The HDAC6-RNF168 axis regulates H2A/H2A.X ubiquitination to enable double-strand break repair.

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) mediates DNA damage signaling by regulating the mismatch repair and nucleotide excision repair pathways. Whether HDAC6 also mediates DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair is unclear. Here, we report that HDAC6 negatively regulates DSB repair in an enzyme activity-independent manner. In unstressed cells, HDAC6 interacts with H2A/H2A.X to prevent its interaction with the E3 ligase RNF168. Upon sensing DSBs, RNF168 rapidly ubiquitinates HDAC6 at lysine 116, leading to HDAC6 proteasomal degradation and a restored interaction between RNF168 and H2A/H2A.X. H2A/H2A.X is ubiquitinated by RNF168, precipitating the recruitment of DSB repair factors (including 53BP1 and BRCA1) to chromatin and subsequent DNA repair. These findings reveal novel regulatory machinery based on an HDAC6-RNF168 axis that regulates the H2A/H2A.X ubiquitination status. Interfering with this axis might be leveraged to disrupt a key mechanism of cancer cell resistance to genotoxic damage and form a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer.

Identification of Human Global, Tissue and Within-Tissue Cell-Specific Stably Expressed Genes at Single-Cell Resolution.

Stably Expressed Genes (SEGs) are a set of genes with invariant expression. Identification of SEGs, especially among both healthy and diseased tissues, is of clinical relevance to enable more accurate data integration, gene expression comparison and biomarker detection. However, it remains unclear how many global SEGs there are, whether there are development-, tissue- or cell-specific SEGs, and whether diseases can influence their expression. In this research, we systematically investigate human SEGs at single-cell level and observe their development-, tissue- and cell-specificity, and expression stability under various diseased states. A hierarchical strategy is proposed to identify a list of 408 spatial-temporal SEGs. Development-specific SEGs are also identified, with adult tissue-specific SEGs enriched with the function of immune processes and fetal tissue-specific SEGs enriched in RNA splicing activities. Cells of the same type within different tissues tend to show similar SEG composition profiles. Diseases or stresses do not show influence on the expression stableness of SEGs in various tissues. In addition to serving as markers and internal references for data normalization and integration, we examine another possible application of SEGs, i.e., being applied for cell decomposition. The deconvolution model could accurately predict the fractions of major immune cells in multiple independent testing datasets of peripheral blood samples. The study provides a reliable list of human SEGs at the single-cell level, facilitates the understanding on the property of SEGs, and extends their possible applications.

DJ-1 Mediates the Delayed Cardioprotection of Hypoxic Preconditioning Through Activation of Nrf2 and Subsequent Upregulation of Antioxidative Enzymes.

We have recently shown that DJ-1 is implicated in the delayed cardioprotective effect of hypoxic preconditioning (HPC) against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury as an endogenous protective protein. This study aims to further investigate the underlying mechanism by which DJ-1 mediates the delayed cardioprotection of HPC against H/R-induced oxidative stress. Using a well-characterized cellular model of HPC from rat heart-derived H9c2 cells, we found that HPC promoted nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and its cytoplasmic inhibitor Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1 (Keap1) dissociation and resulted in increased nuclear translocation, antioxidant response element-binding, and transcriptional activity of Nrf2 24 hours after HPC, with subsequent upregulation of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which provided delayed protection against H/R-induced oxidative stress in normal H9c2 cells. However, the aforementioned effects of HPC were abolished in DJ-1-knockdown H9c2 cells, which were restored by restoration of DJ-1 expression. Importantly, we showed that inhibition of the Nrf2 pathway in H9c2 cells mimicked the effects of DJ-1 knockdown and abolished HPC-derived induction of antioxidative enzymes (MnSOD and HO-1) and the delayed cardioprotection. In addition, inhibition of Nrf2 also reversed the effects of restored DJ-1 expression on induction of antioxidative enzymes and delayed cardioprotection by HPC in DJ-1-knockdown H9c2 cells. Taken together, this work revealed that activation of Nrf2 pathway and subsequent upregulation of antioxidative enzymes could be a critical mechanism by which DJ-1 mediates the delayed cardioprotection of HPC against H/R-induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cells.

