A synthetic decursin analog with increased in vivo stability suppresses androgen receptor signaling in vitro and in vivo.

Zhang, Yong,Shaik, Ahmad Ali,Xing, Chengguo,Chai, Yubo,Li, Li,Zhang, Jinhui,Zhang, Wei,Kim, Sung-Hoon,L?, Junxuan,Jiang, Cheng M. Nijhoff ; Kluwer Academic Publishers 2012 Investigational new drugs Vol.30 No.5

<P>Targeting androgen receptor (AR) signaling with agents distinct from current antagonist drugs remains a rational approach to the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Our previous studies have shown that decursin and isomer decursinol angelate (DA), isolated from the Korean medicinal herb Angelica gigas Nakai, interrupt AR signaling and possess anti-PCa activities in vitro. In the LNCaP PCa cell model, these pyranoccoumarin compounds exhibit properties distinct from currently used antagonists (e.g., Casodex). However, both are rapidly de-esterified to decursinol, a partial AR agonist. We report here that a synthetic decursin analog, decursinol phenylthiocarbamate (DPTC), has greater in vivo stability than the parent compounds. DPTC-decursinol conversion was undetectable in mice. Furthermore, in LNCaP cells, DPTC decreased prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression, down-regulated AR abundance and mRNA and inhibited AR nuclear translocation. The effect of DPTC on AR and PSA mRNA and protein abundance was also observed in VCaP cells expressing wild type AR. DPTC inhibited growth of both PCa cell lines through G(1) cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as did decursin and DA. Furthermore, i.p. administration of DPTC for 3 weeks suppressed the expression of AR target genes probasin and Nkx3.1 in mouse prostate glands. Overall, our data suggest that DPTC represents a prototype lead compound for development of in vivo stable and active novel decursin analogs for the prevention or therapy of PCa.</P>

Energy Efficient Hybrid Satellite Terrestrial 5G Networks with Software Defined Features

Jiaxin Zhang,Xing Zhang,Muhammad Ali Imran,Barry G. Evans,Yan Zhang,Wenbo Wang 한국통신학회 2017 Journal of communications and networks Vol.19 No.2

In order to improve the manageability and adaptabilityof future 5G wireless networks, the software orchestration mechanism,named software defined networking (SDN) with controland user plane (C/U-plane) decoupling, has become one of themost promising key techniques. Based on these features, the hybridsatellite terrestrial network is expected to support flexibleand customized resource scheduling for both massive machinetype-communication (MTC) and high-quality multimedia requestswhile achieving broader global coverage, larger capacity and lowerpower consumption. In this paper, an end-to-end hybrid satelliteterrestrial network is proposed and the performance metrics, e. g., coverage probability, spectral and energy efficiency (SE andEE), are analysed in both sparse networks and ultra-dense networks. The fundamental relationship between SE and EE is investigated,considering the overhead costs, fronthaul of the gateway(GW), density of small cells (SCs) and multiple quality-ofservice(QoS) requirements. Numerical results show that comparedwith current LTE networks, the hybrid system with C/U split canachieve approximately 40% and 80% EE improvement in sparseand ultra-dense networks respectively, and greatly enhance thecoverage. Various resource management schemes, bandwidth allocationmethods, and on-off approaches are compared, and theapplications of the satellite in future 5G networks with softwaredefined features are proposed.

Investigations of elastic vibration periods of tall reinforced concrete office buildings

Ali Al-Balhawi,Binsheng Zhang 한국풍공학회 2019 Wind and Structures, An International Journal (WAS Vol.29 No.3

The assessment of wind-induced vibration for tall reinforced concrete (RC) buildings requires the accurate estimation of their dynamic properties, e.g., the fundamental vibration periods and damping ratios. In this study, RC frame-shear wall systems designed under gravity and wind loadings have been evaluated by utilising 3D FE modelling incorporating eigen-analysis to obtain the elastic periods of vibration. The conducted parameters consist of the number of storeys, the plan aspect ratio (AR) of buildings, the core dimensions, the space efficiency (SE), and the leasing depth (LD) between the internal central core and outer frames. This analysis provides a reliable basis for further investigating the effects of these parameters and establishing new formulas for predicting the fundamental vibration periods by using regression analyses on the obtained results. The proposed constrained numerically based formula for vibration periods of tall RC frame-shear wall office buildings in terms of the height of buildings reasonably agrees with some cited formulas for vibration period from design codes and standards. However, the same proposed formula has a high discrepancy with other cited formulas from the rest of design codes and standards. Also, the proposed formula agrees well with some cited experimentally based formulas.

Salicylic acid and kinetin mediated stimulation of salt tolerance in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) genotypes varying in salinity tolerance

Ali Raza Gurmani,Sami Ullah Khan,Amjad Ali,Tehseen Rubab,Timothy Schwinghamer,Ghulam Jilani,Abid Farid,Jinlin Zhang 한국원예학회 2018 Horticulture, Environment, and Biotechnology Vol.59 No.4

Greenhouse studies were undertaken to evaluate the genetic performance of two cucumber genotypes (Long Green and Summer Green) at four salinity levels (0, 25, 50, and 100 mM NaCl). Seeds were pretreated with 50 mg salicylic acid (SA) L−1 and 25 mg kinetin (Kin) L−1. Under hydroponic conditions, seed pretreatment with Kin significantly increased shoot and root dry biomass and reduced the salt injury index in both genotypes. SA reduced the salt injury index of Long Green cucumbers. In a pot experiment, Kin treatment reduced Na+ and increased K+ concentration, photosynthesis, and chlorophyll content in both genotypes, compared to SA under saline soil conditions. Kin treatment improved fruit yield in both genotypes, while SA had a statistically significant effect on Long Green fruit yield. The application of SA and Kin enhanced salinity tolerance in both genotypes by the activation of antioxidants, especially superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase, which offset oxidative injury. Summer Green exhibited better salt tolerance and improved osmoregulation that resulted in higher fruit yield than Long Green. It was concluded that cucumber genotypes differed in salt tolerance, and seed pre-treatment with Kin minimized salt stress injury, even in sensitive genotype which could sustain crop production under saline conditions.

O-Glycosylation regulates polarized secretion by modulating Tango1 stability

Zhang, Liping,Syed, Zulfeqhar Ali,van Dijk Hä,rd, Iris,Lim, Jae-Min,Wells, Lance,Ten Hagen, Kelly G. National Academy of Sciences 2014 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF Vol.111 No.20

<P>Polarized secretion is crucial in many tissues. The conserved protein modification, O-glycosylation, plays a role in regulating secretion. However, the mechanisms by which this occurs are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that an O-glycosyltransferase functions as a novel regulator of secretion and secretory vesicle formation in vivo by glycosylating the essential Golgi/endoplasmic reticulum protein, Tango1 (Transport and Golgi organization 1), and conferring protection from furin-mediated proteolysis. Loss of the O-glycosyltransferase PGANT4 resulted in Tango1 cleavage, loss of secretory granules, and disrupted apical secretion. The secretory defects seen upon loss of <I>pgant4</I> could be rescued either by overexpression of <I>Tango1</I> or by knockdown of a specific furin (<I>Dfur2</I>) in vivo. Our studies elucidate a novel regulatory mechanism whereby secretion is influenced by the yin/yang of O-glycosylation and proteolytic cleavage. Moreover, our data have broader implications for the potential treatment of diseases resulting from the loss of O-glycosylation by modulating the activity of specific proteases.</P>

[Chemistry] Determination of Uranyl Nitrate with Several Ligands by Spectrophotometry

Ali Md Showkat,Yu-Ping Zhang,Min Seok Kim,Sang-Ho Kim,Seong-Ho Choi,Kwang-Pill Lee 한국분석과학회 2004 분석과학 Vol.17 No.1

Optically- and Thermally-Responsive Programmable Materials Based on Carbon Nanotube-Hydrogel Polymer Composites

Zhang, Xiaobo,Pint, Cary L.,Lee, Min Hyung,Schubert, Bryan Edward,Jamshidi, Arash,Takei, Kuniharu,Ko, Hyunhyub,Gillies, Andrew,Bardhan, Rizia,Urban, Jeffrey J.,Wu, Ming,Fearing, Ronald,Javey, Ali American Chemical Society 2011 NANO LETTERS Vol.11 No.8

<P>A simple approach is described to fabricate reversible, thermally- and optically responsive actuators utilizing composites of poly(<I>N</I>-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) loaded with single-walled carbon nanotubes. With nanotube loading at concentrations of 0.75 mg/mL, we demonstrate up to 5 times enhancement to the thermal response time of the nanotube-pNIPAM hydrogel actuators caused by the enhanced mass transport of water molecules. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to obtain ultrafast near-infrared optical response in nanotube-pNIPAM hydrogels under laser excitation enabled by the strong absorption properties of nanotubes. The work opens the framework to design complex and programmable self-folding materials, such as cubes and flowers, with advanced built-in features, including tunable response time as determined by the nanotube loading.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/nalefd/2011/nalefd.2011.11.issue-8/nl201503e/production/images/medium/nl-2011-01503e_0002.gif'></P>

Functional Analyses of PtROS1-RNAi in Poplars and Evaluation of Its Effect on DNA Methylation

Ali Movahedi; Ming Sang,Qiang Zhuge,Jiaxin Zhang; Kourosh Mohammadi; Weibo Sun; Amir Almasi Zadeh Yaghu,Saeid Kadkhodaei 한국식물학회 2018 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.61 No.4

