Preparation of glucoamylase microcapsule beads and application in solid-state fermentation.

BACKGROUND: Baijiu brewing adopts the solid-state fermentation method, using starchy raw materials, Jiuqu as saccharifying fermenting agent, and distilled spirits made by digestion, saccharification, fermentation and distillation. In the late stages of solid-state fermentation of Baijiu, the reduced activity of glucoamylase leads to higher residual starch content in the Jiupei, which affects the liquor yield. The direct addition of exogenous glucoamylase leads to problems such as the temperature of the fermentation environment rising too quickly, seriously affecting the growth of microorganisms. RESULTS: To solve the problem of reduced activity of glucoamylase in the late stage of solid-state fermentation of Baijiu, microcapsule beads (M-B) based on microcapsule emulsion were prepared and the effect of M-B on solid-state fermentation of Baijiu was investigated. The results showed that the release of M-B before and after drying was 53.27% and 25.77% in the liquid state (120 h) and 29.84% and 22.62% in the solid state (15 days), respectively. Adding M-B improved the alcohol by 0.33 %vol and reducing sugar content by 0.51%, reduced the residual starch content by 1.21% of the Jiupei, and had an insignificant effect on the moisture and acidity of the Jiupei. CONCLUSION: M-B have excellent sustained-release properties. The addition of M-B in solid-state fermentation significantly increased the alcohol content, reduced the residual starch content of Jiupei, ultimately improving the starch utilization rate and liquor yield of Baijiu brewing. The preparation of M-B provides methods and approaches for applying other active substances and microorganisms in the brewing of Baijiu. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of the addition of mung bean, corn, and sweet potato starch on the properties of konjac gel.

Konjac gel (KG) food is a popular choice among consumers due to its delicious taste, low-calorie content, and ability to provide satiety. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of the addition of mung bean starch (MBS), corn starch (CS), and sweet potato starch (SPS) on the water solubility, gel strength, microstructure, and viscosity of KG. The experimental results showed that MBS exhibited the largest amylose content (47.07 ± 1.71%), and SPS had the lowest amylose content (27.92 ± 1.24%). With the increase of starch concentration, the gel strength and viscosity of KG increased, the KG with 3% MBS had higher water solubility and stronger gel strength, and the KG with 3% SPS had better viscosity. In addition, according to the scanning electron microscope, the microstructure of KG without starch was a porous honeycomb, and the network structure of CS/KG was more orderly and uniform. The microstructure of MBS/KG was tightly wrinkled, while the honeycomb structure of SPS/KG was more orderly and the network outline was clearer. The addition of starch could improve the quality of KG, the type of starch used had different effects.

Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Based Tissue Metabolic Profiling Reveals Major Metabolic Pathway Alterations and Potential Biomarkers of Lung Cancer.

Unclarified molecular mechanism and lack of practical diagnosis biomarkers hinder the effective treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. Herein, we performed liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based nontargeted metabolomics analysis in 131 patients with their lung tissue pairs to study the metabolic characteristics and disordered metabolic pathways in lung tumor. A total of 339 metabolites were identified in metabolic profiling. Also, 241 differential metabolites were found between lung carcinoma tissues (LCTs) and paired distal noncancerous tissues; amino acids, purine metabolites, fatty acids, phospholipids, and most of lysophospholipids significantly increased in LCTs, while 3-phosphoglyceric acid, phosphoenolpyruvate, 6-phosphogluconate, and citrate decreased. Additionally, pathway enrichment analysis revealed that energy, purine, amino acid, lipid, and glutathione metabolism are markedly disturbed in lung cancer (LCa). Using binary logistic regression, we further defined candidate biomarkers for different subtypes of lung tumor. Xanthine and PC 35:2 were selected as combinational biomarkers for distinguishing benign from malignant lung tumors with a 0.886 area under curve (AUC) value, and creatine, myoinositol and LPE 16:0 were defined as combinational biomarkers for discriminating adenocarcinoma from squamous cell lung carcinoma with a 0.934 AUC value. Overall, metabolic characterization and pathway disturbance demonstrated apparent metabolic reprogramming in LCa. The defined candidate metabolite marker panels are useful for subtyping of lung tumors to assist clinical diagnosis.

Circular RNA CDR1as disrupts the p53/MDM2 complex to inhibit Gliomagenesis.

BACKGROUND: Inactivation of the tumor suppressor p53 is critical for pathogenesis of glioma, in particular glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). MDM2, the main negative regulator of p53, binds to and forms a stable complex with p53 to regulate its activity. Hitherto, it is unclear whether the stability of the p53/MDM2 complex is affected by lncRNAs, in particular circular RNAs that are usually abundant and conserved, and frequently implicated in different oncogenic processes. METHODS: RIP-seq and RIP-qPCR assays were performed to determine the most enriched lncRNAs (including circular RNAs) bound by p53, followed by bioinformatic assays to estimate the relevance of their expression with p53 signaling and gliomagenesis. Subsequently, the clinical significance of CDR1as was evaluated in the largest cohort of Chinese glioma patients from CGGA (n = 325), and its expression in human glioma tissues was further evaluated by RNA FISH and RT-qPCR, respectively. Assays combining RNA FISH with protein immunofluorescence were performed to determine co-localization of CDR1as and p53, followed by CHIRP assays to confirm RNA-protein interaction. Immunoblot assays were carried out to evaluate protein expression, p53/MDM2 interaction and p53 ubiquitination in cells in which CDR1as expression was manipulated. After AGO2 or Dicer was knocked-down to inhibit miRNA biogenesis, effects of CDR1as on p53 expression, stability and activity were determined by immunoblot, RT-qPCR and luciferase reporter assays. Meanwhile, impacts of CDR1as on DNA damage were evaluated by flow cytometric assays and immunohistochemistry. Tumorigenicity assays were performed to determine the effects of CDR1as on colony formation, cell proliferation, the cell cycle and apoptosis (in vitro), and on tumor volume/weight and survival of nude mice xenografted with GBM cells (in vivo). RESULTS: CDR1as is found to bind to p53 protein. CDR1as expression decreases with increasing glioma grade and it is a reliable independent predictor of overall survival in glioma, particularly in GBM. Through a mechanism independent of acting as a miRNA sponge, CDR1as stabilizes p53 protein by preventing it from ubiquitination. CDR1as directly interacts with the p53 DBD domain that is essential for MDM2 binding, thus disrupting the p53/MDM2 complex formation. Induced upon DNA damage, CDR1as may preserve p53 function and protect cells from DNA damage. Significantly, CDR1as inhibits tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, but has little impact in cells where p53 is absent or mutated. CONCLUSIONS: Rather than acting as a miRNA sponge, CDR1as functions as a tumor suppressor through binding directly to p53 at its DBD region to restrict MDM2 interaction. Thus, CDR1as binding disrupts the p53/MDM2 complex to prevent p53 from ubiquitination and degradation. CDR1as may also sense DNA damage signals and form a protective complex with p53 to preserve p53 function. Therefore, CDR1as depletion may play a potent role in promoting tumorigenesis through down-regulating p53 expression in glioma. Our results broaden further our understanding of the roles and mechanism of action of circular RNAs in general and CDR1as in particular, and can potentially open up novel therapeutic avenues for effective glioma treatment.

Synergistic effect of two action sites on a nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst towards acetylene hydrochlorination.

Whether the reaction pathway is steady or dynamic over the whole life cycle of a catalyst process can facilitate our understanding of its catalytic behavior. Herein, the dynamic reaction pathways of nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts are investigated in acetylene hydrochlorination. When triggered, the reaction follows the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism with pyrrolic N and pyridinic N as dual active sites. However, pyridinic N is deactivated first, due to the strong adsorption of hydrogen chloride, causing the reaction to further run with pyrrolic N as the single active site and follow the Eley-Rideal mechanism. This work provides a new promising way to study the catalytic behavior of nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts.

GADD45G Interacts with E-cadherin to Suppress the Migration and Invasion of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers with poor prognosis. Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. The growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible 45 gamma (GADD45G) has been reported to correlate with survival, invasion, and metastasis of ESCC. This study was aimed to investigate the role and mechanism of GADD45G in ESCC cell migration and invasion. METHODS: Both the effects of GADD45G and its need for E-cadherin to function on ESCC cell migration and invasion were determined through loss- and gain-of-function approaches via Transwell assays. The interaction between GADD45G and E-cadherin was detected by GST-pull down and IP assays. The expression of E-cadherin upon GADD45G overexpression was evaluated by RT-qPCR and western blot. The level of E-cadherin in cytoplasmic, nuclear, and membrane fractions was examined by western blot following subcellular fractionation. RESULTS: Knockdown of GADD45G increased the migration and invasion abilities of KYSE150 cells, while overexpression of GADD45G showed the opposite effects on YES2 and KYSE30 cells. GADD45G could interact with E-cadherin and enhanced its membrane level. Knockdown of E-cadherin abolished the inhibitory effects of GADD45G on ESCC cell migration and invasion. Intriguingly, dimer-dissociating mutant of GADD45G could not interact with E-cadherin and almost lost its ability to suppress the ESCC cell migration and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a novel role for GADD45G in inhibiting the ESCC cell migration and invasion, which will provide a new insight in understanding the ESCC metastatic mechanism.

