Regulation of Survivin and CDK4 by Epstein-Barr virus encoded latent mem-brane protein 1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines

Latent membrane protein 1 （LMP1）, an important protein encoded by Epstein Barr virus （EBV）, has been implied to link with the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC）. Its dual effects of increasing cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis have been confirmed. In this study, we showed that the expression of Survivin and CDK4 protein in CNE-LMP1, a LMP1 positive NPC epithelial cell line, is higher than in LMP1 negative NPC epithelial cell line- CNE1, and the expression is LMP1 dosage-dependent. Although it was reported that Survivin specifically expressed in cell cycle G2/M phase, our studies suggested that LMP1 could promote the expression of Survivin in G0/G1, S and G2/ M phase. It also showed that Survivin and CDK4 could be accumulated more in the nuclei triggered by LMP1. More interestingly, Survivin and CDK4 could form a protein complex in the nuclei of CNE-LMP1 rather than in that of CNE1, which demonstrated that the interaction between these two proteins could be promoted by LMPI. These results strongly suggested that the role of LMP1 in the regulation of Survivin and CDK4 may also shed some light on the mechanism research of LMP1 in NPC.

Facile tuning of hydrogel properties by manipulating cationic-aromatic monomer sequences

Copolymer hydrogels formed from cationic and aromatic monomers with identical monomer compositions but different average sequences were synthesized by free-radical copolymerization in various solvents.We found that hydrogels with one-componentrich segments are mechanically stronger than those with adjacent-rich monomer sequences in water,while hydrogels with a rich cation-πadjacent sequence showed excellent mechanical strength and underwater adhesion in saltwater(0.7 M Na Cl).The molecular mechanisms for these behaviors are discussed in terms of polymer structures.This work reveals the importance of monomeric sequences in determining hydrogel properties and provides a facile approach to develop hydrogels with different properties but the same monomer composition.

Aggregated structures and their functionalities in hydrogels

Biological soft tissues and hydrogels belong to the same category of soft and wet matter.Both of them are composed of polymer network and a certain amount of water,and permeable to small molecules.Biological tissues possess elaborated structures and exhibit outstanding functionalities.On the other hand,hydrogels are usually amorphous with poor functionality.In recent years,various hydrogels with robust functionalities have been developed by introducing aggregated structures into the gel networks,widely extend their applications in diverse fields,such as soft actuators,biological sensors,and structural biomaterials.Four strategies are usually used to fabricate aggregated structure into hydrogels,including molecular self-assembling,microphase separation,crystallization,and inorganic additives.Different aggregated structures entail the gel very different functionalities.A simple aggregated structure is able to bring multiple functionalities and a combination of mechanical performances of the hydrogels.In this review,we describe the strategies used to construct aggerated structure in hydrogels and discuss about the close relation between the aggregated structure and functionality.We also highlight the role of nonequilibrium aggregated structure in fabricating hydrogels with dynamic memorizing-forgetting behavior and point out the remaining challenges.