BackgroundSoybean is a major source of oil and protein in the human diet and in animal feed. However, as soybean is deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids, its nutritional value is limited. Increasing sulfate assimilation and utilization efficiency is a valuable approach to augment the concentration of sulfur-containing amino acids in soybean seeds, and sulfate transporters play important roles in both sulfate uptake and translocation within plants.ResultsIn this study, we isolated and characterized a soybean sulfate transporter gene: GmSULTR1;2b. The gene was found to be specifically expressed in root tissues and induced by low-sulfur stress. In addition, GmSULTR1;2b expression in yeast could complement deficiency in the sulfate transporter genes SUL1 and SUL2. Under +S conditions, GmSULTR1;2b-overexpressing tobacco plants accumulated higher levels of organic matter and exhibited enhanced biomass and seed weight compared to control plants. Under -S conditions, acclimation of GmSULTR1;2b-overexpressing plants was much better than control plants. GmSULTR1;2b-overexpressing tobacco seedlings showed better tolerance to drought stress than the control plants, but no significant difference was observed under salt stress. Transcriptome analysis revealed 515 genes with at least a 2-fold change in expression in the leaves of tobacco plants overexpressing GmSULTR1;2b. Of these, 227 gene annotations were classified into 12 functional categories associated with 123 relevant pathways, including biosynthesis and metabolism-related proteins, stress-related proteins, and transporters.ConclusionsThe findings reported here indicate that the increased biomass and seed yield observed in transgenic tobacco plants could have resulted from greater nutrient uptake and transport capability as well as enhanced development and accumulation of organic matter. Taken together, our results indicate that GmSULTR1;2b plays an important role in sulfur uptake and could alter the sulfur status of plants. Our study suggests that overexpressing GmSULTR1;2b may enhance plant yield under +S conditions, reduce plant production loss under -S conditions, and improve plant tolerance to sulfur deficiency stress.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2705-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Esophageal cancer is a common tumor of the digestive tract and is a malignant tumor which affect one’s health and is potentially life threatening. The incidence and mortality rate of esophageal cancer in China is relatively high, with the incidence rate being the sixth highest and the mortality rate being the fourth highest among all malignant tumors. The lesion often occurs in the middle segment of the epithelium of the esophagus, often showing a family tendency, and is more likely to occur in middle-aged and elderly men. The typical symptom of esophageal cancer is progressive dysphagia, first with dry food, then with semi-liquid food, and finally with water and saliva. Treatment is divided into surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and combination therapy. Apart from malnutrition and pain, the treatment can also cause great psychological stress to patients with esophageal cancer. Therefore, diet, pain, and psychological care for patients with esophageal cancer are crucial. Therefore, it more care is given to the patients by medical and nursing staff during hospitalization. However, not much have been discussed about home care for patients with esophageal cancer. In this article, we will talk about the home care of esophageal cancer patients from the following aspects: dietary, pain management, and psychological care.

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