bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the promoter region of the bovine SIX1 gene: Roles of MyoD, PAX7, CREB and MyoG
Authors: Wei Da-wei , Ma Xue-yao , Zhang Song- , Hong Jie-yun , Gui Lin-sheng , Mei Chu-gang , Guo Hong-fang , Wang Li- , Ning Yue- , Zan Lin-sen 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe SIX1 gene belongs to the family of six homeodomain transcription factors (TFs), that regulates the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway and mediate skeletal muscle growth and regeneration. Previous studies have demonstrated that SIX1 is positively correlated with body measurement traits (BMTs). However, the transcriptional regulation of SIX1 remains unclear. In the present study, we determined that bovine SIX1 was highly expressed in the longissimus thoracis. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in bovine SIX1 regulation, 2-kb of the 5′ regulatory region were obtained. Sequence analysis identified neither a consensus TATA box nor a CCAAT box in the 5′ flanking region of bovine SIX1. However, a CpG island was predicted in the region −235 to +658 relative to the transcriptional start site (TSS). An electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay in combination with serial deletion constructs of the 5′ flanking region, site-directed mutation and siRNA interference demonstrated that MyoD, PAX7 and CREB binding occur in region −689/−40 and play important roles in bovine SIX1 transcription. In addition, MyoG drives SIX1 transcription indirectly via the MEF3 motif. Taken together these interactions suggest a key functional role for SIX1 in mediating skeletal muscle growth in cattle.
Formation of iron oxide nanoparticles for the photooxidation of water: Alteration of finite size effects from ferrihydrite to hematite
Authors: Schwaminger Sebastian P. , Surya Rifki , Filser Simon , Wimmer Andreas , Weigl Florian , Fraga-García Paula , Berensmeier Sonja 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIron oxide nanoparticles represent a promising low-cost environmentally-friendly material for multiple applications. Especially hematite (α-Fe2O3) nanoparticles demonstrate great possibilities in energy storage and photoelectrochemistry. A hydrothermal one-pot synthesis can be used to synthesise hematite nanoparticles. Here, the particle formation, nucleation and growth of iron oxide nanoparticles using a FeCl3 precursor over time is monitored. The formation of 6-line ferrihydrite seeds of 2–8 nm which grow with reaction time and form clusters followed by a phase transition to ~15 nm hematite particles can be observed with ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman and UV/Vis spectroscopy. These particles grow with reaction time leading to 40 nm particles after 6 hours. The changes in plasmon and electron transition patterns, observed upon particle transition and growth lead to the possibility of tuning the photoelectrochemical properties. Catalytic activity of the hematite nanoparticles can be proven with visible light irradiation and the use of silver nitrate as scavenger material. The generation of elementary silver is dependent on the particle size of iron oxide nanoparticles while only slight changes can be observed in the oxygen generation. Low-cost nanoscale hematite, offers a range of future applications for artificial photosynthesis.
Mobile Phone Use and The Risk of Headache: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Cross-sectional Studies
Authors: Wang Jing , Su Hui , Xie Wei , Yu Shengyuan 
Published: September 2017

