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Summary Aberrant Skp2 signaling has been implicated as a driving event in tumorigenesis. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive, cytoplasmic Skp2 correlates with more aggressive forms of breast and prostate cancers. Here, we report that Skp2 is acetylated by p300 at K68 and K71, which is a process that can be antagonized by the SIRT3 deacetylase. Inactivation of SIRT3 leads to elevated Skp2 acetylation, which leads to increased Skp2 stability through impairment of the Cdh1-mediated proteolysis pathway. As a result, Skp2 oncogenic function is increased, whereby cells expressing an acetylation-mimetic mutant display enhanced cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis in vivo. Moreover, acetylation of Skp2 in the nuclear localization signal (NLS) promotes its cytoplasmic retention, and cytoplasmic Skp2 enhances cellular migration through ubiquitination and destruction of E-cadherin. Thus, our study identifies an acetylation-dependent regulatory mechanism governing Skp2 oncogenic function and provides insight into how cytoplasmic Skp2 controls cellular migration.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase β-TRCP, acting in concert with casein kinase I, drives ubiquitination and degradation of VEGFR2, and renders human papillary thyroid cancer cells resistant to the VEGFR2 inhibitor sorafenib., The incidence of human papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is increasing and an aggressive subtype of this disease is resistant to treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) inhibitor. VEGFR2 promotes angiogenesis by triggering endothelial cell proliferation and migration. However, the molecular mechanisms governing VEGFR2 stability in vivo remain unknown. Additionally, whether VEGFR2 influences PTC cell migration is not clear. We show that the ubiquitin E3 ligase SCFβ-TRCP promotes ubiquitination and destruction of VEGFR2 in a casein kinase I (CKI)–dependent manner. β-TRCP knockdown or CKI inhibition causes accumulation of VEGFR2, resulting in increased activity of signaling pathways downstream of VEGFR2. β-TRCP–depleted endothelial cells exhibit enhanced migration and angiogenesis in vitro. Furthermore, β-TRCP knockdown increased angiogenesis and vessel branching in zebrafish. Importantly, we found an inverse correlation between β-TRCP protein levels and angiogenesis in PTC. We also show that β-TRCP inhibits cell migration and decreases sensitivity to the VEGFR2 inhibitor sorafenib in poorly differentiated PTC cells. These results provide a new biomarker that may aid a rational use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors to treat refractory PTC.

Deregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway has been found in a variety of human cancers. However, the exact molecular mechanism how the mTOR signaling pathway is regulated remains largely elusive. Recently, DEPTOR was identified as an endogenous mTOR inhibitor that could suppress mTOR activity in vivo. More importantly, accumulated evidence has implicated that DEPTOR plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of human malignances, which could in part be mediated through its inhibitory role toward mTOR. Furthermore, three independent laboratories including our own have demonstrated that the stability of DEPTOR is controlled by the SCFβ-TrCP E3 ubiquitin ligase and deregulated DEPTOR destruction might contribute to hyperactivation of mTOR in pathologic conditions including cancer. This review discusses the recent literature regarding the function of DEPTOR involved in cell growth, apoptosis, autophagy, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and drug resistance, all of which are associated with the pathogenesis of human cancers. Moreover, we also summarize that targeting DEPTOR may be a novel strategy for achieving better anticancer treatments.

SummaryThe NFκB/Rel family of proteins play critical roles in a variety of cellular processes. Thus, their physiological activation is tightly controlled. Recently, the NFκB2/p100 precursor has been characterized as the fourth IκB type of suppressor for NFκB. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying regulated destruction of NFκB2 remains largely unknown. Here, we report that, unlike other IκBs, ubiquitination and destruction of NFκB2 are governed by SCFFbw7 in a GSK3-dependent manner. In Fbw7−/− cells, elevated expression of NFκB2/p100 leads to a subsequent reduction in NFκB signaling pathways and elevated sensitivity to TNFα-induced cell death. Reintroducing wild-type Fbw7, but not disease-derived mutant forms of Fbw7, rescues NFκB activity. Furthermore, T cell-specific depletion of Fbw7 also leads to reduced NFκB activity and perturbed T cell differentiation. Therefore, our work identifies Fbw7 as a physiological E3 ligase controlling NFκB2′s stability. It further implicates that Fbw7 might exert its tumor-suppressor function by regulating NFκB activity.

The vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for the diethyl ether + methanol + 1-butanol ternary system and three constituent binary systems were measured at different liquid phase compositions using a dynamic recirculating still at 101.325 kPa. The activity coefficients of the solution were correlated with the Wilson, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL), Margules, van Laar, and universal quasichemical activity coefficient (UNIQUAC) models through the fit of least-squares method. In addition, the VLE data of the ternary system were also predicted from these binary interaction parameters of Wilson, NRTL, Margules, van Laar, and UNIQUAC model parameters without any additional adjustment, which obtained the calculated vapor-phase compositions and bubble points compared with the measured values. The calculated bubble points with the model parameters of activity coefficients were in good agreement with the experimental data. The ASOG group contribution method also was used for prediction of the three binary systems. The t...

