Vernalization promotes bolting in sugar beet by inhibiting the transcriptional repressors of BvGI.

Sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.), a biennial sugar crop, contributes about 16% of the world's sugar production. The transition from vegetative growth, during which sugar accumulated in beet, to reproductive growth, during which sugar exhausted in beet, is determined by vernalization and photoperiod. GIGANTEA (GI) is a key photoperiodic flowering gene that is induced by vernalization in sugar beet. To identify the upstream regulatory factors of BvGI, candidate transcription factors (TF) that were co-expressed with BvGI and could bind to the BvGI promoter were screened based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and TF binding site prediction. Subsequently, their transcriptional regulatory role on the BvGI was validated through subcellular localization, dual-luciferase assays and yeast transformation tests. A total of 7,586 differentially expressed genes were identified after vernalization and divided into 18 co-expression modules by WGCNA, of which one (MEcyan) and two (MEdarkorange2 and MEmidnightblue) modules were positively and negatively correlated with the expression of BvGI, respectively. TF binding site predictions using PlantTFDB enabled the screening of BvLHY, BvTCP4 and BvCRF4 as candidate TFs that negatively regulated the expression of BvGI by affecting its transcription. Subcellular localization showed that BvLHY, BvTCP4 and BvCRF4 were localized to the nucleus. The results of dual-luciferase assays and yeast transformation tests showed that the relative luciferase activity and expression of HIS3 was reduced in the BvLHY, BvTCP4 and BvCRF4 transformants, which suggested that the three TFs inhibited the BvGI promoter. In addition, real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR showed that BvLHY and BvTCP4 exhibited rhythmic expression characteristics similar to that of BvGI, while BvCRF4 did not. Our results revealed that vernalization crosstalked with the photoperiod pathway to initiate bolting in sugar beet by inhibiting the transcriptional repressors of BvGI.

Bacteria and poisonous plants/fungi were the primary causative hazards of foodborne disease outbreaks: A five-year survey from Guangzhou, Guangdong.

The burden of foodborne diseases is of serious concern. More effective and localized intervention policies for outbreak prevention and management are required; however, policy modification is hampered due to a lack of information on the epidemiological characteristics of outbreaks in Guangzhou. We collected data from 182 foodborne disease outbreaks reported in Guangzhou, China from 2017 to 2021 to investigate the epidemiological characteristics and associated factors. Nine outbreaks were serious enough to be labelled as level IV public health emergencies, all of which were associated with canteens. In terms of the number of outbreaks, morbidity and clinical medical needs, bacteria and poisonous plants/fungi were the primary causative hazards of outbreaks, and were found mostly in foodservice establishments (96 %, 95/99) and private homes (86 %, 37/43) respectively. Surprisingly, Vibrio parahaemolyticus was primarily identified in meat and poultry products rather than in aquatic products in these outbreaks. Patient specimens and food samples were among the most common sources of detected pathogens in foodservice establishments and private homes. Cross-contamination (35 %), improper processing (32 %) and equipment/utensil contamination (30 %) were the top three risk factors for outbreaks related to foodservice establishments, while accidental ingestion of poisonous food (78 %) was the most common risk factor in private homes. Based on the above epidemiological characteristics of the outbreaks, key foodborne disease intervention policy points should be to raise public awareness of harmful food and avoid risk behaviour, improve handler hygiene training, and strengthen the hygiene management and supervision of kitchens, especially canteens in collective units.

Prediction of risk factors for scrub typhus from 2006 to 2019 based on random forest model in Guangzhou, China.

