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In this study, the morphological (plant height, leaf length and width, stem diameter and leaf number), anatomical (epidermal cell density and thickness, Stomatal length and width), photosynthetic (net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2 concentration, relative humidity, leaf temperature and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters) and biochemical parameters (the content of soluble sugar, soluble protein, proline, malondialdehyde and electrical conductivity) of Cypripedium macranthos Sw. in Changbai Mountain were determined under different light conditions (L10, L30, L50, L100). The results showed that morphological values including plant height, leaf area, stem diameter and leaf number of C. macranthos were smaller under the condition of full light at L100. The epidermal cell density and epidermal thickness of C. macranthos were the highest under L30 and L50 treatments, respectively. It had the highest net photosynthetic rate (Pn) and chlorophyll content under L50 treatment. Meanwhile, correlation analysis indicated that photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and water use efficiency (WUE) were the main factors influencing Pn. C. macranthos accumulated more soluble sugars and soluble proteins under L100 treatment, while the degree of membrane peroxidation was the highest and the plant was severely damaged. In summary, the adaptability of C. macranthos to light conditions is ranked as follows L50 > L30 > L10 > L100. Appropriate light conditions for C. macranthos are 30%-50% of full light, which should be taken into account in protection and cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented cassava residue (FCR) is a solid waste generated in cassava-based ethanol production that constitutes a major environmental challenge and wastes a natural resource. In the present study, a process involving sequential acid steam-explosion and hot-alkaline treatment was developed to prepare an antioxidant lignin in high yield and purity from FCR. Two-dimensional NMR analysis indicates that FCR lignin belongs to a guaiacyl/syringyl/hydroxyphenyl (G/S/H) class of lignin. 31P NMR analysis, after hydroxyl group phosphorylation, indicates that phenolic hydroxyl in FCR lignin attributable to mostly G-OH. One FCR lignin (No. 3) possessed the antioxidant activity similar to that of butylated hydroxytoluene. This FCR lignin may have potential applications as a food antioxidant or in other industrial processes as an antioxidant. The present study provided an efficient process of sequent acid steam-explosion and hot-alkaline treatment to improve the added value of fermented cassava residue (FCR). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rab GTPase family protein Rab14 has been implicated in cancer development. However, its clinical significance in ovarian cancers and its biological effects have not been examined. The present study aims to examine the clinical significance, biological roles, and molecular mechanism of Rab14 in ovarian cancer progression. We examined expression pattern of Rab14 in 122 cases of ovarian cancer specimens using immunohistochemistry and found Rab14 overexpression correlated with FIGO stage ( p = 0.0041). We depleted Rab14 in SKOV3 cells using siRNA and overexpressed Rab14 in SW626 cells. Knockdown of Rab14 inhibited cell growth and invasion while its overexpression facilitated cell growth and invasion. In addition, Rab14 overexpression increased paclitaxel resistance in SW626 cells while its depletion reduced drug resistance. Then, we investigated the role of Rab14 in the regulation of WNT/β-catenin signaling, demonstrating Rab14 overexpression regulated GSK3β phosphorylation and nuclear β-catenin accumulation. Rab14 depletion inhibited while its overexpression enhanced TCF transcriptional activity with corresponding change of Wnt target genes including MMP7 and c-myc. Wnt inhibitor abolished the effect of Rab14 on cell proliferation and Wnt target genes. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that Rab14 promotes aggressiveness of ovarian cancer cell through, at least partly, Wnt signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wnt-11 is a positive regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, which plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis. However, Wnt-11 expression in cervical cancer has not been well investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Wnt-11 in cervical tumor proliferation and invasion. This study examined 24 normal cervical squamous epithelia, 29 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), and 78 cervical cancer samples. The expression of Wnt-11 was investigated by immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis. The expression of the high-risk human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) E6 oncoprotein was also investigated by immunohistochemistry. In addition, the expression of Wnt-11, HR-HPV E6, JNK-1, phosphorylated JNK-1( P-JNK1), and β-catenin was examined by western blot analysis following Wnt-11 knockdown or overexpression in HeLa or SiHa cells, respectively. The promotion of cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasion was investigated using the cell counting kit-8 and Matrigel invasion assay, respectively. Wnt-11 and HR-HPV E6 expression increased in a manner that corresponded with the progression of cervical cancer and was significantly correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics cancer stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor size, and HPV infection. Wnt-11 protein expression was positively associated with HR-HPV E6 protein expression in all 78 cervical cancer samples ( P < 0.001). Furthermore, Wnt-11 was positively associated with P-JNK1 expression and promoted cervical cancer cell proliferation and invasion. These observations suggest that the increased Wnt-11 expression observed in cervical cancer cells may lead to the phosphorylation and activation of JNK-1 and significantly promote tumor cell proliferation and cell migration/invasion through activation of the Wnt/JNK pathway. Consequently, Wnt-11 may serve as a novel target for cervical cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to determine the expression patterns of Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen in cervical cancer tissues and to explore their clinical significance and correlation with clinicopathological parameters. The expression of Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen was detected in 127 cervical cancer tissues, 21 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, as well as in 20 healthy controls by immunohistochemistry, and the relationship of Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen expression with clinicopathological parameters was analyzed. Both Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen were more commonly expressed in cervical cancer than in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and in normal cervical tissue (respectively; P < 0.05); further, Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen expression in cervical cancer were positively correlated ( r = 0.271, P < 0.05). In comparing the expression with clinicopathological parameters of tumor samples, Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen were both associated with FIGO stage, lymph node metastasis, and tumor size ( P < 0.05), but not with patient age, pathological type, or differentiation. Increased Wnt-11 protein levels in cervical carcinoma samples were associated with a poor outcome in univariate and multivariate analysis. Wnt-11 and squamous cell carcinoma antigen are related to the malignancy degree and metastasis of cervical cancer, and thus may play a coordinating role in the occurrence and progression of cervical cancer. The study indicated that Wnt-11 may be a useful prognostic indicator for cervical carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) was known as a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, which played a crucial role in carcinogenesis. However, its function in human cancers remained elusive. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of DKK1 in ovarian serous papillary adenocarcinoma (OSC) tumor progression and invasion. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that the expression of DKK1 mRNA and protein in 32 OSC tissues were elevated as compared with those in 10 normal ovarian tissues ( P = 0.005, P = 0.003, respectively). Immunohistochemical analysis in 178 clinical OSC samples showed that the expression of DKK1 was positively associated with FIGO stage ( P = 0.016). Furthermore, the expression of DKK1 protein was positively associated with P-JNK1 protein expression in 178 OSC tissues. DKK1, P-JNK1 and the co-expression of DKK1 and P-JNK1 were all unfavorable prognosis factors for OSC patients ( P < 0.0001). DKK1, alone or combined with P-JNK1, was an independent predictor for the 5 year survival ( P = 0.015, P < 0.0001, respectively). DKK1 could promote OSC cells invasion and the growth of OSC nude mice xenograft. DKK1 in OSC cells could activate P-JNK1 expression and significantly promote formations of actin filaments and filopodia. Thus, DKK1, alone or combined with P-JNK1, was a novel prognostic predictor for OSC patients and contributed to the invasion of OSC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]