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Paired box 7 (PAX7) gene regulates the conversion of muscle satellite cells into myogenic cells and participates in multi-step processes in myogenesis. Expression levels of PAX7 are decisive for its regulatory function. Previous reports revealed that PAX7 were responsible for the developmental traits of muscle. The relationship of the PAX7 promoter variants and livestock phenotypic traits has not been fully elucidated. We detected a novel 10-bp insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphism in the bovine PAX7 promoter and revealed that the indel altered the binding of the transcriptional factor ZNF219. Luciferase reporter assay showed that deletion-deletion (Del-Del) genotype of the PAX7 gene showed 2.79-fold higher promoter activity than the insertion-insertion (Ins-Ins) genotype (P < 0.05), and ZNF219 overexpression significantly diminished the luciferase activity in Ins-Ins groups. Moreover, the expression of PAX7 and its down-stream genes were detected in fetal skeletal muscle of cattle with different PAX7 genotypes, where the Del-Del genotype also displayed high expression levels. Statistical association analysis demonstrated that this indel had significant effects on early growth traits in cattle. These findings provide a complete overview of the function of the PAX7 10-bp variant, which may have potential as a genetic marker for marker-assisted selection in improving economically significant traits of cattle.

Unlike most DNA-dependent protein kinase, catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs)-deficient mouse cell strains, we show in the present study that targeted deletion of DNA-PKcs in two different human cell lines abrogates VDJ signal end joining in episomal assays. Although the mechanism is not well defined, DNA-PKcs deficiency results in spontaneous reduction of ATM expression in many cultured cell lines (including those examined in this study) and in DNA-PKcs-deficient mice. We considered that varying loss of ATM expression might explain differences in signal end joining in different cell strains and animal models, and we investigated the impact of ATM and/or DNA-PKcs loss on VDJ recombination in cultured human and rodent cell strains. To our surprise, in DNA-PKcs-deficient mouse cell strains that are proficient in signal end joining, restoration of ATM expression markedly inhibits signal end joining. In contrast, in DNA-PKcs-deficient cells that are deficient in signal end joining, complete loss of ATM enhances signal (but not coding) joint formation. We propose that ATM facilitates restriction of signal ends to the classical nonhomologous end-joining pathway., (Copyright © 2016 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.)

Current evidences show that copy number variations (CNVs) are linked to complex phenotypic traits. Leptin receptor (LEPR) gene plays a critical role in energy homeostasis and fat development and re-sequencing of the cattle genome revealed the CNV region (herein referred to as "I3 DNA") within the LEPR intron 3. In the present study, we qualified copy numbers of I3 DNA within LEPR gene in four cattle breeds (Qinchuan, Nanyang, Jinnan and Xianan) by quantitative PCR, and explored their impacts on LEPR gene expression and phenotypic traits in Qinchuan and Nanyang cattle. The results showed that more individuals in Nanyang are with loss of the I3 DNA copy number than that in the others. Additionally, I3 DNA CNVs exhibited a significant negative correlation with LEPR gene expression (P < 0.05). Association analysis showed that gain/normal copy number types performed better traits of body weight, body height and body length than the loss type in Nanyang. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first evidence of the association between LEPR CNVs and cattle traits, and this may help deep understanding of the function of CNVs which may be promising markers for beef cattle breeding and genetics., (© 2015 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Ascorbate is a primary antioxidant and an essential enzyme cofactor in plants, which has an important effect on the development of plant root system. To investigate the molecular mechanisms of ascorbate accumulation during root development and reveal the key genes of the ascorbate biosynthesis and recycling pathways, the expression of 16 related genes together with ascorbate abundance were analyzed in the flesh and skin of radish (Raphanus sativus L.) fleshy root. The content of ascorbate decreased with root growth in both the flesh and skin. Expression of GDP-d-mannose pyrophosphorylase, GDP-d-mannose-3',5'-epimerase and d-galacturonate reductase were also decreased and correlated with ascorbate levels in the flesh. In the skin, the expression of GDP-d-mannose pyrophosphorylase and l-galactose dehydrogenase was correlated with ascorbate levels. These results suggested that ascorbate accumulation is affected mainly by biosynthesis rather than recycling in radish root, and the l-galactose pathway may be the major biosynthetic route of ascorbate, and moreover, the salvage pathway may also contribute to ascorbate accumulation. The data suggested that GDP-d-mannose pyrophosphorylase could play an important role in the regulation of ascorbate accumulation during radish fleshy taproot development., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Background: Ovarian cancer (OV) is the highest prevalent gynecologic tumor with complicated pathogenesis; high-grade serous ovarian cystadenocarcinoma (HGSOC) is the most epidemiological and malignant subtype of OV. Keratin type I cytoskeleton 19 (KRT19) is an intermediate filament protein which plays essential roles in the maintenance of epithelial cells. However, its role in OV remains largely unknown.Methods: Bioinformatic analysis with various databases was conducted in this study. In details, KRT19 expression was assessed using databases including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and Human Protein Atlas (HPA). GO-KEGG and GSEA analysis were performed by R packages. The biological function of KRT19 was analyzed based on the single-cell sequencing information from CancerSEA database. The association of KRT19 expression with immunomodulator and chemokine was predicted via the TISIDB database.Results: The expression of KRT19 was significantly upregulated in ovarian samples compared with normal controls. KRT19 expression was negatively associated with prognosis in OV, and further analysis revealed that KRT19 had promising diagnostic significance in distinguishing OV cancer from normal samples. GO-KEGG and GSEA analysis indicated that KRT19 was associated with multiple biological functions and pathways including epidermis development, apical junction, inflammatory response, and epithelial mesenchymal transition. By using different GEO series, we found that KRT19 was differentially expressed in OV-associated tissues. Furthermore, the increased KRT19 expression was positively correlated with the immune infiltration levels of the most immune cells in OV.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that KRT19 is a promising prognosis and diagnosis biomarker that determines cancer progression and is correlated with tumor immune cells infiltration in OV, suggesting being a molecular target for immunotherapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to develop a new prognostic model for osteosarcoma based on cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes. Materials and methods: The data of osteosarcoma were obtained from TARGET database. By using Cox regression and LASSO regression analysis, a novel risk score was constructed based on cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes. Kaplan-Meier, ROC curve and independent prognostic analyses were performed to validate the risk score in GSE21257 dataset. Then, a predictive nomogram was constructed and further validated by calibration plot, C-index and ROC curve. Based on the risk score, all patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk group. GO and KEGG enrichment, immune correlation and drug sensitivity analyses were performed between groups. Real-time quantitative PCR verified the expression of cuproptosis-mitochondrion prognostic model genes in osteosarcoma. And we explored the function of FDX1 in osteosarcoma by western blotting, CCK8, colony formation assay, wound healing assay and transwell assays. Results: A total of six cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes (FDX1, COX11, MFN2, TOMM20, NDUFB9 and ATP6V1E1) were identified. A novel risk score and associated prognostic nomogram were constructed with high clinical application value. Strong differences in function enrichment and tumor immune microenvironment were shown between groups. Besides, the correlation of cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes and drug sensitivity were revealed to search for potential therapeutic target. The expression of FDX1, COX11, MFN2, TOMM20 and NDUFB9 at mRNA level was elevated in osteosarcoma cells compared with normal osteoblast hFOB1.19. The mRNA expression level of ATP6V1E1 was decreased in osteosarcoma. Compared with hFOB1.19, western blotting revealed that the expression of FDX1 was significantly elevated in osteosarcoma cells. Functional experiments indicated that FDX1 mainly promoted the migration of osteosarcoma rather than proliferation. Conclusions: We developed a novel prognostic model of osteosarcoma based on cuproptosis-mitochondrion genes, which provided great guidance in survival prediction and individualized treatment decision making for patients with osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is derived from Astragalus membranous (AM), which is used to treat kidney disease. Macrophages significantly affect the whole process of renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R). The