Effect of different incubation time of aminolevulinic acid on photodynamic inhibition of Propionibacterium acnes biofilms / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of different incubation time of aminolevulinic acid (ALA) on photodynamic inhibition of Propionibacterium acnes biofilms. Methods:Propionibacterium acnes biofilms were formed in 24-well plates with pre-placed cell slides and 96-well plates. The formation of the biofilm structure was observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) , and the growth activity of the biofilm was assessed by the tetrazolium salt XTT assay. The in vitro successfully constructed biofilm models were divided into 6 groups: negative control group receiving neither ALA treatment nor LED radiation, ALA group incubated with ALA alone for 30 minutes, LED group receiving LED radiation alone, ALA-PDT1 group, ALA-PDT2 group and ALA-PDT3 group incubated with ALA for 15, 30 and 60 minutes respectively followed by LED radiation. After the treatment, CLSM was performed to observe the biofilm structure, as well as to determine the dead/living bacteria ratio, and XTT assay to assess the growth activity of the biofilm. Differences among groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and least significant difference- t test. Results:CLSM showed that the Propionibacterium acnes biofilm model was successfully constructed in vitro. The dead/living bacteria ratios were 0.90 ± 0.16, 1.75 ± 0.19, and 2.57 ± 0.32 in the ALA-PDT1 group, ALA-PDT2 group and ALA-PDT3 group respectively, which were significantly higher than the dead/living bacteria ratio in the negative control group (0.31 ± 0.01; t= 55.56, 138.62, 74.64, respectively, all P<0.001) ; the biofilm viability value was significantly lower in the ALA-PDT1 group, ALA-PDT2 group and ALA-PDT3 group (0.35 ± 0.02, 0.26 ± 0.02, 0.18 ± 0.01, respectively) than in the negative control group (0.43 ± 0.00; t= 35.66, 2.64, 110.96, respectively, all P < 0.001) . CLSM showed that the structure of the Propionibacterium acnes biofilm was destroyed under the action of ALA-PDT, and the destruction was aggravated with the prolongation of incubation time of ALA. Conclusion:The prolongation of incubation time of ALA can enhance the inhibitory effect of ALA-PDT on Propionibacterium acnes biofilms.

Effect of PSENEN gene silencing on the proliferation of and γ-secretase expression in HaCaT cells / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To establish a presenilin enhancer-2 (PSENEN) gene-silenced human immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) cell model, and to evaluate the effect of PSENEN gene silencing on the proliferation of and γ-secretase expression in HaCaT cells.Methods:Three shRNAs targeting the PSENEN gene were constructed, and inserted into the linearized LV3-pGLV-h1-GFP-puro vector to establish a recombinant lentiviral expression plasmid. After restriction enzyme digestion and sequencing, lentiviral packaging and purification were performed, and lentiviral titer was determined. Cultured HaCaT cells were divided into 5 groups: shRNA1, shRNA2 and shRNA3 groups treated with the lentivirus solutions containing PSENEN gene-targeted shRNA1, shRNA2 and shRNA3 respectively, NC group treated with the lentivirus solution containing a negative control shRNA (shNC) , and blank group treated without lentivirus solution. After transfection, inverted fluorescence microscopy was performed, and transfection efficiency was determined by flow cytometry. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay was performed to evaluate the effect of PSENEN gene silencing on the proliferation of HaCaT cells, and real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine the mRNA and protein expression of PSENEN, nicastrin (NCT) , presenilin-1 (PS1) and anterior pharynx defective 1a (APH1a) genes respectively. Statistical analysis was carried out by using repeated measures analysis of variance, one-way analysis of variance, and least significant difference t test for multiple comparisons. Results:Inverted fluorescence microscopy showed that fluorescence was observed in the shRNA1 group, shRNA2 group, shRNA3 group and NC group, and flow cytometry showed that the transfection efficiency was over 98% in the above 4 groups. qPCR and Western blot analysis revealed that the mRNA and protein expression of PSENEN gene significantly decreased in the shRNA1 (0.187 ± 0.010, 0.219 ± 0.097, respectively) , shRNA2 (0.163 ± 0.022, 0.208 ± 0.014, respectively) and shRNA3 (0.174 ± 0.009, 0.185 ± 0.062, respectively) groups compared with the NC group (1.054 ± 0.272, 1.076 ± 0.075, respectively, all P < 0.001) . CCK8 assay showed that the cellular proliferative activity significantly increased in the shRNA1 group compared with the NC group at 0, 12, 36 and 48 hours (all P < 0.05) , and there was no significant difference between the 2 groups at 24 or 60 hours (both P > 0.05) ; the cellular proliferative activity was significantly higher in the shRNA2 and shRNA3 groups than in the NC group at 0, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 hours (all P < 0.05) . There was no significant difference in the mRNA expression of NCT, PS1 and APH1a genes among the shRNA1 group, shRNA2 group, shRNA3 group, NC group, and blank group ( F= 8.168, 4.644, 1.981, respectively, all P > 0.05) , while the relative protein expression level of mature NCT (mNCT) , immature NCT (imNCT) , carboxyl-terminal fragment of PS1 (PS1-CTF) and APH1a significantly differed among the above 5 groups ( F= 39.268, 5.929, 27.842, 20.663, respectively, all P ≤ 0.01) . Compared with the NC group, the shRNA1, shRNA2 and shRNA3 groups all showed significantly decreased protein expression of mNCT, PS1-CTF and APH1a (all P < 0.01) , but insignificant changes in imNCT protein expression (all P > 0.05) . Conclusion:The PSENEN gene-silenced HaCaT cell model was successfully constructed, and the PSENEN gene silencing could lead to an increase in the cellular proliferative activity of HaCaT cells and a decrease in the protein expression of γ-secretase subunits mNCT, PS1-CTF and APH1a.

New advance of in vitro and in vivo studies on lumbar intervertebrai disc biomechanics / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Clinical systems caused by degenerative disc disease are one of the largest health worldwide problems. Changes of biomechanics of lumbar disc play important difference in the development of degenerative disc disease OBJECTIVE: To briefly describe the anatomical and histological features of lumbar Intervertebral discs, and to review the research methods and progress in lumbar intervertebral disc biomechanics in recent years. METHODS: A computer-based online retrieval of CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed, Elsevier and Web of Science databases was conducted with the keywords of “biomechanics, intervertebral disc, lumbar spine, finite element analysis, imaging, MRI, BFIS, DSXS” in Chinese and English, respectively. The articles were firstly screened by reading the title and abstract, and 67 eligible articles were included for result analysis after excluding irrelevant articles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The research on lumbar disc biomechanics is mainly divided into in vitro research and in vivo research. (2) In vitro studies include animal specimens, human cadavers and finite element analysis. The design of in vitro experiment is flexible and maneuverable, but it is separated from human physiological environment and the mechanical properties of materials are different. After long-term verification, the applicability of the experiment in human body is screened out. (3) In vivo studies mainly record the changes of the force shape of disc movement in vivo in real time through imaging methods, which is real and reliable. However, limited by the development of imaging technology, it needs to be used reasonably. The new biplanar fluorescent imaging system and dynamic stereo-radiography system have unique advantages in this field, which attracted much attention.

Effect of 5-aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamics Therapy on Biofilm of / 中国医学科学院学报

To investigate the effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) on () biofilm. biofilms were constructed on a cell slide and treated with ALA-PDT.According to different light doses,the biofilms were divided into six groups:ALA-PDT group [ALA-PDT1 (50 J/cm),ALA-PDT2 group (100 J/cm),ALA-PDT3 group (200 J/cm)],ALA-only group (ALA group),light-only group (LED),and a negative control group (ALA-PDT-group).The biofilm structure and the ratio of the dead bacteria/live bacteria were observed using a laser confocal microscope (CLSM).Biofilm viability was measured using the XTT assay. CLSM showed that the biofilm structures of ALA group and LED group were not significantly different from that of ALA-PDT-group,whereas the biofilm structure was more seriously damaged in ALA-PDT1 group,ALA-PDT2 group,and ALA-PDT3 group than in the ALA-PDT-group.The ratios of the dead/live bacteria in ALA-PDT-group,ALA group,LED group,ALA-PDT1 group,ALA-PDT2 group,and ALA-PDT3 group were 0.350±0.033, 0.305±0.046, 0.330±0.032, 1.525±0.439, 2.293±0.148 and 3.092±0.189,respectively.ALA group(=0.003, =1.000)and LED group(=-0.025, =1.000)did not significantly differ from the ALA-PDT-group.However,the ratio of dead/live bacteria in ALA-PDT-group was significantly lower than those in ALA-PDT1 group (=-0.162, <0.001),ALA-PDT2 group (=-0.254, <0.001),and ALA-PDT3 group (=-0.352, <0.001).The values of the XTT assay were were 0.462±0.028,0.465±0.044,0.437±0.047,0.301±0.040,0.207±0.001,and 0.110±0.007,respectively,in ALA-PDT-group,ALA group,LED group,ALA-PDT1 group,ALA-PDT2 group,and ALA-PDT3 group.Although the values of XTT assay in ALA(=-0.044, =1.000)and LED groups (=-0.020, =1.000)did not significantly differ from that in ALA-PDT-group,it was significantly higher in ALA-PDT-group than in ALA-PDT1 group (=1.175, <0.001),ALA-PDT2 group (=1.942, <0.001),and ALA-PDT3 group (=-0.352, =2.742, <0.001). ALA-PDT has an inhibitory effect on biofilm.ALA-PDT destroys biofilm structure and inhibits biofilm viability.

Analysis of differences in intestinal microbiome in patients with psoriasis vulgaris by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate differences in intestinal microbiome between adult patients with psoriasis vulgaris and healthy individuals.Methods:Fecal samples were collected from 22 patients with confirmed psoriasis vulgaris and 23 healthy controls in Hospital for Skin Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from September 2017 to February 2018. The total DNA of intestinal flora was extracted and amplified, and the next-generation 16S rRNA gene-targeted sequencing was performed to analyze the diversity and distribution of intestinal flora. Species annotation and classification were performed according to Silva database, and rank sum test was used to analyze species differences among samples at different taxonomic ranks; QIIME software (Version 1.9.1) was used to calculate the number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and main indices of α diversity (Chao1 index, Shannon index and Simpson index) , and t test to analyze differences in indices; PCoA analysis was performed to analyze the difference in β diversity, and differences in microbial community composition structure were analyzed between the two groups by using permutational multivariate analysis of variance; rank sum test and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis were used to evaluate the species difference. Results:No significant difference in the number of OTUs was observed between the psoriasis group (147.55 ± 57.07) and healthy control group (148.96 ± 50.45, t = 0.088, P = 0.930) . In addition, there were no significant differences in the Shannon index, Chao1 index or Simpson index between the psoriasis group (4.08 ± 0.80, 169.52 ± 63.17, 0.87 ± 0.07, respectively) and healthy control group (4.11 ± 0.94, 175.36 ± 53.59, 0.86 ± 0.90, respectively; t = 0.12, 0.34, 0.27, all P > 0.05) . PCoA analysis showed that the first and second principal components explained 49.8% and 15.62%, respectively, of the total variance between the psoriasis group and healthy control group, and permutational multivariate analysis of variance revealed that the β diversity significantly differed between the two groups ( P = 0.011) . Different microbes between the psoriasis group and healthy control group included Firmicutes, Clostridia, Clostridiales, Erysipelotrichales and Erysipelotrichaceae, whose abundance significantly increased in the psoriasis group, as well as Epsilonproteobacteria, Campylobacterales, Campylobacteraceae, Campylobacter, Bacteroidales and Bacteroidaceae, whose abundance significantly increased in the healthy control group. Conclusion:The intestinal microbiome differs between patients with psoriasis vulgaris and healthy individuals, which may serve as potential biomarkers for psoriasis vulgaris.

Effect of NCSTN gene silencing on the proliferation and differentiation of HaCaT cells / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To evaluate the proliferative activity of and changes in the expression of related differentiation proteins in a stably NCSTN gene-silenced human immortalized keratinocyte cell line HaCaT, and to preliminarily explore the possible mechanism underlying the occurrence of acne inversa.Methods:By lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA (shRNA) , a NCSTN gene-silenced HaCaT cell model was established (shRNA group) , and other HaCaT cells transfected with empty lentivirus served as a negative control group. Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to determine the NCSTN gene-silencing efficiency. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) assay was conducted to evaluate the proliferative activity of HaCaT cells, and real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression of cytokeratins (CK1, CK5, CK7, CK10, CK14, CK16, CK17, CK18, CK19 and CK20) and other differentiation molecules (involucrin and loricrin) respectively in HaCaT cells. Two-independent-sample t test was used to compare the measurement data between two groups. Results:NCSTN mRNA and protein expression were significantly lower in the shRNA group (0.42 ± 0.19, 0.30 ± 0.07 respectively) than in the negative control group (1.00 ± 0.34, 1.00 ± 0.26; t = 5.196, 2.637, P < 0.001, < 0.05, respectively) , and the gene-silencing efficiency was 70%. Compared with the negative control group, the shRNA group showed higher cellular proliferative activity, but decreased protein expression of CK16, CK19 and terminal differentiation molecule involucrin ( t = 3.787, 3.817, 2.904, P < 0.01, < 0.05, < 0.05, respectively) . Conclusion:Stable silencing of NCSTN gene can lead to abnormal proliferation and differentiation of HaCaT cells, which provides new ideas for subsequent exploration of acne inversa caused by NCSTN gene mutation.

