Anti-cancer natural products isolated from chinese medicinal herbs

In recent years, a number of natural products isolated from Chinese herbs have been found to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis, suppress angiogenesis, retard metastasis and enhance chemotherapy, exhibiting anti-cancer potential both in vitro and in vivo. This article summarizes recent advances in in vitro and in vivo research on the anti-cancer effects and related mechanisms of some promising natural products. These natural products are also reviewed for their therapeutic potentials, including flavonoids (gambogic acid, curcumin, wogonin and silibinin), alkaloids (berberine), terpenes (artemisinin, β-elemene, oridonin, triptolide, and ursolic acid), quinones (shikonin and emodin) and saponins (ginsenoside Rg3), which are isolated from Chinese medicinal herbs. In particular, the discovery of the new use of artemisinin derivatives as excellent anti-cancer drugs is also reviewed

Fibronectin leucine-rich transmembrane protein 2 drives monocyte differentiation into macrophages via the UNC5B-Akt/mTOR axis

Upon migrating into the tissues, hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-derived monocytes differentiate into macrophages, playing a crucial role in determining innate immune responses towards external pathogens and internal stimuli. However, the regulatory mechanisms underlying monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation remain largely unexplored. Here we divulge a previously uncharacterized but essential role for an axon guidance molecule, fibronectin leucine-rich transmembrane protein 2 (FLRT2), in monocyte-to-macrophage maturation. FLRT2 is almost undetectable in human monocytic cell lines, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and mouse primary monocytes but significantly increases in fully differentiated macrophages. Myeloid-specific deletion of FLRT2 (Flrt2ΔMyel) contributes to decreased peritoneal monocyte-to-macrophage generation in mice in vivo, accompanied by impaired macrophage functions. Gain- and loss-of-function studies support the promoting effect of FLRT2 on THP-1 cell and human PBMC differentiation into macrophages. Mechanistically, FLRT2 directly interacts with Unc-5 netrin receptor B (UNC5B) via its extracellular domain (ECD) and activates Akt/mTOR signaling. In vivo administration of mTOR agonist MYH1485 reverses the impaired phenotypes observed in Flrt2ΔMyel mice. Together, these results identify FLRT2 as a novel pivotal endogenous regulator of monocyte differentiation into macrophages. Targeting the FLRT2/UNC5B-Akt/mTOR axis may provide potential therapeutic strategies directly relevant to human diseases associated with aberrant monocyte/macrophage differentiation

Complete chloroplast genome sequence of poisonous and medicinal plant Datura stramonium: organizations and implications for genetic engineering.

Datura stramonium is a widely used poisonous plant with great medicinal and economic value. Its chloroplast (cp) genome is 155,871 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure of the large (LSC, 86,302 bp) and small (SSC, 18,367 bp) single-copy regions, separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 25,601 bp). The genome contains 113 unique genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNAs and four rRNAs. A total of 11 forward, 9 palindromic and 13 tandem repeats were detected in the D. stramonium cp genome. Most simple sequence repeats (SSR) are AT-rich and are less abundant in coding regions than in non-coding regions. Both SSRs and GC content were unevenly distributed in the entire cp genome. All preferred synonymous codons were found to use A/T ending codons. The difference in GC contents of entire genomes and of the three-codon positions suggests that the D. stramonium cp genome might possess different genomic organization, in part due to different mutational pressures. The five most divergent coding regions and four non-coding regions (trnH-psbA, rps4-trnS, ndhD-ccsA, and ndhI-ndhG) were identified using whole plastome alignment, which can be used to develop molecular markers for phylogenetics and barcoding studies within the Solanaceae. Phylogenetic analysis based on 68 protein-coding genes supported Datura as a sister to Solanum. This study provides valuable information for phylogenetic and cp genetic engineering studies of this poisonous and medicinal plant

Microfluidic Technology for the Isolation and Analysis of Exosomes

Exosomes are lipid-bilayer enclosed vesicles with diameters of 30–150 nm, which play a pivotal role in cell communication by transporting their cargoes such as proteins, lipids, and genetic materials. In recent years, exosomes have been under intense investigation, as they show great promise in numerous areas, especially as bio-markers in liquid biopsies. However, due to the high heterogeneity and the nano size of exosomes, the separation of exosomes is not easy. This review will deliver an outline of the conventional methods and the microfluidic-based technologies for exosome separation. Particular attention is devoted to microfluidic devices, highlighting the efficiency of exosome isolation by these methods. Additionally, this review will introduce advances made in the integrated microfluidics technologies that enable the separation and analysis of exosomes

Comparison of the borders of LSC, SSC and IR regions among six chloroplast genomes.

<p>The IRb/SSC border extended into the <i>ycf1</i> genes to create various lengths of <i>ycf1</i> pseudogenes among six chloroplast genomes. The <i>ycf1</i> pseudogene and the <i>ndhF</i> gene overlapped in the <i>N. tabacum</i>, <i>S. lycopersicum</i> and <i>D. stramonium</i> cp genomes from 3 bp to 20 bp, respectively. Various lengths of <i>rps19</i> pseudogenes were created at the IRa/LSC borders except <i>N. tabacum</i>. This figure is not to scale.</p

The ML phylogenetic tree of the asteridae clade based on 68 protein-coding genes.

<p>The ML tree was obtained with the - lnL of 356757.56 using the GTR+I+G nucleotide substitution model. Number above each node are bootstrap support values. <i>Cycas taitungensis</i> was set as outgroup.</p

Comparison of four chloroplast genomes using mVISTA program.

<p>Grey arrows and thick black lines above the alignment indicate genes with their orientation and the position of the IRs, respectively. A cut-off of 70% identity was used for the plots, and the Y-scale represents the percent identity between 50–100%. Genome regions are color-coded as protein-coding (exon), rRNA, tRNA and conserved noncoding sequences (CNS).</p

Gene map of the <i>Datura stramonium</i> chloroplast genome.

<p>Genes drawn inside the circle are transcribed clockwise, and those outside are counterclockwise. Genes belonging to different functional groups are color-coded. The darker gray in the inner circle corresponds to GC content, while the lighter gray corresponds to AT content.</p