Genetic variations in the bitter taste receptor gene TAS2R38 are related to cigarette smoking behavior in Han Chinese smokers

Qi Fei-Yan,Zhu Zhou-Hai,Li Meng,Guan Ying,Peng Qi-Yuan,Lu She-Ming,Liu Zhi-Hua,Wang Ming-Feng,Miao Ming-Ming,Chen Zhang-Yu,Li Xue-Mei,Bai Jie,Yao Jian-Hua 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.11

Background: Smoking behavior is influenced by multiple genes, including the bitter taste gene TAS2R38. It has been reported that the correlation between TAS2R38 and smoking behavior has ethnicity-based differences. However, the TAS2R38 status in Chinese smokers is still unclear. Objective: This study aims to investigate the possible relationship between genetic variations in TAS2R38 (A49P, V262A and I296V) and smoking behaviors in the Han Chinese population. Methods: The haplotype analyses were performed and smoking behavior questionnaire was completed by 1271 individuals. Genetic association analyses for smoking behavior were analyzed using chi-square test. Further, for investigating the molecular mechanism of TAS2R38 variants effect on smoking behavior, we conducted TAS2R38-PAV and TAS2R38-AVI expression plasmids and tested the cellular calcium assay by cigarette smoke compounds stimulus in HEK293. Results: Significant associations of genetic variants within TAS2R38 were identified with smoking behavior. We found a higher PAV/PAV frequency than AVI/AVI in moderate and high nicotine dependence (FTND ≥ 4; X2 = 4.611, 1 df, p = 0.032) and strong cigarette smoke flavor intensity preference (X2 = 4.5383, 1 df, p = 0.033) in participants. Furthermore, in the in vitro cellular calcium assay, total particle matter (TPM), N-formylnornicotine and cotinine, existing in cigarette smoke, activated TAS2R38-PAV but not TAS2R38-AVI-transfected cells. Conclusion: Our data highlights that genetic variations in TAS2R38 are related to smoking behavior, especially nicotine dependence and cigarette smoke flavor intensity preference. Our findings may encourage further consideration of the taste process to identify individuals susceptible to nicotine dependence, particularly Han Chinese smokers.

HMGB1 regulates autophagy through increasing transcriptional activities of JNK and ERK in human myeloid Leukemia cells

( Ming Yi Zhao ),( Ming Hua Yang ),( Liang Chun Yang ),( Yan Yu ),( Min Xie ),( Shan Zhu ),( Rui Kang ),( Dao Lin Tang ),( Zhi Gang Jiang ),( Wu Zhou Yuan ),( Xiu Shan Wu ),( Li Zhi Cao ) 생화학분자생물학회(구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2011 BMB Reports Vol.44 No.9

HMGB1 is associated with human cancers and is an activator of autophagy which mediates chemotherapy resistance. We here show that the mRNA levels of HMGB1 are high in leukemia cells and it is involved in the progression of childhood chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). HMGB1 decreases the sensitivity of human myeloid leukemia cells K562 to anti-cancer drug induced death through up-regulating the autophagy pathway, which is confirmed by the observation with an increase in fusion of autophagosomes and autophagolysosomes. When overexpressing HMGB1, both mRNA levels of Beclin-1, VSP34 and UVRAG which are key genes involved in mammalian autophagy and protein levels of p-Bcl-2 and LC3-II are increased. Luciferase assays document that over-expression of HMGB1 increases the transcriptional activity of JNK and ERK, which may be silenced by siRNA. The results suggest that HMGB1 regulates JNK and ERK required for autophagy, which provides a potential drug target for therapeutic interventions in childhood CML. [BMB reports 2011; 44(9): 601-606]

Hepatic Sinusoidal Obstruction Syndrome Caused by Herbal Medicine: CT and MRI Features

Hua Zhou,Yi-Xiang J. Wang,Hai-yan Lou,Xiao-jun Xu,Min-ming Zhang 대한영상의학회 2014 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.15 No.2

