Search

The CO2 concentration of flue gas from a natural-gas-fired power plant is only about 50% of that from a coal-fired plant. In contrast, the O2 concentration is more than double, which makes it more difficult to capture CO2 from the former source. China Huaneng Group, which is the largest power generation company in the world, has demonstrated post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) in two coal-fired plants at a scale of 3 kt/y and 120 kt/y, and has now developed the capture technology for gas-fired power plants for the first time in China. A 100 kg/h CO2 capture pilot plant from natural-gas-fired flue gas has been built and the technology verification program has been conducted continuously for 4000 h. In this work, a novel PCC system with mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) was introduced, and the secondary pollutants from the absorber, material corrosion, solvent loss, and energy penalty during the verification test were investigated. From the aspect of pollutants control of the tail gas from the absorber, the volatile solvent content is less than 0.17 ppm, and total nitrosamine is less than 3 μg/Nm3. Compared with the traditional regeneration mode of steam, the energy penalty can be reduced by 10%∼15% by using the novel Steam-Flash-MVR system. This indicates that the system and process is technically feasible for CO2 capture from natural gas power plant, the solvent used is robust and reliable in long-time operation with a low corrosion and degradation rate. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The gas-phase chemistry of the hypergolic system CH3NHNH2 – monomethylhydrazine (MMH), with oxidizers NO2/N2O4 at room temperature and 1atm N2 was investigated experimentally using a gold-coated chamber reactor, coupled with a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. The IR-active species identified in the early reactions include HONO, monomethylhydrazinium nitrite (MMH·HONO), methyl diazene (CH3Nyl nitrate (CH3ONO2), methyl nitrite (CH3ONO), nitromethane (CH3NO2), methyl azide (CH3N3), H2O, N2O and NO. In order to elucidate the mechanisms by which these observed products are formed, we carried out quantum mechanics calculations [CCSD(T)/M06-2X] for the possible reaction pathways. Based on these studies, we propose that the oxidation of MMH in an atmosphere of NO2 occurs via two mechanisms: (1) sequential H-abstraction and HONO formation, and (2) reaction of MMH with asymmetric ONONO2, leading to formation of methyl nitrate. These mechanisms successfully explain all intermediates observed experimentally. We conclude that the formation of asymmetric ONONO2 is assisted by an aerosol formed by HONO and MMH that provides a large surface area for ONONO2 to condense, leading to the generation of methyl nitrate. Thus we propose that the overall pre-ignition process involves both gas-phase and aerosol-phase reactions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: To investigate the relationship between the molecular characteristics and phylogenetic evolution of rabies N gene. Methods: Saliva samples were collected from rabies cases, and RT-PCR was used to amplify the N gene of rabies virus with the specific primers. The amplifying product of RT-PCR was cloned to pUCm-T vector and transformed into E.coli XL1-Blue and then the blue-white selection, PCR screening and gene sequencing were carried out to identify the positive clones. Finally, ExPASy and other bioinformatics softwares were used to analyze and predict the structure and biological characteristics of the N genome. Results: The amplification product of RT-PCR was 1 353 bp, the recombinant plasmid pUCm-T/N was constructed, the whole length of the N gene open reading frame was composed of 1 353 nucleotide residues to code 450 amino acids (20 kinds), the accession number submitted to the Genbank was HM756692, its sequence homology of nucleotides and amino acids compared with the vaccine strain CTN-1-V was 90% and 99% respectively. The evolutionary analysis showed that the isolated strain belonged to genotype I with certain geographic regionality. Conclusion: The characteristics investigation and bioinformatics analysis of Hunan0806 N gene will provide fundament data to reveal the significance of the N gene characteristics for rabies epidemiology and its prevention & control. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Polymer rheology has a long research tradition and holds an important position in the scientific community. It is supposed to be a valuable subject to the vast polymer industry. This article points out the exciting developments that are transforming our understanding of the world of polymer rheology. We discuss not only the emerging challenges in the area but also how China might wish to seize the moment, pick up the trend and take advantage of the potential economic benefits to the huge petro-chemical industry of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three nanosized polyaniline (PAn) powders doped with ionic liquid and dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid (DBSA) or hydrochloric acid have been prepared for the first time in an ionic liquid-water emulsion system. The