LncRNA MITA1 promotes gefitinib resistance by inducing autophagy in lung cancer cells.

Lung cancer is a major health challenge worldwide. Gefitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is the common therapeutic drug used in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is eventually bound to face the problem of acquired drug resistance. In this work, we investigated the role of lncRNA MITA1 in the acquisition of gefitinib resistance in NSCLC and uncovered the possible underlying molecular mechanism of the same. Experiments were carried out using the HCC827 and HCC827GR cells. These were transfected with pcDNA-MITA1 or si-MITA1 and treated with gefitinib. Subsequently, lncRNA MITA1 mediated effect on cell viability and apoptosis were studied using the MTT and flow cytometry assays. Furthermore, using qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence assays, the regulatory association between lncRNA MITA1 and markers of autophagy (LC3, Beclin-1, and p62) were examined by estimating their cellular protein levels. Also, these results were verified in the presence of an autophagy inhibitor bafilomycin A1. We found that MITA1 was highly upregulated in the gefitinib-resistant NSCLC cells, indicating the regulatory role of MITA1 in gefitinib resistance. Mechanistically, upregulated MITA1 led to gefitinib resistance by suppressing apoptosis, increasing cell viability, and inducing autophagy. Furthermore, these results were true when tested in the presence of bafilomycin A1. Our results suggest that MITA1 by inducing autophagy could be a key regulator of gefitinib resistance in NSCLC.

[Multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis of Staphylococcus aureus in one food poisoning case].

OBJECTIVE: To type Staphylococcus aureus strains from a food poisoning case by MLVA method, detect staphylococcal enterotoxin, and provide lab evidence for molecular epidemiological study and analysis of evolution. METHODS: The genomic DNA of 10 stains in the food poisoning case were used as PCR template. Eight pairs of primers were selected from the MLVA database. The PCR method was carried out and the PCR products were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis. The results were analyzed by BioCalculator and compared with the MLVA database. The staphylococcal enterotoxin was detected with colloidal gold method. RESULTS: The 8 VNTR PCR products have no differernce in the 10 strains, the size of VNTR09_01, VNTR61_01, VNTR61_02, VNTR67_01, VNTR21_01, VNTR24_01, VNTR63_01 and VNTR81_01 are 373, 361, 328, 279, 845, 354, 394 and 658 bp, respectively. The 10 strains belong to the same MLVA type, which is a new MLVA type differnernt from other 3892 strains in MLVA database, the MLVA profile is 15-2-2-2-35-8-2-7. Meanwhile, the 10 strains have the same kind of staphylococcal enterotoxin, the are enterotoxin A and enterotoxin B. CONCLUSION: The 10 Staphylococcus aureus strains are of one MLVA type, and have the same characters of staphylococcal enterotoxin. They have high homology.

Improved Energy Storage Property of Sandwich-Structured Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-Based Composites by Introducing Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3@TiO2 Whiskers.

In recent years, high-energy-density polymer-based capacitors have received extensive attention because of their potential applications in advanced power systems and electronic equipment. However, their development is severely hampered by the inherent features of polymers such as low polarization and low charge-discharge efficiency (η). In this study, a new strategy for core-shell Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3(NBT)@TiO2(TO) whiskers combined with sandwich-structured poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based dielectric composites is proposed, in which the middle layer is the PVDF-based composites filled with different fractions of NBT@TO whiskers and the outer layers are pristine PVDF. The experimental results show that the loading of NBT@TO whiskers can simultaneously optimize electrical displacement and breakdown strength of the sandwich-structured composite due to the additional interfacial polarization and the contribution of the barrier effect between adjacent layers. Thus, a significantly improved electric displacement of ∼13.99 µC cm-2, a maximum discharge energy density (Ud) of ∼15.42 J cm-3 at a low electric field of 314 MV m-1, and a high charging-discharging efficiency (η ∼ 66.12%) can be obtained from the composite with the middle layer containing 6 wt % NBT@TO whiskers. This research provides a strategy for the preparation of advanced polymer-based composites with a superior discharge energy density in the future.

Molecular Characteristics and Antibiotic Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Patient and Food Samples in Shijiazhuang, China.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common opportunistic and zoonotic pathogen in the world and could easily cause human infections and food contaminations. This study investigated the sequence typing and resistance profiles of S. aureus isolates from patient and food samples in Shijiazhuang, China. A total of 101 S. aureus isolates were distributed into six clonal complexes (CCs) and 16 singletons. A total of 86 patient isolates were distributed into six clonal CCs and 12 singletons, including a new ST. CC59, CC5, CC22, and CC398 were the predominant CCs of patient isolates. A total of 15 foodborne S. aureus isolates were distributed into 3 CCs and 4 STs, and CC1 was the most prevalent CC. Moreover, 101 S. aureus isolates had high resistance to penicillin and low resistance to chloramphenicol and rifampicin. A total of 39 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were detected in this study, including thirty-eight strains of patient isolates (44.2%, 38/86) and one strain of food isolates (6.7%, 1/15). MRSA-ST5, MRSA-ST59, and MRSA-ST239 were the predominant MRSA isolates in hospitals. The present study explained the relationship between S. aureus isolated from patient and food samples and indicated the risks of S. aureus in infectious diseases.

Molecular Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus From Food Samples and Food Poisoning Outbreaks in Shijiazhuang, China.

As an opportunistic pathogen worldwide, Staphylococcus aureus can cause food poisoning and human infections. This study investigated the sequence typing, the penicillin (blaZ) and methicillin (mec) resistance profiles of S. aureus from food samples and food poisoning outbreaks in Shijiazhuang City, and the staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) types of the S. aureus isolates from food poisoning. A total of 138 foodborne S. aureus isolates were distributed into 8 clonal complexes (CCs) and 12 singletons. CC1, CC5, CC8, CC15, CC97, CC59, CC398, CC88, and CC7 were the predominant CCs of foodborne S. aureus isolates. Moreover, CC59, CC15, and CC5 were the most prevalent CCs in food poisoning outbreaks. SEE was the most commonly detected SE in food poisoning isolates. One hundred thirty-three S. aureus isolates harbored the penicillin-resistant gene blaZ, and nine isolates carried the mec gene. The present study further explained the relationship between S. aureus and foods and food poisoning and indicated the potential risk of S. aureus infection.

Cytochrome P450 1A1 exon 7 polymorphism and susceptibility to lung cancer in the Chinese population: an updated meta-analysis and review.

BACKGROUND: Although many epidemiologic studies have investigated the cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) exon 7 gene polymorphism and its association with lung cancer (LC), definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effects of CYP1A1 exon 7 polymorphism on the risk of LC, an updated meta-analysis was performed in the Chinese population. METHODS: Related studies were identified from PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, the Chinese Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and the Chinese Biology Medicine (CBM) databases until October 2014. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the associations. RESULTS: A total of 25 articles including 3,540 LC cases and 5,284 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Overall, significant association was found between CYP1A1 exon 7 polymorphism and LC risk when all studies in the Chinese population were pooled into this meta-analysis (GG versus AA: OR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.46-2.01; GG versus AG: OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.21-1.64; GG + AG versus AA: OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.16-1.62; GG versus AA + AG: OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.32-1.76). In subgroup analyses stratified by ethnicity, source of controls, and geographical locations, significantly increased risk was found in Chinese Han people, in population-based studies, in hospital-based studies, in South China, and in North China. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis provides the evidence that CYP1A1 exon 7 polymorphism may contribute to LC development in the Chinese population, and studies with a larger sample size and wider population spectrum are warranted to verify this finding.

Small-molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2 (TW-37) suppresses growth and enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Bcl-2 plays a major role in the pathobiology and drug resistance of ovarian cancer, and inhibition of bcl-2 was useful for OC therapy. It has previously reported that TW-37, a small-molecule inhibitor of Bcl-2 family proteins, inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in many cancer cells. In the present study,we investigate the effect of TW-37 or / and in combination with cisplain on several ovarian cancer (OC) cell lines with high bcl-2 expression. METHODS: The bcl-2 mRNA and protein expression, and the cisplain (DDP) sensitivity of OC cell lines SKOV3, OVCAR3, OV-90 and 3AO and SKOV3DDP were determined by Quantitative real-time RT-PCR,Western blot, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (MTT) assays. The effects of TW-37 alone or combined with cisplain on growth and apoptosis in bcl-2 overexpressed OVCAR3, OV-90 and SKOV3DDP cells was detected by MTT,clonogenic assay, ELISA and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. RESULTS: The cell lines SKOV3 and 3AO were sensitive, whereas OVCAR3, OV-90 and SKOV3DDP were resistant to cisplain. Significant positive correlation was observed between basal bcl-2 mRNA and protein and cisplain sensitivity. Cisplain treatment did not activate bcl-2 in vitro. Treatment with TW-37 inhibited bcl-2 expression in bcl-2 overexpressed OVCAR3, OV-90 and SKOV3DDP cells , and inhibited growth and induced apoptosis ,and increased cisplain killing of the bcl-2 overexpressed cells in a does and time-dependant manner in vitro. CONCLUSION: Bcl-2 level positively correlated with sensitivity to cisplain. Treatment with TW-37 was effective alone and in combination with cisplain in bcl-2 overexpressed OC cell lines in vitro. Thus, TW-37 may be a useful therapeutic agent for OCs.

A preliminary analysis of non-small cell lung cancer biomarkers in serum.

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential serum biomarkers that could be used to discriminate lung cancers from normal. METHODS: Proteomic spectra of twenty-eight serum samples from patients with non-small cell lung cancer and twelve from normal individuals were generated by SELDI (Surfaced Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization) Mass Spectrometry. Anion-exchange columns were used to fractionate the sera into 6 designated pH groups. Two different types of protein chip arrays, IMAC-Cu and WCX2, were employed. Samples were examined in PBSII Protein Chip Reader (Ciphergen Biosystem Inc) and the discriminatory profiling between cancer and normal samples was analyzed with Biomarker Pattern software. RESULTS: Five distinct potential lung cancer biomarkers with higher sensitivity and specificity were found, with four common biomarkers in both IMAC-Cu and WCX2 chip; the remaining biomarker occurred only in WCX2 chip. Two biomarkers were up-regulated while three biomarkers were down-regulated in the serum samples from patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The sensitivities provided by the individual biomarkers were 75%-96.43% and specificities were 75%-100%. CONCLUSIONS: The preliminary results suggest that serum is a capable resource for detecting specific non-small cell lung cancer biomarkers. SELDI mass spectrometry is a useful tool for the detection and identification of new potential biomarker of non-small cell lung cancer in serum.

Proteomic approaches to biomarker discovery in lung cancers by SELDI technology.

The purpose of the present work is to identify protein profiles that could be used to discover specific biomarkers in serum and discriminate lung cancer. Thirty serum samples from patients with lung cancer (15 cases of primary brochogenic carcinoma, 9 cases of metastasis lung cancer and 6 cases of lung cancer after chemotherapy) and twelve from healthy individuals were analyzed by SELDI (Surfaced Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization) technology. Anion-exchange columns were used to fractionate the sera with 6 designated pH washing solutions. Two types of protein chip arrays, IMAC-Cu and WCX2, were employed. Protein chips were examined in PBSII ProteinChip Reader (Ciphergen Biosystems Inc.) and the resulting profiles between cancer and normal were analyzed with Biomarker Wizard System. In total, 15 potential lung cancer biomarkers, of which 6 were up-regulated and 9 were down-regulated, were discovered in the serum samples from patients with lung cancer. 5 of 15 these biomarkers were able to be detected on both WCX2 and IMAC-Cu protein chips. The sensitivities provided by the individual markers range from 44.8% to 93.1% and the specificities were 85.0%-94.4%. Our results suggest that serum is a capable resource for detection of lung cancer with specific biomarkers. Moreover, protein chip array system was shown to be a useful tool for identification, as well as detection of disease biomarkers in sera.