Transcriptional Regulation of SugarCane Response to Sporisorium scitamineum: Insights from Time-Course Gene Coexpression and Ca2+ Signaling

Sugarcane response to Sporisorium scitamineum is determined by multiple major genes and numerous microeffector genes. Here, time-ordered gene coexpression networks were applied to explore the interaction between sugarcane and S. scitamineum. Totally, 2459 differentially expressed genes were identified and divided into 10 levels, and several stress-related subnetworks were established. Interestingly, the Ca2+ signaling pathway was activated to establish the response to sugarcane smut disease. Accordingly, two CAX genes (ScCAX2 and ScCAX3) were cloned and characterized from sugarcane. They were significantly upregulated under ABA stress but inhibited by MeJA treatment. Furthermore, overexpression of ScCAX2 and ScCAX3 enhanced the susceptibility of transgenic plants to the pathogen infection, suggesting its negative role in disease resistance. A regulatory model for ScCAX genes in disease response was thus depicted. This work helps to clarify the transcriptional regulation of sugarcane response to S. scitamineum stress and the function of the CAX gene in disease response.

Sugarcane breeding: a fantastic past and promising future driven by technology and methods

Sugarcane is the most important sugar and energy crop in the world. During sugarcane breeding, technology is the requirement and methods are the means. As we know, seed is the cornerstone of the development of the sugarcane industry. Over the past century, with the advancement of technology and the expansion of methods, sugarcane breeding has continued to improve, and sugarcane production has realized a leaping growth, providing a large amount of essential sugar and clean energy for the long-term mankind development, especially in the face of the future threats of world population explosion, reduction of available arable land, and various biotic and abiotic stresses. Moreover, due to narrow genetic foundation, serious varietal degradation, lack of breakthrough varieties, as well as long breeding cycle and low probability of gene polymerization, it is particularly important to realize the leapfrog development of sugarcane breeding by seizing the opportunity for the emerging Breeding 4.0, and making full use of modern biotechnology including but not limited to whole genome selection, transgene, gene editing, and synthetic biology, combined with information technology such as remote sensing and deep learning. In view of this, we focus on sugarcane breeding from the perspective of technology and methods, reviewing the main history, pointing out the current status and challenges, and providing a reasonable outlook on the prospects of smart breeding.

HPV positivity status in males is related to the acquisition of HPV infection in females in heterosexual couples

PURPOSE

Few studies have focused on the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity in male partners on female HPV infection and cervical lesions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the HPV infection status of husbands on wives' cervical HPV infection and lesions.

METHODS

We surveyed 251 monogamous couples who attended the outpatient department of Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital from 2013 to 2021. HPV type analysis was performed on exfoliated cells of the females' cervix and males' urethra by the PCR-reverse dot blot method. We analyzed the prevalence and consistency of HPV types in 251 couples. Subsequently, the risk of HPV infection in females with HPV-positive male partners was analyzed. SPSS version 26 (IBM, Chicago, USA) was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

In 251 couples, the most commonly detected high-risk HPV (HR-HPV) genotypes were 52, 51, 16, and 58 for males and 16, 52, 18, and 58 for females. Wives with HPV-positive husbands had higher infection rates for most HR-HPV genotypes. HR-HPV positivity in husbands was a risk factor for the development of cervical lesions in wives (OR = 2.250, P = 0.014). Both single-type (OR = 2.085, P = 0.040) and multiple-type (OR = 2.751, P = 0.036) infection in husbands will contributed to an increased risk of non-HR-HPV infection and cervical lesions in wives.

CONCLUSION

Husbands' HPV positivity increases the burden of non-HR-HPV infection and increases the risk of cervical lesions developing in wives. It is hoped to provide a reference value for cervical cancer prevention in females and HPV vaccination in males.

Developing new sugarcane varieties suitable for mechanized production in China: principles, strategies and prospects

The sugar industry, which relates to people's livelihood, is strategic and fundamental in the development of agricultural economy. In China, sugar derived from sugarcane accounts for approximately 85% of total sugar production. Mechanization is the "flower" of sugarcane industry. As the saying goes "when there are blooming flowers, there will be sweet honey." However, due to limitations in land resources, technology, equipment, organization, and management, mechanization throughout the sugarcane production process has not yet brought about the economic benefits that a mechanized system should provide and has not reached an ideal yield through the integration of agricultural machinery and agronomic practice. This paper briefly describes how to initiate the mechanization of Chinese sugarcane production to promote the sound, healthy, and rapid development of the sugarcane industry, and how to ultimately achieve the transformation of sugarcane breeding in China and the modernization of the sugarcane industry from three perspectives, namely, requirements of mechanized production for sugarcane varieties, breeding strategies for selecting new sugarcane varieties suitable for mechanized production, and screening for sugarcane varieties that are suitable for mechanization and diversification in variety distribution or arrangement in China. We also highlight the current challenges surrounding this topic and look forward to its bright prospects.

[Development and validation of a prognostic prediction model for patients with stage Ⅰ to Ⅲ colon cancer incorporating high-risk pathological features]

