Sequestration of RBM10 in Nuclear Bodies: Targeting Sequences and Biological Significance.

RBM10 is an RNA-binding protein that regulates alternative splicing (AS). It localizes to the extra-nucleolar nucleoplasm and S1-1 nuclear bodies (NBs) in the nucleus. We investigated the biological significance of this localization in relation to its molecular function. Our analyses, employing deletion mutants, revealed that RBM10 possesses two S1-1 NB-targeting sequences (NBTSs), one in the KEKE motif region and another in the C2H2 Zn finger (ZnF). These NBTSs act synergistically to localize RBM10 to S1-1 NBs. The C2H2 ZnF not only acts as an NBTS, but is also essential for AS regulation by RBM10. Moreover, RBM10 does not participate in S1-1 NB formation, and without alterations of RBM10 protein levels, its NB-localization changes, increasing as cellular transcriptional activity declines, and vice versa. These results indicate that RBM10 is a transient component of S1-1 NBs and is sequestered in NBs via its NBTSs when cellular transcription decreases. We propose that the C2H2 ZnF exerts its NB-targeting activity when RBM10 is unbound by pre-mRNAs, and that NB-localization of RBM10 is a mechanism to control its AS activity in the nucleus.

miR-19 regulates the expression of interferon-induced genes and MHC class I genes in human cancer cells.

MicroRNA-19 (miR-19) is identified as the key oncogenic component of the miR-17-92 cluster. When we explored the functions of the dysregulated miR-19 in lung cancer, microarray-based data unexpectedly demonstrated that some immune and inflammatory response genes (i.e., IL32, IFI6 and IFIT1) were generally down-regulated by miR-19 overexpression in A549 cells, which prompted us to fully investigate whether the miR-19 family (i.e., miR-19a and miR-19b-1) was implicated in regulating the expression of immune and inflammatory response genes in cancer cells. In the present study, we observed that miR-19a or miR-19b-1 overexpression by miRNA mimics in the A549, HCC827 and CNE2 cells significantly downregulated the expression of interferon (IFN)-regulated genes (i.e., IRF7, IFI6, IFIT1, IFITM1, IFI27 and IFI44L). Furthermore, the ectopic miR-19a or miR-19b-1 expression in the A549, HCC827, CNE2 and HONE1 cells led to a general downward trend in the expression profile of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes (such as HLA-B, HLA-E, HLA-F or HLA-G); conversely, miR-19a or miR-19b-1 inhibition by the miRNA inhibitor upregulated the aforementioned MHC Class I gene expression, suggesting that miR-19a or miR-19b-1 negatively modulates MHC Class I gene expression. The miR-19a or miR-19b-1 mimics reduced the expression of interleukin (IL)-related genes (i.e., IL1B, IL11RA and IL6) in the A549, HCC827, CNE2 or HONE1 cells. The ectopic expression of miR-19a or miR-19b-1 downregulated IL32 expression in the A549 and HCC827 cells and upregulated IL32 expression in CNE2 and HONE1 cells. In addition, enforced miR-19a or miR-19b-1 expression suppressed IL-6 production by lung cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Taken together, these findings demonstrate, for the first time, that miR-19 can modulate the expression of IFN-induced genes and MHC class I genes in human cancer cells, suggesting a novel role of miR-19 in linking inflammation and cancer, which remains to be fully characterized.

S1-1/RBM10: multiplicity and cooperativity of nuclear localisation domains.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: S1-1, also called RBM10, is an RNA-binding protein of 852 residues. An alteration of its activity causes TARP syndrome, a severe X-linked disorder with pre- or post-natal lethality in affected males. Its molecular function, although still largely unknown, has been suggested to be transcription and alternative splicing. In fact, S1-1 localises in the nucleus in tissue cells and cultured cells. RESULTS: By deletion and substitution mutagenesis, a classical 17-amino-acid (aa) nuclear localisation sequence (NLS1) was identified at aa 743-759 in the C-terminal region of S1-1. NLS1 was bipartite, with its N-terminal basic cluster weakly contributing to the NLS activity. S1-1 contained two additional NLSs. One was in the aa 60-136 RNA recognition motif region (NLS2), and the other was a novel NLS motif sequence in the aa 481-540 octamer-repeat (OCRE) region (NLS3). The OCRE is a domain known to be critical in splicing regulation, as shown with RBM5, a close homologue of RBM10 [Bonnal et al. (2008) Mol. Cell 32, 81-95]. The NLS activities were verified by expressing each DNA sequence linked to EGFP or a FLAG tag. These multiple NLSs acted cooperatively, and S1-1 became completely cytoplasmic after the concomitant removal of all NLS domains. In some cell types, however, S1-1 was partly cytoplasmic, suggesting that cellular localisation of S1-1 is subjected to regulation. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that S1-1 contains multiple NLSs that act cooperatively. Among them, the OCRE is a hitherto unreported NLS. The nuclear localisation of S1-1 appears to be regulated under certain circumstances. We discuss these NLSs in relation to the biochemical processes they are involved in.

