Broad-specificity amino acid racemase, a novel non-antibiotic selectable marker for transgenic plants

Yi‑Chia Kuan,Venkatesan Thiruvengadam,Jia‑Shin Lin,Jia‑Hsin Liu,Tsan‑Jan Chen,Hsin‑Mao Wu,Wen‑Ching Wang,Liang‑Jwu Chen 한국식물생명공학회 2018 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.12 No.1

The broad-specificity amino acid racemase (Bsar) from Pseudomonas putida catalyzes the racemization of various amino acids, offering a flexible and feasible platform to develop a new non-antibiotic selectable marker system for plant transformation. In the present study, we demonstrated that a Bsar variant, Bsar-R174K, that is useful as a selectable marker gene in Arabidopsis and rice that were susceptible to l-lysine and D-alanine. The introduction of wild-type Bsar, Bsar-R174K or Bsar-R174A into E. coli lysine or asparagine auxotrophs was able to rescue the growth of these microorganisms in minimal media supplemented with selectable amino acid enantiomers. The transformation of Arabidopsis with Bsar or Bsar variants based on d-alanine selection revealed that Bsar-R174K had the greatest efficiency (2.40%), superior to kanamycin selectionbased transformation (1.10%). Whereas, l-lysine-based selection exhibited lower efficiency for Bsar-R174K (0.17%). The progenies of selected Bsar-R174K transgenic Arabidopsis revealed normal growth properties. In addition, Bsar-R174K transgenic rice was obtained on l-lysine medium with an efficiency of 0.9%, and the progenies of the transgenic rice revealed morphologically normal phenotypes comparable with their wild-type counterparts. This study presents the first report of broad range amino acid racemase Bsar-R174K as a non-antibiotic selectable marker system applied in transgenic plants.

SDSS J013127.34-032100.1: A NEWLY DISCOVERED RADIO-LOUD QUASAR AT <i>z</i> = 5.18 WITH EXTREMELY HIGH LUMINOSITY

Yi, Wei-Min,Wang, Feige,Wu, Xue-Bing,Yang, Jinyi,Bai, Jin-Ming,Fan, Xiaohui,Brandt, William N.,Ho, Luis C.,Zuo, Wenwen,Kim, Minjin,Wang, Ran,Yang, Qian,Zhang, Ju-jia,Wang, Fang,Wang, Jian-Guo,Ai, Yanl IOP Publishing 2014 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.795 No.2

<P>Very few of the z > 5 quasars discovered to date have been radio-loud, with radio-to-optical flux ratios (radio-loudness parameters) higher than 10. Here we report the discovery of an optically luminous radio-loud quasar, SDSS J013127.34-032100.1 (J0131-0321 in short), at z = 5.18 +/- 0.01 using the Lijiang 2.4 m and Magellan telescopes. J0131-0321 has a spectral energy distribution consistent with that of radio-loud quasars. With an i-band magnitude of 18.47 and a radio flux density of 33 mJy, its radio-loudness parameter is similar to 100. The optical and near-infrared spectra taken by Magellan enable us to estimate its bolometric luminosity to be L-bol similar to 1.1 x 10(48) erg s(-1), approximately 4.5 times greater than that of the most distant quasar known to date. The black hole mass of J0131-0321 is estimated to be 2.7 x 10(9) M-circle dot, with an uncertainty up to 0.4 dex. Detailed physical properties of this high-redshift, radio-loud, potentially super-Eddington quasar can be probed in the future with more dedicated and intensive follow-up observations using multi-wavelength facilities.</P>

Associations Between Three Polymorphisms in the Interleukin-4 Receptor Gene and Risk of Cancer: a Meta-analysis