OBJECTIVES: Scrub typhus is an increasingly serious public health problem, which is becoming the most common vector-borne disease in Guangzhou. This study aimed to analyse the correlation between scrub typhus incidence and potential factors and rank the importance of influential factors. METHODS: We collected monthly scrub typhus cases, meteorological variables, rodent density (RD), Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and land use type in Guangzhou from 2006 to 2019. Correlation analysis and a random forest model were used to identify the risk factors for scrub typhus and predict the importance rank of influencing factors related to scrub typhus incidence. RESULTS: The epidemiological results of the scrub typhus cases in Guangzhou between 2006 and 2019 showed that the incidence rate was on the rise. The results of correlation analysis revealed that a positive relationship between scrub typhus incidence and meteorological factors of mean temperature (Tmean ), accumulative rainfall (RF), relative humidity (RH), sunshine hours (SH), and NDVI, RD, population density, and green land coverage area (all p < 0.001). Additionally, we tested the relationship between the incidence of scrub typhus and the lagging meteorological factors through cross-correlation function, and found that incidence was positively correlated with 1-month lag Tmean , 2-month lag RF, 2-month lag RH, and 6-month lag SH (all p < 0.001). Based on the random forest model, we found that the Tmean was the most important predictor among the influential factors, followed by NDVI. CONCLUSIONS: Meteorological factors, NDVI, RD, and land use type jointly affect the incidence of scrub typhus in Guangzhou. Our results provide a better understanding of the influential factors correlated with scrub typus, which can improve our capacity for biological monitoring and help public health authorities to formulate disease control strategies.

Genetic Alterations in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With Hashimoto's Thyroiditis： ANK3, an Indolent Maintainer of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (TH) is a risk factor for the occurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), which is considered to be the most common type of thyroid cancer. In recent years, the prevalence of PTC with TH has been increasing, but little is known about the genetic alteration in PTC with TH. This study analyzed the mutation spectrum and mutation signature of somatic single nucleotide variants (SNV) for 10 non-tumor and tumor pair tissues of PTC with TH using whole-exome sequencing. The ANK3 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in PTC with TH and PTC samples. Moreover, the functional role of ANK3 in PTC cells was determined by CCK-8 proliferation assay, colony formation assays, cell cycle analysis, cell invasion and migration and in vivo study through overexpression assay. Our results showed three distinct mutational signatures and the C>T/G>A substitution was the most common type of SNV. Gene-set enrichment analysis showed that most of the significantly mutated genes were enriched in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton signaling. Moreover, NCOR2, BPTF, ANK3, and PCSK5 were identified as the significantly mutated genes in PTC with TH, most of which have not been previously characterized. Unexpectedly, it was found that ANK3 was overexpressed in cytoplasm close to the membrane of PTC cells with TH and in almost all PTC cases, suggesting its role as a diagnostic marker of PTC. Ectopic expression of ANK3 suppressed invasion and migration, increased apoptosis of B-CPAP and TPC-1 cells. Moreover, our findings revealed that enhanced ANK3 expression inhibits growth of PTC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Ectopic expression of ANK3 significantly enhanced E-cadherin protein expression and inhibited PTC progression, at least in part, by suppression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Our study shows that ANK3 exerts an anti-oncogenic role in the development of PTC and might be an indolent maintainer of PTC.

Comparative proteomic analysis on chloroplast proteins provides new insights into the effects of low temperature in sugar beet.

BACKGROUND: Low temperature, which is one of the main environmental factors that limits geographical distribution and sucrose yield, is a common abiotic stress during the growth and development of sugar beet. As a regulatory hub of plant response to abiotic stress, activity in the chloroplasts is related to many molecular and physiological processes, particularly in response to low temperature stress. RESULTS: The contents of chlorophyll (Chl) and malondialdehyde (MDA), relative electrical conductivity (REL), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured. The results showed that sugar beet could manage low temperature stress by regulating the levels of Chl, REL and MDA, and the activity of SOD. The physiological responses indicated that sugar beets respond positively to low temperature treatments and are not significantly damaged. Moreover, to determine the precise time to response low temperature in sugar beet, well-known abiotic stresses-responsive transcript factor family, namely DEHYDRATION RESPONSIVE ELEMENT BINDING PROTEIN (DREB), was selected as the marker gene. The results of phylogenetic analyses showed that BvDREBA1 and BvDREBA4 were in the same branch as the cold- and drought-responsive AtDREB gene. In addition, the expression of BvDREBs reached its maximum level at 24 h after low temperature by RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analysis. Furthermore, the changes in chloroplast proteome after low temperature at 24 h were detected using a label-free technique. A total of 416 differentially expressed proteins were identified. GO enrichment analysis showed that 16 GO terms were significantly enriched, particularly chloroplast stroma, chloroplast envelope, and chloroplast thylakoid membrane. It is notable that the transport of photosynthetic proteins (BvLTD and BvTOC100), the formation of starch granules (BvPU1, BvISA3, and BvGWD3) and the scavenging of reactive oxygen species (BvCu/Zn-SOD, BvCAT, BvPrx, and BvTrx) were the pathways used by sugar beets to respond to low temperatures at an early stage. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide a preliminarily analysis of how chloroplasts of sugar beet respond to low temperature stress at the translational level and provide a theoretical basis for breeding low temperature resistant varieties of sugar beet.

