Loss of SATB2 and CDX2 expression is associated with DNA mismatch repair protein deficiency and BRAF mutation in colorectal cancer.

The relationship between the expression of the SATB2 and CDX2 proteins and common molecular changes and clinical prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) still needs further clarification. We collected 1180 cases of CRC and explored the association between the expression of SATB2 and CDX2 and clinicopathological characteristics, molecular alterations, and overall survival of CRC using whole-slide immunohistochemistry. Our results showed that negative expression of SATB2 and CDX2 was more common in MMR-protein-deficient CRC than in MMR-protein-proficient CRC (15.8% vs. 6.0%, P = 0.001; 14.5% vs. 4.0%, P = 0.000, respectively). Negative expression of SATB2 and CDX2 was more common in BRAF-mutant CRC than in BRAF wild-type CRC (17.2% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.003; 13.8% vs. 4. 2%; P = 0.004, respectively). There was no relationship between SATB2 and/or CDX2 negative expression and KRAS, NRAS, and PIK3CA mutations. The lack of expression of SATB2 and CDX2 was associated with poor histopathological features of CRC. In multivariate analysis, negative expression of SATB2 (P = 0.030), negative expression of CDX2 (P = 0.043) and late clinical stage (P = 0.000) were associated with decreased overall survival of CRC. In conclusion, the lack of SATB2 and CDX2 expression in CRC was associated with MMR protein deficiency and BRAF mutation, but not with KRAS, NRAS and PIK3CA mutation. SATB2 and CDX2 are prognostic biomarkers in patients with CRC.

Effects of Co-Culture EBV-miR-BART1-3p on Proliferation and Invasion of Gastric Cancer Cells Based on Exosomes.

AIM: EBV encodes at least 44 miRNAs involved in immune regulation and disease progression. Exosomes can be used as carriers of EBV-miRNA-BART intercellular transmission and affect the biological behavior of cells. We characterized exosomes and established a co-culture experiment of exosomes to explore the mechanism of miR-BART1-3p transmission through the exosome pathway and its influence on tumor cell proliferation and invasion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Exosomes of EBV-positive and EBV-negative gastric cancer cells were characterized by transmission electron microscopy. NanoSight and Western blotting, and miRNA expression profiles in exosomes were sequenced with high throughput. Exosomes with high or low expression of miR-BART1-3p were co-cultured with AGS cells to study the effects on proliferation, invasion, and migration of gastric cancer cells. The target genes of EBV-miR-BART1-3p were screened and predicted by PITA, miRanda, RNAhybrid, virBase, and DIANA-TarBase v.8 databases, and the expression of the target genes after co-culture was detected by qPCR. RESULTS: The exosomes secreted by EBV-positive and negative gastric cancer cells range in diameter from 30 nm to 150 nm and express the exosomal signature proteins CD9 and CD63. Small RNA sequencing showed that exosomes expressed some human miRNAs, among which hsa-miR-23b-3p, hsa-miR-320a-3p, and hsa-miR-4521 were highly expressed in AGS-exo; hsa-miR-21-5p, hsa-miR-148a-3p, and hsa-miR-7-5p were highly expressed in SNU-719-exo. All EBV miRNAs were expressed in SNU-719 cells and their exosomes, among which EBV-miR-BART1-5p, EBV-miR-BART22, and EBV-miR-BART16 were the highest in SNU-719 cells; EBV-miR-BART1-5p, EBV-miR-BART10-3p, and EBV-miR-BART16 were the highest in SNU-719-exo. After miR-BART1-3p silencing in gastric cancer cells, the proliferation, healing, migration, and invasion of tumor cells were significantly improved. Laser confocal microscopy showed that exosomes could carry miRNA into recipient cells. After co-culture with miR-BART1-3p silenced exosomes, the proliferation, healing, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells were significantly improved. The target gene of miR-BART1-3p was FAM168A, MACC1, CPEB3, ANKRD28, and USP37 after screening by a targeted database. CPEB3 was not expressed in all exosome co-cultured cells, while ANKRD28, USP37, MACC1, and FAM168A were all expressed to varying degrees. USP37 and MACC1 were down-regulated after up-regulation of miR-BART1-3p, which may be the key target genes for miR-BART1-3p to regulate the proliferation of gastric cancer cells through exosomes. CONCLUSIONS: miR-BART1-3p can affect the growth of tumor cells through the exosome pathway. The proliferation, healing, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells were significantly improved after co-culture with exosomes of miR-BART1-3p silenced expression. USP37 and MACC1 may be potential target genes of miR-BART1-3p in regulating cell proliferation.

