DNA methylation and mRNA expression of COL6A3 in antler mesenchyme of female and male reindeer

Jian‑Cheng Zhai,Ruo‑Bing Han,Sheng‑Nan Wang,Qiang‑Hui Wang,Yan‑Ling Xia,Wei‑Shi Liu,Ya‑Jie Yin,He‑Ping Li 한국유전학회 2019 Genes & Genomics Vol.41 No.9

Backgroud Reindeer is the only deer species that both male and female produce antlers, which provides a particularly interesting case in studying the differences between antlers of the two sexes. Alpha 3(VI) Collagen Gene (COL6A3), forms a microfibrillar network associated with the structural integrity and biomechanical properties, has been found to be one of the differentially expressed genes in antler mesenchyme of female and male reindeer. Objective and Methods The promoter sequence of reindeer COL6A3 gene was obtained using the cloning technology and analyzed by the bioinformatics methods. Bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) was used to detect the methylation status of the COL6A3 promoter in reindeer antler mesenchyme. Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect COL6A3 expression in the antler mesenchyme of female and male reindeer. Results Sequence analysis revealed that the reindeer COL6A3 partial promoter sequence was 983 bp including the possible promoter region at + 105 bp to + 155 bp. Homology and phylogenetic analysis indicated that the COL6A3 promoter of reindeer had the closest genetic distance with Bos taurus, Capra hircus and Ovis aries. BSP results indicated that the methylation level of COL6A3 promoter in the female reindeer antler mesenchyme was significantly higher than in the male. Correlating with increased methylation status, we also found that COL6A3 mRNA expression in female reindeer antler mesenchyme was significantly lower than in the male. Conclusion The higher methylation level of the COL6A3 gene in female reindeer antler mesenchyme coincides with decreased COL6A3 mRNA expression, thereby affecting the transposon silencing mechanism and possibly contributing to apparent differences of antlers in female and male reindeer.

Quantitative Assessment on the Variation of Compressibility of Wenzhou Marine Clay During Destructuration

Xia Bian,Jian-Wen Ding,Jian Shi,Sen Qian 대한토목학회 2017 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.21 No.3

A series of oedometer test were performed on both undisturbed and remolded specimens of Wenzhou marine clay to quantitatively investigate the degradation of soil structure during compression. The laboratory tests show that the swell index of both natural and remolded Wenzhou marine clay increase with the increase in consolidation stress. Hence, the normalizing parameter ‘swell sensitivity’, termed as the ratio of the remolded to the natural swelling index, can only be regarded as a qualitative parameter. On the other hand, the normalized stress sensitivity has a good parabolic relationship with the consolidation stress during destructuration. This result indicates that the stress sensitivity can be used as a quantitative interpretation of the degradation of soil structure for natural Wenzhou marine clay. Comparison between stress sensitivity and additional void ratio during destructuration shows that the variation of soil structure during destructuration represented by stress sensitivity and additional void ratio are essentially the same. In addition, the parameter used in formulating the variation of stress sensitivity with the stress level is correlated with natural void ratio and void ratio at liquid limit.

CircularRNA_104670 plays a critical role in intervertebral disc degeneration by functioning as a ceRNA

Jian Son,Hong-Li Wang,Ke-Han Song,Zhi-Wen Ding,Hai-Lian Wang,Xiao-Sheng Ma,Fei-Zhou Lu,Xin-Lei Xia,Ying-Wei Wang,Fei-Zou,Jian-Yuan Jiang 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

