Many studies show that genetics play a major contribution to the onset of obesity. Human genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of genes that are associated with obesity. How Show more
Many studies show that genetics play a major contribution to the onset of obesity. Human genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified hundreds of genes that are associated with obesity. However, the majority of them have not been functionally validated. Show less
Glioma is one of the most common intracranial malignancies that plagues people around the world. Despite current improvements in treatment, the prognosis of glioma is often unsatisfactory. Necroptosis Show more
Glioma is one of the most common intracranial malignancies that plagues people around the world. Despite current improvements in treatment, the prognosis of glioma is often unsatisfactory. Necroptosis is a form of programmed cell death. As research progresses, the role of necroptosis in tumors has gradually attracted the attention of researchers. And lncRNA is regarded as a critical role in the development of cancer. Therefore, this study is aimed at establishing a prognostic model based on necroptosis-associated lncRNAs to accurately assess the prognosis and immune response of patients with glioma. The RNA sequences of glioma patients and normal brain samples were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and GTEx databases, respectively. The coexpression analysis was performed to identify the necroptosis-related lncRNAs. Then, we utilized LASSO analysis following univariate Cox analysis to construct a prognostic model. Subsequently, we applied the Kaplan-Meier curve, time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC), and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses to assess the effectiveness of this model. And the functional enrichment analyses and immune-related analyses were employed to investigate the potential biological functions. A validation set was obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database. And qRT-PCR was employed to further validate the expression levels of selected necroptosis-associated lncRNAs. Seven necroptosis-related lncRNAs (FAM13A-AS1, JMJD1C-AS1, LBX2-AS1, ZBTB20-AS4, HAR1A, SNHG14, and LINC00900) were determined to construct a prognostic model. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.871, 0.901, and 0.911 at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. The risk score was shown to be an important independent predictor in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Through functional enrichment analyses, we found that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in protein binding and signaling-related biological functions and immune-associated pathways. In conclusion, we established and validated a novel necroptosis-related lncRNA signature, which could accurately predict the overall survival of glioma patients and serve as potential therapeutic targets. Show less
Acute lung injury (ALI) represents a frequent sepsis-induced inflammatory disorder. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) elicit anti-inflammatory effects in sepsis. This study investigated the mechanism o Show more
Acute lung injury (ALI) represents a frequent sepsis-induced inflammatory disorder. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) elicit anti-inflammatory effects in sepsis. This study investigated the mechanism of exosomes from adipose-derived MSCs (ADMSCs) in sepsis-induced ALI. The IL-27r Show less
Diabetes is a serious disease that could greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular complications, whereas the underlying pathology of DN is still unknown. GPRC5B is a member of the RAIG subfamily of Show more
Diabetes is a serious disease that could greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular complications, whereas the underlying pathology of DN is still unknown. GPRC5B is a member of the RAIG subfamily of type 3 (family C) GPCR, and its role in DN is still unclear. To unveil the role of GPRC5B in diabetic nephropathy (DN) progression and investigate the potential signaling pathway. Podocytes were stimulated with high glucose and expression of GPRC5B was analyzed by qPCR and western blot. Then the level of GPRC5B was depleted by siRNA transfection and inflammatory cytokine level was monitored by ELISA assay. The ECM depostion and the activation of NF-κB pathway were detected by Immunoblot. We investigated the possible role of GPRC5B in the pathology of diabetic nephropathy. We found GPRC5B was highly expressed in high glocuse (HG) induced podocytes. The depletion of GPRC5B inhibited HG induced cell inflammation. In addition, the ablation of GPRC5B suppressed the HG induced ECM deposition. We further found GPRC5B could alleviate the inflammation and extracellular matrix deposition of HG-induced podocytes through NF-κB pathway. We therefore thought GPRC5B could serve as a promising target for the treatment of diabetic nephropathy. G-protein-coupled receptors. Show less
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive human cancer with increasing incidence worldwide. Multiple efforts have been made to explore pharmaceutical therapies to treat HCC, such as targeted tyr Show more
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive human cancer with increasing incidence worldwide. Multiple efforts have been made to explore pharmaceutical therapies to treat HCC, such as targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immune based therapies and combination of chemotherapy. However, limitations exist in current strategies including chemoresistance for instance. Tumor initiation and progression is driven by reprogramming of metabolism, in particular during HCC development. Recently, metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a reappraisal of new nomenclature for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), indicates growing appreciation of metabolism in the pathogenesis of liver disease, including HCC, thereby suggesting new strategies by targeting abnormal metabolism for HCC treatment. In this review, we introduce directions by highlighting the metabolic targets in glucose, fatty acid, amino acid and glutamine metabolism, which are suitable for HCC pharmaceutical intervention. We also summarize and discuss current pharmaceutical agents and studies targeting deregulated metabolism during HCC treatment. Furthermore, opportunities and challenges in the discovery and development of HCC therapy targeting metabolism are discussed. Show less
Dihydrotanshinone (DIH) is an extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. It has been reported that DIH could regulate NF-κB signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate whether DIH could pro Show more
Dihydrotanshinone (DIH) is an extract of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. It has been reported that DIH could regulate NF-κB signaling pathway. The aim of this study was to investigate whether DIH could protect mice from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. In this study, sixty mice were randomly divided into five groups, one group as blank control group, the second group as LPS control group, and the last three groups were pre-injected with different doses of DIH and then inhaled LPS for experimental comparison. After 12 h of LPS treatment, the wet-dry ratio, histopathlogical changes, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity of lungs were measured. In addition, ELISA kits were used to measure the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF), and western blot analysis was used to measure the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway. The results demonstrated that DIH could effectively reduce pulmonary edema, MPO activity, and improve the lung histopathlogical changes. Furthermore, DIH suppressed the levels of inflammatory cytokines in BALF, such as TNF-α and IL-1β. In addition, DIH could also downregulate the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway. We also found that DIH dose-dependently increased the expression of LXRα. In addition, DIH could inhibit LPS-induced IL-8 production and NF-κB activation in A549 cells. And the inhibitory effects were reversed by LXRα inhibitor geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP). Therefore, we speculate that DIH regulates LPS-induced ALI in mice by increasing LXRα expression, which subsequently inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway. Show less
Background Myocardial replacement fibrosis is one of the major histologic features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but its characteristics have not been well delineated. Purpose To clarify the c Show more
Background Myocardial replacement fibrosis is one of the major histologic features of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but its characteristics have not been well delineated. Purpose To clarify the characteristics of replacement fibrosis in HCM and to evaluate the prognostic value of the regional extent of fibrosis. Materials and Methods This prospective study evaluated participants with HCM who underwent contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI from March 2011 to April 2019. For each participant, global and 16-segment extent of late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) in the left ventricle (LV) at cardiac MRI was analyzed. The primary end point was all-cause death. Results Among the 798 study participants enrolled (median age, 49 years [interquartile range {IQR}: 38-59 years]; 508 men), 588 (74%) underwent whole-exome sequencing. Thirty-five participants (4%) experienced death from any cause during a median follow-up of 2.9 years (IQR: 1.5-4.7 years). Spearman analysis showed weak correlations between the extent of LGE and wall thickness (LGE of global LV and maximal LV wall thickness, Show less
Hyperbilirubinemia is a serious hazard to human health due to its neurotoxicity and lethality. So far, successful therapy for hyperbilirubinemia with fewer side effects is still lacking. In this study Show more
Hyperbilirubinemia is a serious hazard to human health due to its neurotoxicity and lethality. So far, successful therapy for hyperbilirubinemia with fewer side effects is still lacking. In this study, we aimed to clarify the effects of oridonin (Ori), an active diterpenoid extracted from Rabdosia rubescens, on hyperbilirubinemia and revealed the underlying molecular mechanism in vivo and in vitro. Here, we showed that liver X receptor alpha (LXRα) deletion eliminated the protective effect of Ori on phenylhydrazine hydrochloride-induced hyperbilirubinemia mice, indicating that LXRα acted as a key target for Ori treatment of hyperbilirubinemia. Ori significantly increased the expression of LXRα and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) in the liver of wild-type (WT) mice, which were lost in LXRα Show less
Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common human malignant tumors worldwide. Chromobox (CBX) family proteins are significant components of epigenetic regulatory complexes. It is reported that CB Show more
Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common human malignant tumors worldwide. Chromobox (CBX) family proteins are significant components of epigenetic regulatory complexes. It is reported that CBXs play critical roles in the oncogenesis and development of various tumors. Nonetheless, their functions and specific roles in EC remain vague and obscure. We used multiple bioinformatics tools, including Oncomine, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 (GEPIA2), UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, cBioPortal, Metascape, TIMER2 and TISIDB, to investigate the expression profile, gene alterations and prognostic roles of CBX family proteins, as well as their association with clinicopathologic parameters, immune cells and immune regulators. In addition, RT-qPCR, Western blot, CCK8, colony formation, wound healing and transwell assays were performed to investigate the biological functions of CBX3 in EC cells. CBX3 and CBX5 were overexpressed in EC compared to normal tissues. Survival analysis revealed that high expression of CBX1 predicted worse disease-free survival (DFS) in EC patients. Functionally, CBXs might participate in mismatch repair, spliceosome, cell cycle, the Fanconi anemia pathway, tight junction, the mRNA surveillance pathway and the Hippo signaling pathway in EC development. Furthermore, CBXs were related to distinct immune cells infiltration and immune regulators. Additionally, depletion of CBX3 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of EC cells. Our study comprehensively investigated the expression pattern, prognostic value, and gene alterations of CBXs in EC, as well as their relationships with clinicopathologic variables, immune cells infiltration and immune regulators. These results suggested that CBX family proteins, especially CBX3, might be potential biomarkers in the progression of EC. Show less
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), composed of leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are important essential amino acids in human physiology. Decades of studies have revealed their roles in protein synthe Show more
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), composed of leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are important essential amino acids in human physiology. Decades of studies have revealed their roles in protein synthesis, regulating neurotransmitter synthesis, and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR). BCAAs are found to be related to many metabolic disorders, such as insulin resistance, obesity, and heart failure. Also, many diseases are related to the alteration of the BCAA catabolism enzyme branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase kinase (BCKDK), including maple syrup urine disease, human autism with epilepsy, and so on. In this review, diseases and the corresponding therapies are discussed after the introduction of the catabolism and detection methods of BCAAs and BCKDK. Also, the interaction between microbiota and BCAAs is highlighted. Show less
We aimed to explore and identify candidate protein biomarkers of cryoglobulinemia (CGE) in disease control patients with negative cryoglobulin (DC) or healthy controls (HCs). The tandem mass tag (TMT) Show more
We aimed to explore and identify candidate protein biomarkers of cryoglobulinemia (CGE) in disease control patients with negative cryoglobulin (DC) or healthy controls (HCs). The tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled serum quantitative proteomics approach was used to identify differentially expressed proteins between the CGE and DC groups. Ingenuity pathway analysis was used for functional annotation of differentially expressed proteins. Biomarker candidates were validated in another cohort using the parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) method. Apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), apolipoprotein CIII (APOC3), adiponectin, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type-9 (PCSK9), which represent key proteins involved in the cholesterol metabolism pathway, were further verified in an increased number of samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 1004 proteins were identified, of which 109 proteins were differentially expressed between the CGE and DC groups. These differentially expressed proteins were primarily involved in hepatic fibrosis/hepatic stellate cell activation and immune/inflammation-related pathways. In the disease and biofunction analysis, these proteins were mainly associated with the adhesion of blood cells, leukocyte migration, cholesterol transport, and transport of lipids. Twelve candidate biomarkers were validated by PRM-based proteomics, and proteins involved in the cholesterol metabolism pathway were further verified. APOA1, APOC3, adiponectin and PCSK9 concentrations were increased in CGE patients compared with healthy controls (P=0.0123, 0.1136, 0.5760, and 0.0019, respectively). This report describes the first application of a TMT-PRM-ELISA workflow to identify and validate CGE-specific biomarkers in serum. APOA1 and PCSK9 have been confirmed to be increased in CGE patients, demonstrating that proteins involved in cholesterol metabolism are also implicated in the development of CGE. These findings contribute to pathogenesis research and biomarker discovery in CGE. Show less
Fatty acid composition contributes greatly to the nutritional value of meat, and breeds/strains are important factors affecting the composition of fatty acid. Recently, few studies have focused on the Show more
Fatty acid composition contributes greatly to the nutritional value of meat, and breeds/strains are important factors affecting the composition of fatty acid. Recently, few studies have focused on the fatty acid composition in breast muscle of different duck breeds. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to compare the fatty acid composition and lipid metabolism-related genes expression in breast muscle of Jianchang duck (J), Cherry Verry duck (CV) and 3 crossbred strains (BH1, BH2 and MC♂ × (BGF2♂ × GF2♀)♀ (MBG)). Our results showed that the breast muscle of J had the highest contents of C22:1(n-9) but the lowest ratios of Ʃ-omega 6 (Ʃn-6)/Ʃ-omega 3 (Ʃn-3), Ʃ-mono-unsaturated fatty acid (ƩMUFA)/Ʃ-saturated fatty acid (ƩSFA) and Ʃ-polyunsaturated fatty acid (ƩPUFA)/ƩSFA. The ƩPUFA/ƩSFA ratio was higher in breast muscle of MBG than in that of BH2 and CV, and the contents of C22:1(n-9), ƩMUFA and ƩPUFA were higher in BH1 than in BH2 and CV. Furthermore, the mRNA levels of SCD1, FADS2, ELOVL2, and ELOVL5 were significantly higher in MBG (P < 0.05), while those of FASD1 and ACACA were significantly higher in BH1 than in BH2 and CV (P < 0.05). Principal component analysis showed that fatty acids variation exhibited extensive positive loading on principal components (PCs). Correlation analysis showed that PC1 and PC3 of BH1, as well as PC1 of MBG were correlated with the mRNA levels of ACACA and FABP3, respectively. Thus, it could be concluded that the breast muscles of MBG and BH1 have better fatty acid composition, which was closely related to the increased expression levels of SCD1, FADS2, ELOVL2, and ELOVL5 genes in MBG but FADS1 and ACACA in BH1. Moreover, these results also showed that crossbreeding could optimize the composition of fatty acid in breast muscle of ducks. Show less
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of IL-27 on Th1 cells infiltration in human fetal membranes (FMs) in preterm labor (PL). The expression of Th1 cells specific transcription fac Show more
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of IL-27 on Th1 cells infiltration in human fetal membranes (FMs) in preterm labor (PL). The expression of Th1 cells specific transcription factor (T-bet), Th1 cells infiltration related molecules (CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and ICAM-1), and IL-27 receptor α subunit (IL-27Rα) was compared in human FMs from pregnant women in PL group and term labor (TL) group. In vitro, rhIL-27 was added to the culture medium of amniotic epithelial cells (WISH cells) to detect the expression of CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and ICAM-1. Furthermore, the underlying signaling pathway was detected by single-sample gene set enrichment analysis and western blot analysis. The expression of T-bet and CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and ICAM-1 as well as IL-27Rα was higher in human FMs from PL group than TL group. In vitro, rhIL-27 could upregulate the expression of CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and ICAM-1 in WISH cells. Using gene-set enrichment analysis of FMs, JAK/STAT signaling pathway was found to be activated by IL-27 signaling in PL. Using western blot analysis, JAK2/STAT1/STAT3 signaling pathway was confirmed to be enhanced in rhIL-27 treated WISH cells. In addition, AG490 (JAK2 inhibitor) could inhibit the secretion of CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in WISH cells stimulated by rhIL-27. Our results suggested that IL-27 may promote Th1 cells infiltration in human FMs in PL, by promoting the expression of CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 at least partly through JAK2/STAT1/STAT3 signaling pathway. Show less
In recent years, peri-organ fat has emerged as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in metabolic diseases, including diabetes mellitus. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of epicardial adipose Show more
In recent years, peri-organ fat has emerged as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in metabolic diseases, including diabetes mellitus. Here, we performed a comprehensive analysis of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) transcriptome expression differences between diabetic and non-diabetic participants and explored the possible mechanisms using various bioinformatic tools. RNA-seq datasets GSE108971 and GSE179455 for EAT between diabetic and non-diabetic patients were obtained from the public functional genomics database Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using the R package DESeq2, then Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were analyzed. Next, a PPI (protein-protein interaction) network was constructed, and hub genes were mined using STRING and Cytoscape. Additionally, CIBERSORT was used to analyze the immune cell infiltration, and key transcription factors were predicted based on ChEA3. By comparing EAT samples between diabetic and non-diabetic patients, a total of 238 DEGs were identified, including 161 upregulated genes and 77 downregulated genes. A total of 10 genes (IL-1β, CD274, PDCD1, ITGAX, PRDM1, LAG3, TNFRSF18, CCL20, IL1RN, and SPP1) were selected as hub genes. GO and KEGG analysis showed that DEGs were mainly enriched in the inflammatory response and cytokine activity. Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that macrophage M2 and T cells CD4 memory resting accounted for the largest proportion of these immune cells. CSRNP1, RELB, NFKB2, SNAI1, and FOSB were detected as potential transcription factors. Comprehensive bioinformatic analysis was used to compare the difference in EAT between diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Several hub genes, transcription factors, and immune cell infiltration were identified. Diabetic EAT is significantly different in the inflammatory response and cytokine activity. These findings may provide new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, as well as reduce potential cardiovascular complications in diabetic patients through EAT modification. Show less
Zimiao Luo, Linwei Lu, Weixia Xu+7 more · 2022 · Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society · Elsevier · added 2026-04-24
Chemotherapy is still the mainstay treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) currently in clinical practice. The unmet needs of chemotherapy for metastatic TNBC are mainly from th Show more
Chemotherapy is still the mainstay treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) currently in clinical practice. The unmet needs of chemotherapy for metastatic TNBC are mainly from the insufficient drug delivery and unavailable targeting strategy that thwart the whole progression of metastatic TNBC. The in vivo ligands-mediated active targeting efficiency is usually affected by protein corona. While, the protein corona-bridged natural targeting, in turn, provides a new way for specific drug delivery. Herein, we develop a novel metastatic progression-oriented in vivo self-assembled Cabazitaxel nanocrystals (CNC) delivery system (PC/CNC) through the CNC automatically absorbing functional plasma proteins (transferrin, apolipoprotein A-IV and apolipoprotein E) in vivo, aiming to achieve the simultaneously targeted delivery to primary tumors, circulating tumor cells and metastatic lesions. With the unique advantages of superhigh drug-loading and protein corona empowered active targeting properties to tumor cells, HUVECs, active-platelets and blood-brain barrier/blood-tumor barrier, the PC/CNC exhibits a significantly improved therapeutic effect in metastatic TNBC therapy compared with free drug and CNC-loaded liposomes. Show less
Although pesticides commonly exist as combinations in real-life situations of the aquatic ecosystem, the impact of the toxicity of their mixtures has remained largely unclear. In this study, we invest Show more
Although pesticides commonly exist as combinations in real-life situations of the aquatic ecosystem, the impact of the toxicity of their mixtures has remained largely unclear. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of two neurotoxic pesticides, including one organophosphate insecticide phoxim (PHO) and one pyrethroid insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin (LCY), on the embryos of the small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis), and their potential pathways. LCY exhibited higher toxicity relative to PHO, with a 72-h LC Show less
Danlou tablet (DLT), the traditional Chinese medicine has been commonly used for dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease. Whether it was effective against vascular injury caused by C Show more
Danlou tablet (DLT), the traditional Chinese medicine has been commonly used for dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease. Whether it was effective against vascular injury caused by CIH has remained unknown. The aim of the current study was to observe the effects of DLT on chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced vascular injury via regulation of blood lipids and to explore potential mechanisms. Sixteen 12-week-old male ApoE CIH exposure increases serum lipid levels, decreases serum LPL activity, and exacerbates atherosclerosis. Both Angptl4-ab and DLT treatment reversed the changes in lipid concentration, LPL activity, and atherosclerosis caused by CIH. In the epididymal fat pad, CIH exposure decreased the expression of FIH-1 and increased the expression of HIF-1, whereas DLT treatment increased the expression of FIH-1 and LPL and inhibited the expression of HIF-1 and Angptl4. In heart tissue, the expression levels of LPL and Angptl4 were not affected by modeling or treatment. DLT improved vascular damage by improving the increase in blood lipids induced by CIH, potentially by upregulating FIH-1 and downregulating HIF-1 and Angptl4 in adipose tissue. Therefore, DLT may be a promising agent for the prevention and treatment of CIH-induced vascular injury. Show less
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a typical C8 representative compound of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) widely used in industrial and domestic products. It is a persistent organi Show more
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a typical C8 representative compound of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) widely used in industrial and domestic products. It is a persistent organic pollutant found in the environment as well as in the tissues of humans and wildlife. Despite emerging scientific and public interest, the precise mechanisms of PFOA toxicity remain unclear. In this study, male rats were exposed to 1.25, 5, and 20 mg PFOA/kg body weight/day for 14 days by gavage; food intake and bodyweight changes were recorded every day. After 14 days, blood was collected for sera biochemistry, livers were quickly stripped and weighed after execution. Part of the liver tissue was frozen by liquid nitrogen for iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomics Analysis; and some was fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) for histological section and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Urine samples were also collected and monitored by raising rats in metabolic cages. Real-time quantitative PCR and western blot was used to validate the proteomics assay after bioinformatics analysis. The results demonstrate that 20 mg/kg/d PFOA exposure cause body weight loss and significant liver swelling and reduced urea metabolism. The sera biochemistry assay shows that ALT, GGT, BILD and UREA levels have significant changes compared with normal control group and reference range of rat sera. The subsequent iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomics analysis of rat livers identified 3,327 non-redundant proteins of which 112 proteins were significantly upregulated and 80 proteins were downregulated. Gene ontology analysis revealed proteins are primarily involved in cellular, metabolic and single-organism processes. Among them, eight proteins (ACOX1, ACOX2, ACOX3, ACSL1, EHHADH, GOT2, MTOR and ACAA1) were related to oxidation of fatty acids and two proteins (ASS1 and CPS1) were found to be associated with urea cycle disorder. The downregulation of urea synthesis proteins ASS1 and CPS1 after exposure to PFOA was then confirmed through qPCR and western blot analysis. Together, these data demonstrate that PFOA exposure directly influences urea metabolism and provides insight into specific mechanisms of hepatotoxicity as a result of PFOA exposure. Show less
To explore the functions of Chordin-like 2, which is encoded by The fetal RPE cells (fRPE) was obtained from aborted fetus which obeyed medical ethics. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction Show more
To explore the functions of Chordin-like 2, which is encoded by The fetal RPE cells (fRPE) was obtained from aborted fetus which obeyed medical ethics. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure expression quantity of In normal RPE cells, BMP pathway can be activated in a correct temporal order, otherwise, the cells have incorrect differentiation orientation. And Chordin-like 2 plays a role in dynamic regulation of BMP pathway and it also regulates the differentiation of RPE cells. Therefore, this research enlightens a new direction to inhibit EMT and promote cell redifferentiation after injury. Show less
Koolen-de Vries syndrome (KdVS) is a rare disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of KAT8 regulatory NSL complex subunit 1 (KANSL1), which is characterized by intellectual disability, heart failure, hyp Show more
Koolen-de Vries syndrome (KdVS) is a rare disorder caused by haploinsufficiency of KAT8 regulatory NSL complex subunit 1 (KANSL1), which is characterized by intellectual disability, heart failure, hypotonia, and congenital malformations. To date, no effective treatment has been found for KdVS, largely due to its unknown pathogenesis. Using siRNA screening, we identified KANSL1 as an essential gene for autophagy. Mechanistic study shows that KANSL1 modulates autophagosome-lysosome fusion for cargo degradation via transcriptional regulation of autophagosomal gene, STX17. Kansl1 Show less
Rab21 is a GTPase protein that is functional in intracellular trafficking and involved in the pathologies of many diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), glioma, cancer, etc. Our previous work has Show more
Rab21 is a GTPase protein that is functional in intracellular trafficking and involved in the pathologies of many diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), glioma, cancer, etc. Our previous work has reported its interaction with the catalytic subunit of gamma-secretase, PS1, and it regulates the activity of PS1 via transferring it from the early endosome to the late endosome/lysosome. However, it is still unknown how Rab21 protein itself is regulated. This work revealed that Rab21 protein, either endogenously or exogenously, can be degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and the autophagy-lysosome pathway. It is further observed that the ubiquitinated Rab21 is increased, but the total protein is unchanged in AD model mice. We further observed that overexpression of Rab21 leads to increased expression of a series of genes involved in the autophagy-lysosome pathway. We speculated that even though the ubiquitinated Rab21 is increased due to the impaired proteasome function in the AD model, the autophagy-lysosome pathway functions in parallel to degrade Rab21 to keep its protein level in homeostasis. In conclusion, understanding the characters of Rab21 protein itself help explore its potential as a target for therapeutic strategy in diseases. Show less
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a common form of dementia, has been reported to influence 27 million individuals globally. Several risk factors including oxidative stress, gut microbiota imbalance, and cogn Show more
Alzheimer's disease (AD), a common form of dementia, has been reported to influence 27 million individuals globally. Several risk factors including oxidative stress, gut microbiota imbalance, and cognitive activity are reported to be closely associated with the initiation or progression of AD. Although miR-483-3p was identified to be downregulated in AD patient serum. However, the biological role and mechanism of miR-483-3p remained unknown in AD. Here, we explored the role of miR-483-3p in AD. Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with homocysteine (Hcy) to establish an AD animal model. The Morris water maze tests and contextual fear tests were conducted to assess the cognitive and memory abilities of rats. TUNEL staining was utilized to determine cell apoptosis. Luciferase reporter assay was used to evaluate the binding relation between miR-483-3p and exportin 1 (XPO1). Homocysteine treatment (400 μg/kg) induced the learning, cognitive and memory defects of rats. miR-483-3p was downregulated in Hcy-treated rat hippocampus. Functionally, miR-483-3p alleviated cell apoptosis and impairments of learning and memory abilities in Hcy-treated rats. In addition, miR-483-3p inhibited cell apoptosis and protein level of AD-associated factors (APP, BACE1, and Aβ1-42) in PC12 cells. In mechanism, miR-483-3p was confirmed to target XPO1 in PC12 cells. XPO1 displayed high level in rat hippocampus and was negatively correlated with miR-483-3p levels. Finally, XPO1 overexpression rescued the suppressive effect of miR-483-3p on cell apoptosis and protein levels of AD-associated factors. miR-483-3p alleviates neural cell apoptosis and impairments of learning and memory abilities by targeting XPO1 in AD. Show less
Acquired chemotherapy resistance is one of the main culprits in the relapse of breast cancer. But the underlying mechanism of chemotherapy resistance remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a small Show more
Acquired chemotherapy resistance is one of the main culprits in the relapse of breast cancer. But the underlying mechanism of chemotherapy resistance remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a small adaptor protein, SH3BGRL, is not only elevated in the majority of breast cancer patients but also has relevance with the relapse and poor prognosis of breast cancer patients. Functionally, SH3BGRL upregulation enhances the chemoresistance of breast cancer cells to the first-line doxorubicin treatment through macroautophagic/autophagic protection. Mechanistically, SH3BGRL can unexpectedly bind to ribosomal subunits to enhance PIK3C3 translation efficiency and sustain ATG12 stability. Therefore, inhibition of autophagy or silence of PIK3C3 or ATG12 can effectively block the driving effect of SH3BGRL on doxorubicin resistance of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. We also validate that SH3BGRL expression is positively correlated with that of PIK3C3 or ATG12, as well as the constitutive occurrence of autophagy in clinical breast cancer tissues. Taken together, our data reveal that SH3BGRL upregulation would be a key driver to the acquired chemotherapy resistance through autophagy enhancement in breast cancer while targeting SH3BGRL could be a potential therapeutic strategy against breast cancer. Show less
The function of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) can be achieved through the regulation of target genes, and the deposition of fat is regulated by lncRNA. Fat has an important effect on meat quality. Howe Show more
The function of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) can be achieved through the regulation of target genes, and the deposition of fat is regulated by lncRNA. Fat has an important effect on meat quality. However, there are relatively few studies on lncRNAs in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of Duolang sheep and Small Tail Han sheep. In this study, RNA-Seq technology and bioinformatics methods were used to identify and analyze the lncRNA and mRNA in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of the two breeds of sheep. The results showed that 107 lnRNAs and 1329 mRNAs were differentially expressed. The differentially expressed genes and lncRNA target genes were significantly enriched in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids signaling pathway, fatty acid metabolism, adipocyte differentiation and other processes related to fat deposition. Among them, LOC105616076, LOC114118103, LOC105607837, LOC101116622, and LOC105603235 target FADS1, SCD, ELOVL6, HSD17B12 and HACD2, respectively. They play a key regulatory role in the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. This study lays a foundation for the study of the molecular mechanism of lncRNA on fat development, and has reference value for studying the differences in fat deposition between Duolang sheep and Small Tail Han sheep. Show less