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.

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.

Protein Kinase C Mediates the Corticosterone-induced Sensitization of Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons Innervating the Rat Stomach

( Meng Li ),( Lu Xue ),( Hong-yan Zhu ),( Hongjun Wang ),( Xue Xu ),( Ping-an Zhang ),( Geping Wu ),( Guang-yin Xu ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회 2017 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.23 No.3

Background/Aims Gastric hypersensitivity contributes to abdominal pain in patients with functional dyspepsia. Recent studies showed that hormones induced by stress are correlated with visceral hypersensitivity. However, the precise mechanisms underlying gastric hypersensitivity remain largely unknown. The aim of the present study was designed to investigate the roles of corticosterone (CORT) on excitability of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons innervating the stomach. Methods DRG neurons innervating the stomach were labeled by DiI injection into the stomach wall. Patch clamp recordings were employed to examine neural excitability and voltage-gated sodium channel currents. Electromyograph technique was used to determine the responses of neck muscles to gastric distension. Results Incubation of acutely isolated DRG neurons with CORT significantly depolarized action potential threshold and enhanced the number of action potentials induced by current stimulation of the neuron. Under voltage-clamp mode, incubation of CORT enhanced voltage-gated sodium current density of the recorded neurons. Pre-incubation of GF109203X, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, blocked the CORT-induced hyperexcitability and potentiation of sodium currents. However, pre-incubation of H-89, an inhibitor of protein kinase A, did not alter the sodium current density. More importantly, intraperitoneal injection of CORT produced gastric hypersensitivity of healthy rats, which was blocked by pre-administration of GF109203X but not H-89. Conclusions Our data strongly suggest that CORT rapidly enhanced neuronal excitability and sodium channel functions, which is most likely mediated by protein kinase C but not protein kinase A signaling pathway in DRG neurons innervating the stomach, thus underlying the gastric hypersensitivity induced by CORT injection. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2017;23:464-476)

Distinctions Between Clinicopathological Factors and Prognosis of Alpha-fetoprotein Negative and Positive Hepatocelluar Carcinoma Patients

Xu, Jia,Liu, Chang,Zhou, Lei,Tian, Feng,Tai, Ming-Hui,Wei, Ji-Chao,Qu, Kai,Meng, Fan-Di,Zhang, Ling-Qiang,Wang, Zhi-Xin,Zhang, Jing-Yao,Chang, Hu-Lin,Liu, Si-Nan,Xu, Xin-Shen,Song, Yan-Zhou,Liu, Jun,Z Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.2

Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a significant marker for clinical diagnosis and prognosis evaluation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, some proportion of liver cancer patients are AFP-negative (AFP ${\leq}$20ng/ml). In order to study the differences between clinicopathological factors and prognosis of alpha-fetoprotein negative and positive patients, a total of 114 cases (41 AFP-negative and 73 AFP-positive) were selected for our research. By systematically statistical analysis, the results demonstrated that compared with AFP-negative patients, AFP-positive examples were more likely to feature cirrhosis nodules, non-complete neoplasm capsules, and a poor Edmondson-steiner grade. Furthermore, AFP-negative patients demonstrated a favorable long-term prognosis. By univariate analysis and multivariate analysis with Cox's proportional hazards model, multiple tumors were found to be independent risk factors for worse survival of AFP negative patients; however, less tumor-free margins, multiple tumors and Edmondson-steiner grades III/IV, proved to be independent risk factors leading to a poor prognosis of AFP positive cases. Finally, we can infer that high levels of AFP signify a highly malignant tumor and unfavorable prognosis.

Image Retrieval Method Based on IPDSH and SRIP

( Xu Zhang ),( Baolong Guo ),( Yunyi Yan ),( Wei Sun ),( Meng Yi ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2014 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.8 No.5

At present, the Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system has become a hot research topic in the computer vision field. In the CBIR system, the accurate extractions of low-level features can reduce the gaps between high-level semantics and improve retrieval precision. This paper puts forward a new retrieval method aiming at the problems of high computational complexities and low precision of global feature extraction algorithms. The establishment of the new retrieval method is on the basis of the SIFT and Harris (APISH) algorithm, and the salient region of interest points (SRIP) algorithm to satisfy users` interests in the specific targets of images. In the first place, by using the IPDSH and SRIP algorithms, we tested stable interest points and found salient regions. The interest points in the salient region were named as salient interest points. Secondary, we extracted the pseudo-Zernike moments of the salient interest points` neighborhood as the feature vectors. Finally, we calculated the similarities between query and database images. Finally, We conducted this experiment based on the Caltech-101 database. By studying the experiment, the results have shown that this new retrieval method can decrease the interference of unstable interest points in the regions of non-interests and improve the ratios of accuracy and recall.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Flower-like and Plate-like CuO Nanopowder and Their Photocatalytic Activity for Polluted Lake Water

Xu, Ling,Xu, Hai-Yan,Wang, Feng,Zhang, Feng-Jun,Meng, Ze-Da,Zhao, Wei,Oh, Won-Chun The Korean Ceramic Society 2012 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.49 No.2

Flower-like and plate-like CuO nanopowder has been successfully synthesized using a facile microwave-assisted synthetic route. The morphology and size of the final products strongly depended on microwave power. The phase, structures and morphologies of the as-prepared products were investigated in detail by BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the chemical oxygen demand of polluted lake water was employed for characterization of these new photocatalysts. The results showed correlations between the morphology of CuO micro-crystals and their catalytic properties.

