3-(1H-Benzotriazol-1-yl)-1-(3-methoxy­phen­yl)propan-1-one

In the title mol­ecule, C16H15N3O2, the benzotriazole fragment and the benzene ring form a dihedral angle of 75.02 (1)°. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules related by translation along the a axis are linked into chains via weak C—H⋯π inter­actions

Genome-wide identification, classification and analysis of heat shock transcription factor family in maize

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Heat shock response in eukaryotes is transcriptionally regulated by conserved heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs). Hsf genes are represented by a large multigene family in plants and investigation of the Hsf gene family will serve to elucidate the mechanisms by which plants respond to stress. In recent years, reports of genome-wide structural and evolutionary analysis of the entire Hsf gene family have been generated in two model plant systems, <it>Arabidopsis </it>and rice. Maize, an important cereal crop, has represented a model plant for genetics and evolutionary research. Although some Hsf genes have been characterized in maize, analysis of the entire Hsf gene family were not completed following Maize (B73) Genome Sequencing Project.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A genome-wide analysis was carried out in the present study to identify all Hsfs maize genes. Due to the availability of complete maize genome sequences, 25 nonredundant Hsf genes, named <it>ZmHsfs </it>were identified. Chromosomal location, protein domain and motif organization of ZmHsfs were analyzed in maize genome. The phylogenetic relationships, gene duplications and expression profiles of <it>ZmHsf </it>genes were also presented in this study. Twenty-five ZmHsfs were classified into three major classes (class A, B, and C) according to their structural characteristics and phylogenetic comparisons, and class A was further subdivided into 10 subclasses. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis indicated that the orthologs from the three species (maize, <it>Arabidopsis </it>and rice) were distributed in all three classes, it also revealed diverse Hsf gene family expression patterns in classes and subclasses. Chromosomal/segmental duplications played a key role in Hsf gene family expansion in maize by investigation of gene duplication events. Furthermore, the transcripts of 25 <it>ZmHsf </it>genes were detected in the leaves by heat shock using quantitative real-time PCR. The result demonstrated that <it>ZmHsf </it>genes exhibit different expression levels in heat stress treatment.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall, data obtained from our investigation contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of the maize Hsf gene family and provides the first step towards directing future experimentation designed to perform systematic analysis of the functions of the Hsf gene family.</p

Efficient Two-Dimensional Direction Finding via Auxiliary-Variable Manifold Separation Technique for Arbitrary Array Structure

A polynomial rooting direction of arrival (DOA) algorithm for multiple plane waves incident on an arbitrary array structure that combines the multipolynomial resultants and matrix computations is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a new auxiliary-variable manifold separation technique (AV-MST) is used to model the steering vector of arbitrary array structure as the product of a sampling matrix (dependent only on the array structure) and two Vandermonde-structured wavefield coefficient vectors (dependent on the wavefield). Then the propagator operator is calculated and used to form a system of bivariate polynomial equations. Finally, the automatically paired azimuth and elevation estimates are derived by polynomial rooting. The presented algorithm employs the concept of auxiliary-variable manifold separation technique which requires no sector by sector array interpolation and thus does not suffer from any mapping errors. In addition, the new algorithm does not need any eigenvalue decomposition of the covariance matrix and exhausted search over the two-dimensional parameter space. Moreover, the algorithm gives automatically paired estimates, thus avoiding the complex pairing procedure. Therefore, the proposed algorithm shows low computational complexity and high robustness performance. Simulation results are shown to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method

Green tea polyphenol induces significant cell death in human lung cancer cells

Purpose: To investigate the dose–response relationship of green tea polyphenol in an animal model of lung cancer.Methods: The effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on the inhibition of xenograft tumor growth, the accumulation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and apoptosis based on 3-(4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay were evaluated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines, namely, H1155, H661, and A427 (a human lung carcinoma-derived cell line). The dose-dependent effects of EGCG on H1155 xenograft tumor growth, as well as the levels of EGCG in plasma and tissue, were also determined in male nude mice.Results: EGCG inhibited the growth of NSCLC-derived cell lines (H1155) over a 45-day period. There was a significant reduction (57 %) in tumor weight in EGCG-fed (0.5 %) animals compared with the control group (p &lt; 0.05). Linear regression analysis revealed a dose-dependent reduction in tumor size. MTT assay results revealed inhibition of H1155 cell growth (25 %, p &lt; 0.05) after 24 h treatment with EGCG. The addition of superoxide dismutase (5 U/mL) and catalase (30 U/mL) reduced the inhibitory effect of EGCG. Mice administered 30 mg/kg EGCG via intraperitoneal injection exhibited the least amount of oxidative stress.Conclusion: The results demonstrate the concentration-dependent inhibitory effects of EGCG on lung cancer cells, including H1155 cells, both in vitro and in vivo. The induction of reactive oxygen species, oxidative DNA damage, and apoptosis were evident following EGCG treatment.Keywords: Green tea, Lung cancer, Catechins, Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, Oxidative stress, Oxidative DNA damag

Synthesis and applications of porous non-silica metal oxide submicrospheres

© 2016 Royal Society of Chemistry. Nowadays the development of submicroscale products of specific size and morphology that feature a high surface area to volume ratio, well-developed and accessible porosity for adsorbates and reactants, and are non-toxic, biocompatible, thermally stable and suitable as synergetic supports for precious metal catalysts is of great importance for many advanced applications. Complex porous non-silica metal oxide submicrospheres constitute an important class of materials that fulfill all these qualities and in addition, they are relatively easy to synthesize. This review presents a comprehensive appraisal of the methods used for the synthesis of a wide range of porous non-silica metal oxide particles of spherical morphology such as porous solid spheres, core-shell and yolk-shell particles as well as single-shell and multi-shell particles. In particular, hydrothermal and low temperature solution precipitation methods, which both include various structure developing strategies such as hard templating, soft templating, hydrolysis, or those taking advantage of Ostwald ripening and the Kirkendall effect, are reviewed. In addition, a critical assessment of the effects of different experimental parameters such as reaction time, reaction temperature, calcination, pH and the type of reactants and solvents on the structure of the final products is presented. Finally, the practical usefulness of complex porous non-silica metal oxide submicrospheres in sensing, catalysis, biomedical, environmental and energy-related applications is presented

ACE2 Deficiency Enhances Angiotensin II-Mediated Aortic Profilin-1 Expression, Inflammation and Peroxynitrite Production

Inflammation and oxidative stress play a crucial role in angiotensin (Ang) II-mediated vascular injury. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has recently been identified as a specific Ang II-degrading enzyme but its role in vascular biology remains elusive. We hypothesized that loss of ACE2 would facilitate Ang II-mediated vascular inflammation and peroxynitrite production. 10-week wildtype (WT, Ace2+/y) and ACE2 knockout (ACE2KO, Ace2−/y) mice received with mini-osmotic pumps with Ang II (1.5 mg.kg−1.d−1) or saline for 2 weeks. Aortic ACE2 protein was obviously reduced in WT mice in response to Ang II related to increases in profilin-1 protein and plasma levels of Ang II and Ang-(1–7). Loss of ACE2 resulted in greater increases in Ang II-induced mRNA expressions of inflammatory cytokines monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 without affecting tumor necrosis factor-α in aortas of ACE2KO mice. Furthermore, ACE2 deficiency led to greater increases in Ang II-mediated profilin-1 expression, NADPH oxidase activity, and superoxide and peroxynitrite production in the aortas of ACE2KO mice associated with enhanced phosphorylated levels of Akt, p70S6 kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Interestingly, daily treatment with AT1 receptor blocker irbesartan (50 mg/kg) significantly prevented Ang II-mediated aortic profilin-1 expression, inflammation, and peroxynitrite production in WT mice with enhanced ACE2 levels and the suppression of the Akt-ERK-eNOS signaling pathways. Our findings reveal that ACE2 deficiency worsens Ang II-mediated aortic inflammation and peroxynitrite production associated with the augmentation of profilin-1 expression and the activation of the Akt-ERK-eNOS signaling, suggesting potential therapeutic approaches by enhancing ACE2 action for patients with vascular diseases

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead