Hepatic metastasis from a meningeal hemangiopericytoma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: A meningeal hemangiopericytoma (MHPC) is an aggressive tumor characterized by a high rate of local recurrence and late distant metastasis. The objective of this study was to share our experience with the treatment of a MHPC and how to distinguish this tumor from a meningioma. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 62-year-old woman presented with symptoms of hypomnesia, hyperopia, and double vision for 1 month. Complete tumor excision was performed 6 years before. A biopsy sample was diagnosed as an atypical meningioma. DIAGNOSIS: MHPC with late delayed hepatic metastasis. INTERVENTION: Hepatic resection was performed initially, followed by secondary neurosurgery for complete excision of the bilateral frontal lesion 1 month later. OUTCOME: Based on the tumor pathology and consensus of oncologic surgeons, radiation therapy was initiated. Adjuvant therapy was well-tolerated and the patient remained recurrence-free at 6 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Here, we report a case of local brain tumor recurrence and multiple hepatic metastases from a MHPC. Craniotomy combined with radical metastasectomy may be useful in such cases. Detailed immunohistochemical staining is helpful to distinguish a MHPC from a meningioma. Long-term follow-up is recommended.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi alleviate Cd phytotoxicity by altering Cd subcellular distribution and chemical forms in Zea mays.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) can relieve Cd phytotoxicity and improve plant growth, but the mechanisms involved in this process have still been not completely known. In the present work, a pot experiment was conducted to examine productions of glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins (PCs), and absorption, chemical forms and subcellular distribution of Cd in maize (Zea mays) inoculated with or without AMF (Rhizophagus intraradices (Ri) and Glomus versiforme (Gv)) in Cd-amended soils (0, 1 and 5 mg Cd kg-1 soil). In general, both Ri and Gv inoculation dramatically enhanced biomass production and reduced Cd concentrations in shoots and roots of maize when compared to the non-mycorrhizal treatment. Moreover, both Ri and Gv symbiosis obviously increased contents of GSH and PCs, both in shoots and roots. Subcellular distribution of Cd in maize indicated that most of Cd (more than 90%) was accumulated in cell wall and soluble fraction. In addition, Cd proportions in soluble fractions in shoots of maize inoculated with Gv or Ri were considerably increased, but reduced in cell wall fractions compared to non-mycorrhizal maize, indicating that mycorrhizal symbiosis promoted Cd transfer to vacuoles. Furthermore, proportions of Cd in inorganic and water-soluble forms were declined, but elevated in pectates and proteins-integrated forms in mycorrhizal maize, which suggested that Gv and Ri could convert Cd into inactive forms. These observations could provide a further understanding of potential Cd detoxification mechanism in maize inoculated with AMF.

Can arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce Cd uptake and alleviate Cd toxicity of Lonicera japonica grown in Cd-added soils?

A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to study the impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi--Glomus versiforme (Gv) and Rhizophagus intraradices (Ri) on the growth, Cd uptake, antioxidant indices [glutathione reductase (GR), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate (ASA), glutathione (GSH) and malonaldehyde (MDA)] and phytochelatins (PCs) production of Lonicera japonica in Cd-amended soils. Gv and Ri significantly increased P acquisition, biomass of shoots and roots at all Cd treatments. Gv significantly decreased Cd concentrations in shoots and roots, and Ri also obviously reduced Cd concentrations in shoots but increased Cd concentrations in roots. Meanwhile, activities of CAT, APX and GR, and contents of ASA and PCs were remarkably higher in Gv/Ri-inoculated plants than those of uninoculated plants, but lower MDA and GSH contents in Gv/Ri-inoculated plants were found. In conclusion, Gv and Ri symbiosis alleviated Cd toxicity of L. japonica through the decline of shoot Cd concentrations and the improvement of P nutrition, PCs content and activities of GR, CAT, APX in inoculated plants, and then improved plant growth. The decrease of shoot Cd concentrations in L. japonica inoculated with Gv/Ri would provide a clue for safe production of this plant from Cd-contaminated soils.

UV-B-Induced CPD Photolyase Gene Expression is Regulated by UVR8-Dependent and -Independent Pathways in Arabidopsis.

Plants have evolved various mechanisms that protect against the harmful effects of UV-B radiation (280-315 nm) on growth and development. Cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer (CPD) photolyase, the repair enzyme for UV-B-induced CPDs, is essential for protecting cells from UV-B radiation. Expression of the CPD photolyase gene (PHR) is controlled by light with various wavelengths including UV-B, but the mechanisms of this regulation remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the regulation of PHR expression by light with various wavelengths, in particular low-fluence UV-B radiation (280 nm, 0.2 µmol m(-2) s(-1)), in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings grown under light-dark cycles for 7 d and then adapted to the dark for 3 d. Low-fluence UV-B radiation induced CPDs but not reactive oxygen species. AtPHR expression was effectively induced by UV-B, UV-A (375 nm) and blue light. Expression induced by UV-A and blue light was predominantly regulated by the cryptochrome-dependent pathway, whereas phytochromes A and B played a minor but noticeable role. Expression induced by UV-B was predominantly regulated by the UVR8-dependent pathway. AtPHR expression was also mediated by a UVR8-independent pathway, which is correlated with CPD accumulation induced by UV-B radiation. These results indicate that Arabidopsis has evolved diverse mechanisms to regulate CPD photolyase expression by multiple photoreceptor signaling pathways, including UVR8-dependent and -independent pathways, as protection against harmful effects of UV-B radiation.

Effect of Inoculation with Glomus versiforme on Cadmium Accumulation, Antioxidant Activities and Phytochelatins of Solanum photeinocarpum.

The plant growth, phosphate acquisition, Cd translocation, phytochelatins (PCs) production and antioxidant parameters [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), guaiacol peroxidase (POD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione (GSH), ascorbate (ASA) and malonaldehyde (MDA)] were investigated in Cd-hyperaccumulator Solanum photeinocarpum inoculated with Glomus versiforme BGC GD01C (Gv) in Cd-added soils (0, 5, 10, 20, 40 mg Cd kg-1 soil). Mycorrhizal colonization rates were generally high (from 77% to 94%), and hardly affected by Cd. Gv colonization significantly enhanced P acquisition, growth and total Cd uptakes in both shoots and roots of S. photeinocarpum at all Cd levels. Meanwhile, Gv symbiosis significantly increased Cd concentration in the roots, and decreased Cd concentration in the shoots at all Cd levels, which indicates that Gv could promote phytostabilization by enhancing Cd accumulation in the roots to inhibit its translocation to shoots and the "dilution effects" linked to an increase in plant dry matter yield and a reduced Cd partitioning to shoots. Moreover, the improvement of CAT, POD and APX activities in the leaves of mycorrhizal plants infers that Gv symbiosis helped S. photeinocarpum to relieve oxidative damage to biomolecules in Cd-contaminated soil. The evident decline of MDA content in the leaves of mycorrhizal plants indicates that Gv symbiosis evidently improved antioxidant activities, and the enhancement of PCs production in the leaves of mycorrhizal plants suggests that Gv-inoculated plant may be more efficient to relieve Cd phytotoxicity. Therefore, the possible mechanisms of Cd phytotoxicity alleviation by Gv can be concluded as the decline of Cd concentration in the shoots and the improvement of P acquisition, PCs production and activities of CAT, POD, APX in mycorrhizal plants.

[Research progress on the cloning of Mendel's gene in pea (Pisum sativum L.) and its application in genetics teaching].

One hundred and fifty years ago, Gregor Mendel investigated the segregation of seven traits in pea (Pisum sativum) and established the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment in genetics. After the two laws of genetics were rediscovered in 1900, the seven traits have been extensively investigated in the fields of plant physiology and biochemistry as well as in the cell and molecular levels. Recently, with the development of molecular technology in genetics, four genes for seed shape (R), stem length (Le), cotyledon colour (I), and flower colour (A) have been cloned and sequenced; and another three genes for immature pod colour (Gp), fasciation (Fa) and pod form (V) have been located in the linkage groups, respectively. The identification and cloning of the four Mendel's genes will help deeply understand the basic concept of gene in many respects: like the diversity of gene function, the different origins for gene mutation in molecular level, and the molecular nature of a dominant gene or a recessive gene. In teaching of genetics, the introduction of most recent research advancements of cloning of Mendel's genes to the students and the interpretation of the Mendel's laws in molecular level will help students promote their learning interests in genetics and help students grasp the whole content from classical genetics to molecular genetics and the developmental direction of this subject.