The APC/Cdh1 E3 ubiquitin ligase plays an essential role in both mitotic exit and G1/S transition by targeting key cell-cycle regulators for destruction. There is mounting evidence indicating that Cdh1 has other functions in addition to cell-cycle regulation. However, it remains unclear whether these additional functions depend on its E3 ligase activity. Here, we report that Cdh1, but not Cdc20, promotes the E3 ligase activity of Smurf1. This is mediated by disruption of an autoinhibitory Smurf1 homodimer and is independent of APC/Cdh1 E3 ligase activity. As a result, depletion of Cdh1 leads to reduced Smurf1 activity and subsequent activation of multiple downstream targets, including the MEKK2 signaling pathway, inducing osteoblast differentiation. Our studies uncover a cell-cycle-independent function of Cdh1, establishing Cdh1 as an upstream component that governs Smurf1 activity. They further suggest that modulation of Cdh1 is a potential therapeutic option for treatment of osteoporosis.

Considering utilization of the original chromium-bronze material, two processing techniques including hydraulic expansion and high temperature vacuum welding were proposed for the optimization of heat-sink structure in EAST. The heat transfer performance of heat-sink with or without cooling tube was calculated and different types of connection between tube and heat-sink were compared by conducting a special test. It is shown from numerical analysis that the diameter of heat-sink channel can be reduced from 12 mm to 10 mm. Compared with the original sample, the thermal contact resistance between tube and heat-sink for welding sample can reduce the heat transfer performance by 10%, while by 20% for the hydraulic expansion sample. However, the welding technique is more complicated and expensive than hydraulic expansion technique. Both the processing technique and the heat transfer performance of heat-sink prototype should be further considered for the optimization of heat-sink structure in EAST.

Chemotherapy is an important therapeutic approach for cancer treatment. However, drug resistance is an obstacle that often impairs the successful use of chemotherapies. Therefore, overcoming drug resistance would lead to better therapeutic outcomes for cancer patients. Recently, studies by our own and other groups have demonstrated that there is an intimate correlation between the loss of the F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) tumor suppressor and the incurring drug resistance. While loss of FBW7 sensitizes cancer cells to certain drugs, FBW7-/- cells are more resistant to other types of chemotherapies. FBW7 exerts its tumor suppressor function by promoting the degradation of various oncoproteins that regulate many cellular processes, including cell cycle progression, cellular metabolism, differentiation, and apoptosis. Since loss of the FBW7 tumor suppressor is linked to drug resistance, FBW7 may represent a novel therapeutic target to increase drug sensitivity of cancer cells to conventional chemotherapeutics. This paper thus focuses on the new functional aspects of FBW7 in drug resistance.

Vapor−liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for the associating ternary system propanal + propanol + propanoic acid and three constituent binary systems were determined at different liquid phase compositions using a novel pump ebulliometer at 101.325 kPa. The vapor-phase compositions of these binary systems were calculated from Tpx according to the function of molar excess Gibbs energy by the Barker’s method. Moreover, the experimental T, x data are used to estimate Wilson, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL), Margules, van Laar, and universal quasichemical activity coefficient (UNIQUAC) model parameters from regression, and these parameters in turn are used to calculate vapor-phase compositions. The activity coefficients of the solution were correlated with the Wilson, NRTL, Margules, van Laar, and UNIQUAC models through the fit of the least-squares method. The VLE data of the ternary system were well-predicted from these binary interaction parameters of Wilson, NRTL, Margules, van Laar, and UNIQUAC model parameters wit...

The Rictor/mTOR complex plays a pivotal role in a variety of cellular functions including cellular metabolism, cell proliferation and survival by phosphorylating Akt at Ser473 to fully activate the Akt kinase. However, its upstream regulatory pathways as well as whether it has additional function(s) remain largely unknown. We recently reported that Rictor contains a novel ubiquitin E3 ligase activity by forming a novel complex with Cullin-1, but not with other Cullin family members. Furthermore, we identified SGK1 as its downstream target. Interestingly, Rictor, but not Raptor or mTOR, promotes SGK1 ubiquitination. As a result, SGK1 expression is elevated in Rictor(-/-) MEFs. We further defined that as a feedback mechanism, Rictor can be phosphorylated by multiple AGC family kinases including Akt, S6K and SGK1. Phosphorylation of Rictor at the Thr1135 site did not affect its kinase activity towards phosphorylating its conventional substrates including Akt and SGK1. On the other hand, it disrupted the interaction between Rictor and Cullin-1. Consequently, T1135E Rictor was defective in promoting SGK1 ubiquitination and destruction. This finding further expands our knowledge of Rictor's function. Furthermore, our work also illustrates that Rictor E3 ligase activity could be governed by specific signaling kinase cascades, and that misregulation of this process might contribute to SGK overexpression which is frequently observed in various types of cancers.

Vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for the strongly associating ternary system methanol + ethanoic acid + propanoic acid and three constituent binary systems: methanol + ethanoic acid, methanol + propanoic acid, and ethanoic acid + propanoic acid have been determined by different liquid-phase compositions using a novel pump ebulliometer at 101.3 kPa. The vapor-phase compositions y of these binary systems had been calculated from T-p-x according to the Q function of molar excess Gibbs energy by the indirect method. The experimental T-x data are used to estimate Wilson, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL), Margules, and van Laar model parameters, and these parameters in turn are used to calculate vapor-phase compositions y. The activity coefficients of the solution were correlated with its composition by the Wilson, NRTL, Margules, and van Laar models through the least-squares method. The VLE data of the ternary system were well-predicted from these binary interaction parameters of the Wilson, NRTL, Margules, and van Laar model parameters without any additional adjustment to build the thermodynamic model of VLE for the ternary system and obtain the vapor-phase compositions y and the calculated bubble points. The calculated bubble points with the model parameters of activity coefficients were in good agreement with the experimental data.

This article describes a functional interaction between PP2A and FOXO3a in which PP2A promotes rapid dephosphorylation of FOXO3a at its conserved AKT phosphorylation sites, leading to FOXO3a dissociation from 14-3-3, nuclear translocation, and transcriptional activation in response to inhibition of PI3K signaling., Forkhead box transcription factor FOXO3a, a key regulator of cell survival, is regulated by reversible phosphorylation and subcellular localization. Although the kinases regulating FOXO3a activity have been characterized, the role of protein phosphatases (PP) in the control of FOXO3a subcellular localization and function is unknown. In this study, we detected a robust interaction between FOXO3a and PP2A. We further demonstrate that 14-3-3, while not impeding the interaction between PP2A and FOXO3a, restrains its activity toward AKT phosphorylation sites T32/S253. Disruption of PP2A function revealed that after AKT inhibition, PP2A-mediated dephosphorylation of T32/S253 is required for dissociation of 14-3-3, nuclear translocation, and transcriptional activation of FOXO3a. Our findings reveal that distinct phosphatases dephosphorylate conserved AKT motifs within the FOXO family and that PP2A is entwined in a dynamic interplay with AKT and 14-3-3 to directly regulate FOXO3a subcellular localization and transcriptional activation.

Perfect mixed 26-facet and 18-facet polyhedra of Cu2O microcrystals were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal process with use of stearic acid as a structure-directing agent. Cu2O octahedra and cubes were also prepared under hydrothermal conditions. The obtained microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM (HRTEM), and UV−vis spectrum. The adsorption and photocatalytic activity of as-prepared 26-facet and 18-facet Cu2O polyhedra for decomposition of methyl orange were investigated and compared to that of octahedra and cubes. The results show that mixed 26-facet and 18-facet polyhedra with dominant {110} facets have a higher adsorption and photocatalytic activity than Cu2O octahedra with dominant {111} surfaces and cubes with {100} surfaces. A higher surface energy and a greater density of the “Cu” dangling bonds on {110} facets of 26-facet and 18-facet polyhedra may be ascribed to its higher catalytic activity. Moreover, a...

Skp2 is a known component of the SCF ubiquitin ligase that targets the cell-cycle regulator p27. Akt kinase phosphorylates Skp2 and regulates its stability and cytoplasmic localization. Deregulated Skp2 function promotes cell transformation, and this is consistent with observations of Skp2 overexpression in many human cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying elevated Skp2 expression are still unknown. Here we show that the serine/threonine protein kinase Akt1, but not Akt2, directly controls Skp2 stability by a mechanism that involves degradation by the APC–Cdh1 ubiquitin ligase complex. We show further that Akt1 phosphorylates Skp2 at Ser 72, which is required to disrupt the interaction between Cdh1 and Skp2. In addition, we show that Ser 72 is localized within a putative nuclear localization sequence and that phosphorylation of Ser 72 by Akt leads to cytoplasmic translocation of Skp2. This finding expands our knowledge of how specific signalling kinase cascades influence proteolysis governed by APC–Cdh1 complexes, and provides evidence that elevated Akt activity and cytoplasmic Skp2 expression may be causative for cancer progression.

Interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRFs) are a family of transcription mediators involved in the regulation of type I IFN (IFN-alpha/beta) transcription. Among the nine already identified IRFs, IRF-3 is a constitutively and ubiquitously expressed and plays a critical role in the transcriptional activation of type I IFN and IFN-stimulated genes including IFN-alpha1, IFN-beta and RANTES. In the present study, we report the identification of a novel alternatively spliced transcript of murine Irf-3 gene (mIrf-3) designated mIRF-3a. mIRF-3a is ubiquitously present in mouse tissues along with mIRF-3 and could be translocated into the nucleus in uninfected L929 cells. EMSA and reporter assay demonstrated that mIRF-3a binds to ISRE sequences in murine Ifn-beta promoter and represses Ifn-beta promoter activation induced by Newcastle disease virus infection. These results suggest that mIRF-3a may act as a modulator of mIRF-3 functions in vivo.

This paper reports a resonance energy transfer-amplifying fluorescence quenching at the surface of silica nanoparticles for the ultrasensitive detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in solution and vapor environments. Fluorescence dye and organic amine were covalently modified onto the surface of silica nanoparticles to form a hybrid monolayer of dye fluorophores and amine ligands. The fluorescent silica particles can specifically bind TNT species by the charge-transfer complexing interaction between electron-rich amine ligands and electron-deficient aromatic rings. The resultant TNT-amine complexes bound at the silica surface can strongly suppress the fluorescence emission of the chosen dye by the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from dye donor to the irradiative TNT-amine acceptor through intermolecular polar-polar interactions at spatial proximity. The quenching efficiency of the hybrid nanoparticles with TNT is greatly amplified by at least 10-fold that of the corresponding pure dye. The nanoparticle-assembled arrays on silicon wafer can sensitively detect down to approximately 1 nM TNT with the use of only 10 microL of solution (approximately 2 pg TNT) and several ppb of TNT vapor in air. The simple FRET-based nanoparticle sensors reported here exhibit a high and stable fluorescence brightness, strong analyte affinity, and good assembly flexibility and can thus find many applications in the detection of ultratrace analytes.

This paper reports a surface functional monomer-directing strategy for the highly dense imprinting of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) molecules at the surface of silica nanoparticles. It has been demonstrated that the vinyl functional monomer layer of the silica surface can not only direct the selective occurrence of imprinting polymerization at the surface of silica through the copolymerization of vinyl end groups with functional monomers, but also drive TNT templates into the formed polymer shells through the charge-transfer complexing interactions between TNT and the functional monomer layer. The two basic processes lead to the formation of uniform core-shell TNT-imprinted nanoparticles with a controllable shell thickness and a high density of effective recognition sites. The high capacity and fast kinetics to uptake TNT molecules show that the density of effective imprinted sites in the nanoshells is nearly 5 times that of traditional imprinted particles. A critical value of shell thickness for the maximum rebinding capacity was determined by testing the evolution of rebinding capacity with shell thickness, which provides new insights into the effectiveness of molecular imprinting and the form of imprinted materials. These results reported here not only can find many applications in molecularly imprinting techniques but also can form the basis of a new strategy for preparing various polymer-coating layers on silica support.

The Set8/PR-Set7/KMT5a methyltransferase plays critical roles in governing transcriptional regulation, cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis. Although CRL4Cdt2 was reported to regulate Set8 stability, deleting the PIP motif only led to partial resistance to ultraviolet-induced degradation of Set8, indicating the existence of additional E3 ligase(s) controlling Set8 stability. Furthermore, it remains largely undefined how DNA damage-induced kinase cascades trigger the timely destruction of Set8 to govern tumorigenesis. Here, we report that SCFβ-TRCP earmarks Set8 for ubiquitination and degradation in a casein kinase I-dependent manner, which is activated by DNA-damaging agents. Biologically, both CRL4Cdt2 and SCFβ-TRCP-mediated pathways contribute to ultraviolet-induced Set8 degradation to control cell cycle progression, governing the onset of DNA damage-induced checkpoints. Therefore, like many critical cell cycle regulators including p21 and Cdt1, we uncover a tight regulatory network to accurately control Set8 abundance. Our studies further suggest that aberrancies in this delicate degradation pathway might contribute to aberrant elevation of Set8 in human tumours., The Set8-Set7 methyltransferase plays a critical role in cell cycle progression and tumorigenesis, and is degraded through modification by the E3 ubiquitin ligase CRL4Cdt2. Here Wang et al. identify SCFβ-TRCP as an additional E3 ubiquitin ligase that marks Set8 for degradation in response to DNA damage.

Deficiency in repair of damaged DNA leads to genomic instability and is closely associated with tumorigenesis. Most DNA double-strand-breaks (DSBs) are repaired by two major mechanisms, homologous-recombination (HR) and non-homologous-end-joining (NHEJ). Although Akt has been reported to suppress HR, its role in NHEJ remains elusive. Here, we report that Akt phosphorylates XLF at Thr181 to trigger its dissociation from the DNA ligase IV/XRCC4 complex, and promotes its interaction with 14-3-3β leading to XLF cytoplasmic retention, where cytosolic XLF is subsequently degraded by SCF(β-TRCP) in a CKI-dependent manner. Physiologically, upon DNA damage, XLF-T181E expressing cells display impaired NHEJ and elevated cell death. Whereas a cancer-patient-derived XLF-R178Q mutant, deficient in XLF-T181 phosphorylation, exhibits an elevated tolerance of DNA damage. Together, our results reveal a pivotal role for Akt in suppressing NHEJ and highlight the tight connection between aberrant Akt hyper-activation and deficiency in timely DSB repair, leading to genomic instability and tumorigenesis.

EAST (HT-7U) is a large fusion experimental device being built at IPP, Hefei, China. Its superconducting magnet system consists of sixteen Toroidal Field (TF) coils and fourteen Poloidal Field (PF) coils. The TF coil includes the winding pack with a square cable-in-conduit (CIC) type superconductor in NbTi cooled by a force flow of supercritical helium, the welded case structure, the gravity support which is composed of pedestals with flexible plates, the coil joint with low resistance at high current and other components. At present, the production of all TF coils has been finished and all of the TF coils have been installed in the machine. This paper describes mainly the special fabrication processes of the TF coil

Liver receptor homologue 1 (LRH-1) plays important roles in many physiological processes and embryogenesis. However, little is known about the developmental regulation of lrh-1 expression. We identified a novel transcript of mouse lrh-1 (mlrh-1v2) from embryonic stem (ES) cells. mlrh-1v2 is expressed throughout embryogenesis and in several adult tissues, while the known transcript (mlrh-1v1) appears later during embryogenesis. mlrh-1v2 expression is directed by a new promoter which displays a strong activity in ES cells. The generation of the new transcript is conserved in rats. The identification of novel mlrh-1 variant and promoter is critical for elucidating LRH-1 functions in development and adult tissues.

