Dormancy regulator Prunus mume DAM6 promotes ethylene-mediated leaf senescence and abscission.

Leaf senescence and abscission in autumn are critical phenological events in deciduous woody perennials. After leaf fall, dormant buds remain on deciduous woody perennials, which then enter a winter dormancy phase. Thus, leaf fall is widely believed to be linked to the onset of dormancy. In Rosaceae fruit trees, DORMANCY-ASSOCIATED MADS-box (DAM) transcription factors control bud dormancy. However, apart from their regulatory effects on bud dormancy, the biological functions of DAMs have not been thoroughly characterized. In this study, we revealed a novel DAM function influencing leaf senescence and abscission in autumn. In Prunus mume, PmDAM6 expression was gradually up-regulated in leaves during autumn toward leaf fall. Our comparative transcriptome analysis using two RNA-seq datasets for the leaves of transgenic plants overexpressing PmDAM6 and peach (Prunus persica) DAM6 (PpeDAM6) indicated Prunus DAM6 may up-regulate the expression of genes involved in ethylene biosynthesis and signaling as well as leaf abscission. Significant increases in 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate accumulation and ethylene emission in DEX-treated 35S:PmDAM6-GR leaves reflect the inductive effect of PmDAM6 on ethylene biosynthesis. Additionally, ethephon treatments promoted autumn leaf senescence and abscission in apple and P. mume, mirroring the changes due to PmDAM6 overexpression. Collectively, these findings suggest that PmDAM6 may induce ethylene emission from leaves, thereby promoting leaf senescence and abscission. This study clarified the effects of Prunus DAM6 on autumn leaf fall, which is associated with bud dormancy onset. Accordingly, in Rosaceae, DAMs may play multiple important roles affecting whole plant growth during the tree dormancy induction phase.

Structural characterization of a novel mannogalactoglucan from Fortunella margarita and its simulated digestion in vitro.

This study was to investigate the structure of a polysaccharide fraction from the Fortunella margarita and the relationship between its digestibility and structure. A novel polysaccharide fraction extracted by graded precipitation at ethanol concentrations of 20% from F. margarita (named FP20) comprised mainly glucose, galactose, and mannose. The unit composition was →4)-ß-Glcp-(1 → 2)-α-Glcp-(1 → 2)-α-Galp-(1 → 4)-α-Galp-(1→ bone, and in →2)-α-Galp-(1→) with a branching point at C6 of ß-Manp. FP20 was identified as a mannogalactoglucan with a different monosaccharide composition ratio and side-chain sugar residues compared with other plant polysaccharides. Moreover, FP20 had a spherical aggregations by atomic force microscope test. FP20 had an island-shaped structures with a smooth surface revealed by field emission scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, in vitro digestive test, FP20 was resistance to a digestion system of saliva-gastric-small intestinal. The digestibility of FP20 was related to its backbone unit, structure and tight, uniform, and spherical chain conformation in aqueous.

Treatment of colon cancer in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal symptoms occur in approximately 50% of patients with systemic lupus erythematous with low specificity. Although it is well established that colon cancer is one of the many gastrointestinal manifestations associated with systemic lupus erythematous, the diagnosis and treatment remains complex due to adrenal insufficiency symptoms. CASE PRESENTATION: A 43-year-old Chinese woman with a five-year history of systemic lupus erythematous was diagnosed with colon cancer based on imaging test. A radical bowel resection was performed successfully. To avoid serious complications during surgery, prednisone was replaced with methylprednisolone therefore avoiding adrenal insufficiency. The patient was subsequently treated with mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy and recovered well. CONCLUSION: There is a lack of reports for treatment of colon cancer in patients with systemic lupus erythematous. This report provides an effective way to diagnose colon cancer in patients with systemic lupus erythematous and illustrates a successful therapy strategy for this complex medical condition.

Loss of profilin 2 contributes to enhanced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and metastasis of colorectal cancer.

