The Forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) transcription factor governs muscle growth, metabolism and cell differentiation. However, its role in myoblast differentiation is unclear. To study the biological function of FoxO1 during differentiation in porcine primary myoblast, we constructed stably FoxO1 over-expressed porcine myoblast mediated by liposome and adopted morphological observation, quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Western blotting methods to analyze FoxO1 and early and late myogenic regulation factors MyoD and myogenin expression. During differentiation the mRNA level of FoxO1 was significantly increased. However, the total protein did not change but the phosphorylation of FoxO1 was upregulated. Furthermore, overexpression of FoxO1 in porcine myoblast decreased MyoD and myogenin mRNA, whereas MyoD protein changed little and myogenin was significantly suppressed (P < 0.05). These results indicated that FoxO1 delays and negatively regulates the porcine myoblast differentiation. Moreover, FoxO1 may play a critical role in muscle fiber-type specification through the inhibition of myogenic regulation factors.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Cell Differentiation ; genetics ; Cells, Cultured ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Muscle, Skeletal ; cytology ; metabolism ; Myoblasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Swine

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Metformin on the proliferation and collagen synthesis of the human keloids fibroblasts as well as the effect on phosphorylation of Akt/FoxO1 signal transduction pathway.

METHODSFibroblasts of keloid were divided into control group treated with medium solution and experimental groups treated with different concentrations of Metformin. 48 h later CCK-8 assay was adopted to evaluate cell survival; Western blot was performed to detect the Akt and FoxO1 phosphorylation; and Hydroxyproline reagent kit was used to detect the collagen synthesis.

RESULTSWith different concentrations (30, 60, 90, 120 mmol/L) of Metformin, the absorbance of cultured keloid fibroblasts detected by CCK8 assay decreased by (13.30 ± 2.04)%, (22.64 ± 4.70)%, (54.00 ± 5.34)% and (63.12 ± 3.48)%. The growth of fibroblasts was suppressed by Metformin in a dose-dependent manner. It showed that the level of phoshpo-akt and phoshpo-foxOl in keloids fibroblasts in experimental groups was lower than that in the control group and the collagen synthesis were also decreased in experimental groups, all in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSMetformin can effectively inhibit the proliferation and collagen synthesis of the human keloids fibroblasts in vitro, which may be associated with the suppression of phosphorylation of Akt/FoxO1 signaling pathway

Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Collagen ; biosynthesis ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Forkhead Box Protein O1 ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Keloid ; pathology ; Metformin ; pharmacology ; Phosphorylation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

Forkhead Box c2 (FOXC2) is a member of forkhead/winged-helix family of transcription factors. The relationship between FOXC2 and invasive breast cancers, including basal-like breast cancer (BLBC, a subtype of breast cancer), remains to be elucidated. In this study, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of FOXC2 in samples from 103 cases of invasive breast cancers and 15 cases of normal mammary glands. The relationship between FOXC2 and clinical parameters of invasive breast cancers such as patient's age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, tumor grade, the expression of ER, PR, HER-2 and p53, and Ki-67 labeling index (LI) was evaluated. The expression of FOXC2 was detected in parent MCF7 cells, MCF cells transfected with FOXC2 expression vectors and MDA-MB-435 cells by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Transwell assay was used to determine the invasive ability of these cells. The results showed that FOXC2 was strongly expressed in basal epithelial cells in normal mammary glands and weakly expressed or even not expressed in glandular epithelial cells. The majority of invasive breast cancers (71.8%, 74/103) had negative or weak expression of FOXC2. However, FOXC2 was strongly expressed in 60.7% of BLBCs. Moreover, FOXC2 was related with tumor grade, p53 expression, ki-67 LI and lymph nodes metastasis. It was expressed in FOXC2-transfected MCF cells and MDA-MB-435 cells but not in parent MCF cells. Transwell assay revealed that MCF cells transfected with FOXC2 expression vectors were more aggressive than the parent MCF cells, suggesting a positive correlation between FOXC2 and the invasion of breast cancer. It was concluded that there is a significant association between FOXC2 and the metastasis of invasive breast cancer. FOXC2 may be used as a new marker for the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of different subtypes of invasive breast cancers.
Biomarkers, Tumor ; biosynthesis ; Breast Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; biosynthesis ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Prognosis

