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At least 1,423 records · Page 79

PACT is required for MDA5-mediated immunoresponses triggered by Cardiovirus infection via interaction with LGP2

Laboratory of genetics and physiology 2 (LGP2) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) cooperatively detect viral RNA in the cytoplasm of Cardiovirus-infected cells and activate innate immune responses. Here, we evaluated whether the double-stranded RNA-binding protein PACT plays a role in this anti-viral response to further elucidate the mechanism. Immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that PACT interacts with LGP2 and that this interaction is enhanced by encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) infection. In vitro interaction analyses using purified recombinant proteins confirmed that the single-stranded Theiler's murine encephalitis virus genome enhanced the interaction between LGP2 and PACT. Small interfering RNA knockdown experiments further indicated that PACT is required for Cardiovirus-triggered interferon responses. To support this functional interaction with LGP2, overexpressed PACT was shown to enhance EMCV-triggered interferon promoter activity only when LGP2 and MDA5 were co-expressed but not when MDA5 is expressed alone. Together, our findings indicate a possible role of PACT in regulating the Cardiovirus-triggered immune responses mediated by MDA5 and LGP2, which opens the door to novel therapeutic strategies in interferon-related autoimmune diseases and cancer.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Involvement of TRPV3 and TRPM8 ion channel proteins in induction of mammalian cold-inducible proteins

Highlights: • CIRP, RBM3 and SRSF5 could be induced by mild hypothermia in the absence of TRPV4. • TRPV3 and TRPM8 as well as TRPV4 are involved in induction of CIRP, RBM3 and SRSF5. • Activity to induce CIRP, RBM3 and SRSF5 seems independent of TRP ion channel activity. Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP), RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) and serine and arginine rich splicing factor 5 (SRSF5) are RNA-binding proteins that are transcriptionally upregulated in response to moderately low temperatures and a variety of cellular stresses in mammalian cells. Induction of these cold-inducible proteins (CIPs) is dependent on transient receptor potential (TRP) V4 channel protein, but seems independent of its ion channel activity. We herein report that in addition to TRPV4, TRPV3 and TRPM8 are necessary for the induction of CIPs. We established cell lines from the lung of TRPV4-knockout (KO) mouse, and observed induction of CIPs in them by western blot analysis. A TRPV4 antagonist RN1734 suppressed the induction in wild-type mouse cells, but not in TRPV4-KO cells. A TRPV3 channel blocker S408271 and a TRPM8 channel blocker AMTB as well as siRNAs against TRPV3 and TRPM8 suppressed the CIP induction in mouse TRPV4-KO cells and human U-2 OS cells. A TRPV3 channel agonist 2-APB induced CIP expression, but camphor did not. Neither did a TRPM8 channel agonist WS-12. These results suggest that TRPV4, TRPV3 and TRPM8 proteins, but not their ion channel activities are necessary for the induction of CIPs at 32 °C. Identification of proteins that differentially interact with these TRP channels at 37 °C and 32 °C would help elucidate the underlying mechanisms of CIP induction by hypothermia.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

LncRNA MALAT1 regulates oxLDL-induced CD36 expression via activating β-catenin

Highlights: • The role of MALAT1 in lipid uptake was explored. • The regulatory mechanism of oxLDL-induced CD36 was also involved. • We first found oxLDL induces MALAT1 transcription by activating the NF-κB pathway. • MALAT1 promotes lipid uptake by promoting CD36 expression via activating β-catenin. The expression of scavenger receptors in macrophages regulating lipid uptake plays an important role in foam cell formation and the subsequent atherosclerotic plaque formation. Long non-coding RNA MALAT1 is abundantly expressed in THP-1-derived macrophages, and oxidized low-density lipoprotein promotes its transcription by qRT-PCR and RNA FISH detection. Through chemical inhibitor treatments and by performing a dual luciferase reporter analysis, we found that oxLDL induces MALAT1 transcription through the NF-κB pathway. The knockdown of MALAT1 using siRNA transfection affects lipid uptake in macrophages. To understand the details, we checked the scavenger receptors, which mainly control lipid uptake, and found that MALAT1 knockdown decreased CD36 expression. Additionally, we also incubated macrophages with actinomycin D, combined with a dual luciferase reporter analysis, and we found that MALAT1 influenced CD36 expression at the transcription level. We aim to investigate the detailed mechanism by which MALAT1 promotes CD36 transcription, and thus, we designed and synthesized biotin-TEG labeled oligonucleotides to precipitate the MALAT1 RNA-DNA-protein complex in vivo. Combined with SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and a subsequent mass spectra analysis, β-catenin, a transcription factor that promotes CD36 transcription, was found in the complex. By performing R-IPs, we validated that β-catenin was bound to MALAT1 under the oxLDL treatment. In addition, using VAX939, a chemical inhibitor of β-catenin, MALAT1 was demonstrated to promote CD36 transcription partly via β-catenin. We also performed chips to detect whether MALAT1 affects β-catenin accumulation in the binding sites of the CD36 promoter and found that MALAT1 knockdown decreases β-catenin binding to the CD36 promoter and vice versa. In conclusion, oxLDL induced MALAT1 transcription and MALAT1 recruits β-catenin to binding sites on the CD36 promoter to induce CD36 expression, which enhances lipid uptake in macrophages.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Deletion of the GCW13 gene derepresses Gap1-dependent uptake of amino acids in Pichia pastoris grown on methanol as the sole carbon source

