Objective The cellular apoptosis susceptibility(CAS) protein plays a regulatory role in the induction of cell death in tumor cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of the expression of C...Objective The cellular apoptosis susceptibility(CAS) protein plays a regulatory role in the induction of cell death in tumor cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of the expression of CAS protein with HBV infection in the development of HCC. Methods The expression level of CAS was measured with immunohistochemistry. The occurrence of HBs Ag, HBe Ag and HBV DNA in HCC were concurrently examined with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. Results The results showed that the CAS protein was detected in 86%(43/50), 70%(7/10), 15%(3/20) and none(0/20) of livers from patients with HCC, cholangiocarcinoma, cirrhosis and hepatitis, respectively. Furthermore, the level of CAS protein was higher in poorly differentiated tumors than moderately or well differentiated HCC. Interestingly, the CAS was stained significantly stronger in HBV-infected HCC than in non-HBV infected tissues(P < 0.01). Conclusions The expression of CAS is facilitated by HBV infection in HCC, suggesting that CAS might be a prognostic marker and a putative therapeutic target for HCC.展开更多
Objective To investigate the protein expression profiles of the major food‐borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168.Methods Membrane and soluble cellular proteins were extracted from the genome‐sequenced C.jeju...Objective To investigate the protein expression profiles of the major food‐borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168.Methods Membrane and soluble cellular proteins were extracted from the genome‐sequenced C.jejuni strain NCTC11168.Protein expression profiles were determined using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis（2‐DE）.All the detected spots on the 2‐DE map were subjected to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry（MALDI‐TOF/TOF） analysis.Results A total of 537 and 333 spots were detected from the whole cell and membrane‐associated proteins of C.jejuni NCTC11168 cultured on Columbia agar medium at 42 ℃ by 2‐DE and Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining,respectively.Analyses of whole cell and membrane‐associated proteins included 399 and 133 spots,respectively,which included 182 and 53 functional proteins identified by MALDI‐TOF/TOF analysis.Conclusion The comprehensive expression protein profiles of C.jeuni NCTC11168 obtained in this study will be useful for elucidating the roles of these proteins in further pathogenesis investigation.展开更多
Formaldehyde fixation is the main method for crosslinking cellular proteins prior to their usage in immunocytochemistry. In order to create these links, formaldehyde undergoes a Mannich reaction in which the formaldeh...Formaldehyde fixation is the main method for crosslinking cellular proteins prior to their usage in immunocytochemistry. In order to create these links, formaldehyde undergoes a Mannich reaction in which the formaldehyde forms a methylene bridge between the aminogroup of two amino acids. Crosslinking increases protein stability allowing for more accurate preservation of in vivo conformations which in turn increases binding affinity of fluorochrome conjugated antibodies for fluorescent imaging. Formaldehyde is also a known carcinogen as classified by the National Cancer Institute. Malonic acid, a green, plant-based, water-soluble, and relatively inexpensive polycarboxylic acid has been shown to undergo crosslinking of proteins through an unknown mechanism. To test whether malonic acid can crosslink proteins within cells we fixed SH-5YSY cells with either malonic acid or formaldehyde and then stained with a fluorochrome conjugated antibody for the cytoskeletal protein α-tubulin. The cells were then imaged 72 hours after fixation. We observed a non-significant difference in the fluorescence of immunostained SH-5YSY cells fixed with malonic acid as compared to paraformaldehyde (p-value = 0.2469, ANOVA). In addition, we have created a theoretical mechanism showing malonic acid forming a propyl bridge for crosslinking proteins in a similar mechanism to that of formaldehyde. Here, we show that malonic acid is able to fix cells and retain fluorescence just as well as paraformaldehyde up to 72 hours after fixation and present several possible mechanisms for this chemical process.展开更多
The current geometric and thermodynamic approaches in protein folding studies do not provide a definite solution to understanding mechanisms of folding of biological proteins. A major problem is that the protein is fi...The current geometric and thermodynamic approaches in protein folding studies do not provide a definite solution to understanding mechanisms of folding of biological proteins. A major problem is that the protein is first synthesized as a linear molecule that subsequently must reach its native configuration in an extremely short time. Hydrophobicity-hydrophilicity models and random search mechanism cannot explain folding to the 3-D functional form in less than 1 second, as it occurs in the intact cell. We propose an integral approach, based on the embedding of proteins in the whole cellular context under the postulate: a life protein is never alone. In this concept the protein molecule is influenced by various long and short distance force fields of nature such as coherent electromagnetic waves and zero-point energy. In particular, the role of solitons is reviewed in relation to a novel GM-scale biophysical principle, revealed by us. This recent finding of a set of discrete EM frequency bands, that either promote or endanger life conditions, could be a key in further studies directed at the morphogenetic aspects of protein folding in a biological evolutionary context. In addition, an alternative hypothesis is presented in which each individual cell may store integral 3-D information holographically at the virtual border of a 4-D hypersphere that surrounds each living cell, providing a field receptive memory structure that is instrumental in guiding the folding process towards coherently oscillating protein networks that are crucial for cell survival.展开更多
BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to identify hub genes and biological pathways involved in lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)via bioinformatics analysis,and investigate potential therapeutic targets.AIM To determin...BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to identify hub genes and biological pathways involved in lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)via bioinformatics analysis,and investigate potential therapeutic targets.AIM To determine reliable prognostic biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of LUAD.METHODS To identify potential therapeutic targets for LUAD,two microarray datasets derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database were analyzed,GSE3116959 and GSE118370.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in LUAD and normal tissues were identified using the GEO2R tool.The Hiplot database was then used to generate a volcanic map of the DEGs.Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was conducted to cluster the genes in GSE116959 and GSE-118370 into different modules,and identify immune genes shared between them.A protein-protein interaction network was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database,then the CytoNCA and CytoHubba components of Cytoscape software were used to visualize the genes.Hub genes with high scores and co-expression were identified,and the Database for Annotation,Visualization and Integrated Discovery was used to perform enrichment analysis of these genes.The diagnostic and prognostic values of the hub genes were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis,and gene-set enrichment analysis was conducted.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer data analysis portal was used to analyze relationships between the hub genes and normal specimens,as well as their expression during tumor progression.Lastly,validation of protein expression was conducted on the identified hub genes via the Human Protein Atlas database.RESULTS Three hub genes with high connectivity were identified;cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2(CRABP2),matrix metallopeptidase 12(MMP12),and DNA topoisomerase II alpha(TOP2A).High expression of these genes was associated with a poor LUAD prognosis,and the genes exhibited high diagnostic value.CONCLUSION Expression levels of CRABP2,MMP12,and TOP2A in LUAD were higher than those in normal lung tissue.This observation has diagnostic value,and is linked to poor LUAD prognosis.These genes may be biomarkers and therapeutic targets in LUAD,but further research is warranted to investigate their usefulness in these respects.展开更多
文摘Objective The cellular apoptosis susceptibility(CAS) protein plays a regulatory role in the induction of cell death in tumor cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the association of the expression of CAS protein with HBV infection in the development of HCC. Methods The expression level of CAS was measured with immunohistochemistry. The occurrence of HBs Ag, HBe Ag and HBV DNA in HCC were concurrently examined with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, respectively. Results The results showed that the CAS protein was detected in 86%(43/50), 70%(7/10), 15%(3/20) and none(0/20) of livers from patients with HCC, cholangiocarcinoma, cirrhosis and hepatitis, respectively. Furthermore, the level of CAS protein was higher in poorly differentiated tumors than moderately or well differentiated HCC. Interestingly, the CAS was stained significantly stronger in HBV-infected HCC than in non-HBV infected tissues(P < 0.01). Conclusions The expression of CAS is facilitated by HBV infection in HCC, suggesting that CAS might be a prognostic marker and a putative therapeutic target for HCC.
基金supported by The General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China(81071314)
文摘Objective To investigate the protein expression profiles of the major food‐borne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni NCTC11168.Methods Membrane and soluble cellular proteins were extracted from the genome‐sequenced C.jejuni strain NCTC11168.Protein expression profiles were determined using two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis（2‐DE）.All the detected spots on the 2‐DE map were subjected to matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry（MALDI‐TOF/TOF） analysis.Results A total of 537 and 333 spots were detected from the whole cell and membrane‐associated proteins of C.jejuni NCTC11168 cultured on Columbia agar medium at 42 ℃ by 2‐DE and Coomassie Brilliant Blue staining,respectively.Analyses of whole cell and membrane‐associated proteins included 399 and 133 spots,respectively,which included 182 and 53 functional proteins identified by MALDI‐TOF/TOF analysis.Conclusion The comprehensive expression protein profiles of C.jeuni NCTC11168 obtained in this study will be useful for elucidating the roles of these proteins in further pathogenesis investigation.