oil-phase ionic liquid is used as both a monomer solvent and doped counterion. The effects of different counterions on the properties (molecular weight, electrical conductivity, glass transition temperature, electrochemical activity) of PAn are investigated. PAn codoped with 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid and DBSA shows the highest molecular weight (81 104 g mol−1), the highest electrical conductivity (1.85 S cm−1), the lowest glass transition temperature (181°C) and the highest redox reaction current density; PAn doped with an ionic liquid only exhibits the lowest conductivity (0.0018 S cm−1) and a lower redox reaction current density. PAn codoped with ionic liquid and HCl shows higher conductivity. They also exhibit good electrochemical stability and charge-discharge performance. These indicate that codoping of different counterions under acidic conditions could improve the degree of oxidation and doping ratio of PAn and could result in high electrical conductivity and good electrochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An equation of state for normal liquid 3He has been constructed in the form of Helmholtz free energy as a function of independent parameters—temperature, and density. The equation was fitted simultaneously to the collected experimental p-ρ- T, specific heat, sound velocity, isobaric expansion coefficient and isothermal compressibility coefficient from the world’s literature to accuracies comparable with reasonable experimental errors in the measured quantities. Extensive comparisons between the equation of state and experimental data have been made by a set of deviation plots. The state equation is valid in the region for temperatures from 0.1 K to T c = 3.3157 K, and for pressures from vapor pressures to melting pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An array of seven HgI2 detectors, which are suitable for detecting the time and space evolution of the x-ray radiation flux and energy spectrum in the range between 15–150 keV relevant to suprathermal electron and runaway electrons was installed on the HL-1M Tokamak (R0=1.02 m, a=0.26 m, BT=3.5 T, IP=350 kA, ne=3–6×1013 cm-3, Te=0.8–1.5 keV). Our iodine mercury (HgI2) semiconductor detectors possess the properties of low noise level, high detection efficiency, high counting rate, high energy resolution, and working at room temperature. Every detector is a high quality, high purity detector cut out of a big size HgI2 crystal. A new type of multichannel energy spectrometer with a high speed acquisition system was developed. Therefore, the spatial and temporal distribution of the x-ray energy spectrum induced by thermal and superthermal electrons can be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade is crucial cell signal transduction mechanism that plays an important role in plant growth and development, metabolism, and stress responses. The MAPK cascade includes three protein kinases, MAPK, MAPKK, and MAPKKK. The three protein kinases mediate signaling to downstream response molecules by sequential phosphorylation. The MAPK gene family has been identified and analyzed in many plants, however it has not been investigated in alfalfa. Results: In this study, Medicago sativa MAPK genes (referred to as MsMAPKs) were identified in the tetraploid alfalfa genome. Eighty MsMAPKs were divided into four groups, with eight in group A, 21 in group B, 21 in group C and 30 in group D. Analysis of the basic structures of the MsMAPKs revealed presence of a conserved TXY motif. Groups A, B and C contained a TEY motif, while group D contained a TDY motif. RNA-seq analysis revealed tissue-specificity of two MsMAPKs and tissue-wide expression of 35 MsMAPKs. Further analysis identified MsMAPK members responsive to drought, salt, and cold stress conditions. Two MsMAPKs (MsMAPK70 and MsMAPK75) responds to salt and cold stresses; two MsMAPKs (MsMAPK60 and MsMAPK73) responds to cold and drought stresses; four MsMAPKs (MsMAPK1, MsMAPK33, MsMAPK64 and MsMAPK71) responds to salt and drought stresses; and two MsMAPKs (MsMAPK5 and MsMAPK7) responded to all three stresses. Conclusion: This study comprehensively identified and analysed the alfalfa MAPK gene family. Candidate genes related to abiotic stresses were screened by analysing the RNA-seq data. The results provide key information for further analysis of alfalfa MAPK gene functions and improvement of stress tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observes nucleation and growth of strain-induced martensite and dynamic change of dislocation configuration during deformation of Mn8 steel through TEM thin film in-situ tensile deformation test. Analysis of the nature of experimental appearance; Examination of the experimental procedure; Results of the experiment; Detailed information on the discussion; Conclusion reached.

