PAI-1 Exacerbates White Adipose Tissue Dysfunction and Metabolic Dysregulation in High Fat Diet-Induced Obesity

Background: Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1 levels and activity are known to increase during metabolic syndrome and obesity. In addition, previous studies have implicated PAI-1 in adipose tissue (AT) expansion while also contributing to insulin resistance. As inflammation is also known to occur in AT during obesity, we hypothesized that in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mouse model PAI-1 contributes to macrophage-mediated inflammation and metabolic dysfunction.Methods: Four- to five-weeks-old male C57B6/6J mice were fed a HFD (45%) for 14 weeks, while age-matched control mice were fed a standard laboratory chow diet (10% fat). Additional studies were performed in PAI-1 knockout mice and wild type mice treated with an inhibitor (PAI-039) of PAI-1. Macrophage polarization were measured by real time PCR.Results: HFD mice showed increased expression of PAI-1 in visceral white AT (WAT) that also displayed increased macrophage numbers. PAI-1 deficient mice exhibited increased numbers of anti-inflammatory macrophages in WAT and were resistant to HFD-induced obesity. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of PAI-1 using PAI-039 significantly decreased macrophage infiltration in WAT and improved metabolic status in HFD-induced wild-type mice. Importantly, the numbers of M1 macrophages appeared to be increased by the HFD and decreased by either genetic PAI-1 depletion or PAI-039 treatment.Conclusions: Collectively, our findings provide support for PAI-1 contributing to the development of inflammation in adipose tissue and explain the mechanism of inflammation modulated by PAI-1 in the disordered metabolism in HFD-induced obesity

Curved Microwell Arrays Created By Diffusion-Limited Chemical Etching Of Artificially Engineered Solids

A new method based on diffusion-limited chemical etching has been developed for the productions of ordered arrays of curved microwells. Fiber-drawing nanomanufacturing is used to make ordered glass composites with controlled structure and composition. The differential chemical etching of two glasses in the composite preferentially etches one glass material away and generates ordered microwell arrays. The microwells can be replicated onto polymer films to form microdome arrays. Monte Carlo simulation illustrates the diffusion-controlled etching process. The etched microwells have been used to prepare micro/nanocrystals of proteins and inorganic materials with controlled sizes. © 2009 American Chemical Society

Experimental Study on Virtual Texture Force Perception Using the JND Method

This paper presents an experimental investigation on virtual texture force perception, where the Just Noticeable Difference (JND) method is used to evaluate the effects of texture spatial period and human exploratory speed on texture force perception. Two experiments have been conducted in this study. The first experiment focused on JNDs of texture force under different spatial periods (0.055–90mm) without limiting subjects' exploratory speeds. It was found that JNDs of texture force were between 6.20% and 9.80%. The spontaneous exploratory speed was highly affected by spatial period. It increased and then became stable as the spatial period increased. The second experiment assessed the effect of spatial period and human exploratory speed on JNDs of texture force. The spatial period had a significant effect on JNDs of texture force, which decreased as spatial period increased in the range of 2.9–14.9mm. Although the subject's exploratory speed has no noticeable effect on JNDs of texture force, the effect of interaction between spatial period and exploratory speed was significant. The experiment result indicated that when texture spatial period is small, low exploratory speed can be chosen to get small JND of texture force

Development of SNP Markers for Original Analysis and Germplasm Identification in <i>Camellia sinensis</i>

