MicroRNA-21 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and migration of human bronchial epithelial cells by targeting poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 and activating PI3K/AKT signaling

Zhang, Shiqing,Sun, Peng,Xiao, Xinru,Hu, Yujie,Qian, Yan,Zhang, Qian The Korean Society of Pharmacology 2022 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.26 No.4

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is known to be involved in airway remodeling and fibrosis of bronchial asthma. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to EMT have yet to be fully clarified. The current study was designed to reveal the potential mechanism of microRNA-21 (miR-21) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) affecting EMT through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE cells) were transfected with miR-21 mimics/inhibitors and PARP-1 plasmid/small interfering RNA (siRNA). A dual luciferase reporter assay and biotin-labeled RNA pull-down experiments were conducted to verify the targeting relationship between miR-21 mimics and PARP-1. The migration ability of 16HBE cells was evaluated by Transwell assay. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting experiments were applied to determine the expression of Snail, ZEB1, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, and PARP-1. The effects of the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 on the migration of 16HBE cells and EMT were investigated. Overexpression of miR-21 mimics induced migration and EMT of 16HBE cells, which was significantly inhibited by overexpression of PARP-1. Our findings showed that PARP-1 was a direct target of miR-21, and that miR-21 targeted PARP-1 to promote migration and EMT of 16HBE cells through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Using LY294002 to block PI3K/AKT signaling pathway resulted in a significant reduction in the migration and EMT of 16HBE cells. These results suggest that miR-21 promotes EMT and migration of HBE cells by targeting PARP-1. Additionally, the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway might be involved in this mechanism, which could indicate its usefulness as a therapeutic target for asthma.

20(S)-protopanaxadiol and oleanolic acid ameliorate cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice by enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis

Kaili Lin,Stephen Cho-Wing Sze,Bin Liu,Zhang Zhang,Zhu Zhang,Peili Zhu,Ying Wang,Qiudi Deng,Ken Kin-Lam Yung,Shiqing Zhang 고려인삼학회 2021 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.45 No.2

Background: Alzheimer"s disease (AD) is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders. Enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis by promoting proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) is a promising therapeutic strategy for AD. 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) and oleanolic acid (OA) are small, bioactive compounds found in ginseng that can promote NSC proliferation and neural differentiation in vitro. However, it is currently unknown whether PPD or OA can attenuate cognitive deficits by enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis in vivo in a transgenic APP/PS1 AD mouse model. Here, we administered PPD or OA to APP/PS1 mice and monitored the effects on cognition and hippocampal neurogenesis. Methods: We used the Morris water maze, Y maze, and open field tests to compare the cognitive capacities of treated and untreated APP/PS1 mice. We investigated hippocampal neurogenesis using Nissl staining and BrdU/NeuN double labeling. NSC proliferation was quantified by Sox2 labeling of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. We used western blotting to determine the effects of PPD and OA on Wnt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway activation in the hippocampus. Results: Both PPD and OA significantly ameliorated the cognitive impairments observed in untreated APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, PPD and OA significantly promoted hippocampal neurogenesis and NSC proliferation. At the mechanistic level, PPD and OA treatments resulted in Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway activation in the hippocampus. Conclusion: PPD and OA ameliorate cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 mice by enhancing hippocampal neurogenesis, achieved by stimulating the Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway. As such, PPD and OA are promising novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative diseases.

A study of a new hybrid vibration energy harvester based on broadband-multimode

Bing Chen,Shiqing Li,Xiaolei Tang,Lijie Zhang 국제구조공학회 2021 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.28 No.1

To improve the energy conversion efficiency and working frequency bandwidth of a single frequency piezoelectric vibration energy harvester, a new type of hybrid vibration energy harvester is developed which is combined with the mechanism of piezoelectric and electromagnetic energy conversion. The system comprises of a PZT cantilever beam, an elastic suspended magnetic mass, a magnet block attached to the end of the cantilever beam and a resonator. The addition of resonator can not only increase the mode, but also adjust the frequency of harvester flexibly. Nonlinear magnetic force of magnet block not only broadens the frequency band and improves the output performance of the system, but also changes the resonant frequency to make the harvester have better adjustable performance. On this basis, an improved electromechanical coupled analytical model of continuum is proposed which can be solved by the Runge-Kutta algorithm and the influence of different factors (the mass and spring stiffness of the resonator, as well as the electromechanical coupling coefficient, electromagnetic coupling coefficient, magnet mass and magnetic flux) on the output are analyzed. According to the prototype of the vibration energy harvester developed, an experimental system was built. The performance of the independent and hybrid energy harvesters is evaluated by experimental and analytical methods. The peak output voltage of the piezoelectric part was about 4 times that of the electromagnetic part. The peak output current of the electromagnetic part is about 30 times that of the piezoelectric part. The study results show that the proposed new hybrid vibration energy harvester can achieve a wider frequency range and multimodal vibration energy harvesting. In addition, the bandwidth and power of the harvester can be dynamically adjusted by changing the resonator or electromechanical coupling coefficient, and the bandwidth of the harvester can also be adjusted by changing the quality and characteristics of the magnet.

