Comprehensive understanding of glioblastoma molecular phenotypes:classification,characteristics,and transition

Among central nervous system-associated malignancies,glioblastoma(GBM)is the most common and has the highest mortality rate.The high heterogeneity of GBM cell types and the complex tumor microenvironment frequently lead to tumor recurrence and sudden relapse in patients treated with temozolomide.In precision medicine,research on GBM treatment is increasingly focusing on molecular subtyping to precisely characterize the cellular and molecular heterogeneity,as well as the refractory nature of GBM toward therapy.Deep understanding of the different molecular expression patterns of GBM subtypes is critical.Researchers have recently proposed tetra fractional or tripartite methods for detecting GBM molecular subtypes.The various molecular subtypes of GBM show significant differences in gene expression patterns and biological behaviors.These subtypes also exhibit high plasticity in their regulatory pathways,oncogene expression,tumor microenvironment alterations,and differential responses to standard therapy.Herein,we summarize the current molecular typing scheme of GBM and the major molecular/genetic characteristics of each subtype.Furthermore,we review the mesenchymal transition mechanisms of GBM under various regulators.

Personalized treatment of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma based on tumor genetic and molecular characteristics

This editorial discusses the article written by Tchilikidi et al that was published in the latest edition of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.Genetic and molecular profiling of perihilar cholangiocarcinoma(pCCA)has identified a number of key abnormalities that drive tumor growth and spread,including pyruvate kinase M2,proline rich 11,and transcription factor 7,etc.pCCA has specific genetic and molecular features that can be used to develop personalized treatment plans.Personalized treatment approaches offer new opportunities for effectively targeting the underlying drivers of tumor growth and progression.The findings based on tumor genetic and molecular characteristics highlight the importance of developing personalized treatment strategies.

Biological characteristics and clinical management of uveal and conjunctival melanoma

Uveal and conjunctival melanomas are relatively rare tumors;nonetheless,they pose a significant risk of mortality for a large number of affected individuals.The pathogenesis of melanoma at different sites is very similar,however,the prognosis for patients with ocular melanoma remains unfavourable,primarily due to its distinctive genetic profile and tumor microenvironment.Regardless of considerable advances in understanding the genetic characteristics and biological behaviour,the treatment of uveal and conjunctival melanoma remains a formidable challenge.To enhance the prospect of success,collaborative efforts involving medical professionals and researchers in thefields of ocular biology and oncology are essential.Current data show a lack of well-designed randomized clinical trials and limited benefits in current forms of treatment for these tumors.Despite advancements in the development of effective melanoma therapeutic strategies,all current treatments for uveal melanoma(UM)and conjunctival melanoma(CoM)remain unsatisfactory,resulting in a poor long-term prognosis.Ongoing trials offer hope for positive outcomes in advanced and metastatic tumors.A more comprehensive understanding of the genetic and molecular abnormalities involved in the development and progression of ocular melanomas opens the way for the development of personalized therapy,with various potential therapeutic targets currently under consideration.Increased comprehension of the molecular pathogenesis of UM and CoM and their specificities may aid in the development of new and more effective systemic therapeutic agents,with the hope of improving the prognosis for patients with metastatic disease.

Novel umami peptides from two Termitomyces mushrooms and molecular docking to the taste receptor T1R1/T1R3

Wild edible Termitomyces mushrooms are popular in Southwest China and umami is important flavor qualities of edible mushrooms.This study aimed to understand the umami taste of Termitomyces intermedius and Termitomyces aff.bulborhizus.Ten umami peptides from aqueous extracts were separated using a Sephadex G-15 gel filtration chromatography.The intense umami fraction was evaluated by both sensory evaluation and electronic tongue.They were identified as KLNDAQAPK,DSTDEKFLR,VGKGAHLSGEH,MLKKKKLA,SLGFGGPPGY,TVATFSSSTKPDD,AMDDDEADLLLLAM,VEDEDEKPKEK,SPEEKKEEET and PEGADKPNK.Seven peptides,except VEDEDEKPKEK,SPEEKKEEET and PEGADKPNK were selectively synthesized to verify their taste characteristics.All these 10 peptides had umami or salt taste.The 10 peptides were conducted by molecular docking to study their interaction with identified peptides and the umami taste receptor T1R1/T1R3.All these 10 peptides perfectly docked the active residues in the T1R3 subunit.Our results provide theoretical basis for the umami taste and address the umami mechanism of two wild edible Termitomyces mushrooms.

