Apoptosis Repressor with a CARD Domain (ARC) Restrains Bax-Mediated Pathogenesis in Dystrophic Skeletal Muscle

Myofiber wasting in muscular dystrophy has largely been ascribed to necrotic cell death, despite reports identifying apoptotic markers in dystrophic muscle. Here we set out to identify the contribution of canonical apoptotic pathways to skeletal muscle degeneration in muscular dystrophy by genetically deleting a known inhibitor of apoptosis, apoptosis repressor with a card domain (Arc), in dystrophic mouse models. Nol3 (Arc protein) genetic deletion in the dystrophic Sgcd or Lama2 null backgrounds showed exacerbated skeletal muscle pathology with decreased muscle performance compared with single null dystrophic littermate controls. The enhanced severity of the dystrophic phenotype associated with Nol3 deletion was caspase independent but dependent on the mitochondria permeability transition pore (MPTP), as the inhibitor Debio-025 partially rescued skeletal muscle pathology in Nol3 ^-/- Sgcd ^-/- double targeted mice. Mechanistically, Nol3 ^-/- Sgcd ^-/- mice showed elevated total and mitochondrial Bax protein levels, as well as greater mitochondrial swelling, suggesting that Arc normally restrains the cell death effects of Bax in skeletal muscle. Indeed, knockdown of Arc in mouse embryonic fibroblasts caused an increased sensitivity to cell death that was fully blocked in Bax Bak1 (genes encoding Bax and Bak) double null fibroblasts. Thus Arc deficiency in dystrophic muscle exacerbates disease pathogenesis due to a Bax-mediated sensitization of mitochondria-dependent death mechanisms.     

Heme Oxygenase-1 Promotes Survival of Renal Cancer Cells through Modulation of Apoptosis- and Autophagy-regulating Molecules

The cytoprotective enzyme heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is often overexpressed in different types of cancers and promotes cancer progression. We have recently shown that the Ras-Raf-ERK pathway induces HO-1 to promote survival of renal cancer cells. Here, we examined the possible mechanisms underlying HO-1-mediated cell survival. Considering the growing evidence about the significance of apoptosis and autophagy in cancer, we tried to investigate how HO-1 controls these events to regulate survival of cancer cells. Rapamycin (RAPA) and sorafenib, two commonly used drugs for renal cancer treatment, were found to induce HO-1 expression in renal cancer cells Caki-1 and 786-O; and the apoptotic effect of these drugs was markedly enhanced upon HO-1 knockdown. Overexpression of HO-1 protected the cells from RAPA- and sorafenib-induced apoptosis and also averted drug-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation. HO-1 induced the expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL and decreased the expression of autophagic proteins Beclin-1 and LC3B-II; while knockdown of HO-1 down-regulated Bcl-xL and markedly increased LC3B-II. Moreover, HO-1 promoted the association of Beclin-1 with Bcl-xL and Rubicon, a novel negative regulator of autophagy. Drug-induced dissociation of Beclin-1 from Rubicon and the induction of autophagy were also inhibited by HO-1. Together, our data signify that HO-1 is up-regulated in renal cancer cells as a survival strategy against chemotherapeutic drugs and promotes growth of tumor cells by inhibiting both apoptosis and autophagy. Thus, application of chemotherapeutic drugs along with HO-1 inhibitor may elevate therapeutic efficiency by reducing the cytoprotective effects of HO-1 and by simultaneous induction of both apoptosis and autophagy.     

