BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a serious disease causing human dementia and social problems.The quality of life and prognosis of AD patients have attracted much attention.The role of chronic immune inflammation...BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a serious disease causing human dementia and social problems.The quality of life and prognosis of AD patients have attracted much attention.The role of chronic immune inflammation in the pathogenesis of AD is becoming more and more important.AIM To study the relationship among cognitive dysfunction,abnormal cellular immune function,neuroimaging results and poor prognostic factors in patients.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 62 hospitalized patients clinical diagnosed with AD who were admitted to our hospital from November 2015 to November 2020.Collect cognitive dysfunction performance characteristics,laboratory test data and neuroimaging data from medical records within 24 h of admission,including Mini Mental State Examination Scale score,drawing clock test,blood T lymphocyte subsets,and neutrophils and lymphocyte ratio(NLR),disturbance of consciousness,extrapyramidal symptoms,electroencephalogram(EEG)and head nucleus magnetic spectroscopy(MRS)and other data.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent prog-nostic factors.the modified Rankin scale(mRS)was used to determine whether the prognosis was good.The correlation between drug treatment and prognostic mRS score was tested by the rank sum test.RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that abnormal cellular immune function,extrapyramidal symptoms,obvious disturbance of consciousness,abnormal EEG,increased NLR,abnormal MRS,and complicated pneumonia were related to the poor prognosis of AD patients.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the decrease in the proportion of T lym-phocytes in the blood after abnormal cellular immune function(odd ratio:2.078,95%confidence interval:1.156-3.986,P<0.05)was an independent risk factor for predicting the poor prognosis of AD.The number of days of donepezil treatment to improve cognitive function was negatively correlated with mRS score(r=0.578,P<0.05).CONCLUSION The decrease in the proportion of T lymphocytes may have predictive value for the poor prognosis of AD.It is recommended that the proportion of T lymphocytes<55%is used as the cut-off threshold for predicting the poor prog-nosis of AD.The early and continuous drug treatment is associated with a good prognosis.展开更多
In China,rare diseases are defined as having a birth incidence of less than 1/10000,or a prevalence of less than 1/10000 or less than 140000 patients.Over 7000 rare diseases affect more than 20 million people in China...In China,rare diseases are defined as having a birth incidence of less than 1/10000,or a prevalence of less than 1/10000 or less than 140000 patients.Over 7000 rare diseases affect more than 20 million people in China.Many conditions are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed and most have no treatment,resulting in a huge burden on patients,their families,and the national economy.At the 297th Shuangqing Forum of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,we highlighted the challenges and potential solutions to achieve precision medicine for undiagnosed and rare diseases.展开更多
Panax ginseng(PG)and Panax notoginseng(PN)are highly valuable Chinese medicines(CM).Although both CMs have similar active constituents,their clinical applications are clearly different.Over the past decade,RNA sequenc...Panax ginseng(PG)and Panax notoginseng(PN)are highly valuable Chinese medicines(CM).Although both CMs have similar active constituents,their clinical applications are clearly different.Over the past decade,RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)analysis has been employed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of extracts or monomers.However,owing to the limited number of samples in standard RNA-seq,few studies have systematically compared the effects of PG and PN spanning multiple conditions at the transcriptomic level.Here,we developed an approach that simultaneously profiles transcriptome changes for multiplexed samples using RNA-seq(TCM-seq),a high-throughput,low-cost workflow to molecularly evaluate CM perturbations.A species-mixing experiment was conducted to illustrate the accuracy of sample multiplexing in TCM-seq.Transcriptomes from repeated samples were used to verify the robustness of TCM-seq.We then focused on the primary active components,Panax notoginseng saponins(PNS)and Panax ginseng saponins(PGS)extracted from PN and PG,respectively.We also characterized the transcriptome changes of 10 cell lines,treated with four different doses of PNS and PGS,using TCM-seq to compare the differences in their perturbing effects on genes,functional pathways,gene modules,and molecular networks.The results of transcriptional data analysis showed that the transcriptional patterns of various cell lines were significantly distinct.PGS exhibited a stronger regulatory effect on genes involved in cardiovascular disease,whereas PNS resulted in a greater coagulation effect on vascular endothelial cells.This study proposes a paradigm to comprehensively explore the differences in mechanisms of action between CMs based on transcriptome readouts.展开更多
Objective AngiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ)-induced vascular damage is a major risk of hypertension.However,the underlying molecular mechanism of AngⅡ-induced vascular damage is still unclear.In this study,we explored the novel m...Objective AngiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ)-induced vascular damage is a major risk of hypertension.However,the underlying molecular mechanism of AngⅡ-induced vascular damage is still unclear.In this study,we explored the novel mechanism associated with Ang Il-induced hypertension.Methods We treated 8-to 12-week-old C57BL/6J male mice with saline and AngⅡ(0.72 mg/kg-d)for 28 days,respectively.Then the RNA of the media from the collected mice aortas was extracted for transcriptome sequencing.Principal component analysis was applied to show a clear separation of different samples and the distribution of differentially expressed genes was manifested by Volcano plot.Functional annotations including Gene Ontology(GO)and Koto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway were performed to reveal the molecular mechanism of AngⅡ-induced hypertension.Finally,the differentially expressed genes were validated by using quantitative real-time PCR.Results The result revealed that a total of 773 genes,including 599 up-regulated genes and 174 down-regulated genes,were differentially expressed in the aorta of AngⅡ-induced hypertension mice model.Functional analysis of differentially expressed genes manifested that various cellular processes may be involved in the AngⅡ-induced hypertension,including some pathways associated with hypertension such as extracellular matrix,inflammation and immune response.Interestingly,we also found that the differentially expressed genes were enriched in vascular aging pathway,and further validated that the expression levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 and adiponectin were significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusion We identify that vascular aging is involved in AngⅡ-induced hypertension,and insulin-like growth factor 1 and adiponectin may be important candidate genes leading to vascular aging.展开更多
Activated nucleotide binding to the oligonucleotide receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease through oxidative stress and neurogenic inflammation. Low ...Activated nucleotide binding to the oligonucleotide receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease through oxidative stress and neurogenic inflammation. Low expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) gene may promote the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases to some extent. To clarify the roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome and STAT3 expression in oxidative stress,(1) SHSY5 Y cells were incubated with 1 mM H_2 O_2 to induce oxidative stress injury, and the expression of human-cell-specific signal transduction, STAT3-shRNA silencing signal transduction and STAT3 were detected. Cells were pretreated with Ca2+ chelator BAPATA-AM(0.1 mM) for 30 minutes as a control.(2) Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of caspase-1, NLRP3, signal transduction and STAT3. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze interleukin-1β levels. Flow cytometry was carried out to calculate the number of apoptotic cells. We found that H_2 O_2 treatment activated NLRP3 inflammasomes and decreased phosphorylation of signal transduction and STAT3 serine 727. BAPTA-AM pretreatment abolished the H2 O2-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, caspase-1 expression, interleukin-1β expression and apoptosis in SHSY5 Y cells, and had no effect in cells with downregulated STAT3 expression by RNAi. The findings suggest that downregulation of signal transduction and STAT3 expression may enhance the oxidative stress mediated by NLRP3, which may not depend on the Ca2+ signaling pathway.展开更多
Objective To evaluate senile plaque formation and compare the sensitivity of three differentβ-amyloid(Aβ)labeling methods(antibody staining,Gallyas silver staining,and thioflavin-S staining)to detect Aβdeposition.M...Objective To evaluate senile plaque formation and compare the sensitivity of three differentβ-amyloid(Aβ)labeling methods(antibody staining,Gallyas silver staining,and thioflavin-S staining)to detect Aβdeposition.Methods APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic mice(APP/PS1)of different ages were used to examine spatiotemporal changes in Aβplaque deposition.Antibody staining,Gallyas silver staining,and thioflavin-S staining were used to detect Aβplaque deposition in the same brain region of adjacent slices from model mice,and the results were compared.Results With aging,Aβplaques first appeared in the cortex and then the deposition increased throughout the whole brain.Significantly greater plaque deposition was detected by 6E10 antibody than that analyzed with Gallyas silver staining or thioflavin-S staining(P<0.05).Plaque deposition did not show significant difference between the APP/PS1 mice brains assayed with Gallyas silver staining and ones with thioflavin-S staining(P=0.0033).Conclusions The APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease could mimick the progress of Aβplaques occurred in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.Antibody detection of Aβdeposition may be more sensitive than chemical staining methods.展开更多
Objective To investigate the role of RNA binding protein—upstream-of-N-Ras(UNR)in the development of glioma and its molecular mechanism.Methods First,bioinformatics analysis of CGGA database was performed to detect U...Objective To investigate the role of RNA binding protein—upstream-of-N-Ras(UNR)in the development of glioma and its molecular mechanism.Methods First,bioinformatics analysis of CGGA database was performed to detect UNR expression level and prognosis of patients with glioma.Western blot and real-time PCR were used to detect UNR expression level in glioma cell lines and tissues.Next,UNR siRNAs were transfected in glioma cells,and MTS assay and scratch wound-healing assay were used to detect changes in cell proliferation and migration.Then,the candidate UNR target mRNAs were identified by analyzing the sequencing data of UNR iCLIP-seq,RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling databases of human melanoma.RNA immunoprecipitation and biotin pull-down assays were used to identify the UNR target mRNAs in glioma cells.Finally,western blot was used to detect the effect of UNR knockdown on ribosomal protein L9(RPL9)and RPL9 protein expression level in glioma cell lines.RPL9 siRNA was transfected in A172 and T98G and the expression of vimentin in the cells was detected with western blot.Results Bioinformatics analysis showed that UNR mRNA expression level was significantly higher in highgrade glioma[GradeⅡ(n=126),GradeⅢ(n=51),GradeⅣ(n=128),P<0.001].UNR high expression levels were associated with poor prognosis(P=0.0177).UNR had high expression level in glioma cell lines and patient samples compared with normal cell lines and normal brain samples(P<0.01).Knockdown of UNR inhibited glioma cells migration(P<0.05),but did not inhibit glioma cells growth in three glioma cell lines.UNR binded the 3’untranslated region(UTR)of PTEN and RPL9 mRNAs.RPL9 protein was significantly highly expressed in most glioma cell lines(n=9)and knockdown of UNR resulted in a downregulation of RPL9 protein expression.展开更多
Neurological abnormalities identified via neuroimaging are common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.However,it is not yet possible to easily detect these abnormalities using head computed tomography in the early s...Neurological abnormalities identified via neuroimaging are common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.However,it is not yet possible to easily detect these abnormalities using head computed tomography in the early stages of the disease.In this review,we evaluated the ways in which modern imaging techniques such as positron emission computed tomography,single photon emission tomography,magnetic resonance spectrum imaging,structural magnetic resonance imaging,magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging,magnetic resonance perfusion weighted imaging,magnetic resonance sensitive weighted imaging,and functional magnetic resonance imaging have revealed specific changes not only in brain structure,but also in brain function in Alzheimer’s disease patients.The reviewed literature indicated that decreased fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism in the temporal and parietal lobes of Alzheimer’s disease patients is frequently observed via positron emission computed tomography.Furthermore,patients with Alzheimer’s disease often show a decreased N-acetylaspartic acid/creatine ratio and an increased myoinositol/creatine ratio revealed via magnetic resonance imaging.Atrophy of the entorhinal cortex,hippocampus,and posterior cingulate gyrus can be detected early using structural magnetic resonance imaging.Magnetic resonance sensitive weighted imaging can show small bleeds and abnormal iron metabolism.Task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging can display brain function activity through cerebral blood oxygenation.Resting functional magnetic resonance imaging can display the functional connection between brain neural networks.These are helpful for the differential diagnosis and experimental study of Alzheimer’s disease,and are valuable for exploring the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.展开更多
