Polyplexes of Functional PAMAM Dendrimer/Apoptin Gene Induce Apoptosis of Human Primary Glioma Cells In Vitro

Highly efficient and safe gene delivery has become an important aspect of neuronal gene therapy. We evaluated the ability of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer grafted with phenylalanine, histidine, and arginine (PAMAM-FHR), a nonviral gene delivery vector, to deliver a therapeutic, tumor cell-specific killer gene, apoptin, into the human primary glioma cell line GBL-14 and human dermal fibroblasts. We performed a transfection assay using plasmids of luciferase and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and assessed cell viability. Both cell lines were treated with complexes of PAMAM-FHR and apoptin after which their intracellular uptake and localization were examined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)analysis and confocal laser scanning microscopy. Confocal microscopy showed that the PAMAM-FHR escaped from the endo-lysosome into the cytosol. Cell cycle phase distribution analysis, annexin V staining, and a tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) assay established that apoptin triggered apoptosis in the GBL-14 cell line but not in normal fibroblasts. These results indicated that the PAMAM-FHR/apoptin complex is an effective gene vehicle for cancer therapy in vitro.

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes Associated with Litter Size in Berkshire Pig Placenta

Improvement in litter size has become of great interest in the pig industry because fecundity is directly related to sow reproductive life. Improved reproduction has thus been achieved by elucidating the molecular functions of genes associated with fecundity. In the present study, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) via transcriptomic analysis using RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) in Berkshire pig placentas from larger (LLG, mean litter size >12) and smaller (SLG, mean litter size < 6.5) litter size groups. In total 588 DEGs were identified (p < 0.05, > 1.5-fold change), of which 98 were upregulated, while 490 were downregulated in the LLG compared with the SLG. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment was also performed. We concluded that 129 of the 588 DEGs were closely related to litter size according to reproduction related genes selected based on previous reports, as 110 genes were downregulated and 19 upregulated in the LLG compared with the SLG. RT-qPCR utilizing specific primers targeting the early growth response 2 (EGR2), pheromaxein c subunit (PHEROC) and endothelial lipase (LIPG) genes showed high accordance with RNA-Seq results. Furthermore, we investigated the upstream regulators of these three genes in the placenta. We found that WNT9B, a Wnt signaling pathway molecule, and IL-6, known inducers of EGR2 and LIPG, respectively, were significantly increased in LLG compared with SLG. We believe that the induction of IL-6 and LIPG may play an important role in increasing nutrition supply through the placenta from the sow to the piglet during gestation. These results provide novel molecular insights into pig reproduction.