Neoproteroic Magmatism Related to Lithospheric Delamination: Implications from Three Episodes of Mafic Dykes and Associated Granitoids in the Pengguan Complex, Western Sichuan Province, Yangtze Block

The research on dyke swarms is very important,for it can not only shed light on within-plate geological processes of some regions but also contribute to our understanding on evolution of a specific orogenic belt.The Yangtze Block,

Tuberous sclerosis complex associated renal clear cell carcinoma(a case report and literature review)

Objective To explore the diagnosis and treatment features of tuberous sclerosis complex associated renal cell carcinoma. Methods A 22-year-old boy with a childhood history of epilepsy and mental retardation pres-

Forest plant and macrofungal differences in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains in Northeast China:A regional-historical comparison and its implications

Forests in Northeast China in the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains(GKM and LKM)account for nearly 1/3 of the total state-owned forests in the country.Regional and historical comparisons of forest plants and macrofungi will favor biological conservation,forest management and economic development.A total of 1067 sampling plots were surveyed on forest composition and structure,with a macrofungi survey at Liangshui and Huzhong Nature Reserves in the center of two regions.Regional and historical differences of these parameters were analyzed with a redundancy ordination of their complex associations.There were 61-76 families,189-196 genera,and 369-384 species,which was only 1/3 of the historical records.The same dominant species were larch and birch with Korean pine(a climax species)less as expected from past surveys in the LKM.Shrub and herb species were different in the two regions,as expected from historical records.There was 10-50%lower species diversity(except for herb evenness),but 1.8-to 4-time higher macrofungi diversity in the GKM.Compared with the LKM,both tree heights and macrofungi density were higher.Nevertheless,current heights averaging 10 m are half of historical records(>20 m in the 1960s).Edible macrofungi were the highest proportion in both regions,about twice that of other fungal groups,hav-ing important roles in the local economy.A major factor explaining plant diversity variations in both regions was herb cover,followed by shrubs in the GKM and herb-dominant species in the LKM.Factors responsible for macrofungi variations were tree density and shrub height.Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Larix gmelinii in the GKM but tree size and diversity were important factors in the LKM.Our findings highlighted large spatial and historical differences between the GKM and LKM in plant-macrofungal composition,forest structure,and their complex associations,which will favor precise conservation and management of forest resources in two region in the future.

MCM3AP,a Novel HBV Integration Site in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Its Implication in Hepatocarcinogenesis

A novel HBV integration site involved in hepatocarcinogenesis was investigated. The HBV DNA integration sites were detected by Alu-PCR in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, matched surrounding liver tissues in 30 patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 3 cases of normal liver tissues. The integration sites and flanking sequences in human genome were sequenced and blasted, and the expression of integrated HBV genes was determined by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The influence of the up-regulated expression of integrated genes on hepatocarcinogenesis was analyzed. Nineteen integration sites of HBV DNA into HCC tissues were obtained by RT-PCR and sequencing. These genes encoding proteins were: LOC51030, LOC157777, minichromosome maintenance complex component 3 associated protein (MCM3AP), MCTP1, SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 2 isoform 2, CCDC40, similar to HCG2033532, mitochondrial ribosomal S5 pseudogene 4. One of them was integrated into the intron of MCM3AP. RT-PCR demonstrated that the expression levels of MCM3AP mRNA in HCC tissues, matched surrounding liver tissues and normal liver tissues were in a descendent order. The ratio of MCM3AP mRNA to the GAPDH mRNA in these three tissues was 1.07375, 0.21573, 0.06747 respectively, with the difference being statistically significant among them (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the expression levels of MCM3AP mRNA from HCC tissues in which HBV DNA integrated into MCM3AP were still significantly higher than those without HBV DNA integrated into MCM3AP. It was concluded that the HBV DNA integration sites into human genome were random, and MCM3AP was a new site. The up-regulated MCM3AP mRNA may affect flanking sequences which promote the hepatocarcinogenesis.