396 results on '"Mei, Feng"'
Search Results
2. Nitrobenzoate-Derived Compound X8 Impairs Vascular Development in Zebrafish
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Chien-Chih Chiu, Hsieng-Kuo Chin, Sen-Yuan Chung, Kuan-Hsuan Hsieh, Yi-Shan Huang, Mei-Feng Huang, Yi-Hao Lo, Zhi-Hong Wen, and Chang-Yi Wu
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nitrobenzoate compound ,intersegmental vessel ,caudal vein plexus ,vascular development and zebrafish ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Proper growth and patterning of blood vessels are critical for embryogenesis. Chemicals or environmental hormones may interfere with vascular growth and cause developmental defects. Nitrobenzoate-based compounds have been demonstrated to have a wide range of biological and pharmacological functions, leading to the development of numerous 4-nitrobenzoate derivatives for clinical application. In this study, we tested a novel nitrobenzoate-derived compound, X8, and investigated its effects on vascular development using zebrafish as a model organism. We first determined the survival rate of embryos after the addition of exogenous X8 (0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 μM) to the fish medium and determined a sublethal dose of 3 μM for use in further assays. We used transgenic fish to examine the effects of X8 treatment on vascular development. At 25–32 h postfertilization (hpf), X8 treatment impaired the growth of intersegmental vessels (ISVs) and caudal vein plexuses (CVPs). Moreover, X8-treated embryos exhibited pericardial edema and circulatory defects at 60–72 hpf, suggesting the effects of X8 in vasculature. Apoptosis tests showed that the vascular defects were likely caused by the inhibition of proliferation and migration. To investigate the molecular impacts underlying the defects in the vasculature of X8-treated fish, the expression levels of vascular markers, including ephrinb2, mrc1, and stabilin, were assessed, and the decreased expression of those genes was detected, indicating that X8 inhibited the expression of vascular genes. Finally, we showed that X8 treatment disrupted exogenous GS4012-induced angiogenesis in Tg(flk:egfp) zebrafish embryos. In addition, vascular defects were enhanced during cotreatment with X8 and the VEGFR2 inhibitor SU5416, suggesting that X8 treatment causes vascular defects mediated by disruption of VEGF/VEGFR2 signaling. Collectively, our findings indicate that X8 could be developed as a novel antiangiogenic agent.
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- 2022
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3. Length-Dependent Structural Transformations of Huntingtin PolyQ Domain Upon Binding to 2D-Nanomaterials
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Mei Feng, David R. Bell, Zhenhua Wang, and Wei Zhang
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MD simulation ,polyQ ,graphene ,MoS2 nanosheet ,Huntington's disease (HD) ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
There is a strong negative correlation between the polyglutamine (polyQ) domain length (Q-length) in the intrinsically disordered Huntingtin protein (Htt) exon-1 and the age of onset of Huntington's disease (HD). PolyQ of Q-length longer than 40 has the propensity of forming very compact aggregate structures, leading to HD at full penetrance. Recent advances in nanobiotechnology provided a new platform for the development of novel diagnosis and therapeutics. Here, we explore the possibility of utilizing 2D-nanomaterials to inhibit the formation of supercompact polyQ structures through the so-called “folding-upon-binding” where the protein structure is dependent on the binding substrate. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we characterize two polyQ peptides with Q-length of 22 (Q22, normal length) and 46 (Q46, typical length causing HD) binding to both graphene and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanosheets, which have been applied as antibacterial or anticancer agents. Upon binding, Q22 unfolds and elongates on both grapheme and MoS2 surfaces, regardless of its initial conformation, with graphene showing slightly stronger effect. In contrast, initially collapsed Q46 remains mostly collapsed within our simulation time on both nanosheets even though they do provide some “stretching” to Q46 as well. Further analyses indicate that the hydrophobic nature of graphene/MoS2 promotes the stretching of polyQ on nanosheets. However, there is strong competition with the intra-polyQ interactions (mainly internal hydrogen bonds) leading to the disparate folding/binding behaviors of Q22 and Q46. Our results present distinct Q-length specific behavior of the polyQ domain upon binding to two types of 2D-nanomaterials which holds clinical relevance for Huntington's disease.
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- 2020
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4. Functional Antibacterial Nanometer Zinc Ion Yarns: Manufacturing Technique and Antimicrobial Efficacy against Escherichia coli
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Ching-Wen Lou, Ming-Chun Hsieh, Mei-Feng Lai, Mong-Chuan Lee, and Jia-Horng Lin
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zinc ion ,twist coefficient ,antimicrobial efficacy ,antibacterial rate ,Escherichia coli (E. coli) ,colony count ,Technology ,Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General) ,TA1-2040 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Physics ,QC1-999 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
People are no longer satisfied with only comfortable textile clothing with advanced technology and elevated standard of living and, thus, are gradually preferring functional textiles. In the meanwhile, the spread of medical knowledge has educated the public about the antimicrobial concept. In this study, composed of different twist coefficients and different numbers of plies, the zinc ion twisted yarns are made into knitted fabrics. Next, the knitted fabrics are examined for water vapor transmission rate and antimicrobial efficacy. The test results indicate that the water vapor transmission rate is 1013 g/m2/day for 2Zn-0C-K and 981 g/m2/day for 3Zn-0C-K. However, a rise in the twist coefficient adversely affects the water vapor transmission rate. The fabric 2Zn-3C-K exhibits the maximal air permeability of 265 cm3/cm2/s and 3Zn-3C-K 186 cm3/cm2/s. Regardless of whether it is at OD600, colony count observation, or antibacterial rate, 3Zn-5C-K exhibits the maximal antibacterial rate with the value being 0.45 at OD600 and the optimal antimicrobial efficacy being 85%. To sum up, based on the interest of the test results, production cost, and manufacturing process evaluation, 2Zn-5C-K is the optimal nonwoven fabric that achieved the maximal effects.
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- 2021
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5. Ibudilast Mitigates Delayed Bone Healing Caused by Lipopolysaccharide by Altering Osteoblast and Osteoclast Activity
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Yuhan Chang, Chih-Chien Hu, Ying-Yu Wu, Steve W. N. Ueng, Chih-Hsiang Chang, and Mei-Feng Chen
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lipopolysaccharide ,osteoblast ,osteoclast ,bone healing ,bone bridge ,callus bone ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Bacterial infection in orthopedic surgery is challenging because cell wall components released after bactericidal treatment can alter osteoblast and osteoclast activity and impair fracture stability. However, the precise effects and mechanisms whereby cell wall components impair bone healing are unclear. In this study, we characterized the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on bone healing and osteoclast and osteoblast activity in vitro and in vivo and evaluated the effects of ibudilast, an antagonist of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), on LPS-induced changes. In particular, micro-computed tomography was used to reconstruct femoral morphology and analyze callus bone content in a femoral defect mouse model. In the sham-treated group, significant bone bridge and cancellous bone formation were observed after surgery, however, LPS treatment delayed bone bridge and cancellous bone formation. LPS inhibited osteogenic factor-induced MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, calcium deposition, and osteopontin secretion and increased the activity of osteoclast-associated molecules, including cathepsin K and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase in vitro. Finally, ibudilast blocked the LPS-induced inhibition of osteoblast activation and activation of osteoclast in vitro and attenuated LPS-induced delayed callus bone formation in vivo. Our results provide a basis for the development of a novel strategy for the treatment of bone infection.
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- 2021
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6. An electrochemical biosensor based on DNA 'nano-bridge' for amplified detection of exosomal microRNAs
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Wenqian Chen, Wenshen Wang, Mei-Feng Hou, Jing Zhang, Huifang Mao, Jinghua Chen, and Guanyu Chen
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Detection limit ,biology ,02 engineering and technology ,General Chemistry ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,Horseradish peroxidase ,0104 chemical sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Biotin ,microRNA ,Electrode ,Nano ,biology.protein ,Biophysics ,0210 nano-technology ,Biosensor ,DNA - Abstract
Exosomal miRNAs, as potential biomarkers in liquid biopsy for cancer early diagnosis, have aroused widespread concern. Herein, an electrochemical biosensor based on DNA “nano-bridge” was designed and applied to detect exosomal microRNA-21 (miR-21) derived from breast cancer cells. In brief, the target miR-21 can specifically open the hairpin probe 1(HP1) labeled on the gold electrode (GE) surface through strand displacement reaction. Thus the exposed loop region of HP1 can act as an initiator sequence to activate the hybridization chain reaction (HCR) between two kinetically trapped hairpin probes: HP2 immobilized on the GE surface and biotin labeled HP3 in solution. Cascade HCR leads to the formation of DNA “nano-bridge” tethered to the GE surface with a great deal of “piers”. Upon addition of avidin-modified horseradish peroxidase (HRP), numerous HRP were bound to the formed “nano-bridge” through biotin-avidin interaction to arouse tremendous current signal. In theory, only a single miR-21 is able to trigger the continuous HCR between HP2 and HP3 until all of the HP2 are exhausted. Therefore the proposed biosensor achieved ultrahigh sensitivity toward miR-21 with the detection limit down to 168 amol/L, as well as little cross-hybridization even at the single-base-mismatched level. Successful attempts were also made in the detection of exosomal miR-21 obtained from the MCF-7 of breast cancer cell line. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to built horizontal DNA nano-structure on the electrode surface for exosomal miRNAs detection. In a word, the high sensitivity, selectivity, low cost make the proposed method hold great potential application for early point-of-care (POC) diagnostics of cancer.
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- 2021
7. Lipoteichoic Acid Accelerates Bone Healing by Enhancing Osteoblast Differentiation and Inhibiting Osteoclast Activation in a Mouse Model of Femoral Defects
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Chih-Chien Hu, Chih-Hsiang Chang, Yi-min Hsiao, Yuhan Chang, Ying-Yu Wu, Steve W. N. Ueng, and Mei-Feng Chen
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lipoteichoic acid ,bone healing ,femoral defect ,fracture ,alkaline phosphatase ,osteopontin ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is a cell wall component of Gram-positive bacteria. Limited data suggest that LTA is beneficial for bone regeneration in vitro. Thus, we used a mouse model of femoral defects to explore the effects of LTA on bone healing in vivo. Micro-computed tomography analysis and double-fluorochrome labeling were utilized to examine whether LTA can accelerate dynamic bone formation in vivo. The effects of LTA on osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis were also studied in vitro. LTA treatment induced prompt bone bridge formation, rapid endochondral ossification, and accelerated healing of fractures in mice with femoral bone defects. In vitro, LTA directly enhanced indicators of osteogenic factor-induced MC3T3-E1 cell differentiation, including alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium deposition and osteopontin expression. LTA also inhibited osteoclast activation induced by receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand. We identified six molecules that may be associated with LTA-accelerated bone healing: monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1, cystatin C, growth/differentiation factor 15, endostatin and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. Finally, double-fluorochrome, dynamic-labeling data indicated that LTA significantly enhanced bone-formation rates in vivo. In conclusion, our findings suggest that LTA has promising bone-regeneration properties.
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- 2020
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8. Synovial Fluid Interleukin-16 Contributes to Osteoclast Activation and Bone Loss through the JNK/NFATc1 Signaling Cascade in Patients with Periprosthetic Joint Infection
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Yuhan Chang, Yi-min Hsiao, Chih-Chien Hu, Chih-Hsiang Chang, Cai-Yan Li, Steve W. N. Ueng, and Mei-Feng Chen
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synovial fluid ,interleukin-16 ,periprosthetic joint infection ,osteoclast ,bone loss ,c-Jun N-terminal kinase ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Because of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated effects on osteoclast differentiation and bone loss, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) caused by Gram-negative bacteria increases the risk of aseptic loosening after reimplantation. Synovial fluid interleukin-16 (IL-16) expression was higher in patients with PJI than in patients without joint infection. Thus, we explored the effects of IL-16 on bone. We investigated whether IL-16 modulates osteoclast or osteoblast differentiation in vitro. An LPS-induced bone loss mice model was used to explore the possible advantages of IL-16 inhibition for the prevention of bone loss. IL-16 directly activated p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling and increased osteoclast activation markers, including tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), cathepsin K, and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1). IL-16 directly caused monocytes to differentiate into TRAP-positive osteoclast-like cells through NFATc1 activation dependent on JNK/MAPK signaling. Moreover, IL-16 did not alter alkaline phosphatase activity or calcium deposition during osteoblastic differentiation. Finally, IL-16 inhibition prevented LPS-induced trabecular bone loss and osteoclast activation in vivo. IL-16 directly increased osteoclast activation through the JNK/NFATc1 pathway. IL-16 inhibition could represent a new strategy for treating infection-associated bone loss.
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- 2020
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9. Three Isoflavonoid Glycosides from the Rhizomes of Achyranthes bidentata and their Protective Effects on H2O2 Induced H9c2 Cardiomyocytes Injury
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Zhi-Min Wang, Ling-Xia Zhang, Ping Wang, Li-Ping Dai, Yue Li, Qing-Mei Feng, Jun Chi, and Qingxia Li
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Pharmacology ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,biology ,chemistry ,Traditional medicine ,Isoflavonoid ,Organic Chemistry ,Drug Discovery ,Glycoside ,Plant Science ,biology.organism_classification ,Achyranthes bidentata ,Rhizome - Published
- 2021
10. Let-7a-5p regulated by lncRNA-MEG3 promotes functional differentiation to Schwann cells from adipose derived stem cells via directly inhibiting RBPJ-mediating Notch pathway
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Zhi-Fei Wang, Liang Yang, Wei Wang, Mei-Feng Gu, Xiang-Min Shen, and Jie Zhang
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Cancer Research ,Clinical Biochemistry ,SOX10 ,Notch signaling pathway ,Pharmaceutical Science ,Schwann cell ,Apoptosis ,medicine ,Pharmacology ,MEG3 ,RBPJ ,Chemistry ,Stem Cells ,Biochemistry (medical) ,Cell Differentiation ,Cell Biology ,Cell biology ,Blot ,MicroRNAs ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Adipose Tissue ,nervous system ,RNA, Long Noncoding ,Neural cell adhesion molecule ,Schwann Cells ,Stem cell - Abstract
Schwann cells (SCs) have important roles in supporting and repairing peripheral neurons, and thus have great potential for nerve injury treatment. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be reliably induced to differentiate into SCs. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. We explored the roles of MEG3/let-7a-5p/RBPJ axis in the differentiation into SCs from ADSCs. Primary ADSCs were induced to differentiate into SCs by appropriate reagents. ELISA, immunostaining, Western blotting, and qRT-PCR were employed to examine levels of SC-markers such as S100, GFAP, SOX10, p75NTR, GAP43, MPZ, β-NGF, BDNF, and NCAM and let-7 family, MEG3, RBPJ, and Notch signaling related proteins. Dual luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation were performed to validate interactions of let-7a-5p/RBPJ mRNA and MEG3/let-7a-5p. Cultured ADSCs could be induced to differentiate into functional SCs. Let-7a-5p and let-7d-5p were elevated during the differentiation while MEG3 and RBPJ/Notch-signaling were suppressed. Let-7a-5p mimics promoted ADSC differentiation into SCs and up-regulated the levels of SC-related markers including S100, GFAP, SOX10, p75NTR, GAP43, MPZ, β-NGF, and NCAM, while RBPJ or MEG3 overexpression retarded the differentiation and reduced those levels. Let-7a-5p directly targeted RBPJ and MEG3 disinhibited Notch-RBPJ signaling via sponging let-7a-5p. RBPJ overexpression reversed the acceleration of let-7a-5p mimics on SC differentiation while let-7a-5p mimics blocked MEG3-mediated suppression on SC differentiation. Let-7a-5p sponged by MEG3 promotes differentiation of ADSCs into SCs via suppressing Notch signaling by targeting RBPJ. These findings shed light on mechanisms underlying the differentiation of ADSCs to SCs and provide avenues to accelerate the process.
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- 2021
11. Polypropylene/Carbon Fiber Composite Layered Materials: Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Effect and Mechanical Performance
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Ching-Hua Wang, Mei-Feng Lai, Ching Wen Lou, Jia-Horng Lin, Yu-Chun Chuang, and Chen-Hung Huang
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Polypropylene ,Materials science ,Polymers and Plastics ,General Chemical Engineering ,General Chemistry ,Carbon black ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Flexural strength ,EMI ,Ultimate tensile strength ,Electromagnetic shielding ,Composite material ,Electrical conductor ,Order of magnitude - Abstract
In this study, conductive polymer composites and conductive functional fabrics are combined to serve as electromagnetic shielding planks. Polypropylene (PP), carbon black (CB), and short carbon fibers (SCF) are blended at different ratios to form conductive polymer composites (i.e. PCS series). The mechanical property, electrical property, morphology, and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of the PCS series are evaluated. The test results show that with 20 wt% of conductive fillers (i.e. CB and SCF), PCS20 exhibits the optimal tensile strength, flexural strength, and electrical property that is 7 order of magnitude higher than that of pure PP plates. Moreover, the EMI SE of this group also reaches −30 dB, which meets level one of civil EMI SE standard. Therefore, PCS20 is used to combine with four conductive sandwiches. The resulting multilayered functional PCS-sandwich planks are tested in terms of mechanical property, morphology, and EMI SE. The test results show that the planks composed of a pure conductive woven sandwich have the maximum tensile property and significantly improved impact resistance. All of the multilayered functional planks have EMI SE that is higher than −50dB and are qualified for the protection level of standard EMI SE electronic devices.
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- 2021
12. Efficient phenol degradation by laccase immobilized on functional magnetic nanoparticles in fixed bed reactor under high‐gradient magnetic field
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Chen Guo, Chun-Zhao Liu, Chun-Lei Liu, Mei Feng, and Ting-Ting Xia
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0106 biological sciences ,Environmental Engineering ,Materials science ,Bioengineering ,01 natural sciences ,Industrial wastewater treatment ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,010608 biotechnology ,fixed bed reactor ,Phenol ,Research Articles ,030304 developmental biology ,Laccase ,0303 health sciences ,technology, industry, and agriculture ,Biodegradation ,magnetic immobilized laccase ,Volumetric flow rate ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,high‐gradient magnetic field ,Volume fraction ,Degradation (geology) ,Magnetic nanoparticles ,phenol degradation ,TP248.13-248.65 ,Biotechnology ,Research Article - Abstract
Enzymatic degradation of emerging contaminants has gained great interest for the past few years. However, free enzyme often incurs high costs in practice. The immobilized laccase on the polyethylenimine (PEI)‐functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4–NH2–PEI–laccase) was fabricated to efficiently degrade phenolic compounds continuously in a newly fixed bed reactor under a high‐gradient magnetic field. The degradation rate of continuous treatment in the bed after 18 h was 2.38 times as high as that of batch treatment after six successive operations with the same treatment duration. Under the optimal conditions of volume fraction of nickel wires mesh, flow rate of phenol solution, phenol concentration, and Fe3O4–NH2–PEI–laccase amount, the degradation rate of phenol kept over 70.30% in 48 h continuous treatment. The fixed bed reactor filled with Fe3O4–NH2–PEI–laccase provided a promising avenue for the continuous biodegradation of phenolic compounds for industrial wastewater in practice.
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- 2021
13. Hierarchically porous Co/C nanocomposites for ultralight high-performance microwave absorption
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Peitao Xie, Zhanhu Guo, Nannan Wu, Mei Feng, Runhua Fan, Yuan Liu, Mang Niu, Chunzhao Liu, Kunyan Sui, Duo Pan, and Rahul Rangrao Patil
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Nanocomposite ,Materials science ,Polymers and Plastics ,Materials Science (miscellaneous) ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Microstructure ,Amorphous carbon ,Chemical engineering ,chemistry ,Carbothermic reaction ,Materials Chemistry ,Ceramics and Composites ,Absorption (electromagnetic radiation) ,Porosity ,Carbon ,Microwave - Abstract
Carbon-based composites have gained extensive attention as microwave absorbing materials due to the lighter weight compared with other materials. In this work, Co/C nanocomposites with Co nanoparticles uniformly distributed in amorphous carbon sheets are prepared by a freezing dry and carbothermic reduction process. Hierarchical porous microstructures (micropores, mesopores, macropores) are achieved by ice template and huge amounts of gas during carbothermal reduction. Excellent absorption performance is achieved at a very low Co/C content (10% and 15%), which is a great success to design ultralight absorbers. At 10% content level, the effective absorption bandwidth is 5.0 GHz with a thin thickness of 1.8 mm, while the absorption bandwidth is 4.7 GHz with a thin thickness of 1.5 mm at 15% Co/C content level. The excellent absorption performance is attributed to excellent impedance matching resulting from synergy of cobalt and carbon and strong interfacial polarization induced by the hierarchical porous microstructures. This work provides a new pathway of designing ultralight absorbers with the advantage of thin thickness and wide bandwidth. Excellent absorption performance is achieved at only 10% Co/C content level, a success to design ultralight absorbers.
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- 2021
14. New Insights into the Degradation of Atrazine by Ultraviolet-Based Techniques
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Yi Mu, Jian-Ping Zou, Shenglian Luo, Ying Chen, Peng Chen, Mei-Feng Wu, and Lumei Qin
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Aqueous solution ,Chemistry ,medicine.disease_cause ,Photochemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Chemistry (miscellaneous) ,medicine ,Nucleophilic substitution ,Environmental Chemistry ,Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous) ,Degradation (geology) ,Atrazine ,Ultraviolet ,Water Science and Technology - Abstract
The combination of ultraviolet (UV) light and H2O2 is generally considered a promising technology for removing atrazine from the aqueous environment due to its high degradation efficiency, but the ...