An artificial liquid-liquid phase separation-driven silk fibroin-based adhesive for rapid hemostasis and wound sealing.

The powerful adhesion systems of marine organisms have inspired the development of artificial protein-based bioadhesives. However, achieving robust wet adhesion using artificial bioadhesives remains technically challenging because the key element of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS)-driven complex coacervation in natural adhesion systems is often ignored. In this study, mimicking the complex coacervation phenomenon of marine organisms, an artificial protein-based adhesive hydrogel (SFG hydrogel) was developed by adopting the LLPS-mediated coacervation of the natural protein silk fibroin (SF) and the anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). The assembled SF/SDBS complex coacervate enabled precise spatial positioning and easy self-adjustable deposition on irregular substrate surfaces, allowing for tight contact. Spontaneous liquid-to-solid maturation promoted the phase transition of the SF/SDBS complex coacervate to form the SFG hydrogel in situ, enhancing its bulk cohesiveness and interfacial adhesion. The formed SFG hydrogel exhibited intrinsic advantages as a new type of artificial protein-based adhesive, including good biocompatibility, robust wet adhesion, rapid blood-clotting capacity, and easy operation. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the SFG hydrogel not only achieved instant and effective hemostatic sealing of tissue injuries but also promoted wound healing and tissue regeneration, thus advancing its clinical applications. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Marine mussels utilize the liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) strategy to induce the supramolecular assembly of mussel foot proteins, which plays a critical role in strong underwater adhesion of mussel foot proteins. Herein, an artificial protein-based adhesive hydrogel (named SFG hydrogel) was reported by adopting the LLPS-mediated coacervation of natural protein silk fibroin (SF) and anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS). The assembled SFG hydrogel enabled the precise spatial positioning and easy self-adjustable deposition on substrate surfaces with irregularities, allowing tight interfacial adhesion and cohesiveness. The SFG hydrogel not only achieved instant and effective hemostatic sealing of tissue injuries but also promoted wound healing and tissue regeneration, exhibiting intrinsic advantages as a new type of artificial protein-based bioadhesives.

JrPPO1/2 play distinct roles in regulating walnut fruit browning by different spatiotemporal expression and enzymatic characteristics.

Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity drives walnut fruit browning, but the roles of its only two-family genes, JrPPO1 and JrPPO2, remain unclear. This study explores the spatiotemporal expression and enzymatic characteristics of JrPPO1 and JrPPO2 in walnut. Treatment with the PPO activator CuSO4 and H2O2 accelerated fruit browning and up-regulated JrPPO1/2 expression, whereas treatment with the PPO inhibitor ascorbic acid delayed browning, down-regulating JrPPO1 and up-regulating JrPPO2 expression. Compared to mJrPPO1, mJrPPO2 can exhibited better enzyme activity at higher temperatures (47 °C) and in more acidic environments (pH 4.25). mJrPPO2 exhibited a higher substrate specificity over mJrPPO1, and the preferred substrates are catechol, chlorogenic acid, and epicatechin. Additionally, mJrPPO2 adapted better to low concentration of oxygen (as low as 1.0% O2) and slightly elevated CO2 levels compared to mJrPPO1. Subcellular localization and spatiotemporal expression patterns showed that JrPPO1 is only expressed in green tissues and located in chloroplasts, while JrPPO2 is also located in chloroplasts, partly associated with membranes, and is expressed in both green and non-green tissues. Silencing JrPPO1/2 with virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) reduced fruit browning, maintained higher total phenols, and decreased MDA production. Notably, silencing JrPPO1 had a greater impact on browning than JrPPO2, indicating JrPPO1's greater contribution to PPO activity and fruit browning in walnut fruits. Consequently, JrPPO1 can be effectively regulated both at the molecular level and by manipulating environmental conditions, to achieve the objective of controlling fruit browning.

Roles of GFAT and PFK genes in energy metabolism of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens.

