Abstract:Antisense RNA molecule represents a unique type of DNA transcript that comprises 19–23 nucleotides and is complementary to mRNA. Antisense RNAs play the crucial role in regulating gene expression at multiple levels, such as at replication, transcription, and translation. In addition, artificial antisense RNAs can effectively regulate the expression of related genes in host cells. With the development of antisense RNA, investigating the functions of antisense RNAs has emerged as a hot research field. This review summarizes our current understanding of antisense RNAs, particularly of the formation of antisense RNAs and their mechanism of regulating the expression of their target genes. In addition, we detail the effects and applications of antisense RNAs in antivirus and anticancer treatments and in regulating the expression of related genes in plants and microorganisms. This review is intended to highlight the key role of antisense RNA in genetic research and guide new investigators to the study of antisense RNAs.
Keywords:Antisense RNA;Formation mode;Regulatory mechanism;Application field;Genetic research
Abstract:Helicobacter pylori infection is related to the development of gastric diseases. Our previous studies showed that high thioredoxin-1 (Trx1) expression in H. pylori can promote gastric carcinogenesis. To explore the underlying molecular mechanisms, we performed an isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic analysis of stomach tissues from Mongolian gerbil infected with H. pylori expressing high and low Trx1. Differences in the profiles of the expressed proteins were analyzed by bioinformatics and verified using Western blot analysis. We found three candidate proteins, 14-3-3α/β, glutathione-S-transferase (GST), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), in high Trx1 tissues compared with low Trx1 tissues and concluded that cellular stress and redox activity-related proteins were involved in the pathogenesis of gastric cancer associated with H. pylori Trx1.
Keywords:Thioredoxin-1 (Trx1);Helicobacter pylori;Gastric carcinogenesis;Proteomics;Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)
Abstract:The present study aimed to evaluate the anti-diabetic property of peanut shell polyphenol extracts (PSPEs). Diabetic rats were oral-administrated with PSPE at doses of 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg body weight (BW) per day for 28 consecutive days, with metformin (Met) as a positive control. The results showed that, similar to the Met treatment, administration of PSPE caused significant decreases in food intake, water intake, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and methane dicarboxylic aldehyde in serum, and significant increases in BW, insulin level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, and liver glycogen. Further, glucose tolerance was markedly improved in the PSPE-treated diabetic groups. Histopathological results showed that PSPE improved cellular structural and pathological changes in liver, kidney, and pancreatic islets. Collectively, the results indicated that the hypoglycemic effects of PSPE on high-fat diet/streptozotocin (HFD/STZ)-induced diabetes are comparable to Met, though their exact mechanism actions are still under investigation. Therefore, the current study suggests that PSPE could be a potential health-care food supplement in the management of diabetes.
Abstract:Chlortetracycline (CTC), one kind of common antibiotic for prevention and treatment of various diseases, also exhibits good performance in accelerating the growth of livestock. Macleaya cordata, a traditional Chinese medicine, is usually used as a natural additive in livestock because of its anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and pesticidal activity. In this work, we studied whether M. cordata helps regulate the growth-promoting effect of CTC on broiler chickens. It is demonstrated that M. cordata improves the growth-promoting effect of CTC on growth performance indices of broiler chickens, such as survival rate, daily weight, and feed to weight rate. M. cordata also delays the maximum of CTC residues in plasma. It may depend on the higher values of operational taxonomic unit (OTU) and the indices of α diversity driven by simultaneous use of CTC and M. cordata.
Abstract:Objective:Salmonella enterica remains a major cause of food-borne disease in humans, and Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) contamination of poultry products is a worldwide problem. Since macrophages play an essential role in controlling Salmonella infection, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of glycyrrhizic acid (GA) on immune function of chicken HD11 macrophages.Methods:Chicken HD11 macrophages were treated with GA (0, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 μg/ml) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 500 ng/ml) for 3, 6, 12, 24, or 48 h. Evaluated responses included phagocytosis, bacteria-killing, gene expression of cell surface molecules (cluster of differentiation 40 (CD40), CD80, CD83, and CD197) and antimicrobial effectors (inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), NADPH oxidase-1 (NOX-1), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α factor (LITAF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-10), and production of nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).Results:GA increased the internalization of both fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-dextran and ST by HD11 cells and markedly decreased the intracellular survival of ST. We found that the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of cell surface molecules (CD40, CD80, CD83, and CD197) and cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-6, and IL-10) of HD11 cells was up-regulated following GA exposure. The expression of iNOS and NOX-1 was induced by GA and thereby the productions of NO and H2O2 in HD11 cells were enhanced. Notably, it was verified that nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways were responsible for GA-induced synthesis of NO and IFN-γ gene expression.Conclusions:Taken together, these results suggested that GA exhibits a potent immune regulatory effect to activate chicken macrophages and enhances Salmonella-killing capacity.
Abstract:Recent studies have shown that diet can affect the body’s immunity. Roughage of dairy cows consists of a variety of plant materials which make different contributions to health. This study investigated the effect of different roughages on the immunity of dairy cows. Serum, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and milk samples were collected from 20 multiparous mid-lactation cows fed mixed forage (MF)-or corn straw (CS)-based diets. Expression profile analysis was used to detect the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from PBMCs. The results showed that milk protein in the MF group increased to 3.22 g/100 ml, while that of the CS group milk was 2.96 g/100 ml; by RNA sequencing, it was found that 1615 genes were differentially expressed between the CS group and the MF group among the 24 027 analyzed probes. Gene ontology (GO) and pathway analysis of DEGs suggested that these genes (especially genes coding cytokines, chemokine and its receptors) are involved in the immune response. Results were confirmed at the protein level via detecting the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, leptin (LEP), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in peripheral blood by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunoassay analysis. Our data supported the conclusions that the protein content in milk of the MF group was higher than that of the CS group, the CS-based diets induced more release of cytokines than the MF-based diets in dairy cows’ PBMCs, and milk protein content may be affected by cytokines.
Abstract:Objective:The aim of this study was to explore the association of dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) polymorphism and alleviation of obesity in children and adolescents after 8-year follow-up.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included obese children and adolescents with a follow-up period of 8 years. Baseline clinical characteristics and DRD2 polymorphisms (including rs1076562, rs2075654, and rs4586205) were extracted from medical records. A follow-up visit was performed in May 2017 to collect related data including height, weight, diet compliance, and exercise compliance.Results:One hundred and nine obese children and adolescents were included in the current study. Among three DRD2 single nucleotide polymorphisms, only rs2075654 had a statistically significant association with alleviation of obesity, as the alleviation rate for minor allele carriers (68.6% for TC+TT) was higher compared to the major allele homozygote (43.3% for CC). After adjusting for all related factors, the hazard ratio of rs2075654 minor allele carriers for the alleviation of obesity was 3.34 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.30‒8.58).Conclusions:The rs2075654 polymorphism of DRD2 is related to long-term obesity alleviation in obese Chinese children and adolescents.