Molecular cloning and characterization of biphenyl hydrolase-like (BPHL) protein gene from silkworm, Bombyx mori

Kun Gao,Xiang Yuan Deng,Meng Ke Shang,Heying Qian,Xijie Guo 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.3

The cDNA of a biphenyl hydrolase-like (BPHL) protein from Bombyx mori was cloned via rapid amplification of cDNA ends and submitted to GenBank under accession number JN020647. The full-length BmBPHL cDNA was 1161 bp, with four exons and three introns. It consisted of a 208 bp 5′-terminal untranslated region (UTR) and a 191 bp 3′-UTR with three polyadenylation signal sequences AATAAA and a poly(A) tail. The BmBPHL cDNA encodes a 253–amino acid polypeptide with a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.67 and a predicted molecular weight of 28.9 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of BmBPHL contained an abhydrolase_6 domain and the Gly-X-Ser-X-Gly motif that is characteristic of serine hydrolases. Sequence comparison showed that BmBPHL is 51% identical to Tribolium castaneum BPHL and 50% identical to Nasonia vitripennis BPHL. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that BmBPHL is grouped with insect BPHL proteins, separating from vertebrate BPHLs. The BmBPHL mRNA transcripts were mainly detected in hemolymph and fat body using fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, infectionwith B. mori cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (BmCPV) upregulated the relative BmBPHL expression in the hemolymph and midgut. Therefore, BmBPHL may have an important function in the response of silkworms to BmCPV infection.

ANXA2 Regulates the Behavior of SGC-7901 Cells

Sun, Meng-Yao,Xing, Rui-Huan,Gao, Xiao-Jie,Yu, Xiang,He, Hui-Min,Gao, Ning,Shi, Hong-Yan,Hu, Yan-Yan,Wang, Qi-Xuan,Xu, Jin-Hui,Hou, Ying-Chun Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.10

ANXA2, a member of the annexin family, is overexpressed and plays important roles in tumor development. However, the significance of ANXA2 expression in gastric carcinoma has not been clarified.To elucidate its roles in growth of gastric cancer, ANXA2 expression in SGC-7901 cells was inhibited with a designated siRNA, then cell proliferation, cell cycling, apoptosis and motility were determined by MTT assay, flow cytometry, Hoechst 33342 staining and wound healing assay, respectively. To further assess the behavior of ANXA2 deleted SGC-7901 cells, changes of microstructures were observed under fluorescence microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy and electron microscopy. We found that inhibition of ANXA2 expression caused cell proliferation to decrease significantly with G1 arrest, motility to be reduced with changes in pseudopodia/filopodia structure and F-actin and ${\beta}$-tubulin expression, and apoptosis to be enhanced albeit without significance. At the same time, ANXA2 deletion resulted in fewer pseudopodia/filopodia, non-stained areas were increased, contact inhibition among cells reappeared, and expression of F-actin and ${\beta}$-tubulin was decreased, with induction of polymerized disassembled forms. Taken together, these data suggest that ANXA2 overexpression is important to maintain the malignancy of cancer cells, and this member of the annexin family has potential to be considered as a target for the gene therapy of gastric carcinoma.

Concurrent Hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 Activates the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway and Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Hao Wang,Xiang-Long Duan,Xiao-Li Qi,Lei Meng,Yi-Song Xu,Tong Wu,Peng-Gao Dai 한국분자세포생물학회 2017 Molecules and cells Vol.40 No.1

Aberrant hypermethylation of Wnt antagonists has been observed in gastric cancer. A number of studies have focused on the hypermethylation of a single Wnt antagonist and its role in regulating the activation of signaling. However, how the Wnt antagonists interacted to regulate the signaling pathway has not been reported. In the present study, we systematically investigated the methylation of some Wnt antagonist genes (SFRP2, SFRP4, SFRP5, DKK1, DKK2, and APC) and their regulatory role in carcinogenesis. We found that aberrant promoter methylation of SFRP2, SFRP4, DKK1, and DKK2 was significantly increased in gastric cancer. Moreover, concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 was observed in gastric cancer and this was significantly associated with increased expression of -catenin, indicating that the joint inactivation of these two genes promoted the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Further analysis using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that DKK2 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival, and the predictive value was markedly enhanced when the combined methylation status of SFRP2 and DKK2 was con-sidered. In addition, the methylation level of SFRP4 and DKK2 was correlated with the patient’s age and tumor differentiation, respectively. In conclusion, epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonists was associated with gastric carcinogenesis, and concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 could be a potential marker for a prognosis of poor overall survival.

