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Showing papers by "Dalian Medical University published in 2014"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway is discussed and its physiological roles and therapeutic implications are discussed, showing that cytochrome c release from mitochondria does not always lead to irreversible cell death, and that caspase activation can also have non-death functions.
Abstract: The mitochondria-mediated caspase activation pathway is a major apoptotic pathway characterized by mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP) and subsequent release of cytochrome c into the cytoplasm to activate caspases. MOMP is regulated by the Bcl-2 family of proteins. This pathway plays important roles not only in normal development, maintenance of tissue homeostasis and the regulation of immune system, but also in human diseases such as immune disorders, neurodegeneration and cancer. In the past decades the molecular basis of this pathway and the regulatory mechanism have been comprehensively studied, yet a great deal of new evidence indicates that cytochrome c release from mitochondria does not always lead to irreversible cell death, and that caspase activation can also have non-death functions. Thus, many unsolved questions and new challenges are still remaining. Furthermore, the dysfunction of this pathway involved in cancer development is obvious, and targeting the pathway as a therapeutic strategy has been extensively explored, but the efficacy of the targeted therapies is still under development. In this review we will discuss the mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway and its physiological roles and therapeutic implications.

299 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: An enzyme assisted reversed-phase-reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-RPLC) approach with both RPLC separations operated with optimized acidic mobile phase was developed, and the largest phosphoproteome dataset of human liver was generated.

224 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This work aims to demonstrate the efforts towards in-situ applicability of EMMARM, which aims to provide real-time information about the response of the immune system to EMTs.
Abstract: Xuemei Zhang, Gary Guishan Xiao, and Ying Gao 1 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dalian Medical University, 9 Western Section, Lushun South Street, Lvshunkou District, Dalian 116044, China 2The Medical College of Dalian University, Dalian Economic & Technical Development Zone, Dalian 116622, China 3Departments of Medicine and Medical Microbiology, Creighton University, 601 N 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68131, USA

212 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 May 2014-Carbon
TL;DR: In this article, photoluminescent carbon dots (C-dots) were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal treatment using polyethylene glycol with different molar weight as the sole carbon source.

211 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is suggested that Wnt signaling might have a critical role in the self-renewal of gastric CSCs, and salinomycin targeting WNT signaling may have important clinical applications in gastric cancer therapy.
Abstract: Roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the gastric cancer stem cells proliferation and salinomycin treatment

205 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
04 Sep 2014-Blood
TL;DR: This study identified a distinct glucose metabolism signature with 400 AML patients and 446 healthy controls and generated a prognosis risk score (PRS) with 6 metabolite markers for each patient using principal component analysis, providing strong evidence for the use of serum metabolites and metabolic pathways as novel prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for AML.

199 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The reference range for nonpregnant women can be used for the assessment of pregnant women at 4 to 6 weeks of gestation and the upper limit of serum TSH in the first trimester was much higher than 2.5 mIU/L in Chinese pregnant women.
Abstract: Context: Guidelines of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) proposed that the upper limit of the TSH reference range should be 2.5 mIU/L in first trimester, but the reported ranges in China are significantly higher. Objective: Our objective was to establish a rational reference range of serum TSH for diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism in the first trimester of pregnant women in China. Design: We screened 4800 pregnant women in the first trimester and 2000 women who planned to become pregnant and evaluated 535 pregnant women in follow-up visits during the second and third trimester. Results: Median concentrations of serum TSH decreased significantly from the seventh week of gestation. The median of TSH from 4 to 6 weeks was significantly higher than from 7 to 12 weeks (2.15 [0.56–5.31] mIU/L vs 1.47 [0.10–4.34] mIU/L, P < .001); however, there was no significant difference compared with nonpregnant women (2.07 [0.69–5.64] mIU/L; P = .784). The median of free T4 was not significantly altered in the f...

188 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The splicing factor RBM4 is established as a tumor suppressor with therapeutic potential and clinical values as a prognostic factor by specifically controlling cancer-related splicing.

166 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results confirm that the biocompatible pH-responsive HA-PHis micelles are a promising nanosystem for the intracellular targeted delivery of DOX.

