GmANKTM21 Positively Regulates Drought Tolerance and Enhanced Stomatal Response through the MAPK Signaling Pathway in Soybean.

Drought stress is one of the significant abiotic stresses that limit soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) growth and production. Ankyrin repeat (ANK) proteins, being highly conserved, occupy a pivotal role in diverse biological processes. ANK genes were classified into nine subfamilies according to conserved domains in the soybean genome. However, the function of ANK-TM subfamily proteins (Ankyrin repeat proteins with a transmembrane domain) in the abiotic-stress response to soybean remains poorly understood. In this study, we first demonstrated the subcellular localization of GmANKTM21 in the cell membrane and nucleus. Drought stress-induced mRNA levels of GmANKTM21, which encodes proteins belonging to the ANK-TM subfamily, Transgenic 35S:GmANKTM21 soybean improved drought tolerance at the germination and seedling stages, with higher stomatal closure in soybean, lower water loss, lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and less reactive oxygen species (ROS) production compared with the wild-type soybean (Dongnong50). RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and RT-qPCR analysis of differentially expressed transcripts in overexpression of GmANKTM21 further identified potential downstream genes, including GmSPK2, GmSPK4, and GmCYP707A1, which showed higher expression in transgenic soybean, than those in wild-type soybean and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that MAPK signaling pathways were mostly enriched in GmANKTM21 overexpressing soybean plants under drought stress conditions. Therefore, we demonstrate that GmANKTM21 plays an important role in tolerance to drought stress in soybeans.

LINC01605 promotes malignant phenotypes of cervical cancer via miR-149-3p/WNT7B axis.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNA) play a pivotal role in the progression of various malignancies. Despite recent identification as an oncogene associated with tumorigenesis. The precise role of LINC01605 in cervical cancer (CC) remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the influence of LINC01605 on proliferation and invasion of CC cells, while also exploring its potential underlying mechanisms. METHODS: The expression of LINC01605 in CC cell lines was analyzed using the TCGA database and qRT-PCR. Various assays, including CCK-8 and transwell analysis, were conducted on CC cells to assess the influence of LINC01605 on their proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities. Bioinformatics and dual luciferase reporter gene assays were employed to analyze the target genes of LINC01605 and miR-149-3p. To further investigate the mechanism of action, transfection and investigation were performed using specific siRNA, miRNA mimics, or inhibitors. RESULTS: The expression of LINC01605 exhibited a significant increase in CC cell lines, and this upregulation was associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Modulating the expression of LINC01605, either by down-regulating or up-regulating it, exerted suppressive or stimulatory effects on the growth and invasion of HeLa and Siha cells. LINC01605 functioned as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-149-3p, with WNT7B being identified as a target gene of miR-149-3p. The involvement of LINC01605 in CC development is facilitated by its ability to regulate the expression of WNT7B through sequestering miR-149-3p. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that LINC01605 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA in modulating the effects of WNT7B on the proliferation and invasion of CC cells by sequestering miR-149-3p. This research provides novel insights into the involvement of LINC01605 in the advancement of CC.

LINC02086 inhibits ferroptosis and promotes malignant phenotypes of pancreatic cancer via miR-342-3p/CA9 axis.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in modulating the tumorigenesis and progression of malignant tumors. LINC02086 is a newly identified oncogene associated with tumorigenesis, but its role in pancreatic cancer (PC) has not been fully elucidated. In this study we examined the expression levels of LINC02086, miR-342-3p, and CA9 in PC. The relationship of ferroptosis with these factors was analyzed by detecting the expression levels of Fe2+, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ferroptosis marker proteins. The expression of these genes was altered to observe their effects on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion ability. Bioinformatics was used to predict target genes, and the binding relationship was verified luciferase reporter assay. Finally, the function of LINC02086 was evaluated in vivo. The findings suggest that LINC02086 is highly expressed in PC tissues and cell lines and is correlated with a poor prognosis. In vitro experiments demonstrated that LINC02086 knockdown promoted ferroptosis in PC cells to suppress their malignant phenotype. LINC02086 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA that adsorbed miR-342-3p. miR-342-3p hinders the malignant progression of PC by promoting ferroptosis. In addition, miR-342-3p targets CA9 and affects its function. Further mechanistic studies revealed that LINC02086 inhibits ferroptosis and promotes PC progression by acting as a sponge for miR-342-3p to upregulate CA9 expression. In vivo experiments further confirmed this mechanism. Taken together, LINC02086 upregulates CA9 expression by competitively binding with miR-342-3p, thereby inhibiting ferroptosis in PC cells and promoting their malignant phenotype. The results of our study provide new insights into how LINC02086 contributes to the progression of PC.

