BACKGROUND It is essential to develop new biomarker with effective prognostic roles because of the unclear clinical use of the current community-acquired pneumonia(CAP)predictors.AIM To evaluate the association betwee...BACKGROUND It is essential to develop new biomarker with effective prognostic roles because of the unclear clinical use of the current community-acquired pneumonia(CAP)predictors.AIM To evaluate the association between serum activin A levels and prognosis in CAP patients.METHODS A total of 168 CAP individuals grouped according to the severity and prognosis of illness condition,and 48 healthy individuals as the control group were enrolled in this study.Circulating concentrations of activin A were measured using enzymelinked immunoassays.The interaction between activin A levels and etiologies of CAP was determined.Based on the severity of CAP,110 patients(65.48%)were categorized into group-I,42(25%)cases were grouped into group-II,and 16(9.52%)cases were categorized into group-III.RESULTS Serum activin A levels were higher in patients with CAP than controls,but independent of etiology.Moreover,the scores of Pneumonia Severity Index(PSI)and CURB-65 positively correlated with the increasing levels of serum activin A,and were at their highest peak in individuals in group-III(P<0.001).Combining activin A with CURB-65 or PSI was more effective in improving predictive property(P<0.01).According to Cox proportional regression analysis,after adjusting clinical parameters,we confirmed that activin A showed a powerful predictive property for hospital mortality in CAP patients(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Higher level of serum activin A was associated with poor prognosis of CAP.Activin A can be used as a more valuable biomarker of prognosis in CAP patients.展开更多
Among the avian species, understanding the roles of activin happen to be a dominant challenge in genetic evolution due to its complexity in nature. A case study of the activin gene in avian species was carried out usi...Among the avian species, understanding the roles of activin happen to be a dominant challenge in genetic evolution due to its complexity in nature. A case study of the activin gene in avian species was carried out using bioinformatics. As a sedentary bird, guinea fowl is more susceptible to local selection processes and needs a proper genetic study for conservation. The present study provides the basis for the use of activin or its target genes for the improvement of impaired wound healing, and activin antagonists for the prevention and treatment of fibrosis and the end of malignant tumors that over-express activin. The information provided will serve as a basic tool for broader genetic diversity studies to identify valuable poultry genetic resources and major genes for the development of breeding programs. This study was done by retrieving hundred (100) nucleotides and amino acid sequences of the activin gene belonging to guinea fowl and other avians from the GeneBank, aligning the sequences using BlastP determined the percent identity and phylogenetic relationship of the activin gene of guinea fowl and other avians. The shortest activin nucleotide sequence (467 bp) was observed in chicken and the longest (39896445 bp) in duck. Using the comparative sequence analysis, it was observed that the activin gene of chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl shared percent identity ranging from 91% to 95%. The percent identity reflects the degree of relatedness of species. Although closely related (90%) in ancestral line, the activin gene of guinea fowl and quail cannot be compared with guinea fowl-turkey (95%) nor guinea fowl-chicken (90%), in both biological functions and evolutionary relationship. Finally, the percent identity and similarity in function of the activin gene of guinea fowl, turkey, and chicken were in the range of 93% - 100%, indicating that the activin gene of avians possesses similar functions, well conserved and is very effective in performing functions like increasing FSH bindings, FSH-induced aromatization, improves wound healing and enhances scar formation, regulates morphogenesis of branching organs, and enhances ovarian folliculogenesis. The study, therefore, recommends farmers select and breed for activin genes in order to promote reproductive efficiency, thereby barricading species extinction.展开更多
Regulation of the number of aetivin receptors that are present in the cell membrane plays a key role in the modulation of cellular responses to activin. In order to find the regulators, a novel protein ARIPzip, intera...Regulation of the number of aetivin receptors that are present in the cell membrane plays a key role in the modulation of cellular responses to activin. In order to find the regulators, a novel protein ARIPzip, interacting with activin type II receptors, was searched and identified by using yeast two-hybrid screening. ARIPzip is a splicing variant of ARIP2. This has been discussed previously. ARIPzip can specifically interact with ActR Ⅱ A, and is widely distributed in mouse tissues. Overexpression of ARIPzip can cause the activin-induced transcriptional activities to increase in a dose-dependent manner while the overexpression of ARIV2 can decrease these activities. These data suggest that the C-terminal rezions of ARIP2 and ARIPzip are involved in the regulation of activin signaling.展开更多
In this study, PC12 cells were induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells using nerve growth factor, and were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation. Cells were treated with 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 ng/mL exogenou...In this study, PC12 cells were induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells using nerve growth factor, and were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation. Cells were treated with 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 ng/mL exogenous Activin A. The 3-（4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl）-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and Hoechst 33324 staining showed that the survival percentage of PC12 cells significantly decreased and the rate of apoptosis significantly increased after oxygen-glucose deprivation. Exogenous Activin A significantly increased the survival percentage of PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Reverse transcription-PCR results revealed a significant increase in Activin receptor IIA, Smad3 and Smad4 mRNA levels, which are key sites in the Activin A/Smads signaling pathway, in neuron-like cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation, while mRNA expression of the apoptosis-regulation gene caspase-3 decreased. Our experimental findings indicate that exogenous Activin A plays an anti-apoptotic role and protects neurons by means of activating the Activin A/Smads signaling pathway.展开更多
AIM： To investigate whether activin regulates the cell proliferation of human gastric cancer cell line SNU-16 through the mRNA changes in activin receptors, Smads and p21^CIP1/WAF1. METHODS： The human gastric cancer...AIM： To investigate whether activin regulates the cell proliferation of human gastric cancer cell line SNU-16 through the mRNA changes in activin receptors, Smads and p21^CIP1/WAF1. METHODS： The human gastric cancer cell lines were cultured, RNAs were purified, and RT-PCRs were carried out with specifically designed primer for each gene. Among them, the two cell lines SNU-5 and SNU-16 were cultured with activin A for 24, 48 and 72 h. The cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. For SNU-16, changes in ActRIA, ActRIB, ActRIIA, ActRIIB, Smad2, Smad4, Smad7, and p21^CIP1/WAF1 mRNAs were detected with RT-PCR after the cells were cultured with activin A for 24, 48 and 72 h. RESULTS： The proliferation of SNU-16 cells was down regulated by activin A whereas other cells showed no change. Basal level of inhibin/activin subunits, activin receptors, Smads, and p21^CIP1/WAF1 except for activin βB mRNAs was observed to have differential expression patterns in the human gastric cancer cell lines, AGS, KATO III, SNU-1, SNU-5, SNU-16, SNU-484, SNU-601, SNU-638, SNU-668, and SNU-719. Interestingly, significantly higher expressions of ActR IIA and IIB mRNAs were observed in SNU-16 cells when compared to other cells. After activin treatment, ActR IA, IB, and IIA mRNA levels were decreased whereas ActR IIB mRNA level increased in SNU-16 cells. Smad4 mRNA increased for up to 48 h whereas Smad7 mRNA increased sharply at 24 h and returned to the initial level at 48 h in SNU-16 cells. In addition, expression of the p21^CIP1/WAF1 the mitotic inhibitor, peaked at 72 h after activin treatment in SNU-16 cells. CONCLUSION： Our results suggest that inhibition of cell growth by activin is regulated by the negative feedback effect of Smad7 on the activin signaling pathway, and is mediated through p21^CIP1/WAF1 activation in SNU-16 cells.展开更多
基金This study was approved by the ethical committee of Yixing People’s Hospital(Approval No.2018-036).
文摘BACKGROUND It is essential to develop new biomarker with effective prognostic roles because of the unclear clinical use of the current community-acquired pneumonia(CAP)predictors.AIM To evaluate the association between serum activin A levels and prognosis in CAP patients.METHODS A total of 168 CAP individuals grouped according to the severity and prognosis of illness condition,and 48 healthy individuals as the control group were enrolled in this study.Circulating concentrations of activin A were measured using enzymelinked immunoassays.The interaction between activin A levels and etiologies of CAP was determined.Based on the severity of CAP,110 patients(65.48%)were categorized into group-I,42(25%)cases were grouped into group-II,and 16(9.52%)cases were categorized into group-III.RESULTS Serum activin A levels were higher in patients with CAP than controls,but independent of etiology.Moreover,the scores of Pneumonia Severity Index(PSI)and CURB-65 positively correlated with the increasing levels of serum activin A,and were at their highest peak in individuals in group-III(P<0.001).Combining activin A with CURB-65 or PSI was more effective in improving predictive property(P<0.01).According to Cox proportional regression analysis,after adjusting clinical parameters,we confirmed that activin A showed a powerful predictive property for hospital mortality in CAP patients(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Higher level of serum activin A was associated with poor prognosis of CAP.Activin A can be used as a more valuable biomarker of prognosis in CAP patients.
文摘Among the avian species, understanding the roles of activin happen to be a dominant challenge in genetic evolution due to its complexity in nature. A case study of the activin gene in avian species was carried out using bioinformatics. As a sedentary bird, guinea fowl is more susceptible to local selection processes and needs a proper genetic study for conservation. The present study provides the basis for the use of activin or its target genes for the improvement of impaired wound healing, and activin antagonists for the prevention and treatment of fibrosis and the end of malignant tumors that over-express activin. The information provided will serve as a basic tool for broader genetic diversity studies to identify valuable poultry genetic resources and major genes for the development of breeding programs. This study was done by retrieving hundred (100) nucleotides and amino acid sequences of the activin gene belonging to guinea fowl and other avians from the GeneBank, aligning the sequences using BlastP determined the percent identity and phylogenetic relationship of the activin gene of guinea fowl and other avians. The shortest activin nucleotide sequence (467 bp) was observed in chicken and the longest (39896445 bp) in duck. Using the comparative sequence analysis, it was observed that the activin gene of chickens, turkeys and guinea fowl shared percent identity ranging from 91% to 95%. The percent identity reflects the degree of relatedness of species. Although closely related (90%) in ancestral line, the activin gene of guinea fowl and quail cannot be compared with guinea fowl-turkey (95%) nor guinea fowl-chicken (90%), in both biological functions and evolutionary relationship. Finally, the percent identity and similarity in function of the activin gene of guinea fowl, turkey, and chicken were in the range of 93% - 100%, indicating that the activin gene of avians possesses similar functions, well conserved and is very effective in performing functions like increasing FSH bindings, FSH-induced aromatization, improves wound healing and enhances scar formation, regulates morphogenesis of branching organs, and enhances ovarian folliculogenesis. The study, therefore, recommends farmers select and breed for activin genes in order to promote reproductive efficiency, thereby barricading species extinction.
文摘Regulation of the number of aetivin receptors that are present in the cell membrane plays a key role in the modulation of cellular responses to activin. In order to find the regulators, a novel protein ARIPzip, interacting with activin type II receptors, was searched and identified by using yeast two-hybrid screening. ARIPzip is a splicing variant of ARIP2. This has been discussed previously. ARIPzip can specifically interact with ActR Ⅱ A, and is widely distributed in mouse tissues. Overexpression of ARIPzip can cause the activin-induced transcriptional activities to increase in a dose-dependent manner while the overexpression of ARIV2 can decrease these activities. These data suggest that the C-terminal rezions of ARIP2 and ARIPzip are involved in the regulation of activin signaling.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province, China, No. 201015181Jilin Province Science and Technology Development Projects, No.20120723
文摘In this study, PC12 cells were induced to differentiate into neuron-like cells using nerve growth factor, and were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation. Cells were treated with 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 ng/mL exogenous Activin A. The 3-（4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl）-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and Hoechst 33324 staining showed that the survival percentage of PC12 cells significantly decreased and the rate of apoptosis significantly increased after oxygen-glucose deprivation. Exogenous Activin A significantly increased the survival percentage of PC12 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Reverse transcription-PCR results revealed a significant increase in Activin receptor IIA, Smad3 and Smad4 mRNA levels, which are key sites in the Activin A/Smads signaling pathway, in neuron-like cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation, while mRNA expression of the apoptosis-regulation gene caspase-3 decreased. Our experimental findings indicate that exogenous Activin A plays an anti-apoptotic role and protects neurons by means of activating the Activin A/Smads signaling pathway.
基金Supported by the Research Fund 2003 from the Catholic University of Korea
文摘AIM： To investigate whether activin regulates the cell proliferation of human gastric cancer cell line SNU-16 through the mRNA changes in activin receptors, Smads and p21^CIP1/WAF1. METHODS： The human gastric cancer cell lines were cultured, RNAs were purified, and RT-PCRs were carried out with specifically designed primer for each gene. Among them, the two cell lines SNU-5 and SNU-16 were cultured with activin A for 24, 48 and 72 h. The cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay. For SNU-16, changes in ActRIA, ActRIB, ActRIIA, ActRIIB, Smad2, Smad4, Smad7, and p21^CIP1/WAF1 mRNAs were detected with RT-PCR after the cells were cultured with activin A for 24, 48 and 72 h. RESULTS： The proliferation of SNU-16 cells was down regulated by activin A whereas other cells showed no change. Basal level of inhibin/activin subunits, activin receptors, Smads, and p21^CIP1/WAF1 except for activin βB mRNAs was observed to have differential expression patterns in the human gastric cancer cell lines, AGS, KATO III, SNU-1, SNU-5, SNU-16, SNU-484, SNU-601, SNU-638, SNU-668, and SNU-719. Interestingly, significantly higher expressions of ActR IIA and IIB mRNAs were observed in SNU-16 cells when compared to other cells. After activin treatment, ActR IA, IB, and IIA mRNA levels were decreased whereas ActR IIB mRNA level increased in SNU-16 cells. Smad4 mRNA increased for up to 48 h whereas Smad7 mRNA increased sharply at 24 h and returned to the initial level at 48 h in SNU-16 cells. In addition, expression of the p21^CIP1/WAF1 the mitotic inhibitor, peaked at 72 h after activin treatment in SNU-16 cells. CONCLUSION： Our results suggest that inhibition of cell growth by activin is regulated by the negative feedback effect of Smad7 on the activin signaling pathway, and is mediated through p21^CIP1/WAF1 activation in SNU-16 cells.
