1.
Transcription factors in ferroptotic cell death.
Dai, C, Chen, X, Li, J, Comish, P, Kang, R, Tang, D
Cancer gene therapy. 2020;(9):645-656
Abstract
Ferroptosis, a form of regulated cell death, is characterized by an excessive degree of iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation. Although it was originally identified only in cells expressing a mutant RAS oncogene, ferroptosis has also been found in normal cells following treatment by small molecules (e.g., erastin and RSL3) or drugs (e.g., sulfasalazine, sorafenib, and artesunate), which target antioxidant enzyme systems, especially the amino acid antiporter system xc- and the glutathione peroxidase GPX4. Dysfunctional ferroptosis is implicated in various physiological and pathological processes (e.g., metabolism, differentiation, and immunity). Targeting the ferroptotic network appears to a new treatment option for diseases or pathological conditions (e.g., cancer, neurodegeneration, and ischemia reperfusion injury). While the molecular machinery of ferroptosis remains largely unknown, several transcription factors (e.g., TP53, NFE2L2/NRF2, ATF3, ATF4, YAP1, TAZ, TFAP2C, SP1, HIF1A, EPAS1/HIF2A, BACH1, TFEB, JUN, HIC1, and HNF4A) play multiple roles in shaping ferroptosis sensitivity through either transcription-dependent or transcription-independent mechanisms. In this review, we summarize recent progress in understanding the transcriptional regulation underlying ferroptotic cell death, and discuss how it has provided new insights into cancer therapy.
2.
Identification and characterization of a novel heat shock transcription factor gene, GmHsfA1, in soybeans (Glycine max).
Zhu, B, Ye, C, Lü, H, Chen, X, Chai, G, Chen, J, Wang, C
Journal of plant research. 2006;(3):247-56
Abstract
Plants have a large family of HSFs with different roles in the heat shock response that mediate the expression of HSP regulated genes. The HSF encoding genes are easily identified by their highly conserved modular structure and motifs. In the present study, a putative GmHsfA1 was identified and characterized from the soybean expressed sequence tag (EST) database by sequence comparison with the functionally well-characterized LpHsfA1 and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). Multiple alignment showed that the amino acid sequence of GmHSFA1, matching best with LpHSFA1 (52.2% similarity), was obviously different from that of each of several HSFA1s from other plant species. The GmHsfA1 has a constitutive expression profile in the different tissues examined. The overexpression of GmHsfA1 in transgenic soybean plants led to the activation of GmHsp70 under normal temperature and the overexpression of GmHsp70 under high temperature. Furthermore, transgenic soybean plants with GmHsfA1 overexpression showed obvious enhancement of thermotolerance under heat stress in comparison with non-transgenic plants. The experimental results suggested that GmHSFA1 is a novel and functional heat-shock transcription factor.