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- 2021
15. Testis-Specific SEPT12 Expression Affects SUN Protein Localization and is Involved in Mammalian Spermiogenesis
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Chung-Hsin Yeh, Ya-Yun Wang, Shi-Kae Wee, Mei-Feng Chen, Han-Sun Chiang, Pao-Lin Kuo, and Ying-Hung Lin
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spermiogenesis ,SEPT12 ,SPAG4 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Male infertility is observed in approximately 50% of all couples with infertility. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a conventional artificial reproductive technique for treating male infertility, may fail because of a severe low sperm count, immotile sperm, immature sperm, and sperm with structural defects and DNA damage. Our previous studies have revealed that mutations in the septin (SEPT)-coding gene SEPT12 cause teratozoospermia and severe oligozoospermia. These spermatozoa exhibit morphological defects in the head and tail, premature chromosomal condensation, and nuclear damage. Sperm from Sept12 knockout mice also cause the developmental arrest of preimplantation embryos generated through in vitro fertilization and ICSI. Furthermore, we found that SEPT12 interacts with SPAG4, a spermatid nuclear membrane protein that is also named SUN4. Loss of the Spag4 allele in mice also disrupts the integration nuclear envelope and reveals sperm head defects. However, whether SEPT12 affects SPAG4 during mammalian spermiogenesis remains unclear. We thus conducted this study to explore this question. First, we found that SPAG4 and SEPT12 exhibited similar localizations in the postacrosomal region of elongating spermatids and at the neck of mature sperm through isolated murine male germ cells. Second, SEPT12 expression altered the nuclear membrane localization of SPAG4, as observed through confocal microscopy, in a human testicular cancer cell line. Third, SEPT12 expression also altered the localizations of nuclear membrane proteins: LAMINA/C in the cells. This effect was specifically due to the expression of SEPT12 and not that of SEPT1, SEPT6, SEPT7, or SEPT11. Based on these results, we suggest that SEPT12 is among the moderators of SPAG4/LAMIN complexes and is involved in the morphological formation of sperm during mammalian spermiogenesis.
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- 2019
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16. LJELSR: A Strengthened Version of JELSR for Feature Selection and Clustering
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Sha-Sha Wu, Mi-Xiao Hou, Chun-Mei Feng, and Jin-Xing Liu
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differentially expressed genes ,feature selection ,L1-norm ,sample clustering ,sparse constraint ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Feature selection and sample clustering play an important role in bioinformatics. Traditional feature selection methods separate sparse regression and embedding learning. Later, to effectively identify the significant features of the genomic data, Joint Embedding Learning and Sparse Regression (JELSR) is proposed. However, since there are many redundancy and noise values in genomic data, the sparseness of this method is far from enough. In this paper, we propose a strengthened version of JELSR by adding the L1-norm constraint on the regularization term based on a previous model, and call it LJELSR, to further improve the sparseness of the method. Then, we provide a new iterative algorithm to obtain the convergence solution. The experimental results show that our method achieves a state-of-the-art level both in identifying differentially expressed genes and sample clustering on different genomic data compared to previous methods. Additionally, the selected differentially expressed genes may be of great value in medical research.
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- 2019
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17. SEPT12-Microtubule Complexes Are Required for Sperm Head and Tail Formation
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Yen-Ni Teng, Ying-Hung Lin, Shu-Wha Lin, I-Shing Yu, Mei-Feng Chen, Pao-Lin Kuo, Yung-Che Kuo, Ya-Yun Wang, and Han-Sun Chiang
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spermiogenesis ,SEPT12 ,microtubules ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
The septin gene belongs to a highly conserved family of polymerizing GTP-binding cytoskeletal proteins. SEPTs perform cytoskeletal remodeling, cell polarity, mitosis, and vesicle trafficking by interacting with various cytoskeletons. Our previous studies have indicated that SEPTIN12+/+/+/− chimeras with a SEPTIN12 mutant allele were infertile. Spermatozoa from the vas deferens of chimeric mice indicated an abnormal sperm morphology, decreased sperm count, and immotile sperm. Mutations and genetic variants of SEPTIN12 in infertility cases also caused oligozoospermia and teratozoospermia. We suggest that a loss of SEPT12 affects the biological function of microtublin functions and causes spermiogenesis defects. In the cell model, SEPT12 interacts with α- and β-tubulins by co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP). To determine the precise localization and interactions between SEPT12 and α- and β-tubulins in vivo, we created SEPTIN12-transgene mice. We demonstrate how SEPT12 interacts and co-localizes with α- and β-tubulins during spermiogenesis in these mice. By using shRNA, the loss of SEPT12 transcripts disrupts α- and β-tubulin organization. In addition, losing or decreasing SEPT12 disturbs the morphogenesis of sperm heads and the elongation of sperm tails, the steps of which are coordinated and constructed by α- and β-tubulins, in SEPTIN12+/+/+/− chimeras. In this study, we discovered that the SEPTIN12-microtubule complexes are critical for sperm formation during spermiogenesis.
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- 2013
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18. Surface-reconstructed formation of hierarchical TiO2 mesoporous nanosheets with fast lithium-storage capability
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Chunzhao Liu, Peitao Xie, Yuanhua Lin, Chenfeng Ding, Yunhua Yu, Xiaodong Yan, Yuan Liu, Yaochun Liu, and Mei Feng
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Anatase ,Materials science ,Nanostructure ,chemistry.chemical_element ,Heterojunction ,Electrolyte ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Electrode ,Materials Chemistry ,General Materials Science ,Lithium ,Mesoporous material ,Nanosheet - Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) materials with a surface hierarchy and heterostructure offer infusive opportunities as high-rate electrodes in energy-storage/-conversion technologies due to their largely exposed active sites and shortened diffusion distance that are beneficial for mass/ion transfer. However, these 2D materials are still difficult to be synthesized due to the lack of a rational approach to design a surficial hierarchical heterostructure on 2D nanostructures. Herein, we explore a top-down strategy for the simple synthesis of surface-engineered TiO2 nanosheets with a large surface area, abundant open pores and TiO2-B/anatase heterointerfaces under mild conditions. Benefiting from the structural features of high electrode/electrolyte contact areas and short Li+/electron transport pathways, the surface-engineered TiO2 nanosheet material, tested as the lithium-storage electrode, show fast lithium uptake/release properties. A specific capacity of 149 mA h g−1 is observed at a high rate of 10 A g−1, and long-term operating stability is shown by delivering 110 mA h g−1 at 6 A g−1 upon 1000 cycles. Furthermore, the as-assembled lithium-ion capacitor using surface-engineered TiO2 nanosheets exhibits high energy density at high rates and possesses very stable cycling performance (∼80% capacity retention at 4 A g−1 after 10 000 cycles). This study may pave a new way for designing novel 2D nanoarchitectures with a surface hierarchical structure for high-power energy-storage applications.
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- 2021
19. In vitro and in silico studies of bis (indol-3-yl) methane derivatives as potential α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitors
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Xin Zhang, Mei Feng, Lin-Sheng Lei, Xue-Tao Xu, Peng-Fei Zheng, Jing Lin, Xiao-Zheng Wu, Cui-ying Liao, Shao-Hua Wang, You-Cheng Zhang, and Zhuang Xiong
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Pharmacology ,Chemistry ,Stereochemistry ,In silico ,α glucosidase ,General Medicine ,molecular docking ,RM1-950 ,Methane ,In vitro ,bis (indol-3-yl) methanes ,inhibitor ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,α-amylase ,Drug Discovery ,α-glucosidase ,Therapeutics. Pharmacology ,Amylase inhibitors ,Research Article ,Research Paper - Abstract
In this paper, bis (indol-3-yl) methanes (BIMs) were synthesised and evaluated for their inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase and α-amylase. All synthesised compounds showed potential α-glucosidase and α-amylase inhibitory activities. Compounds 5 g (IC50: 7.54 ± 1.10 μM), 5e (IC50: 9.00 ± 0.97 μM), and 5 h (IC50: 9.57 ± 0.62 μM) presented strongest inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase, that were ∼ 30 times stronger than acarbose. Compounds 5 g (IC50: 32.18 ± 1.66 µM), 5 h (IC50: 31.47 ± 1.42 µM), and 5 s (IC50: 30.91 ± 0.86 µM) showed strongest inhibitory activities towards α-amylase, ∼ 2.5 times stronger than acarbose. The mechanisms and docking simulation of the compounds were also studied. Compounds 5 g and 5 h exhibited bifunctional inhibitory activity against these two enzymes. Furthermore, compounds showed no toxicity against 3T3-L1 cells and HepG2 cells.HighlightsA series of bis (indol-3-yl) methanes (BIMs) were synthesised and evaluated inhibitory activities against α-glucosidase and α-amylase.Compound 5g exhibited promising activity (IC50 = 7.54 ± 1.10 μM) against α-glucosidase.Compound 5s exhibited promising activity (IC50 = 30.91 ± 0.86 μM) against α-amylase.In silico studies were performed to confirm the binding interactions of synthetic compounds with the enzyme active site., Graphical Abstract
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- 2021
20. Neuroinflammatory inhibitors from Gardneria nutans Siebold & Zuccarini
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Xian-Shi Wang, Gui-Min Xue, Qing-Mei Feng, Yan-Jun Sun, Weisheng Feng, Jun-Im Young, Ying-Ying Si, Wei-Wei Wang, and Zhen-Zhu Zhao
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Chemistry ,General Chemical Engineering ,General Chemistry - Abstract
Four new compounds were isolated from G. nutans. Compounds 1–2 are two rare monoterpene indole alkaloids with the glucosyl moiety located at C-12 and represent the first two examples of enantiomer of ajmaline type monoterpene indole alkaloids.
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- 2021
21. Potential interference of graphene nanosheets in immune response via disrupting the recognition of HLA-presented KK10 by TCR: a molecular dynamics simulation study
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Wei Song, Ruhong Zhou, Mei Feng, and Rui Ye
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Immune system ,Antigen ,Chemistry ,Graphene ,law ,T-cell receptor ,Antigen presentation ,Biophysics ,General Materials Science ,Human leukocyte antigen ,Ternary complex ,Nanosheet ,law.invention - Abstract
Graphene and its derivatives have emerged as a promising nanomaterial in biomedical applications. However, their impact on biosafety continues to be a concern in the field, particularly, their potential cytotoxicity to our immune system. In this study, we used all-atom molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the potential interference of graphene nanosheets in antigen presentation and recognition in immune response. For the illustrated human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antigen peptide KK10, human leukocyte antigen (HLA), and T cell receptor (TCR) ternary complex, we found that the graphene nanosheet could disrupt the critical protein–protein interactions between TCR and peptide-HLA and impair the antigen recognition by TCR, leaving the antigen presentation unaffected. Moreover, the hydrophobic interaction and van der Waals potential energy collectively drive the spontaneous separation of TCR from the peptide-HLA complex by graphene nanosheets. Our findings demonstrated theoretically how the graphene nanosheet could interfere with the immune response and provided useful insights for reducing the risk of graphene-based nanomaterials in biomedical applications.
