Targeting GATA1 and p2x7r Locus Binding in Spinal Astrocytes Suppresses Chronic Visceral Pain by Promoting DNA Demethylation / 神经科学通报·英文版

Irritable bowel syndrome is a gastrointestinal disorder of unknown etiology characterized by widespread, chronic abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements. Increasing amounts of evidence indicate that injury and inflammation during the neonatal period have long-term effects on tissue structure and function in the adult that may predispose to gastrointestinal diseases. In this study we aimed to investigate how the epigenetic regulation of DNA demethylation of the p2x7r locus guided by the transcription factor GATA binding protein 1 (GATA1) in spinal astrocytes affects chronic visceral pain in adult rats with neonatal colonic inflammation (NCI). The spinal GATA1 targeting to DNA demethylation of p2x7r locus in these rats was assessed by assessing GATA1 function with luciferase assay, chromatin immunoprecipitation, patch clamp, and interference in vitro and in vivo. In addition, a decoy oligodeoxynucleotide was designed and applied to determine the influence of GATA1 on the DNA methylation of a p2x7r CpG island. We showed that NCI caused the induction of GATA1, Ten-eleven translocation 3 (TET3), and purinergic receptors (P2X7Rs) in astrocytes of the spinal dorsal horn, and demonstrated that inhibiting these molecules markedly increased the pain threshold, inhibited the activation of astrocytes, and decreased the spinal sEPSC frequency. NCI also markedly demethylated the p2x7r locus in a manner dependent on the enhancement of both a GATA1-TET3 physical interaction and GATA1 binding at the p2x7r promoter. Importantly, we showed that demethylation of the p2x7r locus (and the attendant increase in P2X7R expression) was reversed upon knockdown of GATA1 or TET3 expression, and demonstrated that a decoy oligodeoxynucleotide that selectively blocked the GATA1 binding site increased the methylation of a CpG island in the p2x7r promoter. These results demonstrate that chronic visceral pain is mediated synergistically by GATA1 and TET3 via a DNA-demethylation mechanism that controls p2x7r transcription in spinal dorsal horn astrocytes, and provide a potential therapeutic strategy by targeting GATA1 and p2x7r locus binding.

Effect of MiR-451a on Erythroid Differentiation of K562 Cells under Hypoxia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the changes of GATA-1 protein expression during erythroid differentiation of K562 cells under hypoxia and how GATA-1 can regulate erythroid differentiation by up-regulating the expression of miR-451a and inhibiting the expression of 14-3-3ζ.@*METHODS@#K562 cells were divided into 2 groups: the normoxia group and the hypoxia group, after the induction of hemin for 96 h, the positive cells rate of the benzidine staining, the mRNA expression of γ-globin and the expression of CD235a were detected, and the success of the model was verified. The changes of GATA-1 and miR-451a expression in the above-mentioned 2 groups, the changes of miR-451a expression after over-expressed GATA-1 were detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR. The cells in normoxic group and hypoxia group were divided into negative control group (NC group) and miR-451a over-expression group respectively, and the degree of erythroid differentiation in the four groups was judged according to the corresponding erythroid differentiation indexes, and the expression of 14-3-3ζ was detected by Western blot after over-expressed miR-451a.@*RESULTS@#The positive cell rate of benzidine staining, mRNA expression of γ-globin and the expression of CD235a after 96 h induction by K562 cells under hypoxia were significantly higher than 0 h, suggesting that the erythroid differentiation model of K562 cells under hypoxia was replicated successfully. The expression levels of GATA-1 protein and miR-451a in the hypoxic group were significantly higher than that in the normoxic group (P<0.05). The expression level of miR-451a in hypoxia group was significantly higher than that in NC group after overexpressed GATA-1 (P<0.05). After over-expressed of miR-451a under hypoxia, the positive cell rate of benzidine staining, the mRNA expression level of γ-globin and the expression of CD235a were significantly higher than those in NC group (P<0.05). The expression level of 14-3-3ζ protein in miR-451a over-expressed group was lower than that in NC group under hypoxia (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Hypoxia can significantly increase the expression of GATA-1 protein, and the increase of GATA-1 expression can up-regulate the expression of miR-451a, thereby inhibiting the expression of 14-3-3ζ protein, which hinders the cell proliferation in erythroid differentiation model of K562 cells and plays an important role in promoting erythroid differentiation.

