MiRNAs are short, noncoding RNAs that modulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and induce the degradation of the mRNA transcript or the inhibition of protein translation. Dicer is an endoribonuclease in the RNase III family that is essential for the production of miRNAs. The abnormal expression of Dicer is frequently found in the occurrence and development process of many kinds of tumors, which is closely related to the treatment and prognosis of tumor.
DEAD-box RNA Helicases ; genetics ; Female ; Humans ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; genetics ; Prognosis ; Ribonuclease III ; genetics

Pif1 subfamily helicase is conserved from yeast to humans with a lot of cellular functions. In order to elucidate the function of human PIF1 helicase from biochemical level, we cloned human PIF1 gene by PCR from HeLa cell cDNA library. We co-transformed a pMStRNA1 plasmid encoding rare tRNA codons and a plasmid encoding molecular chaperon to greatly enhance the overexpression of human PIF1 protein. Finally we purified full-length PIF1 helicase by column chromatograph carried out at 4 degrees C using fast protein liquid chromatograph (FPLC) system. The human PIF1 protein was purified in enough quantity for detailed biochemical analysis. Biochemical assay showed that PIF1 had ATPase activity and helicase activity. The purification and biochemical properties analysis of human PIF1 helicase will allow us to understand how, at the molecular and mechanistic level, this conserved helicase operates in the cell.
DNA Helicases ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; RNA, Transfer ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; metabolism

Humans ; Mutation ; Sarcoma/genetics* ; Ribonuclease III/genetics* ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics*

OBJECTIVETo assess the association of polymorphisms of miRNA biogenesis related genes DICER and DROSHA with azoospermia.

METHODSFor 330 patients with primary azoospermia and 282 fertile male controls, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DICER rs3742330 and DROSHA rs10719 were determined with a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method.

RESULTSFor the SNP rs3742330, the frequency of A allele was higher among azoospermia patients compared with the controls (72.0% vs.64.4%, P=0.004), and so was the frequency of AA genotype (53.0% vs. 41.8%, P=0.027, OR=1.829, 95%CI: 1.071-3.124). On the other hand, the allelic and genotypic frequencies of rs10719 did not differ between the two groups (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPolymorphisms of rs3742330 of the DICER gene, particularly the AA genotype, may be associated with azoospermia.

Azoospermia ; genetics ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Ribonuclease III ; genetics

BACKGROUND: Juvenile amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (JALS) is an uncommon form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis whose age at onset (AAO) is defined as prior to 25 years. FUS mutations are the most common cause of JALS. SPTLC1 was recently identified as a disease-causative gene for JALS, which has rarely been reported in Asian populations. Little is known regarding the difference in clinical features between JALS patients carrying FUS and SPTLC1 mutations. This study aimed to screen mutations in JALS patients and to compare the clinical features between JALS patients with FUS and SPTLC1 mutations. METHODS: Sixteen JALS patients were enrolled, including three newly recruited patients between July 2015 and August 2018 from the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Mutations were screened by whole-exome sequencing. In addition, clinical features such as AAO, onset site and disease duration were extracted and compared between JALS patients carrying FUS and SPTLC1 mutations through a literature review. RESULTS: A novel and de novo SPTLC1 mutation (c.58G>A, p.A20T) was identified in a sporadic patient. Among 16 JALS patients, 7/16 carried FUS mutations and 5/16 carried respective SPTLC1 , SETX , NEFH , DCTN1 , and TARDBP mutations. Compared with FUS mutation patients, those with SPTLC1 mutations had an earlier AAO (7.9 ± 4.6 years vs. 18.1 ± 3.9 years, P  < 0.01), much longer disease duration (512.0 [416.7-607.3] months vs. 33.4 [21.6-45.1] months, P  < 0.01), and no onset of bulbar. CONCLUSION Our findings expand the genetic and phenotypic spectrum of JALS and help to better understand the genotype-phenotype correlation of JALS.
Humans ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics* ; DNA Helicases/genetics* ; Genetic Association Studies ; Multifunctional Enzymes/genetics* ; Mutation/genetics* ; RNA Helicases/genetics* ; RNA-Binding Protein FUS/genetics* ; Serine C-Palmitoyltransferase/genetics* ; Child, Preschool ; Child ; Adolescent ; Young Adult

Humans ; Carcinogenesis/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Genes, cdc ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma/genetics* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/genetics* ; RNA Helicases/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and treatment effects of children with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia without down syndrome (non-DS-AMKL). METHODS: The clinical data of 19 children with non-DS-AMKL treated in the Pediatric Hematology Ward in Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from May 2008 to April 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The clinical characteristics, laboratory test and treatment methods of the children were concluded. All patients were followed up to evaluate the effect of treatment. RESULTS: The 19 cases of children included nine male and ten female, the median age of onset was 2 years old. The clinical manifestations showed nonspecific. The median white blood cell of peripheral blood was 15.88×10 CONCLUSION Non-DS-AMKL was rare in children and difficult to be diagnosed. Determination of MICM classification as early as possible was helpful for diagnosis, and genetic testing played an important role for diagnosis and prognosis evaluation. Early hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with CR after chemotherapy might be an effective way to cure AMKL.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases ; DNA Helicases ; Down Syndrome ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute/genetics* ; Male ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Trisomy

RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) belong to pattern recognition receptors, which perform significant roles in antiviral responses. RLRs can initiate a cascade of signaling transduction that induces the production of type I interferon and activates the interferon signaling pathway, ultimately resulting in antiviral responses. In the course of evolution, viruses have been constantly counteracting host immune systems to facilitate their own survival and replication, and have developed a set of antagonistic strategies. These mainly comprise elusion, disguise and attack strategies to eliminate the activation of RLRs. In virus-infected cells, RLRs recognize viral RNA and then induce antiviral responses. A better understanding of viral antagonistic strategies against RLRs will provide insights into the development of new antiviral medicines. This mini-review concludes that there are three main antagonistic strategies by which RNA viruses can counteract the activation of the RLRs pathway. It aims to provide references and insights for similar studies on viral antagonism in an array of RNA viruses.
DEAD Box Protein 58 ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases ; genetics ; immunology ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; RNA Viruses ; genetics ; immunology ; physiology ; RNA, Double-Stranded ; genetics ; immunology ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; immunology ; Virus Diseases ; genetics ; immunology ; virology

The mutations of BLM gene may result in Bloom's syndrome which includes immunodeficiency, predisposition to malignant tumors and so on, and enhances sister chromati exchange (SCE), DNA replication failure, genome instability, and increases cancer susceptibility. This study was aimed to investigate the variability of mRNA expression level and cDNA structure of BLM gene in tumor cell strains so as to look for a new cancerogenic mechanism and to find a new therapeutic target. The expression level of mRNA and the structure of cDNA of BLM gene in six tumor cell strains and the normal human bone marrow mononuclear cells were detected with RT-PCR and DNA sequencing was performed. The results indicated that these tumors cells expressed BLM mRNA higher than the normal human bone marrow mononuclear cells (P < 0.01), but no cDNA sequence abnormality of BLM gene in these tumors cells was observed. It is concluded that the increase of expressing level of BLM mRNA may play an important role in the development of these tumors.
Base Sequence ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Helicases ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Jurkat Cells ; Molecular Sequence Data ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; RecQ Helicases ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and genetic variant of a child featuring X-linked mental retardation. METHODS: Whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used for the detection of variant and pedigree validation, respectively. Clinical manifestation of patients with DDX3X gene variants were also reviewed. RESULTS: The child was found to harbor a heterozygous NM_001193416.3: c.1332_1333delCT (p.Leu445Serfs*19) variant of the DDX3X gene. The same variant was not found in either of her parents. CONCLUSION The child was diagnosed with X-linked mental retardation due to variant of the DDX3X gene. Above finding has enriched the spectrum of DDX3X gene variants and provided a basis for clinical diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis for this pedigrees.
Child ; DEAD-box RNA Helicases/genetics* ; Female ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability/genetics* ; Mental Retardation, X-Linked/genetics* ; Mutation ; Pedigree ; Pregnancy ; Exome Sequencing