Vasohibin-2 promotes proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the role of vasohibin-2 (VASH2) in regulation of proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer cells.@*METHODS@#We analyzed the differentially expressed genes between cervical cancer cells with flotillin-1 overexpression and knockdown by RNA-seq combined with analysis of public databases. The expression levels of VASH2 were examined in normal cervical epithelial cells (HcerEpic), cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa, C-33A, Ca ski, SiHa and MS751) and fresh cervical cancer tissues with different lymph node metastasis status. We further tested the effects of lentivirus-mediated overexpression and interference of VASH2 on proliferation, migration, invasion and lymphatic vessel formation of the cervical cancer cells and detected the expression levels of key epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and TGF-β mRNA.@*RESULTS@#RNA-seq and analysis of public databases showed that VASH2 expression was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer cells exogenously overexpressing flotillin-1 (P < 0.05) and downregulated in cells with flotillin-1 knockdown (P < 0.05), and was significantly higher in cervical cancer tissues with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01). In cervical cancer cell lines Ca Ski, SiHa, and MS751 and cervical cancer tissue specimens with lymph node metastasis, VASH2 expression was also significantly upregulated as compared with HcerEpic cells and cervical cancer tissues without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Exogenous overexpression of VASH2 significantly promoted proliferation, migration, invasion and lymphatic vessel formation of cervical cancer cells, whereas these abilities were significantly inhibited in cells with VASH2 knockdown (P < 0.05). The cervical cancer cells overexpressing VASH2 showed significant down- regulation of e-cadherin and up- regulation of N-cadherin, Vimentin and VEGF-C, while the reverse changes were detected in cells with VASH2 knockdown (P < 0.05). TGF-β mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated in cervical cancer cells overexpressing VASH2 and down-regulated in cells with VASH2 knockdown (P < 0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#Flotillin-1 may participate in TGF-β signaling pathway-mediated EMT through its down-stream target gene VASH2 to promote the proliferation, migration, invasion and lymphatic vessel formation of cervical cancer cells in vitro.

Preliminary study of diffusion tensor imaging in treatment response assessment of major depression / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess the value of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in therapeutic effect evaluation of major depression.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen patients who met the CCMD-3-R criteria for major depression or bipolar disorder (with depressed episode and total score no less than 18 for 17 items of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and 13 aged-matched controls were examined by routine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DTI. DTI were used to determine fractional anisotropy (FA) in the preselected white matter regions. All the patients with major depression received treatment with selective serotonine reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) for 6-8 weeks, and the efficacy were assessed by Hamilton Depression Scale, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total response rate to fluoxetine was 67%, and significant improvement was observed in 56% of the patients while 33% failed to respond after 8 weeks of treatment. The depressed subjects failing to respond to the treatment had a significant lower FA of the frontal white matter than those responding favorably to the treatment and the healthy control subjects.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DTI may identify the microstructural abnormality in the white matter, which is associated with a low remission rate of major depression.</p>

Genetic instability detected by flow cytometry: DNA aneuploid and P16 expression in biopsy specimens from lung cancer / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate DNA aneuploid and P16 expression in biopsy specimens from lung cancer, and to study genetic instability and the application of flow cytometry in lung cancer pernicious degree diagnosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Blood cells and cancer cells in biopsy specimens were marked simultaneously with anti-CD45 and anti-P16 fluorescent antibody, and the ratio of CD45+ P16+ cells and CD4- P16+ cells was compared. DNA content in biopsy specimens from lung cancer was detected by flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 74 cases of lung cancer, there are 46 cases of DNA aneuploid (62.2%). Thirty-seven cases of lung cancer expressed P16 lowly (50%). Twelve cases of lung cancer only expressed P16 lowly (16.22%), 21 cases of lung cancer only expressed DNA aneuploid (28.38%), and 25 cases not only expressed P16 lowly but also expressed DNA aneuploid (33.78%). Indexes of malign degree, such as P16 low expression or DNA aneuploid could be detected in 58 cases among the 74 cases (78.38%) by flow cytometry.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>P16 low expression and DNA aneuploid are the indexes of lung cancer malign degree, and flow cytometry can be used to study genetic instability and evaluate biopsy specimens from lung cancer.</p>

The expression of mutation p53 gene from circulating cancer cells of peripheral blood and the clinical significance in detecting the patients with colorectal cancer / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical significance of detecting p53 gene mutation expression in colorectal cancer cells of peripheral blood.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect p53 gene mutation expression in peripheral blood cancer cells of 128 patients with colorectal cancer. Experimental data were analyzed by SPSS (v.11.0) software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The lymph node metastasis showed the significant difference statistically (P<0.01) between p53 positive and negative expression in the colorectal cancer patients. The mutation p53 expression associated with existing histological differentiation (r=0.8476, P<0.05). A lymph node metastasis difference was observed between left and right colorectal cancers of mutation p53 positive expression.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Detecting the mutation p53 expression in cancer cells of peripheral blood might be helpful to the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.</p>

Study on the relationship between genetic polymorphism Val384Asp in hMLH1 gene and the risk of four different carcinomas / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association of genetic polymorphism Val384Asp in hMLH1 gene with the risk of colorectal, gastric, esophageal and breast carcinomas.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A case-control study was taken to investigate the role of Val384Asp in hMLH1 gene in developing these four carcinomas. 233 colorectal, 273 gastric, 90 esophageal and 111 breast cancer patients were included, as well as 268 healthy individual served as controls. Peripheral white blood cell DNA was obtained from all subjects. hMLH1 gene Val384Asp was analysed using a PCR-based DHPLC while the existence of Val384Asp were verified by DNA sequencing.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>6.34% of the healthy individuals were identified as Val384Asp carriers and significant differences existing between colorectal cancer patients or gastric cancer patients and controls, especially between young aged patients and controls.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Determination of Val384Asp in hMLH1 gene single nucleotide polymorphism seemed to be suitable for identifying individuals with increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer in the Chinese population.</p>