Molecular characterization and functional analysis of a protease-related protein in Chang-Liver cells

( Cong Rui Wang ),( Hui Yong Zhang ),( Hui Gen Feng ),( Bao Sheng Yang ),( Jogenananda Pramanik ),( Zhi Kun Guo ),( Jun Tang Lin ) 생화학분자생물학회 (구 한국생화학분자생물학회) 2010 BMB Reports Vol.43 No.5

In this study, the cDNA library of Chang-liver cells was immunoscreened using common ADAMs antibody to obtain ADAM related genes. We found one positive clone that was confirmed as a new gene by Blast, which is an uncharacterized helical and coil protein and processes protease activity, and named protease-related protein 1 (ARP1). The submitted GenBank accession number is AY078070. Molecular characterizations of ARP1 were analyzed with appropriate bioinformatics software. To analyse its expression and function, ARP1 was subcloned into glutathione S-transferase fusion plasmid pGEX-2T and expressed by E. coli system. The in vitro expression product of ARP1 was recognized by common ADAMs antibody with western blot. Interestingly, ARP1 cleaves gelatine at pH9.5, which suggests it is an alkaline protease. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR result indicates that ARP1 mRNA is strongly transcribed in the liver and the treated Chang-liver cells. [BMB reports 2010; 43(5): 375-381]

On the receding contact plane problem for bi-FGM-layers indented by a flat indenter

Cong Wang,Jie Yan,Rui Cao 국제구조공학회 2023 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.85 No.5

The major objective of this paper is to study the receding contact problem between two functional graded layers under a flat indenter. The gravity is assumed negligible, and the shear moduli of both layers are assumed to vary exponentially along the thickness direction. In the absence of body forces, the problem is reduced to a system of Fredholm singular integral equations with the contact pressure and contact size as unknowns via Fourier integral transform, which is transformed into an algebraic one by the Gauss–Chebyshev quadratures and polynomials of both the first and second kinds. Then, an iterative speediest descending algorithm is proposed to numerically solve the system of algebraic equations. Both semi-analytical and finite element method, FEM solutions for the presented problem validate each other. To improve the accuracy of the numerical result of FEM, a graded FEM solution is performed to simulate the FGM mechanical characteristics. The results reveal the potential links between the contact stress/size and the indenter size, the thickness, as well as some other material properties of FGM.

HOCl Oxidation-modified CT26 Cell Vaccine Inhibits Colon Tumor Growth in a Mouse Model

Zhou, Rui,Huang, Wen-Jun,Ma, Cong,Zhou, Yan,Yao, Yu-Qin,Wang, Yu-Xi,Gou, Lan-Tu,Yi, Chen,Yang, Jin-Liang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Despite progress in elucidating mechanisms associated with colorectal cancer and improvement of treatment methods, it remains a frequent cause of death worldwide. New and more effective therapies are therefore urgently needed. Recent studies have shown that immunogenicity of whole ovarian tumor cells and subsequent T cell response were potentiated by oxidation modification with hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in vitro and ex vivo. These results prompted us to investigate the protective antitumor response with an HOCl treated CT26 colorectal cancer cell vaccine in an in vivo mouse model. Administration of HOCl modified vaccine triggered robust antitumor immunity to autologous tumor cells in mice and prolonged survival period significantly. In addition, increased necrosis and apoptosis were found in tumor tissue from the oxidation group. Interestingly, ELISPOT assays showed that specific T cell responses were not elicited in response to the immunizing cellular antigen, in contrast to raising sera antibody titer and antibody binding activity shown by ELISA assay and flow cytometry. Further evaluation of the mechanisms underlying HOCl modified vaccine mediated humoral immunity highlighted the role of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. These results combined with previous studies suggest that HOCl oxidation modified whole cell vaccine has wide applicability as a cancer vaccine because it can target both T cell- and B cell-specific responses. It may thus represent a promising approach for the immunotherapy of colorectal cancer.

CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF NI-BASE ALLOYS IN SUPERCRITICAL WATER

QIANG ZHANG,RUI TANG,CONG LI,XIN LUO,CHONGSHENG LONG,KAIJU YIN 한국원자력학회 2009 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.41 No.1

Corrosion of nickel-base alloys (Hastelloy C-276, Inconel 625, and Inconel X-750) in 500 °C, 25 MPa supercritical water (with 10 wppb oxygen) was investigated to evaluate the suitability of these alloys for use in supercritical water reactors. Oxide scales formed on the samples were characterized by gravimetry, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that, during the 1000 h exposure, a dense spinel oxide layer, mainly consisting of a fine Cr-rich inner layer (NiCr2O4) underneath a coarse Fe-rich outer layer (NiFe2O4), developed on each alloy. Besides general corrosion, nodular corrosion occurred on alloy 625 possibly resulting from local attack of ” clusters in the matrix. The mass gains for all alloys were small, while alloy X-750 exhibited the highest oxidation rate, probably due to the absence of Mo.