Objective: To examine a predictive model that incorporating high risk pathological factors for the prognosis of stage Ⅰ to Ⅲ colon cancer. Methods: This study retrospectively collected clinicopathological information and survival outcomes of stage Ⅰ~Ⅲ colon cancer patients who underwent curative surgery in 7 tertiary hospitals in China from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2017. A total of 1 650 patients were enrolled, aged (M(IQR)) 62 (18) years (range: 14 to 100). There were 963 males and 687 females. The median follow-up period was 51 months. The Cox proportional hazardous regression model was utilized to select high-risk pathological factors, establish the nomogram and scoring system. The Bootstrap resampling method was utilized for internal validation of the model, the concordance index (C-index) was used to assess discrimination and calibration curves were presented to assess model calibration. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves after risk grouping, and Cox regression was used to compare disease-free survival between subgroups. Results: Age (HR=1.020, 95%CI: 1.008 to 1.033, P=0.001), T stage (T3:HR=1.995,95%CI:1.062 to 3.750,P=0.032;T4:HR=4.196, 95%CI: 2.188 to 8.045, P<0.01), N stage (N1: HR=1.834, 95%CI: 1.307 to 2.574, P<0.01; N2: HR=3.970, 95%CI: 2.724 to 5.787, P<0.01) and number of lymph nodes examined (≥36: HR=0.438, 95%CI: 0.242 to 0.790, P=0.006) were independently associated with disease-free survival. The C-index of the scoring model (model 1) based on age, T stage, N stage, and dichotomous variables of the lymph nodes examined (<12 and ≥12) was 0.723, and the C-index of the scoring model (model 2) based on age, T stage, N stage, and multi-categorical variables of the lymph nodes examined (<12, 12 to <24, 24 to <36, and ≥36) was 0.726. A scoring system was established based on age, T stage, N stage, and multi-categorical variables of lymph nodes examined, the 3-year DFS of the low-risk (≤1), middle-risk (2 to 4) and high-risk (≥5) group were 96.3% (n=711), 89.0% (n=626) and 71.4% (n=313), respectively. Statistically significant difference was observed among groups (P<0.01). Conclusions: The number of lymph nodes examined was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival after curative surgery in patients with stage Ⅰ to Ⅲ colon cancer. Incorporating the number of lymph nodes examined as a multi-categorical variable into the T and N staging system could improve prognostic predictive validity.

Deciphering the Atlas of Post-Translational Modification in Sugarcane

In plants, lysine acetylation (Kac), 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (Khib), and lysine lactylation (Kla), the three new types of post-translational modification (PTM), play very important roles in growth, development, and resistance to adverse environmental stresses. Herein, we report the first global acetylome, 2-hydroxyisobutyrylome, and lactylome in sugarcane. A total of 8573 Kac, 4637 Khib, and 215 Kla sites across 3903, 1507, and 139 modified proteins were identified. Besides, homology analyses revealed the Kac, Khib, and Kla sites on histones were conserved between sugarcane and rice or poplar. Functional annotations demonstrated that the Kac, Khib, and Kla proteins were mainly involved in energy metabolism. In addition, a number of modified transcription factors and stress-related proteins, which were constitutively expressed in different tissues of sugarcane and induced by drought, cold or Sporisorium scitamineum stress, were identified. Finally, a proposed working mode on how PTM functions in sugarcane was depicted. We thus concluded that PTM should play a role in sugarcane growth, development, and response to biotic and abiotic stresses, but the mechanisms require further investigation. The present study provided the all-new comprehensive profile of proteins Kac, Khib, and Kla and a new perspective to understand the molecular mechanisms of protein PTMs in sugarcane.

Dissecting the features of TGA gene family in Saccharum and the functions of ScTGA1 under biotic stresses

Sugarcane is an important sugar and energy crop and smut disease caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is a major fungal disease which can seriously reduce the yield and quality of sugarcane. In plants, TGACG motif binding (TGA) transcription factors are involved in the regulation of salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) signaling pathways, as well as in response to various biotic and abiotic stresses. However, no TGA-related transcription factor has been reported in Saccharum. In the present study, 44 SsTGA genes were identified from Saccharum spontaneum, and were assorted into three clades (I, II, III). Cis-regulatory elements (CREs) analysis revealed that SsTGA genes may be involved in hormone and stress response. RNA-seq data and RT-qPCR analysis indicated that SsTGAs were constitutively expressed in different tissues and induced by S. scitamineum stress. In addition, a ScTGA1 gene (GenBank accession number ON416997) was cloned from the sugarcane cultivar ROC22, which was homologous to SsTGA1e in S. spontaneum and encoded a nucleus protein. It was constitutively expressed in sugarcane tissues and up-regulated by SA, MeJA and S. scitamineum stresses. Furthermore, transient overexpression of ScTGA1 in Nicotiana benthamiana could enhance its resistance to the infection of Ralstonia solanacearum and Fusarium solani var. coeruleum, by regulating the expression of immune genes related to hypersensitive response (HR), ethylene (ET), SA and jasmonic acid (JA) pathways. This study should contribute to our understanding on the evolution and function of the SsTGA gene family in Saccharum, and provide a basis for the functional identification of ScTGA1 under biotic stresses.

Claudin-6 enhances the malignant progression of gestational trophoblastic neoplasm by promoting proliferation and metastasis

PURPOSE

Choriocarcinoma (CC) is a rare and highly malignant epithelial tumour. However, the mechanism underlying its occurrence and development remains unknown. We aimed to reveal the biological significance and prognostic value of Claudin-6 (CLDN6) in gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We collected clinical GTD specimens from 2011 to 2019 and measured CLDN6 gene expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). High-throughput mRNA sequencing (RNA-seq) revealed a GTD progression-associated gene. CCK-8, wound healing, and flow cytometry assays were used to assess the biological effects of CLDN6 overexpression and knockdown. The medical records of 118 GTD patients from 2011 to 2019 were retrospectively analysed to identify correlations between CLDN6 expression and GTD patient clinical-pathological parameters; these correlations were analysed using the chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. Univariate logistic regression was used to analyse various prognostic parameters of patients with post-molar GTN.

RESULTS

CLDN6 had the second highest fold change in gene expression between GTN and normal samples. CLDN6 was highly expressed in GTN tissues and CC cell lines, and silencing CLDN6 inhibited the proliferation and migration and promoted the apoptosis of CC cells. CLDN6 overexpression was significantly correlated with uterine size (p = 0.01) and ovarian cysts > 6 cm (p = 0.027), CLDN6 expression was significantly higher in HR-GTNs than in low-risk GTNs (LR-GTNs) (p = 0.008), and logistic regression analysis showed that CLDN6 expression in hydatidiform moles (HMs) was related to a high risk of developing post-molar GTN (OR = 2.393, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

We propose that CLDN6 participates in the development of GTD and may become a new therapeutic target for CC.

Genome-wide characterization of sugarcane catalase gene family identifies a ScCAT1 gene associated disease resistance

In plants, catalase (CAT) mainly scavenges H₂O₂ from reactive oxygen species (ROS) and regulates the growth and development. So far, genome-wide identification of CAT gene family in Saccharum has not yet been reported. Here, 16 SsCAT genes were identified based on a Saccharum spontaneum genome. They were clustered into three subfamilies, with closer genes sharing similar structures. Most SsCAT proteins contained three conserved amino acids, one active catalytic site, one heme-ligand signature, and three peroxisomal targeting signal 1 (PTS1) sequences. The cis-regulatory element prediction revealed that SsCAT genes were involved in growth and development, and in response to various hormones and stresses. RNA-Seq databases showed that SsCAT genes were differentially expressed in Saccharum tissues and under cold, drought, and Sporisorium scitamineum stresses. The ScCAT1 gene transcript (GenBank accession number KF664183) and relevant CAT activity were up-regulated under S. scitamineum stress. Overexpression of ScCAT1 gene in Nicotiana benthamiana could enhance its resistance to pathogen infection through scavenging of excessive toxic ROS and up-regulated expressions of genes related to hypersensitive response (HR), ROS and salicylic acid (SA) pathways. This study provides comprehensive information for the CAT gene family and sets up a basis for its function identification in sugarcane.

Identification of QTLs and critical genes related to sugarcane mosaic disease resistance

Mosaic viral diseases affect sugarcane productivity worldwide. Mining disease resistance-associated molecular markers or genes is a key component of disease resistance breeding programs. In the present study, 285 F₁ progeny were produced from a cross between Yuetang 93-159, a moderately resistant variety, and ROC22, a highly susceptible variety. The mosaic disease symptoms of these progenies, with ROC22 as the control, were surveyed by natural infection under 11 different environmental conditions in the field and by artificial infections with a mixed sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) and sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) inoculum. Analysis of consolidated survey data enabled the identification of 29 immune, 55 highly resistant, 70 moderately resistant, 62 susceptible, and 40 highly susceptible progenies. The disease response data and a high-quality SNP genetic map were used in quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping. The results showed that the correlation coefficients (0.26~0.91) between mosaic disease resistance and test environments were significant (p< 0.001), and that mosaic disease resistance was a highly heritable quantitative trait (H² = 0.85). Seven mosaic resistance QTLs were located to the SNP genetic map, each QTL accounted for 3.57% ~ 17.10% of the phenotypic variation explained (PVE). Furthermore, 110 pathogen response genes and 69 transcription factors were identified in the QTLs interval. The expression levels of nine genes (Soffic.07G0015370-1P, Soffic.09G0015410-2T, Soffic.09G0016460-1T, Soffic.09G0016460-1P, Soffic.09G0017080-3C, Soffic.09G0018730-3P, Soffic.09G0018730-3C, Soffic.09G0019920-3C and Soffic.03G0019710-2C) were significantly different between resistant and susceptible progenies, indicating their key roles in sugarcane resistance to SCMV and SrMV infection. The seven QTLs and nine genes can provide a certain scientific reference to help sugarcane breeders develop varieties resistant to mosaic diseases.

Screening of Candidate Genes Associated with Brown Stripe Resistance in Sugarcane via BSR-seq Analysis

Sugarcane brown stripe (SBS), caused by the fungal pathogen Helminthosporium stenospilum, is one of the most serious threats to sugarcane production. However, its outbreaks and epidemics require suitable climatic conditions, resulting in the inefficient improvement of the SBS resistance by phenotype selection. The sugarcane F₁ population of SBS-resistant YT93-159 × SBS-susceptible ROC22 was used for constructing the bulks. Bulked segregant RNA-seq (BSR-seq) was then performed on the parents YT93-159 (T01) and ROC22 (T02), and the opposite bulks of 30 SBS-susceptible individuals mixed bulk (T03) and 30 SBS-resistant individuals mixed bulk (T04) collected from 287 F₁ individuals. A total of 170.00 Gb of clean data containing 297,921 SNPs and 70,426 genes were obtained. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) analysis suggested that 7787 and 5911 DEGs were identified in the parents (T01 vs. T02) and two mixed bulks (T03 vs. T04), respectively. In addition, 25,363 high-quality and credible SNPs were obtained using the genome analysis toolkit GATK for SNP calling. Subsequently, six candidate regions with a total length of 8.72 Mb, which were located in the chromosomes 4B and 7C of sugarcane wild species Saccharum spontaneum, were identified, and 279 genes associated with SBS-resistance were annotated by ED algorithm and ΔSNP-index. Furthermore, the expression profiles of candidate genes were verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis, and the results showed that eight genes (LRR-RLK, DHAR1, WRKY7, RLK1, BLH4, AK3, CRK34, and NDA2) and seven genes (WRKY31, CIPK2, CKA1, CDPK6, PFK4, CBL2, and PR2) of the 20 tested genes were significantly up-regulated in YT93-159 and ROC22, respectively. Finally, a potential molecular mechanism of sugarcane response to H. stenospilum infection is illustrate that the activations of ROS signaling, MAPK cascade signaling, Ca²⁺ signaling, ABA signaling, and the ASA-GSH cycle jointly promote the SBS resistance in sugarcane. This study provides abundant gene resources for the SBS resistance breeding in sugarcane.

Genetic identification of SNP markers and candidate genes associated with sugarcane smut resistance using BSR-Seq

Sugarcane smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is one of the most severe fungal diseases worldwide. In this study, a cross was made between a smut-resistant variety YT93-159 and a smut-susceptible variety ROC22, and 312 progenies were obtained. Two bulks of progenies were then constructed, one consisted of 27 highly smut resistant progenies and the other 24 smut susceptible progenies. Total RNAs of the progenies of each bulk, were pooled and subject to bulked segregant RNA-sequence analysis (BSR-Seq). A total of 164.44 Gb clean data containing 2,341,449 SNPs and 64,999 genes were obtained, 7,295 of which were differentially expressed genes (DEGs). These DEGs were mainly enriched in stress-related metabolic pathways, including carbon metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, glutathione metabolism, and plant-pathogen interactions. Besides, 45,946 high-quality, credible SNPs, a 1.27 Mb region at Saccharum spontaneum chromosome Chr5B (68,904,827 to 70,172,982), and 129 candidate genes were identified to be associated with smut resistance. Among them, twenty-four genes, either encoding key enzymes involved in signaling pathways or being transcription factors, were found to be very closely associated with stress resistance. RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated that they played a positive role in smut resistance. Finally, a potential molecular mechanism of sugarcane and S. scitamineum interaction is depicted that activations of MAPK cascade signaling, ROS signaling, Ca²⁺ signaling, and PAL metabolic pathway and initiation of the glyoxalase system jointly promote the resistance to S. scitamineum in sugarcane. This study provides potential SNP markers and candidate gene resources for smut resistance breeding in sugarcane.

