[Effect of Intron Orientation on the Expression of Transgene Imposed by MAR Expression Vector in Stably Recombinant CHO Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of intron orientation on the transgene expression level imposed by matrix attachment region (MAR) expression vector. METHODS: The MAR of ß-globin was amplified by PCR, and then cloned into MAR expression vectors. An intron sequence was digested with restriction enzyme, ligated to the MAR expression vector in reverse orientation, and then transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The transfected stable cells were screened by G418. The level of chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene expression was analyzed by ELISA method. RESULTS: The transgene expression levels of CHO cells with the two expression vectors with a positive intron or without MAR were higher than that of CHO cells with an expression vector with reverse intron (P < 0.05). MAR did not improve transgene expression with reverse intron presence. CONCLUSION: Different orientation of intron can affect transgene expression in recombinant CHO cells. The transgene expression level can be increased using positive intron and MAR.

The effect of recombinant lentiviral vector encoding miR-145 on human esophageal cancer cells.

miR-145, a newly identified microRNA molecule, is hypothesized to function as a tumor suppressor, but this activity has not been investigated in esophageal l carcinoma (EC). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of miR-145 on the biological features of EC cells. miR-145 was obtained using PCR technology and cloned into the lentiviral vector, pLVX-IRES-ZsGreen1, to construct the resulting vector, pLVX-IZ-miR-145. The vector was packaged, the viral titer was tested, and ECA109 cells were infected with the optimal viral titer. Cells that were stably transfected with miR-145 were screened. Flow cytometry was used to analyze enhanced green fluorescence protein gene expression, and to measure cell apoptosis and cell cycle. miR-145 expression was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Furthermore, cell proliferation was assayed using CCK-8 assay. The pLVX-IZ-miR-145 vector was successfully constructed, and the viral titer achieved up to 5.0 × 10(8) TU/mL. The transfection efficiency was 90 %. Compared to the control group, the expression level of miR-145 in the transfected group was significantly higher (185-fold, P < 0.05). miR-145 overexpression significantly inhibited esophageal cancer cell proliferation (P < 0.05). Moreover, the number of cells at the G2/M stage, as well as the cell apoptotic rate, in the miR-145-transfected group was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Our study reveals that overexpression of miR-145 inhibits cell proliferation, increases apoptosis, and influences the cell cycle progression of EC cell.

Acevaltrate promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation by suppressing HIF-1α accumulation in cancer cells.

Acevaltrate is a natural product isolated from the roots of Valeriana glechomifolia F.G.Mey. (Valerianaceae) and has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity. However, the mechanism by which acevaltrate inhibits tumor growth is not fully understood. We here demonstrated the effect of acevaltrate on hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression. Acevaltrate showed a potent inhibitory activity against HIF-1α induced by hypoxia in various cancer cells. This compound markedly decreased the hypoxia-induced accumulation of HIF-1α protein dose-dependently. Further analysis revealed that acevaltrate inhibited HIF-1α protein synthesis and promoted degradation of HIF-1α protein, without affecting the expression level of HIF-1α mRNA. Moreover, the phosphorylation levels of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), and eIF4E binding protein-1 (4E-BP1) were significantly suppressed by acevaltrate. In addition, acevaltrate promoted apoptosis and inhibited proliferation, which was potentially mediated by suppression of HIF-1α. We also found that acevaltrate administration inhibited tumor growth in mouse xenograft model. Taken together, these results suggested that acevaltrate was a potent inhibitor of HIF-1α and provided a new insight into the mechanisms of acevaltrate against cancers.

Optimization of extended Kozak elements enhances recombinant proteins expression in CHO cells.

In eukaryotes, the localization of small ribosomal subunits to mRNA transcripts requires the translation of Kozak elements at the starting site. The sequence of Kozak elements affects the translation efficiency of protein synthesis. However, whether the upstream nucleotide of Kozak sequence affects the expression of recombinant proteins in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells remains unclear. In order to find the optimal sequence to enhance recombinant proteins expression in CHO cells, -10 to +4 sequences around ATG in 100 CHO genes were compared, and the extended Kozak elements with different translation intensities were constructed. Using the classic Kozak element as control, the effects of optimized extended Kozak elements on the secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) and human serum albumin (HSA) gene were studied. The results showed that the optimized extended Kozak sequence can enhance the stable expression level of recombinant proteins in CHO cells. Furthermore, it was found that the increased expression level of the recombinant protein was not related with higher transcription level. In summary, optimizing extended Kozak elements can enhance the expression of recombinant proteins in CHO cells, which contributes to the construction of an efficient expression system for CHO cells.

Combination of MAR and intron increase transgene expression of episomal vectors in CHO cells.

Previous work has shown that the EF-1α promoter of episomal vectors maintains high-level transgene expression in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. However, the transgene expression levels need to be further increased. Here, we first incorporated matrix attachment regions (MARs), ubiquitous chromatin opening element (UCOE), stabilizing anti repressor elements 40 (STAR 40) elements into episomal vector at different sites and orientations, and systemically assessed their effects on transgene expression in transfected CHO-K1 cells. Results showed that enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression levels increased remarkably when MAR X-29 was inserted upstream of the promoter, followed by the insertion of MAR1 downstream of the poly A, and the orientation had no significant effect. Moreover, MAR X-29 combined with human cytomegalovirus intron (hCMVI) yielded the highest transgene expression levels (4.52-fold). Transgene expression levels were not exclusively dependent on transgene copy numbers and were not related to the mRNA expression level. In addition, vector with MAR X-29+hCMVI can induce herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) protein expression, and the HSV-TK protein showed a cell-killing effect and an obvious bystander effect on HCT116 cells. In conclusion, the combination of MAR X-29 and hCMV intron can achieve high efficiency transgene expression mediated by episomal vectors in CHO-K1 cells.

Molecular characterization of a human matrix attachment region that improves transgene expression in CHO cells.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells offer many advantages for recombinant gene expression, including proper folding and post-translational modification of the recombinant protein. However, due to positional effects resulting from the neighboring chromatin, transgenes are often expressed at low levels in these cells. While previous studies demonstrated that matrix attachment regions (MARs) can be utilized to increase transgene expression by buffering transgene silencing, the mechanism by which this occurs is poorly understood. We therefore performed a deletion analysis of the human ß-globin MAR sequence to characterize the regions that are necessary to enhance transgene expression in CHO cells. Our results indicate that of the six ß-globin MAR fragments tested (MAR-1-6; nucleotides 1-540, 420-1020, 900-1500, 1380-1980, 1860-2460, and 2340-2999, respectively), MAR-2, followed by MAR-3, was the most effective region for promoting stable and elevated transgene expression. Meanwhile, bioinformatic analyses demonstrated that these fragments encode a MAR-like motif and several transcription factor binding sites, including special AT-rich binding protein 1 (SATB1), CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBP), CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF), and Glutathione (GSH) binding motifs, indicating that these elements may contribute to the MAR-mediated enhancement of transgene expression. In addition, we found that truncated MAR derivatives yield more stable transgene expression levels than transgenes lacking the MAR. We concluded that the MAR-mediated transcriptional activation of transgenes requires a specific AT-rich sequence, as well as specific transcription factor-binding motifs.

Impact of Different Promoters on Episomal Vectors Harbouring Characteristic Motifs of Matrix Attachment Regions.

We previously demonstrated that the characteristic sequence of matrix attachment regions (MARs) allows transgenes to be maintained episomally in CHO cells. In the present study, six commonly used promoters from human cytomegalovirus major immediate-early (CMV), simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40), Rous sarcoma virus, Homo sapiens ubiquitin C, phosphoglycerate kinase, and ß-globin, respectively, were evaluated to determine their effects on transgene expression and stability in CHO cells stably transfected via the episomal vector harbouring characteristic MAR motifs. The CHO cells were transfected with vectors and then screened using G418, after which the stably transfected cells were split into two and further cultured either in the presence or absence of G418. Of the six promoters, the CMV promoter yielded the highest transgene expression levels and the highest transfection efficiency, whereas the SV40 promoter maintained transgene expression more stably during long-term culture than the other promoters did. The CMV and SV40 promoter-containing vectors were furthermore episomally maintained and conferred sustained eGFP expression in the cells even under nonselective conditions. On the basis of these findings, we conclude that the CMV promoter performs best in terms of yielding both high expression levels and high levels of stability using this episomal vector system.

