Isolation and characterization of differentially expressed genes in the mycelium and fruit body of Pleurotus ostreatus

The fruiting body of one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms, the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is highly interesting, both commercially and scientifically. In the present study, we performed comparative proteomic profiling of P. ostreatus at two unique developmental stages; mycelium and fruit body, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Seven hundred fourteen (714) spots were detected and 29 spots (showing a high level of difference in their expressions) were identified by tandem mass spectrometry and basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) searching of an expressed sequence tag (EST) database of P. ostreatus. Among them, six proteins (putative fatty acid oxygenase, heat shock sks2, PriA homologue, Ap-1 like transcription factor YAP7, mung bean seed albumin, and C2H2 Zinc finger domain protein) and one protein (peroxisomal biogenesis factor 6) showed increased expression levels at the fruiting process and the mycelial stage, respectively. Through reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis, priA homologue and AP-1 like transcription factor yap7 showed gradually increased expression from mycelia to fruit body, whereas putative fatty acid oxygenase and heat shock protein sks2 were expressed only in the fruit body. These results provide useful information for future studies of mushroom development of P. ostreatus.Keywords: Developmental stage, mushroom fruiting, Pleurotus ostreatus, protein, two-dimensional gel electrophoresisAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(24), pp. 3790-379

Properties of Central Caustics in Planetary Microlensing

To maximize the number of planet detections, current microlensing follow-up observations are focusing on high-magnification events which have a higher chance of being perturbed by central caustics. In this paper, we investigate the properties of central caustics and the perturbations induced by them. We derive analytic expressions of the location, size, and shape of the central caustic as a function of the star-planet separation, $s$, and the planet/star mass ratio, $q$, under the planetary perturbative approximation and compare the results with those based on numerical computations. While it has been known that the size of the planetary caustic is \propto \sqrt{q}, we find from this work that the dependence of the size of the central caustic on $q$ is linear, i.e., \propto q, implying that the central caustic shrinks much more rapidly with the decrease of $q$ compared to the planetary caustic. The central-caustic size depends also on the star-planet separation. If the size of the caustic is defined as the separation between the two cusps on the star-planet axis (horizontal width), we find that the dependence of the central-caustic size on the separation is \propto (s+1/s). While the size of the central caustic depends both on $s$ and q, its shape defined as the vertical/horizontal width ratio, R_c, is solely dependent on the planetary separation and we derive an analytic relation between R_c and s. Due to the smaller size of the central caustic combined with much more rapid decrease of its size with the decrease of q, the effect of finite source size on the perturbation induced by the central caustic is much more severe than the effect on the perturbation induced by the planetary caustic. Abridged.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, ApJ accepte

Negative Thermal Expansion Coefficient of Graphene Measured by Raman Spectroscopy

The thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of single-layer graphene is estimated with temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy in the temperature range between 200 and 400 K. It is found to be strongly dependent on temperature but remains negative in the whole temperature range, with a room temperature value of -8.0x10^{-6} K^{-1}. The strain caused by the TEC mismatch between graphene and the substrate plays a crucial role in determining the physical properties of graphene, and hence its effect must be accounted for in the interpretation of experimental data taken at cryogenic or elevated temperatures.Comment: 17 pagese, 3 figures, and supporting information (4 pages, 3 figures); Nano Letters, 201

Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases and Their Inhibitors in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tonsil and Their Clinical Significance

ObjectivesTo investigate expressions of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil and to correlate expression profiles with clinicopathological characteristics.MethodsParaffin blocks were obtained from 45 tonsil squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients, who underwent surgery as an initial treatment between 1994 and 2004, and from 20 normal controls. Expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-13, TIMP-1, and TIMP-2 were investigated immunohistochemically.ResultsThe expressions of MMPs (except MMP-2) and TIMPs were found to be significantly different in tonsil SCC and normal control tissues. Furthermore, MMP-13 expression was found to be correlated with tumor invasion (P=0.05), and the expressions of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 with nodal metastasis (P=0.048, 0.031). No relation was found between MMP or TIMP expression and recurrence. However, MMP-9 expression was found to be significantly associated with 5-year survival in tonsil SCC patients by multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 3.853; P=0.013).ConclusionSignificant overexpressions of multiple MMPs and TIMPs were found in tonsil SCC tissues. Furthermore, our findings suggest that MMP-9 expression might be a useful prognostic factor

Phospholipase C-γ as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Graves’ Orbitopathy