AbstractHeadache is increasingly being reported as a detrimental effect of mobile phone (MP) use. However, studies aimed to investigate the association between MP use and headache yielded conflicting results. To assess the consistency of the data on the topic, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available cross-sectional studies. Published literature from PubMed and other databases were retrieved and screened, and 7 cross-sectional studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. The pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. We found that the risk of headache was increased by 38% in MP user compared with non-MP user (OR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.18–1.61, p < 0.001). Among MP users, the risk of headache was also increased in those who had longer daily call duration (2–15 min vs. <2 min: OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.34–1.98, p < 0.001; >15 min vs. <2 min: OR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.76–3.54, p < 0.001) and higher daily call frequency (2–4 calls vs. <2 calls: OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.07–1.76, p < 0.001; >4 calls vs. <2 calls: OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.78–3.58, p < 0.001). Our data indicate that MP use is significantly associated with headache, further epidemiologic and experimental studies are required to affirm and understand this association.
Phylogeographic and genome-wide investigations of Vietnam ethnic groups reveal signatures of complex historical demographic movements
Authors: Pischedda S. , Barral-Arca R. , Gómez-Carballa A. , Pardo-Seco J. , Catelli M. L. , Álvarez-Iglesias V. , Cárdenas J. M. , Nguyen N. D. , Ha H. H. , Le A. T. , Martinón-Torres F. , Vullo C. , Salas A. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe territory of present-day Vietnam was the cradle of one of the world’s earliest civilizations, and one of the first world regions to develop agriculture. We analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) complete control region of six ethnic groups and the mitogenomes from Vietnamese in The 1000 Genomes Project (1000G). Genome-wide data from 1000G (~55k SNPs) were also investigated to explore different demographic scenarios. All Vietnamese carry South East Asian (SEA) haplotypes, which show a moderate geographic and ethnic stratification, with the Mong constituting the most distinctive group. Two new mtDNA clades (M7b1a1f1 and F1f1) point to historical gene flow between the Vietnamese and other neighboring countries. Bayesian-based inferences indicate a time-deep and continuous population growth of Vietnamese, although with some exceptions. The dramatic population decrease experienced by the Cham 700 years ago (ya) fits well with the Nam tiến (“southern expansion”) southwards from their original heartland in the Red River Delta. Autosomal SNPs consistently point to important historical gene flow within mainland SEA, and add support to a main admixture event occurring between Chinese and a southern Asian ancestral composite (mainly represented by the Malay). This admixture event occurred ~800 ya, again coinciding with the Nam tiến.
Addressing the role of the α-helical extension in the folding of the third PDZ domain from PSD-95
Authors: Gautier Candice , Visconti Lorenzo , Jemth Per , Gianni Stefano 
Published: September 2017

AbstractPDZ domains are one of the most important protein-protein interaction domains in human. While presenting a conserved three dimensional structure, a substantial number of PDZ domains display structural extensions suggested to be involved in their folding and binding mechanisms. The C-terminal α-helix extension (α3) of the third PDZ domain from PSD-95 (PDZ3) has been reported to have a role in function of the domain as well as in the stabilization of the native fold. Here we report an evaluation of the effect of the truncation of this additional helix on the folding and unfolding kinetics of PDZ3. Fluorescent variants of full length and truncated PDZ3 were produced and stopped-flow fluorescence measurements were made under different experimental conditions (pH, ionic strength and temperature) to investigate the folding kinetics of the respective variant. The results show that folding of PDZ3 is robust and that the mechanism is only marginally affected by the truncation, which contributes to a destabilization of the native state, but otherwise do not change the overall observed kinetics. Furthermore, the increase in the unfolding rate constants, but not the folding rate constant upon deletion of α3 suggests that the α-helical extension is largely unstructured in the folding transition state.
Ultrafast Synthesis of Multifunctional Submicrometer Hollow Silica Spheres in Microfluidic Spiral Channels
Authors: Nie Yuan , Hao Nanjing , Zhang John X. J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractWe demonstrate a facile and ultrafast approach for the synthesis of multifunctional submicrometer hollow silica spheres (smHSSs) using microfluidic spiral channels with enhanced mixing performance, introduced by the transverse Dean flows cross the channel as a result of centrifugal effects. Formation of smHSSs is initiated by the hydrolysis of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) at the interface of two laminar reactant flows. Complete mixing of the flows further facilitates the subsequent condensation of hydrolyzed TEOS, which builds up the shell layer of smHSSs. The average size of the as-synthesized smHSSs is 804.7 nm, and the thickness of the shell layer is ~20 nm. Multifunctional smHSSs integrated with proteins, fluorescent dyes, quantum dots, and magnetic nanoparticles can be further produced via this general platform. Their applications in cell imaging, organic dye adsorption, and drug delivery are examined.
Time-lapse imaging of microRNA activity reveals the kinetics of microRNA activation in single living cells
Authors: Ando Hideaki , Hirose Matsumi , Kurosawa Gen , Impey Soren , Mikoshiba Katsuhiko 
Published: September 2017

