Glycosylation-Dependent IFN-γR Partitioning in Lipid and Actin Nanodomains Is Critical for JAK Activation.

Understanding how membrane nanoscale organization controls transmembrane receptors signaling activity remains a challenge. We studied interferon-γ receptor (IFN-γR) signaling in fibroblasts from homozygous patients with a T168N mutation in IFNGR2. By adding a neo-N-glycan on IFN-γR2 subunit, this mutation blocks IFN-γ activity by unknown mechanisms. We show that the lateral diffusion of IFN-γR2 is confined by sphingolipid/cholesterol nanodomains. In contrast, the IFN-γR2 T168N mutant diffusion is confined by distinct actin nanodomains where conformational changes required for Janus-activated tyrosine kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) activation by IFN-γ could not occur. Removing IFN-γR2 T168N-bound galectins restored lateral diffusion in lipid nanodomains and JAK/STAT signaling in patient cells, whereas adding galectins impaired these processes in control cells. These experiments prove the critical role of dynamic receptor interactions with actin and lipid nanodomains and reveal a new function for receptor glycosylation and galectins. Our study establishes the physiological relevance of membrane nanodomains in the control of transmembrane receptor signaling in vivo. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

Light-inducible T cell engagers trigger, tune, and shape the activation of primary T cells.

To mount appropriate responses, T cells integrate complex sequences of receptor stimuli perceived during transient interactions with antigen-presenting cells. Although it has been hypothesized that the dynamics of these interactions influence the outcome of T cell activation, methodological limitations have hindered its formal demonstration. Here, we have engineered the Light-inducible T cell engager (LiTE) system, a recombinant optogenetics-based molecular tool targeting the T cell receptor (TCR). The LiTE system constitutes a reversible molecular switch displaying exquisite reactivity. As proof of concept, we dissect how specific temporal patterns of TCR stimulation shape T cell activation. We established that CD4+ T cells respond to intermittent TCR stimulation more efficiently than their CD8+ T cells counterparts and provide evidence that distinct sequences of TCR stimulation encode different cytokine programs. Finally, we show that the LiTE system could be exploited to create light-activated bispecific T cell engagers and manipulate tumor cell killing. Overall, the LiTE system provides opportunities to understand how T cells integrate TCR stimulations and to trigger T cell cytotoxicity with high spatiotemporal control.

Association between the systemic immune inflammation index and periodontitis: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a chronic oral inflammatory disease that seriously affects people's quality of life. The purpose of our study was to investigate the correlation between the systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and periodontitis by utilizing a large national survey. This will establish a reference for the early identification and management of periodontitis. METHODS: This study comprised the adult US population who participated in a national periodontitis surveillance project during the six years from 2009 to 2014. Through the utilization of univariate and multivariate weighted logistic regression, we investigated the correlation between the systemic immune inflammation index and periodontitis. Additionally, we employed sensitivity analyses to evaluate the robustness of our findings. RESULTS: The study involved 10,366 participants with an average age of 51.00 years, of whom 49.45% were male (N = 5126) and 50.55% were female (N = 5240). The prevalence of periodontitis is estimated to be about 38.43% in the US adults aged 30 or older population. Our logistic regression models indicated a positive association between a SII higher than 978 × 109/L and periodontitis. The elder group (aged 50 or older) with SII higher than 978 × 109/L demonstrated a significant correlation with periodontitis in the fully adjusted model (Odds Ratio [OR] = 1.409, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.037, 1.915, P = 0.022). However, there is no statistical difference among adults aged 30 to 50. The robustness of our findings was confirmed through sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights that SII is associated with periodontitis in a nationally representative sample of US adults. And the SII is significantly associated with a high risk of periodontitis in individuals aged 50 or older.

MiR-34a promotes mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in human salivary gland epithelial cells by activating NF-κB signaling.

To investigate the potential molecular mechanism of miR-34a in Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the salivary gland tissues of mild and severe SS patients. SS mouse model was constructed and injected with miR-34a antagonist. HSGE cells were transfected with miR-34a mimic. Starbase predicted miR-34a binding sites and validated them with dual-luciferase reporter assays. Immunohistochemistry, HE staining, CCK-8, TUNEL assay, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and Western Blot were used to investigate the effects of miR-34a on NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in HSGE cells. Severe SS patients showed obvious mitochondrial damage and apoptosis in salivary glands. MiR-34a was overexpressed and NF-κB signaling is activated in salivary glands of severe SS patients. Inhibition of miR-34a alleviated salivary gland injury in SS mice, as well as inhibited the activation of NF-κB signaling and mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. In conclusion, miR-34a promoted NF-κB signaling by targeting IκBα, thereby causing mitochondrial pathway apoptosis and aggravating SS-induced salivary gland damage.

