LINC00662 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion of melanoma by sponging miR-890 to upregulate ELK3.

OBJECTIVE: Melanoma is one of the most malignant types of skin tumors and accounts for the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. LINC00662 is a tumor promoter in multiple types of cancer, but the role of LINC00662 in melanoma has not been fully elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression levels of LINC00662, miR-890, and ELK3 were detected by Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). MTT assay was performed to measure the cell proliferation ability in A375 and SK-MEL-1 cells. Cell migration and invasion abilities were measured by wound healing assay and transwell assay, respectively. Besides, Luciferase reporter assay was employed to examine the interaction between miR-890 and LINC00662 or ELK3. RESULTS: In the present study, it was demonstrated that melanoma patients with high expression levels of LINC00662 had a shorter survival time than those with low expression levels of LINC00662. LINC00662 exhibited higher expression levels in melanoma tissues and cell lines. Additionally, suppression of LINC00662 impaired cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Furthermore, animal experiments demonstrated that LINC00662 facilitated tumor growth in vivo. LINC00662 was confirmed to bind with miR-890, and ELK3 was identified as a downstream target gene of miR-890. Furthermore, miR-890 was found to negatively regulate ELK3 expression. Through rescue assays, overexpression of ELK3 reversed the inhibitive effects of LINC00662 knockdown or miR-890 mimics on the cell proliferative, migratory, and invasive abilities. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that LINC00662 facilitated the occurrence and development of melanoma by sponging miR-890 to upregulate ELK3. This discovery implied that LINC00662 may be a promising prognostic and therapeutic biomarker for patients with melanoma.

Combining remote sensing imagery and forest age inventory for biomass mapping.

Aboveground biomass (AGB) of forests is an important component of the global carbon cycle. In this study, Landsat ETM(+) images and field forest inventory data were used to estimate AGB of forests in Liping County, Guizhou Province, China. Three different vegetation indices, including simple ratio (SR), reduced simple ratio (RSR), and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), were calculated from atmospherically corrected ETM(+) reflectance images. A leaf area index (LAI) map was produced from the RSR map using a regression model based on measured LAI and RSR. The LAI map was then used to develop an initial AGB map, from which forest stand age was deduced. Vegetation indices, LAI, and forest stand age were together used to develop AGB estimation models for different forest types through a stepwise regression analysis. Significant predictors of AGB changed with forest types. LAI and NDVI were significant predictors of AGB for Chinese fir (R(2)=0.93). The model using LAI and stand age as predictors explained 94% of the AGB variance for coniferous forests. Stand age captured 79% of the AGB variance for broadleaved forests (R(2)=0.792). AGB of mixed forests was predicted well by LAI and SR (R(2)=0.931). Without differentiating among forest types, the model with SR and LAI as predictors was able to explain 90% of AGB variances of all forests. In Liping County, AGB shows a strong gradient that increases from northeast to southwest. About 64% of the forests have AGB in the range from 90 to 180 t ha(-1).

The distribution of monogenean parasites on aquatic vertebrates inhabiting Chinese inland waters.

The general distribution of monogenean parasites of aquatic vertebrates inhabiting Chinese inland waters is summarised. Five hundred and seventy-two out of a total of 581 species of monogeneans were discovered on fish, while only nine species were found on Amphibia and Reptilia. Most dactylogyrids and diplozoids parasitise cyprinids, while ancyrocephalids occur on silurids and cyprinids, and gyrodactylids are found mainly on cyprinids and cobitids. Analyses of host-specificity and host-diversity suggests that the family Ancyrocephalidae should be divided into several families parallel with the Dactylogyridae. Of 12 subfamilies of the Cyprinidae, only the Gobiobotinae was found to be free of infection with monogeneans, and the genus Dactylogyrus has more species than any other monogenean genus associated with every cyprinid subfamily.

Spectrophotometric determination of nickel with p-acetylarsenazo.

A spectrophotometric method for the determination of trace amounts of nickel is described. At pH 6, nickel reacts with p-acetylarsenazo to form a 1:2 coloured complex with an absorption maximum at 630 nm. The apparent molar absorptivity is 6.5 x 10(4) l.mol(-1) . cm(-1) . Beer's law is obeyed over the concentration range of 0-0.8 microg/ml. The proposed method is selective, sensitive and can be applied to the determination of nickel in aluminum alloy.