Spock2 Functions as a Key Time-Series Gene of Endothelial Cells in Sepsis-Induced Cardiomyopathy.

ABSTRACT: The study aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, a leading cause of mortality in septic patients. Transcriptome data from cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic mice were analyzed at different time points (24, 48, and 72 hours) using GSE171546 data. Through weighted gene co-expression network analysis, time series, and differential expression analyses, key time-series differentially expressed genes were identified. In addition, single-cell sequencing data (GSE207363) were used for both differential and pseudotime analyses to pinpoint differentially expressed genes specific to endothelial cells. The study highlighted Spock2, S100a9, S100a8, and Xdh as differential genes specific to endothelial cells in a time-dependent manner. Immunofluorescence validation confirmed the increased expression of SPOCK2 in the endothelial cells of cecal ligation and puncture-induced septic mice. Furthermore, in vitrostudies showed that deletion of Spock2 significantly increased LPS-induced apoptosis and necrosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. In conclusion, SPOCK2 expression was increased in septic cardiac endothelial cells and LPS-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells and may play a protective role.

Effects and mechanisms of Porphyromonas gingivalis outer membrane vesicles induced cardiovascular injury.

BACKGROUND: The outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) have long been acknowledged for their crucial role in the initiation of periodontitis. However, the implications of P. gingivalis OMVs in the context of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to clarify both the impact and the underlying mechanisms through which P. gingivalis OMVs contribute to the propagation of distal cardiovascular inflammation and trauma. METHODS: In this study, various concentrations (0, 1.25, 2.5, and 4.5 µg/µL) of P. gingivalis OMVs were microinjected into the common cardinal vein of zebrafish larvae at 48 h post-fertilization (hpf) to assess changes in cardiovascular injury and inflammatory response. Zebrafish larvae from both the PBS and the 2.5 µg/µL injection cohorts were harvested at 30 h post-injection (hpi) for transcriptional analysis. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was employed to evaluate relative gene expression. RESULTS: These findings demonstrated that P. gingivalis OMVs induced pericardial enlargement in zebrafish larvae, caused vascular damage, increased neutrophil counts, and activated inflammatory pathways. Transcriptomic analysis further revealed the involvement of the immune response and the extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction signaling pathway in this process. CONCLUSION: This study illuminated potential mechanisms through which P. gingivalis OMVs contribute to CVD. It accentuated their involvement in distal cardiovascular inflammation and emphasizes the need for further research to comprehensively grasp the connection between periodontitis and CVD.

Treating Autoimmune Diseases by Targeting IL-23 with Gene-Silencing Pyrrole-Imidazole Polyamide.

Autoimmune diseases are a physiological state that immune responses are directed against and damage the body's own tissues. Numerous studies have demonstrated promising therapeutic effects in certain autoimmune diseases by targeting IL-23/IL-17 axis, mostly through using Abs against IL-23 or IL-17A. Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides are nuclease-resistant compounds that inhibit gene expression through binding to the minor groove of DNA. To develop a novel gene-silencing agent that targets IL-23/IL-17 axis, we designed polyamide that specifically binds to the transcription factor c-Rel-binding site located in the promoter of IL-23p19 subunit. Our study showed that this polyamide is capable of entering into nucleus with high efficiency in dendritic cells and macrophage. In addition, it prevented the binding of c-Rel to the promoter of IL-23p19 in vivo and specifically inhibited the expression of IL-23. More importantly, we demonstrated that this polyamide is therapeutically effective using both the imiquimod-induced psoriasis and experimental autoimmune uveitis mouse models. Taken together, these results indicate that pyrrole-imidazole polyamide targeting IL-23p19 could be a novel and feasible therapeutic strategy for patients with autoimmune diseases.

Efficient and risk-reduced genome editing using double nicks enhanced by bacterial recombination factors in multiple species.

Site-specific DNA double-strand breaks have been used to generate knock-in through the homology-dependent or -independent pathway. However, low efficiency and accompanying negative impacts such as undesirable indels or tumorigenic potential remain problematic. In this study, we present an enhanced reduced-risk genome editing strategy we named as NEO, which used either site-specific trans or cis double-nicking facilitated by four bacterial recombination factors (RecOFAR). In comparison to currently available approaches, NEO achieved higher knock-in (KI) germline transmission frequency (improving from zero to up to 10% efficiency with an average of 5-fold improvement for 8 loci) and 'cleaner' knock-in of long DNA fragments (up to 5.5 kb) into a variety of genome regions in zebrafish, mice and rats. Furthermore, NEO yielded up to 50% knock-in in monkey embryos and 20% relative integration efficiency in non-dividing primary human peripheral blood lymphocytes (hPBLCs). Remarkably, both on-target and off-target indels were effectively suppressed by NEO. NEO may also be used to introduce low-risk unrestricted point mutations effectively and precisely. Therefore, by balancing efficiency with safety and quality, the NEO method reported here shows substantial potential and improves the in vivo gene-editing strategies that have recently been developed.

Targeting NF-κB c-Rel in regulatory T cells to treat corneal transplantation rejection.

The relevance of Tregs in the induction of tolerance against corneal allografts has been well established. Although it is well known that the conversion of Tregs into effector-like cells contributes to the loss of corneal immune privilege, the underlying mechanism is still not fully understood. Using heterologous penetrating keratoplasty model, we found that Tregs from corneal allograft rejected mice (inflam-Tregs) exhibit impaired function and characteristics of effector T cells. Further study showed that the expression of NF-κB c-Rel, a key mediator of effector T cell function, was significantly increased in inflam-Tregs. Mechanistic study revealed that elevated NF-κB c-Rel level in inflam-Tregs impaired Treg function through the promotion of inflammatory cytokine production and glycolysis. More importantly, we demonstrated that targeting NF-κB c-Rel was able to improve the immune suppressive function of inflam-Tregs in vitro and enhance the potential of them to suppress corneal transplantation rejection. Therefore, our current study identified NF-κB c-Rel as a key mediator of the conversion of Tregs into effector-like cells when under inflammatory environment.

Gas Phase Modification of Silica Nanoparticles in a Fluidized Bed: Tailored Deposition of Aminopropylsiloxane.

Functionalized nanoparticles have various applications, for which grafting of a chemical moiety onto the surface to induce/improve certain properties is needed. When incorporated in polymeric matrices, for instance, the modified nanoparticles can alter the interfacial characteristics leading to improvements ofthe macroscopic properties of the nanocomposites. The extent of these improvements is highly dependent on the thickness, morphology and conformity of the grafted layer. However, the common liquid-phase modification methods provide limited control over these factors. A novel gas-phase modification process was utilized, with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as precursor, to chemically deposit amino-terminated organic layers on fumed silica nanoparticles in a fluidized bed. A self-limiting surface saturation was achieved when the reaction was done at 200 °C. With this self-limiting feature, we were able to graft multiple layers of aminopropylsiloxane (APS) onto the silica nanoparticles using water as the coreactant. The feasibility of this process was analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), diffuse reflectance IR Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and elemental analysis (EA). By altering the number of APTES/water cycles, it was possible to control the thickness and conformity of the deposited aminopropylsiloxane layer. This novel approach allows to engineer the surface of nanoparticles, by introducing versatile functionalized layers in a controlled manner.

Optimizing food waste hydrothermal parameters to reduce Maillard reaction and increase volatile fatty acid production.

The occurrence of the Maillard reaction and melanoidins formation during the hydrothermal treatment of food waste can reduce the yield of volatile fatty acids (VFA); however, few studies have investigated the adverse effects of the Maillard reaction. This study identified the impact of hydrothermal treatment parameters on hydrolysis and melanoidins formation and optimized the hydrothermal treatment conditions to enhance VFA production by minimizing the impact of the Maillard reaction. A response surface methodology was employed to optimize the hydrothermal treatment parameters and VFA production was evaluated. Results showed that temperature, reaction time, and pH were significant interacting factors with respect to hydrolysis and melanoidins formation while the C/N ratio and moisture content of food waste had little impact. The optimal conditions for hydrothermal treatment (temperature of 132 °C, reaction time of 27 min, and a pH of 5.6) enhanced VFA production by 22.1%. Under optimal hydrothermal treatment conditions, a higher initial C/N ratio further increased VFA production.

Transcriptomic characterization of cold acclimation in larval zebrafish.

BACKGROUND: Temperature is one of key environmental parameters that affect the whole life of fishes and an increasing number of studies have been directed towards understanding the mechanisms of cold acclimation in fish. However, the adaptation of larvae to cold stress and the cold-specific transcriptional alterations in fish larvae remain largely unknown. In this study, we characterized the development of cold-tolerance in zebrafish larvae and investigated the transcriptional profiles under cold stress using RNA-seq. RESULTS: Pre-exposure of 96 hpf zebrafish larvae to cold stress (16°C) for 24 h significantly increased their survival rates under severe cold stress (12°C). RNA-seq generated 272 million raw reads from six sequencing libraries and about 92% of the processed reads were mapped to the reference genome of zebrafish. Differential expression analysis identified 1,431 up- and 399 down-regulated genes. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of cold-induced genes revealed that RNA splicing, ribosome biogenesis and protein catabolic process were the most highly overrepresented biological processes. Spliceosome, proteasome, eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis and RNA transport were the most highly enriched pathways for genes up-regulated by cold stress. Moreover, alternative splicing of 197 genes and promoter switching of 64 genes were found to be regulated by cold stress. A shorter isoform of stk16 that lacks 67 amino acids at the N-terminus was specifically generated by skipping the second exon in cold-treated larvae. Alternative promoter usage was detected for per3 gene under cold stress, which leading to a highly up-regulated transcript encoding a truncated protein lacking the C-terminal domains. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that zebrafish larvae possess the ability to build cold-tolerance under mild low temperature and transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations are extensively involved in this acclimation process.

Gene transfer and mutagenesis mediated by Sleeping Beauty transposon in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus).

The success of gene transfer has been demonstrated in many of vertebrate species, whereas the efficiency of producing transgenic animals remains pretty low due to the random integration of foreign genes into a recipient genome. The Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon is able to improve the efficiency of gene transfer in zebrafish and mouse, but its activity in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) has yet to be characterized. Herein, we demonstrate the potential of using the SB transposon system as an effective tool for gene transfer and insertional mutagenesis in tilapia. A transgenic construct pT2/tiHsp70-SB11 was generated by subcloning the promoter of tilapia heat shock protein 70 (tiHsp70) gene, the SB11 transposase gene and the carp ß-actin gene polyadenylation signal into the second generation of SB transposon. Transgenic tilapia was produced by microinjection of this construct with in vitro synthesized capped SB11 mRNA. SB11 transposon was detected in 28.89 % of founders, 12.9 % of F1 and 43.75 % of F2. Analysis of genomic sequences flanking integrated transposons indicates that this transgenic tilapia line carries two copies of SB transposon, which landed into two different endogenous genes. Induced expression of SB11 gene after heat shock was detected using reverse transcription PCR in F2 transgenic individuals. In addition, the Cre/loxP system was introduced to delete the SB11 cassette for stabilization of gene interruption and bio-safety. These findings suggest that the SB transposon system is active and can be used for efficient gene transfer and insertional mutagenesis in tilapia.

Prevalence and risk factors for latex glove allergy among female clinical nurses: a multicenter questionnaire study in China.

BACKGROUND: Natural rubber latex glove use is widespread in mainland China, but the prevalence and risk factors for latex glove allergy among clinical nurses have previously been unreported. METHODS: A questionnaire was used to collect information on latex glove-related allergy among clinical nursing staff in 35 hospitals of eight provinces in the southern, central southern, and northern regions of China, and the risk factors were calculated with logistic regression analysis. Some subjects with glove dermatitis were patch tested with a modified European standard series of allergens. RESULTS: Among 8485 female nurses in eight provinces of China, overall prevalence of latex glove allergy was 8.8%. Of 743 symptomatic nurses, 573 (77.1%) and 475 (63.9%) reported symptoms suggestive of glove dermatitis and type I latex allergy, respectively. Of 69 randomly selected subjects with glove dermatitis, 18 (26.1%) had a positive patch to rubber additives. Employment seniority, positive family and personal history of allergic diseases, and longer extent of time spent in a single hospital room were associated with latex allergy, while using >5 pairs of gloves per working day may be a protective factor. CONCLUSION: Chinese nurses are at high risk for latex sensitization. Nurses who develop latex-related symptoms after exposure to latex gloves should undergo screening tests for latex allergy. Low-protein, powder-free natural rubber latex gloves, or latex-free gloves should be widely adopted in China, along with other preventive measures.

Accelerating corneal wound healing using exosome-mediated targeting of NF-κB c-Rel.

The integrity of the corneal epithelium is essential for the maintenance of the physiological function of the cornea. Studies have found that inflammation greatly delays corneal wound healing. NF-κB c-Rel is preferentially expressed by immune cells and promotes the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In the current study, we sought to investigate whether c-Rel could be used as a potential therapeutic target for treating a corneal injury. Our studies reveal that expressions of c-Rel and its inflammatory targets are significantly increased in the cornea of mice with corneal injury. In addition, we find that c-Rel-deficient mice exhibit accelerated corneal wound healing and reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines. Further studies show that topical treatment on the corneal surface using nano-polymers or exosomes loaded with c-Rel-specific siRNA (siRel) can effectively accelerate regular and diabetic corneal wound healing. More importantly, we find that exosomes, as carriers of siRel, showed better efficacy than nano-polymers in treating corneal injury. We further demonstrate that exosomes secreted by mesenchymal stem cells can efficiently transfer siRNA into macrophages and dendritic cells but not T cells. Taken together, these results indicate that blocking c-Rel may represent an attracting strategy for the treatment of both regular and diabetic corneal injury.

DNA Nanoclusters Combined with One-Shot Radiotherapy Augment Cancer Immunotherapy Efficiency.

Immunotherapy shows immense promise for improving cancer treatment. Combining immunotherapy with radiotherapy provides a conspicuous advantage due to its enhanced abscopal effect. However, established immune tolerance mechanisms in the tumor microenvironment can hamper the generation of a sufficient abscopal effect. Herein, a type of DNA nanocluster (DNAnc) that is self-assembled by a CpG-ODNs-loaded Y-shaped double-stranded DNA vector based on the unique complementary base-pairing rules is designed. The unique structure of DNAnc makes it load more than ≈8125.5 ± 822.5 copies of CpG ODNs within one single nanostructure, which effectively increases resistance to nuclease degradation and elevates the efficiency of repolarizing macrophages to an M1-like phenotype. Mechanistic studies reveal that more DNAncs are endocytosed by macrophages in the cancer tissue and repolarized macrophages to elicit a robust abscopal effect with the accumulation of macrophages induced by radiotherapy, generating potent, long-term, and durable antitumor immunity for the inhibition of tumor metastasis and the prevention of tumor recurrence, which provides a novel strategy to boost cancer immunotherapy.

Molecular Layer Deposition of Polyurea on Silica Nanoparticles and Its Application in Dielectric Nanocomposites.

Polymer nanocomposites (NCs) offer outstanding potential for dielectric applications including insulation materials. The large interfacial area introduced by the nanoscale fillers plays a major role in improving the dielectric properties of NCs. Therefore, an effort to tailor the properties of these interfaces can lead to substantial improvement of the material's macroscopic dielectric response. Grafting electrically active functional groups to the surface of nanoparticles (NPs) in a controlled manner can yield reproducible alterations in charge trapping and transport as well as space charge phenomena in nanodielectrics. In the present study, fumed silica NPs are surface modified with polyurea from phenyl diisocyanate (PDIC) and ethylenediamine (ED) via molecular layer deposition (MLD) in a fluidized bed. The modified NPs are then incorporated into a polymer blend based on polypropylene (PP)/ethylene-octene-copolymer (EOC), and their morphological and dielectric properties are investigated. We demonstrate the alterations in the electronic structure of silica upon depositing urea units using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Subsequently, the effect of urea functionalization on the dielectric properties of NCs is studied using thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) and broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) methods. The DFT calculations reveal the contribution of both shallow and deep traps upon deposition of urea units onto the NPs. It could be concluded that the deposition of polyurea on NPs results in a bi-modal distribution of trap depths that are related to each monomer in the urea units and can lead to a reduction of space charge formation at filler-polymer interfaces. MLD offers a promising tool for tailoring the interfacial interactions in dielectric NCs.

MicroRNA-21 promotes pancreatic ß cell function through modulating glucose uptake.

Pancreatic ß cell dysfunction contributes to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. MiR-21 has been shown to be induced in the islets of glucose intolerant patients and type 2 diabetic mice. However, the role of miR-21 in the regulation of pancreatic ß cell function remains largely elusive. In the current study, we identify the pathway by which miR-21 regulates glucose-stimulated insulin secretion utilizing mice lacking miR-21 in their ß cells (miR-21ßKO). We find that miR-21ßKO mice develop glucose intolerance due to impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Mechanistic studies reveal that miR-21 enhances glucose uptake and subsequently promotes insulin secretion by up-regulating Glut2 expression in a miR-21-Pdcd4-AP-1 dependent pathway. Over-expression of Glut2 in knockout islets results in rescue of the impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that delivery of miR-21 into the pancreas of type 2 diabetic db/db male mice is able to promote Glut2 expression and reduce blood glucose level. Taking together, our results reveal that miR-21 in islet ß cell promotes insulin secretion and support a role for miR-21 in the regulation of pancreatic ß cell function in type 2 diabetes.

Progress in Gene-Editing Technology of Zebrafish.

As a vertebrate model, zebrafish (Danio rerio) plays a vital role in the field of life sciences. Recently, gene-editing technology has become increasingly innovative, significantly promoting scientific research on zebrafish. However, the implementation of these methods in a reasonable and accurate manner to achieve efficient gene-editing remains challenging. In this review, we systematically summarize the development and latest progress in zebrafish gene-editing technology. Specifically, we outline trends in double-strand break-free genome modification and the prospective applications of fixed-point orientation transformation of any base at any location through a multi-method approach.

MicroRNA-21 Regulates Diametrically Opposed Biological Functions of Regulatory T Cells.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are considered important for controlling the onset and development of autoimmune disease. Although studies have shown that miR-21 is expressed at higher levels in Treg cells, it remains largely elusive whether miR-21 regulates the immune-suppressive function of Tregs. In the current study, we generated mice lacking miR-21 specifically in their Tregs and investigated the role of miR-21 in regulating Treg function both in vitro and in vivo. Our study revealed that Tregs lacking miR-21 exhibit normal phenotype and unaltered function in suppressing T cell proliferation and dendritic cell activation in vitro. However, compared with miR-21-sufficient Tregs, they produce significant more IL-17 and IL-10 when under pathogenic Th17-priming condition. Adenoviral delivery of miR-21 into Treg cells is able to reduce the expression of both IL-17 and IL-10. Mechanistic study revealed that miR-21 down-regulates IL-10 expression through direct targeting of IL-10, and suppresses reprogramming of Tregs into IL-17-secreting cells through down-regulating Stat3 activity. However, we detected no significant or marginal difference in the development of various autoimmune diseases between wild type mice and mice with Treg-specific deletion of miR-21. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that miR-21 in Tregs regulates diametrically opposed biological Treg functions and is largely dispensable for the development of autoimmune disease.

Nanoassemblies with Effective Serum Tolerance Capability Achieving Robust Gene Silencing Efficacy for Breast Cancer Gene Therapy.

The transfection efficiency of siRNA mediated by cationic polymers is limited due to the instability of polymers/siRNA complexes in the presence of serum. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is usually applied to modify cationic polymers, so as to reduce protein and cell adsorption and then to improve siRNA transfection efficiency. However, the polymers' modification with PEG mostly consumes the free amino of the polymers, which can, in turn, reduce the charge density and limit their siRNA transfection efficacy. Here, a new PEG modification strategy that need not consume the surface aminos of polymers is proposed. Catechol-PEG polymers are coated on the surface of phenylboronic acid (PBA)-modified Generation 5 (G5) poly(amidoamine) dendrimers (G5PBA) via reversible boronate esters to establish PEG-modified dendrimer/siRNA nanoassemblies for efficient siRNA delivery. The PEG/G5PBA/siRNA nanoassemblies have positive charge and show excellent gene silencing efficacy in the absence of serum in vitro. More importantly, the PEG/G5PBA/siRNA nanoassemblies also exhibit excellent serum resistance and gene silencing efficacy in serum-containing medium. Furthermore, the effective antiserum and gene silencing efficacy elicited by these nanoassemblies lead to excellent antitumor effects in vivo. This proposed strategy constitutes an important approach to reach an excellent gene silencing efficacy in the presence of serum.

Nonplanar Helicene Benzo[4]Helicenium for the Precise Treatment of Renal cell Carcinoma.

Immune and targeted therapy are becoming the first-line treatment for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, therapeutic outcomes are limited due to the low efficiency and side effect. Here, it is found that helicenes are able to exhibit an anticancer capability through changing the molecular structure from planar to nonplanar. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity in vitro and cancer inhibition ability of nonplanar helicenes increase with its aromatic rings' number. It is further demonstrated that benzo[4]helicenium shows the specific killing efficiency against the RCC cancer as compared to normal kidney cells. This is majorly originated from a more selective damage of benzo[4]helicenium for mitochondria and DNA in RCC cancer cells, not the normal kidney. The selective killing ability of benzo[4]helicenium makes it have potential to be used as a targeted drug for the precise treatment of RCC.