Systematic identification of miRNA-regulatory networks unveils their potential roles in sugarcane response to Sorghum mosaic virus infection

BACKGROUND

Sugarcane mosaic disease (SMD) is a major viral disease of sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) worldwide. Sorghum mosaic virus (SrMV) is the dominant pathogen of SMD in the sugarcane planting areas of China. There is no report on miRNAs and their regulatory networks in sugarcane response to SrMV infection.

RESULTS

In this study, small RNA sequencing (sRNA-seq) of samples from the leaves of SMD-susceptible variety ROC22 and -resistant variety FN39 infected by SrMV was performed. A total of 132 mature miRNAs (55 known miRNAs and 77 novel miRNAs) corresponding to 1,037 target genes were identified. After the SrMV attack, there were 30 differentially expressed miRNAs (17 up-regulated and 13 down-regulated) in FN39 and 19 in ROC22 (16 up-regulated and 3 down-regulated). Besides, there were 18 and 7 variety-specific differentially expressed miRNAs for FN39 and ROC22, respectively. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed miRNAs targeted genes involved in several disease resistance-related pathways, such as mRNA surveillance, plant pathway interaction, sulfur metabolism, and regulation of autophagy. The reliability of sequencing data, and the expression patterns / regulation relationships between the selected differentially expressed miRNAs and their target genes in ROC22 and FN39 were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. A regulatory network diagram of differentially expressed miRNAs and their predicted target genes in sugarcane response to SrMV infection was sketched. In addition, precursor sequences of three candidate differentially expressed novel miRNAs (nov_3741, nov_22650 and nov_40875) were cloned from the ROC22 leaf infected by SrMV. Transient overexpression demonstrated that they could induce the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and the expression level of hypersensitive response marker genes, salicylic acid-responsive genes and ethylene synthesis-depended genes in Nicotiana benthamiana. It is thus speculated that these three miRNAs may be involved in regulating the early immune response of sugarcane plants following SrMV infection.

CONCLUSIONS

This study lays a foundation for revealing the miRNA regulation mechanism in the interaction of sugarcane and SrMV, and also provides a resource for miRNAs and their predicted target genes for SrMV resistance improvement in sugarcane.

Corrosion-controlled surface engineering improves the adhesion of materials for stable free-standing electrodes

Directly anchoring active materials on porous conductive substrates is considered an effective strategy to obtain a high-activity electrode since the direct contact between active materials and substrates benefits charge transfer, and the presence of porous structures provides more active sites. However, due to the presence of strong stress and weak adhesion, active materials loaded on the substrate are very easy to peel off during assembly and use, which can greatly shorten the lifetime of use. Herein, an ultrasonic corrosion strategy is proposed to regulate the surface of a metal substrate. We find that ultrasonic oxygen corrosion and interfacial water control play key roles in fabricating the complex electrode, which can help the surface of Cu foam to form special lamellar cross-linked CuO nanoarchitectures with strong adhesion and then overcome the defect of the deposited NiCo layered double hydroxides (NC LDH) on the stress and adhesion. The expected electrode shows more than 70% improvement in cycling stability at an ultra-high current density of 20 A g^-1, relative to the active material layer of the electrode with strong stress and weak adhesion. Meanwhile, benefiting from its lamellar cross-linked nanoarchitectures having large specific surface area and many nano-pores, it presents a high specific capacitance of 3010.8F g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 and a good rate capability of 59.3% at 50 A g^-1. It is foreseen that this finding provides a novel, universal strategy for managing the surface and interface of the metal substrate, thereby obtaining a reliable, stable electrode.

Systemic Inflammatory Score predicts Overall Survival in patients with Cervical Cancer

Background: To evaluate the prognostic value of the systemic inflammatory score (SIS) in cervical cancer patients.

Methods: A total of 264 patients with FIGO stage (2009) IB-IIA cervical cancer undergoing radical resection from January 2014 to December 2017 were recruited. The optimal cutoff values for inflammatory biomarkers were calculated by X-tile software. The prognostic factors were investigated using univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. Time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (time-ROC) analysis and the concordance index (C-index) were used to compare the prognostic impact of factors.

Results: In total, 264 patients with cervical cancer were included in the study. The optimal cutoff value for lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) was 4.1. In multivariate analysis, FIGO stage, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, preoperative serum albumin (Alb), and LMR were independent prognostic factors (P<0.05). Then, we combined preoperative Alb and LMR to establish the SIS. Multivariate analysis showed that the SIS was an independent factor that affected survival (P<0.05). When stratified by FIGO stage, significant differences in survival were also found for patients with different SISs (P<0.05). When the SIS and FIGO stage were combined, the time-ROC curve was superior to that of FIGO stage only. The C-index of the model combining the SIS and FIGO stage was 0.786 (95% CI 0.699-0.873), which was significantly higher than that of the model with FIGO stage only (0.676, 95% CI 0.570-0.782, P=0.0049).

Conclusions: The preoperative SIS is a simple and useful prognostic factor for postoperative survival in patients with cervical cancer. It might assist in the identification of high-risk patients among patients with the same FIGO stage.

Expression pattern Nanog is associated with the development of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia in Chinese women from Fujian province: a case-control study

BACKGROUND

Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a group of interrelated but distinct diseases and has a serious impact on the reproductive health of women. To analyze the expression of Nanog in GTD and to evaluate its potential to predict the development of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN).

METHODS

The study included 41 normal first-trimester placentas matched by gestational age to 53 regressed-hydatidiform-moles (rHMs), 56 malignant-HMs (mHMs) and 17 choriocarcinomas (CCAs) and evaluated the Nanog expression by immunohistochemistry. The chi-square test, ANOVA, Fisher's exact test and logistic regression were performed to assess the Nanog expression and clinical prognostic factors in GTD.

