Cancer Research Advances Regarding the CKLF-like MARVEL Transmembrane Domain Containing Family

Lu, Jia,Wu, Qian-Qian,Zhou, Ya-Bo,Zhang, Kai-Hua,Pang, Bing-Xin,Li, Liang,Sun, Nan,Wang, Heng-Shu,Zhang, Song,Li, Wen-Jian,Zheng, Wei,Liu, Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2016 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.17 No.6

The CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing family (CMTM) is a novel family of genes first reported at international level by Peking University Human Disease Gene Research Center. The gene products act between chemokines and the transmembrane-4 superfamily. Located in several human chromosomes, the CMTMs CKLF and CMTM1 to CMTM8 may be unregulated in tumors and act as potential tumor suppressor genes with important roles in the immune, male reproductive and hematopoietic systems. In-depth studies in recent years established a close relation between CMTMs and tumorigenesis and metastasis. The CMTM family has a significant clinical value in diagnosis and treatment of diseases linked to tumors and the immune system.

The NAD(P)H: Quinine Oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) Gene 609 C>T Polymorphism is Associated with Gastric Cancer Risk: Evidence from a Case-control Study and a Meta-analysis

Hu, Wei-Guo,Hu, Jia-Jia,Cai, Wei,Zheng, Min-Hua,Zang, Lu,Wang, Zheng-Ting,Zhu, Zheng-Gang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

The association between the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) gene C609T polymorphism (rs1800566) and gastric cancer has been widely evaluated, but a definitive answer is so far lacking. We first conducted a case-control study to assess this association in a large Han Chinese population, and then performed a meta-analysis to further address this issue. Although our case-control association study indicated no significant difference in the genotype and allele distributions of C609T polymorphism between gastric cancer patients and controls, in the meta analysis involving 4,000 subjects, comparison of alleles 609T and 609C indicated a significantly increased risk (46%) for gastric cancer (95% confidence interval (95%CI) for odds ratio (OR)=1.20-1.79) in individuals with the T allele. The tendency was similar to the homozygote (OR=1.81, 95%CI: 1.16-2.84), dominant models (OR=1.41, 95%CI: 1.12-1.79), as well as recessive model (OR=1.58, 95%CI: 1.06-2.35). Stratified analysis by study design demonstrated stronger associations in population-based than in hospital-based studies. And ethnicity-based analysis demonstrated a significant association in Asians. We conclude that the NQO1 gene C609T polymorphism increases the risk for gastric cancer, especially in Asian populations.

Depression and Structural Factors Are Associated With Symptoms in Patients of Irritable Bowel Syndrome With Diarrhea

( Jia Lu ),( Lili Shi ),( Dan Huang ),( Wenjuan Fan ),( Xiaoqing Li ),( Liming Zhu ),( Jing Wei ),( Xiucai Fang ) 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회(구 대한소화관운동학회) 2020 Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (JNM Vol.26 No.4

Background/Aims A strong correlation between depression and irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D) has been identified. The aim of this study is to identify the correlations among depression, structural factors, gastrointestinal (GI) and extra-GI symptoms, and efficacy of neuromodulators in patients with IBS-D. Methods Patients meeting the Rome III Diagnostic Criteria for IBS-D were enrolled. The intestinal symptoms and psychological states were evaluated using IBS-specific symptom questionnaires and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Results In total, 410 patients with IBS-D were enrolled, 28.8% (118/410) had comorbid depression. Patients with depression did not readily experience improvement in abdominal pain/discomfort after defecation, and had a higher prevalence of passing mucus, overlapping functional dyspepsia, and extra-GI symptoms. The structural factor “mental disorders” significantly correlated with main bowel symptom score and degree of pre-defecation abdominal pain/discomfort. No structural factor significantly correlated with bowel movements or stool form. Patients who had passing mucus, overlapping functional dyspepsia and extra-GI painful symptoms have higher score of “anxiety/somatization.” Patients with sexual dysfunction have higher score of “retardation symptoms.” In total, 28.3% of patients with IBS-D were prescribed neuromodulators. Baseline scores of “anxiety/somatization” and “retardation symptoms” positively correlated with improvement of diarrhea after paroxetine, and “sleep disturbances” positively correlated with improvement of abdominal pain/discomfort and diarrhea after mirtazapine. Conclusions Comorbid depression and higher scores of structural factors might aggravate GI and extra-GI symptoms other than bowel movements and stool form. Structural factors of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale correlated with efficacy of paroxetine and mirtazapine in patients with IBS-D. (J Neurogastroenterol Motil 2020;26:505-513)