Objective: To describe the CT and MRI features of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (HSOS) caused by herbal medicine Gynura segetum. Materials and Methods: The CT and MRI features of 16 consecutive Gynura segetum induced HSOS cases (12 men, 4 women) were analyzed. Eight patients had CT; three patients had MRI, and the remaining five patients had both CT and MRI examinations. Based on their clinical presentations and outcomes, the patients were classified into three categories:mild, moderate, and severe. The severity of the disease was also evaluated radiologically based on the abnormal hepatic patchy enhancement in post-contrast CT or MRI images. Results: Ascites, patchy liver enhancement, and main right hepatic vein narrowing or occlusion were present in all 16 cases. Hepatomegaly and gallbladder wall thickening were present in 14 cases (87.5%, 14/16). Periportal high intensity on T2-weighted images was present in 6 cases (75%, 6/8). Normal liver parenchymal enhancement surrounding the mainhepatic vein forming a clover-like sign was observed in 4 cases (25%, 4/16). The extent of patchy liver enhancement was statistically associated with clinical severity classification (kappa = 0.565). Conclusion: Ascites, patchy liver enhancement, and the main hepatic veins narrowing were the most frequent signs of herbal medicine induced HSOS. The grade of abnormal patchy liver enhancement was associated with the clinical severity.

New Compounds from Euphorbia helioscopia and Absolute Configuration Determination by Computational Methods

Jiangbo He,Hua-Jie Zhu,Gui-Fen Luo,Guang-Ming Liu,Yan Li,Hao Chen,Shaopeng Chen,Xin Lu,Guochun Zhou,Yong-Xian Cheng 대한화학회 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.8

The whole plant of Euphorbia helioscopia is an important traditional Chinese medicine. Fom its BuOH soluble extract,one new lactam (1), three new terpenoids (2-4) including a new naturally occurring compound, and three known compounds were isolated. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic evidences. In particular, the absolute configurations of side chain of compounds 1 and 2 were determined using computational methods.

Risk Factors for Cervical Cancer in Rural Areas of Wuhan China: a Matched Case-control Study

Zhang, Bin,Zhou, Ai-Fen,Zhu, Chang-Cai,Zhang, Ling,Xiang, Bing,Chen, Zhong,Hu, Rong-Hua,Zhang, Ya-Qi,Qiu, Lin,Zhang, Yi-Ming,Xiong, Chao-Du,Du, Yu-Kai,Shi, Yu-Qin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Cervical cancer is a serious public health problem in developing countries. We investigated possible risk factors for cervical cancer in rural areas of Wuhan China using a matched case-control study with 33 women diagnosed with cervical cancer and 132 healthy women selected from the same area as matched controls. A questionnaire, which included questions about general demography conditions, environmental and genetic factors, the first sexual intercourse, first marriage age, age at first pregnancy, pregnancy first child's age, female personal health history, social psychological factors, dietary habits, smoking and alcohol status and other living habits was presented to all participants. At the same time, HPV infection of every participant was examined in laboratory testing. Results showed HPV infection (P<0.000, OR=23.4) and pregnancy first child's age (P<0.000, OR=13.1) to be risk factors for cervical cancer. Menopause (P=0.003, OR=0.073) was a protective factor against cervical cancer. However, there was no indication of associations of environmental (drinking water, insecticide, disinfectant) genetic (cancer family history), or life-style factors (smoking status, alcohol status, physical training, sleep quality), including dietary habits (intake of fruit and vegetable, meat, fried food, bean products and pickled food) or social psychological factors with cervical cancer. The results suggest that the risk of cervical cancer in Chinese rural women may be associated with HPV infection, menopause and the pregnancy first child's age.

