ZNF554 Inhibits Endometrial Cancer Progression via Regulating RBM5 and Inactivating WNT/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC), a kind of gynecologic malignancy, poses a significant risk to women's health. The precise mechanism underlying the development of UCEC remains elusive. Zinc finger protein 554 (ZNF554), a member of the Krüppel-associated box domain zinc finger protein superfamily, was reported to be dysregulated in various illnesses, including malignant tumors. This study aimed to examine the involvement of ZNF554 in the development of UCEC. METHODS: The expression of ZNF554 in UCEC tissues and cell lines were examined by qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. Cells with stably overexpressed or knocked-down ZNF554 were established through lentivirus infection. CCK-8, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays were employed to assess cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Propidium iodide (PI) staining combined with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) flow cytometer was utilized to detect cell cycle distribution. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were conducted to examine relative mRNA and protein levels. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay and luciferase reporter assay were used to explore the regulatory role of ZNF554 in RNA binding motif 5 (RBM5). RESULTS: The expression of ZNF554 was found to be reduced in both UCEC samples and cell lines. Decreased expression of ZNF554 was associated with higher tumor stage, decreased overall survival, and reduced disease-free survival in UCEC. ZNF554 overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while also inducing cell cycle arrest. In contrast, a decrease in ZNF554 expression resulted in the opposite effect. Mechanistically, ZNF554 transcriptionally regulated RBM5, leading to the deactivation of the Wingless (WNT)/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Moreover, the findings from rescue studies demonstrated that the inhibition of RBM5 negated the impact of ZNF554 overexpression on ß-catenin and p-glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (p-GSK-3ß). Similarly, the deliberate activation of RBM5 reduced the increase in ß-catenin and p-GSK-3ß caused by the suppression of ZNF554. In vitro experiments showed that ZNF554 overexpression-induced decreases in cell proliferation and migration were counteracted by RBM5 knockdown. Additionally, when RBM5 was overexpressed, it hindered the improvements in cell proliferation and migration caused by reducing the ZNF554 levels. CONCLUSION: ZNF554 functions as a tumor suppressor in UCEC. Furthermore, ZNF554 regulates UCEC progression through the RBM5/WNT/ß-catenin signaling pathway. ZNF554 shows a promise as both a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for UCEC.

Nicotine withdrawal induces hyperalgesia via downregulation of descending serotonergic pathway in the nucleus raphe magnus.

Patients deprived of cigarettes exhibit increased pain sensitivity during perioperative periods, yet the underlying neuroanatomical and molecular bases of this hypersensitivity are unclear. The present study showed that both the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were significantly decreased in a rat model of nicotine withdrawal. These rats showed less tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) positive neurons and reduced TPH2 expression in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM), and thus resulted in decreased 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels in cerebrospinal fluid. Intrathecal injection of 5-HT or NRM microinjection of TPH-overexpression adeno-associated virus alleviated nicotine withdrawal-induced hyperalgesia, whereas 5-HT receptor pharmacological blockade by methysergide (a 5-HT receptor antagonist) exacerbated hypersensitivity and diminished the difference between the two groups. Together, these data indicate that hyperalgesia after nicotine withdrawal is mediated by declined descending serotonergic pathways in the NRM. This provides a new perspective to improve the postoperative pain management of patients, especially the smokers.

Altered apoptosis/autophagy and epigenetic modifications cause the impaired postimplantation octaploid embryonic development in mice.

Polyploids are pervasive in plants and have large impacts on crop breeding, but natural polyploids are rare in animals. Mouse diploid embryos can be induced to become tetraploid by blastomere fusion at the 2-cell stage and tetraploid embryos can develop to the blastocyst stage in vitro. However, there is little information regarding mouse octaploid embryonic development and precise mechanisms contributing to octaploid embryonic developmental limitations are unknown. To investigate the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying octaploid embryonic development, we generated mouse octaploid embryos and evaluated the in vitro/in vivo developmental potential. Here we show that octaploid embryos can develop to the blastocyst stage in vitro, but all fetus impaired immediately after implantation. Our results indicate that cell lineage specification of octaploid embryo was disorganized. Furthermore, these octaploid embryos showed increased apoptosis as well as alterations in epigenetic modifications when compared with diploid embryos. Thus, our cumulative data provide cues for why mouse octaploid embryonic development is limited and its failed postimplantation development.

Exposure to HT-2 toxin causes oxidative stress induced apoptosis/autophagy in porcine oocytes.

T-2 toxin is a main type A trichothecene mycotoxin which is the most toxic trichothecence. T-2 toxin has posed various toxic effects on human and animals in vigorous cell proliferation tissues like lymphoid, hematopoietic and gastrointestinal tissues, while HT-2 toxin is the major metabolite which is deacetylated by T-2 toxin. In this study, we focused on the toxic effects of HT-2 on porcine oocyte maturation. We treated the porcine oocyte with HT-2 toxin in vitro, and we first found that HT-2 treatment inhibited porcine oocyte polar body extrusion and cumulus cell expansion. We observed the disrupted meiotic spindle morphology after treatment, which might be due to the reduced p-MAPK protein level. Actin distribution was also disturbed, indicating that HT-2 affects cytoskeleton of porcine oocytes. We next explored the causes for the failure of oocyte maturation after HT-2 treatment. We found that HT-2 treated oocytes showed the increased ROS level, which indicated that oxidative stress had occurred. We also detected autophagy as well as early apoptosis in the treatment oocytes. Due to the fact that oxidative stress could induced apoptosis, our results indicated that HT-2 toxin caused oxidative stress induced apoptosis and autophagy, which further affected porcine oocyte maturation.

Toxic effects of HT-2 toxin on mouse oocytes and its possible mechanisms.

T-2 toxin is one of the type A trichothecene mycotoxins that is considered to be the most toxic of the trichothecenes. T-2 toxin has been shown to exert various toxic effects in farm animals and humans, as it induces lesions in the brain and in lymphoid, hematopoietic, and gastrointestinal tissues. HT-2 toxin is the major metabolite of T-2 toxin. There is little information regarding the effects of HT-2 toxin on the female reproductive system, particularly oocyte maturation. Thus, in this study, we investigated the toxic effects of HT-2 on mouse oocyte maturation and its possible mechanisms of action. HT-2 toxin exposure disrupted oocyte maturation, reduced actin expression in both the oocyte cortex and cytoplasm, and disrupted meiotic spindle morphology by reducing p-MAPK protein level. HT-2 toxin exposure also induced oxidative stress and resulted in oocyte apoptosis, as shown by ROS accumulation, increased SOD mRNA level, and the expression of the early apoptosis marker Annexin V and increased caspase-3 and bax mRNA levels. Additionally, HT-2 toxin exposure increased LC3 and ATG12 protein levels and lc3 and atg14 mRNA levels, which indicated that HT-2 toxin induced autophagy in mouse oocytes. We also examined for possible epigenetic modifications. Fluorescence intensity analysis showed that 5mC level increased after HT-2 toxin exposure, whereas H3K9me2 and H3K27me3 levels decreased after HT-2 toxin exposure, which indicated that DNA and histone methylations were altered. Thus, our results indicated that HT-2 toxin exposure reduced mouse oocyte maturation capability by affecting cytoskeletal dynamics, apoptosis/autophagy, oxidative stress, and epigenetic modifications.

Dectin-1 agonist curdlan modulates innate immunity to Aspergillus fumigatus in human corneal epithelial cells.

AIM: To explore the immunomodulatory effects of curdlan on innate immune responses against Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) in cultured human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs), and whether C-type lectin receptor Dectin-1 mediates the immunomodulatory effects of curdlan. METHODS: The HCECs were stimulated by curdlan in different concentrations (50, 100, 200, 400 µg/mL) for various time. Then HCECs pretreated with or without laminarin (Dectin-1 blocker, 0.3 mg/mL) and curdlan were stimulated by A. fumigatus hyphae. The mRNA and protein production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The protein level of Dectin-1 was measured by Western blot. RESULTS: Curdlan stimulated mRNA expression of TNF-α and IL-6 in a dose and time dependent manner in HCECs. Curdlan pretreatment before A. fumigatus hyphae stimulation significantly enhanced the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 at mRNA and protein levels compared with A. fumigatus hyphae stimulation group (P<0.05). Both curdlan and A. fumigatus hyphae up-regulated Dectin-1 protein expression in HCECs, and Dectin-1 expression was elevated to 1.5- to 2-fold by curdlan pretreatment followed hyphae stimulation. The Dectin-1 blocker laminarin suppressed the mRNA expression and protein production of TNF-α and IL-6 induced by curdlan and hyphae (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrated that curdlan pretreatment enhanced the inflammatory response induced by A. fumigatus hyphae in HCECs. Dectin-1 is essential for the immunomodulatory effects of curdlan. Curdlan may have high clinical application values in fungal keratitis treatment.

Acrylamide toxic effects on mouse oocyte quality and fertility in vivo.

Acrylamide is an industrial chemical that has attracted considerable attention due to its presumed carcinogenic, neurotoxic, and cytotoxic effects. In this study we investigated possible acrylamide reproductive toxic effects in female mice. Mice were fed an acrylamide-containing diet for 6 weeks. Our results showed the following effects of an acrylamide-containing diet. (1) Ovary weights were reduced in acrylamide-treated mice and oocyte developmental competence was also reduced, as shown by reduced GVBD and polar body extrusion rates. (2) Acrylamide feeding resulted in aberrant oocyte cytoskeletons, as shown by an increased abnormal spindle rate and confirmed by disrupted γ-tubulin and p-MAPK localization. (3) Acrylamide feeding resulted in oxidative stress and oocyte early stage apoptosis, as shown by increased ROS levels and p-MAPK expression. (4) Fluorescence intensity analysis showed that DNA methylation levels were reduced in acrylamide-treated oocytes and histone methylation levels were also altered, as H3K9me2, H3K9me3, H3K4me2, and H3K27me3 levels were reduced after acrylamide treatment. (5) After acrylamide feeding, the litter sizes of acrylamide-treated mice were significantly smaller compared to thus of control mice. Thus, our results indicated that acrylamide might affect oocyte quality through its effects on cytoskeletal integrity, ROS generation, apoptosis induction, and epigenetic modifications.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a cathepsin B from Angiostrongylus cantonensis.

Cysteine proteases, a superfamily of hydrolytic enzymes, have numerous functions in parasites. Here, we reported the cloning and characterization of a cDNA encoding a cathepsin B (AcCPB) from Angiostrongylus cantonensis fourth-stage larvae cDNA library. The deduced amino acid sequence analysis indicated AcCPB is related to other cathepsin B family members with an overall conserved architecture. AcCPB is evolutionarily more close to other parasitic nematode cathepsin B than the ones from hosts, sharing 43-53% similarities to the homologues from other organisms. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis revealed that AcCPB was expressed significantly higher in the fourth-stage larvae (L4) and the fifth-stage larvae (L5) than that in the third-stage larvae (L3) and adult worms (Aw). Unexpectedly, AcCPB was expressed at a higher level in L4 and L5 derived from mice than the larvae at the same stages derived from rats. The protease activity of recombinant AcCPB (rAcCPB) expressed in Escherichia coli showed high thermostability and acidic pH optima. The role in ovalbumin digestion and enzyme activity of rAcCPB could be evidently inhibited by cystatin from A.cantonensis. Furthermore, we found rAcCPB increased the expression levels of CD40, MHC II, and CD80 on LPS-stimulated dendritic cells (DCs). In this study, we provided the first experimental evidence for the expression of cathepsin B in A.cantonensis. Besides its highly specific expression in the stages of L4 and L5 when the worms cause dysfunction of the blood-brain barrier of hosts, AcCPB displayed different expression profiles in non-permissive host- and permissive host-derived larval stages and was involved in the maturation of DCs, suggesting a potential role in the central nervous system invasion and the immunoregulation during parasite-host interactions.