Research on overburden structural characteristics and support adaptability in cooperative mining of sectional coal pillar and bottom coal seam

In the mining process of the II1 coal seam at Zhaogu No. 2 coal mine, a method of stratified mining is employed, leaving relatively wide coal pillars in sections. To enhance the resource recovery rate, the mine carries out the cooperative mining of the sectional coal pillars and the lower layer coal seam. The 14,022 cooperative working face of fully-mechanized and fully-mechanized top-coal caving at Zhaogu No. 2 coal mine is taken as the research object. Through numerical simulation, theoretical calculations, and on-site industrial trials, a comprehensive analysis of the overburden structural characteristics and the support adaptability at the working face is conducted. It is clarified that a stress arch bearing structure can be formed above the sectional coal pillars during cooperative mining, and this structure is controlled by key strata. The formation of a stress arch bearing structure in the overburden above the sectional coal pillars provides protection for the underlying mining area. A formula for calculating the working resistance of hydraulic supports under the stress arch in sectional coal pillar is derived. Based on these results, the working resistance of hydraulic supports in the coal pillar area is calculated and selected. Field application shows that the working resistance of the support is 10,000 kN in the fully-mechanized top-coal caving working face, and is 9000 kN in fully-mechanized working face, meeting the support requirements and ensuring safe mining at the working face. This study provides a valuable engineering reference for achieving cooperative mining of abandoned sectional coal pillars and lower layer coal seam in stratified mining method.

The Tudor-knot Domain of KAT5 Regulates Nucleosomal Substrate Acetylation

The lysine acetyltransferase KAT5 is a pivotal enzyme responsible for catalyzing histone H4 acetylation in cells. In addition to its indispensable HAT domain, KAT5 also encompasses a conserved Tudor-knot domain at its N-terminus. However, the function of this domain remains elusive, with conflicting findings regarding its role as a histone reader. In our study, we have employed a CRISPR tiling array approach and unveiled the Tudor-knot motif as an essential domain for cell survival. The Tudor-knot domain does not bind to histone tails and is not required for KAT5's chromatin occupancy. However, its absence leads to a global reduction in histone acetylation, accompanied with genome-wide alterations in gene expression that consequently result in diminished cell viability. Mechanistically, we find that the Tudor-knot domain regulates KAT5's HAT activity on nucleosomes by fine-tuning substrate accessibility. In summary, our study uncovers the Tudor-knot motif as an essential domain for cell survival and reveals its critical role in modulating KAT5's catalytic efficiency on nucleosome and KAT5-dependent transcriptional programs critical for cell viability.

Hotspot Cancer Mutation Impairs KAT8-mediated Nucleosomal Histone Acetylation

KAT8 is an evolutionarily conserved lysine acetyltransferase that catalyzes histone acetylation at H4K16 or H4K5 and H4K8 through distinct protein complexes. It plays a pivotal role in male X chromosome dosage compensation in Drosophila and is implicated in the regulation of diverse cellular processes in mammals. Mutations and dysregulation of KAT8 have been reported in human neurodevelopmental disorders and various cancers. However, the precise mechanisms by which these mutations disrupt KAT8's normal function, leading to disease pathogenesis, remain largely unknown. In this study, we focus on a hotspot missense cancer mutation, the R98W point mutation within the Tudor-knot domain. Our study reveals that the R98W mutation leads to a reduction in global H4K16ac levels in cells and downregulates the expression of target genes. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that R98 is essential for KAT8-mediated acetylation of nucleosomal histones by modulating substrate accessibility.

Aging under endocrine hormone regulation

Aging is a biological process in which the environment interacts with the body to cause a progressive decline in effective physiological function. Aging in the human body can lead to a dysfunction of the vital organ systems, resulting in the onset of age-related diseases, such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, which can seriously affect an individual's quality of life. The endocrine system acts on specific targets through hormones and related major functional factors in its pathways, which play biological roles in coordinating cellular interactions, metabolism, growth, and aging. Aging is the result of a combination of many pathological, physiological, and psychological processes, among which the endocrine system can achieve a bidirectional effect on the aging process by regulating the hormone levels in the body. In this paper, we explored the mechanisms of growth hormone, thyroid hormone, and estrogen in the aging process to provide a reference for the exploration of endocrine mechanisms related to aging.

