The upregulation of keratocan promotes the progression of human pancreatic cancer

Gao Huijie,Qian Ruikun,Ren Qiang,Zhang Litao,Qin Wei,Zhou Caiju,Wang Huiyun,Liu Chao,Zhang Yuntao 대한독성 유전단백체 학회 2024 Molecular & cellular toxicology Vol.20 No.2

Background The role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in oncogenic contexts has been studied previously, but the expression patterns and functional role of keratocan, a classical small leucine-rich proteoglycan found in the ECM, in tumors remain poorly understood. As pancreatic cancer (PC) is characterized by desmoplasia in the ECM, this study sought to assess the significance of keratocan in PC. Objective In this study, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was first used to analyze the expression pattern of keratocan in PC. Keratocan, P53, and P21 levels were evaluated in PDAC patient tissues and the role of keratocan was additionally directly assessed via transfecting PDAC cell lines with a pENTER-human keratocan construct. Results Patients with PC showing high levels of keratocan had low survival rates. A significantly upregulated expression of keratocan was observed in the PC tumor tissues in comparison to healthy paracancerous tissues. Keratocan upregulation in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells markedly enhanced their proliferation and migration, but reduced cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, the P53 and P21 expression levels were significantly reduced in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells overexpressing keratocan. P53 and P21 were downregulated in PC tumor tissues. Conclusions All results showed that keratocan played important roles in the promoting of PC. Background The role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in oncogenic contexts has been studied previously, but the expression patterns and functional role of keratocan, a classical small leucine-rich proteoglycan found in the ECM, in tumors remain poorly understood. As pancreatic cancer (PC) is characterized by desmoplasia in the ECM, this study sought to assess the significance of keratocan in PC. Objective In this study, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) was first used to analyze the expression pattern of keratocan in PC. Keratocan, P53, and P21 levels were evaluated in PDAC patient tissues and the role of keratocan was additionally directly assessed via transfecting PDAC cell lines with a pENTER-human keratocan construct. Results Patients with PC showing high levels of keratocan had low survival rates. A significantly upregulated expression of keratocan was observed in the PC tumor tissues in comparison to healthy paracancerous tissues. Keratocan upregulation in BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells markedly enhanced their proliferation and migration, but reduced cellular apoptosis. Furthermore, the P53 and P21 expression levels were significantly reduced in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells overexpressing keratocan. P53 and P21 were downregulated in PC tumor tissues. Conclusions All results showed that keratocan played important roles in the promoting of PC.

Protective effect of resveratrol on arsenic trioxide-induced nephrotoxicity in rats

Weiqian Zhang,Yan Liu,Ming Ge,Jiang Jing,Yan Chen,Huijie Jiang,Hongxiang Yu,Ning Li,Zhigang Zhang 한국영양학회 2014 Nutrition Research and Practice Vol.8 No.2

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Arsenic, which causes human carcinogenicity, is ubiquitous in the environment. This study was designed to evaluate modulation of arsenic induced cancer by resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in vegetal dietary sources that has antioxidant and chemopreventive properties, in arsenic trioxide (As₂O₃)-induced Male Wistar rats. MATERIALS/METHODS: Adult rats received 3 mg/kg As₂O3 (intravenous injection, iv.) on alternate days for 4 days. Resveratrol(8 mg/kg) was administered (iv.) 1 h before As₂O₃ treatment. The plasma and homogenization enzymes associated with oxidative stress of rat kidneys were measured, the kidneys were examined histologically and trace element contents were assessed. RESULTS: Rats treated with As₂O₃ had significantly higher oxidative stress and kidney arsenic accumulation; however, pretreatment with resveratrol reversed these changes. In addition, prior to treatment with resveratrol resulted in lower blood urea nitrogen, creatinine and insignificant renal tubular epithelial cell necrosis. Furthermore, the presence of resveratrol preserved the selenium content (0.805 ± 0.059 μg/g) of kidneys in rats treated with As₂O₃. However, resveratrol had no effect on zinc level in the kidney relative to As₂O₃-treated groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that supplementation with resveratrol alleviated nephrotoxicity by improving antioxidant capacity and arsenic efflux. These findings suggest that resveratrol has the potential to protect against kidney damage in populations exposed to arsenic.

