Metallothionein-1 mitigates the advancement of osteoarthritis by regulating Th17/Treg balance.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic inflammatory joint disorder characterized by cartilage degradation and bone remodeling. This study investigated the regulatory role of metallothionein 1 (MT1) in modulating immune responses and the balance between regulatory T cells (Treg) and T helper 17 cells (Th17) in OA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy individuals and OA patients were assessed for cytokine expression linked to Treg/Th17 homeostasis. OA was induced in wild-type (WT) and Mt1 knockout (MT1KO) mice via surgical destabilization of the medial meniscus. Clinical scores, pathological features, inflammatory cytokines, and Treg/Th17 balance were evaluated. MT1KO mice showed significantly elevated Mt1, pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α) and exacerbated OA progression, characterized by increased knee joint diameter, inflammatory infiltration, and cartilage destruction. Mechanistically, disrupted Treg/Th17 balance played a pivotal role in OA exacerbation, with MT1KO promoting Th17 differentiation and reducing Treg populations. Additionally, the compensatory elevation of anti-inflammatory interleukin-10 (IL-10) in OA patients hinted at a nuanced immune regulatory mechanism. The study illuminates intricate interactions involving MT1, Treg/Th17 cells, and pro-inflammatory cytokines in OA pathogenesis, suggesting MT1's potential as a pivotal regulatory factor and a therapeutic target for mitigating immune dysregulation in OA.

Hypermethylation of Smad7 in CD4+ T cells is associated with the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Smad7 is protective in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. Here we investigated whether Smad7-expressing CD4+ T cells and the methylation of Smad7 gene in CD4+ T cells contribute to the disease activity of RA in patients. Methods: Peripheral CD4+ T cells were collected from 35 healthy controls and 57 RA patients. Smad7 expression by CD4+ T cells were determined and correlated with the clinical parameters of RA including RA score and serum levels of IL-6, CRP, ESR, DAS28-CRP, DAS28-ESR, Swollen joints and Tender joints. Bisulfite sequencing (BSP-seq) was used to determine the DNA methylation in Smad7 promoter (-1000 to +2000) region in CD4+ T cells. In addition, a DNA methylation inhibitor, 5-Azacytidine (5-AzaC), was added to CD4+ T cells to examine the possible role of Smad7 methylation in CD4+ T cell differentiation and functional activity. Results: Compared to the heath controls, Smad7 expression was significantly decreased in CD4+ T cells from RA patients and inversely correlated with the RA activity score and serum levels of IL-6 and CRP. Importantly, loss of Smad7 in CD4+ T cell was associated with the alteration of Th17/Treg balance by increasing Th17 over the Treg population. BSP-seq detected that DNA hypermethylation occurred in the Smad7 promoter region of CD4+ T cells obtained from RA patients. Mechanistically, we found that the DNA hypermethylation in the Smad7 promoter of CD4+ T cells was associated with decreased Smad7 expression in RA patients. This was associated with overreactive DNA methyltransferase (DMNT1) and downregulation of the methyl-CpG binding domain proteins (MBD4). Inhibition of DNA methylation by treating CD4+ T cells from RA patients with 5-AzaC significantly increased Smad7 mRNA expression along with the increased MBD4 but reduced DNMT1 expression, which was associated with the rebalance in the Th17/Treg response. Conclusion: DNA hypermethylation at the Smad7 promoter regions may cause a loss of Smad7 in CD4+ T cells of RA patients, which may contribute to the RA activity by disrupting the Th17/Treg balance.

The relationships of CD8+ T cell subsets in RA patients with disease activity and clinical parameters.

