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Biomedical subjects

Yun Hu

Publications and source records attributed to Yun Hu.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparison of performance of partial least squares regression, secured principal component regression, and modified secured principal component regression for determination of human serum albumin, gamma-globulin and glucose in buffer solutions and in vivo blood glucose quantification by near-infrared spectroscopy.

The performances of three multivariate analysis methods--partial least squares (PLS) regression, secured principal component regression (sPCR) and modified secured principal component regression (msPCR)--are compared and tested for the determination of human serum albumin (HSA), gamma-globulin, and glucose in phosphate buffer solutions and blood glucose quantification by near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Results from the application of PLS, sPCR and msPCR are presented, showing that the three methods can determine the concentrations of HSA, gamma-globulin and glucose in phosphate buffer solutions almost equally well provided that the prediction samples contain the same spectral information as the calibration samples. On the other hand, when some potential spectral features appear in new measurements, sPCR and msPCR outperform PLS significantly. The reason for this is that such spectral features are not included during calibration, which leads to a degradation in PLS prediction performance, while sPCR and msPCR can improve their predictions for the concentrations of the analytes by removing the uncalibrated features from the original spectra. This point is demonstrated by successfully applying sPCR and msPCR to in vivo blood glucose measurements. This work therefore shows that sPCR and msPCR may provide possible alternatives to PLS in cases where some uncalibrated spectral features are present in measurements used for concentration prediction.

Blood Glucose↗

Acylguanidines as small-molecule beta-secretase inhibitors.

BACE1 is an aspartyl protease responsible for cleaving amyloid precursor protein to liberate Abeta, which aggregates leading to plaque deposits implicated in Alzheimer's disease. We have identified small-molecule acylguanidine inhibitors of BACE1. Crystallographic studies show that these compounds form unique hydrogen-bonding interactions with the catalytic site aspartic acids and stabilize the protein in a flap-open conformation. Structure-based optimization led to the identification of potent analogs, such as 10d (BACE1 IC(50) = 110 nM).

Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases↗

Noise perturbation in functional principal component analysis filtering for two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy: its theory and application to infrared spectra of a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) thin film.

A method based on noise perturbation in functional principal component analysis (NPFPCA) is for the first time introduced to overcome the noise interference problem in two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS). By the systematic addition of synthetic noise to the dynamic multivariate spectral data, the functional principal component analysis (FPCA) described in this report is able to accurately determine which eigenvectors are representing significant signals instead of noise in the original data. This feature is especially useful for the data reconstruction and noise filtering. Reconstructed data resulted from the smooth eigenvectors can produce much more reliable 2D correlation spectra by removing the correlation artifacts from noise, which in turn enable more accurate interpretation of the spectral variations. The usefulness of this method is demonstrated with a theoretical framework and applications to the 2D correlation analyses of both simulated data and temperature-dependent reflection-absorption infrared spectra of a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) thin film.

Absorption↗

Activation of 5-HT4 receptors inhibits secretion of beta-amyloid peptides and increases neuronal survival.

Activation of 5-HT4 receptors has been shown to improve memory processes in preclinical cognition models, suggesting potential utility of 5-HT4 agonists for the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent studies have shown that 5-HT4 agonists also increase the secretion of the non-amyloidogenic soluble amyloid precursor protein-alpha (sAPPalpha). In the present study, we demonstrated that a selective 5-HT4 partial agonist, RS67333, inhibited the generation of beta-amyloid peptide (Abeta) in primary cortical cultures of Tg2576 transgenic mice expressing human APP(K670N/M671L). Furthermore, treatments with RS67333 selectively increased the survival of transgenic neurons in a dose-dependent manner, which was inhibited by 5-HT4 antagonists. These and previous data collectively suggest that the 5-HT4 receptor may be an effective therapeutic target for AD, providing both symptomatic improvements and neuroprotection.

Alzheimer Disease↗

Characterization of the local structures of Ti-MCM-41 and their photocatalytic reactivity for the decomposition of NO into N2 and O2.

