LncRNA-loc391533 is involved in the progression of preeclampsia through VEGF

Objectives: Preeclampsia (PE) is a leading cause of maternal death worldwide, which is one of the most major pregnancy complications. The effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and lncRNA-loc391533 on PE were evaluated in the present study. Material and methods: Expression of VEGF in pregnant women with PE was determined using immunohistochemical and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The effects of lncRNA-loc391533 knockdown and overexpression on VEGF expression was detected using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting. Loss/gain-of-function assays were performed to evaluate the role of lncRNA-loc391533 on proliferation, cell cycle and migration of trophoblasts HTR-8/SVneo cells. Results: We found that VEGF and its receptor VEGFR1/2 were low expressed in PE. Knockdown of lncRNA-loc391533 enhanced VEGF expression, while overexpression of lncRNA-loc391533 downregulated VEGF. Moreover, lncRNA-loc391533 was required for proliferation and migration of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings emphasized that lncRNA-loc391533 exhibited a critical role in progression of PE through VEGF, which might as a novel therapeutic target for PE treatment

Molecular Dynamics Study on the Aggregation Behavior of Triton X Micelles with Different PEO Chain Lengths in Aqueous Solution

The aggregation structure of Triton X (TX) amphiphilic molecules in aqueous solution plays an important role in determining the various properties and applications of surfactant solutions. In this paper, the properties of micelles formed by TX-5, TX-114, and TX-100 molecules with different poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) chain lengths in TX series of nonionic surfactants were studied via molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The structural characteristics of three micelles were analyzed at the molecular level, including the shape and size of micelles, the solvent accessible surface area, the radial distribution function, the micelle configuration, and the hydration numbers. With the increase of PEO chain length, the micelle size and solvent accessible surface area also increase. The distribution probability of the polar head oxygen atoms on the surface of the TX-100 micelle is higher than that in the TX-5 or TX-114 micelle. In particular, the tail quaternary carbon atoms in the hydrophobic region are mainly located at the micelle exterior. For TX-5, TX-114, and TX-100 micelles, the interactions between micelles and water molecules are also quite different. These structures and comparisons at the molecular level contribute to the further understanding of the aggregation and applications of TX series surfactants

Comprehensive analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression of placental tissue in preeclampsia patients

<p><i>Objective</i>: DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulator of gene transcription, and is involved in many diseases, which has been researched recently. In this study, we aimed to investigate DNA methylation and gene expression in preeclampsia placenta. Preeclampsia has been observed in patients with molar pregnancy where a fetus is absent, which demonstrates that the placenta is sufficient to cause this condition. <i>Methods</i>: DNA methylation profiles and mRNA expression profiles were compared between two groups, six preeclampsia placentas and six normal pregnancy placentas using microarrays. <i>Results</i>: The number of promoters with altered DNA methylation was 1664. The number of mRNA identified as differentially expressed between the two groups of placenta samples were 1446. And the number of matched genes with a typical relationship between DNA methylation and gene expression was 42 hypomethylated DNA with increased mRNA expression and 19 hypermethylated DNA with decreased mRNA expression. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and GO analysis were constructed based on the correlation between the differentially expressed DNA methylation and mRNAs. Conclusion: Our study is the first study to determine the genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in preeclampsia placenta using microarrays. The results revealed that clusters of DNA methylation were aberrantly altered in preeclampsia placenta compared with controls, which indicated misregulation of DNA methylation.</p

PLK1 protects against sepsis-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction

Abstract Sepsis and sepsis-associated intestinal barrier dysfunction are common in intensive care units, with high mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) ameliorates sepsis-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in the intestinal epithelium. The mouse intestinal barrier was disrupted after Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injection due to intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis and proliferation inhibition, accompanied by decreased PLK1. In HT-29 intestinal epithelial cells, LPS stimulation induced cell apoptosis and inhibited cell proliferation. Overexpression of PLK1 partly rescued the apoptosis and proliferation inhibition in HT29 cells caused by LPS. Finally, LPS stimulation promoted the reduction of PLK1, resulting in apoptosis and proliferation inhibition in intestinal epithelial cells, disrupting the intestinal epithelial barrier. These findings indicate that PLK1 might be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of sepsis-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction

Identification of miRNAs as non-invasive biomarkers for early diagnosis of lung cancers

Current clinical diagnostic methods lack the specificity in detecting lung cancer patients. The issue is particularly critical for stage I and II patients. Considerable evidence showed microRNA plays a very important role in lung carcinogenesis. Here, we identified a panel of 41 miRNAs significantly elevated in patients with lung cancer, of which eight miRNAs were further validated in an independent sample cohort. Classification analysis using the panel of eight miRNAs generated a discriminatory power of 93.3 % sensitivity and 93.8 % specificity in separating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients from normal controls, indicating the miRNAs have a potential clinical utility in discriminating NSCLC. Interestingly, miR-1244 was found significantly elevated in the serum samples of lung cancer patients, and the test characteristics of the single miRNA were area under the curve (AUC) of 0.832 in NSCLC vs healthy controls, and 0.861 in NSCLC vs patients with unidentified pulmonary nodules. This is the first study showing serum miR-1244 could be a biomarker to screen lung cancer patients from the high-risk population

NDP52 mediates an antiviral response to hepatitis B virus infection through Rab9-dependent lysosomal degradation pathway

Abstract Autophagy receptor NDP52 triggers bacterial autophagy against infection. However, the ability of NDP52 to protect against viral infection has not been established. We show that NDP52 binds to envelope proteins of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and triggers a degradation process that promotes HBV clearance. Inactivating NDP52 in hepatocytes results in decreased targeting of viral envelopes in the lysosome and increased levels of viral replication. NDP52 inhibits HBV at both viral entry and late replication stages. In contrast to NDP52-mediated bacterial autophagy, lysosomal degradation of HBV envelopes is independent of galectin 8 and ATG5. NDP52 forms complex with Rab9 and viral envelope proteins and links HBV to Rab9-dependent lysosomal degradation pathway. These findings reveal that NDP52 acts as a sensor for HBV infection, which mediates a unique antiviral response to eliminate the virus. This work also suggests direct roles for autophagy receptors in other lysosomal degradation pathways than canonical autophagy