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Objective: To explore the role of PD-L1/PD-1 blockage in the cytotoxicity of natural killer cell in NSCLC., Methods: Two NSCLC cell lines, Calu-1 and H460, were tested for susceptibility to the cytolytic activity of freshly isolated healthy donor NK cells by a non-radioactive cellular cytotoxicity assay kit. Western blot analysis, FACS, ELISA and antibody blockage experiments were conducted to determine the mechanisms. NK cells isolated from NSCLC patients were also collected for functional assays., Results: Calu-1 and H460 cells were lysed by NK cells in a dose-dependent manner. H460 cells showed less susceptibility to NK cell-mediated lysis than Calu-1 cells at all ratios. The expression of PD-L1 on H460 cells was higher than that on Calu-1 cells, as determined by FACS and western blot analysis. The specific lysis of H460 cells by NK cells was enhanced when the PD-L1/PD-1 interaction was blocked by anti-PD-L1 antibody. This finding was also demonstrated in NK cells isolated from NSCLC patients., Conclusions: The present study revealed that PD-L1/PD-1 blockage enhanced the cytotoxicity of natural killer cells in NSCLC via granzyme B secretion. This study will greatly facilitate the precise treatment of lung cancer through determination of PD-L1 expression in tumors., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: With increasing cancer incidence and survival rates, the prevalence of maternal cancer and its effect on adverse birth outcomes are important for prenatal care and oncology management. However, the effects of different types of cancer at different gestational stages have not been widely reported., Objective: This study aimed to describe the epidemiologic characteristics of pregnancy-associated cancers (during and 1 year after pregnancy) and evaluate the association between adverse birth outcomes and maternal cancers., Methods: Of 983,162 cases, a history of maternal cancer, including pregestational cancer, pregnancy-associated cancer, and subsequent cancer, was identified in 16,475 cases using a health information network. The incidence and 95% confidence interval of pregnancy-associated cancer were calculated with the Poisson distribution. The adjusted risk ratio with 95% confidence interval of the association between adverse birth outcomes and maternal cancer were estimated using the multilevel log-binomial model., Results: A total of 38,295 offspring were born to mothers with a cancer history. Of these, 2583 (6.75%) were exposed to pregnancy-associated cancer, 30,706 (80.18%) had a subsequent cancer diagnosis, and 5006 (13.07%) were exposed to pregestational cancer. The incidence of pregnancy-associated cancer was 2.63 per 1000 pregnancies (95% confidence interval, 2.53‰-2.73‰), with cancer of the thyroid (1.15‰), breast (0.25‰), and female reproductive organs (0.23‰) being the most common cancer types. The increased risks of preterm birth and low birthweight were significantly associated with cancer diagnosed during the second and third trimester of pregnancy, whereas increased risks of birth defects (adjusted risk ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-2.04) were associated with cancer diagnosed in the first trimester. Increased risks of preterm birth (adjusted risk ratio, 1.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.02-1.32), low birthweight (adjusted risk ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval, 1.07-1.44), and birth defects (adjusted risk ratio, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-1.35) were observed in thyroid cancer survivors., Conclusion: Careful monitoring of fetal growth should be implemented for women diagnosed with cancer in the second and third trimester to ensure timely delivery and balance the benefits of neonatal health and cancer treatment. The higher incidence of thyroid cancer and increased risk of adverse birth outcomes among thyroid cancer survivors suggested that the regular thyroid function monitoring and regulation of thyroid hormone levels are important in maintaining pregnancy and promoting fetal development among thyroid cancer survivors before and during pregnancy., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) consists of monocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages, which play vital roles in innate immune defense against cancer. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complex disease that is affected or initiated by many factors, including chronic hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis C virus infection, metabolic disorders or alcohol consumption. Liver function, tumor stage and the performance status of patients affect HCC clinical outcomes. Studies have shown that targeted treatment of tumor microenvironment disorders may improve the efficacy of HCC treatments. Cytokines derived from the innate immune response can regulate T-cell differentiation, thereby shaping adaptive immunity, which is associated with the prognosis of HCC. Therefore, it is important to elucidate the function of the MPS in the progression of HCC. In this review, we outline the impact of HCC on the MPS. We illustrate how HCC reshapes MPS cell phenotype remodeling and the production of associated cytokines and characterize the function and impairment of the MPS in HCC., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Microorganisms and microbial products can be highly efficient in uptaking soluble and particulate forms of heavy metals, particularly from solutions. In this study, the removal efficiency, oxidative damage, antioxidant system, and the possible removal mechanisms were investigated in Rhodobacter (R.) sphaeroides SC01 under mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) stress. The results showed that SC01 had the highest removal rates (98%) of Pb among three heavy metals. Compared with Hg and Cd stress, Pb stress resulted in a lower levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell death. In contrast, the activities of four antioxidant enzymes in SC01 under Pb stress was higher than that of Hg and Cd stress. Furthermore, the analysis from fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that complexation of Pb with hydroxyl, amid and phosphate groups was found in SC01 under Pb stress. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis showed that precipitate of lead phosphate hydroxide was produced on the cell surface in SC01 exposed to Pb stress. Therefore, these results suggested that SC01 had good Pb removal ability by biosorption and precipitation and will be potentially useful for removal of Pb in industrial effluents., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Biological method has been recognized as a low-cost and ecofriendly approach for removing heavy metals from aqueous wastes. In this study, the ability of five photosynthetic bacteria isolates (strains labeled SC01, HN02, SC05, JS01, and YN01) was examined for their ability to remove Cr from Cr-containing solutions. Furthermore, the possible removal mechanisms were elucidated by comparing chromium removal rates, antioxidant reaction, and accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Among the five bacteria, strains SC01 and SC05 presented the highest removal rates of chromium ions and the activity of cysteine desulfhydrase under Cr stress. They also showed lower levels of ROS and cell death than the other three bacteria strains under Cr stress. In addition, total bacteriochlorophyll content and activities of six antioxidant enzymes in SC01 were highest among these selected strains. On the contrary, strain HN02 presented the lowest level of Cr removal and the lowest activities of antioxidant enzymes. It also exhibited the highest level of ROS under Cr(VI) stress. Overall, these results show that the strains SC01 and SC05 have good Cr removal ability and could be used for removal of Cr in industrial effluents.

In order to improve the expression of heat-resistant xylanase XYNB from Aspergillus niger SCTCC 400264, XynB has been cloned into Pichia pastoris secretary vector pPIC9K. The XynB production of recombinant P. pastoris was four times as E. coli, the Vmax and specific activity of XynB reached 2,547.7 μmol/mg and 4,757 U/mg, respectively. And the XynB still had 74% residual enzyme activity after 30 min-heat treatment at 80°C. The van der Waals force analysis in XYNB (ACN89393 and AAS67299), there is one more oxygen radicals in AAS67299 in their catalytic site, indicating that the local cavity is much more free, and it is more optimal for substrate binding, affinity reaction, and proton transfer etc, and eventually increasing enzyme activity. The H-bonds analysis of XYNB indicated that there are two more H-bonds in 33rd Ser of XYNB (AAS67299) than 33rd Ala(ACN89393 ), two H-bonds between Ser70 and Asp67.

Phytases play a very important role in increasing phytate digestion and reducing phosphorus pollution in the environment, and phytate-degrading bacteria have a ubiquitous distribution in the environment. Due to its extremely harsh environment, the Tibetan Plateau breeds possibly abundant, extreme microorganisms. In this research, 67 phytate-degrading bacteria were isolated from different habitats in the Tibetan Plateau. Among all isolates, 40.3% were screened from farmland, 25.3% from wetland, 4.5% from saline-alkaline soil, 7.5% from hot springs, and 22.4% from lawns, which showed that the distribution of the phytate-degrading bacteria varied with habitats. By the PCR-RFLP method, 16 different species were identified and named, 4 of which are reported for the first time as phytate-degrading bacteria, that is, Uncultured Enterococcus sp. GYPB01, Bacillaceae bacterium strain GYPB05, Endophytic bacterium strain GYPB16, and Shigella dysenteria strain GYPB22. Through the assay of phytase activity of 16 strains, Klebsiella sp. strain GYPB15 displayed the highest capability of phytase production. Through analysis of the optimum pH, the optimum temperature, and the thermal stability of enzyme from 16 strains, some especial phytate-degrading bacteria were obtained. Our findings clearly indicate a good relation between the composition of the soils from the different environments in the Tibetan Plateau and populations of cultivable phytate-degrading bacteria. Moreover, extreme harsh soils are logically the best soils in which to find some strains of phytate-degrading bacteria for exploiting in the fields of biotechnology and industry.

Microbial lipids, which are also known as single cell oils (SCO), are produced by oleaginous microorganisms including oleaginous bacteria, yeast, fungus and algae through converting carbohydrates into lipids under certain conditions. Due to its unique environment having extremely low temperature and anoxia, the Tibetan Plateau is amongst the regions with numerous rare ecotypes such as arid desert, salt marsh, alpine permafrost, hot spring, and lawn. By using a rapid, convenient screening method, we identified 31 strains of oleaginous microorganisms from different habitats in the Tibetan Plateau, which include wetlands, lawn, hot spring, alpine permafrost, and saline-alkali soil. Molecular identity analysis showed that they belong to 15 different species, 7 of which are reported for the first time as lipid-producing microorganisms, that is, Cladosporium sp., Gibberella fujikuro, Ochrobactrum sp., Plectosphaerella sp., Tilletiopsis albescens, Backusella ctenidia, and Davidiella tassiana. The distribution of the oleaginous microorganisms varies with habitats. 11 strains were found in hot spring (35.5%), 10 in farmland (32.3%), 6 in lawn (19.4%), 2 in sand (6.4%), 1 in wetland (3.2%), and 1 in permafrost (3.2%). Carbon utilization analysis indicated that most of these filamentous fungi can use xylose and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as carbon source, where Backusella ctenidia, Fusarium sp. and Gibberella fujikuroi have the strongest capability.

In order to evaluate their antibacterial activities and toxicities, the cecropins-melittin hybrid antimicrobial peptide, CA(1-7)-M(4-11) (CAM) and CB(1-7)-M(4-11) (CBM), were designed by APD2 database. The recombinant hybrid antimicrobial peptides were successfully expressed and purified in Pichia pastoris. Antimicrobial activity assay showed that both of the two hybrid antimicrobial peptides had strong antibacterial abilities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus thuringiensis, and Salmonella derby. The potency of CAM and CBM to E. coli 25922 were 0.862 and 0.849, respectively, slightly lower than Amp's 0.957. The hemolytic assays indicated CAM and CBM had no hemolytic in vivo and in vitro, and so they had a good application prospect.

Complex I is the first enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It extracts energy from NADH, which is produced by the oxidation of sugars and fats, and traps the energy by virtue of a potential difference or voltage across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Herein, the genomic sequence and four splice variants encoding the complex I 19-kD subunit were isolated from Dunaliella salina. There were four transcripts coding for the complex I 19-kD subunit due to alternative splicing in algae, and the four transcripts were translated to two protein isoforms with varying C-terminals. We report the splicing pattern in the 3'-region of the D. salina 19-kD subunit, in which three of the exons (5, 6, and 7) could be alternatively spliced. Moreover, we found that four alternatively spliced variants were subject to coordinated transcription in response to different stresses by real-time quantitative PCR.

NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I ) of the mitochondrial respiratory chain catalyzes the transfer of electrons from NADH to ubiquinone coupled to proton translocation across the membrane. The cDNA sequence of Dunaliella salina mitochondrial NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase 19-kD subunit contains a 682-bp ORF encoding a protein with an apparent molecular mass of 19 kD. The sequence has been submitted to the GenBank database under Accession No. EF566890 (cDNA sequences) and EF566891 (genomic sequence). The deduced amino-acid sequence is 74% identical to Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase 18-kD subunit. The 19-kD subunit mRNA expression was observed in oxygen deficiency, salt treatment, and rotenone treatment with lower levels. It demonstrate that the 19-kD subunit of Complex I from Dunaliella salina is regulated by these stresses.

