A study of market segmentation, government competition, and public service efficiency in China: Based on a semi-parametric spatial lag model.

Despite significant growth in fiscal expenditure, the overall level of public services in China remains inadequate. One approach to improving government public service efficiency from the perspective of management psychology is to strengthen government competition. However, only a few studies have explored the improvement of public service efficiency through government competition, with even fewer addressing the phenomena of market segmentation and spatial effects that accompany the process of government competition. This paper aims to fill this research gap by examining the effects of government competition and market segmentation on public service efficiency, as well as their spatial disparities. We initially employs the DEA method to assess the efficiency of public services based on inputs and outputs, and examines its spatial variations. Subsequently, a semi-parametric spatial lag panel model is utilized to validate the effects of market segmentation and government competition on public service efficiency. Our findings indicate that inter-provincial market segmentation leads to a decline in public service efficiency. Moreover, the influence of horizontal competition between local governments on public service efficiency varies depending on the degree of positive and negative effects in their competition dynamics. The impact of vertical competition between central and local governments on public service efficiency is influenced by the degree of fiscal decentralization. When the level of fiscal decentralization is below 0.808, vertical competition between central and local governments has a promoting effect on public service efficiency. However, when the degree of fiscal decentralization exceeds 0.08, this promoting effect weakens and gradually transforms into a negative influence. The insights and evidence provided by this study offer valuable guidance for for effectively reshaping the fiscal relations between the central and local governments in China and improving public service efficiency in the context of a new round of fiscal and tax system reforms.

[Retracted] miR­187 inhibits the growth of cervical cancer cells by targeting FGF9.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that the cell formation assay data shown in Figs. 3C, 4C and 7C, and certain of the western blotting data shown in Figs. 7E and 8E were strikingly similar to data that had already appeared in other articles written by different authors at different research institutes. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to Oncology Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 38: 1977­1984, 2017; DOI: 10.3892/or.2017.5916].

Fluorescence lifetime imaging of NAD(P)H upon oxidative stress in Kluyveromyces marxianus.

K. marxianus is a promising cell factory for producing heterologous proteins. Oxidative stresses were raised during overexpression of heterologous proteins, leading to the shift of the redox state. How to measure the redox state of live K. marxianus cells without perturbing their growth remains a big challenge. Here, a fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM)-based method was developed in live K. marxianus cells. During the early exponential growth, K. marxianus cells exhibited an increased mean fluorescence lifetime (τ-mean) of NAD(P)H compared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, which was consistent with the preference for respiration in K. marxianus cells and that for fermentation in S. cerevisiae cells. Upon oxidative stresses induced by high temperature or H2O2, K. marxianus cells exhibited an increased τ-mean in company with decreased intracellular NAD(P)H/NAD(P)+, suggesting a correlation between an increased τ-mean and a more oxidized redox state. The relationship between τ-mean and the expression level of a heterologous protein was investigated. There was no difference between the τ-means of K. marxianus strains which were not producing a heterologous protein. The τ-mean of a strain yielding a high level of a heterologous protein was higher than that of a low-yielding strain. The results suggested the potential application of FLIM in the non-invasive screen of high-yielding cells.

CB1R-stabilized NLRP3 inflammasome drives antipsychotics cardiotoxicity.

Long-term use of antipsychotics is a common cause of myocardial injury and even sudden cardiac deaths that often lead to drug withdrawn or discontinuation. Mechanisms underlying antipsychotics cardiotoxicity remain largely unknown. Herein we performed RNA sequencing and found that NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis contributed predominantly to multiple antipsychotics cardiotoxicity. Pyroptosis-based small-molecule compound screen identified cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) as an upstream regulator of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Mechanistically, antipsychotics competitively bond to the CB1R and led to CB1R translocation to the cytoplasm, where CB1R directly interacted with NLRP3 inflammasome via amino acid residues 177-209, rendering stabilization of the inflammasome. Knockout of Cb1r significantly alleviated antipsychotic-induced cardiomyocyte pyroptosis and cardiotoxicity. Multi-organ-based investigation revealed no additional toxicity of newer CB1R antagonists. In authentic human cases, the expression of CB1R and NLRP3 inflammasome positively correlated with antipsychotics-induced cardiotoxicity. These results suggest that CB1R is a potent regulator of the NLRP3 inflammsome-mediated pyroptosis and small-molecule inhibitors targeting the CB1R/NLRP3 signaling represent attractive approaches to rescue cardiac side effects of antipsychotics.

Spatiotemporal feedforward between PKM2 tetramers and mTORC1 prompts mTORC1 activation.

Most mammalian cells couple glucose availability to anabolic processes via the mTORC1 pathway. However, the mechanism by which fluctuations in glucose availability are rapidly translated into mTORC1 signals remains elusive. Here, we show that cells rapidly respond to changes in glucose availability through the spatial coupling of mTORC1 and tetramers of the key glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) on lysosomal surfaces in the late G1/S phases. The lysosomal localization of PKM2 tetramers enables rapid increases in local ATP concentrations around lysosomes to activate mTORC1, while bypassing the need to elevate global ATP levels in the entire cell. In essence, this spatial coupling establishes a feedforward loop to enable mTORC1 to rapidly sense and respond to changes in glucose availability. We further demonstrate that this mechanism ensures robust cell proliferation upon fluctuating glucose availability. Thus, we present mechanistic insights into the rapid response of the mTORC1 pathway to changes in glucose availability. The underlying mechanism may be applicable to the control of other cellular processes.

LDLR dysfunction induces LDL accumulation and promotes pulmonary fibrosis.

Treatments for pulmonary fibrosis (PF) are ineffective because its molecular pathogenesis and therapeutic targets are unclear. Here, we show that the expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) was significantly decreased in alveolar type II (ATII) and fibroblast cells, whereas it was increased in endothelial cells from systemic sclerosis-related PF (SSc-PF) patients and idiopathic PF (IPF) patients compared with healthy controls. However, the plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) increased in SSc-PF and IPF patients. The disrupted LDL-LDLR metabolism was also observed in four mouse PF models. Upon bleomycin (BLM) treatment, Ldlr-deficient (Ldlr-/-) mice exhibited remarkably higher LDL levels, abundant apoptosis, increased fibroblast-like endothelial and ATII cells and significantly earlier and more severe fibrotic response compared to wild-type mice. In vitro experiments revealed that apoptosis and TGF-ß1 production were induced by LDL, while fibroblast-like cell accumulation and ET-1 expression were induced by LDLR knockdown. Treatment of fibroblasts with LDL or culture medium derived from LDL-pretreated endothelial or epithelial cells led to obvious fibrotic responses in vitro. Similar results were observed after LDLR knockdown operation. These results suggest that disturbed LDL-LDLR metabolism contributes in various ways to the malfunction of endothelial and epithelial cells, and fibroblasts during pulmonary fibrogenesis. In addition, pharmacological restoration of LDLR levels by using a combination of atorvastatin and alirocumab inhibited BLM-induced LDL elevation, apoptosis, fibroblast-like cell accumulation and mitigated PF in mice. Therefore, LDL-LDLR may serve as an important mediator in PF, and LDLR enhancing strategies may have beneficial effects on PF.

Relapse after conservative surgery combined with triptorelin acetate versus conservative surgery only in women with focal adenomyosis: study protocol for a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The preservation of fertility and integrity of the reproductive organs has increasingly been of concern to most women with adenomyosis. Adenomyomectomy is conservative surgery that is now widely applied; however, relapse is a serious problem after the operation. Postoperative treatment, such as gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) has been suggested to result in reducing the rate of disease recurrence. However, there is still a lack of evidence from randomized clinical trials examining the efficacy of GnRHa in decreasing the postoperative recurrence rate. METHOD/DESIGN: Relapse after conservative surgery combined with triptorelin acetate versus conservative surgery only in women with focal adenomyosis is a multicenter, prospective, randomized controlled trial. The primary outcome is relapse assessed using a visual analogue scale (VRS) and numeric rating scale (NRS), pictorial blood loss assessment chart (PBAC) score, and the size of the uterus and the lesion as measured by two/three-dimensional color doppler ultrasonography (2D/3D-CDUS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The secondary outcomes include quality of life, clinical pregnancy, ovarian reserve, adverse events, assessment by the Short Form (36) Health Survey and Female Sexual Function index, serum follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol levels, and anti-Muellerian hormone and so on. All these indexes are measured at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months after conservative surgery. DISCUSSION: The result of this large, multicenter randomized trial will provide evidence for one of the strategies of long-term management in focal adenomyosis after conservative operation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR1800014340. Registered on 6 January 2018.

