Evaluation on the generative mechanism and biological toxicity of microcystin-LR disinfection by-products formed by chlorination.

To control the environmental risk of microcystin-LR disinfection by-products (MCLR-DBPs), we evaluated their generative mechanisms and biological toxicity by mass spectrometry technology and protein phosphatase inhibition assay. Subject to chlorination, MCLR was totally transformed within 45 min and generated 5 types of MCLR-DBPs with the chemical formulas of C34H54N10O12, C49H76N10O14Cl2, C49H77N10O15Cl, C49H75N10O13Cl, and C49H76N10O14. Isomers for each MCLR-DBP type were identified and separated (products 1-9), indicating that the conjugated diene in Adda residue was a major target site of disinfection.

Class IA PI3K p110β subunit promotes autophagy through Rab5 small GTPase in response to growth factor limitation.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved membrane trafficking process. Induction of autophagy in response to nutrient limitation or cellular stress occurs by similar mechanisms in organisms from yeast to mammals. Unlike yeast, metazoan cells rely more on growth factor signaling for a wide variety of cellular activities including nutrient uptake.

Nature of pectin-protein-catechin interactions in model systems: pectin-protein-catechin interactions.

Apple pectins, proteins and catechins were combined in model systems, and the resulting hazes were measured by spectrophotometric method, a zeta potential and particle size analyzer and Ostwald viscosimeter. The amount of hazes formed depends on the concentrations of both protein and pectin. The cooperative hydrogen bonding between the numerous hydroxyl groups of pectins and hydrone and the gel-like structure developed by pectin induced the solvation or solubilization of polymers, and the protein molecule has a fixed number of polyphenol binding sites.

Hyperactivation of the mammalian degenerin MDEG promotes caspase-8 activation and apoptosis.

Intracellular calcium overload plays a critical role in numerous pathological syndromes such as heart failure, brain ischemia, and stroke. Hyperactivation of the acid-sensing ion channels including degenerin/epithelial amiloride-sensitive sodium (DEG/ENaC) channels has been shown to elevate intracellular calcium and cause subsequent neuronal cell death that is independent of the canonical Egl-1/Ced-9/Ced-4/Ced-3 apoptotic pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans. In mammalian cells, hyperactivation of the DEG/ENaC channels can also lead to cell death, although the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown.

The SNAC1-targeted gene OsSRO1c modulates stomatal closure and oxidative stress tolerance by regulating hydrogen peroxide in rice.

Abiotic stresses such as drought cause a reduction of plant growth and loss of crop yield. Stomatal aperture controls CO(2) uptake and water loss to the atmosphere, thus playing important roles in both the yield gain and drought tolerance of crops. Here, a rice homologue of SRO (similar to RCD one), termed OsSRO1c, was identified as a direct target gene of SNAC1 (stress-responsive NAC 1) involved in the regulation of stomatal aperture and oxidative response.

Genome-wide profiling of histone H3K4-tri-methylation and gene expression in rice under drought stress.

Histone modifications affect gene expression level. Several studies have shown that they may play key roles in regulating gene expression in plants under abiotic stress, but genome-wide surveys of such stress-related modifications are very limited, especially for crops. By using ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq, we investigated the genome-wide distribution pattern of histone H3 lysine4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) and the pattern's association with whole genome expression profiles of rice (Oryza sativa L.

The cellular decision between apoptosis and autophagy.

Apoptosis and autophagy are important molecular processes that maintain organismal and cellular homeostasis, respectively. While apoptosis fulfills its role through dismantling damaged or unwanted cells, autophagy maintains cellular homeostasis through recycling selective intracellular organelles and molecules. Yet in some conditions, autophagy can lead to cell death.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy.

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding.

The first case of cutaneous infection with Mycobacterium parascrofulaceum.

The authors present the first, to the best of their knowledge, reported case of cutaneous infection caused by Mycobacterium parascrofulaceum. A 42-year-old woman presented with asymptomatic reddish papules, nodules, plaques, and patches on the right side of her face and on her forehead that had persisted for 5 years, with the lesions gradually increasing in size over that time. No previous intervening medical treatment had been applied.

The Correlation between the CLEC16A Gene and Genetic Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes in Chinese Children.

Objective. The CLEC16A gene is related to the genetic susceptibility to T1DM with racial variability. This study investigated the association between CLEC16A gene polymorphisms and T1DM in Chinese children.

Non-apoptotic routes to defeat cancer.

The mechanism of tumor cell death after treatment with DNA alkylating agents in vivo previously remained largely unknown. We demonstrate that tumor regression after chemotherapy occurs via sporadic necrosis and relies on activation of innate immunity in a manner dependent on high mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1).

The expression of pentraxin 3 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha is increased in preeclamptic placental tissue and maternal serum.

Objective: To evaluate the expression of pentraxin 3 (PTX3) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in preeclampsia.

Methods: Twenty-two preeclamptic patients, six preeclamptic patients with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and 30 women with uncomplicated pregnancies were included in this study. The expression of PTX3 and TNF-α in placental tissue was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western immunoblotting.

Mammalian PIK3C3/VPS34: the key to autophagic processing in liver and heart.

PIK3C3/Vps34 is the class III PtdIns3K that is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to mammals. Its central role in mammalian autophagy has been suggested through the use of pharmacological inhibitors and the study of its binding partners. However, the precise role of PIK3C3 in mammals is not clear.

Class III PI3K Vps34 plays an essential role in autophagy and in heart and liver function.

A critical regulator of autophagy is the Class III PI3K Vps34 (also called PIK3C3). Although Vps34 is known to play an essential role in autophagy in yeast, its role in mammals remains elusive. To elucidate the physiological function of Vps34 and to determine its precise role in autophagy, we have generated Vps34(f/f) mice, in which expression of Cre recombinase results in a deletion of exon 4 of Vps34 and a frame shift causing a deletion of 755 of the 887 amino acids of Vps34.

[Engineering of Escherichia coli for convenient expression of [FeFe]-hydrogenase].

Objective: A new method used to heterologously express [FeFe]-hydrogenase in Escherichia coli was investigated in our present study.

Methods: By homologous recombination, three assistant genes (hydE, hydF and hydG) for hydrogenase were integrated into the chromosome of E. coli BW 25113-10, in which all hydrogenase genes were inactivated.

[Establishment of molecular markers linked to sex in Schisandra sphenanthera].

Objective: To establish the gender-related RAPD markers in Schisandra sphenanthera.

Methods: The genomic DNA was extracted from the young leaves of male and female Schisandra sphenanthera by modified CTAB method. The gender differences in the genome were studied by RAPD which was optimized by the single factor and orthogonal experiments.

Genetic polymorphisms of ALDH2 and ADH2 are not associated with risk of hepatocellular carcinoma among East Asians.

The aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) and alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (ADH2) genes have been implicated in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the associations between polymorphisms of ALDH2 and ADH2 genes and HCC.

Contribution of visceral fat accumulation to carotid intima-media thickness in a Chinese population.

Objective: Recent observational studies have reported that body fat distribution might be differentially associated with subclinical atherosclerosis. We previously reported that visceral fat area (VFA) ≥ 80 cm2 is the optimal cutoff for identifying abdominal obesity in Chinese subjects. We examined whether VFA ≥ 80 cm2 reflects the association between abdominal obesity and subclinical atherosclerosis, and if determination of the visceral fat quantity is useful for assessing subclinical atherosclerosis in asymptomatic individuals.

Spectroscopic investigation on the interaction of Cr(VI) with bovine serum albumin.

The interaction of potassium dichromate (Cr(VI)) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, resonance light scattering (RLS), ultraviolet-visible absorption, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies under simulated physiological conditions. The experimental results showed that Cr(VI) could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA following a static quenching process, which indicates the formation of a Cr(VI)-BSA complex. The binding constant (KA) and binding site (n) were measured at different temperatures.

The use of outer filter effects for Cu(2+) quantitation: a unique example for monitoring nonfluorescent molecule with fluorescence.

This article concerns a new and precise strategy for the determination of Cu(2+) based on a color reaction and outer filter effects (OFEs). Cu(2+) can react with sodium diethyldithiocarbamate trihydrate (DDTC) to form a DDTC-Cu(2+) complex with a significant absorption at 447 nm. Being positively correlated with Cu(2+), the absorption could be treated as the basis for the determination of Cu(2+).

Outbreak of a cutaneous Mycobacterium marinum infection in Jiangsu Haian, China.

Mycobacterium marinum is a slow-growing mycobacterium. In November 2008, we diagnosed a patient with M. marinum infection who worked at a fish farm in Jiangsu Haian, China.

Regulation of angiotensin-(1-7) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor by telmisartan and losartan in adriamycin-induced rat heart failure.

Aim: To investigate the possible effects of telmisartan and losartan on cardiac function in adriamycin (ADR)-induced heart failure in rats, and to explore the changes in plasma level of angiotensin-(1-7)[Ang-(1-7)] and myocardial expression of angiotensin II type 1/2 receptors (AT(1)R / AT(2)R) and Mas receptor caused by the two drugs.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the control group, ADR-treated heart failure group (ADR-HF), telmisartan plus ADR-treated group (Tel+ADR) and losartan plus ADR-treated group (Los+ADR). ADR was administrated (2.

Association between an increment of 30-minute postchallenge plasma glucose and urine albumin excretion exists in postmenopausal women but not in premenopausal women.

Objective: Usually, the increment of 30-minute postchallenge plasma glucose (ΔG30-0) represents the highest glucose spike in the population with normal glucose regulation (NGR). The aim of this study was to explore the differences in ΔG30-0 and urinary albumin excretion, a marker for widespread vascular damage, between premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and the relationship between ΔG30-0 and urinary albumin excretion.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study, consisting of 5,289 participants aged 20 to 75 years from six different communities, was conducted in Shanghai between 2007 and 2008.