Profilin 2 (PFN2) functions as an actin cytoskeleton regulator and serves an important role in cell motility. However, a role for PFN2 in the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC), particularly in metastasis, has yet to be clarified. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether PFN2 served specific roles in the progression of human CRC. The results demonstrated that PFN2 was differentially expressed in CRC tissues and cell lines by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. PFN2 expression was also negatively associated with the degree of tumor metastasis. Low PFN2 expression in CRC cells was related with enhanced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and, in turn, may increase migratory capabilities. Overexpression of PFN2 in CRC cell lines with a low level of endogenous PFN2 inhibited the EMT process, as well as the associated migration; in addition, myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation was upregulated. Inhibition of MLC phosphorylation attenuated the inhibition of EMT and cell migratory abilities induced by PFN2 overexpression in CRC cell lines, the results suggested that PFN2 may suppress cancer EMT and the subsequent metastasis by regulating cytoskeletal reorganization. These results demonstrated that PFN2 may serve a suppressive role in the metastasis of CRC and therefore may provide a new potential target for cancer therapeutics.

Restoration of Brain Acid Soluble Protein 1 Inhibits Proliferation and Migration of Thyroid Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND: Brain acid soluble protein 1 (BASP1) is identified as a novel potential tumor suppressor in several cancers. However, its role in thyroid cancer has not been investigated yet. In the present study, the antitumor activities of BASP1 against the growth and migration of thyroid cancer cells were evaluated. METHODS: BASP1 expression in thyroid cancer tissues and normal tissues were examined by immunohistochemical staining and the association between its expression and prognosis was analyzed. pcDNA-BASP1 carrying full length of BASP1 cDNA was constructed to restore the expression of BASP1 in thyroid cancer cell lines (BHT-101 and KMH-2). The cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo was evaluated by WST-1 assay and xenograft tumor models, respectively. Cell cycle distribution after transfection was analyzed using flow cytometry. Cell apoptosis after transfection was examined by annexin V/propidium iodide assay. The migration was examined using transwell assay. RESULTS: BASP1 expression was abundant in normal tissues while it is significantly decreased in cancer tissues (P = 0.000). pcDNA-BASP1 restored the expression of BASP1 and significantly inhibited the growth of BHT-101 and KMH-2 cells as well as xenograft tumors in nude mice (P = 0.000). pcDNA-BASP1 induced G1 arrest and apoptosis in BHT-101 and KMH-2 cells. In addition, pcDNA-BASP1 significantly inhibited the cell migration. CONCLUSIONS: Downregulation of BASP1 expression may play a role in the tumorigenesis of thyroid cancer. Restoration of BASP1 expression exerted extensive antitumor activities against growth and migration of thyroid cancer cells, which suggested that BASP1 gene might act as a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of thyroid cancer.

IL-1ß promotes proliferation and migration of gallbladder cancer cells via Twist activation.

Increasing evidence has revealed a correlation between chronic inflammation and gallbladder cancer (GBC). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In the present study, secretion of interleukin (IL)-1ß was examined in tissues of GBC, chronic cholecystitis and normal gallbladder, as well as in the supernatant of GBC-SD, SGC996 and HIBEpiC cells. The effect of IL-1ß on the proliferation and migration of GBC cell lines was also evaluated. In addition, the role of Twist in IL-1ß-induced proliferation of GBC cells was also studied. It was observed that the level of IL-1ß protein in normal gallbladder tissue was low, while it was significantly increased in GBC and chronic cholecystitis tissues. The level of IL-1ß protein and mRNA in GBC-SD and SGC996 cells was markedly higher than those in HIBEpiC cells. Exogenous IL-1ß promoted the proliferation of GBC-SD and SGC996 cells in vitro and in vivo, and also promoted migration in vitro. The level of Twist protein was significantly increased following treatment with exogenous IL-1ß. In addition, gene silencing of Twist blocked IL-1ß-induced proliferation and migration of GBC-SD and SGC996 cells. Taken together, these results indicate that IL-1ß promotes proliferation and migration of GBC cells via Twist activation.

