Identification and validation of basement membrane-associated gene AGRN as prognostic and immune-associated biomarkers in colorectal cancer patients.

Colorectal cancer (COCA) has a poor prognosis, with growing evidence implicating basement membranes (BMs) in cancer progression. Our goal was to investigate the role and predictive significance of BMs in COCA patients. We obtained BMs-related genes from cutting-edge research and used TCGA and GTEx databases for mRNA expression and patient information. Cox regression and LASSO regression were used for prognostic gene selection and risk model construction. We compared prognosis using Kaplan-Meier analysis and examined drug sensitivity differences. The CMAP dataset identified potential small molecule drugs. In vitro tests involved suppressing a crucial gene to observe its impact on tumour metastasis. We developed a 12 BMs-based approach, finding it to be an independent prognostic factor. Functional analysis showed BMs concentrated in cancer-associated pathways, correlating with immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoint activation. High-risk individuals exhibited increased drug sensitivity. AGRN levels were linked to decreased progression-free survival (p < 0.001). AGRN knockdown suppressed tumour growth and metastasis. Our study offers new perspectives on BMs in COCA, concluding that AGRN is a dependable biomarker for patient survival and prognosis.

Predictive value of cytokines combined with human neutrophil lipocalinin acute ischemic stroke-associated pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the predictive value of interleukin-6 (IL-6) combined with human neutrophil lipocalin (HNL) of stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in patients who were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). METHODS: 108patients were divided into two groups: pneumonia group (52 cases) and non-pneumonia group (56 cases), according to whether the patients developed SAP within 7 days of admission. General information was compared between the two groups, like age, gender, history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, dysphagia, smoking and alcoholhistory. Clinical data were recorded and compared, including lipid profile, interleukin-6 (IL-6), homocysteine (Hcy), National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, and HNL. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to screen the risk factors of AIS-AP, and the predictive value of IL-6 and HNL alone and in combination was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve). RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that dysphagia (OR,0.018; 95% CI, 0.001 ~ 0.427; P = 0.013), increased NIHSS scores(OR,0.012; 95% CI, 0.000 ~ 0.434; P = 0.016), and high levels of IL-6 (OR,0.014; 95% CI, 0.000 ~ 0.695; P = 0.032)and HNL (OR,0.006; 95% CI, 0.000 ~ 0.280; P = 0.009) were independent risk factors for SAP with significant difference (all P < 0.05). According to the ROC curve analysis of IL-6, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.881 (95% CI: 0.820 ~ 0.942), and the optimal cutoff value was 6.89 pg/mL with the sensitivity of 73.1% and specificity of 85.7%. As for the ROC curve analysis of HNL, the AUC was 0.896 (95% CI: 0.839 ~ 0.954), and the best cutoff value was 99.66ng/mL with the sensitivity of 76.9% and specificity of 89.3%. The AUC of the combination of IL-6 and HNL increased to 0.952 (95% CI: 0.914 ~ 0.989), and the sensitivity and specificity increased to 80.8% and 92.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: In this research, the levels of IL-6 ≥ 6.89 pg/mL and HNL ≥ 99.66ng/mL were considered as risk factors for AIS patients complicated with SAP. The combined detection had higher predictive value for patients with SAP, which may help to identify who were in highrisk.

Polyethyleneimine facilitates the growth and electrophysiological characterization of iPSC-derived motor neurons.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, in combination with electrophysiological characterization via multielectrode array (MEA), has facilitated the utilization of iPSC-derived motor neurons (iPSC-MNs) as highly valuable models for underpinning pathogenic mechanisms and developing novel therapeutic interventions for motor neuron diseases (MNDs). However, the challenge of MN adherence to the MEA plate and the heterogeneity presented in iPSC-derived cultures raise concerns about the reproducibility of the findings obtained from these cellular models. We discovered that one novel factor modulating the electrophysiological activity of iPSC-MNs is the extracellular matrix (ECM) used in the coating to support in vitro growth, differentiation and maturation of iPSC-MNs. The current study showed that two coating conditions, namely, Poly-L-ornithine/Matrigel (POM) and Polyethyleneimine (PEI) strongly promoted attachment of iPSC-MNs on MEA culture dishes compared to three other coating conditions, and both facilitated the maturation of iPSC-MNs as characterized by the detection of extensive electrophysiological activities from the MEA plates. POM coating accelerated the maturation of the iPSC-MNs for up to 5 weeks, which suits modeling of neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the application of PEI resulted in more even distribution of the MNs on the culture dish and reduced variability of electrophysiological signals from the iPSC-MNs in 7-week cultures, which permitted the detection of enhanced excitability in iPSC-MNs from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study provides a comprehensive comparison of five coating conditions and offers POM and PEI as favorable coatings for in vitro modeling of neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, respectively.

Maackiain Prevents Amyloid-Beta-Induced Cellular Injury via Priming PKC-Nrf2 Pathway.

