[Identification of Differentially Expressed Gene Core Genes in Early T-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Its Regulatory Network Analysis].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the differentially expressed gene (DEG) core genes in early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP ALL) and to analyze their interactions with upstream miRNAs, lncRNAs and involved pathways; to clarify the regulatory mechanism of ETP ALL development; and to explore the molecular targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: The DEG of ETP ALL were screened based on the intersection of GEO database and TCGA database. The functional enrichment analysis and interaction analysis were carried out for DEG. Next, MCODE algorithm was used to screen core genes of DEG, and the mirDIP online tool and starBase online tool were utilized to predict upstream miRNA and lncRNA of the core genes. RESULTS: A total of 424 DEG with a high credibility were identified, which were mainly enriched in the biological activity, such as transcriptional regulation, signaling pathway and protein function activation according to GO function, and the KEGG pathway was enriched in hematopoiesis, anoxic stress response, transcriptional misregulation, immunity and other functions, which interrelated each other 7 core genes were identified. Subsequently, 7 miRNAs and 19 lncRNAs were predicted to meet screening criteria. Finally, a lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA-pathway regulatory network was constructed. CONCLUSION: The DEG in ETP ALL has been identified based on data mining methods; the core genes have been gained by co-expression analysis, and their upstream miRNA and lncRNA can be predicted for the early diagnosis of ETP ALL, thus providing a theoretical basis for the early diagnosis and reasonable treatment of ETP ALL, and helping to look for new tumor biomarkers of ETP ALL different from classical T-ALL.

Mechanism of the protective effect of phenylephrine pretreatment against irradiation-induced damage in the submandibular gland.

Irradiation is a fundamental treatment modality for head and neck malignancies. However, a significant drawback of irradiation treatment is the irreversible damage to salivary glands in the radiation field. Although the protective effect of phenylephrine pretreatment on salivary glands following irradiation has previously been demonstrated, the exact mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the cytoprotective mechanisms of phenylephrine pretreatment in rat submandibular glands following irradiation. Rats were locally irradiated using a linear accelerator in the head and neck region with a single dose of 20 Gy. Phenylephrine (5 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 30 min prior to irradiation and the submandibular glands were collected on day 7 after irradiation. In comparison with the control group, the irradiation-only group demonstrated severe atrophy, enhanced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. The phenylephrine-pretreated group, however, demonstrated markedly alleviated atrophy, further increased cell proliferation and decreased apoptosis compared with the irradiation-only group. The data indicated that the cytoprotective mechanisms of phenylephrine pretreatment in the submandibular gland following irradiation may be related to improved cell proliferation and inhibition of cell apoptosis.

Cloning, expression and identification by immunohistochemistry of humanized single-chain variable fragment antibody against hepatitis C virus core protein.

Expression of single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibodies on the surface of bacteriophage is widely used to prepare antibodies with pre-defined specificities. A phage antibody library containing the gene for scFv antibody against Hepatitis C virus core protein was panned with core protein immobilized on microtiter plate wells. After five rounds of panning 60 phage clones specific to core protein were obtained and one selected clone was sequenced. It was found that the specifically detected antigen consists of 774bp and is capable of encoding 257 amino acids in the patients but not in healthy persons.

Nicotinamide overload may play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.

AIM: To investigate whether nicotinamide overload plays a role in type 2 diabetes. METHODS: Nicotinamide metabolic patterns of 14 diabetic and 14 non-diabetic subjects were compared using HPLC. Cumulative effects of nicotinamide and N(1)-methylnicotinamide on glucose metabolism, plasma H(2)O(2) levels and tissue nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) contents of adult Sprague-Dawley rats were observed. The role of human sweat glands and rat skin in nicotinamide metabolism was investigated using sauna and burn injury, respectively. RESULTS: Diabetic subjects had significantly higher plasma N(1)-methylnicotinamide levels 5 h after a 100-mg nicotinamide load than the non-diabetic subjects (0.89 +/- 0.13 micromol/L vs 0.6 +/- 0.13 micromol/L, P < 0.001). Cumulative doses of nicotinamide (2 g/kg) significantly increased rat plasma N(1)-methylnicotinamide concentrations associated with severe insulin resistance, which was mimicked by N(1)-methylnicotinamide. Moreover, cumulative exposure to N(1)-methylnicotinamide (2 g/kg) markedly reduced rat muscle and liver NAD contents and erythrocyte NAD/NADH ratio, and increased plasma H(2)O(2) levels. Decrease in NAD/NADH ratio and increase in H(2)O(2) generation were also observed in human erythrocytes after exposure to N(1)-methylnicotinamide in vitro. Sweating eliminated excessive nicotinamide (5.3-fold increase in sweat nicotinamide concentration 1 h after a 100-mg nicotinamide load). Skin damage or aldehyde oxidase inhibition with tamoxifen or olanzapine, both being notorious for impairing glucose tolerance, delayed N(1)-methylnicotinamide clearance. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that nicotinamide overload, which induced an increase in plasma N(1)-methylnicotinamide, associated with oxidative stress and insulin resistance, plays a role in type 2 diabetes.