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that play critical roles in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Although the molecular mechanisms of the biogenesis and activation of miRNA have been extensively studied, the details of their kinetics within individual living cells remain largely unknown. We developed a novel method for time-lapse imaging of the rapid dynamics of miRNA activity in living cells using destabilized fluorescent proteins (dsFPs). Real-time monitoring of dsFP-based miRNA sensors revealed the duration necessary for miRNA biogenesis to occur, from primary miRNA transcription to mature miRNA activation, at single-cell resolution. Mathematical modeling, which included the decay kinetics of the fluorescence of the miRNA sensors, demonstrated that miRNAs induce translational repression depending on their complementarity with targets. We also developed a dual-color imaging system, and demonstrated that miR-9-5p and miR-9-3p were produced and activated from a common hairpin precursor with similar kinetics, in single cells. Furthermore, a dsFP-based miR-132 sensor revealed the rapid kinetics of miR-132 activation in cortical neurons under physiological conditions. The timescale of miRNA biogenesis and activation is much shorter than the median half-lives of the proteome, suggesting that the degradation rates of miRNA target proteins are the dominant rate-limiting factors for miRNA-mediated gene silencing.
Cytological Assessments and Transcriptome Profiling Demonstrate that Evodiamine Inhibits Growth and Induces Apoptosis in a Renal Carcinoma Cell Line
Authors: Yuan Xiao-Long , Zhang Peng , Liu Xin-Min , Du Yong-Mei , Hou Xiao-Dong , Cheng Sen , Zhang Zhong-Feng 
Published: September 2017

AbstractChinese medicines are an important source of secondary metabolites with excellent antitumour activity. Evodia rutaecarpa, from the family Rutaceae, exhibits antitumour activity. Evodiamine (EVO), which was isolated from the fruit of E. rutaecarpa, exhibits robust antitumour activity. However, the antitumour mechanism of EVO remains unclear. In this study, we assessed the growth-inhibiting effect of EVO on two renal carcinoma cell lines. We found that EVO could change the morphology and decrease the viability and proliferation of cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner in vitro. In addition, transcriptome analysis indicated that EVO can modulate the transcriptome of Caki-1 cells. In total, 7,243 differentially expressed genes were found, among which 3,347 downregulated genes and 3,896 upregulated genes were mainly involved in cell migration, apoptosis, cell cycle, and DNA replication. Furthermore, we demonstrated that EVO can cause apoptosis, arrest cells in the G2/M phase, and regulate the expression of apoptosis- and cell cycle-related genes in Caki-1 cells. Our study reveals the anticancer effects of EVO using cellular and molecular data, and indicates the potential uses of this compound as a resource to characterize the antitumour mechanisms of E. rutaecarpa.
Musicians do not benefit from differences in fundamental frequency when listening to speech in competing speech backgrounds
Authors: Madsen Sara M. K. , Whiteford Kelly L. , Oxenham Andrew J. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractRecent studies disagree on whether musicians have an advantage over non-musicians in understanding speech in noise. However, it has been suggested that musicians may be able to use differences in fundamental frequency (F0) to better understand target speech in the presence of interfering talkers. Here we studied a relatively large (N = 60) cohort of young adults, equally divided between non-musicians and highly trained musicians, to test whether the musicians were better able to understand speech either in noise or in a two-talker competing speech masker. The target speech and competing speech were presented with either their natural F0 contours or on a monotone F0, and the F0 difference between the target and masker was systematically varied. As expected, speech intelligibility improved with increasing F0 difference between the target and the two-talker masker for both natural and monotone speech. However, no significant intelligibility advantage was observed for musicians over non-musicians in any condition. Although F0 discrimination was significantly better for musicians than for non-musicians, it was not correlated with speech scores. Overall, the results do not support the hypothesis that musical training leads to improved speech intelligibility in complex speech or noise backgrounds.
Enlarged perivascular spaces are associated with the disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Miyata Mari , Kakeda Shingo , Iwata Shigeru , Nakayamada Shingo , Ide Satoru , Watanabe Keita , Moriya Junji , Tanaka Yoshiya , Korogi Yukunori 
Published: September 2017

