WRKY transcription factors are reported to be involved in defense regulation, stress response and plant growth and development. However, the precise role of WRKY transcription factors in abiotic stress tolerance is not completely understood, especially in crops. In this study, we identified and cloned 10 WRKY genes from genome of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). TaWRKY10, a gene induced by multiple stresses, was selected for further investigation. TaWRKY10 was upregulated by treatment with polyethylene glycol, NaCl, cold and H2O2. Result of Southern blot indicates that the wheat genome contains three copies of TaWRKY10. The TaWRKY10 protein is localized in the nucleus and functions as a transcriptional activator. Overexpression of TaWRKY10 in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) resulted in enhanced drought and salt stress tolerance, mainly demonstrated by the transgenic plants exhibiting of increased germination rate, root length, survival rate, and relative water content under these stress conditions. Further investigation showed that transgenic plants also retained higher proline and soluble sugar contents, and lower reactive oxygen species and malonaldehyde contents. Moreover, overexpression of the TaWRKY10 regulated the expression of a series of stress related genes. Taken together, our results indicate that TaWRKY10 functions as a positive factor under drought and salt stresses by regulating the osmotic balance, ROS scavenging and transcription of stress related genes.

The design of optimized nanoparticles offers a promising strategy to enable DNA vaccines to cross various physiological barriers for eliciting a specific and protective mucosal immunity via intranasal administration. Here, we reported a new designed nanoparticle system through incorporating anionic liposomes (AL) into chitosan/DNA (CS/DNA) complexes. With enhanced cellular uptake, the constructed AL/CS/DNA nanoparticles can deliver the anti-caries DNA vaccine pGJA-P/VAX into nasal mucosa. TEM results showed the AL/CS/DNA had a spherical structure. High DNA loading ability and effective DNA protection against nuclease were proved by gel electrophoresis. The surface charge of the AL/CS/DNA depended strongly on pH environment, enabling the intracellular release of loaded DNA via a pH-mediated manner. In comparison to the traditional CS/DNA system, our new design rendered a higher transfection efficiency and longer residence time of the AL/CS/DNA at nasal mucosal surface. These outstanding features enable the AL/CS/DNA to induce a significantly (p<0.01) higher level of secretory IgA (SIgA) than the CS/DNA in animal study, and a longer-term mucosal immunity. On the other hand, the AL/CS/DNA exhibited minimal cytotoxicity. These results suggest that the developed nanoparticles offer a potential platform for DNA vaccine packaging and delivery for more efficient elicitation of mucosal immunity.

Sesamin, one of the most abundant lignans in sesame seeds, has been shown to exhibit various pharmacological effects. The aim of this study was to elucidate whether sesamin promotes cell cycle arrest and induces apoptosis in HepG2 cells and further to explore the underlying molecular mechanisms. Here, we found that sesamin inhibited HepG2 cell growth by inducing G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, sesamin suppressed the constitutive and interleukin (IL)-6-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signalling pathway in HepG2 cells, leading to regulate the downstream genes, including p53, p21, cyclin proteins and the Bcl-2 protein family. Our studies showed that STAT3 signalling played a key role in sesamin-induced G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis in HepG2 cells. These findings provided a molecular basis for understanding of the effects of sesamin in hepatocellular carcinoma tumour cell proliferation. Therefore, sesamin may thus be a potential chemotherapy drug for liver cancer.

Several rare anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusions have been identified in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, their treatment is not currently uniform. alectinib has been commonly used to treat rare ALK fusions in patients with NSCLC. This is the first study to report the occurrence of a uridine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase 2 (UGP2)-ALK fusion in a patient with NSCLC. The patient, who was hospitalized because of shortness of breath lasting 20 days, showed hydrothorax of the left lung under a computerized tomography chest scan. Pathological histology revealed lung adenocarcinoma in the patient. The UGP2-ALK mutation was found by next-generation sequencing. Subsequently, the patient was administered alectinib, and thereafter, the tumor lesion was observed to gradually shrink over the follow-up period. Progression-free survival reached 10 months as of the follow-up date, with no adverse events detected. This case report provides valuable insights into the clinical management of NSCLC patients with UGP2-ALK fusions. Moreover, alectinib is confirmed to be an appropriate therapeutic agent for such patients.