Physical exercise before pregnancy helps the development of mouse embryos produced in vitro

Effects of pre-gestational physical activity on the later development of embryos generated in vitro were evaluated. Kunming mice were divided into two groups, namely exercised and unexercised, with the former undergoing physical training on a motor-driven leveled treadmill over a period of 4weeks (5days/week and 60min/day). After that, following superovulation, collection of oocytes from both groups was performed for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Notably and specifically, natural mating between the unexercised mice was also done for in vivo fertilization (IVIF). Observation on the preimplantation embryo development showed that SCNT embryos from exercised group (NEM) had significant higher rates of cleavage and formation of blastocyst containing more blastomeres compared to SCNT embryos from unexercised group (NCM); while IVF embryos in exercised group (FEM) showed a significant higher rate of cleavage and blastocyst formation. Further analysis of embryos from the trained group on the molecular level demonstrated a prominent increase in terms of ATP levels, mitochondria membrane potential (Δψm) and mtDNA copy number and an obvious decrease in H₂O₂ concentration than those from the respective control group. Meanwhile, epigenetically, methylation levels of CpG sites on imprinting control regions of imprinted genes (Igf2, Igf2r, Meg 3 and H19) in the NEM embryos were normalized in exercise groups compared to the NCM embryos, which were comparable to the in vivo-derived embryos. Moreover, global DNA and histone methylation (H3K4m2, H3K9m3 and H3K36m) further confirmed that NEM-derived embryos and in vivo-derived ones stay in the same cluster, indicating that physical activity in pre-pregnancy facilitates the maintenance of epigenetic modifications. Generally, these results strongly suggest that physical exercise before pregnancy is in favor of the later embryo development.

Edge multi-energy soft x-ray diagnostic in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

A multi-energy soft x-ray (ME-SXR) diagnostic has been built for electron temperature profile in the edge plasma region in Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) after two rounds of campaigns. Originally, five preamplifiers were mounted inside the EAST vacuum vessel chamber attached to five vertically stacked compact diode arrays. A custom mechanical structure was designed to protect the detectors and electronics under constraints of the tangential field of view for plasma edge and the allocation of space. In the next experiment, the mechanical structure was redesigned with a barrel structure to absolutely isolate it from the vacuum vessel. Multiple shielding structures were mounted at the pinhole head to protect the metal foils from lithium coating. The pre-amplifiers were moved to the outside of the vacuum chamber to avoid introducing interference. Twisted copper cooling tube was embedded into the back-shell near the diode to limit the temperature of the preamplifiers and diode arrays during vacuum vessel baking when the temperature reached 150 °C. Electron temperature profiles were reconstructed from ME-SXR measurements using neural networks.

Characterization of OsPM19L1 encoding an AWPM-19-like family protein that is dramatically induced by osmotic stress in rice

The plant-specific AWPM-19-domain proteins play important roles in plant development and stress responses. In the current study, OsPM19L1 encoding Oryza sativa AWPM-19-like protein 1 was isolated from rice. Tissue-specific gene expression analysis revealed that OsPM19L1 was highly expressed in the leaf sheath of rice. Interestingly, expression of OsPM19L1 was high at the early stage of panicle development and decreased thereafter. qRT-PCR analysis indicated that OsPM19L1 was dramatically induced by 20% PEG stress (>600-fold), exogenous abscisic acid (>350-fold), salt and cold stress. Subcellular localization assay suggested that the OsPM19L1-GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion protein was localized in the membrane system in rice cells. Moreover, under stress conditions, OsPM19L1 expression was enhanced in an ABI5-Like1 (ABL1) deficiency rice mutant, abl1, suggesting that ABL1 negatively regulates OsPM19L1 gene expression. Thus, OsPM19L1 appears to be closely associated with stress tolerance through ABA-dependent pathway in rice.

Influence of fixed orthodontic treatment on the menstrual cycle of adult females: A prospective longitudinal study

Objective: 

To investigate the influence of fixed orthodontic treatment on the menstrual cycle, including menstrual cycle length (MCL) and duration of menstrual bleeding (DMB), in adult female patients.

Materials and Methods: 

This was a prospective longitudinal study conducted in Chengdu, China. A total of 164 adult women with normal menstrual cycles were recruited in the study, with 79 patients undergoing orthodontic treatment and 85 serving as controls. Data of MCL, DMB, and accompanying symptoms were collected over six consecutive menstrual cycles in each participant. Student’s t test, Chi-square test, Moses extreme reaction test, and repeated measures analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.

Results: 

The MCL of the first menstrual cycle (T1) was significantly elongated by 2.1 ± 0.5 days compared with baseline (P  =  .003, 95% CI [−3.7, −0.5]). Variability of MCL of the orthodontic group at T1 was also significantly greater (range, 15–46 days) than that of the control group (range, 24–36 days) (P < .05). No significant difference in MCL was found in the subsequent five menstrual cycles (T2–T6) compared with baseline, and no significant differences in DMB or other accompanying symptoms were observed throughout the study.

Conclusion: 

Fixed orthodontic treatment may influence the MCL of adult females in the first month after bonding, but showed no effect on DMB or subsequent MCL through the follow-ups.

Production of transgenic cattle highly expressing human serum albumin in milk by phiC31 integrase-mediated gene delivery

Transgenic cattle expressing high levels of recombinant human serum albumin (HSA) in their milk may as an alternative source for commercial production. Our objective was to produce transgenic cattle highly expressing HSA in milk by using phiC31 integrase system and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The mammary-specific expression plasmid pIACH(-), containing the attB recognition site for phiC31 integrase, were co-transfected with integrase expression plasmid pCMVInt into bovine fetal fibroblast cells (BFFs). PhiC31 integrase-mediated integrations in genome of BFFs were screened by nested inverse PCR. After analysis of sequence of the PCR products, 46.0% (23/50) of the both attB-genome junction sites (attL and attR) were confirmed, and four pseudo attP sites were identified. The integration rates in BF3, BF11, BF19 and BF4 sites were 4.0% (2/50), 6.0% (3/50), 16.0% (8/50) and 20.0% (10/50), respectively. BF3 is located in the bovine chromosome 3 collagen alpha-3 (VI) chain isomer 2 gene, while the other three sites are located in the non-coding region. The transgenic cell lines from BF11, BF19 and BF4 sites were used as donors for SCNT. Two calves from transgenic cells BF19 were born, one died within a few hours after birth, and another calf survived healthy. PCR and Southern blot analysis revealed integration of the transgene in the genome of cloned calves. The nested reverse PCR confirmed that the integration site in cloned calves was identical to the donor cells. The western blotting assessment indicated that recombinant HSA was expressed in the milk of transgenic cattle and the expression level was about 4-8 mg/mL. The present study demonstrated that phiC31 integrase system was an efficient and safety gene delivery tool for producing HSA transgenic cattle. The production of recombinant HSA in the milk of cattle may provide a large-scale and cost-effective resource.

Quality of life for patients with esophageal/gastric cardia precursor lesions or cancer: a one-year prospective study

BACKGROUND

The current study examined health-related quality of life (QoL) for patients with esophageal/ gastric cardia precursor lesions or cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved prevention and treatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with different stages of esophageal/gastric cardia lesions completed two QoL questionnaires, EORTC QLQ-C30 and supplemental QLQ-OES 18, before primary treatment, and at 1, 6 and 12 months after treatment.

RESULTS

Fifty-nine patients with precursor lesions, 57 with early stage cancer, and 43 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Patients with precursor lesions or early stage cancer reported better QoL overall than those with advanced cancer before treatment (p<0.01). Global QoL scores before treatment and at 1 month after treatment were 71±9 versus 69±9 (p>0.01), 71±8 versus 61±11 (p<0.01), 67 ± 11 versus 62 ± 9 (p<0.01) for three stages of lesions. At 6 months after treatment, some QoL measures recovered gradually in precursor lesion and early cancer patients, while some continuously deteriorated in advanced cancer patients. At 12 months, all QoL scores were comparable to baseline for patients with precursor lesions (p>0.01), while global QoL, social, pain, and insomnia scores for early stage and advanced cancer were inferior to corresponding baseline levels (difference between means>5, p<0.01). At this time point, compared with patients with early stage cancer, those with advanced cancer showed worse QoL with all function and most symptom measures (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with precursor lesions or early stage esophageal/gastric cardia cancer show better QoL than those with advanced cancer. This indicates that screening, early diagnosis and treatment may improve the QoL for esophageal/gastric cardia cancer patients. Target intervention and counseling should be given by health care providers during treatment and follow-up to facilitate QoL improvement.

Abstract 1511: A highly sensitive, repaid and reliable assay for detection of human B-raf (V600) mutations

Background

The most common activating B-raf mutations (T1799A point mutation) lead to a substitution of valine (V) to glutamic acid (E) at the position 600 of the amino acid sequence. This oncogenic mutation in the B-raf gene constitutively activates the MAPK signaling pathway which results in increased proliferation and inhibition of apoptosis. B-raf V600E mutation was described in approximately 8% of all solid tumors (43% melanomas, 39-67% papillary thyroid carcinomas and 12% colorectal adenocarcinomas). Currently, the gold standard to identify B-raf mutations is sequencing of the tumor DNA. However this method is not practical for routine clinical detection due high risk of contamination and low sensitivity. Recent development of therapeutic intervention using B-raf inhibitors requires an accurate and rapid detection system for B-raf mutations.

Methods

Here we developed a new methodology for the rapid and reliable detection of B-raf (V600) mutations by combination of the modified real-time PCR primers, peptide nucleic acid (PNA) clamping and MGB probe, named of PM-PCR method. In this assay, the mutant gene is selectively amplified by the modified PCR primers and the amplicon extending signals are collected by the taqman-MGB probe in a real-time fashion, while the amplification of wild-type B-raf DNA is completely blocked by the specifically designed PNA with a higher annealing temperature. The assay procedure includes only one step of sample loading to avoid potential contamination. The PM-PCR method can detect 3-10 copies of the mutant gene stably in somatic cells with background of a total of 10ng wild-type genomic DNA.

Tumor samples from 97 patients with malignant melanoma (N=20) and papillary thyroid carcinoma (N=78) were evaluated for the B-raf V600mutation. Genomic DNA was extracted from FFPE tissue sections and analyzed by PCR amplification followed by Sanger sequencing for comparison.

Results

Among the 97 tested samples, 74% (72/97) of them were positive for B-raf V600 mutation detected by our ARMS-PM assay, while 60.8% (59/97) were detected positive by Sanger sequencing. All the 25 negative cases detected by our assay were confirmed by Sanger sequencing with a concordance rate 100% (25/25). The overall concordance between our assay and Sanger sequencing was (87%) .

Conclusion

We have developed a new method for detection of B-raf V600 mutation by combination of the modified real-time PCR primers, PNA and MGB probes (PM-PCR method). The new assay demonstrates significantly improved sensitivity and feasibility for clinical application. &lt;!–EndFragment–&gt;

Citation Format: Xiujuan Wang, Hui Lan, Qi-Lin Chen, Wei-Tao Duan, Shanshan Zhao, Dehua Yu. A highly sensitive, repaid and reliable assay for detection of human B-raf (V600) mutations. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1511. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1511

Molecular alterations of the WWOX gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX) gene is a candidate tumor suppressor gene. However, its exact mechanism is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of the WWOX gene in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Tissues were collected from 65 NPC patients. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and immunohistochemistry were performed on NPC tissues to determine the expression of WWOX in NPC. The status of WWOX promoter methylation was analyzed by methylation-specific PCR. Moreover, a PCR-based loss of heterozygosity (LOH) assay was conducted to detect the presence of WWOX deletion in NPC. The expression of WWOX in NPC tissues was significantly downregulated compared with that in non-tumorous tissues (P<0.05). The low expression of WWOX was significantly correlated with clinical TNM stage (P<0.05). In addition, methylation of WWOX was detected in 27 (87%) of 31 WWOX protein negative tissues, suggesting that methylation of the WWOX promoter may regulate its expression. We found that a relatively high percentage of LOH was observed in NPC tissues. A significant inverse correlation between WWOX expression and methylation of its promoter was found in NPC tissue (rs=-0.582, P=0.001). However, LOH was not correlated with WWOX expression and methylation of its promoter. Our results show that WWOX gene alteration is an early genetic alteration and may contribute to tumorigenesis of NPC. WWOX may be an important prognostic marker in NPC.

The JAK2/STAT3 and mitochondrial pathways are essential for quercetin nanoliposome-induced C6 glioma cell death

The formulation of quercetin nanoliposomes (QUE-NLs) has been shown to enhance QUE antitumor activity in C6 glioma cells. At high concentrations, QUE-NLs induce necrotic cell death. In this study, we probed the molecular mechanisms of QUE-NL-induced C6 glioma cell death and examined whether QUE-NL-induced programmed cell death involved Bcl-2 family and mitochondrial pathway through STAT3 signal transduction pathway. Downregulation of Bcl-2 and the overexpression of Bax by QUE-NL supported the involvement of Bcl-2 family proteins upstream of C6 glioma cell death. In addition, the activation of JAK2 and STAT3 were altered following exposure to QUE-NLs in C6 glioma cells, suggesting that QUE-NLs downregulated Bcl-2 mRNAs expression and enhanced the expression of mitochondrial mRNAs through STAT3-mediated signaling pathways either via direct or indirect mechanisms. There are several components such as ROS, mitochondrial, and Bcl-2 family shared by the necrotic and apoptotic pathways. Our studies indicate that the signaling cross point of the mitochondrial pathway and the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in C6 glioma cell death is modulated by QUE-NLs. In conclusion, regulation of JAK2/STAT3 and ROS-mediated mitochondrial pathway agonists alone or in combination with treatment by QUE-NLs could be a more effective method of treating chemical-resistant glioma.