DNA methylation occurs mostly at the C5 positionof dinucleotide symmetric CpG sites in genomic DNA. Abalance is maintained in the plant genome between DNAmethylation mediated by RNA-directed DNA methylation(RdDM) and DNA demethylation mediated by the DEMETER(DME) protein family and REPRESSOR OF SILENCING(ROS1). We used double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) silencingto suppress ROS1 protein expression in ‘Nanlin895’ (Populusdeltoides × Populus euramericana ‘Nanlin895’). Leaves ofWT and transformant poplars revealed more symmetricmethylation on CpG sites than roots and stems. In addition,leaves of transformant poplars revealed more methylatedCpG sites in both 5.8S rDNA and histone H3 compared toWT types via 0, 50 and 100 mM NaCl treatments. In asymmetricmethylation sites, transformant poplars exhibited moremethylated CpHpG and CpHpH contexts than WT poplars. On the other hand, hypermethylation induced by PtROS1-RNAi construct resulted in pleiotropic phenotypic changes intransgenic poplars. The percentage of wavy leaves was increasedmaximum by ~45% in transgenic poplars. Also, the numberof leaves was increased by ~200 number in transformants. Furthermore, shooting (%) and rooting (%) was decreased intransgenic poplars versus WT.

Analysis of Heavy Metal Toxic Ions by Adsorption onto Amino-functionalized Ordered Mesoporous Silica

Ali Md Showkat,Yu-Ping Zhang,Min Seok Kim,Anantha Iyengar Gopalan,Kakarla Raghava Reddy,이광필 대한화학회 2007 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.28 No.11

Ordered mesoporous silica (MCM-41) materials with different textural properties were prepared using alkyl (dodecyl, cetyl, eicosane) trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB, CTAB, ETAB, respectively) as structure directing surfactants, functionalized with amine groups and used as adsorbent for the toxic metal ions, Cr (VI), As (V), Pb (II) and Hg (II). Amino functionalization of mesoporous MCM-41 was achieved by co-condensation of N-[3-(trimethoxysilyl)-propyl] aniline with tetraethyl orthosilicate. Adsorption isotherm and adsorption capacity of the amine functionalized materials for Cr (VI), As (V), Pb (II) and Hg (II) ions were followed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results demonstrate that amine functionalized MCM-41 prepared with ETAB showed higher adsorption capacity for Cr (VI), As (V), Pb (II) and Hg (II) ions in comparison to MCM-41 prepared with CTAB and DTAB. The higher adsorption capacity for MCM-41(ETAB) was correlated with amine content in the material (determined by CHN analysis) and relative decrease in pore volume and pore diameter. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption measurements and Fourier Transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) were used to follow the changes in the textural parameters and surface properties of the mesoporous materials as a result of amine functionalization to correlate with the adsorption characteristics. The adsorption process was found to depend on the pH of the medium.

Antitumor Activity of Lentivirus-mediated Interleukin -12 Gene Modified Dendritic Cells in Human Lung Cancer in Vitro

Ali, Hassan Abdellah Ahmed,Di, Jun,Mei, Wu,Zhang, Yu-Cheng,Li, Yi,Du, Zhen-Wu,Zhang, Gui-Zhen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Objectives: Dendritic cell (DC)-based tumor immunotherapy needs an immunogenic tumor associated antigen (TAA) and an effective approach for its presentation to lymphocytes. In this study we explored whether transduction of DCs with lentiviruses (LVs) expressing the human interleukin-12 gene could stimulate antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) against human lung cancer cells in vitro. Methods: Peripheral blood monocyte-derived DCs were transduced with a lentiviral vector encoding human IL-12 gene (LV-12). The anticipated target of the human IL-12 gene was detected by RT-PCR. The concentration of IL-12 in the culture supernatant of DCs was measured by ELISA.Transduction efficiencies and CD83 phenotypes of DCs were assessed by flow cytometry. DCs were pulsed with tumor antigen of lung cancer cells (DC+Ag) and transduced with LV-12 (DC-LV-12+Ag). Stimulation of T lymphocyte proliferation by DCs and activation of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) stimulated by LV-12 transduced DCs pulsed with tumor antigen against A549 lung cancer cells were assessed with methyl thiazolyltetrazolium (MTT). Results: A recombinant lentivirus expressing the IL-12 gene was successfully constructed. DC transduced with LV-12 produced higher levels of IL-12 and expressed higher levels of CD83 than non-transduced. The DC modified by interleukin -12 gene and pulsed with tumor antigen demonstrated good stimulation of lymphocyte proliferation, induction of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and antitumor effects. Conclusions: Dendritic cells transduced with a lentivirus-mediated interleukin-12 gene have an enhanced ability to kill lung cancer cells through promoting T lymphocyte proliferation and cytotoxicity.