Differential effects of Pax3 on expression of polysialyltransferases STX and PST in TGF-β-treated normal murine mammary gland cells

The significance of sialylation on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

Sialylation, one of the most common and complex modes of glycosylation, corresponds with the development of the infant brain and nervous system. The most prevalent neurodegenerative disease is Alzheimer's disease (AD), which is mainly characterized by cognitive decline and behavioral disorders. However, the relationship between sialylation and AD occurrence is poorly understood. In this article, we reviewed the role of sialylation on the occurrence and development of AD, then discussed the value of sialylation modification for AD diagnosis and treatment.

Biological Functions and Analytical Strategies of Sialic Acids in Tumor

Sialic acids, a subset of nine carbon acidic sugars, often exist as the terminal sugars of glycans on either glycoproteins or glycolipids on the cell surface. Sialic acids play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes via carbohydrate-protein interactions, including cell-cell communication, bacterial and viral infections. In particular, hypersialylation in tumors, as well as their roles in tumor growth and metastasis, have been widely described. Recent studies have indicated that the aberrant sialylation is a vital way for tumor cells to escape immune surveillance and keep malignance. In this article, we outline the present state of knowledge on the metabolic pathway of human sialic acids, the function of hypersialylation in tumors, as well as the recent labeling and analytical techniques for sialic acids. It is expected to offer a brief introduction of sialic acid metabolism and provide advanced analytical strategies in sialic acid studies.

Enhanced motility and proliferation by miR-10b/FUT8/p-AKT axis in breast cancer cells

Upregulation of microRNA (miR)-10b has been confirmed in multiple types of cancer, however, the role of miR-10b in glycosylation remains unclear. Protein core-fucosylation is an important N-linked glycosylation modification and serves important roles in cancer progression. In a previous study, a glycogene array was applied to profile the alterations of glycogene expression in miR-10b-overexpressed MCF10A cells. Notably, fucosyltranferase 8 (FUT8), which is responsible for the addition of core-fucose to N-glycan, was significantly upregulated by miR-10b. In the present study, increased motility and proliferation were observed in miR-10b-overexpressed MCF10A cells. To assess the mechanism involved, the role of FUT8 in MCF10A cells was studied and it was confirmed that miR-10b promotes motility and proliferation by regulating FUT8 and activating the protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway. Consistent with the aforementioned result, decreased motility and proliferation were detected when miR-10b expression was inhibited in MDA-MB-231 cells, transforming growth factor-β-induced and Twist-overexpressed MCF10A cells. To conclude, the findings from the present study indicate that miR-10b promotes motility and proliferation by increasing FUT8 and activating AKT in breast cancer cells.

miR-362-3p regulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblastic cells under hypoxia through targeting Pax3

Preeclampsia (PE), a common obstetrical disorder, is one of the leading causes of pregnancy associated death. PE is closely linked with impaired migration and invasion ability of trophoblastic cells. miR-362-3p recently received our particular attention due not only to its aberrant expression in the placentas of patients with PE, but also to its important roles in regulating migration and invasion of various cells. This study was thus conducted to investigate the roles of miR-362-3p in PE and the related mechanism. The expression of miR-362-3p and Pax3 was examined in placentas of patients with PE and in normal placentas. HTR8/SVneo cells were cultured under hypoxia and transfected with miR-362-3p mimics, miR-362-3p inhibitors or Pax3 over-expression vectors. Results showed up-regulation of miR-362-3p but down-regulation of Pax3 in placentas of preeclamptic pregnancies. Luciferase report assay confirmed that Pax3 is a direct target of miR-362-3p. Although Pax3 was predicted to be targeted by miR-30a-3p and miR-181a-5p as well, their expression either had no difference between placentas of PE patients and normal placentas or showed less increment in placentas of PE patients than miR-362-3p. Exposure to hypoxia inhibited cell viability, migration and invasion of HTR8/SVneo cells. Increasing miR-362-3p by the mimics conferred improved effects on the inhibition. However, deletion of miR-362-3p or overexpression of Pax3 abolished the inhibiton. These results suggest that miR-362-3p/Pax3 axis regulates cell viability, migration and invasion of HTR8/SVneo cells under hypoxia. The present study adds to the further understanding of the pathogenesis of PE.