Promoter Analysis of Bombyx mori Nucleopolyhedrovirus Ubiquitin Gene

Xu’ai Lin,Yin Chen,Yongzhu Yi,Jie Yan,Zhifang Zhang 한국미생물학회 2008 The journal of microbiology Vol.46 No.4

The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) ubiquitin gene promoter and the effects of conserved motifs, such as TAAG, TATA, and CAAT, along with baculovirus enhancer homologous region 3 (hr3), on promoter activity. Ubiquitin gene of BmNPV was expressed during the late phase of virus infection. In the presence of viral factors, significant reduction of promoter activity was observed by deletion of -382 to -124 bp upstream of ATG. The fragment between -187 and -383 bp upstream of ATG, including distal TAAG, CAAT motif, and TATA box, could also drive expression of the reporter gene. The mutation of cis-elements TATA boxes and TAAG motifs significantly decreased the promoter’s activity, while CAAT mutations enhanced promoter activity by 2- or 3-fold, as compared with the native promoter. In the presence of BmNPV, hr3, both located downstream of the reporter gene of the same vector, and separate vector, could significantly enhance transcription activity of ubiquitin promoter as compared to the control. We concluded that BmNPV ubiquitin gene might be regulated by dual sets of promoter elements, where TAAG and TATA box may positively regulate the expression of ubiquitin, while CAAT motif functions as a negative regulator. Viral factor(s) play an important role in the co-activation of hr3 and promoter.

Clinical Implications of p57^KIP2 Expression in Breast Cancer

Xu, Xiao-Yin,Wang, Wen-Qian,Zhang, Lei,Li, Yi-Ming,Tang, Miao,Jiang, Nan,Cai, Shou-Liang,Wei, Liang,Jin, Feng,Chen, Bo Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.10

Objective: To study the relationship between expression of $p57^{KIP2}$ and prognosis and other clinicopathological parameters in invasive breast cancers. Methods: We assessed the expression of $p57^{KIP2}$ in 89 cases of invasive breast cancer and 20 cases of normal breast tissue by immunohistochemical methods and analyzed the results with SPSS software (ver. 16.0). Result: The positive expression rates of $p57^{KIP2}$ protein in the invasive breast cancers and surrounding normal tissue were 30.3% (27/89) and 65% (13/20), respectively. Cases with no $p57^{KIP2}$ expression exhibited a significantly higher post-operative distant metastasis rate than those with $p57^{KIP2}$ expression (37.9% vs. 14.8%; P = 0.01). DFS analysis showed that $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2+ tumors also exhibited a significantly higher post-operative distant metastasis rate than the other groups (66.7% vs. 29.2%; P = 0.007), as did $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53+ tumors (64.3% vs. 22.7%; P = 0.001). Survival analysis revealed that $p57^{KIP2}$ was associated with breast cancer-specific survival overall (P = 0.045, log-rank test). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that individuals with $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2+tumors experienced significantly worse post-operative survival than those with $p57^{KIP2}$-/C-erbB-2- or other tumors (P = 0.006, log-rank test). $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53+ tumors were associated with significantly worse post-operative survival than $p57^{KIP2}$-/p53- or other tumors (P = 0.001, log-rank test). Cox regression analysis showed that $p57^{KIP2}$ was a non-independent prognostic factor for breast cancer (P = 0.303). Conclusions: $p57^{KIP2}$ is expressed at low levels in invasive breast cancer and is associated with better overall survival rate and disease-free survival in breast cancer patients, but it was a non-independent prognostic factor for breast cancer. Thus, the connection between $p57^{KIP2}$/p53 and $p57^{KIP2}$/C-erbB-2 may provide biomarkers for breast cancer.

OsCML4 improves drought tolerance through scavenging of reactive oxygen species in rice

Xu Ming Yin,Li Fanng Huang,Xin Zhang,Man Ling Wang,Guo Yun Xu,Xin Jie Xia 한국식물학회 2015 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.58 No.1

Calmodulin-like (CML) genes function in regulating plant responses to different abiotic stresses, such as high salt and drought. Using japonica type rice seedlings (‘Nipponbare’), we induced the expression of OsCML4 (Accession No. NM_001057768), which encodes a rice CML protein. Under drought conditions, transgenic plants over-expressing that gene exhibited obviously improved growth performance and higher survival rates than the wild type (WT). Activity by reactive oxygen species (ROS)- scavenging enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), as well as proline concentrations, were significantly increased in transgenic plants. Expression by ROS scavenging-related genes APXI and Cat-B and the stress-related gene OsP5CS1 was also enhanced in the transgenics under drought conditions. However, the sensitivity to abscisic acid (ABA) was similar between over-expressing and WT plants. These results suggest that OsCML4 confers drought tolerance partially through ROS-scavenging and also by inducing other stress-related genes in an ABAindependent manner.

