No abstract

HighlightOf twenty-three TCP genes identified from the genome of Phalaenopsis orchid, PePCF10 and PeCIN8 play important roles in orchid ovule development by modulating cell division.

Data suggest that costunolide induces the depletion of intracellular thiols and overload of nuclear Ca(2+) that cause DNA damage and p21 up-regulation. The association of p21 with the cyclin dependent kinase 2/cyclin E complex blocks cyclin dependent kinase 2 activity and inhibits Rb phosphorylation, leading to G1 arrest of the cell cycle and subsequent apoptotic cell death in human prostate cancer cells.

A series of triazole-based small molecules that mimic FTY720-mediated anticancer activity but minimize its immunosuppressive effect have been produced. SPS-7 is the most effective derivative displaying higher activity than FTY720 in anti-proliferation against human hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). It induced G1 arrest of cell cycle and subsequent apoptosis in thymidine block-mediated synchronization model. The data were supported by a decrease of cyclin D1 expression, a dramatic increase of p21 expression and an associated decrease in RB phosphorylation. c-Myc overexpression replenished protein levels of cyclin D1 indicating that c-Myc was responsible for cell cycle regulation. PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways through p70S6K- and 4EBP1-mediated translational regulation are critical to cell proliferation and survival. SPS-7 significantly inhibited this translational pathway. Overexpression of Myr-Akt (constitutively active Akt) completely abolished SPS-7-induced inhibitory effect on mTOR/p70S6K/4EBP1 signaling and c-Myc protein expression, suggesting that PI3K/Akt serves as a key upstream regulator. SPS-7 also demonstrated substantial anti-tumor efficacy in an in vivo xenograft study using PC-3 mouse model. Notably, FTY720 but not SPS-7 induced a significant immunosuppressive effect as evidenced by depletion of marginal zone B cells, down-regulation of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors and a decrease in peripheral blood lymphocytes. In conclusion, the data suggest that SPS-7 is not an immunosuppressant while induces anticancer effect against HRPC through inhibition of Akt/mTOR/p70S6K pathwaysthat down-regulate protein levels of both c-Myc and cyclin D1, leading to G1 arrest of cell cycle and subsequent apoptosis. The data also indicate the potential of SPS-7 since PI3K/Akt signalingis responsive for the genomic alterations in prostate cancer.

No abstract

Orchids are renowned for their spectacular flowers and ecological adaptations. After the sequencing of the genome of the tropical epiphytic orchid Phalaenopsis equestris, we combined Illumina HiSeq2000 for RNA-Seq and Trinity for de novo assembly to characterize the transcriptomes for 11 diverse P. equestris tissues representing the root, stem, leaf, flower buds, column, lip, petal, sepal and three developmental stages of seeds. Our aims were to contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving the analysed tissue characteristics and to enrich the available data for P. equestris. Here, we present three databases. The first dataset is the RNA-Seq raw reads, which can be used to execute new experiments with different analysis approaches. The other two datasets allow different types of searches for candidate homologues. The second dataset includes the sets of assembled unigenes and predicted coding sequences and proteins, enabling a sequence-based search. The third dataset consists of the annotation results of the aligned unigenes versus the Nonredundant (Nr) protein database, Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG) databases with low e-values, enabling a name-based search.

The data suggest that the ardisianone induces apoptosis in human prostate cancers through mitochondrial damage stress, leading to the inhibition of mTOR/p70S6K pathway, downregulation of Bcl-2 family members, degradation of survivin, and activation of caspase cascades. The data provide evidence supporting that ardisianone is a potential anticancer agent against HRPCs.

Hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer (HRMPC), which is metastatic and resistant to hormone therapy, is an intractable problem in clinical treatment. Anthraquinone-based natural products and synthetic compounds have shown anticancer activity. However, cardiac toxicity is a major adverse reaction in these compounds. CC-36, a unique anthraquinone derivative, displayed higher antiproliferative activity in HRMPC than that in H9c2 cardiomyoblasts and normal prostate cells with the selectivity of five and twelve times, respectively. CC-36 caused G1 arrest of the cell cycle associated with an upregulation of p21 and downregulated levels of cyclin D1 and cyclin E expressions. Immunoprecipitation assay and Western blotting analysis showed that CC-36 triggered an increase of TSC1/TSC2 association and suppressed the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (Ser2448) and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) (Thr389), indicating the inhibition of both kinases' activities. CC-36 induced liver kinase B1 (LKB1) phosphorylation at Thr189, leading to LKB1 translocation from nucleus to cytosol for AMPKα phosphorylation (Thr172) and the kinase activation. The signaling pathway was validated using small interfering RNA (siRNA) technique with LKB1 knockdown. The combination treatment of MK2206 (a specific Akt inhibitor) with CC-36 showed a synergistic apoptosis in PC-3 cells indicating a potential combination strategy for LKB1 activators. Taken together, the data suggest that CC-36 displays anti-HRMPC activity through the activation of LKB1-AMPK pathway, leading to an inhibition of mTOR signaling and the induction of G1 arrest of the cell cycle. The combination use of Akt inhibitors with agents acting through LKB1-AMPK-mTOR pathway is a potential strategy for HRMPC treatment.