• Original article (Basic research) • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Establishment of cell-based screening system for compound regulating the stability of retinoic acid receptors

JING Bo1, CHEN Peng-hui1, GAO Xiang1, XU Yuan-yuan1, WU Yun-zhao1, SUN Yun2, WU Ying-li1   

  1. 1. Department of Pathophysiology, The Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of the Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China; 2. Shanghai Ruijin Rehabilitation Hospital, Shanghai 200023, China
  • Online:2017-04-28 Published:2017-05-04
  • Supported by:

    National Natural Science Foundation of China, 81570118; Foundation of Science and Technology Committee of Shanghai Municipality, 15401901800; National Undergraduate Innovative Experiment Project, 201110248075

Abstract:

 Objective · To establish a cell-based screening system for identification of compounds with activity in regulating retinoic acid receptor (RARα) stability. Methods · The modified pMSCV plasmid constructs, named as RARα-EGFP-IRES-DsRed, consists of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusing to RARα and red fluorescent protein (DsRed) as internal references incorporating the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) as interval sequence. The RARα-EGFP-IRES-DsRed plasmid was stably transfected into NB4 cells which were named as NB4-pMGIR-RARα. Fluorescence signals of EGFP and DsRed indirectly reflecting the expression of RARα, were detected by flow cytometry in cells that were treated with all-trans retinoic acid, sodium valproate, cytarabine, lenalidomide, etoposide, montelukast and gambogic acid, respectively. Effects of these compounds on the expression of RARα protein were further examined by Western blotting. Results · A double fluorescence reporter system for screening compounds that can increase the stability of RARα protein was successfully established, and sodium valproate was identified as a potent compound to promote the stability of RARα. Conclusion · The double fluorescence reporter system can be used to screen compounds regulating the stability of RARα protein, which can be further used to identify compounds regulating the stability of other proteins.

Key words:  RARα, drug screening, sodium valproate, all-trans retinoic acid, NB4 cell