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1.
Cell ; 185(18): 3408-3425.e29, 2022 09 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35985322

ABSTRACT

Genetically encoded voltage indicators are emerging tools for monitoring voltage dynamics with cell-type specificity. However, current indicators enable a narrow range of applications due to poor performance under two-photon microscopy, a method of choice for deep-tissue recording. To improve indicators, we developed a multiparameter high-throughput platform to optimize voltage indicators for two-photon microscopy. Using this system, we identified JEDI-2P, an indicator that is faster, brighter, and more sensitive and photostable than its predecessors. We demonstrate that JEDI-2P can report light-evoked responses in axonal termini of Drosophila interneurons and the dendrites and somata of amacrine cells of isolated mouse retina. JEDI-2P can also optically record the voltage dynamics of individual cortical neurons in awake behaving mice for more than 30 min using both resonant-scanning and ULoVE random-access microscopy. Finally, ULoVE recording of JEDI-2P can robustly detect spikes at depths exceeding 400 µm and report voltage correlations in pairs of neurons.


Subject(s)
Microscopy , Neurons , Animals , Interneurons , Mice , Microscopy/methods , Neurons/physiology , Photons , Wakefulness
2.
N Engl J Med ; 390(8): 701-711, 2024 Feb 22.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38329148

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Thrombolytic agents, including tenecteplase, are generally used within 4.5 hours after the onset of stroke symptoms. Information on whether tenecteplase confers benefit beyond 4.5 hours is limited. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving patients with ischemic stroke to compare tenecteplase (0.25 mg per kilogram of body weight, up to 25 mg) with placebo administered 4.5 to 24 hours after the time that the patient was last known to be well. Patients had to have evidence of occlusion of the middle cerebral artery or internal carotid artery and salvageable tissue as determined on perfusion imaging. The primary outcome was the ordinal score on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating greater disability and a score of 6 indicating death) at day 90. Safety outcomes included death and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. RESULTS: The trial enrolled 458 patients, 77.3% of whom subsequently underwent thrombectomy; 228 patients were assigned to receive tenecteplase, and 230 to receive placebo. The median time between the time the patient was last known to be well and randomization was approximately 12 hours in the tenecteplase group and approximately 13 hours in the placebo group. The median score on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days was 3 in each group. The adjusted common odds ratio for the distribution of scores on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days for tenecteplase as compared with placebo was 1.13 (95% confidence interval, 0.82 to 1.57; P = 0.45). In the safety population, mortality at 90 days was 19.7% in the tenecteplase group and 18.2% in the placebo group, and the incidence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage was 3.2% and 2.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Tenecteplase therapy that was initiated 4.5 to 24 hours after stroke onset in patients with occlusions of the middle cerebral artery or internal carotid artery, most of whom had undergone endovascular thrombectomy, did not result in better clinical outcomes than those with placebo. The incidence of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage was similar in the two groups. (Funded by Genentech; TIMELESS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03785678.).


Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia , Ischemic Stroke , Perfusion Imaging , Tenecteplase , Thrombectomy , Tissue Plasminogen Activator , Humans , Brain Ischemia/diagnostic imaging , Brain Ischemia/drug therapy , Brain Ischemia/mortality , Brain Ischemia/surgery , Fibrinolytic Agents/administration & dosage , Fibrinolytic Agents/adverse effects , Fibrinolytic Agents/therapeutic use , Intracranial Hemorrhages/chemically induced , Intracranial Hemorrhages/diagnostic imaging , Perfusion , Perfusion Imaging/methods , Stroke/diagnostic imaging , Stroke/drug therapy , Stroke/mortality , Stroke/surgery , Tenecteplase/administration & dosage , Tenecteplase/adverse effects , Tenecteplase/therapeutic use , Thrombectomy/adverse effects , Thrombectomy/methods , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/administration & dosage , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/adverse effects , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/therapeutic use , Treatment Outcome , Double-Blind Method , Ischemic Stroke/diagnostic imaging , Ischemic Stroke/drug therapy , Ischemic Stroke/mortality , Ischemic Stroke/surgery , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/diagnostic imaging , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/drug therapy , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/surgery , Carotid Artery Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Carotid Artery Diseases/drug therapy , Carotid Artery Diseases/surgery , Brain/blood supply , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Time-to-Treatment
3.
Genome Res ; 31(10): 1867-1884, 2021 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34301623