The role of the PZP domain of AF10 in acute leukemia driven by AF10 translocations

Chromosomal translocations of the AF10 (or MLLT10) gene are frequently found in acute leukemias. Here, we show that the PZP domain of AF10 (AF10_PZP), which is consistently impaired or deleted in leukemogenic AF10 translocations, plays a critical role in blocking malignant transformation. Incorporation of functional AF10_PZP into the leukemogenic CALM-AF10 fusion prevents the transforming activity of the fusion in bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in vitro and in vivo and abrogates CALM-AF10-mediated leukemogenesis in vivo. Crystallographic, biochemical and mutagenesis studies reveal that AF10_PZP binds to the nucleosome core particle through multivalent contacts with the histone H3 tail and DNA and associates with chromatin in cells, colocalizing with active methylation marks and discriminating against the repressive H3K27me3 mark. AF10_PZP promotes nuclear localization of CALM-AF10 and is required for association with chromatin. Our data indicate that the disruption of AF10_PZP function in the CALM-AF10 fusion directly leads to transformation, whereas the inclusion of AF10_PZP downregulates Hoxa genes and reverses cellular transformation. Our findings highlight the molecular mechanism by which AF10 targets chromatin and suggest a model for the AF10_PZP-dependent CALM-AF10-mediated leukemogenesis.

Regression analysis of supply chain financial risk based on machine learning and fuzzy decision model

Supply chain financial risk control has become the biggest obstacle restricting financial institutions from developing supply chain financial services. If financial institutions want to make a difference in the supply chain finance business, they need to implement strong control measures against supply chain finance risks. Based on the research of supply chain finance and risk related theories, this paper uses fuzzy preference relations and selects the main risk criteria to construct a risk evaluation index system. Moreover, this paper takes the development of J company’s supply chain finance business as a background to conduct an empirical analysis and proposes the risk management measures and development strategies of J company’s actual supply chain finance business. The combination of quantitative analysis and qualitative evaluation is more comprehensive and operational value for the research and management of supply chain financial risks. In addition, this paper uses the evaluation index system constructed in this paper to conduct a more comprehensive summary and analysis of the internal and external environment of risk influencing factors. The research results show that the performance of the model constructed in this paper is good.

Impaired cell fate through gain-of-function mutations in a chromatin reader

Modifications of histone proteins have essential roles in normal development and human disease. Recognition of modified histones by 'reader' proteins is a key mechanism that mediates the function of histone modifications, but how the dysregulation of these readers might contribute to disease remains poorly understood. We previously identified the ENL protein as a reader of histone acetylation via its YEATS domain, linking it to the expression of cancer-driving genes in acute leukaemia¹. Recurrent hotspot mutations have been found in the ENL YEATS domain in Wilms tumour^2,3, the most common type of paediatric kidney cancer. Here we show, using human and mouse cells, that these mutations impair cell-fate regulation by conferring gain-of-function in chromatin recruitment and transcriptional control. ENL mutants induce gene-expression changes that favour a premalignant cell fate, and, in an assay for nephrogenesis using murine cells, result in undifferentiated structures resembling those observed in human Wilms tumour. Mechanistically, although bound to largely similar genomic loci as the wild-type protein, ENL mutants exhibit increased occupancy at a subset of targets, leading to a marked increase in the recruitment and activity of transcription elongation machinery that enforces active transcription from target loci. Furthermore, ectopically expressed ENL mutants exhibit greater self-association and form discrete and dynamic nuclear puncta that are characteristic of biomolecular hubs consisting of local high concentrations of regulatory factors. Such mutation-driven ENL self-association is functionally linked to enhanced chromatin occupancy and gene activation. Collectively, our findings show that hotspot mutations in a chromatin-reader domain drive self-reinforced recruitment, derailing normal cell-fate control during development and leading to an oncogenic outcome.

