Integrated analysis of ceRNA network and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in esophageal cancer

Background: Esophageal cancer (ESCA) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world. Tumor immune microenvironment is closely related to tumor prognosis. The present study aimed at analyzing the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network and tumor-infiltrating immune cells in ESCA.Methods: The expression profiles of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas database. A ceRNA network was established based on the differentially expressed RNAs by Cytoscape. CIBERSORT was applied to estimate the proportion of immune cells in ESCA. Prognosis-associated genes and immune cells were applied to establish prognostic models basing on Lasso and multivariate Cox analyses. The survival curves were constructed with Kaplan–Meier method. The predictive efficacy of the prognostic models was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results: The differentially expressed mRNAs, lncRNAs, and miRNAs were identified. We constructed the ceRNA network including 23 lncRNAs, 19 miRNAs, and 147 mRNAs. Five key molecules (HMGB3, HOXC8, HSPA1B, KLHL15, and RUNX3) were identified from the ceRNA network and five significant immune cells (plasma cells, T cells follicular helper, monocytes, dendritic cells activated, and neutrophils) were selected via CIBERSORT. The ROC curves based on key genes and significant immune cells all showed good sensitivity (AUC of 3-year survival: 0.739, AUC of 5-year survival: 0.899, AUC of 3-year survival: 0.824, AUC of 5-year survival: 0.876). There was certain correlation between five immune cells and five key molecules.Conclusion: The present study provides an effective bioinformatics basis for exploring the potential biomarkers of ESCA and predicting its prognosis.     

利用光合细菌进行微生物修复：一种降低辛硫磷在养殖水中积累的低成本方法

[背景] 中国是农业生产大国,渔林农牧占比庞大。有机农药无论在畜牧业还是水产养殖业都有广泛的应用。有机磷农药（Organophosphorus Pesticide,OP）是应用最广泛的有机农药,具有低毒和不易残留的优点。OP在水体中大量积累可通过生物富集作用间接影响人体健康,由此产生的生殖毒性不容忽视。光合细菌作为环境友好型水体有益菌,部分菌种具有降解有机农药的功能。[目的] 自上海海洋大学明湖中分离纯化得到一株光合细菌（编号SPZ）。探究其对辛硫磷的耐受程度及降解效果,为养殖水体中有机磷农药的生物降解提供目的菌株。[方法] 利用16S rRNA基因序列分析方法对目标菌株进行种属鉴定;利用紫外分光光度法测定分离菌株SPZ和标准菌株ST在不同接种量下的OD₆₆₀并测定实验周期内光合细菌在不同浓度辛硫磷中OD₆₆₀的变化趋势,以示辛硫磷对光合细菌的毒性作用;利用高效液相色谱法（High Performance Liquid Chromatography,HPLC）测定菌株对水体辛硫磷的降解能力;通过HPLC测定加热致死菌与活菌对水体辛硫磷的降解能力,确定菌株对辛硫磷的降解方式。[结果] 16S rRNA基因序列分析表明菌株SPZ与红假单胞菌属相似度高达99%以上,与沼泽红假单胞菌ATCC 17001菌株聚为一支,置信度为100%;菌株SPZ与菌株ST的适宜接种量为10%;菌株SPZ可耐受100 mg/L的辛硫磷,当浓度超过该值后,辛硫磷对光合细菌生长产生显著的抑制作用;当光合细菌进入生长稳定期后添加辛硫磷,1 d时可相对降解辛硫磷（12.97%-26.69%,20.0 mg/L;24.25%-32.85%,2.0 mg/L;16.66%-34.59%,0.2 mg/L）,3 d时可相对降解辛硫磷（46.63%-53.95%,20.0 mg/L;24.78%-30.34%,2.0 mg/L;31.92%-39.25%,0.2 mg/L）,5 d时可相对降解辛硫磷（93.65%-97.72%,20.0 mg/L;67.69%-74.41%,2.0 mg/L;10.34%-24.27%,0.2 mg/L）。[结论] 菌株SPZ作为一种常见光合细菌,能够有效去除水体中的辛硫磷农药,具有生物修复功能,在水产养殖和有机磷农药污染水处理中有广阔的前景。     

不同身体质量指数人群肠道菌群结构及共存网络解析

[背景] 人体能量稳态失衡表现为体重过轻、超重和肥胖,肠道菌群与人体能量稳态的维持有关,但不同身体质量指数（Body Mass Index,BMI）人群的肠道菌群特征仍需进一步探究。[目的] 基于美国肠道计划公开数据库,解析4类BMI人群肠道菌群的特征,并探究4类BMI人群肠道菌群共存网络特征及差异,为基于肠道菌群来干预肥胖及体重过轻等不健康状态提供新的理论依据。[方法] 从美国肠道计划数据集中筛选具有BMI信息的肠道菌群样本,并根据世界卫生组织规定的BMI划分标准将筛选后的样本分为4类：体重过轻（BMI<18.5 kg/m²）,正常体重（18.5 kg/m²2）,超重（25 kg/m²2）,肥胖（BMI>30 kg/m²）;通过计算和比较肠道菌群的α多样性和β多样性探究4类BMI人群肠道菌群的整体结构特征及差异;通过多元线性回归模型对不同BMI分类与肠道菌群进行相关性分析,并且将地域、年龄、性别因素作为混杂因素加入到模型中进行校正;采用SparCC分别计算4类BMI人群肠道菌群中菌属相关性,并分别构建肠道菌群共存网络。[结果] 经过Wilcoxon秩和检验,发现体重过轻、超重、肥胖人群的肠道菌群α多样性都显著低于正常体重人群;β多样性分析结果表明4类BMI人群肠道菌群的整体结构存在显著差异;4类BMI人群肠道中厚壁菌门（Firmicutes）和拟杆菌门（Bacteroidetes）的相对含量无显著差异;通过MaAsLin分析,并且将地域、年龄、性别因素作为混杂因素加入到模型中进行校正,共得到49个与BMI类型显著相关的物种;4类BMI人群肠道菌群共存网络的拓扑结构具有一定差异,体重过轻和正常体重人群肠道菌群共存网络的复杂度较高,超重和肥胖人群肠道菌群共存网络的复杂度较低。[结论] 4类BMI人群肠道菌群的多样性、整体结构和共存网络间均存在差异。     

The involvement of bioactive factors in the self-renewal and stemness maintenance of spermatogonial stem cells

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Spermatogenesis is usually accompanied throughout mammalian lifetime, transmitting genetic information to the next generation, which is mainly dependent on the...     

GINS2 was regulated by lncRNA XIST/miR-23a-3p to mediate proliferation and apoptosis in A375 cells

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Melanoma ranks second in aggressive tumors, and the occurrence of metastasis in melanoma results in a persistent drop in the survival rate of patients....     

Synergistic anticancer effect of docosahexaenoic acid and isoliquiritigenin on human colorectal cancer cells through ROS-mediated regulation of the JNK and cytochrome c release

Molecular Biology Reports - A large body of research has demonstrated a synergistic anticancer effect between docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and standard chemotherapy regimens against colorectal cancer...     

昆虫钠离子通道的研究进展

昆虫只有一个或两个电压门控钠离子通道α亚基基因,但两种转录后修饰(选择性剪切和RNA编辑)实现了昆虫钠离子通道的功能多样性。昆虫β辅助亚基TipE和TEH1-4在钠离子通道表达和调控中也起着重要作用。电压门控钠离子通道在动作电位的产生和传递中至关重要,是多种天然和人工合成神经毒素及杀虫剂的作用靶标,包括广泛使用的拟除虫菊酯类、茚虫威和氰氟虫腙等杀虫剂。其中,拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂通过调控昆虫钠离子通道的失活和去激活,延长跨膜钠离子流的时间,引起神经兴奋性传导障碍;茚虫威和氰氟虫腙阻断昆虫中枢和外周神经系统神经元的动作电位传导,这些神经毒剂都能干扰昆虫钠离子通道的正常功能。昆虫钠离子通道一般存在两个拟除虫菊酯类杀虫剂结合位点,但不同物种钠离子通道与拟除虫菊酯的结合位点存在一定差异。据此,本文就昆虫钠离子通道及其与杀虫剂的相互作用加以综述,有望推动昆虫神经受体研究,且对鉴定昆虫抗药性相关突变位点和研发高效的杀虫剂均具有重要参考价值。     

Offspring performance and female preference of Pagiophloeus tsushimanus (coleoptera: curculionidae) on three Lauraceae tree species: A potential risk of host shift caused by larval experience

The weevil Pagiophloeus tsushimanus Morimoto (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), native to Eastern Asia, is a wood-boring pest that causes severe damage to camphor trees (Cinnamomum sp.) in Shanghai, China. Other Lauraceae tree species that grew sympatrically with this pest in close proximity could face a potential threat. To assess the potential risks of host shift, we explored the phenotypic associations between preference and performance in P. tsushimanus reared on three Lauraceae tree species. In a no-choice experiment offering branches of each plant as diet material and oviposition sites, we found that individuals reared on Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Presl (Laurales: Lauraceae) exhibited the strongest performance with shorter development time, higher survival and growth rate in the immature stage, longer longevity and greater fecundity in adults. In contrast, those on novel Lauraceae tree species (Cinnamomum chekiangensis Nakai and Phoebe chekiangensis Shang) had difficulty completing their whole life cycle due to significantly lower survival and reproduction. In a multiple-choice experiment, C. camphora was established as the preferred host. However, we found that the larval experiences on the non-preferred host plants contributed to an increased preference for that plant species. These results indicated that both the preference-performance hypothesis and the Hopkins’ host selection principle are applicable in this weevil under experimental conditions. It is possible that although the weevil performed poorly on two novel Lauraceae tree species, under favourable conditions their surviving offspring could evolve into a new host-specific population. Consequently, this weevil pest needs to be monitored on these novel Lauraceae tree species.     

Transient characteristics of universal cells on human‐induced pluripotent stem cells and their differentiated cells derived from foetal stem cells with mixed donor sources

IntroductionIt is important to prepare ‘hypoimmunogenic’ or ‘universal’ human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) with gene‐editing technology by knocking out or in immune‐related genes, because only a few hypoimmunogenic or universal hPSC lines would be sufficient to store for their off‐the‐shelf use. However, these hypoimmunogenic or universal hPSCs prepared previously were all genetically edited, which makes laborious processes to check and evaluate no abnormal gene editing of hPSCs.MethodsUniversal human‐induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were generated without gene editing, which were reprogrammed from foetal stem cells (human amniotic fluid stem cells) with mixing 2‐5 allogenic donors but not with single donor. We evaluated human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐expressing class Ia and class II of our hiPSCs and their differentiated cells into embryoid bodies, cardiomyocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. We further evaluated immunogenic response of transient universal hiPSCs with allogenic mononuclear cells from survival rate and cytokine production, which were generated by the cells due to immunogenic reactions.ResultsOur universal hiPSCs during passages 10‐25 did not have immunogenic reaction from allogenic mononuclear cells even after differentiation into cardiomyocytes, embryoid bodies and mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, the cells including the differentiated cells did not express HLA class Ia and class II. Cardiomyocytes differentiated from transient universal hiPSCs at passage 21‐22 survived and continued beating even after treatment with allogenic mononuclear cells.