We have previously demonstrated that CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6) is associated with prostate cancer (CaP) growth and therapeutic resistance in vitro, however, the role of CD44v6 in CaP in vivo is not fully understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of CD44v6 on CaP growth and chemo−/radiotherapy response in NOD/SCID mouse models in vivo and to validate its role as a therapeutic target for CaP therapy. CD44v6 was knocked down in PC-3M CaP cell line using short hairpin RNA. Subcutaneous (s.c.) and orthotopic CaP mouse xenografts were established. The effect of CD44v6 knockdown (KD) on tumour growth was evaluated on both s.c. and orthotopic models. Chemo−/radiotherapy response was evaluated on the s.c. model. Association of CD44v6 with PI3K/Akt pathway was validated using immunohistochemistry staining. We found that KD of CD44v6 significantly reduced tumour growth in both models, and enhanced the sensitivity of tumours to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the s.c. model. In addition, we demonstrated that KD of CD44v6 is associated with downregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. Our data confirm that CaP growth and chemo−/radiosensitivity in vivo is associated with CD44v6, which holds great promises as a therapeutic target in the treatment of CaP.

The cardiac and skeletal muscle tissues are both striated and contractile but their intrinsic cellular properties are distinct. The minimal cardiomyocyte proliferation and the lack of cardiac stem cells directly leads to poor heart repair in adult. But in skeletal muscle, the robust proliferation of widespread muscle stem cells support efficient muscle regeneration. The endogenous cardiomyocyte and muscle stem cell proliferation has been analyzed in common laboratory animals but not in large mammals including pigs, which are more comparable to human. In this study, we rigorously examined the cell cycle dynamics of porcine cardiomyocytes and muscle stem cells through different developmental stages. Proliferative cardiomyocytes and muscle stem cells were broadly observed in the embryonic heart and limb muscle respectively. Muscle stem cells continue to proliferate postnatally but cardiomyocyte proliferation was drastically reduced after birth. However, robust cardiac cell cycle activity was detected around postnatal day 20, which could be attributed to the binucleation but not cell division. Increased proliferating cells were detected in maternal heart during early pregnancy but they represent non-cardiomyocyte cell types. The islet1 expressing cells were only identified in the embryonic and new born porcine hearts. Furthermore, the accumulated oxidative DNA damage in the cardiac but not skeletal muscle during development could be responsible for the diminished cardiomyocyte proliferation in adult pig. Similarities and differences in the proliferation of heart and skeletal muscle cells are identified in pigs across different developmental stages. Such cellular proliferative features must be taken into account when using porcine models for cardiovascular and muscular research.

Loss of neuron homeostasis in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) is responsible for diet-induced-obesity (DIO). We previously reported that loss of Rb1 gene compromised the homeostasis of anorexigenic POMC neurons in ARC and induced obesity in mice. To evaluate the development of DIO, we propose to analyze the transcriptomic alteration of POMC neurons in mice following high fat diet (HFD) feeding. We isolated these neurons from established DIO mice and performed transcriptomic profiling using RNA-seq. In total, 1066 genes (628 upregulated and 438 downregulated) were identified as differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Pathway enrichment analysis with these DEGs further revealed that “cell cycle,” “apoptosis,” “chemokine signaling,” and “sphingolipid metabolism” pathways were correlated with DIO development. Moreover, we validated that the pRb protein, a key regulator of “cell cycle pathway,” was inactivated by phosphorylation in POMC neurons by HFD feeding. Importantly, the reversal of deregulated cell cycle by stereotaxic delivering of the unphosphorylated pRbΔP in ARC significantly meliorated the DIO. Collectively, our study provides insights into the mechanisms related to the loss of homeostasis of POMC neurons in DIO, and suggests pRb phosphorylation as a potential intervention target to treat DIO.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes that can lead to end-stage renal disease. Podocytes constitute the last barrier of glomerular filtration, whose damage are the direct cause of proteinuria. Dopamine receptors are involved in the regulation of diabetes-induced glomerular hyperfiltration, and only dopamine 1 receptor (D1R) can be amplified in cultured mouse podocytes. However, the exact effect of D1R on diabetic podocytes remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the protective role of D1R activation on diabetic podocytes injury in vivo and vitro as well as its potential mechanism. We observed D1R protective effect respectively in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetes (T1D) mice as well as mouse podocytes (MPC5) cultured in high glucose (HG, 40 mM) medium. It showed that D1R and podocyte-associated proteins (Podocin, CD2AP and Nephrin) expression were significantly decreased both in the T1D mice (fed for 8 and 12 weeks) and HG-cultured MPC5 cells, while the NOX-5 expression increased. In T1D mice, the levels of 24-h urine protein, serum creatinine and urinary 8-OHdG were increased in a time-dependent manner, at the same time, hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and electron microscope observed the kidney lesion and podocytes injury. In vitro, HG induced podocytes oxidative stress and apoptosis, which could be inhibited by SKF38393 (a D1R agonist) and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC, a reactive oxygen species scavenger). Furthermore, there was a decreasing Podocin expression and a significant increasing NOX-5 expression in podocytes transfected with D1R-small interfering RNA (siRNA). More importantly, the expression of phospho-CREB (the PKA downstream transcription factor) was decreased and phospho-p38 MAPK was increased in HG-induced podocytes, which can respectively be activated or blocked by SKF38393, 8-Bromo-CAMP (a PKA activator), NAC, and SB20380 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor). In conclusion, D1R activation can protect diabetic podocytes from apoptosis and oxidative damage, in part through the PKA/NOX-5/p38 MAPK pathway.

In the near twenty-year existence of the human and mammalian artificial chromosome field, the technologies for artificial chromosome construction and installation into desired cell types or organisms have evolved with the rest of modern molecular and synthetic biology. Medical, industrial, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and basic research scientists seek the as yet unrealized promise of human and mammalian artificial chromosomes. Existing technologies for both top-down and bottom-up approaches to construct these artificial chromosomes for use in higher eukaryotes are very different but aspire to achieve similar results. New capacity for production of chromosome sized synthetic DNA will likely shift the field towards more bottom-up approaches, but not completely. Similarly, new approaches to install human and mammalian artificial chromosomes in target cells will compete with the microcell mediated cell transfer methods that currently dominate the field.

Reprogramming of energy metabolism and evading immune are two emerging hallmarks of cancers. Accumulating evidence suggest that reprogrammed energy metabolism contributes to a tumor-suppressive immune microenvironment in cancers. Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and M2 macrophages are profoundly implicated in tumor initiation and progression. By gene set enrichment analysis, we found that glycolysis signature was closely associated with the M2 macrophage phenotype in gastric cancer. Enhanced glycolysis is characterized by significant production of lactate. Interestingly, we found that lactic acid is able to skew macrophage toward a M2-like state. Treatment of THP-1 cells or human monocytes with gastric cancer cell-derived conditioned media or lactic acid significantly increased expression of M2-related markers and faintly attenuated expression of M1-related markers. Moreover, knockdown of LDHA suppressed the ability of gastric cancer to skew macrophage toward M2 phenotype as revealed by reduced expression of M2-related markers and cytokines. Mechanistically, a-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamate (CHC), a monocarboxylate channel transporter (MCT) inhibitor, or HIF1α knockdown, significantly abrogated CD163 and ARG1 expression in THP-1 cells, suggesting that MCT-HIF1α signaling is responsible for macrophage polarization. Collectively, our findings identify the lactate-MCT-HIF1α axis as a critical signaling cascade that couples metabolic reprogramming to macrophage polarization in gastric cancer.

Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) recruitment and angiogenesis play crucial roles in aneurysm neck endothelialization, but the mechanisms of EPC recruitment and angiogenesis are still unclear. Recent studies have shown that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can regulate the function and differentiation of cells in various ways. LncRNA TUG1 is involved in liver cancer and glioma-mediated angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of lncRNA TUG1 in regulating EPC migration and differentiation. Overexpression and knockdown of lncRNA TUG1 with lentivirus, scratch assays, Transwell assays and tube formation assays using EPCs isolated from rat bone marrow showed that lncRNA TUG1 overexpression promoted EPC migration, invasion and differentiation. Moreover, ELISAs showed that lncRNA TUG1 overexpression increased VEGF expression. Bioinformatics prediction, luciferase assays, Western blots and RIP assays indicated that lncRNA TUG1 functions as a ceRNA (competing endogenous RNA) for miR-6321 and that miR-6321 inhibits EPC migration and differentiation through its target, ATF2. As a potential therapeutic target, lncRNA TUG1 may play a vital role in the pathogenesis of aneurysms.

The receptor tyrosine kinase MET plays a vital role in skeletal muscle development and in postnatal muscle regeneration. However, the effect of MET on myogenesis of myoblasts has not yet been fully understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of MET on myogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Decreased myonuclei and down-regulated expression of myogenesis-related markers were observed in Met p.Y1232C mutant heterozygous mice. To explore the effects of MET on myoblast proliferation and differentiation, Met was overexpressed or interfered in C2C12 myoblast cells through the lentiviral transfection. The Met overexpression cells exhibited promotion in myoblast proliferation, while the Met deficiency cells showed impediment in proliferation. Moreover, myoblast differentiation was enhanced by the stable Met overexpression, but was impaired by Met deficiency. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that SU11274, an inhibitor of MET kinase activity, suppressed myoblast differentiation, suggesting that MET regulated the expression of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs) and of desmin through the classical tyrosine kinase pathway. On the basis of the above findings, our work confirmed that MET promoted the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts, deepening our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying muscle development.

Gene expression studies and gene therapy require efficient gene delivery into cells. Different technologies by viral and non-viral mechanisms have been used for gene delivery into cells. Small gene vectors transfer across the cell membrane with a relatively high efficiency, but not large genes or entire loci spanning several kilobases, which do not remain intact following introduction. Previously, we developed an efficient delivery system based on herpes virus simplex type 1 (HSV-1) amplicons to transfer large fragments of DNA incorporated in human artificial chromosome vectors into the nucleus of human cells. The HSV-1 amplicon lacks the signals for cleavage and replication of its own genome, yet each amplicon has the capacity to incorporate up to 150 kb of exogenous DNA. In this study, we investigated whether the capacity of gene delivery could be increased by simultaneously introducing multiple HSV-1 modified amplicons carrying a gene expressing HAC vector into cells with the aim of generating a single artificial chromosome containing the desired genes. Following co-transduction of two HSV-1 HAC amplicons, artificial chromosomes were successfully generated containing the introduced genes, which were appropriately expressed in different human cell types.

Actin filaments are highly dynamic structures involved in many cellular processes including cell-to-cell/substrate association and cell motility. The actin cytoskeleton is tightly regulated by actin-binding proteins, which include the members of the ADF (actin-depolymerizing factor)/cofilin family. The members of the LIM kinase family of proteins (LIMK1 and 2) regulate actin dynamics by controlling the binding affinity of ADF/cofilin towards actin. LIMK2 has two major splice variants, LMK2a and LIMK2b. We have generated mice lacking LIMK2a expression (LIMK2a KO), to study its specific role in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. The LIMK2a KO mice showed a significant prolonged bleeding complication upon injuries compared to wild type mice. This prolonged bleeding prompted us to check the expression of the LIMK2 protein in platelets as it was previously suggested that it is not expressed in platelets. We showed that human and mouse express LIMK2 in platelets and using our LIMK2a KO mice we have identified a potential key role for LIMK2 in platelet functions including platelet spreading, aggregation and thrombus formation.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as a novel type of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) of interest in gene regulation, especially for its vital function underlying many diseases. Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrythmia. However, the expression spectrum and function of circRNAs in atrial appendage of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has seldomly been investigated. Human atrial appendage tissues were acquired during cardiac surgery, which were divided into the AF group and the Sinus rhythm (SR) group. The expression characterization of circRNAs of two groups was revealed by high-throughput sequencing. The dysregulated circRNAs were identified and analyzed by bioinformatics methods, and further validated by realtime PCR. A total 18109 circRNAs in human atrial appendage tissues were targeted. Among them, 147 differentially expressed circRNAs (102 up-regulated and 45 down-regulated) were found between AF group and SR group. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis indicated that many mRNAs transcribed from the host genes of altered circRNAs were implicated in regulation of sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor activity, as well as nicotinate and nicotinamide metabolism pathways. Analysis of the association between differently expressed circRNA and miRNA were explored, which revealed an ample interaction. Our study firstly revealed the expression spectrum of circRNAs in both left and right atrial appendage of patients with or without AF. Differentially expressed circRNAs in the atrial appendage were also identified, analyzed and validated. The results of this study may provide novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for AF.

Butyrate-induced autophagy and anti-inflammatory effects of IECs plays an important role in UC. HSP has been proved to be associated with autophagy. HSF2, as an important regulator of HSP, has been determined to be highly expressed in UC. This study was designed to elucidate the relationship between HSF2, butyrate and epithelial autophagy and the potential mechanism of HSF2-related autophagy in UC. The autophagy levels and HSF2 expression in intestinal mucosa were increased in UC patients compared to controls. In DSS colitis models, hsf2-/- mice exhibited more severe intestinal inflammation and lower autophagy levels than wild-type mice. HSF2 expression could be induced by sodium butyrate and LPS as a dose-response relationship in HT-29 cells, epigenetically via increasing histone acetylation levels at the promoter region by sodium butyrate. Autophagy induced by sodium butyrate was promoted by overexpression HSF2 in HT-29 cells. Moreover, overexpression HSF2 decreased the expression and phosphorylation levels of PI3K, Akt and mTOR induced by sodium butyrate. HSF2 might induced by sodium butyrate and inflammation and played protective roles in UC by enhancing autophagy of IECs. This indicated that HSF2 may be a critical target for autophagy modulation and a new potential therapeutic target in UC.

Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) play a crucial role in maintaining intestinal homeostasis upon chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It has been documented that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) treatment improved hematopoietic stem cell function in vitro and in vivo, while the relationship between PGE2 and intestinal stem cells remains unclear. Presently, mice were exposed to PGE1, dmPGE2 and indomethacin. Numbers and function of ISCs were assessed by analyzing Olfm4+ ISCs. Intestinal protection of dmPGE2 was investigated on a 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-induced intestinal damage mouse model. The results showed that dmPGE2 treatment, but not PGE1, increased numbers of Olfm4+ ISCs in dose- and time-dependent manners. Indomethacin treatment decreased numbers of Olfm4+ ISCs. The beneficial effects of short-term dmPGE2 treatment on intestine were supported in a 5FU-induced intestinal damage model. Our data showed that 5FU treatment significantly decreased numbers of Olfm4+ ISCs and goblet cells in intestine, which could be ameliorated by dmPGE2 treatment. dmPGE2 treatment accelerated the recovery of 5FU-induced ISC injury via increasing expression of cyclin D1 and D2 in intestine. Furthermore, dmPGE2 treatment-induced expression of cyclin D1 and D2 might be mediated by up-regulation of FOXM1 expression in intestine. These findings feature PGE2 as an effective protector against chemotherapy-induced intestinal damage.

