Overexpression of ENA1 from Yeast Increases Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis

( Xiang Qiang Kong ),( Xiu Hua Gao ),( Wei Huan Li ),( Ji Qiang Zhao ),( Yan Xiu Zhao ),( Hui Zhang ) 한국식물학회 2008 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.51 No.2

In yeast, the plasma membrane Na+/H+ antiporter and Na+ -ATPase are key enzymes for salt tolerance. Saccharomyces cerevisiae Na+ -ATPase (Ena1p ATPase) is encoded by the ENA1/PMR2A gene; expression of ENA1 is tightly regulated by Na+ and depends on ambient pH. Although Ena1p is active mainly at alkaline pH values in S. cerevisiae, no Na+ -ATPase has been found in flowering plants. To test whether this yeast enzyme would improve salt tolerance in plants, we introduced ENA1 into Arabidopsis (cv. Columbia) under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. Transformants were selected for their ability to grow on a medium containing kanamyin. Southern blot analyses confirmed that ENA1 was transferred into the Arabidopsis genome and northern blot analyses showed that ENA1 was expressed in the transformants. Several transgenic homozygous lines and wild-type (WT) plants were evaluated for salt tolerance. No obvious morphological or developmental differences existed between the transgenic and WT plants in the absence of stress. However, overexpression of ENA1 in Arabidopsis improved seed germination rates and salt tolerance in seedlings. Under saline conditions, transgenic plants accumulated a lower amount of Na+ than did the wild type, and fresh and dry weights of the former were higher. Other experiments revealed that expression of ENA1 promoted salt tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis under both acidic and alkaline conditions.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Quantum Chemistry of a Novel Schiff Base N-(2,4-Dinitro-phenyl)-N'-(1-phenyl-ethylidene)-hydrazine

Ji, Ning-Ning,Shi, Zhi-Qiang,Zhao, Ren-Gao,Zheng, Ze-Bao,Li, Zhi-Feng Korean Chemical Society 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.4

A novel Schiff base N-(2,4-dinitro-phenyl)-N'-(1-phenyl-ethylidene)-hydrazine has been synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra and UV-vis spectrum. The crystal belongs to monoclinic with space group P21/n. The molecules are connected via intermolecular O-$H{\cdots}O$ hydrogen bonds into 1D infinite chains. The crystal structure is consolidated by the intramolecular N-$H{\cdots}O$ hydrogen bonds. weak intermolecular C-$H{\cdots}O$ hydrogen bonds link the molecules into intriguing 3D framework. Furthermore, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structure, stabilities, orbital energies, composition characteristics of some frontier molecular orbitals and Mulliken charge distributions of the title compound were performed by means of Gaussian 03W package and taking B3LYP/6-31G(d) basis set. The time-dependent DFT calculations have been employed to calculate the electronic spectrum of the title compound, and the UV-vis spectra has been discussed on this basis. The results show that DFT method at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level can well reproduce the structure of the title compound.

Quantum Bee Colony Optimization and Non-dominated Sorting Quantum Bee Colony Optimization Based Multi-relay Selection Scheme

( Qiang Ji ),( Shifeng Zhang ),( Haoguang Zhao ),( Tiankui Zhang ),( Jinlong Cao ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2017 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.11 No.9

In cooperative multi-relay networks, the relay nodes which are selected are very important to the system performance. How to choose the best cooperative relay nodes is an optimization problem. In this paper, multi-relay selection schemes which consider either single objective or multi-objective are proposed based on evolutionary algorithms. Firstly, the single objective optimization problems of multi-relay selection considering signal to noise ratio (SNR) or power efficiency maximization are solved based on the quantum bee colony optimization (QBCO). Then the multi-objective optimization problems of multi-relay selection considering SNR maximization and power consumption minimization (two contradictive objectives) or SNR maximization and power efficiency maximization (also two contradictive objectives) are solved based on non-dominated sorting quantum bee colony optimization (NSQBCO), which can obtain the Pareto front solutions considering two contradictive objectives simultaneously. Simulation results show that QBCO based multi-relay selection schemes have the ability to search global optimal solution compared with other multi-relay selection schemes in literature, while NSQBCO based multi-relay selection schemes can obtain the same Pareto front solutions as exhaustive search when the number of relays is not very large. When the number of relays is very large, exhaustive search cannot be used due to complexity but NSQBCO based multi-relay selection schemes can still be used to solve the problems. All simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.

