The role of N -methyladenosine (m A) demethylase fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) in the regulation of chemo-radiotherapy resistance remains largely unknown. Here, we show that the mRNA level of FTO is elevated in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) tissues when compared with respective adjacent normal tissues. FTO enhances the chemo-radiotherapy resistance both in vitro and in vivo through regulating expression of β-catenin by reducing m A levels in its mRNA transcripts and in turn increases excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) activity. Clinically, the prognostic value of FTO for overall survival is found to be dependent on β-catenin expression in human CSCC samples. Taken together, these findings uncover a critical function for FTO and its substrate m A in the regulation of chemo-radiotherapy resistance, which may bear potential clinical implications for CSCC treatment.

Background The Mariana Trench is the deepest known site in the Earth’s oceans, reaching a depth of ~ 11,000 m at the Challenger Deep. Recent studies reveal that hadal waters harbor distinctive microbial planktonic communities. However, the genetic potential of microbial communities within the hadal zone is poorly understood. Results Here, implementing both culture-dependent and culture-independent methods, we perform extensive analysis of microbial populations and their genetic potential at different depths in the Mariana Trench. Unexpectedly, we observed an abrupt increase in the abundance of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria at depths > 10,400 m in the Challenger Deep. Indeed, the proportion of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria at > 10,400 m is the highest observed in any natural environment on Earth. These bacteria were mainly Oleibacter , Thalassolituus , and Alcanivorax genera, all of which include species known to consume aliphatic hydrocarbons. This community shift towards hydrocarbon degraders was accompanied by increased abundance and transcription of genes involved in alkane degradation. Correspondingly, three Alcanivorax species that were isolated from 10,400 m water supplemented with hexadecane were able to efficiently degrade n -alkanes under conditions simulating the deep sea, as did a reference Oleibacter strain cultured at atmospheric pressure. Abundant n- alkanes were observed in sinking particles at 2000, 4000, and 6000 m (averaged 23.5 μg/gdw) and hadal surface sediments at depths of 10,908, 10,909, and 10,911 m (averaged 2.3 μg/gdw). The δ 2 H values of n- C 16/18 alkanes that dominated surface sediments at near 11,000-m depths ranged from − 79 to − 93‰, suggesting that these sedimentary alkanes may have been derived from an unknown heterotrophic source. Conclusions These results reveal that hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms are present in great abundance in the deepest seawater on Earth and shed a new light on potential biological processes in this extreme environment. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s40168-019-0652-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

BackgroundThe ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily is the largest transporter gene family responsible for transporting specific molecules across lipid membranes in all living organisms. In insects, ABC transporters not only have important functions in molecule transport, but also play roles in insecticide resistance, metabolism and development.ResultsFrom the genome of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, we have identified 51 putative ABC genes which are classified into eight subfamilies (A-H) by phylogenetic analysis. Gene duplication is very evident in the ABCC and ABCG subfamilies, whereas gene numbers and structures are well conserved in the ABCD, ABCE, ABCF, and ABCH subfamilies. Microarray analysis revealed that expression of 32 silkworm ABC genes can be detected in at least one tissue during different developmental stages, and the expression patterns of some of them were confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. A large number of ABC genes were highly expressed in the testis compared to other tissues. One of the ABCG genes, BmABC002712, was exclusively and abundantly expressed in the Malpighian tubule implying that BmABC002712 plays a tissue-specific role. At least 5 ABCG genes, including BmABC005226, BmABC005203, BmABC005202, BmABC010555, and BmABC010557, were preferentially expressed in the midgut, showing similar developmental expression profiles to those of 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E)-response genes. 20E treatment induced the expression of these ABCG genes in the midgut and RNA interference-mediated knockdown of USP, a component of the 20E receptor, decreased their expression, indicating that these midgut-specific ABCG genes are 20E-responsive.ConclusionIn this study, a genome-wide analysis of the silkworm ABC transporters has been conducted. A comparison of ABC transporters from 5 insect species provides an overview of this vital gene superfamily in insects. Moreover, tissue- and stage-specific expression data of the silkworm ABCG genes lay a foundation for future analysis of their physiological function and hormonal regulation.