ThermomiR-377-3p-induced suppression of Cirbp expression is required for effective elimination of cancer cells and cancer stem-like cells by hyperthermia.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the development of adjunctive therapeutic hyperthermia for cancer therapy has received considerable attention. However, the mechanisms underlying hyperthermia resistance are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of cold­inducible RNA binding protein (Cirbp) in regulating hyperthermia resistance and underlying mechanisms in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumor sphere formation assay, qRT-PCR, Western blot were employed to examine the effects of hyperthermia (HT), HT + oridonin(Ori) or HT + radiotherapy (RT) on the proliferation and stemness of NPC cells. RNA sequencing was applied to gain differentially expressed genes upon hyperthermia. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments were used to evaluate the effects of RNAi-mediated Cirbp silencing or Cirbp overexpression on the sensitivity or resistance of NPC cells and cancer stem-like cells to hyperthermia by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, tumorsphere formation assay and apoptosis assay, and in subcutaneous xenograft animal model. miRNA transient transfection and luciferase reporter assay were used to demonstrate that Cirbp is a direct target of miR-377-3p. The phosphorylation levels of key members in ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Our results firstly revealed that hyperthermia significantly attenuated the stemness of NPC cells, while combination treatment of hyperthermia and oridonin dramatically increased the killing effect on NPC cells and cancer stem cell (CSC)­like population. Moreover, hyperthermia substantially improved the sensitivity of radiation­resistant NPC cells and CSC­like cells to radiotherapy. Hyperthermia noticeably suppressed Cirbp expression in NPC cells and xenograft tumor tissues. Furthermore, Cirbp inhibition remarkably boosted anti­tumor­killing activity of hyperthermia against NPC cells and CSC­like cells, whereas ectopic expression of Cirbp compromised tumor­killing effect of hyperthermia on these cells, indicating that Cirbp overexpression induces hyperthermia resistance. ThermomiR-377-3p improved the sensitivity of NPC cells and CSC­like cells to hyperthermia in vitro by directly suppressing Cirbp expression. More importantly, our results displayed the significantly boosted sensitization of tumor xenografts to hyperthermia by Cirbp silencing in vivo, but ectopic expression of Cirbp almost completely counteracted hyperthermia-mediated tumor cell-killing effect against tumor xenografts in vivo. Mechanistically, Cirbp silencing-induced inhibition of DNA damage repair by inactivating ATM-Chk2 and ATR-Chk1 pathways, decrease in stemness and increase in cell death contributed to hyperthermic sensitization; conversely, Cirbp overexpression-induced promotion of DNA damage repair, increase in stemness and decrease in cell apoptosis contributed to hyperthermia resistance. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these findings reveal a previously unrecognized role for Cirbp in positively regulating hyperthermia resistance and suggest that thermomiR-377-3p and its target gene Cirbp represent promising targets for therapeutic hyperthermia.