Most studies of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)progression have focused on the transfer of patients within secondary or tertiary care hospitals from regular wards to intensive care units.Little is known about the r...Most studies of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)progression have focused on the transfer of patients within secondary or tertiary care hospitals from regular wards to intensive care units.Little is known about the risk factors predicting the progression to severe COVID-19 among patients in community iso-lation,who are either asymptomatic or suffer from only mild to moderate symptoms.Using a multivari-able competing risk survival analysis,we identify several important predictors of progression to severe COVID-19—rather than to recovery—among patients in the largest community isolation center in Wuhan,China from 6 February 2020(when the center opened)to 9 March 2020(when it closed).All patients in community isolation in Wuhan were either asymptomatic or suffered from mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.We performed competing risk survival analysis on time-to-event data from a cohort study of all COVID-19 patients(n=1753)in the isolation center.The potential predictors we inves-tigated were the routine patient data collected upon admission to the isolation center:age,sex,respira-tory symptoms,gastrointestinal symptoms,general symptoms,and computed tomography(CT)scan signs.The main outcomes were time to severe COVID-19 or recovery.The factors predicting progression to severe COVID-19 were:male sex(hazard ratio(HR)=1.29,95%confidence interval(CI)1.04–1.58,p=0.018),young and old age,dyspnea(HR=1.58,95%CI 1.24–2.01,p<0.001),and CT signs of ground-glass opacity(HR=1.39,95%CI 1.04–1.86,p=0.024)and infiltrating shadows(HR=1.84,95%CI 1.22–2.78,p=0.004).The risk of progression was found to be lower among patients with nausea or vomiting(HR=0.53,95%CI 0.30–0.96,p=0.036)and headaches(HR=0.54,95%CI 0.29–0.99,p=0.046).Our results suggest that several factors that can be easily measured even in resource-poor set-tings(dyspnea,sex,and age)can be used to identify mild COVID-19 patients who are at increased risk of disease progression.Looking for CT signs of ground-glass opacity and infiltrating shadows may be an affordable option to support triage decisions in resource-rich settings.Common and unspecific symptoms(headaches,nausea,and vomiting)are likely to have led to the identification and subsequent community isolation of COVID-19 patients who were relatively unlikely to deteriorate.Future public health and clinical guidelines should build on this evidence to improve the screening,triage,and monitoring of COVID-19 patients who are asymtomatic or suffer from mild to moderate symptoms.展开更多
Objective This study is aimed at observing the role of long noncoding RNAs(lncR NAs) in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA).Methods Lnc RNA and m RNA expression signatures of AAA tissues and normal abdo...Objective This study is aimed at observing the role of long noncoding RNAs(lncR NAs) in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA).Methods Lnc RNA and m RNA expression signatures of AAA tissues and normal abdominal aortic tissues(NT) were analyzed by microarray and further verified by Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR(q RT-PCR).The lnc RNAs-m RNAs targeting relationships were identified using computational analysis.The effect of lnc-ARG on 5-lipoxygenase(ALOX5) expression was tested in HeL a cells.Results Differential expressions of 3,688 lncR NAs and 3,007 m RNAs were identified between AAA and NT tissues.Moreover,1,284 differentially expressed long intergenic noncoding RNAs and 206 differentially expressed enhancer-like lnc RNAs adjacent to protein-coding genes were discerned by bioinformatics analysis.Some differentially expressed lncR NAs and m RNAs between AAA and normal tissue samples were further verified using q RT-PCR.A co-expression network of coding and noncoding genes was constructed based on the correlation analysis between the differentially expressed lnc RNAs and mR NAs.In addition,the lnc-ARG located within the upstream of ALOX5 was sorted as a noncoding transcript by analyzing the protein-coding potential using computational analysis.Furthermore,we found that lnc-ARG can decrease the m RNA level of ALOX5 and reactive oxygen species production in He La cells.Conclusion This study revealed new lnc RNA candidates are related to the pathogenesis of AAA.展开更多
Objective To screen the proteins associated with four-and-a-half LIM domains 3(FHL3) 3' untranslated region(3'UTR) in glioma cells. Methods Western blot was adopted to detect the regulatory effect of poly(C)-b...Objective To screen the proteins associated with four-and-a-half LIM domains 3(FHL3) 3' untranslated region(3'UTR) in glioma cells. Methods Western blot was adopted to detect the regulatory effect of poly(C)-binding protein 2(PCBP2) on FHL3. Biotin pull-down and sliver staining were employed to screen and verify the candidate binding proteins of FHL3 3'UTR. Then liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) and molecule annotation system were used to identify and analyze the candidate binding proteins. Immunoprecipitation was conducted to study the interaction between PCBP2 and polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1(PTBP1), a binding protein identified by LC-MS/MS. Results PCBP2 could bind to FHL3 mRNA 3'UTR-A and inhibited the expression of FHL3 in T98 G glioms cells. 22 candidate binding proteins were identified. Among them, there were 11 RNA binding proteins, including PCBP2. PTBP1 associated with FHL3 mRNA 3'UTR and interacted with PCBP2 protein. Conclusion PCBP2 and PTBP1 can both associate with FHL3 mRNA 3'UTR through forming a protein complex.展开更多
