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You JM, Zhang YC, Fan KY, Bai SK, Zhang ZY, Zhang HY, Cheng T, Huo YH, Wang CH, Li XF, Zhang SX. Genetic evidence for causal effects of leukocyte counts on risk for rheumatoid arthritis. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20768. [PMID: 38008752 PMCID: PMC10679084 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46888-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the accumulation of leukocytes and inflammatory mediators within the synovial tissue. Leukocyte counts are proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of RA. However, the causality remains unclear. To investigate the causal relationship between various leukocytes and RA by implementing two-sample univariable Mendelian Randomization (MR) and multivariable MR. MR analysis was performed using respective genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for the exposure traits (eosinophil counts, neutrophil counts, lymphocyte counts, monocyte counts, basophil counts, and white blood cell counts) and outcome trait (RA). Summary statistics for leukocytes were extracted from the Blood Cell Consortium meta-analysis and INTERVAL studies. Public GWAS information for RA included 14,361 cases and 43,923 controls. Inverse variance weighted, weighted median, MR-Egger regression, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier, and multivariable MR analyses were performed in MR analysis. Univariable MR found elevated eosinophil counts (OR 1.580, 95% CI 1.389-2.681, p = 1.30 × 10-7) significantly increased the risk of RA. Multivariable MR further confirmed that eosinophil counts were a risk factor for RA. Increased eosinophils were associated with higher risk of RA. Further elucidations of the causality and mechanisms underlying are likely to identify feasible interventions to promote RA prevention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Mei You
- Department of Clinicallaboratory, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Yao-Chen Zhang
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Ke-Yi Fan
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Shang-Kai Bai
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Zi-Yu Zhang
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - He-Yi Zhang
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Ting Cheng
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Yue-Hong Huo
- Department of Rheumatology, The Fifth People's Hospital of Datong, Datong, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Cai-Hong Wang
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Li
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Sheng-Xiao Zhang
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China.
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China.
- Department of Rheumatology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, Shanxi Province, China.
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Saquib M, Agnihotri P, Biswas S. Interrelated grid of non-coding RNA: An important aspect in Rheumatoid Arthritis pathogenesis. Mol Biol Rep 2023:10.1007/s11033-023-08543-w. [PMID: 37294467 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08543-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation and autoimmunity are the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis, a destructive disease of joints. Multiple biomolecules are involved in the pathogenesis of RA and are related to various events of molecular biology. RNA is a versatile biomolecule, playing numerous roles at structural, functional, and regulatory stages to maintain cellular homeostasis. The involvement of RNA (coding/non-coding) in disease development and progression has left a wide whole to fill with newer approaches. Non-coding RNAs belong to the housekeeping and regulatory categories and both have their specific roles, and their alteration causes specific implications in disease pathogenesis. Housekeeping RNAs, rRNA, tRNA and regulatory RNA, micro-RNA, circular RNA, piRNA and long non-coding RNA were found to be important regulators of inflammation. They work at the pre-and post-transcriptional levels and were found to be more intriguing to study their regulatory impact on disease pathogenesis. The review addresses a question on how the non-coding RNA gets involved in early RA pathogenesis and can be utilized to know their targets to understand the disease better and make way towards the unresolved mystery of RA development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Saquib
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Mall Road, Delhi University Campus, Delhi, 110007, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Prachi Agnihotri
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Mall Road, Delhi University Campus, Delhi, 110007, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India
| | - Sagarika Biswas
- Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Mall Road, Delhi University Campus, Delhi, 110007, India.
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.
- Integrative and Functional Biology Department CSIR- Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology, Mall Road, Delhi, 110 007, India.