AbstractTo determine whether any brain MR abnormalities, including enlarged perivascular spaces (EPVS), were associated with disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as an inflammatory activity. One hundred and thirty SLE patients with normal MR findings were assessed. With regard to MRI abnormalities, patients with brain atrophy and mild white matter hyperintensity (WMH) on T2WI were not excluded. The disease activity was assessed using the SLEDAI and the BILAG scores. The imaging characteristics included centrum semiovale EPVS (CS- EPVS) and basal ganglia EPVS on T2WI, WMH, and brain atrophy. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to determine the clinical (vascular risk factors and blood examinations) and imaging characteristics that were associated with the disease activity of SLE. High CS-EPVS to be the only factor that was independently associated with the severity of the SLEDAI and BILAG scores (odds ratio [OR] 5.77; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.21–15.00; p < 0.001 for the SLEDAI, and OR 2.64; 95% CI 1.03–6.74; p = 0.042 for the BILAG score). The CS-EPVS in the SLE patients are associated with the systemic disease activity, suggesting that CS- EPVS may be indicative of the reactive changes of the white matter due to the inflammatory activity.
Temporal patterns of cotton Fusarium and Verticillium wilt in Jiangsu coastal areas of China
Authors: Li Xiaogang , Zhang Ya’nan , Ding Changfeng , Xu Wenhua , Wang Xingxiang 
Published: September 2017

AbstractCotton diseases caused by soil-borne pathogenic fungi present a major constraint to cotton production not only in China but also worldwide. A long-term field inventory was made of the prevalence of Fusarium and Verticillium wilt of cotton in the Jiangsu coastal area of China from 2000 to 2014. Various factors (crop varieties, rotation and weather) were analyzed to explore the dynamics of these diseases in cotton. The results showed that the prevalence of Fusarium and Verticillium wilt increased before 2005 and that Verticillium wilt remained at a high incidence over most of the past 10 years, while Fusarium wilt began to gradually decrease after 2005. The dynamics of Fusarium and Verticillium wilt were closely associated with the introduced cotton varieties and the intensive cropping history. In addition, weather conditions occurring during some of the years appeared to coincide with a substantial variation in the wilt diseases. Our study highlighted epidemiological dynamics of Fusarium and Verticillium wilt in a long-term survey.
Genome-wide identification and expression analyses of the homeobox transcription factor family during ovule development in seedless and seeded grapes
Authors: Li Yunduan , Zhu Yanxun , Yao Jin , Zhang Songlin , Wang Li , Guo Chunlei , van Nocker Steve , Wang Xiping 
Published: September 2017

AbstractSeedless grapes are of considerable importance for the raisin and table grape industries. Previous transcriptome analyses of seed development in grape revealed that genes encoding homeobox transcription factors were differentially regulated in seedless compared with seeded grape during seed development. In the present study, we identified a total of 73 homeobox-like genes in the grapevine genome and analyzed the genomic content and expression profiles of these genes. Based on domain architecture and phylogenetic analyses grape homeobox genes can be classified into eleven subfamilies. An analysis of the exon-intron structures and conserved motifs provided further insight into the evolutionary relationships between these genes. Evaluation of synteny indicated that segmental and tandem duplications have contributed greatly to the expansion of the grape homeobox gene superfamily. Synteny analysis between the grape and Arabidopsis genomes provided a potential functional relevance for these genes. The tissue-specific expression patterns of homeobox genes suggested roles in both vegetative and reproductive tissues. Expression profiling of these genes during the course of ovule development in seeded and seedless cultivars suggested a potential role in ovule abortion associated with seedlessness. This study will facilitate the functional analysis of these genes and provide new resources for molecular breeding of seedless grapes.
Neofunctionalization of “Juvenile Hormone Esterase Duplication” in Drosophila as an odorant-degrading enzyme towards food odorants
Authors: Steiner Claudia , Bozzolan Françoise , Montagné Nicolas , Maïbèche Martine , Chertemps Thomas 
Published: September 2017