Clinical and laboratory analysis of a neonate with Down syndrome and a novel GATA1 gene mutation / 中华医学遗传学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the clinical and molecular biological characteristics of a neonate with myeloid proliferation related to Down syndrome (DS).@*METHODS@#The neonate, who was suspected for Down syndrome, was analyzed in terms of clinical feature, peripheral blood cell morphology, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), immunological classification and other laboratory tests. On hundred and fourteen leukemia-related genes were subjected to next-generation sequencing (NGS).@*RESULTS@#Laboratory test revealed obvious abnormal liver function and coagulation function, anemia, and extreme leukocytosis. Cell smear indicated significantly increased progenitor cells, which conformed to proliferation of megakaryocytes. FISH showed trisomy 21. By NGS, c.220+dupT, a novel mutation, was identified in exon 2 of the GATA1 gene, which encodes a N-terminal activation domain and has a frequency of 95.8%. No mutation was identified among the remaining 113 genes.@*CONCLUSION@#The neonate had DS and GATA1 gene mutation. High percentage of circulating blasts should be considered as transient myelodysplasia but not congenital leukemia.

A Case of Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder Associated with Clonal Trisomy 21 in a Chromosomally Normal Newborn / 임상소아혈액종양

Transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) is similar to congenital leukemia, with leukocytosis, increased peripheral blast cells, and hepatomegaly in the neonatal period. Although TMD occurs only in patients with Down syndrome and trisomy 21 mosaicism, there have been reports of congenital leukemia with trisomy 21 limited to hematopoietic cells showing spontaneous resolution. We identified trisomy 21 in the leukemic cells in a patient with congenital leukemia. As there was no other gene abnormality, we stopped chemotherapy, and the disease resolved spontaneously. We reviewed the cases of clonal trisomy 21 TMD and found that their clinical features were similar to those of TDM associated with Down syndrome. In conclusion, in a phenotypically normal patient with suspected congenital leukemia, it is necessary to confirm the presence of 21 trisomy. If the neonate has only trisomy 21 without other gene abnormalities, intensive chemotherapy may not be required.

Ginseng-Derived Panaxadiol Saponins Promote Hematopoiesis Recovery in Cyclophosphamide-Induced Myelosuppressive Mice: Potential Novel Treatment of Chemotherapy-Induced Cytopenias / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the potential efficacy of panaxadiol saponins component (PDS-C), a biologically active fraction isolated from total ginsenosides, to reverse chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression and pancytopenia caused by cyclophamide (CTX).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mice with myelosuppression induced by CTX were treated with PDS-C at a low- (20 mg/kg), moderate- (40 mg/kg), or high-dose (80 mg/kg) for 7 consecutive days. The level of peripheral white blood cell (WBC), neutrophil (NEU) and platelet (PLT) were measured, the histopathology and colony formation were observed, the protein kinase and transcription factors in hematopoietic cells were determined by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In response to PDS-C therapy, the peripheral WBC, NEU and PLT counts of CTX-induced myelosuppressed mice were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, bone marrow histopathology examination showed reversal of CTX-induced myelosuppression with increase in overall bone marrow cellularity and the number of hematopoietic cells (P<0.01). PDS-C also promoted proliferation of granulocytic and megakaryocyte progenitor cells in CTX-treated mice, as evidenced by significantly increase in colony formation units-granulocytes/monocytes and -megakaryocytes (P<0.01). The enhancement of hematopoiesis by PDS-C appears to be mediated by an intracellular signaling pathway, this was evidenced by the up-regulation of phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase (p-MEK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), and receptor tyrosine kinase (C-kit) and globin transcription factor 1 (GATA-1) in hematopoietic cells of CTX-treated mice (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PDS-C possesses hematopoietic growth factor-like activities that promote proliferation and also possibly differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells in myelosuppressed mice, probably mediated by a mechanism involving MEK and ERK protein kinases, and C-kit and GATA-1 transcription factors. PDS-C may potentially be a novel treatment of myelosuppression and pancytopenia caused by chemotherapy.</p>

Influence of GATA-1 on Expression of EpoR in Bone Marrow CD71+ Cells of Rat Model with High Altitude Polycythemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the influence of GATA-1 on expression of EpoR in bone marrow CD71+ cells of rat model with high altitude polycythemia (HAPC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control and HAPC model group. HAPC model was established at the altitude of 4 300 meters in the natural environment, and verified by bone marrow cell counts and hematological parameters. Myeloid CD71+ cells were separated by the density gradient centrifugation combined with magnetic activated cell sorting. The expression of EpoR on cell membrane was detected by flow cytometry and cell immunofluorescence. The expression changes of GATA-1 and EpoR mRNA and protein were detected by Q-PCR and Western blot, respectively. CD71+ cells were cultured under normoxia and hypoxia, respectively. After transfection for 96 h, the optimal interference sequence GATA-1 shRNA1 was selected. And the mRNA and protein expression level of GATA-1 and EpoR were detected by Q-PCR and Western blot respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The animal model with HAPC was established successfully and comfirmed by the bone marrow cell counting and the hematologic parameters in comparison with that of the normal control. EpoR expression on the myeloid CD71+ cell membrane in HAPC group was significantly higher than that in normal control (P<0.05). The expression of GATA-1 and EpoR in myeloid CD71+ cells of HAPC group was higher than that in control group (P<0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of GATA-1 and EpoR in two groups positively correlated (control group, r=0.929, P<0.01, r=0.802, P<0.05; HAPC group, r=0.822, P<0.05, r=0.839, P<0.01). However, the mRNA and protein expression of EpoR at normoxia and hypoxia was significantly lower than that in negative control group after interfernce with GATA-1 shRNA1 for 96 h (P<0.05). And the expression of GATA-1 and EpoR under hypoxia was higher than that in normoxia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The effect of GATA-1 on EpoR expression may be correlated with the pathogenesis of HAPC.</p>

Myeloid and erythroid hematopoietic transcription factor expression decline after knockdown ofgenes in zebrafish embryos / 浙江大学学报·医学版

To investigate the effect ofgene down-regulation on early hematopoietic development of zebrafish.Phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer (PMO) technology was used to downregulategene expression in Zebrafish. Zebrafish embryos injected phosphorodiamidate morpholino antisense oligonucleotide ofgene mRNA by microinjection at unicellular stage were taken as the experimental group, and those injected meaningless phosphorodiamidate morpholino antisense oligonucleotide were taken as the control. The embryos were collected at 18, 24, 30 and 36 hpf after the fertilization. The real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) and whole embryohybridization methods were used to detect the expression of myeloid hematopoietic transcription factorand erythroid hematopoietic transcription factorin zebrafish.RT-PCR showed that the expressions ofanddecreased in the experimental group compared with the control group (all<0.05). Whole embryohybridization showed that the blue-black positive hybridization signals ofandin experimental group were shallow than those in the control group.Myeloid hematopoietic and erythroid hematopoietic of zebrafish are blocked with the downregulation ofgene.

GATA1 mutations in a cohort of Malaysian children with Down syndrome-associated myeloid disorder

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>Children with Down syndrome (DS) are at increased risk of developing distinctive clonal myeloid disorders, including transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) and myeloid leukaemia of DS (ML-DS). TAM connotes a spontaneously resolving congenital myeloproliferative state observed in 10%-20% of DS newborns. Following varying intervals of apparent remission, a proportion of children with TAM progress to develop ML-DS in early childhood. Therefore, TAM and ML-DS represent a biological continuum. Both disorders are characterised by recurring truncating somatic mutations of the GATA1 gene, which are considered key pathogenetic events.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We herein report, to our knowledge, the first observation on the frequency and nature of GATA1 gene mutations in a cohort of Malaysian children with DS-associated TAM (n = 9) and ML-DS (n = 24) encountered successively over a period of five years at a national referral centre.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 29 patients who underwent GATA1 analysis, GATA1 mutations were observed in 15 (51.7%) patients, including 6 (75.0%) out of 8 patients with TAM, and 9 (42.9%) of 21 patients with ML-DS. All identified mutations were located in exon 2 and the majority were sequence-terminating insertions or deletions (66.7%), including several hitherto unreported mutations (12 out of 15).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The low frequency of GATA1 mutations in ML-DS patients is unusual and potentially indicates distinctive genomic events in our patient cohort.</p>

As infecções genitais podem alterar os resultados dos testes preditivos do parto prematuro? / Can genital infections alter the results of preterm birth predictive tests?

