Genome-wide identification and evolution of TC1/Mariner in the silkworm (Bombyx mori) genome

Li‑Qin Xie,Ping‑Lan Wang,Shen‑Hua Jiang,Ze Zhang,Hua‑Hao Zhang 한국유전학회 2018 Genes & Genomics Vol.40 No.5

TC1/Mariner transposons belong to class II transposable elements (TEs) that use DNA-mediated “cut and paste” mechanism to transpose, and they have been identified in almost all organisms. Although silkworm (Bombyx mori) has a large amount of TC1/Mariner elements, the genome wide information of this superfamily in the silkworm is unknown. In this study, we have identified 2670 TC1/Mariner (Bmmar) elements in the silkworm genome. All the TEs were classified into 22 families by means of fgclust, a tool of repetitive sequence classification, seven of which was first reported in this study. Phylogenetic and structure analyses based on the catalytic domain (DDxD/E) of transposase sequences indicated that all members of TC1/Mariner were grouped into five subgroups: Mariner, Tc1, maT, DD40D and DD41D/E. Of these five subgroups, maT rather than Mariner possessed most members of TC1/Mariner (51.23%) in the silkworm genome. In particular, phylogenetic analysis and structure analysis revealed that Bmmar15 (DD40D) formed a new basal subgroup of TC1/Mariner element in insects, which was referred to as bmori. Furthermore, we concluded that DD40D appeared to intermediate between mariner and Tc1. Finally, we estimated the insertion time for each copy of TC1/Mariner in the silkworm and found that most of members were dramatically amplified during a period from 0 to 1 mya. Moreover, the detailed functional data analysis showed that Bmmar1, Bmmar6 and Bmmar9 had EST evidence and intact transposases. These implied that TC1/Mariner might have potential transpositional activity. In conclusion, this study provides some new insights into the landscape, origin and evolution of TC1/Mariner in the insect genomes.

Persistent free radicals in carbon-based materials on transformation of refractory organic contaminants (ROCs) in water: A critical review

Qin, Yaxin,Li, Guiying,Gao, Yanpeng,Zhang, Lizhi,Ok, Yong Sik,An, Taicheng Elsevier 2018 Water research Vol.137 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>With the increased concentrations and kinds of refractory organic contaminants (ROCs) in aquatic environments, many previous reviews systematically summarized the applications of carbon-based materials in the adsorption and catalytic degradation of ROCs for their economically viable and environmentally friendly behavior. Interestingly, recent studies indicated that carbon-based materials in natural environment can also mediate the transformation of ROCs directly or indirectly due to their abundant persistent free radicals (PFRs). Understanding the formation mechanisms of PFRs in carbo-based materials and their interactions with ROCs is essential to develop their further applications in environment remediation. However, there is no comprehensive review so far about the direct and indirect removal of ROCs mediated by PFRs in amorphous, porous and crystalline carbon-based materials. The review aims to evaluate the formation mechanisms of PFRs in carbon-based materials synthesized through pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization processes. The influence of synthesis conditions (temperature and time) and carbon sources on the types as well as the concentrations of PFRs in carbon-based materials are also discussed. In particular, the effects of metals on the concentrations and types of PFRs in carbon-based materials are highlighted because they are considered as the catalysts for the formation of PFRs. The formation mechanisms of reactive species and the further transformation mechanisms of ROCs are briefly summarized, and the surface properties of carbon-based materials including surface area, types and number of functional groups, etc. are found to be the key parameters controlling their activities. However, due to diversity and complexity of carbon-based materials, the exact relationships between the activities of carbon-based materials and PFRs are still uncertain. Finally, the existing problems and current challenges for the ROCs transformation with carbon-based materials are also pointed out.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Abundant of PFRs formed in carbon-based materials during the synthesis process. </LI> <LI> The PFRs types and concentrations affected by synthesis conditions. </LI> <LI> The PFRs can activate oxidants and reductants to degrade organic contaminants. </LI> <LI> The PFRs can directly react with organic contaminants. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Enhanced photocatalytic mechanism of Ag₃PO₄ nano-sheets using MS₂ (M = Mo, W)/rGO hybrids as co-catalysts for 4-nitrophenol degradation in water

Zhang, Weiping,Li, Guiying,Wang, Wanjun,Qin, Yaxin,An, Taicheng,Xiao, Xinyan,Choi, Wonyong Elsevier 2018 Applied Catalysis B Vol.232 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>A chemically modified Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB>@MS<SUB>2</SUB>(M = Mo, W)/rGO composite was firstly synthesized via a liquid-exfoliation solvothermal method. The structure, morphology, optical properties and composition were characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The characterization results indicated that compact structure could be obtained by using this typical method due to in-situ chemical modification, which could also control the sizes of Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB> nano-sheets by adding MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO hybrids. More importantly, the resultant Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB>@MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO composite exhibited higher photocatalytic activity and stability toward the degradation of 4-nitrophenol than pure Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB> under sunlight irradiation. The stable structure of Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB>@MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO was closely related with Z-scheme electronic structure and electrical conductivity of MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO hybrids, leading to a higher consumption and transfer of photogenerated electrons. However, by controlling the amounts of MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO hybrids, more stable but lower photocatalytic activity composites could be obtained. Further analysis found that the holes and O<SUB>2</SUB> <SUP>−</SUP> were the main reactive species involved in the photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol. In addition, possible photocatalytic degradation pathways of 4-nitrophenol were also proposed based on the identified intermediates. The findings of this work may provide a new method to design efficient composites for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB>@MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO catalyst was fabricated via a liquid-exfoliation solvothermal method. </LI> <LI> Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB>@MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO has high photocatalytic activity and stability under sunlight. </LI> <LI> The stability of Ag<SUB>3</SUB>PO<SUB>4</SUB>@MS<SUB>2</SUB>/rGO was due to its rapid transfer of photogenerated e<SUP>−</SUP>. </LI> <LI> h<SUP>+</SUP> and O<SUB>2</SUB> <SUP>−</SUP> were the main RSs in photocatalytic degradation of 4-nitrophenol. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Codelivery of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs in a microneedle patch for the treatment of skin pigmentation

Li Qin Zhang,Xiao Peng Zhang,Yu Ying Hao,Bao Li Zhang,Xin Dong Guo 한국공업화학회 2020 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.88 No.-

When overexposed to ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, skin can cause a series of abnormal reactions, suchas excessive pigmentation and solar elastosis. In order to better treat the skin after overexposed to UVB,we designed a dissolving microneedles (MNs) loading hydrophilic ascorbic acid and hydrophobic vitaminA palmitate to achieve codelivery. Here, we confirmed that MNs had enough mechanical strength toinsert the skin and two drugs were delivered subcutaneously in sequence in vitro. In white guinea pigs,surface observation and histological observation results confirmed that two drugs by MNs transdermaldelivery were better than topical administration in the treatment of UVB-damaged skin. The MNs providea method of loading different drugs into the needles and advance the development of transdermal drugdelivery.

SPON2 Promotes M1-like Macrophage Recruitment and Inhibits Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis by Distinct Integrin–Rho GTPase–Hippo Pathways

Zhang, Yan-Li,Li, Qing,Yang, Xiao-Mei,Fang, Fang,Li, Jun,Wang, Ya-Hui,Yang, Qin,Zhu, Lei,Nie, Hui-Zhen,Zhang, Xue-Li,Feng, Ming-Xuan,Jiang, Shu-Heng,Tian, Guang-Ang,Hu, Li-Peng,Lee, Ho-Young,Lee, Su-J American Association for Cancer Research 2018 Cancer research Vol.78 No.9

<P>Matricellular protein SPON2 acts as an HCC suppressor and utilizes distinct signaling events to perform dual functions in HCC microenvironment.</P><P>Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) represent key regulators of the complex interplay between cancer and the immune microenvironment. Matricellular protein SPON2 is essential for recruiting lymphocytes and initiating immune responses. Recent studies have shown that SPON2 has complicated roles in cell migration and tumor progression. Here we report that, in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), SPON2 not only promotes infiltration of M1-like macrophages but also inhibits tumor metastasis. SPON2-α4β1 integrin signaling activated RhoA and Rac1, increased F-actin reorganization, and promoted M1-like macrophage recruitment. F-Actin accumulation also activated the Hippo pathway by suppressing LATS1 phosphorylation, promoting YAP nuclear translocation, and initiating downstream gene expression. However, SPON2-α5β1 integrin signaling inactivated RhoA and prevented F-actin assembly, thereby inhibiting HCC cell migration; the Hippo pathway was not noticeably involved in SPON2-mediated HCC cell migration. In HCC patients, SPON2 levels correlated positively with prognosis. Overall, our findings provide evidence that SPON2 is a critical factor in mediating the immune response against tumor cell growth and migration in HCC.</P><P><B>Significance:</B> Matricellular protein SPON2 acts as an HCC suppressor and utilizes distinct signaling events to perform dual functions in HCC microenvironment.</P><P><B>Graphical Abstract:</B> http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/canres/78/9/2305/F1.large.jpg. <I>Cancer Res; 78(9); 2305–17. ©2018 AACR</I>.</P><P><B>Graphical Abstract</B></P><P> [Figure]</P>