Correlation between thyroglobulin gene polymorphisms and autoimmune thyroid disease.

The aim of the present study was to detect thyroglobulin (Tg) gene polymorphisms in a Han Chinese population from the Northern regions of Henan province, China, and to study the correlation between Tg gene polymorphisms and autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). A total of 270 patients with AITD and 135 healthy controls were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted and fluorescence polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed; high­resolution melting curve analysis (HRMA) was used to detect single­nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exons 10, 12 and 33 of the Tg gene. SNPs were then correlated with AITD. Han people from the Northern regions of Henan displayed four Tg exon SNPs: E10SNP24 T/G, E10SNP158 T/C, E12SNP A/G and E33SNP C/T. Several allele and genotype frequencies differed between the AITD group and the healthy control group (Tg E10SNP: Allele T, P<0.01; allele G, P<0.01; and Tg genotype GG, P<0.01; genotype TG, P<0.01. Tg E12SNP: Allele A, P<0.01; allele G, P<0.01; Tg genotype GG, P<0.01; genotype AG, P<0.01). A statistically significant difference in the frequency of selected Tg SNPs haplotypes was also present between AITD patients and healthy controls (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in haplotypes between various types of AITD (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's disease). The Tg SNP frequency distribution was significantly different between Han populations of the Northern regions of Henan province and the Xi'an regions of Shaanxi province. The results of the present study suggested that specific Tg gene alleles or genotypes were correlated with AITD; specific Tg SNP haplotypes were associated with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and Hashimoto's disease, and the Tg SNP frequency distribution differed depending on the geographical location of the Han Chinese populations.

Treating Colon Cancer Cells with FK228 Reveals a Link between Histone Lysine Acetylation and Extensive Changes in the Cellular Proteome.

The therapeutic value of FK228 as a cancer treatment option is well known, and various types of cancer have been shown to respond to this drug. However, the complete mechanism of FK228 and the affect it has on histone lysine acetylation and the colon cancer cell proteome are largely unknown. In the present study, we used stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and affinity enrichment followed by high-resolution liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer (LC-MS)/MS analysis to quantitate the changes in the lysine acetylome in HCT-8 cells after FK228 treatment. A total of 1,194 lysine acetylation sites in 751 proteins were quantified, with 115 of the sites in 85 proteins being significantly upregulated and 38 of the sites in 32 proteins being significantly downregulated in response to FK228 treatment. Interestingly, 47 histone lysine acetylation sites were identified in the core histone proteins. We also found a novel lysine acetylation site on H2BK121. These significantly altered proteins are involved in multiple biological functions as well as a myriad of metabolic and enzyme-regulated pathways. Taken together, the link between FK228 function and the downstream changes in the HCT-8 cell proteome observed in response to FK228 treatment is established.

Expression profile analysis of long non-coding RNA associated with vincristine resistance in colon cancer cells by next-generation sequencing.

Vincristine (VCR) is widely used in tumor treatment. However, long-term use of this drug can make tumor cells resistant to it. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying resistance development are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) associated with colon cancer drug resistance using next-generation sequencing. A cDNA library of HCT-8 VCR-resistant colon cancer cell was established through PCR amplification. Using HiSeq 2500 sequencing and bioinformatic methods, we identified lncRNAs showing different expression levels in drug-resistant and non-resistant cells, and constructed expression profiles of the lncRNA differences. The pretreatment of data was quality controlled using FastQC software. Transcription of lncRNA was calculated using Fragments Per Kilobase of transcript per Million fragments mapped (FPKM). To reveal the potential functions of these lncRNAs, we applied GO analysis to study the differentially expressed lncRNAs. Total transcript number was higher in resistant cells than in non-resistant colon cancer cells, and high-quality transcripts constituted the major portion of the total. In addition, 121 transcripts showed significantly different expression in VCR-resistant and non-resistant cells. Of these, we observed 23 up-regulated and 20 down-regulated lncRNAs (fold change >10.0). This is the first report of the expression profile of lncRNA of VCR-resistant colon cancer cells. Abnormal lncRNA expression was associated with VCR resistance in colon cancer cells and these expression differences may play a key role in VCR resistance of these cells.