Evidence of long-lasting anti-CD19 activity of engrafted CD19 chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells in a phase I study targeting pediatrics with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Ninety percent of relapse/refractory B‐cell acute lymphatic leukemia (R/R B‐ALL) patients can achieve complete remission (CR) after CD19‐targeting chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR‐T) cell therapy. However, around 50% of them relapse in 1 year. Persistent CAR‐T cell engraftment is considered as the key to remain durable remission. Here, we initiated a phase I study to treat 10 pediatric B‐ALL patients using a CD19‐targeted second generation CAR with a 4‐1BB intracellular costimulatory domain. All patients received a standard fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC) preconditioning regiment, followed by a CAR‐T infusion with a median number of 0.5 (0.3‐1.58) × 10⁶ CAR+ T cells/kg. The pretreatment tumor burdens were high with a median bone marrow (BM) blasts percentage of 59.2% (7.31%‐86.2%), excluding one patient only with brain infiltration of leukemia cells (0% BM blasts). The initial CR rate was 80% (n = 8/10). Four patients (40%) experienced serious (grade > 2) cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and three patients (30%) with obvious neurotoxicity. Monthly assessments of CD19+ minimal residual disease (MRD) and CAR‐T engraftment demonstrated the anti‐CD19 activity of long‐term engrafted CAR‐T cell clones in one patient for more than 2 years.

MINA53 deficiency leads to glioblastoma cell apoptosis via inducing DNA replication stress and diminishing DNA damage response

MYC-induced nuclear antigen (MINA53) is a JmjC (jumonji C domain)-containing protein, which is highly expressed in many cancers including glioblastoma. We have revealed in our previous report that MINA53 is a poor prognostic indicator for glioblastoma patients, and knockdown of MINA53 could reduce glioblastoma malignancy. In this study, we found that MINA53 knockdown could decrease the DNA replication initiation in glioblastoma cells. Through further investigations, we revealed that MINA53 could regulate the expression of the CDC45-MCM-GINS (CMG) complex genes, which are vital for DNA replication initiation. Knockdown of MINA53 reduced the CMG genes expression and thus induced DNA replication stress and DNA damage. Furthermore, MINA53 knockdown diminished DNA damage response (DDR) by reducing the ATM/ATR-H2AX pathway activity and finally led glioblastoma cells to apoptosis and death. We further applied a genotoxic drug Doxorubicin and found that MINA53 deficiency sensitized glioblastoma cells to Doxorubicin. Our study reveals that MINA53 is involved in DNA replication initiation and DNA damage response, and provides support for MINA53 as a novel and potential therapeutic target for glioblastoma treatment.

A novel frameshift mutation of Chediak-Higashi syndrome and treatment in the accelerated phase

Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) is a rare autosomal recessive immunodeficiency disease characterized by frequent infections, hypopigmentation, progressive neurologic deterioration and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), known as the accelerated phase. There is little experience in the accelerated phase of CHS treatment worldwide. Here, we present a case of a 9-month-old boy with continuous high fever, hypopigmentation of the skin, enlarged lymph nodes, hepatosplenomegaly and lung infection. He was diagnosed with CHS by gene sequencing, and had entered the accelerated phase. After 8 weeks of therapy, the boy had remission and was prepared for allogenic stem cell transplantation.

MINA controls proliferation and tumorigenesis of glioblastoma by epigenetically regulating cyclins and CDKs via H3K9me3 demethylation

It is generally known that histone demethylases regulate gene transcription by altering the methylate status on histones, but their roles in cancers and the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain unclear. MYC-induced nuclear antigen (MINA) is reported to be a histone demethylase and highly expressed in many cancers. Here, for the first time, we show that MINA is involved in glioblastoma carcinogenesis and reveal the probable mechanisms of it in cell-cycle control. Kaplan-Meier analysis of progression-free survival showed that high MINA expression was strongly correlated with poor outcome and advancing tumor stage. MINA knockdown significantly repressed the cell proliferation and tumorigenesis abilities of glioblastoma cells in vitro and in vivo that were rescued by overexpressing the full-length MINA afterwards. Microarray analysis after knockdown of MINA revealed that MINA probably regulated glioblastoma carcinogenesis through the predominant cell-cycle pathways. Further investigation showed that MINA deficiency led to a cell-cycle arrest in G1 and G2 phases. And among the downstream genes, we found that cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases were directly activated by MINA via the demethylation of H3K9me3.

