Zinc improves learning and memory abilities of fetal growth restriction rats and promotes trophoblast cell invasion and migration via enhancing STAT3-MMP-2/9 axis activity

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a well-known risk factor for cognitive dysfunction, especially for learning and memory abilities. However, knowledge about prevention and treatment methods of learning and memory abilities of fetal are limit. Here, Morris water maze and passive avoidance tests showed zinc supplementation could protect the impairment of the learning and memory abilities caused by FGR. As accumulating evidence suggested that insufficiency of placental trophoblast cell invasion was closely related to FGR fetal neurodevelopmental dysplasia, we further explored the relationship between zinc supplementation during pregnancy and placental trophoblast. Microarray identified 346 differently expressed genes in placental tissues with and without zinc supplementation, and GO and KEGG analyses showed these differently expressed genes were highly enriched in cell invasion and migration and STAT3 pathway. Protein-protein interaction(PPI) analysis found that STAT3 interacted with matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 (MMP-2/9). In vivo, western blot results authenticated that the expression levels of phospho-STAT3, STAT3, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were up-regulated in placental tissues after zinc treatment. To validate whether zinc could promotes trophoblast cell invasion and migration via enhancing STAT3-MMP-2/9 activity. In vitro, Transwell assay was performed, and we observed that abilities of invasion and migration were obviously increased in zinc treated trophoblast cells. And phospho-STAT3, STAT3, MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression levels were correspondingly increased in zinc treated trophoblast cells, which were dose-dependent. Moreover, gain-of-function and loss-of-function of STAT3 confirmed that zinc promotes cell invasion and migration via regulating STAT3 mediated up-regulation of MMP-2/9 activity. We propose that activation of MMP-2/9 mediated by STAT3 may contribute to invasion and migration of trophoblast cells, which improved neurodevelopmental impairment of FGR rats probably via contributing to placental development. Our findings are the first to show a possible mechanism of reversing neurodevelopmental impairment of FGR rats by zinc supplementation, holding promise for the development of novel therapeutic modalities for learning and memory abilities impairment caused by FGR.

CircLMNB1 promotes colorectal cancer by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition

OBJECTIVE

The aberrant expression of circular RNAs (circRNAs) is a frequent occurrence in various cancers. However, the functions and roles played by most circRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely unknown.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Levels of circLMNB1 expression were evaluated by qRT-PCR and FISH assays. The influence of circLMNB1 knockdown on LoVo and HCT116 cell proliferation, cycling, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were assessed by the CCK-8, assay, Edu assay, flow cytometry, Hoechst staining, and the Transwell assay, respectively. The relative levels of EMT- and apoptosis-related proteins were determined by Western blotting.

RESULTS

CircLMNB1 expression was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. Knockdown of circLMNB1 by siRNA in LoVo cells suppressed cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and facilitated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis In addition, we proved that knockdown of circLMNB1 upregulated E-cadherin, Bax and caspase-3 expression, and downregulated MMP2, MMP-9, and N-cadherin expression in LoVo cells. Further results showed that overexpression of circLMNB1 enhanced the malignant characteristics of HCT116 cells.

CONCLUSION

Our findings revealed that blocking of circLMNB1 could inhibit CRC development, and help to explain the underlying mechanism by which circLMNB1 knockdown inhibits the metastasis of CRC. Finally, this study suggests circLMNB1 as a novel biomarker for CRC.

Landscape of Molecular Events in Pituitary Apoplexy

Apoplectic pituitary adenomas cause significant morbidity and even mortality. The pituitary apoplexy denotes a pituitary adenoma presenting with hemorrhage and/or infarction, implementation in remedial effects of various of drugs in pituitary apoplexy is a promising pharmacogenomic field in the near future adenoma treatment. Indisputably, this is an important horizon for complicated pituitary adenomas. In a pituitary adenoma, the interplay between genetic, cytokine, and growth factors promotes the pathogenic transformation into an apoplectic formation. However, till date, little is known about how all these factors together lead to the pathogenesis of apoplectic pituitary. The vascular endothelial growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), pituitary tumor-transforming gene (PTTG), matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 (MMP-2/9), proliferating marker (Ki-67), as well as hypoxia-inducing factor are the major contributing factors involved in pituitary apoplexy. The molecular mechanism involved in pituitary apoplexy has never been described so far. In this review, we discuss the various proteins/cytokines/growth factors and signaling molecules which are involved in the pathogenesis of pituitary apoplexy and their potential role as biomarkers or as therapeutic targets.

Association of Serum Dystroglycan, MMP-2/9 and AQP-4 with Haematoma Expansion in Patients with Intracerebral Haemorrhage

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to explore association of serum dystroglycan (DG), matrix metalloproteinase-2/matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-2/9), and aquaporin-4 (AQP-4) expression and haematoma expansion in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH), which are proteins involved in maintaining the integrity of the blood-brain barrier.

METHODS

We included patients older than 18 years old with ICH who had undergone baseline CT within 6 hours after intracerebral haemorrhage symptom onset in our hospital between April 2018 and December 2018. Two readers independently assessed haematoma volume and other imaging information upon admission and again within 24 hours. All patients underwent 5 mL of venous blood collection 6 and 24 hours after admission. Serum expression levels of dystroglycan, matrix metalloproteinase-2/matrix metalloproteinase-9 and aquaporin-4 were determined by quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Repeated analysis of variance was used to determine whether expression of the four proteins in patients with cerebral haemorrhage changed within 24 hours and whether there were differences between the haematoma enlargement and non-haematoma enlargement groups over time. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to compare the correlation among expression of the four proteins, clinical characteristics of patients and haematoma enlargement.

RESULTS

Expression levels of serum matrix metalloproteinase-2/matrix metalloproteinases-9 and aquaporin-4 gradually increased within 24 hours in patients with cerebral haemorrhage (P<0.001), while expression levels of dystroglycan gradually decreased (P<0.01). Expression of serum matrix metalloproteinases-9 6 hours after onset was independently correlated with the expansion of cerebral haemorrhage. The ROC curve (AUC=0.778, 95% Cl: 0.661-0.894, P<0.001) exhibited high sensitivity (0.900) and low specificity (0.642).

CONCLUSION

These data support that expression of MMP-9 in peripheral blood is independently correlated with the enlargement of haematoma in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage 6 hours after onset and can be used as an independent predictor of haematoma enlargement in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage. However, although the expression of MMP-2, AQP-4 and DG exhibited some changes within 6 and 24 hours after onset, they were not independently correlated with early haematoma enlargement in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage. Further multi-time point exploration and expansion of the sample size is necessary in future studies.