Numerical design and characterization of a novel parallel beam combined lens based on X-ray capillary optics.

A novel parallel beam combined lens (PBCL) was designed based on a parabolic monocapillary x-ray lens (PMXRL). The proposed PBCL converted a divergent X-ray beam into a near-solid parallel one, which retains the low divergence characteristics of PMXRL and significantly improves the intensity gain by about one order of magnitude. Compared with the traditional polycapillary parallel x-ray lens (PPXRL), the divergence performance of this lens is improved by an order of magnitude, and the light intensity gain is improved by 3-4 times. In addition, we developed a MATLAB-based visualization tool to simulate X-ray transmission within the PBCL through ray tracing. This tool facilitated the assessment of the PBCL's transmission efficiency and its comparison with conventional PMXRL and the PPXRL. The transport process of the PBCL is systematically investigated under the comprehensive consideration of multiple parameters. This study provided a new idea and theoretical basis for the further development of X-ray modulation technology.

Magnified x ray ghost imaging with tapered polycapillary optics free of the penumbra effect.

X ray ghost imaging (XGI) offers both radiation dose-reduction potential and cost-effective benefits owing to the utilization of a single-pixel detector. Most XGI schemes with laboratory x ray sources require a mechanically moving mask for either structured illumination or structured detection. In either configuration, however, its resolution remains limited by the source size and the unit size of the mask. Upon propagation, the details of the object can actually be magnified by the divergence of x rays, but at the same time, the penumbra effect produced by the finite source size is dramatically intensified, which ultimately leads to a degradation of image quality in XGI. To address these limitations, this work proposes a magnified XGI scheme using structured detection equipped with tapered polycapillary optics, which can efficiently suppress the object's penumbra as well as resolve the magnified details of the object. In general, the resolution of this scheme is no longer affected by the source size but by the microcapillary size of polycapillary. Our work fundamentally achieves cancellation of penumbra effect-induced aberration, thus paving the way for high-resolution magnified XGI.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress is upregulated in inflammatory bowel disease and contributed TLR2 pathway-mediated inflammatory response.

OBJECTIVE: Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) signaling play an important role in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, the link between TLR2 and ERS in IBD is unclear. This study investigated whether Thapsigargin (TG) -induced ER protein expression levels contributed to TLR2-mediated inflammatory response. METHODS: The THP-1 cells were treated with TLR2 agonist (Pam3CSK4), ERS inducer Thapsigargin (TG) or inhibitor (TUDCA). The mRNA expressions of TLR1-TLR10 were detected by qPCR. The production and secretion of inflammatory factors were detected by PCR and ELISA. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of GRP78 and TLR2 in the intestinal mucosa of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). The IBD mouse model was established by TNBS in the modeling group. ERS inhibitor (TUDCA) was used in the treatment group. RESULTS: The expression of TLRs was detected via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in THP-1 cells treated by ERS agonist Thapsigargin (TG). According to the findings, TG could promote TLR2 and TLR5 expression. Subsequently, in TLR2 agonist Pam3CSK4 induced THP-1 cells, TG could lead to increased expression of the inflammatory factors such as TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-8, and ERS inhibitor (TUDCA) could block this effect. However, Pam3CSK4 did not significantly impact the GRP78 and CHOP expression. Based upon the immunohistochemical results, TLR2 and GRP78 expression were significantly increased in the intestinal mucosa of patients with Crohn's disease (CD). For in vivo experiments, TUDCA displayed the ability to inhibit intestinal mucosal inflammation and reduce GRP78 and TLR2 proteins. CONCLUSIONS: ERS and TLR2 is upregulated in inflammatory bowel disease, ERS may promote TLR2 pathway-mediated inflammatory response. Moreover, ERS and TLR2 signaling could be novel therapeutic targets for IBD.

DNA damage/cGAS-triggered up-regulation of MALAT1 promotes undesirable inflammatory responses in radiotherapy of cancer.

