MicroRNA-502-3p regulates GABAergic synapse function in hippocampal neurons

Gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)ergic neurons,the most abundant inhibitory neurons in the human brain,have been found to be reduced in many neurological disorders,including Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease-related dementia.Our previous study identified the upregulation of microRNA-502-3p(miR-502-3p)and downregulation of GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 in Alzheimer's disease synapses.This study investigated a new molecular relationship between miR-502-3p and GABAergic synapse function.In vitro studies were perfo rmed using the mouse hippocampal neuronal cell line HT22 and miR-502-3p agomiRs and antagomiRs.In silico analysis identified multiple binding sites of miR-502-3p at GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 mRNA.Luciferase assay confirmed that miR-502-3p targets the GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 gene and suppresses the luciferase activity.Furthermore,quantitative reve rse transcription-polymerase chain reaction,miRNA in situ hybridization,immunoblotting,and immunostaining analysis confirmed that overexpression of miR-502-3p reduced the GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 level,while suppression of miR-502-3p increased the level of GABA type A receptor subunitα-1 protein.Notably,as a result of the overexpression of miR-502-3p,cell viability was found to be reduced,and the population of necrotic cells was found to be increased.The whole cell patch-clamp analysis of human-GABA receptor A-α1/β3/γ2L human embryonic kidney(HEK)recombinant cell line also showed that overexpression of miR-502-3p reduced the GABA current and overall GABA function,suggesting a negative correlation between miR-502-3p levels and GABAergic synapse function.Additionally,the levels of proteins associated with Alzheimer s disease were high with miR-502-3p overexpression and reduced with miR-502-3p suppression.The present study provides insight into the molecular mechanism of regulation of GABAergic synapses by miR-502-3p.We propose that micro-RNA,in particular miR-502-3p,could be a potential therapeutic to rget to modulate GABAergic synapse function in neurological disorders,including Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's diseaserelated dementia.

18β-glycyrrhetinic acid inhibits proliferation of gastric cancer cells through regulating the miR-345-5p/TGM2 signaling pathway

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is a common gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide.Based on cancer-related mortality,the current prevention and treatment strategies for GC still show poor clinical results.Therefore,it is important to find effective drug treatment targets.AIM To explore the molecular mechanism of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid(18β-GRA)regulating the miR-345-5p/TGM2 signaling pathway to inhibit the proliferation of GC cells.METHODS CCK-8 assay was used to determine the effect of 18β-GRA on the survival rate of GES-1 cells and AGS and HGC-27 cells.Cell cycle and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry,cell migration was detected by a wound healing assay,the effect of 18β-GRA on subcutaneous tumor growth in BALB/c nude mice was investigated,and the cell autophagy level was determined by MDC staining.TMT proteomic analysis was used to detect the differentially expressed autophagy-related proteins in GC cells after 18β-GRA intervention,and then the protein-protein interaction was predicted using STRING(https://string-db.org/).MicroRNAs(miRNAs)transcriptome analysis was used to detect the miRNA differential expression profile,and use miRBase(https://www.mirbase/)and TargetScan(https://www.targetscan.org/)to predict the miRNA and complementary binding sites.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression level of miRNA in 18β-GRA treated cells,and western blot was used to detect the expression of autophagy related proteins.Finally,the effect of miR-345-5p on GC cells was verified by mir-345-5p overexpression.RESULTS 18β-GRA could inhibit GC cells viability,promote cell apoptosis,block cell cycle,reduce cell wound healing ability,and inhibit the GC cells growth in vivo.MDC staining results showed that 18β-GRA could promote autophagy in GC cells.By TMT proteomic analysis and miRNAs transcriptome analysis,it was concluded that 18β-GRA could down-regulate TGM2 expression and up-regulate miR-345-5p expression in GC cells.Subsequently,we verified that TGM2 is the target of miR-345-5p,and that overexpression of miR-345-5p significantly inhibited the protein expression level of TGM2.Western blot showed that the expression of autophagy-related proteins of TGM2 and p62 was significantly reduced,and LC3II,ULK1 and AMPK expression was significantly increased in GC cells treated with 18β-GRA.Overexpression of miR-345-5p not only inhibited the expression of TGM2,but also inhibited the proliferation of GC cells by promoting cell apoptosis and arresting cell cycle.CONCLUSION 18β-GRA inhibits the proliferation of GC cells and promotes autophagy by regulating the miR-345-5p/TGM2 signaling pathway.