Nuclear ß-catenin accumulation is associated with increased expression of Nanog protein and predicts poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although the prognostic roles of ß-catenin expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been reported in several immunohistochemical (IHC) studies, the results were not consistent because some studies lack sufficient number of the positive cases or did not evaluate the subcellular localization features of the protein. METHOD: In this study, we have evaluated the expression levels and subcellular localization of ß-catenin and Nanog proteins IHC staining in tissue specimens from 309 patients with NSCLC, and explored their association with clinicopathological features and patient outcome. RESULTS: We showed that patients with negative expression of membranous beta-catenin had a trend towards shorter survival (p=0.064) than those with positive expression. In contrast to previous studies, we found that increased expression of either cytoplasmic or nuclear ß-catenin was strongly associated with poor prognosis and was an independent prognosticator for overall survival (p <0.01). We further found that NSCLC cells frequently exhibited an abundance of nuclear Nanog protein which was significantly correlated with nuclear ß-catenin expression (p <0.01) and poor prognosis (p <0.01). Interestingly, immunofluorescent staining results revealed that increased expression of Nanog and nuclear translocation of ß-catenin occurred concomitantly in response to epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) signaling in A549 and H23 cells. Furthermore, western blot analysis show that nuclear ß-catenin rather than cytoplasmic ß-catenin expression in the A549 and H23 cells can be enhanced by adding EGF, Nanog expression in the A549 and H23 cells with knockdown of ß-catenin can not be obviously enhanced by adding EGF. CONCLUSION: We propose that evaluation of subcellular localization of ß-catenin and Nanog expression is of clinical significance for patients with NSCLC.

[Clinical research of early intervention of modified shuyu pill in vascular cognitive impairment no dementia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe early intervention effects of Modified Shuyu Pill (MSP) on vascular cognitive impairment no dementia (VCIND). METHODS: Totally 100 patients VCIND were randomly assigned to the treatment group (43 cases) and the control group (33 cases). On the basis of the treatment targeting risk factors of blood vessels, patients in the treatment group were treated by MSP, while those in the control group were treated by donepezil hydrochloride. The therapeutic course was 16 weeks. The neuropsychological scales [mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA) score] and Chinese medicine dementia syndromes scales were observed before and after treatment. RESULTS: The MMSE and MOCA score of the two groups increased when compared with the same group before treatment (P < 0.01). But there was no statistical difference in MMSE or MOCA score after treatment between the two groups (P > 0.05). The Chinese medicine dementia syndromes scales significantly decreased in the treatment group when compared with before treatment (P < 0.01). But there was no statistical difference in Chinese medicine dementia syndromes scales in the control group between before and after treatment (P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in Chinese medicine dementia syndromes scales after treatment between the two groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: MSP could effectively intervene the progress of VCIND.

Hairy gene homolog increases nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell stemness by upregulating Bmi-1.

B-cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi-1) is overexpressed in various cancer types. We found that Bmi-1 mRNA levels were elevated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cell lines. In immunohistochemical analyses, high Bmi-1 levels were observed in not only 5 of 38 non-cancerous nasopharyngeal squamous epithelial biopsies, but also in 66 of 98 NPC specimens (67.3%). High Bmi-1 levels were detected more frequently in T3-T4, N2-N3 and stage III-IV NPC biopsies than in T1-T2, N0-N1 and stage I-II NPC samples, indicating that Bmi-1 is upregulated in advanced NPC. In 5-8F and SUNE1 NPC cells, stable depletion of Bmi-1 using lentiviral RNA interference greatly suppressed cell proliferation, induced G1-phase cell cycle arrest, reduced cell stemness and suppressed cell migration and invasion. Likewise, knocking down Bmi-1 inhibited NPC cell growth in nude mice. Both chromatin immunoprecipitation and Western blotting assays demonstrated that Hairy gene homolog (HRY) upregulated Bmi-1 by binding to its promoter, thereby increasing the stemness of NPC cells. Immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR analyses revealed that HRY expression correlated positively with Bmi-1 expression in a cohort of NPC biopsies. These findings suggested that HRY promotes NPC cell stemness by upregulating Bmi-1, and that silencing Bmi-1 can suppress NPC progression.

[Downregulation of cell-surface-expressed nucleolin inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the cell-surface-expressed nucleolin and investigate its tumor suppressing effect on the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. METHODS: To detect cell-surface-expressed nucleolin in the hepatocellular carcinoma cells by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. To down-regulate the nucleolin expression level in hepatocellular carcinoma cells by RNA interference. The tumor-suppressing effect of cell-surface nucleolin on hepatocellular carcinoma cells was assessed by MTT and transwell chamber assays. RESULTS: Nucleolin was expressed in the nuclei, cytoplasm and on the cell surface of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. ShRNA markedly decreased the nucleolin expression level in the cytoplasm and on the cell surface (P < 0.01), but the nuclear nucleolin remained unchanged. After downregulation of cell-surface nucleolin, MTT assays showed that the cell growth rate of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in the shRNA interference group was significantly inhibited as compared with that in the control group (P < 0.01). The transwell chamber assay showed that the mean transmembrane cell number in the shRNA interference group was significantly lower than that in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that downregulation of cell-surface nucleolin expression inhibits the growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro.

m6A demethylase ALKBH5 suppression contributes to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly malignant gastrointestinal cancer with a high recurrence rate and poor prognosis. Although N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant epitranscriptomic modification of mRNAs, has been implicated in several cancers, little is known about its participation in ESCC progression. We found reduced expression of ALKBH5, an m6A demethylase, in ESCC tissue specimens with a more pronounced effect in T3-T4, N1-N3, clinical stages III-IV, and histological grade III tumors, suggesting its involvement in advanced stages of ESCC. Exogenous expression of ALKBH5 inhibited the in vitro proliferation of ESCC cells, whereas depletion of endogenous ALKBH5 markedly enhanced ESCC cell proliferation in vitro. This suggests ALKBH5 exerts anti-proliferative effects on ESCC growth. Furthermore, ALKBH5 overexpression suppressed tumor growth of Eca-109 cells in nude mice; conversely, depletion of endogenous ALKBH5 accelerated tumor growth of TE-13 cells in vivo. The growth-inhibitory effects of ALKBH5 overexpression are partly attributed to a G1-phase arrest. In addition, ALKBH5 overexpression reduced the in vitro migration and invasion of ESCC cells. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that the loss of ALKBH5 expression contributes to ESCC malignancy.

MST4 negatively regulates the EMT, invasion and metastasis of HCC cells by inactivating PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and has a poor prognosis due to the high incidence of invasion and metastasis-related progression. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive, and valuable biomarkers for predicting invasion, metastasis, and poor prognosis of HCC patients are still lacking. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on HCC tissues (n = 325), and the correlations between MST4 expression of the clinical HCC tissues, the clinicopathologic features, and survival were further evaluated. The effects of MST4 on HCC cell migratory and invasive properties in vitro were evaluated by Transwell and Boyden assays. The intrahepatic metastasis mouse model was established to evaluate the HCC metastasis in vivo. The PI3K inhibitor, LY294002, and a specific siRNA against Snail1 were used to investigate the roles of PI3K/AKT pathway and Snail1 in MST4-regulated EMT, migration, and invasion of HCC cells, respectively. Results: In this study, by comprehensively analyzing our clinical data, we discovered that low MST4 expression is highly associated with the advanced progression of HCC and serves as a prognostic biomarker for HCC patients of clinical-stage III-IV. Functional studies indicate that MST4 inactivation induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of HCC cells, promotes their migratory and invasive potential in vitro, and facilitates their intrahepatic metastasis in vivo, whereas MST4 overexpression exhibits the opposite phenotypes. Mechanistically, MST4 inactivation elevates the expression and nuclear translocation of Snail1, a key EMT transcription factor (EMT-TF), through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thus inducing the EMT phenotype of HCC cells, and enhancing their invasive and metastatic potential. Moreover, a negative correlation between MST4 and p-AKT, Snail1, and Ki67 and a positive correlation between MST4 and E-cadherin were determined in clinical HCC samples. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that MST4 suppresses EMT, invasion, and metastasis of HCC cells by modulating the PI3K/AKT/Snail1 axis, suggesting that MST4 may be a potential prognostic biomarker for aggressive and metastatic HCC.

MicroRNA­19b inhibitors can attenuate the STAT3 signaling pathway in NPC C666­1 cells.

MicroRNA (miR)-19b is expressed in various types of tumors and may serve as a potential therapeutic target. The miR­17­92 cluster is upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues and cells. miR­19b is a member of the miR­17­92 cluster; however, its expression and function in NPC are largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and function of miR­19b in NPC cells. The miRCURY LNATM miRNA Inhibitor (miR­19b inhibitor and negative control) were transfected into C666­1 cells. The proliferation, apoptosis and migration of the cells were subsequently detected by the Cell Counting Kit­8 assay, flow cytometry and Transwell assay, respectively. Additionally, the expression of STAT3 signaling pathway­associated proteins [STAT3, pSTAT3 and suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1)] and the transcriptional targets of pSTAT3 [Bcl­2, myeloid leukemia protein 1 (Mcl­1) and cyclin D1] were detected by western blotting. The miR­19b inhibitor inhibited proliferation and migration and induced apoptosis of C666­1 cells. Furthermore, the miR­19b inhibitor upregulated the expression of SOCS1, a predicted target gene of miR­19b, and decreased the phosphorylation of STAT3 at Tyr705 and Ser727. These data indicated that upregulation of SOCS1, an endogenous inhibitor of STAT3 phosphorylation, attenuated the STAT3 signaling pathway in C666­1 cells. Moreover, the expression level of the proproliferative protein cyclin D1 and antiapoptotic proteins Mcl­1 and Bcl­2 was significantly decreased following transfection with the miR­19b inhibitor. The aforementioned three proteins are downstream transcriptional targets of the activated STAT3 signaling pathway. The results of the present study revealed that inhibition of miR­19b negatively modulated the malignant behavior of NPC cells via the STAT3 signaling pathway. Therefore, miR­19b inhibition may serve as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of NPC.

MST4 inhibits human hepatocellular carcinoma cell proliferation and induces cell cycle arrest via suppression of PI3K/AKT pathway.

Objective: MST4 has exhibited functions in regulating cell polarity, Golgi apparatus, cell migration, and cancer. Mechanistically, it affects the activity of p-ERK, Hippo-YAP pathway and autophagy. The aim of this study is to further examine the functions of MST4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the underlying mechanism. Methods: The expression level of MST4 in HCC and noncancer adjacent liver tissues was determined by qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry staining. Wild-type MST4 (MST4) and a dominant-negative mutant of MST4 (dnMST4) were overexpressed in HCC cell lines, respectively. CCK-8 assay, EdU incorporation assay, and soft agar assay were used to determine cell proliferation in vitro. The xenograft mouse model was employed to determine HCC cell growth in vivo. Cell cycle analysis was performed by PI staining and flow cytometry. The expression of key members in PI3K/AKT pathway was detected by Western blot analysis. Results: In our study, we reported new evidence that MST4 was frequently down-regulated in HCC tissues. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments demonstrated that MST4 negatively regulated in vitro HCC cell proliferation. Additionally, MST4 overexpression suppressed Bel-7404 cell tumor growth in nude mice. Further experiments revealed that the growth-inhibitory effect of MST4 overexpression was partly due to a G1-phase cell cycle arrest. Importantly, mechanistic investigations suggested that dnMST4 significantly elevated the phosphorylation levels of key members of PI3K/AKT pathway, and the selective PI3K inhibitor LY294002 can reverse the proliferation-promoting effect of dnMST4. Conclusions: Overall, our results provide a new insight into the clinical significance, functions and molecular mechanism of MST4 in HCC, suggesting that MST4 might have a potential therapeutic value in the HCC clinical treatment.

[Effects of angrographolide on plasma glucose level of experiment diabetic rats and its molecular mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of angrographolide on plasma glucose level of diabetic rats and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: The diabetic model rats were established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg). Diabetic rats were treated with angrographolide for 2 weeks, then the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in serum were examined and the expressions of Bcl-2 and Box gene of pancreatic cells were detected. RESULTS: Compared with model rats, the plasma glucose levels and the serum MDA contents of the angrographolide-treated rats decreased, serum insulin and activity of SOD increased significatantly (P < 0.01). The expression of Bcl-2 was lower in the model group, while the expression was stronger in the treatment group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Angrographolide can inhibit the apoptosis of islet cells and depress plasma glucose level of diabetic rat model. Its mechanism may be associated with the upregulation of the expression of Bcl-2, the increase of the activity of SOD, the decrease of the production of free radicals and lipid eroxidadion.

Loss of Cirbp expression is correlated with the malignant progression and poor prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: The correlation of cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (Cirbp) expression with clinicopathological features including patient prognosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was investigated. Methods: The expression of Cirbp in NPC cell lines and tissue specimens was examined by qRT-PCR or immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) results showed that high Cirbp expression was detected in 61 of 61 non-cancerous nasopharyngeal squamous epithelial biopsies, whereas the significantly reduced expression of Cirbp was observed in NPC specimens. In addition, IHC assay for Cirbp protein illustrated that the cells of 177 NPC samples and nasopharyngeal squamous epithlial cells displayed strong signals in nuclei and faint signals in cytoplasm, whereas Cirbp protein is mainly detected in the cell's cytoplasm in many other cancers. More importantly, TNM classification displayed that the low expression of Cirbp was more frequently observed in T3-T4, N2-N3, M1 and III-IV NPC biopsies, and undifferentiated carcinoma (UDC) than T1-T2, N0-N1, M0 and I-II tumors, and differentiated nonkeratinizing carcinoma (DNKC), suggesting that Cirbp loss is a key molecular event in advanced cases of NPC. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that NPC patients showing lower Cirbp expression had a significantly shorter overall survival time than those with high Cirbp expression. Multivariate analysis suggested that the level of Cirbp expression was an independent prognostic indicator for NPC survival. Finally, we revealed a significant positive association between Cirbp expression and E-cadherin, and a notable negative correlation between Cirbp expression and Ki67 labeling index in NPC biopsies. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings demonstrate that loss of Cirbp expression is correlated with malignant progression and poor prognosis in NPC.

Forkhead box C1 induces epithelial­mesenchymal transition and is a potential therapeutic target in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly invasive malignancy with cervical lymphopathy as the initial presentation. Epithelial­mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process by which epithelial cells lose cell­cell adhesion and gain migratory and invasive properties, has a pivotal role in metastasis. Forkhead box C1 (FoxC1), a member of the forkhead family of transcription factors, induces EMT and has a critical role in metastasis of multiple human cancers. However, the role of FoxC1 in the progression of NPC has remained elusive. The present study revealed that the expression of FoxC1 was markedly elevated in NPC tissues compared with that in chronically inflamed nasopharyngeal tissues and was closely correlated with vimentin, fibronectin and N­cadherin expression as indicated by immunohistochemical assays. In addition, high FoxC1 expression was positively associated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and an advanced clinical stage in patients with NPC. Furthermore, FoxC1 expression was high in NPC cell lines while being low in an immortalized normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cell line. In vitro, knockdown of FoxC1 in the CNE2 human NPC cell line by small interfering RNA downregulated vimentin, fibronectin and N­cadherin expression and reduced the migratory and invasive capacity of CNE2 cells. In conclusion, the present study indicated that FoxC1 has a pivotal role in EMT through the upregulation of vimentin, fibronectin and N­cadherin expression. Thus, FoxC1 may be a potential therapeutic target in NPC.

Cytokine-induced killer cells efficiently kill stem-like cancer cells of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via the NKG2D-ligands recognition.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered to be the root cause for cancer treatment failure. Thus, there remains an urgent need for more potent and safer therapies against CSCs for curing cancer. In this study, the antitumor activity of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells against putative CSCs of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) was fully evaluated in vitro and in vivo. To visualize putative CSCs in vitro by fluorescence imaging, and image and quantify putative CSCs in tumor xenograft-bearing mice by in vivo bioluminescence imaging, NPC cells were engineered with CSC detector vector encoding GFP and luciferase (Luc) under control of Nanog promoter. Our study reported in vitro intense tumor-killing activity of CIK cells against putative CSCs of NPC, as revealed by percentage analysis of side population cells, tumorsphere formation assay and Nanog-promoter-GFP-Luc reporter gene strategy plus time-lapse recording. Additionally, time-lapse imaging firstly illustrated that GFP-labeled or PKH26-labeled putative CSCs or tumorspheres were usually attacked simultaneously by many CIK cells and finally killed by CIK cells, suggesting the necessity of achieving sufficient effector-to-target ratios. We firstly confirmed that NKG2D blockade by anti-NKG2D antibody significantly but partially abrogated CIK cell-mediated cytolysis against putative CSCs. More importantly, intravenous infusion of CIK cells significantly delayed tumor growth in NOD/SCID mice, accompanied by a remarkable reduction in putative CSC number monitored by whole-body bioluminescence imaging. Taken together, our findings suggest that CIK cells demonstrate the intense tumor-killing activity against putative CSCs of NPC, at least in part, by NKG2D-ligands recognition. These results indicate that CIK cell-based therapeutic strategy against CSCs presents a promising and safe approach for cancer treatment.

