Characterization of bacterial diversity associated with deep sea ferromanganese nodules from the South China Sea

De-Chao Zhang,Yan-Xia Liu,Xin-Zheng Li 한국미생물학회 2015 The journal of microbiology Vol.53 No.9

Deep sea ferromanganese (FeMn) nodules contain metallic mineral resources and have great economic potential. In this study, a combination of culture-dependent and culture-independent (16S rRNA genes clone library and pyrosequencing) methods was used to investigate the bacterial diversity in FeMn nodules from Jiaolong Seamount, the South China Sea. Eleven bacterial strains including some moderate thermophiles were isolated. The majority of strains belonged to the phylum Proteobacteria; one isolate belonged to the phylum Firmicutes. A total of 259 near full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences in a clone library and 67,079 valid reads obtained using pyrosequencing indicated that members of the Gammaproteobacteria dominated, with the most abundant bacterial genera being Pseudomonas and Alteromonas. Sequence analysis indicated the presence of many organisms whose closest relatives are known manganese oxidizers, iron reducers, hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria and methylotrophs. This is the first reported investigation of bacterial diversity associated with deep sea FeMn nodules from the South China Sea.

Potential Therapeutic Targets for the Primary Gallbladder Carcinoma: Estrogen Receptors

Zhang, Ling-Qiang,Zhang, Xiu-De,Xu, Jia,Wan, Yong,Qu, Kai,Zhang, Jing-Yao,Wang, Zhi-Xin,Wei, Ji-Chao,Meng, Fan-Di,Tai, Ming-Hui,Zhou, Lei,Liu, Chang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.4

Gallbladder carcinoma, the most frequent malignant neoplasm of the biliary tract system, has always been considered to feature late clinical presentation and diagnosis, limited treatment options and an extremely poor prognosis. In recent years, while the incidence of gallbladder cancer has appeared to be on the increase, the available treatment methods have not greatly improved survival of the affected patients. Thus, exploring new therapeutic targets for this devastating disease is an urgent matter at present. Epidemical studies have demonstrated that the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma exhibits a distinct gender bias, affecting females two to three times more than males, pointing to crucial roles of estrogen. It is well known that estrogen acts on target tissues by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs), which are mainly divided into three subtypes, $ER{\alpha}$, $ER{\beta}$ and $ER{\gamma}$. $ER{\alpha}$ and $ER{\beta}$ appear to have overlapping but also unique even opposite biological effects. As important pathogenic mediators, ERs have been considered to relate to several kinds of tumors. In gallbladder carcinoma tissue, ERs have been shown to be positively expressed, and ERs expression levels are associated with differentiation and prognosis of this cancer. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms of estrogen inducing growth of gallbladder carcinoma remain poorly understood. On the base of the current investigations, we deduce that estrogen participates in promotion of gallbladder carcinoma by influencing the formation of gallstones, stimulating angiogenesis, and promoting abnormal proliferation. Since ERs mediate the carcinogenic actions of estrogen in gallbladder, and therapy targeting ERs may provide new directions for gallbladder carcinoma. Therefore, it should be stressed that ERs are potential therapeutic targets for gallbladder carcinoma.

A methodology for design of metallic dampers in retrofit of earthquake-damaged frame

Chao Zhang,Yun Zhou,De H. Lu,Cong X. Wu,Da G. Weng 국제구조공학회 2015 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.56 No.4

A comprehensive methodology is proposed for design of metallic dampers in seismic retrofit of earthquake-damaged frame structures. It is assumed that the metallic dampers remain elastic and only provide stiffness during frequent earthquake (i.e., earthquake with a 63% probability of exceedance in 50- year service period), while in precautionary earthquake (i.e., earthquake with a 10% probability of exceedance in 50-year service period), the metallic dampers yield before the main frame and dissipate most of the seismic energy to either prevent or minimize structural damages. Therefore by converting multi-story frame to an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom system, the added stiffness provided by metallic dampers is designed to control elastic story drifts within code-based demand under frequent earthquake, and the added damping with the combination of added stiffness influences is obtained to control structural stress within performance-based target under precautionary earthquake. With the equivalent added damping ratio, the expected damping forces provided by metallic dampers can be calculated to carry out the configuration and design of metallic dampers along with supporting braces. Based on a detailed example for retrofit of an earthquake-damaged reinforced concrete frame by using metallic dampers, the proposed design procedure is demonstrated to be simple and practical, which can not only meet current China’s design codes but also be used in retrofit design of earthquake-damaged frame with metallic damper for reaching desirable performance objective.

Biodegradation of Di-n-Butyl Phthalate by Rhodococcus sp. JDC-11 and Molecular Detection of 3,4-Phthalate Dioxygenase Gene

( De Cai Jin ),( Ren Xing Liang ),( Qin Yun Dai ),( Rui Yong Zhang ),( Xue Liu Wu ),( Wei Liang Chao ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2010 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.20 No.10

Rhodococcus sp. JDC-11, capable of utilizing di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) as the sole source of carbon and energy, was isolated from sewage sludge and confirmed mainly based on 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The optimum pH, temperature, and agitation rate for DBP degradation by Rhodococcus sp. JDC-11 were 8.0, 30oC, and 175 rpm, respectively. In addition, low concentrations of glucose were found to inhibit the degradation of DBP, whereas high concentrations of glucose increased its degradation. Meanwhile, a substrate utilization test showed that JDC- 11 was also able to utilize other phthalates. The major metabolites of DBP degradation were identified as monobutyl phthalate and phthalic acid by gas chromatographymass spectrometry, allowing speculation on the tentative metabolic pathway of DBP degradation by Rhodococcus sp. JDC-11. Using a set of new degenerate primers, a partial sequence of the 3,4-phthalate dioxygenase gene was obtained from JDC-11. Moreover, a sequence analysis revealed that the phthalate dioxygenase gene of JDC-11 was highly homologous to the large subunit of the phthalate dioxygenase from Rhodococcus coprophilus strain G9.

Enhancement of Anti-tumor Activity of Newcastle Disease Virus by the Synergistic Effect of Cytosine Deaminase

Lv, Zheng,Zhang, Tian-Yuan,Yin, Jie-Chao,Wang, Hui,Sun, Tian,Chen, Li-Qun,Bai, Fu-Liang,Wu, Wei,Ren, Gui-Ping,Li, De-Shan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

This study was conducted to investigate enhancement of anti-tumor effects of the lentogenic Newcastle disease virus Clone30 strain (NDV rClone30) expressing cytosine deaminase (CD) gene against tumor cells and in murine groin tumor-bearing models. Cytotoxic effects of the rClone30-CD/5-FC on the HepG2 cell line were examined by an MTT method. Anti-tumor activity of rClone30-CD/5-FC was examined in H22 tumor-bearing mice. Compared to the rClone30-CD virus treatment alone, NDV rClone30-CD/5-FC at 0.1 and 1 MOIs exerted significant cytotoxic effects (P<0.05) on HepG2 cells. For treatment of H22 tumor-bearing mice, recombinant NDV was injected together with 5-FC given by either intra-tumor injection or tail vein injection. When 5-FC was administered by intra-tumor injection, survival for the rClone30-CD/5-FC-treated mice was 4/6 for 80 days period vs 1/6, 0/6 and 0/6 for the mice treated with rClone30-CD, 5-FC and saline alone, respectively. When 5-FC was given by tail vein injection, survival for the rClone30-CD/5-FC-treated mice was 3/6 vs 2/6, 0/6 and 0/6 for the mice treated with rClone30-CD, 5-FC or saline alone, respectively. In this study, NDV was used for the first time to deliver the suicide gene for cancer therapy. Incorporation of the CD gene in the lentogenic NDV genome together with 5-FC significantly enhances cell death of HepG2 tumor cells in vitro, decreases tumor volume and increases survival of H22 tumor-bearing mice in vivo.

Analysis of Indoleamine 2-3 Dioxygenase (IDO) and EGFR Co-expression in Breast Cancer Tissue by Immunohistochemistry

Bi, Wei-Wei,Zhang, Wei-Hua,Yin, Gui-Hua,Luo, Hong,Wang, Shou-Qin,Wang, Hongran,Li, Chao,Yan, Wei-Qun,Nie, De-Zhi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

Background: To determine the amount of co-expression of IDO and EGFR in breast cancer patients. Materials and Methods:In order to obtain the distribution of co-expression of IDO and EGFR in breast cancer, we tested 110 breast cancer paraffin tissue blocks with immunohistochemical methods. Then we investigated the relationship between the diagnostic and pathologic characteristics (tumor size, lymph node status, histologic grade, the gene expression of ER, PR, HER2, p53, Ki67 and PCNA) with the situation of co-expression of IDO and EGFR by reviewing the medical records of 32 breast cancer patients. Results: Among 110 breast cancers, 32 cases demonstrated IDO and EGFR co-expression (29.1%), IDO and EGFR synchronous co-expression being found in 19.1% and asynchronous in 10.0%. Conclusions: IDO and EGFR were co-expressed in breast cancer, including synchronous and asynchronous co-expression. The results suggest that considering IDO and EGFR as two indicators for breast cancer treatment or prognosis analysis provides a potential option of individual treatment for the portion of breast cancer patients with co-expression of IDO and EGFR.

