Regional Pollination Activity by Moth Migration in Athetis lepigone.

Nocturnal moths (Lepidoptera) are important pollinators of a wide range of plant species. Understanding the foraging preferences of these insects is essential for their scientific management. However, this information is lacking for most moth species. The present study was therefore conducted to delineate the host plant feeding and pollination ranges of an agriculturally important nocturnal moth species Athetis lepigone by identifying the pollen species adhering to their bodies during long-distance migration. Pollen grains were dislodged from 1871 A. lepigone migrants captured on Beihuang Island in the Bohai Strait between 2020 and 2021. This region is a key seasonal migration pathway for A. lepigone in northern China. Almost 20% of all moths sampled harbored pollens, providing direct evidences that this moth species may serve as pollinators. Moreover, at least 39 pollen taxa spanning 21 plant families and 31 genera were identified, with a preference for Asteraceae, Amaranthaceae, and Pinaceae. Additionally, the pollen adherence ratios and taxa varied with moth sex, inter-annual changes, and seasonal fluctuations. Most importantly, the pollen taxa were correlated with insect migration stages and indicated that A. lepigone bidirectionally migrates between central China (Shandong, Hebei, and Henan Provinces) and northeastern China (Liaoning Province). Overall, the findings of the present work provide valuable information on the pollination behavior, geographical origins, and pollination regions of A. lepigone moths and could facilitate the design and optimization of efficacious local and regional management strategies for this important insect.

Pollen Molecular Identification from a Long-Distance Migratory Insect, Spodoptera exigua, as Evidenced for Its Regional Pollination in Eastern Asia.

Understanding plant-insect interactions requires the uncovering of the host plant use of insect herbivores, but such information is scarce for most taxa, including nocturnal moth species, despite their vital role as herbivores and pollinators. In this study, we determined the plant species visited by an important moth species, Spodoptera exigua, by analyzing attached pollen on migratory individuals in Northeast China. Pollen grains were dislodged from 2334 S. exigua long-distance migrants captured between 2019 and 2021 on a small island in the center of the Bohai Strait, which serves as a seasonal migration pathway for this pest species, and 16.1% of the tested moths exhibited pollen contamination, primarily on the proboscis. Subsequently, 33 taxa from at least 23 plant families and 29 genera were identified using a combination of DNA barcoding and pollen morphology, primarily from the Angiosperm, Dicotyledoneae. Moreover, the sex, inter-annual, and seasonal differences in pollen adherence ratio and pollen taxa were revealed. Notably, compared to previously reported pollen types found on several other nocturnal moths, we found that almost all of the above 33 pollen taxa can be found in multiple nocturnal moth species, providing another important example of conspecific attraction. Additionally, we also discussed the indicative significance of the pollen present on the bodies of migratory individuals for determining their migratory route. Overall, by delineating the adult feeding and pollination behavior of S. exigua, we advanced our understanding of the interactions of the moths with their host plants, and its migration pattern, as well as facilitated the design of (area-wide) management strategies to preserve and optimize ecosystem services that they provide.

Long-term insect censuses capture progressive loss of ecosystem functioning in East Asia.

Insects provide critical ecosystem services such as biological pest control, in which natural enemies (NE) regulate the populations of crop-feeding herbivores (H). While H-NE dynamics are routinely studied at small spatiotemporal scales, multiyear assessments over entire agrolandscapes are rare. Here, we draw on 18-year radar and searchlight trapping datasets (2003-2020) from eastern Asia to (i) assess temporal population trends of 98 airborne insect species and (ii) characterize the associated H-NE interplay. Although NE consistently constrain interseasonal H population growth, their summer abundance declined by 19.3% over time and prominent agricultural pests abandoned their equilibrium state. Within food webs composed of 124 bitrophic couplets, NE abundance annually fell by 0.7% and network connectance dropped markedly. Our research unveils how a progressive decline in insect numbers debilitates H trophic regulation and ecosystem stability at a macroscale, carrying implications for food security and (agro)ecological resilience during times of global environmental change.

Performance of the domestic Bt corn event expressing pyramided Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa19 against the invasive Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) in China.

