MicroRNA-370-5p inhibits pigmentation and cell proliferation by downregulating mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 8 expression in sheep melanocytes

In mammals,microRNAs(miRNAs)play key roles in multiple biological processes by regulating the expression of target genes.Studies have found that the levels of miR-370-5p expression differ significantly in the skins of sheep with different hair colors;however,its function remains unclear.In this study,we investigated the roles of miR-370-5p in sheep melanocytes and found that the overexpression of miR-370-5p significantly inhibited cell proliferation(P<0.01),tyrosinase activity(P=0.001)and significantly reduced(P<0.001)melanin production.Functional prediction revealed that the 3′-untranslated region(UTR)of MAP3K8 has a putative miR-370-5p binding site,and the interaction between these two molecules was confirmed using luciferase reporter assays.In situ hybridization assays revealed that MAP3K8 is expressed in the cytoplasm of melanocytes.The results of quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting analyses revealed that overexpression of miR-370-5p in melanocytes significantly inhibits(P<0.01)MAP3K8 expression via direct targeting of its 3′UTR.Inhibition of MAP3K8 expression by siRNA-MAP3K8 transfection induced a significant inhibition(P<0.01)of melanocyte proliferation and significant reduction(P<0.001)in melanin production,which is consistent with our observations for miR-370-5p.Target gene rescue experiments indicated that the expression of MAP3K8 in melanocytes co-transfected with miR-370-5p and MAP3K8-cDNA(containing sites for the targeted binding to miR-370-5p)was significantly rescued(P≤0.001),which subsequently promoted significant increases in cell proliferation(P<0.001)and melanin production(P<0.01).Collectively,these findings indicate that miR-370-5p plays a functional role in inhibiting sheep melanocyte proliferation and melanogenesis by downregulating the expression of MAP3K8.

Effect of hepatitis C virus core protein on modulation of cellular proliferation and apoptosis in hilar cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is believed to be an important human pathogen causing carcinoma. But the effect of HCV infection on the alteration of cellular pro- liferation and apoptosis and the relationship between the effect and the development of hilar cholangiocarcinoma are largely unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of HCV core protein on proliferation and apoptosis of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS: HCV core protein (HCV C protein) was de- tected by peroxidase-antiperoxidase assay in surgical speci- mens from 48 patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The apoptosis index ( AI) and PCNA index ( PI) in hilar cholangiocarcinoma were detected by in situ end labeling assay and streptavidin-biotin assay respectively. RESULTS: The expression of HCV C protein was observed in 32 (67.7%) of the 48 specimens of hilar cholangiocarci- noma. The mean ± standard deviation for AI and PI was 3.52%±0.64% and 46.24%±11.46% respectively. The AI of hilar cholangiocarcinoma specimens with HCV C protein expression was significantly lower than that of HCV C pro- tein negative specimens (P<0.01), whereas the PI of HCV C protein positive specimens was significantly higher than that of HCV C protein negative specimens (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: HCV C protein may promote the cellular proliferation of hilar cholangiocarcinoma and inhibit its cel- lular apoptosis.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1 promotes cell proliferation via activation of AKT and is directly targeted by microRNA-494 in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND Studies have shown that insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 1(IGF2BP1)plays critical roles in the genesis and development of human cancers.AIM To investigate the clinical significance and role of IGF2BP1 in pancreatic cancer.METHODS Expression levels of IGF2BP1 and microRNA-494(miR-494)were mined based on Gene Expression Omnibus datasets and validated in both clinical samples and cell lines by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot.The relationship between IGF2BP1 expression and clinicopathological factors of pancreatic cancer patients was analyzed.The effect and mechanism of IGF2BP1 on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation were investigated in vitro and in vivo.Analyses were performed to explore underlying mechanisms of IGF2BP1 upregulation in pancreatic cancer and assays were carried out to verify the posttranscriptional regulation of IGF2BP1 by miR-494.RESULTS We found that IGF2BP1 was upregulated and associated with a poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients.We showed that downregulation of IGF2BP1 inhibited pancreatic cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo via the AKT signaling pathway.Mechanistically,we showed that the frequent upregulation of IGF2BP1 was attributed to the downregulation of miR-494 expression in pancreatic cancer.Furthermore,we discovered that reexpression of miR-494 could partially abrogate the oncogenic role of IGF2BP1.CONCLUSION Our results revealed that upregulated IGF2BP1 promotes the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells via the AKT signaling pathway and confirmed that the activation of IGF2BP1 is partly due to the silencing of miR-494.