Axial compression performance of basalt-fiber-reinforced recycled-concrete-filled square steel tubular stub column

Zhang, Xianggang,Gao, Xiang,Wang, Xingguo,Meng, Ercong,Wang, Fang Techno-Press 2020 Advances in concrete construction Vol.10 No.6

This study aimed to inspect the axial compression mechanical performance of basalt-fiber-reinforced recycled - concrete (BFRRC)-filled square steel tubular stub column. The replacement ratio of recycled coarse aggregate (RCA) and the basalt fiber (BF) dosage were used as variation parameters, and the axial compression performance tests of 15 BFRRC-filled square steel tubular stub column specimens were conducted. The failure mode and the load-displacement/strain curve of the specimen were measured. The working process of the BFRRC-filled square steel tubular stub column was divided into three stages, namely, elastic-elastoplasticity, sudden drawdown, and plasticity. The influence of the design parameters on the peak bearing capacity, energy dissipation performance, and other axial compression performance indexes was discussed. A mathematical model of segmental stiffness degradation was proposed on the basis of the degradation law of combined secant-stiffness under axial compression. The full-process curve equation of axial compressive stress-strain was proposed by introducing the influencing factors, including the RCA replacement ratio and the BF dosage, and the calculated curve agreed well with the test-measured curve.

Concurrent Hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 Activates the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway and Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Wang, Hao,Duan, Xiang-Long,Qi, Xiao-Li,Meng, Lei,Xu, Yi-Song,Wu, Tong,Dai, Peng-Gao Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2017 Molecules and cells Vol.40 No.1

Aberrant hypermethylation of Wnt antagonists has been observed in gastric cancer. A number of studies have focused on the hypermethylation of a single Wnt antagonist and its role in regulating the activation of signaling. However, how the Wnt antagonists interacted to regulate the signaling pathway has not been reported. In the present study, we systematically investigated the methylation of some Wnt antagonist genes (SFRP2, SFRP4, SFRP5, DKK1, DKK2, and APC) and their regulatory role in carcinogenesis. We found that aberrant promoter methylation of SFRP2, SFRP4, DKK1, and DKK2 was significantly increased in gastric cancer. Moreover, concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 was observed in gastric cancer and this was significantly associated with increased expression of ${\beta}-catenin$, indicating that the joint inactivation of these two genes promoted the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Further analysis using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that DKK2 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival, and the predictive value was markedly enhanced when the combined methylation status of SFRP2 and DKK2 was considered. In addition, the methylation level of SFRP4 and DKK2 was correlated with the patient's age and tumor differentiation, respectively. In conclusion, epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonists was associated with gastric carcinogenesis, and concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 could be a potential marker for a prognosis of poor overall survival.

Remarkable impact of steam temperature on ginsenosides transformation from fresh ginseng to red ginseng

Xu, Xin-Fang,Gao, Yan,Xu, Shu-Ya,Liu, Huan,Xue, Xue,Zhang, Ying,Zhang, Hui,Liu, Meng-Nan,Xiong, Hui,Lin, Rui-Chao,Li, Xiang-Ri The Korean Society of Ginseng 2018 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.42 No.3

Background: Temperature is an essential condition in red ginseng processing. The pharmacological activities of red ginseng under different steam temperatures are significantly different. Methods: In this study, an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was developed to distinguish the red ginseng products that were steamed at high and low temperatures. Multivariate statistical analyses such as principal component analysis and supervised orthogonal partial least squared discrimination analysis were used to determine the influential components of the different samples. Results: The results showed that different steamed red ginseng samples can be identified, and the characteristic components were 20-gluco-ginsenoside Rf, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rg1, and malonyl-ginsenoside Rb1 in red ginseng steamed at low temperature. Meanwhile, the characteristic components in red ginseng steamed at high temperature were 20R-ginsenoside Rs3 and ginsenoside Rs4. Polar ginsenosides were abundant in red ginseng steamed at low temperature, whereas higher levels of less polar ginsenosides were detected in red ginseng steamed at high temperature. Conclusion: This study makes the first time that differences between red ginseng steamed under different temperatures and their ginsenosides transformation have been observed systematically at the chemistry level. The results suggested that the identified chemical markers can be used to illustrate the transformation of ginsenosides in red ginseng processing.

A facile macroporous resin-based method for separation of yellow and orange Monascus pigments

Suo Chen,Dong-Xiao Su,Meng-Xiang Gao,Jia-Lan Zhang,Ying-Bao Liu,Qing-Hua Wu,Hua-Lin Yang,Li Li 한국식품과학회 2021 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.30 No.4

The yellow Monascus pigments (YMPs) namedmonascin and ankaflavin and the orange Monascus pigments(OMPs) named rubropunctatin and monascorubrinare two groups of bioactive components in a mixture statein the Monascus fermented products. In order to separatethese two groups of bioactive pigments, a facile macroporousresin-based method was developed. The weak-polarresin CAD-40 was selected from the seven tested macroporousresins as it revealed better properties for theadsorption and desorption of the YMPs and OMPs. Then,CAD-40 resin was used for column-chromatographicseparation. After eluted by 4 bed volumes of ethanol, theyellow group (monascin and ankaflavin) and the orangegroup (rubropunctatin and monascorubrin) were successfullyseparated and purified, with an increased content from49.3% and 44.2% in the crude pigment extract to 85.2%and 83.0% in the final products, respectively. This methodwould be helpful for the large-scale separation and purificationof Monascus pigment products with specificbioactivity.

Regeneration mechanism of CeO2-TiO2 sorbents for elemental mercury capture from syngas

Jinsong Zhou,Kunzan Qiu,Wenhui Hou,Shuaiqi Meng,Xiang Gao 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.3

The characteristics of mercury desorption on spent CeO2-TiO2 (CeTi) sorbents were investigated to improve the cyclic regeneration removal activity. Mercury was significantly released in the form of elemental mercury at temperatures ranging from 250 to 280 oC. Mercury desorption had a significant correlation with regeneration temperature, but was independent of the heating rate and regeneration conditions. The optimal regeneration temperature was 500 oC. The CeTi sorbents could be easily restored by simple heating and exhibited superior activity over several capture- regeneration cycles. The amount of released mercury almost equaled the adsorbed mercury on the surface of the CeTi sorbent, indicating that most of the adsorbed mercury was released during the heating process.

Finite Element and Experimental Analysis of Ultrasonic Vibration Milling of High-Volume Fraction SiCp/Al Composites

Zhan-Li Shi,Dao-Hui Xiang,Hao-Ren Feng,Bang-Fu Wu,Zhi-Meng Zhang,Guo-Fu Gao,Bo Zhao 한국정밀공학회 2021 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.22 No.10

SiCp/Al composites have been widely used in many fields due to their excellent mechanical properties. However, the addition of reinforced phase SiC particles makes the overall properties of the composites hard and brittle, which brings great challenges to milling. Ultrasonic vibration-assisted processing technology has great advantages in processing hard and brittle materials. However, the process of rupture of SiC particles cannot be effectively observed during the test processing, and a large number of tests increase the cost of the test. The combination of finite element analysis and experiment was used to study the machining performance of High-volume fraction SiCp/Al composites in longitudinal-torsional ultrasonicassisted milling (LTUAM), and its feasibility was evaluated by comparing with conventional Milling (CM). By analyzing the trajectories of cutting edges in ultrasonic-assisted milling, It was found that ultrasonic frequency determines the time of periodic contact-separation between chisel edge and workpiece, and ultrasonic amplitude determines the maximum distance of contact-separation. Using ABAQUS finite element software, a polygon SiC particles model with a high-volume fraction was established to investigate the SiC particles crushing process under different ultrasonic-assisted milling conditions. The results showed that high-frequency ultrasonic-assisted milling could soften SiCp/Al composites, and the structural integrity of silicon carbide particles could be better maintained under appropriate ultrasonic amplitudes, reducing the probability of fragmentation. The removal mode was mainly plastic removal or crushing into small particles. The surface roughness value and milling force were reduced, improving the surface quality of the processed composite material. The conclusions of the milling test were basically consistent with the simulation results, which prove the correctness and feasibility of the simulation results