Yao SUN, Yao LI, Xin SUN, Qiong WU, Lei WANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 117-126, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08242

Abstract Phosphorylation is a common type of post-translational modification (PTM). It plays a vital role in many cellular processes. The reversible phosphorylation and dephosphorylation affect protein structures and proteinprotein interactions. Previously, we obtained five proteins that interact with ethylene-responsive factor (ERF) from the cDNA library of Populus simonii x Populus nigra. To further investigate the effect of dephosphorylation of PsnERF on its protein binding ability, we generated different phosphorylation states of PsnERF and demonstrated their protein binding capacity by the yeast two-hybrid assay (Y2H). The secondary structures and 3D structures of PsnERF, ERFm, TrunERF, and psnerf^197/198/202a were predicted by homology modeling.… More >

Ha ABDEL MAKSOUD¹, Mk MAHFOUZ¹, Mi SOLIMAN¹, Mohamed G ELHARRIF^2,*, M ABBASS¹, Ma EL-BADRY¹,

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 111-115, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08399

Abstract Pyrethroid esters are widely used as insecticides worldwide. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the harmful effect of deltamethrin on the male reproductive system through the assessment of reproductive hormones, inflammatory markers, and testicular function. To achieve our aim, eighty male 7-9-week-old, Wistar rats were taken, weighed, and divided into four experimental groups. The first group was kept as a control group, and the other three groups were given deltamethrin orally at different concentrations (0.87, 8.7, and 17.4 mg/kg body weight) for nine weeks. The results indicated that deltamethrin administration associated with a significant decrease in reproductive hormones, especially… More >

Xin YANG^*, Liqun LU, Li HUANG, Jing HE, Jie LV

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 101-110, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08324

Abstract T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a hematological tumor caused by the malignant transformation of immature T-cell progenitor cells. Emerging studies have stated that microRNAs (miRNAs) may play key roles in T-ALL progression. This study aimed to investigate the roles of miR-145-3p in T-ALL cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis with the involvement of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. T-ALL Jurkat cells were harvested, and the expression of miR-145-3p and NF-κB-p65 was measured. Gain- and loss-of-functions of miR-145-3p and NF-κB-p65 were performed to identify their roles in the biological behaviors of Jurkat cells, including proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Consequently, the… More >

Zhenzhen SHI, Jiaxin CAO, Hailong PANG, Lingyun JIA, Kun SUN, Hanqing FENG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 89-99, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08059

Abstract Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most widespread and toxic heavy metals to plants. Extracellular ATP (exATP) is thought to be an extracellular effector in regulating the physiological responses of plant cells to environmental stresses. However, the function of exATP in Cd-stressed plant cells is much unknown. The present work showed that treating tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Bright Yellow-2) cell-suspension cultures with exogenous CdCl₂ reduced the cell viability, exATP level, and Mg content. However, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), Cd content, and electrolyte leakage of the cells were enhanced by exogenous CdCl₂. When the Cd-induced accumulation of… More >

Xinxiong FEI, Wenbin HU, Gangsheng WANG, Chunyan SU, Xuqun HUANG, Zhongjun JIANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 81-88, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08125

Abstract Lung cancer poses a serious threat to human life with high incidence and miRNA is an important biomarker in tumors. This study aimed to explore the effect of miR-143-3p on the biological function of lung cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. Eighty-seven samples of lung cancer tissues and 81 samples of tumor-adjacent tissues from patients undergoing radical lung cancer surgery in our hospital were collected. The lung cancer cells and lung fibroblast cells (HFL-1) were purchased, and then miR-143-3p-mimics, miR-NC, si-CTNND1, and NC were transfected into A549 and PC-9 cells to establish cell models. MiR-143-3p and CTNND1 expression levels were… More >

Wensong LIU¹, Yunjie LU¹, Dong ZHANG¹, Longqing SHI¹, Guangchen ZU¹, Haijiao YAN^2,*, Donglin SUN^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 73-80, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08613

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive malignancies with poor prognosis and high mortality. Recent studies showed that microRNAs are dysregulated and involved in the initiation and progression of pancreatic cancer. In this study, we found that miR-708 was significantly downregulated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. Lentivirus-mediated overexpression of miR-708 could significantly inhibit the proliferation and invasion, while enhanced chemosensitivity to gemcitabine in both Panc-1 and SW1990 cells. Luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-708 bound the 3’-untranslated region of survivin and suppressed the expression of survivin in pancreatic cancer cells. In pancreatic cancer tissues, survivin protein was… More >

Sareh HAJIABADI¹, Mansour MASHREGHI¹, Ahmad Reza BAHRAMI^1,2, Kiarash GHAZVINI³, Maryam M. MATIN^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 63-71, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08171

Abstract Cellulose is the main structural component of lignocellulosic wastes that can be converted to sugars and biofuels by cellulase. Due to wide applications of this enzyme in various industries around the world, cellulase is considered as the third industrial enzyme. The ability of thermophilic bacteria in the production of heat-stable cellulases has made them valuable tools in biotechnology. The aim of this study was isolation and molecular identification of cellulolytic thermophile bacteria from Dig Rostam hot spring and investigating their cellulase activity. Samples were taken from water and sediments of this hot spring, and cellulolytic bacteria were enriched in media… More >

Sahar ALZAIN¹, Hana AL SHEIKH¹, Arwa AL THOMALI², Fatimah AL-MUKAYNIZI², Noha ALMOBEREK², Sahar A. ALMALKI², Narasimha Reddy PARINE³, Arjumand WARSY²,

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 55-62, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.07974

Abstract Residual ridge resorption (RRR) is the decrease in the jaw structure that follows tooth extraction. It is a multifactorial disorder, but reports on the associated genetic factors are scarce, particularly amongst the Saudis. This study aimed to investigate the role of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 oncogene partner 2 (FGFR1OP2) in RRR development in Saudis. The study included 192 individuals (RRR = 96; controls = 96) attending outpatient clinics at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University. Demographic and clinical data were collected, the digital panoramic dental radiograph was obtained, and mandibular residual ridge height… More >

Osama M. AHMED^1,*, Sanaa R. GALALY², Mai RASLAN³, Mennah-Allah M. A. MOSTAFA^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 41-53, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08157

Abstract This study aimed to assess the preventive effects of thyme oil and thymol on doxorubicin (DOX)-induced renotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, and oxidative stress in Wistar rats. Thyme oil was subjected to GC-MS analysis, which indicated that thymol was the major constituent representing 33.896%. Rats intraperitoneally injected with DOX at a dose of 2 mg/kg b.w./one per week for 7 weeks were co-treated with thyme oil and its major constituent, thymol, at doses 250 and 100 mg/kg b.w./every other day, respectively, by oral gavage for the same period. Thyme oil and thymol markedly ameliorated the raised levels of serum urea, uric acid, and… More >

Osama M. AHMED¹, Mohamed A. HASSAN², Ablaa S. SALEH²

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.1, pp. 27-29, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08040

Abstract This study aimed to assess the effect of hesperetin and/or bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) on disturbed lipid profile, heart and kidney functions, oxidative stress and antioxidant defense system in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) was induced in male Wistar rats by injecting 40 mg/kg body weight (b.w.) STZ dissolved in citrate buffer (pH 4.5). The diabetic rats were treated with hesperetin orally administered at dose 20 mg/kg b.w., BM-MSCs intravenously injected at a dose of 1 x 106 cells/ rat/week and their combination for 6 weeks. The diabetic rats exhibited lipid abnormalities manifested by… More >