Effect of psychological stress on human growth hormone response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone in normal controls

ZNF143 Suppresses Cell Apoptosis and Promotes Proliferation in Gastric Cancer via ROS/p53 Axis

Aim

This study was aimed at identifying the role of zinc finger protein 143 (ZNF143) in gastric cancer (GC) progression.

Methods

The impact of ZNF143 on the proliferation ability and apoptosis of GC cells was detected. The expression of ZNF143 and related targeted genes was determined using Western blot analysis. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) level of GC cells was examined using the ROS generation assay. The role of ZNF143 in the proliferation of GC cells in vivo was examined using tumor xenograft assay.

Results

The ectopic overexpression of ZNF143 promoted the proliferation of GC cells, while its knockdown reduced the effect in vitro. The downregulation of ZNF143 facilitated cell apoptosis. ZNF143 decreased the ROS level in GC cells, resulting in the reduction of cell apoptosis. Transfection with p53 reversed the antiapoptotic effect of ZNF143, while pifithrin-α, a specific inhibitor of p53, reduced the apoptosis in ZNF143-knockdown GC cells. However, p53 had no influence on the ROS level in GC cells. p53 played a key role in inhibiting ROS generation in GC cells, thereby inhibiting apoptosis. The transplanted tumor weight and volume were higher in the ZNF143-overexpressed group than in the ZNF143-knockdown group in vivo was examined using tumor xenograft assay.

Conclusion

ZNF143, as a tumor oncogene, promoted the proliferation of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo, indicating that ZNF143 might function as a novel target for GC therapy.in vitro. The downregulation of ZNF143 facilitated cell apoptosis. ZNF143 decreased the ROS level in GC cells, resulting in the reduction of cell apoptosis. Transfection with p53 reversed the antiapoptotic effect of ZNF143, while pifithrin-in vivo was examined using tumor xenograft assay.

Interference of stress with the somatotropic axis in pigs - lights on new biomarkers

The acceptance of animal products is increasingly associated with standardized animal welfare, which relates to appropriate animal husbandry from birth to slaughter. In particular, shipment to the slaughterhouse is considered as a critical process exposing the animals to a number of, in part severe, stressors. New biomarkers may be useful for the assessment of animal welfare. The IGF-system has been assessed in a commercial pig transport in conjunction with established markers of stress response. Furthermore, the effect of repeated restraint as an experimental model for repeated acute stress was investigated. During shipment from farm to slaughterhouse, plasma concentrations of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2 were significantly reduced (p < 0.01). After shipment, the plasma concentrations of IGFBP-5, glucocorticoids and IL-2 increased but decreased after lairage (p < 0.05) whereas IGF-1 decreased after shipment (p < 0.01). Repeated acute stress increased concentrations of IGFBP-3 and IGF-1 in exsanguination blood (p < 0.05). Differential IGF- signatures can indicate altered endocrine or metabolic control and thus contain complex animal-related information. The somatotropic axis may be of particular interest when established biomarkers such as cortisol, glucose, or lactate cannot be used for the assessment of animal stress or welfare.