Telomerase-related advances in hepatocellular carcinoma:A bibliometric and visual analysis

BACKGROUND As a critical early event in hepatocellular carcinogenesis,telomerase activation might be a promising and critical biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients,and its function in the genesis and treatment of HCC has gained much attention over the past two decades.AIM To perform a bibliometric analysis to systematically assess the current state of research on HCC-related telomerase.METHODS The Web of Science Core Collection and PubMed were systematically searched to retrieve publications pertaining to HCC/telomerase limited to“articles”and“reviews”published in English.A total of 873 relevant publications related to HCC and telomerase were identified.We employed the Bibliometrix package in R to extract and analyze the fundamental information of the publications,such as the trends in the publications,citation counts,most prolific or influential writers,and most popular journals;to screen for keywords occurring at high frequency;and to draw collaboration and cluster analysis charts on the basis of coauthorship and co-occurrences.VOSviewer was utilized to compile and visualize the bibliometric data.RESULTS A surge of 51 publications on HCC/telomerase research occurred in 2016,the most productive year from 1996 to 2023,accompanied by the peak citation count recorded in 2016.Up to December 2023,35226 citations were made to all publications,an average of 46.6 citations to each paper.The United States received the most citations(n=13531),followed by China(n=7427)and Japan(n=5754).In terms of national cooperation,China presented the highest centrality,its strongest bonds being to the United States and Japan.Among the 20 academic institutions with the most publications,ten came from China and the rest of Asia,though the University of Paris Cité,Public Assistance-Hospitals of Paris,and the National Institute of Health and Medical Research(INSERM)were the most prolific.As for individual contributions,Hisatomi H,Kaneko S,and Ide T were the three most prolific authors.Kaneko S ranked first by H-index,G-index,and overall publication count,while Zucman-Rossi J ranked first in citation count.The five most popular journals were the World Journal of Gastroenterology,Hepatology,Journal of Hepatology,Oncotarget,and Oncogene,while Nature Genetics,Hepatology,and Nature Reviews Disease Primers had the most citations.We extracted 2293 keywords from the publications,120 of which appeared more than ten times.The most frequent were HCC,telomerase and human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT).Keywords such as mutational landscape,TERT promoter mutations,landscape,risk,and prognosis were among the most common issues in this field in the last three years and may be topics for research in the coming years.CONCLUSION Our bibliometric analysis provides a comprehensive overview of HCC/telomerase research and insights into promising upcoming research.

An efficient method for constructing a random insertional mutant library for forward genetics in Nannochloropsis oceanica

Insertional mutation,phenotypic evaluation,and mutated gene cloning are widely used to clone genes from scratch.Exogenous genes can be integrated into the genome during non-homologous end joining(NHEJ)of the double-strand breaks of DNA,causing insertional mutation.The random insertional mutant library constructed using this method has become a method of forward genetics for gene cloning.However,the establishment of a random insertional mutant library requires a high transformation efficiency of exogenous genes.Many microalgal species show a low transformation efficiency,making constructing random insertional mutant libraries difficult.In this study,we established a highly efficient transformation method for constructing a random insertional mutant library of Nannochloropsis oceanica,and tentatively tried to isolate its genes to prove the feasibility of the method.A gene that may control the growth rate and cell size was identified.This method will facilitate the genetic studies of N.oceanica,which should also be a reference for other microalgal species.

