[Investigation on noise exposure level and health status of workers in transportation equipment manufacturing industry].

Objective: To explore the noise exposure level and the health status of workers in transportation equipment manufacturing industry, and provide a scientific basis for guidance and implementation of intervention measures. Methods: From January to December in 2019, a total of 2088 noise workers from a large enterprise were selected by cluster sampling method in railway transportation equipment manufacturing, automobile manufacturing and aerospace aircraft manufacturing enterprises. The worker's noise exposure level was detected. Occupational health checkups were performed on the noise workers including electrical audiometry, blood pressure and electrocardiogram. χ(2) test and trend χ(2) test were used to analyze the data. Results: The noise exposure level of 66.9% (1396/2088) workers exceeded 85 dB (A) , and the median noise level was 87.9 (84.3-90.3) dB (A) . Among them, workers of railway transportation equipment manufacturing enterprises had the highest noise exposure level[89.9 (87.8-91.6) dB (A) ]. The detection rate of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal blood pressure and abnormal electrocardiogram of noise workers were 15.7% (327/2088) , 18.1% (378/2088) and 6.1% (128/2088) , respectively. The differences in the detection rates of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal blood pressure, and abnormal electrocardiogram in workers of railway transportation equipment manufacturing enterprises, automobile manufacturing enterprises, and aerospace manufacturing enterprises were statistically significant (P<0.05) . Workers of railway transportation equipment manufacturing enterprises had higher detection rates of high-frequency hearing loss (17.6%, 186/1056) . Workers of aerospace manufacturing enterprises had higher detection rates of abnormal blood pressure and abnormal electrocardiogram (26.3%, 169/642; 10.0%, 64/642) . The differences in the detection rates of high-frequency hearing loss, abnormal blood pressure and abnormal electrocardiogram of noise workers were statistically significant in different age and working age groups, and gradually increased with age and working age (P<0.05) . The difference in the detection rate of high-frequency hearing loss of noise workers was statistically significant in different noise intensity groups, and the overall trend was increasing (P<0.05) . Conclusion: The transportation equipment manufacturing industry has serious noise hazards, especially the railway transportation equipment manufacturing industry. Long-term occupational noise exposure can adversely affect workers' hearing and cardiovascular system. Enterprises should strengthen occupational health inspections, and at the same time, take personal protective measures to protect the health of workers.

[Humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody as a salvage therapy for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease (SR-aGVHD) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) recipients. Methods: A total of 64 patients with SR-aGVHD between June 2019 and October 2020 in Suchow Hopes Hematology Hospital were enrolled in this study. Humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies 1 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) were administered on days 1, 3, and 8, and then once per week according to the disease progression. Efficacy was assessed at days 7, 14, and 28 after humanized anti-CD 25 treatment. Results: Of the 64 patients with a median age of 31 (15-63) years, 38 (59.4%) were male and 26 (40.6%) were female. The overall response (OR) rate of the humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody in 64 patients with SR-aGVHD on days 7, 14, and 28 were 48.4% (31/64), 53.1% (34/64), and 79.7% (51/64), respectively. Liver involvement is an independent risk factor for poor efficacy of humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody for SR-aGVHD at day 28 (OR=9.588, 95% CI 0.004-0.291, P=0.002). The median follow-up time for all patients was 17.1 (0.2-50.8) months from the start of humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody therapy. The 1- and 2-year OS rates were 63.2% (95% CI 57.1% -69.3%) and 52.6% (95% CI 46.1% -59.1%), respectively. The 1- and 2-year DFS rates were 58.4% (95% CI 52.1% -64.7%) and 49.8% (95% CI 43.4% -56.2%), respectively. The 1- and 2-year NRM rates were 28.8% (95% CI 23.1% -34.5%) and 32.9% (95% CI 26.8% -39.0%), respectively. The results of the multifactorial analysis showed that liver involvement (OR=0.308, 95% CI 0.108-0.876, P=0.027) and GVHD grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ (OR=9.438, 95% CI 1.211-73.577, P=0.032) were independent risk factors for OS. Conclusion: Humanized CD25 monoclonal antibody has good efficacy and safety for SR-aGVHD. This study shows that SR-aGVHD with pretreatment grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ GVHD and GVHD involving the liver has poor efficacy and prognosis and requires early intervention.

