Cytochalasin D enhances the accumulation of a protease-resistant form of prion protein in ScN2a cells: involvement of PI3 kinase/Akt signalling pathway

MicroRNA-16 suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition‑related gene expression in human glioma

Glioma is one of the most prevalent types of brain tumor and is associated with the highest mortality rate of all CNS cancers. Epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been recognized as an important factor in tumor metastasis. Previously, it has been demonstrated that microRNA-16 (miR-16) has an important role in tumor metastasis in human cancer cell lines. However, the role of miR-16 in epithelial‑mesenchymal transition of human glioma cells remains unclear. In the present study, U87 and U251 glioma cell lines overexpressing miR-16 were established and it was identified that miR-16 suppressed invasion, adhesion, cell cycle, production of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and transforming growth factor-β, and EMT-related gene expression, including vimentin, β-catenin and E-cadherin in miR-16 overexpressing U87 and U251 glioma cells. Furthermore, miR-16 suppressed EMT mainly through the downregulation of p-FAK and p-Akt expression, and nuclear factor-κB and Slug transcriptional activity. Therefore, miR-16 may be an important therapeutic target and predictor for glioma therapy.

Extracellular ATP does not induce P2X7 receptor-dependent responses in cultured renal- and liver-derived swine macrophages

The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is an ATP-gated cation channel that is abundantly expressed in monocytes/macrophages. P2X7R activation by ATP results in various cellular responses including Ca(2+) influx, membrane pore formation, and cytokine secretion. Since P2X7R has low affinity for ATP, high concentrations of ATP (in the mM range) are generally required to activate this receptor in vitro. Functional expression of P2X7R has been detected in monocytes/macrophages obtained from different animal species including humans, rodents, dogs, and bovines, but so far it has not been detected in swine (Sus scrofa). In this study, we investigated the expression and functions of P2X7R in swine macrophages, which were isolated from mixed primary cultures of swine kidney or liver tissue. The P2X7R mRNA and protein expression observed in the swine macrophages was comparable to that seen in a c-myc-immortalized mouse kidney-derived clonal macrophage cell line (KM-1). However, extracellular ATP did not induce P2X7R-dependent sustained Ca(2+) influx, membrane pore formation, or the secretion of the bioactive cytokine interleukin-1β in the swine macrophages, whereas these responses were clearly observed in the mouse KM-1 cells after stimulation with millimolar concentrations of ATP as a positive control. These findings suggest that the ATP/P2X7R pathway is impaired in swine macrophages at least in the culture conditions used in the present study.