BACKGROUND: The invasive fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), has caused serious corn yield losses and increased the frequency of insecticide spraying on corn in Africa and Asia. Drawing lessons from the use of Bt corn to manage fall armyworm in the Americas, China released a certificate for the genetically modified corn event DBN3601T pyramidally expressing Cry1Ab and Vip3Aa19 for industrialization in 2021. Performance of the DBN3601T event against invasive fall armyworm in China was evaluated by plant tissue-based bioassays and field trials during 2019-2021. RESULTS: In the bioassays, tissues and organs of DBN3601T corn differed significantly in lethality to fall armyworm neonates in the order: leaf > husk > tassel and kernel > silk. In field trials, compared with non-Bt corn, DBN3601T corn greatly suppressed fall armyworm populations and damage; larval density, damage incidence, and leaf damage scores for DBN3601T corn were significantly lower than for non-Bt corn at different vegetative stages, and efficacy against larval populations during the 3 years ranged from 95.24% to 98.30%. CONCLUSION: A laboratory bioassay and 3-year field trials confirmed that DBN3601T corn greatly suppressed fall armyworm populations and has high potential as a control of this invasive pest, making it a key tactic for integrated management of fall armyworm in China. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Bt maize can provide non-chemical pest control and enhance food safety in China.

China is the world's second-largest maize producer and consumer. In recent years, the invasive fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) has adversely affected maize productivity and compromised food security. To mitigate pest-inflicted food shortages, China's Government issued biosafety certificates for two genetically modified (GM) Bt maize hybrids, Bt-Cry1Ab DBN9936 and Bt-Cry1Ab/Cry2Aj Ruifeng 125, in 2019. Here, we quantitatively assess the impact of both Bt maize hybrids on pest feeding damage, crop yield and food safety throughout China's maize belt. Without a need to resort to synthetic insecticides, Bt maize could mitigate lepidopteran pest pressure by 61.9-97.3%, avoid yield loss by 16.4-21.3% (range -11.9-99.2%) and lower mycotoxin contamination by 85.5-95.5% as compared to the prevailing non-Bt hybrids. Yield loss avoidance varied considerably between experimental sites and years, as mediated by on-site infestation pressure and pest identity. For either seed mixtures or block refuge arrangements, pest pressure was kept below established thresholds at 90% Bt maize coverage in Yunnan (where S. frugiperda was the dominant species) and 70% Bt maize coverage in other sites dominated by Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée). Drawing on experiences from other crop/pest systems, Bt maize in se can provide area-wide pest management and thus, contribute to a progressive phase-down of chemical pesticide use. Hence, when consciously paired with agroecological and biodiversity-based measures, GM insecticidal crops can ensure food and nutrition security, contribute to the sustainable intensification of China's agriculture and reduce food systems' environmental footprint.

Seasonal migratory activity of SPODOPTERA FRUGIPERDA (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) across China and Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: The fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) invaded Myanmar and China in 2018 and greatly impacted agricultural production and ecosystem balance in these areas. FAW is a migratory insect, but its seasonal migration pattern between the two countries has been largely unknown. From 2019 to 2021, we monitored the seasonal migration of FAW in the China-Myanmar border area using a searchlight trap, assessed the reproductive development status of female migrants and traced the migratory routes by trajectory simulation. RESULTS: FAW moths were trapped by the searchlight trap in Lancang County (Yunnan, China) all year, with obvious seasonal differences in the number caught. There were small-scale persistent trapping peaks in spring and summer, and obvious peaks in autumn; only a small number of moths were trapped in winter. Examination of the ovaries of female moths collected in different seasons showed that most females had matured, indicating that the moths were migrating and did not take off from the local area. In the migration trajectory simulation, FAW mainly migrated from Myanmar to Southwest China in spring and summer and back to Myanmar in autumn. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that FAW migrates between China and Myanmar according to the monsoon circulation, which will help guide cross-border regional monitoring and management strategies against this pest. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Identification of Molecular Characteristics and New Prognostic Targets for Thymoma by Multiomics Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Thymoma is a heterogeneous tumor originated from thymic epithelial cells. The molecular mechanism of thymoma remains unclear. METHODS: The expression profile, methylation, and mutation data of thymoma were obtained from TCGA database. The coexpression network was constructed using the variance of gene expression through WGCNA. Enrichment analysis using clusterProfiler R package and overall survival (OS) analysis by Kaplan-Meier method were carried out for the intersection of differential expression genes (DEGs) screened by limma R package and important module genes. PPI network was constructed based on STRING database for genes with significant impact on survival. The impact of key genes on the prognosis of thymoma was evaluated by ROC curve and Cox regression model. Finally, the immune cell infiltration, methylation modification, and gene mutation were calculated. RESULTS: We obtained eleven coexpression modules, and three of them were higher positively correlated with thymoma. DEGs in these three modules mainly involved in MAPK cascade and PPAR pathway. LIPE, MYH6, ACTG2, KLF4, SULT4A1, and TF were identified as key genes through the PPI network. AUC values of LIPE were the highest. Cox regression analysis showed that low expression of LIPE was a prognostic risk factor for thymoma. In addition, there was a high correlation between LIPE and T cells. Importantly, the expression of LIPE was modified by methylation. Among all the mutated genes, GTF2I had the highest mutation frequency. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the molecular mechanism of thymoma may be related to immune inflammation. LIPE may be the key genes affecting prognosis of thymoma. Our findings will help to elucidate the pathogenesis and therapeutic targets of thymoma.