Highlights: • Deletion of GCW13 results in an increased growth rate in P. pastoris GS115 on methanol as the sole carbon source. • The intracellular concentrations of various amino acids are increased in the GCW13-deletion P. pastoris strain. • Gcw13 facilitates the endocytosis of Gap1 in P. pastoris GS115 on methanol as the sole carbon source. In Pichia pastoris, most of the Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins are of unknown function. Gcw13, one of these GPI-anchored proteins, was found to exert an inhibitory effect on the growth of the histidine auxotrophic P. pastoris strain GS115 on methanol as the sole carbon source. To investigate the biological function of Gcw13, RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed to compare the difference of gene expression between GS115 and GCW13-deletion strain D13. RNA-Seq analysis showed that, in strain D13, the expression of genes involved in the methanol utilization pathway or peroxisome biogenesis was not changed, and a high proportion of genes involved in the biosynthesis of amino acids were down-regulated, whereas GAP1, which encodes a general amino acid permease, was significantly up-regulated. Besides, the intracellular concentrations of various amino acids were significantly higher in D13 than that in GS115. We also observed that deletion of GCW13 resulted in more Gap1 presented on the cell surface and more active uptake of the toxic proline analogue l-azetidine-2-carboxylate acid (AzC). These results suggest that Gcw13 suppresses the expression of GAP1 and facilitates the endocytosis of Gap1 on methanol, resulting in decreasing Gap1-dependent uptake of amino acids in P. pastoris, which might contribute to the poor growth of GS115 on methanol.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

CircRNA circHIPK3 serves as a prognostic marker to promote glioma progression by regulating miR-654/IGF2BP3 signaling

Emerging evidences show RNA back-splicing produces a new type of noncoding RNA, namely circular RNA (circRNA). Many reports demonstrate that circRNA circHIPK3 exerts oncogenic or anti-tumor roles in different cancers, such as ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, osteosarcoma, colorectal cancer and liver cancer. However, no study about circHIPK3 function in glioma exists until today. In this study, we showed that circHIPK3 was upregulated in glioma tissues. Elevated level of circHIPK3 was linked to poor prognosis. Functional investigation indicated that circHIPK3 promotes glioma cell proliferation and invasion, and tumor propagation in vivo. Furthermore, miR-654 was identified as a target of circHIPK3 while IGF2BP3 was targeted by miR-654. CircHIPK3 could promote IGF2BP3 expression via interacting with miR-654 in glioma cells. Finally, CCK8 and transwell assays illustrated that IGF2BP3 overexpression could reverse the effects of IGF2BP3 depletion. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that circHIPK3 contributes to glioma progression through targeting miR-654 from IGF2BP3 and implies circHIPK3 might be a potential target for glioma therapy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Paclitaxel promotes lung cancer cell apoptosis via MEG3-P53 pathway activation