The properties and number of neural stem cells (NSCs) in neural tissue are important issues for the regenerative capacity of the spinal cord in different organisms or developmental stages. In this study, we investigated the self-renewal and differentiation potential of NSCs from adult spinal cords of adult geckos (Gecko japonicus) and mice. The sphere forming ratio of mouse NSCs was higher than that of gecko NSCs, and the sphere forming time of mouse NSCs was shorter as well. In addition, serum-induced differentiation of NSCs gave rise to more β-tubulin III (TUBB3)-positive progeny in geckos, whereas NSCs gave rise to more glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells in mice. We further conducted single sphere RNA-seq for both gecko and mouse NSCs, and transcriptome data revealed that purified NSC populations form either geckos or mice are heterogeneous and stay at various differentiated stages even with similar appearance. Mouse NSCs expressed more glial markers and gecko NSCs expressed more neuronal markers, which is consistent with cell fate determination of mouse and gecko NSCs in differentiation assays.

Lymphedema is a chronic progressive disease ultimately resulting in severe, disfiguring swelling and permanent changes of the affected tissues. Presently, there is no causal treatment approach of lymphedema. Therefore, most therapies are purely symptomatic. However, the recent use of stem cell-based therapies has offered new prospects for alternative treatment options. The present study was performed to investigate the effects of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) in terms of basic in vitro lymphangiogenic assays (WST-8 assay, scratch assay, transmigration assay, sprouting assay, tube formation assay). The influence of ADSC-conditioned medium (ADSC-CM) on HDLECs was compared to recombinant VEGF-C, bFGF and HGF. Further ADSC-CM was characterized by protein microarray and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Although key-lymphangiogenic growth factors - like VEGF-C - could only be detected in low concentrations within the conditioned medium (CM), HDLECs were potently stimulated to proliferate, migrate and to form tube like structures by ADSC-CM. Despite concentrations more than hundredfold higher than those found in the conditioned medium, stimulation with recombinant VEGF-C, bFGF and HGF was still weaker compared to ADSC-CM. These results highlight the effectiveness of growth factors secreted by ADSC to stimulate HDLEC, potentially providing a promising new therapeutic approach for the treatment of lymphedema.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling via LPA receptors (LPA1 to LPA6) regulates a variety of malignant properties of cancer cells. It is known that endothelial cells promote tumor progression and chemoresistance. The present study aimed to investigate the roles of LPA5 in cellular functions modulated by endothelial cells and anticancer drug in osteosarcoma cells. Human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells were maintained in endothelial F2 cell supernatants. After culturing for 3 months, MG63-F2 cells were established. LPAR5 expression level in MG63-F2 cells was significantly elevated, compared with MG-63 cells. The cell motile activity of MG63-F2 cells was markedly higher than that of MG-63 cells. To validate the effects of LPA5 on cell motile activity, LPA5 knockdown cells were generated from MG-63 cells. The cell motile activity of MG-63 cells was inhibited by LPA5 knockdown. The cell survival to cisplatin (CDDP) was reduced in MG-63 cells treated with LPA. In the presence of LPA, the cell survival rate was significantly lower in MG63-F2 cells than MG-63 cells, correlating with LPAR5 expression. LPA5 knockdown cells indicated the high cell survival rate to CDDP. Moreover, LPAR5 expression level was increased in the long-term CDDP treated MG63-C cells. The cell survival to CDDP of MG63-C cells was enhanced by LPA5 knockdown. These results suggest that cellular functions are regulated through LPA5-mediatd signaling induced by endothelial cells and CDDP in MG-63 cells.

Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive ocular disease that is the leading cause of vision loss among elderly. AMD usually is divided into two types: wet and dry AMD, which is linked with inflammation. Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV) formation or wet AMD is also associated with oxidative stress. Previously, TSP1 has been shown to have a significant alleviating effect on CNV in TSP1 knockout (TSP1−/−) mice. However, the mechanism by which TSP1 ameliorates CNV remains unclear. Here we report that TSP1 reduces nitric oxide production to prevent cells from forming tubes formation and reduced the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and lipid peroxides (LPO) during oxidative stress. We measured RF/6A cell viability by CCK-8 assay and apoptosis by flow cytometry. RF/6A cell were transfected with TSP1 and STAT3 overexpression, and then the mRNA and protein levels of TSP1 and also the signal pathways were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Migration assays were performed using a transwell system. Co-Immunoprecipitation was used to analyze the binding relationship between CD47 and SHP-2. The results show that overexpression of TSP1 alleviated the damage of oxidative stress to RF/6A cells including increased cell activity and migration, decreased apoptosis and reduced migration compared to the control group. SHP-2 was activated by TSP1 through its receptor CD47 and STAT3 phosphorylation was reduced by activation of SHP-2, thereby blocking STAT3-iNOS pathway and reducing NO concentration in RF/6A cells ultimately protecting them from oxidative stress. Finally, the CNV mice model confirmed that TSP1 overexpression could protect the mice against CNV in vivo, modified the antioxidants levels and decreased the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 under laser irradiation. These results indicate a potential mechanism of TSP1 to slow down formation of CNV in wet AMD, which may bring hope for new treatment strategies.

Canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is a commonly occurring aggressive tumor stemming from the vascular endothelial cells and is considered to be a good model for a similar disease in humans, called angiosarcoma. In this study, we reviewed drug libraries to identify new signal transduction inhibitors that can suppress the cell growth of canine HSA in vitro. We observed that tenovin-6, a sirtuin (SIRT) inhibitor, inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell death in three canine HSA cell lines (JuB4, Re12, and Ud6). These effects were induced through G1 cell cycle arrest and caspase-3 activation. Although tenovin-6 is known as an inhibitor of SIRT1 and SIRT2, knockout (KO) of genes encoding SIRT1 and/or SIRT2 had no apparent impact on cell proliferation in canine HSA. In addition, tenovin-6 showed cell growth inhibition in SIRT KO cells, as well as parental cells. These results indicated the cytotoxicity of tenovin-6 was a SIRT-independent event. Instead, we found that tenovin-6 inhibited autophagy flux in canine HSA cells, as evidenced by the suppression of lysosomal proteolysis. These results suggested that tenovin-6 induces cell growth suppression in canine HSA cells by impairing the lysosomal function. Therefore, tenovin-6 could be used in a new therapeutic strategy to treat canine HSA.

Lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and macrophage-1 antigen (Mac-1) are key adhesion receptors to mediate neutrophil (PMN) recruitment and intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signaling. Binding of LFA-1 and Mac-1 to their ligands is essential in triggering Ca2+ transients and activating Ca2+-dependent kinases involved in cytoskeletal remodeling and migratory function. While mechanical forces are critical in regulating integrin-mediated Ca2+ transients, it is still unclear how the bond strength of β2-integrin-ligand pair affects Ca2+ responses. Here three typical ligands with known mechanical features with LFA-1 and Mac-1 in our previous work were adopted to quantify their capabilities in inducing Ca2+ transients in adherent PMNs under shear flow. Data indicated that LFA-1 dominates Ca2+ transients in PMNs on intercellular adhesive molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A), while Mac-1 mediates Ca2+ transients induced by receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), consistent with their corresponding bond strengths. These results link β2 integrin-ligand bond strength with Ca2+ transients in PMNs, suggesting high bond strength gives rise to strong Ca2+ response especially under physiological-like shear flow. The outcomes provide a new insight in understanding the mechanical regulatory mechanisms of PMN recruitment.

