ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: RNA interference (RNAi) is sequence-specific inhibition of gene expression induced by double-stranded RNA. OBJECTIVE: Define the role of Wilms tumor 1 gene (WT1) in breast cancer oncogenesis using RNAi. MATERIAL AND METHOD: MCF-7 breast cancer cells, which express a high level of WT1, were transfected with synthetic small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting WT1 (siRNA(WT1)) resulting in inhibition of WTI expression, as well as growth, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. RESULT: The minimum concentration of siRNA(WT1) for growth inhibition and WT1 silencing was 25 nM and 50 nM respectively. WT1 expression was completely abolished at 200 nM siRNA,. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that WTI1is indispensable for the survival of breast cancer MCF-7 cell line.
Subject(s)
Breast Neoplasms/genetics , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , Female , Gene Expression , Gene Silencing , Humans , Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 , RNA Interference , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics , Wilms Tumor/geneticsABSTRACT
Stem cells are broadly classified into two categories; embryonic stem cell and somatic stem cell. Both types of stem cells can be differentiated into many cell types of the body with a different capability. Blood cells are examples of the cells that can be derived from both embryonic and somatic stem cells, both in vivo and in vitro. In adults, blood cells are mainly derived from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the bone marrow. HSC growth and differentiation is tightly regulated which require both intrinsic and extrinsic signals. In this regard, transcription factors are critical for the development of HSC and specific cell lineages, in part, by regulating the expression of hematopoietic growth factor (HGF) receptors, other transcription factors and lineage specific genes transcription. This review will focus on the role of Id transcription factors in stem cell fate regulation.