The study was purposed to investigate the immune regulatory effects of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on Foxp3 expressing CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells and to explore the mechanism of immune modulation by hMSCs. Human MSCs were isolated and expanded from bone marrow cells, and identified with cell morphology, and the phenotypes were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMNCs) were prepared by centrifugation on a Ficoll Hypaque density gradient. The hMSCs (1 x 10(3), 1 x 10(4), 1 x 10(5)) were added into wells containing hPBMNCs (1 x 10(6)) from an unrelated donor in the presence of rhIL-2. After 5 days of co-culture, the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells was detected by flow cytometry. T cell proliferation was assessed by [(3)H] thymidine incorporation using a liquid scintillation counter. The expression of Foxp3 in CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cytokines (TGF-beta, IL-12, IFN-gamma, IL-10) concertrations of cultured supernatants were measured with ELISA. The results indicated that in all the experiments, the presence of hMSCs with hPBMNCs resulted in a statistically significant decrease in T cell proliferation, in dose-dependent manner. The increase of percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells in the peripheral CD4(+) T cell was observed after coculturing lymphocytes with hMSCs (p < 0.01). The expression of Foxp3-mRNA (Foxp3/beta-actin) in hMSCs groups was significantly higher than that in the control and was negatively associated with the value of CPM representing T proliferation. The levels of TGF-beta and IL-10 were higher in hMSCs groups than that in the control, and the levels of TGF-beta and IL-10 correlated positively with Foxp3-mRNA expression and the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells. However, the secretion of IL-12 and IFN-gamma was significantly attenuated by hMSCs coculture, and there was no correlation with Foxp3-mRNA expression and the percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells. It is concluded that the Foxp3 expressing regulatory T cells may play an important role in the immune regulatory by hMSCs. Its mechanism is related to that the hMSCs-mediated TGF-beta and IL-10 convert CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells into CD4(+)CD25(+) T regulatory T cells, which specifically inhibits the proliferation of T cells.
Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Coculture Techniques ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunization ; Interleukin-10 ; biosynthesis ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; immunology ; metabolism ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; biosynthesis

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) exerts apoptotic effects on various types of malignant cells, including liver cancer cells. However, the precise mechanisms by which TGF-β induces apoptosis remain poorly known. In the present study, we have showed that threonine 32 (Thr32) residue of FoxO3 is critical for TGF-β to induce apoptosis via Bim in hepatocarcinoma Hep3B cells. Our data demonstrated that TGF-β induced FoxO3 activation through specific de-phosphorylation at Thr32. TGF-β-activated FoxO3 cooperated with Smad2/3 to mediate Bim up-regulation and apoptosis. FoxO3 (de)phosphorylation at Thr32 was regulated by casein kinase I-ε (CKI-ε). CKI inhibition by small molecule D4476 could abrogate TGF-β-induced FoxO/Smad activation, reverse Bim up-regulation, and block the sequential apoptosis. More importantly, the deregulated levels of CKI-ε and p32FoxO3 were found in human malignant liver tissues. Taken together, our findings suggest that there might be a CKI-FoxO/Smad-Bim engine in which Thr32 of FoxO3 is pivotal for TGF-β-induced apoptosis, making it a potential therapeutic target for liver cancer treatment.
Apoptosis ; genetics ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Bcl-2-Like Protein 11 ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Forkhead Box Protein O3 ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Membrane Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; biosynthesis ; Threonine ; genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; genetics

