Comparative evaluation of BMI-1 proto-oncogene expression in normal tissue, adenoma and papillary carcinoma of human thyroid in pathology samples.

OBJECTIVE: Papillary Thyroid carcinoma accounts for more than 60% of adult thyroid carcinomas. Finding a helpful marker is vital to determine the correct treatment approach. The present study was aimed to evaluate the expression of the B cell-specific Moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (BMI-1) gene in papillary carcinoma, adenoma, and adjacent healthy thyroid tissues. Pathology blocks of thyroid tissues at the pathology department of patients who have undergone thyroid surgery between 2015 and 2019 were examined; papillary carcinoma, adenoma, and healthy tissues were selected and sectioned. Total RNA was extracted, and the relative expression level of the BMI-1 gene was examined using the Real-Time qPCR method. RESULTS: In the papillary and adenoma tissues, BMI-1 was overexpressed (1.047-fold and 1.042-fold) in comparison to healthy tissues (p < 0.05 for both comparisons). However, no statistically significant differences were observed between adenoma and papillary carcinoma tissues regarding BMI-1 gene expression. This study demonstrated a new biomarker for thyroid malignancies and found that the mRNA levels of the BMI-1 gene were higher in tumor tissues compared with healthy tissues. Further studies are needed to evaluate the BMI1 gene expression in other thyroid cancers.

Association of ATM and BMI-1 genetic variation with breast cancer risk in Han Chinese.

We tested the hypothesis that genetic variation in ATM and BMI-1 genes can alter the risk of breast cancer through genotyping 6 variants among 524 breast cancer cases and 518 cancer-free controls of Han nationality. This was an observational, hospital-based, case-control association study. Analyses of single variant, linkage, haplotype, interaction and nomogram were performed. Risk was expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). All studied variants were in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and were not linked. The mutant allele frequencies of rs1890637, rs3092856 and rs1801516 in ATM gene were significantly higher in cases than in controls (P = .005, <.001 and .001, respectively). Two variants, rs1042059 and rs201024480, in BMI-1 gene were low penetrant, with no detectable significance. After adjustment, rs189037 and rs1801516 were significantly associated with breast cancer under the additive model (OR: 1.37 and 1.52, 95% CI: 1.10-1.71 and 1.14-2.04, P: .005 and .005, respectively). In haplotype analysis, haplotypes A-C-G-G (in order of rs189037, rs3092856, rs1801516 and rs373759) and A-C-A-A in ATM gene were significantly associated with 1.98-fold and 6.04-fold increased risk of breast cancer (95% CI: 1.36-2.90 and 1.65-22.08, respectively). Nomogram analysis estimated that the cumulative proportion of 3 significant variants in ATM gene was about 12.5%. Our findings collectively indicated that ATM gene was a candidate gene in susceptibility to breast cancer in Han Chinese.

Effect of BMI-1 on radiosensitization of esophageal carcino-ma cells after silencing of BMI-1 gene / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of BMI-1 expression inhibition by RNA interference on the radiosensitivity of esophageal cancer TE-13 cells and its mechanism.Methods The siRNA based on the sequence of BMI-1 mRNA was synthesized to transfect cultured TE-13 cells as BMI-1 siRNA group,a negative one was synthesized to transfect cultured TE-13 cells as negative control group (NC group),and untransfected TE-13 cells were named as control group.The expression of the BMI-1 mRNA and protein in TE-13 cells was measured by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot,respectively.The cell proliferation and the radiosensitivity of TE-13 cells were measured by MTS and colony-forming assay,respectively.Flow cytometry was used to analyze cell cycle and apoptosis.The expression of BCL-2 and BAX in TE-13 cells was measured by Western blot.Comparison between groups was made by analysis of variance.Results The BMI-1 siRNA group had significantly lower expression of BMI-1 mRNA and protein than the control group and the NC group (P=0.000,0.000).The proliferation of TE-13 cells in the BMI-1 siRNA group decreased significantly after irradiation (P=0.031).The colony-forming assay showed that the BMI-1 siRNA group had a significantly higher radiosensitivity than the control group and the NC group (P=0.000).After irradiation,the BMI-1 siRNA group had a significantly lower percentage of cells in G2/M phase than the control group and the NC group (P=0.000,0.000).The BMI-1 siRNA group had a significantly increased apoptosis rate (P=0.000,0.000),significantly reduced expression of BCL-2(P=0.000,0.000),and significantly increased expression of BAX after irradiation (P=0.000,0.000).Conclusions BMI-1 siRNA can inhibit the expression of BMI-1 gene in esophageal cancer TE-13 cells,eliminate the cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase,induce cell apoptosis after ionizing irradiation in vitro,and increase the radiosensitivity,which may be related to the regulation of the expression of BCL-2 and BAX.

