Effects of Differentially Expressed mRNAs Screened Based on GEO Database on Inflammatory Infiltration of Nasal Mucosa in Mice with Allergic Rhinitis.

Objective: To identify messenger RNAs (mRNAs) with differential expression in allergic rhinitis (AR) based on an online database, Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), to provide a new research direction for future diagnosis and treatment of AR. Methods: The GSE44037 dataset from the CEO database was selected to obtain differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in AR. The keywords involved in these DEmRNAs were enriched and analyzed, and ECM1 and CCL2 were selected for subsequent analysis. In addition, BALB/c mice were purchased and randomized to control (normal feeding), model (AR modeling), si-CCL2 (AR modeling + CCL2 suppression by lentivirus vector), nc-CCL2 (AR modeling + CCL2 empty vector), si-ECM1 (AR modeling + ECM1 suppression by lentivirus vector), and nc-ECM1 (AR modeling + ECM1 empty vector) groups. The frequencies of sneezing and nasal rubbing were recorded in each group. Besides, levels of CCL2, ECM1, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were quantified, and the inflammatory infiltration of nasal mucosa (NM) was observed. Results: Twenty-six DEmRNAs were acquired from the GSE44037 dataset, among which only CCL2 and ECM1 were found to be associated with keywords such as "immune response" and "inflammatory response" through enrichment analysis. In animal experiments, CCL2 presented lower mRNA expression in model mice than in control mice, while ECM1 showed higher mRNA expression (P < .05). The frequencies of sneezing and nose rubbing and the levels of inflammatory factors were significantly increased in si-CCL2 mice compared with model mice, while were significantly decreased in si-ECM1 mice (P < .05). The NM inflammatory infiltration was serious in the si-CCL2 group and significantly improved in the si-ECM1 group. Conclusions: Low expression of CCL2 and high expression of ECM1 in AR are strongly linked to the pathological progression of AR, and these two genes are expected to be new research directions for AR diagnosis and treatment.

Sini powder with paroxetine ameliorates major depressive disorder by modulating circadian rhythm: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Circadian rhythm disorder is a significant risk factor for mental diseases, and the recovery of circadian rhythm function has gradually become a signal of effective antidepressant therapy. Sini powder (SNP) is a classical, traditional Chinese formula for depression treatment. However, few clinical reports have been recorded. This randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial (ChiCTR1900022700) aimed to explore the efficacy of SNP on depression via regulating circadian rhythm. In total, 36 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) were enrolled for 4-weeks medication and 6-weeks follow-up. HAMD-24 score and circadian rhythm index, including dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) and phase angle difference (PAD), were included in the assessment. DLMO and PAD were statistically significant in the SNP group after 4 weeks of treatment (p < .05) and with greater improvement in DLMO (p = .03). In addition, DLMO and the HAMD-24 score showed a positive correlation (p < .05); the HAMD-24 score degree decreased significantly over time (p < .001). Similarly, interaction effects were shown significantly between group and time (p = .049). The duration of SNP supplementation was relatively short, and the sample size was relatively small. SNP granules combined with paroxetine tablets have definite efficacy in improving the circadian rhythms of MDD patients, reflecting the therapeutic advantages of traditional Chinese medicine as antidepressants.

Construction of drought stress regulation networks in potato based on SMRT and RNA sequencing data.

BACKGROUND: Potato (Solanum tuberosum) is the fourth most important food crop in the world and plays an important role in food security. Drought stress has a significantly negative impact on potato growth and production. There are several publications involved drought stress in potato, this research contributes to enrich the knowledge. RESULTS: In this study, next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology were used to study the transcription profiles in potato in response to 20%PEG6000 simulates drought stress. The leaves of the variety "Désirée" from in vitro plantlets after drought stress at six time points from 0 to 48 hours were used to perform NGS and SMRT sequencing. According to the sequencing data, a total of 12,798 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in six time points. The real-time (RT)-PCR results are significantly correlated with the sequencing data, confirming the accuracy of the sequencing data. Gene ontology and KEGG analysis show that these DEGs participate in response to drought stress through galactose metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, plant-pathogen interaction, glutathione metabolism and other pathways. Through the analysis of alternative splicing of 66,888 transcripts, the functional pathways of these transcripts were enriched, and 51,098 transcripts were newly discovered from alternative splicing events and 47,994 transcripts were functionally annotated. Moreover, 3445 lncRNAs were predicted and enrichment analysis of corresponding target genes was also performed. Additionally, Alternative polyadenylation was analyzed by TADIS, and 26,153 poly (A) sites from 13,010 genes were detected in the Iso-Seq data. CONCLUSION: Our research greatly enhanced potato drought-induced gene annotations and provides transcriptome-wide insights into the molecular basis of potato drought resistance.