Dynamics of Soil Amino Sugars during Maize Growing Season under Different Management

Lu Huijie,He Hongbo,Zhang Xudong 한국토양비료학회 2014 한국토양비료학회 학술발표회 초록집 Vol.2014 No.6

A Systematic Treat Model for Software-Defined Networking

( Wenbin Zhang ),( Zehui Wu ),( Qiang Wei ),( Huijie Yuan ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2021 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.15 No.2

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has three key features: separation of control and forwarding, centralized control, and network programmability. While improving network management flexibility, SDN has many security issues. This paper systemizes the security threats of SDN using spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege (STRIDE) model to understand the current security status of SDN. First, we introduce the network architecture and data flow of SDN. Second, we analyze security threats of the six types given in the STRIDE model, aiming to reveal the vulnerability mechanisms and assess the attack surface. Then, we briefly describe the corresponding defense technologies. Finally, we summarize the work of this paper and discuss the trends of SDN security research.

Multilevel resistive switching and synaptic behaviors in MnO-based memristor

Ai Ruibo,Zhang Tao,Guo Huijie,Luo Wang,Liu Xiaojun 한국물리학회 2022 Current Applied Physics Vol.41 No.-

Exploring new synaptic electronic devices that combine computing and memory is a promising strategy that fundamentally approaches intelligent machines. In this study, the multilevel resistive switching and synaptic behaviors of a MnO-based device is studied. The device is composed of Al/MnO/Ni sandwich structure, has stable resistance switching characteristics, has continuous nonvolatile memory state, can be used as electrically programmable and erasable analog memory. The gradual conductance modulation is realized by changing the compliance current and the maximum scanning voltage. The Al/MnO/Ni devices successfully mimic the basic functions of synapses, including the paired-pulse facilitation, spike-rate-dependent plasticity, excitatory postsynaptic current, short-term plasticity, long-term plasticity, and sike-timing-dependent plasticity.

Shorter Telomere Length Is Associated with Increased Breast Cancer Risk in a Chinese Han Population: A Case-Control Analysis

Zhaoxia Wang,Zhenxing Zhang,Yanling Guo,Huifeng Shui,Guoqi Liu,Tianbo Jin,Huijie Wang 한국유방암학회 2018 Journal of breast cancer Vol.21 No.4

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of telomere length with breast cancer risk. We simultaneously explored the association between telomerase reverse transcriptase gene polymorphisms and telomere length. Methods: We used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to measure relative telomere length (RTL) in genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood from 183 breast cancer cases and 191 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. Results: Our results show that breast cancer patients had significantly shorter RTLs than control subjects (p< 0.05). When the RTLs were categorized into tertiles, we found that the lowest RTL was significantly associated with increased breast cancer risk compared with the highest RTL (odds ratio [OR], 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.40–3.90; p=0.001). Subgroup analyses indicated that risk of breast cancer was also significantly increased in the lowest RTL compared with the highest RTL in age >40 years (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.31–4.43; p=0.005), body mass index ≤24 kg/m2 (OR, 2.81; 95% CI, 1.55–5.10; p=0.001), and postmenopausal women (OR, 3.94; 95% CI, 1.63–9.51; p=0.002), respectively. In addition, individuals with the AA genotype of rs2853677 have longer telomeres than those of breast cancer patients with the AG genotype (p= 0.011). Conclusion: Our results suggest that shorter RTL was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. An association was found between the AA genotype of rs2853677 and longer RTLs in the case group. Functional studies are warranted to validate this association and further investigate our findings.

Preparation of epoxypropyl functionalized graphene oxide and its anticorrosion properties complexed with epoxy resin

Xiaofeng Yang,Yuepeng Zhang,Zhiping Chen,Yinshuai Yang,Hongxia Jing,Zhenhao Sun,Huijie Wang 한국화학공학회 2020 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.37 No.12

Functionalized graphene oxide (GO)/epoxy resin (EP) composite coating has attracted attention due to its advantages of epoxy resin in acid resistance, anticorrosion and having the characteristics of GO such as good chemical stability and strong electrolyte barrier properties. In this study, epoxypropyl functionalized graphene oxide (EFGO) was synthesized with a new strategy by grafting epichlorohydrin (ECH) onto the surface of GO. EFGO was then crosslinked with EP by diethylenetriamine (DETA) to fabricate EFGO/EP anticorrosive coating. The structure and property of EFGO and EFGO/EP were characterized and evaluated by various methods such as FTIR, Raman, XPS, SEM, and EIS. The results showed that the graft amount of epoxypropyl on GO surface could be effectively increased by using KI-KF catalysis system. The increase of the graft amount further improved the compatibility between EFGO and EP. EFGO/EP had a network structure with EFGO as the “central node”. The “central node” locked the movement of EP chain segment, as improving the thermal stability of EFGO/EP. The EFGO/EP coating fabricated by the EFGO, which grafted larger epoxypropyl, had good anticorrosion performance and adhesion with steel plates, showing a good barrier effect on electrolyte migration. The coating resistance reached up 4.88×108 cm2.

