A small protein encoded by PCBP1-AS1 is identified as a key regulator of influenza virus replication via enhancing autophagy.

Many annotated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) contain small open reading frames (sORFs), some of which have been demonstrated to encode small proteins or micropeptides with fundamental biological importance. However, functions of lncRNAs-encoded small proteins or micropeptides in viral pathogenesis remain largely unexplored. Here, we identified a 110-amino acid small protein as a key regulator of influenza A virus (IAV) replication. This small protein that we call PESP was encoded by the putative lncRNA PCBP1-AS1. It was observed that both PCBP1-AS1 and PESP were significantly upregulated by IAV infection. Furthermore, they were markedly induced by treatment with either type I or type III interferon. Overexpression of either PCBP1-AS1 or PESP alone significantly enhanced IAV replication. In contrast, shRNA-mediated knockdown of PCBP1-AS1 or CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of PESP markedly inhibited the viral production. Moreover, the targeted deletion or mutation of the sORF within the PCBP1-AS1 transcript, which resulted in the disruption of PESP expression, significantly diminished the capacity of PCBP1-AS1 to enhance IAV replication, underscoring the indispensable role of PESP in the facilitation of IAV replication by PCBP1-AS1. Interestingly, overexpression of PESP enhanced the IAV-induced autophagy by increasing the expression of ATG7, an essential autophagy effector enzyme. We also found that the 7-22 amino acids at the N-terminus of PESP were crucial for its functionality in modulating ATG7 expression and action as an enhancer of IAV replication. Additionally, HSP90AA1, a protein identified previously as a facilitator of autophagy, was found to interact with PESP, resulting in the stabilization of PESP and consequently an increase in the production of IAV. These data reveal a critical lncRNA-encoded small protein that is induced and exploited by IAV during its infection, and provide a significant insight into IAV-host interaction network.

A thermal deformation optimization method for cryogenically cooled silicon crystal monochromators under high heat load.

A method to optimize the thermal deformation of an indirectly cryo-cooled silicon crystal monochromator exposed to intense X-rays at a low-emittance diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation source is presented. The thermal-induced slope error of the monochromator crystal has been studied as a function of heat transfer efficiency, crystal temperature distribution and beam footprint size. A partial cooling method is proposed, which flattens the crystal surface profile within the beam footprint by modifying the cooling contact area to optimize the crystal peak temperature. The optimal temperature varies with different photon energies, which is investigated, and a proper cooling strategy is obtained to fulfil the thermal distortion requirements over the entire photon energy range. At an absorbed power up to 300 W with a maximum power density of 44.8 W mm-2 normal incidence beam from an in-vacuum undulator, the crystal thermal distortion does not exceed 0.3 µrad at 8.33 keV. This method will provide references for the monochromator design on diffraction-limited synchrotron radiation or free-electron laser light sources.

Single-Cell Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Human Oocyte Maturation Revealed High Heterogeneity in In Vitro-Matured Oocytes.

Oocyte maturation is pertinent to the success of in vitro maturation (IVM), which is used to overcome female infertility, and produced over 5000 live births worldwide. However, the quality of human IVM oocytes has not been investigated at single-cell proteome level. Here, we quantified 2094 proteins in human oocytes during in vitro and in vivo maturation (IVO) by single-cell proteomic analysis and identified 176 differential proteins between IVO and germinal vesicle oocytes and 45 between IVM and IVO oocytes including maternal effect proteins, with potential contribution to the clinically observed decreased fertilization, implantation, and birth rates using human IVM oocytes. IVM and IVO oocytes showed separate clusters in principal component analysis, with higher inter-cell variability among IVM oocytes, and have little correlation between mRNA and protein changes during maturation. The patients with the most aberrantly expressed proteins in IVM oocytes had the lowest level of estradiol per mature follicle on trigger day. Our data provide a rich resource to evaluate effect of IVM on oocyte quality and study mechanism of oocyte maturation.