A20 ameliorates disc degeneration by suppressing mTOR/BNIP3 axis-mediated mitophagy

Peng Xin,Zhang Cong,Gao Jia-Wei,Wang Feng,Bao Jun-Ping,Zhou Zhi-Min,Sun Rui,Ji Hang-Yu,VLF Cabral,Wu Xiao-Tao 한국유전학회 2023 Genes & Genomics Vol.45 No.5

Background The pathological mechanism of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is an unanswered question that we are committed to exploring. A20 is an anti-inflammatory protein of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells and plays a protective role in intervertebral disc degeneration. Objective This study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism by which A20 attenuates disc degeneration. Methods The proteins of interest were measured by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, ELISA assay, and immunohistochemical technique to conduct related experiments. Immunofluorescence assays and mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1) were used to assess mitophagy and mitochondrial fitness, respectively. Results Here, we demonstrated that A20 promoted mitophagy, attenuated pyroptosis, and inhibited the degradation of the extracellular matrix, consequently significantly ameliorating disc degeneration. Mechanistically, A20 reduces pyroptosis and further suppresses cellular mTOR activity. On the one hand, A20-induced mTOR inhibition triggers BNIP3-mediated mitophagy to ensure mitochondrial fitness under LPS stimulation, as a result of mitigating mitochondrial dysfunction induced by LPS. On the other hand, A20-induced mTOR inhibition reduces the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and the generation of Mitochondrial ROS. Conclusion The study revealed that A20 promotes BNIP3-mediated mitophagy by suppressing mTOR pathway activation against LPS-induced pyroptosis.

Molecular features and functional studies of transcription factor, Cap ‘n’ collar C, in the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens Stål (Hemiptera Delphacidae)

Zeng Bin,Feng Ze-Rui,Liu Ya-Ting,Chen Fu-Rong,Wang Shuai,Wu Shun-Fan,Yu Zhi-Tao,Gao Cong-Fen 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.4

Cap ‘n’ collar C (CncC), a transcription factor, plays a vital role in the development of insect resistance by regulating the expression of multiple detoxifying genes. Clarifying the molecular characteristics of CncC and its pathway regulating insecticide resistance will aid the development of integrated pest control strategies. Here we cloned and identified the molecular feature of CncC genes from the brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), (Hemiptera Delphacidae). The full-length open reading frame of NlCncC was 3015 nucleotides with 1005 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence has a high similarity with other insect homologs and contains the characteristic Cnc/bZip domain architecture. Functional studies showed that silencing NlCncC by RNA interference (RNAi) could downregulate the transcript expression of NlCYP6ER1, NlCYP6CW1, and NlCYP6AY1, which increase the susceptibility to imidacloprid in N. lugens. The identification of molecular characteristics of NlCncC and func tional studies in this paper will contribute to designing effective control strategies for N. lugens.

CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF NI-BASE ALLOYS IN SUPERCRITICAL WATER

Zhang, Qiang,Tang, Rui,Li, Cong,Luo, Xin,Long, Chongsheng,Yin, Kaiju Korean Nuclear Society 2009 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.41 No.1

Corrosion of nickel-base alloys (Hastelloy C-276, Inconel 625, and Inconel X-750) in $500^{\circ}C$, 25MPa supercritical water (with 10 wppb oxygen) was investigated to evaluate the suitability of these alloys for use in supercritical water reactors. Oxide scales formed on the samples were characterized by gravimetry, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that, during the 1000h exposure, a dense spinel oxide layer, mainly consisting of a fine Cr-rich inner layer ($NiCr_{2}O_{4}$) underneath a coarse Fe-rich outer layer ($NiFe_{2}O_{4}$), developed on each alloy. Besides general corrosion, nodular corrosion occurred on alloy 625 possibly resulting from local attack of ${\gamma}$" clusters in the matrix. The mass gains for all alloys were small, while alloy X -750 exhibited the highest oxidation rate, probably due to the absence of Mo.

