The pSG5-STAT3-C vector was made by excision of constitutively activated STAT3 (STAT3-C) from STAT3 pcDNA3.1 vector (14 (link)) with Pme1 and BamH1. The STAT3-C fragment was cloned into pSG5 after restriction with EcoR1 and Klenow treatment. The PA-HMGA1a vector was made by excision of the full-length murine HMGA1a cDNA from the vector pHEBoNeo-HMG-I3 with HindIII, Klenow treatment, and subsequent NotI digestion. The HMGA1a fragment was subsequently cloned into the EF1α expression vector (18 (link)) after restriction with BamHI and Klenow treatment. The STAT promoter vectors were described (kindly provided by K. Kohno, Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan; ref. 19 (link)).
Transfections were done using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions as we previously described (10 (link)). In the experiments with HEL control or HEL-HMGA1 cells, the STAT3 promoter reporter plasmid (1 μg) was cotransfected with the control pRL-TK vector (100 ng) containing Renilla luciferase (Promega) to control for transfection efficiency (3 × 105 cells/500 μL per transfection). The DNA was mixed with Lipofectamine 2000 at a ratio of 1 μg:1.5 μL (in Opti-MEM, Invitrogen) and incubated with cells for 6 h. Cells were harvested for luciferase activity 24 h after transfection and experiments were done twice in triplicate. In the titration experiment, reporter plasmid (100 ng), control Renilla luciferase plasmid (50 ng), and 0 to 150 ng of HMGA1a expression plasmid (pSG5-HMG-I) were cotransfected as described above. The pSG5 plasmid was added (0–150 ng) to keep the total DNA constant in the titration experiments (1 × 105 cells/100 μL per transfection). The DNA was mixed with Lipofectamine 2000 at a ratio of 1 μg:1.67 μL (in Opti-MEM, Invitrogen) and cells were harvested as described above.
The lentiviral construct expressing dominant-negative STAT3 (Lenti-DN-STAT3) was made from the pcDNA3.1-STAT3DN (provided by J-I. Park, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; ref. 14 (link)). The cytomegalovirus promoter was replaced by the human EF1α promoter from pEF1/Myc-His-A (Invitrogen) and the EF-DN-STAT3 cassette was cloned into the cFUGW lentivirus (provided by D. Baltimore, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA) at the PacI site and lentiviral supernatants were made as described (20 (link)).
Transfections were done using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions as we previously described (10 (link)). In the experiments with HEL control or HEL-HMGA1 cells, the STAT3 promoter reporter plasmid (1 μg) was cotransfected with the control pRL-TK vector (100 ng) containing Renilla luciferase (Promega) to control for transfection efficiency (3 × 105 cells/500 μL per transfection). The DNA was mixed with Lipofectamine 2000 at a ratio of 1 μg:1.5 μL (in Opti-MEM, Invitrogen) and incubated with cells for 6 h. Cells were harvested for luciferase activity 24 h after transfection and experiments were done twice in triplicate. In the titration experiment, reporter plasmid (100 ng), control Renilla luciferase plasmid (50 ng), and 0 to 150 ng of HMGA1a expression plasmid (pSG5-HMG-I) were cotransfected as described above. The pSG5 plasmid was added (0–150 ng) to keep the total DNA constant in the titration experiments (1 × 105 cells/100 μL per transfection). The DNA was mixed with Lipofectamine 2000 at a ratio of 1 μg:1.67 μL (in Opti-MEM, Invitrogen) and cells were harvested as described above.
The lentiviral construct expressing dominant-negative STAT3 (Lenti-DN-STAT3) was made from the pcDNA3.1-STAT3DN (provided by J-I. Park, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD; ref. 14 (link)). The cytomegalovirus promoter was replaced by the human EF1α promoter from pEF1/Myc-His-A (Invitrogen) and the EF-DN-STAT3 cassette was cloned into the cFUGW lentivirus (provided by D. Baltimore, Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA) at the PacI site and lentiviral supernatants were made as described (20 (link)).