Ti-MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieves were prepared at ambient temperature and were characterized by X-ray absorption near-edge structure and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, UV-vis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence spectroscopic analyses. It was found that an increase in the Ti content caused the structure of the Ti-oxides in Ti-MCM-41 to change from an isolated tetrahedral coordination to adjacent Ti-oxide species with Ti4+ of tetrahedral coordination. The photocatalytic reactivity of these catalysts for the decomposition of NO into N2 and O2 was found to strongly depend on the local structure of the Ti-oxide species including their coordination and distribution, i.e., the charge transfer excited state of the highly dispersed isolated tetrahedrally coordinated Ti-oxides act as the active sites for the photocatalytic decomposition of NO into N2 and O2.

Journal Article↗

Modified secured principal component regression for detection of unexpected chromatographic features in herbal fingerprints.

Secured principal component regression is modified for the qualitative analysis of chromatographic fingerprint data sets of herbal samples with residual concentrations. After chromatographic shift-correction and autoscaling are performed on the data, this modified secured principal component regression (msPCR) can detect unexpected chromatographic features in various herbal fingerprints. The successful application of msPCR to two real herbal medicines of Erigeron breviscapus from different geographical origins and Ginkgo biloba from various sources or vendors demonstrates that the proposed method can detect reasonably unexpected features differing from the regulars or not being modeled. From a chemical point of view, the causes have also been explained to corroborate the results. Moreover, it presents a viable approach for the qualitative evaluation of diverse herbal objects with a regular class of chromatographic fingerprints.

Journal Article↗

Exploring time-dependent structural changes during the cold crystallization process of isotactic polystyrene by infrared spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution.

The present study attempts an application of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy in conjunction with multivariate curve resolution (MCR) techniques to explore the structural evolution of isotactic polystyrene (iPS) during the cold crystallization process. The focus of the present study is placed on the performance of MCR techniques, e.g., orthogonal projection (OP), alternating least squares (ALS), and fixed-size moving window evolving factor analysis (FSMWEFA), and the interpretability of spectral changes in the investigated chemical process. As a result, valuable information and conclusions about the structural evolution of iPS during the crystallization process can be extracted: when the amorphous phase of iPS changes, the ordering of the phenyl rings takes place first, and then the polymer chains adjust their local conformations to form short 3(1) helix structures. Furthermore, according to intensity profiles of the spectral variations, the ordering of the phenyl rings proceeds more intensely than the formation of ordered local chains, and the structural evolution of iPS occurs even during the induction period. The spectral variations resulting from the conformational changes in the 3(1) helical structures depend on the sequence length of the helical chains: the longer the polymer chain is, the smaller the corresponding band variations are. It has been demonstrated that the combination of FTIR spectroscopy and chemometric MCR techniques is very promising for the analysis of the crystallization process of polymers. MCR is a powerful tool for analyzing and visualizing spectral data and integrating them with other information, making spectral intensity variations more amenable to interpretation in order to explore the molecular dynamics of polymers.

Algorithms↗

The enhanced tumor selectivity of an oncolytic vaccinia lacking the host range and antiapoptosis genes SPI-1 and SPI-2.

The ability of cancer cells to evade apoptosis may permit survival of a recombinant vaccinia lacking antiapoptotic genes in cancer cells compared with normal cells. We have explored the deletion of two vaccinia virus host range/antiapoptosis genes, SPI-1 and SPI-2, for their effects on the viral replication and their ability to induce cell death in infected normal and transformed cells in vitro. Indeed, in three paired normal and transformed cell types, the SPI-1 and SPI-2 gene-deleted virus (vSP) preferentially replicates in transformed cells or p53-null cells when compared with their normal counterparts. This selectivity may be derived from the fact that vSP-infected normal cells died faster than infected cancer cells. A fraction of infected cells died with evidence of necrosis as shown by both flow cytometry and detection of high-mobility group B1 protein released from necrotic cells into the culture supernatant. When administered to animals, vSP retains full ability to replicate in tumor tissues, whereas replication in normal tissues is greatly diminished. In a model of viral pathogenesis, mice treated with vSP survived substantially longer when compared with mice treated with the wild-type virus. The mutant virus vSP displayed significant antitumoral effects in an MC38 s.c. tumor model in both nude (P < 0.001) and immunocompetent mice (P < 0.05). We conclude that this recombinant vaccinia vSP shows promise for oncolytic virus therapy. Given its enhanced tumor selectivity, improved safety profile, and substantial oncolytic effects following systemic delivery in murine models, it should also serve as a useful vector for tumor-directed gene therapy.

