Binding of leukemia cells to the bone marrow extracellular matrix (ECM) through integrins might influence drug response and the survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, the functions of integrin in AML are needed to be clarified. Data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were retrieved and integrin β3 (ITGB3) expression and prognostic significance for AML were analyzed. Integrin alphavbeta3 (αvβ3) in sorafenib sensitivity and signaling pathway of FLT3-ITD AML cells was evaluated in vitro. The level of ITGB3 expression was positively correlated with risk stratification and prognosis of AML patients, especially in cytogenetic-normal patients with Fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) mutation. Integrin αvβ3 decreased sorafenib sensitivity when co-culture of MV4-11 cells and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), and it is crucial for osteopontin (OPN) induced sorafenib insensitivity in FLT3-ITD mutated AML cells. Mechanically, αvβ3 enhance β-catenin activation through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) pathway. Moreover, genetic inhibition of β-catenin by shRNA could increase sorafenib sensitivity in MV4-11 cells. Taken together, our study revealed a novel mechanism in microenvironment influence on sorafenib sensitivity in AML with FLT3-ITD mutation that was caused by activating integrin αvβ3/PI3K/Akt/GSK3β/β-catenin pathway. Integrin αvβ3/β-catenin could be considered as a new therapeutic target for AML especially for FLT3-ITD mutated AML.

From 1999 to 2003, a range of carbon fluxes was measured and integrated to establish a carbon balance for a natural evergreen forest of Castanopsis kawakamii (NF) and adjacent monoculture evergreen plantations of C. kawakamii (CK) and Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata, CF) in Sanming Nature Reserve, Fujian, China. Biomass carbon increment of aboveground parts and coarse roots were measured by the allometric method. Above-and belowground litter C inputs were assessed by litter traps and sequential cores, respectively. Soil respiration (SR) was determined by the alkaline absorbance method, and the contribution from roots, above-and belowground litters was separated by the DIRT plots. Annual SR averaged 13.742 t C ha -1 a -1 in the NF, 9.439 t C ha -1 a -1 in the CK, and 4.543 t C ha -1 a -1 in the CF. For all forests, SR generally peaked in later spring or early summer (May or June). The contribution of root respiration ranged from 47.8% in the NF to 40.3% in the CF. On average, soil heterotrophic respiration (HR) was evenly distributed between below-(47.3~54.5%) and aboveground litter (45.5%-52.7%). Annual C inputs (t C ha -1 a -1 ) from litterfall and root turnover averaged 4.452 and 4.295, 4.548 and 2.313, and 2.220 and 1.265, respectively, in the NF, CK, and CF. As compared to HR, annual net primary production (NPP) of 11.228, 13.264, and 6.491 t C ha -1 a -1 in the NF, CK, and CF brought a positive net ecosystem production (NEP) of 4.144, 7.514, and 3.677 t C ha -1 a -1 , respectively. It suggests that native forest in subtropical China currently acts as an important carbon sink just as the timber plantation does, and converting native forest to tree plantations locally during last decades might have caused a high landscape carbon loss to the atmosphere.

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Superplastic formation technology is considered to be an effective and promising method to conquer formation difficulties of Al alloys, especially thin-walled or complex structure. In this paper, fundamentals of superplastic deformation of Al alloys are summarized and the superplastic deformation behaviors of main kinds of Al alloys are summarized and compared, including Al-Mg alloys, Al-Li alloys, and Al-Zn-Mg alloys as well as aluminum matrix composites. Then, the superplastic deformation mechanism for different Al alloys is thoroughly discussed. Last but not the least, the factors affecting the superplastic deformation process are fully analyzed.

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