Yongwei Li

The tumorigenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been widely studied. HBV envelope proteins are important for the structure and life cycle of HBV, and these proteins are useful for judging the natural disease course and guiding treatment. Truncated and mutated preS/S are produced by integrated viral sequences that are defective for replication. The preS/S mutants are considered "precursor lesions" of HCC. Different preS/S mutants induce various mechanisms of tumorigenesis, such as transactivation of transcription factors and an immune inflammatory response, thereby contributing to HCC. The preS2 mutants and type II "Ground Glass" hepatocytes represent novel biomarkers of HBV-associated HCC. The preS mutants may induce the unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum stress-dependent and stress-independent pathways. Treatments to inhibit hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and damage secondary to HBsAg or the preS/S mutants include antivirals and antioxidants, such as silymarin, resveratrol, and glycyrrhizin acid. Methods for the prevention and treatment of HCC should be comprehensive.

The present research focuses on the influence of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) on prostate cancer (PC) via the regulation of the FoxO signalling pathway. A bioinformatics analysis was conducted to screen out target genes for CTCF in LNCaP cells and to enrich the relevant pathways in LNCaP cells. It was found that the FoxO pathway was enriched according to the ChIP-seq results of CTCF. The expression of CTCF, pFoxO1a, FoxO1a, pFoxO3a and FoxO3a was tested by RT-qPCR and Western blot. Inhibition of CTCF could lead to the up-regulation of the FoxO signalling pathway. The rates of cell proliferation, cell invasion and apoptosis were examined by MTT assay, cell invasion assay and flow cytometry under different interference conditions. Down-regulation of CTCF could suppress cell proliferation, cell invasion and facilitate cell apoptosis. Lastly, the effect of CTCF on tumour growth was determined in nude mice. Inhibition of CTCF regulated the FoxO signalling pathway, which retarded tumour growth in vivo. In conclusion, CTCF regulates the FoxO signalling pathway to affect the progress of PC.

In our study we examined the role of microRNA-294 (miR-294) in bladder cancer and related mechanisms. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to determine the expression level of miR-294. Western blot was used to determine the expression of NRAS, mainly factors in the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT pathways. Cell counting kit-8 assay, clonogenic assay, wound-healing assay, transwell and flow cytometry were used to explore, respectively, cell proliferation, survival, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of bladder cancer cell line T24. The expressions of miR-294 in bladder cancer cells including J82, HT1376, T24, and SW780 were significantly increased compared to those in human bladder epithelium cells (both HCV29 and SV-HUC-1). The proliferation rate, surviving fraction, migration, and invasion of T24 cells in miR-294 mimetic transfected group were significantly increased, while they were significantly decreased by miR-294 inhibitor transfection. Moreover, miR-294 suppression could increase the apoptotic rate of T24 cells. In addition, drug resistance of T24 cells to cisplatin was increased in miR-294 mimetic-treated group, while it was decreased by miR-294 inhibitor compared to empty control. Overexpression of miR-294 could upregulate NRAS expression in T24 cells and activate PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT pathways. We found that miR-294 expression was positively related with proliferation and motility of T24 cells. Moreover, miR-294 suppression could promote the sensitivity of T24 cells to cisplatin. We also found miR-294 could upregulate NRAS and activate the PI3K/AKT and JAK/STAT pathways in T24 cells.