花尾榛鸡冬季活动区及社群行为

无线电遥测结果表明,长白山冬季花尾榛鸡的月活动区大小为22.5～6.52hm~2。11月至1月,随着天气变冷,花尾榛鸡的活动区面积明显减小(P<0.001)。冬季花尾榛鸡的日活动范围很小,平均466±127m~2。整个冬季花尾榛鸡的活动中心区出现阶段性改变。花角榛鸡对其活动区有一定的依赖性。花尾榛鸡冬季不存在明显的领域,出现集群行为,这与其栖息地食物丰富与抵御天敌有关。花尾榛鸡集群的组织结构是松散的,缺乏义务性,集群中的个体关系有亲疏,存在2只或2只以上个体组成的小组,同组个体之间的距离大多数情况在150～200m以内的联系范围内。推测花尾榛鸡集群时的活动区面积增大。     

Hsa-miR-5195-3p对人宫颈癌细胞SiHa增殖、迁移与侵袭的影响

目的:探讨mi R-5195-3p对人宫颈癌细胞系Si Ha增殖、迁移与侵袭的影响。方法:采用qRT-PCR检测人宫颈癌细胞SiHa和正常上皮细胞HaCaT中mi R-5195-3p的表达水平。将mi R-5195-3p mimic转染至Si Ha细胞中构建外源性过表达细胞株,阴性对照组中则转染NC mimic,并用q RT-PCR验证转染效率;通过MTT和集落形成实验检测细胞增殖能力;划痕愈合实验检测细胞横向迁移能力; Transwell小室实验检测细胞纵向迁移能力和侵袭能力;采用qRT-PCR和Western blot检测E-cadherin、Vimentin与snail m RNA转录水平及蛋白表达水平。结果:宫颈癌细胞Si Ha中的mi R-5195-3p表达水平较HaCaT偏低(P 0. 05)。与阴性对照组相比,转染mi R-5195-3p mimic的SiHa细胞中mi R-5195-3p水平显著增高(P 0. 01);并且其体外增殖(P 0. 001),迁移(P 0. 001)与侵袭能力(P 0. 001)明显减弱;同时E-cadherin表达水平上调而Vimentin、snail表达水平下调。结论:过表达mi R-5195-3p可能通过阻碍EMT通路抑制宫颈癌细胞Si Ha的增殖,迁移与侵袭。     

Bmp2 regulates Serpinb6b expression via cAMP/PKA/Wnt4 pathway during uterine decidualization

Serpinb6b is a novel member of Serpinb family and found in germ and somatic cells of mouse gonads, but its physiological function in uterine decidualization remains unclear. The present study revealed that abundant Serpinb6b was noted in decidual cells, and advanced the proliferation and differentiation of stromal cells, indicating a creative role of Serpinb6b in uterine decidualization. Further analysis found that Serpinb6b modulated the expression of Mmp2 and Mmp9. Meanwhile, Serpinb6b was identified as a target of Bmp2 regulation in stromal differentiation. Treatment with rBmp2 resulted in an accumulation of intracellular cAMP level whose function in this differentiation program was mediated by Serpinb6b. Addition of PKA inhibitor H89 impeded the Bmp2 induction of Serpinb6b, whereas 8‐Br‐cAMP rescued the defect of Serpinb6b expression elicited by Bmp2 knock‐down. Attenuation of Serpinb6b greatly reduced the induction of constitutive Wnt4 activation on stromal cell differentiation. By contrast, overexpression of Serpinb6b prevented this inhibition of differentiation process by Wnt4 siRNA. Moreover, blockage of Wnt4 abrogated the up‐regulation of cAMP on Serpinb6b. Collectively, Serpinb6b mediates uterine decidualization via Mmp2/9 in response to Bmp2/cAMP/PKA/Wnt4 pathway.     

LNRLMI: Linear neighbour representation for predicting lncRNA‐miRNA interactions

LncRNA and miRNA are key molecules in mechanism of competing endogenous RNAs(ceRNA), and their interactions have been discovered with important roles in gene regulation. As supplementary to the identification of lncRNA‐miRNA interactions from CLIP‐seq experiments, in silico prediction can select the most potential candidates for experimental validation. Although developing computational tool for predicting lncRNA‐miRNA interaction is of great importance for deciphering the ceRNA mechanism, little effort has been made towards this direction. In this paper, we propose an approach based on linear neighbour representation to predict lncRNA‐miRNA interactions (LNRLMI). Specifically, we first constructed a bipartite network by combining the known interaction network and similarities based on expression profiles of lncRNAs and miRNAs. Based on such a data integration, linear neighbour representation method was introduced to construct a prediction model. To evaluate the prediction performance of the proposed model, k‐fold cross validations were implemented. As a result, LNRLMI yielded the average AUCs of 0.8475 ± 0.0032, 0.8960 ± 0.0015 and 0.9069 ± 0.0014 on 2‐fold, 5‐fold and 10‐fold cross validation, respectively. A series of comparison experiments with other methods were also conducted, and the results showed that our method was feasible and effective to predict lncRNA‐miRNA interactions via a combination of different types of useful side information. It is anticipated that LNRLMI could be a useful tool for predicting non‐coding RNA regulation network that lncRNA and miRNA are involved in.     

