Fetal growth at term and placental oxidative stress in a tissue micro-array model: a histological and immunohistochemistry study

This study examines 8-hydroxyguanine (8-oxo-Gua) staining in placental tissue samples based on fetal size at birth as well as its relationships with placental histology and other pregnancy variables. This prospective cohort study included women > 18 years with a singleton pregnancy, a live fetus, fluency in Italian, and delivery at term. A total of 165 pregnancies were included in the study. The nuclear syncytiotrophoblast 8-oxo-Gua staining score in LGA was substantially greater than in late FGR (p < 0.05), although the cytoplasm score was lower in SGA and LGA than in AGA (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a sex-specific pattern of 8-oxo-Gua staining was discovered in single-term placentas, with more oxidative damage found in the nuclei of syncytiotrophoblast cells and stromal and endothelial cells in AGA males compared to AGA females (p < 0.05). Second, the histological pattern of late FGR placentae differed by gender. Finally, a significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between high-intensity 8-oxo-Gua staining in the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblast cells and thrombi in the chorionic plate or villi in males. On the other hand, female fetuses demonstrated a significant connection (p < 0.05) between high-intensity 8-oxo-Gua staining in endothelial and stromal cells and high birthweight MoM values. Our findings indicated a significant variation in the oxidative stress pattern between male and female placentae, implying that fetal growth is regulated differently in the two sexes.

Dual-targeting peptides@PMO, a mimetic to the pro-apoptotic protein Smac/DIABLO for selective activation of apoptosis in cancer cells

The refractoriness of tumor cells to apoptosis represents the main mechanism of resistance to chemotherapy. Smac/DIABLO mimetics proved to be effective in overcoming cancer-acquired resistance to apoptosis as a consequence of overexpression of the anti-apoptotic proteins XIAP, cIAP1, and cIAP2. In this work, we describe a dual-targeting peptide capable of selectively activating apoptosis in cancer cells. The complex consists of a fluorescent periodic mesoporous organosilica nanoparticle that carries the short sequences of Smac/DIABLO bound to the αvβ3-integrin ligand. The dual-targeting peptide @PMO shows significantly higher toxicity in αvβ3-positive HeLa cells with respect to αvβ3-negative Ht29 cells. @PMO exhibited synergistic effects in combination with oxaliplatin in a panel of αvβ3-positive cancer cells, while its toxicity is overcome by XIAP overexpression or integrin β3 silencing. The successful uptake of the molecule by αvβ3-positive cells makes @PMO promising for the re-sensitization to apoptosis of many cancer types.

Super-enhancer landscape rewiring in cancer: The epigenetic control at distal sites

Super-enhancers evolve as elements at the top of the hierarchical control of gene expression. They are important end-gatherers of signaling pathways that control stemness, differentiation or adaptive responses. Many epigenetic regulations focus on these regions, and not surprisingly, during the process of tumorigenesis, various alterations can account for their dysfunction. Super-enhancers are emerging as key drivers of the aberrant gene expression landscape that sustain the aggressiveness of cancer cells. In this review, we will describe and discuss about the structure of super-enhancers, their epigenetic regulation, and the major changes affecting their functionality in cancer.