The Protective Effect of Sodium Hyaluronate on the Cartilage of Rabbit Osteoarthritis by Inhibiting Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-Gamma Messenger RNA Expression

Jian-lin Zhou,Shi-qing Liu,Bo Qiu,Qiong-jie Hu,Jiang-hua Ming,Hao Peng 연세대학교의과대학 2009 Yonsei medical journal Vol.50 No.6

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to study the protective effect and influence of sodium hyaluronate (Na- HA) on mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in cartilage of rabbit osteoarthritis (OA) model. Materials and Methods: Forty eight white rabbits were randomly divided into A, B, and C groups. Group A was normal control group, B and C groups underwent unilateral anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). The rabbits in group B were injected normal saline after ACLT; and Group C received intraarticular1% sodium hyaluronate (HA) injection 5 weeks after surgery, 0.3 mL once a week. At 11th week after surgery, all the rabbits were sacrificed. The cartilage changes on the medial femoral condyles were graded separately. Cartilage sections were stained with safranin-O and HE, and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of PPAR-γ was detected by using real time polymerase chain reaction (Real Time-PCR). Results: Cartilage degeneration in group B was significantly more severe than in A and C injection group. The grey value of Safranin- O of B group was higher than A and C groups. Expression of PPAR-γ mRNA in group B was higher than group A and C. Conclusion: This study shows that Na-HA has a protective effect on articular cartilage degeneration, and the inhibitory effect on the PPAR-γ mRNA expression may be one of therapeutic mechanism of Na-HA. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to study the protective effect and influence of sodium hyaluronate (Na- HA) on mRNA expression of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) in cartilage of rabbit osteoarthritis (OA) model. Materials and Methods: Forty eight white rabbits were randomly divided into A, B, and C groups. Group A was normal control group, B and C groups underwent unilateral anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT). The rabbits in group B were injected normal saline after ACLT; and Group C received intraarticular1% sodium hyaluronate (HA) injection 5 weeks after surgery, 0.3 mL once a week. At 11th week after surgery, all the rabbits were sacrificed. The cartilage changes on the medial femoral condyles were graded separately. Cartilage sections were stained with safranin-O and HE, and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of PPAR-γ was detected by using real time polymerase chain reaction (Real Time-PCR). Results: Cartilage degeneration in group B was significantly more severe than in A and C injection group. The grey value of Safranin- O of B group was higher than A and C groups. Expression of PPAR-γ mRNA in group B was higher than group A and C. Conclusion: This study shows that Na-HA has a protective effect on articular cartilage degeneration, and the inhibitory effect on the PPAR-γ mRNA expression may be one of therapeutic mechanism of Na-HA.

Cyr61/CCN1 Overexpression Induces Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Leading to Laryngeal Tumor Invasion and Metastasis and Poor Prognosis

Liu, Ying,Zhou, Yan-Dong,Xiao, Yu-Li,Li, Ming-Hua,Wang, Yu,Kan, Xuan,Li, Qiu-Ying,Lu, Jian-Guang,Jin, De-Jun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.7

Background: To examine the expression of cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61/CCN1) protein in laryngeal squamouscell carcinoma (LSCC) tissues, and its relationship with the tumor epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of Cyr61, Vimentin (Vim), and E-cadherin (E-cad) in 88 cases of LSCC tissues and 30 cases of tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Vim and E-cad were used as mesenchymal and epithelial markers, respectively, to determine the relationship between Cyr61 expression and the EMT of LSCC cells. In addition, clinical and histopathological data were combined to analyze the relationship between the positive-expression rates of Cyr61, Vim and E-cad and LSCC invasion, metastasis and prognosis. Results: In LSCC tissues, Vim expression rate was significantly higher than that of the tumor-adjacent tissues, whereas E-cad expression rate was significantly lower than that of the tumor-adjacent tissues. The Vim expression rate was significantly higher in stages T3 and T4 than in stages T1 and T2 LSCC tissues, whereas E-cad expression rate was significantly lower in stages T3 and T4 than in stages T1 and T2 LSCC tissues. Compared to the group without lymph node metastasis, the Vim expression rate was significantly higher and the E-cad expression rate was significantly lower in the group with lymph node metastasis. The expression rate of Cyr61 was significantly higher in LSCC tissues than in the tumor-adjacent normal tissues. In addition, the Cyr61 expression rate was higher in stages T3 and T4 than in stages T1 and T2 LSCC, and higher in the group with lymph node metastasis than in the group without lymph node metastasis. The Vim expression rate was significantly higher in the Cyr61 positive group than in the Cyr61 negative group, whereas the E-cad expression rate was significantly higher in the Cyr61 negative group than in the Cyr61 positive group. Survival analysis indicated that survival rates of Cyr61 positive, Vim positive and E-cad negative groups were significantly lower than that of Cyr61 negative, Vim negative and E-cad positive groups, respectively. Conclusions: Cyr61 expression is closely associated with LSCC invasion and lymph node metastasis. Overexpression of Cyr61 may induce EMT and therefore leads to LSCC invasion and metastasis and poor prognosis. Cyr61 may become a new maker for clinical prediction of LSCC invasion and metastasis and a new target for LSCC treatment.

