Placental Foxp3 expression in patients with preeclampsia and correlation of Foxp3 gene locus 924 (rs2232365) polymorphism with preeclampsia / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect changes of Foxp3 expression in the decidua in patients with preeclampsia and investigate the correlation of Foxp3-924 (rs2232365) polymorphisms with preeclampsia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From October 2011 to December 2012, 252 normal pregnant women and 156 preeclampsia patients of Han nationality from the same geographic region were tested for Foxp3-924 genotypes by polymerase chain reaction with sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP). Sixty-eight of the patients with preeclampsia (33 with mild and 35 with severe preeclampsia) and 30 of the normal pregnant women were also examined for Foxp3 expression in the decidua using immunohistochemical method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Foxp3 positive expression rates in the decidua was 51.52% in mild preeclampsia and 28.57% in severe preeclampsia cases, significantly lower than that in the control group (86.67%, P<0.05). In preeclampsia patients, the frequencies of Foxp3-924G/G, G/A, and A/A genotypes were 0.1346, 0.4615 and 0.4038, respectively, and the frequencies of Foxp3-924A and Foxp3-924 G were 0.6346 and 0.3654, respectively. The genotype frequencies of Foxp3-924G/G, G/A and A/A in the control group were 0.1508, 0.4087 and 0.4405, respectively, and the frequencies of Foxp3-924 A and Foxp3-924 G were 0.6448 and 0.3552, respectively. No significant differences were found in the gene frequencies of Foxp3-924G/A between preeclampsia patients and the control group (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression level of Foxp3 in the placental tissue of preeclampsia patients is significantly lower than that in normal pregnant women, suggesting that lowered Foxp3 expression decreases the immunosuppressive function and causes imbalance of immune tolerance between maternal-fetal to induce preeclampsia. Foxp3-924 polymorphisms is not significantly correlated with the occurrence of preeclampsia.</p>

Effect of oxidative low-density lipoprotein on the proliferation of bone marrow stem cell- derived smooth muscle cells / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish the model of bone mesenchymal stem cell-derived smooth muscle cells (BMSC-SMCs) and investigate the role of BMSC-SMCs in the development and progression of artherosclerosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BMSCs were isolated from the femoral bone of SD rats by adherent tissue culture method, and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were obtained from the thoracic aorta. The differentiation of BMSCs into BMSC-SMCs was induced in the conditioned medium. The specific markers of BMSCs and BMSC-SMCs were identified by immunofluorescence (IF) staining. After treatment with 80 mg/L oxidative low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) for 72 h, the growth characteristics of BMSC-SMCs and VSMCs were observed. Flow cytometry was applied to analyze the cell cycle of BMSC-SMCs and VSMCs.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>BMCS-SMCs transformed into foam cells after treatment with ox-LDL, which was more obvious in comparison with VSMCs. The growth curve of BMSC-SMCs and VSMCs presented with an S-shape pattern with the cell doubling time of 20 and 32 h, which was reduced to 15 and 28 h after treatment with 80 mg/L ox-LDL, respectively. Flow cytometry showed that exposure to 80 mg/L ox-LDL significantly increased G(0)/G(1) and decreased S and G(2)/M phase cells in both BMSC-SMCs (P<0.01, n=3) and VSMCs (P<0.05, n=3) in comparison with the control cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BMSC-SMC might be involved in the formation of fatty core and accelerate the development of atherosclerosis.</p>

Mechanisms of foam cell formation in smooth muscle cell derived from bone marrow stem cells / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a model of smooth muscle cells differentiated from bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC-SMCs) in vitro and explore the relationship between scavenger receptors A (SR-A) and caveolin-1.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BMSCs were isolated from the femoral bone of SD rats by adherent culture. After treatment of the BMSC-SMCs with 80 mg/L ox-LDL for 72 h, Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of scavenger receptor SR-A, cell cholesterol transport protein ATP-binding cassette transporter Al (ABCA1) and caveolin-1.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>BMCS-SMCs became foam cells after treatment with ox-LDL. BMSC-SMC gave rise to more foam cell formation than VSMCs did. Western blotting showed that treatment with 80 mg/L ox-LDL for 72 h resulted in significantly increased expression of SR-A and significantly decreased expressions of ABCA1 and caveolin-1.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Treatment of BMCS-SMCs with ox-LDL results in cholesterol ester accumulation in the cells to result in foam cells, the mechanism of which involves up-regulation of scavenger receptor SR-A expression and down-regulation of the reverse cholesterol transport protein ABCA1 and caveolin-1 expression.</p>

Human endostatin gene transfected adult skin melanoma cells / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To study the biological characteristics of human endostatin (hEndo) gene transfected adult skin melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo.@*METHODS@#The plasmid pcDNA3.1 (-)-hEndo was transfected into adult skin melanoma cells by electroporation, and then the stable clones were selected with G418. The transcription and expression of hEndo gene in the transfected melanoma cells were verified by RT-PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis analysis and Western blot. The biological activities of hEndo protein were investigated by MTT in vitro. Stable clones expressing endostatin were subcutaneously injected into the right flank of BALB/c-nu/nu mice of 4 to approximately 6 weeks old. Then the growth of transduced tumors in vivo was investigated.@*RESULTS@#The bands of 624 bp and 5.4 kb were identified from digested plasmid pcDNA3.1 (-)-hEndo. The stable clones were selected with G418 after the eletroporation, the expression of hEndo mRNA was verified by RT-PCR, and Western blot displayed the expression product of hEndo was about 20 kD in the transfected melanoma cells. MTT showed that the conditioned medium of melanoma cells transduced with recombination human endostatin expression vector could inhibit the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro. The growth of transduced cells in vivo showed that transfected melanoma cells grew in vivo at a slower rate than the control cells (P < 0.05). RT-PCR showed that endostatin expressed in the transduced tumors.@*CONCLUSION@#Adult skin melanoma cells in vitro transfected with exogenetic hEndo gene can express and secrete active hEndo, and inhibit the growth of transduced tumors in vivo.