In this study, TiB2/7075 aluminum matrix composites were prepared via in situ synthesis. It was found that TiB2 particles are mainly quadrate. Large TiB2 particles (1–2 μm) agglomerate at grain boundaries, but most of the particles are on the submicron scale. Adding 4.5 wt.% TiB2 particles effectively optimizes α-Al grains in the 7075 aluminum alloy. By combining in situ reinforcing particles with the self-stirring effect of a serpentuator, rheocasting of the 7075 aluminum alloy was achieved in a simple and economical way. The average grain size of the specimen after rheocasting and heat treatment was smaller than 33 μm, and the shape factors were greater than 0.85. The wear resistance of the 4.5 wt.% TiB2/7075 aluminum matrix composite that was prepared via rheocasting and gravity casting was tested with loads of 30, 60, 90, and 120 N at a friction speed of 0.15 m/s for a duration of 30 min. Because of the optimized microstructure and increased hardness, the wear resistance of the 4.5 wt.% TiB2/7075 aluminum matrix composite was significantly better than that of the 7075 aluminum alloy, and the wear resistance of the rheocast TiB2/7075 aluminum matrix composite was better than that of the gravity cast one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being generally regarded as safe, Kluyveromyces lactis has been widely taken for food, feed, and pharmaceutical applications, owing to its ability to achieve high levels of protein secretion and hence being suitable for industrial production of heterologous proteins. Production platform strains can be created through genetic engineering; while prototrophic cells without chromosomally accumulated antibiotics resistance genes have been generally preferred, arising the need for dominant counterselection. We report here the establishment of a convenient counterselection system based on a Frs2 variant, Frs2v, which is a mutant of the alpha-subunit of phenylalanyl-tRNA synthase capable of preferentially incorporating a toxic analog of phenylalanine, r-chloro-phenylalanine (4-CP), into proteins to bring about cell growth inhibition. We demonstrated that expression of Frs2v from an episomal plasmid in K. lactis could make the host cells sensitive to 2 mM 4-CP, and a Frs2v-expressing plasmid could be efficiently removed from the cells immediately after a single round of cell culturing in a 4-CP-contianing YPD medium. This Frs2v-based counterselection helped us attain scarless gene replacement in K. lactis without any prior engineering of the host cells. More importantly, counterselection with this system was proven to be functionally efficient also in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Komagataella phaffii, suggestive of a broader application scope of the system in various yeast hosts. Collectively, this work has developed a strategy to enable rapid, convenient, and high-efficiency construction of prototrophic strains of K. lactis and possibly many other yeast species, and provided an important reference for establishing similar methods in other industrially important eukaryotic microbes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yellow River Delta (YRD), known for its vast and diverse wetland ecosystem, is the largest estuarine delta in China. However, human activities and climate change have significantly degraded the wetland ecosystem in recent decades in the YRD. Therefore, an understanding of the land use modifications is essential for the efficient management and preservation of ecosystems in this region. This study utilized time series of remote sensing data and the extreme gradient boosting method to generate land use maps of the YRD from 2000 to 2020. Several methods, including transition matrix, land use dynamic degree, and standard deviation ellipse, were employed to explore the characteristics of land use transitions. The results underscore significant spatial variations in land use over the past two decades. The most rapid increase was observed in built-up area, followed by terrestrial water and tidal flats, while unutilized land experienced the fastest decrease, followed by forest–grassland. The spatial distribution patterns of agricultural land, built-up area, terrestrial water, and forest–grassland demonstrated stronger directionality compared to other land use types. The wetlands have expanded in size and improved in structure. Unutilized land has been converted into artificial wetlands comprising ponds, reservoirs, salt ponds, shrimp and crab ponds, and natural wetlands featuring mudflats and forest–grassland. The wetland conservation efforts after 2008 have proven very effective, playing a positive role in ecological and environmental preservation, as well as in regional sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three bis(triorganotin) benzenedicarboxylates, 1,n-C6H4(COOSnR3)2 (n, R=3, C6H5C(CH3)2CH2, 1; 4, C6H5C(CH3)2CH2, 2; 4, C6H11-c, 3), were synthesized by the reaction of 1,3 or 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid with triorganotin chlorides in the solution of CH3ONa-CH3OH and characterized by means of elemental analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (1H, 13C, and 119Sn) spectra, and X-ray single-crystal diffraction. Compounds 1–3 are all di-nuclear tin complexes in which the carboxylate is monodentate and each tin atom possesses a distorted SnC3O tetrahedral geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) are important regulatory factors in plant stress responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses and play important roles in growth