BACKGROUND: CD8+ T cells are plentiful in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and have a important role in it's pathogenesis. Many subsets have been identified in CD8+ T cells, however, the relationship between CD8+ T subpopulations and disease activity of RA is poorly defined. Here we detected different CD8+ T cell subsets in peripheral blood and examined their relationships with clinical features and serological parameters in RA. METHODS: CD8+ T cell phenotypes and percentages in peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry in 39 patients with RA. The clinical characteristics and serological parameters of RA patients were collected and DAS28-ESR was measured as indicator of disease activity. Linear regression was performed to assess the correlation of CD8+ T cell subsets with RA clinical variables. RESULTS: Naive CD8+ T cells were significantly and negatively correlated with RA disease activity indicator DAS28-ESR(r2 = 0.1027, p = 0.0468), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)(r2 = 0.1891, p = 0.0057), clinical disease activity index(CDAI)(r2 = 0.1474, p = 0.0158), simplified disease activity index(SDAI)(r2 = 0.1465, p = 0.0255), and duration(r2 = 0.1247, p = 0.0274). And the percent of naive CD8+ T cells were obviously decreased in RA with high disease activity when compared with RA in low disease activity(p < 0.01). In addition, Our results indicated significant positive correlations between CD8+ CD28- T cells and DAS28-ESR(r2 = 0.1881, p = 0.0058), ESR(r2 = 0.2279, p = 0.0021), c reaction protein (CRP)(r2 = 0.2203, p = 0.0051), CDAI (r2 = 0.1778, p = 0.0075), SDAI (r2 = 0.2618, p = 0.0020), rheumatoid factor(RF)(r2 = 0.1823, p = 0.0067), age(r2 = 0.1968, p = 0.0047), as well as similar positive correlations between CD8+ CD27- T cells and DAS28-ESR(r2 = 0.1661, p = 0.01), ESR(r2 = 0.1586, p = 0.012), CRP(r2 = 0.1778, p = 0.013), CDAI (r2 = 0.1622, p = 0.0110), SDAI(r2 = 0.2316, p = 0.0040), RF(r2 = 0.2097, p = 0.0034), age(r2 = 0.1932, p = 0.0051). Furthermore, interesting results showed observable positive correlations between activated CD8+ T cells and total cholesterol(TC)(r2 = 0.2757, p = 0.0007), triglyceride(TG)(r2 = 0.2886, p = 0.0005), low density lipoprotein(LDL-C)(r2 = 0.09643, p = 0.0264) and Krebs yon denlungen-6(KL-6)(r2 = 0.4171, p = 0.0002). And TCRγδ + CD8+ T cells were also found positively related with total cholesterol(TC)(r2 = 0.5015, p < 0.0001), triglyceride(TG)(r2 = 0.2031, p = 0.0045), and KL-6(r2 = 0.2122, p = 0.0136). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that naive CD8+ T cells, CD8+ CD28- T cells, and CD8+ CD27- T cells are obviously correlated with inflammation and disease activity of RA. While activated CD8+ T cells and TCRγδ + CD8+ T cells may involve in lipidmetabolism and lung fibrosis of RA. These CD8+ T cell subsets may be new biomarkers and targets for RA disease evaluation, therapeutic target-selecting, curative effects and prognoses assessment.

Identification of Medicinal Bidens Plants for Quality Control Based on Organelle Genomes.

Bidens plants are annuals or perennials of Asteraceae and usually used as medicinal materials in China. They are difficult to identify by using traditional identification methods because they have similar morphologies and chemical components. Universal DNA barcodes also cannot identify Bidens species effectively. This situation seriously hinders the development of medicinal Bidens plants. Therefore, developing an accurate and effective method for identifying medicinal Bidens plants is urgently needed. The present study aims to use phylogenomic approaches based on organelle genomes to address the confusing relationships of medicinal Bidens plants. Illumina sequencing was used to sequence 12 chloroplast and eight mitochondrial genomes of five species and one variety of Bidens. The complete organelle genomes were assembled, annotated and analysed. Phylogenetic trees were constructed on the basis of the organelle genomes and highly variable regions. The organelle genomes of these Bidens species had a conserved gene content and codon usage. The 12 chloroplast genomes of the Bidens species were 150,489 bp to 151,635 bp in length. The lengths of the eight mitochondrial genomes varied from each other. Bioinformatics analysis revealed the presence of 50-71 simple sequence repeats and 46-181 long repeats in the organelle genomes. By combining the results of mVISTA and nucleotide diversity analyses, seven candidate highly variable regions in the chloroplast genomes were screened for species identification and relationship studies. Comparison with the complete mitochondrial genomes and common protein-coding genes shared by each organelle genome revealed that the complete chloroplast genomes had the highest discriminatory power for Bidens species and thus could be used as a super barcode to authenticate Bidens species accurately. In addition, the screened highly variable region trnS-GGA-rps4 could be also used as a potential specific barcode to identify Bidens species.

Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of the chloroplast genomes of species of Paeoniaceae.

Plants belonging to family Paeoniaceae are not only economically important ornamental plants but also medicinal plants used as an important source of traditional Chinese medicine. Owing to the complex network evolution and polyploidy evolution of this family, its systematics and taxonomy are controversial and require a detailed investigation. In this study, three complete chloroplast genomes of sect. Paeonia, one of the sections of Paeonia, were sequenced and then analysed together with 16 other published chloroplast genomes of Paeoniaceae species. The total lengths of the chloroplast genomes of these species were 152,153-154,405 bp. A total of 82-87 protein-coding genes, 31-40 tRNA genes and 8 rRNA genes were annotated. Bioinformatics analysis revealed 61-74 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in the chloroplast genomes, most of which have A/T base preference. Codon usage analysis showed that A/U-ending codons were more positive than C/G-ending codons, and a slight bias in codon usage was observed in these species. A comparative analysis of these 19 species of Paeoniaceae was then conducted. Fourteen highly variable regions were selected for species relationship study. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the species of sect. Paeonia gathered in one branch and then divided into different small branches. P. lactiflora, P. anomala, P. anomala subsp. veitchii and P. mairei clustered together. P. intermedia was related to P. obovata and P. obovata subsp. willmottiae. P. emodi was the sister to all other species in the sect. Paeonia.

Comparative and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Three Paeonia Section Moutan Species (Paeoniaceae).

Analysis of the relationships among wild species of section Moutan in the plant genus Paeonia has traditionally been problematic. Interspecies relationships cannot be effectively determined using phenotypic traits alone or through analysis of nuclear or chloroplast DNA fragments. Elucidation of complete chloroplast genome sequences will aid the identification and phylogeny of these species. In this study, the complete chloroplast genomes of three sect. Moutan plants were sequenced and analyzed. Comparative and phylogenetic analyses of the complete chloroplast genomes of all eight species of sect. Moutan were then conducted. The three complete chloroplast genomes gained in this study showed four-part annular structures, and the genome length, structure, GC content, codon usage, and gene distribution were highly similar. There was greater variation in the noncoding regions of the sequences than in the conserved protein-coding regions. Sequence variations in the small single copy (SSC) regions and large single copy (LSC) regions were considerably greater than those in the inverted repeat (IR) regions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the species of sect. Moutan clustered in one branch and then subdivided into smaller branches. As for the three complete chloroplast genome sequences obtained in this study, Paeonia jishanensis clustered with another P. jishanensis sequence from the GenBank database, Paeonia qiui clustered with Paeonia rockii, and Paeonia delavayi var. lutea clustered with Paeonia ludlowii. It was also found that the complete chloroplast genomes, LSC regions, and SSC regions all showed great abilities in identification and phylogenetic analysis of the species of sect. Moutan, while IRs regions and highly variable regions were not suitable for the species of sect. Moutan.

Molecular structure and phylogenetic analyses of the complete chloroplast genomes of three original species of Pyrrosiae Folium.

Pyrrosia petiolosa, Pyrrosia lingua and Pyrrosia sheareri are recorded as original plants of Pyrrosiae Folium (PF) and commonly used as Chinese herbal medicines. Due to the similar morphological features of PF and its adulterants, common DNA barcodes cannot accurately distinguish PF species. Knowledge of the chloroplast (cp) genome is widely used in species identification, molecular marker and phylogenetic analyses. Herein, we determined the complete cp genomes of three original species of PF via high-throughput sequencing technologies. The three cp genomes exhibited a typical quadripartite structure with sizes ranging from 158 165 to 163 026 bp. The cp genomes of P. petiolosa and P. lingua encoded 130 genes, whilst that of P. sheareri encoded 131 genes. The complete cp genomes were compared, and five highly divergent regions of petA-psbJ, matK-rps16, ndhC-trnM, psbM-petN and psaC-ndhE were screened as potential DNA barcodes for identification of Pyrrosia genus species. The phylogenetic tree we obtained indicated that P. petiolosa and P. lingua are clustered in a single clade and, thus, share a close relationship. This study provides invaluable information for further studies on the species identification, taxonomy and phylogeny of Pyrrosia genus species.