Radiotherapy is the most common strategy for treating cancer. However, the radiation-induced inflammatory responses, acute or chronic, in the normal tissues of the irradiated region may result in undesirable side effects, such as lung injury and atherosclerosis. MALAT1 is believed to function in the onset, development, progression and metastasis of various cancers. Silencing MALAT1 may be a promising treatment for rescuing cancer. Nevertheless, whether MALAT1 promotes the radiation-induced undesirable inflammatory response is still uncovered. The present study reveals that radiation-induced DNA damage triggers cGAS signaling and subsequently increases the expression of MALAT1. Overexpression of MALAT1 inhibits the function of miR146a in the suppression of STAT1, which results in the boost of adhesion molecules and eventually induces acute lung injury and atherosclerosis. Thus, silencing MALAT1 may facilitate the reduction of radiation-induced acute and chronic complications in the radiotherapy of cancer.

H19 regulates angiogenic capacity of extravillous trophoblasts by H19/miR-106a-5p/VEGFA axis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role and underlying mechanism of H19 in regulating angiogenic capacity of extravillous trophoblasts. METHODS: Gain and loss of function experiments were performed using a human first-trimester extravillous trophoblast (EVT) cell line, HTR-8/SVneo cells. H19 was overexpressed or knocked down in HTR-8 cells by transfecting plasmid harboring whole-length H19 sequence (pH19) or siRNA specially targeting H19, respectively (siH19). Cell migration and tube-formation assay were assessed in the indicated groups. Gene expression was detected by RT-qPCR, Western blot, and ELISA assay. RESULTS: Overexpression of H19 in EVT cells increased cell migration and tube formation, while downregulation of H19 in EVT cells decreased cell migration and tube formation. Furthermore, we found that H19 played its role by VEGFA. In addition, we demonstrated the H19/miR-106a-5p/VEGFA regulatory axis in EVT. Experiments of the clinical specimen showed that H19 was very abundantly expressed in human first-trimester trophoblasts, and we found that the expression of H19 and VEGFA were significantly downregulated in the villous tissues from idiopathic recurrent miscarriage (RM) patients; moreover, the expression of H19 and VEGFA was positively correlated. CONCLUSION: H19/miR-106a-5p/VEGFA axis plays a role in regulating the angiogenic capacity of EVT, which might contribute to idiopathic RM.

IL-1α and IL-1ß promote NOD2-induced immune responses by enhancing MAPK signaling.

Both toll-like receptors (TLRs) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) induce a tightly regulated inflammatory response at risk of causing tissue damage, depending on the effectiveness of ensuing negative feedback regulatory mechanisms. Cross-regulation between TLRs, NLRs, and cytokine receptors has been observed. However, the cross-regulation between interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptors and NOD2 is not completely understood. In this study, we found that IL-1α/ß increased NOD2-induced inflammatory response in human monocytic THP1 cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), mouse macrophage RWA264.7 cells and spleen cells, and in an in vivo experiment. IL-1α/ß pre-treatment induced the production of CXC chemokines, including growth-regulated oncogene (GRO)-α, GRO-ß, and IL-8, and proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNFα, which are induced by the activation of NOD2, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. However, pre-treatment with the NOD2 ligand muramyl dipeptide (MDP) did not up-regulate the expression of cytokines induced by IL-1α/ß re-treatment. IL-1ß treatment increased the expression of A20, which is an important inhibitor of the innate immune response. However, the overexpression of A20 failed to inhibit MDP-induced cytokine production, suggesting that A20 had no effects on the NOD2-induced immune response. In addition, IL-1α/ß increased the expression of NOD2 and its downstream adaptor RIP2, and IL-1α/ß pre-treatment increased MDP-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), including ERK, JNK, and P38, which contributed to MDP-induced cytokine production. Based on these results, IL-1α/ß promote the NOD2-induced immune responses by enhancing MDP-induced activation of MAPK signaling pathways.

TNF-α-Induced NOD2 and RIP2 Contribute to the Up-Regulation of Cytokines Induced by MDP in Monocytic THP-1 Cells.

Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2)-induced signal transduction and cytokine production is regulated by a number of factors. However, the feedback effect of the pro-inflammatory TNF-α on NOD2-induced inflammation is not fully understood. In this study, we found unexpectedly that TNF-α up-regulated NOD2 ligand MDP-induced production of the CXC chemokines, including CXCL1, 2, and 8, and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, in a dose-dependent manner at both mRNA and protein levels in monocytic THP-1 cells. Though TNF-α induced the up-regulation of ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20, an important negative regulator for Toll-like receptor- and NOD2-induced inflammatory responses, the over-expression of A20 by gene transfer did not reversed MDP-induced production of cytokines, suggested that A20 did not regulate the functions of NOD2 in THP-1 cells. Meanwhile, we found that TNF-α up-regulated NOD2 and its down-stream adaptor protein RIP2 at both mRNA and protein levels. MDP induced the activation of ERK, JNK, p38 and NF-κB, and TNF-α pre-treatment augmented this activation. The results from pharmacological inhibition assay showed that cytokine production was dependent on MAPK signaling. In addition, we found that the pre-treatment of THP-1 cells with MDP down-regulated the mRNA levels of cytokine induced by MDP re-treatment. MDP pre-treatment up-regulated NOD2, but down-regulated RIP2, and down-regulated NOD2 signal transduction induced by MDP re-stimulation. Taking together, these results suggested that TNF-α is a positive regulator for NOD2 functions via up-regulation of NOD2 and its signal adaptor RIP2, and TNF-α-induced A20 does not regulate MDP-induced inflammatory responses in THP-1 cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 5072-5081, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Targeting STAT3 signaling pathway in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease with compounds from natural products.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is difficult to cure and of global concern. Neuroinflammation is closely associated with the onset and progression of AD, making its treatment increasingly important. Compounds from natural products, with fewer side effects than synthetic drugs, are of high research interest. STAT3, a multifunctional transcription factor, is involved in various cellular processes including inflammation, cell growth, and apoptosis. Its activation and inhibition can have different effects under various pathological conditions. In AD, the STAT3 protein plays a crucial role in promoting neuroinflammation and contributing to disease progression. This occurs primarily through the JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway, which impacts microglia, astrocytes, and hippocampal neurons. This paper reviews the STAT3 signaling pathway in AD and 25 compounds targeting STAT3 up to 2024. Notably, Rutin, Paeoniflorin, and Geniposide up-regulate STAT3 in hippocampal and cortex neurons, showing neuroprotective effects in various AD models. Other 23 compounds downregulate AD by suppressing neuroinflammation through inhibition of STAT3 activation in microglia and astrocytes. These findings highlight the potential of compounds from natural products in improving AD by targeting STAT3, offering insights into the prevention and management of AD.

Proteasome activation is critical for cell death induced by inhibitors of polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) in multiple cancers.

Inhibitors of polo-like kinase (PLK) are currently being evaluated as anticancer drugs. However, the molecular mechanism of PLK inhibitor-induced cell death is not fully understood. In this study, we found that GW843682X and BI2536, two inhibitors of PLK1, significantly induced cell death in multiple type cells. The induction of cell death was related to the preferring expression of PLK1. However, in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human colorectal carcinoma cells, which expressed higher levels of both PLK1 and PLK2, PLK1 inhibitors induced very low levels of cell death. Clinical analysis reveals PLK1 presence in 26 of 30 NPC tumor tissues. In in vivo NPC lung metastasis nude mouse models, PLK1 inhibitors decreased NPC progress. Mechanistically, the PLK1 inhibitor did not activate p53, and the cell death was not reversed by p53 inhibition. Moreover, PLK1 inhibitor-induced cell death was PARP- and caspase-independent. Although PLK1 inhibitors induced down-regulation of calpain inhibitor calpastatin and calpain was activated by PLK1 inhibition, calpain blocking did not reverse cell death induced by PLK1 inhibitors, suggesting the non-involvement of calpain. Surprisingly, we found that PLK1 inhibitors induced the activation of proteasome, and the treatment of cells with PLK1 inhibitors reduced the levels of ubiquitinated proteins. And proteasome inhibitors reversed cell death induced by PLK1 inhibitors in various cell types in which PLK1 was preferentially expressed. Moreover, PLK1 inhibition reversed the degradation of proteins including p53, caspase 8, PARP and calpastatin. These results suggest that the activation of proteasome is critical for cell death induced by PLK1 inhibition.

TAX1BP1/A20 inhibited TLR2-NF-κB activation to induce tolerant expression of IL-6 in endothelial cells.

