scholarly journals The Favored Mechanism for Coping with Acute Cold Stress: Upregulation of miR-210 in Rats

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 2090-2102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjin Guo ◽  
Shuai Lian ◽  
Li Zhen ◽  
Shucheng Zang ◽  
Yan Chen ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: The main aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which rno-miR-210-3p affects changes in gene expression, metabolism, apoptosis and proliferation of cells under acute cold stress (ACS) conditions. Methods: The treatment group (n=6, weight 340±20 g) was exposed to ACS (temperature 4±0.5°C, relative humidity 45±0.5%) and the control group (n=6, weight 340±20 g) to normal temperature (NT) (temperature 24±0.5°C, relative humidity 45±0.5%). Rat liver samples were collected for qRT-PCR and western blot analyses to detect relative expression of rno-miR-210-3p, ISCU, Rap1b, ATP1b1, GPD1, E2F3, RAD52, PSMB6 and GPD2. For cell experiments, 100 pmol/dish rno-miR-210-3p mimic and 150 pmol/dish rno-miR-210-3p inhibitor were used. Mitochondrial glucose flux and glycolysis were measured using the XFe24 Extracellular Flux Analyzer. Cells were collected for apoptosis analysis 24 h after transfection and proliferation was quantified using the WST-1 Cell Proliferation and Cytotoxicity Assay Kit (Beyotime, Shanghai, China), according to the manufacturerʹs instructions. Results: In the rat experiment, expression of rno-miR-210-3p under ACS was increased sharply while ISCU, E2F3, RAD52, and PSMB6 levels declined, along with protein expression of ISCU and PSMB6. In cell experiments, ISCU, Rap1b, ATP1b1, GPD1, E2F3, RAD52, PSMB6 and GPD2 genes were downregulated while ISCU and PSMB6 protein expression decreased with upregulation of rno-miR-210-3p. Conversely, in response to decreased rno-miR-210-3p expression, ISCU, E2F3, RAD52, PSMB6 and GPD2 genes were upregulated, in addition to ISCU and PSMB6 proteins. Upregulation of miR-210 inhibited cell proliferation and induced cell death whereas its downregulation promoted cell proliferation. Upregulation or downregulation of miR-210 promoted glycolysis and mitochondrial respiration of BRL cells. However, downregulation of miR-210 caused acid production in cells. Conclusion: Expression of rno-miR-210-3p is significantly increased under ACS. Upregulation of rno-miR-210-3p inhibits the expression of ISCU, Rap1b, ATP1b1, GPD1, E2F3, RAD52, PSMB6 and GPD2 genes, promotes glycolysis of liver and enhances the mitochondrial respiratory capacity of cells, but may also cause cell death. Our findings collectively indicate that regulation of rno-miR-210-3p is a preferential mechanism of choice used by the body to cope with ACS.

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M C Carbajo-García ◽  
A Corachán ◽  
M Segura ◽  
J Monleón ◽  
J Escrig ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question Is DNA methylation reversion through DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) inhibitors, such as 5-aza–2’-deoxycitidine, a potential therapeutic option for treatment of patients with uterine leiomyomas (UL)? Summary answer 5-aza–2’-deoxycitidine reduces proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) formation by inhibition of Wnt/ β-catenin pathway on UL cells, suggesting DNMT inhibitors as an option to treat UL. What is known already: UL is a multifactorial disease with an unclear pathogenesis and inaccurate treatment. Aberrant DNA methylation have been found in UL compared to myometrium (MM) tissue, showing hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes, which contributes to the development of this tumor. The use of DNMT inhibitors, such as 5-aza–2’-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR), has been suggested to treat tumors in which altered methylation pattern is related to tumor progression, as occurs in UL. Based on this, we aimed to evaluate whether DNA methylation reversion through 5-aza-CdR reduces cell proliferation and ECM formation in UL cells, being a potential option for UL medical treatment. Study design, size, duration Prospective study comparing UL versus MM tissue and human uterine leiomyoma primary (HULP) cells treated with/without 5-aza-CdR at 0 µM (control), 2 µM, 5 µM and 10 µM for 72 hours. UL and MM tissue were collected from women without any hormonal treatment for the last 3 months (n = 16) undergoing myomectomy or hysterectomy due to symptomatic leiomyoma pathology. Participants were recruited between January 2019 and February 2020 at Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe (Spain). Participants/materials, setting, methods Samples were collected from Caucasian premenopausal women aged 31–48 years, with a body mass index of < 30 and without hormonal treatment. DNMT1 gene expression was analysed in UL vs MM tissue by qRT-PCR and activity of DNMT was measured in UL and MM tissue and cells by ELISA. 5-aza-CdR effect on proliferation was assessed by CellTiter test and Western blot (WB), apoptosis and ECM analyzed by WB and Wnt/ β-catenin pathway by qRT-PCR and WB. Main results and the role of chance: DNMT1 gene expression was increased in UL compared to MM tissue (fold change [FC]=2.49, p-value [p]=0.0295). Similarly, DNMT activity was increased in both UL compared to MM tissue and HULP cells versus MM cells (6.50 vs 3.76 OD/h/mg, p = 0.026; 211.30 vs 63.67 OD/h/mg, p = 0.284, respectively). After 5-aza-CdR treatment, cell viability of HULP cells was reduced in a dose dependent manner, being statistically significant at 10 µM (85.25%, p = 0.0001). Accordantly, PCNA protein expression was significantly decreased at 10 µM in HULP cells (FC = 0.695, p = 0.034), demonstrating cell proliferation inhibition. Additionally, 5-aza-CdR inhibited ECM protein expression in HULP cells in a dose-dependent manner being statistically significant at 10 µM for COLLAGEN I (FC = 0.654, p = 0.023) and PAI–1 (FC = 0.654, p = 0.023), and at 2 µM and 10 µM for FIBRONECTIN (FC = 0.812, p = 0.020; FC = 0.733, p = 0.035; respectively). Final targets of Wnt/ β-catenin pathway were decreased after 5-aza-CdR treatment, protein expression of WISP1 was significantly inhibited at 10 µM (FC = 0.699, p = 0.026), while expression levels of Wnt/ β-catenin target genes C-MYC (FC = 0.745, p = 0.028 at 2 µM; FC = 0.728, p = 0.019 at 10 µM) and MMP7 (FC = 0.520, p = 0.003 at 5 µM, FC = 0.577, p = 0.007 at 10 µM) were also significantly downregulated in HULP-treated cells vs untreated cells. Limitations, reasons for caution: This study has strict inclusion criteria to diminish epigenetic variability, thereby we should be cautious extrapolating our results to general population. Besides, this is a proof of concept with the inherent cell culture limitations. Further studies are necessary to determine 5-aza-CdR dose and adverse effects on UL in vivo. Wider implications of the findings: 5-aza-CdR treatment reduces cell proliferation and ECM formation through Wnt/ β-catenin pathway inhibition, suggesting that inhibition of DNA methylation could be a promising new therapeutic approach to treat UL. Trial registration number Not applicable


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (9) ◽  
pp. 030006052094379
Author(s):  
Yanshan Li ◽  
Yunxiuxiu Xu ◽  
Ruomei Wang ◽  
Wenxin Li ◽  
Wenguang He ◽  
...  

Objective To investigate whether the Notch–Hif-1α signaling pathway is involved in liver regeneration. Methods Rats were divided into two groups and treated with daily intraperitoneal injections of saline (control) or the gamma-secretase inhibitor, Fli-06, for 2 days. Two-thirds of the rat livers were resected and rats were later euthanized at specific time points post-resection to analyze the remnant livers. Each group's liver/body weight ratio was calculated, and immunostaining and western blotting were used to determine the cell proliferation marker, PCNA and Ki-67 expression. Real-time PCR and western blotting were used to compare the mRNA expression of Notch homolog-1 ( Notch1), hairy and enhancer of split-1 ( Hes1), and vascular endothelial growth factor ( Vegf), and the protein expression of NICD and HIF-1α, respectively. Results The liver/body weight ratios and number of Ki-67- and PCNA-positive cells were significantly lower in the experimental group than the control group, indicating lower levels of liver regeneration following the disruption of Notch signaling by Fli-06. The Hes1 and Vegf mRNA levels and NICD and HIF-1α protein expression levels were all down-regulated by Fli-06 treatment. Conclusion Notch–Hif-α signaling pathway activation plays an important role in liver regeneration, where it may contribute toward liver cell proliferation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 724-729
Author(s):  
Yaping Xu ◽  
Xiaoqin Fang ◽  
Xianjiang Wei

