Bladder cancer is a major public health problem worldwide, with relatively high morbidity. However, there are few studies on drug development for bladder cancer. Troglitazone (TZ) is a synthetic ligand of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ, and it can induce apoptosis and autophagy in a variety of cancer cells. Several studies have indicated that TZ affects both cell growth and differentiation progress and has an inhibitory effect on urinary cancer cells. However, this drug's effect on bladder cancer cells remains largely unknown. Here, we report that TZ induced autophagy and enhanced apoptosis in T24 cells. Autophagic blockage resulted in the attenuation of TZ-dependent apoptosis. Necrostatin-1, an inhibitor of necroptosis, was found to reduce light chain 3 (LC3)-II accumulation and partially rescue the loss of cell viability induced by TZ. It was demonstrated that TZ activated autophagy concurrent with the activation of the adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway. AMPK inhibition led to a reduction in LC3-II levels, which were responsive to TZ treatment. Overall, TZ induced multiple types of programmed cell death in bladder cancer cells, and while the autophagy induced by the agonist contributed to the apoptotic process, crosstalk or switching between the different types of cell death likely occurred.

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Outbreaks of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans have impacted the Chinese coastal ecosystem for decades; however, which and how environmental factors affect its reproductive pattern and further influence its population dynamics remain to be investigated. From January 2019 to January 2020, 9 cruises were conducted at 12 stations in Jiaozhou Bay, China. The different life stages of N. scintillans were distinguished and quantified with the assistance of microscopic observation and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). N. scintillans was seasonally abundant in winter-spring and September, but depleted in summer and October. The asexual reproduction of N. scintillans, which appeared as binary fission, mainly occurred in colder water (<11°C), and could be the major mode of reproduction driving population growth in March-April. In September, even though the asexual mode is by this time restricted by high water temperatures (>26°C), N. scintillans blooms still occurred with the assistance of sexual reproduction and the potential coupling effect of a favorable food source and physical environment, in which chain-forming diatoms were dominant in the phytoplankton community and gametes could be accumulated by continuous mild southeast winds and rainless weather. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the life cycle of N. scintillans in natural seawaters and provides valuable information to assess the variation in the abundance of gametes.