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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which accounts for 85–90% of primary liver cancer, is the fifth most common malignant tumor and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, but the pathological mechanism of HCC is still not fully elucidated. miRNAs are evolutionarily endogenous small noncoding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression via posttranscriptional inhibition or target mRNA degradation in several diseases, especially human cancer. Therefore, discovering the roles of miRNAs is appealing to scientific researchers. Emerging evidence has shown that the aberrant expressions of numerous miRNAs are involved in many HCC biological processes. In hepatocarcinogenesis, miRNAs with dysregulated expression can exert their function as oncogenes or tumor suppressors depending on their cellular target during the cell cycle, and in tumor development, differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, metastasis, and progression of the tumor microenvironment. In this review, we summarize current findings on miRNAs and assess their functions to explore the molecular mechanisms of tumor progression in HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cuticle morphology was viewed by SEM of five organs of Thellungiella. • Cuticular lipids (wax and cutin) composition was determined in Thellungiella. • Cuticle-associated genes expression was performed by transcriptome sequencing. • Relationship between cuticle and adaptation to extreme environments was discussed. The cuticle plays a critical role as barrier between plant and environment. Here, cuticular wax morphology, cuticular wax and cutin monomer composition, and expression of associated genes in five above ground organs were examined in model extremophyte Thellungiella salsugineum. Alkanes, ketones, and 2-alcohols were the predominant wax constitutes in rosette leaves, inflorescence stem leaves, stems, and siliques, whereas alkanes and acids were the predominant cuticular lipids in whole flowers. Unsubstituted acids were the most abundant cutin monomers in vegetative organs, especially C18:2 dioic acids, which reached the highest levels in stems. Hydroxy fatty acids were the predominant cutin monomers in flowers, especially 16−OH C16:0 and diOH C16:0. High-throughput RNA-Seq analysis using the Hiseq4000 platform was performed on these five above organs of T. salsugineum , and the differentially expressed lipid-associated genes and their associated metabolic pathways were identified. Expression of genes associated in previous reports to cuticle production, including those having roles in cuticle lipid biosynthesis, transport, and regulation were examined. The association of cuticle lipid composition and gene expression within different organs of T. salsugineum , and potential relationships between T. salsugineum 's extreme cuticle and its adaptation to extreme environments is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Ethno-pharmacological relevance Numerous studies have demonstrated the potent anticancer activity of various Chinese herbs. Actinidia chinensis Planch root (acRoots), a traditional Chinese medicine, functions as an antitumor and detoxifying agent and plays a role in diuresis and hemostasis. Treatment with acRoots confers strong inhibition of tumor growth in various forms of cancer. Here, we evaluated the anticancer activity and molecular mechanisms of Actinidia chinensis Planch root extract (acRoots) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and methods Our previous study used mRNA chip analyses to identify the genes regulated by acRoots. Further analyses of the altered genes identified a key regulator of genes in response to acRoots. Here, the effects of acRoots on HCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were evaluated by cell counting, Transwell and apoptosis assays. In addition, the in vivo anti-HCC effects of acRoots were investigated using an HCC animal model. The expression of a key regulator of genes in response to acRoots was analyzed using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Results Treatment with acRoots (10 mg/mL) had no cytotoxicity in L02 cells and had a positive effect on L02 cell viability; however, it significantly inhibited HCC cell proliferation. Treatment with acRoots downregulated DLX2 gene expression in HCC cells, and high DLX2 expression was associated with advanced stage and poor prognosis in patients with HCC. Treatment with acRoots inhibited proliferation, invasion and migration, clonality, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and promoted the apoptosis of HCC cells by downregulating DLX2 expression. HCC cells with higher DLX2 expression were more sensitive to acRoots. Conclusions acRoots inhibited the malignant biological behavior of HCC cells via regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by DLX2. Graphical abstract fx1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Epilepsy-aphasia spectrum (EAS) are a group of epilepsy syndromes denoting an association between epilepsy, speech disorders and the EEG signature of centrotemporal spikes. Mutations in the GRIN2A gene, encoding the NMDA glutamate receptor α2 subunit were reported in focal epilepsy with speech disorder. We aimed to explore the role of GRIN2A mutations in patients with centrotemporal spikes related epileptic syndromes in a Chinese cohort. Methods Patients with Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS), epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike-and-wave during sleep (ECSWS), atypical benign partial epilepsy (ABPE), and benign epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS) were recruited. GRIN2A mutation screening was performed using PCR and Sanger sequencing. Results 122 patients, including 9 LKS, 26 ECSWS, 42 ABPE and 45 BECTS were enrolled. The mean age of seizure or aphasia onset was 5 years, ranging from 10 months to 11 years. Heterozygous GRIN2A mutations were detected in four patients (G760S, D1385Y, C455Y and C231R) GRIN2A mutation was found in 11.1% (1 out of 9 cases) of LKS, and in 7.1% (3 out of 42 cases) of ABPE, but in none with ECSWS and BECTS. No GRIN2A mutation was found in patients with a family history of febrile seizures or epilepsy. Conclusion GRIN2A mutation is a genetic cause in less than 11% patients with LKS or ABPE. GRIN2A gene is a rare causative gene in Chinese patients with EAS, suggesting the possibility of other gene involved in the pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer death and the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in China. Approximately, 25% of CRC was in the advanced stage as diagnosed, and 40% of patients with CRC progress to metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). RAS mutation status is now routinely used to select their therapy. But it is still a question whether RAS mutation status is a prognostic marker. In our study, we detected RAS mutation, immunoscore (IS), and PD-L1 expression in 60 Chinese mCRC patients who received palliative operation. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the overall survival (OS) in patients with RAS wild type was better than those with RAS mutated type. Moreover, in multivariate analysis, RAS mutation and PD-L1 expression were demonstrated to be the independent negative prognostic factors for OS (P=0.044, HR: 0.258, and 95% CI: 0.069–0.967; P=0.048, HR: 0.276, and 95% CI: 0.077–0,988). All results suggested that, combined with IS, PD-L1 expression and RAS status may be the prognostic indicators for mCRC patients with palliative operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cetuximab is one of the most widely used epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors to treat patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) harboring wild-type of RAS/RAF status. However, primary and acquired resistance to cetuximab is often found during target therapy. Methods To gain insights into the functions of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in cetuximab resistance, we used a lncRNA-mining approach to distinguish lncRNA specific probes in Affymetrix HG-U133A 2.0 arrays. Then we performed lncRNA expression profiling in a cetuximab treated mCRC cohort from Gene Expression Ominus (GEO). The potential lncRNAs were further validated in acquired cetuximab resistant cell lines and clinical samples of our hospital. The functions and associated pathways of the prognostic lncRNA were predicted by GO and KEGG analyses. Results 249 lncRNA-specific probe sets (corresponding to 212 lncRNAs) were represented in Affymetrix HG-U133A 2.0 arrays. We found that 9 lncRNAs were differentially expressed between disease control group (DCG) and non-responders, and 5 of these 9 lncRNAs were significantly related with the progression-free survival (PFS) of the patients. Among those 5 lncRNAs, POU5F1P4 was also down-regulated in acquired cetuximab resistant cells, as well as in cetuximab resistant patients. Downregulation of POU5F1P4 decreased the sensitivity of colorectal cancer cells to cetuximab. Conclusion Our findings indicate the potential roles of lncRNAs in cetuximab resistance, and may provide the useful information for discovery of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Reference genes are used to normalize target genes for relative quantification in gene expression studies. However, different experimental conditions may affect the expression of reference genes, which could lead to erroneous quantitative results. In this study, we performed real-time polymerase chain to investigate the expression of eight reference genes (rpoN, rpoD, dbhA, phaF, 16S rRNA, gst, lexA, and atkA) in Pseudomonas putida mt-2 during degradation of p-xylene. According to their expression stability, geNorm software analysis revealed that rpoN, rpoD, 16S rRNA, and atkA were suitable reference genes with highly stable expression, whereas phaF and dbhA were not suitable due to unstable expression. When normalized either to phaF or dbhA, xylA and xylE expression were significantly different compared to the expression levels normalized with the normalization factor (NF4) obtained from the four most stable reference genes (rpoN, -rpoD, -16S rRNA, and -atkA). The use of unstably expressing reference genes resulted in an over- or underestimation of target gene expression, a delay in maximal gene expression, and an increase in gene expression in the absence of inducer. While experimental results indicated that the relative maximum expression of xylA and xylE occurred at different times, unstable reference genes indicated that the maximum expression occurred at the same time. Our study indicates that a valid set of reference genes covering a broad expression range is recommended to accurately normalize and quantify the relative expression levels of the target gene(s) transcripts in many microbial processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Plant cuticle lipids form outer protective layers to resist environmental stresses; however, the relationship between cuticle properties and cold tolerance is unclear. Here, the extremophyte Thellungiella salsuginea was stressed under cold conditions (4 °C) and the cuticle of rosette leaves was examined in terms of epicuticular wax crystal morphology, chemical composition, and cuticle-associated gene expression. The results show that cold induced formation of distinct lamellas within the cuticle ultrastructure. Cold stress caused 14.58% and 12.04% increases in the amount of total waxes and cutin monomer per unit of leaf area, respectively, probably associated with the increase in total fatty acids. The transcriptomic analysis was performed on rosette leaves of Thellungiella exposed to cold for 24 h. We analyzed the expression of 72 genes putatively involved in cuticle lipid metabolism, some of which were validated by qRT-PCR (quantitative reverse transcription PCR) after both 24 h and one week of cold exposure. Most cuticle-associated genes exhibited higher expression levels under cold conditions, and some key genes increased more dramatically over the one week than after just 24 h, which could be associated with increased amounts of some cuticle components. These results demonstrate that the cuticle provides some aspects of cold adaptation in T. salsuginea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]