regulation of macrophage polarization in kidneys by AS-IV was the focus. (2) Methods: Renal tubular injury and fibrosis in mice were detected by Hematoxylin and Eosin staining and Masson Trichrome Staining, separately. An ELISA and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to explore the cytokine and mRNA expression. Western blot was used to determine protein expression and siRNA technology was used to reveal the crosstalk of signal pathways in RAW 264.7 under hypoxia. (3) Results: In the early stages of I/R injury, AS-IV reduced renal damage and macrophage infiltration. M1-associated markers were decreased, while M2 biomarkers were increased. The NF-κB (p65)/Hif-1α pathway was suppressed by AS-IV in M1. Moreover, p65 dominated the expression of Hif-1α. In the late stages of I/R injury, renal fibrosis was alleviated, and M2 infiltration also decreased after AS-IV treatment. Hif-1α expression was reduced by AS-IV, while Smad7 expression was enhanced. Hif-1α interferes with the expression of Smad7 in M2. (4) Conclusions: AS-IV promoted the differentiation of M1 to M2, relieving the proinflammatory response to alleviate the kidney injury during the early stages. AS-IV attenuated M2 macrophage infiltration to prevent kidney fibrosis during the later stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Prolyl 3-hydroxylase 1 (P3H1) is essential for human collagen synthesis. Here, we investigated its relevance to multiple cancers, especially hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC). Methods. We estimated the relationship of P3H1 with 33 cancers using publicly available databases. And immunohistochemistry was utilized to verify the P3H1 expression in liver, gastric, colon, pancreatic, and rectal cancer. Then, we attenuated P3H1 expression in BEL-7402 and HLF cells by lentivirus technology and assessed the effect of P3H1 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Results. Bioinformatic analysis revealed a significantly higher expression of P3H1 in almost all tumors, which was consistent with the immunohistochemical findings in the liver, gastric, colon, pancreatic, and rectal cancers. P3H1 expression was associated with overall survival, progression-free interval, disease-specific survival, and disease-free interval in most cancers, particularly in LIHC. Besides, we also found that P3H1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for LIHC. And knockdown of P3H1 significantly reduced liver cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in liver cancer cells. Interestingly, P3H1 expression levels showed a significant positive connection with Th2 infiltration through multiple immune infiltration algorithms. ICI treatment was less effective in LIHC patients with high P3H1 expression. Finally, we also identified an upstream regulatory mechanism of P3H1 in LIHC, namely, AL355488.1, HCG18, and THUMPD3-AS1/hsa-miR-29c-3p-P3H1 axis. Conclusion. We have systematically described for the first time that P3H1 is closely related to various tumors, particularly in LIHC, and interference with P3H1 may be a therapeutic target for patients with LIHC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (S. elongatus PCC 7942) is a model cyanobacteria species for circadian clock mechanism studies. It has also been widely used as a bioreactor to produce biofuels and other metabolic products. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) technology is the most commonly used method for studying the expression of specific genes, in which the relative expression level of target genes is calibrated by stably expressed internal reference genes. In this work, we examined the expression of nine candidate reference genes in time-course samples of S. elongatus PCC 7942 under no treatment (control), NaCl-stress conditions, H2O2-stress conditions, and high light-stress conditions. Based on the qPCR amplification parameters, the stability ranking of these candidate reference genes was established by three statistical software programs, geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. Considering all the stress conditions or high light stress alone, the results showed that the combination of prs and secA was the best choice for the double reference gene calibration method by qPCR. The combination of secA and ppc, rimM and rnpA, rnpA, and ilvD was most stable under no treatment, NaCl-stress conditions, and H2O2-stress conditions, respectively. rimM was stable under only special conditions and should be carefully chosen. 