甲状腺乳头状癌组织微小RNA-93-5p、微小RNA-98-5p表达与临床病理特征和增殖、侵袭基因表达的关系研究

摘要 目的：研究甲状腺乳头状癌（PTC）组织微小核糖核酸-93-5p（miR-93-5p）、微小RNA-98-5p（miR-98-5p）表达与临床病理特征和增殖、侵袭基因表达的关系。方法：选取2020年10月到2023年10月在广东省中医院行手术切除的PTC患者153例作为研究对象,收集术中切除的癌组织以及癌旁组织。检测并比较癌组织与癌旁组织miR-93-5p、miR-98-5p及增殖基因、侵袭基因mRNA表达水平,分析miR-93-5p及miR-98-5p表达与PTC患者临床病理特征的关系。利用Pearson法分析miR-93-5p、miR-98-5p表达水平与增殖基因、侵袭基因mRNA表达的相关性。结果：癌组织的miR-93-5p表达水平较癌旁组织更高,miR-98-5p表达水平较癌旁组织更低（P<0.05）。miR-93-5p高表达PTC患者TNM分期Ⅲ~Ⅳ期、有淋巴结转移及低分化的比例较miR-93-5p低表达PTC患者更高（P<0.05）。miR-98-5p低表达PTC患者TNM分期Ⅲ~Ⅳ期、有淋巴结转移及低分化的比例较miR-98-5p高表达PTC患者更高（P<0.05）。癌组织的增殖基因程序性细胞死亡因子4（PDCD4）及蛋白磷酸酶4调节亚基 （PP4R1）水平较癌旁组织更低（P<0.05）,侵袭基因金属蛋白酶解离素9（ADAM9）及Bcl-6共抑制因子样蛋白（BCORL1）水平较癌旁组织更高（P<0.05）。Pearson法分析结果显示,miR-93-5p表达与增殖基因PDCD4及PP4R1表达水平呈负相关,与侵袭基因ADAM9及BCORL1表达水平呈正相关。miR-98-5p表达水平与增殖基因PDCD4及PP4R1水平呈正相关,与侵袭基因ADAM9及BCORL1表达水平呈负相关。结论：PTC患者癌组织miR-93-5p表达升高,miR-98-5p表达降低,与TNM分期、淋巴结转移及分化程度等临床病理特征有关,还可促进PTC癌细胞增殖、侵袭。     

Overcoming resistance to rapalogs in gliomas by combinatory therapies

Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive brain tumor type, with a mean patient survival of approximately 1 year. Many previous analyses of the glioma kinome have identified key deregulated pathways that converge and activate mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Following the identification and characterization of mTOR-promoting activity in gliomagenesis, data from preclinical studies suggested the targeting of mTOR by rapamycin or its analogs (rapalogs) as a promising therapeutic approach. However, clinical trials with rapalogs have shown very limited efficacy on glioma due to the development of resistance mechanisms. Analysis of rapalog-insensitive glioma cells has revealed increased activity of growth and survival pathways compensating for mTOR inhibition by rapalogs that are suitable for therapeutic intervention. In addition, recently developed mTOR inhibitors show high anti-glioma activity. In this review, we recapitulate the regulation of mTOR signaling and its involvement in gliomagenesis, discuss mechanisms resulting in resistance to rapalogs, and speculate on strategies to overcome resistance. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Inhibitors of Protein Kinases (2012).     

Production of cellulolytic enzymes from theXylaria andHypoxylon species of xylariaceae

Eighteen strains of xylariaceous fungi have been screened for higher activities of cellulolytic enzymes,Trichoderma reesei QM 9414 was also examined for comparison. Strains ofXylaria anisopleura andX. regalis had higher endocellulase (CMCase) and exocellulase (Avicelase) activities after 2 weeks' incubation.Hypoxylon stygium produced the highest activity of -glucosidase 3 days after inoculation. The optimum pH for these cellulolytic enzymes was approx. 5.0 and the optimum temperatures ranged from 37 to 50°C. A mixed culture process usingT. reesei QM 9414 andH. stygium was developed to obtain enhanced synthesis of cellulase. -Glucosidase activities in the mixed culture increased within 48h whenH. stygium was introduced after 24h.     

