Laminarin enhances the quality of aged pig oocytes by reducing oxidative stress

YAO, Xuerui,JIANG, Hao,LIANG, Shuang,SHEN, Xinghui,GAO, Qingshan,XU, Yong Nan,KIM, Nam-Hyung 家畜繁殖硏究所 2018 Journal of Reproduction and Development Vol.64 No.6

<P>Laminarin (LAM) is a β-glucan oligomer known to possess biological activities such as anticancer and antioxidant effects. This study explored the influence of LAM supplementation on <I>in vitro</I> aged porcine oocytes and the underlying mechanisms behind this influence. We found that LAM delayed the aging process and improved the quality of aged oocytes. LAM supplementation enhanced the subsequent developmental competence of aged oocytes during the <I>in vitro</I> aging process. The blastocyst formation rate was significantly increased in aged oocytes treated with 20 µg/ml LAM compared to non-treated aged oocytes (45.3% <I>vs</I>. 28.7%, P < 0.01). The mRNA levels of apoptosis-related genes, B cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein (<I>Bax)</I> and <I>Caspase-3,</I> were significantly lower in blastocysts derived from the LAM-treated aged oocytes during the <I>in vitro</I> aging process. Furthermore, the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species was significantly decreased and that of glutathione was significantly increased in aged oocytes following LAM treatment. Mitochondrial membrane potential was increased, and the activities of caspase-3 and cathepsin B were significantly reduced in the LAM-treated aged oocytes compared with the non-treated aged oocytes. Taken together, these results suggest that LAM is beneficial for delaying the aging process in porcine oocytes.</P>

Phytoremediation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by Arabidopsis plants expressing a NAD(P)H-flavin nitroreductase from Enterobacter cloacae

Shuang-Hong You,Bo Zhu,Hong-Juan Han,Bo Wang,Ri-He Peng,Quan-Hong Yao 한국식물생명공학회 2015 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.9 No.6

2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is released into natural environment from demilitarization facilities, manufacturing, and explosive remnants of war; this compound is one of the most recalcitrant explosives. TNT contamination is associated with human health risks because TNT strongly causes mutagenicity and carcinogenicity. Unfortunately, effective and affordable technologies to remediate TNT-contaminated environments are insufficient. As such, studies have been conducted to develop strategies using plants to extract and detoxify TNT from environment. In this study, a system was designed to overcome high phytotoxicity of TNT by expressing a NAD(P)H-flavin nitroreductase from Enterobacter cloacae to investigate the possibility of TNT phytoremediation. The resulting transgenic Arabidopsis showed a remarkable improvement in the ability to tolerate, absorb, and detoxify TNT as evidenced by their growth condition. This study can be used as reference to facilitate the effective cleanup of TNTcontaminated sites.

Induction of Forkhead Class box O3a and apoptosis by a standardized ginsenoside formulation, KG-135, is potentiated by autophagy blockade in A549 human lung cancer cells

Yao, Chih-Jung,Chow, Jyh-Ming,Chuang, Shuang-En,Chang, Chia-Lun,Yan, Ming-De,Lee, Hsin-Lun,Lai, I-Chun,Lin, Pei-Chun,Lai, Gi-Ming The Korean Society of Ginseng 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.3

Background: KG-135, a standardized formulation enriched with Rk1, Rg3, and Rg5 ginsenosides, has been shown to inhibit various types of cancer cells; however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we explored its effects in A549 human lung cancer cells to investigate the induction of Forkhead Class box O3a (FOXO3a) and autophagy. Methods: Cell viability was determined by sulforhodamine B staining. Apoptosis and cell cycle distribution were analyzed using flow cytometry. The changes of protein levels were determined using Western blot analysis. Autophagy induction was monitored by the formation of acidic vesicular organelles stained with acridine orange. Results: KG-135 effectively arrested the cells in G1 phase with limited apoptosis. Accordingly, a decrease of cyclin-dependent kinase-4, cyclin-dependent kinase-6, cyclin D1, and phospho-retinoblastoma protein, and an increase of p27 and p18 proteins were observed. Intriguingly, KG-135 increased the tumor suppressor FOXO3a and induced the accumulation of autophagy hallmark LC3-II and acidic vesicular organelles without an increase of the upstream marker Beclin-1. Unconventionally, the autophagy adaptor protein p62 (sequestosome 1) was increased rather than decreased. Blockade of autophagy by hydroxychloroquine dramatically potentiated KG-135-induced FOXO3a and its downstream (FasL) ligand accompanied by the cleavage of caspase-8. Meanwhile, the decrease of Bcl-2 and survivin, as well as the cleavage of caspase-9, were also drastically enhanced, resulting in massive apoptosis. Conclusion: Besides arresting the cells in G1 phase, KG-135 increased FOXO3a and induced an unconventional autophagy in A549 cells. Both the KG-135-activated extrinsic FOXO3a/FasL/caspase-8 and intrinsic caspase-9 apoptotic pathways were potentiated by blockade of autophagy. Combination of KG-135 and autophagy inhibitor may be a novel strategy as an integrative treatment for cancers.

