Downregulation of lysyl oxidase-like 4 LOXL4 by miR-135a-5p promotes lung cancer progression in vitro and in vivo

Aberrant microRNAs are widely identified in multiple cancers, including lung cancer. miR-135a-5p can function as a significant tumor regulator in diverse cancers via impacting multiple genes in oncogenic pathways. Nevertheless, the biological role of miR-135a-5p in lung cancer is poorly known. Here, we investigated its function in lung cancer. As exhibited, miR-135a-5p was elevated in lung cancer cells in contrast to BEAS-2B cells. Then, we inhibited miR-135a-5p expression by transfecting LV-anti-miR-135a-5p into lung cancer cells. As displayed, miR-135a-5p was obviously reduced in A549 and H1299 cells. Knockdown of miR-135a-5p repressed lung cancer cell growth and cell proliferation. Meanwhile, cell colony formation capacity was depressed, cell apoptosis was enhanced and cell cycle progression was blocked in G1 phase by inhibition of miR-135a-5p in vitro. Additionally, the migration and invasion of A549 and H1299 cells was strongly depressed by LV-anti-miR-135a-5p. For another, by using informatics analysis, lysyl oxidase-like 4 (LOXL4) was speculated as the downstream target of miR-135a-5p. We validated their direct correlation and moreover, overexpression of miR-135a-5p restrained LOXL4 levels in lung cancer cells. Subsequently, we proved that miR-135a-5p promoted lung cancer development via targeting LOXL4 by carrying out the in vivo assays. Taken these together, our study revealed miR-135a-5p might be indicated as a perspective for lung cancer via targeting LOXL4.     

RNA-Seq Reveals the Effect of Ethylene on the Volatile Organic Components (VOCs) of Cavendish Banana at Different Post-harvesting Stages

Aroma serves as one of the decisive factors influencing the value of banana commodities. Most of characteristic volatile organic components (VOCs) are formed during post-harvesting. However, the changing of VOCs of banana at different post-harvesting stages remain ambiguous. In this study, the VOCs of Cavendish banana for the four typical post-harvesting stages (green stage/half of yellow stage/yellow ripening stage/over ripening stage) are clarified using headspace solid phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME), combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The results inferred that the relative content of branched-chain esters such as acetate and butyrate, which form the main contributors of aroma in bananas, is higher in the T2 and T3 stages. Further, RNA-Seq technology was employed to clarify the formation mechanism of banana aroma in the post-harvesting stage. The MaTGL4 gene of the linoleic acid metabolism pathway and the MaBCAT3 and MaBCAT5 genes of the valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation pathway in banana suggest the expression is active late in the ripening stage, and the upregulated expression of these genes is analogous to the formation of aroma components such as branched-chain esters and hexenal. The above results not only provide baseline data on the differences in physical and chemical properties of VOCs in various post-harvesting stages of banana production, but also provide theoretical guidance facilitating the subsequent improvement of the commercial value of bananas through genetic improvement.

     

高原低氧对大鼠大脑皮质生长休止蛋白7表达的影响

目的 探讨高原低氧对大鼠大脑皮质生长休止蛋白7(Gas7)表达的影响.方法 36只大鼠随机分为正常对照组和模拟高原低氧组,模拟高原低氧组大鼠进行6周缺氧,复制慢性高原低氧动物模型.实验结束后,所有动物采用免疫组织化学和免疫印迹技术检测大鼠大脑皮质中Gas7的表达.结果 与对照组相比,Gas7在模拟高原低氧组大鼠大脑皮质的表达明显增强.结论 Gas7可能参与了高原低氧对大鼠大脑皮质神经元结构和功能的影响.     

《组织学与胚胎学》双语教学模式的实践与探讨

《组织学与胚胎学》是医学生必修的医学基础课程之一,约有1/3医学英语词汇与其词汇直接相关,所以探讨其双语教学模式对促进医学双语教学尤为重要.我们先后从双语教学的英汉讲授比例、讲义准备、课件制作等方面探讨提高双语教学水平应注意的问题,并设计了双语教学的问卷调查,结果表明大部分同学认为双语教学对提高专业英语、普通英语水平和英语运用能力及专业课成绩有较大的帮助,并且用SPSS13.0软件将其平均分与传统教学的平均分进行了统计分析,P＜0.05,有统计学意义.该课程的双语教学,得到大多数医学生的肯定,教学水平也得到很大的提高.     

蚜虫对设施辣椒产量和品质的影响

[目的]探讨不同蚜害等级危害对设施辣椒产量和品质的影响,为设施蔬菜的科学防控、按质定价及制定蚜虫经济阈值提供参考.[方法]通过田间蚜虫量调查,进行蚜害分级,并测定不同蚜害等级下辣椒叶片和果实的SPAD值,采收后记录单株果数,称重,计算座果率及单株果重等产量指标;同时测定不同蚜害等级下辣椒果实可溶性蛋白、可溶性糖、维生素...     