Highlights: • Paclitaxel up-regulated the expression of long-chain non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 and P53 in Non-small cell lung cancer cell A549 cell line. • Inhibition of maternally expressed gene 3 attenuated the antitumor activity of PTX. • Overexpression of maternally expressed gene 3 enhanced the anti-tumor activity of paclitaxel. • Maternally expressed gene 3 inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells by activating p53, and inhibition of maternally expressed gene 3 partially attenuated the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel via inhibition of P53. • Maternally expressed gene 3 plays an important role in Reactive oxygen species production and subsequently induces A549 cell death. Paclitaxel (PTX) is a first-line chemotherapy drug for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The long-chain non-coding RNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) is a recognized tumor suppressor. This study aimed to explore the effects of PTX on the expression of MEG3 and its anti-tumor mechanism in lung cancer cells. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assays were performed to determine cell proliferation. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the levels of MEG3 expressions. Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to detect protein levels. Small interfering RNA or pCDNA-MEG3 transfection was used to downregulate or upregulate MEG3 expression. Dichlorof luorescein diacetate was used to detect intracellular reactive oxygen species. Flow cytometry was used to analyze apoptosis. PTX significantly inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells and increased the expressions of MEG3 and P53. The downregulation of MEG3 attenuated PTX-induced cytotoxicity, whereas upregulation of MEG3 induced cell death and increased P53 expression. The inhibition of P53 caused no effect on the upstream MEG3 expression. Our results suggest that the MEG3-P53 pathway is involved in the apoptosis of A549 cells induced by PTX.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Acetylation of lysine residues in the recombinant nucleoprotein and VP40 matrix protein of Zaire Ebolavirus by eukaryotic histone acetyltransferases

Acetylation of histones and other proteins plays crucial roles in transcriptional regulation, chromatin organization, and other biological processes. It has been recently reported that the nucleoprotein (NP) of influenza virus is acetylated in infected cells, and this modification contributes to the RNA polymerization activity of the virus. As the influenza virus, the Ebolavirus contains single-stranded negative-sense RNA as its viral genome, which interacts with NP and other viral proteins. In this study, we performed a series of biochemical experiments and revealed that the recombinant Ebolavirus NP and the viral matrix protein VP40, which binds with NP, were acetylated by eukaryotic histone acetyltransferases, such as P300/CREB-binding protein (P300/CBP) and P300/CBP-associated factor (PCAF), in vitro. Mass spectrometry was used to identify the lysine residues that were potential acetylation targets in NP and VP40. The identified lysine residues in NP were located in the RNA-binding cleft and the VP35-binding domain. Potentially acetylated lysine targets in VP40 were identified in the basic patch, which is necessary for constructing oligomers. These results suggest that the acetylation of these lysine residues is involved in the interactions between viral proteins.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

LncRNA ZEB1-AS1/miR-409–3p/ZEB1 feedback loop is involved in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer

Highlights: • ZEB1-AS1 was increase in NSCLC cells and ZEB1-AS1 silencing inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. • ZEB1-AS1 positively regulates ZEB1 through sponging miR-409–3p. • ZEB1 could bind to the promoter region of ZEB1-AS1 to activate its expression. • The positive feedback loop of ZEB1-AS1/miR-409–3p/ZEB1 could facilitate the NSCLC oncogenesis. Emerging evidence has illustrated that long noncoding RNA (LncRNA) ZEB1 antisense RNA 1 (ZEB1-AS1) involved in the development of various type of human cancers. However, the role of ZEB1-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still elusive and poorly understood. The present study aimed to provide functional evidence and elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which the ZEB1-AS1 promotes oncogenesis of NSCLC. Our study found that ZEB1-AS1 was upregulated in NSCLC cells and knockdown of ZEB1-AS1 significantly inhibited cell growth and induced cell apoptosis. Mechanically, miR-409–3p was confirmed as a direct target of ZEB1-AS1 and negatively regulated by ZEB1-AS1 via competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) mechanism; miR-409–3p inhibited ZEB1 expression by directly binding to the 3′UTR. Importantly, as predicted by JASPAR and further confirmed by luciferase reporter gene and ChIP assays, we found ZEB1 could bind to the promoter region of ZEB1-AS1 to activate its expression. Restoration of ZEB1 could partially abolished the action of ZEB1-AS1 silencing on cell proliferation and apoptosis. Collectively, the results suggested that ZEB1-AS1/miR-409–3p/ZEB1 constitutes a positive feedback loop to promote the tumorigenesis of NSCLC, highlighting the possibility of improving NSCLC treatment by targeting the ZEB1-AS1 signaling pathway.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Identification and characterization of a class of MALAT1 -like genomic loci