New Compounds from Euphorbia helioscopia and Absolute Configuration Determination by Computational Methods

He, Jiang-Bo,Zhu, Hua-Jie,Luo, Gui-Fen,Liu, Guang-Ming,Chen, Hao,Li, Yan,Chen, Shaopeng,Lu, Xin,Zhou, Guochun,Cheng, Yong-Xian Korean Chemical Society 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.8

The whole plant of Euphorbia helioscopia is an important traditional Chinese medicine. Fom its BuOH soluble extract, one new lactam (1), three new terpenoids (2-4) including a new naturally occurring compound, and three known compounds were isolated. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic evidences. In particular, the absolute configurations of side chain of compounds 1 and 2 were determined using computational methods.

Analysis of Influence of Environmental Conditions on Ganoderic Acid Content in Ganoderma Lucidum Using Orthogonal Design

( Na Li ),( Xiao Hua Liu ),( Jie Zhou ),( Yu Xiang Li ),( Ming Wen Zhao ) 한국미생물생명공학회 2006 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.16 No.12

Molecular and Biochemical Characterization of a Novel Xylanase from Massilia sp. RBM26 Isolated from the Feces of Rhinopithecus bieti

( Bo Xu ),( Li Ming Dai ),( Jun Jun Li ),( Meng Deng ),( Hua Biao Miao ),( Jun Pei Zhou ),( Yue Lin Mu ),( Qian Wu ),( Xiang Hua Tang ),( Yun Juan Yang ),( Jun Mei Ding ),( Nan Yu Han ),( Zun Xi Huang 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2016 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.26 No.1

Xylanases sourced from different bacteria have significantly different enzymatic properties. Therefore, studying xylanases from different bacteria is important to their applications in different fields. A potential xylanase degradation gene in Massilia was recently discovered through genomic sequencing. However, its xylanase activity remains unexplored. This paper is the first to report a xylanase (XynRBM26) belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family (GH10) from the genus Massilia. The gene encodes a 383-residue polypeptide (XynRBM26) with the highest identity of 62% with the endoxylanase from uncultured bacterium BLR13. The XynRBM26 expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 is a monomer with a molecular mass of 45.0 kDa. According to enzymatic characteristic analysis, pH 5.5 is the most appropriate for XynRBM26, which could maintain more than 90% activity between pH 5.0 and 8.0. Moreover, XynRBM26 is stable at 37°C and could maintain at least 96% activity after being placed at 37°C for 1 h. This paper is the first to report that GH10 xylanase in an animal gastrointestinal tract (GIT) has salt tolerance, which could maintain 86% activity in 5 M NaCl. Under the optimum conditions, Km, Vmax, and kcat of XynRBM26 to beechwood xylan are 9.49 mg/ml, 65.79 μmol/min/mg, and 47.34 /sec, respectively. Considering that XynRBM26 comes from an animal GIT, this xylanase has potential application in feedstuff. Moreover, XynRBM26 is applicable to high-salt food and seafood processing, as well as other high-salt environmental biotechnological fields, because of its high catalytic activity in high-concentration NaCl.