Laparoscopy Combined With Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery for Rectal Cancer: A Prospective, Single-blinded, Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopy combined with transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM) in the treatment of rectal cancer. METHODS: A total of 60 rectal cancer patients who underwent radical resection from December 2009 to December 2013 were enrolled in this study. All patients were randomly divided to receive either laparoscopic surgery (LA group) or laparoscopy combined with TEM (LT group). Demographics including age and sex, and tumor characteristics including tumor size, distance from anal verge, and preoperative staging were all recorded. The operation time, hospital stay, cases with intraoperative blood transfusion, the number of resected lymph node, postoperative out-of-bed activity, passage of gas by anus, fasting time, and postoperative complications were assessed. RESULTS: Compared with the LA group, patients in the LT group had shorter operation time (118.5±22.0 vs. 138.1±23.8 min, P=0.002), earlier out-of-bed activity (60.4±19.2 vs. 83.6±9.6 h, P=0.001) and passage of gas by anus (81.4±5.4 vs. 86.2±8.7 h, P=0.013), and shorter hospital stay (8.0±2.8 vs. 11.0±3.5 d, P=0.001). Patients were followed up for a median time of 28 months (range, 3 to 48 mo). No local recurrence and distant metastasis occurred in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopy combined with TEM is a feasible and effective treatment for radical excision of middle-upper rectal cancer due to the advantages of lower morbidity and earlier recovery.

Somatostatin receptors 3, 4 and 5 play important roles in gallbladder cancer.

Expression changes of somatostatin receptor subtypes (SSTRs) including SSTR1, SSTR2, SSTR3, SSTR4 and SSTR5 in the development of gallbladder cancer were assessed with attention to relationships with clinical pathological characteristics. SSTRs in 29 gallbladder cancer and 25 normal gallbladder tissue specimens were examined by immunohistochemical staining. Differences between SSTRs expressions and clinical pathological parameters were analyzed by chi-square test. The five subtypes of SSTR were all expressed in gallbladder cancer tissues and SSTR3 presented the highest expression. SSTR5 expression was increased significantly in gallbladder cancer (P<0.05) compared with that in normal gallbladder tissue. SSTR3 expression in highly and moderately differentiated gallbladder cancer was significantly higher than that in poorly differentiated lesions (P<0.05). SSTR4 expression was lower in gallbladder cancer with lymph node metastasis than that in gallbladder cancer without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Therfore, these results indicated that SSRT5, SSTR3 and SSTR4 may play important roles in the formation and development of gallbladder cancer.

Transanal endoscopic microsurgery versus laparoscopic lower anterior resection for the treatment of T1-2 rectal cancers.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: It remains unknown whether transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEMS) is superior to laparoscopic lower anterior resection (LAR) for the treatment of rectal cancer. This study aimed to compare the surgical and oncological effectiveness as well as safety of TEMS and LAR in T1-2 rectal cancer patients. METHODOLOGY: T1-2N0 rectal cancer patients were prospectively and randomly assigned to local excision using TEMS (n=30) or radical resection using LAR (n=30). The primary outcome measures were postoperative recovery course. RESULTS: The operative duration of TEMS was significantly shorter than that of LAR (130.3±16.7 minutes vs. 198.7±16.8 minutes, p<0.01). The TEMS group restarted bowel movement significantly earlier than the LAR group (51.4±5.4h vs. 86.2±8.7h, p<0.01). The postoperative complications were mild and self-limited in the 2 groups. Local recurrences occurred in 2 T2 patients (2/28, 7.1%) at 8 months and 16 months following TEMS, respectively; no patient (0/30, 0.0%) developed local recurrence following LAR. CONCLUSIONS: TEMS was associated with more rapid postoperative recovery and minimal surgical morbidity in T1-2 rectal cancer patients as compared to LAR.