Objective To investigate the expression of apolipoprotein (Apo) F in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its application value in the prognosis of patients with HCC. Methods 50 HCC samples were procured from patients undergoing surgical resection in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University between September 2015 and September 2016, and all the samples were confirmed by postoperative pathological examination. The informed consents of all patients were obtained and the local ethical committee approval was received. There were 37 males and 13 females, aged from 31-67 with a median age of 53 years old. The expression of ApoF mRNA in HCC tissues was detected by RT-PCR. The expression profile was analyzed by using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The expression of ApoF between two groups were compared by t test. Correlation analysis of clinical related parameter was conducted by Chi-square test, and survival prognosis was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier test and Log rank test. Results The average relative expression of ApoF mRNA in HCC tissues was 0.15±0.07, significantly lower than 0.55±0.09 in the adjacent tissues (t=-6.26, P<0.05). GEO online analysis showed that expression of ApoF was significantly correlated with the status of liver cirrhosis, and most HCC patients with liver cirrhosis presented low expression of ApoF (χ2=4.626, P<0.05). The 5-year disease-free survival was respectively 55.9% and 32.0% in ApoF high expression group and low expression group, where significant difference was observed (χ2=3.939, P<0.05). Conclusions Low expression of ApoF exists in HCC tissues, and it is related to the liver cirrhosis status of patients. Patients with low ApoF expression present poorer prognosis. ApoF plays a role in inhibiting the cancer.

Objective To explore the impact of telomerase regulation factor PinX1 to the proliferation and invasion ability of hepatoma cells. Methods Hepatoma cells PinX1-7721 (experimental group) with stable expression of PinX1 as well as control cell VECTOR-7721 (control group) were constructed. The expression of PinX1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The proliferation ability and clonality of hepatoma cells were detected by CCK-8 method and plate clonality assay, and the invasion ability of hepatoma cells by Transwell assay. Comparison of the experiment data was conducted by t test. Results Expression level of PinX1 mRNA in experiment group was (13.9±2.0)×10-3, which was significantly higher than (1.1±0.2)×10-3in control group (t=10.98, P<0.05). A450of the cells on 1-7 d in experiment group was respectively 0.260±0.004, 0.340±0.008, 0.450±0.040, 0.500±0.020, 0.730±0.030, 1.350±0.040 and 1.640±0.050, which were significantly lower than 0.280±0.009, 0.410±0.007, 0.680±0.044, 0.730±0.029, 0.850±0.070, 1.700±0.020 and 2.080±0.280 in control group (t=-5.82, -12.99, -6.36, -5.96, -28.42,-18.98, -5.08; P<0.05). The plate clonality assay results showed that the clone formation quantity of cells in experiment group was 143±32, which was significantly lower than 305±25 in control group (t=-6.91, P<0.05).Transwell assay results showed that the quantity of trans-membrane cell in experiment group was 230±16, which was significantly lower than 650±30 in control group (t=-21.40, P<0.05). Conclusion PinX1 could inhibit the proliferation and invasion ability of hepatoma cells.

Objective To investigate expression of plasmalemmal vesicle-associated protein (PLVAP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its relationship with clinicopathological features.Methods Tissue specimens were collected from 108 patients with HCC in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2013 to December 2015.92 patients were male and 16 female,aged (48±5) years on average.The informed consents of all patients were obtained and the local ethical committee approval was received.The expression level of PLVAP was analyzed based on the data of HCC in public databases.The expression level of PLVAP mRNA in HCC and paracarcinoma tissues was detected by RT-PCR,and the relationship between the expression of PLVAP and clinicopathological characteristics of HCC was analyzed.The relationship between PLVAP and prognosis of HCC patients was investigated with the data from cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database.The expression levels of PLVAP mRNA between HCC tissues and para-carcinoma tissues were compared by Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test.Correlation analysis was performed by Chi-square test.Survival analysis was conducted by Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Log-rank test.Results According to Human Protein Atlas and Oncomine databases,the expression level of PLVAP in HCC tissues was significantly higher than that in normal liver tissues.RT-PCR showed that the median expression level of PLVAP mRNA in HCC tissues was 0.172(0.004-0.607),significantly higher compared with 0.091(0.002-0.513) in para-carcinoma tissues (Z=6.839,P＜0.05).The expression level of PLVAP in HCC patients was significantly correlated with TB,tumor size and microvascular invasion (x2=4.183,3.924,6.075;P＜0.05).In PLVAP high expression group,the overall survival and tumor-free survival were 58.8(0.5-107.0) and 42.2(0.1-67.2) months,where no significant difference from 55.7(0.2-120.7) and 20.9(0.1-109.4) months in PLVAP low expression group (x2=0.054,0.065;P＞0.05).Conclusions The expression level of PLVAP is significantly correlated with the development and progression of HCC,whereas it is probably not associated with the prognosis of HCC patients.

Genetically engineered intestinal microbes could be powerful tools to detect and treat intestine inflammation due to their non-invasive character, low costs, and convenience. Intestinal inflammation is usually detected along with an increasing concentration of thiosulfate and tetrathionate molecules in the intestines. ThsSR and TtrSR are two-component biosensors to detect the presence of thiosulfate and tetrathionate molecules, respectively. In real-life intestinal inflammation detection, sophisticated instruments are needed if using fluorescent proteins as reporters. However, chromoproteins and other colored small molecules, which can be seen by the unaided eye, could extend the use of ThsSR and TtrSR biosensors to detect intestine inflammation. The feasibility of ThsSR and TtrSR systems was tested by monitoring the fluorescence intensity of sfGFP in response to the concentration of thiosulfate and tetrathionate, followed by the incorporation of the two systems into Escherichia coli Top10 and E. coli Nissle 1917. The potential for the real-life application of the two systems was further corroborated by substituting sfGFP with a series of chromoproteins and a protoviolaceinic acid synthesis cassette as reporter genes. The results indicated that signal expression of the new systems had a positive correlation with the concentration of tetrathionate and thiosulfate molecules. Thus, the modified ThsSR and TtrSR system may potentially be applied in the human body for the detection of intestinal inflammation.
Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Intestines ; Thiosulfates

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and mechanism of lead exposure on hypothalamic inflammatory factors in mice fed with high-fat diet. METHODS: Specific pathogen free healthy male Kunming mice were randomly divided into control group, high-fat diet group, lead exposure group, and combined exposure group, with 8 rats in each group. The control group and the lead exposure group were given regular diet, while high-fat diet group and combined exposure group were given high-fat diet. The lead exposure group and combined exposure group were given water with 250 mg/L lead acetate. The control group and high-fat diet group were given double distilled water. Continuous lead exposure was given for 9 weeks, 7 days per week. Body weights of the mice were measured every other week. After 9 weeks of exposure, the behavioral changes of mice were detected by open field test. The levels of triglyceride(TG), low density lipoprotein(LDL) and high density lipoprotein(HDL) in serum were detected by microplate reader. Western blotting was used to detect the relative protein expression of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A, IL-22, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) in the hypothalamus of mice. The relative expression of mRNA of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A and TNF-α mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Beginning from the first week, the body weights of mice in the high-fat diet group and the combined exposure group were higher than that in the control group and the lead exposure group(P<0.05). The numbers of standing in the lead exposure group and the combined exposure group were lower than that in the control group and the high-fat diet group(P<0.05). The distances of central area activity in the high-fat diet group, the lead exposure group and the combined exposure group were lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). The total distances in the high-fat diet group and the combined exposure group were lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). The serum levels of TG and LDL in the combined exposure group increased(P<0.05), and the HDL level decreased(P<0.05), when compared with the control group and the lead exposure group. The relative protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A and IL-22 in the hypothalamus of the high-fat diet group and lead exposure group was higher than those of the control group(P<0.05). The relative protein expression of TNF-α and TGF-β in the hypothalamus of the lead exposure group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The relative protein expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A, TGF-β in the hypothalamus of the combined exposure group was higher than the other 3 groups(P<0.05). The relative protein expression of IL-22 in the hypothalamus of the combined exposure group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05), while the relative protein expression of TNF-α was higher than that of the control group and the high-fat diet group(P<0.05). The relative expression of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A, and TNF-α mRNA in the hypothalamus of the high-fat diet group, the lead exposure group and the combined exposure group was higher than that in the control group(P<0.05). The above indicators of mice in the lead exposure group were higher than that in the high-fat diet group(P<0.05). The above indicators of mice in the combined exposure group were higher than those in the high-fat diet group and the lead exposure group(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Lead exposure can promote neurobehavioral changes and hypothalamic inflammatory damage in high-fat diet mice. IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17 A, TGF-β and TNF-α might involve in the process of synergistic effect of lead and high-fat diet exposure on inflammatory hypothalamic injury.