Genome-wide expression profile analysis of Nicastrin gene-silenced HaCaT cells / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate changes of nicastrin (NCSTN) downstream molecules in signaling pathways related to cell proliferation and differentiation after silencing the expression of the NCSTN gene in the human immortalized keratinocyte cell line HaCaT.Methods:HaCaT cells were divided into 3 groups: interference group transfected with a specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting NCSTN (NCSTN-siRNA) , negative control group transfected with a negative control siRNA, and blank control group transfected with the equal amount of transfection reagent. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to measure the NCSTN mRNA and protein expression in groups, in order to verify the transfection efficiency. Differences in gene expression profiles in HaCaT cells were detected between the interference group and negative control group by using Agilent whole-genome microarray, and differentially expressed genes were identified based on a fold change ≥ 2.0 with a P value ≤ 0.05. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis was employed to identify the roles of the differentially expressed genes, and then to screen out significantly differentially expressed genes associated with proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes, some of which were verified by real-time PCR. Results:The interference group showed significantly decreased mRNA and protein expression of NCSTN (0.287 ± 0.090, 0.443 ± 0.085, respectively) compared with the negative control group (0.969 ± 0.127, 1.047 ± 0.114, respectively) and blank control group (1.000 ± 0.151, 1.000 ± 0.111, F = 30.787, 31.139, respectively, both P = 0.001) . Whole genome-expression analysis using an Agilent microarray platform revealed 605 downregulated genes and 444 upregulated genes in HaCaT cells in the interference group compared with the negative control group. GO analysis showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched into 4 biological processes, including epithelial development, epithelial cell differentiation, keratinocyte differentiation and keratinization. The significantly differentially expressed genes associated with proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes, including the Sprouty-related protein with EVH1 domain 2, fibroblast growth factor 7, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5, Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase 2 and bone morphogenetic protein 6 genes, were verified by real-time PCR, and the verification results were consistent with the difference trend shown by the microarray results. Conclusion:The loss of NCSTN gene function may affect the normal proliferation and differentiation of keratinocytes by regulating the expression of its downstream molecules in signaling pathways associated with cell proliferation and differentiation.

Important skin microbiota associated with the occurrence of acne / 中华皮肤科杂志

Skin microbiota begin to form shortly after birth,with a wide variety and huge quantity,and are closely related to skin health.Acne is a common skin disorder associated with microbial infections.Propionibacterium acnes,Staphylococcus,Malassezia,etc.,are three species of microorganisms currently known to be most closely associated with the occurrence of acne.This review summarizes the relationship between the above three species of microorganisms and the occurrence of acne,and mainly includes the pathogenicity of bacteria or fungi of different types,the relationship between these bacteria or fungi and the pathogenesis of acne,the difference in host immune responses induced by these bacteria or fungi,so as to provide evidence for developing new strategies for the treatment of acne.

Effect of CKIP-1 siRNA lentivirus transfection on proliferation of glioma U87-MG cells / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective@#To investigate the effects of Casein kinase 2-interacting protein 1 (CKIP-1) gene silencing on the proliferation of glioma cells U87-MG.@*Methods@#The recombinant lentiviral vectors targeting CKIP-1 gene or negative control were constructed and then used to infect glioma U87-MG cell line.The effects of knock-down on the mRNA or protein expression of CKIP-1 were evaluated by real-time qPCR and western blotting.Cell cycle was detected by the flow cytometry assay, and cell proliferation changes were evaluated by cell counting, MTT, and BrdU assay, respectively.Lastly, the colony formation was used to investigate the effect of CKIP-1 knock-down on the clone formation.@*Results@#Compared with the group of Ctrl, CKIP-1 siRNA was observed to significantly inhibit CKIP-1 expression at the mRNA levels (Ctrl (1.01±0.13) vs CKIP-1 siRNA (0.23±0.02), P<0.01) and protein levels in the U87-MG cells.Also, CKIP-1 suppression mediated by RNAi decreased the ratio of G0/G1 phase (Ctrl (69.64±0.79) vs CKIP-1 siRNA(62.64±0.66), P<0.01), increased that of G2/M phase (Ctrl (8.36±0.52) vs CKIP-1 siRNA(13.87±2.90), P<0.05), and significantly inhibited the cell proliferation and clone formation (Colony number: Ctrl (25±2) vs CKIP-1 siRNA(2±1), P<0.05) of transfected U87-MG cells.@*Conclusion@#Knocking down the expression of CKIP-1 significantly inhibit cell proliferation in human U87-MG glioma cells, indicating that CKIP-1 is involved in the development of gliomas and could promote the cell proliferation.

Expression of interleukin-6 in cystic lesions of patients with acne vulgaris and in vitro effect of Propionibacterium acnes on the production of interleukin-6 by human THP-1 monocytes / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To determine the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in cystic lesions of patients with acne vulgaris,and to evaluate the in vitro effect of Propionibacterium acnes (P.acnes) on the production of IL-6 and activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) in the human acute monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1.Methods Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR was performed to determine the mRNA expression of IL-6 in cystic lesions of 6 patients with acne vulgaris,as well as in skin tissues of 6 healthy persons.Some cultured THP-1 cells were divided into 5 groups to be treated with 2 × 106 CFU/ml,2 × 107 CFU/ml and 2 × 108 CFU/ml heat-killed P.acnes suspensions (P.acnes groups),100 μμtg/L lipopolysaccharide (LPS group) and RPMI 1640 medium (control group) respectively.After 1-,3-and 6-hour treatment,real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR was conducted to determine the mRNA expression of IL-6 in the above groups.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the level of IL-6 in the culture supernatant of cells in the 2 × 108-CFU/ml P.acnes group,LPS group and control group at 24 hours after the treatment.Western blot analysis was conducted to determine the protein expression of p38MAPK and phosphorylated p38MAPK in the 2 × 108-CFU/ml P.acnes group after 15-,30-and 60-minute treatment,as well as in the LPS group after 30-minute treatment and in the control group.Some other THP-1 cells were divided into 3 groups:2 × 108-CFU/ml P.acnes group treated with 2 × 108 CFU/ml P.acnes suspensions,SB203580 (an inhibitor of p38MAPK) group treated with 20 μmol/L SB203580 for 30 minutes followed by the treatment with 2 × 108 CFU/ml P.acnes suspensions,and control group treated with RPMI 1640 medium alone.After 6-hour treatment,the mRNA expression of IL-6 in the above 3 groups was measured by real-time fluorescencebased quantitative PCR.Results The mRNA expression of IL-6 was significantly higher in the cystic lesions of acne vulgaris than in the normal skin tissues (3.680:±:0.790 vs.1.155 ± 0.250,t =3.047,P ＜0.05).Two-way analysis of variance showed that there were significant difference in the mRNA expression of IL-6 among the 2 × 106-CFU/ml,2 × 107-CFU/ml and 2 × 108-CFU/ml p.acnes groups,LPS group and control group (F =532.3,P ＜ 0.001,v =4),and the mRNA expression of IL-6 significantly differed among different time points (F =526.6,P ＜ 0.001,v =2).There were also significant differences in the IL-6 level in the culture supernatant of cells among the 2 × 108-CFU/ml p.acnes group ([1 618.22 ± 32.23] ng/L),LPS group ([3 212.06 ± 353.00] ng/L) and control group ([147.10 ± 0.53] ng/L;v =2,F =102.35,P ＜0.01).After 15-,30-and 60-minute treatment with 2 × 108 CFU/ml P.acnes suspensions,the protein expression of phosphorylated p38MAPK obviously increased.The mRNA expression of IL-6 in THP-1 cells was significantly lower in the SB203580 group than in the 2 × 108-CFU/ml p.acnes group (t =15.91,P =0.004).Conclusions The mRNA expression of IL-6 evidently increases in the cystic lesions of patients with acne vulgaris.P.acnes can activate the signaling molecule p38MAPK in THP-1 cells,and promote the production of IL-6 by THP-1 cells.

Analysis of ADAR1 gene mutation in a pedigree affected with dyschromatosis symmetrical hereditaria / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect mutation of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA1 (ADAR1) gene in a pedigree affected with dyschromatosis symmetrical hereditaria (DSH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data and peripheral blood samples of the patients from the pedigree were collected. Potential mutations of the ADAR1 gene were screened among 2 patients, 2 unaffected individual from the pedigree as well as 50 unrelated healthy controls by PCR amplification and direct sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A c.3463C>T (p.R1155W) missense mutation of the ADAR gene was identified in the 2 patients, which was absent in the 2 healthy relatives and 50 unrelated controls. The mutation has been previously identified among 5 Chinese families and was the most common mutation site.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The c.3463C>T missense mutation of the ADAR gene probably underlies the disease in this pedigree.</p>

Construction of a Nicastrin gene-silenced human immortalized keratinocyte cell model by lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To construct a lentiviral vector delivering the Nicastrin (NCT) gene-targeted short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and determine gene-silencing efficiency of the vector in the human immortalized keratinocyte cell line HaCaT,and to construct a NCT gene-silenced HaCaT cell model to lay an experimental foundation for subsequently studying effects of NCT gene silencing on biological behavior of keratinocytes.Methods Three NCT gene-targeted shRNAs were designed and inserted into the pGLV3/ H1/GFP + Puro vector to construct three recombinant plasmids,which were then confirmed by sequencing.Recombinant plasmids combined with lentivirus packaging plasmids were co-transfected into 293T cells to obtain lentivirus particles,and the virus titer was determined.Cultured HaCaT cells were divided into 3 groups:blank group receiving no treatment,negative control group infected with the empty vector LV3-shNC,interference groups infected with lentivirus NCT-shRNA1,-shRNA2,-shRNA3,respectively.Flow cytometry was performed to determine transfection efficiency,and real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to determine efficiency of target gene silencing in HaCaT cells,so as to select the most efficient interference sequence.Results Sequencing analysis indicated that recombinant lentiviral vector NCT-shRNA was constructed successfully.After co-transfection of recombinant plasmids and lentivirus packaging plasmids into 293T cells,the titer of recombinant lentivirus particles was about 109 TU/ml.Flow cytometry showed that the transfection efficiency was greater than 95％.qRT-PCR revealed that the NCT mRNA expression was obviously down-regulated in the interference group compared with the negative control group,and NCT-shRNA1 was the most efficient sequence with interference efficiency being 75％.Western blot analysis showed that the inhibition rate of NCT protein expression was 71.7％ in the shRNA1 group compared with the negative control group.Conclusion The most efficient NCT-shRNA interference sequence is screened out,and the recombinant lentiviral vector NCT-shRNA and an NCT gene-silenced HaCaT cell model are both constructed successfully.

Expression of the Notch-HES signaling pathway in lesions of patients with acne inversa harbouring nicastrin gene mutations / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To measure expressions of nicastrin and its downstream Notch-HES signaling pathwayassociated proteins in skin lesions of patients with acne inversa harbouring nicastrin gene mutations.Methods An immunohistochemical study was performed to measure the expressions of nicastrin and Notch-HES signaling pathwayassociated proteins in paraffin-embeded skin samples from lesions of 4 patients with acne inversa and confirmed nicastrin mutations and from normal skin of 6 human controls.Spearman correlation analysis was carried out to assess the relationship between the expressions of nicastrin and Notch-HES signaling pathway-associated proteins.Results In normal control skin samples,nicastrin was widely distributed in the full-thickness epidermis and skin appendages such as pilosebaceous units,apocrine glands and eccrine glands.However,the expressions of nicastrin and Notch-HES signaling pathway-associated proteins were markedly decreased in the epidermis and hair follicle infundibulum in lesions of patients harbouring nicastrin gene mutations compared with normal control skin.Furthermore,nicastrin expression was positively correlated with Notchl,Notch3 and HES-1 expressions (r =0.831,0.748 and 0.807,P ＜ 0.01,0.05 and 0.01 respectively),but not significantly correlated with Notch2 or HES-5 expressions (r =0.597,0.591 respectively,both P ＞0.05).Conclusion Nicastrin expression markedly decreases in lesions of patients with acne inversa harbouring nicastrin gene mutations,and is positively correlated with the expressions of several Notch-HES signaling pathway-associated proteins,suggesting that the decrease in nicastrin expression may take part in the pathogenesis of acne inversa by influencing the expression of the downstream Notch-HES signaling pathway.

