Project description:Transcription profiling by array of 10 days old Brassica rapa ssp. chinensis seedlings treated with 2mM methyl jasmonate by spraying and harvesting 48 hours past treatment
Project description:The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was treated with extracts of the Traditional Chinese Medicine plants Cuscuta chinensis and Eucommia ulmoides from the L4 stage. In aged worms (on the 7th and 12th day of adulthood) different health parameters were determined. Besides the prolongation of lifespan, we found that C. chinensis improved the swimming behavior, pharyngeal pumping rate, stress resistance, mechanosensation and memory of aged C. elegans. Furthermore, the extract treatment reduced the autofluorescence, which is a known biomarker of ageing. Thus, we concluded that C. chinensis is an overall healthspan enhancer. In contrast, the E. ulmoides extract specifically enhanced the lifespan and stress resistance of aged C. elegans, but did not improve any other health aspect. To reveal the mechanism behind the healthspan enhancing effects of C. chinensis, the transcriptome of treated and untreated C. elegans on the 12th day of adulthood was analysed. For comparison purposes, E. ulmoides treated nematodes were included in the analysis.
Project description:Single cell transcriptomic analyses (scRNAseq) of hepatocytes and liver endothelial cells (L-EC) have revolutionized the understanding of the spatial architecture of liver structure and function. The spatial alignment of L-EC and hepatocytes is pivotal for liver function in health and disease given that L-EC act as instructive gatekeeper of nearby hepatocytes including the maintenance of liver metabolic zonation in a Wnt-dependent manner. Advancing liver biology beyond the ’transcript-centric’ view of scRNAseq analyses is presently restricted by the limited resolution of proteomics and genome-wide techniques to analyse post-translational modifications. Here, by combining spatial cell sorting methodology with transcriptomic and quantitative proteomic/phospho-proteomic analyses, we established the first functionally and spatially-resolved proteome landscape of the liver endothelium, yielding deep mechanistic insight into zonated vascular signalling mechanisms. Phosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) was detected preferentially in the central vein area resulting in an atypical enrichment of tyrosine phosphorylation. Prototypic biological validation of the identified strong phosphorylation gradient of the vascular RTK Tie1 by blockade resulted in the rapid peri-central dysregulation of the L-EC transcriptome. Notably, the expression of Wnt9b in L-EC was discovered as Tie receptor controlled with reciprocal regulation by FoxO1 and STAT3 transcription factors. Genetic inactivation of Tie1 in L-EC or antibody blockade resulted in reduced liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy with reduced Wnt ligand and Wnt target gene expression, including Sox9, Tbx3 and Lgr5. Taken together, the study has yielded unparalleled insight into the spatial organization of L EC signalling and discovered a vascular Tie/Wnt signalling axis as regulator of liver function. The employed spatial sorting technique followed by phospho-proteomic analysis may be employed as a universally adaptable strategy for the spatial phosphoproteomic analysis of scRNAseq data-defined relevant cellular (sub)-populations.
Project description:Loranthus (Taxillus chinensis) is an important medicinal and parasitic plant that attacks other plants for living. To reveal the mechanisms of haustorium development, we employed an iTRAQ proteomics-based approach to identify differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) of fresh seeds (CK), baby (FB), and adult haustoria (FD).
Project description:Parasitic isopods perforate and attach to the host integument via the mandibles, then feed on hemolymph and exudate from the wounds. Such isopods attack a variety of commercially important fish and crustacean hosts. Like other hematophagous parasites, isopods employ biomolecules that inhibit host blood conglutination and defense. In the present study, a tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomic approach was used to identify differentially expressed proteins in Tachaea chinensis parasites of shrimp, by comparing parasitic (fed) and pre-parasitic (unfed) individuals. We identified 888 proteins from 1510 total peptides, with a significant difference in 129 between the fed and unfed groups. Among these, 37 were upregulated and 92 were downregulated in unfed T. chinensis. This indicates that T. chinensis may require more energy before parasitism during its search for a host. In addition, as is the case for other blood-sucking parasites, it might secrete antihemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules to facilitate blood meal acquisition. Our study is the first to use a TMT-based proteomic approach to analyze the proteome of isopod parasites, and our results will facilitate our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of isopod parasitism on crustaceans.
Project description:This study aimed to identify the mode of action of Schisandra chinensis water extracts (SCW) and Schisandra chinensis ethanol extracts (SCE) in SW1783 cell line.
Project description:We reported the application of high-throughput sequencing technology (RNA-seq) for the transcriptome of T. chinensis cells and the transcriptional alternatives of that responded to MeJA were comprehensively and quantitatively assessed with high-throughput sequencing technology (RNA-seq). By sequencing > 29 million reads (200 bp in length) of cDNA from each of MeJA-treated T. chinensis cells at 16 h (T16) and the control (T0), we identified 46,581 transcripts and uncovered 13,469 genes differentially expressed in response to MeJA. We provided functional clues for understanding the regulation mechanisms of MeJA-mediated defense responses and taxol biosynthesis.
Project description:Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is an aggressive malignancy that occurs predominantly in young adult males and is characterized by abdominopelvic sarcomatosis exhibiting multi-lineage cellular nests of epithelial, muscular, mesenchymal, and neural differentiation admixed with desmoplastic stroma. Prior to the recognition of the disease as a distinct clinical entity, DSRCT was invariably misclassified as poorly differentiated atypical cancer of the testes, ovary, mesentery, or gastrointestinal tract, and the chemotherapies used for those malignancies elicited poor clinical response. As previously reported, a tectonic shift in the treatment of these patients occurred after researchers made two astute observations: 1) DSRCT microscopically resembles other small round “blue cell” sarcoma subtypes (e.g., ES, rhabdomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma), and 2) DSRCT and ES have the same N-terminal EWSR1 fusion partner. Proteomic analysis using a reverse-phase protein lysate array (RPPA) was used to elucidate biomarkers that distinguish DSRCT from adjacent normal tissue and Ewing sarcoma. This proteomic analysis revealed novel proteins, such as the androgen receptor and Syk, that may be susceptible to drug targeting, as well as oncogenic pathways like Akt-PI3K that are highly expressed in DSRCT.