Does Delayed Cord Clamping Improve Long-Term (≥4 Months) Neurodevelopment in Term Babies? A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background: Recently, the literature suggested that placental transfusion facilitated by delayed cord clamping (DCC), besides having benefits on hematological parameters, might improve the infants' brain development. Objective: The present review primarily evaluates the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) total score mean difference (MD) at long-term follow-up (≥4 months) comparing DCC (>90 or >180 s) to early cord clamping (ECC). Secondary aims consisted of evaluating the ASQ domains' MD and the results obtained from other methods adopted to evaluate the infants' neurodevelopment. Methods: MEDLINE, Scopus, Cochrane, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched (up to 2nd November 2020) for systematic review and meta-analysis. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of term singleton gestations received DCC or ECC. Multiple pregnancies, pre-term delivery, non-randomized studies, and articles in languages other than English were excluded. The included studies were assessed for bias and quality. ASQ data were pooled stratified by time to follow up. Results: This meta-analysis of 4 articles from 3 RCTs includes 765 infants with four-month follow-up and 672 with 12 months follow-up. Primary aim (ASQ total score) pooled analysis was possible only for 12 months follow-up, and no differences were found between DCC and ECC (MD 1.1; CI 95: -5.1; 7.3). DCC approach significantly improves infants' communication domains (MD 0.6; CI 95: 0.1; 1.1) and personal-social assessed (MD 1.0; CI 95: 0.3; 1.6) through ASQ at 12 months follow-up. Surprisingly, the four-month ASQ personal social domain (MD -1.6; CI 95: -2.8; -0.4) seems to be significantly lower in the DCC group than in the ECC group. Conclusions: DCC, a simple, non-interventional, and cost-effective approach, might improve the long-term infants' neurological outcome. Single-blinding and limited studies number were the main limitations. Further research should be performed to confirm these observations, ideally with RCTs adopting standard methods to assess infants' neurodevelopment. Trial registration: NCT01245296, NCT01581489, NCT02222805, NCT01620008, IRCT201702066807N19, and NCT02727517.

Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist gene variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism and cutaneous melanoma

Immunity and cytokines serve crucial roles in cutaneous melanoma. The present study investigated whether a variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphism of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) gene (IL-1RN) located in intron 2 (rs2234663) is associated with cutaneous melanoma. A total of 515 subjects were studied, 133 of which were cutaneous melanoma cases (72 stage I+II non-metastatic melanoma cases and 61 stage III+IV metastatic melanoma cases), and 382 subjects were matching healthy controls from the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia Region located in Northeast Italy, an area with a high melanoma incidence. The IL-1RN-VNTR polymorphism was determined by DNA fragment length analysis following PCR amplification. According to the number of 86-bp repeats, five different IL-1RN alleles were identified: Allele 1 (4-repeats), allele 2 (2-repeats, short allele), allele 3 (5-repeats), allele 4 (3-repeats) and allele 5 (6-repeats). Alleles with three or more 86-bp repeats, i.e. allele 1, 3, 4 and 5 were collectively denoted as long (L) repeats. The present study revealed that IL-1RN-VNTR 1/2 and 2/L genotypes were more frequent among patients with cutaneous melanoma (43.6 and 45.1%, respectively) compared with healthy controls [29.6 and 30.6%, respectively; odds ratio (OR), 1.84; CI, 1.22–2.77; P=0.003; and OR, 1.66; CI, 1.24–2.79; P=0.002, respectively]. Conversely, the IL-1RN-VNTR 1/1 genotype was less frequent among melanoma cases (45.9%) compared with healthy controls (57.9%; OR, 0.62; CI, 0.41–0.92; P=0.017). Comparison of metastatic vs. non-metastatic melanoma cases identified no significant differences. The present study first demonstrated that carriage of the 1/1 IL-1RN-VNTR genotype was protective, whereas 1/2 and 2/L was a risk factor for patients with cutaneous melanoma vs. healthy controls. The short allele 2 was associated with higher expression levels of IL-1RA, a potent competitive inhibitor of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1α and IL-1β. VNTR-IL-1RN polymorphism may affect susceptibility to melanoma and, thus, it is a potential novel diagnostic biomarker for melanoma. The present study increased the understanding of genetic melanoma susceptibility/carcinogenesis, and may indicate novel strategies in the personalized prevention of cutaneous melanoma.

Protein hnRNPA1 binds to a critical G-rich element of KRAS and unwinds G-quadruplex structures: implications in transcription

The promoter of the KRAS proto-oncogene contains a critical nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) forming G-quadruplex structures that are recognized by nuclear proteins: PARP-1, Ku70 and hnRNPA1. Here we have studied the interaction between hnRNPA1 (and its derivative UP1) and the G-quadruplexes of KRAS by EMSA, FRET and CD experiments. FRET and CD showed that hnRNPA1/UP1 is able to unfold the G-quadruplexes of KRAS and facilitate the quadruplex to duplex transformation. This finding strengthens our previous hypothesis that the transcription regulation of KRAS is mediated by G-quadruplex structures. Against this background we designed G4-decoy oligonucleotides specific for KRAS that exhibit a strong antiproliferative effect in pancreatic cancer cells.

PNA conjugated to high-molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol): synthesis and properties

The conjugation of a bioactive, fluorescent PNA sequence to high-molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is described and the properties of the PEG-PNA conjugate are evaluated.

Site-directed inhibition of DNA replication by triple helix formation

Sequence-specific DNA recognition can be achieved by the use of triplex-forming molecules, namely, oligonucleotides (TFO) and peptide nucleic acids (PNAs). They have been used to regulate transcription or induce genomic DNA modifications at a selected site in cells and, recently, in vivo. We have determined the conditions under which a triplex structure can inhibit DNA replication in cells. An oligopyrimidine.oligopurine sequence suitable for triplex formation was inserted in a plasmid on both sides of the SV40 origin of replication. This insert-containing plasmid was replicated in COS-1 cells together with the parent plasmid, and the ratio between the corresponding replicated DNAs was quantitated. Selective inhibition of replication of the insert-containing plasmid can be ascribed to ligand binding to the oligopyrimidine.oligopurine sequence. Inhibition of DNA replication was observed using triplex-forming molecules that induce either covalent binding at the double-stranded target sequence (with TFO-psoralen conjugate and irradiation) or noncovalent triplex formation after strand displacement (with bis-PNA). In contrast, in the absence of covalent cross-linking, TFOs (which have been shown to arrest transcription elongation) did not act on replication. These results open new perspectives for future design and use of specific inhibitors of intracellular DNA information processing.

Triple, MPEG-conjugated, helix-forming oligonucleotides (TRIPEGXs): liquid-phase synthesis of natural and chimeric "all-purine" sequences linked to high molecular weight poly(ethylene glycols)

Long "all-purine" oligonucleotides, up to the 20mer, known to be active as antigene effectors, conjugated to high molecular weight monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)s (MPEG)s, were successfully synthesized. Through a liquid-phase, MPEG-supported process, both natural and chimeric sequences containing selected phosphorothioate backbone modifications were obtained, purified, and characterized. To follow their cellular trafficking, a fluorescent probe was linked by soluble supported organic reactions to the 5'-terminus, and the efficiency of the different synthetic procedures for the introduction of a fluorescein moiety was compared. The usefulness of the fluorescent marker was estimated by laser confocal microscopy that ascertains that the MPEG-conjugation enhances the oligonucleotide capacity to cross the cellular membranes and to be accumulated inside the nuclei.

Anti-gene effect in live cells of AG motif triplex-forming oligonucleotides containing an increasing number of phosphorothioate linkages