Role of the membrane anchor in the regulation of Lck activity.

Theoretical work suggests that collective spatiotemporal behavior of integral membrane proteins should be modulated by boundary lipids sheathing their membrane anchors. Here, we show evidence for this prediction while investigating the mechanism for maintaining a steady amount of the active form of integral membrane protein Lck kinase (LckA) by Lck trans-autophosphorylation regulated by the phosphatase CD45. We used super-resolution microscopy, flow cytometry, and pharmacological and genetic perturbation to gain insight into the spatiotemporal context of this process. We found that LckA is generated exclusively at the plasma membrane, where CD45 maintains it in a ceaseless dynamic equilibrium with its unphosphorylated precursor. Steady LckA shows linear dependence, after an initial threshold, over a considerable range of Lck expression levels. This behavior fits a phenomenological model of trans-autophosphorylation that becomes more efficient with increasing LckA. We then challenged steady LckA formation by genetically swapping the Lck membrane anchor with structurally divergent ones, such as that of Src or the transmembrane domains of LAT, CD4, palmitoylation-defective CD4 and CD45 that were expected to drastically modify Lck boundary lipids. We observed small but significant changes in LckA generation, except for the CD45 transmembrane domain that drastically reduced LckA due to its excessive lateral proximity to CD45. Comprehensively, LckA formation and maintenance can be best explained by lipid bilayer critical density fluctuations rather than liquid-ordered phase-separated nanodomains, as previously thought, with "like/unlike" boundary lipids driving dynamical proximity and remoteness of Lck with itself and with CD45.

Reconstitution of Natural Killer cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is facilitated by Huiyang-Guben decoction through activating the Smad7/Stat3 signal pathway.

Natural Killer (NK) cell is the first batch of re-constructed cell populations after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), and its delayed reconstitution inevitably causes poor outcome. The traditional Chinese medicine Huiyang-Guben decoction (HYGB) has been clinically used in patients undergoing allo-HSCT, but its effect on NK cell reconstruction is still unclear. 40 patients with allo-HSCT therapy were randomly divided into the control group and the HYGB group, and were given oral administration of normal saline or HYGB for 4 weeks before allo-HSCT, respectively. NK cells were cultured and treated with transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) and HYGB in vitro, and cell viability, cell apoptosis, and the function of NK cells were evaluated. Functional verification experiments were performed by knocking down signal transduction molecule 7 (Smad7) in NK cells before TGF-ß and HYGB treatment. Clinical data suggested that HYGB intervention decreased the incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease after allo-HSCT, and increased the proportion of NK cell population. Meanwhile, HYGB improved cell viability, restrained apoptotic cell death, and enhanced cell killing activity of NK cells in patients with allo-HSCT. Notably, we found that HYGB significantly increased the expression level of Smad7 and the phosphorylation level of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) in NK cells from patients with allo-HSCT. Moreover, HYGB alleviated TGF-ß-induced NK cell impairment and re-activated the Smad7/Stat3 signaling in vitro, while silencing Smad7 reversed the protective effect of HYGB on TGF-ß-treated NK cells. HYGB promotes NK cell reconstruction and improves NK cell function after allo-HSCT through activating the Smad7/Stat3 signaling pathway.

LncRNA AK001796 promotes cell proliferation via acting as a ceRNA of miR-150 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Long non-coding RNA AK001796 was initially identified altered in lung cancer. Recent research showed it could participate in the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the general biological role of AK001796 and its underlying mechanisms in HCC remain unclear. Here we demonstrated that the expression level of AK001796 in HCC tissues and cell lines was up-regulated. Silencing AK001796 suppressed the proliferation ability of HCC cells. Through dual luciferase reporter assays and loss/gain of functions studies, we identified that AK001796 could bind to miR-150, a star microRNA, promoting HCC proliferation. Furthermore, it was reported that growth factor receptor binding protein 2-associated binder 1 (GAB1) is a target gene of miR-150. Owing to AK001796 being a decoy for miR-150 and binding the same putative sites of miR-150 as GAB1, we presented that inhibition of miR-150 in AK001796 silencing cells reversed the reduction in GAB1. Subsequently, our findings demonstrated that silencing AK001796 can impair phospho-ERK1/2 and phospho-AKT. In conclusion, our investigation revealed that AK001796 promoted proliferation by enhancing phospho-ERK1/2 and phospho-AKT through AK001796/miR-150/GAB1 axis in HCC. These results provided further evidence for the critical roles of AK001796 accumulating HCC and suggested that AK001796 might act as an HCC biomarker in clinical treatment.

