Mutation and Copy Number Alterations Analysis of KIF23 in Glioma.

In glioma, kinesin family member 23 (KIF23) is up-regulated and plays a vital role in oncogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying KIF23 overexpression in malignant glioma remains to be elucidated. This study aims to find potential causes of KIF23 high expression at genome level. To clarify this issue, we obtained point mutation and copy number alterations (CNAs) of KIF23 in 319 gliomas using whole-exome sequencing. Only two glioma samples with missense mutations in KIF23 coding region were identified, while 7 patients were detected with amplification of KIF23. Additional analysis showed that KIF23 amplification was significantly associated with higher expression of KIF23. Gene ontology analysis indicated that higher copy number of KIF23 was associated TNF-α signaling pathway and mitotic cell circle checkpoint, which probably caused by subsequent upregulated expression of KIF23. Moreover, pan-cancer analysis showed that gaining of copy number was significantly associated with higher expression of KIF23, consolidating our findings in glioma. Thus, it was deduced that elevated KIF23 expression in glioma tended to be caused by DNA copy number amplification, instead of mutation.

Role of Dissolved Organic Matter in Sorption of Perfluorooctanoic Acid to Metal Oxides.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is an important perfluorinated chemical of significant environmental concern. It has been widely found at high concentrations in the environment. We have exposed sediment constituent minerals SiO2, Fe2O3, and Al2O3 to PFOA and humic acid (HA) and studied the adsorption of PFOA by introducing the adsorbates in different orders. The results suggest concurrent sorption of PFOA and HA to the mineral surface or enhanced PFOA sorption when both are introduced to the aqueous phase. However, when PFOA is introduced to the mineral surface that has already been exposed to and extensively coated with HA, little PFOA adsorption occurs, which implies that PFOA released to rivers rich in dissolved organic matter (DOM, i.e. HA) may be immune to sorptive retention by the sediment and be transported downstream unabated. DOM thus can play a significant role in the transport and fate of PFOA in the natural water system.