Visualization Analysis of CRISPR Gene-editing Knowledge Map based on Citespace

Biology Bulletin - CRISPR is an adaptive immune defense system found in bacteria and archaea that is resistant to heterologous invasive genetic material. Later studies showed that the CRISPR system...     

MicroRNA-520c-3p suppresses vascular endothelium dysfunction by targeting RELA and regulating the AKT and NF-κB signaling pathways

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Endothelial injury, which can cause endothelial inflammation and dysfunction, is an important mechanism for the development of atherosclerotic plaque. This...     

NEK2 plays an active role in Tumorigenesis and Tumor Microenvironment in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Abnormal expression and dysfunction of Never-in-mitosis-A-related kinase 2 (NEK2) result in tumorigenesis. High levels of NEK2 are related to malignant progression, drug resistance, and poor prognosis. However, the relationship between NEK2 levels and the occurrence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unknown. This study aimed to explore the impacts of NEK2 on the oncogenesis of NSCLC and the tumor microenvironment. Downregulation of NEK2 inhibited A549 and H1299 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, blocking cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase. Loss of NEK2 inhibited the release of IL-10 from tumor cells, M2-like polarization of macrophages, angiogenesis, and vascular endothelial cell migration. Furthermore, NEK2 deficiency inhibited tumor growth in vivo. Taken together, NEK2 knockdown inhibited the occurrence and development of NSCLC, M2 polarization of macrophages, and angiogenesis. The abnormal expression of NEK2 might not only indicate tumor progression and patient prognosis but also serve as a potential molecular therapeutic target with great development prospects.     

超声引导下硬膜外阻滞在老年髋关节置换手术中的应用

目的:探讨超声引导下硬膜外阻滞在老年髋关节置换手术中的应用方法与效果。方法:2017年6月至2020年5月选择在本院进行髋关节置换手术的老年患者112例,根据随机数字表法把患者分为研究组与对照组,各56例。研究组给予超声引导下硬膜外阻滞,对照组给予传统的静脉持续镇痛。两组都给予全麻诱导与维持,记录镇痛效果与患者术后康复情况。结果:两组的性别、年龄、麻醉时间、手术时间与术中出血量等对比差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),研究组的术后住院时间显著短于对照组(P<0.05)。两组术后1 d、3 d、7 d的疼痛视觉模拟评分法(Visual Analogue Scale/Score,VAS)评分都低于术前1 d,观察组也都显著低于对照组,对比差异都有统计学意义(P<0.05)。研究组术后1 d、3 d、7 d的髋关节活动度都显著高于对照组(P<0.05)。研究组术后1 d、3 d、7 d的血清P物质(Substance P,SP)、前列腺素E2(Prostaglandin E2,PGE2)含量都高于术前1 d,观察组低于对照组,对比差异都有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:超声引导下硬膜外阻滞在老年髋关节置换手术中的应用能抑制血清SP、PGE2的释放,能缓解患者术后疼痛,促进髋关节功能的恢复,缩短患者的康复时间。     

Evidence for a synergistic effect of post‐translational modifications and genomic composition of eEF‐1α on the adaptation of Phytophthora infestans

Genetic variation plays a fundamental role in pathogen''s adaptation to environmental stresses. Pathogens with low genetic variation tend to survive and proliferate more poorly due to their lack of genotypic/phenotypic polymorphisms in responding to fluctuating environments. Evolutionary theory hypothesizes that the adaptive disadvantage of genes with low genomic variation can be compensated for structural diversity of proteins through post‐translation modification (PTM) but this theory is rarely tested experimentally and its implication to sustainable disease management is hardly discussed. In this study, we analyzed nucleotide characteristics of eukaryotic translation elongation factor‐1α (eEF‐lα) gene from 165 Phytophthora infestans isolates and the physical and chemical properties of its derived proteins. We found a low sequence variation of eEF‐lα protein, possibly attributable to purifying selection and a lack of intra‐genic recombination rather than reduced mutation. In the only two isoforms detected by the study, the major one accounted for >95% of the pathogen collection and displayed a significantly higher fitness than the minor one. High lysine representation enhances the opportunity of the eEF‐1α protein to be methylated and the absence of disulfide bonds is consistent with the structural prediction showing that many disordered regions are existed in the protein. Methylation, structural disordering, and possibly other PTMs ensure the ability of the protein to modify its functions during biological, cellular and biochemical processes, and compensate for its adaptive disadvantage caused by sequence conservation. Our results indicate that PTMs may function synergistically with nucleotide codes to regulate the adaptive landscape of eEF‐1α, possibly as well as other housekeeping genes, in P. infestans. Compensatory evolution between pre‐ and post‐translational phase in eEF‐1α could enable pathogens quickly adapting to disease management strategies while efficiently maintaining critical roles of the protein playing in biological, cellular, and biochemical activities. Implications of these results to sustainable plant disease management are discussed.     