Interspecific and Seasonal Variation in Wingbeat Frequency Among Migratory Lepidoptera in Northern China.

Many lepidopteran species rely upon active flight to migrate over long distances, thus pursuing ephemeral resources, colonizing new habitats, or escaping adverse meteorological conditions. Though their biology and ecology are often well studied, there is only scant information on their wingbeat frequency (WBF), a key aerodynamic determinant of insect flight. In this study, we assessed interspecific and seasonal variability in WBF for 85 different migratory species of Lepidoptera (11 families) under the laboratory conditions of 25 ± 1°C and 75 ± 5% RH. WBF of migrant individuals ranged between 6.7 and 84.5 Hz and substantial interspecific differences were recorded, with members of the Bombycidae exhibiting the highest mean WBFs (i.e., 55.1 ± 1.0 Hz) and Saturniidae the lowest (8.5 ± 0.2 Hz). At a species level, seasonal variation was observed in WBF for Mythimna separata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Scotogramma trifolii Rottemberg (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Our findings add to the scientific knowledge on flight biology of migratory insects, facilitate (automatic) monitoring and population forecasting, and can have broader implications for insect pest management or biodiversity conservation.

The Outcomes of Subxiphoid Thoracoscopic Versus Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery for Thymic Diseases.

Objectives: The subxiphoid thoracoscopic approach may be an alternative to the lateral transthoracic approach in the treatment of thymic diseases. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery and compare this approach with the lateral transthoracic variation in terms of short-term perioperative outcomes. Methods: Data for 107 consecutive adult patients who underwent transthoracic or subxiphoid video-assisted thoracic surgery for thymic diseases from July 2015 to February 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients were stratified according to whether they had accompanying myasthenia gravis (MG). Perioperative outcomes were compared between the two cohorts. Results: A total of 107 patients were identified, including 37 patients who underwent subxiphoid video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (S-VATT) and 70 patients who underwent transthoracic video-assisted thoracoscopic thymectomy (T-VATT). The S-VATT group exhibited less operative blood loss (112.14 ± 117.01 versus 58.81 ± 48.67, P = .003), a shorter duration of chest tube usage (3.77 ± 1.83 versus 2.18 ± 1.88, P = .000), lower postoperative pain scores (4.99 ± 0.99 versus 1.57 ± 0.55, P = .000), and a shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (5.83 ± 1.38 versus 4.38 ± 1.26, P = .000) than the T-VATT group. For MG patients, the median operative time was significantly shorter in the S-VATT group than in the T-VATT group (141.46 ± 54.17 versus 95.63 ± 31.25, P = .004). Conclusions: S-VATT is a safe approach for patients with thymic diseases and has potential advantages of a shorter operative time, less intraoperative bleeding, and less postoperative pain compared with the lateral transthoracic approach, especially for patients with MG.

Corrigendum to "Clinical analysis of medication related osteonecrosis of the jaws: A growing severe complication in China" [J Dent Sci 13 (3) (September 2018) 190-197].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.jds.2017.12.003.].