Glycolytic reprogramming in cancer cells: PKM2 dimer predominance induced by pulsatile PFK-1 activity.

The glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) exists in both catalytically inactive dimeric and active tetrameric forms. In cancer cells, PKM2 dimer predominance contributes to tumor growth by triggering glycolytic reprogramming. However, the mechanism that promotes PKM2 dimer predominance over tetramer in cancer cells remains elusive. Here, we show that pulsatile phosphofructokinase (PFK-1) activity results in PKM2 dimer predominance. Mathematical simulations predict that pulsatile PFK-1 activity prevents the formation of PKM2 tetramer even under high levels of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP), a PKM2 tetramer-promoting metabolite produced by PFK-1. We experimentally confirm these predictions at the single-molecule level by providing evidence for pulsatile PFK-1 activity-induced synchronized dissociation of PKM2 tetramers and the subsequent accumulation of PKM2 dimers under high levels of FBP in HeLa cells. Moreover, we show that pulsatile PFK-1 activity-induced PKM2 dimer predominance also controls cell proliferation. Thus, our study reveals the significance of pulsatile PFK-1 activity in cancer cell metabolism.

miR-495 promotes apoptosis and inhibits proliferation in endometrial cells via targeting PIK3R1.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a huge threat to women's health. The aims of this study were to investigate the role of microRNA (miR)-495 in the proliferation and apoptosis of EC cells in vitro. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect the mRNA levels. In addition, dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verified that PIK3R1 was a target of miR-495. After transfection with miR-495 mimics, Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to evaluate the cell viability of EC cells. The protein expression of PIK3R1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Bcl-2, Bax, caspase 3 after transfection was analyzed using western blotting. Furthermore, cell apoptosis rate of EC cells was evaluated by flow cytometry. These results showed that miR-495 was significantly down-regulated in tumor tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues, while PIK3R1 was up-regulated. The proliferation of the EC cells that were transfected with miR-495 mimics was markedly inhibited, and apoptosis was significantly promoted. In addition, downregulated expression of PIK3R1, Bcl-2, VEGF expression and upregulated expression of Bax and caspase 3 expression were observed after transfected with miR-495 mimic. Together these findings indicated that miR-495 acts as a tumor suppressor gene by directly targeting PIK3R1 at the post-transcriptional level in EC cells in vitro.

MicroRNA-20a regulates cell proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy by targeting thrombospondin 2 in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most frequent malignancy worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) can function as potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets in multiple cancers including CC. Our present study aimed to investigate the roles and downstream targets of microRNA-20a (miR-20a) in regulating CC proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy. Here, RT-qPCR assay revealed that miR-20a was highly expressed in CC tissues and cells. Functional analysis showed that the inhibition of miR-20a resulted in reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis and downregulated autophagic activity in CC cells. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay manifested that thrombospondin 2 (THBS2) was a target of miR-20a. Also, THBS2 expression was notably reduced in CC tissues and cells, and inversely associated with miR-20a expression in CC tissues. Restoration experiments disclosed that THBS2 knockdown abrogated miR-20a inhibitor-mediated anti-proliferation, pro-apoptosis, and anti-autophagy effects in CC cells. In summary, these data showed that the depletion of miR-20a suppressed proliferation and autophagy and induced apoptosis by targeting THBS2 in CC cells, further elucidating the roles and molecular basis of miR-20a in the development of CC.

MiR-3606-3p inhibits systemic sclerosis through targeting TGF-ß type II receptor.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystemic fibrotic disease characterized by excessive collagen deposition and extracellular matrix synthesis. Though transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of SSc, the mechanism by which TGF-ß signaling acts in SSc remains largely unclear. Here, we showed that TGF-ß type II receptor (TGFBR2) was significantly upregulated in both human SSc dermal tissues and primary fibroblasts. In fibroblasts, siRNA-induced knockdown of TGFBR2 resulted in a reduction of p-SMAD2/3 levels and reduced production of type I collagen. Additionally, functional experiments revealed that downregulation of TGFBR2 yielded an anti-growth effect on fibroblasts through inhibiting cell cycle progression. Further studies showed that miR-3606-3p could directly target the 3'-UTR of TGFBR2 and significantly decrease the levels of both TGFBR2 mRNA and protein. Furthermore, SSc dermal tissues and primary fibroblasts contain significantly reduced amounts of miR-3606-3p, and the overexpression of miR-3606-3p in fibroblasts replicates the phenotype of TGFBR2 downregulation. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that increased TGFBR2 could be responsible for the hyperactive TGF-ß signaling observed in SSc. Moreover, we identified a pivotal role for miR-3606-3p in SSc, which acts, at least partly, through the attenuation of TGF-ß signaling via TGFBR2 repression, suggesting that the regulation of miR-3606-3p/TGFBR2 could be a promising therapeutic target that could improve the treatment strategy for fibrosis.

Bioinformatics approach reveals the key role of C­X­C motif chemokine receptor 2 in endometriosis development.

Endometriosis is a common gynecological disease, affecting 6­10% of women of reproductive age. The precise mechanisms underlying the development of endometriosis remain unclear. In the present study, a bioinformatics approach was applied to systematically identify the pathways and genes involved in the development of endometriosis and to discover potential biomarkers. The gene expression profiles of GSE6364, a microarray dataset of endometrial biopsies obtained from women with or without endometriosis, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus DataSets database that stores original submitter­supplied records (series, samples and platforms), as well as curated datasets. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis was performed with GEO2R. DAVID was used to analyze the gene ontology enrichment of the DEGs. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was conducted using the GSEA v3.0 software. Protein­protein interactions (PPI) were evaluated with the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes, and PPI network visualization was performed with Cytoscape. In addition, Cell Counting kit­8 and Transwell assays were performed on human endometrial stromal cells (HESCs). A total of 172 DEGs were extracted. Inflammatory response genes were significantly upregulated in the endometriosis tissues and C­X­C motif chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2), was one of the most up­regulated genes according to DEG analysis. Cell­based experiments confirmed that CXCR2 promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of HESCs. In conclusion, a bioinformatics approach combined with in vitro experiments in the present study revealed that CXCR2 may be associated with the development of endometriosis and has potential as a biomarker for the diagnosis of endometriosis.

Molecular cloning, mRNA expression and alternative splicing of a ryanodine receptor gene from the citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead).

Insect ryanodine receptors are the main targets of diamide insecticides that have highly selective insecticidal activity but are less toxic to mammals. Therefore, these insecticides are ideal for pest control. Ryanodine receptors (RyRs) play a critical role in Ca2+ signaling in muscle and non-muscle cells. In this study, we cloned the complete cDNA (DcRyR) of the RyR from the citrus whitefly, Dialeurodes citri, a serious pest of citrus orchards in China. The open reading frame of RyR is 15,378bp long and encodes a protein with 5126 amino acids with a computed molecular weight of 579.523kDa. DcRyR shows a high amino acid sequence identity to RyRs from other insects (76%-95%) and low identity to those from nematodes and mammals (44%-52%). DcRyR shares many features of insect and vertebrate RyRs, including a MIR domain, two RIH domains, three SPRY domains, four copies of RyR repeat domain, RIH-associated domain at the N-terminus, two consensus calcium-binding EF-hands and six transmembrane domains at the C-terminus. The expression of DcRyR mRNA was the highest in the nymphs and lowest in eggs; DcRyR mRNA was 1.85-fold higher in the nymphs than in the eggs. Among the tissues, DcRyR mRNA expression was 4.18- and 4.02-fold higher in the adult head and thorax than in the abdomen. DcRyR had three alternative splice sites and the splice variants showed body part-specific expression and were developmentally regulated. These results may help investigate target-based resistance to diamide insecticides in D. citri.

miR-187 inhibits the growth of cervical cancer cells by targeting FGF9.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a cluster of short non-coding RNAs playing critical roles in human cancers. miR-187 was recently found to be a novel cancer-related microRNA. However, the expression and function of miR-187 in cervical cancer have not been investigated. In this study, we found that miR-187 level was decreased in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Patients with low level of miR-187 had significantly decreased rate of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (DFS). miR-187 overexpression inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of cervical cancer cells, whereas miR-187 knockdown promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of cervical cancer cells. Forced expression of miR-187 inhibited the subcutaneous growth of cervical cancer cells in nude mice. Furthermore, FGF9 was found to be the downstream target of miR-187 in cervical cancer cells. Importantly, targeting FGF9 was required for miR-187 exerting its tumor suppressive roles in cervical cancer cells.

An increased risk of ovarian cancer associated with polymorphism in BRCC5 gene in Caucasian populations.

Several reports on the association between the BRCC5 gene polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk have been published recently, but the estimates of the risk vary widely. We thus performed a meta-analysis in an effort to determine the association. To identify the eligible studies, we searched the PubMed, Embase, and CNKI databases, and reviewed all original studies retrieved as well as their citations. The risk of ovarian cancer was estimated using odds ratio (OR) and its 95 % confidence interval (CI). Meta-analysis of seven comparisons revealed an obvious rise in the risk of ovarian cancer under the CC vs. GG contrast model (OR = 1.52, 95 % CI = 1.07-2.16, P OR = 0.020). A similar increase was also indicated in the CC vs. GC + GG model (OR = 2.10, 95 % CI = 1.51-2.93, P OR < 0.001). Our meta-analysis indicates that the BRCC5 polymorphism may be a candidate modifier of ovarian cancer risk in Caucasians.

MicroRNA-215 is a potential prognostic marker for cervical cancer.

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be involved in multiple biological pathways that can influence tumor progression and metastasis and they can serve as prognostic biomarkers in many cancers. The present study examined the prognostic significance of miR-215 in cervical cancer. The paraffin-embedded paired cervical scrape samples and tumor tissue samples from 302 patients with stage II cervical cancer were detected for the expression of miR-215 by using qRT-PCR. A miR-215-based classifier was established by using the Cox regression model. The prognostic and predictive accuracy of this classifier was determined in both the internal testing group of 138 patients, and the external independent group of 280 patients. Moreover, cervical cancer HeLa cells overexpressing miR-215 (HeLa-miR-215) were constructed and subcutaneously injected into the nude mice to examine the effect of miR-215 on tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. The results showed that the expression level of miR-215 was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues than in paired normal tissues (P<0.0001). When patients were classified into high- and low-risk cancer progression groups according to miR-215 level, the 5-year disease-free survival in high- and low-risk groups were 43% (95% CI: 32.1-51.6) and 67% (95% CI: 48.6-77.3) (hazard ratio [HR] 2.02, 95% CI: 1.16-3.52; P=0.013) respectively. Moreover, the expression level of miR-215 was negatively associated with survival rate in patients at TNM stage T3 (HR: 3.317; 95% CI: 1.18-5.14, P=0.017) and TNM stage T4 (HR: 3.48; 95% CI: 1.49-4.45, P=0.008). Tumor volume in nude mice injected with HeLa-miR-215 cells was significantly larger than that in mice injected with control HeLa cells. It was concluded that the expression level of miR-215 is associated with cervical tumor progression and worse survival rate, suggesting that it may serve as a potential prognostic marker to identify patients at higher risk of recurrence.

Simulation of E. coli gene regulation including overlapping cell cycles, growth, division, time delays and noise.

Due to the complexity of biological systems, simulation of biological networks is necessary but sometimes complicated. The classic stochastic simulation algorithm (SSA) by Gillespie and its modified versions are widely used to simulate the stochastic dynamics of biochemical reaction systems. However, it has remained a challenge to implement accurate and efficient simulation algorithms for general reaction schemes in growing cells. Here, we present a modeling and simulation tool, called 'GeneCircuits', which is specifically developed to simulate gene-regulation in exponentially growing bacterial cells (such as E. coli) with overlapping cell cycles. Our tool integrates three specific features of these cells that are not generally included in SSA tools: 1) the time delay between the regulation and synthesis of proteins that is due to transcription and translation processes; 2) cell cycle-dependent periodic changes of gene dosage; and 3) variations in the propensities of chemical reactions that have time-dependent reaction rates as a consequence of volume expansion and cell division. We give three biologically relevant examples to illustrate the use of our simulation tool in quantitative studies of systems biology and synthetic biology.

Knockdown of survivin contributes to antitumor activity in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells.

Survivin (SVV) is an important member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family. It is overexpressed in a number of cancer types, including human ovarian carcinomas. SVV promotes invasion, metastasis, growth and survival of malignant cells and confers resistance to specific chemotherapeutic drugs. The present study aimed to elucidate the role and possible mechanisms of SVV in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells (A2780/CP). Using a loss-of-function approach, we investigated the effects of adenovirus-mediated knockdown of SVV by small hairpin RNA (ad5-SVV) on the expression of pro-caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in A2780/CP cells by real-time PCR and western blot analysis. Proliferation was measured by MTT assay, invasive potential by Transwell, and cell apoptosis by FITC-Annexin V and propidium iodide for the functional analysis of A2780/CP cells following infection with ad5-SVV. As a result, knockdown of SVV downregulated the expression of PCNA and MMP-2 and upregulated the expression of pro-caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3. In addition, knockdown of SVV enhanced cisplatin-induced proliferative activities, induced cell apoptosis and inhibited the invasive potential in A2780/CP cells. The present findings demonstrate that knockdown of SVV contributes to antitumor activity in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells via the downregulation of PCNA and MMP-2 expression and the upregulation of caspase-3 expression and indicate that SVV is a potential target for therapeutic anticancer drugs.

[Single nucleotide polymorphisms of CTLA4 gene and their association with human cervical cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA4) gene and susceptibility to cervical cancer. METHODS: One hundred patients and 100 healthy controls from Hubei province were genotyped for 20 polymorphic loci using Sequenom. RESULTS: The frequency of rs11571316 G allele and rs5742909 T allele, which are localized in the promoter region, and rs11571319 A allele, which is downstream of the gene, were significantly higher in patients than in controls. Luciferase assay showed that, as the previously reported rs5742909 T allele, rs11571316 G allele could significantly increase the expression of the reporter gene. CONCLUSION: SNPs in the promoter region of (CTLA4) gene might increase the susceptibility to cervical cancer by increasing (CTLA4) gene expression.

Icariin exterts negative effects on human gastric cancer cell invasion and migration by vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein via Rac1 pathway.

Cellular movement is mainly orchestrated by actin-dependent cytoskeleton in which Rho GTPase Rac1 or vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) closely collaborates. In the present in vitro study, we investigated the inhibitory effect and underlying molecular mechanism of icariin, a pure extract of the traditional Chinese medicine Herba epimedii, on the invasive and migration properties of human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823. At 50% growth-inhibiting concentration, icariin significantly suppressed tumor cells migration and invasion, which were traceable to down-regulation of Rac1 and VASP. Together with icariin, the selected siRNA targeting Rac1 or VASP reinforced these inhibitory effects. Rac1-siRNA-dependent down-regulation of Rac1 led to a large drop in VASP expression, whereas VASP-siRNA led to a slight fall in Rac1 expression, implying that the amount of Rac1 may influence VASP expression level. Moreover, transfection with Rac1 plasmids pcDNA3-EGFP-Rac1-Q61L led to the enhancement in expression level of both Rac1 and VASP. These results indicate that icariin exerts negative effects on tumor cell invasion and migration via the Rac1-dependent VASP pathway and may be a potential anti-cancer drug.