Wang, Jia-Yi,Zhou, Yu-Qiao,Li, Xiao-Xu,Jin, Xin,Wang, Li-Li,Lei, Lei,Zhou, Yu,Lu, Jiang,Zeng, Xin,Dan, Hong-Xia,Liao, Ga,Chen, Qian-Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are implicated in cancer development. However, results from the published reports have remained inconclusive. The objective of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis investigating the association between polymorphisms in IL-4R gene and cancer risk. Pubmed, EMBASE and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were searched for case-control studies published up to October 30, 2012 that investigated IL-4R polymorphisms and cancer risk. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of any associations. Three IL-4R polymorphisms (Q576R, rs1801275; I75V, rs1805010; S503P, rs1805015) in 21 case-control studies were analyzed. Our meta-analysis indicated that these three polymorphisms are not associated with cancer risk when all studies were pooled together. In the subgroup analysis by tumor site, the results showed that Q576R G allele carriers were associated with a significantly decreased cervical cancer risk (recessive model: OR = 0.77, 95%CI = 0.60-0.98; homozygote comparison: OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.58-0.98). I75V G allele carriers were associated with a decreased risk of renal cancer (dominant model = 0.71, 95%CI = 0.57-0.89, heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.55-0.87). When stratified by ethnicity, Q576R G allele carriers were associated with a decreased cancer risk in Caucasians (dominant model: OR = 0.90, 95%CI = 0.83-0.98; heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.89, 95%CI = 0.82-0.98). I75V G allele carriers were associated with a decreased cancer risk in Asians (heterozygote comparison: OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.62-0.94). S503P C allele carriers were also associated with a decreased cancer risk in Asians (CC VS TT: OR = 0.29, 95%CI = 0.08-0.99). Our results suggest that Q576R, I75V and S503P may be associated with a decreased cancer risk for certain types of cancers and in some specific ethnic groups. Future case-control studies with large sample size are needed to evaluate these associations in detail.

Albumin-to-Fibrinogen Ratio as an Independent Prognostic Parameter in Untreated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Retrospective Study of 191 Cases

Yi-Xin Zou,Jia Qiao,Hua-Yuan Zhu,Rui-Nan Lu,Yi Xia,Lei Cao,Wei Wu,Hui Jin,Wen-Jie Liu,Jin-Hua Liang,Jia-Zhu Wu,Li Wang,Lei Fan,Wei Xu,Jian-Yong Li 대한암학회 2019 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.51 No.2

Purpose Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is one of the most frequent type of B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders and chronic inflammation takes part in the development of CLL. However, there has been no valid immune biomarker to predict the prognosis of untreated CLL patients. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, we analyzed the clinical correlations and prognostic value of albumin-to-fibrinogen ratio (AFR) detected at diagnosis in 191 CLL patients. Results The cut-off value of AFR was 9.7 calculated by X-tile. Patients who were more than 65 years old were often accompanied by low level of AFR (p < 0.001). Survival analysis showed that patients with low level of AFR had shorter overall survival (OS) than patients with high level of AFR (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis illustrated that AFR had a negative impact on OS (p=0.003) and was independent of parameters involved in CLL international prognostic index and other prognostic markers such as CD38 and ZAP-70. Conclusion These data provide a comprehensive view of AFR and shows that AFR at diagnosis is an adverse prognostic factor in untreated CLL patients.

The GntR-Type Regulators GtrA and GtrB Affect Cell Growth and Nodulation of Sinorhizobium meliloti

Yi Wang,Ai-Min Chen,Ai-Yuan Yu,Li Luo,Guan-Qiao Yu,Jia-Bi Zhu,Yan-Zhang Wang 한국미생물학회 2008 The journal of microbiology Vol.46 No.2

GntR-type transcriptional regulators are involved in the regulation of various biological processes in bacteria, but little is known about their functions in Sinorhizobium meliloti. Here, we identified two GntR-type transcriptional regulator genes, gtrA and gtrB, from S. meliloti strain 1021. Both the gtrA1 mutant and the gtrB1 mutant had lower growth rates and maximal cell yields on rich and minimal media, as well as lower cell motility on swimming plates, than did the wild-type strain. Both mutants were also symbiotically deficient. Alfalfa plants inoculated with wild-type strain 1021 formed pink elongated nodules on primary roots. In contrast, the plants inoculated with the gtrA1 and gtrB1 mutants formed relatively smaller, round, light pink nodules mainly on lateral roots. During the first 3~4 weeks post-inoculation, the plants inoculated with the gtrA1 and gtrB1 mutants were apparently stunted, with lower levels of nitrogenase activity, but there was a remarkable increase in the number of nodules compared to those inoculated with the wild-type strain. Moreover, the gtrA1 and gtrB1 mutants not only showed delayed nodulation, but also showed markedly reduced nodulation competition. These results demonstrated that both GtrA and GtrB affect cell growth and effective symbiosis of S. meliloti. Our work provides new insight into the functions of GntR-like transcriptional regulators.

