An organ-specific transcriptomic atlas of the medicinal plant Bletilla striata: Protein-coding genes, microRNAs, and regulatory networks.

As one of the important species belonging to the Bletilla genus of Orchidaceae, Bletilla striata (Thunb.) Rchb. f.

Organ-specific, integrated omics data-based study on the metabolic pathways of the medicinal plant Bletilla striata (Orchidaceae).

Background: Bletilla striata is one of the important species belonging to the Bletilla genus of Orchidaceae. Since its extracts have an astringent effect on human tissues, B. striata is widely used for hemostasis and healing.

Preparative Separation of Alkaloids from Stem of Dunn. by High-Speed Counter-Current Chromatography Using Stepwise Elution.

Dunn. is a Chinese herbal medicine with biological activity, but there are few studies on its components at present. Alkaloids in the stem of Dunn.

Myricetin relieves LPS-induced mastitis by inhibiting inflammatory response and repairing the blood-milk barrier.

Mastitis, an inflammation of mammary gland, is a serious disease that affects the health of dairy cows around the world. Myricetin, a flavonoid from Bayberry, has been reported to suppress various inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of myricetin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced in vivo and in vitro mastitis model and clarify the underlying mechanism.

Anterior Gradient 2 (AGR2) Induced Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Signaling Is Essential for Murine Pancreatitis-Associated Tissue Regeneration.

A recently published study identified Anterior Gradient 2 (AGR2) as a regulator of EGFR signaling by promoting receptor presentation from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface. AGR2 also promotes tissue regeneration in amphibians and fish. Whether AGR2-induced EGFR signaling is essential for tissue regeneration in higher vertebrates was evaluated using a well-characterized murine model for pancreatitis.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling requires a specific endoplasmic reticulum thioredoxin for the post-translational control of receptor presentation to the cell surface.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a well characterized receptor-tyrosine kinase that functions in development and serves a vital role in many human cancers. Understanding EGFR regulatory mechanisms, and hence approaches for clinical intervention, has focused on ligand-receptor interactions and tyrosine kinase activity. Here, we show using the NCI-H460 lung and A431 epidermoid human cancer cell lines that EGFR binding to anterior gradient homolog 2 (AGR2) in the endoplasmic reticulum is required for receptor delivery to the plasma membrane and thus EGFR signaling.

Is Argonaute 1 the only effective slicer of small RNA-mediated regulation of gene expression in plants?

To maintain normal growth and development in a plant, gene expression must be under strict surveillance. One of the post-transcriptional regulatory pathways involves small RNA (sRNA)-guided, Argonaute (AGO) protein complex-mediated target cleavages. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the well-known sRNA species participating in the cleavage-based regulation of gene expression.

[Fluorescence microscopy and HPLC assay for rapid detection of distribution and content of resveratrol in Polygonum cuspidatum].

Objective: To establish fluorescence microscopy combined with HPLC method for rapid detection the distribution and content of resveratrol tissues in different growth stages of Polygonum cuspidatum.

Methods: Used sequential experiment to design conditions of frozen and observe of the section by fluorescence microscopy; Resveratrol was extracted by ultrasonic-assisted extraction and its content was detected by HPLC.

Results: The results showed that frozen condition for concentration of gum Arabic was from 20% (dipping time was 5 - 6 h) to 40% (2 - 5 min), the freezer temperature was -5 degrees C, and the thickness was 15 microm.

Diagnostic accuracy of cyst fluid amphiregulin in pancreatic cysts.

Background: Accurate tests to diagnose adenocarcinoma and high-grade dysplasia among mucinous pancreatic cysts are clinically needed. This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of amphiregulin (AREG) as a pancreatic cyst fluid biomarker to differentiate non-mucinous, benign mucinous, and malignant mucinous cysts.

Methods: A single-center retrospective study to evaluate AREG levels in pancreatic cyst fluid by ELISA from 33 patients with a histological gold standard was performed.

AGR2 gene function requires a unique endoplasmic reticulum localization motif.

Soluble proteins are enriched in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by retrograde transport from the Golgi that is mediated by the KDEL receptors. In addition to the classic carboxyl-terminal KDEL motif, a variety of sequence variants are also capable of receptor binding that result in ER localization. Although different ER localization signals that exhibit varying affinities for the KDEL receptors exist, whether there are functional implications was unknown.

The human adenocarcinoma-associated gene, AGR2, induces expression of amphiregulin through Hippo pathway co-activator YAP1 activation.

Anterior Gradient Homolog 2 (AGR2) is expressed by the normal intestine and by most human adenocarcinomas, including those derived from the esophagus, pancreas, lung, breast, ovary, and prostate. Xenografts of human adenocarcinoma cell lines in nude mice previously demonstrated that AGR2 supports tumor growth. In addition, AGR2 is able to induce in vitro a transformed phenotype in fibroblast and epithelial cell lines.

Blockade of Wnt signaling inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aberrant activation of Wnt signaling plays an important role in hepatocarcinogenesis. In addition to direct effects on tumor cells, Wnt signaling might be involved in the organization of tumor microenvironment. In this study, we have explored whether Wnt signaling blockade by exogenous expression of Wnt antagonists could inhibit tumor angiogenesis and control tumor growth.

Regulation and pharmacokinetics of inducible recombinant TRAIL expression.

TRAIL is a potent antitumor agent, but its potential toxicity to normal human tissues limits its clinical applications in future. Therapy of human tumors might benefit from the use of vectors enabling tight control of TRAIL expression in vivo. To this aim, we constructed an adenoviral vector carrying the RU486-dependent gene switch system for the regulable expression of recombinant TRAIL.

Potent antitumor activity of oncolytic adenovirus expressing mda-7/IL-24 for colorectal cancer.

It has been demonstrated that interleukin 24 (IL-24, also called melanoma differentiation associated gene 7) exerts antitumor activity. In this study, we investigated whether oncolytic adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of IL-24 could induce strong antitumor activity. A tumor-selective replicating adenovirus expressing IL-24 (ZD55-IL-24) was constructed by insertion of an IL-24 expression cassette into the ZD55 vector, which is based on deletion of the adenoviral E1B 55-kDa gene.

Impairment of redox state and dopamine level induced by alpha-synuclein aggregation and the prevention effect of hsp70.

One hypothesis for the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD) is that the formation of proteinaceous inclusion, which is mainly composed of alpha-synuclein, may contribute to the selective loss of dopaminergic neurons. To further explore the role of alpha-synuclein in neurodegeneration of PD, we examined the possible effects of aggregated alpha-synuclein on the intracellular redox state, dopamine level, and cell death of SK-N-SH cells. Our present studies show that alpha-synuclein aggregation gives rise to both elevated intracellular oxidative state and dopamine level in SK-N-SH cells.