[Clinical characteristics and efficacy analysis of secondary benign paroxysm positional vertigo after middle ear surgery].

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and therapeutic effect of benign paroxysm positional vertigo（BPPV） secondary to middle ear surgery. Method:A total of 1 126 patients who underwent tympanoplasty or radical mastoidectomy due to chronic suppurative otitis media and middle ear cholesteatoma in our hospital from January 2014 to December 2018 were collected. Clinical data of BPPV within 1 month after surgery were collected, The incidence, incidence side, involved semicircular canal, onset time, age of onset, and duration of operation of secondary BPPV after middle ear surgery were analyzed. All patients with secondary BPPV were treated by manual reduction, and the efficacy was evaluated 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month after reduction. Result:2.13% （24 cases） of patients had secondary BPPV after operation, among which 2 cases were parietal incidence. 18 cases were involved in posterior semicircular canals and 6 cases were horizontal semicircular canals. The onset time was 1-12 days after the operation, with an average of （3.29±2.44） days. The mean age of onset was （51.62±10.15） years old, and there was no statistically significant difference between the age of patients without BPPV after middle ear surgery （P>0.05）. The average operating time was （97.29±14.78） minutes, showing no statistically significant difference compared with patients in the group without BPPV （P>0.05）. Fourteen cases （58.3%） were cured and 10 cases were improved after 1 day evaluation. Evaluated 1 week after treatment, 19 cases （79.17%） were cured and 5 cases were improved. Evaluated 1 month after treatment, all patients were cured without recurrence. Conclusion:BPPV secondary to middle ear surgery often appears 3 days after surgery, and the posterior semicircular canal of the operative ear is most commonly involved. Age and operation duration have no significant influence on the incidence of BPPV, and satisfactory therapeutic effect can be obtained through manipulative reduction.

CircRNA_MYLK promotes malignant progression of ovarian cancer through regulating microRNA-652.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate circRNA_MYLK level in ovarian cancer (OC), and to further investigate whether it could promote the malignant progression of OC via regulating microRNA-652. PATIENTS AND METHODS: quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to examine circRNA_MYLK level in 46 tumor tissue specimens and paracancerous normal ones collected from OC patients, and the interplay between circRNA_MYLK expression and clinical indicators of OC and patient prognosis was analyzed. Meanwhile, qPCR was also used to further verify circRNA_MYLK level in OC cell lines. In addition, circRNA_MYLK knockdown model was constructed using lentivirus in OC cell lines including A2780 and CAOV3, and the impacts of circRNA_MYLK on the biological functions of OC cells was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and cloning experiments. Finally, Luciferase reporting assay and recovery experiment were performed to investigate the regulatory interplay between circRNA_MYLK and microRNA-652. RESULTS: qPCR results indicated that circRNA_MYLK level in OC patients was remarkably higher than that in adjacent ones, and the difference was statistically significant. Compared with patients with low expression of circRNA_MYLK, patients with high expression of circRNA_MYLK had a higher pathological staging and a lower overall survival rate. Compared with the control group (sh-NC), the OC cell proliferation ability was remarkably attenuated in the circRNA_MYLK knockdown group (sh-circRNA). In addition, qPCR verification revealed that the expression levels of microRNA-652 and circRNA_MYLK were negatively correlated in OC tissues. At the same time, bioinformatics analysis and Luciferase reporter gene assay results confirmed that circRNA_MYLK can be targeted by microRNA-652. Finally, it was found that simultaneous knockdown of circRNA_MYKK and microRNA-652 could reverse the enhanced OC cell proliferative capacity induced by downregulation of circRNA_MYLK alone. CONCLUSIONS: CircRNA_MYLK may promote the malignant progression of OC via regulating microRNA-652, and its expression was remarkably associated with pathological staging and poor prognosis in patients with OC.

