TMCO1 Is an ER Ca(2+) Load-Activated Ca(2+) Channel.

Maintaining homeostasis of Ca(2+) stores in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is crucial for proper Ca(2+) signaling and key cellular functions. The Ca(2+)-release-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC) channel is responsible for Ca(2+) influx and refilling after store depletion, but how cells cope with excess Ca(2+) when ER stores are overloaded is unclear. We show that TMCO1 is an ER transmembrane protein that actively prevents Ca(2+) stores from overfilling, acting as what we term a "Ca(2+) load-activated Ca(2+) channel" or "CLAC" channel. TMCO1 undergoes reversible homotetramerization in response to ER Ca(2+) overloading and disassembly upon Ca(2+) depletion and forms a Ca(2+)-selective ion channel on giant liposomes. TMCO1 knockout mice reproduce the main clinical features of human cerebrofaciothoracic (CFT) dysplasia spectrum, a developmental disorder linked to TMCO1 dysfunction, and exhibit severe mishandling of ER Ca(2+) in cells. Our findings indicate that TMCO1 provides a protective mechanism to prevent overfilling of ER stores with Ca(2+) ions.

BAG5 regulates HSPA8-mediated protein folding required for sperm head-tail coupling apparatus assembly.

Teratozoospermia is a significant cause of male infertility, but the pathogenic mechanism of acephalic spermatozoa syndrome (ASS), one of the most severe teratozoospermia, remains elusive. We previously reported Spermatogenesis Associated 6 (SPATA6) as the component of the sperm head-tail coupling apparatus (HTCA) required for normal assembly of the sperm head-tail conjunction, but the underlying molecular mechanism has not been explored. Here, we find that the co-chaperone protein BAG5, expressed in step 9-16 spermatids, is essential for sperm HTCA assembly. BAG5-deficient male mice show abnormal assembly of HTCA, leading to ASS and male infertility, phenocopying SPATA6-deficient mice. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrate that SPATA6, cargo transport-related myosin proteins (MYO5A and MYL6) and dynein proteins (DYNLT1, DCTN1, and DNAL1) are misfolded upon BAG5 depletion. Mechanistically, we find that BAG5 forms a complex with HSPA8 and promotes the folding of SPATA6 by enhancing HSPA8's affinity for substrate proteins. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel protein-regulated network in sperm formation in which BAG5 governs the assembly of the HTCA by activating the protein-folding function of HSPA8.

Computational design of ultrashort peptide inhibitors of the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein.

Targeting the interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-receptor-binding domain (RBD) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is believed to be an effective strategy for drug design to inhibit the infection of SARS-CoV-2. Herein, several ultrashort peptidase inhibitors against the RBD-ACE2 interaction were obtained by a computer-aided approach based on the RBD-binding residues on the protease domain (PD) of ACE2. The designed peptides were tested on a model coronavirus GX_P2V, which has 92.2 and 86% amino acid identity to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and RBD, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy analysis predicted a potential binding pocket on the RBD of the spike protein, and this was confirmed by the specifically designed peptides SI5α and SI5α-b. They have only seven residues, showing potent antiviral activity and low cytotoxicity. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay result also confirmed their inhibitory ability against the RBD-ACE2 interaction. The ultrashort peptides are promising precursor molecules for the drug development of Corona Virus Disease 2019, and the novel binding pocket on the RBD may be helpful for the design of RBD inhibitors or antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.

First Report of Tobacco Mild Green Mosaic Virus Infecting Rehmannia glutinosa in China.

Rehmannia glutinosa (family Scrophulariaceae) is an important traditional medicinal plant, whose root is used to treat anemia, hemoptysis, and gynecological diseases in China (Matsumoto et al. 1989). This plant is native to China and cultivated in China, Korea, Japan, and northern Vietnam (Kwak et al. 2020). Viral diseases caused remarkable loss in the yield and quality of R. glutinosa (Ling et al. 2009). To date, ten viruses have been identified globally to infect R. glutinosa and seven of these viruses reported in China (Liu et al. 2018; Zhang et al. 2021). Most plants of R. glutinosa are infected with one or more of these viruses (Kwak et al. 2018; Zhang et al. 2004). In July 2020, a survey of the viral disease infecting R. glutinosa was conducted in commercial plantations of Wenxian, Wuzhi, Mengzhou, and Yuzhou counties in Henan Province, China. The disease symptoms included mosaic, chlorosis, leaf distortion, and the percentage of symptomatic plants was over 70% in the surveyed fields (n=9). Sixty leaf samples of symptomatic R. glutinosa plants were collected from nine cultivation fields in Wenxian, Wuzhi, Mengzhou, and Yuzhou counties (five to seven plants for each field). Total RNA was extracted from one pooled sample containing a portion of all above-mentioned leaf samples using RNAprep Pure Plant Plus Kit (TIANGEN Biotech, Beijing, China) and analyzed by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to identify viral pathogens. A transcriptome library was generated using NEBNext Ultra RNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina (NEB, USA), and sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq6000 sequencing system at Berry Genomics Corporation (Beijing, China). A total of 27,664,949 high-quality clean reads were obtained after trimming and used for contig assembly. The assembled contigs (n=109,180) were searched using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) at GenBank. BLASTn analysis showed that the R. glutinosa plants were infected with known viruses, including broad bean wilt virus, rehmannia mosaic virus, youcai mosaic virus, and cucurbit chlorotic yellows virus. In addition, one contig (6,418 nt in length) had a nucleotide sequence identity of 99.64% with the TN29 isolate of tobacco mild green mosaic virus (TMGMV, GenBank accession no. MF139550). To confirm the presence of this virus, sixty above-mentioned samples were screened by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using the specific primer pairs (Supplementary Table1) TMGMG-CPF/TMGMG-CPR targeting a 545-nt fragment within the CP gene. Amplicons with expected sizes were detected from 47 of 60 samples but not from the negative control (virus-free healthy plant through the tip meristem culture). Seventeen amplicons (11#, 13#, 14#, 21#, 22#, 23#, 25#, 26#, 27#, 31#, 32#, 33#, 37#, 52#, 57#, 59#, and 60#) of TMGMV-CP were selected, and purified. The PCR products were cloned into the pMD19-T vector (TAKARA Biotech, Dalian, China) and sequenced. The sequences were deposited into the GenBank (accession nos. MZ395944 to MZ395960). The near-full-length genomic sequence of TMGMV-Rg14 isolate was obtained from one positive sample (sample no. 14) by RT-PCR amplification of two overlapping fragments using the following primer pairs: TMGMV-40F/TMGMV-3570R and TMGMV-3220F/TMGMV-6400R. The near-full-length genomic sequence of the TMGMV-Rg14 isolate was 6 304 nucleotides (nt) in length and deposited into GenBank (accession no. MZ395975). BLASTn analysis demonstrated that the TMGMV-Rg14 isolate shared a sequence identity ranging from 96.89% (AB078435) to 99.60% (MF139550) with the other TMGMV isolates. Furthermore, the virus-free healthy R. glutinosa plants were inoculated with sap from the positive sample (14#) to confirm the infection of TMGMV. Mosaic symptoms were induced on the systemically infected leaves of the inoculated plants 14 days post inoculation. The systemically infected leaves of inoculated plants were assayed by RT-PCR using the primer pairs TMGMV-CPF/CPR. Amplicons of expected size were detected from the inoculated plants but not from non-inoculated plants. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TMGMV infection on R. glutinosa. Further studies are necessary to select a suitable indicator plant for this TMGMV, its host range, and the symptoms it induces in single infection. Since R. glutinosa is cultivated by vegetative propagation, production of virus-free healthy plants is necessary. This study will help to generate virus-free healthy plants and prevent viral disease on R. glutinosa. Further study is needed to determine its pathological implications and economic impact on R. glutinosa in China.

First Report of Youcai Mosaic Virus Infecting Yam in China.