This study investigated the effects of miRNA-155 on malignant biological characteristics of NK/T-cell lymphoma cell lines and the possible mechanism. The expression of miRNA-155 was detected in lymphoma cell lines from different sources (SNK-6, YTS, Jurkat and DOHH2) by real-time PCR. Lentiviral vectors (pLL3.7) that could overexpress or downexpress miRNA-155 were constructed. Recombinant lentiviral particles were prepared and purified, and their titers determined. The expression of miRNA-155 in the infected SNK-6 cells and the cell proliferation were detected by PCR and CCK-8, respectively. Flow cytometry was used to determine the apoptosis of infected SNK-6 cells. The target of miRNA155 was predicted from Targetscan website. The effect of miRNA155 on FOXO3a expression was examined by Western blotting. The results showed that among the human NK/T-cell lymphoma cell lines SNK-6, YTS, Jurkat and DOHH2, the expression of miRNA-155 was highest in SNK-6. The infection efficiency of the recombinant lentivirus in SNK-6 was more than 70% at multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100. The expression of miRNA-155 was significantly increased in SNK-6 cells infected by lentivirus vectors with high expression of miRNA-155 (4 times higher than the control group), and profoundly decreased in those infected with lentiviruses with low expression of miRNA-155. The proliferation of letivirus-infected SNK-6 cells was decreased as the expression of miRNA-155 reduced. The apoptosis rate was increased with the reduction in the expression of miRNA-155. FOXO3a was found to be a possible target of miRNA155, as suggested by Targetscan website. Western blotting showed that the expression of FOXO3a was significantly elevated in SNK-6 cells with miRNA-155 inhibition. It was concluded that reduction in miRNA-155 expression can inhibit the proliferation of SNK-6 lymphoma cells and promote their apoptosis, which may be associated with regulation of FOXO3a gene.
Apoptosis ; genetics ; Forkhead Box Protein O3 ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Jurkat Cells ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; MicroRNAs ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Natural Killer T-Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; RNA, Neoplasm ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Transduction, Genetic

The aim of this study was to separate and amplify CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells from splenocytes of sensitized mice. The percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells was detected by flow cytometry in sensitized and normal control mice. CD4(+)T, CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg and CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells were isolated from mouse splenocytes by MACS. CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells were expanded in vitro cultures in addition of CD3/CD28 MACSiBead and IL-2. The activity of cells was detected with 0.4 trypan blue staining. The purity of cells after sorting, the main surface marker and the level of Foxp3 were detected by flow cytometry. The results showed that CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cell proportion was higher in sensitized mice than normal control mice (P < 0.05). The average purity of CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells was 87. The activity of these cells was more than 97, and the expression of Foxp3 in these cells was high. The amplification multiples achieved 42 times after 2 weeks in vitro. The percentage of CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells was 85.32, and the expression of Foxp3 decreased from (76.92 ± 1.72) to (75.33 ± 2.11) (P > 0.05). It is concluded that the sorting of CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells is isolated successfully by MACS without affecting the vitality of target cells. The amplification of CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells is successful in vitro. Expression of surface markers and Foxp3 gene does not obviously change after amplification, so that to establish a practical method to recover and enlarge the amount of CD4(+)CD25(+)Treg cells in good condition.
Animals ; CD4 Antigens ; biosynthesis ; Flow Cytometry ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Immunomagnetic Separation ; methods ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Lymphocyte Count ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; cytology

The mechanism underlying CD4CD25Foxp3regulatory T cells (Tregs) promoting the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) was elucidated in the present study. Forty-eight cases of colorectal carcinomas, 22 cases of colon polyps and 21 cases of normal colorectal tissues were collected. The correlation among Foxp3, IL-10 and Stat3, and the clinical relevance of these three indexes were analyzed. The results showed that the levels of Foxp3 expressed in infiltrating CD4CD25Foxp3Tregs, and IL-10 and Stat3 in CRC tissues were all significantly higher than those in polypus tissues and normal colon tissues (P< 0.01). Pearson correlation analysis indicated that the expression level of Foxp3 was positively correlated with Stat3 at mRNA level (r=0.526, P=0.036), and was positively correlated with IL-10 at protein level (r=0.314, P=0.030). The Foxp3 expressed in CD4CD25Foxp3Tregs was correlated with the histological grade, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of CRC (P<0.05 for all). The IL-10 expression was correlated with the histological grade and TNM stage (both P<0.05). The Stat3 expression was correlated with the lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (both P<0.05). It was concluded that CD4CD25Foxp3Tregs can inhibit tumor immunity in combination with some other related inhibitory cytokines and that Foxp3 expression in CD4CD25Foxp3Tregs correlates with CRC progression.
Adult ; Aged ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; immunology ; pathology ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunity ; genetics ; Interleukin-10 ; biosynthesis ; immunology ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; immunology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; biosynthesis ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

