SLC12A9 is an immunological and prognostic biomarker for glioma.

Background: Glioma is one of the most common malignant brain tumors. It has a high rate of progression and a poor prognosis, and effective biomarkers still need to be identified. The solute carrier family 12 (SLC12) family has been reported to be involved in various physiological and pathological processes, but their functional roles in glioma remain unclear.

Bombyx mori UFBP1 regulates apoptosis and promotes BmNPV proliferation by affecting the expression of ER chaperone BmBIP.

Ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1) is attached to protein substrates through the sequential activity of an E1 (UBA5) - E2 (UFC1) - E3 (UFL1) cascade. UFBP1 is a conserved UFL1-interacting protein in mammals. However, to date, no study has been conducted on UFBP1 in silkworm.

Bombyx mori UFL1 facilitates BmNPV proliferation by regulating host cell apoptosis through PERK.

Ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1) is attached to protein substrates through the sequential activity of an E1 (UBA5)-E2 (UFC1)-E3 (UFL1) cascade. UFL1 is the E3 ligase for UFMylation in vertebrates. However, there have been no studies on UFL1 in silkworm to date.

Site-Directed Mutagenesis: Improving the Acid Resistance and Thermostability of α-Amylase and Its Preliminary Feed Application.

The current study aimed to improve the acid resistance and thermostability of α-amylase through site-directed mutagenesis, with a specific focus on its applicability to the feed industry. Four mutation sites, P546E, H572D, A614E, and K622E, were designed in the C domain of α-amylase, and three mutants, Mut1 (E), Mut2 (ED), and Mut3 (EDEE), were produced. The results showed that the specific activity of Mut3 was 50 U/mg higher than the original α-amylase (Ori) after incubation at 40 °C for 4 h.

Glucose-regulated protein 94 facilitates the proliferation of the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus via inhibiting apoptosis.

Glucose regulatory protein 94 (GRP94) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident member of the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) family, that plays an important role in secreted protein folding. Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) is one of the main pathogens in sericulture, causing serious economic losses every year. Previous studies showed that HSP90 members promote BmNPV replication in silkworm, but the function of BmGRP94 in BmNPV infection and proliferation is still not understood.

Improving the anti-tumor effect of EGCG in colorectal cancer cells by blocking EGCG-induced YAP activation.

(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the primary active ingredient in green tea and has been used for cancer prevention in clinical trials. The anti-tumor effects of EGCG stem from its ability to inhibit the activities of many oncoproteins, such as AKT, VEGFR, STAT3, and mutant p53. However, the clinical efficacy of EGCG is unsatisfactory.

Uneven Index: A Digital Biomarker to Prompt Blepharitis Based on Deep Learning.

To evaluate ocular surface manifestations and morphological changes in meibomian glands (MGs) based on artificial intelligence (AI) analysis in patients with blepharitis. In this retrospective study, 115 subjects were enrolled, including 64 subjects with blepharitis and 51 subjects without blepharitis as control group. Morphological indexes were evaluated for height, width, tortuosity, MG density, total variation, and the three types of corrected total variation as Uneven indexes.

Impact of COVID-19 on stock price crash risk: Evidence from Chinese energy firms.

This paper studies the impact of the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the stock price crash risk of energy firms in China. We find that the stock price crash risk of energy firms significantly decreases in the post-COVID-19 period. We also find that firms that engage in more corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are less exposed to stock price crash risk in the post-COVID-19 period than those that engage in less CSR activities.

Production of β-glucanase and protease from strain isolated from the manure of piglets.

In this study, a strain producing β-glucanase and protease, identified as Y1, was isolated from the manure of piglet. We attempted to produce β-glucanase and protease after optimization of various process parameters with the submerged fermentation. The effects of each factor on producing β-glucanase and protease were as follows: temperature > time > pH > loaded liquid volume.

DNA Methylation Is Correlated with Gene Expression during Diapause Termination of Early Embryonic Development in the Silkworm ().

DNA modification is a naturally occurring DNA modification in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms and is involved in several biological processes. Although genome-wide methylation has been studied in many insects, the understanding of global and genomic DNA methylation during insect early embryonic development, is lacking especially for insect diapause. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between DNA methylomes and transcriptomes in diapause-destined eggs compared to diapause-terminated eggs in the silkworm, .

DNA methyltransferase BmDnmt1 and BmDnmt2 in silkworm (Bombyx mori) and the regulation of silkworm embryonic development.

DNA methylation is one of the most widespread epigenetic marks and has been linked to insect development, especially influencing embryonic development. However, the regulation of DNA methylation in silkworm embryonic development and diapause remain to investigate. In this study, reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to identify the expression level of Bombyx mori DNA methyltransferases (BmDNMTs) 1 and 2 ( BmDnmt1 and BmDnmt2) in different tissues, different embryonic developmental stages, and different strains of the silkworm.

Ci antagonizes Hippo signaling in the somatic cells of the ovary to drive germline stem cell differentiation.

Many stem cell populations are tightly regulated by their local microenvironment (niche), which comprises distinct types of stromal cells. However, little is known about mechanisms by which niche subgroups coordinately determine the stem cell fate. Here we identify that Yki, the key Hippo pathway component, is essential for escort cell (EC) function in promoting germline differentiation in Drosophila ovary.

N6-methyladenine functions as a potential epigenetic mark in eukaryotes.

N(6)-methyladenine (6mA) is one of the most abundant types of DNA methylation, and plays an important role in bacteria; however, its roles in higher eukaryotes, such as plants, insects, and mammals, have been considered less important. Recent studies highlight that 6mA does indeed occur, and that it plays an important role in eukaryotes, such as worm, fly, and green algae, and thus the regulation of 6mA has emerged as a novel epigenetic mechanism in higher eukaryotes. Despite this intriguing development, a number of important issues regarding its biological roles are yet to be addressed.

Activation of Smurf E3 ligase promoted by smoothened regulates hedgehog signaling through targeting patched turnover.

Hedgehog signaling plays conserved roles in controlling embryonic development; its dysregulation has been implicated in many human diseases including cancers. Hedgehog signaling has an unusual reception system consisting of two transmembrane proteins, Patched receptor and Smoothened signal transducer. Although activation of Smoothened and its downstream signal transduction have been intensively studied, less is known about how Patched receptor is regulated, and particularly how this regulation contributes to appropriate Hedgehog signal transduction.

The Fused/Smurf complex controls the fate of Drosophila germline stem cells by generating a gradient BMP response.

In the Drosophila ovary, germline stem cells (GSCs) are maintained primarily by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) ligands produced by the stromal cells of the niche. This signaling represses GSC differentiation by blocking the transcription of the differentiation factor Bam. Remarkably, bam transcription begins only one cell diameter away from the GSC in the daughter cystoblasts (CBs).

Systematic identification and characterization of chicken (Gallus gallus) ncRNAs.

Recent studies have demonstrated that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) play important roles during development and evolution. Chicken, the first genome-sequenced non-mammalian amniote, possesses unique features for developmental and evolutionary studies. However, apart from microRNAs, information on chicken ncRNAs has mainly been obtained from computational predictions without experimental validation.