Group A protein phosphatase 2Cs (PP2Cs) are abscisic acid (ABA) co-receptors that negatively regulate the ABA signaling pathway by inhibiting the downstream SnRK2 protein kinases. It has long been observed that exogenous ABA treatments dramatically induce the expression of group A PP2C genes, but the underlying molecular mechanisms and the biological significance remain largely unknown. Here, by using GUS reporter transgenic lines in which various lengths of ABI1 and ABI2 promoters were used to drive GUS gene expression, we defined the promoter fragments that confer ABA inducibility to ABI1 and ABI2. We further showed that ABRE-binding factors (ABFs), the bZIP family transcription factors, directly bind to the promoters of group A PP2C genes, and mediate rapid induction of their expression on exogenous ABA treatments. Moreover, our data indicated that ABA dramatically induces the expression of ABF genes and the accumulation of endogenous ABF proteins, and that ABFs themselves are involved in this induction, thus providing another layer of ABA regulation towards ABF proteins in addition to the well-characterized ABA-induced phosphorylation by SnRK2 protein kinases. Together, our data demonstrate that ABFs mediate rapid ABA induction of group A PP2C genes, thus playing a role in the negative feedback regulation of ABA signaling.

Background: Prognostic nutritional index (PNI), combining albumin and lymphocyte counts, which represent the nutritional and immune status, was considered as an effective predictor for the patient's prognosis after surgery. To comprehensively analyze the relative effectiveness of prognostic performance of pretreatment PNI in esophageal cancer (EC), we performed this meta-analysis.Methods: We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Web of Science. The hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted to explore the correlation between PNI and the post-operative survival of patients with EC, including overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and post-operative complications. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was applied to estimate the quality of the included studies. The Begg's test was applied to assess the publication bias.Results: A total of 13 articles with 3,543 patients, were included in our meta-analysis, and nine studies reported OS in 2,731 EC patients. The pooled results of the nine studies suggested that EC patients with a low PNI would have a worse overall survival (HR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.99-1.31, p < 0.05). The integrated results also indicated that the PNI was a negative predictor for RFS. Conclusion:This meta-analysis indicated a high correlation between PNI and post-operative survival of EC. EC patients with low PNI values tend to have worse OS and may be at a higher risk of EC recurrence. However, more relevant researches are needed to confirm the association between PNI and post-operative complications of EC.

Plant growth depends on soil mineral elements, a lack of which results in reduced nutrient accumulation leading to poor growth and resistance in plants. Therefore, more information is needed about the response of Pistacia chinensis Bunge (P. chinensis) seedlings to nutrient deficiency. In this study, we investigated how soil nutrient availability affects the nutrient accumulation and root system of P. chinensis seedlings. Seedlings were cultivated under five different nutrient treatments (500 mg, 400 mg, 300 mg, 200 mg, and 100 mg N). Various indices, including seedling growth, nutrient accumulation and root morphology, were analyzed at the end of the growing season. Nutrient deficiency (300 mg, 200 mg, and 100 mg N) reduced the accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in roots and stems, while the nutrient proportion of N, P, and K stored in the roots and root to shoot ratio (R/S) was increased at the end of growing season. Root length, root surface area, and root volume of very fine roots (<0.5 mm in diameter) and coarse roots (>3.0 mm in diameter) of the three lower nutrient treatments were significantly lower than those of the two highest nutrient treatments, while no significant difference was detected in the fine roots (1.0–3.0 mm in diameter). Instead, foliar N and K contents in seedlings treated with the two highest treatments were significantly greater than those of the three lower nutrient treatments, resulting in a greater nutrient loss ratio. However, seedlings treated with 100 mg N had significantly higher foliar P content than those treated with 500 mg. Seedlings treated with 300 mg and 200 mg N did not have restricted root nutrient accumulation but did have reduced nutrient accumulation in the stems. The 100 mg N treatment significantly reduced the root nutrient accumulation of N and K. The 500 mg N treatment did not increase the accumulation of nutrients in the storage organs compared with the 400 mg N treatment, but did increase the loss of N and K due to defoliation in autumn. In conclusion, there is a threshold for nutrient accumulation in storage organs at the nursery stage under a specific environment. P. chinensis seedlings reduced the negative effects of nutrient deficiency by promoting root growth, particularly fine roots, and increasing N and K allocation in storage organs.

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Due to increasing applications of lanthanides (Ln) in industry and daily life, numerous studies confirmed that Ln exposure may result in organ damages in mice and rats, while very few studies focused on several organs damages simultaneously. In order to compare the toxicity of Ln on organs, mice were exposed to LaCl(3), CeCl(3), and NdCl(3) of a dose of 20 mg/kg body weight for consecutive 60 days, respectively, then histopathological changes of liver, kidney, and heart, and their function were investigated. The results showed that long-term exposure to Ln caused cell necrosis and basophilia of liver, ambiguity of renal tubule architecture, congestion of blood vessel and capillary of kidney, and heart hemorrhage. The histopathological changes of liver, kidney, and heart in mice caused by Ce(3+) was most severe; the effect by Nd(3+) was slighter than Ce(3+) but more severe than La(3+). The assay of serum biochemical parameters suggested that Ln exposure severely impaired the functions of liver, kidney, and myocardium in mice. These findings suggested that long-term exposure to Ln resulted in histopathological changes of liver, kidney, and heart, and their function damages. Therefore, we thought that long-term application of the products containing Ln on human should be cautious.