Genome and transcriptome profiling of FBXW family in human prostate cancer

F-box and WD repeat domain containing (FBXW) family of E3 ligases has 10 members that ubiquitinate substrate proteins for proteasome-mediated degradation. Publicly archived datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Prostate Cancer Transcriptome Atlas (PCTA), and cBioPortal were analyzed for mRNA expression and genetic alterations of 10 FBXW genes. We found that FBXW7 mRNA expression was significantly decreased in primary prostate cancers compared to normal prostate tissues, whereas mRNA expression of FBXW8-10 was significantly increased in primary prostate cancers compared to normal prostate tissues. FBXW7 mRNA expression was also significantly decreased in breast invasive carcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma. In contrast, FBXW7 mRNA expression was significantly increased in cholangiocarcinoma, colon adenocarcinoma, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma, liver hepatocellular carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma, and thyroid carcinoma. Compared to normal tissues, FBXW5 mRNA expression was significantly increased in breast invasive carcinoma, cholangiocarcinoma, kidney chromophobe, kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, liver hepatocellular carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, prostate adenocarcinoma, thyroid carcinoma, and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma, whereas FBXW5 mRNA expression was only significantly decreased in colon adenocarcinoma. There were not any significant differences in gene copy number gains, losses, or gene simple somatic mutations between primary prostate cancers and normal prostate tissues. The mRNA expression levels of FBXW5, 7, 8, 9, and 12 were significantly higher in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPCs) than primary prostate cancers, whereas mRNA expression levels of FBXW1 and 4 were significantly lower in mCRPCs than primary prostate cancers. All 10 FBXW genes had significantly more overall gene alterations including gene amplifications in mCRPCs than primary prostate cancers. FBXW5 and 7 had significantly more gene deep deletions in mCRPCs than primary prostate cancers and FBXW7 had significantly more gene missense mutations in mCRPCs than primary prostate cancers. Our findings suggest that different FBXW genes have differential mRNA expression in prostate cancer and other cancer types and their gene amplifications are significantly more in mCRPCs than primary prostate cancers. FBXW7 mRNA expression is consistently decreased in primary prostate cancers compared to normal prostate tissues.

Intra-arterial injection to create bone metastasis of prostate cancer in mice

Human prostate cancer often metastasizes to the bone, but the mechanisms are not quite clear. The difficulties in studying the biology of bone metastasis are due to lack of animal models with high frequency of bone metastases. In the present study, we tested two intra-arterial injection methods, i.e., intra-caudal artery injection and intra-femoral artery injection. Mouse prostate cancer cell line MPC3-luc was injected into C57BL/6J male mice via intra-caudal artery injection (n = 8) or intra-femoral artery injection (n = 11). We found one mouse developed metastatic tumors in both hind limbs and the tail after intra-caudal artery injection. Two mice developed metastatic tumors in the hind limb after intra-femoral artery injection. The metastatic tumors were detected by bioluminescent imaging and X-ray, and confirmed by histological examination. Our study finds that intra-arterial (either caudal or femoral artery) injection may be a useful model in studying prostate cancer bone metastasis, however, the injection technique is difficult.

The effects of exercise on insulin, glucose, IGF-axis and CRP in cancer survivors: Meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomised controlled trials

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity and biological mediators of cancer recurrence and survival.

METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science for randomised controlled trials examining the association between physical activity and C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose, insulin, insulin resistance and insulin growth factor-one (IGF-1) up to December 2017. Standardised mean difference (SMD) scores were calculated, and meta-regression was performed.

RESULTS

The meta-analysis indicated that survivors randomised to physical activity conditions experienced greater improvements in Insulin (SMD = -0.59; 95% CI, -1.05 to -0.14), CRP (SMD = -0.52; 95% CI, -0.87 to -0.17), insulin resistance (SMD = -0.20; 95% CI, -0.41 to -0.003) and glucose (SMD = -0.19; 95% CI, -0.35 to -0.02) than survivors randomised to control conditions. The meta-regression showed that study duration was positively, albeit marginally related (p = .056) to change in CRP levels among survivors in the physical activity conditions. Furthermore, higher baseline insulin levels in the physical activity conditions were associated with improving insulin levels throughout the intervention (p = .007).

CONCLUSIONS

Promoting physical activity throughout the survivorship continuum is an effective intervention strategy for improving levels of insulin, glucose control, insulin resistance and CRP among cancer survivors.

Sustained BMP-2 release and platelet rich fibrin synergistically promote tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in rat

OBJECTIVE

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries which cause knee disabilities remain a clinical challenge due to the compromised tendon-bone repair. Multiple strategies have been proposed to treat the tendon-bone injuries, and the combination of these therapies hold great potential to achieve synergistic effects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We built PLGA-BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2) system and confirmed the sustained release of BMP-2 both in vitro and in vivo. We then applied different therapies to treat rat ACL reconstruction. We collected the tissue sample and analyzed the BMP-2 concentration both in serum and in injured sites. We tested the mRNA expression of genes that were related to inflammation, tissue repair and bone formation in damaged tissues. We also analyzed the protein levels of some genes associated with tendon formation and check the function of newly generated bone through biomechanical test.

RESULTS

We found that, compared to monotherapies, simultaneous utilization of sustained BMP-2 release and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction showed better therapeutic effects on tendon-bone healing in rat. This combined therapy efficiently enhanced the levels of growth factors that favor the angiogenesis and relieved the inflammatory responses in the injured sites. Of note, the combined therapy efficiently promoted the signals associated with bone formation and tendon regeneration.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that the combined therapy with BMP-2 and PRF achieves synergistic effects on tendon-bone healing and holds great potential for the treatment of ACL reconstruction.

Analysis of Characteristics and Relevant Factors of 1 340 Cases of Intentional Injury Cases in Southwest China

Abstract

Objective To investigate the characteristics and patterns of factors such as victims' information, injury tools and time of occurrence of intentional injury cases in southwest China. Methods One thousand three hundred and forty intentional injury cases from several places in southwest China from 2014 to 2016 assessed as minor injury level Ⅱ and above had been randomly selected. Data on victims' information, motives, injury tools, sites of occurrence, time of occurrence, injured parts and degrees of injury were classified and gathered, and then association analyses of motives and types of injury tools as well as degrees of injury and injury tools were made. Results Most of the victims were young adults between 20-50 years （65.2%）, male （82.3%）, rural household registration （62.8%）; the motives were mainly dispute （45.8%）. Injury tools were mostly blunt （54.6%） or sharp （36.0%）. Specifically, injuries were mostly made bare-handed （36.9%） and by cutting tools （33.2%）; the cases mainly occurred in public areas （59.0%）. Cases occurred more frequently in January （11.3%）, February （13.1%）, March （11.6%） and from 22：00 to 01：00 every night. Injuries mainly involved the craniofacial region. The wounds were mainly assessed as minor injury level Ⅱ （61.6%）. There was statistical significance in the difference of types of injury tools among cases with different motives （P<0.05）. There was statistical significance in the difference of the distribution of injury tools among cases with different degrees of injury （P<0.05）. Conclusion The occurrence of intentional injury cases in southwest China has potential patterns and relevant influencing factors. Prevention and analysis of such cases need to be comprehensively considered from the aspects such as victims' information, injury tools and time of occurrence.

Th17 cells promote tumor growth in an immunocompetent orthotopic mouse model of prostate cancer

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) has been demonstrated to promote development of a variety of cancers including prostate cancer in genetically modified mouse models. IL-17 is the main product secreted by T helper 17 (Th17) cells. A recent study has shown that Th17 cells and related genes are upregulated in human prostate cancers. However, there is no direct experimental evidence to demonstrate Th17's role in prostate cancer. In the present study, we co-implanted mouse prostate cancer MPC3-luc cells with Th17-polarized mouse splenocytes in the prostate of immunocompetent C57BL/6J male mice. We found that Th17-polarized splenocytes promoted orthotopic allograft prostate tumor growth compared to the control splenocytes. The numbers of IL-17-positive lymphocytes and macrophages were higher in the prostate tumors grown from co-implantation of MPC3-luc cells and Th17-polarized splenocytes, compared to the prostate tumors grown from co-implantation of MPC3-luc cells and control splenocytes. Our findings provide the first direct experimental evidence that Th17 cells may promote prostate cancer growth.

Evolution and persistence of resistance-associated substitutions of hepatitis C virus after direct-acting antiviral treatment failures

Daclatasvir plus asunaprevir (DCV+ASV) treatment is an all-oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for the genotype 1b HCV-infected patients. In this study, we investigated how resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) evolved after treatment failures and assessed the effect of those substitutions on viral fitness. Sequencing of NS5A and NS3 revealed typical RASs after treatment failures. Interestingly, the RASs of NS3 reverted to the wild-type amino acid within 1 year after treatment failures. However, the RASs of NS5A were stable and did not change. The effect of NS5A and NS3 RASs on viral RNA replication was assessed after mutagenic substitution in the genotype 1b HCV RNA. Among single substitutions, the effect of D168V was more substantial than the others and the effect of the triple mutant combination (D168V+L31V+Y93H) was the most severe. The RAS at NS5A Y93 affected both viral RNA replication and virus production. Finally, the effect of trans-complementation of NS5A was demonstrated in our co-transfection experiments and these results suggest that such a trans-complementation effect of NS5A may help maintain the NS5A RASs for a long time even after cessation of the DAA treatment. In conclusion, the results from this investigation would help understand the emergence and persistence of RASs.

Silibinin attenuates TGF‑β1‑induced migration and invasion via EMT suppression and is associated with COX‑2 downregulation in bladder transitional cell carcinoma

Transforming growth factor (TGF)‑β1 is highly expressed in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and is positively associated with tumor grade. TGF‑β1 signaling promotes cell metastasis by inducing epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT), however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Our previous study demonstrated the anti‑metastatic effects of silibinin, a natural flavonoid derived from milk thistle, against TCC. The present study investigated the effects of silibinin on TGF‑β1‑induced EMT in TCC, focusing on the role of prostaglandin‑endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX‑2). Cell migration was determined by a wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay, and cell invasion was investigated using a Transwell invasion assay. Cell morphology was observed using an inverted microscope. Cell viability was evaluated by an MTT and cell counting assays. EMT markers were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Specific small interfering RNA was used to knockdown COX‑2 gene expression. TGF‑β1 promoted cell migration and invasion, induced EMT and upregulated the expression of COX‑2. COX‑2 knockdown attenuated TGF‑β1‑induced EMT, indicating that COX‑2 upregulation was essential for TGF‑β1‑induced EMT. Silibinin attenuated TGF‑β1‑induced migration and invasion by inhibiting EMT, and was associated with COX‑2 downregulation. TGF‑β1‑induced COX‑2 upregulation, which was inhibited by silibinin. In addition, TGF‑β1‑induced EMT was further inhibited when silibinin treatment was combined with COX‑2‑knockdown. The results suggested that silibinin may be a potential future treatment for metastatic TCC.

Growth arrest specific 1 (Gas1) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor α1 (Gfrα1), two mouse oocyte glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, are involved in fertilisation

Recently, Juno, the oocyte receptor for Izumo1, a male immunoglobulin, was discovered. Juno is an essential glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GIP)-anchored protein. This result did not exclude the participation of other GIP-anchored proteins in this process. After bibliographic and database searches we selected five GIP-anchored proteins (Cpm, Ephrin-A4, Gas1, Gfra1 and Rgmb) as potential oocyte candidates participating in fertilisation. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses showed that only three were present on the mouse ovulated oocyte membrane and, of these, only two were clearly involved in the fertilisation process, namely growth arrest specific 1 (Gas1) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor α1 (Gfrα1). This was demonstrated by evaluating oocyte fertilisability after treatment of oocytes with antibodies against the selected proteins, with their respective short interference RNA or both. Gfrα1 and Gas1 seem to be neither redundant nor synergistic. In conclusion, oocyte Gas1 and Gfrα1 are both clearly involved in fertilisation.

Interface effect on the cohesive energy of nanostructured materials and substrate-supported nanofilms

The cohesive energy is a key quantity to determine the mechanical, physical, chemical, and electronic properties of materials.

Atf3 deficiency promotes genome instability and spontaneous tumorigenesis in mice

Mice lacking genes involving in the DNA damage response (DDR) are often tumor prone owing to genome instability caused by oncogenic challenges. Previous studies demonstrate that activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a common stress sensor, can activate the tumor suppressor p53 and regulate expression of p53 target genes upon DNA damage. However, whether ATF3 contributes to the maintenance of genome stability and tumor suppression remains unknown. Here we report that Atf3-deficient (Atf3^-/-) mice developed spontaneous tumors, and died significantly earlier than wild-type (Atf3^+/+) mice. Consistent with these results, Atf3^-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) had more aberrant chromosomes and micronuclei, and were genetically unstable. Whereas we demonstrated that ATF3 activated p53 and promoted its pro-apoptotic activity in mouse thymi and small intestines, the chromosomal instability caused by Atf3 deficiency was largely dependent on the regulation of p53 by ATF3. Interestingly, loss of Atf3 also promoted spontaneous tumorigenesis in Trp53^+/- mice, but did not affect tumor formation in Trp53^-/- mice. Our results thus provide the first genetic evidence linking ATF3 to the suppression of the early development of cancer, and underscore the importance of ATF3 in the maintenance of genome integrity.

Association between Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly polymorphism and coronary heart disease susceptibility

Published data on the association between Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) Asp299Gly polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD) susceptibility are inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. English-language studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase databases (up to November 2016). All epidemiological studies were regarding Caucasians because no TLR4 Asp/Gly and Gly/Gly genotypes have been detected in Asians. A total of 20 case-control studies involving 14,416 cases and 10,764 controls were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, no significant associations were found between TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism and CHD susceptibility in the dominant model (OR=0.89; 95%CI=0.74 to 1.06; P=0.20) pooled in the meta-analysis. In the subgroup analysis by CHD, non-significant associations were found in cases compared to controls. When stratified by control source, no significantly decreased risk was found in the additive model or dominant model. The present meta-analysis suggests that the TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism was not associated with decreased CHD risk in Caucasians.

Tissue-specific effects of estrogen on glycerol channel aquaporin 7 expression in an ovariectomized mouse model of menopause

OBJECTIVE

Elevated fat mass and redistribution of body fat are commonly observed in postmenopausal women. Aquaporin 7 (AQP7), a unique glycerol permeable integral membrane protein, has been associated with the onset of obesity. We hypothesized that estrogen supplementation could counteract this fat accumulation and redistribution through tissue-specific modulation of AQP7.

METHODS

We measured fat depot weight, adipocyte size, and the expression of AQP7 and glycerol kinase (GK) in visceral and subcutaneous fat tissues of ovariectomized mice supplemented with or without 17β-estradiol.

RESULTS

Removal of the ovaries resulted in a significant decrease in AQP7 expression and an increase in GK expression in visceral adipocyte tissue; expression of AQP7 and GK in subcutaneous adipose tissue remained unaltered. Supplementation with estrogen significantly restored the visceral, but not subcutaneous, fat depot mass and adipocyte size to those of sham-operated mice. A marked increase in the expression of AQP7 and a reduction of GK were observed selectively in the visceral fat depots in estrogen-treated mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that estrogen has tissue-specific effects on AQP7 expression, and modulation of AQP7 by estrogen alters the balance of adipocyte metabolism between adipose tissue depots.