scholarly journals Molecular cloning and analysis of the human PCAN1 (GDEP) promoter

Author(s):  
Wenwen Liu ◽  
Weiwen Chen ◽  
Pengju Zhang ◽  
Chunxiao Yu ◽  
Feng Kong ◽  
...  

AbstractHuman PCAN1 (prostate cancer gene 1) is a prostate-specific gene that is highly expressed in prostate epithelial tissue, and frequently mutated in prostate tumors. To better understand the regulation of the PCAN1 gene, a 2.6-kb fragment of its 5′ flanking region was obtained by PCR. Its promoter activity was examined via the dual-luciferase reporter assay after it had been cloned into a pGL3-basic vector generating pGL3-p2.6kb and transfected into LNCaP cells. pGL3-basic and pGL3-control were respectively used as the negative and positive controls. Sequence analysis with the MatInspector database showed that some possible binding sites for the transcriptional factors, NKX3.1, P53, SP1, cEBP and the PPAR/RXR heterodimers may locate on a 2.6-kb region upstream of the PCAN1 gene. To examine the relevant regulation of PCAN1, pGL3-p2.6kb was transfected into the prostate cancer cell line LNCaP, which was treated with R1881 (10−7∼10−9 mol/l), 17β-estradiol (17β-E2, 10−7∼10−9 mol/l), all-trans-retinoic acid (all-trans-RA, 10−5∼10−7 mol/l) or 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA, 10−5∼10−7 mol/l), and eukaryotic expression plasmids of NKX3.1, p53, Sp1, Pten, PPARγ or cEBPα were cotransfected with pGL3-p2.6kb into LNCaP cells. pRL-TK, a Renilla luciferase reporter vector, was cotransfected into all the transfection lines as an internal control. The activities of pGL3-p2.6kb (PCAN1 promoter) were analyzed via the dual-luciferase reporter assay 48 h after transfection. The results showed that 9-cis-RA enhanced the PCAN1 promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner, while R1881, 17β-E2 and all-trans-RA had no significant effect on PCAN1 promoter activities. Cotransfection with pGL3-p2.6kb and the expression plasmids of NKX3.1, p53, Sp1 or Pten respectively resulted in 1.66-, 2.48-, 2.00-and 1.72-fold 2.6 kb PCAN1 promoter activity increases relative to the controls, which were cotransfected with pcDNA3.1(+), while cotransfection of PPARγ and cEBPα yielded no significant effect on PCAN1 promoter activities. These results could be applied for further study of the function and transcription regulation of the PCAN1 gene in prostate development and carcinogenesis.

