Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and the fourth leading cause of cancer‐related death worldwide. Our previous study showed that EYA4 functioned by suppressing ...growth of HCC tumor cells, but its molecular mechanism is still not elucidated. Based on the results of gene microassay, EYA4 was inversely correlated with MYCBP and was verified in human HCC tissues by immunohistochemistry and western blot. Overexpressed and KO EYA4 in human HCC cell lines confirmed the negative correlation between EYA4 and MYCBP by qRT‐PCR and western blot. Transfected siRNA of MYCBP in EYA4 overexpressed cells and overexpressed MYCBP in EYA4 KO cells could efficiently rescue the proliferation and G2/M arrest effects of EYA4 on HCC cells. Mechanistically, armed with serine/threonine‐specific protein phosphatase activity, EYA4 reduced nuclear translocation of β‐catenin by dephosphorylating β‐catenin at Ser552, thereby suppressing the transcription of MYCBP which was induced by β‐catenin/LEF1 binding to the promoter of MYCBP. Clinically, HCC patients with highly expressed EYA4 and poorly expressed MYCBP had significantly longer disease‐free survival and overall survival than HCC patients with poorly expressed EYA4 and highly expressed MYCBP. In conclusion, EYA4 suppressed HCC tumor cell growth by repressing MYCBP by dephosphorylating β‐catenin S552. EYA4 combined with MYCBP could be potential prognostic biomarkers in HCC.
Our previous studies showed that EYA4 suppressed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor cells growth. Nevertheless, the functional involvement of EYA4 in HCC is not clearly understood. In the present study, we reported that EYA4 suppressed HCC tumor cell growth by reducing the nuclear translocation of β‐catenin by dephosphorylating β‐catenin at Ser552, thereby suppressing the transcription of MYCBP which was induced by β‐catenin/LEF1 binding to the promoter of MYCBP. EYA4 combined with MYCBP could be potential prognostic biomarkers in HCC.
The metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcription 1 (Malat1) is a highly conserved long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) gene. Previous studies showed that Malat1 is abundantly expressed in many ...tissues and involves in promoting tumor growth and metastasis by modulating gene expression and target protein activities. However, little is known about the biological function and regulation mechanism of Malat1 in normal cell proliferation.
In this study we conformed that Malat1 is highly conserved across vast evolutionary distances amongst 20 species of mammals in terms of sequence, and found that mouse Malat1 expresses in tissues of liver, kidney, lung, heart, testis, spleen and brain, but not in skeletal muscle. After treating erythroid myeloid lymphoid (EML) cells with All-trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA), we investigated the expression and regulation of Malat1 during hematopoietic differentiation, the results showed that ATRA significantly down regulates Malat1 expression during the differentiation of EML cells. Mouse LRH (Lin-Rhodamine(low) Hoechst(low)) cells that represent the early-stage progenitor cells show a high level of Malat1 expression, while LRB (Lin - Hoechst(Low) Rhodamine(Bright)) cells that represent the late-stage progenitor cells had no detectable expression of Malat1. Knockdown experiment showed that depletion of Malat1 inhibits the EML cell proliferation. Along with the down regulation of Malat1, the tumor suppressor gene p53 was up regulated during the differentiation. Interestingly, we found two p53 binding motifs with help of bioinformatic tools, and the following chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) test conformed that p53 acts as a transcription repressor that binds to Malat1's promoter. Furthermore, we testified that p53 over expression in EML cells causes down regulation of Malat1.
In summary, this study indicates Malat1 plays a critical role in maintaining the proliferation potential of early-stage hematopoietic cells. In addition to its biological function, the study also uncovers the regulation pattern of Malat1 expression mediated by p53 in hematopoietic differentiation. Our research shed a light on exploring the Malat1 biological role including therapeutic significance to inhibit the proliferation potential of malignant cells.
