Canopy and understory nitrogen additions differently affect soil microbial residual carbon in a temperate forest.

Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition in forests can affect soil microbial growth and turnover directly through increasing N availability and indirectly through altering plant-derived carbon (C) availability for microbes. This impacts microbial residues (i.e., amino sugars), a major component of soil organic carbon (SOC). Previous studies in forests have so far focused on the impact of understory N addition on microbes and microbial residues, but the effect of N deposition through plant canopy, the major pathway of N deposition in nature, has not been explicitly explored. In this study, we investigated whether and how the quantities (25 and 50 kg N ha-1 year-1) and modes (canopy and understory) of N addition affect soil microbial residues in a temperate broadleaf forest under 10-year N additions. Our results showed that N addition enhanced the concentrations of soil amino sugars and microbial residual C (MRC) but not their relative contributions to SOC, and this effect on amino sugars and MRC was closely related to the quantities and modes of N addition. In the topsoil, high-N addition significantly increased the concentrations of amino sugars and MRC, regardless of the N addition mode. In the subsoil, only canopy N addition positively affected amino sugars and MRC, implying that the indirect pathway via plants plays a more important role. Neither canopy nor understory N addition significantly affected soil microbial biomass (as represented by phospholipid fatty acids), community composition and activity, suggesting that enhanced microbial residues under N deposition likely stem from increased microbial turnover. These findings indicate that understory N addition may underestimate the impact of N deposition on microbial residues and SOC, highlighting that the processes of canopy N uptake and plant-derived C availability to microbes should be taken into consideration when predicting the impact of N deposition on the C sequestration in temperate forests.

A detailed analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and conventional PCR-based testing for the diagnosis of bacterial pathogens and discovery of novel bacteria.

This study represents the first analysis of the bacterial community in chickens affected by swollen head syndrome, utilizing 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Samples were obtained from clinical laying chickens and were examined for the presence of Avibacterium paragallinarum (APG) and Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR). From the samples, five APG-positive (APG) and APG-negative (N-APG) samples were chosen, along with five specific pathogen-free chickens, for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results showed that APG and ORT were widely detected in the chicken samples with swollen head syndrome (SHS, 9/10), while APG was detected in all five specific pathogen-free (SPF) samples. In contrast, conventional PCR sensitivity was found to be inadequate for diagnosis, with only 35.7% (5/14) and 11.1% (1/9) sensitivity for APG and ORT, respectively, based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing data. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was able to quantify the bacteria in the samples, revealing that the relative abundance of APG in the APG group ranged from 2.7 to 81.3%, while the relative abundance of APG in the N-APG group ranged from 0.1 to 21.0%. Notably, a low level of APG was also detected in all 5 SPF samples. The study also identified a significant number of animal and human common bacterial pathogens, including but not limited to Gallibacterium anatis, Riemerella columbina, Enterococcus cecorum, Mycoplasma synoviae, Helicobacter hepaticus, and Staphylococcus lentus. In conclusion, 16S rRNA gene sequencing is a valuable tool for bacterial pathogen diagnosis and the discovery of novel bacterial pathogens, while conventional PCR is not reliable for diagnosis.

No Evidence for Erythro-Myeloid Progenitor-Derived Vascular Endothelial Cells in Multiple Organs.

RATIONALE: Endothelial cells are thought to emerge de novo from the mesoderm to form the entire circulatory system. Recently, erythro-myeloid progenitors (EMPs) have been proposed to be another remarkable developmental origin for blood vessels in multiple organs, including the hindbrain, liver, lung, and heart, as demonstrated by lineage tracing studies using different genetic tools. These observations challenge the current consensus that intraembryonic vessels are thought to expand solely by the proliferation of preexisting endothelial cells. Resolution of this controversy over the developmental origin of endothelial cells is crucial for developing future therapeutics for vessel-dependent organ repair and regeneration. OBJECTIVE: To examine the contribution of EMPs to intraembryonic endothelial cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: We first used a transgenic mouse expressing a tamoxifen-inducible Mer-iCre fusion protein driven by the Csf1r (colony stimulating factor 1 receptor) promoter. Genetic lineage tracing based on Csf1r-Mer-iCre-Mer showed no contribution of EMPs to brain endothelial cells identified by several markers. We also generated a knock-in mouse line by inserting an internal ribosome entry site-iCre cassette into the 3' untranslated region of Csf1r gene to further investigate the cellular fates of EMPs. Similarly, we did not find any Csf1r-ires-iCre traced endothelial cells in brain, liver, lung, or heart in development either. Additionally, we found that Kit (KIT proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase) was expressed not only in EMPs but also in embryonic hindbrain endothelial cells. Therefore, Kit promoter-driven recombinase, such as Kit-CreER, is a flawed tool for lineage tracing when examining the contribution of EMPs to hindbrain endothelial cells. We also traced CD45 (protein tyrosine phosphatase receptor type C; Ptprc)+ circulating EMPs and did not find any CD45 lineage-derived endothelial cells during development. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that EMPs are not the origin of intraembryonic endothelial cells.

De Novo Synthesis of Orthogonally-Protected C2-Fluoro Digitoxoses and Cymaroses: Development and Application for the Synthesis of Fluorinated Digoxin.

Inspired by Roush's pioneering work on rare sugars, we have developed a scalable, stereoselective, de novo synthesis of orthogonally protected C2-fluoro digitoxose and cymarose, utilizing Sharpless kinetic resolution and organocatalytic fluorination as key steps. The utility of this strategy is demonstrated by the synthesis of a fluorinated analogue of digoxin, which indicates the fluorine on the sugar ring may have a significant impact on biological activity.

A single point mutation in the hyaC gene affects Pasteurella multocida serovar A capsule production and virulence.

Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is a Gram-negative bacterium which causes diseases in poultry, livestock, and humans, resulting in huge economic losses. P. multocida serovar A CQ6 (PmCQ6) is a naturally occurring attenuated strain with a thin capsule. Thus, we aimed to explore why this strain is less virulent and produces less capsule compared with P. multocida serovar A strain CQ2 (PmCQ2). Analysis of capsular polysaccharide synthesis genes in PmCQ6 revealed that, compared with PmCQ2, there was only a single point mutation in the initiation codon sequence of the hyaC gene. To test whether this point mutation caused capsular deficiency and reduced virulence, we rescued this hyaC mutation and observed a restoration of capsule production and higher virulence. Transcriptome analysis showed that the hyaC point mutation led to a downregulation of capsule synthesis and/or iron utilization related-genes. Taken together, the results indicate that the start codon mutation of hyaC is an important factor affecting the capsule synthesis and virulence of PmCQ6.

Dual lineage tracing identifies intermediate mesenchymal stage for endocardial contribution to fibroblasts, coronary mural cells, and adipocytes.

Early embryonic endocardium undergoes endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition to form cardiac cushion mesenchymal cells (MCs). Embryonic endocardium also gives rise to fibroblasts, intramyocardial adipocytes, and coronary mural cells, including smooth muscle cells and pericytes, in development. Whether endocardial cells directly differentiate into fibroblasts, coronary mural cells, and adipocytes or indirectly via an intermediate stage of endocardial-derived cushion MCs remains unknown. In addition to endocardium, epicardium and neural crest also contribute to cardiac cushion MCs. Given the developmental heterogeneity of cushion MCs and the lack of specific markers for endocardial-derived cushion MCs, conventional genetic lineage tracing utilizing Cre recombinase driven by one specific regulatory element is not sufficient to examine the fates of endocardial-derived cushion MCs. Intersectional genetic targeting approaches, which combine regulatory elements from two or more genes, have been employed to increase the specificity of cell targeting. Here, we developed a dual-recombinase intersectional targeting approach using Nfatc1-Dre, Sox9-CreER, and Cre/Dre double-dependent reporter Ai66 to specifically label endocardial-derived cushion MCs. Taking advantage of intersectional lineage tracing, we found that a subset of cardiac cells including fibroblasts, coronary mural cells, and intramyocardial adipocytes in adult hearts were derived from endocardial-derived cushion MCs. Our study suggests that embryonic endocardium contributes to cushion MCs first, and then endocardial-derived cushion MCs migrate into myocardium and differentiate into fibroblasts, coronary mural cells, and adipocytes in development. Understanding developmental origins of cardiac cell lineages will provide us more insights into cardiac development, regeneration, and diseases.

Rational Design of Near-Infrared-Absorbing Pt(II)-Chelated Azadipyrromethene Dyes as a New Generation of Photosensitizers for Synergistic Phototherapy.

Pt(II) photosensitizers are emerging as novel Pt anticancer agents for cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT) to avoid uncontrollable toxicity of cisplatin. However, the application of Pt(II) photosensitizers is limited by tumor hypoxia and the poor penetration depth of excitation light. To overcome these drawbacks, exploiting the next generation of Pt anticancer agents is of urgent need. According to theoretical calculations, novel near-infrared (NIR)-absorbing Pt(II)-chelated azadipyrromethene dyes (PtDP-X, where X = N, C, and S) were designed. Importantly, spin-orbit coupling of the Pt atom could promote the intersystem crossing of a singlet-to-triplet transition for converting oxygen to singlet oxygen (1O2), and the azadipyrromethene skeleton could provide a strong photothermal effect. As expected, PtDP-X exhibited intense NIR absorption and synergistic PDT and photothermal effects with low dark cytotoxicity. Furthermore, water-soluble and biocompatible PtDP-N nanoparticles (PtDP-N NPs) were prepared that achieved effective tumor cell elimination with low side effects under 730 nm light irradiation in vitro and in vivo. This pioneering work could push the exploitation of NIR-absorbing metal-chelated azadipyrromethene dyes, so as to promote the positive evolution of phototherapy agents.

Improved method for damping coefficient measurement based on spectral analysis of a self-mixing signal.

In this paper, the self-mixing interference subject to weak optical feedback has been used to measure the damping vibration. By analyzing the spectrum of the signal, the damping coefficient can be extracted precisely from the nth-order Bessel functions, which are determined by the dominant harmonic order of the frequency spectrum. Theoretical derivation and signal processing are presented. Four kinds of vibrating targets with different damping coefficients are measured. Experimental results show that standard deviation and root mean square error of data are less than 0.2 and 0.1, respectively, which means fitted values are stable as well as having a very high fitting precision.

Flame Retardancy and Thermal Behavior of an Unsaturated Polyester Modified with Kaolinite-Urea Intercalation Complexes.

Organic modified kaolinite-urea intercalation complex (KUIC) was prepared using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the precursor of kaolinite intercalation. Its structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Subsequently, as a synergistic agent, KUIC was combined with flame retardant ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to improve the flame retardant and smoke suppression performance of unsaturated polyester (UP) resin. A cone calorimeter (CONE) was used to study its flame retardancy and smoke suppression, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermogravimetry (TG) were used to study the micro morphology of the char and flame retardant mechanism. The results show that 12 phr of APP and 3 phr of KUIC were doped into UP to obtain a 28.0% limiting oxygen index (LOI) value. Compared with UP, the heat release rate and smoke production of UP/APP/KUIC composites were greatly decreased. Meanwhile, KUIC indeed enhanced the mechanical properties of UP.

Hydroximoyl fluorides as the precursors of nitrile oxides: synthesis, stability and [3 + 2]-cycloaddition with alkynes.

The transformation of hydroximoyl fluorides to nitrile oxides for [3 + 2]-cycloaddition with alkynes has been achieved for the first time. The hydroximoyl fluorides used in this work appeared to be not stable, which was proved by a series of experiments. A DFT calculation was performed to better understand the properties of hydroximoyl fluorides. Although not stable, the hydroximoyl fluorides could be successfully converted to the corresponding nitrile oxides for in situ [3 + 2]-cycloaddition with alkynes to yield the isoxazoles. Furthermore, it was feasible to conduct [3 + 2]-cycloaddition reaction without purification after the synthesis of hydroximoyl fluorides from gem-difluoroalkenes. By investigating a class of interesting yet previously rarely explored fluorinated compounds, this work sheds new light on the stability and reactivity of a C-F bond on a C[double bond, length as m-dash]N double bond.

Transforming Growth Factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) Activates Hepcidin mRNA Expression in Hepatocytes.

The hepatic hormone hepcidin is the master regulator of systemic iron homeostasis. Its expression level is adjusted to alterations in iron levels, inflammatory cues, and iron requirements for erythropoiesis. Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6) contributes to the iron-dependent control of hepcidin. In addition, TGF-ß1 may stimulate hepcidin mRNA expression in murine hepatocytes and human leukocytes. However, receptors and downstream signaling proteins involved in TGF-ß1-induced hepcidin expression are still unclear. Here we show that TGF-ß1 treatment of mouse and human hepatocytes, as well as ectopic expression of TGF-ß1 in mice, increases hepcidin mRNA levels. The hepcidin response to TGF-ß1 depends on functional TGF-ß1 type I receptor (ALK5) and TGF-ß1 type II receptor (TßRII) and is mediated by a noncanonical mechanism that involves Smad1/5/8 phosphorylation. Interestingly, increasing availability of canonical Smad2/3 decreases TGF-ß1-induced hepcidin regulation, whereas the BMP6-hepcidin signal was enhanced, indicating a signaling component stoichiometry-dependent cross-talk between the two pathways. Although ALK2/3-dependent hepcidin activation by BMP6 can be modulated by each of the three hemochromatosis-associated proteins: HJV (hemojuvelin), HFE (hemochromatosis protein), and TfR2 (transferrin receptor 2), these proteins do not control the ALK5-mediated hepcidin response to TGF-ß1. TGF-ß1 mRNA levels are increased in mouse models of iron overload, indicating that TGF-ß1 may contribute to hepcidin synthesis under these conditions. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that a complex regulatory network involving TGF-ß1 and BMP6 may control the sensing of systemic and/or hepatic iron levels.

Delta-Like Ligand 4 Modulates Liver Damage by Down-Regulating Chemokine Expression.

Disrupting Notch signaling ameliorates experimental liver fibrosis. However, the role of individual Notch ligands in liver damage is unknown. We investigated the effects of Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) in liver disease. DLL4 expression was measured in 31 human liver tissues by immunohistochemistry. Dll4 function was examined in carbon tetrachloride- and bile duct ligation-challenged mouse models in vivo and evaluated in hepatic stellate cells, hepatocytes, and Kupffer cells in vitro. DLL4 was expressed in patients' Kupffer and liver sinusoidal endothelial cells. Recombinant Dll4 protein (rDll4) ameliorated hepatocyte apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis in mice after carbon tetrachloride challenge. In vitro, rDll4 significantly decreased lipopolysaccharide-dependent chemokine expression in both Kupffer and hepatic stellate cells. In bile duct ligation mice, rDll4 induced massive hepatic necrosis, resulting in the death of all animals within 1 week. Inflammatory cell infiltration and chemokine ligand 2 (Ccl2) expression were significantly reduced in rDll4-receiving bile duct ligation mice. Recombinant Ccl2 rescued bile duct ligation mice from rDll4-mediated death. In patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure, DLL4 expression was inversely associated with CCL2 abundance. Mechanistically, Dll4 regulated Ccl2 expression via NF-κB. Taken together, Dll4 modulates liver inflammatory response by down-regulating chemokine expression. rDll4 application results in opposing outcomes in two models of liver damage. Loss of DLL4 may be associated with CCL2-mediated cytokine storm in patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure.

Isolation, molecular characterization and an artificial infection model for a variant porcine epidemic diarrhea virus strain from Jiangsu Province, China.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a causative agent of porcine intestinal disease, which causes vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration in piglets. PEDV is associated with the most severe pathogenesis in one-week-old piglets, with mortality rates reaching 100%. A PEDV strain was isolated from the intestinal tract of diarrheic piglets from a pig farm in Jiangsu Province in March 2016, termed the JS201603 isolate. The isolated virus was confirmed to be PEDV via RT-PCR, electron microscopy, a cytopathic effect assay and sequence analysis. The S and ORF3 genes of the JS201603 isolate were sequenced, revealing that the S gene was associated with a 15-base insertion at 167 nt, 176 - 186 nt, and 427 - 429 nt, as well as a six-base deletion in 487 - 492 nt, indicating that it was a current epidemic variant compared with the classical strain, CV777. No deletion occurred between 245 - 293 nt of the ORF3 gene in the JS201603 isolate compared with the vaccine isolates YY2013 and SQ2014. An experimental infection model indicated that the piglets in the challenge group successively developed diarrhea, exhibiting yellow-colored loose stools with a foul odor. The piglets in the JS201603 isolate challenge group displayed reduced food consumption, lost weight, and in severe cases even died. No abnormalities were observed in the control group. The JS201603 variant isolated in this study contributes to the evolutionary analysis of diarrhea virus. The experimental infection model has established a foundation for further studies on vaccine development.

Targeting Hippo pathway by specific interruption of YAP-TEAD interaction using cyclic YAP-like peptides.

Hippo signaling pathway is emerging as a novel target for anticancer therapy because it plays key roles in organ size control and tumorigenesis. As the downstream effectors, Yes-associated protein (YAP)-transcriptional enhancer activation domain family member (TEAD) association is essential for YAP-driven oncogenic activity, while TEAD is largely dispensable for normal tissue growth. We present the design of YAP-like peptides (17mer) to occupy the interface 3 on TEAD. Introducing cysteines at YAP sites 87 and 96 can induce disulfide formation, as confirmed by crystallography. The engineered peptide significantly improves the potency in disrupting YAP-TEAD interaction in vitro. To confirm that blocking YAP-TEAD complex formation by directly targeting on TEAD is a valid approach, we report a significant reduction in tumor growth rate in a hepatocellular carcinoma xenograft model after introducing the dominant-negative mutation (Y406H) of TEAD1 to abolish YAP-TEAD interaction. Our results suggest that targeting TEAD is a promising strategy against YAP-induced oncogenesis.

[Design, synthesis and evaluation of 4-pyridinylthiazole-2-amines as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors].

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a degenerative disease of the nervous system. Compound I reported to have inhibitory activity on AChE was used as a lead compound in this study, and 4-pyridinylthiazole-2-amines were designed by optimizing compound I structure. The new compounds were synthesized from acetylpyridines through five-steps of reaction, and their inhibition activities on AChE were measured in vitro by Ellman method. The new compounds exhibited a clear inhibitory activity on AChE in vitro. The bioactivity of compound 13c was the best among them, and its IC(50) value was 0.15 µmol·L(-1), which was better than that of rivastigmine and compound I in the control. Meanwhile, it exhibited little inhibition on butyrylcholinesterase. So the selective inhibitory activities of 4-pyridinylthiazole-2-amines to acetylcholinesterase were worth of studying furtherly.

Smad7 regulates compensatory hepatocyte proliferation in damaged mouse liver and positively relates to better clinical outcome in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) is cytostatic towards damage-induced compensatory hepatocyte proliferation. This function is frequently lost during hepatocarcinogenesis, thereby switching the TGF-ß role from tumour suppressor to tumour promoter. In the present study, we investigate Smad7 overexpression as a pathophysiological mechanism for cytostatic TGF-ß inhibition in liver damage and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Transgenic hepatocyte-specific Smad7 overexpression in damaged liver of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH)-deficient mice increased compensatory proliferation of hepatocytes. Similarly, modulation of Smad7 expression changed the sensitivity of Huh7, FLC-4, HLE and HLF HCC cell lines for cytostatic TGF-ß effects. In our cohort of 140 HCC patients, Smad7 transcripts were elevated in 41.4% of HCC samples as compared with adjacent tissue, with significant positive correlation to tumour size, whereas low Smad7 expression levels were significantly associated with worse clinical outcome. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicate Smad7 levels as an independent predictor for overall (P<0.001) and disease-free survival (P=0.0123). Delineating a mechanism for Smad7 transcriptional regulation in HCC, we identified cold-shock Y-box protein-1 (YB-1), a multifunctional transcription factor. YB-1 RNAi reduced TGF-ß-induced and endogenous Smad7 expression in Huh7 and FLC-4 cells respectively. YB-1 and Smad7 mRNA expression levels correlated positively (P<0.0001). Furthermore, nuclear co-localization of Smad7 and YB-1 proteins was present in cancer cells of those patients. In summary, the present study provides a YB-1/Smad7-mediated mechanism that interferes with anti-proliferative/tumour-suppressive TGF-ß actions in a subgroup of HCC cells that may facilitate aspects of tumour progression.

Design and synthesis of 6-C-alkyl-DMDP type nanomolar inhibitors of ß-galactosidase and ß-glucosidase based on broussonetine S and related derivatives.

Broussonetine S (9), its C-1' and C-10' stereoisomers, and their corresponding enantiomers have been synthesized from enantiomeric arabinose-derived cyclic nitrones, with cross metathesis (CM), epoxidation and Keck asymmetric allylation as key steps. Glycosidase inhibition assays showed that broussonetine S (9) and its C-10' epimer (10'-epi-9) were nanomolar inhibitors of bovine liver ß-galactosidase and ß-glucosidase; while their C-1' stereoisomers were 10-fold less potent towards these enzymes. The glycosidase inhibition results and molecular docking calculations revealed the importance of the configurations of pyrrolidine core and C-1' hydroxyl for inhibition potency and spectra. Together with the docking calculations we previously reported for α-1-C-alkyl-DAB derivatives, we designed and synthesized a series of 6-C-alkyl-DMDP derivatives with very simple alkyl chains. The inhibition potency of these derivatives was enhanced by increasing the length of the side chain, and maintained at nanomolar scale inhibitions of bovine liver ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase after the alkyl groups are longer than eight or ten carbons for the (6R)-C-alkyl-DMDP derivatives and their 6S epimers, respectively. Molecular docking calculations indicated that each series of 6-C-alkyl-DMDP derivatives resides in the same active site of ß-glucosidase or ß-galactosidase with basically similar binding conformations, and their C-6 long alkyl chains extend outwards along the hydrophobic groove with similar orientations. The increasing inhibitions of ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase with the number of carbon atoms in the side chains may be explained by improved adaptability of longer alkyl chains in the hydrophobic grooves. In addition, the lower ß-glucosidase and ß-galactosidase inhibitions of (6S)-C-alkyl-DMDP derivatives than their C-6 R stereoisomers can be attributed to the misfolding of their alkyl chains and resulted decreased adaptability in the hydrophobic groove. The work reported herein is valuable for design and development of more potent and selective inhibitors of ß-galactosidase and ß-glucosidase, which have potential in treatment of lysosomal storage diseases. Furthermore, part of the 6-C-alkyl-DMDP derivatives and their enantiomers were also tested as potential anti-cancer agents; all the compounds tested were found with moderate cytotoxic effects on MKN45 cells, which would indicate potential applications of these iminosugars in development of novel anticancer agents.

Bone morphogenetic protein-9 induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important mechanism to initiate cancer invasion and metastasis. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-9 is a member of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß superfamily. It has been suggested to play a role in cancer development in some non-hepatic tumors. In the present study, two hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) lines, HLE and HepG2, were treated with BMP-9 in vitro, and phenotypic changes and cell motility were analyzed. In situ hybridization (ISH) and immunohistochemical analyses were performed with human HCC tissue samples in order to assess expression levels of BMP-9. In vivo, BMP-9 protein and mRNA were expressed in all the tested patients to diverse degrees. At the protein level, mildly positive (1 + ) BMP-9 staining could be observed in 25/41 (61%), and moderately to strongly positive (2 + ) in 16/41 (39%) of the patients. In 27/41 (65%) patients, the BMP-9 protein expression level was consistent with the mRNA expression level as measured by ISH. In those patients with 2 + protein level, nuclear pSmad1 expression in cancer cells was also significantly increased. Expression of BMP-9 was positively related to nuclear Snail expression and reversely correlated to cell surface E-cadherin expression, although this did not reach statistical significance. Expression levels of BMP-9 were significantly associated with the T stages of the investigated tumors and high levels of BMP-9 were detected by immunofluorescence especially at the tumor borders in samples from an HCC mouse model. In vitro, BMP-9 treatment caused a reduction of E-cadherin and ZO-1 and an induction of Vimentin and Snail expression. Furthermore, cell migration was enhanced by BMP-9 in both HCC cell lines. These results imply that EMT induced by BMP-9 is related to invasiveness of HCC.