The Dopamine Transporter Is a New Target for Ischemic Stroke.

AIMS: Dopamine transporter (DAT) can regulate DA homeostasis and has been implicated in many nervous system diseases. Whether DAT is involved in the protection against ischemic stroke is unclear. METHODS: In vivo microdialysis measurements of DA were recorded in the ischemic penumbral area of mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). DAT coding gene, Slc6a3 mutation, and DAT overexpression animals were performed MCAO. Madopar (compound formulation of levodopa) and nomifensine (DA reuptake inhibitor) were administered in MCAO animals. Brain slices were prepared in Slc6a3 mutation or wild-type (WT) animals with MCAO to record miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs). The effects of DA and its dopamine-1 receptor (D1R) antagonists (SCH-23390) on mEPSCs, mIPSCs, and neurons protection were recorded. RESULTS: MCAO caused a prominent increase in DA. Slc6a3 mutation significantly attenuated the ischemic injury, whereas DAT overexpression aggravated this injury. Both nomifensine and madopar protected against brain injury. Slc6a3 mutation and DA restored the disturbance of mEPSCs and mIPSC, and protected against neuron death, which was abolished by SCH-23390. CONCLUSION: DAT inhibition might be explored as a strategy for ischemic stroke prevention. DA and D1R involve in the restoration of synaptic dysfunction and neuron protection.

[Curative effect analysis of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion in patients with cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the treatment of cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type(CSA). METHODS: The clinical data of 42 patients with CSA from January 2020 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 25 males and 17 females, aged from 30 to 74 years old with an average of (53.9±11.0) years old. There were 18 cases with single-segment lesions, 17 cases with two-segment lesions, and 7 cases with three-segment lesions. The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery's Hearing and Balance Committee score (CHE), the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the cervical curvature Cobb angle were recorded before surgery and after surgery at 6 months. RESULTS: All 42 ACDF patients were followed up for 6 to 30 months with an average of (14.0±5.2) months. The operative time ranged from 95 to 220 min with an average of (160.38±36.77) min, the intraoperative blood loss ranged from 30 to 85 ml with an average of (53.60±18.98) ml. Tow patients had mild postoperative dysphagia, which improved with symptomatic treatment such as nebulized inhalation. CHE score decreased from (4.05±0.96) preoperatively to (2.40±0.70) at 6 months postoperatively (t=12.97, P<0.05). The number of improved vertigo at 6 months postoperatively was 38, with an improvement rate of 90.5%. NDI score was reduced from (34.43±8.04) preoperatively to (20.76±3.91) at 6 months postoperatively (t=11.83, P<0.05). The cervical curvature Cobb angle improved from (8.04±6.70)° preoperatively to (12.42±5.23)° at 6 months postoperatively (t=-15.96, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The ACDF procedure has outstanding clinical efficacy in treating CSA. The operation can rapidly relieve patients' episodic vertigo symptoms by relieving bony compression and reconstructing cervical curvature. However, it is necessary to strictly grasp the indications for surgery and clarify the causes of vertigo in patients, and ACDF surgery is recommended for CSA patients for whom conservative treatment is ineffective.

VNS improves VSMC metabolism and arteriogenesis in infarcted hearts through m/n-AChR-Akt-SDF-1α in adult male rats.

Vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) provides a novel therapeutic strategy for injured hearts by activating cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathways. However, little information is available on the metabolic pattern and arteriogenesis of VSMCs after MI. VNS has been shown to stimulate the expression of CPT1α, CPT1ß, Glut1, Glut4 and SDF-1α in coronary VSMCs, decreasing the number of CD68-positive macrophages while increasing CD206-positive macrophages in the infarcted hearts, leading to a decrease in TNF-α and IL-1ß accompanied by a reduced ratio of CD68- and CD206-positive cells, which were dramatically abolished by atropine and mecamylamine in vivo. Knockdown of SDF-1α substantially abrogated the effect of VNS on macrophagecell alteration and inflammatory factors in infarcted hearts. Mechanistically, ACh induced SDF-1α expression in VSMCs in a dose-dependent manner. Conversely, atropine, mecamylamine, and a PI3K/Akt inhibitor completely eliminated the effect of ACh on SDF-1α expression. Functionally, VNS promoted arteriogenesis and improved left ventricular performance, which could be abolished by Ad-shSDF-1α. Thus, VNS altered the VSMC metabolism pattern and arteriogenesis to repair the infarcted heart by inducing SDF-1α expression, which was associated with the m/nAChR-Akt signaling pathway.

