The biological functions and metabolic pathways of valine in swine

Valine is an essential amino acid and a type of branched-chain amino acid. Due to the involvement of branchedchain amino acids in various metabolic pathways, there has been a surge of interests in valine nutrition and its role in animal physiology. In pigs, the interactions between valine and other branched-chain amino acids or aromatic amino acids are complex. In this review, we delve into the interaction mechanism, metabolic pathways, and biological functions of valine. Appropriate valine supplementation not only enhances growth and reproductive performances, but also modulates gut microbiota and immune functions. Based on past observations and interpretations, we provide recommended feed levels of valine for weaned piglets, growing pigs, gilts, lactating sows, barrows and entire males. The summarized valine nutrient requirements for pigs at different stages offer valuable insights for future research and practical applications in animal husbandry.

MiR-19a-3p regulates the Forkhead box F2-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and affects the biological functions of colorectal cancer cells

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is one of the most common malignancies worldwide.AIM To explore the expression of microRNA miR-19a-3p and Forkhead box F2(FOXF2)in patients with CRC and the relevant mechanisms.METHODS Sixty-two CRC patients admitted to the hospital were enrolled into the study group,and sixty healthy people from the same period were assigned to the control group.Elbow venous blood was sampled from the patients and healthy individuals,and blood serum was saved for later analysis.MiR-19a-3p mimics,miR-19a-3p inhibitor,miR-negative control,small interfering-FOXF2,and short hairpin-FOXF2 were transfected into HT29 and HCT116 cells.Then quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed to quantify the expression of miR-19a-3p and FOXF2 in HT29 and HCT116 cells,and western blot(WB)analysis was conducted to evaluate the levels of FOXF2,glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta(GSK-3β),phosphorylated GSK-3β(p-GSK-3β),β-catenin,p-β-catenin,α-catenin,Ncadherin,E-cadherin,and vimentin.The MTT,Transwell,and wound healing assays were applied to analyze cell proliferation,invasion,and migration,respectively,and the dual luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the correlation of miR-19a-3p with FOXF2.RESULTS The patients showed high serum levels of miR-19a-3p and low levels of FOXF2,and the area under the curves of miR-19a-3p and FOXF2 were larger than 0.8.MiR-19a-3p and FOXF2 were related to sex,tumor size,age,tumor-nodemetastasis staging,lymph node metastasis,and differentiation of CRC patients.Silencing of miR-19a-3p and overexpression of FOXF2 suppressed the epithelialmesenchymal transition,invasion,migration,and proliferation of cells.WB analysis revealed that silencing of miR-19a-3p and FOXF2 overexpression significantly suppressed the expression of p-GSK-3β,β-catenin,N-cadherin,and vimentin;and increased the levels of GSK-3β,p-β-catenin,α-catenin,and Ecadherin.The dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that there was a targeted correlation of miR-19a-3p with FOXF2.In addition,a rescue experiment revealed that there were no differences in cell proliferation,invasion,and migration in HT29 and HCT116 cells co-transfected with miR-19a-3p-mimics+sh-FOXF2 and miR-19a-3p-inhibitor+si-FOXF2 compared to the miR-negative control group.CONCLUSION Inhibiting miR-19a-3p expression can upregulate the FOXF2-mediated Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway,thereby affecting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition,proliferation,invasion,and migration of cells.Thus,miR-19a-3p is likely to be a therapeutic target in CRC.

A comprehensive review on the chemical constituents,sesquiterpenoid biosynthesis and biological activities of Sarcandra glabra

Sarcandra glabra(Thunb.)Nakai is a perennial evergreen herb categorised within the Sarcandra Gardner genus under the Chloranthaceae family.Indigenous to tropical and subtropical regions of East Asia and India,this species is extensively distributed across China,particularly in the southern regions(Sichuan,Yunnan,and Jiangxi).In addition to its high ornamental value,S.glabra has a rich history of use in traditional Chinese medicine,evident through its empirical prescriptions for various ailments like pneumonia,dysentery,fractures,bruises,numbness,amenorrhea,rheumatism,and other diseases.Besides,modern pharmacological studies have revealed various biological activities,such as antitumour,anti-bacterial,anti-viral anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.The diverse chemical constituents of S.glabra have fascinated natural product researchers since the 1900s.To date,over 400 compounds including terpenoids,coumarins,lignans,flavonoids,sterols,anthraquinones,organic acids,and organic esters have been isolated and characterised,some featuring unprecedented structures.This review comprehensively examines the current understanding of S.glabra’s phytochemistry and pharmacology,with emphasis on the chemistry and biosynthesis of its unique chemotaxonomic marker,the lindenane-type sesquiterpenoids.

类胡萝卜素的生物合成途径及生物学功能研究进展

类胡萝卜素具有重要的生物学功能 ,一直是研究的热点。综述近十年来对植物类胡萝卜素的生物合成途径 ,并对其生物学功能参与光系统的组装、非光化学猝灭、基因表达、抗氧化性和维持膜的稳定性等五个方面的研究进展作一介绍。

植物次生代谢物的结构、生物合成及其功能分析——生物碱

生物碱(Alkaloid)是一类具有特异生理活性的天然产物,是许多药用植物的有效成分之一.随着科学的发展,人们对生物碱药用价值的认识、研究与应用在不断的提高.植物生物碱的生物合成途径、提取、分离与鉴别及其生物学功能随之成为当前国际上研究的焦点问题之一.重点论述了植物生物碱的生物合成途径(色氨酸、酪氨酸、苯丙氨酸、赖氨酸、精氨酸)与其生物学功能之间的关系,从而加深人们对生物碱的认识,对其开发利用提供一定理论依据.

三烯生育酚研究进展

三烯生育酚和生育酚统称为维生素E,是重要的脂溶性维生素。维生素E只能在植物或者光合细菌中合成,是人类和动物必需且只能通过食物等摄取的重要维生素。一直以来,由于三烯生育酚与生育酚相比,生物活性较低且分布范围较小,人们对其研究相对较少。近些年的研究发现,由于三烯生育酚和生育酚的结构相似,因此三烯生育酚具有与生育酚相同的抗氧化等功能;但又由于三烯生育酚含有不饱和的植基侧链,使得三烯生育酚还具有一些不同于生育酚的功能,比如保护神经免受损伤、降低胆固醇、保护脑细胞免受损伤等。因此,三烯生育酚逐渐成为了研究热点。根据维生素E的生物合成途径,人们也开始了对三烯生育酚的生物强化研究,其合成途径中第一个关键酶基因HGGT的过表达是目前三烯生育酚含量提高的最有效途径;将来还需结合其合成调控的分子机制及其吸收利用问题,开发针对三烯生育酚的功能型产品。从三烯生育酚的合成途径、生物学功能、生物强化等方面进行了综述,并对今后的研究重点提出了展望。

Long non-coding RNA HULC as a diagnostic and prognostic marker of pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND Long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)is abnormally expressed in various malignant tumors.In recent years,it has been found that IncRNA HULC is increasingly expressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and is involved in the development and progression of pancreatic cancer.However,the clinical value of serum HULC in pancreatic cancer remains unclear,and there are few studies on how HULC regulates the biological function of pancreatic cancer cells.AIM To determine the value of lncRNA HULC in the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer,and its possible biological potential.METHODS Sixty patients with pancreatic cancer and sixty patients with benign pancreatic diseases admitted to Xiangya Hospital,Central South University were assigned to the pancreatic cancer group and the benign disease group,respectively,and another 60 healthy subjects were enrolled as the normal group during the same period.HULC-siRNA and NC-siRNA were transfected into pancreatic cancer cells.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to determine the expression of HULC in tissues,serum,and cells.Western Blot was carried out to determine the expression ofβ-catenin,c-myc,and cyclin D1 in cells,and the cell counting kit-8,flow cytometry,and Transwell assay were conducted to determine the proliferation,apoptosis and invasion of cells.RESULTS Highly expressed in the tissues and serum of pancreatic cancer patients,HULC showed good clinical value in distinguishing between patients with pancreatic cancer,patients with benign pancreatic diseases and healthy subjects.HULC was related to pathological parameters including tumor size,T staging,M staging and vascular invasion,and the area-under-the-curve for evaluating these four expression of HULC had a significantly higher 3-year overall survival(OS)and 5-year OS than those with high expression.T staging,M staging,vascular invasion,and HULC were independent prognostic factors affecting the 3-year OS of patients with pancreatic cancer.Inhibition of HULC expression prevented the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells,promoted apoptosis,and inhibited the expression of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-related proteins,β-catenin,c-myc,and cyclin D1.The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway agonist(LiCl)restored proliferation,apoptosis,and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells with inhibited expression of HULC.CONCLUSION HULC is an effective marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of pancreatic cancer,which may affect the biological function of pancreatic cancer cells through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

香豆素的结构生物合成及其功能分析

论述了植物香豆素类化合物的部分生物合成途径,特别是部分香豆素合成中所需的关键酶和香豆素类化合物的提取分离方法、生物学功能,以期为香豆素类化合物的开发与利用提供一定理论依据。

Attractive natural products with strained cyclopropane and/or cyclobutane ring systems

The strained cyclopropane and/or cyclobutane subunits occurred in many complex natural products including terpenoids, steroids and alkaloids. Natural products with cyclopropane and/or cyclobutane motifs not only furnished fascinating structures, but also exhibited versatile biological activities, such as cytotoxic, anti-HIM antimicrobial, antiviral, and immunosuppressive effects. This review covered a large array of structurally unique natural products with strained cyclopropane and/or cyclobutane motifs and summarized their structural features, distributions, biological activities, as well as biogenetic considerations.

The transcriptome of circulating cells indicates potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in the course of hypertension-related myocardial infarction

Hypertension(HT)is the most common public-health challenge andshows a high inci-dence around the world.Cardiovascular diseases are the leadingcause of mortality and morbidity among the elderly(age>65 years)in the UnitedStates.Now,there is widespread acceptanceof the causal link between HT and acute myocardial infarction(MI).This is the first data-mining study to identify co-expressed differentially expressed genes(Co-DEGs)between HT and MI(rela-tive to nommal control)and to uncover potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets of HT-related MI.In thismanuscript,HT-specfcDEGs andMl-specific DEGs and dffretially expressed microRNAs(DE-miRNAs)were identifhed in Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)datasets GSE24752,GSE60993,GSE62646,and GSE24548 after data consolidation and batch correction.Subse-quently,enichmentin Gene Ontology(GO)terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathways as well as protein-protein interaction networks were identified,and single-gene gene set enrichment analysis was performed to determine the affected biological cate-gories and networks.Cross-matching of the results on cCo-DE-miRNAs and predicted miRNAs tar-geting the Co-DEGs wasconducted and discussed as well.We found thatMYC and HIST1H2BO may be associatedwith HT,whereas FCGR 1A,FYN,KLRD1,KLRB1,and FOLR3 may be implicated in MI.Moreover,Co-DEGs FOLR3 and NFE2 with predicted miRNAs and DE-miRNAs,especially miR-7 and miR-548,may be significantly associated and show huge potential as a new set of novel bio-markers and important molecular targets in the course of HT-related MI.

套索肽研究进展

套索肽(Lassopeptide)是一类由核糖体合成并经过翻译后修饰的天然肽类产物(RiPPs),其C端穿过N端内酰胺环形成套索结构,这种刚性和折叠结构赋予了套索肽抗化学、热及蛋白酶水解等的强稳定性,同时这种特性也使得套索肽可作为生物活性化合物的分子支架。研究表明套索肽具有受体拮抗、酶抑制及抗菌活性等一系列生物活性。目前通过异源表达获取套索肽生物合成相关蛋白进行体外反应实验,已帮助阐明了一小部分套索肽生物合成机制,但由于参与套索肽进行环化的C一直难于表达纯化,阻碍了对套索肽生物合成过程中最关键的成环机制的深入了解及阐明,仍需科研人员的进一步研究。