ABSTRACT

The metabolic heterogeneity and metabolic interplay between cells are known as significant contributors to disease treatment resistance. However, with the lack of a mature high-throughput single-cell metabolomics technology, we are yet to establish systematic understanding of the intra-tissue metabolic heterogeneity and cooperative mechanisms. To mitigate this knowledge gap, we developed a novel computational method, namely, single-cell flux estimation analysis (scFEA), to infer the cell-wise fluxome from single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) data. scFEA is empowered by a systematically reconstructed human metabolic map as a factor graph, a novel probabilistic model to leverage the flux balance constraints on scRNA-seq data, and a novel graph neural network-based optimization solver. The intricate information cascade from transcriptome to metabolome was captured using multilayer neural networks to capitulate the nonlinear dependency between enzymatic gene expressions and reaction rates. We experimentally validated scFEA by generating an scRNA-seq data set with matched metabolomics data on cells of perturbed oxygen and genetic conditions. Application of scFEA on this data set showed the consistency between predicted flux and the observed variation of metabolite abundance in the matched metabolomics data. We also applied scFEA on five publicly available scRNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics data sets and identified context- and cell group-specific metabolic variations. The cell-wise fluxome predicted by scFEA empowers a series of downstream analyses including identification of metabolic modules or cell groups that share common metabolic variations, sensitivity evaluation of enzymes with regards to their impact on the whole metabolic flux, and inference of cell-tissue and cell-cell metabolic communications.


Subject(s)
Single-Cell Analysis , Transcriptome , Gene Expression Profiling/methods , Neural Networks, Computer , RNA-Seq , Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods , Single-Cell Analysis/methods , Exome Sequencing
4.
Ophthalmology ; 2024 Jun 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38852921

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: DRCR.net Protocol T data suggest the response to treatment among patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) may vary depending on baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA). We evaluated the efficacy of faricimab 6 mg versus aflibercept 2 mg over 2 years in patients with DME enrolled in faricimab phase 3 trials with baseline Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) BCVA ≤20/50. DESIGN: YOSEMITE/RHINE were identically designed, multicenter, randomized, double-masked, active comparator-controlled, noninferiority trials. PARTICIPANTS: Adults aged ≥18 years with center-involving macular edema secondary to type 1 or 2 diabetes. METHODS: Patients were randomized to faricimab every 8 weeks (Q8W), faricimab per a personalized treat-and-extend-based regimen (T&E), or aflibercept Q8W. Post hoc subgroup analyses were conducted using the intent-to-treat population with baseline BCVA ≤20/50 (ETDRS letters <69). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in ETDRS BCVA and central subfield thickness (CST) from baseline to years 1 and 2 were compared between treatment arms using mixed-model repeated measures analyses. RESULTS: In YOSEMITE/RHINE, 220/217 patients in the faricimab Q8W; 220/219, faricimab T&E; and 219/214, aflibercept Q8W arms had baseline BCVA ≤20/50. In both trials, mean change in ETDRS BCVA was comparable between treatments at years 1 and 2. In YOSEMITE, adjusted mean (95% CI) change from baseline in CST (µm) at year 1 was greater with faricimab Q8W (-232.8 [-243.5, -222.1]) and faricimab T&E (-217.4 [-227.9, -206.9]) versus aflibercept Q8W (-190.4 [-200.9, -179.8]; P<0.0001 and P=0.0004, respectively). The pattern was similar in RHINE: faricimab Q8W, -214.2 (-225.3, -203.1); faricimab T&E, -206.6 (-217.4, -195.7); aflibercept Q8W, -186.6 (-197.7, -175.5); P=0.0006 and P=0.0116 for faricimab arms versus aflibercept, respectively. In both trials, change from baseline in CST at year 2 was greater with faricimab Q8W versus aflibercept. Median time to first CST <325 µm and first absence of intraretinal fluid was shorter in the faricimab arms versus aflibercept, with fewer injections on average. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with DME and baseline ETDRS BCVA ≤20/50, faricimab treatment resulted in comparable visual acuity, greater reduction in retinal thickness, and fewer injections compared with aflibercept over 2 years of treatment.