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Meng Q, Wen Z, Meng W, Bian H, Gu H, Zuo R, Zhan J, Wang H, Miao X, Fan W, Zhou Z, Zheng F, Wang L, Su X, Ma J. Blimp1 suppressed CD4 + T cells-induced activation of fibroblast-like synoviocytes by upregulating IL-10 via the rho pathway. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY 2023; 38:146-158. [PMID: 36181686 DOI: 10.1002/tox.23672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND B lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp1) is a risk allele for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but its functional mechanism in RA remains to be further explored. METHODS Flow cytometry was performed to detect CD4+ T cell differentiation. ELISA was used to measure inflammatory factor secretion. Lentivirus mediated Blimp1 overexpression vector (LV-Blimp1) or short hairpin RNA (sh-Blimp1) were used to infect CD4+ T cells stimulated by anti-CD28 and anti-CD3 mAbs. RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) were co-cultured with CD4+ T cells or T cell conditioned medium (CD4CM), and cell proliferation, invasion, and expression of adhesion molecules and cytokines in FLSs were evaluated. Mice were injected intradermally with type II collagen to establish a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model, and the severity of CIA was evaluated with H&E and Safranin-O staining. RESULTS Blimp1 knockdown increased pro-inflammatory factor secretion, but downregulated IL-10 concentration in activated CD4+ T cells. Blimp1 overexpression promoted regulatory T cells (Treg) CD4+ T cell differentiation and hindered T helper 1 (Th1) and T helper 17 (Th17) CD4+ T cell differentiation. Blimp1 overexpression suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory factors and adhesion molecules in CD4+ T cells by upregulating IL-10. Moreover, Blimp1 overexpression impeded the enhanced effect of CD4+ T cells/CD4CM on cell adhesion, inflammation, proliferation, invasion and RhoA and Rac1 activities in FLSs by upregulating IL-10. Additionally, administration with LV-Blimp1 alleviated the severity of CIA. CONCLUSION Blimp1 restrained CD4+ T cells-induced activation of FLSs by promoting the secretion of IL-10 in CD4+ T cells via the Rho signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingliang Meng
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhike Wen
- Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wanting Meng
- Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hua Bian
- Zhang Zhongjing School of Chinese Medicine, Nanyang Institute of Technology, Nanyang, China
| | - Huimin Gu
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ruiting Zuo
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Junping Zhan
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Huilian Wang
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiyun Miao
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Wei Fan
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zipeng Zhou
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Fuzeng Zheng
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Liying Wang
- Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiao Su
- Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Junfu Ma
- Department of Rheumatology, Henan Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine), Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, China
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Su Y, Xing H, Kang J, Bai L, Zhang L. Role of the hedgehog signaling pathway in rheumatic diseases: An overview. Front Immunol 2022; 13:940455. [PMID: 36105801 PMCID: PMC9466598 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.940455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved signal transduction pathway that plays an important regulatory role during embryonic development, cell proliferation, and differentiation of vertebrates, and it is often inhibited in adult tissues. Recent evidence has shown that Hh signaling also plays a key role in rheumatic diseases, as alterations in their number or function have been identified in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic sclerosis, and Sjogren’s Syndrome. As a result, emerging studies have focused on the blockade of this pathogenic axis as a promising therapeutic target in several autoimmune disorders; nevertheless, a greater understanding of its contribution still requires further investigation. This review aims to elucidate the most recent studies and literature data on the pathogenetic role of Hh signaling in rheumatic diseases.
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Sonic Hedgehog Promotes Proliferation and Migration of Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis via Rho/ROCK Signaling. J Immunol Res 2022; 2022:3423692. [PMID: 35785032 PMCID: PMC9242744 DOI: 10.1155/2022/3423692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective. To explore the underlying mechanism of the sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway in promoting cell proliferation and migration in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method. FLS were collected from 8 patients with RA and 3 patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The expression of smoothened (Smo, the Shh pathway activator) was quantified by real-time PCR and western blot. FLS were incubated with cyclopamine (a Smo antagonist), purmorphamine (a Smo agonist), Y27632 (a Rho/ROCK signaling inhibitor), or a combination of purmorphamine and Y27632, respectively. Cell proliferation was examined using cell counting kit-8 and cell cycle assays while cell migration was measured with Transwell and wound healing assays. Results. The expression of Smo was higher in FLS from RA patients than from OA patients (
). RA-FLS treated with purmorphamine showed significantly activated proliferation (119.69 vs. 100.0) and migration (252.38 vs. 178.57) compared to untreated cells (both
). RA-FLS incubated with cyclopamine or a combination of purmorphamine and Y27632 exhibited significant suppression of proliferation (81.55 vs. 100.0 and 85.84 vs. 100.0) and migration (100 vs. 178.57 and 109.52 vs. 185) ability (all
). Conclusion. Our results demonstrated that Shh promoted cell growth and migration of FLS in RA patients through the Rho/ROCK signaling pathway.
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6
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An updated advance of autoantibodies in autoimmune diseases. Autoimmun Rev 2020; 20:102743. [PMID: 33333232 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2020.102743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Autoantibodies are abnormal antibodies which are generated by pathogenic B cells when targeting an individual's own tissue. Autoantibodies have been identified as a symbol of autoimmune disorders and are frequently considered a clinical marker of these disorders. Autoimmune diseases, including system lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis, consist of a series of disorders that share some similarities and differences. They are characterized by chronic, systemic, excessive immune activation and inflammation and involve in almost all body tissues. Autoimmune diseases occur more frequently in women than men due to hormonal impacts. In this review we systemically introduce and summarize the latest advances of various autoantibodies in multiple autoimmune diseases.
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7
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Yang S, Zhang X, Chen J, Dang J, Liang R, Zeng D, Zhang H, Xue Y, Liu Y, Wu W, Zhao J, Wang J, Pan Y, Xu H, Sun B, Huang F, Lu Y, Hsueh W, Olsen N, Zheng SG. Induced, but not natural, regulatory T cells retain phenotype and function following exposure to inflamed synovial fibroblasts. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/44/eabb0606. [PMID: 33115734 PMCID: PMC7608803 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Aberrant number and/or dysfunction of CD4+Foxp3+ Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are associated with the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A previous study has demonstrated that thymus-derived, natural Tregs (nTregs) prefer to accumulate in inflamed joints and transdifferentiate to TH17 cells under the stimulation of inflamed synovial fibroblasts (SFs). In this study, we made a head-to-head comparison of both Treg subsets and demonstrated that induced Tregs (iTregs), but not nTregs, retained Foxp3 expression and regulatory function on T effector cells (Teffs) after being primed with inflamed SFs. In addition, iTregs inhibited proliferation, inflammatory cytokine production, migration, and invasion ability of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA)-SFs in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we noted that iTregs directly targeted inflamed SFs to treat autoimmune arthritis, while nTregs failed to do this. Thus, manipulation of the iTreg subset may have a greater potential for prevention or treatment of patients with RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujuan Yang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
- Department of Medicine, The Penn State University Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Ximei Zhang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Jingrong Chen
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Junlong Dang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
- Department of Medicine, The Penn State University Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Rongzhen Liang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Donglan Zeng
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Huan Zhang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Youqiu Xue
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Wenbin Wu
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Jun Zhao
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Julie Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Yunfeng Pan
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Hanshi Xu
- Department of Internal Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Bing Sun
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Biochemistry at Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Feng Huang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Yan Lu
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China
| | - Willa Hsueh
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Nancy Olsen
- Department of Medicine, The Penn State University Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Song Guo Zheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Zhu S, Ye Y, Shi Y, Dang J, Feng X, Chen Y, Liu F, Olsen N, Huang J, Zheng SG. Sonic Hedgehog Regulates Proliferation, Migration and Invasion of Synoviocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis via JNK Signaling. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1300. [PMID: 32670287 PMCID: PMC7326768 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Activated fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) play a central role in the formation of synovial pannus and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Targeting FLSs could be a potential therapeutic strategy. The objective of this study is to explore the role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in proliferation, migration and invasion of FLSs promoted by the sonic hedeghog (SHH) signaling pathway in patients with RA. Activation of SHH signaling was evaluated by real-time PCR and Western Blot. Levels of phosphorylation of JNK and c-Jun were detected by Western Blot. FLSs proliferation was quantified by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion were assessed by wound healing assay and Transwell chamber assay. Invasiveness of FLSs in vivo was evaluated using a humanized synovitis animal model. We observed that treatment of SHH agonist (SAG) significantly increased the levels of phosphorylation of JNK and c-Jun, while SHH antagonist (cyclopamine) significantly decreased the expression of phospho-JNK and phospho-c-Jun in FLSs. The elevated level of phospho-c-Jun stimulated by SAG was decreased in the presence of JNK inhibitor (SP600125) (P < 0.001). FLSs proliferation, migration and invasion were promoted by SHH agonist (P < 0.05). However, the enhanced aggressiveness of FLSs was abolished in the presence of JNK inhibitor (P < 0.05). In vivo study showed that the invasion of FLSs into cartilage was increased by SHH overexpression and the excessive invasiveness was inhibited by blockade of JNK signaling (P < 0.01). These results suggest that JNK is one of the downstream molecules mediating the effect of SHH signaling in FLSs. These findings indicate that SHH-JNK signaling could be a potential therapeutic target to suppress the aggressiveness of FLSs and prevent articular damage of RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangling Zhu
