by NIR light activated the bone morphogenetic protein(BMP) signaling pathways, promoting SMAD1/5/9 phosphorylation and increasing the expression levels of Runx2 and Osterix. NIR light treatment may act through sodium voltage-gated channel Scn4a, which may be a potential responder of NIR light to accelerate bone regeneration. Together, these findings suggest that low-intensity NIR light may promote in situ bone regeneration in a CRY1-dependent manner, providing a novel, efficient and non-invasive strategy to promote bone regeneration for clinical bone defects.