156 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence that neddylation is important in HECT ubiquitin ligase activation is provided and new light is shed on the tumour-promoting role of Smurf1 is shed.
Abstract: Neddylation, the covalent attachment of ubiquitin-like protein Nedd8, of the Cullin-RING E3 ligase family regulates their ubiquitylation activity. However, regulation of HECT ligases by neddylation has not been reported to date. Here we show that the C2-WW-HECT ligase Smurf1 is activated by neddylation. Smurf1 physically interacts with Nedd8 and Ubc12, forms a Nedd8-thioester intermediate, and then catalyses its own neddylation on multiple lysine residues. Intriguingly, this autoneddylation needs an active site at C426 in the HECT N-lobe. Neddylation of Smurf1 potently enhances ubiquitin E2 recruitment and augments the ubiquitin ligase activity of Smurf1. The regulatory role of neddylation is conserved in human Smurf1 and yeast Rsp5. Furthermore, in human colorectal cancers, the elevated expression of Smurf1, Nedd8, NAE1 and Ubc12 correlates with cancer progression and poor prognosis. These findings provide evidence that neddylation is important in HECT ubiquitin ligase activation and shed new light on the tumour-promoting role of Smurf1.

142 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results show that the EpCAM Apt-functionalized CUR-NPs enhance the targeting and drug delivery of CUR to colorectal cancer cells.
Abstract: To improve the efficacy of drug delivery, active targeted nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are gaining considerable attention as they have the potential to reduce side effects, minimize toxicity, and improve efficacy of anticancer treatment. In this work CUR-NPs (curcumin-loaded lipid-polymer-lecithin hybrid nanoparticles) were synthesized and functionalized with ribonucleic acid (RNA) Aptamers (Apts) against epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) for targeted delivery to colorectal adenocarcinoma cells. These CUR-encapsulated bioconjugates (Apt-CUR-NPs) were characterized for particle size, zeta potential, drug encapsulation, stability, and release. The in vitro specific cell binding, cellular uptake, and cytotoxicity of Apt-CUR-NPs were also studied. The Apt-CUR-NP bioconjugates exhibited increased binding to HT29 colon cancer cells and enhancement in cellular uptake when compared to CUR-NPs functionalized with a control Apt (P<0.01). Furthermore, a substantial improvement in cytotoxicity was achieved toward HT29 cells with Apt-CUR-NP bioconjugates. The encapsulation of CUR in Apt-CUR-NPs resulted in the increased bioavailability of delivered CUR over a period of 24 hours compared to that of free CUR in vivo. These results show that the EpCAM Apt-functionalized CUR-NPs enhance the targeting and drug delivery of CUR to colorectal cancer cells. Further development of CUR-encapsulated, nanosized carriers will lead to improved targeted delivery of novel chemotherapeutic agents to colorectal cancer cells.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is indicated that Nestin positively regulates the proliferation, survival and invasiveness of breast CSC by enhancing Wnt/β-catenin activation.
Abstract: We investigated Nestin expression in triple-negative breast cancer and examined how the modulation of Nestin expression affects cell cycle progression, survival, invasion and regulatory signaling in breast cancer stem cells (CSC) in vitro. Nestin expression in 150 triple-negative breast cancer specimens were examined by immunohistochemistry. The role of Nestin expression in tumorigenesis was examined by assaying naturally occurring Nestinhigh/Nestinlow CSC from 12 breast cancer tissues, as well as CSC from 26 clinical specimens, where Nestin overexpression and silencing was achieved by genetic manipulation, for their ability to form mammospheres and induce solid tumors. Cell cycle progression, spontaneous apoptosis and invasiveness of Nestin-silenced breast CSC were investigated by flow cytometry and transwell assays. The relative levels of expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related molecules were determined by western blotting. Nestin expression was significantly associated with poor survival in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (P = 0.01). Nestinhigh breast CSC rapidly formed typical mammospheres in vitro. Nestinhigh, but not Nestinlow CSC, efficiently formed solid tumors in vivo. Nestin silencing induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M (52.03% versus 19.99% in controls) and promoted apoptosis (36.45% versus 8.29% in controls). Nestin silencing also inhibited breast CSC invasiveness, and was associated with significantly upregulated E-cadherin, while N-cadherin, vimentin, a-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-9 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was downregulated (P <0.05 for all). Nestin silencing also upregulated Axin, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3β), adenomatous polyposis coli (APC), and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARa), and downregulated β-catenin, c-Myc, cyclin D and MMP-7 expression in CSC. Inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway mitigated mammosphere formation in Nestinhigh CSC, while inhibition of GSK-3β promoted the mammosphere formation in Nestinlow CSC (P <0.05 for all). Our data indicates that Nestin positively regulates the proliferation, survival and invasiveness of breast CSC by enhancing Wnt/β-catenin activation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Characterization of CD44+CD24-Cancer stem cell derived from breast cancer cells indicated that CSC rapidly formed mammospheres and had potent tumorigenicity in vivo, demonstrating that C SC underwent EMT.