Genome-wide identification of abscisic acid (ABA) receptor pyrabactin resistance 1-like protein (PYL) family members and expression analysis of PYL genes in response to different concentrations of ABA stress in Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

As abscisic acid (ABA) receptor, the pyrabactin resistance 1-like (PYR/PYL) protein (named PYL for simplicity) plays an important part to unveil the signal transduction of ABA and its regulatory mechanisms. Glycyrrhiza uralensis, a drought-tolerant medicinal plant, is a good model for the mechanism analysis of ABA response and active compound biosynthesis. However, knowledge about PYL family in G. uralensis remains largely unknown. Here, 10 PYLs were identified in G. uralensis genome. Characterization analysis indicated that PYLs in G. uralensis (GuPYLs) are relatively conserved. Phylogenetic analysis showed that GuPYL1-3 belongs to subfamily I, GuPYL4-6 and GuPYL10 belong to subfamily II and GuPYL7-9 belongs to subfamily III. In addition, transcriptome data presented various expression levels of GuPYLs under different exogenous ABA stresses. The expression pattern of GuPYLs was verified by Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The study proved that GuPYL4, GuPYL5, GuPYL8 and GuPYL9 genes are significantly up-regulated by ABA stress and the response process is dynamic. This study paves the way for elucidating the regulation mechanism of ABA signal to secondary metabolites and improving the cultivation and quality of G. uralensis using agricultural strategies.

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of the medicinal plant Arctium lappa.

Arctium lappa, commonly called burdock, has a long medicinal and edible history. It has recently gained increasing attention because of its economic value. In this study, we obtained the complete chloroplast genome of A. lappa by Illumina Hiseq. The complete chloroplast genome of A. lappa is a typical circular structure with 152 708 bp in length. The GC content in the whole chloroplast genome of A. lappa is 37.7%. A total of 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 87 protein-coding genes were successfully annotated. And the chloroplast genome contains 113 unique genes, 19 of which are duplicated in the inverted repeat. The distribution of 39 simple sequence repeats was analysed, and most of them are in the large single-copy (LSC) sequence. An inversion comprising 16 genes was found in the LSC region, which is 26 283 bp long. We performed multiple sequence alignments using 72 common protein-coding genes of 29 species and constructed a Maximum Parsimony (MP) tree. The MP phylogenetic result shows that A. lappa grouped together with Carthamus tinctorius, Centaurea diffusa, and Saussurea involucrata. The chloroplast genome of A. lappa is a valuable resource for further studies in Asteraceae.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Rhus potaninii.

We reported the complete chloroplast genome sequences of Rhus potaninii which was characterized by de novo assembly with Illumina sequencing data. The size of R. potaninii complete chloroplast genome is 159,620 bp in length and includes a large single copy region of 87,722 bp, a small single copy region of 18,948 bp, and a pair of inverted repeats of 26,475 bp. Its GC content is 37.9%. A total of 133 genes were predicted, including 86 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 2 pseudogenes. Maximum-likelihood (ML) phylogenetic tree indicates that R. potaninii is sister to R. chinensis.

Gene Losses and Variations in Chloroplast Genome of Parasitic Plant Macrosolen and Phylogenetic Relationships within Santalales.

