Complete genome sequence of the bacterium Ketogulonicigenium vulgare Y25

Ketogulonicigenium vulgare is characterized by the efficient production of 2KGA from L-sorbose. Ketogulonicigenium vulgare Y25 is known as a 2-keto-L-gulonic acid-producing strain in the vitamin C industry. Here we report the finished, annotated genome sequence of Ketogulonicigenium vulgare Y25.     

Study on fibroin heavy chain of the silkwormBombyx mori by fluorescencein situ hybridization (FISH)

The sericulture industry plays a very important role in our national economy. Silkworm (Bombyx mori) is always regarded as a model animal and biological reactor. There have been detailed studies on the structure, expression and control and molecular evolution of silk genes. However, few, if any, reports are available on the localization of structural genes in silkworm by molecular cytogenetics. The present experiment has tentatively localized theFib-H gene at the distal end of the 25th linkage group, namely at the 25-0.0 position, and verified thatFib-H has only one locus, thus providing a temporary solution to the problem about its localization.     

Seasonal occurrence of helminths in the anadromous fish Coilia nasus (Engraulidae): parasite indicators of fish migratory movements

To understand the seasonal migration of the anadromous Coilia nasus , we attempted to identify the parasites infecting C. nasus and determine their seasonal occurrence. From June 2007 to July 2008, a survey of 775 C. nasus individuals from the estuary of the Yangtze River and the coast of the East China Sea revealed more than 7,300 parasites associated with the gills and alimentary tracts of C. nasus . The following 6 helminth taxa were identified, i.e., the monogeneans Heteromazocraes lingmueni and Helciferus tenuis, the digenean Elytrophallus coiliae, the acanthocephalan Acanthosentis cheni , and larvae of the nematodes Anisakis simplex and Contracaecum sp., all of which are marine or brackish-water parasites. The absence of freshwater helminths suggested that the parasites acquired in freshwater may have been accidentally, and easily, lost by the time the fish had reached the estuary and coast. Contrary to seasonal occurrence of the parasites' life cycles, the lowest mean abundance and prevalence of H. lingmueni and A. cheni occurred in August, which suggested the immigration of C. nasus from freshwater to the Yangtze estuary, with lower parasite burdens. The highest mean abundance and prevalence of the nematodes A. simplex and Contracaecum sp. in May and June, and the lowest in August, indicated the arrival of the fish from the coast and the Yangtze River, to the estuary, respectively. These findings suggested that a majority of the fish prepared for spawning migration in the estuary in spring and early summer and returned to the estuary after spawning in the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River in late summer.     

Acidic microenvironment enhances MT1-MMP-mediated cancer cell motility through integrin β1/cofilin/F-actin axis

Tumor acidic microenvironment is the main feature of many solid tumors.As a part of the tumor microenvironment,it has a profound impact on the occurrence and de...     

Nitrate increases cisplatin chemosensitivity of oral squamous cell carcinoma via REDD1/AKT signaling pathway

Although cisplatin is one of the chemotherapeutics most frequently used in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) treatment,it exerts multiple side effects and poo...     

Mitofusin 2 Protects Hepatocyte Mitochondrial Function from Damage Induced by GCDCA

Mitochondrial impairment is hypothesized to contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic cholestatic liver diseases. Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2) regulates mitochondrial morphology and signaling and is involved in the development of numerous mitochondrial-related diseases; however, a functional role for Mfn2 in chronic liver cholestasis which is characterized by increased levels of toxic bile acids remain unknown. Therefore, the aims of this study were to evaluate the expression levels of Mfn2 in liver samples from patients with extrahepatic cholestasis and to investigate the role Mfn2 during bile acid induced injury in vitro. Endogenous Mfn2 expression decreased in patients with extrahepatic cholestasis. Glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA) is the main toxic component of bile acid in patients with extrahepatic cholestasis. In human normal hepatocyte cells (L02), Mfn2 plays an important role in GCDCA-induced mitochondrial damage and changes in mitochondrial morphology. In line with the mitochondrial dysfunction, the expression of Mfn2 decreased significantly under GCDCA treatment conditions. Moreover, the overexpression of Mfn2 effectively attenuated mitochondrial fragmentation and reversed the mitochondrial damage observed in GCDCA-treated L02 cells. Notably, a truncated Mfn2 mutant that lacked the normal C-terminal domain lost the capacity to induce mitochondrial fusion. Increasing the expression of truncated Mfn2 also had a protective effect against the hepatotoxicity of GCDCA. Taken together, these findings indicate that the loss of Mfn2 may play a crucial role the pathogenesis of the liver damage that is observed in patients with extrahepatic cholestasis. The findings also indicate that Mfn2 may directly regulate mitochondrial metabolism independently of its primary fusion function. Therapeutic approaches that target Mfn2 may have protective effects against hepatotoxic of bile acids during cholestasis.     

Rapid determination of DNA synthesis in adherent cells grown in microtiter plates

A specific, rapid, and economical method for measuring the extent of DNA synthesis in adherent rat hepatoma H4-II-E cells grown in 96-well microtiter plates is described. The adherent cells were pulsed for 1 h with [methyl-3H]thymidine, released from the substratum by trypsinization, and collected on fiberglass filters with a MASH II cell harvester. The amount of radioactivity incorporated was directly proportional to the number of cells per well. Growth curves generated by measuring [methyl-3H]thymidine incorporation and counting the number of cells per well were identical. Experiments with inhibitors of DNA, protein, and RNA synthesis demonstrated that this method selectively measured DNA synthesis. In addition, [3H]thymidine uptake showed excellent correlation with autoradiographic assessment of DNA synthesis. This specific and sensitive method for determining DNA synthesis in microtiter cultures should facilitate studies of effects of various growth-controlling agents on epithelial, fibroblastic, and other cells which grow as adherent cells in culture.     

Enhanced immunodetection of cell-free synthesized erythropoietin under denaturing conditions

A monoclonal antibody produced by hydridoma cell line, ATCC HB8209, was used to detect and purify erythropoietin synthesized in a cell-free system. The antibody was raised against the N-terminal 20 residues of erythropoietin. It retained anti-erythropoietin activity in 6 M urea in which most of the cell-free synthesized erythropoietin became soluble and gave an enhanced activity of the antibody.