Overexpression of ZEB2‐AS1 promotes epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition and metastasis by stabilizing ZEB2 mRNA in head neck squamous cell carcinoma

The long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been increasingly appreciated as key players underlying tumourigenesis and hold great potentials as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. However, their roles in head neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) have remained incompletely known. Here, we sought to reveal the oncogenic roles and clinical significance of a tumour‐associated lncRNA, zinc finger E‐box binding homeobox 2 antisense RNA 1 (ZEB2‐AS1), in HNSCC. ZEB2‐AS1 was aberrantly overexpressed in a fraction of HNSCC samples. Its overexpression significantly associated with large tumour size, cervical node metastasis and reduced overall and disease‐free survival. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO)‐mediated ZEB2‐AS1 depletion markedly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion while triggered apoptosis in HNSCC cells in part via modulating ZEB2 mRNA stability. Enforced overexpression of ZEB2 largely attenuated the phenotypic changes resulted from ZEB2‐AS1 inhibition except the impaired cell proliferation. In addition, ZEB2‐AS1 was required for TGF‐β1‐induced epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Significantly reduced tumour growth and lung metastasis were observed in ZEB2‐AS1‐depleted cells in HNSCC xenograft animal models. Taken together, our findings reveal that overexpression of ZEB2‐AS1 associates with tumour aggressiveness and unfavourable prognosis by serving as a putative oncogenic lncRNA and a novel prognostic biomarker in HNSCC.     

PEG and ABA trigger methyl jasmonate accumulation to induce the MEP pathway and increase tanshinone production in Salvia miltiorrhiza hairy roots

Tanshinones, a group of active ingredients in Salvia miltiorrhiza, are derived from at least two biosynthetic pathways, which are the mevalonate (MVA) pathway in the cytosol and the 2-C-methyl-d-erythritol-4-phosphate (MEP) pathway in the plastids. Abscisic acid (ABA) and methyl jasmonate (MJ) are two well-known plant hormones induced by water stress. In this study, effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG), ABA and MJ on tanshinone production in S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots were investigated, and the role of MJ in PEG- and ABA-induced tanshinone production was further elucidated. The results showed that tanshinone production was significantly enhanced by treatments with PEG, ABA and MJ. The mRNA levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl co-enzyme A reductase (HMGR), 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate reductoisomerase (DXR) and 1-deoxy-d-xylulose 5-phosphate synthase (DXS), as well as the enzyme activities of HMGR and DXS were stimulated by all three treatments. PEG and ABA triggered MJ accumulation. Effects of PEG and ABA on tanshinone production were completely abolished by the ABA biosynthesis inhibitor [tungstate (TUN)] and the MJ biosynthesis inhibitor [ibuprofen (IBU)], while effects of MJ were almost unaffected by TUN. In addition, MJ-induced tanshinone production was completely abolished by the MEP pathway inhibitor [fosmidomycin (FOS)], but was just partially arrested by the MVA pathway inhibitor [mevinolin (MEV)]. In conclusion, a signal transduction model was proposed that exogenous applications of PEG and ABA triggered endogenous MJ accumulation by activating ABA signaling pathway to stimulate tanshinone production, while exogenous MJ could directly induce tanshinone production mainly via the MEP pathway in S. miltiorrhiza hairy roots.     

Monitoring in vivo changes in lung microstructure with ³He MRI in Sendai virus-infected mice

Recently, a Sendai virus (SeV) model of chronic obstructive lung disease has demonstrated an innate immune response in mouse airways that exhibits similarities to the chronic airway inflammation in human chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, but the effect on distal lung parenchyma has not been investigated. The aim of our study is to image the time course and regional distribution of mouse lung microstructural changes in vivo after SeV infection. (1)H and (3)He diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were successfully performed on five groups of C57BL/6J mice. (1)H MR images provided precise anatomical localization and lung volume measurements. (3)He lung morphometry was implemented to image and quantify mouse lung geometric microstructural parameters at different time points after SeV infection. (1)H MR images detected the SeV-induced pulmonary inflammation in vivo; spatially resolved maps of acinar airway radius R, alveolar depth h, and mean linear intercept Lm were generated from (3)He diffusion images. The morphometric parameters R and Lm in the infected group were indistinguishable from PBS-treated mice at day 21, increased slightly at day 49, and were increased with statistical significance at day 77 (p = 0.02). Increases in R and Lm of infected mice imply that there is a modest increase in alveolar duct radius distal to airway inflammation, particularly in the lung periphery, indicating airspace enlargement after virus infection. Our results indicate that (3)He lung morphometry has good sensitivity in quantifying small microstructural changes in the mouse lung and that the Sendai mouse model has the potential to be a valid murine model of COPD.     

Anticancer drugs cause release of exosomes with heat shock proteins from human hepatocellular carcinoma cells that elicit effective natural killer cell antitumor responses in vitro

Failure of immune surveillance related to inadequate host antitumor immune responses has been suggested as a possible cause of the high incidence of recurrence and poor overall survival outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma. The stress-induced heat shock proteins (HSPs) are known to act as endogenous "danger signals" that can improve tumor immunogenicity and induce natural killer (NK) cell responses. Exosome is a novel secretory pathway for HSPs. In our experiments, the immune regulatory effect of the HSP-bearing exosomes secreted by human hepatocellular carcinoma cells under stress conditions on NK cells was studied. ELISA results showed that the production of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 was up-regulated in both cell lines in a stress-specific manner. After exposure to hepatocellular carcinoma cell-resistant or sensitive anticancer drugs (hereafter referred to as "resistant" or "sensitive" anticancer drug), the membrane microvesicles were actively released by hepatocellular carcinoma cells, differing in their ability to present HSPs on the cell surface, which were characterized as exosomes. Acting as a decoy, the HSP-bearing exosomes efficiently stimulated NK cell cytotoxicity and granzyme B production, up-regulated the expression of inhibitory receptor CD94, and down-regulated the expression of activating receptors CD69, NKG2D, and NKp44. Notably, resistant anticancer drugs enhanced exosome release and generated more exosome-carried HSPs, which augmented the activation of the cytotoxic response. In summary, our findings demonstrated that exosomes derived from resistant anticancer drug-treated HepG2 cells conferred superior immunogenicity in inducing HSP-specific NK cell responses, which provided a clue for finding an efficient vaccine for hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy.     

