From oxidative phosphorylation to transcription--a postdoctoral adventure

The period as a postdoctoral fellow is crucial for the establishment of one's scientific research career. I illustrate here its importance based on my own experience. Although luck played a part, moving to the right place at the right time and having generous leaders who allowed me freedom to express unconventional views were most valuable in my venture into two scientific territories that were previously unfamiliar to me. My first encounter with an unknown field led to me challenging the well-established dogma of uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation as the explanation for hormone action; the second, led to the demonstration of the multiplicity of eukaryotic RNA polymerase. I hope that the events described here will provide some encouragement to young scientists embarking on a research career and also be of interest to others.     

人类鼻咽癌细胞株CNE2的转化基因Tx的一个Eco RI片段的核苷酸序列分析

本文运用定点克隆法并结合鸟枪法,对人类鼻咽癌细胞抹CNE2转化基因Tx中一个与转化作用有关的Eco RI片段,进行了核苷酸序列分析。此种克隆方法的运用,大大减少了DNA模板的数量,并加快了测序的进展。将序列分析结果输入美国NCI的CRAY-2型超级电子计算机作进一步分析,以寻找基因库中的同源序列,酶切位点,开放阅读框架(ORF)。在人类DNA基因数据库中没有找到同源序列,从而证实Tx基因是一种新的人类转化基因。计算机的分析还得出了一系列有价值的结论,为进一步深入探讨这个基因在人类鼻咽癌发病学中的作用,提供了重要的资料。这是首次报道的Tx基因核苷酸序列分析结果。     

基于基因互作网络熵量化细胞分化状态

细胞动态过程的研究表明,细胞在动态过程中会发生状态变化,主要由细胞内部的基因表达情况控制.随着高通量测序技术的发展,大量的基因表达数据能够在单细胞水平上获得细胞真实的基因表达信息.然而,现有大多数研究方法需要使用除基因表达以外其他的信息,带来了额外的复杂度和不确定性.此外,普遍存在的"缺失值"事件更是影响了对细胞动态发...     

The microenvironment matters

The physical and biochemical properties of the microenvironment regulate cell behavior and modulate tissue development and homeostasis. Likewise, the physical and interpersonal cues a trainee receives profoundly influence his or her scientific development, research perspective, and future success. My cell biology career has been greatly impacted by the flavor of the scientific environments I have trained within and the diverse research mentoring I have received. Interactions with physical and life scientists and trainees and exposure to a diverse assortment of interdisciplinary environments have and continue to shape my research vision, guide my experimental trajectory, and contribute to my scientific success and personal happiness.     

Induction of chemosensitivity in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells using a human papillomavirus regulatory sequence and the thymidine kinase gene

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a human cancer of epithelial cell origin. Infection by Epstein-Barr virus has been shown to be closely associated with this tumor. Recent studies have indicated that another common epitheliotropic virus, human papillomavirus (HPV), is also found in a significant number of NPC cases. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility of using the HPV regulatory long control region (LCR) to drive the expression of the thymidine kinase (tk) gene to achieve chemosensitivity for gene therapeutic treatment of NPC. Testing HPV-11-LCR-tk constructs in NPC cell lines in the presence of ganciclovir (GCV) led to 50-60% cell death of transfected cells. The therapeutic efficacy was further tested in an in vivo model using nude mice transplanted with tumors derived from transfected NPC cells. Injection of 50 mg/kg body weight GCV twice daily for 14 days resulted in visually complete regression of the transplanted NPC tumor loads within 20 days after GCV treatment. Taken together, results from this pilot study indicate the feasibility of the development of a gene therapeutic protocol based on the chemosensitive gene constructs described in this paper.     

Methylation of the serum albumin gene as compared to the Kirsten-ras oncogene in hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells of rat liver

The extent of methylation of a gene, i.e. percent of cytosine present as 5-methylcytosine, is correlated with its activity. Hypermethylation is associated with non-expression, whereas hypomethylation is a necessary but not sufficient condition for expression. In this study, the methylation state of the serum albumin gene as compared to the Kirsten-ras (Ki-ras) oncogene was assessed in hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells (NPC) isolated from rat liver. The results of this investigation indicate that the serum albumin gene is hypomethylated in hepatocytes and hypermethylated in NPC. This is consistent with expression of the gene in the former cell type, and non-expression in the latter. In contrast, the Ki-ras oncogene is hypermethylated in both hepatocytes and NPC, suggesting that it is, at most, minimally expressed in normal rat liver.     

