Novel variable number of tandem repeats of gibbon MAOA gene and its evolutionary significance

Variable number of tandem repeats (VNTRs) are scattered throughout the primate genome, and genetic variation of these VNTRs have been accumulated during primate radiation. Here, we analyzed VNTRs upstream of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene in 11 different gibbon species. An abundance of truncated VNTR sequences and copy number differences were observed compared to those of human VNTR sequences. To better understand the biological role of these VNTRs, a luciferase activity assay was conducted and results indicated that selected VNTR sequences of the MAOA gene from human and three different gibbon species (Hylobates klossii, Hylobates lar, and Nomascus concolor) showed silencing ability. Together, these data could be useful for understanding the evolutionary history and functional significance of MAOA VNTR sequences in gibbon species.

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Association between variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) polymorphism in the promoter region of monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene and susceptibility to heroin dependence

Psychiatry Research ◽

10.1016/j.psychres.2015.08.017 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 229 (3) ◽

pp. 1055-1056 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Khyber Saify ◽

Mostafa Saadat

Keyword(s):

Monoamine Oxidase ◽

Promoter Region ◽

Tandem Repeats ◽

Variable Number ◽

Heroin Dependence ◽

Monoamine Oxidase A ◽

Maoa Gene ◽

Vntr Polymorphism

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Hsa_circ_0051079 functions as an oncogene by regulating miR-26a-5p/TGF-β1 in osteosarcoma

Cell & Bioscience ◽

10.1186/s13578-019-0355-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Zuojun Zhang ◽

Ming Zhao ◽

Guojie Wang

Keyword(s):

Luciferase Activity ◽

Bioinformatic Analysis ◽

Luciferase Assay ◽

Circular Rnas ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

Luciferase Activity Assay ◽

Proliferation And Metastasis ◽

Normal Controls ◽

Tgf Β1

Abstract Background Osteosarcoma is a most common bone malignant tumor which threatens children and adolescents. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) fundamentally play essential roles in the progress and development of human cancers by sponging with microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the role of circRNAs in osteosarcoma is not clear. The aim of the study was to investigate the roles and molecular mechanism of circRNAs in osteosarcoma. Results The data from qRT-PCR showed that circ_0051079 expression was higher in osteosarcoma cells and tissues compared to their normal controls. Meanwhile, bioinformatic analysis indicated that circ_0051079 was a sponge of miR-26a-5p, which was verified by luciferase activity assay. Subsequently, TGF-β1 was verified as a putative target mRNA of miR-26a-5p by luciferase assay. Cellular function assays were conducted and the findings revealed that circ_0051079/miR-26a-5p/TGF-β1 regulated osteosarcoma proliferation and metastasis. Conclusion The study demonstrated that circ_0051079 could act as an oncogene via regulating miR-26a-5p/TGF-β1 and a potential biomarker for osteosarcoma diagnose.

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Underlying Susceptibility to Eating Disorders and Drug Abuse: Genetic and Pharmacological Aspects of Dopamine D4 Receptors

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12082288 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 2288 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Luca Botticelli ◽

Emanuela Micioni Di Bonaventura ◽

Fabio Del Bello ◽

Gianfabio Giorgioni ◽

Alessandro Piergentili ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Abuse ◽

Eating Behaviors ◽

Tandem Repeats ◽

Drugs Of Abuse ◽

Brain Area ◽

Variable Number ◽

Intracellular Response ◽

D4 Receptor ◽

Maladaptive Eating

The dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) has a predominant expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), brain area strictly involved in the modulation of reward processes related to both food and drug consumption. Additionally, the human DRD4 gene is characterized by a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in the exon 3 and, among the polymorphic variants, the 7-repeat (7R) allele appears as a contributing factor in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying drug abuse, aberrant eating behaviors and related comorbidities. The 7R variant encodes for a receptor with a blunted intracellular response to dopamine, and carriers of this polymorphism might be more tempted to enhance dopamine levels in the brain, through the overconsumption of drugs of abuse or palatable food, considering their reinforcing properties. Moreover, the presence of this polymorphism seems to increase the susceptibility of individuals to engage maladaptive eating patterns in response to negative environmental stimuli. This review is focused on the role of DRD4 and DRD4 genetic polymorphism in these neuropsychiatric disorders in both clinical and preclinical studies. However, further research is needed to better clarify the complex DRD4 role, by using validated preclinical models and novel compounds more selective for DRD4.

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Monoamine Oxidase A Promoter Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (MAOA-uVNTR) in Alcoholics According to Lesch Typology

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph120303317 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 3317-3326 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Agnieszka Samochowiec ◽

Magdalena Chęć ◽

Edyta Kopaczewska ◽

Jerzy Samochowiec ◽

Otto Lesch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monoamine Oxidase ◽

Tandem Repeats ◽

Variable Number ◽

Monoamine Oxidase A ◽

Lesch Typology

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Association of Two Variable Number of Tandem Repeats in the Monoamine Oxidase A Gene Promoter with Schizophrenia

Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment ◽

10.2147/ndt.s338854 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol Volume 17 ◽

pp. 3315-3323

Author(s):

Takaki Tanifuji ◽

Satoshi Okazaki ◽

Ikuo Otsuka ◽

Tadasu Horai ◽

Yutaka Shinko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Monoamine Oxidase ◽

Tandem Repeats ◽

Gene Promoter ◽

Variable Number ◽

Monoamine Oxidase A

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Association Analysis of Monoamine Oxidase-A Gene Promoter Polymorphism (MAOA uVNTR) for Antisocial Behavior: Absence of the Counting Number Repeats in Central Iran