Long non-coding RNA SNHG1 activates glycolysis to promote hepatocellular cancer progression through the miR-326/PKM2 axis.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular cancer (HCC) is a lethal malignancy with extremely poor prognosis. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of SNHG1 in HCC progression. METHODS: Combined with bioinformatics and experimental validation, we explored the clinical significance of SNHG1 in HCC. A Cell Counting Kit-8 assay, cell colony formation assay, and subcutaneous tumorigenesis experiments of nude mice were conducted to evaluate the pro-proliferative capacity of SNHG1. Glucose consumption and lactate production were measured to explore the regulatory role of SNHG1 in glycolysis. Nuclear-cytoplasmic separation, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were performed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of SNHG1 in HCC. RESULTS: SNHG1 expression was dramatically increased in HCC and positively correlated with poor prognosis. E2F1 bound to the SNHG1 promoter region to activate SNHG1 transcription. Furthermore, SNHG1 served as a molecular sponge for miR-326 to sequester the interaction of miR-326 and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2), facilitating the expression of PKM2. Activating PKM2 expression was revealed to be one of mechanisms of SNHG1 with respect to promoting glycolysis and the proliferation of HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: E2F1-activated SNHG1 modulates the miR-326/PKM2 axis to facilitate glycolysis and the proliferation of HCC cells. Targeting SNHG1 could be a promising therapeutic option for HCC.

Rapid viscoelastic changes are a hallmark of early leukocyte activation.

To accomplish their critical task of removing infected cells and fighting pathogens, leukocytes activate by forming specialized interfaces with other cells. The physics of this key immunological process are poorly understood, but it is important to understand them because leukocytes have been shown to react to their mechanical environment. Using an innovative micropipette rheometer, we show in three different types of leukocytes that, when stimulated by microbeads mimicking target cells, leukocytes become up to 10 times stiffer and more viscous. These mechanical changes start within seconds after contact and evolve rapidly over minutes. Remarkably, leukocyte elastic and viscous properties evolve in parallel, preserving a well-defined ratio that constitutes a mechanical signature specific to each cell type. Our results indicate that simultaneously tracking both elastic and viscous properties during an active cell process provides a new, to our knowledge, way to investigate cell mechanical processes. Our findings also suggest that dynamic immunomechanical measurements can help discriminate between leukocyte subtypes during activation.

Base-Promoted Formal [4 + 3] Annulation between 2-Fluorophenylacetylenes and Ketones: A Route to Benzoxepines.

The first base-promoted formal [4 + 3] annulation between 2-fluorophenylacetylenes and ketones has been disclosed. The reaction proceeds through a tandem α-vinylation of ketones followed by an intramolecular nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) reaction of the in situ generated ß,γ-unsaturated ketone intermediates, providing a straightforward access to a wide range of functionalized benzoxepines in moderate to high yields. The transition-metal-free methodology featured a wide substrate scope, the use of easily available starting materials, and a high functional group tolerance.

Connexin43-containing gap junctions potentiate extracellular Ca²âº-induced odontoblastic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells via Erk1/2.

Extracellular Ca(2+) can promote dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) expression and odontoblastic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs). Gap junctions mediated by connexin43 (Cx43) allow diffusion of small molecules (such as Ca(2+)) among cells to regulate cell-to-cell communications. However, it is unclear whether Cx43 is required for the Ca(2+)-induced cell differentiation. Here, we found that the influx of extracellular Ca(2+) through L-type Ca(2+) channels increases intracellular free Ca(2+) levels to promote DSPP expression. Cx43 overexpression potentiated the extracellular Ca(2+)-induced DSPP expression via Erk1/2. Flow cytometry analyses showed that Cx43 increased the percentage of p-Erk1/2 positive cells in response to Ca(2+), indicating that Cx43 in DPSCs possibly acts as a traditional gap junction channel, which permits the sharing of signals among coupled cells to make more DPSCs respond to Ca(2+). Furthermore, inhibition of Cx43 function and gap junction communication decreased Ca(2+)-induced the expression of DSPP, suggesting that cell-to-cell contacts are required for Cx43 to promote the Ca(2+)-induced cell differentiation. Similarly, the study performed on DPSCs cultured at low-density and high-density revealed that intercellular contacts are required to potentiate Erk1/2 activity and DSPP expression. In total, this study indicates that Cx43 increases Ca(2+)-induced DSPP expression and odontoblastic differentiation of DPSCs via Erk1/2 through gap junction-mediated cell-to-cell contacts.