Recent studies have shown that serum secretory phospholipase A2 group IB (sPLA2-IB) is associated with proteinuric kidney diseases and plays a pivotal role in podocyte injury via its natural receptor. Arachidonic acid (AA), as a major metabolite of sPLA2-IB, regulates the actin bungling remodeling and contributes to the podocyte injury. However, the underlying mechanism of AA in the regulation of podocyte actin remodeling and human podocyte injury is unclear. Here, we reported that AA induced F-actin cytoskeletal ring formation and promoted protein kinase A (PKA), nephrin and c-Abl phosphorylation. Moreover, AA promoted c-Abl translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and increased the recruitment of c-Abl to p-nephrin by the interaction between them. H89 (PKA inhibitor) provided protection against AA-induced F-actin bunching remodeling, down-regulated nephrin phosphorylation, and suppressed the c-Abl translocation and activation. STI571 (c-Abl inhibitor) also improved the AA associated F-actin bunching remodeling. In addition, H89 and STI571 both alleviated apoptosis and adhesion damage of podocyte. These results indicate that an excess of AA treatment is detrimental to the podocyte actin cytoskeleton and promotes podocyte injury due to the activation of PKA-c-Abl signaling.

Staphylococcal nuclease domain-containing protein 1 (SND1) is known to be involved in the progression of a variety of human cancers. However, the role of SND1 in cervical cancer remains unclear. Here, we found that the expression of SND1 in cervical cancer tissue was higher than that in normal cervical tissue. Importantly, high SND1 expression was closely associated with tumorigenic phenotype and shorter survival among cervical cancer patients. Functional assays demonstrated that SND1 knockdown inhibited the migration and invasion capabilities of cervical cancer cells in vitro. Additionally, a xenograft assay showed that silencing SND1 in cervical cancer cells suppressed lung metastasis in vivo. Further investigation revealed that knockdown of SND1 inhibited epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cervical cancer cells by enhancing FOXA2 expression. Moreover, the pro-metastasis effect of SND1 in cervical cancer was at least in part dependent on FOXA2 inhibition. Mechanistically, we found that SND1-induced FOXA2 ubiquitination resulted in degradation, mediated by the E3 ligase enzyme Smurf1. In summary, SND1 plays a crucial role in cervical cancer metastasis, and we provide evidence that SND1 may serve as a prognostic and therapeutic target in cervical cancer.

Continuous activation of angiotensin II (Ang II) induces renal vascular endothelial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress, all of which may contribute to renal damage. It is well established that microRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of hypertensive renal damage. However, the detailed mechanisms and regulatory roles of miRNAs as therapeutic targets underlying Ang II-induced renal artery endothelial cell dysfunction in hypertensive renal damage have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the expression status and putative role of miRNA-200c-3p in mediating the progression of hypertensive renal damage. We carried out real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to detect the expression of miRNA-200c-3p in rat renal artery endothelial cells (RRAECs) induced by Ang II. MTT and transwell assays were utilized to evaluate the effects of miRNA-200c-3p on cell proliferation and migration, respectively. The present results revealed that the expression of miRNA-200c-3p was significantly upregulated in RRAECs exposed to Ang II compared with that of normal cells. miRNA-200c-3p overexpression markedly inhibited cell proliferation and migration of Ang II-induced RRAECs. Furthermore, bioinformatics predictions and dual-luciferase reporter assays indicated that zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2) was a direct target gene of miRNA-200c-3p and that ZEB2 expression was inversely correlated with the levels of miRNA-200c-3p in RRAECs after exposure to Ang II. The effects of ZEB2 silencing were similar to the inhibitory effects observed following miRNA-200c-3p overexpression, and recovered ZEB2 expression reversed the anti-proliferative and anti-migratory influence of miRNA-200c-3p upregulation in RRAECs induced by Ang II. The present study indicated that miRNA-200c-3p might suppress the proliferation and migration of Ang II-induced RRAECs by targeting ZEB2. The miRNA-200c-3p/ZEB2 axis will provide valuable insights into the clinical management of hypertension-related kidney disease.

Osteosarcoma is a common malignancy of the bone tissue. The rapid growth exhibited by this cancer is a primary challenge in its treatment. In many types of cancers, FAT10, a ubiquitin-like protein, is involved in several biological activities, especially cell proliferation. Herein, we demonstrate that FAT10 plays a vital role in tumorigenesis and is overexpressed in tumor tissues compared to its expression in adjacent normal tissues. Functional assays revealed that knockdown of FAT10 expression significantly repressed the proliferation of osteosarcoma in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, our results indicate that FAT10 exhibits oncogenic functions by regulating the level of YAP1, a key protein of the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway, and a significant positive correlation exists between the levels of FAT10 and YAP1. Further analysis showed that FAT10-induced growth of osteosarcoma cells is dependent on YAP1. Mechanistically, FAT10 stabilizes YAP1 expression by regulating its ubiquitination and degradation. Taken together, our results link the two drivers of cell growth in osteosarcoma and reveal a novel pathway for FAT10 regulation. We provide new evidence for the biological and clinical significance of FAT10 as a potential biomarker for osteosarcoma.

Successful implantation happens only when the development of a competent blastocyst synchronized with the differentiation of a receptive uterus. The exact mechanism affecting embryo implantation competency is still unclear. Previous data from our laboratory showed that several members of the let-7 family were up-regulated in the implanting dormant blastocysts and prohibited embryo activation through down-regulation integrin-β3. However, how the mir-let-7 family is regulated is still a question. In this study, the in vitro co-culture model was applied to imitate implantation. Human embryo surrogate Jeg-3 spheroids and endometrium epithelial cells Ishikawa were used. The following views were demonstrated. Firstly，Wnt/β-catenin signaling is essential for Jeg-3 spheroids implantation. Secondly, mir-let-7a is repressed by Wnt signaling, and low let-7a is beneficial for spheroids attachment and outgrowth. Third, in contrast with let-7a, lin28a is up-regulated by Wnt and promotes attachment and outgrowth. Lastly, the function of Wnt in embryo surrogate spheroids in implantation is mediated through lin28a/let-7a axis. In summary, our findings suggest Wnt/β-catenin signaling strength human embryo surrogate spheroids implanting potential through regulation lin28a/let-7a axis.

Heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) is a highly versatile transcription factor that, in addition to protecting cells against proteotoxic stress, is also critical during diverse developmental processes. Although the functions of HSF1 have received considerable attention, its potential role in β-globin gene regulation during erythropoiesis has not been fully elucidated. Here, after comparing the transcriptomes of erythrocytes differentiated from cord blood or adult peripheral blood hematopoietic progenitor CD34+ cells in vitro, we constructed the molecular regulatory network associated with β-globin genes and identified novel and putative globin gene regulators by combining the weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and context likelihood of relatedness (CLR) algorithms. Further investigation revealed that one of the identified regulators, HSF1, acts as a key activator of the γ-globin gene in human primary erythroid cells in both erythroid developmental stages. While during stress, HSF1 is required for heat-induced globin gene activation, and HSF1 downregulation markedly decreases globin gene induction in K562 cells. Mechanistically, HSF1 occupies DNase I hypersensitive site 3 of the locus control region upstream of β-globin genes via its canonical binding motif. Hence, HSF1 executes stress-dependent and -independent roles in fetal γ-globin regulation during erythroid differentiation.