This study was carried out to explore the roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues in intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Differentially expressed circRNAs in IDD and normal NP tissues were identified based on the results of microarray analysis. Bioinformatics techniques were employed to predict the direct interactions of selected circRNAs, microRNAs (miR), and mRNAs. CircRNA_104670 was selected as the target circRNA due to its large multiplier expression in IDD tissues. After luciferase reporter and EGFP/RFP reporter assays, we confirmed that circRNA_104670 directly bound to miR-17-3p, while MMP-2 was the direct target of miR-17-3p. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that circRNA_104670 and miR-17-3p had good diagnostic significance for IDD (AUC circRNA_104670 = 0.96; AUC miRNA-17-3p = 0.91). A significant correlation was detected between the Pfirrmann grade and expression of circRNA_104670 (r = 0.63; p = 0.00) and miR-17-3p (r = −0.62; p = 0.00). Flow-cytometric analysis and the MTT assay showed that interfering with circRNA_104670 using small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited NP cell apoptosis (p < 0.01), and this inhibition was reduced by interfering with miR-17-3p. Interfering with circRNA_104670 suppressed MMP-2 expression and increased extracellular matrix (ECM) formation, which were also reduced by interfering with miR-17-3p. Finally, an MRI evaluation showed that circRNA_104670 inhibition mice had a lower IDD grade compared with control mice (p < 0.01), whereas circRNA_104670 and miRNA-17-3p inhibition mice had a higher IDD grade compared with circRNA_104670 inhibition mice (p < 0.05). CircRNA_104670 is highly expressed in the NP tissues of IDD and acts as a ceRNA during NP degradation.

Production of value-added (bio)chemicals from cellulosic biomass: integration of microbiology and engineering

Jian-Jiang ZHONG,Kai QI,Xiao-Xia XIA,Tan-Che ZHOU 한국생물공학회 2014 한국생물공학회 학술대회 Vol.2014 No.10

Predicting the Duration of a General Contracting Industrial Project based on the Residual Modified Model

Jian-Xia Guo,Chang-Ming Hu,Rong Bao 대한토목학회 2019 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.23 No.8

The general contracting projects are developed in China, in the past two decades. In the early stage of a project, because of the lack of specific design drawings and project plans, it is difficult for the general contractor to determine the construction period when signing the contract. However, little research has undertaken on quickly and efficiently estimating construction duration of a general contracting industrial project. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore a suitable model for estimating construction duration of the general contracting industrial project in China. Data for 90 completed projects are collected in a company that undertakes nationwide industrial projects. Four single variable models and fourteen multivariate models are analyzed using statistical method. And the residual modified model integrating wavelet neural network (WNN) is also developed through using a predictive error to amend the statistical model. The results show that the residual modified models obtain more enhanced prediction accuracy than regression models, despite their good fitting performance. The modified model can be used for helping contractors forecast project duration in the early stage of a project.

On Environmental Ethics in China

Jian-xia Cui 성공회대학교 신학연구소 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.12 No.-

Since the implementation of the reform-and-open policy in 1978, the last thirty years has witnessed the development among Chinese scholars of a widespread discussion and deep research on such problems as the existence of ethical relations between humankind and nature, anthropocentrism and its value, the intrinsic value and rights of nature. As a result, they have formed a particular theoretical viewpoint, discipline model and questioned the consciousness of Chinese environmental ethics. China has made significant progress in theoretical studies of environmental ethics, and has especially gained remarkable achievements in absorbing, learning from and being compatible with advanced foreign cultures, grasping the history of the development of Western ethics, and keeping up with the pace of western academic study. As a result it could be said that China has played a positive role in promoting the development of its environmental ethics. However, although paying close attention to the theoretical developments of environmental ethics abroad (something which has nearly become the academic trend of China’s environmental ethics), Chinese environmental ethics has been short of its own say, its systematic theory construction and its Chinese cultural characteristics. Hence, it still does not have a say in the world circle of the environmental ethics field.

Arsenic Trioxide Inhibits Cell Growth and Invasion via Down-Regulation of Skp2 in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Gao, Jian-Kun,Wang, Li-Xia,Long, Bo,Ye, Xian-Tao,Su, Jing-Na,Yin, Xu-Yuan,Zhou, Xiu-Xia,Wang, Zhi-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.9

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has been found to exert anti-cancer activity in various human malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms by which ATO inhibits tumorigenesis are not fully elucidated. In the current study, we explored the molecular basis of ATO-mediated tumor growth inhibition in pancreatic cancer cells. We used multiple approaches such as MTT assay, wound healing assay, Transwell invasion assay, annexin V-FITC, cell cycle analysis, RT-PCR and Western blotting to achieve our goal. We found that ATO treatment effectively caused cell growth inhibition, suppressed clonogenic potential and induced G2-M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, we observed a significant down-regulation of Skp2 after treatment with ATO. Furthermore, we revealed that ATO regulated Skp2 downstream genes such as FOXO1 and p53. These findings demonstrate that inhibition of Skp2 could be a novel strategy for the treatment of pancreatic cancer by ATO.

