Spatiotemporal expression patterns of thymosin and its immune regulation after bacterial stimulation in American cockroach (Periplaneta americana)

Yang Zhen,Xie Jiqin,Yang Yu,Sun Xiaohong,Jing Jie,Shen Yongmei,Yue Bisong,Zhang Xiuyue 한국곤충학회 2021 Entomological Research Vol.51 No.12

Thymosin is a physiologically active polypeptide hormone which has many functions involved in promoting wound healing, promoting hair growth, and accelerating tissue and organ regeneration. American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) has three subtypes thymosin (THY1, THY2, THY3) which are different splices from the same thymosin gene. Real-time PCR was used to detect and analyze the expression differences of THY1 and THY2 in different stages, sexes, tissues and after stimulation by bacteria. Thymosins were expressed in adult, eclosion, and ootheca, and their expression levels were significantly up-regulated during the eclosion period, showing the thymosin might be involved in the eclosion process. The expression levels of thymosins in females were higher than males, and the differences in eclosion stages were more significant (P < 0.01), indicating that they were closely related to development and female reproduction. The expressions of THY1 and THY2 in hemolymph were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that in other tissues. The up-regulated expression of thymosin in two immune-related tissues (Hemolymph and adipose) after Escherichia coli stimulation further confirmed its involvement in the immune response. Our research would provide a basis for screening of novel pesticides target genes.

Muscle fatigue: general understanding and treatment

Jing-jing Wan,Zhen Qin,Peng-yuan Wang,Yang Sun,Xia Liu 생화학분자생물학회 2017 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.49 No.-

Muscle fatigue is a common complaint in clinical practice. In humans, muscle fatigue can be defined as exercise-induced decrease in the ability to produce force. Here, to provide a general understanding and describe potential therapies for muscle fatigue, we summarize studies on muscle fatigue, including topics such as the sequence of events observed during force production, in vivo fatigue-site evaluation techniques, diagnostic markers and non-specific but effective treatments.

Estrogen weakens muscle endurance via estrogen receptor-p38 MAPK-mediated orosomucoid (ORM) suppression

Yang Sun,Zhen Qin,Jing-jing Wan,Peng-yuan Wang,Yi-Li Yang,Jian-Guang Yu,Bo-Han Hu,Ding-Feng Su,Zhu-Min Luo,Xia Liu 생화학분자생물학회 2018 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.50 No.-

Gender differences in fatigue manifest as females being more prone to feel exhaustion and having lower muscle endurance. However, the mechanisms of these effects remain unclear. We investigated whether orosomucoid, an endogenous anti-fatigue protein that enhances muscle endurance, is involved in this regulation. Female rats exhibited lower muscle endurance, and this gender difference disappeared in orosomucoid-1-deficient mice. Female rats also exhibited weaker orosomucoid induction in serum, liver and muscle in response to fatigue compared with male rats. Ovariectomy elevated orosomucoid levels and increased swimming time, and estrogen replenishment reversed these effects. Exogenous estrogen treatment in male and female mice produced opposite effects. Estrogen decreased orosomucoid expression and its promoter activity in C2C12 muscle and Chang liver cells in vitro, and estrogen receptor or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase blockade abolished this effect. Therefore, estrogen negatively regulates orosomucoid expression that is responsible for the weaker muscle endurance in females.

Red Deer Antler Extract Accelerates Hair Growth by Stimulating Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor I in Full-thickness Wound Healing Rat Model

Yang, Zhi Hong,Gu, Li Juan,Zhang, Dong Liang,Li, Zheng,Li, Jing Jie,Lee, Mi-Ra,Wang, Chun Yan,Wang, Zhen,Cho, Jeong-Hee,Sung, Chang-Keun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2012 Animal Bioscience Vol.25 No.5

In order to investigate and evaluate the effects of red deer antlers on hair growth in the full-thickness wound healing model, Sprague-Dawley rats were given incision wounds through the full thickness of their dorsal skin and deer antler was applied for 40 days. At specified intervals thereafter (4, 8, 16, 32 and 40 days), the animals were sacrificed and the wound site skins were excised, processed, and sectioned. At post-injury days 16, 32 and 40, longer and more active new hair appeared around the healing wound of antler-treated skin. Histological studies showed that the antler extract markedly increases the depth, size, and number of hair follicles. Expression of IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor) mRNA was detected by RT-PCR and real time RT-PCR. The result showed that the expression of IGF-I (days 16, 32, and 40) was obviously up-regulated in antler-treated skins compared to control skins. Similar results were seen in the ELISA analysis to quantify the IGF-I expression. These results support the notion that wound healing can cause hair growth by enhancing the expression of IGF-I. Deer antler extract appears to have the potential to promote hair growth and could be used in hair growth products.

Bone Formation in Ectopic and Osteogenic Tissue Induced by a Novel BMP-2-related Peptide Combined with Rat Tail Collagen

Jing-Feng Li,Zhen-Yu Lin,Qi-Xin Zheng,Xiao-Dong Guo,Shu-Hua Yang,Hong-Wei Lu,Sheng-Hui Lan 한국생물공학회 2010 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.15 No.5

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) play an important role in regulating osteoblast differentiation and subsequent bone formation, mainly evidenced by the induced osteogenic ability of BMP-2 from BMPs. However, BMP-2 alone does not induce the expected efficacy due to its short retention in vivo. In this study, a novel BMP-2-related peptide (designated P24) derived from the “knuckle epitope”of BMP-2 was coupled covalently to type I collagen derived from rat tail and observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in low vacuum mode. The BMP-2-related peptide/collagen composite was implanted in vivo into the pocket of the quadriceps musculature of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and then harvested 3 or 6 weeks after surgery. It was found that lyophilized collagen retained a porous network structure with an average inner-diameter of 90 ~ 160 μm. Based on radiographic evaluation and histological examination, BMP-2-related peptide/collagen induced significant ectopic bone formation compared to that of rat tail collagen alone as a control. Our results indicate collagen served as a good carrier for newly synthesized BMP-2-related peptide and that the BMP-2-related peptide/collagen composite was an effective substitute in bone tissue engineering.

Effect of L-carnitine on sperm quality during liquid storage of boar semen

Yang Kang,Wang Na,Guo Hai-Tao,Wang Jing-Ran,Sun Huan-Huan,Sun Liang-Zhen,Yue Shun-Li,Zhou Jia-Bo 아세아·태평양축산학회 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.11

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of L-carnitine on the pig semen characteristics during storage. Methods: Spermatozoa samples were examined for spermatozoa quality and then randomly divided into 5 groups: 0 (control), 12.5, 25, 50, and 100 mM L-carnitine. Sperm motility, plasma membrane integrity and antioxidant parameters (total reactive oxygen species, total antioxidant capacity, and malondialdehyde) were evaluated after 0, 3, 5, and 10 day cooled-storage at 17°C. Moreover, ATP content, mitochondria activity as well as sperm-binding and in vitro fertilizing ability of preserved boar sperm were also investigated. Results: Supplementation with 50 mM L-carnitine could effectively maintain boar sperm quality parameters such as sperm motility and membrane integrity. Besides, we found that L-carnitine had positive effects on boar sperm quality mainly through improving antioxidant capacities and enhancing ATP content and mitochondria activity. Interestingly, by assessing the effect of L-carnitine on sperm fertility and developmental potential, we discovered that the extender containing L-carnitine could improve sperm quality and increase the number of sperms bounding to zona pellucida, without improving in vitro fertility and development potential. Conclusion: These findings suggested that the proper addition of L-carnitine to the semen extender improved boar sperm quality during liquid storage at 17°C.

Evaluation and Adjustment Based on Broad Learning System for Small Signal Stability Analysis of Power System Integrated with Wind Farms

Yang Yu-De,Yao Wen-Jing,Yang Li-Zhen 대한전기학회 2022 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.17 No.6

This paper primarily focuses on evaluation and adjustment methods for small signal analysis with wind farm integration. The connection of wind farms may aff ect the original oscillation modes of the system, and may also introduce new oscillation modes. To ensure the security and stability of the system, it is necessary to assess the running state of the system and evaluate the development direction of the small signal stability on the premise of taking volatility into account. It is also important to fast adjust the system when an unstable state happened. The method in this paper provides a new way to accurately evaluate and adjust the stability of the system integrated with wind farms. Broad learning system (BLS) is a non-fi xed model and has the potential of incremental learning. A BLS model is trained to evaluate the damping ratio sensitivity in diff erent operating states. The adjustment part will use the optimal adjustment model and damping ratio sensitivity to adjust unstable systems. The superior performance of the model proposed in this paper is tested by the case study based on the IEEE 3-machine, 9-bus, and the New-England 10-machine, 39-bus. The results demonstrate the feasibility, validity, and eff ectiveness of the method proposed in this article.

Solvothermal Synthesis of InOOH Nanospheres with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity

Shuang Yang,Cheng-Yan Xu,Sheng-Peng Hu,Wen-Shou Wang,Jing Yu,Liang Zhen 대한화학회 2016 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.37 No.4

Monodispersive indium oxyhydroxide (InOOH) nanospheres were successfully synthesized by an acetic acid-assisted solvothermal method. The structure and morphology of InOOH nanospheres were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. The obtained InOOH nanospheres have a porous structure with diameters of 400–650 nm and a relative large specific surface area of 60.63 m2/g. Introducing a trace amount of acetic acid into the reaction system can effectively adjust the reaction rate, realizing the morphology and phase tuning of InOOH nanospheres. The InOOH nanospheres exhibit excellent photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B under UV light irradiation, which is ascribed to the porous structures and high-Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of InOOH nanospheres.

A Chaperone Function of NO CATALASE ACTIVITY1 Is Required to Maintain Catalase Activity and for Multiple Stress Responses in Arabidopsis

Li, Jing,Liu, Juntao,Wang, Guoqiang,Cha, Joon-Yung,Li, Guannan,Chen, She,Li, Zhen,Guo, Jinghua,Zhang, Caiguo,Yang, Yongqing,Kim, Woe-Yeon,Yun, Dae-Jin,Schumaker, Karen S.,Chen, Zhongzhou,Guo, Yan American Society of Plant Biologists 2015 The Plant cell Vol.27 No.3

<P>Arabidopsis protein NCA1 interacts with catalases in the cytosol and increases catalase activity through maintaining catalase folding state, which is required for stress responses.</P><P>Catalases are key regulators of reactive oxygen species homeostasis in plant cells. However, the regulation of catalase activity is not well understood. In this study, we isolated an <I>Arabidopsis thaliana</I> mutant, <I>no catalase activity1-3</I> (<I>nca1-3</I>) that is hypersensitive to many abiotic stress treatments. The mutated gene was identified by map-based cloning as NCA1, which encodes a protein containing an N-terminal RING-finger domain and a C-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat-like helical domain. NCA1 interacts with and increases catalase activity maximally in a 240-kD complex in planta. In vitro, NCA1 interacts with CATALASE2 (CAT2) in a 1:1 molar ratio, and the NCA1 C terminus is essential for this interaction. CAT2 activity increased 10-fold in the presence of NCA1, and zinc ion binding of the NCA1 N terminus is required for this increase. NCA1 has chaperone protein activity that may maintain the folding of catalase in a functional state. NCA1 is a cytosol-located protein. Expression of <I>NCA1</I> in the mitochondrion of the <I>nca1-3</I> mutant does not rescue the abiotic stress phenotypes of the mutant, while expression in the cytosol or peroxisome does. Our results suggest that NCA1 is essential for catalase activity.</P>

Effects of Gastric Cancer Cells on the Differentiation of Treg Cells

Hu, Jing-Lan,Yang, Zhen,Tang, Jian-Rong,Fu, Xue-Qin,Yao, Lan-Jie Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.8

The aim of this study was evaluated the prevalence of Treg cells in peripheral blood in patients with gastric cancer, and investigate the effect of gastric cancer cells on their differentiation. ELISA was employed to assess the concentrations of TGF-${\beta}$ and IL-10 in gastric cancer patients' serum. Then, mouse gastric cancer cells were co-cultured with T lymphocytes or T lymphocytes + anti-TGF-${\beta}$. Flow cytometric analysis and RT-PCR were then performed to detect Treg cells and TGF-${\beta}$ and IL-10 expression in gastric cancer cells. Our data showed that the expression of TGF-${\beta}$ and IL-10 in the patients with gastric cancer was increased compared to the case with healthy donors. The population of Treg cells and the expression levels of TGF-${\beta}$ and IL-10 in the co-culture group were much higher than in the control group (18.6% vs 9.5%) (P<0.05). Moreover, the population of Treg cells and the expression levels of TGF-${\beta}$ and IL-10 in the co-culture systerm were clearly decreased after addition of anti-TGF-${\beta}$ (7.7% vs 19.6%) (P<0.01). In conclusion, gastric cancer cells may induce Treg cell differentiation through TGF-${\beta}$, and further promote immunosuppression.