and development. The HSF gene family has been systematically identified and analyzed in many plants but it is not in the tetraploid alfalfa genome. We detected 104 HSF genes (MsHSFs) in the tetraploid alfalfa genome ("Xinjiangdaye" reference genome) and classified them into three subgroups: 68 in HSFA, 35 in HSFB and 1 in HSFC subgroups. Basic bioinformatics analysis, including genome location, protein sequence length, protein molecular weight and conserved motif identification, was conducted. Gene expression analysis revealed tissue-specific expression for 13 MsHSFs and tissue-wide expression for 28 MsHSFs. Based on transcriptomic data analysis, 21, 11 and 27 MsHSFs responded to drought stress, cold stress and salt stress, respectively, with seven responding to all three. According to RT–PCR, MsHSF27/33 expression gradually increased with cold, salt and drought stress condition duration; MsHSF6 expression increased over time under salt and drought stress conditions but decreased under cold stress. Our results provide key information for further functional analysis of MsHSFs and for genetic improvement of stress resistance in alfalfa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saline-alkali stress is one of the main abiotic stresses that limits plant growth. Salt stress has been widely studied, but alkaline salt degradation caused by NaHCO 3 has rarely been investigated. In the present study, the alfalfa cultivar 'Zhongmu No. 1′ was treated with 50 mM NaHCO 3 (0, 4, 8, 12 and 24 h) to study the resulting enzyme activity and changes in mRNA, miRNA and metabolites in the roots. The results showed that the enzyme activity changed significantly after alkali stress treatment. The genomic analysis revealed 14,970 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs), 53 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMis), and 463 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Combined analysis of DEMs and DEMis revealed that 21 DEMis negatively regulated 42 DEMs. In addition, when combined with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis of DEMs and DAMs, we found that phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, flavonoid biosynthesis, starch and sucrose metabolism and plant hormone signal transduction played important roles in the alkali stress response. The results of this study further elucidated the regulatory mechanism underlying the plant response to alkali stress and provided valuable information for the breeding of new saline-alkaline tolerance plant varieties. [Display omitted] • Integrate transcriptome and metabolomics to analyse the alkaline stress of alfalfa. • Candidate genes, miRNAs and metabolites in response to alkaline stress in alfalfa were identified. • Alfalfa response to alkali is related to abscisic acid, ethylene, jasmonic acid and auxin signal transduction pathways. • Flavonoid synthesis was found to be associated with alkaline stress in alfalfa. • Five new miRNAs were identified, which could respond to alkaline stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl-oxidized cellulose nanocrystals (TOCNs) were loaded into sodium alginate/chitosan multilayer film as nanofillers to investigate the modulation of the surface charge density of TOCNs on the film properties. First, the surface charge density of TOCNs was controlled by adjusting the carboxyl content and morphological size by varying the oxidant dosage. After oxidation, TOCN with higher surface charge density was observed to display a higher crystallinity, a more open internal structure, a better dispersibility and a slightly weaker thermal stability. In addition, a 15-layer film composed of sodium alginate and chitosan, called (SA/CH) 15 , was constructed by layer-by-layer assembly. Both in situ deposition monitoring and free-standing multilayer film formation indicated that TOCNs relied on strong electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding to achieve a compact and uniform interlayer and a thinner thickness of (SA/CH) 15 , which was more evident at a high surface charge density. The addition of TOCNs also enhanced the mechanical properties, thermal stability, hydrophobicity, and barrier properties of (SA/CH) 15. In particular, the resulting sodium alginate/chitosan multilayer film exhibited an improved packaging performance when nanocomposite was performed using TOCN with a surface charge density of 3.22 ± 0.11 e nm−2. • TOCNs with different surface charge densities are produced by varying NaClO amount. • Structural and thermal stability of TOCNs is affected by surface charge density. • Multilayer film made of CH and SA incorporating TOCNs was prepared by LbL assembly. • HTOCN markedly improves the mechanical and barrier properties of (SA/CH) 15 film. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, bulk Cr 3 C 2 -20 wt % Ni cermets were successfully fabricated by high-energy milling and pressureless sintering in a vacuum furnace. Microstructures, elements distribution, and high temperature oxidation mechanism were researched by SEM, EPMA, and differential thermal analyzer (DTA), respectively. Oxidation kinetics regularity of bulk Cr 3 C 2 -20 wt % Ni cermets was investigated at 600–800 °C for the first time. Isothermal cyclic oxidation experiments were studied using the heat-treatment furnace for 100 h. The results indicated that the porosity decreased, while the hardness, bending strength, and fracture toughness increased with an improvement in the vacuum degree. Cr 3 C 2 -20 wt % Ni cermets displayed outstanding oxidation resistance and the dynamic oxidation curves followed the parabolic rate law. Besides, the oxidation rate constants increased three orders of magnitudes with an increase in the oxidation temperatures from 600 °C to 800 °C. The mechanism of the oxidation resistance was the generation of the protective and dense oxide layers on the sub-surface of the oxidation specimens, which hindered the diffusion of Cr3+, Ni2+, O 2 and effectively protected the substrate from further oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Apply a long short-term memory(LSTM) network to model the plasma horizontal displacement system. • Use lots of historical experimental data of the HL-2A tokamak to train and test the nonlinear network model. • The nonlinear network model can make accurate predictions of the plasma horizontal displacement. • Design an HL-2A plasma horizontal displacement controller using model reference adaptive control (MRAC) algorithm. • Simulation results show that the controller can well control the plasma horizontal displacement and has an excellent anti-disturbance capability. In general, modeling the plasma displacement system of a tokamak device based on physical principles requires a lot of assumptions and linearization. To reduce the deviation between the response model and the controlled object, we applied a long short-term memory (LSTM) network that is good at processing time series and has strong memory capabilities to model the plasma horizontal displacement system. In this research, we designed a network topology of the prediction model, then trained and tested it through the historical experimental data of the HL-2A tokamak, and finally obtained a satisfactory fitting effect. The especial nonlinear network model can make accurate predictions of the plasma horizontal displacement. Another work of this paper was to use the network model as the controlled object, and proposed to design an HL-2A plasma horizontal displacement controller using model reference adaptive control (MRAC) algorithm. Simulation results showed that the output response of the control system can quickly track various input reference signals, and the controller can well control the plasma horizontal displacement and has an excellent anti-disturbance capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have suggested that abnormal sleep duration is associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, evidence on the association of sleep duration with stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) and tumors in populations with MetS is limited. Methods: A total of 8968 participants (2754 with MetS at baseline) were recruited in this retrospective study between March 2012 and December 2012. The baseline characteristics and information on sleep duration were collected by self-reported questionnaires. In addition, physical examination and blood test were also performed. The outcome events in this study were new onset of stroke, MI and tumors during subsequent follow-up. Multivariate logistic regressions were adopted to investigate the relationships between sleep duration and outcome events among different sleep duration groups (< 6 h, 6–7 h, 7–8 h [reference], 8–9 h, and > 9 h per day) in participants with MetS. Results: The mean self-reported total sleep duration was 7.8 ± 1.2 h. Compared with participants with MetS slept for 7–8 h per day, the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for those slept for > 9 h in stroke, MI and tumors were 2.014 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.184–3.426, P = 0.010), 1.731 (95% CI: 0.896–3.344, P = 0.102) and 2.159 (95% CI: 0.991–4.704, P = 0.053), respectively, whereas the adjusted ORs for those slept for < 6 h in stroke, MI and tumors were 2.249 (95% CI: 0.973–5.195, P = 0.058), 1.213 (95% CI, 0.358–4.104, P = 0.756) and 1.743 (95% CI, 0.396–7.668, P = 0.462), respectively. Conclusions: Long sleep duration (> 9 h) significantly increased the risk of stroke but not MI and tumors in individuals with MetS compared with 7–8 h of sleep duration. Short sleep duration (< 6 h) was not associated with the increased risk of stroke, MI and tumors in individuals with MetS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vesicles have been attracting a great deal of interest because of their great potential for health food, medicine, and biotechnology applications. This study aimed to develop a new type of debranched starch (DBS) vesicle for loading and delivering active components. DBS with a low degree of polymerization (6.75) and good water solubility was modified with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) to obtain an amphiphilic polymer. Both the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the 1H nuclear magnetic resonance results confirmed the successful synthesis of amphiphilic OSA-DBS polymers. The OSA-DBS spontaneously formed 