Functional miR-142a-3p induces apoptosis and macrophage polarization by targeting tnfaip2 and glut3 in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

In the process of microbial invasion, the inflammation reaction is induced to eliminate the pathogen. However, un-controlled or un-resolved inflammation can lead to tissue damage and death of the host. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the signaling regulators that prevent the uncontrolled progress of an inflammatory response. Our previous work strongly indicated that miR-142a-3p is related to the immune regulation in grass carp. In the present study, we found that the expression of miR-142a-3p was down-regulated after infection by Aeromonas hydrophila. tnfaip2 and glut3 were confirmed as be the target genes of miR-142a-3p, which were confirmed by expression correlation analysis, gene overexpression, and dual luciferase reporter assay. The miR-142a-3p can reduce cell viability and stimulate cell apoptosis by targeting tnfaip2 and glut3. In addition, miR-142a-3p also regulates macrophage polarization induced by A. hydrophila. Our results suggest that miR-142a-3p has multiple functions in host antibacterial immune response. Our research provides further understanding of the molecular mechanisms between miRNAs and their target genes, and provides a new insights for the development of pro-resolution strategies for the treatment of complex inflammatory diseases in fish.31802285, CARROS-45-03info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Association of maternal Vitamin D status with glucose tolerance and caesarean section in a multi-ethnic Asian cohort: the growing up in Singapore towards healthy outcomes study

10.1371/journal.pone.0142239PLoS ONE10111-16GUSTO (Growing up towards Healthy Outcomes

No Banquet Can Do without Liquor: Alcohol counterfeiting in the People’s Republic of China

The illegal trade in alcohol has been an empirical manifestation of organised crime with a very long history; yet, the nature of the illegal trade in alcohol has received relatively limited academic attention in recent years despite the fact that it has been linked with significant tax evasion as well as serious health problems and even deaths. The current article focuses on a specific type associated with the illegal trade in alcohol, the counterfeiting of alcohol in China. The article pays particular attention to the counterfeiting of baijiu, Chinese liquor in mainland China. The aim of the article is to offer an account of the social organisation of alcohol counterfeiting business in China by illustrating the counterfeiting process, the actors in the business as well as its possible embeddedness in legal practices and industries/trades. The alcohol counterfeiting business is highly reflective to the market demand and consumer needs. Alcohol counterfeiting in China is characterised primarily by independent actors many of whom are subcontracted to provide commodities and services about the counterfeiting process. The business relies on personal networks – family and extended family members, friends and acquaintances. Relationships between actors in the business are very often based on a customer-supplier relationship or a ‘business-to-business market’. The alcohol counterfeiting business in China highlights the symbiotic relationship between illegal and legal businesses

Critical Stress Determination of Local and Distortional Buckling of Lipped Angle Columns under Axial Compression

In recent years, cold-formed steel has been widely used in prefabricated steel structures, and the common cross-section forms are mainly complex lipped angle sections. However, there is a lack of design guidance for such a cross-section due to the complex geometric property. The restraint between adjacent plates cannot be considered proper for the traditional analytical method. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the stability bearing capacity of angle sections with complex edges under axial compression. In this paper, the finite strip software (CUFSM5) was used to analyze the critical stress of 1296 different angle sections under axial compression. The deformation diagram and the critical stress of elastic buckling were obtained. Considering the restraint between adjacent plates, the formula for predicting the critical stress of elastic local buckling of complex lipped angle sections was proposed and verified. Further, the critical stress of elastic distortional buckling of 918 complex lipped angle sections was analyzed by CUFSM. It was found that the cross-sections can be divided into two categories: cross-section without distortional point and cross-section with distortional point. It was found that the critical stress of elastic local buckling of the angle steel section can be significantly improved by the complex edge. Additionally, the critical stress of elastic local buckling of the section is less affected by the edge size for the complex edge section. The accuracy of the Hancock method for calculating the critical stress of elastic distortional buckling of complex lipped angle sections with distortional points was verified. The presented research can provide useful guidelines for designing cold-formed steel angle columns

PSAT1 is regulated by ATF4 and enhances cell proliferation via the GSK3β/β-catenin/cyclin D1 signaling pathway in ER-negative breast cancer

Abstract Background A growing amount of evidence has indicated that PSAT1 is an oncogene that plays an important role in cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, we explored the expression and function of PSAT1 in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer. Method The expression level of PSAT1 in breast cancer tissues and cells was analyzed using real-time-PCR (RT-PCR), TCGA datasets or immunohistochemistry (IHC). The overall survival of patients with ER-negative breast cancer stratified by the PSAT1 expression levels was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis. The function of PSAT1 was analyzed using a series of in vitro assays. Moreover, a nude mouse model was used to evaluate the function of PSAT1 in vivo. qRT-PCR and western blot assays were used to evaluate gene and protein expression, respectively, in the indicated cells. In addition, we demonstrated that PSAT1 was activated by ATF4 by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. Results mRNA expression of PSAT1 was up-regulated in ER-negative breast cancer. A tissue microarray that included 297 specimens of ER-negative breast cancer was subjected to an immunohistochemistry assay, which demonstrated that PSAT1 was overexpressed and predicted a poor clinical outcome of patients with this disease. Our data showed that PSAT1 promoted cell proliferation and tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. We further found that PSAT1 induced up-regulation of cyclin D1 via the GSK3β/β-catenin pathway, which eventually led to the acceleration of cell cycle progression. Furthermore, ATF4 was also overexpressed in ER-negative breast cancers, and a positive correlation between the ATF4 and PSAT1 mRNA levels was observed in ER-negative breast cancers. We further demonstrated that knockdown of ATF4 by siRNA reduced PSAT1 expression. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays showed that PSAT1 was a target of ATF4. Conclusions PSAT1, which is overexpressed in ER-negative breast cancers, is activated by ATF4 and promotes cell cycle progression via regulation of the GSK3β/β-catenin/cyclin D1 pathway

Mechanochemical synthesis of magnesium-based carbon nucleophiles in air and their use in organic synthesis

Since the discovery of Grignard reagents in 1900, the nucleophilic addition of magnesium-based carbon nucleophiles to various electrophiles has become one of the most powerful, versatile, and well-established methods for the formation of carbon-carbon bonds in organic synthesis. Grignard reagents are typically prepared via reactions between organic halides and magnesium metal in a solvent. However, this method usually requires the use of dry organic solvents, long reaction times, strict control of the reaction temperature, and inert-gas-line techniques. Despite the utility of Grignard reagents, these requirements still represent major drawbacks from both an environmental and an economic perspective, and often cause reproducibility problems. Here, we report the general mechanochemical synthesis of magnesium-based carbon nucleophiles (Grignard reagents in paste form) in air using a ball milling technique. These nucleophiles can be used directly for one-pot nucleophilic addition reactions with various electrophiles and nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions under solvent-free conditions. Grignard reagents have widespread utility in organic chemistry, but their preparation is limited by several drawbacks, such as the use of dry organic solvents and long reaction times. Here, the authors report a general mechanochemical synthesis of Grignard reagents in paste form in air, using a ball milling technique

Additional files 2: Figure S1. of PSAT1 is regulated by ATF4 and enhances cell proliferation via the GSK3β/β-catenin/cyclin D1 signaling pathway in ER-negative breast cancer

Effects of PSAT1 on the migration, invasion and apoptosis of ER-negative breast cancer cells. (A) Transwell assays were used to investigate changes in cell migration and invasion. **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, ****P < 0.0001. (B) Apoptosis assay based on flow cytometry shows that the suppression of PSAT1 increased the proportion of early apoptotic cells. (PDF 84 kb