Objective To investigate whether the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) can act as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to promote the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.Methods Transient transfection of small interfering RNA (siRNA) against MALAT1 was used to knockdown MALAT1 in HepG2 cells.Transwell assays were employed to assess the migration capabilities of HepG2 cells upon MALAT1 knockdown.RNA pull-down assays were performed to validate the direct binding between MALAT1 and miR-126*.Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting assays were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of the miR-126* target genes.The dysregulation and prognostic significance of MALAT1 and miR-126* were analyzed in the public dataset of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).Results Compared with the control group, MALAT1 knockdown significantly inhibited the migration of HCC cells.MALAT1, with three miR-126* response elements, directly sponged miR-126* in a sequence-specific manner.The mRNA and protein levels of CXCL12, which was the miR-126* target gene, were significantly down-regulated upon MALAT1 knockdown.The TCGA database showed that MALAT1 was significantly up-regulated in HCC and high expression levels of MALAT1 were significantly associated with poor disease-free survival, whereas an opposite pattern of miR-126* was observed.Conclusion This study suggests that MALAT1 directly sponges miR-126* and upregulates the expression of CXCL12, which in turn promotes the migration of HCC cells.

AIM:To investigate the role of NFATc1 in vascular generation in the nude mice transplanted with human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells.METHODS: NFATc1 expression was silenced by siRNA in SKOV3 cells.Human ovarian cancer transplantation nude mouse model was established by transplanting with SKOV3 cells in which the NFATc1 gene was silenced by siRNA technique.The expression of NFATc1, CXCR2, FGF-2 and PDGF-BB at mRNA and protein levels was determined by RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining.The tumor growth, angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis were also observed.RESULTS:Over-expression of NFATc1 was observed in human ovarian cancer tissues.The silencing of NFATc1 expression by siRNA decreased tumorigenesis of transplanted ovarian cancer cells in the nude mice, reduced tumor vascular generation and inhibited the expression of CXCR2, FGF-2 and PDGF-BB at mRNA and protein levels.CONCLUSION:NFATc1 is overexpressed in ovarian cancer.NFATc1 silencing regulates the tumor vascu-lar generation.NFATc1 thus has potential as a therapeutic target and for use in the diagnosis and evaluating prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a Chinese pedigree with suspected mitochondrial functional defects through combined next-generation sequencing (NGS), copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq), and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing. METHODS: Clinical data of the proband and his family members were collected. The patient and his parents were subjected to family-trio whole-exome sequencing (WES), CNV-seq and mtDNA variant detection. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Trio-WES revealed that the proband has carried compound heterozygous variants of the NDUFS1 gene, including a paternally derived c.64C>T (p.R22X) nonsense variant and a maternally derived c.845A>G (p.N282S) missense variant. Both variants may cause loss of protein function. No variant that may cause the phenotype was identified by CNV-seq and mtDNA variant analysis. CONCLUSION Children with suspected mitochondrial disorders may have no specific syndromes or laboratory findings. A comprehensive strategy including mtDNA testing may facilitate the diagnosis and early clinical interventions.
Child ; China ; DNA Copy Number Variations ; Electron Transport ; Humans ; Mutation ; NADH Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; Pedigree

The clinical phenotypes and genotypes of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) concomitant with MYT1L gene mutation were analyzed retrospectively, who was admitted to the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine of Henan Children′s Hospital in April 2019.Whole genome sequencing and copy number variations detection were performed on the child and relevant articles about MYT1L mutation were subjected to a literature review.It was found that this child had a missense mutation of MYT1L gene (c.2186T>G, p.Met729Arg) in 15 exon and was in a state of chimera, with about 10% of the mutation rate.This mutation was not identified in the parents and brother of this patient.A total of 18 reports of MYT1L-related genetic abnormalities were retrieved, including 53 patients in total (including this case), including 22 patients with point mutations and 30 patients containing MYT1L gene region with 2p25.3 chromosomal microdeletions.The incidence of autism was 45.0% (18/40 cases), that of overweight/obesity was 70.2% (33/47 cases) and that of dysnoesia/hypoevolutism was 96.2%(51/53 cases). However, chimeras had relatively mild symptoms.It indicates that the mutation of MYT1L is an important risk factor of ASD, but chimeras have mild symptoms.The children with ASD who are obese or overweight should be alerted to the possible presence of MYT1L mutation, and genetic testing can be performed to confirm the diagnosis and the possibility of chimerism.The spectrum of genetic mutations in ASD was expanded in this study.

Objective To investigate the pollution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the Lhasa River and provide a scientific basis for the safety of drinking water for the regional population and the prevention and control of water environment pollution. Methods A total of five water samples were collected in the Lhasa River in July 2022. Using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay, 19 types of ARGs, including eight ^“last-resort^” ARGs (LARGs) were detected and analyzed. Statistical analysis was conducted using the SPSS 22.0 software, and Student's t-test was used to compare data between two groups. Results All the 19 ARGs were detected with high frequencies, with the aminoglycoside resistance gene aadA having the highest concentration, followed by the sulfonamide resistance gene sul1 and the macrolide resistance gene ermB. Among the eight LARGs, the carbapenem resistance gene blaOXA-48 had the highest concentration. The absolute and relative concentrations of LARGs were lower than those of common ARGs. There was a statistically significant difference in the absolute concentrations between them, but no significant difference was observed in the relative concentrations. Conclusion Both ^“conventional^” ARGs and LAGRs have been detected in the Lhasa River. Although they are at a relatively low level compared to other domestic waters, in view of the serious adverse effects that ARGs, especially LARGs, may cause, the pollution of ARGs in the Lhasa River should be taken seriously.