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferases (GFATs) and phosphofructokinase (PFKs) are the principal rate-limiting enzymes involved in hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) and glycolysis pathway, respectively. In this study, the NlGFAT and NlPFK were knocked down through RNA interference (RNAi) in Nilaparvata lugens, the notorious brown planthopper (BPH), and the changes in energy metabolism were determined. Knockdown of either NlGFAT or NlPFK substantially reduced gene expression related to trehalose, glucose, and glycogen metabolism pathways. Moreover, trehalose content rose significantly at 72 h after dsGFAT injection, and glycogen content increased significantly at 48 h after injection. Glucose content remained unchanged throughout the experiment. Conversely, dsPFK injection did not significantly alter trehalose, but caused an extreme increase in glucose and glycogen content at 72 h after injection. The Knockdown of NlGFAT or NlPFK significantly downregulated the genes in the glycolytic pathway, as well as caused a considerable and significant decrease in pyruvate kinase (PK) activity after 48 h and 72 h of inhibition. After dsGFAT injection, most of genes in TCA cycle pathway were upregulated, but after dsNlPFK injection, they were downregulated. Correspondingly, ATP content substantially increased at 48 h after NlGFAT knockdown but decreased to an extreme extent by 72 h. In contrast, ATP content decreased significantly after NlPFK was knocked down and returned. The results have suggested the knockdown of either NlGFAT or NlPFK resulted in metabolism disorders in BPHs, highlighting the difference in the impact of those two enzyme genes on energy metabolism. Given their influence on BPHs energy metabolism, developing enzyme inhibitors or activators may provide a biological control for BPHs.

PARylated PDHE1α generates acetyl-CoA for local chromatin acetylation and DNA damage repair.

Chromatin relaxation is a prerequisite for the DNA repair machinery to access double-strand breaks (DSBs). Local histones around the DSBs then undergo prompt changes in acetylation status, but how the large demands of acetyl-CoA are met is unclear. Here, we report that pyruvate dehydrogenase 1α (PDHE1α) catalyzes pyruvate metabolism to rapidly provide acetyl-CoA in response to DNA damage. We show that PDHE1α is quickly recruited to chromatin in a polyADP-ribosylation-dependent manner, which drives acetyl-CoA generation to support local chromatin acetylation around DSBs. This process increases the formation of relaxed chromatin to facilitate repair-factor loading, genome stability and cancer cell resistance to DNA-damaging treatments in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, we demonstrate that blocking polyADP-ribosylation-based PDHE1α chromatin recruitment attenuates chromatin relaxation and DSB repair efficiency, resulting in genome instability and restored radiosensitivity. These findings support a mechanism in which chromatin-associated PDHE1α locally generates acetyl-CoA to remodel the chromatin environment adjacent to DSBs and promote their repair.

An Efficient Virus-Induced Gene Silencing System for Functional Genomics Research in Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Fruits.

The Persian walnut (Juglans regia L.) is a leading source of woody oil in warm temperate regions and has high nutritional and medicinal values. It also provides both tree nuts and woody products. Nevertheless, incomplete characterization of the walnut genetic system limits the walnut gene function analysis. This study used the tobacco rattle virus (TRV) vector to construct an infectious pTRV-JrPDS recombinant clone. A co-culture inoculation method utilizing Agrobacterium was screened out from four inoculation methods and optimized to set up an efficient virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system for J. regia fruit. The optimized VIGS-TRV system induced complete photobleaching phenotype on the walnut fruits of four cultivars, and the JrPDS transcript levels decreased by up to 88% at 8 days post-inoculation (dpi). While those of browning-related J. regia polyphenol oxidase (PPO) genes JrPPO1 and JrPPO2 decreased by 67 and 80% at 8 dpi, respectively, accompanied by a significant reduction in fruit browning phenotype. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis screening and Western Blot showed that the PPO protein levels were significantly reduced. Moreover, a model of TRV-mediated VIGS system for inoculating J. regia fruit with efficient silence efficiency via co-culture was developed. These results indicate that the VIGS-TRV system is an efficient tool for rapid gene function analysis in J. regia fruits.

GFAT and PFK genes show contrasting regulation of chitin metabolism in Nilaparvata lugens.

