Polycomb chromobox 4 enhances migration and pulmonary metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cell line MHCC97L.

We recently report that the expression of polycomb chromobox 4 (Cbx4) is significantly correlated with the overall survival of a great cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and it enhances hypoxia-induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and angiogenesis in HCC cells through enhancing sumoylation of hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α). Here we continue to investigate the potential effects of Cbx4 on the migration and metastasis of the metastatic HCC cell line MHCC97L. Our results show that Cbx4 overexpression in the cell line increases the in vitro vessel formation of vascular endothelial cells in its SUMO interaction motifs-dependent manner, and promotes the in vitro migration of the cancer cell, which can be effectively abrogated by anti-VEGF antibody.

Microbial synthesis of functional homo-, random, and block polyhydroxyalkanoates by β-oxidation deleted Pseudomonas entomophila.

Functional polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) allow chemical modifications to widen PHA diversity, promising to increase values of these biodegradable and biocompatible polyesters. Among functional PHAs, unsaturated PHA site chains can be easily grafted to add chemical groups, and to cross-link with other PHA polymer chains. However, it has been very difficult to obtain structurally controllable functional homo-, random, or block PHA.

rs10505474 and rs7837328 at 8q24 cumulatively confer risk of prostate cancer in Northern Han Chinese.

Aims: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several risk variants for prostate cancer (pCa) mainly in Europeans, which need to be further verified in other racial groups. We selected six previously identified variants as candidates and to define the association with PCa in Northern Han Chinese.

Methods: 749 subjects from Beijing and Tianjin in Northern China were included.

Benzyl alcohol attenuates acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury in a Toll-like receptor-4-dependent pattern in mice.

Unlabelled: Acetaminophen (APAP) toxicity is the most common cause of acute liver failure in industrialized countries. Understanding the mechanisms of APAP-induced liver injury as well as other forms of sterile liver injury is critical to improve the care of patients. Recent studies demonstrate that danger signaling and inflammasome activation play a role in APAP-induced injury.

[Establishment and application of multiplex PCR for non-O157 H7 STEC virulence genes detection].

Objective: Traditional detection approaches for non-O157 STEC are both time and labour consuming in diseases surveillance. Virulence genes detection based on multiplex PCR could not only improve the detection efficiency but also increase the accuracy.

Methods: Six virulence genes of non-O157:H7 (stx1, stx2, eae, hly, etpD, katP6) were detected by two groups of trebling PCRs.

Engineering the diversity of polyesters.

Many bacteria have been found to produce various polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) biopolyesters. In many cases, it is not easy to control the structures of PHA including homopolymers, random copolymers and block copolymers as well as ratios of monomers in the copolymers. It has become possible to engineer bacteria for controllable synthesis of PHA with the desirable structures by creating new PHA synthesis pathways.

Sustained PDGF-BB release from PHBHHx loaded nanoparticles in 3D hydrogel/stem cell model.

This study aimed to design a growth factor loaded copolyester of 3-hydroxybutyrate and 3-hydroxyhexanoate (PHBHHx) nanoparticles containing 3D collagen matrix to achieve growth factor sustained release for long-term stimulation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) proliferation/differentiation for tissue engineer application. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB), which is known to enhance hMSCs proliferation in human serum, was selected as a model growth factor, and biodegradable copolyester of PHBHHx was chosen to be the sustained release vehicle. PDGF-BB phospholipid complex encapsulated PHBHHx nanoparticles were fabricated, and their effect on hMSCs proliferation was investigated via assays of CCK-8 and live-dead staining to cells inoculated in 2D tissue culture plates and 3D collagen gel scaffolds, respectively.

Dual-band infrared perfect absorber based on asymmetric T-shaped plasmonic array.

An infrared dual-band perfect absorber based on asymmetric T-shaped plasmonic array is designed and numerically investigated. Two distinct absorption peaks are achieved by localized surface plasmon polariton (LSPP) mode over a wide incident angular range. Both the absorption peaks can be finely tuned independently by varying the geometry of the structure.

Development of Halomonas TD01 as a host for open production of chemicals.

Genetic engineering of Halomonas spp. was seldom reported due to the difficulty of genetic manipulation and lack of molecular biology tools. Halomonas TD01 can grow in a continuous and unsterile process without other microbial contaminations.

Cbx4 governs HIF-1α to potentiate angiogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma by its SUMO E3 ligase activity.

Cbx4 is a polycomb group protein that is also a SUMO E3 ligase, but its potential roles in tumorigenesis remain to be explored. Here, we report that Cbx4, but not other members of the Cbx family, enhances hypoxia-induced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells through enhancing HIF-1α sumoylations at K391 and K477 in its two SUMO-interacting motifs-dependent mechanisms and increasing transcriptional activity of HIF-1. The Cbx4 expression is significantly correlated with VEGF expression, angiogenesis, and the overall survival of HCC patients and also in subcutaneously and orthotopically transplanted mice HCC models.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-R-3-hydroxyhexanoate) nanoparticles with polyethylenimine coat as simple, safe, and versatile vehicles for cell targeting: population characteristics, cell uptake, and intracellular trafficking.

A simple and highly safe poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-R-3-hydroxyhexanoate) nanoparticulate delivery system that targets different cell types is developed. A sub-cytotoxic level of polyethylenimine coat mediates universal cell targeting. Internalized nanoparticles traffic along endolysosomal compartments, endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi complex.

Profilin 1 is essential for retention and metabolism of mouse hematopoietic stem cells in bone marrow.

