Phosphoglycerate-kinase-1 Is a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in HNSCC and Correlates With Immune Cell Infiltration.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the sixth leading cancer worldwide, with a high recurrence rate and a low cure rate. Phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), an essential enzyme in the aerobic glycolysis pathway, is a prognostic marker for a variety of cancers. However, it remains unclear whether a PGK1-based immune signature can be used as a prognostic biomarker in HNSCC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We explored the potential oncogenic mechanisms of PGK1 by multiple bioinformatics analyses combined with multiple databases, including the correlation between PGK1 and prognosis, and the infiltration of immune cells in HNSCC. Functional enrichment analyses were further performed to investigate the potential role of PGK1 in HNSCC. RESULTS: The expression of PGK1 was significantly higher in HNSCC tissues compared to normal tissues. High expression of PGK1 was associated with poor prognosis in HNSCC, and multivariate cox regression analysis showed that PGK1 could be an independent prognostic factor in HNSCC. Pathway analysis revealed that PGK1 may regulate the pathogenesis of HNSCC through the immune signaling pathway. Moreover, PGK1 expression significantly correlated with the infiltration level of 16 types of immune cells. CONCLUSION: The current study reports that PGK1 expression was increased in HNSCC and that high PGK1 expression was closely associated with poor prognosis and immune cell infiltration, which could serve as a promising independent prognostic biomarker and potential immunotherapeutic target for HNSCC.

Effects of melatonin on testicular function in adult male mice under different photoperiods.

Photoperiod is an important environmental factor affecting animal physiological function. Melatonin is an endogenous hormone that plays an important role in circadian and seasonal (or cyclical) rhythms and seasonal reproduction in mammals. To investigate the effects of melatonin on the reproductive performance of adult male mice under different photoperiods, sixty mice were randomly allotted to six groups: control (Light Dark, 12 L:12 D), control plus melatonin (MLD, 12 L:12 D), 24-hour continuous light (LL, 24 L:0 D), 24-hour continuous light plus melatonin (MLL 24 L:0 D), constant darkness (DD, 0 L:24 D), and constant darkness plus melatonin (MDD, 0 L:24 D). Normal saline (100 µL) was injected into the LD, LL, and DD groups at noon each day; the MLD, MLL, and MDD groups were injected with melatonin (1 mg/mL; 2 mg/kg·body weigh). After 24 hours of prolonged light exposure, testis morphology decreased, convoluted seminiferous tubules became sparse, the diameter of convoluted seminiferous tubules decreased, and the level of sex hormones decreased. After the administration of exogenous melatonin, testicular morphology and sex hormone levels decreased in the MLD group under normal light conditions. In the MLL group, the testicular tissue morphology returned to normal, the diameter of convoluted tubules increased, the hormone levels of LH (Luteinizing hormone) and MTL (melatonin) significantly increased (P<0.05), and th0e gene expressions of LHß and Mtnr1A (Melatonin receptors 1A) increased. There was almost no difference in the MDD group under continuous darkness. In conclusion, melatonin can damage the reproductive performance of male mice under normal light conditions, while exogenous melatonin can alleviate and protect the testicular injury of male mice under continuous light conditions.

Effects of stocking density on ovarian development and maturation during the rearing period in Shan-ma ducks.

Stocking density critically affects the growth and subsequent performance of animals in modern poultry production. This study investigated the effects of stocking density on ovarian development, ovarian maturation, and the mRNA expression of key genes in the reproductive axis during the rearing period of Shan-ma ducks. The experiments involved 180 healthy 7-wk-old Shan-ma ducks and randomly divided into low stocking density (LSD; n = 30, density = 5 birds/m2), medium stocking density (MSD; n = 60, density = 10 birds/m2) and high stocking density groups (HSD; n = 90, density = 15 birds/m2), for rearing. After examining ovarian development and measuring hormone levels in the plasma and expression levels of key regulatory genes in the reproductive axis at 19 wk of rearing, analysis of the gonad index analysis, reflecting stocking density, uncovered statistically significant differences. The gonad index of the LSD group was significantly higher than those of the MSD and HSD groups (P < 0.01), while no significant difference was observed between the MSD and HSD groups. pre-ovulatory follicles (POFs) and small yellow follicles (SYFs) development was only apparent in the LSD group, with the large white follicles (LWFs) number of this group being significantly higher than that of the MSD group (P < 0.05). The blood levels of E2 (estradiol), P4 (progesterone), and T (testosterone) were significantly higher in the LSD group than in the MSD and HSD groups (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Also, the levels of both P4 and T were significantly higher in the MSD group than in the HSD group (P < 0.01). The gene expression levels of GnRHR, FSH, AMHR, and FSHR were significantly increased in the LSD group compared to the MSD and HSD groups (P < 0.05 or 0.01), while the expression levels of GnIHR and GDF9 were significantly decreased in the LSD and MSD groups compared to the HSD group (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Steroid biosynthesis pathway genes such as StAR, CYP11A1, 3ß-HSD, CYP19A1, and BMP15 were significantly downregulated at greater stocking densities (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Likewise, the protein expression of StAR, 3ß-HSD, and CYP19A1 was also significantly decreased (P < 0.05 or 0.01). These results demonstrate that both medium and high stocking densities suppressed the expression of the key reproduction-promoting factors, while the expression level of the key reproductive inhibitory factors was enhanced. Therefore, rates of ovarian development and maturation could be reduced by a high stocking density leading to a delay in reproduction performance during the rearing period of Shan-ma ducks.

[Construction of a red fluorescent shuttle vector controlled by recA operon promoter of Streptococcus mutans].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a red fluorescent shuttle vector controlled by recA operon promoter to transform Streptococcus mutans. METHODS: The promoter of recA was amplified from Streptococcus mutans UA159, and connected to plasmid pDsRed2-N1 to construct pRred with a red fluorescent coding gene, which was then inserted into the shuttle vector pDL276 to construct pLRred. RESULTS: pLRred was successfully constructed, and Escherichia coli transformed with the pLRred plasmid could express reporter gene DsRed. CONCLUSIONS: The recombination plasmid pLRred can be used in the further research of the expression of cariogenic virulence factor gene by Streptococcus mutans in biofilm.