Rice grain size is an important trait that affects rice yield and quality, and thus the identification of genes related to grain size is of great significance for improving rice yield and quality. Many genes related t...Rice grain size is an important trait that affects rice yield and quality, and thus the identification of genes related to grain size is of great significance for improving rice yield and quality. Many genes related to grain size, such as DEP1(Huang et al., 2009),GW5(Liu et al., 2017).展开更多
Dear Editor,In eukaryotes, mature m RNAs have a tripartite structure consisting of a 5′-untranslated region(5′-UTR), a coding region and a 3′-untranslated region(3′-UTR). Though the coding region encodes the prote...Dear Editor,In eukaryotes, mature m RNAs have a tripartite structure consisting of a 5′-untranslated region(5′-UTR), a coding region and a 3′-untranslated region(3′-UTR). Though the coding region encodes the protein sequence.展开更多
Extensive studies in various plants show that the anthocyanin biosynthetic process is affected by environmental factors and regulated by many transcription factors through sophisticated regulatory networks. However, i...Extensive studies in various plants show that the anthocyanin biosynthetic process is affected by environmental factors and regulated by many transcription factors through sophisticated regulatory networks. However, it remains largely unclear about the roles of microRNA in this process. Here, we demonstrate that miR858a is a positive regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seedlings. Overexpression of miR858a enhances the accumulation of anthocyanins, whereas the reduced miR858a activity results in low levels of anthocyanins in STTM858 transgenic plants. We found that miR858a inhibits the expression of MYBL2, a key negative regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis, by translational repression. In addition, ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 （HYS） was shown to directly bind the MYBL2 promoter and represses its expression via specific histone modifications. Interestingly, we found that miR858a exhibits light- responsive expression in an HY5-dependent manner. Together, these results delineate the HY5- MIR858a-MYBL2 loop as a cellular mechanism for modulating anthocyanin biosynthesis, suggesting that integration of transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation is critical for governing proper anthocyanin accumulation in response to light and other environmental factors.展开更多
Reversible histone acetylation and deacetylation at the N-terminus of histone tails play crucial roles in regulation of eukaryotic gene activity. Acetylation of core histones usually induces an ＇open＇ chromatin stru...Reversible histone acetylation and deacetylation at the N-terminus of histone tails play crucial roles in regulation of eukaryotic gene activity. Acetylation of core histones usually induces an ＇open＇ chromatin structure and is associated with gene activation, whereas deacetylation of histone is often correlated with ＇closed＇ chromatin and gene repression. Histone deacetylation is catalyzed by histone deacetylases （HDACs）. A growing number of studies have demonstrated the importance of histone deacetylation/acetylation on genome stability, transcriptional regulation, and development in plants. Furthermore, HDACs were shown to interact with various chromatin remolding factors and transcription factors involved in transcriptional repression in multiple developmental processes. In this review, we summarized recent findings on the transcriptional repression mediated by HDACs in plants.展开更多
Gibberellic acid （GA） regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. The DELLA proteins act to restrain plant growth, and GA relieves this repression by promoting their degradation via the 26S proteasome pa...Gibberellic acid （GA） regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. The DELLA proteins act to restrain plant growth, and GA relieves this repression by promoting their degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway. The elucidation of the crystalline structure of the GA soluble receptor GID1 protein represents an important breakthrough for understanding the way in which GA is perceived and how it induces the destabilization of the DELLA proteins. Recent advances have revealed that the DELLA proteins are involved in protein-protein interactions within various environmental and hormone signaling pathways. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of the ＇relief of repression＇ model that aims to explain the role of GA and the function of the DELLA proteins, incorporating the many aspects of cross-talk shown to exist in the control of plant development and the response to stress.展开更多
Once thought to be transcriptional noise, large non-coding RNAs （IncRNAs） have recently been demonstrated to be functional molecules. The cell-type-specific expression patterns of lncRNAs suggest that their transcri...Once thought to be transcriptional noise, large non-coding RNAs （IncRNAs） have recently been demonstrated to be functional molecules. The cell-type-specific expression patterns of lncRNAs suggest that their transcription may be regulated epigenetically. Using a custom-designed microarray, here we examine the expression profile of IncRNAs in embryonic stem （ES） cells, lineage-restricted neuronal progenitor cells, and terminally differentiated fibroblasts. In addition, we also analyze the relationship between their expression and their promoter H3K4 and H3K27 methyla- tion patterns. We find that numerous lncRNAs in these cell types undergo changes in the levels of expression and promoter H3K4me3 and H3K27me3. Interestingly, lncRNAs that are expressed at lower levels in ES cells exhibit higher levels of H3K27me3 at their promoters. Consistent with this result, knockdown of the H3K27me3 methyltransferase Ezh2 results in derepression of these IncRNAs in ES cells. Thus, our results establish a role for Ezh2-mediated H3K27 methylation in lncRNA silencing in ES cells and reveal that lncRNAs are subject to epigenetic regulation in a similar manner to that of the protein-coding genes.展开更多
Instability in the worm dollar standard, as most recently manifested in the US Federal Reserve＇s near-zero interest rate policy, has caused consternation in emerging markets with naturally higher interest rates. Chin...Instability in the worm dollar standard, as most recently manifested in the US Federal Reserve＇s near-zero interest rate policy, has caused consternation in emerging markets with naturally higher interest rates. China has been provoked into speeding RMB ＂internationalization ＂; that is, opening up domestic financial markets to reduce its dependence on the US dollar for invoicing trade and making international payments. However, despite rapid percentage growth in offshore financial markets in RMB, the Chinese authorities are essentially trapped into maintaining exchange controls （reinforced by financial repression in domestic interest rates） to avoid an avalanche of foreign capital inflows that would threaten inflation and asset price bubbles by driving nominal interest rates on RMB assets down further. Because a floating （appreciating） exchange rate could attract even more hot money inflows, the People＇s Bank of China should focus on keeping the yuan/dollar rate stable so as to encourage naturally high wage increases to help balance China ＂s international competitiveness. However, further internationalization of the RMB, as with the proposed Shanghai pilot free trade zone, is best deferred until world interest rates rise to more normal levels.展开更多
Polycomb group （PCG） complexes are epigenetic regulatory complexes that conduct transcriptional repression of target genes via modifying the chromatin. The two best characterized forms of PCG complexes, polycomb rep...Polycomb group （PCG） complexes are epigenetic regulatory complexes that conduct transcriptional repression of target genes via modifying the chromatin. The two best characterized forms of PCG complexes, polycomb repressive complexes 1 and 2 （PRC1 and PRC2）, are required for maintaining the sternness of embryonic stem cells and many types of adult stem cells. The spectra of target genes for PRCs are dynamically changing with cell differentiation, which is essential for proper decisions on cell fate during developmental processes, Chromobox （CBX） family proteins are canonical components in PRC1, responsible for targeting PRC1 to the chromatin. Recent studies highlight the function specifications among CBX family members in undifferentiated and differentiated stem cells, which reveal the interplay between compositional diversity and functional specificity of PRCI. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about targeting and functional mechanisms of PRCs, emphasizing the recent breakthroughs related to CBX proteins under a number of physiological and pathological conditions.展开更多
This paper attempts to explain why sterilized intervention was so successful and sustainable in China during the first decade of the 21st century. We argue that the Chinese Government established a sterilization cost-...This paper attempts to explain why sterilized intervention was so successful and sustainable in China during the first decade of the 21st century. We argue that the Chinese Government established a sterilization cost-sharing mechanism among the Peoples Bank of China, commercial banks and the househoM sector. On the one hand, Chinese commercial banks have to assume some of the sterilization costs bypurchasing low yield central bank bills and maintaining high levels of required reserves. On the other hand, Chinese households assume some of the sterilization costs by bearing negative real deposit interest rates. The cost- sharing mechanism under financial repression prevents a huge quasi-fiscal loss by the Peoples Bank of China as well as high inflation. However, Chinese households have become victims of this financial repression. Faced with the pressure of changing the growth model from investment-driven to domestic consumption-driven, the interest rate will have to be liberalized eventually, which will, in turn, make sterilized intervention unsustainable.展开更多
基金supported by the grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFD0100406)the Rice Molecular Design Breeding (2016YFD0101801)+1 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (91535102 and 31771760)the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice (Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center) (2016KF09)
文摘Rice grain size is an important trait that affects rice yield and quality, and thus the identification of genes related to grain size is of great significance for improving rice yield and quality. Many genes related to grain size, such as DEP1(Huang et al., 2009),GW5(Liu et al., 2017).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31671356)the Beijing Municipal Government Science Foundation (IDHT20170513)
文摘Dear Editor,In eukaryotes, mature m RNAs have a tripartite structure consisting of a 5′-untranslated region(5′-UTR), a coding region and a 3′-untranslated region(3′-UTR). Though the coding region encodes the protein sequence.
文摘Extensive studies in various plants show that the anthocyanin biosynthetic process is affected by environmental factors and regulated by many transcription factors through sophisticated regulatory networks. However, it remains largely unclear about the roles of microRNA in this process. Here, we demonstrate that miR858a is a positive regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis seedlings. Overexpression of miR858a enhances the accumulation of anthocyanins, whereas the reduced miR858a activity results in low levels of anthocyanins in STTM858 transgenic plants. We found that miR858a inhibits the expression of MYBL2, a key negative regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis, by translational repression. In addition, ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 （HYS） was shown to directly bind the MYBL2 promoter and represses its expression via specific histone modifications. Interestingly, we found that miR858a exhibits light- responsive expression in an HY5-dependent manner. Together, these results delineate the HY5- MIR858a-MYBL2 loop as a cellular mechanism for modulating anthocyanin biosynthesis, suggesting that integration of transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation is critical for governing proper anthocyanin accumulation in response to light and other environmental factors.
文摘Reversible histone acetylation and deacetylation at the N-terminus of histone tails play crucial roles in regulation of eukaryotic gene activity. Acetylation of core histones usually induces an ＇open＇ chromatin structure and is associated with gene activation, whereas deacetylation of histone is often correlated with ＇closed＇ chromatin and gene repression. Histone deacetylation is catalyzed by histone deacetylases （HDACs）. A growing number of studies have demonstrated the importance of histone deacetylation/acetylation on genome stability, transcriptional regulation, and development in plants. Furthermore, HDACs were shown to interact with various chromatin remolding factors and transcription factors involved in transcriptional repression in multiple developmental processes. In this review, we summarized recent findings on the transcriptional repression mediated by HDACs in plants.
文摘Gibberellic acid （GA） regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. The DELLA proteins act to restrain plant growth, and GA relieves this repression by promoting their degradation via the 26S proteasome pathway. The elucidation of the crystalline structure of the GA soluble receptor GID1 protein represents an important breakthrough for understanding the way in which GA is perceived and how it induces the destabilization of the DELLA proteins. Recent advances have revealed that the DELLA proteins are involved in protein-protein interactions within various environmental and hormone signaling pathways. In this review, we highlight our current understanding of the ＇relief of repression＇ model that aims to explain the role of GA and the function of the DELLA proteins, incorporating the many aspects of cross-talk shown to exist in the control of plant development and the response to stress.
文摘Once thought to be transcriptional noise, large non-coding RNAs （IncRNAs） have recently been demonstrated to be functional molecules. The cell-type-specific expression patterns of lncRNAs suggest that their transcription may be regulated epigenetically. Using a custom-designed microarray, here we examine the expression profile of IncRNAs in embryonic stem （ES） cells, lineage-restricted neuronal progenitor cells, and terminally differentiated fibroblasts. In addition, we also analyze the relationship between their expression and their promoter H3K4 and H3K27 methyla- tion patterns. We find that numerous lncRNAs in these cell types undergo changes in the levels of expression and promoter H3K4me3 and H3K27me3. Interestingly, lncRNAs that are expressed at lower levels in ES cells exhibit higher levels of H3K27me3 at their promoters. Consistent with this result, knockdown of the H3K27me3 methyltransferase Ezh2 results in derepression of these IncRNAs in ES cells. Thus, our results establish a role for Ezh2-mediated H3K27 methylation in lncRNA silencing in ES cells and reveal that lncRNAs are subject to epigenetic regulation in a similar manner to that of the protein-coding genes.
文摘Instability in the worm dollar standard, as most recently manifested in the US Federal Reserve＇s near-zero interest rate policy, has caused consternation in emerging markets with naturally higher interest rates. China has been provoked into speeding RMB ＂internationalization ＂; that is, opening up domestic financial markets to reduce its dependence on the US dollar for invoicing trade and making international payments. However, despite rapid percentage growth in offshore financial markets in RMB, the Chinese authorities are essentially trapped into maintaining exchange controls （reinforced by financial repression in domestic interest rates） to avoid an avalanche of foreign capital inflows that would threaten inflation and asset price bubbles by driving nominal interest rates on RMB assets down further. Because a floating （appreciating） exchange rate could attract even more hot money inflows, the People＇s Bank of China should focus on keeping the yuan/dollar rate stable so as to encourage naturally high wage increases to help balance China ＂s international competitiveness. However, further internationalization of the RMB, as with the proposed Shanghai pilot free trade zone, is best deferred until world interest rates rise to more normal levels.
基金Project supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities from Lanzhou University (No.lzujbky-2014-87),China
文摘Polycomb group （PCG） complexes are epigenetic regulatory complexes that conduct transcriptional repression of target genes via modifying the chromatin. The two best characterized forms of PCG complexes, polycomb repressive complexes 1 and 2 （PRC1 and PRC2）, are required for maintaining the sternness of embryonic stem cells and many types of adult stem cells. The spectra of target genes for PRCs are dynamically changing with cell differentiation, which is essential for proper decisions on cell fate during developmental processes, Chromobox （CBX） family proteins are canonical components in PRC1, responsible for targeting PRC1 to the chromatin. Recent studies highlight the function specifications among CBX family members in undifferentiated and differentiated stem cells, which reveal the interplay between compositional diversity and functional specificity of PRCI. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about targeting and functional mechanisms of PRCs, emphasizing the recent breakthroughs related to CBX proteins under a number of physiological and pathological conditions.
基金financial support from the project "China's Short-term Capital Flows:Scale,Pulling Factors and Impacts," sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
文摘This paper attempts to explain why sterilized intervention was so successful and sustainable in China during the first decade of the 21st century. We argue that the Chinese Government established a sterilization cost-sharing mechanism among the Peoples Bank of China, commercial banks and the househoM sector. On the one hand, Chinese commercial banks have to assume some of the sterilization costs bypurchasing low yield central bank bills and maintaining high levels of required reserves. On the other hand, Chinese households assume some of the sterilization costs by bearing negative real deposit interest rates. The cost- sharing mechanism under financial repression prevents a huge quasi-fiscal loss by the Peoples Bank of China as well as high inflation. However, Chinese households have become victims of this financial repression. Faced with the pressure of changing the growth model from investment-driven to domestic consumption-driven, the interest rate will have to be liberalized eventually, which will, in turn, make sterilized intervention unsustainable.