The HT-7U superconducting (SC) tokamak will have a long-pulse capability, a flexible poloidal field (PF) system, and auxiliary heating and current drive systems, and it will be able to accommodate divertor heat loads that make it an attractive test for the development of advanced tokamak operating modes. The greatest progress has been made on the engineering design of the HT-7U SC tokamak device, including the calculation and simulation of plasma shaping and control of the PF system as well as calculation and analyses of stress and deformation distribution on the main components caused by dynamic electromagnetic forces, vacuum pressure, temperature differences, etc. Significant research and development progress on the design and the testing of the cable-in-conduit conductor of the toroidal field and PF has been made. A test facility system for the SC magnets of HT-7U has been set up and operated.

Akt, also known as protein kinase B, plays key roles in cell proliferation, survival and metabolism. Akt hyperactivation contributes to many pathophysiological conditions, including human cancers1–3, and is closely associated with poor prognosis and chemo- or radio-therapeutic resistance4. Phosphorylation of Akt at S473 (ref. 5) and T308 (ref. 6) activates Akt. However, it remains unclear whether further mechanisms account for full Akt activation, and whether Akt hyperactivation is linked to misregulated cell cycle progression, another cancer hallmark7. Here we report that Akt activity fluctuates across the cell cycle, mirroring cyclin A expression. Mechanistically, phosphorylation of S477 and T479 at the Akt extreme carboxy terminus by cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2)/cyclin A or mTORC2, under distinct physiological conditions, promotes Akt activation through facilitating, or functionally compensating for, S473 phosphorylation. Furthermore, deletion of the cyclin A2 allele in the mouse olfactory bulb leads to reduced S477/T479 phosphorylation and elevated cellular apoptosis. Notably, cyclin A2-deletion-induced cellular apoptosis in mouse embryonic stem cells is partly rescued by S477D/T479E-Akt1, supporting a physiological role for cyclin A2 in governing Akt activation. Together, the results of our study show Akt S477/T479 phosphorylation to be an essential layer of the Akt activation mechanism to regulate its physiological functions, thereby providing a new mechanistic link between aberrant cell cycle progression and Akt hyperactivation in cancer.

Fbw7 and Cdh1 are substrate-recognition subunits of the SCF- and APC-type E3 ubiquitin ligases, respectively. There is emerging evidence suggesting that both Fbw7 and Cdh1 function as tumor suppressors by targeting oncoproteins for destruction. Loss of Fbw7, but not Cdh1, is frequently observed in various human tumors. However, it remains largely unknown how Fbw7 mechanistically functions as a tumor suppressor and whether there is a signaling crosstalk between Fbw7 and Cdh1. Here, we report that Fbw7-deficient cells not only display elevated expression levels of SCF(Fbw7) substrates, including cyclin E, but also have increased expression of various APC(Cdh1) substrates. We further defined cyclin E as the critical signaling link by which Fbw7 governs APC(Cdh1) activity, as depletion of cyclin E in Fbw7-deficient cells results in decreased expression of APC(Cdh1) substrates to levels comparable to those in wild-type (WT) cells. Conversely, ectopic expression of cyclin E recapitulates the aberrant APC(Cdh1) substrate expression observed in Fbw7-deficient cells. More importantly, 4A-Cdh1 that is resistant to Cdk2/cyclin E-mediated phosphorylation, but not WT-Cdh1, reversed the elevated expression of various APC(Cdh1) substrates in Fbw7-deficient cells. Overexpression of 4A-Cdh1 also resulted in retarded cell growth and decreased anchorage-independent colony formation. Altogether, we have identified a novel regulatory mechanism by which Fbw7 governs Cdh1 activity in a cyclin E-dependent manner. As a result, loss of Fbw7 can lead to aberrant increase in the expression of both SCF(Fbw7) and APC(Cdh1) substrates. Our study provides a better understanding of the tumor suppressor function of Fbw7, and suggests that Cdk2/cyclin E inhibitors could serve as effective therapeutic agents for treating Fbw7-deficient tumors.

Elevated Skp2 expression is frequently observed in many tumors including breast and prostate carcinomas. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying elevated Skp2 expression in prostate cancers have not been fully explored. Hyperactivation of the Akt pathway is considered a hallmark of many cancers and it has been reported that activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway enhances p27 destruction. Thus, we hypothesize that sustained Akt activity in prostate cancer cells leads to elevated phosphorylation of Skp2, and subsequently influences Skp2 stability and its oncogenic functions. In support of our hypothesis, we found that Skp2 abundance is affected by manipulation of the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway in the PC3 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Furthermore, we showed that this is partially through phosphorylation of Skp2 by Akt, which impairs Skp2 destruction by Cdh1. Sequence analysis revealed that the Akt phosphorylation site (Ser72) is localized in a putative Nuclear Localization Sequence (NLS). Consistent with this notion, we found that overexpression of Myr-Akt promoted Skp2 cytoplasmic translocation, and that inhibition of PI3K/Akt activity enhanced its nuclear localization. We believe that these studies will provide a novel mechanism for Skp2 overexpression in prostate cancers and provide the rationale for developing Akt1-specific inhibitors to treat prostate cancer patients.

