Silencing of long noncoding RNA HOXA11-AS inhibits the Wnt signaling pathway via the upregulation of HOXA11 and thereby inhibits the proliferation, invasion, and self-renewal of hepatocellular carcinoma stem cells

Jun-Cheng Guo,Yi-Jun Yang,Jin-Fang Zheng,Jian-Quan Zhang,Min Guo,Xiang Yang,Xiang-Ling Jiang,Li Xiang,You Li,Huang Ping,Liu Zhuo 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths, but its molecular mechanisms are not yet well characterized. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play crucial roles in tumorigenesis, including that of HCC. However, the role of homeobox A11 antisense (HOXA11-AS) in determining HCC stem cell characteristics remains to be explained; hence, this study aimed to investigate the effects of HOXA11-AS on HCC stem cell characteristics. Initially, the expression patterns of HOXA11-AS and HOXA11 in HCC tissues, cells, and stem cells were determined. HCC stem cells, successfully sorted from Hep3B and Huh7 cells, were transfected with short hairpin or overexpression plasmids for HOXA11-AS or HOXA11 overexpression and depletion, with an aim to study the influences of these mediators on the self-renewal, proliferation, migration, and tumorigenicity of HCC stem cells in vivo. Additionally, the potential relationship and the regulatory mechanisms that link HOXA11-AS, HOXA11, and the Wnt signaling pathway were explored through treatment with Dickkopf-1 (a Wnt signaling pathway inhibitor). HCC stem cells showed high expression of HOXA11-AS and low expression of HOXA11. Both HOXA11-AS silencing and HOXA11 overexpression suppressed the self-renewal, proliferation, migration, and tumorigenicity of HCC stem cells in vivo, as evidenced by the decreased expression of cancer stem cell surface markers (CD133 and CD44) and stemness-related transcription factors (Nanog, Sox2, and Oct4). Moreover, silencing HOXA11-AS inactivated the Wnt signaling pathway by decreasing the methylation level of the HOXA11 promoter, thereby inhibiting HCC stem cell characteristics. Collectively, this study suggested that HOXA11-AS silencing exerts an antitumor effect, suppressing HCC development via Wnt signaling pathway inactivation by decreasing the methylation level of the HOXA11 promoter.

PREPARATION OF SiO2 HIERARCHICAL NANOSTRUCTURE VIA CATALYST-FREE THERMAL EVAPORATION METHOD

JUN MA,GONG-YI LI,Xiao-dong Li,GANG PENG,YI-HE LI,HUA-YU CHEN 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2013 NANO Vol.8 No.4

A novel hierarchical nanostructure of SiO2 nanowires standing on SiO2 microwires was synthesized through a catalyst-free thermal evaporation method in nitrogen atmosphere. The SiO2 nanowires have an average diameter of 100 nm and length of 2 μm, while the diameter of the SiO2 microwires is around 10 μm and the length is hundreds of micrometers. The photoluminescence spectrum of the SiO2 hierarchical nanostructure shows stable blue and green emission at 442 nm and 533 nm, respectively. An oxygen-assisted three-step growth mechanism was suggested to interpret the growth of the SiO2 hierarchical nanostructure.

Capillarity-Driven Self-Assembly of Silver Nanowires-Coated Fibers for Flexible and Stretchable Conductor

Yi Li,Jun Chen,Xiao Han,Yinghui Li,Ziqiang Zhang,Yanwen Ma 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2018 NANO Vol.13 No.12

The rapid development of smart textiles requires the large-scale fabrication of conductive fibers. In this study, we develop a simple, scalable and low-cost capillary-driven self-assembly method to prepare conductive fibers with uniform morphology, high conductivity and good mechanical strength. Fiber-shaped flexible and stretchable conductors are obtained by coating highly conductive and flexible silver nanowires (Ag NWs) on the surfaces of yarn and PDMS fibers through evaporation-induced flow and capillary-driven self-assembly, which is proven by the in situ optical microscopic observation. The density of Ag NWs and linear resistance of the conductive fibers could be regulated by tuning the assembly cycles. A linear resistance of 1.4Ω/cm could be achieved for the Ag NWs-coated nylon, which increases only 8% after 200 bending cycle, demonstrating high flexibility and mechanical stability. The flexible and stretchable conductive fibers have great potential for the application in wearable devices.

B-cell Lymphoma 2 rs17757541 C>G Polymorphism was Associated with an Increased Risk of Gastric Cardiac Adenocarcinoma in a Chinese Population

Li, Qiong,Yin, Jun,Wang, Xu,Wang, Li-Ming,Shi, Yi-Jun,Zheng, Liang,Tang, Wei-Feng,Ding, Guo-Wen,Liu, Chao,Liu, Rui-Ping,Gu, Hai-Yong,Sun, Jia-Ming,Chen, Suo-Cheng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

