Anoctamin-1 affects the migration and invasion of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare malignancy with very poor prognosis. The exact cause underlying its strong aggressive nature is not clear. Here, we discovered the elevated expression of anoctamin-1 (ANO1; Ca2+-activated Cl- channels) in advanced-stage ATC tissue. Using different ATC cell lines, the degree of expression of ANO1 was found to be related to the degree of ATC cell invasion by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Suppression of ANO1 activity either by selective inhibitor (T16Ainh-A01) or by siRNA significantly attenuated the migration and invasion of ATC cells. In conclusion, ANO1 appears to increase the ability of ATC cells to invade and migrate. Our results also suggest that the expression of ANO1 in patients with ATC may be helpful in predicting the prognosis of ATC.

Cloning and expression of cryptochrome2 in the bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana).

Cryptochromes (CRYs) are non-opsin photoactive pigments that have recently been implicated in circadian photo-entrainment in humans, mice and Drosophila. In order to study the mechanism of circadian rhythm in amphibians, we have cloned and characterized a Rana cryptochrome in the bullfrog. We isolated a cDNA of about 2.1 kb from a bullfrog brain cDNA library by screening with a partial cry2 cDNA probe obtained by RT-PCR using degenerate primers. The cloned Rana cry2 cDNA has a complete single open-reading frame consisting of 323 amino acids, and its deduced amino acid sequence has a high degree of homology with human and mouse CRY2. Interestingly, we also isolated two other cry2 cDNAs, which may be splicing variants. Rana cry2 is expressed in all tissues as a 2.2 kb transcript. It is particularly highly expressed in the brain and ovaries, and also showed seasonal variation in expression in ovarian tissue. To examine its involvement in circadian rhythm, we tested whether expression in brain tissue followed a light-dark cycle, and found that expression was higher in the dark than in the light. Rana cry2 should therefore, be useful for studying circadian rhythms in seasonally breeding wild animals.