c-Cbl-Mediated Neddylation Antagonizes Ubiquitination and Degradation of the TGF-β Type II Receptor

Zuo, W.,Huang, F.,Chiang, Y.,Li, M.,Du, J.,Ding, Y.,Zhang, T.,Lee, H.,Jeong, L.,Chen, Y.,Deng, H.,Feng, X.H.,Luo, S.,Gao, C.,Chen, Y.G. Cell Press 2013 Molecular cell Vol.49 No.3

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is a potent antiproliferative factor in multiple types of cells. Deregulation of TGF-β signaling is associated with the development of many cancers, including leukemia, though the molecular mechanisms are largely unclear. Here, we show that Casitas B-lineage lymphoma (c-Cbl), a known proto-oncogene encoding an ubiquitin E3 ligase, promotes TGF-β signaling by neddylating and stabilizing the type II receptor (TβRII). Knockout of c-Cbl decreases the TβRII protein level and desensitizes hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells to TGF-β stimulation, while c-Cbl overexpression stabilizes TβRII and sensitizes leukemia cells to TGF-β. c-Cbl conjugates neural precursor cell-expressed, developmentally downregulated 8 (NEDD8), a ubiquitin-like protein, to TβRII at Lys556 and Lys567. Neddylation of TβRII promotes its endocytosis to EEA1-positive early endosomes while preventing its endocytosis to caveolin-positive compartments, therefore inhibiting TβRII ubiquitination and degradation. We have also identified a neddylation-activity-defective c-Cbl mutation from leukemia patients, implying a link between aberrant TβRII neddylation and leukemia development.

ASCL2 Gene Expression Analysis and Its Association with Carcass Traits in Pigs

Cheng, H.C.,Zhang, F.W.,Deng, C.Y.,Jiang, C.D.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Li, F.E.,Lei, M.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.10

Achaete-scute like 2 (ASCL2) gene encodes a member of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor which is essential for the maintenance of proliferating trophoblasts during placental development. ASCL2 gene preferentially expresses the maternal allele in the mouse. However, it escapes genomic imprinting in the human. In this study, the complete open reading frame consisting of 193 amino acids of ASCL2 gene was obtained. Sequence analysis indicated that a C-G mutation existed in the 3' region between Meishan and Large White pigs. The polymorphism was used to determine the monoallelic or biallelic expression with RT-PCR-RFLP in pigs of Large $White{\times}Meishan$ $F_1$ hybrids. Imprinting analysis indicated that the ASCL2 gene expression was biallelic in all the tested tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, fat, uterus, ovary and pituitary). PCR-RFLP was used to detect the polymorphism in 270 pigs of the "$Large\;White{\times}Meishan$" $F_2$ resource population. The statistical results showed highly significant associations of the genotypes and fat meat percentage (FMP), lean meat percentage (LMP) and ratio of lean to fat (RLF) (p<0.01), and significant associations of the genotypes and loin eye area (LEA) and internal fat rate (IFR) (p<0.05).

cDNA Cloning, Tissue Expression and Association of Porcine Pleiomorphic Adenoma Gene-like 1 (PLAGL1) Gene with Carcass Traits

Zhang, F.W.,Cheng, H.C.,Deng, C.Y.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Li, F.E.,Lei, M.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.9

Pleiomorphic adenoma gene-like1 (PLAGL1) encodes a zinc-finger (ZF) protein with seven ZFs of the C2H2-type which is a regulator of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, and also regulates the secretion of insulin. In both human and mouse, PLAGL1 is a candidate gene for tumor suppressor and transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM). In this study, a 2,238 bp fragment covering the complete coding region was obtained and deposited to GenBank (accession number: DQ288899). The reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicated that PLAGL1 was expressed almost equally in heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, stomach, small intestine, skeletal muscle, fat, uterus and ovary. Comparing the sequences of Large White and Meishan pigs, a C-T transition in exon 6 was found. The polymorphism could be detected by TaqI and was genotyped in five purebreds (Large White, Landrace, Meishan, Tongcheng and Bamei). Association analysis was performed between the polymorphism and carcass traits in 276 pigs of a "Large White${\times}$Meishan" F2 resource population. As a consequence, significant associations of the genotypes with shoulder backfat thickness (SFT) and internal fat rate (IFR) were observed. Pigs with TT genotype had low SFT and high IFR compared with TC or CC genotypes.