Interaction between diet and genetics in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

In this editorial,we comment on the article by Marangoni et al,published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology 2023;29:5618-5629,about“Diet as an epigenetic factor in inflammatory bowel disease”.The authors emphasized the role of diet,especially the interaction with genetics,in promoting the inflam-matory process in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)patients,focusing on DNA methylation,histone modifications,and the influence of microRNAs.In this editorial,we explore the interaction between genetics,gut microbiota,and diet,in an only way.Furthermore,we provided dietary recommendations for patients with IBD.The Western diet,characterized by a low fiber content and deficiency the micronutrients,impacts short-chain fatty acids production and may be related to the pathogenesis of IBD.On the other hand,the consumption of the Mediter-ranean diet and dietary fibers are associated with reduced risk of IBD flares,particularly in Crohn’s disease(CD)patients.According to the dietary guidance from the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases(IOIBD),the regular consumption of fruits and vegetables while reducing the consumption of saturated,trans,dairy fat,additives,processed foods rich in maltodextrins,and artificial sweeteners containing sucralose or saccharine is recommended to CD patients.For patients with ulcerative colitis,the IOIBD recommends the increased intake of natural sources of omega-3 fatty acids and follows the same restrictive recommendations aimed at CD patients,with the possible inclusion of red meats.In conclusion,IBD is a complex and hetero-geneous disease,and future studies are needed to elucidate the influence of epigenetics on diet and microbiota in IBD patients.

A Theory of Bio-Quantum Genetics

The physical mechanism of heredity or inheritance of genes is a quantum mechanical and/or quantum computational process. A theory of bio-quantum genetics is established in this paper. Principle of Bio-quantum Genetics is suggested. I propose and define the soft-genes of genetics controlling the processes of heredity or inheritance of genes. This research deals with the quantum mechanisms of Mendel plant heredity and family inheritance as examples of bio-quantum genetics, deepening our understanding of heredity or inheritance. I believe that more contributions will be made to promote researches of bio-quantum genetics or quantum biology at large.

The Practice and Exploration of Applying EBM to Bilingual Teaching of Medical Genetics at OSBCM

In the process of teaching medical genetics of undergraduate clinical medicine, the practice and exploration of applying EBM to the bilingual teaching of OSBCM medical genetics are carried out. Using CBL and PBL as the carrier can make up for the shortcomings of a single teaching mode, synthesize the advantages of multiple teaching modes. It starts from integrating the basic theoretical knowledge of medicine and clinical practice knowledge, improving students’ bilingual level of medical genetics, cultivating students’ literature retrieval ability, and promoting early clinical, multi-clinical and repeated clinical consciousness for medical students. Therefore, it is more conducive to cultivate students’ ability to learn independently, accurately analyze and solve problems, improve medical students’ clinical thinking ability and scientific research awareness, improve medical students’ ability of international communication, and lay a solid foundation for improving medical students’ future post competence, innovative spirit and lifelong learning ability.

Prenatal ultrasonography and genetic analysis of fetal cleidocranial dysplasia:A case report

BACKGROUND Cleidocranial dysplasia(CCD)is an infrequent clinical condition with an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern.It is characterized by abnormal clavicles,patent sutures and fontanelles,supernumerary teeth,and short stature.Approximately 60%-70%of patients with CCD have mutations in the RUNX family transcription factor 2 gene.However,prenatal diagnosis of CCD is difficult when the family history is unknown.CASE SUMMARY We report a rare case of fetal CCD with an unknown family history,confirmed by prenatal ultrasonography and genetic testing at a gestational age of 16 weeks.The genetic reports indicated that the fetus carried pathogenic mutations in the RUNX family transcription factor 2 gene(c.674G>A).After careful consideration,the pregnant woman and her family decided to continue the pregnancy.CONCLUSION Definitive prenatal diagnosis of CCD should include family history,ultrasound diagnosis,and genetic analysis,especially if family history is unknown.

