Butyrate and retinoic acid imprint mucosal-like dendritic cell development synergistically from bone marrow cells

Accumulating data show that the phenotypes and functions of distinctive mucosal dendritic cells (DCs) in the gut are regulated by retinoic acid (RA). Unfortunately, the exact role of butyrate in RA-mediated mucosal DC differentiation has not been elucidated thoroughly to date. Mucosal-like dendritic cell differentiation was completed in vitro by culturing bone marrow cells with growth factors [granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF/interleukin (IL)-4], RA and/or butyrate. The phenotypes, cytokine secretion, immune functions and levels of retinal dehydrogenase of different DCs were detected using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and flow cytometry, respectively. The results showed that RA-induced DCs (RA-DCs) showed mucosal DC properties, including expression of CD103 and gut homing receptor α₄ β₇ , low proinflammatory cytokine secretion and low priming capability to antigen-specific CD4⁺ T cells. Butyrate-treated RA-DCs (Bu-RA-DCs) decreased CD11c, but increased CD103 and α₄ β₇ expression. Moreover, the CD4⁺ T priming capability and the levels of retinal dehydrogenase of RA-DCs were suppressed significantly by butyrate. Thus, butyrate and retinoic acid have different but synergistic regulatory functions on mucosal DC differentiation, indicating that immune homeostasis in the gut depends largely upon RA and butyrate to imprint different mucosal DC subsets, both individually and collectively.

[Modification factors associated with maternally inherited non-syndromic hearing loss]

Mutations in the mitochondrial DNA have been certified to be one of the most important causes of maternally inherited sensorineural hearing loss. Among these, mitochondrial 12S rRNA1555A>G, 1494C>T and other mutations are associated with both nonsyndromic and drug induced hearing loss caused by aminoglycosides. Individuals carrying 1555A>G or 1494C>T mutation have a variety of clinical manifestations, which implies that the 1555A>G or 1494C>T mutation is a chief factor underlying the development of deafness but insufficient to produce the clinical phenotype. Therefore other modifier factors, such as aminoglycosides, mitochondrial haplotypes, secondary mutation or nuclear modifier genes, may play an important role in the phenotypic expression of the deafness-associated mitochondrial 12S rRNA1555A>G or 1494C>T mutation. In this review, the modifier factors for the phenotypic expression of deafness-associated mitochondrial 12S rRNA1555A>G or 1494C>T mutations were summarized and proposed the pathogenesis of maternally inherited deafness.

Leptin levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus inversely correlate with regulatory T cell frequency

Leptin levels are increased in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) but little is known on how this correlates with several disease characteristics including the frequency of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Here we compared serum leptin levels with frequency of circulating Tregs in 47 lupus patients vs. 25 healthy matched controls. Correlations with lupus disease activity were also analyzed, as well as Treg proliferation potential. It was found that leptin was remarkably increased in SLE patients as compared to controls, particularly in SLE patients with moderate and severe active SLE, and the increase correlated with disease activity. Importantly, increased leptin in lupus patients inversely correlated with the frequency of Tregs but not in controls, and leptin neutralization resulted in the expansion of Tregs ex vivo. Thus, hyperleptinemia in lupus patients correlates directly with disease activity and inversely with Treg frequency. The finding that leptin inhibition expands Tregs in SLE suggests possible inhibition of this molecule for an enhanced Treg function in the disease.

FOXA1 inhibits prostate cancer neuroendocrine differentiation

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) has increasingly become a clinical challenge. The mechanisms by which neuroendocrine (NE) cells arises from prostate adenocarcinoma cells are poorly understood. FOXA1 is a transcription factor of the forkhead family that is required for prostate epithelial differentiation. In this study, we demonstrated that FOXA1 loss drives NE differentiation, demarcated by phenotypical changes and NEPC marker expressions. Mechanistically, this is mediated by FOXA1 binding to the promoter of interleukin 8 (IL-8), a chemokine previously shown elevated in NEPC, to directly inhibit its expression. Further, IL-8 upregulation activates the MAPK/ERK pathway, leading to ERK phosphorylation and enolase 2 (ENO2) expression. IL-8 knockdown or ERK inhibition, on the other hand, abolished FOXA1 loss-induced NE differentiation. Analysis of xenograft mouse models confirmed FOXA1 loss in NEPC tumors relative to its adenocarcinoma counterparts. Importantly, FOXA1 is downregulated in human NEPC tumors compared to primary and castration-resistant prostate cancers, and its expression is negatively correlated with that of ENO2. These findings indicate that FOXA1 transcriptionally suppresses IL-8, the expression of which would otherwise stimulate the MAPK/ERK pathway to promote NE differentiation of prostate cancer cells. Our data strongly suggest that FOXA1 loss may play a significant role in enabling prostate cancer progression to NEPC, whereas IL-8 and MAPK/ERK pathways may be promising targets for therapeutic intervention.

