[Corrigendum] Knockdown of HOXA10 reverses the multidrug resistance of human chronic mylogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells by downregulating P­gp and MRP­1.

Following the publication of the above article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that, in Fig. 2 on p. 1408, the microscopic images shown for the light scope images (upper row) and the green fluorescence images (lower row) appeared to be overlapping, such that these images appeared to have been derived from the same original sources even though they were intended to portray the results from differently performed experiments. After having re­examined their figures, the authors realized that this figure was assembled incorrectly. The revised version of Fig. 2, showing the correct data for all four experimental panels, is shown below. Note that the errors made during the assembly of these figures did not affect the overall conclusions reported in the paper. All the authors agree with the publication of this corrigendum, and are grateful to the Editor of International Journal of Molecular Medicine for allowing them the opportunity to publish this. They also apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [International Journal of Molecular Medicine 37: 1405­1411, 2016; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2016.2539].

Relationship between serum fibroblast growth factor 19 and vascular endothelial growth factor and soluble klotho protein in type 1 diabetic children.

BACKGROUND: Fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) takes part in maintaining the balance of glycolipids and may be involved in complications of type 1 diabetes(T1D) in children. This study aimed at at evaluating the relationship among the levels of serum FGF19 and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and soluble klotho protein(sklotho) in type 1 diabetic children. METHODS: In a cross-section single center study samples were obtained from 96 subjects: 66 T1D and 30 healthy children.Serum FGF19 and VEGF and sklotho concentrations were measured by ELISA. And 66 type 1 diabetes participants were divided into two groups according to T1D duration or three groups according to HbA1c.Furthermore,we compared the serum levels of FGF19 and VEGF and sklotho in different groups. RESULTS: The concentration of FGF19 was lower in T1D than in the controls(226.52 ± 20.86pg/mu vs.240.08 ± 23.53 pg/L, p = 0.03),while sklotho was also lower in T1D than in the controls (2448.67 ± 791.92pg/mL vs. 3083.55 ± 1113.47pg/mL, p = 0.011). In contrast, VEGF levels were higher in diabetic patients than in controls (227.95 ± 48.65pg/mL vs. 205.92 ± 28.27 pg/mL, p = 0.016). In T1D, FGF19 and VEGF and sklotho was not correlated with the duration of diabetes. FGF19 and VEGF and sklotho were correlated with HbA1c (r=-0.349, p = 0.004 and r = 0.302, p = 0.014 and r=-0.342, p = 0.005, respectively), but not with blood glucose and lipid. Among subjects in the T1D group, concentrations of FGF19,VEGF and sklotho protein were different between different groups according to the degree of HbA1c(P < 0.005).Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the serum FGF19 concentration and sklotho levels (r = 0.247,p = 0.045), and a negative correlation between the serum FGF19 concentration and VEGF level(r=-0.335,P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: The serum FGF19 levels have a close relation with serum VEGF levels and sklotho levels among T1D subjects. FGF19 may be involved in the development of complications in children with type 1 diabetes through interaction with VEGF and sklotho.

Solanine reverses multidrug resistance in human myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells by downregulating MRP1 expression.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) in leukemia cells is a major obstacle to chemotherapeutic treatment. High expression and constitutive activation of multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) has been associated with the development of resistance to anticancer drugs in a number of tumor types. The activity of c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) is associated with the occurrence of MDR and MRP1 expression. The present study aimed to investigate the ability of solanine to resensitize the Adriamycin® (ADR)-resistant human myelogenous leukemia cell line K562/ADM to ADR. Results of the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay demonstrated that solanine inhibited K562/ADM cell proliferation. K562/ADM cell sensitivity to ADR was increased following treatment with solanine, indicated by increased intracellular accumulation of ADR. Western blotting demonstrated that treatment with solanine led to reduced MRP1 protein expression, suggesting that solanine-induced ADR accumulation is due to the downregulation of MRP1 expression. Solanine-mediated MRP1 downregulation was observed to be dependent on the JNK signaling pathway. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggest that solanine reverses MDR in K562/ADM cells and may represent a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of human myelogenous leukemia.

Solanine induced apoptosis and increased chemosensitivity to Adriamycin in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.

Solanine is an alkaloid and is the main extract of the traditional Chinese herb, Solanum nigrum Linn. It has been reported that Solanine has anti-inflammatory and antitumor properties. The present study aimed to investigate the antitumor effect of Solanine in Jurkat cells and demonstrate the molecular mechanism of antitumor activity of Solanine. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay demonstrated that Solanine inhibited the proliferation of Jurkat cells in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry. Flow cytometry revealed that Solanine induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in Jurkat cells. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that Solanine modulated the mRNA levels of B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax). Additionally, Bcl-2 and Bax expression was measured using western blot analysis. Western blot analysis revealed a significant increase in the expression of Bax and decrease in the expression of Bcl-2. Solanine increased the chemosensitivity of Jurkat cells to Adriamycin. In summary, the present results indicated that the antitumor activity of Solanine was associated with inhibition of cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis and increasing cytotoxicity of Adriamycin. Therefore, Solanine may have potential as a novel agent for the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukemia.

With no interaction, knockdown of Apollon and MDR1 reverse the multidrug resistance of human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells.

Chemotherapy is the main treatment method for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and has achieved marked results. However, the acquisition of multidrug resistance (MDR) has seriously affected the quality of life and survival rate of patients. The overexpression of the inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) and the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent binding cassette (ABC) transporters are the two main causes of MDR. Apollon and MDR1 are the most important and representative members, respectively, among the IAPs and ABC transporters. In the present study, we investigated the role of Apollon and MDR1 in chemotherapy resistance and their mechanism of interaction. We respectively knocked down the expression of Apollon and MDR1 using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in adriamycin (ADM) resistant human CML K562 cells and examined the drug sensitivity, the consequences with regard to ADM accumulation and the alterations in the expression of Apollon and MDR1. The expression levels of Apollon and MDR1 mRNA were higher in the K562/ADM cells compared with the parental K562 cells as determined by reverse transcription­polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The plasmids of Apollon and MDR1 shRNA were respectively stably transfected into K562/ADM cells using Lipofectamine 2000. The transfection efficiency was detected by fluorescence microscopy. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay revealed that Apollon or MDR1 knockdown significantly increased the chemosensitivity of the K562/ADM cells to ADM. Flow cytometric assay revealed that K562/ADM/shMDR1 cells exhibited a significantly increased intracellular accumulation of ADM, and that changes were not found in the K562/ADM/shApollon cells. Compared with the parental K562/ADM cells, a significantly decreased expression of Apollon mRNA and protein was determined in the K562/ADM/shApollon cells without affecting the expression of MDR1 as determined by RT-PCR and western blotting. Likewise, the expression levels of MDR1 mRNA and protein also markedly downregulated in the K562/ADM/shMDR1 cells had no effect on Apollon expression. Collectively, our findings demonstrated, for the first time, that downregulation of Apollon or MDR1 through stable transfection with the Apollon- or MDR1-targeting shRNA induced MDR reversal through respective inhibition of Apollon or MDR1 expression and function. However, the reversal mechanism of Apollon and MDR1 revealed no direct interaction with each other.

HOXB4 knockdown reverses multidrug resistance of human myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells by downregulating P-gp, MRP1 and BCRP expression via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) plays a pivotal role in human chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) chemotherapy failure. MDR is mainly associated with the overexpression of drug efflux transporters of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling cascade is involved in the MDR phenotype and is correlated with multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1)/P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein 1 (MRP1) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) expression in many human malignancies. Homeobox (HOX) B4, a member of the HOX gene family, has been reported to be correlated with occurrence, development, poor prognosis and drug resistance of human leukemia. In the present study, HOXB4 expression was analyzed in K562 cell line and its MDR subline K562/ADM. Compared with K562 cells, drug-resistant K562/ADM cells demonstrated evidently higher HOXB4 expression. In addition, we firstly investigated the reversal effect of HOXB4 deletion on K562/ADM cells and the underlying mechanism. The Cell Counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry assays showed that knockdown of HOXB4 enhanced chemosensitivity and decreased drug efflux in K562/ADM cells. Moreover, HOXB4 knockout led to downregulation of P-gp, MRP1 and BCRP expression and PI3K/Akt signaling activity, suggesting that repression of HOXB4 might be a key point to reverse MDR of K562/ADM cells.

Knockdown of HOXA10 reverses the multidrug resistance of human chronic mylogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells by downregulating P-gp and MRP-1.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of leukemia cells is a major obstacle in chemotherapeutic treatment. The high expression and constitutive activation of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and multidrug resistance protein-1 (MRP-1) have been reported to play a vital role in enhancing cell resistance to anticancer drugs in many tumors. The present study aimed to investigate the reversal of MDR by silencing homeobox A10 (HOXA10) in adriamycin (ADR)-resistant human chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) K562/ADM cells by modulating the expression of P-gp and MRP-1. K562/ADM cells were stably transfected with HOXA10-targeted short hairpin RNA (shRNA). The results of reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and western blot analysis showed that the mRNA and protein expression of HOXA10 was markedly suppressed following transfection with a shRNA-containing vector. The sensitivity of the K562/ADM cells to ADR was enhanced by the silencing of HOXA10, due to the increased intracellular accumulation of ADR. The accumulation of ADR induced by the silencing of HOXA10 may be due to the downregulation of P-gp and MRP-1. Western blot analysis revealed that downregulating HOXA10 inhibited the protein expression of P-gp and MRP-1. Taken together, these results suggest that knockdown of HOXA10 combats resistance and that HOXA10 is a potential target for resistant human CML.

Osthole shows the potential to overcome P-glycoprotein­mediated multidrug resistance in human myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) has been reported to play a pivotal role in tumor chemotherapy failure. Study after study has illustrated that the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling cascade is involved in the MDR phenotype and is correlated with P-gp expression in many human malignancies. In the present study, osthole, an O-methylated coumarin, exhibited potent reversal capability of MDR in myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells. Simultaneously, the uptake and efflux of Rhodamine-123 (Rh-123) and the accumulation of doxorubicin assays combined with flow cytometric analysis suggested that osthole could increase intracellular drug accumulation. Furthermore, osthole decreased the expression of multidrug resistance gene 1 (MDR1) at both the mRNA and protein levels. Further experiments elucidated that osthole could suppress P-gp expression by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway which might be the main mechanism accounting for the reversal potential of osthole in the MDR in K562/ADM cells. In conclusion, osthole combats MDR and could be a promising candidate for the development of novel MDR reversal modulators.

Timosaponin A-III reverses multi-drug resistance in human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562/ADM cells via downregulation of MDR1 and MRP1 expression by inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

One of the major causes of failure in chemotherapy for patients with human chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is the acquisition of multidrug resistance (MDR). MDR is often associated with the overexpression of drug efflux transporters of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) protein family. Timosaponin A-III (TAIII), a saponin isolated from the rhizome of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, has previously demonstrated the ability to suppress certain human tumor processes and the potential to be developed as an anticancer agent. Nevertheless, the ability of TAIII to reverse MDR has not yet been explored. In this study, the adriamycin (ADM) resistance reversal effect of TAIII in human CML K562/ADM cells and the underlying mechanism was investigated. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay showed that TAIII had a reversal effect on the drug resistance of K562/ADM cells. Flow cytometry assay showed increased intracellular accumulation of ADM after cells were pretreated with TAIII, and the changes in the accumulation of rhodamine-123 (Rho-123) and 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) dye in K562/ADM cells were determined to be similar to the changes of intracellular accumulation of ADM. After pretreatment of cells with TAIII, the decreasing expression of P-gp and MRP1 mRNA was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Western blotting showed TAIII inhibiting P-gp and MRP1 expression depended on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by decreasing the activity of p-Akt. Moreover, wortmannin an inhibitor of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway has a strong inhibitory effect on the expression of p-Akt, P-gp and MRP1. Besides, the combined treatment with TAIII did not have an affect on wortmannin downregulation of p-Akt, P-gp and MRP1. Taken together, our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that TAIII induced MDR reversal through inhibition of P-gp and MRP1 expression and function with regained adriamycin sensitivity which might mainly correlate to the regulation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

[A semimicroquality evaluation method on Panax notoginseng and its application in analysis of continuous cropping obstacles research samples].

Panax notoginseng is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine with blood activating effect while has continuous cropping obstacle problem in planting process. In present study, a semimicroextraction method with water-saturated n-butanol on 0.1 g notoginseng sample was established with good repeatability (RSD<2.5%) and 9.6%-20.6% higher extraction efficiency of seven saponins than the conventional method. A total of 16 characteristic peaks were identified by LC-MS-IT-TOF, including eight 20(S)-protopanaxatriol (PPT) type saponins and eight 20(S)-protopanaxadiol (PPD) type saponins. The established method was utilized to evaluate the quality of notoginseng samples cultivated by manual intervened methods to overcome continuous cropping obstacles.As a result, HPLC fingerprint similarity, content of Fa and ratio of notoginsenoside K and notoginsenoside Fa (N-K/Fa) were found out to be as valuatable markers of the quality of samples in continuous cropping obstacle research, of which N-K/Fa could also be applied to the analysis of notoginseng samples with different growth years.Notoginseng samples with continuous cropping obstacle had HPLC fingerprint similarity lower than 0.87, in consistent with normal sample, and had significant lower content of notoginsenoside Fa and significant higher N-K/Fa (2.35-4.74) than normal group (0.45-1.33). All samples in the first group with manual intervention showed high similarity with normal group (>0.87), similar content of common peaks and N-K/Fa (0.42-2.06). The content of notoginsenoside K in the second group with manual intervention was higher than normal group. All samples except two displayed similarity higher than 0.87 and possessed content of 16 saponins close to normal group. The result showed that notoginseng samples with continuous cropping obstacle had lower quality than normal sample. And manual intervened methods could improve their quality in different levels.The method established in this study was simple, fast and accurate, and the markers may provide new guides for quality control in continuous cropping obstacle research of notoginseng.

Knockdown of homeobox A5 by small hairpin RNA inhibits proliferation and enhances cytarabine chemosensitivity of acute myeloid leukemia cells.

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors that are essential for embryonic morphogenesis and differentiation. Transcription factors containing the highly conserved homeobox motif show considerable promise as potential regulators of hematopoietic maturation events. Previous studies have suggested that the increased expression levels of homeobox (HOX)A genes was correlated with the cytogenetic findings associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia and mixed lineage leukemia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of HOXA5 in leukemia. The U937 human leukemia cell line was transfected with a HOXA5­targeted short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to determine the effects of downregulation of the HOXA5 on proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution and chemoresistance in leukemia cells. Reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses demonstrated that the mRNA and protein expression levels of HOXA5 were markedly suppressed following transfection with an shRNA­containing vector. Knockdown of HOXA5 significantly inhibited cell proliferation, as determined by Cell Counting kit­8 assay. Flow cytometry revealed that reduced HOXA5 expression levels resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, and induced apoptosis. In addition, western blot analysis demonstrated that HOXA5 knockdown increased the expression levels of caspase­3, and reduced the expression levels of survivin in the U937 cells. Furthermore, knockdown of HOXA5 in the U937 cells enhanced their chemosensitivity to cytarabine. The results of the present study suggested that downregulation of HOXA5 by shRNA may trigger apoptosis and overcome drug resistance in leukemia cells. Therefore, HOXA5 may serve as a potential target for developing novel therapeutic strategies for leukemia.

[Effects of safflower injection on HEL leukemia cell proliferation and apoptosis and relevant molecular mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of safflower injection on the proliferation and apoptosis of human leukemia cell line HEL and the relevant molecular mechanisms. METHODS: HEL cells were treated with different concentrations of safflower injection. HEL cells without safflower injection treatment were used as the control group. MTT method was used to detect the inhibitory rate of the HEL cells at 24, 48 and 72 hours after various concentrations of safflower injection treatment (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/mL). The cell cycle and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometry and the HOXB3-mRNA expression was measured by RT-PCR at 48 hours after safflower injection treatment (10, 20 and 30 mg/mL). RESULTS: Compared with the control group, various concentrations of safflower injection inhibited HEL cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). At 48 hours after various concentrations of safflower injection treatment, the number of treated cells in the G2/M phase increased, but that in the S phase decreased, and the apoptosis rate was significantly higher than that in the control group, with a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The expression of HOXB3-mRNA in safflower injection-treated cells decreased in a dose-dependent manner compared with the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Safflower injection can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of HEL cells in vitro, and its underlying mechanisms may involve down-regulation of the HOXB3-mRNA expression.

[Determination of Th9 cells and IL-9 in children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of T helper type 9 (Th9) cells and interleukin-9 (IL-9) in children suffering from Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection. METHODS: A total of 86 children who were diagnosed with MP infection between January 2013 and June 2014 were classified into upper respiratory infection (URI) group (n=29), mild MP pneumonia (MPP) group (n=32) and severe MPP group (n=25). Twenty-eight healthy children were used as the control group. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation, and the percentage of Th9 cells in peripheral blood was measured by flow cytometry. Serum IL-9 level was determined using ELISA. RESULTS: The URI, mild MPP, and severe MPP groups had significantly higher percentages of Th9 cells and IL-9 levels than the control group (P<0.05); the mild MPP and severe MPP groups had significantly higher percentages of Th9 cells and IL-9 levels than the URI group (P<0.05), and the two indices were significantly higher in the severe MPP group than in the mild MPP group (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Children with MP infection have an elevated percentage of Th9 cells and IL-9 expression, both of which are positively correlated with the severity of the disease. It can be predicted that Th9 cells and IL-9 can be used as evaluation indicators for the progression and outcome of children with MP infection.

Inhibition of Forkhead box protein M1 by thiostrepton increases chemosensitivity to doxorubicin in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive type of blood malignancy, deriving from T-cell progenitors in the thymus, and comprises 10-15% of pediatric and 25% of adult primary ALL cases. Despite advances, 20% of pediatric and the majority of adult patients with T-ALL succumb to mortality from resistant or relapsed disease, and the survival rate for patients with resistant or relapsed T-ALL remains poor. Alterations in the expression of Forkhead box protein M1 (FoxM1) have been detected in several types of cancer, and the inhibition of FoxM1 has been investigated as therapeutic strategy in cancer. The present study investigated the effects of the inhibition of FoxM1 by thiostrepton in human T-ALL Jurkat cells. The cells were treated with different concentrations of thiostrepton, either alone or in combination with doxorubicin. Cell viability was measured using CCK-8 assays and the cell cycle distribution, apoptosis and cell-associated mean fluorescence intensity of intracellular doxorubicin were assessed using flow cytometric analysis. The mRNA and protein expression levels were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The inhibition of FoxM1 by thiostrepton significantly decreased the proliferation of the Jurkat cells proliferation in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Cell arrest at the G2/M phase, and apoptosis was significantly increased in the thiostrepton-treated Jurkat cells. Thiostrepton reduced the half maximal inhibitory concentration of doxorubicin in the Jurkat cells, and significantly enhanced the cytotoxicity of doxorubicin within the Jurkat cells by enhancing doxorubicin-induced apoptosis and increasing the accumulation of intracellular doxorubicin. Furthermore, the inhibition of FoxM1 by thiostrepton enhanced doxorubicin-induced apoptosis, possibly through a caspase-3-dependent pathway, and increased the accumulation of intracellular doxorubicin, possibly through downregulating the expression of glutathione S-transferase pi. Collectively, the results of the present study suggested that targeting FoxM1 with thiostrepton resulted in potent antileukemia activity and chemosensitizing effects in human T-ALL Jurkat cells.

A systematic study on the influencing parameters and improvement of quantitative analysis of multi-component with single marker method using notoginseng as research subject.

A new quantitative analysis of multi-component with single marker (QAMS) method for 11 saponins (ginsenosides Rg1, Rb1, Rg2, Rh1, Rf, Re and Rd; notoginsenosides R1, R4, Fa and K) in notoginseng was established, when 6 of these saponins were individually used as internal referring substances to investigate the influences of chemical structure, concentrations of quantitative components, and purities of the standard substances on the accuracy of the QAMS method. The results showed that the concentration of the analyte in sample solution was the major influencing parameter, whereas the other parameters had minimal influence on the accuracy of the QAMS method. A new method for calculating the relative correction factors by linear regression was established (linear regression method), which demonstrated to decrease standard method differences of the QAMS method from 1.20%±0.02% - 23.29%±3.23% to 0.10%±0.09% - 8.84%±2.85% in comparison with the previous method. And the differences between external standard method and the QAMS method using relative correction factors calculated by linear regression method were below 5% in the quantitative determination of Rg1, Re, R1, Rd and Fa in 24 notoginseng samples and Rb1 in 21 notoginseng samples. And the differences were mostly below 10% in the quantitative determination of Rf, Rg2, R4 and N-K (the differences of these 4 constituents bigger because their contents lower) in all the 24 notoginseng samples. The results indicated that the contents assayed by the new QAMS method could be considered as accurate as those assayed by external standard method. In addition, a method for determining applicable concentration ranges of the quantitative components assayed by QAMS method was established for the first time, which could ensure its high accuracy and could be applied to QAMS methods of other TCMs. The present study demonstrated the practicability of the application of the QAMS method for the quantitative analysis of multi-component and the quality control of TCMs and TCM prescriptions.

A comparison of the functional traits of common reed (Phragmites australis) in northern China: aquatic vs. terrestrial ecotypes.

Common reed (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.) is distributed widely throughout the world with various ecotypes. This research compares the functional traits and biomass allocation patterns of two contrasting reed ecotypes. Twelve pairs of aquatic and terrestrial reed samples were collected in northern China. Significant differences in functional traits between the two reed ecotypes were observed, while biomass allocation patterns of reed organs did not differ significantly except for at the root. The dry matter content (DMC) in the whole of the reed plant, leaf, root, and rhizome was higher; while the specific leaf area (SLA) and specific root length (SRL) were lower in terrestrial versus aquatic reed. The biomass allocation in organs of the two forms of reed was isometric, only root in the terrestrial habitat increased faster with an increase in the whole plant biomass. It can be affirmed that aquatic and terrestrial reed that adapt to different environments generally has distinct leaf and root functional traits but isometric biomass allocation patterns. This suggests different resource acquisition strategies: (1) aquatic reed grows faster with high SLA and SRL and is more responsive to the environment, while (2) terrestrial reed with high DMC grows slower and is less responsive to the adverse environment (e.g. dry soil conditions).

[Effect of Apollon siRNA combined with tetramethylpyrazine on proliferation and apoptosis of leukemia K562 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of small interfering RNA (siRNA) silencing Apollon gene combined with tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human chronic myeloid leukemia cell line K562. METHODS: K562 cells were divided into blank control, negative control, and RNA interference (RNAi) group. For the RNAi group, the pGPHI-GFP-Neo-Apollon eukaryotic expression vector based on the best Apollon siRNA fragments screened out in previous experiments was constructed; the blank control group received no treatment, and the negative control group was transfected with negative plasmid vector. The mRNA and protein expression of Apollon was measured by RT-PCR and cell immunofluorescence, respectively. Additionally, TMP (320 µg/mL) was applied to set TMP, TMP+negative control, and TMP+RNAi groups. The cell viability and apoptosis rate were determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: The constructed vector was stably expressed in K562 cells. The RNAi group had significantly lower mRNA and protein expression of Apollon than the blank control group and negative control (P<0.05). The RNAi group had significantly increased proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis rate, as compared with the blank contorl group (P<0.05). The TMP+RNAi group had significantly increased proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis rate, as compared with the RNAi, and TMP groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Apollon siRNA can significantly inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of K562 cells, and the addition of TMP can further increase the proliferation inhibition rate and apoptosis rate, suggesting that siRNA technology combined with drugs has a significant potential value in the treatment of leukemia.

