Objective In many types of epithelial tumors,down-regulation or mutation of the epithelial cell-adherent molecule E-cadherin is associated with an increased invasiveness that can be prevented by the forced expression of the cell-adherent molecule.This suggests that E-cadherin is a latestage tumor suppressor that prevents invasion and metastasis.This study was to investigate cell invasion and migration status of human ovary serous cystadeno carcinoma HO-8910 cell line when the E-cadherin expression was down-regulated with RNA interference(RNAi) technology. Methods E-cadherin siRNA was transfected into HO-8910 cells to inhibit the expression of E-cadherin.The effect of RNAi was detected by immunofluoresence assay and Western blotting.The invasive ability of the cancer cells was determined by Transwell assay. Results After RNAi,the expressions of E-cadherin were significantly decreased from 63.7% to 11.9%(P

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)is both a neurotrophic substance and a neurotransmitter.BDNF and its receptors are highly expressed in enteric nervous system,intestinal mucosal epithelium and intestinal muscularis, which play an important role in regulating intestinal sensitivity and motility.This article reviewed the expression and role of BDNF in intestinal tract.

AIM:To explore the effect of Pycnogenol on transforming growth factor-β1 ( TGF-β1)-induced he-patic stellate cell activation .METHODS:Cultured LX-2 cells were treated with 5μg/L TGF-β1 and different concentra-tions (0, 10, 25 and 50 mg/L) of Pycnogenol.The viability of the LX-2 cells under the conditions with or without autoph-agy inhibitor 3-MA and ERK inhibitor PD98059 was determined by MTT assay .The protein levels of α-SMA, ColⅠ, TIMP-1, LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ, beclin 1, p-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 were detected by Western blot .RESULTS:Compared with con-trol group, 5μg/L TGF-β1 treatment elevated the cell viability , and increased the protein levels of α-SMA, ColⅠ, TIMP-1, LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ, beclin 1, p-ERK1/2, and ERK1/2 in the LX-2 cells (P<0.05).However, these effects were reversed by Pycnogenol pretreatment in a dose-dependent manner and the inhibitory effect of 50 mg/L Pycnogenol was the most sig-nificant in the LX-2 cells (P<0.05).Furthermore, compared with TGF-β1 group, pretreatment with 50 mg/L Pycnog-enol, 5 mmol/L 3-MA or 20 μmol/L PD98059 downregulated TGF-β1-induced cell viability and the protein levels of α-SMA and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ in the LX-2 cells ( P<0.05 ) .CONCLUSION: Pycnogenol suppresses TGF-β1-induced hepatic stellate cell activation via p-ERK and autophagy inhibition .

OBJECTIVE:To compare the total flavonoids content and antioxidant activity in the barks,leaves,male flowers and seeds of Eucommiae ulmoides. METHODS:UV spectrophotometry was used to determine the total flavonoids content in differ-ent parts;tests was conducted to clear 2,2′-nitrilobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS+),1,1-diphenyl-2-trinitro-phenylhydrazine(DPPH)radicals and the reducing ability of Cu2+,using half clear/reduction concentration value(IC50)as evalua-tion indexes,and vitamin C was regarded as positive control. RESULTS:The total flavonoids content of the E. ulmoides from hight to low was as follows as leaves>male flowers>barks>seeds,except there was no significant difference in barks and seeds (P>0.05),the other parts had significant differences (P<0.05);the ability of different parts eliminating DPPH and ABTS+ free radical was as follows as leaves>male flowers>seeds>barks,except there was no significant difference in the indicators of leaves and male flowers(P>0.05),the other parts had significant differences(P<0.05);the ability of reducing Cu2+ free radical was as follows as leaves>male flowers>barks>seeds,there was significant difference in leaves and males flowers with barks and seeds (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:The content of total flavonoids in leaves and male flowers is high,and the antioxidant activity is strong,which has a great prospect of exploitation and utilization to make up for deficiencies in barks of E. ulmoides.

Objective: To screen for proteins which can interact with phosphotyrosine-interacting domain (PID) of differentially expressed gene in human ovarian cancer cell line DOC-2 by yeast-two hybrid technique, so as to provide evidence for the signal pathway of DOC-2. Methods: The cDNA sequence of human DOC-2 gene was amplified and its PID domain (nDOC-2) was subcloned into the bait vector pGBKT7 of yeast two-hybrid system; the product was then used to screen an embryo brain cDNA library and the proteins interacting with nDOC-2 were identified. Quadrople dropout(QDO) medium and X-?-gal were used for selecting the positive clones. PCA was used to analyze the amplified sequence. After elimination of the false positive clones, the positive clones were sequenced and analyzed by bioinformatic methods. Results:Twenty-one candidate positive clones were obtained and 3 of them were plasmids encoding Homo sapiens partial mRNA for betaglycan (TBR III gene), Homo sapiens protocadherin gamma subfamily C 3 (PCDHGC3), and APLP1(amyloid beta precursor-like protein 1).Conclusion: The proteins obtained in this study may play important roles in the signal pathway of DOC-2, which provides a new orientation for DOC-2 gene therapy of ovarian cancers

In order to adapt to the requirements of modem medical knowledge and skills for higher medical workers,and to cultivate medical students' molecular medicine quality and comprehensive ability,Weifang Medical University broke the boundaries of disciplines and constructed experimental course group in molecular medicine based on the ideas of curriculum group construction.Molecular medical knowledge was integrated into the teaching process of experimental course group,experimental teaching content system was reasonably integrated and optimized,high quality teaching team was set up,multi-level experimental teaching platform was built and student-centered teaching mode was implemented to explore the experimental teaching approach which helped medical students to form systematic molecular medicine knowledge structure and ability structure.

Objective The patients with non-syndromic deafness in Shanxi Province were retrospectively an_alyzed for the common deafness gene mutations and frequency of mutations carrying rate ,to understand the molecu_lar pathogenesis of deafness in Shanxi area .Methods Genomic DNAs of 800 patients of non -syndromic deafness within Shanxi were obtained from peripheral blood .Genes GJB2 ,GJB3 ,SLC26A4 and mitochondrial 12SrRNA 1494 and 1555 loci were sequenced after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and compared with the NCBI website for the analysis of the formation of mutations .ResuIts Among 800 patients ,353 cases (44 .13% ) showed detected deafness related mutations and the genetic etiology was found for 294 patients (36 .75% ) .Among them , 153 cases (19 .13% ) carried double allele mutations in the GJB2 gene .The most frequent mutation of GJB2 gene was 235delC ,and the carrying rate was 13 .5% (216/1 600) .The double mutant allele of SLC26A4 gene was detec_ted in 123 cases (15 .38% ) ,and the most common mutation was IVS7-2A>G ,identified in 7 .44% (119/1 600) of patients .Homogenic mitochondrial 12S rRNA 1494C> T mutation in one patient and 1555A> G mutation in 15 patients were detected .GJB3 gene c .538C > T heterozygous mutation was found in two patients .Altogether , 36 .75% (294/800) of patients with deafness were caused by gene mutations .ConcIusionThe data containing GJB2 gene and SLC26A4 gene carrying rate are consistent with the published data of non-syndromic deafness in the Northwest region of China ,but the carrying rate of mitochondrial gene mutations is lower than the average level of China .Our data show that the gene mutations contribute to 36 .75% of etiology in patients with deafness .This study reflects the importance of deafness related genes screening in Shanxi area for early diagnosis and genetic con_sultation .

AIM: To investigate the effect of glibenclamide (Glib) on the viability and acid-base equilibrium of glioblastoma cells.METHODS: U251 cells and U87 cells were treated with Glib at different concentrations.The inhibitory rates were detected by CCK-8 assay.The effective dose was screened and the experiment was divided into control group and drug treatment groups.The migration ability was monitored by wound healing assay, and intracellular pH was detected by pH indicator fluorescent probe.The protein expression levels of inwardly-rectifying potassium channel 4.1 (Kir4.1) and monocarboxylate transport protein 1 (MCT1) were determined by Western blot.RESULTS: The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of Glib for 48 h exposure of U251 cells and U87 cells were 400.20 μmol/L and 553.70 μmol/L, respectively.The effective inhibition doses of Glib for U251 cells were from the ranges of 100 μmol/L to 1 600 μmol/L, and those for U87 cells were from 50 μmol/L to 1 600 μmol/L in a concentration-dependent manner (P<0.05).Glib not only inhibited the migration (P<0.05) of U251 cells and U87 cells, which was negatively correlated with drug concentration (P<0.05), but also reduced the intracellular fluorescence intensity in experimental group (P<0.05), suggesting that with the increase in drug concentration, the intracellular pH decreased gradually (P<0.05).The protein expression of Kir4.1 and MCT1 was down-regulated by treatment with Glib, and was negatively correlated with concentration of Glib.CONCLUSION: Glib, a kind of potassium channel blocker, induces intracellular acidification via down-regulating the expression of Kir4.1 and MCT1, thus inhibiting the growth of glioblastoma in a certain dose range.

BACKGROUND:In vitro and in vivo studies of cel response to a variety of mechanical loadings have demonstrated the stimulation of bone formation by loads. However, the effects of different mechanical strains on the same cel s have never been adequately studied by far.
OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of different mechanical strains on rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s.
METHODS:Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were isolated and cultured in vitro. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were subjected to different stimulations including dynamic stretch, static stretch and hybrid stretch through the use of custom-made mechanical stretch device. Cel ular proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity and mRNA expression of Runx2 of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s were detected and the secretion of osteocalcin was evaluated under three different stretch modes respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared to the control group, cel proliferation increased by 18.67%, however, alkaline phosphatase activity, Runx2 expression and osteocalcin secretion were not changed obviously in the static stretchgroup. Compared to the control group, alkaline phosphatase activity, Runx2 expression and osteocalcin secretion increased by 60.33%, 49.67%and 48%respectively;however, cel proliferation was inhibited, in the dynamic stretch group. Compared to the control group, cel proliferation was slightly, but not significantly, increased in the hybrid stretch group, and the alkaline phosphatase activity, Runx2 expression and osteocalcin secretion increased although the increases were not as apparent as those in the dynamic stretch group. These findings suggest that static mechanical strain can significantly promote cel proliferation, the dynamic mechanical strain more greatly promotes osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s, and the hybrid mechanical strain promotes the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cel s.

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge) hairy roots were obtained by infecting Danshen leaves with Agrobacterium rhizogenes 9402. Besides rosmarinic acid (RA) and salvianolic acid B (SAB), the hairy root could also produce salvianolic acid K (SAK), salvianolic acid L, ethyl salvianolic acid B (ESAB), methyl salvianolic acid B (MSAB), and a compound with a molecular weight of 538 (compound 538) identified by using LC-MS. Effects of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and yeast elicitor (YE) on the accumulation of these compounds had been investigated. MeJA increased the accumulation of SAB, RA, SAK, and compound 538 from 4.21%, 2.48%, 0.29%, and 0.01% of dry weight to 7.11%, 3.38%, 0.68%, and 0.04%, respectively. YE stimulated the biosynthesis of RA from 2.83% to 5.71%, but depressed the synthesis of SAB, SAK and compound 538. It was indicated in all the results that these Danshen hairy roots could be used as alternative resources to produce salvianolic acids. Analysis of the content variation of these compounds after elicitation suggested that SAK and compound 538 might be the intermediates in the biosynthesis from RA to SAB in Danshen hairy roots.