l-Carnosine and Taurine Supplementation Attenuates the Intensity of Diabetes in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Male Albino Rats

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Diabetes is a metabolic disorder caused by defects in insulin production and insulin activity. l-Carnosine is a dipeptide containing...     

Long non-coding RNA MEG3 promotes autophagy and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via PTEN up-regulation by binding to microRNA-21

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been highlighted as attractive markers for diagnosis and prognosis as well as new therapeutic targets in multiple cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we attempted to investigate the underlying regulatory role of the lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) in NPC development. As determined by RT-qPCR, MEG3 expression was down-regulated in NPC cells. Online RNA crosstalk analysis predicted the binding of miR-21 to MEG3 and PTEN, respectively. MEG3 was validated to bind to miR-21 while PTEN was identified as a target of miR-21 by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Exogenous transfection was done to change the levels of MEG3, miR-21 and PTEN in HK-1 cells to investigate their effects on the autophagy and apoptosis of NPC cells. The results suggested that MEG3 overexpression in HK-1 cells up-regulated PTEN and down-regulated miR-21, by which MEG3 further inhibited autophagy and apoptosis ability of NPC cells. The tumour formation ability was tested after injecting the HK-1 cells into nude, mice and tumour growth was monitored. Consistently, MEG3 overexpression inhibited the tumour formation in vivo. Collectively, MEG3 promotes the autophagy and apoptosis of NPC cells via enhancing PTEN expression by binding to miR-21.     

Identification of five small heat shock protein genes in Spodoptera frugiperda and expression analysis in response to different environmental stressors

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) is a highly adaptable polyphagous migratory pest in tropical and subtropical regions. Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are molecular chaperones that play important roles in the adaptation to various environment stressors. The present study aimed to clarify the response mechanisms of S. frugiperda to various environmental stressors. We obtained five S. furcifera sHsp genes (SfsHsp21.3, SfsHsp20, SfsHsp20.1, SfsHsp19.3, and SfsHsp29) via cloning. The putative proteins encoded by these genes contained a typical α-crystallin domain. The expression patterns of these genes during different developmental stages, in various tissues of male and female adults, as well as in response to extreme temperatures and UV-A stress were studied via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that the expression levels of all five SfsHsp genes differed among the developmental stages as well as among the different tissues of male and female adults. The expression levels of most SfsHsp genes under extreme temperatures and UV-A-induced stress were significantly upregulated in both male and female adults. In contrast, those of SfsHsp20.1 and SfsHsp19.3 were significantly downregulated under cold stress in male adults. Therefore, the different SfsHsp genes of S. frugiperda play unique regulatory roles during development as well as in response to various environmental stressors.     

Characteristics of Refractive-Index Sensor in Graphene-Modified Long-Range Surface Exciton-Polaritons

The organic non-crystalline medium of 5,6-dichloro-2-[[5,6-dichloro-1-ethyl-3-(4-sulfobutyl)-benzimidazol-2-ylidene]-propenyl]-1-ethyl-3-(4-sulfobutyl)-benzimidazolium hydroxide (TDBC) is emerging as possible alternative plasmonic material for noble metal in visible region. In this paper, a novel long-range surface exciton-polariton (LRSEP) sensor based on TDBC film covered with graphene is reported. To enhance the imaging sensitivity, the thickness of TDBC film and the number of graphene layers are optimized. The result shows that the optimized imaging sensitivity is enhanced to 3243 RIU⁻¹ when n_s = 1.34. Compared with the traditional noble metal film-based sensor, the proposed LRSEP sensor demonstrates that the imaging sensitivity has been greatly improved. This is the first study of the TDBC film-based LRSEP sensor, which we hope to support the potential development of chemical sensing and bio-sensing.

     

Nuclear-localized eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A is involved in mouse preimplantation embryo development

Journal of Molecular Histology - Preimplantation embryo development is characterized by drastic nuclear reprogramming and dynamic stage-specific gene expression. Key regulators of this earliest...     

Purification and cDNA Cloning of Antimicrobial Peptides from the Skin Secretion of the Chinese Frog Rana chensinensis

The skin secretions of amphibians are a rich source of bioactive peptides. We isolated chensirin-1 and chensirin-2 from the skin secretion of the Chinese frog Rana chensinensis. Sephadex-G-50 and RP-HPLC were employed to purify these peptides. The amino acid sequences of these peptides were VLPLVGNLLNDLLGE and IIPLPLGYFAKKT, respectively, as determined by Edman degradation. The molecular weights were 1578.7 and 1460.8 Da, respectively, as analyzed by HPLC-ESI-MS. The chensirin cDNA was cloned by 5′ and 3′ amplification of cDNA ends, synthesized and purified. The antibacterial activities of the chensirins were tested using minimum inhibitory concentration, the results indicated that chensirins inhibit the growth of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Among them, chensirin-1 is a novel peptide with a higher antibacterial activity compared to other similar antimicrobial peptides. These low molecular weight peptides with good antimicrobial efficacy are considered potential sources for developing new antimicrobial agents to improve traditional drug resistance.

     

The emerging role of circular RNAs in cardiovascular diseases

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the vital causes of morbidity and mortality, and the number of deaths from CVD has increased worldwide. Circular RNAs...     

Biochemical properties of a native β-1,4-mannanase from Aspergillus aculeatus QH1 and partial characterization of its N-glycosylation

N-glycosylation plays critical roles in protein secretion, sorting, stability, activity modulation, and interactions to other molecules in the eukaryotic organisms. Fungal β-1,4-mannanases have been widely used in the agri-food industry and contribute to the pathogenesis on plants. However, the information on N-glycosylation of a specific fungal carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) is currently limited. Herein, a cDNA was cloned from Aspergillus aculeatus QH1, displaying a full length of 1302 bp with an open reading frame of 1134 bp encoding for a GH5 subfamily 7 β-1, 4-mannanase, namely AacMan5_7A. The enzyme was purified and exhibited an optimal activity at pH 4.6 and 60 °C, hydrolyzing glucomannan and galactomannan, but not yeast mannan. AacMan5_7A is an N-glycosylated protein decorated with a high-mannose type glycan. Further through UPLC-ESI-MS/MS analysis, one of the four predicted N-glycosylation sites at N255 position was experimentally verified. The present study expands the information of N-glycosylation in fungal CAZymes, providing scientific bases for enhancing the production of fungal enzymes and their applications in food, feed, and plant biomass conversions.