MACC: a visual interactive knowledgebase of metabolite-associated cell communications.

Metabolite-associated cell communications play critical roles in maintaining the normal biological function of human through coordinating cells, organs and physiological systems. Though substantial information of MACCs has been continuously reported, no relevant database has become available so far. To address this gap, we here developed the first knowledgebase (MACC), to comprehensively describe human metabolite-associated cell communications through curation of experimental literatures. MACC currently contains: (a) 4206 carefully curated metabolite-associated cell communications pairs involving 244 human endogenous metabolites and reported biological effects in vivo and in vitro; (b) 226 comprehensive cell subtypes and 296 disease states, such as cancers, autoimmune diseases, and pathogenic infections; (c) 4508 metabolite-related enzymes and transporters, involving 542 pathways; (d) an interactive tool with user-friendly interface to visualize networks of multiple metabolite-cell interactions. (e) overall expression landscape of metabolite-associated gene sets derived from over 1500 single-cell expression profiles to infer metabolites variations across different cells in the sample. Also, MACC enables cross-links to well-known databases, such as HMDB, DrugBank, TTD and PubMed etc. In complement to ligand-receptor databases, MACC may give new perspectives of alternative communication between cells via metabolite secretion and adsorption, together with the resulting biological functions. MACC is publicly accessible at: http://macc.badd-cao.net/.

Comparison of two swept-source optical coherence tomography devices, a Scheimpflug camera system and a ray-tracing aberrometer in the measurement of corneal power in patients with cataract.

PURPOSE: To assess the differences and similarities in the corneal curvature obtained by two swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) devices, Scheimpflug imaging system and one ray tracing aberrometer in patients with cataracts. Moreover, this study aimed to compare the differences in posterior corneal (PK), total corneal (TK) and true net power (TNP) measurements among the IOLMaster 700, CASIA2, and Pentacam. METHODS: A total of 200 eyes of 200 patients (116 female, 58%) were enrolled in this study, with a mean age of 65.9 ± 9.5 years. The flattest (Kf), steepest (Ks), and mean cornal powers (Km), J0, and J45 were obtained using two SS-OCT-based biometric devices, one rotating camera system and one ray-tracing aberrometer. The PK, TK and TNP values were also measured using these devices. To evaluate the differences and similarities between the devicves, the Friedman test, Pearson correlation coefficient (r), intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) and Bland‒Altman plots with 95% limits of agreement (LoA) were used, and boxplots and stacked histograms were generated to describe the distributions of the data. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the IOLMaster 700 and Pentacam for any of the keratometry values. Additionally, there were no significant differences between the IOLMaster 700 and iTrace in evaluating J0 and J45. Bland‒Altman plots revealed relatively wide LoA widths, almost larger than 1 diopter for the keratometry values and almost larger than 0.5 diopter for J0 and J45 values among the four devices. In terms of PK and TK values, significant differences and low ICCs were found among the three devices. CONCLUSIONS: Although strong correlations and good agreement were found among the IOLMaster700, CASIA2, Pentacam and iTrace for Kf, Ks, Km and J0, J45, it seems that the measurements should not be used interchangeably because of the wide LoA widths and the presence of significant differences among the devices. Similarly, due to significant differences and low ICCs, the PK, TK and TNP values obtained by IOLMaster 700, CASIA2, and Pentacam should not be used interchangeably.

ALOX5 deficiency contributes to bladder cancer progression by mediating ferroptosis escape.

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death driven by the lethal lipid peroxides. Previous studies have demonstrated that inducing ferroptosis holds great potential in cancer therapy, especially for patients with traditional therapy failure. However, cancer cells can acquire ferroptosis evasion during progression. To date, the therapeutic potential of inducing ferroptosis in bladder cancer (BCa) remains unclear, and whether a ferroptosis escape mechanism exists in BCa needs further investigation. This study verified that low pathological stage BCa cells were highly sensitive to RSL3-induced ferroptosis, whereas high pathological stage BCa cells exhibited obviously ferroptosis resistance. RNA-seq, RNAi-mediated loss-of-function, and CRISPR/Cas9 experiments demonstrated that ALOX5 deficiency was the crucial factor of BCa resistance to ferroptosis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that ALOX5 deficiency was regulated by EGR1 at the transcriptional level. Clinically, ALOX5 expression was decreased in BCa tissues, and its low expression was associated with poor survival. Collectively, this study uncovers a novel mechanism for BCa ferroptosis escape and proposes that ALOX5 may be a valuable therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in BCa treatment.

A multi-omics study to investigate the progression of the Correa pathway in gastric mucosa in the context of cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) are prone to gastric mucosa damage. We investigated the alterations of gastric mucosa in LC patients and their possible mechanisms through multi-omics. RESULTS: We observed significant gastric mucosa microbial dysbiosis in LC subjects. Gastric mucosal microbiomes of LC patients contained a higher relative abundance of Streptococcus, Neisseria, Prevotella, Veillonella, and Porphyromonas, as well as a decreased abundance in Helicobacter and Achromobacter, than control subjects. The LC patients had higher levels of bile acids (BAs) and long-chain acylcarnitines (long-chain ACs) in serum. The gastric mucosal microbiomes were associated with serum levels of BAs and long-chain ACs. Transcriptome analyses of gastric mucosa revealed an upregulation of endothelial cell specific molecule 1, serpin family E member 1, mucin 2, caudal type homeobox 2, retinol binding protein 2, and defensin alpha 5 in LC group. Besides, the bile secretion signaling pathway was significantly upregulated in the LC group. CONCLUSIONS: The alterations in the gastric mucosal microbiome and transcriptome of LC patients were identified. The impaired energy metabolism in gastric mucosal cells and bile acids might aggravate the inflammation of gastric mucosa and even exacerbate the Correa's cascade process. The gastric mucosal cells might reduce bile acid toxicity by bile acid efflux and detoxification. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2100051070.

Cobalt oxide nanoparticles: An effective growth promoter of Arabidopsis plants and nano-pesticide against bacterial leaf blight pathogen in rice.

Recently, the application of cobalt oxide nanoparticles (Co3O4NPs) has gained popularity owing to its magnetic, catalytic, optical, antimicrobial, and biomedical properties. However, studies on its use as a crop protection agent and its effect on photosynthetic apparatus are yet to be reported. Here, Co3O4NPs were first green synthesized using Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract and were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission/scanning electron microscopy methods. Formation of the Co3O4NPs was attested based on surface plasmon resonance at 210 nm. XRD assay showed that the samples were crystalline having a mean size of 34.9 nm. The Co3O4NPs at 200 µg/ml inhibited the growth (OD600 = 1.28) and biofilm formation (OD570 = 1.37) of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) respectively, by 72.87% and 79.65%. Rice plants inoculated with Xoo had disease leaf area percentage (DLA %) of 57.25% which was significantly reduced to 11.09% on infected plants treated with 200 µg/ml Co3O4NPs. Also, plants treated with 200 µg/ml Co3O4NPs only had significant increment in shoot length, root length, fresh weight, and dry weight in comparison to plants treated with double distilled water. The application of 200 µg/ml Co3O4NPs on the Arabidopsis plant significantly increased the photochemical efficacy of PSII (ΦPSII) and photochemical quenching (qP) respectively, by 149.10% and 125.00% compared to the control while the non-photochemical energy dissipation (ΦNPQ) was significantly lowered in comparison to control. In summary, it can be inferred that Co3O4NPs can be a useful agent in the management of bacterial phytopathogen diseases.

Prediction of immune infiltration and prognosis for patients with urothelial bladder cancer based on the DNA damage repair-related genes signature.

Objectives: To analyze the correlations between the expression and effect of DNA damage repair genes and the immune status and clinical outcomes of urothelial bladder cancer (BLCA) patients. In addition, we evaluate the efficacy and value of utilizing the DNA damage repair genes signature as a prognosis model for BLCA. Methods: Two subtype groups (C1 and C2) were produced based on the varied expression of DNA damage repair genes. Significantly differentiated genes and predicted enriched gene pathways were obtained between the two subtypes. Seven key genes were obtained from the DNA damage repair-related genes and a 7-gene signature prognosis model was established based on the key genes. The efficacy and accuracy of this model in prognosis prediction was evaluated and verified in two independent databases. Also, the difference in biological functions, drug sensitivity, immune infiltration and affinity between the high-risk group and low-risk group was analyzed. Results: The DNA damage repair gene signature could significantly differentiate the BLCA into two molecular subgroups with varied genetic expression and enriched gene pathways. Seven key genes were screened out from the 232 candidate genes for prognosis prediction and a 7-gene signature prognosis model was established based on them. Two independent patient cohorts (TCGA cohort and GEO cohort) were utilized to validate the efficacy of the prognosis model, which demonstrated an effective capability to differentiate and predict the overall survival of BLCA patients. Also, the high-risk group and low-risk group derived from the 7-gene model exhibited significantly differences in drug sensitivity, immune infiltration status and biological pathways enrichment. Conclusions: Our established 7-gene signature model based on the DNA damage repair genes could serve as a novel prognosis predictive tool for BLCA. The differentiation of BLCA patients based on the 7-gene signature model may be of great value for the appropriate selection of specific chemotherapy agents and immune-checkpoint blockade therapy administration.

Metabarcoding reveals response of rice rhizosphere bacterial community to rice bacterial leaf blight.

Rice bacterial leaf blight (BLB) is a major disease affecting cultivated rice and caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). It is well established that rhizosphere microorganisms could help improve the adaptability of plants to biotic stresses. However, it is still unclear about the response mechanism of rice rhizosphere microbial community to BLB infection. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to explore the effect of BLB on the rice rhizosphere microbial community. The results show that the alpha diversity index of the rice rhizosphere microbial community decreased significantly at the onset of BLB and then gradually recovered to normal levels. Beta diversity analysis indicated that BLB significantly affected community composition. In addition, there were significant differences in the taxonomic composition between healthy and diseased groups. For example, ceretain genera were more abundant in diseased rhizospheres, namely Streptomyces, Sphingomonas, and Flavobacterium, among others. In addition, the size and complexity of the rhizosphere co-occurrence network increased after disease onset compared to healthy groups. Also, hub microbe Rhizobiaceae and Gemmatimonadaceae were identified in the diseased rhizosphere co-occurrence network, and these hub microbes played an important role in maintaining network stability. In conclusion, our results provide important insights into the rhizosphere microbial community response to BLB and also provide important data and ideas in using rhizosphere microbes to control BLB.

Preoperative US Integrated Random Forest Model for Predicting Delphian Lymph Node Metastasis in Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Delphian lymph node (DLN) has been considered to be a gate that predicts widespread lymph node involvement, higher recurrence and mortality rates of head and neck cancer. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish a preoperative ultrasonography integrated machine learning prediction model to predict Delphian lymph node metastasis (DLNM) in patients with diagnosed papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). METHODS: Ultrasonographic and clinicopathologic variables of PTC patients from 2014 to 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The risk factors associated with DLNM were identified and validated through a developed random forest (RF) algorithm model based on machine learning and a logistic regression (LR) model. RESULTS: A total of 316 patients with 402 thyroid lesions were enrolled for the training dataset and 280 patients with 341 lesions for the validation dataset, with 170 (28.52%) patients developed DLNM. The elastography score of ultrasonography, central lymph node metastasis, lateral lymph node metastasis, and serum calcitonin were predictive factors for DLNM in both models. The RF model has better predictive performance in the training dataset and validation dataset (AUC: 0.957 vs. 0.890) than that in the LR model (AUC: 0.908 vs. 0.833). CONCLUSION: The preoperative ultrasonography integrated RF model constructed in this study could accurately predict DLNM in PTC patients, which may provide clinicians with more personalized clinical decision-making recommendations preoperatively. Machine learning technology has the potential to improve the development of DLNM prediction models in PTC patients.

Antifungal immunity mediated by C-type lectin receptors may be a novel target in immunotherapy for urothelial bladder cancer.

Immunotherapies, such as immune-checkpoint blockade and adoptive T-cell therapy, offer novel treatment options with good efficacy for patients with urothelial bladder cancer. However, heterogeneity and therapeutic resistance have limited the use of immunotherapy. Further research into immune-regulatory mechanisms in bladder cancer is urgently required. Emerging evidence demonstrates that the commensal microbiota and its interactions with host immunity play pivotal roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes, including in cancer. The gut microbiota has been identified as a potentially effective target of treatment that can be synergized with immunotherapy. The urothelial tract is also a key site for multiple microbes, although the immune-regulatory role of the urinary microbiome in the process of carcinogenesis of bladder cancer remains to be elucidated. We performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression and biological functions of C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), which have been recognized as innate pathogen-associated receptors for fungal microbiota, in bladder cancer. In line with previous research on fungal colonization of the urothelial tract, we found that CLRs, including Dectin-1, Dectin-2, Dectin-3, and macrophage-inducible Ca2+-dependent lectin receptor (Mincle), had a significant association with immune infiltration in bladder cancer. Multiple innate and adaptive pathways are positively correlated with the upregulation of CLRs. In addition, we found a significant correlation between the expression of CLRs and a range of immune-checkpoint proteins in bladder cancer. Based on previous studies and our findings, we hypothesize that the urinary mycobiome plays a key role in the pathogenesis of bladder cancer and call for more research on CLR-mediated anti-fungal immunity against bladder cancer as a novel target for immunotherapy in urothelial bladder cancer.