16S and rnpB were not suitable as internal reference genes for S. elongatus PCC 7942 qPCR experiments under all experimental conditions. To validate the above results, a cyanobacterial core clock gene, kaiC, was used to evaluate the actual performance of the optimized reference genes by qPCR, as well as the worst reference genes under different stress conditions. The results indicated that the best reference gene yielded more accurate calibration results for qPCR experiments carried out in S. elongatus PCC 7942 time-course samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum. hook. f.) has been cultivated as a major crop in the Qinghai-Tibet plateau of China for thousands of years. Compared to other cereal crops, the Tibetan hulless barley has developed stronger endogenous resistances to survive in the severe environment of its habitat. To understand the unique resistant mechanisms of this plant, detailed genetic studies need to be performed. The quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is the most commonly used method in detecting gene expression. However, the selection of stable reference genes under limited experimental conditions was considered to be an essential step for obtaining accurate results in qRT-PCR. In this study, 10 candidate reference genes—ACT (Actin), E2 (Ubiquitin conjugating enzyme 2), TUBα (Alpha-tubulin), TUBβ6 (Beta-tubulin 6), GAPDH (Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase), EF-1α (Elongation factor 1-alpha), SAMDC (S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase), PKABA1 (Gene for protein kinase HvPKABA1), PGK (Phosphoglycerate kinase), and HSP90 (Heat shock protein 90)—were selected from the NCBI gene database of barley. Following qRT-PCR amplifications of all candidate reference genes in Tibetan hulless barley seedlings under various stressed conditions, the stabilities of these candidates were analyzed by three individual software packages including geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper. The results demonstrated that TUBβ6, E2, TUBα, and HSP90 were generally the most suitable sets under all tested conditions; similarly, TUBα and HSP90 showed peak stability under salt stress, TUBα and EF-1α were the most suitable reference genes under cold stress, and ACT and E2 were the most stable under drought stress. Finally, a known circadian gene CCA1 was used to verify the service ability of chosen reference genes. The results confirmed that all recommended reference genes by the three software were suitable for gene expression analysis under tested stress conditions by the qRT-PCR method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a convenient, robust and low-cost RNA detection system suitable for high-throughput applications. This system uses a highly specific sandwich hybridization to capture target RNA directly onto solid support, followed by on-site signal amplification via 2-dimensional, branched hybridizing chain polymerization through toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction. The assay uses SYBR Green to detect targets at concentrations as low as 1 pM, without involving nucleic acid purification or any enzymatic reaction, using ordinary oligonucleotides without modification or labeling. The system was demonstrated in the detection of malaria RNA in blood and GAPDH gene expression in cell lysate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Copy number variations (CNVs) have been recently recognized as another important genetic variability complementary to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Compelling evidence has indicated that CNVs are responsible for phenotypic traits by changing the copy numbers of functional genes. Myosin heavy chain 3 (MYH3) gene is a critical regulatory factor in skeletal muscle development, and has been detected in the CNVs region by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array. This study was conducted to validate and detect the distribution of MYH3 copy numbers (relative to Angus cattle) in four Chinese cattle breeds (NY, QC, LX, and CY), and further to investigate the associations of the copy number changes with its transcriptional expression and cattle growth traits. Substantial genetic differences of MYH3 copy numbers were identified between NY and the other three breeds (P <0.01). The copy numbers of MYH3 gene presented the positive correlations with the transcript level of MYH3 gene in both fetal and adult skeletal muscles (P <0.05). Statistical analysis revealed that CNVs of MYH3 gene were significantly associated with growth traits of NY cattle, and the individuals with copy number gain showed better phenotypes than the loss and/or median groups (P <0.05). This study firstly attempted to establish the correlations between CNVs of candidate genes and growth traits, and our results suggested that the CNVs of MYH3 gene may be utilized as the potential markers for economic traits in selection breeding programs of Chinese cattle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Steroid synthesis and metabolic pathways play important roles in the pathophysiology of PCOS, but until now there have been no studies on the methylation profiles of specific genes in steroid synthesis pathways that are known to be associated with PCOS. Here we used MassARRAY quantitative methylation analysis to determine the methylation levels of each CpG site or cluster in the promoters of EPHX1, SRD5A1, and CYP11A1 in 64 peripheral blood samples. We further examined the methylation level of EPHX1 in an independent cohort consisting of 116 people. Finally, we investigated the role of EPHX1 in steroidogenesis in the KGN cell line. For SRD5A1 and CYP11A1, there was no significant difference in methylation level between patients and controls. For EPHX1, however, the methylation levels of a few consecutive CpG sites and clusters were found to be significantly associated with PCOS. The methylation levels of a number of CpG clusters or sites were significantly lower in patients than in controls in the first cohort consisting of 64 people, such as clusters 13–14 (P<0.05), 15–16 (P<0.001), and 19–24 (P<0.001) and sites CpG_53 (P<0.01) and CpG_54 (P<0.05). Among differentiated methylation sites and clusters, the methylation levels of the CpG cluster 13–14 and CpG cluster 19–24 in PCOS patients were significantly lower than in controls in the second cohort of 116 people (P<0.05 for both). In addition, knockdown and overexpression experiments in KGN cells showed that EPHX1 can regulate estradiol concentrations, and this indicates a role for EPHX1 in steroidogenesis. Our study has demonstrated that methylation of the EPHX1 promoter might be associated with PCOS. This study provides direct evidence that methylation plays an important role in PCOS and demonstrates a novel role for EPHX1 in female reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcriptome analysis is a powerful tool to obtain large amount genome-scale gene expression profiles. Despite its extensive usage to diverse biological problems in the last decade, transcriptomic researches approaching the zebrafish embryonic development have been very limited. Several recent studies have made great progress in this direction, yet the large gap still exists, especially regarding to the transcriptome dynamics of embryonic stages from early gastrulation onwards. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis about the transcriptomes of 9 different stages covering 7 major periods (cleavage, blastula, gastrula, segmentation, pharyngula, hatching and early larval stage) in zebrafish development, by recruiting the RNA-sequencing technology. We detected the expression for at least 24,065 genes in at least one of the 9 stages. We identified 16,130 genes that were significantly differentially expressed between stages and were subsequently classified into six clusters. Each revealed gene cluster had distinct expression patterns and characteristic functional pathways, providing a framework for the understanding of the developmental transcriptome dynamics. Over 4000 genes were identified as preferentially expressed in one of the stages, which could be of high relevance to stage-specific developmental and molecular events. Among the 68 transcription factor families active during development, most had enhanced average expression levels and thus might be crucial for embryogenesis, whereas the inactivation of the other families was likely required by the activation of the zygotic genome. We discussed our RNA-seq data together with previous findings about the Wnt signaling pathway and some other genes with known functions, to show how our data could be used to advance our understanding about these developmental functional elements. Our study provides ample information for further study about the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying vertebrate development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to explore the potential targets of toxicity of β-ionone on the photosynthetic system of Microcystis aeruginosa, the polyphasic rise in chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence transient and transcript expression for key genes in photosystem II (PSII) of M. aeruginosa NIES-843 were studied. The EC50 value of β-ionone on M. aeruginosa NIES-843 was found to be 21.23±1.87mg/L. It was shown that β-Ionone stress can lead to a decrease in pigment content of M. aeruginosa NIES-843 cells, and that carotenoids were more sensitive to β-ionone stress than Chl a. The normalized Chl a fluorescence transients were slightly decreased at 6.67 and 10mg/L β-ionone, but significantly increased at 15, 22.5 and 33.75mg/L. There was no significant variation on transcript expression of psbA and psbO at a concentration of 6.67mg/L β-ionone, but they were down-regulated at 22.5mg/L. Ultrastructural examination by transmission electron microscopy indicated that the thylakoids were distorted, and the thylakoid membrane stacks began to collapse when M. aeruginosa NIES-843 was exposed to β-ionone at a concentration of 22.5 and 33.75mg/L. Our results indicate that the reaction centre of PS II and the electron transport at the acceptor side of PS II are the targets responsible for the toxicity of β-ionone on the PS II of M. aeruginosa NIES-843. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A number of studies microRNAs (miRNA) play an important role in cardiac physiological and pathological processes. In these studies, miRNA regulates gene expression by repressing translation or directing sequence-specific degradation of complementary mRNA. Here, we reveal a new regulatory mechanism in the process of cardiac hypertrophy which miRNA may also regulate the promoter activity of target genes. In the course of the study, we find that miR-466h-5p regulates the occurrence of myocardial hypertrophy via myocardin and it can upregulate the expression of myocardin through directly binding to the promoter region of myocardin. Meanwhile, we also find that myocardin can reverse-activate miR-466h-5p expression through binding to the CarG box. Thus, miR-466h-5p and myocardin form a positive regulation loop in the process of cardiac hypertrophy. These findings reveal a new mode by which miRNAs may regulate gene expression and may play a positive role in revealing the complete mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy. • miR-466h-5p regulates the occurrence of myocardial hypertrophy via myocardin. • miR-466h-5p may also regulate the promoter activity of myocardin. • myocardin can reverse-activate miR-466h-5p expression through binding to the CarG box. • miR-466h-5p and myocardin form a positive regulation loop in the process of cardiac hypertrophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Circadian (daily) biological clocks express characteristics that are difficult to explain by known biochemical mechanisms, and will ultimately require characterizing the structures, functions, and interactions of their molecular components. KaiC is an essential circadian protein in cyanobacteria that forms the core of the KaiABC clock protein complex. We report the crystal structure of the KaiC homohexameric complex at 2.8 Å resolution. The structure resembles a double doughnut with a central pore that is partially sealed at one end. The crystal structure reveals ATP binding, inter-subunit organization, a scaffold for Kai-protein complex formation, the location of critical KaiC mutations, and evolutionary relationships to other proteins. A key auto-phosphorylation site on KaiC (T432) is identified from the crystal structure, and mutation of this residue abolishes circadian rhythmicity. The crystal structure of KaiC will be essential for understanding this circadian clockwork and for establishing its links to global gene expression. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• MdTIC is a target of R2R3 transcription factor MdMYB88 and MdMYB124. • Disruption of MdTIC reduced apple freezing tolerance. • MdTIC regulates plant cold tolerance by mediating the expression of cold-responsive genes and fatty acid composition. Freezing stress is a major environmental factor that threatens the growth and development of fruit trees. MdMYB88 and its paralogue MdMYB124 have been identified as pivotal regulators in apple (Malus × domestica) freezing stress tolerance. Here, we demonstrated that a target of MdMYB88 and MdMYB124, TIME FOR COFFEE (TIC), contributes to freezing tolerance in apple. MdMYB88 and MdMYB124 directly bound the MdTIC promoter and positively regulated its expression under cold conditions. MdTIC RNAi plants displayed reduced freezing tolerance when MdTIC expression was repressed. Moreover, MdTIC RNAi plants lowered antioxidant enzyme activity. Transcriptome profiling revealed altered expression of cold-responsive genes in MdTIC RNAi plants under cold conditions, including MdPLC2 , MdMKK2 , and MdICE1. We also discovered that disordered MdTIC expression changed the saturation of fatty acids. Taken together, our data suggest that MdTIC is required for apple to tolerate freezing by mediating the expression of cold-responsive genes and fatty acid composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a transcription factor, megakaryoblastic leukemia 1 (MKL1) binds with serum response factor (SRF) to regulate targeted genes expression. Therefore, it involved in various cellular processes, such as cancer cells migration, proliferation and differentiation. However, the report about knockout MKL1 expression using CRISPR-Cas9 system in human genome is rare. Therefore, paired-guide RNA (pgRNA) library was constructed, and pgRNA-Cas9 system was used to delete MKL1 expression in HeLa cells. The result showed that the expression of MKL1 was decreased 95% by Western blotting. And wound healing assay and MTT assay indicated that depletion MKL1 inhibited cell migration and proliferation. Additionally, the protein expression levels of tumor suppressor factors p21, p53, pRB and DLC1 were changed after depletion MKL1. These data suggested that tumor suppressor factors p21, p53, pRB and DLC1 maybe played an important role in the cell growth and migration of MKL1-depletion cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]