[Effect of astragalus injection on U937 leukemia cells proliferation and apoptosis and relevant molecular mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of astragalus injection on U937 leukemia cells proliferation and apoptosis and relevant molecular mechanisms. METHODS: Leukemia cell line U937 cells were treated with different concentrations of astragalus (62.5, 125, 250, 500, 1 000 µg/mL). The U937 cells without astragalus treatment were used as the control group. The ability of cell proliferation was measured by MTT method. Flow cytometry was used to explore cell apoptosis. The cell morphology changes were observed under a fluorescent microscope by dyeing Hoechst33258. mRNA expression of c-myc and p27 in U937 cells which was exposed in 1 000 µg/mL astragalus after 0, 12, 24 and 48 hours was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: Various concentrations of astragalus injection inhibited U937 cell proliferation effectively compared with the control group (P<0.05). They also induced U937 cells apoptosis and the apoptosis rate reached to (63 ± 4)% in the 1 000 µg/mL astragalus treatment group. mRNA expression level of c-myc was gradually declined and p27 mRNA expression was gradually increased with astragalus treatment time (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Astragalus injection may inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of leukemia cell line U937 in vitro. This contributes to down-regulation of c-myc expression and up-regulation of p27 expression.

Effect of hyperoxia on the viability and proliferation of the primary type II alveolar epithelial cells.

To observe the effect of hyperoxia on the growth of type II alveolar epithelial cells (AEC II). The lungs of 19-day gestation fetal rats were primary cultured and the AEC II were purified by differential adhesion method. The cells were divided into control (normoxia) group and hyperoxia group. The cell growth, cell viability, cell apoptosis, and cell cycle were examined at 2, 4, 6, and 8 days of normoxia or hyperoxia exposure. The number of cells in hyperoxia-exposed group significantly decreased as compared to those of air control group. Number of cells in hyperoxia group was the highest at day 2 of exposure and gradually decreased with time. The viability of cells exposed to hyperoxia was substantially reduced compared with cells exposed to air. Percentage of cells in G1 phase and S phase in hyperoxia group increased gradually with increase in exposure duration and significant differences were seen at day 4 and day 6 compared with either the preceding time points and also with corresponding air-exposed cells. The percentage of both early apoptotic cells (Annexin-V(+)/PI(-)) and late apoptotic cells and necrotic cells (Annexin-V(+)/PI(+)) increased significantly in cells exposed to hyperoxia compared with cells exposed to air. Hyperoxia inhibits proliferation, viability and growth of AEC II and promotes apoptosis.

[Expression of homeobox gene HOXA9 in childhood acute leukemia, and its clinical significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of homeobox gene HOXA9 in the bone marrow mononuclear cells of children with acute leukemia (AL) and its clinical significance. METHODS: Forty-six children with AL were divided into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) groups. Fifteen children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura were selected as a control group. The mRNA expression of HOXA9 was measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: HOXA9 expression was detected in 63% of the 52 bone marrow samples from 46 AL children. The positive HOXA9 expression rate in the AML group was significantly higher than in the ALL and control groups (86% vs 35% and 13%; P<0.05). The mRNA expression of HOXA9 in the AML group was significantly higher than in the ALL and control groups (P<0.05). Among the children with AML, those with M5 AML had the highest HOXA9 mRNA level, followed by children with M4 AML and children with M1 and/or M2 AML, but HOXA9 expression was not detected in children with M3 AML. The high-risk subgroup of AML children had relatively high levels of HOXA9 expression. In the children with AML, the initial treatment subgroup had significantly higher positive HOXA9 expression rate and HOXA9 mRNA levels than in the remission subgroup and control group (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences between the latter two groups (P>0.05). The non-remission subgroup had significantly higher HOXA9 expression than the remission subgroup and control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of HOXA9 is associated with the occurrence of AL, and its expression level is significantly higher in children with AML than in those with ALL. There is a positive correlation between the expression level of HOXA9 and the risk of childhood leukemia, and high expression of HOXA9 suggests poor prognosis. Therefore, HOXA9 can be used as one of the indices in the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis prediction of childhood AL.