ALPK2 acts as tumor promotor in development of bladder cancer through targeting DEPDC1A

Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urinary system. The development and improvement of treatment efficiency require the deepening of the understanding of its molecular mechanism. This study investigated the role of ALPK2, which is rarely studied in malignant tumors, in the development of bladder cancer. Our results showed the upregulation of ALPK2 in bladder cancer, and data mining of TCGA database showed the association between ALPK2 and pathological parameters of patients with bladder cancer. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that knockdown of ALPK2 could inhibit bladder cancer development through regulating cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell migration. Additionally, DEPDC1A is identified as a potential downstream of ALPK2 with direct interaction, whose overexpression/downregulation can inhibit/promote the malignant behavioral of bladder cancer cells. Moreover, the overexpression of DEPDC1A can rescue the inhibitory effects of ALPK2 knockdown on bladder cancer. In conclusion, ALPK2 exerts a cancer-promoting role in the development of bladder cancer by regulating DEPDC1A, which may become a promising target to improve the treatment strategy of bladder cancer.Subject terms: Cancer models, Bladder cancer     

中华蜜蜂气味受体基因AcerOR58的序列与时空表达分析

[目的]通过分析中华蜜蜂Apis cerana cerana气味受体基因AcerOR58编码蛋白的理化性质、结构特征,明确AcerOR58时空表达特性,为该基因后续的功能研究奠定基础.[方法]利用多种生物信息学软件预测分析AcerOR58序列及其编码蛋白的结构特性,采用邻接法构建系统进化树.利用实时荧光定量PCR技术分析AcerOR58在不同发育阶段工蜂触角及采集蜂不同组织的表达差异.[结果]AcerOR58基因的开放阅读框(ORF)长1 230 bp,编码409个氨基酸,成熟蛋白分子量为47.147 ku,理论等电点8.46,无信号肽,含有6个跨膜结构且N端位于胞内,31个潜在的磷酸化位点,在第80-405位氨基酸之间存在一个昆虫气味受体家族7tm_6 superfamily保守结构域.AcerOR58与西方蜜蜂Apis mellifera的AmelOR58亲缘关系最近,核苷酸序列一致性高达96.67％,氨基酸序列一致性高达97.31％.AcerOR58在采集蜂(15-25日龄)阶段的表达量较高,且在触角中的表达量极显著高于其他组织(P＜0.01).[结论]AcerOR58具有昆虫气味受体的结构特征,该基因特异性高表达于中华蜜蜂采集蜂触角中,推测其功能与识别外界蜜粉源的花香气味物质有关.     

Heterogeneous interactome between Litopenaeus vannamei plasma proteins and Vibrio parahaemolyticus outer membrane proteins

A great loss has been suffered by microbial infectious diseases under intensive shrimp farming in recent years. In this background, the understanding of shrimp innate immunity becomes an importantly scientific issue, but little is known about the heterogeneous protein–protein interaction between pathogenic cells and hosts, which is a key step for the invading microbes to infect internet organs through bloodstream. In the present study, bacterial outer membrane (OM) protein array and pull-down approaches are used to isolate both Vibrio parahaemolyticus OM proteins that bind to shrimp serum proteins and the shrimp serum proteins that interact with bacterial cells, respectively. Three interacting shrimp serum proteins, hemocyanin, β-1,3-glucan binding protein and LV_HP_RA36F08r and thirty interacting OM proteins were determined. They form 63 heterogeneous protein–protein interactions. Nine out of the 30 OM proteins were randomly demonstrated to be up-regulated or down-regulated when bacterial cells were cultured with shrimp sera, indicating the biological significance of the network. The interesting findings uncover the complexity of struggle between host immunity and bacterial infection. Compared with our previous report on heterogeneous interactome between fish grill and bacterial OM proteins, the present study further extends the investigation from lower vertebrates to invertebrates and develops a bacterial OM protein array to identify the OM proteins bound with shrimp serum proteins, which elevates the frequencies of the bound OM proteins. Our results highlight the way to determine and understand the heterogeneous interaction between hosts and microbes.     

Performance of diapausing parasitoid wasps,Habrobracon hebetor,after cold storage

The ectoparasitoid Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an important potential biological control agent for lepidopterous pests of stored products. We investigated the effects of long-term cold storage of diapausing and nondiapausing H. hebetor on their performance after cold storage. Mortality during storage increased with increasing storage duration, and the mortality of diapausing females was lower than that of nondiapausing females after 8, 12, and 16 weeks of storage. Longevity, egg laying, number of progeny produced, and time to 50% egg laying were all reduced, as compared with the culture females when parasitoids were reared at conditions that do not induce diapause. But, for females reared at 20 °C at conditions that induce diapause, all of these quality parameters did not differ from those of culture insects when the storage duration was 8 weeks or less. The percentage of female F1 offspring was always lower for cold stored insects than for the culture insects. Presence of a male after cold storage did not impact any of the quality parameters measured. Thus, rearing parasitoids at 20 °C and 10L:14D and then storing them for up to 8 weeks at 5 °C would produce parasitoids that are similar to culture parasitoids, except that the percentage of females is lower than that in the cultures (36% vs. 52%).     

Expression of Insulin-Like Growth Factor System Genes in Liver Tissue During Embryonic and Early Post-Hatch Development in Duck (Anas platyrhynchos Domestica)

The IGF system is one of the most important endocrine and paracrine growth factor systems that regulate fetal and placental growth, whereas the liver is the principal source of circulation IGF-I. In the present study, expression of IGF-I, IGF type-I receptor (IGF-IR), and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 genes was quantified by RT-PCR in the liver tissue on days 13, 17, 21, 25, and 27 of embryonic development, as well as at 7 days post-hatching (PH) in meat-type Gaoyou ducks and egg-type Jinding ducks. The results showed that IGF-I mRNA could be detected as early as on E 13d, but the expression level was low throughout embryonic development before increasing dramatically by E 27d and 7 days PH in both duck breeds. However, Gaoyou ducks exhibited higher IGF-I mRNA level than Jinding ducks, and the differences were significant on E 13d, E 21d, and at 7 days PH. Expression of IGF-IR in liver increased gradually in the former stages of the embryonic development, reaching its highest point on E 21d, and then declined up until 7 days PH. The expression pattern of IGFBP-3 gene was similar to that of IGF-IR gene, increasing significantly from E 17d. The expression peak appeared on E 25d, then declined significantly just prior to hatching (day 27) and was followed by an increase at 7 days PH. In general, the expression level of IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 genes in Jinding ducks was higher than that in Gaoyou ducks. Inverse relationships were observed for the expression of IGF-I and IGF-IR, and IGF-I and IGFBP-3, whereas a positive relationship was observed for the expression of IGF-IR and IGFBP-3. Our data indicate a differential expression of selected genes that comprise the IGF system in the duck liver tissue during embryonic and early PH growth and development.     

马兜铃水提液对斑马鱼胚胎的致畸作用和心脏毒性的研究

目的：探索马兜铃水提液对斑马鱼胚胎的致畸作用和心脏毒性.方法：分别用不同浓度的马兜铃水提液和马兜铃酸A（AA）处理斑马鱼胚胎,观察致畸作用和对心脏发育影响.结果：给药组的斑马鱼胚胎出现畸形和死亡;当水提液中AA含量为0.5 μg/mL时,胚胎心率明显减慢;AA含量为5μg/mL时,胚胎在24～48 hpf之间全部死亡;水提液的LC50为1.43 μg/mL.结论：与AA相比,马兜铃水提液对斑马鱼胚胎有着更强的致畸和心脏毒性,且毒性作用具有时间和浓度依赖性.     

竹叶菜的组织培养研究

竹叶菜为百合科鹿药属一种多年生草本植物,因做菜口感好,且营养丰富、药用价值高而成为深受人们喜爱的一种野生蔬菜.有关竹叶菜及其同属的组织培养研究均未见报道.本文以竹叶菜的顶芽为外植体,通过器官发生途径,初步探索了竹叶菜的组织培养技术,结果表明:芽诱导的合适培养基为:MS +6-BA 1.5 +NAA 0.05+0.6％琼脂+3％蔗糖;芽继代培养的合适培养基为:MS+6-BA 1.2 +NAA 0.05 +0.6％琼脂+3％蔗糖;无菌小苗生根的合适培养基为:MS+ IAA 1.5+ NAA 0.2+ 0.6％琼脂+3％蔗糖.为竹叶菜今后较大规模地栽培或生产提供种苗及技术贮备,为实现竹叶菜资源的可持续性开发利用奠定了基础.     

Morphological and physiological changes of ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) in response to drought stress and GA3 treatment

Ramie (Boehmeria nivea L. Gaud) fibers extracted from the stem bast is one of the most important natural fibers. Ramie growth is severely hindered by drought stress but is promoted by gibberellins (GAs). In order to investigate ramie morphological and physiological responses to drought stress and GA₃ treatment, four groups of potted ramie (severe drought stress (DS), severe drought stress and spraying with GA₃ (DS + GA₃), normal watering and spraying with GA₃ (control + GA₃), and normal watering as a control) were tested. The result showed that, comparing with the ramie growing under well watering condition, a decrease in chlorophyll a (Chl a) and carotenoid and an increase in proline and soluble sugar contents were commonly observed in drought-stressed and GA₃-treated ramie. Different responses of the stem morphological traits, fiber yield, and seven physiological characteristics (relative water content, the activities of POD, SOD, and CAT enzymes, the contents of Chl b, endogenous GAs and MDA) were observed between drought-stressed and GA₃-treated plants. When the ramie suffering drought stress was sprayed with GA₃ (in (DS + GA₃) group), the responses of some physiological traits (POD, SOD, CAT, MDA, and endogenous GAs) and morphological traits (stem shape and fiber yield) to drought stress disappeared completely or partially, and the plant presented similar characteristics of well-watered ramie in these traits. These results suggested that the application of exogenous GA₃ can improve the drought tolerance of ramie.     

Heterologous expression of a halophilic archaeon manganese superoxide dismutase enhances salt tolerance in transgenic rice

In order to investigate new gene resource for enhancing rice tolerance to salt stress, manganese superoxide dismutase gene from halophilic archaeon (Natrinema altunense sp.) (NaMnSOD) was isolated and introduced into Oryza sativa L. cv. Nipponbare by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The transformants (L1 and L2) showed some NaMnSOD expression and increased total SOD and CAT activity, which contributed to higher efficiency of ROS elimination under salt stress. The levels of superoxide anion radicals (O ₂ ^·? ) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) were significantly decreased. In addition, they exhibited higher levels of photosynthesis, whereas lower relative ion leakage and MDA content compared to wild-type plants. Therefore, transgenic seedlings were phenotypically healthier, and heterologous expression of NaMnSOD could improve rice salt tolerance.