Resistance of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae to Lytic Phage X2 by Spontaneous Mutation of Lipopolysaccharide Synthesis-Related Glycosyltransferase.

Phage therapy is a promising biocontrol management on plant diseases caused by bacterial pathogens due to its specificity, efficiency and environmental friendliness. The emergence of natural phage-resistant bacteria hinders the application of phage therapy. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is the causal agent of the devastating bacterial leaf blight disease of rice. Here, we obtained a spontaneous mutant C2R of an Xoo strain C2 showing strong resistance to the lytic phage X2. Analysis of the C2R genome found that the CDS2289 gene encoding glycosyltransferase acquired a frameshift mutation at the 180th nucleotide site, which also leads to a premature stop mutation at the 142nd amino acid. This mutation confers the inhibition of phage adsorption through the changes in lipopolysaccharide production and structure and bacterial surface morphology. Interestingly, glycosyltransferase-deficient C2R and an insertional mutant k2289 also showed reduced virulence, suggesting the trade-off costs of phage resistance. In summary, this study highlights the role of glycosyltransferase in interactions among pathogenic bacteria, phages and plant hosts, which provide insights into balanced coevolution from environmental perspectives.

Evaluating adipose-derived stem cell exosomes as miRNA drug delivery systems for the treatment of bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Exosomes are essential mediators of intercellular communication as they transport proteins and RNAs between cells. Owing to their tumor-targeting capacity, immune compatibility, low toxicity, and long half-life, mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes have great potential for the development of novel antitumor strategies. In this context, the role of exosomes produced by adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) for the treatment of bladder cancer (BC) remains unclear. Here, we investigated the use of ADSCs as a source of therapeutic exosomes, as well as their efficacy in delivering the tumor suppressor miR-138-5p in BC. METHODS: ADSCs stably expressing miR-138-5p were established using Lentivirus infection, and ADSC-derived miR-138-5p exosomes (Exo-miR-138-5p) were isolated from the cell culture medium. The effect of Exo-miR-138-5p on BC cell migration, invasion, and proliferation was evaluated in vitro using wound healing, transwell invasion, and proliferation assays. The in vivo effect of Exo-miR-138-5p was investigated using a subcutaneous xenograft mouse model. RESULTS: Exo-miR-138-5p prevented the migration, invasion, and proliferation of BC cells in vitro. Moreover, ADSC-derived exosomes could penetrate tumor tissues and successfully deliver miR-138-5p to suppress the growth of xenograft tumors in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: The present results reveal that ADSC-derived exosomes are an effective delivery vehicle for small molecule drugs in vivo, and exosome-delivered miR-138-5p is a promising therapeutic agent for BC treatment.

The Lymph Node Microenvironment May Invigorate Cancer Cells With Enhanced Metastatic Capacities.

Cancer metastasis, a typical malignant biological behavior involving the distant migration of tumor cells from the primary site to other organs, contributed majorly to cancer-related deaths of patients. Although constant efforts have been paid by researchers to elucidate the mechanisms of cancer metastasis, we are still far away from the definite answer. Recently, emerging evidence demonstrated that cancer metastasis is a continuous coevolutionary process mediated by the interactions between tumor cells and the host organ microenvironment, and epigenetic reprogramming of metastatic cancer cells may confer them with stronger metastatic capacities. The lymph node served as the first metastatic niche for many types of cancer, and the appearance of lymph node metastasis predicted poor prognosis. Importantly, multiple immune cells and stromal cells station and linger in the lymph nodes, which constitutes the complexity of the lymph node microenvironment. The active cross talk between cancer cells and immune cells could happen unceasingly within the metastatic environment of lymph nodes. Of note, diverse immune cells have been found to participate in the formation of malignant properties of tumor, including stemness and immune escape. Based on these available evidence and data, we hypothesize that the metastatic microenvironment of lymph nodes could drive cancer cells to metastasize to further organs through epigenetic mechanisms.

