| 1. |
- Feng, Tongbao, et al.
(author)
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miR-124 downregulation leads to breast cancer progression via LncRNA-MALAT1 regulation and CDK4/E2F1 signal activation.
- 2016
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In: Oncotarget. - : Impact Journals, LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 7:13, s. 16205-16216
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) has been recently shown to be dysregulated in several cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of MALAT1 in breast cancer remain unclear. Herein, we showed that MALAT1 was aberrantly increased in breast cancer tissues and cells. MALAT1-siRNA inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, MALAT1 acted as an endogenous potent regulator by directly binding to miR-124 and down-regulating miR-124 expression. In addition, MALAT1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-124 on breast cancer proliferation and was involved in the cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) expression. Taken together, our data highlight the pivotal role of MALAT1 in breast cancer tumorigenesis. Moreover, the present study elucidated the MALAT1-miR-124-CDK4/E2F1 signaling pathway in breast cancer, which might provide a new approach for tackling breast cancer.
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| 2. |
- Li, Wei, et al.
(author)
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A modified in vitro tool for isolation and characterization of rat quiescent islet stellate cells
- 2019
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In: Experimental Cell Research. - : ELSEVIER INC. - 0014-4827 .- 1090-2422. ; 384:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Islet stellate cells (ISCs) play a critical role in islet fibrosis, contributing to the progression of pancreatic diseases. Previous studies have focused on fibrosis-associated activated ISCs obtained by standard islet explant techniques. However, in vitro models of quiescent ISCs (qISCs) are lacking. This study aims to develop a method to isolate qISCs and analyze their phenotype during activation.Methods: Immunofluorescence staining was applied to localize ISCs in normal human, rat, and mouse islets. qISCs were isolated from rat islets using density gradient centrifugation (DGC) method. qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, proliferation, and migration assays were employed for their characterization.Results: Desmin-positive ISCs were detected in normal human, rat, and mouse islets. Freshly isolated qISCs, obtained by density gradient centrifugation, displayed a polygonal appearance with refringent cytoplasmic lipid droplets and expressed transcriptional markers indicating a low activation/quiescent state. With increasing culture time, the marker expression pattern changed, reflecting ISC activation. qISCs contained more lipid droplets and exhibited lower proliferation and migration abilities compared to spindle-shaped ISCs obtained by traditional explant techniques.Conclusions: This study describes a new method for efficient isolation of qISCs from rat islets, representing a useful in vitro tool to study the biology of ISCs in more physiological conditions.
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| 3. |
- Mõttus, René, et al.
(author)
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Comparability of self-reported conscientiousness across 21 countries
- 2012
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In: European Journal of Personality. - : SAGE Publications. - 1099-0984 .- 0890-2070. ; 26:3, s. 303-317
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In cross-national studies, mean levels of self-reported phenomena are often not congruent with more objective criteria. One prominent explanation for such findings is that people make self-report judgements in relation to culture-specific standards (often called the reference group effect), thereby undermining the cross-cultural comparability of the judgements. We employed a simple method called anchoring vignettes in order to test whether people from 21 different countries have varying standards for Conscientiousness, a Big Five personality trait that has repeatedly shown unexpected nation-level relationships with external criteria. Participants rated their own Conscientiousness and that of 30 hypothetical persons portrayed in short vignettes. The latter type of ratings was expected to reveal individual differences in standards of Conscientiousness. The vignettes were rated relatively similarly in all countries, suggesting no substantial culture-related differences in standards for Conscientiousness. Controlling for the small differences in standards did not substantially change the rankings of countries on mean self-ratings or the predictive validities of these rankings for objective criteria. These findings are not consistent with mean self-rated Conscientiousness scores being influenced by culture-specific standards. The technique of anchoring vignettes can be used in various types of studies to assess the potentially confounding effects of reference levels.
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| 4. |
- Mõttus, René, et al.
(author)
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The effect of response style on self-reported conscientiousness across 20 countries.
- 2012
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In: Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin. - : SAGE Publications. - 0146-1672 .- 1552-7433. ; 38:11, s. 1423-1436
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Rankings of countries on mean levels of self-reported Conscientiousness continue to puzzle researchers. Based on the hypothesis that cross-cultural differences in the tendency to prefer extreme response categories of ordinal rating scales over moderate categories can influence the comparability of self-reports, this study investigated possible effects of response style on the mean levels of self-reported Conscientiousness in 22 samples from 20 countries. Extreme and neutral responding were estimated based on respondents’ ratings of 30 hypothetical people described in short vignettes. In the vignette ratings, clear cross-sample differences in extreme and neutral responding emerged. These responding style differences were correlated with mean self-reported Conscientiousness scores. Correcting self-reports for extreme and neutral responding changed sample rankings of Conscientiousness, as well as the predictive validities of these rankings for external criteria. The findings suggest that the puzzling country rankings of self-reported Conscientiousness may to some extent result from differences in response styles.
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| 5. |
- Ning, Yongling, et al.
(author)
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β-Glucan restores tumor-educated dendritic cell maturation to enhance antitumor immune responses.
- 2016
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In: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136. ; 138:11, s. 2713-2723
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Tumors can induce the generation and accumulation of immunosuppressive cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in a tumor microenvironment, contributing to tumor escape from immunological attack. Although dendritic cell-based cancer vaccines can initiate antitumor immune responses, tumor-educated dendritic cells (TEDCs) involved in the tolerance induction have attracted much attention recently. In this study, we investigated the effect of β-glucan on TEDCs and found that β-glucan treatment could promote the maturation and migration of TEDCs and that the suppressive function of TEDCs was significantly decreased. Treatment with β-glucan drastically decreased the levels of regulatory T (Treg) cells but increased the infiltration of macrophages, granulocytes and DCs in tumor masses, thus elicited Th1 differentiation and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses and led to a delay in tumor progression. These findings reveal that β-glucan can inhibit the regulatory function of TEDCs, therefore revealing a novel function for β-glucan in immunotherapy and suggesting its potential clinical benefit. β-Glucan directly abrogated tumor-educated dendritic cells-associated immune suppression, promoted Th1 differentiation and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte priming and improved antitumor responses. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Xu, Xiaohang, et al.
(author)
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The local impact of a coal-fired power plant on inorganic mercury and methyl-mercury distribution in rice (Oryza sativa L.)
- 2017
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In: Environmental Pollution. - : Elsevier BV. - 0269-7491 .- 1873-6424. ; 223, s. 11-18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Emission from coal-fired power plants is one of the major anthropogenic sources of mercury (Hg) in the environment, because emitted Hg can be quickly deposited nearby the source, attention is paid to the effects of coal-burning facilities on levels of toxic methyl-mercury (MeHg) in biota near such sources. Since rice is an agricultural crop that can bio-accumulate MeHg, the potential effects of a large Hg emitting coal-fired power plant in Hunan Province, China on both inorganic Hg (Hg(II)) and MeHg distributions in rice was investigated. Relatively high MeHg (up to 3.8 mu g kg(-1)) and Hg(II) (up to 22 mu g kg(-1)) concentrations were observed in rice samples collected adjacent to the plant, suggesting a potential impact of Hg emission from the coal fired power plant on the accumulation of Hg in rice in the area. Concentrations of MeHg in rice were positively correlated with soil MeHg, soil S, and gaseous elemental Hg (GEM) in ambient air. Soil MeHg was the most important factor controlling MeHg concentrations in rice. The methylation of Hg in soils may be controlled by factors such as the chemical speciation of inorganic Hg, soil S, and ambient GEM.
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