A two-plasmid bacterial selection system for characterization and engineering of homing endonucleases.

Homing endonucleases recognize long DNA sequences and generate site-specific DNA double-stranded breaks. They can serve as a powerful genomic modification tool in various industrial and biomedical applications. Here, we describe a two-plasmid bacterial selection system for characterization and engineering of homing endonucleases.

Proteasome involvement in a complex cascade mediating SigT degradation during differentiation of Streptomyces coelicolor.

In Streptomyces coelicolor, the ECF sigma factor SigT negatively regulates cell differentiation, and is degraded by ClpP protease in a dual positive feedback manner. Here we further report that the proteasome is required for degradation of SigT, but not for degradation of its anti-sigma factor RstA, and RstA can protect SigT from degradation independent of the proteasome. Meanwhile, deletion of the proteasome showed reduced production of secondary metabolites, and the fermentation medium from wild type could promote SigT degradation.

A self-assembly pipette tip graphene solid-phase extraction coupled with liquid chromatography for the determination of three sulfonamides in environmental water.

A sensitive, economical, and miniaturized self-assembly pipette tip graphene solid-phase extraction (PT-G-SPE) coupled with liquid chromatography fluorescence detection (LC-FD) was developed for rapid extraction and determination of three sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs) in environmental water samples. The PT-G-SPE cartridge, assembled by packing 1.0mg of graphene as sorbent into a 100μL pipette tip, showed high adsorption capacity for the SAs owing to the large surface area and unique structure of graphene.

Largely blue-shifted emission through minor structural modifications: molecular design, synthesis, aggregation-induced emission and deep-blue OLED application.

By simply introducing additional groups with different size and conjugation degree to the 2,2'-positions of BTPE, four BTPE derivatives are prepared which give blue or deep-blue EL emissions when used as emitters in non-doped OLEDs, as the result of the tuned dihedral angles of the biphenyl cores (up to ~89°), providing a new approach to design AIE luminogens with blue and deep-blue emissions.

Optimization of influencing factors of nucleic acid adsorption onto silica-coated magnetic particles: application to viral nucleic acid extraction from serum.

We present a detailed study of nucleic acid adsorption onto silica-coated magnetic particles in the presence of guanidinium thiocyanate, and extraction of nucleic acid from two important transfusion-transmitted viruses using these particles. Silica-coated magnetic particles were prepared by encapsulating Fe3O4 nanoparticles with tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) hydrolysis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) were used for particle characterization.

High-performance hybrid white organic light-emitting devices without interlayer between fluorescent and phosphorescent emissive regions.

By using mixed hosts with bipolar transport properties for blue emissive layers, a novel phosphorescence/fluorescence hybrid white OLED without using an interlayer between the fluorescent and phosphorescent regions is demonstrated. The peak EQE of the device is 19.0% and remains as high as 17.

A single-chain TALEN architecture for genome engineering.

Transcription-activator like effector nucleases (TALENs) are tailor-made DNA endonucleases and serve as a powerful tool for genome engineering. Site-specific DNA cleavage can be made by the dimerization of FokI nuclease domains at custom-targeted genomic loci, where a pair of TALENs must be positioned in close proximity with an appropriate orientation. However, the simultaneous delivery and coordinated expression of two bulky TALEN monomers (>100 kDa) in cells may be problematic to implement for certain applications.

Clock upregulates intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and promotes mononuclear cells adhesion to endothelial cells.

Clock is a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that plays important role in circadian rhythms of various physiological functions. Previous study showed that the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was reduced in the liver tissues of Clock mutant mice. However, how Clock regulates ICAM-1 expression and whether Clock affects cell adhesion function remain unknown.

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in police dogs in Shenyang, Northeastern China.

In recent years, worldwide surveys of Toxoplasma gondii infection in dogs have been reported. However, only limited surveys of T. gondii infection in police dogs have been available, including China.