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yuanmei Ye
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yiming Shi
- Department of Internal Care Unit, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Junlong Dang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoxue Feng
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingdi Chen
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Nancy Olsen
- Department of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Jianlin Huang
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Song Guo Zheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States
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Yang C, Zheng X, Ye K, Sun Y, Lu Y, Fan Q, Ge H. miR-135a Inhibits the Invasion and Migration of Esophageal Cancer Stem Cells through the Hedgehog Signaling Pathway by Targeting Smo. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2019; 19:841-852. [PMID: 31981861 PMCID: PMC6976902 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2019.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been reported to be involved in esophageal cancer (EC) development. Hence, we aim to explore whether microRNA-135a (miR-135a) affects EC and its associated mechanism. Cancerous and adjacent tissues from 138 EC patients were collected. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and bioinformatics analysis were used to confirm the interaction between nucleotides. A series of mimics or inhibitors of miR-135a or small interfering RNA (siRNA) against Smo were introduced into EC cells. After that, the expression of miR-135a and Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway-related genes (Smo, Gli1, Shh, and Gli2) in tissues and cells was measured, accompanied by evaluation of cell viability, apoptosis, invasion, and migration. High expression of Smo, Gli1, Shh, and Gli2 and low expression of miR-135a were observed in EC. Smo was verified to be a target gene of miR-135a. In addition, overexpression of miR-135a or silencing of Smo decreased the expression of Gli1, Gli2, and Shh, thus inhibiting EC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoting apoptosis. Silencing of miR-135a was observed to reverse the inhibitory role of miR-135a in EC. These results suggest that miR-135a inhibited the migration and invasion of EC cells through inhibition of the Smo/Hh axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengliang Yang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, P.R. China; Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoli Zheng
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, P.R. China
| | - Ke Ye
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, P.R. China
| | - Yanan Sun
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, P.R. China
| | - Yufei Lu
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, P.R. China
| | - Qingxia Fan
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450052, P.R. China.
| | - Hong Ge
- Department of Radiation Oncology, The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450008, P.R. China.
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Xie C, Zhu F, Wang J, Zhang W, Bellanti JA, Li B, Brand D, Olsen N, Zheng SG. Off-Target Deletion of Conditional Dbc1 Allele in the Foxp3YFP-Cre Mouse Line under Specific Setting. Cells 2019; 8:cells8111309. [PMID: 31652947 PMCID: PMC6912351 DOI: 10.3390/cells8111309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2019] [Revised: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cre-LoxP conditional knockout strategy has been used extensively to study gene function in a specific cell-type. In this study, the authors tried to engineer mice in which the Dbc1 gene is conditionally knocked out in Treg cells. Unexpectedly, the conditional Dbc1 allele was completely deleted with a low frequency in some Foxp3YFP-Cre mice harboring floxed Dbc1 allele under specific settings. It was found that the germline recombination of floxed Dbc1 allele, which caused Dbc1 knock out mice, occurred in the male Foxp3YFP-Cre mice harboring floxed Dbc1 allele. Even though the authors documented that Foxp3 is expressed in the testis, the germline recombination was not caused by the germline expression of Cre, which was driven by the Foxp3 promoter. The germline recombination may be caused by the unspecific expression of Cre recombinase in the fetus, in which the floxed Dbc1 allele of some stem cells with development potential to germ cells may be recombined. Additionally, this study found that the floxed Dbc1 allele was recombined in non-T cells of some Foxp3Cre Dbc1fl mice, which need to be characterized. Our results also suggest that using male mice with a low frequency of recombined gene allele can reduce the risk of having full knock out mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chichu Xie
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
| | - Fangming Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bio-Energy Crops, School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200025, China.
| | - Julie Wang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Weizhou Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine UF Health Cancer Center, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
| | - Joseph A Bellanti
- Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology-Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
| | - Bin Li
- Shanghai Institute of Immunology and Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
| | - David Brand
- Research Service, Memphis VA Medical Center, Memphis, TN 38104, USA.