ESM-1 regulates cell growth and metastatic process through activation of NF-κB in colorectal cancer

In our previous study, we reported that endothelial cell specific molecule-1 (ESM-1) was increased in tissue and serum from colorectal cancer patients and suggested that ESM-1 can be used as a potential serum marker for early detection of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ESM-1 as an intracellular molecule in colorectal cancer. ESM-1 expression was knocked down by small interfering RNA (siRNA) in colorectal cancer cells. Expression of ESM-1 siRNA decreased cell survival through the Akt-dependent inhibition of NF-κB/IκB pathway and an interconnected reduction in phospho-Akt, -p38, -ERK1, -RSK1, -GSK-3α/β and -HSP27, as determined by a phospho-MAPK array. ESM-1 silencing induced G(1) phase cell cycle arrest by induction of PTEN, resulting in the inhibition of cyclin D1 and inhibited cell migration and invasion of COLO205 cells. Consistently, ESM-1 overexpression in HCT-116 cells enhanced cell proliferation through the Akt-dependent activation of NF-κB pathway. In addition, ESM-1 interacted with NF-κB and activated NF-κB promoter. This study demonstrates that ESM-1 is involved in cell survival, cell cycle progression, migration, invasion and EMT during tumor invasion in colorectal cancer. Based on our results, ESM-1 may be a useful therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.     

中国板栗EST-SNP和抗栗疫病候选基因分析及同源比对

从壳斗科基因组数据库下载中国板栗的Unigene序列和基于这些Unigene序列开发获得的EST-SNP数据,分析发现,中国板栗EST-SNP的发生频率为4个/kb,在碱基置换类型上,C-T置换发生的频率最高,C-G置换发生频率最低,转换和颠换的比值为1.74∶1.对211个在中国板栗健康组织和感染栗疫病的染病组织中差异表达的基因进行基因注释和蛋白质结构域分析,结果表明,参与蛋白质代谢、对胁迫、生物和非生物刺激发生响应的基因所占的比例较多,并发现了大量的跨膜结构、信号肽、卷曲螺旋和蛋白激酶相关结构域.对这211个中国板栗抗栗疫病相关的候选基因和其Unigene序列进行同源比对,统计整理定位在具有同源性的Unigene序列上的EST-SNP,共有3023个EST-SNP标记.这批EST-SNP标记可为今后开展基于候选基因途径的中国板栗抗栗疫病居群基因组学研究和关联作图研究奠定重要的基础.     

shRNA抑制宫颈癌Hela细胞株HPV18 E6、E7基因表达的研究

应用短发夹RNA(Short hairpin RNA,shRNA)表达载体抑制宫颈癌Hela细胞株HPV18 E6、E7基因的表达。应用已鉴定的shRNA表达载体pHPV1、pHPV2转染Hela细胞,G418筛选阳性细胞,建立稳定转染细胞株;倒置荧光显微镜检测转染情况;提取细胞内总RNA,RT-PCR方法检测HPV18 E6、E7 mRNA;WesternBlot检测HPV18 E6、E7蛋白表达的变化;采用灰度分析软件对PCR扩增条带与蛋白质条带进行灰度分析。pHPV1实验组细胞内HPV18 E6、E7 mRNA含量分别为阴性对照组的31%、38%,E6、E7蛋白分别为阴性对照组的37%、31%;pHPV2实验组细胞内HPV18 E6、E7 mRNA含量分别为阴性对照组的54%、77%,E6、E7蛋白分别为阴性对照组的52%、83%。pHPV1、pHPV2表达载体能抑制Hela细胞HPV18 E6、E7的表达,针对外显子区434-452的pHPV1抑制作用更强。     

嗜酸乳杆菌活菌制剂保护剂及其工艺的研究

为提高嗜酸乳杆菌片剂的活菌存活率,延长其有效期,在制备过程中添加两组保护剂并对其配方进行了优化.首先利用数学统计方法Plackett-Burman设计,对扩大培养时加入的8种材料及制剂压片时的12种材料的保护效果进行评价,分别筛选出影响嗜酸乳杆菌存活率的重要因素;接着用均匀设计法进一步得到这些重要因素的最适百分比.验证试验表明:扩大培养时加入氯化钠0.3％、甘露醇0.4％、麦芽糖3.5％有显著保护作用;制剂压片时加入抗坏血酸1.0％、蔗糖35.0％有显著保护作用.     

气囊漏气实验预测严重上气道狭窄的临床意义

目的:观察气囊漏气实验预测拔管后发生严重上气道梗阻的临床价值.方法:共有156例气管插管患者入组,根据气囊漏气实验的情况分为两组,阴性组和阳性组,拔除气管插管后观察两组喘鸣发生与二次气管插管情况.结果:156例患者中气囊漏气实验阴性组125例,阳性组31例,拔除气管插管后,有13例患者需再次插管,其中1例患者无法插管,予经皮气管切开.结论:气囊漏气实验是一项简单方便筛查拔管后可能上气道梗阻的方法,如为阴性其因严重上气道梗阻再插管可能性很小,如为阳性则要注意可能发生拔管后上气道梗阻.