RESULTS

Compared to normal placenta levels, the Nanog expression was increased in GTD samples (p < .05). In HMs, Nanog expression was positively correlated with serum β-hCG levels,uterine size and theca-lutein cysts (p < .05). Compared with the low-risk metastatic group (Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) score ≤ 6), the high-risk metastatic group (FIGO score >7) had higher Nanog expression (p = .030). Moreover, logistic regression analysis showed that the positive expression of Nanog had the highest risk of developing into GTN (OR = 4.764, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Nanog is an independent predictor of clinical outcomes. It can also be a reliable predictor for GTN development from GTD.

An ultra-effective pathway for fully removing the oxygen components of graphene oxide by a flame-assisted microwave process

Here we report an ultra-effective and reliable pathway to reduce GO into graphene by an about 4 seconds flame-assisted microwave process. A holey graphene with a C/O atom ratio of 31.1, a pore volume of 6.0 cm3 g-1, and a specific surface area of 1050.0 m2 g-1 was synthesized.

Heterologous expression of a Glyoxalase I gene from sugarcane confers tolerance to several environmental stresses in bacteria

Glyoxalase I belongs to the glyoxalase system that detoxifies methylglyoxal (MG), a cytotoxic by-product produced mainly from triose phosphates. The concentration of MG increases rapidly under stress conditions. In this study, a novel glyoxalase I gene, designated as SoGloI was identified from sugarcane. SoGloI had a size of 1,091 bp with one open reading frame (ORF) of 885 bp encoding a protein of 294 amino acids. SoGloI was predicted as a Ni2+-dependent GLOI protein with two typical glyoxalase domains at positions 28-149 and 159-283, respectively. SoGloI was cloned into an expression plasmid vector, and the Trx-His-S-tag SoGloI protein produced in Escherichia coli was about 51 kDa. The recombinant E. coli cells expressing SoGloI compared to the control grew faster and tolerated higher concentrations of NaCl, CuCl2, CdCl2, or ZnSO4. SoGloI ubiquitously expressed in various sugarcane tissues. The expression was up-regulated under the treatments of NaCl, CuCl2, CdCl2, ZnSO4 and abscisic acid (ABA), or under simulated biotic stress conditions upon exposure to salicylic acid (SA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA). SoGloI activity steadily increased when sugarcane was subjected to NaCl, CuCl2, CdCl2, or ZnSO4 treatments. Sub-cellular observations indicated that the SoGloI protein was located in both cytosol and nucleus. These results suggest that the SoGloI gene may play an important role in sugarcane's response to various biotic and abiotic stresses.

Cervical cancer screening using the Cervista high-risk human papillomavirus test: opportunistic screening of a hospital-based population in Fujian province, China

Objectives

The Cervista^® high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) test was evaluated as a primary screening method for cervical cancer in women aged ≥21 years and was compared with different screening and triage combinations.

Materials and methods

A nested case–control study within the Fujian provincial Cervical Lesion Screening Cohorts was used to evaluate the Cervista test as the primary cervical screening method in a hospital-based population. Strategy 1 primarily screened using a cytology screen with HR-HPV testing used for triage. Strategy 2 primarily screened using cytology and HR-HPV co-testing. Strategy 3 primarily screened using HR-HPV testing and triaged HPV-positive women based on cytology. Strategy 4 primarily screened using HR-HPV testing and referred A9 pool HPV-positive women to colposcopy directly, whereas non-A9 HPV-positive women were triaged using cytology.

Results

There were 10,183 women included in this study; 16.49% (1677/10,183) were HR-HPV-positive, 9.52% had abnormal cytology, and 9907 women were normal during followup. A total of 276 women were diagnosed with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 or worse (CIN2+), 197 with CIN3 or worse (CIN3+), and 70 with cervical cancer. Moreover, 10.15% (20/197) women who were CIN3+ were identified as cytology-negative, while 8.63% (17/197) were HR-HPV negative (P>0.05). The cumulative risk rate for HPV–/cytology– was 0.836 (95% CI, 0.424–1.648) in CIN3+ cases. Strategy 4 yielded the highest sensitivity for CIN2+ or CIN3+ and the lowest positive predictive value for CIN2+ or CIN3+ among the four screening strategies.

Conclusion

The Cervista HR-HPV test can provide a reliable and sensitive clinical reference for the cervical cancer primary screen.

Transcriptional analysis identifies major pathways as response components to Sporisorium scitamineum stress in sugarcane

BACKGROUND

Sugarcane smut, which is caused by Sporisorium scitamineum, is a severe fungal disease affecting sugarcane. However, the major pathways involved in the interaction between sugarcane and S. scitamineum remains unclear.

RESULTS

In the present study, suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library construction, together with reverse northern blotting, was conducted on the most prevalent sugarcane genotype ROC22 challenged with S. scitamineum. After alignment and homologous expressed sequence tag (EST) assembly, a total of 155 differentially expressed unigenes were identified from SSH libraries. Totally, 26 of 155 differentially expressed unigenes were analyzed by qRT-PCR in sugarcane smut-resistant genotype YC05-179 and susceptible genotype ROC22. Genes encoded two unknown protein (Q1 and Q11), serine/threonine kinase (Q2), fiber protein (Q3), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (Q23), and Sc14-3-3-like protein (Q24) were induced in sugarcane smut-resistant genotype YC05-179 but inhibited in susceptible genotype ROC22. Based on the differential expression data achieved from SSH libraries and qRT-PCR, we found that, serine/threonine kinases, Ca²⁺ sensors, mitogen-activated protein genes and some NBS-LRR genes may involve in the signal recognition and transduction of smut fungus infection in sugarcane. While in the plant hormone signaling pathways, the genes related to auxin, abscisic acid, salicylic acid and ethylene were more apparently in response to smut fungus invasion. The hypersensitive response, protein metabolism, polyamine synthesis, and cell wall formation may play an important role in sugarcane defense against smut fungus colonization. Additionally, the Sc14-3-3 might serve as a molecular modulator in sugarcane being immune to smut disease by interacting with proteins like ScGAPN (Q10), which have been further verified by BiFC assay.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of the present study could provide a general view about gene pathways involving in sugarcane defense against smut disease and facilitate a better understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying sugarcane-S. scitamineum interaction.

Particle Bombardment of the cry2A Gene Cassette Induces Stem Borer Resistance in Sugarcane

Sugarcane borer is the most common and harmful pest in Chinese sugarcane fields, and can cause damage to the whole plant during the entire growing season. To improve borer resistance in sugarcane, we constructed a plant expression vector pGcry2A0229 with the bar gene as the marker and the cry2A gene as the target, and introduced it into embryogenic calli of most widely cultivated sugarcane cultivar ROC22 by particle bombardment. After screening with phosphinothricin in vitro and Basta spray, 21 resistance-regenerated plants were obtained, and 10 positive transgenic lines harboring the cry2A gene were further confirmed by conventional PCR detection. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis showed that the copy number of the cry2A gene varied among different transgenic lines but did not exceed four copies. Quantitative ELISA analysis showed that there was no linear relationship with copy number but negatively correlated with the percentage of borer-infested plants. The analysis of industrial and agronomic traits showed that the theoretical sugar yields of transgenic lines TR-4 and TR-10 were slightly lower than that of the control in both plant cane and ratoon cane; nevertheless, TR-4 and TR-10 lines exhibited markedly lower in frequency of borer-infested plants in plant cane and in the ratoon cane compared to the control. Our results indicate that the introduction of the cry2A gene via bombardment produces transgenic lines with obviously increased stem borer resistance and comparable sugar yield, providing a practical value in direct commercial cultivation and crossbreeding for ROC22 has been used as the most popular elite genitor in various breeding programs in China.

A Comparative Study of Three Detection Techniques for Leifsonia xyli Subsp. xyli, the Causal Pathogen of Sugarcane Ratoon Stunting Disease

The ratoon stunting disease (RSD), caused by the bacterium Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli (Lxx), is one of the most economically devastating diseases impacting sugarcane. RSD causes significant yield losses and variety degradation. Diagnosis of RSD is challenging because it does not exhibit any discernible internal and external symptoms. Moreover, the Lxx bacteria are very small and difficult to isolate, cultivate, and detect. In this study, conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and Lxx-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (Lxx-LAMP) were utilized to specifically detect the presence of Lxx pathogens in the juice from Lxx-infected sugarcane stalks and an Lxx-pMD18-T recombinant plasmid. The results showed that Lxx was a highly specific causal pathogen for RSD. All three techniques provided great reproducibility, while Lxx-LAMP had the highest sensitivity. When the DNA extract from Lxx-infected sugarcane juice was used as a template, Lxx-LAMP was 10 and 100 times more sensitive than RT-qPCR and conventional PCR, respectively. When the Lxx-pMD18-T recombinant plasmid was used as a template, Lxx-LAMP was as sensitive as RT-qPCR but was 10 times more sensitive than conventional PCR. Based on the Lxx-LAMP detection system established, adding 0.4 μM loop primers (LF/LP) can accelerate the reaction and reduce the total time required. In addition, the optimal amount of Bst DNA polymerase for Lxx-LAMP reactions was determined to be 6.0 U. The results provide technical support for the detection of RSD Lxx pathogen that will help manage sugarcane RSD.

Small RNA sequencing reveals a role for sugarcane miRNAs and their targets in response to Sporisorium scitamineum infection

BACKGROUND

Sugarcane smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum leads to a significant reduction in cane yield and sucrose content. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating plant responses to biotic stress. The present study was the first to use two sugarcane genotypes, YA05-179 (smut-resistant) and ROC22 (smut-susceptible), to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in sugarcane challenged with S. scitamineum by using high-throughput sequencing.

RESULTS

The predicted target gene number corresponding to known differentially expressed miRNAs in YA05-179 was less than that in ROC22, however most of them were in common. Expression of differential miRNAs under S. scitamineum challenge was mostly downregulated, with similar trends in the two varieties. Gene ontology (GO) analysis showed that the target gene classification of known miRNAs was similar to that of the newly identified miRNAs. These were mainly associated with cellular processes and metabolic processes in the biological process category, as well as combination and catalytic activity in the molecular function category. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that these predicted target genes involved in a series of physiological and biochemical pathways or disease resistance-related physiological metabolism and signal transduction pathways, suggesting that the molecular interaction mechanism between sugarcane and S. scitamineum was a complex network system. These findings also showed certain predicted target genes of miR5671, miR5054, miR5783, miR5221, and miR6478 play roles in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, plant hormone signal transduction, and plant-pathogen interaction. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that majority of the known miRNAs and its predicted target genes followed a negatively regulated mode. Seven out of eight predicted target genes showed identical expression after 12 h treatment and reached the highest degree of matching at 48 h, indicating that the regulatory role of miRNAs on the target genes in sugarcane was maximized at 48 h after S. scitamineum challenge.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, our findings serve as evidence for the association of miRNA expression with the molecular mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of sugarcane smut, particularly on the significance of miRNA levels in relation to the cultivation of smut-resistant sugarcane varieties.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of schistosomal colorectal cancer

AIM

The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors of schistosomal colorectal cancer.

METHOD

A total of 74 consecutive schistosomal colorectal cancer patients who underwent curative surgery from July 2009 to July 2012 were included in this study. The clinical and pathological characteristics of all 74 patients were analysed and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. This study demonstrated positive correlations between the site of deposition of schistosomal eggs and certain essential variables.

RESULTS

Depositional site of schistosome eggs, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level and the pathological N and T stages were statistically significantly correlated with overall survival (OS). The pathological T stage and the CEA level were independent prognostic factors for OS. The site of deposition of schistosome eggs was positively correlated with the T and N stages, tumour size, the CEA level and the resection margins.

CONCLUSIONS

Schistosome eggs might be associated with tumorigenesis. The site of deposition of schistosome eggs was statistically significantly correlated with OS but it was not an independent prognostic factor for OS. It was, however, correlated with the depth of the tumour. The presence of schistosoma eggs at the margin did not affect the patient's prognosis or anastomotic healing. The existing standard surgical approach was equally applicable to schistosomal colorectal cancer. It was not necessary to expand the scope of surgical resection.

Expression patterns of maspin and mutant p53 are associated with the development of gestational trophoblastic neoplasia

Gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) is a group of conditions that originate from the abnormal proliferation of trophoblastic cells. GTDs encompass hydatidiform moles (HMs) and gestational trophoblastic neoplasia (GTN). GTNs are a group of malignant diseases that require chemotherapy, or more aggressive treatment. There is a requirement for more tumor markers to predict the development of GTN from HMs. The current study evaluated the expression of maspin and tumor protein p53 (p53) in GTD, and their role in predicting the development of GTN. Expression of maspin and mutant p53 (m-p53) was detected by immunohistochemistry in 48 normal first trimester placentas, matched for gestational age to 49 HMs that regressed, 39 malignant HMs and 11 invasive moles or choriocarcinomas. Spearman's rank correlation analysis and logistic regression were performed on the expression patterns of maspin and m-p53, and on the clinical prognostic factors in GTD. Compared with normal placenta levels, the expression levels of maspin were decreased, whereas the expression levels of m-p53 were increased in GTDs (P<0.05). The expression levels of maspin and m-p53 in complete and partial HMs were not significantly different (P>0.05). In HMs, maspin expression was inversely correlated with serum β human chorionic gonadotropin, uterine size and diameter of theca-lutein cysts; however, m-p53 expression demonstrated a positive correlation with these factors (all P<0.05). Compared with the high-risk metastatic group (FIGO score ≥7), the low-risk group (FIGO score <7) exhibited a higher rate of positive maspin expression (P=0.041), and the frequency of positive m-p53 expression was significantly higher in patients with an advanced FIGO stages (FIGO stage ≥III) compared with patients in early stages (FIGO stage ≤II; 87.9 vs. 58.8%; P=0.019). The combination of maspin negative expression with m-p53 positive expression had an 84% specificity value, 76% positive predictive value and 70% negative predictive value for the development of GTN. In conclusion, maspin-negative and m-p53-positive expression is associated with the development of GTN in HMs.

Transgenic Sugarcane with a cry1Ac Gene Exhibited Better Phenotypic Traits and Enhanced Resistance against Sugarcane Borer

We developed sugarcane plants with improved resistance to the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F). An expression vector pGcry1Ac0229, harboring the cry1Ac gene and the selectable marker gene, bar, was constructed. This construct was introduced into the sugarcane cultivar FN15 by particle bombardment. Transformed plantlets were identified after selection with Phosphinothricin (PPT) and Basta. Plantlets were then screened by PCR based on the presence of cry1Ac and 14 cry1Ac positive plantlets were identified. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) revealed that the copy number of cry1Ac gene in the transgenic lines varied from 1 to 148. ELISA analysis showed that Cry1Ac protein levels in 7 transgenic lines ranged from 0.85 μg/FWg to 70.92 μg/FWg in leaves and 0.04 μg/FWg to 7.22 μg/FWg in stems, and negatively correlated to the rate of insect damage that ranged from 36.67% to 13.33%, respectively. Agronomic traits of six transgenic sugarcane lines with medium copy numbers were similar to the non-transgenic parental line. However, phenotype was poor in lines with high or low copy numbers. Compared to the non-transgenic control plants, all transgenic lines with medium copy numbers had relatively equal or lower sucrose yield and significantly improved sugarcane borer resistance, which lowered susceptibility to damage by insects. This suggests that the transgenic sugarcane lines harboring medium copy numbers of the cry1Ac gene may have significantly higher resistance to sugarcane borer but the sugarcane yield in these lines is similar to the non-transgenic control thus making them superior to the control lines.

Identification of smut-responsive genes in sugarcane using cDNA-SRAP

Sugarcane smut, caused by the fungus Sporisorium scitamineum, is one of the main diseases that affect sugarcane worldwide. In the present study, the cDNA-SRAP technique was used to identify genes that are likely to be involved in the response of sugarcane to S. scitamineum infection. In total, 21 bands with significant differential expression during cDNA-SRAP analysis were cloned and sequenced. Real-time qPCR confirmation demonstrated that expression of 19 of these 21 differential bands was consistent with the expression observed during cDNA-SRAP analysis, with a deduced false positive rate of 9.5%. Sequence alignment indicated that 18 of 19 differentially expressed genes showed homologies from 19% to 100% to certain genes in GenBank, including the following genes: topoisomerase (EU048780), ethylene insensitive (EU048778), and tetraspanin (EU048770). A real-time qPCR assay showed that during 0-72 h after pathogen infection, expression of the topoisomerase and the ethylene insensitive genes was upregulated, whereas expression of the tetraspanin gene was downregulated, identical to the expression patterns observed under salicylic acid treatment. Therefore, all three genes are thought to play a role during S. scitamineum challenge, but with different functions. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the application of cDNA-SRAP in differential gene expression analysis of sugarcane during a sugarcane-S. scitamineum interaction. The results obtained also contribute to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with sugarcane-S. scitamineum interactions.

A global view of transcriptome dynamics during Sporisorium scitamineum challenge in sugarcane by RNA-Seq

Sugarcane smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is a critical fungal disease in the sugarcane industry. However, molecular mechanistic studies of pathological response of sugarcane to S. scitamineum are scarce and preliminary. Here, transcriptome analysis of sugarcane disease induced by S. scitamineum at 24, 48 and 120 h was conducted, using an S. scitamineum-resistant and -susceptible genotype (Yacheng05-179 and “ROC”22). The reliability of Illumina data was confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. In total, transcriptome sequencing of eight samples revealed gene annotations of 65,852 unigenes. Correlation analysis of differentially expressed genes indicated that after S. scitamineum infection, most differentially expressed genes and related metabolic pathways in both sugarcane genotypes were common, covering most biological activities. However, expression of resistance-associated genes in Yacheng05-179 (24–48 h) occurred earlier than those in “ROC”22 (48–120 h), and more transcript expressions were observed in the former, suggesting resistance specificity and early timing of these genes in non-affinity sugarcane and S. scitamineum interactions. Obtained unigenes were related to cellular components, molecular functions and biological processes. From these data, functional annotations associated with resistance were obtained, including signal transduction mechanisms, energy production and conversion, inorganic ion transport and metabolism, and defense mechanisms. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes are involved in plant hormone signal transduction, flavonoid biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, cell wall fortification pathway and other resistance-associated metabolic pathways. Disease inoculation experiments and the validation of invitro antibacterial activity of the chitinase gene ScChi show that this sugarcane chitinase gene identified through RNA-Seq analysis is relevant to plant-pathogen interactions. In conclusion, expression data here represent the most comprehensive dataset available for sugarcane smut induced by S. scitamineum and will serve as a resource for finally unraveling the molecular mechanisms of sugarcane responses to S. scitamineum.

