Analysis of tandem repeats found in 44 prokaryotic genomes

Genomes contain various types of repetitive sequences. They may be used as probes for seeking genome rearrangements because they are rather free from the natural selection if they are located in the intergenic regions. In this study, we searched for tandem repeats (TRs) in 44 prokaryotic genomes by the color-coding method and sought the signs of genome rearrangements by detailed analysis of the detected TRs. We found 13,542 tandem repeats from 44 prokaryotic genomes in total ranging from several tens to one thousand per genome. The results of statistical analysis show that TRs tend to exist on high base composition bias regions in some genomes. Moreover, we recognized the characteristic distribution patterns of equivalent TR-pairs in 12 genomes, which are expected to indicate the occurrence of whole-genome duplication (WGD) on the genomes. It is demonstrated that TRs could indeed be used for seeking genome rearrangements. Although it has not been made clear at this time whether or not WGD had occurred in prokaryotic genomes, the results of the analyses of equivalent TR-pairs in this study are thought to be evidences of WGD in these genomes.     

移植BMSCs对乳腺炎大鼠血清中自由基和抗氧化酶水平变化影响的研究

目的：探讨乳房基底部移植大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞（BMSCs）对实验性乳腺炎大鼠血清中自由基和抗氧化酶水平变化的影响。方法：将70只SD雌性大鼠,其中的60只随机分为3组：对照组、抗生素组和移植BMSCs组,每组20只。通过乳头管灌注内毒素的方法建立实验性大鼠乳腺炎模型,对照组基底部注射生理盐水;抗生素组基底部注射抗生素（5000 U/侧）;移植BMSCs组乳房基底部移植BMSC 50μL（1×106个）,试验0 d时灌注内毒素,1 d时注射BMSCs、抗生素及生理盐水,-1、0、3、5、7 d分别采血样,制备血清,检测血清中丙二醛（MDA）、一氧化氮（NO）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽氧化还原酶（GSH-Px）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）水平。结果：移植BMSC组能显著降低乳腺炎大鼠血清中7 d时MDA、NO水平（P〈0.05）,且MDA水平显著低于抗生素组（P〈0.05）;移植BMSCs组7 d时血清中GSH-Px水平和1、3、5 d时CAT水平显著高于对照组和抗生素组（P〈0.05）。结论：BMSC能显著降低乳腺炎大鼠血清中后期NO和MDA水平,提高血清中前期CAT和后期GSH-PX,从而提高机体清除自由基的能力。     

Allicin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of breast cancer cells in vitro via modulating the p53 pathway

Background

The tumor suppressor protein p53 is a most promising target for the development of anticancer drugs. Allicin (diallylthiosulfinate) is one of the most active components of garlic (Alliium sativum L.) and possesses a variety of health-promoting properties with pharmacological applications. However, whether allicin plays an anti-cancer role against breast cancer cells through the induction of p53-mediated apoptosis remains unknown.

Methods and results

In this study, we investigate the anti-breast cancer effect of allicin in vitro by using MCF-7 and MD-MBA-231 cells. We found that allicin reduces cell viability, induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in both cells. Allicin activated p53 and caspase 3 expressions in both cells but produced different effects on the expression of p53-related biomarkers. In MDA-MB-231 cells, allicin up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of A1BG and THBS1 while down-regulated the expression of TPM4. Conversely, the mRNA and protein expression of A1BG, THBS1 and TPM4 were all reduced in MCF-7 cells. Hence, allicin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells through p53 activation but it effects on the expression of p53-related biomarkers were dependent upon the specific type of breast cancer involved.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that allicin induces apoptosis and regulates biomarker expression in breast cancer cell lines through modulating the p53 signaling pathway. Furthermore, our results promote the utility of allicin as compound for further studies as an anticancer drug targeting p53.

     

Echinococcus granulosus protoscoleces promotes proliferation and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells

There may exist a connection between Echinococcus granulosus infection and cancer development. Here, it is aimed to investigate specific effects of E. granulosus protoscoleces (PSCs) on the proliferation and invasion capacities of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vitro and ex vitro. HepG2 cells were cultured with different quantities of E. granulosus PSCs in vitro. MTT analysis was used to evaluate effects of E. granulosus PSCs on the proliferation of HepG2 cells. Besides, scratch and transwell assays were respectively used for the detection of HepG2 cells migration and invasion capacities after co-culture with E. granulosus PSCs. Then, HepG2 cells were subcutaneously transplanted into nude mice with or without E. granulosus PSCs. From the 25th day of transplantation, the volume of subcutaneous lesions was measured every four days. At the 37th day, subcutaneous lesions were removed and their weight was evaluated. H&E staining was used for detecting basic pathological changes. HepG2 cells grew well without obvious morphological changes. Proliferation rate and migration capacity of HepG2 cells were higher in the co-culture group than the control group, which was closely associated with quantities of E. granulosus PSCs and co-culture time length. Moreover, HepG2 cells co-cultured with E. granulosus PSCs had stronger invasion ability than the control HepG2 cells. Importantly, there existed significant differences in the volume and weight of subcutaneous lesions after transplanting HepG2 cells with E. granulosus PSCs than the control group. HepG2 cells were also more pathologically heterogeneous in morphology after transplantation with E. granulosus PSCs. Thus, E. granulosus PSCs may promote proliferation and invasion of HCC cells.     

宁夏贺兰山青海云杉根系共生真菌的分离与鉴定

[背景]青海云杉(Picea crassifolia)是中国特有植物,具有极高的生态价值,是西北地区重要的森林更新树种和荒山造林树种,其生长发育及其抗逆性与根系共生真菌多样性密切相关.[目的]从青海云杉根系分离并鉴定定殖的可培养共生真菌,阐明青海云杉根系可培养共生真菌的种类组成,为共生真菌在青海云杉育苗、造林及生态恢复...     

Near-infrared emissive polymer-coated IR-820 nanoparticles assisted photothermal therapy for cervical cancer cells

Photothermal therapy (PTT) has attracted wide attention due to its noninvasiveness and its thermal ablation ability. As photothermal agents are crucial factor in PTT, those with the characteristics of biocompatibility, non-toxicity and high photothermal stability have attracted great interest. In this work, new indocyanine green (IR-820) was utilized as a photothermal agent and near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging nanoprobe. To improve the biocompatibility, poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride) (PSMA) was utilized to encapsulate the IR-820 molecules to form novel IR-820@PSMA nanoparticles (NPs). Then, the optical and thermal properties of IR-820@PSMA NPs were studied in detail. The IR-820@PSMA NPs showed excellent photothermal stability and biocompatibility. The cellular uptaking ability of the IR-820@PSMA NPs was further confirmed in HeLa cells by the NIR fluorescent confocal microscopic imaging technique. The IR-820@PSMA NPs assisted PTT of living HeLa cells was conducted under 793 nm laser excitation, and a high PTT efficiency of 73.3% was obtained.