Mutations in the BEST1 gene are associated with a range of retinal diseases collectively referred to as "Best diseases", including Best vitelline macular dystrophy. More than 300 mutations at different sites of the BEST1 gene have been found, which may cause a series of functional disorders such as the mistransport of the calcium-activated anion channel protein-1 protein encoded by it, protein oligomerization defects, and abnormal anion channel activity, leading to different clinical phenotypes. Although it has been established that the BEST1 gene mutation is associated with at least one different type of Best disease, the relationship between the specific gene mutation site and the specific clinical phenotype has not been fully defined. For the time being. Drugs and gene therapy for the Best diseases are still in the basic research stage, which provides a broad development space for future treatment exploration. In the future, when selecting gene therapy in clinical applications, it is necessary to combine the clinical phenotype and molecular diagnosis of patients, and clearly define their mutation types and pathogenic mechanisms in order to achieve better personalized treatment effects.
Objective To obtain the full-length gene and functional domains of FXYD6 gene which is a cholangiocarcinoma related gene. Methods A new strategy with the integration of bioinformatics and molecular biology was used. Bioinformatical methods were used to analyze the full-length sequence, and to predict the functional domains of its protein. And the full-length sequence of FXYD6 was isolated by polymerase chain reaction from fetal hepatic, brain and spleen cDNA libraries, and then cloned in pGEM-T vector for sequence analyzing. Goldkey Sequence Analyzing Software was used to analyze the sequence of candidate domain without signal peptide.Results The full-length sequence of FXYD6 was isolated by Touch-down PCR from fetal hepatic and brain cDNA library, but was not from spleen cDNA library. The open reading frame Finder software was used in the National Center for Biotechnology Information website to find the most probable encoding regions of FXYD6 gene. And the +1 phase was selected as the template sequence, from 67 bp to 354 bp, to predict the functional domains by Goldkey Sequence Analyzing Software. The signal peptide was located from 1 amino acid (aa) to 17 aa， and the main domain was composed from 18 aa to 34 aa. The region between 35 aa and 57 aa was the transmembrane region. The FHYD peptide chain was highly conserved amino acids. Conclusion The study of full-length cDNA cloning of FXYD6 gene and its functional domains provides the basis for understanding the relationship between the structure and function of FXYD6. More work shall be performed on FXYD6 protein and its influence on the mechanism of cholangiocarcinoma.
Weightlessness in the space environment affects astronauts’ learning memory and cognitive function. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation has been shown to be effective in improving cognitive dysfunction. In this study, we investigated the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on neural excitability and ion channels in simulated weightlessness mice from a neurophysiological perspective. Young C57 mice were divided into control, hindlimb unloading and magnetic stimulation groups. The mice in the hindlimb unloading and magnetic stimulation groups were treated with hindlimb unloading for 14 days to establish a simulated weightlessness model, while the mice in the magnetic stimulation group were subjected to 14 days of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. Using isolated brain slice patch clamp experiments, the relevant indexes of action potential and the kinetic property changes of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels were detected to analyze the excitability of neurons and their ion channel mechanisms. The results showed that the behavioral cognitive ability and neuronal excitability of the mice decreased significantly with hindlimb unloading. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation could significantly improve the cognitive impairment and neuroelectrophysiological indexes of the hindlimb unloading mice. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may change the activation, inactivation and reactivation process of sodium and potassium ion channels by promoting sodium ion outflow and inhibiting potassium ion, and affect the dynamic characteristics of ion channels, so as to enhance the excitability of single neurons and improve the cognitive damage and spatial memory ability of hindlimb unloading mice.
Objective To summarize research progress of relationship between chloride intracellular channel protein 1 (CLIC1) and colonic cancer. Method The related literatures in recent years on the relationship between the CLIC1 and the colonic cancer were reviewed and analyzed. Results The CLIC1 could play its physiological function as a chloride ion channel, with a wide tissue distribution and high expression in many tumor tissues. The abnormal expression of CLIC1 could result in many diseases and participate in many processes such as the occurrence, development, metastasis, and treatment of the colonic cancer. Conclusions CLIC1 might be a biomarker for early diagnosis and a target for gene therapy of colonic cancer, key genes regulated its expression, signal transduction pathways involved in occurrence and progression of colonic cancer, and interaction with other related molecules are still unclear, and further study is needed.
Objective To explore the effect of hydrostatic pressure on intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and the gene expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) in cultured human bladder smooth muscle cells (hb-SMCs), and to prel iminarily probe into the possible molecular mechanism of hb-SMCs prol iferation stimulated by hydrostatic pressure. Methods The passage 6-7 hb-SMCs were loaded with Ca2+ indicator Fluo-3/AM. When the hb-SMCs were under 0 cm H2O (1 cm H2O=0.098 kPa) (group A) or 200 cm H2O hydrostatic pressure for 30 minutes (group B) and then removing the 200 cm H2O hydrostatic pressure (group C), the [Ca2+]i was measured respectively by inverted laser anningconfocal microscope. When the hb-SMCs were given the 200 cm H2O hydrostatic pressure for 0 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, 2 hours, and 24 hours, the mRNA expressions of TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4 were detected by RT-PCR technique. Results The [Ca2+]i of group A, group B, and group C were (100.808 ± 1.724), (122.008 ± 1.575), and (99.918 ± 0.887) U, respectively; group B was significantly higher than groups A and C (P lt; 0.001). The [Ca2+]i of group C decreased to the base l ine level of group A after removing the pressure (t=0.919, P=0.394). The TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4 genes expressed in hb-SMCs under 200 cm H2O hydrostatic pressure at 0 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours, but the expressions had no obvious changes with time. There was no significant difference in the expressions of TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4 among 3 groups (P gt; 0.05). Conclusion The [Ca2+]i of hb-SMCs increases significantly under high hydrostatic pressure. As possible genes in stretch-activated cation channel, the TRPV1, TRPV2, and TRPV4 express in hb-SMCs under 200 cm H2O hydrostatic pressure. It is possible that the mechanical pressure regulates the [Ca2+]i of hb-SMCs by opening the stretch-activated cation channel rather than up-regulating its expression.