A RIF Based Mapping of RDB2RDF

Ying Chen,Zhuoming Xu,Yuyan Ni,Guangxu Cao,Shiqing Zhang 보안공학연구지원센터 2014 International Journal of Database Theory and Appli Vol.7 No.6

Mapping RDB to RDF (i.e., RDB2RDF) is the key to constructing the Semantic Web, hence has been an active research field during the last decade. Many technically heterogeneous RDB2RDF tools resulted in non-interchangeable and unreusable RDB2RDF mapping descriptions. In 2009, the W3C RDB2RDF Incubator Group Report once strongly suggested that the RDB2RDF mapping language be expressed in rules as defined by the W3C Rule Interchange Format (RIF) Working Group, because rules are an effective way to express mappings between information models, and RIF, as part of the infrastructure for the Semantic Web, is now a standard for exchanging rules among Web rule systems. This paper addresses the issue of RIF-based RDB2RDF mapping and proposes a database semantics-driven, RIF Production Rule Dialect (RIF-PRD) based mapping description approach. The work includes defining a set of generic RIF-PRD mapping rules for RDB2RDF, developing a prototype mapping engine called RIFD2RME (stands for RIF-based RDB2RDF Mapping Engine), and conducting case study experiments with the prototype. The experimental results indicate that the proposed mapping approach is achievable and effective.

Contribution of Chicken Base Addition to Aroma Characteristics of Maillard Reaction Products Based on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, Electronic Nose, and Statistical Analysis

Zuobing Xiao,Minling Wu,Yunwei Niu,Feng Chen,Xiaoming Zhang,Jiancai Zhu,Shiqing Song,Guangyong Zhu 한국식품과학회 2015 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.24 No.2

Maillard reaction products containing 0-86.67% (w/w) enzymatically hydrolyzed chicken breast (chicken base) were analyzed. Descriptive sensory analysis was conducted and the 5 sensory attributes of meaty, caramel, umami, continuity, and off-flavor were used for evaluation. A sample group containing 65.00% chicken base had high scores for meaty note. A sample group containing 86.67% had a high score for caramel note. The electronic nose was used for measurement of flavor quality changes based on a metal oxide sensor (MOS) array. GC-MS was used for identification of volatile compounds. Heterocyclic sulfur and nitrogen oxygen compounds (especially 2-methyl-3- furanthiol, 2-methyl-furan, 2-pentyl-furan, 2-acetyl-furan, bis (2-methyl-3-furyl) disulfide, furfural, 2-acetyl-pyrrole, 1-methyl-pyrrole, thiazole, and 4-methyl-thiazole) were responsible for meaty and caramel attributes. Statistical analysis was used to interpret the distribution of samples and correlations among variations.

20(S)-protopanaxadiol promotes the migration, proliferation, and differentiation of neural stem cells by targeting GSK-3β in the Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway

Lin, Kaili,Liu, Bin,Lim, Sze-Lam,Fu, Xiuqiong,Sze, Stephen C.W.,Yung, Ken K.L.,Zhang, Shiqing The Korean Society of Ginseng 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Active natural ingredients, especially small molecules, have recently received wide attention as modifiers used to treat neurodegenerative disease by promoting neurogenic regeneration of neural stem cell (NSC) in situ. 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), one of the bioactive ingredients in ginseng, possesses neuroprotective properties. However, the effect of PPD on NSC proliferation and differentiation and its mechanism of action are incompletely understood. Methods: In this study, we investigated the impact of PPD on NSC proliferation and neuronal lineage differentiation through activation of the Wnt/glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3β/β-catenin pathway. NSC migration and proliferation were investigated by neurosphere assay, Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and EdU assay. NSC differentiation was analyzed by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Involvement of the Wnt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway was examined by molecular simulation and Western blot and verified using gene transfection. Results: PPD significantly promoted neural migration and induced a significant increase in NSC proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, a remarkable increase in anti-microtubule-associated protein 2 expression and decrease in nestin protein expression were induced by PPD. During the differentiation process, PPD targeted and stimulated the phosphorylation of GSK-3β at Ser9 and the active forms of β-catenin, resulting in activation of the Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway. Transfection of NSCs with a constitutively active GSK-3β mutant at S9A significantly hampered the proliferation and neural differentiation mediated by PPD. Conclusion: PPD promotes NSC proliferation and neural differentiation in vitro via activation of the Wnt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway by targeting GSK-3β, potentially having great significance for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

20(S)-protopanaxadiol promotes the migration, proliferation, and differentiation of neural stem cells by targeting GSK-3b in the Wnt/ GSK-3b/b-catenin pathway

Kaili Lin,Bin Liu,Sze-Lam Lim,Xiuqiong Fu,Stephen C.-W. Sze,Ken K.-L. Yung,Shiqing Zhang 고려인삼학회 2020 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.44 No.3

Background: Active natural ingredients, especially small molecules, have recently received wide attention as modifiers used to treat neurodegenerative disease by promoting neurogenic regeneration of neural stem cell (NSC) in situ. 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD), one of the bioactive ingredients in ginseng, possesses neuroprotective properties. However, the effect of PPD on NSC proliferation and differentiation and its mechanism of action are incompletely understood. Methods: In this study, we investigated the impact of PPD on NSC proliferation and neuronal lineage differentiation through activation of the Wnt/glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3b/b-catenin pathway. NSC migration and proliferation were investigated by neurosphere assay, Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, and EdU assay. NSC differentiation was analyzed by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Involvement of the Wnt/GSK3b/b-catenin pathway was examined by molecular simulation and Western blot and verified using gene transfection. Results: PPD significantly promoted neural migration and induced a significant increase in NSC proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, a remarkable increase in antimicrotubule- associated protein 2 expression and decrease in nestin protein expression were induced by PPD. During the differentiation process, PPD targeted and stimulated the phosphorylation of GSK-3b at Ser9 and the active forms of b-catenin, resulting in activation of the Wnt/GSK-3b/b-catenin pathway. Transfection of NSCs with a constitutively active GSK-3b mutant at S9A significantly hampered the proliferation and neural differentiation mediated by PPD. Conclusion: PPD promotes NSC proliferation and neural differentiation in vitro via activation of the Wnt/ GSK-3b/b-catenin pathway by targeting GSK-3b, potentially having great significance for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.