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1.
J Cell Mol Med ; 28(1): e18023, 2024 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38146147

ABSTRACT

In recent years, an increasing number of observational studies have revealed an association between gut microbiota composition and psoriasis patients. However, whether this association reflects a causal relationship remains unclear. This study aimed to identify the causal relationship between gut microbiota and psoriasis through relevant research. In order to determine whether gut microbiota and psoriasis are causally related, we conducted a Mendelian randomization analysis using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). As the exposure factor, we used summary statistics data from a GWAS study conducted by the MiBioGen Consortium, including 18,340 individuals with whole-genome gut microbiota composition, and data from the FinnGen GWAS study on psoriasis, including 9267 patients and 364,071 controls as the disease outcome. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis was subsequently performed with inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger and weighted median, while sensitivity analyses were conducted to address heterogeneity and horizontal pleiotropy. The IVW results confirmed the causal relationship between certain gut microbiota groups and psoriasis. Specifically, family Veillonellaceae (OR = 1.162, 95% CI: 1.038-1.301, p = 0.009), genus Candidatus Soleaferrea (OR = 1.123, 95% CI: 1.011-1.247, p = 0.030) and genus Eubacterium fissicatena group (OR = 0.831, 95% CI: 0.755-0.915, p = 0.00016) showed significant associations. Sensitivity analysis did not reveal any abnormalities in SNPs. Currently, we have found some causal relationship between the gut microbiota and psoriasis. However, the study needs further RCTs for further validation.


Subject(s)
Gastrointestinal Microbiome , Psoriasis , Humans , Genome-Wide Association Study , Mendelian Randomization Analysis , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
2.
J Cell Mol Med ; 24(20): 11837-11848, 2020 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32896985

ABSTRACT

Stem cell transplantation is nearly available for clinical application in the treatment of ischaemic heart disease (IHD), where it may be joined traditional methods (intervention and surgery). The angiogenic ability of seed cells is essential for this applicability. The aim of this study was to reveal the presence of CD34+ angiogenic stem cells in human decidua at the first trimester and to use their strong angiogenic capacity in the treatment of IHD. In vitro, human decidual CD34+ (dCD34+ ) cells from the first trimester have strong proliferation and clonality abilities. After ruling out the possibility that they were vascular endothelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), dCD34+ cells were found to be able to form tube structures after differentiation. Their angiogenic capacity was obviously superior to that of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). At the same time, these cells had immunogenicity similar to that of BMSCs. Following induction of myocardial infarction (MI) in adult rats, infarct size decreased and cardiac function was significantly enhanced after dCD34+ cell transplantation. The survival rate of cells increased, and more neovasculature was found following dCD34+ cell transplantation. Therefore, this study confirms the existence of CD34+ stem cells with strong angiogenic ability in human decidua from the first trimester, which can provide a new option for cell-based therapies for ischaemic diseases, especially IHD.


Subject(s)
Antigens, CD34/metabolism , Decidua/cytology , Myocardial Ischemia/therapy , Neovascularization, Physiologic , Pregnancy Trimester, First/physiology , Stem Cells/metabolism , Adult , Cell Survival , Clone Cells , Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Female , Gene Expression Regulation , Humans , Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation , Myocardial Infarction/pathology , Myocardial Ischemia/physiopathology , Paracrine Communication , Pregnancy , Young Adult
3.
Compr Psychiatry ; 96: 152144, 2020 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31707312

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is one of the most prevalent personality disorders in general population. However, neural mechanisms underlying OCPD remain elusive. The aim of this study is to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine whether OCPD patients will exhibit altered spontaneous brain activity as compared to healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Resting-state fMRI data were acquired in 37 OCPD patients and 37 matched HC. Amplitudes of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) were calculated and compared between the two groups. Correlation analysis was performed between regional ALFF values and OCPD severity scores. RESULTS: Significant group differences in regional ALFF were found in multiple brain regions. Compared to HCs, OCPD subjects had increased ALFF in bilateral caudate, left precuneus, left insula, and left medial superior frontal gyrus, and decreased ALFF in the right fusiform gyrus and left lingual gyrus. The ALFF values in the left precuneus correlated with OCPD severity scores. LIMITATIONS: We excluded patients with comorbidity and did not conduct cognitive function assessments. Our findings are also limited to cross-sectional analysis. CONCLUSIONS: OCPD patients exhibit altered spontaneous neural activity as compared to healthy controls in multiple brain regions, which may reflect different characteristic symptoms of OCPD pathophysiology, including cognitive inflexibility, excessive self-control, lower empathy, and visual attention bias.


Subject(s)
Brain/diagnostic imaging , Compulsive Personality Disorder/diagnostic imaging , Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/diagnostic imaging , Personality Disorders/diagnostic imaging , Adolescent , Brain Mapping , Cross-Sectional Studies , Empathy , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Male , Self-Control , Severity of Illness Index , Young Adult
4.
Entropy (Basel) ; 21(7)2019 Jun 26.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33267339

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a reversible data hiding scheme by exploiting the DGHV fully homomorphic encryption, and analyzes the feasibility of the scheme for data hiding from the perspective of information entropy. In the proposed algorithm, additional data can be embedded directly into a DGHV fully homomorphic encrypted image without any preprocessing. On the sending side, by using two encrypted pixels as a group, a data hider can get the difference of two pixels in a group. Additional data can be embedded into the encrypted image by shifting the histogram of the differences with the fully homomorphic property. On the receiver side, a legal user can extract the additional data by getting the difference histogram, and the original image can be restored by using modular arithmetic. Besides, the additional data can be extracted after decryption while the original image can be restored. Compared with the previous two typical algorithms, the proposed scheme can effectively avoid preprocessing operations before encryption and can successfully embed and extract additional data in the encrypted domain. The extensive testing results on the standard images have certified the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

5.
J Mol Cell Cardiol ; 122: 47-57, 2018 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30092227

ABSTRACT

Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I), the major protein compontent of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), exerts many anti-atherogenic functions. This study aimed to reveal whether nonenzymatic glycation of specific sites of apoA-I impaired its anti-inflammatory effects in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). LC-MS/MS was used to analyze the specific sites and the extent of apoA-I glycation either modified by glucose in vitro or isolated from T2DM patients. Cytokine release in THP-1 monocyte-derived macrophages was tested by ELISA. Activation of NF-kappa B pathway was detected by western blot. The binding affinity of apoA-I to THP-1 cells was measured using 125I-labeled apoA-I. We identified seven specific lysine (Lys, K) residues of apoA-I (K12, K23, K40, K96, K106, K107 and K238) that were susceptible to be glycated either in vitro or in vivo. Glycation of apoA-I impaired its abilities to inhibit the release of TNF-α and IL-1ß against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in THP-1 cells. Besides, the glycation levels of these seven K sites in apoA-I were inversely correlated with its anti-inflammatory abilities. Furthermore, glycated apoA-I had a lower affinity to THP-1 cells than native apoA-I had. We generated mutant apoA-I (K107E, M-apoA-I) with a substitution of glutamic acid (Glu, E) for lysine at the 107th site, and found that compared to wild type apoA-I (WT-apoA-I), M-apoA-I decreased its anti-inflammatory effects in THP-1 cells. We also modeled the location of these seven K residues on apoA-I which allowed us to infer the conformational alteration of glycated apoA-I and HDL. In summary, glycation of these seven K residues altered the conformation of apoA-I and consequently impaired the protective effects of apoA-I, which may partly account for the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetic subjects.


Subject(s)
Apolipoprotein A-I/metabolism , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood , Inflammation/metabolism , Lysine/metabolism , Aged , Amino Acid Substitution , Analysis of Variance , Chromatography, Liquid , Glucose , Glutamic Acid/genetics , Glycosylation , Humans , Interleukin-1beta/metabolism , Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology , Lipoproteins, HDL/metabolism , Lysine/genetics , Middle Aged , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Protein Conformation , Protein Disulfide-Isomerases , THP-1 Cells , Tandem Mass Spectrometry , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism
6.
Biotechnol Appl Biochem ; 65(3): 446-454, 2018 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29072333