FAT1, a direct transcriptional target of E2F1, suppresses cell proliferation, migration and invasion in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Growing evidence indicates that FAT atypical cadherin 1 (FAT1) has aberrant genetic alterations and exhibits potential tumor suppressive function in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the role of FAT1 in ESCC tumorigenesis remains not well elucidated. The aim of this study was to further investigate genetic alterations and biological functions of FAT1, as well as to explore its transcriptional regulation and downstream targets in ESCC. METHODS: The mutations of FAT1 in ESCC were achieved by analyzing a combined study from seven published genomic data, while the copy number variants of FAT1 were obtained from an analysis of our previous data as well as of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) databases using the cBioPortal. The transcriptional regulation of FAT1 expression was investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and the luciferase reporter assays. In-cell western, Western blot and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to assess the indicated gene expression. In addition, colony formation and Transwell migration/invasion assays were employed to test cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Finally, RNA sequencing was used to study the transcriptomes. RESULTS: FAT1 was frequently mutated in ESCC and was deleted in multiple cancers. Furthermore, the transcription factor E2F1 occupied the promoter region of FAT1, and depletion of E2F1 led to a decrease in transcription activity and mRNA levels of FAT1. Moreover, we found that knockdown of FAT1 promoted KYSE30 and KYSE150 cell proliferation, migration and invasion; while overexpression of FAT1 inhibited KYSE30 and KYSE410 cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In addition, knockdown of FAT1 led to enrichment of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and cell adhesion process. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provided evidence for the tumor suppressive function of FAT1 in ESCC cells and elucidated the transcriptional regulation of FAT1 by E2F1, which may facilitate the understanding of molecular mechanisms of the progression of ESCC.

The Nogo-B receptor promotes human hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth via the Akt signal pathway.

Nogo-B receptor (NgBR) is a type I receptor with a single transmembrane domain and specifically binds to ligand Nogo-B. A previous study demonstrated that NgBR was highly expressed in human breast invasive ductal carcinoma and promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast tumor cells. Our recent work found that NgBR expression was associated with a poor prognosis in human patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we elucidate that the increased expression of NgBR contributes toward the increased cell growth of human HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Cell viability and clonogenic survival analysis results demonstrated that knockdown of NgBR inhibits the cell growth in human HCC cells, which correlates with a reduction in the phosphorylation of Akt levels. Furthermore, overexpression of NgBR by the cotransfected pIRES-NgBR plasmid together with NgBR siRNA in human HCC cells can rescue impaired phosphorylation of Akt levels in NgBR knockdown human HCC cells. In addition, cell viability analyses showed that NgBR overexpression can rescue the cell growth inhibition presented in human HCC NgBR knockdown cells. Taken together, our results suggest that NgBR potentially acts as an oncogene in HCC by increasing Akt activity. Thus, NgBR may represent a new potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC.

ß-elemene inhibits tumor-promoting effect of M2 macrophages in lung cancer.

Macrophages in tumor are mostly M2-polarized and have been reported to promote tumorigenesis, which are also defined as tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). ß-elemene has therapeutic effects against several cancers, however, it remains unknown whether ß-elemene could inhibit cancer by targeting TAMs. Herein, we examined the effect of ß-elemene on macrophages to elucidate a novel mechanism of ß-elemene in tumor therapy. We showed that the conditioned medium of M2 macrophages promoted lung cancer cells to migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transition, which could be inhibited by ß-elemene. Moreover, ß-elemene regulated the polarization of macrophages from M2 to M1. ß-elemene also inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion of lung cancer cells and enhanced its radiosensitivity. These results indicate ß-elemene suppresses lung cancer by regulating both macrophages and lung cancer cells, it is a promising drug for combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Elevated GAPDH expression is associated with the proliferation and invasion of lung and esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, is one of the most investigated housekeeping genes and widely used as an internal control in analysis of gene expression levels. The present study was designed to assess whether GAPDH is associated with cancer cell growth and progression and, therefore may not be a good internal control in cancer research. Our results from clinical tissue studies showed that the levels of GAPDH protein were significantly up-regulated in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues, compared with the adjacent normal lung tissues, and this was confirmed by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. GAPDH knockdown by siRNA resulted in significant reductions in proliferation, migration, and invasion of lung squamous carcinoma cells in vitro. In a nude mouse cancer xenograft model, GAPDH knockdown significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and migration/invasion in vivo. In summary, GAPDH may not be an appropriate internal control for gene expression studies, especially in cancer research. The role of GAPDH in cancer development and progression should be further examined in pre-clinical and clinical studies.

