Deficiency of plasminogen receptor, Plg-RKT , causes defects in plasminogen binding and inflammatory macrophage recruitment in vivo

Essentials Plg-RKT is a novel integral membrane plasminogen receptor. The functions of Plg-RKT in vivo are not known. Plg-RKT is a key player in macrophage recruitment in the inflammatory response in vivo. Plg-RKT deficiency is not compatible with survival of the species.

SUMMARY

Background Plg-RKT is a novel integral membrane plasminogen receptor that binds plasminogen via a C-terminal lysine exposed on the cell surface and promotes plasminogen activation on the cell surface by both tissue plasminogen activator and urokinase plasminogen activator. Objectives To evaluate the role of Plg-RKT in vivo we generated Plg-RKT-/- mice using a homologous recombination technique. Methods We characterized the effect of Plg-RKT deletion on reproduction, viability, health and spontaneous thrombosis and inflammation. Results Plg-RKT-/- mice were viable and fertile. Survival of Plg-RKT-/- mice and Plg-RKT+/+ littermates was not significantly different. However, quite strikingly, all pups of Plg-RKT-/- females died within 2 days of birth, consistent with a lactation defect in Plg-RKT-/- mothers. Additionally, there was a significant effect of Plg-RKT deficiency on the growth rates of female, but not male, mice. In experimental peritonitis studies, Plg-RKT-/- mice exhibited a marked defect in macrophage recruitment. As a contributing mechanism, the capacity of Plg-RKT-/- macrophages for plasminogen binding was markedly decreased. Conclusions These studies demonstrate that Plg-RKT is required for plasminogen binding and macrophage migration in vivo. In addition, Plg-RKT deficiency is not compatible with survival of the species, due to the death of all offspring of Plg-RKT-/- females. This new mouse model will be important for future studies aimed at delineating the role of cell surface plasminogen activation in challenge and disease models in vivo.

[Telbivudine for prevention of perinatal transmission in pregnant women infected with hepatitis B virus in immune-tolerant phase: a study of efficacy and safety of drug withdrawal]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the success rate of telbivudine (LdT) for the prevention of perinatal transmission of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the incidence of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation during LdT treatment and after LdT withdrawal in HBV-infected pregnant woman with high viremia in immune-tolerant phase and receiving LdT treatment at the end of pregnancy, and to evaluate the efficacy of LdT in the prevention of perinatal transmission and the safety for pregnant women.

METHODS

Pregnant women infected with HBV in immune-tolerant phase who had normal ALT levels (≤40 U/L) and high viremia (HBV DNA ≥6 log10 IU/ml) with positive HBeAg were enrolled as subjects. All pregnant women received antiviral treatment with LdT at the end of pregnancy to prevent perinatal transmission of HBV. All infants received standard combined immunoprophylaxis. Failure for prevention of perinatal transmission of HBV was defined as positive HBsAg or HBV DNA in infants 7 months of age (or at one month after the third injection of hepatitis B vaccine). Liver function, HBV DNA, and HBV serological markers were evaluated at baseline, after 1 month of treatment, before childbirth, and 1, 3, and 6 months after drug withdrawal. SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data. Between-group comparison of continuous data was made by t test, and comparison of categorical data was made by chi-square test.

RESULTS

One hundred and four pregnant women (treatment group) received oral administration of 600 mg LdT once a day, and 25 pregnant women (observation group) did not receive any antiviral therapy. The success rate for the prevention of perinatal transmission was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the observation group (100% vs 89.47%, χ (2) = 9.862, P = 0.028). There was no significant difference in the incidence of ALT elevation during treatment and within 6 months after drug withdrawal between the treatment group and the observation group (4.81% (5/104) vs 4.00% (1/25), χ (2) = 0.030, P = 1.000). In the treatment group, the mean HBV DNA at baseline was significantly higher than that before childbirth (8.20±0.78 vs 3.98±0.90 log10IU/ml, t = 6.979, P < 0.001). One hundred patients with drug withdrawal had HBV DNA increased to 8.11±0.80 log10 IU/ml at one month after childbirth.