Personalized nutrition intervention improves nutritional status and quality of life of colorectal cancer survivors in the community: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of personalized nutrition intervention combined with telephone-based education on the nutritional status of colorectal cancer survivors and their quality of life. METHODS: In this randomized, parallel-controlled trial, 60 colorectal cancer survivors who met the eligibility criteria were recruited from a community in Shanghai and randomly assigned 1:1 into nutrition intervention and routine care groups. The routine care group received a follow up by telephoneafter 6 months. The nutrition intervention group received personalized nutritional interventions and telephone-based education through the WeChat app for 6 mo. Nutrition status, dietary intake, and quality of life were measured and compared between the groups. RESULTS: Of the enrolled participants, 56 participants were included in the modified intent-to-treat analysis for comparison. After the 6-mo intervention, the nutrition group had a statistically lower patient-generated subjective global assessment score and higher energy and protein intake compared with the routine care group. Moreover, the nutrition intervention group gained more weight (2.00 kg; 95% confidence interval, 0.25-3.00) than the routine care group (0.00 kg; 95% confidence interval, -1.75 to 0.00). Meanwhile, compared with the routine care group, the nutrition intervention group had significantly higher global health status, as well as physical, role, emotional, cognitive, and social functioning (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Personalized nutrition interventions, combined with telephone-based education, provided by community health service centers can improve colorectal cancer survivors' nutritional status and quality of life. Personalized nutrition intervention for cancer survivors warrants further investigation in confirmatory studies.

Unprecedented Formation of a Binuclear Au(II)-Au(II) Complex through Redox State Cycling: Electrochemical Interconversion of Au(I)-Au(I), Au(II)-Au(II), and Au(I)-Au(III) in Binuclear Complexes Containing the Carbanionic Ligand C6F4PPh2.

The rational design of binuclear Au(I)-Au(I), Au(II)-Au(II), and Au(I)-Au(III) complexes requires an understanding of how the redox states interconvert. Herein, the electrochemical interconversion of the three oxidation states I, II, and III is reported on the voltammetric (cyclic and rotating disk electrode) time scales for binuclear gold complexes containing C6F4PPh2 as a ligand, to demonstrate for the first time formation of a binuclear Au(II)-Au(II) from a Au(I)-Au(III) complex. Results are supported by bulk electrolysis and coulometry with reaction products being identified by 31P NMR and UV-vis spectroscopy. All electrochemical processes involve an overall two-electron charge-transfer process with no one-electron intermediate being detected. Importantly, the kinetically rather than thermodynamically favored isomer [Au2IIX2(µ-2-C6F4PPh2)2] is formed on redox cycling of [XAuI(µ-2-C6F4PPh2)(κ2-2-C6F4PPh2)AuIIIX] (X = Cl, ONO2). Finally, a mechanism is proposed to explain the simultaneous change of coordination of the chelating carbanionic ligand to bridging mode and interconversion of oxidation states in binuclear gold complexes.

Molecular cloning, characterization and expression analysis of S- adenosyl- L-homocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) during the pathogenic infection of Litopenaeus vannamei by Vibrio alginolyticus.

SAHH is an enzyme, playing a significant role in the catalyzation of the S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH) into homocysteine (Hcy) and adenosine (Ado). However, little is known information of the enzyme in crustaceans. In the present study, SAHH cDNA was cloned from Litopenaeus vannamei (LvSAHH). The full length of the LvSAHH was found, containing a 5' UTR of 119 bp, an ORF of 1236 bp and a 3' UTR of 549 bp. The LvSAHH gene encoded a polypeptide of 411 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 45.55 kD and a predicted isoelectronic point (pI) of 5.63. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequence showed that LvSAHH has high identity (70 %-82%) with other known species. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that LvSAHH mRNA was broadly expressed in all of the examined tissues, while the highest expression level was observed in muscle, followed by the expression in stomach, gill, pleopod, hepatopancreas, heart, eye and intestine. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that LvSAHH was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm and nucleus. LvSAHH mRNA expression levels in hepatopancreas and gill were significantly up-regulated from 6 to 48 h after V. alginolyticus injection and reached the highest level (15-fold and 8-fold, p < 0.01) at 24 h, respectively. Additionally, the Toll-like receptors (TLR) and interleukins-16 (IL-16) were detected in hepatopancreas and gill of LvSAHH-knockdown SAHH. LvRack1, LvToll1, LvToll2, LvToll3 and LvIL-16 transcripts were decreased significantly in LvSAHH-knockdown shrimp at 24 h post V. alginolyticus stimulation in hepatopancreas and gill. But LvToll3 was no significant difference in gill. In summary, these results indicated that LvSAHH may play a regulatory role in the invertebrate innate immune defense by regulating TLR and IL-16 expression.

