Hypothesis: a challenge of overexpression Zfp521 in neural tendency of derived dental pulp stem cells

Neurodegenerative diseases have now become a major challenge, especially in aged societies. Most of the traditional strategies used for treatment of these diseases are untargeted and have little efficiency. Developments in stem cell investigations have given much attention to cell therapy as an alternative concept in the regeneration of neural tissues. Dental pulp stem cells [DPSCs] can be readily obtained by noninvasive procedures and have been shown to possess properties similar to well-known mesenchymal stem cells. Furthermore, based on their neural crest origin, DPSCs are considered to have a good potential to differentiate into neural cells. Zfp521 is a transcription factor that regulates expression of many genes, including ones involved in the neural differentiation process. Therefor based on neural crest origin of the cell and high expression of neural progenitor markers, we speculate that sole overexpression of Zfp521 protein can facilitate differentiation of dental stem cells to neural cells and researchers may find these cells suitable for therapeutic treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Lack of Evidence of the Role of APOA5 3’UTR Polymorphisms in Iranian Children and Adolescents with Metabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a complex and multifactorial disorder characterized by insulin resistance, dyslipidaemia, hyperglycemia, abdominal obesity, and elevated blood pressure. The apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene variants have been reported to correlate with two major components of MetS, including low levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and high levels of triglyceride. In the present study, we explored the associations between five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of APOA5 gene and the MetS risk. METHODS: In a case-control design, 120 Iranian children and adolescents with/without MetS were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-sequencing for these SNPs. Then, we investigated the association of SNPs, individually or in haplotype constructs, with MetS risk. RESULTS: The rs34089864 variant and H1 haplotype (harboring the two major alleles of rs619054 and rs34089864) were associated with HDL-C levels. However, there was no significant association between different haplotypes/individual SNPs and MetS risk. CONCLUSION: These results presented no association of APOA5 3’UTR SNPs with MetS. Further studies, including other polymorphisms, are required to investigate the involvement of APOA5 gene in the genetic susceptibility to MetS in the pediatric age group.

Absence of association between -1131T>C polymorphism in the apolipoprotein apoa5 gene and pediatric metabolic syndrome

In the present study, we evaluated the association of rs662799 variant of the APOA5gene with Metabolic syndrome [MetS] in a sample of children and adolescents from Isfahan. This case control study comprised 50 cases of MetS and 50 controls. Mismatched polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism [mPCR-RFLP] was used to genotype -1131T>C polymorphism. No significant association was documented for APOA 5 genotypes with the measured laboratory parameters for CC, CT, and TT genotypes in the two groups studied. By logistic regression using a dominant model, the odds ratio [95% confidence interval 10 for the MetS was 0.38 [0.139-1.0350 and 0.29 [0.08-1.071 for the unadjusted and adjusted models, respectively. This study suggests that among studied children and adolescents, -1131T>C polymorphism in the APOA5gene may not be a major contributor to the MetS risk

G395R mutation of the sodium/iodide symporter [NIS] gene in patients with dyshormonogenetic congenital hypothyroidism

Considering the high prevalence of congenital hypothyroidism [CH] in Isfahan and its different etiologies in comparison with other countries, the high rate of parental consanguinity, and the role of NIS gene in permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis, the aim of this study was to investigate the G395R mutation of the NIS gene in patients with permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis. In this case-control study, patients diagnosed with permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis during CH screening program were selected. Venous blood sample was obtained to determine the G395R mutations of NIS gene using polymerase chain reaction [PCR] sequencing method. In this study, 35 CH patients with permanent CH due to dyshormonogenesis and 35 neonates with normal screening results as a control group were studied. We did not find any changes of the mentioned mutation of NIS gene in the patients' group. Considering the findings of the current study, it seems that further studies with larger sample size and with consideration of other gene mutations such as pendrin and thyroglobulin are needed for more accurate conclusion

Knocking down of nucleostemin gene expression in human bladder cancer cell line by RNA interference strategy

Nucleostemin [NS] is a recently identified gene that is expressed mainly in the nucleoli of neuronal, embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells which plays a role in their self renewal. Over expression of this gene has been reported in several cancer cell lines tumoral tissues including gastric, hepatic and prostate cancer. In this study, we investigated the effects of suppression of this gene by RNAi technique in a human bladder cancer cell line. After confirmation of expression of nucleostemin in the bladder cancer cell line 5637,21-mer oligoes against NS were transfected into cells and suppression of NS was confirmed by RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry [ICC] and western blotting. Proliferation assays were done by counting the cell numbers. Changes in cell cycle and apoptosis induction were assessed by staining cells with Propidium Iodide and Annexin V-FITC respectively. Our results revealed that nucleostemin is highly expressed in 5637 carcinoma cells. Expression of NS, by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, after treatment with specific oligoes against it, decreased around 85% in comparison to control groups. In addition, ICC and western blotting further confirmed the suppression of nucleostemin at the protein levels. Analysis of cell proliferation assays showed a considerable decline in the number of cells, specially, 72 h after treatment of cells with oligoes against NS. Cell cycle analysis after NS suppression showed increase of sub-diploid events, characteristic of apoptotic cells that were confirmed by staining cells with Annexin V-FITC dye. It seems that nucleostemin expression plays an important role in the induction of cell proliferation as well as inhibition of apoptosis occurrence in 5637 cells. Further studies focusing on suppression of this gene in vivo, may help to find potential therapeutic strategies to cure bladder cancer