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Objectives To study E2F3a expression and its clinical significance in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( ALL). Methods We quantified E2F3a expression at diagnosis in 148 children with ALL by real-time PCR. In the test cohort ( n = 48), receiver operating characteristic ( ROC) curve was used to find the best cut-off point to divide the patients into E2F3a low- and high-expression groups. The prognostic significance of E2F3a expression was investigated in the test cohort and confirmed in the validation cohort ( n = 100). The correlations of E2F3a expression with the clinical features and treatment outcome of these patients were analyzed. Results ROC curve analysis indicated that the best cut-off point of E2F3a expression was 0.3780. In the test cohort, leukemia-free survival ( LFS) and event-free survival ( EFS) of the low-expression group were lower than those of the high-expression group (log rank: P = 0.026 for both). This finding was verified in the validation cohort. LFS, EFS, and overall survival were also lower in the low-expression group than in the high-expression group (log rank, P = 0.015, 0.008, and 0.002 respectively). E2F3a low expression was correlated with the existence of BCR- ABL fusion. An algorithm composed of E2F3a expression and minimal residual disease ( MRD) could predict relapse or induction failure more precisely than current risk stratification. These results were still significant in the ALL patients without BCR- ABL fusion. Conclusions Low expression of E2F3a was associated with inferior prognosis in childhood ALL. An algorithm composed of E2F3a expression and MRD could predict relapse or induction failure more precisely than that of the current risk stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of suitable reference genes (RGs) for data normalization is a crucial step for obtaining reliable results from gene expression analysis using the quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). Expression stability of eleven putative RGs (miR‐100‐5p, miR‐92a‐3p, miR‐998‐3p, miR‐279d‐3p, miR‐305‐5p, miR‐276a‐3p, miR‐275‐3p, miR‐9a‐5p, miR‐2a‐3p, U6 snRNA and 5S rRNA) was assessed by using a web‐based tool: RefFinder, which integrates four algorithms (Delta Ct, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper), and the best combination number of RGs was calculated by geNorm. Validation of selected RGs was performed by an expression analysis of let‐7‐5p under different experimental conditions. The best combinations of RGs were shown as follows: miR‐100‐5p + miR‐275‐3p for temperature treatment, miR‐100‐5p + miR‐305‐5p for adult tissues, miR‐276a‐3p + miR‐9a‐5p for genders, miR‐2a‐3p + miR‐276a‐3p for days after eclosion, U6 snRNA + miR‐9a‐5p + miR‐2a‐3p for developmental stages, and U6 snRNA + miR‐279d‐3p for all above conditions, and there was no one RG suitable for all experimental conditions. Incorrect RG selection affected the evaluation of let‐7‐5p abundance. Our findings demonstrate that an integrated approach of multiple algorithms is necessary to identify reliable, stable RGs for miRNA evaluation, and provide a basis for further studies on expression and function analysis of miRNAs and their target genes in Galeruca daurica, a new pest with great outbreaks in Inner Mongolia since 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mutations in the γ‐secretase complex have been well‐described in familial hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). No gene mutations have been identified in sporadic HS, which comprises 60%–70% of all HS cases. Obesity and smoking are risk factors for HS and are closely related to DNA methylation, an essential epigenetic phenomenon. Hence, we hypothesized that epigenetic modifications might be involved in sporadic HS. To investigate genes with aberrant methylation in sporadic HS cases and assess their expression in skin lesions and blood from patients with HS. Skin lesion samples and corresponding normal skin were obtained from three patients with HS and subjected to whole‐genome DNA methylation sequencing. Blood samples were collected from 20 patients with HS and 20 healthy controls (HCs). The HS mouse model was established by applying tamoxifen to NcstnΔKC mice. Target gene expression was analysed by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, western blotting, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and semiquantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR). Among 10 807 differentially methylated genes, we filtered 2101 genes with hypermethylated promoter regions, and following bioinformatics analyses, we focused on CXC chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16). Subsequent functional experiments confirmed the downregulation of CXCL16 and its receptor, CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR) 6, in skin tissue from HS patients and NcstnΔKC mice. Serum CXCL16 concentrations were also significantly decreased in patients with HS. Our data revealed the downregulation of CXCL16 and CXCR6 in HS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]