Antibiofouling Ultrathin Poly(amidoxime) Membrane for Enhanced U(VI) Recovery from Wastewater and Seawater.

Although eco-friendly amidoxime-based adsorbents own an excellent uranium (U)-adsorption capacity, their U-adsorption efficiency is commonly reduced and even damaged by the biological adhesion from bacteria/microorganisms in an aqueous environment. Herein, we present an antibiofouling ultrathin poly(amidoxime) membrane (AUPM) with highly enhanced U-adsorption performance, through dispersing the quaternized chitosan (Q-CS) and poly(amidoxime) in a cross-linked sulfonated cellulose nanocrystals (S-CNC) network. The cross-linked S-CNC not only can elevate the hydrophilicity to improve the U-adsorption efficiency of AUPM but also can enhance the mechanical strength to form a self-supporting ultrathin membrane (17.21 MPa, 10 µm thickness). More importantly, this AUPM owns a good antibiofouling property, owing to the broad-spectrum antibacterial quaternary ammonium groups of the Q-CS. As a result, within the 1.00 L of low-concentration (100 ppb) U-added pure water (pH ≈ 5) and seawater (pH ≈ 8) for 48 h, 30 mg of AUPM can recover 93.7% U and 91.4% U, respectively. Furthermore, compared with the U-absorption capacity of a blank membrane without the Q-CS, that of AUPM can significantly increase 37.4% reaching from 6.39 to 8.78 mg/g after being in natural seawater for only 25 d. Additionally, this AUPM can still maintain almost constant tensile strength during 10 cycles of adsorption-desorption, which indicates the relatively long-term usability of AUPM. This AUPM will be a promising candidate for highly efficient and large-scale U-recovery from both U-containing waste freshwater/seawater and natural seawater, which will be greatly helpful to deal with the U-pollution and enrich U for the consumption of nuclear power. More importantly, the work will provide a new convenient but universal strategy to fabricate new highly enhanced low-cost U-adsorbents, through the introduction of both an antibacterial property and a high mechanical performance, which will be a good reference for the design of new highly efficient U-adsorbents.

Identification and functional characterization of the transcription factor NF-κB subunit p65 in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

p65 is an important subunit of the transcription factor NF-κB in the regulation of immune response. In the present study, the p65 cDNA was identified from common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) (named Ccp65). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Ccp65 located in the same clade as piscine p65 and exhibited closest relationship to that of Ctenopharyngodon idella. Ccp65 was constitutively expressed in all the examined tissues. Aeromonas hydrophila and poly(I:C) can induce the expression of Ccp65 in the designated tissues and the Ccp65 expression was up-regulated in HKLs following LPS and poly(I:C) stimulation. In addition, the nuclear localization signal (NLS) and C-terminal domain are the important elements of Ccp65. Immunofluorescence assay revealed that the nuclear localization signal deletion mutation of Ccp65 (Ccp65ΔNLS) failed to translocate to the nucleus even though stimulation with poly(I:C) or LPS, and the C-terminal domain deletion mutation of Ccp65 (Ccp65ΔC) did not up-regulate the luciferase activity. Furthermore, Ccp65 can induce the expression of il-1ß and tnf-α. And LPS and poly(I:C) inducing the expression of il-1ß and tnf-α, is dependent on the Ccp65. Taken altogether, these findings lay the foundations for future research to investigate the mechanisms underlying fish p65.

Rapid screening and identification of sesquiterpene lactones in Kudiezi injection based on high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-orbitrap mass spectrometry.

Sesquiterpene lactones are considered as the major active compounds in Kudiezi injection in virtue of their special structures and activities. Herein, an analytical method was developed for rapid screening and identification of sesquiterpene lactones in Kudiezi injection using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-orbitrap mass spectrometry (HPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap) in negative ion mode. First, two sesquiterpene lactone reference standards were analyzed to obtain their characteristic ESI-MS/MS fragmentation patterns. Second, based on extracted ion chromatography (EIC) data-mining method and characteristic fragmentation pathways analysis, sesquiterpene lactones in Kudiezi injection were rapidly screened and identified. Finally, an important parameter Clog P was adopted to discriminate the isomers of sesquiterpene lactones. As a result, 50 sesquiterpene lactones were characterized, including 9 sesquiterpene lactone aglycones, 39 sesquiterpene lactone glycosides, and 2 amino acid-sesquiterpene lactone conjugates. Among them, 13 compounds were tentatively identified as new compounds. The results demonstrated that the established method would be a rapid, effective analytical tool for screening and identification of sesquiterpene lactones in the complex system of natural medicines.

TTF1-NPs Induce ERS-Mediated Apoptosis and Inhibit Human Hepatoma Cell Growth In Vitro and In Vivo.

Previous studies have shown that 5,2',4'-trihydroxy-6,7,5'-trimethoxyflavone (TTF1) is the primary anticancer constituent of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Sorbaria sorbifolia (SS), which has been applied to treat cancer in China. In this study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects and biological mechanisms of small-molecule TTF1 nanoparticles (TTF1-NPs). The effects of TTF1-NPs on cell growth and apoptosis were investigated using human hepatoma cells. The molecular changes associated with the effects of TTF1-NPs were analyzed by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. The in vivo effect of TTF1-NPs was investigated using the HepG2 tumor xenograft model. We found that TTF1-NPs exhibited antitumor effects in vitro accompanied by induction of apoptosis in human hepatoma cells. Mechanistically, our data showed that TTF1-NPs induced apoptosis via endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) pathway in hepatoma cells. Moreover, inhibition of ERS activation blocked TTF1-NP-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. Finally, TTF1-NPs inhibited the growth of HepG2 xenograft tumors. Taken together, our results demonstrated that TTF1-NP-induced apoptosis was mediated at least in part by the ERS pathway and thus inhibited hepatoma tumor growth.

Chlorogenic acid protects MSCs against oxidative stress by altering FOXO family genes and activating intrinsic pathway.

Chlorogenic acid as an antioxidant exists widely in edible and medicinal plants, and can protect cell against apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. However, its molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we showed that Chlorogenic acid suppressed reactive oxygen species increase by activation of Akt phosphorylation,and increased FOXO family genes and anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 expression in MSCs culturing under oxidative stress. In addition, PI-3Kinase Inhibitor (2-(4-Morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one, LY294002) could suppress the Chlorogenic acid-induced: (1) the cellular protective role, (2) the increase of the FOXO family genes expression, (3) increased expression of Bcl-2. These results suggested that Chlorogenic acid protected MSCs against apoptosis via PI3K/AKT signal and FOXO family genes.

Expression profile of a PAL gene from Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus and its crucial role in flux into flavonoid biosynthesis.

An important traditional Chinese medicine herb, Astragalus membranaceus var. Mongholicus, whose dried root is known as Radix astragali ("Huangqi" in Chinese), has high flavonoid content as an essential active constituent. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) catalyzes the first and also a rate-limiting step in phenylpropanoid pathway, which supplies precursors for a variety of secondary metabolites including flavonoids. A PAL gene, designated AmPAL1 (GenBank accession no. AY986506), was isolated from A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus with a full-length cDNA of 2562 nucleotides and an open reading frame of 2154 bp. Northern blot analysis revealed that AmPAL1 expressed universally in different organs, and its expression was markedly induced by UV irradiation, mechanical wounding, and white light irradiation on etiolated seedlings, with some distinctive responsive properties. Content of a typical flavonoid, quercetin, in A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus of different ages correlated with PAL enzymatic activity. Transgenic tobacco plants harboring AmPAL1 under the control of the CaMV35S promoter showed significantly increased PAL activity and correlatively increased quercetin content than those in non-transformed plants. These results indicate that PAL is maybe a key point for flux into flavonoid biosynthesis in the genetic control of secondary metabolism in A. membranaceus var. Mongholicus.