Vitexicarpin Induces Apoptosis in Human Prostate Carcinoma PC-3 Cells through G2/M Phase Arrest

Meng, Fan-Min,Yang, Jing-Bo,Yang, Chun-Hui,Jiang, Yu,Zhou, Yong-Feng,Yu, Bo,Yang, Hong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Vitexicarpin (3', 5-dihydroxy-3, 4', 6, 7-tetramethoxyflavone), a polymethoxyflavone isolated from Viticis Fructus (Vitex rotundifolia Linne fil.), has long been used as an anti-inflammatory herb in traditional Chinese medicine. It has also been reported that vitexicarpin can inhibit the growth of various cancer cells. However, there is no report elucidating its effect on human prostate carcinoma cells. The aim of the present study was to examine the apoptotic induction activity of vitexicarpin on PC-3 cells and molecular mechanisms involved. MTT studies showed that vitexicarpin dose-dependently inhibited growth of PC-3 cells with an $IC_{50}{\sim}28.8{\mu}M$. Hoechst 33258 staining further revealed that vitexicarpin induced apoptotic cell death. The effect of vitexicarpin on PC-3 cells apoptosis was tested using prodium iodide (PI)/Annexin V-FITC double staining and flow cytometry. The results indicated that vitexicarpin induction of apoptotic cell death in PC-3 cells was accompanied by cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that vitexicarpin induction of PC-3 cell apoptosis was associated with upregulation of the proapoptotic protein Bax, and downregulation of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2, release of Cytochrome c from mitochondria and decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. Our findings suggested that vitexicarpin may become a potential leading drug in the therapy of prostate carcinoma.

MLL4 Regulates the Progression of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Regulating the PI3K/AKT/SOX2 Axis

Yang Yang,Rongfang Qiu,Qiaoyou Weng,Ziwei Xu,Jingjing Song,Siyu Zhao,Miaomiao Meng,Dengke Zhang,Chunli Kong,Hailin Wang,Min Xu,Zhongwei Zhao,Jiansong Ji 대한암학회 2023 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.55 No.3

Purpose Mixed-lineage leukemia protein 4 (MLL4/KMT2D) is a histone methyltransferase, and its mutation has been reported to be associated with a poor prognosis in many cancers, including lung cancer. We investigated the function of MLL4 in lung carcinogenesis. Materials and Methods RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in A549 cells transfected with control siRNA or MLL4 siRNA was performed. Also, we used EdU incorporation assay, colony formation assays, growth curve analysis, transwell invasion assays, immunohistochemical staining, and in vivo bioluminescence assay to investigate the function of MLL4 in lung carcinogenesis. Results We found that MLL4 expression was downregulated in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and tended to decrease with disease stage progression. We analyzed the transcriptomes in control and MLL4- deficient cells using high-throughput RNA deep sequencing (RNA-seq) and identified a cohort of target genes, such as SOX2, ATF1, FOXP4, PIK3IP1, SIRT4, TENT5B, and LFNG, some of which are related to proliferation and metastasis. Our results showed that low expression of MLL4 promotes NSCLC cell proliferation and metastasis and is required for the maintenance of NSCLC stem cell properties. Conclusion Our findings identify an important role of MLL4 in lung carcinogenesis through transcriptional regulation of PIK3IP1, affecting the PI3K/AKT/SOX2 axis, and suggest that MLL4 could be a potential prognostic indicator and target for NSCLC therapy.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Cubic Mesocrystal CeO₂ for Visible Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B

Yang, Hexiang,Zhou, Mengkai,Meng, Zeda,Zhu, Lei,Chen, Zhigang,Oh, Won-Chun Materials Research Society of Korea 2015 한국재료학회지 Vol.25 No.3

Cubic mesocrystal $CeO_2$ was synthesized via a hydrothermal method with glutamic acid ($C_5H_9NO_4$) as a template. The XRD pattern of a calcined sample shows the face-centered cubic fluorite structure of ceria. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern revealed that the submicron cubic mesocrystals were composed of many small crystals attached to each other with the same orientation. The UV-visible adsorption spectrum exhibited the red-shift phenomenon of mesocrystal $CeO_2$ compared to commercial $CeO_2$ particles; thus, the prepared materials show tremendous potential to degrade organic dyes under visible light illumination. With a concentration of a rhodamine B solution of 20 mg/L and a catalyst amount of 0.1 g/L, the reaction showed higher photocatalytic performance following irradiation with a xenon lamp (${\geq}380nm$). The decoloring rate can exceed 100% after 300 min.

Selaginella austrotibetica (Selaginellaceae), a new spikemoss from Xizang, China

Meng-Hua Zhang,Jie Yang,Aleksandr Petrovich Shalimov,강종수,Xian Chun Zhang 국립생물자원관 2024 Journal of species research Vol.13 No.1

Selaginella austrotibetica, a new spikemoss species from China, is described. The species is epipetric and was found on a moss-covered rocky cliff by a riverbank. Morphologically, it is unlike any anisosporophyllous species in the genus Selaginella. However, it resembles species of the S. sanguinolenta group, especially similar to S. sajanensis in gross morphology, except for the characters of strobilus. The molecular phylogenetic analysis clearly showed that S. austrotibetica was nested within the anisosporophyllous species clade, forming a sister relationship with the clade of S. vaginata and S. xipholepis, and distinct from the S. sanguinolenta group, including S. sajanensis. Although S. austrotibetica is sister to the clade of S. vaginata and S. xipholepis, the species can be clearly distinguished by its sparse leaves on branches, dorsal leaves that are broad-ovate, base obtuse to rounded, margin denticulate or very shortly sparsely ciliolate, and leaves that are slightly thick and shiny. Therefore, we described Selaginella austrotibetica as a new species and discuss its phylogenetic relationships within the genus Selaginella.

Sirtuin 2 regulates cellular iron homeostasis via deacetylation of transcription factor NRF2

Yang, Xiaoyan,Park, Seong-Hoon,Chang, Hsiang-Chun,Shapiro, Jason S.,Vassilopoulos, Athanasios,Sawicki, Konrad T.,Chen, Chunlei,Shang, Meng,Burridge, Paul W.,Epting, Conrad L. American Society for Clinical Investigation 2017 The Journal of clinical investigation Vol.127 No.4

Heat-Shock Protein 70 as a Tumor Antigen for in vitro Dendritic Cell Pulsing in Renal Cell Carcinoma Cases

Meng, Fan-Dong,Sui, Cheng-Guang,Tian, Xin,Li, Yan,Yang, Chun-Ming,Ma, Ping,Liu, Yun-Peng,Jiang, You-Hong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

Immunological functions of heat shock proteins (HSPs) have long been recognized. In this study we aimed to efficiently purify HSP70 from renal cell carcinoma and test it as a tumor antigen for pulsing dendritic cells in vitro. HSP70 was purified from renal cell carcinoma specimens by serial column chromatography on Con A-sepharose, PD-10, ADP-agarose and DEAE-cellulose, and finally subjected to fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). Dendritic cells derived from the adherent fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in the presence of IL-4 and GM-CSF and exposed to tumor HSP70. After 24 hours, dendritic cells were phenotypically characterized by flow cytometry. T cells obtained from the non-adherent fraction of peripheral blood mononuclear cells were then co-cultured with HSP70-pulsed dendritic cells and after 3 days T cell cytotoxicity towards primary cultured renal cell carcinoma cells was examined by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Dendritic cells pulsed in vitro with tumor-derived HSP70 expressed higher levels of CD83, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR maturation markers than those pulsed with tumor cell lysate and comparable to that of dendritic cells pulsed with tumor cell lysate plus TNF-${\alpha}$. Concomitantly, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes induced by HSP70-pulsed dendritic cells presented the highest cytotoxic activity. There were no significant differences when using homologous or autologous HSP70 as the tumor antigen. HSP70 can be efficiently purified by chromatography and induces in vitro dendritic cell maturation in the absence of TNF-${\alpha}$. Conspecific HSP70 may effectively be used as a tumor antigen to pulse dendritic cells in vitro.

Improvement of energy storage performance in PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3/PbZrO3 multilayer thin films via regulating PbZrO3 thickness

Yang Fei,Shi Yu Jia,Lin Lin,Chen Jing Yao,Hou Meng Zhe,Yu Ke Xin,Zhang Yi Han,Yuan Zheng,Li Xiao Fang,Hu Yan Chun,Shang Jun,Yin Shao Qian,Wang Xian Wei 한국물리학회 2023 Current Applied Physics Vol.50 No.-

In this work, to prepare the PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3(PZT)/PbZrO3(PZ) multilayer films, PZ films and PZT films were spin-coated on LaNiO3/SiO2/Si substrates in sequence by the sol-gel method, and the PZ films were prepared using PZ precursor solution with different concentrations. After each spin-coating, PZ layer and PZT layer were annealed with rapid thermal annealing (RTA) technique at 650 ◦C and 550 ◦C, respectively. The crystal structures, microstructures and electrical properties of the films with different PZ film thickness were comprehensively investigated. The PZ films with different thickness showed perovskite phase. The PZT films on crystallized PZ films exhibited the coexistence of pyrochlore phase and perovskite phase at the annealing temperature of 550 ◦C. The PZT/PZ multilayer films with 0.2 M PZ precursor solution exhibit typical anti-ferroelectricity with double hysteresis loops, while other multilayer films exhibit nearly linear loops. In addition, the recoverable energy storage density increases with the increase of the film thickness and reaches the maximum value 32.4 J/ cm3 in the PZT/PZ multilayer films with 0.4 M PZ precursor solution. Therefore, the ferroelectric properties of the PZT/PZ multilayer films could be regulated by different PZ film thickness, which effectively further enhances the energy storage performance.

Effect of Trichostatin A on CNE2 Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cells - Genome-wide DNA Methylation Alteration

Yang, Xiao-Li,Zhang, Cheng-Dong,Wu, Hua-Yu,Wu, Yong-Hu,Zhang, Yue-Ning,Qin, Meng-Bin,Wu, Hua,Liu, Xiao-Chun,Lina, Xing,Lu, Shao-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.11

Trichostatin A (TSA) is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. We here investigated its effects on proliferation and apoptosis of the CNE2 carcinoma cell line, and attempted to establish genome-wide DNA methylation alteration due to differentially histone acetylation status. After cells were treated by TSA, the inhibitory rate of cell proliferation was examined with a CCK8 kit, and cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Compared to control, TSA inhibited CNE2 cell growth and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, TSA was found to induce genome-wide methylation alteration as assessed by genome-wide methylation array. Overall DNA methylation level of cells treated with TSA was higher than in controls. Function and pathway analysis revealed that many genes with methylation alteration were involved in key biological roles, such as apoptosis and cell proliferation. Three genes (DAP3, HSPB1 and CLDN) were independently confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Finally, we conclude that TSA inhibits CNE2 cell growth and induces apoptosis in vitro involving genome-wide DNA methylation alteration, so that it has promising application prospects in treatment of NPC in vivo. Although many unreported hypermethylated/hypomethylated genes should be further analyzed and validated, the pointers to new biomarkers and therapeutic strategies in the treatment of NPC should be stressed.

Diagnostic Value of Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization Assay in Malignant Mesothelioma: A Meta-analysis

Wan, Chun,Shen, Yong-Chun,Liu, Meng-Qi,Yang, Ting,Wang, Tao,Chen, Lei,Yi, Qun,Wen, Fu-Qiang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.9

The diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma (MM) remains a clinical challenge and the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay has been reported to be one promising tool. The present meta-analysis aimed to establish the overall diagnostic accuracy of FISH for diagnosing MM. After a systematic review of English language studies, the sensitivity, specificity and other measures of accuracy of FISH in the diagnosis of MM were pooled using random-effects models. Summary receiver operating characteristic curves were applied to summarize overall test performance. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria, the pooled sensitivity and specificity for FISH for diagnosing MM being 0.72 (95% CI 0.67-0.76) and 1.00 (95% CI 0.98-1.00), respectively. The positive likelihood ratio was 34.5 (95% CI 14.5-82.10), the negative likelihood ratio was 0.24 (95% CI 0.16-0.36), and the diagnostic odds ratio was 204.9 (95% CI 76.8-546.6), the area under the curve being 0.99. Our data suggest that the FISH assay is likely to be a useful diagnostic tool for confirming MM. However, considering the limited studies and patients included, further large scale studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Impact of Orange Juice Consumption on Bone Health of the U.S. Population in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006

이상길,Meng Yang,Ying Wang,Terrence Vance,Beate Lloyd,Sang-Jin Chung,Sung I. Koo,Ock K. Chun 한국식품영양과학회 2014 Journal of medicinal food Vol.17 No.10

Orange juice (OJ) fortified with calcium (Ca) and vitamin D has turned OJ into a readily available source of these nutrients for children and adults. However, the impact of OJ consumption on Ca and vitamin D adequacy and bone health has not been documented. The aim of this study was the evaluation of the contribution of 100% OJ consumption to dietary and serum Ca and vitamin D status, and bone health parameters in the U.S. population aged 4 years and older (n = 13,971) using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2004 and 2005–2006. Food consumption data were coded to produce micronutrient intake values using the USDA Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies 3.0. Serum concentrations of bone-related micronutrients and biomarkers, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured. Analysis of data was conducted using SAS software 9.2 and SUDAAN. OJ consumers showed higher intakes of bone-related micronutrients, compared with nonconsumers (P < .05). In addition, OJ consumers had higher serum Ca levels in adults (P < .01) and had a lower odds ratio for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 < 20 ng/mL in children (P < .05). OJ consumption was positively associated with femur BMD in children (P < .05) and with femur BMC in both children and adults (P < .05). In conclusion, OJ may be recommended as an effective dietary means of improving the status of Ca and vitamin D, acid-base balance, and of promoting bone health in children and adults.