On the Environmental Ethics in China

Cui Jian-Xia 한국민중신학회 2009 Madang: Journal of Contextual Theology Vol.0 No.12

Role of Preoperative Albumin Quotient in Surgical Planning for Posttraumatic Syringomyelia: A Comparative Cohort Study

Pingchuan Xia,Houyuan Lv,Chenghua Yuan,Wanru Duan,Jiachen Wang,Jian Guan,Yueqi Du,Can Zhang,Zhenlei Liu,Kai Wang,Zuowei Wang,Xingwen Wang,Hao Wu,Zan Chen,Fengzeng Jian 대한척추신경외과학회 2024 Neurospine Vol.21 No.1

Objective: Surgical procedures for patients with posttraumatic syringomyelia (PTS) remain controversial. Until now, there have been no effective quantitative evaluation methods to assist in selecting appropriate surgical plans before surgery. Methods: We consecutively enrolled PTS patients (arachnoid lysis group, n = 42; shunting group, n = 14) from 2003 to 2023. Additionally, 19 intrathecal anesthesia patients were included in the control group. All patients with PTS underwent physical and neurological examinations and spinal magnetic resonance imaging preoperatively, 3–12 months postoperatively and during the last follow-up. Preoperative lumbar puncture was performed and blood-spinal cord barrier disruption was detected by quotient of albumin (Qalb, cerebrospinal fluid/serum). Results: The ages (p = 0.324) and sex (p = 0.065) of the PTS and control groups did not differ significantly. There were also no significant differences in age (p = 0.216), routine blood data and prognosis (p = 0.399) between the arachnoid lysis and shunting groups. But the QAlb level of PTS patients was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.001), and the shunting group had a significantly higher QAlb (p < 0.001) than the arachnoid lysis group. A high preoperative QAlb (odds ratio, 1.091; 95% confidence interval, 1.004–1.187; p = 0.041) was identified as the predictive factor for the shunting procedure, with the receiver operating characteristic curve showing 100% specificity and 80.95% sensitivity for patients with a QAlb > 12.67. Conclusion: Preoperative QAlb is a significant predictive factor for the types of surgery. For PTS patients with a QAlb > 12.67, shunting represents the final recourse, necessitating the exploration and development of novel treatments for these patients.

Berberine suppresses in vitro migration of human aortic smooth muscle cells through the inhibitions of MMP-2/9, u-PA, AP-1, and NF-κB

( Su Jian Liu ),( Cai Xia Yin ),( Ming Chao Ding ),( Shao You Xia ),( Qin Min Shen ),( Ji Dong Wu ) 생화학분자생물학회(구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2014 BMB Reports Vol.47 No.7

Berberine, a type of isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Chinese medicinal herbs, has been reported to have various pharmacological activities. Studies have demonstrated that berberine has beneficial effects on vascular remodeling and alleviates restenosis after vascular injury. However, its mechanism of action on vascular smooth muscle cell migration is not fully understood. We therefore investigated the effect of berberine on human aortic smooth muscle cell (HASMC) migration. Boyden chamber assay was performed to show that berberine inhibited HASMC migration dose- dependently. Real-time PCR and Western blotting analyses showed that levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) were reduced by berberine at both the mRNA and protein levels. Western blotting assay further confirmed that activities of c-Fos, c-Jun, and NF-κB were significantly attenuated. These results suggest that berberine effectively inhibited HASMC migration, possibly by down-regulating MMP-2, MMP-9, and u-PA; and interrupting AP-1 and NF-κB mediated signaling pathways. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(7): 388-392]