The murine Ki-ras promoter contains a unique polypurine--polypyrimidine [poly(R.Y)] sequence between -290 and -320 from the 3' boundary of exon phi. Previously we demonstrated triplex formation and transcription inhibition promoted by GT and AG oligonucleotides directed against this site [Alunni-Fabbroni et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 16361--16369]. In this work, we have investigated triplex formation and anti-gene activity of five 20-mer AG motif triplex-forming oligonucleotides specific for the Ki-ras poly(R.Y) target, derived from 5'-AGGGAGGGAGGAAGGGAGGG (20AG) by replacing an increasing number of phosphodiester linkages with phosphorothioate linkages (S(i)-20AG; i = 2, 3, 4, 5, 19). Electrophoretic mobility-shift experiments (EMSA) showed that four thioate oligonucleotides, S(i)-20AG (i = 2, 3, 4, 5), recognized the Ki-ras target and exhibited dissociation constants similar to that of 20AG: K(d) = 12 +/- 2 nM, while the all-thioate S(19)-20AG exhibited a K(d) of 128 +/- 15 nM. Moreover, the binding between the Ki-ras promoter and oligonucleotides S(i)-20AG (i = 2, 3, 4, 5, 19) was characterized by DMS/piperidine and DNase I footprinting experiments. We observed that the introduction in the phosphodiester oligonucleotide 20AG of sulfur atoms reduced its aggregation significantly and increased its nuclease resistance. Transient transfection experiments using preformed triplexes with a recombinant plasmid containing the reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene under the control of Ki-ras promoter showed that oligonucleotides S(i)-20AG (i = 2, 3, 4, 5, 19) promote a strong inhibition of up to 75% of the CAT expression when compared with control Ki-ras unspecific oligonucleotides. Taken together, these data provide a guideline for designing triplex-forming effector molecules capable of controlling Ki-ras expression in vivo.

Downregulation of c-Ki-ras promoter activity by triplex-forming oligonucleotides endogenously generated in human 293 cells

Exogenous triplex-forming oligodeoxynucleotides (TFO) have the capacity to modulate in vivo the expression of individual genes. As the administration of TFO to cells is not without problems, we analyzed the possibility of generating them directly in the cell, using specific expression vectors. We constructed three vectors, mU6-GA, mU6-CA, and mU6-CT, that direct the synthesis in human 293 cells of 76-mer CU, GU, and AG motif TFO (rTFO) potentially capable of binding to a critical poly (R x Y) sequence contained in the promoter of the Ki-ras proto-oncogene. The ability of the CU, GU, and AG motif rTFO to interact with the double helix of the c-Ki-ras target was investigated in vitro by footprinting and band-shift experiments, using both synthetic and endogenously synthesized oligoribonucleotides. The human 293 cells were transfected with DNA mixtures containing a plasmid, which bears the reporter chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene downstream from the c-Ki-ras promoter (pKRS-413), as well as an rTFO-generating vector (mU6-GA, mU6-CA, or mU6-CT). As control, the cells were transfected with DNA mixtures containing vector mU6-C1 or mU6-C2. These generated transcripts unable to form triple helices with the poly (R x Y) sequence of the c-Ki-ras promoter. Intracellular synthesis of the 76-mer CU, GU, and AG rTFO by mU6-GA, mU6-CA, and mU6-CT was checked by Northern blot hybridization. Through beta-gal and CAT ELISA immunoassays, we found that the 293 cells transfected with either mU6-GA, mU6-CA, or mU6-CT showed a significant inhibition of CAT expression compared with cells transfected with control plasmids mU6-C1 or mU6-C2. The results of five separate transient transfection experiments showed that endogenous GU and AG rTFO, generated by mU6-CA and mU6-CT, produce, respectively, 40% (+/- 4% SE) and 47% (+/- 8% SE) CAT inhibition, whereas CU rTFO, generated by mU6-GA, produces 38% (+/- 7% SE) CAT inhibition. In conclusion, this study suggests that it is possible to downregulate the expression of an individual gene through the use of recombinant vectors encoding the information for the intracellular synthesis of short triplex-forming RNA strands.

Effect of phosphorothioate modifications on the ability of GTn oligodeoxynucleotides to specifically recognize single-stranded DNA-binding proteins and to affect human cancer cellular growth

We have previously identified phosphodiester oligonucleotides exclusively made of G and T bases, named GTn, that significantly inhibit human cancer cell growth and recognize specific nuclear single-stranded DNA binding proteins. We wished to examine the ability of the modified GTn oligonucleotides with different degrees of phosphorothioate modifications to bind specifically to the same nuclear proteins recognized by the GTn phosphodiester analogues and their cytotoxic effect on the human T-lymphoblastic CCRF-CEM cell line. We showed that the full phosphorothioate GTn oligonucleotide was neither able to specifically recognize those nuclear proteins, nor cytotoxic. In contrast, the 3'-phosphorothioate-protected GTn oligonucleotides can maintain the specific protein-binding activity. The end-modified phosphorothioate oligonucleotides were also able to elicit the dose-dependent cell growth inhibition effect, but a loss in the cytotoxic ability was observed increasing the extent of sulphur modification of the sequences. Our results indicate that phosphorothioate oligonucleotides directed at specific single-stranded DNA-binding proteins should contain a number of phosphorothioate end-linkages which should be related to the length of the sequence, in order to maintain the same biological activities exerted by their phosphodiester analogues.

Effect of oligomer length and base substitutions on the cytotoxic activity and specific nuclear protein recognition of GTn oligonucleotides in the human leukemic CCRF-CEM cell line

We have identified phosphodiester oligonucleotides composed of G and T bases, named GTn, which are able to inhibit the cellular growth of human cancer cell lines by recognising specific nuclear proteins. We demonstrated that GTn oligonucleotides require a length of at least 20 nucleotides in order to exert a significant cytotoxic effect and to retain the specific protein binding ability. In addition, we found that GTn cytotoxicity was lost when A or C bases were introduced at either 3' and 5' end or within the GTn sequences.

Pyrimidine phosphorothioate oligonucleotides form triple-stranded helices and promote transcription inhibition

The ability of phosphorothioate (POS) oligonucleotides to recognise and bind to homopurine-homopyrimidine DNA double-stranded sites via triple helix formation has been investigated. It has been found that the homologous pyrimidine POS sequences Y11-Si (i = 0, 1,2,3,4,10), which have been obtained by an increasing sulphur substitution in the sugar-phosphate backbone of d(CTTCCTCCTCT) (Y11), and the target hairpin duplex d(GAAGGAGGAGA-T4-TCTCCTCCTTC) (h26) can form stable triple helices, as indicated by PAGE, CD and UV melting experiments. The thermal stability of the triple helices depends on the number of POS linkages in the third Y11 strand, varying from 48 degrees C (Y11, with only phosphate groups, PO2) to 31 degrees C (Y11-S10 containing exclusively thioate groups). On average, a Tm depression of about 2 degrees C per POS linkage introduced in Y11 was observed. CD data indicate that the sulphurization of the third strand results in minimal changes of triple-stranded structures. The energetics of the triplex-to-hairpin plus single-strand transition has been determined by van't Hoff analyses of the melting curves. In free energy terms, the POS triplexes h26.Y11-Si are less stable than the normal PO2 h26.Y11 triplex by values between 2.7 and 5.4 kcal/mol, depending on the number of POS linkages contained in the third strand. Phosphorothioate oligonucleotides being resistant towards several nucleases offer an interesting choice as gene blockers in antisense strategy. Thus, their ability to inhibit transcription via triple helix formation has been examined in vitro. We found that triplex-forming POS oligonucleotides of 20 bases in length (with a cytosine contents of 45%), containing either 10% or 26% thioate groups, strongly repress the transcription activity of the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase at pH 6.9, when used in excess compared to the target (mol oligo/mol template = 125). The here reported data are useful for designing phosphorothioate oligonucleotides targeted to genomic DNA in antigene strategy.

Interaction of DAPI with double-stranded ribonucleic acids

The interaction of DAPI with natural and synthetic double-stranded polyribonucleotides was studied with different optical and calorimetric methods. The results were similar to those obtained previously with double-stranded polydeoxynucleotides, i.e. two interaction modes, the first of which shows high affinity for AU clusters and consequent strong fluorescence enhancement. The results suggest caution in the use of DAPI as selective fluorescent staining agent for DNA in the presence of RNA. A narrow groove binding model with hydrogen bonds between DAPI and AU pairs is proposed. An intercalation mechanism can be excluded because of the non planarity of DAPI molecule.