Upregulation of the ZWINT expression correlates with prostate cancer progression and immune infiltration

Prostate cancer (PCa), the most prevalent epithelial malignant neoplasm in the male group globally, is the fifth largest cause of cancer-related death in males. ZW10 Interactor (ZWINT) is involved in the chromosome segregation process, which is linked to the formation of several tumor cells. However, its function in PCa remains unknown. Therefore, our aim was to explore the potential mechanisms of ZWINT in PCa progression. We obtained RNA-seq as well as clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA), University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) database. Assessment of ZWINT expression in clinical subgroups, immune infiltration, and prognostic relevance using the R program. Search Tool for Recurring Instances of Neighbouring Genes (STRING) tool was applied to construct a ZWINT co-expression network and the potential biological functions involved in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were investigated by enrichment analysis. ZWINT was upregulated in prostate cancer tissues and showed to be significantly associated with T stage, N stages, Gleason score (GS), and prognosis of prostate cancer patients. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that ZWINT-related genes were mainly related to cell cycle, meiosis, myogenic fiber synthesis, and muscle contraction. In addition, High-expression of ZWINT may have possessed immunosuppressive effects through adverse regulation of several immune cells and factors. ZWINT is overexpressed in prostate cancer and correlated with immune infiltration, which is expected to be a potential biomarker for PCa prognosis

Nuclear Factor (Erythroid-Derived)-Related Factor 2-Associated Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Protection under Blue Light-Induced Oxidative Stress

Purpose. It is a matter of increasing concern that exposure to light-emitting diodes (LED), particularly blue light (BL), damages retinal cells. This study aimed to investigate the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) damage caused by BL and to elucidate the role of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in the pathogenesis of BL-induced RPE damage. Methods. ARPE-19, a human RPE cell line, and mouse primary RPE cells from wild-type and Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2−/−) mice were cultured under blue LED exposure (intermediate wavelength, 450 nm). Cell death rate and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were measured. TUNEL staining was performed to detect apoptosis. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed on NRF2 mRNA, and western blotting was performed to detect Nrf2 proteins in the nucleus or cytoplasm of RPE cells. Results. BL exposure increased cell death rate and ROS generation in ARPE-19 cells in a time-dependent manner; cell death was caused by apoptosis. Moreover, BL exposure induced NRF2 mRNA upregulation and Nrf2 nuclear translocation in RPE. Cell death rate was significantly higher in RPE cells from Nrf2−/− mice than from wild-type mice. Conclusions. The Nrf2 pathway plays an important role in protecting RPE cells against BL-induced oxidative stress

Spatiotemporal transcriptomic atlas of mouse organogenesis using DNA nanoball-patterned arrays.

Spatially resolved transcriptomic technologies are promising tools to study complex biological processes such as mammalian embryogenesis. However, the imbalance between resolution, gene capture, and field of view of current methodologies precludes their systematic application to analyze relatively large and three-dimensional mid- and late-gestation embryos. Here, we combined DNA nanoball (DNB)-patterned arrays and in situ RNA capture to create spatial enhanced resolution omics-sequencing (Stereo-seq). We applied Stereo-seq to generate the mouse organogenesis spatiotemporal transcriptomic atlas (MOSTA), which maps with single-cell resolution and high sensitivity the kinetics and directionality of transcriptional variation during mouse organogenesis. We used this information to gain insight into the molecular basis of spatial cell heterogeneity and cell fate specification in developing tissues such as the dorsal midbrain. Our panoramic atlas will facilitate in-depth investigation of longstanding questions concerning normal and abnormal mammalian development.This work is part of the ‘‘SpatioTemporal Omics Consortium’’ (STOC) paper package. A list of STOC members is available at: http://sto-consortium.org. We would like to thank the MOTIC China Group, Rongqin Ke (Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China), Jiazuan Ni (Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China), Wei Huang (Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China), and Jonathan S. Weissman (Whitehead Institute, Boston, USA) for their help. This work was supported by the grant of Top Ten Foundamental Research Institutes of Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Single-Cell Omics (ZDSYS20190902093613831), and the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write (2017B030301011); Longqi Liu was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31900466) and Miguel A. Esteban’s laboratory at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA16030502), National Natural Science Foundation of China (92068106), and the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021B1515120075).S

Role of toll-like receptor 4 on the immune escape of human oral squamous cell carcinoma and resistance of cisplatin-induced apoptosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is expressed on immune cells as a sensor that recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a microbial conserved component. It has recently been determined that the expression of TLR4 is also found in various types of tumor cells. Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) treatment. However, the mechanisms responsible for cisplatin resistance are not well understood.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The present study was designed to elucidate the role of TLR4 expression in human OSCC regarding immune escape and apoptotic resistance to cisplatin. TLR4 and the myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) were highly expressed in OSCC cell lines. Upon LPS stimulation both NF-κB and p38 MAPK pathways were activated in OSCC cell lines, followed by the production of large quantities of IL-6, IL-8 and VEGF compared with human immortalized oral epithelia cells (HIOECs). OSCC cell lines were found to be resistant to cisplatin-mediated apoptosis after pretreatment with LPS.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggested that TLR4 was functionally expressed in human OSCC cells and development of resistance to cisplatin in human OSCC might occur through the mechanism involving TLR4 and its signaling pathway. Suppression of TLR4 and its signaling pathway might thus elevate sensitivity to cisplatin and potentially help improve the prognosis of patients with OSCC.</p

Nutritional Supplementation Inhibits the Increase in Serum Malondialdehyde in Patients with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose. To compare serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD), patients with dry AMD (dAMD), and patients without AMD and to evaluate the efficacy of nutritional supplementation for treating elevated serum MDA in patients with wAMD. Methods. MDA levels were measured in sera from 20 patients with wAMD, 20 with dAMD, and 24 without AMD. Patients with wAMD were randomized to receive or not receive nutritional supplementation (10 patients in each group), and MDA levels were measured after 3 months of treatment. Results. MDA levels in patients with wAMD were significantly greater compared with patients without AMD. In eyes with wAMD, there was a significant correlation between MDA levels and choroidal neovascularization lesion area. Serum MDA levels decreased in most patients that received supplementation and significantly increased in those who did not. Conclusion. Baseline serum MDA levels were elevated in patients with wAMD, and MDA levels were directly correlated with choroidal neovascularization lesion area. In addition, nutritional supplementation appeared to exert a protective effect against oxidative stress in patients with wAMD

An artificial photosynthetic system containing an inorganic semiconductor and a molecular catalyst for photocatalytic water oxidation

Water oxidation has long been considered to be the bottleneck of the water splitting reaction. Most semiconductor-based photocatalysts show low oxidation activity, mainly because of poor charge separation and transfer. Here, we construct an artificial photosynthetic system for photocatalytic water oxidation using BiVO4 as a photosensitizer and cubic Co complex as the oxygen-evolving catalyst. This system exhibits a high turnover frequency (TOF = 2.0 s(-1)) for O-2 evolution in the presence of NalO(3) as an electron acceptor, with an apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) yield of 4.5% at 420 nm, which is ninefold that of bare BiVO4 (0.5%), but the decomposition of the Co complex leads to decreased photocatalytic activity as time goes on. Spectroscopic studies confirmed an efficient interfacial hole transfer process from the semiconductor to the molecular catalyst. These results may shed light on designing artificial photocatalysts with highly efficient molecular catalysts and suitable semiconductor materials for water oxidation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved