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The synthesis of symmetric biaryls via the iron‐catalyzed homo‐coupling of aryllithium reagents was developed under a mild condition, in the absence of ligand, with wide range of scope, and in good yields. Investigation on reaction concentration and practical utility of this environmentally friendly procedure also indicates a promising application outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to serve distinct roles in human tumorigenesis. Previous studies have found that lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 4 (SNHG4) was dysregulated in several tumors. However, the expression, clinical significances, and action mechanisms of SNHG4 in prostate cancer (PCa) are still unclear. Methods: Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) was utilized to detect SNHG4 expression in tissue samples and PCa cells. Cell counting kit‐8, 5‐ethynyl‐2′‐deoxyuridine, clonogenic formation, wound‐healing, and transwell invasion assays were, respectively, used to evaluate cell proliferation, colony formation ability, migration, and invasion. Flow cytometric analysis was applied to assess cell apoptosis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were conducted to determine the binding between SP1 and SNHG4 promoter. Luciferase reporter assay, qRT‐PCR, and western blot analysis were carried out to explore and confirm the interaction among SNHG4, miR‐377, and ZIC5. Results: SNHG4 was highly expressed in PCa and its upregulation was induced by transcription factor SP1. The high levels of SNHG4 were distinctly associated with tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and reduced overall survival of patients with PCa. SNHG4 knockdown inhibited the growth, migration, and invasion of PCa cells. In addition, miR‐377 was a target of SNHG4 and ZIC5 was a target gene of miR‐377 in PCa. SNHG4 promoted ZIC5‐mediated growth and metastasis through modulating miR‐377. Conclusion: Our findings illuminate how SNHG4 formed a regulatory network to display a tumor‐promotive effect in PCa and revealed that SNHG4 may be a novel therapeutic target and prognostic marker for patients with PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aims: To investigate the efficacy of chitin biological absorbable catheters in a rat model of autologous nerve transplantation. Methods: A segment of sciatic nerve was removed to produce a sciatic nerve defect, and the sural nerve was cut from the ipsilateral leg and used as a graft to bridge the defect, with or without use of a chitin biological absorbable catheter surrounding the graft. The number and morphology of regenerating myelinated fibers, nerve conduction velocity, nerve function index, triceps surae muscle morphology, and sensory function were evaluated at 9 and 12 months after surgery. Results: All of the above parameters were improved in rats in which the nerve graft was bridged with chitin biological absorbable catheters compared with rats without catheters. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that use of chitin biological absorbable catheters to surround sural nerve grafts bridging sciatic nerve defects promotes recovery of structural, motor, and sensory function and improves muscle fiber morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vascular tissues are very important for providing both mechanical strength and long-distance transport. The molecular mechanisms of regulation of vascular tissue development are still not fully understood. In this study we identified ANAC005 as a membrane-associated NAC family transcription factor that regulates vascular tissue development. Reporter gene assays showed that ANAC005 was expressed mainly in the vascular tissues. Increased expression of ANAC005 protein in transgenic Arabidopsis caused dwarf phenotype, reduced xylem differentiation, decreased lignin content, repression of a lignin biosynthetic gene and genes related to cambium and primary wall, but activation of genes related to the secondary wall. Expression of a dominant repressor fusion of ANAC005 had overall the opposite effects on vascular tissue differentiation and lignin synthetic gene expression. The ANAC005-GFP fusion protein was localized at the plasma membrane, whereas deletion of the last 20 amino acids, which are mostly basic, caused its nuclear localization. These results indicate that ANAC005 is a cell membrane-associated transcription factor that inhibits xylem tissue development in Arabidopsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is the most tolerant staple crop to aluminium (Al) toxicity, which is a limiting stress for grain production worldwide. This Al tolerance is the result of combined mechanisms that are triggered in part by the transcription factor ASR5. ASRs are dual target proteins that participate as chaperones in the cytoplasm and as transcription factors in the nucleus. Moreover, these proteins respond to biotic and abiotic stresses, including salt, drought and Al. Rice plants with silenced ASR genes are highly sensitive to