Background Phospholipase C-γ (PLC-γ) plays a crucial role in immune responses and is related to the pathogenesis of various inflammatory disorders. In this study, we investigated the role of PLC-γ and the therapeutic effect of the PLC-specific inhibitor U73122 using orbital fibroblasts from patients with Graves’ orbitopathy (GO). Methods The expression of phospholipase C gamma 1 (PLCG1) and phospholipase C gamma 2 (PLCG2) was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction in GO and normal orbital tissues/fibroblasts. The primary cultures of orbital fibroblasts were treated with non-toxic concentrations of U73122 with or without interleukin (IL)-1β to determine its therapeutic efficacy. The proinflammatory cytokine levels and activation of downstream signaling molecules were determined using Western blotting. Results PLCG1 and PLCG2 mRNA expression was significantly higher in GO orbital tissues than in controls (P<0.05). PLCG1 and PLCG2 mRNA expression was significantly increased (P<0.05) in IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and a cluster of differentiation 40 ligand-stimulated GO fibroblasts. U73122 significantly inhibited the IL-1β-induced expression of proinflammatory molecules, including IL-6, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, cyclooxygenase-2, and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-Akt) and p38 (p-p38) kinase in GO fibroblasts, whereas it inhibited IL-6, IL-8, and ICAM-1, and p-Akt and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK) in normal fibroblasts (P<0.05). Conclusion PLC-γ-inhibiting U73122 suppressed the production of proinflammatory cytokines and the phosphorylation of Akt and p38 kinase in GO fibroblasts. This study indicates the implications of PLC-γ in GO pathogenesis and its potential as a therapeutic target for GO

Supernova Remnants as Clues to Their Progenitors

Supernovae shape the interstellar medium, chemically enrich their host galaxies, and generate powerful interstellar shocks that drive future generations of star formation. The shock produced by a supernova event acts as a type of time machine, probing the mass loss history of the progenitor system back to ages of $\sim$ 10 000 years before the explosion, whereas supernova remnants probe a much earlier stage of stellar evolution, interacting with material expelled during the progenitor's much earlier evolution. In this chapter we will review how observations of supernova remnants allow us to infer fundamental properties of the progenitor system. We will provide detailed examples of how bulk characteristics of a remnant, such as its chemical composition and dynamics, allow us to infer properties of the progenitor evolution. In the latter half of this chapter, we will show how this exercise may be extended from individual objects to SNR as classes of objects, and how there are clear bifurcations in the dynamics and spectral characteristics of core collapse and thermonuclear supernova remnants. We will finish the chapter by touching on recent advances in the modeling of massive stars, and the implications for observable properties of supernovae and their remnants.Comment: A chapter in "Handbook of Supernovae" edited by Athem W. Alsabti and Paul Murdin (18 pages, 6 figures

Triple-negative, basal-like, and quintuple-negative breast cancers: better prediction model for survival

Background: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) and basal-like breast cancers (BLBCs) are known as poor outcome subtypes with a lack of targeted therapy. Previous studies have shown conflicting results regarding the difference of prognostic significance between TNBCs and BLBCs. In this study, we aimed to characterize the prognostic features of TNBCs, in view of BLBCs and quintuple-negative breast cancers (QNBC/5NPs). Methods: Using tissue microarray-based immunohistochemical analysis, we categorized 951 primary breast cancers into four or five subtypes according to the expression of ER, PR, HER2, and basal markers (CK5/6, EGFR). Results: The results of this study showed that both TNBCs and BLBCs were associated with high histological and/ or nuclear grades. When the TNBCs are divided into two subtypes by the presence of basal markers, the clinicopathologic characteristics of TNBCs were mainly maintained in the BLBCs. The 5-subgrouping was the better prediction model for both disease free and overall survival in breast cancers than the 4-subgrouping. After multivariate analysis of TNBCs, the BLBCs did not have a worse prognosis than the QNBC/5NPs. Interestingly, the patients with BLBCs showed significant adjuvant chemotherapy benefit. In addition, QNBC/5NPs comprised about 6~8% of breast cancers in publicly available breast cancer datasets Conclusion: The QNBC/5NP subtype is a worse prognostic subgroup of TNBCs, especially in higher stage and this result may be related to adjuvant chemotherapy benefit of BLBCs, calling for caution in the identification of subgroups of patients for therapeutic classification

Design and Bolometer Characterization of the SPT-3G First-year Focal Plane

During the austral summer of 2016-17, the third-generation camera, SPT-3G, was installed on the South Pole Telescope, increasing the detector count in the focal plane by an order of magnitude relative to the previous generation. Designed to map the polarization of the cosmic microwave background, SPT-3G contains ten 6-in-hexagonal modules of detectors, each with 269 trichroic and dual-polarization pixels, read out using 68x frequency-domain multiplexing. Here we discuss design, assembly, and layout of the modules, as well as early performance characterization of the first-year array, including yield and detector properties.Comment: Conference proceeding for Low Temperature Detectors 2017. Accepted for publication: 27 August 201