Sepiapterin reductase: Characteristics and role in diseases

Sepiapterin reductase, a homodimer composed of two subunits, plays an important role in the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin. Furthermore, sepiapterin reductase exhibits a wide distribution in different tissues and is associated with many diseases, including brain dysfunction, chronic pain, cardiovascular disease and cancer. With regard to drugs targeting sepiapterin reductase, many compounds have been identified and provide potential methods to treat various diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of sepiapterin reductase in many biological processes is unclear. Therefore, this article summarized the structure, distribution and function of sepiapterin reductase, as well as the relationship between sepiapterin reductase and different diseases, with the aim of finding evidence to guide further studies on the molecular mechanisms and the potential clinical value of sepiapterin reductase. In particular, the different effects induced by the depletion of sepiapterin reductase or the inhibition of the enzyme suggest that the non‐enzymatic activity of sepiapterin reductase could function in certain biological processes, which also provides a possible direction for sepiapterin reductase research.     

Methylation-mediated miR-214 regulates proliferation and drug sensitivity of renal cell carcinoma cells through targeting LIVIN

LIVIN, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), is reported playing important roles in the development and progression of multiple human cancers. However, its underlined mechanisms in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are still needed to be clarified. In the present study, we reported that inhibition of miR-214 promoted the expression of LIVIN, then facilitated RCC cells growth and reduced the sensitivity of RCC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs. In constant, overexpression of miR-214 had contradictory effects. Further investigation showed that miR-214 was down-regulated in RCC because of abnormal methylation. In addition, DNA methyltransferase DNMT1, miR-214 and LIVIN are directly correlated in RCC patients. In conclusion, these results suggest that abnormal miR-214 methylation negatively regulates LIVIN, which may promote RCC cells growth and reduced the sensitivity of RCC cells to chemotherapeutic drugs.     

Polydatin promotes the neuronal differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and in vivo: Involvement of Nrf2 signalling pathway

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation represents a promising repair strategy following spinal cord injury (SCI), although the therapeutic effects are minimal due to their limited neural differentiation potential. Polydatin (PD), a key component of the Chinese herb Polygonum cuspidatum, exerts significant neuroprotective effects in various central nervous system disorders and protects BMSCs against oxidative injury. However, the effect of PD on the neuronal differentiation of BMSCs, and the underlying mechanisms remain inadequately understood. In this study, we induced neuronal differentiation of BMSCs in the presence of PD, and analysed the Nrf2 signalling and neuronal differentiation markers using routine molecular assays. We also established an in vivo model of SCI and assessed the locomotor function of the mice through hindlimb movements and electrophysiological measurements. Finally, tissue regeneration was evaluated by H&E staining, Nissl staining and transmission electron microscopy. PD (30 μmol/L) markedly facilitated BMSC differentiation into neuron‐like cells by activating the Nrf2 pathway and increased the expression of neuronal markers in the transplanted BMSCs at the injured spinal cord sites. Furthermore, compared with either monotherapy, the combination of PD and BMSC transplantation promoted axonal rehabilitation, attenuated glial scar formation and promoted axonal generation across the glial scar, thereby enhancing recovery of hindlimb locomotor function. Taken together, PD augments the neuronal differentiation of BMSCs via Nrf2 activation and improves functional recovery, indicating a promising new therapeutic approach against SCI.     

Understanding Molecular Structures of Buried Interfaces in Halide Perovskite Photovoltaic Devices Nondestructively with Sub‐Monolayer Sensitivity Using Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy

As performance of halide perovskite devices progresses, the device structure becomes more complex with more layers. Molecular interfacial structures between different layers play an increasingly important role in determining the overall performance in a halide perovskite device. However, current understanding of such interfacial structures at a molecular level nondestructively is limited, partially due to a lack of appropriate analytical tools to probe buried interfacial molecular structures in situ. Here, sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy, a state‐of‐the‐art nonlinear interface sensitive spectroscopy, is introduced to the halide perovskite research community and is presented as a powerful tool to understand molecule behavior at buried halide perovskite interfaces in situ. It is found that interfacial molecular orientations revealed by SFG can be directly correlated to halide perovskite device performance. Here how SFG can examine molecular structures (e.g., orientations) at the perovskite/hole transporting layer and perovskite/electron transporting layer interfaces is discussed. This will promote the use of SFG to investigate molecular structures of buried interfaces in various halide perovskite materials and devices in situ nondestructively with a sub‐monolayer interface sensitivity. Such research will help to elucidate structure–function relationships of buried interfaces, aiding in the rational design/development of halide perovskite materials/devices with improved performance.     

Economical production of isomaltulose from agricultural residues in a system with sucrose isomerase displayed on Bacillus subtilis spores

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - A safe, efficient, environmentally friendly process for producing isomaltulose is needed. Here, the biocatalyst, sucrose isomerase (SIase) from Erwinia...