Notch1 promotes the pericytemyofibroblast transition in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis through the PDGFR/ ROCK1 signal pathway

Yi-Chun Wang,Qiong Chen,Jun-Ming Luo,Jing Nie,Qing-He Meng,Wei Shuai,Han Xie,Jia-Mei Xia,Hui Wang 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

The goals of this study were to investigate the role of the Notch1/PDGFRβ/ROCK1 signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and to explore the possibility of treating fibrosis by targeting Notch1. Lung tissues from patients with pulmonary fibrosis were examined for the expression of Notch1/PDGFRβ/ROCK1 using RT-qPCR, western blotting, and immunostaining. Cultured mouse lung pericytes were transfected with Notch1-overexpressed vectors or shRNA targeting PDGFRβ/ROCK1 to examine cell behaviors, including proliferation, cell cycle arrest, and differentiation toward myofibroblasts. Finally, a mouse pulmonary fibrosis model was prepared, and a Notch1 inhibitor was administered to observe tissue morphology and pericyte cell behaviors. Human pulmonary fibrotic tissues presented with overexpression of Notch1, PDGFRβ, and ROCK1, in addition to a prominent transition of pericytes into myofibroblasts. In cultured mouse lung pericytes, overexpression of Notch1 led to the accelerated proliferation and differentiation of cells, and it also increased the expression of the PDGFRβ and ROCK1 proteins. The knockdown of PDGFRβ/ROCK1 in pericytes remarkably suppressed pericyte proliferation and differentiation. As further substantiation, the administration of a Notch1 inhibitor in a mouse model of lung fibrosis inhibited the PDGFRβ/ROCK1 pathway, suppressed pericyte proliferation and differentiation, and alleviated the severity of fibrosis. Our results showed that the Notch1 signaling pathway was aberrantly activated in pulmonary fibrosis, and this pathway may facilitate disease progression via mediating pericyte proliferation and differentiation. The inhibition of the Notch1 pathway may provide one promising treatment strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Antimycobacterial Activity of Fusaric Acid from a Mangrove Endophyte and its Metal Complexes

Jia-Hui Pan,Yi Chen,Yu-Hong Huang,Yi-Wen Tao,Jun Wang,Yan Li,Yi Peng,Tao Dong,Xiao-Min Lai,Yong-Cheng Lin 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.7

Due to the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, there is an urgent need for new antituberculosis drugs that have novel mechanisms of action. As part of our ongoing search for antimycobacterial metabolites from mangrove endophytes, chemical analysis of the active extract of a strain of Fusarium sp. was performed, which led to the isolation of fusaric acid as the predominant constituent. A variety of metal complexes of fusaric acid were prepared. Antimycobacterial assays showed that Cadmium (II) and Copper (II) complexes exhibited potent inhibitory activity against the M. bovis BCG strain [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 4 μg/mL] and the M. tuberculosis H37Rv strain (MIC = 10 μg/mL), respectively. This is the first report of the antimycobacterial activity of the mangrove Fusarium metabolite and its coordinating metal complexes.

Involvement of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Signaling Pathway in β1 Integrin-Mediated Internalization of Staphylococcus aureus by Alveolar Epithelial Cells

Jia-He Wang,Ke Zhang,Nan Wang,Xiao-Min Qiu,Yi-Bing Wang,Ping He 한국미생물학회 2013 The journal of microbiology Vol.51 No.5