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase (GFAT) and phosphofructokinase (PFK) are enzymes related to chitin metabolism. RNA interference (RNAi) technology was used to explore the role of these two enzyme genes in chitin metabolism. In this study, we found that GFAT and PFK were highly expressed in the wing bud of Nilaparvata lugens and were increased significantly during molting. RNAi of GFAT and PFK both caused severe malformation rates and mortality rates in N. lugens. GFAT inhibition also downregulated GFAT, GNPNA, PGM1, PGM2, UAP, CHS1, CHS1a, CHS1b, Cht1-10, and ENGase. PFK inhibition significantly downregulated GFAT; upregulated GNPNA, PGM2, UAP, Cht2-4, Cht6-7 at 48 h and then downregulated them at 72 h; upregulated Cht5, Cht8, Cht10, and ENGase; downregulated Cht9 at 48 h and then upregulated it at 72 h; and upregulated CHS1, CHS1a, and CHS1b. In conclusion, GFAT and PFK regulated chitin degradation and remodeling by regulating the expression of genes related to the chitin metabolism and exert opposite effects on these genes. These results may be beneficial to develop new chitin synthesis inhibitors for pest control.

Hepatotoxicity of tricyclazole in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Tricyclazole is widely used in agriculture as a pesticide, but its toxicity in vertebrates is currently poorly evaluated. In this study, we used zebrafish to assess the toxicity of tricyclazole. We found that tricyclazole induces liver damage, or hepatotoxicity, in zebrafish, during both development and adulthood. In embryos, we found that tricyclazole affected the liver development rather than other endodermal tissues such as gut and pancreas. In both embryos and adult zebrafish livers, tricyclazole disrupted the relationship between oxidant and antioxidant system and resulted in reactive oxygen species (ROS) overload. Meanwhile, it triggered hepatocyte apoptosis and disturbed carbohydrate/lipid metabolism and energy demand systems. These results suggested that tricyclazole could cause severe consequences for vertebrate hepatic development and function.

Protective effects of isorhamnetin on N2a cell against endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced injury is mediated by PKCε.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-induced intracellular calcium (Ca2+) overload and ROS burst plays a critical role in apoptosis. Protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) is involved in regulating the homeostasis of Ca2+ and ROS production. isorhamnetin (Iso), as an ROS scavenger, effectively inhibit apoptosis, but the mechanism is still unclear. This study was to investigate whether Iso can inhibit ERS-induced apoptosis in N2a cells, and the protective effects are involved in PKCε-mediated Ca2+ homeostasis and inhibition of ROS. The effects of Iso against ERS injury in N2a cells were detected by cell viability, the levels of Ca2+, apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The protein GRP78 expression levels were measured by western blot assay. The results showed that Iso can reduce ERS-induced injury by inhibiting Ca2+ overload, reducing the generation of ROS and decreasing apoptosis. In addition, Iso can promote PKCε phosphorylation, and εV1-2 (a PKCε inhibitor) drastically attenuated the protective effects of Iso against ERS injury in N2a cells. In conclusion, we firstly demonstrated that Iso can elicit protective effects against ERS injury in N2a cells and these effects are mediated at least in part via PKCε pathway.

Involvement of DJ­1 in ischemic preconditioning­induced delayed cardioprotection in vivo.

DJ­1 protein, as a multifunctional intracellular protein, has been demonstrated to serve a critical role in regulating cell survival and oxidative stress. To provide in vivo evidence that DJ­1 is involved in the delayed cardioprotection induced by ischemic preconditioning (IPC) against oxidative stress caused by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), the present study subjected male Sprague­Dawley rats to IPC (3 cycles of 5­min coronary occlusion/5­min reperfusion) 24 h prior to I/R (30­min coronary occlusion/120­min reperfusion). A lentiviral vector containing short hairpin RNA was injected into the left ventricle three weeks prior to IPC, to knockdown DJ­1 in situ. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase­MB (CK­MB) release, infarct size, cardiac function, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA), intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), and DJ­1 protein expression levels were assessed. IPC caused a significant increase in the expression levels of DJ­1 protein. In addition, IPC reduced LDH and CK­MB release, attenuated myocardial infarct size, improved cardiac function following I/R, and inhibited the elevation of ROS and MDA and the decrease in activities of the antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT and GPx. However, in situ knockdown of DJ­1 attenuated the IPC­induced delayed cardioprotection, and reversed the inhibitory effect of IPC on I/R­induced oxidative stress. The present study therefore provided novel evidence that DJ­1 is involved in the delayed cardioprotection of IPC against I/R injury in vivo. Notably, DJ­1 is required for IPC to inhibit I/R­induced oxidative stress.

Study on the Effect of Wing Bud Chitin Metabolism and Its Developmental Network Genes in the Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, by Knockdown of TRE Gene.

The brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens is one of the most serious pests of rice, and there is so far no effective way to manage this pest. However, RNA interference not only can be used to study gene function, but also provide potential opportunities for novel pest management. The development of wing plays a key role in insect physiological activities and mainly involves chitin. Hence, the regulating role of trehalase (TRE) genes on wing bud formation has been studied by RNAi. In this paper, the activity levels of TRE and the contents of the two sugars trehalose and glucose were negatively correlated indicating the potential role of TRE in the molting process. In addition, NlTRE1-1 and NlTRE2 were expressed at higher levels in wing bud tissue than in other tissues, and abnormal molting and wing deformity or curling were noted 48 h after the insect was injected with any double-stranded TRE (dsTRE), even though different TREs have compensatory functions. The expression levels of NlCHS1b, NlCht1, NlCht2, NlCht6, NlCht7, NlCht8, NlCht10, NlIDGF, and NlENGase decreased significantly 48 h after the insect was injected with a mixture of three kinds of dsTREs. Similarly, the TRE inhibitor validamycin can inhibit NlCHS1 and NlCht gene expression. However, the wing deformity was the result of the NlIDGF, NlENGase, NlAP, and NlTSH genes being inhibited when a single dsTRE was injected. These results demonstrate that silencing of TRE gene expression can lead to wing deformities due to the down-regulation of the AP and TSH genes involved in wing development and that the TRE inhibitor validamycin can co-regulate chitin metabolism and the expression of wing development-related genes in wing bud tissue. The results provide a new approach for the prevention and management of N. lugens.

Sasanquasaponin induces increase of Cl­/HCO3­ exchange of anion exchanger 3 and promotes intracellular Cl­ efflux in hypoxia/reoxygenation cardiomyocytes.

Anion exchanger 3 (AE3) is known to serve crucial roles in maintaining intracellular chloride homeostasis by facilitating the reversible electroneutral exchange of Cl­ for HCO3­ across the plasma membrane. Our previous studies reported that sasanquasaponin (SQS) can inhibit hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)­induced elevation of intracellular Cl­ concentration ([Cl­]i) and elicit cardioprotection by favoring Cl­/HCO3­ exchange of AE3. However, the molecular basis for SQS­induced increase of Cl­/HCO3­ exchange of AE3 remains unclear. The present study demonstrated that SQS activates protein kinase Cε (PKCε) and stimulates the phosphorylation of AE3 in H9c2 cells. Notably, SQS­induced AE3 phosphorylation was blocked by the PKCε selective inhibitor εV1­2, and a S67A mutation of AE3, indicating that SQS could promote phosphorylation of Ser67 of AE3 via a PKCε­dependent regulatory signaling pathway. Additionally, both inhibition of PKCε by εV1­2 and S67A mutation of AE3 eradicated the SQS­induced increase of AE3 activity, reversed the inhibitory effect of SQS on H/R­induced elevation of [Cl­]i, Ca2+ overload and generation of reactive oxygen species, and eliminated SQS­induced cardioprotection. In conclusion, PKCε­dependent phosphorylation of serine 67 on AE3 may be responsible for the increase of Cl­/HCO3­ exchange of AE3 and intracellular chloride efflux by SQS, and contributes to the cardioprotection of SQS against H/R in H9c2 cells.

Sasanquasaponin-induced cardioprotection involves inhibition of mPTP opening via attenuating intracellular chloride accumulation.

Sasanquasaponin (SQS) has been reported to elicit cardioprotection by suppressing hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced elevation of intracellular chloride ion concentration ([Cl-]i). Given that the increased [Cl-]i is involved to modulate the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), we herein sought to further investigate the role of mPTP in the cardioprotective effect of SQS on H/R injury. H9c2 cells were incubated for 24h with or without 10µM SQS followed by H/R. The involvement of mPTP was determined with a specific mPTP agonist atractyloside (ATR). The results showed that SQS attenuated H/R-induced the elevation of [Cl-]i, accompanied by reduction of lactate dehydrogenase release and increase of cell viability. Moreover, SQS suppressed mPTP opening, and protected mitochondria, as indicated by preserved mitochondrial membrane potential and respiratory chain complex activities, decreased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation, and increased ATP content. Interestingly, extracellular Cl--free condition created by replacing Cl- with equimolar gluconate resulted in a decrease in [Cl-]i and induced protective effects similar to SQS preconditioning, whereas pharmacologically opening of the mPTP with ATR abolished all the protective effects induced by SQS or Cl--free, including suppression of mPTP opening, maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential, and subsequent improvement of mitochondrial function. The above results allow us to conclude that SQS-induced cardioprotection may be mediated by preserving the mitochondrial function through preventing mPTP opening via inhibition of H/R-induced elevation of [Cl-]i.

Sasanquasaponin promotes cellular chloride efflux and elicits cardioprotection via the PKCε pathway.

Sasanquasaponin (SQS) is an active component of Camellia oleifera Abel. A recent study by our group demonstrated that SQS was able to inhibit ischemia/reperfusion­induced elevation of the intracellular chloride ion concentration ([Cl­]i) and exerted cardioprotective effects; however, the underlying intracellular signal transduction mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. As protein kinase C ε (PKCε) is able to mediate Cl­ homeostasis, the present study investigated its possible involvement in the effects of SQS on cardiomyocytes subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury. Cardiomyocytes were pre­treated with or without SQS or SQS plus εV1­2, a selective PKCε inhibitor, followed by simulated ischemia/reperfusion (sI/R). The effects on cell viability, PKCε phosphorylation levels, [Cl­]i, mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were assessed using an MTS assay, western blot analysis, colorimetric assays and flow cytometry. The results revealed that treatment with SQS prior to sI/R increased the viability of cardiomyocytes, and efficiently attenuated lactate dehydrogenase and creatine phosphokinase release induced by sI/R. In addition, SQS promoted PKCε phosphorylation and inhibited sI/R­induced elevation of [Cl­]i, paralleled by the attenuation of mitochondrial membrane potential loss and ROS generation. However, when the cardiomyocytes were treated with εV1­2 prior to SQS pre­conditioning, the cardioprotection induced by SQS was reduced and the inhibitory effects of SQS on sI/R­induced elevation of [Cl­]i, production of ROS and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential were also attenuated. These findings indicated that SQS may inhibit sI/R­induced elevation of [Cl­]i through the PKCε signaling pathway to elicit cardioprotection in cultured cardiomyocytes.

PRL-3 promotes the peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by regulating PTEN.

Peritoneal metastasis is the most frequent cause of death in patients with advanced gastric carcinoma (GC). The phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) is recognized as an oncogene and plays an important role in GC peritoneal metastasis. However, the mechanism of how PRL-3 regulates GC invasion and metastasis is unknown. In the present study, we found that PRL-3 presented with high expression in GC with peritoneal metastasis, but phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) was weakly expressed. The p-PTEN/PTEN ratio was also higher in GC with peritoneal metastasis than that in the normal gastric tissues. We also found the same phenomenon when comparing the gastric mucosa cell line with the GC cell lines. After constructing a wild-type and a mutant-type plasmid without enzyme activity and transfecting them into GC SGC7901 cells, we showed that only PRL-3 had enzyme activity to downregulate PTEN and cause PTEN phosphorylation. The results also showed that PRL-3 increased the expression levels of MMP-2/MMP-9 and promoted the migration and invasion of the SGC7901 cells. Knockdown of PRL-3 decreased the expression levels of MMP-2/MMP-9 significantly, which further inhibited the migration and invasion of the GC cells. PRL-3 also increased the expression ratio of p-Akt/Akt, which indicated that PRL-3 may mediate the PI3K/Akt pathway to promote GC metastasis. When we transfected the PTEN siRNA plasmid into the PRL-3 stable low expression GC cells, the expression of p-Akt, MMP-2 and MMP-9 was reversed. In conclusion, our results provide a bridge between PRL-3 and PTEN; PRL-3 decreased the expression of PTEN as well as increased the level of PTEN phosphorylation and inactivated it, consequently activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and upregulating MMP-2/MMP-9 expression to promote GC cell peritoneal metastasis.

DJ-1 upregulates anti-oxidant enzymes and attenuates hypoxia/re-oxygenation-induced oxidative stress by activation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 signaling pathway.

DJ-1 protein, as a multifunctional intracellular protein, has an important role in transcriptional regulation and anti-oxidant stress. A recent study by our group showed that DJ-1 can regulate the expression of certain anti­oxidant enzymes and attenuate hypoxia/re­oxygenation (H/R)­induced oxidative stress in the cardiomyocyte cell line H9c2; however, the detailed molecular mechanisms have remained to be elucidated. Nuclear factor erythroid 2­like 2 (Nrf2) is an essential transcription factor that regulates the expression of several anti­oxidant genes via binding to the anti­oxidant response element (ARE). The present study investigated whether activation of the Nrf2 pathway is responsible for the induction of anti­oxidative enzymes by DJ­1 and contributes to the protective functions of DJ­1 against H/R­induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cells. The results demonstrated that DJ­1­overexpressing H9c2 cells exhibited anti­oxidant enzymes, including manganese superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, to a greater extent and were more resistant to H/R­induced oxidative stress compared with native cells, whereas DJ­1 knockdown suppressed the induction of these enzymes and further augmented the oxidative stress injury. Determination of the importance of Nrf2 in DJ­1­mediated anti­oxidant enzymes induction and cytoprotection against oxidative stress induced by H/R showed that overexpression of DJ­1 promoted the dissociation of Nrf2 from its cytoplasmic inhibitor Keap1, resulting in enhanced levels of nuclear translocation, ARE­binding and transcriptional activity of Nrf2. Of note, Nrf2 knockdown abolished the DJ­1­mediated induction of anti­oxidant enzymes and cytoprotection against oxidative stress induced by H/R. In conclusion, these findings indicated that activation of the Nrf2 pathway is a critical mechanism by which DJ-1 upregulates anti-oxidative enzymes and attenuates H/R-induced oxidative stress in H9c2 cells.

MicroRNA-212 functions as an epigenetic-silenced tumor suppressor involving in tumor metastasis and invasion of gastric cancer through down-regulating PXN expression.

Altered expression of paxillin (PXN) is closely linked to the pathogenesis progression, metastasis and prognosis of different malignancies including gastric cancer (GC). Epigenetic silencing of tumor-suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs) is a crucial component of the mechanism underlying activation of oncogenes in tumor. To screen for epigenetically silenced miRNAs which target PXN in GC, we performed bioinformatics algorithms and real-time PCR analysis, and identified miR-212 as the optimum candidate gene. A luciferase reporter gene assay validated that miR-212 directly targets the 3'UTR region of PXN. Importantly, miR-212 levels were inversely correlated with PXN expression in GC cell lines and clinical tumor tissues. The use of miR-212 minics decrease PXN mRNA and protein level in GC cell lines. Moreover, low expression of miR-212 and its promoter hypermethylation were causally related and were associated with aggressive tumor phenotype and adverse prognosis in GC. Restoring mir-212 expression by exogenous mirprecursor molecules transfection or reexpression of endogenous miR-212 treated by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza) can exert similar effect that reduce GC cells invasion and metastasis abilities in vitro by interacting PXN gene. In addition, 5-aza-induced PXN reduction could be partically blocked by miR-212 inhibitor, resulting in a reversal of weankening cell migration and invasion ability of 5-aza. A rescue experiment and a loss-of-function experiment in vitro and vivo showed that PXN restoration rescues migration and invasion phenotype in miR-212 overexpressed GC cell lines and PXN knockdown blocks GC cells migration and invasion in the presence miR-212 inhibitors. Taken together, our results clearly show that overexpression of PXN induced by methylationsuppressed miR-212 promotes tumor metastasis and invasion, and regulation of miR-212 expression may be a novel therapeutic strategy for gastric cancer.