Abstract: Oct-4 and Nanog in regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis of breast cancer has not been clarified. We found that both Oct-4 and Nanog expression were significantly associated with tumor pathology and poor prognosis in 126 breast cancer patients. Characterization of CD44+CD24-Cancer stem cell(CSC) derived from breast cancer cells indicated that CSC rapidly formed mammospheres and had potent tumorigenicity in vivo. Furthermore, TGF-β up-regulated the expression of Oct-4, Nanog, N-cadherin, vimentin, Slug, and Snail, but down-regulated E-cadherin and cytokeratin 18 expression, demonstrating that CSC underwent EMT. Knockdown of both Oct-4 and Nanog expression inhibited spontaneous changes in the expression of EMT-related genes, while induction of both Oct-4 and Nanog over-expression enhanced spontaneous changes in the expression of EMT-related genes in CSC. However, perturbing alternation of Oct-4 and Nanog expression also modulated TGF-β-induced EMT-related gene expression in CSC. Induction of Oct-4 and Nanog over-expression enhanced the invasiveness of CSC, but knockdown of both Oct-4 and Nanog inhibited the migration of CSC in vitro. Our data suggest that both Oct-4 and Nanog may serve as biomarkers for evaluating breast cancer prognosis. Our findings indicate that Oct-4 and Nanog positively regulate the EMT process, contributing to breast cancer metastasis.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Stroke significantly and independently increased risk for AD and in turn AD increasedrisk for ICH, confirming that AD and ICH may have common pathogenesis and share preventive treatment measures.
Abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and stroke are common disorders of aging, but the relationship between these two disorders remains uncertain. Recent evidence recognized that they frequently co-occur and are influenced by each other, while other studies have produced inconsistent results. We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis of stroke on risk for AD and AD on risk for stroke subtypes to clarify the relation between these two disorders on the basis of the studies published from 1975 to November 2013 in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases. In total, 7 cohort studies and 2 nested case-control studies met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. For stroke, the pooled effect size for AD risk was 1.59 (95% CI 1.25-2.02; z = 3.76; p = 0.000). For AD dementia, it was not associated with risk of all strokes or ischemic stroke (IS), but the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH was higher among persons with AD. The pooled RR for AD in relation to incident IS did not indicate a significant association (RR: 1.13; 95% CI 0.75-1.70; z = 0.58; p = 0.565). The pooled effect size for AD and ICH risk was 1.41 (95% CI 1.21-1.66; z = 4.27; p < 0.001). Stroke significantly and independently increased risk for AD and in turn AD increased risk for ICH. These results confirm that AD and ICH may have common pathogenesis and share preventive treatment measures.

Journal ArticleDOI
13 Mar 2014-Oncogene
TL;DR: Findings reveal a new regulatory mechanism of YAP2 by the SIRT1-mediated deacetylation that may be involved in HCC tumorigenesis and drug resistance.
Abstract: The MST/YAP (mammalian Ste20-like kinase/Yes-associated protein 2) pathway plays an important role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Although post-translational modification-especially MST/Lats (large tumor suppressor)-mediated phosphorylation and PP1 (protein phosphatase-1)-mediated dephosphorylation-has been found to regulate the activity of YAP2, very little is known about its acetylation. In our experiments, we observed that the expression of SIRT1 is significantly upregulated in the tumor samples of the hepatocarcinoma patients, and SIRT1 mRNA level positively correlates with connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) mRNA level. We then found that SIRT1 deacetylates YAP2 protein in HCC cells and SIRT1-mediated deacetylation increases the YAP2/TEAD4 association, leading to YAP2/TEAD4 transcriptional activation and upregulated cell growth in HCC cells. Moreover, knockdown of SIRT1 blocks the cisplatin (CDDP)-induced nuclear translocation of YAP2 and enhances the chemosensitivity of HCC cells to CDDP treatment. Together, our findings reveal a new regulatory mechanism of YAP2 by the SIRT1-mediated deacetylation that may be involved in HCC tumorigenesis and drug resistance.

