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Dysregulated expression of microRNAs is often found in gastric cancer, and it contributes to the pathogenesis of gastric cancer via regulation of the cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion.In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-367 in the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer.The correlation between the expression level of miR-367 and the clinicopathologic features of 37 patients with gastric cancer was analyzed by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). In addition, we investigated the effect of miR-367 on the invasion and migration of the gastric cancer cell lines HS746T and SGC-7901 using transwell and scratch-wound assays, and the target gene of miR-367 was predicated and demonstrated by the bioinformatics method and luciferase reporter system, respectively.The results showed that the expression of miR-367 was significantly reduced in the gastric cancer tissues compared with the paraneoplastic tissues, and significantly correlated with the differentiation level, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, and metastasis of gastric cancer. Notably, the overexpression of miR-367 in gastric cancer cells inhibited the cellular migration and invasion. Furthermore, the luciferase reporter system demonstrated that Rab23 was a target gene of miR-367, and ectopic expression of Rab23 could reverse the invasion and migration inhibitory activity of miR-367.Our study shows that miR-367 is a key negative regulator of the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer and establishes a strong rationale for developing miR-367 as a novel therapeutic agent against gastric cancer.

Hyperactivation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling is commonly associated with human tumors including lung cancers. PH domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1), which terminates Akt signaling by directly dephosphorylating and inactivating Akt, has been identified as a tumor suppressor. The protein level of PHLPP1 is regulated by E3 ligase beta-TRCP, however, the deubiquitinase for PHLPP1 is still not known. The mRNA levels of USP1 and PHLPP1 in lung cancer cells and tissues were determined by real-time PCR. The half-life of PHLPP1 was detected by CHX assay. The interaction between USP1 and PHLPP1 was examined by immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assay. Both USP1 and PHLPP1 are low expressed in lung cancer cells and tissues and silencing of USP1 by RNA interference significantly decreased the half-life of PHLPP1, which in turn amplified Akt1 phosphorylation. Our data identified a novel USP1-PHLPP1-Akt signaling axis, and decreased USP1 level in lung cancer cells may play an important role in lung cancer progress.

Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) was used to characterize the genomic constitution of 16 intergeneric F 1 hybrids derived from three cross-combinations between sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) and the related wild species Erianthus fulvus. Both monocolor and bicolor GISH were performed using digoxigenin-labeled E. fulvus DNA and biotin-labeled female parental DNA as probes. Differentiation of the chromosomes contributed by E. fulvus and female parents was easier in bicolor than mono-color GISH. The results revealed the transmission of 7 to 10 E. fulvus chromosomes into progenies, suggesting that there was "n" transmission of this wild species and that some of the progenies were partial hybrids. Elimination and fragmentation of E. fulvus chromosomes, as well as rear-rangements between two chromosomes from different parental genomes, were observed in the cells of the hybrids. Possible explanations for these phenomena and the potential of these hybrids in sugarcane breeding are discussed.

Identifi cation of hybrids derived from crosses between cultivated sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) and its wild relatives, including Erianthus fulvus Nees ex Hack., is important for the development of new sugarcane cultivars. The aim of the present study was to identify true hybrids in 73 F 1 progeny obtained from fi ve crosses with cultivated sugarcane as female parents and E. fulvus as male parents. Three random 10mers were used as primers in random amplifi ed polymorphic DNA (RAPD) reactions. A total of 10 E. fulvus–specifi c RAPD markers were cloned and sequenced, of which four were successfully applied as sequence-characterized amplifi ed region (SCAR) markers. Based on the four RAPD marker sequences, fi ve SCAR primer pairs were designed for polymerase chain reaction amplifi cations. Of the 73 progeny examined, 58 produced E. fulvus–specifi c SCAR bands, thus representing true hybrids of cultivated sugarcane and E. fulvus. These results demonstrate the fi rst use of SCAR marker analysis as an effective tool for the identifi cation of intergeneric sugarcane hybrids.

Matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), an interstitial collagenase, is responsible for the proteolytic degradation of basement membrane and extracellular matrix. MMP-1 plays a major role in the invasion of gastric cancer (GC). The role of the genetic polymorphisms in the functional regions of MMP-1 on the risk of GC remains unclear. To identify the markers that contribute to the genetic susceptibility to GC, we examined the potential association between GC and nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (rs 1799750, rs 498186, rs 475007, rs 514921, rs 494379, rs 996999, rs 2071232, rs 1938901, and rs 2239008) of the MMP-1 gene using the MassARRAY system in this study. The participants enrolled in this study included 422 patients with GC and 428 healthy subjects as the healthy controls from a Chinese Han population. The analysis revealed a weak association between the rs 1799750 (in the promoter region) genotype distribution and GC (p=0.020). The frequency of the 2G allele was significantly higher in the patients with GC than in the healthy controls (p=0.005, odds ratio [OR]=1.324, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.087-1.613). Moreover, the patients with the 2G/2G genotype of rs 1799750 had a significantly increased risk of cancer invasion compared with patients with the 1G/1G+1G/2G genotype (p=0.001, OR=0.505, 95% CI: 0.331-0.771). Strong linkage disequilibrium was observed in three blocks (D'>0.9). Significantly, more C-2G haplotypes (block 3) (p=0.0005 after Bonferroni correction) were found in GC subjects. These findings point to a role for MMP-1 promoter polymorphism in GC among a Han Chinese population, and may be informative for future genetic or biological studies on GC.

In this presentation, we proposed an all-optical broadband terahertz (THz) modulator based on single-layer graphene (SLG) on silicon or germanium. By illuminating the film with 808nm CW laser, the THz transmission decreased significantly. The modulation speed was measured at 340GHz to be as high as 0.5 MHz. This modulator has huge potential for real application.

We report the growth of vanadium dioxide (VO2) films on metal electrode with a thin SiO2 buffer and the fabrication of nanoscale metal-oxide-metal junction. The thermal-induced metal-insulator transition with a change of resistance of 2 orders of magnitude is observed and the threshold voltage is as low as 1.6V.

In this presentation, we experimentally demonstrate a broadband absorber in the terahertz (THz) spectral band. A thin silicon dioxide (SiO2) film is used as dielectric spacer. The combination of different sizes of Al squares gives rise to an absorption bandwidth over 200GHz with absorption magnitude of 90%.