Al. ASR5, a well-characterized protein, binds to specific cis elements in Al responsive genes and regulates their expression. Because the Al sensitive phenotype found in silenced rice plants could be due to the mutual silencing of ASR1 and ASR5, we investigated the effect of the specific silencing of ASR5. Plants with artificial microRNA silencing of ASR5 present a non-transformed phenotype in response to Al because of the induction of ASR1. ASR1 has the same subcellular localization as ASR5, binds to ASR5 cis-regulatory elements, regulates ASR5 regulated genes in a non-preferential manner and might replace ASR5 under certain conditions. Our results indicate that ASR1 and ASR5 act in concert and complementarily to regulate gene expression in response to Al. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By adding a polymeric β-nucleating agent (acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, SAN), in situ microfibril reinforced isotactic polypropylene (iPP)/SAN blend parts with high contents of β-form crystals and transcrystals were molded via water-assisted injection molding (WAIM). Thanks to the unique stress and temperature fields occurring during the WAIM, SAN microfibers formed across the whole residual wall of iPP/SAN blend parts with relatively large thickness. Numerical simulations on high-pressure water penetration and cooling stages of the WAIM were carried out to reveal the stress and temperature fields. Comprehensive analysis of both experimental and simulated results showed that not only the shear flow field but also elongational flow field occurring during the WAIM was responsible for the formation of SAN microfibers and unique crystal morphology distribution in the WAIM iPP/SAN blend part. Moreover, during the WAIM, the high cooling rate also played an important role in the formation of both phase and crystal morphologies. The preferential formation of transcrystals in the inner layer of WAIM iPP/SAN blend part could be ascribed to the strong elongation, rather than the strong shear. It was believed that the quantification of stress and temperature fields of the WAIM via numerical simulation could provide a guidence for molding high-performance products. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:1698-1705, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RanGTPases, one superfamily of small G protein family, have been demonstrated to be involved in the innate immune system and they are up-regulated after pathogen infection. However, the regulation mechanism of RanGTPases remains unclear. In this study, the 5′ flanking region of shrimp RanGTPase gene was cloned and sequenced. To detect the activity of the promoter, pIZΔ IE/ EGFP was modified from pIZ/ V5-His by replacing the OPIE2 promoter with this promoter and inserting enhanced green fluorescence protein ( EGFP) gene downstream. The promoter can drive the expression of reporter EGFP gene in Hi5 insect cells, indicating the promoter has activity. These results extend our previous findings and provide insights into the molecular regulation of RanGTPase gene expression, which will be helpful for shrimp viral disease control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are essential hormones for growth and development of plant. In rice, BRs regulate multiple developmental processes and affect many important traits such as height, leaf angle, fertility and seed filling. We identified brassinosteroid‐regulated proteins in rice using proteomic approaches and performed functional analysis of some BR‐regulated proteins by overexpression experiments. Using two‐dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2‐D DIGE) followed by protein identification by mass spectrometry, we compared proteomic differences in the shoots and roots of the BR‐insensitive mutant d61‐4 and BR‐deficient mutant brd1‐3. We identified a large number of proteins differentially expressed in the mutants compared with wild type control. These include a glycine‐rich RNA‐binding protein (OsGRP1) and a DREPP2 protein, which showed reduced levels in the BR mutants. Overexpression of these two proteins partially suppressed the dwarf phenotype of the Arabidopsis BR‐insensitive mutant bri1‐5. In contrast to the reduced protein level, the RNA level of OsGRP1 was not significantly affected in the BR mutants or by BR treatment, suggesting BR regulation of OsGRP1 at the posttranslational level. This study identifies many BR‐regulated proteins and demonstrates that OsGRP1 functions downstream in the BR signal transduction pathway to promote cell expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An illustration of a study titled "C2-Symmetric BINOL-Squaramide as Efficient Organocatalyst for the Enantioselective α-Amination of 1,3-Dicarbonyl Compounds with Dialkyl Azodicarboxylates."

The title compound, C11H10N2O5, exists in the solid state as a carboxyl­ate–imidazolium zwitterion. Inter­molecular O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol­ecules into two-dimensional layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]