Gene therapy recently has become an important area of research as a new therapeutic method. In vivo and in vitro gene therapies require efficient delivery of genetic material into a cell and preferably high levels of expression of transferred gene. Traditionally, gene delivery systems are classified as viral vector-mediated systems and nonviral vector-mediated systems. Viral vectors, which have been demonstrated as systems with high transfection efficiency, however, are limited due to adverse effects such as immunogenicity, toxicity, limited DNA carrying capacity and mutagenesis caused by cell-infected viruses[1].

超声造影剂在基因转染中的应用进展

目前基因治疗学已成为研究的热点,然而基因转染仍缺乏高效的载体.超声微泡造影剂可作为一种良好的基因载体,通过靶位的超声辐照破坏基因微泡,实现基因的靶向转染.

超声造影剂在基因转移中的作用

基因治疗的方式有体内直接转基因(体内法)和细胞介导的基因治疗(回体法).无论采用何种方式,治疗性的基因必须达到靶细胞,进入细胞核,进而实现基因表达,才能发挥有效的作用[1].但这一基因转移过程仍存在很多问题.本文讨论超声波和超声造影剂在基因转移中的作用.

As a protein expression vector,the baculovirus demonstrates many advantages over other vectors.With the development of biotechnology,baculoviral vectors have been genetically modified to facilitate high level expression of heterologous proteins in both insect and mammalian cells.These modifications include utilization of different promoters and signal peptides,deletion or replacement of viral genes for increasing protein secretion,integration of polycistronic expression cassette for producing protein complexes,and baculovirus pseudotyping,promoter accommodation or surface display for enhancing mammalian cell targeting gene delivery.This review summarizes the development and the current state of art of the baculovirus expression system.Further development of baculovirus expression systems will make them even more feasible and accessible for advanced applications.

BACKGROUND:Cytochrome P450 ( CYP) epoxygenases metabolize arachidonic acids ( AA) to form epoxyeicosatrienoic acids
(EETs), which exert beneficial roles in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases , but little is known about its role on adventitial remo-deling.METHODS:We used C57BL/6J mice in vivo and primary rat adventitial fibroblasts ( AFs) in vitro treated with angiotensin II (Ang II) to investigate the effects of CYP2J2 gene delivery and exogenous EETs administration on adventitial remodeling .RESULTS:CYP/sEH system was found to exist in human adventitia , and involved in adventitial remodeling process .Exogenous EETs administra-tion significantly inhibited Ang II-induced AFs activation , characterized by differentiation , proliferation, migration, and collagen syn-thesis.These protective effects were partially reversed by PPARγantagonist GW9662 pretreatment or SOCS3 siRNA transfection.EETs suppressed Ang II-induced IκBαphosphorylation , subsequent NF-κB nuclear translocation via PPARγdependent signaling pathway in AFs.Additionally, EETs reduced Ang II-induced JAK2, STAT3 phosphorylation and subsequent phosphor-STAT3 nuclear transloca-tion, which were mediated by SOCS3 induction but independent of PPARγactivation.Furthermore, rAAV-CYP2J2 gene delivery re-duced vessel wall thickening , AFs differentiation , proliferation and collagen deposition in aortic adventitia induced by Ang II infusion , which were mediated by NF-κB and SOCS3/JAK/STAT signaling pathways in blood pressure-dependent and -independent manners , re-spectively.CONCLUSION:We concluded that CYP2J2 overexpression attenuated Ang II-induced adventitial remodeling via PPARγ-dependent NF-κB and PPARγ-independent SOCS 3/JAK/STAT inflammatory signaling pathways .

RNA interference (RNAi) has become a gold standard for validating gene function in basic life science research and provides a promising therapeutic modality for cancer and other diseases. This mini-review focuses on the potential of smal interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in anticancer treatment, including the establishment and screening of cancer-associated siRNA libraries and their applications in anticancer drug target discovery and cancer therapy. This article also describes the current delivery approaches of siRNAs using lipids, polymers, and, in particular, gold nanoparticles to induce significant gene silencing and tumor growth regression.