Epidermal Growth Factor Reverses the Inhibitory Effects of the Bisphosphonate, Zoledronic Acid, on Human Oral Keratinocytes and Human Vascular Endothelial Cells In Vitro via the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR)/Akt/Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K) Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) is due to the direct effects of drug toxicity and the effects on angiogenesis. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of treatment with the bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid, on human oral keratinocytes (HOKs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro, and whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) could alter these effects. MATERIAL AND METHODS HOKs and HUVECs were incubated with zoledronic acid or EGF. Cell viability was assessed by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), cell apoptosis was studied using Annexin-V conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC). Angiogenesis was studied by observing HUVEC tube formation and cell migrations using a transwell assay. A scratch wound assay investigated cell migration of HOKs. Western blot measured expression levels of phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Akt, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). RESULTS Zoledronic acid treatment (5 µmol/L) significantly inhibited cell viability and cell migration of HOKs and HUVECs and angiogenesis of HUVECS (P<0.05); EGF partially reversed these effects (P<0.05). Zoledronic acid treatment of HOKs and HUVECs had no significant effects on apoptosis (P>0.05), but significantly reduced expression levels of p-EGFR, p-Akt, p-PI3K, p-mTOR), and p-eNOS (P<0.05); EGF partially reversed these effects and increased the expression levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS EGF partially reversed the effects of the bisphosphonate, zoledronic acid, on HOKs and HUVECs in vitro via the EGFR/Akt/PI3K signaling pathway. Further studies are required to determine the effects of EGF on MRONJ including bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw.

LIMD2 targeted by miR­34a promotes the proliferation and invasion of non­small cell lung cancer cells.

A previous study indicated that LIM domain containing 2 (LIMD2) is an oncogene in a variety of human cancers, including breast, bladder and thyroid cancers, and melanoma; however, the role of LIMD2 in non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains largely unknown. In the present study, by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT­qPCR) analysis, it was demonstrated that LIMD2 was significantly upregulated in NSCLC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Consistently, LIMD2 was also upregulated in NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, the present study reported that knockdown of LIMD2 significantly inhibited the proliferation and invasion of H1299 and A549 cells by Cell Counting Kit­8 and Transwell assays. In addition, the expression of LIMD2 was determined to be regulated by microRNA (miR)­34a in the present study. RT­qPCR and western blot analysis indicated that overexpression of miR­34a notably reduced the mRNA and protein expression levels of LIMD2 in H1299 and H549 cells. Additionally, the present study reported an inverse correlation between the expression of LIMD2 and miR­34a in NSCLC tissues. A luciferase reporter assay also demonstrated that miR­34a directly targeted the mRNA expression of LIMD2 in NSCLC cells. Finally, miR­34a was revealed to possess a tumor suppressive role in NSCLC cells. Collectively, the results of the present study revealed that LIMD2 promoted NSCLC progression and was regulated by miR­34a.

Clinical analysis of medication related osteonecrosis of the jaws: A growing severe complication in China.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ) is an unusual but quite serious complication. However, its mechanism remains unclear, and its treatment protocol is still controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our study involved 201 osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) patients from September 2006 to March 2017. We analyzed risk factors, clinical characteristics, treatment, etc., by comparing MRONJ with other ONJs. RESULTS: Among 201 patients, MRONJ accounted for 14.71% and it presented a consistent increase tendency. In comparison with other ONJs, we considered advanced age, maxilla lesion, diabetes mellitus, tooth extraction, especially multi-teeth extraction as risk factors (P < 0.0125). Our study demonstrated that maxillary lesion was associated with an advanced stage and it was inclined to worse prognoses. We also found MRONJ had little correlation to Actinomyces infection. Surgical treatment could improve patients' condition successfully (P > 0.05). 81.3% patients with advanced stage showed complete or partial healing lesions after surgery. CONCLUSION: Advanced age, maxilla lesion, diabetes mellitus, tooth extraction seem to be important triggering factors for MRONJ. Clinicians and surgeons should pay attention to maxillary lesions as it is related to severe symptoms and unfavorable prognosis. Once diagnosed as MRONJ, surgery is an effective treatment for patients with advanced stage.

Construction of a 26­feature gene support vector machine classifier for smoking and non­smoking lung adenocarcinoma sample classification.

