Construction and primary analysis of human keratinocyte model expressing anti-sense protein kinase Cζ

Protein kinase C (PKC), which has a wide variety of functions, comprises at least twelve isoenzymes that have distinct roles respectively. Research in recent years indicates that PKCζ plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cell proliferation. In order to investigate its role in the regulation of keratinocyte proliferation, eukaryotic expression plasmid of anti_sense PKCζ is constructed and transfected into human keratinocyte line, Colo16. The human keratinocyte model expressing anti_sense PKCζ is established successfully, the growth properties of the cell model is analyzed by the detection of cell growth curve and cell cycle phase. The mechanism of the relationship between PKCζ and CyclinD1 is also investigated by the western blotting analysis of CyclinD1 protein.     

The molecular mechanism of different sensitivity of breast cancer cell lines to TRAIL

Although Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis of various cancer cells, some caner cell lines are resistant to TRAIL-induced cell death. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying TRAIL-resistance, two human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 (resistant to TRAIL) and MDA-MB-231 (sensitive to TRAIL), were used as a model system to analyze the different sensitivities to TRAIL cytotoxicity. PKCδ inhibitor rottlerin, but not MEK and ERK1/2 inhibitor U0126 nor PI3K inhibitor LY294002, was shown to enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells significantly, suggesting that PKCδ might play an important role in the resistance of MCF-7 cells to TRAIL. In contrast, rottlerin, U0126, and Ly294002 had no effect on MDA-MB-231 apoptosis induced by TRAIL under the same conditions. Further experiment showed that the combination of rottlerin and TRAIL cleaved PARP in the MCF-7 cells synergistically, but not in the MDA-MB-231 cells. The role of PKCδ in TRAIL-resistant MCF-7 cells was confirmed by knocking down the endogenous PKCδ expression using RNAi technology. Furthermore, caspase-3 reconstitution in MCF-7 cells was unable to alter PKCδ expression, suggesting that innate caspase-3 deficient in the cells does not cause PKCδ high expression. These data provide evidence for the first time that PKCδ plays a critical role in breast cancer cell lines to TRAIL cytotoxicity.     

MSH2 is required for cell proliferation, cell cycle control and cell invasiveness in colorectal cancer cells

We have investigated the role of MSH2,a mismatch repair gene in cell proliferation,cell cycle control and cell invasiveness in the SW480 human colorectal cancer cell line.RNAi-mediated inhibition of MSH2 expression was achieved using MSH2 shRNA lentiviral expression vectors.Effective knockdown of endogenous MSH2 expression was determined by real-time PCR analysis.The most efficient MSH2 knockdown vector was selected for subsequent studies using SW480 cells.Endogenous MSH2 mRNA levels decreased after lentiviral delivery of the MSH2-RNAi,indicating efficient silencing of MSH2 expression in SW480 cells.Cell proliferation,cell cycle progression and cell invasiveness were quantified by MTT assays,flow cytometry and transwell assays,respectively.RNAi-mediated inhibition of MSH2 expression in SW480 cells resulted in decreased cell proliferation,cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and decreased cell invasiveness.Taken together,these results provide evidence that MSH2 stimulates cell proliferation,promotes cell cycle progression and positively regulates cell invasiveness.     

Myofibrillogenesis regulator-1 promotes cell adhesion and migration in human hepatoma cells

Myofibrillogenesis regulator-1 (MR-1) is a gene overexpressed usually in many human cancers. However, the effects of MR-1 on cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and genome-wide gene regulation are still unclear. In this study, a human hepatoma cell line that highly overexpresses MR-1, BEL-7402/MR-1 cells was established. While the high expression of MR-1 did not promote cell proliferation, it significantly increased cell spreading, adhesion and migration compared with control cells. A total of 147 genes were regulated by MR-1 expression, 46 genes were down-regulated and 101 genes were up-regulated by MR-1 overexpression. Many of these genes were related to cell adhesion, cytoskeletal regulation, MAPK signaling, and cell cycle related pathways. Western blot analysis further confirmed the regulation of pathways associated with migration by MR-1. These results suggest that MR-1 is involved in the regulation of cancer cell adhesion, migration and related gene expression.     