Journal ArticleDOI
Lin Song1, Jianwu Tang1, Lawrence Owusu1, Ming-Zhong Sun1, Jun Wu1, Jun Zhang1 
TL;DR: The associations of the expression and localization of Gal-3 as well as its potential action mechanism in tumorigenesis in a variety of cancers were summarized and concluded.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a new method for the hydrolysis of cellulose into reducing sugar in ionic liquids catalyzed by a core-shell Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 -SO 3 H acid catalyst.

Journal ArticleDOI
Fan Xia1, Changyuan Wang1, Yue Jin1, Qi Liu1, Qiang Meng1, Kexin Liu1, Huijun Sun1 
TL;DR: Luteolin attenuates TNF-α-induced oxidative stress and inflammation via its effects on the Nox4/ROS-NF-κB and MAPK pathways and suggests that luteolin may provide a beneficial effect in treating vascular diseases associated with oxidative Stress and inflammation.
Abstract: Aim: Inflammation and oxidative stress are now recognized to be two important contributing factors to the development of atherosclerosis(AS). NADPH oxidase-4 (Nox4)-derived reactive oxygen species(ROS), NF-κB and MAPK play crucial roles in these processes. Luteolin, a flavone rich in many plants, can interrupt the molecular expression and inhibit the progression of inflammation and oxidative stress. The present study was designed to test whether luteolin inhibits TNF-α-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs) and identify some of the mechanisms underlying these effects. Methods: HUVECs were treated with luteolin in the presence/absence of TNF-α. The mechanism of luteolin against TNF-α-induced cell injury was evaluated using Western blotting, real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry analyses. Results: Luteolin suppressed the TNF-α-activated ROS generation, as well as the Nox4, p22phox, and ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. Luteolin also enhanced the Bcl-2 and reduced caspase-3, -9 expression in the TNF-α-treated HUVECs. Finally, luteolin inhibited the TNF-α-induced transcriptional activity of NF-κB and p38 in addition to ERK1/2 phosphorylation. The inhibitors and siRNA of Nox4 and NF-κB not only reduced ROS generation, p38, ERK1/2 phosphorylation and the ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression, but also enhanced Bcl-2 expression. The inhibitor of p38 had the same effect on the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and Bcl-2, while the inhibitor of ERK1/2 increased the Bcl-2 expression rather than reducing the ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression. Conclusions: Luteolin attenuates TNF-α-induced oxidative stress and inflammation via its effects on the Nox4/ROS-NF-κB and MAPK pathways. These results suggest that luteolin may provide a beneficial effect in treating vascular diseases associated with oxidative stress and inflammation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The progress on the relationship between miR-92a family and their target genes and malignant tumors will be summarized.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Together, these data identify miR-146a as a regulatory element in keratinocyte innate immunity, which prevents the production of inflammatory mediators under homeostatic conditions and serves as a potent negative feedback regulator after TLR2 stimulation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: 6-Gingerol has been found to possess anticancer activities via its effect on a variety of biological pathways involved in apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, cytotoxic activity, and inhibition of angiogenesis.
Abstract: Numerous studies have revealed that regular consumption of certain fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of many diseases. The rhizome of Zingiber officinale (ginger) is consumed worldwide as a spice and herbal medicine. It contains pungent phenolic substances collectively known as gingerols. 6-Gingerol is the major pharmacologically-active component of ginger. It is known to exhibit a variety of biological activities including anticancer, anti-inflammation, and anti-oxidation. 6-Gingerol has been found to possess anticancer activities via its effect on a variety of biological pathways involved in apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, cytotoxic activity, and inhibition of angiogenesis. Thus, due to its efficacy and regulation of multiple targets, as well as its safety for human use, 6-gingerol has received considerable interest as a potential therapeutic agent for the prevention and/or treatment of various diseases. Taken together, this review summarizes the various in vitro and in vivo pharmacological aspects of 6-gingerol and the underlying mechanisms.