To improve the gel quality of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE)‐like chicken protein isolate (PPI) obtained via ultrasound‐assisted alkaline extraction (UAE), l‐lysine (l‐Lys), l‐arginine (l‐Arg), or ...l‐histidine (l‐His) were used and the effects on the thermal gelling characteristics of PPI were studied. Compared with the nonbasic amino acid addition group, the addition of l‐His/l‐Arg/l‐Lys significantly increased the solubility and absolute zeta potential of PPI, whereas reduced the particle size and turbidity (p < 0.05). They enhanced the gel strength and textural properties of PPI (p < 0.05) and reduced the cooking loss of PPI in the following order: l‐Lys > l‐Arg > l‐His. The solubility, gel strength, and hardness of PPI with l‐Lys were increased by 18.6%, 44.6%, and 57.6%, respectively, and cooking loss was decreased by 18.1%. Low‐field nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging revealed that basic amino acids addition decreased the water mobility in PPI gels with increasing immobile water content. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the addition of basic amino acids promoted the formation of a more uniform and tight network microstructure in PPI gels. The α‐helix content was decreased, whereas the β‐sheet content was increased in PPI gels after basic amino acid addition. Therefore, addition of basic amino acids, especially l‐Lys, enhances the gel properties of PPI.
Practical Application
This study revealed that adding basic amino acids effectively improved the gel properties of PPI obtained via UAE method, with l‐Lys exerting the best improvement effect. Our findings highlight the application value of PSE‐like meat by the improvement of gel characteristics of PPI, providing a theoretical reference for the processing and utilization of PPI.
The steel industry is one of the pillar industries in China. The physical and mental health of steel workers is related to the development of China's steel industry. Steel workers have long been ...working in shifts, high temperatures, noise, highly stressed, and first-line environments. These occupational related factors have an impact on the health of steel workers. At present, the existing hypertension risk scoring models do not include occupational related factors, so they are not applicable to the risk score of hypertension in steel workers. It is necessary to establish a risk scoring model for hypertension in steel workers. In this study, the learning vector quantization (LVQ) neural network algorithm and the Fisher-SVM coupling algorithm are applied to estimate the hypertension risk of steel workers, and the microscopic laws of the "tailing" phenomenon of the two algorithms are analyzed by means of graphics analysis, which can describe the influence trend of sample size change in different intervals on the classification effect. The results show that the classification accuracy of the algorithm depends on the size of the sample space. When the sample size <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">n \le 30~\ast </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">k + 1 </tex-math></inline-formula>), the Fisher-SVM coupling intelligent algorithm is more applicable. Because its average accuracy rate is 90.00%, the average accuracy of the LVQ algorithm is only 63.34%. When the sample size is <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">n>30~\ast </tex-math></inline-formula> (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">k + 1 </tex-math></inline-formula>), the LVQ algorithm is more applicable. Because its average accuracy rate is 93.33%, the average accuracy of the Fisher-SVM coupling intelligent algorithm is only 76.67%. The sample size of this paper is 4422, and the prediction of LVQ neural network model is more accurate. Therefore, based on the relative importance of each risk factor obtained by this model and to establish a steel worker hypertension risk rating scale, the score greater than 18 is considered as the high risk, 12-18 is considered as the medium risk, and less than 12 is considered as the low risk. Through the example's verification, the accuracy rate of the scale is 90.50% and the effect is very good. It shows that the established scoring system can effectively assess the risk of hypertension in steel workers and provide an effective basis for primary prevention of hypertension in steel workers.
Display omitted
•MXene-derived hierarchical titanate nanostructures (HTNs) were prepared by a mild in situ chemical conversion method.•HTNs can efficiently remove Eu(III) with large adsorption ...capacities (more than 200 mg/g).•The ion-exchange behavior of Eu(III) with Na+ or K+ was confirmed.•The exchanged Eu(III) ions were confined in the nanoscale interlayers of HTNs and then immobilized.
Developing versatile materials that rapidly and efficiently adsorb radionuclides is an urgent objective for environmental remediation in response to radioactive contamination. Herein, we report the preparation of hierarchical titanate nanostructures (HTNs) by a in situ chemical conversion strategy using a two-dimensional MXene crystal precursor. These HTNs are very stable and can efficiently remove Eu(III) with large sorption capacities, owing to well-maintained layered structures and abundantly exchangeable guest cations. The replacement of sodium or potassium ions with Eu(III) in HTN interlayers has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The extended X-ray sorption fine structure (EXAFS) results, in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, further indicate that the sequestration of Eu(III) is realized by forming inner-sphere surface complexes in nano-confined space, evidenced by the decrease of Eu-O distances (R) and coordination numbers (N). The finding of the inner-sphere complexation induced by Ti−O/Ti−OH coordination and confinement effect provides new insights into the interaction mechanism between radionuclides and titanates. Given their extraordinary sorption capacity and facile synthesis under mild conditions, these HTNs are promising candidates for the efficient removal of trivalent lanthanides and actinides from aqueous solutions during the cleanup of radioactive pollution in the environment.
There is epidemiological evidence showing that drinking green tea can lower the risk of esophageal cancer (EC). The effect is mainly attributed to tea polyphenols and their most abundant component, ...(-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). The possible mechanisms of tumorigenesis inhibition of EGCG include its suppressive effects on cancer cell proliferation, angiogenesis, DNA methylation, metastasis and oxidant stress. EGCG modulates multiple signal transduction and metabolic signaling pathways involving in EC. A synergistic effect was also observed when EGCG was used in combination with other treatment methods.
The critical role of transition metal dyshomeostasis in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology poses demands of
imaging for brain copper levels. Nanostructured probes afford prolonged retention time, ...increased accumulation, and enhanced photostability; however, their development for activatable photoacoustic (PA) imaging remains largely unexplored. We develop a principle of concept for activable PA imaging using
cation exchange of ultrathin zinc selenide (ZnSe) nanoplatelets for monitoring brain copper levels in AD mice. We start from quantitative modeling of optical absorption, time-resolved temperature field, and thermal expansion of copper selenide (CuSe) nanocrystals of different morphologies and reveal that ultrathin nanoplatelets afford substantial enhancement of near-infrared (NIR) absorption and PA pressures as compared to nanodots and nanoparticles. By tethering with a blood-brain barrier (BBB)-targeting peptide ligand, the ultrathin ZnSe nanoplatelet probe efficiently transports across the BBB and rapidly exchanges with endogenous copper ions, boosting activatable PA imaging of brain copper levels. We also demonstrate that the efficient exchange of ZnSe nanoplatelets with copper ions can reduce oxidative stress of neurons and protect neuronal cells from apoptosis. The nanoplatelet probe provides a paradigm for activatable PA imaging of brain copper levels, highlighting its potential for pathophysiologic study of AD.
The light-sensitive albino tea plant can produce pale-yellow shoots with high levels of amino acids which are suitable to process high-quality tea. In order to understand the mechanism of the albino ...phenotype formation, the changes in the physio-chemical characteristics, chloroplast ultrastructure, chlorophyll-binding proteins, and the relevant gene expression were comprehensively investigated in the leaves of the light-sensitive albino cultivar 'Huangjinya' ('HJY') during short-term shading treatment. In the content of photosynthetic pigments, the ultrastructure of the chloroplast, and parameters of the photosynthesis in the leaves of 'HJY' could be gradually normalized along with the extension of the shading time, resulting in the leaf color transformed from pale yellow to green. BN-PAGE and SDS-PAGE revealed that function restoration of the photosynthetic apparatus was attributed to the proper formation of the pigment-protein complexes on the thylakoid membrane that benefited from the increased levels of the LHCII subunits in the shaded leaves of 'HJY', indicating the low level of LHCII subunits, especially the lack of the Lhcb1 might be responsible for the albino phenotype of the 'HJY' under natural light condition. The deficiency of the Lhcb1 was mainly subject to the strongly suppressed expression of the
which might be modulated by the chloroplast retrograde signaling pathway GUN1 (GENOMES UNCOUPLED 1)-PTM (PHD type transcription factor with transmembrane domains)-ABI4 (ABSCISIC ACID INSENSITIVE 4).
Sweet tea is a popular herbal drink in southwest China, and it is usually made from the shoots and tender leaves of
The sweet taste is mainly attributed to its high concentration of dihydrochalcones. ...The distribution and biosynthesis of dihydrochaldones in sweet tea, as well as neuroprotective effects in vitro and in vivo tests, are reviewed in this paper. Dihydrochalones are mainly composed of phloretin and its glycosides, namely, trilobatin and phloridzin, and enriched in tender leaves with significant geographical specificity. Biosynthesis of the dihydrochalones follows part of the phenylpropanoid and a branch of flavonoid metabolic pathways and is regulated by expression of the genes, including
and
. The dihydrochalones have been proven to exert a significant neuroprotective effect through their regulation against Aβ deposition, tau protein hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis.
PDF
