[Effect of LAG3 deficiency on natural killer cell function and hepatic fibrosis in mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of LAG-3 deficiency (LAG3-/-) on natural killer (NK) cell function and hepatic fibrosis in mice infected with Echinococcus multilocularis.

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice, each weighing (20 ± 2) g, were divided into the LAG3-/- and wild type (WT) groups, and each mouse in both groups was inoculated with 3 000 E. multilocularis protoscoleces via the hepatic portal vein. Mouse liver and spleen specimens were collected 12 weeks post-infection, sectioned and stained with sirius red, and the hepatic lesions and fibrosis were observed. Mouse hepatic and splenic lymphocytes were isolated, and flow cytometry was performed to detect the proportions of hepatic and splenic NK cells, the expression of CD44, CD25 and CD69 molecules on NK cell surface, and the secretion of interferon γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-10 and IL-17A.

RESULTS

Sirius red staining showed widening of inflammatory cell bands and hyperplasia of fibrotic connective tissues around mouse hepatic lesions, as well as increased deposition of collagen fibers in the LAG3-/-group relative to the WT group. Flow cytometry revealed lower proportions of mouse hepatic (6.29% ± 1.06% vs. 11.91% ± 1.85%, P < 0.000 1) and splenic NK cells (4.44% ± 1.22% vs. 5.85% ± 1.10%, P > 0.05) in the LAG3-/- group than in the WT group, and the mean fluorescence intensity of CD44 was higher on the surface of mouse hepatic NK cells in the LAG3-/- group than in the WT group (t = -3.234, P < 0.01), while no significant differences were found in the mean fluorescence intensity of CD25 or CD69 on the surface of mouse hepaticNK cells between the LAG3-/- and WT groups (both P values > 0.05). There were significant differences between the LAG3-/- and WT groups in terms of the percentages of IFN-γ (t = -0.723, P > 0.05), TNF-α (t = -0.659, P > 0.05), IL-4 (t = -0.263, P > 0.05), IL-10 (t = -0.455, P > 0.05) or IL-17A secreted by mouse hepatic NK cells (t = 0.091, P > 0.05), and the percentage of IFN-γ secreted by mouse splenic NK cells was higher in the LAG3-/- group than in the WT group (58.40% ± 1.64% vs. 50.40% ± 4.13%; t = -4.042, P < 0.01); however, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the proportions of TNF-α (t = -1.902, P > 0.05), IL-4 (t = -1.333, P > 0.05), IL-10 (t = -1.356, P > 0.05) or IL-17A secreted by mouse splenic NK cells (t = 0.529, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

During the course of E. multilocularis infections, LAG3-/- promotes high-level secretion of IFN-γ by splenic NK cells, which may participate in the reversal the immune function of NK cells, resulting in aggravation of hepatic fibrosis.

Impact of pre-operative MRI on surgical management of screening digital breast tomosynthesis-detected invasive lobular carcinoma

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of pre-operative MRI on surgical management of screening digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)-detected invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC).

METHODS

A retrospective medical record analysis was conducted of women with screening DBT-detected ILC and subsequent surgery from 2017-2021. Clinical, imaging, and pathological features were compared between women who did and did not undergo MRI, and between women with and without additional disease detected on MRI, using the Pearson's chi-squared test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Concordance between imaging and surgical pathology sizes was also evaluated.

RESULTS

Of 125 women (mean age 67 years, range 44-90) with screening-detected ILC, MRI was obtained in 62 women (49.6%) with a mean age of 63 years (range 45-80). Compared to women without MRI, women who had MRI examinations were younger, more likely to have dense breast tissue, and more likely to undergo mastectomy initially rather than lumpectomy (p < 0.001-0.01). Eighteen biopsies were performed based on MRI findings, of which 55.6% (10/18) were malignant. Conventional imaging more frequently underestimated ILC span at the biopsy site than MRI, using a 25% threshold difference (17.5% [7/40] versus 58.5% [24/41], p < 0.001). MRI detected more extensive disease at the biopsy site in six patients (9.7%, 6/62), additional ipsilateral disease in six patients (9.7%, 6/62), and contralateral disease in one patient (1.6%, 1/62). MRI therefore impacted surgical management in 21.0% (13/62) of patients.

CONCLUSION

MRI led to the detection of additional disease, thus impacting surgical management, in one-fifth of patients with ILC.

Insights into cryptochrome modulation of ABA signaling to mediate dormancy regulation in Marchantia polymorpha

The acquisition of dormancy capabilities has enabled plants to survive in adverse terrestrial environmental conditions. Dormancy accumulation and release is coupled with light signaling, which is well studied in Arabidopsis, but it is unclear in the distant nonvascular relative. We study the characteristics and function on dormancy regulation of a blue light receptor cryptochrome in Marchantia polymorpha (MpCRY). Here, we identified MpCRY via bioinformatics and mutant complement analysis. The biochemical characteristics were assessed by multiple protein-binding assays. The function of MpCRY in gemma dormancy was clarified by overexpression and mutation of MpCRY, and its mechanism was analyzed via RNA sequencing and quantitative PCR analyses associated with hormone treatment. We found that the unique MpCRY protein in M. polymorpha undergoes both blue light-promoted interaction with itself (self-interaction) and blue light-dependent phosphorylation. MpCRY has the specific characteristics of blue light-induced nuclear localization and degradation. We further demonstrated that MpCRY transcriptionally represses abscisic acid (ABA) signaling-related gene expression to suppress gemma dormancy, which is dependent on blue light signaling. Our findings indicate that MpCRY possesses specific biochemical and molecular characteristics, and modulates ABA signaling under blue light conditions to regulate gemma dormancy in M. polymorpha.

Time-course transcriptome analysis reveals regulation of Arabidopsis seed dormancy by the transcription factors WOX11/12

The induction of seed dormancy and its release involve a finely regulated genetic program controlled by various environmental and developmental cues that are critical for plant survival and population expansion. Light plays a key role in seed dormancy and germination, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the control of dormancy are unclear. In the present study, high-resolution temporal RNA-seq in Arabidopsis identified WOX11 as encoding a hub transcription factor during the seed dormancy induction and release stages. This gene might have evolved from gymnosperms and expanded in angiosperms with highly conserved expression patterns in seeds. WOX11 and its homolog WOX12 were highly expressed from 2 d after pollination, and mRNA abundance was greatly increased during the seed dormancy induction and release stages. Further, we found that WOX11 plays a role in the regulation of seed dormancy downstream of phytochrome B (PHYB)-mediated red-light signaling during the induction stage, indicating that WOX11/12 are newly identified components of red-light signaling transduction. Taken together, our results suggest that WOX11/12-mediated PHYB signaling regulates seed dormancy in Arabidopsis, and provide insights into the developmental regulation and evolutionary adaptation of plants to changes in the light environment.

Genome-wide identification and adaptive evolution of CesA/Csl superfamily among species with different life forms in Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae, with more than 25,000 species, is one of the largest flowering plant families that can successfully colonize wide ecological niches, such as land, trees, or rocks, and its members are divided into epiphytic, terrestrial, and saprophytic types according to their life forms. Cellulose synthase (CesA) and cellulose synthase-like (Csl) genes are key regulators in the synthesis of plant cell wall polysaccharides, which play an important role in the adaptation of orchids to resist abiotic stresses, such as drought and cold. In this study, nine whole-genome sequenced orchid species with three types of life forms were selected; the CesA/Csl gene family was identified; the evolutionary roles and expression patterns of CesA/Csl genes adapted to different life forms and abiotic stresses were investigated. The CesA/Csl genes of nine orchid species were divided into eight subfamilies: CesA and CslA/B/C/D/E/G/H, among which the CslD subfamily had the highest number of genes, followed by CesA, whereas CslB subfamily had the least number of genes. Expansion of the CesA/Csl gene family in orchids mainly occurred in the CslD and CslF subfamilies. Conserved domain analysis revealed that eight subfamilies were conserved with variations in orchids. In total, 17 pairs of CesA/Csl homologous genes underwent positive selection, of which 86%, 14%, and none belonged to the epiphytic, terrestrial, and saprophytic orchids, respectively. The inter-species collinearity analysis showed that the CslD genes expanded in epiphytic orchids. Compared with terrestrial and saprophytic orchids, epiphytic orchids experienced greater strength of positive selection, with expansion events mostly related to the CslD subfamily, which might have resulted in strong adaptability to stress in epiphytes. Experiments on stem expression changes under abiotic stress showed that the CslA might be a key subfamily in response to drought stress for orchids with different life forms, whereas the CslD might be a key subfamily in epiphytic and saprophytic orchids to adapt to freezing stress. This study provides the basic knowledge for the further systematic study of the adaptive evolution of the CesA/Csl superfamily in angiosperms with different life forms, and research on orchid-specific functional genes related to life-history trait evolution.

AB0110 TRANSCRIPTOMICS-BASED INVESTIGATION OF THE MECHANISM OF ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS WITH UVEITIS

Background

Spondyloarthritis is a large group of autoimmune diseases that are associated with HLA-B27. Among them, Ankylosing spondylitis is a typical representative of these diseases. In addition to spine and joint involvement, AS has many extra-articular manifestations, among which uveitis is one of the most common extra-articular manifestations of AS.[1]Untreated or inappropriate treatment can lead to serious consequences such as blindness. However, there are few studies on the mechanisms of AS-related uveitis, and the pathogenesis of AS-related uveitis is not fully understood, so there is no way to prevent it.

Objectives

We performed a whole-blood gene expression profiling and then analyzed gene expression differences between AS-associated uveitis patients and normal controls by bioinformatics methods. Protein–protein interaction network was constructed to predict the relationship among the products of the differentially expression genes (DEGs). Furthermore, module mining and function annotation were applied to assess the interaction network of DEGs.The aim is to find predictive biomarkers for AS-associated uveitis, to further discuss the pathogenesis of AS-associated uveitis in depth, and to provide a reference for clinical precision treatment.

Methods

This microarray-based discovery study used samples from three patients with AS,classified according to the New York criteria,four patients with AS-associated uveitis, and three gender- and age-matched controls. Total RNA was extracted from whole blood samples and enriched for mRNA after DNA digestion using DNase, and then constructed cDNA libraries were quality-checked with an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and sequenced using an Illumina HiSeq TM 2500 sequencer.The data were normalized and initially screened for differential genes using the DESeq R package in R 4.1.0 Prediction of relationships between products of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using String database prediction and construction of protein-protein interaction networks in Cytoscape. GO with KEGG analysis of differential genes using ClueGO and CluePedia. Screening for hub genes associated with AS-associated uveitis using cytoHubba.

Results

We initially screened 14607 differential genes, from which 112 significantly differential genes with p-values<0.05 and |log2FC|>2 were selected. Among them, 82 were up-regulated genes and 30 were down-regulated genes. Sixty-six relationships between 49 nodes were shown in the PPI network interactions graph constructed from the String database results.The results of GO analysis showed that most genes were involved in biological processes related to immune response, such as positive regulation of inflammatory response, integrated stress response signaling and toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway. The molecular functions were mainly focused on chemokine receptor binding. the results of KEGG analysis showed that the gene products were mainly involved in cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, IL-17 signaling pathway. The target genes screened included CXCL8 CXCL2 NFKBIZ NFKBIA IL11 IL1A,all of which have adequate immune response effects(Figure 1)

Figure 1.

Using the EPC algorithm in cytoHubba to screen hub genes, the graph shows the top 10 scoring genes, with different colors representing higher scores.

Conclusion

We have identified a series of genes associated with immunity in this study.These DEGs may provide a basis for insight into the pathogenesis of AS-associated uveitis. Further experimental studies are needed to confirm our hypothesis.

References

[1]Wenker K. J. & Quint J. M. (2021). Ankylosing Spondylitis. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing

*Corresponding author

Jing Zhu1* Bo Gong2*

1Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Department of Rheumatology and Immunology Chengdu China

2Department of Health Management,Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences&Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital,University of Electronic Science and Technology of China Chengdu China

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

The spinach YY genome reveals sex chromosome evolution, domestication, and introgression history of the species

Background

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) is a dioecious species with an XY sex chromosome system, but its Y chromosome has not been fully characterized. Our knowledge about the history of its domestication and improvement remains limited.

Results

A high-quality YY genome of spinach is assembled into 952 Mb in six pseudo-chromosomes. By a combination of genetic mapping, Genome-Wide Association Studies, and genomic analysis, we characterize a 17.42-Mb sex determination region (SDR) on chromosome 1. The sex chromosomes of spinach evolved when an insertion containing sex determination genes occurred, followed by a large genomic inversion about 1.98 Mya. A subsequent burst of SDR-specific repeats (0.1–0.15 Mya) explains the large size of this SDR. We identify a Y-specific gene, NRT1/PTR 6.4 which resides in this insertion, as a strong candidate for the sex determination or differentiation factor. Resequencing of 112 spinach genomes reveals a severe domestication bottleneck approximately 10.87 Kya, which dates the domestication of spinach 7000 years earlier than the archeological record. We demonstrate that a strong selection signal associated with internode elongation and leaf area expansion is associated with domestication of edibility traits in spinach. We find that several strong genomic introgressions from the wild species Spinacia turkestanica and Spinacia tetrandra harbor desirable alleles of genes related to downy mildew resistance, frost resistance, leaf morphology, and flowering-time shift, which likely contribute to spinach improvement.