The present study aimed to identify the feature genes associated with smoking in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) samples and explore the underlying mechanism. Three gene expression datasets of LAC samples were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database through pre­set criteria and the expression data were processed using meta­analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LAC samples of smokers and non­smokers were identified using limma package in R. The classification accuracy of selected DEGs were visualized using hierarchical clustering analysis in R language. A protein­protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using gene interaction data from the Human Protein Reference Database for the DEGs. Betweenness centrality was calculated for each node in the network and genes with the greatest BC values were utilized for the construction of the support vector machine (SVM) classifier. The dataset GSE43458 was used as the training dataset for the construction and the other datasets (GSE12667 and GSE10072) were used as the validation datasets. The classification accuracy of the classifier was tested using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and area under curve parameters with the pROC package in R language. The feature genes in the SVM classifier were subjected to pathway enrichment analysis using Fisher's exact test. A total of 347 genes were identified to be differentially expressed between samples of smokers and non­smokers. The PPI network of DEGs were comprised of 202 nodes and 300 edges. An SVM classifier comprised of 26 feature genes was constructed to distinguish between different LAC samples, with prediction accuracies for the GSE43458, GSE12667 and GSE10072 datasets of 100, 100 and 94.83%, respectively. Furthermore, the 26 feature genes that were significantly enriched in 9 overrepresented biological pathways, including extracellular matrix­receptor interaction, proteoglycans in cancer, cell adhesion molecules, p53 signaling pathway, microRNAs in cancer and apoptosis, were identified to be smoking­related genes in LAC. In conclusion, an SVM classifier with a high prediction accuracy for smoking and non­smoking samples was obtained. The genes in the classifier may likely be the potential feature genes associated with the development of patients with LAC who smoke.

CXCR4 overexpression correlates with poor prognosis in myasthenia gravis-associated thymoma.

Thymoma is 1 rare type of tumor developed on the thymic epithelium; patients with thymoma also might have myasthenia gravis (MG). Because of the scarcity and complexity of MG-associated thymoma, its pathogenesis and etiology still remain unclear nowadays. The expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) is absent or low in most healthy tissues but highly expressed in various types of tumors. Here, to determine the prognostic significance of CXCR4 in MG-associated thymoma, a total of 84 tissue samples were retrospectively examined. Our data demonstrated that CXCR4 was strongly associated with worse overall survival (hazard ratio, 2.11; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-4.11) and disease-free survival (hazard ratio, 1.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-3.29). Furthermore, both univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that CXCR4 was an independent factor in predicting unfavorable overall survival. In conclusion, our findings suggest that CXCR4 might contribute to the clinical cancer progression, and CXCR4 could be a valuable prognostic biomarker in the therapy of MG-associated thymoma.

Five miRNAs Considered as Molecular Targets for Predicting Esophageal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most aggressive malignant gastrointestinal tumors; however the traditional therapies for EC are not effective enough. Great improvements are needed to explore new and valid treatments for EC. We aimed to screen the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) in esophageal cancer and explore the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer along with functions and pathways of the target genes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: miRNA high-throughput sequencing data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), then the DEMs underwent principal component analysis (PCA) based on their expression value. Following that, TargetScan software was used to predict the target genes, and enrichment analysis and pathway annotation of these target genes were done by DAVID and KEGG, respectively. Finally, survival analysis between the DEMs and patient survival time was done, and the miRNAs with prediction potential were identified. RESULTS: A total of 140 DEMs were obtained, 113 miRNAs were up-regulated including hsa-mir-153-2, hsa-mir-92a-1 and hsa-mir-182; while 27 miRNAs were down-regulated including hsa-mir comprising 29a, hsa-mir-100 and hsa-mir-139 and so on. Five miRNAs (hsa-mir-103-1, hsa-mir-18a, hsa-mir-324, hsa-mir-369 and hsa-mir-320b-2) with diagnostic and preventive potential were significantly correlated with survival time. CONCLUSIONS: The crucial molecular targets such as p53 may provide great clinical value in treatment, as well to provide new ideas for esophageal cancer therapy. The target genes of miRNA were found to play key roles in protein phosphorylation, and the functions of the target genes during protein phosphorylation should be further studied to explore novel treatment of EC.

Clustering-led complex brain networks approach.

This paper reviewed the meaning of the statistic index and the properties of the complex network models and their physiological explanation. By analyzing existing problems and construction strategies, this paper attempted to construct complex brain networks from a different point of view: that of clustering first and constructing the brain network second. A clustering-guided (or led) construction strategy towards complex brain networks was proposed. The research focused on the discussion of the task-induced brain network. To discover different networks in a single run, a combined-clusters method was applied. Afterwards, a complex local brain network was formed with a complex network method on voxels. In a real test dataset, it was found that the network had small-world characteristics and had no significant scale-free properties. Meanwhile, some key bridge nodes and their characteristics were identified in the local network by calculating the betweenness centrality.