Comprehensive selection of reference genes for gene expression normalization in sugarcane by real time quantitative rt-PCR

The increasingly used real time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) method for gene expression analysis requires one or several reference gene(s) acting as normalization factor(s). In order to facilitate gene expression studies in sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), a non-model plant with limited genome information, the stability of 13 candidate reference genes was evaluated. The geNorm, NormFinder and deltaCt methods were used for selecting stably expressed internal controls across different tissues and under various experimental treatments. These results revealed that, among these 13 candidate reference genes, GAPDH, eEF-1a and eIF-4α were the most stable and suitable for use as normalization factors across all various experimental samples. In addition, APRT could be a candidate for examining the relationship between gene copy number and transcript levels in sugarcane tissue samples. According to the results evaluated by geNorm, combining CUL and eEF-1α in hormone treatment experiments; CAC and CUL in abiotic stress tests; GAPDH, eEF-1a and CUL in all treatment samples plus CAC, CUL, APRT and TIPS-41 in cultivar tissues as groups for normalization would lead to more accurate and reliable expression quantification in sugarcane. This is the first systematic validation of reference genes for quantification of transcript expression profiles in sugarcane. This study should provide useful information for selecting reference genes for more accurate quantification of gene expression in sugarcane and other plant species.

Establishment and application of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) system for detection of cry1Ac transgenic sugarcane

To meet the demand for detection of foreign genes in genetically modified (GM) sugarcane necessary for regulation of gene technology, an efficient method with high specificity and rapidity was developed for the cry1Ac gene, based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP). A set of four primers was designed using the sequence of cry1Ac along with optimized reaction conditions: 5.25 mM of Mg(2+), 4:1 ratio of inner primer to outer primer, 2.0 U of Bst DNA polymerase in a reaction volume of 25.0 μL. Three post-LAMP detection methods (precipitation, calcein (0.60 mM) with Mn(2+) (0.05 mM) complex and SYBR Green I visualization), were shown to be effective. The sensitivity of the LAMP method was tenfold higher than that of conventional PCR when using templates of the recombinant cry1Ac plasmid or genomic DNA from cry1Ac transgenic sugarcane plants. More importantly, this system allowed detection of the foreign gene on-site when screening GM sugarcane without complex and expensive instruments, using the naked eye. This method can not only provide technological support for detection of cry1Ac, but can also further facilitate the use of this detection technique for other transgenes in GM sugarcane.

Transcriptome profile analysis of sugarcane responses to Sporisorium scitaminea infection using Solexa sequencing technology

To understand the molecular basis of sugarcane-smut interaction, it is important to identify sugarcane genes that respond to the pathogen attack. High-throughput tag-sequencing (tag-seq) analysis by Solexa technology was performed on sugarcane infected with Sporisorium scitaminea, which should have massively increased the amount of data available for transcriptome profile analysis. After mapping to sugarcane EST databases in NCBI, we obtained 2015 differentially expressed genes, of which 1125 were upregulated and 890 downregulated by infection. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that the differentially expressed genes involve in many cellular processes. Pathway analysis revealed that metabolic pathways and ribosome function are significantly affected, where upregulation of expression dominates over downregulation. Differential expression of three candidate genes involved in MAP kinase signaling pathway, ScBAK1 (GenBank Accession number: KC857629), ScMapkk (GenBank Accession number: KC857627), and ScGloI (GenBank Accession number: KC857628), was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis concluded that the expression of these genes were all up-regulated after the infection of S. scitaminea and may play a role in pathogen response in sugarcane. The present study provides insights into the molecular mechanism of sugarcane defense to S. scitaminea infection, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of sugarcane-smut interaction.

Molecular cloning and characterization of two pathogenesis-related β-1,3-glucanase genes ScGluA1 and ScGluD1 from sugarcane infected by Sporisorium scitamineum

Two β-1,3-glucanase genes from sugarcane were cloned and characterized. They were all located in apoplast and involves in different expression patterns in biotic and abiotic stress. Smut caused by Sporisorium scitamineum is a serious disease in the sugarcane industry. β-1,3-Glucanase, a typical pathogenesis-related protein, has been shown to express during plant-pathogen interaction and involves in sugarcane defense response. In this study, β-1,3-glucanase enzyme activity in the resistant variety increased faster and lasted longer than that of the susceptible one when inoculated with S. scitamineum, along with a positive correlation between the activity of the β-1,3-glucanase and smut resistance. Furthermore, two β-1,3-glucanase genes from S. scitamineum infected sugarcane, ScGluA1 (GenBank Accession No. KC848050) and ScGluD1 (GenBank Accession No. KC848051) were cloned and characterized. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that ScGluA1 and ScGluD1 clustered within subfamily A and subfamily D, respectively. Subcellular localization analysis demonstrated that both gene products were targeted to apoplast. Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3) cells expressing ScGluA1 and ScGluD1 showed varying degrees of tolerance to NaCl, CdCl2, PEG, CuCl2 and ZnSO4. Q-PCR analysis showed up-regulation of ScGluA1 and slight down-regulation of ScGluD1 in response to S. scitamineum infection. It suggested that ScGluA1 may be involved in the defense reaction of the sugarcane to the smut, while it is likely that ScGluD1 was inhibited. The gene expression patterns of ScGluA1 and ScGluD1, in response to abiotic stresses, were similar to sugarcane response against smut infection. Together, β-1,3-glucanase may function in sugarcane defense mechanism for S. scitamineum. The positive responses of ScGluA1 and the negative responses of ScGluD1 to biotic and abiotic stresses indicate they play different roles in interaction between sugarcane and biotic or abiotic stresses.