Study on the Accumulation Mechanism of Amino Acids during Bruising and Withering Treatment of Oolong Tea.

Amino acids are very important for oolong tea brisk-smooth mouthfeel which is mainly associated with bruising and withering treatment (BWT). In this study, metabolome and transcriptome analyses were performed to comprehensively investigate the changes in abundance of amino acids and the expression pattern of relevant genes during BWT of oolong tea manufacturing. Levels of most amino acids increased during BWT in the leaves harvested from 4 cultivars, while expression of the relevant function genes responsible for synthesis and transformation of amino acids up-regulated accordingly. Upstream hub genes including receptor-like protein kinase IKU2, serine/threonine-protein kinase PBL11, MYB transcription factor MYB2, ethylene-responsive transcription factor ERF114, WRKY transcription factor WRKY71, aspartate aminotransferase AATC, UDP-glycosyltransferase U91D1, and 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-oxoglutarate aldolase 2 RRAA2, were predicted to be involved in regulation of the function genes expression and the amino acids metabolism through weighted gene coexpression network analysis. A modulation mechanism for accumulation of amino acids during BWT was also proposed. These findings give a deep insight into the metabolic reprogramming mechanism of amino acids during BWT of oolong tea.

Upregulation of the Non-Coding RNA OTUB1-isoform 2 Contributes to Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation and Invasion and Predicts Poor Gastric Cancer Prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The deubiquitinase OTUB1 plays critical oncogenic roles and facilitates tumor progression in cancer. However, less is known regarding the aberrant expression, clinical significance and biological functions of the non-coding RNA OTUB1-isoform 2. We aimed to evaluate the OTUB1-isoform 2 levels in gastric cancer and their possible correlation with clinicopathologic features and patient survival to reveal its biological effects in gastric cancer progression. METHODS: Total RNA extraction was performed on 156 gastric cancer case samples, and RT-qPCR was conducted. Chi-square test analysis was used to calculate the correlation between pathological parameters and the OTUB1-isoform 2 mRNA levels. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards analyses were used to analyze the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates. Nuclear and cytoplasmic RNAs were isolated to detect the subcellular localization of OTUB1-isoform 2. We also assessed whether overexpression of OTUB1-isoform 2 influenced in vitro cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, tumor cell invasion and migration, as well as in vivo nude mouse xenograft and metastasis models. RESULTS: The OTUB1-isoform 2 expression levels were higher in the gastric cancer samples than in the paratumorous gland samples. OTUB1-isoform 2 expression levels tightly correlated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis and TNM staging. Higher OTUB1-isoform 2 expression levels led to significantly poorer OS and DFS rates, and a multivariate analysis revealed that OTUB1-isoform 2 was an independent risk factor for DFS. OTUB1-isoform 2 was predominantly localized in the cell nucleus. Ectopic overexpression of OTUB1-isoform 2 in gastric cancer cells stimulated proliferation by inducing G1-S transition, suppression of cell apoptosis and promotion of tumor cell invasion and migration. Finally, OTUB1-isoform 2 overexpression promoted tumor growth and tumor metastasis in nude mice models. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that OTUB1-isoform 2 independently predicts poor prognosis and promotes tumor progression in gastric cancer. The non-coding RNA OTUB1-isoform 2 should be targeted in future molecular therapies.

BCL6 is a negative prognostic factor and exhibits pro-oncogenic activity in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of BCL6 plays critical oncogenic roles and facilitates tumorigenesis in various malignancies. However, whether the aberrant expression of BCL6 in ovarian carcinoma is associated with malignancy, metastasis or prognosis remains unknown. Our study aimed to investigate the expression of BCL6 in ovarian carcinoma and its possible correlation with clinicopathological features as well as patient survival to reveal its biological effects in ovarian tumor progression. METHODS: Immunochemistry analysis was performed in 105 cases of ovarian carcinoma covering the histological types of serous, endometrioid and clear cell. Spearman analysis was used to calculate the correlation between pathological parameters and the expression of BCL6. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards analysis were used to analyze the disease-specific survival (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS). We also assessed whether overexpression and knockdown of BCL6 influence in vitro cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, as well as tumor cell invasion and migration. RESULTS: The expression of BCL6 was higher in all three major kinds of ovarian cancer in comparison with paratumorous epithelium. BCL6 expression was tightly correlated with FIGO staging, lymph node metastasis and recurrence. Higher expression of BCL6 led to a significantly poorer DSS and DFS and multivariate analysis revealed that BCL6 was an independent risk factor of DSS and DFS. Enforced overexpression of BCL6 in ovarian tumor cells stimulated proliferation by inducing G1-S transition, and promoted tumor cell invasion and migration. Conversely, RNA interference-mediated silencing BCL6 expression inhibited proliferation by altered cell cycle progression and reduced the ability of the cells to migrate, and invade the extracellular matrix in culture. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the inappropriate activation of BCL6 predicts poor prognosis and promotes tumor progression in ovarian carcinoma. Targeting BCL6 could be a novel therapeutic choice for treating ovarian carcinoma patients.