Journal ArticleDOI
23 Jan 2014-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: It is reported that ALDOA is a highly expressed in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its expression level is correlated with LSCC metastasis, grades, differentiation status and poor prognosis, and it is suggested thatALDOA could be a potential marker for LS CC metastasis and a therapeutic target for drug development.
Abstract: Fructose-bisphosphate aldolase A (ALDOA) is a key enzyme in glycolysis and is responsible for catalyzing the reversible conversion of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate to glyceraldehydes-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate. ALDOA contributes to various cellular functions such as muscle maintenance, regulation of cell shape and mobility, striated muscle contraction, actin filament organization and ATP biosynthetic process. Here, we reported that ALDOA is a highly expressed in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and its expression level is correlated with LSCC metastasis, grades, differentiation status and poor prognosis. Depletion of ALDOA expression in the lung squamous carcinoma NCI-H520 cells reduces the capabilities of cell motility and tumorigenesis. These data suggest that ALDOA could be a potential marker for LSCC metastasis and a therapeutic target for drug development.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The expression of miR-143 andmiR-215 in serum were significantly up-regulated in patients with chronic hepatitis and HCC, showing that miR -143 and mi-215 might be a potential biomarker for the hepatitis andHCC.
Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is regarded as one of the most common malignancies and among the leading causes of cancer death among the whole world. The most urgent needs are to find sensitive markers for early diagnosis or monitor postoperative recurrence and to give adequate treatment for HCC. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are reported as a group of small non-coding RNAs that can function as endogenous RNA interference to regulate expression of the targeted genes. This study was conducted to detect the application of miR-143 and miR-215 in the diagnosis of HCC. A total of 340 serum samples (127 samples from controls, 118 samples from hepatitis and 95 samples from HCC patients) were collected. The levels of the two mature miRNAs (miR-143 and miR-215) were detected by probe-based stem-loop quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) in controls, hepatitis and HCC patients. Besides, the relationship between miR-143 and miR-215 levels and clinical and pathological factors was explored. We found that the expression of serum miR-215 was distinctly increased in chronic hepatitis compared with controls (mean ± SD: 6.79 ± 0.72 vs. 3.46 ± 0.37, P < 0.001 and mean ± SD: 8.38 ± 0.87 vs. 3.46 ± 0.37, P < 0.001). In addition, we conduct ROC analyses to detect the potential application of miR-143 and miR-215 in the diagnosis of chronic hepatitis and HCC. Our results showed that miR-143 and miR-215 might be a potential biomarker for the hepatitis and HCC. In conclusion, the expression of miR-143 and miR-215 in serum were significantly up-regulated in patients with chronic hepatitis and HCC. Due to its reasonable sensitivity and specificity for both diseases, miR-143 and miR-215 could be as potential circulating biomarkers. The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1048932281272754

Journal ArticleDOI
26 Dec 2014-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Results indicate that TMEM 16A CaCC is involved in growth, migration and invasion of metastatic CRC cells and provide evidence for TMEM16A as a potential drug target for treating metastatic colorectal carcinoma.
Abstract: Metastasis leads to poor prognosis in colorectal cancer patients, and there is a growing need for new therapeutic targets. TMEM16A (ANO1, DOG1 or TAOS2) has recently been identified as a calcium-activated chloride channel (CaCC) and is reported to be overexpressed in several malignancies; however, its expression and function in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. In this study, we found expression of TMEM16A mRNA and protein in high-metastatic-potential SW620, HCT116 and LS174T cells, but not in primary HCT8 and SW480 cells, using RT-PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence labeling. Patch-clamp recordings detected CaCC currents regulated by intracellular Ca2+ and voltage in SW620 cells. Knockdown of TMEM16A by short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) resulted in the suppression of growth, migration and invasion of SW620 cells as detected by MTT, wound-healing and transwell assays. Mechanistically, TMEM16A depletion was accompanied by the dysregulation of phospho-MEK, phospho-ERK1/2 and cyclin D1 expression. Flow cytometry analysis showed that SW620 cells were inhibited from the G1 to S phase of the cell cycle in the TMEM16A shRNA group compared with the control group. In conclusion, our results indicate that TMEM16A CaCC is involved in growth, migration and invasion of metastatic CRC cells and provide evidence for TMEM16A as a potential drug target for treating metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results show that BPA caused an increased in DNA strand-breaks along with greater DNA migration from the nucleus into the comet tail and the expression of DNA damage-associated proteins (p53 and p-Chk2 (T68)) was significantly increased.
Abstract: Bisphenol A (BPA), an endocrine disruptor, is widely used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Many studies have demonstrated that BPA can play a role in reproductive toxicity and affect the normal metabolic function. Recent research has shown that BPA can influence the function of pancreatic islets. In this study, our aim is to assess the DNA damage induced by BPA and to clarify the mechanism, by use of rat insulinoma INS-1 cells. INS-1 cells were exposed to different doses of BPA (0, 25, 50, 100 μM). We conducted the single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay to measure DNA damage, and studied proteins such as p53 and p-Chk2 (T68) by Western blotting, in order to verify the (geno)toxicity of BPA. Moreover, we examined intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH) to discuss the possible mechanism of DNA damage. The results show that BPA caused an increased in DNA strand-breaks along with greater DNA migration from the nucleus into the comet tail. The expression of DNA damage-associated proteins (p53 and p-Chk2 (T68)) was significantly increased. The exposure to various doses of BPA caused a significant increase in intracellular ROS and a significant reduction in the level of GSH. N-Acetyl cysteine, an inhibitor of intracellular ROS formation, can significantly reduce the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that NDV infection induced steady-state autophagy in chicken-derived DF-1 cells and in primary chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells, evident through increased double- or single-membrane vesicles, the accumulation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-LC3 dots, and the conversion ofLC3-I to LC3-II.
Abstract: Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is an important avian pathogen. We previously reported that NDV triggers autophagy in U251 glioma cells, resulting in enhanced virus replication. In this study, we investigated whether NDV triggers autophagy in chicken cells and tissues to enhance virus replication. We demonstrated that NDV infection induced steady-state autophagy in chicken-derived DF-1 cells and in primary chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells, evident through increased double- or single-membrane vesicles, the accumulation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-LC3 dots, and the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II. In addition, we measured autophagic flux by monitoring p62/SQSTM1 degradation, LC3-II turnover, and GFP-LC3 lysosomal delivery and proteolysis, to confirm that NDV infection induced the complete autophagic process. Inhibition of autophagy by pharmacological inhibitors and RNA interference reduced virus replication, indicating an important role for autophagy in NDV infection. Furthermore, we conducted in vivo experiments and observed the conversion of LC3-I to LC3-II in heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney of NDV-infected chickens. Regulation of the induction of autophagy with wortmannin, chloroquine, or starvation treatment affects NDV production and pathogenesis in tissues of both lung and intestine; however, treatment with rapamycin, an autophagy inducer of mammalian cells, showed no detectable changes in chicken cells and tissues. Moreover, administration of the autophagy inhibitor wortmannin increased the survival rate of NDV-infected chickens. Our studies provide strong evidence that NDV infection induces autophagy which benefits NDV replication in chicken cells and tissues.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This review provides a summary and a critical review of the current knowledge about various in vivo models of PD used to test novel therapeutic strategies.

