Cytosolic NADP(+)-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase regulates cadmium-induced apoptosis

The effect of phosphate mining activities on rhizosphere bacterial communities of surrounding vegetables and crops

The effects of phosphate mining on rhizosphere bacteria in surrounding vegetables and crops, including Lactuca sativa, Glycine max, and Triticum aestivum, are assessed in this study. As results, phosphate mining significantly increased the contents of some large elements, trace elements, and heavy metals in the surrounding agricultural soil, including phosphorus, magnesium, boron, cadmium, lead, arsenic, zinc, and chromium (P < 0.05). The community richness and diversity of bacteria in rhizosphere of the three crops were significantly reduced by phosphate mining (P < 0.05). Abundances of Sphingomonas and RB41 in the rhizosphere soil of phosphate mining area improved compared with the baseline in the non-phosphate mining area. Beta diversity analysis indicated that phosphate mining led to the differentiation of bacterial community structure in plant rhizospheres. Bacterial metabolic analysis indicated that different plant rhizosphere microbial flora developed various metabolic strategies in response to phosphate mining stress, including enriching unsaturated fatty acids, antibiological transport systems, cold shock proteins, etc. This study reveals the interaction between crops, rhizosphere bacteria, and soil pollutants. Select differentiated microbial strains suitable for specific plant rhizosphere environments are necessary for agricultural soil remediation. Additionally, the problem of destruction of agricultural soil and microecology caused by phosphate mining must be solved.

Hesperetin mitigates acrolein-induced apoptosis in lung cells in vitro and in vivo

OBJECTIVES

A number of studies have suggested that acrolein-induced lung injury and pulmonary diseases are associated with the depletion of antioxidants and the production of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, compounds that scavenge reactive oxygen species may exert protective effects against acrolein-induced apoptosis. Because hesperetin, a natural flavonoid, has been reported to have an antioxidant activity, we investigated the effect of hesperitin against acrolein-induced apoptosis of lung cells.

METHODS

We evaluated the protective role of hesperetin in acrolein-induced lung injury using Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells and mice.

RESULTS

Upon exposure of LLC cells and mice to acrolein, hesperetin ameliorated the lung inbjury through attenuation of oxidative stress.

CONCLUSION

In the present report, we demonstrate that hesperetin exhibits a protective effect against acrolein-induced apoptosis of lung cells in both in vitro and in vivo models. Our study provides a useful model to investigate the potential application of hesperetin for the prevention of lung diseases associated with acrolein toxicity.

Alternation of immune parameters and cellular energy allocation of Chlamys farreri under ammonia-N exposure and Vibrio anguillarum challenge

The complex interactions among host, pathogen and environment are believed to be the main causes for the mass mortality of cultured scallops. In the present study, the temporal variations of immune parameters and cellular energy allocation (CEA) of Chlamys farreri under ammonia-N, Vibrio anguillarum as well as their combined treatment were investigated to better understand the energetic mechanisms of scallop in immune defense. After 1 d exposure to ammonia-N, V. anguillarum and their combination, the superoxide anion level and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the serum of scallops increased substantially. At 24 d post exposure, the mRNA expression levels of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70), HSP 90 and glutamine synthetase (GS), as well as the malondialdehyde content remarkably increased, while SOD activity was depressed significantly (P < 0.05). The glycogen reserved in the tissues from scallops exposed to the combined stress for 1 d, 12 d and 24 d were significantly lower than those in the control (P < 0.05). The CEA values in all the examined tissues including gonad, gill, hepatopancreas and adductor muscle were significantly lower than those of control (P < 0.05) when exposure to ammonia-N, V. anguillarum and their combined treatment for 12 and 24 d. Furthermore, the combined stress also had a significant impact upon CEA in all the examined tissues in scallops post 1 d exposure (P < 0.05). The above results demonstrated that SOD, IDH, HSPs and GS in hemolymph of treated scallops are necessary, but not sufficient to the complete protection against stress-induced cellular damage along with the treatment duration. Immune defense against the combination of pathogen invasion and environmental stress can impose greater costs on scallop's energy expenditure than a single stressor, and the combined treatment preferentially consumed more available glycogen in scallops for immune defense. Hence, in addition to be used in immunological evaluation, CEA is also a powerful tool to provide valuable insights into possible mechanisms of mass mortalities in cultured scallops.