Identification of Mouse MARVELD1 as a Microtu-bule Associated Protein that Inhibits Cell Cycle Progression and Migration

Fanli Zeng,Yanyan Tian,Shuliang Shi,Qiong Wu,Shanshan Liu,Hongxia Zheng,Lei Yue,Yu Li 한국분자세포생물학회 2011 Molecules and cells Vol.31 No.3

MARVEL domain-containing 1 (MARVELD1) is a newly identified nuclear protein; however its function has not been clear until now. Here, we report that mouse MARVELD1(mMARVELD1), which is highly conserved between mice and humans, exhibits cell cycle-dependent cellular localization. In NIH3T3 cells, MARVELD1 was observed in the nucleus and at the perinuclear region during interphase,but was localized at the mitotic spindle and midbody at metaphase, and a significant fraction of mMARVELD1translocated to the plasma membrane during anaphase. In addition, treatment of cells with colchicine, a microtubuledepolymerizing agent, resulted in translocation of mMARVELD1to the plasma membrane, and association of mMARVELD1 and α-tubulin was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation. Finally, overexpression of mMARVELD1 resulted in a remarkable inhibition of cell proliferation, G1-phase arrest, and reduced cell migration. These findings indicate that mMARVELD1 is a microtubule-associated protein that plays an important role in cell cycle progression and migration.

Advances in investigations on the mechanism of cancer multidrug resistance and the liposomes-based treatment strategy

Fan Zeng,Wan-Liang Lu,Rui-Jun Ju,Xue-Tao Li 한국약제학회 2014 Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation Vol.44 No.7

Multidrug resistance is a major cause that leadsto the refractory of cancers after a combination strategy bychemotherapy, radiation and surgical treatment. Among thecomprehensive treatment, chemotherapy still plays a crucialrole in eliminating malignant cells. The objectives ofpresent review were to elucidate the research advances inthe mechanism of cancer multidrug resistance and theliposomes-based treatment strategy. The drug resistancecould be related to cancer cells, heterogeneity, microenvironment,and physiological barriers. Drug resistancemechanisms, which involved in adenosine triphosphate(ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, cytoplasm,nucleus, apoptotic proteins, cancer stem cells, side-populationcancer cells, angiogenesis, vasculogenic mimicrychannels, extracellular matrix, and blood–brain barrier,were discussed. Latest advances in the nanostructuredliposome treatment strategy were summarized, includingregulating the overexpression of ABC transporters, andtargeting treatments on mitochondria, apoptotic genes,cancer stem cells, cancer side-population cells, new bloodvessels, vascular mimicry channels, extracellular matrix,and blood–brain barrier. These translational investigationsprovide new insights into current cancer therapy, anduseful considerations for further developments of the liposomes-based treatment strategy.

Bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization analysis identifies causal associations between age at menarche and sarcopenia-related traits

Fan Wei,Gu Peng,Pu Bin,Yue Dan,Xin Qiao,Zheng XiaoHui,Zeng ZhanPeng,Fan Shaoyong 한국유전학회 2023 Genes & Genomics Vol.45 No.8

Background Observational studies have shown that the age of menarche is associated with sarcopenia, but confounding factors make the causal relationship difficult to infer. Objective Therefore, we conducted a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomized (MR) analysis to evaluate the potential causal relationship between age at menarche and sarcopenia-related traits (hand grip strength, lean mass, walking pace). Methods We obtained the latest aggregate statistics from the Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) database on the age of menarche of 182,416 participants from ReproGen, the appendicular lean mass of 244,730 participants from EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute, the left-hand grip strength of 401,026 participants, the right-hand grip strength of 461,089 participants and the usual walking pace of 459,915 participants from the UK Biobank. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method and other MR methods were used to evaluate the bidirectional causal relationship between the age of menarche and sarcopenia. Results The forward MR results showed that the age of menarche predicted by the gene was positively correlated with left-hand grip strength (IVWβ=0.041, P = 2.00 × 10−10), right-hand grip strength (IVWβ=0.053, P = 1.97 × 10−18), appendicular lean mass (IVWβ=0.012, P = 4.38 × 10−13) and usual walking pace (IVWβ=0.033, P = 1.62 × 10−8).In the reverse MR analysis, we also found that the usual walking pace was positively correlated with the age of menarche predicted by genes (IVWβ=0.532, P = 1.65 × 10−4). Still, there was no causal relationship between grip strength and appendicular lean mass and the age at menarche. Conclusion Our results show that earlier menarche will increase the risk of sarcopenia. In addition, people with higher muscle function tend to have menarche later. These findings may provide a reference for prevention strategies and interventions for menarche in advance and sarcopenia.

Design of a UWB Antenna with Band-Notch Function

Zeng Fanli,Jaewon Lee,Chulhee Kim,Jaehoon Choi 한국전자파학회JEES 2010 Journal of Electromagnetic Engineering and Science Vol.10 No.1

In this paper, a compact wideband antenna with a band-notch function is proposed. It operates over the UWB band with a band-stop characteristic. To increase the impedance bandwidth, a ring-shaped radiator is used. By attaching a circular stub to the ring-shaped radiator, the band-notch performance is obtained. The proposed antenna operates over a frequency range from 2.7 ㎓ to 11 ㎓ to satisfy the 10-㏈ return-loss requirement and provides band-stop performance in the frequency band from 5.15 ㎓ to 6.1 ㎓. Experimental results reveal that the proposed antenna exhibits good radiation performance and is suitable for UWB applications.

Ratiometric and discriminative visualization of autophagic processes with a novel dual-responded lysosome-specific fluorescent probe

Fan Zheng,Yeshuo Ma,Jipeng Ding,Shuai Huang,Shengwang Zhang,Xueyan Huang,Bin Feng,Hongliang Zeng,Fei Chen,Wenbin Zeng 한국생체재료학회 2023 생체재료학회지 Vol.27 No.00

Background Autophagy is a critical self-eating pathway involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes. Lysosomal degradation of dysfunctional organelles and invading microorganisms is central to the autophagy mechanism and essential for combating disease-related conditions. Therefore, monitoring fluctuations in the lysosomal microenvironment is vital for tracking the dynamic process of autophagy. Although much effort has been put into designing probes for measuring lysosomal viscosity or pH separately, there is a need to validate the concurrent imaging of the two elements to enhance the understanding of the dynamic progression of autophagy. Methods Probe HFI was synthesized in three steps and was developed to visualize changes in viscosity and pH within lysosomes for real-time autophagy tracking. Then, the spectrometric determination was carried out. Next, the probe was applied to image autophagy in cells under nutrient-deprivation or external stress. Additionally, the performance of HFI to monitor autophagy was employed to evaluate acetaminophen-induced liver injury. Results We constructed a ratiometric dual-responsive probe, HFI, with a large Stokes shift over 200 nm, dualwavelength emission, and small background interference. The ratiometric fluorescent signal (R = I610/I460) of HFI had an excellent correlation with both viscosity and pH. More importantly, high viscosity and low pH had a synergistic promotion effect on the emission intensity of HFI, which enabled it to specially lit lysosomes without disturbing the inherent microenvironment. We then successfully used HFI to monitor intracellular autophagy induced by starvation or drugs in real-time. Interestingly, HFI also enabled us to visualize the occurrence of autophagy in the liver tissue of a DILI model, as well as the reversible effect of hepatoprotective drugs on this event. Conclusions In this study, we developed the first ratiometric dual-responsive fluorescent probe, HFI, for real-time revealing autophagic details. It could image lysosomes with minimal perturbation to their inherent pH, allowing us to track changes in lysosomal viscosity and pH in living cells. Ultimately, HFI has great potential to serve as a useful indicator for autophagic changes in viscosity and pH in complex biological samples and can also be used to assess drug safety.

Consumer attitudes toward downward extensions: an exploration of Giordano’s extension in Hong Kong

Fan Zeng,Stacy H. N. Lee,Chui Ming Heung 한국의류학회 2019 Fashion and Textiles Vol.6 No.1

Given that numerous fashion brands constantly struggle to survive, it is important to learn how consumers evaluate and change their attitudes toward the downward extensions of mass-production fashion businesses, particularly those that originate in Hong Kong. Through capitalizing on the parent brand’s equity earned through enhancing consumer preferences and building loyalty, companies’ brand extension strategies can lead to better profits and sales for fashion brands. Based on the categorization theory and the theory of perceived fit, this study examines how consumers’ familiarity, trust, perceptions of quality, and perceptions of the brand name of the parent brands influence them when evaluating a business’s downward extension. This study also investigates how the effect of the consistency, similarities in product features, and pricing of the extension’s brand concept influences consumers’ purchase intentions toward produces from the downward extension. To achieve the objectives of this study, snowball sampling was used to gather a total of 203 data sets for analysis through methods such as t-tests and stepwise regressions. The results indicated that familiarity with and trust in parent brands, along with the perceived quality of the parent brands’ products, were positive influences on consumers’ evaluations of downward extensions. The extensions’ consistency with the brand concept, product substitutability, product transferability, and pricing positively influenced higher purchase intentions. Consequently, this study highlights that perceptions of the quality of the parent brands contributes most strongly to positive evaluations, and the extension’s pricing contributes most significantly to purchase intentions.