OBJECTIVE Alzheimer disease(AD) is the most common type of dementia and is featured by the accumulation of β-amyloid peptide(Aβ) in the brain. The Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor family(α7 nAChR) was widel...OBJECTIVE Alzheimer disease(AD) is the most common type of dementia and is featured by the accumulation of β-amyloid peptide(Aβ) in the brain. The Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor family(α7 nAChR) was widely considered to interact with that Aβ, mediate neuroprotection and improve cognitive performance. However, the mechanisms underlying these interactions remain elusive. The present study aimed to determine how this interaction contribute to AD pathology. METHODS In vitro model of AD(primary culture of mice hippocampus treated with Aβ) and in vivo, a mouse model of AD(APPswe/PSEN1 d E9 double transgenic mice, APP/PS1_DT mice) were used to study to the possible inter-action of α7 nAChR and Aβ in the pathogenesis of AD. In vitro experiments, the primary hippocampal neurons cell was exposed to Aβ1-42 peptides in combination with PNU. In vivo experiments, different drugs/operations was applied to APP/PS1_DT mice for setting up of the following groups: WP group, wild-type C57 mice treated with PNU(α7 nAChR specific agonist);AP group, APP/PS1_DT mice treated with PNU;APP/PS1 group, the APP/PS1_DT mice injected intraperitoneally with the same amount of normal saline for 5 d;Control group, wild-type C57 mice injected intraperitoneally with the same amount of normal saline for 5 d. A transmission electron microscope was used to observed the synaptic morphological changes of hippocampal neurons. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR(RT-q PCR) and Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression levels of synaptic-associated proteins(SYN, SNAP25 etc). The learning and memory abilities of mice were detected by Morris water maze. RESULTS In vitro, it was found that α7 nAChR acts as an anti-Aβ-induced synaptic injury to nerve cell by increased the expression of synaptic-associated proteins and attenuated apoptosis induced by Aβ oligomers. In vivo, α7 nAChR attenuated synaptic loss induced by Aβ1-42, reduced the deposition of Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus and maintained the integrity of synaptic structures in the hippocampus. Furthermore, in the Morris water maze test, α7 nAChR improved the learning and memory ability of the APP/PS1_DT mice. CONCLUSION Theα7 nAChR attenuate the toxic effect of Aβ in vivo and in vitro, eg reduced the deposition of Aβ in the hippocampus,prevented the synaptic loss, partially restored the expression levels of synaptic-associated proteins, and improved the learning and memory abilities of APP/PS1_DT mice. Our results also suggested that the α7 nAChR interacted with Aβby mediated by Ca M-Ca MKⅡ-CREB signalling pathway, which was imbalanced by deposition of Aβ.展开更多
Objective To examine the neuroanatomical substrates underlying the effects of minocycline in alleviating lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced neuroinflammation.Methods Forty C57BL/6 male mice were randomly and equally divi...Objective To examine the neuroanatomical substrates underlying the effects of minocycline in alleviating lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced neuroinflammation.Methods Forty C57BL/6 male mice were randomly and equally divided into eight groups.Over three conse-cutive days,saline was administered to four groups of mice and minocycline to the other four groups.Immediately after the administration of saline or minocycline on the third day,two groups of mice were additionally injected with saline and the other two groups were injected with LPS.Six or 24 hours after the last injection,mice were sacrificed and the brains were removed.Immunohistochemical staining across the whole brain was performed to detect microglia activation via Iba1 and neuronal activation via c-Fos.Morphology of microglia and the number of c-Fo-positive neurons were analyzed by Image-Pro Premier 3D.One-way ANOVA and Fisher’s least-significant differences were employed for statistical analyses.Results Minocycline alleviated LPS-induced neuroinflammation as evidenced by reduced activation of microglia in multiple brain regions,including the shell part of the nucleus accumbens(Acbs),paraventricular nucleus(PVN)of the hypothalamus,central nucleus of the amygdala(CeA),locus coeruleus(LC),and nucleus tractus solitarius(NTS).Minocycline significantly increased the number of c-Fo-positive neurons in NTS and area postrema(AP)after LPS treatment.Furthermore,in NTS-associated brain areas,including LC,lateral parabrachial nucleus(LPB),periaqueductal gray(PAG),dorsal raphe nucleus(DR),amygdala,PVN,and bed nucleus of the stria terminali(BNST),minocycline also significantly increased the number of c-Fo-positive neurons after LPS administration.Conclusion Minocycline alleviates LPS-induced neuroinflammation in multiple brain regions,possibly due to increased activation of neurons in the NTS-associated network.展开更多
Objective To characterize a novel frameshift mutation of the epithelial sodium channel(ENaC)βsubunit in a Chinese family with clinical suspicion of Liddle syndrome.And to emphasize that genetic testing is a confirmat...Objective To characterize a novel frameshift mutation of the epithelial sodium channel(ENaC)βsubunit in a Chinese family with clinical suspicion of Liddle syndrome.And to emphasize that genetic testing is a confirmatory evidence of the diagnosis of Liddle syndrome.Methods DNA samples from the proband with early-onset,treatment-resistant hypertension and hypokalemia and 31 additional relatives were all sequenced for mutations in exon 13 of theβ-ENaC andγ-ENaC genes,using amplification by polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing.展开更多
Hutter et al.1 first reported that a bone marrow transplant using stem cells derived from a donor with homozygous CCR5 delta32 gene mutation remained HIV-positive but virus-free(below the limits of detection)after hal...Hutter et al.1 first reported that a bone marrow transplant using stem cells derived from a donor with homozygous CCR5 delta32 gene mutation remained HIV-positive but virus-free(below the limits of detection)after halting antiretroviral therapy.Since this observation in 2009,mutation of the CCR5 gene has become an important target in the prevention and treatment of HIV infection.The CRISPR-Cas9 system,which has been called the biggest biotech discovery in the history of molecular biology,can be used for precise genome engineering with the aim of treating genetic disorders.Currently,the application of gene-editing tools,such as CRISPR-Cas9,for genetic engineering of embryos for use in assisted reproduction is prohibited in much of Europe,the United States,and China.2–3.展开更多
Background:The expression of pyruvate kinase muscle 2(PKM2)is augmented in macrophages of patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.The role of PKM2 in atherosclerosis is to be determined.Methods:Global an...Background:The expression of pyruvate kinase muscle 2(PKM2)is augmented in macrophages of patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.The role of PKM2 in atherosclerosis is to be determined.Methods:Global and myeloid cell-specific PKM2 knock-in mice with ApoE^(-/-)background(ApoE^(-/-),PKM2^(KI/KI)and Lyz2-cre,ApoE^(-/-),and PKM2^(flox/flox))were produced to evaluate the clinical significance of PKM2 in atherosclerosis development.Wild-type and PKM2 knock-in macrophages were isolated to assess the function of PKM2 in macrophage phagocytosis.Atherosclerotic mice were treated with PKM2 inhibitor shikonin(SKN)to evaluate the therapeutic potential of PKM2 suppression in atherosclerosis.Results:Oxidized low-density lipoprotein(oxLDL)upregulated PKM2 in macrophages.PKM2 in return promoted the uptake of oxLDL by macrophages.Overexpressed PKM2 accelerated atherosclerosis in mice.SKN blocked the progress of mouse atherosclerosis.Conclusions:PKM2 accelerates macrophage phagocytosis and atherosclerosis.Targeting PKM2 is a potential therapy for atherosclerosis.展开更多
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.3206080019 and No.32060182Science and Technology Support Plan of Guizhou Province in China,No.[2020]4Y129Qiannan Prefecture Science and Technology Plan Project,No.[2022]01.