18β-glycyrrhetinic acid promotes gastric cancer cell autophagy and inhibits proliferation by regulating miR-328-3p/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3

BACKGROUND Gastric cancer(GC)is one of the most common cancer types worldwide,and its prevention and treatment methods have garnered much attention.As the active ingredient of licorice,18β-glycyrrhetinic acid(18β-GRA)has a variety of pharmacological effects.The aim of this study was to explore the effective target of 18β-GRA in the treatment of GC,in order to provide effective ideas for the clinical prevention and treatment of GC.AIM To investigate the mechanism of 18β-GRA in inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting autophagy flux in GC cells.METHODS Whole transcriptomic analyses were used to analyze and screen differentially expressed microRNAs(miRNAs)in GC cells after 18β-GRA intervention.Lentivirus-transfected GC cells and the Cell Counting Kit-8 were used to detect cell proliferation ability,cell colony formation ability was detected by the clone formation assay,and flow cytometry was used to detect the cell cycle and apoptosis.A nude mouse transplantation tumor model of GC cells was constructed to verify the effect of miR-328-3p overexpression on the tumorigenicity of GC cells.Tumor tissue morphology was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining,and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3)expression was detected by immunohistochemistry.TransmiR,STRING,and miRWalk databases were used to predict the relationship between miR-328-3p and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)-related information.Expression of STAT3 mRNA and miR-328-3p was detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR)and the expression levels of STAT3,phosphorylated STAT3(p-STAT3),and LC3 were detected by western blot analysis.The targeted relationship between miR-328-3p and STAT3 was detected using the dual-luciferase reporter gene system.AGS cells were infected with monomeric red fluorescent protein-green fluorescent protein-LC3 adenovirus double label.LC3 was labeled and autophagy flow was observed under a confocal laser microscope.RESULTS The expression of miR-328-3p was significantly upregulated after 18β-GRA intervention in AGS cells(P=4.51E-06).Overexpression of miR-328-3p inhibited GC cell proliferation and colony formation ability,arrested the cell cycle in the G0/G1 phase,promoted cell apoptosis,and inhibited the growth of subcutaneous tumors in BALB/c nude mice(P<0.01).No obvious necrosis was observed in the tumor tissue in the negative control group(no drug intervention or lentivirus transfection)and vector group(the blank vector for lentivirus transfection),and more cells were loose and necrotic in the miR-328-3p group.Bioinformatics tools predicted that miR-328-3p has a targeting relationship with STAT3,and STAT3 was closely related to autophagy markers such as p62.After overexpressing miR-328-3p,the expression level of STAT3 mRNA was significantly decreased(P<0.01)and p-STAT3 was downregulated(P<0.05).The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay showed that the luciferase activity of miR-328-3p and STAT33’untranslated regions of the wild-type reporter vector group was significantly decreased(P<0.001).Overexpressed miR-328-3p combined with bafilomycin A1(Baf A1)was used to detect the expression of LC3 II.Compared with the vector group,the expression level of LC3 II in the overexpressed miR-328-3p group was downregulated(P<0.05),and compared with the Baf A1 group,the expression level of LC3 II in the overexpressed miR-328-3p+Baf A1 group was upregulated(P<0.01).The expression of LC3 II was detected after intervention of 18β-GRA in GC cells,and the results were consistent with the results of miR-328-3p overexpression(P<0.05).Additional studies showed that 18β-GRA promoted autophagy flow by promoting autophagosome synthesis(P<0.001).qPCR showed that the expression of STAT3 mRNA was downregulated after drug intervention(P<0.05).Western blot analysis showed that the expression levels of STAT3 and p-STAT3 were significantly downregulated after drug intervention(P<0.05).CONCLUSION 18β-GRA promotes the synthesis of autophagosomes and inhibits GC cell proliferation by regulating the miR-328-3p/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Effects of ω-3 fatty acids on toll-like receptor 4 and nuclear factor-κB p56 in lungs of rats with severe acute pancreatitis

AIM To determine the effects of ω-3 fatty acids(ω-3FA) on the toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear factor κB p56(NF-κBp56) signal pathway in the lungs of rats with severe acute pancreatitis(SAP).METHODS A total of 56 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control group, SAP-saline group, SAP-soybean oil group and SAP-ω-3FA group. SAP was induced by the retrograde infusion of sodium taurocholate into the pancreatic duct. The expression of TLR4 and NF-κBp56 in the lungs was evaluated by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. The levels of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the lungs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS The expression of TLR4 and NF-κBp56 in lungs and of inflammatory cytokines in serum significantly increased in the SAP group compared with the control group(P < 0.05), but was significantly decreased in the ω-3FA group compared with the soybean oil group at 12 and 24 h(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION During the initial stage of SAP, ω-3FA can efficiently lower the inflammatory response and reduce lung injury by triggering the TLR4/NF-κBp56 signal pathway.

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase-mediated eicosanoid pathway:A potential mechanistic linkage between dietary fatty acid consumption and colon cancer risk

Human consumption of linoleic acid(LA,18:2ω-6,abundant in vegetable oils)is very high.Animal experiments showed that excessive LA intake increased azoxymethane-induced colon tumorigenesis,however,the impact of excessive LA on colon cancer in human is not conclusive,making it difficult to make dietary recommendations for optimal intake of LA.Understanding the molecular mechanisms of LA on colon tumorigenesis could help to clarify its health effect,and facilitate development of mechanismbased strategies for preventing colon cancer.Recent studies show that the previously unappreciated cytochrome P450 monooxygenase-mediated eicosanoid pathway is upregulated in colon cancer and plays critical roles in its pathogenesis,and could contribute to the effects of dietary LA,as well asω-3 fatty acids,on colon tumorigenesis.In this review,we will discuss recent studies about the roles of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in fatty acid metabolism and its roles in colonic inflammation and colon cancer,and how this information could help us to clarify the health impacts of dietary fatty acids.

Uncoupling tumor necrosis factor-αand interleukin-10 at tumor immune microenvironment of breast cancer through miR-17-5p/MALAT-1/H19 circuit

Triple Negative Breast Cancer(TNBC)immunotherapy has recently shown promising approach.However,some TNBC patients presented with resistance.One of the reasons was attributed to the excessive release of cytokines at the tumor microenvironment(TME)such as Tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)and Interleukin-10(IL-10).Fine regulation of these cytokines’levels via non-coding RNAs(ncRNAs)might alleviate the immune quiescent nature of TME at TNBC tumors.However,the extrapolation of ncRNAs as therapeutic tools is highly challenging.Therefore,disentanglement the nature for the isolation of natural compounds that could modulate the ncRNAs and their respective targets is an applicable translational therapeutic approach.Hence,this study aimed to targeting the chief immune suppressive cytokines at the TME(TNF-αand IL-10)via ncRNAs and to examine the effects of Rosemary aerial parts extract on the expression levels of these ncRNAs in TNBC.Results revealed miR-17-5p as a dual regulator of TNF-αand IL-10.Moreover,an intricate interaction has been shown between miR-17-5p and the oncogenic lncRNAs:MALAT1 and H19.Knocking down of MALAT1 and/or H19 caused an induction in miR-17-5p and reduction in TNF-αand IL-10 expression levels.miR-17-5p was found to be down-regulated,while TNF-α,IL-10,MALAT1 and H19 were up-regulated in BC patients.Forced expression of miR-17-5p in MDA-MB-231 cells reduced TNF-α,IL-10,MALAT1 and H19 expression levels,as well as several BC hallmarks.In a translational approach,ursolic acid(UA)isolated from rosemary induced the expression of miR-17-5p,MALAT1 and decreased H19 expression levels.In conclusion,this study suggests miR-17-5p as a tumor suppressor and an immune-activator miRNA in BC through tuning up the immunological targets TNF-α,IL-10 at the TME and the oncological mediators MALAT1 and H19 lncRNAs.

Gambogic Acid Induces Cell Apoptosis and Inhibits MAPK Pathway in PTEN^(-/-)/p53^(-/-) Prostate Cancer Cells In Vitro and Ex Vivo

