A link between the interleukin-6/Stat3 anti-apoptotic pathway and microRNA-21 in preimplantation mouse embryos

Shen, Xing-Hui,Han, Young-Joon,Zhang, Ding-Xiao,Cui, Xiang-Shun,Kim, Nam-Hyung Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2009 Molecular reproduction and development Vol.76 No.9

<P>Signal transducers and activators of transcription-3 (Stat3) plays a central role in interleukin-6 (IL-6)-mediated cell proliferation by inhibiting apoptosis in a variety of cell types. MicroRNA-21 (miRNA-21), a ubiquitous miRNA, acts as an anti-apoptotic factor that seems to be indirectly but strictly linked to Stat3. In order to determine whether the IL-6 induced Stat3 anti-apoptosis pathway is linked with miRNA-21, we first determined the effects of recombinant mouse IL-6 on Stat3 expression, mouse embryo viability, and the mRNA levels of apoptosis related genes and miRNA-21 during mouse embryo development in vitro. Addition of 10 or 100 ng/ml of recombinant IL-6 to the culture medium did not affect the developmental ability of 2-cell stage embryos into blastocysts. However, total cell number was significantly increased and apoptosis was reduced in blastocyst stage embryos cultured in the presence of 100 ng/ml of recombinant IL-6. Furthermore, addition of recombinant IL-6 to the culture medium significantly increased the copy numbers of anti-apoptotic miRNA-21, up-regulated Bcl2l1, and down-regulated casp3. Similarly, the injection of mature miRNA-21 into cells up-regulated Bcl2l1 and down-regulated casp3. These results suggest that the induction of the Stat3 anti-apoptotic pathway by IL-6 is linked to miRNA-21 expression, which possibly results in the regulation of cell apoptosis in early mouse embryo development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 854–862, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.</P>

Canonical Transient Receptor Potential Channels and Their Link with Cardio/Cerebro-Vascular Diseases

Xiao, Xiong,Liu, Hui-Xia,Shen, Kuo,Cao, Wei,Li, Xiao-Qiang The Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology 2017 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.25 No.5

The canonical transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) constitute a series of nonselective cation channels with variable degrees of $Ca^{2+}$ selectivity. TRPCs consist of seven mammalian members, TRPC1, TRPC2, TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, TRPC6, and TRPC7, which are further divided into four subtypes, TRPC1, TRPC2, TRPC4/5, and TRPC3/6/7. These channels take charge of various essential cell functions such as contraction, relaxation, proliferation, and dysfunction. This review, organized into seven main sections, will provide an overview of current knowledge about the underlying pathogenesis of TRPCs in cardio/cerebro-vascular diseases, including hypertension, pulmonary arterial hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, and cerebrovascular ischemia reperfusion injury. Collectively, TRPCs could become a group of drug targets with important physiological functions for the therapy of human cardio/cerebro-vascular diseases.

ELECTRIC-FIELD DEPENDENCE OF MOLECULAR CONFORMATIONS OBSERVED BY USING SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY

XIAO JING MA,RUI ZHANG,YONG TAO SHEN,XIAO HUI QIU,YAN LIAN YANG,CHEN WANG 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2008 NANO Vol.3 No.2

We review the progress in observation of electrically induced conformational changes of a range of single molecules and molecular assemblies using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Recent results using species with optical active functional groups and supramolecular structures confirmed the previously observed effects that the cholesterol molecules with soft linkers have the conformational bistability when switching the bias polarity, while no discernable changes were observed for the mesogen molecules, containing rigid linking units. In addition, it was also observed that the linker units could have appreciable impacts on the assembling characteristics.

Saturated Aldehydes C6–C10 Emitted from Ashleaf Maple (Acer negundo L.) Leaves at Different Levels of Light Intensity, O2, and CO2

Zeng-hui Hu,Ying-bai Shen,Xiao-hua Su 한국식물학회 2009 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.52 No.4

Aldehydes, a group of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) often detected in the atmosphere, play a key role in atmospheric chemistry and plant resistance to stresses. We used gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to examine the volatiles of saturated aldehydes C6–C10 that were emitted from cuttings of ashleaf maple (Acer negundo L.) under varying levels of light intensity (80, 400, and 800 μmol m−2 s−1), O2 (2% and 50%), and CO2 (600, 1,000, and 1,200 ppm). An apparent, positive correlation was found between light intensity and emissions, and their release also was significantly enhanced by higher O2 concentrations. In contrast, emissions clearly were negatively correlated with CO2 levels. We speculate that the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated during photosynthesis contribute to these elevated emissions. However, the mechanism for this ROS trigger is unknown.

FORMATION OF II–VI SEMICONDUCTOR NANOCRYSTALS WITH TUNABLE VISIBLE EMISSION IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION PROMOTED BY HYDRAZINE

QI-HUI SHEN,YAN LIU,XI YU,XIAO-YANG LIU,MING-QIANG ZOU,JIN-FENG LI,JIAN-GUANG ZHOU 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2012 NANO Vol.7 No.6

II?VI Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) with tunable visible emission, such as CdS, CdSe and CdTe, were synthesized in aqueous solution using thiols as capping molecules. Hydrazine was found to promote the growth of NCs through a special mechanism. In only a few hours, the synthesis process was completed at room temperature. Under moderate conditions, the capping molecules not only changed the growth rate of NCs simply by varying the concentration, but also altered the spectral properties of NCs. The capping molecules with amino groups were propitious to the growth of CdS NCs, whereas the kinetic growth of CdS NCs was more a®ected by the surface passivation e±ciency of NCs than by steric hindrance in the system. The fastest growth of the CdS NCs was achieved when glutathione was used as a capping molecule, while the emission of CdS and CdSe NCs were shown to remain steady and tunable using the same capping molecule. The growth rate of 3-mercaptopropionic acid-capped CdS and CdSe NCs slowed down signi¯-cantly, while CdTe NCs were obtained with excellent emission properties when capped with the same molecule. Furthermore, our approach will also be useful for the study of the kinetic growth of NCs in aqueous solution.

HGFK1 is Associated with a Better Prognostis and Reverses Inhibition by Gefitinib in NSCLC Cases

Zhou, Xiao-Hui,Tang, Li-Na,Yue, Lu,Min, Da-Liu,Yang, Yi,Huang, Jian-An,Shen, Zan Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.4

Purpose: Non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading worldwide source of cancer-related deaths. Although some drugs targeting EGFR mutations have been developed, most advanced cases are still incurable. New targets for anticancer drugs are demanded. The kringle 1 domain of hepatocellular growth factor alpha chain (HGFK1) is a potent anti-angiogenesis factor. It has also emerged as a potential anticancer factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression of HGFK1 protein in patients with NSCLC has not been reported to date. Method: Here, we assessed HGFK1 expression by Western blotting in 103 cases with advanced NSCLC to investigate the impact of HGFK1 on survival. Results: Results revealed 33 (30.1%) patients were classified as high expressors, this being significantly associated with less remote metastasis (P = 0.002) but not with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.062). There was also a significant association between HGFK1 expression and tumor size (P = 0.025) as well as clinical stage (P = 0.012). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that both overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) of patients with HGFK1 expression were longer than those of patients without HGFK1 expression (P = 0.004 and P = 0.001 respectively). HGFK1 reversed gefitinib inhibition in the resistent NSCLC cell line A431/GR but did not inhibit the proliferation of NSCLC cells A431 and A431/GR directly. Reversion of gefitinib inhibition in A431/GR cells by HGFK1 was related to decreased phosphorylation of ERK and STAT5. Conclusions: HGFK1 may be a useful prognostic factor of advanced NSCLC patients and a potential drug for gefitinib resistant patients.

miR-31a-5p promotes postnatal cardiomyocyte proliferation by targeting RhoBTB1

Junjie Xiao,Hui Liu,Dragos Cretoiu,Daniela Oana Toader,Nicolae Suciu,Jing Shi,Shutong Shen,Yihua Bei,Joost PG Sluijter,Saumya Das,Xiangqing Kong,Xinli Li 생화학분자생물학회 2017 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.49 No.-

A limited number of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) have been reported to control postnatal cardiomyocyte proliferation, but their strong regulatory effects suggest a possible therapeutic approach to stimulate regenerative capacity in the diseased myocardium. This study aimed to investigate the miRNAs responsible for postnatal cardiomyocyte proliferation and their downstream targets. Here, we compared miRNA profiles in cardiomyocytes between postnatal day 0 (P0) and day 10 (P10) using miRNA arrays, and found that 21 miRNAs were upregulated at P10, whereas 11 were downregulated. Among them, miR-31a-5p was identified as being able to promote cardiomyocyte proliferation as determined by proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression, double immunofluorescent labeling for α-actinin and 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) or Ki-67, and cell number counting, whereas miR-31a-5p inhibition could reduce their levels. RhoBTB1 was identified as a target gene of miR-31a-5p, mediating the regulatory effect of miR-31a-5p in cardiomyocyte proliferation. Importantly, neonatal rats injected with a miR-31a-5p antagomir at day 0 for three consecutive days exhibited reduced expression of markers of cardiomyocyte proliferation including PCNA expression and double immunofluorescent labeling for α-actinin and EdU, Ki-67 or phospho-histone-H3. In conclusion, miR-31a-5p controls postnatal cardiomyocyte proliferation by targeting RhoBTB1, and increasing miR-31a-5p level might be a novel therapeutic strategy for enhancing cardiac reparative processes.

Canonical Transient Receptor Potential Channels and Their Link with Cardio/Cerebro-Vascular Diseases

( Xiong Xiao ),( Hui-xia Liu ),( Kuo Shen ),( Wei Cao ),( Xiao-qiang Li ) 한국응용약물학회 2017 Biomolecules & Therapeutics(구 응용약물학회지) Vol.25 No.5

The canonical transient receptor potential channels (TRPCs) constitute a series of nonselective cation channels with variable degrees of Ca²⁺selectivity. TRPCs consist of seven mammalian members, TRPC1, TRPC2, TRPC3, TRPC4, TRPC5, TRPC6, and TRPC7, which are further divided into four subtypes, TRPC1, TRPC2, TRPC4/5, and TRPC3/6/7. These channels take charge of various essential cell functions such as contraction, relaxation, proliferation, and dysfunction. This review, organized into seven main sections, will provide an overview of current knowledge about the underlying pathogenesis of TRPCs in cardio/cerebrovascular diseases, including hypertension, pulmonary arterial hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, atherosclerosis, arrhythmia, and cerebrovascular ischemia reperfusion injury. Collectively, TRPCs could become a group of drug targets with important physiological functions for the therapy of human cardio/cerebro-vascular diseases.

A Survey of the Geographic Distribution of Ophiocordyceps sinensis

Yi Li,Xiao-Liang Wang,Lei Jiao,Yi Jiang,Hui Li,Si-Ping Jiang,Ngarong Lhosumtseiring,Shen-Zhan Fu,Cai-Hong Dong,Yu Zhan,Yi-Jian Yao 한국미생물학회 2011 The journal of microbiology Vol.49 No.6

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one of the best known fungi in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many efforts have been devoted to locating the production areas of this species resulting in various reports; however, its geographic distribution remains incompletely understood. Distribution of O. sinensis at the county level is clarified in this work based on both a literature search and fieldwork. More than 3600 publications related to O. sinensis were investigated, including scientific papers, books, and online information. Herbarium specimens of O. sinensis and field collections made by this research group during the years 2000-2010 were examined to verify the distribution sites. A total of 203 localities for O. sinensis have been found, of which 106 are considered as confirmed distribution sites, 65 as possible distribution sites, 29 as excluded distribution sites and three as suspicious distribution sites. The results show that O. sinensis is confined to the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions, including Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China and in certain areas of the southern flank of the Himalayas, in the countries of Bhutan, India and Nepal, with 3,000 m as the lowest altitude for the distribution. The fungus is distributed from the southernmost site in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County in northwestern Yunnan Province to the northernmost site in the Qilian Mountains in Qilian County, Qinghai Province, and from the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau in Wudu County, Gansu Province to the westernmost site in Uttarakhand, India. The clarification of the geographic distribution of O. sinensis will lay the foundation for conservation and sustainable use of the species.

Involvement of ER–calreticulin–Ca²⁺ signaling in the regulation of porcine oocyte meiotic maturation and maternal gene expression

Zhang, Ding-Xiao,Li, Xiao-Ping,Sun, Shao-Chen,Shen, Xing-Hui,Cui, Xiang-Shun,Kim, Nam-Hyung Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 2010 Molecular reproduction and development Vol.77 No.5

<P>Calcium is one of the most ubiquitous signaling molecules, and controls a wide variety of cellular processes. It is mainly stored in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), bound to lumenal proteins. Calreticulin is the major Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-binding chaperone in oocytes, and is integral to numerous cellular functions. To better understand the role of the ER– calreticulin–Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> pathway in oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis, we characterized the porcine calreticulin gene and investigated its expression profile during oocyte maturation and early embryonic development. Calreticulin was widely expressed in pig tissues and its transcripts were downregulated during maturation, especially at 44 hr, and were undetectable at the blastocyst stage. We also investigated the effect of increased cytosolic Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> induced by the Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-ATPase inhibitor, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), on pig oocyte maturation and maternal gene expression. CPA at 10 µM did not inhibit germinal vesicle breakdown, but did result in the arrest of 38.6% oocytes at or before the MI stage. In addition, expression of the maternal genes C-mos, BMP15, GDF9, and Cyclin B1 was significantly increased in CPA-treated MII oocytes compared with control groups. These data were supported by the results of poly(A)-test PCR, which revealed that the cyclin B1 short isoform (CB-S), GDF9, and C-mos underwent more intensive polyadenylation modification in CPA-treated oocytes than control oocytes, suggesting that polyadenylation may influence Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-modulated changes in gene expression. Furthermore, CPA treatment decreased the percentage of four-cell parthenotes that developed into blastocysts, suggesting the need for functional SR/ER Ca<SUP>2+</SUP>-ATPase pumps or Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> signals during early embryo development after zygotic genome activation. Together, these data indicate that ER–calreticulin-associated Ca<SUP>2+</SUP> homeostasis plays a role in oocyte and embryo development, and that alterations in maternal gene expression may contribute to the underlying molecular mechanism, at least partially, via polyadenylation. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 77: 462–471, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.</P>