Overexpressing PTTG Family Genes Predict Poor Prognosis in KIRC

Background: Pituitary tumor transforming genes (PTTG1, PTTG2 and PTTG3P) play a key role in the pathogenesis and development of human cancers. Studies show that overexpression of the PTTG genes is associated with tumor progression and migration. However, little is known about the function of the PTTG genes in the prognostic value of renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC).Methods: the expression and survival data for KIRC patients were mined from ONCOMINE, UALCAN, Human Protein Atlas, TCGAportal, GEPIA2, Metascape，cBioPortal databases and STRING.Results: PTTG1, 2, and 3P mRNA and protein expression was upregulated in KIRC patients compared to normal tissues, and higher expression levels of PTTG family genes were associated with shorter overall survival (OS). what's more, overexpression of the PTTG family genes has been found to correlate with individual cancer stages and pathological tumor grades. In addition, 18% of mutations in the PTTG family genes were associated with short-term survival in patients with KIRCConclusions: we found that a single PTTG genes or PTTG family genes as a whole may be a potential prognostic biomarker for KIRC.

Spatial and Seasonal Variations in the Abundance of Nitrogen-Transforming Genes and the Microbial Community Structure in Freshwater Lakes with Different Trophic Statuses

Identifying nitrogen-transforming genes and the microbial community in the lacustrine sedimentary environment is critical for revealing nitrogen cycle processes in eutrophic lakes. In this study, we examined the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), denitrifying bacteria (DNB), and anammox bacteria (AAOB) in different trophic status regions of Lake Taihu using the amoA, Arch-amoA, nirS, and hzo genes as functional markers. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) results indicated that the abundance of the nirS gene was the highest, while the amoA gene had the lowest abundance in all regions. Except for the primary inflow area of Lake Taihu, Arch-amoA gene abundance was higher than the hzo gene in three lake bays, and the abundance of the nirS gene increased with decreasing trophic status. The opposite pattern was observed for the amoA, Arch-amoA, and hzo genes. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the predominant AOB and AOA were Nitrosomonas and Nitrosopumilus maritimus, respectively, and the proportion of Nitrosomonas in the eutrophic region (87.9%) was higher than that in the mesotrophic region (71.1%). Brocadia and Anammoxoglobus were the two predominant AAOB in Lake Taihu. Five novel unknown phylotypes of AAOB were observed, and Cluster AAOB-B was only observed in the inflow area with a proportion of 32%. In the DNB community, Flavobacterium occurred at a higher proportion (22.6–38.2%) in all regions, the proportion of Arthrobacter in the mesotrophic region (3.6%) was significantly lower than that in the eutrophic region (15.6%), and the proportions of Cluster DNB-E in the inflow area (24.5%) was significantly higher than that in the lake bay (7.3%). The canonical correspondence analysis demonstrated that the substrate concentration in sedimentary environments, such as NOx--N in the sediment, NH4+-N in the pore water, and the total organic matter, were the key factors that determined the nitrogen-transforming microbial community. However, the temperature was also a predominant factor affecting the AOA and AAOB communities.

Efficient Turnover of Chlorocatechols Is Essential for Growth of Ralstonia eutropha JMP134(pJP4) in 3-Chlorobenzoic Acid

ABSTRACT Ralstonia eutropha JMP134(pJP4) degrades 3-chlorobenzoate (3-CB) by using two not completely isofunctional, pJP4-encoded chlorocatechol degradation gene clusters, tfdCI DI EI FI and tfdDII CII EII FII . Introduction of several copies of each gene cluster into R. eutropha JMP222, which lacks pJP4 and thus accumulates chlorocatechols from 3-CB, allows the derivatives to grow in this substrate. However, JMP222 derivatives containing one chromosomal copy of each cluster did not grow in 3-CB. The failure to grow in 3-CB was the result of accumulation of chlorocatechols due to the limiting activity of chlorocatechol 1,2-dioxygenase (TfdC), the first enzyme in the chlorocatechol degradation pathway. Micromolar concentrations of 3- and 4-chlorocatechol inhibited the growth of strains JMP134 and JMP222 in benzoate, and cells of strain JMP222 exposed to 3 mM 3-CB exhibited a 2-order-of-magnitude decrease in viability. This toxicity effect was not observed with strain JMP222 harboring multiple copies of the tfdCI gene, and the derivative of strain JMP222 containing tfdCI DI EI FI plus multiple copies of the tfdCI gene could efficiently grow in 3-CB. In addition, tfdCI and tfdCII gene mutants of strain JMP134 exhibited no growth and impaired growth in 3-CB, respectively. The introduction into strain JMP134 of the xylS-xylXYZL genes, encoding a broad-substrate-range benzoate 1,2-dioxygenase system and thus increasing the transformation of 3-CB into chlorocatechols, resulted in derivatives that exhibited a sharp decrease in the ability to grow in 3-CB. These observations indicate that the dosage of chlorocatechol-transforming genes is critical for growth in 3-CB. This effect depends on a delicate balance between chlorocatechol-producing and chlorocatechol-consuming reactions.