Hypoxia Mediates Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 Expression via Induction of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells

Manjing Deng,Qian Xu,Zhihua Liu1,Ling Guo,Rui Liu,Rulei Li,Xiang Chu,Jiajia Yang,Jia Luo,Faming Chen 한국분자세포생물학회 2019 Molecules and cells Vol.42 No.11

Periodontitis is characterized by the loss of periodontal tissues, especially alveolar bone. Common therapies cannot satisfactorily recover lost alveolar bone. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) possess the capacity of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation and are likely to recover lost alveolar bone. In addition, periodontitis is accompanied by hypoxia, and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a master transcription factor in the response to hypoxia. Thus, we aimed to ascertain how hypoxia affects runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), a key osteogenic marker, in the osteogenesis of PDLSCs. In this study, we found that hypoxia enhanced the protein expression of HIF-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and RUNX2 ex vivo and in situ. VEGF is a target gene of HIF-1α, and the increased expression of VEGF and RUNX2 proteins was enhanced by cobalt chloride (CoCl2, 100 μmol/L), an agonist of HIF-1α, and suppressed by 3-(5′-hydroxymethyl-2′-furyl)-1-benzyl indazole (YC-1, 10 μmol/L), an antagonist of HIF-1α. In addition, VEGF could regulate the expression of RUNX2, as RUNX2 expression was enhanced by human VEGF (hVEGF165) and suppressed by VEGF siRNA. In addition, knocking down VEGF could decrease the expression of osteogenesis-related genes, i.e., RUNX2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and type I collagen (COL1), and hypoxia could enhance the expression of ALP, COL1, and osteocalcin (OCN) in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs. Taken together, our results showed that hypoxia could mediate the expression of RUNX2 in PDLSCs via HIF-1α-induced VEGF and play a positive role in the early stage of osteogenesis of PDLSCs

Silencing of long noncoding RNA HOXA11-AS inhibits the Wnt signaling pathway via the upregulation of HOXA11 and thereby inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and self-renewal of hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells

Jun-Cheng Guo,Yi-Jun Yang,Jin-Fang Zheng,Jian-Quan Zhang,Min Guo,Xiang Yang,Xiang-Ling Jiang,Li Xiang,You Li,Huang Ping,Liu Zhuo 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths, but its molecular mechanisms are not yet well characterized. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in tumorigenesis, including that of HCC. However, the role of homeobox A11 antisense (HOXA11-AS) in determining HCC stem cell characteristics remains to be explained; hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects of HOXA11-AS on HCC stem cell characteristics. Initially, the expression patterns of HOXA11-AS and HOXA11 in HCC tissues, cells, and stem cells were determined. HCC stem cells, successfully sorted from Hep3B and Huh7 cells, were transfected with short hairpin or overexpression plasmids for HOXA11-AS or HOXA11 overexpression and depletion, with an aim to study the influences of these mediators on the self-renewal, proliferation, migration, and tumorigenicity of HCC stem cells in vivo. Additionally, the potential relationship and the regulatory mechanisms that link HOXA11-AS, HOXA11, and the Wnt signaling pathway were explored through treatment with Dickkopf-1 (a Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor). HCC stem cells showed high expression of HOXA11-AS and low expression of HOXA11. Both HOXA11-AS silencing and HOXA11 overexpression suppressed the self-renewal, proliferation, migration, and tumorigenicity of HCC stem cells in vivo, as evidenced by the decreased expression of cancer stem cell surface markers (CD133 and CD44) and stemness-related transcription factors (Nanog, Sox2, and Oct4). Moreover, silencing HOXA11-AS inactivated the Wnt signaling pathway by decreasing the methylation level of the HOXA11 promoter, thereby inhibiting HCC stem cell characteristics. Collectively, this study suggested that HOXA11-AS silencing exerts an antitumor effect, suppressing HCC development via Wnt signaling pathway inactivation by decreasing the methylation level of the HOXA11 promoter.

The Prognostic Value of Treatment-Related Lymphopenia in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients

Li-Ting Liu,Qiu-Yan Chen,Lin-Quan Tang,Shan-Shan Guo,Ling Guo,Hao-Yuan Mo,Ming-Yuan Chen,Chong Zhao,Xiang Guo,Chao-Nan Qian,Mu-Sheng Zeng,Jin-Xin Bei,Jing Tan,Shuai Chen,Ming-Huang Hong,Jian-Yong Shao 대한암학회 2018 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.50 No.1

