Browsing by Subject "Phenotypes"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Open Access
    Assessment of anogenital distance as a diagnostic tool in polycystic ovary syndrome
    (Elsevier, 2018) Hernández-Peñalver, Ana I.; Sánchez-Ferrer, María L.; Mendiola, Jaime; AdoamneI, Evdochia; Prieto-Sánchez, María T.; Corbalán-Biyang, Shiana; Carmona-Barnosi, Ana; Nieto, Aníbal; Torres-Cantero, Alberto M.; Cirugía, Pediatría y Obstetricia y Ginecología
    Is anogenital distance (AGD) a useful clinical tool for predicting polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and its main National Institutes of Health (NIH) phenotypes? Case-control study conducted between September 2014 and May 2016 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the University Clinical Hospital 'Virgen de la Arrixaca' in the Murcia region (south-eastern Spain). One hundred and twenty-six cases of PCOS and 159 controls without PCOS were included. AGD measurements were taken from the anterior clitoral surface to the upper verge of the anus (AGDAC), and from the posterior fourchette to the upper verge of the anus (AGDAF). Parametric and non-parametric tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess associations between AGD and the presence of PCOS and its phenotypes. AGDAC, but not AGDAF, was associated with PCOS and all its phenotypes (P-values < 0.001 to 0.048). The highest area under the curve (0.62; 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 0.71) was obtained for all PCOS with AGDAC with a sensitivity and specificity of 50.0% and 73.0%, and positive and negative predictive value of 59.0% and 64.4%, respectively. AGDAC could moderately discriminate the presence of PCOS and may be a useful clinical tool.
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    Open Access
    Down-regulated REIC expression in lung carcinogenesis: a molecular target for gene therapy
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Yang, Lei; Zhao, Shuang; Xia, Pu; Zheng, Hua Chuan
    REIC (Reduced Expression in Immortalized Cells) gene is down-regulated in immortalized cells, compared with the normal parental counterparts. Its encoding protein could inhibit colony formation, tumor growth, and induce apoptosis. To investigate the roles of REIC expression in lung cancer, we examined REIC expression in lung cancer cells and tissues by RT-PCR or Western blot, and observed the effects of both recombinant REIC exposure and REIC overexpression on the aggressive phenotypes of lung cancer cells. It was found that the demethylation of REIC promoter by 5- Aza-dC could reserve its mRNA expression in lung cancer cells (P<0.05). There was a lower REIC mRNA expression in lung cancer than that in matched normal tissue (P<0.05). Recombinant REIC treatment enhanced the proliferation of lung cancer cells (P<0.05), but versa for REIC overexpression (P<0.05). Both recombinant REIC treatment and REIC overexpression induced apoptosis, and inhibited the migration and invasion of SQ-5 and KJ cells (P<0.05). Immunohistochemically, there was a positive correlation between REIC and Caspase-3 expression in lung cancer (P<0.05). According to Kaplan-Meier plotter, REIC mRNA overexpression was found to positively correlate with overall, progression-free and post- progression survival rates of lung cancer patients (P<0.05), even stratified by sex, histological subtyping, grading, TNM staging, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or smoking. These findings suggested that down-regulated REIC expression might be involved in lung carcinogenesis due to its promoter methylation. Both recombinant REIC exposure and REIC overexpression might reverse the aggressive phenotypes of lung cancer cells. REIC may be employed as a potential target of gene therapy for lung cancer.
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    Open Access
    RFWD3 acts as a tumor promotor in the development and progression of bladder cancer
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2023) Jiang, Peng; Xu, Zhijie; Wu, Shan; Sun, Junjie; Tian, Junjie
    Background. Bladder cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies of the urinary system with relatively poor prognosis and insufficient treatment strategies. RFWD3 is an E3 ligase whose function is rarely investigated in malignant tumors. Methods. A tissue microarray was used for evaluating RFWD3 expression in clinical samples and its correlation with tumor characteristics and patients’ prognosis. RFWD3 knockdown and overexpression cell models were constructed for conducting loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays. qPCR and western blotting were used for detecting mRNA and protein levels of RFWD3, respectively. MTT assay, colony formation assay, flow cytometry, wound-healing assay and transwell assay were carried out to demonstrate the change of cell phenotypes upon RFWD3 knockdown. Results. RFWD3 expression was relatively higher in bladder cancer tissues than in normal tissues, which is correlated with higher N stage and poorer prognosis of patients. Knockdown of RFWD3 in bladder cancer cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, promote cell apoptosis and restrained cell migration. Overexpression of RFWD3 induced the opposite effects. Conclusions. It was illustrated that RFWD3 possesses excellent tumor-promoting ability in bladder cancer. Accordingly, RFWD3 may be a promising therapeutic target in the targeted therapy of bladder cancer, which is worth further research.