Phosphodiesterase 4D contributes to angiotensin II-induced abdominal aortic aneurysm through smooth muscle cell apoptosis

Gao Ran,Guo Wenjun,Fan Tianfei,Pang Junling,Hou Yangfeng,Feng Xiaohang,Li Bolun,Ge Weipeng,Fan Tianhui,Zhang Tiantian,Lu Jiakai,Jing He,Jin Mu,Yan Chen,Wang Jing 생화학분자생물학회 2022 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.54 No.-

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a permanent expansion of the abdominal aorta that has a high mortality but limited treatment options. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 family members are cAMP-specific hydrolyzing enzymes and have four isoforms (PDE4A-PDE4D). Several pan-PDE4 inhibitors are used clinically. However, the regulation and function of PDE4 in AAA remain largely unknown. Herein, we showed that PDE4D expression is upregulated in human and angiotensin II-induced mouse AAA tissues using RT-PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, smooth muscle cell (SMC)-specific Pde4d knockout mice showed significantly reduced vascular destabilization and AAA development in an experimental AAA model. The PDE4 inhibitor rolipram also suppressed vascular pathogenesis and AAA formation in mice. In addition, PDE4D deficiency inhibited caspase 3 cleavage and SMC apoptosis in vivo and in vitro, as shown by bulk RNA-seq, western blotting, flow cytometry and TUNEL staining. Mechanistic studies revealed that PDE4D promotes apoptosis by suppressing the activation of cAMP-activated protein kinase A (PKA) instead of the exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac). Additionally, the phosphorylation of BCL2-antagonist of cell death (Bad) was reversed by PDE4D siRNA in vitro, which indicates that PDE4D regulates SMC apoptosis via the cAMP-PKA-pBad axis. Overall, these findings indicate that PDE4D upregulation in SMCs plays a causative role in AAA development and suggest that pharmacological inhibition of PDE4 may represent a potential therapeutic strategy.

Novel α-FeOOH Nanorods/Ag3PO4 Semiconductor Composites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Stability

Wei Zhang,Chao Hu,Jie Tan,Zhujun Fan,Fangli Chi,Yaxin Sun,Songlin Ran,Xianguo Liu,Yaohui Lv 성균관대학교(자연과학캠퍼스) 성균나노과학기술원 2016 NANO Vol.11 No.6

The composite α-FeOOH nanorods/Ag3PO4 photocatalyst has been successfully fabricated through a facile hydrothermal process combined with a successive in situ precipitation technique. The SEM and TEM images show that Ag3PO4 particles have been successfully loaded on the surface of FeOOH nanorods. The photocatalytic activities of the α-FeOOH/Ag3PO4 composite were investigated for their efficiency on the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) under ultra-violet light and visible light irradiation, and the results showed that the α-FeOOH/Ag3PO4 composite possessed remarkable photocatalytic activities. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the strong absorption in visible light and the effective separation of photogenerated hole–electron pairs between Ag3PO4 and α-FeOOH.

Fractional-order L<SUB>β</SUB>C<SUB>α</SUB> Low-Pass Filter Circuit

Rui Zhou,Run-Fan Zhang,Di-Yi Chen 대한전기학회 2015 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.10 No.4

This paper introduces the fundamentals of the conventional LC low-pass filter circuit in the fractional domain. First, we study the new fundamentals of fractional-order LC low-pass filter circuit including the pure real angular frequency, the pure imaginary angular frequency and the short circuit angular frequency. Moreover, sensitivity analysis of the impedance characteristics and phase characteristics of the LC low-pass filter circuit with respect to the system variables is studied in detail, which shows the greater flexibility of the fractional-order filter circuit in designs. Furthermore, from the filtering property perspective, we systematically investigate the effects of the system variables (LC, frequency f and fractional orders) on the amplitude-frequency characteristics and phase-frequency characteristics. In addition, the detailed analyses of the cut-off frequency and filter factor are presented. Numerical experimental results are presented to verify the theoretical results introduced in this paper.

