LncRNA Kcnq1ot1/miR-214-3p/caspase-1通路调控高糖处理的心脏成纤维细胞焦亡

摘要 目的：探讨长链非编码RNA Kcnq1ot1在高糖处理的心脏成纤维细胞中调控焦亡的作用及具体机制。方法：培养C57BL/6乳鼠原代心脏成纤维细胞,分别用5.5 mM和30 mM葡萄糖培养,用免疫荧光、qRT-PCR和western blot方法检测NLRP3、caspase-1和IL-1β的表达。高糖处理的成纤维细胞抑制Kcnq1ot1,检测caspase-1的表达。生物信息学和荧光素酶报告基因检测验证与Kcnq1ot1和caspase-1存在共同互补结合位点的microRNA。应用qRT-PCR和western blot方法检测高糖诱导的心脏成纤维细胞干扰Kcnq1ot1后miR-214-3p的表达,以及过表达或干扰miR-214-3p后caspase-1的表达水平。高糖诱导的细胞单独干扰Kcnq1ot1或同时抑制Kcnq1ot1和miR-214-3p,检测caspase-1、NLRP3和IL-1?茁的表达水平。结果：高糖诱导的成纤维细胞中焦亡激活,Kcnq1ot1表达明显升高;抑制Kcnq1ot1后caspase-1表达显著下调。生物信息学和荧光素酶报告基因检测发现miR-214-3p与Kcnq1ot1和caspase-1存在共同互补结合位点。高糖诱导的心脏成纤维细胞干扰Kcnq1ot1后miR-214-3p表达升高;过表达 miR-214-3p 后caspase-1表达降低,抑制miR-214-3p后caspase-1表达升高。同时抑制Kcnq1ot1和miR-214-3p可逆转干扰Kcnq1ot1对caspase-1的降低作用。结论：干扰Kcnq1ot1能够通过抑制miR-214-3p/caspase-1信号转导通路,抑制高糖诱导的心脏成纤维细胞焦亡。     

Regulation of CRABP-II expression by MycN in Wilms tumor

Cellular retinoic acid binding protein II (CRABP-II) is overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers. Previously we have shown that CRABP-II expression levels are also elevated in neuroblastoma and Wilms tumors. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the abnormal expression of CRABP-II in Wilms tumor, we studied the expression of MycN and CRABP-II in these tumor samples. Our data revealed that CRABP-II is overexpressed in Wilms tumor compared to normal adjacent non-neoplastic tissue and its levels are even higher in late stage tumors. Its expression correlates with MycN expression in tumors. The tumors that do not express MycN have no CRABP-II expression. The expression of CRABP-II is also regulated by methylation and its promoter is unmethylated in tumors. Knockdown of MycN by small interfering RNA leads to downregulation of CRABP-II. Thus our results suggest that both MycN and DNA methylation are responsible for CRABP-II expression in pediatric tumors and demethylation of CRABP-II may be an early event in tumor development.     

长期施肥条件下黄土旱塬土壤N03^--N的淋溶分布规律

在黄土旱塬区,长期施肥对土壤剖面NO3^-1—N含量和分布有显著影响．施用化学氮肥,土壤剖面中出现NO3^-1—N的淋溶与深层累积,而施用磷肥和有机肥有减弱NO3^-1—N向更深层淋溶的作用．单施氮肥处理(N),NO3^-1—N的累积峰深度最大,为120～200cm;N、P有机肥配施处理(NPM),NO3^-1—N的累积峰值最高,但峰深度降低至60～120cm;N、P配施(NP)累积深度为80～140cm．不施氮肥,分布在土壤剖面中NO3^-1—N含量显著降低．氮肥用量愈大,NO3^-1—N的累积量愈大．N、P配施可以有效降低NO3^-1—N累积．在同一氮肥用量下,NO3^-1—N累积量随磷肥用量的增加而减少．     

Retrotransposon-gene associations are widespread among D. melanogaster populations

We have surveyed 18 natural populations of Drosophila melanogaster for the presence of 23 retrotransposon-gene-association alleles (i.e., the presence of an LTR retrotransposon sequence in or within 1,000 bp of a gene) recently identified in the sequenced D. melanogaster genome. The identified associations were detected only in the D. melanogaster populations. The majority (61%) of the identified retrotransposon-gene associations were present only in the sequenced strain in which they were first identified. Thirty percent of the associations were detected in at least one of the natural populations, and 9% of the associations were detected in all of the D. melanogaster populations surveyed. Sequence analysis of an association allele present in all populations indicates that selection is a significant factor in the spread and/or maintenance of at least some of retroelement-gene associations in D. melanogaster.     

