The zinc-fingers and homeoboxes 2 (ZHX2) protein was shown previously to be involved in postnatal repression of α-fetoprotein (AFP) in mice. More recently, loss of ZHX2 expression was often found in human hepatcellular carcinoma (HCC), where AFP is frequently reactivated. Using HepG2 and HepG2.2.15, which express high AFP levels, we show that ZHX2 overexpression significantly decreases of AFP secretion in a dose dependent manner. Furthermore, using LO2 and SMMC7721 cells, which express low AFP levels, we use siRNA inhibition to show that AFP is de-repressed when ZHX2 levels are reduced. This represents the first direct evidence that ZHX2 represses AFP. Co-transfections of ZHX2 and AFP-luciferase reporter genes demonstrate ZHX2 repression is governed by the AFP promoter and requires intact HNF1 binding sites. These data support the idea that ZHX2 contributes to AFP repression in the liver after birth and may also be involved in AFP reactivation in liver cancer.
Skutterudite Na1+
x
Fe4P12 whiskers were prepared by a new hydrothermal reduction
alloying method. The diameter of the whisker is about 0.5−4 μm and its L/D ratio is about
10−20. Heating temperature and time can control the diameter and length of the skutterudite
whisker. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron
microscope (TEM), electronic diffraction (ED), and X-ray fluorescence analysis have been
employed to characterize the products. XRD and ED revealed that the whiskers obtained at
200 °C are cubic skutterudite with a = 7.7995 Å. X-ray fluorescence analysis proved that
there are sodium atoms in the skutterudite structure. The possible formation mechanism of
Na1+
x
Fe4P12 is proposed.
A near stoichiometric LiNbO 3 single crystal has been grown by the Czochralski method from a 58.5% Li melt hold in a large platinum crucible. High resolution X-ray rocking curves of 3030 and 0006 reflections indicated that the near stoichiometric LiNbO 3 crystal possesses the high structural quality. Compared with the congruent LiNbO 3 , the near stoichiometric LiNbO 3 possesses shorter ultraviolet absorption edge, thus higher Li concentration. The OH -infrared absorption band analyses showed that the Li concentration in the near stoichiometric LiNbO 3 crystal is higher than that in the congruent LiNbO 3 crystal. This result is in good agreement with that of the ultraviolet absorption edge. The electro-optic (EO) coefficient γ 22 of the near stoichiometric LiNbO 3 crystal was measured to be 6.75 pm/V higher than that of congruent LiNbO 3 crystal. It also proves the near stoichiometric LiNbO 3 electro-optic Q-switched requires a low driving voltage and it is advantageous for the device performance.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.