Salt Tolerance Evaluation of Cucumber Germplasm under Sodium Chloride Stress.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an important horticultural crop worldwide. Sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-) in the surface soil are the major limiting factors in coastal areas of Shandong Province in China. Therefore, to understand the mechanism used by cucumber to adapt to sodium chloride (NaCl), we analyzed the phenotypic and physiological indicators of eighteen cucumber germplasms after three days under 100 and 150 mM NaCl treatment. A cluster analysis revealed that eighteen germplasms could be divided into five groups based on their physiological indicators. The first three groups consisted of seven salt-tolerant and medium salt-tolerant germplasms, including HLT1128h, Zhenni, and MC2065. The two remaining groups consisted of five medium salt-sensitive germplasms, including DM26h and M1-2-h-10, and six salt-sensitive germplasms including M1XT and 228. A principal component analysis revealed that the trend of comprehensive scores was consistent with the segmental cluster analysis and survival rates of cucumber seedlings. Overall, the phenotype, comprehensive survival rate, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis revealed that the salt-tolerant and salt-sensitive germplasms were Zhenni, F11-15, MC2065, M1XT, M1-2-h-10, and DM26h. The results of this study will provide references to identify or screen salt-tolerant cucumber germplasms and lay a foundation for breeding salt-tolerant cucumber varieties.

The lipid peroxidation-derived DNA adduct γ-OHPdG as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in hepatocellular carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Chronic inflammation and lipid peroxidation (LPO) are associated with the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and γ-hydroxy-1, N2-propanodeoxyguanosine (γ-OHPdG) is a promutagenic DNA adduct derived from LPO. This study aimed to examine the relationship between γ-OHPdG and the progression of liver carcinogenesis. METHODS: Primary HCC specimens were obtained from 228 patients and cirrhosis specimens from 46 patients. The patients were followed up with after surgery via outpatient visits and telephone calls. The levels of γ-OHPdG were determined by immunohistochemical analysis in the carcinomatous tissues together with adjacent and cirrhosis tissues. RESULTS: γ-OHPdG levels in the cancerous tissues were significantly higher compared to adjacent tissues (P < 0.001) and also higher than the ones from the tissues of cirrhosis patients. Along with tumor size, histological grade, MVI grade, T stage, the percentage of ki67-positive cells and HCC progression, γ-OHPdG levels in cancerous tissues showed a gradually increasing trend. Moreover, prognostic analysis showed that higher γ-OHPdG levels in cancerous tissues were strongly correlated with lower overall survival (P < 0.001), lower intrahepatic recurrence-free survival (P < 0.001) and lower distant metastasis-free survival (P < 0.05). There was a trend, although not statistically significant, of increased levels of γ-OHPdG in cirrhosis cases that advanced to HCC, whereas γ-OHPdG levels reversely correlated with the period of time observed for cirrhosis advanced to HCC. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that γ-OHPdG is a prognostic biomarker for predicting outcomes in HCC, and may serve as a prospective indicator for predicting HCC in cirrhosis patients.

Association between quantitative spectral CT parameters, Ki-67 expression, and invasiveness in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as ground-glass nodules.

BACKGROUND: Few studies about lung ground-glass nodules (GGNs) have been done using non-enhancement spectral computed tomography (CT) imaging. PURPOSE: To examine the association between spectral CT parameters, Ki-67 expression, and invasiveness in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGNs. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Spectral CT parameters were analyzed in 106 patients with lung GGNs. The Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI) was measured, and patients were divided into low expression and high expression groups according to the number of positive-stained cells (low expression ≤10%; high expression >10%). Spectral CT parameters were compared between low and high expression groups. The correlation between spectral CT parameters and Ki-67 LI was estimated by Spearman correlation analysis. Cases were divided into a preinvasive and minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA) group (atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, adenocarcinoma in situ, and MIA) and invasive adenocarcinoma (IA) group. Spectral CT parameters were compared between the two groups. The diagnostic performance was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: There were significant differences in water concentration of lesions (WCL) and monochromatic CT values between the low and high expression groups. CT 40 keV had the highest correlation coefficient with Ki-67 LI. WCL and monochromatic CT values were significantly higher in the IA group than in the pre/MIA group. The value of area under the curve of CT 40 keV was 0.946 (95% confidence interval=0.905-0.988) for differentiating the two groups; the cutoff was -280.66 Hu. CONCLUSION: Spectral CT is an effective non-invasive method for the prediction of proliferation and invasiveness in lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as GGNs.

