Screening of crucial long non-coding RNAs in oral epithelial dysplasia by serial analysis of gene expression.

Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is a premalignant lesion of the oral mucosa. Considering the poor 5-year survival rate of oral cancer, further investigation is needed in order to determine the pathogenesis of OED. In the present study, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) data from patients with OED were compared to normal controls to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). SAGE data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus, and included samples from patients with mild, moderate, or severe dysplasia. The DEGs were identified using the edgeR software package and functional-enrichment analysis was performed with the DAVID (https://david.ncifcrf.gov/) software program. The co-expression network was constructed using the CoExpress software and target genes of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were predicted according to the proximity between the lncRNAs and mRNAs in the genome. A total of 517 DEGs were identified, including 409 mRNAs and 108 lncRNAs. Functional-enrichment analysis showed that mRNAs and lncRNAs involved in epithelial cell differentiation, epithelium development, and epidermal cell differentiation were significantly enriched in the DEGs. Thirty-eight potential regulatory relationships were unveiled between lncRNAs and mRNAs, and two subnetworks were discovered by analyzing the topological properties of the co-expression network. In conclusion, we have identified key mRNAs and lncRNAs in OED, and these findings may aid in understanding the pathogenesis of OED and advance potential future treatments.

Downregulation of microRNA-630 inhibits cell proliferation and invasion and enhances chemosensitivity in human ovarian carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a family of small non-coding RNAs (approximately 21-23 nt long) that can target genes for either degradation of mRNA or inhibition of translation. miRNAs have not been comprehensively studied in human epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). MicroRNA-630 (miR-630) has been frequently observed to be aberrantly expressed in various types of tumors. The present study explored the functions of miR-630 in the proliferation, apoptosis, chemosensitivity, and invasion of EOC. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction, we detected the miR-630 expression in cancerous, benign, and normal human ovarian tissues. Then, we evaluated the role of miR-630 in cell proliferation, chemosensitivity, apoptosis, and invasion by using the Cell Counting Kit-8, Annexin-V/FITC, and transwell assay on A2780 and SKOV3 cells. Western blotting was performed for analyzing the phosphatase and tensin homolog gene (PTEN) protein expression. The miR-630 expression level was higher in ovarian cancerous tissues than in benign and normal ovarian tissues. Decreased expression of miR-630 suppressed EOC cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as significantly enhanced cell apoptosis and chemosensitivity to cisplatin. Furthermore, PTEN expression was increased in A2780 cells transfected by miR-630 inhibitor in comparison with inhibitor-negative control-transfected cells. In conclusion, downregulation of miR-630 dramatically increased apoptotic cell death chemosensitivity to cisplatin and decreased the proliferation, invasion, and migration of EOC cells. MiR-630 may thus play an important role in the biological behaviors of EOC cells through negative control of the PTEN expression.

Morphological and genetic variation of the pine shoot tunnel beetle Placusa pinearum (Staphylinidae) in China.

Placusa pinearum, a newly described beetle species found living in pine shoot tunnels bored by the pine tip moth, Dioryctria rubella (Pyralidae), has potential as a vector to transport biological agents for controlling this moth pest of pine trees because of the high degree of niche overlap (co-occurrence) between them. In order to help determine the suitability of potential biological control vectors, it is useful to obtain knowledge concerning the intraspecific variation of the vector. We examined P. pinearum collected from 14 different geographical populations in China using morphological and molecular markers. An UPGMA dendrogram based on morphological characters showed divergence of populations of P. pinearum in a comparison of beetles from southwestern and 3 other geographic regions (central, northwestern, and eastern regions). We also compared 965-nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene from 56 individuals; 19 haplotypes were identified based on 28 polymorphic sites in this region. A Bayesian phylogenetic tree showed significant genetic divergence among the different populations in eastern China. In addition, absence of shared haplotypes, coupled with high pairwise FST values, demonstrated significant genetic divergence between the populations from the southwest and the other 4 main geographical regions (eastern, southern, central, and northwestern regions). Generally, we found the morphological divergence to be congruent with genetic divergence in these P. pinearum populations. This information should be useful for selection of suitable source materials in the species gene pool for future biological control programs.