MiR-423-5p inhibition alleviates cardiomyocyte apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction caused by hypoxia/reoxygenation through activation of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via targeting MYBL2

MicroRNA (miR) plays an integral role in cardiovascular diseases. M-iR-423-5p is aberrantly expressed in patients with myocardial infarction and heart failure. The aim of the present study was to study the roles and mechanisms of miR-423-5p in hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) mediated cardiomyocytes injury. H9C2 cells were transfected with negative control, miR-423-5p mimic, and inhibitor for 48 hr, followed by exposed to H/R condition. Cell apoptosis rate, caspase 3/7 activities, Bax and cleaved-caspase 3 (c-caspase 3) protein levels were assayed by flow cytometry, Caspase-Glo 3/7 Assay kit, western blot analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the mitochondrial membrane potential, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and Drp1 expression were also investigated. Furthermore, the dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the relationship between miR-423-5p and Myb-related protein B (MYBL2). The roles of miR-423-5p in wnt/β-catenin were assessed by western blot analysis. The results revealed that H/R triggered miR-423-5p expression. Overexpression of miR-423-5p promoted cardiomyocyte apoptosis, enhanced the activities of caspase 3/7, upregulated the expression of Bax and c-caspase 3. miR-423-5p upregulation caused the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and the reduction of ATP content, the augment of ROS production and Drp1 expression. However, the opposite trends were observed upon suppression of miR-423-5p. In addition, miR-423-5p could target the 3′ untranslated region of MYBL2. miR-423-5p depletion led to the activation of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via targeting MYBL2. Knockdown of MYBL2 was obviously reversed the roles of miR-423-5p in apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction. Taken together, miR-423-5p suppression reduced H/R-induced cardiomyocytes injury through activation of the wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway via targeting MYBL2 in cardiomyocytes.     

Helical packaging of semiflexible polymers in bacteriophages

We investigate multilayered helical packaging of double-stranded DNA, or of a general polymer chain with persistence length l_b, into an ideal, inert cylindrical container, reaching densities slightly below close packaging. We calculate the free energy as a function of the packaged length, based on the energies for bending, twisting, the suffered entropy loss, and the electrostatic energy in a Debye–Hückel model. In the absence of charges on the packaged polymer, a critical packaging force can be determined, similar to the mechanism involved in DNA unzipping models. When charges are taken into consideration, in the final packaging state the charges which are chemically distant become geometrically close, and therefore a steep rise is seen in the free energy. We argue that due to the extremely ordered and almost closely packaged final state the actual packaging geometry does not influence the behaviour of the free energy, pointing towards a certain universality of this state of the polymer. Our findings are compared to a recent simulations study, showing that the model is sensitive to the screening length.     

Multivariate multiple test procedures based on nonparametric copula estimation

Multivariate multiple test procedures have received growing attention recently. This is due to the fact that data generated by modern applications typically are high‐dimensional, but possess pronounced dependencies due to the technical mechanisms involved in the experiments. Hence, it is possible and often necessary to exploit these dependencies in order to achieve reasonable power. In the present paper, we express dependency structures in the most general manner, namely, by means of copula functions. One class of nonparametric copula estimators is constituted by Bernstein copulae. We extend previous statistical results regarding bivariate Bernstein copulae to the multivariate case and study their impact on multiple tests. In particular, we utilize them to derive asymptotic confidence regions for the family‐wise error rate (FWER) of multiple test procedures that are empirically calibrated by making use of Bernstein copulae approximations of the dependency structure among the test statistics. This extends a similar approach by Stange et al. (2015) in the parametric case. A simulation study quantifies the gain in FWER level exhaustion and, consequently, power that can be achieved by exploiting the dependencies, in comparison with common threshold calibrations like the Bonferroni or ?idák corrections. Finally, we demonstrate an application of the proposed methodology to real‐life data from insurance.     

