Silencing of SBF2-AS1 inhibits cell growth and invasion by sponging microRNA-338-3p in serous ovarian carcinoma.

Long noncoding RNA SET-binding factor 2 (SBF2) antisense RNA 1 (AS1) is associated with the growth and metastasis of multiple cancer types, but its biological roles in serous ovarian carcinoma (SOC) remain unclear. In this study, the aberrant upregulation of SBF2-AS1 is detected in SOC after analysis of differentially expressed genes between SOC tissues and normal fallopian tubes from the public Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We determine that knockdown of SBF2-AS1 inhibits SOC cell proliferation and invasion by sponging miR-338-3p. MiR-338-3p acts as a tumor suppressor in SOC, and E26 transformation specific-1 (ETS1) is identified as a potential target of miR-338-3p regulation. Furthermore, SBF2-AS1 could modulate ETS1 by operating as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-338-3p. This finding elucidates a new mechanism for SBF2-AS1 in SOC development and provides a potential target for SOC therapeutic intervention.

Oncogene DEK is highly expressed in lung cancerous tissues and positively regulates cell proliferation as well as invasion.

DEK is a protein ubiquitously expressed in multicellular organisms as well as certain unicellular organisms. It is associated with the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, apoptosis, senescence, self-renewal and DNA repairing. In tumor cells it is associated with the carcinogenesis process, however there have been few previous studies into the expression of DEK in lung cancer. In the present study the expression level of DEK mRNA and protein was detected in lung cancer tissues and non-cancerous counterparts by performing reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining. It was revealed that the expression of DEK was increased in lung cancer tissues compared with normal tissue. Knock-down and over-expression of DEK in A549 cells were performed to determine the role of DEK in tumor formation. An MTT assay, colony formation assay and Matrigel invasion assay demonstrated that DEK positively regulated cell proliferation and invasion. These results suggest that DEK is highly expressed in lung cancer tissues and positively regulates cell proliferation and invasion.

Regulation of DEK expression by AP-2α and methylation level of DEK promoter in hepatocellular carcinoma.

DEK is overexpressed in multiple invasive tumors. However, the transcriptional regulatory mechanism of DEK remains unclear. In the present study, progressive-type truncation assay indicated that CpG2-2 (-167 bp/+35 bp) was the DEK core promoter, whose methylation inhibited DEK expression. Bisulfite genomic sequencing analysis indicated that the methylation levels of the DEK promoter in normal hepatic cells and tissues were higher than those in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. TFSEARCH result revealed transcription factor binding sites in CpG2-2. Among the sites, the AP-2α binding site showed the most significant methylation difference; hence, AP-2α is a key transcription factor that regulates DEK expression. Point or deletion mutation of the AP-2α binding site significantly reduced the promoter activity. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated the binding of AP-2α to the core promoter. Furthermore, knock down of endogenous AP-2α downregulated DEK expression, whereas overexpression of AP-2α upregulated DEK expression. Thus, AP-2α is an important transcription factor of DEK expression, which is correlated with the methylation level of the DEK core promoter in HCC.

Study on heteroplasmic variation and the effect of chicken mitochondrial ND2.

NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (ND2) is one of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) protein coding genes, which is a subunit of NADH dehydrogenase. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the variation/heteroplasmic sites of chicken ND2, and thus to evaluate the association with chicken growth traits, carcass traits, and serum biochemical indexes. Seventeen variants were detected in the ND2 gene by Sanger sequencing, which constructed 15 haplotypes; the haplotype diversity (hd) was 0.7692. Mt.A5703T and mt.T5727G in the ND2 gene had been detected as the heteroplasmic sites via the created restriction site restriction fragment length polymorphism (CRS-PCR-RFLP) method. Moreover, the study on distribution of two heteroplasmic variants in the Gushi chicken F2 resource population revealed that the heteroplasmic ratio of mt.A5703T and mt.T5727G was 9% and 40%, respectively. It showed that there was obvious heteroplasmic difference between two sites. Association analysis of the variation/heteroplasmy with the related traits in Gushi chicken F2 population showed that the mt.A5703T and mt.T5727G were significantly associated with the pectoral muscle fat content and the duodenum length, but no significance was found with body weight (BW). It was the first time to indicate that heteroplasmic variation had significant effect on growth traits, carcass parameters, and meat quality traits, which showed the potential importance of related variation.

Cadmium contamination of rice from various polluted areas of China and its potential risks to human health.

A total of 484 rice samples were collected from five polluted areas in China to investigate the cadmium (Cd) contamination of rice and its potential health risks. The mean Cd contents of analyzed rice samples obtained from different areas ranged from 0.149 to 0.189 mg·kg(-1). Cd concentrations in more than 18% of rice samples exceeded the maximum allowable Cd concentration, and the highest level of 41.1% was observed in samples from Hezhang, Guizhou, which was characterized by serious Cd pollution. Target hazard quotient (THQ) values of 1.5 to 7.8 from rice intake indicated a significant non-carcinogenic health risk for humans, particularly for highly exposed consumers. Children are more at risk than adults, as indicated by the higher THQs. Moreover, carcinogenic risks of Cd from rice intake for average and high consumers in the selected areas were two to three and four to eight greater, respectively, than the threshold value recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.

Targetable phosphorescent oxygen nanosensors for the assessment of tumor mitochondrial dysfunction by monitoring the respiratory activity.

Cellular respiration is a worthwhile criterion to evaluate mitochondrial dysfunction by measuring the dissolved oxygen. However, most of the existing sensing strategies merely report extracellular (ec-) or intracellular (ic-) O2 rather than intramitochondrial (im-) O2 . Herein we present a method to assess tumor mitochondrial dysfunction with three phosphorescent nanosensors, which respond to ec-, ic-, and im-O2 . Time-resolved luminescence is applied to determine the respective oxygen consumption rates (OCRs) under varying respiratory conditions. Data obtained for the OCRs and on (intra)cellular O2 gradients demonstrate that mitochondria in tumor cells are distinctly less active than those of healthy cells, resulting from restrained glucose utilization of and physical injury to the mitochondria. We believe that such a site-resolved sensing strategy can be applied to numerous other situations, for example to evaluate the adverse effects of drug candidates.

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and cognitive impairment in patients with ischemic white matter lesions.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the cognitive impairment and NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in the proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)HMRS), and to assess the importance of (1)HMRS in the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with ischemic white matter lesions (WMLs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 45 patients (23 males and 22 females) with the ischemic WML were divided into mild WML group (n = 15), moderate WML group (n = 15), and severe WML group (n = 15). A total of 15 healthy controls (8 males and 7 females) with no WML on magnetic resonance imaging were included. (1)HMRS focusing on the frontal lobe white matter around the anterior horn of the lateral ventricle and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were conducted. RESULTS: Patients with more severe WML had lower MoCA scores. The NAA/Cr ratio in (1)HMRS was reduced in all the patients and was strongly correlated with the total MoCA scores (r = 0.845, P < 0.001). The Cho/Cr ratio in (1)HMRS was increased in mild and moderate patients, was negatively correlated with the total MoCA scores (r = 0.907, P < 0.001). The Cho/Cr ratio was reduced in the severe patients and was positively correlated with the total MoCA scores (r = 0.937, P < 0.001). In addition, NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in (1)HMRS were changed in patients with the mild WML whose total MoCA scores were similar to the controls. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that NAA/Cr and Cho/Cr ratios in (1)HMRS are useful indicators for early diagnosis of ischemic WML and cognitive impairment in patients with ischemic WML.

[Regulatory effect of GDNF on the proliferation and differentiation of mammalian spermatogonial stem cells].

The glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is a member of the transforming growth factor beta (Tgf-beta) superfamily, which is produced by Sertoli cells and plays an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSC). The addition of proper amount of GDNF to the culture media can promote SSC proliferation in vitro. Besides, GDNF regulates the self-renewal and differentiation of SSCs through various signaling pathways. This review focuses on the effects of GDNF on the proliferation and differentiation of mammalian SSCs and GDNF-mediated signaling pathways.

Administration of amyloid-ß42 oligomer-specific monoclonal antibody improved memory performance in SAMP8 mice.

Amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) is recognized by many as the leading cause of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Aß oligomers play a major role in the early-onset form of AD. Recently, the application of passive immunization targeting Aß has been investigated as a potential method of AD immunotherapy. We used a strain of monoclonal antibody against Aß42 oligomers, designated A8, as an Aß inhibitor to suppress Aß aggregation and Aß-derived cell toxicity in vitro, and as a passive immunotherapy approach to treat SAMP8 (senescence accelerated mouse sub-line P8) mice, an animal model of AD, in vivo. First, our results showed that pre-incubation of A8 with Aß oligomers inhibited both the maturation of Aß fiber and Aß oligomer toxicity on SH-SY5Y cells. Second, learning and memory was improved through intraperitoneal administration of A8 in SAMP8 mice. Third, Aß pathology was ameliorated with decreased Aß oligomers and phospho-tau levels in SAMP8 mice. Our data suggest that our monoclonal antibody A8 may be a candidate as a potential immunotherapeutic agent in AD.

[Migration and differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in the rat brain].

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent tissue stem cells that can be induced in vitro to differentiate into a variety of cells such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes and adipocytes. MSCs are useful vehicles for both cell and gene therapy for a variety of diseases. Here, we injected human MSCs with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) into the striatum of Parkinson disease (PD) rat and examined their survival, migration, differentiation, and the behavior changes in PD rats, which will provide a theoretical foundation and technical method for clinic PD therapy by stem cells. The results showed that human bone marrow MSCs can survive in rat brain for a long time (exceeding 70 d). MSCs were found in multiple areas of the rat brain including the striatum, the corpus callosum, contralateral cortex and even the brain vascular wall. Immunocytochemical staining suggested that implanted cells expressed human neurofilament (NF), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP). At the same time, remission in abnormal behavior of the PD rats appeared. Rotation scores decreased gradually from 8.86+/-2.09 r/min pre-transplantation to 4.87+/-2.06 r/min 90 d post-transplantation (statistic result showed P<0.05).

[Progress on the study of tissue stem cells].

Stem cells in the individual life are the cell population with high self-renewal capacity and multiple differentiation potential. At present, embryonic stem cells and tissue stem cells are the major objects for study in the field of stem cell engineering. At the same time, with the development of tissue engineering, cell replacement therapy became a new approach to treat some diseases. Tissue stem cells were tried to expand and committedly induce in vitro to some cells that are needed, then implanted them into patients to repair damage, replace regressive tissue and improve the function of hereditarily defect tissue. Based on recent progress of research on stem cells, this paper reviewed the biological characters and clinic application prospects of tissue stem cells.