Knockdown of NADK promotes LUAD ferroptosis via NADPH/FSP1 axis.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is a serious threat to human health and is the first leading cause of cancer death. Ferroptosis, a newly discovered form of programmed cell death associated with redox homeostasis, is of particular interest in the lung cancer, given the high oxygen environment of lung cancer. NADPH has reducing properties and therefore holds the potential to resist ferroptosis. Resistance to ferroptosis exists in lung cancer, but the role of NADK in regulating ferroptosis in lung cancer has not been reported yet. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to analyse the expression of NADK in 86 cases of lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD) and adjacent tissues, and a IHC score was assigned to each sample. Chi-square and kaplan-meier curve was performed to analyse the differences in metastasis and five-year survival between the two groups with NADK high or low scores. Proliferation of NADK-knockdown LUAD cell lines was detected in vivo and vitro. Furthermore, leves of ROS, MDA and Fe2+ were measured to validate the effect and mechanism of NADK on ferroptosis in LUAD. RESULTS: The expression of NADK was significantly evaluated in LUAD tissues as compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues. The proliferation of NADK-knockdown cells was inhibited both in vivo and vitro, and increasing levels of intracellular ROS, Fe2+ and lipid peroxide products (MDA) were observed. Furthermore, NADK-knockdown promoted the ferroptosis of LUAD cells induced by Erastin/RSL3 by regulating the level of NADPH and the expression of FSP1. Knockdown of NADK enhanced the sensitivities of LUAD cells to Erastin/RSL3-induced ferroptosis by regulating NADPH level and FSP1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: NADK is over-expressed in LUAD patients. Knockdown of NADK inhibited the proliferation of LUAD cells both in vitro and in vivo and promotes the Erastin/RSL3-induced ferroptosis of LUAD cells by down-regulating the NADPH/FSP1 axis.

Research Progress of ARTP Mutagenesis Technology Based on Citespace Visualization Analysis.

Atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis technology has been developed rapidly in recent years because of its simple operation, safety, environmental friendliness, high mutation rate, and large mutation library capacity. It has been widely used in traditional fields such as food, agriculture, and medicine, and has been gradually applied in emerging fields such as environmental remediation, bioenergy, and microalgae utilization. In this paper, the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) was used as the data source, and the keywords and core literature of ARTP mutagenesis technology were plotted by citespace software, and the research progress and research hotspots of ARTP mutagenesis technology were analyzed. Through citespace visualization analysis, it is concluded that the country with the largest number of studies is China, the institution with the largest number of studies is Jiangnan University, and the author of the most published papers is Jiangnan University. Through keyword analysis, it is concluded that the most widely used ARTP mutagenesis technology is fermentation-related majors, mainly for biosynthesis and microbial research at the molecular level. Among them, the most widely used microorganisms are Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Treatment with walnut peptide ameliorates memory impairment in zebrafish and rats: promoting the expression of neurotrophic factors and suppressing oxidative stress.

Walnut peptide, a low molecular weight peptide separated from walnuts by enzymatic hydrolysis, is considered as a potential nutraceutical with a variety of biological activities. In this study, we characterized the walnut peptide prepared by alkaline protease hydrolysis and evaluated its neuroprotective effect in zebrafish and rat models of memory disorders. Series of concentrations of the walnut peptide were orally administered to zebrafish and rats to examine its impact on the behavior and biochemical indicators. The results showed that the oral administration of walnut peptide significantly ameliorated the behavioral performance in zebrafish exposed to bisphenol AF (1 µg mL-1) and rats exposed to alcohol (30% ethanol, 10 mL kg-1). Furthermore, the walnut peptide upregulated the expression of neurotrophic-related molecules in zebrafish, such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). In the rat brain, the walnut peptide increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), while dramatically reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) level. Together, these findings elucidated that the walnut peptide might partially offset the declarative memory deficits via regulation of neurotrophic-related molecule expression and promotion of the antioxidant defense ability. Therefore, walnut peptide holds the potential for development into functional foods as a nutritional supplement for the management of certain neurodegenerative disorders.

GPX2 promotes EMT and metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR/Snail signaling axis.

