Oplopanax elatus is a valuable medicinal plant in the family Araliaceae that recommends itself as source of herbal preparations. Although, as in ginseng, triterpenoid saponins make up the major ...bioactive component of O. elatus, nothing is known about the genes that are involved in the biosynthesis of these complex compounds, as reflected also by a lack of genomic information in public databases. Using Illumina paired-end sequencing technology, we have therefore generated a transcriptome library of O. elatus from a pooled RNA sample from different organs. 208,959 unigenes were assembled from approximately 77 million high-quality reads, and 110,202 unigenes (52.7% of the unigenes) were annotated. In addition, 47,273 cDNA-derived SSRs in 38,446 unigenes were identified as potential molecular markers. Furthermore, 122 unigenes encoding 47 putative enzymes related to the biosynthesis of the backbone of triterpenoid saponins were identified by analyzing our library. The organ-specific expression of selected genes suggests that the leaves of O. elatus are the main site of triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis. The transcriptome data reported here provides valuable and comprehensive information for further research into the metabolic pathways of O. elatus as well as into genetic variation in the Oplopanax genus. The online version of this article (doi: 10.5073/JABFQ.2017.090.004) contains supplementary files.
Pathological complete response (pCR) of axillary lymph node (LN) is frequently achieved in patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Treatment of the ...axilla after NAC is not well established and the value of sentinel LN biopsy following NAC remains unclear. This study investigated the predictive value of axillary response following NAC and evaluated the predictive value of a model based on axillary response.
Data prospectively collected on 201 patients with clinically node-positive breast cancer who were treated with NAC and underwent axillary LN dissection (ALND) were retrieved. A model predictive of axillary pCR was developed based on clinicopathologic variables. The overall predictive ability between models was compared by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.
Of 201 patients who underwent ALND after NAC, 68 (33.8%) achieved axillary pCR. Multivariate analysis using axillary LN pCR after NAC as the dependent variable showed that higher histologic grade (
=0.031; odds ratio OR, 2.537; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.087-5.925) and tumor response rate ≥47.1% (
=0.001; OR, 3.212; 95% CI, 1.584-6.515) were significantly associated with an increased probability of achieving axillary pCR. The area under the ROC curve for estimating axillary pCR was significantly higher in the model that included tumor response rate than in the model that excluded this rate (0.732 vs. 0.649,
=0.022).
Tumor response rate was the most significant independent predictor of axillary pCR in response to NAC. The model that included tumor response rate was a significantly better predictor of axillary pCR than the model that excluded tumor response rate.
Cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of
lignin and lignans as it catalyzes the final step of monolignol biosynthesis,
using NADPH as a cofactor. In higher plants, ...CAD is encoded by a multigene
family consisting of three major classes. Based on the recently released
flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) whole-genome sequences, in this study we
identified six CAD family genes that contain an ADH_N domain and an
ADH_zinc_N domain, which suggests that the putative flax CADs (LuCADs) are
zinc-dependent alcohol dehydrogenases and members of the plant CAD family.
In addition, expression analysis using quantitative real-time PCR revealed
spatial variations in the expression of LuCADs in different organs.
Comparative analysis between LuCAD enzymatic activity and LuCAD transcripts
indicates that the variation of LuCAD enzymatic activities by elicitors is
reflected by transcription of LuCADs in flax suspension-cultured cells. Taken
together, our genome-wide analysis of CAD genes and the expression profiling
of these genes provide valuable information for understanding the function
of CADs, and will assist future studies on the physiological role of
monolignols associated with plant defense.
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In this study, stainless steel 316L and Inconel 625 alloy powders were additively manufactured by using directed energy deposition process. And heat treatment effect on hardness and microstructures ...of the bonded stainless steel 316L/Inconel 625 sample was investigated. The microstructures shows there are no secondary phases and big inclusions near interfacial region between stainless steel 316L and Inconel 625 except several small cracks. The results of TEM and Vickers Hardness show the interfacial area have a few tens of micrometers in thickness. Interestingly, as the heat treatment temperature increases, the cracks in the stainless steel region does not change in morphology while both hardness values of stainless steel 316L and Inconel 625 decrease. These results can be used for designing pipes and valves with surface treatment of Inconel material based on stainless steel 316L material using the directed energy deposition.