Developing a Predictive Model for Minimal or Mild Endometriosis as a Clinical Screening Tool in Infertile Women: Uterosacral Tenderness as a Key Predictor.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To develop a noninvasive predictive model based on patients with infertility for identifying minimal or mild endometriosis. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: This study was conducted at a tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: A total of consecutive 1365 patients with infertility who underwent laparoscopy between January 2013 and August 2020 were divided into a training set (n = 910) for developing the predictive model and a validation set (n = 455) to confirm the model's prediction efficiency. The patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio. INTERVENTIONS: Sensitivities, specificities, area under the curve, the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test, Net Reclassification Improvement index, and Integrated Discrimination Improvement index were evaluated in the training set to select the optimum model. In the validation set, the model's discriminations, calibrations, and clinical use were tested for validation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In the training set, there were 587 patients with minimal or mild endometriosis and 323 patients without endometriosis. The combination of clinical parameters in the model was evaluated for both statistical and clinical significance. The best-performing model ultimately included body mass index, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, uterosacral tenderness, and serum cancer antigen 125 (CA-125). The nomogram based on this model demonstrated sensitivities of 87.7% and 93.3%, specificities of 68.6% and 66.4%, and area under the curve of 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.81-0.87) and 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.80-0.89) for the training and validation sets, respectively. Calibration curves and decision curve analyses also indicated that the model had good calibration and clinical value. Uterosacral tenderness emerged as the most valuable predictor. CONCLUSION: This study successfully developed a predictive model with high accuracy in identifying infertile women with minimal or mild endometriosis based on clinical characteristics, signs, and cost-effective blood tests. This model would assist clinicians in screening infertile women for minimal or mild endometriosis, thereby facilitating early diagnosis and treatment.

Blind Deblurring Method for CASEarth Multispectral Images Based on Inter-Band Gradient Similarity Prior.

Multispectral remote sensing images contain abundant information about the distribution and reflectance of ground objects, playing a crucial role in target detection, environmental monitoring, and resource exploration. However, due to the complexity of the imaging process in multispectral remote sensing, image blur is inevitable, and the blur kernel is typically unknown. In recent years, many researchers have focused on blind image deblurring, but most of these methods are based on single-band images. When applied to CASEarth satellite multispectral images, the spectral correlation is unutilized. To address this limitation, this paper proposes a novel approach that leverages the characteristics of multispectral data more effectively. We introduce an inter-band gradient similarity prior and incorporate it into the patch-wise minimal pixel (PMP)-based deblurring model. This approach aims to utilize the spectral correlation across bands to improve deblurring performance. A solution algorithm is established by combining the half-quadratic splitting method with alternating minimization. Subjectively, the final experiments on CASEarth multispectral images demonstrate that the proposed method offers good visual effects while enhancing edge sharpness. Objectively, our method leads to an average improvement in point sharpness by a factor of 1.6, an increase in edge strength level by a factor of 1.17, and an enhancement in RMS contrast by a factor of 1.11.

Immuno-oncological role of 20S proteasome alpha-subunit 3 in aggravating the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PSMA3, a member of the proteasome subunit, has been shown to play a major player in protein degradation. Reportedly, PSMA3 functions as a negative regulator in various cancers including colon, pancreatic and gastric cancers. However, the contributions of PSMA3 to the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether PSMA3 is involved in ESCC progression and the potential underlying mechanism. The results revealed that PSMA3 was highly expressed in the ESCC tumor tissues and functioned as a negative indicator according to the data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)/Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and clinical patients' samples. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that PSMA3 was closely correlated with ESCC cancer stemness and the inflammatory response; however, this correlation was absent after knockdown of PSMA3 in vitro. We further demonstrated that PSMA3 suppressed CD8+ T-cells infiltration depending on the C-C motif chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3)/C-C motif chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) axis. Collectively, these results demonstrate the role of PSMA3 in ESCC cancer stemness and the negative regulation of CD8 T-cells infiltration mediated by PSMA3. The results of this study may provide a potential target for the immuno-oncology effect of PSMA3 in ESCC therapy.

Putrescine alleviates the oxidative damage of cumulus-oocyte complex via improving fatty acid oxidation.

