ABSTRACT
Background@#Our previous studies have shown that regulatory factor X5 (RFX5), a classical transcription regulator of MHCII genes, was obviously overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. However, the role of RFX5 in the carcinogenesis and progress of HCC remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal its biological significance and the underlying mechanism in HCC.@*Methods@#RFX5 mRNA expression level and copy number variation in HCC tumors and cell lines were determined by analyzing deposited data sets in the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus database. The biological significance of RFX5 in HCC was investigated by monitoring the colony formation and subcutaneous tumor growth capacity when RFX5 was silenced with lentiviral short hairpin RNA and CRISPR/Cas9 system in HCC cell lines. The downstream gene transcriptionally activated by RFX5 in HCC cells was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay. The involvement of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein theta (YWHAQ) in HCC development was further determined by performing colony formation rescue assay and subcutaneous tumor growth rescue experiment. The association of YWHAQ with recurrence-free survival of patients with HCC was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Moreover, apoptosis level and the protein level of p53 pathway were determined to reveal the mechanism of RFX5 in driving HCC development.@*Results@#RFX5 was amplified and highly overexpressed in HCC tumor tissues compared with the corresponding non-tumor tissues. The mRNA expression level of RFX5 was significantly correlated with its DNA copy number (r = 0.4, P < 0.001). Functional study demonstrated that RFX5 was required for both clonogenic forming in vitro and subcutaneous tumor growth in vivo of HCC cells. Further study identified YWHAQ, namely 14-3-3 tau, as a key downstream transcriptional target gene of RFX5, which was tightly regulated by RFX5 in HCC. Moreover, overexpression of YWHAQ largely rescued the clonogenic growth of HCC cells that was suppressed by RFX5 knockdown. In addition, overexpression of YWHAQ in primary tumor was linked to poor prognosis of patients with HCC. These results demonstrated that YWHAQ was a downstream effector of RFX5 in HCC. Notably, RFX5-YWHAQ pathway could protect cells from apoptosis by suppressing the p53 and Bax in HCC.@*Conclusion@#RFX5 is a putative HCC driver gene that plays an important role in the development and progression of HCC by transactivating YWHAQ and suppressing apoptosis.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#Our previous studies have shown that regulatory factor X5 (RFX5), a classical transcription regulator of MHCII genes, was obviously overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumors. However, the role of RFX5 in the carcinogenesis and progress of HCC remains unknown. This study aimed to reveal its biological significance and the underlying mechanism in HCC.@*METHODS@#RFX5 mRNA expression level and copy number variation in HCC tumors and cell lines were determined by analyzing deposited data sets in the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus database. The biological significance of RFX5 in HCC was investigated by monitoring the colony formation and subcutaneous tumor growth capacity when RFX5 was silenced with lentiviral short hairpin RNA and CRISPR/Cas9 system in HCC cell lines. The downstream gene transcriptionally activated by RFX5 in HCC cells was determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assay. The involvement of tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein theta (YWHAQ) in HCC development was further determined by performing colony formation rescue assay and subcutaneous tumor growth rescue experiment. The association of YWHAQ with recurrence-free survival of patients with HCC was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Moreover, apoptosis level and the protein level of p53 pathway were determined to reveal the mechanism of RFX5 in driving HCC development.@*RESULTS@#RFX5 was amplified and highly overexpressed in HCC tumor tissues compared with the corresponding non-tumor tissues. The mRNA expression level of RFX5 was significantly correlated with its DNA copy number (r = 0.4, P < 0.001). Functional study demonstrated that RFX5 was required for both clonogenic forming in vitro and subcutaneous tumor growth in vivo of HCC cells. Further study identified YWHAQ, namely 14-3-3 tau, as a key downstream transcriptional target gene of RFX5, which was tightly regulated by RFX5 in HCC. Moreover, overexpression of YWHAQ largely rescued the clonogenic growth of HCC cells that was suppressed by RFX5 knockdown. In addition, overexpression of YWHAQ in primary tumor was linked to poor prognosis of patients with HCC. These results demonstrated that YWHAQ was a downstream effector of RFX5 in HCC. Notably, RFX5-YWHAQ pathway could protect cells from apoptosis by suppressing the p53 and Bax in HCC.@*CONCLUSION@#RFX5 is a putative HCC driver gene that plays an important role in the development and progression of HCC by transactivating YWHAQ and suppressing apoptosis.