Animals↗

Miscibility and hydrogen-bonding interactions in biodegradable polymer blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) and a partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol).

Miscibility and hydrogen-bonding interactions, as well as the morphological properties, of biodegradable polymer blends of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) and a 80% hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA80) were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It was found that PHB is miscible with PVA80 in the amorphous phase over the whole composition range. PVA80 or PHB assumes the amorphous state when its content in the blend is lower than 30 or 20 wt %, respectively. Due to the heavy overlapping of C=O stretching bands from both PVA80 and PHB and the nonmeasurable peak shift in the OH stretching band region, hydrogen-bonding interactions between the OH group of PVA80 and the C=O group of PHB were not detectable at room temperature, but were observed at a higher temperature of 180 degrees C. This is because hydrogen-bonding interactions are promoted above the melting points of these two crystalline polymers, by increasing the mixing entropy and reducing the Deltachi effect. Blending PHB with PVA80 does not have a significant effect on the OH groups of PVA80 that are hydrogen bonded with each other. Instead, the C=O groups of PHB dispossess some of the OH groups that are hydrogen bonded to the C=O groups of PVA80, which gives rise to the miscibility between PVA80 and PHB in the amorphous phase.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

Cyclin-dependent kinase 11(p58) interacts with HBO1 and enhances its histone acetyltransferase activity.

CDK11(p58), a 58kDa protein of the PITSLRE kinase family, plays an important role in cell cycle progression, and is closely related to cell apoptosis. To gain further insight into the function of CDK11(p58), we screened a human fetal liver cDNA library for its interacting proteins using the yeast two-hybrid system. Here we report that histone acetyltransferase (HAT) HBO1, a MYST family protein, interacts with CDK11(p58) in vitro and in vivo. CDK11(p58) and HBO1 colocalize in the cell nucleus. Recombinant CDK11(p58) enhances the HAT activity of HBO1 significantly in vitro. Meanwhile, overexpression of CDK11(p58) in mammalian cells leads to the enhanced HAT activity of HBO1 towards free histones. Thus, we conclude that CDK11(p58) is a new interacting protein and a novel regulator of HBO1. Both of the proteins may be involved in the regulation of eukaryotic transcription.

Acetyltransferases↗

Identification of dynein light chain 2 as an interaction partner of p21-activated kinase 1.

p21-Activated kinase 1 (PAK1), a member of the evolutionarily conserved PAK family of serine/threonine kinases, is essential for a variety of cellular functions. Our previous studies showed that PAK1 participated in the apoptotic pathway mediated by p110C. To further investigate its functions, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a human fetal brain cDNA library and identified dynein light chain 2 (DLC2)/myosin light chain (MLC) as an interacting partner of PAK1. The association of PAK1 with DLC2 was further confirmed by in vitro binding assay. With the stimulation of EGF, PAK1 interacted with HA-DLC2 in vivo and relocalized in cytoplasm near the perinuclear location in confocal microscope analysis. The deletion analysis showed that the interaction of DLC2 with PAK1 occurred within the residues 210-332 of PAK1. For that studies showed that DLC2 was a subunit of myosin complex, so it is possible that PAK1 binds to DLC2 and transports by myosin complex.

Binding Sites↗

Multicomponent spectral correlative chromatography applied to complex herbal medicines.

In this study, a novel chemometric algorithm is presented to facilitate the comparison of relevant chemical components from different herbal samples. This so-called multicomponent spectral correlative chromatography (MSCC) is developed to detect and decide whether two chromatographic clusters are correlated spectrally with each other. The target chromatographic cluster is first partitioned from one herbal spectrochromatogram obtained by hyphenated chromatography. Then, a projection operator is constructed with the principal spectral features extracted from the target to judge the presence or absence of a spectral correlative chromatographic cluster within another herbal spectrochromatogram. For this judgment, congruence coefficient between the original spectral vector and its projected residual is proposed to eliminate the influences from background and noises, especially heteroscedastic noises in the original data. The performance of the MSCC algorithm is demonstrated on both simulated data and real data, and its advantages and disadvantages are also discussed in some detail.

