食道癌组织miR-21、miR-182表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系

目的:探讨食道癌组织微小RNA-21(miR-21)、微小RNA-182(miR-182)表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系。方法:选取2011年4月到2013年7月期间在我院接受手术治疗的食道癌患者84例,取患者的癌组织和癌旁正常组织作为检验标本,比较癌组织和癌旁正常组织中miR-21、mi R-182的表达水平,并分析食道癌组织中mi R-182、mi R-21的表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系。结果:癌组织中mi R-21、mi R-182的相对表达量明显高于癌旁正常组织,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。食道癌组织中mi R-21的表达与淋巴结转移、临床分期有关(P<0.05),与性别、年龄、分化程度、肿瘤大小无关(P>0.05);食道癌患者癌组织中miR-182的表达与年龄、性别、肿瘤大小无关(P>0.05),与分化程度、临床分期、淋巴结转移有关(P<0.05)。食道癌癌组织中miR-21、miR-182高表达患者的中位生存时间均低于低表达患者,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:食道癌组织mi R-21、mi R-182表达与患者的部分临床病理特征及预后有关,两者有望成为食道癌新的治疗靶点。     

microRNA-21在食管癌细胞增殖、迁移和凋亡中的作用

本研究检测了40例食管癌组织和40例癌旁组织中的miR-21、PTEN、PI3K和AKT表达,并通过转染miR-21抑制剂来敲低人食管癌细胞系EC9706的miR-21表达,考察了miR-21对食管癌细胞生长的影响。研究发现,食管癌组织中PTEN蛋白的阳性染色评分低于癌旁组织(p<0.05),而PI3K和AKT蛋白的阳性染色评分高于癌旁组织(p<0.05)。miR-21在人食管癌组织中被上调(3.56 vs 1.21,p<0.05)。转染miR-21抑制剂导致PTEN蛋白表达升高,而PI3K和AKT蛋白表达降低(p<0.05)。转染miR-21抑制剂抑制了EC9706细胞的增殖和迁移,但促进了细胞凋亡(p<0.05)。miR-21的上调可通过激活PTEN/PI3K/AKT信号通路来促进食道癌细胞的增殖和迁移,并抑制细胞凋亡。     

FGF21 impedes peripheral myelin development by stimulating p38 MAPK/c‐Jun axis

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) as a metabolic stress hormone, is mainly secreted by the liver. In addition to its well‐defined roles in energy homeostasis, FGF21 has been shown to promote remyelination after injury in the central nervous system. In the current study, we sought to examine the potential roles of FGF21 in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) myelination. In the PNS myelin development, Fgf21 expression was reversely correlated with myelin gene expression. In cultured primary Schwann cells (SCs), the application of recombinant FGF21 greatly attenuates myelination‐associated gene expression, including Oct6, Krox20, Mbp, Mpz, and Pmp22. Accordingly, the injection of FGF21 into neonatal rats markedly mitigates the myelination in sciatic nerves. On the contrary, the infusion of the anti‐FGF21 antibody accelerates the myelination. Mechanistically, both extracellular signal‐regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) were stimulated by FGF21 in SCs and sciatic nerves. Following experiments including pharmaceutical intervention and gene manipulation revealed that the p38 MAPK/c‐Jun axis, rather than ERK, is targeted by FGF21 for mediating its repression on myelination in SCs. Taken together, our data provide a new aspect of FGF21 by acting as a negative regulator for the myelin development process in the PNS via activation of p38 MAPK/c‐Jun.     

IL-21单克隆抗体对MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠的治疗作用*

目的: 探讨IL-21单克隆抗体对MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠的免疫治疗作用。方法: 将20只MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠随机分为模型组和治疗组,每组10只;同年龄同性别C57BL/6小鼠10只作为正常组。治疗组小鼠每周腹腔注射IL-21单克隆抗体(100 μg),正常组及模型组小鼠每周腹腔注射等量生理盐水(100 μg),连续干预8周。干预结束后观察小鼠皮毛、活动等一般性状及浅表淋巴结大小,并采集小鼠血液、尿液及肾脏标本。采用Western blot法检测三组小鼠肾组织中IL-21蛋白表达情况;采用ELISA法比较三组小鼠血清抗ds-DNA抗体、ANA抗体、血尿素氮、肌酐和炎症因子IL-17A、TGF-β1水平;采用生物化学法比较三组小鼠24 h尿蛋白水平。结果: 与正常组比较,模型组小鼠肾组织IL-21、血清抗ds-DNA、ANA抗体水平、尿素氮、肌酐、IL-17A浓度及24 h尿蛋白水平均升高(P＜0.05),TGF-β1浓度降低(P＜0.01);与模型组比较,治疗组小鼠肾组织IL-21、血清抗ds-DNA、ANA抗体水平、尿素氮、肌酐、IL-17A浓度、24 h尿蛋白水平均降低(P＜0.05),TGF-β1浓度升高(P＜0.01)。结论: 腹腔注射IL-21单克隆抗体可改善MRL/lpr狼疮小鼠免疫功能与肾损害,提示治疗机制可能与重塑Th17/Treg相关细胞因子平衡有关。     