PHOX2B Is Associated with Neuroblastoma Cell Differentiation

Neuroblastoma is a common pediatric malignancy that accounts for ∼15% of tumor-related deaths in children. The tumor is generally believed to originate from neural crest cells during early sympathetic neurogenesis. As the degree of neuroblastoma differentiation has been correlated with clinical outcome, clarifying the molecular mechanisms that drive neuroblastoma progression and differentiation is important for increasing the survival of these patients. In a previous study, the authors identified paired-like homeobox 2b (PHOX2B) as a key mediator of neuroblastoma pathogenesis in a TH-MYCN mouse model. In the present study, they aimed to define whether PHOX2B is also associated with proliferation and differentiation of human neuroblastoma cells. PHOX2B expression in neuroblastoma cells was evaluated by immunoblot analyses, and the effects of PHOX2B on the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells in vitro were determined using clonogenic and sphere formation assays. Xenograft experiments in NOD/SCID mice were used to examine the in vivo response to PHOX2B knockdown. Their data demonstrated that PHOX2B acts as a prognostic marker in neuroblastoma and that retinoic acid-induced neuronal differentiation downregulates PHOX2B expression, thereby suppressing the self-renewal capacity of neuroblastoma cells and inhibiting tumorigenicity. These findings confirmed that PHOX2B is a key regulator of neuroblastoma differentiation and stemness maintenance and indicated that PHOX2B might serve as a potential therapeutic target in neuroblastoma patients.

Transcriptional co-activator TAZ sustains proliferation and tumorigenicity of neuroblastoma by targeting CTGF and PDGF-β

Neuroblastoma is a common childhood malignant tumor originated from the neural crest-derived sympathetic nervous system. A crucial event in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma is to promote proliferation of neuroblasts, which is closely related to poor survival. However, mechanisms for regulation of cell proliferation and tumorigenicity in neuroblastoma are not well understood. Here, we report that overexpression of TAZ in neuroblastoma BE(2)-C cells causes increases in cell proliferation, self renewal and colony formation, which was restored back to its original levels by knockdown of TAZ in TAZ-overexpression cells. Inhibition of endogenous TAZ attenuated cell proliferation, colony formation and tumor development in neuroblastoma SK-N-AS cell, which could be rescued by re-introduction of TAZ into TAZ-knockdown cells. In addition, we found that overexpressing TAZ-mediated induction of CTGF and PDGF-β expression, cell proliferation and colony formation were inhibited by knocking down CTGF and PDGF-β with siRNA in TAZ-overexpressing cell. Overall, our findings suggested that TAZ plays an essential role in regulating cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in neuroblastoma cells. Thus, TAZ seems to be a novel and promising target for the treatment of neuroblastoma.

Homeobox C9 suppresses Beclin1-mediated autophagy in glioblastoma by directly inhibiting the transcription of death-associated protein kinase 1

BACKGROUND

The transcription factor homeobox C9 (HOXC9) plays a crucial role in developmental regulatory systems, where it determines the specific positional identities of cells along the anteroposterior axis. The expression of HOXC9 has been found to be dysregulated in some cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and neuroblastoma. Here, we report for the first time that HOXC9 is a novel autophagy regulator and reveal its oncogenic role in cell survival and its usefulness as a prognostic marker in glioblastoma patients.

METHODS

Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the possible prognostic value of HOXC9 in glioblastoma. Growth curve assays, subcutaneous, and orthotopic implantations were used to analyze cell viability and tumor formation, respectively. Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed to explore the mechanisms involved in the association between HOXC9 and its downstream effector, death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1).