ILP-2-ECM1(P85)促进乳腺癌细胞的生长

凋亡抑制蛋白-2（inhibitor of apoptosis protein-like protein-2, ILP-2）是新发现的凋亡抑制蛋白质,其抑制肿瘤细胞凋亡促进其生长的分子机制有待阐明,而细胞外基质蛋白1(extracellular matrix protein 1, ECM1)所介导的信号通路与肿瘤细胞的生长密切相关。本研究通过免疫共沉淀法,检测到乳腺癌MCF-7细胞中ILP-2与ECM1（P85）存在相互作用。分别用化学合成的ILP-2-siRNA及ECM1-siRNA干扰处理MCF-7细胞。以未转染的MCF-7细胞和转染阴性对照siRNA的细胞分别作为空白和阴性对照,利用蛋白质印迹法,检测ILP-2-siRNA干扰后ECM1、FAK、Akt蛋白的表达,以及ECM1-siRNA干扰后ILP-2蛋白的表达。其结果显示,与空白对照组相比,ILP-2-siRNA-5 (0.32 ± 0.095)及ECM1-siRNA-1 (0.42 ± 0.024)干扰效率较高(均P<0.001);ILP-2-siRNA-5组待测蛋白质的相对表达量均显著下调 (ECM1, 0.19 ± 0.013, P<0.001), FAK (0.64 ± 0.069, P<0.01), Akt (0.35 ± 0.120, P<0.01)),ECM1-siRNA-1组ILP-2 (0.48 ± 0.060) 蛋白表达也显著下调,表明ILP-2与ECM1-mTOR信号通路联系密切。分别在ILP-2-siRNA和ECM1-siRNA转染24、48和72 h时,使用CCK-8法检测乳腺癌细胞的增殖,并用TUNEL标记荧光法和吖啶橙/溴化乙啶双荧光染色法(AO/EB)检测其凋亡。结果显示,与空白对照组相比,ILP-2-siRNA-5组和ECM1-siRNA-1组的存活率均显著下降（P<0.001）,凋亡率均明显升高（P<0.001）。利用共转染技术同时敲低ILP-2和ECM1表达,检测细胞的凋亡情况。结果显示,在干扰处理后24 h（0.55±0.122）,48 h（0.80 ± 0.107）和72h（0.73 ± 0.091）的凋亡率显著均高于阴性对照组（P＜0.05）。但与只敲低ILP-2或ECM1相比,无显著性差异（P＞0.05）。表明ILP-2可能是通过与ECM1作用激活FAK-mTOR信号通路,影响MCF-7细胞的增殖和凋亡,对乳腺癌细胞MCF-7的生长发挥了积极的作用。     

Overexpressed MicroRNA-182 Promotes Proliferation and Invasion in Prostate Cancer PC-3 Cells by Down-Regulating N-myc Downstream Regulated Gene 1 (NDRG1)

MicroRNAs, non-coding 20–22 nucleotide single-stranded RNAs, result in translational repression or degradation and gene silencing of their target genes, and significantly contribute to the regulation of gene expression. In the current study, we report that miR-182 expression was significantly upregulated in prostate cancer tissues and four cell lines, compared to benign prostatic hyperplasia tissues and normal prostatic epithelial (RWPE-1) cells. Ectopic overexpression of miR-182 significantly promotes the proliferation, increases the invasion, promotes the G1/S cell cycle transition and reduces early apotosis of PC-3 cells, while suppression of miR-182 decreased the proliferation and invasion, inhibits the G1/S cell cycle transition and increase early apotosis of PC-3 cells. Additionally, we demonstrated that miR-182 could downregulate expression of NDRG1 by directly targeting the NDRG1 3′-untranslated region. In conclusion, our results suggest that miR-182 plays an important role in the proliferation of human prostate cancer cells by directly suppressing the tumor supressor gene NDRG1. We uncovered a new epigenetic regulation of NDRG1.     

