Thermotolerant hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzymes from Eupenicillium parvum 4-14 display high efficiency upon release of ferulic acid from wheat bran

AIMS

To characterize the hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzymes from novel fungi, and evaluate the potential of novel enzyme system in releasing ferulic acid (FA) from biomass resource.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzyme-producing fungus 4-14 was isolated from soil by Congo red staining method, and identified as Eupenicillium parvum based on the morphologic and molecular phylogenetic analysis. The optimum temperature of fungal growth was 37°C. Hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzymes were produced by this fungus in solid-state fermentation (SSF), and their maximum activities were 554, 385, 218, 2·62 and 5·25 U g(-1) for CMCase, xylanase, β-glucosidase, FPase and FAE respectively. These enzymes displayed the best catalytic ability at low pH values (pH 4·5-5·0). The optimum temperatures were 70°C, 70°C, 75°C and 55°C for CMCase, β-glucosidase, xylanase and FAE respectively. CMCase, xylanase and FAE were stable at different pHs or high temperature (60°C). Enzymatic hydrolysis experiment indicated that the maximum (76·8 ± 4)% of total alkali-extractable FA was released from de-starched wheat bran by the fungal enzyme system.

CONCLUSIONS

High activities of thermotolerant CMCase, β-glucosidase, xylanase and FAE were produced by the newly isolated fungus E. parvum 4-14 in SSF. The fungal enzyme system displayed high efficiency at releasing FA from wheat bran.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This study provides a new fungal strain for researches of novel hemicellulolytic and cellulolytic enzymes and will improve the bioconversion and utilization of agricultural by-products.

Search for Electronic Recoil Event Rate Modulation with 4 Years of XENON100 Data

We report on a search for electronic recoil event rate modulation signatures in the XENON100 data accumulated over a period of 4 yr, from January 2010 to January 2014. A profile likelihood method, which incorporates the stability of the XENON100 detector and the known electronic recoil background model, is used to quantify the significance of periodicity in the time distribution of events. There is a weak modulation signature at a period of 431_{-14}^{+16} day in the low energy region of (2.0-5.8) keV in the single scatter event sample, with a global significance of 1.9σ; however, no other more significant modulation is observed. The significance of an annual modulation signature drops from 2.8σ, from a previous analysis of a subset of this data, to 1.8σ with all data combined. Single scatter events in the low energy region are thus used to exclude the DAMA/LIBRA annual modulation as being due to dark matter electron interactions via axial vector coupling at 5.7σ.

Long non-coding RNA NEAT1 acts as oncogene in NSCLC by regulating the Wnt signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to explore the role of long non-coding RNA NEAT1 (NEAT1) in mediating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell migration and invasion, as well as the underlying regulatory mechanisms.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The NEAT1 expression in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was measured using reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The relationships between NEAT1 expression and clinicopathological parameters were examined by chi-square test. Overall survival curves were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Effects of NEAT1 on cell growth, invasion and migration were evaluated by cell counting kit-8 assay and transwell assay, respectively. Western blotting was used to address the impact of NEAT1 on Wnt/β‑catenin signaling.

RESULTS

We observed that the expression of NEAT1 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines were much higher than that in normal control, respectively. High NEAT1 expression was statistically associated with poor differentiation, Lymph node metastasis and advanced TMN stage (all p < 0.05). According to the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, NSCLC patients with high NEAT1expression had a significantly shorter overall survival than those with high NEAT1 expression(p < 0.001). Moreover, the downregulation of NEAT1 expression significantly inhibited the NSCLC cells proliferation, migration, and invasiveness. Finally, we found that decreased expression of NEAT1 inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway activity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data for the first time showed that NEAT1 contribute to the tumorigenesis and development of NSCLC by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, suggesting that NEAT1 may provide a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of NSCLC patients.

The distribution of different virulence grass carp reovirus strains in some neglected tissues

Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) is the causative agent of hemorrhagic disease in infected grass carp. During an outbreak, a mortality rate of up to 85% can be experienced, thus leading to substantial economic losses. The current understanding of disease pathogenesis is limited, with the distribution and dynamics of replication amongst different GCRV strains in vivo largely unknown. We determined distribution of different GCRV strains in infected grass carp, especially in some neglected tissues, such as the gill, brain, blood and so on. The results showed elevated viral RNA copy numbers in the blood, with some tissues such as the kidney, heart, brain, and bladder exhibiting even higher viral loads following infection with the virulent GCRV-CL strain. Even more interesting is that the brain exhibited the highest viral load, with a copy number of 800,000 following GCRV-CL infection. Overall, this study provides further insight into GCRV viral load distributions following infection and potentially identified some new viral tropism sites to provide a foundation for further studies aimed at characterizing GCRV viral pathogenesis.