Acne inversa in a family：a clinical survey and genetic mutation analysis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To analyze γ?secretase gene mutations in a pedigree with acne inversa. Methods Clinical data were collected from a pedigree with acne inversa, which contained 30 members spanning 4 generations. Of these members, 12 were affected by acne inversa, and 9 of the affected members were alive. Peripheral blood DNA was obtained from the proband, his seven relatives (including 4 affected and 3 unaffected members), and 100 unrelatedhealthy human controls. PCR was performed to amplify all the coding exons and their flanking sequences of the NCSTN, PSEN1, PSENEN, Aph1 genes followed by DNA sequencing. Results A heterozygous insertion mutation (c.229_230insCACC)of the PSENEN gene, which led to translational frameshifting and resulted in dysfunciton of the PSENEN protein, was detected in all the 5 patients, but not in unaffected members or healthy controls. Conclusion There is a novel heterozygous insertion mutation c.229_230insCACC in the PSENEN gene, which may be the molecular basis of acne inversa in this family.

Mechanisms underlying the reversal of acantholysis in pemphigus by a cholinergic receptor agonist / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate the reversal effect of a cholinergic receptor agonist on acantholysis in pemphigus,and to investigate its mechanism.Methods Human HaCaT keratinocytes were co-cultured with pemphigus vulgaris immunoglobulin G (PV-IgG) to establish a cell model of pemphigus,then classified into two groups to be incubated with the cholinergic receptor agonist carbachol for 12 hours (test group) or remain untreated (control group).Cell dissociation assay was performed to quantitatively estimate the reversal effect of carbachol on acantholysis,and immunofluorescence assay to qualitatively assess the changes of desmosomal proteins.Radio-immunoprecipitation assay (RIPA) lysis buffer and Triton X-100 were used to lyse HaCaT cells to obtain total proteins and cytoplasmic proteins,and Western blot was conducted to determine the expression levels of adhesion-related proteins desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) and plakoglobin (PG) on the surface of HaCaT cells,as well as the phosphorylation levels of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) at different time points.Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to detect the mRNA expressions of the above surface proteins,and coimmunoprecipitation assay to qualitatively evaluate the interaction between Dsg3 and PG.Results The number of cell debris was significantly lower in the test group than in the control group (18.67 ± 2.52 vs.46.67 ± 2.03,t =11.22,P＜0.01).Immunofluorescence assay showed that carbachol could reverse the internalization of desmosomal molecules induced by PV-IgG.In the pemphigus cell model,the levels of total Dsg3 and PG as well as non-desmosomal Dsg3 were decreased,while the level of non-desmosomal PG increased,and the interaction between Dsg3 and PG was attenuated.When the pemphigus cell model was co-cultured with carbachol,these above changes were reversed.Carbachol also increased the mRNA levels (expressed as 2-△△Ct) of Dsg3 and PG from 1.428 ± 0.215 and 1.563 ± 0.247 in the control group to 4.974 ± 0.948 (t =3.65,P =0.01) and 13.420 ± 1.715 (t =6.85,P ＜ 0.01) in the test group respectively.In phosphorylation assay,carbachol inhibited the phosphorylation of EGFR,but had no significant effect on that of p38 MAPK.Conclusions The cholinergic receptor agonist carbachol can reverse acantholysis in pemphigus,likely by inhibiting the internalization of Dsg3 and PG,enhancing their expressions and interaction,and suppressing the phosphorylation of the key signaling molecule for acantholysis,EGFR.

Expressions of desmoglein 1 and desmoglein 3 in primary keratinocytes and two keratinocyte cell lines HaCaT and A431 / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To detect the mRNA and protein expressions of desmoglein 1 (DSG1) and DSG3 in different types of keratinocytes (KCs).Methods Two keratinocyte cell lines HaCaT and A431,as well as primary keratinocytes from human abdomenal skin served as the object of this study.Direct immunofluorescence assay was performed to observe and quantify the expressions of DSG1 and DSG3,and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to determine the mRNA expressions of DSG1 and DSG3,in these cells.Results Both DSG1 and DSG3 were expressed in all the three types of keratinocytes,and the fluorescence intensity of DSG1 and DSG3 in HaCaT cells was higher than that in primary keratinocytes but lower than that in A431 cells.Similarly,all the keratinocytes expressed DSG1 and DSG3 mRNA,with the relative expression levels of DSG1 and DSG3 mRNA in primary keratinocytes being 291.7％ and 237.4％ of those in HaCaT cells respectively (both P ＜ 0.01),and those in A431 cells being 0.1％ and 18.8％ of those in HaCaT cells respectively (both P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions HaCaT cells,A431 cells and primary keratinocytes all can be used for the study of DSG1 and DSG3,of which,A431 cells show the strongest expressions of DSG1 and DSG3,and primary keratinocytes display the highest expressions of DSG1 and DSG3 mRNAs.

Clinical analysis of 17 cases of acne inversa / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment of acne inversa.Methods Seventeen outpatients with acne inversa were collected in the Institute of Dermatology,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from January l,2012 to December 31,2012.The general condition,clinical feature and treatment of these patients were retrospectively analyzed.Results All the patients were male with the age at onset being about 20 years and disease duration varying from 2 to 50 years.Characteristic clinical manifestations were recurrent tender inflammatory papules,nodules,abscesses,fistulae and sinus tracts in the neck,axillary fossa,groin,perineum and buttocks.Among these patients,10 had a family history and seven were sporadic with mild symptoms.Oral tretinoin combined with antibiotics were the main treatment,and surgical treatment was usually used for severe patients.Conclusions Acne inversa is mainly manifested as abscess,sinus and scars in areas bearing apocrine sweat glands,and therapeutic regimen should be selected according to the severity of lesions.

A multi-center, randomized, double-blind and controlled study of BP180NC16a enzyme-linked immu-nosorbent assay (BP180NC16a-ELISA) in the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of BP180NC16a-ELISA in the diagnosis of bullous pemphigoid (BP). Methods A multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel-controlled study was conducted. Sera were collected from 106 patients with clinically confirmed active BP and 106 control subjects including patients with non-BP bullous diseases, scleroderma, psoriasis or systemic lupus erythematosus,late pregnant women and healthy blood donors. BP180NC16a-ELISA was performed on these sera. The IgG antibody levels measured by ELISA kit were compared with those measured by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test. Results Of the 106 BP sera, 81 were positive for BP180NC16a-ELISA with a sensitivity of 76.4%,83 for ⅡF test with a sensitivity of 78.3%. Among the 106 control serum samples, 95 were negative for BP180NC16A-ELISA with a specificity of 89.6%, and 102 for ⅡF test with a specificity of 96.2%. There was no significant difference between the two tests in dignostic sensitivity and specificity for BP (both P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion BP180NC16A-ELISA may serve as an adjuvant tool for the diagnosis of BP.

Evaluation of desmoglein 1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in the detection of serum antibodies in patients with pemphigus foliaceus / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To evaluate the performance of desmoglein (Dsg)1 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the detection of serum antibodies in patients with pemphigus foliaceus (PF). Methods Sera were obtained from 80 patients with PF and 132 human controls including 33 patients with bullous pemphigoid, 3 patients with linear IgA bullous dermatosis, 2 patients with acquired bullous epidermolysis, 20 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), etc, and subjected to a random and blind test by Dsg1 ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on monkey oesophagus. Results The Dsg1 ELISA was positive in 75 (93.8%) patients with PF and 5 (3.8%) human controls (including 1 case of bullous pemphigoid, 1 case of SLE, 1 case of dermatomyositis, 1 case of eczema and 1 normal human control with indeterminate value), and IIF was positive in 71 (88.8%) patients with PF, but in none of the controls. The sensitivity and specificity was 93.8% (95% CI: 0.85 - 0.98) and 96.2% (95% CI: 0.91 - 0.99) respectively for Dsg1 ELISA in the serodiagnosis of PF, 88.8% (95% CI: 0.82 - 0.96) and 100% (95% CI: 0.96 - 1.00) respectively for IIF. There was no statistical difference in the sensitivities (P= 0.289) or specificities (P= 1.000) between the two test methods.Conclusions Dsg1 ELISA is a simple, sensitive and specific serological detection method, and can serve as an adjunct in the diagnosis of PF.

Advance in the study of relationship between vimentin and diseases / 基础医学与临床

Vimentin is an important member of intermediate filament family in mesenchymal cells.Recently,several researches found that the changes of vimentin expression and distribution played important roles in regulating cell growth,migration,apoptosis,signaling,gene expression,as well as cellular integrity.Thus,vimemtin has relationship with some diseases,and this article summarized the progress in this field.