Mycelial fermentation and medicinal properties of a valuable medicinal fungus Cordyceps sinensis Cs-HK1

Cordyceps sinensis （Cs） or Dongchongxiacao in Chinese is a rare and precious medicinal mushroom. In this work, a Tolypocladium sp. fungus named Cs-HK1 was isolated from a natural Cs fruiting body, and its ultraviolet （UV）, infrared （IR） and high-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） spectra all exhibited high degrees of matching to those of natural Cs, indicating the similarity of chemical composition. A crude polysaccharide （PS） fraction isolated from Cs-HKI fungal mycelium showed significant antitumor activity, inhibiting melanoma tumor growth in mice. The PS-treated mice showed significantly higher serum interferon-y （IFN-y） level and higher proliferation rate of lymphocytes ex vivo than the control animals, suggestive of the immunomodulatory activity of the PS fraction. In cell cultures, the PS fraction caused a significant and dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the proliferation of two cancer cell lines, B16/neu mouse melanoma and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells, but not on normal spleen lymphocytes in vitro. Most of these bioactivities of the Cs- HK1 fungus were comparable to or even greater than those of natural Cs. The results showed that Cs-HK1 fungus may be a functional substitute for the natural Cs in health food and herbal medicine.     

Protein P37 of mycoplasma hyorhinis induces secretion of TNF-α from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

High mycoplasmal infection ratio in gastric cancer tissues suggests a possible association between my-coplasma infection and tumorigenesis.Because TNF-α plays an important role in carcinogenesis caused by microbes in-fection and P37 is a major immunogen of mycoplasma hy-orhinis(M.hyor.),investigating whether P37 could induce expression and secretion of TNF-α will be very significant fo elucidate the possible molecular mechanism of gastric car-cinogenesis involved with M.hyor.At the present study,we cloned full gene of p37 by PCR and mutated the 7 codes of TGA into TGG firstly,then expressed the P37 protein suc-cessfully with pGEX-4T-1 vector in E.coli,which was veri-fied with Western bolt.By RT-PCR and sensitive L929 cell toxic assay,we found that P37 protein could induce expres-sion and secretion of TNF-α from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells,and the inducing activity of P37 could be dramatically blocked by McAb PD4.These results suggest that the induction of TNF-α secretion by P37 probably plays an importan role in diseases caused by M.hyor.infection and needs to be further investigated.     

Effect of P15INK4b expression on the cell cycle and G1 phase related regulatory genes in human melanoma cells

Using the transfeetion teehnique. P15INK4b was introduced into P15INk4b gene deleted human melanoma A375 cells,and a cell model MLED6 overexpressing P15INK4b WAS CONSTRUCTED.Comparing with the control cells MLC2,MLEK6cells in G1phase increased by 11%,but those in Sphase decreased by 15%by FCM.By the method of thymidine(TdR)and N2O arresting,the proportions of synchronized Mphase cells of MLEK6 ana MLC23 were measured and found to be 89.1% and 76.8%respectively ,and the cells in G1phase were 74.3% for MLID6 AND 76. 4% forMLC2.The result of3 H-TdR incorporation indicated that the transition of G1/Sof MLEK6 cell was delayed 2h as compared with that of MLC2 cells,and incorporation rate also decreased.The observation on exprissions of some G1/ S-resates relatory rigusating genes showed that in MLIK6 cells the protein leves of P27KIPI increased with the decreasing expressions of cyclinD1,cyclinE and c-myc,especially cyclinD1 in late G1phade.The expression of cyclinE obviously decreased at G1/S transition ,and c-myc wad inhibited throughout all the process of G1 S phase.All the risults suggest that P15INK4b can delayG1/S transition of MLEK6 cells by inhibiting the cell cycle engine ,and by increasing the expression of Cdk ingibitor P27KIPI in different stages of G1 phase.     

Partial inhibition of CDK4 gene expression leads to the extension of G1 phase of V79-8 cells

