Publications by authors named "Feifei Duan"
Article Synopsis
- Proper timing of flowering is essential for plant propagation, influenced significantly by light quality, with plants flowering earlier under low red/far-red light ratios.
- F-box of Flowering 2 (FOF2) interacts with VOZ1 and VOZ2, factors related to the R/FR light receptor phytochrome B (PHYB), affecting FOF2 protein stability depending on the light type.
- The study reveals a new mechanism where the PHYB-FOF2-VOZ2 module regulates flowering time by modulating FLC expression in response to varying light conditions.
Molecular mechanism governing RNA-binding property of mammalian TRIM71 protein.
Sci Bull (Beijing)
January 2024
Article Synopsis
- TRIM71 is an RNA-binding protein with functions in cell cycle regulation and stem cell self-renewal, and interacts with the long noncoding RNA Trincr1 to modulate the FGF/ERK signaling pathway in mouse embryonic stem cells.
- The study identifies a specific RNA motif recognized by mTRIM71 in Trincr1 and details the crystal structure of its NHL domain bound to this RNA, highlighting an essential adenosine in the interaction.
- Key amino acid residues in mTRIM71 are identified as crucial for RNA binding, and mutations can hinder its ability to attach to hairpin RNAs and mRNAs linked to cell cycle regulation, providing insights into TRIM71-related
Article Synopsis
- Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis and plant growth; a mutated rapeseed variety with yellow leaves and reduced chlorophyll was studied to understand its traits.
- The study identified specific gene mutations affecting chlorophyll synthesis and resulted in unique protein changes, linked to light energy utilization and heat dissipation efficiency.
- Findings highlight potential genetic targets for enhancing photosynthesis and light tolerance in crops, informing future agricultural practices.
KLF17 promotes human naive pluripotency through repressing MAPK3 and ZIC2.
Sci China Life Sci
October 2022
Article Synopsis
- KLF17 is crucial for maintaining the naive pluripotent state of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and facilitates the transition from a primed to a naive state.
- Research identifies MAPK3 and ZIC2 as two transcriptional targets that KLF17 represses, which is key to its role in promoting naive pluripotency.
- The study implies that KLF17 is not only important for hESCs but also plays a significant role in early mouse embryo development, indicating conserved functions across species.
Article Synopsis
- Enhanced glycolysis is linked to stem and cancer cells, with little understanding of its role in gene expression and cell fate.
- Glycolytic metabolism and lactate production decrease as mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) differentiate, while acidic pH from lactate can prevent the silencing of self-renewal genes during differentiation.
- Acidic pH affects both stem cells and cancer cells by downregulating AGO1 protein and influencing specific microRNAs, providing insights into its role in maintaining pluripotency.
Article Synopsis
- Graphene-based porous materials are gaining attention for their microwave absorption capabilities, but traditional methods struggle to create magnetic films with uniform pore sizes.
- A new approach called molecular layer deposition (MLD) successfully created hybrid structures with porous graphene foams and nitrogen-doped FeO films, which have a uniform coverage and diverse pore structures.
- The combination of these materials significantly improves microwave absorption, achieving a reflection loss of -64.36 dB with a thickness of only 2.18 mm, and allows for tuning of absorption properties by adjusting MLD cycles and thickness, covering a bandwidth from 3.04 to 18.0 GHz.
Enhanced therapeutic efficacy of Listeria-based cancer vaccine with codon-optimized HPV16 E7.
Hum Vaccin Immunother
June 2021
Article Synopsis
- Cervical cancer significantly affects women's health in developing countries, and HPV vaccines show promise in lowering its incidence but have limitations, making therapeutic vaccines necessary.
- Previous research indicated that the LM4Δ::E7 vaccine was safe and effective in triggering immune responses against cervical cancer.
- This study found that a novel vaccine, LM4Δ::E7-1, with optimized codon usage greatly improved E7 expression and immune responses, leading to better therapeutic effects in a murine model of cervical cancer.
Article Synopsis
- Icariin from Epimedium brevicornum shows promise in overcoming drug resistance in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer cells (MCF-7/TAM).
- The study used several assays to demonstrate that icariin inhibits cell growth, induces apoptosis, and alters key protein levels involved in cell cycle and autophagy.
- The findings suggest icariin could be a beneficial adjunct in chemotherapy, particularly in enhancing tamoxifen efficacy by suppressing autophagy.
Article Synopsis
- Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are crucial in regulating gene networks in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), but their exact functions are still not fully understood.
- The study identifies Trincr1 lncRNA, which interacts with TRIM71 to modulate FGF/ERK signaling and ESC self-renewal by downregulating SHCBP1 protein.
- Disruption of Trincr1 leads to increased ERK activity and decreased self-renewal in ESCs, while reducing TRIM71 can reverse these effects, emphasizing the role of lncRNAs in cell signaling and fate specification.
Article Synopsis
- Epoxidized soybean oil methyl esters were created by transesterifying epoxidized soybean oil with methanol using sodium hydroxide as a catalyst.
- The reaction was quick, completed in just 5 minutes at room temperature, and the presence of 5% acetone as a co-solvent enhanced the reaction rate.
- The resulting epoxidized methyl esters are renewable resources that can be transformed into various industrial products like surfactants and fuel additives.
MicroRNAs and RNA binding protein regulators of microRNAs in the control of pluripotency and reprogramming.
Curr Opin Genet Dev
October 2017
Article Synopsis
- Post-transcriptional and translational regulations are crucial for cellular reprogramming and maintaining pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), with microRNAs (miRNAs) playing significant roles in regulating cell cycle, survival, and pluripotency.
- Recent studies highlight miRNAs' involvement in transitioning between naive and primed pluripotent states, as well as the formation of totipotent-like cells.
- The interplay between RNA binding proteins (RBPs) and miRNAs is vital for understanding the regulatory mechanisms of pluripotency, which may enhance clinical applications of PSCs.
Article Synopsis
- Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is being explored as a tumor vaccine vector, specifically a recombinant strain (LM4△hly::E7) that expresses the HPV16 E7 protein.
- This strain was carefully constructed to be plasmid-free and antibiotic-resistant, while effectively producing and secreting an immunogenic E7-LLO fusion protein of 66 kDa.
- In tests with mice, the recombinant strain demonstrated strong immunological responses without causing significant health issues, suggesting it could be a safe and effective candidate for developing a cervical cancer vaccine.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how microRNAs (miRNAs) affect the transition from naive to primed pluripotency in embryonic stem cells (ESCs).
- Researchers found that deleting Dgcr8 in ESCs hindered the silencing of naive pluripotency and the establishment of primed pluripotency during differentiation.
- A screening of miRNAs showed that the miR-290 and miR-302 clusters play key roles in silencing naive pluripotency and may promote this transition by enhancing the MEK pathway while repressing Akt1.
[Construction and characterization of Listeria monocytogenes deltahfq mutant strain].
Wei Sheng Wu Xue Bao
April 2015
Article Synopsis
- The study focuses on the role of the Hfq protein in Listeria monocytogenes, a significant foodborne pathogen, and how its deletion affects bacterial characteristics.
- The hfq-deleted strain showed reduced growth under cold, salty, and alcohol-rich environments, as well as decreased biofilm formation and invasion ability in cell lines.
- The findings suggest that Hfq is crucial for Listeria's virulence and stress response, potentially leading to better strategies for preventing Lm infections.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the genomic imprinting of the gene Neuronatin (Nnat) in rabbits, a topic that has been less explored compared to other species.
- Two isoforms of the rabbit Nnat gene were confirmed through quantitative real-time PCR, indicating the presence of these transcripts in the species.
- The research also revealed a unique methylation pattern in the CpG island of the Nnat promoter region, which shows oocyte-specific methylation, suggesting it may function as a differentially methylated region in rabbits.
Article Synopsis
- Cloned pigs created through somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) experience higher rates of mid-gestation abortion compared to normal pigs.
- Research found that X-linked genes, especially Xist, show abnormal expression levels in aborted cloned pig fetuses.
- Analysis revealed hypomethylation of the Xist gene in both male and female aborted fetuses, suggesting that these expression issues may contribute to the increased abortion rates in cloned embryos.
Article Synopsis
- Nickel oxide (NiO) shows promise as a low-cost electrode material for supercapacitors, offering a high theoretical specific capacitance of 2573 F g(-1), but faces challenges due to low electronic conductivity and poor cycling stability.
- An efficient atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique is introduced to create NiO/nanoporous graphene (NG) composites, which enhances the uniformity of NiO nanoparticles, improving electrical conductivity and cycling stability for supercapacitor use.
- The resulting NiO/NG composites demonstrate impressive electrochemical performance, achieving a specific capacitance of about 1005.8 F g(-1) after 1500 cycles, with performance closely linked to the size of the NiO nanoparticles.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to analyze the expression levels and methylation status of imprinted genes in aborted cloned pig fetuses and placentas compared to normal controls.
- Researchers used quantitative real-time PCR to assess gene expression and bisulfite sequencing PCR to evaluate methylation patterns, discovering hypermethylation in specific DNA sequences and abnormal imprinted gene expression in the aborted clones.
- Findings suggest that incomplete epigenetic reprogramming from somatic cell nuclear transfer leads to higher abortion rates in cloned pigs, highlighting the critical role of epigenetics in fetal development and potential implications for human reproductive technologies.
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the development of parthenogenetic pig fetuses using parthenogenetic somatic cells as nuclear donors, marking a breakthrough by achieving development up to gestational day 39.
- PSCNT fetuses were found to be smaller and less developed compared to normal controls, with significant differences in gene expression levels for H19 and Igf2.
- The research highlights abnormal DNA methylation patterns in H19 for PSCNT fetuses, suggesting these patterns could play a role in the challenges of parthenogenesis in pigs.
Leukemoid reaction in sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma: a two-case report.
World J Surg Oncol
April 2014
Article Synopsis
- Leukemoid reaction is a condition where white blood cell counts exceed 40 × 10⁹/l and is often linked to severe illnesses, including certain cancers.
- This reaction signifies a worse prognosis in patients with solid tumors, especially those with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (SRCC).
- In two reported cases, patients experienced leukemoid reactions after surgery for SRCC, initially recovering well but ultimately succumbing shortly after due to rising white blood cell counts.
Article Synopsis
- The study compares zoledronic acid (ZA) and clodronate (CA) for treating bone metastases in 137 prostate cancer patients, highlighting their differences in efficacy and safety.
- Results showed that the ZA group had better bone progression-free survival (31 months vs 22 months) and significant improvements in lumbar spine bone mineral density and pain relief compared to the CA group.
- While the overall survival rates and skeletal-related events were similar between both groups, ZA required more dose modifications and the CA group experienced more gastrointestinal issues.
Article Synopsis
- Atomic layer deposition is used to coat carbon nanocoils with magnetic materials like Fe(3)O(4) and Ni, achieving uniform thickness.
- The coated nanocoils exhibit significantly better microwave absorption properties compared to uncoated versions due to their unique structural features.
- This technique can be adapted for other composite materials, allowing for precise control of impedance matching and improving microwave absorption through various loss mechanisms.
Article Synopsis
- Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) has been engineered as a potential cancer vaccine due to its ability to stimulate strong immune responses while being safe for clinical use.
- A modified, less pathogenic strain was used to deliver the HPV16 E7 antigen, and tests showed that it effectively protected 87.5% of vaccinated mice from tumors and induced tumor regression in 50% of them.
- The study highlighted that the immune response triggered by the vaccine led to significant infiltration of CD8+ T cells in tumors, suggesting LM1-2-E7 could be an effective vaccine candidate for cervical cancer.