N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (AcSDKP) mitigates the liver fibrosis via WTAP/m6A/Ptch1 axis through Hedgehog pathway.

N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (AcSDKP) is an endogenous tetrapeptide with potential antifibrotic effect. However, the underlying mechanism in the anti-fibrosis is still unclear. Here, we try to investigate its biofunction and deeplying mechanism in liver fibrosis. Rats were administrated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) for liver fibrosis model. The roles of AcSDKP on hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were detected in vitro using isolated cells treated by TGF-ß1. The m6A profie of HSCs was screened by methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-Seq). Results demonstrated that AcSDKP inhibited apoptosis through Hedgehog pathway in the CCl4-induced rat HSCs. Moreover, the administration of AcSDKP decreased the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methyltransferase WTAP (Wilms' tumour 1-associated protein) expression. Mechanistically, WTAP targeted the 3'-UTR of Ptch1 mRNA, and administration of AcSDKP reduced the stability of Ptch1 mRNA. Thus, these findings revealed an anti-fibrosis axis of AcSDKP/WTAP/m6A/Ptch1 in liver fibrosis. Our results identify a novel role of AcSDKP in liver fibrosis via m6A modification and Hedgehog pathway, which helps us to shed light on the molecular mechanism in liver fibrosis progression.

Anxiety and depression in glioma patients: prevalence, risk factors, and their correlation with survival.

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors and prognostic value of anxiety and depression in glioma patients. METHODS: A total of 190 glioma patients who underwent resection were consecutively enrolled. Anxiety was assessed using hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) and Zung self-rating anxiety scale (SAS); depression was assessed with the use of HADS and Zung self-rating depression scale (SDS). All patients were followed up to death or 36 months. Overall survival (OS) was calculated according to the survival data. RESULTS: The prevalence of anxiety ranged from 36.3 to 37.4%, and the prevalence of depression ranged from 28.4 to 32.6% based on different assessment scales. Female, diabetes, and increased WHO grade were correlated with HADS anxiety and SAS anxiety, while female, single/divorced/widowed status, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and CKD were associated with HADS depression and SDS depression. Further multivariate logistic analyses disclosed the following: single/divorced/widowed status and WHO grade were independent risk factors for HADS anxiety; female and hyperlipidemia were independent risk factors for SAS anxiety; whereas education duration (< 12 years), single/divorced/widowed status, and CKD were independent risk factors for HADS depression; female, single/divorced/widowed status, and hyperlipidemia were independent risk factors for SDS depression. Besides, HADS anxiety, SAS anxiety and SDS depression were correlated with shorter OS, while HADS depression was not. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings about the risk factors and prognostic value of anxiety and depression might aid for their early prevention and prognosis improvement in glioma patients.

[Bioinformatic analysis of pygo1 gene in Homo sapiens].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the structure and function of PYGO1 protein with bioinformatics. METHODS: The bioinformatic methods and tools were used to analyze the physical and chemical properties, transmembrane region, hydrophobicity and hyrdrophilicity, secondary structure and functional category of PYGO1 protein. RESULTS: The bioinformatic analysis revealed that proline content was the highest of all amino acid residues in PYGO1 protein; the molecular formula was C(1943)H(2937)N(577)O(635)S(18) with a relative molecular mass of 45; and the theoretical isoelectric point was 6.38. The analysis also demonstrated that PYGO1 was a hydrophilic and non-transmembrane protein; its main component was alpha-helix and random coil; it contained a plant homeodomain. CONCLUSION: Human pygo1 gene may act as a transcription regulation factor to regulate the heart development and the progress of heart diseases.

Investigation of single nucleotide polymorphisms based on the intronic sequences of the propylene alcohol dehydrogenase gene in Chinese tobacco genotypes.

A pair of primers was designed to amplify the propylene alcohol dehydrogenase gene sequence based on the cDNA sequence of the tobacco allyl-alcohol dehydrogenase gene. All introns were sequenced using traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods and T-A cloning. The sequences from common tobacco (Nicotiana tabaccum L.) and rustica tobacco (Nicotiana rustica L.) were analysed between the third intron and the fourth intron of the propylene alcohol dehydrogenase gene. The results showed that the alcohol dehydrogenase gene is a low-copy nuclear gene. The intron sequences have a combination of single nucleotide polymorphisms and length polymorphisms between common tobacco and rustica tobacco, which are suitable to identify the different germplasms. Furthermore, there are some single nucleotide polymorphism sites in the target sequence within common tobacco that can be used to distinguish intraspecific varieties.

[Chloroplast genetic engineering: a new approach in plant biotechnology].

Chloroplast genetic engineering, offers several advantages over nuclear transformation, including high level of gene expression, increased biosafety, remedying some limitations associated with nuclear genetic transformation, such as gene silencing and the stability of transformed genes. It is now regarded as an attractive new transgenic technique and further development of biotechnology in agriculture. In this article we reviewed the characteristics, applications of chloroplast genetic engineering and its promising prospects were discussed.