MicroRNA-200c overexpression inhibits tumorigenicity and metastasis of CD117+CD44+ ovarian cancer stem cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be ‘seed cell’ in cancer recurrence and metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can play an important role in the progression of primary tumor towards metastasis by regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of miRNA-200c overexpression on the EMT, tumorigenicity and metastasis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) CSCs. METHODS: The EOC CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs were isolated from the human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 by using a magnetic-activated cell sorting system, and the lentivirus miR-200c transduced CSCs were then selected for the study. The assays of colony forming, wound healing, cellular migration in vitro and tumor progression in vivo were performed. RESULTS: The miR-200c expression was reduced in the CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs compared with the non-CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs. However, the stable overexpression of the miR-200c in the CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs resulted in a significant down-regulation of ZEB-1 and the Vimentin expression, an upregulation of the E-cadherin expression as well as a decrease of colony forming, migratory and invasion in vitro. Importantly, the miR-200c overexpression significantly inhibited the CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs xenograft growth and lung metastasis in vivo in nude mice by inhibition of the EMT. In addition, the down-regulation of ZEB-1 showed the same efficacy as the miR-200c overexpression in the CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs. CONCLUSION: These findings from this study suggest that the miR-200c overexpression may be considered a critical approach for the EOC CD117(+)CD44(+)CSCs in clinical trials

Multi-omics approaches reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between Clonorchis sinensis and mouse liver

IntroductionClonorchiasis remains a serious global public health problem, causing various hepatobiliary diseases. However, there is still a lack of overall understanding regarding the molecular events triggered by Clonorchis sinensis (C. sinensis) in the liver.MethodsBALB/c mouse models infected with C. sinensis for 5, 10, 15, and 20 weeks were constructed. Liver pathology staining and observation were conducted to evaluate histopathology. The levels of biochemical enzymes, blood routine indices, and cytokines in the blood were determined. Furthermore, alterations in the transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome of mouse livers infected for 5 weeks were analyzed using multi-omics techniques.ResultsThe results of this study indicated that adult C. sinensis can cause hepatosplenomegaly and liver damage, with the most severe symptoms observed at 5 weeks post-infection. However, as the infection persisted, the Th2 immune response increased and symptoms were relieved. Multi-omics analysis of liver infected for 5 weeks identified 191, 402 and 232 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), proteins (DEPs) and metabolites (DEMs), respectively. Both DEGs and DEPs were significantly enriched in liver fibrosis-related pathways such as ECM-receptor interaction and cell adhesion molecules. Key molecules associated with liver fibrosis and inflammation (Cd34, Epcam, S100a6, Fhl2, Itgax, and Retnlg) were up-regulated at both the gene and protein levels. The top three metabolic pathways, namely purine metabolism, arachidonic acid metabolism, and ABC transporters, were associated with liver cirrhosis, fibrosis, and cholestasis, respectively. Furthermore, metabolites that can promote liver inflammation and fibrosis, such as LysoPC(P-16:0/0:0), 20-COOH-leukotriene E4, and 14,15-DiHETrE, were significantly up-regulated.ConclusionOur study revealed that the most severe symptoms in mice infected with C. sinensis occurred at 5 weeks post-infection. Moreover, multi-omics analysis uncovered predominant molecular events related to fibrosis changes in the liver. This study not only enhances our understanding of clonorchiasis progression but also provides valuable insights into the molecular-level interaction mechanism between C. sinensis and its host liver

Effect of torrefaction on properties of pellets produced from woody biomass

Torrefaction has been recognized as a promising strategy to improve handling and storage properties of wood-based pellets, thus producing a uniform-quality commodity with high energy density and hydrophobicity. In this work, pellets produced from spruce stem wood, bark, and forest residues were torrefied in a bench-scale tubular reactor at 225 and 275 °C with two residence times (30 and 60 min). The effects of torrefaction on general properties, grindability, mechanical properties, hydrophobicity, and microstructure of the studied pellets were investigated. The increase of torrefaction severity reduced mass yields, but the heating values and the fixed carbon content of the torrefied pellets considerably increased. The grindability of raw pellets was substantially improved after torrefaction treatment. The energy required for grinding torrefied pellets is less than 50% of the energy needed for grinding the untreated pellets. In comparison to untreated pellets, the particles from ground torrefied pellets have clearly smaller sizes in a narrower size range. The increase of torrefaction severity improved hydrophobicity of the pellets, which have high resistance to water uptake and maintain their integrity after immersion testing. Upon torrefaction treatment, the durability and tensile strength of the pellets slightly decreased. Scanning electron microscopy analysis results show that particles from wood pellets torrefied at 275 °C lost their fibrous structure with an evident decrease of length/diameter ratios compared to untreated wood pellets. The particles from ground torrefied pellets are more uniform in terms of shape and size. Torrefaction can considerably improve grindability and uniformity of wood-based pellets and make them more acceptable in pulverized fuel applications. Wood,Biomass,Energy,Durability,MaterialspublishedVersionPaid open acces

Schistosoma japonicum SjE16.7 Protein Promotes Tumor Development via the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products (RAGE).