The inflammatory cascadedriven by interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a crucial role in the initiation and progression of chronic inflammatory conditions such as atherosclerosis. Research has demonstrated that prolonged exposure to inflammatory stimuli leads to the development of "immune tolerance" in specialized immune cells such as monocytes and macrophages, serving as a mechanism to prevent tissue damage and curb the inflammatory cascade. However, our recent investigation revealed that immune tolerance did not effectively regulate the production of IL-6 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) when stimulated by a Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) ligand Pam3CSK4, which is a potent activator of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB. Furthermore, the negative regulator of NF-κB signaling, A20, was ineffective in suppressing TLR2-induced IL-6 synthesis in this context. Notably, all A20 auxiliary molecules, with the exception of TAX1BP1, were found to be significantly expressed in HUVECs. DNA methylation in TAX1BP1 was confirmed in GEO database. According to the information provided, it is hypothesized that altered DNA methylation in HUVECs could potentially lead to decreased expression of TAX1BP1, thereby impeding A20's capacity to modulate continuous activation of the TLR2-NF-κB pathway. This may consequently lead to unregulated production of IL-6, evading immune tolerance mechanisms. Subsequent investigations suggested that demethylating TAX1BP1 could enhance its expression, potentially reducing the endogenous IL-6 levels induced by repeated TLR2 stimulation and restoring A20's inhibitory role in NF-κB signaling. Additionally, over-expression of TAX1BP1 coulddecrease the production of atherosclerosis-associated cytokines like IL-6, MCP-1, ICAM-1, and VCAM-1, while increasing NO release following repeated Pam3cks4 stimulation, along with enhanced co-localization of TAX1BP1 and A20. These findings indicate that inducing immune tolerance in endothelial cells may effectively suppress endogenous IL-6 production and halt the IL-6-mediated inflammatory cascade, with TAX1BP1/A20 identified as crucial components in this process.These insights provide novel perspectives and potential targets for therapeutic strategies in inflammatoryimmunological disorders involving the overproduction of IL-6.

A modified U-Net convolutional neural network for segmenting periprostatic adipose tissue based on contour feature learning.

Objective: This study trains a U-shaped fully convolutional neural network (U-Net) model based on peripheral contour measures to achieve rapid, accurate, automated identification and segmentation of periprostatic adipose tissue (PPAT). Methods: Currently, no studies are using deep learning methods to discriminate and segment periprostatic adipose tissue. This paper proposes a novel and modified, U-shaped convolutional neural network contour control points on a small number of datasets of MRI T2W images of PPAT combined with its gradient images as a feature learning method to reduce feature ambiguity caused by the differences in PPAT contours of different patients. This paper adopts a supervised learning method on the labeled dataset, combining the probability and spatial distribution of control points, and proposes a weighted loss function to optimize the neural network's convergence speed and detection performance. Based on high-precision detection of control points, this paper uses a convex curve fitting to obtain the final PPAT contour. The imaging segmentation results were compared with those of a fully convolutional network (FCN), U-Net, and semantic segmentation convolutional network (SegNet) on three evaluation metrics: Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), Hausdorff distance (HD), and intersection over union ratio (IoU). Results: Cropped images with a 270 × 270-pixel matrix had DSC, HD, and IoU values of 70.1%, 27 mm, and 56.1%, respectively; downscaled images with a 256 × 256-pixel matrix had 68.7%, 26.7 mm, and 54.1%. A U-Net network based on peripheral contour characteristics predicted the complete periprostatic adipose tissue contours on T2W images at different levels. FCN, U-Net, and SegNet could not completely predict them. Conclusion: This U-Net convolutional neural network based on peripheral contour features can identify and segment periprostatic adipose tissue quite well. Cropped images with a 270 × 270-pixel matrix are more appropriate for use with the U-Net convolutional neural network based on contour features; reducing the resolution of the original image will lower the accuracy of the U-Net convolutional neural network. FCN and SegNet are not appropriate for identifying PPAT on T2 sequence MR images. Our method can automatically segment PPAT rapidly and accurately, laying a foundation for PPAT image analysis.

Deubiquitinase USP14 is upregulated in Crohn's disease and inhibits the NOD2 pathway mediated inflammatory response in vitro.

The nucleotide binding oligomerization domain containing 2 (NOD2) protein and its ligand N-acetyl muramyl dipeptide (MDP) are crucially involved in Crohn's disease (CD). However, the mechanism by which NOD2 signaling is regulated in CD patients remains unclear. Ubiquitin specific protease (USP14) is a deubiquitylase that plays an important role in immunity. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which UPS14 regulates NOD2 induced inflammatory response in CD and inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Our results showed that USP14 protein and mRNA levels in intestinal tissues of CD patients were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. In addition, USP14 was upregulated in IBD mouse model. While treatment with MDP, TNF-α or the Toll-like receptor 1/2 agonist Pam3CSK4 all led to significantly higher mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1ß in THP-1 cells, pretreatment with USP14 inhibitor IU1 could stimulate further upregulation of TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1ß. In particular, MDP promoted the activation of JNK, ERK1/2 and p38 as well as NF-kB in THP-1 cells, and IU1 significantly enhanced the MDP-induced activation of these proteins without effects on USP14 protein level. Furthermore, the JNK inhibitor sp600125, ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 or P38 MAPK inhibitor PD169316 significantly decreased the mRNA levels of TNF-α, IL-8 and IL-1ß in THP-1 cells stimulated by both IU1 and MDP. In conclusion, our findings suggest that USP14 could inhibit MDP-induced activation of MAPK signaling and the inflammation response involved in IBD, and that USP14 is a potential therapeutic target for IBD.

STAT3 promotes cytoplasmic-nuclear translocation of RNA-binding protein HuR to inhibit IL-1ß-induced IL-8 production.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) functions to regulate inflammation and immune response, but its mechanism is not fully understood. We report here that STAT3 inhibitors Stattic and Niclosamide up-regulated IL-1ß-induced IL-8 production in C33A, CaSki, and Siha cervical cancer cells. As expected, IL-1ß-induced IL-8 production was also up-regulated through the molecular inhibition of STAT3 by use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Unexpectedly, IL-1ß induced IL-8 production via activating ERK and P38 signal pathways, but neither STAT3 inhibitors nor STAT3 knockout affected IL-1ß-induced signal transduction, suggesting that STAT3 decreases IL-8 production not via inhibition of signal transduction. To our surprise, STAT3 inhibition increased the stabilization, and decreased the degradation of IL-8 mRNA, suggesting a post-transcriptional regulation of IL-1ß-induced IL-8. Moreover, Dihydrotanshinone I, an inhibitor of RNA-binding protein HuR, down-regulated IL-1ß-induced IL-8 dose-dependently. HuR inhibition by CRISPR/Cas9 also decreased IL-8 production induced by IL-1ß. Mechanistically, co-immunoprecipitation results showed that STAT3 did not react with HuR directly, but STAT3 inhibition increased the protein levels of HuR in cytoplasm. And IL-6 activation of STAT3 induced HuR cytoplasmic-nuclear transport. Taken together, these results suggest that STAT3 contributes to HuR nuclear localization and inhibits Il-1ß-induced IL-8 production through this non-transcriptional mechanism.

Exploring the density and morphology of coconut structures at two locations: a time-based analysis using computer tomography.

Background: The study aimed to observe the internal structure of coconuts from two locations (coastal and non-coastal) using computed tomography (CT). Methods: Seventy-six mature coconuts were collected from Wenchang and Ding'an cities in Hainan Province. These coconuts were scanned four times using CT, with a two-week interval between each scan. CT data were post-processed to reconstruct two-dimensional slices and three-dimensional models. The density and morphological parameters of coconut structures were measured, and the differences in these characteristics between the two groups and the changes over time were analyzed. Results: Time and location had interactive effects on CT values of embryos, solid endosperms and mesocarps, morphological information such as major axis of coconut, thickness of mesocarp, volume of coconut water and height of bud (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Planting location and observation time can affect the density and morphology of some coconut structures.

N4BP3 facilitates NOD2-MAPK/NF-κB pathway in inflammatory bowel disease through mediating K63-linked RIPK2 ubiquitination.

