Long Non-Coding RNA Signatures in Lymphopoiesis and Lymphoid Malignancies.

Lymphoid cells play a critical role in the immune system, which includes three subgroups of T, B, and NK cells. Recognition of the complexity of the human genetics transcriptome in lymphopoiesis has revolutionized our understanding of the regulatory potential of RNA in normal lymphopoiesis and lymphoid malignancies. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules greater than 200 nucleotides in length. LncRNAs have recently attracted much attention due to their critical roles in various biological processes, including gene regulation, chromatin organization, and cell cycle control. LncRNAs can also be used for cell differentiation and cell fate, as their expression patterns are often specific to particular cell types or developmental stages. Additionally, lncRNAs have been implicated in lymphoid differentiation, such as regulating T-cell and B-cell development, and their expression has been linked to immune-associated diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. In addition, lncRNAs have been investigated as potential biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic response to disease management. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge about the regulatory role of lncRNAs in physiopathology processes during normal lymphopoiesis and lymphoid leukemia.

The OmpA of commensal Escherichia coli of CRC patients affects apoptosis of the HCT116 colon cancer cell line.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer ranks third globally among all types of cancers. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota of people with CRC is one of the effective agents in the tumorigenesis and metastasis in this type of cancer. The population of Escherichia coli strains, a component of gut microbiota, is increased in the gut of people with CRC compared with healthy people. So, E.coli strains isolated from these patients may have a role in tumorigenesis. Because the most isolated strains belong to the B2 phylogenuetic group, there seems to be a linkage between the bacterium components and malignancy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, the proteomic comparison between isolated Ecoli from CRC patients and healthy people was assayed. The isolated spot was studied by Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) and Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). The results showed that the expression of Outer membrane protein A (OmpA) protein increased in the commensal E.coli B2 phylogenetic group isolated from CRC patients. Additionally, we analyzed the effect of the OmpA protein on the expression of the four genes related to apoptosis in the HCT116 colon cancer cell line. RESULTS: This study identified that OmpA protein was overexpressed in the commensal E.coli B2 phylogenetic group isolated from CRC patients compared to the E.coli from the control group. This protein significantly decreased the expression of Bax and Bak, pro-apoptotic genes, as well as the expression of P53 in the HCT116 Cell Line, P < 0.0001. LC-MS and protein bioinformatics results confirmed that this protein is outer membrane protein A, which can bind to nucleic acid and some of the organelle proteins on the eukaryotic cell surface. CONCLUSIONS: According to our invitro and insilico investigations, OmpA of gut E.coli strains that belong to the B2 phylogenetic group can affect the eukaryotic cell cycle.

In Vitro Antifungal Activity of Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles in Comparison to Conventional Antifungal Drugs Against Trichophyton Interdigitale, Trichophyton Rubrum and Epidermophyton Floccosum.

BACKGROUND: Dermatophytosis is a globally distributed fungal infection. Treatment failure and relapse is common in this disease. Silver nanoparticles are known for their promising antimicrobial activity. The aim of this study was to determine the antifungal activity of these nanoparticles against common dermatophyte species. METHODS: A set of 30 molecularly identified dermatophytes including Trichophyton interdigitale (n=10), Trichophyton rubrum (n=10), and Epidermophyton floccosum (n=10) were used in this study. Green synthesized silver nanoparticles using chicory (Cichorium intybus) were tested for their antifungal activity in comparison to fluconazole, itraconazole and terbinafine. Interspecies differences in minimum inhibitory concentrations of antifungal drugs and silver nanoparticles were tested using Kruskal-Wallis test in SPSS software version 21. RESULTS: The highest minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) among antifungal drugs were observed for fluconazole [range: 4-64 µg/mL, geometric mean (GM) =17.959 µg/mL], followed by itraconazole (range: 0.008-0.5, GM= 0.066) and terbinafine (range: 0.004-0.25 µg/mL, GM=0.027 µg/mL). Silver nanoparticles showed potent antifungal activity against all dermatophyte isolates with MICs (range: 0.25-32 µg/mL, GM=4.812 µg/mL) higher than those of itraconazole and terbinafine, but lower than fluconazole. MIC values of silver nanoparticles demonstrated significant differences between species (P=0.044), with E. floccosum having the highest MICs (GM=9.849 µg/mL) compared to T. interdigitale (GM=3.732 µg/mL) and T. rubrum (GM=3.031 µg/mL). CONCLUSION: Silver nanoparticles demonstrated promising anti-dermatophyte activity against the studied dermatophytes. Due to their wide-spectrum activity against other fungal and bacterial pathogens, they could be a potential choice, at least in the case of cutaneous and superficial infections.

Positive Correlation between Circulating Fetuin-A and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Men.

OBJECTIVE: Fetuin-A serves a dual function; its high levels are associated with metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and on the other hand, it serves as a potent inhibitor of ectopic vascular calcification. Due to the opposing findings, the aim of the current study was to investigate serum fetuin-A levels in men with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: In the case-control study, anthropometric and biochemical parameters were determined in 83 men (43 CAD patients and 40 control subjects). At last, the serum fetuin-A levels were measured using the fetuin-A human enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. RESULTS: A significant difference was detected among the two groups for triglyceride and cholesterol levels (P=0.003 and P=0.002, respectively). The mean fetuin-A levels were determined 230.57 ± 63.76 and 286.35 ± 64.07 µg/ml for the control group and the CAD patients, respectively (P<0.001). Fetuin- A was significantly correlated to the severity of CAD (r 0.393, P<0.001) and associated with the risk of CAD in subjects (OR [CI] = 1. 144 [1.060-1. 235]; p = 0.001). A cut-off value of 237.4 µg/ml had good sensitivity (76.7%) and specificity (65.0%) for differentiating between two groups [area under curve (AUC) = 0.732 (CI=0.621-0.842); p < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that fetuin-A levels were positively correlated to the severity of CAD. The findings suggest that there is a possible link between pathogenic mechanisms of atherosclerosis and fetuin-A; however, more investigations are needed in this regard.