V79-8 is an abnormal cell line which does not have detectable G1 and G2 phases in its cell cycle. This cell line is derived from V79 cell line which has Gl phase but lacks G2 phase. By using an anti-sense approach, CDK4 gene expression was partially inhibited to find whether CDK4 might contribute to the lack of Gl phase in V79-8 cells. Anti-CDK4 anti-sense plasmid was constructed and used to transfect V79-8 cells. Clones of transfected cells (V79-8-asCDK4) were examined, in comparison with V79-8 cells, to determine its growth curve, cell doubling-time (GT), the level of CDK4 gene expression and the levels of expression of some other growth related genes. V79-8-asCDK4 cells showed a slower growth rate with a doubling time 2.5-h longer than that of V79-8 cells. A flow cytometry (FCM) analysis demonstrated that the 2.5 h increase of the doubling time of V79-8-asCDK4 cells was mainly due to the appearance of Gl phase because its G2 + M phase was not significantly different from that of V79-8 cells. The decrease of CDK4 gene expression in V79-8-asCDK4 cells was shown by Northern-blot. Changes in the expression levels of the growth-related genes TGF-β, cyclin D1 and Rb were also detected in V79-8-asCDK4 cells. CDK4 functions mainly in G1 and at the transition between G1 and S phases. Expression of an anti-sense CDK4 gene fragment reduces the levels of endogenous CDK4, CDK4/cyclinD kinase activity and the phosphorylation of Rb. These events may postpone the inactivation of the check-point leading to the delay of entry into S phase and the reappearance of G1 phase in V79-8-asCDK4 cells.     

Homoharringtonine induces apoptosis of endothelium and down－regulates VEGF expression of K562 cells

Homoharringtonine (HHT) has currently been used successfully in the treatment of acute and chronic myeloid leukemias and has been shown to induce apoptosis of different types of leukemic cells in vitro. Emerging evidence suggests that angiogenesis may play an important role in hematological malignancies, such as leukemia. However, whether HHT can relieve leukemia by anti-angiogenesis is still unknown. We investigated the anti-angiogenesis potential of HHT with the human umbilical vein endothelial cell line (ECV304) and leukemic cell line (K562) in vitro. Cellular proliferation was determined by MTT assay and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, The mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was assessed by RT-PCR and VEGF protein production was detected by Western blot. Inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis by HHT were discovered in ECV304 cells, and appeared in a dose- and time-dependent manner, Also, treatment with HHT caused down-regulation of VEGF mRNA expression in K562 cells in similar dose- and time-dependent manner and inhibition of VEGF protein production in K562 cells in response to the enhancing concentration of HHT. The results demonstrated that HHT could also induce apoptosis in endothelium and down-regulate VEGF expression in K562 cells. In conclusion, we believe HHT has anti-angiogenesis potential and speculate that HHT might exert its anti-leukemia effects via reduction of angiogenesis.     

Up—Regulation of CCR5 and CXCR4 Expression on Human Monocytes by Interferon Gamma

Chemokine receptors, mainly CCR5 and CXCR4, have been proved to be the important coreceptors in HIV-1 entry. HIV-1 disease progression is, in general, characterized by an initial predominance of CCR5 using macrophage tropic, non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) isolates, switching later to CXCR4 using T-cell tropic,syncytium-inducing (SI) isolates. How this shift occurs and how the shift can be controlled are still unclear.Since patients with rapid decline of T cell counts have constantly high levels of IFN-7 in the sera and lymphoidnodes, we investigated the influence of this cytokine on the expression of the HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4 on the cell surfaces of human monocytic cell line U937 and promonocyte NB4. IFN-γ could intensively enhance the expression of both, while a low level of CCR5 expression was detected in two cell lines before stimulation. The results of semiquantitative RT-PCR also confirm the up-regulation. As the newly generated X4-strains have been demonstrated to be insensitive to chemokine in some reports, IFN-7 may play an important role in selecting CXCR4-used strains.     

Expression and function of a new angiogenic factor AA98 target molecule at the maternal-embryonic boundary of rhesus monkey

The target molecule of monoclonal antibody AA98 (AA for short) is a new vascular endothelial cell related factor and plays a role in angiogenesis as indicated by the previous data. To investigate its role in angiogenesis and placentation in primate, we examined its expression in the implantation sites on D17, 19, 28 and 34 of gestation in rhesus monkey by immunohistochemistry and Western immunoblot. Western blot analysis showed that the primary antibody used in this study was specific for its epitope. AA protein was mainly expressed in small blood vessels and in some cytotrophoblast cells. The AA staining was found mainly in the endothelial cells and vascular small muscle. This observation supported the AA‘s role in angiogenesis. AA was spatio-temporarily expressed in cytotrophoblasts: weak in proliferating trophoblast within cell column and endovascular trophoblast, strong in trophoblastic subpopulation within the basal plate and vascular trophoblast; AA staining within the basal plate was down-regulated during early placentation. The shift of AA98 expression in extravillous trophoblasts suggestes a role of this new factor during the course of cytotrophoblast metastasis and spiral artery remodeling. The spatio-temporarily expression indicats that AA98 could be also used as a trophoblast cellular marker to characterize the acquisition of a vascular endothelial and invasive phenotype.     