A novel diamond anvil cell for x-ray diffraction at cryogenic temperatures manufactured by 3D printing

A new miniature high-pressure diamond anvil cell was designed and constructed using 3D micro laser sintering technology. This is the first application of the use of rapid prototyping technology to construct high-pressure apparatus. The cell is specifically designed for use as an X-ray diffraction cell that can be used with commercially available diffractometers and open-flow cryogenic equipment to collect data at low temperature and high pressure. The cell is constructed from stainless steel 316L and is about 9 mm in diameter and 7 mm in height, giving it both small dimensions and low thermal mass, and it will fit into the cooling envelope of a standard Cryostream^TM cooling system. The cell is clamped using a customized miniature buttress thread of diameter 7 mm and pitch of 0.5 mm enabled by 3D micro laser sintering technology; such dimensions are not attainable using conventional machining. The buttress thread was used as it has favourable uniaxial load properties allowing for higher pressure and better anvil alignment. The clamp can support the load of at least 1.5 kN according to finite element analysis (FEA) simulations. FEA simulations were also used to compare the performance of the standard thread and the buttress thread, and demonstrate that stress is distributed more uniformly in the latter. Rapid prototyping of the pressure cell by the laser sintering resulted in a substantially higher tensile yield strength of the 316L stainless steel (675 MPa compared to 220 MPa for the wrought type of the same material), which increased the upper pressure limit of the cell. The cell is capable of reaching pressures of up to 15 GPa with 600 μm diameter culets of diamond anvils. Sample temperature and pressure changes on cooling were assessed using X-ray diffraction on samples of NaCl and HMT-d₁₂.

Effects of bepridil on stretch-activated BKca channels and stretch-induced extrasystoles in isolated chick hearts

Various types of mechanosensitive ion channels, including cationic stretch-activated channels (SAC(NS)) and stretch-activated BKca (SAKca) channels, modulate heart rhythm. Bepridil has been used as an antiarrhythmic drug with multiple pharmacological effects; however, whether it is effective for mechanically induced arrhythmia has not been well investigated. To test the effects of Bepridil on SAKca channels activity, cultured chick embryonic ventricular myocytes were used for single-channel recordings. Bepridil significantly reduced the open probability of the SAKca channel (P(O)). Next, to test the effects of bepridil on stretch-induced extrasystoles (SIE), we used an isolated 2-week-old Langendorff-perfused chick heart. The left ventricle (LV) volume was rapidly changed, and the probability of SIE was calculated in the presence and absence of bepridil, and the effect of the drug was compared with that of Gadolinium (Gd(3+)). Bepridil decreased the probability of SIE despite its suppressive effects on SAKca channel activity. The effects of Gd(3+), which blocks both SAKca and SAC(NS), on the probability of SIE were the same as those of bepridil. Our results suggest that bepridil blocks not only SAKca channels but possible also blocks SAC(NS), and thus decreases the stretch-induced cation influx (stabilizing membrane potential) to compensate and override the effects of the decrease in outward SAKca current (destabilizing membrane potential).

Abstract P6-12-01: Phase II study of taselisib (GDC-0032) plus fulvestrant in HER2-negative, hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer: Analysis by PIK3CA and ESR1 mutation status from circulating tumor DNA

Background:

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is frequently dysregulated in hormone receptor (HR)-positive breast cancer (BC), with activating mutations of PIK3CA detected in ~35–45% of patients (pts). Acquired mutations in the ESR1 gene, which encodes estrogen receptor α, may be associated with resistance to aromatase inhibitor (AI) therapy. Taselisib is a potent and selective PI3K inhibitor, with greater selectivity against mutant PI3Kα isoforms than wild-type (WT) via a unique mechanism. In phase I studies, taselisib plus fulvestrant had clinical activity and manageable tolerability in pts with HR-positive BC. We report exploratory analyses of PIK3CA and ESR1 from circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).

Methods:

In this phase II, open-label, single-arm study (PMT4979g; NCT01296555), pts were postmenopausal with HER2-negative, HR-positive locally advanced or metastatic BC and progression or non-response to ≥1 prior endocrine therapy in the adjuvant or metastatic setting. Pts received taselisib (6 mg capsule orally, daily) plus fulvestrant (500 mg intramuscular on Days 1 and 15 of Cycle 1, then Day 1 of each 28-day cycle) until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. PIK3CA-mutation testing on archival tumor tissue used the cobas® PIK3CA Mutation Test. The Sysmex Inostics' BEAMing Digital PCR platform was used for ctDNA analysis of ESR1 and PIK3CA mutations (pre-dose on Cycle 1, Day 1). Primary endpoints were objective response rate (ORR) and clinical benefit rate (CBR) in all pts and those with PIK3CA mutations. ORR was confirmed complete response (cCR) and confirmed partial response (cPR). CBR was cCR, cPR, or stable disease for ≥6 months. Secondary endpoints included safety, efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and exploratory biomarker analysis.

Results:

60 pts were enrolled. Median age was 61.5 years (range 31–82). In the metastatic setting, pts had received prior chemotherapy (21.7%) and prior hormonal therapy (50.0%). 86.7% of pts had received prior treatment with an AI. 45 pts had PIK3CA mutation status from archival tumor tissue and ctDNA testing; concordance was 86.7% (39/45). ctDNA analysis, vs archival tumor tissue testing, identified 4 pts and 9 pts with PIK3CA mutations from pts with WT and unknown PIK3CA mutation status, respectively.

Based on ctDNA analysis (N=60), 13 pts (21.7%) had mutations in both ESR1 and PIK3CA, 21 pts (35.0%) were 'mutation not detected' (MND) for both genes, 8 (13.3%) had ESR1 mutations and PIK3CA MND, and 18 (30.0%) had ESR1 MND and PIK3CA mutations.

In pts with measurable disease at baseline, confirmed responses (all partial) were: PIK3CA mutation, 38.1% (8/21); PIK3CA MND, 8.7% (2/23); all pts, 22.7% (10/44). CBRs were: PIK3CA mutation, 42.9%; PIK3CA MND, 17.4%; all pts, 29.5%. ORR and CBR from ctDNA analyses were similar to archival tumor tissue data.

Conclusions:

ctDNA analysis identified PIK3CA mutations in pts with previously unknown or WT mutation status from archival tumor tissue; ORR and CBR were similar to those from archival tumor tissue suggesting that PIK3CA mutation testing from ctDNA may be used as a surrogate when tissue is unavailable. 21.7% of pts had mutations in both ESR1 and PIK3CA.

Citation Format: Dickler MN, Saura C, Oliveira M, Richards DA, Krop IE, Cervantes A, Stout TJ, Jin H, Savage HM, Wilson TR, Baselga J. Phase II study of taselisib (GDC-0032) plus fulvestrant in HER2-negative, hormone receptor-positive advanced breast cancer: Analysis by PIK3CA and ESR1 mutation status from circulating tumor DNA [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-12-01.

Abstract OT2-01-01: SANDPIPER: Phase III study of the PI3-kinase inhibitor taselisib (GDC-0032) plus fulvestrant in patients with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer enriched for patients with PIK3CA-mutant tumors

Background: PIK3CA mutations frequently occur in breast cancer (BC), being present in ∼40% of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast tumors. PIK3CA mutations promote growth and proliferation of tumors and mediate resistance to endocrine therapies in BC. Taselisib is a potent and selective PI3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor that displays greater selectivity for mutant PI3Kα than wild-type PI3Kα through a unique mechanism. In cell studies, taselisib preferentially degraded mutant compared with wild-type PI3Kα, which was not seen with alpelisib and pictilisib. Taselisib has enhanced activity against PIK3CA-mutant BC cell lines, and clinical data include confirmed partial responses in patients with PIK3CA-mutant BC treated with taselisib either as a single agent or in combination with fulvestrant.

Trial design: SANDPIPER is a double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized, phase III study, designed to evaluate efficacy and safety of taselisib plus fulvestrant in patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic BC. Patients will be randomized 2:1 to receive either taselisib (4 mg daily) or placebo plus fulvestrant (500 mg intramuscular on Days 1 and 15 of Cycle 1, and on Day 1 of each subsequent 28-day cycle). Randomization will be stratified by visceral disease, endocrine sensitivity, and geographic region. The study enriches for patients with PIK3CA-mutant tumors who will be randomized separately from those with non-mutant tumors.

Eligibility: Postmenopausal women with ER-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic BC are eligible if they have disease recurrence or progression during or after aromatase inhibitor treatment. A valid cobas® PIK3CA Mutation Test result via central assessment is required prior to enrollment.

Aims: The primary efficacy endpoint is investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with PIK3CA-mutant tumors. Additional endpoints include overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), duration of objective response, safety, pharmacokinetics, and patient-reported outcomes.

Statistical methods: The primary efficacy analysis population will include all randomized patients with PIK3CA-mutant tumors. Patients will be grouped according to randomized treatment arm. Median PFS and OS will be estimated using Kaplan–Meier methodology. Cox proportional-hazards models, stratified by the stratification factors, will be used to estimate the hazard ratio with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). ORR, CBR, and their 95% CIs will be estimated. Duration of objective response will be estimated using Kaplan–Meier methodology. Quality of life will be analyzed and summarized. Safety will be analyzed for all treated patients according to actual treatment received.

Accrual: Target enrollment is 600 patients. The study is open for enrollment and, as at April 2016, over 200 patients have been enrolled. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT02340221.

Contact information: For more information or to refer a patient, email global.rochegenentechtrials@roche.com or call 1-888-662-6728 (USA only).

Citation Format: Baselga J, Cortés J, De Laurentiis M, Dent S, Diéras V, Harbeck N, Hsu J, Jin H, Schimmoller F, Wilson TR, Im Y-H, Jacot W, Krop IE, Verma S. SANDPIPER: Phase III study of the PI3-kinase inhibitor taselisib (GDC-0032) plus fulvestrant in patients with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer enriched for patients with PIK3CA-mutant tumors [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT2-01-01.

Abstract P3-04-25: Role of H19, a long non-coding RNA, in development of resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer cells

Introduction:

Majority of breast cancer tumors are Estrogen receptor positive (ER+) where antiestrogen therapies (endocrine therapies) are the best therapeutic strategy to treat this type of tumors. However, eventually over 30% of patients will develop resistance to endocrine therapies resulting in disease relapse. We recently showed that the long noncoding RNA, H19, is an estrogen target gene that plays a significant role in estrogen-induced proliferation of the normal and malignant ER+ cells. We therefore hypothesize that H19 expression is also important to the proliferation of endocrine therapy resistant cells. In this study, we examined if estrogen-independent H19 expression is important to the development of endocrine therapy resistance.

Objective:

The overall objective of this project is to use therapy sensitive (MCF-7) and therapy-resistant (LCC9) breast cancer cells as model systems to examine the role of long non-coding RNA H19 in development and maintenance of resistance to endocrine therapy.

Methodology and Results:

We examined the expression of H19 in ER+ breast cancer cells (MCF7) that under the selective pressure of fulvesterant (ICI, ER down regulator) acquire resistance to ICI. We observed that while H19 expression was initially decreased as expected, its expression subsequently increased in the ICI-resistant MCF7 cells. Interestingly, H19 knockdown in MCF7 cells significantly decrease their proliferation as determined by Flowcytometry and made them more sensitive to ICI. We also examined H19 expression in the ICI-resistant LCC9 cells and found that ICI treatment increased H19 expression. Interestingly, H19 knockdown in the LCC9 cells decreased their proliferation and surprisingly made them sensitive to ICI treatment. Previous observations indicate that NOTCH4 receptor (NR4) may be involved in endocrine therapy resistance. Interestingly we found that in presence of ICI, NR4 expression is increased and that forced activation of NR4 markedly increases H19 expression in LCC9 cells.

Conclusion:

Altogether these observations suggest that H19 plays an important role in the development of endocrine therapy resistance and further our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in endocrine therapy resistance. These and similar studies could potentially lead to the development of new therapies to treat therapy resistant tumor cells. Further experiments would reveal if signalling pathways that regulate H19 expression independent of estrogen are useful therapies against endocrine therapy resistant tumors.

Citation Format: Basak P, Chatterjee S, Bhat V, Jin H, Su A, Murphy LC, Raouf A. Role of H19, a long non-coding RNA, in development of resistance to endocrine therapy in breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-04-25.

Efficient organic photovoltaic cells on a single layer graphene transparent conductive electrode using MoOx as an interfacial layer

The large surface roughness, low work function and high cost of transparent electrodes using multilayer graphene films can limit their application in organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells. Here, we develop single layer graphene (SLG) films as transparent anodes for OPV cells that contain light-absorbing layers comprised of the evaporable molecular organic semiconductor materials, zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc)/fullerene (C60), as well as a molybdenum oxide (MoO_x) interfacial layer. In addition to an increase in the optical transmittance, the SLG anodes had a significant decrease in surface roughness compared to two and four layer graphene (TLG and FLG) anodes fabricated by multiple transfer and stacking of SLGs. Importantly, the introduction of a MoO_x interfacial layer not only reduced the energy barrier between the graphene anode and the active layer, but also decreased the resistance of the SLG by nearly ten times. The OPV cells with the structure of polyethylene terephthalate/SLG/MoO_x/CuI/ZnPc/C60/bathocuproine/Al were flexible, and had a power conversion efficiency of up to 0.84%, which was only 17.6% lower than the devices with an equivalent structure but prepared on commercial indium tin oxide anodes. Furthermore, the devices with the SLG anode were 50% and 86.7% higher in efficiency than the cells with the TLG and FLG anodes. These results show the potential of SLG electrodes for flexible and wearable OPV cells as well as other organic optoelectronic devices.

Homozygous DNAH1 frameshift mutation causes multiple morphological anomalies of the sperm flagella in Chinese

This study aimed to investigate the genetic pathogeny of multiple morphological anomalies of the flagella (MMAF), which is a genetically heterogeneous disorder leading to male infertility. Nine patients with severe asthenozoospermia caused by MMAF were recruited. Whole genome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were performed, and we found that four of the nine patients were affected by the same homozygous frameshift mutation c.11726_11727delCT (p.[Pro3909ArgfsTer33]) in exon 73 of dynein axonemal heavy chain 1 ( DNAH1 ) gene. The parents and the sibling of proband 1 were all identified as heterozygous carriers. This mutation was distinct from previously reported DNAH1 mutations associated with MMAF and only affected the East Asian group. Furthermore, the variant DNAH1 protein could not be detected in spermatozoa by Western blot or immunofluorescence staining although DNAH1 mRNA was expressed in the spermatozoa. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis showed the anomalies in sperm flagella morphology and ultrastructure in patients carrying this genetic variant. In conclusion, our results add to knowledge of the genetic pathogeny of MMAF and further confirmed the effectiveness of genetic screening in the diagnosis of MMAF.

Fast island phase identification for tearing mode feedback control on J-TEXT tokamak

A new method to control the tearing mode (TM) in tokamaks has been proposed [Q. Hu and Q. Yu, Nucl. Fusion 56, 034001 (5pp.) (2016)], according to which, the external resonant magnetic perturbation needs to be applied in certain magnetic island phase regions. Therefore, it is very important to identify the helical phase of magnetic islands in real time. The TM in tokamak plasmas is normally rotating and carries magnetic oscillations, which are known as Mirnov oscillations and can be detected by Mirnov probes. When the O-point or X-point of the magnetic island passes through the probe, the signal will experience a zero-crossing. A poloidal Mirnov probe array and a corresponding island phase identification method are presented. A field-programmable gate array is used to provide the magnetic island helical phase in real time by using multichannel zero crossing detection. This system has been developed on the J-TEXT tokamak and works well. This paper introduces the establishment of the fast magnetic island phase identifying system.

Metformin treatment of antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia: an analysis of two randomized, placebo-controlled trials

Dyslipidemia is one of the most common adverse effects in schizophrenia patients treated with antipsychotics. However, there are no established effective treatments. In this study, data were pooled from two randomized, placebo-controlled trials, which were originally designed to examine the efficacy of metformin in treating antipsychotic-induced weight gain and other metabolic abnormalities. In total, 201 schizophrenia patients with dyslipidemia after being treated with an antipsychotic were assigned to take 1000 mg day^-1 metformin (n=103) or placebo (n=98) for 24 weeks, with evaluation at baseline, week 12 and week 24. The primary outcome was the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. After metformin treatment, the mean difference in the LDL-C value between metformin treatment and placebo was from 0.16 mmol l^-1 at baseline to -0.86 mmol l^-1 at the end of week 24, decreased by 1.02 mmol l^-1 (P<0.0001); and 25.3% of patients in the metformin group had LDL-C ≥3.37 mmol l^-1, which is significantly <64.8% in the placebo group (P<0.001) at week 24. Compared with the placebo, metformin treatment also have a significant effect on reducing weight, body mass index, insulin, insulin resistance index, total cholesterol and triglyceride, and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The treatment effects on weight and insulin resistance appeared at week 12 and further improved at week 24, but the effects on improving dyslipidemia only significantly occurred at the end of week 24. We found that metformin treatment was effective in improving antipsychotic-induced dyslipidemia and insulin resistance, and the effects improving antipsychotic-induced insulin resistance appeared earlier than the reducing dyslipidemia.

Hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes reduced in lower esophageal sphincter of patients with achalasia

The etiology of achalasia remains largely unknown. Considerable evidence reveals that the lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction is due to the lack of inhibitory neurotransmitter, secondary to esophageal neuronal inflammation or loss. Recent studies suggest hydrogen sulfide may act as an inhibitory transmitter in gastrointestinal tract, but study about hydrogen sulfide in human esophagus still lack. The aim of the study was to investigate if hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes could be detected in human esophagus and if the synthesis of the endogenous hydrogen sulfide could be affected in achalasia patients. Tissue samples in cardia, lower esophageal sphincter, 2 cm and 4 cm above lower esophageal sphincter were obtained from achalasia patients undergoing peroral endoscopic myotomy. Control tissues in lower esophageal sphincter were obtained from esophageal carcinoma patients. Expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase in lower esophageal sphincter of achalasia patients and control were detected by immunohistochemical staining. In addition, expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase were compared among different parts of esophagus in achalasia patients. Compared with control, the expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase in lower esophageal sphincter of achalasia patients was significantly reduced (χ² = 11.429, P = 0.010). The expression of cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase were lower in lower esophageal sphincter than that in 2 cm and 4 cm above lower esophageal sphincter, respectively (all P < 0.05). In conclusion, the expression of hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes, cystathionine-β-synthase and cystathionine-γ-lyase, can be detected in human esophagus and is reduced in patients with achalasia, which implicates the involvement of the two hydrogen sulfide synthesis enzymes in the pathophysiology of achalasia.

Identification of potential miRNAs and candidate genes of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia by bioinformatic analysis

PURPOSE

The objective of this study was to predict potential target genes and key miRNAs for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) by bioinformatics analysis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The microarray data of GSE51993 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Total 30 chips data from two platforms (each platform including eight CIN III samples data and seven normal cervix samples data) were used to identify the feature miRNAs and genes between CIN III and normal samples, respectively. Then the miRNA- mRNA regulatory network was constructed using Cytoscape software. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were performed for all target genes with the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) online tool. Transcription factors (TFs) and cancer-related genes were analyzed.

RESULTS

Total 21 putative target miRNAs and 361 putative target mRNAs were gained. The miRNA-mRNA regulatory network results showed that miR-338-5p, miR-193a-5p, and miR-216b were top three hub nodes. GO terms significantly enriched were extracellular region (p = 0.004191) and embryonic skeletal system (p = 0.004742). No significantly enriched KEGG pathway term was found in this study. PBXl (pre-B-cell leukemia transcription factor 1) and LAMC2 (laminin subunit gamma-2) were cancer-promoting genes and also, PBX was TF.

CONCLUSIONS

PBXl and LAMC2 may be target genes for CIN. MiR-338, and miR-216 may be key miRNAs in CIN development.

Involvement of ghrelin in nucleus tractus solitaries on gastric signal afferent and gastric motility in cisplatin-treated rats

OBJECTIVE

Ghrelin had been known to promote gastric motility in human and animals previously. We aim to investigate the role of ghrelin in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In the present study, we observed the changes in food intake, kaolin consumption, body weight, plasma ghrelin concentration and expression of ghrelin and its receptor GHS-R1a in the stomach and nucleus tractus solitaries (NTS) in cisplatin-treated rats, and the effects of ghrelin microinjected into NTS on the discharge activity of gastric distension (GD) responsive neurons and gastric motility were also observed.

RESULTS

Cisplatin induced the decrease in food intake and the increase in kaolin consumption of rats. In addition, mRNA expression of GHS-R1a in the stomach and NTS increased significantly after cisplatin treatment. The discharge activity of GD excited (GD-E) and GD inhibited (GD-I) neurons in cisplatin-treated rats was weaker than that of saline treatment, while ghrelin administration into NTS excited most of GD-E and GD-I neurons. Cisplatin induced the decrease in gastric contraction while ghrelin administrated into NTS promoted the gastric motility significantly. However, the amplitude and frequency of gastric contraction promoted by ghrelin in NTS of cisplatin-treated rats were lower than that of saline treated rats. The effects of ghrelin could be completely blocked by its receptor antagonist BIM28163.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicated that ghrelin in the NTS might participate in the regulation of GD-neurons and gastric motility via its receptor in cisplatin-treated rats.