Abiotic stresses such as cold, drought and high salinity are common adverse environmental conditions that seriously influence plant growth and crop productivity worldwide. Some transcription factors (TFs) have been isolated and verified recently to play roles under abiotic stresses. Among them, the TF of DREB (Dehydration responsive element binding) can therefore regulate the expression of many stress-inducible genes in plants and play a critical role in improving abiotic stress tolerance of plants by interacting with specific cis-acting element named DRE/CRT, which is present in the promoter region of various abiotic stress-related genes. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge of DREBs in the structural and functional characters with emphasis on the regulation and mechanisms of DREBs on plant development, as well as new research approaches and complexity of the signal transduction pathway of DREBs. The practical and application value of DREBs in crop improvement engineering was also discussed.

Phenazine-1-carboxylic acid biosynthesized and secreted by Pseudomonas chlororaphis G-05 isolated from the rhizosphere of pepper in greenhouse (Huaian, China), contributes to its biological suppression of R. solani growth.

To determine the effect of atorvastatin on lipopolysaccharide-induced expression of C-reactive protein in cultured A549 cells.

To explore the therapeutic effectivity and the possible mechanism of triptolide (Tri) on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

Polyamides, containing N-methylpyrrole (Py) and N-methyl-imidazole (Im) amino acids, are synthetic oligomers programmed to read the DNA double helix in the minor groove with high affinities and sequence specificities resulting in modulation of gene expression. They are cell permeable, stable and have no cytotoxicity, which provide a promising tool of gene regulation. We describe here recent advances in the field of DNA binding polyamides, including pairing rules, specifities and affinities to DNA, synthesis methods, cellular and nuclear uptake properties, gene regulation and effectiveness in vivo. The potential problems and difficulties in future research are also discussed.

To evaluate the effect of Sarcandra glabra extracts on anti-tumor and apoptosis of implanted human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines in nude mice.

To study the mechanism of Ma Xing Shi Gan decoction on the cytokines of Th1/Th2 in a murine model of asthma.

To investigate the regulatory effect of ligustrazine and Radix Astragalus (Chinese drugs for supplementing qi and activating blood circulation) on uterine mucosa stromal cyto-chemotactic factor RANTES and receptor CCR5 expression.

To investigate NF-kappaB and IkappaBalpha activities in HL-60 induced by TNF-alpha in order to understand the molecular mechanism of GbE in asthma treatment.

To study the effect of matrine and oxymatrine on proliferation and the expression of Stat3, Stat5 mRNA in SMMC-7721 cell line.

To observe the effects of Jiajian Bufei Tang on expessions of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB), metalloproteinase (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in the airway remodeling of COPD rat model with lung-Qi deficiency syndrome.

To discuss the anti-tumor activity of ginsenoside Rh2, we observed the expressions of the junction adhesion molecul (JAM) in transplanted-tumor in mice.

To observe the expression of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) and the activity of key enzyme glucokinase (GK) in glucose metabolism, and further to investigate the possible mechanism of berberine in treating type 2 diabetes.

To investigate the biological impact of pEGFP-shVEGF-shTERT-shBcl-xl expression in human laryngeal squamous carcinomas xenografted in nude mice and the related antitumor mechanism.

To explore the effects of oxymatrine (OMT) on NF-kappaB and other cell factors in rat lung tissue with septic shock.

To evaluate the effect of Qianlie Antong tablet (QLAT) on the tissues of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) of experimental rats, and seek its mechanism.

To study the effects of brucea javanica oil on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in A549 cell line.

To develop siRNA as a potential tool for control of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) infection.

To investigate the effect of demethylating agent 5-Aza-CdR (5-aza-2'- deoxycytidine) on demethylation and transcription-regulating of RASSF1A gene in gastric cancer cell SGC7901 in vitro, as well as on the growth inhibition of cells.