Cell surface-specific N-glycan profiling in breast cancer

Aberrant changes in specific glycans have been shown to be associated with immunosurveillance, tumorigenesis, tumor progression and metastasis. In this study, the N-glycan profiling of membrane proteins from human breast cancer cell lines and tissues was detected using modified DNA sequencer-assisted fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (DSA-FACE). The N-glycan profiles of membrane proteins were analyzed from 7 breast cancer cell lines and MCF 10A, as well as from 100 pairs of breast cancer and corresponding adjacent tissues. The results showed that, compared with the matched adjacent normal tissue samples, two biantennary N-glycans (NA2 and NA2FB) were significantly decreased (p <0.0001) in the breast cancer tissue samples, while the triantennary glycan (NA3FB) and a high-mannose glycan (M8) were dramatically increased (p = 0.001 and p <0.0001, respectively). Moreover, the alterations in these specific N-glycans occurred through the oncogenesis and progression of breast cancer. These results suggested that the modified method based on DSA-FACE is a high-throughput detection technology that is suited for analyzing cell surface N-glycans. These cell surface-specific N-glycans may be helpful in recognizing the mechanisms of tumor cell immunologic escape and could be potential targets for new breast cancer drugs

Specific N-glycans of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Surface and the Abnormal Increase of Core-α-1, 6-fucosylated Triantennary Glycan via N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases-IVa Regulation

Glycosylation alterations of cell surface proteins are often observed during the progression of malignancies. The specific cell surface N-glycans were profiled in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with clinical tissues (88 tumor and adjacent normal tissues) and the corresponding serum samples of HCC patients. The level of core-α-1,6-fucosylated triantennary glycan (NA3Fb) increased both on the cell surface and in the serum samples of HCC patients (p \u3c 0.01). Additionally, the change of NA3Fb was not influenced by Hepatitis B virus (HBV)and cirrhosis. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase IVa (GnT-IVa), which was related to the synthesis of the NA3Fb, was substantially increased in HCC tissues. Knockdown of GnT-IVa leads to a decreased level of NA3Fb and decreased ability of invasion and migration in HCC cells. NA3Fb can be regarded as a specific cell surface N-glycan of HCC. The high expression of GnT-IVa is the cause of the abnormal increase of NA3Fb on the HCC cell surface, which regulates cell migration. This study demonstrated the specific N-glycans of the cell surface and the mechanisms of altered glycoform related with HCC. These findings lead to better understanding of the function of glycan and glycosyltransferase in the tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis of HCC

Specific N-glycans of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Surface and the Abnormal Increase of Core-α-1, 6-fucosylated Triantennary Glycan via N-acetylglucosaminyltransferases-IVa Regulation

Glycosylation alterations of cell surface proteins are often observed during the progression of malignancies. The specific cell surface N-glycans were profiled in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with clinical tissues (88 tumor and adjacent normal tissues) and the corresponding serum samples of HCC patients. The level of core-α-1,6-fucosylated triantennary glycan (NA3Fb) increased both on the cell surface and in the serum samples of HCC patients (p \u3c 0.01). Additionally, the change of NA3Fb was not influenced by Hepatitis B virus (HBV)and cirrhosis. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein expression of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase IVa (GnT-IVa), which was related to the synthesis of the NA3Fb, was substantially increased in HCC tissues. Knockdown of GnT-IVa leads to a decreased level of NA3Fb and decreased ability of invasion and migration in HCC cells. NA3Fb can be regarded as a specific cell surface N-glycan of HCC. The high expression of GnT-IVa is the cause of the abnormal increase of NA3Fb on the HCC cell surface, which regulates cell migration. This study demonstrated the specific N-glycans of the cell surface and the mechanisms of altered glycoform related with HCC. These findings lead to better understanding of the function of glycan and glycosyltransferase in the tumorigenesis, progression and metastasis of HCC

Simultaneous Phosphate Removal and Power Generation by the Aluminum–Air Fuel Cell for Energy Self-Sufficient Electrocoagulation