RNAi‐mediated knockdown of juvenile hormone esterase causes mortality and malformation in Tribolium castaneum

Xu Zhanyi,Yan Ru,Qian Jiali,Chen Dongping,Guo Yirong,Zhu Guonian,Wu Huiming,Chen Mengli 한국곤충학회 2022 Entomological Research Vol.52 No.11

RNA interference is an efficient approach for gene function identification and a potential novel strategy for selectively controlling pests. The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a major global storage pest, which causes great economic loss. Juvenile hormone esterase (JHE), a carboxylesterase, is responsible for the degradation of juvenile hormone. However, the knockdown effect of jhe on metamorphosis of pupae or adult in T. castaneum is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the expression profiles of Tc j h e in the larval stage, we found that Tc j h e was expressed throughout the whole larval instars and the expression levels were relatively high right after molting. Furthermore, we knocked down the expression of Tcjhe by injecting dsTc j h e , which significantly increased the mortality of adults and decreased the eclosion rate. In addition, abnormal developmental phenotypes, including wing deformitity, pupal–adult monsters and shrunken adults, were observed. Our finding indicates that JHE plays an important role in the metamorphosis and development in T. castaneum, suggesting that Tc j h e could be used as a potential target for the development of RNAi-based control strategies in T. castaneum.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Flower-like and Plate-like CuO Nanopowder and Their Photocatalytic Activity for Polluted Lake Water

Ling Xu,Hai-Yan Xu,Feng Wang,Feng-Jun Zhang,Ze-Da Meng,Wei Zhao,오원춘 한국세라믹학회 2012 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.49 No.2

Flower-like and plate-like CuO nanopowder has been successfully synthesized using a facile microwave-assisted synthetic route. The morphology and size of the final products strongly depended on microwave power. The phase, structures and morphologies of the as-prepared products were investigated in detail by BET surface area analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the chemical oxygen demand of polluted lake water was employed for characterization of these new photocatalysts. The results showed correlations between the morphology of CuO micro-crystals and their catalytic properties.

Synthesis, Antibacterial Activity, and Structure–Activity Relationship of Fusaric Acid Analogs

Qing-Yan Zhang,Yang Fei‐Yu,Liao Shang‐Gao,Wang Bing,Li Rui,Dong Yong‐Xi,Zhou Meng,Yang Yuan‐Yong,Xu Guo‐Bo 대한화학회 2021 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.42 No.4

Forty-one fusaric acid analogs possessing a pyridine carboxylic acid scaffold have been synthesized. The antibacterial activity results demonstrated that compounds 5b, 7b, 8c, and 8d displayed strong antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 4–16 μg/mL. Molecular docking study indicated that these compounds have strong hydrogen-bonding interactions with TyrRS. Meanwhile, 8c and 8d showed promising antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC9027. Compound 4 exhibited pronounced antibacterial activities against a clinically isolated multidrug-resistant strain of Escherichia coli (MIC: 64 μg/mL as compared 64 μg/mL of levofloxacin and 1024 μg/mL of ceftriaxone sodium). Moreover, compound 17e displayed strong synergistic antibacterial effect with levofloxacin against the multidrug-resistant strain, decreasing the MIC value of levofloxacin to 1/16 of its original MIC. No obvious cytotoxic activities against LO2 was observed for compounds 4, 5b, 8c, 8d, 17d, and 17e at 50 μM. The preliminary structure–activity relationship of fusaric acid analogs was also discussed.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and functional analysis of a gene encoding 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase from Matricaria chamomilla

Feng Xu,Tingting Tao,Qiangwen Chen,Xiangxiang Meng,Jiaping Yan,Jie Chang 한국유전학회 2016 Genes & Genomics Vol.38 No.12

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (HMGS) catalyzes the condensation of acetyl-CoA and acetoacetyl- CoA to form 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA as the first committed enzyme in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. HMGS plays an important role in the biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene, which is the main constituent of essential oil in Matricaria chamomilla. In this paper, a HMGS gene designated as McHMGS (GenBank Accession No. KU529970) was successfully cloned from M. chamomilla. The full-length cDNA of McHMGS was 1495-bp and contained a 1374-bp open reading frame. It encoded a 458-amino-acid protein with a calculated molecular weight of about 50.7 kDa and isoelectric point of 5.69. Sequence comparison revealed that McHMGS showed extensive homology with HMGSs from other plant species. Phylogenetic tree analysis indicated that McHMGS is clustered with the HMGS of Asteraceae in the dicotyledoneae clade. Further functional complementation of McHMGS in hmgsdeficient mutant yeast strain YSC6274 demonstrated that cloned McHMGS cDNA encodes a functional HMGS and mediates the MVA biosynthesis in yeasts. The tissue expression pattern analysis revealed that McHMGS expression level is highest in the flowers and lowest in the stems. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that the expression of McHMGS was induced by MeJA, and the expression level is highest 24 h after induction. The characterization and expression of McHMGS can help in further studying the role of McHMGS gene in the biosynthesis of sesquiterpene in M. chamomilla.