The MALAT1 (Metastasis-Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1) gene encodes a noncoding RNA that is processed into a long nuclear retained transcript ( MALAT1 ) and a small cytoplasmic tRNA-like transcript (mascRNA). Using an RNA sequence- and structure-based covariance model, we identified more than 130 genomic loci in vertebrate genomes containing the MALAT1 3' end triple-helix structure and its immediate downstream tRNA-like structure, including 44 in the green lizard Anolis carolinensis . Structural and computational analyses revealed a co-occurrence of components of the 3' end module. MALAT1 -like genes in Anolis carolinensis are highly expressed in adult testis, thus we named them testis-abundant long noncoding RNAs (tancRNAs). MALAT1 -like loci also produce multiple small RNA species, including PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), from the antisense strand. The 3' ends of tancRNAs serve as potential targets for the PIWI-piRNA complex. Furthermore, we have identified an evolutionarily conserved class of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with similar structural constraints, post-transcriptional processing, and subcellular localization and a distinct function in spermatocytes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Cytoplasmic Amplification of Transcriptional Noise Generates Substantial Cell-to-Cell Variability

Transcription is an episodic process characterized by probabilistic bursts, but how the transcriptional noise from these bursts is modulated by cellular physiology remains unclear. Using simulations and single-molecule RNA counting, we examined how cellular processes influence cell-to-cell variability (noise). The results show that RNA noise is higher in the cytoplasm than the nucleus in ~85% of genes across diverse promoters, genomic loci, and cell types (human and mouse). Measurements also show further amplification of RNA noise in the cytoplasm, fitting a model of biphasic mRNA conversion between translation- and degradation-competent states. This multi-state translation-degradation of mRNA also causes substantial noise amplification in protein levels, ultimately accounting for ~74% of intrinsic protein variability in cell populations. Overall, the results demonstrate how noise from transcriptional bursts is intrinsically amplified by mRNA processing, leading to a large super-Poissonian variability in protein levels.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Comparative analysis of TCDD-induced AhR-mediated gene expression in human, mouse and rat primary B cells

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a persistent environmental pollutant that activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) resulting in altered gene expression. In vivo, in vitro, and ex vivo studies have demonstrated that B cells are directly impaired by TCDD, and are a sensitive target as evidenced by suppression of antibody responses. The window of sensitivity to TCDD-induced suppression of IgM secretion among mouse, rat and human B cells is similar. Specifically, TCDD must be present within the initial 12 h post B cell stimulation, indicating that TCDD disrupts early signaling network(s) necessary for B lymphocyte activation and differentiation. Therefore, we hypothesized that TCDD treatment across three different species (mouse, rat and human) triggers a conserved, B cell-specific mechanism that is involved in TCDD-induced immunosuppression. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was used to identify B cell-specific orthologous genes that are differentially expressed in response to TCDD in primary mouse, rat and human B cells. Time course studies identified TCDD-elicited differential expression of 515 human, 2371 mouse and 712 rat orthologous genes over the 24-h period. 28 orthologs were differentially expressed in response to TCDD in all three species. Overrepresented pathways enriched in all three species included cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, ECM-receptor interaction, focal adhesion, regulation of actin cytoskeleton and pathways in cancer. Differentially expressed genes functionally associated with cell-cell signaling in humans, immune response in mice, and oxidation reduction in rats. Overall, these results suggest that despite the conservation of the AhR and its signaling mechanism, TCDD elicits species-specific gene expression changes. - Highlights: • Kovalova TAAP Highlights Nov. 2016 • RNA-Seq identified TCDD-induced gene expression in PWM-activated primary B cells. • TCDD elicited differential expression of 515 human, 2371 mouse and 712 rat orthologs. • 28 orthologs were differentially expressed in response to TCDD in all three species. • TCDD elicits mostly species-specific gene expression changes in activated B cells.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Tombusviruses upregulate phospholipid biosynthesis via interaction between p33 replication protein and yeast lipid sensor proteins during virus replication in yeast

Positive-stranded RNA viruses induce new membranous structures and promote membrane proliferation in infected cells to facilitate viral replication. In this paper, the authors show that a plant-infecting tombusvirus upregulates transcription of phospholipid biosynthesis genes, such as INO1, OPI3 and CHO1, and increases phospholipid levels in yeast model host. This is accomplished by the viral p33 replication protein, which interacts with Opi1p FFAT domain protein and Scs2p VAP protein. Opi1p and Scs2p are phospholipid sensor proteins and they repress the expression of phospholipid genes. Accordingly, deletion of OPI1 transcription repressor in yeast has a stimulatory effect on TBSV RNA accumulation and enhanced tombusvirus replicase activity in an in vitro assay. Altogether, the presented data convincingly demonstrate that de novo lipid biosynthesis is required for optimal TBSV replication. Overall, this work reveals that a (+)RNA virus reprograms the phospholipid biosynthesis pathway in a unique way to facilitate its replication in yeast cells. - Highlights: • Tombusvirus p33 replication protein interacts with FFAT-domain host protein. • Tombusvirus replication leads to upregulation of phospholipids. • Tombusvirus replication depends on de novo lipid synthesis. • Deletion of FFAT-domain host protein enhances TBSV replication. • TBSV rewires host phospholipid synthesis.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Isolation and characterization of a novel mycovirus from Penicillium digitatum