Contamination of Bananas with Beauvericin and Fusaric Acid Produced by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

Background

Fusarium wilt, caused by the fungal pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc), is one of the most destructive diseases of banana. Toxins produced by Foc have been proposed to play an important role during the pathogenic process. The objectives of this study were to investigate the contamination of banana with toxins produced by Foc, and to elucidate their role in pathogenesis.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Twenty isolates of Foc representing races 1 and 4 were isolated from diseased bananas in five Chinese provinces. Two toxins were consistently associated with Foc, fusaric acid (FA) and beauvericin (BEA). Cytotoxicity of the two toxins on banana protoplast was determined using the Alamar Blue assay. The virulence of 20 Foc isolates was further tested by inoculating tissue culture banana plantlets, and the contents of toxins determined in banana roots, pseudostems and leaves. Virulence of Foc isolates correlated well with toxin deposition in the host plant. To determine the natural occurrence of the two toxins in banana plants with Fusarium wilt symptoms, samples were collected before harvest from the pseudostems, fruit and leaves from 10 Pisang Awak ‘Guangfen #1’ and 10 Cavendish ‘Brazilian’ plants. Fusaric acid and BEA were detected in all the tissues, including the fruits.

Conclusions/Signficance

The current study provides the first investigation of toxins produced by Foc in banana. The toxins produced by Foc, and their levels of contamination of banana fruits, however, were too low to be of concern to human and animal health. Rather, these toxins appear to contribute to the pathogenicity of the fungus during infection of banana plants.     

柑橘mRNA差异显示技术体系建立

明柳甜橘是从春甜桔自然芽变中选育出来的新品种,本研究以春甜橘和明柳甜橘的叶片为试验材料,首先提取春甜橘和明柳甜橘叶片的总RNA,经3种锚定引物(HT11A,HT11C,HT11G)反转录成3类cDNA,再利用相应的锚定引物和34个随机引物(HAP1-HAP34)组成引物对,反转录cNA进行差异显示PCR扩增,将扩增产物经6%的变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳后进行银染,获得了比较清晰的差异条带,然后回收差异条带并进行克隆,初步分离获得一些春甜橘和明柳甜橘差异基因,建立了柑桔mRNA差异显示技术,为进一步分析导致柑橘芽变的分子机理奠定基础.     

香蕉凝集素BanLec基因转化毕赤酵母及转化子的鉴定

以pMD-BanLec质粒为模板扩增BanLec基因片段,该片段经EcoR I/XbaI双酶切后定向克隆到同样经EcoRI/XbaI双酶切的pPICZα表达载体上。将连接产物转化感受态DH5α,用低盐Zeocin抗性LB固体培养基筛选阳性克隆菌落。将重组质粒电转化毕赤酵母菌GS115后,通过PCR鉴定目的基因整合入酵母菌的基因组中,将有助于进一步研究BanLec蛋白的表达,为探讨香蕉凝集素的活性及生化功能等奠定基础。     

Systemic acquired resistance in Cavendish banana induced by infection with an incompatible strain of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense

Fusarium wilt of banana is caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). The fact that there are no economically viable biological, chemical, or cultural measures of controlling the disease in an infected field leads to search for alternative strategies involving activation of the plant's innate defense system. The mechanisms underlying systemic acquired resistance (SAR) are much less understood in monocots than in dicots. Since systemic protection of plants by attenuated or avirulent pathogens is a typical SAR response, the establishment of a biologically induced SAR model in banana is helpful to investigate the mechanism of SAR to Fusarium wilt. This paper described one such model using incompatible Foc race 1 to induce resistance against Foc tropical race 4 in an in vitro pathosystem. Consistent with the observation that the SAR provided the highest level of protection when the time interval between primary infection and challenge inoculation was 10 d, the activities of defense-related enzymes such as phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5), peroxidase (POD, EC 1.11.1.7), polyphenol oxidase (PPO, EC 1.14.18.1), and superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1) in systemic tissues also reached the maximum level and were 2.00–2.43 times higher than that of the corresponding controls on the tenth day. The total salicylic acid (SA) content in roots of banana plantlets increased from about 1 to more than 5 μg g⁻¹ FW after the second leaf being inoculated with Foc race 1. The systemic up-regulation of MaNPR1A and MaNPR1B was followed by the second up-regulation of PR-1 and PR-3. Although SA and jasmonic acid (JA)/ethylene (ET) signaling are mostly antagonistic, systemic expression of PR genes regulated by different signaling pathways were simultaneously up-regulated after primary infection, indicating that both pathways are involved in the activation of the SAR.     

Genome-Wide Computational Analysis of Musa Microsatellites: Classification,Cross-Taxon Transferability,Functional Annotation,Association with Transposons & miRNAs,and Genetic Marker Potential

The development of organized, informative, robust, user-friendly, and freely accessible molecular markers is imperative to the Musa marker assisted breeding program. Although several hundred SSR markers have already been developed, the number of informative, robust, and freely accessible Musa markers remains inadequate for some breeding applications. In view of this issue, we surveyed SSRs in four different data sets, developed large-scale non-redundant highly informative therapeutic SSR markers, and classified them according to their attributes, as well as analyzed their cross-taxon transferability and utility for the genetic study of Musa and its relatives. A high SSR frequency (177 per Mbp) was found in the Musa genome. AT-rich dinucleotide repeats are predominant, and trinucleotide repeats are the most abundant in transcribed regions. A significant number of Musa SSRs are associated with pre-miRNAs, and 83% of these SSRs are promising candidates for the development of therapeutic SSR markers. Overall, 74% of the SSR markers were polymorphic, and 94% were transferable to at least one Musa spp. Two hundred forty-three markers generated a total of 1047 alleles, with 2-8 alleles each and an average of 4.38 alleles per locus. The PIC values ranged from 0.31 to 0.89 and averaged 0.71. We report the largest set of non-redundant, polymorphic, new SSR markers to be developed in Musa. These additional markers could be a valuable resource for marker-assisted breeding, genetic diversity and genomic studies of Musa and related species.