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the effects and related mechanism of lidocaine on human ovarian cancer cell lines. Methods: Human ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3 and ES-2) were treated with different concentrations of lidocaine for different time. We treated SKOV3 and ES-2 cells using lidocaine then used MTT assay and flow cytometry to detect the cell proliferation and cell apoptosis. In addition, we used western blot analysis to explore the protein expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in SKOV3 and ES-2 cells. Western blot analysis and qRT-PCR were performed for the detection of EMT markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin). The protein expression levels of TRAF3 and p-p65 in SKOV3 and ES-2 cells were determined by Western blot analysis. Results: Compared to the control group, 0.5, 1, 5, and 10 mM of lidocaine significantly inhibited ovarian cancer cell proliferation at different time points, while 0.1 mM of lidocaine had no significant effect. 1, 5 mM of lidocaine induced the cell apoptosis, and observably reduced expression of Bcl-2 protein, but improved Bax expression markedly compared with the control group. Treatment of lidocaine increased E-cadherin expression, but decreased N-cadherin expression when compared with control group. Treatment of lidocaine increased TRAF3 protein expression, but decreased p-p65 protein expression in ES-2 and SKOV3 cells. Conclusion: We demonstrated that lidocaine inhibited cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and inhibited EMT in ovarian cancer cells via regulating TRAF3/NF-κB pathway.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 1769-1778 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Ao ◽  
Lin Guan ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Jia-Ni Wang

Background/Aims: This paper aims to explore the effects of pyruvate kinase (PK) M2 gene silencing on the proliferation and apoptosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) LS-147T and SW620 cells. Methods: CRC LS-147T and SW620 cells highly expressing PKM2 were randomly selected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and then assigned into the blank (no transfection), PKM2-shRNA (transfection with shRNA) and empty plasmid (transfection with empty plasmid) groups. Immunofluorescence was applied to detect PKM2 protein expression. qRT-PCR and Western blotting were conducted to assess mRNA and protein expression of PKM2, p53 and p21. The cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to assess cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to assess the cell cycle and apoptosis rate, and a senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining kit was used to assess cell senescence. Results: PKM2 exhibited high mRNA expression among CRC LS-147T and SW620 cells with remarkable protein expression noted in the cytoplasm and nucleus. The PKM2-shRNA group exhibited reduced PKM2 mRNA and protein expression, whereas p53 and p21 expression was increased compared with the blank and empty plasmid groups. Cell proliferation in PKM2-shRNA cells decreased significantly compared with the blank group and empty plasmid groups. The PKM2-shRNA group exhibited more cells in the G1 phase and fewer cells in the G2/M phase compared with the blank and empty plasmid groups. In addition, the PKM2-shRNA group exhibited significantly increased apoptosis rates and β-galactosidase activity compared with the blank and empty plasmid groups. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that PKM2 gene silencing suppresses proliferation and promotes apoptosis in LS-147T and SW620 cells.


Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1106-1106
Author(s):  
Rong Fu ◽  
Yingying Chen ◽  
Zonghong Shao ◽  
Hui Liu ◽  
Lijie Zeng ◽  
...  

