Honeybees (Apis mellifera) modulate dance communication in response to pollution by imidacloprid

Zhang Zu Yun,Li Zhen,Huang Qiang,Yan Wei Yu,Zhang Li Zhen,Zeng Zhi Jiang 한국응용곤충학회 2020 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.23 No.2

Imidacloprid, one of the most commonly used insecticides, is highly toxic to honeybees and other beneficial insects. Imidacloprid is a chloronicotinyl insecticide, which has a highly specific affinity to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the honeybee’s nervous system. So it may interfere with dance behavior and memory formation. We found the waggle dances were modulated in honeybees fed sucrose water containing imidacloprid (pesticide group) compared to those fed normal sucrose water (control group). In our data, dancers of the pesticide group significantly increased the variance of divergence angle and the return phases in waggle dances than the control group. And the dance followers in pesticide group significantly increased the variance of crop content than the control group. Furthermore, four learning and memory related genes were significantly regulated at the gene expression levels between pesticide and control group. Our data revealed that the sublethal dose of imidacloprid impaired the honeybees’ learning and memory and resulted in cognitive disorder. The dancers may adjust their recruitment behavior leading to the observed reduced number of followers. We conclude that modulation of in-hive communication serves to protect the colony from foraging toxic food.

Simulation analysis and optimization design for wide band piezoelectric oscillator of energy harvesting device

Zhen Yu,Chen-yang Zhang,Si-yang Zhang 대한기계학회 2020 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.34 No.7

An L type broadband piezoelectric energy harvesting device was proposed in this paper, and the finite element model of L-type piezoelectric vibrator is established and simulated. It shows that the voltage corresponding to the first and third order resonant frequency is 0.06 V and 0.183 V, respectively, although higher than that of the ordinary piezoelectric vibrator, the voltage of the first mode and third mode for the piezoelectric vibrator is not close, which has little effect to broaden the bandwidth. Consequently, the simulation model for multi-cantilever piezoelectric vibrator was established, and its structural sizes were optimized, and it was obtained very close to first and third order resonant voltage, the bandwidth of the vibrator was broadened to 12.5 Hz. The multi-cantilever piezoelectric vibrator can be applied in a variety of devices for the collection of mechanical energy, and to provide a research foundation for the development of intelligent structures with self-sufficiency.

Long Noncoding RNA Cytoskeleton Regulator RNA Suppresses Apoptosis in Hepatoma Cells by Modulating the miR-125a-5p/HS1-Associated Protein X-1 Axis to Induce Caspase-9 Inactivation

Wu Zhen-Yu,Wang Yumin,Hu Hao,Ai Xiang-Nan,Zhang Qiang,Qin Yu-Gang 거트앤리버 소화기연관학회협의회 2023 Gut and Liver Vol.17 No.6

Background/Aims: The involvement of long noncoding RNAs in the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been well documented by substantial evidence. However, whether cytoskeleton regulator RNA (CYTOR) could affect the progression of HCC remains unclear. Methods: The relative expression of CYTOR, miR-125a-5p and HS1-associated protein X-1 (HAX-1) mRNA in HCC cells were determined via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The viability of treated HCC cells was measured by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Cell apoptosis was estimated by flow cytometry analysis, assessment of caspase-9 activity and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining, and Western blot of apoptosis-related proteins. The interplay between CYTOR or HAX-1 and miR-125a-5p was validated by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Results: CYTOR was upregulated and miR-125a-5p was downregulated in HCC cells. CYTOR silencing inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis in HepG2 and SMMC-7721 cells. miR-125a-5p was sponged and negatively regulated by CYTOR, and HAX-1 was directly targeted and negatively modulated by miR-125a-5p. Overexpression of miR-125a-5p enhanced the repressive effects of CYTOR knockdown on HCC cells, and knockdown of HAX-1 enhanced the inhibitory effects of miR-125a-5p mimics on HCC cells. Conclusions: CYTOR silencing facilitates HCC cell apoptosis in vitro via the miR-125a-5p/HAX-1 axis.

Food Microbiology and Biotechnology : Potential Probiotic Characterization of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains Isolated from Inner Mongolia “Hurood” Cheese

( Jian Zhang ),( Xue Zhang ),( Li Zhang ),( Yu Juan Zhao ),( Chun Hua Niu ),( Zhen Nai Yang ),( Sheng Yu Li ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2014 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.24 No.2

Total 121 lactic acid bacteria were isolated from homemade Inner Mongolia extra hard Hurood cheese. Seven of these strains, identified as Lactobacillus plantarum, were studied for probiotic characteristics. All seven strains survived at pH 3.0 for 3 h, or in the presence of oxgall at 0.3% or 0.6% for 4 h, but their viabilities were affected to different extents at pH 2.0 for 3 h. Strains C37 and C51 showed better adherence to Caco-2 cells, and higher hydrophobicity. The seven L. plantarum strains were different in in vitro free radical scavenging activities and cholesterolreducing ability. In vivo evaluation of the influence of L. plantarum C37 on the intestinal flora in a mouse model showed strain C37 could increase the viable counts of lactobacilli in feces of mice and decrease the viable counts of enterococci. When L. plantarum C37 was used to prepare probiotic Hurood cheese, it was able to maintain high viable counts (>7.8 log CFU/g) during the whole storage period, but the composition of the cheese was not changed. These results indicate that L. plantarum C37 could be considered as a promising probiotic strain.

Comparative Study between ZOOMit and Conventional Intravoxel Incoherent Motion MRI for Assessing Parotid Gland Abnormalities in Patients with Early- or Mid-Stage Sjögren’s Syndrome

Zhou Qing-Qing,Zhang Wei,Yu Yu-Sheng,Li Hong-Yan,Wei Liang,Li Xue-Song,He Zhen-Zhen,Zhang Hong 대한영상의학회 2022 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.23 No.4

Objective: To compare the reproducibility and performance of quantitative metrics between ZOOMit and conventional intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of early- and mid-stage Sjögren’s syndrome (SS). Materials and Methods: Twenty-two patients (mean age ± standard deviation, 52.0 ± 10.8 years; male:female, 2:20) with early- or mid-stage SS and 20 healthy controls (46.9 ± 14.6 years; male:female, 7:13) were prospectively enrolled in our study. ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM MRI were performed simultaneously in all individuals using a 3T scanner. Quantitative IVIM parameters - including tissue diffusivity (D), pseudodiffusion coefficient (D*), and perfusion fraction (f) - inter- and intra-observer reproducibility in measuring these parameters, and their ability to distinguish patients with SS from healthy individuals were assessed and compared between ZOOMit IVIM and conventional IVIM methods, appropriately. MR gland nodular grade (MRG) was also examined. Results: Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility was better with ZOOMit imaging than with conventional IVIM imaging (ZOOMit vs. conventional, intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.897–0.941 vs. 0.667–0.782 for inter-observer reproducibility and 0.891–0.968 vs. 0.814–0.853 for intra-observer reproducibility). Significant differences in ZOOMit f, ZOOMit D*, conventional D*, and MRG between patients with SS and healthy individuals (all p < 0.05) were observed. ZOOMit D* outperformed conventional D* in diagnosing early- and mid-stage SS (area under receiver operating curve, 0.867 and 0.658, respectively; p = 0.002). The combination of ZOOMit D*, MRG, and ZOOMit f as a new diagnostic index for SS, increased diagnostic area under the curve to 0.961, which was higher than that of any single parameter (all p < 0.01). Conclusion: Considering its better reproducibility and performance, ZOOMit IVIM may be preferred over conventional IVIM MRI, and may subsequently improve the ability to diagnose early- and mid-stage SS.

Metastasis associated genomic aberrations in stage II rectal cancer

Hong Zhao,Zhi-Zhou Shi,Rui Jiang,Dong-Bing Zhao,Hai-Tao Zhou,Jian-Wei Liang,Xin-Yu Bi,Jian-Jun Zhao,Zhi-Yu Li,Jian-Guo Zhou,Zhen Huang,Ye-Fan Zhang,Jian Wang,Xin Xu,Yan Cai,Ming-Rong Wang,Yu Zhang 한국유전학회 2016 Genes & Genomics Vol.38 No.11

Genomic aberrations of rectal carcinoma, especially DNA copy number changes associated with metastasis were largely unclear. We aim to identify the metastasis associated biomarkers in stage II rectal cancer. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary tumor tissues of stage II rectal carcinoma were analyzed by array-based comparative genomic hybridization, and genomic aberrations were identified by Genomic Workbench and SAM software. Copy number changes and mRNA expressions were validated by Real-time PCR in an independent rectal cancer samples. The results showed that the most frequent gains in stage II rectal cancer were at 1q21.2-q23.1, 3p21.31, 11q12.2-q23.3, 12q24.11-q24.31, 12q13.11-q14.1 and losses in 18q11.2-q23, 17q21.33-q22, 13q31.1-q31.3, 21q21.1-q21.3, 8p23.3-p23.1 and 4q22.1-q23. Twenty-two amplifications and five homozygous deletions were also identified. We further found that S100A1 (1q21.3-q23.1), MCM7 (7q22.1) and JUND (19p13.11) were amplified and overexpressed in stage II rectal cancer. Interestingly, the genomic aberrations affected 14 signaling pathways including VEGF signaling pathway and fatty acid metabolism. Most importantly, loss of 13q31.1-q34 and gain of 1q44 were associated with distant metastasis. Our results indicated that these metastasis associated genomic changes may be useful to reveal the pathogenesis of rectal cancer metastasis and identify candidate biomarkers.

Distinct bacterial community of a solid-state fermented Chinese traditional food huase sufu revealed by high-throughput sequencing

Zhang Zhen-dong,Wang Yu-rong,Xiang Fan-shu,Hou Qiang-chuan,Guo Zhuang 한국식품과학회 2021 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.30 No.9

Sufu is a common solid-state traditional fermentedfood made from soybean. Huase sufu is a typicaltype found in several provinces of China, especially inHubei. However, little is known about the bacterial community. High-throughput sequencing technology revealedthat the dominant taxa at phylum level were: Firmicutes,Proteobacteria and Bacteroides, and at the genus levelwere: Pseudomonas, Lactococcus, Acinetobacter, etc. Additionally, LEfSe revealed that compared with the bacterialcommunity of red sufu and white sufu, the biomarkergenera for both huase sufu were Enterococcus, and Myroides. Moreover, there were twenty-eight hubs for thehuase sufu samples, and four of them were dominantgenera: Citrobacter, Myroides, Vagococcus, and Enterococcus. These results provide a new insight into ourunderstanding of the bacterial diversity of huase sufu, andwill facilitate the isolation, screening, and developmentpotential bacterial strains for production of huase sufu.

Sonication Assisted Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of rol C Gene into Apple Rootstock (Malus robusta Rehd.)

Yu Cong,Jianmin Tao,Binhua Cai,Zhen Zhang 한국원예학회 2006 한국원예학회 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

<i>Roseivivax</i> <i>roseus</i> sp. nov., an alphaproteobacterium isolated from a solar saltern soil sample

Zhang, Yu-Qin,Lee, Jae-Chan,Park, Dong-Jin,Lu, Xin-Xin,Mou, Xiao-Zhen,Kim, Chang-Jin International Union of Microbiological Societies 2014 International journal of systematic and evolutiona Vol.64 No.5

<P>A pink, Gram-stain-negative, motile, halotolerant bacterium with subpolar flagellum, designated strain BH87090<SUP>T</SUP>, was isolated from a saline soil sample collected from the south-west coastal area of South Korea (125° 58′ 58.08″ E 34° 45′ 37.32″ N). The isolate formed opaque pink to red colonies on marine agar plates at 30 °C. The polar lipid profile consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and one unidentified phospholipid. The sole respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10 (Q-10). The major cellular fatty acids were C<SUB>18 : 1</SUB>ω7<I>c</I>, C<SUB>19 : 0</SUB> cyclo ω8<I>c</I>, C<SUB>16 : 0</SUB> and 11-methyl C<SUB>18 : 1</SUB>ω7<I>c</I>. The genomic DNA G+C content was 61.8 mol%. These chemotaxonomic characteristics were all consistent with specific properties of the genus <I>Roseivivax</I>. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that the isolate affiliated to the cluster with members of the genus <I>Roseivivax</I> in the <I>Roseobacter</I> clade, which suggested that the strain belonged to the genus <I>Roseivivax</I>. However, the low 16S rRNA gene similarities (93.5–95.3 %) of strain BH87090<SUP>T</SUP> with all the members of the genus <I>Roseivivax</I> indicated that it represented a novel species of the genus <I>Roseivivax</I>. On the basis of phenotypic and genotypic data, strain BH87090<SUP>T</SUP> should be classified as a novel species of the genus <I>Roseivivax</I>. The name <I>Roseivivax roseus</I> sp. nov. is proposed, with strain BH87090<SUP>T</SUP> ( = DSM 23042<SUP>T</SUP> = KCTC 22650<SUP>T</SUP>) as the type strain.</P>

MicroRNA-766-3p Inhibits Tumour Progression by Targeting Wnt3a in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Yu You,Keting Que,Yun Zhou,Zhen Zhang,Xiaoping Zhao,Jianpin Gong,Zuojin Liu 한국분자세포생물학회 2018 Molecules and cells Vol.41 No.9

Recent studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. In this study, we showed that miR-766-3p was decreased in approximately 72% of HCC tissues and cell lines, and its low expression level was significantly correlated with tumour size, TNM stage, metastasis, and poor prognosis in HCC. Ectopic miR-766-3p expression inhibited HCC cell proliferation, colony formation, migration and invasion. In addition, we showed that miR-766-3p repressed Wnt3a expression. A luciferase reporter assay revealed that Wnt3a was a direct target of miR-766-3p, and an inverse correlation between miR-766-3p and Wnt3a expression was observed. Moreover, Wnt3a up-regulation reversed the effects of miR-766-3p on HCC progression. In addition, our study showed that miR-766-3p up-regulation decreased the nuclear β-catenin level and expression of Wnt targets (TCF1 and Survivin) and reduced the level of MAP protein regulator of cytokinesis 1 (PRC1). However, these effects of miR-766-3p were reversed by Wnt3a up-regulation. In addition, PRC1 upregulation increased the nuclear β-catenin level and protein expression of TCF1 and Survivin. iCRT3, which disrupts the β-catenin-TCF4 interaction, repressed the TCF1, Survivin and PRC1 protein levels. Taken together, our results suggest that miR-766-3p down-regulation promotes HCC cell progression, probably by targeting the Wnt3a/PRC1 pathway, and miR-766-3p may serve as a potential therapeutic target in HCC.