Inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA enhances IL-24-induced apoptosis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Abstract Background Interleukin-24(IL-24), also referred to as melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7(mda-7), is a unique member of the IL-10 gene family, which displays nearly ubiquitous cancer-specific toxicity. The most notable feature of IL-24 is selectively induced growth suppression and apoptosis in various cancer cells, with no harmful effects toward normal cells. Autophagy is a self-protective mechanism in many kinds of tumor cells that respond to anticancer treatment. It is reported that autophagy inhibition could enhance the effects of many kinds of anticancer treatments, including gene therapy. However, whether IL-24 is effective to treat oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) and if autophagy inhibition could improve the anticancer effect of IL-24 towards OSCC is has not been detected. Methods MTT assays were carried out to determine the cell proliferation; Transfection was used to gene transfer; Western Blot was performed to detect the protein level of LC3II, P62, Beclin 1, Cleaved caspase-3, β-Tubulin and β-actin; Apoptosis rates and cell cycle alteration were analyzed using flow cytometry; Autophagy induction was confirmed by MDC staining, GFP-LC3 staining and transmission electron microscopy. Amount of IL-24 in the culture medium was quantified by ELISA. Apoptosis in vivo was analyzed by TUNEL assay. HE staining was used to observe the morphology of the samples. Results In the present study, we proved that IL-24 have a novel anticancer effect towards KB cells and that autophagy inhibition could improve the anticancer effect of IL-24. IL-24 treated cells showed autophagy characteristics and autophagy inhibition by 3-methyladenine (3-MA) significantly enhanced IL-24-induced apoptosis. Similar results were obtained in the KB cells xenograft tumor model. Conclusions These results suggest that the combination of autophagy inhibitors and IL-24 based on the AdLTR2EF1α-mediated gene transfer could be a promising way to cure OSCC.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/113230/1/13046_2015_Article_211.pd

Thermal entanglement in three-qubit Heisenberg models

We study pairwise thermal entanglement in three-qubit Heisenberg models and obtain analytic expressions for the concurrence. We find that thermal entanglement is absent from both the antiferromagnetic $XXZ$ model, and the ferromagnetic $XXZ$ model with anisotropy parameter $\Delta\ge 1$. Conditions for the existence of thermal entanglement are discussed in detail, as is the role of degeneracy and the effects of magnetic fields on thermal entanglement and the quantum phase transition. Specifically, we find that the magnetic field can induce entanglement in the antiferromagnetic $XXX$ model, but cannot induce entanglement in the ferromagnetic $XXX$ model.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, minor revisions, resubmitted to J. Phys.

Effects of Gibberellin and Weak Acid on Seed Germination and Physiological Characteristics of the Eelgrass Zostera marina

The effects of gibberellin and weak acid on the germination and physiological characteristics of eelgrass (Zostera marina) seeds were studied under laboratory conditions. The cumulative seed germination and seedling establishment rates were calculated. The dynamic changes in seed dry weight, water content, respiration rate, soluble sugar, starch, gibberellin, abscisic acid content, and α-amylase and β-amylase activities during seed germination were monitored. The effect of two exogenous germination-promoting treatments on seed germination was explored, and the physiological response process of the seeds to these treatments was analyzed. The results showed that the treatments effectively promoted seed germination and seedling establishment. The gibberellin treatment had the best germination-promoting effect, and the seed germination and seedling establishment rates were 1.6 times higher than those under the control. During the germination period of seeds in the two treatments, the α-amylase activity first increased and then decreased, the starch content showed a downward trend, and the soluble sugar content continued to increase. At the end of the experiment, the soluble sugar content of seeds in the gibberellin treatment attained the highest value, which was 3.3 times higher than the value before germination and was significantly higher than that in the weak acid treatment and control (P 0.05). Principal component analysis showed that α-amylase activity and starch and soluble sugar contents of seeds were the key factors in seed germination. Comprehensive analysis showed that exogenous gibberellin treatment was an effective method to break seed dormancy. This effect was mainly achieved by regulating amylase activity, increasing starch decomposition rate, and increasing soluble sugar content to provide energy for seed germination. The results provide a theoretical and scientific basis for the rapid germination technology of eelgrass seeds

ET-1 Promotes Differentiation of Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells into Osteoblasts through ETR, MAPK, and Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathways under Inflammatory Microenvironment

Periodontitis is a kind of chronic inflammatory disease that affects the tooth-supporting tissues. ET-1 is related to periodontitis and involved in the regulation of cytokines, but the mechanisms remain unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate how ET-1 affects proinflammatory cytokine expression and differentiation in human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs). PDLSCs were isolated from the periodontal ligament tissues of periodontitis patients and then treated with ET-1 (1, 10, or 100 nM) for 12 h, 24 h, or 72 h. The osteogenic potential of PDLSCs was tested using ALP staining. TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 levels were evaluated by ELISA and western blot. Runx2, OCN, and COL1 mRNA and western levels were detected by RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. To examine the signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms involved in ET-1-mediated cytokine expression and osteogenic differentiation, ETR pathway, MAPKs pathway, Wnt/β-catenin pathway, and Wnt/Ca2+ pathway were detected by RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. ET-1 promoted differentiation of PDLSCs into osteoblasts by increasing secretion of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in a dose- and time-dependent manner. ET-1 also increased expression of Runx2, OCN, and COL1. ET-1 promotes differentiation of PDLSCs into osteoblasts through ETR, MAPK, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways under inflammatory microenvironment

A Novel Three-Phase Omnidirectional Wireless Power Transfer System With Zero-Switching-Loss Inverter and Cylindrical Transmitter Coil

Aiming at the problems of large switching loss and large output power fluctuation in the existing omnidirectional wireless power transfer (OWPT) system, a novel OWPT system with zero-switching-loss inverter and cylindrical transmitter coil is proposed. By introducing an auxiliary resonant network with simple structure and low-loss on each phase arm of the three-phase inverter, zero-voltage switching turn- on and zero-current switching turn- off within the full power range can be acquired. The switching loss in the main circuit of inverter is reliably eliminated. The transmitter coil is a cylindrical coil composed of the three curved rectangular coils, whose excitation current amplitude is equal and the phase difference is 120°. It can arise a spatial rotating magnetic field around the transmitter coil and provide an omnidirectional energy transmission channel. The operating principle of soft-switching is analyzed in detail, and the design rules of soft-switching in full power range and the parameter design method of coupler to reduce the fluctuation of output power are given. Ultimately, an experimental prototype is used to verify the feasibility of the proposed OWPT system. The experimental results indicate that the system output power is retained at 93.4–104.7 W and transfer efficiency is retained at 71.2%–78.1% under arbitrary angular misalignment of receiver