CONCLUSION

LdT treatment at the end of pregnancy can effectively reduce the incidence of perinatal transmission of HBV in pregnant women with high viremia in immune-tolerant phase. The immediate drug withdrawal after childbirth is safe for the mother. The incidence of hepatitis is low after drug withdrawal.

A transcriptional cofactor YAP regulates IFNT expression via transcription factor TEAD in bovine conceptuses

Interferon tau (IFNT) is the pregnancy recognition protein in all ruminants, and its expression is restricted to trophoblast cells. Interferon tau production increases as the conceptus elongates; however, its expression is downregulated soon after the initiation of conceptus attachment to the uterine epithelium. Our previous study identified that among 8 bovine IFNT genes, only 2 forms of IFNTs, IFNT2 and IFN-tau-c1, were expressed by the conceptuses during the periattachment period. To characterize whether Hippo signaling including a transcription cofactor yes-associated protein (YAP) was involved in the IFNT regulation, we examined the expression and effects of YAP and/or TEAD in human choriocarcinoma JEG3 and bovine trophoblast CT-1 cells, and in bovine conceptuses obtained from day 17, 20 or 22 pregnant animals (pregnant day 19.5 = day of conceptus attachment to the endometrium). YAP was expressed in bovine conceptuses and transfection of YAP or TEAD4, a transcription factor partner of YAP, expression plasmid increased the luciferase activity of IFNT2 and IFN-tau-c1 reporter plasmids in JEG3 cells. In the presence of YAP expression plasmid, TEAD2 or TEAD4 expression plasmid further upregulated transcriptional activity of IFNT2 or IFN-tau-c1 constructs, which were substantially reduced in the absence of the TEAD-binding site on IFNT2 or IFN-tau-c1 promoter region in JEG3 cells. In CT-1 cells, treatment with TEAD2, TEAD4, or YAP small-interfering RNA downregulated endogenous IFNT expression. It should be noted that TEAD2 and TEAD4 were predominantly localized in the nuclei of trophectoderm of Day 17 conceptuses, but nuclear localization appeared to be lower in those cells of conceptuses on days 20 and 22 of pregnancy. Moreover, the binding of TEAD4 to the TEAD-binding site of the IFN-tau-c1 promoter region in day 17 conceptuses was less in day 20 and 22 conceptuses. Furthermore, the level of YAP phosphorylation increased in day 20 and 22 conceptuses. These results indicated that although YAP/TEAD had the ability to up-regulate IFNT gene transcription on day 17, IFNT2 or IFN-tau-c1 was down-regulated following changes in the localization of TEAD2 and TEAD4 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and increases in phosphorylation and degradation of YAP. These data suggest that TEAD relocation and/or YAP degradation following its phosphorylation down-regulates IFNT gene transcription after conceptus attachment to the uterine endometrium.

Electronic property and charge carrier mobility of one-dimensional nanowires consisting of C20 cages

This work presented theoretical studies on the one-dimensional (1D) nanowires constructed from fullerene C20 cages based on first-principle calculations. The relative energies, electronic, charge transport, and mechanical properties of the 1D nanowires were investigated systemically and in detail. It is found that formations of the C20 nanowires built from isolated cages were all energetically favorable. They also exhibit high kinetic stability according to molecular dynamics simulations. Although they were all constructed with C20 cages as building blocks, NW-2–NW-6, and NW-9 are semiconductors, whereas NW-1, NW-7, and NW-8 exhibit metallic property. Thus the metallic/semiconducting properties of the 1D C20 nanowires can be mainly determined by the connecting patterns. High charge mobility was revealed for the 1D C20 nanowires based on the deformation potential theory and effective mass approach. Further understanding of the charge mobility is achieved with the aid of crystal orbital analyses. Moreover, the mechanical property of the 1D C20 nanowires was also studied based on the results of Young’s modulus.

[An experimental study of mesenchymal stem cells in tissue engineering scaffolds implanted in rabbit corneal lamellae to increase keratoprosthesis biointegration]

OBJECTIVE

To complete a preliminary evaluation of the feasibility of implanting the complex of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) and a tissue engineering scaffold into rabbit corneal lamellae, based on which a solution may be proposed to consolidate the keratoprosthesis and the recipient surface, and to reduce the risk of complications.

