Human HECW2 blocking peptide

Altered expression of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) has been observed in human cervical cancer. However, the biological functions of many of these miRNAs are yet to be discovered. We previously showed that miR-944 is significantly more abundant in cervical cancer tissues than their normal counterparts. In this study, we investigated the functions and targets of miR-944 in human cervical cancer cells. MiR-944 is located in the intron of the tumor protein p63 (TP63) gene, which is frequently overexpressed in cervical carcinomas. Using gain- and loss-of-function experiments in vitro, we demonstrate that miR-944 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion, but has no effect on apoptosis, in human cervical cancer cells. To identify the targets of miR-944, we performed photoactivatable-ribonucleoside-enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing. Among the candidate targets, we validated HECW2 (HECT domain ligase W2) and S100PBP (S100P binding protein) as direct targets of miR-944 using luciferase reporter assays and western blot analysis. Our findings reveal novel functions and targets of miR-944 in human cervical cancer cells, which may provide new insights of its role in cervical carcinogenesis. What's new? While miR-944 has been shown to be associated with tumor development and progression in several tumor types, its functions and targets remain undetermined. This study stands out as the first report of miR-944 functions and targets in human cancer. The authors demonstrate that miR-944 functions as an oncogene in human cervical cancer cells by promoting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In addition, they identified and validated HECW2 and S100PBP as direct targets of miR-944 in human cervical cancer cells. The findings provide new insights into the biological roles of miR-944 in human cervical cancer cells.

Background De novo mutations are a frequent cause of disorders related to brain development. We report the results of screening patients diagnosed with both epilepsy and intellectual disability (ID) using exome sequencing to identify known and new causative de novo mutations relevant to these conditions. Methods Exome sequencing was performed on 39 patient-parent trios to identify de novo mutations. Clinical significance of de novo mutations in genes was determined using the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standard guidelines for interpretation of coding variants. Variants in genes of unknown clinical significance were further analysed in the context of previous trio sequencing efforts in neurodevelopmental disorders. Results In 39 patient-parent trios we identified 29 de novo mutations in coding sequence. Analysis of de novo and inherited variants yielded a molecular diagnosis in 11 families (28.2%). In combination with previously published exome sequencing results in neurodevelopmental disorders, our analysis implicates HECW2 as a novel candidate gene in ID and epilepsy. Conclusions Our results support the use of exome sequencing as a diagnostic approach for ID and epilepsy, and confirm previous results regarding the importance of de novo mutations in this patient group. The results also highlight the utility of network analysis and comparison to previous large-scale studies as strategies to prioritise candidate genes for further studies. This study adds knowledge to the increasingly growing list of causative and candidate genes in ID and epilepsy and highlights HECW2 as a new candidate gene for neurodevelopmental disorders.