Circular RNA cFAM210A, degradable by HBx, inhibits HCC tumorigenesis by suppressing YBX1 transactivation

Yu Jian,Li Wen,Hou Guo-jun,Sun Da-peng,Yang Yuan,Yuan Sheng-xian,Dai Zhi-hui,Yin Hao-zan,Sun Shu-han,Huang Gang,Zhou Wei-ping,Yang Fu 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Hepatitis B protein x (HBx) has been reported to promote tumorigenesis in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the mechanism awaits further investigation. In this study, we found that cFAM210A (a circular RNA derived from the third exon of transcript NM_001098801 of the FAM210A gene; CircBase ID: hsa_circ_0003979) can be silenced by HBx. cFAM210A expression was downregulated and negatively correlated with tumorigenesis in patients with HBV-related HCC. Furthermore, cFAM210A reduced the proliferation, stemness, and tumorigenicity of HCC cells. Mechanistically, HBx increased the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) level of cFAM210A by promoting the expression of RBM15 (an m6A methyltransferase), thus inducing the degradation of cFAM210A via the YTHDF2-HRSP12-RNase P/MRP pathway. cFAM210A bound to YBX1 and inhibited its phosphorylation, suppressing its transactivation function toward MET. These findings suggest the important role of circular RNAs in HBx-induced hepatocarcinogenesis and identify cFAM210A a potential target in the prevention and treatment of HBV-related HCC.

Facing-target mid-frequency magnetron reactive sputtered hafnium oxide film: Morphology and electrical properties

Yu Zhang,Jun Xu,You-Nian Wang,Chi Kyu Choi,Da-Yu Zhou 한국물리학회 2016 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.68 No.5

Amorphous hafnium dioxide (HfO2) film was prepared on Si (100) by facing-target mid-frequency reactive magnetron sputtering under different oxygen/argon gas ratio at room temperature with high purity Hf target. 3D surface profiler results showed that the deposition rates of HfO2 thin film under different O2/Ar gas ratio remain unchanged, indicating that the facing target midfrequency magnetron sputtering system provides effective approach to eliminate target poisoning phenomenon which is generally occurred in reactive sputtering procedure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) demonstrated that the gradual reduction of oxygen vacancy concentration and the densification of deposited film structure with the increase of oxygen/argon (O2/Ar) gas flow ratio. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis suggested that the surface of the as-deposited HfO2 thin film tends to be smoother, the root-meansquare roughness (RMS) reduced from 0.876 nm to 0.333 nm while O2/Ar gas flow ratio increased from 1/4 to 1/1. Current-Voltage measurements of MOS capacitor based on Au/HfO2/Si structure indicated that the leakage current density of HfO2 thin films decreased by increasing of oxygen partial pressure, which resulted in the variations of pore size and oxygen vacancy concentration in deposited thin films. Based on the above characterization results the leakage current mechanism for all samples was discussed systematically.

Geometrical and Magnetic Properties of Vanadium Clusters Supported on Graphene

Yu Zou,Chang Yong Zhan,Jian-Chun Wu,Li-Ping Zhou,Hai-Xia Da 한국물리학회 2013 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.63 No.2

We report ab-initio calculations of vanadium-cluster Vn(n = 2−5) adsorption on graphene sheets. Geometrical and magnetic properties of various adsorption configurations are studied using firstprinciples density-functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation. The geometrical and magnetic properties of vanadium clusters are found to be size-dependent, and the supported graphene sheet could influence the formation of the vanadium clusters. Low-dimensional Vn cluster configurations could be easily formed when they are absorbed on a graphene sheet, and the combined Vn-graphene systems exhibit a nonmagnetic state, which is the most stable magnetic configuration. Our calculations for the geometrical and the magnetic moment properties of Vn-graphene systems may be of interest for some nanotechnological applications.

Excellent microwave absorption of FeCo/ZnO composites with defects in ZnO for regulating the impedance matching

Bao, Xiukun,Wang, Xiaolei,Zhou, Xinao,Shi, Guimei,Xu, Ge,Yu, Jin,Guan, Yinyan,Zhang, Yajing,Li, Da,Choi, Chuijin Elsevier 2018 JOURNAL OF ALLOYS AND COMPOUNDS Vol.769 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>FeCo/ZnO composites have been successfully prepared through liquid-phase reduction process for the formation of FeCo polyhedrons and sequentially thermal decomposition of colloidal mixture of FeCo and Zn(Ac)<SUB>2</SUB>·2H<SUB>2</SUB>O under nitrogen atmospheres. ZnO nanoparticles are homogeneously deposited on the surface of FeCo polyhedrons and the level of oxygen-vacancy defects in ZnO can be elevated with the increase of ZnO content. By comparison with FeCo polyhedrons, FeCo/ZnO composites exhibit excellent microwave absorption. The optimal RL value can reach −34.8 dB at 14.8 GHz and effective bandwidth (RL < −10 dB) is 5.1 GHz in the frequency range of 12.4–17.5 GHz with a matching thickness of 1.5 mm. The integrated bandwidth with RL < −10 dB can reach 14.1 GHz covering 3.4–17.5 GHz. Theory analysis demonstrates the interfacial polarization, dipole polarization and high conductivity due to oxygen-vacancy defects in FeCo/ZnO composites contribute to enhancement of dielectric loss capacity, which is more favorable for impedance matching.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> The preferable impedance matching of FeCo/ZnO composites can be achieved by regulating the ZnO content. </LI> <LI> The optimal reflection loss (RL) can reach −34.8 dB with a matching thickness of 1.5 mm. </LI> <LI> The effective bandwidth with RL < −10 dB achieve 14.1 GHz covering 3.4–17.5 GHz with integrated thickness of 1.5–5 mm. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Isolation of Probiotic Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus Strains from Human Fecal Microbiota Using SpaA Antiserum-Based Colony Immunoblotting

( Zhen-quan Yang ),( Yu Xue ),( Sheng-qi Rao ),( Mi Zhang ),( Lu Gao ),( Yong-qi Yin ),( Da-wei Chen ),( Xiao-hui Zhou ),( Xin-an Jiao ) 한국미생물생명공학회(구 한국산업미생물학회) 2017 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.27 No.11

Piliated Lactobacillus rhamnosus (pLR) strains possess higher adherent capacity than non-piliated strains. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize probiotic pLR strains in human fecal samples. To this end, mouse polyclonal antiserum (anti-SpaA) against the recombinant pilus protein (SpaA) of L. rhamnosus strain GG (LGG) was prepared and tested for its reactivity and specificity. With the anti-SpaA, a method combining the de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar plating separation and colony immunoblotting (CIB) was developed to isolate pLR from 124 human fecal samples. The genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the resultant pLR isolates were compared by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprinting, and examination of adhesion to Caco-2 cells, hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and in vitro gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti-SpaA specifically reacted with three pLR strains of 25 test strains, as assessed by western blotting, immunofluorescence flow cytometry, and immunoelectron microscopy (IEM) assays. The optimized MRS agar separation plus anti- SpaA-based CIB procedure could quantitatively detect 2.5 × 10³ CFU/ml of pLR colonies spiked in 10⁶ CFU/ml of background bacteria. Eight pLR strains were identified in 124 human fecal samples, and were confirmed by 16S RNA gene sequencing and IEM identification. RAPD fingerprinting of the pLR strains revealed seven different patterns, of which only two isolates from infants showed the same RAPD profiles with LGG. Strain PLR06 was obtained with high adhesion and autoaggregation activities, hydrophobicity, and gastrointestinal tolerance. Anti-SpaA-based CIB is a rapid and inexpensive method for the preliminary screening of novel adherent L. rhamnosus strains for commercial purposes.

Genetic diversity and population structure of the amylolytic yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera associated with Baijiu fermentation in China

Wang Ju-Wei,Han Pei-Jie,Han Da-Yong,Zhou Sen,Li Kuan,He Peng-Yu,Zhen Pan,Yu Hui-Xin,Liang Zhen-Rong,Wang Xue-Wei,Bai Feng-Yan 한국미생물학회 2021 The journal of microbiology Vol.59 No.8

The amylolytic yeast Saccharomycopsis fibuligera is a predominant species in starters and the early fermentation stage of Chinese liquor (Baijiu). However, the genetic diversity of the species remains largely unknown. Here we sequenced the genomes of 97 S. fibuligera strains from different Chinese Baijiu companies. The genetic diversity and population structure of the strains were analyzed based on 1,133 orthologous genes and the whole genome single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Four main lineages were recognized. One lineage contains 60 Chinese strains which are exclusively homozygous with relatively small genome sizes (18.55–18.72 Mb) and low sequence diversity. The strains clustered in the other three lineages are heterozygous with larger genomes (21.85–23.72 Mb) and higher sequence diversity. The genomes of the homozygous strains showed nearly 100% coverage with the genome of the reference strain KPH12 and the sub-genome A of the hybrid strain KJJ81 at the above 98% sequence identity level. The genomes of the heterozygous strains showed nearly 80% coverage with both the sub-genome A and the whole genome of KJJ81, suggesting that the Chinese heterozygous strains are also hybrids with nearly 20% genomes from an unidentified source. Eighty-three genes were found to show significant copy number variation between different lineages. However, remarkable lineage specific variations in glucoamylase and α-amylase activities and growth profiles in different carbon sources and under different environmental conditions were not observed, though strains exhibiting relatively high glucoamylase activity were mainly found from the homozygous lineage.

New Method to Improve the Secondary Path Modeling Accuracy for Active Noise Control Systems

Shan-zhen Yi,Ren-yuan Fei,Da-sen Zhou,Tai-wen Liu,Jian-ping Yu,Jin-feng Yang,Kui-cheng Gong 한국소음진동공학회 2003 한국소음진동공학회 국제학술대회논문집 Vol.2003 No.8

Purification and Characterization of Cathepsin B from the Gut of the Sea Cucumber (Stichopus japonicas)

Li-Ming Sun,Bei-Wei Zhu,Hai-tao Wu,Lei Yu,Da-Yong Zhou,Xiuping Dong,Jing-Feng Yang,Dong-Mei Li,Wen-Xiu Ye,Yoshiyuki Murata 한국식품과학회 2011 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.20 No.4

Cathepsin B from the gut of sea cucumber (Stichopus japonicas) was purified 81-fold with a 3%recovery by ammonium sulfate fractionation and a series chromatography on DEAE Sepharose CL-6B, Sephadex G-75, and TSK-Gel 3000 SWxl. The purified protein appeared as a single band on Native-PAGE but showed 2bands of 23 and 26 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The optimum activity was found at pH 5.5 and 45°C. The enzyme was stable at pH 4.5-6.0 and the thermal stability was up to 50oC. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by E-64, iodoacetic acid, and antipain, demonstrating it is a cysteine protease containing sulfhydryl groups. Cu^2+, Ni^2+, and Zn^2+ could strongly inhibit the enzyme activity. The amino acid sequences of the purified enzyme were acquired by mass spectrometer, which did not show any homology with previously described cathepsins, suggesting it may be a novel member.

Discovery and synthesis of 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivatives as novel inhibitors of Zika, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, and classical swine fever virus infections

Sangwoo Nam,Hyo Gyeong Na,Eun Hye Oh,Eunhye Jung,Yeon Hee Lee,Eun Ju Jeong,Yu-Da Ou,Bin Zhou,Sunjoo Ahn,Jin Soo Shin,Soo Bong Han,Yun Young Go 대한약학회 2022 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.45 No.4

Zika virus (ZIKV), an arbovirus of the Flaviviridaefamily, has emerged as a signifi cant public healthconcern owing to its association with congenital abnormalitiesand severe neurological sequelae. Thus, there is anurgent need to develop eff ective therapeutic approaches toeffi ciently treat ZIKV infections. This study used phenotypicscreening to identify a series of 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivativesthat possess antiviral activity against ZIKV infection. Subsequently,28 new derivatives were designed, synthesized,and evaluated for this purpose. Among these compounds,4-(5-phenyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-N-(pyridin-3-ylmethyl)aniline ( 5d ) had potent antiviral activity against ZIKV infections. Furthermore, a structure–activity relationship analysisindicated that a benzyl substitution on the aniline nitrogen ofthis compound improved potency while augmenting its druglikeproperties. In addition, 5d exhibited antiviral activity against various viruses of Flaviviridae family of worldwidepublic health importance, such as dengue, Japanese encephalitisand classical swine fever viruses, indicating its potentialas a lead compound for generating 1,2,4-oxadiazole derivativeswith broad-spectrum anti-fl aviviral properties.

Indole-3-propionic acid inhibits gut dysbiosis and endotoxin leakage to attenuate steatohepatitis in rats

Ze-Hua Zhao,Feng-Zhi Xin,Yaqian Xue,Zhimin Hu,Yamei Han,Fengguang Ma,Da Zhou,Xiao-Lin Liu,Aoyuan Cui,Zhengshuai Liu,Yuxiao Liu,Jing Gao,Qin Pan,Yu Li,Jian-Gao Fan 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Microbial metabolites have emerged as critical components that mediate the metabolic effects of the gut microbiota. Here, we show that indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a tryptophan metabolite produced by gut bacteria, is a potent anti-non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) microbial metabolite. Here, we demonstrate that administration of IPA modulates the microbiota composition in the gut and inhibits microbial dysbiosis in rats fed a high-fat diet. IPA induces the expression of tight junction proteins, such as ZO-1 and Occludin, and maintains intestinal epithelium homeostasis, leading to a reduction in plasma endotoxin levels. Interestingly, IPA inhibits NF-κB signaling and reduces the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6, in response to endotoxin in macrophages to repress hepatic inflammation and liver injury. Moreover, IPA is sufficient to inhibit the expression of fibrogenic and collagen genes and attenuate diet-induced NASH phenotypes. The beneficial effects of IPA on the liver are likely mediated through inhibiting the production of endotoxin in the gut. These findings suggest a protective role of IPA in the control of metabolism and uncover the gut microbiome and liver cross-talk in regulating the intestinal microenvironment and liver pathology via a novel dietary nutrient metabolite. IPA may provide a new therapeutic strategy for treating NASH.