10–30 nm vesicles in a water system, as measured by transmission electron microscopy. The vesicles were relatively stable at different temperatures, pH values, and ionic strengths. Insulin was used as a hydrophilic functional ingredient model. The insulin-loaded vesicles exhibited a high loading content (∼13.36%). These OSA-DBS vesicles have potential utility as advanced carriers in the health food and biomedical industries. Image 1 • Soluble debranched starch (DBS) was modified by octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA). • The OSA-DBS could self-assemble into vesicles with particle size of 10–30 nm. • Insulin-loaded vesicles exhibited high loading content and sustained-release property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Debranched starches (DBSs) are widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, and health products. The purpose of this study is to separate fractions of debranched normal starch with different degrees of polymerization (DP). Five fractions were obtained by the ethanol precipitation fractionation method with different water-to-ethanol ratios, including a very long DBS p (p: precipitate), long DBS p1.5 (p1.5: water/ethanol = 1:1.5 precipitate), moderately long DBS p4 (p4: water/ethanol = 1:4 precipitate), short DBS s1.5 (s1.5: water/ethanol = 1:1.5 supernatant), and very short DBS s4 (s4: water/ethanol = 1:4 supernatant). The main peak DP values of different fractions of debranched normal corn starch were 24.41, 16.74, 13.70, 7.77, and 6.09, respectively. The fractions of DBSs from potato and sweet potato starches had larger molecular weights. The crystalline structure of DBS p and DPS p4 was B-type while that of DBS p1.5 was A-type. DBSs with different properties could be obtained from normal starch by the green and simple aqueous ethanol precipitation method. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Debranched starches were separated by the ethanol precipitation fractionation method. • Five fractions with different degrees of polymerization were obtained. • The crystallization structures of fractions were A- or B-type. • New functional aldehyde groups in debranched starches appeared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve our understanding of the abnormalities and non-Mendelian inheritance characteristics of schizophrenia, this study examined DNA methylation (5mC) and hydroxymethylation (5hmC) in the schizophrenia-associated GABRB2 gene encoding the type A γ-aminobutyric acid receptor β 2 subunit. DNAs from the peripheral white blood cells of 279 schizophrenic patients and 256 controls from the Chinese Han population were examined to reveal that the GABRB2 promoter P1-5mC level which was correlated with olanzapine administration, P2-5mC/5hmC level, and Alu-5mC level which was correlated with administration of ziprasidone or oxcarbazepine, were increased in schizophrenic patients. Significant correlations of the promoter 5mC/5hmC levels with the genotypes of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed with SNPs rs72815526 (C/A) and rs3811997 (C/T). In schizophrenics, the heterozygous genotypes of rs72815526 (C/A) were correlated with increased 5hmC levels whereas the heterozygous genotypes of rs3811997 (C/T) were correlated with decreased 5mC levels. Moreover, the GABRB2 promoter with rs3811997(C/T) minor allele T or the methylation-disrupted type AG at −254 and −231 CCGG sites was observed to enhance the promoter activity in the luciferase reporter-transfected human embryonic kidney 293 cells. An elevated GABRB2 mRNA transcriptional level in human neuroblastoma IMR32 cells were accompanied by the decreased promoter 5hmC/5mC levels induced by 5-azacytidine or by increased histone H4 acetylation levels of the Alu-Yi6 region induced by valproic acid. These results reveal alterations in GABRB2 genotype-dependent methylation and hydroxymethylation in schizophrenia, which yielded transcriptional and translational alterations in the cultured cells, and help elucidate the genetic-epigenetic interactions influencing schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs) are expressed in some types of cancer. However, their precise roles in tumor progression remain unclear. The present study investigated the function of IFITM2 in gastric cancer (GC) progression. A retrospective analysis of a public database and 167 GC patients revealed that IFITM2 expression was upregulated in gastric tumor samples, which was positively correlated with disease progression, more frequent postoperative recurrence, and higher mortality rate. IFITM2 knockdown decreased GC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in vitro. We also found that IFITM2 expression was in part induced by insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 via IGF1 receptor/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling. Furthermore, IFITM2 regulated interleukin-6 expression and secretion, which in turn increased IFITM2 expression. Silencing of IFITM2 expression suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis in vivo. These results suggest that IFITM2 is a novel prognostic biomarker and regulator of GC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]