Molecular basis of inhibition of the amino acid transporter BAT1 (SLC6A19).

The epithelial neutral amino acid transporter BAT1 (SLC6A19) is the major transporter for the absorption of neutral amino acids in the intestine and their reabsorption in the kidney. Mouse models have demonstrated that lack of BAT1 can normalize elevated plasma amino acids in rare disorders of amino acid metabolism such as phenylketonuria and urea-cycle disorders, implying a pharmacological approach for their treatment. Here we employ a medicinal chemistry approach to generate BAT1 inhibitors with IC-values of 31-90 nM.

Association of Oral Microbiome Diversity and All-Cause Mortality in the General US Population and in Individuals With Chronic Diseases: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Aim: To investigate whether oral microbiome diversity is associated with all-cause mortality in the general US population and in individuals with chronic diseases.

Materials And Methods: We included 8224 individuals with oral microbiome diversity data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009-2012), representing 164,000,205 US adults, using a survey-weighted analysis method. Cox regression analyses were performed to identify the association between oral microbiome diversity and all-cause mortality.

Newborn screening for G6PD deficiency in HeFei, FuYang and AnQing, China: Prevalence, cut-off value, variant spectrum.

Background: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked recessive Mendelian genetic disorder characterized by neonatal jaundice and hemolytic anemia, affecting more than 400 million people worldwide. The purpose of this research was to investigate prevalence rates of G6PD deficiency and to evaluate and establish specific cut-off values in early prediction of G6PD deficiency by regions (HeFei, FuYang, AnQing) on different seasons, as well as to investigate the frequencies of G6PD gene mutations among three regions mentioned above.

Methods: A total of 31,482 neonates (21,402, 7680, and 2340 for HeFei, FuYang, and AnQing cities, respectively) were recruited.

Comparative genome anatomy reveals evolutionary insights into a unique amphitriploid fish.

Triploids are rare in nature because of difficulties in meiotic and gametogenic processes, especially in vertebrates. The Carassius complex of cyprinid teleosts contains sexual tetraploid crucian carp/goldfish (C. auratus) and unisexual hexaploid gibel carp/Prussian carp (C.

Single-cell patterning regulation by physically modified silicon nanostructures.

Chemically and biologically modified substrates for single-cell patterning have been studied extensively, but physically modified structures for single-cell patterning still need further study. In this paper, physically modified silicon nanostructures were introduced to study their effect on SHSY5Y cells. Double-beam double exposure laser interference lithography combined with metal-assisted etching (MACE) was used to fabricate the physically modified silicon nanostructures.

Coconut genome assembly enables evolutionary analysis of palms and highlights signaling pathways involved in salt tolerance.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is the emblematic palm of tropical coastal areas all around the globe. It provides vital resources to millions of farmers. In an effort to better understand its evolutionary history and to develop genomic tools for its improvement, a sequence draft was recently released.

A novel NAC family transcription factor SPR suppresses seed storage protein synthesis in wheat.

The synthesis of seed storage protein (SSP) is mainly regulated at the transcriptional level. However, few transcriptional regulators of SSP synthesis have been characterized in common wheat (Triticum aestivum) owing to the complex genome. As the A genome donor of common wheat, Triticum urartu could be an elite model in wheat research considering its simple genome.

The genetic basis of adaptive evolution in parasitic environment from the Angiostrongylus cantonensis genome.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm) is the etiological agent of angiostrongyliasis, mainly causing eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis in human. Although the biology of A. cantonensis is relatively well known, little is understood about the mechanisms of the parasite's development and survival in definitive hosts, or its adaptation to a broad range of snail intermediate hosts.

Design and antimicrobial activities of LL-37 derivatives inhibiting the formation of Streptococcus mutans biofilm.

Dental plaque is closely related to the occurrence of dental caries, of which the main causative bacterium is Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans). In this study, to create potent antibiofilm agents, we chose a human antimicrobial peptide LL-37 as our starting material and modified it by cutting it shorter and varying its charge and hydrophobicity.

Comparative genomics and transcriptomics of Chrysolophus provide insights into the evolution of complex plumage coloration.

Background: As one of the most recognizable characteristics in birds, plumage color has a high impact on understanding the evolution and mechanisms of coloration. Feather and skin are ideal tissues to explore the genomics and complexity of color patterns in vertebrates. Two species of the genus Chrysolophus, golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) and Lady Amherst's pheasant (Chrysolophus amherstiae), exhibit brilliant colors in their plumage, but with extreme phenotypic differences, making these two species great models to investigate plumage coloration mechanisms in birds.

[Cone-beam computed tomography for determination of mesial root canal curvatures of human mandibular first molars].

Objective: To investigate mesial root canal curvatures of human mandibular first molars using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods: CBCT was performed for scanning the mandibular first molars of 1600 Chinese subjects, among whom the subjects identified to have middle mesial canals were divided into 5 age groups, namely group A (18-29 years), group B (30-39 years), group C (40-49 years), group D (50-59 years), and group E (60-80 years) for further analysis. All the CBCT images were reconstructed using Planmeca Romexis CBCT image reconstruction system, and the curvature of the mesial root was measured using the Schneider method.

PRMT9 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma invasion and metastasis via activating PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β/Snail signaling.

Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMT) catalyze protein arginine methylation and play an important role in many biological processes. Aberrant PRMT expression in tumor cells has been documented in several common cancer types; however, its precise contribution to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell invasion and metastasis is not fully understood. In this study, we identified a new oncogene, PRMT9, whose overexpression strongly promotes HCC invasion and metastasis.

PRMT5 promotes cell proliferation by inhibiting BTG2 expression via the ERK signaling pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Increasing evidence suggests that PRMT5, a protein arginine methyltransferase, has roles in cell growth regulation and cancer development. However, the role of PRMT5 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression remains unclear. Here, we showed that PRMT5 expression was frequently upregulated in HCC tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with overall survival in HCC patients.

The genome draft of coconut (Cocos nucifera).

Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera,2n = 32), a member of genus Cocos and family Arecaceae (Palmaceae), is an important tropical fruit and oil crop. Currently, coconut palm is cultivated in 93 countries, including Central and South America, East and West Africa, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, with a total growth area of more than 12 million hectares [1]. Coconut palm is generally classified into 2 main categories: "Tall" (flowering 8-10 years after planting) and "Dwarf" (flowering 4-6 years after planting), based on morphological characteristics and breeding habits.

Aegilops tauschii draft genome sequence reveals a gene repertoire for wheat adaptation.

About 8,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent, a spontaneous hybridization of the wild diploid grass Aegilops tauschii (2n = 14; DD) with the cultivated tetraploid wheat Triticum turgidum (2n = 4x = 28; AABB) resulted in hexaploid wheat (T. aestivum; 2n = 6x = 42; AABBDD). Wheat has since become a primary staple crop worldwide as a result of its enhanced adaptability to a wide range of climates and improved grain quality for the production of baker's flour.

IL-1β acutely increases pulmonary SP and permeability without associated changes in airway resistance and ventilation in anesthetized rats.

Bronchopulmonary C-fibers (PCFs), when activated, promote substance P (SP) release, increase microvascular leak, and produce bronchoconstriction and apnea. IL-1β administered systemically or locally into the pulmonary parenchyma stimulates PCFs. Thus, we tested whether right atrial bolus injection or aerosol inhalation of IL-1β, to mainly stimulate PCFs, would acutely affect pulmonary SP level and vascular permeability, airway resistance (R(L)), and ventilation in anesthetized rats.

Role of neurogenic substance P in overexpression of alveolar macrophages' neurokinin 1 receptor in mice exposed to cigarette smoke.

Neurokinin 1 receptors (NK1Rs) in alveolar macrophages (AMs) are overexpressed by cigarette smoke (CS) in vivo and substance P (SP) in vitro. Because CS could stimulate pulmonary C-fibers (PCFs) to release SP, we asked whether this neurogenic SP was responsible for AMs' NK1R overexpression during CS. We compared pulmonary SP and AMs' NK1R gene and protein levels in intact and PCF-degenerated mice exposed to filtered air (FA) and CS.