| | - Nancy Olsen
- Department of Medicine, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
| | - Song Guo Zheng
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University College of Medicine and Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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11
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Dang J, Zhu S, Wang J. A protocol for humanized synovitis mice model. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 8:47-52. [PMID: 31777685 PMCID: PMC6872480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a debilitating autoimmune disease that causes progressive chronic inflammation of the joints and destruction of articular cartilage and bone erosion. Cartilage destruction is a key characteristic in patients with RA. RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) mainly contributes to local production of cytokines, inflammatory mediators and MMPs, and to migrate and destruct joint cartilage. Here, we summarized a detailed protocol for developing a humanized synovitis animal model. A cartilage-sponge complex without RA FLS was implanted under the left flank skin of a SCID mouse primarily, two weeks later, cartilage-sponge complex containing RA FLS was inserted under the right skin of the contralateral flank. The H&E staining clearly helps to identify the cartilage damage on the day 45 after second implantation. This model is highly significant to investigate the role and mechanisms of agents or cells in targeting RA FLS in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junlong Dang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University College of MedicineHershey 17033, USA
| | - Shangling Zhu
- Department of Rheumatology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China
| | - Julie Wang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University College of MedicineHershey 17033, USA
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Ohio State University College of MedicineColumbus 43210, USA
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12
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Regulation of fibroblast-like synoviocyte transformation by transcription factors in arthritic diseases. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 165:145-151. [PMID: 30878552 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation in the synovium is known to mediate joint destruction in several forms of arthritis. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are cells that reside in the synovial lining of joints and are known to be key contributors to inflammation associated with arthritis. FLS are a major source of inflammatory cytokines and catabolic enzymes that promote joint degeneration. We now know that there exists a direct correlation between the signaling pathways that are activated by the pro-inflammatory molecules produced by the FLS, and the severity of joint degeneration in arthritis. Research focused on understanding the signaling pathways that are activated by these pro-inflammatory molecules has led to major advancements in the understanding of the joint pathology in arthritis. Transcription factors (TFs) that act as downstream mediators of the pro-inflammatory signaling cascades in various cell types have been reported to play an important role in inducing the deleterious transformation of the FLS. Interestingly, recent studies have started uncovering that several TFs that were previously reported to play role in embryonic development and cancer, but not known to have pronounced roles in tissue inflammation, can actually play crucial roles in the regulation of the pathological properties of the FLS. In this review, we will discuss reports that have been able to impart novel arthritogenic roles to TFs that are specialized in embryonic development. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting these newly identified regulators of FLS transformation in the treatment of arthritis.
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13
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Liu F, Feng XX, Zhu SL, Huang HY, Chen YD, Pan YF, June RR, Zheng SG, Huang JL. Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Pathway Mediates Proliferation and Migration of Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis via MAPK/ERK Signaling Pathway. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2847. [PMID: 30568656 PMCID: PMC6290332 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) are the major effector cells that lead to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovitis and joint destruction. Our previous studies showed that Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway is involved in aberrant activation of RA-FLSs and inhibition of SHH pathway decreases proliferation and migration of RA-FLSs. The objective of this study was to investigate if the SHH pathway mediates proliferation and migration of RA-FLSs via the mitogen-activated protein kinases/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (MAPK/ERK) signaling pathway. SHH signaling was studied by using SHH agonist (Purmorphamine) and antagonist (Cyclopamine) targeting the Smoothened (SMO) in FLSs. U0126-EtOH was used to inhibit the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway. The phosphorylation of ERK 1/2 (p-ERKl/2) was examined by western blot. Cell viability was detected using cell proliferation and cytotoxicity kit-8 (CCK8), and cell cycle distribution and proliferating cells were evaluated by the flow cytometry. Cell migration was examined by Transwell assay. Results showed that, compared with the control group, Purmorphamine increased the levels of p-ERK1/2 in concentration-and time-dependent manners (P < 0.01). Co-treated with Purmorphamine and U0126-EtOH or Cyclopamine both decreased the levels of p-ERK1/2 (P < 0.05). RA-FLSs treated with Purmorphamine resulted in alteration of cell cycle distribution, increasing of proliferating cells, cell viability, and migration cells compared to controls (P < 0.01). However, the above phenomenon can be abolished by U0126-EtOH (P < 0.05). The findings suggest that SHH signaling pathway mediates proliferation and migration of RA-FLSs via MAPK/ERK pathway and may contribute to progression of RA. Targeting SHH signaling may have a therapeutic potential in patients with RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiao Xue Feng
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shang Ling Zhu
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Hong Yu Huang
- Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ying Di Chen
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yun Feng Pan
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Rayford R June
- Division of Rheumatology, Milton S. Hershey Medical College at Penn State University, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Song Guo Zheng