The NOD2 signaling pathway, which plays an important role in the mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) development, has been closely associated with ubiquitination. It was revealed in this study that NOD2 receptor activation could obviously affect the expression of 19 ubiquitination-related genes, with N4BP3 being the most prominently expressed and upregulated. In addition, N4BP3 knockdown was found to reduce the mRNA levels of MDP-induced inflammatory factors, while N4BP3 overexpression elevated their mRNA levels as well as the levels of phospho-ERK1/2, phospho-JNK, phospho-P38 and phospho-NF-κB P65 proteins. Immunoprecipitation tests showed that N4BP3 could pull down RIPK2 and promote its K63-linked ubiquitination. In human tissue specimen assays and mouse experiments, we found that the expression of N4BP3 was significantly elevated in Crohn's disease (CD) patients and IBD mice, and N4BP3 knockdown reduced the dextran sulfate sodium-induced pathological score and the expression of inflammatory factors in the mouse colon tissue. In conclusion, N4BP3 is able to interact with RIPK2 and promote its K63-linked ubiquitination, to further promote the NOD2-MAPK/NF-κB pathway, thereby increasing promoting the release of inflammation factors and the degree of IBD inflammation.

Natural and synthetic compounds for glioma treatment based on ROS-mediated strategy.

Glioma is the most frequent and most malignant tumor of the central nervous system (CNS)，accounting for about 50% of all CNS tumor and approximately 80% of the malignant primary tumors in the CNS. Patients with glioma benefit from surgical resection, chemo- and radio-therapy. However these therapeutical strategies do not significantly improve the prognosis, nor increase survival rates owing to restricted drug contribution in the CNS and to the malignant characteristics of glioma. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are important oxygen-containing molecules that regulate tumorigenesis and tumor progression. When ROS accumulates to cytotoxic levels, this can lead to anti-tumor effects. Multiple chemicals used as therapeutic strategies are based on this mechanism. They regulate intracellular ROS levels directly or indirectly, resulting in the inability of glioma cells to adapt to the damage induced by these substances. In the current review, we summarize the natural products, synthetic compounds and interdisciplinary techniques used for the treatment of glioma. Their possible molecular mechanisms are also presented. Some of them are also used as sensitizers: they modulate ROS levels to improve the outcomes of chemo- and radio-therapy. In addition, we summarize some new targets upstream or downstream of ROS to provide ideas for developing new anti-glioma therapies.

Visualization and quantification of coconut using advanced computed tomography postprocessing technology.

INTRODUCTION: Computed tomography (CT) is a non-invasive examination tool that is widely used in medicine. In this study, we explored its value in visualizing and quantifying coconut. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve coconuts were scanned using CT for three months. Axial CT images of the coconuts were obtained using a dual-source CT scanner. In postprocessing process, various three-dimensional models were created by volume rendering (VR), and the plane sections of different angles were obtained through multiplanar reformation (MPR). The morphological parameters and the CT values of the exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp, embryo, bud, solid endosperm, liquid endosperm, and coconut apple were measured. The analysis of variances was used for temporal repeated measures and linear and non-linear regressions were used to analyze the relationship between the data. RESULTS: The MPR images and VR models provide excellent visualization of the different structures of the coconut. The statistical results showed that the weight of coconut and liquid endosperm volume decreased significantly during the three months, while the CT value of coconut apple decreased slightly. We observed a complete germination of a coconut, its data showed a significant negative correlation between the CT value of the bud and the liquid endosperm volume (y = -2.6955x + 244.91; R2 = 0.9859), and a strong positive correlation between the height and CT value of the bud (y = 1.9576 ln(x) -2.1655; R2 = 0.9691). CONCLUSION: CT technology can be used for visualization and quantitative analysis of the internal structure of the coconut, and some morphological changes and composition changes of the coconut during the germination process were observed during the three-month experiment. Therefore, CT is a potential tool for analyzing coconuts.

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) induces apoptosis via death receptors and mitochondria by up-regulating the transactivating p63 isoform alpha (TAP63alpha).

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), a member of the pathogen recognition receptors, is widely expressed in various cells and has been shown to activate immune signaling pathways by recognizing viral double-stranded RNA. Recently, it was reported that the activation of TLR3 induced apoptosis in some cells, but the detailed molecular mechanism is not fully understood. In this study, we found that in endothelial cells polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I-C)) induced dose- and time-dependent cell apoptosis, which was elicited by TLR3 activation, as TLR3 neutralization and down-regulation repressed the apoptosis. Poly(I-C) induced the activation of both caspases 8 and 9, indicating that TLR3 triggered the signaling of both the extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Poly(I-C) up-regulated tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand and its receptors, death receptors 4/5, resulting in initiating the extrinsic pathway. Furthermore, poly(I-C) down-regulated anti-apoptotic protein, B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and up-regulated Noxa, a key Bcl-2 homology 3-only antagonist of Bcl-2, leading to the priming of the intrinsic pathway. A p53-related protein, the transactivating p63 isoform α (TAp63α), was induced by TLR3 activation and contributed to the activation of both the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways. Both the cells deficient in p63 gene expression by RNA interference and cells that overexpressed the N-terminally truncated p63 isoform α (ΔNp63α), a dominant-negative variant of TAp63α, by gene transfection, survived TLR3 activation. Taken together, TAp63α is a crucial regulator downstream of TLR3 to induce cell death via death receptors and mitochondria.

Extracellular nucleotide inhibits cell proliferation and negatively regulates Toll-like receptor 4 signalling in human progenitor endothelial cells.

Extracellular nucleotides mediate a wide range of physiological effects by interacting with plasma membrane P2 purinergic receptors. P2 receptors are expressed in certain kinds of stem cells, and function to induce cytokine expression and to modulate cell proliferation. We have analysed the expression and the function of P2 receptors in human umbilical cord blood-derived EPCs (endothelial progenitor cells). EPCs expressed P2X4,6,7 and P2Y2,4,11,13,14 receptors and extracellular ATP inhibited EPCs proliferation. As in a previous study, EPCs expressed functional TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4) and activation of TLR4 by LPS (lipopolysaccharide) evoked a pro-inflammatory immune response. When human EPCs were stimulated with LPS and nucleotides, ATP or UTP inhibited the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines including MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1), IFNα (interferon α), TNFα (tumour necrosis factor α) and adhesion molecule VCAM-1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) induced by LPS. ATP and UTP also down-regulated the gene expression of TLR4, CD14 and MyD88 (myeloid differentiation factor 88), a TLR adaptor molecule, and protein expression of CD14 and MyD88. Moreover, the phosphorylation of NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) p65 induced by TLR4 activation was inhibited partly by ATP or UTP at concentrations of 1-5 µM. These results suggest that extracellular nucleotides negatively regulate EPCs proliferation and TLR4 signalling.

Identification of genes associated with tumor development in CaSki cells in the cosmic space.

It is important to understand the mechanisms of tumor development for curing cervical cancer. However, the molecular basis determining the different characteristics of tumor remains unclear. Space environment as a special study model can expand the study field of tumor development. To approach this, after human cervical carcinoma CaSki cells were flown on "Shen Zhou IV" space shuttle mission, the cell morphology and proliferation was investigated after flying to ground. We found that the growth of 48A9 CaSki cell (flight group) became slow compared with ground groups. Observation of cells by light microscopy revealed differences in cell morphology between ground controls and flight groups, and the flight group exhibited morphologic differences, characterized by rounder, smoother, decreased, smaller and low-adhension cells. Transmission electron microscope images showed the structure of the ultrastructural characteristics of 48A9 CaSki cells were clearly distinct from those of the ground CaSki cells in aspects of mitochondrion, cytoplasm, nucleus and ribosomes. MTT and soft agar assay showed that 48A9 CaSki cells grew slowly compared to ground control. Furthermore, suppression subtractive hybridization combining with reverse Northern blot was used to identify differently expression genes between flight and ground groups. These differentially expressed genes included cytoskeleton, cell differentiation, cell apoptosis, signal transduction, DNA repair, protein synthesis, substance metabolism, and antigen presentation. The identification of differently expressed genes which is likely to increase our understanding of the molecular processes underlying tumor development will provide new insight into tumor development mechanisms, and may facilitate the development of new anticancer strategies.