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- 2021
22. Planctomonas psychrotolerans sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of Suaeda salsa
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Cheng-Hang Sun, Chun-Miao Wang, Shao-Wei Liu, Xue-Mei Feng, Xiao-Jun Li, Hai-Xia Qiao, and Yue-Li Chang
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0106 biological sciences ,0301 basic medicine ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Rhizosphere ,biology ,Strain (chemistry) ,General Medicine ,biology.organism_classification ,Microbacteriaceae ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,Microbiology ,Actinobacteria ,Amino acid ,03 medical and health sciences ,genomic DNA ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,030104 developmental biology ,Glycolipid ,chemistry ,Botany ,Peptidoglycan ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics - Abstract
A psychrotolerant actinobacterium, designated strain J5903T, was isolated from an alkaline soil sample from the rhizosphere of Suaeda salsa collected in desertification land surrounding Jiuliancheng Nur in Hebei Province, PR China. Cells of the isolate were Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, non-motile and non-spore-forming cocci. Strain J5903T grew optimally at 20‒25 °C, at pH 7.0‒7.5 and with d-2,4-diaminobutyric acid and l-2,4-diaminobutyric acid as diagnostic amino acids. The muramyl residue was acetyl type. The menaquinones were MK-11, MK-12, MK-10 and MK-13. The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and one unidentified glycolipid. The major whole-cell fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0, iso-C16 : 0 and anteiso-C17 : 0. The genomic DNA G+C content was 69.1 mol%. It shared the highest average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values with Planctomonas deserti 13S1-3T. Phylogenies based on genome sequence showed that strain J5903T and P. deserti 13S1-3T formed a robust cluster with high bootstrap support. Strain J5903T shared typical chemotaxonomic characteristics with P. deserti 13S1-3T. Combining the polyphasic taxonomic evidence, strain J5903T represents a novel species of the genus Planctomonas , for which the name Planctomonas psychrotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is J5903T (=DSM 101894T=CGMCC 1.15523T).
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- 2020
23. Normobaric hyperoxia plays a protective role against renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway
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Shuxiong Xu, Mei Feng, Yuangao Xu, Hua Shi, Wang Yuanlin, Shuyu Cai, Shang Song, Fa Sun, Guangheng Luo, and Jun Pei
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Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Antioxidant ,NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Biophysics ,Protoporphyrins ,Apoptosis ,Hyperoxia ,Pharmacology ,Kidney ,medicine.disease_cause ,Biochemistry ,Antioxidants ,Rats, Sprague-Dawley ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,medicine ,Animals ,Enzyme Inhibitors ,Molecular Biology ,Inhalation ,Renal ischemia ,business.industry ,Zinc protoporphyrin ,Cell Biology ,Rats ,Disease Models, Animal ,Oxidative Stress ,Atmospheric Pressure ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,chemistry ,Reperfusion Injury ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) ,Signal transduction ,business ,Oxidative stress ,Signal Transduction - Abstract
Following renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI), because of the decrease in oxygen supply to the kidney, a large amount of oxygen-free radicals is generated, and in severe cases, tissue cells will undergo apoptosis or even die. Normobaric hyperoxia (NBHO) is a very common clinical adjuvant treatment. It restores the oxygen supply after renal ischemia and combats oxidative stress in tissues, thus playing a protective role. In this study, our aim is to elucidate the protective mechanism of NBHO inhalation in a rat RIRI model. We performed a surgical excision of the left kidney of the rat and established a right kidney solitary kidney model. Later, the right renal pedicle of the rat was clamped using a non-invasive vascular clamp for 45 min. After the vascular clamp was released and reperfused for 24 h, the rat was placed in a closed oxygen chamber. It was subjected to inhalation of high-concentration oxygen (50%–55%), 2 h daily, for 7 days.RIRI induces postoperative weight loss, impaired renal function, increased oxygen free radicals, reduced antioxidant substances, increased histopathological damage, and increased levels of apoptosis. These effects were significantly improved after treatment with NBHO. At the same time, NBHO significantly increased the expression levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 in the tissues after RIRI. To verify whether HO-1 induced by Nrf2 is involved in the resistance to oxidative stress, after the rat RIRI and before inhaling NBHO, we intraperitoneally injected HO-1 specific inhibitor zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) (45 μmol/Kg). However, we found that ZnPP reversed the protective effect of NBHO on RIRI in rats. Combining all the results, we have demonstrated the protective effect of NBHO on RIRI, which can be at least partially attributed to the activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 antioxidative stress pathway.
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- 2020
24. Synthesis and Docking Study of N-(Cinnamoyl)-N′-(substituted)acryloyl Hydrazide Derivatives Containing Pyridinium Moieties as a Novel Class of Filamentous Temperature-Sensitive Protein Z Inhibitors against the Intractable Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae Infections in Rice
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Xiang Zhou, Song Yang, Yi Wang, Pu-Ying Qi, Pei-Yi Wang, Hao-Dong Ma, Li-Wei Liu, Zhong Li, Yu-Mei Feng, Zhi-Bing Wu, and Wu-Bin Shao
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0106 biological sciences ,biology ,010401 analytical chemistry ,food and beverages ,General Chemistry ,biology.organism_classification ,Hydrazide ,01 natural sciences ,In vitro ,0104 chemical sciences ,law.invention ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Xanthomonas oryzae ,Biochemistry ,chemistry ,law ,Docking (molecular) ,Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae ,Recombinant DNA ,biology.protein ,Pyridinium ,General Agricultural and Biological Sciences ,FtsZ ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is an offensive phytopathogen that can invade a wide range of plant hosts to develop bacterial diseases, including the well-known rice bacterial leaf blight. However, few agrochemicals have been identified to effectively prevent and eliminate Xoo-induced diseases. Thus, designing novel antibacterial compounds on the basis of the potential targets from Xoo may lead to the discovery of highly efficient and innovative anti-Xoo agents. Filamentous temperature-sensitive protein Z (FtsZ), an important functional protein in the progression of cell division, has been widely reported and exploited as a target for creating antibacterial drugs in the field of medicine. Therefore, the fabrication of innovative frameworks targeting XooFtsZ may be an effective method for managing bacterial leaf blight diseases via blocking the binary division and reproduction of Xoo. As such, a series of novel N-(cinnamoyl)-N'-(substituted)acryloyl hydrazide derivatives containing pyridinium moieties were designed, and the anti-Xoo activity was determined. The bioassay results showed that compound A7 had excellent anti-Xoo activity (EC50 = 0.99 mg L-1) in vitro and distinct curative activity (63.2% at 200 mg L-1) in vivo. Further studies revealed that these designed compounds were XooFtsZ inhibitors, validating by the reduced GTPase activity of recombinant XooFtsZ, the nonfilamentous XooFtsZ assembly observed in the TEM images, and the prolonged Xoo cells from the fluorescence patterns. Computational docking studies showed that compound A7 had strong interactions with ASN34, GLN193, and GLN197 residues located in the α helix regions of XooFtsZ. The present study demonstrates the developed FtsZ inhibitors can serve as agents to control Xoo-induced infections.
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- 2020
25. Facile Determination of Anesthetic Drug Propofol Based on Electrochemiluminescence Quenching
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Jing Li, Chu-Yao Bi, Jian-Yuan Yin, Xiao-Di Fan, Xiu-Shuang Fan, Xue-Mei Feng, Chen-Chen Li, and Yan-Chao Han
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Detection limit ,Drug ,Reproducibility ,Quenching (fluorescence) ,Chromatography ,Chemistry ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Energy transfer ,010401 analytical chemistry ,02 engineering and technology ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Analytical Chemistry ,Anesthetic ,medicine ,Electrochemiluminescence ,0210 nano-technology ,Propofol ,media_common ,medicine.drug - Abstract
A new facile method for determination of anesthetic drug propofol based on quenching of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) was presented. When propofol was introduced to tris(2,2’-bipyridyl)-ruthenium (II)/tripropylamine system, an obvious decrease of ECL signal was observed due to the energy transfer between the excited state of Ru(bpy)32+ * and the electro-oxidation products of propofol. Under optimum conditions, the inhibited ECL response was linearly with the propofol concentration in the range of 20–8000 ng/mL with a detection limit of 10 ng/mL (S/N = 3). Moreover, the proposed sensing platform showed good reproducibility with relative standard deviation of 5.6% for 5 µg/mL propofol (n = 5). Finally, the proposed method was applied for detection of propofol in human serum with satisfactory recoveries. As a sensitive, rapid, simple and cost-effective method, the sensing platform holds great potential in determination of propofol.
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- 2020
26. Chemical constituents from the barks of Melia azedarach and their PTP1B inhibitory activity
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Rui-Jing Ma, Lin Huang, Mei-Feng Yang, Ben-Fu Wei, Heng-Shan Wang, Qin-Gang Tan, Sheng-Nan Zhang, and Hong-Zhi Song
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biology ,Traditional medicine ,010405 organic chemistry ,Melia azedarach ,Organic Chemistry ,Plant Science ,Inhibitory postsynaptic potential ,biology.organism_classification ,01 natural sciences ,Biochemistry ,Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B ,0104 chemical sciences ,Analytical Chemistry ,010404 medicinal & biomolecular chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Triterpenoid ,chemistry ,Chemical constituents ,Derivative (chemistry) - Abstract
One new long-chain ester derivative of trans-ferulic acid 1 and one natural tirucallane-type triterpenoid 2, together with forty known compounds (3-42), were isolated from the barks of Melia azedarach. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation. Compounds 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 showed significant inhibitory activities against PTP1B with IC50 values of 13.82 ± 1.29 μM, 13.29 ± 2.26 μM, 20.27 ± 0.52 μM, 24.36 ± 1.25 μM, 15.23 ± 0.6 μM, respectively.