BACKGROUND: Fatty acid oxidation of cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) provides sufficient energy for oocyte maturation. But, the relationship between fatty acid oxidation and oxidative stress in aging follicles, as well as the effect of putrescine, is still unclear. METHODS: The porcine COCs were randomly divided into four groups and cultured in in vitro maturation (IVM) medium with or without 1 mmol/L putrescine, with 50 µmol/L hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or with 50 µmol/L H2O2 plus 1 mmol/L putrescine. Oocyte maturation was assessed by the first polar body extrusion. The expressions of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation were detected, and the mitochondrial function was analyzed by themembrane potential. RESULTS: The maturation rate of oocyte was significantly lower in the H2O2 group when compared with the control group (P＜0.001), and putrescine significantly increased this rate in the H2O2 plus putrescine group when compared with the H2O2 group (P＜0.001). The expressions of LKB1, STRAD, ACC2, AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 mRNAs in cumulus cells (CCs) were significantly downregulated by H2O2 treatment, and partly rescued by putrescine addition (P＜0.05-0.001). However, the changes of LKB1, STRAD, ACC2, AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 mRNAs in oocytes were inapparent. The mitochondrial membrane potential of CCs in the H2O2 group was significantly lower than that in the control group, while putrescine addition significantly increased the mitochondrial membrane potential (P＜0.001). CONCLUSION: The decrease of oocyte maturation due to oxidative stress is related with the decreased fatty acid oxidation, and putrescine may alleviate the COCs damage via improving fatty acid oxidation.

Human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells improve subclinical hypothyroidism by immunocompetence mediating apoptosis inhibition on thyroid cells in aged mice.

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) affects 10% of the global population, which is most prevalent in women and the elderly. However, it remains debatable whether the elderly with subclinical hypothyroidism needs thyroxine supplement. Human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) could play important roles in autoimmune diseases, suggesting that hAMSC be a candidate to regulate the thyroid function of female age-related subclinical hypothyroidism. Herein, we established the model of SCH in the aged female mice. This study was designed to investigate whether human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSC) could effect on immune regulation, apoptosis inhibition of thyroid cells, thyroid function, blood lipid levels, and heart function. In addition, qualified hAMSCs were intravenously injected into aged female SCH mice via the tail vein on day 0 and day 10. The levels of thyroid hormone and blood lipids as well as cardiac function, serum immunological indexes, and apoptosis of thyroid cells were then analyzed on day 5, 10, 15, and 20; meanwhile, the quantity of Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg immune cells in peripheral blood was evaluated before and on day 20 post-injection. Our study demonstrated that after hAMSC transplantation, the thyroid functions, blood lipid levels, and heart function indexes of age-related SCH (AR-SCH) mice were significantly improved. Consistent with this, Th1 and Treg cells increased significantly, while Th2 and Th17 cells decreased in peripheral blood. Apoptosis was also suppressed in the thyroid cells. In summary, hAMSC delivery can potentially be a safe and effective therapy for treating SCH in the elderly, improving related complications by immunomodulatory and apoptosis inhibition.

Effect of skinfold thickness on arm venous access port in cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Currently, skinfold thickness in studies on arm venous access ports and the effect of venous access port application are unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 256 cancer patients who underwent primary venous access port placement in the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University from September 2022 to March 2023 were selected as the study subjects. Two hundred fifty-six patients were divided into normal skinfold thickness group and high skinfold thickness group according to skinfold thickness. The success rate of primary catheterization of arm venous port catheterization, catheterization operation time, catheterization length and incidence rate of adverse reactions were compared. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the basic data between the two groups. There was no significant difference in the success rate of primary catheterization between the two groups (p > 0.05), the catheterization operation time in the normal skinfold thickness group was significantly lower than that in the high skinfold thickness group (p < 0.05), the total length of the implanted catheter in the normal skinfold thickness group was significantly lower than that in the high skinfold thickness group (p < 0.05), and the incidence of adverse reactions in the normal skinfold thickness group was significantly lower than that in the high skinfold thickness group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In cancer patients, skinfold thickness can significantly affect the application effect of arm venous port, and normal skinfold thickness for arm venous port has shorter operation time, total length of implanted catheter and lower incidence of adverse reactions.

The antitumor activity and pharmacokinetics research of PPD-Arg (Tos) using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

In this study, a new compound PPD-Arg (Tos) (PAT), an arginine derivative of 20(s)-PPD, was synthesized via Fmoc-Arg (Tos)-OH and 20(s)-PPD. The pharmacokinetic properties in rats, in vitro cytotoxicity, and cell apoptosis rates of protopanaxadiol (PPD) and PAT were determined. A sensitive bioanalytical method for pharmacokinetics using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry was developed and validated. The result showed that the Tmax and t1/2 of PAT were significantly enhanced, indicating a long-lasting effect in vivo. Compared to the PPD group, the PAT group showed higher bioavailability. PAT also exhibited higher antitumor efficacy than PPD against three cancer cells, especially the strongest inhibitory activity against Huh-7, even more potent than the positive control of paclitaxel. Therefore, the apoptosis assay based on annexin V/propidium iodide-combined staining against Huh-7 further demonstrated that PAT could induce apoptosis of Huh-7 cells. Better pharmacokinetic properties and antitumor efficacy of the arginine derivative of 20(s)-PPD were important. These findings could provide references for further clinical research on amino acid derivatives of PPD as antitumor agents.

Mutations in PLCZ1 induce male infertility associated with polyspermy and fertilization failure.

PURPOSE: To investigate the genetic causes of polyspermy and total fertilization failure (TFF) in two independent male patients suffering from male infertility. METHODS: Immunofluorescence (IF) staining was used to detect the localization of the PLCζ protein in sperm and the maternal pronucleus in the zygote. Genomic DNA samples were extracted from the peripheral blood of patients and their families. The ExAC database was used to identify the frequency of corresponding mutations. The PLCZ1 mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing. The pathogenicity of the identified mutations and their possible effects on the protein were assessed using in silico tools and molecular modeling. RESULTS: We identified a reported homozygous mutation c.588C > A (p.Cys196Ter) and a compound heterozygous mutation c.2 T > C(p.Met1Thr)/c.590G > A (p.Arg197His) with one novel mutation in PLCZ1. The IF results showed that these multipronuclear zygotes formed as a result of polyspermy. In silico analysis predicted that the mutations result in disease-causing proteins. IF staining revealed that PLCζ is abnormally localized in the sperm samples from the two affected patients. Assisted oocyte activation (AOA) successfully rescued polyspermy and TFF and achieved pregnancy in two patients with the PLCZ1 mutation. CONCLUSION: We identified a homozygous mutation in PLCZ1 (c.588C > A [p.Cys196Ter]) in a male patient with polyspermy after in vitro fertilization (IVF) as well as a compound heterozygous mutation c.2 T > C(p.Met1Thr)/c.590G > A (p.Arg197His) with one novel mutation in a male patient with fertilization failure after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), and we provide evidence that the homozygous mutation can cause polyspermy and the compound heterozygous mutation can cause fertilization failure.

Therapeutic effects and mechanism of human amnion-derived mesenchymal stem cells on hypercoagulability in a uremic calciphylaxis patient.

Calciphylaxis is a rare cutaneous vascular disease that manifests with intolerable pains, non-healing skin wounds, histologically characterized by calcification, fibrointimal hyperplasia, and microvessel thrombosis. Currently, there are no standardized guidelines for this disease. Recent studies have recognized a high prevalence of thrombophilias and hypercoagulable conditions in calciphylaxis patients. Here, we report a case of uremic calciphylaxis patient whom was refractory to conventional treatments and then received a salvage strategy with intravenous and local hAMSC application. In order to investigate the therapeutic mechanism of hAMSCs from the novel perspective of hypercoagulability, coagulation-related indicators, wound status, quality of life and skin biopsy were followed up. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to determine the distribution of hAMSCs in multiple tissues including lung, kidney and muscle after infusion of hAMSCs for 24 h, 1 week and 1 month in mice aiming to investigate whether hAMSCs retain locally active roles after intravenous administration. Improvement of hypercoagulable condition involving correction of platelet, D-dimer and plasminogen levels, skin regeneration and pain alleviation were revealed after hAMSC administration over one-year period. Skin biopsy pathology suggested regenerative tissues after 1 month hAMSC application and full epidermal regeneration after 20 months hAMSC treatment. PCR analysis indicated that hAMSCs were homing in lung, kidney and muscle tissues of mice even until tail vein injection of hAMSCs for 1 month. We propose that hypercoagulability is a promising therapeutic target of calciphylaxis patients, which can be effectively improved by hAMSC treatment.