Conclusions

Analysis of the YY genome uncovers evolutionary forces shaping nascent sex chromosome evolution in spinach. Our findings provide novel insights about the domestication and improvement of spinach.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13059-022-02633-x.

In vitro assessment of the DNA damage and senility of CD117+ stem cells collected from diabetic mice

OBJECTIVE

Angiogenesis impairment is a common feature of diabetes mellitus (DM), whereas CD117+ bone marrow cells (BMCs) injury might be responsible for such complication. In this study, we studied the effect of hyperglycemia on the DNA damage and senility of CD117+ bone marrow cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We isolated CD117+ BMCs from the Streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes and healthy control mice. Oxidative stress was detected by flow cytometric analysis. γ-H2AX, which is the DNA damage mark, was detected by using Western blotting and immunofluorescence histochemistry. We also detected the expression of γ-H2AX and p16 by using Western blotting.

RESULTS

Compared with the control mice, the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased significantly in the CD117+ BMCs collected from the diabetic mice (p<0.05), and the percentage of γ-H2AX positive cells was higher significantly (p<0.01). The expression of γ-H2AX and p16 was increased significantly in the CD117+ BMCs from the diabetic mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our experiments demonstrated the oxidative stress in CD117+ BMCs under DM conditions, while accelerating the DNA damage and senility in CD117+ BMCs as well.

Rambutan genome revealed gene networks for spine formation and aril development

Rambutan is a popular tropical fruit known for its exotic appearance, has long flexible spines on shells, extraordinary aril growth, desirable nutrition, and a favorable taste. The genome of an elite rambutan cultivar Baoyan 7 was assembled into 328 Mb in 16 pseudo-chromosomes. Comparative genomics analysis between rambutan and lychee revealed that rambutan chromosomes 8 and 12 are collinear with lychee chromosome 1, which resulted in a chromosome fission event in rambutan (n = 16) or a fusion event in lychee (n = 15) after their divergence from a common ancestor 15.7 million years ago. Root development genes played a crucial role in spine development, such as endoplasmic reticulum pathway genes, jasmonic acid response genes, vascular bundle development genes, and K⁺ transport genes. Aril development was regulated by D-class genes (STK and SHP1), plant hormone and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes, and sugar metabolism genes. The lower rate of male sterility of hermaphroditic flowers appears to be regulated by MYB24. Population genomic analyses revealed genes in selective sweeps during domestication that are related to fruit morphology and environment stress response. These findings enhance our understanding of spine and aril development and provide genomic resources for rambutan improvement.

Auxin and cytokinin mediated regulation involved in vitro organogenesis of papaya

In vitro organogenesis is a multistep process which is largely controlled by the balance between auxin and cytokinin. Previous studies revealed a complex network regulating in vitro organogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana; however, our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying de novo shoot formation in papaya (Carica papaya) remains limited. Here, we optimized multiple factors to achieve an efficient and reproducible protocol for the induction of papaya callus formation and shoot regeneration. Subsequently, we analyzed the dynamic transcriptome profiles of samples undergoing this process, identified 5381, 642, 4047, and 2386 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), including 447, 66, 350, and 263 encoding transcription factors (TFs), in four stage comparisons. The DEGs were mainly involved in phytohormone modulation and transduction processes, particularly for auxin and cytokinin. Of these, 21 and 7 candidate genes involved in the auxin and cytokinin pathways, respectively, had distinct expression patterns throughout in vitro organogenesis. Furthermore, we found two genes encoding key TFs, CpLBD19 and CpESR1, were sharply induced on callus induction medium and shoot induction medium, indicating these two TFs may serve as proxies for callus induction and shoot formation in papaya. We therefore report a regulatory network of auxin and cytokinin signaling in papaya according to the one previously modeled for Arabidopsis. Our comprehensive analyses provide insight into the early molecular regulation of callus initiation and shoot formation in papaya, and are useful for the further identification of the regulators governing in vitro organogenesis.

Construction of high-density genetic maps defined sex determination region of the Y chromosome in spinach

Spinach (Spinacia olracea L.) is a dioecious leafy vegetable with a highly repetitive genome of around 990 Mb, which is challenging for de-novo genome assembly. In our study, a segregating F₁ (double pseudo-testcross) population from 'Viroflay' × 'Cornell-NO. 9' was used for genetic mapping by resequencing genotyping. In the paternal 'Cornell-NO. 9' map, 212,414 SNPs were mapped, and the total linkage distance was 476.83 cM; the maternal 'Viroflay' map included 29,282 SNPs with 401.28 cM total genetic distance. Both paternal and maternal maps have the expected number of six linkage groups (LGs). A non-recombining region with 5678 SNPs (39 bin markers) co-segregates with sex type which located at 45.2 cM of LG1 in the 'Cornell-NO. 9' map while indicates the sex determination region (SDR). Integration of two maps into a consensus map guided us to anchor additional 1242 contigs to six pseudomolecules from the published reference genome, which improved additional 233 Mb (23.4%) assembly based on spinach estimated genome size. Particularly, the X counterpart of SDR in our assembly is estimated around 18.4 Mb which locates at the largest chromosome, as consensus with sex-biased FISH signals from previous cytogenetics studies. The region is featured by reduced gene density, higher percentage of repetitive sequences, and no recombination. Our linkage maps provide the resource for improving spinach genome de-novo assembly and identification of sex-determining genes in spinach.

Lee Silverman Voice Treatment for dysarthria in patients with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Approximately 89% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) suffer from dysarthria. Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT), a behavioral therapy, aims to improve speech and voice functions. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of LSVT compared with other/no speech interventions for dysarthria in patients with PD. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library, were searched. The publication date of all included studies was before 6 March 2020. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the LSVT intervention compared with other/no speech intervention were considered. The data obtained from the included studies were described and the mean differences were calculated. Eight RCTs were included in this meta-analysis comparing LSVT with other/no speech interventions. In the comparison of LSVT versus no intervention, vocal intensity for sustained 'Ah' phonation, reading the 'Rainbow passage', monologue and describing a picture increased by 8.87, 4.34, 3.25 and 3.31 dB, respectively, after 1 month of therapy. Compared with the respiratory therapy group, the LSVT group also showed significant improvement in vocal intensity for sustained 'Ah' phonation, reading the 'Rainbow passage' and monologue immediately after treatment (13.39, 6.66 and 3.19 dB). Positive improvement still existed after 24 months. There was no difference in the therapeutic effect between face-to-face and online LSVT. The effectiveness of LSVT for dysarthria in patients with PD was verified in these trials. However, future RCTs with sufficient participants are essential to evaluate the effectiveness of LSVT for dysarthria.

