Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes in Neuroendocrine Carcinomas of the Lung

IntroductionLarge cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) show considerable differences in their histology but share neuroendocrine (NE) characteristics and also genetic and/or expression patterns.MethodsWe used the subtractive expression method to identify differences in gene expression that would allow discrimination between these two types of NE lung carcinoma.ResultsEight cDNA fragments were transcribed at a higher level in LCNEC compared with SCLC, and these corresponded to five mitochondrial genes, two ribosomal genes, and one fetal regulation factor, neuronatin (NNAT). Immunohistochemically, NNAT protein was detected in 43% (6/14) of LCNECs but in only 8% (1/13) of SCLCs (p < 0.05). Positive staining for NNAT was observed in areas that did not show the NE morphology, such as palisading and rosettes.ConclusionsThe present results suggest that NNAT has the potential to be used as a differential maker between LCNEC and SCLC

Acetaldehyde Removal from Indoor Air through Chemical Absorption Using L-Cysteine

The irreversible removal of acetaldehyde from indoor air via a chemical reaction with amino acids was investigated. To compare effectiveness, five types of amino acid (glycine, l-lysine, l-methionine, l-cysteine, and l-cystine) were used as the reactants. First, acetaldehyde-laden air was introduced into aqueous solutions of each amino acid and the removal abilities were compared. Among the five amino acids, l-cysteine solution showed much higher removal efficiency, while the other amino acids solutions didn’t show any significant differences from the removal efficiency of water used as a control. Next, as a test of the removal abilities of acetaldehyde by semi-solid l-cysteine, a gel containing l-cysteine solution was put in a fluororesin bag filled with acetaldehyde gas, and the change of acetaldehyde concentration was measured. The l-cysteine-containing gel removed 80% of the acetaldehyde in the air within 24 hours. The removal ability likely depended on the unique reaction whereby acetaldehyde and l-cysteine rapidly produce 2-methylthiazolidine-4-carboxylic acid. These results suggested that the reaction between acetaldehyde and l-cysteine has possibilities for irreversibly removing toxic acetaldehyde from indoor air

RETRACTED: The Chromatin-Remodeling Complex WINAC Targets a Nuclear Receptor to Promoters and Is Impaired in Williams Syndrome

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).This article has been retracted at the request of the Authors.Our paper reported that a chromatin-remodeling complex, WINAC, recruited the unliganded vitamin D receptor to promoters in cooperation with the transcription factor implicated in Williams syndrome, WSTF. The findings provided insights into the coordination between chromatin remodelers and sequence-specific transcription factors and pointed to a role of chromatin remodeling defects in Williams syndrome. We recently identified errors affecting several figure panels where original data were processed inappropriately such that the figure panels do not accurately report the original data. We believe that the most responsible course of action is to retract the paper. We sincerely apologize to the scientific community for any inconvenience that this might cause. The first author, H.K., declined to sign the retraction notice

The Human Anatomic Gene Expression Library (H-ANGEL), the H-Inv integrative display of human gene expression across disparate technologies and platforms

The Human Anatomic Gene Expression Library (H-ANGEL) is a resource for information concerning the anatomical distribution and expression of human gene transcripts. The tool contains protein expression data from multiple platforms that has been associated with both manually annotated full-length cDNAs from H-InvDB and RefSeq sequences. Of the H-Inv predicted genes, 18 897 have associated expression data generated by at least one platform. H-ANGEL utilizes categorized mRNA expression data from both publicly available and proprietary sources. It incorporates data generated by three types of methods from seven different platforms. The data are provided to the user in the form of a web-based viewer with numerous query options. H-ANGEL is updated with each new release of cDNA and genome sequence build. In future editions, we will incorporate the capability for expression data updates from existing and new platforms. H-ANGEL is accessible at http://www.jbirc.aist.go.jp/hinv/h-angel/

Structure and morphology of self-assembled 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane layers on silicon oxide

Self-assembled 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS, (CH3O)3SiCH2CH2CH2 SH) layers on hydroxyl-terminated silicon oxide (SiO2) were prepared at MPTMS concentrations ranging from 5 × 10-3 to 4 × 10-2M. The surface structure and morphology of MPTMS layers were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). We found that the MPTMS layers on SiO2 consisted of dispersed domains 20-200nm in diameter, instead of continuous, flat monolayers. With increasing MPTMS concentration, the domain shape changed from flat to steep. Flat domains were composed of well-ordered monolayers with thiol headgroups uniformly distributed on the uppermost surface, whereas steep domains were composed of disordered polymers with randomly distributed thiol headgroups on the uppermost surface. These results indicate that MPTMS molecules show good self-assembly at an MPTMS concentration of 5 × 10-3M, but not above this concentration. The effect of MPTMS concentration on the structure and morphology of MPTMS layers might be due to the competition between self-polymerization and surface dehydration reactions, which depends on the trace quantity of water in the solvent and on the SiO2 surface. Our research further indicates that MPTMS and water concentrations are the controlling parameters for preparing well-ordered, self-assembled MPTMS monolayers on SiO2

Structural and morphological control of nanosized Cu islands on SiO2 using a Ti underlayer

The structure and morphology of nanosized Cu islands grown by sputter deposition on clean SiO2 substrates and Ti-underlayered SiO2 substrates are investigated using transmission electron microscopy. On SiO2, spherical Cu islands with a random crystalline orientation are formed, whereas on Ti/SiO2, semispherical islands with a preferred crystalline orientation are formed. Moreover, the Cu islands on Ti/SiO2 have smaller sizes, shorter interisland distances, and a higher number density than those on SiO2. These structural and morphological changes at the nanoscale are discussed from the viewpoint of interfacial interactions. Our study suggests that by using an appropriate metal underlayer, it is possible to fabricate nanosized islands with the desired wettability, crystalline orientation, as well as morphology of island ensembles