Up-regulation of Raf kinase inhibitor protein enhances chemosensitivity of cervical cancer cell

Objective： The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of up-regulation of Raf kinase inhibitor protein （RKIP） on the chemosensitivity of cervical cancer Hela cells. Methods： Eukaryotic expression plasmid pcDNA3.1（±）-ssRKIP containing human overall length RKIPcDNA was transfected into cervical cancer Hela cell by lipofectin assay, establishing a stable cell line containing a target gene by G418. Expression of RKIP in Hela cells was measured by Western blot analysis. After treatment with cisplatin of different concentrations and intervals of time, the effect of RKIP on the proliferation of Hela cells was evaluated by MTT method. The flow cytometry was used to investigate whether the RKIP could inhibit apoptosis in Hela cells induced by cisplatin. Results： The expression of RKIP in Hela cells transfected with pcDNA3.1-ssRKIP was increased obviously. After different concentrations of cisplatin treatment cells for 24, 48 and 72 h, the growth inhibition rate in Hela cells transfected with pcDNA3.1-ssRKIP was significantly higher than in control cells （P 〈 0.05）. With 5 pg/mL cisplatin treatment for 24 h, pcDNA3.1-ssRKIP-transfected Hela cells had an obviously higher percentage of apoptosis （23.2 ± 0.24）% than non-transfected cells （12.4 ± 0.31）% and empty vector-transfected cells （13.4 ± 0.47）%. Without treatment of cisplatin, the percentage of apoptosis for Hela cells transfected with pcDNA3.1-ssRKIP was （5.7 ± 0.12）%, which was still higher than those of the non-transfected cells （2.9 ± 0.21）% and empty vector-transfected cells （3 ± 0.08）%. Conclusion： Higher expres- sion of RKIP gene can improve chemosensitivitv of cervical cancer Hela cells to cisplatin.

The inhibitor effect of RKIP on inflammasome activation and inflammasome-dependent diseases

Aberrant inflammasome activation contributes to the pathogenesis of various human diseases,including atherosclerosis,gout,and metabolic disorders.Elucidation of the underlying mechanism involved in the negative regulation of the inflammasome is important for developing new therapeutic targets for these diseases.Here,we showed that Raf kinase inhibitor protein(RKIP)negatively regulates the activation of the NLRP1,NLRP3,and NLRC4 inflammasomes.RKIP deficiency enhanced caspase-1 activation and IL-1P secretion via NLRP1,NLRP3,and NLRC4 Inflammasome activation In primary macrophages.The overexpression of RKIP in THP-1 cells inhibited NLRP1,NLRP3,and NLRC4 inflammasome activation.RKIP-deficient mice showed increased sensitivity to Aluminduced peritonitis and Salmonella typhimurium-induced inflammation,indicating that RKIP inhibits NLRP3 and NLRC4 inflammasome activation in vivo.Mechanistically,RKIP directly binds to apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain(ASC)and competes with NLRP1,NLRP3,or NLRC4 to interact with ASC thus interrupting inflammasome assembly and activation.The depletion of RKIP aggravated inflammasome-related diseases such as monosodium urate(MSU)-induced gouty arthritis and high-fat diet(HFD)-induced metabolic disorders.Furthermore,the expression of RKIP was substantially downregulated in patients with gouty arthritis or type 2 diabetes(T2D)compared to healthy controls.Collectively,our findings suggest that RKIP negatively regulates NLRP1,NLRP3,and NLRC4 inflammasome activation and is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammasome-related diseases.

Urothelial bladder cancer progression: lessons learned from the bench

Urothelial bladder carcinoma(UBC)is an intricate malignancy with a variable natural history and clinical behavior.Despite developments in diagnosis/prognosis refi nement and treatment modalities,the recurrence rate is high,and progression from non-muscle to muscle invasive UBC commonly leads to metastasis.Moreover,patients with muscle-invasive or extra-vesical disease often fail the standard chemotherapy treatment,and overall survival rates are poor.Thus,UBC remains a challenge in the oncology fi eld,representing an ideal candidate for research on biomarkers that could identify patients at increased risk of recurrence,progression,and chemo-refractoriness.However,progress toward personalized medicine has been hampered by the unique genetic complexity of UBC.Recent genome-wide expression and sequencing studies have brought new insights into its molecular features,pathogenesis and clinical diversity,revealing a landscape where classical pathology is intersected by the novel and heterogeneous molecular groups.Hence,it seems plausible to postulate that only an integrated signature of prognostic/predictive biomarkers inherent in different cancer hallmarks will reach clinical validation.In this review,we have summarized ours and others’research into novel putative biomarkers of progression and chemoresistance that encompass several hallmarks of cancer:tumor neovascularization,invasion and metastasis,and energy metabolism reprogramming of the tumor microenvironment.