AbstractOdorant degrading enzymes (ODEs) are thought to be responsible, at least in part, for olfactory signal termination in the chemosensory system by rapid degradation of odorants in the vicinity of the receptors. A carboxylesterase, specifically expressed in Drosophila antennae, called “juvenile hormone esterase duplication (JHEdup)” has been previously reported to hydrolyse different fruit esters in vitro. Here we functionally characterize JHEdup in vivo. We show that the jhedup gene is highly expressed in large basiconic sensilla that have been reported to detect several food esters. An electrophysiological analysis demonstrates that ab1A olfactory neurons of jhedup mutant flies exhibit an increased response to certain food acetates. Furthermore, mutant flies show a higher sensitivity towards the same odorants in behavioural assays. A phylogenetic analysis reveals that jhedup arose as a duplication of the juvenile hormone esterase gene during the evolution of Diptera, most likely in the ancestor of Schizophora, and has been conserved in all the 12 sequenced Drosophila species. Jhedup exhibits also an olfactory-predominant expression pattern in other Drosophila species. Our results support the implication of JHEdup in the degradation of food odorants in D. melanogaster and propose a neofunctionalization of this enzyme as a bona fide ODE in Drosophilids.
Annexin-enriched osteoblast-derived vesicles act as an extracellular site of mineral nucleation within developing stem cell cultures
Authors: Davies O. G. , Cox S. C. , Williams R. L. , Tsaroucha D. , Dorrepaal R. M. , Lewis M. P. , Grover L. M. 
Published: September 2017

AbstractThe application of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as natural delivery vehicles capable of enhancing tissue regeneration could represent an exciting new phase in medicine. We sought to define the capacity of EVs derived from mineralising osteoblasts (MO-EVs) to induce mineralisation in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) cultures and delineate the underlying biochemical mechanisms involved. Strikingly, we show that the addition of MO-EVs to MSC cultures significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced the expression of alkaline phosphatase, as well as the rate and volume of mineralisation beyond the current gold-standard, BMP-2. Intriguingly, these effects were only observed in the presence of an exogenous phosphate source. EVs derived from non-mineralising osteoblasts (NMO-EVs) were not found to enhance mineralisation beyond the control. Comparative label-free LC-MS/MS profiling of EVs indicated that enhanced mineralisation could be attributed to the delivery of bridging collagens, primarily associated with osteoblast communication, and other non-collagenous proteins to the developing extracellular matrix. In particular, EV-associated annexin calcium channelling proteins, which form a nucleational core with the phospholipid-rich membrane and support the formation of a pre-apatitic mineral phase, which was identified using infrared spectroscopy. These findings support the role of EVs as early sites of mineral nucleation and demonstrate their value for promoting hard tissue regeneration.
Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus increases placental and foetal lipoprotein-associated Phospholipase A2 which might exert protective functions against oxidative stress
Authors: Schliefsteiner Carolin , Hirschmugl Birgit , Kopp Susanne , Curcic Sanja , Bernhart Eva Maria , Marsche Gunther , Lang Uwe , Desoye Gernot , Wadsack Christian 
Published: September 2017

AbstractIncreased Lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 (LpPLA2) has been associated with inflammatory pathologies, including Type 2 Diabetes. Studies on LpPLA2 and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) are rare, and have focused mostly on maternal outcome. In the present study, we investigated whether LpPLA2 activity on foetal lipoproteins is altered by maternal GDM and/or obesity (a major risk factor for GDM), thereby contributing to changes in lipoprotein functionality. We identified HDL as the major carrier of LpPLA2 activity in the foetus, which is in contrast to adults. We observed marked expression of LpPLA2 in placental macrophages (Hofbauer cells; HBCs) and found that LpPLA2 activity in these cells was increased by insulin, leptin, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. These regulators were also increased in plasma of children born from GDM pregnancies. Our results suggest that insulin, leptin, and pro-inflammatory cytokines are positive regulators of LpPLA2 activity in the foeto-placental unit. Of particular interest, functional assays using a specific LpPLA2 inhibitor suggest that high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-associated LpPLA2 exerts anti-oxidative, athero-protective functions on placental endothelium and foetus. Our results therefore raise the possibility that foetal HDL-associated LpPLA2 might act as an anti-inflammatory enzyme improving vascular barrier function.