scholarly journals YY1 activates EMI2 and promotes the progression of cholangiocarcinoma through the PI3K/Akt signaling axis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai Zhou ◽  
Kang Lin Qu ◽  
Jin Ang Li ◽  
Shi Lei Chen ◽  
Yi Gang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Bile Duct ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Akt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Gene Assay

Abstract Background Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the deadliest cancers of the digestive tract. The prognosis of CCA is poor and the 5-year survival rate is low. Bioinformatic analysis showed that early mitotic inhibitor 2 (EMI2) was overexpressed in CCA but the underlying mechanism is not known. Methods The data on bile duct carcinoma from TCGA and GEO databases were used to detect the expression of EMI2. The transcription factors of EMI2 were predicted using JASPAR and PROMO databases. Among the predicted transcription factors, YY1 has been rarely reported in cholangiocarcinoma, and was verified using the luciferase reporter gene assay. RT-PCR was performed to predict the downstream pathway of EMI2, and PI3K/Akt was suspected to be associated with it. Subsequently, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to verify the effects of silencing and overexpressing EMI2 and YY1 on the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of the bile duct cancer cells. Results EMI2 was highly expressed in CCA. Silencing EMI2 inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CCA cells, arrested cell cycle in the G1 phase, and promoted of apoptosis. The luciferase reporter gene assay showed that YY1 bound to the promoter region of EMI2, and after silencing YY1, the expression of EMI2 decreased and the progression of CCA was inhibited. Moreover, key proteins in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway decreased after silencing EMI2. Conclusion EMI2 may be one of the direct targets of YY1 and promotes the progression of CCA through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

scholarly journals YY1 Activates EMI2 and Promotes the Progression of Cholangiocarcinoma Through the PI3K/Akt Signaling Axis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuai zhou ◽  
Kang Lin Qu ◽  
JinAng Li ◽  
Shilei Chen ◽  
Yi Gang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factors ◽  
Bile Duct ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Akt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Gene Assay

Abstract Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is one of the deadliest cancers of the digestive tract. The prognosis of CCA is poor and the 5-year survival rate is low. Bioinformatic analysis showed that early mitotic inhibitor 2 (EMI2) was overexpressed in CCA but the underlying mechanism is not known.Methods: The data on bile duct carcinoma from TCGA and GEO databases were used to detect the expression of EMI2. The transcription factors of EMI2 were predicted using JASPAR and PROMO databases. Among the predicted transcription factors, YY1 has been rarely reported in cholangiocarcinoma, and was verified using the luciferase reporter gene assay. RT-PCR was performed to predict the downstream pathway of EMI2, and PI3K/Akt was suspected to be associated with it. Subsequently, in vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to verify the effects of silencing and overexpressing EMI2 and YY1 on the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of the bile duct cancer cells.Results: EMI2 was highly expressed in CCA. Silencing EMI2 inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and migration of CCA cells, arrested cell cycle in the G1 phase, and inhibition of apoptosis. The luciferase reporter gene assay showed that YY1 bound to the promoter region of EMI2, and after silencing YY1, the expression of EMI2 decreased and the progression of CCA was inhibited. Moreover, key proteins in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway decreased after silencing EMI2.Conclusion: EMI2 may be one of the direct targets of YY1 and promotes the progression of CCA through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

scholarly journals MiR-486 protects against acute myocardial infarction via regulation of PTEN

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1845-1853
Author(s):  
Qinfeng Han ◽  
Zhong Xu ◽  
Xiaolei Zhang ◽  
Kun Yang ◽  
Zhifei Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Expression Level ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Akt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Gene Assay

Purpose: To investigate the effect of miR-486 on rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and its mechanism of action.Methods: A rat model of AMI was established. They were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely, sham, model, agomiR-486 and antagomiR-486 groups, respectively. Rats in these different groups were treated with agomiR-21 (5 μL, 40 nmol/mL), antagomiR-21 (5 μL, 40 nmol/mL) or agomiR-NC (5 μL, 40 nmol/mL), respectively. Then, key miRNAs were sorted out using gene-chip assay and verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. Luciferase reporter gene assay was conducted to determine the interaction between miR-486 and gene of PTEN. After intraperitoneal injection of agomiR-486 and antagomiR-486, hemodynamics was measured to determine the effect of miR-486 on myocardial function of the rats. The effect of miR-486 expression level on the expression of myocardial enzymes in serum, the morphology of myocardial tissues, and the apoptosis of myocardial tissues in rats, were investigated. Additionally, the effect of miR-486 expression level on PTEN/AKT signaling pathway in the rats was determined by Western blotting.Results: The results of gene-chip and qRT-PCR assays revealed that there were 8 differentially expressed genes in rat myocardial tissues in the model group when compared with the sham group. MiR-486 improved the cardiac function of rats and the morphology of myocardial tissues, but reduced AMI-induced apoptosis of myocardial cells and the expression of myocardial enzymes (markers of myocardial injury) in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The results of luciferase reporter gene assay showed that PTEN was a direct target of miR-486. In rat models of AMI, a raised expression of miR-486 remarkably suppressed the protein expression level of PTEN and up-regulated that of p-AKT/AKT (p < 0.05).Conclusion: MiR-486 protects against AMI in rats probably by targeting PTEN and activating the AKT signaling pathway. The results of the current study may provide new insights for the treatment of AMI.

scholarly journals Downregulation of microRNA-149 in retinal ganglion cells suppresses apoptosis through activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway in mice with glaucoma

2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (6) ◽  
pp. C839-C849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin-Gang Nie ◽  
Dong-Sheng Fan ◽  
Yan-Xia Huang ◽  
Ying-Ying He ◽  
Bo-Li Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Retinal Ganglion Cells ◽  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Ultrastructural Changes ◽  
Retinal Ganglion ◽  
Akt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Gene Assay

Glaucoma represents a major cause of blindness, generally associated with elevated intraocular pressure (EIOP). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether microRNA-149 (miR-149) affects retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and the underlying mechanism based on a mouse model of chronic glaucoma with EIOP. The successfully modeled mice were administered with mimics or inhibitors of miR-149. Next, the number of RGCs, ultrastructural changes of RGCs, and purity of RGCs in the retinal tissues were detected. Moreover, the RGCs were collected and subsequently treated with 60 mmHg pressure and transfected with a series of plasmids aiding in the regulation of the expression of miR-149 and betacellulin (BTC). The levels of miR-149, BTC, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and Akt were subsequently determined. Finally, RGC viability and apoptosis were detected accordingly. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay provided validation, highlighting BTC was indeed a target gene of miR-149. The downregulation of miR-149 is accompanied by an increased number of RGCs and decreased ultrastructural RGC alterations. Additionally, downregulated miR-149 was noted to increase the levels of BTC, PI3K, and Akt in both the retinal tissues and RGCs, whereas the silencing of miR-149 was observed to promote the viability of RGC and inhibit RGC apoptosis. Taken together, the results of the current study provided validation suggesting that the downregulation of miR-149 confers protection to RGCs by means of activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway via upregulation of BTC in mice with glaucoma. Evidence presented indicated the promise of miR-149 inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy for glaucoma treatment.

scholarly journals Circular RNA CircCOL5A1 Sponges the MiR-7-5p/Epac1 Axis to Promote the Progression of Keloids Through Regulating PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenchang Lv ◽  
Shengxuan Liu ◽  
Qi Zhang ◽  
Weijie Hu ◽  
Yiping Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Matrix ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Akt Signaling ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Akt Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Migration Flow ◽  
Gene Assay

Keloids, as a result of abnormal wound healing in susceptible individuals, are characterized by the hyper-proliferation of fibroblasts and exaggerated deposition of extracellular matrix. Current surgical and therapeutic modalities provide limited satisfactory results. Growing evidence has highlighted the roles of circRNAs in acting as miRNA sponges. However, up to date, the regulatory mechanism of circRNAs in the pathological process of keloids has rarely been reported. In this study, cell proliferation, cell migration, flow cytometry, western blotting, fluorescence in situ hybridization, dual-luciferase activity, and immunohistochemistry assays were applied to explore the roles and mechanisms of the circCOL5A1/miR-7-5p/Epac1 axis in the keloid. The therapeutic potential of circCOL5A1 was investigated by establishing keloid implantation models. The RT-qPCR result revealed that circCOL5A1 expression was obviously higher in keloid tissues and keloid fibroblasts. Subsequent cellular experiments demonstrated that circCOL5A1 knockdown repressed the proliferation, migration, extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, whereas promoted cell apoptosis, through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Furthermore, RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH) illustrated that both circCOL5A1 and miR-7-5p were located in the cytoplasm. The luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed that exact binding sites were present between circCOL5A1 and miR-7-5p, as well as between miR-7-5p and Epac1. Collectively, the present study revealed that circCOL5A1 functioned as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by adsorbing miR-7-5p to release Epac1, which contributed to pathological hyperplasia of keloids through activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Our data indicated that circCOL5A1 might serve as a novel promising therapeutic target and represent a new avenue to understand underlying pathogenesis for keloids.

scholarly journals Identification of Alkaloids from Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang as Dopamine D1 Receptor Antagonists by Using CRE-Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay

Molecules ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lehao Wu ◽  
Weiyue Zhang ◽  
Xin Qiu ◽  
Chaoran Wang ◽  
Yanfang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dopamine Receptors ◽  
Reporter Gene ◽  
Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
D1 Receptor ◽  
Assay System ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Antagonistic Effects ◽  
Gene Assay

Corydalis yanhusuo W. T. Wang (C. yanhusuo) has been traditionally used for drug addiction and pain relief in China. In our previous study, we showed that the extract of C. yanhusuo blocks dopamine receptors, demonstrating that its pharmacological activities are mostly due to the antagonistic effects of some of its components at dopamine receptors. As part of our ongoing project on C. yanhusuo, the aim of the present study is to establish a high-throughput and low-cost screening assay system and test the abilities of the isolated alkaloids from C. yanhusuo to inhibit dopamine-induced dopamine D1 receptor activity. By using our established cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-response element (CRE)-luciferase reporter gene assay system, we identified eight alkaloids from C. yanhusuo with D1 receptor antagonistic activities. We next validated the activities of these compounds using fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR) assay by measuring the intracellular Ca2+ change. Six out of eight compounds, including tetrahydropalmatine, corydaline, 13-methyldehydrocorydalmine, dehydrocorybubine, dehydrocorydaline, and columbamine, can be confirmed for their inhibitory activities. The dopamine-receptor-antagonistic effects of four compounds, including 13-methyldehydrocorydalmine, dehydrocorydaline, columbamine, and corydaline, are reported for the first time. The present study provides an important pharmacological basis to support the traditional use of C. yanhusuo in China.

scholarly journals The lncRNA-MALAT1/miR-126-5p Axis Promotes Growth and Metastasis of Gastric Cancer through Regulation of VEGFA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-Li Hu ◽  
Yang-zhi Hu ◽  
Qing Li ◽  
Tian-you Liao ◽  
Hai-ping Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Gastric Cancer ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Mtor Signaling Pathway ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Ags Cells ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Lncrna Malat1 ◽  
Gene Assay ◽  
Cancer Tissues

Abstract Background: It has been reported that reduction of miR-126 can promote the progression of gastric cancer (GC). However, the regulation of miR-126 in GC is still unclear. This study aims to explore the correlation between lncRNA MALAT1 and miR-126 in gastric cancer and disclose the underlying mechanisms.Methods: We analyzed the correlation of MALAT1 levels and clinical features by analysis of bioinformatic data and human samples. Then we down-regulate the expression of MALAT1 in AGS cells and examined the characteristics of cell proliferation, cycle, apoptosis, migration, invasion, and the effect on miR-126 as well as VEGFA and signaling pathway. In addition, we demonstrated the role of MALAT1/miR-126 axis in GC with dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and treatment of miR-126 inhibitor.Results: The expression of MALAT1 was higher in cancer tissues than para-cancer tissues. In addition, high MALAT1 level suggested greater malignancy and poorer prognosis. Down-regulating the expression of MALAT1 in AGS cells inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by targeting VEGFA, which is consistent with up-regulation of miR-126. According to dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and treatment of miR-126 inhibitor, we demonstrated that MALAT1 down-regulated miR-126 in GC, which leads to the up-regulation of VEGFA and activation of mTOR signaling pathway.Conclusions: MALAT1/miR-126 axis promotes growth and metastasis of gastric cancer through regulation of VEGFA via mTOR signaling pathway.Fund This article is supported by Science and Technology Funding Project of Hunan Province, China (No.2017SK4010)

scholarly journals Circ_0000005 Facilitates Proliferation, Apoptosis, Migration and Invasion of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells via Modulating miR-139-5p/Tspan3 Axis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Tong ◽  
Huilan Liu ◽  
Changcheng Zheng ◽  
Xiaoyu Zhu ◽  
Xiang Wan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Western Blot ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Reporter Gene ◽  
Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene ◽  
Luciferase Reporter Gene Assay ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Gene Assay

Abstract Background: Accumulating circular RNAs (circRNAs) are reported to be abnormally expressed in diverse cancers, hematologic malignancies included. This study aimed to investigate the biological function and underlying mechanisms of circ_0000005 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).Materials and methods: Bone marrow samples were enrolled from AML patients with normal samples as controls. Circ_0000005, miR-139-5p and tetraspanin 3 (Tspan3) were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. AML cell lines (KG1 and HL60) were used as cell models. CCK-8, Transwell and flow cytometry assays were adopted to study the biological functions of circ_0000005 on AML cells in vitro. The interrelation between circ_0000005 and miR-139-5p was detected by bioinformatics, qRT-PCR, luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA pull-down assay, and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Ultimately, Western blot, qRT-PCR, luciferase reporter gene assay were adopted to corroborate the interrelation between miR-139-5p and its target Tspan3. Results: Circ_0000005 was demonstrably elevated in both AML clinical samples and cell lines. Circ_0000005 overexpression promoted the viability, migration and invasion of AML cells, and repressed the apoptosis of AML cells, while silencing circ_0000005 showed opposite biological effects. Circ_0000005 interacted with miR-139-5p and repressed its expression, and Tspan3 was proved to be negatively regulated by miR-139-5p. Circ_0000005 could promote the expression of Tspan3 via repressing miR-139-5p, and the oncogenic functions of circ_0000005 were dependent on its regulatory function on miR-139-5p/Tspan3 axis.Conclusion: Circ_0000005 facilitates the malignant phenotypes of AML cells via miR-139-5p/Tspan3 axis. Circ_0000005 may serve as a potential therapeutic target in AML.

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