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During flood irrigation, the physical and chemical properties of the soil change to some extent, and then alter the content and fraction of soil Se. At present, soil properties and the process of S...

This study aimed to explore the effects of lncRNA BCAR4 on the viability and aggressiveness of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. qRT-PCR was used to determine the expression of BCAR4 and GLI2 downstream genes in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Chromatin isolation by RNA purification (CHIRP) and Western blot were employed to measure the expression of the GLI2 downstream proteins. Ki-67 expression in nude mice tumors was tested by immunohistochemistry. MTT assay, wound healing assay, and Transwell assay were used to assess NSCLC cell viability and aggressiveness, respectively. Tumor xenograft was conducted to determine the effects of BCAR4 and GLI2 on NSCLC tumorigenesis in vivo. The expression of BCAR4 in NSCLC tissues and cells was significantly higher than the normal level. The overexpression of BCAR4 promoted NSCLC cell viability, migration, and invasion. The suppression of BCAR4 and GLI2 showed the opposite effects. The overexpression of BCAR4 led to an increase in the expression of GLI2 downstream proteins, while the suppression of BCAR4 and GLI2 reduced their expression. In a tumor xenograft assay, the tumors in mice of the BCAR4 group showed the biggest volume, while those in mice of the si-GLI2 group showed the smallest volume. Ki-67 showed much higher levels in the BCAR4 overexpression group but much lower levels in the si-GLI2 group. In summary, the cooperative mechanism of lncRNA BCAR4 and GLI2 might provide a new opportunity for treating NSCLC.

Passive restoration after agricultural abandonment has been widely practiced to improve soil quality and recover the ecological functions of degraded wetlands. However, studies concerning the relationships between soil and vegetation during natural succession are still lacking. In this study, the variations of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN), as well as their relationships with soil and vegetation properties were evaluated in passively restored freshwater wetlands with a chronosequence (2, 4, 8, 13, 16, and 20 years) on the Sanjiang Plain, China. An adjacent natural wetland was chosen as a reference system. Results indicated that soil and vegetation in restored wetlands changed substantially overtime, and gradually came to resemble natural wetlands. SOC and TN contents in the 10–30 cm soil layers required less time to achieve a natural level than those in the 0–10 cm soil layers. They were significantly correlated with soil water content and conductivity, especially in the 0–10 cm layer. Moreover, SOC and TN storages were synergistically improved, and highly dependent on plant diversity, height, coverage, and biomass. These results suggest that passive restoration is an efficient measure for forming wetland plant communities after agricultural abandonment, and ultimately enhances SOC and TN accumulation in restored wetlands.

The origin of soil selenium (Se) is relatively complex, and analysis of the origin of soil Se is of great significance in clarifying the cause of its richness and the impact of human activities on soil environmental quality, as well as assisting in the scientific planning of Se-rich land use, improving land use value, and promoting regional economic development. In this study, in order to identify and clarify the origin of soil Se and the causes of its richness in a typical agricultural area in the Hamatong River Basin of the Sanjiang Plain, we tested the Se concentrations in soil, atmospheric deposition, irrigation water, chemical fertilizer, rock, and rice crop samples from the study area. Geostatistical analysis indicated that the soil Se is mainly controlled by natural factors such as soil parent material. Elemental geochemical analysis indicated the soil Se is mainly derived from the granite occurring in the Wanda Mountains. Elemental mass balance analysis indicated that the atmospheric deposition is the most important source of soil Se input, with a contribution of 84.90%, followed by irrigation and fertilization. Deep percolation is the main pathway of soil Se output, with a contribution of 74.17%, followed by rice crop harvest and volatilization. In addition, the soil Se is derived from a natural source, its richness can be attributed to the effect of anthropogenic factors, such as fossil fuel combustion and fertilization, superimposed on the high natural background value of soil Se.

Background Drug resistance in clinical cancer treatment has become an issue. Objective We focus on abnormally expressed lncRNAs in glioma and investigating the function of PVT1. Methods The paclitaxel-resistant glioma cells SHG-44 RE was obtained through screening the SHG 44 cells that were cultured in medium containing a certain concentration of paclitaxel. Cell survival of SHG 44 RE and SHG 44 cells under the treatment of paclitaxel was detected by MTT assay. The aberrant expressed lncRNAs were screened out with microarray analysis. Further qRT-PCR was utilized to validate the expression of lncRNA PVT1 in the two cells. After manipulating the expression of PVT1, cell viability and apoptosis were measured by MTT and flow cytometry respectively. Results LncRNA PVT1 was overexpressed in glioma cells SHG-44 RE compared with parent SHG-44 cells. Down-regulation of lncRNA PVT1 inhibited the SHG-44 RE cell viability and increased glioma SHG-44 RE cells apoptosis after paclitaxel treatment, suggesting that inhibition of lncRNA PVT1 improved paclitaxel sensibility in human glioma cells. Conclusion Down-regulation of PVT1 could enhance chemosensitivity of paclitaxel, induce apoptosis of glioma cells and noteworthy inhibit glioma cells proliferation. Our findings of PVT1 could contribute to attenuate paclitaxel resistance in clinical medicine.