Cigarette smoke synergizes lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α secretion from macrophages via substance P-mediated nuclear factor-κB activation.

A recent study has indicated that alveolar macrophages from smokers incubated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) secrete much more IL-1β and TNF-α than those from healthy nonsmokers, but the mechanisms underlying this augmented secretion by cigarette smoke (CS) remain unknown. CS and LPS reportedly promote macrophages' secreting substance P (SP) that could up-regulate these cytokines' secretion from macrophages by acting on neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R). Moreover, NF-κB from macrophages participates in NK1R intracellular signaling and synthesis of these cytokines.

Apoptotic eosinophils in sputum from asthmatic patients correlate negatively with levels of IL-5 and eotaxin.

Background: Eosinophilic inflammation of the airways is a key characteristic of asthma. A defect in eosinophil apoptosis might contribute to the chronic tissue eosinophilia associated with asthma.

Objective: Our purpose was to examine whether the occurrence of apoptotic eosinophils in induced sputum from asthmatic patients correlate with interleukin (IL)-5 and eotaxin.

Hepatocyte growth factor is a better indicator of therapeutic response than C-reactive protein within the first day of treatment in pneumonia.

Acute bacterial infectious diseases are mostly treated empirically at admission before the culture results are available. According to the risk for serious complications in the case of therapeutic failure, it is important to evaluate the therapy results and change to a more appropriate antibiotic regime as soon as possible. In the present study, 40 patients with X-ray-verified community-acquired pneumonia were examined and blood specimens were collected before and within 24 h of treatment.

[Experimental research of therapeutic effect on hepatocellular carcinoma of targeting SMYD3 gene inhibition by RNA interference].

Objective: To determine the potential of SMYD3 as a therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by potent and highly sequence-specific RNA interference (RNAi) technique.

Methods: The mRNA of SMYD3 was detected by RT-PCR in different HCC cell lines, such as HepG2, Hep3B and SMMC7721. Recombinant SMYD3 shRNA plasmid Pgenesil-1-s was constructed and transfected into HepG2 cells, and Western blot was used to identify the down regulation of SMYD3 protein expression after transfection.

[Inhibition of SMYD3 gene expression by RNA interference induces apoptosis in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2].

Background & Objective: SET and MYND domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3) gene was found to encode a histone methyltransferase involved in the proliferation and apoptosis of cancer cells. This study was to detect the expression of SMYD3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, and reveal its function of regulating proliferation and apoptosis of HCC cell line through gene silencing.

Methods: The expression of SMYD3 in HCC cell lines HepG2, Hep3B, SMMC7721, and normal hepatic cell line L-02 was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); its expression in 24 specimens of HCC and peri-cancer tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry.

[Suppression of SMYD3 expression in HepG2 cell by shRNA interference].

Objectives: To identify the inhibition effect of shRNA on the SMYD3 (SET- and MYND-domain containing protein-3) expression in hepatoma cell line HepG2 through gene silencing.

Methods: Two reverse repeated motifs targeting on the SMYD3 mRNA sequences 267-288, 302-323 respectively, were synthesized and inserted into the mock plasmid pGenesil-1 which expressed EGFP to create recombinant plasmids pGenesil-1-s1 and pGenesil-1-s2. pGenesil-1-hk specific to no SMYD3 mRNA sequence served as a control.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in fecal samples: rapid detection by surface plasmon resonance.

Background: The development of biosensors, based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, enables monitoring of a variety of biospecific interactions without the need for chemical-, biological- or radiological-labelled reagents.

Method: We utilised SPR to detect hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in reconstituted faecal samples and studied samples from patients with infectious gastroenteritis (n = 20) and normal controls (n = 10). Mouse anti-human HGF monoclonal antibodies and recombinant human HGF receptor (c-Met)/Fc chimera were immobilised in flow cells of a CM5 biosensor chip.