Molecular Characteristics of New Wheat Starch and Its Digestion Behaviours

In order to understand the effect of starch molecular characteristics on the gel structure, which subsequently influence the gel digestion behaviours, three wheat starches, control （conventional wheat starch）, two new wheat cultivars with different genetic backgrounds （by knocking out SBE IIb and SBE IIa, respectively） were used in this study. In comparison with control, slight differences in the morphology of the starch granules of new wheat 1 were observed, whereas the starch granules of new wheat 2 had irregular shapes both for A-type granules and B-type granules. Starch molecular weight size was determined by SE-HPLC, and the results indicate that there was a subtle increase in the amylose content in the starch of new wheat 1 compared to that of control. The starch of new wheat 2 had the highest amylose content, and the molecular weight （MW） of its amylopectin was the lowest among the three starches. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） was employed to investigate starch gel structure and the results suggest that the molecules of starch gel from new wheat 2 are more likely to re-associate to form an organized conformation. The digestion behaviours of the three starch gels were measured using a mixture of pancreatin a-amylase and amyloglucosidase. The results indicated that the starch gels of control and new wheat 1 had very high digestibility of 91.7 and 91.9%, respectively, whereas the digestibility of wheat 2 starch gel was only 36.2%. In comparison with the digestion curve pattems of control and new wheat 1 starch gels, the new wheat 2 exhibited a much lower initial velocity. These results indicated that the molecules in the starch of new wheat 2 are more readily to re-associate to form an organized structure during gel formation because of its unique molecular characteristics.

Molecular Characteristics and Phylogenetic Analysis of N Gene of Human Derived Rabies Virus

Objective To investigate the relationship between the molecular characteristics and phylogenetic evolution of rabies N gene.Methods Saliva samples were collected from rabies cases,and RT-PCR was used to amplify the N gene of rabies virus with the specific primers.The amplifying product of RT-PCR was cloned to pUCm-T vector and transformed into E.coli XL1-Blue and then the blue-white selection,PCR screening and gene sequencing were carried out to identify the positive clones.Finally,ExPASy and other bioinformatics softwares were used to analyze and predict the structure and biological characteristics of the N genome.Results The amplification product of RT-PCR was 1 353 bp,the recombinant plasmid pUCm-T/N was constructed,the whole length of the N gene open reading frame was composed of 1 353 nucleotide residues to code 450 amino acids （20 kinds）,the accession number submitted to the Genbank was HM756692,its sequence homology of nucleotides and amino acids compared with the vaccine strain CTN-1-V was 90% and 99% respectively.The evolutionary analysis showed that the isolated strain belonged to genotype I with certain geographic regionality.Conclusion The characteristics investigation and bioinformatics analysis of Hunan0806 N gene will provide fundament data to reveal the significance of the N gene characteristics for rabies epidemiology and its prevention control.

Molecular characteristics and structure–activity relationships of food-derived bioactive peptides

Peptides are functional active fragments of proteins which can provide nutrients needed for human growth and development,and they also have unique physiological activity characteristics relative to proteins.Bioactive peptides contain a great deal of development potential.More specifically,food-derived bioactive peptides have the advantages of a wide variety of sources,unique structures,high efficiency and safety,so they have broad development prospects.This review provides an overview of the current advances regarding the preparation,functional characteristics,and structure–activity relationships of food-derived bioactive peptides.Moreover,the prospects for the future development and application of food-derived bioactive peptides are discussed.This review may provide a better understanding of foodderived bioactive peptides,and some constructive inspirations for further research and applications in the food industry.

Behavior Characteristics of Asphalt Components during the Process of Nano-cracks Temperature Self-healing

In order to investigate the behavior characteristics of asphalt components during the process of nano-cracks temperature self-healing(NTS),molecular simulation technology was used to simulate the temperature self-healing of asphalt.Based on the determination of asphalts(virgin asphalt and aged asphalt),the proportional changes of asphalt components were confirmed.The distribution characteristics of asphalt components were obtained by marking different components in the process of NTS.At the same time,the rationality of the micro simulation findings was confirmed by asphalt performance tests and infrared spectroscopy results.The results show that different asphalt components have different behavior characteristics in the process of NTS.The content of asphaltene and resin plays a key role in the process of NTS,while saturation and aromatics play an active role in the temperature self-healing before and after aging.The NTS is the result of the comprehensive action of different components,and the self-healing efficiency is proportional to the relative molecular mass.The effect of aging on the NTS is also realized by changing the proportion of asphalt components.

