Nr3C1-Bhlhb2 Axis Dysregulation Is Involved in the Development of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY
Authors: Wu, Li Hui; Cheng, Wei; Yu, Mei; He, Bao Mei; Sun, Hui; Chen, Qi; Dong, Yi Wei; Shao, Xiao Ting; Cai, Qian Qian; Peng, Min; Wu, Xing Zhong
Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a child developmental and behavioral disorder which seriously hinders their education and development. To investigate the key regulators in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), the major affected areas of ADHD, microRNA (miR)-138,138*, 34c*, 296, and 494, were noted for their significant downregulation in ADHD model rats spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) compared to Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rat control. Based on promoter sequence analysis and activity assay, glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1) was identified for the inhibition of the promoter activity of miR-138-1, 34c*, 296, and 494 genes and their transcription. In the PFC of ADHD model rats SHR, Nr3c1 expression was abnormally elevated and reversely correlated with the levels of miR-138-1, 34c, 296, and 494 expression. Luciferase report assays indicated that all miR-138, 138*, 34c*, 296, and 494 targeted the 3' untranslated region of transcription factor Bhlhb2 (Bhlhe40) messenger RNA (mRNA) in common and ectopic expression of miR-138,138*, 34c*, 296, and 494 further suppressed the expression of Bhlhb2 gene. Consistently, Bhlhb2 expression was significantly higher in PFC of ADHD model SHR than control. Overexpressed Bhlhb2 in vitro significantly suppressed PC12 cell differentiation, and silence of Bhlhb2 enhanced the growth of neurite axon and dendrite. To observe the roles of Bhlhb2 further in vivo, Bhlhb2 was silenced in the PFC of nine SHR rats. Interestingly, knockdown of Bhlhb2 significantly improved the hyperactivity behaviors in SHRs compared to control. These findings show that Nr3c1-Bhlhb2 axis dysregulation was involved in the development of attention deficit and hyperactivity.
DEC2 Serves as Potential Tumor Suppressor in Breast Carcinoma
DISEASE MARKERS
Authors: Fang, Wentong; Li, Qian; Wang, Min; Zheng, Mingjie; Xu, Huirong
Abstract
Background. Identification of new biomarkers can facilitate the development of effective therapeutic strategies in breast cancer (BC). Data from previous studies have revealed that differentiated embryonic chondrocyte gene (DEC) 1 and DEC2 might involve in the progression of various cancer types. We explored the expression profiles and function of DEC1/2 in BC patients in this study.Methods. The mRNA expression of DEC1/2 in BC patients and cell lines were taken from the Oncomine and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia database. The prognostic impacts of DEC1/2 were mined from the bc-GenExMiner and Kaplan-Meier plotter database. The impact of DEC1/2 genomic alterations on patient survival was calculated by cBioPortal. DEC2 protein expressions were confirmed by Western blotting (WB) in 10 pairs of BC samples. In addition, DEC2 sgRNA was constructed to confirm its affection on cell viability, invasion, and colony formation.Results. The DEC1 and DEC2 mRNA levels are both lower in BC tissues than normal tissues. DEC1/2 expression was high in progesterone receptor (PR) positive BC patients (P=0.0023), but low in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive patients (P<0.0001). Lower DEC2 mRNA level has significant association with more aggressive pathogenic grade (P<0.0001) and worse overall survival (OS) of BC patients (P=5.2x10-6). Subgroup analysis showed that low DEC2 level was correlated with worse OS in estrogen receptor (ER) positive BC (P=0.008). DEC2 (P=0.00029) alteration was significantly correlated with worse OS in BC patients. WB results also confirmed the lower DEC2 protein levels in BC samples than their paired normal tissues. And, DEC2 silencing by sgRNA resulted in a significant increasing in cell viability, invasion, and colony formation.Conclusion. DEC2 might serve as a tumor suppressor, and its disfunction may involve in the tumorigenesis and indicate bad clinical outcomes in BC patients.