Application of Bayesian Inference in Fourier-Transformed Alternating Current Voltammetry for Electrode Kinetic Mechanism Distinction.

Estimation of parameters of interest in dynamic electrochemical (voltammetric) studies is usually undertaken via heuristic or data optimization comparison of the experimental results with theory based on a model chosen to mimic the experiment. Typically, only single point parameter values are obtained via either of these strategies without error estimates. In this article, Bayesian inference is introduced to Fourier-transformed alternating current voltammetry (FTACV) data analysis to distinguish electrode kinetic mechanisms (reversible or quasi-reversible, Butler-Volmer or Marcus-Hush models) and quantify the errors. Comparisons between experimental and simulated data were conducted across all harmonics using public domain freeware (MECSim).

Unlocking the Electrocatalytic Activity of Antimony for CO2 Reduction by Two-Dimensional Engineering of the Bulk Material.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials are known to be useful in catalysis. Engineering 3D bulk materials into the 2D form can enhance the exposure of the active edge sites, which are believed to be the origin of the high catalytic activity. Reported herein is the production of 2D "few-layer" antimony (Sb) nanosheets by cathodic exfoliation. Application of this 2D engineering method turns Sb, an inactive material for CO2 reduction in its bulk form, into an active 2D electrocatalyst for reduction of CO2 to formate with high efficiency. The high activity is attributed to the exposure of a large number of catalytically active edge sites. Moreover, this cathodic exfoliation process can be coupled with the anodic exfoliation of graphite in a single-compartment cell for in situ production of a few-layer Sb nanosheets and graphene composite. The observed increased activity of this composite is attributed to the strong electronic interaction between graphene and Sb.

Dual-Frequency Alternating Current Designer Waveform for Reliable Voltammetric Determination of Electrode Kinetics Approaching the Reversible Limit.

Alternating current (ac) voltammetry provides access to faster electrode kinetics than direct current (dc) methods. However, difficulties in ac and other methods arise when the heterogeneous electron-transfer rate constant (k(0)) approaches the reversible limit, because the voltammetric characteristics become insensitive to electrode kinetics. Thus, in this near-reversible regime, even small uncertainties associated with bulk concentration (C), diffusion coefficient (D), electrode area (A), and uncompensated resistance (Ru) can lead to significant systematic error in the determination of k(0). In this study, we have introduced a kinetically sensitive dual-frequency designer waveform into the Fourier-transformed large-amplitude alternating current (FTAC) voltammetric method that is made up of two sine waves having the same amplitude but with different frequencies (e.g., 37 and 615 Hz) superimposed onto a dc ramp to quantify the close-to-reversible Fc(0/+) process (Fc = ferrocene) in two nonhaloaluminate ionic liquids. The concept is that from a single experiment the lower-frequency data set, collected on a time scale where the target process is reversible, can be used as an internal reference to calibrate A, D, C, and Ru. These calibrated values are then used to calculate k(0) from analysis of the harmonics of the higher-frequency data set, where the target process is quasi-reversible. With this approach, k(0) values of 0.28 and 0.11 cm·s(-1) have been obtained at a 50 µm diameter platinum microdisk electrode for the close-to-diffusion-controlled Fc(0/+) process in two ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, respectively.

A wireless and sensitive detection of octachlorostyrene using modified AuNPs as signal-amplifying tags.

A wireless, remote query octachlorostyrene (OCS) biosensor was fabricated by coating a mass-sensitive magnetoelastic ribbon with anti-OCS antibody. In response to a time-varying magnetic field, the magnetoelastic sensor mechanically vibrates at a characteristic resonance frequency which inversely depends on the sensor mass loading. As the magnetoelastic film is magnetostrictive itself, the vibrations launch magnetic flux that can be remotely detected using a pickup coil. Au nanoparticles (NPs) were used to amplify the mass loading. In a sample solution containing OCS target and OCS-modified AuNPs (OCS-AuNPs), both OCS and OCS-AuNPs react with the anti-OCS antibody immobilized on the sensor surface in a competition mode. The bound OCS-AuNPs amount is inversely proportional to the OCS target concentration. The reduction of bound OCS-AuNPs induced by free OCS results in significant change in mass loading, which amplifies the responses. The biosensor demonstrates a linear shift in resonance frequency with OCS concentration between 7.4 µM and 9 nM, with a detection limit of 2.8 nM.

An octachlorostyrene electrochemical immunosensor: double amplification strategies with immobilization of nano-Au and Au nanoparticle labels.

Anti-octachlorostyrene (OCS) antibody was derived from an immune rabbit preparation. An OCS immunosensor was constructed by immobilizing the anti-OCS antibody on a glassy carbon electrode coated with chitosan and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, ∼5 nm, represented as AuNP05). Large-sized AuNPs (∼90 nm, represented as AuNP90) were used as the electrochemical label. The AuNP90-labeled OCS competes with the target OCS for the limited antibody molecules immobilized on the sensor surface. The amount of bound AuNP90 is inversely proportional to the OCS concentration. OCS was quantified based on the bound AuNP90 which was detected by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), i.e. the AuNP90 was firstly electrooxidized in 0.1 M HCl to produce AuCl4(-), then the reduction current of AuCl4(-) was detected. The immobilized AuNP05 increases the loading of anti-OCS antibody. Both the immobilized AuNP05 and the label AuNP90 amplify the sensor response. The proposed electrochemical immunosensor exhibits high selectivity, good storage stability, and high sensitivity with a linear range from 1 to 500 nM (R(2) = 0.971) and a detection limit of 0.4 nM.

A photoelectrochemical immunosensor for tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate detection with a multiple hybrid CdTe/Au-TiO2 nanotube arrays.

In this paper, tris(2,3-dibromopropyl) isocyanurate (TBC) is for the first time as far as we know determined by ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunoassay using an antibody-modified ternary hybrid CdTe/Au-TiO2 nanotube arrays (NTAs) photoelectrode, developed by the pulse electrodeposition technique. The as-prepared hybrid shows enhanced photon absorption and photocurrent response, which subsequently increased the photoelectrical conversion efficiency in the visible region. TBC-antibody (Ab) was developed in rabbits as a result of immunization with the BSA-TBC conjugate and covalently cross-linked onto the CdTe/Au-TiO2 NTAs. Since the photocurrent is highly dependent on the TiO2 surface properties, the specific interaction between TBC and the antibody results in a sensitive change in the photocurrent, which displayed a linear range of 5.0 × 10(-11) to 5.0 × 10(-5) M and a low detection limit of 5.0 × 10(-11) M for TBC determination. This proposed strategy highlights the application of TiO2 nanotube in visible-light-activated photoelectrochemical biosensing, which could largely reduce the destructive effect of UV light on biomolecules.

Electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection of trace level pentachlorophenol using carbon quantum dots.

Pentachlorophenol (PCP) is an environmental pollutant of serious concern due to its high toxicity and long persistence property. Fast and sensitive detection of PCP is therefore of great interest. In this work, carbon quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized by hydrothermal reaction, and characterized by fluorescence spectrophotometer, fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV/vis/NIR spectrophotometer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The carbon QDs show stable and intensive electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) in the presence of the coreactant S2O8(2-). Under the scanning potential of -1.2 to 0.5 V, PCP reacts with the excited C˙(-), resulting in a decrease in ECL. The detection of trace level PCP is therefore achieved using the carbon QDs and Pt working electrode. Parameters that may affect the ECL intensity including the pH of solution, ionic strength, concentrations of coreactant and carbon QDs are optimized. Under the optimal conditions, a detection limit of 1.3 × 10(-12) g L(-1) is achieved with a linear range of 10 pg L(-1)∼1.0 µg L(-1).

Two types of ATPases from the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei in response to environmental stress.

V-H ATPase and NaK ATPase are important classes of ATP-driven proton pumps that are present in the intracellular and plasma membranes of eukaryotic cells and play diverse roles in both normal and abnormal cellular processes. Among the subunits of the V-H ATPase complex, subunit a is a transmembrane glycoprotein that plays crucial roles in metabolism, growth, survival and cellular immunity. NaK ATPase subunit beta is thought to participate in the proper folding and movement of the NaK ATPase enzyme and may also aid cation transport. In this study, we analyzed the functions of V-H ATPase subunit a and NaK ATPase subunit beta from the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Full-length cDNAs of the genes corresponding to V-H ATPase subunit a and NaK ATPase subunit beta were obtained, which were 2654 and 2055 bp long, with open reading frames encoding 830 and 313 amino acids, respectively. RT-PCR analysis indicated that mRNA transcripts were strongly (but differentially) expressed in the gills and hepatopancreas, and at lower levels in other shrimp tissues. In this study, for the first time, the gene expression of V-H ATPase subunit a and NaK ATPase beta of white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei were analysed by quantitative real-time PCR after exposure to five kinds of environmental stresses (bacteria, pH, Cd, salinity and low temperature). The results demonstrate that both of the two genes are sensitive and involved in all different stress responses and are more sensitive to salinity than other stresses. And they may have relationship with the anti-stress mechanism induced by environment stress in shrimp.