The molecular mechanism of kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A) underlying non-small cell lung cancer: the effect of its knockdown on malignant behaviors, stemness, chemosensitivity, and potential regulated signaling pathways.

Kinesin family member 2A (KIF2A) represents an oncogene in several cancers, however, its involvement in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limitedly investigated. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore potential molecular mechanism of KIF2A knockdown in repressing NSCLC malignant behaviors. The effect of KIF2A knockdown on cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, stemness, chemosensitivity was detected after transfecting KIF2A short hairpin RNA (ShRNA) plasmids into A549 and NCI-H1975 cells. Moreover, KIF2A knockdown mediated signaling pathways were analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), and then validated by western blot assay. Both KIF2A mRNA and protein expressions were increased in A549, NCI-H650, NCI-H358, NCI-H2106, NCI-H1299, NCI-H1650 and NCI-H1975 cells compared with BEAS-2B cells. KIF2A knockdown inhibited proliferation, invasion, EMT, stemness, but enhanced chemosensitivity to cisplatin and paclitaxel in both A549 and NCI-H1975 cells. Meanwhile, it only promoted apoptosis in NCI-H1975 cells but not in A549 cells. Moreover, after KIF2A knocking down, RNA-seq data indicated that 356 accordant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in both A549 and NCI-H1975 cells, and these DEGs were enriched in PI3K-Akt, Wnt and Notch signaling pathways. Further western blot disclosed that KIF2A knockdown indeed inactivated PI3K-Akt, Wnt and Notch signaling pathways in both A549 and NCI-H1975 cells. In conclusion, KIF2A knockdown suppresses NSCLC cell malignant behaviors, EMT and stemness, but enhances chemosensitivity via inactivating PI3K-Akt, Wnt, and Notch signaling pathways, which proposes it as a potential therapeutic target for NSCLC treatment.

Identification and Characterization of a New Type of Holin-Endolysin Lysis Cassette in Acidovorax oryzae Phage AP1.

Phages utilize lysis systems to allow the release of newly assembled viral particles that kill the bacterial host. This is also the case for phage AP1, which infects the rice pathogen Acidovorax oryzae. However, how lysis occurs on a molecular level is currently unknown. We performed in silico bioinformatics analyses, which indicated that the lysis cassette contains a holin (HolAP) and endolysin (LysAP), which are encoded by two adjacent genes. Recombinant expression of LysAP caused Escherichia coli lysis, while HolAP arrested growth. Co-expression of both proteins resulted in enhanced lysis activity compared to the individual proteins alone. Interestingly, LysAP contains a C-terminal region transmembrane domain, which is different from most known endolysins where a N-terminal hydrophobic region is found, with the potential to insert into the membrane. We show that the C-terminal transmembrane domain is crucial for protein localization and bacterial lysis in phage AP1. Our study characterizes the new phage lysis cassette and the mechanism to induce cell disruption, giving new insight in the understanding of phage life cycles.

Establishment and application of ERA-LFD method for rapid detection of feline calicivirus.

Feline calicivirus (FCV) has a single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome, and it is responsible for many infectious respiratory diseases in cats. In addition, more worryingly, highly virulent strains of FCV can cause high mortality in felines. Therefore, a rapid and reliable diagnosis tool plays an important role in controlling the outbreak of FCV. In this study, enzymatic recombinase amplification (ERA) assay combined with lateral flow dipstick (LFD) was developed for the detection of FCV, targeting a relatively conversed position of FCV-ORF1. The results showed that the optimal reaction condition was at 40 °C for 30 min. ERA-LFD method was highly sensitive with the detection limit as low as 3.2 TCID50 of FCV RNA per reaction. The specificity analysis demonstrated no cross-reactivity with feline parvovirus (FPV), feline herpesvirus (FHV) and feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). ERA-LFD was highly repeatable and reproducible, with the intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation for this method both less than 7%. The general test showed that all the recombinant plasmids with known mutant sites and FCV strains with different mutant sites stored in our laboratory were all detected by this method. Of the 23 samples, 14 samples were tested positive for FCV by ERA-LFD and RT-qPCR, respectively. In summary, ERA-LFD assay was a fast, accurate and convenient diagnosis tool for the detection of FCV. KEY POINTS: • The detection principle of ERA-LFD was introduced. • Almost all the currently known FCV strains can be detected. • ERA-LFD is easy to operate and can be used for field detection.