Macrosolen plants are parasitic shrubs, several of which are important medicinal plants, that are used as folk medicine in some provinces of China. However, reports on Macrosolen are limited. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome sequences of Macrosolen cochinchinensis, Macrosolen tricolor and Macrosolen bibracteolatus are reported. The chloroplast genomes were sequenced by Illumina HiSeq X. The length of the chloroplast genomes ranged from 129,570 bp (M. cochinchinensis) to 126,621 bp (M. tricolor), with a total of 113 genes, including 35 tRNA, eight rRNA, 68 protein-coding genes, and two pseudogenes (ycf1 and rpl2). The simple sequence repeats are mainly comprised of A/T mononucleotide repeats. Comparative genome analyses of the three species detected the most divergent regions in the non-coding spacers. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood strongly supported the idea that Loranthaceae and Viscaceae are monophyletic clades. The data obtained in this study are beneficial for further investigations of Macrosolen in respect to evolution and molecular identification.

Comparative and Phylogenetic Analyses of Ginger (Zingiber officinale) in the Family Zingiberaceae Based on the Complete Chloroplast Genome.

Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, is an important plant of the family Zingiberaceae and is widely used as an herbal medicine and condiment. The lack of chloroplast genomic information hinders molecular research and phylogenetic analysis on ginger. We introduced the complete chloroplast genome of Z. officinale and identified its phylogenetic position in Zingiberaceae. The chloroplast genome of Z. officinale is 162,621 bp with a four-part circular structure and 36.1% GC content. All 113 unique genes were annotated. A total of 78 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 42 long repeat sequences, which are potential areas for species authentication, were found. Comparative analysis revealed some highly variable regions, including rps16-trnQ-UUG, atpH-atpI, trnT-UGU-trnL-UAA, ycf1, and psaC-ndhE. Moreover, the small single-copy (SSC) region was the most variable region in all four shared regions, indicating that it may be undergoing rapid nucleotide substitution in the family Zingiberaceae. Phylogenetic analysis based on all available chloroplasts of Zingiberales in the National Center for Biotechnology Information indicated that Zingiber is a sister branch to Kaempferia species. The availability of the Z. officinale chloroplast genome provided invaluable data for species-level authentication and phylogenetic analysis and can thus benefit further investigations on species in the family Zingiberaceae.

Comparison and Phylogenetic Analysis of Chloroplast Genomes of Three Medicinal and Edible Amomum Species.

Amomum villosum is an important medicinal and edible plant with several pharmacologically active volatile oils. However, identifying A. villosum from A. villosum var. xanthioides and A. longiligulare which exhibit similar morphological characteristics to A. villosum, is difficult. The main goal of this study, therefore, is to mine genetic resources and improve molecular methods that could be used to distinguish these species. A total of eight complete chloroplasts (cp) genomes of these Amomum species which were collected from the main producing areas in China were determined to be 163,608-164,069 bp in size. All genomes displayed a typical quadripartite structure with a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (29,820-29,959 bp) that separated a large single copy (LSC) region (88,680-88,857 bp) from a small single copy (SSC) region (15,288-15,369 bp). Each genome encodes 113 different genes with 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. More than 150 SSRs were identified in the entire cp genomes of these three species. The Sanger sequencing results based on 32 Amomum samples indicated that five highly divergent regions screened from cp genomes could not be used to distinguish Amomum species. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the cp genomes could not only accurately identify Amomum species, but also provide a solid foundation for the establishment of phylogenetic relationships of Amomum species. The availability of cp genome resources and the comparative analysis is beneficial for species authentication and phylogenetic analysis in Amomum.

Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Three Ephedra Herbs Containing Ephedrine.

Ephedrae Herba and Ephedrae Radix et Rhizoma (Mahuang) have been used as Chinese herbal medicines. Ephedra plants mainly live in deserts and have good governance of desertification. Despite their important medicinal and environmental protection value, dietary supplements containing ephedrine from Ephedra species may threaten the health of people. Morphological resemblance amongst species causes difficulty in identifying the original species of Ephedra herbs. Chloroplast (CP) genome shows good prospects in identification and phylogenetic analysis. This study introduced the structures of the CP genomes of three Ephedra species and analysed their phylogenetic relationships. Three complete CP genomes of Ephedra showed four-part annular structures, namely, two single-copy regions and two inverted repeat regions. The entire CP genomes of three Ephedra species in terms of size were 109,550 bp (E. sinica), 109,667 bp (E. intermedia), and 109,558 bp (E. equisetina). Each CP genome of the three Ephedra species encoded 118 genes, including 73 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes and 8 ribosomal RNA genes. Eleven high-variation regions were screened through mVISTA to be potential specific DNA barcodes for identifying Ephedra species. Maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony trees showed that CP genomes could be used to identify Ephedra species. The Ephedra species had a close phylogenetic relationship with Gnetum species and Welwitschia mirabilis. This research provided valuable information for the identification and phylogenetic analysis of gymnosperms and drug safety of Ephedra.