Demethylation of E-cadherin gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma could serve as a potential therapeutic strategy

E-cadherin has been proven to be widely down-regulated and tightly associated with tumour invasion and metastasis in multiple human cancer types. Recent research demonstrated that aberrant methylation around gene promoter region attributes to E-cadherin silencing. However, the detailed information about this epigenetic inactivation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is rare. The aim of this study was to probe more into the basic mechanism of E-cadherin methylation in NPC and elucidate the application of demethylating agents to restore E-cadherin expression. To address this question, we initially studied E-cadherin methylation status in NPC primary tumours and cell lines by methylation-specific PCR, and compared it with E-cadherin expression. Methylated E-cadherin was detected in 13 of 20 (65%) NPC clinical specimens and 2 of 2 (100%) NPC cell lines (HNE-1 and CNE-2), which was inversely correlated with E-cadherin expression. The detailed methylation profile at individual CpGs within CpG island of E-cadherin promoter region was confirmed by bisulphite sequencing. E-cadherin gene could be demethylated and reactivated in HNE-1 and CNE-2 cells upon treatment with 5-aza-dC, a DNA demethylating agent. Our findings indicate that frequent aberrant methylation of E-cadherin may play an important role in downregulation of E-cadherin, and demethylation therapy could serve as a promising strategy for NPC patients. Furthermore, a high frequency of E-cadherin methylation (9/20, 45%) in peripheral blood of NPC patients suggests its potential clinical application as an early diagnostic or predictive marker.     

Lentivirus-mediated RNAi knockdown of LMP2A inhibits the growth of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line C666-1 in vitro

Latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is found to play a key role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the role of LMP2A silencing in the inhibition of cell growth of NPC has not been clarified. In this study, we inhibited LMP2A gene expression by lentivirus-mediated RNAi, to explore the effects of LMP2A silencing on the growth of NPC cell line in vitro. A lentivirus-mediated RNAi technology was employed to specifically knock down the LMP2A gene in NPC cell line C666-1. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, flow cytometry and colony formation assays were performed to evaluate the expression of LMP2A and biological behavior of cell line C666-1 in vitro. We successfully construct a highly efficient and stable lentivirus vector, which efficiently downregulate the expression of LMP2A gene in infected cell line C666-1. Down-regulation of the expression of LMP2A significantly inhibits the proliferation and colony formation of C666-1 cells. In addition, the specific down-regulation of LMP2A arrests cells in G0/G1 phase of cell cycle and increases apoptosis rate. Our findings suggest that lentivirus-mediated RNAi knockdown of LMP2A inhibits the growth of NPC cell line C666-1 in vitro, and LMP2A may be a potential target for gene therapy in treatment of NPC.     

MiR-138 suppressed nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth and tumorigenesis by targeting the CCND1 oncogene

The microRNA miR-138 is dysregulated in several human cancers, but the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report that miR-138 is commonly underexpressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) specimens and NPC cell lines. The ectopic expression of miR-138 dramatically suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro and inhibited tumorigenesis in vivo. Moreover, we identified the cyclin D1 (CCND1) gene as a novel direct target of miR-138. In consistent with the knocked-down expression of CCND1, overexpression of miR-138 inhibited cell growth and cell cycle progression in NPC cells. Furthermore, CCND1 was widely upregulated in NPC tumors, and its mRNA levels were inversely correlated with miR-138 expression. Taken together, our findings suggest that miR-138 might be a tumor suppressor in NPC, which is exerted partially by inhibiting CCND1 expression. The identification of functional miR-138 in NPC and its direct link to CCND1 might provide good candidates for developing diagnostic markers and therapeutic applications for NPC.     

Nuclear pore biogenesis into an intact nuclear envelope

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) serve as transport channels across the nuclear membrane, a double lipid bilayer that physically separates the nucleoplasm and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells. New evidence suggests that the multiprotein nuclear pores also play a role in chromatin organization and gene expression. Given the importance of NPC function, it is not surprising that a growing list of human diseases and developmental defects have been linked to its malfunction. In order to fully understand the functional repertoire of NPCs and their essential role for nuclear organization, it is critical to determine the sequence of events that lead to the formation of nuclear pores. This is particularly relevant since NPC number, and possibly composition, are tightly linked to metabolic activity. Most of our knowledge is derived from NPC formation that occurs in dividing cells at the end of mitosis when the nuclear envelope (NE) and NPCs reform from disassembled precursors. However, NPC assembly also takes place during interphase into an intact NE. Importantly, this process is not restricted to dividing cells but also occurs during cell differentiation. Here, we will review aspects unique to this process, namely the regulation of nuclear expansion and the mechanisms of fusion between the outer and inner nuclear membranes. We will then discuss conserved and diverging mechanisms between post-mitotic and interphase assembly of the proteinaceous structure in light of recently published data.     