High tetramethylpyrazine production by the endophytic bacterial Bacillus subtilis isolated from the traditional medicinal plant Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.

Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) with significant protective effects on cardiovascular is the active ingredient of traditional Chinese medicine Rhizoma Chuanxiong (RC). However, many studies have reported the low content of TMP in RC. The endophytes of medicinal plants have the biosynthetic potential to produce the same or similar active metabolites as the host, while few reports were conducted to explore the endophytic bacteria of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. and its productive capacity for the important ingredient TMP. The present paper focuses on the isolation and identification of TMP producing endophytic bacteria from RC. In this study, the endophytic bacteria were isolated from the rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Umbelliferae). Yeast extract peptone glucose medium (YP) was used for fermentation medium (37 °C, 220 rpm agitation, 144 h). GC and GC/MS were performed to determine and verify the product, the fermentation characteristics were investigated. Morphological observation, physiological and biochemical indexes combining with 16S rRNA sequence analysis were carried out to identify the endophytic bacteria. As a result, five strains of endophytic Bacillus subtilis were firstly isolated and identified from RC, named as LB3, LB3-2-1, LB6-2, LB4, LB5 respectively. All five strains of endophytic B. subtilis produced TMP, while LB5 had the highest production of 10.69 g/L at the 144 h fermentation. This work demonstrates the fact that the endophytic B. subtilis of RC can produce a high level of TMP, indicating the endophytic B. subtilis might play a role in the accumulation of TMP during the growth period of RC.

Tumour cell-derived WNT5B modulates in vitro lymphangiogenesis via induction of partial endothelial-mesenchymal transition of lymphatic endothelial cells.

Metastasis of the cervical lymph nodes frequently leads to poor survival of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The underlying mechanisms of lymph node metastasis are unclear. Wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 5B (WNT5B), one component of the WNT signal pathway, was markedly up-regulated in OSCC sublines with high potential of lymphatic metastasis compared to that in OSCC cells with low nodal metastasis. Increased WNT5B mRNA was demonstrated in human OSCC tissues in comparison with adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Interestingly, the high level of WNT5B protein in serum was associated with lymph node metastasis in OSCC patients. Knockdown of WNT5B expression in OSCC sublines did not affect tumour growth but impaired lymph node metastasis and tumour lymphangiogenesis of orthotopic transplantation. Conditioned medium from WNT5B knockdown cells reduced the tube formation of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). In contrast, recombinant WNT5B enhanced the tube formation, permeability and migration of LECs. In LECs stained with phalloidin, the morphology of those treated with recombinant WNT5B changed from flat to spindle-like. Recombinant WNT5B also increased α-smooth muscle actin and inhibited the expression of vascular endothelial-cadherin but retained characteristics of endothelial cells. The results suggest that WNT5B functions in the partial endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT). Furthermore, WNT5B-induced tube formation was impaired in the LECs following the knockdown of EndoMT-related transcription factor, SNAIL or SLUG. The WNT5B-induced expression of Snail or Slug was abolished by IWR-1-endo and Rac1 inhibitors, which are involved in the WNT/ß-catenin and planar cell polarity pathways, respectively. Collectively, the data suggest that WNT5B induces tube formation by regulating the expression of Snail and Slug proteins through activation of canonical and non-canonical WNT signalling pathways.

miR-520h is crucial for DAPK2 regulation and breast cancer progression.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/onc.2015.168.