[Suggestions for thoracic surgery clinical practice in non-epidemic area of 2019 coronavirus disease]

In this paper, the mechanism of destroying human alveolar epithelial cells and pulmonary tissue by 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was discussed firstly. There may be multiple mechanisms including killing directly the target cells and hyperinflammatory responses. Secondly, the clinical features, CT imaging, short-term and long-term pulmonary function damage of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was analyzed. Finally, some suggestions for thoracic surgery clinical practice in non-epidemic area during and after the epidemic of COVID-19 were provided, to help all the thoracic surgery patients receive active and effective treatment.

Long-term effects of acute cadmium exposure on testis immune privilege

Cadmium (Cd) is a widespread and non-biodegradable pollutant of great concern to human health. This element can affect cellular signal transduction and cell-to-cell interaction in the testis. Immune tolerance towards auto- and alloantigens is an important component of testis immunity. It is involved in spermatogenesis and hormone secretion. Plus, the immune tolerance may help to reveal the changes in testis immunity over a long period after Cd exposure. The current research was aimed at investigating the long-term effects of acute Cd exposure on testis immunity by means of elicitation of testicular immune cell composition shift induced by Cd. Cadmium chloride was intraperitoneally injected at 3 mg Cd/kg to mice. After that testis interstitial cells were stained with surface markers for leukocyte and lymphocyte subpopulations (CD45, CD11b, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD25) and analyzed cytofluorimetrically by week 4, 6, 8 and 12 after Cd administration (Cd group). To identify the delayed effects of cadmium on immune tolerance two groups of animals were subjected to intratesticular allotransplantation of neonatal testis (groups ITT and Cd+ ITT). One of the groups was administered with Cd four weeks before the transplantation (Cd+ITT group). I group served as a control that did not undergo any transplantation or Cd injection. For a better demonstration of the phenomenon of immunological tolerance of the testicles, an additional group (UKT group) was used which got grafts under the kidney capsule (non-immune privileged site).Investigation of the cell population showed that CD45+, CD11b+, CD4+, CD8+ cells were permanently present in testicular interstitial tissue in I group. Intratesticular testis transplantation increased the proportion of CD11b+ but did not have such a pronounced effect on CD8+ cells in ITT group. Moreover, the transplantation elevated CD4+ CD25+ cells known for their immunosuppressive property and promoted graft development by week 2 (histological data). Cd injection resulted in severe inflammation that quenched by week 4 (Cd and Cd+ ITT groups). This time point was chosen for transplantation in Cd+ ITT group. Such Cd pretreatment led to a high CD8+ cell proportion and to the delayed appearance of CD4+ CD25+ cells by week 2 (Cd+ ITTgroup). The finding is consistent with the impairment of graft development in Cd+ ITTgroup pretreated with Cd. Observation suggest that Cd pretreatment was associated with disproportion of interstitial immune cell populations which resulted in the impairment of immunoprotective function of the testis. The impairment of testis immunity showed itself only after several weeks of Cd administration, and only when the recipient testis immunity was provoked by alloantigens of donor testes.

KRT15 overexpression predicts poor prognosis in colorectal cancer

Keratin-15 (KRT15) is a type I keratin lacking a defined type II partner and plays a key role in maintaining cytoplasmic stability. Recently, studies have reported that KRT15 was correlated with tumor formation and progression. However, the clinical significance of KRT15 in colorectal cancer is unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of KRT15 and its clinical significance in colorectal cancer. KRT15 expression was examined in 98 cases of colorectal cancer and matched adjacent normal tissues by quantificational real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. Then, the clinical significance of KRT15 expression was evaluated in colorectal cancer. QRT-PCR results revealed that the mRNA levels of KRT15 in colorectal cancer tissues were significantly higher compared with those in normal tissues (p<0.0001). The rates of KRT15 high-expression in colorectal cancer and normal tissues were 57.1% and 8.9%, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (p<0.0001). KRT15 high-expression correlated with differentiation, T stage, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage in colorectal cancer (p<0.05). Meanwhile, KRT15 overexpression predicted poor prognosis and could be used as an independent prognostic factor. These data indicate KRT15 is highly expressed in colorectal cancer and may serve as a prognostic biomarker.

H2O2 as a Feedback Signal on Dual-Located WHIRLY1 Associates with Leaf Senescence in Arabidopsis

Leaf senescence, either as a natural stage of development or as an induced process under stress conditions, incorporates multiple intricate signaling pathways. At the cellular level, retrograde signals have been considered as important players during the initiation and progression of senescence in both animals and plants. The plant-specific single-strand DNA-binding protein WHIRLY1 (WHY1), a repressor of leaf natural senescence, is dually located in both nucleus and plastids. Despite many years of studies, the myth about its dual location and the underlying functional implications remain elusive. Here, we provide further evidence in Arabidopsis showing that alteration in WHY1 allocation between the nucleus and chloroplast causes perturbation in H₂O₂ homeostasis, resulting in adverse plant senescence phenotypes. The knockout of WHY1 increased H₂O₂ content at 37 days post-germination, coincident with an early leaf senescence phenotype, which can be rescued by ectopic expression of the nuclear isoform (nWHY1), but not by the plastid isoform (pWHY1). Instead, accumulated pWHY1 greatly provoked H₂O₂ in cells. On the other hand, exogenous H₂O₂ treatment induced a substantial plastid accumulation of WHY1 proteins and at the same time reduced the nuclear isoforms. This H₂O₂-induced loss of nucleus WHY1 isoform was accompanied by enhanced enrichments of histone H3 lysine 9 acetylation (H3K9ac) and recruitment of RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) globally, and specifically at the promoter of the senescence-related transcription factor WRKY53, which in turn activated WRKY53 transcription and led to a senescence phenotype. Thus, the distribution of WHY1 organelle isoforms and the feedback of H₂O₂ intervene in a circularly integrated regulatory network during plant senescence in Arabidopsis.