文摘BACKGROUND Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a serious disease causing human dementia and social problems.The quality of life and prognosis of AD patients have attracted much attention.The role of chronic immune inflammation in the pathogenesis of AD is becoming more and more important.AIM To study the relationship among cognitive dysfunction,abnormal cellular immune function,neuroimaging results and poor prognostic factors in patients.METHODS A retrospective analysis of 62 hospitalized patients clinical diagnosed with AD who were admitted to our hospital from November 2015 to November 2020.Collect cognitive dysfunction performance characteristics,laboratory test data and neuroimaging data from medical records within 24 h of admission,including Mini Mental State Examination Scale score,drawing clock test,blood T lymphocyte subsets,and neutrophils and lymphocyte ratio(NLR),disturbance of consciousness,extrapyramidal symptoms,electroencephalogram(EEG)and head nucleus magnetic spectroscopy(MRS)and other data.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent prog-nostic factors.the modified Rankin scale(mRS)was used to determine whether the prognosis was good.The correlation between drug treatment and prognostic mRS score was tested by the rank sum test.RESULTS Univariate analysis showed that abnormal cellular immune function,extrapyramidal symptoms,obvious disturbance of consciousness,abnormal EEG,increased NLR,abnormal MRS,and complicated pneumonia were related to the poor prognosis of AD patients.Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the decrease in the proportion of T lym-phocytes in the blood after abnormal cellular immune function(odd ratio:2.078,95%confidence interval:1.156-3.986,P<0.05)was an independent risk factor for predicting the poor prognosis of AD.The number of days of donepezil treatment to improve cognitive function was negatively correlated with mRS score(r=0.578,P<0.05).CONCLUSION The decrease in the proportion of T lymphocytes may have predictive value for the poor prognosis of AD.It is recommended that the proportion of T lymphocytes<55%is used as the cut-off threshold for predicting the poor prog-nosis of AD.The early and continuous drug treatment is associated with a good prognosis.
文摘In China,rare diseases are defined as having a birth incidence of less than 1/10000,or a prevalence of less than 1/10000 or less than 140000 patients.Over 7000 rare diseases affect more than 20 million people in China.Many conditions are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed and most have no treatment,resulting in a huge burden on patients,their families,and the national economy.At the 297th Shuangqing Forum of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,we highlighted the challenges and potential solutions to achieve precision medicine for undiagnosed and rare diseases.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.:81973701 and 81903767)the Innovation Team and Talents Cultivation Program of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine(Grant No.:ZYYCXTD-D-202002)the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province(Grant No.:LZ20H290002).
文摘Panax ginseng(PG)and Panax notoginseng(PN)are highly valuable Chinese medicines(CM).Although both CMs have similar active constituents,their clinical applications are clearly different.Over the past decade,RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)analysis has been employed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of extracts or monomers.However,owing to the limited number of samples in standard RNA-seq,few studies have systematically compared the effects of PG and PN spanning multiple conditions at the transcriptomic level.Here,we developed an approach that simultaneously profiles transcriptome changes for multiplexed samples using RNA-seq(TCM-seq),a high-throughput,low-cost workflow to molecularly evaluate CM perturbations.A species-mixing experiment was conducted to illustrate the accuracy of sample multiplexing in TCM-seq.Transcriptomes from repeated samples were used to verify the robustness of TCM-seq.We then focused on the primary active components,Panax notoginseng saponins(PNS)and Panax ginseng saponins(PGS)extracted from PN and PG,respectively.We also characterized the transcriptome changes of 10 cell lines,treated with four different doses of PNS and PGS,using TCM-seq to compare the differences in their perturbing effects on genes,functional pathways,gene modules,and molecular networks.The results of transcriptional data analysis showed that the transcriptional patterns of various cell lines were significantly distinct.PGS exhibited a stronger regulatory effect on genes involved in cardiovascular disease,whereas PNS resulted in a greater coagulation effect on vascular endothelial cells.This study proposes a paradigm to comprehensively explore the differences in mechanisms of action between CMs based on transcriptome readouts.
文摘Objective AngiotensinⅡ(AngⅡ)-induced vascular damage is a major risk of hypertension.However,the underlying molecular mechanism of AngⅡ-induced vascular damage is still unclear.In this study,we explored the novel mechanism associated with Ang Il-induced hypertension.Methods We treated 8-to 12-week-old C57BL/6J male mice with saline and AngⅡ(0.72 mg/kg-d)for 28 days,respectively.Then the RNA of the media from the collected mice aortas was extracted for transcriptome sequencing.Principal component analysis was applied to show a clear separation of different samples and the distribution of differentially expressed genes was manifested by Volcano plot.Functional annotations including Gene Ontology(GO)and Koto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway were performed to reveal the molecular mechanism of AngⅡ-induced hypertension.Finally,the differentially expressed genes were validated by using quantitative real-time PCR.Results The result revealed that a total of 773 genes,including 599 up-regulated genes and 174 down-regulated genes,were differentially expressed in the aorta of AngⅡ-induced hypertension mice model.Functional analysis of differentially expressed genes manifested that various cellular processes may be involved in the AngⅡ-induced hypertension,including some pathways associated with hypertension such as extracellular matrix,inflammation and immune response.Interestingly,we also found that the differentially expressed genes were enriched in vascular aging pathway,and further validated that the expression levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 and adiponectin were significantly increased(P<0.05).Conclusion We identify that vascular aging is involved in AngⅡ-induced hypertension,and insulin-like growth factor 1 and adiponectin may be important candidate genes leading to vascular aging.
