Genistein Improves the Major Depression through Suppressing the Expression of miR-221/222 by Targeting Connexin 43

Fang Shen,Wan-li Huang,Bao-ping Xing,Xiang Fang,Mei Feng,Chun-ming Jiang 대한신경정신의학회 2018 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.15 No.10

Objective: Recent studies have indicated the possibility that genistein may improve depression via regulating the expression of miR-221/222. This study is to explore whether genistein could improve depression by altering miR-221/222 levels and investigate the possible mechanisms involved in the improvement effect of genistein. Methods: The animal model of depression was established through unpredictable chronic mild stress. Nest building test and splash test were adapted to evaluate the effects of genistein on depressive symptoms in mice. qRT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of miR-221/222 and connexin 43 (Cx43) in the prefrontal cortex of the mice. In vitro, U87-MG astrocytes were treated with genistein and the expression of miR-221/222 and Cx43 was measured. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify whether Cx43 was a direct target of miR-221/222. Results: The behavioral tests showed that genistein could significantly reduce depression symptoms of mice, and this remission was not affected by gender. Genistein in vivo and in vitro could reduce increased levels of miR-221 and miR-222 in the prefrontal cortex of depressed mice, while upregulate Cx43 expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested Cx43 was directly regulated by miR-221/222 in astrocytes. Conclusion: Genistein can play its antidepressant effect through down-regulating miR-221/222 by targeting Cx43.

Genistein Improves the Major Depression through Suppressing the Expression of miR-221/222 by Targeting Connexin 43

Fang Shen,Wan-li Huang,Bao-ping Xing,Xiang Fang,Mei Feng,Chun-ming Jiang 대한신경정신의학회 2018 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.15 No.11

Objective Recent studies have indicated the possibility that genistein may improve depression via regulating the expression of miR- 221/222. This study is to explore whether genistein could improve depression by altering miR-221/222 levels and investigate the possible mechanisms involved in the improvement effect of genistein. Methods The animal model of depression was established through unpredictable chronic mild stress. Nest building test and splash test were adapted to evaluate the effects of genistein on depressive symptoms in mice. qRT-PCR and western blot analysis were used to detect the expression of miR-221/222 and connexin 43 (Cx43) in the prefrontal cortex of the mice. In vitro, U87-MG astrocytes were treated with genistein and the expression of miR-221/222 and Cx43 was measured. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify whether Cx43 was a direct target of miR-221/222. Results The behavioral tests showed that genistein could significantly reduce depression symptoms of mice, and this remission was not affected by gender. Genistein in vivo and in vitro could reduce increased levels of miR-221 and miR-222 in the prefrontal cortex of depressed mice, while upregulate Cx43 expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested Cx43 was directly regulated by miR-221/222 in astrocytes. Conclusion Genistein can play its antidepressant effect through down-regulating miR-221/222 by targeting Cx43.

Transcriptome sequencing discovers genes related to fatty acid biosynthesis in the seeds of Eucommia ulmoides

Fang-dong Li,Yan-zhi Feng,Lu Wang,Jian-min Fu,Ta-na Wuyun,Hong-yan Du,Xiao-feng Tan,Feng Zou 한국유전학회 2016 Genes & Genomics Vol.38 No.3

Eucommia ulmoides is a focus of considerable attention because it is used to produce gutta-percha latex and raw materials for traditional Chinese medicine. The species has also been widely planted for vegetable oil production due to the high content of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in the seeds. However, little was known about fatty acid biosynthesis in the seeds. Here, we present transcriptome analyses that identified genes related to the fatty acid biosynthesis pathways in the seeds collected 70 and 160 days after flowering (DAF) from two varieties: ‘Huazhong No. 6’ (ALA content of 38.7 %) and ‘Huazhong No. 10’ (ALA content of 67.6 %). De novo assembly generated 96,469 unigenes with an average length of 690 bp. Among them, 11,260 unigenes identified by functional annotation against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database were mapped to 117 metabolic pathways. 65 unigenes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis include 5 coding for 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase, 2 coding for b-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase, 10 coding for b-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II, and 2 coding for enoyl-ACP reductase I. Expression of the nine differentially expressed unigenes coding for major enzymes in fatty acid biosynthesis was validated by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) using RNA from six seed stages (70, 88, 106, 124, 142, and 160 DAF) in ‘Huazhong No. 10’. The qPCR analysis showed that expression of these 9 unigenes all changed significantly at 88 DAF. This study provides a large-scale transcriptome annotation of E. ulmoides, which is fundamental information for further characterizing gene functionals involved in the process of seed development.

The mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) gene is a potential methylation biomarker for malignancy of breast cancer

Fang-Ming Chen,Hsueh-Wei Chang,Sheau-Fang Yang,Ya-Fang Huang,Pei-Yung Nien,Yao-Tsung Yeh,Ming-Feng Hou 생화학분자생물학회 2012 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.44 No.5

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) belongs to the MAPK cascades which are central to cell proliferation and apoptosis. The carcinogenic role of MKP-1 has been reported in many types of cancer but it has rarely been investigated in breast cancer. The present study was designed to evaluate the MKP-1 mRNA expression and its possible regulation by methylation of MKP-1 promoter in the model of several breast cancer cell lines and tissues as well as controls. Our data demonstrate MKP-1mRNA expression significantly decreased in five breast cancer cell lines compared to breast controls (P <0.01). Using the methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis,the unmethylated reaction (U) is dominant in both normal cell lines and benign breast tumors (100% vs. 86.2%), whereas the methylated reaction (M) is dominant in both breast cancer cell lines and invasive breast tumors (100% vs. 57.2%). In terms of methylation ratio (M/M+U), methylation level in MKP-1 promoter is significantly higher in the invasive breast tumor tissues (n = 152) than in benign breast tumor tissues (n = 29)(P < 0.0001). Assessing the methylation ratio of the promoter of MKP-1 gene to diagnose the breast malignancy (invasive vs. benign), the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.809(95% CI: 0.711-0.906, P < 0.001). The best performance for this prediction has a sensitivity of 76.32% and a specificity of 82.76% at the cutoff value of 0.38. Taken together, we firstly demonstrated that the promoter methylation of MKP-1 gene is a potential breast cancer biomarker for breast malignancy.

β-Skeleton analysis of the cosmic web

Fang, Feng,Forero-Romero, Jaime,Rossi, Graziano,Li, Xiao-Dong,Feng, Long-Long Oxford University Press 2019 MONTHLY NOTICES- ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY Vol.485 No.4

The potential molecular effects of bursal septpeptide II on immune induction and antitumor activity

Guang Fang Zhou,Qing Tao Liu,Bin Zhou,Ya Feng Qiu,Xiao Dong Liu,Zhi Yong Ma,Xiu Li Feng,Rui Bing Cao,Pu Yan Chen 대한수의학회 2015 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.16 No.3

The bursa of Fabricius (BF) is the acknowledged central humoral immune organ in birds. Bursal septpeptide II (BSP-II) is animmunomodulatory bioactive peptide isolated from BF. To understand the effects of BSP-II on immune induction, gene expression profilesof hybridoma cells treated with BSP-II were evaluated. Pathway analysis showed that regulated genes were involved in cytokine-cytokinereceptor interactions, T cell receptor signaling pathway, and pathway in cancer. It was observed that BSP-II reduced tumor cells proliferationand stimulated p53 expression. These results indicate potential mechanisms underlying the effects of the humoral immune system on immuneinduction, including antitumor activities. Our study has provided a novel insight into immunotherapeutic strategies for treating human tumors.

Low-dose diethylhexyl phthalate exposure does not impair the expressive patterns of epigenetics-related genes and DNA methylation of breast cancer-related genes in mouse mammary glands

Shun-Feng Cheng,Ling Li,Bo Li,Jing-Cai Liu,Fang-Nong Lai,Yong Zhao,Xi-Feng Zhang,Wei Shen,Lan Li 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2018 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.14 No.2

Backgrounds: Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC), is widely used in plasticizer and other productions. Ubiquitous human exposure to DEHP has been proposed to be a potential risk to public health. Developmental exposure to DEHP could alter epigenetic programming and result in adult-onset disease. Methods: In this study, we investigated whether DEHP exposure to pregnant mice affected epigenetic changes as a result of increase in breast cancer incidence. Results: Our results showed that the expression of total 143 epigenetics-related genes in mammary gland cells, have no significantly altered after short time and low-dose treated with DEHP from 0.5 days post-coitum (dpc) to 3.5 dpc of pregnant mice. DNA methylation status of some neoplastic development genes, such as EGFr, Esr1, Pgr, Fos and Rassf5 also had no obvious change. Conclusion: These finding showed no impact of DEHP on the expressive patterns of epigenetics-related genes and DNA methylation of breast cancer-related genes in pregnant mouse mammary gland cells.

Synthesis, characterization, and antioxidant activity in vitro of selenium‑Euryale ferox Salisb. polysaccharide

Dong Fang,Zheng Hu-Zhe,Jeong Woo-Sik,Chung Shin-Kyo,Qu Zhong-Yuan,Zou Xiang,Liu Chen,Xiang Qiong,Feng Feng 한국응용생명화학회 2021 Applied Biological Chemistry (Appl Biol Chem) Vol.64 No.S

In order to obtain and explore selenide composed of selenium and polysaccharide, three parameters were selected to optimize the synthesis process of selenium-Euryale ferox Salisb. polysaccharide (Se-ESPS) by Box-Behnken design. Furthermore, ESPS-B1 separated from ESPS was selenitized to Se-ESPS-B1 by the optimal synthesis process, then the characterization, and antioxidant activity in vitro of Se-ESPS-B1 were explored. The result manifested that the Se content of Se-ESPS was (2.915 ± 0.03) mg/g according to the optimal synthesis process of Se-ESPS (reaction time at 5 h, reaction temperature at 81 ℃, weight ratio of Na2SeO3 to ESPS at 0.9 g/g). A series of detection results indicated that the characterizations of Se-ESPS-B1 were apparently distinguished from that of ESPS-B1. Moreover, the antioxidant experiments in vitro demonstrated that Se-ESPS-B1 could exert antioxidant activity by scavenging DPPH, ABTS,·OH, and increasing reduction ability. In conclusion, the synthesis process is an effective approach to harvest seleniumpolysaccharide, and Se-ESPS-B1 may be utilized as a potential antioxidant or selenium nutritional supplement.

Lack of any Prognostic Value of Body Mass Index for Patients Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Zhang, Fang,Wang, Chuan-Sheng,Sun, Bo,Tian, Guang-Bo,Cao, Fang-Li,Cheng, Yu-Feng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Background: The relationship between body mass index(BMI) and outcomes after chemoradiotherapy(CRT) has not been systematically addressed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of BMI on survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Materials and Methods: Sixty ESCC cases were retrospectively reviewed in this study. Patient overall survival(OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were compared between two groups (BMI< $24.00kg/m^2$ and $BMI{\geq}24.00kg/m^2$). Results: There were 41 patients in the low/normal BMI group (BMI< $24.00kg/m^2$) and 19 in the high BMI group ($BMI{\geq}24.00kg/m^2$). No significant differences were observed in patient characteristics between these. We found no difference in 2-year OS and DFS associated with BMI (p=0.763 for OS; p=0.818 for DFS) using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate analysis revealed that higher clinical stage was prognostic for worse 2-year OS and DFS, metastasis for 2-year OS, lymph node status for 2-year DFS, while age, gender, smoking, drinking, tumor location and BMI were not prognostic. There were no differences in the 2-year OS (hazard ratio=1.117; p=0.789) and DFS(hazard ratio=1.161; p=0.708) between BMI groups in multivariate analysis, whereas we found statistical differences in the 2-year OS and DFS associated with clinical stage, gender and tumor infiltration (p<0.04), independent of age, smoking, drinking, tumor location, the status of lymph node metastases and BMI. Conclusions: BMI was not associated with survival in patients with ESCC treated with CRT as primary therapy. BMI should not be considered a prognostic factor for patients undergoing CRT for ESCC.

온라인 게임의 콘텐츠 특성과 운영 서비스품질이 유저의 지속이용의도 및 구전의도에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

방춘봉(Fang, Chun-Feng),이돈곤(Lee, Don-Gon),한경석(Han, Kyeong-Seok) 한국게임학회 2015 한국게임학회 논문지 Vol.15 No.1

최근 온라인 게임은 콘텐츠 자체뿐만 아니라 운영 서비스가 종합적으로 작용하여 성장을 이루고 있다. 그러나 기존의 연구에서는 게임운영 서비스 품질에 비해 게임의 콘텐츠 특성에 많은 초점을 두고 연구가 수행되고 있다. 본 연구는 온라인 스포츠게임을 연구 대상으로, 게임의 콘텐츠특성과 운영 서비스품질이 유저의 지속이용의도와 구전의도에 미치는 영향을 기대충족 모델을 적용하여 분석하고, 그에 따른 지속 서비스를 위한 유저 풀을 확대 및 확보하는데 어떠한 노력을 기울여야 하는지에 대하여 학술적 및 실무적 시사점을 제시하였다. 연구결과, 게임 컨텐츠 특성인 현실성은 기대충족까지도 영향을 미치는 게임 콘텐츠의 주요한 변수임이 밝혀졌으며, 운영 서비스 품질인 공감성은 기대충족에도 영향을 주어 구전의도를 일으키는 직 간접적 역할을 하고 있음을 확인할 수 있었다. A recent online game is growing with the combined action of content as well as operating services. However, in previous studies, with a lot of focus on content characteristics of game than the game operating service quality studies have been carried out. This study targeted research online sports games, operating service quality and content characteristics of the game are analyzed effects of word-of-mouth and continued usage intention by applying Expectation Confirmation Model. as a result, it has found that as a result, it has found that sense of reality turned out to be a major variable affecting the content of the game even expectation confirmation. Directly and indirectly, it was confirmed that the role of empathy affect to expectation confirmation and satisfaction.