Exome analysis for Cronkhite-Canada syndrome: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Cronkhite-Canada syndrome (CCS) is a rare, non-genetic disorder characterized by multiple gastrointestinal polyps, and ectodermal lesions such as alopecia, fingernail atrophy, and skin mucosal pigmentation. Unfortunately, the pathogenesis of CCS is currently unknown. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we describe the case of an elderly female with diarrhea, fatigue, and hair loss, who experienced abdominal pain for over half a year and was found to have multiple gastrointestinal polyps. She was diagnosed with CCS and was treated with albumin supplementation and prednisone, and her electrolyte imbalance was corrected. Following treatment, her symptoms significantly improved. To elucidate the role of potential genetic events in the pathogenesis of CCS, we performed exome sequencing using an extract of her colorectal adenoma. CONCLUSION: Our data revealed multiple somatic mutations and copy number variations. Our findings provide a novel insight into the potential mechanisms of CCS etiology.

Selective elimination of host cells harboring replication-competent human immunodeficiency virus reservoirs: a promising therapeutic strategy for HIV cure.

ABSTRACT: Many seminal advances have been made in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS research over the past four decades. Treatment strategies, such as gene therapy and immunotherapy, are yielding promising results to effectively control HIV infection. Despite this, a cure for HIV/AIDS is not envisioned in the near future. A recently published academic study has raised awareness regarding a promising alternative therapeutic option for HIV/AIDS, referred to as "selective elimination of host cells capable of producing HIV" (SECH). Similar to the "shock and kill strategy," the SECH approach requires the simultaneous administration of drugs targeting key mechanisms in specific cells to efficiently eliminate HIV replication-competent cellular reservoirs. Herein, we comprehensively review the specific mechanisms targeted by the SECH strategy. Briefly, the suggested cocktail of drugs should contain (i) latency reversal agents to promote the latency reversal process in replication-competent reservoir cells, (ii) pro-apoptotic and anti-autophagy drugs to induce death of infected cells through various pathways, and finally (iii) drugs that eliminate new cycles of infection by prevention of HIV attachment to host cells, and by HIV integrase inhibitor drugs. Finally, we discuss three major challenges that are likely to restrict the application of the SECH strategy in HIV/AIDS patients.

Sulforaphane improves outcomes and slows cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in rats.

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury has been correlated with systemic inflammatory response. In addition, NLRP3 has been suggested as a cause in many inflammatory processes. Sulforaphane (SFN) is a naturally occurring isothiocyanate found in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cabbage. While recent studies have demonstrated that Sulforaphane has protective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, little is known about how those protective effects work. In this study, we focus our investigation on the role and process of Sulforaphane in the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, as well as its effect on brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with Sulforaphane (5 or 10mg/kg) intraperitoneally at the beginning of reperfusion, after a 60min period of occlusion. A neurological score and infarct volume were assessed at 24h after the administration of Sulforaphane. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was measured at 24h to assess neutrophil infiltration in brain tissue. ELISA, RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were used to measure any inflammatory reaction. Sulforaphane treatment significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurological scores when compared to a vehicle-treated group. Neutrophil infiltration was significantly higher in the vehicle-treated group than in the Sulforaphane treatment group. Sulforaphane treatment inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome activation and the downregulation of cleaved caspase-1, while reducing IL-1ß and IL-18 expression. The inhibition of inflammatory response with Sulforaphane treatment improves outcomes after focal cerebral ischemia. This neuroprotective effect is likely exerted by Sulforaphane inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation caused by the downregulation of NLRP3, the induction of cleaved caspase-1, and thus the reduction of IL-1ß and IL-18.

ALEX1 Regulates Proliferation and Apoptosis in Breast Cancer Cells.

