MicroRNA in Cervical Cancer: OncomiRs and Tumor Suppressor miRs in Diagnosis and Treatment

Cervical cancer is a female-specific disease with a high incidence and mortality. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression and in the pathogenic mechanisms of cancer, suggesting their importance in diagnosis and treatment. miRNAs may have roles in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer based on the increases or decreases in several specific miRNAs found in patients with this disease. The miRNAs implicated in cervical cancer are miR-21, miR-126, and miR-143, and clinical application of these miRNAs for diagnosis and treatment is under investigation. Methods for diagnosis of cervical cancer include analysis of changes in the levels of specific miRNAs in serum and determination of aberrant hypermethylation of miRNAs. Supplementation of miR-143 or inhibition of miR-21 activity in vivo may be therapeutic strategy for cervical cancer. Previous approaches to development of siRNA as a drug have provided information for establishment of therapy based on these approaches, and an anti-miR-21 inhibitor has been developed. miRNAs also have effects on drug resistance and may be useful in combination therapy with other drugs

Supersymmetry of Hexabenzocoronene Torus

Hexabenzocoronene torus (HBCT) is a hypothetical torus-shaped network derived by properly connecting the nine pairs of peripheral carbon atoms of the hexabenzocoronene skeleton. The π-electronic structure of this hypothetical conjugated carbon network has an exceedingly high symmetry (supersymmetry) and is closely related to that of the graphite network. By using the group-theoretic technique developed by the authors it is shown that this 42 × 42 secular determinant of HBCT can be factorized into the product of 21 quadratic equations. A number of interesting mathematical properties of the supersymmetry of HBCT are introduced

TGF-β mediated FGF10 signaling in cranial neural crest cells controls development of myogenic progenitor cells through tissue–tissue interactions during tongue morphogenesis

AbstractSkeletal muscles are formed from two cell lineages, myogenic and fibroblastic. Mesoderm-derived myogenic progenitors form muscle cells whereas fibroblastic cells give rise to the supportive connective tissue of skeletal muscles, such as the tendons and perimysium. It remains unknown how myogenic and fibroblastic cell–cell interactions affect cell fate determination and the organization of skeletal muscle. In the present study, we investigated the functional significance of cell–cell interactions in regulating skeletal muscle development. Our study shows that cranial neural crest (CNC) cells give rise to the fibroblastic cells of the tongue skeletal muscle in mice. Loss of Tgfbr2 in CNC cells (Wnt1-Cre;Tgfbr2flox/flox) results in microglossia with reduced Scleraxis and Fgf10 expression as well as decreased myogenic cell proliferation, reduced cell number and disorganized tongue muscles. Furthermore, TGF-β2 beads induced the expression of Scleraxis in tongue explant cultures. The addition of FGF10 rescued the muscle cell number in Wnt1-Cre;Tgfbr2flox/flox mice. Thus, TGF-β induced FGF10 signaling has a critical function in regulating tissue–tissue interaction during tongue skeletal muscle development

Ozone exposure and schoolchildren

The average annual ozone levels have been increasing in Japan, even though the high ozone levels have decreased in recent years. There is limited information on the relationship between ozone exposure, pulmonary function, and respiratory symptoms in schoolchildren in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term ozone exposure on pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in Japanese schoolchildren. Afternoon peak expiratory flow (PEF) values and respiratory symptom scores were recorded daily in 276 schoolchildren from September to October 2016 and from January to February 2017. The association of daily ozone levels with PEF was assessed using a linear mixed model and that with respiratory symptoms was evaluated by generalized estimating equations logistic regression analysis. There was a significant association of daily ozone levels with PEF values. A 13.6-ppb increment in the interquartile range for ozone exposure was significantly associated with a decrease in PEF of −3.67 L/min (95% confidence interval −4.73, −2.61). However, increased ozone levels were not associated with an increased risk of respiratory symptoms. Our present findings suggest that more attention should be paid to the potential adverse effects of short-term ozone exposure on pulmonary function in schoolchildren

D-dopachrome tautomerase promotes IL-6 expression and inhibits adipogenesis in preadipocytes

We previously identified D-dopachrome tautomerase (DDT) as a novel adipokine whose mRNA levels in adipocytes are negatively correlated with obesity-related clinical parameters, and which acts on adipocytes to regulate lipid metabolism. Here we investigated functions of DDT on preadipocytes. Recombinant DDT (rDDT) enhanced both the expression and secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in SGBS cells, a human preadipocyte cell line. Treatment with rDDT increased levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2, but not p38, in SGBS cells, and rDDT-induced IL-6 mRNA expression was attenuated by pretreatment with an ERK inhibitor, U0126. Knockdown of CD74, but not CD44, inhibited rDDT-induced IL-6 mRNA expression in SGBS cells. These results suggested that the rDDT-induced IL-6 expression in preadipocytes occurred through the CD74-ERK pathway. Furthermore, in SGBS cells subjected to adipogenic induction, rDDT decreased the amount of triacylglycerol, number of cells with oil droplets, and levels of mRNA encoding adipocyte marker proteins. Increased expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein families and peroxisome proliferation activated receptor γ2 during adipogenesis was inhibited in the cells treated with rDDT. These results suggested DDT to inhibit adipogenesis by suppressing the expression of genes encoding adipogenic regulators in preadipocytes