Thapsigargin induces apoptosis by impairing cytoskeleton dynamics in human lung adenocarcinoma cells.

The objective of this study was performed to investigate the effects of thapsigargin on apoptosis, actin cytoskeletal dynamics, and actin cytoskeletal proteins in human lung adenocarcinoma cell. Thapsigargin is a specific irreversible inhibitor of ER calcium-ATPase, which may promote ER stress by depletion of lumenal calcium stores and show potential to induce cell death. The effects of thapsigargin on the apoptosis in A549 cells were assayed by Hoechst staining. Moreover, the F-actin staining by Rhodamine-phalloidin and RhoA antibody for cytoskeleton organizations were applied to A549 cells. To confirm the impairment of cytoskeletal dynamics treated with thapsigargin, western blots were applied to analyze the protein levels of p-Cofilin-1 (Ser3), Cofilin-1, and pPaxillin (Tyr118), as well as RhoA and pS6 (S240/244). Results suggest that thapsigargin may induce cell death in A549 cells with a time- and dose-dependent manner. The F-actin fibers and RhoA signals are also reduced with a time- and dose-dependent manner by thapsigargin treatment. The phosphorylation forms of Cofilin-1 and paxillin are attenuated by 1 µM thapsigargin treatment for 24 h. These alternations may be caused by the inhibition of of mTORC1 activities (indicated by pS6 (Ser240/244)) and RhoA pathways after thapsigargin treatment. The present findings highlight important roles of calcium entry in cytoskeleton organization and apoptosis in human lung adenocarcinoma cells and will help to set a stage to the clinical treatment of cancer cell metastasis.

Association between p53 codon 72 genetic polymorphisms and tobacco use and lung cancer risk in a Chinese population.

Genetic polymorphisms of p53 codon 72 are thought to have significant effects on the metabolism of environmental carcinogens and thus on lung cancer risk, but the reported results are not always consistent. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between p53 codon 72 genetic polymorphisms and tobacco use and lung cancer risk in a Chinese population. A population-based control study was conducted in 360 lung cancer patients and 360 cancer-free controls. The genotype of the p53 codon 72 was determined by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay. Patients with lung cancer had a significantly lower frequency of Pro/Pro genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 0.58, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.40, 0.84; P = 0.004] and Pro allele (OR = 0.72, 95 % CI = 0.59, 0.89; P = 0.002) than controls. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma had also a significantly lower frequency of Pro/Pro genotype (OR = 0.45, 95 % CI = 0.25, 0.82; P = 0.009). In the analysis combining p53 codon 72 polymorphisms and smoking, smokers who had smoked for more than 30 pack-years had a significantly lower frequency of Pro/Pro genotype (OR = 0.52, 95 % CI = 0.30, 0.92; P = 0.03) compared with non-smokers. This study suggests that p53 codon 72 polymorphisms play a role in the development of lung cancer and modifies the risk for smoking-related lung cancer in a Chinese population.

Association of glutathione S-transferase M1 polymorphisms and lung cancer risk in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) are thought to have significant effects on the metabolism of environmental carcinogens and thus on lung cancer risk, but the reported results are not always consistent. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between GSTM1 genetic polymorphism and lung cancer risk in a Chinese population. METHODS: A population-based control study was conducted in 360 lung cancer patients and 360 cancer-free controls. The genotype of the GSTM1 gene was determined by using a polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay. RESULTS: We observed a stronger association between GSTM1 null genotype and lung cancer [odds ratio (OR)=1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.17, 2.17; P=0.003]. This association was also found in squamous cell carcinoma (OR=1.73, 95% CI=1.16, 2.59; P=0.008). In the analysis combining GSTM1 polymorphism and smoking, smokers with the null genotype who had smoked for ≥ 30 pack-years had higher risk (OR=10.06, 95% CI=5.16, 19.61; P<0.001) compared with non-smokers with the wild-type genotype. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that GSTM1 polymorphism plays a role in the development of lung cancer and modifies the risk for smoking-related lung cancer in a Chinese population.