An immune cell atlas reveals the dynamics of human macrophage specification during prenatal development.

Macrophages are heterogeneous and play critical roles in development and disease, but their diversity, function, and specification remain inadequately understood during human development. We generated a single-cell RNA sequencing map of the dynamics of human macrophage specification from PCW 4-26 across 19 tissues. We identified a microglia-like population and a proangiogenic population in 15 macrophage subtypes. Microglia-like cells, molecularly and morphologically similar to microglia in the CNS, are present in the fetal epidermis, testicle, and heart. They are the major immune population in the early epidermis, exhibit a polarized distribution along the dorsal-lateral-ventral axis, and interact with neural crest cells, modulating their differentiation along the melanocyte lineage. Through spatial and differentiation trajectory analysis, we also showed that proangiogenic macrophages are perivascular across fetal organs and likely yolk-sac-derived as microglia. Our study provides a comprehensive map of the heterogeneity and developmental dynamics of human macrophages and unravels their diverse functions during development.

Approaches for studying human macrophages.

Macrophages are vital tissue components involved in organogenesis, maintaining homeostasis, and responses to disease. Mouse models have significantly improved our understanding of macrophages. Further investigations into the characteristics and development of human macrophages are crucial, considering the substantial anatomical and physiological distinctions between mice and humans. Despite challenges in human macrophage research, recent studies are shedding light on the ontogeny and function of human macrophages. In this opinion, we propose combinations of cutting-edge approaches to examine the diversity, development, niche, and function of human tissue-resident macrophages. These methodologies can facilitate our exploration of human macrophages more efficiently, ideally providing new therapeutic avenues for macrophage-relevant disorders.

SHP-1 Regulates CD8+ T Cell Effector Function but Plays a Subtle Role with SHP-2 in T Cell Exhaustion Due to a Stage-Specific Nonredundant Functional Relay.

SHP-1 (Src homology region 2 domain-containing phosphatase 1) is a well-known negative regulator of T cells, whereas its close homolog SHP-2 is the long-recognized main signaling mediator of the PD-1 inhibitory pathway. However, recent studies have challenged the requirement of SHP-2 in PD-1 signaling, and follow-up studies further questioned the alternative idea that SHP-1 may replace SHP-2 in its absence. In this study, we systematically investigate the role of SHP-1 alone or jointly with SHP-2 in CD8+ T cells in a series of gene knockout mice. We show that although SHP-1 negatively regulates CD8+ T cell effector function during acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, it is dispensable for CD8+ T cell exhaustion during chronic LCMV infection. Moreover, in contrast to the mortality of PD-1 knockout mice upon chronic LCMV infection, mice double deficient for SHP-1 and SHP-2 in CD8+ T cells survived without immunopathology. Importantly, CD8+ T cells lacking both phosphatases still differentiate into exhausted cells and respond to PD-1 blockade. Finally, we found that SHP-1 and SHP-2 suppressed effector CD8+ T cell expansion at the early and late stages, respectively, during chronic LCMV infection.

Design and synthesis of biotinylated cardiac glycosides for probing Nur77 protein inducting pathway.

The orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 (also known as TR3 or nerve growth factor-induced clone B NGFI-B) functions as a nuclear transcription factor in the regulation of target gene expression and plays a critical role in the regulation of differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and survival of many different cell types. Recent studies demonstrate that Nur77 also involves many important physiological and pathological processes including cancer, inflammation and immunity, cardiovascular diseases, and bone diseases. Our previous studies showed that cardiac glycosides could induce the expression of Nur77 protein and its translocation from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and subsequent targeting to mitochondria, leading to apoptosis of cancer cells. In order to probe the Nur77 protein inducting pathway, we designed and synthesized a series of novel biotinylated cardiac glycosides from ß-Antiarin and α-Antiarin, two typical cardiac glycosides from the plant of Antiaris toxicaria. The induction of Nur77 protein expression of these biotinylated cardiac glycosides and their inhibitory effects on NIH-H460 cancer cell proliferation were evaluated. Results displayed that some biotinylated cardiac glycosides could significantly induce the expression of Nur77 protein comparable with their parent compounds ß-Antiarin and α-Antiarin. Also, their streptavidin binding activities were evaluated. Among them, biotinylated cardiac glycosides P4b and P5a exhibited significant effect on the induction of Nur77 expression along with high binding capacity with streptavidin, suggesting that they can be used as probes for probing Nur77 protein inducting pathway.

Synthesis of MeON-neoglycosides of digoxigenin with 6-deoxy- and 2,6-dideoxy-d-glucose derivatives and their anticancer activity.

Cardiac glycosides show anticancer activities and their deoxy-sugar chains are vital for their anticancer effects. In order to study the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of cardiac glycosides toward cancers and get more potent anticancer agents, a series of MeON-neoglycosides of digoxigenin was synthesized and evaluated. First, ten 6-deoxy- and 2,6-dideoxy-d-glucopyranosyl donors were synthesized starting from methyl α-d-glucopyranoside and 2-deoxy-d-glucose. Meanwhile, the digoxigenin was obtained by acidic hydrolysis of commercially available digoxin as glycosyl acceptor. Then, a 22-member MeON-neoglycoside library of digoxigenin was successfully synthesized by neoglycosylation method. Finally, the induction of Nur77 expression and its translocation from the nucleus to cytoplasm together with cytotoxicity of these MeON-neoglycosides were evaluated. The SAR analysis revealed that C3 glycosylation is required for their induction of Nur77 expression. Moreover, some MeON-neoglycosides (2b and 8b) could significant induce the expression of Nur77 and its translocation from the nucleus to cytoplasm. However, these compounds showed no inhibitory effects on the proliferation of cancer cells, suggesting that they may not induce apoptosis of NIH-H460 cancer cells and their underlying potential and application toward cancer cells deserves future study.

Binding characterization, synthesis and biological evaluation of RXRα antagonists targeting the coactivator binding site.

Previously we identified the first retinoid X receptor-alpha (RXRα) modulators that regulate the RXRα biological function via binding to the coregulator-binding site. Here we report the characterization of the interactions between the hit molecule and RXRα through computational modeling, mutagenesis, SAR and biological evaluation. In addition, we reported studies of additional new compounds and identified a molecule that mediated the NF-κB pathway by inhibiting the TNFα-induced IκBα degradation and p65 nuclear translocation.

Themis suppresses the effector function of CD8+ T cells in acute viral infection.

CD8+ T cells play a central role in antiviral immune responses. Upon infection, naive CD8+ T cells differentiate into effector cells to eliminate virus-infected cells, and some of these effector cells further differentiate into memory cells to provide long-term protection after infection is resolved. Although extensively investigated, the underlying mechanisms of CD8+ T-cell differentiation remain incompletely understood. Themis is a T-cell-specific protein that plays critical roles in T-cell development. Recent studies using Themis T-cell conditional knockout mice also demonstrated that Themis is required to promote mature CD8+ T-cell homeostasis, cytokine responsiveness, and antibacterial responses. In this study, we used LCMV Armstrong infection as a probe to explore the role of Themis in viral infection. We found that preexisting CD8+ T-cell homeostasis defects and cytokine hyporesponsiveness do not impair viral clearance in Themis T-cell conditional knockout mice. Further analyses showed that in the primary immune response, Themis deficiency promoted the differentiation of CD8+ effector cells and increased their TNF and IFNγ production. Moreover, Themis deficiency impaired memory precursor cell (MPEC) differentiation but promoted short-lived effector cell (SLEC) differentiation. Themis deficiency also enhanced effector cytokine production in memory CD8+ T cells while impairing central memory CD8+ T-cell formation. Mechanistically, we found that Themis mediates PD-1 expression and its signaling in effector CD8+ T cells, which explains the elevated cytokine production in these cells when Themis is disrupted.