Proteomic Profiling of De Novo Protein Synthesis in Starvation-Induced Autophagy Using Bioorthogonal Noncanonical Amino Acid Tagging

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation process activated by stress factors such as nutrient starvation to maintain cellular homeostasis. There is emerging evidence demonstrating that de novo protein synthesis is involved in the autophagic process. However, up-to-date characterizing of these de novo proteins is technically difficult. In this chapter, we describe a novel method to identify newly synthesized proteins during starvation-mediated autophagy by bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT), in conjunction with isobaric tagging for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomics. l-azidohomoalanine (AHA) is an analog of methionine, and it can be readily incorporated into the newly synthesized proteins. The AHA-containing proteins can be enriched with avidin beads after a "click" reaction between alkyne-bearing biotin and the azide moiety of AHA. The enriched proteins are then subjected to iTRAQ™ labeling for protein identification and quantification using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). By using this technique, we have successfully profiled more than 700 proteins that are synthesized during starvation-induced autophagy. We believe that this approach is effective in identification of newly synthesized proteins in the process of autophagy and provides useful insights to the molecular mechanisms and biological functions of autophagy.

Identification of a PRX variant in a Chinese family with congenital cataract by exome sequencing

BACKGROUND

Congenital cataract is a common cause of childhood vision impairment or blindness with genetic and clinical heterogeneity. The aim of this study was to identify the disease-associated gene in a Chinese family with congenital cataract.

METHODS

A four-generation Chinese family with three enrolled patients suffering from congenital cataract was studied. Detailed family history and clinical data of all the members were collected and recorded. Exome sequencing was applied in the proband to screen potential genetic variants, and then Sanger sequencing was used to verify the variant within the family.

RESULTS

A heterozygous variant, c.3673G > A (p.V1225M), in the periaxin gene (PRX) was identified in three patients and two asymptomatic individuals of the family. The variant was absent in the other three unaffected family members and in 3290 ethnically matched in-house controls from BGI-Shenzhen.

CONCLUSIONS

By utilizing both exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing, we identified a missense variant in the PRX gene that is possibly associated with disease in this family. Our finding may broaden the spectrum of genes associated with congenital cataract, and may provide insights into lens development, pathogenic mechanism, future clinical genetic diagnosis and therapy of congenital cataract.

Serum Cyr61 as a potential biomarker for diagnosis of colorectal cancer

PURPOSE

To determine the sensitivity and specificity of serum Cyr61 as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) and to assess the association between serum Cyr61 level and CRC clinicopathological status.

METHODS

We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure serum Cyr61 in patients with CRC, patients with colorectal adenomas, and healthy controls. We also analyzed the relationship between serum Cyr61 and clinicopathological features of CRC patients. The levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) were quantified using the Roche Cobas 6000 Analyzer. The sensitivity and specificity of Cyr61, CEA, CA19-9 and CEA + CA19-9 were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

RESULTS

The serum level of Cyr61 was significantly increased in CRC patients compared with colorectal adenoma patients and healthy controls (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the area under the ROC curve for Cyr61 was 0.935 (95 % confidence interval 0.902-0.968), higher than that for CEA + CA19-9 (0.827, 95 % confidence interval: 0.783-0.871). Use of a Cyr61 cutoff value of 92.0 pg/mL allowed distinguishing CRC patients and healthy controls with a sensitivity of 83 % and a specificity of 97 %. Among CRC patients, an elevated level of serum Cyr61 was significantly associated with more advanced TNM stage (p < 0.0042), lymph node metastasis (p < 0.0088), and vascular invasion (p = 0.0027).

CONCLUSION

Cyr61 has potential as a serum biomarker for the diagnosis of CRC and for assessment of the clinicopathological status of CRC.

Integrated Microfluidic Aptasensor for Mass Spectrometric Detection of Vasopressin in Human Plasma Ultrafiltrate

We present a microfluidic aptamer-based biosensor for detection of low-molecular-weight biomarkers in patient samples. Using a microfluidic device that integrates aptamer-based specific analyte extraction, isocratic elution, and detection by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry, we demonstrate rapid, sensitive and label-free detection of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in human plasma ultrafiltrate. AVP molecules in complex matrices are specifically captured by an aptamer that is immobilized on microbeads via affinity binding in a microchamber. After the removal of unbound, contaminating molecules through washing, aptamer-AVP complexes are thermally disrupted via on-chip temperature control. Released AVP molecules are eluted with purified water and transferred to a separate microchamber, and deposited onto a single spot on a MALDI plate via repeated, piezoelectrically actuated ejection, which enriches AVP molecules over the spot area. This integrated on-chip sample processing enables the quantitative detection of low-abundance AVP by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in a rapid and label-free manner. Our experimental results show the detection of AVP in human plasma ultrafiltrate as low as physiologically relevant picomolar concentrations via aptamer-based selective preconcentration, demonstrating the potential of our approach as a rapid (~ 1hr), sensitive clinical AVP assay.

[Comparison of balloon catheter dilatation and silicon intubation as the secondary treatment for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction after failed primary probing]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the success rates and compare the results of balloon catheter dilation and nasolacrimal intubation as treatment for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction after failed probing, stratified by category of age and type of obstruction.

METHODS

It was a prospective, randomized, clinical trial that enrolled 189 children (245 eyes) aged between 6 months to 48 months who had a history of failed nasolacrimal duct probing. All eyes underwent either balloon catheter nasolacrimal duct dilation or nasolacrimal duct intubation randomly. The eyes were divided into 2 age categories: category 1 (6-24 months) and category 2 (>24 months) and into 2 types of obstructions: simple obstruction and complex obstruction. Treatment success was defined as absence of epiphora, mucous discharge, or increased lacrimal lake at the outcome visit 6 months after surgery. Complications were also compared.

RESULTS

In 124 eyes treated with balloon catheter dilatation, 112 were successful (90.3%) comparing with 106 successful eyes (87.6%) in 121 eyes treated with nasolacrimal duct intubation. The risk ratio for success between intubation and balloon dilation was 0.971, and the 95% confidence interval was 0.95-1.22. Within each age category, the success rate varied but did not show significant difference: In those under 24 months, success rate was 89.7% in 97 eyes treated with intubation, and 91.9% in 99 eyes treated with balloon dilation (RR, 0.976; 95% CI, 0.590-0.956). In those above 24 months, success rate was 79.1% in 24 eyes treated with intubation, and 84.0% in 25 eyes treated with balloon dilation (RR, 0.942; 95%CI, 0.813-1.387). In the group of simple obstruction, success rate was 96.5% in 87 eyes treated with intubation, and 93.1% in 88 eyes treated with balloon dilation (RR, 1.036; 95% CI, 0.967-1.105). In the group of complex obstruction, Success rate was 64.7% in 34 eyes treated with intubation, and 86.1% in 36 eyes treated with balloon dilation. The success rate of balloon dilatation showed slightly higher than that of intubation (RR, 0.751; 95% CI, 0.590-0.956). There were 59 eyes showed complications in intubation group, while only 2 eyes in balloon dilation group.

CONCLUSIONS

Both balloon catheter dilation and nasolacrimal duct intubation could alleviate the clinical signs of persistent nasolacrimal duct obstruction with a similar percentage of patients. In the complex obstruction group, balloon catheter dilation showed better efficacy than nasolacrimal duct intubation.

Dynamic Modeling of a Laminated Composite- Material Flexible Robot Arm Made of Short Beams

High-precision assembly tasks are often performed by compact industrial robots with small work envelopes. The end-effector positional accuracy of compact robots can be accurately predicted by considering the links of the robot arm as short beams. In this study, a general procedure to derive a dynamic model for a revolute flexible robot arm, which takes into consideration the rotary inertia and shear deformation effects, is presented. Only the last link of the arm is considered to be flexible and assumed to be fabri cated from laminated composite materials.

Hamilton's principle is used to derive the equations of motion. A displacement finite element model based on the Timoshenko beam theory is implemented to approximate the solution. The digital simulation studies predict the deflections at the end effector and examine the combined effects of rotary inertia and shear deformation. Further more, the improvement in the dynamic response of the robot arm resulting from the fabrication of the manipula tor from laminated composite materials is demonstrated.