ABSTRACT

α1-Antitrypsin (AAT) is widely used to treat patients with congenital AAT deficiency. Cohn Fraction IV (Cohn F IV) is normally discarded during the manufacturing process of albumin but contains approximately 33% of plasma AAT. We established a new process for large-scale purification of AAT from it. liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography were applied for qualitative identification and composition analysis, respectively. Stabilizers were optimized for AAT activity protection during lyophilization and dry-heat. Virus inactivation by dry-heat and solvent/detergent (S/D) was validated on a range of viruses. AAT with purity of 95.54%, specific activity of 3,938.5 IU/mg, and yield of 26.79%, was achieved. More than 95% activity was reserved after S/D. More than 96% activity was obtained after lyophilization or dry-heat. After S/D, pseudorabies virus (PRV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) were inactivated below detectable level within 1 H. Virus titer reductions of more than 5.50 log10 and 5.38 log10 were achieved for PRV and VSV, respectively. Porcine parvovirus and encephalomyocarditis virus were inactivated by 3.17 log10 and 5.88 log10 reduction after dry-heat. The advantages of this process, including suitability for large-scale production, high purity, better utilization of human plasma, viral safety, commercial and inexpensive chromatography medium, may facilitate its further application.


Subject(s)
Blood Proteins/chemistry , Detergents/pharmacology , Hot Temperature , Solvents/pharmacology , Virus Inactivation/drug effects , alpha 1-Antitrypsin/isolation & purification , Animals , Cell Line , Detergents/chemistry , Encephalomyocarditis virus/drug effects , Herpesvirus 1, Suid/drug effects , Parvovirus/drug effects , Solvents/chemistry , Swine , Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus/drug effects , alpha 1-Antitrypsin/chemistry
7.
Small ; 13(10)2017 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28009471

ABSTRACT

As a widely used nanomaterial in daily life, silver nanomaterials may cause great concern to female reproductive system as they are found to penetrate the blood-placental barrier and gain access to the ovary. However, it is largely unknown about how silver nanomaterials influence ovarian physiology and functions such as hormone production. This study performs in vitro toxicology study of silver nanomaterials, focusing especially on cytotoxicity and steroidogenesis and explores their underlying mechanisms. This study exposes primary rat granulosa cells to gold nanorod core/silver shell nanostructures (Au@Ag NRs), and compares outcomes with cells exposed to gold nanorods. The Au@Ag NRs generate more reactive oxygen species and reduce mitochondrial membrane potential and less production of adenosine triphosphate. Au@Ag NRs promote steroidogenesis, including progesterone and estradiol, in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Chemical reactivity and transformation of Au@Ag NRs are then studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and X-ray absorption near edge structure, which analyze the generation of free radical and intracellular silver species. Results suggest that both particle-specific activity and intracellular silver ion release of Au@Ag NR contribute to the toxic response of granulosa cells.


Subject(s)
Gold/chemistry , Metal Nanoparticles/chemistry , Nanostructures/chemistry , Nanostructures/toxicity , Nanotubes/chemistry , Silver/chemistry , Animals , Apoptosis/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Female , Granulosa Cells/drug effects , Granulosa Cells/metabolism , Mitochondria/drug effects , Mitochondria/metabolism , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley
8.
Pak J Med Sci ; 30(4): 875-9, 2014 Jul.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25097536

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To compare outcomes of vaginal and abdominal hysterectomy procedures in women with benign gynaecological diseases. METHODS: This was a prospective study of outcomes of consecutive patients who underwent total vaginal hysterectomy (VH) or abdominal hysterectomy (AH) for benign gynaecological diseases. Patient characteristics before, during, and after the operations were reviewed. Patients were followed up for three months to evaluate postoperative complications. RESULTS: This study included a total of 313 patients. 143 patients underwent AH and 170 patients underwent VH. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. There were no intraoperative complications in either group. Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, first postoperative flatus time, time to out-of-bed activity, mean maximum postoperative body temperature, and duration of fever were all significantly shorter and less severe in the VH group compared with the AH group. In addition, vaginal length in the VH group was significantly shorter than in the AH group. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal hysterectomy has advantages over AH in the treatment of benign gynaecological diseases, providing greater efficacy and safety with minimal invasiveness.

9.
Front Cell Dev Biol ; 12: 1357968, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38440075

ABSTRACT

The Nuclear Receptor (NR) family of transcriptional regulators possess the ability to sense signalling molecules and directly couple that to a transcriptional response. While this large class of proteins are united by sequence and structural homology, individual NR functional output varies greatly depending on their expression, ligand selectivity and DNA binding sequence specificity. Many NRs have remained somewhat enigmatic, with the absence of a defined ligand categorising them as orphan nuclear receptors. One example is Nuclear Receptor subfamily 6 group A member 1 (Nr6a1), an orphan nuclear receptor that has no close evolutionary homologs and thus is alone in subfamily 6. Nonetheless, Nr6a1 has emerged as an important player in the regulation of key pluripotency and developmental genes, as functionally critical for mid-gestational developmental progression and as a possible molecular target for driving evolutionary change in animal body plan. Here, we review the current knowledge on this enigmatic nuclear receptor and how it impacts development and evolution.

10.
Sci Rep ; 14(1): 14819, 2024 06 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38937575

ABSTRACT

The duration-of-fertility (DF), which was defined as the number of days when breeding hens lay fertile eggs following copulation or artificial insemination (AI), is an important economic trait in chick production when it has strong effects on fertile egg output and production costs. Little is known about the underlying genes and molecular markers related to DF trait to date. Here, we measured the DF of 701 Chinese Jinghong hens and 408 Jingfen hens. The DF showed high individual variability and potential for genetic improvement. Then, 192 Jinghong breeding hens were provided for a genome-wide association study, 27 SNPs respectively located in three genomic linkage regions (GGA1:41Kb; GGA3:39Kb and GGA8:39Kb) were suggested to be significantly associated with DF. Particularly, 6 of these 27 SNPs were further verified to be associated with DF in the 701 Jinghong and 408 Jingfen hens using PCR-RFLP genotyping method. These 27 SNPs were also mapped to 7 genes according to their genomic position. Furtherly, 5 of these 7 genes were tested using qPCR. Results show that the CYP2D6, WBP2NL, ESR1 and TGFBR3 mRNA expression levels of hens with long DF were significantly higher than the hens with short DF (P < 0.05). Overall, findings in our research provide new insight into the genetic basis of duration-of-fertility in breeding hens while providing new clues for further functional validation on the DF-related genetic regulation mechanism and improvement of DF through chicken breeding.


Subject(s)
Chickens , Fertility , Genome-Wide Association Study , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Animals , Chickens/genetics , Chickens/physiology , Fertility/genetics , Female , Breeding/methods , Quantitative Trait Loci , Genotype
11.
Curr Neurovasc Res ; 21(1): 54-63, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38468526

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is a refractory neurological disorder. There is ample evidence that suggest that γ-aminobutyric acid-a (GABAA) receptors could be one of the mechanisms responsible for the development of drug resistance in epilepsy. It is also known that the cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) plays a possible key role in the transcriptional regulation of GABAA. OBJECTIVE: This study explores the role of CREB in the development of DRE and the effect of CREB on GABA-related receptors in DRE. METHODS: The CREB expression was increased or decreased in the hippocampus of normal rats by lentiviral transfection, who then underwent the lithium-pilocarpine-induced epilepsy model. Phenobarbital (PB) sodium and carbamazepine (CBZ) were used to select a drug-resistant epileptic model. The expression levels of GABAA receptor α1, ß2, and γ2 subunits and CREB protein were measured in the rat hippocampus by western blot and fluorescent quantitative PCR. RESULTS: The frequency and duration of seizures increased in the overexpression group compared to that in the control group. In addition, the severity, frequency, and duration of seizures decreased in the group with decreased expression. The hippocampus analysis of the expression levels of the CREB protein and CREB mRNA yielded similar findings. Altering the CREB protein expression in the rat hippocampus could negatively regulate the expression and transcript levels of GABAA receptors α1, ß2, and γ2, suggesting that CREB may serve as a potential target for the development of treatment protocols and drugs for epilepsy. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that enhanced CREB expression promotes the development of DRE and negatively regulates GABAA receptor levels and that the inhibition of CREB expression may reduce the incidence of DRE.


Subject(s)
Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein , Drug Resistant Epilepsy , Hippocampus , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Receptors, GABA-A , Animals , Hippocampus/metabolism , Hippocampus/drug effects , Male , Drug Resistant Epilepsy/metabolism , Rats , Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein/metabolism , Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism , Receptors, GABA-A/biosynthesis , Pilocarpine/toxicity , Anticonvulsants/pharmacology , Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Disease Models, Animal , Phenobarbital/pharmacology
12.
Tissue Eng Part B Rev ; 30(1): 60-73, 2024 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37440330

ABSTRACT

Polyurethane (PU) and PU ceramic scaffolds are the principal materials investigated for developing synthetic bone materials due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. PU has been combined with calcium phosphate (such as hydroxyapatite [HA] and tricalcium phosphate) to prepare scaffolds with enhanced mechanical properties and biocompatibility. This article reviews the latest progress in the design, synthesis, modification, and biological attributes of HA/PU scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Diverse HA/PU scaffolds have been proposed and discussed in terms of their osteogenic, antimicrobial, biocompatibility, and bioactivities. The application progress of HA/PU scaffolds in bone tissue engineering is predominantly introduced, including bone repair, bone defect filling, drug delivery, and long-term implants.


Subject(s)
Durapatite , Tissue Engineering , Humans , Polyurethanes , Bone and Bones , Osteogenesis , Tissue Scaffolds
13.
Inflammation ; 2024 Jun 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38867118

ABSTRACT

Brahma-related gene 1 (BRG1) has been implicated in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Downregulation of BRG1 impairs DSBs repair leading to accumulation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Currently, the role of BRG1 in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) has not been clarified. In this study, we aimed to explore the function and molecular by which BRG1 regulates DCM using mice and cell models. We found that BRG1 was downregulated in the cardiac tissues of DCM mice and in cardiomyocytes cultured with high glucose and palmitic acid (HG/PA), which was accompanied by accumulation of dsDNA and activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway. shRNA-mediated Brg1 knockdown aggravated DCM mice cardiac functions, enhanced dsDNA accumulation, cGAS-STING signaling activation, which induced inflammation and apoptosis. In addition, the results were further verified in HG/PA-treated primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs). Overexpression of BRG1 in NRCMs yielded opposite results. Furthermore, a selective cGAS inhibitor RU.521 or STING inhibitor C-176 partially reversed the BRG1 knockdown-induced inflammation and apoptosis in vitro. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that BRG1 is downregulated during DCM in vivo and in vitro, resulting in cardiomyocyte inflammation and apoptosis due to dsDNA accumulation and cGAS-STING signaling activation. Therefore, targeting the BRG1-cGAS-STING pathway may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for improving cardiac function of patients with DCM.

14.
Int J Biol Macromol ; 261(Pt 1): 129785, 2024 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38286372

ABSTRACT

Viral respiratory infections are major human health concerns. The most striking epidemic disease, COVID-19 is still on going with the emergence of fast mutations and drug resistance of pathogens. A few polysaccharide macromolecules from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) have been found to have direct anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity but the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the entry inhibition effect of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) in vitro and in vivo. We found LBP effectively suppressed multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants entry and protected K18-hACE2 mice from invasion with Omicron pseudovirus (PsV). Moreover, we found LBP interfered with early entry events during infection in time-of-addition (TOA) assay and SEM observation. Further surface plasmon resonance (SPR) study revealed the dual binding of LBP with Spike protein and ACE2, which resulted in the disruption of Spike-ACE2 interaction and subsequently triggered membrane fusion. Therefore, LBP may act as broad-spectrum inhibitors of virus entry and nasal mucosal protective agent against newly emerging respiratory viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Lycium , Humans , Animals , Mice , SARS-CoV-2 , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus , Protein Binding
15.
Animals (Basel) ; 14(5)2024 Feb 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38473050

