AIM: To investigate the expression of forkhead box protein M1(Fox M1) in the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and its role in metastasis.METHODS: Fox M1 and E-cadherin expr...AIM: To investigate the expression of forkhead box protein M1(Fox M1) in the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and its role in metastasis.METHODS: Fox M1 and E-cadherin expression in HCC tissue microarray specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining,and statistical methods were applied to analyze the correlation between FoxM 1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT).KaplanMeier analysis of the correlation between the Fox M1 expression level and recurrence or overall survival of HCC patients was performed.The expression of FoxM 1,E-cadherin and snail homologue 1(SNAI1) in HCC cell lines was evaluated by real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction and Western blot.Hepatocyte growth factor(HGF) was used to induce EMT and stimulate cell migration in HCC cells.The expression of Fox M1 and SNAI1 was regulated by transfection with plasmids pc DNA3.1 and si RNAs in vitro.The occurrence of EMT was evaluated by Transwell assay,morphologic analysis and detection of the expression of EMT markers(E-cadherin and vimentin).Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to evaluate whether SNAI1 is a direct transcriptional target of FoxM 1.RESULTS: FoxM 1 expression was increased significantly in HCC compared with para-carcinoma(10.7 ± 0.9 vs 8.2 ± 0.7,P < 0.05) and normal hepatic(10.7 ± 0.9 vs 2.7 ± 0.4,P < 0.05) tissues.Overexpression of Fox M1 was correlated with HCC tumor size,tumor number,macrovascular invasion and higher TNM stage,but was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression in microarray specimens and in cell lines.Fox M1 overexpression was correlated significantly with HCC metastasis and EMT.In vitro,we found that FoxM 1 plays a key role in HGF-induced EMT,and overexpression of Fox M1 could suppress E-cadherin expression and induce EMT changes,which were associated with increased HCC cell invasiveness.Next,we confirmed that FOXM1 directly binds to and activates the SNAI1 promoter,and we identified SNAI1 as a direct transcriptional target of FOXM1.Moreover,inhibiting the expression of SNAI1 significantly inhibited FoxM 1-mediated EMT.CONCLUSION: Fox M1 overexpression promotes EMT and metastasis of HCC,and SNAI1 plays a critical role in FoxM 1-mediated EMT.展开更多
AIM:To preliminarily investigate the prognostic significance of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio(PLR) in patients with gallbladder carcinoma(GBC).METHODS:Clinical data of 316 surgical GBC patients were analyzed retros...AIM:To preliminarily investigate the prognostic significance of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio(PLR) in patients with gallbladder carcinoma(GBC).METHODS:Clinical data of 316 surgical GBC patients were analyzed retrospectively,and preoperative serum platelet and lymphocyte counts were used to calculate the PLR.The optimal cut-off value of the PLR for detecting death was determined by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve.The primary outcome was overall survival,which was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.The log-rank test was used to compare the differences in survival.Then,we conducted multivariate Cox analysis to assess the independent effect of the PLR on the survival of GBC patients.RESULTS:For the PLR,the area under the ROC curve was 0.620(95%CI:0.542-0.698,P = 0.040) in detecting death.The cut-off value for the PLR was determined to be 117.7,with 73.6% sensitivity and 53.2% specificity.The PLR was found to be significantlypositively correlated with CA125 serum level,tumornode-metastasis(TNM) stage,and tumor differentiation.Univariate analysis identified carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),CA125 and CA199 levels,PLR,TNM stage,and the degree of differentiation as significant prognostic factors for GBC when they were expressed as binary data.Multivariate analysis showed that CA125 > 35 U/mL,CA199 > 39 U/mL,PLR ≥ 117.7,and TNM stage Ⅳ were independently associated with poor survival in GBC.When expressed as a continuous variable,the PLR was still an independent predictor for survival,with a hazard ratio of 1.018(95%CI:1.001-1.037 per 10-unit increase,P = 0.043).CONCLUSION:The PLR could be used as a simple,inexpensive,and valuable tool for predicting the prognosis of GBC patients.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the prognostic significance of estrogen receptor 1(ER1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A) expression in primary gallbladder carcinoma(GBC) to identify new prognostic markers for this...AIM: To investigate the prognostic significance of estrogen receptor 1(ER1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A) expression in primary gallbladder carcinoma(GBC) to identify new prognostic markers for this malignancy.METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated ER1 and VEGF-A expression in 78 GBC and 78 cholelithiasis(CS) tissues. The results were correlated with clinicopathological features. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between ER1 and VEGF-A expression and patients' prognosis. Further Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was also performed. RESULTS: ER1 and VEGF-A expression was significantly higher in GBC compared with CS(47/78 vs 28/78, P < 0.05; 51/78 vs 33/78, P < 0.05). ER1 expression was correlated with gender(P < 0.05) and VEGF-A expression was correlated with tumor differentiation in GBC patients(P < 0.05). In univariate analysis, age and tumor node metastasis(TNM) stage were factors associated with GBC prognosis(P < 0.05). Although there was no statistical difference between the expression of ER1 or VEGF-A and overall survival, the high expression of ER1 combined with VEGF-A predicted a poor prognosis for GBC patients(16.30 ± 1.87 vs 24.97 ± 2.09, log-rank P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, combined expression of ER1 and VEGF-A and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for GBC patients(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: Combined expression of ER1 and VEGF-A is a potential prognostic marker for GBC patients. Clinical detection of ER1 and VEGF-A in surgically resected GBC tissues would provide animportant reference for decision-making of postoperative treatment programs.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the relationship between salt intake and salty taste and risk of gastric cancer. METHODS: A 1:2 matched hospital based case-control study including 300 patients with gastric cancer and 600 cancer-f...AIM: To investigate the relationship between salt intake and salty taste and risk of gastric cancer. METHODS: A 1:2 matched hospital based case-control study including 300 patients with gastric cancer and 600 cancer-free subjects as controls. Subjects were interviewed with a structured questionnaire containing 80 items, which elicited information on dietary, lifestyle habits, smoking and drinking histories. Subjects were tested for salt taste sensitivity threshold (STST) usingconcentrated saline solutions (0.22-58.4 g/L). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Alcohol and tobacco consumption increased the risk of gastric cancer [OR (95% CI) was 2.27 (1.27-4.04) for alcohol and 2.41 (1.51-3.87) for tobacco]. A protective effect was observed in frequent consumption of fresh vegetable and fruit [OR (95% CI) was 0.92 (0.58-0.98) for fresh vegetable and 0.87 (0.67-0.93) for fruit]. Strong association was found between STST ≥ 5 and gastric cancer [OR = 5.71 (3.18-6.72)]. Increased STST score was significantly associated with salted food intake and salty taste preference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A high STST score is strongly associated with gastric cancer risk. STST can be used to evaluate an inherited characteristic of salt preference, and it is a simple index to verify the salt intake in clinic.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in glutathione S-transferase(GST) genes on survival of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients.METHODS: Twelve tagging SNPs in GST genes(includin...AIM: To investigate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in glutathione S-transferase(GST) genes on survival of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients.METHODS: Twelve tagging SNPs in GST genes(including GSTA1, GSTA4, GSTM2, GSTM3, GSTO1, GSTO2 and GSTP1) were genotyped using Sequenom Mass ARRAY i PLEX genotyping method in a cohort of 214 Chinese patients with resected HCC.The Cox proportional hazards model and log-rank test were performed to determine the SNPs related to outcome.Additionally, stratified analysis was performed at each level of the demographic and clinical variables.An SNP-gene expression association model was further established to investigate the correlation between SNP and gene expression.RESULTS: Two SNPs(GSTO2 : rs7085725 and GSTP1 : rs4147581) were significantly associated with overall survival in HCC patients(P = 0.035 and 0.042, respectively).In stratified analysis, they were more significantly associated with overall survival in patients with younger age, male gender and cirrhosis.We further investigated cumulative effects of these two SNPs on overall survival in HCC patients.Compared with the patients carrying no unfavorable genotypes, those carrying 2 unfavorable genotypes had a 1.70-fold increased risk of death(P < 0.001).The cumulative effects were more significant in those patients with younger age, male gender and cirrhosis(HR = 2.00, 1.94 and 1.97, respectively; all P < 0.001).Additionally, we found that heavy smoking resulted in a significantly worse overall survival in those patients carrying variantalleles of rs7085725(HR = 2.07, 95%CI: 1.13-3.76, P = 0.018).The distributions of GSTO2 : rs7085725 and GSTP1 : rs4147581 genotypes were associated with altered gene expression and contributed to influences on overall survival.CONCLUSION: Our study provides the first evidence that GSTO2 and GSTP1 gene polymorphisms may serve as independent prognostic markers for HCC patients.展开更多