Tea plants are widely grown all over the world because they are an important economic crop. The purity and authenticity of tea varieties are frequent problems in the conservation and promotion of germplasm resources in recent years, which has brought considerable inconvenience and uncertainty to the selection of parental lines for breeding and the research and cultivation of superior varieties. However, the development of core SNP markers can quickly and accurately identify the germplasm, which plays an important role in germplasm identification and the genetic relationship analysis of tea plants. In this study, based on 179,970 SNP loci from the whole genome of the tea plant, all of 142 cultivars were clearly divided into three groups: Assam type (CSA), Chinese type (CSS), and transitional type. Most CSA cultivars are from Yunnan Province, which confirms that Yunnan Province is the primary center of CSA origin and domestication. Most CSS cultivars are distributed in east China; therefore, we deduced that east China (mainly Zhejiang and Fujian provinces) is most likely the area of origin and domestication of CSS. Moreover, 45 core markers were screened using strict criteria to 179,970 SNP loci, and we analyzed 117 well-Known tea cultivars in China with 45 core SNP markers. The results were as follows: (1) In total, 117 tea cultivars were distinguished by eight markers, which were selected to construct the DNA fingerprint, and the remaining markers were used as standby markers for germplasm identification. (2) Ten pairs of parent and offspring relationships were confirmed or identified, and among them, seven pairs were well-established pedigree relationships; the other three pairs were newly identified. In this study, the east of China (mainly Zhejiang and Fujian provinces) is most likely the area of origin and domestication of CSS. The 45 core SNP markers were developed, which provide a scientific basis at the molecular level to identify the superior tea germplasm, undertake genetic relationship analysis, and benefit subsequent breeding work

Up-Regulation of MiR-300 Promotes Proliferation and Invasion of Osteosarcoma by Targeting BRD7

<div><p>Increasing reports suggest that deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) might provide novel therapeutic targets for cancers. However, the expression and function of miR-300 in osteosarcoma is still unknown. In our study, we found that the expression of miR-300 was up-regulated in osteosarcoma tissues and cells compared with paired adjacent non-tumor bone tissues and osteoblastic cells using RT-qPCR. The enforced expression of miR-300 could promote cell proliferation, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Moreover, we identified that bromodomain-containing protein 7 (BRD7), a new tumor suppressor gene, was a direct target of miR-300. Ectopic expression of BRD7 could significantly inhibit miR-300-promoted proliferation, invasion and EMT. Therefore, our results identify an important role for miR-300 in osteosarcoma through regulating BRD7 expression.</p></div

Characterization of wheat MYB genes responsive to high temperatures

Abstract Background Heat stress is one of the most crucial environmental factors, which reduces crop yield worldwide. In plants, the MYB family is one of the largest families of transcription factors (TFs). Although some wheat stress-related MYB TFs have been characterized, their involvement in response to high-temperature stress has not been properly studied. Results Six novel heat-induced MYB genes were identified by comparison with previously established de novo transcriptome sequencing data obtained from wheat plants subjected to heat treatment; genomic and complete coding sequences of these genes were isolated. All six TaMYBs were localized in the nucleus of wheat protoplasts. Transactivation assays in yeast revealed that all six proteins acted as transcriptional activators, and the activation domains were attributed to the C-termini of the six wheat MYB proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of the six TaMYBs and R2R3-MYBs from Arabidopsis revealed that all six proteins were in clades that contained stress-related MYB TFs. The expression profiles of TaMYB genes were different in wheat tissues and in response to various abiotic stresses and exogenous abscisic acid treatment. In transgenic Arabidopsis plants carrying TaMYB80 driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, tolerance to heat and drought stresses increased, which could be attributed to the increased levels of cellular abscisic acid. Conclusions We identified six heat-induced MYB genes in wheat. We performed comprehensive analyses of the cloned MYB genes and their gene products, including gene structures, subcellular localization, transcriptional activation, phylogenetic relationships, and expression patterns in different wheat tissues and under various abiotic stresses. In particular, we showed that TaMYB80 conferred heat and drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis. These results contribute to our understanding of the functions of heat-induced MYB genes and provide the basis for selecting the best candidates for in-depth functional studies of heat-responsive MYB genes in wheat

The expression of miR-300 was up-regulated in osteosarcoma.

<p>(A) The expression of miR-300 was detected in osteosarcoma cell lines (MG63, U2-OS, Saos-2 and HOS)and the osteoblastic hFOB1.19 cell line usingqRT-PCR analysis. (B) qRT-PCR analysis of miR-300 expression in 20 pair’sosteosarcoma tissues and their corresponding adjacent normal tissues. (C) Relative miR-300expressionlevels inosteosarcoma tissues and their corresponding adjacent normal tissues.***p<0.001.</p