A dramatized method for teaching undergraduate students responsible research conduct.

Worldwide, undergraduate science and pre-medical students are encouraged to participate in authentic active learning lab work and undergraduate research experiences. Unfortunately, these experiences rarely include training in science or research ethics. Although several governmental and scientific organizations have called for increased training in responsible research conduct, relatively few studies report on the effectiveness of different pedagogical approaches. Too often science ethics socialization and training is limited to conversations with individual mentors. This paper describes how viewing an interactive theatrical presentation of several research misconduct scenarios was associated with an increase in first-year students' self-assessed understanding of the topics addressed: proper treatment of data images, respect for animal protocols, authorship considerations, and plagiarism issues. There was no decrease in self-reported responsible conduct of research (RCR) knowledge for students surveyed 10 weeks, as compared to 2 weeks, after the science ethics presentations. RCR test question scores showed only a slight decrease in correct answers from 2 to 10 weeks. Theatrical presentation is an inexpensive yet engaging approach that provides students with a chance to actively consider the importance of RCR and the complexities of contexts surrounding ethics decisions before starting a research career.

Development and characterization of microsatellite primers for Triops granarius (Branchiopoda: Notostraca) using MiSeq technology.

BACKGROUND: Next-generation sequencing technology has allowed for the rapid development of microsatellites, neutral polymorphic markers that can be used for the analysis of population structure. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, we performed whole-genome sequencing using the Illumina MiSeq system and de novo assembly to design microsatellite primers for Triops granarius populations in Qatar. The developed microsatellites are suitable for future studies of genetic structuring among geographically isolated freshwater pools. A total of 23 different primer pairs produced typical microsatellite results, with each pair successfully amplified in up to 40 individuals. Only five of the loci produced a significant departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. CONCLUSIONS: Some of the underlying mechanisms regarding the few loci that deviated from HWE may be further investigated to determine the source of deviation. As T. granarius is the most widely distributed species of the family, the development of these molecular markers would be useful for conducting population genetics and biogeographical studies broadly.

DNA barcoding of fish species reveals low rate of package mislabeling in Qatar.

DNA barcoding technique has made it possible to authenticate various species used for food and medicinal purposes. In the identification of seafood species, studies are concentrated in North America, Europe, and Asia. Elsewhere, including countries in the Middle East and North Africa, studies of this sort are scarce. This study focuses on packaged fresh or minimally processed fish fillet available at eight major supermarket chains in Qatar. A cocktail of eight primers attached with M13 tails established for fish species identification was adopted to facilitate PCR and sequencing. Sequences were compared with those available in the Barcode of Life Databases (BOLD Systems) and BLAST in NCBI databases. Among the 62 unique fish packages with resolved sequences, only three are confirmed to be mislabeled, at a rate of about 5%. Two of the substituted species are high value items while the third species was replaced by another, equally low-cost species. The relatively low rate of mislabeling in the samples is perhaps a result of strict local food safety regulations, which may have led to high consistency between the package labels and their contents.

A novel obatoclax derivative, SC-2001, induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells through SHP-1-dependent STAT3 inactivation.

We investigated the effects of a novel compound, SC-2001, on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). SC-2001, which is structurally related to the Mcl-1 inhibitor obatoclax, showed better antitumor effects than obatoclax in HCC cell lines, including HepG2, PLC5 and Huh-7. Like obatoclax, SC-2001 inhibited the protein-protein interactions between Mcl-1 and Bak. However, SC-2001 downregulated the protein levels of Mcl-1 by reducing its transcription whereas obatoclax had no significant effect on Mcl-1 expression. As Mcl-1 is regulated by signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), we found that SC-2001 downregulated the phosphorylation of STAT3 (Tyr 705) and subsequently inhibited transcriptional activities of STAT3 in a dose-dependent manner. In addition to Mcl-1, STAT3-regulated proteins, including survivin and cyclin D1, were also repressed by SC-2001. Notably, SC-2001 reduced IL-6-induced STAT3 activation in HepG2 and PLC5 cells. Ectopic expression of STAT3 abolished the prominent apoptotic death in SC-2001-treated PLC5 cells, indicating that STAT3 is indispensable in mediating the effects of SC-2001. Importantly, SC-2001 enhanced the expression of SHP1, a negative regulator of STAT3. Inhibition of SHP-1 by either specific inhibitor or small interference RNA reduced the apoptotic effects of SC-2001, indicating that SHP-1 plays a key role in mediating SC2001-induced cell death. SC-2001 enhanced the activity of SHP-1 in all tested HCC cells including HepG2, PLC5 and Huh-7. Finally, SC-2001 reduced PLC5 tumor growth, downregulated p-STAT3 and upregulated SHP-1 expression and activity in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that SC-2001 induces apoptosis in HCC, and that this effect is mediated through SHP-1-dependent STAT3 inactivation.

CIP2A-mediated Akt activation plays a role in bortezomib-induced apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a worldwide disease with aggressive course and dismal outcome. Bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, has been approved clinically for hematological malignancies and demonstrated to have activities against solid tumors in vitro through inhibition of NF-kB activity. Here, we disclose that bortezomib induced apoptosis of HNSCC cells in vitro and in vivo through inhibition of cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A)-mediated PP2A dependent Akt activation. HNSCC cells, including Ca9-22, SAS, and SCC-25, were treated with bortezomib and evaluated for viability, apoptosis, and signal transduction. Three HNSCC cells, including Ca9-22, SAS, and SCC-25, were sensitive to bortezomib with marked growth inhibition and apoptosis. We found phospho-Akt (p-Akt, Ser473) played a significant role in bortezomib-induced apoptosis. The activity of PP2A was significantly increased after the treatment of bortezomib without alternation of PP2A level or the dynamic interaction of PP2A-Akt. Silencing PP2A by small interference RNA (siRNA) abolished bortezomib-induced Akt inhibition and apoptosis. In addition, bortezomib inhibited CIP2A in pre-translational level in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Over-expression of CIP2A up-regulated p-Akt and protected HNSCC cells from bortezomib-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, xenograft model showed that bortezomib down-regulated CIP2A and p-Akt in SAS tumor cells. CIP2A is demonstrated to be a new therapeutic target of bortezomib in HNSCC.

Bortezomib enhances radiation-induced apoptosis in solid tumors by inhibiting CIP2A.

Previously, we demonstrated that cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) mediates bortezomib-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Herein, we report that bortezomib sensitizes solid tumor cells to radiation-induced apoptosis. Treatment with a combination of bortezomib and radiation downregulated CIP2A in a dose-dependent manner in solid tumor cells. Knockdown of CIP2A enhanced radiation-induced apoptosis in cancer cells, and ectopic expression of CIP2A in cancer cells abolished radiation-induced apoptosis. Finally, our in vivo data showed that bortezomib and radiation combination treatment decreased tumor growth significantly. Thus, bortezomib sensitized solid tumor cells to radiation through the inhibition of CIP2A.