BACKGROUND: Arm protein lost in epithelial cancers, on chromosome X (ALEX) is a novel subgroup within the armadillo (ARM) family, which has one or two ARM repeat domains as opposed to more than six-thirteen repeats in the classical Armadillo family members. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the study, we explore the biological functions of ALEX1 in breast cancer cells. Overexpression of ALEX1 and silencing of ALEX1 were performed with SK-BR3 and MCF-7 cell lines. Cell proliferation and colony formation assays, along with flow cytometry, were carried out to evaluate the roles of ALEX1. RESULTS: ALEX1 overexpression in SK-BR3 breast cancer cells inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis. Furthermore, depletion of ALEX1 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells increased proliferation and inhibited apoptosis. Additional analyses demonstrated that the overexpression of ALEX1 activated the intrinsic apoptosis cascades through up-regulating the expression of Bax, cytosol cytochrome c, active caspase-9 and active caspase-3 and down-regulating the levels of Bcl-2 and mitochondria cytochrome c. Simultaneouly, silencing of ALEX1 inhibited intrinsic apoptosis cascades through down-regulating the expression of Bax, cytosol cytochrome c, active caspase-9, and active caspase-3 and up-regulating the level of Bcl-2 and mitochondria cytochrome c. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that ALEX1 as a crucial tumor suppressor gene has been involved in cell proliferation and apoptosis in breast cancer, which may serve as a novel candidate therapeutic target.

Histopathological study of corneal flap striae following laser in situ keratomileusis in rabbits.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the histopathological changes and wound healing process of rabbit corneas following conventional laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with and without the complication of flap macrostriae. The right eyes of 14 rabbits underwent LASIK with the formation of flap striae (macrostriae group) and the left underwent LASIK alone (control group). Two rabbits were selected at random for sacrifice on days 1, 3, 7 and 14, and at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The histopathological characters of the corneas were compared by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and Masson staining. In the control group, the epithelial basement membrane of the cornea exhibited microstriae and the arrangement of stromal collagen fibers was regular. The width of the microstriae in the flap was 20-40 µm one week after surgery and the microstriae were no longer visible two weeks postoperatively. In the macrostriae group, infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells occurred around the incision and irregular hyperplasia of the epithelium was observed due to undulation of the epithelial basement membrane on the first postoperative day. The collagen fibers and striae of the corneal stroma exhibited irregular undulation one month postoperatively. The area between the corneal flap and stromal bed was distinctly stained by PAS and Masson stains. Macrostriae with a width of 80-120 µm affecting two-thirds of the entire cornea remained visible six months postoperatively. In conclusion, the inflammatory reactions and clinical impact of flap macrostriae were severe. Macrostriae involving two-thirds of the entire cornea remained visible six months postoperatively. Longer-term studies are required to further elucidate the issues associated with corneal flap striae.

MiR-335 inhibits migration of breast cancer cells through targeting oncoprotein c-Met.

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with breast cancer and aberrantly expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) are highly associated with this process. A previous study has shown that miR-335 is downregulated in breast cancer and can suppress tumor invasion and metastasis. Emerging evidences indicate that c-Met is implicated in cell scattering, migration, and invasion. However, little is known about the relationship between miR-335 expression and c-Met alteration in breast cancer. In the present study, we found that miR-335 expression was downregulated and c-Met protein expression was upregulated in two human breast cell lines. MiR-335 was found to negatively regulate c-Met protein level by directly targeting its 3' untranslated region (UTR). Forced expression of miR-335 decreased c-Met expression at protein levels and consequently diminished hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced phosphorylation of c-Met and subsequently inhibited HGF promotion of breast cancer cell migration in a c-Met-dependent manner. MiR-335 expression was increased after 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-CdR) treatment, and 5-AZA-CdR treatment resulted in the same phenotype as the effect of miR-335 overexpression. Taken together, these results demonstrate that miR-335 suppresses breast cancer cell migration by negatively regulating the HGF/c-Met pathway.

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes elicited by dendritic cell-targeted delivery of human papillomavirus type-16 E6/E7 fusion gene exert lethal effects on CaSki cells.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Consideration of safety and non human leukocyte antigen restriction, protein vaccine has become the most likely form of HPV therapeutic vaccine, although none have so far been reported as effective. Since tumor cells consistently express the two proteins E6 and E7, most therapeutic vaccines target one or both of them. In this study, we fabricated DC vaccines by transducing replication-defective recombinant adenoviruses expressing E6/E7 fusion gene of HPV-16, to investigate the lethal effects of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) against CaSki cells in vitro. Mouse immature dendritic cells (DC) were generated from bone marrow, and transfected with pAd-E6/E7 to prepare a DC vaccine and to induce specific CTL. The surface expression of CD40, CD68, MHC II and CD11c was assessed by flow cytometry (FCM), and the lethal effects of CTL against CaSki cells were determined by DAPI, FCM and CCK-8 methods. Immature mouse DC was successfully transfected by pAd-E6/E7 in vitro, and the transfecting efficiency was 40%-50%. A DC vaccine was successfully prepared and was used to induce specific CTL. Experimental results showed that the percentage of apoptosis and killing rate of CaSki cells were significantly increased by coculturing with the specific CTL (p <0.05). These results illustrated that a DC vaccine modified by HPV-16 E6/E7 gene can induce apoptosis of CaSki cells by inducing CTL, which may be used as a new strategy for biological treatment of cervical cancer.

