GABAergic Cortical Neuron Chromatin as a Putative Target to Treat Schizophrenia Vulnerability

The insulin receptor isoform A (IR-A), a dual receptor for insulin and IGF2, plays a role in breast cancer (BC) progression and metabolic reprogramming. Notably, discoidin domain receptor 1 (DDR1), a collagen receptor often dysregulated in cancer, is involved in a functional crosstalk and feed forward loop with both the IR-A and the insulin like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R). Here, we aimed at investigating whether DDR1 might affect BC cell metabolism by modulating the IGF1R and/or the IR. To this aim, we generated MCF7 BC cells engineered to stably overexpress either IGF2 (MCF7/IGF2) or the IR-A (MCF7/IR-A). In both cell models, we observed that DDR1 silencing induced a significant decrease of total ATP production, particularly affecting the rate of mitochondrial ATP production. We also observed the downregulation of key molecules implicated in both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. These metabolic changes were not modulated by DDR1 binding to collagen and occurred in part in the absence of IR/IGF1R phosphorylation. DDR1 silencing was ineffective in MCF7 knocked out for DDR1. Taken together, these results indicate that DDR1, acting in part independently of IR / IGF1R stimulation, might work as a novel regulator of BC metabolism and should be considered as putative target for therapy in BC.

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Nrf2 mediates the neuroprotective effect of isoflurane preconditioning in cortical neuron injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation

Human & Experimental Toxicology ◽

10.1177/0960327121989416 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096032712198941

Author(s):

X-S Liu ◽

X-L Bai ◽

Z-X Wang ◽

S-Y Xu ◽

Y Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Cortical Neuron ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Glucose Deprivation ◽

Oxygen Glucose Deprivation ◽

Lactate Dehydrogenase Activity ◽

Primary Mouse ◽

Ldh Release ◽

Neuron Injury ◽

And Oxidative Stress

Objective: To investigate how nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) involved in the protective effect of isoflurane (Iso) preconditioning in oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced cortical neuron injury. Methods: Primary mouse cortical neurons were divided into Control, ML385 (an Nrf2 inhibitor), Iso, Iso + ML385, OGD, ML385 + OGD, Iso + OGD, and Iso + ML385 + OGD groups. Lactate dehydrogenase activity (LDH) release and oxidative stress indexes were quantified. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to detect cell viability, Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining to measure cell apoptosis, dichloro-dihydro-fluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) method to test reactive oxygen species (ROS), and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting to evaluate genes and protein expression. Results: Iso preconditioning reduced LDH release and inhibited cell cytotoxicity in OGD-induced cortical neurons, which was abolished by ML385. Iso preconditioning increased the Nrf2 nuclear translocation in cortical neurons. Meanwhile, Iso decreased the OGD-induced apoptosis with the down-regulations of Bax and Caspase-3 and the up-regulation of Bcl-2, which was reversed by ML385. OGD enhanced the level of ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) in cortical neurons, but reduced the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), which were aggravated in ML385 + OGD group and mitigated in Iso + OGD group. No observable difference was found between OGD group and Iso + ML385 + OGD group regarding apoptosis-related proteins and oxidative stress-related indexes. Conclusion: Iso preconditioning up-regulated Nrf2 level to play its protective role in OGD-induced mouse cortical neuron injury.

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miR-373-3p Regulates Invasion and Migration Abilities of Trophoblast Cells via Targeted CD44 and Radixin

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22126260 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 6260

Author(s):

Hyun-Jung Lee ◽

Seung Mook Lim ◽

Hee Yeon Jang ◽

Young Ran Kim ◽

Joon-Seok Hong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Labor ◽

Target Genes ◽

Gene Array ◽

Migration And Invasion ◽

Trophoblast Cells ◽

Invasion And Migration ◽

Mirna Array ◽

Qrt Pcr ◽

Putative Target ◽

And Migration

Preterm labor (PTL) is one of the obstetric complications, and is known to be associated with abnormal maternal inflammatory response and intrauterine inflammation and/or infection. However, the expression of specific miRNAs associated with PTL is not clear. In this study, we performed combination analysis of miRNA array and gene array, and then selected one miRNA (miR-373-3p) and its putative target genes (CD44 and RDX) that exhibited large expression differences in term and PTL placentas with or without inflammation. Using qRT-PCR and luciferase assays, we confirmed that miR-373-3p directly targeted CD44 and RDX. Overexpression of miR-373-3p reduced the migration and invasion of trophoblast cells, while inhibition of miR-373-3p restored the migration and invasion abilities of trophoblast cells. Finally, we validated the expression of miR-373-3p and its target genes in clinical patients’ blood. miR-373-3p was increased in PTL patients’ blood, and was the most expressed in PTL patients’ blood with inflammation. In addition, by targeting the miR-373-3p, CD44 and RDX was decreased in PTL patients’ blood, and their expression were the lowest in PTL patients’ blood with inflammation. Taken together, these findings suggest that miR-373-3p and its target genes can be potential biomarkers for diagnosis of PTL.

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