Extraction of total nucleic acid based on silica-coated magnetic particles for RT-qPCR detection of plant RNA virus/viroid.

In this study, a nucleic acid extraction method based on silica-coated magnetic particles (SMPs) and RT-qPCR assay was developed to detect Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV), Lily symptomless virus (LSV), Hop stunt viroid (HSVd) and grape yellow speckle viroid 1 (GYSVd-1). The amplification sequences of RT-qPCR were reversely transcribed in vitro as RNA standard templates. The standard curves covered six or seven orders of magnitude with a detection limit of 100 copies per each assay.

SunnyTALEN: a second-generation TALEN system for human genome editing.

Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) have rapidly emerged as a powerful genome editing tool. The site-specific DNA double-strand breaks generated by TALENs in the human chromosome can induce homologous recombination or non-homologous end joining, resulting in desired genetic modifications. In this study, we report the development of a TALEN variant, SunnyTALEN, with >2.

Environmentally benign synthesis of indeno[1,2-b]quinolines via an intramolecular Povarov reaction.

A new synthetic route to indeno[1,2-b]quinolines via reactions of o-propargylbenzaldehydes with N-aryl amines based on an intramolecular aza-Diels-Alder (Povarov) reaction has been developed. This method offers several advantages such as no requirement for an oxidant, high efficiency, and a wide reaction scope.

Water-compatible poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) polymer sorbent for miniaturized syringe assisted extraction of sulfonamides in milk.

A simple, convenient, and economic self-assembly miniaturized syringe assisted extraction (mini-SAE) using poly (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) polymer (PHEMA) as sorbent coupled with liquid chromatography was proposed for rapid screening of sulfadiazine (SD) and sulfamonomethoxine (SMM) in milk. The water-compatible PHEMA was synthesized by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer precipitation polymerization using trithiocarbonate as chain transfer agent and methanol-water system as reaction medium. The obtained PHEMA sorbent showed good affinity to sulfonamides and was successfully applied as a special sorbent for a mini-SAE device for simultaneous extraction and isolation of SD and SMM in milk samples.

The globular heads of the C1q receptor regulate apoptosis in human extravillous cytotrophoblast-derived transformed cells via a mitochondria-dependent pathway.

Problem: The receptor for the globular head of human C1q (gC1qR) predominantly localizes to the mitochondrial matrix. gC1qR mediates many biological responses, including growth perturbations, morphological abnormalities and the initiation of apoptosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between gC1qR expression, mitochondrial dysfunction and the regulation of apoptosis in human extravillous cytotrophoblast (EVCT)-derived transformed cell lines (HTR-8/SVneo and HPT-8).

Dual positive feedback regulation of protein degradation of an extra-cytoplasmic function σ factor for cell differentiation in Streptomyces coelicolor.

Here we report that in Streptomyces coelicolor, the protein stability of an ECF σ factor SigT, which is involved in the negative regulation of cell differentiation, was completely dependent on its cognate anti-σ factor RstA. The degradation of RstA caused a ClpP/SsrA-dependent degradation of SigT during cell differentiation. This was consistent with the delayed morphological development or secondary metabolism in the ΔclpP background after rstA deletion or sigT overexpression.

Association of rs2233678 and rs2233679 polymorphisms in the PIN1 gene with cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

To data, epidemiological studies have assessed the association between peptidyl-propyl-cis/trans isomerase 1 (PIN1) gene polymorphisms and cancer risk, including breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and laryngeal squamous cell cancer. However, the results of these studies remain controversial. We aimed to examine the associations between two SNPs (rs2233678 and rs2233679) of PIN1 gene and cancer risk by conducting a meta-analysis of case-control studies.

Relationship between uric acid and arterial stiffness in the elderly with metabolic syndrome components.

Background: High uric acid (UA) levels and metabolic syndrome (MS) are risk factors for atherosclerotic diseases. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a valid and reproducible measurement by which to assess arterial stiffness and a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis. However, little is known about the relationship between them, especially in elderly Chinese with MS components who are at high risk for atherosclerotic diseases.

hClock gene expression in human colorectal carcinoma.