BarH-like homeobox 2 represses the transcription of keratin 16 and affects Ras signaling pathway to suppress nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) refers to a malignancy initiating from the superior mucosal epithelium of the nasopharynx. Optimal therapies for NPC are still needed. In this investigation, we attempted to explore whether BarH-like homeobox 2 (BARX2), a well-known tumor suppressor, had anti-cancer properties on NPC, and the possible mechanisms. After searching for NPC-related databases, we determined BARX2 as one of the core genes in NPC. The results of RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry or Western blot demonstrated that BARX2 was reduced in NPC patients and cells. Ectopic expression of BARX2 reverted the malignant phenotype of NPC cells. Mechanistically, BARX2 bound to the keratin 16 (KRT16) promoter to downregulate its expression. In addition, BARX2 was found to reduce the phosphorylation levels of MEK and ERK. Further KRT16 upregulation in cells overexpressing BARX2 promoted malignant aggressiveness of C666-1 and HNE3 cells and activated the Ras signaling pathway. BARX2 inhibited the growth and metastasis of tumors and suppressed the Ras signaling pathway in vivo. In conclusion, our findings indicate that BARX2 reverts malignant phenotypes of NPC cells by downregulating KRT16 in a Ras-dependent fashion. BARX2 might act as a possible therapeutic regulator for NPC.

The abnormal expression of chromosomal region maintenance 1 (CRM1)-survivin axis in ovarian cancer and its related mechanisms regulating proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the main type of cancer that affects the female reproductive system and has a high morbidity and mortality rate. This study aimed to explore the regulatory effect of the chromosomal region maintenance 1 (CRM1)-survivin axis on the progression of OC. Ovarian cancer cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-survivin and short hairpin RNA (sh)-CRM1. Cell proliferation was analyzed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK8), 5-ethynyl-2´-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, and colony formation assays. Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were performed to analyze the expression of RNA and protein, respectively. qRT-PCR and prognostic correlation analyses revealed that CRM1 is highly expressed in OC cells and related to survival. The results of qRT-PCR, CCK8, colony formation test, EdU staining, flow cytometry, and Western blotting showed that CRM1 silencing inhibited the proliferation and colony formation of OVCAR 3 and SKOV3 cells and promoted cell apoptosis by promoting Caspase-3 activation. Survivin was positively regulated by CRM1 and promoted the development of OC. The results of the rescue experiment showed that overexpression of survivin reversed the inhibitory effect of CRM1 knockdown on the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells and its inhibitory effect on apoptosis. Our findings confirm the role of the CRM1-survivin signal transduction axis in OC by regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of OC cells, and may thus serve as a potential therapeutic target for OC.

Ocular findings in two Chinese children with Loeys-Dietz syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a type of connective tissue disease with systemic symptoms similar to Marfan syndrome. Ocular findings are rarely reported especially fundus and extraocular muscles. CASE PRESENTATION: A 6-month old boy with systemic skeletal development delay was found peripheral non-perfusion and neovascularization in the both eyes, and gaven intravitreal injection of ranibizumab and laser. Fundus examination revealed a mild straightening of the temporal vessel in the both eyes. A 22-month old girl with confirmed connective tissue disorder presented to our hospital for strabismus and showed congenital hypoplasia of extraocular muscles. She also had arteriovenous anastomosis in the retinal. The diagnosis of LDS was supported by the genetic DNA examination. CONCLUSION: His is the first report of LDS with congenital hypoplasia of extraocular muscles, meanwhile, ocular examination especially fundus should be paid attention to.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of spleen amaranth (Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell., Amaranthaceae).

Amaranthus dubius is a leafy vegetable widely cultivated in Asia and Africa. The complete chloroplast genome of Amaranthus dubius was sequenced and assembled in this study. The complete chloroplast genome is 150,520 bp. A total of 130 genes were identified, including 85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, and 37 tRNA genes. The overall GC content of this genome was 36.6%. The phylogenetic tree based on 10 chloroplast genomes in Amaranthaceae supports that A. dubius is sister to A. hypochondriacus and A. caudatus.