Expression of FKBP52 in the ovaries of PCOS rats

Protective effect of Galectin-3 inhibitor against cardiac remodelling in an isoprenaline-induced myocardial infarction in type 2 diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has the potential to impair cardiac function and cause heart failure. We aimed to study the cardioprotective influence of Galactin-3 (Gal-3) inhibitor; modified citrus pectin (MCP) in isoprenaline induced myocardial infarction (MI) in T2DM rats. Forty rats were allocated into 4 groups; groups I and II served as control. T2DM was provoked in groups III and IV by serving them high fat diet followed by a single low dose of Streptozotocin (STZ), then group IV were administered MCP in drinking water for 6 weeks. Groups III and IV were then subcutaneously injected isoprenaline hydrochloride once daily on the last 2 successive days to induce MI. MCP restored echocardiographic parameters with significant decline in Gal-3 area % in cardiac tissue alongside protection against cardiac remodelling. our data showed that there is a protective potential for Gal-3 inhibitor (MCP) against cardiac injury in isoprenaline induced MI in T2DM.

FKBP11 improves the malignant property in osteosarcoma cells and acts as a prognostic factor of osteosarcoma

BACKGROUND

Osteosarcoma has become the most common bone malignancy in adolescents. Although the clinical treatment of osteosarcoma has developed very much in recent years, the 5-year survival rate for patients with osteosarcoma has not improved significantly. Currently, many studies have shown that mRNA has a unique advantage as a target for drug therapy. Therefore, this study is dedicated to finding a new prognostic factor and providing a new target for the treatment of osteosarcoma to improve the prognosis of patients with osteosarcoma.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We selected the prognostic genes which are closely associated with osteosarcoma clinical features by obtaining osteosarcoma patients' information from the GTEx and TARGET database, then developed a risk model. We detected the expression of FKBP11 in osteosarcoma by qRT-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, and performed CCK8, transwell, colony formation, and flow cytometry to reveal the regulatory role of FKBP11. We found that FKBP11 was highly expressed in osteosarcoma, and silencing FKBP11 expression reduced the invasion and migration ability of osteosarcoma cells and slowed down cell proliferation, while promoting apoptosis. We also found that silencing the expression of FKBP11 led to inhibiting the phosphorylation of MEK/ERK.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, we validated that the prognostic factor FKBP11 is closely associated with osteosarcoma and found a novel mechanism by which FKBP11 ameliorates the malignant properties of osteosarcoma cells through the MAPK pathway and serves as a prognostic factor in osteosarcoma. It provides a new idea for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Mogroside V Improves Follicular Development and Ovulation in Young-Adult PCOS Rats Induced by Letrozole and High-Fat Diet Through Promoting Glycolysis

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous endocrine disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction, and polycystic ovaries. In this study, we induced a young-adult PCOS rat model by oral administration of letrozole combined with a high-fat diet and then treated with mogroside V (MV) to evaluate the protective effects of MV on endocrine and follicle development in young-adult PCOS rats. MV (600 mg/kg/day) administration not only significantly reduced the body weight and ovary weight, but also attenuated the disrupted estrous cycle and decreased the level of testosterone. MV restored the follicular development, especially by increasing the number of corpus luteum and the thickness of the granular layer in young-adult POCS rats. Moreover, metabolomics showed that MV markedly increased the levels of D-Glucose 6-phosphate, lactate and GTP, while decreased the level of pyruvate. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that MV recovered multiple metabolism-related processes including gluconeogenesis, glycolysis and glucose metabolic process. Further real-time quantitative PCR analysis showed that MV upregulated the expression of lactate dehydrogenase A (Ldha), hexokinase 2 (Hk2) and pyruvate kinase M2 (Pkm2). Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that MV restored the expression of lactate dehydrogenase A (Ldha), hexokinase 2 (Hk2) and pyruvate kinase M2 (Pkm2). Collectively, these findings indicated that MV could effectively improve the ovarian microenvironment by upregulating the expression of LDHA, HK2 and PKM2 in granulosa cells and enhancing lactate and energy production, which may contribute to follicle development and ovulation of young-adult PCOS rats.