Purpose This study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic value of treatment-related lymphopenia in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Materials and Methods A total of 413 consecutive stage II-IVb NPC patients treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) were enrolled. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences were compared using the log-rank test. Results A minimum (mini)–absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC) of < 390 cells/μL or ALC after 3 months of CCRT (post3m-ALC) < 705 cells/μL was significantly associated with worse outcome than mini-ALC ! 390 cells/μL (OS, p=0.002; PFS, p=0.005; DMFS, p=0.004) or post3m-ALC ! 705 cells/μL (OS, p < 0.001; PFS, p < 0.001; DMFS, p=0.001). Patients with lymphopenia (mini-ALC < 390 cells/μL and post3m-ALC < 705 cells/μL) had a worse prognosis than those without lymphopenia (mini-ALC ! 390 cells/μL and post3m-ALC ! 705 cells/μL) (OS, p < 0.001; PFS, p < 0.001; DMFS, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that post3m-ALC was an independent prognostic factor for OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12 to 2.78; p=0.015), PFS (HR, 1.86; 95% CI, 1.23 to 2.82; p=0.003), and DMFS (HR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.13 to 3.08; p=0.014). Multivariate analysis also revealed that patients with lymphopenia had a high risk of death (HR, 3.79; 95% CI, 1.75 to 8.19; p=0.001), disease progression (HR, 2.93; 95% CI, 1.59 to 5.41; p=0.001), and distant metastasis (HR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.67 to 9.10; p=0.002). Multivariate analysis performed with time dependent Cox regression demonstrated ALC was an independent prognostic factor for OS (HR, 0.995; 95% CI, 0.991 to 0.999; p=0.025) and PFS (HR, 0.993; 95% CI, 0.988 to 0.998; p=0.006). Conclusion Treatment-related lymphopenia was a poor prognostic factor in NPC patients.

Pesticide-induced changes in fecundity and rice stripe virus transmission ability in Laodelphax striatellus (Homoptera: Delphacidae)

Guo-Qing Yang,Xin Gao,Nan-Nan Zhang,Dan-Yu Chen,Fang Liu,Jian-Xiang Xu,Jin-Cai Wu 한국응용곤충학회 2017 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.20 No.3

The widespread use of pesticides in rice has caused the resurgence of the small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus. In addition to inciting damage by feeding on phloem cells, SBPH also functions as a vector for rice stripe virus (RSV), which can cause serious yield losses. In general, studies focused on pesticide-induced stimulation of SBPH populations have focused on the insects; little information is available on the impact of pesticides on RSV transmission by SBPH. The present study investigated the effects of two pesticides (validamycin and triazophos) on the fecundity and RSV transmission ability of SBPH. Our results demonstrated that the fecundity of non-viruliferous (naïve) or viruliferous SBPH was enhanced by exposure to triazophos at the LC20 and validamycin at 200 mg L−1. Meanwhile, the increased number of eggs produced by viruliferous females treated with pesticides was larger than those from naïve females. Exposure to validamycin caused an increase in horizontal transmission of RSV; furthermore, vertical viral transmission rates of SBPH were significantly increased by exposure to triazophos. The present study provides valuable information for understanding the mechanisms underlying the resurgence of SBPH and subsequent outbreaks of RSV.

Suppression of CDK2 expression by siRNA induces cell cycle arrest and cell proliferation inhibition in human cancer cells

( Xiang E Long ),( Zhao Hui Gong ),( Lin Pan ),( Zhi Wei Zhong ),( Yan Ping Le ),( Qiong Liu ),( Jun Ming Guo ),( Jiu Chang Zhong ) 한국생화학분자생물학회 (구 한국생화학회) 2010 BMB Reports Vol.43 No.4

Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) is a member of serine/threonine protein kinases, which initiates the principal transitions of the eukaryotic cell cycle and is a promising target for cancer therapy. The present study was designed to inhibit cdk2 gene expression to induce cell cycle arrest and cell proliferation suppression. Here, we constructed a series of RNA interference (RNAi) plasmids which can successfully express small interference RNA (siRNA) in the transfected human cells. The results showed that the RNAi plasmids containing the coding sequences for siRNAs down-regulated the cdk2 gene expression in human cancer cells at the mRNA and the protein levels. Furthermore, we found that the cell cycle was arrested at G0G1 phases and the cell proliferation was inhibited by different siRNAs. These results demonstrate that suppression of CDK2 activity by RNAi may be an effective strategy for gene therapy in human cancers. [BMB reports 2010; 43(4): 291-296]

Acoustic localization of surface defect for low-speed large bearing with averaged generalized inverse beamforming

Xiang Guo,Xing Wu,Xiaoqin Liu,Linjiang Tang 대한기계학회 2023 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.37 No.1

Using microphone array to detect the fault of rotating machinery is an effective method. Compared with the fault diagnosis based on vibration analysis, the advantage of this method is that it does not need the direct contact between the sensor and the machine. In addition, acoustic location can be realized by using microphone array, to accurately identify the sound radiation source on the machine surface. Conventional beamforming (CBF) is widely applied in noise source identification because of its fast speed. In the local reverberation environment, the conventional beamforming is disturbed by the image source, causing inaccurate judgment of the fault location and low imaging resolution. In this paper, an acoustic imaging method of averaged generalized inverse beamforming (AGIB) is proposed. Compared with CBF, generalized inverse beamforming (GIB) possess higher location accuracy. First, the spectral kurtosis (SK) can enhance the impact characteristics of fault signals. According to the center frequency and bandwidth estimated by the spectral kurtosis diagram, the impact information which adopt in beamforming location can be extracted in time domain and frequency domain by spectral kurtosis matched filter. Then the average amplitude and standard deviation of generalized inverse beamforming output at different positions are calculated. Finally, the normalized standard deviation is used for the beamforming output weighting of the central measurement position, so as to enhance the spatially invariant source contribution and effectively attenuate the ghost caused by the local reverberation environment. Through defect location of low-speed large bearing, compared with the averaged conventional beamforming (ACBF), AGIB can not only overcome the influence of local reverberation environment and accurately locate the fault location, but also improve the resolution significantly.

