Genome Sequencing Technology used to Explore the 6mA Methylation Level of Silent Alpha-Thalassemia in Postmenopausal Women.

BACKGROUND: Based on whole-genome sequencing technology our aim is to explore the expression of the alpha-thalassemia trait during menopause period at the 6mA methylation site and evaluate the significance in clinical diagnosis. METHODS: In this study, we collected peripheral blood from the women in the postmenopausal period in our hospital and used the method of (ChIP-seq) immunoprecipitation assay combined with next genome sequencing technology to select the 6mA site and differentially expressed genes and KEGG pathways and thereby investigate the clinical significance of the 6mA methylation site in women with thalassemia. RESULTS: A total of 38,879 methylation sites were selected, covering a wide range of CpG island and reference sequence genes. Methylation sites are located in different regions of the gene. PKA, PIK3C, CREB1, HSP90A, ITPR1, HSPA, and SOS were significantly enriched at the 6mA radicalization site and KEGG pathways, p < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: The 6mA methylation site of alpha-thalassemia trait in menopause was less distributed than that of healthy controls and mainly distributed in introns. Estrogen signaling pathways may affect alpha-thalassemia in menopause through the 6mA methylation of differentially expressed genes.

Hedyotis diffusa plus Scutellaria barbata Induce Bladder Cancer Cell Apoptosis by Inhibiting Akt Signaling Pathway through Downregulating miR-155 Expression.

Traditional Chinese medicine is increasingly used to treat cancer. Our clinical experiences identify Hedyotis diffusa plus Scutellaria barbata as the most common herb-pair (couplet medicinal) used for the core treatment of bladder cancer. This study aims to investigate the antitumor effect of the herb-pair in bladder cancer cells. The results show that Hedyotis diffusa plus Scutellaria barbata inhibited bladder cancer cell growth and clone formation in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. It also induced cell apoptosis through decreasing Akt activation and reducing the expression of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Mcl-1. Further experiments showed that miR-155 was reduced by the herb-pair and miRNA-155 inhibitor induced cell apoptosis and suppressed Akt activation. Overexpression of miR-155 reversed herb-pair induced cell apoptosis through activating Akt pathway in both bladder cancer cell lines. The findings reveal that Hedyotis diffusa plus Scutellaria barbata reduce Akt activation through reducing miR-155 expression, resulting in cell apoptosis. It demonstrated the potential mechanism of Hedyotis diffusa plus Scutellaria barbata for the core treatment of bladder cancer.