Upregulation of miR-197 inhibits cell proliferation by directly targeting IGFBP5 in human uterine leiomyoma cells

Uterine leiomyoma (ULM), one of the most common reproductive tract neoplasms in premenopausal women, is a kind of benign tumor with multigene involved. Finding and studying the key gene involved has been a long-needed factor for developing non-surgery therapy and prevention methods. The dysregulated microRNAs were reported to play important roles in ULM pathobiology by regulating tumor growth. Our investigations have revealed that miR-197 is at low expression in ULM. Characterization of the effects of miR-197 in ULM demonstrated that downregulation of miR-197 increased cell growth and induced cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase in vitro, while upregulation of miR-197 expression had the opposite effect on ULM growth and progression. Further research on the mechanism of miR-197 on the proliferation of ULM cells, we showed that miR-197 inhibited cell proliferation of ULM by directly targeting IGFBP5, which was overexpressed in ULM and played an important role in the etiology of ULM. These findings obtained in this study deliver insights and further expand our understanding of the role of miR-197 and its target IGFBP5 in ULM development, which provides a potential novel therapeutic agent to target the proliferation of ULM cells.

Familiares Auftreten einer segmentalen Typ-2-Manifestation der kutanen Leiomyomatose. Familial occurrence of a type 2 segmental manifestation of cutaneous leiomyomatosis

BACKGROUND

There are several malignant or benign skin diseases which can be explained by the phenomenon of mosaicism or segmental manifestation, e. g. segmental neurofibromatosis 1 or cutaneous leiomyomatosis. Loss of heterozygosity is a crucial element for segmental manifestations. Two types of segmental manifestations can be defined in autosomal dominant skin diseases such as cutaneous leiomyomatosis. Type 1 is caused by a novel postzygotic segmental mutation; type 2 reflects an additional postzygotic loss of heterozygosity of the gene locus responsible for cutaneous leiomyomatosis in a initially heterozygous embryo. Loss of heterozygosity is a genetic process when a heterozygous cell becomes homozygous or hemizygous by loosing the corresponding wild-type allele. This phenomenon can be regarded as a precondition for tumor growth. In type-2 cases, the segmental manifestation is more distinctive with additional disseminated disease because of a germline mutation with heterozygosity of all somatic cells outside the strongly affected area.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A 74-year-old female patient and her 52-year-old son presented with segmental leiomyomas following the lines of Blaschko as well as disseminated skin tumors. The woman has undergone hysterectomy at the age of 29 because of multiple uterine leiomyomas, as had her mother and grandmother.

RESULTS

Based on their typical clinical appearance, these cases represent the rare familial occurrence of type-2 manifestation of leiomyomas which indicates a postzygotic loss of the wild-type allele.

CONCLUSION

Very unusual is the familial occurrence in mother and son of this type-2 manifestation of cutaneous leiomyomatosis. Apparently the gene locus is prone to a postzygotic loss of heterozygosity.

Female adnexal tumour of probable wolffian origin

We report a case of female adnexal tumour of probable wolffian origin, a rare tumour of the broad ligament, and discuss aspects of its origin, differential diagnosis and behaviour.

Hydatidiform moles and teratomas confirm the human identity of the preimplantation embryo

Results of recent research on hydatidiform moles and teratomas show that during pregnancy the embryo does not receive any message or information from the mother able to control the mechanisms of development or to produce the type of cellular differentiation necessary for building the tissues of the new human adult. Thus, the biological identity of the new human being does not depend on the sojourn in the uterus; the preimplantation embryo is the same individual of the human species as the adult, into whom the embryo can in principle develop.

Hydatidiform mole: a vascular congenital anomaly

The thesis is advanced that a critical time for development of embryonic blood vessels in the placenta is 13 to 21 days after conception, especially during days 18 to 21. Dietary requirements at this time are specific and demanding for nutritional precursors of thymidine which is an important constituent of DNA. Folic acid and histidine are specifically essential for thymidine synthesis. These are reviewed with respect to cultures and socioeconomon levels in societies where occurrence of hydatidiform mole is endemic. Specific nutritional deficiencies are discussed in relation to kinds of diets and ways of food preparation. When specific dietary requirements are lacking at a time of high need, embryo death, abnormality, and/or avascularity of trophoblastic placental villi may be the earliest pathogenic signs of hydatidiform mole.