Vitamin D Supplementation Improves Uterine Receptivity in a Rat Model of Vitamin D Deficiency: A Possible Role of HOXA-10/FKBP52 Axis

Synchronized uterine receptivity with the time of implantation is crucial for pregnancy continuity. Vitamin D (VD) deficiency has been linked to the failure of implantation. Therefore, we tested the link between the Homeobox transcription factor-10/immunophilin FK506-binding protein 52 (HOXA-10/FKBP52) axis and the uterine receptivity in VD-deficient rats. The effect of VD supplementation at different doses was also investigated. Forty-eight pregnant rats were divided into six groups (eight/group); normal control rats fed with standard chow (control), control rats supplemented with VD (equivalent dose of 400 IU/day) (control-D400). VD-deficient group (DEF) and the three VD deficiency groups with VD supplementation were equivalent to 400, 4,000, and 10,000 IU/day (DEF-D400, DEF-D4000, and DEF-D10000, respectively). The expression levels of HOXA-10/FKBP52, progesterone level, and histological evaluation of decidualization using osteopontin (OSN) and progesterone receptor (PGR) were estimated. An assessment of the uterine contractility was conducted for all rats. This study showed the downregulation of HOXA-10/FKBP52 together with increased amplitude and frequency of the uterine contractility in the DEF group compared to control. VD dose-dependent supplementation restored progesterone/receptor competency, upregulated the expressional response of HOXA-10 and its downstream FKBP52, and improved uterine receptivity and endometrial decidualization at the time of implantation that was documented by increased area% of OSN and the number of implantation beads.

[miR-483-5p aggravates cisplatin-induced premature ovarian insufficiency in rats by targeting FKBP4]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of FKBP4 protein in cisplatin-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI).

OBJECTIVE

We performed ITRAQ assay of the ovarian tissues from 4 mice with cisplatin-induced POI and 4 control mice, and identified FKBP4 as a significantly down-regulated protein in the oocytes and granulosa cells following cisplatin treatment. TargetScan software was used for target analysis of FKBP4, and qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to verify the expression levels of miR-483-5p and FKBP4 in the mouse models. Serum samples were collected from patients with POI and healthy women for detecting miR-483-5p level with qRT-PCR. Cell transfection and dual-luciferase assay were performed to determine the relationship between miR-483-5p and FKBP4. In primary granulosa cells and KGN cells, we examined the effect of miR-483-5p alone, miR-483-5p and cisplatin, and miR-483-5p combined with both cisplatin and FKBP4 on cell apoptosis. We also assessed ovarian function in a transgenic mouse model with ovarian miR-483-5p overexpression in comparison wigh wildtype mice using immunofluorescence assay, in situ hybridization and ELISA.

OBJECTIVE

Ovarian FKBP4 expression was significantly decreased in mice with cisplatin-induced POI. Analysis using TargetScan software indicated that FKBP4 was the potential target of miR-483-5p, which was highly expressed in the ovaries and serum of POI mice and in the serum of patients with POI. In vitro experiments further confirmed that FKBP4 was the target of miR-483-5p. In KGN and primary granulosa cells, FKBP4 overexpression significantly reduced cell apoptosis induced by both cisplatin and miR-483-5p overexpression (P= 0.0045 and 0.0177, respectively). In the transgenic mice with miR-483-5p overexpression in the oocytes, cisplatin induced more severe ovarian damages as compared with those in the wild-type mice.

OBJECTIVE

miR-483-5p/FKBP4 is a new and important pathway in cisplatin-induced POI, in which cisplatin increases ovarian miR- 483-5p expression to result in targeted downregulation of FKBP4. Up-regulation of miR-483-5p may increase ovarian sensitivity to cisplatin and cause severe ovarian dysfunction. Detection of serum miR-483-5p level may help to predict the occurrence and development of POI.

The Influence Mechanism of Abnormal Immunophilin FKBP52 on the Expression Levels of PR-A and PR-B in Endometriosis Based on Endometrial Stromal Cell Model in Vitro

As a chaperone protein of progesterone receptor (PR), FK-506 Binding Protein 52 (FKBP52) can enhance the activity of PR, but the mechanism of FKBP52 affecting PR expression levels is difficult to clarify. Here, we report a novel in vitro model of ectopic endometrial stromal cells (ESCM) established through the primary culture method of endometrial stromal cells, which is used to study the details of relationship between FKBP52 abnormality and PR expression level in endometriosis (Ems). At the same time, the clinical study of the relationship between FKBP52 and PR expression levels in endometriosis patients was used to verify our conclusions. The results showed that the expression levels of PR-A mRNA and protein in endometriosis are positively correlated with FKBP52 and the abnormality of FKBP52 leads to the decrease of PR-B mRNA and protein expression. When FKBP52 was deleted or reduced, the expression levels of m RNA and protein of PR-A and PR-B have decreased leading to the proliferation of ectopic endometrium cells (ESC) and the occurrence of endometriosis, which is consistent with the expression levels of clinical endometriosis patients and fully confirms our conclusions and reliability of the model, and has great guiding significance for the research of Ems disease occurrence mechanism and clinical treatment.

Paeoniflorin attenuates DHEA-induced polycystic ovary syndrome via inactivation of TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway in vivo

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common reproductive endocrine disorders which are involved in complicated and unknown pathogenic mechanisms. Paeoniflorin (PAE) plays a significant anti-fibrotic role according to previous studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of PAE on ovarian fibrosis and its underlying mechanism in PCOS development. An animal model of PCOS was established by subcutaneous injection of 60mg/kg/d dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) for 35 consecutive days. Rats in PAE-L, PAE-M and PAE-H groups were administrated by gavage with PAE (20, 40, 80 mg/kg/d) for 4 weeks. Our results indicated that DHEA-induced PCOS rats showed similar phenotypes with PCOS patients. PAE could significantly block the DHEA-induced decline of ovary weight and organ coefficient, shorten the prolonged diestrus period, and regulate the irregular estrous cycle of PCOS rats. Moreover, PAE regulated reproductive hormone levels and improved ovarian fibrosis induced by DHEA. PAE treatment could also reduce the expression levels of TGF-β1 and Smad3, and increase the expression levels of Smad7 and MMP2. In conclusion, PAE significantly attenuated the ovarian fibrosis in PCOS, which could be mediated by TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Herein, PAE can be used for the treatment of ovarian fibrosis in PCOS progression.

FKBP4 Accelerates Malignant Progression of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer by Activating the Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway

Objective

To study the expression, biological function, and mechanism of FKBP4 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

First of all, the expression of FKBP4 in NSCLC tissues and cell lines was detected by qRT-PCR; then, the effects of FKBP4 on proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of NSCLC were studied by CCK-8 assays, flow cytometry assays, wound-healing assays, and Transwell assays. After that, tumor xenografts were used to explore the effect of FKBP4 on NSCLC tumor growth in vivo, and the phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR was measured by western blot.

Results

FKBP4 was highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and cells, and its expression was closely related to NSCLC tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and patient prognosis. In vitro, FKBP4 can promote NSCLC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibit NSCLC cell apoptosis. In vivo, FKBP4 can promote NSCLC tumor growth. Furthermore, FKBP4 can promote Akt and mTOR phosphorylation and activate the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and an mTOR inhibitor can neutralize the functions of FKBP4 in NSCLC cells.

Conclusion

FKBP4 serves as an oncogene to promote malignant processes in NSCLC, and it has the potential to be used as a biological marker and therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Mounting evidence of FKBP12 implication in neurodegeneration

Intrinsically disordered proteins, such as tau or α-synuclein, have long been associated with a dysfunctional role in neurodegenerative diseases. In Alzheimer's and Parkinson's' diseases, these proteins, sharing a common chemical-physical pattern with alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains rich in prolines, abnormally aggregate in tangles in the brain leading to progressive loss of neurons. In this review, we present an overview linking the studies on the implication of the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase domain of immunophilins, and notably FKBP12, to a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on the molecular origin of such a role. The involvement of FKBP12 dysregulation in the aberrant aggregation of disordered proteins pinpoints this protein as a possible therapeutic target and, at the same time, as a predictive biomarker for early diagnosis in neurodegeneration, calling for the development of reliable, fast and cost-effective detection methods in body fluids for community-based screening campaigns.