Melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer with increasing incidence worldwide. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), a group of nonprotein-coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides, are pervasively transcribed in the genome and are emerging as new players in tumorigenesis. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the role of six cancer-related lncRNAs in pairs of melanoma and adjacent normal tissues (ANTs). A total of 63 primary melanoma, paired ANTs, and metastatic lesions were collected in a Chinese population. Real-time PCR analysis was carried out to compare a series of cancer-related lncRNAs among primary melanoma tissues, ANTs, and metastatic lesions. In in-vitro studies, transwell migration assay was carried out to estimate the migration abilities of melanoma cells with different expression levels of urothelial carcinoma-associated 1 (UCA1) or metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (Malat-1) lncRNAs. We found that UCA1 and Malat-1 lncRNAs were markedly more increased in melanomas than in paired ANTs (P<0.05). Melanomas at later stages (stages 3-4) showed higher expression of UCA1 lncRNA than those at early stages (stages 1-2) (P=0.455). In melanomas with lymph node metastasis, the metastatic lesions had a relatively higher expression of Malat-1 lncRNA than in paired primary tumors (P=0.414). Knockdown of UCA1 or Malat-1 lncRNA could attenuate the migrational ability of melanoma cells in in-vitro studies. Increased expression of UCA1 and Malat-1 lncRNAs might have a correlation with melanoma metastasis.

Litsea Lam. is an ecological and economic important genus of the “core Lauraceae” group in the Lauraceae. The few studies to date on the comparative chloroplast genomics and phylogenomics of Litsea have been conducted as part of other studies on the Lauraceae. Here, we sequenced the whole chloroplast genome sequence of Litsea auriculata, an endangered tree endemic to eastern China, and compared this with previously published chloroplast genome sequences of 11 other Litsea species. The chloroplast genomes of the 12 Litsea species ranged from 152,132 (L. szemaois) to 154,011 bp (L. garrettii) and exhibited a typical quadripartite structure with conserved genome arrangement and content, with length variations in the inverted repeat regions (IRs). No codon usage preferences were detected within the 30 codons used in the chloroplast genomes, indicating a conserved evolution model for the genus. Ten intergenic spacers (psbE–petL, trnH–psbA, petA–psbJ, ndhF–rpl32, ycf4–cemA, rpl32–trnL, ndhG–ndhI, psbC–trnS, trnE–trnT, and psbM–trnD) and five protein coding genes (ndhD, matK, ccsA, ycf1, and ndhF) were identified as divergence hotspot regions and DNA barcodes of Litsea species. In total, 876 chloroplast microsatellites were located within the 12 chloroplast genomes. Phylogenetic analyses conducted using the 51 additional complete chloroplast genomes of “core Lauraceae” species demonstrated that the 12 Litsea species grouped into four sub-clades within the Laurus-Neolitsea clade, and that Litsea is polyphyletic and closely related to the genera Lindera and Laurus. Our phylogeny strongly supported the monophyly of the following three clades (Laurus–Neolitsea, Cinnamomum–Ocotea, and Machilus–Persea) among the above investigated “core Lauraceae” species. Overall, our study highlighted the taxonomic utility of chloroplast genomes in Litsea, and the genetic markers identified here will facilitate future studies on the evolution, conservation, population genetics, and phylogeography of L. auriculata and other Litsea species.

Lauraceae is a large family of woody plants with high ecological and economic value. The tribal and generic division and phylogenetic relationship of Lauraceae have long been controversial. Based on morphological and molecular evidence, phylogenetic relationships within the Cinnamomeae, Laureae and Perseeae tribes, also called ‘the Core Lauraceae’, have arisen particular attention. In this review, we comprehensively collated the literatures on the phylogeny of Lauraceae published in recent years and summarized progress made in molecular systematic researches employing gene fragments, chloroplast genomes and DNA barcodings analyses. We clarified the phylogenetic relationships and main controversies of ‘the Core Lauraceae’, the systemic position of fuzzy genera (Neocinnamomum, Caryodaphnopsis and Cassytha) and the development of chloroplast genome and DNA barcodes. We further suggested and proposed the whole genome analysis and different inflorescence types would be possible to provide more information for further research on phylogenetic relationships and taxonomy of Lauraceae.

Background: Nuclear pore membrane protein 121 (POM121) plays a crucial role in nucleocytoplasmic transport, but its significance in tumorigenesis and the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between POM121 and CRC. Methods: POM121 expression in colorectal tissues was analyzed at both the gene and protein levels. We investigated the connection between POM121 expression and clinicopathological features, as well as overall survival. A gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to determine the mechanism of POM121 in CRC. Results: CRC tissues displayed a striking increase in POM121 expression compared with colonitis and pericarcinomatous mucosa tissues (66.61% vs 24.36% vs 24.11%, respectively, p < 0.0167). POM121 overexpression was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage, venous invasion, perineural invasion, preoperative CEA and CA19-9 levels, and Ki67 expression. CRC patients with high POM121 levels tended to have poor overall survival rates. POM121 may participate in the regulation of the cell cycle and DNA repair in CRC. Conclusions: Our results suggest that POM121 has the potential to serve as a novel prognostic biomarker in CRC patients.

Premise Pteroceltis tatarinowii (Ulmaceae), the only species of the genus Pteroceltis, is an endangered tree in China. Here, novel expressed sequence tag–simple sequence repeat (EST‐SSR) markers were developed to illuminate its genetic diversity for conservation and assisted breeding. Methods and Results Based on Illumina transcriptome data from P. tatarinowii, a total of 70 EST‐SSR markers were initially designed and tested. Forty‐eight of 70 loci (68.6%) were successfully amplified, of which 20 were polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to six, and the levels of observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.018 to 0.781 and from 0.023 to 0.702, respectively. Additionally, cross‐amplification was successful for 17 loci in two related species, Ulmus gaussenii and U. chenmoui. Conclusions These new EST‐SSR markers are valuable transcriptomic resources for P. tatarinowii and will facilitate population genetics and molecular breeding of this species and its relatives in Ulmaceae.