Insight into the Interaction of Graphene Oxide with Serum Proteins and the Impact of the Degree of Reduction and Concentration.

As novel applied nanomaterials, both graphene oxide (GO) and its reduced form (rGO) have attracted global attention, because of their excellent properties. However, the lack of comprehensive understanding of their interactions with biomacromolecules highly limits their biomedical applications. This work aims to initiate a systematic study on the property changes of GO/rGO upon interaction with serum proteins and on how their degree of reduction and exposure concentration affect this interaction, as well as to analyze the possible biomedical impacts of the interaction.

Ilexgenin A induces B16-F10 melanoma cell G1/S arrest in vitro and reduces tumor growth in vivo.

The present study aimed to investigate the anti-tumor activity of Ilexgenin A in B16-F10 murine melanoma and to evaluate its effect on the production of tumor-associated inflammatory cytokines. In vitro, our study showed that Ilexgenin A inhibited the proliferation of B16-F10 murine melanoma cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner, and this effect could be ascribed to the arrest of the cell cycle at G0/G1. In vivo, we evaluated the anti-tumor activity of Ilexgenin A in a tumor-bearing mouse model.

[Construction of a yeast two-hybrid cDNA library from the human testis].

Objective: To construct a human testis cDNA library for yeast two-hybrid screening.

Methods: Human normal testis mRNA was purified from total RNA, and ds cDNA was synthesized and amplified using primers SMART III and CDS III oligo (dT) as the base of recombination. The purified PCR products and linearized plasmid pGADT7-Rec were co-transformed into the competent yeast Y187 and recombined by yeast homologous recombinase in the yeast cells to form an active cyclic plasmid.

Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor overexpression decreases growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

Background: We have previously found that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is highly expressed in a rat model of liver cancer. Here, we examined expression of CTGF in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and its effect on cell growth.

Methods: Real-time PCR was used to observe expression of CTGF in human HCC cell lines HepG2, SMMC-7721, MHCC-97H and LO2.

[Screening PIAS2-interacting proteins in the mouse using the yeast two-hybrid system].

Objective: To screen and identify PIAS2-interacting proteins from the mouse spermatogonial cDNA library using the yeast two-hybrid system, and to investigate the action mechanism of PIAS2 in spermatogenesis.

Methods: With pGBKT7-PIAS2 as a bait plasmid, the positive clones interacting with pGBKT7-PIAS2 were screened from the mouse spermatogonial cDNA library, the inserted fragments were sequenced and underwent bioinformatic analysis, and their interaction was verified using the yeast two-hybrid system.

Results: Through screening, sequencing, homology analysis and yeast two-hybrid verification, we obtained 8 different candidate proteins interacting with PIAS2, including Cyfip2, Psmb3, Nmel, nischarin, Ints10, Nsun5, Gnb211 and Ndufaf3.

Lentivirus-mediated overexpression of microRNA-199a inhibits cell proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma.

microRNA-199a (miR-199a) is a highly conserved miRNA, always deregulated in numerous human tumors. The results of microarray analysis indicated that miR-199a was frequently downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The expression levels of miR-199a in 11 pairs of matched HCC neoplastic and adjacent non-neoplastic tissues, 5 HCC cell lines and liver cell line L02 were examined by quantitative real-time PCR analysis.

Genetic polymorphism analysis of killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genes in the Chinese Uygur population.

Human killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors are expressed in natural killer cells and subsets of T lymphocytes. They regulate these cells upon interaction with human leukocyte antigen class I molecules and other ligands presented by target cells. KIR gene frequencies and haplotype distributions have been shown to differ significantly between populations from different geographical regions and ethnic origins, which relates to functional variations in the immune response.

Elimination of the mycotoxin citrinin production in the industrial important strain Monascus purpureus SM001.

The application of the high-producing pigments industrial strain Monascus purpureus SM001 has been greatly limited by the synchronous production of mycotoxin citrinin. Here we have tried both traditional mutagenesis and metabolic engineering methods to eliminate the production of citrinin. Traditional chemical and physical mutagens were applied to induce mutagenesis, and a bio-screening method based on the antibacterial activity of citrinin against Bacillus subtilis was designed to select mutants.