Small non-coding RNAome changes during human chondrocyte senescence as potential epigenetic targets in age-related osteoarthritis.

Chondrocyte senescence is a decisive component of age-related osteoarthritis, however, the function of small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) in chondrocyte senescence remains underexplored. Human hip joint cartilage chondrocytes were cultivated up to passage 4 to induce senescence. RNA samples were extracted and then analyzed using small RNA sequencing and qPCR. ß-galactosidase staining was used to detect the effect of sncRNA on chondrocyte aging. Results of small RNA sequencing showed that 279 miRNAs, 136 snoRNAs, 30 snRNAs, 102 piRNAs, and 5 rasiRNAs were differentially expressed in senescent chondrocytes. The differential expression of 150 sncRNAs was further validated by qPCR. Transfection of sncRNAs and ß-galactosidase staining were also performed to further revealed that hsa-miR-135b-5p, SNORA80B-201, and RNU5E-1-201 have the function to restrain chondrocyte senescence, while has-piR-019102 has the function to promote chondrocyte senescence. Our data suggest that sncRNAs have therapeutic potential as novel epigenetic targets in age-related osteoarthritis.

A targeted and nontargeted metabolomics study on the oral processing of epicatechins from green tea.

Oral processing (OP), referring to the whole process of food digestion in human mouth, has a major influence on food flavor perception. This study focused on the compositional changes of the four green tea epicatechins (viz., EC, EGC, ECG, EGCG) during OP, based on targeted and nontargeted metabolomics. It was found that the four epicatechins were all extensively lost through transformation undergoing OP, among which EC was the most stable one, whereas EGCG the least. EGCG was further revealed to be susceptible to human oral cavity in the simulated OP in vitro. It could be converted physically by precipitating with mucin in saliva, and chemically through hydrolysis and dimerization, mediated mainly by the neutral pH condition. The OP of epicatechins also caused salivary composition changes possibly involving health benefits of green tea. These findings could raise awareness of the interactions between epicatechins, or any other food materials, with human mouth.

[Effect and Mechanism of Foliar Application Nano-MnO2 on Cadmium Enrichment of Rice].

Cadmium (Cd) is easily enriched in rice, resulting in an excessive Cd content in the grain, which seriously threatens human health. Manganese (Mn) is an essential element of plants. In a field experiment on Cd-contaminated acid soils, we investigated the effectiveness and mechanism of Mn in minimizing Cd accumulation in rice via foliar spraying using 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% nano-MnO2 solutions at an early stage of heading. Compared with a control treatment, foliar spraying effectively reduced the Cd content of rice leaves, husks, and brown rice; increased the Mn content of all rice organs; but had no effect on rice yield. Foliar application of nano-MnO2 alleviated the plant stress induced by Cd by improving leaf photosynthesis, inhibiting lipid peroxidation, and increasing the content of the oxidative stress protein kinase. In addition, foliar application of nano-MnO2 limited the absorption of Cd by roots by increasing the content of iron-manganese plaque on the surfaces of rice roots and strengthening its adsorption/co-precipitation of Cd. Therefore, foliar application of nano-MnO2 during the early stages of rice heading is an effective measure to increase the Mn content and reduce the Cd content of brown rice.

Up-regulation of long non-coding RNA XLOC_010235 regulates epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition to promote metastasis by associating with Snail1 in gastric cancer.

We previously performed long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression microarray analyses to identify novel indicators for gastric cancer (GC) metastasis and prognosis in which we identified lncRNA XLOC_010235 (XLOC) as a candidate RNA. However, XLOC_010235 molecular mechanism of action remains unclear. Gain and loss of function approaches were used to investigate the biological role of XLOC in vitro. The effects of XLOC on cell viability were assessed by CCK-8 proliferation assays. Real-time PCR, western-blot and immunofluorescence were used to evaluate the mRNA and protein expression of Snail and multiple EMT related molecules. The positive XLOC/Snail1 interaction was identified and verified by immunohistochemistry assay and bivariate correlation analysis. Ectopic expression of XLOC facilitate cell viability, migration and invasion, leading to the acceleration of metastasis, while depletion of XLOC expression hindered cell migration and invasion. Moreover, over-expression of XLOC was found to play a important role in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the regulation of E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin expression, in which transcriptional factor Snail1 was involved. These results advance our understanding of the role of lncRNA XLOC_010235 as a active regulator of EMT by associating with Snail1, which may help in the development of new therapeutics.

Case of metachronous bilateral isolated adrenal metastasis from colorectal adenocarcinoma and review of the literature.

Rarely has a solitary, metachronous bilateral adrenal metastasis of colorectal cancer been reported. We depict a 41-year-old man who underwent sigmoid colon cancer radical surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy for a locally ulcerative sigmoid adenocarcinoma with metachronous bilateral adrenal metastasis revealed by a computed tomography scan. Histopathological examination showed adenocarcinoma, compatible with metastasis from the rectal cancer. The level of serum carcinoembryonic antigen had indicative significance for the presence of adrenal metastasis in the reported series. We performed a literature analysis related to this pathological characteristic and attach importance to consistent, vigilant radiological surveillance of the adrenal glands in the patients' follow up for colorectal cancer with or without subsequent adrenal metastasis.

Identification of differentially expressed signatures of long non-coding RNAs associated with different metastatic potentials in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is known for its lymph node metastasis and outstanding morbidity and mortality. Thus, improvement in the current knowledge regarding the molecular mechanism of GC is urgently needed to discover novel biomarkers involved in its progression and prognosis. Several long, non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in gastric tumorigenesis and metastasis. However, the signature of lncRNA-associated metastasis in GC is not fully clarified. METHODS: We determined the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles correlating to GC with or without lymph node-metastasis based on microarray analysis. Twelve differentially expressed lncRNAs and six differentially expressed mRNAs were validated by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. RESULTS: The relationships between the aberrantly expressed lncRNAs XLOC_010235 or RP11-789C1.1 and lymph node metastasis, pathologic metastasis status, distal metastasis and TNM (tumour, node, and metastasis) stage were found to be significantly different. Via survival analysis, patients who had high-expressed XLOC_010235 or low-expressed RP11-789C1.1 showed significantly worse survival than patients with inverse-expressed XLOC_010235 or RP11-789C1.1. CONCLUSION: In summary, this current study highlights some evidence regarding the potential role of lncRNAs in GC and posits that specific lncRNAs can be identified as novel, poor prognostic biomarkers in GC.