The high thermal stability induced by a synergistic effect of ZrC nanoparticles and Re solution in W matrix in hot rolled tungsten alloy

Zhang T.,Du W.Y.,Zhan C.Y.,Wang M.M.,Deng H.W.,Xie Z.M.,Li H. 한국원자력학회 2022 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.54 No.8

The synergistic effect of ZrC nanoparticle pining and Re solution in W matrix on the thermal stability of tungsten was studied by investigating the evolution of the microstructure, hardness and tensile properties after annealing in a temperature range of 1000e1700 C. The results of metallography, electron backscatter diffraction pattern and Vickers micro-hardness indicate that the rolled W-1wt%Re-0.5 wt% ZrC alloy has a higher recrystallization temperature (1600 Ce1700 C) than that of the rolled pure W (1200 C), W-0.5 wt%ZrC (1300 C), W-0.5 wt%HfC (1400e1500 C) and WeK-3wt%Re alloy fabricated by the same technology. The molecular dynamics simulation results indicated that solution Re atoms in W matrix can slow down the self-diffusion of W atoms and form dragging effect to delay the growth of W grain, moreover, the diffusion coefficient decrease with increasing Re content. In addition, the ZrC nanoparticles can pin the grain boundaries and dislocations effectively, preventing the recrystallization. Therefore, synergistic effect of solid solution Re element and dispersed ZrC nanoparticles significantly increase recrystallization temperature

Effect of Vitamin E on Lipid Parameters in Ovariectomized Rats

Bahram H. Arjmandi,Edralin A. Lucas,Tai-Yuan Chen,Sheau C. Chai,Latha Devareddy,Shanil Juma,Cheng-I Wei,Yamini B. Tripathi,Bruce P. Daggy,Deng-Fwu Hwang 한국식품영양과학회 2006 Journal of medicinal food Vol.9 No.1

The risk of cardiovascular disease drastically increases at the onset of menopause, in part, because of rise inblood cholesterol and unfavorable changes in lipid profile. This study was designed to investigate the dose-dependent effectsof vitamin E supplementation on lipid parameters in ovariectomized (ovx) rats. Sixty 12-month-old female Sprague-Dawleyrats were either sham-operated (sham; one group) or ovx (four groups). All rats were maintained on a semipurified casein-based diet (AIN-93M; 75 IU vitamin E/kg of diet) for a period of 120 days. Thereafter, ovx rats were placed on one of fourdoses of vitamin E treatment (75, 300, 525, or 750 IU vitamin E/kg of diet), while the sham group was continued on 75 IUvitamin E/kg of diet for 100 days. Ovariectomy tended to increase (by 24%, P. 0.1) serum nonhigh-density lipoprotein(HDL) cholesterol and decrease (by 14%, P. 0.1) HDL cholesterol. Vitamin E did not have any significant effects on serumlipid parameters. Liver total lipids were notably increased (P. .001) in ovx animals, and supplementation with vitamin E at525 IU/kg of diet was able to significantly reduce liver total lipids by 13%. Additionally, ovariectomy caused an increase inserum glucose and liver C18:1fatty acid concentrations along with decreases in C18:0, C20:4, and C22:6fatty acid concentra-tions. These alterations on liver fatty acid profiles were unaffected by vitamin E. The findings of this study suggest that vit-amin E supplementation moderately improves lipid parameters in ovarian hormone-deficient rats.

Association Analyses with Carcass Traits in the Porcine KIAA1717 and HUMMLC2B Genes

Xu, D.Q.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Liu, M.,Lan, J.,Ling, X.F.,Deng, C.Y.,Jiang, S.W. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.11

By screening a subtracted cDNA library constructed with mRNA obtained from the longissimus dorsi muscles of F1 hybrids Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire and their Yorkshire female parents, we isolated two partial sequences coding for the H3-K4-specific methyltransferase (KIAA1717) and skeletal muscle myosin regulatory light chain (HUMMLC2B) genes. In the present work we investigated two SNPs, one (C1354T) at the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of KIAA1717 and one (A345G) at the SINE (PRE-1) element of HUMMLC2B, in a resource population derived from crossing Chinese Meishan and Large White pig. The selected pigs were genotyped by means of a PCR-RFLP protocol. Significant associations were observed for the KIAA1717 C1354T polymorphic site with thorax-waist backfat thickness (p<0.05), buttock backfat thickness (p<0.05), average backfat thickness (p<0.05), loin eye height (p<0.05), loin eye area (p<0.05), carcass length to 1$^{st}$ spondyle (p<0.01) and carcass length to 1st rib (p<0.01). HUMMLC2B A345G were significantly associated with loin eye width (p<0.05), loin eye area (p<0.05). Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Choice of dispersants for the nano-apatite filler of polylactide-matrix composite biomaterial

C. Deng,J. Weng,Q.Y. Cheng,S.B. Zhou,X. Lu,J.X. Wan,S.X. Qu,B. Feng,X.H. Li 한국물리학회 2007 Current Applied Physics Vol.7 No.6