The phytohormone abscisic acid （ABA） regulates many key processes in plants, such as seed germina- tion, seedling growth, and abiotic stress tolerance. In recent years, a minimal set of core components of a major AB...The phytohormone abscisic acid （ABA） regulates many key processes in plants, such as seed germina- tion, seedling growth, and abiotic stress tolerance. In recent years, a minimal set of core components of a major ABA signaling pathway has been discovered. These components include a RCAR/PYR/PYL family of ABA receptors, a group of PP2C phosphatases, and three SnRK2 kinases. However, how the interactions between the receptors and their targets are regulated by other proteins remains largely unknown. In a companion paper published in this issue, we showed that ROP11, a member of the plant- specific Rho-like small GTPase family, negatively regulates multiple ABA responses in Arabidopsis. The current work demonstrated that the constitutively active ROP11 （CA-ROP11） can modulate the RCAR1/PYL9-mediated ABA signaling pathway based on reconstitution assays in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts. Furthermore, using luciferase complementation imaging, yeast two-hybrid assays, co- immunoprecipitation assays in Nicotiana benthamiana and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we demonstrated that CA-ROP11 directly interacts with ABI1, a signaling component downstream of RCAR1/PYL9. Finally, we provided biochemical evidence that CA-ROP11 protects ABI1 phosphatase activity from inhibition by RCAR1/PYL9 and thus negatively regulates ABA signaling in plant cells. A model of how ROP11 acts to negatively regulate ABA signaling is presented.展开更多
Neuroscientists have emphasized visceral influences on consciousness and attention,but the potential neurophysiological pathways remain under exploration.Here,we found two neurophysiological pathways of heartbrain int...Neuroscientists have emphasized visceral influences on consciousness and attention,but the potential neurophysiological pathways remain under exploration.Here,we found two neurophysiological pathways of heartbrain interaction based on the relationship between oxygen-transport by red blood cells(RBCs)and consciousness/attention.To this end,we collected a dataset based on the routine physical examination,the breaking continuous flash suppression(b-CFS)paradigm,and an attention network test(ANT)in 140 immigrants under the hypoxic Tibetan environment.We combined electroencephalography and multilevel mediation analysis to investigate the relationship between RBC properties and consciousness/attention.The results showed that RBC function,via two independent neurophysiological pathways,not only triggered interoceptive re-representations in the insula and awareness connected to orienting attention but also induced an immune response corresponding to consciousness and executive control.Importantly,consciousness played a fundamental role in executive function which might be associated with the level of perceived stress.These results indicated the important role of oxygen-transport in heart-brain interactions,in which the related stress response affected consciousness and executive control.The findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological schema of heartbrain interactions.展开更多
Dear Editor,Brassinosteroids （BRs） are a class of essential polyhydroxylated steroid hormones regulating plant growth and development, and their responses to environmental cues （Clouse, 2011 ; Yang et al., 2011）. ...Dear Editor,Brassinosteroids （BRs） are a class of essential polyhydroxylated steroid hormones regulating plant growth and development, and their responses to environmental cues （Clouse, 2011 ; Yang et al., 2011）. BRs are perceived at the plasma membrane by a receptor complex, which consists of two leucine-rich receptor-like kinases （LRR-RLKs）, BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 （BRI1） and BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 （BAK1）.展开更多
The history of modern science in China is relatively short compared to that in western countries.For example,it was not until the 1920s that genetics and evolutionary theory were introduced to China.Most of the earlie...The history of modern science in China is relatively short compared to that in western countries.For example,it was not until the 1920s that genetics and evolutionary theory were introduced to China.Most of the earliest Chinese biologists were trained overseas and returned to their beloved homeland to become pioneers of biomedical disciplines like zoology,plant biology,physiology,and neuroscience in China.展开更多