Background: Behavioral traits of pigs have been shown to be partly under genetic control, which raises thepossibility that behavior might be altered by genetic selection, resulting in pigs with ...better growth performance. Objective: To evaluate the behavior and growth of finishing pigs and investigate pigs selected for high or lowsocial breeding value (SBV) in relation to social behavior and group growth. Methods: Thirty-five females and 35 boars from five positive and five negative SBV groups of finishing pigs were grown from 30 to 90 kg and housed in 10 test pens (3.0 × 3.3 m, 7 pigs/pen). Pigs were recorded with video technology for nine consecutive hours on days 1, 15, and 30 after mixing. Pigs were weighed at approximately 90 kg body weight and the number of days to reach 90 kg was then calculated. Results: The frequency and duration of behaviors were present in the positive and negative SBV groups after mixing. On day 1 after mixing, agonistic behavior was significantly higher (p=0.027) for the –SBV group compared with the +SBV group. Feeding and feeding-together behaviors were significantly higher (p<0.003) in the +SBV group on days 1 and 30 after mixing. Moreover, growth performance to reach 90 kg body weight was significantly faster (p<0.002) in the +SBV group than in the –SBV group. Conclusion: Social interactions, such as feeding-together behavior, among pen mates might affect their growth rate and feed intake. Selection for SBV could be used as an indirect technique for improving growth performance of pigs.
Rubus coreanus Miquel is a Korean black raspberry used in folk medicine and functional foods. To investigate the biosynthesis pathway of anthocyanin in R. coreanus Miquel, the complete coding ...sequence of flavonoid 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H), designated as RcMF3′H1, was cloned for the first time using the Korean black raspberry transcriptome library. The deduced amino acid sequence of RcMF3′H1 contained the proline-rich “hinge” region, P450 consensus heme-binding domain, and F3′H-specific motifs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that RcMF3′H1 was clustered into the same subgroup as other plant F3′Hs. In addition, expression analysis by quantitative real-time PCR revealed the involvement of RcMF3′H1 in methyl jasmonate-mediated anthocyanin biosynthesis. Furthermore, the ability of the RcMF3′H1 gene to complement the Arabidopsis transparent testa 7-1 mutant suggested that RcMF3′H1 encodes the functional F3′H enzyme involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Taken together, the cloning and molecular characterization of RcMF3′H1 will facilitate a better insight into the anthocyanin biosynthesis pathway in R. coreanus Miquel.
Carbon nanotube/bismuth-selenium-tellurium composites were fabricated by consolidating CNT/Bi
2
(Se,Te)
3
composite powders prepared from a polyol-reduction process. The synthesized composite powders ...exhibit CNTs homogeneously dispersed among Bi
2
(Se,Te)
3
matrix nanopowders of 300 nm in size. The powders were densified into a CNT/Bi
2
(Se,Te)
3
composite in which CNTs were randomly dispersed in the matrix through spark plasma sintering process. The effect of an addition of Se on the dimensionless figure-of-merit (ZT) of the composite was clearly shown in 3 vol.% CNT/Bi
2
(Se,Te)
3
composite as compared to CNT/Bi
2
Te
3
composite throughout the temperature range of 298 to 473 K. These results imply that matrix modifications such as an addition of Se as well as the incorporation of CNTs into bismuth telluride thermoelectric materials is a promising means of achieving synergistic enhancement of the thermoelectric performance levels of these materials.
Triple-positive breast cancer is defined by estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positivity. Several systemic breast cancer therapies target ...hormonal and HER2 responsiveness. We compared clinical outcomes of triple-positive disease with those of HER2-enriched and luminal HER2-negative disease and investigated the clinical efficacy of anti-HER2 therapy for triple-positive disease.
We retrospectively compared overall and recurrence-free survival among cases included in the Korean Breast Cancer Society (KBCS) and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital breast cancer registries and the therapeutic efficacy of trastuzumab for triple-positive and HER2-enriched cases.
KBCS registry data (2006-2010; median follow-up, 76 months) indicated that patients with triple-positive breast cancer had intermediate survival between those with luminal A and HER2-enriched subtypes (
<0.001). Trastuzumab did not improve overall survival among patients with triple-positive breast cancer (
=0.899) in contrast to the HER2-enriched subtype (
=0.018). Seoul St. Mary's Hospital registry data indicated similar recurrence-free survival outcomes (
<0.001) and a lack of improvement with trastuzumab among patients with triple-positive breast cancer (median follow-up, 33 months;
=0.800). Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with triple-positive breast cancer had better overall survival than those with HER2-enriched disease and similar survival as those with the luminal A subtype (triple-positive: hazard ratio, 1.258,
=0.118; HER2-enriched: hazard ratio, 2.377,
<0.001).
Our findings showed that anti-HER2 therapy was less beneficial for treatment of triple-positive breast cancer than for HER2-enriched subtypes of breast cancer, and the triple-positive subtype had a distinct prognosis.
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