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Introduction: DEAD-box helicase 27 (DDX27) belongs to DEAD-Box nucleic acid helicase family. The function of DDX27 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain enigmatic. In light of this, we tried to investigate the regulatory role and underlying mechanism of DDX27 in HCC. Materials and methods: DDX27 expression levels were detected by qRT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays in HCC tissues and cells. Colony formation, CCK-8, growth curve, wound healing and transwell assays were conducted to investigate the effect of DDX27 on the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells. RNA-sequencing was performed to detect the effect of DDX27 on downstream signaling pathway. The effect of DDX27 on HCC progression was evaluated using in vivo murine xenograft model. Results: we found an increased expression of DDX27 in HCC tissues with comparison to its para-tumor tissues. The high expression levels of DDX27 were associated with poor prognosis in HCC patients. DDX27 upregulation promoted cell metastasis. Mechanistic studies suggested that DDX27 overexpression induces the major vault protein (MVP) expression and enhances the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2. Inhibition of ERK pathway impaired the cellular metastastic abilities induced by DDX27. The induction of DDX27 in HCC progression was further confirmed from tumors in mouse model. Conclusion: our results disclose a novel mechanism by which DDX27 enhances ERK signaling during HCC progression. DDX27 might be used in targeted therapy for HCC patients.

The mandarin voles (Lasiopodomys mandarinus) is a subterranean rodent that spends its entire life underground in burrow systems, having to endure a hypoxic environment. In this study, we used the embedded artificial tunnel method in a natural burrow system to measure oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and the temperature and humidity in the underground burrows of mandarin voles in Xinzheng, Henan Province, China during the spring and summer of 2015. Our results show that 1) the depth and complexity of the burrow were higher during summer than during spring; 2) maximal CO2 levels (2.55%) and minimal O2 levels (16.04%) were recorded in the underground burrows during summer; and 3) the temperature and humidity in the underground burrows were relatively stable during spring and summer. In conclusion, mandarin voles face hypoxic/hypercapnic stress predominantly during summer. The humidity and temperature of the burrows were relatively stable and were not affected by seasonal variation. The burrow system of mandarin voles was more complex and deeper during the rainy summer season. Our study provides a basis for further investigations regarding the evolutionary, physiological, and molecular basis of hypoxia-hypercapnia in mandarin voles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manchurian Zokor (Myospalax psilurus) is a common subterranean rodents which have a wide distribution in Transbaikalia, east Mongolia, east and central China, and Far East of Russian. The complete mitochondrial (MT) genome ofM. psilurushas been determined in this study. It is a 16 360 bp circular molecule containing 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs genes. Except for the seven tRNA and Nd6 genes, all other mitogenes are encoded on the heavy strand. The overall nucleotide composition of the H-strand is 33.68% A, 28.77% T, 25.35% C, and 12.17% G. Total A + T content is 54.12%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mandarin voles (Lasiopodomys mandarinus) is a subterranean rodent species that are often used as a model for studying subterranean hypoxic stress in mammals. Its subspeciesL. m. mandarinusspan in cropland in most area of north China and is regarded as an agricultural pest. In this paper, the complete mitochondrial genome ofL. m. mandarinushas been determined. Our results showed that the mitochondrial genome ofL. m. mandarinusis a circular molecule of 16 367 bp, which contents 13 protein-coding, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs genes. The overall base composition of the heavy strand is 32.47% A, 27.04% T, 27.01% C, and 13.47% G. with an AT content of 59.51%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome type 1 (XLP1) is an X-linked recessive genetic disorder with a strong resemblance to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Causative mutations for XLP1 have been identified in SH2D1A, located on chromosome Xq25. Case presentation: We report a case of an 18-month-old male with a novel nonsense mutation in SH2D1A. The patient presented the typical phenotype of HLH, including splenomegaly and hemophagocytosis in the bone marrow. Thus, he was initially diagnosed with HLH based on HLH-2004 guidelines. High-throughput amplicon sequencing was performed to detect mutations in the most commonly reported causative genes of HLH, i.e., PRF1, UNC13D, STX11, STXBP2, SH2D1A, and XIAP. A likely pathogenic nonsense mutation was detected in SH2D1A (NM_002351.4:c.300T>A). The mutation was inherited from the patient's mother, and an X-linked recessive mode of inheritance was confirmed by a two-generation pedigree analysis based on Sanger sequencing results. Conclusions: The nonsense mutation in SH2D1A (NM_002351.4:c.300T>A) was reported for the first time in a case of XLP1 and was considered to be likely pathogenic based on the truncation of the mRNA sequence. This finding expands the spectrum of known XLP-related mutations in Chinese patients and indicates the utility of amplicon sequencing for XLP and HLH diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plateau zokors Myospalax baileyi are subterranean rodents and endemic to the cold and hypoxic (2800-4300 m above sea level) climate of the farm, prairie, alpine prairie, and meadow habitats across the Tibetan plateau. The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of M. baileyi has been determined. Our results showed that the total length of the mitogenome was 16,351 bp, and had a gene content of 13 protein coding, 22 tRNAs and 2 rRNAs. Except for the seven tRNA and Nd6 genes, all other mt genes are encoded on the heavy strand. The overall base composition of the heavy strand is 33.65% A, 29.65% T, 24.42% C, and 12.28% G, with an AT content of 63.3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]