Isolation of Cellulose from Wheat Straw and Its Utilization for the Preparation of Carboxymethyl Cellulose

Hailong Li,Hai-Rong Zhang,Lian Xiong,Xuefang Chen,Can Wang,Chao Huang,Xin-De Chen 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.5

Cellulose was isolated from wheat straw by the combined pretreatment including dilute acid hydrolysis, ethanolextraction, and alkaline H2O2 delignification. The effects of varying the parameters on carboxymethylation on isolatedcellulose were investigated. Furthermore, the chemical structure of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) prepared from wheatstraw was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopeanalysis. The isolated cellulose is mainly composed of cellulose without hemicellulose and with minors of lignin and ash. The optimal conditions for carboxymethylation were base concentration, 20 %; reaction temperature, 70 oC; reaction time,2 h; mass ratio of etherifying agent to cellulose, 1.75. Under the optimized conditions, CMC with high degree of substitution(0.88) and low viscosity (18 mPa·s) was synthesized. Chemical structural characterization showed the feasibility of thepreparation of CMC from wheat straw. The constituents of wheat straw would be maximally utilized by the proposed method.

The long non-coding RNA UPAT promotes gastric cancer cell progression via UHRF1

Liu Chaoyong,Hao De,Ai Minghua,Zhang Yan,Li Jie,Xu Chao 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.10

Background: LncRNA ubiquitin-like with PHD and RING finger domains 1 (UHRF1) protein associated transcript (UPAT) regulates the progression of many cancers. However, its role in gastric cancer (GC) is less frequently reported. Objective: In the context of the promoting effect of lncRNA on modulating GC progression, detailed insights into the role and underlying mechanism of UPAT in GC are the foothold in this study. Methods: Overall survival was calculated. The mRNA expressions of UPAT and UHRF1 were measured by qRT-PCR, and the protein expressions of UHRF1, Cyclin D1 and cleaved caspase-3 were determined by western blot. Cell viability, growth, migration and invasion were assessed by CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Apoptosis rate and cell cycle were assayed by flow cytometry. Results: UPAT was overexpressed in GC tissue and cell lines. Decreased UPAT level was associated with higher overall survival. Down-regulation of UPAT diminished cell proliferation, Cyclin D1 expression, and migration and invasion rates, increased apoptosis rate and cleaved caspase-3 expression, and blocked cell cycle in AGS and NCI-N87 cells. UPAT expression in GC was positively correlated with UHRF1 expression. UHRF1 overexpression offset the inhibitory effects of UPAT down-regulation on cell proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle, and partially reversed the positive effect of UPAT down-regulation on apoptosis. Conclusion: UPAT might positively regulate the progression of GC via interacting with UHRF1. The UHRF1/UPAT axis revealed in the present study may provide a promising approach to intervene in the progression of GC.

Mechanical and Rheological Properties of Isotactic Polypropylene/Bacterial Cellulose Composites

Bo Wang,Hai-Rong Zhang,Chao Huang,Lian Xiong,Jun Luo,Xin-De Chen 한국고분자학회 2017 폴리머 Vol.41 No.3

To improve the mechanical performance of isotactic polypropylene (iPP), the iPP/bacterial cellulose (BC) composites were prepared. The tensile and impact strength of the composites were maximized (38.21MPa and 2.812 KJ/m²) when maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) content was 7 wt%, the tensile modulus was increased with the higher MAPP content and the maximum value was 1858.39 MPa. Compared with pure iPP, the tensile strength, impact strength and tensile modulus increased by 6.32 MPa, 0.75 KJ/m², and 279.68 MPa, respectively. Compared with the control group (the sample which added BC but no MAPP added), the tensile strength, impact strength and tensile modulus increased by 5.61 MPa, 0.692 KJ/m², and 11.24 MPa, respectively. Moreover, the elongation at break of the composites was decreased. Besides, the rheological results and SEM photographs indicated that with the addition of MAPP, the compatibility of the composites was improved greatly, which demonstrated the increase of the mechanical properties of the composites.

Expression and Clinical Significance of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients

Lu, Li-Rong,Liu, Jing,Xu, Zhen,Zhang, Geng-Lin,Li, De-Chang,Lin, Chao-Shuang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.10

We here document discovery of expression profile of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and changes in the course of disease. The study population was composed of 75 outpatient HBV cases and 15 healthy control cases. Peripheral blood samples were collected for separation of mononuclear cells. Levels of MDSCs labeled with Lin-DR-CD11b+CD33+ obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), were revealed to have significant differences between the CHB and other groups. They were 0.414% for health control cases and 0.226% for CHB cases (Z=-2.356, p=0.0189). It also observed that the group of HBeAg positive cases had significant difference in MDSCs/PBMC median ($X^2=11.877$, p=0.003), compared with group of HBeAg negative cases and the healthy control group. It suggested considerable MDSCs might be involved in HBeAg immune tolerance. In addition, negative correlations between MDSCs/PBMC and parameters of ALT, AST and TBil, while positive correlation between MDSCs/PBMC and ALB parameter were found. Multiple comparisons between the four phases and health control phase again, there was a statistically sifnificant difference ($X^2=17.198$, p=0.002). Taken together, these findings may provide a new immunotherapy strategy for reduced the expression levels of MDSCs in CHB patients, through induction of an autoimmune response to virus removal.