Bioinformatics-based analysis of the relationship between disulfidptosis and prognosis and treatment response in pancreatic cancer.

Tumor formation is closely associated with disulfidptosis, a new form of cell death induced by disulfide stress-induced. The exact mechanism of action of disulfidptosis in pancreatic cancer (PCa) is not clear. This study analyzed the impact of disulfidptosis-related genes (DRGs) on the prognosis of PCa and identified clusters of DRGs, and based on this, a risk score (RS) signature was developed to assess the impact of RS on the prognosis, immune and chemotherapeutic response of PCa patients. Based on transcriptomic data and clinical information from PCa tissue and normal pancreatic tissue samples obtained from the TCGA and GTEx databases, differentially expressed and differentially surviving DRGs in PCa were identified from among 15 DRGs. Two DRGs clusters were identified by consensus clustering by merging the PCa samples in the GSE183795 dataset. Analysis of DRGs clusters about the PCa tumor microenvironment and differential analysis to obtain differential genes between the two DRG clusters. Patients were then randomized into the training and testing sets, and a prognostic prediction signature associated with disulfidptosis was constructed in the training set. Then all samples were divided into high-disulfidptosis-risk (HDR) and low-disulfidptosis-risk (LDR) subgroups based on the RS calculated from the signature. The predictive efficacy of the signature was assessed by survival analysis, nomograms, correlation analysis of clinicopathological characteristics, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. To assess differences between different risk subgroups in immune cell infiltration, expression of immune checkpoint molecules, somatic gene mutations, and effectiveness of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. The GSE57495 dataset was used as external validation, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of DRGs. A total of 12 DRGs with differential expression and prognosis in PCa were identified, based on which a risk-prognosis signature containing five differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was developed. The signature was a good predictor and an independent risk factor. The nomogram and calibration curve shows the signature's excellent clinical applicability. Functional enrichment analysis showed that RS was associated with tumor and immune-related pathways. RS was strongly associated with the tumor microenvironment, and analysis of response to immunotherapy and chemotherapy suggests that the signature can be used to assess the sensitivity of treatments. External validation further demonstrated the model's efficacy in predicting the prognosis of PCa patients, with RT-qPCR and immunohistochemical maps visualizing the expression of each gene in PCa cell lines and the tissue. Our study is the first to apply the subtyping model of disulfidptosis to PCa and construct a signature based on the disulfidptosis subtype, which can provide an accurate assessment of prognosis, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy response in PCa patients, providing new targets and directions for the prognosis and treatment of PCa.

A novel necroptosis-related long non-coding RNA signature predicts prognosis and immune response in cervical cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Necroptosis has been linked to the development of tumors. Long non-coding RNAs (IncRNAs) have been identified as having a major role in numerous biological and pathological procedures. Despite this, the precise role that necroptosis-related lncRNAs (NRLs) have in cervical cancer (CC) and their potential for predicting its prognosis is still to a large extent unclear. METHODS: Gene expression RNA-sequencing data, mutational data, and clinical profiles for 309 CC patients were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The NRLs were then identified with Pearson correlation analysis followed by splitting of the patients into training and validation sets in a 3:2 ratio. Cox and LASSO regression models were performed to construct a cervical cancer prognostic signature based on NRLs. This 5-NRLs signature was then verified by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and nomogram for prognostic prediction. Further, a correlation study between the risk score (RS) and immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint molecules, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and the sensitivity of chemotherapy drug was conducted. To validate the 5-NRLs, a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was finally performed. RESULTS: The 5-NRLs signature was designed to accurately predict the prognosis of CC. It consists of AC092153.1, AC007686.3, LINC01281, AC009097.2, and RUSC1-AS1 and was found to be highly predictive using ROC and Kaplan-Meier curves. Furthermore, when analyzed through stratified survival analysis, it was confirmed to be an independent risk factor for prognosis. The nomogram and calibration curves further validated its clinical utility. Moreover, distinct differences between two risk groups were observed when examining immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint molecules, somatic gene alterations and half-inhibitory concentration of anticancer drug. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-NRLs signature is a novel and valuable tool for evaluating the prognosis of CC patients, providing clinicians with an informed decision-making framework to formulate tailored treatment plans for their patients.

