Differential protein expression between EBV-positive and negative epithelial cells

Epstein Barr virus infection is believed to play a role in the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In order to investigate the function of EBV in epithelial cell, proteomic methods were used to find and identify the differential proteins and expected to elucidate the mechanism of EBV. Altered protein expressions were found between 293 cell (HEK293) and EBV infected cell (293-EBV). In this study, we separated differential expressed proteins using 2D-DIGE method while matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization tandem time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) method was used to identify proteins. The results showed that 14 proteins were up regulated and 3 proteins were down regulated in 293-EBV cells. Bioinformatic analysis showed that these proteins are involved in cell proliferation, metastasis, apoptosis, metabolism, and signal transduction. Western blotting analysis was further carried out to verify the MS results. Thus, EBV may exert its functions by mediating differential expression of these proteins.

Overview and countermeasures of cancer burden in China

Cancer is one of the leading causes of human death worldwide.Treatment of cancer exhausts significant medical resources,and the morbidity and mortality caused by cancer is a huge social burden.Cancer has therefore become a serious economic and social problem shared globally.As an increasingly prevalent disease in China,cancer is a huge challenge for the country’s healthcare system.Based on recent data published in the Journal of the National Cancer Center on cancer incidence and mortality in China in 2016,we analyzed the current trends in cancer incidence and changes in cancer mortality and survival rate in China.And also,we examined several key risk factors for cancer pathogenesis and discussed potential countermeasures for cancer prevention and treatment in China.

Circular RNA circCCNB1 inhibits the migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma through binding and stabilizing TJP1 mRNA

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)is a malignant tumor that usually occurs in people from Southeast Asia and Southern China.NPC is prone to migration and invasion,leading to poor prognosis.A large number of circular RNAs(circ RNAs)exacerbate the process of metastasis in NPC;however,their underlying mechanisms remain unclear.We found that the circular RNA circ CCNB1,encoded by the oncogene CCNB1,was downregulated in NPC biopsies and cell lines.In vitro assays show that circ CCNB1 inhibits NPC cell migration and invasion.Moreover,circ CCNB1 induces a protein,nuclear factor 90(NF90),to bind and prolong the half-life of tight junction protein 1(TJP1)m RNA.Upregulation of TJP1 enhances tight junctions between cancer cells and inhibits NPC cell migration and invasion.This study reveals a novel biological function of circ CCNB1 in the migration and invasion of NPC by enhancing the tight junctions of cancer cells by binding to NF90 proteins and TJP1 m RNA,and may provide a potential therapeutic target for NPC.

Cyclophilin A binds to AKT1 and facilitates the tumorigenicity of Epstein-Barr virus by mediating the activation of AKT/mTOR/NF-κB positive feedback loop

The AKT/mTOR and NF-κB signalings are crucial pathways activated in cancers including nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC), which is prevalent in southern China and closely related to Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) infection.How these master pathways are persistently activated in EBV-associated NPC remains to be investigated. Here we demonstrated that EBV-encoded latent membrane protein 1(LMP1) promoted cyclophilin A(CYPA) expression through the activation of NF-κB. The depletion of CYPA suppressed cell proliferation and facilitated apoptosis.CYPA was able to bind to AKT1, thus activating AKT/mTOR/NF-κB signaling cascade. Moreover, the use of mTOR inhibitor, rapamycin, subverted the activation of the positive feedback loop, NF-κB/CYPA/AKT/mTOR. It is reasonable that LMP1 expression derived from initial viral infection is enough to assure the constant potentiation of AKT/mTOR and NF-κB signalings. This may partly explain the fact that EBV serves as a tumor-promoting factor with minimal expression of the viral oncoprotein LMP1 in malignancies. Our findings provide new insight into the understanding of causative role of EBV in tumorigenicity during latent infection.