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II regulates colon cancer proliferation and migration via ERK1/2 and p38 pathways

AIM To investigate the role of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ(Ca MKⅡ) in colon cancer growth,migration and invasion.METHODS Ca MKⅡ expression in colon cancer and paracancerous tissues was evaluated via immunochemistry. Transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels of Ca MKⅡin tissue samples and MMP2,MMP9 and TIMP-1 expression in the human colon cancer cell line HCT116 were assessed by q RTPCR and western blot. Cell proliferation was detected with the MTT assay. Cancer cell migration and invasion were investigated with the Transwell culture system and woundhealing assay.RESULTS We first demonstrated that CaMK Ⅱ was ove rexpressed in human colon cancers and was associated with cancer differentiation. In the human colon cancer cell line HCT116,the Ca MKII-specific inhibitor KN93,but not its inactive analogue KN92,decreased cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore,KN93 also significantly prohibited HCT116 cell migration and invasion. The specific inhibition of ERK1/2 or p38 decreased the proliferation and migration of colon cancer cells.CONCLUSION Our findings highlight Ca MKⅡ as a potential critical mediator in human colon tumor development and metastasis.

Suppression of Breast Cancer Proliferation and Induction of Apoptosis via AKT and ERK1/2 Signal Transduction Pathways by Synthetic Polypeptide Derived from Viral Macrophage Inflammatory Protein Ⅱ

SDF-1α,a ligand for the chemokine receptor CXCR4,is well known for mediating the migration of breast cancer cells.In a previous study we demonstrated that a synthetic 21-mer peptide antagonist of CXCR4（NT21MP） derived from the viral macrophage inflammatory protein Ⅱ could antagonize tumor growth in vivo by inhibiting cellular proliferation and inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells.However,the role of SDF-1α in the signaling pathways underlying the proliferation of human breast cancer cells and associated signaling pathways and inhibiting signal pathways of NT21MP remained unclear.The present study investigated the mechanism of NT21MP on anti-tumor in breast cancer in vitro.The effect of NT21MP on the viability of cells was determined by the MTT assay.Annexin V-FITC and PI staining was performed to detect early stage apoptosisin SKBR3 cells treated with SDF-1α and AMD3100 or NT21MP.Western blotting techniques were used to assay the composition of phosphoproteomics and total proteins present in the SKBR3 breast cancer cells.RT-PCR and Western blotting technique were used to detect the effect of NT21MP and AMD3100 on Bcl-2 and Bax expression.The results indicated that SDF-1α prevented apoptosis and promoted the proliferation of SKBR3 human breast cancer cells.As compared with untreated SKBR3 cells,Treatment with SDF-1α significantly increased cell viability,and NT21MP abolished the protective effects of SDF-1α dose-dependently（P0.05）.There was a significant decrease in the percentage of apoptotic cells after SDF-1α treatment as compared with control group（2.7%±0.2% vs.5.7%±0.4%,P0.05）.But pretreatment of SKBR3 cells with NT21MP significantly attenuated the antiapoptotic effects of SDF-1α as compared with SKBR3 cells without NT21MP pretreatment.The proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects of SDF-1α in SKBR3 cells were associated with an increase in AKT and ERK1/2 phosphorylation as well as a decrease in Bax expression and an increase in Bcl-2 expression.These changes in intracellular processes were blocked by NT21MP in a dose-dependent manner（P0.05）.In conclusion,NT21MP efficiently inhibits SDF-1α-induced proliferation and antiapoptosis in SKBR3 cells by reducing the levels of phosphorylated AKT and ERK1/2,as well as decreasing the ratio of expression of Bcl-2 relative to Bax.