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- 2020
27. Serum Endostatin Is a Novel Marker for COPD Associated with Lower Lung Function, Exacerbation and Systemic Inflammation
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Qianglin Zeng, Junyun He, Shuguang Xiong, Mei Feng, Yunfei An, Yanping Li, Jiajia Dong, Fuqiang Wen, Yanqiu Wu, Hao Wang, Jiangyue Qin, and Yongchun Shen
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medicine.medical_specialty ,COPD ,Exacerbation ,business.industry ,Angiogenesis ,General Medicine ,Systemic inflammation ,medicine.disease ,Gastroenterology ,respiratory tract diseases ,Pulmonary function testing ,Vascular endothelial growth factor ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,030228 respiratory system ,chemistry ,Internal medicine ,Medicine ,Biomarker (medicine) ,030212 general & internal medicine ,medicine.symptom ,Endostatin ,business - Abstract
Backgrounds and Aims It is well known that angiogenesis contributes to the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by initiating the remodeling of bronchial vasculature. However, the specific molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. This research aimed to explore whether endostatin, a member of endogenous antiangiogenic proteins, is a biomarker in COPD and plays a role in the angiogenesis of COPD. Methods 100 stable COPD patients, 130 patients with acute exacerbation (AECOPD) and 68 healthy volunteers were recruited in this research. Lung function test was conducted in the healthy people and stable COPD patients. Serum endostatin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of all the subjects were measured by Human Magnetic Luminex Screening Assay. Results Serum endostatin level was significantly higher in stable COPD compared with healthy control and even more in AECOPD patients (P
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- 2020
28. Bioinformatics analysis of the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS/NOS2) in human glioma and its correlation with patients’ prognoses
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Liping Zhang, Mei Feng, Xueqing Zhang, and Huanyu Wang
- Subjects
bioinformatics analysis ,inducible nitric oxide synthases ,Human glioma ,Crystallography ,Bioinformatics analysis ,Clinical Biochemistry ,respiratory system ,Biochemistry ,Nitric oxide ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,QD901-999 ,glioma ,parasitic diseases ,Cancer research ,Molecular Medicine ,prognosis - Abstract
Objective To evaluate the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthases (iNOS/NOS2) in human glioma and its correlation with patients’ prognoses. Methods IiNOS/NOS2 expression in tumor and corresponding normal tissues of glioma patients was analyzed using the TCGA database and the online analysis tool GEPIA. The mutation statuses of iNOS/NOS2 genes were also explored in the TCGA database using cBioPortal. Co-expressed genes relevant to iNOS/NOS2 were screened by LinkedOmics. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment for iNOS/NOS2 and co-expressed genes was performed using LinkedOmics. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes between iNOS/NOS2 mRNA high and low expression groups were compared using a log-rank test. Twenty-two glioma patients who underwent operation were included in the present work. A real-time PCR assay was used to detect iNOS/NOS2 mRNA expression in tumor tissue and normal brain tissue. Results There was no statistical difference in iNOS/NOS2 mRNA expression levelss between tumor and normal tissues of glioma. A real-time PCR assay indicated that iNOS/NOS2 mRNA expression in tumor tissue and normal brain tissues were not statistical difference (p>0.05). A mutation rate of 0.8% for the iNOS/NOS2 gene was found using 1044 glioma patients from two datasets. The mutation types include deep deletion (0.4%), truncating (0.2%) and missense (0.2%). The top positive and negative co-expressed gene with iNOS/NOS2 were COL25A1 (rpearson=0.4734, ppearson=0.4734, p Conclusion OS and DFS were significantly decreased in high iNOS/NOS2 mRNA expression groups. iNOS/NOS2 can be used as a poor prognostic biomarker for glioma.
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- 2020
29. Highly efficient charge transfer in CdS-covalent organic framework nanocomposites for stable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution under visible light
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Maoliang Xie, Xin Xiong, Hui Zeng, Meirong Xia, Shenglian Luo, Dengke Wang, Mei-Feng Wu, and Jian-Ping Zou
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Multidisciplinary ,Materials science ,Nanocomposite ,Nanoparticle ,Electron donor ,010502 geochemistry & geophysics ,01 natural sciences ,Cadmium sulfide ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Covalent bond ,Photocatalysis ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Visible spectrum ,Covalent organic framework - Abstract
A facile and effective impregnation combined with photo-deposition approach was adopted to deposit cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles on CTF-1, a covalent triazine-based frameworks (CTFs). In this system, CTF-1 not only acted as supporter but also served as photocatalyst and electron donor. The performance of the obtained CdS deposited CTF-1 (CdS-CTF-1) nanocomposite was evaluated by H2 evolution reaction under visible light irradiation. As a result, CdS-CTF-1 exhibited high H2 production from water, far surpassing the CdS/CTF-1 nanocomposite, in which CdS was deposited via solvothermal method. The high activity of CdS-CTF-1 was attributed to the confined CdS nanoparticles with small size, leading to expose more active sites. In addition, time-resolved spectroscopy indicated that the superior performance of CdS-CTF-1 also can be ascribed to the fast electron transfer rate and injection efficiency (KET = 0.18 × 109 s−1, ηinj = 39.38%) between CdS and CTF-1 layers, which are 3.83 times faster and 4.84 times higher than that of CdS/CTF-1 nanocomposite. This work represents the first example on using covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as a support and electron-donor for fabricating novel CdS-COF nanocomposite system and its potential application in solar energy transformations.
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- 2020
30. Comparison of the gastric acid inhibition function among lansoprazole, pantoprazole, and their respective stereoisomers in healthy Chinese subjects
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Mei-Feng Wang, Yong-Qing Wang, Yue-Qi Li, Lei Yu, Hongwen Zhang, Yun Liu, Hui-Wen Jiao, Yue-Hua Xu, Lijun Xie, Yi-Wen Shen, Xue-Hui Zhang, and Lu-Ning Sun
- Subjects
Pharmacology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Chemistry ,STERILE SALINE SOLUTION ,Significant difference ,Lansoprazole ,Stereoisomerism ,Gastric Acidity Determination ,Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ,Anti-Ulcer Agents ,Gastroenterology ,Healthy Volunteers ,Gastric ph ,Internal medicine ,Pharmacodynamics ,medicine ,Humans ,Gastric acid ,Chinese subjects ,Pharmacology (medical) ,Pantoprazole ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the difference in acid inhibition function among lansoprazole (LPZ), pantoprazole (PPZ), and their respective stereoisomers following single and multiple intravenous doses in healthy Chinese subjects. Materials and methods The dosage groups were set as follows: 30 mg single and multiple intravenous administrations of LPZ or R-LPZ, 40 mg single and multiple intravenous administrations of PPZ or S-PPZ. Subjects received an intravenous infusion of LPZ, R-LPZ, PPZ, or S-PPZ injection in sterile saline solution (100 mL/h, 60 minutes), respectively. The intragastric pH was sampled every second for 24 hours at baseline and for 24 hours after drug administration. The baseline-adjusted pharmacodynamic (PD) parameters include ΔMean (pH), ΔMedian (pH), ΔTpH≥3 (%), ΔTpH≥4 (%), ΔTpH≥6 (%), and ΔAUECph-tτ1-τ2. The PD parameters were evaluated in different time intervals (0 - 24 hours, 0 - 4 hours and 14 - 24 hours). Results After a single dose, the ΔTpH≥4 (%) of R-LPZ, LPZ, S-PPZ and PPZ was 56.6 ± 19.6, 53.1 ± 23.3, 35.6 ± 24.9 and 26.8 ± 30.2, respectively. The ΔTpH≥6 (%) was 50.7 ± 26.1, 41.4 ± 26.2, 25.4 ± 24.9 and 22.1 ± 27.6, respectively. The ΔAUECph-τ1-τ was 45,564 ± 16,107, 41,798 ± 16,153, 31,914 ± 17,304 and 20,744 ± 21,500, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found with R-LPZ vs. S-PPZ, R-LPZ vs. PPZ, LPZ vs. S-PPZ and LPZ vs. PPZ. The average TpH≥4 of R-LPZ, LPZ, S-PPZ, and PPZ was (47.2 ± 26.1) minutes, (49.6 ± 19.3) minutes, (56.1 ± 23.7) minutes, and (72.1 ± 27.3) minutes, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found with R-LPZ vs. PPZ (p = 0.009) and LPZ vs. PPZ (p = 0.019). After multiple doses, the ΔTpH≥4 (%) of R-LPZ, LPZ, S-PPZ, and PPZ was 71.7 ± 20.2, 63.5 ± 19.4, 59.5 ± 17.8 and 64.0 ± 22.4, respectively. The ΔTpH≥6 (%) was 64.0 ± 22.2, 52.0 ± 19.2, 49.6 ± 20.4 and 50.9 ± 23.8, respectively. The ΔAUECph-τ1-τ was 326,149 ± 94,839, 288,565 ± 93,279, 296,189 ± 83,412 and 300,960 ± 108,057, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found in baseline-adjusted PD parameters during all time periods after multiple doses. Conclusion After a single dose, the mean gastric pH inhibition value of R-LPZ was the highest, followed by LPZ, then S-PPZ and PPZ. R-LPZ and LPZ provided significantly better pH control compared with PPZ and S-PPZ in healthy subjects. The onset time of R-LPZ was the fastest and R-LPZ can provide better acid inhibition during sleeping time. After multiple doses, the mean values in all PD parameters of R-LPZ were the highest, the values of LPZ, S-PPZ, and PPZ were similar. However, no significant difference was found in acid inhibition among these four drugs after multiple doses.
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- 2019
31. TBC1D21 Potentially Interacts with and Regulates Rap1 during Murine Spermatogenesis
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Chih-Chun Ke, Ying-Hung Lin, Ya-Yun Wang, Ying-Yu Wu, Mei-Feng Chen, Wei-Chi Ku, Han-Sun Chiang, and Tsung-Hsuan Lai
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Rap1 ,TBC1D21 ,spermatids ,male infertility ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Few papers have focused on small guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins and their regulation during spermatogenesis. TBC1D21 genes (also known as male germ cell RAB GTPase-activating protein MGCRABGAP) are related to sterility, as determined through cDNA microarray testing of human testicular tissues exhibiting spermatogenic defects. TBC1D21 is a protein specifically expressed in the testes that exhibits specific localizations of elongating and elongated spermatids during mammalian spermiogenesis. Furthermore, through co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and nano liquid chromatography⁻tandem mass spectrometry (nano LC⁻MS/MS), Rap1 has been recognized as a potential TBC1D21 interactor. This study determined the possible roles of Rap1 and TBC1D21 during mammalian spermiogenesis. First, the binding ability between Rap1 and TBC1D21 was verified using co-IP. Second, the stronger signals of Rap1 expressed in elongating and elongated murine spermatids extracted from testicular sections, namely spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and round spermatids, were compared. Third, Rap1 and TBC1D21 exhibited similar localizations at postacrosomal regions of spermatids and at the midpieces of mature sperms, through isolated male germ cells. Fourth, the results of an activating Rap1 pull-down assay indicated that TBC1D21 overexpression inactivates Rap1 activity in cell models. In conclusion, TBC1D21 may interact with and potentially regulate Rap1 during murine spermatogenesis.
