Understanding plant metabolism as an integrated system is essential for metabolic engineering aimed at the effective production of compounds useful to human life and the global environment. The ''omics'' approach integrates transcriptome and metabolome data into a single data set and can lead to the identification of unknown genes and their regulatory networks involved in metabolic pathways of interest. One of the intriguing, although poorly described metabolic pathways in plants is the biosynthesis of glucosinolates (GSLs), a group of bioactive secondary products derived from amino acids that are found in the family Brassicaceae. Here we report the discovery of two R2R3-Myb transcription factors that positively control the biosynthesis of GSLs in Arabidopsis thaliana by an integrated omics approach. Combined transcriptome coexpression analysis of publicly available, condition-independent data and the condition-specific (i.e., sulfur-deficiency) data identified Myb28 and Myb29 as candidate transcription factor genes specifically involved in the regulation of aliphatic GSL production. Analysis of a knockout mutant and ectopic expression of the gene demonstrated that Myb28 is a positive regulator for basal-level production of aliphatic GSLs. Myb29 presumably plays an accessory function for methyl jasmonate-mediated induction of a set of aliphatic GSL biosynthetic genes. Overexpression of Myb28 in Arabidopsis-cultured suspension cells, which do not normally synthesize GSLs, resulted in the production of large amounts of GSLs, suggesting the possibility of efficient industrial production of GSLs by manipulation of these transcription factors. A working model for regulation of GSL production involving these genes, renamed Production of Methionine-Derived Glucosinolate (PMG) 1 and 2, are postulated.coexpression ͉ functional genomics ͉ transcriptomics

After antigen encounter by CD4(+) T cells, polarizing cytokines induce the expression of master regulators that control differentiation. Inactivation of the histone methyltransferase Ezh2 was found to specifically enhance T helper 1 (Th1) and Th2 cell differentiation and plasticity. Ezh2 directly bound and facilitated correct expression of Tbx21 and Gata3 in differentiating Th1 and Th2 cells, accompanied by substantial trimethylation at lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27me3). In addition, Ezh2 deficiency resulted in spontaneous generation of discrete IFN-γ and Th2 cytokine-producing populations in nonpolarizing cultures, and under these conditions IFN-γ expression was largely dependent on enhanced expression of the transcription factor Eomesodermin. In vivo, loss of Ezh2 caused increased pathology in a model of allergic asthma and resulted in progressive accumulation of memory phenotype Th2 cells. This study establishes a functional link between Ezh2 and transcriptional regulation of lineage-specifying genes in terminally differentiated CD4(+) T cells.

Highly boron-doped diamond (BDD) was deposited on chemically etched micrometer-sized tungsten wires using microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD), and these were used to fabricate BDD microelectrodes. BDD microelectrodes with very small diameter (about 5 microm) and 250 microm in length could be made successfully. In addition to the unique properties of BDD electrodes, such as a very low background current, high stability, and selective oxidation of dopamine (DA) in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA), other superior properties of the microelectrodes, including a constant current response, an increase in the mass transport, and the ability for use in high resistance media were also shown. An application study was conducted for in vivo detection of DA in mouse brain, where the BDD microelectrode was inserted into the corpus striatum of the mouse brain. A clear signal current response following medial forebrain bundle (MFB) stimulation could be obtained with high sensitivity. Excellent stability was achieved, indicating that the BDD microelectrodes are very promising for future in vivo electroanalysis.

The regulation of memory CD4(+) helper T (Th) cell function, such as polarized cytokine production, remains unclear. Here we show that memory T helper 2 (Th2) cells are divided into four subpopulations by CD62L and CXCR3 expression. All four subpopulations produced interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13, whereas only the CD62L(lo)CXCR3(lo) population produced IL-5 accompanied by increased H3-K4 methylation at the Il5 gene locus. The transcription factor Eomesodermin (encoded by Eomes) was highly expressed in memory Th2 cells, whereas its expression was selectively downregulated in the IL-5-producing cells. Il5 expression was enhanced in Eomes-deficient cells, and Eomesodermin was shown to interact with the transcription factor GATA3, preventing GATA3 binding to the Il5 promoter. Memory Th2 cell-dependent airway inflammation was attenuated in the absence of the CD62L(lo)CXCR3(lo) population but was enhanced by Eomes-deficient memory Th2 cells. Thus, IL-5 production in memory Th2 cells is regulated by Eomesodermin via the inhibition of GATA3 activity.

Memory CD4 + T helper (Th) cells are central to long-term protection against pathogens, but they can also be pathogenic and drive chronic inflammatory disorders. How these pathogenic memory Th cells are maintained, particularly at sites of local inflammation, remains unclear. We found that ectopic lymphoid-like structures called inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT) are formed during chronic allergic inflammation in the lung, and that memory-type pathogenic Th2 (Tpath2) cells capable of driving allergic inflammation are maintained within the iBALT structures. The maintenance of memory Th2 cells within iBALT is supported by Thy1 + IL-7-producing lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). The Thy1 + IL-7-producing LECs express IL-33 and T-cell-attracting chemokines CCL21 and CCL19. Moreover, ectopic lymphoid structures consisting of memory CD4 + T cells and IL-7 + IL-33 + LECs were found in nasal polyps of patients with eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis. Thus, Thy1 + IL-7-producing LECs control chronic allergic airway inflammation by providing a survival niche for memory-type Tpath2 cells.

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In the "Rhapsody" cultivar of the carnation, which bears white flowers variegated with red flecks and sectors, a transposable element, dTdic1, belonging to the Ac/Ds superfamily, was found within the dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) gene. The red flecks and sectors of "Rhapsody" may be attributable to a reversion to DFR activity after the excision of dTdic1. The yellow color of the carnation petals is attributed to the synthesis and accumulation of chalcone 2'-glucoside. In several of the carnation cultivars that bear yellow flowers variegated with white flecks and sectors, both the chalcone isomerase (CHI) and DFR genes are disrupted by dTdic1.

Electronic and structural dynamics of an industrially relevant Pt/CeO2–ZrO2 catalyst with an ordered arrangement of Ce and Zr ions during oxygen storage/release processes at 573–773 K were studied in real time by time‐resolved energy‐dispersive XAFS at the Zr K edge and Ce L3 edge (see experimental setup). On the basis of these results, the roles of Ce and Zr ions in the function of the mixed‐oxide catalyst were elucidated.