Microarray analysis of extracellular matrix genes expression in myocardium of mouse with Coxsackie virus B_3 myocarditis

Background Extracellular matrix (ECM) orchestrates cell behaviour including growth, death, apoptosis, adhesion, migration, and invasion by activating several signalling pathways Certain components of ECM, such as integrins, may act as receptors or co-receptors of enterovirus ECM-activated gene expressions in myocardium of viral heart disease including myocarditis and partial cardiomyopathy remain elusive This study was to investigate the expression of ECM-activated genes in myocardium of mouse with viral myocarditis Methods BALB/c mice were infected with Coxsackie virus B 3 (CVB 3) to establish an animal model of myocarditis Uninfected mice were also prepared and served as controls Specific mRNA expression pattern in myocarditic mouse heart was analysed by an in-house cDNA microarray containing 8192 genes Overexpressed ECM genes were selected and subsequently confirmed by Northern blot analysis Results Nine ECM genes were isolated, from the array of 8192 genes, as overexpressed genes in hearts of myocarditic mice in comparison with controls Subsequent Northern blot analysis confirmed that four of the nine genes were highly expressed Expression of these four genes, Fin15, ILk, Lamr1 and ADAMTS-1, has not been reported previously to be induced by Coxsackie virus Conclusion CVB 3-induced myocarditis is associated with gene expression profiles of certain ECM components

Polymorphisms of GSTM1 and CYP1A1 genes and their genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer in Chinese men

Background Variation in prostate cancer incidence between different racial groups has been well documented, for which genetic polymorphisms are hypothesized to be an explanation. We evaluated the association between polymorphisms in the cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 （CYP1A1） and glutathione S-transferase M1 （GSTM1） genes and genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer in Chinese men.Methods TWO hundred and eight prostate cancer patients and 230 age matched controls were enrolled in this study. All DNA samples from peripheral blood lymphocytes were genotyped for common genetic polymorphisms of the CYP1A1 and GSTM1 genes using the oligonucleotide microarray （DNA chip） technique and the polymorphism results confirmed by sequencing. The different polymorphisms in prostate cancer patients were also analyzed according to age at diagnosis, prostate specific antigen level, cancer stage and grade （Gleason score）.Results The prevalence of the GSTM1 （0/0） genotype was significantly higher in prostate cancer patients （58.2%） than in controls （41.7%, P〈0.05）. Further analysis demonstrated that the prostate cancer patients with a GSTM1 （0/0） genotype were younger than those with the GSTM1 （＋/＋） genotype （P=-0.024）. No significant differences in the frequency distributions of CYP1A1 polymorphisms were observed between prostate cancer patients and controls.Conclusion GSTM1 （0/0）-gene polymorphism may be linked to prostate cancer risk and early age of Onset in Chinese.