Effects of music therapy on degree of cooperation with anesthesia induction and preoperative anxiety in children with simple congenital heart disease: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety is a common preoperative symptom in children with simple congenital heart disease (SCHD). Music therapy shows potential as a non-drug intervention. However, it is unclear how it impacts the level of cooperation during the induction of anesthesia and preoperative anxiety, as well as the factors that influence its effectiveness. Therefore, we will conduct a comprehensive review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of music therapy on the level of cooperation during anesthesia induction and preoperative anxiety in children with SCHD. METHODS: Electronic searches will be conducted through various databases including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Medline, and CNKI to gather randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the impact of music therapy on the level of cooperation during anesthesia induction and preoperative anxiety among children with SCHD. Two evaluators will independently review the literature, extract information, and assess the risk of bias in the included studies. Afterwards, data analysis will be conducted using Stata 14.0 software and Revman 5.4 software. The results will be based on random-effects models. The reliability and quality of evidence will be evaluated by using the Grading of Recommendations, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Heterogeneity will be examined by subgroup analysis stratified by age, gender ratio, type of surgery, drop-out rate, measurement tools, and country of origin. We will assess potential publication bias using funnel plot symmetrical and Begg's ang Egger's regression tests. DISCUSSION: Given the multiple advantages that may be associated with music therapy, this therapy may be a desirable alternative to existing therapies for preoperative cooperation and anxiety issues in children with SCHD. We hope that this systematic review will guide clinical decision-making for future efforts related to coping with preoperative fit and anxiety in children with SCHD. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023445313. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023445313.

A phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase is involved in the regulation of phospholipids homeostasis in oleaginous Aurantiochytrium sp.

BACKGROUND: Thraustochytrids have gained attention as a potential source for the production of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), where DHA is predominantly stored in the form of triacylglycerol (TAG). The TAG biosynthesis pathways, including the acyl-CoA-dependent Kennedy pathway and the acyl-CoA-independent pathway, have been predicted in thraustochytrids, while the specific details regarding their roles are currently uncertain. RESULTS: Phospholipid:diacylglycerol acyltransferase (PDAT) plays a key role in the acyl-CoA-independent pathway by transferring acyl-group from phospholipids (PL) to diacylglycerol (DAG) to from TAG. In thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium sp. SD116, an active AuPDAT was confirmed by heterologous expression in a TAG-deficient yeast strain H1246. Analysis of AuPDAT function in vivo revealed that deletion of AuPDAT led to slow growth and a significant decrease in cell number, but improved PL content in the single cell during the cell growth and lipid accumulation phases. Interestingly, deletion of AuPDAT did not affect total lipid and TAG content, but both were significantly increased within a single cell. Moreover, overexpression of AuPDAT also resulted in a decrease in cell number, while the total lipid and cell diameter of a single cell were markedly increased. Altogether, both up-regulation and down-regulation of AuPDAT expression affected the cell number, which further associated with the total lipid and TAG content in a single cell. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that AuPDAT-mediated pathway play a minor role in TAG synthesis, and that the function of AuPDAT may be involved in regulating PL homeostasis by converting PL to TAG in a controlled manner. These findings expand our understanding of lipid biosynthesis in Aurantiochytrium sp. and open new avenues for developing "customized cell factory" for lipid production.

Modular Metabolic Engineering of Mortierella alpina by the 2A Peptide Platform to Improve Arachidonic Acid Production.

Arachidonic acid (ARA) is an essential fatty acid in human nutrition. Mortierella alpina, a filamentous fungus, has been widely used for the production of ARA. Here, we report a modular engineering approach that systematically eliminates metabolic bottlenecks in the multigene elongase/desaturase pathway and has led to significant improvements of the ARA titer. The elongase/desaturase pathway in Mortierella alpina was recast into two modules, namely, push and pull modules, based on its function in the ARA synthesis. Combinatorial optimization of these two modules has balanced the production and consumption of intermediate metabolites. A 2A peptide-based facile assembly platform that can achieve multigene expression as a polycistron was first established. The platform was then applied to express the push and pull modules in Mortierella alpina. In the shake-flask fermentation, the lipid and ARA contents of the engineered strain MA5 were increased by 1.2-fold and 77.6%, respectively, resulting in about fivefold increase of the ARA yield. The final ARA titer reached 4.4 g L-1 in shake-flask fermentation. The modular engineering strategies presented in this study demonstrate a generalized approach for the engineering of cell factories in the production of valuable metabolites.

Integrated lactic acid production from lignocellulosic agricultural wastes under thermal conditions.

The production of lactic acid (LA) from agricultural wastes attracts great attention because of the sustainability and abundance of lignocellulosic feedstocks, as well as the increasing demand for biodegradable polylactic acid. In this study, we isolated a thermophilic strain Geobacillus stearothermophilus 2H-3 for use in robust production of L-(+)LA under the optimal conditions of 60 °C, pH 6.5, which were consistent with the whole-cell-based consolidated bio-saccharification (CBS) process. Sugar-rich CBS hydrolysates derived from various agricultural wastes, including corn stover, corncob residue, and wheat straw, were used as the carbon sources for 2H-3 fermentation by directly inoculating 2H-3 cells into the CBS system, without intermediate sterilization, nutrient supplementation, or adjustment of fermentation conditions. Thus, we successfully combined two whole-cell-based steps into a one-pot successive fermentation process to efficiently produce LA with high optical purity (99.5%), titer (51.36 g/L), and yield (0.74 g/gbiomass). This study provides a promising strategy for LA production from lignocellulose through CBS and 2H-3 fermentation integration.

CircEIF3H-IGF2BP2-HuR scaffold complex promotes TNBC progression via stabilizing HSPD1/RBM8A/G3BP1 mRNA.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a molecular subtype with an unfavorable prognosis, and metastasis is the main reason for the failure of clinical treatment. However, the expression profile and regulatory function of circRNAs in TNBC progression are not fully understood. Herein, we performed high-throughput RNA-seq in paired breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues and discovered a novel circRNA, circEIF3H, which was upregulated in breast cancer tissues. Large cohort survival analysis confirmed the association between high circEIF3H expression and poor prognosis of TNBC, indicating the vital function of circEIF3H in TNBC progression. Then we conducted both in vitro and in vivo experiments which illustrated that circEIF3H was essential for TNBC proliferation and metastasis. Further experiments showed that circEIF3H did not function as a microRNA sponge as in the most well-established pathway, but as a scaffold for IGF2BP2 and HuR to regulate the mRNA stability of HSPD1, RBM8A, and G3BP1. Our findings provide insight into a novel circRNA, circEIF3H, with significant cancer-promoting function via serving as a scaffold for IGF2BP2/HuR. These results identified circEIF3H as a potential target for developing individualized therapy of TNBC in the approaching future.

Dissolved xylan inhibits cellulosome-based saccharification by binding to the key cellulosomal component of Clostridium thermocellum.

Polysaccharides derived from lignocellulose are promising sustainable carbon sources. Cellulosome is a supramolecular machine integrating multi-function enzymes for effective lignocellulose bio-saccharification. However, how various non-cellulose components of lignocellulose affect the cellulosomal saccharification is hitherto unclear. This study first investigated the stability and oxygen sensitivity of the cellulosome from Clostridium thermocellum during long-term saccharification process. Then, the differential inhibitory effects of non-cellulose components, including lignin, xylan, and arabinoxylan, on the cellulosome-based saccharification were determined. The results showed that lignin played inhibitory roles by non-productively adsorbing extracellular proteins of C. thermocellum. Differently, arabinoxylan preferred to bind with the cellulosomal components. Almost no adsorption of cellulosomal proteins on solid xylan was detected. Instead, xylan in water-dissolved form interacted with the cellulosomal proteins, especially the key exoglucanase Cel48S, leading to the xylan inhibitory effect. Compared to xylan, xylooligosaccharides influenced the cellulosome activity slightly. Hence, this work demonstrates that the timely hydrolysis or removal of dissolved xylan is important for cellulosome-based lignocellulose saccharification.

circ-EIF6 encodes EIF6-224aa to promote TNBC progression via stabilizing MYH9 and activating the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway.

The protein-coding ability of circular RNAs (circRNAs) has recently been a hot topic, but the expression and roles of protein-coding circRNAs in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) remain uncertain. By intersecting circRNA sequencing data from clinical samples and cell lines, we identified a circRNA, termed circ-EIF6, which predicted a poorer prognosis and correlated with clinicopathological characteristics in a cohort of TNBC patients. Functionally, we showed that circ-EIF6 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of TNBC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that circ-EIF6 contains a 675-nucleotide (nt) open reading frame (ORF) and that the -150-bp sequence from ATG functioned as an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), which is required for translation initiation in 5' cap-independent coding RNAs. circ-EIF6 encodes a novel peptide, termed EIF6-224 amino acid (aa), which is responsible for the oncogenic effects of circ-EIF6. The endogenous expression of EIF6-224aa was further examined in TNBC cells and tissues by specific antibody. Moreover, EIF6-224aa directly interacted with MYH9, an oncogene in breast cancer, and decreased MYH9 degradation by inhibiting the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and subsequently activating the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Our study provided novel insights into the roles of protein-coding circRNAs and supported circ-EIF6/EIF6-224aa as a novel promising prognostic and therapeutic target for tailored therapy in TNBC patients.

