TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you are given a passage which has a question and the context. You have to generate an answer to the question based on the information present in the context.
PROBLEM: Context: Cystic ovarian disease is an important cause of infertility that affects bovine, ovine, caprine and porcine species and even human beings. Alterations in the ovarian micro-environment of females with follicular cysts could alter the normal processes of proliferation and programmed cell death in ovarian cells. Thus, our objective was to evaluate apoptosis and proliferation in ovarian cystic follicles in rats in order to investigate the cause of cystic follicle formation and persistence.', 'We compared the number of in situ apoptotic cells by TUNEL assay, expression of active caspase-3 and members of Bcl-2 family by immunohistochemistry; and cell proliferation by the expression of the proliferation markers: PCNA and Ki-67.', 'The proliferation index was low in granulosa of tertiary and cystic follicles of light exposed rats when compared with tertiary follicles of control animals, while in theca interna only cystic follicles presented low proliferation index when compared with tertiary follicles (p < 0.05). The granulosa of cysts exhibited a similar cell DNA fragmentation to early atretic follicles. In the granulosa and theca interna, active caspase-3 shown similar immunostaining levels in tertiary and cystic follicles (p < 0.05). The granulosa cells presented high expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and Bcl-w in the tertiary and cystic follicles with diminishing intensity in the atretic follicles, except with Bcl-w where the intensity was maintained in the atretic follicles (p < 0.05). The expression of Bax was weak in the healthy and cystic follicles. In the theca interna, Bcl-2 expression was the same as the pattern found in the granulosa; no differences were found between tertiary and cystic follicles from both groups for Bcl-xL and Bcl-w. The expression of Bax in this layer was higher in the tertiary follicles of the treated animals (p < 0.05) while the values for cystic follicles were similar to those in the tertiary follicles of controls. The theca externa showed low expression of the pro and anti-apoptotic proteins.\Question: Does an imbalance between apoptosis and proliferation contribute to follicular persistence in polycystic ovaries in rats?

SOLUTION: These results show that the combination of weak proliferation indices and low apoptosis observed in follicular cysts, could explain the cause of the slow growth of cystic follicles and the maintenance of a static condition without degeneration, which leads to their persistence. These alterations may be due to structural and functional modifications that take place in these cells and could be related to hormonal changes in animals with this condition.

PROBLEM: Context: Non-viral gene transfer efficiency is low as compared to viral vector systems. Here we describe the discovery of new drugs that are capable of enhancing non-viral gene transfer into mammalian cells using a novel two-stage screening procedure.', 'First, potential candidates are preselected from a molecular library at various concentrations by a semi-automated yeast transfection screen (YTS). The maximal transfection efficiency of every positive drug is subsequently determined in independent experiments at the optimal concentration and compared to the inhibitory effect of the drug on cell growth (IC50). In a subsequent mammalian cell transfection screen (MTS), the maximal transfection efficiency and the IC50 are determined for all preselected drugs using a human cell line and a luciferase reporter gene construct.', 'Employing our novel system we have been able to identify a new class of transfection enhancers, the tricyclic antidepressants (i.e. doxepin, maprotiline, desipramine and amoxapine). All positive drugs enhanced gene transfer in both yeast and human cell lines, but lower concentrations were sufficient for mammalian cells. With a triple combination of doxepin, amoxapine and chloroquine we obtained a transfection efficiency that exceeded that of chloroquine, one of the best-known transfection enhancers of mammalian cells, by nearly one order of magnitude.\Question: Does novel two-stage screening procedure lead to the identification of a new class of transfection enhancers?

SOLUTION: Non-viral gene transfer efficiency can be increased significantly using new transfection enhancers that are identified by a novel, semi-automated two-stage screening system employing yeast cells in the first and specific human target cells in the second round.

PROBLEM: Context: Notch signaling is indicated as novel therapeutic targets to prevent recurrence of breast cancer. LncRNAs were identified as downstream target of Notch pathway. However, the exact mechanisms involved in Notch signaling, lncRNAs and breast cancer remain to be explained.', 'This original research aimed to determine the prognostic implications of Notch-1 for breast cancer, and explain mechanisms involved in regulation of lnRNA GAS5 by Notch-1, and identify the function of this mechanism on breast cancer.', 'Thirty breast cancer patients were included from The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University (China) since January 2006 in this study. The mRNA level by RT-PCR and protein level of Notch-1 by western blot in tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues were evaluated and 5-year survival analysis was applied to examine the significance of Notch-1. The levels of ten reported lncRNAs were determined by RT-PCR, and subsequently linear analysis was applied to analyze the relationship between these four unique lncRNAs and protein level of Notch-1, which identified the most relevant lncRNA GAS5 with Notch-1 in breast cancer. Subsequently, Notch1-siRNA was applied to influence the expression of Notch-1 in T47D, then the level of RSA5 was measured by RT-PCR, and CCK-8 assay was applied to measure the proliferation of T47D cells.', 'High level of Notch-1 provided a poor prognosis in breast cancer. Interference of Notch-1 significantly suppressed proliferation of T47D cell (P < 0.05), and significantly increased the level of GAS5.\Question: Does notch-1 promote breast cancer cells proliferation by regulating LncRNA GAS5?

SOLUTION:
Notch-1 promotes breast cancer cells proliferation by regulating LncRNA GAS5.