2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
An-Li Jiang ◽  
Jian-Ye Zhang ◽  
Charles Young ◽  
Xiao-Yan Hu ◽  
Yong-Mei Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Nkx3.1 is a prostate-specific homeobox gene related strongly to prostate development and prostate cancer. To study its regulation of transcription, 1.06 kb 5′ flanking region of Nkx3.1 gene and its 5′ deletion mutants (861, 617, 417 and 238 bp) were obtained by PCR and cloned into pGL3-basic, a promoter-less luciferase reporter vector, to examine their promoter activities driving the reporter gene transcription. pRL-TK, a Renilla luciferase reporter vector was used as internal control, and pGL3-control and pGL3-basic were used as positive and negative control respectively. The promoter activities were determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay 48 h after pGL3 constructs were cotransfected with pRL-TK into prostate cancer cell LNCaP. The results showed that dual-luciferase reporter assay (M1/M2) of pGL3-1.06 kb cotransfection with pRL-TK was 2.7, which was about 1.5-fold higher than that of pGL3-control cotransfection with pRL-TK and 50-fold higher than that of pGL3-basic cotransfection with pRL-TK. The results also showed that the relative activities (M1/M2) were 0.71, 0.84, 0.44 and 2.07 respectively for pGL3-861 bp, pGL3-617 bp, pGL3-417 bp, pGL3-238 bp, the last one still had 80% promoter activity compared with pGL3-1.06 kb, which showed that deletion from 1.06 kb to 238 bp had small effects on promoter activity. The conclusion was that the 238 bp fragment containing a TATA box and two CAAT boxes had strong promoter activity. However, the deletion from 1.06 kb to 861 bp reduced activity 3.8-fold while the deletion from 417 bp to 238 bp enhanced activity 4.7-fold, which indicated that these deleted sequences might contain some important positive or negative regulatory elements. It will be important to identify the elements within the Nkx3.1 promoter that contribute to regulation of the gene transcription in the future studies.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
WuBin Weng ◽  
ChangMing Liu ◽  
GuoMin Li ◽  
QiongFang Ruan ◽  
HuiZhang Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are one of the major causes of tumorigenesis. However, the roles and mechan­­isms of lncRNA SNHG16 in prostate cancer (PCa) remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the mech­­anisms of lncRNA SNHG16 in the proliferation and metastasis of human PCa cells.Material and Methods: First, the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to measure SNHG16 expression in PCa tissues and adjacent normal tissues (n=80). Down-regulate and over-express SNHG16 in human PCa DU-145 cell. Then cell proliferation was detected by CCK8 assay, cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, cell migration were determined by wound healing, and cell invasion was examined by transwell. Western blot assays were used to examine the expression of the TGFBR2, c-MYC, E2F4, SMAD2, p-SMAD2, SMAD3, and p-SMAD3. Second, the targeting relationship between SNHG16 and hsa-miR-373-3p was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiments. Third, the targeting relationship between hsa-miR-373-3p and TGFBR2 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay and rescue experiments. Results: The expression of SNHG16 was significant increase in PCa tissues (Z=-8.405, P<0.001), and with significant correlation with patient's age (<60 and ≥60 years old, P=0.007). Silencing SNHG16 inhibited DU-145 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while induced cell apoptosis significantly (P<0.01, respectively). Overexpressing SNHG16 promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and reduced cell apoptosis rate (P<0.05, respectively). SNHG16 overexpression observably increased TGFBR2, c-MYC, E2F4, p-SMAD2, and p-SMAD3 expression (P<0.001, respectively), but SNHG16 inhibition was opposite. However, SNHG16 did not regulate SMAD2 and SMAD3 expression. Next, hsa-miR-373-3p was found down-regulated in PCa tissues (Z=-8.344, P<0.001), and the down-regulation of hsa-miR-373-3p were closely linked to Gleason score (Gleason score: <7 and >7, P = 0.024). Hsa-miR-373-3p expression of hsa-miR-373-3p was negatively correlated with SNHG16 (r=-0.544, P<0.001). The result of dual-luciferase reporter assay and qPCR test revealed that hsa-miR-373-3p was a target of SNHG16. Hsa-mir-373-3p inhibitor could rescue sh-SNHG16-inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion by promoting TGFBR2, C-MYC, E2F4, P-Smad2, and P-smad3 expression. Finally, we found that TGFBR2 may be the target gene of hsa-mir-373-3p through TargetScan and starbase. Further research found that TGFBR2 was markedly up-regulated in PCa tissues (Z=-5.945, P<0.001), and the expression of TGFBR2 was negatively correlated with hsa-miR-373-3p (r=-0.627, P<0.001). Dual-luciferase reporter assay and qPCR test showed that TGFBR2 was a target of hsa-miR-373-3p. TGFBR2 knockdown could inhibit hsa-mir-373-3p inhibitor-induced cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and reversed the effect of hsa-mir-373-3p inhibitor on cell apoptosis. Based on the data, sh-TGFBR2 partially disabled hsa-mir-373-3p inhibitor effect. Conclusion: LncRNA SNHG16 might act as a ceRNA to regulate the proliferation and migration of DU-145 cells by modulating the hsa-miR-373-3p/TGFBR2/SMAD axis.


Author(s):  
Shiran Yan ◽  
Jing Chen ◽  
Teng Zhang ◽  
Jian Zhou ◽  
Ge Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractAtherosclerosis (AS) is a dynamic and multi-stage process that involves various cells types, such as vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and molecules such as microRNAs. In this study, we investigated how miR-338-3p works in the process of AS. To determine how miR-338-3p was expressed in AS, an AS rat model was established and primary rat VSMCs were cultured. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect miR-338-3p expression. Markers of different VSMC phenotypes were tested by Western blot. Immunofluorescent staining was employed to observe the morphologic changes of VSMCs transfected with miR-338-3p mimics. A dual luciferase reporter assay system was used to verify that desmin was a target of miR-338-3p. To further identify the role of miR-338-3p in the development of AS, VSMC proliferation and migration were evaluated by EdU incorporation assay, MTT assay, and wound healing assay. miR-338-3p expression was upregulated in the aortic tissues of an AS rat model and in primary rat VSMCs from a later passage. The transfection of miR-338-3p mimics in VSMCs promoted the synthetic cell phenotype. Bioinformatics analysis proposed desmin as a candidate target for miR-338-3p and the dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed in vivo that desmin was a direct target of miR-338-3p. The MTT and EdU incorporation assay revealed increased cell viability when miR-338-3p mimics were transfected. The increased expression of PCNA was a consistent observation, although a positive result was not obtained with respect to VSMC mobility. In AS, miR-338-3p expression was elevated. Elevated miR-338-3p inhibited the expression of desmin, thus promoting the contractile-to-synthetic VSMC phenotypic transition. In addition to morphologic changes, miR-338-3p enhanced the proliferative but not mobile ability of VSMCs. In summary, miR-338-3p promotes the development of AS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 153303382098586
Author(s):  
Xuhui Wu ◽  
Gongzhi Wu ◽  
Huaizhong Zhang ◽  
Xuyang Peng ◽  
Bin Huang ◽  
...  

