Genetic Variants in WNT2B and BTRC Predict Melanoma Survival

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the most lethal skin cancer. The Wnt pathway has an impact on development, invasion and metastasis of CM, thus likely affecting CM prognosis. Using data from a published genome-wide association study (GWAS) from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, we assessed the associations of 19,830 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 151 Wnt pathway autosomal genes with CM-specific survival (CMSS) and then validated significant SNPs in another GWAS from Harvard University. In the single-locus analysis, 1,855 SNPs were significantly associated with CMSS at P T and BTRC rs61873997 G>A) that showed a predictive role in CMSS, with an effect-allele-attributed hazards ratio [adjHR of 1.99 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.41-2.81, P = 8.10E-05) and 0.61 (0.46-0.80, 3.12E-04), respectively]. Collectively, these variants in the Wnt pathway genes may be biomarkers for outcomes of CM patients, if validated by larger studies

Identification of the Most Stable Sc2C80 Isomers: Structure, Electronic Property, and Molecular Spectra Investigations

A systematic density functional theory investigation has been carried out to explore the possible structures of Sc2C80 at the BMK/6-31G(d) level. The results clearly show that Sc2@C80-Ih, Sc2@C80-D5h, and Sc2C2@C78-C2v can be identified as three isomers of Sc2C80 metallofullerene with the lowest energy. Frontier molecular orbital analysis indicates that the two Sc2@C80 isomers have a charge state as (Sc3+)2@C806-and the Sc2C2@C78 has a charge state of (Sc3+)2C22-@C784-. Moreover, the metal-cage covalent interactions have been studied to reveal the dynamics of endohedral moiety. The vertical electron affinity, vertical ionization potential, infrared spectra and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra have been also computed to further disclose the molecular structures and properties.National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [20821003, 91027108, 20702053, 20973137]; NSAF [11076027]; Chinese Academy of Sciences; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [20100480027]; K. C. Wong Education Foundation, Hong Kon

Fullerene-Induced Increase of Glycosyl Residue on Living Plant Cell Wall

In this work, we have investigated the change of cell wall for the tobacco plant cell (Nicotiana tobacurn L. cv. Bright Yellow) under the repression of water-soluble carboxyfullerenes (C-70(C(COOH)(2))(2-4)). The adsorption of C-70(C(COOH)(2))(2-4) on cell wall led to the disruption of cell wall and membrane, and consequently, cell growth inhibition. Results from atomic force microscopy (AFM) force measurement and confocal imaging revealed an increase of the glycosyl residue on the cell wall of carboxyfullerene-treated cells, with a time- and dose-dependent manner, and accompanied by the elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the stimulation-sensitive alteration of glycosyl residue and ROS was demonstrated, which suggested a possible protection strategy for the plant cells under fullerene repression. This study provides the first direct evidence on the change of plant cell wall composition under the repression of fullerene and is the first successful application of AFM ligand-receptor binding force measurement to the living plant cell. The new information present here would help to a better understanding and assessment of the biological effect of fullerenes on plant

Protective Effect of C₇₀-Carboxyfullerene against Oxidative-Induced Stress on Postmitotic Muscle Cells

Satellite muscle cells play an important role in regeneration of skeletal muscle. However, they are particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress. Herein, we address our efforts on the cytoprotective activities of carboxyfullerenes with different cage size (C₆₀ vs C₇₀) and adduct number on postmitotic muscle cell (C2C12 cell). The correlation of the structural effect on the cytoprotective capability of carboxyfullerenes was evaluated. We find that quadri-malonic acid C₇₀ fullerene (QF₇₀) exhibits higher capability on protecting cells from oxidative-induced stress among these tested carboxyfullerenes. The accumulation of intracellular superoxide dismutase (SOD) is proposed to play an important role in their diverse antioxidative ability. Moreover, the pretreatment of QF₇₀ could also obviously enhance the viability of myotubes originated from oxidative-stressed C2C12 cells, which facilitates the future application of carboxyfullerenes in tissue engineering and nanomedicine

Fullerene-Induced Increase of Glycosyl Residue on Living Plant Cell Wall

In this work, we have investigated the change of cell wall for the tobacco plant cell (<i>Nicotiana tobacum</i> L. cv. Bright Yellow) under the repression of water-soluble carboxyfullerenes (C₇₀(C­(COOH)₂)_2–4). The adsorption of C₇₀(C­(COOH)₂)_2–4 on cell wall led to the disruption of cell wall and membrane, and consequently, cell growth inhibition. Results from atomic force microscopy (AFM) force measurement and confocal imaging revealed an increase of the glycosyl residue on the cell wall of carboxyfullerene-treated cells, with a time- and dose-dependent manner, and accompanied by the elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, the stimulation-sensitive alteration of glycosyl residue and ROS was demonstrated, which suggested a possible protection strategy for the plant cells under fullerene repression. This study provides the first direct evidence on the change of plant cell wall composition under the repression of fullerene and is the first successful application of AFM ligand-receptor binding force measurement to the living plant cell. The new information present here would help to a better understanding and assessment of the biological effect of fullerenes on plant

Gd@C₈₂-(ethylenediamine)₈ Nanoparticle: A New High-Efficiency Water-Soluble ROS Scavenger

It is important to maintain a reactive oxygen species (ROS) balance in organisms; thus, a valid ROS scavenger with good biocompatibility is urgently required. To prepare a high-efficiency ROS scavenger, multiple ethylenediamine (EDA) groups are bonded for the first time to a metallofullerene Gd@C₈₂ to obtain water-soluble Gd@C₈₂-(EDA)₈ nanoparticles (NPs) through a facile solid–liquid reaction. Gd@C₈₂-(EDA)₈ NPs with a relatively better conjugation possess an excellent capability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, Gd@C₈₂-(EDA)₈ NPs exhibited a remarkable cytoprotective effect against H₂O₂-induced injuries to human epidermal keratinocytes-adult (HEK-a) cells at a low concentration of 2.5 μM. In contrast, Gd@C₈₂-(OH)₂₆ NPs that modified with hydroxyls show an apparent protective effect at a much higher concentration of 40 μM. This outstanding cytoprotective performance of Gd@C₈₂-(EDA)₈ NPs is mainly attributed to their extremely high cellular uptake and comparably strong conjugation. Gd@C₈₂-(EDA)₈ NPs with good biocompatibility exhibit excellent ROS scavenging capability even at a significantly low concentration, which promotes its versatile applications in cosmetics and biomedicine

CCDC 694894: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: Tianming Zuo, M.M.Olmstead, C.M.Beavers, A.L.Balch, Guangbin Wang, G.T.Yee, Chunying Shu, Liaosa Xu, B.Elliott, L.Echegoyen, J.C.Duchamp, H.C.Dorn|2008|Inorg.Chem.|47|5234|doi:10.1021/ic800227x,An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures