Association of Six Susceptibility Loci with Prostate Cancer in Northern Chinese Men

Zhang, Yu-Rong,Xu, Yong,Yang, Kuo,Liu, Ming,Wei, Dong,Zhang, Yao-Guang,Shi, Xiao-Hong,Wang, Jian-Ye,Yang, Fan,Wang, Xin,Liang, Si-Ying,Zhao, Cheng-Xiao,Wang, Fei,Chen, Xin,Sun, Liang,Zhu, Xiao-Quan,Zh Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.12

Background/Aim: Six prostate cancer (PCa) susceptibility loci were identified in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in populations of European decent. However, the associations of these 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with PCa has remained tobe clarified in men in Northern China. This study aimed to explore the loci associated with PCa risk in a Northern Chinese population. Methods: Blood samples and clinical information of 289 PCa patients and 288 controls from Beijing and Tianjin were collected. All risk SNPs were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-high resolution melting curve technology and gene sequencing. Associations between PCa and clinical covariates (age at diagnosis, prostate-specific antigen [PSA], Gleason score, tumor stage, and level of aggressiveness) and frequencies of alleles and genotypes of these SNPs were analyzed using genetic statistics. Results: Among the candidate SNPs, 11p15 (rs7127900, A) was associated with PCa risk (P = 0.02, odds ratio [OR] = 1.64, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-2.46). Genotypes showed differences between cases and controls on 11p15 (rs7127900, A), 11q13 (rs7931342, T), and HNF1B (rs4430796, A) (P = 0.03, P = 0.01, and P = 0.04, respectively). The genotype TG on 11q13 (rs7931342, T) was positively associated with an increased Gleason score (P = 0.04, OR = 2.15, 95% CI = 1.02-4.55). Patients carrying TG on 17q24 (rs1859962, G) were negatively associated with an increased body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.03, OR = 0.44, 95% CI = 0.21-0.92) while those with AG on HNF1B (rs4430796, A) were more likely to have PSA increase (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Our study suggests that 11p15 (rs7127900, A) could be a susceptibility locus associated with PCa in Northern Chinese. Genotype TG on 11q13 (rs7931342, T) could be related to an increased Gleason score, AG on HNF1B (rs4430796, A) could be associated with PSA increase, and TG on 17q24 (rs1859962, G) could be negatively associated with an increased BMI in Chinese men with PCa.

Diversity and geographic variation of endosymbiotic bacteria in natural populations of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) in China

Zhang Li,Cao Ya,Zhang Li-Jun,Wang Meng-Yao,Wang Xiao-Tong,Yang Xing-Zhuo,Duan Ting-Yu,Yuan Ming-Long 한국응용곤충학회 2021 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.24 No.3

Bacterial symbionts in aphids are known to benefit the insect host and associated with aphid’s ecological adaptation. The pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), an important legume pest worldwide, carries at least eight endosymbionts, providing a model system to study insect–bacteria interactions. However, species diversity and geographic variations of endosymbionts are unknown in Chinese populations; therefore, we characterized symbiont communities and diversity of 27 pea aphid samples from 13 geographic populations of China. Via amplicon high-throughput sequencing and diagnostic PCR, we found that bacterial communities of Chinese populations were dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Among eight known endosymbionts, five (Buchnera, Serratia, Hamiltonella, Regiella, and Rickettsia) were detected by both methods, with a specific geographical distribution. The obligate symbiont, Buchnera, was present in all aphid samples, while the four facultative symbionts showed a significant geographic variation. Each population was randomly infected with distinct endosymbionts, ranging from three to five species. Serratia and Rickettsia showed relatively higher abundance in central regions of China, Regiella was predominant in eastern and western China, whereas Ham iltonella showed an extremely low abundance and was absent in four populations. Samples grouped by altitudes showed a significant diversity difference, whereas there was no significant difference between red and green body colors. Bacterial community structures of the Chinese pea aphid populations were mainly influenced by environmental factors, other than body colors. These data can guide the development of potential biocontrol techniques against this aphid.

Ellagic Acid Exerts Anti-proliferation Effects via Modulation of Tgf-Β/Smad3 Signaling in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Zhang, Tao,Chen, Hong-Sheng,Wang, Li-Feng,Bai, Ming-Han,Wang, Yi-Chong,Jiang, Xiao-Feng,Liu, Ming Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Ellagic acid has been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, our aim was to investigate whether ellagic acid inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells via regulation of the TGF-${\beta}$/Smad3 signaling pathway. MCF-7 breast cancer cells were transfected with pEGFP-C3 or pEGFP-C3/Smad3 plasmids, and treated with ellagic acid alone or in combination with SIS3, a specific inhibitor of Smad3 phosphorylation. Cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay and the cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Moreover, gene expression was detected by RT-PCR, real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. The MTT assay showed that SIS3 attenuated the inhibitory activity of ellagic acid on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. Flow cytometry revealed that ellagic acid induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest which was mitigated by SIS3. Moreover, SIS3 reversed the effects of ellagic acid on the expression of downstream targets of the TGF-${\beta}$/Smad3 pathway. In conclusion, ellagic acid leads to decreased phosphorylation of RB proteins mainly through modulation of the TGF-${\beta}$/Smad3 pathway, and thereby inhibits the proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells.