[Subtype analysis of gp41 gene of HIV-1 among men who have sex with men in Zhengzhou].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the subtype distribution of gp41 gene of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Zhengzhou. METHODS: Thirty blood samples were collected from men who have sex with men infected by HIV. The complete gp41 gene was amplified by RT-PCR and nested-PCR and sequenced. All sequences were edited by Bioedit and subtyped with HIV sequence library US Los Alamos National Laboratory and online genotyping software provided by American National Center of Biotechnology Information. Phylogenetic analysis of gp41 gene was performed using the MEGA 3.1 software, and the genic dispersion rates among subtype of gp41 gene were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of eighteen gene sequences of HIV-1 gp41 gene were obtained from thirty men who have sex with men infected by HIV, which belonged to subtype CRF15-01B (50% (9/18)), CRF01-AE (22% (4/18)), CRF07-B (22% (4/18)) and B (6% (1/18)), respectively. The intersubtype HIV-1 strains aggregate with according reference strains. The genetic distance inter-subtype of subtype CRF15-01B, CRF01-AE and CRF07-B were 0.050 ± 0.007, 0.052 ± 0.009 and 0.082 ± 0.012, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prevalent subtypes of HIV-1 among among MSM in Zhengzhou was complicated and recombinant HIV-1 strains were the most prevalent strains.

In Silico Screening of Potential Spike Glycoprotein Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 with Drug Repurposing Strategy.

OBJECTIVE: To select potential molecules that can target viral spike proteins, which may potentially interrupt the interaction between the human angiotension-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and viral spike protein by virtual screening. METHODS: The three-dimensional (3D)-coordinate file of the receptor-binding domain (RBD)-ACE2 complex for searching a suitable docking pocket was firstly downloaded and prepared. Secondly, approximately 15,000 molecular candidates were prepared, including US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs from DrugBank and natural compounds from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP), for the docking process. Then, virtual screening was performed and the binding energy in Autodock Vina was calculated. Finally, the top 20 molecules with high binding energy and their Chinese medicine (CM) herb sources were listed in this paper. RESULTS: It was found that digitoxin, a cardiac glycoside in DrugBank and bisindigotin in TCMSP had the highest docking scores. Interestingly, two of the CM herbs containing the natural compounds that had relatively high binding scores, Forsythiae fructus and Isatidis radix, are components of Lianhua Qingwen (), a CM formula reportedly exerting activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-Cov-2. Moreover, raltegravir, an HIV integrase inhibitor, was found to have a relatively high binding score. CONCLUSIONS: A class of compounds, which are from FDA-approved drugs and CM natural compounds, that had high binding energy with RBD of the viral spike protein. Our work provides potential candidates for other researchers to identify inhibitors to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, and highlights the importance of CM and integrative application of CM and Western medicine on treating COVID-19.

Synthesis of C3-Neoglycosides of digoxigenin and their anticancer activities.

Cardiac glycosides exhibit significant anticancer effects and the glycosyl substitution at C3 position of digoxigenin is pivotal for their biological activity. In order to study the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of cardiac glycosides toward cancers and explore more potent anticancer agents, a series of C3-O-neoglycosides and C3-MeON-neoglycosides of digoxigenin were synthesized by the Koenigs-Knorr and neoglycosylation method, respectively. In addition, digoxigenin bisdigitoxoside and monodigitoxoside were prepared from digoxin by sodium periodate (NaIO4) oxidation and 6-aminocaproic acid hydrolysis. The SAR analysis revealed that C3-O-neoglycosides of digoxigenin exhibited stronger cytotoxicity and induction of Nur77 expression of tumor cells than C3-MeON-neoglycosides. Also, 3ß-O-glycosides exhibited stronger anticancer effects than 3α-O-glycosides. Among them, 3ß-O-(ß-l-fucopyranosyl)-digoxigenin (3i) showed the highest activity on induction of Nur77 expression and translocation from the nucleus to cytoplasm, leading to cancer cell apoptosis.

Molecular characterization of Haemaphysalis longicornis-borne rickettsiae, Republic of Korea and China.

