title: iNOS gene silencing prevents inflammatory cytokine-induced beta-cell apoptosis.
abstract: Human islet transplantation has great potential as an effective means of treating insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and subsequent product of radical nitric oxide (NO) impair islet beta-cell function. Therefore, we hypothesize that iNOS gene silencing will prevent beta-cell death and improve the survival and function of islets. Small interfering RNA duplex (siRNA) inhibited rat iNOS gene expression and NO production in rat beta-cell lines (INS-1E) in a dose- and sequence-dependent manner. iNOS gene silencing also protected these beta-cells from inflammatory cytokine-induced apoptosis and increased their capacity to secret insulin. Three siRNA sequences against human iNOS were then designed and transfected into human islets. Although there was dose- and sequence-dependent iNOS gene silencing and NO production in human islets, the effect of iNOS gene silencing on apoptosis of islets was only moderate, as evidenced by 25-30% reduction in caspase 3 activity and in the percentage of apoptotic cells. Since an islet is a cluster of 200-1,000 cells, the transfection efficiency of lipid/siRNA complexes into human islets was only 21-28%, compared to effective transfection efficiency (>90%) in beta-cell lines. Nevertheless, these results suggest that siRNA may penetrate beyond the periphery into a larger percentage of an islet mass than previously thought.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ram I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Mahato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002460:Cell Line; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D050417:Insulin-Secreting Cells / Q000187:drug effects*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II