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P73 antisense RNA 1T (TP73-AS1 or PDAM) is a long non-coding RNA, which can regulate apoptosis through regulation of p53 signaling-related anti-apoptotic genes. An abnormal change of TP73-AS1 expression was noticed in cancers. The effects of TP73-AS1 in breast cancer (BC) growth and the underlying mechanism remain unclear so far. In the present study, the effect of TP73-AS1 in BC cell lines and clinical tumor samples was detected so as to reveal its role and function. In the present study, TP73-AS1 was specifically upregulated in BC tissues and BC cell lines and was correlated to a poorer prognosis in patients with BC. TP73-AS1 knocking down suppressed human BC cell proliferation in vitro through regulation of TFAM. In our previous study, we demonstrated that miR-200a inhibits BC cell proliferation through targeting TFAM; here we revealed that TP73-AS1 could regulate miR-200a through direct targeting. Moreover, TP73-AS1 might compete with TFAM for miR-200a binding thus to promote TFAM expression. Data from the present study revealed that TP73-AS1 promoted BC cell proliferation through acting as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miR-200a. In conclusion, we regarded TP73-AS1 as an oncogenic lncRNA promoting BC cell proliferation and a potential target for human BC treatment., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

microRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous 19-25 nucleotide noncoding single-stranded RNAs that regulate gene expression by blocking the translation or decreasing the stability of mRNAs. In this study, we showed that miR-200a expression levels were decreased while mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) mRNA expression levels were increased in breast cancer (BC) tissues and cell lines, and identified TFAM as a novel direct target of miR-200a. Overexpression of miR-200a suppressed TFAM protein expression, mtDNA copy number, and attenuated cell proliferation. Forced expression of TFAM can partly rescue the inhibitory effect of miR-200a in the cells. Taken together, these findings will shed light on the role and mechanism of miR-200a in regulating BC cells growth and mtDNA copy number via miR-200a/TFAM axis, and miR-200a may serve as a potential therapeutic target in BC in the future.

Patchouli alcohol (patchoulol), a sesquiterpenoid specifically synthesized by herbal plant Pogostemon cablin , has a variety of pharmacological and biological activities and is widely utilized in the medical and cosmetic industries. However, there are few studies on the transcriptional modulation of patchoulol biosynthesis. Some studies have reported that basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors (TFs) participate in the biosynthesis of plant terpenoids, but there is no report that bZIP TFs are involved in the modulation of patchoulol biosynthesis. This study was conducted to explain the regulation of patchoulol biosynthesis by PcbZIP44, a bZIP TF identified in patchouli for the first time. PcbZIP44 was highly expressed in roots and stems, and its encoded protein was nuclear localized revealed by protoplast subcellular localization experiment. According to the results of the transient dual-luciferase assay and yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) assays, PcbZIP44 can bind to the PcPTS (patchoulol synthase) gene promoter to repress its activity. Overexpression of the PcbZIP44 gene significantly reduced the content of patchoulol and resulted in a significant down-regulation of the PcPTS gene at the transcriptional level. Correspondingly, virus-induced PcbZIP44 gene silencing (VIGS) significantly increased the content of patchoulol and resulted in a significant up-regulation of the PcPTS gene at the transcriptional level. Therefore, these results suggested that PcbZIP44 negatively regulates patchoulol biosynthesis by inhibiting the PcPTS gene in P. cablin. • PcbZIP44 binds to the PcPTS promoter and represses its expression. • Potential PcbZIP44-binding motifs were identified in PcPTS promoter. • Overexpression of PcbZIP44 markedly reduced patchoulol production in patchouli. • VIGS of PcbZIP44 significantly increased patchoulol production in patchouli. • PcbZIP44-mediated regulation of patchoulol biosynthesis is hypothesized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]