Development and utility of a close contact information management system for the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Since the outbreak started in 2019, COVID-19 pandemic has a significant global impact. Due to the highly infective nature of SARS-CoV-2, the COVID-19 close contacts are at significant risk of contracting COVID-19. China's experience in successfully controlling COVID-19 emphasized the importance of managing close contacts because this strategy helps to limit potential infection sources, prevent the unconscious spread of COVID-19 and thus control this pandemic. As a result, to understand and consider the management of close contacts may be beneficial to other countries. However, managing close contacts is challenging owing to the huge number of close contacts and a lack of appropriate management tools and literature references. METHODS: A new system called the COVID-19 Close Contact Information Management System was developed. Here we introduced the design, use, improvement and achievements of this system. RESULTS: This system was designed from the standpoint of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in charge of managing close contacts. Two main functions and eight modules/themes were ultimately formed after two development stages. The system introduces what information need to be collected in the close contact management. Since the system allows information flow across cities, the geographical distance and administrative regional boundaries are no longer obstacles for managing close contacts, which promotes the management of each close contact. Moreover, when this system is used in conjunction with other data tools, it provides data assistance for understanding the COVID-19 characteristics and formulating targeted COVID-19 control policies. To date, the system has been widely used in Guangdong Province for over 1 year and has recorded tens of thousands of pieces of data. There is sufficient practical experience to suggest that the system is capable of meeting the professional work requirements for close contact management. CONCLUSIONS: This system provides a new way to manage close contacts and restrict the spread of COVID-19 by combining information technology with disease prevention and control strategies in the realm of public health. We hope that this system will serve as an example and guide for those anticipating similar work in other countries in response to current and future public health incidents.

The effect of cardiovascular disease and acute cardiac injury on fatal COVID-19: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With the continuance of the global COVID-19 pandemic, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiac injury have been suggested to be risk factors for severe COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to evaluate the mortality risks associated with CVD and cardiac injury among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, especially in subgroups of populations in different countries. METHODS: A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed using 9 databases from November 1, 2019 to November 9, 2020. Meta-analyses were performed for CVD and cardiac injury between non-survivors and survivors of COVID-19. RESULTS: Although the prevalence of CVD in different populations was different, hospitalized COVID-19 patients with CVD were at a higher risk of fatal outcomes (OR = 2.72; 95% CI 2.35-3.16) than those without CVD. Separate meta-analyses of populations in four different countries also reached a similar conclusion that CVD was associated with an increase in mortality. Cardiac injury was common among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients with cardiac injury had a significantly higher mortality risk than those without cardiac injury (OR = 13.25; 95% CI: 8.56-20.52). CONCLUSIONS: Patients' CVD history and biomarkers of cardiac injury should be taken into consideration during the hospital stay and incorporated into the routine laboratory panel for COVID-19.

Emerging functions of PRKDC in the initiation and progression of cancer.

The DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) is encoded by the protein kinase, DNA-activated, catalytic polypeptide (PRKDC) gene. DNA-PKcs plays a major role in nonhomologous end joining DNA repair, and it has been identified to be an important factor in tumor progression and metastasis. DNA-PKcs may have opposite effects in diseases, depending on the cell and tissue types. In this review, we discuss its role in various tumors. High levels of DNA-PKcs are directly associated with prognosis, neoplasm recurrence rates, and overall survival. Our results suggest that DNA-PKcs may serve as a therapeutic target for advanced malignancies.

