[Preparation and application of polyclonal antibody of human transcription factor CTCF N terminus protein].

To investigate the function of CTCF and understand the pathogenesis of tumors better, we produced rabbit polyclonal antibody of human transcription factor CTCF protein and detected its expression in several kinds of human cancer cells and tissues. GST fusion protein of human CTCF-N domain was purified by GSTrap-FF affinity chromatography and was successfully expressed under induction of IPTG in E. coli BL21. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that the polyclonal antibody can recognize the endogenous CTCF from HepG2, MCF-7 and HeLa cells specifically. The produced antibodies can be used for gene expression regulation and tissue distribution study at protein level.

[VIGILIN involves in regulation of imprinting gene IGF2 and H19 in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell].

OBJECTIVE: To explore possible relationship among expression of human high density lipoprotein binding protein(VIGILIN), H19 and the insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) mRNA in HepG2 cell cycle and investigate the role of VIGILIN in controlling imprinting genes of H19 and IGF2 mRNA expression. METHODS: We investigated time course cell cycle distribution of HepG2 cells by FACS, analyzed VIGILIN, H19 and IGF2 mRNA expression at the indicated times using RT-PCR, RNAi and real-time PCR. RESULTS: Cell-cycle of HepG2 cells was approximately 20 h. 0 h-9 h and 20 h-28 h, 9 h-20 h and 28 h-39 h were S-phase and G2/M-G1-phase, respectively. Firstly, cells were synchronized by serum-starvation for 24 h. As expected, VIGILIN transcription was up-regulated with expression peaks at 20 h and 60 h after serum stimulating by the addition of 10% fetal calf serum. In parallel, H19 mRNA had a high expression level at 6 h and 43 h, and IGF2 mRNA was also increasing with cell-cycle. The expression profiles of human VIGILIN, H19, and IGF2 mRNA were ascending with cell-cycle. In addition, the knock-down of VIGILIN expression by transfecting HepG2 cells with shRNA expression plasmid pSIREN-VIG inhibited the expression of human VIGILIN, which led to the expression of H19 mRNA decrease by 12.08%, and IGF2 mRNA increase by 30.13%. CONCLUSION: The expression of VIGILIN and H19 mRNA was the cell-cycle dependent and had something to do with each other. The results clearly shed light on the roles of VIGILIN in controlling expression of the imprinted H19 and IGF2 genes.

[Traditional medicine CDP and promoter demethylation in breast cancer cell lines].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the demethylation effect of CDP on P16 and E-CADHERIN genes. METHODS: Breast cancer cell lines T47D and MDA-MB-435 were treated with CDP and DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-azacytidine (5-aza-C). The methylation of P16 and E-CADHERIN gene promoters were measured by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). The RNA transcription was determined by reverse transcription-PCR(RT-PCR). RESULTS: 1) The methylation-specific fragments of P16 gene promoter existed in T47D cells after 25, 50 and 75 micromol/L of CDP treatment for 6 days. An absolute demethylation on P16 gene occurred after treatment with 100 micromol/L of CDP. The unmethylation-specific fragments appeared in T47D cells after being treated with 25, 50, 75 and 100 micromol/L of CDP for 6 days. The RNA expression of P16 was detected after treatment with 75 and 100 micromol/L of CDP. 2) After being treated with 50 micromol/L of CDP, the methylation-specific fragments of CpG island in P16 gene promoter still existed in T47D cells. The unmethylation-specific fragments in T47D cells started to appear after 24 hours of treatment and lasted until 144 hour of treatment. The RNA expression was detected after 144 hours of treatment. 3) The demethylation on E-CADHERIN gene and genomic DNA or RNA transcription were not detected in MDA-MB-435 cells. CONCLUSION: CDP has concentration- and time-dependent demethylation effect on P16 gene in T47D cells, but not on E-CADHERIN gene in MDA-MB-435 cells, which indicates that CDP has substantial diversity in molecular activities.

Analysis of DNA methylation in plasma for monitoring hepatocarcinogenesis.

AIM: To explore whether the aberrant DNA methylation status in plasma could be used as a biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) screening among high-risk individuals. METHODS: The promoter methylation status of ELF, RASSF1A, p16, and GSTP1 was investigated by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 34 paired HCC and nontumor liver tissue from HCC patients and 10 tissues from patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). Plasma samples from 31 HCC patients, 10 LC patients as well as 7 patients with benign hepatic conditions were also collected and characterized using the same method. RESULTS: Among liver specimens, HCC tissues displayed a significantly higher methylation frequency of each gene compared with nontumor tissue (p<0.05). Moreover, the frequency was much higher in tumor tissues than in nontumor tissue, when the data from two or three genes were combined (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Among plasma samples, either the frequency of at least one methylated gene (p<0.001) or the average number of methylated genes (p<0.05) demonstrated a stepwise increase in patients with benign lesions, LC, and HCC. Furthermore, when positive results, that is, plasma methylation status of at least one gene were combined with the elevated AFP400 level (serum alpha-fetoprotein [AFP] level at a cutoff of 400 ng/mL), the diagnostic sensitivity of HCC could increase to 93.55%. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the methylation of tumor suppressor genes may participate in the development and progression of HCC. Additionally, it may be useful to combine the plasma DNA methylation status of a panel of gene markers and the serum AFP for HCC screening.