Cancer‐upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) overexpression induces apoptosis in SKOV‐3 cells

Cancer‐upregulated gene 2 (CUG2) was originally identified as a potential oncogene commonly up‐regulated in various human cancers. Recently, CUG2 was also identified as a new member of a centromere protein complex, important in the formation of a functional kinetochore complex. Presently, we report the pro‐apoptotic effect of CUG2 when this gene was overexpressed in the SKOV‐3 human ovarian cancer cell line. Apoptotic cell death mediated by CUG2 overexpression was independently demonstrated using cell viability determination, flow cytometry analysis, chromosome fragmentation assay, and the cleavage of the death substrate poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase. Moreover, activation of caspase‐3 and ‐8 and the cytoplasmic translocation of mitochondrial cytochrome c were evident upon CUG2 expression. Apoptotic cell death was also observed during early development of zebrafish when CUG2 was overexpressed in zebrafish embryo. We propose that high expression of CUG2 induces apoptotic cell death. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Comprehensive Analysis of Symmetric Arginine Dimethylation in Colorectal Cancer Tissues Using Immunoaffinity Enrichment and Mass Spectrometry

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is a major enzyme responsible for generating monomethyl and symmetric dimethyl arginine in proteins. PRMT5 is essential for cell viability and development, and its overexpression is observed in a variety of cancers. In the present study, it is found that levels of PRMT5 protein and symmetric arginine dimethylation in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues are increased compared to those in adjacent noncancerous tissues. Using immunoaffinity enrichment of methylated peptides combined with high‐resolution mass spectrometry, a total of 147 symmetric dimethyl‐arginine (SDMA) sites in 94 proteins are identified, many of which are RNA binding proteins and enzymes. Quantitative analysis comparing CRC and normal tissues reveals significant increase in the symmetric dimethylation of 70 arginine sites in 46 proteins and a decrease in that of four arginine sites in four proteins. Among the 94 proteins identified in this study, it is confirmed that KH‐type splicing regulatory protein is a target of PRMT5 and highly expressed in CRC tissues compared to noncancerous tissues. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of symmetric arginine dimethylation using clinical samples and extends the number of known in vivo SDMA sites. The data obtained are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD015653.     

Rational Design of Core@shell Structured CoSx@Cu2MoS4 Hybridized MoS2/N,S‐Codoped Graphene as Advanced Electrocatalyst for Water Splitting and Zn‐Air Battery

A novel hybrid of small core@shell structured CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄ uniformly hybridizing with a molybdenum dichalcogenide/N,S‐codoped graphene hetero‐network (CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄‐MoS₂/NSG) is prepared by a facile route. It shows excellent performance toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium. The hybrid exhibits rapid kinetics for ORR with high electron transfer number of ≈3.97 and exciting durability superior to commercial Pt/C. It also demonstrates great potential with remarkable stability for HER and OER, requiring low overpotential of 118.1 and 351.4 mV, respectively, to reach a current density of 10 mA cm^?2. An electrolyzer based on CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄‐MoS₂/NSG produces low cell voltage of 1.60 V and long‐term stability, surpassing a device of Pt/C + RuO₂/C. In addition, a Zn‐air battery using cathodic CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄‐MoS₂/NSG catalyst delivers a high cell voltage of ≈1.44 V and a power density of 40 mW cm^?2 at 58 mA cm^?2, better than the state‐of‐the‐art Pt/C catalyst. These achievements are due to the rational combination of highly active core@shell CoS_x@Cu₂MoS₄ with large‐area and high‐porosity MoS₂/NSG to produce unique physicochemical properties with multi‐integrated active centers and synergistic effects. The outperformances of such catalyst suggest an advanced candidate for multielectrocatalysis applications in metal‐air batteries and hydrogen production.     

