应用RNA干扰技术抑制白血病细胞血管内皮生长因子基因表达及功能的研究

目的探讨用RNA干扰技术下调血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)基因表达对白血病细胞生长的影响。方法设计3段分别针对VEGF第3~5外显子的短发夹状RNA(shRNA)并构建其表达载体,分别转染人白血病细胞株NB4,用实时定量PCR及Western blot方法观察3段shRNA对细胞内VEGF基因表达的影响。抗性筛选稳定抑制VEGF表达的永久细胞克隆,应用MTT法、甲基纤维素半固体培养法及细胞周期动力学检测了解VEGF基因缄默对白血病细胞生长的影响。结果成功构建分别携带3段shRNA及对照随机片段的重组质粒pGenesil-VR1,2,3和pGenesil-con,3种shRNA重组质粒中pGenesil-VR3可明显降低细胞内VEGF mRNA的丰度及VEGF蛋白表达,筛选出的NB4-VR3细胞株增殖能力明显下降,细胞集落形成率为(13.3±3.8)%,与NB4-con的(21.3±6.4)%和NB4组的(24.5±5.2)%相比,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),细胞周期阻滞于G1期,3组细胞G1期比例分别为(53.2±4.6)%、(42.7±5.9)%和(40.5±5.3)%。结论应用RNA干扰技术能筛选出特异而高效阻断VEGF基因表达及功能的shRNA,VEGF基因表达下调能明显抑制白血病细胞生长。

Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression and proliferation of leukemia cells by RNA interference

OBJECTIVE: To explore the feasibility of selective inhibiting VEGF expression using VEGF short hairpin RNA (shRNA) interference, and observe the effects of VEGF gene silencing on NB4 cells growth. METHODS: Three 19 bp reverse repeated motifs targeting exons 3, 4, 5 respectively of VEGF gene were synthesized and cloned into eukaryotic expression plasmid pGenesil-1 containing U6 shRNA promoter and termination signal of RNA polymerase. The recombinant plasmids pGenesil-VR1, pGenesil-VR2, pGenesil-VR3 and pGenesil-con (plasmid containing random DNA fragment) were transfected into NB4 cells respectively through lipofectamine reagent. The alteration of VEGF expression was examined by fluorescent real time RT-PCR and Western blot. The proliferation capacity of leukemia cells was measured by trypan blue exclusion, MTT assay, colony formation assay and cell cycles analysis. RESULTS: Recombinant plasmids containing three shRNAs and random fragment were successfully constructed and transfected into NB4 cells respectively by liposome-mediated gene transfer method. shRNA in pGenesil-VR3 cells knocked down the expression of VEGF mRNA and protein dramatically in a sequence-specific manner when compared with that of pGenesil-VR1, Genesil-VR2 and pGenesil-con. The NB4 cells transfected with pGenesil-VR3 (NB4-VR3) had a more significant decrease in proliferation ability than NB4 and that transfected with pGenesil-con (NB4-con). The colony forming efficiencies of NB4-VR3, NB4-con and NB4 cell were (13.3 +/- 3.8)%, (21.3 +/- 6.4)% and (24.5 +/- 5.2)%, respectively (P < 0.05). Higher G(1) and lower S proportion were found in cell cycle distribution in comparison with the control groups by FCM. CONCLUSIONS: The shRNA can efficiently suppress VEGF expression in NB4 cells. Selective VEGF gene silence can inhibit the malignant proliferation of leukemia cells.