Characterization of SOX3 Gene in an Ovoviviparous Teleost, Black Rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli)
JOURNAL OF OCEAN UNIVERSITY OF CHINA
Authors: Ma, Liman; Wang, Wenji; Shang, Renjie; Zhang, Quanqi; Qi, Jie; Wang, Zhigang
Abstract
Evolutionary evidence suggests that Sox3, a member of the high-mobility-group (HMG) family of transcription factors, is an ancestral precursor of Sry and is involved in sex determination similar to Sry. However, there is limited information regarding the SOX3 gene of the black rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli). In this study, we first isolated SOX3 gene from the gonads of S. schlegeli by homology cloning. The full-length of S. schlegeli SOX3 (SsSOX3) cDNA was 1386 bp, comprising a 906-bp open reading frame, which encodes a peptide showing 93.6% and 93.9% homology with the Sox3 proteins of Epinephelus coioides and Oryzias latipe, respectively. Comparison of the cDNA sequence of the SsSOX3 gene with the corresponding genomic DNA fragment revealed that the SsSOX3 gene consists of a single exon. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated the evolutionary relationship of SsSOX3 with other known SOXB1 genes in fish and tetrapods. The promoter region contains binding sites of several transcriptional factors that might participate in the regulation of SsSOX3 expression. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis indicated that SsSOX3 was expressed in all the investigated larval developmental stages from 1 to 35 days after birth and the level of expression gradually decreased as the development proceeded. SsSOX3 exhibited sexually dimorphic expression in adult gonads, with high expression in the ovary but low expression in the testis. In situ hybridization revealed that SsSOX3 was strongly expressed in oocytes and follicular cells of ovaries but slightly expressed in germ cells of testicular tissues. Therefore, this study suggests that SsSOX3 plays an important role in oogenesis and ovary differentiation in S. schlegeli.
Knockdown of LINC01694 inhibits growth of gallbladder cancer cells via miR-340-5p/Sox4
BIOSCIENCE REPORTS
Authors: Liu, Lei; Yan, Yuexiang; Zhang, Guanyu; Chen, Chengxue; Shen, Weihong; Xing, Peixiang
Abstract
Purpose: The indispensable role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis has been increasingly reported. In the present study, LINC01694 was found to regulate the proliferation, invasion, as well as apoptosis in gallbladder cancer (GBC) cells through sponging miR-340-5p. Methods: LINC01694 level in GBC cells was quantified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis were determined by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), Transwell, and flow cytometry, respectively. The expression of Sry-related high-mobility group box 4 (Sox4) was detected by Western blot (WB). The interaction between LINC01694 and miR-340-5p was measured by dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) test, and RNA pull-down. Tumor formation was examined by in vivo experiment. Results: qRT-PCR illustrated that cancerous tissues had higher LINC01694 than normal tissues. Survival analysis demonstrated that the prognosis of patients with high LINC01694 was significantly poorer than those with low LINC01694. Down-regulation of LINC01694 slowed down the proliferation and invasion in GBC cells and accelerated the apoptosis. DLR assay indicated that LINC01694 elevated Sox4 expression by regulating miR-340-5p. LINC01694 functioned as miR-340-5p sponge to inhibit Sox4 expression. Conclusion: LINC01694 level is elevated in GBC by regulating miR-340-5p/Sox4 axis, which indicates the poor prognosis of the patients.