Shorter hemodialysis duration is a risk factor for the recurrence of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of hemodialysis duration with the recurrence of urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder and overall survival in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 52 bladder cancer patients who underwent MHD at the Xiangya Hospital of The Central South University between 2001 and 2011 were enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into three groups according to hemodialysis duration, and patient mortality and tumor recurrence rates were analyzed. The association of hemodialysis duration with occurrence and recurrence of UC of the bladder was analyzed by Cox regression analysis. Survival was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Out of 6266 chronic hemodialysis patients, 52 patients had UC of the bladder after the initiation of hemodialysis for 6 months. The mean age at hemodialysis onset was 55 years (IQR 36, 71). The major complaints were painless gross hematuria and urethral bloody discharge. Tumors were generally large and multifocal. The standardized incidence ratio of UC of the bladder was 43.9 compared with general population, and it was higher in women (76.7) and in the age group 61-65 years (186.6). The mean hemodialysis duration before the diagnosis of bladder cancer was 32 months. 30 (57.7 %) patients received hemodialysis no more than 3 years, 10 (19.2 %) patients received hemodialysis between 3 and 6 years, and 12 (23.1 %) patients received hemodialysis for more than 6 years. CONCLUSION: Preoperative shorter hemodialysis duration is a risk factor for the occurrence and recurrence of UC of the bladder in patients undergoing MHD.

miR-520h is crucial for DAPK2 regulation and breast cancer progression.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that suppress gene expression by their interaction with 3'untranslated region of specific target mRNAs. Although the dysregulation of miRNAs has been identified in human cancer, only a few of these miRNAs have been functionally documented in breast cancer. Thus, defining the important miRNA and functional target involved in chemoresistance is an urgent need for human breast cancer treatment. In this study, we, for the first time, identified a key role of miRNA 520h (miR-520h) in drug resistance. Through protecting cells from paclitaxel-induced apoptosis, expression of miR-520h promoted the drug resistance of human breast cancer cells. Bioinformatics prediction, compensatory mutation and functional validation further confirmed the essential role of miR-520h-suppressed Death-associated protein kinase 2 (DAPK2) expression, as restoring DAPK2 abolished miR-520h-promoted drug resistance, and knockdown of DAPK2 mitigated cell death caused by the depletion of miR-520h. Furthermore, we observed that higher level of miR-520h is associated with poor prognosis and lymph node metastasis in human breast cancer patients. These results show that miR-520h is not only an independent prognostic factor, but is also a potential functional target for future applications in cancer therapeutics.

A lysine residue involved in the inhibition of vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase by fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate.

Vacuolar proton pumping pyrophosphatase (H(+)-PPase; EC 3.6.1.1) plays a central role in the electrogenic translocation of protons from cytosol to the vacuole lumen at the expense of PP(i) hydrolysis. A fluorescent probe, fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate (FITC), was used to modify a lysine residue of vacuolar H(+)-PPase. The enzymatic activity and its associated H(+) translocation of vacuolar H(+)-PPase were markedly decreased by FITC in a concentration-dependent manner. The inhibition of enzymatic activity followed pseudo-first-order rate kinetics. A double-logarithmic plot of the apparent reaction rate constant against FITC concentration yielded a straight line with a slope of 0.89, suggesting that the alteration of a single lysine residue on the enzyme is sufficient to inhibit vacuolar H(+)-PPase. Changes in K(m) but not V(max) values of vacuolar H(+)-PPase as inhibited by FITC were obtained, indicating that the labeling caused a modification in affinity of the enzyme to its substrate. FITC inhibition of vacuolar H(+)-PPase could be protected by its physiological substrate, Mg(2+)-PP(i). These results indicate that FITC might specifically compete with the substrate at the active site and the FITC-labeled lysine residue locates probably in or near the catalytic domain of the enzyme. The enhancement of fluorescence intensity and the blue shift of the emission maximum of FITC after modification of vacuolar H(+)-PPase suggest that the FITC-labeled lysine residue is located in a relatively hydrophobic region.

Involvement of tyrosine residue in the inhibition of plant vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase by tetranitromethane.