SPARC基因过表达对SKM-1细胞凋亡的影响

构建SPARc基因过表达载体,转染人骨髓增生异常综合征（myelodysplastic syndrome,MDS）-u／胞系SKM-1细胞,探讨SPARc基因过表达对!＆MDS细胞系SKM一1细胞凋亡的影响。XpcD—NA．SPARC为引物,PCR扩增SPARc基因;将靶基因克隆入慢病毒载体pGC—GV,构建含有删Rc基因的重组慢病毒载体pGC—GV-SPARC,测序检测正确性;将构建载体pGC-GV-5黝尺C砗专染人MDs细胞系SKM-1,流式细胞术检测转染效率,RT-PCR检测sKM-1细胞中SPARCmRNA表达,Westernblot检测SPARC蛋白表达,MTS法测定小剂量阿糖胞苷（30ng／mL）对实验组增殖抑制的影响,AnnexinV检测．洲尺c基因转染后对人SKM-1细胞凋亡的影响。结果显示,构建含有SPARc基因的重组慢病毒载体pGC-GV-SPARC转染效率为（64．25±1．42）％;转染后,SPARCmRNA及蛋白表达在靶细胞中较对照组增多。小剂量阿糖胞苷对转染组的增殖抑制率明显高于其他组。SPARC基因转染后人SKM-1细胞凋亡率较未转染组明显增高,加入阿糖胞苷后人SKM-1细胞凋亡率较对照组明显增高。由此说明,作者成功构建了携带．＆SPARc基因的慢病毒载体,转染．NSKM-1细胞系后稳定表达SPARC基因,SPARC过表达可抑制细胞增殖,且联合小剂量阿糖胞苷（30ng／mL）更有效地抑制SKM-1细胞的增殖,并诱导其凋亡。     

Common Variation at 1q24.1 (ALDH9A1) Is a Potential Risk Factor for Renal Cancer

So far six susceptibility loci for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have been discovered by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). To identify additional RCC common risk loci, we performed a meta-analysis of published GWAS (totalling 2,215 cases and 8,566 controls of Western-European background) with imputation using 1000 Genomes Project and UK10K Project data as reference panels and followed up the most significant association signals [22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 3 indels in eight genomic regions] in 383 cases and 2,189 controls from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). A combined analysis identified a promising susceptibility locus mapping to 1q24.1 marked by the imputed SNP rs3845536 (P _combined =2.30x10^-8). Specifically, the signal maps to intron 4 of the ALDH9A1 gene (aldehyde dehydrogenase 9 family, member A1). We further evaluated this potential signal in 2,461 cases and 5,081 controls from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) GWAS of RCC cases and controls from multiple European regions. In contrast to earlier findings no association was shown in the IARC series (P=0.94; P _combined =2.73x10^-5). While variation at 1q24.1 represents a potential risk locus for RCC, future replication analyses are required to substantiate our observation.     

TIMP-1基因缄默削弱SH-SY5Y细胞的增殖潜能并诱导其凋亡增强

前期研究发现,人基质金属蛋白酶组织抑制剂-1(tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1,TIMP-1)在唐氏综合征（Down’s syndrome ,DS)胎儿脑组织内表达下调．为了探讨TIMP-1表达下调参与DS脑病变发生的可能机制,本研究以人神经母细胞瘤细胞（SH-SY5Y）为模型,观察TIMP-1基因沉默后对其增殖和凋亡的影响．应用LipofectaminTM2000将TIMP-1特异性短发卡 RNA( short hairpin RNA,shRNA)导入SH-SY5Y细胞,经嘌呤霉素筛选获得稳定表达TIMP-1-shRNA细胞株;应用RT-PCR、real-time PCR和Western 印迹对干扰效率进行鉴定：与SH-SY5Y细胞相比,无论在mRNA水平还是蛋白水平,SH-SY5Y-TIMP-1-shRNA细胞中TIMP-1的表达显著下调（下调率接近100%）．结果显示,已成功构建了TIMP-1基因沉默的SH-SY5Y细胞模型．在此基础上,通过MTT检测发现,TIMP-1基因沉默后SH-SY5Y细胞增殖减慢;流式细胞仪和荧光显微镜凋亡检测显示,TIMP-1基因沉默后SH-SY5Y细胞凋亡明显增加．这些研究结果表明,TIMP-1基因沉默能削弱SH-SY5Y细胞的增殖能力并增强SH-SY5Y的凋亡效应,提示TIMP-1可能是通过影响神经细胞的增殖和凋亡参与DS智力低下的发病过程．