Latest ArticlesTo explore the characteristics of soil microbial communities of Cistanche deserticola and Cynomorium songaricum, two typical parasitic medicinal plants that live in an extreme saline alkali environment, 16S PCR was used to sequence the soil microbial communities of C. deserticola and C. songaricum in Ebinur Lake, Xinjiang. Redundancy analysis and correlation analysis were carried out based on the abundance of core microbiome and ecoclimatic factors. The results show that the diversity of the soil microbial community of C. deserticola was significantly higher than that of C. songaricum. The core microbial groups of C. deserticola and C. songaricum were Marinomona, Halomonadaceae, Rhizobiales, Halomonas, and Acidimicrobiales. Six specific biomarkers were identified as Micrococcacea, Echinicola, Glutamicibacter, Galbibacter, Pseudoalteromonas, and Marinobacterium_rhizophilum. The results of redundancy analysis and correlation analysis show that the average temperature in the driest season and the average temperature in the coldest season, and the clay content and soil texture classification were the main ecological factors affecting the composition of these soil microbial communities. This study provides a theoretical basis for finding molecular markers of C. deserticola and C. songaricum and promoting the quality of C. deserticola and C. songaricum.
In this study we isolated and cloned four flowering-related genes from Bupleurum chinense DC., named BcSVP, BcPAF1, BcCO, and BcFT. Actin and EF-1α were used as double internal standards to analyze the spatial and temporal differences in the expression of four genes in different tissues and flowering stages of Bupleurum chinense DC. qRT-PCR analysis showed that the BcSVP gene was mainly expressed in root, and its relatively expression level was low. BcPAF1 and BcCO were both highly expressed in different parts, and their relative expression level showed an increasing trend and then slowly decreasing with the flowering development process. BcFT was mainly expressed in the stem, and the relatively expression level was increased sharply in the flowering stage. In summary, four genes related to flowering of Bupleurum chinense DC. were cloned and their relative expression levels were characterized, laying a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanisms that regulate the flowering stage of Bupleurum chinense.
The gut microbiota is an intricate and dynamic community composed of many symbiotic and pathogenic microorganisms, and works closely with the host. In recent years increasing evidence has supported the gut-brain axis theory, lending support for a link between gut microbiota and neuropsychiatric diseases. Since most of the drugs used to treat neuropsychiatric diseases enter the intestinal tract after oral administration, interaction with the gut microbiota is likely. A number of studies have shown that such drugs can change the composition and function of the gut microbiota. At the same time, the gut microbiota also participates in the metabolism of drugs, which in turn have beneficial or harmful effects on brain function. Therefore, the role of gut microbiota in drug metabolism also has attracted attention. This article reviews the research results of the interaction between the two, discusses the influence of neuropsychiatric diseases on the gut microbiota and the effect of the gut microbiota on psychoactive drugs, and provides new ideas for the treatment of various clinical neuropsychiatric diseases.
E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) is a major member of the E2F transcription factor family and participates in a wide range of physiological regulatory processes, such as cell cycle, survival, apoptosis, and metabolism. It is proved that the activity of E2F1 is related to the G1/S phase regulation of the cell cycle dependent on tumor suppressor retinoblastoma protein (RB). Recent studies have shown that E2F1 is highly expressed in prostate cancer cells, manifested as an oncogene, and its expression level is closely related to the occurrence, development, and poor clinical prognosis of prostate cancer. Androgen receptor (AR) is the main driving factor for the growth and progression of prostate cancer, and the changes of AR pathway play a key role in the pathological progression of prostate cancer. This article provide a systematic and comprehensive summary on recently published articles to review the role of the E2F1 pathway in prostate cancer.
Mitochondria play a key role in cell metabolism. In addition to synthesizing ATP, they also participate in many physiological and pathological processes, including apoptosis, inflammation, oxidative stress, neuronal disease, tumor development, and aging. Most gene transcription of mitochondrial proteins occurs in the nucleus, so the biogenesis of mitochondria and the maintenance of mitochondrial homeostasis mainly depend on the expression of nuclear genes (nDNA) and mitochondria-nucleus interactions. Conversely, mitochondria can affect the expression of nuclear genes through nuclear transcription factors, a process called mitochondrial retrograde signaling. This review summarizes the research progress on mitochondria-nucleus retrograde signaling and its regulation, including the ways by which mitochondria regulate nuclear genes and affect biological processes, and discusses new strategies for the treatment of diseases that involve mitochondrial retrograde signaling in disease pathology.
The inflammatory response is an essential role of innate immune cells such as neutrophils, which plays an important role in the occurrence and development of inflammatory diseases. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are responsible for killing microorganisms and inducing the inflammatory response. We review the function of NETs in inflammatory diseases based on research publications since 2016. In addition, the ability of drugs that target NETs to ameliorate inflammation-related diseases is summarized. This review suggests a new strategy of targeting NETs for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases.
Neuropathic pain (NP) is a medical problem that has been bothering human beings and seriously affects people's quality of life. Although great progress has been made in the study of NP in recent years, there are still many patients who are ineffective to the existing treatments. At present, drug therapy is still the main method to relieve pain, however, adverse drug reactions has hindered the curative effects of drugs. It is extremely urgent to find new drug targets and reduce the adverse effects of existing drugs. This review will mainly describe the current situation and pathogenesis of neuropathic pain, effectiveness and limitations of existing drugs for treating neuropathic pain, and the current status of drug discovery.
Colorectal cancer is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract, with the characteristics of high morbidity and mortality. Studies have shown that the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer is closely related to the abnormal activation of Wnt signaling pathway. Abnormal expression of β-catenin in Wnt pathway is found both in the cytoplasm and nucleus of tumor cells. Different drugs can target the Wnt signaling pathway and its upstream and downstream related factors to inhibit or suppress the development of colorectal cancer. We review the components of Wnt signaling pathway, and the correlation between Wnt signaling pathway and colorectal cancer. Then, we summarize the current status of drug research targeting the Wnt signaling pathway in colorectal cancer. Finally, the challenges and prospects of these methods and drugs were briefly summarized.
Nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3, NLRP3) inflammasomes regulate the secretion of caspase-1, interleukin-18 (IL-18), IL-1β, and other cytokines, and participates in aging. In recent years, it has been found that NLRP3 inflammasomes are abnormally activated in aging heart and vessels, and inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasomes can alleviate heart aging and vascular aging. This review summarizes the research of NLRP3 inflammasome in heart and vascular aging, and the related drugs to promote the discovery of the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome in heart and vascular aging and the development of related drugs.
The abnormal activation and mutation of signal transducer and activator transcription (STAT) proteins has been implicated in multiple lymphomas. The research discovery and clinical application of STATs inhibitors have become an important strategy for treating lymphoma. This review introduces the abnormal activation and mutation of STATs in multiple malignant lymphomas, and focuses on reviewing the latest screening strategies targeting STATs and its clinical application in the treatment of lymphoma, providing references for the further development of STATs inhibitors.
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