RREB1-mediated SUMOylation enhancement promotes chemoresistance partially by transcriptionally upregulating in colorectal cancer.

Chemoresistance is a main cause of chemotherapy failure and tumor recurrence. The effects of global protein SUMOylation on chemoresistance in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains to be investigated. Herein, we have proposed that the elevated SUMO2/3-modified proteins confer 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) chemoresistance acquisition in CRC.

Mechanistic insights into phosphoactivation of SLAC1 in guard cell signaling.

Stomata in leaves regulate gas (carbon dioxide and water vapor) exchange and water transpiration between plants and the atmosphere. SLow Anion Channel 1 (SLAC1) mediates anion efflux from guard cells and plays a crucial role in controlling stomatal aperture. It serves as a central hub for multiple signaling pathways in response to environmental stimuli, with its activity regulated through phosphorylation via various plant protein kinases.

Active volatile components of the preferred hosts are potential attractants to Hyphantria cunea adults.

The extraordinary adaptability and dispersal abilities have allowed Hyphantria cunea to expand its range, posing a great threat to urban landscapes and natural ecosystems. Searching for safe, efficient, and low-cost control methods may provide new strategies for pest management in H. cunea spread areas.

SUMOylation of annexin A6 retards cell migration and tumor growth by suppressing RHOU/AKT1-involved EMT in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The protein annexin A6 (AnxA6) is involved in numerous membrane-related biological processes including cell migration and invasion by interacting with other proteins. The dysfunction of AnxA6, including protein expression abundance change and imbalance of post-translational modification, is tightly related to multiple cancers. Herein we focus on the biological function of AnxA6 SUMOylation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression.

SUMOylation of AnxA6 facilitates EGFR-PKCα complex formation to suppress epithelial cancer growth.

Background: The Annexin A6 (AnxA6) protein is known to inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 signaling upon EGF stimulation. While the biochemical mechanism of AnxA6 inactivating phosphorylation of EGFR and ERK1/2 is not completely explored in cancer cells.

Methods: Cells were transiently co-transfected with pFlag-AnxA6, pHA-UBC9 and pHis-SUMO1 plasmids to enrich the SUMOylated AnxA6 by immunoprecipitation, and the modification level of AnxA6 by SUMO1 was detected by Western blot against SUMO1 antibody.

N-acetylcysteine improves autism-like behavior by recovering autophagic deficiency and decreasing Notch-1/Hes-1 pathway activity.

N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been reported to improve social interaction behavior, irritability, self-injury, and anxiety-like behavior in autism. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the therapeutic roles of NAC in autism remains unknown. This study mainly aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of NAC on valproic acid (VPA)-induced autism model and the underlying mechanisms.

Roles of the Notch signaling pathway and microglia in autism.

The Notch signaling pathway is mainly involved in the regulation of neural stem cell proliferation, survival and differentiation during the development of the central nervous system. As a neurodevelopmental disorder, autism is associated with an abnormal increase in the number of microglia in several brain regions. These findings suggest that the pathogenesis of autism may be related to the Notch signaling pathway and microglia.

A wheat resistosome defines common principles of immune receptor channels.

Plant intracellular nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) detect pathogen effectors to trigger immune responses. Indirect recognition of a pathogen effector by the dicotyledonous Arabidopsis thaliana coiled-coil domain containing NLR (CNL) ZAR1 induces the formation of a large hetero-oligomeric protein complex, termed the ZAR1 resistosome, which functions as a calcium channel required for ZAR1-mediated immunity. Whether the resistosome and channel activities are conserved among plant CNLs remains unknown.

miR-26a enhances colorectal cancer cell growth by targeting RREB1 deacetylation to activate AKT-mediated glycolysis.

We previously reported the inhibitory effects of microRNA-26a (miR-26a) on the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl coenzyme A in glucose metabolism by directly targeting pyruvate dehydrogenase protein X component in colorectal cancer (CRC) cells (Chen B et al., BMC Cancer 2014). Here, using microRNA in situ hybridization, we confirmed that miR-26a levels were elevated in 77 human CRC tissue samples and further investigated the key miR-26a-mediated metabolic regulation elements and signaling pathways in CRC cells through quantitative proteomic dissection combined with cancer cell biology and biochemical loss-of-function analysis.

SUMOylation modification-mediated cell death.

SUMOylation dynamically conjugates SUMO molecules to the lysine residue of a substrate protein, which depends on the physiological state of the cell and the attached SUMO isoforms. A prominent role of SUMOylation in molecular pathways is to govern the cellular death process. Herein, we summarize the association between SUMOylation modification events and four types of cellular death processes: apoptosis, autophagy, senescence and pyroptosis.

Structure and activity of SLAC1 channels for stomatal signaling in leaves.

Stomata in leaves regulate gas exchange between the plant and its atmosphere. Various environmental stimuli elicit abscisic acid (ABA); ABA leads to phosphoactivation of slow anion channel 1 (SLAC1); SLAC1 activity reduces turgor pressure in aperture-defining guard cells; and stomatal closure ensues. We used electrophysiology for functional characterizations of SLAC1 (SLAC1) and cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) for structural analysis of SLAC1 (SLAC1), at 2.

Transcription Factor RREB1: from Target Genes towards Biological Functions.

The Ras-responsive element binding protein 1(RREB1) is a member of zinc finger transcription factors, which is widely involved in biological processes including cell proliferation, transcriptional regulation and DNA damage repair. New findings reveal RREB1 functions as both transcriptional repressors and transcriptional activators for transcriptional regulation of target genes. The activation of RREB1 is regulated by MAPK pathway.

Essential Kinases and Transcriptional Regulators and Their Roles in Autoimmunity.

Kinases and transcriptional regulators are fundamental components of cell signaling that are expressed on many types of immune cells which are involved in secretion of cytokines, cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Both play important roles in biological responses in health as well as in illnesses such as the autoimmune diseases which comprise at least 80 disorders. These diseases are caused by complex genetic and environmental interactions that lead to a breakage of immunologic tolerance and a disruption of the balance between self-reactive cells and regulatory cells.

Emerging microRNA biomarkers for colorectal cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one abundant class of small, endogenous non-coding RNAs, which regulate various biological processes by inhibiting expression of target genes. miRNAs have important functional roles in carcinogenesis and development of colorectal cancer (CRC), and emerging evidence has indicated the feasibility of miRNAs as robust cancer biomarkers. This review summarizes the progress in miRNA-related research, including study of its oncogene or tumour-suppressor roles and the advantages of miRNA biomarkers for CRC diagnosis, treatment and recurrence prediction.

A magnetic adsorbent grafted with pendant naphthyl polymer brush for enrichment of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs indomethacin and diclofenac.

Poly(2-naphthyl acrylate) was first grafted onto silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization to prepare a reversed-phase magnetic adsorbent. The resulting polymer brush displays enhanced extraction efficiency by offering active sites on the surfaces of adsorbent. It was applied to the preconcentration of the non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) indomethacin (InDo) and diclofenac (DIC).

Preparation of a boronate affinity material with ultrahigh binding capacity for cis-diols by grafting polymer brush from polydopamine-coated magnetized graphene oxide.

Poly(3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid) (PAAPBA) was grafted onto polydopamine-coated magnetic graphene oxide via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization to obtain a new kind of boronate affinity material (BAM). The BAM possesses good water dispersity and adsorption capacities as high as 154, 357, 588 and 1111 μmol·g for adenosine, salbutamol, dopamine and catechol, respectively. For the molecules without nitrogen atoms, the BAM can selectively capture the cis-diols under the interference of non-cis-diols.

[Effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on mRNA expression of MDR3 and FXR in infants with cholestatic hepatitis].

Objective: To analyze the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) on the mRNA expression of multidrug resistance protein 3 (MDR3) and farnesoid X receptor (FXR) in infants with cholestatic hepatitis.

Methods: Twenty-eight infants who were diagnosed with cholestatic hepatitis between July 2008 and July 2010 were included in the study. These patients received treatment with UDCA.

A novel heterozygous NR1H4 termination codon mutation in idiopathic infantile cholestasis.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the genetic effect of the NR1H4 gene in the pathogenesis of idiopathic infantile cholestasis of Chinese subjects in Guangxi, China.

Methods: Seventy-eight patients with idiopathic infantile cholestasis served as a study group and 95 infants without cholestasis as controls. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral venous blood leucocytes by phenol chloroform procedures.