SgRNA Expression of CRIPSR-Cas9 System Based on MiRNA Polycistrons as a Versatile Tool to Manipulate Multiple and Tissue-Specific Genome Editing.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing is a next-generation strategy for genetic modifications. Typically, sgRNA is constitutively expressed relying on RNA polymerase III promoters. Polymerase II promoters initiate transcription in a flexible manner, but sgRNAs generated by RNA polymerase II promoter lost their nuclease activity.

Trigeminal star-like platinum complexes induce cancer cell senescence through quadruplex-mediated telomere dysfunction.

Two trigeminal star-like platinum complexes were synthesized to induce the formation of human telomere G-quadruplex (hTel G4) with extremely high selectivity and affinity. The induced hTel G4 activates strong telomeric DNA damage response (TDDR), resulting in telomere dysfunction and cell senescence.

Conformation Selective Antibody Enables Genome Profiling and Leads to Discovery of Parallel G-Quadruplex in Human Telomeres.

G-quadruplexes are specialized secondary structures in nucleic acids that possess significant conformational polymorphisms. The precise G-quadruplex conformations in vivo and their relevance to biological functions remain controversial and unclear, especially for telomeric G-quadruplexes. Here, we report a novel single-chain variable fragment (scFv) antibody, D1, with high binding selectivity for parallel G-quadruplexes in vitro and in vivo.

Protection against doxorubicin-induced myocardial dysfunction in mice by cardiac-specific expression of carboxyl terminus of hsp70-interacting protein.

Carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP) is a critical ubiquitin ligase/cochaperone to reduce cardiac oxidative stress, inflammation, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and autophage etc. However, it is unclear whether overexpression of CHIP in the heart would exert protective effects against DOX-induced cardiomyopathy. Cardiac-specific CHIP transgenic (CHIP-TG) mice and the wild-type (WT) littermates were treated with DOX or saline.

CHIP enhances angiogenesis and restores cardiac function after infarction in transgenic mice.

Background: Carboxyl terminus of Hsp70-interacting protein (CHIP) is a chaperone/ubiquitin ligase that plays an important role in stress-induced apoptosis. However, the effect of CHIP on angiogenesis, cardiac function and survival 4 weeks after myocardial infarction (MI) remain to be explored.

Methods: Wild-type (WT) and transgenic mice (TG) with cardiac-specific overexpression of CHIP were used for coronary artery ligation.

Carboxyl terminus of heat shock protein 70-interacting protein inhibits angiotensin II-induced cardiac remodeling.

Background: The carboxyl terminus of heat shock protein 70-interacting protein (CHIP), an E3 ligase/chaperone, was found to protect cardiomyocytes against apoptosis induced by ischemic injury; however, the functional role of CHIP in remodeling induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) remains unclear.

Methods: We generated CHIP-overexpressed transgenic (TG) mice infused with Ang II (1,500 ng/kg/min) or saline for days or small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Heart sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Masson trichrome, TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and immunohistochemistry, and the levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) were measured by western blot analysis.

Stability of F-box protein atrogin-1 is regulated by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in cardiac H9c2 cells.

Background: Atrogin-1/MAFbx is a major atrophy-related E3 ubiquitin ligase that functions as a negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy. The mRNA expression of atrogin-1 is induced by oxidative stress via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK). However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate the stability of atrogin-1 protein remain unclear.