How stem cells interact with the microenvironment to regulate their cell fates and metabolism is largely unknown. Here we demonstrated that the deletion of the cytoskeleton-modulating protein profilin 1 (pfn1) in hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) led to bone marrow failure, loss of quiescence, and mobilization and apoptosis of HSCs in vivo. A switch from glycolysis to mitochondrial respiration with increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was also observed in HSCs on pfn1 deletion.

Benzene containing polyhydroxyalkanoates homo- and copolymers synthesized by genome edited Pseudomonas entomophila.

Microbial synthesis of functional polymers has become increasingly important for industrial biotechnology. For the first time, it became possible to synthesize controllable composition of poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (P3HA) consisting of 3-hydroxydodecanoate (3HDD) and phenyl group on the side-chain when chromosome of Pseudomonas entomophila was edited to weaken its β-oxidation. Cultured in the presence of 5-phenylvaleric acid (PVA), the edited P.

[Preface for special issue on synthetic biology (2013)].

Synthetic biology has developed quickly worldwide. In this special issue, we reviewed its recent progresses in technologies and applications, these are: markerless knockout of chromosome genes in Streptomycetes spp. and in gene synthesis technology, in microbial genome reduction and modification, as well as genome minimization method based on metabolic network analysis and combinatorial optimization of synthetic biological systems.

[Clinical outcomes of percutaneous kyphoplasty under local anesthesia for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures].

Objective: To analyze the clinical outcomes of percutaneous kyphoplasty under local anesthesia for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Methods: In this study, 76 elderly patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures undergoing percutaneous kyphoplasty were followed up for 2-3.1 years.

Assessment of the associations between three VEGF polymorphisms and risk of prostate cancer.

Unlabelled: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a crucial role in the regulation of angiogenesis and is involved in the development and metastasis of common cancers. There were several case-controls studies published to assess the associations of VEGF polymorphisms with risk of prostate cancer, but the findings were inconsistent. We performed a meta-analysis to provide a comprehensive assessment of the associations of three VEGF polymorphisms with risk of prostate cancer.

Intractable epilepsy due to angiocentric glioma: A case report and minireview.

The aim of this case report and minireview was to investigate the diagnosis of and therapeutic approaches for angiocentric glioma (AG) and to summarize the clinical manifestations and the pathological and imaging characteristics of the disease. Intraoperative cortical electroencephalogram (ECoG) monitoring was performed to locate the epileptic foci in a child with AG who presented with intractable epilepsy, prior to the total resection of the tumor being performed under the microscope. The clinical features, imaging characteristics, intraoperative conditions, surgical methods and pathological results were analyzed and compared with the literature.

PLZF mediates the PTEN/AKT/FOXO3a signaling in suppression of prostate tumorigenesis.

Promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) protein expression is closely related to the progression of human cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). However, the according context of a signaling pathway for PLZF to suppress prostate tumorigenesis remains greatly unknown. Here we report that PLZF is a downstream mediator of the PTEN signaling pathway in PCa.

Central role for MCP-1/CCL2 in injury-induced inflammation revealed by in vitro, in silico, and clinical studies.

The translation of in vitro findings to clinical outcomes is often elusive. Trauma/hemorrhagic shock (T/HS) results in hepatic hypoxia that drives inflammation. We hypothesize that in silico methods would help bridge in vitro hepatocyte data and clinical T/HS, in which the liver is a primary site of inflammation.

ASD v2.0: updated content and novel features focusing on allosteric regulation.

Allostery is the most direct and efficient way for regulation of biological macromolecule function and is induced by the binding of a ligand at an allosteric site topographically distinct from the orthosteric site. AlloSteric Database (ASD, http://mdl.shsmu.

A novel functional class 2 integron in clinical Proteus mirabilis isolates.

Objectives: To describe a novel functional class 2 integron that was found in clinical Proteus mirabilis isolates.

Methods: Class 1 and 2 integrons were screened by PCR in 153 clinical Proteus isolates. The variable regions of class 1 and 2 integrons were determined by restriction analysis and sequencing.

Change of fucosylated IgG2 Fc-glycoforms in pancreatitis and pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a promising disease-classification model.

The fixed constant (Fc) region of IgG is subject to changes in glycosylation state in response to diseases. On the basis of sera from 75 healthy controls, 75 pancreatitis (PT) patients, and 75 pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) patients, we analyzed six fucosylated glycoforms of IgG2 (G0F, G1F, G2F, G0FN, G1FN, and G2FN), by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR MS), to evaluate their use as biomarkers for pancreatic diseases. Compared with healthy controls, significant increases in agalactosylated glycoforms and decreases in galactosylated glycoforms were observed for PT and PAC patients.

Preventive and therapeutic effects of adenanthin on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by inhibiting NF-κB signaling.

Adenanthin, a diterpenoid isolated from the leaves of Isodon adenanthus, has been reported to possess antileukemic activity through targeting peroxiredoxin I/II. However, its other potential activities remain to be explored. Using myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)35-55-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis, we report in this study that adenanthin exerts efficaciously preventive and therapeutic effects on EAE accompanied by significant restriction of infiltration of inflammatory cells and demyelination in CNS.

Arterial compression of nerve is the primary cause of trigeminal neuralgia.

Whether arterial or venous compression or arachnoid adhesions are primarily responsible for compression of the trigeminal nerve in patients with trigeminal neuralgia is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the causes of trigeminal nerve compression in patients with trigeminal neuralgia. The surgical findings in patients with trigeminal neuralgia who were treated by micro vascular decompression were compared to those in patients with hemifacial spasm without any signs or symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia who were treated with microvascular decompression.