MicroRNA-33b replacement effect on growth and migration inhibition in ovarian cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Ovarian cancer is a devastating gynecological disease which is considered the major cause of cancer fatality around the world. The down-regulation of microRNA-33b (miR-33b) was reported in some malignancies. Hence, we transfected the miR-33b mimic into SKOV3 cells and evaluated the impacts of this interference on the growth and migration repression of these tumor cells as well as on targeted genes expression. METHODS: In our study, transfecting the miR-33b mimic and inhibitor, negative control (NC), and NC inhibitor were established using Lipofectamine 2000. The cytotoxic effects of miR-33b were evaluated by MTT. To assess the miR-33b effects on cell migration, a scratching test was applied. The expression levels of miR-33b, ADAMTS, C-Myc, MMP9, K-Ras, and CXCR4 were evaluated using qRT-PCR. RESULTS: These findings indicate that transfection of miR-143 mimic had no marked effects on the SKOV3 cell line. As expected, miR-33b relative expression levels were as follows: miR-33b mimic >NC and NC inhibitor >miR-33b inhibitor (p < 0.01). Moreover, transfected miR-33b mimic could suppress SKOV3 cells' proliferation, whereas transfected miR-33b inhibitor could promote cell proliferation (p < 0.01). MiR-33b overexpression significantly down-regulated the MMP9, CXCR-4, c-Myc, ADAMTS, and K-Ras mRNA levels (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: As expected, these results confirm the tumor-suppressive effect of miR-33b in the SKOV3 ovarian cancer cell line by reducing cell survival, proliferation, and migration.

Chemoprotective Effect of Syringic Acid on Cyclophosphamide Induced Ovarian Damage via Inflammatory Pathway.

Cyclophosphamide (CP) is very well-known anticancer drug and commonly used against various cancers. CP therapy is related to female ovarian cancer and causes female infertility. The ovarian cancer associated with the increase oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction. Syringic acid (SA) is very well phyto-constituent and already proof antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects on various diseases. We investigated the chemoprotective impact of SA on CP mediated ovarian damage, and the underlying mechanism. CP (75 mg/kg) was used to cause ovarian damage and rats were randomly divided into separate groups and received a different dose of SA for 14-day. Body weight, food and water intake were determined. Ovarian weight and tumor index was measured. Antioxidant parameters were determined in the serum and ovarian tissue. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis parameters and inflammatory mediators were estimated in the serum. Hormonal parameters and Histomorphometry were estimated. Dose dependently treatment of SA significantly (p < 0.001) decreased the levels of biochemical parameter such as nitric oxide (NO), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and augmented the antioxidant parameters include catalase (CAT), glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) level in serum and ovarian tissue. SA treatment significantly (p < 0.001) suppressed the level of luteinizing hormones (LH), anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), estradiol (E2) and folliclestimulating hormone (FSH) as well as ovarian follicles. SA significantly (p < 0.001) down-regulated cytokines, inflammatory mediator and caspase-3 parameters. Taken altogether, we conclude that SA considerably reduced ovarian damage via reduced oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction.

Altered Immune Landscape and Disrupted Coral-Symbiodinium Symbiosis in the Scleractinian Coral Pocillopora damicornis by Vibrio coralliilyticus Challenge.

Vibrio coralliilyticus is known to cause coral diseases, especially under environmental perturbation, but its impact on coral physiology and underpinning mechanism is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated cytological, immunological, and metatranscriptomic responses of the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis to V. coralliilyticus infection. The density and chlorophyll content of symbiotic zooxanthellae decreased significantly at 12 and 24 h after Vibrio challenge. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, nitric oxide synthase, phenoloxidase (PO), and the activation level of caspase3 all rose significantly in P. damicornis after Vibrio challenge. In the metatranscriptomic analysis, we found 10 significantly upregulated genes in the symbionts at 24 h after the challenge, which were mostly involved in the metabolism of nucleic acid and polysaccharide, and 133 significantly down-regulated symbiont genes, which were mainly related to amino acid catabolism and transport. Meanwhile, 1432 significantly upregulated coral genes were revealed, highly overrepresented in GO terms that are mostly related to the regulation of immune response, the regulation of cytokine production, and innate immune response. Furthermore, at 24 h after Vibrio challenge, 890 coral genes were significantly downregulated, highly overrepresented in four GO terms implicated in defense response. These results in concert suggest that V. coralliilyticus infection triggered the innate immune response including the redox, PO, and apoptosis systems, but repressed the response of the complement system in the scleractinian coral P. damicornis, accompanied by symbiont density decrease and symbiosis collapse through disordering the metabolism of the symbionts. These findings shed light on the molecular regulatory processes underlying bleaching and degradation of P. damicornis resulting from the infection of V. coralliilyticus.

Effects of environmental factors on C-type lectin recognition to zooxanthellae in the stony coral Pocillopora damicornis.

C-type lectin is a superfamily of Ca2+-dependent carbohydrate-recognition proteins that play significant roles in nonself-recognition and pathogen clearance. In the present study, a C-type lectin (PdC-Lectin) was chosen from stony coral Pocillopora damicornis to understand its recognition characteristics to zooxanthellae. PdC-Lectin protein contained a signal peptide and a carbohydrate-recognition domain with EPN motif in Ca2+-binding site 2. The PdC-Lectin recombinant protein was expressed and purified in vitro. The binding of PdC-Lectin protein to zooxanthellae was determined with western blotting method, and the bound protein to 10-105 cell mL-1 zooxanthellae was detectable in a concentration-dependent manner. Less PdC-Lectin protein binding to zooxanthellae was observed for the incubation at 36 °C than that at 26 °C. Furthermore, the PAMP recognition spectrum of PdC-Lectin protein was tested through surface plasmon resonance method, and it bound to LPS and Lipid A, but not to LTA, ß-glucan, mannose or Poly (I:C). When PdC-Lectin protein was preincubated with LPS, there was less protein binding to zooxanthellae compared with that in non-preincubation group. These results collectively suggest that PdC-Lectin could recognize zooxanthellae, and the recognition could be repressed by high temperature and pathogenic bacteria, which would help to further understand the molecular mechanism of coral bleaching and the establishment of coral-zooxanthella symbiosis in the stony coral P. damicornis.