人乳腺癌上皮细胞miR-217对EZH2表达的调控作用

目的 验证乳腺癌上皮细胞中miR-217是否通过直接作用于homolog2 zeste基因增强子（EZH2）3＇UTR调控EZH2表达.方法 利用RT-PCR技术检测人正常乳腺上皮细胞系HBL-100及乳腺癌上皮细胞系MCF-7、MDA-MB-231细胞株中的miR-217,在低表达miR-217细胞株中转染miR-217模拟物（miR-217 minics）,在高表达miR-217细胞株中转染miR-217抑制剂（miR-217 inhibitor）;Western blot法检测各实验细胞中的EZH2蛋白.用含有miR-217野生型及突变型识别位点的EZH2 3＇UTR载体（UTREZH2-UTR-WT和EZH2-UTR-MUT）质粒分别转染人胚肾细胞293T,检测其相对荧光素酶活性.结果 miR-217在MDA-MB-231细胞中低表达,转染miR-217 minics后,其EZH2蛋白表达下降;miR-217在HBL-100中高表达,转染miR-217 inhibitor后,其EZH2蛋白表达增高.人胚肾细胞293T中EZH2-UTR-WT的相对荧光素酶活性低于EZH2-UTR-MUT,两者相比,P＜0.05.结论 在乳腺癌上皮细胞中,miR-217对EZH2的表达具有调控作用,且miR-217通过直接靶向EZH2 3＇UTR调控EZH2表达.     

Wall tension is a potent negative regulator of in vivo thrombomodulin expression

Thrombomodulin (TM), a key component of the anticoagulant protein C pathway, is a major contributor to vascular thromboresistance. We previously found that TM protein expression is dramatically reduced in autologous vein grafts during the first two weeks after implantation, coincident to a local inflammatory response, and remains suppressed for at least 6 weeks. To determine the proximate cause of TM loss, in vivo gene expression was quantified by real-time PCR. TM gene expression in vein grafts declined >85% during the first postoperative week and remained suppressed >55% at 6 weeks, accounting for the observed changes in protein expression. The effects of vein graft inflammation were evaluated in animals rendered leukopenic with vinblastine before graft implantation. Abrogating the local inflammatory response affected neither TM protein nor gene expression. To determine how hemodynamic forces might modulate TM expression, the surgical protocol was modified to alter blood flow and pressure-induced vessel distension. TM protein and gene expression did not correlate to changes in shear stress but highly correlated to changes in wall tension, both acutely and over time. We conclude that the primary stimulus for altered TM expression in vein grafts is the exposure to arterial pressure. Furthermore, these data identify strain as a novel and important pathway for in vivo TM gene regulation.     

Dysregulated expression of miR-101b and miR-26b lead to age-associated increase in LPS-induced COX-2 expression in murine macrophage

Aging is the natural process of decline in physiological structure and function of various molecules, cells, tissues, and organs. Growing evidence indicates that increased immune genetic diversity and dysfunction of immune system cause aging-related pathophysiological process with the growth of age. In the present study, we observed that LPS-induced higher activation of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 promoter is associated with the upregulated binding activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) in peritoneal macrophages of aged mice than young ones. Additionally, COX-2 is a direct target of miR-101b and miR-26b in the macrophages. Significant upregulation of miR-101b and miR-26b effectively prevented LPS-induced excessive expression of COX-2 in the young mice. Because these negative regulatory factors were unresponsive to LPS stimulation, the levels of COX-2 were markedly higher in the macrophages of aged mice. Further study showed that NF-κB activation contributed to the increase in the expression of miR-101b and miR-26b in the LPS-stimulated macrophages of young mice, but not aged ones. Moreover, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) upregulated expression of miR-101b and miR-26b in the aged mouse macrophages only, but not the young cells. This demonstrated that HDAC suppressed the expression of miR-101b and miR-26b in the LPS-treated macrophages of aged mice and contributed to the aging process. TSA-induced increased expression of miR-101b and miR-26b could further suppress COX-2 expression. These findings provide novel evidence on the regulation of immune senescence and miR-101b and miR-26b, which might be promising targets in treating aged-related inflammatory diseases. Epigenetic regulation of the microRNAs (miRNAs) provides an important evidence for the treatment of innate inflammatory disease with HDAC inhibitors in elderly.     