Delayed multiple intracranial aneurysms caused by left atrial myxoma: a case report and literature review.

Intracranial aneurysm may appear even after the removal of the cardiac myxoma. However, the pathogenesis and treatment of such aneurysm lesions are not clear. The study aimed to explore the clinical and imaging manifestation, hypothetical pathogenesis, and therapy in one case of left atrial myxoma causing multiple intracranial aneurysms. A 14-year-old male displayed a 3-hour history of episodic loss of consciousness and right hemiplegia after a leapfrog-like movement. The myxoma was diagnosed by a combination of clinical examination, leading to the diagnosis of mitral dynamic obstruction with a Grade III mitral diastolic murmur and tumor plop; magnetic resonance imaging, revealing multiple ischemic sites in both semi-oval centers; and transthoracic echocardiography, demonstrating a mitral valve obstruction. The myxoma was removed surgically; however, computed tomography angiography showed multiple intracranial aneurysms in both middle cerebral arteries 18 months after resection of the atrial myxoma. After conservative treatment, the patient had no neurological dysfunction symptoms for 5 years after myxoma resection. His condition is relatively stable. In conclusion, resection of the atrial myxoma may eliminate the early neurological symptoms, but it cannot ensure the nonoccurrence of delayed intracranial aneurysms. The neoplastic process theory was favored for explaining the aneurysm development in this case. According to the specific conditions of the patient, a combination of open surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and coil embolization is recommended.

Identification and functional analysis of lncRNAs and mRNAs between tumorigenesis and metastasis in CRC.

The role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis and metastasis remains poorly characterized. The aim of this study was to identify novel lncRNAs and their functions in CRC progression. Through microarray analysis of paired normal colorectal mucosa (NM), primary tumor (PT), and metastatic lymph node (MLN) tissues, lncRNA and mRNA expression patterns were identified. Further bioinformatic analyses were performed to compare the biological functions of lncRNAs between tumorigenesis and metastasis of CRC, which was further verified by TCGA-COAD and GSE82236. The expression of lncRNA MIR29B2CHG93 in paired CRC tissues was detected in a cohort of CRC patients. The effects of lncRNA MIR29B2CHG93 on proliferation, migration, and invasion were determined by in vitro experiments. We found that tumorigenesis-associated lncRNAs predominantly participated in the regulation of the EMT/P53/PI3K-Akt/KRAS signaling pathway as well as the processes related to cell cycle and cell mitosis, while metastasis-associated lncRNAs mainly regulated blood vessel morphogenesis and immune-related biological processes. Compared to the TCGA and GSE datasets, seven tumorigenesis-associated lncRNAs and eight metastasis-associated lncRNAs were identified. LncRNA MIR29B2CHG93 knockdown remarkably suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in vitro, which acted as a tumor promoter in CRC. The lncRNA MIR29B2CHG93 was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and was indicator of unfavorable clinical outcome in CRC. These results revealed novel lncRNAs that provide new insights for an in-depth understanding of CRC progression. In particular, this study identified a novel lncRNA MIR29B2CHG93 in CRC progression, which might be a potential biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis and metastasis-prediction in CRC.

Anti-CCL22 increases regulatory T cells in CD4+ T cells of rheumatoid arthritis patients via STAT5 pathway.

Abnormality in the number and function of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in peripheral blood has been linked to the initiation and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Effect of chemokine CCL22 on the number of Tregs in CD4+ T cells and the underlying mechanism were investigated. Downregulation of peripheral Tregs were observed while upregulation of serum chemokine CCL22 in RA patients. Tregs count and the expression of FOXP3 (Tregs function-related maker) and phosphorylated-signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (p-STAT5) in CD4+ T cells from RA patients were increased while C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) was decreased by anti-CCL22 antibody, however, recombinant CCL22 resulted in the opposite effects in CD4+ T cells from the healthy control. STAT5 inhibitor significantly reversed the effects of anti-CCL22 antibody. Similarly, sinomenine, an anti-arthritis drug, which decreased CCL22 and CCR4, showed the same trends as the above events, and was reversed by recombinant CCL22 or STAT5 inhibitor. Collectively, anti-CCL22 induced the number of Tregs via STAT5 pathway, leading to expansion of Tregs and subsequently to control of the autoimmune reaction in RA patients. Our study provides s novel strategy for RA treatment.

Genome-wide characterization, evolutionary analysis of WRKY genes in Cucurbitaceae species and assessment of its roles in resisting to powdery mildew disease.

The WRKY proteins constitute a large family of transcription factors that have been known to play a wide range of regulatory roles in multiple biological processes. Over the past few years, many reports have focused on analysis of evolution and biological function of WRKY genes at the whole genome level in different plant species. However, little information is known about WRKY genes in melon (Cucumis melo L.). In the present study, a total of 56 putative WRKY genes were identified in melon, which were randomly distributed on their respective chromosomes. A multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis using melon, cucumber and watermelon predicted WRKY domains indicated that melon WRKY proteins could be classified into three main groups (I-III). Our analysis indicated that no recent duplication events of WRKY genes were detected in melon, and strong purifying selection was observed among the 85 orthologous pairs of Cucurbitaceae species. Expression profiles of CmWRKY derived from RNA-seq data and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) analyses showed distinct expression patterns in various tissues, and the expression of 16 CmWRKY were altered following powdery mildew infection in melon. Besides, we also found that a total of 24 WRKY genes were co-expressed with 11 VQ family genes in melon. Our comparative genomic analysis provides a foundation for future functional dissection and understanding the evolution of WRKY genes in cucurbitaceae species, and will promote powdery mildew resistance study in melon.

The E3 ligase UBR5 regulates gastric cancer cell growth by destabilizing the tumor suppressor GKN1.

Gastric cancer is the most common digestive malignant tumor worldwide and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. The E3 ligase UBR5 (also known as EDD1) is essentially involved in diverse types of cancer. Here we aimed to study the functions of UBR5 in human gastric cancer. We first analyzed the mRNA and protein levels of UBR5 in human gastric cancer tissues and the results showed that UBR5 was markedly increased in gastric cancer tissues compared with normal gastric mucosa or matched non-cancer gastric tissues. The relationship between UBR5 and survival of gastric cancer patients was analyzed and we found that high UBR5 expression was associated with poor overall and disease-free survival. We further tried to investigate the effects of UBR5 on gastric cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we knocked down UBR5 with lentivirus-mediated shRNA and found that UBR5 knockdown repressed in vitro proliferation and colony formation of gastric cancer cells AGS, MG803 and MNK1. In vivo xenograft experiment also demonstrated that UBR5 knockdown inhibited AGS growth. Finally, we explored the mechanism by which UBR5 contributed to the growth of gastric cancer cells. We found that UBR5 bound the tumor suppressor gastrokine 1 (GKN1) and increased its ubiquitination to reduce the protein stability of GKN1. GKN1 knockdown with lentivirus-mediated shRNA increased the in vitro colony formation and in vivo growth of AGS cells, and UBR5 knockdown was unable to affect the colony formation and in vivo growth of AGS cells when GKN1 was knocked down, indicating that GKN1 contributed to the effects of UBR5 in human gastric cancer cells. Taken together, UBR5 plays an essential role in gastric cancer and may be a potential diagnosis and treatment target for gastric cancer.

EDD1 predicts prognosis and regulates gastric cancer growth in vitro and in vivo via miR-22.

Gastric cancer is the most common digestive malignant tumor worldwild. EDD1 was reported to be frequently amplified in several tumors and played an important role in the tumorigenesis process. However, the biological role and potential mechanism of EDD1 in gastric cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we are aim to investigate the effect of EDD1 on gastric cancer progression and to explore the underlying mechanism. The results showed the significant up-regulation of EDD1 in -gastric cancer cell tissues and lines. The expression level of EDD1 was also positively associated with advanced clinical stages and predicted poor overall patient survival and poor disease-free patient survival. Besides, EDD1 knockdown markedly inhibited cell viability, colony formation, and suppressed tumor growth. Opposite results were obtained in gastric cancer cells with EDD1 overexpression. EDD1 knockdown was also found to induce gastric cancer cells apoptosis. Further investigation indicated that the oncogenic role of EDD1 in regulating gastric cancer cells growth and apoptosis was related to its PABC domain and directly through targeting miR-22, which was significantly down-regulated in gastric cancer tissues. Totally, our study suggests that EDD1 plays an oncogenic role in gastric cancer and may be a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer.

[Physiological responses of different cucumber cultivars seedlings to iso-osmotic Mg (NO3) 2 and NaCl stress].

In this study, the effects of iso-osmotic solution of Mg (NO3) 2 and NaCl on seedling growth, leaf lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activities, and osmotic adjustment substance accumulation were investigated using three cucumber cultivars with different ecotypes. Then salt tolerance was evaluated by membership function method. The results revealed that under the stress of 60 and 80 mmol x L(-1) Mg(NO3) 2 solution and its isotonic 90 and 120 mmol x L(-1) NaCl solution, the seedling traits such as height, stem diameter, leaf area, fresh and dry mass of aerial part and underground parts, and antioxidant enzymes activity were obviously decreased with the increasing concentration of Mg( NO3)2 and its isotonic NaCl in the three cucumber cultivars. Moreover, the inhibitory effects became more obvious with the increasing concentration of either Mg(NO3)2 or NaCl solution. MDA content and membrane lipid peroxidation were enhanced in cucumber seedlings. Among the three cultivars, SJ31-1 changed less than the other two cultivars regarding the reduced amplitudes of biomass, and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT), and the increased amplitude of MDA. In addition, Mg (NO3)2 solution inhibited seedling growth more strongly than isotonic NaCl solution did, such difference was relatively significant with increasing the concentration of solution. The contents of proline, soluble amino acids, and soluble sugars varied depending on the cucumber genotype and salt type. The increased amplitude of proline content was the largest in SJ31-1, and that of soluble sugars was the largest in Lubai 19 when growing under salt treatment. The change of these parameters in Xintaimici was in between. Soluble sugars and soluble proteins were predominant osmolytes unde NaCl stress, whereas proline and soluble proteins were main osmolytes under Mg (NO3) 2 stress. Comprehensive evaluation showed that salt tolerance of the three cucumber cultivars was in order of SJ31-1 > Xintaimici > Lubai 19.

Enantiospecific total synthesis of (+)-tanikolide via a key [2,3]-Meisenheimer rearrangement with an allylic amine N-oxide-directed epoxidation and a one-pot trichloroisocyanuric acid N-debenzylation and N-chlorination.

The enantiospecific total synthesis of the δ-lactonic marine natural product (+)-tanikolide (1), isolated from Lyngbya majuscula , was achieved using a [2,3]-Meisenheimer rearrangement as the key reaction. During this rearrangement, we discovered that the allylic amine N-oxide could direct the m-CPBA double-bond epoxidation to the syn position. The resulting syn product 8 underwent epoxide ring opening under the m-CBA conditions to give the five- and six-membered cyclic ether amine N-oxides, which we further treated with Zn and conc. HCl to obtain the reduced bisbenzyl tertiary amines 23 and 22, respectively. When 23 and 22 were treated with trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) in dichloromethane, oxidation at the benzyl position occurred, forming iminium ions. These intermediates were trapped by intramolecular reaction with the hydroxyls, and the resulting intermediates were then oxidized or shifted to afford 25 and 24, respectively. The entire one-pot process involves N-debenzylation, N-chlorination, and hemiacetal oxidation. The amine N-oxide-directed epoxidation complements Davies' ammonium-directed epoxidation. Thus, TCCA N-debenzylation is described for the first time and might be a useful N-debenzylation technique.