Copper-Catalyzed [4 + 1] Annulation between α-Hydroxy Ketones and Nitriles: An Approach to Highly Substituted 3(2H)-Furanones.

A copper-catalyzed [4 + 1] annulation between α-hydroxy ketones and nitriles has been developed. The reaction provides a facile and efficient method for the construction of a wide range of highly substituted 3(2H)-furanones, a class of important compounds known to be associated with several biological activities.

Base-promoted coupling of carbon dioxide, amines, and N-tosylhydrazones: a novel and versatile approach to carbamates.

A base-promoted three-component coupling of carbon dioxide, amines, and N-tosylhydrazones has been developed. The reaction is suggested to proceed via a carbocation intermediate and constitutes an efficient and versatile approach for the synthesis of a wide range of organic carbamates. The advantages of this method include the use of readily available substrates, excellent functional group tolerance, wide substrate scope, and a facile work-up procedure.

Barcoding T cell calcium response diversity with methods for automated and accurate analysis of cell signals (MAAACS).

We introduce a series of experimental procedures enabling sensitive calcium monitoring in T cell populations by confocal video-microscopy. Tracking and post-acquisition analysis was performed using Methods for Automated and Accurate Analysis of Cell Signals (MAAACS), a fully customized program that associates a high throughput tracking algorithm, an intuitive reconnection routine and a statistical platform to provide, at a glance, the calcium barcode of a population of individual T-cells. Combined with a sensitive calcium probe, this method allowed us to unravel the heterogeneity in shape and intensity of the calcium response in T cell populations and especially in naive T cells, which display intracellular calcium oscillations upon stimulation by antigen presenting cells.

Base-promoted annulation of α-hydroxy ketones and dimethyl but-2-ynedioate: straightforward access to pyrano[4,3-a]quinolizine-1,4,6(2H)-triones and 2H-pyran-2,5(6H)-diones.

A novel and efficient cascade annulation of tertiary α-hydroxy ketones and dimethyl but-2-ynedioate is reported. The reaction, which only requires a base as the promoter, provides a straightforward access to polysubstituted pyrano[4,3-a]quinolizine-1,4,6(2H)-triones and 2H-pyran-2,5(6H)-diones under very mild reaction conditions.

Effects of dietary salt intake restriction on blood glucose levels: a meta-analysis of crossover study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To identify modifiable risk factors for type 2 diabetes mellitus and explore the relationship between diet sodium intake and blood glucose levels. MATERIALS/METHODS: Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, we extracted, analyzed, and assessed the available crossover studies of dietary salt intake restriction and insulin resistance in PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Embase, Wanfang, and CNKI databases. RESULTS: We included 6 studies with 8 sets of data, covering 485 subjects. I2 statistics results showed insignificant heterogeneity among all data (I2 = 39.2% < 50%). Thus, a fixed-effect model was adopted for the final pooled effect size. Weighted mean difference and its 95% confidence interval (CI) value was 0.193 (95% CI, 0.129-0.257), and the test of the overall effect showed P < 0.001. The results revealed that the blood glucose levels in the subjects in the low-salt intake group were significantly higher than those in the normal or high-salt intake groups. We also found no significant change occurred after the removal of any study through sensitivity analysis, which confirmed that the outcome we calculated was prudent and credible. The quantitative Egger's test (P = 0.109 > 0.05) indicated that insignificant publication bias existed. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis highlights the relationship between dietary sodium intake and blood glucose levels. Our findings show that higher blood glucose levels might be expected in hypertensive or normal people with low-salt consumption compared to those with normal or high-salt consumption, although these differences were not clinically significant. Trial Registration: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42021256998.

In situ infrared CO detection using silver loaded EMT zeolite films.

Ag cluster catalyst-based oxidation of CO to CO2 is an important way to remove CO at low temperatures. However, the instability of silver clusters seriously limits the catalytic application. Herein, sub-nanosized EMT zeolite nanoparticles served as Ag cluster carriers with high selectivity, low coordination, and unsaturated atom active sites. The silver clusters with sub-nanometer size can be controlled with different charge states and loading rates. A detection film with 500 nm was further prepared by assembling the Ag-EMT composites with a small amount of Nalco as an adhesive. For CO detection, a completely enclosed gas sensing device based on in situ infrared spectroscopy was employed without air interference. CO was accurately introduced into the detection chamber and catalysed into CO2 by silver loaded EMT zeolite films, and the whole process was accurately recorded by infrared spectroscopy. CO with a detection range of 2-50 ppm was realized, showing great application potential in gas monitoring.

Analyzing point cloud of coal mining process in much dust environment based on dynamic graph convolution neural network.

Environmental perception is an important research direction of coal mine sustainable development. There is much dust in the underground working environment of coal mine. This study is to identify the marker (ball) in the coal mine, which provides a basic to convert the coordinate of large-scale fully mechanized mining face point cloud to the geodetic coordinate. Firstly, in the face of the phenomenon that the uneven distribution of underground point cloud is more serious, this study further has studied on the basis of complete and incomplete geometry point cloud and generated multi-density geometry point cloud for the first time. Secondly, aiming at the problem that the geometric features of underground point cloud are not obvious enough, this study has increased the weight of point cloud normal vector in the training process of network model, so that the network model is more sensitive to different geometric features. Finally, this study has used a variety of advanced deep neural networks to directly analyze point clouds to verify the proposed method. The results show that the method proposed in this study has been combined with the dynamic graph convolution neural network (DGCNN) established earlier, which can more accurately identify the ball in tens of millions of the point clouds of coal mining process. Most importantly, this work is not only of great significance to improve the production efficiency and safety in fully mechanized mining face but also lays a foundation for realizing intelligence in the mining field and avoiding the harm of dust explosion and other accidents to workers.

TRPML1 as a potential therapeutic target for triple-negative breast cancer: a review.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most refractory subtype of breast cancer, and effective treatments are urgently needed owing to its poor prognosis. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, alone or in combination, are the leading choices for TNBC therapy. Although promising approaches and procedures have emerged, several challenges, such as off-target effects, drug resistance, and severe side effects, remain to be addressed. Recently, transient receptor potential channel mucolipin 1 (TRPML1) has attracted the attention of researchers because its expression has been implicated in numerous diseases, including cancer. TRPML1 regulates biological events and signaling pathways, including autophagic flux, exocytosis, ionic homeostasis, and lysosomal biogenesis, all contributing to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. TRPML1 also functions as a building block for cancer cell growth, mitogenic signaling, priming tissues for metastasis, and activation of transcriptional programs, processes involved in several malignant tumors. This review provides an overview of breast cancer epidemiology and diagnostic techniques and then discusses the existing therapeutics. Additionally, we elaborate on the development of, and associated challenges to, TNBC diagnostics and treatment and the feasibility of TRPML1 as a therapeutic target for TNBC.

Association between antihypertensive drugs and oral cancer: a drug target Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Recent reports have suggested that antihypertensive drugs may play an oncogenic role in common cancers, but it is still uncertain whether this could influence the risk of oral cancer. Through two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR), we sought to assess the causal effect of antihypertensive drugs on oral cancer outcomes. Methods: To proxy the exposure of antihypertensive drugs, we utilized two genetic instruments, including expression quantitative trait loci of drug target genes and genetic variants within or around drug target genes related to blood pressure from genome-wide association studies. Inverse-variance-weighted MR (IVW-MR) and summary-data-based MR (SMR) were employed to compute the instrument effect estimates. Results: It was observed through IVW-MR analysis that there is a positive relationship between KCNH2 (target of beta-adrenoceptor blockers)-mediated blood pressure and oral cancer (odds ratio [OR] = 1.197, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.028-1.394). Similarly, SMR analysis demonstrated that a higher expression of KCNH2 (target of beta-adrenoceptor blockers) was linked to a greater risk of oral cancer (OR = 2.223, 95% CI = 1.094-4.516). Both analyses yielded no consistent evidence of other associations. Conclusion: This two-sample MR study proposed a latent causal association between KCNH2 (target of beta-adrenoceptor blockers) inhibition and diminished risk of oral cancer.