Objective： To investigate the effect of gambogic acid（GA） on the growth and cell death of castrate resistant prostate cancer（PC） with phosphate and tension homology（PTEN） and p53 genes deleted in vitro and ex vivo, and elucidate the underlying possible molecular mechanisms. Methods： PTEN^（-/-）/p53^（-/-）PC cells and Los Angeles prostate cancer-4（LAPC-4） cells were treated with GA for 24 h and 48 h, then cell viability was determined by cell proliferation assay. PTEN^（-/-）/p53^（-/-）PC cells organoids number was calculated under GA treatment for 1 week. In addition, cell titer glo assay was performed to analyze 3 dimensional cell viability of patients derived xenografts（PDX） 170.2 organoids. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptotic cells treated with GA. And confocal image was performed to detect the apoptotic mitochondrial morphological changes. Apoptotic cell death related protein levels were measured through Western blot（WB） in GA treated cells and organoids. The expression levels of mitogen-activated protein kinases（MAPKs） pathway related ribonucleic acid（RNAs） and proteins were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction（RT-PCR） and WB, respectively. Results： The treatment of GA significantly reduced cell viability of PTEN^（-/-）/p53^（-/-）PC cells and LAPC-4 in a time-and concentration-dependent manner. In organoids, GA showed strong inhibition towards organoids＇ numbers and diameters and continuously led to a complete organoids inhibition with GA 150 nmol/L. Ex vivo results validated that GA 1 μmol/L inhibited 44.6% PDX170.2 organoids growth. As for mechanism, flow cytometry detected continuously increased apoptotic portion under GA treatment from 1.98% to 11.78%（6 h） and 29.94%（8 h, P〈0.05）. In addition, mitochondrial fragmentation emerged in GA treated cells indicated the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway might be involved. Furthermore, WB detected caspases-3,-9 activation and light chain（LC）-3 conversion with GA treatment. WB revealed decreased activity of MAPK pathway and down-regulation of downstream c-fos oncogene RNA level was detected by RT-PCR before undergoing apoptosis（P〈0.05）. Conclusion： GA was a potent anti-tumor compound as for PTEN-/-/p53-/-PC, which contributed to cell apoptosis via inhibition of the MAPK pathway and c-fos.

燕山红栗种子休眠与种胚形态、种皮及内含物的关系

以燕山红栗为试验材料,从种胚形态、种皮障碍、内含物变化等多方面,探讨板栗种子休眠的原因.结果表明:种胚发育不成熟是板栗种子休眠的主要原因,随着沙藏时间的延长,板栗种胚长度逐渐增长,子叶与胚轴和胚根长度的比值也逐渐增大;种皮对板栗种子萌发有一定机械束缚作用,去皮程度越高,板栗种子的发芽率也越高;沙藏过程中,种皮中P-香豆酸的含量明显减少,因此认为P-香豆酸可能是抑制板栗种子萌发的另一个原因,而种仁中GA3/ABA比值的变化与板栗种子萌发没有明显的相关性.在此基础上用不同浓度P-香豆酸对板栗种子进行处理,证明P-香豆酸对板栗种子存在抑制作用.

miR-7/TGF-β2 axis sustains acidic tumor microenvironment-induced lung cancer metastasis

Acidosis,regardless of hypoxia involvement,is recognized as a chronic and harsh tumor microenvironment(TME)that educates malignant cells to thrive and metastasize.Although overwhelming evidence supports an acidic environment as a driver or ubiquitous hallmark of cancer progression,the unrevealed core mechanisms underlying the direct effect of acidification on tumorigenesis have hindered the discovery of novel therapeutic targets and clinical therapy.Here,chemical-induced and transgenic mouse models for colon,liver and lung cancer were established,respectively.miR-7 and TGF-β2 expressions were examined in clinical tissues(n=184).RNA-seq,miRNA-seq,proteomics,biosynthesis analyses and functional studies were performed to validate the mechanisms involved in the acidic TME-induced lung cancer metastasis.Our data show that lung cancer is sensitive to the increased acidification of TME,and acidic TME-induced lung cancer metastasis via inhibition of miR-7-5 p.TGF-β2 is a direct target of miR-7-5 p.The reduced expression of miR-7-5 p subsequently increases the expression of TGF-β2 which enhances the metastatic potential of the lung cancer.Indeed,overexpression of miR-7-5 p reduces the acidic p H-enhanced lung cancer metastasis.Furthermore,the human lung tumor samples also show a reduced miR-7-5 p expression but an elevated level of activated TGF-β2;the expressions of both miR-7-5 p and TGF-β2 are correlated with patients’survival.We are the first to identify the role of the miR-7/TGF-β2 axis in acidic p H-enhanced lung cancer metastasis.Our study not only delineates how acidification directly affects tumorigenesis,but also suggests miR-7 is a novel reliable biomarker for acidic TME and a novel therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)treatment.Our study opens an avenue to explore the p H-sensitive subcellular components as novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.