Establishment of a novel signature to predict prognosis and immune characteristics of pancreatic cancer based on necroptosis-related long non-coding RNA.

BACKGROUND: Necroptosis plays an important role in tumorigenesis and tumour progression. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been proven to be regulatory factors of necroptosis in various tumours. However, the real role of necroptosis-related lncRNAs (NRLs) and their potential to predict the prognosis of pancreatic cancer (PC) remain largely unclear. The goal of this study was to identify NRLs and create a predictive risk signature in PC, explore its prognostic predictive performance, and further assess immunotherapy and chemotherapy responses. METHODS: RNA sequencing data, tumour mutation burden (TMB) data, and clinical profiles of 178 PC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. NRLs were identified using Pearson correlation analysis. Then, patients were divided into the training set and the validation set at a 1:1 ratio. Subsequently, Cox and LASSO regression analyses were conducted to establish a prognostic NRL signature in the training set and validation set. The predictive efficacy of the 5-NRL signature was assessed by survival analysis, nomogram, Cox regression, clinicopathological feature correlation analysis, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Furthermore, correlations between the risk score (RS) and immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint molecules, somatic gene mutations, and anticancer drug sensitivity were analysed. Finally, we used quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to validate the 5-NRLs. RESULTS: A 5-NRL signature was established to predict the prognosis of PC, including LINC00857, AL672291.1, PTPRN2-AS1, AC141930.2, and MEG9. The 5-NRL signature demonstrated a high degree of predictive power according to ROC and Kaplan‒Meier curves and was revealed to be an independent prognostic risk factor via stratified survival analysis. Nomogram and calibration curves indicated the clinical adaptability of the signature. Immune-related pathways were linked to the 5-NRL signature according to enrichment analysis. Additionally, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint molecules, somatic gene mutations and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of chemotherapeutic agents were significantly different between the two risk subgroups. These results suggested that our model can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of immunotherapy and chemotherapy, providing a potential new strategy for treating PC. CONCLUSIONS: The novel 5-NRL signature is helpful for assessing the prognosis of PC patients and improving therapy options, so it can be further applied clinically.

Identification of cuproptosis-related lncRNA for predicting prognosis and immunotherapeutic response in cervical cancer.

Patients diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer (CC) have poor prognosis after primary treatment, and there is a lack of biomarkers for predicting patients with an increased risk of recurrence of CC. Cuproptosis is reported to play a role in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the clinical impacts of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (CRLs) in CC remain largely unclear. Our study attempted to identify new potential biomarkers to predict prognosis and response to immunotherapy with the aim of improving this situation. The transcriptome data, MAF files, and clinical information for CC cases were obtained from the cancer genome atlas, and Pearson correlation analysis was utilized to identify CRLs. In total, 304 eligible patients with CC were randomly assigned to training and test groups. LASSO regression and multivariate Cox regression were performed to construct a cervical cancer prognostic signature based on cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. Afterwards, we generated Kaplan-Meier curves, receiver operating characteristic curves and nomograms to verify the ability to predict prognosis of patients with CC. Genes for assessing differential expression among risk subgroups were also evaluated by functional enrichment analysis. Immune cell infiltration and the tumour mutation burden were analysed to explore the underlying mechanisms of the signature. Furthermore, the potential value of the prognostic signature to predict response to immunotherapy and sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs was examined. In our study, a risk signature containing eight cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (AL441992.1, SOX21-AS1, AC011468.3, AC012306.2, FZD4-DT, AP001922.5, RUSC1-AS1, AP001453.2) to predict the survival outcome of CC patients was developed, and the reliability of the risk signature was appraised. Cox regression analyses indicated that the comprehensive risk score is an independent prognostic factor. Moreover, significant differences were found in progression-free survival, immune cell infiltration, therapeutic response to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and IC50 for chemotherapeutic agents between risk subgroups, suggesting that our model can be well employed to assess the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Based on our 8-CRLs risk signature, we were able to independently assess the outcome and response to immunotherapy of CC patients, and this signature might benefit clinical decision-making for individualized treatment.

A novel text sentiment analysis system using improved depthwise separable convolution neural networks.

