Project description:This study tested the anti-inflammatory potential of a green tea extract rich in polyphenols (GrTP) in the colon of the multi-drug resistance targeted mutation (Mdr1a-/-) mouse model of IBD. A colonic histological injury score was determined for each mouse to establish the effect of GrTP on inflammation. Insights into mechanisms responsible for changes in inflammation were gained using transcriptome (microarray) and proteome (2-D gel electrophoresis and LCMS protein identification) analyses.
Project description:Human aortic endothelial cells were grown in culture until confluent. In three experiments using cells derived from three separate donors confluent cultures were incubated for 6 h with contol medium, or medium containing either extracts of oligomeric procyanidins from cranberry juice or red wine, or a procyanidin-rich grape seed extract. At the end of the 6 h treatment period conditioned media samples were retained for immunoassay of secreted peptides and proteins, and RNA was extracted for microarray analysis. Experiment Overall Design: Each experiment used cells from one donor. Treatment conditions were: control medium, cranberry extract (CRE), grape seed extract (GSE), and red wine extract (RWE).
Project description:Phytosulfokine-α (PSK-α), a sulfated pentapeptide hormone with the sequence YIYTQ, plays important roles in many aspects of plant growth and development. In this study, we identified a pair of putative precursor genes in soybean, GmPSKγ1 and -2, encoding a PSK-like peptide: PSK-γ. Similar to PSK-α in amino acid composition, the sequence of PSK-γ is YVYTQ, and the tyrosines undergo sulfonylation. Treatment of Arabidopsis seedlings with synthetic sulfated PSK-γ significantly enhanced root elongation, indicating that PSK-γ might be a functional analog of PSK-α. Expression pattern analysis revealed that the two GmPSKγ genes, especially GmPSKγ1, are primarily expressed in developing soybean seeds. Heterologous expression of GmPSKγ1 under the control of a seed-specific promoter markedly increased seed size and weight in Arabidopsis, and this promoting effect of PSK-γ on seed growth was further confirmed in transgenic tobacco constitutively expressing GmPSKγ1. Cytological analysis of transgenic Arabidopsis seeds revealed that PSK-γ promotes seed growth by inducing embryo cell expansion. In addition, transcriptome analysis of GmPSKγ1-expressing Arabidopsis seeds suggested that PSK-γ signaling may regulate cell wall loosening to promote cell expansion. Overall, our results shed light on the mechanism by which PSK-γ promotes seed growth, paving the way for the use of this new peptide for biotechnological improvement of crop seed/grain size and yield.