A new species of Scolytus Geoffroy (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) from Yunnan, China.

Scolytus unicornis, a new species of Scolytus Geoffroy from Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. Three DNA barcoding sequences (COI, 28S, CAD) of this species are provided. The new species is distinguished from other Asian Scolytus species by the longitudinal wrinkles on the frons only in the area below the eyes, a large median spine situated in the middle of the ventrite 2 base, and female frons with a slightly raised blunt tubercle above the epistoma.

Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Scolytoplatypodini Species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and Phylogenetic Implications.

The complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of beetles in the tribe Scolytoplatypodini (genus Scolytoplatypus) were sequenced and annotated. These included Scolytoplatypus raja (15,324 bp), Scolytoplatypus sinensis (15,394 bp), Scolytoplatypus skyliuae (15,167 bp), and Scolytoplatypus wugongshanensis (15,267 bp). The four mitogenomes contained 37 typical genes, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs). The gene orientation and arrangement of the four mitogenomes were similar to other Coleoptera mitogenomes. PCGs mostly started with ATN and terminated with TAA. The Ka/Ks ratio of 13 PCGs in the four species revealed that cox1 had the slowest evolutionary rate and atp8 and nad6 had a higher evolutionary rate. All tRNAs had typical cloverleaf secondary structures, but trnS1 lacked dihydrouridine arm. Partial tRNAs lost the discriminator nucleotide. The trnY did not possess the discriminator nucleotide and also lost three bases, showing a special amino-acyl arm. Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods were conducted for phylogenetic analyses using 13 PCGs. Scolytoplatypodini was clustered with Hylurgini and Hylastini, and the monophyly of Scolytoplatypodini was supported. The four newly sequenced mitogenomes increase understanding of the evolutionary relationships of Scolytoplatypodini and other Scolytinae species.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Cryptotermes domesticus (Blattodea: Kalotermitidae): Genome description and phylogenetic implications.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Cryptotermes domesticus (Haviland) was sequenced and annotated to study its characteristics and the phylogenetic relationship of C. domesticus to other termite species. The mitogenome of C. domesticus is a circular, close, and double-stranded molecule with a length of 15,655 bp. The sequenced mitogenome contains 37 typical genes, which are highly conserved in gene size, organization, and codon usage. Transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) also have typical secondary structures. All of the 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) start with an ATN codon, except for nad4, which starts with GTG and terminates with the terminal codon TAA and TAG or the incomplete form T-- (cox2 and nad5). Most tRNAs have a typical cloverleaf structure, except for trnS1, in which this form is replaced by a simple loop and lacks the dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The nucleotide diversity (Pi) and nonsynonymous (Ka)/synonymous (Ks) mutation rate ratios indicate that nad1, cox1, and cox3 are the most conserved genes, and that cox1 has the lowest rate of evolution. In addition, an 89 bp repeated sequence was found in the A + T-rich region. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods based on 13 PCGs, and the monophyly of Kalotermitidae was supported.

MicroRNA­195 inhibits epithelial­mesenchymal transition by targeting G protein­coupled estrogen receptor 1 in endometrial carcinoma.

Epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been shown to exert promoting effects on the progression of a number of cancer types, including endometrial carcinoma (EC). MicroRNA (miRNA or miR)­195 has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor. This study aimed to explore the potential role of miR­195 in the EMT process of EC. miR­195 overexpression (Mimics) and mimics control (Mock) vectors were constructed and transfected into human endometrial cancer cells (AN3­CA and Hec1A) using Lipofectamine 2000, and cell viability was detected using the Cell Counting kit­8 (CCK­8). The invasive and migratory capacities of the cells transfected with the Mimics or Mock vectors were assessed by Transwell and wound healing assays. Relative mRNA and protein levels were analyzed by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT­qPCR) and western blot analysis, respectively. Using TargetScan prediction, the potential target of miR­195 was identified and was further verified by dual­luciferase reporter assay. Following transfection with miR­195 mimics, the viability of the AN3­CA and Hec1A cells decreased in a time­dependent manner, specifically at 24 h. The wound closure rate and the number of invaded cells in the Mimics group were much lower than those in the Control and Mock groups (P<0.01). miR­195 overexpression significantly upregulated the mRNA and protein levels of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP­2), while it downregulated the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)­2 and MMP­9. Moreover, the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT were also notably decreased (P<0.01). G protein­coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) was identified as a target of miR­195. On the whole, the findings of this study indicate that the inhibitory effects of miR195 on EC cell migration and invasion are associated with the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and GPER expression.

LncRNA AWPPH promotes the proliferation, migration and invasion of ovarian carcinoma cells via activation of the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway.

The oncogenic role of the long noncoding RNA associated with poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (lncRNA AWPPH) was reported in various types of malignancies; however, its involvement in ovarian carcinoma (OC) remains unknown. Thus, the present study investigated the role of AWPPH in OC. The expression of AWPPH in tissues and serum acquired from patients with OC, and healthy controls, was determined via reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The diagnostic value of serum AWPPH expression was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Additionally, survival curve analysis was performed to determine the prognostic value of AWPPH for OC. An AWPPH overexpression vector was transfected into OC cell lines. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were analyzed via Cell Counting Kit­8, Transwell migration and invasion assays, respectively. The expression of ß­catenin was investigated via western blotting. It was revealed that the expression levels of AWPPH were significantly upregulated in OC tissues and serum compared with healthy controls. The serum levels of AWPPH were able to effectively diagnose and predict the prognosis of patients with OC. AWPPH overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of OC cells, and upregulated ß­catenin expression. Treatment with a Wnt agonist markedly altered AWPPH expression; however, inhibition of Wnt suppressed the effects of AWPPH overexpression on proliferation, migration and invasion of OC cells. Therefore, it was revealed that AWPPH may promote OC via activation of the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway.