Serum sex hormones correlate with pathological features of papillary thyroid cancer.

PURPOSE: Sex hormones are thought to be responsible for the unique gender differences in papillary thyroid cancer(PTC). Most previous studies on these have focused on the expression of estrogen receptors, or have been limited to animal studies. The aim of our study was to explore the relationship between serum sex hormones and the pathological features of PTC in the clinical setting, as further evidence of the role of sex hormones in PTC. METHODS: Retrospective data analysis of patients who underwent thyroid surgery at the Department of Thyroid Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2022 to September 2022 Correlation between serum sex hormone and pathological features was analyzed in male patients and in menopausal female patients. Serum sex hormones include luteinizing hormone(LH), follicle stimulating hormone(FSH), estradiol(E2), total testosterone(TT), progesterone(P), and prolactin(PRL). Tumor pathological characteristics include the number and size of tumor, presence of extrathyroidal extension(ETE), presence of lymph node metastasis(LNM). RESULTS: Preoperative serum E2 in male patients was positively correlated with tumor size in PTC, LH was negatively correlated with LNM, while TT and P were negatively correlated with ETE. Similar findings were not observed in menopausal female patients. CONCLUSION: We observed that serum sex hormones correlate with the pathological features of PTC in male patients, for the first time in a clinical study. High serum estrogens may be a risk factor for PTC, while androgens are the opposite. This somewhat corroborates previous research and provides new variables for future PTC prediction models.

Construction of an expression vector mediated by the dual promoter for prokaryotic and mammalian cell expression system.

The aim of this study was to construct an expression vector mediated by the dual promoter that can simultaneously drive the recombinant protein production in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. The prokaryotic T7 promoter and ribosome binding site (RBS) was cloned downstream of CMV promoter in the eukaryotic expression vector pIRES-neo, and T7 termination sequence was inserted upstream of neomycin phosphotransferase gene to generate the dual promoter vector. The enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) gene was used as reporter gene. Then, the resultant vector was transfected into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and transformed into Escherichia coli (E. coli) BL21, and the eGFP expression levels were analyzed by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry and Western blot, respectively. Fluorescence microscopy revealed that the eGFP was expressed in both CHO cells and E. coli BL21. Flow cytometry showed that the eGFP expression level had no significant difference between the dual promoter vector and control vector in transfected CHO cells. Western blot analysis indicated the eGFP expressed in transformed E. coli. In conclusion, a prokaryotic-eukaryotic double expression vector was successfully constructed, which has potential applications in rapid cloning and expression of recombinant proteins in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems.

Effect of promoter, promoter mutation and enhancer on transgene expression mediated by episomal vectors in transfected HEK293, Chang liver and primary cells.

The episomal vector cannot integrate into the host cell chromosome, which has no potential risk in gene therapy. However, the low level of transgene expression driven by episomal vectors needs to be solved. In this study, we investigated the effects of enhancers, promoters and promoter variants on transgene expression levels driven by episomal vectors in HEK293, Chang liver and primary cells. Results showed that all eight cis-acting elements used could increase transfection efficiency and transient eGFP expression in transfected HEK293 and Chang liver cells. In stably transfected mammalian cells, the elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α) promoter and mutant-404 showed high and stable transgene expression. The mechanisms might be related to the type and quantity of transcription factor regulatory elements. Moreover, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that mRNA expression levels were not directly proportional to protein expression levels. Furthermore, the EF-1α promoter conferred high transgene expression levels in primary cells, and the plasmid was also present in the episomal state. Taken together, these results provided valuable information for improving transgene expression with episomal vectors in mammalian cells.

Shortened nuclear matrix attachment regions are sufficient for replication and maintenance of episomes in mammalian cells.

Matrix attachment regions (MARs) can mediate the replication of vector episomes in mammalian cells; however, the molecular mode of action remains unclear. Here, we assessed the characteristics of MARs and the mechanism that mediates episomal vector replication in mammalian cells. Five shortened subfragments of ß-interferon MAR fragments were cloned and transferred into CHO cells, and transgene expression levels, presence of the gene, and the episomal maintenance mechanism were determined. Three shortened MAR derivatives (position 781-1320, 1201-1740, and 1621-2201) retained full MAR activity and mediated episomal vector replication. Moreover, the three shortened MARs showed higher transgene expression levels, greater efficiency in colony formation, and more persistent transgene expression compared with those of the original pEPI-1 plasmid, and three functional truncated MARs can bind to SAF-A MAR-binding protein. These results suggest that shortened MARs are sufficient for replication and maintenance of episomes in CHO cells.

Enhancing expression level and stability of transgene mediated by episomal vector via buffering DNA methyltransferase in transfected CHO cells.

Nonviral episomal vectors present attractive alternative vehicles for gene therapy applications. Previously, we have established a new type of nonviral episomal vector-mediated by the characteristic motifs of matrix attachment regions (MARs), which is driven by the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. However, the CMV promoter is intrinsically susceptible to silencing, resulting in declined productivity during long-term culture. In this study, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and DNA methyltransferase-deficient (Dnmt3a-deficient) CHO cells were transfected with plasmid-mediated by MAR, or CHO cells were treated with the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Flow cytometry, plasmid rescue experiments, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), and bisulfite sequencing were performed to observe transgene expression, its state of existence, and the CpG methylation level of the CMV promoter. The results indicated that all DNA methylation inhibitor and methyltransferase deficient cells could increase transgene expression levels and stability in the presence or absence of selection pressure after a 60-generation culture. Plasmid rescue assay and FISH analysis showed that the vector still existed episomally after long-time culture. Moreover, a relatively lower CMV promoter methylation level was observed in Dnmt3a-deficient cell lines and CHO cells treated with 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine. In addition, Dnmt3a-deficient cells were superior to the DNA methylation inhibitor treatment regarding the transgene expression and long-term stability. Our study provides the first evidence that lower DNA methyltransferase can enhance expression level and stability of transgenes mediated by episomal vectors in transfected CHO cells.

Nuciferine, extracted from Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn, inhibits tumor-promoting effect of nicotine involving Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in non-small cell lung cancer.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The leaves of Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn are recorded in the earliest written documentation of traditional Chinese medicinal as "Ben Cao Gang Mu", a medicinal herb for blood clotting, dysentery and dizziness. Recently, nuciferine (NF), one of N. nucifera Gaertn leaf extracts has been shown to possess several pharmacological properties, including anti-viral and anti-cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of the anti-cancer activity of NF in NSCLC progression induced by nicotine MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effect of NF on proliferation of A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma epithelial cell line) pretreated with or without nicotine was detected by tumor cell proliferation assay. TOP-Flash reporter assay was applied to investigate the activity of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in tumor cells in the presence of NF and/or nicotine. Apoptosis was measured using a FITC-Annexin V and PI detection kit by flow cytometry. In addition, mRNA or protein expression levels were respectively tested by quantitative RT-PCR or western blot. In vivo experiments, tumor samples were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin for additional analyses by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining. RESULTS: NF significantly inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells in the presence of nicotine, suppressed the activity of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, enhanced the stabilization of Axin, and induced apoptosis. NF down-regulated the expression levels of ß-catenin and its downstream targets including c-myc, cyclin D and VEGF-A. NF also decreased the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax, which may explain the pro-apoptosis effect of NF. In tumor xenograft nude mice, NF not only inhibited the growth of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, but also remarkably alleviated the injury induced by nicotine in liver function. CONCLUSIONS: NF has the remarkable effect to inhibit nicotine-induced NSCLC progression, which was due to its ability to reduce the activity of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling. Thus, the work stated here emphasizes the importance of this traditional medicine and presents a potential novel alternative to NSCLC prevention and therapy.