LncRNA-mediated effects of vitrification temperatures and cryoprotectant concentrations on bovine oocyte development following vitrification at the GV stage.

We evaluated the effects of different vitrification temperatures (VTs) and cryoprotective agent concentrations (CPAs) on the viability and expressions of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in bovine oocytes following vitrification at the germinal vesicle (GV) stage. Our findings provide a theoretical support for improvement of the cryopreservation technology of bovine immature oocytes (BIOs). Bovine cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected and randomized into five groups: fresh oocytes (control), oocytes vitrified in liquid helium (LHe; -269 °C) with 5.

Relationship between bovine oocytes developmental competence and mRNA expression of apoptotic and mitochondrial genes following the change of vitrification temperatures and cryoprotectant concentrations.

The present study analyzed the relationship between bovine oocytes developmental competence and mRNA expression of apoptotic and mitochondrial genes following the change of vitrification temperatures (VTs) and cryoprotectant agent concentrations (CPAs). Cumulus oocyte complexes were randomly divided into five groups: control, vitrified in liquid nitrogen (LN; -196 °C) with 5.6 M CPAs (LN 5.

Effect of vitrification temperature and cryoprotectant concentrations on the mRNA transcriptome of bovine mature oocytes after vitrifying at immature stage.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of vitrification temperature (VT) and cryoprotective agent concentrations (CPAs) on the mRNA transcriptome of bovine mature oocytes after vitrifying at immature stage. Cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) were randomly divided into the following five groups: fresh oocytes (control), oocytes vitrified in liquid helium (LHe; -269 °C) with 5.6 M CPAs (LHe 5.

Effects of the antimicrobial peptide L12 against multidrug‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus; MRSA) is one of the most common bacterial pathogens and MRSA infections are characterized by high mortality rates. Antimicrobial peptides are considered one of the most promising drugs for the treatment of resistant strains of S.

Non-invasive metabolomic profiling of culture media of ICSI- and IVF-derived early developmental cattle embryos via Raman spectroscopy.

The aim of the present study was to compare differences in composition between in vitro cultured early developmental embryos resulting from either in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Non-invasive metabolomic profiling of culture media was conducted with laser tweezer Raman spectroscopy (LTRS), providing molecular information that was used to aid the diagnosis or treatment of embryos that were adversely affected by ICSI treatment, ultimately improving the ICSI embryonic developmental potential. Cattle embryos were generated via ICSI and IVF with development to the 2-, 4-, 8-, 16-,32-cell, and blastocyst stages with individual in vitro culturing occurring for 4 h.

Effect of liquid helium vitrification on cytoskeleton of immature cattle oocytes.

The developmental potential and the changes in cytoskeleton structures in immature oocytes of cattle resulting from liquid helium (LHe) vitrification was evaluated in this study. Immature oocytes were randomly divided into three groups: fresh oocytes (negative control), oocytes vitrified in liquid nitrogen (LN group, positive control), and oocytes vitrified in LHe (LHe group). In Experiment 1, the proportions for normal morphology, maturation, cleavage, and blastocyst were greater in the LHe group than in the LN group (88.

Computational identification and characterization of miRNAs and their target genes from five cyprinidae fishes.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a kind of small single-strand RNA molecules with lengths of 18-25 nt, which do not encode any proteins. They play an essential role in gene expression regulation by binding to their target genes, leading to translational repression or transcript degradation. In this study, 23 miRNAs were predicted from five cyprinidae fishes by using a bioinformatics-based gene search based on blasting ESTs and GSS in NCBI, of which 21 miRNA genes have not been previously reported.

Oxidative coupling of sp and sp carbon-hydrogen bonds to construct dihydrobenzofurans.

Metal-catalyzed cross-couplings provide powerful, concise, and accurate methods to construct carbon-carbon bonds from organohalides and organometallic reagents. Recent developments extended cross-couplings to reactions where one of the two partners connects with an aryl or alkyl carbon-hydrogen bond. From an economic and environmental point of view, oxidative couplings between two carbon-hydrogen bonds would be ideal.

