LncRNA SNHG8 participates in the development of endometrial carcinoma through regulating c-MET expression by miR-152

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the possible function and mechanism of lncRNA SNHG8 in the pathogenesis of endometrial carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We utilized qRT-PCR to detect the expression of SNHG8 in 60 cases of endometrial carcinoma and 25 cases of normal endometrium; after that, the endometrial carcinoma cell lines were screened. SNHG8 was transfected into endometrial carcinoma cells by Lipofectamine and the proliferative activity of cells was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Bioinformatics methods were used to detect the target microRNA. miR-152 is predicted to bind to SNHG8 and target genes of c-MET. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to detect the relative luciferase activity between miR-152 and c-MET, SNHG8. The interactions between SNHG8, miR-152, and c-MET were further verified by transfection of miR-152 mimics, miR-152 mimics + OE-SNHG8, SNHG8 siRNA, and SNHG8 siRNA + miR-152 inhibitor.

RESULTS

SNHG8 expression in endometrial carcinoma tissue was significantly higher than that in normal endometrium. After transfection with SNHG8 siRNA, the cell viability of AN3CA cells decreased, whereas the activity of Ishikawa was increased after transfection with SNHG8 overexpression plasmid. Bioinformatics predictions and dual luciferase reporter assay illustrated that SNHG8 was bound to miR-152 and miR-152 targeted on c-MET. In addition, miR-152 mimics inhibited the expression of c-MET, and the inhibitory effect was reversed after SNHG8 overexpression. Silencing SNHG8 reduced c-MET expression, and c-MET expression was reversed after addition of miR-152 inhibitor.

CONCLUSIONS

SNHG8 is highly expressed in endometrial carcinoma, and SNHG8 targets c-MET through miR-152 to regulate the proliferation of endometrial cancer cells.

Segment-specific targeting via RNA interference mediates down-regulation of OPN expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

Osteopontin (OPN) plays an important role in the metastasis and recurrence of tumors after resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, the down-regulation effect on OPN expression in HCC cells of RNA interference (RNAi) molecules designed to target different segments of OPN was investigated to identify a more effective site for OPN knockdown. Specific small interfering RNAs (siRNAs A, B, and C) of OPN were synthesized and transfected into an HCC cell line (HEP-G2; representing the OPNi-A, OPNi-B, and OPNi-C groups). Fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of OPN before and after RNAi. Results showed that after transfection, the fluorescence intensity of the OPNi-A group was greater than those of the OPNi-B and OPNi-C groups. After 48 h of transfection, the ΔCT values of OPN mRNA expression in the OPNi-A-C groups increased from 8.31 ± 1.58, 8.78 ± 1.49, and 8.25 ± 1.51 to 12.14 ± 1.43, 10.22 ± 1.97, and 10.48 ± 1.88, respectively (P < 0.05), and the OPN protein levels (immunohistochemistry scores) decreased from 6.44 ± 1.67, 5.43 ± 2.05, and 5.45 ± 2.52 to 2.84 ± 1.52, 4.43 ± 1.65, and 3.95 ± 1.43 points, respectively. These results indicated that RNAi based on different segments of the OPN gene had different down-regulatory effects on OPN expression. Synthesis of targeted siRNA aimed at specific OPN segments might have important significance for dealing with the invasiveness and metastasis of HCC cells.

[Study of color scale B-ultrasonography in syndrome differentiation of biliary tract diseases]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between modern medical detective method of imaging and Syndrome Differentiation of TCM.

METHODS

Two hundred and sixteen biliary tract diseases patients were observed with color scale B-ultrasonography and fat meal tests.

RESULTS

Eighty-four cases (38.89%) of damp-heat type in the Liver-gallbladder among the 216 patients had widened gallbladder, higher tension and weak bile echo-penetration through, 39 cases (18.06%) of type of Liver-Qi stagnation and Spleen deficiency had small transection, hypotension, slender type and low contraction rate, 13 cases (6.02%) of Blood-stasis type had small gallbladder volume and the contraction rate decrease significantly. There were 71 cases (32.87%) of Liver-Qi stagnation type and 9 cases (4.17%) of Liver Yin-Deficiency type, whose characters of the gallbladder were not prominent, so the identification of these cases depended largely on clinical differentiation.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will facilitate the further extending the principle of inspection in the specific organs which may provide us with the objective basis for the differentiation of biliary tract diseases.

Ethanol increases carotenoid production in Phaffia rhodozyma

Addition of ethanol (0.2%) to cultures of the yeast Phaffia rhodozyma increased the specific rate of carotenoid production [(carotenoid)(cell mass)-1(time)-1]. The incremental increase in carotenoid synthesis with ethanol was highest in carotenoid-hyperproducing strains. Ethanol increased carotenoid production when it was added at various points during the lag and active growth phases. Ethanol increased alcohol dehydrogenase and hydroxy-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase activities. Our results indicate that increased carotenoid production by ethanol is associated with induction of HMG-CoA reductase and possibly activation of oxidative metabolism.

Total pelvic exenteration for locally advanced rectal carcinoma

Total pelvic exenteration was performed in 31 patients (30 males and 1 female) who had rectal cancers involving adjoining pelvic structures. Twenty-nine patients had primary tumors and two had recurrent diseases after previous abdominoperineal resection. Preoperative irradiation was used in nine patients with fixed tumors. When performing the surgical procedure, we also actively employed lateral node dissection to make the operation more radical. Three patients (one with primary tumor and two with recurrent) underwent the exenteration with partial sacrectomy because of the sacral involvement and they all died of local failure within 15 months. The overall 5-year survival rate was 52 percent for all patients and 56 percent for those who had primary tumors. The results suggest that total pelvic exenteration with lateral node dissection should be performed for locally advanced rectal cancer if the tumor is not completely fixed to the pelvic wall and preoperative irradiation should be used to convert a fixed tumor to a resectable one.