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BACKGROUND The CYP17A1 gene encodes for cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP17A1, which is involved with the steroidogenic pathway including mineralocorticoids. The CYP17A1 polymorphisms might affect enzyme activity, then leading to a state of mineralocorticoid 11-deoxycorticosterone excess characterized by hypertension, suppressed plasma renin activity, and low aldosterone concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of CYP17A1 polymorphisms in inducing the susceptibility to essential hypertension among the Southwest Han Chinese population. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms of CYP17A1 were genotyped in a case-control study for samples by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. RESULTS The polymorphisms rs11191548 and rs4919687 were significantly associated with hypertension risk, which was confirmed by systolic and diastolic blood pressure distribution analyses between different genotype groups, and these two polymorphisms were found in linkage disequilibrium. The rs4919687 polymorphism was estimated to cause the destruction of exonic splicing silencer (ESR and Motif 3) sites and to transform the transcription factor AREB6 binding site, respectively, in the bioinformatics analyses. The haplotypes rs4919686A-rs3740397G -rs4919687C-rs743572C-rs11191548C and rs4919686A-rs3740397G-rs4919687T-rs743572C- rs11191548T were found to be susceptible to essential hypertension. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that the CYP17A1 polymorphisms could be a genetic risk factor for essential hypertension among the Yunnan Han Chinese population, which would have implications for the treatment of this complex disorder.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs and closely related to the pathogenesis of cancers. Increasing evidence indicates that miR-30a plays a profound role during the development of cancers. However, the functions of miR-30a in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still ambiguous. Here we found that miR-30a was decreased in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and in tissue samples from 14 patients by qRT-PCR, and also found that overexpression of miR-30a in A549 cells inhibited migration and invasion but not cell proliferation and cell cycle progression by wound-healing assay, matrigel invasion assay, MTS-based cell proliferation assay, and flow cytometry-based cell cycle analysis, respectively. We further explored the potential mechanism of miR-30a-mediated gene regulation in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. EYA2 is a predicted target of miR-30a, and it has been found that EYA2 expression is inhibited by miR-30a in breast cancer cells. We demonstrated that EYA2 is a direct target of miR-30a by using the dual-luciferase reporter assay in A549 cells and showed that EYA2 protein levels are inversely correlated with miR-30a expression in A549 and BEAS-2B cells. In addition, we also confirmed the rescue effects of EYA2 overexpression in A549 cells by cotransfection with EYA2 expression vector and miR-30a mimics. Taken together, our results demonstrate that overexpression of miR-30a in lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells can inhibit cell migration and invasion, which is partially attributed to the decrease of EYA2 expression. Our findings suggest that miR-30a may be used as a new potential target for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma in the future.

Context: Griflola frondosa (Fr) S.F. Gray (Meripilaceae) (GF) is a medical mushroom, and its regulation of the immune system is of interest for the treatment of mood disorders. α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors are the central mediator for the treatment of depression. Objective: This study examines the antidepressant effects of GF and the role of AMPA in these antidepressant effects. Materials and methods: The CD-1 mice were fed with GF- or Pleurotus ostreatus [(Jacq.: Fr) Kumm (Pleurotaceae)] (PO)-containing food for 1 day or 5 days. The antidepressant effects was determined in the tail suspension test (TST), forced swim test (FST), and open field test (OFT). The involvement of AMPA receptors was determined by the application of the AMPA-specific blocker GYKI 52466. Results: Treatments with 20%, 33% or 50% of GF-containing food significantly decreased the immobility time (63.6, 56.9, and 52.0% in TST; and 50.8, 43.2, and 38.2% in FST) after 1 day and (62.3, 51.8, and 52.8% in TST; and 49.5, 45.1, and 40.3% in FST) after 5 days. GF-containing food did not cause hyperactive effects in the OFT. The antidepressant effects of the 33% of GF-containing food (down-to 51.3% in 1-day TST and 46.8% in 5-day FST) were significantly stronger than that of the 33% of PO-containing food (down-to 85.5% in 1-day TST and 82.0% in 5-day FST). AMPA-specific blocker GYKI 52466 was able to block the antidepressant effects of the GF-containing food. Conclusion: GF demonstrated the potential as a safe medical food supplement for the patient with depression.

The eyes absent homologue 2 (EYA2) is a dual-functional transcription factor/phosphatase that plays a critical role in neoplasia. The precise effects of EYA2 remain elusive in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In the present study, we examined EYA2 expression in NSCLC cell lines and a normal pulmonary epithelial cell line. We found that EYA2 was aberrantly upregulated in the lung adenocarcinoma cells. Therefore, we studied the methylation status of the eya2 gene in a lung adenocarcinoma cell line, a normal pulmonary epithelial cell line and lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Furthermore, the eya2 gene was knocked down in lung adenocarcinoma cells via RNA interference to investigate the regulatory role of EYA2; specifically, cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, migration and invasive capacities were assessed in tje EYA2‑knockdown cancer cells. The results showed that the aberrant hypomethylation and overexpression of the eya2 gene were associated with lung adenocarcinoma oncogenesis. In addition, inhibition of EYA2 expression suppressed tumour cell growth by altering the proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, migration and invasive capacities of the cells. These findings demonstrated that EYA2 functions as a stimulant in lung adenocarcinoma pathogenesis and may facilitate the development of novel diagnostic targets and therapy strategies for lung adenocarcinoma.