Association of ventricular septal defect with rare variations of the HAND2 gene / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the association of ventricular septal defect (VSD) with rare variations in the promoter region of HAND2 gene, as well as related molecular mechanisms.@*METHODS@#Blood samples were collected from 349 children with VSD and 345 healthy controls. The target fragments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced to identify the rare variation sites in the promoter region of the HAND2 gene. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to perform a functional analysis of the variation sites. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) was used to investigate related molecular mechanisms. TRANSFAC and JASPAR databases were used to predict transcription factors.@*RESULTS@#Sequencing revealed that three variation sites (g.173530852A>G, g.173531173A>G, and g.173531213C>G) were only observed in the promoter region of the HAND2 gene in 10 children with VSD, among whom 4 children had only one variation site. The dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that g.173531213C>G reduced the transcriptional activity of the HAND2 gene promoter. EMSA and transcription factor prediction revealed that g.173531213C>G created a binding site for transcription factor.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The rare variation, g.173531213C>G, in the promoter region of the HAND2 gene participates in the development and progression of VSD possibly by affecting the binding of transcription factors.

Long non-coding RNA SAP30-2:1 is downregulated in congenital heart disease and regulates cell proliferation by targeting HAND2 / 医学前沿

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated in many diseases. However, their involvement in CHD is not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of dysregulated lncRNAs in CHD. We used Gene Expression Omnibus data mining, bioinformatics analysis, and analysis of clinical tissue samples and observed that the novel lncRNA SAP30-2:1 with unknown function was significantly downregulated in damaged cardiac tissues from patients with CHD. Knockdown of lncRNA SAP30-2:1 inhibited the proliferation of human embryonic kidney and AC16 cells and decreased the expression of heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 2 (HAND2). Moreover, lncRNA SAP30-2:1 was associated with HAND2 by RNA immunoprecipitation. Overall, these results suggest that lncRNA SAP30-2:1 may be involved in heart development through affecting cell proliferation via targeting HAND2 and may thus represent a novel therapeutic target for CHD.

Expression of transcriptional factor Hand2 in fetal rats with gestational diabetes mellitus during cardiac development / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To study the effect of Hand2 (one of basic helix-loop-helix proteins’ transcription factors) expression on the development of the cardiac tissues in the fetal rats from gestational diabetes mellitus ( GDM) parents, and to investigate the potential pathogenesis of GDM-induced congenital cardiac defects in rats.METHODS: The adult Spra-gue-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into blank control group (n=24), GDM group (n=30), negative control group ( n=30) and insulin intervened group ( n=30) .The GDM model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 2%streptozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg body weight) to the pregnant rats on the successive day.The rats in insulin intervened group were injected with intermediate-acting insulin in order to keep the fasting blood glucose in the normal range.The rats in negative control group were injected with citric acid-sodium citrate buffer solution in the same position.Blood glucose and body weight were examined every day 72 h after STZ injection.On E12, E15 and E19, the rats were anesthetized and the embryonic cardiac tissues were collected after caesarean section.The histopathological changes of the cardiac tissues were observed under microscope with HE staining.The expression of Hand2 was analyzed by the method of immunohisto-chemistry.The expression of Hand2 in the cardiac tissues at mRNA and protein levels was determined by real-time fluores-cence quantitative PCR and Western blotting.RESULTS:During the development of embryonic heart, the protein expres-sion of Hand2 in the cardiac tissues was showed dynamic changes.Observed on E12, obviously increased on E15, and at the highest level on E19.Compared with the other 3 groups, the protein and mRNA expression of Hand2 in GDM group was decreased at the time points of E12 and E15.CONCLUSION:The morbidity of fetal cardiac malformation is significantly increased in GDM group, suggesting that Hand2 may be involved in the development of cardiac malformation in GDM.