miR-134-5p靶向抑制PAK3表达增强多发性骨髓瘤细胞的化疗敏感性的研究

摘要 目的：研究miR-134-5p对多发性骨髓瘤（multiple myeloma, MM）化疗敏感性的影响及其可能的作用机制。方法：CCK-8法测定人多发性骨髓瘤细胞KM3及其耐硼替佐米（bortezomib, BTZ）细胞株KM3/BTZ对BTZ的化疗敏感性,RT-PCR法检测KM3和KM3/BTZ细胞株中miR-134-5p和p21活化激酶3（p21 activated kinase 3, PAK3）mRNA的表达,生物信息学软件分析miR-134-5p的靶基因,荧光素酶报告实验进行验证,CCK-8法检测分别抑制miR-134-5p和PAK3后KM3/BTZ的化疗敏感性,Western-blot法检测抑制miR-134-5p后KM3/BTZ细胞株中PAK3蛋白的表达。结果：KM3/BTZ细胞株对BTZ的化疗敏感性显著低于KM3细胞株（P＜0.05）。MiR-134-5p在KM3细胞株的表达显著高于KM3/BTZ细胞株,而PAK3 mRNA在KM3细胞株的表达显著低于KM3/BTZ细胞株（P＜0.05）。PAK3为miR-134-5p的靶基因。MiR-134-5p inhibitor组和PAK3 siRNA组KM3/BTZ细胞株的化疗敏感性显著低于对照组（P＜0.05）。MiR-134-5p inhibitor组PAK3蛋白的相对表达显著高于对照组（P＜0.05）。结论：MiR-134-5p可提高KM3/BTZ细胞株的化疗敏感性,其机制可能与抑制PAK3的表达有关。     

食管癌组织miR-21、miR-182表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系

目的:探讨食管癌组织微小RNA-21(miR-21)、微小RNA-182(miR-182)表达与临床病理特征及预后的关系。方法:选择2010年10月至2014年2月期间在我院治疗的120例食管癌患者为研究对象,采集患者的食管癌组织及癌旁组织,采用荧光定量PCR检测组织中miR-21、miR-182表达量,采用Kaplan-Meier法分析患者生存情况。结果:与癌旁组织相比,食管癌组织中miR-21、miR-182表达量明显升高(P<0.05)。食管癌组织中miR-21、miR-182表达均与TNM分期和淋巴结转移相关(P<0.05)。miR-21低表达患者的5年生存率明显高于高表达患者(P<0.05),miR-182低表达患者的5年生存率明显高于高表达患者(P<0.05)。结论:miR-21、miR-182表达量在食管癌中上调,与食管癌TNM分期和淋巴结转移相关。miR-21高表达以及miR-182高表达患者5年生存率下降,检测miR-21、miR-182表达量在食管癌患者预后预测中具有一定临床意义。     

Long non-coding RNA MEG3 promotes autophagy and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via PTEN up-regulation by binding to microRNA-21

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been highlighted as attractive markers for diagnosis and prognosis as well as new therapeutic targets in multiple cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we attempted to investigate the underlying regulatory role of the lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) in NPC development. As determined by RT-qPCR, MEG3 expression was down-regulated in NPC cells. Online RNA crosstalk analysis predicted the binding of miR-21 to MEG3 and PTEN, respectively. MEG3 was validated to bind to miR-21 while PTEN was identified as a target of miR-21 by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Exogenous transfection was done to change the levels of MEG3, miR-21 and PTEN in HK-1 cells to investigate their effects on the autophagy and apoptosis of NPC cells. The results suggested that MEG3 overexpression in HK-1 cells up-regulated PTEN and down-regulated miR-21, by which MEG3 further inhibited autophagy and apoptosis ability of NPC cells. The tumour formation ability was tested after injecting the HK-1 cells into nude, mice and tumour growth was monitored. Consistently, MEG3 overexpression inhibited the tumour formation in vivo. Collectively, MEG3 promotes the autophagy and apoptosis of NPC cells via enhancing PTEN expression by binding to miR-21.     

HCV-specific interleukin-21+CD4+ T cells responses associated with viral control through the modulation of HCV-specific CD8+ T cells function in chronic hepatitis C patients

Interleukin-21 (IL-21)+CD4+ T cells are involved in the immune response against hepatitis B virus (HBV) by secreting IL-21. However, the role of IL-21+CD4+ T cells in the immune response against chronic hepatitis C (CHC) virus infection is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of IL-21+CD4+ T cells in CHC patients and the potential mechanisms. The study subjects included nineteen CHC patients who were grouped by viral load (low, < 10⁶ RNA copies/ml, n = 8; high, > 10⁶ RNA copies/ml, n = 11). The peripheral frequency of HCV-specific IL-21+CD4+ T cells was higher in the low viral load group and was negatively correlated with the serum HCV RNA viral load in all CHC patients. Meanwhile, IL-21+ cells accumulated in the liver in the low viral load group. In vitro, IL-21 treatment increased the expression of proliferation markers and cytolytic molecules on HCV-specific CD8+ T cells. In summary, these findings suggest that HCV-specific IL-21+CD4+ T cells might contribute to HCV control by rescuing HCV-specific CD8+ T cells in CHC patients.     

Isolation of Synaptic Complexes in a CsCl Gradient: Conditions for Maximal Resolution in the Zonal Rotor B-Xiv and Circular Dichroism Patterns

Synaptic complexes were isolated from different brain regions and developmental stages in a CsCl density gradient using a Ti-14 zonal rotor. The buoyant density of the synaptic complexes from all these tissues was 1.178–1.190. The conditions for maximal resolution were rapid displacement of the density gradient from the rotor (40 ml/min); continuous centrifugation of the particles in the gradient for 66 hours, sample loads not exceeding 200 mg membrane protein. The banding densities of the membranes in the CsCl gradient were shown to be a linear inverse function of their lipid content. The circular dichroism patterns of synaptic complexes and other neural membranes in suspension or SDS solutions were similar to those of membranes from other mammalian cells or from bacteria although the ellipticities of the neural membranes were lower. These studies indicate that the proteins in a variety of membranes are in an α-helical conformation.