MiRNA-221 protects islet β cell function in gestational diabetes mellitus by targeting PAK1.

To elucidate the potential function of miRNA-221 in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the underlying mechanism. MiRNA-221 level was analyzed in the microarray containing placental tissues of GDM rats. After constructing GDM model in rats, miRNA-221 level in placental tissues of GDM rats or controls was determined as well.

Distribution of serum transferrin, and its associations with metabolic disorders among Chinese: A nation-wide, health and nutrition survey.

Scope: This study examined the associations of serum transferrin and metabolic disorders among Chinese population.

Methods And Results: This study is based on nation-wide, population-based China Health and Nutrition survey including 8564 men and women aged 18 years or older. Anthropometric and fasting blood glucose, insulin, lipids, and transferrin data were collected.

N-glycosylation profiling of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus envelope glycoprotein 5.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a positive-sense ssRNA virus whose envelope contains four glycoproteins and three nonglycosylated proteins. Glycans of major envelope glycoprotein 5 (GP5) are proposed as important for virus assembly and entry into permissive cells. Structural characterization of GP5 glycans would facilitate the mechanistic understanding of these processes.

A novel method for relative quantitation of N-glycans by isotopic labeling using ¹⁸O-water.

Quantitation is an essential aspect of comprehensive glycomics study. Here, a novel isotopic-labeling method is described for N-glycan quantitation using (18)O-water. The incorporation of the (18)O-labeling into the reducing end of N-glycans is simply and efficiently achieved during peptide-N4-(N-acetyl-β-glucosaminyl) asparagine amidase F release.

Liquid chromatography-selected reaction monitoring (LC-SRM) approach for the separation and quantitation of sialylated N-glycans linkage isomers.

The study of N-linked glycans is among the most challenging bioanalytical tasks because of their complexity and variety. The presence of glycoform families that differ only in branching and/or linkage position makes the identification and quantitation of individual glycans exceedingly difficult. Quantitation of these individual glycans is important because changes in the abundance of these isomers are often associated with significant biomedical events.

Structures and biosynthesis of the N- and O-glycans of recombinant human oviduct-specific glycoprotein expressed in human embryonic kidney cells.

Oviduct-specific glycoprotein (OVGP1) is a major mucin-like glycoprotein synthesized and secreted exclusively by non-ciliated secretory cells of mammalian oviduct. In vitro functional studies showed that OVGP1 plays important roles during fertilization and early embryo development. We have recently produced recombinant human oviduct-specific glycoprotein (rhOVGP1) in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells.

Cell apoptosis induced by delta-elemene in colorectal adenocarcinoma cells via a mitochondrial-mediated pathway.

The chemical compound delta-elemene, isolated from the Chinese herbal medicine plant Curcuma Wenyujin, has been known to exert antitumor activity. In this study we demonstrated that apoptotic cell death induced by delta-elemene in DLD-1 cells was concentration-and time-dependent, and had little inhibition of the normal human liver cell line WRL-68. Apoptosis was further confirmed and quantified by DNA fragmentation ELISA, Annexin V (AnV) binding of externalized phosphatidylserine and the mitochondrial probe JC-1 using flow cytometry.

Effect of delta-elemene on Hela cell lines by apoptosis induction.

This study was designed to investigate the apoptosis-inducing activity of delta-elemene on Hela cells in vitro. MTT assay and Hoechst 33258/PI fluorescence microscopy were used for this investigation. Apoptosis was further confirmed and quantified by DNA fragmentation ELISA, Annexin V (AnV) binding of externalized phosphatidylserine and the mitochondrial probe JC-1 using flow cytometry.

The synthesis and anti-proliferative effects of beta-elemene derivatives with mTOR inhibition activity.

Fourteen beta-elemene derivatives containing a piperazine, a morpholine, a tetrahydropyrrole, a thiophenylethylamine, or a cyclohexamine group were synthesized. The structures of these beta-elemene derivatives were characterized with IR, 1H NMR, MS, and elemental analyses. All these derivatives had an increased anti-proliferative activity in human cervix epitheloid carcinoma HeLa, gastric carcinoma SGC-7901, and leukemia K562 cells comparing with that of beta-elemene.