Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene sequence of Mongolian wild boars

Specimens of Mongolian wild boar (Sus scrofa) from Arkhangai, Dornod, Zavkhan, Orkhon, Ovorkhangai, Selenge, Tuv, Khovd, Khuvsgul and Uvs aimags (provinces) were subjected to DNA sequencing. Determined sequences from 18 specimens were registered into the GenBank and accession numbers were obtained. In this study mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequences of Mongolian wild boars were analyzed with 36 complete sequences of 12S rRNA gene of wild boar (Sus scrofa) available at NCBI GenBank. Sequence alignment, detection of parsimonious informative sites, model selection, calculation of nucleotide distances and tree construction with 1000 bootstrapped replications were conducted using MEGA 6. Maximum likelihood trees were constructed by the HKY model. A maximum likelihood tree with 53 complete sequences of mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene of Sus scrofa was constructed. Mongolian sequences from the same and adjacent locations were clustered together. European sequences were clustered together, additionally two sequences from south western China and two sequences from south eastern China were also clustered. Additionally, 12S rRNA gene sequences of Mongolian Sus scrofa, located between Asian and European sequences suggesting geographical location of Mongolia, played an important role in the gene flow between Asian and European wild boar population

\u3ci\u3eITGA2\u3c/i\u3e Promotes Expression of \u3ci\u3eACLY\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eCCND1\u3c/i\u3e in Enhancing Breast Cancer Stemness and Metastasis

Cancer metastasis is largely incurable and accounts for 90% of breast cancer deaths, especially for the aggressive basal-like or triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Combining patient database analyses and functional studies, we examined the association of integrin family members with clinical outcomes as well as their connection with previously identified microRNA regulators of metastasis, such as miR-206 that inhibits stemness and metastasis of TNBC. Here we report that the integrin receptor CD49b-encoding ITGA2, a direct target of miR-206, promotes breast cancer stemness and metastasis. ITGA2 knockdown suppressed self-renewal related mammosphere formation and pluripotency marker expression, inhibited cell cycling, compromised migration and invasion, and therefore decreased lung metastasis of breast cancer. ITGA2 overexpression reversed miR-206-caused cell cycle arrest in G1. RNA sequencing analyses revealed that ITGA2 knockdown inhibits genes related to cell cycle regulation and lipid metabolism, including CCND1 and ACLY as representative targets, respectively. Knockdown of CCND1 or ACLY inhibits mammosphere formation of breast cancer cells. Overexpression of CCND1 rescues the phenotype of ITGA2 knockdown-induced cell cycle arrest. ACLY-encoded ATP citrate lyase is essential to maintain cellular acetyl-CoA levels. CCND1 knockdown further mimics ITGA2 knockdown in abolishing lung colonization of breast cancer cells. We identified that the low levels of miR-206 as well as high expression levels of ITGA2, ACLY and CCND1 are associated with an unfavorable relapse-free survival of the patients with estrogen receptor-negative or high grade breast cancer, especially basal-like or TNBC, possibly serving as potential biomarkers of cancer stemness and therapeutic targets of breast cancer metastasis

A frotarsius chatrathi, first tarsiiform primate (? Tarsiidae) from Africa

Tarsiiform primates have long been regarded as a Laurasian group, with an extensive fossil record in the Eocene of North America and EuropeI and two important but less well-known records from Asia

New Specimens of Nemegtomaia from the Baruungoyot and Nemegt Formations (Late Cretaceous) of Mongolia

Two new specimens of the oviraptorid theropod Nemegtomaia barsboldi from the Nemegt Basin of southern Mongolia are described. Specimen MPC-D 107/15 was collected from the upper beds of the Baruungoyot Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian), and is a nest of eggs with the skeleton of the assumed parent of Nemegtomaia on top in brooding position. Much of the skeleton was damaged by colonies of dermestid coleopterans prior to its complete burial. However, diagnostic characters are recovered from the parts preserved, including the skull, partial forelimbs (including the left hand), legs, and distal portions of both feet. Nemegtomaia represents the fourth known genus of oviraptorid for which individuals have been found on nests of eggs. The second new specimen, MPC-D 107/16, was collected a few kilometers to the east in basal deposits of the Nemegt Formation, and includes both hands and femora of a smaller Nemegtomaia individual. The two formations and their diverse fossil assemblages have been considered to represent sequential time periods and different environments, but data presented here indicate partial overlap across the Baruungoyot-Nemegt transition. All other known oviraptorids from Mongolia and China are known exclusively from xeric or semi-arid environments. However, this study documents that Nemegtomaia is found in both arid/aeolian (Baruungoyot Formation) and more humid/fluvial (Nemegt Formation) facies