New Class of Ni‐Rich Cathode Materials Li[NixCoyB1−x−y]O2 for Next Lithium Batteries

A new class of layered cathodes, Li[Ni_xCo_yB_1?x?y]O₂ (NCB), is synthesized. The proposed NCB cathodes have a unique microstructure in which elongated primary particles are tightly packed into spherical secondary particles. The cathodes also exhibit a strong crystallographic texture in which the a–b layer planes are aligned along the radial direction, facilitating Li migration. The microstructure, which effectively suppresses the formation of microcracks, improves the cycling stability of the NCB cathodes. The NCB cathode with 1.5 mol% B delivers a discharge capacity of 234 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C and retains 91.2% of its initial capacity after 100 cycles (compared to values of 229 mAh g^?1 at 0.1 C and 78.8% for pristine Li[Ni_0.9Co_0.1]O₂). This study shows the importance of controlling the microstructure to obtain the required cycling stability, especially for Ni‐rich layered cathodes, where the main cause of capacity fading is related to mechanical strain in their charged state.     

Industrial attributes of β-glucanase produced by Bacillus sp. CSB55 and its potential application as bio-industrial catalyst

Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering - The β-glucanase produced from Bacillus sp. CSB55 not only depicts the potent industrial characteristics but also relates as bio-industrial catalyst...     

Repellent efficacy of essential oils and plant extracts against Tribolium castaneum and Plodia interpunctella

This study was conducted to investigate the repellent efficacy of essential oils (Origanum vulgare, Pimpinella anisum, and Tanacetum cinerariifolium) and four plant extracts (Agastache rugosa, Capsicum annuum, Citrus reticulata, and Ginkgo biloba) against Tribolium castaneum (adults and larvae) and Plodia interpunctella (larvae). Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis revealed the presence of carvacrol, anethole, and jasmolin I as the predominant constituent in O. vulgare, P. anisum, and T. cinerariifolium, respectively. Furthermore, ethyl hexopyranoside, 9,12‐octadecadienoic acid, cyclopentanol, and 2‐cresol were identified in A. rugosa, C. annuum, C. reticulata, and G. biloba, respectively. The repellent efficacy of each essential oil, plant extract, and the combination of oils was evaluated using a specially designed cylinder trap for 120 h. Among the three oils, O. vulgare and T. cinerariifolium had greatest repellent efficacy against P. interpunctella larvae. T. cinerariifolium exhibited effective repellence against the adults and larvae of T. castaneum. Therefore, O. vulgare (O) and T. cinerariifolium (T) were selected for further investigation of combined effects. Two essential oils were mixed in three different ratios of OT1 (1:3), OT2 (1:1), and OT3 (3:1). The repellent efficacies of OT1 and OT2 against the adults of T. castaneum were significantly greater than that of OT3. OT1 was effective against the larvae of T. castaneum, whereas OT2 was effective against the larvae of P. interpunctella. OT1 enhanced the repellent efficacy by approximately five times against larvae of T. castaneum, compared with that of T. cinerariifolium. Overall, OT1 was selected as the best repellent substance against all the tested insects.     

Insect diversity in Gonggeom‐ji,the first protected paddy field wetland in Korea

Gonggeom‐ji pond is the first protected paddy field wetland area, designated by the Ministry of Environment of Korea in 2011, because of its high biodiversity and historic value. It contains reservoirs, paddy fields, and a forest site that provides diverse niches for insects. Quantitative methods were used in this study to estimate the insect diversity of this region. A transect of 50 m was designated in each site (reservoirs, paddy fields, and a forest site). Data were collected using sweeping and pitfall traps along each transect in May, August, and November 2017, representative of the seasons—spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. As a result, a total of 1079 individual insects representing 170 species from 60 families within nine orders were collected. Diversity, richness, and evenness indices were the highest in the forest site in May (4.77, 8.6, and 0.91, respectively). The dominance index was the highest in the forest site in November (0.64). Similarity index was the highest in the reservoir in May and August (0.519). These results would help compare different sites and their vegetation to assess relationships between insects and habitats.