Effect of shRNA-Mediated Gene Silencing of Bmi-1 Expression on Chemosensitivity of CD44+ Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Cancer Stem-Like Cells.

In this study, we investigate the effect of short hairpin RNA-mediated gene silencing of Bmi-1 expression on chemosensitivity of CD44(+) nasopharyngeal carcinoma cancer stem-like cells. The sequence-specific short hairpin RNA lentivirus targeting at human Bmi-1 was synthesized and used to infect CD44(+) nasopharyngeal cells that were sorted by flow cytometry. We also employed flow cytometry to detect transfection efficiency. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect Bmi-1 and its downstream repressor genes p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) messenger RNA, while each protein expression level of Bmi-1, p16(INK4a), p14(ARF), and p53 was confirmed by Western blotting protocol. Tumor spheroid assay was used to evaluate the self-renewal capacity. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and colony formation assay were applied to detect proliferation capacity and colony-forming capacity under different concentrations of chemotherapeutic drugs 5-fluorouracil or cisplatin. Transwell cell migration and invasion assay were employed to observe migration and invasion capacity after cells were exposed to cisplatin for 24 hours. The constructed short hairpin RNA lentivirus targeting Bmi-1 gene successfully infected into the CD44(+) nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells and effectively inhibited the Bmi-1 messenger RNA and protein expression level, while the expression level of Bim-1 target genes, p16(INK4a), p14(ARF), and p53 was significantly increased (P < .05). Notably, the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion capabilities of the sequence-specific short hairpin RNA lentivirus-infected CD44(+) nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells reduced significantly under chemotherapeutic treatments (P < .05). Our results indicated that Bmi-1 may play an important role in the chemosensitivity of CD44(+) nasopharyngeal carcinoma cancer stem-like cells. Bmi-1 may be a potential new target for the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma displaying chemotherapy resistance.

Effect of RNAi targetingBMI-1 gene on radiosensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cells / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:B cell-specific MLV integration site 1 (BMI-1) gene plays an important role in DNA damage after exposure to irradiation. The present study aimed to investigate the effect ofBMI-1 on radio-sensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cell after down-regulation of BMI-1 expression by silencing siRNA.Methods:Three pairs of siRNA based on the sequences of the BMI-1 mRNA were synthesized (siRNA1, siRNA2 and siRNA3) by compa-ny, and transfected into cultured TE13 cells as the BMI-1 siRNA groups, and a negative one was synthesized to be used as the negative control (NC) group. The untransfected group was named as the control group. BMI-1 mRNA and protein expression in esophageal cancer TE13 cells were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot in different groups. This study used flow cytometry assay to analyze cell cycle of transfected cells, and examined cellular growth and radiosensitivityin vitro by MTT and clone formation assay. mRNA and protein expression of p16 and CDK4 in esophageal cancer TE13 cells were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.Results:The results of RT-PCR and Western blot showed that the expressions of BMI-1 at gene and protein levels were inhibited after silencing the BMI-1 gene. The mRNA and protein expression of BMI-1 in BMI-1 siRNA3 group were both significantly lower than that in BMI-1 siRNA1 and 2 groups. There was no significant difference in the cell proliferation among control, NC and BMI-1 siRNA3 groups. The values ofD0,Dq, and SF2 in BMI-1 siRNA3 group were 1.761, 2.122 and 0.6255, respectively, obvi-ously lower than those in control group (2.514, 2.694 and 0.8268) and those in NC group (2.506, 2.664 and 0.8231), while the value of N in BMI-1 siRNA3 group (3.336) was higher than that in control group (2.92) and that in NC group (2.895), which showed higher radiosensitivity in BMI-1 siRNA3 group. In addition, the cell cycle was arrested at G2/M phase after irradiation in control and NC groups. The percentage of G0/G1 phase in BMI-1 siRNA3 group was higher than that of control group and NC group, while the percentage of G2/M phase was lower than those in the latter. The up-regulation of p16 and down-regulation of CDK4 at gene and protein levels were detected after knockdown of BMI-1 expression by siRNA (P<0.01).Conclusion:siRNA could inhibitBMI-1 gene expression in esophageal cancer TE13 cells and enhance radiosensitivity, followed by eliminating the cell cycle arrest at G2/M stage after irradiationin vitro, which is related to the regulation of the protein expression ofp16 andCDK4.

Bmi-1 is essential for the oncogenic potential in CD133(+) human laryngeal cancer cells.

It has been hypothesized that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a principal culprit of tumor initiation, invasion, metastasis, and treatment resistance. Previous studies have confirmed that cancer stem cells can be detected in laryngeal carcinoma. This study aimed to evaluate whether population of CD133(+) cells that existed in primary human laryngeal carcinoma have characteristic of CSCs with enhanced capacity of proliferation and invasion, and to understand whether and how Bmi-1 implicated in self-renewal and tumorigenesis. We clarified the tumorigenic potential of CD133 sorted populations of cancer cells derived from primary human laryngeal tumor sample. After fluorescence activated cell sorting, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot confirmed Bmi-1 was differentially expressed in CD133 sorted laryngeal tumor cells. Bmi-1 was knocked down, and proliferation, colony formation, invasion, cell cycle assay, and apoptosis assays were performed, and the impact on Bmi-1 pathway was evaluated. It was found that CD133(+) cells existed in primary human laryngeal tumor with enhanced capacity of proliferation and invasion. Bmi-1, implicated in self-renewal and tumorigenesis, was coexpressed with the CD133. Furthermore, knockdown of Bmi-1 expression in CD133(+) cells led to inhibition of cell growth, colony formation, cell invasion in vitro, and tumorigenesis in vivo, through up-regulation of p16(INK4A) and p14(ARF). Our data indicate that Bmi-1 expression is central to the tumorigenicity of CD133(+) cells, which functions as a pleiotropic regulator that maintains the viability and proliferative capacity of human laryngeal tumor. It negatively regulates the transcription of the downstream INK4a/ARF gene and inhibits expression of P16(ink4a)/P14(ARF), so as to maintain the high ability of proliferation and differentiation in laryngeal cancer stem cells.

Effects of Bmi-1-siRNA on proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A1 cells and its mechanism / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:The human oncogene B-cell-speciifc moloney murine leukemia virus integration site 1 (Bmi-1) is an important member of the polycomb group family, and it regulates cell proliferation and senescence via INK4a/ARF locus. This study investigated the effects of Bmi-1-siRNA on the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cell line SPC-A1 cells with INK4a/ARF locus and clarify the mechanism of Bmi-1-mediated effect on proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Methods:In this study, we chose the most efifcient siRNA chain the pGeneshl-2-Bmi-1 sense-1 and inserted into a pSUPER-retro-neo retroviral vector. The packaged si-Bmi-1 pSUPERret-ro-neo retroviral vector was stably transfected into lung adenocarcinoma SPC-A1 cell line. The stably transfected cells were cultured and passed. After transfection, the levels of Bmi-1 mRNA and protein expression of SPC-A1 cells were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Trypan blue, MTT and plate colony forming assay were performed to observe the proliferation capibility of SPC-A1 cells and evaluate the cloning forming ability in vitro. The potency of tumorigenesis was observed in nude mouse through hypodermic inoculation of SPC-A1 cells. Cell cycle distribu-tion was analyzed by lfow cytometry (FCM) in SPC-A1 cells. The expression levels of proliferation proteins including p16INK4a, p53, Cyclin D1, PTEN, Akt and Ser473p-Akt were analyzed by Western blot. Results:The mRNA and protein expression levels of Bmi-1 were signiifcantly reduced in SPC-A1-Bmi-1-siRNA cells transfected with pSUPER-retro-neo retroviral vector. Knockdown of Bmi-1 could inhibit the growth, colony formation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo of SPC-A1 cells (P0.05), while Cyclin D1 and Ser473p-Akt were downregulated (P<0.01) and PTEN was up-regulated (P<0.01) in the SPC-A1-Bmi-1-siRNA cells. SPC-A1-Bmi-1-siRNA cells were treated with various concentrations of PTEN inhibitor to determine expression levels of PTEN, Bmi-1 and Ser473p-Akt protein. Ablation of PTEN rescued Bmi-1 and Ser473p-Akt expression in SPC-A1-Bmi-1-siRNA cells. Conclusion:Knockdown of Bmi-1 gene can arrest the proliferation of SPC-A1 cells through G0/G1 phase arrest by inhibiting Cyclin D1 expression indirectly, which may be not associated with p16INK4a signaling pathway.

Effect of siRNA-mediated silencing Bmi-1 gene expression on the proliferation of lung cancer cell line A549 in vitro and in vivo / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:The pro-oncogene Bmi-1 is a member of the polycomb-group family, can regulation of the proliferation and self-renewal of normal and tumor stem cells. In recent years, Bmi-1 has been found that it is overexpressed in varieties of human malignant tumors. The study aimed to observe the effects of Bmi-1-siRNA on the growth capacity of lung cancer cell line A549 in vivo and in vivo, and explore its mechanism. Methods:The most effective one as a target sequence was chosen from four Bmi-1 siRNA sequences which were designed by our lab, and one random sequence was chosen as a negative control. In short, the chemically synthesized siRNA and control sequences were connected to a retrovirus expressing vector, pSUPERretro-Neo plasmid, and then transfected into A549 cells. The stably transfected cells were cultured and passed. The level of mRNA and protein of Bmi-1 in A549 cells were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. The proliferations of A549 cells in vivo was analyzed with MTT, trypan blue exclusion and plate colony forming methods. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle analysis. The potency of tumorigenesis was observed in nude mouse through hypodermic inoculation of A549 cells. The expressions of cyclin D, p21/27, p-AKT and PTEN were analyzed by Western blot. Results:Compared to A549-ctr and A549-wt cells, Bmi-1 mRNA and protein levels all signiifcantly reduced in A549-Bmi-1-siRNA cells. Bmi-1-siRNA inhibited the growth, colony formation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vitro of A549 cells, and the interference cells cell cycle arrested in G1 phase. In A549-Bmi-1-siRNA cells, p-AKT and cyclinD1 expression were down-regulated while p21/p27 and PTEN were up-regulated. Conclusion:Silencing Bmi-1 gene inhibits the proliferation of A549 cells through G1 phase arrest, which involves the downregulation of cyclin D/p-AKT and upregulation of p21/p27/PTEN.

Bmi-1 gene and radiation resistance / 国际肿瘤学杂志

As a transcriptional repressor,Bmi-1 is a member of polyeomb group gene family.It may play an important role in self-renewal ability and proliferation of stem cell.At present,studies show that Bmi-1 is highly expressed in a variety of solid tumors,which can be regarded as one of the markers of cancer stem cells and has a close relation to the cancer development and progression and radiation resistance.It will provide an important target gene for the treatment of malignant tumors.

Expressions of p16INK4a gene and Bmi1 gene in human corneal endothelial cells of different ages / 中华实验眼科杂志

Background p16INK4a gene plays an important role during the aging and senility.So it was well known to be a leading gene associated with aging.Corneal endothelial cells(CECs) always get trapped in the G1 phase due to the lack of proliferative ability.Whether it is relative with cell senescence is unclear.Objective This study was to investigate the expression ofp16INK4a gene and Bmi1 gene in human CECs from different aged donors ex vivo.Methods The corneal rims,the residual of corneal tissue preserved in DX solution after penetrating keratoplasty,was used in the present study.Parameters were recorded for the donor,including the age,death to preservation interval and preservation to surgery interval.Corneal endothelium survival rate and endothelial cell density were evaluated by trypan blue-alizarin red dying immediately after penetrating keratoplasty.Routine haematoxylin and eosin staining was also performed to proof the normal structure of the cornea.Sections of corneas from different aged donors were classified into ＜30 years group,30-50 years group and ＞50 years group and were immunostained to assess the expressions of p16INK4aprotein,Bmi1 protein and Ki67 protein in CECs.Total RNA was extracted from independent corneal sample for the evaluation of p16INK4a mRNA,Bmi1 mRNA and Ki67 mRNA expression in CECs by quantitative real-time PCR(qRT-PCR).Results The endothelial cell density of each group was (3069 ±172),(2748±64),(2444 ±178)cells/mm2,respectively.Haematoxylin and eosin staining showed the normal structure of corneal epithelium,stroma and endothelium.qRT-PCR examination revealed an age-related increase in p16INK4a mRNA expression in the CECs(F =5.703,P =0.014) and a decrease in Bmi1 mRNA and Ki67 mRNA expression (F =3.950,P =0.042;F=548.500,P =0.000).The further comparison verified a significant elevation in the expression of p16INK4a mRNA in the CECs of the ＞50 years group compared with ＜30 years group and significant decline in Bmil mRNA and Ki67 mRNA the expression (P =0.006,0.013,0.000).Immunohistochemistry in situ confirmed the expression and nuclear localization of p16INK4a protein in CECs,and the expressing intensities of Bmi1 and Ki67 proteins in the elder donors were weaker than those of the younger donors.The immunofluorescence exhibited that the expressing intensity of p16INK4a protein in CECs of 58 years old donor was higher than that of 23 years old donor,showing a consistent result with that of qRT-PCR.Conclusions Expression of p16INK4a gene increases and that of Bmi1 gene decreases upon age.These results suggest that p16INK4a gene is associated with senescence of human CECs.

Expression and significance of Bmi-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue and portal vein tumor thrombus / 中华消化外科杂志

ObjectiveTo detect the mRNA and protein expressions of Bmi-1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue,pericarcinomatous tissue,portal vein tumor thrombus and normal liver tissue,and to investiage the significance of Bmi-1 in the genesis and progression of HCC.MethodsForty tissues of HCC were collected from the Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology from January 2005 to December 2009.The mRNA and protein expressions of Bmi-1 in the HCC tissues (40 cases),pericarcinomatous tissues (40 cases),portal vein tumor thrombus ( 11 cases) and normal liver tissues ( 10 cases) were detected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction.The relationship between the expressions of Bmi-1 and the clinicopathological factors was analyzed.Differences in each group were compared by using the Nemenyi test or Dunnet t test,and the relationship between the clinicopathological factors and the protein expression in the HCC tissues was analyzed by the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability.The survival curve was drawn by the Kaplan-Meier method,and the survival rate was analyzed by the Log-rank test.Results The median relative mRNA expressions of Bmi-1 in the normal liver tissues,pericarcinomatous tissues,HCC tissues and portal vein tumor thrombus were 0.96,2.60,7.51 and 29.95,respectively.The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the high protein expression rates of Bmi-1 in the normal liver tissues,pericarcinomatous tissues,HCC tissues and portal vein tumor thrombus were 10.0％,20.0％,67.5％ and 100.0％,respectively.The high protein expression rates of Bmi-1 in the HCC tissues and portal vein tumor thrombus were significantly higher than those in the normal liver tissues and pericarcinomatous tissues (x2 =17.25,22.77;22.04,23.95,P ＜ 0.05 ). High protein expression of Bmi-1 was also detected in 11 cases of HCC tissues with portal vein tumor thrombus.The results of western blot were consistent with those of the immunohistochemistry.The mRNA and protein expressions of Bmi-1 were correlated with Edmondson grade and portal vein metastasis ( x2 =5.572,P ＜ 0.05 ),whereas they were irrelevant to the tumor size,serum levels of α-fetoprotein and hepatitis B surface antigen ( x2 =0.000,0.019,0.663,P ＞0.05).Patients with high expression of Bmi-1 had poor prognosis.ConclusionsBmi-1 is correlated with the genesis and progression of HCC as well as the formation of portal vein tumor thrombosis.Patients with high Bmi-1 expression have poorer prognosis when compared with those with low Bmi-1 expression.

Expression of Bmi-1 gene in papillary thyroid carcinoma / 中华内分泌外科杂志

Objective To analyze expression of Bmi-1 gene in thyroid tissues and the relationship between Bmi-1 gene and metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.Methods RT-PCR was used to detect expression of Bmi-1 in normal thyrroid tissues(8 eases),nodular goiters(18 cases)and papillary thyroid carcinomas (24 cases).The result was analyzed by Fisher exact propability test.Results Bmi-1 expression was detected only in 1 case(12.5%)in normal thyroid tissues group,3 cases(16.7%)in nodular goiters group,and 19 cases(79.2%)in papillary thyroid carcinoma group.The difference of Bmi-1 expression between the 3 groups had statistical significance(P<0.05).There were 16 cases of lymph node metastasis(66.67%)in the 24 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma.The difference of Bmi-1 expression between cases with cervical lymph node metastasis and those without metastasis had statistical significance(P<0.05).Among the 19 thyroid carcinoma cases in which Bmi-1 expression was positive,12 eases(63.2%)were over45 years old,and 7 cases(36.8%)were under 45 years.The difference had statistical significance(P<0.05).Conclusions Expression of Bmi-1 gene in papillary thyroid carcinoma tissue is significantly higher than that in nodular goiters and normal thyroid tissues.Bmi-1 expression is closely relevant to lymph node metastasis and age,implying that Bmi-1 expression has clinical significance of distinguishing thyroid malignant tumors from benign diseases and it may provide clues to unravel the mechanism and prognosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma metastasis.