ABSTRACT
In China, about 40% of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) comes from cultivation in agrarian systems. The cropland is fundamental to the productions of medicinal plants, and the sustainable soil management is essential for sustainable using of the TCM resources, furthermore it affects the local economies of the medicinal plant production regions and the sustainable development of TCM agriculture. In this paper, the concept of the sustainable use of TCM cropland was discussed and the problems on sustainable soil management in China were analyzed from the aspects of resources and quality. The research advances in sustainable use of the medicinal plants cropland were reviewed from the aspects of continuous cropping obstacles, faming systems and degraded soil remediation. The strengthening research fields in the further were suggested.
Subject(s)
Agriculture , Conservation of Natural Resources , Ecosystem , Plants, Medicinal , SoilABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To provide evidence for establishing an efficient method of growing Panax quinquefolium by rotation of crops.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Four-year old P. quinquefolium was cultivated in water and soil cultures. Biological assays were conducted with the aqueous extracts of P. quinquefolius, Fructus Perillae and roots of Coix lacryma-jobi. P. quinquefolium was cultivated in the soil where purple Perilla frutesens and C. lacryma-jobi were grown previously. The effects of rotation were determined.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The stems, leaves and fibrous roots of Panax quinquefolium contained allelopathic substances. When the concentration of the allelopathic substances exceeded 1g per kg soil, P. quinquefolius could not grow. On the other hand, when the concentration of allelopathic substances fell below 0.2 g per kg soil, the rate of seedling growth was decreased by 25%. When P. quinquefolius was cultivated in the soil in which purple Perilla frutesens had previously grown, or in the soil supplemented with Fructus Perillae, the rates of seedling growth and the yield were raised by 26.8% and 11.5% tively, in comparison with the controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Rotation of Panax quinquefolium and Perilla frutesens was shown to be a good way for the cultivation of the former. During the growing process, application of Fructus Perillae to the soil could further enhance the growth and of Panax quinquefolium.</p>
Subject(s)
Agriculture , Methods , Coix , Germination , Panax , Chemistry , Perilla , Plant Extracts , Poisoning , Plant Leaves , Chemistry , Plant Roots , Chemistry , Plant Stems , Chemistry , Plants, Medicinal , ChemistryABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To provide basis of environmental factors of genuine crude drug, Salvia miltiorrhiza root.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>On-the-spot investigation and indoor chemical analysis were made to study the physicochemical properties of growing soil and content of inorganic elements of S. miltiorrhiza, and obtained data were analysed with SPSS 10.0 software.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>S. miltiorrhiza root of high harvest area accumulated Cu and Zn. In soil principal component analysis, no principal component was obvious. So the drug has good adaptability in ecological environment of soil.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ecological environment of soil isn't leading factor in forming genuine crude S. miltiorrhiza.</p>
Subject(s)
China , Copper , Ecosystem , Plant Roots , Chemistry , Plants, Medicinal , Chemistry , Salvia miltiorrhiza , Chemistry , Soil , ZincABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To provide basis for environmental factors of genuine crude Chinese angelica.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>On-the-spot investigation and indoor chemical analysis were made to study the physicochemical properties of cultivated soil of Chinese angelica.</p><p><b>RESULT AND CONCLUSION</b>The physical properties and the organic matte and mineral nutrition of cultivated soil of Chinese angelica are best in Min County, Gansu Province. The ecological environment is the leading factor in forming genuine crude Chinese angelica.</p>