Improving LC-MS/MS measurements of steroids with differential mobility spectrometry.

Introduction: Steroid measurements are important for diagnosis and monitoring of many conditions and treatment regiments; however, due to structural and chemical similarities amongst steroids, these analyses are challenging, even for highly specific techniques such as liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Differential mobility spectrometry (DMS) has the potential to improve these analyses by providing an orthogonal and complementary separation technique. Methods: Initially, the potential for DMS to improve signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and reduce interference was tested by comparing chromatograms acquired with and without DMS when performing measurements of six different steroids. Subsequently, a full clinical validation of cortisol and cortisone in urine was performed with the LC-DMS-MS/MS method. Results and Discussion: DMS significantly reduced interferences observed in the chromatograms and boosted S/N by between 1.6 and 13.8 times. Additionally, DMS improved the agreement between quantifier/qualifier fragment ion results for cortisol and cortisone as indicated by the increase in R2 from approximately 0.81 to 0.98. All validation studies met acceptance criteria and we observed exceptional analytical performance in terms of precision, with % CVs less than 8%. Conclusions: DMS improved the specificity of the steroid measurements by reducing interferences and improving S/N. The validation studies prove that these benefits did not come at the expense of other aspects of analytical performance. This study indicates that DMS has the potential to benefit not just clinical measurements of challenging analytes, but many clinical LC-MS/MS analyses.

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase 1 and 2: gene sequence variation and functional genomic characterization.

Serine hydroxymethyltransferase (SHMT) catalyzes the transfer of a ß-carbon from serine to tetrahydrofolate to form glycine and 5,10-methylene-tetrahydrofolate. This reaction plays an important role in neurotransmitter synthesis and metabolism. We set out to resequence SHMT1 and SHMT2, followed by functional genomic studies. We identified 87 and 60 polymorphisms in SHMT1 and SHMT2, respectively. We observed no significant functional effect of the 13 non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) in these genes, either on catalytic activity or protein quantity. We imputed additional variants across the two genes using '1000 Genomes' data, and identified 14 variants that were significantly associated (p<1.0E-10) with SHMT1 messenger RNA expression in lymphoblastoid cell lines. Many of these SNPs were also significantly correlated with basal SHMT1 protein expression in 268 human liver biopsy samples. Reporter gene assays suggested that the SHMT1 promoter SNP, rs669340, contributed to this variation. Finally, SHMT1 and SHMT2 expression were significantly correlated with those of other Folate and Methionine Cycle genes at both the messenger RNA and protein levels. These experiments represent a comprehensive study of SHMT1 and SHMT2 gene sequence variation and its functional implications. In addition, we obtained preliminary indications that these genes may be co-regulated with other Folate and Methionine Cycle genes.

Human liver methionine cycle: MAT1A and GNMT gene resequencing, functional genomics, and hepatic genotype-phenotype correlation.

The "methionine cycle" plays a critical role in the regulation of concentrations of (S)-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet), the major biological methyl donor. We set out to study sequence variation in genes encoding the enzyme that synthesizes AdoMet in liver, methionine adenosyltransferase 1A (MAT1A) and the major hepatic AdoMet using enzyme, glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), as well as functional implications of that variation. We resequenced MAT1A and GNMT using DNA from 288 subjects of three ethnicities, followed by functional genomic and genotype-phenotype correlation studies performed with 268 hepatic biopsy samples. We identified 44 and 42 polymorphisms in MAT1A and GNMT, respectively. Quantitative Western blot analyses for the human liver samples showed large individual variation in MAT1A and GNMT protein expression. Genotype-phenotype correlation identified two genotyped single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), reference SNP (rs) 9471976 (corrected p = 3.9 × 10(-10)) and rs11752813 (corrected p = 1.8 × 10(-5)), and 42 imputed SNPs surrounding GNMT that were significantly associated with hepatic GNMT protein levels (corrected p values < 0.01). Reporter gene studies showed that variant alleles for both genotyped SNPs resulted in decreased transcriptional activity. Correlation analyses among hepatic protein levels for methionine cycle enzymes showed significant correlations between GNMT and MAT1A (p = 1.5 × 10(-3)) and between GNMT and betaine homocysteine methyltransferase (p = 1.6 × 10(-7)). Our discovery of SNPs that are highly associated with hepatic GNMT protein expression as well as the "coordinate regulation" of methionine cycle enzyme protein levels provide novel insight into the regulation of this important human liver biochemical pathway.

A synthetic decursin analog with increased in vivo stability suppresses androgen receptor signaling in vitro and in vivo.

Targeting androgen receptor (AR) signaling with agents distinct from current antagonist drugs remains a rational approach to the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer (PCa). Our previous studies have shown that decursin and isomer decursinol angelate (DA), isolated from the Korean medicinal herb Angelica gigas Nakai, interrupt AR signaling and possess anti-PCa activities in vitro. In the LNCaP PCa cell model, these pyranoccoumarin compounds exhibit properties distinct from currently used antagonists (e.g., Casodex). However, both are rapidly de-esterified to decursinol, a partial AR agonist. We report here that a synthetic decursin analog, decursinol phenylthiocarbamate (DPTC), has greater in vivo stability than the parent compounds. DPTC-decursinol conversion was undetectable in mice. Furthermore, in LNCaP cells, DPTC decreased prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression, down-regulated AR abundance and mRNA and inhibited AR nuclear translocation. The effect of DPTC on AR and PSA mRNA and protein abundance was also observed in VCaP cells expressing wild type AR. DPTC inhibited growth of both PCa cell lines through G(1) cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, as did decursin and DA. Furthermore, i.p. administration of DPTC for 3 weeks suppressed the expression of AR target genes probasin and Nkx3.1 in mouse prostate glands. Overall, our data suggest that DPTC represents a prototype lead compound for development of in vivo stable and active novel decursin analogs for the prevention or therapy of PCa.

Manufacturing and Characterization of Modified Wood with In Situ Polymerization and Cross-Linking of Water-Soluble Monomers on Wood Cell Walls.

Fast-growing plantation wood has poor dimensional stability and easily cracks, which limits its application. As wood modification can improve the dimensional stability, strength, and other properties of wood, it has been extensively used. In this study, 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and glyoxal were applied to treat poplar wood (Populus euramevicana cv.I-214) by using vacuum pressure impregnation to improve its dimensional stability. The weight percentage gain (WPG), anti-swelling efficiency (ASE), water absorption rate (WAR), leachability (L), and other properties of modified wood were examined. Results showed that the modifier was diffused into the cell walls and intercellular space and reacted with the wood cell wall after heating to form a stable reticular structure polymer which effectively decreased the hydroxyl content in the wood and blocked the water movement channel; thus, further improving the physical performance of wood. These results were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). When the ratio of the modifier was 80:20, the concentration of the modifier was 40%, and the curing temperature was 120 °C, the modified poplar had the best performance, which showed a low WAR (at its lowest 58.39%), a low L (at its lowest 10.44%), and a high ASE (of up to 77.94%).

[Application of NIR spectroscopy to estimate of MFA and fiber length of Neosinocalamus a f finis].

Near infrared spectroscopy was applied to rapidly predict microfibril angle (MFA) and fiber length of Neosinocalamus a f finis Keng by using a fiber-optic probe in diffuse reflectance mode. The MFA and fiber length were measured by X-ray diffractometry and optical microscope, respectively. Partial least squares (PLS) was used to build models based on raw and pretreated spectra, including noise spectra and noise combined with orthogonal signal correction (OSC) spectra. The results showed that the PLS models of MFA and fiber length, based on noise combined with OSC spectra, gave the strongest correlations, with correlation coefficient (R) of 0.8936 and 0.9883 and root mean standard error of prediction (RMSEP) of 0.2920 and 0.1460 in prediction set. The correlations between NIR predicted and MFA/fiber length actual values are very good. Therefore, it is concluded that MFA and fiber length of N. a f finis can be estimated by NIR spectroscopy with sufficient accuracy.

Thermoplastic Elastomer Tunes Phase Structure and Promotes Stretchability of High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells.

Top-performance organic solar cells (OSCs) consisting of conjugated polymer donors and nonfullerene small molecule acceptors (NF-SMAs) deliver rapid increases in efficiencies. Nevertheless, many of the polymer donors exhibit high stiffness and small molecule acceptors are very brittle, which limit their applications in wearable devices. Here, a simple and effective strategy is reported to improve the stretchability and reduce the stiffness of high-efficiency polymer:NF-SMA blends and simultaneously maintain the high efficiency by incorporating a low-cost commercial thermoplastic elastomer, polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS). The microstructure, mechanical properties, and photovoltaic performance of PM6:N3 with varied SEBS contents and the molecular weight dependence of SEBS on microstructure and mechanical properties are thoroughly characterized. This strategy for mechanical performance improvement exhibits excellent applicability in some other OSC blend systems, e.g., PBQx-TF:eC9-2Cl and PBDB-T:ITIC. More crucially, the elastic modulus of such complex ternary blends can be nicely predicted by a mechanical model. Therefore, incorporating thermoplastic elastomers is a widely applicable and cost-effective strategy to improve mechanical properties of nonfullerene OSCs and beyond.

Penta-O-galloyl-beta-D-glucose induces G1 arrest and DNA replicative S-phase arrest independently of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B and P53 in human breast cancer cells and is orally active against triple negative xenograft growth.

INTRODUCTION: Natural herbal compounds with novel actions different from existing breast cancer (BCa) treatment modalities are attractive for improving therapeutic efficacy and safety. We have recently shown that penta-1,2,3,4,6-O-galloyl-ß-D-glucose (PGG) induced S-phase arrest in prostate cancer (PCa) cells through inhibiting DNA replicative synthesis and G(1) arrest, in addition to inducing cell death at higher levels of exposure. We and others have shown that PGG through intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection exerts a strong in vivo growth suppression of human PCa xenograft models in athymic nude mice. This study aims to test the hypothesis that the novel targeting actions of PGG are applicable to BCa cells, especially those lacking proven druggable targets. METHODS: Mono-layer cell culture models of p53-wild type estrogen receptor (ER)-dependent MCF-7 BCa cells and p53-mutant ER-/progesterone receptor (PR)- and Her2-regular (triple-negative) MDA-MB-231 BCa were exposed to PGG for a comprehensive investigation of cellular consequences and molecular targets/mediators. To test the in vivo efficacy, female athymic mice inoculated with MDA-MB-231 xenograft were treated with 20mg PGG/kg body weight by daily gavage starting 4 days after cancer cell inoculation. RESULTS: Exposure to PGG induced S-phase arrest in both cell lines as indicated by the lack of 5-bromo2'-deoxy-uridine (BrdU) incorporation into S-phase cells as well as G(1) arrest. Higher levels of PGG induced more caspase-mediated apoptosis in MCF-7, in strong association with induction of P53 Ser(15) phosphorylation, than in MDA-MB-231 cells. The cell cycle arrests were achieved without an induction of cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitory proteins P21(Cip1) and P27(Kip1). PGG treatment led to decreased cyclin D1 in both cell lines and over-expressing cyclin D1 attenuated G(1) arrest and hastened S arrest. In serum-starvation synchronized MCF-7 cells, down-regulation of cyclin D1 was associated with de-phosphorylation of retinoblastoma (Rb) protein by PGG shortly before G(1)-S transition. In vivo, oral administration of PGG led to a greater than 60% inhibition of MDA-MB231 xenograft growth without adverse effect on host body weight. CONCLUSIONS: Our in vitro and in vivo data support PGG as a potential drug candidate for breast cancer with novel targeting actions, especially for a triple negative BCa xenograft model.

Molecular cloning and functional characterization of a mouse gene upregulated by lipopolysaccharide treatment reveals alternative splicing.

Treatment of mouse cells with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potently initiates an inflammatory response, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We therefore sought to characterize cDNA sequences of a new mouse LPS-responsive gene, and to evaluate the effects of MLrg. Full-length cDNAs were obtained from LPS-treated NIH3T3 cells. We report that the MLrg gene produces two alternative splice products (GenBank Accession Nos. DQ316984 and DQ320011), respectively, encoding MLrgW and MLrgS polypeptides. Both proteins contain zinc finger and leucine zipper domains and are thus potential regulators of transcription. Expression of MLrgW and MLrgS were robustly upregulated following LPS treatment, and the proteins were localized predominantly in the nuclear membrane and cytoplasm. In stable transfectants over-expressing MLrgW the proportion of cells in G1 phase was significantly reduced, while in cells over-expressing MLrgS the proportion of cells in G2 was significantly increased; both proteins are thus potential regulators of cell cycle progression. Upregulation of MLrgW and MLrgS may be an important component of the LPS inflammatory pathway and of the host response to infection with GNB.

Flame Retardant Properties and Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Wood Treated with Boric Acid Modified Silica Sol.

This paper presents experimental research on the flame-retardant properties and thermal decomposition kinetics of wood treated by boric-acid-modified silica sol. The poplar wood was impregnated with pure silica sol and boric-acid-modified silica sol. The results showed that modifiers can be observed in the cell wall and cell lumen. The ignition time, second peak of the heat release rate, total heat release, and mass loss of the W-Si/B were delayed obviously. The composite silicon modification had a positive impact on carbonization. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the residual mass of W-Si/B was enhanced and the thermal degradation rate was considerably decreased. By thermal decomposition kinetics analysis, the boric acid can catalyze the thermal degradation and carbonization of poplar wood. In other words, wood treated with boric-acid-modified silica sol showed significant improvement in terms of flame retardancy, compared with wood treated with common silica sol.

Over-expression and siRNA of a novel environmental lipopolysaccharide-responding gene on the cell cycle of the human hepatoma-derived cell line HepG2.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is the toxic determinant for Gram-negative bacterium infection. The individual response to LPS was related to its gene background. It is necessary to identify new molecules and signaling transduction pathways about LPS. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of a novel environmental lipopolysaccharide-responding (Elrg) gene on the regulation of proliferation and cell cycle of the hepatoma-derived cell line, HepG2. By means of RT-PCR, the new molecule of Elrg was generated from a human dental pulp cell cDNA library. Expression level of Elrg in HepG2 cells was remarkably upgraded by the irritation of LPS. Localization of Elrg in HepG2 cells was positioned mainly in cytoplasm. HepG2 cells were markedly arrested in the G1 phase by over-expressing Elrg. The percentage of HepG2 cells in G1 phase partly decreased after Elrg-siRNA. In conclusion, Elrg is probably correlative with LPS responding. Elrg is probably a new protein in cytoplasm which plays an important role in regulating cell cycle. The results will deepen our understanding about the potential effects of Elrg on the human hepatoma-derived cell line HepG2.

NPR3 protects cardiomyocytes from apoptosis through inhibition of cytosolic BRCA1 and TNF-α.

Natriuretic peptide receptor 3 (NPR3) is a clearance receptor by binding and internalizing natriuretic peptides (NPs) for ultimate degradation. Patients with cardiac failure show elevated NPs. NPs are linked to poor long-term survival because of their apoptotic effects. However, the underling mechanisms have not been identified yet. Here we report the role of NPR3 in anti-apoptosis via the breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (BRCA1) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α ). To demonstrate a role for NPR3 in apoptosis, stable H9C2 cardiomyocyte cell lines using shRNA to knockdown NPR3 were generated. The activities of caspase-3, 8, and 9 were significantly increased in NPR3 knockdown H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Knockdown of NPR3 increased the expression of BRCA1. Also NPR3 knockdown remarkably increased the activity of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a positive regulatory element for BRCA1 expression. BRCA1 showed dispersed nuclear localization in non-cardiomyocytes while predominantly cytoplasmic localization in H9C2 cells. Meanwhile, NPR3 knockdown significantly increased TNF-α gene expression. These data show that NPR3 knockdown in H9C2 cells triggered both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. NPR3 protects cardiomyocytes from apoptosis through inhibition of cytosolic BRCA1 and TNF-α, which are regulators of apoptosis. Our studies demonstrate anti-apoptosis role of NPR3 in protecting cardiomyocytes and establish the first molecular link between NP system and programmed cell death.

[Effect of specific siRNA targeting against bcr-abl chimeric gene on chronic myelogenous leukemia cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting against bcr-abl chimeric gene on the biological traits of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells. METHODS: CML cells of the line K561 transcribing a type of b3: a2 mRNA of bcr-abl chimeric gene were cultured. A 21nt siRNA targeting against the chimeric location of the b3: a2 mRNA of bcr-abl chimeric gene was designed, synthesized, and transfected into the K562 cells as RNA interference group. Another K562 cells were transfected with fluorescein enzyme gene specific siRNA as indifferent controls, or with lipid alone as blank vector controls. Some K562 cells without treatment were used as normal controls. 48 hours after the transfection Western blotting was used to detect the expression of P210bcr-abl fusion protein. 3H-TdR incorporation was used to detect the proliferation activity of K562. Annexin V-fluorescencein isothiocyanate (FITC)/phosphatidylinositol (PI) staining was used to detect the apoptosis of K2562 cells. Flow cytometry was used to observe the cell cycle of K562 cells. Benzidine staining was used to detect the differentiation of K562 cells towards erythrocytic series. Western blotting was used further to detect the expression of apoptosis-related protein Bcl-xL/Bax. RESULTS: (1) In contrast with the control groups, the expression level of bcr-abl chimeric gene was much lower in the RNAi group. (2) (3)H-TdR incorporation test showed time-dependent inhibition of proliferation of K562 cells, reflected in decrease of counts per minute (CPM) value in RNAi group 24 h, 48 h, 72 h, and 96 h after siRNA transfection by 33.06%, 52.25%, 57.64%, and 70.87% respectively (F=17.7, P < 0.01). (3) About 43.2% of K562 cells in the RNAi group were apoptotic 48 h after siRNA transfection (F=13.6, P < 0.01). (4) In contrast with the control groups, the expression of apoptosis-associated protein Bcl-xL was greatly down-regulated; however, the expression of Bax protein showed little change. (5) The percentage of benzidine-positive cells in the RNAi group was 23.5% +/- 3.2%, significantly higher than those in the indifferent control group, blank vector group, and normal control group (2.4% +/- 0.3%, 4.5% +/- 0.5%, and 3.6% +/- 0.2% respectively, all P < 0.01), which meant that part of the K562 cells differentiated towards erythrocytic series. (6) The percentage of G1 phase of K561 cells in the RNA1 group was significantly higher than those of the other groups (F = 6.2, P < 0.05), showing a capture in G1-phase of cell cycle. CONCLUSION: The specific siRNA distinctly inhibits the expression of bcr-abl chimeric gene and influences essential biological traits of K562 cells, which will ultimately result in differentiation or apoptosis of K562 cells.

Circulating atrial natriuretic peptide genetic association study identifies a novel gene cluster associated with stroke in whites.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to identify genetic determinants of plasma N-terminal proatrial natriuretic peptide (NT-proANP) in the general community by performing a large-scale genetic association study and to assess its functional significance in in vitro cell studies and on disease susceptibility. METHODS AND RESULTS: Genotyping was performed across 16 000 genes in 893 randomly selected individuals, with replication in 891 subjects from the community. Plasma NT-proANP1-98 concentrations were determined using a radioimmunoassay. Thirty-three genome-wide significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified in the MTHFR-CLCN6-NPPA-NPPB locus and were all replicated. To assess the significance, in vitro functional genomic studies and clinical outcomes for carriers of a single-nucleotide polymorphism rs5063 (V32M) located in NPPA that represented the most significant variation in this genetic locus were assessed. The rs5063 variant allozyme in transfected HEK293 cells was decreased to 55±8% of wild-type protein (P=0.01) as assessed by quantitative western blots. Carriers of rs5063 had lower NT-proANP levels (1427 versus 2291 pmol/L; P<0.001) and higher diastolic blood pressures (75 versus 73 mm Hg; P=0.009) and were at an increased risk of stroke when compared with wild-type subjects independent of age, sex, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and cholesterol levels (hazard ratio, 1.6; P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large-scale genetic association study of circulating NT-proANP levels performed with replication and functional assessment that identified genetic variants in the MTHFR-CLCN6-NPPA-NPPB cluster to be significantly associated with NT-proANP levels. The clinical significance of this variation is related to lower NT-proANP levels, higher blood pressures, and an increased risk of stroke in the general community.

Cloning and biological comparison of Restin, novel member of Mage superfamily.

In the present study, a new member of melanoma associated antigens (Mage), named Restin (219 amino acids), was identified from HL-60 cell induced by all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) by PCR-based subtractive hybridization. Bioinformatics analysis found this novel gene shares high homolog with Necdin (a neuronal growth suppressor, 49%). Both of them are basic proteins. Moreover, the Restin, Necdin and Mages are in one protein superfamily. This fact indicates that the Restin and Mages are mutually related but functionally different. Further analysis found that they can be divided into two subgroups, the acid and the basic. Restin, Necdin and Mage-D1 have an alkaline conserve region (PI is from 8.6 to 10.1), which are not or less expressed in tumor tissues but mostly in normal tissues. It has been reported that Necdin can arrest the cell proliferation by interaction with p53 and E2F1. Therefore, all of them are probably related to arrest the cell cycle. However, the Mage A and C are primarily acid proteins (PI is from 4.2 to 4.9), not expressed in normal tissues but in tumors. It is quite probable that these proteins are involved in the cell proliferation. We therefore suggest that these two protein families might be a pair of control elements of cell cycle-"in cycle or out of cycle".

Acetaminophen-NAPQI hepatotoxicity: a cell line model system genome-wide association study.

Acetaminophen is the leading cause of acute hepatic failure in many developed nations. Acetaminophen hepatotoxicity is mediated by the reactive metabolite N-acetyl-p-benzoquinonimine (NAPQI). We performed a "discovery" genome-wide association study using a cell line-based model system to study the possible contribution of genomics to NAPQI-induced cytotoxicity. A total of 176 lymphoblastoid cell lines from healthy subjects were treated with increasing concentrations of NAPQI. Inhibiting concentration 50 values were determined and were associated with "glutathione pathway" gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genome-wide basal messenger RNA expression, as well as with 1.3 million genome-wide SNPs. A group of SNPs in linkage disequilibrium on chromosome 3 was highly associated with NAPQI toxicity. The p value for rs2880961, the SNP with the lowest p value, was 1.88 × 10(-7). This group of SNPs mapped to a "gene desert," but chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated binding of several transcription factor proteins including heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) and HSF2, at or near rs2880961. These chromosome 3 SNPs were not significantly associated with variation in basal expression for any of the genome-wide genes represented on the Affymetrix U133 Plus 2.0 GeneChip. We have used a cell line-based model system to identify a SNP signal associated with NAPQI cytotoxicity. If these observations are validated in future clinical studies, this SNP signal might represent a potential biomarker for risk of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity. The mechanisms responsible for this association remain unclear.

Persistent p21Cip1 induction mediates G(1) cell cycle arrest by methylseleninic acid in DU145 prostate cancer cells.

The induction of G(1) cell cycle arrest and apoptosis by second-generation selenium compounds (e.g., methylselenol precursors such as methylseleninic acid, MSeA) may contribute to their anti-cancer activities. We have documented previously induction of G(1) arrest and apoptosis by MSeA in association with upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKI) proteins p21Cip1 and/or p27Kip1 in DU145 prostate cancer cells. However, whether these CDKIs play a critical mediator role in G(1) arrest and apoptosis by MSeA has not been addressed. In the present work, we show exposure of p53-mutant DU145 cells to sub-apoptotic concentrations of MSeA induced p21cip1 mRNA (3 h) and protein (6 h) much faster than p27kip1 mRNA (12 h) and protein (12 h). Knocking down of p21 by siRNA completely abolished G(1) arrest induction by MSeA in DU145 cells, yet si-p27 RNA had no attenuation effect on the G(1) arrest. Depletion of p21Cip1 alone or both p21Cip1 and p27Kip1 increased MSeA-induced caspase-mediated apoptosis. Immunoprecipitation detected increased binding of p21Cip1 to CDK2 and CDK6 in MSeA-exposed DU145 cells. In DU145 xenografts from mice acutely treated with MSeA p.o., the induction of p21Cip1 was observed at 72 h of daily exposure. In p53-wild type LNCaP PCa cells and p53-null PC-3 PCa cells, MSeA modestly and transiently upregulated p21Cip1 protein level, subsiding to basal level by 24 h, without affecting P27Kip1 abundance in the same duration. Si-p21 RNA knockdown in these cells have only a partial effect to reverse G(1) arrest induction by MSeA. Together, our data support persistent, p53-independent, p21Cip1 induction as a critical mediator of MSeA-induced G(1) arrest in DU145 PCa cells, however, p21Cip1 induction and G(1) arrest were not necessary for, and may antagonize, caspase-mediated apoptosis.

Pentagalloylglucose induces autophagy and caspase-independent programmed deaths in human PC-3 and mouse TRAMP-C2 prostate cancer cells.

Penta-1,2,3,4,6-O-galloyl-beta-d-glucose (PGG) suppresses the in vivo growth of human DU145 and PC-3 prostate cancer xenografts in nude mice, suggesting potential utility as a prostate cancer chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive agent. Our earlier work implicates caspase-mediated apoptosis in DU145 and LNCaP prostate cancer cells as one mechanism for the anticancer activity. We show here that, in the more aggressive PC-3 prostate cancer cell line, PGG induced programmed cell deaths lacking the typical caspase-mediated apoptotic morphology and biochemical changes. In contrast, PGG induced patent features of autophagy, including formation of autophagosomes and lipid modification of light chain 3 after 48 hours of PGG exposure. The "autophagic" responses were also observed in the murine TRAMP-C2 cells. Caspase inhibition exacerbated PGG-induced overall death. As for molecular changes, we observed a rapid inhibition of the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin-downstream targets S6K and 4EBP1 by PGG in PC-3 and TRAMP-C2 cells but not that of mammalian target of rapamycin itself, along with increased AKT phosphorylation. Whereas the inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase increased PGG-induced apoptosis and autophagy, experiments with pharmacologic inducer or inhibitor of autophagy or by knocking down autophagy mediator Beclin-1 showed that autophagy provided survival signaling that suppressed caspase-mediated apoptosis. Knocking down of death receptor-interacting protein 1 kinase increased overall death without changing light chain 3-II or caspase activation, thus not supporting death receptor-interacting protein 1-necroptosis for PGG-induction of autophagy or other programmed cell death. Furthermore, PGG-treated PC-3 cells lost clonogenic ability. The induction by PGG of caspase-independent programmed cell death in aggressive prostate cancer cell lines supports testing its merit as a potential drug candidate for therapy of caspase-resistant recurrent prostate cancer.

Promoter cloning and characterization of the rabbit BK channel beta1 subunit gene.

The beta1 subunit of the voltage-dependent and Ca(2+)-activated large-conductance K(+) channel (BK) in mammalian smooth muscle cells (SMCs) plays an important role in regulating smooth muscle tone and is closely linked with a series of smooth muscle tone associated diseases. However, knowledge of the transcriptional regulation of the BK beta1 is still largely unclear. For the first time, we cloned and characterized the full-length genomic sequence of the rabbit BK beta1 containing a 5'-flanking region of 2021 bp. The full-reading frame of the BK beta1 spans ~7.7 kb and is organized into 4 exons and 3 introns. All of the exon/intron junction sequences contain the GT/AG consensus junction sequence. The transcription initiation site (+1G) is located at 447 bp upstream of the translation initiation codon. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that, without any canonical TATA-box, the 5'-flanking region possesses a high GC content and contains a number of putative transcription factor binding sites. 5'-deletion analysis demonstrated that the region of -93/+30 potentially functions as a core promoter region. A gel mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that Sp1 specifically interacts with a putative Sp1-binding site (-91/-85) in vitro and in vivo. Mutation of this site significantly diminished the promoter activities. Over-expression of Sp1 in smooth muscle cells of rabbit sphincter of Oddi enhanced the promoter activities of the BK beta1 in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, we suggest that the Sp1-binding site (-91/-85) is essential to the basal transcription of the rabbit BK beta1. Our studies provide a basic knowledge of the transcription regulation of the rabbit BK beta1.

[Cloning and characterization of genes differentially expressed in human dental pulp cells and gingival fibroblasts].

OBJECTIVE: To study the biological properties of human dental pulp cells (HDPC) by cloning and analysis of genes differentially expressed in HDPC in comparison with human gingival fibroblasts (HGF). METHODS: HDPC and HGF were cultured and identified by immunocytochemistry. HPDC and HGF subtractive cDNA library was established by PCR-based modified subtractive hybridization, genes differentially expressed by HPDC were cloned, sequenced and compared to find homogeneous sequence in GenBank by BLAST. RESULTS: Cloning and sequencing analysis indicate 12 genes differentially expressed were obtained, in which two were unknown genes. Among the 10 known genes, 4 were related to signal transduction, 2 were related to trans-membrane transportation (both cell membrane and nuclear membrane), and 2 were related to RNA splicing mechanisms. CONCLUSION: The biological properties of HPDC are determined by the differential expression of some genes and the growth and differentiation of HPDC are associated to the dynamic protein synthesis and secretion activities of the cell.