The effect of miRNA and autophagy on colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has become a concern because of its high recurrence rate and metastasis rate, low early diagnosis rate and poor therapeutic effect. At present, various studies have shown that autophagy is closely connected with the occurrence and progression of CRC. Autophagy is a highly cytosolic catabolic process involved in lysosomes in biological evolution. Cells degrade proteins and damaged organelles by autophagy to achieve material circulation and maintain cell homeostasis. Moreover, microRNAs are key regulators of autophagy, and their mediated regulation of transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels plays an important role in autophagy in CRC cells. This review focuses on the recent research advances of how autophagy and related microRNAs are involved in affecting occurrence and progression of CRC and provides a new perspective for the study of CRC treatment strategies.

Representative Genotyping, Recombination and Evolutionary Dynamics Analysis of TSA56 Gene Segment of Orientia tsutsugamushi.

Scrub typhus is a zoonotic disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi (O. tsutsugamushi). Orientia tsutsugamushi has various genotypes and more new strains with difference in sequences increasingly appeared. Whether the accurateness of one special nested PCR method which amplifies segment instead of entire open reading frame (ORF) sequence meets the current work of identifying new strains and classifying genotypes remains to be confirmed. And the origins and evolution of this organism have not been thoroughly elucidated. Accordingly, in this study, segments and the entire ORF of the 56-kDa type-specific antigen (TSA56) gene of O. tsutsugamushi were collected, including 209 clinically isolated strains in Guangzhou, China from 2012 to 2016 and 139 reference strains worldwide. By performing phylogenetic analysis, we proved that the accurateness of the particular PCR method which almost met detection need. This re-grouping result showed that segments perfectly represented and identified strains of Karp, Boryong, Gilliam, TA763, Kawasaki and part of Kato genotype, and this accuracy is not restricted by region and time. Sequence diversification of Shimokoshi and some Kato strains made their genotyping need to consider entire ORF sequences, but their weak recognition might not be due to recombination. The frequent genetic recombination and high point mutations contributed to genetic diversification of the TSA56 gene. Major overlapping regions of most recombination events occurred between strains of the same genotype, especially Karp and Kato genotype. And cross-genotype overlapping events occurred between Karp and Boryong/Gilliam/TA763/Kato, Kato and Kawasaki/Gilliam/TA686, Boryong and TA686, and Gilliam and Kawasaki. But Segment has quite low recombination frequency and stable mutation trend from 1943 to 2016. So segment is a relatively conserved part of the TSA56 ORF as for its stable trend of genetic diversity, and it may anchor and represent the entire TSA56 ORF gene. And genetic diversity is rejected as one potential reason for the increased incidence of scrub typhus. But an occasional recombination event created an unrecognized genotype which might be due to the breakage of VD II and AD II. Additionally, strains in Guangzhou were homologous and Karp genotype was detected as a dominant.

Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain involves HOXA6 via a TET1-dependent demethylation of the SOX10 promoter.

Chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain is a common dose-limiting side effect of cancer treatment but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we used a whole-genome expression microarray and gene ontology analysis to identify the upregulation of a sequence-specific DNA-binding protein, HOXA6, in the spinal dorsal horn on Day 10 after injection of rats with oxaliplatin. Genetic disruption of HOXA6 with siRNAs alleviated mechanical allodynia after oxaliplatin administration. Reduced representation bisulfite sequencing assays indicated that oxaliplatin decreased the methylation levels of the SOX10 promoter but not of HOXA6. TET1 was also upregulated by oxaliplatin. Genetic disruption of TET1 with siRNA blocked the promoter demethylation of SOX10 and the upregulation of HOXA6 and SOX10. Importantly, inhibition of SOX10 by intrathecal application of SOX10 siRNA ameliorated the mechanical allodynia induced by oxaliplatin and downregulated the expression of HOXA6. Consistently, overexpression of SOX10 through intraspinal injection of AAV-SOX10-EGFP produced mechanical allodynia and upregulated the expression of spinal dorsal horn HOXA6. Moreover, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that oxaliplatin increased the binding of SOX10 to the promoter region of HOXA6. Taken together, our data suggest that HOXA6 upregulation through the TET1-mediated promoter demethylation of SOX10 may contribute to oxaliplatin-induced neuropathic pain.