Strength and permeability of fiber-reinforced concrete incorporating waste materials

Xu, Yun,Xu, Yin,Almuaythir, Sultan,Marzouki, Riadh Techno-Press 2022 Advances in concrete construction Vol.13 No.2

Ecological issues such as natural resource reduction and enormous waste disposals are increasingly leading in developing civilization toward sustainable construction. The two primary environmental issues are the depletion of natural resources and the disposal of trash in open landfills. Waste steel fiber (WSF) was investigated for usage as a cement-based concrete (CBC) constituent in this research. Recycling waste fibers both makes cement composites more long and cost-effective, also aids in pollution reduction. The objective of this study is to analyze the impacts of waste fiber on the fresh and mechanical features of concrete using recycled additives. A comparative research on the durability and mechanical qualities of fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) constructed with natural aggregates was conducted for this aim. The obstacles to successful WSF recycling methods application in the building industry have been investigated, resulting that CBCs with these fibers make an economic and long lasting choice to deal with waste materials. The workability of fiber enhanced concrete was found to be comparable to that of normal concrete. Fibers have a considerable impact on the splitting tensile strength, flexural and compressive strength of recycled concrete. Fiber may enhance the water permeability. When the WSF content is 0.6 kg/m3, the water absorption is nearly half. Fibers would have no effect on its permeability.

MLH1 Polymorphisms and Cancer risk: a Meta-analysis Based on 33 Case-control Studies

Xu, Jia-Li,Yin, Zhi-Qiang,Huang, Ming-De,Wang, Xie-Feng,Gao, Wen,Liu, Ling-Xiang,Wang, Rong-Sheng,Huang, Pu-Wen,Yin, Yong-Mei,Liu, Ping,Shu, Yong-Qian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.3

Objective: Cumulative evidence suggests that MLH1, the key component in the mismatch pathway, plays an important role in human cancers. Two potential functional polymorphisms (-93G>A and I219V) of MLH1 have been implicated in cancer risk. The aim of this meta-analysis was to summarize the evidence for associations. Methods: Eligible studies were identified by searching the electronic literature PubMed, ScienceDirect and Embase databases for relevant reports and bibliographies. Studies were included if of case-control design investigating MLH1 polymorphisms (-93G>A and I219V) and cancer risk with sufficient raw data for analysis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to evaluate the strength of associations. Results: Our meta-analysis from 33 published case-control studies showed the variant A allele of -93G>A polymorphism to be associated with increased risk in all genetic models (AA vs. GG: OR = 1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.44), especially among non-Asians (AA vs. GG: OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.04-1.58). For the I219V polymorphism, however, there was no main effect associated with overall cancer risk in any genetic model. Conclusions: The meta-analysis suggested that the MLH1 -93G>A polymorphism may be a biomarker of cancer susceptibility. Large sample association studies and assessment of gene-to-gene as well as gene-to-environment interactions are required to confirm these findings.

Association Between the Ku70-1310C/G Promoter Polymorphism and Cancer Risk: a Meta-analysis

Xu, Lu,Ju, Xiao-Bing,Li, Pu,Wang, Jue,Shi, Zhu-Mei,Zheng, Ming-Jie,Xue, Dan-Dan,Xu, Yan-Jie,Yin, Yong-Mei,Wang, Shui,You, Yong-Ping Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.2

Ku70 plays an important role in DNA double-strand break repair. Studies revealing conflicting results on the role of the Ku70-1310C/G promoter polymorphism on cancer risk led us to perform a meta-analysis to investigate this relationship. Ten case-control studies with 2566 cases and 3058 controls were identified. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of associations. The overall results suggested no association between the Ku70-1310C/G promoter polymorphism and total cancer risk. However, on stratified analysis, significantly increased risks were observed among the Asian population (GG vs. CC: OR=1.50, 95%CI=1.10-2.06; GG vs. CC/CG: OR=1.47, 95%CI=1.07-2.01) and population-based case-control studies (GG vs. CC: OR=1.57, 95%CI=1.12-2.22; CG vs. CC: OR=1.35, 95%CI=1.11-1.64; CG/GG vs. CC: OR=1.37, 95%CI=1.14-1.65). Additionally, variant genotypes were associated with a significantly increased breast cancer risk (GG vs. CC: OR=1.80, 95%CI=1.26-2.56; GG vs. CC/CG: OR=1.40, 95%CI=1.01-1.95).

Autophagy in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Treatment

Xu, Dong-Wei,Zhang, Guan-Qing,Wang, Zong-Wei,Xu, Xiao-Yin,Liu, Tong-Xiang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.6

Autophagy is a self-digestion process, wrapping cytoplasmic proteins or organelles to form vesicles for degradation in lysosomes. The process plays an important role in the maintenance of intracellular homostasis. Here we overview articles on autophagy and cancer/tumors in Pubmed and found 327 articles. Autophagy exists in many tumors and is involved in cell malignant transformation and tumor cell growth. In early phases of tumorigenesis, autophagy clears the abnormally folded proteins and dysfunctional organelles such as mitochondria. Autophagy can also inhibit cell stress responses and prevent genetic damage. When a tumor develops, autophagy helps tumor cells survive nutritional deficiencies and hypoxic conditions. Studies of autophagy in the occurrence and progression of tumors should provide new therapeutic strategies for tumors.

RPTOR methylation in the peripheral blood and breast cancer in the Chinese population

Yin Yifei,Lei Shuifang,Li Lixi,Yang Xiaoqin,Yin Qiming,Xu Tian,Zhou Wenjie,Li Hong,Gu Wanjian,Ma Fei,Yang Rongxi,Zhang Zhengdong 한국유전학회 2022 Genes & Genomics Vol.44 No.4

Background: Altered regulatory-associated protein of mTOR, complex 1 (RPTOR) methylation levels in peripheral blood was originally discovered as breast cancer (BC)-associated risk factor in Caucasians. Objective: To explore the relationship between RPTOR methylation and BC in the Chinese population, we conducted two independent case-control studies. Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from a total of 333 sporadic BC cases and 378 healthy female controls for the DNA extraction and bisulfite-specific PCR amplification. Mass spectrometry was applied to quantitatively measure the levels of methylation. The logistic regression, Spearman's rank correlation, and Non-parametric tests were used for the statistical analyses. Results: In our study, we found an association between BC and RPTOR_CpG_4 hypomethylation in the general population (per-10% of methylation, OR 1.29, P = 0.012), and a weak association between BC and RPTOR_CpG_8 hypomethylation in the women with older age (per-10% of methylation, OR 2.34, P = 0.006). We also identified age as a confounder for the change of RPTOR methylation patterns, especially at RPTOR_CpG_4, which represented differential methylation comparing age groups especially in the BC cases (age < 50 years vs age ≥ 50 years by Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.0001 for BC cases and P = 0.079 for controls). Conclusion: Our study validated the association between hypomethylation of RPTOR and BC risk in the Chinese population also with weak effect and mostly for postmenopausal women. In addition, our findings provided novel insight for the regulation of DNA methylation upon aging or the change of hormone levels.

Rice Gene OsDSR-1 Promotes Lateral Root Development in Arabidopsis Under High-Potassium Conditions

Xu Ming Yin,Pedro S. C. F. Rocha,Man Ling Wang,Yu Xin Zhu,Luo Ye Li,Shu Feng Song,Xinjie Xia 한국식물학회 2011 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.54 No.3

Rice gene Oryza sativa Drought Stress Response-1 (OsDSR-1) was one of the genes identified to be responsive to drought stress in the panicle of rice at booting and heading stages by both microarray and quantitative real-time PCR analyses. OsDSR-1 encodes a putative calcium-binding protein, and its overexpression in Arabidopsis rendered transgenic plants to produce much shorter lateral roots (LRs) than wild-type (WT) plants in the medium supplemented with abscisic acid (ABA), suggesting that OsDSR-1 may act as a positive regulator during the process of ABA inhibition of LR development. No significant difference was observed in the total LR length between WT and transgenic plants in the media with the increase of only osmotic stress caused by NaCl, LiCl, and mannitol, while transgenic Arabidopsis seedlings appeared to produce larger root systems with longer total LR lengths under highpotassium conditions than WT seedlings. Further analysis showed that external Ca^2+ was required for the production of larger root systems, indicating that the promotion by OsDSR-1 of the LR development of transgenic Arabidopsis seemed to occur in a Ca^2+ -dependent manner under high-potassium conditions. We propose that OsDSR-1 may function as a calcium sensor of the signal transduction pathway controlling the LR development under high-potassium conditions.

Meta-Analysis of the Diagnostic Efficacy of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Viral Panel FAST v2 Assay for Respiratory Viral Infections

Xu-Guang Guo,Li-Min Xie,Xin Yin,Tian-Ao Xie,Jian-Wen Su,Qin Huang,Jing-Hao Zhang,Yin-Fei Huang 연세대학교의과대학 2022 Yonsei medical journal Vol.63 No.1

Purpose: Acute respiratory viral infections pose significant morbidity and mortality, making it essential to diagnose respiratory viral infections rapidly. In this study, the diagnostic efficacy of the Luminex xTAG Respiratory Virus Panel (RVP) FAST v2 test was evaluated on respiratory viral infections. Materials and Methods: Information was retrieved from electronic databases, including Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library, for systematic review. Studies that fulfilled predefined inclusion criteria were included. After the extraction of information, statistical software was utilized for quality evaluation, data analysis, and assessment of publication bias. Results: Eighty groups in fourfold tables from nine articles were included to perform statistical analyses. Therein, the mean specificity and mean sensitivity of Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 test for the detection of respiratory viral infections were 0.99 (0.98–0.99) and 0.88 (0.87–0.90), respectively. Additionally, the negative and positive likelihood ratios were 0.14 (0.11–0.19) and 87.42 (61.88–123.50), respectively. Moreover, the diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristic were 714.80 and 0.9886, respectively. Conclusion: The Luminex xTAG RVP FAST v2 test could be a reliable and rapid diagnostic method for multiple respiratory viral infections.