LncRNA MALAT1 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Regulate BMI1 Expression by Sponging miR-200c/miR-203 in the Control of the Differentiation of Pulp Cells.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and miRNAs (microRNAs) are considered as key regulators of several biological processes, including dental development. In this study, we explored the lncRNAs and miRNAs which are involved in dental development. METHOD: Real-time PCR was performed to identify the candidate lncRNAs and miRNAs involved in dental development. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assay were carried out to establish the regulatory relationships between MALAT1, miR-203 and miR-200c in dental development. RESULTS: Among all candidate lncRNAs, only MALAT1 was highly expressed in differentiated human dental pulp cells (hDPCs), and among all candidate miRNAs which are down-regulated in differentiated hDPCs, miR-203, and miR-200c are most decreased. Furthermore, MALAT1 was up-regulated while miR-203 and miR-200c were down-regulated in differentiated hDPCs in a time-dependent manner. MiR-203 and miR-200c were proved to bind to MALAT1. Moreover, BMI1 was identified as a target gene of miR-203 or miR-200c, and BMI1 was time-dependently decreased in hDPCs cultured with odontogenic medium. On the contrary, dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP), dentin matrix protein-1 (DMP-1), osteocalcin (OCN), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), were time-dependently increased in hDPCs cultured with odontogenic medium. Finally, the overexpression of MALAT1 and the knockdown of miR-203/miR-200c both significantly increased the levels of BMI1, DSPP, DMP-1, OCN, and ALP, while the effect of knockdown of miR-203/miR-200c was much stronger than that of the overexpression of MALAT1. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that MALAT1 functions as a competing endogenous RNA of miR-203 and miR-200c and accordingly promotes BMI1 expression. Therefore, MALAT1 may serve as a biomarker for dental development.

Research on the Fractal Characteristics and Energy Dissipation of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Concrete after Exposure to Elevated Temperatures under Impact Loading.

The fractal characteristics and energy dissipation of basalt fiber reinforced concrete (BFRC) with five kinds of fiber volume contents (0.0%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%) after exposure to different temperatures (20 °C, 200 °C, 400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C) under impact loading were investigated by using a 50 mm diameter split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus. Scale-mass distribution rules and fractal dimension characteristics of fragments were studied based on the screening statistical method and the fractal theory. Furthermore, the relationship between the energy consumption density and the fractal dimension of fragments was established, and the effects of fiber content, temperature and impact velocity on fractal dimension and absorption energy were analyzed. The results show that the crushing severity of fragments and fractal dimension increase with the impact velocity under the same fiber content. The energy consumption density increases first and then decreases with increasing fiber content, and also decreases with increasing temperature. When the temperature and fiber content remain unchanged, the energy consumption density increases linearly with the increasing fractal dimension, and under the same impact velocity and temperature, there is no obvious linear relationship between energy consumption density and fractal dimension.

[The study on HLA-Cw polymorphism from Xi'an Han population by PCR-sequence specific oligonucleotide probe].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the HLA-Cw allele and genotype frequencies from Xi'an Han population and obtain genetic data. METHODS: The results of HLA-Cw typing for 130 randomly selected from Xi'an Han population were obtained by using the PCR-Sequence Specific Oligonucleotide Probes (SSOP). RESULTS: In this investigation, 16 alleles were detected among 130 unrelated individuals with frequencies from 0.0077 to 0.1588 and HLA-Cw*01,03,07 were the most common HLA-Cw alleles. We have made a survey of HLA-Cw alleles frequencies in Xi'an Han Population, with blank frequency being lowered to 0.018 2. CONCLUSION: The distribution of genotype frequencies met the law of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by Hi-square test. The frequency data can be used in forensic and paternity tests, transplant matching and anthropology.

[The design and application of small signal clinic sensor].

The performance and the characteristics of various sensors are analyzed to meet the requirement of measuring the bone force-electromechanical potentials. The strain sensor that is suitable small signal and bone force-electromechanical potential measure is developed and the curved structural form of the strain sensor is chosen. The strain sensor has the advantage of small volume, large linear range, convenient installation and high sensitivity. The relationship between the strain and force-electromechanical potential of bone specimen is determined in the experiment on the bone of femur and bone of teeth using this type of sensor which provides the valuable data for clinical use.

[The study of HLA-Cw polymorphism in Uygur population].

The HLA-Cw loci polymorphism in Uygur population was investigated using the PCR- sequence specific oligonucleotide probe (SSOP) method,and the genetic database on the distribution of gene frequency of the HLA-Cw loci was established. From 146 individuals of Uygur population,18 HLA-Cw alleles were detected. The gene frequency was from 0.0069 to 0.2460. The four most common alleles were HLA-Cw*04(24.60%),07(11.51%),08(10 10%),14(12.02%),and they covered 58.23% of total alleles detected from Uygur population.We have made a survey of HLA-Cw alleles frequencies in a Uygur population,with blank frequency being lowered to 0.0064. The distribution of genotype frequencies met the law of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by hi-square test. The frequency data can be used in forensic and paternity tests to estimate the frequency of a DNA profile in the Uygur population,transplant matching and anthropology.

Analysis of DNA polymorphism at HLA-A locus by PCR amplification with sequence specific oligonucleotide probe in Chinese Han and Uygur populations.

To determine HLA-A genetic polymorphism in Chinese populations and establish ethnic genetic database, 165 Han and 162 Uygur subjects were investigated with a non-isotopic and sensitive method PCR-SSOP. 22 alleles were identified in Han with the most frequent allele being HLA-A * 1101 (19.7%), followed by * 0201 (12.72%). Also, 22 alleles were identified in Uygur with * 2407 (17.90%) being the most frequent one and the frequencies of following alleles: * 0201, * 0101, * 3301 were higher than 10%. HLA-A * 0203, * 0205, * 0210, * 0302, * 2403 and * 3302 were only detected in Han; meanwhile * 0205, * 0211, * 2301, * 2502, * 68012 and * 6802 were only in Uygur. According to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, each allele showed no significant (P > 0.05) deviation between the expected frequency and the observed one. Heterozygosity (H), discrimination power (DP) and probability of paternity exclusion (EPP) of HLA-A locus from Han nationality were computed to be 0.9029, 0.9776 and 0.8592; and those from Uygur as 0.9063, 0.9379 and 0.7885. These results suggest that HLA-A DNA polymorphism and the database of two Chinese populations have useful applications in processing forensic casework (as personal identification, paternity test), tracing population migration and genetic diagnosis.