Emerging roles of circRNA in formation and progression of cancer.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are recently discovered as a special novel type of endogenous noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), which form a covalently closed continuous loop and are highly represented in the eukaryotic transcriptome. Recent research revealed that circRNAs can function as microRNA (miRNA) sponges, regulators of splicing and transcription, as well as interact with RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). In this review, not only the function and mechanism, but also the experimental methods of circRNA are summarized. The summary of the current state of circRNA will help us in the discovery of novel biomarkers, the therapeutic targets and their potential significance in diagnosis and treatment of diseases. CircRNAs might play important roles in cancers especially in hepatocellular carcinoma, gastric carcinoma and colorectal cancer as well as serving as diagnostic or predictive biomarkers of some diseases and providing new treatments of diseases.

MicroRNA-34a suppresses the invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cells by enhancing EGR1 and inhibiting vimentin.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are small non-coding RNAs that serve a post-transcriptional regulatory role in eukaryotes. Previous studies have demonstrated that the expression of miR-34a in colorectal cancer (CRC) tissues is decreased compared with that in normal colorectal tissues. However, the role of miR-34a in the invasion and metastasis of CRC remains unclear. In the present study, the levels of miR-34a expression were measured in various CRC cell lines. The cells were transfected with miR-34a mimics or inhibitors in order to assess the proliferation rate, and the colony forming, invasive and migratory abilities. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of vimentin and early growth response protein 1 (EGR1) were examined by western blot analysis. The results revealed that the expression of miR-34a was low in SW620, RKO, LoVo and Caco-2 cell lines and high in the SW480 and SW1116 cell lines. The migration, invasion and proliferation levels of SW480 cells were facilitated by decreasing the expression of miR-34a. Transient transfection with miR-34a mimics in SW620 cells caused a notable decrease in cell migration, invasion and proliferation levels compared with the control group, and a downregulation of vimentin and upregulation of EGR1 protein expression. The present study demonstrated that miR-34a was deregulated in a highly invasive CRC cell lines, and that it may attenuate the migratory, invasive and proliferative capabilities of CRC cells by enhancing the expression of EGR1 and inhibiting that of vimentin. The results of the present study represent important progress towards understanding the mechanisms of CRC recurrence and metastasis.

Emerging Roles of lncRNAs in the Formation and Progression of Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the primary cause of cancer-related death worldwide; however, specific and sensitive tools for the early diagnosis and targeted therapy of CRC are currently lacking. High-throughput sequencing technology revealed that gene expression of long-chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a number of cancers directly or indirectly interferes with various biological processes. Emerging evidence suggests that lncRNAs regulate target genes and play an important role in the biological processes of malignancies, including CRC. Many carcinostatic/oncogenic lncRNAs have been identified as biomarkers for metastasis and prognosis in CRC; hence, they serve as therapeutic tools. In this article, we systematically review the literature on the disordered lncRNAs in CRC from four aspects: DNA transcription, RNA level regulation, post-translational level, and the translation of lncRNAs into polypeptides. Subsequently, we analyze the mechanism through which lncRNAs participate in the biological process of CRC. Finally, we discuss the application and prospects of these lncRNAs in CRC.

The mechanisms and clinical significance of PDCD4 in colorectal cancer.

In recent years, the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer (CRC) have been on a global upward trend. There is an urgent need for effective tools to prevent and treat CRC and reduce morbidity and mortality of CRC patients. Recent evidence suggests that programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4), a novel tumor suppressor gene, inhibits tumor progression at transcriptional and translational levels and regulates multiple signal transduction pathways. However, little is known about the precise mechanisms regulating PDCD4 expression in CRC. In addition, several studies have demonstrated that the expression of in CRC is down-regulated or even absent. PDCD4 is therefore considered to be an independent prognostic factor in CRC and may be a potential support diagnostic tool for distinguishing in normal colon tissue, benign adenoma and CRC. This review will focus on the expression of PDCD4 in CRC and the relevant molecular mechanisms.

Characterization of CSF2A fusion gene and its effect on Epstein-Barr virus-positive tumor cells.