Biallelic Heterozygous Mutations in Crumbs Homolog-1 Gene Associated With Macular Retinoschisis and Angle-Closure Glaucoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Mutations in the Crumbs homolog-1 (CRB1) gene are associated with a variety of retinal degenerations including Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). It is also important to highlight atypical features to make proper diagnosis and treatment. Case Presentation: We present the case of a 7-year-old girl with biallelic heterozygous CRB1 mutations. The clinical features include macular retinoschisis, Coats-like vasculopathy, short axial length, and angle-closure glaucoma (ACG). We also briefly review the current opinion on CRB1 mutation-related diseases. Conclusion: CRB1 mutations could result in a combined manifestation in anterior and posterior segments. This case emphasizes the importance of genetic diagnosis for those young patients with complicated rare clinical features to call for a specific treatment and follow-up plan. It also highlights the crucial role of CRB1 in eyeball development.

Erratum: circHMCU Promotes Proliferationand Metastasis of Breast Cancerby Sponging the let-7 Family.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2020.03.014.].

Cocktail biosynthesis of triacylglycerol by rational modulation of diacylglycerol acyltransferases in industrial oleaginous Aurantiochytrium.

BACKGROUND: Triacylglycerol (TAG) is an important storage lipid in organisms, depending on the degree of unsaturation of fatty acid molecules attached to glycerol; it is usually used as the feedstock for nutrition or biodiesel. However, the mechanism of assembly of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) into TAGs remains unclear for industrial oleaginous microorganism. RESULTS: Diacylglycerol acyltransferase (DGAT) is a key enzyme for TAG synthesis. Hence, ex vivo (in yeast), and in vivo functions of four DGAT2s (DGAT2A, DGAT2B, DGAT2C, and DGAT2D) in industrial oleaginous thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium sp. SD116 were analyzed. Results revealed that DGAT2C was mainly responsible for connecting PUFA to the sn-3 position of TAG molecules. However, DGAT2A and DGAT2D target SFA and/or MUFA. CONCLUSIONS: There are two specific TAG assembly routes in Aurantiochytrium. The "saturated fatty acid (SFA) TAG lane" primarily produces SFA-TAGs mainly mediated by DGAT2D whose function is complemented by DGAT2A. And, the "polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) TAG lane" primarily produces PUFA-TAGs via DGAT2C. In this study, we demonstrated the functional distribution pattern of four DGAT2s in oleaginous thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium, and provided a promising target to rationally design TAG molecular with the desired characteristics.

DGUOK-AS1 acts as a tumorpromoter through regulatingmiR-204-5p/IL-11 axis in breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the most lethal malignancies among women; however, the underlying molecular mechanism involved in the progression and metastasis of breast cancer remains unclear. Numerous studies have confirmed that long noncoding RNAs are abnormally expressed in breast cancer and play crucial roles in cell proliferation and metastasis. In the study, we evaluated the functional role and detailed mechanism of DGUOK-AS1 in breast cancer progression and metastasis. DGUOK-AS1 knockdown suppressed proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, miR-204-5p was identified as an inhibitory target of DGUOK-AS1, which served as a tumor suppressor in breast cancer. Significantly, we found that the ectopic expression of miR-204-5p could counteract DGUOK-AS1-mediated promotion of cell proliferation and metastasis in breast cancer. Moreover, IL-11 was found to be the downstream target of miR-204-5p, and DGUOK-AS1 could protect IL-11 from miR-204-5p-mediated degradation. DGUOK-AS1 overexpression promoted breast cancer cell migration, angiogenesis, and macrophage migration, mediating by the increased secretion of IL-11, which was extremely important for cancer progression. Collectively, our studies reveal that DGUOK-AS1/miR-204-5p/IL-11 axis plays a significant role in the progression and metastasis of breast cancer, and DGUOK-AS1 might be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Obtaining High-Purity Docosahexaenoic Acid Oil in Thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium through a Combined Metabolic Engineering Strategy.

High-purity docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) resources are insufficient in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Although many efforts have attempted to obtain the high-purity DHA production, few reports have been successful. Here, a combined metabolic engineering strategy was employed to increase the DHA purity in the oleaginous thraustochytrid Aurantiochytrium. The strategy includes both partial deactivation of the competing pathway of DHA biosynthesis, by disrupting one copy of the fatty acid synthase gene, and strengthening of substrate supply and triacylglycerol synthesis, by the overexpression of acetyl-CoA carboxylase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase. With this strategy, a final mutant was obtained with a DHA purity of 61% in total fatty acids and a content of 331 mg/g dry cell weight. This study provides an advanced strategy for sustainable high-purity DHA production and highlights the strategy for producing designer oils in industrial oleaginous microorganisms.

