NF-kappaB P50/P65 hetero-dimer mediates differential regulation of CD166/ALCAM expression via interaction with micoRNA-9 after serum deprivation, providing evidence for a novel negative auto-regulatory loop

CD166/ALCAM plays an important role in tumor aggression and progression as well as protecting cancer cells against apoptosis and autophagy. However, the mechanism by which pro-cell death signals control CD166 expression remains unclear. Here we show that following serum deprivation (SD), upregulation of CD166 protein is shorter than that of CD166 mRNA. Molecular analysis revealed both CD166 and miR-9-1 as two novel NF-κB target genes in hepatoma cells. In vivo activation and translocation of the NF-κB P50/P65 hetero-dimer into the nucleus following the phosphorylation and accompanied degradation of its inhibitor, IκBα, contributes to efficient transcription of both genes following SD. We show that following serum starvation, delayed up-regulation of miR-9 represses translation of CD166 protein through its target sites in the 3′-UTR of CD166 mRNA. We also propose that miR-9 promotes cell migration largely due to inhibition of CD166. Collectively, the study elucidates a novel negative auto-regulatory loop in which NF-κB mediates differential regulation of CD166 after SD

Community-based study on CKD subjects and the associated risk factors

Background. The study was performed to investigate the prevalence, awareness and the risk factors of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the community population in Shanghai, China

A new isoflavone glycoside from <i>Pueraria alopecuroides</i>

<div><p>A new isoflavone glycoside, ( − )-tuberosin-3-<i>O</i>-β-D-glucopyranoside (<b>1</b>), along with 10 known compounds <b>1a</b>-<b>10</b>, was isolated from <i>Pueraria alopecuroides</i>. Their structures were determined on the basis of spectral data including 1D and 2D NMR and HREIMS. These compounds were isolated from this plant for the first time.</p></div

Serum starvation induces DRAM expression in liver cancer cells via histone modifications within its promoter locus.

DRAM is a lysosomal membrane protein and is critical for p53-mediated autophagy and apoptosis. DRAM has a potential tumor-suppressive function and is downregulated in many human cancers. However, the regulation of DRAM expression is poorly described so far. Here, we demonstrated that serum deprivation strongly induces DRAM expression in liver cancer cells and a core DNA sequence in the DRAM promoter is essential for its responsiveness to serum deprivation. We further observed that euchromatin markers for active transcriptions represented by diacetyl-H3, tetra-acetyl-H4 and the trimethyl-H3K4 at the core promoter region of DRAM gene are apparently increased in a time-dependent manner upon serum deprivation, and concomitantly the dimethyl-H3K9, a herterochromatin marker associated with silenced genes, was time-dependently decreased. Moreover, the chromatin remodeling factor Brg-1 is enriched at the core promoter region of the DRAM gene and is required for serum deprivation induced DRAM expression. These observations lay the ground for further investigation of the DRAM gene expression

Construction of Bi₂WO₆/g-C₃N₄ Z-Scheme Heterojunction and Its Enhanced Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline with Persulfate under Solar Light

Z-scheme heterojunction Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 was obtained by a novel hydrothermal process; its photocatalysis–persulfate (PDS) activation for tetracycline (TC) removal was explored under solar light (SL). The structure and photoelectrochemistry behavior of fabricated samples were well characterized by FT-IR, XRD, XPS, SEM-EDS, UV-vis DRS, Mott-Schottky, PL, photocurrent response, EIS and BET. The critical experimental factors in TC decomposition were investigated, including the Bi2WO6 doping ratio, catalyst dosage, TC concentration, PDS dose, pH, co-existing ion and humic acid (HA). The optimum test conditions were as follows: 0.4 g/L Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 (BC-3), 20 mg/L TC, 20 mg/L PDS and pH = 6.49, and the maximum removal efficiency of TC was 98.0% in 60 min. The decomposition rate in BC-3/SL/PDS system (0.0446 min−1) was 3.05 times higher than that of the g-C3N4/SL/PDS system (0.0146 min−1), which might be caused by the high-efficiency electron transfer inside the Z-scheme Bi2WO6/g-C3N4 heterojunction. Furthermore, the photogenerated hole (h+), superoxide (O2•−), sulfate radical (SO4•−) and singlet oxygen (1O2) were confirmed as the key oxidation factors in the BC-3/SL/PDS system for TC degradation by a free radical quenching experiment. Particularly, BC-3 possessed a wide application potential in actual antibiotic wastewater treatment for its superior catalytic performance that emerged in the experiment of co-existing components

TRIB2 Acts Downstream of Wnt/TCF in Liver Cancer Cells to Regulate YAP and C/EBPalpha Function

Dysregulation of Wnt signaling is closely associated with human liver tumorigenesis. However, liver cancer-specific Wnt transcriptional programs and downstream effectors remain poorly understood. Here, we identify tribbles homolog 2 (TRIB2) as a direct target of Wnt/TCF in liver cancer and demonstrate that transcription of Wnt target genes, including TRIB2, is coordinated by the TCF and FoxA transcription factors in liver cancer cells. We show that Wnt-TRIB2 activation is critical for cancer cell survival and transformation. Mechanistically, TRIB2 promotes protein stabilization of the YAP transcription coactivator through interaction with the betaTrCP ubiquitin ligase. Furthermore, we find that TRIB2 relieves the liver tumor suppressor protein C/EBPalpha-mediated inhibition of YAP/TEAD transcriptional activation in liver cancer cells. Altogether, our study uncovers a regulatory mechanism underlying liver cancer-specific Wnt transcriptional output, and suggests that TRIB2 functions as a signaling nexus to integrate the Wnt/beta-catenin, Hippo/YAP, and C/EBPalpha pathways in cancer cells