The invasion of Staphylococcus aureus into alveolar epithelial cells is regarded as the key step for S. aureus lung infection. However, the mechanism of internalization of S. aureus by alveolar epithelial cells is not clear, and was the aim of this investigation Human lung adenocarcinomic epithelial cells and A549 cells were used. Human β1 integrin and rat β1 integrin were detected by real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. The expressions of β1 integrin, Akt and p-Akt were detected by Western blot analysis. To further investigate the role of β1 integrin in S. aureus internalization by alveolar epithelial cells, we next performed siRNA-mediated knockdown of β1 integrin expression. In this study, we found that S. aureus invades human alveolar epithelial cells and rat primary alveolar epithelial cells. The β1 integrin ligand competitive inhibitor, GRGDS-peptide, blocked the internalization of S. aureus by A549 cells. Knockdown of β1integrin also inhibited the internalization of S. aureus. In addition, the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in alveolar epithelial cells was activated by the infection with S. aureus. Furthermore, Akt phosphorylation was abolished by transient transfection with β1 integrin siRNA in A549 cells challenged with S. aureus. Our results suggest that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway plays an important role in β1 integrin-mediated internalization of S. aureus by alveolar epithelial cells.

Bioremediation of Coastal Saline-Alkali Marshy Soil by the Irrigation with Pulp & Paper Wastewater

LI Jia-liang,LU Zhao-hua,TIAN Jia-yi,WANG Lin,LI Peng-hui,XIAO Zhong-feng 대전대학교 환경문제연구소 2009 환경문제연구소 논문집 Vol.13 No.-

Based on the importance of coastal saline-alkali soil remediation in Yellow River Delta, China, the Cl-、Na+ transferring tendency in soil and the saline-alkali soil eco-remediation effects were researched by measuring soil Cl-、Na+ 、soluble salt、soil respire rate and dry biomass weight of reed, etc. periodically. The results shows: the concentration of irrigated soil Cl-、Na+ and soluble salt were decreased 57.7-70%、45.7-47.1% and 53.2-59.7%, respectively, and soil salt decreasing level were little influenced by the hydraulic load, inundation depth varies in some degree, but it was influenced by dry-wet alternative irrigating mode The concentration of soil total nitrogen、organic mass、microbial respire rate, and the reed biomass above ground were increased averagely to 2.17、1.20、1.46 and 1.34 multiple respectively afterirrigation with wastewater, which have complex remediation effects on the coastal saline-alkali wetland, but there are some differences among the different irrigating crafts.

Professionals’ experiences and attitudes toward use of Traditional Chinese Medicine in hospice palliative inpatient care units: A multicenter survey in Taiwan

Yu-Jia Lin,Hsiao-Ting Chang,Ming-Hwai Lin,Ru-Yih Chen,Ping-Jen Chen,Wen-Yuan Lin,Jyh-Gang Hsieh,Ying-Wei Wang,Chung-Chieh Hu,Yi-Sheng Liou,Tai-Yuan Chiu,Chun-Yi Tu,Yi-Jen Wang,Bo-Ren Cheng,Tzeng-Ji Ch 한국한의학연구원 2021 Integrative Medicine Research Vol.10 No.2

Background: Medical staff may have difficulties in using conventional medicine to manage symptoms among terminally ill patients, including adverse effects of the treatment. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is regarded as a complementary or alternative medicine, and has been increasingly used in the field of palliative medicine in recent years. This study aimed to investigate the experiences of and attitudes toward using TCM among palliative care professionals, and to provide preliminary information about its use in palliative care. Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted in eight inpatient hospice wards in Taiwan between December 2014 and February 2016. The questionnaire was self-administered, and was analyzed with descriptive statistics including Pearson’s Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: A total of 251 palliative care professionals responded to the questionnaire, of whom 89.7% and 88.9% believed that the use of TCM could improve the physical symptoms and quality of life in terminally ill patients, respectively. Overall, 59.8%, of respondents suggested that TCM had rare side effects, and 58.2% were worried that TCM could affect the liver and kidney function of patients. In total, 89.7% and 88.0% of professionals agreed there were no suitable clinical practice guidelines and educational programs, respectively, for TCM use in palliative care. Conclusions: Most of the respondents agreed there was insufficient knowledge, skills-training, and continuing education on the use of TCM in terminally ill patients in Taiwan. These results show that to address patient safety considerations, guidelines about use of TCM in palliative care should be established.