文摘Formaldehyde fixation is the main method for crosslinking cellular proteins prior to their usage in immunocytochemistry. In order to create these links, formaldehyde undergoes a Mannich reaction in which the formaldehyde forms a methylene bridge between the aminogroup of two amino acids. Crosslinking increases protein stability allowing for more accurate preservation of in vivo conformations which in turn increases binding affinity of fluorochrome conjugated antibodies for fluorescent imaging. Formaldehyde is also a known carcinogen as classified by the National Cancer Institute. Malonic acid, a green, plant-based, water-soluble, and relatively inexpensive polycarboxylic acid has been shown to undergo crosslinking of proteins through an unknown mechanism. To test whether malonic acid can crosslink proteins within cells we fixed SH-5YSY cells with either malonic acid or formaldehyde and then stained with a fluorochrome conjugated antibody for the cytoskeletal protein α-tubulin. The cells were then imaged 72 hours after fixation. We observed a non-significant difference in the fluorescence of immunostained SH-5YSY cells fixed with malonic acid as compared to paraformaldehyde (p-value = 0.2469, ANOVA). In addition, we have created a theoretical mechanism showing malonic acid forming a propyl bridge for crosslinking proteins in a similar mechanism to that of formaldehyde. Here, we show that malonic acid is able to fix cells and retain fluorescence just as well as paraformaldehyde up to 72 hours after fixation and present several possible mechanisms for this chemical process.
文摘The current geometric and thermodynamic approaches in protein folding studies do not provide a definite solution to understanding mechanisms of folding of biological proteins. A major problem is that the protein is first synthesized as a linear molecule that subsequently must reach its native configuration in an extremely short time. Hydrophobicity-hydrophilicity models and random search mechanism cannot explain folding to the 3-D functional form in less than 1 second, as it occurs in the intact cell. We propose an integral approach, based on the embedding of proteins in the whole cellular context under the postulate: a life protein is never alone. In this concept the protein molecule is influenced by various long and short distance force fields of nature such as coherent electromagnetic waves and zero-point energy. In particular, the role of solitons is reviewed in relation to a novel GM-scale biophysical principle, revealed by us. This recent finding of a set of discrete EM frequency bands, that either promote or endanger life conditions, could be a key in further studies directed at the morphogenetic aspects of protein folding in a biological evolutionary context. In addition, an alternative hypothesis is presented in which each individual cell may store integral 3-D information holographically at the virtual border of a 4-D hypersphere that surrounds each living cell, providing a field receptive memory structure that is instrumental in guiding the folding process towards coherently oscillating protein networks that are crucial for cell survival.
文摘BACKGROUND The objectives of this study were to identify hub genes and biological pathways involved in lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)via bioinformatics analysis,and investigate potential therapeutic targets.AIM To determine reliable prognostic biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of LUAD.METHODS To identify potential therapeutic targets for LUAD,two microarray datasets derived from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database were analyzed,GSE3116959 and GSE118370.Differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in LUAD and normal tissues were identified using the GEO2R tool.The Hiplot database was then used to generate a volcanic map of the DEGs.Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was conducted to cluster the genes in GSE116959 and GSE-118370 into different modules,and identify immune genes shared between them.A protein-protein interaction network was established using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database,then the CytoNCA and CytoHubba components of Cytoscape software were used to visualize the genes.Hub genes with high scores and co-expression were identified,and the Database for Annotation,Visualization and Integrated Discovery was used to perform enrichment analysis of these genes.The diagnostic and prognostic values of the hub genes were calculated using receiver operating characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis,and gene-set enrichment analysis was conducted.The University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer data analysis portal was used to analyze relationships between the hub genes and normal specimens,as well as their expression during tumor progression.Lastly,validation of protein expression was conducted on the identified hub genes via the Human Protein Atlas database.RESULTS Three hub genes with high connectivity were identified;cellular retinoic acid binding protein 2(CRABP2),matrix metallopeptidase 12(MMP12),and DNA topoisomerase II alpha(TOP2A).High expression of these genes was associated with a poor LUAD prognosis,and the genes exhibited high diagnostic value.CONCLUSION Expression levels of CRABP2,MMP12,and TOP2A in LUAD were higher than those in normal lung tissue.This observation has diagnostic value,and is linked to poor LUAD prognosis.These genes may be biomarkers and therapeutic targets in LUAD,but further research is warranted to investigate their usefulness in these respects.
