Trichostatin A Induces Apoptosis by Inhibiting Telomerase Activity and Expression of Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase in HL-60 Cells

Aim To investigate the effects of trichostatin A （TSA） on telomerase activity and the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） during apoptosis in vitro and the mechanisms in HL-60 cells. Methods The proliferative activity of HL-60 cells was assessed by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Telomerase activity was examined by TRAP-ELISA. The expression of telomerase subunits was analyzed by RT-PCR. Results A time- and dose-dependent inhibition was detected in HL-60 cells treated with TSA. After treatment with 600 nmol· L^-1 TSA for 48 h, the apoptosis rate in HL-60 cells was 42. 6% and telomerase activity decreased 1.95 ± 0.25, 1.73 ± 0. 12, and 1.52 ± 0. 09 for 12, 24, and 48 h, respectively. The expression of hTERTmRNA decreased. No significant changes were observed in the expression of hTRmRNA and hTPI mRNA. Condusion TSA inhibits telomerase activity and induces apoptosis in HL-60 cells. The underlying mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of hTERT transcription.

Hepatitis C virus in human B lymphocytes transformed by Epstein-Barr virus in vitro by in situ reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction

AIM: To study persistence and replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) cultured in vitro. METHODS: Epstein Barr virus (EBV) was used to transform the hepatitis C virus from a HCV positive patient to permanent lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). Positive and negative HCV RNA strands of the cultured cells and growth media were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) each month. Core and NS5 proteins of HCV were further tested using immunohistochemical SP method and in situ RT-PCR. RESULTS: HCV RNA positive strands were consistently detected the cultured cells for one year. The negative-strand RNA in LCL cells and the positive-strand RNA in supernatants were observed intermittently. Immunohistochemical results medicated expression of HCV NS3 and C proteins in LCL cytoplasm mostly. The positive signal of PCR product was dark blue and mainly localized to the LCL cytoplasm. The RT-PCR signal was eliminated by overnight RNase digestion but not DNase digestion. CONCLUSION: HCV may exist and remain functional in a cultured cell line for a long period.

Testicular expression of survivin and human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT)associated with spermatogenic function in infertile patients

Aim： To characterize the coexpression of survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis （IAF）, and human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） in human testes with varying spermatogenic function. Methods： Transcript levels of survivin mRNA and hTERT mRNA were determined in normal testes （n = 11） and testes with defective spermatogenesis （n = 28） using real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. The histological work-up was performed according to a modified Johnsen score. Results： Expressions of both survivin and hTERT were highest at median levels of 96.8 and 709 in normal spermatogenesis and dropped to 53.3 and 534 in testes with postmeiotic spermatogenic arrest （n = 10）. In severe spermatogenic failure （n = 18）, survivin expression was lacking in most specimens （n = 16）, whereas at least low levels of testicular hTERT expression were largely detectable with a normalized expression of 73 in premeiotic spermatogenic arrest （n = 7） and 45 in patients with Sertoli cell-only syndrome （SCOS） （n = 3）. Both survivin and hTERT expressions increased with a progressing Johnsen score （P for trend = 0.001）. Conclusion： Although both survivin and hTERT are correlated with spermatogenic function, they show different expression patterns in testes of infertile patients. These findings substantiate results from studies in the rodent testis suggesting a predominant expression of survivin in meiotically dividing germ cells. （Asian J Andro12006 Jan; 8： 95-100）

Structural Characteristics and Molecular Mechanism of Hepatitis B Virus Reverse Transcriptase

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a typical member of the Hepadnaviridae family, is responsible for infections that cause B-type hepatitis which leads to severe public health problems around the world. The small enveloped DNA-containing virus replicates via reverse transcription, and this unique process is accomplished by the virally encoded reverse transcriptase (RT). This multi-functional protein plays a vital role in the viral life cycle. Here, we provide a summary of current knowledge regarding the structural characteristics and molecular mechanisms of HBV RT. Improved understanding of these processes is of both theoretical and practical significance for fundamental studies of HBV and drug discovery.

Transplantation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene-transfected Schwann cells for repairing spinal cord injury

Transfection of the human telomerase reverse transcriptase（h TERT）gene has been shown to increase cell proliferation and enhance tissue repair.In the present study,h TERT was transfected into rat Schwann cells.A rat model of acute spinal cord injury was established by the modified free-falling method.Retrovirus PLXSN was injected at the site of spinal cord injury as a vector to mediate h TERT gene-transfected Schwann cells（1×10^（10）/L;10μL）or Schwann cells（1×10^（10）/L;10μL）without h TERT gene transfection.Between 1 and 4 weeks after model establishment,motor function of the lower limb improved in the h TERT-transfected group compared with the group with non-transfected Schwann cells.Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated d UTP nick-end labeling and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction results revealed that the number of apoptotic cells,and gene expression of aquaporin 4/9 and matrix metalloproteinase 9/2decreased at the site of injury in both groups;however,the effect improved in the h TERT-transfected group compared with the Schwann cells without h TERT transfection group.Hematoxylin and eosin staining,PKH26 fluorescent labeling,and electrophysiological testing demonstrated that compared with the non-transfected group,spinal cord cavity and motor and sensory evoked potential latencies were reduced,while the number of PKH26-positive cells and the motor and sensory evoked potential amplitude increased at the site of injury in the h TERT-transfected group.These findings suggest that transplantation of h TERT gene-transfected Schwann cells repairs the structure and function of the injured spinal cord.

Neuroprotective effects of human telomerase reverse transcriptase on beta-amyloid fragment 25-35-treated human embryonic cortical neurons

BACKGROUND： Numerous current studies have suggested that human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） gene has neuroprotective effects and can inhibit apoptosis induced by various cytotoxic stresses; however, the mechanism of action remains unknown. OBJECTIVE： To evaluate the neuroprotective effects and possible mechanism of action of hTERT gene transfection in human embryonic cortical neurons treated with beta-amyloid fragment 25-35 （AI325-35）. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The randomized, controlled and molecular biological studies were performed at the Department of Anatomy and Brain Research, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, China, from September 2005 to June 2008. MATERIALS： AdEasy-1 Expression System was gifted by Professor Guoquan Gao from Sun Yat-Sen University, China. Human cortical neurons were derived from 12-20 week old aborted fetuses, obtained from the Guangzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital, China. Mouse anti-Odk5 and mouse anti-p16 monoclonal antibodies （Lab Vision, USA）, and mouse anti-hTERT monoclonal antibody （Epitomics, USA）, were used in this study. METHODS： （1） Recombinant adenovirus vectors, encoding hTERT （Ad-hTERT） and green fluorescent protein （Ad-GFP）, were constructed using the AdEasy-1 Expression System. Human embryonic cortical neurons in the Ad-hTERT group were transfected with Ad-hTERT for 1-21 days. Likewise, human embryonic cortical neurons in the Ad-GFP group were transfected with Ad-GFP for 1-21 days. Human embryonic cortical neurons in the control group were cultured as normal. （2） Human embryonic cortical neurons in the Ad-hTERT group were treated with 10 pmol/L Aβ25-35 for 24 hours. Normal human embryonic cortical neurons treated with 10 pmol/Lβ25.35 for 24 hours served as a model group. Human embryonic cortical neurons in the Ad-GFP and control groups were not treated with Aβ25-35. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Expression of hTERT in human embryonic cortical neurons was evaluated by immunocytochemical staining and Western blot assay. Telomerase activity was measured using a PCR-based telomeric repeat amplification protocol （TRAP） ELISA kit. Neural activity in human embryonic cortical neurons was examined by MTT assay; apoptosis was measured using TUNEL assay; and Cdk5 and p16 protein expressions were measured by Western blot. RESULTS： Expression of hTERT protein was significantly increased and peaked at day 3 post-transfection in the Ad-hTERT group. No hTERT expression was detected in the Ad-GFP and control groups. Telomerase activity was significantly greater in the Ad-hTERT group compared with the Ad-GFP and control groups （P 〈 0.01）. Compared with the control group, cell activity was significantly decreased （P 〈 0.05）, and cell apoptotic rate, Cdk5 and p16 expression were significantly increased （P 〈 0.01） in the model group. Compared with the model group, cell activity was increased in the Ad-hTERT group, and peaked at day 3 post-transfection （P 〈 0.05）. Neuroprotective effects also peaked at day 3 post-transfection; and the apoptotic rate, Cdk5 and p16 expression significantly decreased （P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： Expression of hTERT in human embryonic cortical neurons can relieve Aβ25-35-induced neuronal apoptosis. The possible mechanism by which hTERT produces these neuroprotective effects may be associated with inhibition of Cdk5 and p16 expression.

Inhibition of telomerase with human telomerase reverse transcriptase antisense increases the sensitivity of tumor necrosis factor-α-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells

Aim： To investigate the effect of inhibition of telomerase with human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） antisense on tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells （PC3）. Methods： Antisense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide （AS PS-ODN） was synthesized and purified. Telomerase activity was measured using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol （TRAP） and polymerase chain reaction enzyme-linked immunoassay （PCR-ELISA）. hTERT mRNA was measured by reverse transcription PCR （RT-PCR） assay and gel-image system, hTERT protein was detected by immunochemistry and flow cytometry. Cell viability was detected by 3-（4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl）-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium （MTT） assay. Cell apoptosis was observed by morphological method and determined by flow cytometry. Results： The telomerase activity decreased with time after hTERT AS PS-ODN treatment. The levels of hTERT mRNA decreased with time after hTERT AS PS-ODN treatment, which appeared before the decline of the telomerase activity. The percentage of positive cells of hTERT protein declined with time after hTERT AS PS-ODN treatment, which appeared after the decline of hTERT mRNA. There was no difference in telomerase activity, hTERT mRNA and protein levels between hTERT sense phosphorothioate oligodeoxynucleotide （S PS-ODN） and the control group. The cell viability decreased with time after hTERT AS PS-ODN combined with TNF-α treatment. The percentage of apoptosis increased with time after hTERT AS PS-ODN combined with TNF-α treatment. There was no difference in cell viability and the percentage of apoptosis between hTERT S PS-ODN and the control group. Conclusion： hTERT AS PS-ODN can significantly inhibit telomerase activity by downregulating the hTERT mRNA and protein expression, and inhibition of telomerase with hTERT antisense can enhance TNF-α- induced apoptosis of PC3 cells.

Quantification of human telomerase RNA(hTR)and human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT)mRNA in testicular tissue of infertile patients

Aim:To evaluate the quantitative detection of human telomerase RNA(hTR)and human telomerase reverse tran-scriptase(hTERT)mRNA as diagnostic parameters in the workup of testicular tissue specimens from patients presentingwith non-obstructive azoospermia.Methods:hTR and hTERT mRNA expression were quantified in 38 cryopre-served testicular tissue specimens by fluorescence real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)in a LightCycler(r).This was paralleled by conventional histological workup in all tissue specimens and additionalsemithin sectioning preparation in cases with maturation arrest(n=12)and Sertoli-cell-only syndrome(n=12).Re-sults;The average normalized hTERT expression(N_(hTERT))was 131.9±48.0 copies(mean±SD)in tissue speci-mens with full spermatogenesis,N_(hTERT)=51.2±17.2 copies in those with maturation arrest and N_(hTERT)=2.7±2.4copies in those with Sertoli-cell-only syndrome(SCOS).The discriminant analysis showed that detection of N_(hTERT)(N_(hTR))had a predictive value of 86.8%(55.3%)for correct classification in one of the three histological subgroups.Conclusion;Our results demonstrate that quantitative detection of hTERT mRNA expression in testicular tissue en-ables a molecular-diagnostic classification of gametogenesis.Quantitative detection of hTERT in testicular biopsies isthus well suited for supplementing the histopathological evaluation.

Telomerase Activity and Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Expression Induced by Selenium in Rat Hepatocytes

Objective To investigate the effects of sodium selenite on telomerase activity, apoptosis and expression of TERT, c-myc and p53 in rat hepatocytes. Methods Selenium at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 μmol/kg was given to SD rats by garage. In rat hepatocytes, telomerase activity was measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol （TRAP）, apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, and expressions of telomerase reverse transcriptase （TERT）, c-myc and p53 were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. c-Myc and P53 proteins were detected by immunochemistry. Results Selenium at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 μmol/kg significantly increased hepatocellular telomerase activity and induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Although selenium at doses of 2.5, 5.0, and 10 μmol/kg displayed no obvious enhancing effect on the TERT mRNA expression in rat hepatocytes （P〉0.05）, it significantly increased the c-myc mRNA and p53 mRNA expression at the dose of 10 μmol/kg （P〈0.05）. Selenium at doses of 5.0 and 10 μmol/kg obviously increased the content of P53 protein in rat hepatocytes, but only at the dose of 10 μmol/kg, it significantly promoted the value of c-Myc protein in them. Conclusion Selenium can slightly increase telomerase activity and TERT expression, and significantly induce apoptosis and over-expression of c-myc and p53 at relatively high doses. The beneficial effects of selenium on senescence and aging may be mediated by telomerase activation and expression of TERT, c-myc, and p53 in rat hepatocytes.

Naturally occurring mutations in the reverse transcriptase region of hepatitis B virus polymerase from treatment-na?ve Korean patients infected with genotype C2

AIM To report naturally occurring mutations in the reverse transcriptase region(RT) of hepatitis B virus(HBV) polymerase from treatment na?ve Korean chronic patients infected with genotype C2.METHODS Here, full-length HBV reverse transcriptase RT sequences were amplified and sequenced from 131 treatment na?ve Korean patients chronically infected with hepatitis B genotype C2. The patients had two distinct clinical statuses: 59 patients with chronic hepatitis(CH) and 72 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). The deduced amino acids(AAs) at42 previously reported potential nucleos(t)ide analog resistance(NAr) mutation positions in the RT region were analyzed. RESULTS Potential NAr mutations involving 24 positions were found in 79 of the 131 patients(60.3%). Notably, AA substitutions at 2 positions(rt184 and rt204) involved in primary drug resistance and at 2 positions(rt80 and rt180) that functioned as secondary/compensatory mutations were detected in 10 patients(1 CH patient and 9 HCC patients) and 7 patients(1 CH and 6 HCC patients), respectively. The overall mutation frequencies in the HCC patients(3.17%, 96/3024 mutations) were significantly higher than the frequencies in the CH patients(2.09%, 52/2478 mutations)(P = 0.003). In addition, a total of 3 NAr positions, rt80, rt139 and rt204 were found to be significantly related to HCC from treatment na?ve Korean patients. CONCLUSION Our data showed that naturally occurring NAr mutations in South Korea might contribute to liver disease progression(particularly HCC generation) in chronic patients with genotype C2 infections.

Screening of new non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors of HIV-1 based on traditional Chinese medicines database

HIV- 1 RT is an important target for the treatment of AIDS. There are two major classes of antiviral agents that inhibit HIV- 1 RT have been identified, nucleoside RT inhibitors （NRTIs） and non-nucleoside RT inhibitors （NNRTIs）. In this report, a noval class of non-nucleoside compound with potential RT inhibitory activity were found from the traditional Chinese medicines database （TCMD） using a combination of virtual screening, docking, molecular dynamic simulations, where results were ranked by scoring function of the docking tool. The result indicates that M4753 （a compound derived from TCMD） has not only the lowest bonding energy but also the best match in geometric conformation with the forthcoming NNRTIs. Accordingly M4753 might possibly become a promising lead compound of NNRTIs for AIDS therapy.

RADIATION- INDUCED PROGRESSIVE DECREASING IN THE EXPRESSION OF REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE GENE OF hEST2 AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY

Objectives. In order to identify the relationship between telomerase and the biological effect of radiation injury,and investigate the role of human telomerase catalytic subunit gene (hEST2) reverse transcriptase(RT) segment in the expression of telomerase activity. Methods. Tumor HeLa cells, KB cells and A431 cells were employed to measure the change in telomerase activity after 60Co- ray irradiation at RNA level and protein level. Quantitative PCR and Northern blotting were used to determine the expression of hEST2 RT segment that encodes seven motifs of the human telomeres, a PCR- based telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP)was used to assay telomerase activity after exposure to radiation. Results. Both of telomerase activity and the expression hEST2 RT segment were decreased with increasing dosage of radiation. In addition, testing the expression of motifs domain is similar to the measurement of telomerase activity. Conclusion. The detection of the hEST2 RT segment by Northern blotting and quantitative PCR are new methods for testing telomerase activity. Furthermore, radiation can cause a dose- dependent decrease in telomerase activity. The effect of radiation on telomerase is one possible reason for the death of cancer cells after irradiation.

Study on neoplasia of hydatidiform mole by detecting telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

By setting up a real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR assay to detect human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） mRNA in hydatidiform mole in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, to analyze the correlation between the expression level of hTERT mRNA and the prognosis of hydatidiform mole, and to evaluate the clinic value of quantitative determination of hTERT mRNA in the diagnosis of hydatidiform mole. Methods： A real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR （FQ RT-PCR） assay based on TaqMan fluorescence methodology and the Light-Cycler system was used to quantify the full range of hTERT mRNA copy numbers in 30 samples of hydatidiform mole and the neoplasia of hydatidiform mole. The normalized hTERT （NhTERT） was standardized by quantifying the number of GAPDH transcripts as internal control and expressed as 100x （hTERT/GAPDH） ratio. Based on the prognosis of the hydatidiform mole, the patients were divided into two groups： the experimental group and the control group, to compare the telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Results： hTERT mRNA was both expressed in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and pathological tissues in the mole experimental group and the control group. In the mole experimental group, the values were 6.31±0.32 and 6.24±0.44, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them （P〉0.05）. But in the control group the values were 1.21±0.65 and 1.40±0.61, respectively, and there was no significant difference between them （P〉0.05） The values in experimental group was significantly higher than those in the control group （P〈0.01）. Conclusion： Quantitative determination of hTERT mRNA by FQ RT-PCR is a rapid and sensitive method, hTERT in peripheral blood mononuclear cells may have potential use as a biomarker for the early detection of the prognosis of the hydatidiform mole.