基金Supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30872482 and No.81072051
文摘AIM: To investigate the expression of forkhead box protein M1(Fox M1) in the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) and its role in metastasis.METHODS: Fox M1 and E-cadherin expression in HCC tissue microarray specimens was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining,and statistical methods were applied to analyze the correlation between FoxM 1 and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT).KaplanMeier analysis of the correlation between the Fox M1 expression level and recurrence or overall survival of HCC patients was performed.The expression of FoxM 1,E-cadherin and snail homologue 1(SNAI1) in HCC cell lines was evaluated by real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction and Western blot.Hepatocyte growth factor(HGF) was used to induce EMT and stimulate cell migration in HCC cells.The expression of Fox M1 and SNAI1 was regulated by transfection with plasmids pc DNA3.1 and si RNAs in vitro.The occurrence of EMT was evaluated by Transwell assay,morphologic analysis and detection of the expression of EMT markers(E-cadherin and vimentin).Luciferase and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were used to evaluate whether SNAI1 is a direct transcriptional target of FoxM 1.RESULTS: FoxM 1 expression was increased significantly in HCC compared with para-carcinoma(10.7 ± 0.9 vs 8.2 ± 0.7,P < 0.05) and normal hepatic(10.7 ± 0.9 vs 2.7 ± 0.4,P < 0.05) tissues.Overexpression of Fox M1 was correlated with HCC tumor size,tumor number,macrovascular invasion and higher TNM stage,but was negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression in microarray specimens and in cell lines.Fox M1 overexpression was correlated significantly with HCC metastasis and EMT.In vitro,we found that FoxM 1 plays a key role in HGF-induced EMT,and overexpression of Fox M1 could suppress E-cadherin expression and induce EMT changes,which were associated with increased HCC cell invasiveness.Next,we confirmed that FOXM1 directly binds to and activates the SNAI1 promoter,and we identified SNAI1 as a direct transcriptional target of FOXM1.Moreover,inhibiting the expression of SNAI1 significantly inhibited FoxM 1-mediated EMT.CONCLUSION: Fox M1 overexpression promotes EMT and metastasis of HCC,and SNAI1 plays a critical role in FoxM 1-mediated EMT.
基金Supported by Hospital Foundation of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University College of Medicine(Xi’an,China),No.2013YK36National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81272644 and No.81072051(to Liu C)
文摘AIM:To preliminarily investigate the prognostic significance of the platelet to lymphocyte ratio(PLR) in patients with gallbladder carcinoma(GBC).METHODS:Clinical data of 316 surgical GBC patients were analyzed retrospectively,and preoperative serum platelet and lymphocyte counts were used to calculate the PLR.The optimal cut-off value of the PLR for detecting death was determined by the receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve.The primary outcome was overall survival,which was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.The log-rank test was used to compare the differences in survival.Then,we conducted multivariate Cox analysis to assess the independent effect of the PLR on the survival of GBC patients.RESULTS:For the PLR,the area under the ROC curve was 0.620(95%CI:0.542-0.698,P = 0.040) in detecting death.The cut-off value for the PLR was determined to be 117.7,with 73.6% sensitivity and 53.2% specificity.The PLR was found to be significantlypositively correlated with CA125 serum level,tumornode-metastasis(TNM) stage,and tumor differentiation.Univariate analysis identified carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA),CA125 and CA199 levels,PLR,TNM stage,and the degree of differentiation as significant prognostic factors for GBC when they were expressed as binary data.Multivariate analysis showed that CA125 > 35 U/mL,CA199 > 39 U/mL,PLR ≥ 117.7,and TNM stage Ⅳ were independently associated with poor survival in GBC.When expressed as a continuous variable,the PLR was still an independent predictor for survival,with a hazard ratio of 1.018(95%CI:1.001-1.037 per 10-unit increase,P = 0.043).CONCLUSION:The PLR could be used as a simple,inexpensive,and valuable tool for predicting the prognosis of GBC patients.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81272644 and No.81201549
