瘦素受体长胞内段mRNA表达增加对骨骼肌细胞葡萄糖氧化的影响

目的 研究原代骨骼肌细胞中瘦素受体长胞内段mRNA表达增加对葡萄糖氧化的影响。方法 RT－PCR扩增瘦素受体长胞内段cDNA，将扩增产物插入真核表达质粒,构建重组体。重组表达质粒经脂质体介导转染原代骨骼肌细胞，转染后48 h加瘦素和D－［U－14C］葡萄糖，收集14CO2，液体闪烁检测其放射性。另经RT－PCR半定量方法检测瘦素受体长胞内段mRNA在骨骼肌细胞的表达。结果 扩增的瘦素受体长胞内段cDNA及其重组体在限制性内切酶酶切后所得各片段大小均与理论值一致。在重组表达质粒转染组、空表达质粒转染组和非转染组，前者特异性条带和β－actin条带积分光密度比值较后两者升高（均P<0.05）；但3组细胞间葡萄糖氧化差异无显著性。结论 成功构建含有瘦素受体长胞内段cDNA的重组真核表达质粒。单纯增加瘦素受体长胞内段mRNA表达不能改善瘦素对骨骼肌细胞的葡萄糖氧化作用。

FIT interacts with AtbHLH38 and AtbHLH39 in regulating iron uptake gene expression for iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis

Iron is an essential element for plant growth and development. Iron homeostasis in plants is tightly regulated at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional level. Several bHLH transcription factors involved in iron homeostasis have been identified recently. However, their regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. In this work, we demonstrate that the transcription factor FIT interacted with AtbHLH38 and AtbHLH39 and directly conferred the expression regulation of iron uptake genes for iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Yeast two-hybrid analysis and transient expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts showed that AtbHLH38 or AtbHLH39 interacted with FIT, a central transcription factor involved in iron homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Expression of FIT/AtbHLH38 or FIT/AtbHLH39 in yeast cells activated GUS expression driven by ferric chelate reductase （FRO2） and ferrous transporter （IRT1） promoters. Overexpression of FITwith either AtbHLH38 or AtbHLH39 in plants converted the expression of the iron uptake genes FRO2 and IRT1 from induced to constitutive. Further analysis revealed that FRO2 and IRT1 were not regulated at the posttranscriptional level in these plants because IRT1 protein accumulation and high ferric chelate reductase activity were detected in the overexpression plants under both iron deficiency and iron sufficiency. The double overexpression plants accumulated more iron in their shoots than wild type or the plants overexpressing either AtbHLH38, AtbHLH39 or FIT. Our data support that ferric-chelate reductase FRO2 and ferrous-transporter IRT1 are the targets of the three transcription factors and the transcription of FRO2 and IRT1 is directly regulated by a complex of FIT/AtbHLH38 or FIT/AtbHLH39.

Upreguiation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA expression by in vitro transfection of hepatitis B virus X gene into human hepatocarcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma cells

AIM： To study the changes of human telomerase reverse transcriptase （hTERT） mRNA expression in human hepatocarcinoma cell lines （HepG2） and cholangiocarcinoma cell lines （QBC939） after HBx gene transfection and to illustrate the significance of transcriptional regulation of hTERT gene by HBx gene in the carcinogenesis. METHODS： HepG2 and QBC939 cell lines were cultured and co-transfected with eukaryotic expression vector containing the HBx coding region and cloning vector containing enhanced green fluorescent protein （EGFP） coding sequence using lipid-mediated gene transduction technique. Thirty-six hours after transfection, EGFP expression in cells was used as the indicator of successful transfection. Flow cytometry was performed to determine the transfection efficiency. Cells were harvested and total RNA was extracted using TRIzol reagent. The expression of hTERT mRNA in HepG2 and QBC939 cell lines was assayed by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction. The expression of HBx protein in both cell lines was detected by immunocytochemical staining and Western blotting. RESULTS： Flow cytometry showed that the transfection efficiency was 46.4% in HepG2 cells and 29.6% in QBC939 cells for both HBx gene expression vector and blank vector. The expression of hTERT mRNA was meaningfully increased in HepG2 and QBC939 cell lines when transfected with HBx gene expression vector compared to those transfected with OPTI-MEM medium and blank vector. Immunocytochemical staining and Western blotting revealed HBx protein expression in HepG2 and QBC939 cells only when transfected with HBx gene. CONCLUSION： HBx gene transfection can upregulate the transcriptional expression of hTERT mRNA. The transactivation of hTERT gene by HBx gene is a newfound mechanism for pathogenesis of hepatocarcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas after HBV infection. 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Reversion of malignancy in human gastric cancer MKN-45 cells through the transfection of transforming growth factor-β type Ⅱ receptor gene

Human gastric cancer MKN-45 cells which are resistant to TGF-β growth inhibition and possess TGF-β type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ receptors, but not type Ⅱ receptors, have been used as a model system to reconstitute these caflcer cells with TGF-β RII cDNA. The results of these experiments indicated that the reexpression of TGF-g RII gene in MKN-45 cells can restore their sensitivity to TGFβ growth inhibition, decrease their growth rate, reduce their cloning efficiency in soft agar and tumorigenicity in nude mice in stable transfectants, in comparison with their control MKN-45 cells. Among different RII transfectants,their difference in the changes of these parameters, as a result of the regain of autocrine negative growth control by TGF-β, is roughly proportional to their level of expression of transfected RII mRNA. From these data, it is concluded that the inactivation of TGF-β RII gene is related to the escape of growth control by TGF-β in MKN-45 cells. The importance of the study of the interplay of TGF-β and its receptor system in the negative growth control of gastric cancer, and possibly also of other cancers, is discussed.

Adipose-derived stem cells transfected with pEGFP-OSX enhance bone formation during distraction osteogenesis

This study was designed to investigate the effects of local delivery of adipose-derived stem cells （ADSCs） transfected with transcription factor osterix （OSX） on bone formation during distraction osteogenesis. New Zealand white rabbits （n=54） were randomly divided into three groups （18 rabbits per group）. A directed cloning technique was used for the construction of recombinant plasmid pEGFP-OSX, where EGFP is the enhanced green fluorescence protein. After osteodistraction of the dght mandible of all experimental rabbits, rabbits in group A were treated with ADSCs transfected with pEGFP-OSX, group B with ADSCs transfected with pEGFP-N1, and group C with physiological saline. Radiographic and histological examinations were processed after half of the animals within each group were humanely killed by injection of sodium pentothal at Week 2 or 6 after surgery. The distraction bone density was measured as its projectional bone mineral density （BMD）. Three parameters were measured, namely, the thickness of new trabeculae （TNT）, and the volumes of the newly generated cortical bone （NBV1） and the cancellous bone （NBV2） of the distracted regions. Good bone generation in the distraction areas was found in group A, which had the highest BMD, TNT, and NBV in the distraction zones among the groups. There was no significant difference in bone generation in the distraction areas between groups B and C. The results indicate that the transplantation of ADSCs transfected with pEGFP-OSX can effectively promote bone generation during distraction in vivo.