Over the past few years, three photorespiratory bypasses have been introduced into plants, two of which led to observable increases in photosynthesis and biomass yield. However, most of the ...experiments were carried out using Arabidopsis under controlled environmental conditions, and the increases were only observed under low-light and short-day conditions. In this study, we designed a new photorespiratory bypass (called GOC bypass), characterized by no reducing equivalents being produced during a complete oxidation of glycolate into CO2 catalyzed by three rice-self-originating enzymes, i.e., glycolate oxidase, oxalate oxidase, and catalase. We successfully established this bypass in rice chloroplasts using a multi-gene assembly and transformation system. Transgenic rice plants carrying GOC bypass (GOC plants) showed significant increases in photosynthesis efficiency, biomass yield, and nitrogen content, as well as several other CO2-enriched phenotypes under both greenhouse and field conditions. Grain yield of GOC plants varied depending on seeding season and was increased significantly in the spring. We further demonstrated that GOC plants had significant advantages under high-light conditions and that the improvements in GOC plants resulted primarily from a photosynthetic CO2-concentrating effect rather than from improved energy balance. Taken together, our results reveal that engineering a newly designed chloroplastic photorespiratory bypass could increase photosynthetic efficiency and yield of rice plants grown in field conditions, particularly under high light.
A new photorespiratory bypass (GOC bypass), catalyzed by three rice-self-originating enzymes, i.e., glycolate oxidase, oxalate oxidase, and catalase, was designed and successfully established in rice chloroplasts. Transgenic plants carrying GOC bypass showed increased photosynthetic efficiency and productivity in rice under field conditions, with particular advantages under high light, which were found to be resulted from a photosynthetic CO2-concentrating effect.
Several photorespiratory bypasses have been introduced into plants and shown to improve photosynthesis by increasing chloroplastic CO2 concentrations or optimizing energy balance. We recently ...reported that an engineered GOC bypass could increase photosynthesis and productivity in rice. However, the grain yield of GOC plants was unstable, fluctuating in different cultivation seasons because of varying seed setting rates. In this study, we designed a synthetic photorespiratory shortcut (the GCGT bypass) consisting of genes encoding Oryza sativa glycolate oxidase and Escherichia coli catalase, glyoxylate carboligase, and tartronic semialdehyde reductase. The GCGT bypass was guided by an optimized chloroplast transit peptide that targeted rice chloroplasts and redirected 75% of carbon from glycolate metabolism to the Calvin cycle, identical to the native photorespiration pathway. GCGT transgenic plants exhibited significantly increased biomass production and grain yield, which were mainly attributed to enhanced photosynthesis due to increased chloroplastic CO2 concentrations. Despite the increases in biomass production and grain yield, GCGT transgenic plants showed a reduced seed setting rate, a phenotype previously reported for the GOC plants. Integrative transcriptomic, physiological, and biochemical assays revealed that photosynthetic carbohydrates were not transported to grains in an efficient manner, thereby reducing the seed setting rate. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the GCGT photorespiratory shortcut confers higher yield by promoting photosynthesis in rice, mainly through increasing chloroplastic CO2 concentrations.
A synthetic photorespiratory shortcut (the GCGT bypass) consisting of genes encoding Oryza sativa glycolate oxidase and Escherichia coli catalase, glyoxylate carboligase, and tartronic semialdehyde reductase was designed and successfully established in rice chloroplasts. GCGT rice plants showed significant increases in biomass and grain yields, which were mainly attributed to enhanced photosynthesis due to increased chloroplastic CO2 concentrations.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joint inflammation severely affects joint function and quality of life in patients and leads to joint deformities and limb disability. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ...drugs used in the treatment of RA do not fully control the progression of joint inflammation and bone destruction and have notable adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine formula JuanBiQiangGu Granules (JBQG) are commonly used for the treatment of RA inflammation and delay of bone destruction, but has not been evaluated through high-quality clinical studies. There is a pressing need for well-designed, randomized, parallel, controlled clinical studies to evaluate the exact effect of JBQG on RA joint inflammation and improvement of patient quality of life.
This is a randomized, parallel, controlled clinical study in which 144 patients with rheumatoid arthritis who met the inclusion criteria were randomly assigned to 2 groups in a 1:1 ratio. The JBQG group received methotrexate 7.5 mg qw and JBQG granules 8 mg tid, while the MTX group received methotrexate 7.5 mg qw. The endpoint was 12 weeks after treatment. Relevant indices at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks after treatment were observed and recorded, and DAS28-ESR, HAQ-DI, and Sharp scores were recorded for each patient. Blood samples were collected to test for CRP, ESR, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and INF-γ, and adverse reactions and liver and kidney function (AST, ALT, Cr, BUN) were recorded for safety assessment. After 12 weeks of treatment, the effect of JBQG granules on disease activity, improvement in bone damage, and patient quality of life scores and safety in RA patients were evaluated.