Brachial artery waveforms for automatic blood pressure measurement

Theoretically the auscultatory method using Korotkoff sounds is more related to the maximum artery closure status, while the oscillometric method is more related to the overall artery closure status under the cuff. Therefore, the latter is less accurate than the former. This work introduces a new method, which is more accurate than the oscillometric method and suitable for automatic devices. To monitor the maximum artery closure status, a piezoelectric film sensor is attached to the skin just above the brachial artery and under the central section of the cuff where maximum cuff pressure is transferred to the arm. Using the waveform features obtained by this sensor, measurement errors of 0.7±2.5 and 1.27±4.53 mmHg were obtained for the systolic and diastolic pressure, respectively. These reflect small deviations from auscultatory clinical data.

Agonists at GPR119 mediate secretion of GLP-1 from mouse enteroendocrine cells through glucose-independent pathways

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The G protein-coupled receptor 119 (GPR119) mediates insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) release from intestinal L cells. While GPR119-mediated insulin secretion is glucose dependent, it is not clear whether or not GPR119-mediated GLP-1 secretion similarly requires glucose. This study was designed to address the glucose-dependence of GPR119-mediated GLP-1 secretion, and to explore the cellular mechanisms of hormone secretion in L cells versus those in β cells.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

GLP-1 secretion in response to GPR119 agonists and ion channel modulators, with and without glucose, was analysed in the intestinal L cell line GLUTag, in primary intestinal cell cultures and in vivo. Insulin secretion from Min6 cells, a pancreatic β cell line, was analysed for comparison.

KEY RESULTS

In GLUTag cells, GPR119 agonists stimulated GLP-1 secretion both in the presence and in the absence of glucose. In primary mouse colon cultures, GPR119 agonists stimulated GLP-1 secretion under glucose-free conditions. Moreover, a GPR119 agonist increased plasma GLP-1 in mice without a glucose load. However, in Min6 cells, GPR119-mediated insulin secretion was glucose-dependent. Among the pharmacological agents tested in this study, nitrendipine, an L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker, dose-dependently reduced GLP-1 secretion from GLUTag cells, but had no effect in Min6 cells in the absence of glucose.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Unlike that in pancreatic β cells, GPR119-mediated GLP-1 secretion from intestinal L cells was glucose-independent in vitro and in vivo, probably because of a higher basal calcium tone in the L cells.

Genome-wide network model capturing seed germination reveals coordinated regulation of plant cellular phase transitions

Seed germination is a complex trait of key ecological and agronomic significance. Few genetic factors regulating germination have been identified, and the means by which their concerted action controls this developmental process remains largely unknown. Using publicly available gene expression data from Arabidopsis thaliana, we generated a condition-dependent network model of global transcriptional interactions (SeedNet) that shows evidence of evolutionary conservation in flowering plants. The topology of the SeedNet graph reflects the biological process, including two state-dependent sets of interactions associated with dormancy or germination. SeedNet highlights interactions between known regulators of this process and predicts the germination-associated function of uncharacterized hub nodes connected to them with 50% accuracy. An intermediate transition region between the dormancy and germination subdomains is enriched with genes involved in cellular phase transitions. The phase transition regulators SERRATE and EARLY FLOWERING IN SHORT DAYS from this region affect seed germination, indicating that conserved mechanisms control transitions in cell identity in plants. The SeedNet dormancy region is strongly associated with vegetative abiotic stress response genes. These data suggest that seed dormancy, an adaptive trait that arose evolutionarily late, evolved by coopting existing genetic pathways regulating cellular phase transition and abiotic stress. SeedNet is available as a community resource (http://vseed.nottingham.ac.uk) to aid dissection of this complex trait and gene function in diverse processes.

Human telomerase RNA gene (TERC) gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 in cervicovaginal liquid-based pap preparations: a fluorescence in situ hybridization study

PURPOSE. This study investigated human telomerase RNA gene (TERC) gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 in cervicovaginal liquid-based pap preparations in Guilin, China, and assessed the relationship between FISH findings and clinical diagnoses. METHODS. Slides prepared from 63 liquid-based preparations with cytologic diagnoses of negative for squamous intraepithelial lesion or malignancy (NILM n = 9), atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS, n = 18), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL, n = 14), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL, n = 9), and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA, n = 13) were analyzed for TERC gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 using a commercially available two-color FISH probe. The results of the cytologic analysis and those of concurrent or subsequent biopsies, when available, were compared with the FISH findings. The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess associations between FISH findings and diagnoses. RESULTS. TERC gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 were significantly associated with the cytologic diagnosis (p? 0.001). Patients with HSIL or SCCA cytology diagnoses had a significantly higher percentage of cells with TERC gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 than did patients with NILM, ASCUS or LSIL cytologic diagnoses. Those abnormal cases with CIN1 histological diagnosis had a significantly lower percentage of cells with TERC gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 than did patients with a CIN2, CIN3 and SCCA histological diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS. TERC gain and polysomy of chromosome 3 may be important associated genetic events in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and carcinoma. FISH is a potential tool for the diagnoses of uterine cervix disease.