[Cloning and bioinformatics analysis of PFC0460w in Plasmodium falciparum].

The gene fragment of PFC0460w was amplified from RNA of Plasmodium falciparum 3D7 strain with RT-PCR, and cloned into pGEM-T easy vector. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coli DH5alpha and the positive clones were selected, which were identified by PCR and sequencing. The results showed that there were three sequences of PFC0460w fragment, respectively with length of 618, 597 and 543 bp. The 618 bp fragment was completely consistent with the sequence published in PlasmoDB (GenBank No. XM_001351147), and the 597 bp and 543 bp fragments were submitted to GenBank with Accession No. of JF799872 and JF799873, respectively. 205 amino acids were encoded by the 618 bp fragment, and five kinds of protein structure were predicted by Robetta.

Chemokine C-C motif ligand 8 in periodontal ligament during orthodontic tooth movement.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the roles of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 8 (CCL8) in periodontal ligament during orthodontic tooth movement (OTM). METHODS: Bioinformatics analyzed 100 genes in human periodontal ligament cells that were most upregulated after 48 hours of mechanical stress, and these genes were classified through GO and KEGG databases. Nickel-titanium closed-coil springs were placed between right first molar and incisors to produce 20 cN of orthodontic force in eight-week-old male SD rats for 1 and 2 days, followed by immunohistochemical staining of CCL8. Human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (hPDLFs) were stimulated by 14% cyclic tension force (Flexcell FX-5000 T Tension System) or hypoxia conditions to mimic OTM for 1 and 2 days, then the resulting CCL8 were examined through ELISA. Scratching assay was performed by treating hPDLFs with different concentrations of CCL8 (1 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml). The migration, proliferation, and adhesion abilities of 100 ng/ml CCL8-treated hPDLFs were also examined. qRT-PCR and western blot detected matrix metalloproteinase 3, periostin, and osteoprotegrin expressions of hPDLFs under 100 ng/ml CCL8. RESULTS: Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that CCL8 was upregulated after applying mechanical stress for 48 hours. CCL8 secretion showed upregulation after 24 hours of OTM applicationsin vivo and in vitro. CCL8-treated hPDLFs showed significant positive effects on cell proliferation and matrix metalloproteinase 3. It also inhibited periostin and osteoprotegrin expressions. CONCLUSIONS: CCL8 was upregulated in periodontal ligament during initial stage of OTM. Although CCL8 in human periodontal ligaments showed no significant effects on cell migration ability, it did enhance cell proliferation and osteoclastogenesis.

Direct repression of the oncogene CDK4 by the tumor suppressor miR-486-5p in non-small cell lung cancer.

MicroRNAs are a class of non-coding single-stranded RNA, 20-23 nucleotide in length, which can be involved in the regulation of gene expression. Through binding with 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTR), microRNAs can cause degradation of target mRNAs or inhibition of translation, and thus regulating the expression of genes at the post-transcriptional level. In this study, we found that miR-486-5p was significantly downregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and cell lines, suggesting that miR-486-5p might function as a tumor suppressor in lung cancer. Additionally, we showed that CDK4, an oncogene that plays an important role in cell cycle G1/S phase progression, was directly targeted by miR-486-5p. Furthermore, our data reveals that knockdown of CDK4 by siRNA can inhibit cell proliferation, promote apoptosis, and impede cell-cycle progression. In epigenetics, the upstream promoter of miR-486-5p was strongly regulated by methylation in NSCLC. Collectively, our results suggest that miR-486-5p could not only inhibit NSCLC by downregulating the expression of CDK4, but also be as a promising and potent therapy in the near future.

MiR-146a-5p inhibits cell proliferation and cell cycle progression in NSCLC cell lines by targeting CCND1 and CCND2.