Knockdown of Tripartite Motif Containing 28 suppresses the migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in ovarian carcinoma cells through down-regulation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway

Tripartite motif containing 28 (TRIM28) is a transcriptional corepressor of Kruppel-associated box zinc finger protein, which has been reported to participate in carcinogenesis. Nonetheless, whether TRIM28 plays a role in the metastasis of ovarian carcinoma (OC) is unclear and requires further investigation. In this study, two OC cell lines (A2780 and OVCAR-3) with stable low expression of TRIM28 were established via RNA interference. We found that the migratory and invasive ability of TRIM28-silenced OC cells significantly decreased. The expression and activity of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 in these OC cells were inhibited. The TRIM28 shRNA also suppressed the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of OC cells as evidenced by the up-regulated E-cadherin and the downregulated Vimentin and N-cadherin. Additionally, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was suppressed in TRIM28-silenced OC cells: the activity of β-catenin was inhibited, the expression of total and nuclear β-catenin, Axin 2, T-cell factor 1 (TCF1) and lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1 (LEF1) were decreased, whereas the phosphorylation of β-catenin at Ser33/37 was enhanced. Further, re-expression of active β-catenin in TRIM28-silenced OC cells partly restored their metastasis in vitro. Taken together, our study demonstrates a contributory role of TRIM28 in OC metastasis in vitro, suggesting TRIM28 as a novel therapeutic target for this malignant tumor.

Combination Doppler backscattering/cross-polarization scattering diagnostic for the C-2W field-reversed configuration

A versatile combination Doppler backscattering and Cross-Polarization Scattering (CPS) diagnostic for the C-2W beam-driven field-reversed configuration is described. This system is capable of measuring density fluctuations and perpendicular magnetic field fluctuations across a wide wavenumber range (2.5 ≤ k _θ ρ _s ≤ 50), with typical resolution Δk _θ/k _θ ≤ 0.4-0.8. Four tunable frequencies (26 GHz ≤ f ≤ 60 GHz corresponding to plasma cut-off densities 0.8 × 10¹⁹ ≤ n _e ≤ 4.4 × 10¹⁹ m^-3) are launched via quasi-optical beam combiners/polarizers and an adjustable parabolic focusing mirror selecting the beam incidence angle. GENRAY ray tracing shows that the incident O-mode and backscattered CPS X-mode beam trajectories for C-2W plasma parameters nearly overlap, allowing simultaneous detection of ñ and B̃ _r or B̃ _θ from essentially the same scattering volume.

[Methods of traditional chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome]

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in alternative (complementary) treatments of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS). This is due both to the high incidence of IC/BPS and to a lack of effectiveness of conventional treatments. One of the directions of alternative therapies is a traditional Chinese medicine using a special diet, various animal and plant-derived medicines, breathing exercises and acupuncture. This review analyzes the accumulated experience in using traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of patients with IC/BPS. The presented data indicate that these methods appear to be promising, since they are effective in a significant number of patients, lead to an improvement in their quality of life, are non-invasive and well tolerated. However, due to the lack of clinical studies, the efficacy of this treatment modalities needs to be confirmed.

WHIRLY1 Occupancy Affects Histone Lysine Modification and WRKY53 Transcription in Arabidopsis Developmental Manner

Single-stranded DNA-binding proteins (SSBs) are assumed to involve in DNA replication, DNA repairmen, and gene transcription. Here, we provide the direct evidence on the functionality of an Arabidopsis SSB, WHIRLY1, by using loss- or gain-of-function lines. We show that WHIRLY1 binding to the promoter of WRKY53 represses the enrichment of H3K4me3, but enhances the enrichment of H3K9ac at the region contained WHIRLY1-binding sequences and TATA box or the translation start region of WRKY53, coincided with a recruitment of RNAPII. In vitro ChIP assays confirm that WHIRLY1 inhibits H3K4me3 enrichment at the preinitiation complex formation stage, while promotes H3K9ac enrichment and RNAPII recruitment at the elongation stage, consequently affecting the transcription of WRKY53. These results further explore the molecular actions underlying SSB-mediated gene transcription through epigenetic regulation in plant senescence.

Dual-Located WHIRLY1 Interacting with LHCA1 Alters Photochemical Activities of Photosystem I and Is Involved in Light Adaptation in Arabidopsis

Plastid-nucleus-located WHIRLY1 protein plays a role in regulating leaf senescence and is believed to associate with the increase of reactive oxygen species delivered from redox state of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. In order to make sure whether WHIRLY1 plays a role in photosynthesis, in this study, the performances of photosynthesis were detected in Arabidopsis whirly1 knockout (kowhy1) and plastid localized WHIRLY1 overexpression (oepWHY1) plants. Loss of WHIRLY1 leads to a higher photochemical quantum yield of photosystem I Y(I) and electron transport rate (ETR) and a lower non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) involved in the thermal dissipation of excitation energy of chlorophyll fluorescence than the wild type. Further analyses showed that WHIRLY1 interacts with Light-harvesting protein complex I (LHCA1) and affects the expression of genes encoding photosystem I (PSI) and light harvest complexes (LHCI). Moreover, loss of WHIRLY1 decreases chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase-like complex (NDH) activity and the accumulation of NDH supercomplex. Several genes encoding the PSI-NDH complexes are also up-regulated in kowhy1 and the whirly1whirly3 double mutant (ko1/3) but steady in oepWHY1 plants. However, under high light conditions (800 μmol m-2 s-1), both kowhy1 and ko1/3 plants show lower ETR than wild-type which are contrary to that under normal light condition. Moreover, the expression of several PSI-NDH encoding genes and ERF109 which is related to jasmonate (JA) response varied in kowhy1 under different light conditions. These results indicate that WHIRLY1 is involved in the alteration of ETR by affecting the activities of PSI and supercomplex formation of PSI with LHCI or NDH and may acting as a communicator between the plastids and the nucleus.

Elastic Vector Solitons in Soft Architected Materials

We demonstrate experimentally, numerically, and analytically that soft architected materials can support the propagation of elastic vector solitons. More specifically, we focus on structures comprising a network of squares connected by thin and highly deformable ligaments and investigate the propagation of planar nonlinear elastic waves. We find that for sufficiently large amplitudes two components-one translational and one rotational-are coupled together and copropagate without dispersion. Our results not only show that soft architected materials offer a new and rich platform to study the propagation of nonlinear waves, but also open avenues for the design of a new generation of smart systems that take advantage of nonlinearities to control and manipulate the propagation of large amplitude vibrations.