A self-powered electrocoagulation system with a single-chamber aluminum–air fuel cell was employed for phosphate removal in this study. Electricity production and aluminum hydroxides in solution were also investigated. When the NaCl concentration increased from 2 mmol/L to 10 mmol/L, the phosphate removal increased from 86.9% to 97.8% in 60 min. An electrolyte composed of 10 mmol/L of NaCl was shown to obtain a maximum power density generation of 265.7 mW/m2. When the initial solution pH ranged from 5.0 to 9.0, 98.5% phosphate removal and a maximum power density of 338.1 mW/m2 were obtained at pH 6.0. Phosphate was mainly removed by aluminum hydroxide adsorption. These results demonstrate that the aluminum–air fuel cell can be applied as electricity-producing electrocoagulation equipment. Aluminum–air fuel cells provide an alternative method to meet the goal of carbon neutrality in wastewater treatment compared with traditional energy-consuming electrocoagulation systems

Nanomaterials for facilitating microbial extracellular electron transfer: Recent progress and challenges

Nanomaterials for facilitating the microbial extracellular electron transfer (EET) process have drawn increasing attention due to their specific physical, chemical and electrical properties. This review summarizes the research advances of nanomaterials for accelerating the EET process. Nanostructured materials, including oligomer, carbon nanotube (CNT), graphene, metal, metal oxides, and polymer, exhibit numerous admirable properties such as large surface area, high electrical conductivity, and excellent catalytic activity. In this review, depending on the exact site where the nanomaterials work, the nanomaterials are classified into four groups: inside-membrane, interface, inside-biofilm and interspecies. Synthesis of the nanomaterials, EET enhancement performance, and corresponding enhancement mechanisms are also discussed. In spite of the challenges, nanomaterials will be extremely promising for promoting the EET process application in the future

Therapeutic Effects of Kangzhi Syrup in a Guinea Pig Model of Ovalbumin-Induced Cough Variant Asthma

Purpose. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects and underlying mechanisms of Kangzhi syrup on ovalbumin- (OVA-) induced cough variant asthma (CVA) in guinea pigs. Methods. All 48 guinea pigs were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: normal, OVA model with or without Kangzhi syrup (OVA and OVA + KZ), and OVA with Dexamethasone (OVA + DM). After sensitizing the guinea pigs, a cough challenge was performed by the inhalation of capsaicin. The antitussive effect, inflammatory cells, cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue, and morphological changes were examined. Results. Compared with model group, Kangzhi syrup effectively exerted an antitussive effect (p<0.0001) and reduced the pneumonic anaphylacticitis by inhibiting the infiltration of total inflammatory cells (p<0.0001) and reducing the percentage of eosinophil in BALF (p<0.0001). Moreover, evidence from morphological studies also demonstrated that Kangzhi syrup inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and ameliorated the structure changes. NF-κB and TGF-β1 expression were attenuated in the OVA + KZ group versus the OVA group (p<0.0001). Additionally, a semiquantitative analysis of TGF-β1 expression also demonstrated that the Kangzhi syrup attenuated this profibrogenic growth factor (p<0.001). Conclusions. The results demonstrated that Kangzhi syrup exerted a considerable antitussive effect in CVA animal model, which depended on its marked impact on the anti-anaphylactic inflammation. Additionally, it could ameliorate the airway remodeling by inhibiting NF-κB and TGF-β1 signal pathway

Analysis of salinization dynamics by remote sensing in Hetao Irrigation District of North China

