The most severe form of brain glioma, glioblastoma (GBM), is highly malignant and usually resistant to chemotherapy. Therefore, discovery of new targets for gene therapy is important. Using subtraction cloning, we identified the human N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (hNDRG2), located at chromosome 14q11.2, as a gene that is significantly suppressed in GBM tissues. Semiquantitative RT-PCR showed that the hNDRG2 gene transcript is expressed in normal brain tissue and low-grade gliomas but is present at low levels in 15 of 27 (56%) human GBM tissues and all of the 6 human glioblastoma cell lines examined. Furthermore, transfection of human glioblastoma U373 and U138 cells with a cDNA encoding hNDRG2 markedly reduced the cell proliferation. Our findings provide the first evidence to suggest that hNDRG2 may play a role in glioblastoma carcinogenesis.

Caffeoylquinic acids are found in artichokes, and they are currently considered important therapeutic or preventive agents for treating Alzheimer's disease and diabetes. We transformed artichoke [the cultivated cardoon or Cynara cardunculus var. altilis DC (Asteraceae)] with the rolC gene, which is a known inducer of secondary metabolism. High-performance liquid chromatography with UV and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HPLC-UV-HRMS) revealed that the predominant metabolites synthesized in the transgenic calli were 1,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and chlorogenic acid. The rolC-transformed calli contained 1.5% caffeoylquinic acids by dry weight. The overall production of these metabolites was three times higher than that of the corresponding control calli. The enhancing effect of rolC remained stable over long-term cultivation.

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