Syntheses and structure–activity relationships for some triazolyl p38α MAPK inhibitors

The design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel triazolyl p38α MAPK inhibitors with improved water solubility for formulation in cationic liposomes (SAINT-O-Somes) targeted at diseased endothelial cells is described. Water-solubilizing groups were introduced via a ‘click’ reaction of functional azides with 2-alkynyl imidazoles and isosteric oxazoles to generate two small libraries of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazolyl p38α MAPK inhibitors. Triazoles with low IC₅₀ values and desired physicochemical properties were screened for in vitro downregulation of proinflammatory gene expression and were formulated in SAINT-O-Somes. Triazolyl p38α MAPK inhibitor 88 (IC₅₀ = 0.096 μM) displayed the most promising in vitro activity.     

Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in different compartments of a healthy and a declining Picea abies forest in the Fichtelgebirge,NE Bavaria

Summary Natural carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were measured in different compartments (needles and twigs of different ages and crown positions, litter, understorey vegetation, roots and soils of different horizons) on 5 plots of a healthy and on 8 plots of a declining Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) forest in the Fichtelgebirge (NE Bavaria, Germany), which has recently been described in detail (Oren et al. 1988a; Schulze et al. 1989). The ¹³C values of needles did not differ between sites or change consistently with needle age, but did decrease from the sun-to the shade-crown. This result confirms earlier conclusions from gas exchange measurements that gaseous air pollutants did no long-lasting damage in an area where such damage was expected. Twigs (¹³C between-25.3 and-27.8) were significantly less depleted in ¹³C than needles (¹³C between-27.3 and-29.1), and ¹³C in twigs increased consistently with age. The ¹⁵N values of needles ranged between-2.5 and-4.1 and varied according to stand and age. In young needles ¹⁵N decreased with needle age, but remained constant or increased in needles that were 2 or 3 years old. Needles from the healthy site were more depleted in ¹⁵N than those from the declining site. The difference between sites was greater in old needles than in young ones. This differentiation presumably reflects an earlier onset of nitrogen reallocation in needles of the declining stand. ¹⁵N values in twigs were more negative than in needles (-3.5 to-5.2) and showed age- and stand-dependent trends that were similar to the needles. ¹⁵N values of roots and soil samples increased at both stands with soil depth from-3.5 in the organic layer to +4 in the mineral soil. The ¹⁵N values of roots from the mineral soil were different from those of twigs and needles. Roots from the shallower organic layer had values similar to twigs and needles. Thus, the bulk of the assimilated nitrogen was presumably taken up by the roots from the organic layer. The problem of separation of ammonium or nitrate use by roots from different soil horizons is discussed.     

A continuous microplate assay for sirtuins and nicotinamide-producing enzymes

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD⁺)-dependent protein deacetylases (sirtuins) and other enzymes that produce nicotinamide are integral to many cellular processes. Yet current activity measurements involve expensive and time-consuming assays. Here we present a spectroscopic assay that circumvents many issues of previous methods. This assay permits continuous product monitoring over time, allows determination of steady-state kinetic parameters, and is readily adaptable to high-throughput screening. The methodology uses an enzyme-coupled system in which nicotinamide is converted to nicotinic acid and ammonia by nicotinamidase. The ammonia is transferred to α-ketoglutarate via glutamate dehydrogenase, yielding glutamate and the oxidation of NAD(P)H to NAD(P)⁺, which is measured spectrophotometrically at 340 nm. Using this continuous assay with sirtuin-1 (Sirt1) and the ADP-ribosyl cyclase CD38, the resulting steady-state kinetic parameters are in excellent agreement with values obtained by other published methods. Importantly, this assay permitted determination of k_cat and K_m values with the native acetylated substrate acetyl-CoA synthetase-1; measurement of Sirt1, Sirt2, and Sirt3 activities from mammalian cell extracts; and determination of IC₅₀ values of various Sirt1 inhibitors. This assay is applicable to any nicotinamide-forming enzyme and will be an important tool to address many outstanding questions surrounding their regulation.