RESULTS

High expression of HOXC9 was found to be an indicator of a poor prognosis in glioblastoma. HOXC9 knockdown resulted in a significant reduction of cell viability, migration, invasion, and tumorigenicity and a marked increase in autophagy. During the autophagy process, HOXC9 inhibited DAPK1 transcription by directly binding to its promoter. The downregulation of HOXC9 releases its transcriptional inhibition of DAPK1, resulting in the activation of the DAPK1-Beclin1 pathway, which induces autophagy in glioblastoma cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Collectively, our data indicate that HOXC9 is an oncogene in glioblastoma. We have revealed its role in the control of autophagy, and we suggest that HOXC9 is a novel and promising therapeutic target.

A novel granulocyte-specific α integrin is essential for cellular immunity in the silkworm Bombyx mori

Haemocytes play crucial roles in immune responses and survival in insects. Specific cell markers have proven effective in clarifying the function and haematopoiesis of haemocytes. The silkworm Bombyx mori is a good model for studying insect haemocytes; however, little is known about haemocyte-specific markers or their functions in silkworm. In this study, we identified the α subunit of integrin, BmintegrinαPS3, as being specifically and highly expressed in silkworm haemocytes. Immunofluorescence analysis validated the specificity of BmintegrinαPS3 in larval granulocytes. Further analyses indicated that haemocytes dispersed from haematopoietic organs (HPOs) into the circulating haemolymph could differentiate into granulocytes. In addition, the processes of encapsulation and phagocytosis were controlled by larval granulocytes. Our work demonstrated that BmintegrinαPS3 could be used as a specific marker for granulocytes and could be applied to future molecular cell biology studies.

Preladenant, a selective adenosine A₂A receptor antagonist, is not associated with QT/QTc prolongation

PURPOSE

Preladenant is an orally administered adenosine2A (A2A) receptor antagonist in phase III development for Parkinson's disease treatment. This thorough QT/QTc study evaluated its potential effects on cardiac repolarization.

METHODS

This was a randomized, double-blind, positive- and placebo-controlled, four-period crossover study performed under steady-state exposure of clinical and supratherapeutic doses of preladenant (10 mg BID and 100 mg BID, respectively, for 5 days), moxifloxacin (400 mg on day 5), or placebo in 60 healthy adult volunteers. The potential effect on QTcF was measured by the largest upper bound of 95 % one-sided CIs for the mean changes from time-matched baseline ECG recordings compared with placebo. Plasma preladenant concentrations were also determined on day 5.

RESULTS

The QTcF difference for moxifloxacin compared with placebo exceeded 5 ms from 1 to 12 h postdose, establishing assay sensitivity. The QTcF interval was similar between the preladenant and placebo treatment groups: the upper bound of the 95 % one-sided CI for the mean difference in QTcF between preladenant and placebo was less than 10 ms at all time points for the supratherapeutic treatment group (1.3 to 5.7 ms, mean difference: -1.3 to 2.7 ms) and the therapeutic treatment group (0.4 to 4.3 ms, mean difference: -2.1 to 1.5 ms), substantially below the threshold of regulatory concern. The supratherapeutic dose (100 mg BID) provided a Cmax margin of 6.1-fold and AUC margin of 6.9-fold, respectively, compared with 10 mg BID.

CONCLUSIONS

At clinical and supratherapeutic doses, preladenant is not associated with QTc prolongation.

[Effects of Curcuma phaeocaulis on learning and memory and lipid peroxide in mice]

Nine months mice were inoculated and the method of water maze test and lipid peroxide determination to study the effects of extract of Curcuma phaeocaulis Valeton on learning and memory ability and retarding of senescence. Results showed that in water maze test the time for the group with Curcuma phaeocaulis Valeton needed from initial position to the end was significantly shortened compared with old control. The error numbers for the group of Curcuma phaeocaulis Valeton were significantly decreased compared with old control after starting experiment for 18 days and 24 days and for 35 days no significance difference was showed between groups. The levels of brain, liver and red blood cells lipid peroxide in the group with Curcuma phaeocaulis Valeton were considerably lower than old control, hemoglobin content was considerably increased than old control.