Expression of the c-Met Proto-Oncogene and Integrin α5β1 in Human Gastric Cardia Adenocarcinoma

The hepatocyte growth factor receptor c-Met, a receptor tyrosine kinase, and Integrin α5β1, one of the main ECM receptors of hepatocytes have been reported to play important roles in tumor growth by activating mitogenic signaling pathways. In human gastric cardia adenocarcinoma, however, expression of the c-Met and Integrin α5β1 have not been reported. Here we examined the mRNA levels and protein expressions of these two genes and their relationship in human normal gastric cardia mucosa and primary carcinomas. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to analyze the mRNA expression of both c-Met and Integrin α5β1. The relationship between c-Met and Integrin α5β1 expression and the histologic characteristics of tumors were studied. Western blot analysis was performed to investigate the presence of c-Met and Integrin α5β1. The expression patterns of c-Met and Integrin α5β1 in 45 frozen slides of cardia adenocarcinoma were identified by immunohistochemistry. Our results indicate that the expression of c-Met and of Integrin α5β1 was significantly associated with tumor differentiation, TNM, and metastasis via the lymphogenic route. A significant positive correlation was also found between c-Met and Integrin α5β1 mRNA expression, suggesting that expression of c-Met and Integrin α5β1 has mechanical significance in the early stages of human gastric cardia adenocarcinoma.     

Stability and bioactivity studies on dipeptidyl peptidase IV resistant glucogan-like peptide-1 analogues

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) was once considered as an ideal anti-diabetic candidate for its important role in maintaining glucose homeostasis through the regulation of islet hormone secretion, as well as hepatic and gastric function. However, the major therapeutic obstacle for using native GLP-1 as a therapeutic agent is its very short half-life primarily due to their degradation by the enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV). In this study, GLP-1 analogues with modifications in amino acid site 8, 22 and 23 were synthesized using solid phase peptide synthesis. Resistance of these analogues to DPP-IV cleavage was investigated in vitro by incubation of the peptides with DPP-IV or human plasma. Glucoregulating efficacy of the analogues was evaluated in normal Kunming mice using intraperitoneal glucose tolerance model. Glucose lowering effect of combination therapy (analogue plus Vildagliptin) has also been studied. In vitro studies showed that the modified analogues were much more stable than native GLP-1 (nearly 100% of the peptide keep intact after 4 h incubation). In vivo biological activity evaluation revealed that His8-EEE (the most potent GLP-1 analogues in this study) exhibited significantly improved glycemic control potency (approximately 4.1-fold over saline and 2.5-fold over GLP-1) and longer time of active duration (at least 5 h). Combination therapy also showed the trend of its superiority over mono-therapy. Modified analogues showed increased potency and biological half-time compared with the native GLP-1, which may help to understand the structure-activity relationship of GLP-1 analogues.     

Purification, characterization and gene cloning of the killer toxin produced by the marine-derived yeast Williopsis saturnus WC91-2

As the killer toxin produced by Williopsis saturnus WC91-2 could kill many sensitive yeast strains, including the pathogenic ones, the extracellular killer toxin in the supernatant of cell culture of the marine yeast strain was purified and characterized. The molecular mass of the purified killer toxin was estimated to be 11.0kDa according to the data from SDS-PAGE. The purified killer toxin had killing activity, but could not hydrolyze laminarin. The optimal conditions for action of the purified killer toxin against the pathogenic yeast Metschnikowia bicuspidate WCY were the assay medium with 10% NaCl, pH 3-3.5 and temperature 16°C. The gene encoding the killer toxin from the marine killer yeast WC91-2 was cloned and the ORF of the gene was 378bp. The deduced protein from the cloned gene encoding the killer toxin had 125 amino acids with calculated molecular weight of 11.6kDa. It was also found that the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified killer toxin had the same corresponding sequence deduced from the cloned killer toxin gene in this marine yeast, confirming that the purified killer toxin was indeed encoded by the cloned gene.     

Involvements of calcium channel and potassium channel in Danshen and Gegen decoction induced vasodilation in porcine coronary LAD artery

Danshen (Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix) and Gegen (Puerariae Lobatae Radix) have been widely used in treating cardiovascular diseases for thousands of years in China. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of a Danshen and Gegen decoction (DG) on the vascular reactivity of a porcine isolated coronary artery and the underlying mechanisms involved. Porcine coronary rings were precontracted with 15nM U46619. The involvement of endothelium-dependent mechanisms was explored by removing the endothelium; the involvement of potassium channels was investigated by the pretreatment of the artery rings with various blockers, and the involvement of the calcium channels was investigated by incubating the artery rings with Ca(2+)-free buffer and priming them with high [K(+)] prior to adding CaCl(2) to elicit contraction. The involvement of Ca(2+) sensitization was explored by evaluating the Rho-activity expression. The results revealed that DG elicited a concentration-dependent relaxation on a U46619-precontracted coronary artery ring. These relaxation responses were not altered by the pretreatment of inhibitors of endothelium-related dilator synthases, cGMP and cAMP pathway inhibitors, potassium channel (BK(Ca), SK(Ca), K(V) and K(ATP)) blockers and endothelium removal. The K(IR) channel blocker BaCl(2) only slightly attenuated the DG-induced relaxation. However, the Ca(2+)-induced artery contraction was inhibited by DG. Additionally, the expression of the phosphorylated myosin light chain was inhibited by DG whereas the activity of RhoA was not affected. Therefore, DG could be a useful cardioprotective agent for vasodilation in patients who have hypertension.     

Borapetoside C from Tinospora crispa improves insulin sensitivity in diabetic mice

Diabetes mellitus (DM) often leads to disability from vascular complications and neurological complications. Tinospora crispa has been widely used in Asia and Africa as a remedy for diabetes and other diseases. In this study, we investigated the hypoglycemic actions of borapetoside C isolated from T. crispa, and the mechanisms underlying its actions. Acute treatment with borapetoside C (5mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated the elevated plasma glucose induced by oral glucose in normal and type 2 DM (T2DM) mice. Compared to the effect of injected insulin (0.5 IU/kg), borapetoside C caused a more prominent increase of glycogen content in skeletal muscle of T2DM mice, but a less increase in type 1 DM (T1DM) mice. Combined treatment of a low dose borapetoside C (0.1mg/kg, i.p.) plus insulin enhanced insulin-induced lowering of the plasma glucose level and insulin-induced increase of muscle glycogen content. Continuous treatment with 5mg/kg borapetoside C (twice daily) for 7 days increased phosphorylation of insulin receptor (IR) and protein kinase B (Akt) as well as the expression of glucose transporter-2 (GLUT2) in T1DM mice. Combined treatment of a low dose borapetoside C (0.1mg/kg, twice daily) plus insulin for 7 days enhanced insulin-induced IR and Akt phosphorylation and GLUT2 expression in the liver of T1DM mice. This study proved that borapetoside C can increase glucose utilization, delayed the development of insulin resistance and enhanced insulin sensitivity. The activation of IR-Akt-GLUT2 expression and the enhancement of insulin sensitivity may contribute to the hypoglycemic action of borapetoside C in diabetic mice.     

The Cold Awakening of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Doritaenopsis</Emphasis> ‘Tinny Tender’ Orchid Flowers: The Role of Leaves in Cold-induced Bud Dormancy Release

Massive flowering of tropical Phalaenopsis orchids is coordinated by the cold-induced release of reproductive bud dormancy. Light and temperature are the two key factors integrated by the dormancy mechanism to both stop and reactivate the meristem development of many other angiosperm species, including fruit trees and ornamental plants. It is well established that leaves and roots play a major role in inducing flower development; however, currently, knowledge of molecular events associated with reproductive bud dormancy release in organs other than the bud is limited. Using differential gene expression, we have shown that the leaves of a hybrid of Phalaenopsis species, Doritaenopsis ‘Tinny Tender’, undergo major metabolic modifications. These changes result in the production of sucrose and amino acids, both of which can sustain bud outgrowth, and auxin and ethylene, which may play important roles in awaking the dormant buds. Intake of abscisic acid and synthesis of the hormone jasmonate may also explain the inhibition of vegetative growth that coincides with bud growth. Interestingly, many genes that were upregulated by cold treatment are homologous for genes involved in flower induction and vernalization in Arabidopsis, indicating that processes regulating flowering induction and those regulating reproductive bud dormancy release may use similar pathways and effector molecules.     

IL-4 induces proliferation in prostate cancer PC3 cells under nutrient-depletion stress through the activation of the JNK-pathway and survivin up-regulation

Interleukin (IL)-4 plays a critical role in the regulation of immune responses and has been detected at high levels in the tumor microenvironment of cancer patients where it correlates with the grade of malignancy. The direct effect of IL-4 on cancer cells has been associated with increased cell survival; however, its role in cancer cell proliferation and related mechanisms is still unclear. Here it was shown that in a nutrient-depleted environment, IL-4 induces proliferation in prostate cancer PC3 cells. In these cells, under nutrient-depletion stress, IL-4 activates mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including Erk, p38, and JNK. Using MAP-signaling-specific inhibitors, it was shown that IL-4-induced proliferation is mediated by JNK activation. In fact, JNK-inhibitor-V (JNKi-V) stunted IL-4-mediated cell proliferation. Furthermore, it was found that IL-4 induces survivin up-regulation in nutrient-depleted cancer cells. Using survivin-short-hairpin-RNAs (shRNAs), it was demonstrated that in this milieu survivin expression above a threshold limit is critical to the mechanism of IL-4-mediated proliferation. In addition, the significance of survivin up-regulation in a stressed environment was assessed in prostate cancer mouse xenografts. It was found that survivin knockdown decreases tumor progression in correlation with cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, under nutrient depletion stress, IL -4 could induce proliferation in cancer cells from multiple origins: MDA-MB-231 (breast), A253 (head and neck), and SKOV-3 (ovarian). Overall, these findings suggest that in a tumor microenvironment under stress conditions, IL-4 triggers a simultaneous activation of the JNK-pathway and the up-regulation of survivin turning on a cancer proliferation mechanism.     

Discussions on oral health care among elderly Chinese immigrants in Melbourne and Vancouver

doi: 10.1111/j.1741‐2358.2011.00568.x Discussions on oral health care among elderly Chinese immigrants in Melbourne and Vancouver Background: This study explored how elderly Chinese immigrants value and relate to how acculturation influences oral health and subsequent service use. Methods: Elders who had immigrated to Melbourne and Vancouver within the previous 15 years were recruited from local community centres and assigned to focus groups of 5–7 participants in Vancouver (4 groups) or Melbourne (5 groups). Results: Following an iterative process of thematic analysis, the discussions revealed that immigrants care about the comfort and appearance of their teeth, and they value Western dentistry as a supplement to traditional remedies, but they have difficulty getting culturally sensitive information about oral health care. Accessing dentistry, they explained, is distressing because of language problems and financial costs that impose on their children. Consequently, many immigrants obtain dental treatment in China when they return for occasional visits. They felt that separation of dentistry from national health care programmes in Canada and Australia disregards natural links between oral health and general health. Conclusions: The similarity of concerns in both cities suggests that dissemination of information and availability of services are the important themes influencing oral health, and that, beliefs developed over a lifetime play an important role in interpreting oral health in the host country.     

Learning chronobiology by improving wikipedia

Although chronobiology is of growing interest to scientists, physicians, and the general public, access to recent discoveries and historical perspectives is limited. Wikipedia is an online, user-written encyclopedia that could enhance public access to current understanding in chronobiology. However, Wikipedia is lacking important information and is not universally trusted. Here, 46 students in a university course edited Wikipedia to enhance public access to important discoveries in chronobiology. Students worked for an average of 9 h each to evaluate the primary literature and available Wikipedia information, nominated sites for editing, and, after voting, edited the 15 Wikipedia pages they determined to be highest priorities. This assignment (http://www.nslc.wustl.edu/courses/Bio4030/wikipedia_project.html) was easy to implement, required relatively short time commitments from the professor and students, and had measurable impacts on Wikipedia and the students. Students created 3 new Wikipedia sites, edited 12 additional sites, and cited 347 peer-reviewed articles. The targeted sites all became top hits in online search engines. Because their writing was and will be read by a worldwide audience, students found the experience rewarding. Students reported significantly increased comfort with reading, critiquing, and summarizing primary literature and benefited from seeing their work edited by other scientists and editors of Wikipedia. We conclude that, in a short project, students can assist in making chronobiology widely accessible and learn from the editorial process.     

环境因子对黄海南部春季帆张网小黄鱼和黄鮟鱇渔获分布的影响

帆张网渔业是黄海南部重要的渔业捕捞方式之一.本文根据2006-2009年春季黄海南部帆张网的渔获数据,利用广义线性模型(GLM)和广义加性模型(GAM)定量研究了年份、位置、水深和海水表层温度(SST)对小黄鱼和黄鮟鱇渔获量分布的影响.结果表明:GAM模型较GLM模型可以更好地解释小黄鱼和黄鮟鱇单位捕捞努力量渔获量(CPUE)时空分布与环境因子之间的关系.小黄鱼和黄鮟鱇CPUE呈显著负相关,小黄鱼CPUE呈现由北向南沿纬度方向逐渐减小的趋势,尤其在长江口周围较小;黄鮟鱇CPUE在长江口附近也较小.SST对小黄鱼和黄鮟鱇CPUE的影响显著,小黄鱼和黄鮟鱇适宜表温范围分别为9～11℃和9～14℃.