Long Non-coding RNA FEZF1-AS1 Promotes Growth and Reduces Apoptosis Through Regulation of miR-363-3p/PAX6 Axis in Retinoblastoma

Retinoblastoma is the most common malignancy in children's eyes with high incidence. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in the progression of retinoblastoma. LncRNA FEZF1 antisense RNA 1 (FEZF1-AS1) has been found to stimulate retinoblastoma. However, the mechanism of FEZF1-AS1 underlying progression of retinoblastoma is still unclear. In current study, FEZF1-AS1 was up-regulated in retinoblastoma tissues and cells. FEZF1-AS1 overexpression enhanced retinoblastoma cell viability, promoted cell cycle, and inhibited apoptosis. Conversely, FEZF1-AS1 knockdown reduced cell viability, cycle, and elevated apoptosis. The interaction between FEZF1-AS1 and microRNA-363-3p (miR-363-3p) was confirmed. FEZF1-AS1 down-regulated miR-363-3p and up-regulated PAX6. PAX6 was a target gene of miR-363-3p. EZF1-AS1 promoted retinoblastoma cell viability and suppressed apoptosis via PAX6. Further, we demonstrated that FEZF1-AS1 contribute to tumor formation in vivo. In conclusion, FEZF1-AS1 elevated growth and inhibited apoptosis by regulating miR-363-3p/PAX6 in retinoblastoma, which provide a new target for retinoblastoma treatment.

     

CD133 Expression and the Prognosis of Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

CD133 has recently been reported as a marker of cancer stem-like cells in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its predictive value in CRC still remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between the expression of CD133 and clinicopathological features and the outcome of CRC patients by performing a meta-analysis.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search for relevant studies published up to December 2012 was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE and ISI Web of Science. Only articles in which CD133 antigen was detected in situ localisation by immunohistochemical staining were included. This meta-analysis was done using RevMan 4.2 software.

Results

We found that a total of 15 studies involving 810 CD133-high and 1487 CD133-low patients met the inclusion criteria for the analysis of 5-year overall survival (OS) rate. In a random-effects model, the results showed that CD133-high expression in colorectal cancer was an independent prognostic marker correlating with both OS rate (RR = 0.67, 95%CI 0.54–0.82, P<0.01) and disease free survival (DFS) rate (RR = 0.71, 95%CI 0.52–0.96, P = 0.03). CD133-high expression was also associated with more T3,4 tumor invasion, N positive and vascular invasion cases, corresponding to a risk difference of 1.12 (95%CI 1.01–1.23, P = 0.03), 1.31 (95%CI 1.06–1.63, P = 0.01) and 1.24 (95%CI 1.08–1.41, P<0.01), respectively. However, when types of histology, lymphatic invasion and distant metastasis were considered, CD133 overexpression was not significantly related with these clinicopathological parameters.

Conclusion

Our meta-analysis results suggest that CD133 is an efficient prognostic factor in CRC. Higher CD133 expression is significantly associated with poorer clinical outcome and some clinicopathological factors such as T category, N category and vascular invasion in CRC patients.     

含褪黑素微型胶囊促使银狐毛皮提早成熟的效应

本文报道了在扩大实施《控制毛皮动物毛皮生长周期的方法及专用工具》（发明专利号９０１００７５９·５）的基础上，根据动物的种类、体型大小，调整制备了系列含褪黑素微型胶囊，供商品皮兽用。在银狐养殖场的试验结果表明，受试动物手术后４周夏毛即开始脱落，并诱发冬毛生长；除种兽及仔兽（２月龄内）外，对当年商品皮兽，其毛皮可提早４─６周成熟；对大龄（２─５岁龄）商品兽毛皮可提早６０天以上。受试狐毛皮等级率可提高约２０％。受试狐群养殖期大为缩短，提高了饲料报酬，显示了显著的社会经济与生态效益。     

Activities of fructan- and sucrose-metabolizing enzymes in wheat stems subjected to water stress during grain filling

This study investigated if a controlled water deficit during grain filling of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) could accelerate grain filling by facilitating the remobilization of carbon reserves in the stem through regulating the enzymes involved in fructan and sucrose metabolism. Two high lodging-resistant wheat cultivars were grown in pots and treated with either a normal (NN) or high amount of nitrogen (HN) at heading time. Plants were either well-watered (WW) or water-stressed (WS) from 9 days post anthesis until maturity. Leaf water potentials markedly decreased at midday as a result of water stress but completely recovered by early morning. Photosynthetic rate and zeatin + zeatin riboside concentrations in the flag leaves declined faster in WS plants than in WW plants, and they decreased more slowly with HN than with NN when soil water potential was the same, indicating that the water deficit enhanced, whereas HN delayed, senescence. Water stress, both at NN and HN, facilitated the reduction in concentration of total nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and fructans in the stems but increased the sucrose level there, promoted the re-allocation of pre-fixed ¹⁴C from the stems to grains, shortened the grain-filling period, and accelerated the grain-filling rate. Grain weight and grain yield were increased under the controlled water deficit when HN was applied. Fructan exohydrolase (FEH; EC 3.2.1.80) and sucrose phosphate synthase (SPS; EC 2.4.1.14) activities were substantially enhanced by water stress and positively correlated with the total NSC and fructan remobilization from the stems. Acid invertase (EC 3.2.1.26) activity was also enhanced by the water stress and associated with the change in fructan concentration, but not correlated with the total NSC remobilization and ¹⁴C increase in the grains. Sucrose:sucrose fructosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.99) activity was inhibited by the water stress and negatively correlated with the remobilization of carbon reserves. Sucrose synthase (EC 2.4.1.13) activity in the stems decreased sharply during grain filling and showed no significant difference between WW and WS treatments. Abscisic acid (ABA) concentration in the stem was remarkably enhanced by water stress and significantly correlated with SPS and FEH activities. Application of ABA to WW plants yielded similar results to those for WS plants. The results suggest that the increased remobilization of carbon reserves by water stress is attributable to the enhanced FEH and SPS activities in wheat stems, and that ABA plays a vital role in the regulation of the key enzymes involved in fructan and sucrose metabolism.Abbreviations ABA Abscisic acid - DAS Days after sowing - DPA Days post anthesis - ESC Ethanol-soluble carbohydrate - FEH Fructan exohydrolase - HN High amount of nitrogen - INV Invertase - NN Normal amount of nitrogen - NSC Nonstructural carbohydrate - _leaf Leaf water potential - _soil Soil water potential - Pr Photosynthetic rate - SPS Sucrose phosphate synthase - SS Sucrose synthase - SST Sucrose:sucrose fructosyltransferase - V_limit Limiting substrate - V_max Saturated substrate - WS Water stressed - WSC Water-soluble carbohydrate - WW Well watered - Z Zeatin - ZR Zeatin riboside     

CD8CD25 T cells reduce atherosclerosis in apoE(−/−) mice

Background

It is increasingly evident that CD8⁺ T cells are involved in atherosclerosis but the specific subtypes have yet to be defined. CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells exert suppressive effects on immune signaling and modulate experimental autoimmune disorders but their role in atherosclerosis remains to be determined. The phenotype and functional role of CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells in experimental atherosclerosis were investigated in this study.

Methods and results

CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells were observed in atherosclerotic plaques of apoE(−/−) mice fed hypercholesterolemic diet. Characterization by flow cytometric analysis and functional evaluation using a CFSE-based proliferation assays revealed a suppressive phenotype and function of splenic CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells from apoE(−/−) mice. Depletion of CD8⁺CD25⁺ from total CD8⁺ T cells rendered higher cytolytic activity of the remaining CD8⁺CD25⁻ T cells. Adoptive transfer of CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells into apoE(−/−) mice suppressed the proliferation of splenic CD4⁺ T cells and significantly reduced atherosclerosis in recipient mice.

Conclusions

Our study has identified an athero-protective role for CD8⁺CD25⁺ T cells in experimental atherosclerosis.     

高等植物helitron转座子的研究进展

作为重复序列的一种主要类型,转座子在高等植物基因组中具有相当丰富的DNA含量,在改变基因结构、调节基因表达、影响基因组进化,以及创造新基因的过程中扮演着重要的角色。Helitron转座子是DNA转座子的一种,在转座过程中经常捕获基因或基因片段,以及插入到基因附近或基因内部,因此在改变基因组构成、影响基因组的进化过程以及改变基因型和表型等方面起着重要作用。该文对国内外近年来有关植物基因组中helitron转座子的结构特征、鉴定和分类方法、基因组中的含量和在染色体上的分布,以及转座扩增和基因片段的捕获等方面的研究进展进行了综述,并对helitron转座子研究过程中存在的问题进行了讨论,对今后helitron相关的研究进行了展望。