scholarly journals Expression and possible role of Smad3 in postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture

2022 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000289
Author(s):  
Rui Chen ◽  
Chengjie Lv ◽  
Xiaoxia Zhao ◽  
Dong Ma ◽  
Dengming Lai ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression of Smad3 (mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3) protein in postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture and its possible mechanism of action.MethodsWe used immunohistochemistry to detect the expression characteristics of Smad3 and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) proteins in human postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture. We cultured IEC-6 (crypt epithelial cells of rat small intestine) in vitro and inhibited the expression of Smad3 using siRNA technique. Quantitative PCR, western blotting, and ELISA were used to detect the changes in transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), NF-κB, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expressions in IEC-6 cells. CCK8 kit and Transwell cellular migration were used to detect cell proliferation and migration. Changes in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers (E-cadherin and vimentin) in IEC-6 cells were detected by immunofluorescence technique.ResultsThe results showed that Smad3 protein and NF-κB protein were overexpressed in narrow intestinal tissues and that Smad3 protein expression was positively correlated with NF-κB protein expression. After inhibiting the expression of Smad3 in IEC-6 cells, the mRNA expressions of NF-κB, TGF-β1, ZO-1, and VEGF decreased, whereas the mRNA expression of TNF-α did not significantly change. TGF-β1, NF-κB, and TNF-α protein expressions in IEC-6 cells decreased, whereas ZO-1 and intracellular VEGF protein expressions increased. IEC-6 cell proliferation and migration capacity decreased. There was no significant change in protein expression levels of EMT markers E-cadherin and vimentin and also extracellular VEGF protein expression.ConclusionsWe suspect that the high expression of Smad3 protein in postnecrotizing enterocolitis stricture may promote the occurrence and development of secondary intestinal stenosis. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of TGF-β1, NF-κB, TNF-α, ZO-1, and VEGF mRNA and protein expression. This may also be related to the ability of Smad3 to promote epithelial cell proliferation and migration.

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 1439-1454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxiao Liu ◽  
Yifeng Xu ◽  
Yunfei Deng ◽  
Hongli Li

Background/Aims: Percutaneous coronary intervention reduces acute myocardial infarction (MI)-induced mortality to a great extent, but effective treatments for MI-induced cardiac fibrosis and heart failure are still lacking. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a variety of roles in cells and have thus been investigated extensively. MicroRNA-223 (miR-223) expression has been reported to be altered in post-MI heart failure in humans; however, the roles of miR-223 in MI remain unknown. Our study aimed to elucidate the roles of miR-223 in cardiac fibrosis. Methods: Cultured cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) were activated by TGF-β1 stimulation. Gain and loss of miR-223 and RAS p21 protein activator 1 (RASA1) knockdown in CFs were achieved by transfecting the cells with miR-223 mimics and inhibitors, as well as small interfering RNA-RASA1 (siRASA1), respectively. Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR) was used to determine miR-223-3p and RASA1 expression levels, and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell migration and scratch assays were performed to assess CFs viability and migration, respectively. Western blotting was used to detect collagen I, collagen III, alpha-smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), RASA1, p-Akt/t-Akt, p-MEK1/2/t-MEK1/2, and p-ERK1/2/t-ERK1/2 protein expressions, and immunofluorescence assays were used to detect the expression of α-actin, vimentin and α-SMA. Luciferase assays were carried out to determine whether miR-223 binds to RASA1. Rat models of MI were established by the ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. MiR-223 inhibition in vivo was achieved via intramyocardial injections of the miR-223 sponge carried by adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9). The cardiac function was detected by echocardiography, and cardiac fibrosis was shown by Masson’s trichrome staining. Results: miR-223 was increased in CFs compared to cardiomypcytes, and TGF-β1 treatment increased miR-223 expression in CFs. The miR-223 mimics enhanced cell proliferation and migration and collagen I, collagen III, and α-SMA protein expression in CFs, while the miR-223 inhibitors had contrasting effects and partially prevented the promoting effects of TGF-β1. qRT-PCR and western blotting revealed that miR-223 negatively regulated RASA1 expression, and the luciferase assays showed that miR-223 suppressed the luciferase activity of the RASA1 3’ untranslated region (3'UTR), indicating that miR-223 binds directly to RASA1. Similar to transfection with the miR-223 mimics, RASA1 knockdown enhanced cell proliferation and migration and collagen I, collagen III, and α-SMA protein expression in CFs. Moreover, RASA1 knockdown partially reversed the inhibitory effects of the miR-223 inhibitor on cell proliferation and migration and collagen I, collagen III, and α-SMA protein expression, indicating that the effects of miR-223 in CFs are partially mediated by the regulation of RASA1 expression. Further exploration showed that miR-223 mimics and siRASA1 promoted MEK1/2, ERK1/2 and AKT phosphorylation, while the miR-223 inhibitors had contrasting effects. The in vivo experiments confirmed the results of the in vitro experiments and showed that miR-223 inhibition prevented cardiac functional deterioration and cardiac fibrosis. Conclusions: miR-223 enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation in CFs, thus mediated cardiac fibrosis after MI partially via the involvement of RASA1.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiong Ma ◽  
Chunxia Zhou ◽  
Xuejun Chen

