Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Tgf-ß-Mediated Noncoding RNA Regulatory Mechanisms Involved in DNA Damage in the 661W Photoreceptor Cell Line.

Transforming growth factor ß (Tgf-ß), a pleiotropic cytokine, can enhance DNA repair in various cells, including cancer cells and neurons. The noncoding regulatory system plays an important role in Tgf-ß-mediated biological activities, whereas few studies have explored its role in DNA damage and repair. In this study, we suggested that Tgf-ß improved while its inhibitor LSKL impaired DNA repair and cell viability in UV-irradiated 661W cells. Moreover, RNA-seq was carried out, and a total of 106 differentially expressed (DE)-mRNAs and 7 DE-lncRNAs were identified between UV/LSKL and UV/ctrl 661W cells. Gene ontology and Reactome analysis confirmed that the DE-mRNAs were enriched in multiple DNA damaged- and repair-related biological functions and pathways. We then constructed a ceRNA network that included 3 lncRNAs, 19 miRNAs, and 29 mRNAs with a bioinformatics prediction. Through RT-qPCR and further functional verification, 2 Tgf-ß-mediated ceRNA axes (Gm20559-miR-361-5p-Oas2/Gbp7) were further identified. Gm20559 knockout or miR-361-5p mimics markedly impaired DNA repair and cell viability in UV-irradiated 661W cells, which confirms the bioinformatics results. In summary, this study revealed that Tgf-ß could reduce DNA damage in 661W cells, provided a Tgf-ß-associated ceRNA network for DNA damage and repair, and suggested that the molecular signatures may be useful candidates as targets of treatment for photoreceptor pathology.

Efficacy of Atorvastatin combined with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on cardiac function in rats with acute myocardial infarction.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively applied for the restoration of cardiomyocytes loss after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the optimal therapeutic efficacy of MSCs in ischemic heart diseases has been hampered by their poor survival and low differentiated rates. Therefore, the improvement of MSC survival and differentiated rates is warranted and critical for the efficacy of MSCs in AMI. In this paper, MSCs isolated from rat inguinal fat tissues were termed as adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs), and the fourth passage of ASCs was pre-specified by co-culturing with cardiomyocytes in a transwell system termed as co-ASCs. Fourteen days later, GATA-4 (a transcription factor) and cardiac troponin-I were detected by cellular immunofluorescence. Atorvastatin (Ator group) or vehicle (control group) was administrated for the first 24 h after AMI production in rats. Fourteen days later, inflammatory parameters and cardiac function were evaluated. The other surviving rats were injected with a total of 1 × 10(6) co-ASCs/100 µl phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), 1×10(6) ASCs/100 µl PBS, or 100 µl PBS. Twenty-eight days after cell injection, survival and differentiated rates of transplanted cells and cardiac function were evaluated. The percentage of GATA-4 expression in co-ASCs was 28.5% ± 5.6% and of cardiac troponin-I was 22.8% ± 3.2%. Compared with the control group, the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells, myeloperoxidase activity, inflammatory cytokines (VCAM-1, TNF-α, Hs-CRP) mRNA expression, and Bax protein expression were significantly reduced in the three Ator groups, accompanied by a significant improvement of Bcl-2 protein expression and cardiac function (P< 0.05). Compared with the Ator2 + ASCs group and Con + co-ASCs group, the number of 4-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole-stained cells and cardiac troponin-I-positive transplanted cells, concomitant with cardiac function, were improved most prominently in the Ator3 + co-ASCs group (P< 0.05). Pre-amelioration of the cardiac milieu, in conjunction with pre-specification of ASCs, was beneficial for enhancing ASCs' therapeutic efficacy on cardiac function after AMI.

Effects of Nano-α-Linolenic Acid and miR-146 on Mice with Viral Myocarditis.

Micro RNA-146 (miR-146) is involved in mediating many innate and adaptive immune and inflammatory responses in the body. It is associated with a variety of systemic inflammation or autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and type 2 diabetes. In recent years, microRNAs (miRNAs) and nanotechnology have become research hotspots in cardiovascular pathology. The close relationship between host miRNAs and coxsackie virus B3 has gradually been discovered by scientists, which may provide new directions for the treatment and prevention of viral myocarditis. At the same time, recent studies have also found that nano-α-linolenic acid and its metabolites can inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-17; At the same time, they also have anti-lipid peroxidation effects. Therefore, in order to further explore the role of miR-146 and nano-α-linolenic acid in the occurrence and development of viral myocarditis, in this study, a mouse model of viral myocarditis was used to establish a VMC mouse model using coxsackie virus B3. Intervention with different doses of nano-α-linolenic acid, the control group was injected with the same amount of sodium chloride buffer, and the changes in cardiac function and inflammation indexes were compared to evaluate the role in the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis. The results showed that this study suggested that serum miR-146 concentration in viral myocarditis mice is increased and is positively correlated with serum IL-17 and TNF-α concentrations. This suggest that miR-146 in the circulation may be involved in the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis through IL-17 and TNF-α, providing a theoretical basis for the role of miR-146 in viral myocarditis, but its specific mechanism of action needs to be further studied. At the same time, the research in this experiment showed that nano-α-linolenic acid significantly improves the survival rate of CVB3 infected mice and reduces myocardial damage. And with the increase of the dosage of nano-α-linolenic acid, the effect is more significant, showing a significant dose-effect relationship.

Optimized treatment with RF thermotherapy and immunotherapy combined with CyberKnife for advanced high-risk tumors: A clinical trial report.

This study was conducted to evaluate the application value of optimized treatment with radiofrequency (RF) thermotherapy and immunotherapy combined with CyberKnife for advanced high-risk tumors. The database of 1,013 patients with 2,136 tumor lesions and 1,237 target areas who underwent treatment with CyberKnife between November, 2010 and November, 2012, was retrospectively reviewed. We randomly assigned 505 eligible patients (observation group) to RF thermotherapy and adoptive immunotherapy with cytokine-induced killer cells and the remaining 508 patients (control group) to no adjuvant treatment. The patients in the two groups were recorded on efficacy assessment according to imageological examination, World Health Organization criteria, Karnofsky performance status, or radioimmunoassay (RIA) detection. The effective rate of the observation group was 75.05%, whereas that of the control group was 58.06% (P<0.05). The results revealed that CyberKnife combined with hyperthermia and biological therapy are highly effective in improving the local tumor control rate. Further analysis of the Karnofsky score and RIA detection confirmed that this type of combination therapy significantly improved the quality of life. The optimized treatment of RF thermotherapy and immunotherapy combined with CyberKnife may act synergistically in eliminating tumor cells, confirming the efficacy of this type of treatment for patients with advanced malignant tumors.

Effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 on the properties of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on migration, proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). METHODS: MSCs were obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats by a combination of gradient centrifugation and cell culture techniques and treated with IGF-1 at concentrations of 5-20 ng/ml. Proliferation of MSCs was determined as the mean doubling time. Expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and migration property were determined by flow cytometry and transwell migration essay, respectively. mRNA expression of GATA-4 and collagen II was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The mean doubling time of MSC proliferation was decreased, and the expression of CXCR4 on MSCs and migration of MSCs were increased by IGF-1, all in a dose-dependent manner, while the optimal concentration of IGF-1 on proliferation and migration was different. IGF-1 did not affect the expression of GATA-4 or collagen II mRNA. CONCLUSIONS: IGF-1 dose-dependently stimulated the proliferation of MSCs, upregulated the expression of CXCR4, and accelerated migration. There was no apparent differentiation of MSCs to cardiomyocytes or chondrocytes after culturing with IGF-1 alone.