Human behavior is greatly affected by emotions. Human behavior can be predicted by classifying emotions. Therefore, mining people's emotional tendencies from text is of great significance for predicting the behavior of target groups and making decisions. The good use of emotion classification technology can produce huge social and economic benefits. However, due to the rapid development of the Internet, the text information generated on the Internet increases rapidly at an unimaginable speed, which makes the previous method of manually classifying texts one-by-one more and more unable to meet the actual needs. In the subject of sentiment analysis, one of the most pressing problems is how to make better use of computer technology to extract emotional tendencies from text data in a way that is both more efficient and accurate. In the realm of text-based sentiment analysis, the currently available deep learning algorithms have two primary issues to contend with. The first is the high level of complexity involved in training the model, and the second is that the model does not take into account all of the aspects of language and does not make use of word vector information. This research employs an upgraded convolutional neural network (CNN) model as a response to these challenges. The goal of this model is to improve the downsides caused by the problems described above. First, the text separable convolution algorithm is used to perform hierarchical convolution on text features to achieve the refined extraction of word vector information and context information. Doing so avoids semantic confusion and reduces the complexity of convolutional networks. Secondly, the text separable convolution algorithm is applied to text sentiment analysis, and an improved CNN is further proposed. Compared with other models, the proposed model shows better performance in text-based sentiment analysis tasks. This study provides great value for text-based sentiment analysis tasks.

Exploring the Temporal Consistency of Arbitrary Style Transfer: A Channelwise Perspective.

Arbitrary image stylization by neural networks has become a popular topic, and video stylization is attracting more attention as an extension of image stylization. However, when image stylization methods are applied to videos, unsatisfactory results that suffer from severe flickering effects appear. In this article, we conducted a detailed and comprehensive analysis of the cause of such flickering effects. Systematic comparisons among typical neural style transfer approaches show that the feature migration modules for state-of-the-art (SOTA) learning systems are ill-conditioned and could lead to a channelwise misalignment between the input content representations and the generated frames. Unlike traditional methods that relieve the misalignment via additional optical flow constraints or regularization modules, we focus on keeping the temporal consistency by aligning each output frame with the input frame. To this end, we propose a simple yet efficient multichannel correlation network (MCCNet), to ensure that output frames are directly aligned with inputs in the hidden feature space while maintaining the desired style patterns. An inner channel similarity loss is adopted to eliminate side effects caused by the absence of nonlinear operations such as softmax for strict alignment. Furthermore, to improve the performance of MCCNet under complex light conditions, we introduce an illumination loss during training. Qualitative and quantitative evaluations demonstrate that MCCNet performs well in arbitrary video and image style transfer tasks. Code is available at https://github.com/kongxiuxiu/MCCNetV2.

Re-evaluation of the taxonomic status of four nominal, western Pacific species of tongue soles (Pleuronectoidei: Cynoglossidae: Cynoglossus), with redescription of C. joyneri Gnther, 1878.

Striking similarities in morphological characters and significant overlap in meristic features have resulted in different hypotheses regarding the taxonomic status of several nominal species of northwestern Pacific tongue soles of the genus Cynoglossus, including C. joyneri Gnther, 1878, C. lighti Norman, 1925, C. tenuis (Oshima, 1927), and C. tshusanensis Chabanaud, 1951. Previous hypotheses have proposed that each taxon is a valid species; or that C. lighti and C. tshusanensis are junior subjective synonyms of C. joyneri; or that C. tenuis is a junior subjective synonym of either C. joyneri or C. lighti. Although several previous investigations concluded that C. lighti is a synonym of C. joyneri, names of both nominal species still appear in contemporary literature indicating that taxonomic status of these nominal species remains unresolved. To clarify the taxonomic status of these four nominal species, detailed study of morphological characters of 138 specimens collected from 22 localities in Japan and China, and re-examination of type specimens of three of these nominal species was conducted. The molecular barcodes of mitochondrial DNA from six representative specimens featuring morphological variation purportedly useful for distinguishing C. lighti from C. joyneri were also analyzed and then compared with sequences reported for C. joyneri in the literature. Lectotypes of C. joyneri and C. lighti differed in only two morphological characters (body depth and position of posterior tip of rostral hook relative to anterior margin of lower eye). However, when these two characters were examined in 138 recently collected non-type specimens, no differences were found among these nominal species. Our results do not support recognizing these as separate species. Results from genetic analyses also support recognizing only a single species among the material examined. Furthermore, overall similarities in morphological features between the holotype of C. tshusanensis and specimens of C. joyneri support recognizing C. tshusanensis as a junior subjective synonym of C. joyneri. Likewise, values for morphological features of C. joyneri examined in the present study also encompass the range of values reported in the original description of C. tenuis. This finding supports conclusions of previous studies that this nominal species is also a junior synonym of C. joyneri. Based on morphological and genetic evidence, we conclude that only a single species, C. joyneri, should be recognized among the four nominal species included in this study. Cynoglossus joyneri is re-described based on data from 492 specimens collected throughout nearly the entire range of the species.

Synthesis of dihydropyrroles from in situ-generated zwitterions via Rh2(adc)4/TBAI dual catalysis.

Triggered by formation of α-imino carbene, the regioselective synthesis of dihydropyrroles was achieved via a cascade 1,3-sulfinate migration/annulation. The sulfinate group was converted into sulfone during the group migration, and a stable anion bearing two electron-withdrawing groups was thus formed. The addition of a catalytic amount of iodide is believed to assist the cleavage of the C-O bond, and the formation of a more stable carbocation. Thermodynamic product dihydropyrroles were produced efficiently rather than kinetic product cyclopropanes. This dual catalysis system would afford chemists a new strategy to control the annulation selectivity of zwitterions bearing multiple reactive sites and may be employed in flexible and divergent synthesis of different ring systems.

The critical role and molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis in antioxidant systems: a narrative review.

Background and Objective: Ferroptosis is a recently discovered form of cell death which differs from other forms of cell death in terms of morphology, biochemistry, and regulatory mechanisms. Ferroptosis is regulated by a complex system and the precise molecular mechanisms are still being elucidated. Over the past few years, extensive research has revealed that the essence of ferroptosis is iron-dependent accumulation of lipid hydroperoxides induced by oxidative stress, and the System Xc-glutathione (GSH)-glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) pathway is the main ferroptosis prevention system. Meanwhile, other antioxidant systems have also been implicated in regulating ferroptosis, including the transsulfuration pathway, mevalonate pathway, ferroptosis inhibitory protein 1 (FSP1)-Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) pathway, dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH)-dihydroubiquione (CoQH2) pathway, and GTP cyclohydrolase-1 (GCH1)-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) pathway. This article reviews the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its critical role in antioxidant systems, aiming to reveal that antioxidation is an important method of inhibiting ferroptosis and to provide a new direction for the treatment of ferroptosis-related diseases. Methods: We searched all original papers and reviews about the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis in antioxidant systems using PubMed to November 2021. The search terms used included: 'ferroptosis', 'ferroptosis inducers', 'ferroptosis inhibitors', 'ferroptosis and GSH', 'ferroptosis and GPX4', 'ferroptosis and System Xc-', 'SLC7A11', 'P53', 'NRF2 and ferroptosis', 'iron metabolism', 'lipid peroxidation', 'antioxidant systems', 'transsulfuration pathway', 'mevalonate pathway', 'FSP1-CoQ10', 'DHODH-CoQH2', and 'GCH1-BH4'. Key Content and Findings: We first introduced the origin of ferroptosis and its common inhibitors and inducers. Next, we discussed the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its role in antioxidant systems in existing studies. Finally, we briefly summarized the relationship between ferroptosis and diseases. It reveals that antioxidation is an important method of inhibiting ferroptosis. Conclusions: This review discusses the recent rapid progress in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its role in several antioxidant systems.

A SA-regulated lincRNA promotes Arabidopsis disease resistance by modulating pre-rRNA processing.

Regulation of gene expression at translational level has been shown critical for plant defense against pathogen infection. Pre-rRNA processing is essential for ribosome biosynthesis and thus affects protein translation. It remains unknown if plants modulate pre-rRNA processing as a translation regulatory mechanism for disease resistance. In this study, we show a 5' snoRNA capped and 3' polyadenylated (SPA) lincRNA named SUNA1 promotes disease resistance involved in modulating pre-rRNA processing in Arabidopsis. SUNA1 expression is highly induced by Pst DC3000 infection, which is impaired in SA biosynthesis-defective mutant sid2 and signaling mutant npr1. Consistently, SA triggers SUNA1 expression dependent on NPR1. Functional analysis indicates that SUNA1 plays a positive role in Arabidopsis defense against Pst DC3000 relying on its snoRNA signature motifs. Potential mechanism study suggests that the nucleus-localized SUNA1 interacts with the nucleolar methyltransferase fibrillarin to modulate SA-controlled pre-rRNA processing, then enhancing the translational efficiency (TE) of some defense genes in Arabidopsis response to Pst DC3000 infection. NPR1 appears to have similar effects as SUNA1 on pre-rRNA processing and TE of defense genes. Together, these studies reveal one kind of undescribed antibacterial translation regulatory mechanism, in which SA-NPR1-SUNA1 signaling cascade controls pre-rRNA processing and TE of certain defense genes in Arabidopsis.

MiR-188-3p and miR-133b Suppress Cell Proliferation in Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Post-Transcriptional Suppression of NDRG1.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies reported that N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) was upregulated in various cancer tissues and decreased expression of miR-188-3p and miR-133b could suppress cell proliferation, metastasis, and invasion and induce apoptosis of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanism of NRDG1 involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumorigenesis is still unknown. METHODS: The expressions of miR-188-3p, miR-133b, and NRDG1 in HCC tissues and cells were quantified by qRT-PCR and Western blot. MTT assay and transwell invasion assay were performed to evaluate cell growth and cell migration, respectively. Luciferase reporter assay were performed to determine whether miR-188-3p and miR-133b could directly bind to NRDG1 in HCC cells. RESULTS: The results showed that NRDG1 was upregulated and these 2 microRNAs were downregulated in HCC tissues. NRDG1 was negatively correlated with miR-188-3p and miR-133b in HCC tissues. MiR-188-3p and miR-133b were demonstrated to directly bind to 3'UTR of NRDG1 and inhibit its expression. Upregulation of miR-188-3p and miR-133b reduced NRDG1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, which consequently inhibited cell growth and cell migration. CONCLUSIONS: Our finding suggested that miR-188-3p and miR-133b exert a suppressive effect on hepatocellular carcinoma proliferation, invasion, and migration through downregulation of NDRG1.

Large-scale sequencing of flatfish genomes provides insights into the polyphyletic origin of their specialized body plan.

The evolutionary and genetic origins of the specialized body plan of flatfish are largely unclear. We analyzed the genomes of 11 flatfish species representing 9 of the 14 Pleuronectiforme families and conclude that Pleuronectoidei and Psettodoidei do not form a monophyletic group, suggesting independent origins from different percoid ancestors. Genomic and transcriptomic data indicate that genes related to WNT and retinoic acid pathways, hampered musculature and reduced lipids might have functioned in the evolution of the specialized body plan of Pleuronectoidei. Evolution of Psettodoidei involved similar but not identical genes. Our work provides valuable resources and insights for understanding the genetic origins of the unusual body plan of flatfishes.

Integrin α7 knockdown suppresses cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of integrin α7 (ITGA7) on regulating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). ITGA7 mRNA and protein expression in human normal liver epithelial cells and HCC cell lines were determined by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting. ITGA7 small interfering RNA [siRNA; ITGA7-knockdown (KD) group] and nonsense siRNA (control group) were transfected into Huh7 cells and SNU449 cells, respectively. ITGA7 mRNA and protein expression (RT-qPCR and western blotting, respectively), cell proliferation (Cell Counting Kit-8 assay), apoptosis (annexin V/propidium iodide assay), migration (wound scratch assay) and invasion (Transwell assay) were then detetected. E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), vimentin and V-cadherin levels (RT-qPCR and western blotting) were also assessed. ITGA7 mRNA and protein expression levels were increased in Li7, Huh7, SKHEP1 and SNU449 cells compared with THLE-3 cells. Following transfection, ITGA7 mRNA and protein expression was lower in the ITGA7-KD group compared with that in the control group in both Huh7 and SNU449 cells, indicating successful transfection. In the ITGA7-KD group, cell proliferation decreased at 48 and 72 h, cell apoptosis rates increased at 48 h, cell migration rate was reduced at 24 h and cell invasion decreased at 24 h compared with the control group. Additionally, increased E-cadherin but decreased α-SMA, vimentin and V-cadherin mRNA and protein expression levels were observed in the ITGA7-KD group compared with the control group at 24 h. In conclusion, ITGA7 knockdown suppressed HCC progression and inhibited EMT in HCC in vitro, implying that ITGA7 might be a novel treatment target for HCC.