Abstract Background Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is essential for cell proliferation and differentiation, is noted to be aberrantly activated in tumor from increasing studies in recent years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as an important non-coding RNA in cells have been proven to possess a regulatory role specific to the Hh signaling pathway. Here, in vitro and in vivo cellular/molecular experiments were adopted to clarify the regulatory mechanism linking miR-636 to the Hh signaling pathway in ovarian cancer (OVC). Methods Protein–protein interaction analysis was performed to identify the hub gene in the Hh pathway. TargetScan database was used to predict the potential upstream regulators for Gli2. qRT-PCR was performed to test the expression of miR-636, while Western blot was conducted to detect the expression of proteins related to the Hh pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). For cell functional experiments, HO-8910PM OVC cell line was used. MTT assay and wound healing assay were used to measure the effect of miR-636 on cell proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry was carried out to examine the effect of miR-636 on cell cycle, and Western blot was used to identify the change in expression of Hh and EMT-related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to detect the targeting relationship between miR-636 and Gli2. Xenotransplantation models were established for in vivo examination. Results Gli2 was identified as the hub gene of the Hh pathway and it was validated to be regulated by miR-636 based on the data from TargetScan and GEO databases. In vitro experiments discovered that miR-636 was significantly lowly expressed in OVC cell lines, and overexpressing miR-636 significantly inhibited HO-8910PM cell proliferation, migration and induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while the inhibition of miR-636 caused opposite results. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that Gli2 was the target gene of miR-636 in OVC. Besides, overexpressed miR-636 decreased protein expression of Gli2, and affected the expression of proteins related to the Hh signaling pathway and EMT. Rescue experiments verified that overexpression of Gli2 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration, and attenuated the blocking effect of miR-636 on cell cycle. The xenotransplantation experiment suggested that miR-636 inhibited cell growth of OVC by decreasing Gli2 expression. Besides, overexpressing Gli2 potentiated the EMT process of OVC cells via decreasing E-cadherin protein expression and increasing Vimentin protein expression, and it reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation in vivo. Conclusion miR-636 mediates the activation of the Hh pathway via binding to Gli2, thus inhibiting EMT, suppressing cell proliferation and migration of OVC. Trial registration: The experimental protocol was established, according to the ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of The Second Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (IR2019001235). Written informed consent was obtained from individual or guardian participants.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiyan Wang ◽  
Wenbo Zhou ◽  
Guangtong She ◽  
Bin Yu ◽  
Lizhou Sun

Abstract Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) is a common obstetric pregnancy complication, which poses a serious threat to the health of pregnant women and newborns. The specific etiology and pathogenesis of this disease have not been fully clarified, it is reported to be related with insulin resistance, inflammatory response and genetic factors etc. Circular RNA(circRNA) is a special kind of non-coding RNA, which have been attracted much attention in recent years. It has been reported that circRNAs may play a regulatory role in pregnancy-related diseases, including GDM. Methods: Previously we reported a circRNA, hsa_circ_005243, which was identified by RNA-sequencing. In this study we detected its expression in 20 GDM pregnant women and 20 normal controls using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. Further in vitro experiments were conducted after hsa_circ_005243 knockdown in HTR8-S/Vneo cells, cell proliferation and migration ability was tested, the secretion of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) were detected by ELISA. Then we detected the expression of β-catenin and increased nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways which was related to GDM in the mechanism study. Results: We found the expression of hsa_circ_005243 was significantly reduced both in the placenta and plasma of GDM pregnant women. Knockdown of hsa_circ_005243 in trophoblast cells significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration ability. In addition, increased secretion of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) were observed after hsa_circ_005243 depletion. Further mechanism experiments showed that knockdown of hsa_circ_005243 reduced the expression of β-catenin and increased nuclear NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. Conclusions: Collectively, our study showed that down-regulation of hsa_circ_005243 might be associated with the pathogenesis of GDM through regulating β-catenin and NF-κB signal pathways and suggest a new potential therapeutic target for GDM.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiong Ma ◽  
Chunxia Zhou ◽  
Xuejun Chen

Abstract Objective: Ovarian cancer (OVC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women and has a significant impact on physical and mental health of women. This study explores the molecular mechanism of miR-636 acting as a tumor suppressor in OVC in vitro and in vivo, and provides new insight into the treatment of OVC.Methods: Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed to identify the hub gene in Hedgehog (Hh) pathway. TargetScan database was used to predict the upstream regulatory miRNAs of Gli2 to obtain the target miRNA. qRT-PCR was performed to test the expression of miR-636, while Western blot were conducted to detect the expression of Hh and EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) related genes in OVC cell lines. MTT assay and wound healing assay were used to measure the effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry was carried out to examine the effect of miR-636 on cell cycle, and Western blot was used for identification of changes in expression of Hh and EMT related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to detect the targeted relationship between miR-636 and Gli2. The xenotransplantation model was used to detect the effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation in vivo.Results: PPI interaction analysis found that Gli2 was the hub gene in Hh pathway. Based on TargetScan and GEO databases, Gli2 was found to be targeted regulated by the upstream miR-636. In vitro experiments discovered that miR-636 was significantly lowly expressed in OVC cell lines. Overexpressing miR-636 significantly inhibited HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration abilities as well as induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while the inhibition of miR-636 promoted cell proliferation and migration abilities. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that Gli2 was a target gene of miR-636. Besides, overexpressing miR-636 decreased protein expression of Gli2, while the inhibition of miR-636 increased protein expression of Gli2. Furthermore, the overexpression and inhibition of miR-636 both affected the expression of proteins related to Hh signaling pathway and EMT. Rescue experiments verified that overexpression of Gli2 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration abilities, and attenuated the blocking effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell cycle. The xenotransplantation model suggested that miR-636 inhibited cell growth of OVC by decreasing Gli2 expression. Besides, overexpressing Gli2 potentiated the EMT process in OVC via decreasing E-cadherin protein expression and increasing Vimentin protein expression, and it reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation and migration abilities in vivo.Conclusion: miR-636 inhibits the Hh pathway activation via targeted binding to Gli2, thus inhibiting EMT, cell proliferation and migration in OVC.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiong Ma ◽  
Chunxia Zhou ◽  
Xuejun Chen

Abstract Background: Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway, which is essential for cell proliferation and differentiation, is noted to be aberrantly activated in tumor from increasing studies in recent years. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as an important non-coding RNA in cells have been proven to possess a regulatory role specific to the Hh signaling pathway. Here, in vitro and in vivo cellular/molecular experiments were adopted to clarify the regulatory mechanism linking miR-636 to the Hh signaling pathway in ovarian cancer (OVC). Methods: Protein-protein interaction analysis was performed to identify the hub gene in the Hh pathway. TargetScan database was used to predict the potential upstream regulators for Gli2. qRT-PCR was performed to test the expression of miR-636, while Western blot was conducted to detect the expression of proteins related to the Hh pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). For cell functional experiments, HO-8910PM OVC cell line was used. MTT assay and wound healing assay were used to measure the effect of miR-636 on cell proliferation and migration. Flow cytometry was carried out to examine the effect of miR-636 on cell cycle, and Western blot was used to identify the change in expression of Hh and EMT-related proteins. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay was implemented to detect the targeting relationship between miR-636 and Gli2. Xenotransplantation models were established for in vivo examination.Results: Gli2 was identified as the hub gene of the Hh pathway and it was validated to be regulated by miR-636 based on the data from TargetScan and GEO databases. In vitro experiments discovered that miR-636 was significantly lowly expressed in OVC cell lines, and overexpressing miR-636 significantly inhibited HO-8910PM cell proliferation, migration and induced cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, while the inhibition of miR-636 caused opposite results. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay revealed that Gli2 was the target gene of miR-636 in OVC. Besides, overexpressed miR-636 decreased protein expression of Gli2, and affected the expression of proteins related to the Hh signaling pathway and EMT. Rescue experiments verified that overexpression of Gli2 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on HO-8910PM cell proliferation and migration, and attenuated the blocking effect of miR-636 on cell cycle. The xenotransplantation experiment suggested that miR-636 inhibited cell growth of OVC by decreasing Gli2 expression. Besides, overexpressing Gli2 potentiated the EMT process of OVC cells via decreasing E-cadherin protein expression and increasing Vimentin protein expression, and it reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-636 on OVC cell proliferation in vivo.Conclusion: miR-636 mediates the activation of the Hh pathway via binding to Gli2, thus inhibiting EMT, suppressing cell proliferation and migration of OVC.Trial registration: The experimental protocol was established, according to the ethical guidelines of the Helsinki Declaration and was approved by the Human Ethics Committee of The Second Affiliated hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine (IR2019001235). Written informed consent was obtained from individual or guardian participants.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiyan Wang ◽  
Wenbo Zhou ◽  
Guangtong She ◽  
Bin Yu ◽  
Lizhou Sun

Abstract Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication in pregnancy that poses a serious threat to the health of both mother and child. While the specific etiology and pathogenesis of this disease are not fully understood, it is thought to arise due to a combination of insulin resistance, inflammation, and genetic factors. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a special kind of non-coding RNA that have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their diverse activities, including a potential regulatory role in pregnancy-related diseases, such as GDM. Methods: We previously reported the existence of a novel circRNA, hsa_circ_0005243, which was identified by RNA sequencing. In this study, we examined its expression in 20 pregnant women with GDM and 20 normal pregnant controls using quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis. Subsequent in vitro experiments were conducted following hsa_circ_0005243 knockdown in HTR-8/SVneo cells to examine the role of hsa_circ_0005243 in cell proliferation and migration, as well as the secretion of inflammatory factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6). Finally, we examined the expression of β-catenin and nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathways to assess their role in GDM pathogenesis Results: Expression of hsa_circ_0005243 was significantly reduced in both the placenta and plasma of GDM patients. Knockdown of hsa_circ_0005243 in trophoblast cells significantly suppressed cell proliferation and migration ability. In addition, increased secretion of inflammatory factors (TNF-α and IL-6) was observed after hsa_circ_0005243 depletion. Further analyses showed that knockdown of hsa_circ_0005243 reduced the expression of β-catenin and increased nuclear NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. Conclusions: Downregulation of hsa_circ_0005243 may be associated with the pathogenesis of GDM via the regulation of β-catenin and NF-κB signal pathways, suggesting a new potential therapeutic target for GDM.


2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Guan ◽  
R Lin ◽  
R Jin ◽  
L Lu ◽  
X Liu ◽  
...  

In order to study the effects of chitinase-like protein YKL-40 on proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of human bronchial epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B), and the underlying mechanisms, we cultured BEAS-2B alone or with different concentrations of YKL-40. thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to examine the cell proliferation. Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate isomer (FITC)/propidium iodide staining and scratch assay were performed to test the cell apoptosis and migration. The concentrations of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), Smad3, Smad7, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-6, and IL-8 in the cell culture supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The messenger RNA and protein levels of YKL-40, TGF-β1, Smad3, Smad7, and α-SMA were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. BEAS-2B cells cultured with different concentrations of YKL-40 showed significantly higher cell proliferation and migration and inflammatory cytokines compared with that of control group, while the cell apoptosis was significantly lower than that of control group ( p < 0.05). In addition, BEAS-2B cells cultured with YKL-40 had increased TGF-β1, Smad3, Smad7, and α-SMA levels in the supernatant, compared with that of BEAS-2B cells cultured alone ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, LY364947, as TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway inhibitor, decreased cell proliferation and migration ability and enhanced cell apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells compared with control group ( p < 0.05). However, YKL-40 administration reversed the effect of LY364947 on the biological behavior of BEAS-2B cells. YKL-40 could affect the biological behaviors of BEAS-2B cells, which might be related to the TGF-β1/Smads pathway.


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