Lung cancer, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the main subtype, is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide, which is mainly due to the cancer metastasis. Glutathione peroxidase 2 (GPX2), an antioxidant enzyme, is involved in tumor progression and metastasis. Nevertheless, the role of GPX2 in NSCLC metastasis has not been clarified. In this study, we found that GPX2 expression was elevated in NSCLC tissues and high GPX2 expression was correlated with poor prognosis in patients with NSCLC. In addtion, GPX2 expression was related to the patient's clinicopathological features, including lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and TNM stage. Overexpression of GPX2 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells in vitro. Knockdown of GPX2 showed the opposite effects in vitro and inhibited the metastasis of NSCLC cells in nude mice. Furthermore, GPX2 reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and activated the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/Snail signaling axis. Therefore, our results indicate that GPX2 promotes EMT and metastasis of NSCLC cells by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/Snail signaling axis via the removal of ROS. GPX2 may be an effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for NSCLC.

Higher expression of Caveolin-1 inhibits human small cell lung cancer (SCLC) apoptosis in vitro.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is the most aggressive type of lung cancer, and its treatment is closely associated with apoptosis. Caveolin-1 plays an important role in the development of a variety of human cancers. This study sought to investigate the influence of Caveolin-1 on the apoptosis of SCLC in vitro. We demonstrate that higher expression of Caveolin-1 leads to inhibition of cisplatin and Ultraviolet Radiation (UVR)-induced apoptosis in SCLC cells; and also could decrease caspase-3 activity and increase the stability of Bcl-2 at the protein level. Our findings illuminate a potential molecular mechanism regarding CAV-1's role as anti-apoptosis protein.

Identification of RNA-splicing factor Lsm12 as a novel tumor-associated gene and a potent biomarker in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC).

BACKGROUND: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the common cancers worldwide. The lack of specific biomarkers and therapeutic targets leads to delayed diagnosis and hence the poor prognosis of OSCC patients. Thus, it is urgent to identify effective biomarkers and therapeutic targets for OSCC. METHODS: We established the golden hamster carcinogenic model of OSCC induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a) anthrancene (DMBA) and used mRNA microarrays to detect the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). DEGs were validated in OSCC clinical tissue microarrays using immunohistochemistry method. Whole transcriptome sequencing was performed to obtain an overview of biological functions of Lsm12. PCR assay and sequencing were employed to investigate the alternative splicing of genes regulated by Lsm12. Cell proliferation, colony formation, Transwell migration and invasion assay and in vivo tumor formation assay were performed to investigate the roles of Lsm12 and two transcript variants of USO1 in OSCC cells. RESULTS: Lsm12 was identified to be significantly up-regulated in the animal model of OSCC tumorigenesis, which was validated in the clinical OSCC samples. In the paired normal tissues, Lsm12 staining was negative (91%, 92/101) or weak, while in OSCC tissues, positive rate is 100% and strong staining spread over the whole tissues in 93 (93/101, 92%) cases. Lsm12 overexpression significantly promoted OSCC cell growth, colony formation, migration and invasion abilities, while Lsm12 knockdown showed the opposite trends on these phenotypes and obviously inhibited the tumor formation in vivo. Furthermore, Lsm12 overexpression caused the inclusion of USO1 exon 15 and Lsm12 knockdown induced exon 15 skipping. Exon 15-retained USO1 significantly promoted the malignant phenotypes of OSCC cells when compared with the exon 15-deleted USO1. CONCLUSIONS: We identified Lsm12, a novel tumorigenesis-related gene, as an important regulator involved in OSCC tumorigenesis. Lsm12 is a novel RNA-splicing related gene and can regulate the alternative splicing of USO1 exon 15 which was associated closely with OSCC carcinogenesis. Our findings thus provide that Lsm12 might be a potent biomarker and potential therapeutic target for OSCC.

Long non-coding RNA SMASR inhibits the EMT by negatively regulating TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway in lung cancer.

TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway plays an important role in EMT during cancer progression. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in various behaviors of cancer cells, including EMT. Here, we report a novel lncRNA adjacent to Smad3, named Smad3-associated long non-coding RNA (SMASR). SMASR is downregulated by TGF-ß via Smad2/3 in lung cancer cells. Knockdown of SMASR induces EMT and increases the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells. Moreover, knockdown of SMASR promotes the phosphorylation of Smad2/3. Mechanistically, SMASR interacts with Smad2/3 and inhibits the expression of TGFBR1, the TGF-ß type I receptor responsible for phosphorylation of Smad2/3, thus leading to inactivation of TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway. Clinically, SMASR is downregulated in lung cancer tissues. Collectively, our findings prove a critical role of SMASR in EMT of lung cancer by forming a negative feedback loop with TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway.