METHODS

This experimental study was composed of two parts. (1) In vitro: some mouse BMSC were marked with red fluorescent proteins (RFP) and integrated with a decellularized pig articular cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold. The cell survival was observed under a fluorescence microscope at 4 and 8 weeks. The cell distribution was examined by toluidine blue staining. The pore structure and the cell adhesion were observed under a scanning electron microscope. (2) in vivo: the complex of mouse BMSC and a decellularized scaffold was implanted into the lamellar cornea of 8 rabbit eyes with the fellow eyes as the controls. The eyes were sampled for observation using HE staining under a light microscope at 2, 4 and 8 weeks, respectively. The cell survival was examined under a fluorescence microscope, and the intracorneal cell survival at 8 weeks was observed using in vivo imaging. The conditions of ocular anterior segment of all the experimental animals were recorded.

RESULTS

(1) Under the scanning electron microscope, the ECM scaffolds showed satisfactory porosity required for the adhesion and growth of cells and tissues, and the cell distribution over the cell-scaffold complex can be observed by toluidine blue staining. (2) Under the immunofluorescence microscope, cell proliferation was observed in vitro and in the interlamellar space (the maximum observation time was 8 weeks) after the RFP-marked mouse BMSC were integrated in vitro with ECM scaffolds. (3) Under the light microscope (HE staining), the stromal cells were detected to increase at each timepoint. A small number of monocytes and some mouse BMSC were observed in the superficial layer of corneal stroma, with sparsely and orderly arranged collagenous fibers and no neovascularization. All the epithelial cells appeared as mononuclear, columnar and undamaged, and the shape of ECM scaffolds, which were fused with the collagens, became unclear. (4) By in vivo imaging, it was found that the mouse BMSC survived for 8 weeks after being integrated with scaffolds and implanted into the interlamellar space of rabbit cornea. (5) After the implantation of cell-scaffold complex, severe postoperative inflammatory reactions, obvious conjunctival congestion and neovascularization were not observed. The corneal tissues surrounding the recipient area were transparent. One week later, mild inflammatory reactions were barely observed, and the cornea was transparent enough to observe the scaffold in the stromal layers. Four weeks later, the scaffolds became thinner. Eight weeks later, the scaffolds became extremely thin with normal vascular system in the corneal limbus.

CONCLUSIONS

The ECM scaffold is a solid and biocompatible carrier for the growth and proliferation of BMSC. The mouse BMSC can grow and proliferate in the microenvironment of the interlamellar space of cornea.

Real-time PCR assay with high resolution melting for EGFR and BIM mutation of lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

To establish and develop a reliable and simple Real-time PCR assay with high resolution melting (Real-time PCR-HRM) method for detection epidermal growth factor (EGFR) and BIM mutation of lung cancer and looking for effective targeted drugs to control lung cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 6858 participants (2538 cases with lung cancer and 4275 healthy controls who took part in the study by doing the physical examination in Shanghai Xuhui community) were recruited in the study. Clinical characteristics and 5 ml peripheral blood were collected from each participant, and the DNA has been extracted, which were determined the EGFR and BIM mutation by Real-time PCR-HRM. Data were recorded and Statistical analyses.

RESULTS

All samples completed the study. BIM deletion polymorphism was no related with age, sex, and smoking or EGFR mutation.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no relations among BIM deletion polymorphism, EGFR mutation or lung cancer risk. HRM is a novel procedure and provides rapid, sensitive, specific and simultaneous detection for gene mutation of cancer patients for predicting the efficacy of targeted therapy.

Electronic Property Modulation of One-Dimensional Extended Graphdiyne Nanowires from a First-Principle Crystal Orbital View