5.
J Org Chem ; 89(9): 6494-6505, 2024 May 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38634729

ABSTRACT

Herein, a novel and practical methodology for the photoinduced decarboxylative difluoroalkylation and perfluoroalkylation of α-fluoroacrylic acids is reported. A wide range of α-fluoroacrylic acids can be used as applicable feedstocks, allowing for rapid access to structurally important difluoroalkylated and polyfluoroalkylated monofluoroalkenes with high Z-stereoselectivity under mild conditions. The protocol demonstrates excellent functional group compatibility and provides a platform for modifying complex biologically active molecules.

6.
Cereb Cortex ; 33(5): 1814-1825, 2023 02 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35511705

ABSTRACT

Exposure therapy is the most effective approach of behavioral therapy for anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But fear is easy to reappear even after successful extinction. So, identifying novel strategies for augmenting exposure therapy is rather important. It was reported that exercise had beneficial effects on cognitive and memory deficits. However, whether exercise could affect fear memory, especially for fear extinction remained elusive. Here, our results showed that exposure to acute mild exercise 1 or 2 h before extinction training can augment recent fear extinction retention and 2 h for the remote fear extinction retention. These beneficial effects could be attributed to increased YTHDF1 expression in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Furthermore, by using an AAV-shRNA-based approach to silence YTHDF1 expression via stereotactic injection in prelimbic cortex (PL) or infralimbic cortex (IL), respectively, we demonstrated that silence YTHDF1 in IL, but not in PL, blunted augmentation of exposure therapy induced by acute mild exercise and accompanied with decreased NR2B and GluR1 expression. Moreover, YTHDF1 modulated dendritic spines remodeling of pyramidal neuron in IL. Collectively, our findings suggested that acute mild exercise acted as an effective strategy in augmenting exposure therapy with possible implications for understanding new treatment underlying PTSD.


Subject(s)
Extinction, Psychological , Fear , Rats , Animals , Extinction, Psychological/physiology , Fear/physiology , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Prefrontal Cortex/metabolism , Anxiety
7.
Anim Genet ; 55(2): 230-237, 2024 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38290559

ABSTRACT

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content and distribution significantly contribute to the eating quality of pork. However, the current methods used for measuring these traits are complex, time-consuming and costly. To simplify the measurement process, this study developed a smartphone application (App) called Pork IMF. This App serves as a rapid and portable phenotyping tool for acquiring pork images and extracting the image-based IMF traits through embedded deep-learning algorithms. Utilizing this App, we collected the IMF traits of the longissimus dorsi muscle in a crossbred population of Large White × Tongcheng pigs. Genome-wide association studies detected 13 and 16 SNPs that were significantly associated with IMF content and distribution, respectively, highlighting NR2F2, MCTP2, MTLN, ST3GAL5, NDUFAB1 and PID1 as candidate genes. Our research introduces a user-friendly digital phenotyping technology for quantifying IMF traits and suggests candidate genes and SNPs for genetic improvement of IMF traits in pigs.


Subject(s)
Genome-Wide Association Study , Smartphone , Swine/genetics , Animals , Genome-Wide Association Study/veterinary , Phenotype , Muscle, Skeletal , Meat/analysis
8.
J Integr Neurosci ; 23(2): 42, 2024 Feb 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38419436