Abstract Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a disease of hematopoietic stem cell membrane defects due to acquired PIG-Amutation. Our previous study found some secondary gene mutations in PNH patients by WES. However, it is not clear exactly which mutations are associated with the disease. So, 97 target genes were selected as a target gene panel and tested in 23 PNH patients by DNA sequencing of specific target regions. We found that all PNH patients had other gene mutations except PIG-Amutations, including TTN, NCOR2, CPS1, MUC4, SUZ12, LFNG, CELSR2, JAK2, SETBP1 and KMT2D (Figure1A). Through harmful analysis, KEGG enrichment, GO enrichment analysis and protein interaction analysis, we screened out the secondary mutant gene SUZ12 that may be involved in the cloning proliferation of PNH. We detected the mRNA and protein expression levels of SUZ12 and H3K27me3 methylation in PNH patients and health volunteers, the results showed that the mRNA and protein expression levels of SUZ12 and H3K27me3 methylation in peripheral blood CD59 -cells of PNH patients were higher than those in CD59 + cells of PNH patients and healthy controls (Figure1B). The relative expression level of SUZ12 in peripheral blood CD59 -cells of PNH patients was correlated with (r=0.4162, p=0.0385), CD59 -erythrocyte ratio (r=0.4636, p=0.0196), CD59 -monocyte ratio (r=0.4052, p=0.0495), Flaer -monocyte ratio (r=0.6769, p=0.0004) and Flaer -granulocytic ratio (r=0.6146, p=0.0018), indicating that SUZ12 may be involved in abnormal PNH cloning and proliferation by regulating H3K27me3. To verify the role of SUZ12 in the proliferation of PNH cloning, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to knockdown PIG-A expression in THP-1 cells to construct A PNH cell model, the expression level of PIG-A protein in the cell model was significantly decreased, and the proportion of CD59 - cells accounted was stable at 95%. Then lentivirus transfection was used to knockdown the expression of SUZ12 in PNH cell model. The results showed when the SUZ12 expression was knockdown, the methylation level of histone H3K27me3 was decreased, the cell proliferation activity was decreased, apoptosis was increased, and the cell cycle was arrested at G0/G1 phase. The proportion of CD59 + cells increased gradually from 3 weeks after transfection, and significantly increased at 4 weeks after transfection, while no changes were observed in the empty virus group and control group (Figure1C). Four weeks after lentivirus transfection, the expression of PIG-A protein recovered in SUZ12 knockdown group compared with empty virus group and control group (Figure1D). In conclusion, SUZ12 mutation leads to the overexpression of SUZ12, which can affect cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle by regulating the methylation level of histone H3K27me3, thereby promoting the proliferation of PNH abnormal cloning and participating in the pathogenesis of PNH. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 1955 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Huerta-García ◽  
Iván Zepeda-Quiroz ◽  
Helen Sánchez-Barrera ◽  
Zaira Colín-Val ◽  
Ernesto Alfaro-Moreno ◽  
...  

Titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) are widely used in industry and daily life. TiO2 NPs can penetrate into the body, translocate from the lungs into the circulation and come into contact with cardiac cells. In this work, we evaluated the toxicity of TiO2 NPs on H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts. Internalization of TiO2 NPs and their effect on cell proliferation, viability, oxidative stress and cell death were assessed, as well as cell cycle alterations. Cellular uptake of TiO2 NPs reduced metabolic activity and cell proliferation and increased oxidative stress by 19-fold measured as H2DCFDA oxidation. TiO2 NPs disrupted the plasmatic membrane integrity and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential. These cytotoxic effects were related with changes in the distribution of cell cycle phases resulting in necrotic death and autophagy. These findings suggest that TiO2 NPs exposure represents a potential health risk, particularly in the development of cardiovascular diseases via oxidative stress and cell death.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 411-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meiyu Qiu ◽  
Tao Li ◽  
Binhu Wang ◽  
Hongbin Gong ◽  
Tao Huang

Background: microRNAs (miRNAs) are a small, endogenous non-coding RNAs that are involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation of many biological processes, including embryo implantation and placental development. In our previous study, miR-146a-5p was found expressed higher in the serum exosomes of pregnant sows than non-pregnant. The research on miR-146a-5p has been mainly related to human diseases, but there are few studies on its effects on the reproduction of sows in early pregnancy. Objective: In this article, our motivation is to study the role of miR-146a-5p in the early pregnancy of sows on the cell proliferetion and apoptosis by targeting SMAD3 and SMAD4. Methods: Bioinformatics software was used to identify the target genes of miR-146a-5p. The wildtype and mutant-type recombinant plasmids of dual-luciferase reporter with 3'-UTR of Smad3 or 3'- UTR of Smad4 were constructed, and co-transfected in porcine kidney cell (PK-15 cell) with miR- 146a-5p mimic, mimic-NC(M-NC), inhibitor and inhibitor-NC(IN-NC), then dual-luciferase activity analysis, qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to verify the target genes. After the transfection of BeWo choriocarcinoma cell (BeWo cell) with miR-146a-5p mimic, M-NC, inhibitor and IN-NC, the mRNA expression of Caspase-3, BAX and Bcl-2 was measured using qRT-PCR, and the cell proliferation was measured using CCK-8 kit. Results: The luciferase, mRNA and protein expression of Smad3 in PK-15 cells treated by Smad3- 3'-UTR-W co-transfected with miR-146a-5p mimic were significantly lower than that with miR- 146a-5p M-NC, and the results of Smad4 were similar to Smad3, but the protein expression had a trend to lower in mimic group. The expression level of Bcl-2 in the miR-146a-5p mimic group was significantly lower than that in the miR-146a-5p M-NC group, but the expression pattern of Caspase-3 was just opposite. The mimic of miR-146a-5p reduced the proliferation of BeWo cells, however the inhibitor increased. Conclusion: Smad3 and Smad4 are the direct target genes of miR-146a-5p. The expression of Smad3 and Smad4 were affected by the mimic and inhibitor of miR-146a-5p. miR-146a-5p affects cell apoptosis and proliferation by regulating their target genes. This study provided new data to understand the regulation mechanism of early pregnancy in sows.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1010-1016
Author(s):  
Weifeng Zha ◽  
Bo Guo ◽  
Shuyue Chen ◽  
Junwei Lu ◽  
Yunyun Shan

Objective: The study was aimed to explore the roles of miR-126-5p in psoriasis and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: In vitro cell model of psoriasis was established by IL-22 induction. CASP1, the target gene of miR-126-5p, was predicted by TargetScan and verified through the dual luciferase reporter gene system. qRT-PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of miR-126-5p and CASP1 in IL-22 stimulated HaCaT cells. The protein expression of CASP1, cleaved-caspase3 and caspase3 were measured by Western blot analysis. MTT assay and flow cytometry analysis were performed to detect the cell proliferation and apoptosis. A Caspase3 Activity Assay kit was used to detect the activity of Caspase3. Results: miR-126-5p was high expressed in IL-22 stimulated HaCaT cells compared with normal HaCaT cells. We predicted and verified that CASP1 was a direct target of miR-126-5p, and the mRNA and protein expression of CASP1 were reduced in IL-22 stimulated HaCaT cells compared with the normal HaCaT cells. miR-126-5p inhibitor and CASP1-siRNA significantly decreased the expression of miR-126-5p and CASP1 in HaCaT cells respectively. miR-126-5p inhibitor up-regulated the expression of CASP1 in HaCaT cells, and the effect was reversed by the transfection with CASP1-siRNA. In comparison with the control group, miR-126-5p inhibitor decreased the cell proliferation, induced apoptosis, and improved the activity of Caspase3, enhanced cleaved-caspase3/caspase3 ratio in IL-22 stimulated HaCaT cells, and all the effects were reversed by down-regulating CASP1. Conclusion: We demonstrated that miR-126-5p inhibitor played a protective role in psoriasis by targeting CASP1, evidenced by inhibiting IL-22-induced HaCaT cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1612-1617
Author(s):  
Nanxin Zhang ◽  
Kuangda Li ◽  
Qiong Han ◽  
Maohou Wu ◽  
Qiang Li

Osteoarthritis (OA) gradually affects all joint tissues. Chondrocytes participate in osteoarthritis. However, the role and mechanism of MiR-144-3p on chondrocytes during the development of OA has not been elucidated. OA patients and normal bone and articular cartilage tissues were collected to measure MiR-144-3p level by Real-time PCR. Chondrocytes were divided into control group, LPS group (1 μg/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was added to establish an osteoarthritis (OA) stimulation model, and MiR-144-3p inhibitor group which was transfected with MiR-144-3p inhibitor followed by analysis of cell proliferation by MTT, Caspase 3 activity, Wnt/β-catenin signaling protein expression by Western blot and TNF-α and IL-6 secretion by ELISA. MiR-144-3p was significantly upregulated in OA patients (P <0.05). In LPS group, MiR-144-3p was significantly upregulated, chondrocyte proliferation decreased, Caspase 3 activity increased, Wnt/β-catenin signaling protein decreased, and TNF-α and IL-6 secretion increased (P <0.05). MiR-144-3p inhibitor transfection can significantly down-regulate MiR-144-3p, promote cell proliferation, reduce Caspase 3 activity, increase Wnt/β-catenin signaling protein expression, and reduce TNF-α and IL-6 secretion (P <0.05). MiR-144-3p is upregulated in osteoarthritis cartilage tissue. Inhibition of MiR-144-3p can inhibit articular chondrocytes apoptosis under inflammatory condition, promote cell proliferation, and alleviate joint inflammation by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 1714-1714
Author(s):  
Hye-Ran Kim ◽  
Jun Hyung Lee ◽  
Min-Gu Kang ◽  
Ra-Young Park ◽  
Moinul Md Hoque ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Prohibitin (PHB) is a highly conserved protein, widely expressed in multiple cellular compartments such as mitochondria and nucleus. Recent studies have demonstrated that PHB played an important role in the regulation of mitochondrial function, cell proliferation and development. Our proteome analysis has revealed PHB was highly expressed in primary AML cells compared with normal cells. This finding prompted us to investigate whether PHB could serve as a potential diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic target in AML. Patients and Methods: PHB2 protein expression was assessed in 133 newly diagnosed normal karyotype AML (NK-AML) patients by using immunohistochemical staining (IHCS) on paraffin-embedded bone marrow sections. The degree of PHB2 protein expression was scored as 0-8 as a sum of a diffuseness score (0-5) and an intensity score (0-3). Overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) was analyzed according to PHB2 expression score. Also, we developed quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) method to measure mRNA expression of PHB1 and PHB2 genes for the optimal algorithms for the discrimination of AML cells from the normal blood or hematopoietic cells. Because accumulation of beta-catenin in the nucleus has been identified in leukemic cells, we investigated the effect of beta-catenin accumulation on PHB expression. We monitored the expression levels of PHB with lithium chloride treatment, which blocks GSK-3beta activity and ultimately affects beta-catenin accumulation. For the development of anti-leukemic drug candidates targeting PHB in AML cells, we synthesized two potent chemical substances that can alkylate PHB: cyclohexylphenyl-chloroethyl urea (CCEU) and iodophenyl-chloroethyl urea (ICEU). We evaluated their therapeutic effects in the primary AML and AML cell lines. Results: In the PHB2 IHCS, using the cutoff as positivity score 4.0, PHB2 positive patients showed inferior OS (23.7% vs 50.0%; P = 0.026) and high hazard ratio (1.808; P = 0.028) compared to PHB2 negative patients (figure 1). Using the same cutoff, PHB2 positive patients showed inferior EFS (20.7% vs 47.1%; P= 0.024) and high hazard ratio (1.795; P = 0.026) (figure 2). In the qRT-PCR assay of PHB1 and PHB2, quantitative expression (ddCt) of PHB1 gene was higher in the control group: 0.31-28.32 (4.40+/-5.80; Mean+/-SD) versus 0.22-6.52 (1.83+/-1.56) in patient group. Meanwhile, PHB2 gene expression was higher in the NK-AML patient group: 0.15-3.49 (0.80+/-0.47) versus 0.00-0.46 (0.16+/-0.13) in control group. Using linear discrimination analysis, we derived a linear equation for discrimination between normal and AML cells. Estimating the prevalence of AML as 57.2/1,000,000, the sensitivity of newly developed algorithm was 93.6%, specificity was 76.9%, negative predictive value was 99.9%, and positive predictive value was 2.28% (figure 3). PHB protein expression was increased by inhibition of the MAPK pathway and decreased by activation of EGF signal. We identified the TCF-4/LEF-1 binding motif, CATCTG, in the promoter region of PHB by site-directed mutagenesis and ChIP assay. This beta-catenin-mediated activation of PHB expression was independent of c-MYC activation, a product of Wnt signaling. These data indicated that PHB was a direct target of beta-catenin and the increased level of PHB in leukemic cells can be regulated by Wnt signaling. Using CCEU and ICEU, time and dose dependent manner of proliferation suppression was observed in primary AML and AML cell lines. Notable morphological transformation of AML cells was observed when treated with 10-100 umol of CCEU and ICEU for 24 hours. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was 25 umol for most AML cells. Conclusions: Overexpression of PHB2 was associated with poor prognosis in NK-AML. Newly developed discrimination algorithm using qRT-PCR showed the possibility as a rapid diagnostic tool for leukemic cell identification. Our functional study suggested that the elevated level of PHB in leukemic cells was the result of Wnt signals which were up-regulated in AML cells. Finally, this study developed novel alkylating chemotherapeutics targeting PHB for selective killing of leukemic cells. PHB2 expression status can provide clinically valuable information for the diagnosis, prediction of the prognosis, detection of minimal residual disease, and therapeutic targeting of NK-AML. Figure 1. Figure 1. Figure 2. Figure 2. Figure 3. Figure 3. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


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