基金supported by Department of Science and Technology in Guizhou Province of China,No.Basic [2016]1131(to QianKe-He to HB)+2 种基金Department of Health and Family Planning Commission in Guizhou Province of China,No.2015-326(to HB)Less Developed Regions of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81560482the Research Foundation for Creative Research Groups of Education Bureau of Guizhou Province of China,No.KY[2016]033(to QFZ)
文摘Activated nucleotide binding to the oligonucleotide receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease through oxidative stress and neurogenic inflammation. Low expression of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) gene may promote the occurrence of neurodegenerative diseases to some extent. To clarify the roles of the NLRP3 inflammasome and STAT3 expression in oxidative stress,(1) SHSY5 Y cells were incubated with 1 mM H_2 O_2 to induce oxidative stress injury, and the expression of human-cell-specific signal transduction, STAT3-shRNA silencing signal transduction and STAT3 were detected. Cells were pretreated with Ca2+ chelator BAPATA-AM(0.1 mM) for 30 minutes as a control.(2) Western blot assay was used to analyze the expression of caspase-1, NLRP3, signal transduction and STAT3. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze interleukin-1β levels. Flow cytometry was carried out to calculate the number of apoptotic cells. We found that H_2 O_2 treatment activated NLRP3 inflammasomes and decreased phosphorylation of signal transduction and STAT3 serine 727. BAPTA-AM pretreatment abolished the H2 O2-induced activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, caspase-1 expression, interleukin-1β expression and apoptosis in SHSY5 Y cells, and had no effect in cells with downregulated STAT3 expression by RNAi. The findings suggest that downregulation of signal transduction and STAT3 expression may enhance the oxidative stress mediated by NLRP3, which may not depend on the Ca2+ signaling pathway.
基金Supported by the 2016 Major Collaborative Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences(2016-I2M-1004)
文摘Objective To evaluate senile plaque formation and compare the sensitivity of three differentβ-amyloid(Aβ)labeling methods(antibody staining,Gallyas silver staining,and thioflavin-S staining)to detect Aβdeposition.Methods APPswe/PSEN1dE9 transgenic mice(APP/PS1)of different ages were used to examine spatiotemporal changes in Aβplaque deposition.Antibody staining,Gallyas silver staining,and thioflavin-S staining were used to detect Aβplaque deposition in the same brain region of adjacent slices from model mice,and the results were compared.Results With aging,Aβplaques first appeared in the cortex and then the deposition increased throughout the whole brain.Significantly greater plaque deposition was detected by 6E10 antibody than that analyzed with Gallyas silver staining or thioflavin-S staining(P<0.05).Plaque deposition did not show significant difference between the APP/PS1 mice brains assayed with Gallyas silver staining and ones with thioflavin-S staining(P=0.0033).Conclusions The APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease could mimick the progress of Aβplaques occurred in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.Antibody detection of Aβdeposition may be more sensitive than chemical staining methods.
基金Supported by the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences(CIFMS,2016-I2M-1-001)
文摘Objective To investigate the role of RNA binding protein—upstream-of-N-Ras(UNR)in the development of glioma and its molecular mechanism.Methods First,bioinformatics analysis of CGGA database was performed to detect UNR expression level and prognosis of patients with glioma.Western blot and real-time PCR were used to detect UNR expression level in glioma cell lines and tissues.Next,UNR siRNAs were transfected in glioma cells,and MTS assay and scratch wound-healing assay were used to detect changes in cell proliferation and migration.Then,the candidate UNR target mRNAs were identified by analyzing the sequencing data of UNR iCLIP-seq,RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling databases of human melanoma.RNA immunoprecipitation and biotin pull-down assays were used to identify the UNR target mRNAs in glioma cells.Finally,western blot was used to detect the effect of UNR knockdown on ribosomal protein L9(RPL9)and RPL9 protein expression level in glioma cell lines.RPL9 siRNA was transfected in A172 and T98G and the expression of vimentin in the cells was detected with western blot.Results Bioinformatics analysis showed that UNR mRNA expression level was significantly higher in highgrade glioma[GradeⅡ(n=126),GradeⅢ(n=51),GradeⅣ(n=128),P<0.001].UNR high expression levels were associated with poor prognosis(P=0.0177).UNR had high expression level in glioma cell lines and patient samples compared with normal cell lines and normal brain samples(P<0.01).Knockdown of UNR inhibited glioma cells migration(P<0.05),but did not inhibit glioma cells growth in three glioma cell lines.UNR binded the 3’untranslated region(UTR)of PTEN and RPL9 mRNAs.RPL9 protein was significantly highly expressed in most glioma cell lines(n=9)and knockdown of UNR resulted in a downregulation of RPL9 protein expression.
基金This work was supported by the Science and Technology Support Plan of Guizhou Province of China,No.QianKeHe-Zhicheng[2020]4Y129(to HB)the Scientific Research Foundation of Guizhou Health Committee of China,No.gzwkj2017-1-022(to HB)the Scientific Research Project of Guizhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau of China,No.QZYY-2018-044(to HB).
文摘Neurological abnormalities identified via neuroimaging are common in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.However,it is not yet possible to easily detect these abnormalities using head computed tomography in the early stages of the disease.In this review,we evaluated the ways in which modern imaging techniques such as positron emission computed tomography,single photon emission tomography,magnetic resonance spectrum imaging,structural magnetic resonance imaging,magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging,magnetic resonance perfusion weighted imaging,magnetic resonance sensitive weighted imaging,and functional magnetic resonance imaging have revealed specific changes not only in brain structure,but also in brain function in Alzheimer’s disease patients.The reviewed literature indicated that decreased fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism in the temporal and parietal lobes of Alzheimer’s disease patients is frequently observed via positron emission computed tomography.Furthermore,patients with Alzheimer’s disease often show a decreased N-acetylaspartic acid/creatine ratio and an increased myoinositol/creatine ratio revealed via magnetic resonance imaging.Atrophy of the entorhinal cortex,hippocampus,and posterior cingulate gyrus can be detected early using structural magnetic resonance imaging.Magnetic resonance sensitive weighted imaging can show small bleeds and abnormal iron metabolism.Task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging can display brain function activity through cerebral blood oxygenation.Resting functional magnetic resonance imaging can display the functional connection between brain neural networks.These are helpful for the differential diagnosis and experimental study of Alzheimer’s disease,and are valuable for exploring the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease.
