SHU ZHAO^1,*, SHIXIN YE²

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1377-1388, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.023874

Abstract Background: This paper aims to establish a light-controlled phosphorylation detection method at the Y785 site of tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) receptor in mammalian cells by using genetic code expansion technology and detecting the effects of optical activation of this site on the downstream MAPK/ERK pathway. The study is based on the current situation that the regulatory mechanism of TrkA phosphorylation has not been fully elucidated. Methods: Two photosensitive unnatural amino acids, p-azido-L-phenylalanine (AzF) and photo-caged tyrosine (ONB) were introduced into the TrkA-Y785 site by genetic code expansion technology and site-directed mutagenesis. Western blotting and laser confocal imaging were conducted… More >

Shunde Su^1,2,#, Huan Chang^3,#, Xiangyang Kang^1,*, Renhua Zheng^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.6, pp. 1713-1723, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.027586

Abstract As the reproductive organ of the endangered species Fokienia hodginsii, the size of the cones is a constraint on the reproductive renewal of the population. In this study, the molecular basis of the influence of cone size on F. hodginsii was elucidated by comparing the phenotype, biochemistry, and transcriptome of two cultivars of F. hodginsii (‘FJ431’ and ‘FJ415’). The two cultivars differed significantly in cone size, with FJ431 having a significantly larger cone size and weight than FJ415, 1.32 and 1.90 times that of FJ415, respectively. RNA-Seq analysis of both cultivars retrieved 75,940 genes whose approximate functions were classified as… More >

MAN REN^1,2,3,#, YUAN YANG^1,2,#, DAN LI⁴, NANNAN ZHAO⁵, YUPING WANG^2,6,*, YONGNING ZHOU^2,6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 977-989, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028402

Abstract Background: 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose (PGG) is a natural polyphenolic compound derived from multiple medicinal plants with favorable anticancer activity. Methods: In this study, the mechanisms of PGG against gastric cancer were explored through network pharmacology and molecular docking. First, the targets of PGG were searched in the Herbal Ingredients’ Targets (HIT), Similarity Ensemble Approach (SEA), and Super-PRED databases. The potential targets related to gastric cancer were predicted from the Human Gene Database (GeneCards) and DisGeNET databases. The intersecting targets of PGG and gastric cancer were obtained by Venn diagram and then subjected to protein-protein interaction analysis to screen hub targets. Functional and… More >

HONGMEI WU^#, DI LI^#, YUANYUAN HUANG, RUYUAN LIU, XIAONIAN ZHU^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 485-491, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026049

Abstract Autophagy is an important metabolic process. It facilitates the recycling of intracellular substances by removing, degrading, and recycling damaged organelles, proteins, and lipids in lysosomal vacuoles and plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key serine/threonine phosphatase and one of the main cell cycle regulatory enzymes. As PP2A activity is essential for the cell, dysfunction or dysregulation of PP2A can affect various physiological processes, including autophagy. Here, we review the autophagy-related factors that target PP2A in different diseases, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, to maintain cell homeostasis… More >

TIANZHU LI^1,#, YU ZHANG^2,#, TONG ZHANG^2,#, YANNAN LI², HUI XUE², JINGLONG CAO², WENSHUANG HOU², YINGHUA LUO^3,*, CHENGHAO JIN^2,4,*,

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.1, pp. 195-204, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025593

Abstract Schisandrin B (Sch B) is a monomer with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, which are isolated from the plant Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baillon. We investigated the anti-gastric cancer (GC) effects of Sch B and its underlying molecular mechanisms. The Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to determine the effects of Sch B on the viability of GC and normal cell lines. Hoechst/propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry were used to assess the apoptosis induction of Sch B. Western blotting was used to evaluate the effects of Sch B on downstream apoptotic proteins. The DCFH-DA fluorescent probe was used to assess the… More >

Guangheng Wu^1,#,*, Lu Rui^2,3,#, Xiang Lu⁴, Libo Han², Gan Lv¹, Xianyu Fu⁵, Jinxian Liu⁵, Nong Zhou³, Chuanhai Zhang¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.1, pp. 131-147, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.021919

Abstract Gray blight disease (GBD) causes significant losses in tea production in China. Although genes and biological processes involved in resistance to fungal disease in tea plants have been identified, specific mechanisms of the GBD infection process remain unknown. In this study, morphological and multi-gene (TEF-TUB-ITS) phylogenetic characteristics were used to identify isolate CLBB1 of Pseudopestalotiopsis vietnamensis. Pathogenicity tests confirmed that isolate CLBB1 from tea leaves caused GBD in the susceptible tea cultivar Wuyi Rock (Camellia sinensis var. sinensis cv. Shuixian). Spores began to germinate 24 h after infection (hai), and after 48 h, elongated fungal hyphae formed from a single conidium. Transcriptome… More >

ABDELAZIZ ADAM IDRISS ARBAB^1,3,#, CHUNQING YIN^4,#, XUBIN LU¹, YAN LIANG¹, ISMAIL MOHAMED ABDALLA¹, AMER ADAM IDRIS³, TIANLE XU^1,2, YONGJIANG MAO¹, ZHANGPING YANG^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.11, pp. 2443-2454, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020865

Abstract Mastitis is a common inflammatory cow mammary infection; that causes significant economic loss in dairy industry. Given the interesting connection between metformin’s anti-inflammatory function and mastitis model induced by LTA in pbMECs, our objective was to prove that metformin was beneficial in suppressing proinflammatory response induced by LTA through modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways and activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) in pbMECs. The proliferation of cells and mRNA expression were measured using EdU assay and quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analysis were conducted to evaluate the… More >

Chang Li^*, Shuohui Gao^*, Xiaoping Li^†, Chang Li^‡, Lianjun Ma^§

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.6, pp. 675-679, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16137463165406

Abstract Colon cancer is one of the most lethal varieties of cancer. Chemotherapy remains as one of the principal treatment approaches for colon cancer. The anticancer activity of procaine (PCA), which is a local anesthetic drug, has been explored in different studies. In our study, we aimed to explore the anticancer effect of PCA on colon cancer and its underlying mechanism. The results showed that PCA significantly inhibited cell viability, increased the percentage of apoptotic cells, and decreased the expression level of RhoA in HCT116 cells in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Moreover, PCA increased the… More >

Hongde Li^*†‡, Yueshuo Li^*†‡, Jianmin Hu^*†‡, Sufang Liu^§, Xiangjian Luo^*†‡¶, Min Tang^*†‡, Ann M. Bode^#, Zigang Dong^#**, Xinqi Liu^††, Weihua Liao^‡‡, Ya Cao^{*†‡¶ §§¶¶}

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.7-8, pp. 763-778, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16135618512563

Abstract Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-encoded latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) plays an important oncogenic role in the viral latent infection. Recently, increasing evidence indicates that the high expression of LMP1 during EBV lytic cycle is related to the viral lytic replication. However, the mechanism by which LMP1 regulates EBV lytic replication remains unclear. (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) prevents carcinogenesis by directly targeting numerous membrane proteins and effectively inhibits EBV lytic cascade. Here, we demonstrated that LMP1 promotes EBV lytic replication through the downstream signal molecules MAPKs, including ERKs, p38, and JNKs. LMP1 induces the phosphorylation of p53 through MAPKs to enhance the ability of… More >

Huan Ma¹, Cong Nie¹, Ying Chen, Jinmiao Li, Yanjie Xie, Zhixin Tang, Yang Gao, Siming Ai, Yuxiang Mao, Qian Sun, Rong Lu

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.7-8, pp. 745-761, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16130322409507

Abstract Cell cycle deregulation is involved in the pathogenesis of many cancers and is often associated with protein kinase aberrations, including the polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1). We used retinoblastoma, an intraocular malignancy that lacks targeted therapy, as a disease model and set out to reveal targetability of PLK1 with a small molecular inhibitor ON-01910.Na. First, transcriptomic analysis on patient retinoblastoma tissues suggested that cell cycle progression was deregulated and confirmed that PLK1 pathway was upregulated. Next, antitumor activity of ON-01910.Na was investigated in both cellular and animal levels. Cytotoxicity induced by ON-01910.Na was tumor specific and dose dependent in retinoblastoma cells,… More >