Research on the Compression Behavior of Steel Reinforced Concrete Columns With Built-in Steel Tubes

Cun Hui,Fan Zhang,Zhizeng Zhang,Xiaoli Liu,Ran Hai,John J. Myers 한국강구조학회 2020 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.20 No.4

In order to study the compression behavior of rectangular steel reinforced concrete columns with built-in steel tubes under diff erent eccentric loads, three 1/10 scale specimens were designed and monotonic loading tests were carried out on them. The dimensions, steel bars and steel tube of the three specimens were the same except for the location of the loading point. The eccentricity ratios of the three specimens were 0, 0.25 and 0.5, respectively. The failure modes, load-bearing capacity and displacement characteristics of the test specimens were analyzed. According to the Chinese code, the load-bearing capacity calculation principles and methods of steel reinforced concrete columns with built-in steel tube were investigated for the comparison. The study shows that the peak vertical loads of specimens decrease and the corresponding vertical and horizontal peak displacement increase as the eccentricity increases. The load-bearing capacity calculation results from Chinese code are slightly smaller than the test result because of the unconsidered sleeve eff ect of the internal steel tube. The errors between them are small, and the calculation methods are benefi cial to ensure the structural safety.

Fractional-order L_βC_α Low-Pass Filter Circuit

Zhou, Rui,Zhang, Run-Fan,Chen, Di-Yi The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2015 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.10 No.4

This paper introduces the fundamentals of the conventional LC low-pass filter circuit in the fractional domain. First, we study the new fundamentals of fractional-order LC low-pass filter circuit including the pure real angular frequency, the pure imaginary angular frequency and the short circuit angular frequency. Moreover, sensitivity analysis of the impedance characteristics and phase characteristics of the LC low-pass filter circuit with respect to the system variables is studied in detail, which shows the greater flexibility of the fractional-order filter circuit in designs. Furthermore, from the filtering property perspective, we systematically investigate the effects of the system variables (LC, frequency f and fractional orders) on the amplitude-frequency characteristics and phase-frequency characteristics. In addition, the detailed analyses of the cut-off frequency and filter factor are presented. Numerical experimental results are presented to verify the theoretical results introduced in this paper.

Structure and property of a vertical cutting Ca0.4Sr0.6Bi4Ti4O15 ferroelectric ceramic

Su-Hua Fan,Ran Yu,Feng-Qing Zhang,Quan-De Che,Wei Hu 한양대학교 세라믹연구소 2011 Journal of Ceramic Processing Research Vol.12 No.3

Ca0.4Sr0.6Bi4Ti4O15 ceramics with a-axis preferred orientation were prepared by a solid-state reaction method. The cylindrical Ca0.4Sr0.6Bi4Ti4O15 ceramics were cut into two types of plates: one was along the cylinder axis (A), and the other was perpendicular to the direction of the cylinder axis. The effects of sintering temperature on the structure and electrical properties of the Ca0.4Sr0.6Bi4Ti4O15 ceramics were investigated. When the sintering temperature was 1180 oC, sample A gave the highest a-axis (200) orientation with a value of about 27.1%. At this sintering temperature, sample A showed better dielectric properties and ferroelectric properties, the relative dielectric constant (εr), dielectric loss (tan δ), remnant polarization (Pr), and coercive field (Ec) were 217.6, 0.0027, 14.2 μC/cm2 and 49.6 kV/cm, respectively.

Optimization of the microemulsion formulation of curcuma oil and evaluation of its acaricidal efficacy against Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Cheng Zuo-Hui,Fan Fang-Fang,Zhao Jin-Zhong,Li Rui,Li Sheng-Cai,Zhang En-Jia,Liu Yu-Kun,Wang Jue-Ying,Zhu Xiang-Run,Tian Yong-Ming 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.4

The microemulsion formulation (hereafter formulation) of curcuma oil and its acaricidal efficacy against Tetranychus cinnabarinus Boisduval (Acari: Tetranychidae) were optimized in the laboratory to evaluate their spray effectiveness of oviposition inhibition and repellence. Ethovision XT6 was used to analyse the effects of the sublethal concentrations (LC 20 ) of curcuma oil and the formulation on the behaviors of T. cinnabarinus. The results showed that Tween-80 was the best surfactant, Isopropanol was the best co-surfactant and K m = 2:1 was the best condition for the formulation. The prepared microemulsions are stable under conditions of centrifugation and incubation for extended periods. The results showed that the effect of the spray bioassays of the formulation against T. cinnabarinus continuously increased during the experiment, but for curcuma oil almost no longer increase observed when the exposure time went beyond 24 h. Moreover, compared with curcuma oil (LC 50 = 0.716%), the spray bioassay of the formulation (LC 50 = 0.035%) was stronger against T. cinnabarinus. The repellency of the formulation to T. cinnabarinus was stronger with increasing exposure time, but that of curcuma oil declined after 12 h of exposure. The mobile distance of T. cinnabarinus treated with the formulation continuously declined during the experiment but that due to the curcuma oil almost no longer declined when the treatment time reached 12 h. The maximum mobile frequency of T. cinnabarinus treated by curcuma oil and the formulation was recorded at 6 h and 12 h, respectively. Thus, the formulation is a promising candidate as a botanical acaricide of green vegetables.

Genome constitution and evolution of Elymus atratus (Poaceae: Triticeae) inferred from cytogenetic and phylogenetic analysis

Tan Lu,Wu Dan-Dan,Zhang Chang-Bing,Cheng Yi-Ran,Sha Li-Na,Fan Xing,Kang Hou-Yang,Wang Yi,Zhang Hai-Qin,Escudero Marcial,Zhou Yong-Hong 한국유전학회 2024 Genes & Genomics Vol.46 No.5

Background Elymus atratus (Nevski) Hand.-Mazz. is perennial hexaploid wheatgrass. It was assigned to the genus Elymus L. sensu stricto based on morphological characters. Its genome constitution has not been disentangled yet. Objective To identify the genome constitution and origin of E. atratus. Methods In this study, genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization, and phylogenetic analysis based on the Acc1, DMC1 and matK sequences were performed. Results Genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization results reveal that E. atratus 2n = 6x = 42 is composed of 14 St genome chromosomes, 14 H genome chromosomes, and 14 Y genome chromosomes including two H-Y type translocation chromosomes, suggesting that the genome formula of E. atratus is StStYYHH. The phylogenetic analysis based on Acc1 and DMC1 sequences not only shows that the Y genome originated in a separate diploid, but also suggests that Pseudoroegneria (St), Hordeum (H), and a diploid species with Y genome were the potential donors of E. atratus. Data from chloroplast DNA showed that the maternal donor of E. atratus contains the St genome. Conclusion Elymus atratus is an allohexaploid species with StYH genome, which may have originated through the hybridization between an allotetraploid Roegneria (StY) species as the maternal donor and a diploid Hordeum (H) species as the paternal donor. Background Elymus atratus (Nevski) Hand.-Mazz. is perennial hexaploid wheatgrass. It was assigned to the genus Elymus L. sensu stricto based on morphological characters. Its genome constitution has not been disentangled yet. Objective To identify the genome constitution and origin of E. atratus. Methods In this study, genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization, and phylogenetic analysis based on the Acc1, DMC1 and matK sequences were performed. Results Genomic in situ hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization results reveal that E. atratus 2n = 6x = 42 is composed of 14 St genome chromosomes, 14 H genome chromosomes, and 14 Y genome chromosomes including two H-Y type translocation chromosomes, suggesting that the genome formula of E. atratus is StStYYHH. The phylogenetic analysis based on Acc1 and DMC1 sequences not only shows that the Y genome originated in a separate diploid, but also suggests that Pseudoroegneria (St), Hordeum (H), and a diploid species with Y genome were the potential donors of E. atratus. Data from chloroplast DNA showed that the maternal donor of E. atratus contains the St genome. Conclusion Elymus atratus is an allohexaploid species with StYH genome, which may have originated through the hybridization between an allotetraploid Roegneria (StY) species as the maternal donor and a diploid Hordeum (H) species as the paternal donor.

SDSS J013127.34-032100.1: A NEWLY DISCOVERED RADIO-LOUD QUASAR AT <i>z</i> = 5.18 WITH EXTREMELY HIGH LUMINOSITY

Yi, Wei-Min,Wang, Feige,Wu, Xue-Bing,Yang, Jinyi,Bai, Jin-Ming,Fan, Xiaohui,Brandt, William N.,Ho, Luis C.,Zuo, Wenwen,Kim, Minjin,Wang, Ran,Yang, Qian,Zhang, Ju-jia,Wang, Fang,Wang, Jian-Guo,Ai, Yanl IOP Publishing 2014 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.795 No.2

<P>Very few of the z > 5 quasars discovered to date have been radio-loud, with radio-to-optical flux ratios (radio-loudness parameters) higher than 10. Here we report the discovery of an optically luminous radio-loud quasar, SDSS J013127.34-032100.1 (J0131-0321 in short), at z = 5.18 +/- 0.01 using the Lijiang 2.4 m and Magellan telescopes. J0131-0321 has a spectral energy distribution consistent with that of radio-loud quasars. With an i-band magnitude of 18.47 and a radio flux density of 33 mJy, its radio-loudness parameter is similar to 100. The optical and near-infrared spectra taken by Magellan enable us to estimate its bolometric luminosity to be L-bol similar to 1.1 x 10(48) erg s(-1), approximately 4.5 times greater than that of the most distant quasar known to date. The black hole mass of J0131-0321 is estimated to be 2.7 x 10(9) M-circle dot, with an uncertainty up to 0.4 dex. Detailed physical properties of this high-redshift, radio-loud, potentially super-Eddington quasar can be probed in the future with more dedicated and intensive follow-up observations using multi-wavelength facilities.</P>

Ginsengenin derivatives synthesized from 20(R)-panaxotriol: Synthesis, characterization, and antitumor activity targeting HIF-1 pathway

Guo, Hong-Yan,Xing, Yue,Sun, Yu-Qiao,Liu, Can,Xu, Qian,Shang, Fan-Fan,Zhang, Run-Hui,Jin, Xue-Jun,Chen, Fener,Lee, Jung Joon,Kang, Dongzhou,Shen, Qing-Kun,Quan, Zhe-Shan The Korean Society of Ginseng 2022 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.46 No.6

Background: Ginseng possesses antitumor effects, and ginsenosides are considered to be one of its main active chemical components. Ginsenosides can further be hydrolyzed to generate secondary saponins, and 20(R)-panaxotriol is an important sapogenin of ginsenosides. We aimed to synthesize a new ginsengenin derivative from 20(R)-panaxotriol and investigate its antitumor activity in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Here, 20(R)-panaxotriol was selected as a precursor and was modified into its derivatives. The new products were characterized by ¹H-NMR, ¹³C-NMR and HR-MS and evaluated by molecular docking, MTT, luciferase reporter assay, western blotting, immunofluorescent staining, colony formation assay, EdU labeling and immunofluorescence, apoptosis assay, cells migration assay, transwell assay and in vivo antitumor activity assay. Results: The derivative with the best antitumor activity was identified as 6,12-dihydroxy-4,4,8,10,14-pentamethyl-17-(2,6,6-trimethyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl)hexadecahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthren-3-yl(tert-butoxycarbonyl)glycinate (A11). The focus of this research was on the antitumor activity of the derivatives. The efficacy of the derivative A11 (IC₅₀ < 0.3 µM) was more than 100 times higher than that of 20(R)- panaxotriol (IC₅₀ > 30 µM). In addition, A11 inhibited the protein expression and nuclear accumulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor HIF-1α in HeLa cells under hypoxic conditions in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, A11 dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HeLa cells, while promoting their apoptosis. Notably, the inhibition by A11 was more significant than that by 20(R)-panaxotriol (p < 0.01) in vivo. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the production of derivative A11 from 20(R)-panaxotriol and its superior antitumor activity compared to its precursor. Moreover, derivative A11 can be used to further study and develop novel antitumor drugs.