Interspecific Interactions between Phragmites australis and Spartina alterniflora along a Tidal Gradient in the Dongtan Wetland,Eastern China

The invasive species Spartina alterniora Loisel was introduced to the eastern coast of China in the 1970s and 1980s for the purposes of land reclamation and the prevention of soil erosion. The resulting interspecific competition had an important influence on the distribution of native vegetation, which makes studying the patterns and mechanisms of the interactions between Spartina alterniora Loisel and the native species Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin ex Steud in this region very important. There have been some researches on the interspecific interactions between P. australis and S. alterniora in the Dongtan wetland of Chongming, east China, most of which has focused on the comparison of their physiological characteristics. In this paper, we conducted a neighbor removal experiment along a tidal gradient to evaluate the relative competitive abilities of the two species by calculating their relative neighbor effect (RNE) index. We also looked at the influence of environmental stress and disturbance on the competitive abilities of the two species by comparing interaction strength (I) among different tidal zones both for P. australis and S. alterniora. Finally, we measured physiological characteristics of the two species to assess the physiological mechanisms behind their different competitive abilities. Both negative and positive interactions were found between P. australis and S. alterniora along the environmental gradient. When the direction of the competitive intensity index for P. australis and S. alterniora was consistent, the competitive or facilitative effect of S. alterniora on P. australis was stronger than that of P. australis on S. alterniora. The interspecific interactions of P. australis and S. alterniora varied with environmental conditions, as well as with the method used, to measure interspecific interactions.     

Characterization of Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus- and Rice Stripe Virus-Derived siRNAs in Singly and Doubly Infected Insect Vector Laodelphax striatellus

Replication of RNA viruses in insect cells triggers an antiviral defense that is mediated by RNA interference (RNAi) which generates viral-derived small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). However, it is not known whether an antiviral RNAi response is also induced in insects by reoviruses, whose double-stranded RNA genome replication is thought to occur within core particles. Deep sequencing of small RNAs showed that when the small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus) was infected by Rice black-streaked dwarf virus (RBSDV) (Reoviridae; Fijivirus), more viral-derived siRNAs accumulated than when the vector insect was infected by Rice stripe virus (RSV), a negative single-stranded RNA virus. RBSDV siRNAs were predominantly 21 and 22 nucleotides long and there were almost equal numbers of positive and negative sense. RBSDV siRNAs were frequently generated from hotspots in the 5′- and 3′-terminal regions of viral genome segments but these hotspots were not associated with any predicted RNA secondary structures. Under laboratory condition, L. striatellus can be infected simultaneously with RBSDV and RSV. Double infection enhanced the accumulation of particular genome segments but not viral coat protein of RBSDV and correlated with an increase in the abundance of siRNAs derived from RBSDV. The results of this study suggest that reovirus replication in its insect vector potentially induces an RNAi-mediated antiviral response.     

Effect of Early Normobaric Hyperoxia on Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Neurochemical Research - Blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is a leading cause of disability and mortality in soldiers during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although substantial...     

Lack of association between EGF + 61A>G polymorphism and melanoma susceptibility in Caucasians: A HuGE review and meta-analysis

Emerging evidence showed that the common polymorphism (+ 61A>G, rs4444903) in the promoter region of epidermal growth factor (EGF) gene might be associated with melanoma susceptibility in humans. But individually published results are inconclusive. The aim of this Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) review and meta-analysis is to derive a more precise estimation of the association between EGF + 61A>G polymorphism and melanoma risk. The PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and CBM databases were searched for all articles published up to July 1st, 2012. Seven case–control studies were included with a total of 2367 melanoma cases and 4184 healthy controls. Meta-analysis results showed that there was no significant relationship between EGF + 61A>G polymorphism and the risk of melanoma (G vs A: odds ratio [OR] = 1.08, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91–1.28, P = 0.386; GG + AG vs AA: OR = 1.05, 95%CI: 0.88–1.26, P = 0.580; GG vs AA + AG: OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 0.81–1.49, P = 0.552; GG vs AA: OR = 1.06, 95%CI: 0.80–1.41, P = 0.700; GG vs AG: OR = 1.12, 95%CI: 0.81–1.56, P = 0.494). Further subgroup analyses based on source of controls, country, detection samples, genotype methods, and Breslow thickness of tumor, we also found no significant association between EGF + 61A>G polymorphism and melanoma risk. In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicates that EGF + 61A>G polymorphism might not be a primary determinant in melanoma development and progression; EGF gene might be expected to interact with other genes in different signaling pathways to initiate and promote the carcinogenic process.     

Association between rs10118757(A/G) in methylthioadenosine phosphorylase gene and coronary artery disease in Chinese Hans

Studies focusing on the association of gene methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI) are limited.     

DNA methylation and MeCP2 regulation of PTCH1 expression during rats hepatic fibrosis

Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation plays an important role in liver fibrogenesis. Transdifferentiation of quiescent hepatic stellate cells into myofibroblastic-HSCs is a key event in liver fibrosis. The methyl-CpG-binding protein MeCP2 which promotes repressed chromatin structure is selectively detected in myofibroblasts of diseased liver. MeCP2 binds to methylated CpG dinucleotides, which are abundant in the promoters of many genes. Treatment of HSCs with DNA methylation inhibitor 5-aza-2′- deoxycytidine (5-azadC) prevented proliferation and activation. Treatment with 5-azadC prevented loss of Patched (PTCH1) expression that occurred during HSCs activation. In a search for underlying molecular medchanisms, we investigated whether the targeting of epigenetic silencing mechanisms could be useful in the treatment of PTCH1-associated fibrogenesis. It was indicated that hypermethylation of PTCH1 is associated with the perpetuation of fibroblast activation and fibrosis in the liver. siRNA knockdown of MeCP2 increased the expressions of PTCH1 mRNA and protein in hepatic myofibroblasts. These data suggest that DNA methylation and MeCP2 may provide molecular mechanisms for silencing of PTCH1.     

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in study of the pharmacokinetics of six steroidal saponins in rats

A rapid, simple and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of six main steroidal saponins in Paris polyphylla in rat plasma. Ginsenoside Rg3 was selected as the internal standard (IS). Plasma samples were pretreated with protein precipitation, and the separation was achieved on a reverse phase Agilent poroshell120 EC-C18 column using a gradient mobile phase system of acetonitrile–water containing 0.1% formic acid. The triple quadruple mass spectrometer was set in negative electrospray ionization mode and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used for six steroidal saponins quantification. The precursors to produce ion transitions monitored for polyphyllin I, polyphyllin II, polyphyllin VI, polyphyllin VII, dioscin, gracillin and IS were m/z 899.5 > 853.4, 1059.5 > 1013.5, 783.4 > 737.4, 1075.5 > 1029.5, 913.5 > 867.4, 929.5 > 883.4 and 819.5 > 783.4, respectively. The intra- and inter-day precisions (RSD%) were less than 13% and the average extraction recoveries ranged from 85% to 97.0% for each analyte. Six steroidal saponins were proved to be stable during sample storage, preparation and analytical procedures. The established method was employed for simultaneous quantification and successfully used for the first time for the pharmacokinetics evaluation of the six main compounds after intragastric administration of P. polyphylla extract in Sprague–Dawley rats.     

IL-35 over-expression increases apoptosis sensitivity and suppresses cell growth in human cancer cells

Interleukin (IL)-35 is a novel heterodimeric cytokine in the IL-12 family and is composed of two subunits: Epstein-Barr virus-induced gene 3 (EBI3) and IL-12p35. IL-35 is expressed in T regulatory (Treg) cells and contributes to the immune suppression function of these cells. In contrast, we found that both IL-35 subunits were expressed concurrently in most human cancer cell lines compared to normal cell lines. In addition, we found that TNF-α and IFN-γ stimulation led to increased IL-35 expression in human cancer cells. Furthermore, over-expression of IL-35 in human cancer cells suppressed cell growth in vitro, induced cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and mediated robust apoptosis induced by serum starvation, TNF-α, and IFN-γ stimulation through the up-regulation of Fas and concurrent down-regulation of cyclinD1, survivin, and Bcl-2 expression. In conclusion, our results reveal a novel functional role for IL-35 in suppressing cancer activity, inhibiting cancer cell growth, and increasing the apoptosis sensitivity of human cancer cells through the regulation of genes related to the cell cycle and apoptosis. Thus, this research provides new insights into IL-35 function and presents a possible target for the development of novel cancer therapies.