Association between the pre-mir-218 polymorphism and cancer risk in the Chinese population: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Several recent studies have explored associations between pre-mir-218 polymorphism (rs11134527) and cancer risk. However, published data are still inconclusive. To obtain a more precise estimation of the relationship in the Chinese population, we carried out a meta-analysis for the first time. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Through retrieval from the PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science databases, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and the Chinese BioMedical Literature Database, a total of four studies were analyzed with 3,561 cases and 3,628 controls for SNP pre-mir-218 rs11134527. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) to explore the strength of associations. RESULTS: The results showed that the rs11134527 polymorphism was associated with decreased cancer risk in GG versus AA and GG versus AA+AG models tested ( GG vs AA: OR=0.82, 95%CI: 0.71-0.94; GG vs AA+AG: OR=0.84, 95%CI: 0.74-0.96), and significantly decreased cervical cancer risk was observed in GG versus AA and GG versus AA+AG models (GG vs AA: OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.66-0.94; GG vs AA+AG: OR=0.80, 95%CI: 0.68-0.94). However, no significant association between the rs11134527 polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk was observed in all comparison models tested (AG vs AA: OR=0.94, 95%CI: 0.79-1.11; GG vs AA: OR=0.88, 95%CI: 0.70-1.10; GG+AG vs AA: OR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.79-1.08; GG vs AA+AG: OR=0.91, 95%CI: 0.75-1.11). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that pre-miR-218 rs11134527 polymorphism may have some relation to cancer development in Chinese. However, well-designed studies with larger sample size and more detailed data are needed to confirm these conclusions.

Fangchinoline inhibits cell proliferation via Akt/GSK-3beta/ cyclin D1 signaling and induces apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Fangchinoline (Fan) inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. The effects of Fan on cell growth and proliferation in breast cancer cells remain to be elucidated. Here, we show that Fan inhibited cell proliferation in the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line through suppression of the AKT/Gsk- 3beta/cyclin D1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, Fan induced apoptosis by increasing the expression of Bax (relative to Bcl-2), active caspase 3 and cytochrome-c. Fan significantly inhibited cell proliferation of MDA- MB-231 cells in a concentration and time dependent manner as determined by MTT assay. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that Fan treatment of MDA-MB-231 cells resulted in cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase, which correlated with apparent downregulation of both mRNA and protein levels of both PCNA and cyclin D1. Further analysis demonstrated that Fan decreased the phosphorylation of AKT and GSK-3beta. In addition, Fan up-regulated active caspase3, cytochrome-c protein levels and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, accompanied by apoptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that Fan is a potential natural product for the treatment of breast cancer.

Ubiquitin E3 ligase CRL4(CDT2/DCAF2) as a potential chemotherapeutic target for ovarian surface epithelial cancer.

Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) are the largest family of E3 ligases and require cullin neddylation for their activation. The NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor MLN4924 reportedly blocked cullin neddylation and inactivated CRLs, which resulted in apoptosis induction and tumor suppression. However, CRL roles in ovarian cancer cell survival and the ovarian tumor repressing effects of MLN4924 are unknown. We show here that CRL4 components are highly expressed in human epithelial ovarian cancer tissues. MLN4924-induced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, MLN4924 sensitized ovarian cancer cells to other chemotherapeutic drug treatments. Depletion of CRL4 components Roc1/2, Cul4a, and DDB1 had inhibitory effects on ovarian cancer cells similar to MLN4924 treatment, which suggested that CRL4 inhibition contributed to the chemotherapeutic effect of MLN4924 in ovarian cancers. We also investigated for key CRL4 substrate adaptors required for ovarian cancer cells. Depleting Vprbp/Dcaf1 did not significantly affect ovarian cancer cell growth, even though it was expressed by ovarian cancer tissues. However, depleting Cdt2/Dcaf2 mimicked the pharmacological effects of MLN4924 and caused the accumulation of its substrate, CDT1, both in vitro and in vivo. MLN4924-induced DNA damage and apoptosis were partially rescued by Cdt1 depletion, suggesting that CRL4(CDT2) repression and CDT1 accumulation were key biochemical events contributing to the genotoxic effects of MLN4924 in ovarian cancer cells. Taken together, these results indicate that CRL4(CDT2) is a potential drug target in ovarian cancers and that MLN4924 may be an effective anticancer agent for targeted ovarian cancer therapy.