Application of protein chip combined with SELDI-TOF-MS detection to investigate serum protein expression in patients with silicosis fibrosis.

The present study aimed to observe the identification of biomarkers of silicosis based on the differentially expressed serum proteins between normal healthy individuals and patients with silicosis fibrosis. A total number of 20 patients with clinically diagnosed silicosis were screened, which were designated as the foundation treatment group. In addition, 20 age-matched healthy patients attending a check-up at the physical examination department were selected. Serum samples were obtained and a combined protein chip with surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization flight mass spectrometry was applied to perform serum analysis. Data preprocessing, screening differences in peak, hierarchical cluster analysis, Principal Component Analysis, construction of a decision tree model, and prediction based on the differences between peaks corresponding to proteins were performed to analyze the data. The results revealed differences in the proteins in serum between the normal group and the group prior to foundation treatment prediction. The corresponding names of the protein peak, predicted protein, and gene name were as follows: M1948_00, complement c3 frag, C3; M2017_02, amyloid-ßa4 protein, APP; and M2879_56, hepcidin, HAMP. Differentially expressed serum proteins in the normal group and the basis treatment group were predicted, including M2017_02, amyloid-ßa4 protein, APP; M2879_56, hepcidin, HAMP; and M3224_97, fibrinogen-α chain frags, FGA. The differentially expressed serum proteins in the group prior to basis treatment and the group following basis treatment were predicted, including M2001_69, amyloid-ßa4 protein, APP; M2017_02, amyloid-ßa4 protein, APP, M4144_81, plasma protease c1 inhibitor frag, and SERPING1. In conclusion, there were differences in the proteins in serum between the patients with silicosis fibrosis and healthy individuals.

LAP+CD4+ T cells are elevated among the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and tumor tissue of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of latency-associated peptide (LAP)+CD4+T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) immunity. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to detect the proportion of LAP+CD4+ T cells among the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 30 HBV-infected HCC patients at the pre-operative and post-operative stages, as well as 30 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected volunteers as a control group. Furthermore, tumor tissues and peri-tumor tissues from 28 patients with HCC, as well as hepatic tissues from 28 HBV-infected patients with benign lesions were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis with double staining for LAP and CD4, and the average number of the LAP+CD4+T cells in each visual field was quantified. The results indicated that the proportion of LAP+CD4+ T cells in the PBMCs of patients with HCC was significantly higher than that in the control group (1.84±0.85 vs. 0.73±0.39%, P=0.019), while it was significantly reduced after the operation (1.07±0.35, P=0.021), but still slightly, if not significantly, higher compared with that in the control group (P=0.342). Furthermore, the number of LAP+CD4+ T cells per high-magnification microscopic field (magnification, ×400) in the HCC tissues was 11.25±3.00, which was significantly higher than that in the peri-cancer tissues (5.75±1.00) and that in the HBV-infected hepatic tissues around benign lesions (2.61±0.83). In peri-cancer tissues, LAP+CD4+ T cells were also significantly more abundant than in control tissues. Furthermore, in the HCC tissues, LAP+CD4+ T cells were present as clusters in the tumor stroma and closely associated with CD4+ T lymphocytes. By contrast, in the peri-cancer liver tissues and HBV-infected hepatic tissues around benign lesions, LAP+CD4+ T cells were sparsely distributed. LAP+CD4+ T cells have marked inhibitory effects, and in the peripheral blood and tumor tissues of patients with HCC, they have an important role in the suppression of anti-tumor immunity and in the immune evasion of tumor cells.

