Transcription factor 21 regulates expression of ERβ and SF-1 via upstream stimulatory factor-2 in endometriotic tissues

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms

Author(s): Pei-Li Wu, Yan Zhou, Cheng Zeng, Xin Li, Zhao-Tong Dong, Ying-Fang Zhou, Serdar E. Bulun, Qing Xue

Abstract

Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1, encoded by NR5A1) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ, encoded by ESR2), which are highly expressed in endometriotic stromal cells (ESCs), contribute to the pathogenesis of endometriosis, but the regulation mechanism remains largely unknown. Transcription factor 21 (TCF21) belongs to the helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family characterized by regulating gene expression via binding to E-box element. Here, we attempted to determine the molecular mechanism of TCF21 on SF-1 and ERβ expression in endometriosis. We found that TCF21 expression in ESCs was higher than that in endometrial stromal cells (EMs), and positively correlated with SF-1 and ERβ expression in ESCs. Since the importance of E-box element for NR5A1 promoter activity has been previously reported, we performed site-mutation and luciferase assay, revealing that the E-box sequence in the ESR2 promoter is also a critical element modulating ERβ expression. Upstream stimulatory factor 2 (USF2) is another bHLH factor implicated in transcriptional regulation. Further analyses elucidated that it is not TCF21, but USF2 exhibited higher binding affinities in ESCs to NR5A1 and ESR2 promoters than in EMs. Additionally, TCF21 knockdown significantly decreased the binding activities of USF2 to NR5A1 and ESR2 promoters via disruption of the TCF21-USF2 complex. Meanwhile, manipulating TCF21 expression significantly affected MMP9 and cyclinD1 expression, as wells as proliferation and invasion of ESCs. Moreover, TCF21 depletion in endometriotic xenografts reduced SF-1 and ERβ expression, abrogating ectopic lesion growth in mice. Cumulatively, a critical role of TCF21 in the pathogenesis of endometriosis is demonstrated, suggesting a potential druggable target for future therapy.

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The expression of natriuretic peptide receptors in developing zebrafish embryos

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Gene Expression Patterns

Author(s): Jie Gong, Linlin Chai, Guangmin Xu, You Ni, Dong Liu

Abstract

There are three isoforms of natriuretic peptide (NP) specific cell surface receptor: NP receptor-A (NPRA), receptor-B (NPRB), and receptor-C (NPRC). They are also known as NPR1, NPR2 and NPR3, respectively. NPs and their receptors were revealed to involve in diverse cellular and physiological processes including renal, cardiovascular, neuronal, and immunological aspects. However, the systematic analysis of the expression of these receptors in non-mammalian vertebrates is thus far lacking. In this study, two versions of the npr1 gene (npr1a and npr1b) in zebrafish was identified. Multiple sequences alignment analysis showed that zebrafish NPRs shared high homologies with NPRs of other species and possessed a typical signature domain of NPRs. The results of whole mount in situ hybridization and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that at embryonic stages, npr1a was mainly expressed in tectal ventricle, brian, heart and retina, whereas npr1b was broadly present in anterior pronephric duct. Unlike npr1, npr2 mainly expressed in branchial arches and neural tube during embryonic development. However, npr3 was expressed in pronephric ducts and corpuscle of stannius in zebrafish embryos at 72 hpf. In adults, we demonstrated that all the three NP receptors were highly existed in brain and kidney. Overall, these findings will provide an important basis for the functional analysis of NPs and its receptor during embryonic development.

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Pediatric Ambulatory Continuous Peripheral Nerve Blocks

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Anesthesiology Clinics

Author(s): Sible Antony, Harshad Gurnaney, Arjunan Ganesh

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Regional Anesthesia and Analgesia for Acute Trauma Patients

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Anesthesiology Clinics

Author(s): Ian R. Slade, Ron E. Samet

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What Can Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine Learn from “Big Data”?

Publication date: Available online 7 July 2018

Source: Anesthesiology Clinics

Author(s): Nabil M. Elkassabany, Stavros G. Memtsoudis, Edward R. Mariano

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Enhanced theta-gamma coupling associated with hippocampal volume increase following high-frequency left prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in patients with major depression

Publication date: Available online 6 July 2018

Source: International Journal of Psychophysiology

Author(s): Yoshihiro Noda, Reza Zomorrodi, Zafiris J. Daskalakis, Daniel M. Blumberger, Motoaki Nakamura

Abstract

The underlying mechanism of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) effects on cognition has not been fully examined. Previously, we have reported the left hippocampal volume increase and theta-gamma coupling (TGC) enhancement associated with working memory improvement following rTMS in depression. This study was aimed to examine whether there is a structure-function relationship in hippocampal neuroplasticity induced by prefrontal rTMS. Thirty-one patients with major depression underwent longitudinal MRI scans and resting-state EEG recordings with the 10–20 system using averaged ear-lobes reference, following 10 sessions of high-frequency rTMS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Pearson's correlation analyses were applied for the longitudinal changes among the left and right hippocampal volumes as measured by manual volumetry, theta and gamma spectral powers, and TGC as measured by resting-state EEG. The analyses demonstrated that the left hippocampus volume increases correlated with TGC increases at the left central area (r = 0.576, p = 0.001, N = 31), whereas no significant correlations were observed among changes of right hippocampal volume, right central TGC, bilateral gamma or theta powers. These finding suggests structure-function relationship in rTMS-induced neuroplastic changes mediated through the hippocampus and prefrontal network at the stimulated side. Therefore, high-frequency prefrontal rTMS may exert its cognitive effect through the hippocampal structural-functional neuroplasticity.

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Suppression of 12-Hz SSVEPs when viewing familiar faces: An electrophysiological index to detect recognition

Publication date: Available online 6 July 2018

Source: International Journal of Psychophysiology

Author(s): Ming Lui, Kelvin F.H. Lui, Alan C.-N. Wong, J. Peter Rosenfeld

Abstract

Criminal investigation often involves finding out what a suspect knows about people, such as victims and confederates, who are involved in the crime. This study explored the possibility of determining a person's recognition of other individuals by analyzing the steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) triggered by visual oscillations of familiar and unfamiliar faces. In our study, 23 adult (10 men) participants gave subjective familiarity ratings (in a 7-point Likert scale) of >300 celebrities' and strangers' faces. For each participant, ten familiar and ten unfamiliar faces were selected based on his/her ratings. The selected faces were presented at 6 Hz while the participants performed a color change detection task orthogonal to the attributes of faces. The task was designed to maintain participants' visual attention towards the faces throughout the stimulus oscillations. Any difference between conditions would indicate modulation of visual attention by face familiarity. Results showed that the 12-Hz event-related spectral perturbations (ERSPs in decibel) at parietal-occipital electrodes were significantly lower when viewing familiar faces compared to unfamiliar faces. In individual level analysis, 18 out of 23 (78%) participants had significantly lower 12-Hz ERSPs at left parietal-occipital ROI in familiar face than unfamiliar face trials. This is the first study to demonstrate that SSVEPs triggered by stimulus oscillations can reveal people's recognition of faces with only 20 trials per condition and 10-s for each trial.

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