Isolation and characterisation of a novel human gene (C9orf11) on chromosome 9p21, a region frequently deleted in human cancer

GlycoTCFM: Glycoproteomics Based on Two Complementary Fragmentation Methods Reveals Distinctive O-Glycosylation in Human Sperm and Seminal Plasma

Human semen, consisting of spermatozoa (sperm) and seminal plasma, represents a special clinical sample type in human body fluid. Protein glycosylation in sperm and seminal plasma plays key roles in spermatogenesis, maturation, capacitation, sperm-egg recognition, motility of sperm, and fertilization. In this study, we profiled the most comprehensive O-glycoproteome map of human sperm and seminal plasma using our recently presented Glycoproteomics based on Two Complementary Fragmentation Methods (GlycoTCFM). We showed that sperm and seminal plasma contain many novel and distinctive O-glycoproteins, which are mostly located in the extracellular region (seminal plasma) and sperm membrane, enriched in the biological processes of cell adhesion and angiogenesis, and mainly involved in multiple biological functions including extracellular matrix structural constituents and binding. Based on GlycoTCFM, we created a comprehensive human sperm and seminal plasma O-glycoprotein database that contains 371 intact O-glycopeptides and 202 O-glycosites from 68 O-glycoproteins. Interestingly, 105 manually confirmed O-glycosites from 25 O-glycoproteins were reported for the first time, and they were mainly modified by core 1 O-glycans. We also found that three highly abundant, highly complex, and highly O-glycosylated proteins (semenogelin-1, semenogelin-2, and equatorin) may play important roles in sperm or seminal plasma composition and function. These data deepen our knowledge about O-glycosylation in sperm and seminal plasma and lay the foundation for the functional study of O-glycoproteins in male infertility.

Identification of Potential Therapeutic Gene Markers in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a common cancer found in the nasopharynx with high metastatic and invasive nature. Increasing evidences have identified the critical role of gene therapy in NPC treatment. Hence, this study was designed to identify specific gene markers that affected NPC progression through gene expression profile analysis. NPC‐related gene expression data set gene set enrichment (GSE)53819 were retrieved and analyzed to screen out differentially expressed genes (DEGs), followed by determination of their expression in noncancerous tissues and NPC specimens. Next, weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) was conducted on DEGs to obtain tumor‐associated gene modules. Genes in those modules were intersected with DEGs for gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes functional enrichment analysis. Then protein‐protein interaction network of tumor‐associated genes was constructed to select genes most closely linked to NPC. Afterward, expression of chromosome 9 open reading frame 24 (c9orf24), primary ciliary dyskinesia protein 1 (PCDP1), and leucine‐rich repeat‐containing protein 46 (LRRC46) was detected in GSE53819 and further verified in GSE12452 and GSE64634. Differential analysis on GSE53819 found that 2,173 genes were aberrantly expressed in NPC, among which 917 genes are upregulated and 1,256 genes are downregulated. WGCNA showed that genes were enriched in 17 modules and 727 genes exhibited ectopic expression in NPC and enriched in cytokine‐cytokine receptor interaction, cytochrome P450, and chemical carcinogenesis signaling pathways, among which c9orf24, PCDP1, and LRRC46 were poorly expressed in NPC. Therefore, c9orf24, PCDP1, and LRRC46 might serve as prominent diagnostic markers for NPC, which presents new insights for NPC therapy.

Cell cycle in sporadic melanoma

Sporadic melanoma is a neoplasm whose etiology has not been fully investigated. Contemporary achievements in molecular biology have made it possible to localize the genes whose damage can contribute to the initiation of neoplastic transformation of melanocytes and lead to a progression of the disease. The majority of these genes are responsible for the correct progression of phase G1 of the cell cycle. Phase G1 of the cell cycle is subject to control by many protooncogenes and antioncogenes, which constitute the pRb or p53 pathway, damage to which can lead to the development of malignant melanoma. The present paper discusses disorders in the control of phase G1 of the cell cycle in sporadic melanoma.