Local sequential minimization of double stranded B-DNA using Monte Carlo annealing

A software algorithm has been developed to investigate the folding process in B-DNA structures in vacuum under a simple and accurate force field. This algorithm models linear double stranded B-DNA sequences based on a local, sequential minimization procedure. The original B-DNA structures were modeled using initial nucleotide structures taken from the Brookhaven database. The models contain information at the atomic level allowing one to investigate as accurately as possible the structure and characteristics of the resulting DNA structures. A variety of DNA sequences and sizes were investigated containing coding and non-coding, random and real, homogeneous or heterogeneous sequences in the range of 2 to 40 base pairs. The force field contains terms such as angle bend, Lennard-Jones, electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding which are set up using the Dreiding II force field and defined to account for the helical parameters such as twist, tilt and rise. A close comparison was made between this local minimization algorithm and a global one (previously published) in order to find out advantages and disadvantages of the different methods. From the comparison, this algorithm gives better and faster results than the previous method, allowing one to minimize larger DNA segments. DNA segments with a length of 40 bases need approximately 4 h, while 2.5 weeks are needed with the previous method. After each minimization the angles between phosphate–oxygen-carbon A₁, the oxygen–phosphate–oxygen A₂ and the average helical twists were calculated. From the generated fragments it was found that the bond angles are A₁=150°±2°and A₂=130°±10°, while the helical twist is 36.6°±2° in the A strand and A₁=150°±6° and A₂=130±6° with helical twist 39.6°±2° in the B strand for the DNA segment with the same sequence as the Dickerson dodecamer.Figure The final minimized DNA segment of the Dickerson dodecamer sequence represented by ball drawings and viewed (left) perpendicular and (right) down the helical axis     

Effective small interfering RNAs and phosphorothioate antisense DNAs have different preferences for target sites in the luciferase mRNAs

Antisense DNA target sites can be selected by the accessibility of the mRNA target. It remains unknown whether a mRNA site that is accessible to an antisense DNA is also a good candidate target site for a siRNA. Here, we reported a parallel analysis of 12 pairs of antisense DNAs and siRNA duplexes for their potency to inhibit reporter luciferase activity in mammalian cells, both of the antisense DNA and siRNA agents in a pair being directed to same site in the mRNA. Five siRNAs and two antisense DNAs turned out to be effective, but the sites targeted by those effective siRNAs and antisense DNAs did not overlap. Our results indicated that effective antisense DNAs and siRNAs have different preferences for target sites in the mRNA.     

Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid RNA: dissection of the pathogenicity determinant and comparative fitness of symptomatic and non-symptomatic variants

Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd) is a small RNA (398-401nt) with hammerhead ribozymes in both polarity strands that mediate self-cleavage of the oligomeric RNA intermediates generated in a rolling-circle mechanism of replication. Within the in vivo branched RNA conformation of CChMVd, a tetraloop has been identified as a major determinant of pathogenicity. Here we present a detailed study of this tetraloop by site-directed mutagenesis, bioassay of the CChMV-cDNA clones and analysis of the resulting progenies. None of the changes introduced in the tetraloop, including its substitution by a triloop or a pentaloop, abolished infectivity. In contrast to observations for other RNAs, the thermodynamically stable GAAA tetraloop characteristic of non-symptomatic CChMVd-NS strains was not functionally interchangeable for other stable tetraloops of the UNCG family, suggesting that the sequence, rather than the structure, is the major factor governing conservation of this motif. In most cases, the changes introduced initially led to symptomless infections, which eventually evolved to be symptomatic concurrently with the prevalence in the progeny of the UUUC tetraloop characteristic of symptomatic CChMVd-S strains. Only in one case did the GAAA tetraloop emerge and eventually dominate the progeny in infected plants that were non-symptomatic. These results revealed two major fitness peaks in the tetraloop (UUUC and GAAA), whose adjacent stem was also under strong selection pressure. Co-inoculations with CChMVd-S and -NS variants showed that only when the latter was in a 100- or 1000-fold excess did the infected plants remain symptomless, confirming the higher biological fitness of the S variant and explaining the lack of symptom expression previously observed in cross-protection experiments.