Differential Expressing of Centromere Protein CenpG in Breast Cancer

Using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF),an anti-centromere protein CenpG-serum was verified.Western blot of the protein extracts of 31 samples of breast cancer tissues and their normal (not cancerous) tissues a little far away from them in the same individuals showed that,in the majority of the tests(71%),centromere protein CenpG over expressed in breast cancer tissues,And moreover,a kind of protein component whose molecular weight is 43 kd,and which can be recognized by anti-CenpG serum sas found in two of the caner samples,The results suggested that CenpG (together whith it,there may be other relative components),which has been foud and named recently,may be related to cancer,and its differential expressing is probably related to malignant cell proliferation.     

Serum microRNA-155 as a potential biomarker for breast cancer screening

MicroRNAs(miRs) have been shown to be differentially expressed in the serum of cancer patients and controls,and can thus be used as biomarkers for cancer screening.We detected the expression level of miR-155 in the serum of female breast cancer patients and healthy controls to investigate whether serum miR-155 could discriminate patients with early-stage breast cancer.Serum samples were collected from 20 female patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer and 10 healthy controls.Real-time quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression level of miR-155.The expression level of miR-155 was significantly increased in the serum of breast cancer patients compared with in the serum of normal controls.MiR-155 may be useful as a blood-based biomarker for breast cancer screening.     

Effects of sense and antisense centromere/kinetochore complex protein-B （CENP-B） in cell cycle regulation

This paper investigates the effects of sense and antisense centromere/kinetochore complex protein-B （CENP-B） in cell cycle regulation. Full-length cenpb cDNA was subcloned into pBI-EGFP eukaryotic expression vector in both sense and antisense orientation. HeLa-Tet-Off cells were transfected with sense or antisense cenpb vectors. Sense transfection of HeLa-Tet-Off cells resulted in the formation of a large centromere/kinetochore complex, and apoptosis of cells following several times of cell division. A stable antisense cenpb transfected cell line, named HACPB, was ob- tained. The centromere/kinetochore complex of HACPB cells became smaller than control HeLa-Tet-Off cells and scattered, and the expression of CENP-B was down-regulated. In addition, delayed cell cycle progression, inhibited malignant phenotype, restrained ability of tumor formation in nude mice, and delayed entry from G2fM phase into next G1 phase were observed in HACPB cells. Furthermore, the expression of cyclin-dependent kinases （CDKs）, cyclins, and CDK inhibitors （CKIs） were modulated during different phases of the cell cycle. CENP-B is an essential protein for the maintenance of the structure and function of centromere/kinetochore complex, and plays important roles in cell cycle regulation.     

A novel strategy for cancer treatment: Targeting cancer stem cells

Cancer stem cell/tumor-initiating cell （CSC/TIC） is a subclass of cancer cells possessing parts of properties of normal stem cell. It has a high capacity of proliferation and plays a pivotal role in tumor recurrence and tumor resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. At present, small molecule inhibitors and fusion proteins are widely used in the CSC-targeting strategy. Gene-virotherapy, which uses oncolytic adenovirus as a vector to mediate the expression of therapeutic gene, shows a significant superiority to other regimens of cancer treatment and has a good efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors. Thus, it is a promising choice to apply gene-virotherapy into the CSC-targeting treatment. Based on the molecular mechanism underlying CSC self-renewal, a series of effective strategies for targeting CSC have been established. This review will summarize the recent research progresses on CSC-targeting treatment.     

Anti-Angiogenesis and Anti-Tumor Effect of Shark Cartilage Extract

IntroductionThe progression of a tumor cell from benigndelimited proliferation to malignant and metastaticgrowth is the majorcause of poorclinical outcomesof cancer therapy.Angiogenesis in the host is acharacteristic phenomenon of most malignanttumors.With adequate blood supply,tumor cellswill not only grow,but also acquire metastaticpotential[1] . This process may involve theproduction of tumor- derived mediators ofendothelial cell migration and proliferation throughenzymes ( such as collagen…