Effect on proliferation and apoptosis of retinoblastoma cell by RNA inhibiting high mobility group protein box-1 expression

AIM： To investigate the effect of high mobility group protein box-1 （HMGB1） siRNA on proliferation and apoptosis of retinoblastoma （Rb） cells.METHODS： The expression of HMGB1 in Rb cells were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） and Western blot. Chemically synthesized HMGB1 siRNA was transfected into Y79 cells. The inhibitory rate was also examined by RT-PCR and Western blot. After HMGB1 siRNA transfection, the cell proliferation was analyzed by MTT, and cell apoptosis was detected by Caspase-3 active detection kit. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS： The expression of HMGB1 significantly elevated in Rb cells （P〈0.01）. After transfected by siRNA, the HMGB1 protein level of Y79 cells was significantly reduced （P〈0.01）. After siRNA interference HMGB1, the proportion of proliferating cells reduced, and the proportion of quiescent cells increased （P〈0.05）. In addition, apoptosis rate of Y79 cells increased from 2.03% to 9.10% after interfering with HMGB1 siRNA （P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION： Specific HMGB1 siRNA can inhibit the expression of HMGB1. The effect may be attributed to inhibit the proliferation and promote cell apoptosis.

Effect of Aβ protein on inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis of retinal pigment epithelial cells

AIM： To identify the effect and regulatory mechanism of amyloid β （Aβ） protein on retinal pigment epithelial （RPE） cells in cell proliferation and apoptosis, and clarify Aβ role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration （AMD）. METHODS： The model of Aβ25-35 protein cytotoxicity in RPE cell was successfully established to investigate the effect of Aβ protein on RPE cells in vitro. Based on Aβ protein, the specific inhibitors （HY-50682 or BAY11-7082） or activating agent （lipopolysaccharide） was used to analyze the regulatory mechanism of Aβ protein to RPE cells on cell proliferation and apoptosis by flow cytometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. RESULTS： The number of RPE cells, treated with Aβ25-35 from 0.3 to 60 μmol/L, significantly reduce （P〈0.01）, and had the dose-dependent effect. Aβ protein 60 μmol/L inhibits the G1/S phase transition （P〈0.01） and down-regulated cyclin E mRNA level （P〈0.01）. Similarly, Aβ25-35 induced a significant increase of cell apoptosis, accompanied by the significantly higher level of activated caspase 3 protein. Furthermore, nuclear factor-kappaB （NF-κB） activity and hosphorylated Iκ-Ba level would significantly lower in treated RPE cells. Using specific inhibitors or activating agent based on the Aβ, the cell numbers, NF-κB activity, phosphorylated Iκ-Ba level, receptor for advanced glycation endproducts （RAGE） gene expression levels, cyclin E mRNA level and activated caspase 3 level had accordingly changed by different methods, confirming that RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway involved in the regulation of Aβ protein on RPE cell apoptosis and proliferation. CONCLUSION： Aβ protein inhibits cell proliferation and activates apoptosis via inactivation of the RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway in RPE cell.

Effect of Cigarette Smoke Extract on the Role of Protein Kinase C in the Proliferation of Passively Sensitized Human Airway Smooth Muscle Cells

To investigate the effect of cigarette smoke extract (CSE) on the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the proliferation of passively sensitized human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs). After synchronization of cultured HASMCs, they were divided into a group A and Group B. The group A was treated with normal human serum and served as controls and the group B was treated with the serum of asthma patients. The group A was further divided into group of A_1, A_2 and A_3 and the group B was sub-divided into the group of B_1, B_2, B_3, B_4 and B_5. No other agents were added to the group A_1 and B_1. The cells of group A_2 and B_2 were stimulated with 5 % CSE for 24 h. HASMCs from group A_3 and B_3 were treated with PKC agonist PMA (10 nmol/L) and CSE (5 %) for 24 h. PKC inhibitor Ro-31-8220 (5 μmol/L) was added to the HASMCs of group B_4 for 24 h. The cells from group B_5 were stimulated with Ro-31-8220 (5 μmol/L) and CSE (5 %) for 24 h. The proliferation of HASMCs isolated from group A and B was examined by cell cycle analysis, MTT colorimetric assay and 3H-TdR incorporation test. The expression of PKC-α in each group was observed by Western blotting and RT-PCR, respectively. The results showed that the percentage of S phase, absorbance (A) value, the rate of 3H-TdR incorporation, the ratios of A value of PKC-α mRNA and the A value of PKC-α protein in HASMCs from group B_1, B_2 and B_3 were significantly increased compared to those of group A_1, A_2 and A_3 correspondingly and respectively (P<0.01). The proliferation of HASMCs of group A_2 and B_2 stimulated with CSE and group A_3 and B_3 stimulated with CSE and PMA were also significantly enhanced when group A_1, A_2 and A_3 and group B_1, B_2 and B_3 compared to each other (P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively). The percentage of S phase, absorbency (A) value, 3H-TdR incorporation rate, the ratios of A value of PKC-α mRNA and the A value of PKC-α protein in HASMCs from group B_4 treated with Ro-31-8220 and group B_5 treated with CSE and Ro-31-8220 were significantly decreased as compared to those of group B_1 and B_2 correspondingly and respectively (P<0.05, P<0.01). It was concluded that CSE can enhance the passively sensitized HASMC proliferation and the expression of PKC alpha. PKC and its alpha subtype may contribute to this process. Our results suggest cigarette may play an important role in ASMCs proliferation of asthma through PKC signal pathway.

Effects of signal regulatory proteinα1 on proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND: Signal regulatory protein alpha1 (Sirpα1) is a negative regulatory factor, and inhibits receptor tyro- sine kinase-dependent cell proliferating signal. This study was undertaken to observe the effect of signal regulatory proteinα1 ( Sirpα1) on gankyrin, cyclin D1, CDK4 and Fas expression in Sk-hep1 mouse hepatoma carcinoma cell line. METHODS: BOSC 23 packed cells were respectively trans- fected by means of recombinated retrovirus including pLX- SN, pLXSN-Sirpα1 and pLXSN-Sirpα1Δ4Y2 with lipofec- tin, and various plasmid virus media (viral titer 2.1 × 106 CFU/ml) were collected and infected respectively in 80% confluent Sk-hepl cells. Transfected Sk-hep1 cells were se- lectively screened with G418 (1200 μg/ml), and Sk-hep1 cell lines transfected with various plasmids were obtained. The protein expressions of gankyrin, cyclin D1, CDK4 and Fas in various Sk-hep1 lines were determined by Western blotting. Various Sk-hep1 lines were recovered to culture with 10% fetal bovine serum at 12 hours and 24 hours after starving culture with free serum for 72 hours, and cells were collected to determine the percentage of S phase cells of proliferating cycle by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Sirpα1 transfection remarkably downregulated gankyrin and cyclin D1 expression. Sirpα1Δ4Y2 downregu- lation of gankyrin expression was greater than that of Sirpα1(P <0.05), but no significant effect of Sirpα1 and Sirpα1Δ4Y2 on CDK4 and Fas protein expression was ob- served in transfected Sk-hep1 lines (P >0.05). The per- centage of S phase cells significantly decreased in Sk-hep1 cells transfected with Sirpα1 and Sirpα1Δ4Y2 plasmids (vs pLXSN Sk-hep1, P <0.05). The percentage of S phase cells in various Sk-hep1 cells increased when recovering to culture with 10% fetal bovine serum at 12 hours, but the percentage of S phase cells in Sk-hep1 cells transfected with Sirpα1 was the lowest ( vs pLXSN and Sirpα1Δ4Y2 Sk- hepl, P<0.05). The percentage of S phase cells in trans- fected pLSXN Sk-hep1 cells was the largest (vs Sirpα1 and Sirpα1Δ4Y2 Sk-hepl, P <0. 05). There was no significant difference between the transfected Sirpα1 Sk-hepl cells and Sirpα1Δ4Y2 Sk-hep1 cells (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sirpα1 decreases gankyrin and cyclin D1 expression, and inhibits proliferation of liver carcinoma cells. It may be one of the forms for an Sirpα1 negative regulation of carcinogenesis and development of hepatocel- lular carcinoma.

Heat shock protein 20 promotes sirtuin 1-dependent cell proliferation in induced pluripotent stem cells

