The Effect and Mechanism of TRPC1, 3, and 6 on the Proliferation, Migration, and Lumen Formation of Retinal Vascular Endothelial Cells Induced by High Glucose

Role of transient receptor potential channels in the regulation of vascular tone

Vascular tone is a major element in the control of hemodynamics. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels conducting monovalent and/or divalent cations (e.g. Na+ and Ca2+) are expressed in the vasculature. Accumulating evidence suggests that TRP channels participate in regulating vascular tone by regulating intracellular Ca2+ signaling in both vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs). Aberrant expression/function of TRP channels in the vasculature is associated with vascular dysfunction in systemic/pulmonary hypertension and metabolic syndromes. This review intends to summarize our current knowledge of TRP-mediated regulation of vascular tone in both physiological and pathophysiological conditions and to discuss potential therapeutic approaches to tackle abnormal vascular tone due to TRP dysfunction.

TRPC3 Is Downregulated in Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Transient receptor potential canonical sub-family channel 3 (TRPC3) is considered to play a critical role in calcium homeostasis. However, there are no established findings in this respect with regard to TRPC6. Although the parathyroid gland is a crucial organ in calcium household regulation, little is known about the protein distribution of TRPC channels-especially TRPC3 and TRPC6-in this organ. Our aim was therefore to investigate the protein expression profile of TRPC3 and TRPC6 in healthy and diseased human parathyroid glands. Surgery samples from patients with healthy parathyroid glands and from patients suffering from primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) were investigated by immunohistochemistry using knockout-validated antibodies against TRPC3 and TRPC6. A software-based analysis similar to an H-score was performed. For the first time, to our knowledge, TRPC3 and TRPC6 protein expression is described here in the parathyroid glands. It is found in both chief and oxyphilic cells. Furthermore, the TRPC3 staining score in diseased tissue (pHPT) was statistically significantly lower than that in healthy tissue. In conclusion, TRPC3 and TRPC6 proteins are expressed in the human parathyroid gland. Furthermore, there is strong evidence indicating that TRPC3 plays a role in pHPT and subsequently in parathyroid hormone secretion regulation. These findings ultimately require further research in order to not only confirm our results but also to further investigate the relevance of these channels and, in particular, that of TRPC3 in the aforementioned physiological functions and pathophysiological conditions.

METTL3 Promotes Endothelium-Mesenchymal Transition of Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells by Regulating TRPC6/Calcineurin/NFAT Signaling Pathways

Background

Endothelium-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a process of phenotypic and functional transition from activated endothelial cells to mesenchymal cells. Recently, EndMT has been proved to be one of the main pathological mechanisms of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). However, the molecular mechanism is not clear.

Methods

Primary rat pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (rPAECs) were isolated from Sprague-Dawley rats and verified by CD31 immunofluorescence staining. rPAECs were exposed to hypoxic conditions to induce EndMT. RNA and protein levels in cells were detected by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The migration ability was verified by the transwell assay. The RIP experiment was used to test the m6A modification of TRPC6 mRNA and the binding relationship between TRPC6 and METTL3. Calcineurin/NFAT signaling was measured by using commercial kits.

Results

METTL3 was found to be highly expressed by hypoxia treatment in a time-dependent manner. Knockdown of METTL3 significantly suppressed cell migration, downregulated the levels of interstitial cell-related markers like α-SMA and vimentin, and increased the levels of endothelial cell markers including CD31 and VE-cadherin. Mechanistically, METTL3 increased TRPC6 expression by enhancing the m6A modification of TRPC6 mRNA, thus activating calcineurin/NFAT signaling. Our experiments showed that METTL3 silencing mediated the inhibitory roles in the hypoxia-mediated EndMT process, which were significantly reversed by TRPC6/calcineurin/NFAT signaling activation.

Conclusion

Our results elucidated that METTL3 knockdown inhibited the hypoxia-mediated EndMT process by inactivating TRPC6/calcineurin/NFAT signaling.

Aberrant TRPC1 expression reflects stromal cervical invasion, lymphovascular invasion, elevated FIGO stage, and poor survival in resectable endometrial carcinoma patients

Background

Transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1) promotes tumor growth and metastasis in endometrial carcinoma (EC) cell lines, whereas its clinical role in EC management remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association of TRPC1 protein expression with the clinical features and survival of EC patients, then was further validated by TRPC1 mRNA measurement and data from The Human Protein Atlas.

