Expert consensus on organizing the multidisciplinary team (MDT) diagnosis and treatment of hepato-pancreato-biliary diseases in China

Science China Life Sciences -     

Valproate induces apoptosis by inducing accumulation of neutral lipids which was prevented by disruption of the SIR2 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We investigated the participation of HDACs in VPA induced apoptosis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. VPA (20 mM) induced apoptosis in several HDAC mutants, including PRD3 and HDA1-disrupted cells and SIR2 over expressing cells, as well as in wild-type cells but not SIR2-disrupted cells. Intracellular reactive oxygen species and neutral lipid content increased markedly in all kinds of HDAC mutant cells tested except for SIR2-disrupted cells. Thus, these results suggest that 20 mM VPA induces neutral lipid accumulation and apoptosis-like features in S. cerevisiae, and that VPA-induced apoptosis was evaded by deletion of SIR2.     

Stimulation of ATG12-ATG5 conjugation by ribonucleic acid

The ubiquitin-like conjugation reactions, ATG8/microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3/MAP1LC3 (LC3) to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and ATG12 to ATG5, are biochemical hallmarks for autophagy, a cellular process that degrades bulk cellular proteins and organelles. The two conjugation reactions share the same E1-like enzyme ATG7 but have different E2-like enzymes, ATG3 for LC3-PE and ATG10 for ATG12-ATG5. In cells, ATG12-ATG5 conjugation appears to be required for LC3-PE conjugation. Previously, in vitro reconstitution of LC3-PE conjugation, but not the upstream ATG12-ATG5 conjugation, was reported. In this study, we describe for the first time the de novo reconstitution of mammalian ATG12-ATG5 conjugation by using purified recombinant proteins. We show that ATG7, ATG10 and ATP as an energy source are all essential for ATG12-ATG5 conjugation, and mutation of the specific lysine residue of ATG5 for ATG12 conjugation abrogates the reaction. Furthermore, a potent stimulating activity for ATG12-ATG5 conjugation was detected in mammalian cell extracts, and was surprisingly identified as ribosomes. Our detail biochemical analyses indicate that the ribonucleic acid (RNA) component of ribosomes is both necessary and sufficient for this stimulation.     

Mechanical analysis of deep tissue injury during sitting in patients with spinal cord injury via parametric finite element model

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology - Spinal cord injury patients are prone to develop deep tissue injury because of long-term mechanical load. However, there is a lack of statistical...     

Prognostic relevance of miR-137 and its liver microenvironment regulatory target gene AFM in hepatocellular carcinoma

MiR-137 has been identified as potential hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) prognostic biomarkers. Highly relevant HCC prognostic biomarkers may be derived from combinations of miR-137 with its target genes involved in the regulation of liver microenvironment. This study aimed at the discovery of such a combination with improved HCC prognosis performance than miR-137 or its target gene alone in a significantly higher number of HCC patients than previous studies. Analysis of the differentially expressed micro RNAs (miRNAs) between cancer and noncancer tissues reconfirmed miR-137 to be among the most relevant prognostic miRNAs and the data of 375 HCC patients and 50 normal cases were from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data sets. Target genes were identified by the established search methods and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis of HCC patients was used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Cox proportional hazards regression indicated that the miR-137 and its target gene AFM combination is an independent prognostic factor for the OS and RFS in HCC. In vitro experiments validated that miR-137 could bind to 3′-untranslated region of the AFM and promote the invasion and metastasis of HCC cell lines. The expressions of miR-137 and its liver microenvironment regulatory target gene AFM in combination significantly correlated with HCC progression in a higher number of patients than in previous studies, which suggested their potential as prognostic biomarkers for HCC.     

A dynamic reversible RNA N6-methyladenosine modification: current status and perspectives

N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), as the most abundant RNA epigenetic modifications, has been shown to play critical roles in various biological functions. Research about enzymes that can catalyze and remove m⁶A have revealed its comprehensive roles in messenger RNA (mRNA) metabolism and other physiological processes. The “readers” including YTH domain-containing proteins, hnRNPC, hnRNPG, hnRNPA2B1, IGF2BP1, IGF2BP2, and IGF2BP3, which can affect the fates of mRNA in an m⁶A-dependent manner. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the research of the m⁶A modifications, especially about the latest functions of its writers, erasers, readers in RNA metabolism, cancer, and lipid metabolism. In the end, we provide insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms of m⁶A modifications.     

Factors influencing the release of the biological nitrification inhibitor 1,9-decanediol from rice (Oryza sativa L.) roots

Plant and Soil - Depending on the availability and stoichiometry of nutrients in soil, microbes and plants can compete for the same resources. In this study we aimed to test how microbial nutrient...