Schwann cells, a crucial element in peripheral nervous system, play important roles after peripheral nerve injury. In recent years, the role of miR-485-5p has been discovered in neurological diseases. However, the involvement of miR-485-5p and peripheral nerve injury remains unknown. Mice were subjected to sciatic nerve crush to mimic peripheral nerve injury and the expression of miR-485-5p was detected in sciatic nerve stumps by real-time PCR. BrdU assay was used to analyze the proliferation of Schwann cells after transfection with miR-485-5p mimic and miR-485-5p inhibitor. The effect of miR-485-5p on Schwann cell myelination was determined by evaluating levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-induced myelin-associated proteins, including Krox20 and MBP, as well as the coculture of Schwann cells and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons via immunostaining with anti-MBP antibodies. The regulation mechanism of miR-485-5p was measured by bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and real-time PCR and Western blot. We found miR-485-5p expression was downregulated post nerve injury. miR-485-5p mimic significantly suppressed the proliferation and cAMP-induced expression levels of Krox20 and MBP in Schwann cells. Conversely, miR-485-5p inhibitor promoted these changes in Schwann cells. Also, miR-485-5p inhibitor elevated MBP-positive myelinated fibers. Cdc42 and Rac1 are targets of miR-485-5p in Schwann cells. Downregulation of cdc42 reversed the effect of miR-485-5p inhibitor on the proliferation of Schwann cells. And reducing Rac1 expression attenuated the effect of miR-485-5p silencing on Schwann cell myelination. In conclusion, this study indicated that miR-485-5p suppressed the proliferation and myelination of Schwann cells via targeting cdc42 and Rac1. Which may provide a novel method for the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is a common endocrine malignancy with an increasing occurrence and recurrence. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been widely acknowledged to be participated in human cancers. However, how these miRNAs exert roles and potential mechanisms in PTC regulatory networks is still lacking. The purpose of our study lies in discovering the regulatory basis of miR-200b/c and Rap1b for PTC tumorigenesis and malignant progression, as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms. Herein, miR-200b/c expression was sharply dropped and Rap1b expression was up-regulated in PTC cells and tissues samples when compared to normal thyroid epithelial cells and normal tissues. miR-200b/c targeted Rap1 directly and negatively regulated its expression. miR-200b/c overexpression suppressed proliferative, colony forming, migratory and invasive capabilities and EMT as well as elevated apoptosis of PTC cells through inhibiting Rap1b. Furthermore, xenograft experiments showed miR-200b/c overexpression constrained growth of PTC xenograft and EMT. miR-200b/c inhibited NF-κB/Twist1 signals via regulating the Rap1b expression in cells and animal models. Taken together, our study suggested that upregulation of miR-200b/c-RAP1B axis constrained PTC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and EMT. Also, the upregulation of miR-200b/c-RAP1B leaded to elevated apoptosis through inhibiting the NF-κB/Twist1 pathway, thus inhibiting PTC tumorigenesis and malignant progression.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is one of the most common types of osteoporosis resulting from estrogen deficiency in elderly women. In addition, hypertension is another common disease in the elderly, and it has become an independent risk factor for osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures. Here, we report for the first time that felodipine, a first-line antihypertensive agent, significantly prevents postmenopausal osteoporosis in addition to its vasodilation properties. Real-time RT-PCR analysis revealed that treatment with felodipine significantly downregulated the genes associated with osteoclast differentiation. RNA-sequencing and western blotting suggested that felodipine could inhibit bone resorption by suppressing MAPK pathway phosphorylation. Moreover, micro-CT scanning and histological analysis in an ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone-loss mouse model indicated that felodipine might be a potent drug for preventing osteoporotic fractures. Therefore, this study proposes an attractive and promising agent with vasodilation properties to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis.

VEGF receptors (VEGFRs) are high-affinity receptors for VEGF and signaling via VEGFRs extends beyond the classical roles in blood vessel formation. We previously showed VEGFRs were also expressed in epidermal keratinocytes and activation of VEGFR-2 by ultraviolet B (UVB) was involved in the pro-survival mechanism. Here, we show that both VEGF165 and UVB enhanced the expression of VEGFRs (including VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and NRP-1) in normal human melanocytes, and increased expression of VEGFRs by UVB was mediated through hypoxia and oxidative stress. Also, VEGF165 and UVB promoted tyrosine phosphorylation of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, and UVB-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 required PKA but not P38 MAPK. In addition, UVB and VEGF165 contributed to the over-expression of melanogenic proteins in melanocytes, which could be reduced by neutralization of VEGFR-1 and/or VEGFR-2. UVB, but not VEGF165 promoted cell proliferation, while neutralization of VEGFR-1 and/or VEGFR-2 abolished this effect. UVB showed stronger than VEGF165 in promoting tyrosinase activity and melanin production, while neutralization of VEGFR-2 was stronger in reducing these effects than that of VEGFR-1. Furthermore, tranexamic acid (TA) decreased tyrosinase activity and melanin production via inhibiting activation of VEGFRs and subsequent expression of melanogenic proteins in melanocytes. Taken together, we demonstrate that VEGFRs are functionally involved in UVB-induced melanogenesis, and TA can inhibit melanogenesis at least in part by targeting VEGFRs in melanocytes.

Glaucoma filtration surgery (GFS) is a classic surgical method used to treat glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness. Scar formation caused by excessive Tenon's capsule fibroblast activation leads to surgical failure. However, the mechanism underlying this activation is largely unknown. In this study, we first isolated primary human Tenon's capsule fibroblasts (HTFs) and found that TGF-β promoted the viability, proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition of HTFs. Then, we showed that TGF-β promoted the expression of H19 in HTFs and that suppression of H19 inhibited the effect of TGF-β on HTFs. Furthermore, we revealed that H19 exerted its effects by interacting with miR-200a in TGF-β-treated HTFs. Additionally, we showed that β-catenin was a target of miR-200a in TGF-β-treated HTFs. We also demonstrated that H19 acted by modulating the H19/miR-200a/β-catenin regulatory axis in TGF-β-treated HTFs. Ultimately, we found that the components of the H19/miR-200a/β-catenin regulatory axis were aberrantly expressed in a rat model of GFS. Our results show that H19 indeed acts by modulating β-catenin expression via miR-200a in TGF-β-treated HTFs, thus providing a novel rationale for the development of H19-based strategies to attenuate scar formation after GFS.

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is one of the characteristics of cancer inherent for tumor initiation and progression, which is defined as a persistent, high rate of gain/loss of whole chromosomes. In the vast majority of human tumors the molecular basis of CIN remains unknown. The development of a conceptually simple colony color sectoring assay that measures yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) loss provided a powerful genetic tool to assess the rate of chromosome mis-segregation and also identified 937 yeast genes involved in this process. Similarly, a human artificial chromosome (HAC)-based assay has been recently developed and applied to quantify chromosome mis-segregation events in human cells. This assay allowed identification of novel human CIN genes in the library of protein kinases. Among them are PINK1, TRIO, IRAK1, PNCK, and TAOK1. The HAC-based assay may be applied to screen siRNA, shRNA and CRISPR-based libraries to identify the complete spectrum of CIN genes. This will reveal new insights into mechanisms of chromosome segregation and may expedite the development of novel therapeutic strategies to target the CIN phenotype in cancer cells.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by autoimmune-mediated platelet destruction and impaired platelet production, which can lead to an increased risk of bleeding. The clinical management of ITP currently remains a challenge for hematologists. We explored the role of interleukin-9 (IL-9) in the treatment of CD41-induced ITP, and investigated its underlying mechanisms in a CD41-induced ITP mouse model. IL-9 treatment increased the numbers of mature megakaryocytes (CD41+CD42d+) and CD41+Sca-1+ cells in the bone marrow in these model mice, while IL-9 receptor (IL-9R) small interfering RNA (siRNA) inhibited the process. Moreover, phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5), as a downstream molecule of IL-9R, was increased after IL-9 treatment. We next investigated the source of IL-9 in bone marrow, osteoblasts produced the highest level of IL-9. These results confirmed that IL-9 could prevent CD41-induced ITP in BALB/c mice by regulating osteoblasts and activating IL-9R/STAT5 signaling in megakaryocytes, thus providing further evidence for IL-9 as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of ITP.

