FBXL14 abolishes breast cancer progression by targeting CDCP1 for proteasomal degradation

Cui, Yan-Hong,Kim, Hyeonmi,Lee, Minyoung,Yi, Joo Mi,Kim, Rae-Kwon,Uddin, Nizam,Yoo, Ki-Chun,Kang, Jae Hyeok,Choi, Mi-Young,Cha, Hyuk-Jin,Kwon, Ok-Seon,Bae, In-Hwa,Kim, Min-Jung,Kaushik, Neha,Lee, Su-J Nature Publishing Group 2018 Oncogene Vol. No.

Site-directed Mutagenesis of the Toxin from the Chinese Scorpion Buthus martensii Karsch (BmKAS): Insight into Sites Related to Analgesic Activity

Yong Cui,Yong-Bo Song,Lin Ma,Yan-Feng Liu,Guo-Dong Li,Chun-Fu Wu,Jing-Hai Zhang 대한약학회 2010 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.33 No.10

This study utilized the E. coli expression system to investigate the role of amino acid residues in toxin from the Chinese scorpion - Buthus martensii Karsch (BmKAS). To evaluate the extent to which residues of the toxin core contribute to its analgesic activity, ten mutants of BmKAS were obtained by PCR. Using site-directed mutagenesis, all of these residues were substituted with different amino acids. This study represents a thorough mapping and elucidation of the epitopes that form the molecular basis of the toxin’s analgesic activity. Our results showed large mutant-dependent differences that emphasize the important roles of the studied residues.

Molecular differentiation of Russian wild ginseng using mitochondrial nad7 intron 3 region

Li, Guisheng,Cui, Yan,Wang, Hongtao,Kwon, Woo-Saeng,Yang, Deok-Chun The Korean Society of Ginseng 2017 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.41 No.3

Background: Cultivated ginseng is often introduced as a substitute and adulterant of Russian wild ginseng due to its lower cost or misidentification caused by similarity in appearance with wild ginseng. The aim of this study is to develop a simple and reliable method to differentiate Russian wild ginseng from cultivated ginseng. Methods: The mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 7 (nad7) intron 3 regions of Russian wild ginseng and Chinese cultivated ginseng were analyzed. Based on the multiple sequence alignment result, a specific primer for Russian wild ginseng was designed by introducing additional mismatch and allele-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed for identification of wild ginseng. Real-time allele-specific PCR with endpoint analysis was used for validation of the developed Russian wild ginseng single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker. Results: An SNP site specific to Russian wild ginseng was exploited by multiple alignments of mitochondrial nad7 intron 3 regions of different ginseng samples. With the SNP-based specific primer, Russian wild ginseng was successfully discriminated from Chinese and Korean cultivated ginseng samples by allele-specific PCR. The reliability and specificity of the SNP marker was validated by checking 20 individuals of Russian wild ginseng samples with real-time allele-specific PCR assay. Conclusion: An effective DNA method for molecular discrimination of Russian wild ginseng from Chinese and Korean cultivated ginseng was developed. The established real-time allele-specific PCR was simple and reliable, and the present method should be a crucial complement of chemical analysis for authentication of Russian wild ginseng.

Variants on ESR1 and their Association with Prostate Cancer Risk: A Meta-analysis

Ding, Xiang,Cui, Feng-Mei,Xu, Song-Tao,Pu, Jin-Xian,Huang, Yu-Hua,Zhang, Jiang-Lei,Wei, Xue-Dong,Hou, Jian-Quan,Yan, Chun-Yin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.8

Background: Epidemiological studies evaluating the association of two variants rs9340799 and rs2234693 on estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) with prostate risk have generated inconsistent results. Methods: A meta-analysis was here conducted to systematically evaluate the relationship of these two variants with prostate cancer susceptibility. Results: For rs9340799, heterozygosity of T/C carriers showed a significant increased prostate cancer risk with a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.34 (95% CI = 1.06-1.69) while homozygote C/C carriers showed an increased but not statistically significant association with prostate cancer risk (pooled OR = 1.29, 95% CI = 0.94-1.79). Compared to the homozygous TT carriers, the allele C carriers showed a 31% increased risk for prostate cancer (pooled OR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.06-1.63). No significant association between the rs2234693 and prostate cancer risk was found with the pooled OR of 1.15 (95% CI = 0.97-1.39, T/C and C/C vs. T/T) under the dominant genetic model. Compared to the homozygote T/T carriers, the heterozygous T/C carriers did not show any significantly different risk of prostate cancer (pooled OR = 1.13, 95% CI = 0.94-1.36) and the homozygous C/C carriers also did not show a significant change for prostate cancer risk compared to the wide-type T/T carriers (pooled OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.98-1.62). Conclusion: These data suggested that variant rs9340799, but not rs2234693, on ESR1 confers an elevated risk of prostate cancer.

