scholarly journals SINE Insertion in the Intron of Pig GHR May Decrease Its Expression by Acting as a Repressor

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1871
Author(s):  
Cai Chen ◽  
Yao Zheng ◽  
Mengli Wang ◽  
Eduard Murani ◽  
Enrico D’Alessandro ◽  
...  

The genetic diversity of the GH/IGF axis genes and their association with the variation of gene expression and phenotypic traits, principally represented by SNPs, have been extensively reported. Nevertheless, the impact of retrotransposon insertion polymorphisms (RIPs) on the GH/IGF axis gene activity has not been reported. In the present study, bioinformatic prediction and PCR verification were performed to screen RIPs in four GH/IGF axis genes (GH, GHR, IGF1 and IGF1R). In total, five RIPs, including one SINE RIP in intron 3 of IGF1, one L1 RIP in intron 7 of GHR, and three SINE RIPs in intron 1, intron 5 and intron 9 of GHR, were confirmed by PCR, displaying polymorphisms in diverse breeds. Dual luciferase reporter assay revealed that the SINE insertion in intron 1 of GHR significantly repressed the GHR promoter activity in PK15, Hela, C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells. Furthermore, qPCR results confirmed that this SINE insertion was associated with a decreased expression of GHR in the leg muscle and longissimus dorsi, indicating that it may act as a repressor involved in the regulation of GHR expression. In summary, our data revealed that RIPs contribute to the genetic variation of GH/IGF axis genes, whereby one SINE RIP in the intron 1 of GHR may decrease the expression of GHR by acting as a repressor.

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.


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.


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.


2000 ◽  
Vol 348 (3) ◽  
pp. 675-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle VAN SEUNINGEN ◽  
Michaël PERRAIS ◽  
Pascal PIGNY ◽  
Nicole PORCHET ◽  
Jean-Pierre AUBERT

Control of gene expression in intestinal cells is poorly understood. Molecular mechanisms that regulate transcription of cellular genes are the foundation for understanding developmental and differentiation events. Mucin gene expression has been shown to be altered in many intestinal diseases and especially cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. Towards understanding the transcriptional regulation of a member of the 11p15.5 human mucin gene cluster, we have characterized 3.55 kb of the 5ʹ-flanking region of the human mucin gene MUC5B, including the promoter, the first two exons and the first intron. We report here the promoter activity of successively 5ʹ-truncated sections of 956 bases of this region by fusing it to the coding region of a luciferase reporter gene. The transcription start site was determined by primer-extension analysis. The region upstream of the transcription start site is characterized by the presence of a TATA box at bases -32/-26, DNA-binding elements for transcription factors c-Myc, N-Myc, Sp1 and nuclear factor ĸB as well as putative activator protein (AP)-1-, cAMP-response-element-binding protein (CREB)-, hepatocyte nuclear factor (HNF)-1-, HNF-3-, TGT3-, gut-enriched Krüppel factor (GKLF)-, thyroid transcription factor (TTF)-1- and glucocorticoid receptor element (GRE)-binding sites. Intron 1 of MUC5B was also characterized, it is 2511 nucleotides long and contains a DNA segment of 259 bp in which are clustered eight tandemly repeated GA boxes and a CACCC box that bind Sp1. AP-2α and GATA-1 nuclear factors were also shown to bind to their respective cognate elements in intron 1. In transfection studies the MUC5B promoter showed a cell-specific activity as it is very active in mucus-secreting LS174T cells, whereas it is inactive in Caco-2 enterocytes and HT-29 STD (standard) undifferentiated cells. Within the promoter, maximal transcription activity was found in a segment covering the first 223 bp upstream of the transcription start site. Finally, in co-transfection experiments a transactivating effect of Sp1 on to MUC5B promoter was seen in LS174T and Caco-2 cells.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhixi Li ◽  
Gang Wu ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Youyu Wang ◽  
Xueming Ju ◽  
...  

Abstract Background This article focuses on the roles and mechanism of lncRNA CRNDE on the progression of HCC. Methods We used qRT-PCR to detect the expression of lncRNA CRNDE in HCC cells, normal cells and clinical tissues. MTT assay, FCM analysis, Transwell migration and invasion assay were used to detect the effects of lncRNA CRNDE on cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion of HCC cells. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bcl-2, Bax, Cleaved Caspase 3, Cleaved Caspase 9, EMT epithelial marker E-cadherin and mesothelial marker Vimentin were analyzed by Western blot. Online prediction software was used to predict the binding sites between lncRNA CRNDE and miR-539-5p, or miR-539-5p and POU2F1 3’UTR. Dual luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR and RNA pulldown were used to detect target-relationship between lncRNA CRNDE and miR-539-5p. Dual luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR, Western blot and Immunofluorescence were used to detect target-relationship between miR-539-5p and POU2F1. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-539-5p and POU2F1 in clinical tissues. Rescue experiments was used to evaluate the association among lncRNA CRNDE, miR-539-5p and POU2F1. Finally, we used Western blot to detect the effects of lncRNA CRNDE, miR-539-5p and POU2F1 on NF-κB and AKT pathway. Results lncRNA CRNDE was highly expressed in HCC cells and HCC tissues compared with normal cells and the corresponding adjacent normal tissues. lncRNA CRNDE promoted the cell viability, migration and invasion of HCC cells, while inhibited the apoptosis and promoted the EMT process of HCC cells. lncRNA CRNDE adsorbed miR-539-5p acts as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate POU2F1 expression indirectly. In HCC clinical tissues, miR-539-5p expression decreased and POU2F1 increased compared with the corresponding adjacent normal tissues. lncRNA CRNDE/miR-539-5p/POU2- F1 participated the NF-κB and AKT pathway in HCC. Conclusion lncRNA CRNDE promotes the expression of POU2F1 by adsorbing miR-539-5p, thus promoting the progression of HCC. Keywords: HCC, lncRNA CRNDE, miR-539-5p, POU2F1, ceRNA


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 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tong Li ◽  
Bingjie Chen ◽  
Chengjie Wei ◽  
Dan Hou ◽  
Panpan Qin ◽  
...  

Analyzing marker-assisted breeding is an important method utilized in modern molecular breeding. Recent studies have determined that a large number of molecular markers appear to explain the impact of “lost heritability” on human height. Therefore, it is necessary to locate molecular marker sites in poultry and investigate the possible molecular mechanisms governing their effects. In this study, we found a 104-bp insertion/deletion polymorphism in the 5′UTR of the ADPRHL1 gene through resequencing. In cross-designed F2 resource groups, the indel was significantly associated with weight at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 10 weeks and a number of other traits [carcass weight (CW), semi-evisceration weight (SEW), evisceration weight (EW), claw weight (CLW), wings weight (DWW), gizzard weight (GW), pancreas weight (PW), chest muscle weight (CMW), leg weight (LW), leg muscle weight (LMW), shedding Weight (SW), liver rate (LR), and leg muscle rate (LMR)] (P < 0.05). In brief, the insertion-insertion (II) genotype was significantly associated with the greatest growth traits and meat quality traits, whereas the values associated with the insertion-deletion (ID) genotype were the lowest in the F2 reciprocal cross chickens. The mutation sites were genotyped in 4,526 individuals from 12 different chicken breeds and cross-designed F2 resource groups. The II genotype is the most important genotype in commercial broilers, and the I allele frequency observed in these breeds is relatively high. Deletion mutations tend to be fixed in commercial broilers. However, there is still considerable great potential for breeding in dual-purpose chickens and commercial laying hens. A luciferase reporter assay showed that the II genotype of the ADPRHL1 gene possessed 2.49-fold higher promoter activity than the DD genotype (P < 0.05). We hypothesized that this indel might affect the transcriptional activity of ADPRHL1, thereby affecting the growth traits of chickens. These findings may help to elucidate the function of the ADPRHL1 gene and facilitate enhanced reproduction in the chicken industry.


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