Molecular and cellular characterization of the tomato pollen profilin, LePro1

Tomato Allergy: The Characterization of the Selected Allergens and Antioxidants of Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)-A Review

Tomatoes are one of the most broadly produced and consumed crop plants. They are the source of health-promoting nutrients such as antioxidants, including ascorbic acid, polyphenols, or carotenoids. Despite the beneficial role of tomatoes in the daily diet, they have been confirmed as one of the most prevalent allergenic vegetables. Food allergies can cause many clinical symptoms, e.g., in the gastrointestinal tract, skin, and lungs, as well as anaphylactic shock. A huge amount of clinical research has been carried out to improve the understanding of the immunological mechanisms that lead to the lack of tolerance of food antigens, which can result in either immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated reactions or non-IgE-mediated reactions. Lifestyle and diet play an important role in triggering food allergies. Allergy to tomatoes is also linked to other allergies, such as grass pollen and latex allergy. Numerous attempts have been made to identify and characterize tomato allergens; however, the data available on the subject are not sufficient.

Functional Disruption of the Tomato Putative Ortholog of HAWAIIAN SKIRT Results in Facultative Parthenocarpy, Reduced Fertility and Leaf Morphological Defects

A number of plant microRNAs have been demonstrated to regulate developmental processes by integrating internal and environmental cues. Recently, the Arabidopsis thaliana F-box protein HAWAIIAN SKIRT (HWS) gene has been described for its role in miRNA biogenesis. We have isolated in a forward genetic screen a tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) line mutated in the putative ortholog of HWS. We show that the tomato hws-1 mutant exhibits reduction in leaflet serration, leaflet fusion, some degree of floral organ fusion, and alteration in miRNA levels, similarly to the original A. thaliana hws-1 mutant. We also describe novel phenotypes for hws such as facultative parthenocarpy, reduction in fertility and flowering delay. In slhws-1, the parthenocarpy trait is influenced by temperature, with higher parthenocarpy rate in warmer environmental conditions. Conversely, slhws-1 is able to produce seeds when grown in cooler environment. We show that the reduction in seed production in the mutant is mainly due to a defective male function and that the levels of several miRNAs are increased, in accordance with previous HWS studies, accounting for the abnormal leaf and floral phenotypes as well as the altered flowering and fruit development processes. This is the first study of HWS in fleshy fruit plant, providing new insights in the function of this gene in fruit development.

RhoA/mDia-1/profilin-1 signaling targets microvascular endothelial dysfunction in diabetic retinopathy

BACKGROUND

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness in the working-age populations of developed countries, and effective treatments and prevention measures have long been the foci of study. Patients with DR invariably demonstrate impairments of the retinal microvascular endothelium. Many observational and preclinical studies have shown that angiogenesis and apoptosis play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of DR. Increasing evidence suggests that in DR, the small guanosine-5'-triphosphate-binding protein RhoA activates its downstream targets mammalian Diaphanous homolog 1 (mDia-1) and profilin-1, thus affecting important cellular functions, including cell morphology, motility, secretion, proliferation, and gene expression. However, the specific underlying mechanism of disease remains unclear.

CONCLUSION

This review focuses on the RhoA/mDia-1/profilin-1 signaling pathway that specifically triggers endothelial dysfunction in diabetic patients. Recently, RhoA and profilin-1 signaling has attracted a great deal of attention in the context of diabetes-related research. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which the RhoA/mDia-1/profilin-1 pathway is involved in progression of microvascular endothelial dysfunction (MVED) during DR has not been determined. This review briefly describes each feature of the cascade before exploring the most recent findings on how the pathway may trigger endothelial dysfunction in DR. When the underlying mechanisms are understood, novel therapies seeking to restore the endothelial homeostasis comprised in DR will become possible.