Ankrd7, a Novel Gene Specifically Expressed in Sertoli Cells and Its Potential Roles in Sertoli Cell Maturation

Yu-Qiang Shi,Lian-Cai Du,Qing-Zhong Wang,Chun-Fang Han 한국분자세포생물학회 2009 Molecules and cells Vol.27 No.2

The somatic Sertoli cells play an essential role in testis determination and spermatogenesis by providing nutrition and structural support. In the current study, we report on the novel Ankrd7 gene that contains five ankyrin repeat domains. This gene was specifically expressed in Sertoli cells and was regulated in a maturation-dependent manner. Its expression was restricted to testicular tissue, and its mRNA could be detected in testes at as early as 14 dpp (days post partum) using RT-PCR analysis. In both testicular tissue sections and in vitro cultured Sertoli cells, the Ankrd7 protein was localized to the nucleus of the Sertoli cell. Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry investigations showed that the protein was detectable in testicular tissues at 20 dpp, at which time Sertoli cells were gradually differentiating into their mature cellular form. These results suggest that Ankrd7 is probably involved in the process of Sertoli cell maturation and in spermatogenesis.

Overexpression of Cyclooxygenase-1 Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Renal Cell Carcinoma

Yu, Zu-Hu,Zhang, Qiang,Wang, Ya-Dong,Chen, Jing,Jiang, Zhi-Mao,Shi, Min,Guo, Xin,Qin, Jie,Cui, Guang-Hui,Cai, Zhi-Ming,Gui, Yao-Ting,Lai, Yong-Qing Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.6

The aim of this study was to evaluate expression of COX-1 in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its prognostic value. mRNA of COX-1 was detected in 42 paired RCC and adjacent normal tissues with quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Expression of COX-1 was also evaluated in 196 RCC sections and 91 adjacent normal tissues with immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed to assess COX-1 expression in RCC and its prognostic significance. The results of qRT-PCR showed mRNA levels of COX-1 in RCC tissues to be significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (p < 0.001). Immunohistochemical assays also revealed COX-1 to be overexpressed in RCC tissues (p < 0.001). Statistical analysis demonstrated high expression of COX-1 was correlated with tumour size (p = 0.002), pathological stage (p = 0.003), TNM stage (p = 0.003, 0.007, 0.027, respectively), and tumour recurrence (p < 0.001). Survival analysis indicated patients with high expression of COX-1 had shorter survival time (p < 0.001), and COX-1 was an independent predictor. This is the first study to reveal overexpression of COX-1 in RRC and point to use as a prognostic marker in affected patients.

Serum Peroxiredoxin3 is a Useful Biomarker for Early Diagnosis and Assessemnt of Prognosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Chinese Patients

Shi, Liang,Wu, Li-Li,Yang, Jian-Rong,Chen, Xiao-Fei,Zhang, Yi,Chen, Zeng-Qiang,Liu, Cun-Li,Chi, Sheng-Ying,Zheng, Jia-Ying,Huang, Hai-Xia,Yu, Fu-Jun,Lin, Xiang-Yang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Background: Recently, peroxiredoxin3 (PRDX3) was identified as a novel molecular marker for the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its potential clinical application as a serum marker for the early diagnosis and prognosis of HCC has not been investigated. Methods: PRDX3, alpha-fetaprotein (AFP), and other biochemical parameters were measured in serum samples from 297 Chinese patients, including 96 with HCC, 98 with liver cirrhosis (LC), and 103 healthy controls (HCs). Correlations between serum PRDX3 expression and clinicopathological variables and the relationship between serum PRDX3 expression and prognosis were analyzed. Results: Serum PRDX3 was significantly higher in HCC patients than in the LC and HC groups. The sensitivity and specificity of serum PRDX3 for the diagnosis of HCC were 85.9% and 75.3%, respectively, at a cutoff of 153.26 ng/mL, and the area under the curve was 0.865. Moreover, serum PRDX3 expression was strongly associated with AFP level, tumor diameter, TNM stage, and portal vein invasion. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed that HCC patients with high serum PRDX3 expression had a shorter median survival time than those with low PRDX3 expression. Moreover, serum PRDX3 expression was an independent risk factor for overall survival. The inverse correlation between serum PRDX3 and patient survival remained significant in patients with early-stage HCC and in those with normal serum AFP levels. Conclusions: Serum PRDX3 can be used as a noninvasive biomarker for the diagnosis and/or prognosis of HCC.

Optimized Transformation of Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366 Producing Leptomycin by Electroporation

Yong-Qiang Fan,Hong-Jian Liu,Li Yan,Yu-Shi Luan,Hai-Meng Zhou,Jun-Mo Yang,Shang-Jun Yin,Yu-Long Wang 한국미생물학회 2013 The journal of microbiology Vol.51 No.3

Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366 produces leptomycin derivatives. Leptomycin B, a potent and specific inhibitor against the export of nuclear proteins, is the main product; however, the introduction of DNA into this strain is almost impossible, which has impeded its further use. We developed a Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366 transformation protocol to introduce foreign DNA via electroporation. Various conditions were examined, including treatments of the cell wall with weakening agents, electroporation parameters, and DNA content. We found that only plasmid DNA isolated from a dam- ET12567 strain resulted in successful transformation. The mycelium growing in a yeast-peptone-dextrose medium supplemented with 1% glycine at 28°C on a rotary shaker (220 rpm) was more dispersed than those without supplementation and prone to electroporation. The maximum transformation efficiency of 8×102 CFU/μg plasmid DNA was obtained at a field strength of 13 kV/cm with a time constant of 13 ms (25-μF capacitor; parallel resistance, 600 Ω) using 1-mm electrocuvettes. The results of the transformations of two other Streptomyces species indicated that the optimized conditions established in this study might only be applicable to Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366. However, this is the first report of successful transformation of Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366, and will facilitate the construction of a gene knockout mutant in Streptomyces sp. ATCC 39366 to produce series of new leptomycin derivatives.

Crashworthy and Performance-cost Characteristics of Aluminum-CFRP Hybrid Tubes under Quasi-static Axial Loading

Peilong Shi,Qiang Yu,Rong Huang,Xuan Zhao,Guohua Zhu 한국섬유공학회 2019 Fibers and polymers Vol.20 No.2

Metal/composite hybrid thin-walled structures combine the low cost of metallic materials and the high strength-toweight ratio of composites and thus have the potential to be utilized as cost-effective energy absorbers for vehicle applications. This study aimed to examine the crushing behaviors and performance-to-cost ratio of aluminum/carbon fiberreinforced plastic (CFRP) hybrid tubes under quasi-static axial loading. First, a single aluminum tube, a single CFRP tube and an aluminum/CFRP hybrid tube were tested to validate numerical models. The experimental results showed that the total energy absorption (EA) of the aluminum/CFRP hybrid tube was 32.46 % higher than the sum of that of the individual parts, and the special energy absorption (SEA) of the hybrid tube was improved by 105.26 % compared with that of the single aluminum tube. Then, the effects of the orientation angles ([±15 o]n, [±45 o]n, [±75 o]n, [±90 o]n, [90 o/0 o]n, n=2, 4, 6) and thicknesses of the CFRP tube wall (4-ply, 8-ply, 12-ply) on the crashworthiness of the hybrid tube were studied through validated numerical models. The numerical results showed that as the orientation angle increased, SEA, EA and the mean crushing force (Fmean) decreased first and then increased; in addition, the hybrid tubes with orientation angles of [±45 o]n and [90 o/0 o]n (n=2, 4, 6) consistently exhibited the worst and best crashworthiness, respectively. Furthermore, the SEA, EA, and Fmean of the hybrid tube increased with increasing thickness of the CFRP tube wall. Finally, the performance-to-cost ratio (SEA/cost) of the hybrid tube was analyzed, and the results show that aluminum/CFRP hybrid tubes with a smaller wall thickness of the CFRP tube exhibits superior potential in terms of both cost and performance for automotive applications.

Value of PAX1 Methylation Analysis by MS-HRM in the Triage of Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance

Li, Shi-Rong,Wang, Zhen-Ming,Wang, Yu-Hui,Wang, Xi-Bo,Zhao, Jian-Qiang,Xue, Hai-Bin,Jiang, Fu-Guo Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.14

Background: Detection of cervical high grade lesions in patients with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) is still a challenge. Our study tested the efficacy of the paired boxed gene 1 (PAX1) methylation analysis by methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM) in the detection of high grade lesions in ASCUS and compared performance with the hybrid capture 2 (HC2) human papillomavirus (HPV) test. Materials and Methods: A total of 463 consecutive ASCUS women from primary screening were selected. Their cervical scrapings were collected and assessed by PAX1 methylation analysis (MS-HRM) and high-risk HPV-DNA test (HC2). All patients with ASCUS were admitted to colposcopy and cervical biopsies. The Chisquare test was used to test the differences of PAX1 methylation or HPV infection between groups. Results: The specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy for detecting CIN2 + lesions were: 95.6%, 82.4%, and 94.6%, respectively, for the PAX1 MS-HRM test; and 59.7%, 64.7%, and 60.0% for the HC2 HPV test. Conclusions: The PAX1 methylation analysis by MS-HRM demonstrated a better performance than the high-risk HPV-DNA test for the detection of high grade lesions (CIN2 +) in ASCUS cases. This approach could screen out the majority of low grade cases of ASCUS, and thus reduce the referral rate to colposcopy.

A Novel 7-O-Modified Genistein Derivative with Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitory Effect, Estrogenic Activity and Neuroprotective Effect

Da-Hua Shi,Jun-Hua Wu,Zhi-Qiang Yan,Li-Na Zhang,Yu-Rong Wang,Chun-Ping Jiang 대한약학회 2012 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.35 No.9

To find the multi-target-directed compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), we synthesized 7-(4-(diethylamino)butoxy)-5-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one, a novel 7-O-modified genistein derivative (GS-14), and investigated its acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory effect, estrogenic activity and neuroprotective effect. GS-14 acted as a selective AChE inhibitor in vitro, with an IC50 value of 0.17 μM and showed no inhibition activity against butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). The Lineweaver–Burk plot revealed that GS-14 was a non-competitive AChE inhibitor with a Ki value of 0.23 μM and the molecular docking model indicated that GS-14 interacted with the peripheral anionic site (PAS) of AChE. The MCF-7 proliferation assay demonstrated that GS-14 possessed estrogenic activity and GS-14 exhibited a high specificity for estrogen receptor β (ERβ) with a dissociation constant (Ki) of 2.86 nM compared with that of 1.01 μM for estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the molecular docking study. GS-14 also possessed a neuroprotective effect and showed the best protective effect against the β-amyloid protein-induced injury on SH-SY5Y cells at a concentration of 1 nM. Considering its AChEinhibition activity, estrogenic activity and neuroprotective effect, GS-14 may be a potential multi-target agent for the treatment of AD.

Inactivation of recombinant human brain-type creatine kinase during denaturation by guanidine hydrochloride in a macromolecular crowding system.

Fan, Yong-Qiang,Liu, Hong-Jian,Li, Chang,Luan, Yu-Shi,Yang, Jun-Mo,Wang, Yu-Long Humana Press 2013 Applied biochemistry and biotechnology Vol.169 No.1

<P>In this study, we quantitatively examined the effects of the macromolecular crowding agents, polyethylene glycol 2000 (PEG 2000) and dextran 70, on guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl)-induced denaturation of recombinant human brain-type creatine kinase (rHBCK). Our results showed that both PEG 2000 and dextran 70 had a protective effect on the inactivation of rHBCK induced by 0.5 M GdnHCl at 25 C. The presence of 200 g/L PEG 2000 resulted in the retention of 35.33 % of rHBCK activity after 4 h of inactivation, while no rHBCK activity was observed after denaturation in the absence of macromolecular crowding agents. The presence of PEG 2000 and dextran 70 at a concentration of 100 g/L could decelerate the k (2) value of the slow track to 21 and 33 %, respectively, in comparison to values obtained in the absence of crowding agents. Interestingly, inactivation of rHBCK in the presence of 200 g/L PEG 2000 followed first-order monophasic kinetics, with an apparent rate constant of 8??10(-5)?s(-1). The intrinsic fluorescence results showed that PEG 2000 was better than dextran 70 at stabilizing rHBCK conformation. In addition, the results of the phase diagram indicate that more intermediates may be captured when rHBCK is denatured in a macromolecular crowding system. Mixed crowding agents did not produce better results than single crowding agents, but the protective effects of PEG 2000 on the inactivation and unfolding of rHBCK tended to increase as the ratio of PEG 2000 increased in the mixed crowding agent solution. Though it is not clear which crowding agents more accurately simulated the intracellular environment, this study could lead to a better understanding of protein unfolding in the intracellular environment.</P>

Static Shape Adjustment and Actuator Layered Optimization for Planar Phased Array Satellite Antenna

Ji-Yang Zhou,Guang-Yu Lu,Guo-Ping CAI,Guang-Qiang Fang,Liang-Liang Lv,Jun-Wei Shi 한국항공우주학회 2019 International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sc Vol.20 No.4

Shape accuracy is of great importance in space antennas, especially in large-scale planar phased array antenna. To maintain the performance of the planar phased array antenna, shape accuracy must be strictly controlled. This paper proposes an optimization method using diagonal cables as actuators to achieve the shape adjustment. As for shape control, actuator placement has a significant impact on the controlled shape accuracy. Misplaced actuators always lead to control problems, and the desired performance may not be achieved with any choice of control forces, so the actuator placement optimization is needed. The optimization problem is challenging because of the mixed discrete–continuous nature of design variables: the actuator placement corresponds to discrete variables and the control forces are continuous variables. A layered optimization method is proposed in this paper to solve the optimal actuator placement and the corresponding control forces. A genetic algorithm is applied in the outside layer to achieve the optimization of the actuator placement, and the quadratic programming method is used in the inside layer to get the corresponding optimal control forces. The proposed layered optimization method is successfully applied to the large-scale planar phased array antenna. Using this method, the influence of the number of actuators on the controlled shape accuracy is also studied.

Residual Surface Topology Modeling and Simulation Analysis for Micro-Machined Nozzle

Yukui Cai,Zhan-qiang Liu,Zhen-yu Shi,Qinghua Song,Yi Wang 한국정밀공학회 2015 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol. No.

The performance of the micro nozzle is determined primarily by its machined surface topology. A circular cross-section micro-Lavalnozzle is modeled and studied by using numerical simulation in this paper. The geometry of residual height and residual area ofmachined nozzle surface with flat-end milling cutter and ball-end milling cutter are created. It is found that the ball end milling cutterwith large diameter is better than the flat one for nozzle finishing operations. The nozzle velocity performance is also revealed in thisresearch. When residual height increased from 0.6 μm to 9.6 μm for nozzle with throat diameter less than 2 mm, the maximum outletvelocity of nozzle reduced gradually. The maximum outlet velocity of nozzle remains stable for the nozzle with throat diameter greaterthan 2 mm. The results show that the maximum outlet velocity of nozzle significantly reduces with throat diameter decreasing underconstant residual height. Based on the analysis about velocity boundary layer, when residual height changing from 0.6 μm to 9.6 μm,the nozzle with throat diameter is 1 mm, has the boundary layer thickness ranging from 5% to 14% of outlet radius.