Clinical Evaluation of Human Papillomavirus Detection by careHPV^TM Test on Physician-Samples and Self-Samples using The Indicating FTA Elute® Card

Wang, Shao-Ming,Hu, Shang-Ying,Chen, Feng,Chen, Wen,Zhao, Fang-Hui,Zhang, Yu-Qing,Ma, Xin-Ming,Qiao, You-Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.17

Objective: To make the clinical evaluation of a solid-state human papillomavirus (HPV) sampling medium in combination with an economical HPV testing method ($careHPV^{TM}$) for cervical cancer screening. Methods: 396 women aged 25-65 years were enrolled for cervical cancer screening, and four samples were collected. Two samples were collected by woman themselves, among which one was stored in DCM preservative solution (called "liquid sample") and the other was applied on the Whatman Indicating FTA $Elute^{(R)}$ card (FTA card). Another two samples were collected by physician and stored in DCM preservative solution and FTA card, respectively. All the samples were detected by $careHPV^{TM}$ test. All the women were administered a colposcopy examination, and biopsies were taken for pathological confirmation if necessary. Results: FTA card demonstrated a comparable sensitivity of detecting high grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) with the liquid sample carrier for self and physician-sampling, but showed a higher specificity than that of liquid sample carrier for self-sampling (FTA vs Liquid: 79.0% vs 71.6%, p=0.02). Generally, the FTA card had a comparable accuracy with that of Liquid-based medium by different sampling operators, with an area under the curve of 0.807 for physician &FTA, 0.781 for physician &Liquid, 0.728 for self & FTA, and 0.733 for self &Liquid (p>0.05). Conclusions: FTA card is a promising sample carrier for cervical cancer screening. With appropriate education programmes and further optimization of the experimental workflow, FTA card based self-collection in combination with centralized $careHPV^{TM}$ testing can help expand the coverage of cervical cancer screening in low-resource areas.

Potential Therapeutic Targets for the Primary Gallbladder Carcinoma: Estrogen Receptors

Zhang, Ling-Qiang,Zhang, Xiu-De,Xu, Jia,Wan, Yong,Qu, Kai,Zhang, Jing-Yao,Wang, Zhi-Xin,Wei, Ji-Chao,Meng, Fan-Di,Tai, Ming-Hui,Zhou, Lei,Liu, Chang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.4

Gallbladder carcinoma, the most frequent malignant neoplasm of the biliary tract system, has always been considered to feature late clinical presentation and diagnosis, limited treatment options and an extremely poor prognosis. In recent years, while the incidence of gallbladder cancer has appeared to be on the increase, the available treatment methods have not greatly improved survival of the affected patients. Thus, exploring new therapeutic targets for this devastating disease is an urgent matter at present. Epidemical studies have demonstrated that the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma exhibits a distinct gender bias, affecting females two to three times more than males, pointing to crucial roles of estrogen. It is well known that estrogen acts on target tissues by binding to estrogen receptors (ERs), which are mainly divided into three subtypes, $ER{\alpha}$, $ER{\beta}$ and $ER{\gamma}$. $ER{\alpha}$ and $ER{\beta}$ appear to have overlapping but also unique even opposite biological effects. As important pathogenic mediators, ERs have been considered to relate to several kinds of tumors. In gallbladder carcinoma tissue, ERs have been shown to be positively expressed, and ERs expression levels are associated with differentiation and prognosis of this cancer. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms of estrogen inducing growth of gallbladder carcinoma remain poorly understood. On the base of the current investigations, we deduce that estrogen participates in promotion of gallbladder carcinoma by influencing the formation of gallstones, stimulating angiogenesis, and promoting abnormal proliferation. Since ERs mediate the carcinogenic actions of estrogen in gallbladder, and therapy targeting ERs may provide new directions for gallbladder carcinoma. Therefore, it should be stressed that ERs are potential therapeutic targets for gallbladder carcinoma.