BRD7基因调控区的克隆与功能研究

BRD7基因是采用cDNA代表性差异分析法克隆得到的一个新的Bromodomain基因(GenBank登录号AF152604).它在鼻咽癌细胞和组织中表达明显下调,过表达BRD7基因能部分逆转鼻咽癌细胞的恶性表型.为了揭示BRD7基因在鼻咽癌细胞和组织中表达下调的分子机制,利用生物信息学技术已预测出其启动子区.荧光素酶活性检测结果表明该区域具有强启动子活性;转录因子Sp1特异性地结合于BRD7该启动子区;Sp1特异性阻断剂mithramycinA能明显地抑制BRD7启动子的活性和BRD7基因的表达.     

DNAJC10基因在鼻咽癌中的表达及表达下调机制的研究

运用RT-PCR检测候选抑瘤基因DNAJC10在鼻咽癌组织中的表达,运用甲基化特异性PCR(MSPCR)技术、LOH和测序等技术分别检测DNAJC10基因在鼻咽癌组织中的甲基化状况、LOH和启动子突变情况.结果表明,DNAJC10基因在肿瘤组织中较对照慢性鼻咽炎组织表达明显下调(P<0.05).DNAJC10在鼻咽癌中不表现高甲基化,其LOH的缺失率为6.25%,突变率为66.7%.因此,DNAJC10基因的表达下调主要是其遗传改变(LOH和突变)所致.     

一株受四环素及其衍生物诱导表达的Tet-on鼻咽癌细胞系

Ｔｅｔ－ｏｎ基因表达系统是新近发展的一种真核生物体外表达系统．该系统利用四环素及其衍生物对所感兴趣基因进行诱导表达．这种诱导表达具有严密、高效、可控性强、表达泄露小等优点．对于研究一些致死基因及毒性强的基因在细胞或体内的表达提供了极好的工具．利用Ｔｅｔ－ｏｎ基因表达系统,构建了一株鼻咽癌细胞系,该细胞系的建立为进一步研究一些鼻咽癌发病相关基因,如ＥＢ病毒潜伏膜蛋白基因、瘤基因、抑瘤基因等与鼻咽癌的相关性,提供了理想的细胞模型．     

抑瘤基因NGX6对鼻咽癌细胞株HNE1细胞生长的影响(英文)

鼻咽癌是我国南方多发恶性肿瘤 ,它的发生发展与遗传因素密切相关 .采用定位候选克隆策略在 9p上克隆出一个候选抑瘤基因 ,命名为NGX6 .为了进一步研究它的功能 ,将NGX6基因的全长cDNA片段亚克隆至pcDNA3.1(+ )的表达载体中 ,通过脂质体转染入鼻咽癌细胞系HNE1中 ,Northern杂交方法筛选高效表达NGX6的细胞株 ,并借助细胞生长曲线、软琼脂糖集落形成实验、裸鼠体内接种实验和流式细胞仪对转染细胞的生物学行为进行了检测 .结果显示 ,转染了NGX6基因的HNE1细胞的生长速度明显减慢 ,在软琼脂中集落形成率较对照组显著下降 (P〈0 0 5 ) ,裸鼠体内成瘤的时间较对照组明显延长 ,瘤体的大小和重量较对照组明显减少 ,流式细胞仪检测发现细胞的凋亡率无明显变化 .为了明确NGX6蛋白在细胞中发挥作用的部位 ,进一步将NGX6的开放阅读框架完整正确地克隆到pEGFPC1的荧光载体中 ,转染到COS7细胞中 ,用荧光显微镜观察细胞中荧光的分布 ,发现荧光主要分布在细胞浆中 ,说明NGX6蛋白可能是一种胞浆蛋白 .该研究表明 ,NGX6在NPC的发生发展中起重要作用 ,为全面阐述NGX6的功能提供重要的信息 ,为进一步的功能研究打下基础     

Variable expression of latent membrane protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma can be related to methylation status of the Epstein-Barr virus BNLF-1 5''-flanking region.

Seven virus-coded proteins, the nuclear proteins EBNA-1 to EBNA-6 and the latent membrane protein (LMP), are regularly expressed in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines. In nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), only EBNA-1 is regularly expressed; LMP is detected in about 65% of the tumors. In Burkitt's lymphoma tumors only EBNA-1 is expressed. We have recently shown that the methylation patterns of the EBV genome varied between these cell types. In virally transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines of normal origin, the EBV DNA is completely unmethylated. In contrast, in the Burkitt's lymphoma-derived cell line Rael and in a nude mouse-passaged NPC tumor, C15, there was an extensive methylation of CpG pairs. The methylation extended into the coding regions of the two expressed genes, EBNA-1 (in both tumor types) and LMP (in C15). Two presumptive control regions were exempted from this overall methylation: the oriP that contains both an origin of DNA replication and an EBNA-1-dependent enhancer and the 5'-flanking region of the BNLF-1 open reading frame that codes for LMP. The latter was only exempted in the LMP expressing NPC. We have now investigated the relation between expression of LMP and methylation of DNA in the 5'-flanking 1 kb region of BNLF-1, coding for LMP. LMP was methylated in 3 of 12 NPC biopsies that did not express LMP but was partially or totally unmethylated in the remaining 9 that expressed the protein. The three BNLF-1 exons were highly methylated in all the tumors. The oriP region was unmethylated in all the tumors, as in the previously studied Rael cell line and nude mouse-passaged NPC. Also, the BamHI W enhancer region involved in the expression of EBNA nuclear proteins was methylated. None of the biopsies expressed EBNA-2. Our data show that the EBV genomes are highly methylated in NPC tumors. The strong reverse correlation between the methylation of the putative control region of the LMP gene and the expression of LMP suggests that methylation has a role in the regulation of this gene.     

Molecular events associated with epithelial to mesenchymal transition of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in the absence of Epstein-Barr virus genome

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in tumor metastasis. The EMT-related events associated with metastasis of NPC in the absence of EBV have not been elucidated. We established an EBV-negative NPC cell line from a bone marrow biopsy of an NPC patient. Using a Matrigel system we isolated an invasive and non-invasive sublines, designated NPC-BM29 and NPC-BM00. NPC-BM29 acquired an invasive-like phenotype characterized by EMT, marked by down-regulation of E-cadherin and β-catenin with concomitant increased expression of Ets1. NPC-BM29 cells expressed ≥ 10-fold higher of MMP-9 than NPC-BM00 cells. NPC-BM29 cells grew better in 2% serum than NPC-BM00 cells, with a population doubling-time of 26.8 h and 30.7 h, respectively. A marked reduction in colony-formation ability of NPC-BM00 cells compared to NPC-BM29 was observed. Wound-healing assay revealed that NPC-BM29 cells displayed higher motility than NPC-BM00 and the motility was further enhanced by cell treatment with TPA, a PKC activator. Cell surface markers and tumor-associated molecules, AE3, MAK6 and sialyl-Tn, were up-regulated in NPC-BM29 cells, whereas the expression of HLA-DR and CD54 was significantly increased in NPC-BM00 cells. NPC-BM29 consistently released higher levels of IL-8 and IL-10 than NPC-BM00, with low levels of IL-1α expression in both cell lines. Higher level of VEGF production was detected in NPC-BM00 than NPC-BM29 cells. These data show that EBV is not required for exhibiting multiple metastatic phenotypes associated with EMT. More studies that target right molecules/signalings associated with the EMT may offer new therapeutic intervention options for NPC invasion and metastasis.     

过表达E2F6基因抑制BRD7基因启动子活性

BRD7基因是采用cDNA代表性差异分析法克隆的一个新Bromodomain基因(GenBank 登录号AF152604)。它在鼻咽癌细胞和组织中表达明显下调,过表达BRD7基因可抑制鼻咽癌细胞的生长和细胞周期的进程。前期工作已克隆了BRD7基因启动子区,并将其启动子定位于450bp（-404→+46bp）的区域。为了进一步揭示BRD7基因在鼻咽癌细胞和组织中表达下调的分子机制,生物信息学分析表明BRD7启动子区有E2F6转录因子结合位点,电泳迁移率实验结果表明转录因子E2F6特异性地结合于BRD7启动子区。荧光素酶检测和绿色荧光蛋白表达检测都证实过表达E2F6基因能抑制BRD7基因启动子活性