Aberrant methylation of the 16q23.1 tumor suppressor gene ADAMTS18 promotes tumorigenesis and progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Ben Xu,Yi‑ji Peng,Bing‑lei Ma,Si‑da Cheng 한국유전학회 2021 Genes & Genomics Vol.43 No.2

Background The 16q23.1 tumor suppressor gene (TSG) of ADAMTS18 has been identifed to be aberrant methylated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), and there still exists an unclear situation between its methylation and the progression of ccRCC. Objective To analyze the biological function and mechanism of ADAMTS18 gene in the tumorigenesis and progression of ccRCC. Methods We examined ADAMTS18 gene methylation using methylation- specifc polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in 92 ccRCC primary tumors from September 2017 to May 2018. Using reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical (IHC) assay, the relative expression level of ADAMTS18 was measured in the representative tumor samples with their adjacent normal tissues. Meanwhile, colony formation, cell viability, wound healing, transwell chamber, fow cytometry, and PI staining were performed to confrm the tumor-suppressive function and mechanism of ADAMTS18 gene. Results Aberrant methylation was further detected in 47 of the 92 (51.1%) primary tumors and in 8 of the 92 (8.7%) adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). Due to the phenomenon of aberrant methylation, ectopic low-level expression of ADAMTS18 gene could result in the promotion of tumorigenesis and progression in ccRCC. Conclusion The aberrantly methylated ADAMTS18 gene may be involved in the tumorigenesis and progression of ccRCC.

A Novel Method to Improve the Dispersibility of Silicon Nitride Powders in Aqueous Media

Bingjie Xu,Mengxing Li,Qi Chen,Pengfei Liu,Baosong Xu,Ben Qiu,Liang Xu,Zhao Han 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2019 NANO Vol.14 No.9

The present study describes a novel method to improve the dispersibility of silicon nitride powders in aqueous media. Specifically, a new Si3N4@g-C3N4 core–shell composite material was synthesized via annealing the mixture of silicon nitride and melamine under a nitrogen atmosphere using heating method. The effects of various initial mass ratios of Si3N4 and melamine on the structure and dispersibility of the composite were systematically investigated. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscope demonstrated that as-obtained Si3N4@g-C3N4 composite powders possess the core–shell structure, whereas the zeta potential and sedimentation analysis showed that they exhibit good dispersion in aqueous media. Furthermore, the colloidal dispersion of the composite powders is most stable when the initial mass ratio of Si3N4 and melamine is 100 : 3. The coated g-C3N4 could be completely removed in a cryogenic nitrogen atmosphere. The proposed process is expected to provide novel avenues for the study of dispersion of other inorganic powders.

Effect of Aging Precipitate on Ductility Anisotropy and Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior of AA2195 Al-Li Alloy

Gui Wang,Ben Lin,Ding‑ding Lu,San‑xi Deng,Guang‑jun Zeng,Xu‑feng Cai,Jin‑feng Li,Dan‑yang Liu 대한금속·재료학회 2023 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.29 No.8

The mechanical properties and low-cycle fatigue behavior of the hot-rolled AA2195 Al-Li alloy taken along the longitudinaldirection and transverse direction were investigated. The anisotropy ductility of the alloy with the short-term naturalaging (T4-SN), long-term natural aging (T4-LN), and T6 artificial aging alloy is mainly related to the grain structure andgrain boundaries, whereas the weakened anisotropy of ductility is attributed to the appearance of PFZs. The T4-SN andT4-LN specimens present the cyclic hardening phenomenon due to the interaction of dislocations with dislocations or theGuinier–Preston zone. The cyclic softening phenomenon in T6 specimens is attributed to that the dislocations cut throughthe T1precipitates, and some dislocations bypass the non-shearable precipitates, which activates more potential slip systemsto shear the T1precipitates.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of adult height in East Asians identifies 17 novel loci

He, Meian,Xu, Min,Zhang, Ben,Liang, Jun,Chen, Peng,Lee, Jong-Young,Johnson, Todd A.,Li, Huaixing,Yang, Xiaobo,Dai, Juncheng,Liang, Liming,Gui, Lixuan,Qi, Qibin,Huang, Jinyan,Li, Yanping,Adair, Linda S IRL Press 2015 Human molecular genetics Vol.24 No.6

<P>Human height is associated with risk of multiple diseases and is profoundly determined by an individual's genetic makeup and shows a high degree of ethnic heterogeneity. Large-scale genome-wide association (GWA) analyses of adult height in Europeans have identified nearly 180 genetic loci. A recent study showed high replicability of results from Europeans-based GWA studies in Asians; however, population-specific loci may exist due to distinct linkage disequilibrium patterns. We carried out a GWA meta-analysis in 93 926 individuals from East Asia. We identified 98 loci, including 17 novel and 81 previously reported loci, associated with height at <I>P</I> < 5 × 10<SUP>−8</SUP>, together explaining 8.89% of phenotypic variance. Among the newly identified variants, 10 are commonly distributed (minor allele frequency, MAF > 5%) in Europeans, with comparable frequencies with in Asians, and 7 single-nucleotide polymorphisms are with low frequency (MAF < 5%) in Europeans. In addition, our data suggest that novel biological pathway such as the protein tyrosine phosphatase family is involved in regulation of height. The findings from this study considerably expand our knowledge of the genetic architecture of human height in Asians.</P>

Two-dimensional As1-xPx binary compounds: Highly tunable electronic structure and optical properties

Tao Hu,Ben Xu,홍지상 한국물리학회 2017 Current Applied Physics Vol.17 No.2

We explored a two-dimensional (2D) binary compound consisting of arsenic and phosphorus by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The geometry, electronic structure, and optical properties of monolayer, few-layer and bulk As1-xPx compounds with different composition ratio were investigated. We can achieve a more continuous tuning in band gap by change the composition and thickness. The band gap of As1-xPx monolayer was almost the same as that of phosphorene monolayer, regardless of the As concentration. However, the band gaps of few-layer systems decrease significantly. In the case of fewlayer systems, they can possess various band gap values those the pristine phosphorus system cannot reach. The direct-indirect band gap transition occurred at a certain threshold when the As concentration continuously increased. The more concentration of As was, the faster band gap decreased. The band gaps of their bulk systems were in the range of 0.3e0.4 eV, which is very close to that of bulk phosphorus and this was not sensitive to the composition and topological arrangement. The dielectric function calculations revealed that the optical properties of the arsenic phosphide systems were highly tunable by changing the composition and thickness. Overall, we propose that the tunable electronic and optical properties of the As1-xPx binary compounds make them great candidates for application in the field of electronics and optoelectronics.

Efficient algorithm for finding the inverse and the groupinverse of FLS $r$-circulant matrix

Zhao-Lin Jiang,Zong-Ben Xu 한국전산응용수학회 2005 Journal of applied mathematics & informatics Vol.18 No.1-2

An efficient algorithm for finding the inverse and the group inverse of the FLS r-circulant matrix is presented by Euclidean algorithm. Extension is made to compute the inverse of the FLS r-retrocirculant matrix by using the relationship between an FLS r-circulant matrix and an FLS r-retrocirculant matrix. Finally, some examples are given.

Circulating Lymphocytes as Predictors of Sensitivity to Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy in Rectal Cancer Cases

Dou, Xue,Wang, Ren-Ben,Yan, Hong-Jiang,Jiang, Shu-Mei,Meng, Xiang-Jiao,Zhu, Kun-Li,Xu, Xiao-Qing,Mu, Dian-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.6

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify clinical predictive factors for tumor response after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). Methods: All factors were evaluated in 88 patients with LARC treated with nCRT. After a long period of 4-8 weeks of chemoradiotherapy, 3 patients achieved clinical complete response (cCR) and thus aggressive surgery was avoided, and the remaining 85 patients underwent a curative-intent operation. The response to nCRT was evaluated by tumor regression grade (TRG) system. Results: There were 32 patients (36.4%) with good tumor regression (TRG 3-4) and 56 (63.6%) with poor tumor regression (TRG 0-2). Lymphocyte counts and ratios were higher in good response cases (P=0.01, 0.03, respectively) while neutrophil ratios and N/L ratios were higher in poor response cases (P=0.04, 0.02, respectively). High lymphocyte ratios before nCRT and good tumor regression (TRG3-4) were significantly associated with improved 5-year disease-free survival (P<0.05). Pretreatment nodal status was also significantly associated with 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that the pretreatment lymphocyte ratio and lymph nodal status were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: Our study suggested that LARC patients with high lymphocyte ratios before nCRT would have good tumor response and high 5-year DFS and OS.