Nogo-B receptor is required for stabilizing TGF-ß type I receptor and promotes the TGF-ß1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of non-small cell lung cancer.

Background and Objective: Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a crucial event in the metastasis of NSCLC. Our previous works demonstrated that NgBR promoted EMT in NSCLC. However, the molecular mechanism was unclear. Methods: TGF-ß1 was used to induce EMT process of NSCLC cells. The biological functions of NgBR in promoting TGF-ß1-induced NSCLC metastasis were studied by gain- and loss-of-function assays both in vitro and in vivo. The underlying mechanisms were studied using molecular biology assays. Results: We found that knockdown of NgBR inhibited TGF-ß1-induced cell migration and invasion in NSCLC cells. In contrast, NgBR overexpression promoted TGF-ß1-induced EMT of A549 cells. Mechanically, we found that knockdown of NgBR facilitated ubiquitination and degradation of TßRI, leading to downregulation of TßRI expression in NSCLC cells. Moreover, we confirmed a positive correlation between NgBR and TßRI in NSCLC tissues. Conclusions: Our findings provide a novel role of NgBR in modulating TGF-ß1-induced EMT and propose NgBR as a new therapeutic target for treating NSCLC patients.

Chemotherapy resistance research of lung cancer based on micro-fluidic chip system with flow medium.

Micro total analysis systems (-TAS) or labs-on-achip, have been spreading rapidly due to their desirable characteristics, including reductions in reagent consumption, space requirements and analysis time. This work aimed at establishing an integrated microfluidic system which can supply the cells with fresh medium of oxygen and nutrition continuously at a control flow rate mimicking the microenvironment in vivo. Human non-small cell lung cancer cell line SPCA1 was seeded in a microchip supplied with fresh medium at a constant rate of 15 mm/24 h controlled by a pump. The expression of P-gp for verapamil-pretreated or non-pretreated cells was assayed with immunofluorescence. Both groups cells were exposed to anticancer drug VP-16 at 30 microM for 6 h before the apoptosis analysis online. The results indicated that the cells could grow and spread well for 4 days in the microfluidic system successively furnished with fresh medium. Immunofluorescence assay showed that the intensity of the fluorescence for the verapamil-pretreated cells was obvious weak compared with that of nonpretreated cells. Apoptosis analysis demonstrated that the percentage of apoptotic cells for verapamil-pretreated group increased around twofold compared with that of nonverapamil pretreated group (26.5+/-2.5% versus 10.9+/- 0.85%, p<0.05), showing a similar results as by flow cytometry analysis. All these indicate that P-gp plays an important role in the resistance to VP-16 in SPCA1, the microfluidic system provides a suitable environment for cells survival and is valuable in long time cell culture and bioassays mimicking the microenvironment in vivo and deserved to be studied further.

[Clinical significance of abnormal expression of Aurora-A in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with or without lymph node metastasis].

OBJECTIVE: China has the highest incidence and mortality of esophageal carcinoma in the world, and the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the major type. In this study, the authors investigated the expression of Aurora-A in stage T3 esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC) with positive and negative lymph node metastasis, and analyzed its relationship with prognosis of ESCC patients. METHODS: ESCC tissue arrays including 212 specimens had been constructed. The expression of Aurora-A in both ESCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues was determined by immunohistochemical staining. The correlation between Aurora-A protein levels and lymph node status in ESCC and survival rate were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The positive expression of Aurora-A was 74.07% (140/189) in tumor tissues and 18.52% (35/189) in adjacent normal tissues, showing a significant difference between them (χ(2) = 105.162, P < 0.05). In tumors with positive lymph nodes, strong positive expression of Aurora-A was found in 42.99% (46/107), while only 7.37% (7/95) in tumors with negative lymph nodes, with a statistically significant difference (χ(2) = 36.132, P < 0.05). The cumulative survival rate of the patients with strong Aurora-A-positive tumors was significantly lower than that in patients with Aurora-A-negative tumors (P = 0.0042, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The positive expression of Aurora-A in ESCC tissues is much higher than that in adjacent normal tissues. The expression of Aurora-A is higher in lymph node-positive tumors than in the lymph node-negative ones. There is a significantly longer cumulative survival rate in patients with negative Aurora-A expression than that in patients with strong positive Aurora-A expression.