Genetic Association of rs2237572 Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6 Gene with Breast Cancer in Iraq

This case–control study is aimed to evaluate serum concentration of Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 6 (CDK6) and the genetic association between rs2237572 CDK6 gene and breast cancer (BC) in Iraq. To attain this goal, 80 patients with BC as cases and 80 healthy individuals as controls were included. Further, BC patients were sorted according to the molecular classification into four subtypes of Luminal A, Luminal B, Her2/neu enriched and TPN. Serum concentration of CDK6 enzyme, allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs2237572 CDK6, and the occurrence of BC phenotype and its subtypes in the studied population were investigated. ELISA technique was used to perform the biochemical testing, while the molecular analysis was achieved by real-time PCR, high resolution melting analysis, conventional PCR, as well as sequencing analysis. The results revealed no significant difference in serum concentration of CDK6 enzyme between patients and healthy controls (p > 0.05). Also, no significant differences were shown between BC patients subtypes (p > 0.05). The rs2237572 CDK6 genotypes were associated with the BC and affirmed that allele C was inherited as a recessive risk factor. Moreover, a highly significant difference between patients’ subtypes in the genotypic frequency of rs2237572 (p < 0.01) was noted. Furthermore, the association of rs2237572 genotypes and CDK6 serum concentration in BC patients showed a considered significant difference between C/C and T/T, C/C and T/C and the CDK6 level (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, T/T and T/C did not show any significant difference with the CDK6 level. Hence, it was concluded that the rs2237572 of CDK6 gene is significantly correlated with BC.     

Role of Oncofetal Protein CR-1 as a Potential Tumor Marker for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Cripto-1 (CR-1) is an oncofetal protein with its role as a key factor in early process of carcinoma has been evaluated in cases of various cancers. However, very few studies have reported its role in oral cancer, which is the sixth most common cancer around the world, particularly with high prevalence in developing countries. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most predominant (90%) of all the histological types of oral cancer. Late detection, associated with increased morbidity and mortality, is mainly attributed to non-availability of a suitable biomarker for the disease. In the present pilot study, we have evaluated the role of soluble CR-1, in serum as a potential tumor marker for OSCC. CR-1 was estimated using sandwich ELISA in serum samples of 50 biopsy proven OSCC patients (pre and post treatment) along with age and gender matched healthy controls. Immunohistochemistry was also done in corresponding tumor tissue sections to check the expression of CR-1. Pre-treatment CR-1 was found to be 2.25-fold higher in serum of OSCC patients as compared to control (p < 0.0001***), which was reduced to 1.6 folds post treatment (p = 0.0006***). CR-1 levels were comparatively higher in early stage of disease. Upon IHC 80% of the cases were found to be positive for CR-1. This study provides evidence that serum levels of CR-1 are elevated in patients of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma, which decrease post treatment. Also, the association of expression of protein with tumor progression predicts CR-1 as a molecule that can be further evaluated as a potential tumor maker in OSCC.     

前列腺癌:亟待肿瘤标志物和治疗新靶点(英文)简

Prostate cancer （PCa） incidence and mortality have decreased in recent years. Nonetheless, it remains one of the most prevalent cancers in men, being a disquieting cause of men＇s death worldwide. Changes in many cell signaling pathways have a predominant role in the onset, development, and progression of the disease. These include prominent pathways involved in the growth, apoptosis, and angiogenesis of the normal prostate gland, such as an- drogen and estrogen signaling, and other growth factor signaling pathways. Understanding the foundations of PCa is leading to the discovery of key molecules that could be used to improve patient management. The ideal scenario would be to have a panel of molecules, preferably detectable in body fluids, that are specific and sensitive biomarkers for PCa In the early stages, androgen deprivation is the gold standard therapy. However, as the cancer progresses, it even- tually becomes independent of androgens, and hormonal therapy fails. For this reason, androgen-independent PCa is still a major therapeutic challenge. By disrupting specific protein interactions or manipulating the expression of some key molecules, it might be possible to regulate tumor growth and metastasis formation, avoiding the systemic side effects of current therapies. Clinical trials are already underway to assess the efficacy of molecules specially designed to target key proteins or protein interactions. In this review, we address that recent progress made towards under- standing PCa development and the molecular pathways underlying this pathology. We also discuss relevant molecular markers for the management of PCa and new therapeutic challenges.     

