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16 pages, 2949 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Natural Glucan from Black Bean Inhibits Cancer Cell Proliferation via PI3K-Akt and MAPK Pathway

by Peng Li, Yihua Hu, Lingmin Zhan, Jiaqi He, Jingwu Lu, Chunyan Gao, Weijun Du, Aiqin Yue, Jinzhong Zhao and Wuxia Zhang

Molecules 2023, 28(4), 1971; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28041971 - 19 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2464

Abstract

A natural α-1,6-glucan named BBWPW was identified from black beans. Cell viability assay showed that BBWPW inhibited the proliferation of different cancer cells, especially HeLa cells. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that BBWPW suppressed the HeLa cell cycle in the G2/M phase. Consistently, RT-PCR experiments displayed that BBWPW significantly impacts the expression of four marker genes related to the G2/M phase, including p21, CDK1, Cyclin B1, and Survivin. To explore the molecular mechanism of BBWPW to induce cell cycle arrest, a transcriptome-based target inference approach was utilized to predict the potential upstream pathways of BBWPW and it was found that the PI3K-Akt and MAPK signal pathways had the potential to mediate the effects of BBWPW on the cell cycle. Further experimental tests confirmed that BBWPW increased the expression of BAD and AKT and decreased the expression of mTOR and MKK3. These results suggested that BBWPW could regulate the PI3K-Akt and MAPK pathways to induce cell cycle arrest and ultimately inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells, providing the potential of the black bean glucan to be a natural anticancer drug. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Natural Substances and Their Derivatives: In Search of New Structures, Activities and Applications)

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22 pages, 597 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Governing Cross-Border Data Flows: International Trade Agreements and Their Limits

by Yik-Chan Chin and Jingwu Zhao

Laws 2022, 11(4), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/laws11040063 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 19755

Abstract

In modern international competition and cooperation, digital trade rules centered on the cross-border flow of data have become a competitive advantage for countries. Under the guidance of commercial freedom, the United States chooses to actively promote the free flow of data across borders. The European Union has placed the protection of personal data rights before the cross-border flow of data through the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and developing countries generally reserve space for industry policy interpretation. As one of the world’s largest economies, facing the needs of domestic industrial development and the pressure of international systems, China’s cross-border data flows’ policy is to ensure data flows under the premise of security, protection of personal information, seek international coordination of rules, and the freedom of transmission. The key question, therefore, is how to facilitate interoperability or find a middle ground among the divergent approaches in order to avoid the fragmentation of the digital trade system. The article suggests that a thin and narrowly scoped WTO agreement on e-commerce rules on cross-border data flows with sufficient policy space to accommodate different needs, policy preferences and priorities, and local contexts via legitimate exception provisions would be a welcome movement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue International Law as a Driver of Internet Governance)

10 pages, 1834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Vacancy on Structural Stability, Mechanical Properties and Electronic Structures of a Ti₅Sn₃ Compound from First-Principles Calculations

by Xingzhi Pang, Fenggui Wei, Dong Liu, Wenchao Yang, Yanjun Zhao, Jingwu Wu, Mingjun Pang and Jianbing Yang

Crystals 2022, 12(8), 1061; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst12081061 - 29 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1797

Abstract

Titanium alloy is widely used in biomedical materials. Ti-Sn alloy is a new type β titanium alloy with no toxicity. In this paper, the mechanical and electronic properties of Ti₅Sn₃ with vacancy defects have been studied by using first-principles method. The vacancy formation energy, vacancy formation enthalpy, elastic constant, elastic modulus, hardness and electronic structure of perfect Ti₅Sn₃ and Ti₅Sn₃ with different vacancies were also calculated and discussed. The results show that Ti₅Sn₃ is more likely to form vacancies at V_Ti2. In addition, the bulk deformation resistance of Ti₅Sn₃ is weakened by the vacancy, and the shear resistance, stiffness and hardness of Ti₅Sn₃ are increased by the Ti vacancy, but the brittleness of Ti₅Sn₃ is increased. On the contrary, the presence of Sn vacancy decreases the shear resistance, stiffness and hardness of Ti₅Sn₃, and increases the toughness of Ti₅Sn₃. By analyzing the change of electronic structure, it is found that removing the Ti atom at the V_Ti2 position can improve the interaction between atoms, while Sn vacancy can weaken the interaction. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Materials Dedicated for Biomedical Applications)

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17 pages, 6550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Inhibitory Effect of Ursolic Acid on the Migration and Invasion of Doxorubicin-Resistant Breast Cancer

by Li Zong, Guorong Cheng, Jingwu Zhao, Xiaoyu Zhuang, Zhong Zheng, Zhiqiang Liu and Fengrui Song

Molecules 2022, 27(4), 1282; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27041282 - 14 Feb 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3464

Abstract

The cause of death in most breast cancer patients is disease metastasis and the occurrence of multidrug resistance (MDR). Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), which is involved into multiple pathways, is closely related to carcinogenesis and development. Ursolic acid (UA), a natural triterpenoid compound, has been shown to reverse the MDR characteristics of tumor cells. However, the effect of UA on the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells with MDR is not known. Therefore, we investigated the effects of UA on invasion and metastasis, ODC-related polyamine metabolism, and MAPK-Erk-VEGF/MMP-9 signaling pathways in a doxorubicin-resistant breast cancer cell (MCF-7/ADR) model. The obtained results showed that UA significantly inhibited the adhesion and migration of MCF-7/ADR cells, and had higher affinities with key active cavity residues of ODC compared to the known inhibitor di-fluoro-methyl-ornithine (DFMO). UA could downregulate ODC, phosphorylated Erk (P-Erk), VEGF, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) activity. Meanwhile, UA significantly reduced the content of metabolites of the polyamine metabolism. Furthermore, UA increased the intracellular accumulation of Dox in MCF-7/ADR cells. Taken together, UA can inhibit against tumor progression during the treatment of breast cancer with Dox, and possibly modulate the Erk-VEGF/MMP-9 signaling pathways and polyamine metabolism by targeting ODC to exert these effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biofunctional Molecule Exploratory Research on Application in Food and Health)

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16 pages, 5147 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rapid and Visual Detection of Heterodera schachtii Using Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Combined with Cas12a-Mediated Technology

by Ke Yao, Deliang Peng, Chen Jiang, Wei Zhao, Guangkuo Li, Wenkun Huang, Lingan Kong, Haifeng Gao, Jingwu Zheng and Huan Peng

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22(22), 12577; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222212577 - 22 Nov 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3579

Abstract

Heterodera schachtii is a well-known cyst nematode that causes serious economic losses in sugar beet production every year. Rapid and visual detection of H. schachtii is essential for more effective prevention and control. In this study, a species-specific recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) primer was designed from a specific H. schachtii sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker. A band was obtained in reactions with DNA from H. schachtii, but absent from nontarget cyst nematodes. The RPA results could be observed by the naked eye, using a lateral flow dipstick (LFD). Moreover, we combined CRISPR technology with RPA to identify positive samples by fluorescence detection. Sensitivity analysis indicated that 10⁻⁴ single cysts and single females, 4⁻³ single second-stage juveniles, and a 0.001 ng genomic DNA template could be detected. The sensitivity of the RPA method for H. schachtii detection is not only higher than that of PCR and qPCR, but can also provide results in <1 h. Consequently, the RPA assay is a practical and useful diagnostic tool for early diagnosis of plant tissues infested by H. schachtii. Sugar beet nematodes were successfully detected in seven of 15 field sugar beet root samples using the RPA assay. These results were consistent with those achieved by conventional PCR, indicating 100% accuracy of the RPA assay in field samples. The RPA assay developed in the present study has the potential for use in the direct detection of H. schachtii infestation in the field. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Biochemistry)

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21 pages, 5739 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An 8.8 ps RMS Resolution Time-To-Digital Converter Implemented in a 60 nm FPGA with Real-Time Temperature Correction

by Zhipeng Song, Zhixiang Zhao, Hongsen Yu, Jingwu Yang, Xi Zhang, Tengjie Sui, Jianfeng Xu, Siwei Xie, Qiu Huang and Qiyu Peng

Sensors 2020, 20(8), 2172; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20082172 - 11 Apr 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5213

Abstract

This paper presented a non-uniform multiphase (NUMP) time-to-digital converter (TDC) implemented in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with real-time automatic temperature compensation. NUMP-TDC is a novel, low-cost, high-performance TDC that has achieved an excellent performance in Altera Cyclone V FPGA. The root mean square (RMS) for the intrinsic timing resolution was 2.3 ps. However, the propagation delays in the delay chain of some FPGAs (for example, the Altera Cyclone 10 LP) vary significantly as the temperature changes. Thus, the timing performances of NUMP-TDCs implemented in those FPGAs are significantly impacted by temperature fluctuations. In this study, a simple method was developed to monitor variations in propagation delays using two registers deployed at both ends of the delay chain and compensate for changes in propagation delay using a look-up table (LUT). When the variations exceeded a certain threshold, the LUT for the delay correction was updated, and a bin-by-bin correction was launched. Using this correction approach, a resolution of 8.8 ps RMS over a wide temperature range (5 °C to 80 °C) had been achieved in a NUMP-TDC implemented in a Cyclone 10 LP FPGA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Electronics for Sensors)

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