Single-cell transcriptomics reveals the heterogeneity of the decidual endothelial cells that participate in labor onset.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the heterogeneity of decidual endothelial cells and their changes during delivery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to characterize the transcriptomes of decidual endothelial cells before and after the onset of labor. RESULTS: Decidual endothelial cells (9748 cells) were divided into five subgroups with different functions according to differences in the transcriptome. The functions of cluster 5 were enriched in vascular development and response to growth factors. After the onset of labor, the activities of each cluster were different, including the interleukin 17 pathway and regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascade. The downregulated genes were related to scavenger receptor (cluster 5), which may reflect the process of endothelial activation. In terms of genetic changes, cluster 5 may be more actively involved in labor than the other clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Peripartum decidual endothelial cells are heterogeneous and participate in labor to varying degrees. One of the five subtypes of endothelial cells may be more actively involved in labor onset. Our findings may enable the assessment of decidual endothelial cells and labor onset.

LncRNA DANCR aggravates the progression of ovarian cancer by downregulating UPF1.

OBJECTIVE: To uncover the role of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DANCR in aggravating the progression of ovarian cancer (OC) by downregulating UPF1 level. PATIENTS AND METHODS: DANCR level in OC tissues and matched adjacent normal ones was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Its expression level in OC patients with different tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging and either with metastasis, or not, was examined as well. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were introduced for assessing the prognostic value of DANCR in OC. Subsequently, regulatory effects of DANCR on proliferative and migratory abilities of HO8910 and HEY cells were evaluated. Subcellular distribution of DANCR in OC cells was analyzed. Furthermore, the interaction between DANCR and UPF1 was explored by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and Pearson correlation analysis. Finally, rescue experiments were conducted to clarify the role of DANCR/UPF1 axis in the progression of OC. RESULTS: DANCR was upregulated in OC tissues and cell lines. Its level was higher in OC patients with worse tumor stage and accompanied by metastatic loci. DANCR exerted the potential to serve as a prognostic marker for OC. Overexpression of DANCR accelerated HO8910 and HEY cells to proliferate and migrate. UPF1 was found to be downregulated in OC tissues and negatively correlated to DANCR. DANCR was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm and interacted with UPF1. Overexpression of UPF1 in OC cells partially reversed the promotive effect of DANCR on proliferative and migratory rates. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA DANCR accelerates the proliferative and migratory abilities of OC cells through negatively regulating UPF1 level, thus aggravating the progression of OC.