A total of 144 subjects completed treatment (71 in the JBQG group and 73 in the MTX group) and were included in the analysis. At baseline, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of the observed indicators (
> 0.05). After treatment, 76.06% of patients in the JBQG group had DAS28-ESR levels below or equal to Low, including 45.07% in Remission and 5.63% in High, compared to 53.1% in the MTX group below or equal to Low, 12.33% in Remission, and 17.81% in High. CRP was significantly reduced (8.54 ± 5.87 vs. 11.86 ± 7.92,
< 0.05,
= 0.005), ESR was significantly reduced (15.1 ± 6.11 vs. 21.96 ± 9.19,
< 0.0001), TNF-α was significantly reduced (1.44 ± 0.83 vs. 1.85 ± 1.07,
< 0.05,
= 0.011), IL-17 was significantly reduced (0.53 ± 0.33 vs. 0.71 ± 0.38,
< 0.05,
= 0.004), and INF-γ was significantly reduced (3.2 ± 1.51 vs. 3.89 ± 1.77,
< 0.05,
= 0.014). The median (IQR) OPG in the JBQG group was 2.54 (2.21-3.01), significantly higher than in the MTX group 2.06 (1.81-2.32),
< 0.0001), and the median (IQR)
-CTX in the JBQG group was 0.4 (0.32-0.43), significantly lower than in the MTX group 0.55 (0.47-0.67),
< 0.0001). The median (IQR) VSA scores were 2 (1-3), a decrease from 3 (2-4) in the MTX group (
< 0.0001). The median (IQR) Sharp scores were 1 (1-2), a decrease from 2 (1-2) in the MTX group, but the difference was not statistically significant (
> 0.05,
= 0.28). The median (IQR) HAQ-DI scores were 11 (8-16), significantly lower than in the MTX group 26 (16-30) (
< 0.0001). The median (IQR) AST in the JBQG group was 16 (12-20), with a significant difference compared to the MTX group 19 (13-25) (
< 0.01,
= 0.004); the median (IQR) ALT in the JBQG group was 14 (10-18), with a significant difference compared to the MTX group 16 (11-22.5) (
< 0.05,
= 0.015). There were no statistically significant differences in Cr or BUN (
> 0.05).
JuanBiQiangGu Granules can be used to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis, alleviate joint inflammation, reduce the incidence of adverse reactions to methotrexate, and has good safety.
http://www.chinadrugtrials.org.cn/index.html; identifier: ChiCTR2100046373.
Various chloroplast transit peptides (CTP) have been used to successfully target some foreign proteins into chloroplasts, but for other proteins these same CTPs have reduced localization efficiencies ...or fail completely. The underlying cause of the failures remains an open question, and more effective CTPs are needed. In this study, we initially observed that two E.coli enzymes, EcTSR and EcGCL, failed to be targeted into rice chloroplasts by the commonly-used rice rbcS transit peptide (rCTP) and were subsequently degraded. Further analyses revealed that the N-terminal unfolded region of cargo proteins is critical for their localization capability, and that a length of about 20 amino acids is required to attain the maximum localization efficiency. We considered that the unfolded region may alleviate the steric hindrance produced by the cargo protein, by functioning as a spacer to which cytosolic translocators can bind. Based on this inference, an optimized CTP, named RC2, was constructed. Analyses showed that RC2 can more effectively target diverse proteins, including EcTSR and EcGCL, into rice chloroplasts. Collectively, our results provide further insight into the mechanism of CTP-mediated chloroplastic localization, and more importantly, RC2 can be widely applied in future chloroplastic metabolic engineering, particularly for crop plants.
A new phenylethanoid glycoside, 3′′′-O-methylcampneoside I (1), was isolated from the 90% ethanolic extract of the roots of Incarvillea compacta, together with three known compounds, campneoside I ...(2), ilicifolioside A (3), and campneoside II (4). Their structures were determined spectroscopically and compared with previously reported spectral data. Compound 1 existed as epimers and displayed better 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH)-free radical scavenging activity using di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT) as the positive control. In addition, pretreatment of human HepG2 cells with compound 1 significantly increased the viability on CCl
4
-induced cell death.
The object of this study was to review the effectiveness in treating severe and rigid scoliosis with posterioronly spinal release combined with derotation, translation, segmental correction, and an ...in situ rod-contouring technique.
Twenty-eight patients with severe and rigid scoliosis (Cobb angle>70° and flexibility<30%) were retrospectively enrolled between June 2008 and June 2010. The average age of the patients was 17.1 years old (range 12-22 years old), 18 were female, and 10 were male. Etiological diagnoses were idiopathic in 24 patients, neuromuscular in 2 patients, and Marfan syndrome in 2 patients. All patients underwent posterior spinal release, derotation, translation, segmental correction, and an in situ rod-contouring technique. The scoliosis Cobb angle in the coronal plane, kyphosis Cobb angle, apex vertebral translation, and trunk shift were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively.
The average operative time was 241.8±32.1 minutes and estimated blood loss was 780.5±132.6 ml. The average scoliosis Cobb angle in the coronal plane was corrected from 85.7° (range 77°-94°) preoperatively to 33.1° (range 21°-52°) postoperatively, with a correction ratio of 61.3%. The average kyphosis Cobb angle was 64.5° (range 59°-83°) preoperatively, which was decreased to 42.6° (range 34°-58°) postoperatively, with a correction ratio of 33.9%. After an average of 24 months of follow-up (range 13-30 months), no major complications were observed in these patients, except screw pullout of the upper thoracic vertebrae in 2 patients and screw penetration into the apical vertebrae in 1 patient.
Posterior spinal release combined with derotation, translation, segmental correction, and an in situ rod-contouring technique has proved to be a promising new technique for rigid scoliosis, significantly correcting the scoliosis and accompanied by fewer complications.
Background Previous studies have demonstrated that pelvic incidence and sacral slope are significantly greater in idiopathic scoliosis patients compared with normal adolescents. However, whether ...these sagittal parameters are related to the progression of scoliosis remain unknown. The present was designed to determine the differences in the sagittal profiles among thoracic idiopathic scoliosis patients with different potentials for curve progression. Methods Ninety-seven outpatient idiopathic scoliosis patients enrolled from June 2008 to June 2011 were divided to three groups according to different Cobb angles and growth potentials: (1) non-progression of thoracic curve group, Risser sign of 5 and Cobb's angle < 40degrees; (2) moderate progression of thoracic curve group, Risser sign of 5 and Cobb's angle greater than or equai to 40degrees; and (3) severe progression of thoracic curve group, Risser sign less than or equai to 3 and Cobb's angle greater than or equai to 40degrees. All patients underwent whole spinal anteroposterior and lateral X-ray in standing position, and the sagittal parameters were measured, including thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic incidence, and pelvic tilt. Results The average thoracic scoliosis Cobb's angle in the non-progression group was significantly less than that in the moderate progression group (P < 0.01) and severe progression group (P < 0.01), but there was no statistical difference in the average thoracic scoliosis Cobb's angle between the severe progression group and moderate progression group. The average thoracic kyphosis angle in the severe progression group (9degrees + or - 4degrees) was significantly smaller than that in the non-progression group (18degrees + or - 6degrees, P < 0.01) and moderate progression group (14degrees + or - 5degrees, P < 0.05). No statistical differences were present in the average lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic incidence, and pelvic tilt among the three groups. Conclusions Thoracic hypokyphosis is strongly related with the curve progression in thoracic idiopathic scoliosis patients, but not pelvic sagittal profiles. Keywords: Sagittal profiles, Idiopathic scoliosis, Thoracic kyphosis, Lumbar lordosis
Previous studies have demonstrated that pelvic incidence and sacral slope are significantly greater in idiopathic scoliosis patients compared with normal adolescents. However, whether these sagittal ...parameters are related to the progression of scoliosis remain unknown. The present was designed to determine the differences in the sagittal profiles among thoracic idiopathic scoliosis patients with different potentials for curve progression.
Ninety-seven outpatient idiopathic scoliosis patients enrolled from June 2008 to June 2011 were divided to three groups according to different Cobb angles and growth potentials: (1) non-progression of thoracic curve group, Risser sign of 5 and Cobb's angle < 40°; (2) moderate progression of thoracic curve group, Risser sign of 5 and Cobb's angle ≥ 40°; and (3) severe progression of thoracic curve group, Risser sign ≤ 3 and Cobb's angle ≥ 40°. All patients underwent whole spinal anteroposterior and lateral X-ray in standing position, and the sagittal parameters were measured, including thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic incidence, and pelvic tilt.
The average thoracic scoliosis Cobb's angle in the non-progression group was significantly less than that in the moderate progression group (P < 0.01) and severe progression group (P < 0.01), but there was no statistical difference in the average thoracic scoliosis Cobb's angle between the severe progression group and moderate progression group. The average thoracic kyphosis angle in the severe progression group (9° ± 4°) was significantly smaller than that in the non-progression group (18° ± 6°, P < 0.01) and moderate progression group (14° ± 5°, P < 0.05). No statistical differences were present in the average lumbar lordosis, sacral slope, pelvic incidence, and pelvic tilt among the three groups.
Thoracic hypokyphosis is strongly related with the curve progression in thoracic idiopathic scoliosis patients, but not pelvic sagittal profiles.
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