Cu(II) Coordination Polymer Inhibits Liver Cancer Development via Targeting BCL-2 Protein and Activating Apoptotic Pathway.

In the current study, a Cu(II) coordination polymer (CP) has been created in success with the solvothermal reaction between an asymmetrical rigid N-heterocyclic carboxylatic acid (HL) and Cu(NO3)2·3H2O in the existence of 1,3-H2bdc, the second assistant ligand (in which 1,3-H2bdc is benzene-1,3-dicarboxylic acid and HL is 1-(4-carboxylphenyl)-3-(prazin-2-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazole), and the chemical composition of this compound is [Cu2(L)2(1,3-bdc)(H2O)2]n (1). In the biological aspect, we screened the antiproliferation activity of the Cu(II) coordination polymer on five kinds of human cancer cell lines. IC50 and MTT assay results indicated that complex 1 had a spectral antiproliferative activity against liver cancer cells, peculiarly on human HepG2 liver cancer cells. From the data of Annexin V-FITC/PI assay and ROS detection, we can find that complex 1 exerts an antitumor effect by inducing ROS generation and cell apoptosis. Caspase-3 and caspase-9 activity detection revealed that activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9 plays vital roles in HepG2 cell apoptosis. These outcomes indicate that 1 is an excellent compound in treating cancer.

Characterization of genomic clones by targeted deep sequencing of ctDNA to monitor liver cancer.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the morbidity and mortality of cancer patients have continued to increase in China, and there is an urgent need to develop an effective method to monitor tumor dynamics and measure tumor burden. Derived from the cell-free fraction of blood in cancer patients, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has been regarded as a promising surrogate for tumor tissue biopsies. With the development of sequencing technology, ctDNA has been recognized as a specific and highly sensitive biomarker, and it has become a hot research spot in recent years. METHODS: In this paper, we investigated clonal changes before and after surgery in liver cancer patients using ctDNA. RESULTS: First, we evaluated the accuracy and stability of the method in ctDNA detection using virtual tumor samples with known mutations. The results showed that our method detected variants with an allelic frequency of at least 0.5%. We then applied this method to 34 liver cancer patients. A total of 266 clinically relevant mutations were identified in the pretreatment plasma samples. Through the analysis of plasma DNA samples at different treatment time points, we also investigated the possibility of using ctDNA as a prognostic factor to reflect tumor dynamics and to evaluate clinical responses. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that targeted high-depth next-generation sequencing can be used in ctDNA detection. Compared to traditional biopsy, the detection of ctDNA provides more information for human liver cancer, which is essential to guide the selection of therapy and predict prognosis.

The histone deacetylase HDA703 interacts with OsBZR1 to regulate rice brassinosteroid signaling, growth and heading date through repression of Ghd7 expression.

The plant steroid hormones brassinosteroids (BRs) play crucial roles in plant growth and development. The BR signal transduction pathway from perception to the key transcription factors has been well understood in Arabidopsis thaliana and in rice (Oryza sativa); however, the mechanisms conferring BR-mediated growth and flowering remain largely unknown, especially in rice. In this study, we show that HDA703 is a histone H4K8 and H4K12 deacetylase in rice. Hda703 mutants display a typical BR loss-of-function phenotype and reduced sensitivity to brassinolide, the most active BR. Rice plants overexpressing HDA703 exhibit some BR gain-of-function phenotypes dependent on BR biosynthesis and signaling. We also show that HDA703 is a direct target of BRASSINAZOLE-RESISTANT1 (OsBZR1), a primary regulator of rice BR signaling, and HDA703 interacts with OsBZR1 in rice. We further show that GRAIN NUMBER, PLANT HEIGHT, and HEADING DATE 7 (Ghd7), a central regulator of growth, development, and the stress response, is a direct target of OsBZR1. HDA703 directly targets Ghd7 and represses its expression through histone H4 deacetylation. HDA703-overexpressing rice plants phenocopy Ghd7-silencing rice plants in both growth and heading date. Together, our study suggests that HDA703, a histone H4 deacetylase, interacts with OsBZR1 to regulate rice BR signaling, growth, and heading date through epigenetic regulation of Ghd7.