An Investigation on the Molecular Characteristics and Intracellular Growth Ability among Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Legionella pneumophila in Sichuan Province, China

Objective To investigate the molecular characteristics and intracellular growth ability of Legionella pneumophila(L. pneumophila) strains from 1989 to 2016 in Sichuan Province, China. Methods Seventy-nine isolates of L. pneumophila were collected from environmental and clinical sources, including cooling towers, hot springs, bath water, fountains, and patients, and identified with 16 S rRNA gene analysis and serum agglutination assay. The isolates were then typed by Sequence-Based Typing(SBT), and Genotyping of forty-two LP1 strains were analyzed by means of multiple-locus VNTR analysis with 8 loci(MLVA-8). All strains were further analyzed for two virulence genes: Legionella vir homologue(lvh) and repeats in structural toxin(rtx A). The intracellular growth ability of 33 selected isolates was determined by examining their interaction with J774 cells. Results All isolates were identified to L. pneumophila including 11 serogroups, among which the main serogroup were LP1, accounting for 54.43%. Thirty-three different sequence types(STs) from five main clonal groups and five singletons were identified, along with 8 different MLVA patterns. Both the lvh and rtx A loci were found in all 79 strains. Thirty isolates showed high intracellular growth ability in J774 cells. Conclusion L. pneumophila is a potential threat to public health, and effective control and prevention strategies are urgently needed.

Swelling characteristics of East-Africa black cotton soil based on computer molecular simulation

Black cotton soil in East Africa is not a stable engineering material for highway and railroad projects. Its strong swelling potential when it absorbs water causes distresses in subgrade of highway and railroad, and thus leads to failures of the projects. This paper presents study on the swelling characteristics of black cotton soil in East Africa. Lab tests were conducted to obtain its basic engineering properties, and the results show that black cotton soil contains high amount of montmorillonite and exchangeable cations and is strong expansive soil. Molecular modelling was exploited to further investigate water absorption ability of montmorillonite. Three different molecular models of montmorillonite were constructed and used for simulations, among which Types I and II montmorillonite represent the expansive soil montmorillonite in China, and Types II and III montmorillonite represent black cotton soil montmorillonite in East Africa. The results showed that the interlayer cations of Type III montmorillonite possessed the strongest water absorption ability based on analysis of radial distribution function(RDF) of cations. Interlayer compensatory cations of Na+ enhance the hydration ability of the other major cations, thus resulting in the strong swelling potential of East-Africa black cotton soil.

Molecular Organic Geochemical Characteristics and Coal Gas Potential Evaluation of Mesozoic Coal Seams in the Western Great Khingan Mountains

Coal-bearing strata are widespread in the western Great Khingan Mountains. Abundant coal resources have been found in the Jurassic Alatanheli Groups, the Cretaceous Bayanhua Groups, the Damoguaihe Formation and the Yimin Formation. The organic geochemical characteristics were analyzed in combination with hydrocarbon source rock evaluation and molecular organic geochemistry experiments, and the coal gas potential of coal seams was evaluated. The source rock evaluation results indicated that the Mesozoic coal samples have the characteristics of high organic matter abundance(TOC>30%), low maturity(Ro values of approximately 0.6%), and type Ⅲ composition. The hydrocarbon generation potentials of the Alatanheli Groups and Bayanhua Groups are high, while the generation potentials of the Damoguaihe Formation and the Yimin Formation are low. The results of geochemistry show that the depositional environment of the coal seam was a lacustrine, oxidizing environment with a low salinity, and the source of the organic matter was mainly higher plants. Affected by weak degradation, the coal seams mainly formed low-maturity gas of thermal catalytic origin. The Cretaceous coal seams contain a large amount of phytoplankton groups deposited in a low-stability environment affected by a transgression event, and the potential range varied widely. For the Jurassic coal seams, the depositional environment was more stable, and the coal seams feature a higher coal-forming gas potential.

Molecular Biomarker Characteristics of the Linxi Formation Source Rocks in the Middle-Western Region of Inner Mongolia:New evidence for late-stage tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

Objective Two important geological issues have long been controversial in the Xing-Meng area of North China. The first concerns the final closure of Paleo-Asian Ocean in Xing-Meng area, and the other concerns the folding and lifting of the Xing-Meng Trough. The focus of thses issues is the Late Permian sedimentary environment, which is generally considered to be either an exclusively continental environment or from the closed inland sea environment in the Early to Middle stage to continental lacustrine environment in the late stage. In recent years, we have successively discovered abundant typical marine fossils （e.g., bryozoans and calcareous algae） in the Upper Permian thick limestone layer from Linxi County and Ar Horqin Banner in eastern region of Inner Mongolia and Jiutain County in Jilin Province. These significant findings have attracted the attention from fellow academics.