PDCD4 as a Predictor of Sensitivity to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Patients

Dou, Xue,Wang, Ren-Ben,Meng, Xiang-Jiao,Yan, Hong-Jiang,Jiang, Shu-Mei,Zhu, Kun-Li,Xu, Xiao-Qing,Chen, Dong,Song, Xian-Rang,Mu, Dian-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.2

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the role of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) expression in predicting tumor response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and outcomes for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. Methods: Clinicopathological factors and expression of PDCD4 were evaluated in 92 patients with LARC treated with nCRT. After the completion of therapy, 4 cases achieved clinical complete response (cCR), and thus the remaining 88 patients underwent a standardized total mesorectal excision procedure. There were 38 patients (41.3%) with a good response (TRG 3-4) and 54 (58.7%) with a poor one (TRG 0-2). Results: Immunohistochemical staining analyses showed that patients with high expression of PDCD4 were more sensitive to nCRT than those with low PDCD4 expression (P=0.02). High PDCD4 expression before nCRT and good response (TRG3-4) were significantly associated with improved 5-year disease-free survival and 5-year overall survival (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the pretreatment PDCD4 expression was an independent prognostic factor. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that high expression of PDCD4 protein is a useful predictive factor for good tumor response to nCRT and good outcomes in patients with LARC.

MicroRNA-576-3p Inhibits Proliferation in Bladder Cancer Cells by Targeting Cyclin D1

Liang, Zhen,Li, Shiqi,Xu, Xin,Xu, Xianglai,Wang, Xiao,Wu, Jian,Zhu, Yi,Hu, Zhenghui,Lin, Yiwei,Mao, Yeqing,Chen, Hong,Luo, Jindan,Liu, Ben,Zheng, Xiangyi,Xie, Liping Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2015 Molecules and cells Vol.38 No.2

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, endogenous RNAs that play important gene-regulatory roles by binding to the imperfectly complementary sequences at the 3'-UTR of mRNAs and directing their gene expression. Here, we first discovered that miR-576-3p was down-regulated in human bladder cancer cell lines compared with the non-malignant cell line. To better characterize the role of miR-576-3p in bladder cancer cells, we over-expressed or down-regulated miR-576-3p in bladder cancer cells by transfecting with chemically synthesized mimic or inhibitor. The overexpression of miR-576-3p remarkably inhibited cell proliferation via G1-phase arrest, and decreased both mRNA and protein levels of cyclin D1 which played a key role in G1/S phase transition. The knock-down of miR-576-3p significantly promoted the proliferation of bladder cancer cells by accelerating the progression of cell cycle and increased the expression of cyclin D1. Moreover, the dual-luciferase reporter assays indicated that miR-576-3p could directly target cyclin D1 through binding its 3'-UTR. All the results demonstrated that miR-576-3p might be a novel suppressor of bladder cancer cell proliferation through targeting cyclin D1.

EFFICIENT ALGORITHM FOR FINDING THE INVERSE AND THE GROUP INVERSE OF FLS $\gamma-CIRCULANT$ MATRIX

JIANG, ZHAO-LIN,XU, ZONG-BEN 한국전산응용수학회 2005 Journal of applied mathematics & informatics Vol.18 No.1

An efficient algorithm for finding the inverse and the group inverse of the FLS $\gamma-circulant$ matrix is presented by Euclidean algorithm. Extension is made to compute the inverse of the FLS $\gamma-retrocirculant$ matrix by using the relationship between an FLS $\gamma-circulant$ matrix and an FLS $\gamma-retrocirculant$ matrix. Finally, some examples are given.