Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate induced oxidative damage involving FasL-associated apoptotic pathway in mouse spermatogenic GC-2spd cells

Xiao Tang,Kun Tong,Lishan Zhu,Guoqing Fu,Wei Chang,Ting Zhou,Zhibing Zhang,Ling Tong,Ling Zhang,Yuqin Shi,Ling Zhang,Yuqin Shi 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2016 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.12 No.4

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) which belongs to phthalatic-acid esters, is a kind of harmful, global environmental pollutants. It is a known endocrine disrupting chemical and male reproductive toxicant. However, the mechanism by which DEHP exposure result in male reproductive toxicity is still unclear. To elucidate the productive toxicity mechanism of DEHP, we attemptted to investigate oxidative stress, apoptotic effects, mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis-associated genes including FasL, caspase-3, and caspase-8 in GC-2spd (mouse spermatogenic cells). The results showed that, with the increase of DEHP concentration, cell apoptosis rate increased; the activities of relation index of oxidative stress such as malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutatione peroxidase (GSH-PX) changed significantly; the mRNA and protein expression levels of FasL, caspase-3, -8, altered obviously. These results suggested that DEHP could induce apoptosis of GC-2spd cells through oxidative stress and FasL-dependent pathway.

Elevated expression of WSB2 degrades p53 and activates the IGFBP3-AKT-mTOR-dependent pathway to drive hepatocellular carcinoma

Li Xun,Zhang Cheng-Cheng,Lin Xiao-Tong,Zhang Jie,Zhang Yu-Jun,Yu Hong-Qiang,Liu Ze-Yu,Gong Yi,Zhang Lei-Da,Xie Chuan-Ming 생화학분자생물학회 2024 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.56 No.-

Dysregulation of wild-type p53 turnover is a key cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet its mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report that WD repeat and SOCS box containing protein 2 (WSB2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is an independent adverse prognostic factor in HCC patients. WSB2 drives HCC tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, WSB2 is a new p53 destabilizer that promotes K48-linked p53 polyubiquitination at the Lys291 and Lys292 sites in HCC cells, leading to p53 proteasomal degradation. Degradation of p53 causes IGFBP3-dependent AKT/mTOR signaling activation. Furthermore, WSB2 was found to bind to the p53 tetramerization domain via its SOCS box domain. Targeting mTOR with everolimus, an oral drug, significantly blocked WSB2-triggered HCC tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. In clinical samples, high expression of WSB2 was associated with low wild-type p53 expression and high p-mTOR expression. These findings demonstrate that WSB2 is overexpressed and degrades wild-type p53 and then activates the IGFBP3-AKT/mTOR axis, leading to HCC tumorigenesis and lung metastasis, which indicates that targeting mTOR could be a new therapeutic strategy for HCC patients with high WSB2 expression and wild-type p53.

Novosphingobium oryzae sp. nov., a potential plant-promoting endophytic bacterium isolated from rice roots

Jiang, Ju-Quan,Gao, Ju-Sheng,Zhang, Xiao-Xia,Zhang, Lei,Zhang, Jun,Zhang, Cai-Wen,Kim, Song-Gun,Ma, Xiao-Tong Microbiology Society 2016 International journal of systematic and evolutiona Vol.66 No.-

Labdane-type Diterpenoids from the Fruits of Vitex rotundifolia

Xiao-Qiang Wang,Teng Zhang,Bin Zheng,Wei-Dong Xie,Tong Shen 대한화학회 2014 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.35 No.2

Arrays of horizontal carbon nanotubes of controlled chirality grown using designed catalysts

Zhang, Shuchen,Kang, Lixing,Wang, Xiao,Tong, Lianming,Yang, Liangwei,Wang, Zequn,Qi, Kuo,Deng, Shibin,Li, Qingwen,Bai, Xuedong,Ding, Feng,Zhang, Jin Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nat 2017 Nature Vol.543 No.7644

<P>The semiconductor industry is increasingly of the view that Moore's law-which predicts the biennial doubling of the number of transistors per microprocessor chip-is nearing its end(1). Consequently, the pursuit of alternative semiconducting materials for nanoelectronic devices, including single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), continues(2-4). Arrays of horizontal nanotubes are particularly appealing for technological applications because they optimize current output. However, the direct growth of horizontal SWNT arrays with controlled chirality, that would enable the arrays to be adapted for a wider range of applications and ensure the uniformity of the fabricated devices, has not yet been achieved. Here we show that horizontal SWNT arrays with predicted chirality can be grown from the surfaces of solid carbide catalysts by controlling the symmetries of the active catalyst surface. We obtained horizontally aligned metallic SWNT arrays with an average density of more than 20 tubes per micrometre in which 90 per cent of the tubes had chiral indices of (12, 6), and semiconducting SWNT arrays with an average density of more than 10 tubes per micrometre in which 80 per cent of the nanotubes had chiral indices of (8, 4). The nanotubes were grown using uniform size Mo2C and WC solid catalysts. Thermodynamically, the SWNT was selectively nucleated by matching its structural symmetry and diameter with those of the catalyst. We grew nanotubes with chiral indices of (2m, m) (where m is a positive integer), the yield of which could be increased by raising the concentration of carbon to maximize the kinetic growth rate in the chemical vapour deposition process. Compared to previously reported methods, such as cloning(5,6), seeding(7,8) and specific-structure-matching growth(9-11), our strategy of controlling the thermodynamics and kinetics offers more degrees of freedom, enabling the chirality of as-grown SWNTs in an array to be tuned, and can also be used to predict the growth conditions required to achieve the desired chiralities.</P>

Microscopic Mechanisms and Acoustic Emission Characteristics of Sandy Mudstone under Different Water Saturations

Xiao-ming Sun,Fu-kun Shi,Ming-qun Zhu,Jia-xu Ding,Lin-sen He,Zhi-hu Li,Tong Zhang,Cheng-yu Miao 대한토목학회 2024 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.28 No.1

In order to study the damage mechanism of surrounding rocks under water-rock coupling, an experimental study on the microscopic law of water absorption and mechanics of sandy mudstone was carried out in the sandy mudstone stratum of Wanfu coal mine in Shandong, China. The results indicate that the strength of sandy mudstone exhibits three stages of relative softening, rapid softening, and decelerated softening. The speed of water molecules entering the microscopic pore structure was analyzed based on the percentage of water molecules in the pore structure. The acoustic emission energy release process is divided into energy accumulation stage, stable release stage and intense release stage. With the increase of water content saturation,  (Spectral width of the multifractal spectrum) tends to decrease and the distribution of events is gradually uniform. The action of water gradually expands and penetrates the cracks and pores inside the sandy mudstone, which makes f (Frequency of occurrence of the signal) change from negative to positive values.

Heterojunction nanoarchitectonics with SnS2/g-C3N4 S-scheme toward enhanced photooxidation and photoreduction

Tong Song,Xiao Zhang,Quande Che,Ping Yang 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.113 No.-

Novel g-C3N4/SnS2 van der Waals heterojunctions were fabricated via SnS2 crystals embedded superiorthin g-C3N4 nanosheets for efficient photocatalytic oxidation and reduction activities simultaneously. S-scheme charge migration path was confirmed through test and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. Two dimensional (2D)/2D interfaces, powerful internal electric field (IEF) and band bending effecttogether expedited charge transfer. Photocatalytic removal of organic pollutants and hydrogen evolutionwere employed to evaluate photocatalytic performance. Particularly, the g-C3N4/SnS2 heterojunctionsexhibited excellent 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) photooxidation and Cr(VI) photoreduction activitiesat the same time. 85% of Cr(VI) and 94% of 2,4-DCP were removed in the mixed solution after visible lightirradiation for 2 h (k > 420 nm). The hydrogen evolution rate enhanced to 6.58 times of g-C3N4. DFT simulationmatched with test for narrowed band gap and enhanced IEF (accelerating photogenerated carriertransfer). This work provided new insights for constructing S-scheme multifunctional g-C3N4-basedphotocatalyst.

Tryptophan-assisted hydrothermal synthesis and sodium hydroxide-induced phase transformation of zirconia nanocrystals with excellent adsorption performance

Zhang Laijun,Tong Jizao,Li Yijia,Xu Caili,Wan Song,Xiao Huifang 한국세라믹학회 2023 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.60 No.4

A serial of zirconia (ZrO 2) nanocrystals was hydrothermally synthesized without or with the addition of a certain amount of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution using a new water-soluble zirconium precursor solution obtained by mixing zirconium oxychloride octahydrate with nonpolar amino acid tryptophan (Trp) in water. The morphology and crystal structure of the resulting ZrO 2 nanocrystals were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results showed that when using Trp as the sole additive without any addition of NaOH solution, pure monoclinic-phase Trp-coated ZrO 2 nanorods with the average diameter and length of about 5 and 27 nm were formed and further assembled anisotropically into 40–70 nm tetragonal star- like nanostructures. The addition of the increasing NaOH solution in the Trp-assisted hydrothermal reaction induced gradual transformation of both crystal structure and morphology of the resulting ZrO 2 products, which fi nally evolved into sheet-like aggregates of pure tetragonal-phase 5–7 nm ZrO 2 nanospheres simultaneously coated by both Trp and –OH groups/OH − ions. These ZrO 2 products synthesized in the presence of both Trp and NaOH solution compared with those synthesized with the addition of either only Trp or NaOH solution showed more excellent adsorption abilities towards cationic dye rhodamine B, with high adsorption efficiencies of up to 80% within 30 min, and can be potentially applied as absorbents for chemical wastewater treatment.

Identification and sex expression profiles of olfactory-related genes in Mythimna loreyi based on antennal transcriptome analysis

Zhang Yun-Ying,Guo Jin-Meng,Wei Zhi-Qiang,Zhang Xiao-Tong,Liu Si-Ruo,Guo Hui-Fang,Dong Shuanglin 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.3

To better understand the olfactory mechanism of Mythimna loreyi, a worldwide migratory pest, we for the first time conducted a large scale identification of olfactory-related genes and investigation of their sex expression profiles by transcriptomic analysis. A total of 42,832 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing, as sembly and annotation, with an average length of 1,229 bp and N50 of 2,086 bp. In particular, 138 olfactoryrelated genes were identified by homologous blasting, including 33 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 16 che mosensory proteins (CSPs), 63 odorant receptors (ORs), 24 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and two sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Further, by using differential gene expression (DGE) and fragments per kilobase per million fragments (FPKM) values to compare the transcript levels between female and male antennae, we found that 22 olfactory-related genes (9 OBPs, one CSP and 12 ORs) were sex biased, with 10 genes being male biased and 12 genes female biased. In addition, sex and tissue expression profiles determined by qPCR of 15 selected genes confirmed the reliability of sex expression profiles obtained by the transcriptomic analysis, and demonstrated that most olfactory-related genes were specifically or primarily expressed in antennae, suggesting their roles in olfaction, while a few genes were highly expressed in other tissues, implying their non-olfaction functions. This study provides an important basis for further functional study of olfactory genes in M. loreyi.

Elevated FBXL6 expression in hepatocytes activates VRK2-transketolase-ROS-mTOR-mediated immune evasion and liver cancer metastasis in mice

Zhang Jie,Lin Xiao-Tong,Yu Hong-Qiang,Fang Lei,Wu Di,Luo Yuan-Deng,Zhang Yu-Jun,Xie Chuan-Ming 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most lethal malignancy and lacks effective treatment. FBXL6 is overexpressed in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but whether this change drives liver tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vivo remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to identify FBXL6 (F-Box and Leucine Rich Repeat Protein 6) as a key driver of HCC metastasis and to provide a new paradigm for HCC therapy. We found that elevated FBXL6 expression in hepatocytes drove HCC lung metastasis and was a much stronger driver than Kras mutation (KrasG12D/+;Alb-Cre), p53 haploinsufficiency (p53+/-) or Tsc1 loss (Tsc1fl/fl;Alb-Cre). Mechanistically, VRK2 promoted Thr287 phosphorylation of TKT and then recruited FBXL6 to promote TKT ubiquitination and activation. Activated TKT further increased PD-L1 and VRK2 expression via the ROS-mTOR axis, leading to immune evasion and HCC metastasis. Targeting or knockdown of TKT significantly blocked FBXL6-driven immune evasion and HCC metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Notably, the level of active TKT (p-Thr287 TKT) was increased and was positively correlated with the FBXL6 and VRK2 expression levels in HCC patients. Our work provides novel mechanistic insights into FBXL6-driven HCC metastasis and suggests that targeting the TKT-ROS-mTOR-PD-L1/VRK2 axis is a new paradigm for treating patients with metastatic HCC with high FBXL6 expression.