Graphdiyne and derivatives with delocalized π‐electron systems are of particular interest owing to their structural, electronic, and transport properties, which are important for potential applications in next‐generation electronics. Inspired by recently obtained extended graphdiyne nanowires, explorations of the modulation of the band gap and carrier mobility of this new species are still needed before application in device fabrication. To provide a deeper understanding of these issues, herein we present theoretical studies of one‐dimensional extended graphdiyne nanowires using first‐principle calculations. Modulation of the electronic properties of the extended graphdiyne nanowire was investigated systemically by considering several chemical and physical factors, including electric field, chemical functionalization, and carbo‐merization. The band gap was observed to increase upon application of an electric field parallel to the plane of the synthesized graphdiyne nanowire in a non‐periodic direction. Although chemical functionalization and carbo‐merization caused the band gaps to decrease, the semiconducting property of the nanowires was preserved. Band gap engineering of the extended graphdiyne nanowires was explored regarding the field strength and the number of −C≡C− units in the carbon chain fragments. The charge carrier mobility of chemically functionalized and carbo‐merized extended graphdiyne nanowires was also calculated to provide a comparison with pristine nanowire. Moreover, crystal orbital analysis was performed in order to discern the electronic and charge transport properties of the extended graphdiyne nanowires modified by the aforementioned chemical and physical factors.

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of Fem1b from oriental river prawn Macrobrachium nipponense

Feminization-1 homolog b (Fem1b) is one of the genes essential for male development and play central roles in sex determination of Caenorhabditis elegans. In this study, we cloned and characterized the full-length Fem1b cDNA from the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium nipponense (MnFem1b) in different tissues and at different developmental stages. Real-time quantitative reverse polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) showed that the MnFem1b gene was expressed in all investigated tissues, with the highest expression level found in the testes. The results revealed that the MnFem1b gene might play roles in aspects of development of the male prawn phenotype. The RT-qPCR also revealed that MnFem1b mRNA expression was significantly increased at 10 days after metamorphosis. The expression levels in all investigated tissues showed a certain degree of sexually dimorphism, the expression levels in males were significantly higher than those in females (P < 0.05). Notably, the highest expression of MnFem1b was found in the testes. The expression of MnFem1b in different tissues indicates that it plays multiple biological functions in M. nipponense.

Association between the pre-miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism and gastric cancer susceptibility in a Chinese population

We did a case-control study to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of the association of the pre-miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism with gastric cancer. Between January 2013 and December 2014, 182 patients newly diagnosed with primary gastric cancer and 182 control subjects were recruited at Zhengzhou People's Hospital. For SNP genotyping, we used the Assay Designer 3.1 to design the primers of polymerase chain reaction. Using the chi-square test, we found that patients with gastric cancer were more likely to be alcohol drinkers (χ(2) = 4.4, P = 0.04), to have a family history of cancer in the first relatives (χ(2) = 5.29, P = 0.02), and to be infected with Helicobacter pylori (χ(2) = 23.39, P < 0.001). A significant difference in the genotype distributions of rs11614913 was observed in our study (χ(2) = 6.66, P = 0.04). By logistic regression analysis, we found that the CC genotype of rs11614913 was associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer in a codominant model (OR = 2.68, 95%CI = 1.17-6.44). By stratification analysis, we found that the CC genotype was associated with a strongly increased risk of gastric cancer in drinkers when compared with the TT+TC genotype (OR = 5.63, 95%CI = 1.54-30.76). In conclusion, the results of our study suggest an association between the rs11614913 gene polymorphism and an elevated risk of gastric cancer, especially in drinkers.

Malignant pleural effusion cell blocks are substitutes for tissue in EML4-ALK rearrangement detection in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility of malignant pleural effusions (MPE) as surrogate samples for the detection of echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like4 (EML4)-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and to investigate the prognostic and predictive value of EML4-ALK in MPE of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODS

One hundred and nine NSCLC patients were retrospectively analysed. EML4-ALK was identified using paraffin-embedded tumour cells in MPE samples by immunohistochemistry (IHC, Ventana) and confirmed by fluorescence using in situ hybridisation (FISH) and qRT-PCR. The EGFR mutation was determined by MPE, using denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC).

RESULTS

A total of 5 out of 109 (4.58%) patients were identified as EML4-ALK rearrangement in MPE by IHC.; In addition to two metachronous samples, the consistency of MPE and tissue for EML4-ALK detection was 100% (21/21), and the sensitivity and specificity were 100% (2/2) and 100% (19/19), respectively. EML4-ALK rearrangement cases were confirmed by FISH and qRT-PCR; the sensitivity were both 100% (2/2) when compared with tissue, and it was 60% (3/5) and 100% (5/5), respectively, when compared with MPE by IHC. The overall response rate (ORR) was 100% (2/2) for patients with EML4-ALK in MPE. Moreover, the PFS of these patients appeared to be prolonged in chemotherapy (9.27 versus 6.53 and versus 4.67 months, P = 0.122), compared with the EGFR mutation and the EGFR/ALK double negative group, respectively.

CONCLUSION

EML4-ALK rearrangement detection in malignant pleural effusions is a complementary method for EML4-ALK detection. VETANA and qRT-PCR are more appropriate for MPE detection. EML4-ALK rearrangement in pleural effusions has a predictive value for treatment.

Association between ERCC5 gene polymorphisms and gastric cancer risk in a Chinese population

We conducted a hospital-based case-control study to investigate the association between 3 common SNPs in the ERCC5 gene (rs1047768, rs751402, and rs17655) and the risk of developing gastric cancer. Between January 2013 and December 2014, samples were collected from 216 gastric cancer patients and 216 control subjects. ERCC5 rs1047768, rs751402, and rs17655 polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. By conditional logistic regression analysis, the GG genotype of rs17655 was found to be associated with an elevated risk of gastric cancer in a codominant model, and the adjusted OR (95%CI) was 1.96 (1.10-3.50). Moreover, in a dominant model, the CG + GG genotype of rs17655 was correlated with an increased risk of gastric cancer compared to the CC genotype (OR = 1.48; 95%CI = 1.00-2.22). rs1047768 and rs751402 were not significantly correlated with an increased or decreased gastric cancer risk.

Crystal orbital studies on the 1D silic-diyne nanoribbons and nanotubes

This work presents crystal orbital studies on novel one-dimensional (1D) nanoscale materials derived from a Si-diyne sheet, based on the density functional theory. The two-dimensional (2D) Si-diyne layer is observed to be carbo-merized silicene, with a similar structure to graphdiyne. The 2D Si-diyne and its 1D ribbons and tubes, of different size and chirality, have been addressed systematically. The low dimensional Si-diyne materials studied exhibit relatively high stability, according to phonon-frequency calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. With comparable diameters, the Si-diyne tubes have lower strain energies than silicene and silicon carbide nanotubes. The Si-diyne layer and its 1D derivatives are all semiconductors, regardless of the size and chirality of the strips and tubes. In addition, the band gaps of the 1D Si-diyne nanoribbons and nanotubes with different chirality, always monotonically decrease as their sizes increases. A quantitative relationship between the band gap and the size of the ribbons and tubes was obtained. The mobility of charge carriers for the 1D Si-diyne structures was also investigated. It was found that both hole and electron mobility of the ribbons and tubes exhibit linear increase with increasing size. The electrons have greater mobility than the holes for each strip and tube. In addition, the mechanical properties of the Si-diyne nanostructures were also investigated by calculation of the Young's modulus and the Poisson's ratio.

A study on mediating the crystallization behavior of PBT through intermolecular hydrogen-bonding

The intermolecular hydrogen-bonding formed between PBT and TDP can efficiently mediate the crystallization behavior of PBT.

Effects of dietary supplementation of fulvic acid on lipid metabolism of finishing pigs

The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of fulvic acid on lipid metabolism of finishing pigs. One hundred eighty crossbred barrows (Landrace × Yorkshire, 60 ± 2.5 kg) were randomly allotted to 5 dietary treatments (36 pigs/treatment) and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, and 0.8% fulvic acid for 42 d. Thirty pigs (6 pigs/treatment) were slaughtered at the end of the experiment. Blood samples and adipose tissue were collected for determination of blood parameters and lipid metabolic enzymes. The results showed that compared with the control group, dietary supplementation of 0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% fulvic acid significantly reduced mean backfat thickness of pigs (P < 0.05). The serum concentrations of low-density lipoprotein, leptin, growth hormone, insulin, and triiodothyronine were significantly increased by adding fulvic acid in diets (P < 0.05). With the raised concentration of dietary fulvic acid, hormone sensitive lipase (HSL) activity was significantly increased (P < 0.05), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in adipose tissue. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of fulvic acid reduced the mean backfat thickness of pigs. This change related to the increased activity of HSL and the decreased activity of LPL in adipose tissue.