Effect of liquid helium vitrification on the ultrastructure and related gene expression of mature bovine oocytes after vitrifying at immature stage.

This study aimed to investigate the developmental potential of and the ultrastructural changes and gene expression differences resulting from liquid helium (LHe; -269 °C) vitrification in immature bovine oocytes. Immature oocytes were randomly divided into three groups: fresh oocytes (control, negative control), oocytes vitrified in liquid nitrogen (LN group, positive control), and oocytes vitrified in LHe (LHe group). In experiment 1, the rates of normal morphology, maturation, cleavage, and blastocyst in the LHe group were higher than those in the LN group (87.

Senkyunolide I attenuates oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation-induced inflammation in microglial cells.

Over-activated microglia during stroke has been documented to aggravate brain damage. Our previous studies showed that senkyunolide I (SEI) exerted anti-inflammatory effects against endotoxin insult in vitro and ameliorative effects on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in vivo. Using oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) to mimic stroke, we here investigated the anti-inflammatory effect of SEI on microglial cells and explored the underlying mechanisms.

Successful vitrification of bovine immature oocyte using liquid helium instead of liquid nitrogen as cryogenic liquid.

The objectives of this study were to compare the effectiveness of liquid helium (LHe) and liquid nitrogen (LN2) as cryogenic liquid for vitrification of bovine immature oocytes with open-pulled straw (OPS) system and determine the optimal cryoprotectant concentration of LHe vitrification. Cumulus oocyte complexes were divided into three groups, namely, untreated group (control), LN2 vitrified with OPS group, and LHe vitrified with OPS group. Oocyte survival was assessed by morphology, nuclear maturation, and developmental capability.

Connexin 43 stabilizes astrocytes in a stroke-like milieu to facilitate neuronal recovery.

Aim: Connexin 43 (Cx43) is a member of connexin family mainly expressed in astrocytes, which forms gap junctions and hemichannels and maintains the normal shape and function of astrocytes. In this study we investigated the role of Cx43 in astrocytes in facilitating neuronal recovery during ischemic stroke.

Methods: Primary culture of astrocytes or a mixed culture of astrocytes and cortical neurons was subjected to oxygen glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R).

Group Exchange between Ketones and Carboxylic Acids through Directing Group Assisted Rh-Catalyzed Reorganization of Carbon Skeletons.

The Rh(I)-catalyzed direct reorganization of organic frameworks and group exchanges between carboxylic acids and aryl ketones was developed with the assistance of directing group. Biaryls, alkenylarenes, and alkylarenes were produced in high efficiency from aryl ketones and the corresponding carboxylic acids by releasing the other molecule of carboxylic acids and carbon monoxide. A wide range of functional groups were well compatible.

Anti-inflammatory secoiridoid glycosides from Gentianella azurea.

A phytochemical investigation on crude extract of Gentianella azurea led to the isolation of ten new (1-10) and one known (11) secoiridoid glycosides. Their structures were unambiguously elucidated by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR. Compounds 2, 5 and 11 were found to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) production in RAW 264.

Developmental competence and gene expression of immature oocytes following liquid helium vitrification in bovine.

The objective of this study was to develop an effective ultra-rapid vitrification method and evaluate its effect on maturation, developmental competence and development-related gene expression in bovine immature oocytes. Bovine cumulus oocyte complexes were randomly allocated into three groups: (1) controls, (2) liquid nitrogen vitrification, and (3) liquid helium vitrification. Oocytes were vitrified and then warmed, the percentage of morphologically normal oocytes in liquid helium group (89.

Dammarane-type triterpenoids from Gentianella azurea.

Thirteen new dammarane-type triterpenoids (1-13) and four known analogues, gentirigenic acid (14) and the gentirigeosides A, B, and E (15-17), were isolated from Gentianella azurea. Their structures were elucidated by detailed analysis of the NMR, MS, and X-ray crystallographic data. This is the first report of dammarane-type triterpenoids in the Gentianella genus.

The reliability of DFT methods to predict electronic structures and minimum energy crossing point for [Fe(IV)O](OH)2 models: a comparison study with MCQDPT method.

In order to test the reliability of DFT methods for calculating electronic structures of [Fe(IV)O] system, detailed calculations of [Fe(IV)O](OH)2 models were performed for several low-energy states using multiconfiguration quasidegenerate perturbation theory (MCQDPT) as well as DFT-based methods. The minimum energy crossing points (MECP) of (5)A1/(5)B2 and (3)B2/(5)B2 were investigated based on Lagrange-Newton approach. The results show that M06 functional produce energy gaps close to those of MCQDPT results.

Dual effects of molybdenum on mouse oocyte quality and ovarian oxidative stress.

A sub-acute toxicity test was performed to investigate the effects of molybdenum (Mo) on ovarian function. ICR adult female mice were exposed to Mo by free access to distilled water containing the Mo at 5, 10, 20, and 40 mg/L for 14 days. Compared to the control group, M II oocyte morphology, ovary index, and ovulation improved within the 5 mg/L Mo group, but were negatively affected by Mo at 40 mg/L.

Molecular functions of small regulatory noncoding RNA.

Recently, using large-scale genomic sequencing, a great number of small noncoding RNAs (ncRNA) has been discovered. Short ncRNAs can be classified into three major classes--small interfering RNA (siRNA), microRNA (miRNA), and piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA). These short ncRNAs ranging from 20 to 300 nt in size are now recognized as a new paradigm of gene regulation for controlling many biological processes.

Reactions of iron carbenes with α,β-unsaturated esters by using an Umpolung approach: mechanism and applications.

An Umpolung approach, in which a phosphorus ylide moiety was introduced to increase the electron density of the double bond, was developed to activate electron-deficient alkenes for reaction with electrophilic iron carbenes. In tandem with the Wittig reaction, the reactions of α,β-unsaturated esters with in situ generated Fe-carbene complexes delivered formal C-H insertion products through cyclopropanation/ring-opening reactions. DFT calculations and cross-experiments indicate that, in this process, the ring opening of the cyclopropylmethyl ylide intermediate is rapid and reversible and the subsequent proton transfer is the rate-determining step.

MicroRNA-21 gene and cancer.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of 18-27-nucleotides single-stranded RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. It has been demonstrated that miRNAs regulate a variety of physiological functions, including development, cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. There are growing evidence showed that miRNAs can affect the genesis and development of tumor and play a kind of tumor suppressor or oncogenic function by regulating its targetted gene-related signal pathway.

Construction of baculovirus expression vector of miRNAs and its expression in insect cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous small non-protein coding RNAs that play important regulatory roles in animals and plants by binding to target transcripts for cleavage or translational repression. The miR-9a is very conservative in animals from flies to humans. Studies indicated that miR-9a is involved in the regulation of neurogenesis in animals.

Regulatory long non-coding RNA and its functions.

The discovery of large numbers of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has been driven by genome-wide transcriptional analyses. Compared to small ncRNAs, lncRNAs have been shown to harbor biological activities, but the functions of the great majority of lncRNAs are not known. There is growing evidence that lncRNAs can regulate gene expression at epigenetic, transcription, and post-transcription levels and widely take part in various physiological and pathological processes, such as participating in cell development, immunity, oncogenesis, clinical disease processes, etc.

Mechanistic understanding of the unexpected meta selectivity in copper-catalyzed anilide C-H bond arylation.

DFT calculations suggest that the unexpected meta product in the copper-catalyzed arylation of anilide is formed via a Heck-like four-membered-ring transition state involving a Cu(III)-Ph species. A competitive electrophilic substitution mechanism delivers the ortho product when a methoxy group is present at the meta position of pivanilide. A series of experiments including kinetic studies support the involvement of a Cu(I) catalyst.