ABSTRACT

Post-weaning diarrhea is common in piglets, causing huge economic losses worldwide. Associations between LPS challenge, intestinal inflammation, and microbiota have been reported in Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire (DLY) crossbred pigs. However, the effects of LPS challenge in other breeds remain unclear. In the current study, we performed a comprehensive comparative analysis of the effects of LPS challenge on jejunal mucosal morphology, jejunal microbial composition, and serum indexes in two pig breeds: DLY and Heigai, an indigenous Chinese breed. The results showed that LPS caused considerable damage to the mucosal morphology, enhanced serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and the intestinal permeability index, and lowered the antioxidant capacity index. LPS challenge also changed the microbial composition and structure of the jejunum, significantly increased the abundances of Escherichia-Shigella in DLY pigs, and decreased those of Gemella and Saccharimonadales in Heigai pigs. Furthermore, LPS challenge triggered functional changes in energy metabolism and activities related to the stress response in the jejunal bacterial community, alleviating the inflammatory response in Heigai pigs. This study also revealed that Heigai pigs had a weaker immune response to LPS challenge than DLY pigs, and identified several genera related to the breed-specific phenotypes of Heigai pigs, including Gemella, Saccharimonadales, Clostridia_UCG_014, Terrisporobacter, and Dielma. Our collective findings uncovered differences between Heigai and DLY pigs in intestinal inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis induced by LPS challenge, providing a theoretical basis for unraveling the mechanism of intestinal inflammation in swine and proposing microbial candidates involved in the resistance to diarrhea in piglets.

16.
Dev Cell ; 59(11): 1396-1409.e5, 2024 Jun 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38569547

ABSTRACT

The ability of cells to perceive and respond to mechanical cues is essential for numerous biological activities. Emerging evidence indicates important contributions of organelles to cellular mechanosensitivity and mechanotransduction. However, whether and how the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) senses and reacts to mechanical forces remains elusive. To fill the knowledge gap, after developing a light-inducible ER-specific mechanostimulator (LIMER), we identify that mechanostimulation of ER elicits a transient, rapid efflux of Ca2+ from ER in monkey kidney COS-7 cells, which is dependent on the cation channels transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily V, member 1 (TRPV1) and polycystin-2 (PKD2) in an additive manner. This ER Ca2+ release can be repeatedly stimulated and tuned by varying the intensity and duration of force application. Moreover, ER-specific mechanostimulation inhibits ER-to-Golgi trafficking. Sustained mechanostimuli increase the levels of binding-immunoglobulin protein (BiP) expression and phosphorylated eIF2α, two markers for ER stress. Our results provide direct evidence for ER mechanosensitivity and tight mechanoregulation of ER functions, placing ER as an important player on the intricate map of cellular mechanotransduction.


Subject(s)
Calcium , Endoplasmic Reticulum , Mechanotransduction, Cellular , Optogenetics , TRPP Cation Channels , Animals , Endoplasmic Reticulum/metabolism , Chlorocebus aethiops , COS Cells , Optogenetics/methods , Calcium/metabolism , TRPP Cation Channels/metabolism , TRPP Cation Channels/genetics , TRPV Cation Channels/metabolism , TRPV Cation Channels/genetics , Golgi Apparatus/metabolism , Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress/physiology , Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP/metabolism
17.
Nat Commun ; 15(1): 2893, 2024 Apr 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38570498

ABSTRACT

In the realm of ferroelectric memories, HfO2-based ferroelectrics stand out because of their exceptional CMOS compatibility and scalability. Nevertheless, their switchable polarization and switching speed are not on par with those of perovskite ferroelectrics. It is widely acknowledged that defects play a crucial role in stabilizing the metastable polar phase of HfO2. Simultaneously, defects also pin the domain walls and impede the switching process, ultimately rendering the sluggish switching of HfO2. Herein, we present an effective strategy involving acceptor-donor co-doping to effectively tackle this dilemma. Remarkably enhanced ferroelectricity and the fastest switching process ever reported among HfO2 polar devices are observed in La3+-Ta5+ co-doped HfO2 ultrathin films. Moreover, robust macro-electrical characteristics of co-doped films persist even at a thickness as low as 3 nm, expanding potential applications of HfO2 in ultrathin devices. Our systematic investigations further demonstrate that synergistic effects of uniform microstructure and smaller switching barrier introduced by co-doping ensure the enhanced ferroelectricity and shortened switching time. The co-doping strategy offers an effective avenue to control the defect state and improve the ferroelectric properties of HfO2 films.