- Division of Rheumatology, Milton S. Hershey Medical College at Penn State University, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Jian Lin Huang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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14
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Chen W, Wang J, Xu Z, Huang F, Qian W, Ma J, Wee HB, Lewis GS, June RR, Schafer PH, Lin J, Zheng SG. Apremilast Ameliorates Experimental Arthritis via Suppression of Th1 and Th17 Cells and Enhancement of CD4 +Foxp3 + Regulatory T Cells Differentiation. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1662. [PMID: 30072998 PMCID: PMC6058600 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Apremilast is a novel phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor suppressing immune and inflammatory responses. We assessed the anti-inflammatory effects of Apremilast in type II collagen (CII)-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model. To determine whether Apremilast can ameliorate arthritis onset in this model, Apremilast was given orally at day 14 after CII immunization. Bone erosion was measured by histological and micro-computed tomographic analysis. Anti-mouse CII antibody levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and Th17, Th1 cells, and CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells were assessed by flow cytometry in the lymph nodes. Human cartilage and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) synovial fibroblasts (RASFs) implantation in the severe combined immunodeficiency mouse model of RA were used to study the role of Apremilast in the suppression of RASF-mediated cartilage destruction in vivo. Compared with untreated and vehicle control groups, we found that Apremilast therapy delayed arthritis onset and reduced arthritis scores in the CIA model. Total serum IgG, IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b were all decreased in the Apremilast treatment groups. Moreover, Apremilast markedly prevented the development of bone erosions in CIA mice by CT analysis. Furthermore, in the Apremilast treated group, the frequency of Th17 cells and Th1 cells was significantly decreased while Treg cells’ frequency was significantly increased. The high dose of Apremilast (25 mg/kg) was superior to low dose (5 mg/kg) in treating CIA. Apremilast treatment reduced the migratory ability of RASFs and their destructive effect on cartilage. Compared with the model group, Apremilast treatment significantly reduced the RASFs invasion cartilage scores in both primary implant and contralateral implant models. Our data suggest that Apremilast is effective in treating autoimmune arthritis and preventing the bone erosion in the CIA model, implicating its therapeutic potential in patients with RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqian Chen
- Division of Rheumatology, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Julie Wang
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Zhenjian Xu
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States.,Department of Clinical Immunology, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feng Huang
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenbin Qian
- Division of Hematology, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jilin Ma
- Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Nephrology, Zhejiang Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hwa Bok Wee
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Gregory S Lewis
- Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Rayford R June
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Peter H Schafer
- Translational Development, Inflammation and Immunology, Celgene Corporation, Summit, NJ, United States
| | - Jin Lin
- Division of Rheumatology, First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Song Guo Zheng
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Penn State University Hershey College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, United States
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15
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Qiu H, Sun S, Ma X, Cui C, Chen G, Liu Z, Li H, Liu M. Jatrorrhizine Hydrochloride Suppresses Proliferation, Migration, and Secretion of Synoviocytes In Vitro and Ameliorates Rat Models of Rheumatoid Arthritis In Vivo. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:E1514. [PMID: 29783696 PMCID: PMC5983572 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19051514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Jatrorrhizine hydrochloride (JH), an active component isolated from the traditional Chinese herb Coptis chinensis, has been reported to have antimicrobial, antitumor, antihypercholesterolemic, and neuroprotective activities. However, its antirheumatoid arthritis (RA) property remains unknown. In this study, a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rat model was used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of JH on RA by using arthritis score, radiological evaluation, and histopathological assessment. The in vitro effects of JH on proliferation, migration, and production of inflammatory mediators in RA-derived fibroblast-like synoviocyte MH7A cells were determined by the EdU incorporation assay, wound healing assay, real-time PCR, and ELISA, respectively. The in vivo studies showed that JH treatment significantly prevented the progression and development of RA in CIA rats through anti-inflammation and suppressing bone destruction. The in vitro studies revealed that JH could effectively attenuate the destructive phenotypes of MH7A cells, including inhibiting proliferation, migration, and production of inflammatory mediators. Further mechanistic analysis demonstrated that JH suppressed tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)-stimulated activations of nuclear factor of kappaB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (ERK and p38) leading to the downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, which might be beneficial to the antiproliferative and antimigratory activities of FLS cells. Collectively, our results demonstrated that JH has a great potential to be developed into a novel therapeutic agent for treating RA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiwen Qiu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Shengnan Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Xuemei Ma
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Congcong Cui
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Gang Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Zhenzhou Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Hui Li
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
| | - Mei Liu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Molecular and Medical Biotechnology and College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China.