Physiological and omics analysis of maize inbred lines during late grain development

Jin Xining,Zhai Huijie,Wang Pingxi,Zhang Xiaoxiang,Wu Xiangyuan,Zhang Huaisheng,Chen Shilin,Huang Zhongwen 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.8

Background: There were significant differences in the change of moisture content and grain composition at the late stage of grain development among different maize varieties, but the regulation mechanism is not clear. Objective: To explore the key genes causing the variation in physiological traits of two typical maize inbred lines in late grain development. Methods: The grains at different development stages were selected as materials to determine the content of water, sucrose, starch and ABA. Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of the materials were performed to screen relevant genes. Results: The grain dehydration rate and the content of sucrose, starch and ABA were showed significant differences between two varieties in the late stage of grain development. The enrichment analysis of common differentially expressed genes (proteins) showed that most of the genes (proteins) were enriched in the extracellular region. The downregulated genes were mainly concentrated in carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism, while the upregulated genes were mainly in response to stress. Furthermore, this study also identified many key candidate genes (dehydrin genes, pathogenesis-related genes, sucrose synthase and secondary metabolites related genes) related to late grain development of maize. Conclusions: The suggested genes related to late grain development of maize can be candidates for further functional study.

Glia maturation factor beta deficiency protects against diabetic osteoporosis by suppressing osteoclast hyperactivity

Shi Si,Gu Huijie,Xu Jinyuan,Sun Wan,Liu Caiyin,Zhu Tong,Wang Juan,Gao Furong,Zhang Jieping,Ou Qingjian,Jin Caixia,Xu Jingying,Chen Hao,Li Jiao,Xu Guotong,Tian Haibin,Lu Lixia 생화학분자생물학회 2023 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.55 No.-

Excessive osteoclast activation, which depends on dramatic changes in actin dynamics, causes osteoporosis (OP). The molecular mechanism of osteoclast activation in OP related to type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains unclear. Glia maturation factor beta (GMFB) is considered a growth and differentiation factor for both glia and neurons. Here, we demonstrated that Gmfb deficiency effectively ameliorated the phenotype of T1D-OP in rats by inhibiting osteoclast hyperactivity. In vitro assays showed that GMFB participated in osteoclast activation rather than proliferation. Gmfb deficiency did not affect osteoclast sealing zone (SZ) formation but effectively decreased the SZ area by decreasing actin depolymerization. When GMFB was overexpressed in Gmfb-deficient osteoclasts, the size of the SZ area was enlarged in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, decreased actin depolymerization led to a decrease in nuclear G-actin, which activated MKL1/SRF-dependent gene transcription. We found that pro-osteoclastogenic factors (Mmp9 and Mmp14) were downregulated, while anti-osteoclastogenic factors (Cftr and Fhl2) were upregulated in Gmfb KO osteoclasts. A GMFB inhibitor, DS-30, targeting the binding site of GMFB and Arp2/3, was obtained. Biocore analysis revealed a high affinity between DS-30 and GMFB in a dose-dependent manner. As expected, DS-30 strongly suppressed osteoclast hyperactivity in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, our work identified a new therapeutic strategy for T1D-OP treatment. The discovery of GMFB inhibitors will contribute to translational research on T1D-OP.

THE ACCURATE FALLING DETECTION SYSTEM FOR THE ELDERLY (AFDE)

Jie Ni Dorette Ong,Huijie Zhang,Vwen Yen Alwyn Lee,Clifton Phua,Kelvin Sim,Yan Liu,Xian Zhang 국제과학영재학회 2012 APEC Youth Scientist Journal Vol.4 No.-

Statistics have shown that falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths among people over the age of 75 and 55% of all falls take place in homes with most falls occurring in the bathroom. In this research, the aim of this project is to come up with a system that is able to detect falls in the washrooms, so that immediate medical aid can be provided so as to alleviate the aftereffects of the fall. Microsoft Visio was used to map the logic of the system which was then used in the creation of the rules for the system. Drools Rules is used to create a set of rules that gets input from the sensors detecting the motions of the patients, so as to infer the activities that are ongoing in order to check for errors. With input from the sensors, the set of rules should be able to determine the activity happening and possible errors that the input could imply. Simulations of real-li (Learn Not To Fall, 2009) scenarios were carried out twice. Errors and limitations of the system were noted during the simulation to further debug and improve the rules for a more robust and efficient system.