18.
Clin Epigenetics ; 15(1): 17, 2023 01 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36721155

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Super-enhancer-associated lncRNAs play important roles in the occurrence and development of malignant tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). OBJECTIVES: The current work aimed to identify and characterize super-enhancer-associated lncRNAs in the pathogenesis of HCC. METHODS: H3K27ac ChIP-seq data from HepG2 cell line and two HCC tissues were used to identify super-enhancer-associated lncRNAs in HCC. JQ-1 treatment and CRISPR-dCas9 system were performed to confirm super-enhancer activity. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), ChIP-qPCR, and dual-luciferase reporter system assay demonstrated the regulation of E2F1 on super-enhancer. Functional loss experiment was used to identify the function of LINC01004. RESULTS: In this study, we identified and characterized LINC01004, a novel super-enhancer-associated lncRNA, as a crucial oncogene in HCC. LINC01004 was upregulated in liver cancer tissues and was associated with poor patient prognosis. Moreover, LINC01004 promoted cell proliferation and metastasis of HCC. The binding of E2F1 to the super-enhancer could promote the transcription of LINC01004, while the inhibition of super-enhancer activity decreased LINC01004 expression. CONCLUSION: This finding might provide mechanistic insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying hepatocarcinogenesis and the biological function of super-enhancer. LINC01004 can serve as a potential therapeutic target for HCC patient.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , RNA, Long Noncoding , Humans , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics , RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics , Liver Neoplasms/genetics , DNA Methylation , Cell Line , Cell Proliferation , E2F1 Transcription Factor/genetics
19.
J Mater Chem B ; 11(23): 5094-5100, 2023 06 14.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37221873

ABSTRACT

Surface functionalization can effectively affect the properties of carbon dots (CDs), for example, improved solubility and dispersibility as well as enhanced selectivity and sensitivity. However, it is still a challenging task to tailor one or more specific functionalities of CDs via precise surface modification. In this study, click chemistry is applied to engineer CD surface functionalization, where the fluorescent molecule Rhodamine B (RhB) can be efficiently grafted onto the glucose-based bare CDs. The reaction process is quantitatively analyzed, which provides the basic theory for the functionalization of glucose-based CDs by double fluorescent molecules, namely RhB and Cy7. The fluorescence behavior of CDs can be accurately regulated by adjusting the molar ratio of the two molecules. The results of cell proliferation and apoptosis behavior of functionalized carbon dots show that the linkers (triazole structure) introduced by click chemistry have good biocompatibility. This quantitative and multifunctional modification method of CDs has undoubtedly greatly expanded its application field, especially in biological and medical aspects.


Subject(s)
Click Chemistry , Fluorescent Dyes , Fluorescent Dyes/chemistry , Carbon/chemistry , Spectrometry, Fluorescence , Apoptosis
20.
Food Sci Nutr ; 11(3): 1415-1425, 2023 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36911822

ABSTRACT

Gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS), ultra-high-performance liquid chromatograph-Q-Exactive Orbitrap tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection (HPLC-PDA) were used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the chemical component of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride "Geqingpi" (GQP). First of all, the volatile components of GQP are identified by GC-MS. Totally 56 volatile components were determined, and γ-Terpinene (33.39%) and D-Limonene (22.95%) were the main terpenes. Secondly, UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS was used for identifying nonvolatile compositions and 42 compositions were identified totally, including 23 flavonoids, nine organic acids, three coumarins, two alkaloids compounds, and five other compounds, among which nine of the determined constituents were detected for the first time in GQP. Thirdly, the content of seven main constituents in GQP was quantitatively analyzed via HPLC-PDA, which were synephrine, hesperidin, limonin, nobiletin, HMF, tangeretin, and 5-HPMF. Further investigation for quantitative analysis of seven bioactive compounds suggested that the concentration of hesperidin in GQP approximately was 16.0% (160.78 ± 0.95 mg·g-1), which was far higher than the standard for identification and quality control of CRPV in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition) that "the content of hesperidin shall not be less than 5.0%." The phytochemicals of GQP were elucidated in this study, which might be supporting information for identification between GQP and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride "Sihuaqingpi" (SHQP) and provided a scientific basis for the further active ingredient for pharmacological research and development prospects of GQP.

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