Chromosome manipulation is a useful technique in biological science. We have constructed human artificial chromosomes (HACs) based on the transfection of centromeric alphoid DNA precursors into cultured human cells. Moreover, HAC-based technology has been developed into a novel gene expression vector tool for introducing large-size genomic DNA. This technique provides natural expression, as well as stable expression without the gene silencing that often occurs with conventional vectors in mammalian cells. Here we review the properties of HACs, and issues regarding the use of HAC technology for basic and applied research.

Lysyl oxidase like 2, LOXL2, as a member of the lysyl oxidase (LOX) family, has been shown to function similarly to LOX in the extracellular matrix (ECM) by promoting crosslinking of collagen and elastin. LOXL2 is also engaged to transcription regulation, cell signaling transduction and cell adhesion regulation. It has been reported that LOXL2 is highly expressed in several types of tumors and promotes cell proliferation and migration in various cancer cells. However, the regulatory mechanism of LOXL2 expression remains largely unknown. To further investigate its transcriptional regulatory mechanism, LOXL2 promoter region has been cloned and identified in the present study. Chromatin state analysis revealed that LOXL2 gene locus contained an active promoter near its first exon. We then constructed five different LOXL2 gene promoter luciferase reporter constructs covering 1.7 kb upstream of LOXL2 gene transcription initiation site. Series luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that all the five constructs showed notable promoter activity, and LOXL2 core promoter was located in a region of 185 bp near the transcription initiation site. Transcriptional factor binding analysis indicated that, LOXL2 promoter lacked classical TATA box, but contained putative binding sites for classic transcriptional factors such as Sp1 and NF-κB. Ectopic overexpression of Sp1 significantly enhanced LOXL2 promoter activity as well as its endogenous expression in cells. In contrast, mithramycin A (a selective Sp1 inhibitor) treatment repressed LOXL2 promoter as well as its endogenous transcription. Site directed mutagenesis assay further confirmed that the Sp1 binding sites were essential for proximal prompter activity of LOXL2 gene. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay revealed that Sp1 bound LOXL2 promoter in vivo. Of note, the expression of Sp1 and LOXL2 are positively correlated, and the higher expression of LOXL2 is associated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer, strongly suggesting the implication of Sp1-mediated LOXL2 transactivation in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world. Senescence is frequently observed in the progression of pancreatic cancer. In a previous study, we showed that KLF2 inhibited the growth and migration of pancreatic cancer. However, the mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, we showed that overexpression of KLF2 induced the senescence of pancreatic cancer cells and inhibited tumorigenesis, and knockdown of KLF2 inhibited senescence and p21 expression. In the molecular mechanism study, KLF2 was found to interact with FOXO4 and cooperated with FOXO4 to induce the expression of p21. Downregulation of p21 and FOXO4 impaired the induction of senescence by KLF2. Overall, this study revealed the functions and mechanisms of KLF2 in senescence and provided a novel explanation for the suppressive roles of KLF2 in pancreatic cancer.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture conditions are often used to promote the differentiation of human cells as a prerequisite for the study of organotypic functions and environment-specific cellular responses. Here, we assessed the molecular and functional phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) cultured as 3D multilayered aggregates. Microarray studies revealed that these conditions decrease the expression of genes associated with cell cycle control and DNA replication and cease proliferation of VSMCs. This was accompanied by a lower activity level of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK1/2 and an increase in autocrine TGFβ/SMAD2/3-mediated signaling – a determinant of VSMC differentiation. However, inhibition of TGFβ signaling did not affect markers of VSMC differentiation such as smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (MYH11) but stimulated pro-inflammatory NFκB-associated gene expression in the first place while decreasing the protein level of NFKB1/p105 and NFKB2/p100 - inhibitors of NFκB transcriptional activity. Moreover, loss of TGFβ signaling also revived VSMC proliferation in 3D aggregates. In conclusion, assembly of VSMCs in multilayered aggregates alters their transcriptome to translate the cellular organization into a resting phenotype. In this context, TGFβ signaling appears to attenuate cell growth and NFκB-controlled gene expression representing important aspects of VSMC quiescence.

The rare gestational trophoblastic neoplasia placental site trophoblastic tumor (PSTT) frequently demonstrates a high degree of vascularization, which may facilitate the tumor metastasis. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. In the present study, we found that early growth response 1 (EGR1) was highly expressed in the carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) of PSTT tissues. Further data showed that miR-363 down-regulated EGR1 expression whereas long non-coding RNA NONHSAT003875 (lnc003875) up-regulated EGR1 expression in PSTT derived CAFs. lnc003875 exerted no effect on miR-363 expression, but it recovered the decrease of EGR1 caused by miR-363 mimic. The conditioned media from PSTT CAFs treated with miR-363 mimic abrogated the tube formation capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which can be partially restored by lnc003875 over-expression. Moreover, over-expression of EGR1 promoted the secretion of Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) in PSTT derived CAFs and improved the tube formation of HUVECs, which could be effectively abrogated by Ang-1 siRNAs. In vivo vasculogenesis assay demonstrated that lnc003875/EGR1 in PSTT derived CAFs promoted the vasculogenesis of HUVECs in C57BL/6 mice. Collectively, these findings indicated that lnc003875/miR-363/EGR1/Ang-1 in CAFs may be crucial for the angiogenesis of PSTT.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) participate in tumorigenesis, progression, recurrence and drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, few miRNAs have been identified and entered clinical practice. Herein, we report that miR-29a is downregulated in tumor-initiating cells (T-ICs) and has an important function in liver T-ICs. Functional studies revealed that miR-29a knockdown promotes liver T-ICs self-renewal and tumorigenesis. Conversely, a forced miR-29a expression inhibits liver T-ICs self-renewal and tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, we find that miR-29a downregulates Bcl-2 via binding its mRNA 3′UTR in liver T-ICs. The correlation between miR-29a and Bcl-2 is validated in human HCC tissues. Furthermore, the miR-29a expression determines the responses of hepatoma cells to sorafenib treatment. Analysis of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) further demonstrated that the miR-29a high patients are more sensitive to sorafenib treatment. In conclusion, our findings revealed the crucial role of the miR-29a in liver T-ICs expansion and sorafenib response, rendering miR-29a as an optimal target for the prevention and intervention of HCC.

Renal fibrosis is a key pathological feature in chronic kidney diseases (CKDs). Dysregulation of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) homeostasis is implicated in the pathogenesis of CKDs. Here, C57/BL6 mice were allocated to Sham and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) groups, which were treated with NaHS or NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor 16673-34-0 for 3–14 days. UUO mice displayed downregulation of H2S production and increased macrophage infiltration in obstructed kidneys. H2S donor NaHS treatment attenuated renal damage and fibrosis and inhibited M1 and M2 macrophage infiltration. NLPR3 inflammasome was activated and levels of phosphorylated nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 subunit, phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) and interleukin (IL)-4 protein in kidneys were increased in the kidney after UUO. NLRP3 inhibitor inactivated NF-κB and IL-4/STAT6 signaling, suppressed M1 and M2 macrophage infiltration and attenuated renal damage and fibrosis in UUO mice. NaHS treatment also suppressed NLRP3, NF-κB and IL-4/STAT6 activation in the obstructed kidneys. In conclusion, the therapeutic effects of H2S on UUO-induced renal injury and fibrosis are at least in part by inhibition of M1 and M2 macrophage infiltration. H2S suppresses NLRP3 activation and subsequently inactivates NF-κB and IL4/STAT6 signaling, which may contribute to the anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects of H2S.

Mucosal hyperplasia is common sequela of otitis media (OM), leading to the secretion of mucus and the recruitment of leukocytes. However, the pathogenic mechanisms underlying hyperplasia are not well defined. Here, we investigated the role of the AKT pathway in the development of middle mucosal hyperplasia using in vitro mucosal explants cultures and an in vivo rat model. The Akt inhibitor MK2206 treatment inhibited the growth of middle ear mucosal explants in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, MK2206 also reduced mucosal hyperplasia. Unexpectedly, while PTEN is generally thought to act in opposition to AKT, the PTEN inhibitor BPV reduced mucosal explant growth in vitro. The results indicate that both AKT and PTEN are mediators of mucosal growth during OM, and could be potential therapeutic targets.

The Ras–ERK pathway regulates a variety of cellular and physiological responses, including cell proliferation, differentiation, morphogenesis during animal development, and homeostasis in adults. Deregulated activation of this pathway leads to cellular transformation and tumorigenesis as well as RASopathies. Several negative regulators of this pathway have been documented. Each of these proteins acts at particular points of the pathway, and they exert specific cellular and physiological functions. Among them, DA-Raf1 (DA-Raf), which is a splicing isoform of A-Raf and contains the Ras-binding domain but lacks the kinase domain, antagonizes the Ras–ERK pathway in a dominant-negative manner. DA-Raf induces apoptosis, skeletal myocyte differentiation, lung alveolarization, and fulfills tumor suppressor functions by interfering with the Ras–ERK pathway. After the findings of DA-Raf, several kinase-domain-truncated splicing variants of Raf proteins have also been reported. The family of these truncated proteins represents the concept that alternative splicing can generate antagonistic proteins to their full-length counterparts.

Diabetic bone defects may exhibit impaired endochondral ossification (ECO) leading to delayed bone repair. AdipoRon, a receptor agonist of adiponectin polymers, can ameliorate diabetes and related complications, as well as overcome the disadvantages of the unstable structure of artificial adiponectin polymers. Here, the effects of AdipoRon on the survival and differentiation of chondrocytes in a diabetic environment were explored focusing on related mechanisms in gene and protein levels. In vivo, AdipoRon was applied to diet-induced-obesity (DIO) mice, a model of obesity and type 2 diabetes, with femoral fracture. Sequential histological evaluations and micro-CT were examined for further verification. We found that AdipoRon could ameliorate cell viability, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and promote mRNA expression of chondrogenic markers and cartilaginous matrix production of ATDC5 cells in high glucose medium via activating ERK1/2 pathway. Additionally, DIO mice with intragastric AdipoRon administration had more neocartilage and accelerated new bone formation. These data suggest that AdipoRon could stimulate bone regeneration via ECO.

Microtubule-binding proteins provide an alternative and vital pathway to the functional diversity of microtubules. Considerable work is still required to understand the complexities of microtubule-associated cellular processes and to identify novel microtubule-binding proteins. In this study, we identify Bcl2-associated athanogene cochaperone 6 (BAG6) as a novel microtubule-binding protein and reveal that it is crucial for primary ciliogenesis. By immunofluorescence we show that BAG6 largely colocalizes with intracellular microtubules and by co-immunoprecipitation we demonstated that it can interact with α-tubulin. Additionally, both the UBL and BAG domains of BAG6 are indispensable for its interaction with α-tubulin. Moreover, the assembly of primary cilia in RPE-1 cells is significantly inhibited upon the depletion of BAG6. Notably, BAG6 inhibition leads to an abnormal G0/G1 transition during the cell cycle. In addition, BAG6 colocalizes and interactes with the centrosomal protein γ-tubulin, suggesting that BAG6 might regulate primary ciliogenesis through its action in centrosomal function. Collectively, our findings suggest that BAG6 is a novel microtubule-bindng protein crucial for primary ciliogenesis.

Background The lncRNA NKILA has been reported to interact with NF-κB and has an important role in various human diseases. However, the role of NKILA in myocardial ischaemic injury is still unknown. Methods We established cell and animal models of myocardial ischaemic injury. We confirmed our findings by overexpressing NKILA, silencing myocardin and using an NF-κB pathway inhibitor in a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model of H9c2 cells. An animal model of ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury was established by LAD ligation. Overexpression of NKILA was achieved by adeno-associated virus (AAV) injection through the tail vein. Annexin-V/PI staining and flow cytometric analysis were performed to test cell apoptosis. ELISAs were used to determine the secretion of inflammatory factors. TTC, HE and TUNEL staining were performed to study myocardial pathological injury. qRT-PCR or Western blotting were used to test the expression levels of NKILA, myocardin, the NF-κB pathway and apoptosis-related proteins. Results H/R and I/R treatment significantly suppressed the expression of NKILA and activated the NF-κB pathway, resulting in the loss of myocardin. Overexpressing NKILA led to the suppression of the NF-κB pathway and successfully prevented the cell apoptosis and inflammatory responses caused by H/R stimulation in H9c2 cells. Silencing myocardin reversed the protective effect of NKILA and led to severe injury in the H9c2 cells that underwent H/R. Furthermore, the NF-κB pathway inhibitor BAY11-7028 reduced the H/R injury in H9c2 cells with little effect on NKILA expression. Similar results were confirmed in an animal model of myocardial I/R injury and showed that overexpression of NKILA inhibited I/R-triggered myocardial injury in vivo. Conclusion NKILA enhanced the expression of myocardin via inhibiting the NF-κB signalling pathway and preventing cell apoptosis and the inflammatory response of cardiomyocytes, thus ameliorating myocardial I/R injury.

Purpose The metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized of a cluster of medical disorders. Altered function of adipose tissue has a significant impact on whole-body metabolism and represents a key driver for MetS. In this study, we aim to explore the function of human circular RNA H19 (hsa_circH19) in human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Methods The blood samples from MetS patients and normal subjects were used to determine the expression level of the hsa_circH19. After knock-down of hsa_circH19 in hADSCs, we measured the expression of adipogenic genes. Oil red O, Nile red staining assay and triglyceride assessment were performed to examine the role of hsa_circH19 in hADSCs differentiation. Then, RNA Pull-down and RIP assays were conducted to explore the related RNA binding protein of hsa_circH19. IF was performed to determine the potential molecular regulatory mechanism. Results After accounting for confounding factors, high levels of hsa_circH19 remained an independent risk factor for MetS. Furthermore, the knockdown of hsa_circH19 significantly increased the expression of adipogenic genes and the formation of lipid droplets. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that has_circH19 shared multiple binding sites with polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) and their interaction was validated by circRNA pull-down and RIP assays. Mechanistically, depletion of hsa_circH19 triggered translocation of sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP1) from cytoplasm to nucleus in the presence of PTBP1. Conclusion Our experiments suggest that knockdown of hsa_circH19 promotes hADCSs adipogenic differentiation via targeting of PTBP1. In consequence, the expression of hsa_circH19 might correlated to lipid metabolism in adipose tissue from MetS.