OBJETIVOS: Verificar se a presença de agentes infecciosos no conteúdo vaginal ou cervical pode alterar os resultados dos testes da proteína-1 fosforilada ligada ao fator de crescimento insulina-símile (phIGFBP-1) e das medidas do comprimento do colo uterino (CC) pela ultrassonografia transvaginal. MÉTODOS: Um total de 107 gestantes com antecedente de prematuridade espontânea foram submetidas ao teste da phIGFBP-1 e à realização da ultrassonografia transvaginal para medida do comprimento do colo uterino, a cada três semanas, entre 24 e 34 semanas. As infecções genitais foram pesquisadas imediatamente antes da realização dos testes. As pacientes foram distribuídas em quatro grupos (GA, GB, GC e GD) e dentro de cada grupo foi avaliada a correlação entre infecção genital e alteração nos testes utilizando a análise das razões de chance (OR) e o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson. RESULTADOS: Em cada grupo, mais de 50% das pacientes apresentaram infecção genital (GA 10/17; GB 28/42; GC 15/24; GD 35/53), sendo a vaginose bacteriana a principal alteração de flora vaginal. O resultado positivo para phIGFBP-1 (GA 10/10; GB 18/28; GC 15/15; GD 19/35) e CC≤20 mm (GA 10/10; GB 20/28; GC 10/15; GD 20/35) foram os resultados encontrados com maior frequência nas pacientes com infecção genital em todos os grupos. Porém, aplicando o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson foi identificada correlação entre infecção genital e positividade para os marcadores. CONCLUSÃO: A presença de alteração da flora vaginal e de outras infecções genitais não alteram significativamente os resultados do teste da phIGFBP-1 e da medida do colo uterino quando comparados aos casos sem infecção. No entanto, é necessária ...

PURPOSE: To determine if the presence of infectious agents in vaginal or cervical content can alter the results of the insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (phIGFBP-1) test and the measurement of cervical length (CC) by transvaginal ultrasonography. METHODS: A total of 107 pregnant women with a history of spontaneous preterm birth were submitted to the phIGFBP-1 test and to measurement of CC by transvaginal ultrasonography every 3 weeks, between 24 and 34 weeks of gestation. Genital infections were determined immediately before testing. The patients were distributed into four groups (GA, GB, GC, and GD) and the correlation between genital infection and changes in the tests was determined within each group based on the odds ratio (OR) and the Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: In each group, over 50% of the patients had genital infections (GA 10/17; GB 28/42; GC 15/24; GD 35/53), with bacterial vaginosis being the main alteration of the vaginal flora. Positive results for phIGFBP-1(GA 10/10; GB 18/28; GC 15/15; GD 19/35) and CC≤20 mm (GA 10/10; GB 20/28; GC 10/15; GD 20/35) were obtained more frequently in patients with genital infection in all groups. Nonetheless, when applying the Pearson correlation coefficient we detected a poor correlation between genital infection and positivity for markers. CONCLUSION: The presence of changes in the vaginal flora and of other genital infections does not significantly alter the results of phIGFBP-1 and the measurement of cervical length when compared to cases without infection. However, more studies with larger samples are necessary to confirm these results. .

Effect of simulated microgravity on erythroid differentiation of K562 cells and the mechanism / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of simulated microgravity on erythroid differentiation of K562 cells and explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The fourth generation rotating cell culture system was used to generate the simulated microgravity environment. Benzidine staining was used to evaluate the cell inhibition rate, and real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect GATA-1, GATA-2, Ets-1, F-actin, β-Tubulin and vimentin mRNA expressions. The changes of cytoskeleton were observed by fluorescence microscopy, and Western blotting was employed to assay F-actin, β-tubulin and vimentin protein expression levels.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Benzidine staining showed that simulated microgravity inhibited erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. K562 cells treated with Hemin presented with increased mRNA expression of GATA-1 and reduced GATA-2 and Ets-1 mRNA expressions. Simulated microgravity treatment of the cells resulted in down-regulated GATA-1, F-actin, β-tubulin and vimentin mRNA expressions and up-regulated mRNA expressions of GATA-2 and Ets-1, and reduced F-actin, β-tubulin and vimentin protein expressions. Exposure to simulated microgravity caused decreased fluorescence intensities of cytoskeletal filament F-actin, β-tubulin and vimentin in the cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Simulated microgravity inhibits erythroid differentiation of K562 cells possibly by causing cytoskeleton damages to result in down-regulation of GATA-1 and up-regulation of GATA-2 and Ets-1 expressions.</p>

Prognóstico de crianças com síndrome de Down e leucemia mielóide aguda ou mielopoese anormal transitória / [Prognosis of children with Down syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia or transient abnormal myelopoiesis]