Protective Effects of Gypenosides against Fatty Liver Disease Induced by High Fat and Cholesterol Diet and Alcohol in Rats

Renan Qin,Hong Nie,Jianyu Zhang,Chuyuan Li,Xiaoqi Zhang,Aihua Xiong,Feng Huang,Zhen Yin,Kongyan Li,Wenyu Qin,Mingzhen Chen,Shubing Zhang,Lingyi Liang,Huiye Zhang,Wencai Ye 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.7

In the present study, the protective effects of gypenosides from Gynostemma pentaphyllum on fatty liver disease (FLD) were examined in rats treated with high fat and cholesterol diet and alcohol. Male SD rats were divided into seven groups: control, model, lovastatin, silymarin, gypenosides high-, medium- and low-treatment groups. The latter 6 groups were fed high-fat and cholesterol diet and administered alcohol intragastricly once a day. Body weight was measured every week for 10 weeks, and the hepatic index was measured after 10 weeks. Compared with model group, levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acid (FFA), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, malondialdehyde (MDA), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, and hepatocyte apoptosis were significantly decreased in gypenosides groups; while serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in both serum and hepatic tissue and mRNA and protein level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) were significantly increased. Moreover, hepatic steatosis and mitochondrial damage were improved. These results suggested that gypenosides could prevent liver fatty degeneration in fatty liver disease through modulating lipid metabolism, ameliorating liver dysfunction and reducing oxidative stress.

Cordblood-Based High-Throughput Screening for Deafness Gene of 646 Newborns in Jinan Area of China

Shou-Xia Li,Ding-Li Chen,Su-Bin Zhao,Li-Li Guo,Hai-Qin Feng,Xiao-Fang Zhang,Li-Li Ping,Zhi-Ming Yang,Cai-Xia Sun,Gen-Dong Yao 대한이비인후과학회 2015 Clinical and Experimental Otorhinolaryngology Vol.8 No.3

Objectives. Infants with slight/mild or late-onset hearing impairment might be missed in universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS). We identified the mutation hot spot of common deaf gene in the newborns in Jinan area population by screening the mutation spot with neonate cord blood, in order to make clear whether the neonate cord blood for screening is feasible. Methods. Six hundred and forty-six newborns were subjected to both UNHS and genetic screening for deafness by using neonate cord blood. The newborn genetic screening targeted four deafness-associated genes, which were commonly found in the Chinese population including gap junction beta-2 protein (GJB2), gap junction beta-3 protein (GJB3), solute carrier family 26 member 4 (SLC26A4), and mtDNA 12S rRNA. The most common 20 spot mutations in 4 deaf genes were detected by MassARRAY iPLEX platform and mitochondrial 12S rRNA A1555G and C1494T mutations were sequenced using Sanger sequencing. Results. Among the 646 newborns, 635 cases passed the UNHS and the other 11 cases (1.7%) did not. Of the 11 failures, two cases were found to carry homozygous GJB2 p.R143W pathogenic mutation, one case was found to have heterozygous GJB2 235delC mutation, and another one case carried heterozygous GJB3 p.R180X pathogenic mutation. Six hundred and thirty-five babies passed the newborn hearing screening, in which 25 babies were identified to carry pathogenic mutations, including 12 heterozygotes (1.9%) for GJB2 235delC, eight heterozygotes (1.3%) for SLC26A4 IVS7-2A>G, one heterozygote (0.2%) for p.R409H, two homozygotes (0.3%) for m.1494C>T, and two homozygotes (0.3%) for m.1555A>G. Conclusion. Newborn genetic screening through the umbilical cord blood for common deafness-associated mutations may identify carriers sensitive to aminoglycoside antibiotic, and can effectively prevent or delay hearing loss occurs.