A Vitis vinifera xanthine dehydrogenase gene, VvXDH, enhances salinity tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis

Shuang-Hong You,Bo Zhu,Feibing Wang,Hong-Juan Han,Miao Sun,Hengweng Zhu,Ri-he Peng,Quan-Hong Yao 한국식물생명공학회 2017 Plant biotechnology reports Vol.11 No.3

Xanthine dehydrogenase (EC1.1.1.204; XDH) plays an important role in purine catabolism that catalyzes the oxidative hydroxylation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and of xanthine to uric acid. Long attributed to its role in recycling and remobilization of nitrogen, recently, XDH is implicated in plant stress responses and acclimation, such research efforts, however, have thus far been restricted to Arabidopsis XDH-knockdown/knockout studies. This study, using an ectopic overexpression approach, is expected to provide novel findings. In this study, a XDH gene from Vitis vinifera, named VvXDH, was synthesized and overexpressed in Arabidopsis, the transgenic Arabidopsis showed enhanced salt tolerance. The VvXDH gene was investigated and the results demonstrated the explicit role of VvXDH in conferring salt stress by increasing allantoin accumulation and activating ABA signaling pathway, enhancing ROS scavenging in transgenic Arabidopsis. In addition, the water loss and chlorophyll content loss were reduced in transgenic plants; the transgenic plants showed higher proline level and lower MDA content than that of wild-type Arabidopsis, respectively. In conclusion, the VvXDH gene has the potential to be applied in increasing allantoin accumulation and enhancing the tolerance to abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis and other plants.

Modeling, Identification and Control of a Redundant Planar 2-DOF Parallel Manipulator

Yao-Xin Zhang,Shuang Cong,Wei-Wei Shang,Ze-Xiang Li,Shi-Long Jiang 대한전기학회 2007 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.5 No.5

In this paper, the dynamic controller design problem of a redundant planar 2-dof parallel manipulator is studied. Using the Euler-Lagrange equation, we formulate the dynamic model of the parallel manipulator in the joint space and propose an augmented PD controller with forward dynamic compensation for the parallel manipulator. By formulating the controller in the joint space, we eliminate the complex computation of the Jacobian matrix of joint angles with end-effector coordinate. So with less computation, our controller is easier to implement, and a shorter sampling period can be achieved, which makes the controller more suitable for high-speed motion control. Furthermore, with the combination of static friction model and viscous friction model, the active joint friction of the parallel manipulator is studied and compensated in the controller. Based on the dynamic parameters of the parallel manipulator evaluated by direct measurement and identification, motion control experiments are implemented. With the experiments, the validity of the dynamic model is proved and the performance of the controller is evaluated. Experiment results show that, with forward dynamic compensation, the augmented PD controller can improve the tracking performance of the parallel manipulator over the simple PD controller.

Smad4 Expression in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Differs by Hepatitis Status

Yao, Lei,Li, Fu-Jun,Tang, Zhi-Qiang,Gao, Shuang,Wu, Qe-Quan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Aims: Primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy often related to hepatitis viral infection. Smad4 is known to mediate the TGF-${\beta}$ pathway to suppress tumorigenesis. However, the function of Smad4 in HCC is still controversial. In this study we compared levels of Smad4 in HCC tissues with or without hepatitis virus infection and adjacent normal-appearing liver. Methods: Samples from HCC patients were analyzed for Smad4 protein and mRNA expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC), RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results: We found that tumor tissues expressed less Smad4 mRNA and protein than the adjacent tissues. Most HCC tumor tissues were negative for Smad4 in IHC staining, while the majority of adjacent tissues were positively stained. Interestingly, protein levels were higher in HCC tissues with viral hepatitis than those without virus infection. Suppression of expression appeared closely related to HCC, so that Smad4 appears to function as a tumor suppressor gene (TSG). Conclusion: Patients with hepatitis viral infection, at higher risk for HCC, exhibited increased Smad4 protein expression suggesting hepatitis virus may modulate Smad4 expression, which is functionally distinct from its putative role as a TSG. Smad4 expression may thus be an applicable marker for diagnosis and/or a target to develop therapeutic agents for HCC.

miR-19a Promotes Cell Growth and Tumorigenesis through Targeting SOCS1 in Gastric Cancer

Qin, Shuang,Ai, Fang,Ji, Wei-Fang,Rao, Wang,Zhang, He-Cheng,Yao, Wen-Jian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.2

Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs are involved in cancer development and progression. However, it remains unknown about the potential role of miR-19a in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer. Here, we report that suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is a novel target of miR-19a in gastric cancer cells and that miR-19a expression is inversely correlated with SOCS1 expression in gastric cancer cells and a subset of gastric cancer tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-19a dramatically promoted proliferation and tumorigenicity of gastric cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we showed that silencing of SOCS1 promoted cell growth and colony formation resembling that of miR-19a overexpression, whereas re-introduction of SOCS1 (without the 3'-UTR) attenuated the pro-tumorigenic functions. Taken together, our findings suggest that the SOCS1 gene is a direct target of miR-19a, which functions as an oncogenic miRNA in gastric cancer by repressing the expression of tumor suppressor SOCS1.

Adsorption behavior and mechanism of multiple Mg atoms on the surface of AlNi compound at Mg alloy/steel interface

Zhao Shuang,Song Gang,Chen Jian,Yao Man,Liu Liming 한국물리학회 2022 Current Applied Physics Vol.33 No.-

The interface between Mg alloy and the intermetallic compounds (IMCs) is the weak point during the welding of Mg alloy and steel. The models of AlNi surface under different number of absorbed magnesium atoms were established. The absorption energy and electronic properties of the Nth (N represents the number of Mg atoms, which may be 1, 2, 3, and 4 in this paper) Mg atom on the AlNi surface were calculated using first-principles calculations. The results show that the previously absorbed Mg atoms will promote the absorption of the latter Mg atom when the distance between them is equal or less than 2.89 Å. The absorption energy of the Mg atoms on the AlNi surface is related to the electronic exchange between different atoms. The results will provide a new perspective for understanding the atomic scale mechanism of the bonding between the Mg atom and AlNi IMCs.

Hydraulic conductivity estimation by considering the existence of piles: A case study

Yuan, Yao,Xu, Ye-Shuang,Shen, Jack S.,Wang, Bruce Zhi-Feng Techno-Press 2018 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.14 No.5

Estimation of hydraulic parameters is a critical step during design of foundation dewatering works. When many piles are installed in an aquifer, estimation of the hydraulic conductivity should consider the blocking of groundwater seepage by the piles. Based on field observations during a dewatering project in Shanghai, hydraulic conductivities are back-calculated using a numerical model considering the actual position of each pile. However, it is difficult to apply the aforementioned model directly in field due to requirement to input each pile geometry into the model. To develop a simple numerical model and find the optimal hydraulic conductivity, three scenarios are examined, in which the soil mass containing the piles is considered to be a uniform porous media. In these three scenarios, different sub-regions with different hydraulic conductivities, based on either automatic inverted calculation, or on effective medium theory (EMT), are established. The results indicate that the error, in the case which determines the hydraulic conductivity based on EMT, is less than that determined in the automatic inversion case. With the application of EMT, only the hydraulic conductivity of the soil outside the pit should be inverted. The soil inside the pit with its piles is divided into sub-regions with different hydraulic conductivities, and the hydraulic conductivity is calculated according to the volume ratio of the piles. Thus, the use of EMT in numerical modelling makes it easier to consider the effect of piles installed in an aquifer.

Sorting Research of Ocean Engineering Enterprise Informatization Projects based on Risk Assessment

Yan Song,Shuang Yao 보안공학연구지원센터 2016 International Journal of Security and Its Applicat Vol.10 No.9

Due to limited time and resources, ocean enterprise usually give priority to low level of risk project to realize informatization. According to informatization projects content of ocean engineering project, constructing an index system of ocean engineering informatization project based on risk assessment of personnel, capital, organization and technology in total of four perspectives. Utilizing the advantage of Fuzzy TOPSIS of multiple attribute decision-making and limited amount of information decision advantage. The propose of the study is to develop a sorting model of ocean engineering informatization project based on risk level, then sorts the risk of four candidates ocean engineering informatization project ,and proceeding the empirical analysis. By observing the result, A1 has the minimum risk level of informatization, which is ocean enterprise informatization preferred.