文摘AIM: To investigate the prognostic significance of estrogen receptor 1(ER1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A) expression in primary gallbladder carcinoma(GBC) to identify new prognostic markers for this malignancy.METHODS: Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated ER1 and VEGF-A expression in 78 GBC and 78 cholelithiasis(CS) tissues. The results were correlated with clinicopathological features. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between ER1 and VEGF-A expression and patients' prognosis. Further Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was also performed. RESULTS: ER1 and VEGF-A expression was significantly higher in GBC compared with CS(47/78 vs 28/78, P < 0.05; 51/78 vs 33/78, P < 0.05). ER1 expression was correlated with gender(P < 0.05) and VEGF-A expression was correlated with tumor differentiation in GBC patients(P < 0.05). In univariate analysis, age and tumor node metastasis(TNM) stage were factors associated with GBC prognosis(P < 0.05). Although there was no statistical difference between the expression of ER1 or VEGF-A and overall survival, the high expression of ER1 combined with VEGF-A predicted a poor prognosis for GBC patients(16.30 ± 1.87 vs 24.97 ± 2.09, log-rank P < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, combined expression of ER1 and VEGF-A and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors for GBC patients(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION: Combined expression of ER1 and VEGF-A is a potential prognostic marker for GBC patients. Clinical detection of ER1 and VEGF-A in surgically resected GBC tissues would provide animportant reference for decision-making of postoperative treatment programs.
文摘AIM: To investigate the relationship between salt intake and salty taste and risk of gastric cancer. METHODS: A 1:2 matched hospital based case-control study including 300 patients with gastric cancer and 600 cancer-free subjects as controls. Subjects were interviewed with a structured questionnaire containing 80 items, which elicited information on dietary, lifestyle habits, smoking and drinking histories. Subjects were tested for salt taste sensitivity threshold (STST) usingconcentrated saline solutions (0.22-58.4 g/L). Conditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). RESULTS: Alcohol and tobacco consumption increased the risk of gastric cancer [OR (95% CI) was 2.27 (1.27-4.04) for alcohol and 2.41 (1.51-3.87) for tobacco]. A protective effect was observed in frequent consumption of fresh vegetable and fruit [OR (95% CI) was 0.92 (0.58-0.98) for fresh vegetable and 0.87 (0.67-0.93) for fruit]. Strong association was found between STST ≥ 5 and gastric cancer [OR = 5.71 (3.18-6.72)]. Increased STST score was significantly associated with salted food intake and salty taste preference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A high STST score is strongly associated with gastric cancer risk. STST can be used to evaluate an inherited characteristic of salt preference, and it is a simple index to verify the salt intake in clinic.
基金Supported by Grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81201549 and No.81272644the Project of Innovative Research Team for Key Science and Technology in Xi’an Jiaotong University,No.2003KCJ-23
文摘AIM: To investigate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) in glutathione S-transferase(GST) genes on survival of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) patients.METHODS: Twelve tagging SNPs in GST genes(including GSTA1, GSTA4, GSTM2, GSTM3, GSTO1, GSTO2 and GSTP1) were genotyped using Sequenom Mass ARRAY i PLEX genotyping method in a cohort of 214 Chinese patients with resected HCC.The Cox proportional hazards model and log-rank test were performed to determine the SNPs related to outcome.Additionally, stratified analysis was performed at each level of the demographic and clinical variables.An SNP-gene expression association model was further established to investigate the correlation between SNP and gene expression.RESULTS: Two SNPs(GSTO2 : rs7085725 and GSTP1 : rs4147581) were significantly associated with overall survival in HCC patients(P = 0.035 and 0.042, respectively).In stratified analysis, they were more significantly associated with overall survival in patients with younger age, male gender and cirrhosis.We further investigated cumulative effects of these two SNPs on overall survival in HCC patients.Compared with the patients carrying no unfavorable genotypes, those carrying 2 unfavorable genotypes had a 1.70-fold increased risk of death(P < 0.001).The cumulative effects were more significant in those patients with younger age, male gender and cirrhosis(HR = 2.00, 1.94 and 1.97, respectively; all P < 0.001).Additionally, we found that heavy smoking resulted in a significantly worse overall survival in those patients carrying variantalleles of rs7085725(HR = 2.07, 95%CI: 1.13-3.76, P = 0.018).The distributions of GSTO2 : rs7085725 and GSTP1 : rs4147581 genotypes were associated with altered gene expression and contributed to influences on overall survival.CONCLUSION: Our study provides the first evidence that GSTO2 and GSTP1 gene polymorphisms may serve as independent prognostic markers for HCC patients.