Sustainable development of microalgal biotechnology in coastal zone for aquaculture and food.

Region-specific Research and Development (R&D) of microalga-derived product systems are crucial if "biotech's green gold" is to be explored in a rational and economically viable way. Coastal zones, particularly the locations around the equator, are typically considered to be optimum cultivation sites due to stable annual temperature, light, and ready availability of seawater. However, a 'cradle-to-grave' assessment of the development of microalgal biotechnology in these areas, not only under the laboratory conditions, but also in the fields has not yet been demonstrated. In this study, to evaluate the viability of microalga-derived multi-product technology, we showed the development of microalgal biotechnology in coastal zones for aquaculture and food. By creating and screening a (sub)tropical microalgal collection, a Chlorella strain MEM25 with a robust growth in a wide range of salinities, temperatures, and light intensities was identified. Evaluation of the economic viability and performance of different scale cultivation system designs (500 L and 5000 L closed photobioreactors and 60,000 L open race ponds, ORPs) at coastal zones under geographically specific conditions showed the stable and robust characteristics of MEM25 across different production system designs and various spatial and temporal scales. It produces high amounts of proteins and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in various conditions. Feeding experiments reveal the nutritional merits of MEM25 as food additives where PUFAs and essential amino acids are enriched and the algal diet improves consumers' growth. Economic evaluation highlights an appreciable profitability of MEM25 production as human or animal food using ORP systems. Therefore, despite the pros and cons, sound opportunities exist for the development of market-ready multiple-product systems by employing region-specific R&D strategies for microalgal biotechnology.

Exosomal miR-500a-5p derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis through targeting USP28.

The tumor microenvironment contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) form a major cellular component of the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we further explored the mechanisms underlying the tumor-promoting roles of CAFs. Methods: Patient-derived CAFs and normal fibroblasts (NFs) were isolated from breast carcinomas and adjacent normal breast tissue. Exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and CAF-derived exosomal microRNAs were screened using next-generation sequencing technology. MiR-500a-5p expression was assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and in situ hybridization; Tumor cell proliferation was determined by MTT assays and three-dimensioned (3D) cultures, and tumor metastasis was determined by Transwell assays in vitro. In vivo assays were performed in a nude mouse subcutaneous xenograft model. Results: We confirmed that CAF-derived exosomes significantly promoted the proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells. MiR-500a-5p was highly expressed in MDA-MB-231 and MCF7 cells treated with CAF-derived exosomes. The upregulation of miR-500a-5p was also confirmed in CAFs and CAF-derived exosomes. MiR-500a-5p was transferred from CAFs to the cancer cells, and subsequently promoted proliferation and metastasis by binding to ubiquitin-specific peptidase 28 (USP28). Conclusions: The present study demonstrates that CAFs promote breast cancer progression and metastasis via exosomal miR-500a-5p and indicate that inhibiting CAF-derived miR-500a-5p is an alternative modality for the treatment of breast cancer.

USP1-WDR48 deubiquitinase complex enhances TGF-ß induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition of TNBC cells via stabilizing TAK1.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive histological subtype of breast cancer and is characterized by poor outcomes and a lack of specific-targeted therapies. Transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) acts as the key cytokine in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the metastasis of TNBC. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the TGF-ß signaling pathway remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified that the USP1/WDR48 complex could effectively enhance TGF-ß-mediated EMT and migration of TNBC cells. Furthermore, lower phosphorylation of Smad2/3, Erk, Jnk, and p38 was noted on the suppression of the expression of endogenous USP1 or WDR48. Moreover, the USP1-WDR48 complex was found to downregulate the polyubiquitination of TAK1 and mediate its in vitro stability. Therefore, our findings have shed a light on the novel role of the USP1/WDR48 complex in promoting TGF-ß-induced EMT and migration in TNBC via in vitro stabilization of TAK1.

Research advances on arachidonic acid production by fermentation and genetic modification of Mortierella alpina.

Arachidonic acid (ARA, 5, 8, 11, 14-cis-eicosatetraenoic acid) is a relevant ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid, which plays essential roles in human immune, cardiovascular, and nervous systems. It is widely used in medicine, cosmetics, nutrition, and other fields. Traditionally, ARA is obtained from animal tissues. However, due to the limitation and unsustainability of existing resources, microorganisms are a potential alternative resource for ARA production. In this regard, major efforts have been made on algae and filamentous fungi, among which Mortierella alpina is the most effective strain for industrial ARA production. In this review, we summarized the recent progress in enhancing M. alpina production by optimization of culture medium and fermentation process and genetic modification. In addition, we provided perspectives in synthetic biology methods and technologies to further increase ARA production.