Archives of Neuroscience ◽

10.5812/ans.102247 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Maryam Khosravian ◽

Parvaneh Nikpour ◽

Modjtaba Emadi-Baygi ◽

Ali Soleimanpour ◽

Fereidoun Yadollah Moghadam

Keyword(s):

Antisocial Behavior ◽

Violent Behavior ◽

Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽

Promoter Polymorphism ◽

Variable Number ◽

Monoamine Oxidase A ◽

Central Iran ◽

P Value ◽

Current Case ◽

Maoa Gene

Background: The MAOA gene is located on the X chromosome (Xp11.23). Several studies have established a VNTR (Variable Number Tandem Repeat) polymorphism in the upstream of the MAOA gene transcriptional initiation region named uVNTR which is correlated with the risk of antisocial behavior. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between MAOA genotypes and the risk of violent behavior in a cohort of violent and age-matched non-violent individuals. Methods: In the current case-control study, MAOA uVNTR was genotyped in a cohort of 88 violent and 95 age-matched non-violent individuals. Individuals were genotyped for the MAOA uVNTR by performing PCR, gel electrophoresis, and sequencing. Furthermore, a chi-square test was performed using SPSS, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: We identified three MAOA uVNTR allelic variants: They were harboring 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 repeated sequences. Alleles with 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 repeats were not observed in any of the two examined groups. Conclusions: We did not detect a statistically appreciable association between antisocial behavior and allele frequencies in the studied population in central Iran.

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Circular RNA hsa_circ_0081343 promotes trophoblast cell migration and invasion and inhibits trophoblast apoptosis by regulating miR-210-5p/DLX3 axis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-361692/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiansheng Xie ◽

Hui Wang ◽

Caiqun Luo ◽

Xiaoxia Wu ◽

Jianming Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Luciferase Activity ◽

Circular Rna ◽

Extravillous Trophoblast ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Circular Rnas ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Apoptosis Protein ◽

Luciferase Activity Assay ◽

Rna Immunoprecipitation

Abstract Background: Various circular RNAs (circRNAs) are dysregulated in the placenta of fetal growth restriction fetuses, but their role and regulatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the role of hsa_circ_0081343 in regulating the migration, invasion, and apoptosis in the human extravillous trophoblast HTR-8 cells.Methods: circRNA and miRNA levels were examined using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Overexpression plasmid constructs and siRNA were used to overexpress and knockdown hsa_circ_0081343, respectively. Transwell assay and flow cytometry analysis were performed to evaluate the effect of hsa_circ_0081343 or miR-210-5p on migration, invasion, and apoptosis. Protein levels were analyzed using western blot. Dual luciferase activity assay and anti-AGO2 RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays were performed to identify the relationship between miR-210-5p and hsa_circ_0081343.Results: Hsa_circ_0081343 expression was significantly downregulated in 37 FGR placental tissues as compared to healthy placental control tissues. Hsa_circ_0081343 overexpression possibly inhibits apoptosis by downregulating the expression of cleaved caspase 3 and caspase 9 and alleviates the migration and invasion of HTR-8 cells by inducing the expression of MMP2 and MMP9. The dual luciferase activity and anti-AGO2 RIP assay results showed that hsa_circ_0081343 binds to miR-210-5p. miR-210-5p overexpression eliminated the effect of hsa_circ_0081343 overexpression in HTR-8 cells. Finally, DLX3 was identified as a direct target of miR-210-5p. Conclusions: Hsa_circ_0081343 regulates the migration, invasion, and apoptosis of HTR-8 cells via the hsa-miR-210-5p/DLX3 axis. Thus, hsa_circ_0081343 plays a key role in the etiology and pathogenesis of FGR implicating its importance as a novel candidate for targeted FGR therapy.

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miR-628-5p promotes growth and migration of osteosarcoma by targeting IFI44L

Biochemistry and Cell Biology ◽

10.1139/bcb-2019-0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (2) ◽

pp. 99-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ju-Yong Wang ◽

Ju-Qiang Wang ◽

Shi-Bao Lu

Keyword(s):

Untranslated Region ◽

Poor Prognosis ◽

Luciferase Activity ◽

Gene Expression Omnibus ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Activity Assay ◽

Luciferase Activity Assay ◽

And Migration ◽

Geo Database

This study investigated the role of miR-628-5p and interferon-induced protein 44-like (IFI44L) in osteosarcoma (OS) and determined whether miR-628-5p modulated OS growth by regulating IFI44L. Based on the data downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we revealed that the expression of IFI44L was downregulated in OS and low expression of IFI44L was correlated with better prognosis of patients with OS. Biological prediction of its upstream regulatory miRNAs on the miRWalk website found that miR-628-5p is a possible upstream regulatory miRNA of IFI44L. Luciferase activity assay demonstrated that miR-628-5p could bind to the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of IFI44L, which proved the above prediction. The expression of miR-628-5p is upregulated in OS and high expression of miR-628-5p is correlated with poor prognosis of patients with OS. The results of RT-qPCR showed that the expression of miR-628-5p in MG-63, U2OS, Saos-2, and SW1353 cells was significantly higher than that in the hFOB1.19 cells. Downregulation of miR-628-5p by miR-628-5p inhibitor significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of MG-63 cells. By rescue assay, we found that knockdown of IFI44L rescued the proliferation and motility of miR-628-5p depleted MG-63 cells. Collectively, our present data illustrated that miR-628-5p promoted the growth and motility of OS at least partly by targeting IFI44L. Moreover, miR-628-5p and IFI44L might be proposed as promising biomarkers in OS diagnosis and treatment.

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