Publications by authors named "Yan Zhen"

Background: Canker disease caused by Neoscytalidium dimidiatum is the most serious disease that attacks the pitaya industry. One pathogenic fungus, referred to as ND8, was isolated from the wild-type red-fleshed pitaya (Hylocereus polyrhizus) of Hainan Province. In the early stages of this disease, stems show little spots and a loss of green color.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

MMP13 (matrix metallopeptidase 13) plays a key role in bone metabolism and cancer development, but has no known functions in Alzheimer's disease. In this study, we used high-throughput small molecule screening in SH-SY5Y cells that stably expressed a luciferase reporter gene driven by the BACE1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1) promoter, which included a portion of the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR). We identified that CL82198, a selective inhibitor of MMP13, decreased BACE1 protein levels in cultured neuronal cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In yeast, the Atg2-Atg18 complex regulates Atg9 recycling from phagophore assembly site during autophagy; their function in higher eukaryotes remains largely unknown. In a targeted screening in Drosophila melanogaster, we show that Mef2-GAL4-RNAi-mediated knockdown of Atg2, Atg9 or Atg18 in the heart and indirect flight muscles led to shortened healthspan (declined locomotive function) and lifespan. These flies displayed an accelerated age-dependent loss of cardiac function along with cardiac hypertrophy (increased heart tube wall thickness) and structural abnormality (distortion of the lumen surface).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Maintenance of mitochondrial quality is essential for skeletal muscle function and overall health. Exercise training elicits profound adaptations to mitochondria to improve mitochondrial quality in skeletal muscle. We have recently demonstrated that acute exercise promotes removal of damaged/dysfunctional mitochondria via mitophagy in skeletal muscle during recovery through the Ampk-Ulk1 signaling cascade.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the promoter region of the receptor for advanced glycation end products () gene have been linked to the activity of RAGE. However, contrary to our expectation, we previously detected no correlation between SNPs within the RAGE promoter and ulcerative colitis (UC) risk in a case-control study. Here, we investigated the methylation of the promoter and analyzed the collective contribution of methylation and SNPs to UC risk.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Rapid setting and low viscosity of sulphoaluminate cement (SAC) make it difficult to be extruded by 3D printing (3DP) technique. In this study, the effect of tartaric acid (TA) on printability, rheology and mechanical property of 3DP SAC paste is investigated. The experimental results indicate that the setting time, hydration evolution and apparent viscosity of SAC paste can be well controlled by adding a proper amount of TA to satisfy the requirements of 3DP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A combination of genetic and environmental risk factors has been considered as the pathogenic cause for mental disorders including schizophrenia. Here, we sought to find out whether the abnormality of the dopamine system, coupled with the exposure to modest stress, is sufficient to trigger the manifestation of schizophrenia-like behaviors. We found that exposing dopamine D4 receptor knockout (D4KO) mice with 1-week restraint stress (2 h/d) induced significant deficits in sensorimotor gating, cognitive processes, social engagement, as well as the elevated exploratory behaviors, which are reminiscent to schizophrenia phenotypes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) due to temporary restriction of blood flow causes tissue/organ damages under various disease conditions, including stroke, myocardial infarction, trauma, and orthopedic surgery. In the limbs, IR injury to motor nerves and muscle fibers causes reduced mobility and quality of life. Endurance exercise training has been shown to increase tissue resistance to numerous pathological insults.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Damage-associated molecular patterns, such as high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA), play critical roles in mediating ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). HMGB1 activates RAGE to exacerbate IRI, but the mechanism underlying cfDNA-induced myocardial IRI remains unknown. We hypothesized that the infarct-exacerbating effect of cfDNA is mediated by HMGB1 and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aimed to study the value of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (OX-LDL) and related ratio in the diagnosis of acute cerebral infarction and the classification of acute cerebral infarction.Of the 129 patients enrolled in this study, 94 patients with acute cerebral infarction were assigned to the case group, and 35 healthy subjects were enrolled as control group (n = 35). And then the case group were divided into large-artery atherosclerosis (LAA) group (n = 61) and small-artery occlusion (SAO) group (n = 33) according to the TOAST classification standard.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In this study, the effects of fruit bagging on residue behavior and dietary risk for four pesticides (abamectin, imidacloprid, carbendazim and difenoconazole) in apple were investigated. The dissipation behavior of four pesticides were assessed after spraying on three occasions with the first spray at 2 months before harvest and the subsequent sprays at 10-day intervals at recommended doses of 5.4, 45, 135 and 975 g.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are produced using molecular imprinting technology (MIT) and have specific analyte-binding abilities and unique properties, including chemical and thermal stability, reusability, high selectivity, and high sensitivity. The application of MIPs in the detection of pesticides represents an advance and a superior scientific approach owing to their detection and characterization of trace levels in comparison with other methods. In this review, we have summarized the pre-treatment extraction of pesticides with different types of molecularly imprinted polymer for the detection of single and multiple pesticides by elaborating upon their specific extraction efficiency.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Reduction of the disulfide of coenzyme M and coenzyme B (CoMS-SCoB) by heterodisulfide reductases (HdrED and HdrABC) is the final step in all methanogenic pathways. Flavin-based electron bifurcation (FBEB) by soluble HdrABC homologs play additional roles in driving essential endergonic reactions at the expense of the exergonic reduction of CoMS-SCoM. In the first step of the CO reduction pathway, HdrABC complexed with hydrogenase or formate dehydrogenase generates reduced ferredoxin (Fdx) for the endergonic reduction of CO coupled to the exergonic reduction of CoMS-SCoB dependent on FBEB of electrons from H or formate.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The α-secretase "a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein" (ADAM10) is involved in the processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Upregulation of ADAM10 precludes the generation of neurotoxic β-amyloid protein (Aβ) and represents a plausible therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we explored compounds that can potentially promote the expression of ADAM10.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The presence of pesticide residues in fruit has been of extensive concern worldwide. In this paper, pesticide residues in peach samples in China and their dietary exposure risks for the Chinese general population and children were evaluated. Thirty-nine different pesticides were detected, and 92.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To explore the regulation mechanism of coal tar pitch smoke extracts( CTPE) on tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2( TRAF2) mRNA expression in co-cultured model of human monocytes( THP-1) and BEAS-2B cells.

