Cuproptosis-related gene LIPT1 as a prognostic indicator in non-small cell lung cancer: Functional involvement and regulation of ATOX1 expression

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, necessitating a deeper understanding of novel cell death pathways like cuproptosis. This study explored the relevance of cuproptosis-related genes in NSCLC and their potential prognostic significance. We analyzed the expression of 16 cuproptosis-related genes in 1017 NSCLC tumors and 578 Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) normal samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify significant genes. A risk model and prognostic nomogram were employed to identify the pivotal prognostic gene. Further in vitro experiments were conducted to investigate the functions of the identified genes in NSCLC cell lines. LIPT1, a gene for lipoate-protein ligase 1 enzyme, emerged as the central prognostic gene with decreased expression in NSCLC. Importantly, elevated LIPT1 levels were associated with a favorable prognosis for NSCLC patients. Overexpression of LIPT1 inhibited cell growth and enhanced apoptosis in NSCLC. We confirmed that LIPT1 downregulates the copper chaperone gene antioxidant 1 (ATOX1), thereby impeding NSCLC progression. Our study identified LIPT1 as a valuable prognostic biomarker in NSCLC as it elucidates its tumor-inhibitory role through the modulation of ATOX1. These findings offered insights into the potential therapeutic targeting of LIPT1 in NSCLC, contributing to a deeper understanding of this deadly disease

Cloning and physical localization of male-biased repetitive DNA sequences in Spinacia oleracea (Amaranthaceae)

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea Linnaeus, 1753) is an ideal material for studying molecular mechanisms of early-stage sex chromosome evolution in dioecious plants. Degenerate oligonucleotide-primed polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR) technique facilitates the retrotransposon-relevant studies by enriching specific repetitive DNA sequences from a micro-dissected single chromosome. We conducted genomic subtractive hybridization to screen sex-biased DNA sequences by using the DOP-PCR amplification products of micro-dissected spinach Y chromosome. The screening yielded 55 male-biased DNA sequences with 30 576 bp in length, of which, 32 DNA sequences (12 049 bp) contained repeat DNA sequences, including LTR/Copia, LTR/Gypsy, simple repeats, and DNA/CMC-EnSpm. Among these repetitive DNA sequences, four DNA sequences that contained a fragment of Ty3-gypsy retrotransposons (SP73, SP75, SP76, and SP77) were selected as fluorescence probes to hybridization on male and female spinach karyotypes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) signals of SP73 and SP75 were captured mostly on the centromeres and their surrounding area for each homolog. Hybridization signals primarily appeared near the putative centromeres for each homologous chromosome pair by using SP76 and SP77 probes for FISH, and sporadic signals existed on the long arms. Results can be served as a basis to study the function of repetitive DNA sequences in sex chromosome evolution in spinach

A new chromone from the twig of <i>Mallotus apelta</i>

<div><p>A new chromone, 7-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-8-methoxy-4-oxo-4H-chromene-6-carboxylic acid, named melachromone, along with 13 known compounds (<b>2</b>–<b>14</b>), including chromones, flavonoids, coumarins and phenylpropane derivatives, were isolated from the twig of <i>Mallotus apelta</i>. Their chemical structures were elucidated by using various spectroscopic methods. Anti-tumour evaluation of the compounds suggested that compound <b>1</b> exhibited medium cytotoxic activity against KB and HeLa Cells, with IC₅₀ values of 9.50  and 9.23 μg mL^− 1, respectively.</p></div

Reduction of Human Mobility Matters during Early COVID-19 Outbreaks: Evidence from India, Japan and China

Mobility restrictions have been a heated topic during the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, multiple recent findings have verified its importance in blocking virus spread. Evidence on the association between mobility, cases imported from abroad and local medical resource supplies is limited. To reveal the association, this study quantified the importance of inter- and intra-country mobility in containing virus spread and avoiding hospitalizations during early stages of COVID-19 outbreaks in India, Japan, and China. We calculated the time-varying reproductive number (Rt) and duration from illness onset to diagnosis confirmation (Doc), to represent conditions of virus spread and hospital bed shortages, respectively. Results showed that inter-country mobility fluctuation could explain 80%, 35%, and 12% of the variance in imported cases and could prevent 20 million, 5 million, and 40 million imported cases in India, Japan and China, respectively. The critical time for screening and monitoring of imported cases is 2 weeks at minimum and 4 weeks at maximum, according to the time when the Pearson’s Rs between Rt and imported cases reaches a peak (&gt;0.8). We also found that if local transmission is initiated, a 1% increase in intra-country mobility would result in 1430 (±501), 109 (±181), and 10 (±1) additional bed shortages, as estimated using the Doc in India, Japan, and China, respectively. Our findings provide vital reference for governments to tailor their pre-vaccination policies regarding mobility, especially during future epidemic waves of COVID-19 or similar severe epidemic outbreaks

Two new coumarins from the bark of <i>Streblus indicus</i> (Bur.) Corner

<p>Two new coumarins 7-<i>O</i>-(6-<i>O</i>-(5-<i>O</i>-3,4,5-tri-methoxycinnamate-<i>β</i>-d-apiofuranosyl-<i>β</i>-d-glucopyranosyl)-6-methoxy coumarin (<b>1</b>) and 7-<i>O</i>-(6-<i>O</i>-(4-(2-hydroxy-1-hydroxymethyl-ethoxy)-3-methoxy-cinnamyl)-<i>β</i>-d-glucopyranosyl)-6-methoxy coumarin (<b>2</b>), along with 10 known metabolites, were isolated from the bark of <i>Streblus indicus</i>, their structures were identified by comparison of experimental and published spectroscopic data. (<i>S</i>)-marmesinin (<b>6</b>) and scoparone (<b>7</b>) exhibited moderate antimicrobial activity <i>in vitro</i> against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> strain with the MIC values of 62.5 and 125.0 μg/mL, respectively. Betulinic acid showed inhibitory activity <i>in vitro</i> against MCF-7 cell with IC₅₀ value of 9.5 ± 0.1 μM.</p