[Regularity of prescriptions for sick sinus syndrome based on latent structure combined with association rules].

This study aims to mine the regularity of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) prescriptions for sick sinus syndrome(SSS) and provide a reference for clinical syndrome differentiation and treatment. The relevant papers were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and SinoMed with the time interval from inception to January 31, 2023. The relevant information from qualified papers was extracted to establish a library. Lantern 5.0 and Rstudio were used to analyze the latent structure and association rules of TCMs with the frequency ≥3%, which combined with frequency descriptions, were used to explore the rules of TCM prescriptions for SSS. A total of 192 TCM prescriptions were included, involving 115 TCMs with the cumulative frequency of 1 816. High-frequency TCMs include Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, Astragali Radix, and Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. The high-frequency medicines mainly had the effects of tonifying, releasing exterior with pungent-warm, and activating blood and resolving stasis. The analysis of the latent structure model yielded 13 hidden variables, 26 hidden classes, 8 comprehensive cluster models, and 21 core prescriptions. Accordingly, the common syndromes of SSS were inferred as heart-Yang Qi deficiency, heart-spleen Yang deficiency, heart-kidney Yang deficiency, Yang deficiency and blood stasis, both Qi and Yin deficiency and blood stasis, and Yin and Yang deficiency. The analysis of association rules predicted 30 strong association rules, among which Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma-Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata had the highest support. SSS is a syndrome with Yang deficiency and Qi deficiency as the root causes and cold, phlegm, and stasis as the manifestations. The clinical treatment of SSS should focus on warming Yang and replenishing Qi, which should be supplemented with the therapies of activating blood and resolving stasis, warming interior and dissipating cold, or regulating Qi movement for resolving phlegm according to the patients' syndromes.

Vagus nerve stimulation-induced stromal cell-derived factor-l alpha participates in angiogenesis and repair of infarcted hearts.

AIMS: We aim to explore the role and mechanism of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in coronary endothelial cells and angiogenesis in infarcted hearts. METHODS AND RESULTS: Seven days after rat myocardial infarction (MI) was prepared by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, the left cervical vagus nerve was treated with electrical stimulation 1 h after intraperitoneal administration of the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine inhibitor mecamylamine or the mAChR inhibitor atropine or 3 days after local injection of Ad-shSDF-1α into the infarcted heart. Cardiac tissue acetylcholine (ACh) and serum ACh, tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels were detected by ELISA to determine whether VNS was successful. An inflammatory injury model in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs) was established by lipopolysaccharide and identified by evaluating TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 levels and tube formation. Immunohistochemistry staining was performed to evaluate CD31-positive vessel density and stromal cell-derived factor-l alpha (SDF-1α) expression in the MI heart in vivo and the expression and distribution of SDF-1α, C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 and CXCR7 in HCAECs in vitro. Western blotting was used to detect the levels of SDF-1α, V-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (AKT), phosphorylated AKT (pAKT), specificity protein 1 (Sp1) and phosphorylation of Sp1 in HCAECs. Left ventricular performance, including left ventricular systolic pressure, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and rate of the rise and fall of ventricular pressure, should be evaluated 28 days after VNS treatment. VNS was successfully established for MI therapy with decreases in serum TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-6 levels and increases in cardiac tissue and serum ACh levels, leading to increased SDF-1α expression in coronary endothelial cells of MI hearts, triggering angiogenesis of MI hearts with increased CD31-positive vessel density, which was abolished by the m/nAChR inhibitors mecamylamine and atropine or knockdown of SDF-1α by shRNA. ACh promoted SDF-1α expression and its distribution along with the branch of the formed tube in HCAECs, resulting in an increase in the number of tubes formed in HCAECs. ACh increased the levels of pAKT and phosphorylation of Sp1 in HCAECs, resulting in inducing SDF-1α expression, and the specific effects could be abolished by mecamylamine, atropine, the PI3K/AKT blocker wortmannin or the Sp1 blocker mithramycin. Functionally, VNS improved left ventricular performance, which could be abolished by Ad-shSDF-1α. CONCLUSIONS: VNS promoted angiogenesis to repair the infarcted heart by inducing SDF-1α expression and redistribution along new branches during angiogenesis, which was associated with the m/nAChR-AKT-Sp1 signalling pathway.

The spatiotemporal matching pattern of Ezrin/Periaxin involved in myoblast differentiation and fusion and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease-associated muscle atrophy.

BACKGROUND: Clinically, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT)-associated muscle atrophy still lacks effective treatment. Deletion and mutation of L-periaxin can be involved in CMT type 4F (CMT4F) by destroying the myelin sheath form, which may be related to the inhibitory role of Ezrin in the self-association of L-periaxin. However, it is still unknown whether L-periaxin and Ezrin are independently or interactively involved in the process of muscle atrophy by affecting the function of muscle satellite cells. METHOD: A gastrocnemius muscle atrophy model was prepared to mimic CMT4F and its associated muscle atrophy by mechanical clamping of the peroneal nerve. Differentiating C2C12 myoblast cells were treated with adenovirus-mediated overexpression or knockdown of Ezrin. Then, overexpression of L-periaxin and NFATc1/c2 or knockdown of L-periaxin and NFATc3/c4 mediated by adenovirus vectors were used to confirm their role in Ezrin-mediated myoblast differentiation, myotube formation and gastrocnemius muscle repair in a peroneal nerve injury model. RNA-seq, real-time PCR, immunofluorescence staining and Western blot were used in the above observation. RESULTS: For the first time, instantaneous L-periaxin expression was highest on the 6th day, while Ezrin expression peaked on the 4th day during myoblast differentiation/fusion in vitro. In vivo transduction of adenovirus vectors carrying Ezrin, but not Periaxin, into the gastrocnemius muscle in a peroneal nerve injury model increased the numbers of muscle myosin heavy chain (MyHC) I and II type myofibers, reducing muscle atrophy and fibrosis. Local muscle injection of overexpressed Ezrin combined with incubation of knockdown L-periaxin within the injured peroneal nerve or injection of knockdown L-periaxin into peroneal nerve-injured gastrocnemius muscle not only increased the number of muscle fibers but also recovered their size to a relatively normal level in vivo. Overexpression of Ezrin promoted myoblast differentiation/fusion, inducing increased MyHC-I+ and MyHC-II + muscle fiber specialization, and the specific effects could be enhanced by the addition of adenovirus vectors for knockdown of L-periaxin by shRNA. Overexpression of L-periaxin did not alter the inhibitory effects on myoblast differentiation and fusion mediated by knockdown of Ezrin by shRNA in vitro but decreased myotube length and size. Mechanistically, overexpressing Ezrin did not alter protein kinase A gamma catalytic subunit (PKA-γ cat), protein kinase A I alpha regulatory subunit (PKA reg Iα) or PKA reg Iß levels but increased PKA-α cat and PKA reg II α levels, leading to a decreased ratio of PKA reg I/II. The PKA inhibitor H-89 remarkably abolished the effects of overexpressing-Ezrin on increased myoblast differentiation/fusion. In contrast, knockdown of Ezrin by shRNA significantly delayed myoblast differentiation/fusion accompanied by an increased PKA reg I/II ratio, and the inhibitory effects could be eliminated by the PKA reg activator N6-Bz-cAMP. Meanwhile, overexpressing Ezrin enhanced type I muscle fiber specialization, accompanied by an increase in NFATc2/c3 levels and a decrease in NFATc1 levels. Furthermore, overexpressing NFATc2 or knocking down NFATc3 reversed the inhibitory effects of Ezrin knockdown on myoblast differentiation/fusion. CONCLUSIONS: The spatiotemporal pattern of Ezrin/Periaxin expression was involved in the control of myoblast differentiation/fusion, myotube length and size, and myofiber specialization, which was related to the activated PKA-NFAT-MEF2C signaling pathway, providing a novel L-Periaxin/Ezrin joint strategy for the treatment of muscle atrophy induced by nerve injury, especially in CMT4F.

Spatio-temporal model of Meox1 expression control involvement of Sca-1-positive stem cells in neointima formation through the synergistic effect of Rho/CDC42 and SDF-1α/CXCR4.

AIMS: Neointimal hyperplasia remains a major obstacle in vascular regeneration. Sca-1-positive progenitor cells residing within the vascular adventitia play a crucial role in the assemblage of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) and the formation of the intimal lesion. However, the underlying mechanisms during vascular injury are still unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Aneointimal formation rat model was prepared by carotid artery injury using 2F-Forgaty. After vascular injury, Meox1 expressions time-dependently increased during the neointima formation, with its levels concurrently increasing in the adventitia, media, and neointima. Meox1 was highly expressed in the adventitia on the first day after vascular injury compared to the expression levels in the media. Conversely, by the 14th day post-injury, Meox1 was extensively expressed more in the media and neointima than the adventitia. Analogous to the change of Meox1 in injured artery, Sca-1+ progenitor cells increased in the adventitia wall in a time-dependent manner and reached peak levels on the 7th day after injury. More importantly, this effect was abolished by Meox1 knockdown with shRNA. The enhanced expression of SDF-1α after vascular injury was associated with the markedly enhanced expression levels of Sca1+ progenitor cell, and these levels were relatively synchronously increased within neointima by the 7th day after vascular injury. These special effects were abolished by the knockdown of Meox1 with shRNA and inhibition of CXCR4 by its inhibitor, AMD3100. Finally, Meox1 concurrently regulated SDF-1α expressions in VSMC via activating CDC42, and CDC42 inhibition abolished these effects by its inhibitor, ZCL278. Also, Meox1 was involved in activation of the CXCR4 expression of Sca-1+ progenitor cells by CDC42. CONCLUSIONS: Spatio-temporal model of Meox1 expression regulates theSca-1+progenitor cell migration during the formation of the neointima through the synergistic effect of Rho/CDC42 and SDF-1α/CXCR4.

[Transfer Factor and Health Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in a Soil-Crop System in a High Incidence Area of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma, Guangdong].

In order to reveal the transfer factor and perform health risk assessments of heavy metals in soil-crop systems in the high incidence area of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in Guangdong province of China, the farmland system of Sihui City in the high incidence area of NPC was selected as the research object, and rice, lettuce, and corresponding soil samples were collected. As, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Cd in the soil and crop samples were analyzed. Based on the contents and chemical forms of seven heavy metals, the environmental pollution, bioavailability, and transfer factors of heavy metals in the soil-crop system were assessed using statistical analyses, pollution index evaluations, and transfer factor methods, and the health risks of adults and children in the study area were assessed using the health risk assessment model recommended by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The results showed that the farmland soil in the study area was basically clean (P=0.43); Cd and Mn mainly existed in a bioavailable state, Hg mainly existed in a potentially available state, and As Cu, Ni, and Pb mainly existed in a residual state. The lettuce was safe (P=0.48), while the pollution index of rice (P=7.66) was higher than that of lettuce, and the main polluting element was Pb (PI=10.25). The results of soil pollution assessments are not completely consistent with those of crop pollution assessments, so they should be combined with the bioavailability of heavy metals and crop effects for correlation analyses. Cd and Cu are more easily absorbed by lettuce, while Cd, Cu, and As are more easily enriched by rice. Special attention should be paid to Cd and Cu pollution in farmland soils, and As pollution should be of focus in paddy fields. In the study area, the non-carcinogenic risk index (HI) value of edible lettuce for adults and children was less than 1 and the average value of the total carcinogenic risk index (Risk) of edible lettuce was less than 1×10-4. Therefore, the health risk of edible local lettuce was within the acceptable range. The average HI index of rice for adults and children was more than 1 and the main non-carcinogenic factor was Pb; the risk index of rice was more than 1×10-4, and the main carcinogenic factor was As. Rice consumption in the study area will cause certain health risks, and the threat to adults is greater than that to children. Therefore, As in rice may be related to the high incidence of NPC in Sihui City. It is suggested that the remediation of heavy metals in farmland soils be strengthened or that residents be forbidden to plant or eat local rice and other crops with greater health risks.

Vagus nerve stimulation optimized cardiomyocyte phenotype, sarcomere organization and energy metabolism in infarcted heart through FoxO3A-VEGF signaling.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) restores autonomic balance, suppresses inflammation action and minimizes cardiomyocyte injury. However, little knowledge is known about the VNS' role in cardiomyocyte phenotype, sarcomere organization, and energy metabolism of infarcted hearts. VNS in vivo and acetylcholine (ACh) in vitro optimized the levels of α/ß-MHC and α-Actinin positive sarcomere organization in cardiomyocytes while reducing F-actin assembly of cardiomyocytes. Consistently, ACh improved glucose uptake while decreasing lipid deposition in myocytes, correlating both with the increase of Glut4 and CPT1α and the decrease of PDK4 in infarcted hearts in vivo and myocytes in vitro, attributing to improvement in both glycolysis by VEGF-A and lipid uptake by VEGF-B in response to Ach. This led to increased ATP levels accompanied by the repaired mitochondrial function and the decreased oxygen consumption. Functionally, VNS improved the left ventricular performance. In contrast, ACh-m/nAChR inhibitor or knockdown of VEGF-A/B by shRNA powerfully abrogated these effects mediated by VNS. On mechanism, ACh decreased the levels of nuclear translocation of FoxO3A in myocytes due to phosphorylation of FoxO3A by activating AKT. FoxO3A overexpression or knockdown could reverse the specific effects of ACh on the expression of VEGF-A/B, α/ß-MHC, Glut4, and CPT1α, sarcomere organization, glucose uptake and ATP production. Taken together, VNS optimized cardiomyocytes sarcomere organization and energy metabolism to improve heart function of the infarcted heart during the process of delaying and/or blocking the switch from compensated hypertrophy to decompensated heart failure, which were associated with activation of both P13K/AKT-FoxO3A-VEGF-A/B signaling cascade.

S100B is required for maintaining an intermediate state with double-positive Sca-1+ progenitor and vascular smooth muscle cells during neointimal formation.

INTRODUCTION: Accumulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) within the neointimal region is a hallmark of atherosclerosis and vessel injury. Evidence has shown that Sca-1-positive (Sca-1+) progenitor cells residing in the vascular adventitia play a crucial role in VSMC assemblages and intimal lesions. However, the underlying mechanisms, especially in the circumstances of vascular injury, remain unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: The neointimal formation model in rats was established by carotid artery balloon injury using a 2F-Forgaty catheter. Most Sca-1+ cells first appeared at the adventitia of the vascular wall. S100B expressions were highest within the adventitia on the first day after vessel injury. Along with the sequentially increasing trend of S100B expression in the intima, media, and adventitia, respectively, the numbers of Sca-1+ cells were prominently increased at the media or neointima during the time course of neointimal formation. Furthermore, the Sca-1+ cells were markedly increased in the tunica media on the third day of vessel injury, SDF-1α expressions were obviously increased, and SDF-1α levels and Sca-1+ cells were almost synchronously increased within the neointima on the seventh day of vessel injury. These effects could effectually be reversed by knockdown of S100B by shRNA, RAGE inhibitor (SPF-ZM1), or CXCR4 blocker (AMD3100), indicating that migration of Sca-1+ cells from the adventitia into the neointima was associated with S100B/RAGE and SDF-1α/CXCR4. More importantly, the intermediate state of double-positive Sca-1+ and α-SMA cells was first found in the neointima of injured arteries, which could be substantially abrogated by using shRNA for S100B or blockade of CXCR4. S100B dose-dependently regulated SDF-1α expressions in VSMCs by activating PI3K/AKT and NF-κB, which were markedly abolished by PI3K/AKT inhibitor wortmannin and enhanced by p65 blocker PDTC. Furthermore, S100B was involved in human umbilical cord-derived Sca-1+ progenitor cells' differentiation into VSMCs, especially in maintaining the intermediate state of double-positive Sca-1+ and α-SMA. CONCLUSIONS: S100B triggered neointimal formation in rat injured arteries by maintaining the intermediate state of double-positive Sca-1+ progenitor and VSMCs, which were associated with direct activation of RAGE by S100B and indirect induction of SDF-1α by activating PI3K/AKT and NF-κB.

KPC1 alleviates hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis in rat cardiomyocyte cells though BAX degradation.

Bax triggers cell apoptosis by permeabilizing the outer mitochondrial membrane, leading to membrane potential loss and cytochrome c release. However, it is unclear if proteasomal degradation of Bax is involved in the apoptotic process, especially in heart ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury. In the present study, KPC1 expression was heightened in left ventricular cardiomyocytes of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), in I/R-myocardium in vivo and in hypoxia and reoxygenation (H/R)-induced cardiomyocytes in vitro. Overexpression of KPC1 reduced infarction size and cell apoptosis in I/R rat hearts. Similarly, the forced expression of KPC1 restored mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and cytochrome c release driven by H/R in H9c2 cells, whereas reducing cell apoptosis, and knockdown of KPC1 by short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) deteriorated cell apoptosis induced by H/R. Mechanistically, forced expression of KPC1 promoted Bax protein degradation, which was abolished by proteasome inhibitor MG132, suggesting that KPC1 promoted proteasomal degradation of Bax. Furthermore, KPC1 prevented basal and apoptotic stress-induced Bax translocation to mitochondria. Bax can be a novel target for the antiapoptotic effects of KPC1 on I/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis and render mechanistic penetration into at least a subset of the mitochondrial effects of KPC1.

Enhancement of protein mechanical stability: Correlated deformations are handcuffed by ligand binding.

As revealed by previous experiments, protein mechanical stability can be effectively regulated by ligand binding with the binding site distant from the force-bearing region. However, the mechanism for such long-range allosteric control of protein mechanics is still largely unknown. In this work, we use protein topology-based elastic network model (ENM) and all-atomic steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations to study the impact of ligand binding on protein mechanical stability in two systems, i.e., GB1 and CheY-binding P2-domain of CheA (CBDCheA). Both ENM and SMD results show that the ligand binding has considerable and negligible effects on the mechanical stability of these two proteins, respectively. These results are consistent with the experimental observations. A physical mechanism for the enhancement of protein mechanical stability was then proposed: the correlated deformations of the force-bearing region and the binding site are handcuffed by the binding of ligand. The handcuff effect suppresses the propagation of internal force in the force-bearing region, thus improving the resistance to the loading force. Our study indicates that ENM method can effectively identify the structure motifs allosterically related to the deformation in the force bearing region, as well as the force propagation pathway within the structure of the studied proteins. Hence, it should be helpful to understand the molecular origin of the different mechanical properties in response to ligand binding for GB1 and CBDCheA.

VEGF-A and VEGF-B Coordinate the Arteriogenesis to Repair the Infarcted Heart with Vagus Nerve Stimulation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) suppresses arrhythmic activity and minimizes cardiomyocyte injury. However, how VNS affects angiogenesis/arteriogenesis in infarcted hearts, is poorly understood. METHODS: Myocardial infarction (MI) was achieved by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in rats. 7 days after LAD, stainless-steel wires were looped around the left and right vagal nerve in the neck for vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). The vagal nerve was stimulated with regular pulses of 0.2ms duration at 20 Hz for 10 seconds every minute for 4 hours, and then ACh levels by ELISA in cardiac tissue and serum were evaluated for its release after VNS. Three and 14 days after VNS, Real-time PCR, immunostaining and western blot were respectively used to determine VEGF-A/B expressions and α-SMA- and CD31-postive vessels in VNS-hearts with pretreatment of α7-nAChR blocker mecamylamine (10 mg/kg, ip) or mACh-R blocker atropine (10 mg/kg, ip) for 1 hour. The coronary function and left ventricular performance were analyzed by Langendorff system and hemodynamic parameters in VNS-hearts with pretreatment of VEGF-A/B-knockdown or VEGFR blocker AMG706. Coronary arterial endothelial cells proliferation, migration and tube formation were evaluated for angiogenesis following the stimulation of VNS in coronary arterial smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). RESULTS: VNS has been shown to stimulate VEGF-A and VEGF-B expressions in coronary arterial smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) with an increase of α-SMA- and CD31-postive vessel number in infarcted hearts. The VNS-induced VEGF-A/B expressions and angiogenesis were abolished by m-AChR inhibitor atropine and α7-nAChR blocker mecamylamine in vivo. Interestingly, knockdown of VEGF-A by shRNA mainly reduced VNS-mediated formation of CD31+ microvessels. In contrast, knockdown of VEGF-B powerfully abrogated VNS-induced formation of α-SMA+ vessels. Consistently, VNS-induced VEGF-A showed a greater effect on EC tube formation as compared to VNS-induced VEGF-B. Moreover, VEGF-A promoted EC proliferation and VSMC migration while VEGF-B induced VSMC proliferation and EC migration in vitro. Mechanistically, vagal neurotransmitter acetylcholine stimulated VEGF-A/B expressions through m/nACh-R/PI3K/Akt/Sp1 pathway in EC. Functionally, VNS improved the coronary function and left ventricular performance. However, blockade of VEGF receptor by antagonist AMG706 or knockdown of VEGF-A or VEGF-B by shRNA significantly diminished the beneficial effects of VNS on ventricular performance. CONCLUSION: VNS promoted angiogenesis/arteriogenesis to repair the infracted heart through the synergistic effects of VEGF-A and VEGF-B.

Data on the involvement of Meox1 in balloon-injury-induced neointima formation of rats.

In the previous report, Meox1 was found to promote SMCs phenotypic modulation and injury-induced vascular remodeling by regulating the FAK-ERK1/2-autophagy signaling cascade (Wu et al., 2017) [1]. Here, we presented new original data on the involvement of Mesoderm/mesenchyme homeobox gene l (Meox1) in balloon-injury-induced neointima formation of rat. In rat carotid artery balloon injury model to induce vascular remodeling, Meox1 was induced in vascular smooth muscle cell (SMCs) of rat carotid arteries. Most proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells also expressed Meox1. These data suggested that Meox1 may be involved in SMCs proliferation during injury-induced neointima formation. Furthermore, knocked down its expression in injured arteries by adenoviral delivery of Meox1 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) (shMeox1), neointima formation was significantly inhibited. Elastin staining also confirmed the reduction of neointima in Meox1 shRNA-transduced arteries. Moreover, knockdown of Meox1 decreased the collagen production/deposition that was significantly increased in neointima induced by balloon injury.

Mesoderm/mesenchyme homeobox gene l promotes vascular smooth muscle cell phenotypic modulation and vascular remodeling.

AIMS: To investigate the role of mesoderm/mesenchyme homeobox gene l (Meox1) in vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) phenotypic modulation during vascular remodeling. METHODS AND RESULTS: By using immunostaining, Western blot, and histological analyses, we found that Meox1 was up-regulated in PDGF-BB-treated SMCs in vitro and balloon injury-induced arterial SMCs in vivo. Meox1 knockdown by shRNA restored the expression of contractile SMCs phenotype markers including smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA) and calponin. In contrast, overexpression of Moex1 inhibited α-SMA and calponin expressions while inducing the expressions of synthetic SMCs phenotype markers such as matrix gla protein, osteopontin, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Mechanistically, Meox1 mediated the SMCs phenotypic modulation through FAK-ERK1/2 signaling, which appears to induce autophagy in SMCs. In vivo, knockdown of Meox1 attenuated injury-induced neointima formation and promoted SMCs contractile proteins expressions. Meox1 knockdown also reduced the number of proliferating SMCs, suggesting that Meox1 was important for SMCs proliferation in vivo. Moreover, knockdown of Meox1 attenuated ERK1/2 signaling and autophagy markers expressions, suggesting that Meox1 may promote SMCs phenotypic modulation via ERK1/2 signaling-autophagy in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our data indicated that Meox1 promotes SMCs phenotypic modulation and injury-induced vascular remodeling by regulating the FAK-ERK1/2-autophagy signaling cascade. Thus, targeting Meox1 may be an attractive approach for treating proliferating vascular diseases.

S100B promotes injury-induced vascular remodeling through modulating smooth muscle phenotype.

S100B is a biomarker of nervous system injury, but it is unknown if it is also involved in vascular injury. In the present study, we investigated S100B function in vascular remodeling following injury. Balloon injury in rat carotid artery progressively induced neointima formation while increasing S100B expression in both neointimal vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) and serum along with an induction of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Knockdown of S100B by its shRNA delivered by adenoviral transduction attenuated the PCNA expression and neointimal hyperplasia in vivo and suppressed PDGF-BB-induced VSMC proliferation and migration in vitro. Conversely, overexpression of S100B promoted VSMC proliferation and migration. Mechanistically, S100B altered VSMC phenotype by decreasing the contractile protein expression, which appeared to be mediated by NF-κB activity. S100B induced NF-κB-p65 gene transcription, protein expression and nuclear translocation. Blockade of NF-κB activity by its inhibitor reversed S100B-mediated downregulation of VSMC contractile protein and increase in VSMC proliferation and migration. It appeared that S100B regulated NF-κB expression through, at least partially, the Receptor for Advanced Glycation End products (RAGE) because RAGE inhibitor attenuated S100B-mediated NF-κB promoter activity as well as VSMC proliferation. Most importantly, S100B secreted from VSMC impaired endothelial tube formation in vitro, and knockdown of S100B promoted re-endothelialization of injury-denuded arteries in vivo. These data indicated that S100B is a novel regulator for vascular remodeling following injury and may serve as a potential biomarker for vascular damage or drug target for treating proliferative vascular diseases.

Impacts of the charged residues mutation S48E/N62H on the thermostability and unfolding behavior of cold shock protein: insights from molecular dynamics simulation with Go model.

The cold shock protein from the hyperthermophile Thermotoga maritima (Tm-Csp) exhibits significantly higher thermostability than its homologue from the thermophile Bacillus caldolyticus (Bc-Csp). Experimental studies have shown that the electrostatic interactions unique to Tm-Csp are responsible for improving its thermostability. In the present work, the favorable charged residues in Tm-Csp were grafted into Bc-Csp by a double point mutation of S48E/N62H, and the impacts of the mutation on the thermostability and unfolding/folding behavior of Bc-Csp were then investigated by using a modified Go model, in which the electrostatic interactions between charged residues were considered in the model. Our simulation results show that this Tm-Csp-like charged residue mutation can effectively improve the thermostability of Bc-Csp without changing its two-state folding mechanism. Besides that, we also studied the unfolding kinetics and unfolding/folding pathway of the wild-type Bc-Csp and its mutant. It is found that this charged residue mutation obviously enhanced the stability of the C-terminal region of Bc-Csp, which decreases the unfolding rate and changes the unfolding/folding pathway of the protein. Our studies indicate that the thermostability, unfolding kinetics and unfolding/folding pathway of Bc-Csp can be artificially changed by introducing Tm-Csp-like favorable electrostatic interactions into Bc-Csp.

[Luminescence Characteristics of Scintillator Y2SiO5∶Ce].

Cerium doped Y2SiO5 (YSO) is an important scintillator material due to its high density, non-hygroscopic, excellent light output and fast decay time nature. in the paper, Y2SiO5∶Ce3+0.2%(YSO∶Ce) was grown with high-temperature solid-phase method. The time-resolved excitation and emission spectra and fluorescent decay curves at low temperature and room temperature (RT) were measured and discussed. There were two types of luminescence, one was the crystal defect emission, the center at 320 nm; the other one was doped Ce3+ ions 5d→4f emission, the center at 440 nm. Only when the excitation energy (Ex) was greater than the band gap width (Eg), the crystal defect emission can be observed corresponding to slow process, and the emission intensity was higher at low temperature. The crystals defect emission was hardly observed in the time-resolved emission spectra when the temperature rose to room temperature because of temperature quenching. Regions from 60~300 nm corresponding to emission due to 5d→4f transitions in the activator Ce3+ ions peaks at 440 nm, a plurality of excitation peaks were observed. Among them, the excitation with energy less than 6.1 eV(Ex

Domain Motions and Functionally-Key Residues of L-Alanine Dehydrogenase Revealed by an Elastic Network Model.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis L-alanine dehydrogenase (L-MtAlaDH) plays an important role in catalyzing L-alanine to ammonia and pyruvate, which has been considered to be a potential target for tuberculosis treatment. In the present work, the functional domain motions encoded in the structure of L-MtAlaDH were investigated by using the Gaussian network model (GNM) and the anisotropy network model (ANM). The slowest modes for the open-apo and closed-holo structures of the enzyme show that the domain motions have a common hinge axis centered in residues Met133 and Met301. Accompanying the conformational transition, both the 1,4-dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)-binding domain (NBD) and the substrate-binding domain (SBD) move in a highly coupled way. The first three slowest modes of ANM exhibit the open-closed, rotation and twist motions of L-MtAlaDH, respectively. The calculation of the fast modes reveals the residues responsible for the stability of the protein, and some of them are involved in the interaction with the ligand. Then, the functionally-important residues relevant to the binding of the ligand were identified by using a thermodynamic method. Our computational results are consistent with the experimental data, which will help us to understand the physical mechanism for the function of L-MtAlaDH.

Conformational Motions and Functionally Key Residues for Vitamin B12 Transporter BtuCD-BtuF Revealed by Elastic Network Model with a Function-Related Internal Coordinate.

BtuCD-BtuF from Escherichia coli is a binding protein-dependent adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette (ABC) transporter system that uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to transmit vitamin B12 across cellular membranes. Experimental studies have showed that during the transport cycle, the transporter undergoes conformational transitions between the "inward-facing" and "outward-facing" states, which results in the open-closed motions of the cytoplasmic gate of the transport channel. The opening-closing of the channel gate play critical roles for the function of the transporter, which enables the substrate vitamin B12 to be translocated into the cell. In the present work, the extent of opening of the cytoplasmic gate was chosen as a function-related internal coordinate. Then the mean-square fluctuation of the internal coordinate, as well as the cross-correlation between the displacement of the internal coordinate and the movement of each residue in the protein, were calculated based on the normal mode analysis of the elastic network model to analyze the function-related motions encoded in the structure of the system. In addition, the key residues important for the functional motions of the transporter were predicted by using a perturbation method. In order to facilitate the calculations, the internal coordinate was introduced as one of the axes of the coordinate space and the conventional Cartesian coordinate space was transformed into the internal/Cartesian space with linear approximation. All the calculations were carried out in this internal/Cartesian space. Our method can successfully identify the functional motions and key residues for the transporter BtuCD-BtuF, which are well consistent with the experimental observations.