Mechanical Behavior of Glass Panels Supported by Clamping Joints in Cable Net Facades

Ruo-qiang Feng,Ji-hong Ye,Yue Wu,Shi-zhao Shen 한국강구조학회 2012 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.12 No.1

In glass panels supported by clamping joints in a cable net facade, the clamping joint restrains movement at the four corners of the glass panel. As a result, the mechanical behavior of the glass panels supported by clamping joints is very different than the behavior of glass panels supported by four hinged corners. Moreover, the deformation in cable net facade is large and nonuniform; thus, the glass panels in cable net facades bear the effects of warping distortion. In this study, a model test and theoretical analysis was conducted to study the mechanical behavior of glass panels supported by clamping joints in a cable net facade. To this end, a cable net facade was designed, and a proper experimental model was constructed. A static mechanical model test was conducted, where the glass stress at different positions in the cable net was measured. A numerical model of the cable net facade was developed, and the results of the experiment and the numerical analysis were compared. Furthermore,the numerical results provided a detailed description of the mechanical behavior of the glass panels in a cable net facade.

Prognostic Value of Subcarinal Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Feng, Ji-Feng,Zhao, Qiang,Chen, Qi-Xun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.5

Purpose: The 7th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual for esophageal cancer (EC) categorizes N stage according to the number of metastatic lymph nodes (LNs), irrespective of the site. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of subcarinal LN metastasis in patients undergoing esophagectomy for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of 507 consecutive patients with ESCC was conducted. Potential clinicopathological factors that could influence subcarinal LN metastasis were statistically analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were also performed to evaluate the prognostic parameters for survival. Results: The frequency of subcarinal LN metastasis was 22.9% (116/507). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor length (>3cm vs ${\leq}3cm$; P=0.027), tumor location (lower vs upper/middle; P=0.009), vessel involvement (Yes vs No; P=0.001) and depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.012) were associated with 2.085-, 1.810-, 2.535- and 2.201- fold increases, respectively, for risk of subcarinal LN metastasis. Multivariate analyses showed that differentiation (poor vs well/moderate; P=0.001), subcarinal LN metastasis (yes vs no; P=0.033), depth of invasion (T3-4a vs T1-2; P=0.014) and N staging (N1-3 vs N0; P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors. In addition, patients with subcarinal LN metastasis had a significantly lower 5-year cumulative survival rate than those without (26.7% vs 60.9%; P<0.001). Conclusions: Subcarinal LN metastasis is a predictive factor for long-term survival in patients with ESCC.

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Quantum Chemistry of a Novel Schiff Base N-(2,4-Dinitro-phenyl)-N'-(1-phenyl-ethylidene)-hydrazine

Ning-Ning Ji,Zhi-Qiang Shi,Ren-Gao Zhao,Ze-Bao Zheng,Zhi-Feng Li 대한화학회 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.4

A novel Schiff base N-(2,4-dinitro-phenyl)-N'-(1-phenyl-ethylidene)-hydrazine has been synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction, elemental analysis, IR spectra and UV-vis spectrum. The crystal belongs to monoclinic with space group P21/n. The molecules are connected via intermolecular O-H···O hydrogen bonds into 1D infinite chains. The crystal structure is consolidated by the intramolecular N-H···O hydrogen bonds. weak intermolecular C-H···O hydrogen bonds link the molecules into intriguing 3D framework. Furthermore, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structure, stabilities, orbital energies, composition characteristics of some frontier molecular orbitals and Mulliken charge distributions of the title compound were performed by means of Gaussian 03W package and taking B3LYP/6-31G(d) basis set. The time-dependent DFT calculations have been employed to calculate the electronic spectrum of the title compound, and the UV-vis spectra has been discussed on this basis. The results show that DFT method at B3LYP/6-31G(d) level can well reproduce the structure of the title compound.