Prednisone vs Placebo and Live Birth in Patients With Recurrent Implantation Failure Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Implantation failure remains a critical barrier to in vitro fertilization. Prednisone, as an immune-regulatory agent, is widely used to improve the probability of implantation and pregnancy, although the evidence for efficacy is inadequate. Objective: To determine the efficacy of 10 mg of prednisone compared with placebo on live birth among women with recurrent implantation failure. Design, Setting, and Participants: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial conducted at 8 fertility centers in China. Eligible women who had a history of 2 or more unsuccessful embryo transfer cycles, were younger than 38 years when oocytes were retrieved, and were planning to undergo frozen-thawed embryo transfer with the availability of good-quality embryos were enrolled from November 2018 to August 2020 (final follow-up August 2021). Interventions: Participants were randomized (1:1) to receive oral pills containing either 10 mg of prednisone (n = 357) or matching placebo (n = 358) once daily, from the day at which they started endometrial preparation for frozen-thawed embryo transfer through early pregnancy. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was live birth, defined as the delivery of any number of neonates born at 28 or more weeks' gestation with signs of life. Results: Among 715 women randomized (mean age, 32 years), 714 (99.9%) had data available on live birth outcomes and were included in the primary analysis. Live birth occurred among 37.8% of women (135 of 357) in the prednisone group vs 38.8% of women (139 of 358) in the placebo group (absolute difference, -1.0% [95% CI, -8.1% to 6.1%]; relative ratio [RR], 0.97 [95% CI, 0.81 to 1.17]; P = .78). The rates of biochemical pregnancy loss were 17.3% in the prednisone group and 9.9% in the placebo group (absolute difference, 7.5% [95% CI, 0.6% to 14.3%]; RR, 1.75 [95% CI, 1.03 to 2.99]; P = .04). Of those in the prednisone group, preterm delivery occurred among 11.8% and of those in the placebo group, 5.5% of pregnancies (absolute difference, 6.3% [95% CI, 0.2% to 12.4%]; RR, 2.14 [95% CI, 1.00 to 4.58]; P = .04). There were no statistically significant between-group differences in the rates of biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, implantation, neonatal complications, congenital anomalies, other adverse events, or mean birthweights. Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with recurrent implantation failure, treatment with prednisone did not improve live birth rate compared with placebo. Data suggested that the use of prednisone may increase the risk of preterm delivery and biochemical pregnancy loss. Our results challenge the value of prednisone use in clinical practice for the treatment of recurrent implantation failure. Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR1800018783.

Identifying cancer cell-secreted proteins that activate cancer-associated fibroblasts as prognostic factors for patients with pancreatic cancer.

The study aimed to investigate the mechanism by which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are activated by cancer cells and construct a risk model to predict the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer (PC) after surgery. Pancreatic stellate cells were isolated from human pancreatic tissue and co-cultured with cancer cells to verify their crosstalk. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to detect proteins secreted by cancer cells. The online tools Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, UALCAN, and the Human Protein Atlas were used to analyse gene expression in PC. Expression data from the cancer genome atlas and the clinical samples were used to develop a training receiver operating characteristic (ROC) model and an external validation ROC model, respectively. We identified that cancer cells promote the activation of inflammatory CAFs (iCAF) through secretory proteins, which promote PC metastasis. Six candidate proteins secreted by cancer cells were identified which promote iCAF formation. These proteins were highly expressed in tumours and were associated with a poor prognosis in patients with PC. Moreover, a 6-gene model was constructed to predict death risk in patients at 1, 2 and 3 years after surgery. The training areas under the ROC curves (AUC) of 1-, 2- and 3-year death risks were 0.780, 0.792 and 0. 825, respectively. The externally validated AUC of death at 3 years post-surgery was 0.728. In conclusion, cancer cell-secreted proteins play a vital role in iCAF formation, and the 6-gene model may be a potential marker for predicting whether PC patients will benefit from surgery.

Identification of OSCA gene family in Solanum habrochaites and its function analysis under stress.

BACKGROUND: OSCA (hyperosmolality-gated calcium-permeable channel) is a calcium permeable cation channel protein that plays an important role in regulating plant signal transduction. It is involved in sensing changes in extracellular osmotic potential and an increase in Ca2+ concentration. S. habrochaites is a good genetic material for crop improvement against cold, late blight, planthopper and other diseases. Till date, there is no report on OSCA in S. habrochaites. Thus, in this study, we performed a genome-wide screen to identify OSCA genes in S. habrochaites and characterized their responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. RESULTS: A total of 11 ShOSCA genes distributed on 8 chromosomes were identified. Subcellular localization analysis showed that all members of ShOSCA localized on the plasma membrane and contained multiple stress-related cis acting elements. We observed that genome-wide duplication (WGD) occurred in the genetic evolution of ShOSCA5 (Solhab04g250600) and ShOSCA11 (Solhab12g051500). In addition, repeat events play an important role in the expansion of OSCA gene family. OSCA gene family of S. habrochaites used the time lines of expression studies by qRT-PCR, do indicate OSCAs responded to biotic stress (Botrytis cinerea) and abiotic stress (drought, low temperature and abscisic acid (ABA)). Among them, the expression of ShOSCAs changed significantly under four stresses. The resistance of silencing ShOSCA3 plants to the four stresses was reduced. CONCLUSION: This study identified the OSCA gene family of S. habrochaites for the first time and analyzed ShOSCA3 has stronger resistance to low temperature, ABA and Botrytis cinerea stress. This study provides a theoretical basis for clarifying the biological function of OSCA, and lays a foundation for tomato crop improvement.

Peroxiredoxin 4, a new favorable regulator, can protect oocytes against oxidative stress damage during in vitro maturation.

BACKGROUND: Finding an effective regulator to avoid harmful effects caused by excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a bottleneck during oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM). Previously, we found that peroxiredoxin 4 (Prdx4) expression is significantly higher in mature cumulus cell-oocyte complexes (COCs) than in immature COCs. Prdx4 belongs to the antioxidant enzyme family and can catalyze the reduction of H2O2. RESULTS: In this study, we established an oxidative stress model with mouse COCs cultured in vitro. Treatment with H2O2 decreased cumulus expansion indexes and oocyte maturation in a concentration-dependent manner, indicating follicular development dysplasia. Infection with a Prdx4-overexpressing adenovirus significantly attenuated H2O2-induced changes, exhibiting effects similar to those of the intracellular ROS scavenger tiron (the positive control). Furthermore, the results confirmed that the protective effect of Prdx4 on oocyte maturation may be due to reductions in ROS levels and apoptosis. However, when the gap junctions between cumulus cells (CCs) and oocytes were destroyed, Prdx4 overexpression did not exert antiapoptotic effects. The expression levels of the gap junction marker protein CX43 were significantly recovered in the Prdx4-overexpressing group. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that Prdx4 in CCs may be a new favorable regulator that improves in vitro-matured oocyte quality and enhances oocyte developmental competence by preventing CC apoptosis caused by oxidative stress through gap junctions. The findings expand the body of knowledge regarding follicle development, and the identification of Prdx4 as a new favorable regulator will aid in immature oocyte IVM.

Peroxiredoxin 4 secreted by cumulus cells ameliorates the maturation of oocytes in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Peroxiredoxin 4 (Prdx4) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the only secretory member of the antioxidant Prdx family. Our previous studies demonstrated that Prdx4 in cumulus cells (CCs) ameliorated the maturation of oocytes in vitro and enhanced oocyte developmental competence by preventing CCs apoptosis caused by oxidative stress (OS) through gap junctions. In this study, we aimed to determine whether Prdx4 released by CCs can repair meiotic defects in mouse oocytes by co-culturing immature (germinal vesicle) oocytes with CCs from mature oocytes in the absence of gap junctions. RESULTS: The OS-induced meiotic defects in mouse oocytes were impeded by co-culture with CCs, as evidenced by the increased first polar body (PB1) extrusion rate and decreased ROS level. CCs increased Prdx4 expression and lowered IRE1α, Bip expression in H2O2-treated oocytes. After knockdown of Prdx4 expression in CCs, the rate of PB1 extrusion in the oocytes was significantly reduced to the level detected in H2O2 group, and ER stress was not alleviated. CO-IP and immunofluorescence co-localization experiments demonstrated that Prdx4 interacted with PDIA6 in the oocytes and the Pearson's R value was 0.69 calculated using ImageJ. CONCLUSIONS: Cumulus cells can promote the maturation of oocytes in vitro by secreting Prdx4 in a paracrine manner and serve as a promising therapeutic antioxidant for improving the quality of oocytes, especially aging oocytes, in clinical in vitro maturation (IVM).

Elevated prohibitin 1 expression mitigates glucose metabolism defects in granulosa cells of infertile patients with endometriosis.

Endometriosis is a common disease in women of childbearing age and is closely associated with female infertility. However, the pathogenesis of endometriosis-related infertility is still not fully understood. Prohibitin 1 (PHB1), a highly conserved protein related to mitochondrial function, is differentially expressed in the endometrium of patients with endometriosis. However, the role of PHB1 in glucose metabolism in granulosa cells remains unclear. In this study, we investigated whether PHB1 expression and glucose metabolism patterns differ in the granulosa cells of patients with endometriosis and those of patients serving as controls. We then evaluated these changes after PHB1 was upregulated or downregulated in the human granulosa cell line (KGN) using a lentivirus construct. In the granulosa cells of patients with endometriosis, significantly elevated PHB1 expression, increased glucose consumption and lactic acid production, as well as aberrant expression of glycolysis-related enzymes were found compared to those without endometriosis (P < 0.05). After PHB1 expression was upregulated in KGN cells, and the expression of enzymes related to glucose metabolism, glucose consumption and lactic acid production was strikingly increased compared to controls (P < 0.05). The opposite results were found when PHB1 expression was downregulated in KGN cells. Additionally, the cell proliferation and apoptosis rates, ATP synthesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were significantly altered after down-regulation of PHB1 expression in KGN cells (P < 0.05). This study suggested that PHB1 plays a pivotal role in mitigating the loss of energy caused by impaired mitochondrial function in granulosa cells of patients with endometriosis, which may explain, at least in part, why the quality of oocytes in these patients is compromised.

Nucleoporin37 may play a role in early embryo development in human and mice.

Maternal-effect genes (MEGs) play an important role in maintaining the survival and development of mammalian embryos at the cleavage stage after fertilization. Despite long-term efforts, the MEGs that regulate preimplantation embryo development remain largely unknown. Here, using whole-exome sequencing and homozygosity mapping, we identified a potential candidate gene associated with early embryo development: nucleoporin37 (NUP37), a nucleoporin gene that encodes a member of the nuclear pore complexes and regulates nuclear pore permeability and nucleocytoplasmic transport. Moreover, we determined the temporal and spatial expression patterns of Nup37 in mouse oocytes and early embryos, and explored the role of NUP37 in oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development. Immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that yes-associated protein-1 (YAP1) binds to TEA domain transcription factor 4 (TEAD4) and NUP37. Furthermore, Nup37 gene knockdown reduced the nuclear import of YAP1 and down-regulated the expression of YAP1-TEAD pathway downstream genes Rrm2 and Rpl13 in early embryos. Our study provides evidence that maternal NUP37 contributes to the nuclear import of YAP1 and then activates the YAP1-TEAD pathway, a signalling pathway essential for zygotic genome activation. Nup37 may be a key gene involved in preimplantation embryo development in mammals.

Genetic characteristics of an amikacin-resistant Brucella abortus strain first isolated from Marmota himalayana.

Brucella spp. are facultative intracellular pathogens that can persistently colonize animal host cells and cause zoonotic brucellosis. Brucellosis affects public health and safety and even affects economic development. Our lab found that a Brucella strain isolated from Marmota himalayana exhibited amikacin resistance. To annotate and analyze the potential resistance genes in this strain, we utilized sequencing platforms in this study and cloned potential resistance genes. The findings showed that the isolated strain belonged to B. abortus biovar 1 and was similar to B. abortus 2308. The isolate had amikacin resistance genes encoding aminoglycoside 3'-phosphotransferase. Based on the results of genome analysis, the isolated strain may have obtained amikacin resistance genes from Salmonella spp. through Tn3 family transposons. Notably, this study establishes a foundation for further research on the resistance mechanism of Brucella spp. and provides data that may be useful for the prevention and control of drug-resistant Brucella strains.