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Lung cancer is the most frequent malignant tumor, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is responsible for substantial mortality worldwide. The small molecule SNX-2112 was recently shown to critically effect the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism by which SNX-2112 affects NSCLC remains poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the function of SNX-2112 in NSCLC. We verified that SNX-2112 promoted apoptosis and suppressed the proliferation, invasion, and migration of A549 and H520 NSCLC cells in vitro. We further verified the potential mechanism of SNX-2112 in NSCLC. The changes in the protein levels demonstrated that SNX-2112 inhibited the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (increased E-cadherin and decreased N-cadherin and vimentin) and the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway (glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3β and phosphorylated (p)-β-catenin increased, β-catenin and p-GSK3β decreased) in NSCLC cells. These results were verified by rescue experiments using a Wnt/β-catenin pathway agonist. We also established a tumor xenograft model and confirmed that SNX-2112 reduced tumor growth and proliferation and enhanced necrosis and apoptosis in a NSCLC model in vivo. In conclusion, the current study is the first to discover the mechanism of SNX-2112 in NSCLC. SNX-2112 induced apoptosis and also inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of NSCLC cells by downregulating EMT via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Monascus has been used to produce natural colorants and food supplements for more than one thousand years, and approximately more than one billion people eat Monascus-fermented products during their daily life. In this study, using next-generation sequencing and optical mapping approaches, a 24.1-Mb complete genome of an industrial strain, Monascus purpureus YY-1, was obtained. This genome consists of eight chromosomes and 7,491 genes. Phylogenetic analysis at the genome level provides convincing evidence for the evolutionary position of M. purpureus. We provide the first comprehensive prediction of the biosynthetic pathway for Monascus pigment. Comparative genomic analyses show that the genome of M. purpureus is 13.6-40% smaller than those of closely related filamentous fungi and has undergone significant gene losses, most of which likely occurred during its specialized adaptation to starch-based foods. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals that carbon starvation stress, resulting from the use of relatively low-quality carbon sources, contributes to the high yield of pigments by repressing central carbon metabolism and augmenting the acetyl-CoA pool. Our work provides important insights into the evolution of this economically important fungus and lays a foundation for future genetic manipulation and engineering of this strain.

Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising material for biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery, due to its exceptional chemical and physical properties. In this work, an innovative GO-based carrier was developed by modifying GO with chitosan (CHI) to improve the biocompatibility, and followed by the conjugation of hyaluronic acid (HA), the target ligand for CD44, to realize the specific recognition of tumor cells and improve the efficiency of anti-tumor drug delivery. The resulting product GO-CHI-HA was loaded with an anti-cancer drug SNX-2112, which is the Hsp90 inhibitor. The total release amount and release rate of SNX-2112 were significantly higher in acidic condition than in physiological condition. GO-CHI-HA with a low concentration had little impact on the lysis of red blood cells (RBCs) and blood coagulation and showed low toxicity in A549 cells and NHBE cells. The GO-CHI-HA/SNX-2112 proved to be effective in inhibiting and killing A549 cells while having lower cytotoxicity against normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE cells). Furthermore, in vivo toxicity of the materials towards vital organs in SD rats were also studied through histological examinations and blood property analyses, the results of which showed that although inflammatory response was developed in the short-term, GO-CHI-HA/SNX-2112 caused no severe long-term injury. Therefore, this drug delivery system showed great potential as an effective and safe drug delivery system with little adverse side effects for cancer therapy.

Specific dyslexia is a sub-type of dyslexia, which has gradually attracted the attention of researchers at home and abroad in recent years. Research on specific dyslexia mainly comes from cognitive field and focuses on language skills, general cognitive ability and impairment of cognitive flexibility. This paper sorts out and summarizes the basic viewpoints and related researches on cognitive deficits of specific dyslexics, and analyzes the causes and effects of specific dyslexics, so as to provide references for the identification, intervention training and research of specific dyslexics.

Gastric cancer is the fourth most common malignant disease and second leading cause of cancer‑associated mortalities worldwide. Previous studies revealed aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in various types of human cancer; these miRNAs play important roles in tumourigenesis and tumour development. miRNAs present a considerable potential for novel therapeutic approaches for treating human cancer. Therefore, the investigation of novel miRNAs involved in gastric cancer progression provides an opportunity to improve the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. miRNA‑28 (miR‑28) has been investigated with regards to its expression and biological functions in many types of human cancer. However, previous studies have not discussed the expression patterns, roles and associated molecular mechanisms of miR‑28 in gastric cancer. In the present study, miR‑28 expression was identified to be upregulated in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines. miR‑28 inhibition functionally inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in gastric cancer in vitro. Using bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) was mechanically identified as a direct target of miR‑28 in gastric cancer. PTEN was downregulated in gastric cancer and negatively correlated with miR‑28 levels. Inhibition of PTEN restored the biological effects of miR‑28 downregulation on the proliferation and invasion of gastric cancer cells. Notably, the downregulation of miR‑28 results in the regulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3‑kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway in gastric cancer. These results suggested that miR‑28 may be targeted for the development of novel treatments for gastric cancer in the future.

Monascus has been used to produce natural colorants and food supplements for more than one thousand years and approximately more than one billion people eat Monascus-fermented products during their daily life. In this study, using next-generation sequencing and optical mapping approaches, a 24.1-Mb complete genome of an industrial strain, Monascus purpureus YY-1, was obtained. This genome consists of eight chromosomes and 7,491 genes. Phylogenetic analysis at the genome level provides convincing evidence for the evolutionary position of M. purpureus. We provide the first comprehensive prediction of the biosynthetic pathway for Monascus pigment. Comparative genomic analyses show that the genome of M. purpureus is 13.6–40% smaller than those of closely related filamentous fungi and has undergone significant gene losses, most of which likely occurred during its specialized adaptation to starch-based foods. Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals that carbon starvation stress, resulting from the use of relatively low-quality carbon sources, contributes to the high yield of pigments by repressing central carbon metabolism and augmenting the acetyl-CoA pool. Our work provides important insights into the evolution of this economically important fungus and lays a foundation for future genetic manipulation and engineering of this strain.