Proinvasive extracellular matrix remodeling in tumor microenvironment in response to radiation

Yoo, Ki-Chun,Suh, Yongjoon,An, Yoojeong,Lee, Hae-June,Jeong, Ye Ji,Uddin, Nizam,Cui, Yan-Hong,Roh, Tae-Hoon,Shim, Jin-Kyoung,Chang, Jong Hee,Park, Jong Bae,Kim, Min-Jung,Kim, In-Gyu,Kang, Seok-Gu,Lee, Nature Publishing Group UK 2018 Oncogene Vol.37 No.24

<P>Ionizing radiation is widely used for patient with glioblastoma (GBM). However, the effect of radiation on patient survival is marginal and upon recurrence tumors frequently shift toward mesenchymal subtype adopting invasiveness. Here, we show that ionizing radiation affects biomechanical tension in GBM microenvironment and provides proinvasive extracellular signaling cue, hyaluronic acid (HA)-rich condition. In response to radiation, HA production was increased in GBM cells by HA synthase-2 (HAS2) that was transcriptionally upregulated by NF-kappa B. Notably, NF-kappa B was persistently activated by IL-1 alpha-feedback loop, making HA abundance in tumor microenvironment after radiation. Radiation-induced HA abundance causally has been linked to invasiveness of GBM cells by generating movement track as an extracellular matrix, and by acting as a signaling ligand for CD44 receptor, leading to SRC activation, which is sufficient for mesenchymal shift of GBM cells. Collectively, our findings provide an explanation for the frequent brain tumor relapse after radiotherapy, and potential therapeutic targets to block mesenchymal shift upon relapse.</P>

Changes in Volatile Aroma Compounds of Traditional Chinese-type Soy Sauce During Moromi Fermentation and Heat Treatment

Xian-Li Gao,Chun Cui,Hai-Feng Zhao,Mou-Ming Zhao,Lan Yang,Jiao-Yan Ren 한국식품과학회 2010 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.19 No.4

Considering the important influence of longtime (150 day) moromi fermentation and heat treatment on the aroma formation of traditional Chinese-type soy sauce (TCSS), volatile compounds in samples taken from different stages of moromi fermentation and heat treatment were analyzed by solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results showed that a total of 76 volatile compounds were identified in all the samples, and most of the volatile compounds were common. During 150 day of moromi fermentation, relative contents of acids, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, esters,and furan(one)s along with all the sensory attributes of acidic, alcoholic, fruity, caramel-like, smoky, and malty changed greatly. Notably, relative contents of alcohols,aldehydes and ketones along with the sensory intensities of alcoholic, caramel-like, and smoky of heated sample (80℃/60 min) decreased markedly, whereas there were slight increases in relative contents of furan(one)s, phenols,and sulfur-containing compounds of it. Long-time moromi fermentation and heat treatment have significant influence on the formation and relative contents of volatile compounds in TCSS, whereas changes in volatile compounds and their relative contents of the samples were responsible for the differences in sensory attributes.

Fractionated radiation-induced nitric oxide promotes expansion of glioma stem-like cells.

Kim, Rae-Kwon,Suh, Yongjoon,Cui, Yan-Hong,Hwang, Eunji,Lim, Eun-Jung,Yoo, Ki-Chun,Lee, Ga-Haeng,Yi, Joo-Mi,Kang, Seok-Gu,Lee, Su-Jae Japanese Cancer Association 2013 CANCER SCIENCE Vol.104 No.9

<P>Glioblastoma remains an incurable brain disease due to the prevalence of its recurrence. Considerable evidence suggests that glioma stem-like cells are responsible for glioma relapse after treatment, which commonly involves ionizing radiation. Here, we found that fractionated ionizing radiation (2 Gy/day for 3 days) induced glioma stem-like cell expansion and resistance to anticancer treatment such as cisplatin (50 μM) or taxol (500 nM), or by ionizing radiation (10 Gy) in both glioma cell lines (U87, U373) and patient-derived glioma cells. Of note, concomitant increase of nitric oxide production occurred with the radiation-induced increase of the glioma stem-like cell population through upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). In line with this observation, downregulation of iNOS effectively reduced the glioma stem-like cell population and decreased resistance to anticancer treatment. Collectively, our results suggest that targeting iNOS in combination with ionizing radiation might increase the efficacy of radiotherapy for glioma treatment.</P>