Recovery of Native Protein from Potato Root Water by Expanded Bed Adsorption with Amberlite XAD7HP

Fan-Kui Zeng,Hong Liu,Peng-Jun Ma,Gang Liu 한국생물공학회 2013 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.18 No.5

Potato root water (PRW) contains ~1.5%protein. In this study, expanded bed adsorption (EBA)chromatography with Amberlite XAD7HP resin adsorbent was used to isolate native protein from crude PRW. The optimal pH and ionic strength for potato protein binding onto Amberlite XAD7HP were 5.0 and 20 mmol/L. The EBA-refined proteins were dried by vacuum freeze drying and spray drying at varying outlet temperatures. Results indicated that low temperature spray drying was the most cost effective method with respect to retaining protease inhibitor activities. The dried protein concentrates appeared bright yellow or dark reddish brown, with a total glycoalkaloid content of ~170 μg/g. The protease inhibitor activity was ~400 mg/g and 11 ~ 12 mg/g for trypsin inhibition and chymotrypsin inhibition, respectively. The results presented here suggest that EBA using Amberlite XAD7HP as the adsorbent is a feasible strategy for the direct adsorption of native protein from crude PRW.

Metformin Regulates Gut Microbiota Abundance to Suppress M2 Skewing of Macrophages and Colorectal Tumorigenesis in Mice

Fan Linfeng,Zeng Xiangfu,Xu Guofeng 한국미생물학회 2023 The journal of microbiology Vol.61 No.1

The correlation of imbalanced gut microbiota with the onset and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) has become clear. This work investigates the effect of metformin on gut microbiota and genesis of CRC in mice. Human fecal samples were collected from healthy control (HC) donors and CRC patients. Compared to HC donors, CRC patients had reduced abundance of gut microbiota; however, they had increased abundance of detrimental Bacteroidetes. Mice were injected with azomethane (AOM) to induce colorectal tumorigenesis models. Treatment of CRC patients-sourced fecal microbiota promoted tumorigenesis, and it increased the expression of Ki67, β-catenin, COX-2, and Cyclin D1 in mouse colon tissues. Further treatment of metformin blocked the colorectal tumorigenesis in mice. Fecal microbiota from the metformin-treated mice was collected, which showed decreased Bacteroidetes abundance and suppressed AOM-induced colorectal tumorigenesis in mice as well. Moreover, the metformin- modified microbiota promoted the M1 macrophage-related markers IL-6 and iNOS but suppressed the M2 macrophage-related markers IL-4R and Arg1 in mouse colon tissues. In conclusion, this study suggests that metformin-mediated gut microbiota alteration suppresses macrophage M2 polarization to block colorectal tumorigenesis.

Aldehyde Volatiles Emitted in Succession from Mechanically Damaged Leaves of Poplar Cuttings

( Zeng Hui Hu ),( Ying Bai Shen ),( You Qing Luo ),( Fan Yi Shen ),( Hai Bo Gao ),( Rong Fu Gao ) 한국식물학회 2008 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.51 No.4

Plant aldehydes are volatiles necessary to defenses against environmental stress. To explore their emissions in response to wounding, we performed gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) on cuttings from poplar (Populus simonii×P. pyramidalis ``Opera 8277``) that were mechanically damaged to mimic herbivore attack. We detected 16 aldehydes, including 11 linear saturated aldehydes, 3 linear unsaturated aldehydes, and 2 non-linear aldehydes. Emissions of these aldehydes were clearly enhanced by such treatment, and exhibited a similar pattern of change, i.e., increasing in the first 2 h, then sharply decreasing before rising again at about 12 h. Two release peaks for these aldehydes were observed. Therefore, we propose two pathways for the mediation of aldehyde emissions following damage. The first peak may represent emissions from plant storage pools, whereas the second release peak might result from greater formation de novo through an activated synthesis pathway.

Preparation and evaluation of enrofloxacin microspheres and tissue distribution in rats

Fan Yang,Jijun Kang,Fang Yang,Zhensheng Zhao,Tao Kong,Zhenling Zeng 대한수의학회 2015 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.16 No.2

New enrofloxacin microspheres were formulated, and their physical properties, lung-targeting ability, and tissue distribution in rats were examined. The microspheres had a regular and round shape. The mean diameter was 10.06 μm, and the diameter of 89.93% of all microspheres ranged from 7.0 μm to 30.0 μm. Tissue distribution of the microspheres was evaluated along with a conventional enrofloxacin preparation after a single intravenous injection (7.5 mg of enrofloxacin/kg bw). The results showed that the elimination half-life (t1/2β) of enrofloxacin from lung was prolonged from 7.94 h for the conventional enrofloxacin to 13.28 h for the microspheres. Area under the lung concentration versus time curve from 0 h to ∞ (AUC0-∞) was increased from 11.66 h·μg/g to 508.00 h·μg/g. The peak concentration (Cmax) in lung was increased from 5.95 μg/g to 93.36 μg/g. Three lung-targeting parameters were further assessed and showed that the microspheres had remarkable lung-targeting capabilities.