Previous genome-wide association and validation studies suggest that LIM domain only 1 (LMO1) gene polymorphisms affect neuroblastoma susceptibility. In this work, we used Taqman methodology to genotype four LMO1 polymorphisms (rs110419 A > G, rs4758051 G > A, rs10840002 A > G and rs204938 A > G) in 118 neuroblastoma cases and 281 controls from Northern China. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the association. We found that rs4758051 G > A was associated with a decreased neuroblastoma risk (AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.13–0.62; AG/AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.40–0.97; AA vs. GG/AG: adjusted OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.15–0.69). Likewise, carrying the rs10840002 G allele was also associated with a decreased neuroblastoma risk in this Northern Chinese population. In a combination analysis using Southern and Northern Chinese populations, we found that those carrying the rs110419 G, rs4758051 A or rs10840002 G allele were at decreased neuroblastoma risk, and this finding was supported by a false-positive report probability analysis. These results further verify that LMO1 polymorphisms are protective against neuroblastoma. Case-control studies with larger samples and using other ethnicities are still needed to confirm our conclusion.
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been confirmed to be aberrantly expressed and involved in the progression of neuroblastoma. This study aimed to explore the expression profile of lncRNA X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) and its functional involvement in neuroblastoma. In this study, the relative level of XIST in neuroblastoma tissues and cell lines was detected by qPCR, and DKK1 protein expression was determined using western blot. The effect of XIST on cell growth, invasion and migration in vitro and in tumorigenesis of neuroblastoma was assessed. The level of H3K27me3 in DKK1 promoter was analyzed with ChIP-qPCR. Interaction between XIST and EZH2 was verified by RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assay. XIST was significantly upregulated in neuroblastoma tissues (n = 30) and cells lines, and it was statistically associated with the age and International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS) staging in neuroblastoma patients. Downregulation of XIST suppressed the growth, migration and invasion of neuroblastoma cells. EZH2 inhibited DKK1 expression through inducing H3 histone methylation in its promoter. XIST increased the level of H3K27me3 in DKK1 promoter via interacting with EZH2. Downregulation of XIST increased DKK1 expression to suppress neuroblastoma cell growth, invasion, and migration, which markedly restrained the tumor progression. In conclusion, XIST downregulated DKK1 by inducing H3 histone methylation via EZH2, thereby facilitating the growth, migration and invasion of neuroblastoma cells and retarding tumor progression.
This study investigates the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on the volatility of European Union (EU) carbon futures prices and whether it has predictive power for the volatility of carbon futures prices. The GARCH-MIDAS model is applied for evaluating the impact of different EPU indexes on the price volatility of European Union Allowance (EUA) futures. We then compare the predictive power for the volatility of the two GARCH-MIDAS models based on different EPU indexes and six GARCH-type models. Our empirical results show that the GARCH-MIDAS models, which exhibit superior out-of-sample predictive ability, outperform GARCH-type models. The results also indicate that EPU has noticeable effect on the volatility of EUA futures. Specifically, the forecast accuracy of the EU EPU index is significantly higher than that of the global EPU index. Robustness checks further confirm that the EPU index (especially the EPU index of the EU) has strong predictive power for EUA futures prices. Additionally, using the volatility forecasting methods that GARCH-MIDAS models combine with the EPU index, investors can construct their portfolios to realize economic returns.
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