[Distribution and accumulation characteristics of nutrients in solar greenhouse soil in Ji'nan, Shandong Province of East China].

Taking the solar greenhouses with different cultivating years and vegetables in Ji'nan as test objects, this paper studied the amounts and frequency distribution of soil nutrients and the relationships between cultivating years and soil nutrients accumulation characteristics, and analyzed the factors causing soil salinization and acidification by fitting soil nutrients contents with cultivating years and vegetables. In the greenhouses, the contents of soil alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, organic matter, and electrical conductivity were significantly higher than those in the open field, with an increment of 135.3%, 475.2%, 290.1%, 97.7%, and 188.7%, respectively, but the soil pH value was 0.31 lower than that of open field. The frequency distribution of soil nutrients presented a normal curve. Differences were observed in the soil nutrients contents in the greenhouses with different cultivating vegetables. The soil alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen content and electrical conductivity were in the order of tomato > cucumber > sweet pepper, soil organic matter content and pH value were cucumber > sweet pepper > tomato, soil available phosphorus content was cucumber > tomato > sweet pepper, and soil available potassium content was tomato > cucumber > sweet pepper. There was a mild tendency of soil acidification in soil alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen and available potassium. The decrease of soil pH was closely related to the accumulation of alkali-hydrolysable nitrogen. The soil nutrients accumulation in the greenhouses had the similar patterns, i. e. , rapid accumulation in the first two cultivating years, slowed down in the third and fourth year, and kept stable later, demonstrating a dynamic balance on the whole. All the nutrients contents were positively accumulated, while soil pH presented negatively. In the greenhouses with different cultivating vegetables, there was a significant correlation between soil nutrients and cultivating years, which could be fitted by conic curve or cubic curve.

[Significance of microRNA-146b-5p in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and its relationship with risk assessment].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of miR-146b-5p in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and its relationship with risk assessment. METHODS: 62 cases of nodal DLBCL with follow-up data were collected from Shanxi Cancer Hospital, and were studied by using immunohistochemical EnVision method for CD3, CD10, CD20, Bcl-6 and MUM1. The DLBCLs were classified into germinal center B cell-like (GCB) and non-germinal center B cell-like (non-GCB) subtypes according to Hans'algorithm. Agilent Human miRNA Microarray 16.0 was used to select the miRNAs on paraffin-embedded tissues of 24 DLBCL cases. A TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was performed on 62 nodal DLBCL cases to validate the expression levels of miR-146b-5p.11 cases with reactive lymph node were elected as control. RESULTS: In 62 cases of DLBCL, 35.5% of cases were GCB and 64.5% non-GCB subtypes, the expression of miR-146b-5p in GCB was 3.2 times as much as non-GCB subtypes (P = 0.006). The expression of miR-146b-5p was up-regulated in DLBCL, and expression level of miR-146b-5p was 5.4 times as much as reactivated lymph node. In 62 cases of DLBCL, 43.5% cases were recurrence-free and 56.5% recurrence. The expression of miR-146b-5p was remarkably up-regulated in recurrence-free group compared with recurrence group (P = 0.004). Moreover, high expression levels of miR-146b-5p in DLBCL were found to be associated with longer relapse-free survival (P = 0.005), but not for overall survival. Multivariate COX proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that low expression of miR-146b-5p (P = 0.004) and IPI ≥ 3(P = 0.011) were independent poor prognostic factors in 62 cases of DLBCL. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of miR-146b-5p was up-regulated in recurrence-free group, and its higher expression levels in DLBCL were associated with improved relapse-free survival. Our results suggested that miR-146b-5p might be one of markers for risk assessment.