环状RNA及其在生态毒理学研究中的应用进展

环状RNA（circular RNAs,circRNAs）是一类共价闭合环状非编码RNA,具有进化上保守、结构上稳定、组织特异性表达等特点。CircRNAs可作为miRNAs海绵影响其对基因的调控,还可与RNA结合蛋白（RNA binding proteins,RBPs）相互作用,也有研究表明某些circRNAs还具有被翻译成蛋白质的潜能。CircRNAs已被证实对某些疾病具有特异性、稳定性和调节功能,如癌症、糖尿病、心血管疾病、神经退行性疾病等,其可作为潜在的诊断、预后生物标志物和治疗靶点。最近,有研究发现circRNAs参与了环境化学污染物诱导的毒性效应发生及发展的过程。目前,生态毒理学研究中评价环境化学污染物和毒效应之间关系的毒性终点通常会受遗传多态性和表观遗传学影响,考虑到经环境化学污染物暴露后生物体内circRNAs差异性表达的现象,或许在生态毒理学研究中circRNAs也有作为生物标志物的可能性。基于此,对circRNAs的生物合成与降解、生物学功能、分析方法及其目前在生态毒理学研究中的应用展开综述,并对其作为分子生物标志物在环境污染物暴露早期诊断和生态风险评价中的应用进行了展望,以期为生态毒理学研究和环境风险评价提供参考。     

迁飞昆虫生物学参数反演及种类辨识分析

虫害严重威胁着我国的粮食安全,迁飞昆虫中有许多是农业害虫,其远距离迁飞是导致虫害异地暴发的重要原因.昆虫雷达是观测昆虫迁飞最有效的工具,在迁飞昆虫的监测和预警中发挥着越来越重要的作用,但传统昆虫雷达不能准确获取昆虫的各项生物学参数,因此无法实现昆虫种类的精确识别.随着雷达技术的创新和发展,通过昆虫雷达获得较为准确的昆虫生物学参数成为可能,为基于昆虫雷达实现迁飞昆虫个体种类辨识提供了依据.本文综述了从雷达回波中提取多频和极化散射参量,然后基于不同的电磁散射反演昆虫生物学参数的方法,并对比分析了基于不同方法的昆虫体重、体长、体宽和振翅频率的反演精度.最后基于生物学参数,采用5种机器学习算法以高精度实现了 23种迁飞昆虫的种类辨识,并分析了昆虫生物学参数的测量误差对迁飞昆虫种类辨识精度的影响,初步验证了利用雷达实现高精度迁飞昆虫种类辨识的可行性.     

Functional activity of RLIM/Rnf12 is regulated by phosphorylation-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling

The X-linked gene Rnf12 encodes the ubiquitin ligase really interesting new gene (RING) finger LIM domain–interacting protein (RLIM)/RING finger protein 12 (Rnf12), which serves as a major sex-specific epigenetic regulator of female mouse nurturing tissues. Early during embryogenesis, RLIM/Rnf12 expressed from the maternal allele is crucial for the development of extraembryonic trophoblast cells. In contrast, in mammary glands of pregnant and lactating adult females RLIM/Rnf12 expressed from the paternal allele functions as a critical survival factor for milk-producing alveolar cells. Although RLIM/Rnf12 is detected mostly in the nucleus, little is known about how and in which cellular compartment(s) RLIM/Rnf12 mediates its biological functions. Here we demonstrate that RLIM/Rnf12 protein shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm and this is regulated by phosphorylation of serine S214 located within its nuclear localization sequence. We show that shuttling is important for RLIM to exert its biological functions, as alveolar cell survival activity is inhibited in cells expressing shuttling-deficient nuclear or cytoplasmic RLIM/Rnf12. Thus regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of RLIM/Rnf12 coordinates cellular compartments during mammary alveolar cell survival.