Dunaliella salina, a unicelluar green alga that can tolerate an extreme variation of salt concentration is being studied as a model system to analyze the tolerance of abiotic stresses at the molecular level. Upon abnormal NaCl levels, new transcripts were abundantly expressed in cells of the alga. EST gene discovery efforts utilizing salt-shock cells had identified one cDNA designated Dscbr (GenBank accession no. DQ867041) with significant similarity to a carotene biosynthesis related gene (cbr) from Dunaliella bardawil and to early light inducible genes (elip) of higher plants. Dscbr was 976 bp in length, encoding a 190 amino acid deduced polypeptide (DsCBR) with a predicted molecular mass of 19.9 kDa and pI of 9.0. The three dimensional structure of DsCBR modeled by computer homology modeling techniques showed that the protein possessed three predicted transmembrane helices and six conserved pigment-binding residues. Real-Time Quantitative PCR clearly demonstrated that Dscbr mRNA can be rapidly induced by high light intensity and salt shocks. The results presented in this work are consistent with the earlier proposal (Jin et al. 2001 Biochim Biophys Acta 1506:244-259, 2003 Plant Physiol 132:352-364) that the DsCBR protein is an adaptive response to stress-induced photodamage within the alga chloroplast, and plays a key role in the protection and/or repair of the photosynthetic apparatus.

Ultraviolet light induces photoproducts, cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and (6-4) photoproducts (6-4PPs), in cellular DNA, which cause cytotoxic and genotoxic effects on the cells. Cells have several DNA repair mechanisms to repair the damage and to maintain genetic information of the cells. Photoreactivation is one of the DNA repair mechanism to remove UV-induced DNA damage from cellular DNA catalyzed by photolyase under visible light. Two types of photolyase, CPD photolyase and (6-4) photolyase, are specific for CPDs and for (6-4)PPs. We have isolated a gene product encoding CPD photolyase, named PHR2, from Dunaliella salina which is a kind of unicellular alga. Sequence analysis showed that PHR2 encodes a protein that has 529 amino acids and is similar to other Class II CPD photolyase. The complementation assay of the photoreactivation deficiency of the Escherichia coli SY2 by PHR2 cDNA showed a significant increase in survival rate when cells were irradiated with UV-C. Real-time PCR analysis indicated that the transcription of PHR2 was induced by UV-C, white light, high salinity, and H(2)O(2).

The purpose of this review is to confirm the reason resulted the gene silence and explore the countermeasure avoiding the gene silence in transgene plant. The method is to divide the gene silencing into transcriptional gene silencing(TGS) and posttranscriptional gene silencing(PTGS). Several models resulted PTGS were analyzed by RNA threshold model, ectopic pairing and aberrant RNA model and ds-RNA model. The results showed that it was important to decide the phenomena of restraining transgene silencing and the mechanism of PTGS. The strategies of identification of gene function and prevention of virus were presented by RNAi and gene silencing respectively, etc.

For long time, there has been controversy on the use of digitalis in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Hemodynamic studies before and after the use of cedilanid, simple QRS scoring, changes on the score of AMI and cardiac arrhythmia were analysed on 24 cases of AMI. Results of the pre- and post-medication values were improved as following: (1) Cardiac index (CI) were 2.34 +/- 0.2 and 3.21 +/- 0.26L/min/m2 two hours after medication (P < 0.05). (2) Left ventricular stroke work index (LVSWI) were 31.2 +/- 3.4 and 40.1 +/- 2.2 g-m/beat/m2 two hours after medication (P < 0.01). (3) Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) were 19.5 +/- 2.4 and 13.2 +/- 2.1 mmHg two hours after medication (P < 0.01). (4) Myocardial oxygen consumption triple index (TI) were 182000 +/- 14000 and 142000 +/- 12000 two hours after medication (P < 0.01). (5) There was no change or with only trivial aberration on systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and perfusion pressure of the coronary arteries (CCP). (6) Simple QRS scoring on electrocardiogram resulted that the size of infarcted areas were 4.02 +/- 0.3 points before and 3.01 +/- 0.23 points after the medication (P < 0.01), there was neither ventricular premature beats (VPB) nor increase of any other serious cardiac arrhythmias in the electrocardiogram care and record in 72 hours. From the hemodynamic studies, the beneficial effect of cedilanid is greater than its adverse effect. It is concluded that digitalis can be safely and effectively used in the treatment of AMI.