Overexpression of Rcan1-1L Inhibits Hypoxia-Induced Cell Apoptosis through Induction of Mitophagy

Lijun Sun,Yuewen Hao,Rui An,Haixun Li,Cong Xi,Guohong Shen 한국분자세포생물학회 2014 Molecules and cells Vol.37 No.11

Mitophagy, a cellular process that selectively targets dysfunctional mitochondria for degradation, is currently a hot topic in research into the pathogenesis and treatment of many human diseases. Considering that hypoxia causes mitochondrial dysfunction, which results in cell death, we speculated that selective activation of mitophagy might promote cell survival under hypoxic conditions. In the present study, we introduced the Regulator of calcineurin 1-1L (Rcan1-1L) to initiate the mitophagy pathway and aimed to evaluate the effect of Rcan1-1L-induced mitophagy on cell survival under hypoxic conditions. Recombinant adenovirus vectors carrying Rcan1-1L were transfected into human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human adult cardiac myocytes. Using the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT assay and Trypan blue exclusion assay, Rcan1-1L overexpression was found to markedly reverse cell growth inhibition induced by hypoxia. Additionally, Rcan1-1L overexpression inhibited cell apoptosis under hypoxic conditions, as detected by annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) apoptosis assay. Meanwhile, the mitochondria-mediated cell apoptotic pathway was inhibited by Rcan1-1L. In contrast, knockdown of Rcan1-1L accelerated hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, Rcan1-1L overexpression significantly reduced mitochondrial mass, decreased depolarized mitochondria, and downregulated ATP and reactive oxygen species production. We further delineated that the loss of mitochondrial mass was due to the activation of mitophagy induced by Rcan1-1L. Rcan1-1L overexpression activated autophagy flux and promoted translocation of the specific mitophagy receptor Parkin into mitochondria from the cytosol, whereas inhibition of autophagy flux resulted in the accumulation of Parkin-loaded mitochondria. Finally, we demonstrated that mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening was significantly increased by Rcan1-1L overexpression, which suggested that Rcan1-1L might evoke mitophagy through regulating mitochondrial permeability transition pores. Taken together, we provide evidence that Rcan1-1L overexpression induces mitophagy, which in turn contributes to cell survival under hypoxic conditions, revealing for the first time that Rcan1-1L-induced mitophagy may be used for cardioprotection.

Room temperature ferromagnetism in Ni-doped ZnO films

Deng-Lu Hou,Rui-Bin Zhao,Yan-Yan Wei,Cong-Mian Zhen,Cheng-Fu Pan,Gui-De Tang 한국물리학회 2010 Current Applied Physics Vol.10 No.1

Zn1-xNixO (x = 0.02, 0.03, 0.04, 0.05, 0.07) films were prepared using magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction indicates that all samples have a wurtzite structure with c-axis orientation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results reveal that the Ni ion is in a +2 charge state in these films. Magnetization measurements indicate that all samples have room temperature ferromagnetism. In order to elucidate the origin of the ferromagnetism, Zn0.97Ni0.03O films were grown under different atmospheric ratios of argon to oxygen. The results show that as the fraction of oxygen in the atmosphere decreases, both the saturation magnetization and the number of oxygen vacancies increase, confirming that the ferromagnetism is correlated with the oxygen vacancy level.

CORROSION BEHAVIOR OF NI-BASE ALLOYS IN SUPERCRITICAL WATER

Zhang, Qiang,Tang, Rui,Li, Cong,Luo, Xin,Long, Chongsheng,Yin, Kaiju Korean Nuclear Society 2009 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.41 No.2

Corrosion of nickel-base alloys (Hastelloy C-276, Inconel 625, and Inconel X-750) in $500^{\circ}C$, 25 MPa supercritical water (with 10 wppb oxygen) was investigated to evaluate the suitability of these alloys for use in supercritical water reactors. Oxide scales formed on the samples were characterized by gravimetry, scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicate that, during the 1000 h exposure, a dense spinel oxide layer, mainly consisting of a fine Cr-rich inner layer ($NiCr_2O_4$) underneath a coarse Fe-rich outer layer ($NiFe_2O_4$), developed on each alloy. Besides general corrosion, nodular corrosion occurred on alloy 625 possibly resulting from local attack of ${\gamma}"$ clusters in the matrix. The mass gains for all alloys were small, while alloy X-750 exhibited the highest oxidation rate, probably due to the absence of Mo.