DAXX silencing suppresses mouse ovarian surface epithelial cell growth by inducing senescence and DNA damage.

Mouse ovarian surface epithelium (OSE) is a single layer of cubodial epithelial cells that covers the ovary surface and is involved in regulating the secretion and transport of 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Recently, OSE cells have attracted particular interest as a major source of ovarian cancer. Death-associated protein DAXX along with PML (promyelocytic leukemia protein) nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) reportedly play roles in transcriptional regulation and apoptosis. However, little is known regarding a role for DAXX in mOSE cells. In this study, we both over-expressed DAXX and depleted DAXX in primary mOSE cells. We found that Daxx deletion accelerated senescence in a p53/p21-dependent manner and promoted DNA damage by interacting with PML bodies without affecting cell cycle progression. These results suggest that DAXX may transform mOSE cells to an ovarian oncogenic phenotype and may be an anti-cancer target.

MCPH1 Protein Expression in Normal and Neoplastic Lung Tissues.

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the world. The main types are small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), the latter including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma. NSCLCs account for about 80% of all lung cancer cases. Microcephalin (MCPH1), also called BRIT1 (BRCT-repeat inhibitor of hTERT expression), plays an important role in the maintenance of genomic stability. Recently, several studies have provided evidence that the expression of MCPH1 gene is decreased in several different types of human cancers. We evaluated the expression of protein MCPH1 in 188 lung cancer and 20 normal lung tissues by immunohistochemistry. Positive MCPH1 staining was found in all normal lung samples and only some cancerous tissues. MCPH1-positive cells were significantly lower in lung carcinoma compared with normal tissues. Furthermore, we firstly found that MCPH1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma is higher than its expression in squamous cell carcinoma. Change in MCPH1 protein expression may be associated with lung tumorigenesis and may be a useful biomarker for identification of pathological types of lung cancer.

[HPV caused pathological changes in genital system of mice].

The recombined adenovirus DNA was transfected into 293 cells for packing and amplification of replication-deficient Ad-CMV-E6/E7, Ad-K14 -E6/E7 virus was purified by CsCl density gradient centrifugation , recombined adenovirus Ad-CMV-E6/E7, Ad-K14 -E6/E7 were used as experimental group, while pAd-CMV and pAdtrack-K14 were used as control group. Four of them were injected through one main vein of nude mice tail respectively. These mice were then treated with 0.05 mg 17beta-estradiol over 12 weeks. Mice were anaesthesiaed with 2.5% Avertint and the vagina, mammary gland, ovaries and uterus were dissected and fixed in 3.75% paraformaldehyde overnight at 4 degrees C. Paraffin-embedded sections, HE staining and identification of P53 and Bcl-2 protein via immunohistochemistry were performed. The expression of E6/E7 was verified by RT-PCR in different tissue of nude mice. HE staining showed evident hyperplasy in cervix-uterus transformation zone of experimental group 2. The expression of mutant P53 and Bcl-2 were higher than control group via immunohistochemical S-P method in uterus stroma-cell. Western blotting also showed that E6 protein was expressed. The expression of E6/E7 was higher than control group by human cytokeratin promoter 14 and hyperlasy changes were detected in epithelial tissue of cervix-uterus transformation zone.

Identification and characterization of chicken neuropathy target esterase.

Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) was proposed as the initial target during the process of organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN) and adult hens are the animal model of OPIDN. However, little has been known about the sequence and characteristics of chicken NTE. Here, we firstly identified the full length cDNA of chicken NTE (cNTE), which contained an open reading frame of 3966 nucleotides encoding 1321 amino acids. Chicken NTE had two distinct regions, one was the regulatory domain (cNTER) and the other was the catalytic domain (cNEST). Over-expression of cNTER in mammalian cells did not show any NTE activity, whereas cNEST had NTE activity. Cells expressing cNTER tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) showed accumulation of cNTER-GFP in an endoplasmic reticulum-like localization pattern. In addition, macroautophagy and the proteasome pathways were found to be involved in the degradation of cNTER, but not cNEST. These results first showed that cNTE was an ER-anchored protein and degraded by macroautophagy as well as the proteasome.

Expression of functional metallothionein isoforms in papillary thyroid cancer.

Metallothionein (MT) isoforms have not been studied in papillary thyroid cancer. We examined how the functional MT1 and MT2 isoforms were expressed in papillary thyroid cancer (KAT5) cells. We demonstrated that KAT5 cells expressed eight functional MT1 and MT2 isoforms induced by cadmium. Elevated calcium and activated ERK1/2 predated MT expression. The inhibition of either calcium or ERK1/2 significantly blocked the isoform expression. The induction of these isoforms accompanied an increased progression of cell cycle from G0/G1 to G2-M. The alternation in cell cycle disappeared when the expression of MT isoforms was blocked by calcium inhibitor or ERK1/2 inhibitor. Collectively, KAT5 cells express eight functional MT1 and MT2 isoforms in a pathway controlled by calcium and ERK1/2. The elevation of the MT isoforms contributes to the decreased G0/G1 but increased G2-M phase. These results reveal a novel pathway for the expression of the functional MT in papillary thyroid cancer.

[Molecular mechanism of apoptosis induced by PsL5F in human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma FRO cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the apoptosis induced by Pteris semipnnata L 5F (PsL5F) in human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma FRO cells and its molecular mechanism. METHODS: Human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma FRO cells were treated with PsL5F, and the growth inhibition rate was evaluated by MTT assay. The cell apoptosis rate was assessed by Annexin V-FITC fluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were analyzed by CM-H2DCFDA fluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was measured by DiOD6 (3) fluorescence staining and flow cytometry. The levels of Bax, Cyto C, AIF and cleaved PARP were analyzed by Western blotting. The activity of caspase-3 was assayed by caspase-3 colorimetric assay kit. RESULTS: PsL5F has significant growth inhibitory action on FRO cells in dose and time dependent manners. Under the treatment of 100 mg/L of PsL5F, the percentage of apoptotic cells with phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization was gradually increased in time dependent manner. The rise of ROS level in FRO cells was observed as early as 1h after treated with PsL5F. The elevation of intracellular ROS levels and cell apoptosis could be inhibited by glutathione (GSH), a scavenger of ROS. The MMP in FRO cells was gradually reduced by PsL5F, and the reduction of MMP can be inhibited by GSH. Meanwhile, the levels of Bax in fraction of mitochondrial membrane, Cyto C and AIF in fraction of cytosol were gradually increased. PsL5F can cause the increase of caspase-3 activity and cleavage of PARP, a substrate of caspase-3. CONCLUSION: PsL5F can inhibit growth of human anaplastic thyroid carcinoma FRO cells through inducing apoptosis. The rise of ROS levels in FRO cells plays important role as a secondary messenger in apoptosis induced by PsL5F. Mitochondrium is an important target of PsL5F. Cell apoptosis induced by PsL5F in FRO cells was carried out through translocation of Bax to mitochondrial membrane, reduction of MMP, release of Cyto C and AIF from mitochondria to cytosol, and activation of caspases cascade reaction.

RNAi-mediated silencing of the Bmi-1 gene causes growth inhibition and enhances doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells.

The oncogene Bmi-1 is a member of the Polycomb group gene family. Its expression is found to be greatly increased in a number of malignant tumors including breast cancer. This could suggest Bmi-1 as a potent therapeutic target. In this study, RNAi was introduced to down-regulate the expression of Bmi-1 in a highly malignant breast adenocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7. A thorough study of the biological behavior and chemosensitivity changes of the MCF-7 cells was carried out in context to the therapeutic potential of Bmi-1. The results obtained indicated that siRNA targeting of Bmi-1 could lead to an efficient and specific inhibition of endogenous Bmi-1 activity. The mRNA and protein expression of Bmi-1 were determined by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Furthermore, silencing of Bmi-1 resulted in a drastic inhibition of the growth of MCF-7 cells as well as G(1) /S phase transition. The number of target cells was found to increase in phase G (0) /G (1) and decrease in the S phase, but no increase in the basal level of apoptosis was noticed. On the other hand, a reduction in the expression of cyclin D1 and an increase in the expression of p21 were also noticed. Silencing of Bmi-1 made the MCF-7 cells more sensitive to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin and induced a significantly higher percentage of apoptotic cells. Here, we report on a study regarding the RNAi-mediated silencing of the Bmi-1 gene in breast cancer.

