Abstract. Apoptosis induction by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vectors may be an efficient and promising strategy for cancer gene therapy. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) is an appealing technique; however, there few data are available to demonstrate the feasibility and to optimize the methodology for this technology. The aim of this study was to optimize this technique and to elucidate the effects on gene inhibition and apoptosis induction in vitro. Human cervical cancer cell lines were obtained and cultured. shRNA vectors were constructed, and the UTMD technique was examined to determine whether or not it was suitable for shRNA transfection into cells. Cells were then examined using flow cytometry. The results revealed that the optimal irradiation parameters obtained higher transfection efficiency and did not affect the integrity of plasmid DNA. We concluded that survivin downregulation with shRNA expression vectors, mediated by the optimal UTMD parameters, markedly induced cell apoptosis and caused cell cycle arrest, laying a foundation for further investigation of this cancer therapy.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common type of endocrine disorder, affecting 5–11% of women of reproductive age worldwide. Transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs are considered to have crucial roles in the developmental process of several diseases and have synergistic regulatory actions. However, the effects of TFs and microRNAs, and the patterns of their cooperation in the synergistic regulatory network of PCOS, remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to determine the possible mechanism of PCOS, based on a TF-microRNA synergistic regulatory network. Initially, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in PCOS were identified using microarray data of the GSE34526 dataset. Subsequently, the TFs and microRNAs which regulated the DEGs of PCOS were identified, and a PCOS-associated TF-microRNA synergistic regulatory network was constructed. This network included 195 DEGs, 136 TFs and 283 microRNAs, and the DEGs were regulated by TFs and microRNAs. Based on topological and functional enrichment analyses, SP1, mir-355-5p and JUN were identified as potentially crucial regulators in the development of PCOS and in characterizing the regulatory mechanism. In conclusion, the TF-microRNA synergistic regulatory network constructed in the present study provides novel insight on the molecular mechanism of PCOS in the form of synergistic regulated model.

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