In this study, we aimed to investigate changes in the expression of human Clock (hClock), a gene at the core of the circadian gene family, in colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) and to discuss the possible effects. Previous studies have revealed that the disruption of circadian rhythms is one of the endogenous factors that contribute to the initiation and development of CRCs. However, the underlying molecular changes to the circadian genes associated with CRCs have not been explored.

Ionic liquid-mediated molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction coupled with gas chromatography-electron capture detector for rapid screening of dicofol in vegetables.

New ionic liquid-mediated molecularly imprinted polymers (IL-MIPs) were prepared by precipitation polymerization using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIM(+)PF6(-)) as the auxiliary solvent, α-chloro-DDT as the dummy template, and they were successfully applied as the sorbents of solid-phase extraction (SPE) for rapid screening of dicofol from cabbage, tomato, and carrot samples. The IL-MIPs were characterized by FTIR, FE-SEM, static adsorption and chromatographic evaluation, and the results revealed that the IL-MIPs had higher adsorption capacity and selectivity to dicofol in aqueous solution than that of ionic liquid-mediated non-imprinted polymers (IL-NIPs) and non-imprinted polymers (NIPs). Under the optimized conditions, the IL-MIPs-SPE-GC method offered good linearity (0.

Seamless correction of the sickle cell disease mutation of the HBB gene in human induced pluripotent stem cells using TALENs.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common human genetic disease which is caused by a single mutation of human β-globin (HBB) gene. The lack of long-term treatment makes the development of reliable cell and gene therapies highly desirable. Disease-specific patient-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have great potential for developing novel cell and gene therapies.

Identification of a new class of FtsZ inhibitors by structure-based design and in vitro screening.

The Filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z (FtsZ), an essential GTPase in bacterial cell division, is highly conserved among Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and thus considered an attractive target to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. In this study, a new class of FtsZ inhibitors bearing the pyrimidine-quinuclidine scaffold was identified from structure-based virtual screening of natural product libraries. Iterative rounds of in silico studies and biological evaluation established the preliminary structure-activity relationships of the new compounds.

The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Conditions of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II.

Aims: The present study was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly adapted Chinese version of an instrument designed to measure structural empowerment among staff nurses.

Background: Structural empowerment has been shown to be important to nurses in Western cultures, but its importance in China is unknown.

Methods: A convenience sample of 650 staff nurses was selected from six hospitals in Harbin, China.

Lack of association between vitamin D receptor gene FokI and BsmI polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk: an updated meta-analysis involving 21,756 subjects.

The vitamin D receptor (VDR) is a crucial mediator for the cellular effects of vitamin D. The polymorphisms in the VDR gene have been hypothesized to alter the risk of prostate cancer. However, studies investigating the association between VDR polymorphisms (BsmI and FokI) and prostate cancer (PCa) risk report conflicting results , therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to re-examine the controversy.

Induced pluripotency of human prostatic epithelial cells.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are a valuable resource for discovery of epigenetic changes critical to cell type-specific differentiation. Although iPS cells have been generated from other terminally differentiated cells, the reprogramming of normal adult human basal prostatic epithelial (E-PZ) cells to a pluripotent state has not been reported. Here, we attempted to reprogram E-PZ cells by forced expression of Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4 using lentiviral vectors and obtained embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like colonies at a frequency of 0.

Uric acid induces oxidative stress and growth inhibition by activating adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase signal pathways in pancreatic β cells.

Hyperuricaemia is a disorder of purine metabolism, and is strongly associated with insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism. As the producer of insulin, pancreatic β cells might be affected by elevated serum uric acid levels and contribute to the disregulated glucose metabolism. In this study, we investigated the effect of high uric acid on rat pancreatic β cell function.