We build the latent membrane protein gene latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) and the granulocyte-macrophase colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) gene fusion gene (CSF2A) and discuss how the CSF2A fusion protein influenced the proliferation and apoptosis of Epstein-Barr virus-positive (EBV+ ) tumor cells. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was used to amplify the LMP2A gene and GM-CSF gene fragments, respectively, according to the principle of overlap extension in the coding (Gly4Ser)3 polypeptide gene fragments of DNA restructured under the connection. The CSF2A gene could be connected with the pIRES2-enhanced green fluorescent protein vector by recombinant DNA technology and identified by enzyme electrophoresis analysis and DNA sequencing. Then, the recombinant vector was transfected into dendritic cells (DCs); RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were used for testing the CSF2A gene messenger RNA and protein expression. The impacts of CSF2A on the proliferation and apoptosis of EBV+ tumor cells were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and Hochest 33342 staining. We successfully obtained the recombinant vector named pIRES2-CSF2A. The expression of CSF2A could be detected by transfecting pIRES2-CSF2A into DCs. The DCs were cocultured with T lymphocytes and then acted on the EBV+ CNE2 nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. MTT assay showed that the inhibiting effect of CSF2A obviously increased and the time dependency (**P < 0.01, *P < 0.05) also existed. Hochest 33342 staining showed apoptosis morphological changes of cells in nucleus staining and generated the apoptotic body. Apoptosis cells of the pIRES2-CSF2A group increased significantly at 48 hours. The results showed that the pIRES2-CSF2A recombinant vector was effectively transfected into DCs and the fusion gene CSF2A could promote EBV+ CNE2 cell apoptosis, laying the foundation for the specificity of EBV+ tumor targeting immune gene therapy in the future.

The function and clinical significance of eIF3 in cancer.

Abnormal regulation of gene expression is essential for tumorigenesis. Several studies indicate that regulation of oncogene expression and neoplastic transformation are controlled by subunits of eukaryotic translation initiation factors (eIFs). Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is the largest (800 kDa) and the most complex mammalian initiation factor. It is composed of 13 non-identical polypeptides designated as eIF3a-m and plays a pivotal role in protein synthesis that bridges the 43S pre-initiation complex and eIF4F-bound mRNA. However, the functional roles of individual subunits are not yet very clear. This review presents on several of aberrant expressed eIF3 subunits which are detected in various human cancers and the associated mechanisms have been acknowledged or are still not sure. Finally, identifying novel targets and biomarkers for caner is of great importance in early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. eIF3 may be a novel target molecule in drug development for cancer treatment and prevention.

Clinicopathological Significance of MTA 1 Expression in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Metastasis associated gene 1(MTA1) is one of the most deregulated molecules in human cancer and leads to cancer progression and metastasis. We performed a meta-analysis to determine the correlations between MTA1 expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We searched PubMed, Springer, Science Direct, Google Scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for relevant articles. For statistical analyses, we used R3.1.1 software. The fixed or random effects model was employed based on the results of the statistical test for homogeneity. Results: Seven studies involving 660 NSCLC patients were included. The proportion of MTA1 overexpression with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 0.53(95%CI: 0.43-0.62) in NSCLC patients; 0.47(95%CI: 0.40-0.55) in age <60 years and 0.52(95%CI: 0.34-0.70) in age ≥60 years; 0.5(95%CI: 0.41- 0.62) in males and 0.51(95%CI: 0.39-0.62) in females; 0.59(95%CI: 0.48-0.69) in squamous cell carcinoma (SC) and 0.57(95%CI: 0.46-0.67) in adenocarcinoma (AC); 0.39(95%CI: 0.23-0.56) in well-differentiated tumors, 0.44(95%CI: 0.37-0.51) in moderately differentiated tumors and 0.55(95%CI: 0.37-0.51) in poorly differentiated tumors; 0.48(95%CI: 0.36-0.60) in clinical grade (III-IV) NSCLC and 0.75 (95%CI: 0.69-0.81) in clinical grade (I-II) NSCLC; 0.58(95%CI: 0.45-0.71) in T Stage (T1/T2) NSCLC; 0.68(95%CI: 0.49-0.82) in NSCLC patients with lymph node positivity and 0.51(95%CI: 0.43-0.58) in NSCLC patients with lymph node negativity. Conclusions: These results indicated that MTA1 might be a valuable biomarker in the diagnosis of NSCLC. MTA1 overexpression was significantly associated with age ≥60 years, gender, histopathological type, clinical grade (I-II), T stage (T1/T2) and lymph node positivity in NSCLC patients.