Development of Reverse Transcriptase Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Rapid and Visualized Detection of Classical Swine Fever Virus

[ Objective] To develop a rapid and visualized detection method of classical swine fever virus （CSFV） using reverse transcriptase loopmediated isothermal amplification （RT-LAMP）. [ Method ] A total of six special primers were designed based on the conserved sequences of CSFV gene. After optimizing, the reaction of RT-LAMP was carded out at 63℃ for 45 rain. The RT-LAMP products were analyzed by agarose gel electro- phoresis. The sensitivity, specificity and repeatability were verified, respectively. [ Result] The RT-LAMP method could be used for detecting CSFV rather than six generic viruses. The sensitivity of RT-LAMP was 100 times higher than that of RT-PCR. The detection of 27 clinical samples by RT- LAMP and RT-PCR showed that RT-LAMP is more reliable and convenient. [ Conclusion] The RT-LAMP method is sensitive and reliable for the detection of CSFV.

Synthesis and anti-HIV-1 activity evaluation of N-1-alkyl-5-halogeno-6-alkylamino uracils as novel non-nucleoside HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

N-1-alkyl-5-halogeno-6-alkylamino uracils,which are novel 1-[(2-hydroxyethoxy) methyl]-6-(phenylthio) thymine (HEPT) analogues,were synthesized as the selective and potent non-nucleoside human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors.Some of the compounds showed potent inhibitory activity against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.For instance,compounds 1d,1m and 1n exhibited potent anti-HTV-1 activity with the IC_(50) values of 13.3,11.7 and 3.15μM,respectively, which are comparable to that of nevirapine(IC_(50) 8.38μM).

Synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 1-aryl-5-iodo-6-benzyluracils as potent HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors

We have synthesized the novel compounds 1a-1i,which are a series of hybrid analogues to 6-benzyl-1-（benzyloxymethyl）- 5-iodouracil,a compound showing strong activity against HIV-1.We also evaluated the activity of these compounds as the inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase（HIV-1 RT）,and they have demonstrated moderate activity.

Docking and field-based QSAR studies of S-DABOs as HIV-1 reverse transcriptase inhibitors

HIV-1 reverse transcriptase（RT） inhibitors are major components of HAART（highly active antiviral therapy）. The S-DABOs（dihydro-alkylthio-benzyl-oxopyrimidines） series and their similar skeletons have exhibited preferable activities to inhibit HIV-1 RT. In the present study, we generated field-based QSAR models using common structure alignment, which was characterized by Gaussian steric, electrostatic, hydrophobic, hydrogen bond donor, hydrogen bond acceptor and aromatic ring fields（R2 = 0.8421, RCV2 = 0.5949 for the training set, Q2 = 0.5486, Pearson-r = 0.7460 for the test set）. Docking, pocket surface and contour map analyses were carried out. Key pharmacophore features were investigated, including（i） π-π interaction with residue Tyr181, Tyr188 and Trp229, σ-π interaction with His236,（ii） hydrogen bond with residue Lys101 and halogen bond with residue Tyr188. The docking analysis and field-based QSAR models could provide reasonable guidance in the rational design of potent HIV-1 RT inhibitors.

Rapid screening of anti--HIV ingredients in Artemisia rupestris L. extracts interacting with V3 loop region of HIV--1 gp120 and reverse transcriptase by affinity capillary electrophoresis and capillary zone electrophoresis

HIV-1 gains entry into target cells by sequentially interacting with cellular receptors and co-receptors. Both the receptor and co-receptor are recognized by HIV-1 envelope protein gpl20, which plays a key role in the entry process of HIV-1 into cells. The development of new inhibitors is essential since the viral enzyme reverse transcriptase （RT） is one of the first targets of antiretroviral therapy. It has been reported that a variety of natural plants, such as Artemisia rupestris L., have anti-viral pharmacological activity, and they might be the potential inhibitors of RT or V3 loop of gpl20 against HIV-1. RIQRGPGRAFVT1GK （R15K）, the relatively conserved region of V3 loop, can be used for binding research. In this work, we analyzed the interactions between different extracts from Artemisia rupestris L. and R15K by affinity capillary electrophoresis （ACE）. Moreover, we analyzed the interactions between different extracts from Artemisia rupestris L. and RT by capillary zone electrophoresis （CZE）. Our data showed that the chloroform extract ofArtemisia rupestris L. was active among the different plant extracts, which was consistent with previous studies. Taken together, our study provided a rapid screening method to seek anti-HIV ingredients in natural plants＇ extracts.