Evaluation of nuclear transfer and transcription of plasmid DNA condensed with protamine by microinjection: The use of a nuclear transfer score

AbstractIn the present study, the nuclear delivery of a green fluorescence protein (GFP)-encoding pDNA condensed by protamine was investigated in terms of trans-gene expression after cytoplasmic (E(cyt)) and nuclear (E(nuc)) microinjection. To compare the nuclear transfer process, a novel parameter; the nuclear transfer (NT) score was introduced. The E(cyt) value for protamine/pDNA particles increased in a charge ratio-dependent manner. The calculated NT score showed that this increase results from an enhancement in nuclear transfer efficiency, which was also quantitatively confirmed by a recently developed confocal image-assisted three-dimensionally integrated quantification (CIDIQ) method. Moreover, E(nuc) for protamine/pDNA particles was significantly higher than that for poly-l-lysine/pDNA particles, suggesting that pDNA, when condensed with protamine, is more accessible to intra-nuclear transcription. Collectively, protamine is an excellent DNA condenser, with bi-functional advantages: improvement in nuclear delivery and efficient intra-nuclear transcription

Differing deregulation of HER2 in primary gastric cancer and synchronous related metastatic lymph nodes

 Sorbtional properties of carbonic sorbents on the base of pine sawdust in the processes of purification of water mediums and complicated technological solution from petroleum products and phosphorus compounds are investigated. The possibility of carbonic sorbents modification by halogen organic compounds to increase the degree of purification of water ecosystems is analyzed. Исследованы сорбционные свойства углеродных сорбентов на основе опилок сосны в процессе очистки водных сред и сложных технологических растворов от нефтепродуктов и соединений фосфора. Рассмотрена возможность модифицирования углеродных сорбентов галогенсодержащих органическими соединениями с целью повыше-ния степени очистки водных экосистем. Досліджено сорбційні властивості вуглецевих сорбентів на основі обпилювань сосни у процесі очищення водних середовищ і складних технологічних розчинів від нафтопродуктів і з’єднань фосфору. Розглянуто можливість модифікування вуглецевих сорбентів галогеновмісними органічними з’єднаннями з метою підвищення ступеня очищення водних екосистем

Overexpression of Adenovirus E1A Reverses Transforming Growth Factor-β-induced Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition in Human Esophageal Cancer Cells

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a normal biological process by which epithelial cells acquire a mesenchymal phenotype, is associated with migration, metastasis, and chemoresistance in cancer cells, and with poor prognosis in patients with esophageal cancer. However, therapeutic strategies to inhibit EMT in tumor environments remain elusive. Here, we show the therapeutic potential of telomerase-specific replication- competent oncolytic adenovirus OBP-301 in human esophageal cancer TE4 and TE6 cells with an EMT phenotype. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) administration induced the EMT phenotype with spindleshaped morphology, upregulation of mesenchymal markers and EMT transcription factors, migration, and chemoresistance in TE4 and TE6 cells. OBP-301 significantly inhibited the EMT phenotype via E1 accumulation. EMT cancer cells were susceptible to OBP-301 via massive autophagy induction. OBP-301 suppressed tumor growth and lymph node metastasis of TE4 cells co-inoculated with TGF-β-secreting fibroblasts. Our results suggest that OBP-301 inhibits the TGF-β-induced EMT phenotype in human esophageal cancer cells. OBP-301-mediated E1A overexpression is a promising antitumor strategy to inhibit EMT-mediated esophageal cancer progression

Jumping to conclusion bias in adolescents with ASD

Background and Purpose: Jumping to conclusion (JTC)—a cognitive bias in thinking processes—leads to drawing conclusions based on little information, and could be related to psychosis and paranoia. While it has recently been pointed out that it could accompany the autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no interventions targeting this bias in adolescents with ASD have been reported. Therefore, this exploratory study investigated the effects of a group social cognition program on JTC bias in adolescents with ASD. Patients and Methods : Group rehabilitation using social cognition and interaction training (SCIT) was conducted for 12- to 18-year-old adolescents with ASD. An SCIT program comprehensively targets social cognitive functions, including interventions for JTC bias, and examines changes before and after the SCIT intervention, social cognitive functioning tasks, and subjective quality of life (QOL). Results : Thirteen adolescents with ASD participated in this program ; 10 (76.9%) stayed through it. The proportion of participants with JTC bias decreased significantly before and after SCIT (before : 7 / 10 ; after : 1 / 10 ; p = 0.041), and subjective QOL increased significantly (p = 0.014). Conclusion : The results show that a group social cognition program with a JTC bias approach improves the JTC bias and increases subjective QOL in adolescents with ASD

Development of Phonon Dynamics Measurement System by MIR- FEL and Pico-second Laser

FEL2015, Daejeon, Republic of KoreaCoherent control of a lattice vibration in bulk solid (mode-selective phonon excitation: MSPE) is one of the attractive methods in the solid state physics because it becomes a powerful tool for the study of ultrafast lattice dynamics (e.g. electron-phonon interaction and phonon-phonon interaction). Not only for that, MSPE can control electronic, magnetic, and structural phases of materials. In 2013, we have directly demonstrated MSPE of a bulk material with MIR-FEL (KU-FEL) by anti-Stokes Raman scattering spectroscopy. For the next step, we are starting a phonon dynamics measurement to investigate the difference of physical property between thermally excited phonon (phonon of equilibrium state) and optically excited phonon (phonon of non-equilibrium state) by time-resolved method in combination with a pico-second VIS laser. By using pico-second laser, we also expect to perform the anti-Stokes hyper-Raman scattering spectroscopy to extend MSPE method to the phonon mode which has Raman inactive . As the first step, we have commissioned the time-resolved phonon measurement system and started measurement on 6H-SiC. In this conference, we will present the outline of measurement system, and experimental results

AtNFXL1, an Arabidopsis homologue of the human transcription factor NF-X1, functions as a negative regulator of the trichothecene phytotoxin-induced defense response

金沢大学学際科学実験センター遺伝子研究施設Trichothecenes are a closely related family of phytotoxins that are produced by phytopathogenic fungi. In Arabidopsis, expression of AtNFXL1, a homologue of the putative human transcription repressor NF-X1, was significantly induced by application of type A trichothecenes, such as T-2 toxin. An atnfxl1 mutant growing on medium lacking trichothecenes showed no phenotype, whereas a hypersensitivity phenotype was observed in T-2 toxin-treated atnfxl1 mutant plants. Microarray analysis indicated that several defense-related genes (i.e. WRKYs, NBS-LRRs, EDS5, ICS1, etc.) were upregulated in T-2 toxin-treated atnfxl1 mutants compared with wild-type plants. In addition, enhanced salicylic acid (SA) accumulation was observed in T-2 toxin-treated atnfxl1 mutants, which suggests that AtNFXL1 functions as a negative regulator of these defense-related genes via an SA-dependent signaling pathway. We also found that expression of AtNFXL1 was induced by SA and flg22 treatment. Moreover, the atnfxl1 mutant was less susceptible to a compatible phytopathogen, Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato strain DC3000 (Pst DC3000). Taken together, these results indicate that AtNFXL1 plays an important role in the trichothecene response, as well as the general defense response in Arabidopsis. © 2007 The Authors