β-Transducin repeats-containing protein (β-TrCP) is the substrate recognition subunit of the SCF (SKP1, CUL1, and F-box protein)-type E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. SCFβ-TrCP ubiquitinates specifically phosphorylated substrates to promote their subsequent destruction by the 26S proteasome and plays a critical role in various human diseases including tumorigenesis. We and others (Duan S et al. Mol Cell 44: 317–324, 2011; Gao D et al. Mol Cell 44: 290–303, 2011; Zhao Y et al. Mol Cell 44: 304–316, 2011) recently reported that SCFβ-TrCP regulates cell growth and autophagy by controlling the ubiquitination and destruction of DEPTOR, an endogenous mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. In this review, we discuss β-TrCP's new downstream substrate, DEPTOR, as well as summarize the novel functional aspects of β-TrCP in controlling cell growth and regulating autophagy, in part through governing the stability of DEPTOR.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among American women, and remains the second leading cause of cancer-related death for female in the United States. It has been known that several signaling pathways and various factors play critical roles in the development and progression of breast cancer, such as estrogen receptor, Notch, PTEN, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, PI3K/Akt, BRCA1, and BRCA2. Emerging evidence has shown that the F-box protein S-phase kinase associated protein 2 (Skp2) also plays an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Therefore, in this brief review, we summarize the novel functions of Skp2 in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. Moreover, we provide further evidence regarding the state of our knowledge toward the development of novel Skp2 inhibitors especially natural "chemopreventive agents" as targeted approach for the prevention and/or treatment of breast cancer.

For raising the antigenicity of Mycobacterium bovis single antigen, fusion protein of two genes was acquired. The DNA fragments of ag85b and mpb64 were fused by splicing by overlapping extension (SOE) polymerase chain reaction(PCR), and the fusion gene ag85b-mpb64 were cloned into pMD-18-T vector, then we got the recombinant plasmid pMD-85b-64. pMD-85b-64 and pET28a(+) were digested by BamH I and EcoR I double enzymes. The purified pMD-85b-64 fusion gene was subcloned into the expression vector pET28a(+), and the prokaryotic expression vector pET-85b-64 was constructed. Plasmid containing pET-85b-64 was transformed into competence Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). The bacterium was induced by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside(IPTG) and its lysates were loaded directly onto sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), approximately 58 ku exogenous protein was observed on the SDS-PAGE. The protein was analyzed by using Western blotting, the results indicated that the protein was of antigenic activity of Mycobacterium bovis. These results could serve as a basis for further studies on the usefulness of the fusion gene and its expression product in the development of subunit vaccine and DNA vaccine against bovine tuberculosis.

Summary The activities of both mTORC1 and mTORC2 are negatively regulated by their endogenous inhibitor, DEPTOR. As such, the abundance of DEPTOR is a critical determinant in the activity status of the mTOR network. DEPTOR stability is governed by the 26S-proteasome through a largely unknown mechanism. Here we describe an mTOR-dependent phosphorylation-driven pathway for DEPTOR destruction via SCF βTrCP . DEPTOR phosphorylation by mTOR in response to growth signals, and in collaboration with casein kinase I (CKI), generates a phosphodegron that binds βTrCP. Failure to degrade DEPTOR through either degron mutation or βTrCP depletion leads to reduced mTOR activity, reduced S6 kinase activity, and activation of autophagy to reduce cell growth. This work expands the current understanding of mTOR regulation by revealing a positive feedback loop involving mTOR and CKI-dependent turnover of its inhibitor, DEPTOR, suggesting that misregulation of the DEPTOR destruction pathway might contribute to aberrant activation of mTOR in disease.

This paper reports an inverted opal fluorescence chemosensor for the ultrasensitive detection of explosive nitroaromatic vapors through resonance-energy-transfer-amplified fluorescence quenching. The inverted opal silica film with amino ligands was first fabricated by the acid-base interaction between 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and surface sulfonic groups on polystyrene microsphere templates. The fluorescent dye was then chemically anchored onto the interconnected porous surface to form a hybrid monolayer of amino ligands and dye molecules. The amino ligands can efficiently capture vapor molecules of nitroaromatics such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) through the charge-transfer complexing interaction between electron-rich amino ligands and electron-deficient aromatic rings. Meanwhile, the resultant TNT-amine complexes can strongly suppress the fluorescence emission of the chosen dye by the fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) from the dye donor to the irradiative TNT-amino acceptor through intermolecular polar-polar resonance at spatial proximity. The quenching response of the highly ordered porous films with TNT is greatly amplified by at least 10-fold that of the amorphous silica films, due to the interconnected porous structure and large surface-to-volume ratio. The inverted opal film with a stable fluorescence brightness and strong analyte affinity has lead to an ultrasensitive detection of several ppb of TNT vapor in air.