Previous studies have indicated that miR-146a-5p acts as an oncogene in several types of cancer, yet a tumor suppressor gene in others. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), one report showed that it was downregulated and played the role of tumor suppressor. However, another study showed that miR-146a-5p was overexpressed in the serum of NSCLC patients compared to healthy controls. Therefore, it is obvious that further study of the function of miR-146a-5p in NSCLC is necessary to fully understand its importance. Herein, we have verified that miR- 146a- 5p acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC. Our data revealed that the expression level of miR-146a-5p was significantly decreased in several human NSCLC cell lines, and also less abundant in human NSCLC tissues, when compared with controls. Moreover, we observed that miR-146a-5p could suppress cell proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo. Our results also showed that miR-146a-5p directly targeted the 3'-UTR of CCND1 and CCND2 mRNAs as well as decreased their expression at both mRNA and protein levels, causing cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, siRNA-mediated downregulation of CCND1 or CCND2 yielded the same effects on proliferation and cell cycle arrest as miR-146a-5p upregulation did in the NSCLC cell lines. We confirmed that the expression of miR-146a-5p had negative relationship with CCND1 or CCND2. Besides, we also found that miR-146a-5p could inhibit tumor growth in xengroft mouse models, and CCND1 and CCND2 were downregulated in miR-146a-5p overexpressed xengroft tumor tissues. In summary, our results demonstrated that miR-146a-5p could suppress the proliferation and cell cycle progression in NSCLC cells by inhibiting the expression of CCND1 and CCND2.

Relationship between the downregulation of HLA class I antigen and clinicopathological significance in gastric cancer.

AIM: To discuss the expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I antigens in gastric cancer and correlate these with pathologic type and TNM stage. METHODS: The expression of HLA class I antigen was detected by immunohistochemistry in 185 specimens of gastric cancer, 20 gastric cancer specimens with lymphatic metastasis and 22 controls of normal gastric mucosa using four monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: The expression of HLA class I antigen (B/C locus) was significantly downregulated in gastric cancer and in lymphatic metastasis than that in normal gastric mucosa (chi2=7.712, P<0.05). The expression of other HLA class I antigens was also downregulated, but the change was slight. There was no relationship between the downregulation of HLA class I antigen and that of beta2m and LMP2. The expression of HLA class I (B/C locus) was statistically correlated with pathologic stage in gastric adenocarcinoma (chi2=4.164, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The expression of HLA class I antigen (B/C locus) was obviously downregulated in gastric cancer and in lymphatic metastasis. This abnormal expression would provide the tumor cells with a way to avoid immunological recognition.

[Research progress of the molecule mechanisms of Ebola virus infection of cells].

Ebola virus can cause severe Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The mortality rate is 90 percent. Up till now, there is no effective vaccine or treatment of Ebola virus infection. Relaed researches on Ebola virus have become a hot topic in virology. The understanding of molecular mechanisms of Ebola virus infection of cells are important for the development of vaccine and anti-virus drugs. Therefore, this review summarized the recent research progress on the mechanisms of Ebola virus infection.

[Research progress of the pathological mechanisms of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) dual infections].

Along with the rapid spread of HIV / AIDS and TB prevalence, prevention and control of AIDS and tuberculosis has become an urgent problem in the field of public health. Recent studies demonstrate dual infections of HIV and TB are not a simple superposition of two diseases, but a course of mutual promotion. This article has summarized the pathological mechanisms and mutual interactions of HIV/TB dual infections.

Low-molecular-weight protein (LMP)2/LMP7 abnormality underlies the downregulation of human leukocyte antigen class I antigen in a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line.

BACKGROUND: Tumor cells may alter the expression of numerous components involved in antigen-processing machinery to decrease human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I expression, allowing the tumor cells to escape immune surveillance. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the involvement of these components in the downregulation of HLA class I expression in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line BEL7,404. METHODS: Expression of HLA-I and antigen presentation-related genes were analyzed by flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction. The HLA class I-deficient BEL7,404 cell was transfected with the low-molecular-weight protein (LMP) 2 and LMP7 gene and were analyzed by flow cytometry for restoration of surface HLA class I expression. RESULTS: The BEL7,404 cells downregulated the expression of HLA class I antigen and lacked expression of LMP2 and LMP7. Interferon (IFN)-gamma treatment increased the expression of LMP2 but not LMP7. The LMP2-transfected BEL7,404 cells or LMP2 and LMP7-cotransfected cells restored surface HLA class I expression while LMP7-transfected cells did not. However, in IFN-gamma-treated BEL7,404 cells, transfection with the LMP7 gene induced more HLA class I expression than mock transfection. CONCLUSIONS: The LMP2 gene was required for the expression of HLA class I molecules in BEL7,404. The LMP7 was not the major reason for loss of HLA class I in BEL7,404 cells, although the supply of exogenous LMP7 could increase surface expression of HLA class I antigen.