Achieving superior anticoagulation of endothelial membrane mimetic coating by heparin grafting at zwitterionic biocompatible interfaces.

Thrombosis and bleeding are common complications of blood-contacting medical device therapies. In this work, an endothelium membrane mimetic coating (PMPCC/Hep) has been created to address these challenges. The coating is fabricated by multi-point anchoring of a phosphorylcholine copolymer (poly-MPC-co-MSA, PMPCC) with carboxylic side chains and end-group grafting of unfractionated heparin (Hep) onto polydopamine precoated blood-contacting material surfaces. The PMPCC coating forms an ultrathin cell outer membrane mimetic layer to resist protein adsorption and platelet adhesion. The tiny defects/pores of the PMPCC layer provide entrances for heparin end-group to be inserted and grafted onto the sub-layer amino groups. The combination of the PMPCC cell membrane mimetic anti-fouling nature with the grafted heparin bioactivity further enhances the anticoagulation performance of the formed endothelium membrane mimetic PMPCC/Hep coating. Compared to conventional Hep coating, the PMPCC/Hep coating further decreases protein adsorption and platelet adhesion by 50 % and 90 %, respectively. More significantly, the PMPCC/Hep coating shows a superior anticoagulation activity, even significantly higher than that of an end-point-attached heparin coating. Furthermore, the blood coagulation function is well preserved in the PMPCC/Hep coating anticoagulation strategy. All the results support that the PMPCC/Hep coating strategy has great potential in developing more efficient and safer blood-contacting medical devices.

The Hepatic Nerves Regulated Inflammatory Effect in the Process of Liver Injury: Is Nerve the Key Treating Target for Liver Inflammation?

Liver injury is a common pathological basis for various liver diseases. Chronic liver injury is often an important initiating factor in liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Currently, hepatitis A and E infections are the most common causes of acute liver injury worldwide, whereas drug toxicity (paracetamol overdose) in the USA and part of Western Europe. In recent years, chronic liver injury has become a common disease that harms human health. Meanwhile, the main causes of chronic liver injury are viral hepatitis (B, C) and long-term alcohol consumption worldwide. During the process of liver injury, massive inflammatory cytokines are stimulated by these hazardous factors, leading to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome, followed by a compensatory anti-inflammatory response, which causes immune cell dysfunction and sepsis, subsequent multi-organ failure. Cytokine release and immune cell infiltration-mediated aseptic inflammation are the most important features of the pathobiology of liver failure. From this perspective, diminishing the onset and progression of liver inflammation is of clinical importance in the treatment of liver injury. Although many studies have hinted at the critical role of nerves in regulating inflammation, there largely remains undetermined how hepatic nerves mediate immune inflammation and how the inflammatory factors released by these nerves are involved in the process of liver injury. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to summarize previous studies in the field related to hepatic nerve and inflammation as well as future perspectives on the aforementioned questions. Our findings were presented in three aspects: types of nerve distribution in the liver, how these nerves regulate immunity, and the role of liver nerves in hepatitis and liver failure.

Metformin restrains ZIKV replication and alleviates virus-induced inflammatory responses in microglia.

The re-emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) remains a major public health threat that has raised worldwide attention. Accumulating evidence suggests that ZIKV can cause serious pathological changes to the human nervous system, including microcephaly in newborns. Recent studies suggest that metformin, an established treatment for diabetes may play a role in viral infection; however, little is known about the interactions between ZIKV infection and metformin administration. Using fluorescent ZIKV by flow cytometry and immunofluorescence imaging, we found that ZIKV can infect microglia in a dose-dependent manner. Metformin diminished ZIKV replication without the alteration of viral entry and phagocytosis. Our study demonstrated that metformin downregulated ZIKV-induced inflammatory response in microglia in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Our RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR analysis found that type I and III interferons (IFN), such as IFNα2, IFNß1 and IFNλ3 were upregulated in ZIKV-infected cells by metformin treatment, accompanied with the downregulation of GBP4, OAS1, MX1 and ISG15. Together, our results suggest that metformin-mediated modulation in multiple pathways may attribute to restraining ZIKV infection in microglia, which may provide a potential tool to consider for use in unique clinical circumstances.

Hepatic stellate cell-released CXCL1 aggravates HCC malignant behaviors through the MIR4435-2HG/miR-506-3p/TGFB1 axis.

Hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation is a critical event in the development of hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). By the release of soluble cytokines, chemokines, and chemotaxis, HSCs affect HCC cell phenotypes through a complex tumor microenvironment. In this study, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to identify the TGF-ß signaling pathway as a key signaling pathway in Hep3B cells cultured in HSC conditioned medium. MIR4435-2HG is a hub lncRNA associated with the TGF-ß signaling pathway and HSC activation. HSC-condition medium (CM) culture induced HCC cell malignant behaviors, which were partially reversed by MIR4435-2HG silencing. miR-506-3p directly bound to MIR4435-2HG and the 3'UTR of TGFB1. Similarly, overexpression of miR-506-3p also attenuated HSC-CM-induced malignant behavior of HCC cells. In HSC-CM cultured HCC cells, the effects of MIR4435-2HG knockdown on TGFB1 expression and HCC cell phenotypes were partially reversed by miR-506-3p inhibition. HSCs affected HCC cell phenotypes by releasing CXCL1. In an orthotopic xenotransplanted tumor model of HCC cells plus HSCs in mice, CXCR2 knockdown in HCC cells significantly inhibited tumorigenesis, which was partially reversed by MIR4435-2HG overexpression in HCC cells. In HCC tissue samples, the levels of CXCL1, TGF-ß1, and MIR4435-2HG were upregulated, while miR-506-3p expression was downregulated. In conclusion, HSC-released CXCL1 aggravated HCC cell malignant behaviors through the MIR4435-2HG/miR-506-3p/TGFB1 axis. In addition to CXCL1, the MIR4435-2HG/miR-506-3p/TGFB1 axis might also be the underlying target for HCC therapy.

STING pathway contributes to the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and identification of prognostic gene signatures correlated to tumor microenvironment.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most malignant solid tumors worldwide. Recent evidence shows that the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway is essential for anti-tumor immunity via inducing the production of downstream inflammatory cytokines. However, its impact on the prognosis and tumor microenvironment of HCC was still limited known. METHODS: We obtained gene expression profiles of HCC from GEO, TCGA, and ICGC databases, and immune-related genes (IRGs) from the ImmPort database. Multivariate Cox regression was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. Nomogram was established to predict survival probability for individual patients. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to evaluate the survival difference. Afterward, ESTIMATE, TISCH, and TIMER databases were combined to assess the immune cell infiltration. Furthermore, the qPCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry were done to evaluate gene expression, and in vitro cell models were built to determine cell migratory ability. RESULTS: We found that gene markers of NLRC3, STING1, TBK1, TRIM21, and XRCC6 within STING pathway were independent prognostic factors in HCC patients. Underlying the finding, a predictive nomogram was constructed in TCGA-training cohort and further validated in TCGA-all and ICGC datasets, showing credible performance. Experimentally, up-regulated TBK1 promotes the ability of HCC cell migration. Next, the survival-related immune-related co-expressed gene signatures (IRCGS) (VAV1, RHOA, and ZC3HAV1) were determined in HCC cohorts and their expression was verified in human HCC cells and clinical samples. Furthermore, survival-related IRCGS was associated with the infiltration of various immune cell subtypes in HCC, the transcriptional expression of prominent immune checkpoints, and immunotherapeutic response. CONCLUSION: Collectively, we constructed a novel prognostic nomogram model for predicting the survival probability of individual HCC patients. Moreover, an immune-related prognostic gene signature was determined. Both might function as potential therapeutic targets for HCC treatment in the future.

Comparison of methods of isolating extracellular vesicle microRNA from HepG2 cells for High-throughput sequencing.

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) were reported to participate in various cellular processes based on the biomolecules, particularly microRNAs. Numerous commercial EVs isolation reagents are available. However, whether these reagents are suitable for separating EVs from the culture medium supernatant supernatant of model cell lines, such as HepG2, and whether the isolated products are suitable for High-throughput sequencing remains unclear. Methods: We examined three commonly used EVs isolation kits: the ExoQuick-TC exosome precipitation solution (EQ), Total Exosome Isolation from cell culture medium (EI), and exoEasy Maxi Kit (EM), to isolate EVs from HepG2 cell culture medium supernatants. EVs were identified based on marker proteins, particle size measurements, and electron microscopy analysis. The total amounts of microRNA and microRNA High-throughput sequencing data quality from EVs isolated by each kit were compared. Results: The total amount of EVs' microRNA isolated from the EI and EM groups were higher than that obtained from the EQ group (EQ/EI: p = 0.036, EI/EM: p = 0.024). High-throughput sequencing data quality evaluation showed that the EI group possessed higher quality than those in the EM group. Conclusion: For the cell culture medium from HepG2, EVs' microRNA isolated by EI reagents might be more suitable for High-throughput sequencing applications.

VCP interaction with HMGB1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by activating the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common pathological type of liver cancer. Valosin-containing protein (VCP) is a member of the AAA-ATPase family associated with multiple molecular functions and involved in tumor metastasis and prognosis. However, the role of VCP in HCC progression is still unclear. METHODS: We examined the expression of VCP in HCC using the RNA sequencing and microarray data from public databases and measured it in clinical samples and cell lines by western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We also evaluated the correlation between VCP and clinical features. The VCP-interacting proteins were identified by co-immunoprecipitation combined with mass spectrometry (CoIP/MS). The underlying molecular mechanisms were investigated using in vitro and in vivo models of HCC. RESULTS: We found that VCP expression is significantly increased in tumor tissues and is associated with advanced TNM stages and poorer prognosis in HCC patients. In vitro analyses revealed that VCP overexpression promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activation. Conversely, VCP knockdown resulted in the reverse phenotypes. In vivo studies indicated that up-regulated VCP expression accelerated tumor growth in a subcutaneous HCC model. The D1 domain of VCP and A box of HMGB1 were identified as the critical regions for their interaction, and D1 area was required for the tumor-promoting effects induced by VCP expression. VCP enhanced the protein stability of HMGB1 by decreasing its degradation via ubiquitin-proteasome process. Inhibition of HMGB1 markedly attenuated VCP-mediated HCC progression and downstream activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signals. CONCLUSION: Collectively, these findings demonstrate that VCP is a potential prognostic biomarker in HCC and exhibits oncogenic roles via PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activation. HMGB1 played an essential role in VCP-mediated HCC progression, indicating that VCP and HMGB1 are potential therapeutic targets in human HCC.

Central nervous system infection with Seoul Orthohantavirus in a child after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) are prone to complicate viral infection. Central nervous system (CNS) involvement caused by the viruses is rare but with poor prognosis. Hantavirus, which usually cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), and none case has been reported about these infection in allo-HSCT patients. CASE PRESENTATION: In August 2021, a 13-year-old male child developed intermittent fever and refractory hypotension after allo-HSCT. Magnetic resonance imaging of the head revealed abnormal signal foci in the left midbrain cerebral peduncle and bilateral thalamus. His family reported traces of mouse activity in the patient's home kitchen. HFRS was suspected, but with no significant kidney damage. The specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G and M of hantavirus were negative. The metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) detected Seoul Orthohantavirus (SEOV) sequences directly in cerebrospinal fluid and blood. CONCLUSIONS: Allo-HSCT patients are a high-risk group for infection. Usually the causative agent of infection is difficult to determine, and sometimes the site of infection is concealed. This report highlights the importance of suspecting hantavirus infection in allo-HSCT patients with CNS symptoms despite the absence of renal syndromes. The mNGS is a powerful tool for detecting pathogens. CNS infection with Seoul orthohantavirus in transplant patients is rare but possible as demonstrated in this case. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case employing mNGS to diagnose SEOV caused CNS infection in an allo-HSCT patient.

Establishment and validation of prognostic nomograms to predict the overall and cancer-specific survival in patients with hepatic malignant vascular tumors.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the clinicopathologic features and to investigate the prognostic nomograms for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with Hepatic malignant vascular tumors (HMVT). METHOD: Patients diagnosed with HMVT between 1973 and 2015 were screened from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) was used for survival analysis. The univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were performed to identify independent predictors. Furthermore, the prognostic nomograms were established and evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 510 HMVT patients were collected, and randomly divided into HMVT-training (N=308) and validation cohort (N=202) groups. The 3- and 5-year OS for overall HMVT were 21.3% and 19.8%, and the corresponding CSS was 29.8% and 27.7% respectively. Age at diagnosis, grade, tumor size, and histological type were identified as prognostic factors for OS and CSS in patients with HMVT. However, sex was just for predicting CSS, and T stage was only an indicator of OS. These factors were further utilized to construct the nomograms for OS and CSS in the HMVT-training cohort showing credible performance with the C-index of 0.763 and 0.762, respectively. Moreover, the AUC value for 1-, 3-, 5-year OS was 0.873, 0.905 and 0.898, and the corresponding value for CSS was 0.808, 0.794 and 0.788 respectively. Additionally, the calibration curves demonstrated a favorable agreement between the predicted and actual 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates both in the training and validated cohorts. CONCLUSION: This was the largest population-based study to describe the clinicopathologic characteristics in patients with HMVT. Moreover, we established and validated prognostic nomograms that indicated an accurate prediction for 1-, 3- and 5-year of OS and CSS.

The Protective Role of IL-36/IL-36R Signal in Con A-Induced Acute Hepatitis.

The IL-36 family, including IL-36α, IL-36ß, IL-36γ, and IL-36R antagonist, belong to the IL-1 superfamily. It was reported that IL-36 plays a role in immune diseases. However, it remains unclear how IL-36 regulates inflammation. To determine the role of IL-36/IL-36R signaling pathways, we established an acute hepatitis mouse model (C57BL/6) by i.v. injection of the plant lectin Con A. We found that the levels of IL-36 were increased in the liver after Con A injection. Our results demonstrated the infiltrated neutrophils, but not the hepatocytes, were the main source of IL-36 in the liver. Using the IL-36R-/- mouse model (H-2b), we surprisingly found that the absence of IL-36 signals led to aggravated liver injury, as evidenced by increased mortality, elevated serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels, and severe liver pathological changes. Further investigations demonstrated that a lack of IL-36 signaling induced intrahepatic activation of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes and increased the production of inflammatory cytokines. In addition, IL-36R-/- mice had reduced T regulatory cell numbers and chemokines in the liver. Together, our results from the mouse model suggested a vital role of IL-36 in regulating T cell function and homeostasis during liver inflammation.

IL-33 activates mTORC1 and modulates glycolytic metabolism in CD8+ T cells.

Interleukin (IL)-33, a member in the IL-1 family, plays a central role in innate and adaptive immunity; however, how IL-33 mediates cytotoxic T-cell regulation and the downstream signals remain elusive. In this study, we found increased mouse IL-33 expression in CD8+ T cells following cell activation via anti-CD3/CD28 stimulation in vitro or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection in vivo. Our cell adoptive transfer experiment demonstrated that extracellular, but not nuclear, IL-33 contributed to the activation and proliferation of CD8+ , but not CD4+ T effector cells in LCMV infection. Importantly, IL-33 induced mTORC1 activation in CD8+ T cells as evidenced by increased phosphorylated S6 ribosomal protein (p-S6) levels both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, this IL-33-induced CD8+ T-cell activation was suppressed by mTORC1 inhibitors. Furthermore, IL-33 elevated glucose uptake and lactate production in CD8+ T cells in both dose- and time-dependent manners. The results of glycolytic rate assay demonstrated the increased glycolytic capacity of IL-33-treated CD8+ T cells compared with that of control cells. Our mechanistic study further revealed the capacity of IL-33 in promoting the expression of glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) and glycolytic enzymes via mTORC1, leading to accelerated aerobic glucose metabolism Warburg effect and increased effector T-cell activation. Together, our data provide new insights into IL-33-mediated regulation of CD8+ T cells, which might be beneficial for therapeutic strategies of inflammatory and infectious diseases in the future.

The Role of IL-36 in Infectious Diseases: Potential Target for COVID-19?