基金supported by the 973National Basic Research Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China(2009CB119100)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(90717121)
文摘The phytohormone abscisic acid （ABA） regulates many key processes in plants, such as seed germina- tion, seedling growth, and abiotic stress tolerance. In recent years, a minimal set of core components of a major ABA signaling pathway has been discovered. These components include a RCAR/PYR/PYL family of ABA receptors, a group of PP2C phosphatases, and three SnRK2 kinases. However, how the interactions between the receptors and their targets are regulated by other proteins remains largely unknown. In a companion paper published in this issue, we showed that ROP11, a member of the plant- specific Rho-like small GTPase family, negatively regulates multiple ABA responses in Arabidopsis. The current work demonstrated that the constitutively active ROP11 （CA-ROP11） can modulate the RCAR1/PYL9-mediated ABA signaling pathway based on reconstitution assays in Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts. Furthermore, using luciferase complementation imaging, yeast two-hybrid assays, co- immunoprecipitation assays in Nicotiana benthamiana and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we demonstrated that CA-ROP11 directly interacts with ABI1, a signaling component downstream of RCAR1/PYL9. Finally, we provided biochemical evidence that CA-ROP11 protects ABI1 phosphatase activity from inhibition by RCAR1/PYL9 and thus negatively regulates ABA signaling in plant cells. A model of how ROP11 acts to negatively regulate ABA signaling is presented.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(31660274,31771247,and 31600907)the Reformation and Development Funds for Local Region Universities from the Chinese Government in 2020(00060607,ZCJK 2020-11).
文摘Neuroscientists have emphasized visceral influences on consciousness and attention,but the potential neurophysiological pathways remain under exploration.Here,we found two neurophysiological pathways of heartbrain interaction based on the relationship between oxygen-transport by red blood cells(RBCs)and consciousness/attention.To this end,we collected a dataset based on the routine physical examination,the breaking continuous flash suppression(b-CFS)paradigm,and an attention network test(ANT)in 140 immigrants under the hypoxic Tibetan environment.We combined electroencephalography and multilevel mediation analysis to investigate the relationship between RBC properties and consciousness/attention.The results showed that RBC function,via two independent neurophysiological pathways,not only triggered interoceptive re-representations in the insula and awareness connected to orienting attention but also induced an immune response corresponding to consciousness and executive control.Importantly,consciousness played a fundamental role in executive function which might be associated with the level of perceived stress.These results indicated the important role of oxygen-transport in heart-brain interactions,in which the related stress response affected consciousness and executive control.The findings provide new insights into the neurophysiological schema of heartbrain interactions.
基金This work was supported by grants 91317302, 31271300, and 31430046 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China （to X.W.）, by grant 2012CB114300 from the National Basic Research Program of China （to X.W.）, and by a startup fund from Huazhong Agricultural University （to X.W.）.We thank Wei Su （Fudan University） for critical reading of the manuscript and Zhimin Zheng and Jian-Kang Zhu （Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS） for providing the CRISPR/Cas9 systems. No conflict of interest declared.
文摘Dear Editor,Brassinosteroids （BRs） are a class of essential polyhydroxylated steroid hormones regulating plant growth and development, and their responses to environmental cues （Clouse, 2011 ; Yang et al., 2011）. BRs are perceived at the plasma membrane by a receptor complex, which consists of two leucine-rich receptor-like kinases （LRR-RLKs）, BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 （BRI1） and BRI1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 （BAK1）.
文摘The history of modern science in China is relatively short compared to that in western countries.For example,it was not until the 1920s that genetics and evolutionary theory were introduced to China.Most of the earliest Chinese biologists were trained overseas and returned to their beloved homeland to become pioneers of biomedical disciplines like zoology,plant biology,physiology,and neuroscience in China.
