High expression of ZNF93 promotes proliferation and migration of ovarian cancer cells and relates to poor prognosis.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is most common type of gynecologic cancer and is frequently lethal. It is important to determine the pathologic mechanisms underlying OC. ZNF93 is a member of the zinc finger protein family. Abnormal expression of ZNF93 has been observed in various tumor cells. However, its clinical significance and biologic function in ovarian cancer remain unclear. In the present study, we established that ZNF93 expression was highly up-regulated in OC samples and was closely correlated with clinical stage, indicating poor prognosis. We then established that ZNF93 promoted OC cell proliferation and migration. The results of our study may provide insight into the use of ZNF93 as a marker of clinical outcome and as a potential therapeutic target in OC.

Mechanistic Insights into the Ni-Catalyzed Reductive Carboxylation of C-O Bonds in Aromatic Esters with CO2 : Understanding Remarkable Ligand and Traceless-Directing-Group Effects.

The mechanism of the Ni0 -catalyzed reductive carboxylation reaction of C(sp2 )-O and C(sp3 )-O bonds in aromatic esters with CO2 to access valuable carboxylic acids was comprehensively studied by using DFT calculations. Computational results revealed that this transformation was composed of several key steps: C-O bond cleavage, reductive elimination, and/or CO2 insertion. Of these steps, C-O bond cleavage was found to be rate-determining, and it occurred through either oxidative addition to form a NiII intermediate, or a radical pathway that involved a bimetallic species to generate two NiI species through homolytic dissociation of the C-O bond. DFT calculations revealed that the oxidative addition step was preferred in the reductive carboxylation reactions of C(sp2 )-O and C(sp3 )-O bonds in substrates with extended π systems. In contrast, oxidative addition was highly disfavored when traceless directing groups were involved in the reductive coupling of substrates without extended π systems. In such cases, the presence of traceless directing groups allowed for docking of a second Ni0 catalyst, and the reactions proceed through a bimetallic radical pathway, rather than through concerted oxidative addition, to afford two NiI species both kinetically and thermodynamically. These theoretical mechanistic insights into the reductive carboxylation reactions of C-O bonds were also employed to investigate several experimentally observed phenomena, including ligand-dependent reactivity and site-selectivity.

Do two oxidants (ferric-peroxo and ferryl-oxo species) act in the biosynthesis of estrogens? A DFT calculation.

Density functional theory calculations were performed in order to reveal the mysterious catalytic step of the biosynthesis of estrogens. The results indicated two reactive oxidants, ferric-peroxo and ferryl-oxo (compound I) species, to participate in the conversion of androgens to estrogens. The ferric-peroxo species was determined, according to our derived mechanism, to act in the oxidation of 19-OH androgen to yield the 19,19-gem-diol intermediate and generate the ferryl-oxo (compound I) species. This species was then modeled to effect, in the final step, an abstraction of H from an O-H group of 19,19-gem-diol to give the experimentally observed products. We considered our new mechanistic scenario to reasonably explain the latest experimental observations and to provide deep insight complementing the newly accepted compound I (Cpd I) mechanism.

Sequences of off-ladder alleles of PowerPlex 16 kit in Chinese Han population / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the sequences of off-ladder alleles of PowerPlex 16 kit in Chinese Han population and their nomenclature.@*METHODS@#10071 Samples from unrelated individuals in Chinese Han population were screened by using PowerPlex 16 kit and ABI 377 or 3100. The samples showing off-ladder alleles were re-screened with PAGE and the off-ladder alleles were obtained and sequenced.@*RESULTS@#32 off-ladder alleles were found in 11 STR loci, whose frequencies ranged from 0.05 per thousand to 4.02 per thousand. These alleles were classified as four types: (1) having complete repeat but its length is out of the ladder; (2)having incomplete repeat; (3) having deletion or insertion of one or two base(s) in flanking sequence; (4) having deletion of some segment.@*CONCLUSION@#Off-ladder alleles have various types. It demonstrates varying repteating number of the core unit, and variation in the flanking sequence or core sequence as well. The nomenclature of International Society for Forensic Haemogenetics cannot define these alleles effectively.