Inhibition of Transient Receptor Potential Melastain 7 Enhances Apoptosis Induced by TRAIL in PC-3 cells

Lin, Chang-Ming,Ma, Ji-Min,Zhang, Li,Hao, Zong-Yao,Zhou, Jun,Zhou, Zhen-Yu,Shi, Hao-Qiang,Zhang, Yi-Fei,Shao, En-Ming,Liang, Chao-Zhao Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.10

Transient receptor potential melastain 7 (TRPM7) is a bifunctional protein with dual structure of both ion channel and protein kinase, participating in a wide variety of diseases including cancer. Recent researches have reported the mechanism of TRPM7 in human cancers. However, the correlation between TRPM7 and prostate cancer (PCa) has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential the role of TRPM7 in the apoptosis of PC-3 cells, which is the key cell of advanced metastatic PCa. In this study, we demonstrated the influence and potential function of TRPM7 on the PC-3 cells apoptosis induced by TNF-related apoptosis inducing-ligand (TRAIL). The study also found a novel up-regulated expression of TRPM7 in PC-3 cells after treating with TRAIL. Suppression of TRPM7 by TRPM7 non-specific inhibitors ($Gd^{3+}$ or 2-aminoethoxy diphenylborate (2-APB) ) not only markedly eliminated TRPM7 expression level, but also increased the apoptosis of TRAIL-treated PC-3 cells, which may be regulated by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway accompany with up-regulated expression of cleaved Caspase-3, (TRAIL-receptor 1, death receptors 4) DR4, and (TRAIL-receptor 2, death receptors 5) DR5. Taken together, our findings strongly suggested that TRPM7 was involved in the apoptosis of PC-3 cells induced by TRAIL, indicating that TRPM7 may be applied as a therapeutic target for PCa.

Effects of Dietary Acetyl-L-Carnitine on Meat Quality and Lipid Metabolism in Arbor Acres Broilers

Zhang, Yong,Ma, Qiugang,Bai, Xiumei,Zhao, Lihong,Wang, Qiang,Ji, Cheng,Liu, Laiting,Yin, Haicheng Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2010 Animal Bioscience Vol.23 No.12

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality and lipid metabolism in broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments (0, 300, 600, and 900 mg/kg dietary ALC supplementation, respectively). Compared with the control treatment, addition of ALC resulted in lower (linear effect, p<0.05) ADG and AFI. Abdominal fat percentage decreased (linear effect, p<0.05) as dietary ALC was increased, but there was no effect on dressing percentage, breast muscle percentage or thigh muscle percentage. Breast muscle pH value 24 h post-mortem increased (linear effect, p<0.05), but there were no significant differences among treatments. However, thigh muscle pH value increased (linear effect, p<0.05) as dietary ALC was increased. Breast and thigh muscle $a^*$ values increased (linear effect, p<0.05), and breast and thigh muscle $b^*$ values decreased (linear effect, p<0.05) with increased ALC in the diet. In addition, breast and thigh muscle shear force value decreased (linear effect, p<0.05) as dietary ALC was increased. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lipoprotein lipase decreased (linear effect, p<0.05) and free fatty acid and lipase in serum increased (linear effect, p<0.05) with increased ALC in diets.

Evaluation on Phytotoxicity of Citrus Peel Extracts to Weeds

Xue-Hua An,Xue-Ping Zhao,Qiang Wang,Xiao-Feng Ji,Chang-Xing Wu 한국잡초학회 2011 한국잡초학회 별책(학술대회 초록집) Vol.31 No.2

Identification of a Novel Fusion Gene (HLA-E and HLA-B) by RNA-seq Analysis in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Jiang, Yu-Zhang,Li, Qian-Hui,Zhao, Jian-Qiang,Lv, Jun-Ji Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common histologic subtype of esophageal cancer and is characterized by a poor prognosis. Determining gene changes in ESCCs should improve understanding of putative risk factors and provide potential targets for therapy. We sequenced about 55 million pair-end reads from a pair of adjacent normal and ESCC samples to identify the gene expression level and gene fusion. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the result. About 17 thousand genes were expressed in the tissues, of which approximately 2400 demonstrated significant differences between tumor and adjacent non tumor tissue. GO and KEGG pathway analysis revealed that many of these genes were associated with cellular adherence and movement, simulation responses and immune responses. Notably we identified and validated one fusion gene, HLA-E and HLA-B, located 1 MB apart. We also identified thousands of remarkably expressed transcripts. In conclusion, a novel fusion gene HLA-E and HLA-B was identified in ESCC via whole transcriptome sequencing, which would be a biomarker for ESCC diagnosis and target for therapy, shedding new light for better understanding of ESCC tumorigenesis.