A Preliminary Study on Conservation Genetics of Three Endangered Orchid Species

采用随机扩增多态DNA(RAPD)分析研究了中国 3种珍稀濒危兰科植物硬叶兜兰 (PaphiopedilummicranthumTangetWang)、麻栗坡兜兰 (P .malipoenseS .C .ChenetTsi)和独花兰 (ChangnieniaamoenaChien)的遗传多样性与群体遗传结构。 12个RAPD引物在 2种兜兰中共扩增出 131条带。对 4个硬叶兜兰群体的检测表明其物种水平的多态条带百分率 (PPB)为 71.6 % ,Nei的基因多样度 (h)为 0 .2 171,Shannon多样性指数 (I)为 0 .330 1;4个群体的平均多样性水平为PPB =45 .2 % ,h =0 .145 7,I =0 .2 2 0 4,低于远交兰花的平均水平。在总遗传变异中 ,群体间遗传变异占 2 0 .31% ,略高于远交物种的平均水平。在物种水平上 ,麻栗坡兜兰的PPB为 49.5 % ,h为 0 .1174,I为0 .176 4,均大大低于硬叶兜兰。对 11个独花兰群体采用 16个RAPD引物共扩增出 119条带。物种水平PPB =76 .5 % ,h =0 .1941,I=0 .30 5 8;在群体水平上 ,上述 3个指标的平均值则分别为 37.2 %、0 .1197和 0 .1810 ,均低于远交兰花的平均水平。群体间的遗传变异占 45 .2 7% ,遗传分化明显高于远交物种的平均水平。导致 3个物种遗传多样性偏低而群体间遗传分化较高的主要原因在于人为的过度采挖和生境的片断化。

A Preliminary Study on Conservation Genetics of Endangered Vatica guangxiensis (Dipterocarpaceae)

运用 2 0个 10碱基随机引物 ,对中国龙脑香科 (Dipterocarpaceae)特有的珍稀濒危植物版纳青梅 (VaticaguangxiensisX .L .Mo)进行了RAPD多态性分析。 3个自然居群和 1个迁地保护居群 (分布于云南和广西 )共扩增出2 31个位点 ,多态位点所占比例 (PPB)为 5 3.6 8% ;观察等位基因数na =1.5 36 8,有效等位基因数ne =1.2 878,Nei基因多样性指数h为 0 .16 86 ,居群内的遗传多样性水平较低。基于AMOVA和POPGENE的结果均表明居群内的遗传变异大于居群间的遗传变异。居群内的遗传变异为 5 5 .0 9% ,居群间的变异为 44 .91% (AMOVA) ;基因分化系数Gst为 0 .3746 (POPGENE) ,表明居群间存在高水平的遗传分化。研究结果对该濒危植物的保护有重要意义。考虑到低水平的遗传多样性和高水平的居群分化 ,通过居群间种子和幼苗的交换来促进基因流是可行的保护方案。迁地保护居群 (ML)不具最高的遗传多样性 ,表明为了保护此濒危物种的全部遗传变异 。

Inhibition of Telomerase with hTERT Antisense Increases Susceptibility of Leukemic Cells to CDDP-induced Apoptosis

Objective: To investigated the e?ect of inhibition of telomerase with hTERT antisense on leukemic cells (HL-60 and K562) to CDDP-induced apoptosis. Methods: Antisense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide (AS PS-ODN) was synthesized and puri?ed. Telomerase activity was detected by Telomerase PCR ELASA kit and cell apoptosis was observed by morphological method and determined by ?owcytometry. Results: AS PS-ODN could signi?cantly inhibit telomerase activity by down regulat- ing the hTERT expression, and increase the susceptibility of leukemic cells to CDDP-induced apoptosis. Conclusion: Inhibition of telomerase with hTERT antisense can increases the susceptibility of leukemic cells to CDDP-induced apoptosis.

Compound Genetics Annealing Optimal Algorithm for Realization of Locus Deduction of a Plane Link

A compound algorithm of genetic annealing is designed for optimizing the luffing mechanism locus of a plane link by means of random optimal algorithm, genetic and annealing algorithm. The computing experiment shows that the algorithm has much better steady convergence performance of optimal process and can hunt out the global optimal solution by biggish probability for objective function of multi peak value.