Schistosome infection contributes to cancer development, but the mechanisms are still not well-understood. SjE16.7 is an EF-hand calcium-binding protein secreted from Schistosoma japonicum eggs. It is a neutrophil attractant and macrophage activator and, as such, plays an important role in the inflammatory granuloma response in schistosomiasis. Here, we show that SjE16.7 binds to host cells by interacting with receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGE). This ligation leads to activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway, an increase in the generation of reactive oxygen species, and production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. Using a mouse model of colorectal cancer, we demonstrate that intraperitoneal injection of SjE16.7 promotes colorectal cancer progression along with systemic myeloid cell accumulation. Thus, our results identify a new helminth antigen contributing to tumor development in the mammalian host

Bistability and Oscillations in Gene Regulation Mediated by Small Noncoding RNAs

The interplay of small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs), mRNAs, and proteins has been shown to play crucial roles in almost all cellular processes. As key post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, the mechanisms and roles of sRNAs in various cellular processes still need to be fully understood. When participating in cellular processes, sRNAs mainly mediate mRNA degradation or translational repression. Here, we show how the dynamics of two minimal architectures is drastically affected by these two mechanisms. A comparison is also given to reveal the implication of the fundamental differences. This study may help us to analyze complex networks assembled by simple modules more easily. A better knowledge of the sRNA-mediated motifs is also of interest for bio-engineering and artificial control

DETERMINATION OF EFFECTIVE MOISTURE DIFFUSIVITY AND ACTIVATION ENERGY FOR DRYING OF POWDERED PEANUT SHELL UNDER ISOTHERMAL CONDITIONS

In this study, the effect of drying temperature, from 50 °C to 90 °C, on the drying characteristics of powdered peanut shell was investigated, and an isothermal procedure was used to determine the moisture diffusivity and the activation energy. All the experiments were performed using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) for rapidly achieving the isothermal condition and accurately recording the mass loss of the sample. With increasing drying temperature, the drying rate increased and the drying time decreased. A short rising rate period was found in all drying processes due to increasing temperature of the sample in the beginning of drying. The predicted values by the diffusion model based on Fick’s second law were in good agreement with the experimental data obtained from the falling rate period. The values of effective moisture diffusivity ranged from 9.60x10-9 to 2.26x10-8 m2/s, and the activation energy was determined to be 21.2 kJ/mol

Prediction of the Remaining Useful Life of a Switch Machine, Based on Multi-Source Data

Aimed at the shortcomings of a single feature to characterize the health status and accurately predict the remaining life span of the equipment, a prediction method for a switch machine, based on the weighted Mahalanobis distance (WDMD), is proposed. The method consists of two parts: the construction of a health indicator, based on the weighted Markov distance and the prediction of the remaining useful life, based on the hidden Markov model (HMM). Firstly, a kernel principal component analysis (KPCA) is used to extract the characteristics of the power curve data of the switch machine, and the characteristics with a high correlation with the degradation process are screened, according to the trend indicators. Secondly, the resulting features are combined with multi-source information, as the input, and a comprehensive health indicator (HI) is constructed by the weighted fusion of the WDMD algorithm, to characterize the degradation process of the switch machine. The degradation model of this HI is established and trained by the HMM, so as to predict the remaining life span of the equipment. Finally, the actual operation data of the railway field is selected to verify the prediction method proposed in the paper. The results show that the state recognition and the life prediction accuracy of the proposed method is higher, which can provide effective opinions for the predictive maintenance of the switch machine equipment

Graphene supported Sn–Sb@carbon core-shell particles as a superior anode for lithium ion batteries

This paper reports the preparation and Li-storage properties of graphene nanosheets(GNS), GNS supported Sn–Sb@carbon (50–150 nm) and Sn–Sb nanoparticles (5–10 nm). The best cycling performance and excellent high rate capabilities were observed for GNS-supported Sn–Sb@carbon core-shell particles, which exhibited initial capacities of 978, 850 and 668 mAh/g respectively at 0.1C, 2C and 5C (1C=800 mA/g) with good cyclability. Besides the GNS support, the carbon skin around Sn–Sb particles is believed to be a key factor to improve electrochemical properties of Sn–Sb. Keywords: Core-shell nanostructure, Graphene nanosheets, Lithium-ion battery, Sn-S

Algicidal Effects of a High-Efficiency Algicidal Bacterium Shewanella Y1 on the Toxic Bloom-Causing Dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum

Alexandriumpacificum is a typical toxic bloom-forming dinoflagellate, causing serious damage to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Many bacteria have been isolated, having algicidal effects on harmful algal species, while few algicidal bacteria have been found to be able to lyse A. pacificum. Herein, an algicidal bacterium, Shewanella Y1, with algicidal activity to the toxic dinoflagellate A. pacificum, was isolated from Jiaozhou Bay, China, and the physiological responses to oxidative stress in A. pacificum were further investigated to elucidate the mechanism involved in Shewanella Y1. Y1 exhibited a significant algicidal effect (86.64 ± 5.04% at 24 h) and algicidal activity in an indirect manner. The significant declines of the maximal photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm), initial slope of the light limited region (alpha), and maximum relative photosynthetic electron transfer rate (rETRmax) indicated that the Y1 filtrate inhibited photosynthetic activities of A. pacificum. Impaired photosynthesis induced the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caused strong oxidative damage in A. pacificum, ultimately inducing cell death. These findings provide a better understanding of the biological basis of complex algicidal bacterium-harmful algae interactions, providing a potential source of bacterial agent to control harmful algal blooms