Microenvironment determinants of brain metastasis

Metastasis accounts for 90% of cancer-related mortality. Brain metastases generally present during the late stages in the natural history of cancer progression. Recent advances in cancer treatment and management have resulted in better control of systemic disease metastatic to organs other than the brain and improved patient survival. However, patients who experience recurrent disease manifest an increasing number of brain metastases, which are usually refractory to therapies. To meet the new challenges of controlling brain metastasis, the research community has been tackling the problem with novel experimental models and research tools, which have led to an improved understanding of brain metastasis. The time-tested "seed-and-soil" hypothesis of metastasis indicates that successful outgrowth of deadly metastatic tumors depends on permissible interactions between the metastatic cancer cells and the site-specific microenvironment in the host organs. Consistently, recent studies indicate that the brain, the major component of the central nervous system, has unique physiological features that can determine the outcome of metastatic tumor growth. The current review summarizes recent discoveries on these tumor-brain interactions, and the potential clinical implications these novel findings could have for the better treatment of patients with brain metastasis.     

Comparative Methylome Analysis Reveals Epigenetic Signatures Associated with Growth and Shell Color in the Pacific Oyster,Crassostrea gigas

Marine Biotechnology - Fast growth is one of the most important breeding goals for all economic species such as the Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas), an aquaculture mollusk with top global...     

增施钾肥对大棚蟠桃品质及营养生长的影响

该研究以蟠桃品种‘金霞蟠桃’和‘玉霞蟠桃’为试材,分别在2个品种成熟前3周(3W)、2周(2W)和1周(1W)每树环施钾肥(K2O)1 000g,比较不同时期施肥处理蟠桃果实外观品质、内在品质以及营养生长的变化。结果表明:(1)在蟠桃果实成熟前2W和3W尤其是2W施用钾肥,蟠桃果实单果重和体积总体较大,‘金霞蟠桃’2W处理果实单果重、横径和侧径分别显著高于1W处理11.48%、3.51%和3.03%,‘玉霞蟠桃’2W处理则分别显著高于1W处理56.86%、14.97%和3.67%;(2)不同时期增施钾肥对‘玉霞蟠桃’果实颜色的变化影响总体较小,‘金霞蟠桃’2W和3W处理果实的a*值分别显著高于1W处理55.02%和44.49%,但2W和3W处理之间差异不显著;(3)增施钾肥后,2个蟠桃品种果实可溶性固形物含量、蔗糖含量从高到低依次为2W3W1W,可溶性糖总量大小也依次为2W3W1W,但2W和3W处理间差异不显著;不同时期增施钾肥对2个蟠桃品种果实有机酸总量和枝叶营养生长总体影响不大。研究认为,在蟠桃果实成熟前2周左右施用钾肥,成熟时果实体积、单果重增大,果肉可溶性固形物、蔗糖、可溶性总糖含量以及糖酸比高,果实综合品质得到有效改善,但增施钾肥过早或过晚都无法达到最佳效果。     

Novel Redox Potential-Based Screening Strategy for Rapid Isolation of Klebsiella pneumoniae Mutants with Enhanced 1,3-Propanediol-Producing Capability

This report describes a novel redox potential (oxidoreduction potential [ORP])-based screening strategy for the isolation of mutants of Klebsiella pneumoniae which have an increased ability to produce 1,3-propanediol (1,3-PD). This method can be described as follows: first, to determine an ORP range which is preferred for the wild-type strain to grow and to produce 1,3-PD; second, to subject a chemically mutagenized culture to a reduced ORP level which is deleterious for the wild-type strain. Colonies that showed high specific growth rates at deleterious ORP levels were selected, and their abilities to produce 1,3-PD were investigated. In an ORP-based screening experiment where the ORP was controlled at −280 mV, 4 out of 11 isolated strains were recognized as positive mutant strains. A mutant which is capable of producing higher concentrations of 1,3-PD was subjected to fed-batch fermentations for further characterization. Its preferred ORP level (−280 mV) was significantly lower than that of its parent (−190 mV). The highest 1,3-PD concentration of the mutant was 915 mmol liter⁻¹, which was 63.1% higher than that of the parent. Metabolic-flux analysis suggested that the intracellular reductive branch of the mutant was strengthened, which improved 1,3-PD biosynthesis. The procedure and results presented here provide a novel method of screening for strains with improved product formation.     

Semen as a rich source of diagnostic biomarkers for prostate cancer: latest evidence and implications

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men and the cause of numerous cancer deaths in the world. Nowadays, based on diagnostic criteria,...     

微流控芯片在中枢神经系统疾病中的应用与展望

近年来,随着微流体技术和生物微电子机械系统技术的不断发展,人类中枢神经系统(CNS)的微流体平台及相关疾病的体外模型逐渐得到了广泛的研究。微流体平台可以更好地模拟体内环境,同时能够控制结构、微环境和外来刺激。文中总结了微流控芯片在CNS的基本技术和CNS疾病中的应用。此外,文中对微流控芯片在CNS中的研究进行了展望,强调了通过跨学科的共同努力能够实现更高程度的仿生学挑战。     

利用CRISPR-Cas系统防控细菌耐药性的研究进展

细菌多重耐药是医药健康、农林牧渔、生态环境等多领域共同面临的全球性挑战.抗生素耐药基因跨物种跨区域传播是导致细菌多重耐药形成的重要原因.然而,目前尚无有效方案解决日益严峻的细菌多重耐药问题.由规律成簇间隔短回文重复序列和与之相关的蛋白组成的CRISPR-Cas系统,可靶向切割进入细菌的外源核酸,具有防控耐药基因转移导致...     

A wheat biorefining strategy based on solid-state fermentation for fermentative production of succinic acid

In this study, a novel generic feedstock production strategy based on solid-state fermentation (SSF) has been developed and applied to the fermentative production of succinic acid. Wheat was fractionated into bran, gluten and gluten-free flour by milling and gluten extraction processes. The bran, which would normally be a waste product of the wheat milling industry, was used to produce glucoamylase and protease enzymes via SSF using Aspergillus awamori and Aspergillus oryzae, respectively. The resulting solutions were separately utilised for the hydrolysis of gluten-free flour and gluten to generate a glucose-rich stream of over 140gl(-1) glucose and a nitrogen-rich stream of more than 3.5gl(-1) free amino nitrogen. A microbial feedstock consisting of these two streams contained all the essential nutrients required for succinic acid fermentations using Actinobacillus succinogenes. In a fermentation using only the combined hydrolysate streams, around 22gl(-1) succinic acid was produced. The addition of MgCO(3) into the wheat-derived medium improved the succinic acid production further to more than 64gl(-1). These results demonstrate the SSF-based strategy is a successful approach for the production of a generic feedstock from wheat, and that this feedstock can be efficiently utilised for succinic acid production.