Tissue-specific differential repression of gene expression by a dominant negative mutant of thyroid hormone beta1 receptor.

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is a genetic disease caused by the mutations of the thyroid hormone beta receptor (TRbeta) gene, producing receptors with a dominant negative action. The present study addressed the question as to whether tissue-specific factors modulate the dominant negative function in different tissues. We prepared stably transfected pituitary GH3 (GH3-PV) and liver SK-Hep-1 (SK-Hep-1-PV) cell lines with a potent dominant negative mutant, PV. The growth hormone (GH) and the malic enzyme genes (ME) in GH3 and SK-Hep-1, respectively, are directly regulated by the thyroid hormone, 3,3,'5-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3). The ratio of the expressed PV/endogenous TRbeta1 proteins was approximately 20 and 5 for GH3-PV and SK-Hep-1-PV cells, respectively. However, the T3-activated expression of the GH gene in GH3-PV and ME gene in SK-Hep-1-PV was repressed by approximately 30% and 90%, respectively, indicating the lack of correlation of PV/TRpbeta1 protein ratio with the dominant negative potency of mutant PV. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of the pituitary-specific factor 1 on the TR-mediated GH promoter activity was not repressed by mutant PV. Taken together, these results suggest that the dominant negative effect of mutant TR is variable in the tissues studied.     

The murine stanniocalcin 2 gene is a negative regulator of postnatal growth

Stanniocalcin (STC), a secreted glycoprotein, was first studied in fish as a classical hormone with a role in regulating serum calcium levels. There are two closely related proteins in mammals, STC1 and STC2, with functions that are currently unclear. Both proteins are expressed in numerous mammalian tissues rather than being secreted from a specific endocrine gland. No phenotype has been detected yet in Stc1-null mice, and to investigate whether Stc2 could have compensated for the loss of Stc1, we have now generated Stc2(-/-) and Stc1(-/-) Stc2(-/-) mice. Although Stc1 is expressed in the ovary and lactating mouse mammary glands, like the Stc1(-/-) mice, the Stc1(-/-) Stc2(-/-) mice had no detected decrease in fertility, fecundity, or weight gain up until weaning. Serum calcium and phosphate levels were normal in Stc1(-/-) Stc2(-/-) mice, indicating it is unlikely that the mammalian stanniocalcins have a major physiological role in mineral homeostasis. Mice with Stc2 deleted were 10-15% larger and grew at a faster rate than wild-type mice from 4 wk onward, and the Stc1(-/-) Stc2(-/-) mice had a similar growth phenotype. This effect was not mediated through the GH/IGF-I axis. The results are consistent with STC2 being a negative regulator of postnatal growth.     

Lats2 is a negative regulator of myocyte size in the heart

Mammalian sterile 20-like kinase (Mst)1 plays an important role in mediating apoptosis and inhibiting hypertrophy in the heart. Because Hippo, a Drosophila homolog of Mst1, forms a signaling complex with Warts, a serine/threonine kinase, which in turn stimulates cell death and inhibits cell proliferation, mammalian homologs of Warts, termed Lats1 and Lats2, may mediate the function of Mst1. We here show that Lats2, but not Lats1, dose-dependently increased apoptosis in cultured cardiac myocytes. Lats2 also dose-dependently reduced [(3)H]phenylalanine incorporation and cardiac myocyte size, whereas dominant negative Lats2 (DN-Lats2) increased them, suggesting that endogenous Lats2 negatively regulates myocyte growth. DN-Lats2 significantly attenuated induction of apoptosis and inhibition of hypertrophy by Mst1, indicating that Lats2 mediates the function of Mst1 in cardiac myocytes. Cardiac specific overexpression of Lats2 in transgenic mice significantly reduced the size of left and right ventricles, whereas that of DN-Lats2 caused hypertrophy in both ventricles. Overexpression of Lats2 reduced left ventricular systolic and diastolic function without affecting baseline levels of myocardial apoptosis. Expression of endogenous Lats2 was significantly upregulated in response to transverse aortic constriction. Overexpression of DN-Lats2 significantly enhanced cardiac hypertrophy and inhibited cardiac myocyte apoptosis induced by transverse aortic constriction. These results suggest that Lats2 is necessary and sufficient for negatively regulating ventricular mass in the heart. Although Lats2 is required for cardiac myocyte apoptosis in response to pressure overload, it was not sufficient to induce apoptosis at baseline. In conclusion, Lats2 affects both growth and death of cardiac myocytes, but it primarily regulates the size of the heart and acts as an endogenous negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy.     

Nogo-A is a negative regulator of CNS angiogenesis

Nogo-A is an important axonal growth inhibitor in the adult and developing CNS. In vitro, Nogo-A has been shown to inhibit migration and cell spreading of neuronal and nonneuronal cell types. Here, we studied in vivo and in vitro effects of Nogo-A on vascular endothelial cells during angiogenesis of the early postnatal brain and retina in which Nogo-A is expressed by many types of neurons. Genetic ablation or virus-mediated knock down of Nogo-A or neutralization of Nogo-A with an antibody caused a marked increase in the blood vessel density in vivo. In culture, Nogo-A inhibited spreading, migration, and sprouting of primary brain microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) in a dose-dependent manner and induced the retraction of MVEC lamellipodia and filopodia. Mechanistically, we show that only the Nogo-A–specific Delta 20 domain exerts inhibitory effects on MVECs, but the Nogo-66 fragment, an inhibitory domain common to Nogo-A, -B, and -C, does not. Furthermore, the action of Nogo-A Delta 20 on MVECs required the intracellular activation of the Ras homolog gene family, member A (Rho-A)-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase (ROCK)-Myosin II pathway. The inhibitory effects of early postnatal brain membranes or cultured neurons on MVECs were relieved significantly by anti–Nogo-A antibodies. These findings identify Nogo-A as an important negative regulator of developmental angiogenesis in the CNS. They may have important implications in CNS pathologies involving angiogenesis such as stroke, brain tumors, and retinopathies.     

Beta(2)-microglobulin as a negative growth regulator of myeloma cells

High beta(2)-microglobulin (beta(2)m) levels in myeloma correlate with poor prognosis. We hypothesized that beta(2)m may affect myeloma cell growth and survival. In this study, we examined the in vitro effects of beta(2)m on myeloma cells. Primary myeloma cells freshly isolated from patients and myeloma cell lines were used, cultured in the presence of beta(2)m, and monitored for growth and survival. Beta(2)m suppressed the growth of primary tumour cells and myeloma cell lines (ARK-RS, ARP-1, RPMI-8226, U266, ARH-77 and IM-9). High concentrations of beta(2)m induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Beta(2)m-induced apoptosis was dependent on activation of a caspase cascade, inhibited by interleukin 6, and did not involve the surface death receptors, as receptor-neutralizing antibodies had no inhibitory effect. Beta(2)m-induced growth arrest was associated with downregulation of cyclins A and D2. Surprisingly, anti-beta(2)m antibodies did not block the effect of beta(2)m but were synergistic with beta(2)m, resulting in 90% growth inhibition and 70% apoptosis of myeloma cells. Whereas beta(2)m treatment resulted in slight upregulation of surface beta(2)m and major histocompatibility complex class I alpha-chain expression, treatment of myeloma cells with anti-beta(2)m antibodies alone or with beta(2)m resulted in significant downregulation of surface beta(2)m and class I molecules, suggesting that class I molecules may be involved in signal transduction. Our data demonstrate that beta(2)m plays an important role in regulating the growth and survival of myeloma cells in vitro and warrants further investigation to delineate the mechanisms of beta(2)m and anti-beta(2)m antibody-induced growth regulation of myeloma cells.