ABSTRACT

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a complex and heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorder that lacks objective diagnostic indicators and the pathogenesis remain unclear. Genetic factors may exert a significant impact on the development of the condition. While obtaining brain tissue for biopsy in the course of adjuvant diagnosis of SCZ patients may not be possible, the collection of peripheral blood is more accessible and easier to implement. In recent years, the development and application of RNA sequencing technology has made seeking biomarkers of SCZ becomes more feasible. There is emerging evidence suggesting that certain non-coding RNAs (ncRNA) are distinctly different in the peripheral blood of SCZ patients and healthy controls. Although the mechanisms remain unclear, these aberrantly expressed ncRNAs may be intimately associated with the onset and development of SCZ and may be of great significance for the diagnosis and treatment of SCZ. Therefore, we reviewed the expression of distinct types of ncRNAs that have been found in the peripheral blood of SCZ patients and explored their potential application as diagnostic biomarkers of SCZ. Differentially expressed ncRNAs in the peripheral blood of SCZ patients could not only serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for SCZ but may also have implications for advancing understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of SCZ and elucidating the complex etiology of SCZ. Early diagnostic biomarkers obtained directly from peripheral blood are of great significance for the timely diagnosis and treatment of SCZ. Our review will enhance the comprehension of molecular mechanisms of SCZ and contribute to the identification of promising ncRNAs in peripheral blood for both diagnosis and therapy of SCZ.


Subject(s)
RNA, Untranslated , Schizophrenia , Humans , RNA, Untranslated/genetics , Biomarkers , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Schizophrenia/genetics
9.
J Therm Biol ; 119: 103800, 2024 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38295752

ABSTRACT

A detailed understanding of the coupled thermo-mechanical interaction on the biological tissue irradiated by a pulse laser is essential for the existed therapeutic methods constructed on the photo-thermal effect, which will contribute to the design, characterization and optimization of strategies for delivering better treatment. The aim of present work is to explore the coupled thermo-mechanical behavior of a multi-layered skin tissue with temperature-dependent physical properties under the pulsed laser irradiation. A layered theoretical model involved variable physical parameters with temperature has been proposed firstly according to the generalized theory of thermo-elasticity with dual-phase lag mechanism. The numerical method based on an explicit finite difference scheme is then employed to predict the temporal and spatial distributions of the temperature, thermal deformation and stresses experienced to a short-pulse laser irradiation. On this basis, the effect of variable thermal and mechanical physical parameters of skin tissue on the coupled thermo-mechanical behavior and relative thermal damage has been evaluated.


Subject(s)
Lasers , Skin , Temperature , Skin/radiation effects , Models, Theoretical , Light
10.
Brief Bioinform ; 22(4)2021 07 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33230549

ABSTRACT

Deconvolution of mouse transcriptomic data is challenged by the fact that mouse models carry various genetic and physiological perturbations, making it questionable to assume fixed cell types and cell type marker genes for different data set scenarios. We developed a Semi-Supervised Mouse data Deconvolution (SSMD) method to study the mouse tissue microenvironment. SSMD is featured by (i) a novel nonparametric method to discover data set-specific cell type signature genes; (ii) a community detection approach for fixing cell types and their marker genes; (iii) a constrained matrix decomposition method to solve cell type relative proportions that is robust to diverse experimental platforms. In summary, SSMD addressed several key challenges in the deconvolution of mouse tissue data, including: (i) varied cell types and marker genes caused by highly divergent genotypic and phenotypic conditions of mouse experiment; (ii) diverse experimental platforms of mouse transcriptomics data; (iii) small sample size and limited training data source and (iv) capable to estimate the proportion of 35 cell types in blood, inflammatory, central nervous or hematopoietic systems. In silico and experimental validation of SSMD demonstrated its high sensitivity and accuracy in identifying (sub) cell types and predicting cell proportions comparing with state-of-the-arts methods. A user-friendly R package and a web server of SSMD are released via https://github.com/xiaoyulu95/SSMD.


Subject(s)
Antigens, Differentiation , Cellular Microenvironment , Computational Biology , Databases, Genetic , Gene Expression Profiling , Transcriptome , Animals , Antigens, Differentiation/biosynthesis , Antigens, Differentiation/genetics , Mice , Organ Specificity
11.
PLoS Comput Biol ; 18(3): e1009956, 2022 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35349572

ABSTRACT

Metastatic cancer accounts for over 90% of all cancer deaths, and evaluations of metastasis potential are vital for minimizing the metastasis-associated mortality and achieving optimal clinical decision-making. Computational assessment of metastasis potential based on large-scale transcriptomic cancer data is challenging because metastasis events are not always clinically detectable. The under-diagnosis of metastasis events results in biased classification labels, and classification tools using biased labels may lead to inaccurate estimations of metastasis potential. This issue is further complicated by the unknown metastasis prevalence at the population level, the small number of confirmed metastasis cases, and the high dimensionality of the candidate molecular features. Our proposed algorithm, called Positive and unlabeled Learning from Unbalanced cases and Sparse structures (PLUS), is the first to use a positive and unlabeled learning framework to account for the under-detection of metastasis events in building a classifier. PLUS is specifically tailored for studying metastasis that deals with the unbalanced instance allocation as well as unknown metastasis prevalence, which are not considered by other methods. PLUS achieves superior performance on synthetic datasets compared with other state-of-the-art methods. Application of PLUS to The Cancer Genome Atlas Pan-Cancer gene expression data generated metastasis potential predictions that show good agreement with the clinical follow-up data, in addition to predictive genes that have been validated by independent single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets.


Subject(s)
Algorithms , Neoplasms , Humans
12.
J Org Chem ; 88(1): 513-524, 2023 01 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36545950

ABSTRACT

Herein, the efficient photoredox/nickel dual-catalyzed cyanoalkylation reaction of enamides is illustrated. A wide scope of enamides and cycloketone oxime esters was well-tolerated, affording the synthetically versatile and geometrically defined ß-cyanoalkylated enamide scaffolds. The synthetic practicality of this protocol was revealed by gram-scale reactions, further transformations of enamides, and late-stage modifications of biologically active molecules.


Subject(s)
Amides , Nickel , Molecular Structure , Catalysis
13.
J Immunol ; 206(9): 2088-2100, 2021 05 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33879580

ABSTRACT

Preserving appropriate function and metabolism in regulatory T (Treg) cells is crucial for controlling immune tolerance and inflammatory responses. Yet how Treg cells coordinate cellular metabolic programs to support their functional specification remains elusive. In this study, we report that BATF couples the TH2-suppressive function and triglyceride (TG) metabolism in Treg cells for controlling allergic airway inflammation and IgE responses. Mice with Treg-specific ablation of BATF developed an inflammatory disorder characterized by TH2-type dominant responses and were predisposed to house dust mite-induced airway inflammation. Loss of BATF enabled Treg cells to acquire TH2 cell-like characteristics. Moreover, BATF-deficient Treg cells displayed elevated levels of cellular TGs, and repressing or elevating TGs, respectively, restored or exacerbated their defects. Mechanistically, TCR/CD28 costimulation enhanced expression and function of BATF, which sustained IRF4 activity to preserve Treg cell functionality. Thus, our studies reveal that BATF links Treg cell functional specification and fitness of cellular TGs to control allergic responses, and suggest that therapeutic targeting of TG metabolism could be used for the treatment of allergic disease.


Subject(s)
Hypersensitivity , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory , Animals , Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/genetics , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Pyroglyphidae , Triglycerides
14.
Reprod Domest Anim ; 58(6): 726-733, 2023 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36929184

ABSTRACT

Human menopausal gonadotrophin (hMG) has been reported to produce a comparable superovulatory response to that of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). Furthermore, hMG has a long half-life as compared with FSH. The present study was designed to compare hMG administered once daily and FSH administered twice daily over a 4 - day period on superovulatory response of Suffolk ewes. During the mid-luteal phase, twenty-four Suffolk donor ewes received intravaginal sponges at day 0 for 12 days. The superovulatory regimens in the Control group (n = 12) and the Treatment group (n = 12) consisted of eight injections of FSH given at twice daily and four injections of hMG given at once daily, respectively. At day 13, the donor ewes were subjected to laparoscopic insemination. Embryos were recovered, classified, and transferred to recipient ewes at day 19. Pregnancy status was determined by ultrasound examination 40 days after transfer. Lambing rate was calculated after all the ewes had delivered. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of the structures recovered, transferable embryos, degenerated embryos, unfertilized oocytes, pregnancy rate and lambing rate. The results showed that once daily injection of hMG can produce a comparable superovulatory response and embryo transfer outcomes to those obtained by twice daily injection of FSH over a 4 - day period. It is feasible that hMG is used to replace FSH and reduce the number of injection treatments in ovine superovulatory regimens.


Subject(s)
Follicle Stimulating Hormone , Menotropins , Pregnancy , Sheep , Animals , Female , Humans , Seasons , Follicle Stimulating Hormone/pharmacology , Superovulation , Sheep, Domestic , Breeding , Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Human
15.
J Therm Biol ; 113: 103541, 2023 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37055117

ABSTRACT

Comprehension of thermal behavior underlying the living biological tissues helps successful applications of current heat therapies. The present work is to explore the heat transport properties of irradiated tissue during tis thermal treatment, in which the local thermal non-equilibrium effect as well as temperature-dependent properties arose from complicated anatomical structure, is considered. Based on the generalized dual-phase lag (GDPL) model, a non-linear governing equation of tissue temperature with variable thermal physical properties is proposed. The effective procedure constructed on an explicit finite difference scheme is then developed to predict numerically the thermal response and thermal damage irradiated by a pulse laser as a therapeutic heat source. The parametric study on variable thermal physical parameters including the phase lag times, heat conductivity, specific heat capacity and blood perfusion rate has been performed to evaluate their influence on temperature distribution in time and space. On this basis, the thermal damage with different laser variables such as laser intensity and exposure time are further analyzed.


Subject(s)
Hot Temperature , Models, Biological , Temperature , Lasers , Thermal Conductivity
16.
Int J Mol Sci ; 24(13)2023 Jul 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37446275

ABSTRACT

When Poecilobdella manillensis attacks its prey, the prey bleeds profusely but feels little pain. We and other research teams have identified several anticoagulant molecules in the saliva of P. manillensis, but the substance that produces the paralyzing effect in P. manillensis is not known. In this study, we successfully isolated, purified, and identified a serine protease inhibitor containing an antistasin-like domain from the salivary secretions of P. manillensis. This peptide (named poeciguamerin) significantly inhibited elastase activity and slightly inhibited FXIIa and kallikrein activity, but had no effect on FXa, trypsin, or thrombin activity. Furthermore, poeciguamerin exhibited analgesic activity in the foot-licking and tail-withdrawal mouse models and anticoagulant activity in the FeCl3-induced carotid artery thrombosis mouse model. In this study, poeciguamerin was found to be a promising elastase inhibitor with potent analgesic and antithrombotic activity for the inhibition of pain and thrombosis after surgery or in inflammatory conditions.


Subject(s)
Leeches , Serpins , Thrombosis , Animals , Mice , Leeches/chemistry , Serine Proteinase Inhibitors , Anticoagulants/pharmacology , Anticoagulants/therapeutic use , Thrombosis/drug therapy , Pancreatic Elastase , Analgesics/pharmacology , Pain
17.
Int J Mol Sci ; 24(17)2023 Aug 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37686259

ABSTRACT

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, which are compounded by drug resistance. By manipulating the coagulation system, S. aureus gains a significant advantage over host defense mechanisms, with hypercoagulation induced by S. aureus potentially aggravating infectious diseases. Recently, we and other researchers identified that a higher level of LL-37, one endogenous antimicrobial peptide with a significant killing effect on S. aureus infection, resulted in thrombosis formation through the induction of platelet activation and potentiation of the coagulation factor enzymatic activity. In the current study, we identified a novel antimicrobial peptide (RK22) from the salivary gland transcriptome of Hirudinaria manillensis (H. manillensis) through bioinformatic analysis, and then synthesized it, which exhibited good antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, including a clinically resistant strain with a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 6.25 µg/mL. The RK22 peptide rapidly killed S. aureus by inhibiting biofilm formation and promoting biofilm eradication, with good plasma stability, negligible cytotoxicity, minimal hemolytic activity, and no significant promotion of the coagulation system. Notably, administration of RK22 significantly inhibited S. aureus infection and the clinically resistant strain in vivo. Thus, these findings highlight the potential of RK22 as an ideal treatment candidate against S. aureus infection.


Subject(s)
Leeches , Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcal Infections , Animals , Staphylococcus aureus , Antimicrobial Peptides , Staphylococcal Infections/drug therapy
18.
BMC Plant Biol ; 22(1): 589, 2022 Dec 16.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36526968

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Ornamental trees with seasonally-dependent leaf color, such as Acer palmatum, have gained worldwide popularity. Leaf color is a main determinant of the ornamental and economic value of A. palmatum. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for leaf color changes remain unclear. RESULTS: We chose A. palmatum cultivars with yellow ('Jinling Huangfeng') and red ('Jinling Danfeng') leaves as the ideal material for studying the complex metabolic networks responsible for variations in leaf coloration. The 24 libraries obtained from four different time points in the growth of 'Jinling Huangfeng' and 'Jinling Danfeng' was subjected to Illumina high-throughput sequencing. We observed that the difference in cyanidin and delphinidin content is the primary reason behind the varying coloration of the leaves. Transcriptomic analyses revealed 225,684 unigenes, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) confirmed that they were involved in 'anthocyanin biosynthesis.' Eighteen structural genes involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis were thought to be related to anthocyanin accumulation, whereas 46 MYBs, 33 basic helix-loop-helixs (bHLHs), and 29 WD40s were presumed to be involved in regulating anthocyanin biosynthesis. Based on weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), three candidate genes (ApRHOMBOID, ApMAPK, and ApUNE10) were screened in the significant association module with a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.86. CONCLUSION: In this study, the leaf color changes of two A. palmatum genotypes were analyzed. These findings provide novel insights into variations in leaf coloration and suggest pathways for targeted genetic improvements in A. palmatum.


Subject(s)
Acer , Anthocyanins , Anthocyanins/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Plant , Pigmentation/genetics , Gene Expression Profiling , Genotype , Transcriptome , Color
19.
Brief Bioinform ; 21(3): 863-875, 2020 05 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30953059

ABSTRACT

The nervous system is one of the most complex biological systems, and nervous system disease (NSD) is a major cause of disability and mortality. Extensive evidence indicates that numerous dysregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in a broad spectrum of NSDs. A comprehensive review of miRNA-mediated regulatory will facilitate our understanding of miRNA dysregulation mechanisms in NSDs. In this work, we summarized currently available databases on miRNAs and NSDs, star NSD miRNAs, NSD spectrum width, miRNA spectrum width and the distribution of miRNAs in NSD sub-categories by reviewing approximately 1000 studies. In addition, we characterized miRNA-miRNA and NSD-NSD interactions from a network perspective based on miRNA-NSD benchmarking data sets. Furthermore, we summarized the regulatory principles of miRNAs in NSDs, including miRNA synergistic regulation in NSDs, miRNA modules and NSD modules. We also discussed computational challenges for identifying novel miRNAs in NSDs. Elucidating the roles of miRNAs in NSDs from a network perspective would not only improve our understanding of the precise mechanism underlying these complex diseases, but also provide novel insight into the development, diagnosis and treatment of NSDs.


Subject(s)
Computational Biology/methods , MicroRNAs/genetics , Nervous System Diseases/genetics , Gene Expression Regulation , Humans
20.
J Org Chem ; 87(7): 4654-4669, 2022 04 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35313107

ABSTRACT

Herein, a new strategy for the synthesis of monofluoroalkenes via employing α-fluoroacrylic acids and N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) redox-active esters as coupling partners has been developed. This decarboxylative reaction enabled the formation of C(sp2)-C(sp3) bonds to provide a practical and efficient approach for the construction of a variety of monofluoroalkenes, which are key structural motifs in organic chemistry, under mild reaction conditions. The protocol exhibited excellent functional group compatibility and delivered monofluoroalkene products with excellent Z-stereoselectivity. This work also provides a platform for the modification of complex biologically active molecules containing carboxylic acids.


Subject(s)
Carboxylic Acids , Esters , Carboxylic Acids/chemistry , Decarboxylation , Esters/chemistry , Oxidation-Reduction
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