Morphological comparison and molecular marker screening of three Skeletonema species found in Changjiang(Yangtze)River Basin

In our recent investigations of diatom diversity,we studied three species,namely,Skeletonema costatum,Skeletonema subsalsum,and Skeletonema potamos.Although they have been found frequently in Changjiang(Yangtze)River Basin,their morphological and molecular identification is difficult in taxonomy.Therefore,to integrate morphological and molecular biological approaches,we compared systematically their morphological characters and performed phylogenetic analysis.Twelve strains of Skeletonema were collected and isolated from Shanghai and Jiangsu,China,and their morphological characteristics were examined by light microscopy(LM)and the scanning electron microscopy(SEM).Based on morphological comparison,we determined that S.potamos is easy to distinguish from the other two species.The heavily silicified areolae,undulated or cleft distal ends of terminal fultoportula processes(TFPPs),absence of basal pores of fultoportula processes(FPPs),the rootlike protrusions of FPPs,and no interlocking connection are the stable characteristics that can be used to identify S.potamos.However,there are only two features that can distinguish S.costatum from S.subsalsum,namely the location of terminal rimoportulae(TRPs)and the distal shape of TFPPs.In addition,we amplified and sequenced nine common genetic markers from the strains,from which 101 sequences were obtained,constructed phylogenetic trees based on the nine genes and evaluated that seven genes can be used to identify S.potamos,and revealed that S.subsalsum is the closest known relative of S.costatum,and only ATP synthetase beta-subunit gene(atp B)is able to distinguish them from each other,which strongly support that it is an effective molecular marker for Skeletonema.This work provided a theoretical basis for the taxonomic study of Skeletonema.

Molecular Characteristics of S1 Gene of Infectious Bronchitis Virus Isolated from Chicken Proventriculus

Infectious bronchitis virus was isolated from swollen proventriculi of clinically ill chicken. The suspected virus samples (2/97, 3/97, 1/98) were adapted in SPF chicken embryos for virus isolation and identification. All the virus isolates were able to agglutinate chicken erythrocytes after treatment with trypsin, and interfer with the reproduction of Newcastle disease virus in chicken embryos, and have low antigenic relat-edness values with reference positive IBV. The isolates 2/97, 3/97, 1/98 RNAs extracted from the allantoic fluid of inoculated embryonated eggs were converted to cDNA by reverse transcription with 3'-primer of S1 gene of (IBV). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with two primers which span the S1 gene. Amplified product of 1. 93 kb was subjected to EcoR I and BamH I digestion and the fragments obtained were the same as expected size. The PCR product was ligated to pBlueScript-SK ( + ) vector, and its nucleotide sequence was determined by the dideoxy-mediated chain termination method. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed 73. 6 - 99. 7% homology between the isolated IBV and the IBV strains in GenBank. The homology of amino acid was 71. 4 - 99.4%.

Current–Voltage Characteristics of the Aziridine-Based Nano-Molecular Wires: a Light-Driven Molecular Switch

Using nonequilibrium Green＇s function formalism combined first-principles density functional theory, we analyze the transport properties of a 4,4-dimethyl-6-（4-nitrophenyl）-2-phenyl-3,5-diaza-bicyclo[3.1.0]hex-2-ene molecular optical switch. The title molecule can convert between closed and open forms by visible or ultraviolet irradiation. The I-V characteristics, differential conductance, on-off ratio, electronic transmission coefficients, spatial distribution of molecular projected self-consistent Hamiltonian orbitals, HOMO-LUMO gaps, effect of electrode materials Y（111）（Y =Au, Ag and Pt） on electronic transport and different molecular geometries corresponding to the closed and open forms through the molecular device are discussed in detail. Based on the results, as soon as possible the open form translates to the closed form, and there is a switch from the ON state to the OFF state（low resistance switches to high resistance）. Theoretical results show that the donor/acceptor substituent plays an important role in the electronic transport of molecular devices. The switching performance can be improved to some extent through suitable donor and acceptor substituents.

Characteristics of In_(0.52)Al_(0.48)As Grown on InP(100) Substrates by Molecular Beam Epitaxy: Growth Optimisation and Effects of Si Doping

Growth of In0.52Al0.48As epilayers on InP (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy at a wide range of substrate tempreatures (470~550℃) and at different Si doping levels has been carried out. Low temperature photoluminescence (PL) and double-axis X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses shaw a strong dependence of the PL and XRD linewidths, XRD intensity ratio (Lepi/Isub), and lattice-mismatch on the substrate temperature. The X-ray diffraction peaks of samples grown at law temperatures show a composition of smaller peaks, indicating the presence of disorder due to alloy clustering. Raman scattering measurements of the same samples show an additional higher energy mode at 273 cm-1 in addition to the InAs-like and AlAs-like longitudinal-optic (LO) phonon modes. Samples doped with Si show an inverted S-shaped dependence of the PL peak energy variation with the temperature which weakens at high doping levels due to a possible reduction in the donor binding energy. Supported be observations of a reduction in both the AlAs-like and InAs-like LO phonon frequencies and a broadening of the LO phonon line shape as the doping level is increased, the PL intensity also shows in increasing degrees at higher doping levels, a temperature dependence which is characteristic of disordered and amorphous materials.

