Youwei Zhang^*, Bi Chen^†, Yongsheng Wang^‡, Qi Zhao^‡, Weijun Wu^§, Peiying Zhang^*, Liyun Miao^‡, Sanyuan Sun^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.7, pp. 751-761, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15372657298381

Abstract Acquired resistance remains a key challenge in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) therapy in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Recent studies have shown that Notch signaling is associated with drug resistance. However, its role and possible mechanisms in EGFR-TKI resistance are not yet clear. In our study, we found that among four members of NOTCH1–4, only NOTCH3 was upregulated in LUAD tissues and TKI-resistant cell line (HCC827GR6). Knockdown of NOTCH3 by siRNA significantly inhibited proliferative ability, and decreased colony and sphere formation in HCC827GR6 cells. Then miR-150 was identified as a posttranscriptional regulator of NOTCH3. Its expression was downregulated… More >

Dan Shan, Yumin Shang, Tongxiu Hu

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 349-358, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15247361080118

Abstract Cervical cancer is the third most common gynecological cancer and the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women around the world. Substantial evidence has demonstrated that microRNA (miRNA) expression is disordered in many malignant tumors. The dysregulation of miRNAs has been suggested to be involved in the tumorigenesis and tumor development of cervical cancer. Therefore, identification of miRNAs and their biological roles and targets involved in tumor pathology would provide valuable insight into the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cervical cancer. MicroRNA-411 (miR-411) has been reported to play an important role in several types of human cancer. However,… More >

Hao Chen, Yi Zhang, Hai Su, Hui Shi, Qijiang Xiong, Zulu Su

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.3, pp. 325-334, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15251282086836

Abstract It is well known that activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) expression is closely associated with progression of many cancers. We found that miR-1283 could directly target ATF4. However, the precise mechanisms of miR-1283 in glioma have not been well clarified. Our study aimed to explore the interaction between ATF4 and miR-1283 in glioma. In this study, we found that the level of miR-1283 was dramatically decreased in glioma tissues and cell lines, the expression of ATF4 was significantly increased, and the low level of miR-1283 was closely associated with high expression of ATF4 in glioma tissues. Moreover, introduction of miR-1283… More >

Xingliang Feng^*1, Meng Zhang^*†1, Jialin Meng^*, Yongqiang Wang^†, Yi Liu^*, Chaozhao Liang^*, Song Fan^*

Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.3, pp. 285-297, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504020X15791676105394

Abstract We aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms of progression and identify novel prognosis-related biomarkers for papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) patients. The related data were derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and then analyzed by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). The correlation between each module and the clinical traits were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation analysis. Pathway analysis was conducted to reveal potential mechanisms. Hub genes within each module were screened by intramodule analysis, and visualized by Cytoscape software. Furthermore, important hub genes were validated in an external dataset and clinical samples. A total of 5,839 differentially expressed genes… More >

FENG ZHU^*, QINQIN ZHANG, YANGKAI ZHOU, QIPING ZHANG, MENGYAO CAO, ZHAOLIN JI

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.9, pp. 2123-2131, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020229

Abstract The NAC (NAM, ATAF, and CUC) superfamily is one of the largest plant-specific families containing transcription factors. An increasing number of studies suggest that NAC1 is involved in plants response to different biotic and abiotic stimulis. Nicotiana benthamiana is a widely used system for evaluating plant-pathogen interactions. In order to study the biochemical function of NbNAC1, NbNAC1 protein and antibody are essential. Therefore, we focused on developing a prokaryotic expression system for producing the Nicotiana benthamiana NbNAC1 protein of in Escherichia coli and the preparation of its polyclonal antibody. Firstly, we constructed two different molecular weight prokaryotic expression vectors: pGE… More >

NOUR HIJAZI, DON C. ROCKEY^*, ZENGDUN SHI^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.9, pp. 2003-2007, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020171

Abstract Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the primary effector cells in liver fibrosis. In the normal liver, HSCs serve as the primary vitamin A storage cells in the body and retain a “quiescent” phenotype. However, after liver injury, they transdifferentiate to an “activated” myofibroblast-like phenotype, which is associated with dramatic upregulation of smooth muscle specific actin and extracellular matrix proteins. The result is a fibrotic, stiff, and dysfunctional liver. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern HSC function is essential for the development of anti-fibrotic medications. The actin cytoskeleton has emerged as a key component of the fibrogenic response in wound… More >

XIN LI¹, JIANMIN PAN¹, FAISAL ISLAM², JUANJUAN LI¹, ZHUONI HOU¹, ZONGQI YANG¹, LING XU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.8, pp. 1947-1958, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.019806

Abstract NAC (NAM, ATAF, CUC) is a class of transcription factors involved in plant growth regulation, abiotic stress responses, morphogenesis and metabolism. Salvia miltiorrhiza is an important Chinese medicinal herb, but the characterization of NAC genes in this species is limited. In this study, based on the Salvia miltiorrhiza genomic databases, 82 NAC transcription factors were identified, which were divided into 14 groups. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analysis, gene structure, chromosomal localization and potential role of SmNACs in abiotic stress conditions were also studied. The results revealed that some SmNACs had different structures than others, which advised that these genes may have multiple/distinct… More >

Shiqin Yang^1,2,#, Tao Jiang^3,#, Peilin Shen¹, Shengjie Ren³, Zhun Gu¹, Fangjun Feng², Yunpeng Peng^2,4, Wei Wang⁵, Kai Xu^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.8, pp. 1671-1686, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.018996

Abstract Plant height is an important morphological trait that affects crop yield. Several genes related to plant height and yield have been reported in rice (Oryza sativa L.), however, the molecular mechanism underlying the regulation of these traits is still not completely understood. VP64 is widely used as a transcriptional activator to investigate the biological function of genes encoding transcription factors. Here, we identified a novel bZIP transcription factor OsbZIP62 that is involved in modulating agronomic traits in rice. Overexpression of OsbZIP62-VP64 (OsbZIP62V) significantly increases the plant height and yield per plant in rice. RNA-seq analysis showed that some plant height… More >

KAREL H. M. VAN WELY^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1453-1457, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018939

Abstract Transcription termination of nearly all protein-coding genes in mammals requires 3’ end processing by a multiprotein complex that will cleave and polyadenylate the messenger RNA precursor. Because a variety of enzyme complexes intervene, 3’ end processing was thought to be fundamentally complex and subject to a multitude of regulatory effects. The possibility to select just one out of several polyadenylation sites, in particular, has caused much questioning and speculation. What appear to be separate mechanisms however can be combined into a defined set of rules, allowing for a relatively simple interpretation of 3’ end processing. Ultimately, readiness of the terminal… More >

HE LI¹, RUNAN CHEN¹, ZHONGCHENG CHEN¹, JIAXIN LIN¹, XIJUN JIN¹, CHUNYUAN REN¹, QIUSEN CHEN¹, FENGQIONG CHEN¹, GAOBO YU^1,*, YUXIAN ZHANG^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.6, pp. 1575-1592, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018762

Abstract The Type-B authentic response regulator (ARR-Bs) gene family is one of the important plant-specific transcription factor families involved in variety of physiological processes. However, study of ARR-Bs gene family in soybean is limited. Genome-wide analysis and expression profiling of the ARR-Bs gene family were performed in the soybean genome. 31 ARR-Bs genes (namely GmARR-B1-31) were identified, containing conserved catalytic domains with protein lengths and molecular weights ranging from 246 to 699 amino acids (aa) and 28.30 to 76.86 kDa, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis grouped ARR-Bs genes into three clusters—Cluster I, Cluster II, and Cluster III—which included 15, 12, and 4 genes,… More >