Study on the Acute Toxicity and Genetics Toxicity of Bensulfuronk-methyl on Danio rerio

[Objective] The aim was to study the effect of bensulfuron-methyl herbicide on acute toxicity and genetics toxicity of Danio redo. [ Method] Median lethal concentration was calculated by acute toxicity test, and analyzing the herbicide whether existing in potential toxicity to aquatic organisms or not. Based on the study of acute toxicity, genetics toxicity was carried out, by calculating the micronucleus rate to judge bensulfuron-methyl herbicide whether existing in potential toxicity or not. [ Result ] The LD5o （24 h and 48 h） of bensulfuron-methyl herbicide are 0.698 ml/L and 0.637 ml/L respectively, the safe concentration was 0.159 ml/L. The results on the effects of micronucleus （MN） in erythrocytes of Danio redo induced by bensulfuron-methyl at different times and different concentrations showed that the MN rate of control group was 0.010 3%, the highest MN rate of experimental group reached to 0. 372%, it also indicated that bensulfuron-methyl herbicide had genetics toxicity to Danio redo. At the same detection time, there was dose-effect relationship of MN rate in erythrocytes between treatment and control groups with different concentrations. In the same treatment group, the MN rate in erythrocytes reached to peak value at 24 h, and decreased at 48 h and 72 h with the infection time was prolonged. [ Conclusion ] The study provides some basis for scientifically selecting and reasonably using herbicide.

Trichostatin A Induces Apoptosis by Inhibiting Telomerase Activity and Expression of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase in HL-60 Cells

Aim To investigate the effects of trichostatin A （TSA） on telomerase activity and the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） during apoptosis in vitro and the mechanisms in HL-60 cells. Methods The proliferative activity of HL-60 cells was assessed by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Telomerase activity was examined by TRAP-ELISA. The expression of telomerase subunits was analyzed by RT-PCR. Results A time- and dose-dependent inhibition was detected in HL-60 cells treated with TSA. After treatment with 600 nmol· L^-1 TSA for 48 h, the apoptosis rate in HL-60 cells was 42. 6% and telomerase activity decreased 1.95 ± 0.25, 1.73 ± 0. 12, and 1.52 ± 0. 09 for 12, 24, and 48 h, respectively. The expression of hTERTmRNA decreased. No significant changes were observed in the expression of hTRmRNA and hTPI mRNA. Condusion TSA inhibits telomerase activity and induces apoptosis in HL-60 cells. The underlying mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of hTERT transcription.

Telomerase Activity in Human Renal Cell Carcinoma with Reference to Clinicopathologic Features

Objective: To study the telomerase activity in human renal cell carcinoma and to evaluate the correlation with the clinicobiologic features of the neogrowth.Methods: The telomerase activity was studied by means of a modified telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) in 32 renal cell carcinoma tissues, 32 normal renal tissues and 32 paracancer tissues and its correlation with the clinicopathologic features of the tumor was evaluated.Results: Telomerase activity was strongly positive in 17, positive in 12 and negative in 3 cases of renal cell carcinoma tissues, the total positive rate being 91%. Telomerase activity was weakly positive (6%) in only 2 out of 32 samples of normal renal cortex tissues and positive in 6 paracancer tissues (19%), the difference was conspicuous (P<0.01).Conclusion: The positive rate of telomerase activity was significantly higher in renal cell carcinoma tissues and might serve as a prognostic marker for estimating the biologic characteristics of renal cell carcinoma.

Expression of Telomerase Activity in Gastric Cancer Cells

Objective To study the relationship between telomerase activity and biological behavior in human gastric cancer cells and appraise the clinical significance of detecting telomerase activity.Methods The telomerase activity in 47 gastric cancer tissue samples , their matched normal tissues, 7 gastric ulcer and 2 gastric cancer cell lines was detected using a PCR-based non-radioisotopic telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay. Results None of the 47 samples from normal gastric tissues expressed telomerase activity. The 41 of 47 cases of gastric cancer presented telomerase activity with an 87.2 % positive rate (P < 0.001). 2/2 gastric cancer cell lines and 0/7 gastric ulcer line were also positive for telomerase activity. The activity of telomerase was associated with the pathological differentiation of gastric cancer. Conclusion Telomerase activity may be related to the biological behavior of gastric cancer and can help in assessing the malignant potential of gastric cancer. Telomerase activity will be a good diagnostic marker for the detection of gastric cancer.