Methods: The co-cultured THP-1 and BEAS-2B cells were simulated by 3 μg/m L CTPE. The cells at passage 9 were treated with tumor necrosis factor-α( TNF-α) neutralization antibody and c-Jun N-terminal kinase( JNK) inhibitors SP600125, and continued toculture at passage 15( neutralizing antibody group) and established the BEAS-2B cells of same generation as control group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

SETDB1, an H3K9‑specific histone methyltransferase, has been described as a repressed transcription marker which triggers tumorigenesis of many types of human cancer. However, there are few studies elucidating the relationship between SETDB1 and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In the present study, we confirmed that SETDB1 exhibited higher expression levels in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues and cell lines, compared to these levels in non‑tumor tissues and a normal human nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the version of this article initially published, the blue diamonds in Fig. 2a-d were defined as Shank3 + saline; the correct definition is Shank3 + RMD. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Microdeletion of the human 16p11.2 gene locus has been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability and confers risk for a number of other neurodevelopmental deficits. Transgenic mice carrying 16p11.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) binds to specific FGF receptors (FGFRs) at the surface of target cells to initiate intracellular signaling. While heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are well-described coreceptors, it is uncertain whether there are additional binding sites for FGF1 at the cell surface. To address this, we devised and tested a method to identify novel binding sites for FGF1 at the cell surface, which may also be applicable for other protein ligands.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social deficits and repetitive behaviors. Genetic screening has identified synaptic, transcriptional, and chromatin genes disrupted in autistic patients. Haploinsufficiency of Shank3, which encodes a scaffold protein at glutamatergic synapses, is causally linked to autism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Consumption of methane by aerobic and anaerobic microbes governs the atmospheric level of this powerful greenhouse gas. Whereas a biochemical understanding of aerobic methanotrophy is well developed, a mechanistic understanding of anaerobic methanotrophy has been prevented by the unavailability of pure cultures. Here we report a biochemical investigation of Methanosarcina acetivorans, a methane-producing species capable of anaerobic methanotrophic growth dependent on reduction of Fe(III).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Estrogen-related receptor alpha (ERRα) is a transcriptional factor associated with mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism. However, little is known about the role of ERRα in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we report that in APP/PS1 mice, an animal model of AD, ERRα protein and mRNA were decreased in a region- and age-dependent manner.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It has been previously shown that inhaled zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) can modulate inflammation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) enclosed in exosomes have been identified as an important signature for inflammatory responses. However, the role of exosomal miRNAs during pathogenic inflammation has not been investigated.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Coal tar pitch (CTP) is a key factor in the development of occupational lung cancer. In order to investigate the function of the anti-oxidative signaling pathway regulated by NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) during cancer development, BEAS-2B cells were cultured with CTP extract for 30 passages. It was revealed that malignant transformation occurred in cells between the 20 and 30th passage.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF