No abstract

LncRNA HAND2-AS1 is characterized as a tumor suppressor involved in several types of malignancies, but its role in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unknown. Our study was carried out to investigate the involvement of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 in NSCLC. In our study, we observed that levels of HAND2-AS1 were lower in tumor tissues than that in adjacent healthy tissues. Compared with healthy controls, plasma levels of HAND2-AS1 were lower, while levels of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) were higher in NSCLC patients. A significant negative correlation between plasma levels of HAND2-AS1 and TGF-β1 was found in NSCLC patients but not in healthy controls. LncRNA HAND2-AS1 overexpression inhibits, while exogenous TGF-β1 treatment promotes cell migration and invasion ability and cancer cell stemness. Cancer cells with lncRNA HAND2-AS1 overexpression showed down-regulated TGF-β1, while TGF-β1 treatment showed no significant effects on lncRNA HAND2-AS1 expression. TGF-β1 attenuated the inhibitory effects of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 overexpression on cell migration, invasion and stemness. We concluded that lncRNA HAND2-AS1 may regulate the migration, invasion and stemness of NSCLC cells through interactions with TGF-β1.

A cell-based assay was developed to screen small interference RNA (siRNA) to block the expression of two genes of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus. These two genes encode RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP) and envelope E protein. The RDRP plays an essential role in viral RNA replication where envelope E protein is involved in envelope formation and virus assembly. The RDRP and envelope E genes, based on published sequences, have been synthesized and cloned into mammalian expression vectors. In addition, four siRNA sites for the RDRP gene and two siRNA sites for envelope E gene were designed and tested. The siRNA or short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression cassettes were co-transfected with the SARS viral RDRP or envelope E expression vectors into NIH 3T3 cells. The expression levels of RDRP and envelope E genes were examined by reverse transcription followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Two of the siRNA expression cassettes for RDRP successfully inhibited the expression of the gene, whereas both of the siRNA expression cassettes for envelope E decreased approx 90% of the envelope E gene expression. The siRNA and shRNA for one of the siRNA sites of the RDRP gene were also tested, and it was found that both inhibited exogenous RDRP expression in a dose-dependent manner. These siRNA molecules could be used to examine the function of these genes in SARS virus replication and assembly. Furthermore, these molecules could potentially be developed into therapeutic agents for the treatment of patients with SARS.

No abstract