Inhibition of N-Myc down regulated gene 1 in in vitro cultured human glioblastoma cells

AIM: To study short ds RNA oligonucleotides(si RNA)as a potent tool for artificially modulating gene expression of N-Myc down regulated gene 1(NDRG1) gene induced under different physiological conditions(Normoxia and hypoxia) modulating NDRG1 transcription, m RNA stability and translation. METHODS: A cell line established from a patient with glioblastoma multiforme. Plasmid DNA for transfections was prepared with the Endofree Plasmid Maxi kit. From plates containing 5 × 107 cells, nuclear extracts were prepared according to previous protocols. The p SUPERNDRG1 vectors were designed, two sequences were selected from the human NDRG1 c DNA(5'-GCATTATTGGCATGGGAAC-3' and 5'-ATGCAGAGTAACGTGGAAG-3'. reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed using primers designed using published information on β-actin and hypoxia-inducible factor(HIF)-1α m RNA sequences in Gen Bank. NDRG1 m RNA and protein level expression results under different conditions of hypoxia or reoxygenation were compared to aerobic control conditions using the Mann-Whitney U test. Reoxygenation values were also compared to the NDRG1 levels after 24 h of hypoxia(P < 0.05 was considered significant).RESULTS: si RNA- and iodoacetate(IAA)-mediated downregulation of NDRG1 m RNA and protein expression in vitro in human glioblastoma cell lines showed a nearly complete inhibition of NDRG1 expression when compared to the results obtained due to the inhibitory role of glycolysis inhibitor IAA. Hypoxia responsive elements bound by nuclear HIF-1 in human glioblastoma cells in vitro under different oxygenation conditions and the clearly enhanced binding of nuclear extracts from glioblastoma cell samples exposed to extreme hypoxic conditions confirmed the HIF-1 Western blotting results. CONCLUSION: NDRG1 represents an additional diagnostic marker for brain tumor detection, due to the role of hypoxia in regulating this gene, and it canrepresent a potential target for tumor treatment in human glioblastoma. The si RNA method can represent an elegant alternative to modulate the expression of the hypoxia induced NDRG1 gene and can help to monitor the development of the cancer disease treatment outcome through monitoring the expression of this gene in the patients undergoing the different therapeutic treatment alternatives available nowadays.