Algorithms↗

Elevated beta1,4-galactosyltransferase I in highly metastatic human lung cancer cells. Identification of E1AF as important transcription activator.

The elevated levels of beta1,4-galactosyltransferase I (GalT I; EC 2.4.1.38) are detected in highly metastatic lung cancer PGBE1 cells compared with its less metastatic partner PGLH7 cells. Decreasing the GalT I surface expression by small interfering RNA or interfering with the surface of GalT I function by mutation inhibited cell adhesion on laminin, the invasive potential in vitro, and tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase. The mechanism by which GalT I activity is up-regulated in highly metastatic cells remains unclear. To investigate the regulation of GalT I expression, we cloned the 5'-region flanking the transcription start point of the GalT I gene (-1653 to +52). Cotransfection of the GalT I promoter/luciferase reporter and the Ets family protein E1AF expression plasmid increased the luciferase reporter activity in a dose-dependent manner. By deletion and mutation analyses, we identified an Ets-binding site between nucleotides -205 and -200 in the GalT I promoter that was critical for responsiveness to E1AF. It was identified that E1AF could bind to and activate the GalT I promoter by electrophoretic mobility shift assay in PGLH7 cells and COS1 cells. A stronger affinity of E1AF for DNA has contributed to the elevated expression of GalT I in PGBE1 cells. Stable transfection of the E1AF expression plasmid resulted in increased GalT I expression in PGLH7 cells, and stable transfectants migrated faster than control cells. Meanwhile, the content of the beta1,4-Gal branch on the cell surface was increased in stably transfected PGLH7 cells. GalT I expression can also be induced by epidermal growth factor and dominant active Ras, JNK1, and ERK1. These data suggest an essential role for E1AF in the activation of the human GalT I gene in highly metastatic lung cancer cells.

Cell Line, Tumor↗

Exaggerated 17-hydroxyprogesterone response to intravenous infusions of recombinant human LH in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Studies using pharmacological gonadotropin stimulation suggest that ovarian steroidogenesis is abnormal in the polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We assessed ovarian steroid secretion in response to near-physiological gonadotropin stimuli in 12 ovulatory controls and 7 women with PCOS. A gonadotropin-releasing hormone-receptor antagonist (ganirelix, 2 mg sc) was given to block endogenous LH secretion, followed by dexamethasone (0.75 mg orally) to suppress adrenal androgen secretion. After ganirelix injection (12 h), intravenous infusions of recombinant human LH (0, 10, 30, 100, and 300 IU; each over 8 min) were administered at 4-h intervals in a pseudorandomized (highest dose last) manner. Plasma LH, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP), androstenedione, and testosterone were measured concurrently. LH dose-steroid response relationships (mean sex-steroid concentration vs. mean LH concentration over 4 h postinfusion) were examined for each subject. Linear regression of 17-OHP on LH yielded a higher (mean +/- SE) slope in PCOS (0.028 +/- 0.010 vs. 0.005 +/- 0.005, P < 0.05), whereas extrapolated 17-OHP at zero LH was similar. The slopes of other regressions did not differ from zero in either PCOS or controls. We conclude that near-physiological LH stimulation drives heightened 17-OHP secretion in patients with PCOS, suggesting abnormalities of early steps of ovarian steroidogenesis. With the exception of 17-OHP response in PCOS, no acute LH dose-ovarian steroid responses were observed in controls or PCOS. Defining the precise mechanistic basis of heightened precursor responsiveness to LH in PCOS will require further clinical investigation.

17-alpha-Hydroxyprogesterone↗

Spectral correlative chromatography and its application to analysis of chromatographic fingerprints of herbal medicines.