Amyloid-beta (Aß) peptide induces neurotoxicity through oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Brain deposition of a large amount of amyloid-beta (Aß), in particular Aß 42, promotes the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Maackiain is extracted from traditional Chinese medicine peony root and possesses antioxidative, antiosteoporosis, antitumor, and immunoregulatory effects. Whether Maackiain can reduce neurotoxicity caused by Aß accumulation remains elusive. Herein, we found that Maackiain downregulated Aß 42-induced cell injury and apoptosis in PC12 cells. Moreover, Maackiain prevented Aß 42 stimulation-induced generation of oxidative stress and reduced Aß 42-caused impairment of mitochondrial membrane potential in PC12 cells. Maackiain increased the superoxide dismutase activity and decreased malondialdehyde content that was induced by Aß 42. Mechanistic studies showed that Maackiain increased intranuclear Nrf2 expression. Consistently, Nrf2 silencing by RNA interference weakened the protective role of Maackiain against Aß exposure. In addition, calphostin C, a specific antagonist of protein kinase C, attenuated the promoting effects of Maackiain on Nrf2 nuclear translocation. Moreover, calphostin C attenuated the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capabilities of Maackiain in PC12 cells. Collectively, Maackiain promoted Nrf2 activation through the PKC signaling pathway, thus preventing PC12 cells from Aß-induced oxidative stress and cell injury, suggesting that Maackiain is a potential drug for AD treatment.

The elevation of miR-185-5p alleviates high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis and lipid accumulation in vivo and in vitro via SREBP2 activation.

OBJECTIVE: SREBP2, a member of the SREBP family, is a primary regulator of lipid metabolism. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have suggested that miRNAs regulate lipid metabolism-related genes. It was speculated in this study that miRNAs may be implicated in the regulation of lipid accumulation in macrophages by SREBP2 protein. METHODS AND RESULTS: GSE34812, GSE132651 and GSE28829 datasets comprised of atherosclerosis samples were downloaded to explore the gene expression profiles related to the miRNAs and SREBP2, and miR-185-5p was predicted to be a target of SREBP2. The GO annotations and KEGG pathway analysis were adopted for functional classification of differentially expressed genes, and lipid metabolic process was an enriched pathway in atherosclerosis. Besides, the effects of SREBP2 on increasing lipid accumulation were investigated in vivo using miR-185-5p mimic/apoE-/- mice and miR-185-5p NC/apoE-/- mice. All mice fed with a HFD suffered from atherosclerosis. Moreover, the effects of miR-185-5p on atherosclerotic plaque formation in mice were analyzed. An in vitro assay was also performed to determine the effect of miR-185-5p on ox-LDL-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Finally, miR-185-5p mimic was transfected into cultured macrophages. The results showed that the miR-185-5p elevation might regulate lipid accumulation in mice by targeting SREBP2. Furthermore, miR-185-5p mimic repressed the activation of SREBP1, SREBP2, LDLR, SCD-1, HMGCR as well as NLRP3, IL-1ß, TNF-α in HFD fed mice or ox-LDL-stimulated macrophages. CONCLUSIONS: our study demonstrated that miR-185-5p effectively alleviates atherosclerosis and lipid accumulation by regulating the miR-185-5p/SREBP2 axis.

miR-223-3p inhibits the progression of atherosclerosis via down-regulating the activation of MEK1/ERK1/2 in macrophages.

BACKGROUND: microRNAs (miRNAs) have drawn more attention to the progression of atherosclerosis (AS), due to their noticeable inflammation function in cardiovascular disease. Macrophages play a crucial role in disrupting atherosclerotic plaque, thereby we explored the involvement of miR-223-3p in the inflammatory response in macrophages. METHODS: RT-qPCR was used to analyze the miR-223-3p levels in carotid arteries and serum of AS patients. ROC curve was used to assess the diagnostic value of miR-223-3p. Movat staining was applied to evaluate the morphological differences. FISH was used to identify the expression of miR-223-3p in macrophages of atherosclerotic lesions. Bioinformatic analysis was performed. Double-immunofluorescence and western blot were performed to assess the inflammatory cytokine secretion and p-ERK1/2. C16-PAF was injected into the culture medium of the miR-223-3p mimic/NC-transfected macrophages with ox-LDL. RESULTS: MiR-223-3p was up-regulated in AS patients and was associated with a higher overall survival rate. MiR-223-3p was co-localized with CD68+ macrophages in vulnerable atherosclerotic lesions. MiR-223-3p mimics decreased atherosclerotic lesions, macrophages numbers whereas increased SMCs numbers in the lesions. The TNF-a immune-positive areas were reduced by miR-223-3p mimics. MAP2K1 was negatively associated with miR-223-3p. MiR-223-3p mimics reduced the inflammation and the MEK1/ERK1/2 signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro. C16-PAF reversed the effects of miR-223-3p mimics on inflammation and ERK1/2 signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-223-3p negatively regulates inflammatory responses by the MEK1/ERK1/2 signaling pathway. Our study provides new insight into how miR-223-3p protects against atherosclerosis, representing a broader therapeutic prospect for treating atherosclerosis by miR-223-3p.