Aim: Apoptosis has been considered as a fundamental component in cancer pathogenesis, and related genetic factors might play an important role in gastric cardiac adenocarcinoma (GCA) genesis. Methods: We conducted a hospital based case.control study to evaluate the genetic effects of functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): BCL2 rs17757541 C>G, BCL2 rs12454712 T>C, FAS rs2234767 G>A, FASL/FASLG rs763110 C>T, ERBB2 rs1136201 A>G and VEGFR2/KDR rs11941492 C>T on the development of GCA. A total of 243 GCA cases and 476 controls were recruited for the study and genotypes were determined using a custom-by-design 48-Plex SNPscan$^{TM}$ Kit. Results: The BCL2 rs17757541 C>G polymorphism was associated with increased risk of GCA. However, there was no significant associations with the other five SNPs. Stratified analyses indicated a significantly increased risk of GCA associated with the BCL2 rs17757541 C>G polymorphism among males, older patients and those with a history of smoking or drinking. Conclusion: These findings indicated that the functional polymorphism BCL2 rs17757541 C>G might contribute to GCA susceptibility. However, our results were limited by small sample size. Future larger studies are required to confirm our current findings.

Bimodal Phenomenon of the Stress–Strain Curve During Hot Compression of LA43M Mg–Li Alloy

Yi Li,Yanjin Guan,Hu Chen,Jiqiang Zhai,Jun Lin,Liang Chen 대한금속·재료학회 2021 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.27 No.10

In this study, the samples of LA43M Mg–Li alloy were compressed to the true strains of 0.12, 0.16, 0.36 and 0.60 under300 °C and the strain rate of 0.1 s−1. Under this condition, the stress–strain curves present a special bimodal phenomenon atthe early deformation stage, which is caused by twinning and dynamic recrystallization. In the process of hot compression,extension twins generated first. Twinning accommodated strain and the glide of twinning dislocations dissipated local strainenergy, resulting in the first local stress drop. Then extension twins coarsened and devoured all the matrix, leading to thechange of grain orientation. Subsequently, dislocations accumulated at the grain boundaries and resulted in the increase instress. With further strain, dynamic recrystallization occurred, discontinuous dynamic recrystallization is the main dynamicrecrystallization mechanism. The generation of dynamic recrystallization resulted in the strain softening and leaded tothe second local stress drop. Twinning retards the occurrence dynamic recrystallization and has a crucial influence on themicrostructure development during the hot compression of LA43M.

Lipid Emulsion as a Drug Delivery System for Breviscapine: Formulation Development and Pptimization

( Jun Wei Li ),( Li Gao ),( Yi Dong Yan ),( Roshan Pradhan ),( Jong Oh Kim ),( Qi Zhe Quan ) 영남대학교 약품개발연구소 2012 영남대학교 약품개발연구소 연구업적집 Vol.22 No.0

In this study, we developed an optimized formulation of a breviscapine lipid emulsion (BLE) and evaluated the physicochemical properties and in vivo pharmacokinetics of BLE in rats. For the preparation of the lipid emulsion, soybean oil and oleic acid were used as the oil phase, lecithin and poloxamer 188 as surfactants and glycerol as co-surfactant. An optimized formulation consisting of soybean oil (10.0%), oleic acid (0.9%), lecithin (1.5%), poloxamer 188 (0.4%), and glycerol (2.25%) was selected. The results showed that the average particle size, polydispersity index, and zeta potential of the optimized formulation were 183.5 ± 5.5 nm, 0.098 ± 0.046, and -35.0 ± 2.5 mV, respectively. The BLE was stable for at least three month at room temperature. After a single intravenous dose of 4 mg/kg to rats, the AUC of scutellarin from the lipid emulsion was about 1.5-fold higher than that of the commercial product (breviscapine injection). In conclusion, the optimizedformulation of BLE showed positive results over the commercial product in terms of the physicochemical properties and pharmacokinetics of BLE in rats.

Modulation of Drug Resistance in Ovarian Cancer Cells by Inhibition of Protein Kinase C-alpha (PKC-α) with Small Interference RNA (siRNA) Agents

Zhao, Li-Jun,Xu, Heng,Qu, Jun-Wei,Zhao, Wan-Zhou,Zhao, Yi-Bing,Wang, Jin-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Objective: To determine whether silence of $PKC-{\alpha}$ expression by small interference RNA (siRNA) might regulate MDR1 expression and reverse chemoresistance of ovarian cancer. Methods: We measured gene and protein expression of MDR1 and $PKC-{\alpha}$ in ovarian cancer cells and assessed their correlation with cell drug resistance. We also examined whether blocking $PKC-{\alpha}$ by RNA interference (RNAi) affected MDR1 expression and reversed drug resistance in drug sensitivity tests. Results: The drug resistance cell lines, OV1228/DDP and OV1228/Taxol, had higher gene and protein expression of MDR1 and $PKC-{\alpha}$ than their counterpart sensitive cell line, OV1228. SiRNA depressed $PKC-{\alpha}$ gene protein expression, as well as MDR1 and protein expression and improved the drug sensitivity in OV1228/DDP and OV1228/Taxol cells. Conclusion: These results indicated that decreasing $PKC-{\alpha}$ expression with siRNA might be an effective method to improve drug sensitivity in drug resistant cells with elevated levels of $PKC-{\alpha}$ and MDR1. A new siRNA-based therapeutic strategy targeting $PKC-{\alpha}$ gene could be designed to overcome the chemoresistance of ovarian cancer.

Dynamic analysis of Ca^(2+) level during bovine oocytes maturation and early embryonic development

Su Li Liang,Qian Jun Zhao,Xiang Chen Li,Ya Ping Jin,Yi Peng Wang,Xiao Hua Su,Wei Jun Guan,Yue Hui Ma 대한수의학회 2011 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.12 No.2

Mammalian oocyte maturation and early embryo development processes are Ca^(2+)-dependent. In this study, we used confocal microscopy to investigate the distribution pattern of Ca^(2+) and its dynamic changes in the processes of bovine oocytes maturation, in vitro fertilization (IVF), parthenogenetic activation (PA) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryo development. During the germinal vesicle (GV) and GV breakdown stage, Ca^(2+) was distributed in the cortical ooplasm and throughout the oocytes from the MI to MII stage. In IVF embryos, Ca^(2+)was distributed in the cortical ooplasm before the formation of the pronucleus. In 4-8 cell embryos and morulas, Ca^(2+) was present throughout the blastomere. In PA embryos, Ca^(2+) was distributed throughout the blastomere at 48 h, similar to in the 4-cell and 8-cell phase and the morula. At 6 h after activation, there was almost no distribution of Ca^(2+) in the SCNT embryos. However, Ca^(2+) was distributed in the donor nucleus at 10 h and it was distributed throughout the blastomere in the 2-8 cell embryos. In this study, Ca^(2+) showed significant fluctuations with regularity of IVF and SCNT groups, but PA did not. Systematic investigation of the Ca^(2+) location and distribution changes during oocyte maturation and early embryo development processes should facilitate a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in oocyte maturation, reconstructed embryo activation and development, ultimately improving the reconstructed embryo development rate.

FSCB phosphorylation in mouse spermatozoa capacitation

( Shun Li Liu ),( Bing Ni ),( Xiang Wei Wang ),( Wen Qian Huo ),( Jun Zhang ),( Zhi Qiang Tian ),( Ze Min Huang ),( Yi Tian ),( Jun Tang ),( Yan Hua Zheng ),( Feng Shuo Jin ),( Yan Feng Li ) 생화학분자생물학회(구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2011 BMB Reports Vol.44 No.8

It is generally accepted that spermatozoa capacitation is associated with protein kinase A-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation. In our previous study, we identified the fibrous sheath CABYR binding protein (FSCB), which was phosphorylated by PKA. However, the phosphorylation status of FSCB protein during spermatozoa capacitation should be further investigated. To this aim, in this study, we found that phosphorylation of this 270-kDa protein occurred as early as 1 min after mouse spermatozoa capacitation, which increased over time and remained stable after 60 min. Immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the tyrosine and Ser/Thr phosphorylation of FSCB occurred during spermatozoa capacitation. The extent of phosphorylation and was closely associated with the PKA activity and spermatozoa motility characteristics. FSCB phosphorylation could be induced by PKA agonist DB-cAMP, but was blocked by PKA antagonist H-89.Therefore, FSCB contributes to spermatozoa capacitation in a tyrosine-phosphorylated format, which may help in further elucidating the molecular mechanism of spermatozoa capacitation. [BMB reports 2011; 44(8): 541-546]

HIV-negative plasmablastic lymphoma: report of 8 cases and a comprehensive review of 394 published cases

Ya-Jun Li,Ji-Wei Li,Kai-Lin Chen,Jin Li,Mei-Zuo Zhong,Xian-Ling Liu,Ping-Yong Yi,Hui Zhou 대한혈액학회 2020 Blood Research Vol.55 No.1

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare entity of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The clinicopathological features of and optimal treatment for HIV-negative PBL remain largely unknown.MethodsTo gain insight into this distinct lymphoma, we summarized the clinicopathologic charac-teristics of 8 unpublished HIV-negative PBLs and performed a comprehensive review of 394 published cases.ResultsOf the 8 unpublished PBLs, the median patient age was 53.0 years. Four patients pre-sented with stage IV disease. All 8 patients showed a plasma cell-like immunophenotype. Of the six patients who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy, including two who received bortezomib, three patients achieved a continuous complete response, two pa-tients died due to disease progression, and one patient was lost to follow-up. The other two patients achieved continuous complete response after receiving chemotherapy com-bined with radiotherapy and surgery. Of the 402 patients, the majority were male, with a mean age of 58.0 years. EBV infection was detected in 55.7% of the patients. The median survival times of the patients who received CHOP or CHOP-like regimens and intensive regimens were not reached and 23.0 months, respectively, and the intensive regimen did not improve the survival outcome (P=0.981). Multivariate analysis showed that EBER remained the only independent factor affecting overall survival (OS).ConclusionHIV-negative PBL is a distinct entity with a predilection for elderly and immunosup-pressed individuals. Intensive chemotherapy had no apparent survival benefits over the CHOP regimen in terms of OS; the prognosis of this disease is poor with current chemo-therapy methods, and treatment remains a challenge.