Design, Synthesis and Antifungal Activities of Novel Strobilurin Derivatives Containing Pyrimidine Moieties

Xiang Zhang,Yong-Xin Gao,Hui-Jun Liu,Bao-Yuan Guo,Hui-Li Wang 대한화학회 2012 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.33 No.8

Strobilurins are one of the most important classes of agricultural fungicides. To discover new strobilurin derivatives with high activity against resistant pathogens, a series of novel β-methoxyacrylate analogues were designed and synthesized by integrating substituted pyrimidine with a strobilurin pharmacophore. The compounds were confirmed and characterized by infrared, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, elemental analysis and mass spectroscopy. The bioassays indicated that most of the compounds (1a-1h) exhibited potent antifungal activities against Colletotrichum orbiculare, Botrytis cinerea Pers and Phytophthora capsici Leonian at the concentration of 50 μg/mL. Exhilaratingly, compound 1d (R=3-trifluoromethylphenyl) showed better antifungal activity against all the tested fungi than the commercial strobilurin fungicide azoxystrobin.

Targeted Efficacy of Dihydroartemisinin for Translationally Controlled Protein Expression in a Lung Cancer Model

Liu, Lian-Ke,Wu, Heng-Fang,Guo, Zhi-Rui,Chen, Xiang-Jian,Yang, Di,Shu, Yong-Qian,Zhang, Ji-Nan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Objective: Lung cancer is one of the malignant tumors with greatest morbidity and mortality around the world. The keys to targeted therapy are discovery of lung cancer biomarkers to facilitate improvement of survival and quality of life for the patients with lung cancer. Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) is one of the most overexpressed proteins in human lung cancer cells by comparison to the normal cells, suggesting that it might be a good biomarker for lung cancer. Materials and Methods: In the present study, the targeted efficacy of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) on TCTP expression in the A549 lung cancer cell model was explored. Results and Conclusions: DHA could inhibit A549 lung cancer cell proliferation, and simultaneously up-regulate the expression of TCTP mRNA, but down-regulate its protein expression in A549 cells. In addition, it promoted TCTP protein secretion. Therefore, TCTP might be used as a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancers.

Active control of a nonlinear and hysteretic building structure with time delay

Liu, Kun,Chen, Long-Xiang,Cai, Guo-Ping Techno-Press 2011 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.40 No.3

Time delay inevitably exists in active control systems, and it may cause the degradation of control efficiency or instability of the systems. So time delay needs to be compensated in control design in order to eliminate its negative effect on control efficiency. Today time delay in linear systems has been more studied and some treating methods had been worked out. However, there are few treating methods for time delay in nonlinear systems. In this paper, an active controller for a nonlinear and hysteretic building structure with time delay is studied. The nonlinear and hysteretic behavior of the system is illustrated by the Bouc-Wen model. By specific transformation and augmentation of state parameters, the motion equation of the system with explicit time delay is transformed into the standard state space representation without any explicit time delay. Then the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and instantaneous optimal control method are applied to the controller design with time delay. Finally, numerical simulations and comparisons of an eight-story building using the proposed time-delay controller are carried out. Simulation results indicate that the control performance will deteriorate if time delay is not taken into account in the control design. The simulations also prove the proposed time delay controller in this paper can not only effectively compensate time delay to get better control effectiveness, but also work well with both small and large time delay problems.

Molecular Orbital Gating Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

Guo, Chenyang,Chen, Xing,Ding, Song-Yuan,Mayer, Dirk,Wang, Qingling,Zhao, Zhikai,Ni, Lifa,Liu, Haitao,Lee, Takhee,Xu, Bingqian,Xiang, Dong American Chemical Society 2018 ACS NANO Vol.12 No.11

<P>One of the promising approaches to meet the urgent demand for further device miniaturization is to create functional devices using single molecules. Although various single-molecule electronic devices have been demonstrated recently, single-molecule optical devices which use external stimulations to control the optical response of a single molecule have rarely been reported. Here, we propose and demonstrate a field-effect Raman scattering (FERS) device with a single molecule, an optical counterpart to field-effect transistors (a key component of modern electronics). With our devices, the gap size between electrodes can be precisely adjusted at subangstrom accuracy to form single molecular junctions as well as to reach the maximum performance of Raman scattering via plasmonic enhancement. Based on this maximum performance, we demonstrated that the intensity of Raman scattering can be further enhanced by an additional ∼40% if the orbitals of the molecules bridged two electrodes were shifted by a gating voltage. This finding not only provides a method to increase the sensitivity of Raman scattering beyond the limit of plasmonic enhancement, but also makes it feasible to realize addressable functional FERS devices with a gate electrode array.</P> [FIG OMISSION]</BR>