IL-36 is a member of the interleukin 1 cytokine family, which is currently experiencing a renaissance due to the growing understanding of its context-dependent roles and advances in our understanding of the inflammatory response. The immunological role of IL-36 has revealed its profound and indispensable functional roles in psoriasis, as well as in several inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cancer. More recently, an increasing body of evidence suggests that IL-36 plays a crucial role in viral, bacterial and fungal infections. There is a growing interest as to whether IL-36 contributes to host protective immune responses against infection as well as the potential implications of IL-36 for the development of new therapeutic strategies. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in understanding cellular expression, regulatory mechanisms and biological roles of IL-36 in infectious diseases, which suggest more specific strategies to maneuver IL-36 as a diagnostic or therapeutic target, especially in COVID-19.

IL-22 hinders antiviral T cell responses and exacerbates ZIKV encephalitis in immunocompetent neonatal mice.

BACKGROUND: The Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak that occurred in multiple countries was linked to increased risk of nervous system injuries and congenital defects. However, host immunity- and immune-mediated pathogenesis in ZIKV infection are not well understood. Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a crucial cytokine for regulating host immunity in infectious diseases. Whether IL-22 plays, a role in ZIKV infection is unknown. METHODS: The cellular source of IL-22 was identified in IFNAR-/- mice and wild-type (WT) neonatal mice during ZIKV infection. To determine the role of IL-22, we challenged 1-day-old WT and IL-22-/- mice with ZIKV and monitored clinical manifestations. Glial cell activation in the brain was assessed by confocal imaging. ZIKV-specific CD8+ T cell responses in both the spleen and brain were analyzed by flow cytometry. In addition, glial cells were cultured in vitro and infected with ZIKV in the presence of IL-22, followed by the evaluation of cell proliferation, cytokine expression, and viral loads. RESULTS: We found that γδ T cells were the main source of IL-22 during ZIKV infection in both the spleen and brain. WT mice began to exhibit weight loss, staggered steps, bilateral hind limb paralysis, and weakness at 10 days post-infection (dpi) and ultimately succumbed to infection at 16-19 dpi. IL-22 deficiency lessened weight loss, moderated the systemic inflammatory response, and greatly improved clinical signs of neurological disease and mortality. ZIKV infection also induced the activation of microglia and astrocytes in vitro. Additional analysis demonstrated that the absence of IL-22 resulted in reduced activation of microglia and astrocytes in the cortex. Although IL-22 displayed a negligible effect on glial cells in vitro, IL-22-/- mice mounted more vigorous ZIKV-specific CD8+ T cell responses, which led to a more effective control of ZIKV in the brain. CONCLUSIONS: Our data revealed a pathogenic role of IL-22 in ZIKV encephalitis.

Retinoic Acid Modulates Hyperactive T Cell Responses and Protects Vitamin A-Deficient Mice against Persistent Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major public health problem and is associated with increased host susceptibility to infection; however, how VAD influences viral infection remains unclear. Using a persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection model, we showed in this study that although VAD did not alter innate type I IFN production, infected VAD mice had hyperactive, virus-specific T cell responses at both the acute and contraction stages, showing significantly decreased PD-1 but increased cytokine (IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2) expression by T cells. Compared with control mice, VAD mice displayed excessive inflammation and more severe liver pathology, with increased death during persistent infection. Of note, supplements of all-trans retinoic acid (RA), one of the important metabolites of vitamin A, downregulated hyperactive T cell responses and rescued the persistently infected VAD mice. By using adoptive transfer of splenocytes, we found that the environmental vitamin A or its metabolites acted as rheostats modulating antiviral T cells. The analyses of T cell transcriptional factors and signaling pathways revealed the possible mechanisms of RA, as its supplements inhibited the abundance of NFATc1 (NFAT 1), a key regulator for T cell activation. Also, following CD3/CD28 cross-linking stimulation, RA negatively regulated the TCR-proximal signaling in T cells, via decreased phosphorylation of Zap70 and its downstream signals, including phosphorylated AKT, p38, ERK, and S6, respectively. Together, our data reveal VAD-mediated alterations in antiviral T cell responses and highlight the potential utility of RA for modulating excessive immune responses and tissue injury in infectious diseases.

Correlation of Long Noncoding RNA SEMA6A-AS1 Expression with Clinical Outcome in HBV-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer and the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the leading cause of HCC in China. Emerging evidence suggests that long noncoding (lnc)-RNAs are deregulated and are involved in the development of HCC. Our previous study found that HBV X protein can promote HCC by altering lncRNA expression profiles. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of the lncRNA semaphorin 6A-antisense RNA 1 (SEMA6A-AS1) and its prognostic value in HBV-related HCC. METHODS: Samples of HCC tissues and adjacent nontumor tissues were collected from patients who were pathologically diagnosed with HBV-related HCC after hepatectomy. Eligible patients had not received preoperative radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or embolotherapy. Real-time quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was performed to evaluate the expression levels of SEMA6A-AS1 in all tissue specimens. The correlations between SEMA6A-AS1 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed using the χ2 test and the Fisher exact test. Overall survival curves constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method and univariate analysis made by Cox proportional hazards modeling were used for determining the prognostic significance of SEMA6A-AS1. FINDINGS: Specimens were collected from 47 patients (45 men, 2 women; mean age, 48.4 [10.7] years). SEMA6A-AS1 expression was significantly downregulated in HBV-related HCC tissues compared with that in adjacent noncancerous hepatic tissues (P < 0.01). Low levels of SEMA6A-AS1 were correlated with high α-fetoprotein level (P = 0.002), high Edmondson-Steiner tumor grade (P = 0.047), high tumor node metastasis stage (P = 0.01), capsular invasion (P = 0.005), and poor clinical response (P = 0.002). Additionally, both Kaplan-Meier estimator and univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that low SEMA6A-AS1 expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival (P < 0.05). IMPLICATIONS: The results show that low expression of SEMA6A-AS1 was associated with a poor prognosis in patients with HBV-related HCC. It is necessary to determine the function and mechanism of SEMA6A-AS1 in HCC in order to identify it as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

IL-33 induces immunosuppressive neutrophils via a type 2 innate lymphoid cell/IL-13/STAT6 axis and protects the liver against injury in LCMV infection-induced viral hepatitis.

Viral hepatitis is still a public health problem affecting several million people around the world. Neutrophils are polymorphonuclear cells that have a critical role in antibacterial infection. However, the role of neutrophils in viral infection is not fully understood. By using a mouse model of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection-induced viral hepatitis, we observed increased neutrophil recruitment in the liver accompanied by enhanced CD8+ T-cell responses. Liver neutrophils expressed high levels of immunomodulatory cytokines, such as C-X-C chemokine ligand 2, arginase-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase and interleukin (IL)-10, demonstrating immunosuppressive properties. Depletion of neutrophils in vivo by a neutralizing antibody resulted in the exacerbation of liver injury and the promotion of T-cell responses at the immune contraction stage. IL-33 significantly induced neutrophil recruitment in the liver and attenuated liver injury by limiting effector T-cell accumulation. Mechanistically, we found that IL-33 promoted the expression of arginase-1 in neutrophils through the type 2 innate lymphoid cell (ILC2)-derived IL-13. Additionally, IL-13 increased the inhibitory effect of neutrophils on CD8+ T-cell proliferation in vitro, partially through arginase-1. Finally, we found that IL-13 induced arginase-1 expression, depending on signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 6 (STAT6) signaling. Therefore, IL-33 induced immunosuppressive neutrophils via an ILC2/IL-13/STAT6 axis. Collectively, our findings shed new light on the mechanisms associated with IL-33-triggered neutrophils in the liver and suggest potential targets for therapeutic investigation in viral hepatitis.

A novel lncRNA, TCONS_00006195, represses hepatocellular carcinoma progression by inhibiting enzymatic activity of ENO1.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies and has an unfavorable prognosis. The hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein has been reported to be closely associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. Meanwhile, emerging evidence has indicated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of cancers. Our previous investigation has demonstrated that HBx could promote HCC by regulating the expression levels of various lncRNAs. In this study, we identified an lncRNA, lncRNA-TCONS_00006195 (termed lncRNA-6195), which was downregulated in HBV-related HCC tissues compared with its expression in adjacent noncancerous hepatic tissues. Clinical data showed that a low level of lncRNA-6195 was correlated with a high Edmondson-Steiner grade of the tumor and a poor prognosis in HCC patients. Furthermore, lncRNA-6195 acted as a tumor repressor in the development of hepatitis B-related HCC, inhibiting HCC cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, lncRNA-6195 could combine with α-enolase (ENO1) and repress its enzymatic activity, thus further inhibiting the energy metabolism in HCC cells. Our results suggest that lncRNA-6195 represses the growth of HCC by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of ENO1. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the lncRNA involvement in hepatocarcinogenesis and can serve as a basis for the development of novel strategies to hinder HCC.

Circular RNA 101368/miR-200a axis modulates the migration of hepatocellular carcinoma through HMGB1/RAGE signaling.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most common type of cancers, is highly refractory to most systemic therapies. Understanding the genomic dysregulations, in particularly non-coding RNA (ncRNA) dysregulations, in HCC may provide novel strategies to HCC treatment. In our previous study, we demonstrated the key role of miR-200a-mediated HMGB1/RAGE signaling in HCC carcinogenesis. In the present study, we identified circular RNA (circRNA)-miRNA pair that might modulate the migration of HCC cell lines based on previously reported GEO database (GSE78520 and GSE43445) and investigated the function and molecular mechanism. circRNA-101368 was predicted by lncTar to target miR-200a, and the expression of circRNA-101368 was significantly upregulated in HCC tissue samples; the overexpression of circRNA-101368 was correlated with poorer prognosis in patients with HCC. Moreover, circRNA-101368 knockdown suppressed the migration and the protein levels of HMGB1, RAGE and NF-κB, while increased the E-Cadherin expression in HCC cell lines. As confirmed by luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays, circRNA-101368 directly bound to miR-200a to negatively regulate each other. The effect of circRNA-101368 knockdown on cell migration and HMGB1/RAGE signaling could be partially attenuated by miR-200a inhibition. In tissue samples, miR-200a was negatively correlated with circRNA-101368 and HMGB1, respectively, whereas circRNA-101368 and HMGB1 was positively correlated. Taken together, we demonstrated a network of circRNAs-miRNA-mRNA in HCC and provided a novel mechanism of HCC cell migration regulation.

Outcomes of Congenital Zika Disease Depend on Timing of Infection and Maternal-Fetal Interferon Action.

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy in humans results in intrauterine growth restriction, spontaneous abortion, and microcephaly. Here, we found that fetus-derived type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling can enhance anti-ZIKV responses and provide clinical benefits to the fetus. Because IFN-λ shares signaling cascades and antiviral functions with IFN-I, we investigated the in vivo effects of IFN-λ in ZIKV-infected pregnant mice. IFN-λ administration during mid-pregnancy reduced ZIKV burden in maternal and fetal organs and alleviated placental injuries and fetal demise. In addition, prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of IFN-λ1 in a human trophoblast line, as well as in primary human amniotic epithelial cells, greatly reduced the ZIKV burden. Our data highlight IFN-λ1 as a potential therapeutic useful for women at risk for congenital Zika disease.

High invasion potential of Hydrilla verticillata in the Americas predicted using ecological niche modeling combined with genetic data.

Ecological niche modeling is an effective tool to characterize the spatial distribution of suitable areas for species, and it is especially useful for predicting the potential distribution of invasive species. The widespread submerged plant Hydrilla verticillata (hydrilla) has an obvious phylogeographical pattern: Four genetic lineages occupy distinct regions in native range, and only one lineage invades the Americas. Here, we aimed to evaluate climatic niche conservatism of hydrilla in North America at the intraspecific level and explore its invasion potential in the Americas by comparing climatic niches in a phylogenetic context. Niche shift was found in the invasion process of hydrilla in North America, which is probably mainly attributed to high levels of somatic mutation. Dramatic changes in range expansion in the Americas were predicted in the situation of all four genetic lineages invading the Americas or future climatic changes, especially in South America; this suggests that there is a high invasion potential of hydrilla in the Americas. Our findings provide useful information for the management of hydrilla in the Americas and give an example of exploring intraspecific climatic niche to better understand species invasion.