基金supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Project INV-006261)supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (KL2TR003143)+4 种基金supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through the Alexander von Humboldt Professor awardfunded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the European Union’s Research and Innovation Programme Horizon 2020the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP)supported by the Sino-German Center for Research Promotion (Project C-0048), which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
文摘Most studies of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)progression have focused on the transfer of patients within secondary or tertiary care hospitals from regular wards to intensive care units.Little is known about the risk factors predicting the progression to severe COVID-19 among patients in community iso-lation,who are either asymptomatic or suffer from only mild to moderate symptoms.Using a multivari-able competing risk survival analysis,we identify several important predictors of progression to severe COVID-19—rather than to recovery—among patients in the largest community isolation center in Wuhan,China from 6 February 2020(when the center opened)to 9 March 2020(when it closed).All patients in community isolation in Wuhan were either asymptomatic or suffered from mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms.We performed competing risk survival analysis on time-to-event data from a cohort study of all COVID-19 patients(n=1753)in the isolation center.The potential predictors we inves-tigated were the routine patient data collected upon admission to the isolation center:age,sex,respira-tory symptoms,gastrointestinal symptoms,general symptoms,and computed tomography(CT)scan signs.The main outcomes were time to severe COVID-19 or recovery.The factors predicting progression to severe COVID-19 were:male sex(hazard ratio(HR)=1.29,95%confidence interval(CI)1.04–1.58,p=0.018),young and old age,dyspnea(HR=1.58,95%CI 1.24–2.01,p<0.001),and CT signs of ground-glass opacity(HR=1.39,95%CI 1.04–1.86,p=0.024)and infiltrating shadows(HR=1.84,95%CI 1.22–2.78,p=0.004).The risk of progression was found to be lower among patients with nausea or vomiting(HR=0.53,95%CI 0.30–0.96,p=0.036)and headaches(HR=0.54,95%CI 0.29–0.99,p=0.046).Our results suggest that several factors that can be easily measured even in resource-poor set-tings(dyspnea,sex,and age)can be used to identify mild COVID-19 patients who are at increased risk of disease progression.Looking for CT signs of ground-glass opacity and infiltrating shadows may be an affordable option to support triage decisions in resource-rich settings.Common and unspecific symptoms(headaches,nausea,and vomiting)are likely to have led to the identification and subsequent community isolation of COVID-19 patients who were relatively unlikely to deteriorate.Future public health and clinical guidelines should build on this evidence to improve the screening,triage,and monitoring of COVID-19 patients who are asymtomatic or suffer from mild to moderate symptoms.
基金supported by the grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81100226,31300889,91439127,and 81570435)
文摘Objective This study is aimed at observing the role of long noncoding RNAs(lncR NAs) in the pathogenesis of abdominal aortic aneurysm(AAA).Methods Lnc RNA and m RNA expression signatures of AAA tissues and normal abdominal aortic tissues(NT) were analyzed by microarray and further verified by Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR(q RT-PCR).The lnc RNAs-m RNAs targeting relationships were identified using computational analysis.The effect of lnc-ARG on 5-lipoxygenase(ALOX5) expression was tested in HeL a cells.Results Differential expressions of 3,688 lncR NAs and 3,007 m RNAs were identified between AAA and NT tissues.Moreover,1,284 differentially expressed long intergenic noncoding RNAs and 206 differentially expressed enhancer-like lnc RNAs adjacent to protein-coding genes were discerned by bioinformatics analysis.Some differentially expressed lncR NAs and m RNAs between AAA and normal tissue samples were further verified using q RT-PCR.A co-expression network of coding and noncoding genes was constructed based on the correlation analysis between the differentially expressed lnc RNAs and mR NAs.In addition,the lnc-ARG located within the upstream of ALOX5 was sorted as a noncoding transcript by analyzing the protein-coding potential using computational analysis.Furthermore,we found that lnc-ARG can decrease the m RNA level of ALOX5 and reactive oxygen species production in He La cells.Conclusion This study revealed new lnc RNA candidates are related to the pathogenesis of AAA.
基金Supported by Peking Union Medical College Youth Fundthe Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(3332013052)
文摘Objective To screen the proteins associated with four-and-a-half LIM domains 3(FHL3) 3' untranslated region(3'UTR) in glioma cells. Methods Western blot was adopted to detect the regulatory effect of poly(C)-binding protein 2(PCBP2) on FHL3. Biotin pull-down and sliver staining were employed to screen and verify the candidate binding proteins of FHL3 3'UTR. Then liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS) and molecule annotation system were used to identify and analyze the candidate binding proteins. Immunoprecipitation was conducted to study the interaction between PCBP2 and polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1(PTBP1), a binding protein identified by LC-MS/MS. Results PCBP2 could bind to FHL3 mRNA 3'UTR-A and inhibited the expression of FHL3 in T98 G glioms cells. 22 candidate binding proteins were identified. Among them, there were 11 RNA binding proteins, including PCBP2. PTBP1 associated with FHL3 mRNA 3'UTR and interacted with PCBP2 protein. Conclusion PCBP2 and PTBP1 can both associate with FHL3 mRNA 3'UTR through forming a protein complex.
