MOLECULAR MEDICINE REPORTS 14: 4099-4108, 2016

Transcriptional profile of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells transfected by Toxoplasma rhoptry 16

WEIWEI FAN1, SHUANG CHANG1, XIUMEI SHAN1, DEJUN GAO1, STEVEN QIAN ZHANG1, JIN ZHANG2, NAN JIANG2, DUAN MA2 and ZUOHUA MAO1

1Department of Parasitology and Microbiology; 2Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Ministry of Education, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China

Received August 24, 2015; Accepted September 5, 2016

DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5758

Abstract. Toxoplasma rhoptry protein 16 (ROP16) is crucial developmental process, biological regulation and apoptotic in the host‑pathogen interaction by acting as a virulent factor process. A total of 15 candidate from the DEGs were during invasion. To improve understanding of the molecular screened using the ToppGene Suite. No significant differences function underlying the effect of ROP16 on host cells, the in expression were observed between the RT‑qPCR data and present study analyzed the transcriptional profile of genes in the microarray data. Transfection with ROP16 resulted in the ROP16‑transfected SH‑SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell alterations of several biological processes, including nervous line. The transcriptional profile of the SH‑SY5Y human neuro- system development, apoptosis and transcriptional regula- blastoma cell line overexpressing ROP16 were determined tion. Several genes, including CXCL12, BAI1, ZIC2, RBMX, by microarray analysis in order to determine the host neural RASSF6, MAGE‑A6 and HOX, were identified as significant cell response to the virulent factor. Functional analysis was DEGs. Taken together, these results may contribute to under- performed using the Protein Analysis Through Evolutionary standing the mechanisms underlying the functions of ROP16 Relationships classification system. The ToppGene Suite was and provide scope for further investigation of the pathogenesis used to select candidate genes from the differentially expressed of Toxoplasma gondii. genes. A protein‑protein interaction network was constructed using Cytoscape software according to the interaction asso- Introduction ciations determined using the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/. Reverse transcription‑quanti- Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic protozoan tative polymerase chain reaction (RT‑qPCR) analysis of the pathogen, which is capable of invading and replicating in all selected genes confirmed the results of the microarray. The nucleated cells. T. gondii infection can cause neurological results showed that 383 genes were differentially expressed problems, including encephalitis, in immunocomprised in response to ROP16 transfection, of which 138 genes were individuals (1). Of note, toxoplasmic infection in the prenatal upregulated and 245 genes were downregulated. Functional period is a common cause of brain malformation, and can analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes critically affect the central nervous system and retinal (DEGs) were involved in several biological processes, including development, culminating in long‑term cognitive deficits (2). Histopathological lesions in the frontal lobe have been found to be more prevalent than in other areas of the brain of BALB/c mice infected with T. gondii (3). T. gondii is defined by the presence of an apical complex, including secretory Correspondence to: Professor Zuohua Mao, Department of organelles (4,5). The rhoptries are one type of apical secre- Parasitology and Microbiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, tory organelle of T. gondii, and they have been shown to be Fudan University, 130 Dong'an Road, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China E‑mail: [email protected] closely associated wi