In addition to CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T (T(reg)) cells which protect against autoimmune tissue injury, IL-17-producing CD4+ T (Th17) cells have been recently described and shown to play a crucial role in autoimmune injury. It appears that there is a reciprocal developmental pathway between Th17 and T(reg) cells. Although IL-17 is known to be associated with allograft rejection, the cellular source of IL-17 and the nature of Th17 in the context of allograft rejection remain unknown. In the current study, the dynamics of T(reg) and IL-17-producing cells after syngeneic and allogeneic transplantation were examined using a wild-type murine cardiac transplantation model. Ly6G+ cells were found to produce IL-17 during the early postoperative period and CD8+ as well as CD4+ T cells were also found to produce IL-17 during alloimmune response. Graft-infiltrating Ly6G+, CD4+, and even CD8+ cells were found to express IL-17 highly compared to those in spleen. Although the frequencies of Th17 and T(reg) were found to gradually increase in both syngeneic and allogeneic recipients, Th17/T(reg) ratios were significantly higher in recipients with allograft rejection than in syngeneic recipients. In conclusion, IL-17 is produced by neutrophils during the early postoperative period and subsequently by Th17 and CD8+ T cells during allograft rejection. Th17/T(reg) imbalance is associated with the development of allograft rejection. This study would provide basic information on Th17 biology for future investigation in the field of transplantation.
Animals ; Antigens, CD/biosynthesis ; Autoimmunity ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/biosynthesis ; Graft Rejection/immunology/*metabolism ; Heart Transplantation ; Interleukin-17/immunology/*secretion ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neutrophils/immunology/*metabolism/pathology ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology/*metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology/*metabolism ; Time Factors ; Transplantation Immunology

The study was aimed to investigate the association of FOXP3 gene expression in donor grafts with acute graft-versus-host disease after HLA-identical sibling allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Twenty-six donor grafts (peripheral blood or bone marrow) and their respective clinical characteristics were evaluated. Flow cytometry analysis was performed to assess the percentage of CD4+CD25+ and CD4+CD25(high) T cells in cord blood, healthy controls' peripheral blood and donor grafts. Relative transcripts of FOXP3 mRNA were determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcription -polymerase chain reaction with beta2-MG as the internal control gene. The specificity of FOXP3 and beta2-MG amplifications was confirmed by analyzing the dissociation curves and electrophoresis of the target amplicon. The results showed that the CD4+CD25+ T cells in peripheral blood, peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) or BM grafts exhibited a continuous and primarily low expression of CD25 and the frequencies of CD4+CD25+ T and CD4+CD25(high) T in CD4+ T cells were (48.5 +/- 16.3)% and (9.6 +/- 2.5)%, (42.1 +/- 14.7)% and (13.1 +/- 4.2)%, (43.4 +/- 9.6)% and (14.6 +/- 4.5)%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the frequencies and absolute numbers of CD4+CD25(high) T cells between patients with aGVHD and patients without aGVHD (P > 0.05). The plot of log transfused cDNA amount versus DeltaCt had a slope of 0.0826 which indicated approximately equal efficiency of FOXP3 and beta2-MG amplifications in real-time PCR. The specificities of amplification were confirmed by analyzing the dissociation curves and electrophoresis of PCR products with the values of Tm 86.5 degrees C and 82.3 degrees C, respectively. The relative transcripts of FOXP3 in PBSC grafts of recipients without aGVHD were 318%high as those with aGVHD (median of 41.0 x 10(-5) and 12.9 x 10(-5), respectively) (P = 0.03). No significant difference was found in other related variables for GVHD. It is concluded that coexpression of CD4 and CD25 may be insufficient to identify regulatory T cells; FOXP3 mRNA expression may be specifically quantified with real-time quantitative RT-PCR using SYBR Green I chemistry. FOXP3 mRNA expression in donor grafts is significantly low in patients with aGVHD compared with patients without aGVHD. It indicated that the expression level of FOXP3 mRNA may be one of the useful indicators for in predicting aGVHD.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Forkhead Transcription Factors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; genetics ; Graft vs Host Disease ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; therapy ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology