Objective: To understand the molecular mechanisms by which catecholamine synthesis is controlled in pheochromocytomas -tumors that synthesize and release catecholamines, which are related to various clinical manifestations of the condition. Methods: We measured the concentrations of mRNA coding for the catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase, aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), dopamine b-hydroxylase (DBH) and phenylethanolamine N-methyl transferase (PNMT) and for the catecholamine contents in 12 pheochromocytomas and 12 normal adrenal medullas. Results: The mean content of total catecholamine and the b-actin mRNA expression in the pheochromocytomas were almost the same as those in the normal adrenal medullas. However, the tyrosine hydroxylase, AADC and DBH mRNA concentrations in the pheochromocytomas were greater than those of the normal adrenal medullas. Conversely, the PNMT mRNA concentration in the pheochromocytomas was lower than that in the normal adrenal medullas. These differences are responsible for the difference in the proportions of catecholamines between pheochromocytomas and normal adrenal medullas. The constitutive expression of the catecholamine-synthesizing enzyme mRNAs varied in magnitude among the pheochromocytomas, and the tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA expressions correlated with the contents of total catecholamine in the tumors (r=0.964, P<0.0001). Conclusions: These findings indicate that catecholamine production in pheochromocytomas is primarily controlled by the level of gene expression.

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Granzyme B (GzmB) is a component of cytolytic granules within NK cells and is involved in several pathologies. It has previously been reported that there are three non-synonymous coding SNPs (rs8192917; Q48R, rs11539752; P88A, and rs2236338; Y245H) in the GZMB gene and that the QPY/RAH allele was clustered together close to the C-terminal α-helix. However, it is unknown whether the function of GzmB produced from NK cells is influenced by QPY/RAH polymorphism. The authors investigated the distribution of QPY/RAH polymorphism of the GZMB gene in a Japanese population (n = 106), and the involvement of Q48R polymorphism in NK cell cytotoxicity, degranulation, and production of GzmB. A strong linkage disequilibrium was observed among these SNPs, and NK cell cytotoxicity was influenced by rs8192917 (Q48R). Moreover, it found that R-GzmB is a stable protein that accumulates to similar levels in activated NK cells as Q-GzmB. rs8192917 polymorphism may influence antitumor activity and the effect of antitumor cellular immunotherapy. The authors expect that these new informations about QPY/RAH polymorphism of the GZMB gene could help to assess the impact of NK cell cytotoxicity in several pathologies and aid their treatment.

These findings indicate that adrenaline production in adrenaline-secreting pheochromocytomas is primarily controlled by the level of PNMT gene expression, and that the gene expression may be enhanced by both cortisol and Egr-1.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) exert critical roles in the majority of biological and pathological processes. Recent studies have associated miR-150 with a number of different cancer types. However, little is known about miR-150 targets in cervical cancer. In the present study, the HeLa human cervical cancer cell line was transfected with hsa-miR-150-5p mimics, hsa-miR-150-5p inhibitors or miRNA controls. miR-150 was predicted to bind the 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) of the CDKN1B gene, which encodes the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1B (p27 Kip1). The direct binding between miR-150 and the 3'UTR of CDKN1B was confirmed using dual-luciferase reporter assays. The effects of miR-150 on CDKN1B mRNA expression, p27 Kip1 protein expression, cell cycle and cell proliferation were determined using reverse-transcription quantitative PCR, western blot analysis, flow cytometry and WST-8 assays, respectively. miR-150 was demonstrated to directly target the 3'UTR of CDKN1B in transfected HeLa cells. The expression of CDKN1B mRNA and p27 Kip1 protein was reduced by miR-150 mimics, and increased by miR-150 inhibitors. Moreover, the overexpression of miR-150 promoted cell cycle progression from the G0/G1 to the S phase and led to a significant increase in HeLa cell proliferation. The results of the present study indicated that miR-150 promotes HeLa cell cycle progression and proliferation via the suppression of p27 Kip1 expression.