Causal relationship between the loss of RUNX3 expression and gastric cancer

Runx3/Pebp2alphaC null mouse gastric mucosa exhibits hyperplasias due to stimulated proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in epithelial cells, and the cells are resistant to growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing action of TGF-beta, indicating that Runx3 is a major growth regulator of gastric epithelial cells. Between 45% and 60% of human gastric cancer cells do not significantly express RUNX3 due to hemizygous deletion and hypermethylation of the RUNX3 promoter region. Tumorigenicity of human gastric cancer cell lines in nude mice was inversely related to their level of RUNX3 expression, and a mutation (R122C) occurring within the conserved Runt domain abolished the tumor-suppressive effect of RUNX3, suggesting that a lack of RUNX3 function is causally related to the genesis and progression of human gastric cancer.     

Ⅱ型糖尿病的红细胞膜GPA基因表达

为了研究Ⅱ型糖尿病（ＮＩＤＤＭ）患者红细胞膜血型糖蛋白Ａ（ＧＰＡ）的基因表达,采用不连续聚蔗糖（Ｐｅｒｃｏｌ）密度梯度法分离１５名正常人和２５例ＮＩＤＤＭ患者外周血的网织红细胞,提取其总ＲＮＡ,继以Ｎｏｒｔｈｅｒｎ斑点杂交观测此两组的红细胞膜ＧＰＡ基因的表达水平．采用碱性磷酸酶酶联免疫检测完成红细胞膜ＧＰ的Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎ印迹．结果表明,ＮＩＤＤＭ患者组红细胞膜ＧＰＡ的ｍＲＮＡ含量较正常人组显著增加（分别为１１．９２±１０．５和１０．１８±１．０８积分光密度,Ｐ＜０．０１）．免疫印迹图谱显示,有６例ＮＩＤＤＭ患者的区带３ａ、３ｂ界限模糊,３例的区带３ａ、３ｂ和４明显浅染．推测ＮＩＤＤＭ患者红细胞膜ＧＰＡ减少可能引起其基因表达呈代偿性增强,而障碍或许出现在翻译环节上,这些与ＮＩＤＤＭ患者红细胞变形能力（ＲＣＤ）的明显降低甚为相符．     

植物BBX转录因子基因家族的研究进展

转录因子在调控植物生长、发育及环境适应性等方面发挥重要作用。具有B-box结构域的一类锌指结构转录因子称为BBX,它们通过调控基因转录,与同类或其他转录因子的互作参与植物光形态建成、花发育、避荫效应、植物信号转导以及非生物和生物逆境响应等。文中从BBX蛋白结构、分类以及其功能方面对该类转录因子在植物中的作用进行了综述。     

变异条件下淮河流域生态径流变化特征及驱动因子

基于淮河流域7个水文站点1956—2016年逐日径流量和72个雨量站点1960—2016的逐日降水量数据,利用Pettitt变异点检测、生态赤字和生态剩余等生态径流指标,定量分析淮河流域水文变异特征,根据生物多样性指标和水文变异指数间的关系,分析该流域水文变异的生态效应,利用位置、尺度、形状的广义可加模型(Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale and Shape,GAMLSS)理论框架量化气候因子对生态径流变化的贡献。研究表明:(1)水文变异后生态剩余减少,生态赤字增多,干流流量历时曲线比支流下移更明显;年生态剩余/赤字与面降水距平变化一致,水利工程调蓄作用是夏季生态径流与降水距平相关性差的主要原因;(2)除冬季外,淮河流域年、季尺度生态赤字(生态剩余)逐年增加(减小),春季增加最为明显。尽管冬季生态剩余比其他季节高,但生态剩余整体减小,21世纪干流生态剩余达最低,香农指数表明淮河流域生物多样性逐年下降。生态径流指标与水文改变指标(Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration,IHA)指标相关达0.45...     

The protective effects of grape seed procyanidin B2 against asporin mediates glycated low‐density lipoprotein induced‐cardiomyocyte apoptosis and fibrosis

The progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy is related to cardiomyocyte dysfunction and apoptosis. Our previous studies showed that asporin (ASPN) was significantly increased in the myocardium of db/db mice through proteomics, and grape seed procyanidin B2 (GSPB2) significantly inhibited the expression of ASPN in the heart of db/db mice. We report here that ASPN played a critical role in glycated low‐density lipoproteins (gly‐LDL) induced‐cardiomyocyte apoptosis. We found that gly‐LDL upregulated ASPN expression. ASPN increased H9C2 cardiomyocyte apoptosis with down‐regulation of Bcl‐2, upregulation of transforming growth factor‐β1, Bax, collagen III, fibronectin, and phosphorylation of smad2 and smad3. However, GSPB2 treatment reversed ASPN‐induced impairments in H9C2 cardiomyocytes. These results provide evidence for the cardioprotective action of GSPB2 against ASPN injury, and thus suggest a new target for fighting against diabetic cardiomyopathy.     

The endogenous calcium ions of horseradish peroxidase C are required to maintain the functional nonplanarity of the heme

Horseradish peroxidase C (HRPC) binds 2 mol calcium per mol of enzyme with binding sites located distal and proximal to the heme group. The effect of calcium depletion on the conformation of the heme was investigated by combining polarized resonance Raman dispersion spectroscopy with normal coordinate structural decomposition analysis of the hemes extracted from models of Ca(2+)-bound and Ca(2+)-depleted HRPC generated and equilibrated using molecular dynamics simulations. Results show that calcium removal causes reorientation of heme pocket residues. We propose that these rearrangements significantly affect both the in-plane and out-of-plane deformations of the heme. Analysis of the experimental depolarization ratios are clearly consistent with increased B(1g)- and B(2g)-type distortions in the Ca(2+)-depleted species while the normal coordinate structural decomposition results are indicative of increased planarity for the heme of Ca(2+)-depleted HRPC and of significant changes in the relative contributions of three of the six lowest frequency deformations. Most noteworthy is the decrease of the strong saddling deformation that is typical of all peroxidases, and an increase in ruffling. Our results confirm previous work proposing that calcium is required to maintain the structural integrity of the heme in that we show that the preferred geometry for catalysis is lost upon calcium depletion.     

珍珠李炭疽菌对三种杀菌剂的敏感性测定

由胶孢炭疽菌复合种(Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex)引起的炭疽病是珍珠李(Prunus salicina Lind1)产业生产上的主要病害，为明确珍珠李炭疽菌对吡唑醚菌酯、苯醚甲环唑和咪鲜胺的敏感性，比较不同地理来源及不同种炭疽菌对三种药剂敏感性差异。采用菌丝生长速率法分别测定三种杀菌剂对采自不同地区26株珍珠李炭疽菌的药剂敏感性。结果表明，供试的26株珍珠李炭疽菌对咪鲜胺的敏感性最高，EC₅₀值介于0.010 8～0.645 2μg/mL之间，平均值为(0.191 2±0.03)μg/mL;苯醚甲环唑次之，EC₅₀值介于0.165 8～2.168 0μg/mL之间，平均值为(0.725 8±0.088 0)μg/mL;吡唑醚菌酯最低，EC₅₀值介于0.058 3～84.566 0μg/mL之间，平均值为(6.276 3±3.525 5)μg/mL。供试的26株珍珠李炭疽菌整体对以上三种杀菌剂敏感，且对咪鲜胺的敏感性最高，苯醚甲环唑次之，对吡唑醚菌酯的敏感性最...     

Doped Copper Phthalocyanine via an Aqueous Solution Process for Normal and Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells

Great efforts toward developing novel and efficient hole‐transporting materials are needed to further improve the device efficiency and enhance the cell stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The poor film conductivity and the low carrier mobility of organic small‐molecule‐based hole‐transporting materials restrict their application in PSCs. This study develops an efficient and stable hole‐transporting material, tetrafluorotetracyanoquinodimethane (F₄‐TCNQ)‐doped copper phthalocyanine‐3,4′,4′′,4′′′‐tetra‐sulfonated acid tetra sodium salt (TS‐CuPc) via a solution process, in planar structure PSCs. The p‐type‐doped TS‐CuPc film demonstrates improved film conductivity and hole mobility owing to the strong electron affinity of F₄‐TCNQ. By the F₄‐TCNQ tailoring, the composite film gives the highest occupied molecular orbital level as high as 5.3 eV, which is beneficial for hole extraction. In addition, the aqueous solution processed TS‐CuPc:F₄‐TCNQ precursor is almost neutral with good stability for avoiding the electrode erosion. As a result, the fabricated PSCs employing TS‐CuPc:F₄‐TCNQ as the hole‐transporting material exhibit a power conversion efficiency of 16.14% in a p–i–n structure and 20.16% in an n–i–p structure, respectively. The developed organic small molecule of TS‐CuPc provides the diversification of hole‐transporting materials in planar PSCs.     

Retraction Note: miR-195-5p/NOTCH2-mediated EMT modulates IL-4 secretion in colorectal cancer to affect M2-like TAM polarization

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) generally arises from a background of liver cirrhosis (LC). Patients with cirrhosis and suspected HCC are recommended to undergo serum biomarker tests and imaging diagnostic evaluation. However, the performance of routine diagnostic methods in detecting early HCC remains unpromising.

Methods

Here, we conducted a large-scale, multicenter study of 1675 participants including 490 healthy controls, 577 LC patients, and 608 HCC patients from nine clinical centers across nine provinces of China, profiled gene mutation signatures of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) using Circulating Single-Molecule Amplification and Resequencing Technology (cSMART) through detecting 931 mutation sites across 21 genes.

Results

An integrated diagnostic model called “Combined method” was developed by combining three mutation sites and three serum biomarkers. Combined method outperformed AFP in the diagnosis of HCC, especially early HCC, with sensitivities of 81.25% for all stages and 66.67% for early HCC, respectively. Importantly, the integrated model exhibited high accuracy in differentiating AFP-negative, AFP-L3-negative, and PIVKA-II-negative HCCs from LCs.