The aim of this study is to compare de-aggregative ability of common organic dispersants for the acicular nano-apatite crystallite withmain composition of calcium hydroxyapatite (HA) as a ller of composite containing polylactide (PLA) matrix. Firstly, the acicularnano-apatite powders with an average length of 70120 nm were synthesized based on traditional chemical co-precipitation andfreeze-drying techniques. Common organic dispersants including tetrahydrofuran, acetone, chloroform,N,N-dimethyl formamideiments showed that nano-apatite suspension dispersed by DMF and ethanol presented homogeneous and stable colloid after vigorly stir-red for 24 h and then kept still for same time, respectively. Results of particle measurements and viscosity measurement illuminated that alarge number of the nano-apatite particles with an average dimension of 297.86 nm and viscosity of 0.8872 cP in DMF suspension couldbe dispersed up to 91.28 nm by the DMF dispersant and the DMF dispersant could minimize agglomeration between the apatite ultra-furan, acetone and ethanol, when the nano-apatite/PLA composite biomaterials were prepared.

Electrodynamic simulation of energy absorption in laser keyhole welding of zinc-coated and uncoated steel sheets

Deng, C.,Kim, J.,Oh, S.,Ki, H. Elsevier 2016 Journal of materials processing technology Vol.231 No.-

<P>Laser beam absorption phenomena during laser welding of zinc-coated and uncoated DP 590 steel sheets were simulated using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for the Maxwell equations. For accurate simulations, the keyhole shapes that were measured using a coaxial observation method during multi-mode fiber laser welding of the above steels were used, and the beam divergence and focusing characteristics of the laser were accurately matched. Also, the wavelength enlargement method was used to deal with a large computational domain required for laser welding simulation. Absorption mechanisms, multiple reflection patterns, and heating patterns were found to be significantly different for the two steels because of the different keyhole shapes. Zinc-coated steel has a much lower keyhole absorptance than uncoated steel at the same experimental condition, which was experimentally validated by melt pool size measurement. Ray tracing simulations were also performed for comparison purposes. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</P>

Pulsed laser deposition of refractive-index-graded broadband antireflection coatings for silicon solar cells

Deng, C.,Ki, H. North-Holland ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2016 Solar energy materials and solar cells Vol.147 No.-

This paper reports the design, fabrication and characterization of broadband antireflection coatings for silicon-based solar cells, using a graded-index technique and a novel dual-beam pulsed laser deposition method. A graded refractive index was realized by mixing two different optical materials, silicon and soda-lime glass, in a way that the composition of the mixture changes gradually from silicon (that of the solar cell) to glass (that of the outside protective glass) along the coating thickness direction following pre-designed refractive-index profiles. In this study, two different refractive-index profiles were fabricated, linear and Southwell profiles, on silicon substrates. In order to emulate a protective cover glass for solar-cells, coatings with an additional 400nm-thick outer glass layer were also fabricated. The antireflection coatings showed reflectance of 2.2-5.5% (mostly around 4%) for a wavelength range of 400-1000nm, and for the Southwell profile with a top glass layer, the reflectance was found to be between 2.2% and 4%, which is believed to be close to the theoretically best antireflection performance of a solar cell with a cover glass. Finite-difference time-domain simulations were also performed and the numerical results were in line with the measurement results. Because these coatings are based on silicon and glass and can be fabricated by the one-step pulsed laser deposition procedure, it can simplify the solar-cell structure considerably. The fabricated antireflection coatings may be also used for many other optical applications, such as thin-film optical attenuator and some optical sensors, and the presented pulsed laser deposition method is capable of fabricating a variety of high-performance optical coatings, which cannot be fabricated by other methods.

Large-Pore Apertures in a Series of Metal-Organic Frameworks

Deng, H.,Grunder, S.,Cordova, K. E.,Valente, C.,Furukawa, H.,Hmadeh, M.,Gandara, F.,Whalley, A. C.,Liu, Z.,Asahina, S.,Kazumori, H.,O'Keeffe, M.,Terasaki, O.,Stoddart, J. F.,Yaghi, O. M. American Association for the Advancement of Scienc 2012 Science Vol.336 No.6084

<P>We report a strategy to expand the pore aperture of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) into a previously unattained size regime (>32 angstroms). Specifically, the systematic expansion of a well-known MOF structure, MOF-74, from its original link of one phenylene ring (I) to two, three, four, five, six, seven, nine, and eleven (II to XI, respectively), afforded an isoreticular series of MOF-74 structures (termed IRMOF-74-I to XI) with pore apertures ranging from 14 to 98 angstroms. All members of this series have noninterpenetrating structures and exhibit robust architectures, as evidenced by their permanent porosity and high thermal stability (up to 300C). The pore apertures of an oligoethylene glycol-functionalized IRMOF-74-VII and IRMOF-74-IX are large enough for natural proteins to enter the pores.</P>