BACKGROUND Heat shock proteins(HSPs)are molecular chaperones that protect cells against cellular stresses or injury.However,it has been increasingly recognized that they also play crucial roles in regulating fundamental cellular processes.HSP20 has been implicated in cell proliferation,but conflicting studies have shown that it can either promote or suppress proliferation.The underlying mechanisms by which HSP20 regulates cell proliferation and pluripotency remain unexplored.While the effect of HSP20 on cell proliferation has been recognized,its role in inducing pluripotency in human-induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs)has not been addressed.AIM To evaluate the efficacy of HSP20 overexpression in human iPSCs and evaluate the ability to promote cell proliferation.The purpose of this study was to investigate whether overexpression of HSP20 in iPSCs can increase pluripotency and regeneration.METHODS We used iPSCs,which retain their potential for cell proliferation.HSP20 overexpression effectively enhanced cell proliferation and pluripotency.Overexpression of HSP20 in iPSCs was characterized by immunocytochemistry staining and realtime polymerase chain reaction.We also used cell culture,cell counting,western blotting,and flow cytometry analyses to validate HSP20 overexpression and its mechanism.RESULTS This study demonstrated that overexpression of HSP20 can increase the pluripotency in iPSCs.Furthermore,by overexpressing HSP20 in iPSCs,we showed that HSP20 upregulated proliferation markers,induced pluripotent genes,and drove cell proliferation in a sirtuin 1(SIRT1)-dependent manner.These data have practical applications in the field of stem cell-based therapies where the mass expansion of cells is needed to generate large quantities of stem cell-derived cells for transplantation purposes.CONCLUSION We found that the overexpression of HSP20 enhanced the proliferation of iPSCs in a SIRT1-dependent manner.Herein,we established the distinct crosstalk between HSP20 and SIRT1 in regulating cell proliferation and pluripotency.Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms controlling cell proliferation that can potentially be exploited to improve the expansion and pluripotency of human iPSCs for cell transplantation therapies.These results suggest that iPSCs overexpressing HSP20 exert regenerative and proliferative effects and may have the potential to improve clinical outcomes.

18β-glycyrrhetinic acid regulates mitochondrial ribosomal protein L35-associated apoptosis signaling pathways to inhibit proliferation of gastric carcinoma cells

BACKGROUND Gastric carcinoma(GC)is a common gastrointestinal malignancy worldwide.Based on the 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 mechanism by which 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid(18β-GRA)regulates mitochondrial ribosomal protein L35(MRPL35)related signal proteins to inhibit the proliferation of GC cells.METHODS Cell counting kit-8 assay was used to detect the effects of 18β-GRA on the survival rate of human normal gastric mucosal cell line GES-1 and the proliferation of GC cell lines MGC80-3 and BGC-823.The apoptosis and cell cycle were assessed by flow cytometry.Cell invasion and migration were evaluated by Transwell assay,and cell scratch test was used to detect cell migration.Furthermore,a tumor model was established by hypodermic injection of 2.5×106 BGC-823 cells at the selected positions of BALB/c nude mice to determine the effect of 18β-GRA on GC cell proliferation,and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR)was used to detect MRPL35 expression in the engrafted tumors in mice.We used the term tandem mass tag(TMT)labeling combined with liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry to screen for differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)extracted from GC cells and control cells after 18β-GRA intervention.A detailed bioinformatics analysis of these DEPs was performed,including Gene Ontology annotation and enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis,and so on.Moreover,STRING database(https://string-db.org/)was used to predict proteinprotein interaction(PPI)relationships and Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins of interest in GC cells.RESULTS The results indicated that 18β-GRA could inhibit the proliferation of GC cells in a dose-and timedependent manner.It could induce GC cell apoptosis and arrest the cell cycle at G0/G1 phase.The proportion of cells arrested at S phase decreased with the increase of 18-GRA dose,and the migration and invasiveness of GC cells were inhibited.The results of animal experiments showed that 18β-GRA could inhibit tumor formation in BALB/c nude mice,and qRT-PCR results showed that MRPL35 expression level was significantly reduced in the engrafted tumors in mice.Using TMT technology,609 DEPs,among which 335 were up-regulated and 274 were down-regulated,were identified in 18β-GRA intervention compared with control.We found that the intervention of 18β-GRA in GC cells involved many important biological processes and signaling pathways,such as cellular processes,biological regulation,and TP53 signaling pathway.Notably,after the drug intervention,MRPL35 expression was significantly down-regulated(P=0.000247),TP53 expression was up-regulated(P=0.02676),and BCL2L1 was down-regulated(P=0.01699).Combined with the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins database,we analyzed the relationship between MRPL35,TP53,and BCL2L1 signaling proteins,and we found that COPS5,BAX,and BAD proteins can form a PPI network with MRPL35,TP53,and BCL2L1.Western blot analysis confirmed the intervention effect of 18β-GRA on GC cells,MRPL35,TP53,and BCL2L1 showed dose-dependent up/down-regulation,and the expression of COPS5,BAX,and BAD also increased/decreased with the change of 18β-GRA concentration.CONCLUSION 18β-GRA can inhibit the proliferation of GC cells by regulating MRPL35,COPS5,TP53,BCL2L1,BAX,and BAD.

Effect of senescence marker protein 30 on the proliferation and apoptosis of human lens epithelial cells SRA01/04

AIM： To study the effect of senescence marker protein 30（SMP30） on the proliferation and apoptosis of human lens epithelial cell（HLEC） SRA01/04.METHODS： SMP30 overexpression（OE） and knock down（KD） type cell lines were cultivated by using two groups regucalcin（RGN; SMP30） lentiviral vectors（LVRGN, LV-RGN-RNAi） and the respective negative control virus infect SRA01/04 cells. Western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（q-PCR） analysis were used to determine RGN overexpression and knock down efficiency. We use cell counting kit-8（CCK8） assay to measure cell viability and 5-bromodeoxyuridine（Brd U） assay to test cell proliferation. Cell cycle was measured by PI FACS assay and cell apoptosis was tested by Annexin V-APC assay through flow cytometry. We use Western blot to measure the content of caspase-3 in SRA01/04.RESULTS： We used PCR and Western blot techniques to determine the successful transfection of SMP30 OE and KD SRA01/04 cell lines. By CCK8, Brdu and PI FACS cell cycle assay, it was found that the SMP30 OE group promoted cell proliferation（P〈0.05） compared with the control group, and the KD group inhibited cell proliferation（P〈0.05）. The results of Annexin V-APC signal staining detection indicated that compared with respective control group, the cell apoptosis rate was higher in KD group（P〈0.05） but lower in OE group（P〈0.01）. The expression of caspase-3 was down-regulated in OE group through Western blot assay and up-regulated in KD group compared with respective control group. CONCLUSION： Proliferation of SRA01/04 was promoted by SMP30 OE and apoptosis was suppressed. Increasing the expression of SMP30 may protect HLEC SRA01/04 against apoptosis in cataract.

SPOC domain-containing protein 1 regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of human spermatogonial stem cells through adenylate kinase 4

BACKGROUND Spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs)are the origin of male spermatogenesis,which can reconstruct germ cell lineage in mice.However,the application of SSCs for male fertility restoration is hindered due to the unclear mechanisms of proliferation and self-renewal in humans.AIM To investigate the role and mechanism of SPOC domain-containing protein 1(SPOCD1)in human SSC proliferation.METHODS We analyzed publicly available human testis single-cell RNA sequencing(RNAseq)data and found that SPOCD1 is predominantly expressed in SSCs in the early developmental stages.Small interfering RNA was applied to suppress SPOCD1 expression to detect the impacts of SPOCD1 inhibition on SSC proliferation and apoptosis.Subsequently,we explored the target genes of SPOCD1 using RNA-seq and confirmed their role by restoring the expression of the target genes.In addition,we examined SPOCD1 expression in some non-obstructive azoospermia(NOA)patients to explore the correlation between SPOCD1 and NOA.RESULTS The uniform manifold approximation and projection clustering and pseudotime analysis showed that SPOCD1 was highly expressed in the early stages of SSC,and immunohistological results showed that SPOCD1 was mainly localized in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha-1 positive SSCs.SPOCD1 knockdown significantly inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis.RNA-seq results showed that SPOCD1 knockdown significantly downregulated genes such as adenylate kinase 4(AK4).Overexpression of AK4 in SPOCD1 knockdown cells partially reversed the phenotypic changes,indicating that AK4 is a functional target gene of SPOCD1.In addition,we found a significant downregulation of SPOCD1 expression in some NOA patients,suggesting that the downregulation of SPOCD1 may be relevant for NOA.CONCLUSION Our study broadens the understanding of human SSC fate determination and may offer new theories on the etiology of male infertility.