Methods

TRPC1 protein expression in tumor tissues and normal endometria of 176 resectable EC patients was determined using immunohistochemistry. Besides, TRPC1 mRNA expression of partial patients (n = 80) was detected using RT‐qPCR. Additionally, survival data from The Human Protein Atlas (derived from The Cancer Genome Atlas [TCGA]) was analyzed.

Results

TRPC1 protein expression was up‐regulated in tumor tissue compared with normal endometrium (p < 0.001). Up‐regulated TRPC1 protein expression was associated with stromal cervical invasion (p = 0.044), lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.032), and increased federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO) stage (p = 0.005). Tumor TRPC1 protein high was linked with shortened accumulating disease‐free survival (DFS) (p = 0.009) and overall survival (OS) (p = 0.026), which were also confirmed by multivariate Cox's regression analysis (both p < 0.050). Further, TRPC1 mRNA validation disclosed that TRPC1 mRNA high was related to shortened accumulating DFS (p = 0.038) and exhibited a correlating trend with declined OS (lacked statistical significance) (p = 0.162). Meanwhile, survival analysis on the data from The Human Protein Atlas (derived from TCGA) also exhibited that TRPC1 mRNA high was correlated with reduced accumulating OS (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Our findings support TRPC1 as a prognostic biomarker in resectable EC patients.

Dysregulated transient receptor potential channel 1 expression and its correlation with clinical features and survival profile in surgical non-small-cell lung cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Transient receptor potential channel 1 (TRPC1) facilitates the tumor growth, metastasis, and chemoresistance in a series of neoplasms, while its correlation with clinical features and survival profile in NSCLC patients remains elusive. Hence, this study aimed to explore this topic.

METHODS

Totally, 192 NSCLC patients were enrolled. Protein and mRNA expression of TRPC1 in carcinoma tissue and para-carcinoma tissue were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay, respectively.

RESULTS

Immunohistochemistry score and mRNA expression of TRPC1 were higher in carcinoma tissue compared with para-carcinoma tissue (both p < 0.001). Besides, increased TRPC1 IHC score (p = 0.004) and elevated TRPC1 mRNA overexpression (p = 0.016) were linked with occurrence of LYN metastasis; meanwhile, increased TRPC1 IHC score (p = 0.015) and raised TRPC1 mRNA expression (p = 0.009) were also linked with advanced TNM stage, whereas TRPC1 IHC score and TRPC1 mRNA expression were not correlated with other clinical features (all p > 0.05). Additionally, TRPC1 protein high (p = 0.007) and TRPC1 mRNA high (p = 0.015) were correlated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) but not correlated with overall survival (OS). Moreover, multivariate Cox's proportional hazards regression analysis showed that high TRPC1 protein expression (p = 0.046) and advanced TNM stage (p < 0.001) were independently correlated with poor DFS. However, TRPC1 protein and mRNA expression were not linked with OS (both p > 0.05), while poor differentiation (p = 0.003) and advanced TNM stage (p < 0.001) were independently associated with worse OS.

CONCLUSIONS

TRPC1 is unregulated in NSCLC tissue with its overexpression relating to the occurrence of LYN metastasis and worse DFS in NSCLC patients.

miR-199a Is Upregulated in GDM Targeting the MeCP2-Trpc3 Pathway

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the most common medical pregnancy complication, has become a growing problem. More and more studies have shown that microRNAs are closely related to metabolic processes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of up-regulation of miR-199a-5p expression in GDM. We found that miR-199a-5p was significantly up-regulated in the placenta of GDM patients compared with normal pregnant women, and expressed in placental villi. miR-199a-5p can regulate the glucose pathway by inhibiting the expression of methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and down-regulating canonical transient receptor potential 3 (Trpc3). This suggests that miR-199a-5p may regulate the glucose pathway by regulating methylation levels, leading to the occurrence of GDM.

Minireview: Insights into the role of TRP channels in the retinal circulation and function

Consistent with their wide distribution throughout the CNS, transcripts of all transient receptor potential (TRP) cation channel superfamily members have been detected in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells of the mammalian retina. Evidence shows that members of the TRPC (canonical, TRPC1/4/5/6), TRPV (vanilloid, TRPV1/2/4), TRPM (melastatin, TRPM1/2/3/5), TRPA (ankyrin, TRPA1), and TRPP (polycystin, TRPP2) subfamilies contribute to retinal function and circulation in health and disease, but the relevance of most TRPs has yet to be determined. Their principal role in light detection is far better understood than their participation in the control of intraocular pressure, retinal blood flow, oxidative stress, ion homeostasis, and transmitter signaling for retinal information processing. Moreover, if the therapeutic potential of targeting some TRPs to treat various retinal diseases remains speculative, recent studies highlight that vision restoration strategies are very likely to benefit from the thermo- and mechanosensitive properties of TRPs. This minireview focuses on the evidence of the past 5 years about the role of TRPs in the retina and retinal circulation, raises some possibilities about the function of TRPs in the retina, and discusses the potential sources of endogenous stimuli for TRPs in this tissue, as a reflection for future studies.

Endu combined with concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy for stage IIB-IVA cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the incidence of cervical cancer has increased with increasing life pressures and changes in women's social roles, posing a serious threat to women's physical and mental health.

AIM

To explore the clinical effect of Endo combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

METHODS

A total of 120 patients admitted to the oncology department of our hospital were selected as the research subjects. They were equally divided into the test group and the control group (60 patients each) with a random number table. The test group was treated with Endo combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and the control group was treated with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy. We compared the serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and squamous cell carcinoma-associated antigen (SCC-Ag) levels, the clinical effects and survival before and after radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the quality score, and the 3-year follow-up outcomes between the two groups.

RESULTS

After chemotherapy, the complete remission + partial remission rate was 85.00% in the test group and 68.33% in the control group; the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Before chemotherapy, the serum TK1, HE4, VEGF, and SCC-Ag levels of the two groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05). After chemotherapy, the levels of serum TK1 (1.27 ± 0.40 pmol/L), HE4 (81.4 ± 24.0 pmol/L), VEGF (235.1 ± 38.0 pg/mL), and SCC-Ag (1.76 ± 0.55 ng/mL) were lower than those in the control group [TK1 (1.58 ± 0.51 pmol/L), HE4 (98.0 ± 28.6) pmol/L, VEGF (284.2 ± 54.1 pg/mL), and SCC-Ag (2.34 ± 0.78 ng/mL)]. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Before chemotherapy, there were no significant differences in the physical, role, mood, cognition, social and symptom scale scores of the two groups (P > 0.05). After chemotherapy, the physical, role, mood, cognitive and social scores were higher in the test group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The symptom scale scores of the test group were all lower than those of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was 43.33% in the test group and 26.67% in the control group; the overall survival (OS) rate was 48.33% in the test group and 33.33% in the control group; the differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The 3-year PFS time of the test group was 20.0 mo, which was longer than that of the control group (15.0 mo), and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). The OS time of the test group was 30.0 mo, which was longer than that of the control group (18.0 mo), and the difference was significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Endo combined with concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma has a positive effect on reducing the level of tumor markers in patients, prolonging the PFS and OS times of patients, and improving the quality of life.

Study on Damage Mechanism and Repair of Vascular Endothelial Cells Based on Ultrasound Technology

OBJECTIVE

To detect the endothelial function of external iliac artery in rats with different stages of atherosclerosis by high-resolution ultrasound, so as to provide experimental methodological basis for evaluating the function of vascular endothelial cells by ultrasound.

METHODS

The animals were randomly divided into the control group (n = 6) and the atherosclerosis model group (n = 15). The atherosclerosis group was further divided into 4-week group, 8-week group, and 12-week group, with 5 animals in each group. After separating and grinding rat spleen, the obtained cells were cultured by density gradient centrifugation. After the cells adhered, the morphology of the cells was observed under a microscope and identified by DiI-Ac-LDL and FITC-UEA-I double staining. The activities of LDH and SOD, the contents of MDA and GSH, and the contents of NO in plasma were detected by biochemical methods.

RESULTS

The protective effect of rosanilin on brain injury in rats with acute hypobaric hypoxia and its regulation on the expression of pAkt protein; ox-LDL inhibited the proliferation activity of EPCs in a concentration-dependent manner. The expression of KLF2 and S1PR1 in HAEC can be knocked down by small interfering RNA, and knocking down KLF2 can not only downregulate the expression of S1PR1 but also downregulate HAVEN. With the development of atherosclerosis, the endothelium-dependent relaxation function and endothelium-independent relaxation function of the control group and the atherosclerosis model at 4, 8, and 12 weeks were damaged in different degrees and gradually aggravated.

CONCLUSION

Atherosclerosis is a disease with both morphological and functional damage, and vascular endothelial function is damaged in the early stage with corresponding pathological changes. Ultrasound is an effective method to evaluate vascular endothelial function.