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Li Q, Li Y, Zhu J, Liu Z, Sun Y, Lv Y, Li J, Luo L, Zhang C, Zhang W. Cadmium Exposure in Male Rats Results in Ovarian Granulosa Cell Apoptosis in Female Offspring and Paternal Genetic Effects. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39119833 DOI: 10.1002/tox.24375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the damage to male offspring induced by cadmium (Cd) exposure during embryonic period leads to the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells (OGCs) in the next generation of female offspring, and whether this apoptosis in the offspring was due to paternal genetic effects. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to CdCl2 (0, 0.5, 2.0, or 8.0 mg/kg) by gavage daily for 20 days to produce the filial 1 (F1) generation. F1 males were mated with newly purchased females to produce the F2 generation, and the F3 generation was generated in the same way. No apoptotic bodies were observed in the OGCs of either the F2 or F3 generation as shown by electron microscopy, and a reduced OGC apoptosis rate (detected by flow cytometry) was observed in F2 OGCs from the Cd-exposed group. Moreover, the mRNA (qRT-PCR) levels of Bax and Bcl-2 and the protein (western blotting) level of pro-caspase-8 increased in the F2 generation (p < 0.05). The expression of apoptosis-related miRNAs (qRT-PCR) and methylation of apoptosis-related genes (determined via bisulfite-sequencing PCR) in OGCs were further determined. Compared with those of the controls, the expression patterns of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the F2 offspring were different in the Cd-exposed group. The miR-92a-2-5p expression levels were decreased in both the F2 and F3 generations (p < 0.05), while the average methylation level of apoptosis-related genes did not change significantly (except for individual loci). In summary, this study showed that the paternal genetic intergenerational effect of male Cd exposure during embryonic period induced apoptosis of OGCs in the offspring was weakened, and the transgenerational effect disappeared; nevertheless, intergenerational and transgenerational changes in apoptosis-related genes, epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation, and miRNAs were observed, and may be important for understanding the homeostatic mechanisms of the body to alleviate the intergenerational transmission of Cd-induced damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyu Li
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yuchen Li
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Jianlin Zhu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Zhangpin Liu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yi Sun
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Yake Lv
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Jingwen Li
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Lingfeng Luo
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Chenyun Zhang
- Department of Health Law and Policy, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
| | - Wenchang Zhang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Environment Factors and Cancer, Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China
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Méndez C, Ahlenstiel CL, Kelleher AD. Post-transcriptional gene silencing, transcriptional gene silencing and human immunodeficiency virus. World J Virol 2015; 4:219-244. [PMID: 26279984 PMCID: PMC4534814 DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v4.i3.219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2014] [Revised: 01/24/2015] [Accepted: 04/29/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
While human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) infection is controlled through continuous, life-long use of a combination of drugs targeting different steps of the virus cycle, HIV-1 is never completely eradicated from the body. Despite decades of research there is still no effective vaccine to prevent HIV-1 infection. Therefore, the possibility of an RNA interference (RNAi)-based cure has become an increasingly explored approach. Endogenous gene expression is controlled at both, transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels by non-coding RNAs, which act through diverse molecular mechanisms including RNAi. RNAi has the potential to control the turning on/off of specific genes through transcriptional gene silencing (TGS), as well as fine-tuning their expression through post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). In this review we will describe in detail the canonical RNAi pathways for PTGS and TGS, the relationship of TGS with other silencing mechanisms and will discuss a variety of approaches developed to suppress HIV-1 via manipulation of RNAi. We will briefly compare RNAi strategies against other approaches developed to target the virus, highlighting their potential to overcome the major obstacle to finding a cure, which is the specific targeting of the HIV-1 reservoir within latently infected cells.
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Tang KF, Ren H. The role of dicer in DNA damage repair. Int J Mol Sci 2012; 13:16769-78. [PMID: 23222681 PMCID: PMC3546719 DOI: 10.3390/ijms131216769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2012] [Revised: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 11/12/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Dicer is the key component of the RNA interference pathway. Our group and others have reported that knockdown or knockout of Dicer leads to DNA damage in mammalian cells. Two groups recently showed that efficiency of DNA damage repair was greatly reduced in Dicer-deficient cells and that Dicer-dependent small RNAs (~21 nucleotides) produced from the sequences in the vicinity of DNA double-strand break sites were essential for DNA damage repair. Moreover, accumulating data have suggested that miroRNAs play pivotal roles in DNA damage repair. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms by which loss of Dicer leads to DNA damage, as well as the role of Dicer in tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai-Fu Tang
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails: (K.-F.T.); (H.R.); Tel.: +86-577-8883-1271 (K.-F.T.); +86-236-369-3029 (H.R.); Fax: +86-577-8883-1359 (K.-F.T.); +86-236-370-3790 (H.R.)
| | - Hong Ren
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mails: (K.-F.T.); (H.R.); Tel.: +86-577-8883-1271 (K.-F.T.); +86-236-369-3029 (H.R.); Fax: +86-577-8883-1359 (K.-F.T.); +86-236-370-3790 (H.R.)
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