Yam (Dioscorea opposita Thunb.) is cultivated mainly as a functional food and for nutritional and medicinal purposes in China (1). It is propagated through tubers and this facilitates the spread and accumulation of viruses in the crop, eventually leading to yield losses (2). At present, different virus species belonging to the genera Aureusvirus, Badnavirus, Carlavirus, Comovirus, Cucumovirus, Fabavirus, Macluravirus, Potexvirus and Potyvirus have been reported in yams (3) and fifteen viruses in these genera have been detected in China. In July 2020, a survey of viral diseases on yam was conducted in plantations of Wenxian and Mengzhou counties in Henan Province, China. Fifty-four leaf samples of Dioscorea opposite showing mosaic and leaf discoloration (Supplementary Fig1) were collected from eight fields (five to ten plants per field). These leaf samples were ground in liquid nitrogen and total RNA was extracted from a portion of the mixed powder using RNAprep Pure Plant Plus Kit (TIANGEN Biotech, Beijing, China). A cDNA library was constructed using NEBNext Ultra RNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina (NEB, USA) after ribosomal RNA depletion using Ribo-off rRNA Depletion Kit (Vazyme Biotech, Nanjing, China), and sequenced on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 system at the Berry Genomics Corporation (Beijing, China). A total of 87,075 contigs (>200 bp) were generated from de novo assembly (CLC Genomic Workbench 10.0) from a total of 34,656,172 paired-end reads. After BLASTn analysis, three contigs with the length of 1009, 1340 and 1859 nucleotides shared 96.33%, 96.72% and 96.29% nt identity respectively with youcai mosaic virus SX isolate, a tobamovirus (YoMV GenBank accession no. JX422022). In addition to YoMV, broad bean wild virus 2 and yam latent virus were also identified, which had previously been reported in yams in China. To confirm the NGS result, total RNAs were extracted from fifty-four above-mentioned samples and RT-PCR was carried out to amplify a 528 bp fragment of the coat protein (CP) of YoMV by using a pair of specific primers CP gene. PCR products with expected size were obtained from 26 out of 54 samples, and seventeen amplicons of YoMV-CP were sequenced (accession nos. ON052726 to ON052742). The nt sequence identities of CP gene among these seventeen isolates were 99.6%-100%. Furthermore, the near-full-length genomic sequence of YoMV-Do41 isolate was obtained from sample 41 by RT-PCR amplification of four overlapping fragments using the following primer pairs: YoMV-15F/YoMV-1910R, YoMV-1770F/YoMV-3750R, YoMV-3645F/YoMV-5404R and YoMV-4921F/YoMV-6280R (Supplementary Table1). The YoMV-Do41 isolate was 6, 274 nt in length (accession no. ON149803) and shared 89.65% and 97.31% nt identities to As1-2 isolate (GenBank accession no. MW307290) and to SX isolate (accession no. JX422022), respectively.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of YoMV infecting yam in China. YoMV has a wide host range including genera Impatiens, Rehmannia, Brassica, Chelidonium, Trifolium, Crossandro, Alstroemeria, Stellaria. This study will serve as an important reference for the host range of YoMV. According to the detection rate infections with YoMV in yam are common in these producing regions. Further studies will be required to determine the infection rate in other producing regions and the potential threat posed by YoMV on yam production should be considered.

Sesquiterpenoids from Ixeris sonchifolia and their neuroprotective activities.

The phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of Ixeris sonchifolia led to the isolation and identification of nine analogs, including one new guaiane-type sesquiterpenoid, named ixerinoid A (1). The structure of 1 was determined by extensive analysis of the 1 D and 2 D nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data, as well as quantum chemical calculations. Additionally, all the isolates were tested for their neuroprotective activity using the oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion-induced SH-SY5Y cell injury model. Compounds 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9 displayed remarkable protective effects at concentrations of 1, 5, and 10 µM, respectively.

The impacts of race and regimens on the efficacy and safety of paclitaxel and platinum combination treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE: Paclitaxel-platinum chemotherapy is the first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. This study quantitatively evaluated the factors influencing the efficacy and safety of the paclitaxel-platinum regimen to provide the necessary reference for the development of clinical practice and clinical trials. METHODS: A literature search was performed using public databases. The parametric survival function was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) time course of patients treated with the paclitaxel-platinum regimen. The random effects model in the single-arm meta-analysis was used to analyze the objective response rate (ORR) and the incidence of grade 3-4 adverse events (AEs) under the predefined subgroups according to race and the regimen. RESULTS: A total of 31 studies consisting of 3365 participants were included in the analysis. Race was the most important determinant of efficacy and safety in the paclitaxel-platinum regimen, with the median survival time and ORR in East Asians and non-East Asians being 12.2 months (95% CI: 10.5-14.4 months) and 37% (95% CI: 32-41%) and 8.4 months (95% CI: 6.5-11.0 months) and 28% (95% CI: 25-32%), respectively. The incidence of grade 3-4 AEs such as leukopenia and neutropenia was about three times higher in East Asians compared to non-East Asians. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and safety of the paclitaxel-platinum regimen can vary between East Asian and non-East Asian populations and between different treatment schedules. The results of this study can provide a reliable and precise external control for the future evaluation of new treatment options for advanced NSCLC.

Low-dose exposure to black carbon significantly increase lung injury of cadmium by promoting cellular apoptosis.

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) has adverse biological effects on major living organs in the body, including lungs. The complex composition of PM2.5, including carbon black and heavy metals, cause toxic effects to the lung. Nonetheless, there exists considerable knowledge gaps regarding the impact of carbon black (CB) on environmental health and safety (EHS). Thus far, the synergistic effects of CB have not gained much attention in past decades. Here, we showed that combined exposure of CB and Cadmium (Cd) enhance the cytotoxicity by altering the state of cell membrane. Specially, CB caused cell membrane collapse and increased the permeability of cells, and remarkedly enhanced the metal Cd toxicity. Furthermore, upon pre-treatment sublethal-dose CB, the increased intracellular Cd brought about a significantly amount of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and high expression of metallothionein-1 (MT-1) in human lung epithelial cell line (BEAS-2B) cells, and ultimately resulted an increased cellular toxicity. The lung of mice exposed CBs and Cd presented remarkably inflammation than Cd alone. Mechanistic exploration deciphered that CB pre-treatment triggered cell damage via apoptosis due to Cd exposure. Collectively, our findings reveal a novel path for understanding the impact of CB on EHS with its synergistic effects, through which nanomaterials might exert detrimental effects on organisms.

RNA-splicing factor SART3 regulates translesion DNA synthesis.

Translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) is one mode of DNA damage tolerance that uses specialized DNA polymerases to replicate damaged DNA. DNA polymerase η (Polη) is well known to facilitate TLS across ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and mutations in POLH are implicated in skin carcinogenesis. However, the basis for recruitment of Polη to stalled replication forks is not completely understood. In this study, we used an affinity purification approach to isolate a Polη-containing complex and have identified SART3, a pre-mRNA splicing factor, as a critical regulator to modulate the recruitment of Polη and its partner RAD18 after UV exposure. We show that SART3 interacts with Polη and RAD18 via its C-terminus. Moreover, SART3 can form homodimers to promote the Polη/RAD18 interaction and PCNA monoubiquitination, a key event in TLS. Depletion of SART3 also impairs UV-induced single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) generation and RPA focus formation, resulting in an impaired Polη recruitment and a higher mutation frequency and hypersensitivity after UV treatment. Notably, we found that several SART3 missense mutations in cancer samples lessen its stimulatory effect on PCNA monoubiquitination. Collectively, our findings establish SART3 as a novel Polη/RAD18 association regulator that protects cells from UV-induced DNA damage, which functions in a RNA binding-independent fashion.

The Vehicle Determines the Destination: The Significance of Seminal Plasma Factors for Male Fertility.

Of all human infertility cases, up to 50% show contributing factors leading to defects in the male reproductive physiology. Seminal plasma (SP) is the biological fluid derived from the male accessory sex gland which carries spermatozoa passing throughout the male and female reproductive tract during ejaculation. It contains a complicated set of heterogeneous molecular structures, including proteins, cell-free nucleic acid (DNA, microRNA and LncRNA), and small-molecule metabolites as well as inorganic chemicals (ions). For a long time, the substantial significance of seminal plasma factors' functions has been underestimated, which is restricted to spermatozoa transport and protection. Notably, significant advancements have been made in dissecting seminal plasma components, revealing new insights into multiple aspects of sperm function, as well as fertilization and pregnancy outcomes in recent years. In this review, we summarize the state-of-art discoveries regarding SP compositions and their implications in male fertility, particularly describing the novel understanding of seminal plasma components and related modifications using "omics" approaches and mainly focusing on proteome and RNA-seq data in the latest decade. Meanwhile, we highlighted the proposed mechanism of the regulation of SP molecules on immunomodulation in the female reproductive tract. Moreover, we also discussed the proteins investigated as non-invasive diagnosis biomarkers for male infertility in the clinic.

Qingnao dripping pills mediate immune-inflammatory response and MAPK signaling pathway after acute ischemic stroke in rats.

The aim of the present study was to examine the neuroprotective effect of Qingnao dripping pills (QNDP), especially the infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, as well as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal pathway. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized to three groups: sham, MCAO, and QNDP. After 24 h of ischemia and reperfusion, neurological deficit scores and infarct volume were measured. Macrophages and neutrophil infiltration in the ischemic brain were respectively determined with CD68 and MPO immunofluorescence and western blot. The proteins involved in MAPK signaling (SAPK/JNK, P-SAPK/JNK, p38, P-p38, ERK1/2, and P-ERK1/2) were measured by western blotting. In vitro ischemic paradigm (oxygen-glucose deprivation) was performed in SH-SY5Y cells to evaluate the effects of QNDP. The viability and death ration of cells induced OGD/R was measured by MTT and LDH assay. The proteins involved in MAPK signaling were measured by western blotting. The results showed that QNDP treatment significantly improved the neurological deficit scores and reduced infarct size. In addition, QNDP treatment inhibited the number of CD68- and MPO-positive cells in the ischemic brain. It inhibited the MAPK signaling pathway in the ischemic brain and SH- SY5Y cells induced OGD/R.

Ataxin-3 promotes genome integrity by stabilizing Chk1.

The Chk1 protein is essential for genome integrity maintenance and cell survival in eukaryotic cells. After prolonged replication stress, Chk1 can be targeted for proteasomal degradation to terminate checkpoint signaling after DNA repair finishes. To ensure proper activation of DNA damage checkpoint and DNA repair signaling, a steady-state level of Chk1 needs to be retained under physiological conditions. Here, we report a dynamic signaling pathway that tightly regulates Chk1 stability. Under unperturbed conditions and upon DNA damage, ataxin-3 (ATX3) interacts with Chk1 and protects it from DDB1/CUL4A- and FBXO6/CUL1-mediated polyubiquitination and subsequent degradation, thereby promoting DNA repair and checkpoint signaling. Under prolonged replication stress, ATX3 dissociates from Chk1, concomitant with a stronger binding between Chk1 and its E3 ligase, which causes Chk1 proteasomal degradation. ATX3 deficiency results in pronounced reduction of Chk1 abundance, compromised DNA damage response, G2/M checkpoint defect and decreased cell survival after replication stress, which can all be rescued by ectopic expression of ATX3. Taken together, these findings reveal ATX3 to be a novel deubiquitinase of Chk1, providing a new mechanism of Chk1 stabilization in genome integrity maintenance.

RBM45 competes with HDAC1 for binding to FUS in response to DNA damage.

DNA damage response (DDR) is essential for genome stability and human health. Recently, several RNA binding proteins (RBPs), including fused-in-sarcoma (FUS), have been found unexpectedly to modulate this process. The role of FUS in DDR is closely linked to the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Given that RBM45 is also an ALS-associated RBP, we wondered whether RBM45 plays any function during this process. Here, we report that RBM45 can be recruited to laser microirradiation-induced DNA damage sites in a PAR- and FUS-dependent manner, but in a RNA-independent fashion. Depletion of RBM45 leads to abnormal DDR signaling and decreased efficiency in DNA double-stranded break repair. Interestingly, RBM45 is found to compete with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) for binding to FUS, thereby regulating the recruitment of HDAC1 to DNA damage sites. A common familial ALS-associated FUS mutation (FUS-R521C) is revealed to prefer to cooperate with RBM45 than HDAC1. Our findings suggest that RBM45 is a key regulator in FUS-related DDR signaling whose dysfunction may contribute to the pathogenesis of ALS.

Gab2 mediates hepatocellular carcinogenesis by integrating multiple signaling pathways.

Our previous studies have found that Growth factor receptor-bound protein 2-associated binding protein 2 (Gab2)-a docking protein-governs the development of fatty liver disease. Here, we further demonstrate that Gab2 mediates hepatocarcinogenesis. Compared with a faint expression in para-carcinoma tissue, Gab2 was highly expressed in ∼60-70% of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens. Deletion of Gab2 dramatically suppressed diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC in mice. The oncogenic effects of Gab2 in HepG2 cells were promoted by Gab2 overexpression but were rescued by Gab2 knockdown. Furthermore, Gab2 knockout in HepG2 cells restrained cell proliferation, migration and tumor growth in nude mice. Signaling pathway analysis with protein kinase inhibitors demonstrated that oncogenic regulation by Gab2 in hepatic cells involved multiple signaling molecules, including ERK, Akt, and Janus kinases (Jaks), especially those that mediate inflammatory signaling. IL-6 signaling was increased by Gab2 overexpression and impaired by Gab2 deletion via regulation of Jak2 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 phosphorylation and the expression of downstream genes, such as Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2), c-Myc, MMP7 (matrix metalloproteinase-7), and cyclin D1in vitro and in vivo These data indicate that Gab2 mediates the pathologic progression of HCC by integrating multiple signaling pathways and suggest that Gab2 might be a powerful therapeutic target for HCC.-Cheng, J., Zhong, Y., Chen, S., Sun, Y., Huang, L., Kang, Y., Chen, B., Chen, G., Wang, F., Tian, Y., Liu, W., Feng, G.-S., Lu, Z. Gab2 mediates hepatocellular carcinogenesis by integrating multiple signaling pathways.

FANCD2 and REV1 cooperate in the protection of nascent DNA strands in response to replication stress.

REV1 is a eukaryotic member of the Y-family of DNA polymerases involved in translesion DNA synthesis and genome mutagenesis. Recently, REV1 is also found to function in homologous recombination. However, it remains unclear how REV1 is recruited to the sites where homologous recombination is processed. Here, we report that loss of mammalian REV1 results in a specific defect in replication-associated gene conversion. We found that REV1 is targeted to laser-induced DNA damage stripes in a manner dependent on its ubiquitin-binding motifs, on RAD18, and on monoubiquitinated FANCD2 (FANCD2-mUb) that associates with REV1. Expression of a FANCD2-Ub chimeric protein in RAD18-depleted cells enhances REV1 assembly at laser-damaged sites, suggesting that FANCD2-mUb functions downstream of RAD18 to recruit REV1 to DNA breaks. Consistent with this suggestion we found that REV1 and FANCD2 are epistatic with respect to sensitivity to the double-strand break-inducer camptothecin. REV1 enrichment at DNA damage stripes also partially depends on BRCA1 and BRCA2, components of the FANCD2/BRCA supercomplex. Intriguingly, analogous to FANCD2-mUb and BRCA1/BRCA2, REV1 plays an unexpected role in protecting nascent replication tracts from degradation by stabilizing RAD51 filaments. Collectively these data suggest that REV1 plays multiple roles at stalled replication forks in response to replication stress.

Kudiezi injection mitigates myocardial injury induced by acute cerebral ischemia in rats.

BACKGROUND: Kudiezi (KDZ) injection is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine as treatment for cerebral infarction and angina pectoris. The present study investigated the therapeutic effects of KDZ injection on myocardial injury induced by acute cerebral ischemia and the possibly protective mechanisms. METHODS: Rats were divided into three groups: sham, 6h-ischemia, and KDZ treatment (KDZ). The neurological deficits were determined by the Garcia score. The cerebral infarct volume was measured by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, and brain water content was also evaluated. Serum creatinine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) activity, myocardial tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, L-Glutathione (GSH) levels, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity as well as mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity were determined. Mitochondrial COX I and COX III mRNA expressions of myocardial tissues were measured by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Impaired neurological function and brain edema were observed in the 6h-ischemia group. TTC staining showed that the 6h-ischemia group had larger infarct zones than the sham group. Myocardial ischemic changes (widened myocardial cell gap, cracks, and obvious edema) were detected in the 6h-ischemia group compared with the sham group, with elevated serum CK-MB activity and CK and LDH levels. Electrocardiography showed lower medium frequency (MF) and high frequency (HF) in the 6h-ischemia group compared with the sham group. In myocardial tissue, COX activity was elevated in the 6h-ischemia compared with the sham group, while SOD, GSH, and MDA levels, and COX I and COX III mRNA expressions remained unchanged. KDZ injection decreased neurological impairment, brain edema, gaps between cells, and infarct size. Compared with the 6h-ischemia group, it reduced serum CK-MB activity and CK and LDH levels, and MDA levels in myocardial tissue. KDZ significantly increased GSH levels, SOD activity, and mitochondria COX activity and the expression of COX I and COX III mRNA in myocardial tissue compared with the sham group. CONCLUSION: KDZ injection had a protective effect against cerebral ischemia in rats. KDZ injection could also alleviate myocardial injury after acute cerebral ischemia in rats. The possible mechanisms involve the regulation of the oxidative stress/antioxidant capacity after cerebral ischemia.