Journal ArticleDOI
29 Jul 2014-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: SCN has the potential to be an effective and safer nano-carrier for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors with elevated expression of tenascin-C in their microenvironment and a reduction in the accumulation of DOX in the drug's principal toxicity organs achieved by SCN-DOX led to the diminished systemic toxicity.
Abstract: As a glycosphingolipid that can bind to several extracellular matrix proteins, sulfatide has the potential to become an effective targeting agent for tumors overexpressing tenasin-C in their microenvironment. To overcome the dose-limiting toxicity of doxorubicin (DOX), a sulfatide-containing nanoliposome (SCN) encapsulation approach was employed to improve treatment efficacy and reduce side effects of free DOX. This study analysed in vitro characteristics of sulfatidecontaining nanoliposomal DOX (SCN-DOX) and assessed its cytotoxicity in vitro, as well as biodistribution, therapeutic efficacy, and systemic toxicity in a human glioblastoma U-118MG xenograft model. SCN-DOX was shown to achieve highest drug to lipid ratio (0.5:1) and a remarkable in vitro stability. Moreover, DOX encapsulated in SCN was shown to be delivered into the nuclei and displayed prolonged retention over free DOX in U-118MG cells. This simple two-lipid SCN-DOX nanodrug has favourable pharmacokinetic attributes in terms of prolonged circulation time, reduced volume of distribution and enhanced bioavailability in healthy rats. As a result of the improved biodistribution, an enhanced treatment efficacy of SCNDOX was found in glioma-bearing mice compared to the free drug. Finally, a reduction in the accumulation of DOX in the drug’s principal toxicity organs achieved by SCN-DOX led to the diminished systemic toxicity as evident from the plasma biochemical analyses. Thus, SCN has the potential to be an effective and safer nano-carrier for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors with elevated expression of tenascin-C in their microenvironment.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Feb 2014-Stroke
TL;DR: CARD8 is a downstream target gene regulated by ANRIL, and single nucleotide polymorphism rs2043211 in CARD8 is significantly associated with ischemic stroke.
Abstract: Background and Purpose—ANRIL has long been considered as the strongest candidate gene at the 9p21 locus, robustly associated with stroke and coronary artery disease. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. The present study works to elucidate such a mechanism. Methods—Using expression quantitative loci analysis, we identified potential genes whose expression may be influenced by genetic variation in ANRIL. To verify the identified gene(s), knockdown and overexpression of ANRIL were evaluated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and HepG2 cells. Ischemic stroke and coronary artery disease risk were then evaluated in the gene(s) demonstrated to be mediated by ANRIL in 3 populations of Chinese Han ancestry: 2 ischemic stroke populations consisting of the Central China cohort (903 cases and 873 controls) and the Northern China cohort (816 cases and 879 controls) and 1 coronary artery disease cohort consisting of 772 patients and 873 controls. Results—Expression quantitative loci anal...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: MiR-21 not only promoted cancer cell hyperplasia and contributed to tumor cell transformation and metastasis, but also post-transcriptionally downregulated PDCD4 protein expression.
Abstract: Objectives: MiR-21 induces neoplastic transformation, cell proliferation, and metastasis and downregulates programmed cell death4 (PDCD4) in some cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles and interactions of PDCD4 and miR-21 in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Materials and Methods: A total of 32 paired tumor and normal tissue specimens from RCC patients as well as three renal cancer cell lines (786-O, A498, caki-1) and one normal epithelial kidney cell line (HK-2) were studied. The expression levels of PDCD4 (protein and mRNA) and miR-21 were examined by Western blot analysis and by qRT-PCR and luciferase reporter assays. Furthermore, we transfected 786-O cells with pre-miR-21 (mimics) and anti-miR-21 (inhibitor) and then again analyzed the expression of PDCD4 protein and mRNA, and determined cell proliferation and transformation capabilities by EDU and soft agar colony formation assay. Results: MiR-21 expression was significantly upregulated in RCC, metastatic RCC specimens and renal cancer cell lines (A498, 786-O, caki-1) compared to normal non-metastatic RCC specimens and HK-2 cells (PPP>0.05). Moreover, we observed a significant reduction in PDCD4 protein levels in miR-21mimic-transfected cells, but a significant increase in miR-21inhibitor-transfected cells (PP>0.05). Furthermore, miR-21mimic-transfected cells exhibited increased cell proliferation and transformation capacity according to EDU analysis and soft agar formation assay, whereas miR-21inhibitor-transfected cells exhibited the opposite phenomenon(PConclusions: MiR-21 not only promoted cancer cell hyperplasia and contributed to tumor cell transformation and metastasis, but also post-transcriptionally downregulated PDCD4 protein expression. PDCD4 and miR-21 expression levels potentially play an important role in renal cell cancer.