Arabidopsis STO/BBX24 negatively regulates UV-B signaling by interacting with COP1 and repressing HY5 transcriptional activity.

UV-B (280-315 nm) is an integral part of solar radiation and can act either as a stress inducer or as a developmental signal. In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to the low-fluence UV-B-induced photomorphogenic response and several key players in this response have been identified, which include UVR8 (a UV-B-specific photoreceptor), COP1 (a WD40-repeat-containing RING finger protein), HY5 (a basic zipper transcription factor), and RUP1/2 (two UVR8-interacting proteins). Here we report that Arabidopsis SALT TOLERANCE (STO/BBX24), a known regulator for light signaling in plants, defines a new signaling component in UV-B-mediated photomorphogenesis. The bbx24 mutant is hypersensitive to UV-B radiation and becomes extremely dwarfed under UV-B treatment. By contrast, BBX24 overexpression transgenic lines respond much more weakly to UV-B than the bbx24 and wild-type plants. BBX24 expression is UV-B-inducible and its accumulation under UV-B requires COP1. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments indicate that BBX24 interacts with COP1 in planta upon UV-B illumination. Moreover, BBX24 interacts with HY5 and acts antagonistically with HY5 in UV-B-induced inhibition of hypocotyl elongation. Furthermore, BBX24 attenuates UV-B-induced HY5 accumulation and suppresses its transcription-activation activity. Taken together, our results reveal a previously uncharacterized function of the light-regulated BBX24 in UV-B responses and demonstrate that BBX24 functions as a negative regulator of photomorphogenic UV-B responses by interacting with both COP1 and HY5. The UV-B-inducible expression pattern and its suppression of HY5 activity suggest that BBX24 could be a new component of the feedback regulatory module of UV-B signaling in plants.

[The expression of integrin beta 1 in normal hepatic tissues, hepatic cirrhosis tissues and hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of integrin beta 1 in hepatic cirrhosis (HC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The expression of integrin beta 1 in HCC, HC and normal liver tissues was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The association between the integrin beta 1 expression and clinical pathological features were analyzed. RESULTS: (1) The levels of integrin beta 1 mRNA and protein in the HCC (1.30+/-0.24, 90.50+/-33.50) and HC (1.58+/-0.31, 123.10+/-38.90) were much higher than that in the normal hepatic tissue (0.37+/-0.08, 11.90+/-6.00) (P less than 0.05). (2) The expression of integrin beta 1 was associated with HC (r = 0.692), Edmondson pathologic grade (F = 13.618), encapsulation (F = 17.857) and metastasis (F = 38.857) (P less than 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Integrin beta 1 may play an important role in the development of hepatic fibrosis, hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Effects of temperature on UV-B-induced DNA damage and photorepair in Arabidopsis thaliana.

DNA damage in the form of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers(CPDs) and (6-4) photoproducts(6-4PPs) induced by UV-B radiation in Arabidopsis thaliana at different temperatures was investigated using ELISA with specific monoclonal antibodies. CPDs and 6-4PPs increased during 3 h UV-B exposure, but further exposure led to decreases. Contrary to the commonly accepted view that DNA damage induced by UV-B radiation is temperature-independent because of its photochemical nature, we found UV-B-induction of CPDs and 6-4PPs in Arabidopsis to be slower at a low than at a high temperature. Photorepair of CPDs at 24 degrees C was much faster than that at 0 degrees C and 12 degrees C, with 50% CPDs removal during 1 h exposure to white light. Photorepair of 6-4PPs at 12 degrees C was very slow as compared with that at 24 degrees C, and almost no removal of 6-4PPs was detected after 4 h exposure to white light at 0 degrees C. There was evidence to suggest that temperature-dependent DNA damage and photorepair could have important ecological implications.