Diverged Early From CtpB and CtpC, CtpA Has Evolved to Process D1 Precursor in Oxygenic Photosynthetic Organisms.

C-terminal peptidase (Ctp) cleaves the C-terminal extension of the D1 precursor (pD1) to form mature D1. Among the three homologs CtpA, CtpB, and CtpC in photosynthetic organisms only the first is capable of processing pD1 while the roles of CtpB and CtpC remain elusive. Phylogenetic analysis of Ctps from photosynthetic organisms revealed that CtpA has diverged early from CtpB and CtpC during evolution implying distinct roles for the Ctps.

MicroRNA-373 promotes the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting and .

Introduction: MicroRNA373 was highly expressed in many tumors including esophageal cancer. However, its molecular mechanism is still unclear, especially epigenetic modification, in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods: In this study, we investigated serum levels of the miR-371-373 cluster in ESCC patients before and after surgical removal, and further focused on the expression level of miR-373-3p in tumor tissues of ESCC patients and its target genes.

Epigenetic alterations of the Igf2 promoter and the effect of miR‑483‑5p on its target gene expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most widespread malignancies in China. MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are endogenous evolutionarily‑conserved small non‑coding RNAs that are able to regulate ESCC formation and deterioration by negatively regulating specific target genes. In the present study, the expression levels of miR‑483‑5p and its associated mRNAs were measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, and the methylation levels of the insulin‑like growth factor 2 (Igf2) promoter were detected via the methylation‑specific PCR method in serum and tissues from patients with ESCC.

Impacts of Cropping Systems on Aggregates Associated Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in a Semiarid Highland Agroecosystem.

The effect of cropping system on the distribution of organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) in soil aggregates has not been well addressed, which is important for understanding the sequestration of OC and N in agricultural soils. We analyzed the distribution of OC and N associated with soil aggregates in three unfertilized cropping systems in a 27-year field experiment: continuously cropped alfalfa, continuously cropped wheat and a legume-grain rotation. The objectives were to understand the effect of cropping system on the distribution of OC and N in aggregates and to examine the relationships between the changes in OC and N stocks in total soils and in aggregates.