Analytical characteristics of a qPCR-based molecular diagnostic assay-conceptual considerations for laboratory personnel

Dear Editor：Quantitative real-time PCR has revolutionized molecular diagnostics with its ease of use,increased sensitivity and specificity and low turnaround time.PCR/quantitative PCR（qPCR）-based assays offer a distinct advantage over other serological/conventional diagnostic approaches.The ability to diagnose infectious diseases has benefited from the availability of US FDA approved and Conformite Europeenne（CE）-marked qPCR-based in-vitro diagnostic kits from international companies.The high-quality kits are calibrated with the World Health Organization（WHO）reference standards and the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control（NIBSC）standards.

Identification and Biological Characteristics of Blank Spot Pathogen from Lilium lancifolium

With the increasing planting area of Lilium lancifolium, the leaf fungal dis-ease of L. lancifolium is becoming more and more serious. In June and July of 2014, the excessive rainfal leads to the serious outbreak of leaf disease of L. lanci-folium. In mid-June, the wilting rate of L. lancifolium in seriously-infected field was even up to 50%-70%. In some fields, the shoots of L. lancifolium even al wilted. The pathogen was isolated from the infected leaves of L. lancifolium. Its pathogenici-ty, spore morphology, 18S rDNA sequence and biological characteristics were stud-ied. The results showed the isolated pathogen was Alternaria alternate. The lethal temperature of mycelial growth was 55 ℃. The optimum pH was 6-7. Among the tested carbon sources and nitrogen sources, the optimum carbon source was mal-tose, and the optimum nitrogen source was yeast extract.

Transverse relaxation characteristic and stress relaxation model considering molecular chains of HTPB coating based on pre-strained thermal aging

In order to accurately describe the transverse relaxation characteristic and stress relaxation modulus of HTPB coating during pre-strain thermal aging process,a one month thermal aging test was carried out at70C with pre-strain of 0%,3%,6%and 9%,respectively.The low-field1 H NMR and stress relaxation modulus tests were carried out for HTPB coating at different aging stages.The stress relaxation model considering the molecular chains was proposed according to the changes of crosslinking chain and dangling chain of HTPB coating during pre-strain aging.The results showed that with the increase of aging time,the decay rate of transverse relaxation curve became faster,the transverse relaxation time decreased,the value of combined parameter q Mrl increased,the proportion of crosslinking chain decreased,while the proportion of dangling chain increased.Moreover,the stress relaxation modulus increased,the crosslinking network structure of HTPB coating became denser and the degree of crosslinking increased.At the initial aging stage,the pre-strain will destroy the crosslinking network structure of HTPB coating to a certain extent.With the increase of aging time,the effect of pre-strain will gradually weaken and the influence of aging on materials will gradually increase.The correlations between the stress relaxation model considering the molecular chains and the test results were more than 0.9950,which can accurately describe the stress relaxation modulus of HTPB coating during the pre-strain thermal aging process.

Molecular genetics of early-onset colorectal cancer

Early-onset colorectal cancer(EOCRC)has been rising in global prevalence and incidence over the past several decades.Environmental influences,including generational lifestyle changes and rising obesity,contribute to these increased rates.While the rise in EOCRC is best documented in western countries,it is seen throughout the world,although EOCRC may have distinct genetic mutations in patients of different ethnic backgrounds.Pathological and molecular characterizations show that EOCRC has a distinct presentation compared with later-onset colorectal cancer(LOCRC).Recent studies have identified DNA,RNA,and protein-level alterations unique to EOCRC,revealing much-needed biomarkers and potential novel therapeutic targets.Many molecular EOCRC studies have been performed with Caucasian and Asian EOCRC cohorts,however,studies of other ethnic backgrounds are limited.In addition,certain molecular characterizations that have been conducted for LOCRC have not yet been repeated in EOCRC,including high-throughput analyses of histone modifications,mRNA splicing,and proteomics on large cohorts.We propose that the complex relationship between cancer and aging should be considered when studying the molecular underpinnings of EOCRC.In this review,we summarize current EOCRC literature,focusing on sporadic molecular alterations in tumors,and their clinical implications.We conclude by discussing current challenges and future directions of EOCRC research efforts.