REGgamma, a member of the 11S proteasome activators, has been shown to bind and activate the 20S proteasome to promote proteasome-dependent degradation of important regulatory proteins, such as SRC-3 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p21, p16, and p19, in a ubiquitin- and ATP-independent manner. Furthermore, REGgamma has been shown to facilitate the turnover of tumor suppressor p53 by promoting MDM2-mediated p53 ubiquitination. The discovery that REGgamma regulates cell-cycle regulators is consistent with previous studies where REGgamma-deficient mice have shown retardation in body growth, decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis, indicating a potential role of REGgamma in cancer development. Additionally, REGgamma's ability to promote viral protein degradation suggests its involvement in viral pathogenesis. This review presents an overview of the function of REGgamma, a summary of the current literature, and insight into the possible biological function of REGgamma relating to cancer, viral pathogenesis, and other diseases.

Here, two novel 3D Cd­(II)-MOFs, [Cd3·L·(BTB)2·2DMF] and [(Cd3O2)·L·BTC] (denoted as CUST-532 and CUST-533, L = 9,10-bis­(N-benzimidazolyl)-anthracene, BTB = 1,3,5-tris­(4-carboxyphenyl) benzene, BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, CUST = Changchun University of Science and Technology), were synthesized by solvothermal conditions. Both CUST-532 and CUST-533 are 3D (3,8)-c topological nets with the same point symbol of {43}2{46·618·84}. PXRD and TGA analyses prove that CUST-532 and CUST-533 have good structural stability and thermal stability. On the basis of the high fluorescence characteristics, the results of fluorescence sensing experiments show that CUST-532 and CUST-533 can be used as multifunctional chemical sensors to achieve rapid fluorescence quenching response to antibiotic residues, Fe3+ and Cr2O7 2– ions at a much lower concentration. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms of fluorescence quenching in the sensing process were systematically studied by PXRD, UV–vis, fluorescence decay lifetime, and density functional theory.

The growth of the Cd-hyperaccumulator Solanum nigrum L. and its physiological responses to a short-term (7 d) Cd stress and to exogenous methyl jasmonate (MeJA) were investigated. Compared with the leaves of S. nigrum, the roots were more liable to Cd and showed a significantly decreased dry mass and increased malondialdehyde content. Cd accumulation in the shoots and roots of S. nigrum were proportional to the Cd concentration in the hydroponic solution. The application of a low concentration of MeJA (0.01 μM) significantly reduced the translocation/accumulation of Cd in both the shoots and roots compared with a 40 mg dm -3 Cd treatment only. Moreover, 40 mg dm -3 Cd significantly decreased the activity of leaf superoxide dismutase, but 0.01 μM MeJA restored it. MeJA also enhanced the activity of catalase in the leaves but showed no significant effect on peroxidase activity. The content of both endogenous jasmonic acid (JA) and MeJA in the leaves of S. nigrum increased with the increase of exogenous MeJA concentration.

The crystal structure of Cd-MOF-74 was obtained for the first time that possesses high sensitivity for the detection of copper ions from water and simulated biological fluids based on changes in luminescent intensity. Furthermore, Cd-MOF-74 could selectively remove Cu from simulated biological fluids that contain Mg, Co, Zn, Fe, Ni, Na, and K. The adsorption capacity of this adsorbent for copper ions reached 189.5 mg g and it quickly adsorbed copper ions within 10 minutes under 10 ppm Cu in the simulated biological system. XPS, PXRD, and gas adsorption measurements revealed that this high sensitivity and selectivity of Cd-MOF-74 resulted from the partial substitution of Cd by Cu in the framework. Although many MOF materials have been employed for sensor or selective adsorption of Cu, Cd-MOF-74 is the first example of MOFs showing both capabilities in simulated biological fluids, which represents a pioneering work that extends the applications of MOF materials in the biological field.

Plant growth in semi-arid ecosystems is usually severely limited by soil nutrient availability. Alleviation of these resource stresses by fertiliser application and aboveground litter input may affect plant internal nutrient cycling in such regions. We conducted a 4-year field experiment to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) addition (10 g N·m(-2) ·year(-1)) and plant litter manipulation on nutrient resorption of Leymus chinensis, the dominant native grass in a semi-arid grassland in northern China. Although N addition had no clear effects on N and phosphorus (P) resorption efficiencies in leaves and culms, N fertilisation generally decreased leaf N resorption proficiency by 54%, culm N resorption proficiency by 65%. Moreover, N fertilisation increased leaf P resorption proficiency by 13%, culm P resorption proficiency by 20%. Under ambient or enriched N conditions, litter addition reduced N and P resorption proficiencies in both leaves and culms. The response of P resorption proficiency to litter manipulation was more sensitive than N resorption proficiency: P resorption proficiency in leaves and culms decreased strongly with increasing litter amount under both ambient and enriched N conditions. In contrast, N resorption proficiency was not significantly affected by litter addition, except for leaf N resorption proficiency under ambient N conditions. Furthermore, although litter addition caused a general decrease of leaf and culm nutrient resorption efficiencies under both ambient and enriched N conditions, litter addition effects on nutrient resorption efficiency were much weaker than the effects of litter addition on nutrient resorption proficiency. Taken together, our results show that leaf and non-leaf organs of L. chinensis respond consistently to altered soil N availability. Our study confirms the strong effects of N addition on plant nutrient resorption processes and the potential role of aboveground litter, the most important natural fertiliser in terrestrial ecosystems, in influencing plant internal nutrient cycling.

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