Dysregulated Fatty Acid Metabolism in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

( Ming-da Wang ),( Jun Han ),( Hao Xing ),( Han Zhang ),( Zheng Wang ),( Zhen-li Li ),( Liang Lei ),( Chao Li ),( Feng Shen ),( Tian Yang ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: Studies are urgently needed on it molecular pathogenesis and biological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Dysregulation of fatty acid (FA) metabolism, in which aberrant activation of oncogenic signaling pathways alters the expression and activity of lipid-metabolizing enzymes, is an emerging hallmark of cancer cells, and it may be involved in HCC development and progression. Methods: We summarize the characteristics of FA metabolism in HCC, focusing on the pathways of FA synthesis, oxidation, uptake and transport. We also provide a brief review of the relationship between NAFLD and HCC development. Results: The current review summarizes the dysregulated FA metabolism in HCC and pathways through which this dysregulation may regulate HCC survival and growth. Aberrant activation of oncogenic signaling pathways regulates the expression and activity of lipid-metabolizing enzymes, thus reprogramming FA metabolism to promote HCC development and progression. Intracellular FAs are required for biosynthesis of most biological membrane lipids and signaling molecules, and are also used to provide energy to support HCCs survival and proliferation, when necessary, through β-oxidation process. HCC cells can employ appropriate metabolic pathways as different situation demands. Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and HCC exhibits differential requirement for de novo lipogenesis and distinct response to therapeutic approaches focusing on inhibition of exogenous FA uptake. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease related obesity and diabetes have increasingly emerged as two major factors responsible for the rise in prevalent of HCC. Conclusions: Our understanding of dysregulated FA metabolism and associated signaling pathways may contribute to the development of novel and efficient anti-tumor approaches for patients with HCC.

Optical Characters Measurement and Simulation of 2D Cross Grating Microstructures of Butterfly Wings

Wang Zhang,Di Zhang,Wei-Xin Chen,Jia-Jun Gu,Qin-Lei Liu,Shen-Ming Zhu,Hui-Lan Su,Chuan-Liang Feng,문원진 한국정밀공학회 2012 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

In this paper, the reflectance of the butterfly wings are measured by using the microspectrophotometer as the optical character with the reflectance on several scales on the wings. Reflectance spectra from different wing scale zones with the same color are dramatically different. And it suggests that the tiny structural difference has the great influence on the reflectance property. In addition, the microstructures of the butterfly wings can be simplified to a 2D crossing grating. By simulating a two-dimensional model using rigorous coupled-wave analysis technique, the optical properties of the butterfly wings were investigated. The simulation results depend strongly on the structural parameters and refractive index. The research will reveal the mechanisms of the structural color of 2D crossing grating butterfly wings.

Transiting Exoplanet Monitoring Project (TEMP). IV. Refined System Parameters, Transit Timing Variations, and Orbital Stability of the Transiting Planetary System HAT-P-25

Wang, Xian-Yu,Wang, Songhu,Hinse, Tobias C.,Li, Kai,Wang, Yong-Hao,Laughlin, Gregory,Liu, Hui-Gen,Zhang, Hui,Wu, Zhen-Yu,Zhou, Xu,Zhou, Ji-Lin,Hu, Shao-Ming,Wu, Dong-Hong,Peng, Xi-Yan,Chen, Yuan-Yuan Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2018 Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pa Vol.130 No.988

Optical Characters Measurement and Simulation of 2D Cross Grating Microstructures of Butterfly Wings

Zhang, Wang,Zhang, Di,Chen, Wei-Xin,Gu, Jia-Jun,Liu, Qin-Lei,Zhu, Shen-Ming,Su, Hui-Lan,Feng, Chuan-Liang,Moon, Won-Jin 한국정밀공학회 2012 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.13 No.9

In this paper, the reflectance of the butterfly wings are measured by using the microspectrophotometer as the optical character with the reflectance on several scales on the wings. Reflectance spectra from different wing scale zones with the same color are dramatically different. And it suggests that the tiny structural difference has the great influence on the reflectance property. In addition, the microstructures of the butterfly wings can be simplified to a 2D crossing grating. By simulating a two-dimensional model using rigorous coupled-wave analysis technique, the optical properties of the butterfly wings were investigated. The simulation results depend strongly on the structural parameters and refractive index. The research will reveal the mechanisms of the structural color of 2D crossing grating butterfly wings.

Utility of DNA barcoding for identification of common Vespa species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) from Yunnan, China

Wang Ming‐Ming,Yin Peng‐Kai,Tang Ya‐Ni,Yang Zi‐Zhong,Xiao Huai,Zhang Cheng‐Gui,Yang Yin‐He,Yang Da‐Song 한국곤충학회 2022 Entomological Research Vol.52 No.3

As traditional Chinese medicine and edible insects, Ve s p a hornets have high economic value and huge market demand. Hornet breeding has become an important way to increase the income of mountain farmers in China, but the limitation of traditional identification methods has become the bottleneck of the modern development of hornet resources. In this study, a simple and reliable method for the molecular identification of typical hornets from Yunnan was successfully established. In the NCBI database, DNA sequences of hornet samples were aligned as Vespa analis, Ve s p a b a s a l i s , Vespa velutina, Vespa mandarinia, Ve s p a m a g n i f i c a , Ve s p a b i n g h a m i , Ve s p a s o r o r by BLAST search. The efficiency of the PCR amplification of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I (COI) gene sequences in all samples was 100% by using the optimized program. Moreover, a reference database for DNA barcodes of Vespa materials in Yunnan was constructed. This study provided a successful example for the identification of local insects of Yunnan and will be helpful to the development of wasp resources.