Up-regulating of RASD1 and apoptosis of DU-145 human prostate cancer cells induced by formononetin in vitro.

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignant cancers in men. The isoflavone formononetin is a main active component of red clover plants. In the present study, we assessed the effect of formononetin on human prostate cancer DU-145 cells in vitro, and elucidated possible mechanisms. DU-145 cells were treated with different concentrations of formononetin and cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay, cell apoptosis by Hoechst 33258 and flow cytometry, and protein levels of RASD1, Bcl-2 and Bax by Western blotting. The results showed that formononetin inhibited the proliferation of DU-145 cells in a dose-dependent manner. DU-145 cells treated with different concentrations of formononetin displayed obvious morphological changes of apoptosis under fluorescence microscopy. In addition, formononetin increased the proportion of early apoptotic DU-145 cells, down-regulated the protein levels of Bcl-2 and up-regulated those of RASD1 and Bax. The level of RASD1 reached its maximum at 48 h post-treatment, and rapidly decreased thereafter. Together, we present evidence that formononetin triggered cell apoptosis through the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by up-regulating RASD1.

[Application of bridge wire splint fixation on ankle dorsiflexion in femoral shaft fractures in young children].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the technique and therapeutic effect of bridge wire splint fixation with ankle dorsiflexion for the treatment of femoral shaft fractures in young children. Methods:From June 2006 to June 2012,45 young children with femoral shaft fractures were treated by bridge wire splint fixation with ankle dorsiflexion,which was designed according to arch bridge mechanical principle and structure. There were 31 males and 14 females with an average age of 3.2 years old ranging from 8 months to 5.5 years old; 14 cases were upper 1/3 femoral fractures,26 cases were middle 1/3 femoral fractures,5 cases were lower 1/3 femoral fractures; 20 cases were transverse fractures, 14 cases were oblique fractures,6 cases were spiral frac- tures, and 5 cases were comminuted fractures. X-ray, follow-up imaging changes,clinical curative effect and complications were assessed. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were followed up for 6 to 21 months (averaged 12 months). All fractures were reached clinical bone healing after 5 to 7 weeks (averaged 6 weeks) fixation. Seven cases appearred limb soft tissue complications, including buttocks bedsore,dorsal foot and Achilles tendon epidermal necrosis, and healed after dressing and removal of external fixation. During follow-up,the original overlap angle and lateral displacement were remodeled, and limbs were restored to the normal line of force and bone structure. According to Flynn standard, 35 cases got excellent results, 8 cases good, 2 cases fair. CONCLUSION: The bridge wire splint fixation with ankle dorsiflexion for the treatment of femoral. shaft fractures in young children (less than 6 years old) is safe,feasible, simple,and has raliable effect, which can be applied in primary hospitals.

CtBP1 is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition and is a potential therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly invasive type of cancer. Metastasis is the leading cause of mortality of advanced HCC patients. In the metastasis cascade, cancer cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition resulting in the loss of cell­to­cell adhesion, migration and invasion into the stroma. Loss of E-cadherin expression is a key molecular event in epithelial-mesenchymal transition through several regulatory mechanisms including epigenetic modification, regulation by inhibitory transcriptional factors and deletion of chromosome 16q24 locus. C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP1) functions as a corepressor binding to several transcriptional factors and suppresses E-cadherin expression. We found that CtBP1 was upregulated in HCC when compared with paired normal liver tissues and was inversely correlated with E-cadherin expression in HCC by immunohistochemical assay using tissue array. Western blot analysis confirmed the results of the immunohistochemical assays. When CtBP1 was knocked down by siRNA in HepG2 cells (a human HCC cell line), E-cadherin was upregulated and the invasive ability of HepG2 cells was inhibited. In addition, following CtBP1 knockdown, the cell viability was decreased along with increased apoptosis rather than cell cycle arrest. These data suggest a pivotal role of CtBP1 in EMT of HCC, and its potential as a therapeutic target in human disease.