Expression pattern of prohibitin, capping actin protein of muscle Z-line beta subunit and tektin-2 gene in Murrah buffalo sperm and its relationship with sperm motility

Zhaocheng Xiong,Haihang Zhang,Ben Huang,Qingyou Liu,Yingqun Wang,Deshun Shi,Xiangping Li 아세아·태평양축산학회 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.11

Objective: The aim of the current study is to investigate the relationship between prohibitin (PHB), capping actin protein of muscle Z-line beta subunit (CAPZB), and tektin-2 (TEKT2) and sperm motility in Murrah buffalo. Methods: We collected the high-motility and low-motility semen samples, testis, ovary, muscle, kidney, liver, brain and pituitary from Murrah buffalo, and analysed the expression of PHB, CAPZB, and TEKT2 in mRNA (message RNA) and protein level. Results: Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) result showed that the expression of PHB was higher and CAPZB, TEKT2 were specifically expressed in testis as compared to the other 6 tissues, and that in testis, the expression of TEKT2 was higher than that of CAPZB and PHB. Immunohistochemistry test revealed that all three genes were located on the convoluted seminiferous tubule and enriched in spermatogenic cells. Both qRT-PCR and Western Blot results showed that the expression levels of PHB, CAPZB, and TEKT2 were significantly lower in the low-motility semen group compared to the high-motility semen group (p<0.05). Conclusion: The expression levels of PHB, CAPZB, and TEKT2 in Murrah buffalo sperm have a high positive correlation with sperm motility. And the three genes may be potential molecular markers for the decline of buffalo sperm motility.

Flexural behavior of ultra high performance concrete beams reinforced with high strength steel

Jun-Yan Wang,Jin-Ben Gu,Chao Liu,Yu-Hao Huang,Ru-Cheng Xiao,Biao Ma 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.81 No.5

A detailed experimental program was conducted to investigate the flexural behavior of ultra high performance concrete (UHPC) beams reinforced with high strength steel (HSS) rebars with a specified yield strength of 600 MPa via direct tensile test and monotonic four-point bending test. First, two sets of direct tensile test specimens, with the same reinforcement ratio but different yield strength of reinforcement, were fabricated and tested. Subsequently, six simply supported beams, including two plain UHPC beams and four reinforced UHPC beams, were prepared and tested under four-point bending load. The results showed that the balanced-reinforced UHPC beams reinforced with HSS rebars could improve the ultimate loadbearing capacity, deformation capacity, ductility properties, etc. more effectively owing to interaction between high strength of HSS rebar and strain-hardening characteristic of UHPC. In addition, the UHPC with steel rebars kept strain compatibility prior to the yielding of the steel rebar, further satisfied the plane-section assumption. Most importantly, the crack pattern of the UHPC beam reinforced with HSS rebars was prone to transform from single main crack failure corresponding to the normal-strength steel, to multiple main cracks failure under the condition of balanced-reinforced failure, which validated by the conclusion of direct tensile tests cooperated with acoustic emission (AE) source locating technique as well.

Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumour : From Tumours to Therapies

Richardson, Elizabeth Anne,Ho, Ben,Huang, Annie The Korean Neurosurgical Society 2018 Journal of Korean neurosurgical society Vol.61 No.3

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumours (ATRTs) are the most common malignant central nervous system tumours in children ${\leq}1year$ of age and represent approximately 1-2% of all pediatric brain tumours. ATRT is a primarily monogenic disease characterized by the bi-allelic loss of the SMARCB1 gene, which encodes the hSNF5 subunit of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. Though conventional dose chemotherapy is not effective in most ATRT patients, high dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplant, radiotherapy and/or intrathecal chemotherapy all show significant potential to improve patient survival. Recent epigenetic and transcriptional studies highlight three subgroups of ATRT, each with distinct clinical and molecular characteristics with corresponding therapeutic sensitivities, including epigenetic targeting, and inhibition of tyrosine kinases or growth/lineage specific pathways.

D₂(2317) and D₂(2457) from HQET Sum Rules

Chun Liu,Chao-Shang Huang,Shi-Lin Zhu,Yuan-Ben Dai 한국물리학회 2004 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.45 No.2

Within the framework of the heavy quark effective theory, QCD sum rules are used to calculate the masses of p-wave cs states. The results for 0+ and 1+ states with the angular momentum of the light component jl = 1=2 are consistent with the experimental values for Ds(2317) and Ds(2457), respectively.