国外遗传学教材“Genetics”一书 简评

遗传学是生命科学中最富于综合性的中心学科之一，也是现代生命科学发展最为迅速的学科之一。以遗传学为基础发展起来的生物技术正处于浩浩荡荡的新发明浪潮的初期，分子遗传学及生物技术发明创造高潮将要持续到21世纪的很长一段时间，并将对医疗、农业、环保等产生革命性的影响。

Morphology and Genetics of Rice in Response to High Temperature at Flowering Period

High temperature stress is one of major abiotic stresses limiting rice productivity,especially at the flowering period.Understanding mechanisms of rice adaptation to heat stress would facilitate the development of heat-tolerance cultivars for improving yield in a warmer world.Rice heat stress responses are very complex.Interactions between structure,function and the environment need to be investigated at the apparent and molecular levels in order to obtain a full picture.In this review,we summarized the current knowledge on the morphology and genetic basis of heat tolerance in reproductive tissues of rice at the flowering time,and some morphologic characters for increasing thermotolerance in rice via conventional breeding are outlined.

Effects of Artificially Designed shRNA of chTR on Telomerase Activity

[Objective] The study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of shRNA of chTR on telomerase activity in MDCC-MSB1 cells. [Method] The artificially designed and synthesized short hairpin RNA(shRNA) of chicken telomerase RNA(chTR) was used to construct the expression vector that was subsequently transfected to MDCC-MSB1 cells, then the telomerase activity of these cells measured by improved TRAP method. [Result] Compared to the CK group, the telomerase activities in the treatment cells showed no obvious decrease in 24 h after transfection, while decreased remarkably 48 h later, among which in the cells transfected by interference vector pSi-chTR-sh1 presented the most obvious inhibitory effects. [Conclusion] This vector could effectively inhibit the telomerase activities in MDCC-MSB1 cells.

Telomerase activity in gastric cancer and its clinical implications

AIM To study the telomerase expression in gastric carcinoma and its clinical implications. METHODS Telomerase activity was examined in gastric cancer and corresponding normal tissues using a modified TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay (TRAP eze) in tissue samples from 94 gastric carcinomas and 58 normal tissues, 12 gastric adenomas and 9 gastric ulcer lesions. RESULTS Telomerase activity was present in 81 of the 94 (86 2%) gastric cancer tissues, whereas no telomerase activity was detected in any normal tissues. The incidence of telomerase activity in gastric cancer tissues was unrelated to the tumor diameter, histological grade, tumor invasion in depth, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage. CONCLUSION Telomerase plays an important role in carcinogenesis and progression of gastric cancer, and it is suggested to be a useful tumor marker.

Effect of VEGF,P53 and telomerase on angiogenesis of gastric carcinoma tissue

Objective:To investigate the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),P53 and telomerase on angiogenesis in gastric carcinoma tissue.Methods:A total of 95 surgical resection samples of gastric cancer tissue after pathological diagnosis are collected to observe the VEGF,P53 and telomerase expression using immunohistochemical methods.Relationship between their expression and its influence on angiogenesis in gastric carcinoma tissue were analyzed.Results:Microvascular density(MVD)and the expression of VEGF,P53 and telomerase were positively correlated.Expression of VEGF and P53 protein were related to tumor type and lymph metastasis,and also a correlation was observed between P53 and VEGF.The telomerase expression had no correlation with VEGF,and P53.Conclusions:VEGF angiogenesis has a angiogenesis promoting effect on gastric cancer tissue development and plays an important role in tumor generation and metastasis.Mutant P53 promotes the tumor angiogenesis generation by adjusting VEGF.Telomerase has a certain role in promoting activity of angiogenesis through different way rather than P53.