Plant vacuolar vesicles contain a novel H(+)-translocating pyrophosphatase (H(+)-PPase, EC 3.6.1.1). Modification of tonoplast vesicles and purified vacuolar H(+)-PPase from etiolated mung bean seedlings with tetranitromethane (TNM) resulted in a progressive decline in H(+)-translocating pyrophosphatase activity. The half-maximal inhibition was brought about by 0.6, 1.0, and 0.8 mM TNM for purified and membrane-bound H(+)-PPases, and its associated proton translocation, respectively. The maximal inhibition of vacuolar H(+)-PPase by TNM occurred at a pH value above 8. Loss of activity of purified H(+)-pyrophosphatase followed pseudo-first order rate kinetics, yielding a first-order rate constant (k2) of 0.039 s(-1) and a steady-state dissociation constant of inactivation (Ki) of 0.02 mM. Covalent modification of vacuolar H(+)-PPase by TNM increased Km value of the enzyme for its substrate without a significant effect on Vmax. Double logarithmic plots of the pseudo-first order rate constant (kobs) versus TNM concentration exhibited a slope of 0.88, suggesting that at least one tyrosine residue was involved in the inactivation of H(+)-PPase enzymatic activity. Further spectrophotometric measurements of the nitrated H(+)-pyrophosphatase indicated that TNM could modify approximately two tyrosine residues/subunit of the enzyme. However, Tsou's analysis revealed that only one of those modified tyrosine residues directly participated in the inhibition of enzymatic activity of vacuolar H(+)-PPase. The physiological substrate, i.e., dimagnesium pyrophosphate, provided substantial protection against inactivation by TNM. Moreover, NEM pretreatment of the enzyme decreased the number of subsequent nitration of vacuolar H(+)-PPase. Taken together, we suggest that vacuolar H(+)-pyrophosphatase contains a substrate-protectable tyrosine residue conferring to the inhibition of its activity and this tyrosine residue may be located in a domain sensitive to the modification of Cys-634 by NEM.

Radiation inactivation analysis of H(+)-pyrophosphatase from submitochondrial particles of etiolated mung bean seedlings.

Radiation inactivation analysis was employed to determine the functional masses of enzymatic activity and proton translocation of H(+)-pyrophosphatase from submitochondrial particles of etiolated mung bean seedlings. The activities of H(+)-pyrophosphatase decayed as a simple exponential function with respect to radiation dosage. D(37) values of 6.9+/-0.3 and 7.5+/-0.5 Mrad were obtained for pyrophosphate hydrolysis and its associated proton translocation, yielding molecular masses of 170+/-7 and 156+/-11 kDa, respectively. In the presence of valinomycin and 50 mM KCl, the functional size of H(+)-pyrophosphatase of tonoplast was decreased, while that of submitochondrial particles remained the same, indicating that they are two distinct types of proton pump using PP(i) as their energy source.

Treatment of rotaviral gastroenteritis with Qiwei Baizhu powder.

AIM: To observe the effects of Qiwei Baizhu Powder (QWBZP) on rotaviral gastroenteritis in children and in animal models. METHODS: Enrolled patients were divided into two groups, and one group was treated with oral rehydration solution (ORS) and the other treated with oral liquid of QWBZP. Neonate mice were orally infected with 50 microL rotavirus suspension (4 X 10(8) PFU/mL) and treated with ORS or oral liquid of QWBZP, respectively. RESULTS: Eighty-three cases of rotaviral gastroenteritis treated with QWBZP revealed a better efficacy than that treated with ORS (X(2)=10.87, P < 0.05). The contents of sodium and glucose as well as number of patients with positive human rotavirus antigen in stool in QWBZP group were all less than that in ORS group. In animal models, QWBZP was found effective in treating rotavirus gastroenteritis in neonate NIH mice, as compared with control groups. In QWBZP group, the mortality of infected mice was decreased by 73.3%, the body weight of infected mice was increased, the contents of sodium and glucose as well as number of mice with positive rotavirus antigen in feces were significantly reduced, and the pathological changes such as damage of small intestinal mucosa and villi were also obviously alleviated. CONCLUSION: QWBZP has effects on improving the absorptive function of small intestine, shortening the duration of diarrhea and rotavirus shedding from stool and alleviating the pathological changes of small intestine induced by rotavirus.

[Changes in regulatory peptides at different stages of essential hypertension and their clinical significance].

The changes of regulatory peptides in 100 patients with essential hypertension at different stages were studied. Four kinds of peptides in serum were measured by RIA method. The results showed that: (1) neurotensin, P-substances, beta-endorphin and leucine-enkephalin decreased significantly in the group (P < 0.01). (2) the levels of those parameters at different stages of hypertension were decreased in parallel with its severity and the difference between different stages is significant (P < 0.01). (3) norepinephrine showed negative correlation with four kinds of neuropeptides. (4) neurotensin, Beta-endorphin and leucine-enkephalin increased significantly after capton (P < 0.01). The possible mechanism and its clinical significance of the changes of those regulatory peptides in hypertension patients were discussed.

[Changes in the deformability of erythrocytes and 2,3-DPG in coronary artery stenosis].

The changes of deformability of RBC and 2,3-DPG in RBC in patients with coronary artery stenosis and the influence of some factors on them were studied. The results showed that: (1) the deformability index was inversely proportional to the degree of lesions of coronary vessels (P less than 0.01); (2) the 2,3-DPG was inversely proportional to the degree of lesions of coronary vessels (P less than 0.01); (3) there was a significant decrease in deformability index after using contrast medium; (4) Saliva may increase deformability of RBC and 2,3-DPG; (5) Nifedipine may increase deformability of RBC. These results showed: (1) the possible existence of microcirculatory dysfunction in coronary artery disease and in parallel of impaired deformability of RBC; (2) the possibility of normalization of the decreased deformability of 2,3-DPG in RBC by Salvia; (3) the possibility of increase of velocity of blood flow in microcirculation in coronary artery disease by Salvia.

Overexpression of Lon contributes to survival and aggressive phenotype of cancer cells through mitochondrial complex I-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species.

Lon protease is a multifunction protein and operates in protein quality control and stress response pathways in mitochondria. Human Lon is upregulated under oxidative and hypoxic stresses that represent the stress phenotypes of cancer. However, little literature undertakes comprehensive and detailed investigations on the tumorigenic role of Lon. Overexpression of Lon promotes cell proliferation, apoptotic resistance to stresses, and transformation. Furthermore, Lon overexpression induces the production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) that result from Lon-mediated upregulation of NDUFS8, a mitochondrial Fe-S protein in complex I of electron transport chain. Increased level of mitochondrial ROS promotes cell proliferation, cell survival, cell migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Ras-ERK activation. Overall, the present report for the first time demonstrates the role of Lon overexpression in tumorigenesis. Lon overexpression gives an apoptotic resistance to stresses and induces mitochondrial ROS production through Complex I as signaling molecules to activate Ras and MAPK signaling, giving the survival advantages and adaptation to cancer cells. Finally, in silico and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that Lon is overexpressed specifically in various types of cancer tissue including oral cancer.

Identification and molecular characterisation of HMW glutenin subunit 1By16* in wild emmer.

In this study, a novel y-type high molecular weight glutenin subunit (HMW-GS) in wild emmer wheat Triticum turgidum L. var. dicoccoides (Körn.) accession KU1952 was identified by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), capillary electrophoresis (CE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation/time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). Its electrophoretic mobility and molecular weight were similar to those of 1By16 and was designated as 1By16*. The complete coding sequence of the 1By16* gene isolated by allelic-specific polymerase chain reaction (AS-PCR) consists of 2,157 bp, encoding 729 amino acid residues. The real presence and authenticity of the 1By16* gene in KU1952 were further confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), heterologous expression and Western blotting. The molecular structure as well as phylogenetic analysis revealed that 1By16* had 21 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variations and possessed greater similarity with superior quality subunits 1By15 and 1By16 of common wheat. Secondary structure prediction displayed higher α-helix and ß-strand contents in the 1By16* subunit, which could form a superior gluten structure and, consequently, might have positive effects on dough quality. Our results suggest that 1By16* is expected to be a new potential gene for wheat quality improvement.