Haemaphysalis longicornis, the cattle tick or bush tick, has an extended distribution throughout Asia and the Pacific region, including China, Russia, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific islands. It is an obligate ectoparasite found commonly on medium to large sized wild and domestic animals, with humans as an accidental host. Haemaphysalis longicornis transmits a number of pathogens, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and tick-borne encephalitis viruses, bacteria, helminths, and protozoans, that impact on veterinary (wild and domestic animals) and human health. Surveys of rickettsial pathogens associated with H. longicornis from China, the ROK, and Japan have resulted in the discovery of more than 35 incompletely characterized molecular isolates of Rickettsia. In response to the increased global threat of tick-borne rickettsial diseases, H. longicornis collected in the ROK and China were assessed in our laboratory and two additional Rickettsia spp. isolates (ROK-HL727 and XinXian HL9) were identified. These agents were fully characterized by multilocus sequence typing using partial gene fragment sequences of rrs, gltA, ompA, ompB, and sca4. Phylogenetic comparisons of these Rickettsia isolates with known Rickettsia species and other molecular isolates identified from H. longicornis were performed to better understand their interrelationships. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences from these 5 gene fragments showed that ROK-HL727 was closely related to rickettsial isolates of H. longicornis previously reported from China, the ROK and Japan, but distinct from any currently recognized Rickettsia species. It therefore qualifies genetically as a new species, introduced herein as Candidatus Rickettsia longicornii. The XinXian-HL9 isolate detected from China was determined to be genetically similar to the human pathogen Rickettsia heilongjiangensis. People living and working in areas where H. longicornis is endemic should be aware of the potential for rickettsial diseases.

Modulation of the Nur77-Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway by p38α MAPK.

Orphan nuclear receptor Nur77 promotes apoptosis by targeting mitochondria through interaction with Bcl-2, an event that converts Bcl-2 from a survival to killer. However, how the Nur77-Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway is regulated remains largely unknown. In this study, we examined the regulation of the Nur77-Bcl-2 pathway by CCE9, a xanthone compound. Our results demonstrated that the apoptotic effect of CCE9 depended on its induction of Nur77 expression, cytoplasmic localization, and mitochondrial targeting. The activation of the Nur77-Bcl-2 pathway by CCE9 was associated with its activation of p38α MAPK. Inhibition of p38α MAPK activation by knocking down or knocking out p38α MAPK impaired the effect of CCE9 on inducing apoptosis and the expression and cytoplasmic localization of Nur77. In addition, CCE9 activation of p38α MAPK resulted in Bcl-2 phosphorylation and Bcl-2 interaction with Nur77, whereas inhibition of p38α MAPK activation or expression suppressed the interaction. Moreover, mutating Ser87 and Thr56 in the loop of Bcl-2, which are known to be phosphorylated by p38α MAPK, impaired the ability Bcl-2 to interact with Nur77. Together, our results reveal a profound role of p38α MAPK in regulating the Nur77-Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway through its modulation of Nur77 expression, Bcl-2 phosphorylation, and their interaction.

[Subtype and sequence analysis of gag gene of HIV-1 among men who have sex with men in Zhengzhou, Henan Province].

To investigate the subtype distribution of human immunodeficiency virus-1(HIV-1) infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, forty blood samples were collected from HIV-1 carriers, who acknowledged to have sex with men. The complete gag gene was amplified by RT-PCR and nested-PCR and sequenced. All sequences were edited by BioEdit and subtyped by genotyping software. Phylogenetic analysis of gag gene were then performed using the MEGA 3.1 software, the gene distances were calculated by Distance program. There were three different HIV-1 subtypes including B, CRF01-AE and CRF07-BC present among twenty four MSMs in Zhengzhou. Genotyping results showed that 33.33% (8/24) were B, 41.67% (10/24) were CRF01-AE and 25% (6/24) were CRF07-BC, and subtype CRF01-AE had become the most prevalent HIV-1 subtype in Zhengzhou, Henan province. In conclusion, recombinant HIV-1 strains are circulating in Henan province and the epidemiology is complicated.