MicroRNA­24­2 is associated with cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis in renal cell carcinoma.

Micro (mi)RNAs are involved in multiple cellular processes, and alterations in miRNA expression have been demonstrated to lead to tumorigenesis. Previous microarray analysis revealed that miRNA (miR)­24 was downregulated in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Additionally, miR­24 has been identified as an oncogene and tumor suppressor in various cancers. The present study assessed the expression levels of two stem­loops of miR­24, miR­24­1 and miR­24­2, in RCC tissues and paired healthy tissues by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that miR­24­2 was upregulated in RCC tissues and ACHN, 786­O and 769P cell lines compared with healthy tissues and HEK­293T cells, respectively, whereas miR­24­1 was almost absent in RCC and healthy kidney tissues. To investigate the role of miR­24­2 in RCC, a synthesized miR­24­2 mimic, negative control (NC), inhibitor or inhibitor NC was transfected into 786­O and ACHN RCC cells, and cell proliferation, mobility and apoptosis assays were performed. The results of the present study revealed that miR­24­2 was associated with cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis, thus demonstrating that miR­24­2 may serve a role as an oncogene in RCC. Further studies are required to investigate the signaling pathways of miR­24­2, and the potential of miR­24­2 as a therapeutic target or biomarker for the early detection of RCC.

lncRNA C22orf32-1 contributes to the tumorigenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unclear. The present study investigated the abnormal expression of long non-coding (lnc)RNAs in NPC tissues and one NPC cell line to identify the involvement of lncRNAs in the tumorigenesis of NPC. Using a quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), the expression of lncRNA C22orf32-1 in NPC tissues and an NPC cell line was verified. The effects of lncRNA C22orf32-1 on NPC cells were investigated with a cell proliferation assay, cell scratch assay, Transwell assay and a cell apoptosis assay. The expression levels of lncRNA C22orf32-1 in NPC tissues and an NPC cell line were upregulated. lncRNA C22orf32-1 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC cells, and reduced the apoptosis of NPC cells. The data demonstrated that lncRNA C22orf32-1 may facilitate the tumorigenesis of NPC, and may be used for the early diagnosis and treatment of NPC.

Effect of Xinjiang Uyghur Vernonia anthelmintica Willd Injection Treatment with Silicosis Fibrosis.

Objective. To observe the curative effect of VAWI on Xinjiang Uygur patients with silicosis fibrosis. Methods. After we diagnosed the 40 patients with the first phase of silicosis, we randomly divided them into two groups: the basic treatment group (group A, n = 20) and the VAWI group (group B, n = 20). At the same time, we selected the age-matched healthy patients (n = 20). We applied the combined protein chip with SELDI-TOF-MS to carry out the serum analysis. The data were analyzed throughout data preprocessing, difference in PEAK screening, hierarchical cluster analysis, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We built decision tree model and predict the difference between the PEAK corresponding proteins. Results. The proteins peaks corresponding to name, predicted protein, and gene name were as follows: M2001_69, amyloid beta a4 protein, APP, and M2017_02, amyloid beta a4 protein, APP. The different expression of proteins in patients with silicosis was found before and after with VAWI treatment. The predicted proteins were as follows: M1982_50, amyloid beta a4 protein, APP; M3164_50, fibrinogen alpha chain frag, FGA; M3379_28, fibrinogen alpha chain frag, FGA; and so on. Conclusion. VAWI presented curative effect on patients with silicosis fibrosis via the alternation of proteins expression in serum.

Functional elucidation of miR-494 in the tumorigenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma has very high incidence and high mortality worldwide. MiRNA is related to the tumorigenesis and metastasis of a variety of tumors. In the present study, we verify that the expression of miR-494 in NPC tissues and NPC-derived cells was down-regulated, respectively. The proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of NPC-derived cells were suppressed, while the cell apoptosis was promoted, when miR-494 was over-expressed in these cells. GALNT7 and CDK16 were confirmed to be the direct targets of miR-494. These results suggested that miR-494 play an inhibitory role in the tumorigenesis of NPC.