Introdução: Crianças com síndrome de Down (SD) apresentam elevada frequência de mielopoese anormal transitória (TAM) e leucemia megacarioblástica aguda (LMA-M7). ATAM é exclusiva em neonatos com SD, e tem um importante potencial para transformação leucêmica. TAM e LMA-M7 carregam mutações somáticas no éxon 2 do GATA1 resultando na exclusiva expressão da proteína truncada (GATA1s). O objetivo principal desta pesquisa foi analisar os fatores associados ao prognóstico de crianças ≤ 4 anos de idade com SD diagnosticadas com TAM ou LMA atendidas em instituições oncológicas brasileiras. Material e método: foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo, de coorte, de crianças com TAM ou LMA. O fluxo de trabalho seguiu as seguintes etapas: 1º) seleção dos casos com SD e suspeita clínica de leucemia; 2º) re-análise para confirmação diagnóstica; 3º) seleção dos casos confirmadosde TAM e LM-SD; 4º) Rastreamento de mutações GATA1 (éxon2) por sequenciamento direto e classificação da mutação: I- perda da primeira metionina; II- erro de splicing; IIIcódon de terminação precoce (PTC 1, antes da Met-84, e PTC 2 após Met-84); 5º) Detecção dos transcritos alternativos por transcriptase reversa e reação em cadeia da polimerase (RTPCR) e análises densiométricas por meio do programa Quantity-One (Version 4.5.2; Bio-Rad Laboratories); Finalmente, 6º) Análise e interpretação dos dados considerando os objetivos doestudo por meio do pacote estatístico SPSS18, Chicago...

Introduction: Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a high frequency of transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML-M7). TAM is unique in neonates with Down syndrome, and has an important potential for leukemictransformation. TAM and AML-M7 carry somatic mutations in exon 2 of GATA1 resulting in exclusive expression of a truncated protein (GATA1s). The main objective of this research was to analyze the factors associated with the prognosis of children ≤ 4 years of age with DS diagnosed with AML or TAM served in Brazilian oncological institutions. Material and method: was performed a retrospective study, in a cohort of children with TAM or AML. Theworkflow followed the following steps: 1º) selection of cases with DS and clinical suspicion of leukemia; 2º) re-analysis for diagnostic confirmation; 3º) selection of confirmed cases ofTAM and AML; 4º) GATA1 mutation screening (exon2) by direct sequencing and classification of mutation: I- loss of the first methionine; II- splicing errors; III- premature termination codon (PTC 1, before the Met-84, and PTC 2 after the Met-84); 5º) detection of alternative transcripts by Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and densitometry analysis using the program Quantity-One (Version 4.5.2; Bio-RadLaboratories); Finally, 6º) Analysis and interpretation of data considering the objectives of the study using statistical packages (SPSS18, Chicago). Results: 97 cases, 63 diagnosed with AML, of these, 31 had a history of prior TAM, and 34 diagnosed with TAM were included in this analysis. GATA1 mutations were found in 77.8% of cases. It was observed that the type ofmutation affects ...

Caracterización de mutaciones en el gen GATA-1 en pacientes con Síndrome de Down y diagnóstico de mielopoyesis anormal transitoria o leucemia megacarioblástica aguda / Mutation characterization in the GATA-1 gene in patients with Down's Syndrome diagnosed with transient abnormal myelopoiesis or acute megakaryoblastic leukemia

Los pacientes con síndrome de Down tienen un riesgo más elevado de presentar leucemia megacarioblástica aguda (LMCA). Un 10% de los recién nacidos con ese síndrome presentan un cuadro de mielopoyesis anormal transitoria (MAT), indistinguible de la LMCA, que en general remite espontáneamente. En ambos grupos de pacientes se describió una alta incidencia de mutaciones en el gen GATA-1. Se analizaron 14 muestras de ADN de médula ósea (10 MAT/4 LMCA) correspondientes a 13 pacientes con Síndrome de Down mediante PCR y secuenciación, para describir la frecuencia y las características de las mutaciones en el gen GATA-1 en la población estudiada y sus consecuencias a nivel proteico. Se detectaron mutaciones en 10 de 10 MAT y en 3 de 4 LMCA, que a nivel proteico originarían un codón de terminación prematuro (n= 5), alteraciones en el sitio de corte y empalme (splicing) (n= 6) o cambio de secuencia (n= 3). Se confrmó la alta frecuencia de mutaciones en el gen GATA-1 en recién nacidos con Síndrome de Down y MAT o LMCA.

Patients with Down's Syndrome have a higher risk of developing acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML). Ten per cent of newborn infants with this syndrome have transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM), indistinguishable from AML, which generally remits spontaneously. A high incidence of GATA-1 gene mutations was described in both groups of patients. Fourteen bone marrow DNA samples (10 ATM/4 AML) were analyzed by PCR and sequencing; these samples were obtained from 13 patients with Down's Syndrome to describe the rate and mutation characteristics of the GATA-1 gene in the studied population and its consequences at a protein level. Mutations were detected in 10 out of 10 TAM and in 3 out of 4 AML, which at a protein level would result in an early termination codon (n= 5), alterations in the splicing site (n= 6) or sequence change (n= 3). The high rate of GATA-1 gene mutations was confirmed in newborn infants with Down's Syndrome and MAT or AML.

CpG methylation at GATA elements in the regulatory region of CCR3 positively correlates with CCR3 transcription

DNA methylation may regulate gene expression by restricting the access of transcription factors. We have previously demonstrated that GATA-1 regulates the transcription of the CCR3 gene by dynamically interacting with both positively and negatively acting GATA elements of high affinity binding in the proximal promoter region including exon 1. Exon 1 has three CpG sites, two of which are positioned at the negatively acting GATA elements. We hypothesized that the methylation of these two CpGs sites might preclude GATA-1 binding to the negatively acting GATA elements and, as a result, increase the availability of GATA-1 to the positively acting GATA element, thereby contributing to an increase in GATA-1-mediated transcription of the gene. To this end, we determined the methylation of the three CpG sites by bisulfate pyrosequencing in peripheral blood eosinophils, cord blood (CB)-derived eosinophils, PBMCs, and cell lines that vary in CCR3 mRNA expression. Our results demonstrated that methylation of CpG sites at the negatively acting GATA elements severely reduced GATA-1 binding and augmented transcription activity in vitro. In agreement, methylation of these CpG sites positively correlated with CCR3 mRNA expression in the primary cells and cell lines examined. Interestingly, methylation patterns of these three CpG sites in CB-derived eosinophils mostly resembled those in peripheral blood eosinophils. These results suggest that methylation of CpG sites at the GATA elements in the regulatory regions fine-tunes CCR3 transcription.

NF-E2: a novel regulator of alpha-hemoglobin stabilizing protein gene expression / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether α-hemoglobin stabilizing protein (AHSP), the α-globin-specific molecular chaperone, is regulated by erythroid transcription factor NF-E2.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We established the stable cell line with NF-E2p45 (the larger subunit of NF-E2) short hairpin RNA to silence its expression. Western blot, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis were performed to detect the expression of AHSP, the histone modifications at AHSP gene locus, and the binding of GATA-1 at the AHSP promoter with NF-E2p45 deficiency. ChIP was also carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-induced DS19 cells and estrogen-induced G1E-ER4 cells to examine NF-E2 binding to the AHSP gene locus and its changes during cell erythroid differentiation. Finally, luciferase assay was applied in HeLa cells transfected with AHSP promoter fragments to examine AHSP promoter activity in the presence of exogenous NF-E2p45.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>We found that AHSP expression was highly dependent on NF-E2p45. NF-E2 bound to the regions across AHSP gene locus in vivo, and the transcription of AHSP was transactivated by exogenous NF-E2p45. In addition, we observed the decrease of H3K4 trimethylation and GATA-1 occupancy at the AHSP gene locus in NF-E2p45-deficient cells. Restoration of GATA-1 in G1E-ER4 cells in turn led to increased DNA binding of NF-E2p45.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NF-E2 may play an important role in AHSP gene regulation, providing new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the erythroid-specific expression of AHSP as well as new possibilities for β-thalassemia treatment.</p>

GATA1 Mutation in Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder of Down Syndrome / 대한혈액학회지

Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a higher risk of developing leukemia than do healthy children, and they especially have a higher risk for developing transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) or acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMKL). In recent studies, it has been reported that most of these patients have acquired mutation of the GATA1 gene, which encodes the erythroid/megakaryocytic transcription factor GATA1. GATA1 mutations have not been found in AMKL patients who did not have DS and other hematologic malignancies in DS. Most of the GATA1 mutations in DS-TMD/AMKL are nonsense mutations that are mainly located in exon 2. We observed a nonsense mutation in exon 2 of GATA1 [c.189_190delCA (Tyr63X)] in one case of DS-TMD. The GATA1 mutation has been thought to be an early event in the leukemogenesis of DS-TMD/AMKL and it could be used as a stable molecular marker to assess the treatment response or to monitor for the recurrence of DS-TMD/AMKL.

Rastreamento de mutações no gene GATA1 em crianças com síndrome de Down

Crianças com síndrome de Down (SD) apresentam um risco 10 a 20 vezes maior de desenvolver leucemia do que crianças normais, particularmente a leucemia megacarioblástica aguda (LMA-M7) e uma forma reversível denominada doença mieloproliferativa transitória também conhecida como leucemia transitória (LT), devido ao fato de que geralmente há uma remissão espontânea dentro de 3 meses. A LT pode ser considerada uma pré-condição leucêmica, já que cerca de 20% dos pacientes podem desenvolver a LMA-M7 no prazo de 4 anos. Recentemente, foi relatado que mutações somáticas no GATA1, localizado no cromossomo X, estão presentes tanto em blastos de LT quanto em LMA-M7 de crianças com SD. O GATA1 é um fator de transcrição e está presente na diferenciação normal das linhagens eritróides e megacariocíticas. O modo pelo qual as alterações no GATA1 contribuem para a leucemia ainda é desconhecido. A partir disso, estabelecemos um programa nacional, a fim de determinar a incidência de mutações no GATA1 (éxons 2 e 3) em uma coorte de recém-nascidos com SD. Para isso, utilizamos a técnica de cromatografia líquida desnaturante de alta performance (dHPLC) e seqüenciamento automático. Esta técnica de dHPLC se baseia nas variações de heteroduplex e homoduplex dos fragmentos de DNA e apesar de o seqüenciamento automático ser o padrão ouro para a identificação de mutações, este método pode ser lento quanto à análise da mutação, ao passo que o dHPLC tem se mostrado eficaz e rápido para a análise das variações genéticas de diversos genes de interesse médico. Para este estudo utilizamos medula óssea e/ou sangue periférico de 111 crianças com SD (recém-nascidos e crianças sendo a grande maioria com menos de 4 anos de idade) obtidos entre janeiro de 2000 e dezembro de 2007, sem tratamento prévio. Um total de 127 amostras de crianças com SD foram analisadas, sendo 66 crianças com SD e doenças hematológicas identificadas clinicamente e 61 recémnascidos com SD e sem evidência clínica de doenças hematológicas. A análise através do dHPLC e seqüenciamento automático identificou dezenove mutações no éxon 2 exclusivamente em crianças com LT e LMA-M7 com SD e em uma criança com LT e SD foi detectada alteração no éxon 3.A freqüência de anomalias genéticas não foi estatisticamente significativa em relação ao sexo ou cor da pele e alterações no GATA1 não foram detectadas em nossa coorte de recém-nascidos sem sinal de distúrbios hematológicos. A concordância da detecção através da técnica de dHPLC foi de 100% com o seqüenciamento automático. Em conclusão, nossos resultados indicam que alterações no GATA1 são especificas do subtipo LMA-M7 e LT da SD e que a técnica de dHPLC é eficaz e uma valiosa ferramenta para análise mutacional no GATA1 e, além disso, podemos consolidar o GATA1 como um marcador molecular com o intuito de uniformizar os critérios diagnósticos precoces da criança com SD melhorando assim sua taxa de sobrevida.

Children with Down syndrome (DS) have a 10 to 20-fold elevated risk of developing leukaemia, particularly acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) and a reversible form of myeloproliferative disorder, known as transient leukemia (TL), which usually spontaneous resolves within 3 months. TL can be considered a preleukemic condition, as approximately 20% of TL patients will develop AMKL within 4 years. Recently, it has been reported that somatic mutations in the X-linked GATA1 gene are present in TL and AMKL blasts of DS infants. GATA1 gene encodes a transcription factor that is critical for normal development of erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages. The precise pathway by which mutagenesis of GATA1 contributes to leukemia is still unknown. Then, we established a national program in order to determine the incidence of GATA1 mutations in a cohort of DS newborns and children with DS presenting hematological disorders, furthermore we have evaluated the efficacy of denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC) screening method for detecting mutations in GATA1 gene. Bone marrow and/or peripheral blood from 111 DS children (newborns and children with the vast majority less than 4 years old) obtained between January 2000 and December 2007 without previous treatment. They were screened for GATA1 mutations (exons 2 e 3) by the denaturing High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic (dHPLC) and direct sequencing in an automated sequencer. dHPLC has been developed to screen for DNA variations by separating heteroduplex and homoduplex DNA fragments by ion-pair reverse-phase liquid chromatography. Although the automatic sequencing is the gold standard technique for identifying mutations, this method can be time consuming for analysis, while the dHPLC was effective and fast for the analysis of genetic variations A total of 127 samples from DS children were analyzed, with 66 DS children with hematological disorders identified clinically and 61 newborns without clinical evidence of hematological disorders by dHPLC and direct sequencing methods. Nineteen mutations were detected exclusively in exon 2 of DS children with AMKL nd TL disorders and one was detected in exon 3 of DS child with TL. The frequency of genetic abnormalities was no statistically significant regarding to sex or ethnicityand GATA 1 mutation was not detected in our cohort of newborns without sign of hematological disorder. The overall detection rate of dHPLC screening was 100%. In conclusion, our results indicate that dHPLC is an efficient and valuable tool for GATA1 mutational analysis.

Effect of different tags on pulldown assays implemented by LMO2 fusion protein / 生物工程学报

Pulldown assay is an in vitro method for studies of protein-protein interactions, in which tagged proteins are usually expressed as the bait to enrich other proteins that could bind to them. In this technology, the GST tag is broadest used for its modest size and hydrophilic property. In most cases, the GST tag could increase the hydrophility of the fusion protein and help to avoid the formation of inclusion bodies. However, in the other few cases, the target protein may be strongly hydrophobic or have complicated structures that were hard to fold and assemble in correct conformations without champerons, and even the existence of GST tag could not make them soluble. These proteins were always expressed as inclusion bodies and had no functions. LMO2 was a small molecular weight and insoluble protein, in this study, GST system and MBP system were used to express GST-LMO2 and MBP-LMO2 fusion proteins, respectively. We found that GST-LMO2 fusion protein was expressed as inclusion bodies whereas MBP-LMO2 fusion protein was expressed in soluble form. Moreover, the production rate of MBP-LMO2 was also much higher than GST-LMO2. Then MBP-LMO2 fusion proteins and renatured GST-LMO2 fusion proteins were used as bait in pulldown assay to study the interaction between LMO2 and endogenous GATA1 in K562 cells. Western blot analyses showed that both of these proteins could bind to endogenous GATA1 in K562 cells, but recovered GATA1 protein by MBP-LMO2 fusion protein was much more than GST-LMO2 fusion protein. These results suggest that using of MBP system is a helpful attempt in the case of studying small molecular weight, strong hydrophobic proteins.

Identification of interaction partners and function analysis of new splicing product of human LMO2 gene / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the interaction partners of a new splicing product of LMO2 gene (LMO2-C), and study its function in K562 cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Maltose binding protein (MBP) pull down and mammalian two-hybrid assay (MTHA) were used to identify the interaction partners of LMO2-C in K562 cells. Semiquantitative RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of hematopoietic specific gene glycoprotein (GPA) in K562 cells.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>MBP-LMO2-C fusion protein was expressed and purified in soluble form successfully. Endogenous GATA1 and LDB1 proteins were confirmed to bind to LMO2-C by MBP pull down analysis. The MTHA also showed that LMO2-C had comparable binding affinities to LDB1 with LMO2-L, and over expression of LMO2-C prevented LMO2-L from binding to LDB1, the inhibition rate being (81.13 +/- 0.68)%. RT-PCR results showed that the expression level of GPA was reduced [(51.00 +/- 1.58)%] in K562 cells while LMO2-C overexpressed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>LMO2-C can bind endogenous GATA1 and LDB1 protein in K562 cells and down regulates the expression of GPA.</p>

A Novel Mutation in the GATA1 Gene Associated with Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia in a Korean Down Syndrome Patient

Although acquired mutations in the GATA1 gene have been reported for Down syndrome-related acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (DS-AMKL) in Caucasians, this is the first report of a Korean Down syndrome patient with AMKL carrying a novel mutation of the GATA1 gene. A 3-yr-old Korean girl with Down syndrome was admitted to our hospital complaining of pallor and fever. The findings of a peripheral blood smear and bone marrow study were compatible with the presence of AMKL. A chromosome study showed 48,XX,-7,+21c,+21,+r[3]/47,XX,+21c[17]. Following GATA1 gene mutation analysis, a novel mutation, c.145dupG (p.Ala49GlyfsX18), was identified in the N-terminal activation domain of the GATA1 gene. This mutation caused a premature termination at codon 67 and expression of an abnormal GATA-1 protein with a defective N-terminal activation domain, and the absence of full-length GATA-1 protein. This case demonstrates that a leukemogenic mechanism for DS-AMKL is contributed by a unique collaboration between overexpressed genes from trisomy 21 and an acquired GATA1 mutation previously seen in Caucasians and now in a Korean patient.