Overexpression of NDRG2 Can Inhibit Neuroblastoma Cell Proliferation through Negative Regulation by CYR61

Zhang, Zhi-Guo,Li, Gang,Feng, Da-Yun,Zhang, Jian,Zhang, Jing,Qin, Huai-Zhou,Ma, Lian-Ting,Gao, Guo-Dong,Wu, Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Several recent studies have showed that the n-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a new tumor suppressor gene, and that it plays an important role in tumor suppression in several cancers or cancer cell lines. However, few studies focused on its function in neuroblastoma cells. In the present investigation, we demonstrated that NDRG2 overexpression inhibited their proliferation. Using a cDNA microarray, we found that overexpression of NDRG2 inhibited the expression of cysteine-rich protein 61 (CYR61), a proliferation related gene. From our research, CYR61 may partially hinder NDRG2-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation. Overexpression of NDRG2 resulted in accumulation of cells in the G1 phase, which was accompanied by upregulation of p21 and p27 and downregulation of CDK4 and cyclin D1. Taken together, these data indicate that NDRG2 inhibits the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells partially through suppression of CYR61. Our findings offer novel insights into the physiological roles of NDRG2 in neuroblastoma cell proliferation, and NDRG2 may prove to be effective candidate for the treatment of children with neuroblastoma.

Optimized Mixture Kernels Independent Component Analysis and Echo State Network for Flame Image Recognition

Zhang Li,Zhu Yu-Qin,Yan Xin-Xin,Wu Hao,Li Kun 대한전기학회 2022 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.17 No.6

In this paper, an optimized mixture kernels independent component analysis and echo state network fl ame image recognition model is proposed. Firstly, in order to describe the fl ame image feature information in detail, 19 feature vectors of the three types of color, shape and texture feature are comprehensively extracted; a mixture kernels independent component analysis method is proposed to perform nonlinear transformation and reduce the correlation of them. The mixture kernels function among them is a combination of linear kernel function, Matérn kernel function and Gaussian radial basis kernel function. Then, the feature vector after nonlinear transformation isused as the input vector, and the echo state network model is trained as the recognition model. At the same time, a normal cloud-black hole optimization algorithm (NCGBH) combining black hole algorithm with cloud model is proposed, which can optimize several adjustable parameters of the model. Four benchmark functions are fi rstly used for simulation experiments to prove advancement of the proposed NCGBH algorithm; and then, several fl ame images are used to verify performance of the proposed recognition model. From the comparison and analysis, it is verifi ed that the proposed method has good results in recognition performance, generalization ability, and computational time.

Microsatellite Markers Linked to Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Fatness in Divergently Selected Chicken Lines for Abdominal Fat

Zhang, Hui,Wang, Shouzhi,Li, Hui,Yu, Xijiang,Li, Ning,Zhang, Qin,Liu, Xiaofeng,Wang, Qigui,Hu, Xiaoxiang,Wang, Yuxiang,Tang, Zhiquan Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.10

Abdominal fat characters are complex and economically important in the poultry industry. Their selection may benefit from the implementation of marker-assisted selection (MAS). The objective of this study was to identify the markers linked to QTL responsible for fatness traits. The Northeast Agricultural University broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF) were used in the study. A total of 596 individuals from the divergent tails from the 6th to the 10th generations were genotyped at 23 microsatellite markers on chromosome 1. The differences of allele frequencies of all marker alleles between the divergent tails across the five generations were recorded. The allele frequencies of five markers, including LEI0209, LEI0146, MCW0036, ADL328 and MCW0115, had significant differences between the two tails in all five generations. The resulting p-values using Fisher's exact test on eleven markers, containing MCW248, MCW0010, MCW0106, LEI0252, LEI0068, MCW0018, MCW0061, LEI0088, MCW200, MCW283 and ROS0025, had a decreasing tendency from the 6th to the 10th generation. Statistical analysis showed that polymorphisms of the eight markers, including LEI0209, LEI0146, ROS0025, MCW0115, MCW0010, MCW0036, MCW283, ADL328, were significantly (p<0.0011) or suggestively (p<0.05) associated with abdominal fat content (AFW and AFP) across generations. It is concluded that the eight markers could be associated with the QTL affecting the deposition of abdominal fat in broiler chickens.