In female meiosis, oocyte meiotic maturation is a form of asymmetric cell division, producing the first polar body and a large oocyte, in which the asymmetry of oocyte meiotic division depends on spindle migration and positioning, and cortical polarization. In this study, we conclude that WDR62 (WD40-repeat protein 62) plays an important role for asymmetric meiotic division in mouse oocyte. Our initial study demonstrated that WDR62 mainly co-localized with chromosomes during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. Interference of Wdr62 by siRNA microinjection did not affect germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) but compromised the first polar body extrusion (PBE) with the large polar bodies generated, which is coupled with a higher incidence of spindle abnormality and chromosome misalignment. Further analysis concluded that loss of WDR62 blocked asymmetric spindle positioning and actin cap formation, which should be responsible for large polar body extrusion. Moreover WDR62 decline intervened with the Arp2/3 complex, an upstream regulator for the cortical actin. Besides for p-MAPK, a critical regulator for the asymmetric division of oocyte, WDR62-depleted oocytes showed perturbation only in localization pattern but not expression level. In summary, our study defines WDR62 as an essential cytoskeletal regulator of spindle migration and asymmetric division during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation.

Objective The aim of this study is to establish the dexamethasone sodium phosphate multivesicular liposomes thermosensative hydrogel (DEX-MVLs-Gel) drug delivery system and to analyze the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and safety of DEX-MVLs-Gel as well as to explore whether the prepared DEX-MVLs-Gel can protect the hearing in the guinea pigs following noise exposure. Methods DEX-MVLs formulations were constructed by double emulsion method, and the DEX-MVLs-Gel was prepared after adding P407 and P188 into the DEX-MVLs. A total of 20 adult albino guinea pigs were chosen to establish the animal models with noise-induced hearing loss. After animals were treated with DEX-MVLs-Gel at concentrations of 20, 6 and 2 mg/mL, and 5 mg/mL Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate (DEX-P) solution, respectively, the hearing function, drug concentration in the peripheral lymph fluid, and hair cell morphology were assessed. Results The ABR threshold of the 20 mg/mL DEX-MVLs-Gel treated group at the frequencies of 4, 8, 16 and 24 kHz were measured as 47.5 ± 5.2, 48.3 ± 4.1, 55.8 ± 3.8 and 57.5 5 ± 5.2 dB SPL, respectively. Statistical significances were noted between the 20 mg/mL DEX-MVLs-Gel treated group and control group at each frequency (all P < 0.05), between the 2 mg/mL and 6 mg/mL DEX-MVLs-Gel treated groups at the frequencies of 4 and 8 kHz (both P < 0.05). High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) demonstrated that the drug concentrations in the peripheral lymph in all groups were gradually decreased on the 1st, 3rd and 7th d after intratympanic injection. Scattered hair cell loss could be observed mainly in the basal and middle turn in the saline administrated group and the 20 mg/mL DEX-MVLs-Gel administration group, and the hair cell loss was not identified in the apical turn. Conclusions A high concentration (20 mg/mL) of DEX-MVLs-Gel exerts significant protective effects upon the guinea pigs with noise-induced hearing loss. The prepared DEX-MVLs-Gel can be effectively maintained in the peripheral lymph fluid of guinea pigs for 3–7 d and MVLs-Gel causes no obvious ototoxicity.

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers among women in both developed and developing countries with a rising incidence. Using the MMTV-PyMT transgenic mouse model, we found that R5, a neutralizing antibody to Robo1, significantly inhibited BC growth and metastasis. Angiogenesis is involved in the growth and metastasis of BC. Interestingly, R5 significantly decreases microvessel density in BC tissues, and inhibits blood vessel formation and development in in vivo chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM), yolk sac membrane (YSM) and Matrigel plug models. To investigate whether its anti-breast cancer efficacy is ascribed to its direct antiangiogenic properties, xenografted breast cancer model on CAM was established. Furthermore, R5 significantly reduces the tube formation of the vascular plexus on xenografted breast tumor on CAM. R5 also suppresses the migration and the tubular structure formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by down-regulating the expression of filamin A (FLNA). These findings show that R5 has the potential to be a promising agent for the treatment of BC by suppressing the tumor-induced angiogenesis.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in older men, and there is evidence that obesity is a causal factor. It is currently unclear whether the hormone leptin, which is positively correlated to obesity, is involved in BPH. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of leptin on testosterone-induced BPH in mice and to explore possible underlying mechanisms. Testosterone (3 mg/kg) was injected into wild-type and leptin-deficient ob/ob male mice for 14 consecutive days, and prostate tissues were subjected to various analyses. Additionally, BPH epithelial-1 (BPH-1) cells were treated with leptin to further investigate the underlying mechanisms. Leptin deficiency attenuated testosterone-induced morphological and pathological changes of BPH in mice. Furthermore, leptin deficiency alleviated the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and suppressed the downregulation of bone morphogenic protein and activin membrane-bound inhibitor (BAMBI) in testosterone-treated mice. The in vitro data revealed that leptin significantly increased the expression of the EMT-associated marker vimentin but decreased the expression of E-cadherin, and that upregulation of BAMBI mitigated the intensity of leptin-induced EMT responses. Our results suggest that leptin can promote EMT in BPH through downregulating BAMBI. Suppressing leptin might be a potential therapeutic approach in preventing BPH development and progression.

MicroRNA-501-3p (miR-501-3p) has been reported to play tumor-suppressive roles in different cancers; however, its expression pattern and biological function in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unknown. In this study, we noted downregulation of miR-501-3p in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. Functional assays showed that overexpression of miR-501-3p suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation, clonogenicity, migration, and invasion. Moreover, miR-501-3p overexpression attenuated in vivo tumor growth in a nude mouse model. In terms of the mechanism, RAP1A was identified as a novel target of miR-501-3p. Overexpression of RAP1A strongly attenuated the inhibitory effects of miR-501-3p on the capacity of NSCLC cells for proliferation and motility. In the clinical samples of NSCLC, miR-501-3p levels negatively correlated with RAP1A expression, which was upregulated in NSCLC. Collectively, these results indicate that miR-501-3p acts as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC by directly targeting RAP1A mRNA and may serve as a theranostic biomarker for patients with NSCLC.

Enhanced odontoblast differentiation of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) is considered a keystone in dentin-pulp complex formation. We have revealed lncRNA DANCR was implicated in this differentiation program, however, its mechanism in odontoblast differentiation of hDPCs remains further explored. In this study, by employing loss-of-function approach, we identified downregulation of DANCR drived odontoblast differentiaion of hDPCs. Bioinformatics analysis was utilized to show that DANCR contained binding site for miR-216a and an inverse correlation between DANCR and miR-216a was obtained. Dual luciferase reporter assay and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) were applied to further confirm that DANCR conferred its functions by directly binding to miR-216a. Notably, miR-216a was able to bind to the 3′-UTR of c-Cbl and repressed its expression. In addition, the protein level of c-CBL was significantly downregulated during hDPCs differentiation, while c-Cbl overexpression inhibited odontoblast differentiation of hDPCs. Moreover, downregulation of miR-216a efficiently reversed the suppression of c-Cbl level and odontoblast differentiation induced by knockdown of DANCR. Taken together, these analyses indicated that DANCR positively regulated the expression of c-Cbl, through sponging miR-216a, and inhibited odontoblast differentiation of hDPCs. Our results will extend the field of clinical application for cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine.