Metal mixture (As-Cd-Pb)-induced cell transformation is modulated by OLA1

A verification of correlation between chemical monitoring and multi-biomarker approach using clam Ruditapes philippinarum and scallop Chlamys farreri to assess the impact of pollution in Shandong coastal area of China

Biogeochemical monitoring coupled with multi-biomarker approach were performed for the assessment of marine environment, using clam Ruditapes philippinarum and scallop Chlamys farreri to indicate contamination status in sediments and seawater respectively. The bivalves were collected from three stations, Jiaozhou Bay, Rushan Bay and Laizhou Bay, of Shandong coastal area. A series of contaminants (PAHs and TBBPA) and biomarkers (AhR, EROD, GST, SOD, GPx, CAT, DNA damage) were measured. Multi-biomarker pollution index (MPI) and integrated biomarker response (IBR) were carried out to evaluate contamination status and both indexes showed that Rushan Bay was most polluted, where the pollution level of sediments reached "highly polluted" in August, followed by Jiaozhou Bay and Rushan Bay which reached "lightly polluted". The correlation of IBR values with contaminants' concentrations was verified through the Pearson correlation coefficient (p < 0.05), consolidating this scientific assessment method for marine environment.

Obg-Like ATPase 1 Enhances Chemoresistance of Breast Cancer via Activation of TGF-β/Smad Axis Cascades

Understanding the molecular mechanism of drug resistance helps to identify an effective target for breast cancer therapy. In this study we investigated the regulatory role of Obg-like ATPase 1 which is involved in multiple uses of drug resistance against breast cancer. Paclitaxel resistant cell line (MCF-7-PTR) was developed by a continuous increasing paclitaxel concentration. MTT assay was used to validate either acquired resistant or OLA1 modified cell lines. qRT-PCR, western blotting, apoptosis, and cell cycle assays were executed to evaluate gene and protein expression in cell lines. A series of in vitro assays was performed in the cells with RNAi-mediated knockdown to expound the regulatory function of OLA1 in breast cancer. We demonstrated that OLA1 was highly correlated with either acquired or intrinsic resistance of breast cancer. Further study showed that escalated expression of OLA1 promoted the EMT process in tumor cells through TGF-β/Smad signaling cascades, resulting in the enhanced expression of anti-apoptosis-related proteins (cleaved caspase3, Bax, Bcl-2) and the strengthening depolymerization of microtubules in tumor cells. Our findings revealed that OLA1 enhanced the anti-apoptotic ability and elucidated a regulatory role of OLA1 in promoting chemotherapy resistance of breast cancer. Chemo-sensitivity of the disease can be thus enhanced significantly by knocked down OLA1, which led to the inactivation of the TGF-β/Smad signaling cascades, polymerized microtubules, and promoted cell apoptosis. Our data suggest that OLA1 may be developed as a potential target to improve chemotherapy of patients with breast cancer.

Responses of the grass Paspalum distichum L. to Hg stress: A proteomic study

Paspalum distichum L. was tested to evaluate its ability to phytoremediate mercury (Hg) contaminated soil over a 60-d period by analysis of the total Hg concentrations in roots and leaves. Hg concentration in Hg-contamination soil decreased by 70.0 μg g^-1 after 60 day of grass cultivation and Hg was readily taken up by the roots (4.51 ± 1.90 μg g^-1) rather than the leaves (0.35 ± 0.02 μg g^-1). In addition, a comparative proteomic study was performed to unravel the protein expression involved in the Hg stress response in P. distichum L. A total of 49 proteins were classified as differentially proteins in the roots by the 'top three' proteomic analysis, of which 32 were up-regulated and 17 down-regulated in response to Hg stress. These changed proteins were classified by gene ontology analysis into five complex molecular functions involving photosynthesis and energy metabolism (31%), oxidative stress (14%), protein folding (16%), sulfur compound metabolism (10%), metal binding, and ion transport (29%). Moreover, the protein expression patterns were consistent with the metabolism pathway results. Overall, the results contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the Hg response in P. distichum and we propose a theoretical basis for the phytoremediation of Hg-contaminated soils.

A multi-biomarker approach in scallop Chlamys farreri to assess the impact of contaminants in Qingdao coastal area of China

A multi-biomarker approach was carried out to classify the environmental quality and the adverse effects of contaminants on scallop Chlamys farreri. The scallops were collected from three sampling stations in Qingdao coastal area of China in March, May, August and October of 2015. A suite of environmental factors and biomarkers, including temperature, salinity, pH, the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) and metals (Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, As) in seawater and soft tissue, mRNA expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), uridine-diphosphate-glucuronyl-transferase (UGT), sulfotransferase (SULT), metallothionein (MT), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT), lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein carbonyl (PC) contents and DNA strand breaks, were measured in the gill and digestive gland. The results showed that S2 was the most polluted while S1 was identified the least polluted. Despite the differentiation of pollution levels and environmental parameters the selected biomarkers responded efficiently to contaminants. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that EROD for PAHs, AhR for TBBPA, MT for Cr, Pb and Mn, LPO and PC for Zn were the effective biomarkers respectively. This study demonstrated that the application of multi-biomarker approach in conjunction with the traditional analysis of environmental parameters and contaminants provided valuable information in environmental risk assessment.