TNFAIP2 blocking peptide

TNF-induced protein 2 (TNFAIP2) is a primary response gene of TNF alpha. TNFAIP2 is highly expressed in immune cells and the urinary bladder. The expression of TNFAIP2 is regulated by multiple transcription factors and signalling pathways, including NF-kappa B, KLF5 and retinoic acid. Physiologically, TNFAIP2 appears to be a multiple functional mediator not only for inflammation, angiogenesis and tunneling nanotube (TNT) formation but also as a regulator of cell proliferation and migration. The expression of TNFAIP2 is frequently abnormal in human cancers and in infectious diseases. Due to its significant functions in cell proliferation, angiogenesis, migration and invasion, TNFAIP2 could be a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer.

We investigated the effects of zinc supplementation during the IVM of porcine oocytes. Nuclear maturation, intracellular glutathione (GSH) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, subsequent embryonic development, and gene expression were evaluated. Zinc concentrations in porcine plasma and follicular fluid were 0.82 and 0.84 mu g/mL, respectively. Zinc was not detected in IVM medium. After treatment with various zinc concentrations (0.0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 mu g/mL), no significant difference in IVM was observed among groups (85.7%, 88.7%, 90.4%, 90.3%, and 87.2%, respectively). The effects of different zinc concentrations on porcine oocyte intracellular GSH and ROS levels were examined in mature oocytes. Intracellular GSH levels were significantly higher in the 0.8-, 1.2-, and 1.6 mu g/mL groups than in the control (P < 0.05). Intracellular ROS levels of oocytes. matured with 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 mu g/mL were reduced significantly (P < 0.05) compared with the control and 0.4-mu g/mL groups. The developmental competence of oocytes matured with different zinc concentrations was evaluated after parthenogenetic activation (PA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Oocytes treated with zinc during IVM showed no significant difference in cleavage rate after PA. Oocytes treated with 0.8 and 1.2 mu g/mL zinc during IVM had significantly higher blastocyst formation rates after PA (41.5% and 41.1%, respectively) than the control (27.2%). IVF embryos showed similar results. The blastocyst formation rate was significantly higher (28.2%) in the 0.8-mu g/mL group. TNFAIP2 and Box were decreased in zinc-treated cumulus cells. Increased POU5F1 and decreased Sax transcript levels were observed in zinc-treated oocytes. POU5F1 and Bcl-2 transcript levels were significantly higher in zinc-treated IVF blastocysts. These results indicate that treatment with adequate zinc concentrations during IVM improved the developmental potential of porcine embryos by regulating the intracellular GSH concentration, the ROS level, and transcription factor expression. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.