Novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction mediated short hairpin RNA plasmid transfection targeting survivin inhibits gene expression and induces apoptosis of HeLa cells

Survivin is an attractive target for tumor growth inhibition and represents a significant approach to anticancer therapy. RNA interference is an important tool for specifically down-regulating the expression of cellular genes. However, the efficiency of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) on the expression of survivin gene and the influence on the cell apoptosis transfected by the non-viral gene transfer system of ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction was not explored. In this work, recombinant expression plasmid of shRNA targeting survivin gene was constructed and added to cultured cervical cancer cells followed by ultrasound exposure and SonoVue((R)) microbubble. Expression of survivin mRNA and protein were assessed by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Apoptosis ratio was quantified by flow cytometry marked with annexin V and 7-AAD. After transfected for 48 h, the expression of survivin mRNA and protein were (16.67 +/- 2.73)% and (21.33 +/- 3.55)%, respectively. The apoptosis rate was (45.41 +/- 1.47)%. The differences were significant as compared with other groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, we suggested that survivin could be regarded as an ideal anticancer target of cervical cancer. Recombinant expression plasmid of shRNA targeting survivin gene mediated by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction technique could effectively inhibit the expression of target gene and induce cell apoptosis. This novel method for RNA interference represents a powerful, promising non-viral technology that can be used in the tumor gene therapy and research.     

EB病毒潜伏膜蛋白1调控细胞凋亡的cDNA阵列分析

为探讨EB病毒潜伏膜蛋白（LMP1）介导细胞凋亡和抑制细胞凋亡双重效应的机制,采用已建立的受四环素调控的LMP1表达的鼻咽癌系统（pTet-on-LMP1 HNE2),定量诱导pTet-on-LMP1 HNE2细胞LMP1动态表达,分别与含有细胞凋亡相关基因为主的Atlas apoptosis cDNA expression array膜杂交,分析LMP1介导 的表达差异基因。结果表明：①LMP1介导细胞凋亡和抑制细胞凋亡的基因的表达,同时上调或下调某些细胞凋亡相关基因的表达;②LMP1不仅介导细胞凋亡和抑制凋亡基因的表达,同时介导细胞分裂分化和增殖基因的表达,LMP1同时介导功能不同甚至功能相反的基因表达;③LMP1介导的基因表达与其表达持续时间和表达水平相关,不同表达水平和不同表达时间介导的基因表达谱不同。因此,LMP1具有介导细胞凋亡和抑制凋亡基因表达的双重生物学效应,同时介导细胞增殖、细胞周期、细胞凋亡等多种生物学效应基因的表达,从而参与细胞的癌变。     

Enhancement of expression of survivin promoter-driven CD/TK double suicide genes by the nuclear matrix attachment region in transgenic gastric cancer cells

This work aimed to study a novel transgenic expression system of the CD/TK double suicide genes enhanced by the nuclear matrix attachment region (MAR) for gene therapy. The recombinant vector pMS-CD/TK containing the MAR–survivin promoter–CD/TK cassette was developed and transfected into human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells. Expression of the CD/TK genes was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and Western blot. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry. When the MAR fragment was inserted into the upstream of the survivin promoter, the qPCR result showed that the expression of the CD/TK genes significantly increased 7.7-fold in the transgenic SGC-7901 cells with plasmid pMS-CD/TK compared with that without MAR. MTT and flow cytometry analyses indicated that treatment with the prodrugs (5-FC + GCV) significantly decreased the cellular survival rate and enhanced the cellular apoptosis in the SGC-7901 cells. The expression of the CD/TK double suicide genes driven by the survivin promoter can be enhanced by the MAR fragment in human gastric cancer cells.     

靶向survivin的siRNA对胃癌BGC-823细胞增殖的影响

目的探讨干扰RNA沉默生存素（survivin）基因表达对人胃癌BGC-823细胞增殖和凋亡的影响。方法设计并合成3条靶向survivin的小分子干扰RNA（siRNA）,构建表达性干扰RNA质粒（shRNA）——shRNA-survivin-1、shRNA-survivin-2和shRNA-survivin-3,分别转染胃癌BGC-823细胞,实时定量PCR检测干扰RNA沉默survivin mRNA表达效果,Westernblot观察对胃癌BGC-823细胞survivin蛋白质表达的抑制,MTT（四甲基偶氮唑盐）比色法分析检测细胞生长抑制率,流式细胞计数检测各组细胞周期和凋亡率,探讨干扰RNA对胃癌BGC-823细胞生长的影响。结果在体外,shRNA-survivin-1有效沉默人胃癌BGC-823细胞survivin mRNA的表达,使sur-vivin mRNA相对水平明显降低（P〈0.05）,survivin蛋白质表达抑制,72h细胞生长抑制率达74.92%（P〈0.05）,shRNA-survivin-1使G2/M期细胞百分比明显增加,凋亡率显著增加（P〈0.05）。结论 shRNA-survivin-1可以沉默survivin基因的表达,可以显著抑制胃癌BGC-823细胞的增殖,在一定程度上诱导其自发凋亡。本研究为靶向sur-vivin的RNA干扰在胃癌的基因治疗提供了有力的理论依据和技术储备。     

Silencing of antiapoptotic survivin gene by multiple approaches of RNA interference technology

Silencing of mammalian gene expression by RNA interference (RNAi) technology can be achieved using small interfering RNA (siRNA) or short hairpin RNA (shRNA). However, the relative effectiveness of these two approaches is not known. It is also not clear whether gene-specific shRNA transcribed from an RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-directed promoter in a fusion form can disrupt the targeted gene expression. Here, we report that using both luciferase and antiapoptotic survivin genes as targets, both siRNA and shRNA approaches significantly silenced the targeted gene expression in cancer cells. We further demonstrated that shRNAs transcribed from an RNA Pol II-mediated promoter in a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion form at the 3'-untranslated region silenced luciferase and survivin expression as well, suggesting that the extra RNA sequence outside of the shRNA hairpin does not disrupt shRNA function. We also showed that silencing of survivin expression selectively induces apoptosis in transfected cells. Together, we have validated multiple approaches of RNAi technology using both survivin and luciferase genes as targets and demonstrated for the first time that GFP-shRNAs transcribed from an RNA Pol II-mediated promoter could mediate gene silencing, which may lead to new directions for the application of RNAi technology.     

罗汉果醇抗肿瘤活性及其作用机制研究

罗汉果醇是罗汉果皂苷的苷元,有研究报道罗汉果皂苷V具有防癌抑癌作用。该研究采用噻唑蓝实验( MTT法)检测罗汉果醇对不同肿瘤细胞增殖的抑制情况,以及不同浓度的罗汉果醇对CNE1细胞的增殖抑制率;应用细胞克隆形成实验进一步验证罗汉果醇对CNE1细胞增殖的抑制作用;采用Annexin V/PI 双染法检测罗汉果醇对CNE1细胞凋亡的影响;以实时定量PCR技术检测罗汉果醇对CNE1细胞中Caspase-3、Sur-vivin、Bax和Bcl-2基因的mRNA 表达水平的影响。结果表明：罗汉果醇能显著抑制DU145、HepG2、A549、CNE1、CNE2细胞的增殖,其中对CNE1细胞增殖的抑制作用最为显著,并呈剂量依赖性,其半数抑制浓度IC50为(81.48±4.73)μmol·L-1;通过对CNE1细胞进一步的克隆形成实验,也验证了这一点;Annexin V/PI 双染法可见随着浓度的增加,凋亡比例增加;实时定量PCR技术检测显示罗汉果醇处理后,促凋亡基因Caspase-3、Bax的表达增加,抗凋亡基因Survivin、Bcl-2的表达减少。因此,罗汉果醇可能是通过促进Caspase-3、Bax等促凋亡基因和抑制Survivin、Bcl-2等抗凋亡基因的表达,来诱导肿瘤细胞凋亡,进而发挥抗肿瘤活性。     

Antitumor effects of a xenogeneic survivin bone marrow derived dendritic cell vaccine against murine GL261 gliomas

Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein family. Gliomas and many other tumors express survivin at high levels; whereas, normal fully differentiated cells generally do not. Therefore, survivin represents a tumor-specific target for cancer vaccine therapy. It has been shown that it is possible to produce a MHC-I-restricted cellular immunologic response to survivin vaccines. To study differences in immunogenicity between murine and human survivin proteins, we vaccinated C57BL/6 mice with bone marrow dendritic cells (BMDC) transfected with expression vectors containing the murine and human survivin genes. Mice vaccinated with BMDCs expressing a truncated human survivin protein developed cytotoxic T lymphocyte to subcutaneous GL261 glioma cells and exhibited prolonged tumor-free survival compared to mice vaccinated with BMDCs transfected with vector alone (P<0.01). While mice challenged with intracerebral GL261 cells had increased survival, no cures were observed. In contrast, vaccinated mice that fully resisted subcutaneous tumor challenge were rendered resistant to intracerebral GL261 re-challenge. BMDCs transfected with the full-length human survivin molecule were significantly more effective at prolonging survival than BMDCs expressing the full-length murine survivin gene (P=0.0175). Therefore, xenogeneic differences between human and murine sequences might be exploited to develop more immunogenic tumor vaccines.     

Polo-like kinase and survivin are esophageal tumor-specific promoters

For developing successful cancer gene therapy strategies, tumor-specific gene delivery is essential. In this study, we used esophageal cancer (EC) cells to identify and evaluate esophageal tumor-specific gene promoters. Four genes (polo-like kinase-1/PLK, survivin/BIRC5, karyopherin alpha 2/KPNA2, and pituitary tumor transforming gene protein 1/PTTG1) were identified by a microarray analysis as highly expressed in EC cell lines vs. five normal organ tissues (liver, lung, kidney, brain, and heart). By quantitative RT-PCR, the average mRNA expression levels of these four genes in 20 primary ECs were 2.7-fold (PLK), 6.1-fold (survivin), 2.6-fold (KPNA2), and 2.4-fold (PTTG1) higher than that of each gene in 24 different normal organs. By dual luciferase assay, the promoter activity of PLK and survivin in EC cell lines was 18.9-fold and 28.5-fold higher, respectively, than in normal lung and renal cells. The promoters of PLK and survivin could be useful tools for developing EC-specific gene therapy vectors.     

Inhibition of SIRT6 in prostate cancer reduces cell viability and increases sensitivity to chemotherapeutics

SI RT6 is an important histone modifying protein that regulates DNA repair, telomere maintenance, energy metabolism, and target gene expression. Recently SIRT6 has been identifi ed as a tumor suppressor and is downregulated in certain cancer types, but not in other cancers. From deposited gene profi ling studies we found that SIRT6 was overexpressed in prostate tumors, compared with normal or paratumor prostate tissues. Tissue microarray studies confi rmed the higher levels of SIRT6 in both prostate tumor tissues and prostate cancer cells than in their normal counterparts. Knockdown of SIRT6 in human prostate cancer cells led to sub-G1 phase arrest of cell cycle, increased apoptosis, elevated DNA damage level and decrease in BCL2 gene expression. Moreover, SIRT6-deficiency reduced cell viability and enhanced chemotherapeutics sensitivity. Taken together, this study provides the fi rst evidence of SIRT6 overexpression in human prostate cancer, and SIRT6 regulation could be exploited for prostate cancer therapy.     

Survivin regulates the expression of VEGF-C in lymphatic metastasis of breast cancer

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: As a known regulator of apoptosis, survivin has positive relationship with lymphatic metastasis in breast cancer. This study aims to detect the difference in expression between survivin and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) in treated breast cancer cells and tissues, and to analyze the correlation among survivin, VEGF-C and lymphatic metastasis. METHODS: Plasmid with survivin and VEGF-C shRNA and lentivirus with survivin gene were constructed and transfected into breast cancer cell ZR-75-30. Then the expressions of the two genes were examined using western blot analysis and real-time PCR. The change of invasiveness of breast cancer cells was assessed using matrigel invasion assay. Using immunohistochemistry, the expression of survivin and VEGF-C were analyzed in 108 clinical breast cancer cases with breast cancer tissue and lymph node. RESULTS: Survivin regulated the expression of VEGF-C at both protein and mRNA levels in breast cancer cells. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the level of VEGF-C expression was significantly related with that of survivin in breast cancer tissues (p<0.05). VEGF-C was found to participate in the process of breast cancer cells invasion mediated by survivin. The co-expression of the two and the single expression of any one took significant difference in positive lymph node (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Survivin takes an important part in regulating the expression of VEGF-C. VEGF-C could influence the invasive ability mediated by survivin. The co-expression of survivin and VEGF-C is more statistically significant to assess lymphatic metastasis in breast cancer. Virtual slides The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/9193530897100952.     

Inhibitor of apoptosis protein survivin regulates vascular injury

Survivin (also termed Birc5) belongs to the family of genes known as inhibitors of apoptosis, and it has been implicated in both prevention of cell death and control of mitosis. The survivin pathway is exploited in cancer, but its potential role in vascular injury is unknown. Here, we show that balloon-mediated arterial injury in rabbits resulted in expression of survivin in vascular cells. Serum or PDGF-AB stimulated survivin expression in cultured smooth-muscle cells (SMCs), which suppressed apoptosis and prevented caspase activation. Adenoviral delivery of a phosphorylation-defective survivin mutant reversed the cytoprotective effect of PDGF in SMCs without affecting mitotic progression, suppressed neointimal formation in wire-injured mouse femoral arteries, and induced vascular cell apoptosis in vivo. These data identify survivin as a critical regulator of SMC apoptosis after acute vascular injury. Disrupting the survivin pathway may provide a novel therapy to limit pathological vessel-wall remodeling.     

Regulation of Survivin and Bcl‐2 in HepG2 Cell Apoptosis Induced by Quercetin

Quercetin, a widely distributed bioflavonoid, has been shown to induce growth inhibition in a variety of human cancer cells. However, the regulation of survivin and Bcl‐2 on the quercetin‐induced cell‐growth inhibition and apoptosis in cancer cells remains unclear. In the present study, we report that quercetin can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells in dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Hoechst 33258 and acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining showed that HepG2 cells underwent the typical morphologic changes of apoptosis characterized by nuclear shrinkage, chromatin condensation, or fragmentation after exposure to quercetin. Cell‐cycle analysis reveals a significant increase of the proportion of cells in G₀/G₁ phase. We also demonstrate that the levels of survivin and Bcl‐2 protein expression in HepG2 cells decreased concurrently, and the levels of p53 protein increased significantly after treatment with quercetin by immunocytochemistry analysis. Relative activity of caspase‐3 and caspase‐9 increased significantly. These data clearly indicate that quercetin‐induced apoptosis is associated with caspase activation, and the levels of survivin and Bcl‐2. Our results indicate that the expression of survivin may be associated with Bcl‐2 expression, and the inhibition expression of survivin, in conjunction with Bcl‐2, might cause more pronounced apoptotic effects. Together, concurrent down‐regulated survivin and Bcl‐2 play an important role in HepG2 cell apoptosis induced by quercetin.     

肿瘤中与survivin有关的信号通路及分子以及靶向survivin的治疗前景

Survivin在细胞内环境稳定和肿瘤的形成中起重要的作用,在肿瘤的治疗中,survivivin的靶向治疗调节与一些典型的信号通路和一系列生长因子有关。众所周知,survivin是一个小的凋亡蛋白抑制因子,也是一个主要的抗癌靶标,与细胞分裂和凋亡抑制有关,它在大部分正常组织中缺失但在大部分癌组织中过表达。Survivin是一个与众多细胞信号通路有关的节点蛋白,这些通路协调各种细胞因子、转录网络和修饰基因,通过调节癌细胞内环境稳定直接或间接促进细胞增殖。临床前研究数据表明,survivin的抑制可以降低细胞增殖促进凋亡,增加细胞对细胞毒药物和放疗的敏感性,其过表达与不良预后和治疗耐受有关。因此对于癌症治疗,survivin是一个潜在的靶标。