Dual-functional lipid-like nanoparticles for delivery of mRNA and MRI contrast agents

Multi-functional nanomaterials possess unique properties, facilitating both therapeutic and diagnostic applications among others. Herein, we developed dual-functional lipid-like nanoparticles for simultaneous delivery of mRNA and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents in order to express functional proteins and provide real-time visualization. TT3-Gd18 LLNs were identified as a lead formulation, which was able to encapsulate 91% of mRNA and 74% of Gd. This formulation showed a comparable or a slightly higher delivery efficiency of mRNA compared to the initial TT3 LLNs. Moreover, a strong MRI signal was observed in the cell pellets treated with TT3-Gd18 LLNs. More importantly, TT3-Gd18 LLNs demonstrated an efficient delivery of mRNA and Gd contrast agents in vivo.

Higher Expression of NOD1 and NOD2 is Associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) Syndrome But Not Behcet's Disease (BD)

NOD1 and NOD2 have been found to play a significant regulatory role in autoimmune disease. To analyze the role of NOD1 and NOD2 in the pathogenesis of Vogt- Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome and Behcet's disease (BD). We analyzed the expression of NOD1 and NOD2 from PBMCs by RT-PCR and Western Blot. PBMCs and DCs were cultured with NOD receptor ligands iE-DAP (NOD1) or MDP (NOD2) and cells and supernatants were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). DCs and CD4+T cells were co-cultured with or without stimulation and cells and supernatants were analyzed by FCM and ELISA. A higher expression of NOD1 and NOD2 was observed in patients with active VKH syndrome as compared with controls. However, no significant differences were found between BD patients and controls. Activation of NOD1 and NOD2 with iE-DAP or MDP markedly increased the level of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β in PBMCs and DCs and induced the expression of CD40, CD80, CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR on DCs. Activation of NOD1 and NOD2 in DCs promoted the differentiation and proliferation of CD4(+)T cells. In conclusion, activation of NOD1 or NOD2 increased the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in PBMCs and promoted the maturation and activation of human DCs in association with stimulation of Th1 and Th17 cells. Our results suggest that over-expression of NOD1 and NOD2 may be involved in the pathogenesis of VKH syndrome.

The upgrade of the Thomson scattering system for measurement on the C-2/C-2U devices

The C-2/C-2U Thomson scattering system has been substantially upgraded during the latter phase of C-2/C-2U program. A Rayleigh channel has been added to each of the three polychromators of the C-2/C-2U Thomson scattering system. Onsite spectral calibration has been applied to avoid the issue of different channel responses at different spots on the photomultiplier tube surface. With the added Rayleigh channel, the absolute intensity response of the system is calibrated with Rayleigh scattering in argon gas from 0.1 to 4 Torr, where the Rayleigh scattering signal is comparable to the Thomson scattering signal at electron densities from 1 × 10¹³ to 4 × 10¹⁴ cm^-3. A new signal processing algorithm, using a maximum likelihood method and including detailed analysis of different noise contributions within the system, has been developed to obtain electron temperature and density profiles. The system setup, spectral and intensity calibration procedure and its outcome, data analysis, and the results of electron temperature/density profile measurements will be presented.

Association Analysis of Myosin Heavy-chain Genes mRNA Transcription with the Corresponding Proteins Expression of Longissimus Muscle in Growing Pigs

The goal of this work was to investigate the correlations between MyHC mRNA transcription and their corresponding protein expressions in porcine longissimus muscle (LM) during postnatal growth of pigs. Five DLY (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) crossbred pigs were selected, slaughtered and sampled at postnatal 7, 30, 60, 120, and 180 days, respectively. Each muscle was subjected to quantity MyHCs protein contents through an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), to quantity myosin heavy-chains (MyHCs) mRNA abundances using real-time polymerase chain reaction. We calculated the proportion (%) of each MyHC to total of four MyHC for two levels, respectively. Moreover, the activities of several key energy metabolism enzymes were determined in LM. The result showed that mRNA transcription and protein expression of MyHC I, IIa, IIx and IIb in LM all presented some obvious changes with postnatal aging of pigs, especially at the early stage after birth, and their mRNA transcriptions were easy to be influenced than their protein expressions. The relative proportion of each MyHC mRNA was significantly positively related to that of its corresponding protein (p<0.01), and MyHC I mRNA proportion was positively correlated with creatine kinase (CK), succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH) activities (p<0.05). These data suggested that MyHC mRNA transcription can be used to reflect MyHC expression, metabolism property and adaptive plasticity of porcine skeletal muscles, and MyHC mRNA composition could be a molecular index reflecting muscle fiber type characteristics.

Abstract P4-03-04: Dynamic tomographic optical breast imaging (TOBI) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitoring

Background: Dynamic Diffuse optical imaging using near-infrared light was shown to be promising method for neoadjuvant therapy monitoring as an alternative functional imaging that is low-cost, non-invasive, portable, safe and simple to operate. While optical breast imaging methods rely on "static" assessments of tissue oxy- and deoxy- hemoglobin concentration without contrast agents, they are insufficient for clinical applications. Dynamic tomographic optical imaging induces tumor-sensitive hemodynamic variations, as a contrast mechanism, driven by fractional mammographic compression. These tumor contrast measurements are governed by interlay of tissue biomechanics and oxygen metabolism. In this study we seek to evaluate the predictive value of these biomarkers with respect to treatment outcome.

Methods: A group of 22 patients with locally advanced breast cancer were scanned using our dynamic TOBI system before and during neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In this analysis we focused on pre-treatment, day 7 and day 30 post-treatment dynamic TOBI scans. Both breasts are compressed in turn to 4-8 lbs of force (depending on size) and optical images are acquired every 2 seconds over 2 minutes. We calculate the time course of oxy (HbO), deoxy (HbR)and total (HbT) hemoglobin concentration as well as the hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO2). Regions of interest are defined in the optical images to correspond to the radiology identified tumor location, and the healthy tissue in the same breast, respectively. We compare the time courses in the two regions at baseline, day 7 and 30 days after initiation of treatment.

Results: In this analysis we present results from 10 patients including 6 responders (defined as greater than 50% reduction in the largest tumor axis from baseline imaging and final pathology) and 4 non-responders. As the compression plates are held in place the tissue collagen matrix begins to stretch, effectively reducing the compression force. At baseline, all patients exhibit a decrease followed by delayed recovery in HbT, and SO2 in the tumor area, in contrast to immediate recovery in surrounding tissue. At day 7 and 30, this contrast is maintained in non-responders (&lt;50% reduction in tumor maximum diameter); however, in responders, the contrast starts decreasing at day 7 and substantially disappears at day 30. Average changes in HbT and SO2, show that the contrast between normal and tumor increases somewhat at day 7 and more noticeably at day 30 in non-responders to NACT. Comparing hemodynamic changes in responders and non-responders, it is clear that at three selected time points (30, 60 and 90 s) during the scan, the contrast between tumor and normal tissue in both ΔHbT and ΔSO2 is reduced for the responders at day 7 and day 30.

Conclusions: These initial results suggest that dynamic optical breast imaging can detect changes due to treatment and have predictive value for the treatment outcome. DTOBI can show the difference in hemodynamic response to compression between tumor and normal tissue and demonstrates the feasibility of using dynamic optical breast tomography for neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitoring. ongoing.

Citation Format: Sajjadi AY, Singh B, Deng B, Boas DA, Moy B, Schapira L, Bardia A, Specht MC, Carp SA, Isakoff SJ. Dynamic tomographic optical breast imaging (TOBI) for neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitoring. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-03-04.

Expression profiles of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration

Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common clinical pathology and has become a focus for research in recent years. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are enzymes responsible for the degradation of almost all extracellular matrix proteins (ECM). The over-expression of MMPs or tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) may disrupt the dynamic balance of the ECM. Therefore, in the current study, the expression levels of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 in lumbar IDD patients were evaluated in an attempt to elucidate their role in IDD pathogenesis and progression. In total, 60 IDD patients were recruited as the experimental group, along with 20 cases of lumbar vertebral injury without disc degeneration as the control group. Preoperative venous blood samples were collected, and intervertebral disc tissues were collected from the lesion during surgery. Serum and tissue levels of MMP-1 and TIMP-1 were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Serum and tissue MMP-1 levels in IDD patients were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, sub-group analysis revealed that severe IDD patients had higher MMP-1 levels compared with mild or moderate IDD patients (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in TIMP- 1 levels in either the serum or tissues of IDD patients compared to patients in the control group (P > 0.05). These results demonstrate that MMP-1 expression is increased in IDD, with higher expression observed in more severe cases, whereas TIMP-1 expression was similarly expressed in both normal and degenerated discs.

Identification of genes and pathways related to lipopolysaccharide signaling in duckling spleens

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major component of the outer cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria, activates the immune system and threatens the health of livestock and poultry. However, little is known about the genes and pathways involved in the immune response of ducklings to LPS. To elucidate the genes involved in the response of 7-day-old duckling spleens treated with LPS, RNA from LPS-treated and control duckling spleens was analyzed by RNA-Seq. The results showed 11,095 and 10,840 genes with >10 clean reads in the LPS-treated and control groups, respectively. Among these genes, 89 were differentially expressed (log2 ratio ≥ 1, P ≤ 0.01, false discovery rate ≤ 0.001); 67 of these were upregulated and 22 were downregulated in the LPS-treated group compared to the control. GO and GO-rich analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in 13 functional categories (P < 0.05). Pathway analysis and pathway richness analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in six pathway categories (P < 0.05). Further analysis showed that some immune system-related signaling pathways, such as the hematopoietic cell lineage, Toll-like receptor signaling pathway, T cell receptor signaling pathway, T cell receptor signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, antigen processing and presentation, and chemokine signaling pathway, are active during the immune response. To confirm the RNA-Seq results, we detected CCL4, LBP, CD71, and STEAP3 expression using real-time PCR analysis, and the results were consistent with the RNA-Seq results. Our results provide new information on the genes involved in the immune response of duckling spleens to LPS.

Study of PIK3CA, BRAF, and KRAS mutations in breast carcinomas among Chinese women in Qinghai

Phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase and RAS-activated signaling pathways play an important role in tumor formation. Abnormalities in relevant genes play essential roles in the occurrence and development of many human cancers. Studies of breast cancer have mainly focused on the women in western countries, but few studies have examined the frequency of mutations in PIK3CA, BRAF, and KRAS in Chinese breast cancer patients. In this study, we conducted sequence analysis of PIK3CA, BRAF, and KRAS and determined relationships with the occurrence of breast cancer in women from Qinghai. DNA was extracted from 25 cases of human breast cancer tissue samples. PIK3CA, BRAF, and KRAS mutation analysis was performed by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. No mutations were found in PIK3CA, BRAF, and KRAS of adjacent tissues. However, PIK3CA mutations were observed in 32% (8) of the 25 breast cancer tissues examined, in which exon 9 accounted for 4% (1), exon 20 accounted for 28% (7), and no mutations were found in exon 1 of PIK3CA. Sequencing of exon 2 of KRAS suggested that 20% (5) of the 25 samples harbored a mutation and 16% (4) of BRAF harbored a mutation. Any mutation in these 3 oncogenes may induce the occurrence and development of breast cancer.

GSK3β negatively regulates LPS-induced osteopontin expression via inhibiting its transcription

Osteopontin (OPN) is expressed by a variety of immune cells and is critical for both innate and adaptive immune responses. The expression status of OPN might be tightly regulated to maintain immune homeostasis. However, the mechanisms by which OPN is negatively regulated in LPS-stimulated macrophages remain largely unknown. In this study, we showed that glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) inhibitors - SB216763, LiCl and azakenpaullone - enhanced LPS-induced OPN expression in mouse peritoneal macrophages. GSK3β knock-down had the similar effects. Furthermore, we found that GSK3β inhibitors and GSK3β knock-down both increased the activity of OPN promoter in LPS-stimulated macrophages. GSK3β inhibitor-mediated enhancement of LPS-induced OPN promoter activity was abrogated in GSK3β siRNA-treated macrophages. Therefore, we identified GSK3β as a negative regulator of OPN expression and suggest GSK3β as a potential therapeutic target for the intervention of diseases with uncontrolled OPN production.

A microfluidic device enabling high-efficiency single cell trapping

Single cell trapping increasingly serves as a key manipulation technique in single cell analysis for many cutting-edge cell studies. Due to their inherent advantages, microfluidic devices have been widely used to enable single cell immobilization. To further improve the single cell trapping efficiency, this paper reports on a passive hydrodynamic microfluidic device based on the "least flow resistance path" principle with geometry optimized in line with corresponding cell types. Different from serpentine structure, the core trapping structure of the micro-device consists of a series of concatenated T and inverse T junction pairs which function as bypassing channels and trapping constrictions. This new device enhances the single cell trapping efficiency from three aspects: (1) there is no need to deploy very long or complicated channels to adjust flow resistance, thus saving space for each trapping unit; (2) the trapping works in a "deterministic" manner, thus saving a great deal of cell samples; and (3) the compact configuration allows shorter flowing path of cells in multiple channels, thus increasing the speed and throughput of cell trapping. The mathematical model of the design was proposed and optimization of associated key geometric parameters was conducted based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. As a proof demonstration, two types of PDMS microfluidic devices were fabricated to trap HeLa and HEK-293T cells with relatively significant differences in cell sizes. Experimental results showed 100% cell trapping and 90% single cell trapping over 4 × 100 trap sites for these two cell types, respectively. The space saving is estimated to be 2-fold and the cell trapping speed enhancement to be 3-fold compared to previously reported devices. This device can be used for trapping various types of cells and expanded to trap cells in the order of tens of thousands on 1-cm(2) scale area, as a promising tool to pattern large-scale single cells on specific substrates and facilitate on-chip cellular assay at the single cell level.

The cell envelope proteome of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

The cell envelope of gram-negative bacteria serves a critical role in maintenance of cellular homeostasis, resistance to external stress, and host-pathogen interactions. Envelope protein composition is influenced by the physiological and environmental demands placed on the bacterium. In this study, we report a comprehensive compilation of cell envelope proteins from the periodontal and systemic pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans VT1169, an afimbriated serotype b strain. The urea-extracted membrane proteins were identified by mass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics. The membrane proteome, isolated from actively growing bacteria under normal laboratory conditions, included 648 proteins representing 27% of the predicted open reading frames in the genome. Bioinformatic analyses were used to annotate and predict the cellular location and function of the proteins. Surface adhesins, porins, lipoproteins, numerous influx and efflux pumps, multiple sugar, amino acid and iron transporters, and components of the type I, II and V secretion systems were identified. Periplasmic space and cytoplasmic proteins with chaperone function were also identified. A total of 107 proteins with unknown function were associated with the cell envelope. Orthologs of a subset of these uncharacterized proteins are present in other bacterial genomes, whereas others are found exclusively in A. actinomycetemcomitans. This knowledge will contribute to elucidating the role of cell envelope proteins in bacterial growth and survival in the oral cavity.

Restoration of miR-101 suppresses lung tumorigenesis through inhibition of DNMT3a-dependent DNA methylation

The deregulation of miR-101 and DNMT3a has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple tumor types, but whether and how miR-101 silencing and DNMT3a overexpression contribute to lung tumorigenesis remain elusive. Here we show that miR-101 downregulation associates with DNMT3a overexpression in lung cancer cell lines and patient tissues. Ectopic miR-101 expression remarkably abrogated the DNMT3a 3′-UTR luciferase activity corresponding to the miR-101 binding site and caused an attenuated expression of endogenous DNMT3a, which led to a reduction of global DNA methylation and the re-expression of tumor suppressor CDH1 via its promoter DNA hypomethylation. Functionally, restoration of miR-101 expression suppressed lung cancer cell clonability and migration, which recapitulated the DNMT3a knockdown effects. Interestingly, miR-101 synergized with decitabine to downregulate DNMT3a and to reduce DNA methylation. Importantly, ectopic miR-101 expression was sufficient to trigger in vivo lung tumor regression and the blockage of metastasis. Consistent with these phenotypes, examination of xenograft tumors disclosed an increase of miR-101, a decrease of DNMT3a and the subsequent DNA demethylation. These findings support that the loss or suppression of miR-101 function accelerates lung tumorigenesis through DNMT3a-dependent DNA methylation, and suggest that miR-101-DNMT3a axis may have therapeutic value in treating refractory lung cancer.

Effects of polymorphisms and haplotypes within the MSTN gene on duck growth trait

Abstract 1. Polymorphisms of the duck MSTN gene were investigated in 413 individuals by DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (G129A, C324T, A981G and C1002A), with A981G and C1002A completely linked, were found in the coding region. 2. Association analysis showed that different genotypes of all the identified SNPs were significantly associated with duck growth rate from week 5, 6 and 2 for G129A, C324T and A981G (C1002A), respectively. The greatest difference in body weight was 180 g at week 9, 106 g at week 8 and 123 g at week 8, respectively, for the three SNP's. 3. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis indicated that C324T, A981G and C1002A were in strong LD. Nine main diplotypes from the reconstructed five main haplotypes were observed, and different diplotypes were significantly associated with growth rate from week 1. Birds with the h1h1 diplotype exhibited the largest body weight from week 1 onwards. 4. It was concluded that the duck MSTN gene was associated with body weight and is an important candidate gene for duck growth. traits and marker-assisted selection.

Expression of breast cancer anti-estrogen resistance 1 in relation to vascular endothelial growth factor, p53, and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell cancer

The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of breast cancer anti-estrogen resistance 1 (BCAR1) expression in relation to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), p53, and proliferation in esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). Expression of BCAR1, VEGF, p53, and the ki-67 proliferative index were examined by tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry in 106 specimens with ESCC and matched adjacent normal tissues. Among them, 40 cases were simultaneously examined by Western blot. Both Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed that BCAR1 expression was substantially higher in ESCC than in adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.001). BCAR1 expression was significantly connected with degree of tumor differentiation, with poorly differentiated tumors showing higher BCAR1 expression (P < 0.001). BCAR1 expression was significantly and positively correlated with VEGF and p53 expression levels (r= 0.541, P < 0.001; r= 0.374; P < 0.001) but not proliferative index (r= 0.44; P= 0.066). Additionally, a significant relationship was also observed between VEGF and p53 (r= 0.321; P= 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with high BCAR1 expression had significantly shorter survival times than those with low BCAR1 expression levels (median survival 40 months vs. 27 months, P= 0.09). Multivariate analysis also revealed that levels of BCAR1 expression (hazard ratio 2.250, P= 0.015) was a significant and independent prognostic indicator. High expression of BCAR1 is associated with elevated VEGF and p53 expression levels, as well as poor prognosis in ESCC. Therefore, BCAR1 may be a potential candidate for predicting prognosis and a new therapy target for ESCC.

Use of onyx for transarterial balloon-assisted embolization of traumatic carotid cavernous fistulas: a report of 23 cases

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

TCCFs are a common complication following craniofacial trauma and are usually treated by coils or detachable balloons. The use of the liquid embolic agent Onyx as the sole agent for the treatment of TCCFs has been rarely reported. Herein, we summarized the preliminary experience and effectiveness of treating TCCFs with Onyx in 23 patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From the 36 type A CCFs treated in our department between September 2005 and March 2011, a total of 23 posttraumatic direct CCFs were treated by using Onyx only via transarterial approach.

RESULTS

Immediate postprocedural angiograms demonstrated complete occlusion in all patients. All the patients underwent a single procedure except 1 with bilateral TCCFs. Up to 24-month clinical and 3-month angiographic follow-ups revealed an ongoing complete occlusion without any complications.

CONCLUSIONS

In this series, the use of Onyx for the transarterial embolization of TCCFs was feasible and effective. Associated adverse events were rare.