DNA methylation is a key epigenetic modification of DNA that is catalyzed by DNA methyltransferase (DNMT). Increasing evidence suggests that DNA methylation in neurons regulates synaptic plasticity as well as neuronal network activity. Here, we evaluated DNA methyltransferase 1 (Dnmt1) and Dnmt3a expression in brain tissues of epileptic patients to explore their possible role in epileptogenesis. Tissue samples from temporal neocortices of 25 patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and ten histologically normal temporal lobes from control patients were used to detect Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a expression through immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting analysis. We found that both Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a expression were principally expressed in the nucleus and the cytoplasm of NeuN-positive neurons, but not in GFAP-positive astrocytes. Levels of the two DNMT proteins were significantly increased in patients with TLE. Our study suggests that DNMT1 and DNMT3a may play a role in the pathogenesis of TLE.

BackgroundThe efficacy and safety of multikinase inhibitor anlotinib have been confirmed in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the direct functional mechanisms of tumor lethality mediated by anlotinib were not fully elucidated, and the underlying mechanisms related to resistance remain largely elusive.MethodsCell viability, colony formation, apoptosis and tumor growth assays were performed to examine the effect of anlotinib on lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The punctate patterns of LC3-I/II were detected by confocal microscopy. HUVECs motility was detected using Transwell and scratch wound-healing assay. To visualize the microvessels, tubular formation assay was performed. The expression of LC3-I/II and beclin-1 and the changes of JAK2/STAT3/VEGFA pathway were detected by western blotting. The VEGFA levels in tumor supernatant were measured by ELISA.ResultsAnlotinib treatment decreased cell viability and induced apoptosis in Calu-1 and A549 cells. Moreover, anlotinib induced human lung cancer cell autophagy in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Blocking autophagy enhanced the cytotoxicity and anti-angiogenic ability of anlotinib as evidenced by HUVECs migration, invasion, and tubular formation assay. Co-administration of anlotinib and chloroquine (CQ) further reduced VEGFA level in the tumor supernatant, compared with that of anlotinib or CQ treatment alone. When autophagy was induced by rapamycin, the JAK2/STAT3 pathway was activated and VEGFA was elevated, which was attenuated after deactivating STAT3 by S3I-201. Further in vivo studies showed that anlotinib inhibited tumor growth, induced autophagy and suppressed JAK2/STAT3/VEGFA pathway, and CQ enhanced this effect.ConclusionAnlotinib induced apoptosis and protective autophagy in human lung cancer cell lines. Autophagy inhibition further enhanced the cytotoxic effects of anlotinib, and potentiated the anti-angiogenic property of anlotinib through JAK2/STAT3/VEGFA signaling.

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Histone deacetylases 2 (HDAC2) is expressed in the central nervous system; it has multiple functions in neural plasticity. However, we do not know if HDAC2 is also involved in the pathology of epilepsy. Here we report that HDAC2 was expressed in the brain tissues of both control and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients. Results from immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry showed that HDAC2 was primarily located in the nucleus and that TLE patients exhibit significantly more HDAC2 positive cells than control. Western blotting showed that HDAC2 protein levels were significantly higher in TLE than in control brain. Moreover, in the rat model of TLE, there was a sustained enhancement of HDAC2 expression in rat models of TLE. HDAC2 was significantly increased in both the acute (1 day) and chronic (60 days) animals compared with control group. These results suggest that HDAC2 play an important role in the pathogenesis of human TLE.