Effects of Black Raspberry Supplementation on Methylation Pathways in Vav-cre Asxl1fl/fl Tet2fl/fl Double Knockout Mice with Early-stage Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Athena Dong,Yi-Wen Huang,Ben Niu,Ruiling Liu,Weijie Wu,Haiyan Gao,Jianhua Yu 대한암예방학회 2023 Journal of cancer prevention Vol.28 No.4

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a subset of myeloid malignancies defined by clonality of immature hematopoietic stem cells that leads to faulty blood cell development. These syndromes can lead to an increased risk of infection and may transform into acute myeloid leukemia, making it critical to determine effective treatments for the condition. While hypomethylating agents such as azacitidine and decitabine, as well as stem cell transplants, have been delineated as favored treatments for MDS, not all patients are physiologically receptive to these treatments. However, black raspberries (BRBs) have been shown to exert hypomethylating effects in various malignancies, with minimal adverse effects and thus a broader range of potential candidacies. This study aimed to investigate the potential of BRBs to exert such effects on MDS using Addition of Sex Combs Like/Tet Methylcytosine Dioxygenase 2 (Asxl1/Tet2) double knockout mice (Vav-cre Asxl1fl/fl Tet2fl/fl), which typically manifest symptoms around 25 weeks of age, mirroring genetic mutations found in humans with MDS. Following a 12-week dietary supplementation of Vav-cre Asxl1fl/fl Tet2fl/fl mice with 5% BRBs, we observed both hyper- and hypomethylation at multiple transcription start sites and intragenic locations linked to critical pathways, including hematopoiesis. This methylation profile may have implications for delaying the onset of MDS, prompting a need for in-depth investigation. Our results emphasize the importance of exploring whether an extended BRB intervention can effectively alter MDS risk and elucidate the relationship between BRB-induced methylation changes, thus further unlocking the potential benefits of BRBs for MDS patients.

Variable Structure Controller Design for Linear Systems with Bounded Inputs

Shengjian Bai,Pinhas Ben-Tzvi,Qingkun Zhou,Xinsheng Huang 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2011 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.9 No.2

This paper studies the design of variable structure systems with saturation inputs. Sliding mode domain, reaching domain, and unescapable reaching domain of linear systems with variable structure are defined and investigated. When the state matrix of the linear system is Hurwitz, the stability of the variable structure systems is proven by using passivity theory. Moreover, variable structure systems with novel nonlinear switching surfaces are proposed for second order systems. Two strategies for designing variable structure control for high order linear systems are also proposed, such as step-by-step variable structure control and moving-surface variable structure control, which were found to guarantee that the reaching condition of the variable structure control is always satisfied. Finally, an il-lustrative example pertaining to the attitude control of a flexible spacecraft demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of adult height in East Asians identifies 17 novel loci

He, Meian,Xu, Min,Zhang, Ben,Liang, Jun,Chen, Peng,Lee, Jong-Young,Johnson, Todd A.,Li, Huaixing,Yang, Xiaobo,Dai, Juncheng,Liang, Liming,Gui, Lixuan,Qi, Qibin,Huang, Jinyan,Li, Yanping,Adair, Linda S IRL Press 2015 Human molecular genetics Vol.24 No.6

<P>Human height is associated with risk of multiple diseases and is profoundly determined by an individual's genetic makeup and shows a high degree of ethnic heterogeneity. Large-scale genome-wide association (GWA) analyses of adult height in Europeans have identified nearly 180 genetic loci. A recent study showed high replicability of results from Europeans-based GWA studies in Asians; however, population-specific loci may exist due to distinct linkage disequilibrium patterns. We carried out a GWA meta-analysis in 93 926 individuals from East Asia. We identified 98 loci, including 17 novel and 81 previously reported loci, associated with height at <I>P</I> < 5 × 10<SUP>−8</SUP>, together explaining 8.89% of phenotypic variance. Among the newly identified variants, 10 are commonly distributed (minor allele frequency, MAF > 5%) in Europeans, with comparable frequencies with in Asians, and 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms are with low frequency (MAF < 5%) in Europeans. In addition, our data suggest that novel biological pathway such as the protein tyrosine phosphatase family is involved in regulation of height. The findings from this study considerably expand our knowledge of the genetic architecture of human height in Asians.</P>

Expression and Characterization of Protein Latcripin-3, an Antioxidant and Antitumor Molecule from Lentinula edodes C91-3

Ann, Xiao-Hua,Lun, Yong-Zhi,Zhang, Wei,Liu, Ben,Li, Xing-Yun,Zhong, Min-Tao,Wang, Xiao-Li,Cao, Jing,Ning, An-Hong,Huang, Min Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.12

In this study, an anti-oxidant and anti-tumor protein Latcripin-3 of Lentinula edodes C91-3 was expressed in Escherichia coli. for the first time. According to the cDNA library, the full-length gene of Latcripin-3 was cloned by the methods of 3'-full rapid amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE) and 5'-full RACE. The structural domain gene of Latcripin-3 was inserted into the pET32 a(+). The functional protein of Latcripin-3 was expressed in Rosetta-gami (DE3) E. coli, evaluated by Western blotting and mass spectrometry. DPPH testing showed that the protein Latcripin-3 can scavenge free radicals remarkably well. The activity of functional protein Latcripin-3 on A549 cells was studied with flow cytometry and the MTT method. The MTT assay results showed that there was a decreases in cell viability in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner in protein Latcripin-3 treated groups. Flow cytometry demonstrated that Latcripin-3 can induce apoptosis and block S phase dramatically in human A549 lung cancer cells as compared to the control group. At the same time, the cell ultrastructure observed by transmission electron microscopy supported the results of flow cytometry. This research offers new insights and advantages for identifying anti-oxidant and anti-tumor proteins.

Two type III polyketide synthases from Polygonum cuspidatum: gene structure, evolutionary route and metabolites

Guo, Yan-Wu,Guo, Hui-Li,Li, Xing,Huang, Li-Li,Zhang, Bo-Ning,Pang, Xiao-Bin,Liu, Ben-Ye,Ma, Lan-Qing,Wang, Hong 한국식물생명공학회 2013 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.7 No.3

In our recent work (Ma et al., in Planta 229(3):457-469, 2009a and 229(4):1077-1086, 2009b), two three-intron type III PKS genes, PcPKS1 and PcPKS2, were isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc. Phylogenetic and functional analyses revealed PcPKS1 is a three-intron chalcone synthase (CHS) gene, and PcPKS2 is found to be a three-intron benzalacetone synthase (BAS) gene. The regular CHS encoded by a single intron gene have not been isolated and characterized from P. cuspidatum. In this work a further CHS with one intron (PcPKS3) and a stilbene synthase (STS) gene with three-intron (PcPKS5) were isolated and characterized by functional and phylogenetic analyses. In comparison with PcPKS1, a bifunctional enzyme with both CHS and BAS activity, the enzymatic product of recombinant PcPKS3 was naringenin, bis-noryangonin (BNY) and 4-coumaroyltriacetic acid lactone (CTAL) occurred as side products. The PcPKS5 synthesized resveratrol and a trace amount of naringenin from p-coumaroyl-CoA. To our knowledge, PcPKS5 is the first reported three-intron STS gene in flowering plants. In this work, we speculated that this involved a possible evolutionary route of plant-specific type III PKS superfamily in P. cuspidatum.

The Efficacy and Long-Term Outcome of Microcoil Embolotherapy for Acute Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Hui-Chung Teng,Huei-Lung Liang,Yih-Huie Lin,Jer-Shyung Huang,Chiung-Yu Chen,Shang-Chieh Lee,Huay-Ben Pan 대한영상의학회 2013 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.14 No.2

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy as well as long-term clinical outcomes of superselective microcoil embolization for lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB). Materials and Methods: Between 1997 and 2009, 26 patients with intended transcatheter embolotherapy for LGIB were retrospectively reviewed. Embolization was performed only when the catheter could be advanced to or distal to the mesenteric border of the bowel. The main purpose of our study was to assess technical success, recurrent bleeding rate and complications. We also evaluated the long-term clinical outcome, including late recurrent LGIB, bowel ischemia and the survival rate. Results: Twenty-two bleeding sources were in the territory of superior mesenteric artery and four in the inferior mesenteric artery. Technical success was achieved in 22 patients (84.6%). The target vessel of embolization was vasa recta in seventeen patients and marginal artery in the remaining five patients. Early rebleeding occurred in two patients (7.7%) and bowel ischemia in two patients, of whom the embolized points were both at the marginal artery. Delayed recurrent bleeding (> 30 days) occurred in two angiodysplasia patients. Five patients (19.2%) died within the first 30 days of intervention. Long-term follow-up depicted estimated survival rates of 58.2 and 43.1% after one, and five years, respectively. Conclusion: Transcatheter embolotherapy to treat LGIB is effective with low rebleeding and ischemic complications. Considering the advanced age and complex medical problems of these patients, the minimal invasive embolotherapy may be used as both a primary and potentially definitive treatment of LGIB.