Cadmium (Cd) is a highly toxic trace element mainly derived from industrial processes and phosphate fertilizers [1]. Cd concentrations in soil near smelters are extremely high, up to 200 mg/kg [2]. Considerable attention has been attached to problems associated with Cd pollution, with the development of modern industry and agriculture. It is a non-essential heavy metal with high toxicity to plants, animals and humans [3] and has been regarded as most dangerous environmental pollutant [4]. Cd is of great concern because it is a nonessential toxic element which has toxic effects on plants, animals and humans with a very small dose [5]. Under Cd stress, growth and development of plants are affected, such as inhibiting photosynthesis and respiration, disturbing the normal division of root tip cells, and causing imbalances in nutrition

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Background: Lead (Pb) is a harmful pollutant that disrupts normal functions from the cell to organ levels. Salix babylonica is characterized by high biomass productivity, high transpiration rates, and species specific Pb. Better understanding the accumulating and transporting Pb capability in shoots and roots of S. babylonica, the toxic effects of Pb and the subcellular distribution of Pb is very important. Results: Pb exerted inhibitory effects on the roots and shoots growth at all Pb concentrations. According to the results utilizing inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES), S. babylonica can be considered as a plant with great phytoextraction potentials as translocation factor (TF) value > 1 is observed in all treatment groups throughout the experiment. The Leadmium™ Green AM dye test results indicated that Pb ions initially entered elongation zone cells and accumulated in this area. Then, ions were gradually accumulated in the meristem zone. After 24 h of Pb exposure, Pb accumulated in the meristem zone. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses (EDXA) results confirmed the fluorescent probe observations and indicated that Pb was localized to the cell wall and cytoplasm. In transverse sections of the mature zone, Pb levels in the cell wall and cytoplasm of epidermal cells was the lowest compared to cortical and vessel cells, and an increasing trend in Pb content was detected in cortical cells from the epidermis to vascular cylinder. Similar results were shown in the Pb content in the cell wall and cytoplasm of the transverse sections of the meristem. Cell damage in the roots exposed to Pb was detected by propidium iodide (PI) staining, which was in agreement with the findings of Pb absorption in different zones of S. babylonica roots under Pb stress. Conclusion: S. babylonica L. is observed as a plant with great potential of Pb-accumulation and Pb-tolerance. The information obtained here of Pb accumulation and localization in S. babylonica roots can furthers our understanding of Pb-induced toxicity and its tolerance mechanisms, which will provide valuable and scientific information to phytoremediation investigations of other woody plants under Pb stress.

Background: Mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) colorectal cancers (CRCs) are thought to be primarily resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy. However, recent clinical trials have reported that early-to-mid stage (non-metastatic) CRC responds well to ICI monotherapy. We hypothesized that the efficacy of immunotherapy is linked to a series of gene expression profiles that can characterize the pMMR CRC disease stage.Methods: Using the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) CRC data sets, we first investigated transcriptomic features that continuously changed (were continuously upregulated or downregulated) with pMMR CRC disease-stage progression. We defined these gene sets as stage-associated genes. The deconvolution algorithm then enriched these genes with the dynamic changes in the cell type populations of the CRC tumor microenvironment (TME). Finally, the stage-associated genes were cross-referenced to the current transcriptome profile data on ICI treatment of pMMR CRC, which revealed the gene set specifying an effective pMMR tumor response.Results: In total, 774 genes were found to increase in expression and 845 genes to decrease in expression as the stage increased. Using deconvolution methods, we discovered 2 major disease stage-associated alterations in the cellular composition of pMMR CRCs, including changes in cell types involved in host immune responses and tumor cell metastasis. The central memory CD8+ T cell population decreased as the pMMR CRC disease stage increased, but the endothelial cell populations associated with proliferation and metastasis increased. Using a different cell type annotation set (LM22), we discovered that as the disease progressed, M1 macrophages and CD8+ T cells decreased in the TME. In mismatch repair-deficient patients with CRC, however, such a decrease was not observed. Finally, we identified 27 signature genes that can be used to assess ICI efficacy in treatment-naïve patients with pMMR CRC. Conclusions:The current study sought to identify the underlying molecular mechanisms, pathways, and cell landscapes that explain why early-to-mid stage pMMR CRC responds well to ICI treatment. This analysis might be valuable for the selection of patients who might benefit from immunotherapeutic strategies.

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Background: Cadmium (Cd), a ubiquitous and highly toxic heavy metal pollutant, is toxic to animals and plants. Calcium (Ca) is an essential component for plant growth and reduces plant Cd adsorption by competing with Cd. To gain deeper insight into the effects of Ca on Cd absorption, translocation, subcellular distribution, and chemical forms in S. matsudana seedlings under Cd stress, an investigation was conducted on these properties. Results: Adding Ca alleviated Cd physiological toxicity in S. matsudana, reduced Cd adsorption, increased the translocation from roots to shoots, lead to subcellular redistribution of Cd by increasing the proportion of Cd in soluble fractions but decreasing Cd in the cell wall and changed the chemical forms of Cd from 0.6 M HCl- and 2% HAc-extracted Cd to 1 M NaCl-extracted Cd. The energy dispersive X-ray analyses (EDXA) results revealed that after adding Ca, Cd was transferred through the root epidermis, cortex, endodermis, and vascular cylinder, transported to the shoots, and was highly accumulated in leaf epidermal and mesophyll cells, but less in leaf vein and guard cells. The genes involved in Cd uptake and xylem loading included NRAMP1, ZIP8, HMA2, and HMA4, which were up-regulated significantly (p < 0.05) in the Cd and Cd + Ca treatments compared to the control. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide new insight into the mechanism that Ca alleviates Cd toxicity in woody tree species, as well as propose an important prospect of Ca addition for improving the phytoremediation of Cd contamination.