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- 2018
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32. CDC42 Negatively Regulates Testis-Specific SEPT12 Polymerization
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Chia-Yen Huang, Ya-Yun Wang, Ying-Liang Chen, Mei-Feng Chen, Han-Sun Chiang, Pao-Lin Kuo, and Ying-Hung Lin
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SEPT ,SEPT12 ,CDC42 ,sperm ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Septin (SEPT) genes encode well-preserved polymerizing GTP-binding cytoskeletal proteins. The cellular functions of SEPTs consist of mitosis, cytoskeletal remodeling, cell polarity, and vesicle trafficking through interactions with various types of cytoskeletons. We discovered that mutated SEPTIN12 in different codons resulted in teratozoospermia or oligozoospermia. In mouse models with a defective Septin12 allele, sperm morphology was abnormal, sperm count decreased, and sperms were immotile. However, the regulators of SEPT12 are completely unknown. Some studies have indicated that CDC42 negatively regulates the polymerization of SEPT2/6/7 complexes in mammalian cell lines. In this study, we investigated whether CDC42 modulates SEPT12 polymerization and is involved in the terminal differentiation of male germ cells. First, through scanning electron microscopy analysis, we determined that the loss of Septin12 caused defective sperm heads. This indicated that Septin12 is critical for the formation of sperm heads. Second, CDC42 and SEPT12 were similarly localized in the perinuclear regions of the manchette at the head of elongating spermatids, neck region of elongated spermatids, and midpiece of mature spermatozoa. Third, wild-type CDC42 and CDC42Q61L (a constitutive-acting-mutant) substantially repressed SEPT12 polymerization, but CDC42T17N (a dominant-negative-acting mutant) did not, as evident through ectopic expression analysis. We concluded that CDC42 negatively regulates SEPT12 polymerization and is involved in terminal structure formation of sperm heads.
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- 2018
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33. Evaluations of Electrostatic Filtration Efficiency and Antibacterial Efficacy of Antibacterial Electret Polypropylene Filters: Effects of Using Low Molecular Antibacterial Agent as Additive
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Ching Wen Lou, Chen-Hung Huang, Mei-Feng Lai, Ying-Huei Shih, Shu-An Lee, Bing-Chiuan Shiu, and Jia-Horng Lin
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Air filtration ,Polypropylene ,filter ,Materials science ,Polymers and Plastics ,Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) ,triclosan ,Organic chemistry ,General Chemistry ,Antibacterial efficacy ,Article ,Triclosan ,law.invention ,electret ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,antibacterial ,QD241-441 ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,law ,Electret ,Filtration ,Antibacterial agent ,polypropylene - Abstract
In recent years, air filtration has been gaining much attention, and now people are much more concerned about antibacterial filters due to the spreading of COVID-19. The electret polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics possess excellent filtration efficiency but a limited antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli, and therefore triclosan is used in this study. Serving as an antibacterial agent, triclosan with a low molecular weight is an effective additive for the test results, indicating that the presence of triclosan strengthens the antibacterial effects of the filters. In addition, triclosan also strengthens the PP’s crystallinity, which in turn betters the filtration efficiency of the filters concurrently. Demonstrating powerful filtration and antibacterial performances, the antibacterial electret PP filters are highly qualified for filter applications.
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- 2021
34. Danggui-Yimucao Herb Pair Can Protect Mice From the Immune Imbalance Caused by Medical Abortion and Stabilize the Level of Serum Metabolites
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Li-Mei Feng, Shi-Jun Yue, Ding-Qiao Xu, Sai Zhang, Shi-Jie Bi, Xue Bai, Rui-Jia Fu, and Yuping Tang
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Angelica sinensis ,Danggui ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Uterus ,Physiology ,Spleen ,RM1-950 ,Abortion ,Yimucao ,Th1 ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Th2 ,medicine ,Herb pair ,Pharmacology (medical) ,metabonomics ,Original Research ,Pharmacology ,biology ,business.industry ,biology.organism_classification ,Medical abortion ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,medical abortion ,chemistry ,Amenorrhea ,Arachidonic acid ,Therapeutics. Pharmacology ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
Unintended pregnancy is a situation that every woman may encounter, and medical abortion is the first choice for women, but abortion often brings many sequelae.Angelica sinensisRadix (Danggui) andLeonuriHerba (Yimucao) are widely used in the treatment of gynecological diseases, which can regulate menstrual disorders, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, but the mechanism for the treatment of abortion is not clear. We determined the ability of Danggui and Yimucao herb pair (DY) to regulate the Th1/Th2 paradigm by detecting the level of progesterone in the serum and the expression of T-bet and GATA-3 in the spleen and uterus. Then, we detected the level of metabolites in the serum and enriched multiple metabolic pathways. The arachidonic acid pathway can directly regulate the differentiation of Th1/Th2 cells. This may be one of the potential mechanisms of DY in the treatment of abortion.
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- 2021
35. Antiplatelet Effect and Selective Binding to Cyclooxygenase (COX) by Molecular Docking Analysis of Flavonoids and Lignans
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Chun-Nan Lin, Jih-Pyang Wang, Jwu-Maw Yang, Mei-Feng Hsu, Yu-Chian Chen, Kun-Tze Chen, Hsien-Cheng Lin, Wan-Jung Chung, Shu-Chun Wu, and Chien-Ming Wu
- Subjects
Flavonoids ,lignans ,antiplatelet ,COX-1 ,molecular docking ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
The known flavonoids ginkgetin (1), taiwanhomoflavone A (2),taiwanhomoflavone B (3), and taiwanhomoflavone C (4) and eight known lignans:justicidin B (9), justicidin C (10), justicidin D (11), chinensinaphthol methyl ether (12),procumphthalide A (13), procumbenoside A (15), and ciliatosides A (16) and B (17) wereisolated from Cephalotaxus wilsoniana and Justicia species, respectively. The antiplateleteffects of the above constituents on human platelet-rich plasma (PRP) were evaluated. Ofthe compounds tested on human PRP, compounds 1, 4, 9, and 11 showed inhibition ofsecondary aggregation induced by adrenaline. Compound 1 had an inhibitory effect oncyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1). Molecular docking studies revealed that 1 and the related compounds apigenin (5), cycloheterophyllin (6), broussoflavone F (7), and quercetin (8) were docked near the gate of active site of COX-1. It indicated that the antiplatelet effect of 1, 4, 9, and 11 is partially owed to suppression of COX-1 activity and reduced thromboxane formation. Flavonoids, 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8 may block the gate of the active site of COX-1 and interfere the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin (PG) H2 in the COX-1 active site.
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- 2007
- Full Text
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36. Antioxidant Components of the Flowers of Salvia miltiorrhiza
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Zhi-Min Wang, Li-Ping Dai, Zhang Lingxia, Qing-Mei Feng, De-qin Wang, Man Gong, Xue Jiang, and Sui-Qing Chen
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Antioxidant ,Traditional medicine ,Chemistry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,medicine ,Plant Science ,General Chemistry ,Salvia miltiorrhiza ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology - Published
- 2020
37. Petroleum Software License Usage Forecast Based On ARIMA Algorithm
- Author
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Hongping Miao, Mei Feng, and Mengxin Song
- Subjects
chemistry.chemical_compound ,Database ,chemistry ,Computer science ,Petroleum ,Autoregressive integrated moving average ,computer.software_genre ,Software license ,computer - Published
- 2021
38. Molecular mechanism of secreted amyloid-β precursor protein in binding and modulating GABA
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Yuanzhao Zhang, Serena H Chen, Mei Feng, Yi Song, and Ruhong Zhou
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chemistry.chemical_classification ,0303 health sciences ,Amyloid β ,Chemistry ,Peptide ,General Chemistry ,GABAB receptor ,Neurotransmission ,Cell biology ,Free energy perturbation ,03 medical and health sciences ,Residue (chemistry) ,Molecular dynamics ,0302 clinical medicine ,Molecular mechanism ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,030304 developmental biology - Abstract
A recent phenomenal study discovered that the extension domain of secreted amyloid-β precursor protein (sAPP) can bind to the intrinsically disordered sushi 1 domain of the γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptor subunit 1a (GABABR1a) and modulate its synaptic transmission. The work provided an important structural foundation for the modulation of GABABR1a; however, the detailed molecular interaction mechanism, crucial for future drug design, remains elusive. Here, we further investigated the dynamical interactions between sAPP peptides and the natively unstructured sushi 1 domain using all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, for both the 17-residue sAPP peptide (APP 17-mer) and its minimally active 9 residue segment (APP 9-mer). We then explored mutations of the APP 9-mer with rigorous free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations. Our in silico mutagenesis studies revealed key residues (D4, W6, and W7) responsible for the binding with the sushi 1 domain. More importantly, one double mutation based on different vertebrate APP sequences from evolution exhibited a stronger binding (ΔΔG = −1.91 ± 0.66 kcal mol−1), indicating a potentially enhanced GABABR1a modulator. These large-scale simulations may provide new insights into the binding mechanism between sAPP and the sushi 1 domain, which could open new avenues in the development of future GABABR1a-specific therapeutics., A recent phenomenal study discovered that the extension domain of secreted amyloid-β precursor protein (sAPP) can bind to the intrinsically disordered sushi 1 domain of the γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptor subunit 1a (GABABR1a) and modulate its synaptic transmission.
- Published
- 2021
39. Associations of Serum Resistin With the Severity and Prognosis in Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia
- Author
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Chun-Mei Feng, Jia-Yi Cheng, Zheng Xu, Hong-Yan Liu, De-Xiang Xu, Lin Fu, and Hui Zhao
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Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,community-acquired pneumonia ,endocrine system diseases ,inflammatory cytokines ,Immunology ,severity ,Hematocrit ,Gastroenterology ,Severity of Illness Index ,Proinflammatory cytokine ,Cohort Studies ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Community-acquired pneumonia ,Internal medicine ,medicine ,Immunology and Allergy ,Humans ,Resistin ,Aged ,Retrospective Studies ,Original Research ,Aged, 80 and over ,Creatinine ,medicine.diagnostic_test ,business.industry ,Albumin ,Patient Acuity ,nutritional and metabolic diseases ,Retrospective cohort study ,Pneumonia ,RC581-607 ,respiratory system ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Prognosis ,Community-Acquired Infections ,chemistry ,Female ,Immunologic diseases. Allergy ,business ,hormones, hormone substitutes, and hormone antagonists ,Biomarkers - Abstract
BackgroundResistin is an endogenous ligand of Toll-like receptor 4 that activates several inflammatory signals. But the physiological function of resistin in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains unknown. The goal of this research was to explore the associations between serum resistin and the severity and prognosis in CAP patients through a retrospective cohort study.MethodsAll 212 CAP patients and 106 healthy cases were enrolled. Demographic characteristics were extracted. Serum resistin was determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The prognosis was tracked in CAP patients.ResultsSerum resistin on admission was raised in CAP patients compared with control cases. The level of resistin was gradually increased in parallel with CAP severity scores in CAP patients. Pearson and Spearman analyses revealed that serum resistin was positively correlated with CAP severity scores, white blood cells, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and inflammatory cytokines among CAP patients. There were negative relationships between resistin and hematocrit and albumin in CAP patients. Besides, linear and logistic regression analyses further indicated that serum resistin on admission was positively associated with CAP severity scores among CAP patients. Follow-up research revealed that serum resistin elevation on admission prolonged hospital stay in CAP patients.ConclusionSerum resistin on admission is positively correlated with the severity and hospital stay in CAP patients, indicating that resistin may be involved in the physiological process of CAP. Serum resistin may be a potential biomarker in the diagnosis and prognosis for CAP.
- Published
- 2021
40. Elucidating the interaction of kansui and licorice by comparative plasma/tissue metabolomics and a heatmap with relative fold change
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Jin-Ao Duan, Weiwei Tao, Zhenhua Zhu, Jin-Gao Yu, Yuping Tang, Yan-Yan Chen, Li-Mei Feng, Juan Shen, Jia-Qian Chen, Shi-Jun Yue, Jie Yang, Li Zhang, and Jing Wang
- Subjects
Leukotriene B4 ,Linoleic acid ,Kansui ,Glycocholic acid ,Pharmaceutical Science ,02 engineering and technology ,Pharmacy ,Traditional Chinese medicine ,Pharmacology ,01 natural sciences ,Comparative metabolomics ,Article ,Analytical Chemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Licorice ,Metabolomics ,Drug Discovery ,Electrochemistry ,Heatmap ,Spectroscopy ,010401 analytical chemistry ,lcsh:RM1-950 ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Fold change ,0104 chemical sciences ,Acetoacetic acid ,lcsh:Therapeutics. Pharmacology ,chemistry ,Arachidonic acid ,Incompatibility ,0210 nano-technology - Abstract
Although compatibility is highly advocated in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), inappropriate combination of some herbs may reduce the therapeutic action and even produce toxic effects. Kansui and licorice, one of TCM “Eighteen Incompatible Medicaments”, are the most representative cases of improper herbal combination, which may still be applied simultaneously under given conditions. However, the potential mechanism of their compatibility and incompatibility is unclear. In the present study, two different ratios of kansui and licorice, representing their compatibility and incompatibility respectively, were designed to elucidate their interaction by comparative plasma/tissue metabolomics and a heatmap with relative fold change. As a result, glycocholic acid, prostaglandin F2a, dihydroceramide and sphinganine were screened out as the principal alternative biomarkers of compatibility group; sphinganine, dihydroceramide, arachidonic acid, leukotriene B4, acetoacetic acid and linoleic acid were those of incompatibility group. Based on the values of biomarkers in each tissue, the liver was identified as the compatible target organ, while the heart, liver, and kidney were the incompatible target organs. Furthermore, important pathways for compatibility and incompatibility were also constructed. These results help us to better understand and utilize the two herbs, and the study was the first to reveal some innate characters of herbs related to TCM “Eighteen Incompatible Medicaments”., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Comparative metabolomics was employed to dissect the compatibility and incompatibility mechanism of kansui and licorice. • An interactive heatmap with relative fold change was created to explore complex metabolomics data of herb-herb interaction. • The study first revealed some innate important characters of herbs related TCM “Eighteen Incompatible Medicaments”.
- Published
- 2019
41. Comparative Analysis of Antimicrobial Resistance, Integrons, and Virulence Genes Among Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase-Positive Laribacter hongkongensis from Edible Frogs and Freshwater Fish
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Mei Feng, Qing Chen, Zhihua Liu, Yaqing He, Ling Wang, Li Wang, Jing Hu, Huijie Guo, and Leiwen Fu
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Microbiology (medical) ,Pharmacology ,0303 health sciences ,Antiinfective agent ,biology ,030306 microbiology ,Tetracycline ,Immunology ,Virulence ,Drug resistance ,biochemical phenomena, metabolism, and nutrition ,Integron ,Microbiology ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Antibiotic resistance ,chemistry ,Laribacter hongkongensis ,biology.protein ,medicine ,TetR ,030304 developmental biology ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Aquatic animals are now recognized to be major hosts of potentially pathogenic Laribacter hongkongensis. A comparative study was carried out among extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing L. hongkongensis isolated from frogs (47 isolates) and fish (41 isolates) to examine phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance profiles, integrons, virulence factors, and genetic relatedness. Isolates from frogs showed a higher incidence of antibiotic resistance compared with those from fish for most of the antimicrobials tested, especially trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and streptomycin. Multidrug-resistant strains were also found more frequently among frog isolates (5.44 traits on average) than among fish isolates (3.29 traits). In frog isolates, class 1 integrons and the resistance genes sul1, sul2, tetA, tetR, and aac(6')-Ib-cr showed a clearly higher incidence compared with isolates from fish. In contrast, blaTEM-1 was higher in fish isolates than in frog isolates. Correlation analysis showed that sul1, sul2, tetA, and tetR were significantly associated with class 1 integrons in frog isolates. The correlations indicated a potential co-selection risk of bacterial resistance to antibiotics. In addition, the distribution of three virulence-associated determinants for the type IV bundle-forming pili gene (bfpA), ferric aerobactin receptor gene (iucD), and iron-responsive element gene (ireA) was markedly higher in strains isolated from frogs than in those isolated from fish. No obvious genetic relatedness was observed between both populations. The large differences found in the incidence of antibiotic resistance, integrons along with the multiple resistance genes, virulence factors, and genetic fingerprints determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis suggest a high degree of antibiotic resistance and pathogenicity potential of ESBL-producing L. hongkongensis from isolates found in frogs.
- Published
- 2019
42. Synthesis of AgI/2D-La2Ti2O7 hybrids as a visible light photocatalyst for degradation of rhodamine B
- Author
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Yun-Feng Yang, Xiu-Guo Sun, Yun-Ning Jia, Yan-Mei Feng, Xiang-Feng Wu, Jun-Zhang Su, Zhi-Qiang Wang, Jia-Rui Zhang, and Mi Zhang
- Subjects
010302 applied physics ,Materials science ,Visible light irradiation ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Photochemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics ,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,0103 physical sciences ,Organic dye ,Rhodamine B ,Photocatalysis ,Degradation (geology) ,Electrical and Electronic Engineering ,Superoxide radicals ,Photocatalytic degradation ,Visible spectrum - Abstract
The AgI/2D-La2Ti2O7 hybrids were obtained via a facile method at room temperature. Rhodamine B, as an organic dye, was used to determine the photocatalytic activity of the samples. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism was also analyzed. Experimental results display that AgI can broaden the light absorption of La2Ti2O7 under the visible light irradiation. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of the as-synthesized hybrids appears the tendency of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing the usage of La2Ti2O7. When the usage of La2Ti2O7 is 10%, within 60 min, the as-synthesized hybrids possess the maximum of 93.1%. This is higher than 2.1% of La2Ti2O7 and 80.9% of AgI. Moreover, the improved photocatalytic activity can be attributed to AgI particles conjugating with 2D-La2Ti2O7 nanosheets via chemical-bonds, which can enhance the separation and transformation of the photo-generated holes and electrons. In addition, the dominating role is superoxide radicals during the photocatalytic process.
- Published
- 2019
43. Full spectrum responsive In2.77S4/WS2 p-n heterojunction as an efficient photocatalyst for Cr(VI) reduction and tetracycline oxidation
- Author
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Jun-Zhang Su, Li-Song Sun, Yan-Mei Feng, Wei-Guang Zhang, Xiang-Feng Wu, Hui Li, Chen-Yu Zhang, Yun-Ning Jia, Jia-Rui Zhang, and Mi Zhang
- Subjects
Infrared ,Chemistry ,Tetracycline ,General Physics and Astronomy ,Heterojunction ,02 engineering and technology ,Surfaces and Interfaces ,General Chemistry ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Surfaces, Coatings and Films ,Catalysis ,Oxidizing agent ,Photocatalysis ,medicine ,0210 nano-technology ,Nuclear chemistry ,medicine.drug - Abstract
In the present work, wrinkled n-type WS2 nanosheets were synthesized and then used to construct the In2.77S4/WS2 p-n heterojunction photocatalyst. Experimental results reveal that the as-prepared hybrids present excellent photocatalytic activity for Cr(VI) reduction and tetracycline oxidation under visible and infrared light irritation. The photocatalytic efficiency of the as-prepared catalysts is found to increase initially followed by the decrease with the more weight content of WS2. When WS2 is up to 4 wt%, the as-prepared photocatalysts exhibit the highest photocatalytic activity, and are capable of reducing 99.1% of Cr(VI) in 60 min and oxidizing 87.5% of tetracycline in 20 min, much higher than 86.6 and 40.0% of pure In2.77S4, respectively. This enhanced photocatalytic activity is attributed to the construction of In2.77S4/WS2 p-n heterojunction between p-In2.77S4 and n-WS2. The detailed clarification of photocatalytic mechanism is also elaborated in the paper.
- Published
- 2019
44. Synthesis of AgI/WS 2 hybrids as a novel photocatalyst with efficient degradation of rhodamine B
- Author
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Li-Song Sun, Ying Zhang, Xiang-Feng Wu, Jun-Zhang Su, Wei-Guang Zhang, Hui Li, Yan-Mei Feng, Xiu-Guo Sun, and Jia-Rui Zhang
- Subjects
Materials science ,Nanocomposite ,Infrared ,Photodissociation ,Visible light irradiation ,Biomedical Engineering ,Bioengineering ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Catalysis ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,chemistry ,Rhodamine B ,Photocatalysis ,Degradation (geology) ,General Materials Science ,0210 nano-technology ,Nuclear chemistry - Abstract
Full-spectrum-responsive AgI/WS2 composites as an efficient photocatalyst have been synthesised by an in-situ growth of AgI on the surfaces of WS2 nanosheets. The photocatalytic activities of the samples were evaluated by degradation of rhodamine B dilute solution under visible light irradiation. Experimental results showed that the introduction of WS2 nanosheets could enhance light absorption, photocatalytic activity, and recyclability of the pure AgI in the region of visible and infrared light. Moreover, the degradation efficiency of the as-synthesised AgI/WS2 composites exhibited the trend of first increased and then decreased with increasing the amount of WS2 nanosheets. When the usage of WS2 nanosheets was 7 wt%, the as-prepared composites possessed the maximum of 91.2% in 30 min. Furthermore, after three cycles of degradation, it could still degrade 89.0% of rhodamine B, obviously higher than 11.4% of pure AgI. In addition, a possible degradation mechanism of the as-synthesised AgI/WS2 hybrids was provided.
- Published
- 2019
45. Exploration of HIV-1 fusion peptide–antibody VRC34.01 binding reveals fundamental neutralization sites
- Author
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Ruhong Zhou, David R. Bell, Qiwen Shao, Hongsuk Kang, and Mei Feng
- Subjects
Protein Conformation ,General Physics and Astronomy ,02 engineering and technology ,Plasma protein binding ,HIV Antibodies ,Molecular Dynamics Simulation ,010402 general chemistry ,Gp41 ,Membrane Fusion ,01 natural sciences ,Neutralization ,Protein structure ,Humans ,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry ,Binding site ,Neutralizing antibody ,Binding Sites ,biology ,Chemistry ,Point mutation ,virus diseases ,Lipid bilayer fusion ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Antibodies, Neutralizing ,HIV Envelope Protein gp41 ,0104 chemical sciences ,Cell biology ,Mutation ,biology.protein ,0210 nano-technology ,Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ,Protein Binding - Abstract
Antibody binding to a vulnerable site of HIV envelope glycoprotein (Env), the eight N-terminal residues of the gp41 fusion peptide, renders robust HIV neutralization. Here, we theoretically investigate HIV-1 fusion peptide binding to the neutralizing antibody N123-VRC34.01. We explore numerous fusion peptide mutations using all-atom molecular dynamics simulation with explicit-solvent models. Simulation results show that the hydrophobic interaction between Ile515 in the HIV-1 fusion peptide and the antibody VRC34.01 Fab plays an important role in antibody binding. Furthermore, we verify by free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations that two point mutations of Ile515Thr or Ile515Ala can dramatically weaken the binding affinity. Our findings provide new insights into fusion peptide-VRC34.01 binding, which can ultimately be utilized to design effective HIV vaccines.
- Published
- 2019
46. Fabrication and tribological properties of oil- soluble MoS2 nanosheets decorated by oleic diethanolamide borate
- Author
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Yu-Mei Feng, Wei Li, Pei-Rong Wu, Zhi-Lin Cheng, Ting Ge, and Zan Liu
- Subjects
Oil soluble ,Friction coefficient ,Materials science ,Fabrication ,Mechanical Engineering ,Metals and Alloys ,Base oil ,chemistry.chemical_element ,02 engineering and technology ,Tribology ,010402 general chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,01 natural sciences ,0104 chemical sciences ,Chemical engineering ,chemistry ,Mechanics of Materials ,Materials Chemistry ,Diethanolamide ,Lubricant ,0210 nano-technology ,Boron - Abstract
In this paper, the self-made MoS2 nanosheets were attempted to be modified with oleic diethanolamide borate (ODAB) through a simple one-step route. The as-modified MoS2 nanosheets were confirmed by a series of characterizations. The results showed that the MoS2 nanosheets could be chemically well capped by ODAB to form C-S bonds. Furthermore, the tribological experimental results indicated that the ODAB-MoS2 nanosheets as lubricant additives could improve the friction properties of base oil. At the optimal adding content of 0.06 wt%, the average friction coefficient, average wear scar diameter and extreme pressure performance of the ODAB-MoS2-based oil were decreased by about 27.9%, 22.9% and 17.4% as compared to base oil, respectively. Finally, the friction mechanism was discussed and proposed.
- Published
- 2019
47. RAB10 Interacts with the Male Germ Cell-Specific GTPase-Activating Protein during Mammalian Spermiogenesis
- Author
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Ying-Hung Lin, Chih-Chun Ke, Ya-Yun Wang, Mei-Feng Chen, Tsung-Ming Chen, Wei-Chi Ku, Han-Sun Chiang, and Chung-Hsin Yeh
- Subjects
Male Germ Cells Rab GTPase-Activating Proteins ,RAB10 ,spermatogenesis ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
According to recent estimates, 2%–15% of couples are sterile, and approximately half of the infertility cases are attributed to male reproductive factors. However, the reasons remain undefined in approximately 25% of male infertility cases, and most infertility cases exhibit spermatogenic defects. Numerous genes involved in spermatogenesis still remain unknown. We previously identified Male Germ Cells Rab GTPase-Activating Proteins (MGCRABGAPs) through cDNA microarray analysis of human testicular tissues with spermatogenic defects. MGCRABGAP contains a conserved RABGAP catalytic domain, TBC (Tre2/Bub2/Cdc16). RABGAP family proteins regulate cellular function (e.g., cytoskeletal remodeling, vesicular trafficking, and cell migration) by inactivating RAB proteins. MGCRABGAP is a male germ cell-specific protein expressed in elongating and elongated spermatids during mammalian spermiogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify proteins that interact with MGCRABGAP during mammalian spermiogenesis using a proteomic approach. We found that MGCRABGAP exhibited GTPase-activating bioability, and several MGCRABGAP interactors, possible substrates (e.g., RAB10, RAB5C, and RAP1), were identified using co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and nano liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (nano LC-MS/MS). We confirmed the binding ability between RAB10 and MGCRABGAP via co-IP. Additionally, MGCRABGAP–RAB10 complexes were specifically colocalized in the manchette structure, a critical structure for the formation of spermatid heads, and were slightly expressed at the midpiece of mature spermatozoa. Based on these results, we propose that MGCRABGAP is involved in mammalian spermiogenesis by modulating RAB10.
- Published
- 2017
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- View/download PDF
48. SEPT12–NDC1 Complexes Are Required for Mammalian Spermiogenesis
- Author
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Tsung-Hsuan Lai, Ying-Yu Wu, Ya-Yun Wang, Mei-Feng Chen, Pei Wang, Tsung-Ming Chen, Yi-No Wu, Han-Sun Chiang, Pao-Lin Kuo, and Ying-Hung Lin
- Subjects
male infertility ,SEPT12 ,NDC1 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Male factor infertility accounts for approximately 50 percent of infertile couples. The male factor-related causes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection failure include the absence of sperm, immotile sperm, immature sperm, abnormally structured sperm, and sperm with nuclear damage. Our knockout and knock-in mice models demonstrated that SEPTIN12 (SEPT12) is vital for the formation of sperm morphological characteristics during spermiogenesis. In the clinical aspect, mutated SEPT12 in men results in oligozoospermia or teratozoospermia or both. Sperm with mutated SEPT12 revealed abnormal head and tail structures, decreased chromosomal condensation, and nuclear damage. Furthermore, several nuclear or nuclear membrane-related proteins have been identified as SEPT12 interactors through the yeast 2-hybrid system, including NDC1 transmembrane nucleoporin (NDC1). NDC1 is a major nuclear pore protein, and is critical for nuclear pore complex assembly and nuclear morphology maintenance in mammalian cells. Mutated NDC1 cause gametogenesis defects and skeletal malformations in mice, which were detected spontaneously in the A/J strain. In this study, we characterized the functional effects of SEPT12–NDC1 complexes during mammalian spermiogenesis. In mature human spermatozoa, SEPT12 and NDC1 are majorly colocalized in the centrosome regions; however, NDC1 is only slightly co-expressed with SEPT12 at the annulus of the sperm tail. In addition, SEPT12 interacts with NDC1 in the male germ cell line through coimmunoprecipitation. During murine spermiogenesis, we observed that NDC1 was located at the nuclear membrane of spermatids and at the necks of mature spermatozoa. In male germ cell lines, NDC1 overexpression restricted the localization of SEPT12 to the nucleus and repressed the filament formation of SEPT12. In mice sperm with mutated SEPT12, NDC1 dispersed around the manchette region of the sperm head and annulus, compared with concentrating at the sperm neck of wild-type sperm. These results indicate that SEPT12–NDC1 complexes are involved in mammalian spermiogenesis.
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. RORγt agonist synergizes with CTLA-4 antibody to inhibit tumor growth through inhibition of Treg cells via TGF-β signaling in cancer
- Author
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Chenglong Liu, Di Zhu, Yonghui Wang, Qiong Xie, Mingcheng Yu, Enming Tian, Li-xue Lu, Mei Feng, and Li-an Shen
- Subjects
Chemokine ,T-Lymphocytes ,chemical and pharmacologic phenomena ,Antineoplastic Agents ,C-C chemokine receptor type 6 ,Antibodies ,Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ,Antigen ,RAR-related orphan receptor gamma ,Cell Line, Tumor ,Neoplasms ,medicine ,Cytotoxic T cell ,Animals ,Humans ,CTLA-4 Antigen ,Pharmacology ,B-Lymphocytes ,biology ,Chemistry ,hemic and immune systems ,Cell Differentiation ,T helper cell ,Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 ,CCL20 ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,CTLA-4 ,biology.protein ,Cancer research ,Female ,Lymph Nodes ,Spleen ,Signal Transduction - Abstract
To date, the overall response rate to checkpoint blockade remains unsatisfactory, partially due to the limited understanding of the tumor immune microenvironment. The retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt (RORγt) is the key transcription factor of T helper cell 17 (Th17) cells and plays an essential role in tumor immunity. In this study, we used JG-1, a potent and selective small-molecule RORγt agonist to evaluate the therapeutic potential and mechanism of action of targeting RORγt in tumor immunity. JG-1 promotes Th17 cells differentiation and inhibition of regulatory T (Treg) cells differentiation. JG-1 demonstrates robust tumor growth inhibition in multiple syngeneic models and shows a synergic effect with the Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen 4 (CTLA-4) antibody. In tumors, JG-1 not only promotes Th17 cells differentiation and increases C-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 6 (CCR6)- Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 20 (CCL20) expression, but also inhibits both the expression of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) and the differentiation and infiltration of Treg cells. In summary, JG-1 is a lead compound showing a potent activity in vitro and robust tumor growth inhibition in vivo with synergetic effects with anti-CTLA-4.
- Published
- 2021
50. Micro-RNA-451 Reduces Proliferation of B-CPAP Human Papillary Thyroid Cancer Cells by Downregulating Expression of Activating Transcription Factor 2
- Author
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Mei-Feng Zhang, Lei Huang, and Zhe-Wei Fei
- Subjects
Untranslated region ,Carcinogenesis ,Cell Survival ,Thyroid Gland ,Apoptosis ,Cell Movement ,Lab/In Vitro Research ,Cell Line, Tumor ,microRNA ,Humans ,Viability assay ,Thyroid Neoplasms ,3' Untranslated Regions ,Cell Proliferation ,Messenger RNA ,biology ,Activating Transcription Factor 2 ,Chemistry ,Cell Cycle ,General Medicine ,Transfection ,Molecular biology ,Activating transcription factor 2 ,Carcinoma, Papillary ,Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ,In Vitro ,MicroRNAs ,Real-time polymerase chain reaction ,HEK293 Cells ,Lipofectamine ,Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ,biology.protein ,Disease Progression - Abstract
BACKGROUND MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are novel biomarkers that are important in tumorigenesis and cancer treatment resistance. miR-451 is expressed in human papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) tissues and is associated with tumor progression. This study investigated the molecular mechanism associated with the effects of miR-451 on B-CPAP human PTC cells in vitro. MATERIAL AND METHODS Binding of miRNAs to the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of messenger RNA (mRNA) was determined with a luciferase reporter assay. miRNAs and plasmids were transfected into human PTC B-CPAP cells with Lipofectamine 2000 Transfection Reagent. Cell viability was tested with a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay. The levels of miRNAs and mRNA were determined with quantitative polymerase chain reaction and protein levels were analyzed with immunoblotting. RESULTS miR-451 bound to wild-type but not mutant 3'-UTR of activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2). MiR-451 mimics inhibited the growth of B-CPAP cells and reduced mRNA and protein levels in ATF2, whereas miR-451 inhibitors promoted the growth of B-CPAP cells and increased mRNA and protein levels in ATF2. CONCLUSIONS miR-451 directly bound to the 3'UTR of ATF2, decreased mRNA and protein levels in ATF2, and inhibited growth of B-CPAP cells. Our findings suggest that miR-451 may be a potential therapeutic target for PTC.
- Published
- 2021
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