The ubiquitin ligase COP1 regulates cell cycle and apoptosis by affecting p53 function in human breast cancer cell lines.

Background: The E3 ubiquitin ligase constitutive photomorphogenic 1 (COP1) mediates cell survival, growth, and development, and interacts with the tumor suppressor protein p53 to induce its ubiquitination and degradation. Recent studies reported that COP1 overexpression is associated with increased cell proliferation, transformation, and disease progression in a variety of cancer types. In this study, we investigated whether COP1 regulates p53-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines.

DNA/RNA chimera templates improve the emission intensity and target the accessibility of silver nanocluster-based sensors for human microRNA detection.

In recent years microRNAs (miRNAs) have been established as important biomarkers in a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, aging, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, autoimmune disease and liver diseases. As a consequence, a variety of monitoring methods for miRNAs have been developed, including a fast and simple method for miRNA detection by exploitation of the unique photoluminescence of DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA/AgNCs). To increase the versatility of the AgNC-based method, we have adopted DNA/RNA chimera templates for AgNC-based probes, allowing response from several human miRNAs which are hardly detectable with DNA-based probes.

In-solution multiplex miRNA detection using DNA-templated silver nanocluster probes.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs (size ∼21nt to ∼25nt) that can be used as biomarkers of disease diagnosis, and efforts have been directed towards the invention of a rapid, simple and sequence-selective detection method for miRNAs. We recently developed a DNA/silver nanoclusters (AgNCs)-based turn-off fluorescence method in the presence of target miRNA. To further advance our method toward multiplex miRNA detection in solution, the design of various fluorescent DNA/AgNCs probes was essential.

Effect of salts, solvents and buffer on miRNA detection using DNA silver nanocluster (DNA/AgNCs) probes.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small regulatory RNAs (size ~21 nt to ~25 nt) which regulate a variety of important cellular events in plants, animals and single cell eukaryotes. Especially because of their use in diagnostics of human diseases, efforts have been directed towards the invention of a rapid, simple and sequence selective detection method for miRNAs. Recently, we reported an innovative method for the determination of miRNA levels using the red fluorescent properties of DNA/silver nanoclusters (DNA/AgNCs).