A novel double-stranded RNA virus designated Penicillium digitatum virus 1 (PdV1) was isolated from the citrus fruit rot pathogen P. digitatum (HS-RH1). The full-length cDNA sequence of the dsRNA/PdV1 (5211 bp) possesses two partially overlapping open reading frames, which encode a coat protein (CP) and a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on multiple alignments of the amino acid sequences of the RdRp and CP indicated that PdV1 tentatively belongs to the genus Victorivirus in the Totiviridae family. Electron micrographs of negatively stained viral particles purified from the peak fraction of sucrose density gradient centrifugation showed spherical particles ~35 nm in diameter. Transfection experiments with purified virions indicated that PdV1 could reduce the vegetative growth and virulence of P. digitatum strain HS-F6. In summary, we report the first isolation and characterization of a mycovirus from P. digitatum that contributes to the hypovirulence phenotypes of the host strain. - Highlights: • A novel victorivirus designated Penicillium digitatum virus 1 (PdV1) was isolated fromP. digitatum. • The dsRNA genome of PdV1 are 5211 bp long, two ORFs encoding CP and RdRp, and are encased in virions of ~35 nm in diameter. • PdV1 infection led to hypovirulent effect on P. digitatum. PdV1 may potentially be used for citrus green mold biocontrol. • Our study provides a research basis for establishing a model system for the study of P. digitatum–mycovirus interactions.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Nucleolin is a nuclear target of heparan sulfate derived from glypican-1

The recycling, S-nitrosylated heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycan glypican-1 releases anhydromannose (anMan)-containing HS chains by a nitrosothiol-catalyzed cleavage in endosomes that can be constitutive or induced by ascorbate. The HS-anMan chains are then transported to the nucleus. A specific nuclear target for HS-anMan has not been identified. We have monitored endosome-to-nucleus trafficking of HS-anMan by deconvolution and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy using an anMan-specific monoclonal antibody in non-growing, ascorbate-treated, and growing, untreated, wild-type mouse embryonic fibroblasts and hypoxia-exposed Alzheimer mouse Tg2576 fibroblasts and human U87 glioblastoma cells. In all cells, nuclear HS-anMan targeted a limited number of sites of variable size where it colocalized with DNA and nucleolin, an established marker for nucleoli. HS-anMan also colocalized with ethynyl uridine-tagged nascent RNA and two acetylated forms of histone H3. Acute hypoxia increased the formation of HS-anMan in both Tg2576 and U87 cells. A portion of HS-anMan colocalized with nucleolin at small discrete sites, while most of the nucleolin and nascent RNA was dispersed. In U87 cells, HS-anMan, nucleolin and nascent RNA reassembled after prolonged hypoxia. Nucleolar HS may modulate synthesis and/or release of rRNA.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Egr-1 mediated cardiac miR-99 family expression diverges physiological hypertrophy from pathological hypertrophy

The physiological cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive condition without myocyte cell death, while pathological hypertrophy is a maladaptive condition associated with myocyte cell death. This study explores the miRNome of α-2M-induced physiologically hypertrophied cardiomyocytes and the role of miRNA-99 family during cardiac hypertrophy. Physiological and pathological cardiac hypertrophy was induced in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cell lines using α-2M and isoproterenol respectively. Total RNA isolation and small RNA sequencing were executed for physiological hypertrophy model. The differentially expressed miRNAs and its target mRNAs were validated in animal models. Transcription factor binding sites were predicted in the promoter of specific miRNAs and validated by ChIP-PCR. Subsequently, the selected miRNA was functionally characterized by overexpression and silencing. The effects of silencing of upstream regulator and downstream target gene were studied. Analysis of small RNA reads revealed the differential expression of a large set of miRNAs during hypertrophy, of which miR-99 family was highly downregulated upon α-2M treatment. However, this miR-99 family expression was upregulated during pathological hypertrophy and confirmed in animal models. ChIP-PCR confirms the binding of Egr-1 transcription factor to the miR-99 promoter. Further, silencing of Egr-1 decreased the expression of miR-99. The overexpression or silencing of miR-99 diverges the physiological hypertrophy to pathological hypertrophy and vice versa by regulating Akt-1 pathway. Silencing of Akt-1 replicates the effect of overexpression of miR-99.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

GLIDR promotes the progression of glioma by regulating the miR-4677-3p/MAGI2 axis

Gliomas are the most common and fatal primary brain tumors. Growing evidence suggests that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute novel and potential therapeutic targets for glioma. However, the biological role of glioblastoma down-regulated RNA (GLIDR) in glioma remains largely elusive. In the current study, we used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to detect GLIDR expression in glioma cells. Cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation assay, JC-1 staining, and flow cytometry were used to evaluate the role of GLIDR in proliferation and apoptosis of glioma cells. Western blotting was performed to assess the effect of GLIDR on the level of apoptosis-related proteins. In addition, bioinformatics prediction, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pull-down, and luciferase reporter gene assays were used to study the regulatory mechanisms of GLIDR in glioma. GLIDR was found to be highly expressed in glioma cells and silencing of GLIDR inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Functionally, GLIDR bound to miR-4677-3p that directly targeted membrane-associated guanylate kinase, WW, and PDZ domain-containing protein 2 (MAGI2). Our data showed that GLIDR affects the proliferation and apoptosis of glioma cells by targeting miR-4677-3p to regulate the expression of MAGI2. In conclusion, our study determined the oncogenic role of GLIDR in glioma, which may provide a new perspective for the treatment of glioma.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

HNRNPUL1 inhibits cisplatin sensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through regulating the formation of circMAN1A2

Highlights: • HNRNPUL1 is an independent prognostic factor of ESCC patients receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. • Knockdown of HNRNPUL1 enhances cisplatin sensitivity of ESCC cells. • HNRNPUL1 inhibits the cisplatin sensitivity of ESCC cells by regulating the formation of circMAN1A2. Cisplatin (CDDP) is widely used for chemotherapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) but the drug resistance limits its therapeutic benefit. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U-like 1 (HNRNPUL1) belongs to the family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and is involved in DNA damage repair. To investigate whether and how HNRNPUL1 affects CDDP resistance of ESCC, we evaluated the expression of HNRNPUL1 and found that it was associated with recurrence in ESCC patients receiving postoperative platinum-based chemotherapy and was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival (DFS). Besides, we showed that the reduced expression of HNRNPUL1 enhanced the CDDP sensitivity of ESCC cells. Furthermore, RNA immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing (RIP-seq) were performed and a range of HNRNPUL1-binding RNAs influenced by CDDP treatment were identified followed by bioinformatics analysis. In terms of mechanism, we found that HNRNPUL1 inhibited CDDP sensitivity of ESCC cells by regulating the CDDP sensitivity-inhibited circular RNA (circRNA) MAN1A2 formation. Taken together, our results first demonstrated the role of HNRNPUL1 in CDDP resistance of ESCC and suggested that HNRNPUL1 may be a potential target of ESCC chemotherapy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Enzymatically Controlled Vacancies in Nanoparticle Crystals

In atomic systems, the mixing of metals results in distinct phase behavior that depends on the identity and bonding characteristics of the atoms. In nanoscale systems, the use of oligonucleotides as programmable “bonds” that link nanoparticle “atoms” into superlattices allows for the decoupling of atom identity and bonding. While much research in atomic systems is dedicated to understanding different phase behavior of mixed metals, it is not well understood on the nanoscale how changes in the nanoscale “bond” affect the phase behavior of nanoparticle crystals. In this work, the identity of the atom is kept the same but the chemical nature of the bond is altered, which is not possible in atomic systems, through the use of DNA and RNA bonding elements. These building blocks assemble into single crystal nanoparticle superlattices with mixed DNA and RNA bonding elements throughout. The nanoparticle crystals can be dynamically changed through the selective and enzymatic hydrolysis of the RNA bonding elements, resulting in superlattices that retain their crystalline structure and habit, while incorporating up to 35% random vacancies generated from the nanoparticles removed. Therefore, the bonding elements of nanoparticle crystals can be enzymatically and selectively addressed without affecting the nature of the atom.

crystals↗