Remote sensing can provide base information for documenting salinity change and for predicting its future evolution trend. The spatial and temporal distributions of soil salinization of Jiefangzha Irrigation Sub-district, the western part of Hetao Irrigation District of Inner Mongolia in northern China, were determined through analysis of satellite-based remote sensing images. Three Landsat TM/ETM+ satellite images taken during 14 years (1991 ~ 2005) coupled with field observations were chosen as the basic data sources. Supervised classification and visual interpretation were used to analyze salinity classification and statistical method was applied to analyze the relationship between salinity and groundwater depth. From 1991 to 2005 the area of heavy saline land decreased from 191 to 136 km2, or 3.9 km2 per year; the moderate saline land decreased from 318 to 284 km2, or 2.5 km2 per year; the slight saline land decreased from 510 to 394 km2, or 8.2 km2 per year. Therefore, soil salinization in Jiefangzha Irrigation Sub-district is decreasing in general. The electrical conductivity (EC) values measured from field have the following relationship with the reflectance composition obtained from LANDSAT Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data: EC = 5.653(band5 - band7)/(band5 + band7) + 0.246. In addition, an r2 value between EC values and groundwater depth is 0.72, which indicates groundwater depth is the major factor for the regional soil salinity control. The paper can serve as a theoretical reference for optimal allocation of irrigation water resource and salinization control in Hetao Irrigation District.Salinization Spatial-temporal analysis Remote sensing Hetao Irrigation District

Human serum N-glycan profiles are age and sex dependent

Design, setting and participants: a total of 265 healthy northern Chinese men and women were grouped by age and gender. The mean age in males and females was similar. Objective: the study is aimed to evaluate the effects of the age and gender on the human serum N-glycans profiles in the clinical diagnose of ageing and disease. Methods: the 265 human serum N-glycan profiles were obtained by DNA sequencer-assisted fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis. Comparison of N-glycan profiles was carried out among the different genders and age groups and the data were analysed with the GeneMapper software. Results: age-related changes in the three N-glycan structures (NGA2F, NGA2FB and NA2F) were observed. Interestingly, fucosylation of N-glycans was significantly different (P < 0.0001) between men and women: more core-alpha-1,6-fucosylated glycans were detected in women, whereas more branching-alpha-1,3-fucosylated N-glycans were seen in men. Conclusions: the N-glycome profile in serum is gender and age dependent. This should be taken into consideration in the development of serum glycome markers

Electricity Generation and Pollutant Degradation Using a Novel Biocathode Coupled Photoelectrochemical Cell

The photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) is a promising tool for the degradation of organic pollutants and simultaneous electricity recovery, however, current cathode catalysts suffer from high costs and short service lives. Herein, we present a novel biocathode coupled PEC (Bio-PEC) integrating the advantages of photocatalytic anode and biocathode. Electrochemical anodized TiO₂ nanotube arrays fabricated on Ti substrate were used as Bio-PEC anodes. Field-emission scanning electron microscope images revealed that the well-aligned TiO₂ nanotubes had inner diameters of 60–100 nm and wall-thicknesses of about 5 nm. Linear sweep voltammetry presented the pronounced photocurrent output (325 μA/cm²) under xenon illumination, compared with that under dark conditions. Comparing studies were carried out between the Bio-PEC and PECs with Pt/C cathodes. The results showed that the performance of Pt/C cathodes was closely related with the structure and Pt/C loading amounts of cathodes, while the Bio-PEC achieved similar methyl orange (MO) decoloration rate (0.0120 min^–1) and maximum power density (211.32 mW/m²) to the brush cathode PEC with 50 mg Pt/C loading (Brush-PEC, 50 mg). The fill factors of Bio-PEC and Brush-PEC (50 mg) were 39.87% and 43.06%, respectively. The charge transfer resistance of biocathode was 13.10 Ω, larger than the brush cathode with 50 mg Pt/C (10.68 Ω), but smaller than the brush cathode with 35 mg Pt/C (18.35 Ω), indicating the comparable catalytic activity with Pt/C catalyst. The biocathode was more dependent on the nutrient diffusion, such as nitrogen and inorganic carbon, thus resulting in relatively higher diffusion resistance compared to the brush cathode with 50 mg Pt/C loading that yielded similar MO removal and power output. Considering the performance and cost of PEC system, the biocathode was a promising alternative for the Pt/C catalyst