Large-Scale Production of Graphene Nanoribbons from Electrospun Polymers

Liu, Nan,Kim, Kwanpyo,Hsu, Po-Chun,Sokolov, Anatoliy N.,Yap, Fung Ling,Yuan, Hongtao,Xie, Yanwu,Yan, Hao,Cui, Yi,Hwang, Harold Y.,Bao, Zhenan American Chemical Society 2014 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY - Vol.136 No.49

<P>Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) are promising building blocks for high-performance electronics due to their high electron mobility and dimensionality-induced bandgap. Despite many past efforts, direct synthesis of GNRs with controlled dimensions and scalability remains challenging. Here we report the scalable synthesis of GNRs using electrospun polymer nanofiber templates. Palladium-incorporated poly(4-vinylphenol) nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning with controlled diameter and orientation. Highly graphitized GNRs as narrow as 10 nm were then synthesized from these templates by chemical vapor deposition. A transport gap can be observed in 30 nm-wide GNRs, enabling them to function as field-effect transistors at room temperature. Our results represent the first success on the scalable synthesis of highly graphitized GNRs from polymer templates. Furthermore, the generality of this method allows various polymers to be explored, which will lead to understanding of growth mechanism and rational control over crystallinity, feature size and bandgap to enable a new pathway for graphene electronics.</P><P><B>Graphic Abstract</B> <IMG SRC='http://pubs.acs.org/appl/literatum/publisher/achs/journals/content/jacsat/2014/jacsat.2014.136.issue-49/ja509871n/production/images/medium/ja-2014-09871n_0007.gif'></P><P><A href='http://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/ja509871n'>ACS Electronic Supporting Info</A></P>

Activation of KRAS promotes the mesenchymal features of basal-type breast cancer

Kim, Rae-Kwon,Suh, Yongjoon,Yoo, Ki-Chun,Cui, Yan-Hong,Kim, Hyeonmi,Kim, Min-Jung,Gyu Kim, In,Lee, Su-Jae Nature Publishing Group 2015 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.47 No.1

<P>Basal-type breast cancers are among the most aggressive and deadly breast cancer subtypes, displaying a high metastatic ability associated with mesenchymal features. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the maintenance of mesenchymal phenotypes of basal-type breast cancer cells remain obscure. Here, we report that KRAS is a critical regulator for the maintenance of mesenchymal features in basal-type breast cancer cells. KRAS is preferentially activated in basal-type breast cancer cells as compared with luminal type. By loss and gain of KRAS, we found that KRAS is necessary and sufficient for the maintenance of mesenchymal phenotypes and metastatic ability through SLUG expression. Taken together, this study demonstrates that KRAS is a critical regulator for the metastatic behavior associated with mesenchymal features of breast cancer cells, implicating a novel therapeutic target for basal-type breast cancer.</P>

Experimental and Numerical Research on Process Formability in Magnetic Pulse Forming of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Sheets

Jun-Rui Xu,Jun-Jia Cui,Guangyong Sun,Yan-Rong Li,Chun-Feng Li 한국정밀공학회 2015 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

The plain strain of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet in magnetic pulse forming was investigated by numerical simulation and experimental method. Combination of uniform pressure coil and Holmberg's specimen was employed to evaluate the plain strain of AZ31 sheet. The numerical simulation for magnetic pulse plain strain of AZ31 sheet is performed by means of ANSYS FEA software. The magnetic flux density of uniform pressure coil was distributed uniformly, especially at the center of gauged area of AZ31 sheet directly in relation to the deformation behavior of AZ31 sheet. The velocity of typical point increases as increasing energy, and the more position closes to the center of sheet the higher velocity achieves. The forming height is increased with increasing discharge voltage. Compared with C=768 μF and C=1536 μF, the capacitance of 1152 μF is more effective for forming, which is confirmed by experiments. The peak velocity at the center of sheet is about 105 m/s. The major strains of magnetic pulse plane strain lie approximately in the strain ranges of 5.83-6.45%. However, the 3.22-3.82% (major strain) are the limit strains in quasi-static condition. The experimental results indicate that the major strain of AZ31 sheet improves about 75% compared with the quasi-static case.