Reactivation of γ-globin expression using a minicircle DNA system to treat β-thalassemia.

Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin by editing the B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) erythroid enhancer is an effective gene therapy for β-thalassemia. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, fetal γ-globin expression can be robustly reactivated to mitigate the clinical course of β-thalassemia. In our study, we found that the transfection efficiencies of CD34 hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) were significantly and negatively correlated with the length of plasmids and greatly affected by the linearization of plasmids.

Cold Shock Induced Protein RBM3 but Not Mild Hypothermia Protects Human SH-SY5Y Neuroblastoma Cells From MPP-Induced Neurotoxicity.

The cold shock protein RBM3 can mediate mild hypothermia-related protection in neurodegeneration such as Alzheimer's disease. However, it remains unclear whether RBM3 and mild hypothermia provide same protection in model of Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. In this study, human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells subjected to insult by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP) served as an model of PD.

Cold-Inducible Protein RBM3 Protects UV Irradiation-Induced Apoptosis in Neuroblastoma Cells by Affecting p38 and JNK Pathways and Bcl2 Family Proteins.

Induced by hypothermia, cold-inducible protein RBM3 (RNA-binding protein motif 3), has been implicated in neuroprotection against various toxic insults such as hypoxia and ischemia. However, whether mild hypothermia and RBM3 prevent neural cells from UV irradiation-elicited apoptosis is unclear. In the present study, human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y was used as a cell model for neural cell death, and it was demonstrated that mild hypothermia protects SH-SY5Y cells from UV irradiation-induced apoptosis.

[Inhibitory effect of oleanolic acid on inflammatory response in IL-1β-stimulated human synovial sarcoma SW982 cells].

To study the role of oleanolic acid on interleukin (IL)-1β-stimulated expression of inflammatory cytokines, and to explore its anti-inflammatory mechanism in SW982 cells, the toxicity of oleanolic acid on SW982 cells was detected by MTT; effects of different concentrations of oleanolic acid(5, 10, 20 μmol·L(-1)) on the expression of inflammatory factors IL-6, IL-8 and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) was tested at protein and m RNA levels. The study was performed in IL-1β-stimulated SW982 cells together with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (real-time PCR) methods; the influence of oleanolic acid on the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidyl inositol-3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) and nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways related protein was analyzed by Western blot. Results showed that different concentrations of oleanolic acid(≤40 μmol·L(-1)) were almost non-toxicity to SW982 cells; oleanolic acid significantly inhibited the expression of inflammatory factors in a dose-dependent manner; oleanolic acid restrained extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK), p38, c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) and Akt protein phosphorylation and IκB-α protein degradation obviously.

Thrombospondin-4 Promotes Neuronal Differentiation of NG2 Cells via the ERK/MAPK Pathway.

NG2-expressing neural progenitors can produce neurons in the central nervous system, providing a potential cell resource of therapy for neurological disorders. However, the mechanism underlying neuronal differentiation of NG2 cells remains largely unknown. In this report, we found that a thrombospondin (TSP) family member, TSP4, is involved in the neuronal differentiation of NG2 cells.

Caveolin-1 mediates gene transfer and cytotoxicity of polyethyleneimine in mammalian cell lines.

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a cost-effective and non-viral vector for gene transfer, but the factors determining gene transfer efficiency and cytotoxicity of PEI in different mammalian cell lines remain largely unknown. In the present study, three different cell lines were chosen for investigation. Using pEGFP DNA and PEI, 21.

Serine/threonine-protein kinase PFTK1 modulates oligodendrocyte differentiation via PI3K/AKT pathway.

Oligodendrocytes (OLs) are derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), and their differentiation is a tightly regulated process. It is known that cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) play an essential role as regulators of OPC differentiation. Here, we newly identified a CDK-like protein, PFTK1, to be involved in OPC differentiation.