Hepatitis B virus X protein promotes liver cell proliferation via a positive cascade loop involving arachidonic acid metabolism and p-ERK1/2

肝炎 B 病毒 X 蛋白质(HBx ) 在 hepatocellular 癌的发展起一个关键作用。这里，我们寻求了识别 HBx 由调停的机制肝房间增长。我们发现那 HBx upregulated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 ) 的层次， 5-lipoxygenase (5 哈鱼) 和 phosphorylated 在肝房间的细胞外的调整信号的蛋白质 kinases 1/2 (p-ERK1/2 ) 。导致 HBx 的 p-ERK1/2 被 Gi/o 蛋白质，艇长或哈鱼的抑制废除。另外， HBx 增加了前列腺素 E2 (PGE2 ) 的数量，免除房间线的 leukotriene B4 (LTB4 ) 源于 hepatocytes。而且，这些释放 arachidonic 酸代谢物能激活 ERK1/2。有趣地，激活 ERK1/2 能 upregulate 以一种积极反馈方式的 COX-2 和 5 哈鱼的表示。在结论， HBx 经由包含 COX-2， 5 哈鱼，释放 arachidonic 酸代谢物， Gi/o 蛋白质和 p-ERK1/2 的一个积极反馈环提高并且维持肝房间增长。

H pylori stimulates proliferation of gastric cancer cells through activating mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade

AIM: To explore the mechanism by which H pylori causes activation of gastric epithelial cells. METHODS: A VacA (+) and CagA (+) standard H pylori line NCTC 11637 and a human gastric adenocarcinoma derived gastric epithelial cell line BGC-823 were applied in the study. MTT assay and 3H-TdR incorporation test were used to detect the proliferation of BGC-823 cells and Western blotting was used to detect the activity and existence of related proteins. RESULTS: Incubation with H pylori extract increased the proliferation of gastric epithelial cells, reflected by both live cell number and DNA synthesis rate. The activity of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) signal transduction cascade increased within 20 min after in- cubation with H pylori extract and appeared to be a sus- tained event. MAPK/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor PD98059 abolished the action of H pylori extract on both ERK activity and cell proliferation. Incubation with H pylori extract increased c-Fos expression and SRE-dependent gene expression. H pylori extract caused phosphorylation of several proteins including a protein with molecular size of 97.4 kDa and tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein inhibited the activation of ERK and the proliferation of cells caused by H pylori extract. CONCLUSION: Biologically active elements in H pylori extract cause proliferation of gastric epithelial cells through activating tyrosine kinase and ERK signal trans- duction cascade.

Effect of hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein NS3 on proliferation and MAPK phosphorylation of normal hepatocyte line

AIM: To study the effect of hepatitis C virus nonstructural region 3 (HCV NS3) pro, in on proliferation and transformation of normal human liver cell line.METHODS: QSG7701 cells were transfected with pRcHCNS3-5; pRcHCNS3-3' and pRcCMV using lipofectamine transfecting technique and selected with G418 method. Expression of HCV NS3 protein was determined by immunohistochemistry. Biologic characteristics of transfected cells were evaluated by population doubling time and soft agar assays. Activation of MAPK was analyzed using Western blot with phosphospecific monoclonal antibody against dually phosphorylated MAPK.RESULTS: QSG7701 cells transfected with pRcHCNS3-5' showed strong intracellular expression of HCVNS3 protein,and the positive signal was localized in cytoplasm. The expressing strength of HCVNS3 protein in pRcHCNS3-3'-transfected cells was weaker than that in pRcHCNS3-5'-transfected cells. The population doubling time in the transfected cells with pRcHCNS3-5' (12 h) was much shorter than those with pRcHCNS3-3; pRcCMV and normal cells (24, 26, 28 h, respectively) (P＜0.01). The transfected cells with pRcHCNS3-5' showed much more anchorage independent colonies than that in those with pRcHCNS3-3' and pRcCMV (P＜0.01). The cloning efficiencies of transfected cells with pRcHCNS3-5', pRcHCNS3-3',pRcCMV and controls were 33%, 1.33%, 1.46%, 1.11% respectively. The level of phosphorylated MlAPK in the cells with pRcHCNS3-5' was much higher than that in those with pRcHCNS3-3'and pRcCMV and normal cells (P＜0.01). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that (1) QSG7701 cells are a better human liver cell line for investigating the pathogenesis of HCV NS3 protein. (2) 5' region of the HCV genome segment encoding HCV NS3 is involved in cell growth and cell phenotype. (3) HCV NS3 N-terminalpeptide may up-regulate the activation of rMAPK, but not affect the expression of MAPK.

Trichloroethylene Induces Biphasic Concentration-dependent Changes in Cell Proliferation and the Expression of SET-Associated Proteins in Human Hepatic L-02 Cells

Trichloroethylene （TCE） is a major pollutant that affects both occupational and general environments. The liver is an important target organ of TCEE. Substantial efforts and remarkable progress into understanding TCE cytotoxicity have been made in cultured liver cells. However, the molecular mechanisms by which TCE induces hepatotoxicity are not well understood. SET （also known as protein phosphatase 2A inhibitor, 12PP2A, or template-activating factor-I, TAF-D is a nuclear protein that regulates histone modification, gene transcription, DNA replication, nucleosome assembly,

Expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 in gastric carcinoma and its relationship with cell proliferation

AIM: To investigate the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) in gastric carcinoma and its clinical significance and to explore its relationship with cell proliferation. METHODS: Expressions of IGFBP-2 and Ki-67 in 118 cases of gastric carcinoma and 40 cases of normal gastric mucosa were detected by EnVision immunohistochemical technique. RESULTS: Expression of IGFBP-2 in gastric carcinoma was higher than that in normal gastric mucosa (P < 0.01). There was no difference between high- and low-grade gastric carcinoma (P > 0.05). Expression of IGFBP-2 in advanced gastric carcinoma was higher than that in early gastric carcinoma (P < 0.05). Expression of IGFBP-2 in gastric carcinoma with lymph node metastasis was higher than that without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.01). IGFBP-2 expression was a positively related to the clinical stage of gastric carcinoma (P < 0.01). There was a positive correlation between IGFBP-2 and Ki-67 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: IGFBP-2 may be involved in carcino- genesis and progression of gastric carcinoma by promoting cell proliferation.

Function of IgD on lymphocyte activation and effect of hIgD-Fc-Ig fusion protein on human PBMC proliferation

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the influence of IgD on T/B cell activation and construct h IgD-Fc-Igfusion protein to competitive inhibition IgD binding with IgDR.METHODS T/B cells were sorted by magnetic cell sorting.The differences of m IgD and IgD-R level between different T/B cell subtypes were detected by FCM.Serum IgD level was detected by ELISA.Human IgD-Fc-IgG1-Fc sequence was amplified by cross-PCR and then subcloned into PET28 a(+) empty vector.After prokaryotic expression through escherichia coli,we obtained the h IgD-Fc-Igfusion protein by affinity chromatograph.Western blot was used to identify the h IgD-Fc-Igfusion protein.Human peripheral blood monouclear cells(PBMC) and fibroblast like synoviocytes(FLS) proliferation were detected using a cell counting kit-8(CCK-8).RESULTS The percentage of CD3^+/CD4^+,CD3^+/IgD^+,CD3^+/CD4^+/IgD^+,CD3^+/IgD-R+and CD3^+/CD4^+/IgD-R+cells increased significantly in RA patients comparing to healthy people.IgD can stimulate PBMC proliferation.IgD(1,3,10,30 μg·mL^(-1)) stimulate PBMC proliferation significantly after 24 h.We obtained stable and active h IgD-Fc-Igfusion protein.The h IgD-Fc-Igfusion protein showed no effect on PBMC proliferation.But it could downregulate human IgD protein promoting proliferation effects in human PBMC.CONCLUSION This result suggests that IgD and IgDR play an important role on T/B cell activation in RA patients and the h IgD-Fc-Igfusion protein may competitively inhibit IgD′s function and may play an therapeutic role in autoimmune diseases.

The Regulatory Effects of Protein Kinase C on the Proliferation of Cultured Human Low-passage Meningioma Cells

The potential role of the protein kinase C (PKC) mediated signal transduction pathways in growth regulation was evaluated and the effects and the possible mechanism of PKC inhibitor on low passage human meningioma cells in vitro investigated. Freshly resected meningiomas obtained from the operation were placed into cell cultures. Cells from early passage were used for the following experiments. The numbers of the cultured meningioma cells were counted to evaluate the effect of the PKC inhibitor staurosporine on proliferation of meningioma cells. The basal phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover rate and the inhibitory rate of starosporine on the proliferation of the meningioma cells were detected. It was found that the proliferation of the low passage human meningioma cells was inhibited by staurosporine in a dose dependent manner. The inhibitory rate of staurosporine was positively correlated with the basal PI turnover rate ( r=0.58, P<0.01) . It was suggested that PKC mediated signal pathway is involved in the proliferation of the low passage human meningioma cells. The procedure that PKC regulated the proliferation of human meningioma cells is a complex procedure. It is necessary to make more research in order to explore a non operation therapy or an adjuvant therapy.