Structure and stress studies of low temperature annealed W/Si multilayers for the X-ray telescope.

Low stress W/Si multilayer mirrors are demanded in the hard X-ray telescopes to achieve the high angular resolution. To reduce the stress of the as-deposited multilayer and maintain a high reflectivity, two groups of low-temperature annealing experiments were performed on the periodic multilayers with a d-spacing of ~3.8 nm. The temperature-dependent experiments show that the 150 °C annealing can slightly increase the reflectivity while the stress reduced only by 24%. Higher temperature annealing induced a larger reduction of the stress and the multilayer reached an almost zero stress state at 250 °C. The stress relaxation was accompanied by a small drop of reflectivity of ≤5% and a period compaction of <0.02 nm. The time-dependent experiments indicate that most of the stress changes occurred within the first 10 minutes while a prolonged annealing is not useful. The X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy were further used to study the microstructure changes of the multilayers. It is found that the W/Si multilayer exhibits an amorphous structure before and after annealing, while an enhanced diffusion and intermixing is the main reason for the stress relaxation and structure changes.

The detection of viable myocardium by low-dose dobutamine stress speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with old myocardial infarction.

PURPOSE: To explore the significance and value of speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) associated with low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography (LDDSE) for the detection of viable myocardium (VM) in patients with old myocardial infarction (OMI). METHODS: We performed STE with LDDSE in 33 hospitalized patients with OMI and left ventricular systolic dysfunction. QLAB software was used to analyze strain (S) and strain rate (Sr). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was subsequently performed. The movement of each wall segment was observed by routine echocardiography before and after 1, 3, and 6 months of PCI, and improvement was regarded as the gold standard for diagnosing VM. RESULTS: Compared with semi-quantitative wall-motion analysis combined with LDDSE, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of c-STE (combining the three directions of S and Sr) at LDDSE were 91.6%, 79.5%, and 87.5%, respectively (p < 0.02). Among the deformation parameters, longitudinal strain (LS) and longitudinal strain rate (LSr) had the highest sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Upon combining LS and LSr at LDDSE to parallel tests, the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 91.7%, 90%, and 90.6%, respectively. Compared with baseline, LVEF after PCI increased from 43.3% ± 2.6% to 47.3% ± 2.9% (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Global strain at LDDSE is superior to semi-quantitative wall-motion analysis with LDDSE for the assessment of VM. When the multivariable analysis and the parallel tests are combined, LS combined with LSr can be considered an independent predictor of VM. LVEF is improved after PCI in patients with VM and OMI. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:545-554, 2016.

Genome-wide loss of 5-hmC is a novel epigenetic feature of Huntington's disease.

5-Hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) may represent a new epigenetic modification of cytosine. While the dynamics of 5-hmC during neurodevelopment have recently been reported, little is known about its genomic distribution and function(s) in neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease (HD). We here observed a marked reduction of the 5-hmC signal in YAC128 (yeast artificial chromosome transgene with 128 CAG repeats) HD mouse brain tissues when compared with age-matched wild-type (WT) mice, suggesting a deficiency of 5-hmC reconstruction in HD brains during postnatal development. Genome-wide distribution analysis of 5-hmC further confirmed the diminishment of the 5-hmC signal in striatum and cortex in YAC128 HD mice. General genomic features of 5-hmC are highly conserved, not being affected by either disease or brain regions. Intriguingly, we have identified disease-specific (YAC128 versus WT) differentially hydroxymethylated regions (DhMRs), and found that acquisition of DhmRs in gene body is a positive epigenetic regulator for gene expression. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) of genotype-specific DhMR-annotated genes revealed that alternation of a number of canonical pathways involving neuronal development/differentiation (Wnt/ß-catenin/Sox pathway, axonal guidance signaling pathway) and neuronal function/survival (glutamate receptor/calcium/CREB, GABA receptor signaling, dopamine-DARPP32 feedback pathway, etc.) could be important for the onset of HD. Our results indicate that loss of the 5-hmC marker is a novel epigenetic feature in HD, and that this aberrant epigenetic regulation may impair the neurogenesis, neuronal function and survival in HD brain. Our study also opens a new avenue for HD treatment; re-establishing the native 5-hmC landscape may have the potential to slow/halt the progression of HD.