RNAi-mediated silencing of the Bmi-1 gene causes growth inhibition and enhances doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells

The oncogene Bmi-1 is a member of the Polycomb group gene family. Its expression is found to be greatly increased in a number of malignant tumors including breast cancer. This could suggest Bmi-1 as a potent therapeutic target. In this study, RNAi was introduced to down-regulate the expression of Bmi-1 in a highly malignant breast adenocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7. A thorough study of the biological behavior and chemosensitivity changes of the MCF-7 cells was carried out in context to the therapeutic potential of Bmi-1. The results obtained indicated that siRNA targeting of Bmi-1 could lead to an efficient and specific inhibition of endogenous Bmi-1 activity. The mRNA and protein expression of Bmi-1 were determined by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Furthermore, silencing of Bmi-1 resulted in a drastic inhibition of the growth of MCF-7 cells as well as G1/S phase transition. The number of target cells was found to increase in phase G0/G1 and decrease in the S phase, but no increase in the basal level of apoptosis was noticed. On the other hand, a reduction in the expression of cyclin D1 and an increase in the expression of p21 were also noticed. Silencing of Bmi-1 made the MCF-7 cells more sensitive to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin and induced a significantly higher percentage of apoptotic cells. Here, we report on a study regarding the RNAi-mediated silencing of the Bmi-1 gene in breast cancer.

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of cDNA ends of chicken neuropathy target esterase.

Neuropathy target esterase (NTE) was proposed as the initial target during the process of organophosphate-induced delayed neuropathy (OPIDN) in human and some sensitive animals. Adult hens are usually the animal model for experimental studies of OPIDN. However, little is known about the sequence and characteristics of chicken NTE. We report here the cloning of the 5' and 3' cDNA ends of chicken NTE through rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) and their expression profiles in different tissues with northern blotting. The cloned 3' cDNA end of chicken NTE is 801 base pair (bp) in length with an open reading frame (ORF) of 379 bp. It contains a termination codon (TAG) and a 422-nucleotide noncoding sequence with the polyA sequence (GenBank accession no. DQ126678). The chicken NTE 5' cDNA end is 665 bp in length with an ORF of 552 bp. It contains an initiation codon (ATG) and a 113-bp untranslated region (GenBank accession no. DQ126677). The deduced proteins from 5' and 3' cDNA ends have a high degree of homology to humans and mouse NTE at the amino acid level. Chicken NTE is suggested to be a transmembrane protein by the transmembrane helix prediction of the deduced N-terminal sequence. The chicken NTE gene is expressed as a 4.5k b transcript in different tissues, including brain, kidney, liver and testis. Moreover, the mRNA expression of chicken NTE is highest in brain, and the mRNA levels of chicken NTE in testis, kidney and liver are about 75%, 47% and 24% of that in brain, respectively. These results should be helpful in cloning chicken full-length NTE gene.

Melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7/interleukin 24 inhibits invasion and migration of human cervical cancer cells in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we used an adenoviral vector -melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7 (Ad-mda7) to examine the effect of the ectopic production of MDA-7/IL-24 on cell migration and invasion by human cervical cancer cells. METHODS: The study took place in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China, between April 2006 and November 2006. The change of metastasis of cervical cancer cells (CaSki) cells were detected by Cell Migration Assay and Cell Invasion Assay after treated with Ad-mda7. The production of proteins associated with cell migration and invasion were detected by western blot. RESULTS: Cervical cancer cells treated in vitro with Ad-mda7 migrated and invaded less than cells treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or Ad-Luc (vector control). Melanoma differentiation-associated gene-7 /IL-24 inhibited migration and invasion by down-regulating the production of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and by up-regulating the production of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. relative to PBS and Ad-Luc. CONCLUSION: These results show that MDA-7/IL-24 inhibits invasion and migration by cervical cancer cells by down- or up- regulating proteins associated with these processes, resulting in reduced metastasis. Thus, Ad-mda7 should be considered a therapeutic agent that can inhibit primary tumor growth and prevent metastasis.