文摘OBJECTIVE Alzheimer disease(AD) is the most common type of dementia and is featured by the accumulation of β-amyloid peptide(Aβ) in the brain. The Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor family(α7 nAChR) was widely considered to interact with that Aβ, mediate neuroprotection and improve cognitive performance. However, the mechanisms underlying these interactions remain elusive. The present study aimed to determine how this interaction contribute to AD pathology. METHODS In vitro model of AD(primary culture of mice hippocampus treated with Aβ) and in vivo, a mouse model of AD(APPswe/PSEN1 d E9 double transgenic mice, APP/PS1_DT mice) were used to study to the possible inter-action of α7 nAChR and Aβ in the pathogenesis of AD. In vitro experiments, the primary hippocampal neurons cell was exposed to Aβ1-42 peptides in combination with PNU. In vivo experiments, different drugs/operations was applied to APP/PS1_DT mice for setting up of the following groups: WP group, wild-type C57 mice treated with PNU(α7 nAChR specific agonist);AP group, APP/PS1_DT mice treated with PNU;APP/PS1 group, the APP/PS1_DT mice injected intraperitoneally with the same amount of normal saline for 5 d;Control group, wild-type C57 mice injected intraperitoneally with the same amount of normal saline for 5 d. A transmission electron microscope was used to observed the synaptic morphological changes of hippocampal neurons. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR(RT-q PCR) and Western blot analysis were used to detect the expression levels of synaptic-associated proteins(SYN, SNAP25 etc). The learning and memory abilities of mice were detected by Morris water maze. RESULTS In vitro, it was found that α7 nAChR acts as an anti-Aβ-induced synaptic injury to nerve cell by increased the expression of synaptic-associated proteins and attenuated apoptosis induced by Aβ oligomers. In vivo, α7 nAChR attenuated synaptic loss induced by Aβ1-42, reduced the deposition of Aβ1-42 in the hippocampus and maintained the integrity of synaptic structures in the hippocampus. Furthermore, in the Morris water maze test, α7 nAChR improved the learning and memory ability of the APP/PS1_DT mice. CONCLUSION Theα7 nAChR attenuate the toxic effect of Aβ in vivo and in vitro, eg reduced the deposition of Aβ in the hippocampus,prevented the synaptic loss, partially restored the expression levels of synaptic-associated proteins, and improved the learning and memory abilities of APP/PS1_DT mice. Our results also suggested that the α7 nAChR interacted with Aβby mediated by Ca M-Ca MKⅡ-CREB signalling pathway, which was imbalanced by deposition of Aβ.
基金supported by the research grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81625008 and 31970952)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(2020YFA0804500,2020YFA0804502)。
文摘Objective To examine the neuroanatomical substrates underlying the effects of minocycline in alleviating lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced neuroinflammation.Methods Forty C57BL/6 male mice were randomly and equally divided into eight groups.Over three conse-cutive days,saline was administered to four groups of mice and minocycline to the other four groups.Immediately after the administration of saline or minocycline on the third day,two groups of mice were additionally injected with saline and the other two groups were injected with LPS.Six or 24 hours after the last injection,mice were sacrificed and the brains were removed.Immunohistochemical staining across the whole brain was performed to detect microglia activation via Iba1 and neuronal activation via c-Fos.Morphology of microglia and the number of c-Fo-positive neurons were analyzed by Image-Pro Premier 3D.One-way ANOVA and Fisher’s least-significant differences were employed for statistical analyses.Results Minocycline alleviated LPS-induced neuroinflammation as evidenced by reduced activation of microglia in multiple brain regions,including the shell part of the nucleus accumbens(Acbs),paraventricular nucleus(PVN)of the hypothalamus,central nucleus of the amygdala(CeA),locus coeruleus(LC),and nucleus tractus solitarius(NTS).Minocycline significantly increased the number of c-Fo-positive neurons in NTS and area postrema(AP)after LPS treatment.Furthermore,in NTS-associated brain areas,including LC,lateral parabrachial nucleus(LPB),periaqueductal gray(PAG),dorsal raphe nucleus(DR),amygdala,PVN,and bed nucleus of the stria terminali(BNST),minocycline also significantly increased the number of c-Fo-positive neurons after LPS administration.Conclusion Minocycline alleviates LPS-induced neuroinflammation in multiple brain regions,possibly due to increased activation of neurons in the NTS-associated network.
文摘Objective To characterize a novel frameshift mutation of the epithelial sodium channel(ENaC)βsubunit in a Chinese family with clinical suspicion of Liddle syndrome.And to emphasize that genetic testing is a confirmatory evidence of the diagnosis of Liddle syndrome.Methods DNA samples from the proband with early-onset,treatment-resistant hypertension and hypokalemia and 31 additional relatives were all sequenced for mutations in exon 13 of theβ-ENaC andγ-ENaC genes,using amplification by polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81772369)supported by the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS,2017-I2M-3-001)
文摘Hutter et al.1 first reported that a bone marrow transplant using stem cells derived from a donor with homozygous CCR5 delta32 gene mutation remained HIV-positive but virus-free(below the limits of detection)after halting antiretroviral therapy.Since this observation in 2009,mutation of the CCR5 gene has become an important target in the prevention and treatment of HIV infection.The CRISPR-Cas9 system,which has been called the biggest biotech discovery in the history of molecular biology,can be used for precise genome engineering with the aim of treating genetic disorders.Currently,the application of gene-editing tools,such as CRISPR-Cas9,for genetic engineering of embryos for use in assisted reproduction is prohibited in much of Europe,the United States,and China.2–3.
基金National Key R&D program of China,Grant/Award Number:2021YFC2500700The National Natural Science Foundation of China+1 种基金Grant/Award Number:81730078The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Initiative for Innovative Medicine,Grant/Award Number:2021-I2M-1-049。
文摘Background:The expression of pyruvate kinase muscle 2(PKM2)is augmented in macrophages of patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease.The role of PKM2 in atherosclerosis is to be determined.Methods:Global and myeloid cell-specific PKM2 knock-in mice with ApoE^(-/-)background(ApoE^(-/-),PKM2^(KI/KI)and Lyz2-cre,ApoE^(-/-),and PKM2^(flox/flox))were produced to evaluate the clinical significance of PKM2 in atherosclerosis development.Wild-type and PKM2 knock-in macrophages were isolated to assess the function of PKM2 in macrophage phagocytosis.Atherosclerotic mice were treated with PKM2 inhibitor shikonin(SKN)to evaluate the therapeutic potential of PKM2 suppression in atherosclerosis.Results:Oxidized low-density lipoprotein(oxLDL)upregulated PKM2 in macrophages.PKM2 in return promoted the uptake of oxLDL by macrophages.Overexpressed PKM2 accelerated atherosclerosis in mice.SKN blocked the progress of mouse atherosclerosis.Conclusions:PKM2 accelerates macrophage phagocytosis and atherosclerosis.Targeting PKM2 is a potential therapy for atherosclerosis.
