ROGHAYEH GHORBANI¹, MAHMOUD GHARBAVI², ALI SHARAFI^3,4, ELHAM RISMANI⁵, HAMED REZAEEJAM⁶, YOUSEF MORTAZAVI^1,*, BEHROOZ JOHARI^3,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.1, pp. 101-125, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.044741

Abstract In the present study, we investigated the synergistic effects of targeted methotrexate-selenium nanostructure containing Myc decoy oligodeoxynucleotides along with X-irradiation exposure as a combination therapy on LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Myc decoy ODNs were designed based on the promoter of Bcl-2 gene and analyzed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics assays. ODNs were loaded on the synthesized Se@BSA@Chi-MTX nanostructure. The physicochemical characteristics of nanostructures were determined by FTIR, DLS, UV-vis, TEM, EDX, in vitro release, and hemolysis tests. Subsequently, the cytotoxicity properties of them with and without X-irradiation were investigated by uptake, MTT, cell cycle, apoptosis, and scratch assays on… More > Graphic Abstract

MINGCAI ZHANG, TANNER CAMPBELL, SPENCER FALCON, JINXI WANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.10, pp. 2125-2132, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030161

Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common form of joint disease, is characterized clinically by joint pain, stiffness, and deformity. OA is now considered a whole joint disease; however, the breakdown of the articular cartilage remains the major hallmark of the disease. Current treatments targeting OA symptoms have a limited impact on impeding or reversing the OA progression. Understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying OA development is a critical barrier to progress in OA therapy. Recent studies by the current authors’ group and others have revealed that the nuclear factor of activated T cell 1 (NFAT1), a member of the NFAT… More > Graphic Abstract

Shixiang Duan^1,#, Yaomiao Guo^1,#, Yinping Wang¹, Muhammad Jawad Umer², Dongming Liu¹, Sen Yang¹, Huanhuan Niu¹, Shouru Sun¹, Luming Yang¹, Junling Dou^1,*, Huayu Zhu^1,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.5, pp. 1311-1328, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.026928

Abstract Leaf is a vital organ of plants that plays an essential role in photosynthesis and respiration. As an important agronomic trait in leaf development, leaf shape is classified into lobed, entire (no-lobed), and serrated in most crops. In this study, two-lobed leaf watermelon inbred lines WT2 and WCZ, and a no-lobed leaf watermelon inbred line WT20 were used to create two F₂ populations. Segregation analysis suggested that lobed leaves were dominant over the no-lobed leaves, and it was controlled by a signal gene. A locus on watermelon chromosome 4 controlling watermelon lobed/no-lobed leaves was identified through BSA-seq strategy combined with… More >

XIAOHONG FU^1,#, JIE ZHAO^3,#, DANDAN CAO^1,2, CHENGXING HE^1,2, ZIYI WANG¹, YIBEI JIANG¹, JIANFENG LIU^1,*, GUIXIA LIU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 905-917, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026930

Abstract Allium senescens, is an important economic and ecological grassland plant with drought-resistant characteristics. A TCP protein transcription factor is important in the regulation of plant development and adverse responses. However, the mechanism by which TCP transcription functions in drought resistance in Allium senescens is still not clear. Here, we obtained a total of 190,305 transcripts with 115,562 single gene clusters based on RNA-Seq sequencing of Allium senescens under drought stress. The total number of bases was 97,195,096 bp, and the average length was 841.06 bp. Furthermore, we found that there were eight genes of the TCP family that showed an… More >

Yanyan Zhao^1,*, Yanpeng Ding², Bailin Duan¹, Qingzhou Xie¹

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.1, pp. 1-15, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.022384

Abstract GRAS transcription factors play important roles in plant abiotic stress response, but their characteristics and functions in cotton have not been fully investigated. A cotton SCL4/7 subgroup gene in the GRAS family, GhSCL4, was found to be induced by NaCl treatments. Nuclear localization and transactivation activity of GhSCL4 indicate its potential role in transcriptional regulation. Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana over-expressing GhSCL4 showed enhanced resistance to salt and osmotic stress. What’s more, the transcript levels of salt stress-induced genes (AtNHX1 and AtSOS1) and oxidation-related genes (AtAPX3 and AtCSD2) were more highly induced in the GhSCL4 over-expression lines than in wild type after… More >

Minghui Cui, Limei Lin, Jie Zhang, Xin Song, Shuo Wang, Jing Dong, Xuelei Zhao, Yuehong Long^*, Zhaobin Xing^*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.91, No.12, pp. 2649-2668, 2022, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2022.021631

Abstract Mevalonate pyrophosphate decarboxylase is a kind of key enzyme in the terpenoid synthesis pathway in Eleutherococcus senticosus. The results of bisulfite sequencing showed that there were three kinds of samples with a low (0.68%), medium (0.72%) and high (0.79%) DNA methylation ratio in the promoter of MDD in E. senticosus, respectively. The transcriptome sequencing results showed that the expression of MDD in E. senticosus was significantly up-regulated in the types with low DNA methylation ratios of MDD (P < 0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between the saponin content in E. senticosus and the DNA methylation ratio of MDD… More >

KE JIA¹, FU-QING TAN², SHUANG-LI HAO^1,*, WAN-XI YANG^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.11, pp. 2399-2413, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.022015

Abstract The SRY-related high mobility group (HMG) box (SOX) transcription factors participate in many physiological processes of animal growth, development, and reproduction and are related to spermatogenesis in many species. However, the relationship between SOX and spermatogenesis in Eriocheir sinensis is rarely reported. Here, we studied the role of Es-SOX8 in the spermatogenesis of E. sinensis and its possible regulation mechanism. Immunofluorescence results demonstrated Es-SOX8 signal in both cytoplasm and nucleus of spermatogonia, spermatocytes as well as spermatids, but not in mature spermatozoa. Hematoxylin and eosin staining showed a significant increase in the number of spermatozoa with abnormal nuclear morphology   … More >

Fan-Chun Meng, Jun-Kai Lin

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.2, pp. 139-146, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504018X15185747911701

Abstract Inhibition of tumor metastasis is one of the most important purposes in colorectal cancer (CRC) treatment. This study aimed to explore the effects of liquiritigenin, a flavonoid extracted from the roots of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, on HCT116 cell proliferation, invasion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). We found that liquiritigenin significantly inhibited HCT116 cell proliferation, invasion, and the EMT process, but had no influence on cell apoptosis. Moreover, liquiritigenin remarkably reduced the expression of runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) in HCT116 cells. Overexpression of Runx2 obviously reversed the liquiritigenininduced invasion and EMT inhibition. Furthermore, liquiritigenin inactivated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/ protein kinase B… 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 >

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 >