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16
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Mo BY, Guo XH, Yang MR, Liu F, Bi X, Liu Y, Fang LK, Luo XQ, Wang J, Bellanti JA, Pan YF, Zheng SG. Long Non-Coding RNA GAPLINC Promotes Tumor-Like Biologic Behaviors of Fibroblast-Like Synoviocytes as MicroRNA Sponging in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Front Immunol 2018; 9:702. [PMID: 29692777 PMCID: PMC5902673 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.00702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Rapidly accumulating evidence has now suggested that the long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs), a large and diverse class of non-coding transcribed RNA molecules with diverse functional roles and mechanisms, play a major role in the pathogenesis of many human inflammatory diseases. Although some LncRNAs are overexpressed in plasma, T cell, and synovial tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), there is a dearth of knowledge in what role these transcripts play in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) of these patients. Here, our studies showed that GAPLINC, a newly identified functional LncRNA in oncology, displayed a greater degree of expression in FLSs from RA than in patients with traumatic injury. GAPLINC suppression in RA-FLS cells revealed significant alterations in cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and proinflammatory cytokines production. Additionally, we performed a preliminary bioinformatics analysis of GAPLINC gene sequence in order to find its target molecules, using miRanda, PITA, RNAhybrid algorithms, Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, and gene ontology analysis. Since the results predicted that some of microRNAs and mRNA may interact with GAPLINC, we simulated a gene co-action network model based on a competitive endogenous RNA theory. Further verification of this model demonstrated that silencing of GAPLINC increased miR-382-5p and miR-575 expression. The results of this study suggest that GAPLINC may function as a novel microRNAs sponging agent affecting the biological characteristics of RA-FLSs. Additionally, GAPLINC may also promote RA-FLS tumor-like behaviors in a miR-382-5p-dependent and miR-575-dependent manner. Based upon these findings, LncRNA GAPLINC may provide a novel valuable therapeutic target for RA patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bi Yao Mo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xing Hua Guo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Meng Ru Yang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Affiliated Hospital of Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Fang Liu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Bi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Center for Clinic Immunology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Kai Fang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xi Qing Luo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Julie Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Hershey Medical Center at Penn State University, Hershey, PA, United States
| | - Joseph A Bellanti
- Department of Pediatrics and Microbiology-Immunology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Yun Feng Pan
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Song Guo Zheng
- Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Hershey Medical Center at Penn State University, Hershey, PA, United States
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17
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Cao W, Zhang J, Wang G, Lu J, Wang T, Chen X. Reducing-Autophagy Derived Mitochondrial Dysfunction during Resveratrol Promotes Fibroblast-Like Synovial Cell Apoptosis. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:1179-1188. [PMID: 29461680 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In rheumatoid arthritis patients, the fibroblast-like synovial cells (FLS) growth is not controlled normally, but is similar to the tumor cells proliferation in histology. Our previous studies have shown that resveratrol inhibits the proliferation of FLS and promotes FLS apoptosis. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in resveratrol-induced FLS apoptosis have not been determined yet. Here, we showed that the FLS cell viability (following pretreatment with 5 µM H2 O2 for 24 hr) exhibited better proliferation performance than at other concentrations via the CCK-8 assay. The cell apoptotic rate increased with the increasing concentration of resveratrol (0, 40, 80, 160, 320 μM), as detected by TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining and western blotting. Furthermore, the expression level of autophagy-related proteins (LC3A/B, ATG-5) decreased with the increased concentration of resveratrol, as determined by immunofluorescence and western blot analysis. We also showed that resveratrol induced FLS mitochondrial morphology change. Moreover, mitochondrial function detection showed that the mitochondrial membrane potential was lost with the increased concentration of resveratrol as examined by the JC-1 assay. The production of ATP in cells was positively and negatively correlated with the resveratrol concentration. Simultaneously, the intracellular calcium release and calcium influx decreased gradually with the increase in resveratrol concentration. Therefore, we proposed that resveratrol can reduce the level of autophagy in FLS. The decrease in the autophagy level can lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which may result in mitochondrial dysfunction and promotion of FLS apoptosis. Anat Rec, 301:1179-1188, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Cao
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Junqiang Zhang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Gaoyuan Wang
- Department of Orthopaedic, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230031, China
| | - Jinsen Lu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Taorong Wang
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
| | - Xiaoyu Chen
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, 230032, China
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18
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Magistri P, Battistelli C, Strippoli R, Petrucciani N, Pellinen T, Rossi L, Mangogna L, Aurello P, D'Angelo F, Tripodi M, Ramacciato G, Nigri G. SMO Inhibition Modulates Cellular Plasticity and Invasiveness in Colorectal Cancer. Front Pharmacol 2018; 8:956. [PMID: 29456503 PMCID: PMC5801594 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
HIGHLIGHTS Preliminary results of this work were presented at the 2016 Academic Surgical Congress, Jacksonville (FL), February 2-4 2016 (Original title: Selective Smo-Inhibition Interferes With Cellular Energetic Metabolism In Colorectal Cancer)This study was funded by "Sapienza-University of Rome" (Funds for young researchers) and "AIRC" (Italian Association for Cancer Research)Hedgehog inhibitor was kindly provided by Genentech, Inc.®. Colon Cancer (CC) is the fourth most frequently diagnosed tumor and the second leading cause of death in the USA. Abnormalities of Hedgehog pathway have been demonstrated in several types of human cancers, however the role of Hedgehog (Hh) in CC remain controversial. In this study, we analyzed the association between increased mRNA expression of GLI1 and GLI2, two Hh target genes, and CC survival and recurrence by gene expression microarray from a cohort of 382 CC patients. We found that patients with increased expression of GLI1 showed a statistically significant reduction in survival. In order to demonstrate a causal role of Hh pathway activation in the pathogenesis of CC, we treated HCT 116, SW480 and SW620 CC cells lines with GDC-0449, a pharmacological inhibitor of Smoothened (SMO). Treatment with GDC-0449 markedly reduced expression of Hh target genes GLI1, PTCH1, HIP1, MUC5AC, thus indicating that this pathway is constitutively active in CC cell lines. Moreover, GDC-0449 partially reduced cell proliferation, which was associated with upregulation of p21 and downregulation of CycD1. Finally, treatment with the same drug reduced migration and three-dimensional invasion, which were associated with downregulation of Snail1, the EMT master gene, and with induction of the epithelial markers Cytokeratin-18 and E-cadherin. These results were confirmed by SMO genetic silencing. Notably, treatment with 5E1, a Sonic Hedgehog-specific mAb, markedly reduced the expression of Hedgehog target genes, as well as inhibited cell proliferation and mediated reversion toward an epithelial phenotype. This suggests the existence of a Hedgehog autocrine signaling loop affecting cell plasticity and fostering cell proliferation and migration/invasion in CC cell lines. These discoveries encourage future investigations to better characterize the role of Hedgehog in cellular plasticity and invasion during the different steps of CC pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Magistri
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Cecilia Battistelli
- Molecular Genetics Section, Department of Cellular Biotechnology and Hematology, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Raffaele Strippoli
- Molecular Genetics Section, Department of Cellular Biotechnology and Hematology, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Niccolò Petrucciani
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Teijo Pellinen
- FIMM Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lucia Rossi
- Molecular Genetics Section, Department of Cellular Biotechnology and Hematology, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Livia Mangogna
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Paolo Aurello
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco D'Angelo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Tripodi
- Molecular Genetics Section, Department of Cellular Biotechnology and Hematology, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Ramacciato
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Nigri
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Sapienza-University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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