A Shortcut to the Preparation of Naturally Occurring Arbutin

Jia-Lu Xue,Jin-Wei Yang,Qiong Deng,Xiao-Peng He,Guo-Rong Chen 대한화학회 2010 Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol.31 No.7

Genetic structure of six cattle populations revealed by transcriptomewide SNPs and gene expression

Wei Wang,Huai Wang,Hui Tang,Jia Gan,Changgeng Shi,Qing Lu,Donghui Fang,Jun Yi,Maozhong Fu 한국유전학회 2018 Genes & Genomics Vol.40 No.7

There are abundant cattle breeds/populations in China, and the systematic discovery of genomic variants is essential for performing the marker assisted selection and conservation of genetic resources. In the present study, we employed whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) technology for revealing genetic structure among six Chinese cattle populations according to transcriptome-wide SNPs and gene expression. A total of 68,094 variants consisting of 61,754 SNPs and 6340 InDels were detected and widely distributed among all chromosomes, by which the clear patterns of population structures were revealed. We also found the significantly differential density of variant distribution among genes. Additionally, we totally assembled 15,992 genes and detected obvious differences on the expression profiles among populations. In contrast to genomic variants, the measure of gene expression levels failed to support the expected population structure. Here, we provided a global landscape on the differential expression genes among these cattle populations.

Inhibition of acetylation of histones 3 and 4 attenuates aortic valve calcification

Jia Gu,Yan Lu,Menqing Deng,Ming Qiu,Yunfan Tian,Yue Ji,Pengyu Zong,Yongfeng Shao,Rui Zheng,Bin Zhou,Xiangqing Kong,Wei Sun 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Aortic valve calcification develops in patients with chronic kidney disease who have calcium and phosphate metabolic disorders and poor prognoses. There is no effective treatment except valve replacement. However, metabolic disorders put patients at high risk for surgery. Increased acetylation of histones 3 and 4 is present in interstitial cells from human calcific aortic valves, but whether it is involved in aortic valve calcification has not been studied. In this study, we found that treating cultured porcine aortic valve interstitial cells with a high-calcium/high-phosphate medium induced calcium deposition, apoptosis, and expression of osteogenic marker genes, producing a phenotype resembling valve calcification in vivo. These phenotypic changes were attenuated by the histone acetyltransferase inhibitor C646. C646 treatment increased the levels of class I histone deacetylase members and decreased the acetylation of histones 3 and 4 induced by the high-calcium/high-phosphate treatment. Conversely, the histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid promoted valve interstitial cell calcification. In a mouse model of aortic valve calcification induced by adenine and vitamin D treatment, the levels of acetylated histones 3 and 4 were increased in the calcified aortic valves. Treatment of the models with C646 attenuated aortic valve calcification by restoring the levels of acetylated histones 3 and 4. These observations suggest that increased acetylation of histones 3 and 4 is part of the pathogenesis of aortic valve calcification associated with calcium and phosphate metabolic disorders. Targeting acetylated histones 3 and 4 may be a potential therapy for inoperable aortic valve calcification in chronic kidney disease patients.

Large-Scale Genome-Wide Association Study of East Asians Identifies Loci Associated With Risk for Colorectal Cancer

Lu, Yingchang,Kweon, Sun-Seog,Tanikawa, Chizu,Jia, Wei-Hua,Xiang, Yong-Bing,Cai, Qiuyin,Zeng, Chenjie,Schmit, Stephanie L.,Shin, Aesun,Matsuo, Keitaro,Jee, Sun Ha,Kim, Dong-Hyun,Kim, Jeongseon,Wen, Wa Elsevier 2019 Gastroenterology Vol.156 No.5

<P><B>Background & Aims</B></P> <P>Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have associated approximately 50 loci with risk of colorectal cancer (CRC)—nearly one third of these loci were initially associated with CRC in studies conducted in East Asian populations. We conducted a GWAS of East Asians to identify CRC risk loci and evaluate the generalizability of findings from GWASs of European populations to Asian populations.</P> <P><B>Methods</B></P> <P>We analyzed genetic data from 22,775 patients with CRC (cases) and 47,731 individuals without cancer (controls) from 14 studies in the Asia Colorectal Cancer Consortium. First, we performed a meta-analysis of 7 GWASs (10,625 cases and 34,595 controls) and identified 46,554 promising risk variants for replication by adding them to the Multi-Ethnic Global Array (MEGA) for genotype analysis in 6445 cases and 7175 controls. These data were analyzed, along with data from an additional 5705 cases and 5961 controls genotyped using the OncoArray. We also obtained data from 57,976 cases and 67,242 controls of European descent. Variants at identified risk loci were functionally annotated and evaluated in correlation with gene expression levels.</P> <P><B>Results</B></P> <P>A meta-analyses of all samples from people of Asian descent identified 13 loci and 1 new variant at a known locus (10q24.2) associated with risk of CRC at the genome-wide significance level of <I>P</I> < 5 × 10<SUP>–8</SUP>. We did not perform experiments to replicate these associations in additional individuals of Asian ancestry. However, the lead risk variant in 6 of these loci was also significantly associated with risk of CRC in European descendants. A strong association (44%–75% increase in risk per allele) was found for 2 low-frequency variants: rs201395236 at 1q44 (minor allele frequency, 1.34%) and rs77969132 at 12p11.21 (minor allele frequency, 1.53%). For 8 of the 13 associated loci, the variants with the highest levels of significant association were located inside or near the protein-coding genes <I>L1TD1</I>, <I>EFCAB2</I>, <I>PPP1R21</I>, <I>SLCO2A1</I>, <I>HLA-G</I>, <I>NOTCH4</I>, <I>DENND5B</I>, and <I>GNAS</I>. For other intergenic loci, we provided evidence for the possible involvement of the genes <I>ALDH7A1</I>, <I>PRICKLE1</I>, <I>KLF5</I>, <I>WWOX</I>, and <I>GLP2R</I>. We replicated findings for 41 of 52 previously reported risk loci.</P> <P><B>Conclusions</B></P> <P>We showed that most of the risk loci previously associated with CRC risk in individuals of European descent were also associated with CRC risk in East Asians. Furthermore, we identified 13 loci significantly associated with risk for CRC in Asians. Many of these loci contained genes that regulate the immune response, Wnt signaling to β-catenin, prostaglandin E2 catabolism, and cell pluripotency and proliferation. Further analyses of these genes and their variants is warranted, particularly for the 8 loci for which the lead CRC risk variants were not replicated in persons of European descent.</P>

Comparison of Liver Transplantation and Liver Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus Type I and Type II

Jia-Yu Lv,Ning-Ning Zhang,Ya-Wei Du,Ying Wu,Tian-Qiang Song,Ya-Min Zhang,Yan Qu,Yu-Xin Liu,Jie Gu,Ze-Yu Wang,Yi-Bo Qiu,Bing Yang,Da-Zhi Tian,Qing-Jun Guo,Li Zhang,Ji-San Sun,Yan Xie,Zheng-Lu Wang,Xin 연세대학교의과대학 2021 Yonsei medical journal Vol.62 No.1

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of liver transplantation (LT) and liver resection (LR) for hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) patients with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) and to investigate risk factors affecting prognosis. Materials and Methods: A total of 94 HCC patients with PVTT type I (segmental PVTT) and PVTT type II (lobar PVTT) were involvedand divided into LR (n=47) and LT groups (n=47). Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were comparedbefore and after inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW). Prognostic factors for RFS and OS were explored. Results: Two treatment groups were well-balanced using IPTW. In the entire cohort, LT provided a better prognosis than LR. Among patients with PVTT type I, RFS was better with LT (p=0.039); OS was not different significantly between LT and LR(p=0.093). In subgroup analysis of PVTT type I patients with α-fetoprotein (AFP) levels >200 ng/mL, LT elicited significantly longermedian RFS (18.0 months vs. 2.1 months, p=0.022) and relatively longer median OS time (23.6 months vs. 9.8 months, p=0.065). Among patients with PVTT type II, no significant differences in RFS and OS were found between LT and LR (p=0.115 and 0.335,respectively). Multivariate analyses showed treatment allocation (LR), tumor size (>5 cm), AFP and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) levels to be risk factors of RFS and treatment allocation (LR), AFP and AST as risk factors for OS. Conclusion: LT appeared to afford a better prognosis for HCC with PVTT type I than LR, especially in patients with AFP levels>200 ng/mL.

Operation start time and long-term outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatic resection

Qiang Lu,Qing-Shan Li,Wei Zhang,Kang Liu,Tao Li,Jia-Wei Yu,Yi Lv,Xu-Feng Zhang 대한외과학회 2020 Annals of Surgical Treatment and Research(ASRT) Vol.99 No.1

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to examine the potential effects of surgery start times (morning vs. afternoon) on the long-term prognosis of patients after hepatic resection (HR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: All eligible patients were divided into 2 groups according to the start time of surgery: group M (morning surgery, 8 AM–1 PM) and group A (afternoon surgery, 1 PM–6 PM). Clinicopathologic and surgical parameters, as well as oncologic outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Results: In total, 231 patients were included in the study. There was no difference in age, body mass index, comorbidities, tumor size, tumor location, tumor stages, surgical procedures, or surgical margin between morning and afternoon surgery (all P > 0.05). In contrast, patients in group M experienced longer operation duration than those in group A (median, 240 minutes vs. 195 minutes, P = 0.004). However, no differences of overall survival were observed between morning and afternoon surgery groups in the whole cohort or stratified by surgical margin (all P > 0.05). Conclusion: Surgery start times during the work day have no measurable influence on patient outcome following curative HR for HCC, indicating good self-regulation and professional judgment of surgeons for progressive fatigue during surgery

Characterization and evolutionary analysis of Brassica species-diverged sequences containing simple repeat units

Lijuan Wei,Meili Xiao,Annaliese S. Mason,Bi Ma,Kun Lu,Jia Na Li,Link Katrin,Donghui Fu 한국유전학회 2013 Genes & Genomics Vol.35 No.2

Brassica species, B. napus (canola), B. rapa and B. oleracea, are important sources of nutritionally valuable vegetable oil and protein-rich meal for animals and humans. Sequencing of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, has opened the way for investigations into the complex structure of the Brassica genomes, offering important insight into their evolution and composition. We use this sequence information for the characterization and functional analysis of SSR sequences that have diverged between the Brassica species. A total of 56 species-diverged sequences containing simple repeat units (SDS-SSR) of B. napus and its diploid progenitor species B. rapa and B. oleracea were isolated and characterized. Of these, 40 sequences showed homology with other Brassica sequences. Using the SSR Locator software, only 23 sequences were found to have SSRs,possibly due to the loss of SSR units in the process of species divergence. Sequence alignments with A. thaliana revealed that these species-diverged SSR sequences were responsible for Brassica divergence for differences between Brassica species in several genomic regions. Six active genes related to transferase, protein, transcription factor and retroelements were found in the SDS-SSRs. These results will further improve our understanding of the characteristics of species-diverged SSR fragments and their contribution to genome differentiation.