APC/Cdh1 is a major cell cycle regulator and its function has been implicated in DNA damage repair; however, its exact role remains unclear. Using affinity purification coupled with mass spectrometry, we identified Claspin as a novel Cdh1-interacting protein and further demonstrated that Claspin is a novel Cdh1 ubiquitin substrate. As a result, inactivation of Cdh1 leads to activation of the Claspin/Chk1 pathway. Previously, we demonstrated that Rb interacts with Cdh1 to influence its ability to degrade Skp2. Here, we report that Cdh1 reciprocally regulates the Rb pathway through competing with E2F1 to bind the hypophosphorylated form of Rb. Although inactivation of Cdh1 in HeLa cells, with defective p53/Rb pathways, led to premature S phase entry, acute depletion of Cdh1 in primary human fibroblasts resulted in premature senescence. Acute loss of many other major tumor suppressors, including PTEN and VHL, also induces premature senescence in a p53- or Rb-dependent manner. Similarly, we showed that inactivation of the p53/Rb pathways by overexpression of SV40 LT-antigen partially reversed Cdh1 depletion–induced growth arrest. Therefore, loss of Cdh1 is only beneficial to cells with abnormal p53 and Rb pathways, which helps explain why Cdh1 loss is not frequently found in many tumors.

Skp2 over-expression has been observed in many human cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying elevated Skp2 expression have remained elusive. We recently reported that Akt1, but not Akt2, directly controls Skp2 stability by interfering with its association with APC/Cdh1. As a result, Skp2 degradation is protected in cancer cells with elevated Akt activity. This finding expands our knowledge of how specific kinase cascades influence proteolysis governed by APC/Cdh1 complexes. However, it awaits further investigation to elucidate whether the PI3K/Akt circuit affects other APC/Cdh1 substrates. Our results further strengthen the argument that different Akt isoforms might have distinct, even opposing functions in the regulation of cell growth or migration. In addition, we noticed that Ser72 is localized in a putative Nuclear Localization Sequence (NLS), and that phosphorylation of Ser72 disrupts the NLS and thus promotes Skp2 cytoplasmic translocation. This finding links elevated Akt activity with the observed cytoplasmic Skp2 staining in aggressive breast and prostate cancer patients. Furthermore, it provides the rationale for the development of specific Akt1 inhibitors as efficient anti-cancer therapeutic agents.

Complicated on linear relationships exist among many data in the real-time control-process of large power plant. And data-mining technology could And knowledge, analyze parameters and adjust them. This paper ascertained target-value by means of data mining, which supported energy-loss analysis. The paper introduced relative theory on data mining, studied and applied target-value model of thermal supervised parameters in the way of Organizational Evolutionary Algorithm. Across analyze real-time operating data of thermal units, and mined the target-value models for main supervised parameters of boiler. The results supply a new idea and effective method for target-value models.

A system for estimating the leakage power, the active power and the delay of the domino OR gates with the sleep transistor based on wavelet neural networks in 45 nm technology is proposed. By studying the impact of the power gating technique (PGT) on the power and delay characteristics, the proposed model could estimate the nonlinear changing of the active power, the leakage power and the delay of the different inputs dynamic OR gates with fast speed convergence and high precision. The trend of the estimating curve is discussed. At last, the comparison between the footer and the header sleep transistor technique is given.

An approach for estimating the leakage power and the speed of the dual threshold domino OR gates based on Wavelet Neural Networks (WNN) in 45 nm technology is proposed. The estimating system has fast convergence and high precision. By studying the impact of the dual threshold voltage technique (DTV) on leakage reduction and delay increase, it successfully estimates the nonlinear changing of the leakage power and delay of the different inputs domino OR gates. At last, the reason for the estimating error and the trend of the estimating curve are explained, respectively.

One of the largest disadvantages in radio frequency identification (RFID) system is its low tag identification efficiency by tag collision. When the number of tags is large, for the conventional RFID anti-collision algorithm the number of slots required to read the tags increases exponentially as the number of tags does. The proposed IDFSA algorithm solved this problem by dividing frequency of tags that is grouping the tags in different frequency channel, reducing the number of slots and saving the communication time of grouping with estimation. The reader requests every frequency in turn to check the tags. In every frequency channel, the optimal frame size was set to enhance the system efficiency. This Algorithm has been used in the 433/868/915 RFID system. The system identification efficiency shows good performance.

A module of genetic algorithms suitable for evolvement analog IC is designed, which don?t relate with specific physical circuits and has excellent transplant ability. With the help of the interface module, the module adapted well to evolvement analog filter circuits and wide band high gain amplifier etc to optimize their performance. Using SMIC 0.18 ?m CMOS mixed technology, a evolvement AGC amplifier is designed and tapeouted successfully which has 30 MHz operation frequency, 40 dB ~70 dB gain adjustment range. When output power is elevated maximal values, the AGC has -65 dBm 1 dB compression point, -56 dBm IP3. The circuits can be optimized using the core module of Genetic Algorithms or recover from failure. The results testing the chip and the module show that performance of AGC amplifier conforms to excellent features expected after about 40 generations.

Ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis plays a major role in a variety of cellular functions, including cell metabolism, cell cycle progression, cellular response to DNA damage, and programmed cell death. In most cases, the crucial regulators involved in the control of these diverse cellular functions are modified by specific E3 ubiquitin ligases through the attachment of multiple ubiquitin molecules, a signal that triggers the subsequent destruction by the 26S proteasome complex. Recent studies revealed that the proteasomal degradation pathway regulates the cellular apoptosis process on multiple levels. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie the ubiquitination and destruction of these specific regulators of apoptosis will provide us with insight on how apoptosis is properly controlled in normal cells and how tumor cells evade the apoptosis pathways. This chapter provides an overview of the common methods used to examine whether a target protein is ubiquitinated, as well as the protocols to examine how a putative E3 ligase controls the destruction of the target protein.

In this paper, we report a simple polypeptide-directed strategy for fabricating large spherical assembly of CaCO(3) nanoparticles. Stepwise growth and assembly of a large number of nanoparticles have been observed, from the formation of an amorphous liquidlike CaCO(3)-polypeptide precursor, to the crystallization and stabilization of polypeptide-capped nanoparticles, and eventually, the spherical assembly of nanoparticles. The "soft" poly(aspartate)-capping layer binding on a nanoparticle surface resulted in the unusual soft nature of nanoparticle assembly, providing a reservoir of primary nanoparticles with a moderate mobility, which is the basis of a new strategy for reconstructing nanoparticle assembly into complex nanoparticle architectures. Moreover, the findings of the secondary assembly of nanoparticle microspheres and the morphology transformation of nanoparticle assembly demonstrate a flexible and controllable pathway for manipulating the shapes and structures of nanoparticle assembly. In addition, the combination of the polypeptide with a double hydrophilic block copolymer (DHBC) allows it to possibly further control the shape and complexity of the nanoparticle assembly. A clear perspective is shown here that more complex nanoparticle materials could be created by using "soft" biological proteins or peptides as a mediating template at the organic-inorganic interface.

The human hepatitis B virus enhancer II B1 binding factor (hB1F), which regulates the expression of hepatitis B virus genes, is identified as a nuclear receptor. It regulates several liver-specific genes and plays an important role in the bile acid biosynthesis pathway. A significantly optimized protocol has been worked out to prepare 15N and/or 13C-labeled hB1F ligand-binding domain in minimal medium with high yields for NMR studies. Under the various conditions optimized for the purification of His6-hB1F ligand-binding domain, the yield of the purified protein is estimated to be 25-30 mg from 0.5 L of M9 minimal media. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry data confirm the correctness of the primary sequence. Dynamic light scattering experiment proves that the protein exists as a monomeric form. In addition, the circular dichroism results show that the protein has a well-regulated secondary structure and a high alpha-helical content in ammonium bicarbonate buffer at 20 degrees C and pH 7.4. Finally, uniformly 15N-labeled protein is characterized by a TROSY-HSQC spectrum, and the dispersion of 15N-1H cross-peaks in the spectrum indicates the presence of well-ordered and properly folded protein as a monomer.

Cholesterol 7-α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) catalyzes a rate-limiting step in bile acid synthesis in liver, and its gene transcription is under complex regulation by multiple nuclear receptors in response to bile acids, cholesterol derivatives, and hormones. The liver receptor homolog-1 (LRH-1), a member of the fushi tarazu factor 1 subfamily of nuclear receptors, has emerged as an essential regulator for the expression of cyp7a1. In this report, we demonstrate Prox1, a prospero-related homeobox transcription factor, identified through a yeast two-hybrid screening, can directly interact with human LRH-1 (hLRH-1) and suppresses hLRH-1-mediated transcriptional activation of human cyp7a1 gene. Biochemical analysis demonstrates that Prox1 interacts with both the ligand binding domain (LBD) and the DNA binding domain (DBD) of hLRH-1. An LRKLL motif in Prox1 is important for the interaction with the LBD but not the DBD of hLRH-1. In hLRH-1 LBD, helices 2 and 10 are essential for Prox1 recruitment. The suppression by Prox1 on the transcriptional activity of hLRH-1 can be mediated through its interaction with the LBD or the DBD of hLRH-1. Gel shift assays reveal that Prox1 impairs the binding of hLRH-1 to the promoter of human cyp7a1 gene.

In this paper, we report a layer-by-layer (LbL) molecular imprinting strategy for constructing molecular recognition sites at the surface of colloidal silica particles by glutaraldehyde (GA)-mediated covalent assembly of gelatin protein in aqueous media. Accompanying the repeated coating of gelatin at the amine-capped silica particles, 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) templates were synchronously imprinted into the formed gelatin shells by the charge-transfer interaction between the electron-deficient aromatic rings of TNT and the electron-rich amino groups of gelatin chains. The effective molecular recognition sites generated at the protein interlayers of gelatin shells of monodisperse silica@gelatin particles, and the rebinding TNT capacities changed nonlinearly with the layer number of imprinted gelatin. Three layers of imprinted gelatin produced the largest imprinting factor of approximately 3.0, which is explained by the covalent assembly mechanism. The imprinting protocol is applicable to a broad range of biomaterials (such as proteins, enzymes, chitosan and biopolymers) for imprinting various molecules in aqueous media. Therefore, these results reported here will open a new window of interest in the exploration of novel molecular recognition systems for application in chemosensors, selective separation, and drug screening and release.