Agri-plastics in soils drive changes in the rhizosphere bacterial community and plant transcriptome in Arabidopsis.

Farmers use plastic mulching films to suppress weeds and protect plants from biotic and abiotic stresses; however, these films can become a source of microplastics in ecosystems. To better understand how plastic film-derived microplastics influence the rhizosphere microbiome and plant health, we examined the effects of plastic residues on Arabidopsis thaliana grown in treated soils. Plastic residues (≥5 mm) were mixed with agricultural soils at 5% (w/w) and incubated at 25°C and 80% relative humidity in the dark for 120 days to allow microbial community stabilization.

Plant Protective and Growth Promoting Effects of Seed Endophytes in Soybean Plants.

Seed-borne diseases reduce not only the seed germination and seedling growth but also seed quality, resulting in the significant yield loss in crop production. Plant seed harbors diverse microbes termed endophytes other than pathogens inside it. However, their roles and application to agricultures were rarely understood and explored to date.

Synthesis of Benzotriazepin-1-ones via Decarboxylative [4 + 3]-Annulation of Isatoic Anhydrides with Nitrile Imines.

A novel and streamlined approach to synthesizing benzotriazepin-1-ones has been developed through a hexafluoroisopropanol-promoted decarboxylative cascade reaction between isatoic anhydrides and hydrazonoyl chloride. The [4 + 3] annulation of hexafluoroisopropyl 2-aminobenzoates with nitrile imines, generated in situ, is a key feature of this innovative reaction. This approach has offered a simple and efficient method for synthesizing a broad range of structurally intricate and highly functional benzotriazepinones.

The HS1 Strain Renders Vegetable Plants Resistant and Tolerant against Pathogen Infection and High Salinity Stress.

Various management systems are being broadly employed to minimize crop yield loss resulting from abiotic and biotic stresses. Here we introduce a HS1 strain as a potent candidate for managing manifold stresses on vegetable plants. Considering 16S rDNA sequence and biochemical characteristics, the strain is closely related to .

Modulation of transcription by the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta--binding RNA aptamer in colon cancer cells.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPAR-delta), one of three PPAR subtypes, is a lipid-sensing nuclear receptor that has been implicated in multiple processes, including inflammation and cancer. To directly establish the role of PPAR-delta in colon cancer development and progression, we selected high-affinity RNA aptamers and expressed them in several colon cancer cell lines. Nuclear-expressed aptamers efficiently inhibited PPAR-delta-dependent transcription from a synthetic peroxisome proliferator response element-driven luciferase reporter.

beta-catenin regulates multiple steps of RNA metabolism as revealed by the RNA aptamer in colon cancer cells.

Nuclear beta-catenin forms a transcription complex with TCF-4, which is implicated in colon cancer development and progression. Recently, we and others have shown that beta-catenin could be a regulator of RNA splicing and it also stabilizes the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) mRNA. Here, we further explored the role of beta-catenin in the RNA metabolism in colon cancer cells.

Arsenic-induced dysfunction in relaxation of blood vessels.

Several epidemiological studies have suggested that exposure to arsenic is strongly correlated with the development of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. To determine whether arsenic affects vasomotor tone in blood vessels, we investigated the effect of arsenic on vasorelaxation using isolated rat aortic rings in an organ-bath system. Treatment with arsenite inhibited acetylcholine-induced relaxation of the aortic rings in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas several other arsenic species did not have any effect.

In vitro pharmacodynamics of CKD-602 in HT-29 cells.

CKD-602 (7-[2-(N-isopropylamino)ethyl]-(20S)-camptothecin) is a recently-developed synthetic camptothecin analogue and currently under clinical development by Chong Kun Dang Pharm (Seoul, Korea). CKD-602 showed potent topoisomerase inhibitory activity in vitro and broad antitumor activity against various human tumor cells in vitro and in vivo in animal models. This study describes the pharmacodynamics of the immediate and delayed cytotoxicity induced by CKD-602 in a human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line, HT-29, and its intracellular drug accumulation by HPLC.

Methamphetamine-induced apoptosis in a CNS-derived catecholaminergic cell line.

Methamphetamine (METH) causes neurotoxic damages to the dopaminergic system in mammals, but whether it exerts toxicity to dopamine cells in culture has not been fully explored. In order to develop an in vitro model of METH-induced dopamine neurotoxicity toward more systemical examination of the mechanism, we investigated METH toxicity in a clonal dopamine producing cell line (CATH.a).