A signal-processing method known as spectral correlative chromatography (SCC) for two-dimensional data obtained from hyphenated chromatography is developed and applied to chemical chromatographic fingerprint data sets of herbal medicine under specific experimental conditions. The method can judge the presence or absence of a spectral correlative peak among the spectrochromatograms. A local least squares regression model (LLS) is constructed in a piecewise manner to correct the shifts of retention time of some peaks of interest in the chromatograms of various test samples. The results compare favorably with those obtained by a two-point calibrated algorithm. It is shown that performing SCC and LLS on the piecewise clusters of various chromatographic fingerprints is more helpful in practice in revealing their common nature and for characterizing the chemical constituents. This approach holds great potential for facilitating quality control of herbal medicines.

Chromatography↗

Evaluation of antioxidant potential of aloe vera (Aloe barbadensis miller) extracts.

The polysaccharide and flavonoid concentrations of two-, three-, and four-year-old Aloe vera were determined, and their antioxidant activities were evaluated compared to BHT and alpha-tocopherol by the DPPH radical scavenging method and the linoleic acid system at 100 microg of soluble solids per mL of ethanol. The results showed that three-year-old Aloe vera contained significantly higher levels of polysaccharides and flavonoids than two- and four-year-old Aloe vera, and no significant differences in flavonoid levels were found between three- and four-year-old Aloe vera. All the aloe extracts showed significant antioxidant activity. The antioxidant activity of Aloe vera extracts and reference compounds followed the order: three-year-old Aloe vera > BHT > four-year-old Aloe vera > alpha-tocopherol > two-year-old Aloe vera. The three-year-old extract exhibited the strongest radical scavenging activity of 72.19%, which is significantly higher than that of BHT at 70.52% and alpha-tocopherol at 65.20%. These data suggest that the growth stage plays a vital role in the composition and antioxidant activity of Aloe vera.

Aloe↗

The Arabidopsis RHD3 gene is required for cell wall biosynthesis and actin organization.

The Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE3 (RHD3) gene has previously been shown to be essential for normal cell expansion [H. Wang et al. (1997) Genes Dev 11:799-811]. In this report, we demonstrated that mutation of the RHD3 gene in the Arabidopsis fragile fiber 4 (fra4) mutant caused a dramatic reduction in the wall thickness of fibers, vessels, and pith cells in the inflorescence stems and, concomitantly, a decrease in the mechanical strength of stems. The reduced wall thickness in the fra4 mutant was accompanied by an alteration in cell wall composition. Consistent with the defective fiber and vessel wall phenotypes, the RHD3 gene exhibited a strong expression in developing fiber and xylem cells. We showed that the Arabidopsis genome contains two additional RHD3-like genes, one of which was expressed specifically in flowers. In addition, we found that mutation of the RHD3 gene caused an alteration in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton but no effects on cortical microtubules. Our findings suggest an essential role of RHD3 in cell wall biosynthesis and actin organization, both of which are known to be important for cell expansion.

Actins↗

The C-terminal kinase domain of the p34cdc2-related PITSLRE protein kinase (p110C) associates with p21-activated kinase 1 and inhibits its activity during anoikis.

The PITSLRE protein kinases are parts of the large family of p34cdc2-related kinases. During apoptosis induced by some stimuli, specific PITSLRE isoforms are cleaved by caspase to produce a protein that contains the C-terminal kinase domain of the PITSLRE proteins (p110C). The p110C induces apoptosis when it is ectopically expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. In our study, similar induction of this p110C was observed during anoikis in NIH3T3 cells. To investigate the molecular mechanism of apoptosis mediated by p110C, we used the yeast two-hybrid system to screen a human fetal liver cDNA library and identified p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) as an interacting partner of p110C. The association of p110C with PAK1 was further confirmed by in vitro binding assay, in vivo coimmunoprecipitation, and confocal microscope analysis. The interaction of p110C with PAK1 occurred within the residues 210-332 of PAK1. Neither association between p58PITSLRE or p110PITSLRE and PAK1 nor association between p110C and PAK2 or PAK3 was observed. Anoikis was increased and PAK1 activity was inhibited when NIH3T3 cells were transfected with p110C. Furthermore, the binding of p110C with PAK1 and inhibition of PAK1 activity were also observed during anoikis. Taken together, these data suggested that PAK1 might participate in the apoptotic pathway mediated by p110C.

3T3 Cells↗