Objective: We aimed to investigate the mechanism of the regulatory axis of miR-196b/AQP4 underlying the invasion and migration of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) cells. Methods: LUAD miRNA and mRNA expression profiles were downloaded from TCGA database and then differential analysis was used to identify the target miRNA. Target gene for the miRNA was obtained via prediction using 3 bioinformatics databases and intersection with the differentially expressed mRNAs searched from TCGA-LUAD. Then, qRT-PCR and western blot were used to validate the expression of miR-196b and AQP4. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the targeting relationship between miR-196b and AQP4. Transwell assay was used to investigate the migration and invasion of LUAD cells. Results: MiR-196b was screened out by differential and survival analyses, and the downstream target gene AQP4 was identified. In LUAD, miR-196b was highly expressed while AQP4 was poorly expressed. Besides, overexpression of miR-196b promoted cell invasion and migration, while overexpression of AQP4 had negative effects. Moreover, the results of the dual-luciferase reporter assay suggested that AQP4 was a direct target of miR-196b. In addition, we also found that overexpressing AQP4 could suppress the promotive effect of miR-196b on cancer cell invasion and migration. Conclusion: MiR-196b promotes the invasion and migration of LUAD cells by down-regulating AQP4, which helps us find new molecular targeted therapies for LUAD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 82-83
Author(s):  
Xiaoya Zhao ◽  
Qianru Hui ◽  
Paula Azevedo ◽  
Karmin O ◽  
Chengbo Yang

Abstract The calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) is a pivotal regulator of calcium homeostasis. Our previous study has found that pig CaSR (pCaSR) is widely expressed in intestinal segments in weaned piglets. To characterize the activation of pCaSR by potential ligands and related cell signaling pathways, a dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed for the ligands screening and molecular docking was utilized to predict the binding mode of identified ligands. Our results showed that the dual-luciferase reporter assay system was well suited for pCaSR research and its ligand screening. The extracellular calcium activated pCaSR in a concentration-dependent manner with a half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) = 4.74 mM through the Gq/11 signaling pathway, EC50 = 2.85 mM through extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activation signaling pathway, and EC50 = 2.26 mM through the Ras homolog family member A (RhoA) activation signaling pathway. Moreover, the activation of pCaSR stimulated by extracellular calcium showed biased agonism through three main signaling pathways: ERK1/2 phosphorylation signaling, Gq/11 signaling, and G12/13 signaling. Both L-Tryptophan and α-casein (90–95) could activate the pCaSR in the presence of extracellular calcium. Furthermore, we characterized the L-tryptophan binding pocket formed by pCaSR residues TRP 70, SER 147, ALA168, SER 169, SER 170, ASP 190, GLU 297, ALA 298, and ILE 416, as well as the α-casein (90–95) binding pocket formed by pCaSR residues PRO188, ASN189, GLU191, HIS192, LYS225, LEU242, ASP480, VAL486, GLY487, VAL513, and TYR514. In conclusion, similar to the human CaSR, the pCaSR also shows biased agonism through three main signaling pathways and both α-casein (90–95) and L-tryptophan are agonists for pCaSR. Furthermore, the binding sites of α-casein (90–95) and L-tryptophan are mainly located within the extracellular domain of pCaSR.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianbo Long ◽  
Yiyang Xu ◽  
Guping Mao ◽  
Ruobing Xin ◽  
Zengfa Deng ◽  
...  

AbstracttRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are new noncoding RNAs, and recent studies have shown that tRNAs and tRFs have important functions in cell metabolism via posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. However, whether tRFs regulate cellular metabolism of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) remains elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and action mechanism of tRFs in ACL cell metabolism. A tRF array was used to determine tRF expression profiles in different human ACL cells, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridisation were used to determine TRF365 expression. ACL cells were transfected with a TRF365 mimic or a TRF365 inhibitor to determine whether TRF365 regulates IKBKB expression. A rescue experiment and dual-luciferase reporter assay were conducted to determine whether the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of IKBKB has a TRF365-binding site. TRF365 was weakly expressed in osteoarthritis (OA) ACL and interleukin-1β-treated ACL cells. IKBKB was highly expressed in OA ACL and interleukin-1β-treated ACL cells; transfection with the TRF365 mimic suppressed IKBKB expression, whereas transfection with the TRF365 inhibitor had the opposite effect. A dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that TRF365 silenced the expression of IKBKB by binding to its 3′-UTR. Thus, TRF365 regulates the metabolism of ACL cells by targeting IKBKB. In summary, TRF365 may provide a new direction for the study of ACL degeneration and on the pathophysiological process of OA.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Miao Huo ◽  
Xingxing Zheng ◽  
Ning Bai ◽  
Ruifen Xu ◽  
Guang Yang ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Neuropathic pain (NP) is one of the most severe chronic pain types. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) plays a key role in a variety of human diseases, including NP. However, the role of LncRNA prostate cancer-associated transcript 19 (PCAT19) in NP and its specific mechanism remain unclear. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A chronic constrictive injury (CCI) rat model was established. Rat paw withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal latency were used to evaluate the neuronal pain behavior of rats in this model. mRNA expression of PCAT19, neuroinflammatory factor, microRNA (miR)-182-5p, and Jumonji domain containing 1A (JMJD1A) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. ELISA analysis was used to detect inflammatory factor protein expression. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the targeting relationship between genes. <b><i>Results:</i></b> PCAT19 was continuously upregulated in CCI rats. miR-182-5p was the target of PCAT19, and miR-182-5p was increased after PCAT19 knockdown. NP behaviors such as mechanical ectopic pain and thermal hyperalgesia as well as neuroinflammation can be reduced by knocking down PCAT19. However, the injection of miR-182-5p antagomir significantly reversed the level of the NP behaviors and neuroinflammation caused by PCAT19 knockdown. Besides, dual-luciferase reporter assay showed that JMJD1A was the target gene of miR-182-5p. The level of JMJD1A in CCI rats increased with time. After PCAT19 knockdown, JMJD1A was significantly decreased, but inhibition of miR-182-5p can reverse its levels. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> This study shows that PCAT19 plays a role in NP by targeting the miR-182-5p/JMJD1A axis, and PCAT19 can be used as a new therapeutic target for NP.


2019 ◽  
Vol 95 (1128) ◽  
pp. 547-551
Author(s):  
Jun Pan ◽  
Jiang Hu ◽  
Xusheng Qi ◽  
Liqin Xu

BackgroundCongenital heart disease (CHD) is among the leading causes of infant death worldwide. Although shortage of folate has been found potentially to contribute to CHD in the embryo, the aetiology of CHD was not completely understood. Inflammation and altered immune processes are involved in all forms of cardiac malformation, including CHD. Tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), was involved in the pathogenesis of multiple kinds of heart diseases. However, no studies have systematically evaluated the associations of genetic variants of TNF-α with susceptibility of CHD.MethodsA case-control study was conducted to evaluate the associations between tagSNPs of TNF-α and CHD susceptibility. Serum level of TNF-α was assessed using ELISA. The dual luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the functional significance of variant rs1800629 on TNF-α transcriptional activity.ResultsWe found rs1800629 was significantly correlated with increased CHD susceptibility (OR: 1.72, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.36, p=0.001). Serum levels of TNF-α were significantly higher in CHD group (9.09±1.90 pg/mL) than that in control group (6.12±1.56 pg/mL, p<0.001). The AA genotype and AG genotype of rs1800629 was associated with higher serum TNF-α level, compared with GG genotype. The dual luciferase reporter assay showed that promoter activity was significantly increased by 57% and 76% for plasmids containing the minor A allele compared with the major G allele in H9c2 and HEK 293T, respectively.ConclusionThese results indicate that higher level of serum TNF-α increases risk of CHD, while TNF-α rs1800629 A allele might contribute to higher risk for CHD due to the increase in TNF-α expression.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (7) ◽  
pp. 030006052094379
Author(s):  
Tian Kang ◽  
Wei-Li Sun ◽  
Xiao-Fei Lu ◽  
Xin-Liang Wang ◽  
Lian Jiang

Objective To investigate the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of curcumin on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells and explore the mechanism. Methods OCI-LY7 cells were treated with curcumin (2.5, 5, 10, 20, and 40 μM) for 24, 48, or 72 hours. Cell viability and apoptosis were determined using the 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling staining, respectively. MiR-28-5p expression was detected via qRT-PCR. The binding site of miR-28-5p was predicted using online databases and verified using the dual-luciferase reporter assay. MiR-28-5p overexpression and inhibition were achieved via transfection with an miR-28-5p mimic and inhibitor, respectively. Results Curcumin decreased the viability of OCI-LY7 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, and these effects were attenuated by miR-28-5p inhibition. MiR-28-5p expression was upregulated by curcumin. Curcumin increased the numbers of apoptotic cells and upregulated cleaved caspase-3 expression, and these effects were attenuated by miR-28-5p inhibition. The dual-luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-28-5p directly targets the 3′-untranslated region of BECN1. Curcumin downregulated BECN1 and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta-II/I expression and upregulated p62 expression. Conclusions Our results described the curcumin exerted anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on OCI-LY7 cells through a mechanism potentially involving miR-28-5p.


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