应用型本科教学背景下《细胞工程》教学改革探索

《细胞工程》是生物技术专业的专业主干课,通过优化课程体系、精选教学内容、改进教学方法和手段以及探索开放性实验教学等方面进行教学改革,调动了学生学习的积极性和创造性,提高了学习兴趣.     

基于CiteSpaceII的植物科学知识图谱可视化分析

以WebofScience数据库中《植物细胞》杂志自1989年创刊号到2012年底的所有文献作为研究对象,运用CiteS-paceII软件进行文献共引分析和共词分析。以知识可视化图谱方式展现20多年来植物科学领域的研究机构、知识基础、研究热点及研究前沿。     

Parthenolide inhibits proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells through induction of G0/G1 phase cell cycle arrest

Objective  This study is to determine the effect of the natural product parthenolide, a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from extracts of the herb Tanacetum parthenium, on the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Methods  Rat aortic VSMCs were isolated and cultured in vitro, and treated with different concentrations of parthenolide (10, 20 and 30 μmol/L). [³H]thymidine incorporation was used as an index of cell proliferation. Cell cycle progression and distribution were determined by flow cytometric analysis. Furthermore, the expression of several regulatory proteins relevant to VSMC proliferation including IκBα, cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), p21, and p27 was examined to investigate the potential molecular mechanism. Results  Treatment with parthenolide significantly decreased the [³H]thymidine incorporation into DNA by 30%∼56% relative to control values in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Addition of parthenolide also increased cell population at G₀/G₁ phase by 19.2%∼65.7% (P<0.05) and decreased cell population at S phase by 50.7%∼84.8% (P<0.05), which is consistent with its stimulatory effects on p21 and p27. In addition, parthenolide also increased IκBα expression and reduced Cox-2 expression in a time-dependent manner. Conclusion  Our results show that parthenolide significantly inhibits the VSMC proliferation by inducing G₀/G₁ cell cycle arrest. IκBα and Cox-2 are likely involved in such inhibitory effect of parthenolide on VSMC proliferation. These findings warrant further investigation on potential therapeutic implications of parthenolide on VSMC proliferation in vivo. Project (No. 491020-W50315) supported by the Foundation of the Health Bureau of Zhejiang, China     

Knockdown of OLA1, a regulator of oxidative stress response, inhibits motility and invasion of breast cancer cells

To explore the role of a novel Obg-like ATPase 1 (OLA1) in cancer metastasis, small interference RNA (siRNA) was used to knockdown the protein, and the cells were subjected to in vitro cell migration and invasion assays. Knockdown of OLA1 significantly inhibited cell migration and invasion in breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. The knockdown caused no changes in cell growth but affected ROS production. In wound-healing assays, decreased ROS in OLA1-knockdown cells were in situ asso-ciated with the cells' decreased motile morphology. Further, treatment of N-acetylcysteine, a general ROS scavenger, blunted the motility and invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 cells, similar to the effect of OLA1-knockdown. These results suggest that knock-down of OLA1 inhibits breast cancer cell migration and invasion through a mechanism that involves the modulation of intracel-lular ROS levels.     

JTable组件的深入剖析

JTable组件是一个综合性的Java界面开发组件,内部包含一套独立的消息传递机制,以协调整个组件的运作。文中对JTable组件进行了深入的分析,介绍了JTable组件采用的设计模式、消息的传递方法、JTable的使用、TableModel的常用方法、如何向JTable传递消息及如何实现对JTable的控制。最后,介绍了单元渲染器和编辑器的实现和使用。     

Media Use During a Crisis

After learning about the crisis of September 11, Americans overwhelmingly turned to television for more information. However, people used multiple sources of information. The Web and e-mail appear to have played important but secondary roles to television and the telephone. Overall, the media functioned well in meeting the extraordinary demands for information and communication.     

胚胎干细胞的鉴定方法研究进展

胚胎干细胞的鉴定工作对于研究和利用胚胎干细胞具有重大的意义.本文综述了利用胚胎干细胞的形态特征、生长特性、染色体结构、多能性和全能性,以及免疫学方法鉴定胚胎干细胞的研究情况,并介绍了几种常用的鉴定过程.