A blood-based multi-omic landscape for the molecular characterization of kidney stone disease.

Kidney stone disease (KSD, also named renal calculi, nephrolithiasis, or urolithiasis) is a common urological disease entailing the formation of minerals and salts that form inside the urinary tract, frequently caused by diabetes, high blood pressure, hypertension, and monogenetic components in most patients. 10% of adults worldwide are affected by KSD, which continues to be highly prevalent and with increasing incidence. For the identification of novel therapeutic targets in KSD, we adopted high-throughput sequencing and mass spectrometry (MS) techniques in this study and carried out an integrative analysis of exosome proteomic data and DNA methylation data from blood samples of normal and KSD individuals. Our research delineated the profiling of exosomal proteins and DNA methylation in both healthy individuals and those afflicted with KSD, finding that the overexpressed proteins and the demethylated genes in KSD samples are associated with immune responses. The consistency of the results in proteomics and epigenetics supports the feasibility of the comprehensive strategy. Our insights into the molecular landscape of KSD pave the way for a deeper understanding of its pathogenic mechanism, providing an opportunity for more precise diagnosis and targeted treatment strategies for KSD.

Integrative Analysis of Multi-Omic Data for the Characteristics of Endometrial Cancer.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a frequently diagnosed gynecologic cancer. Identifying reliable prognostic genes for predicting EC onset is crucial for reducing patient morbidity and mortality. Here, a comprehensive strategy with transcriptomic and proteomic data was performed to measure EC's characteristics. Based on the publicly available RNA-seq data, death-associated protein kinase 3, recombination signal-binding protein for the immunoglobulin kappa J region, and myosin light chain 9 were screened out as potential biomarkers that affect the EC patients' prognosis. A linear model was further constructed by multivariate Cox regression for the prediction of the risk of being malignant. From further integrative analysis, exosomes were found to have a highly enriched role that might participate in EC occurrence. The findings were validated by qRT-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blotting. Collectively, we constructed a prognostic-gene-based model for EC prediction and found that exosomes participate in EC incidents, revealing significantly promising support for the diagnosis of EC.

ß-Carbonyl sulfonium enables cysteine-specific bioconjugation for activity-based protein profiling in live cells.

Chemical labeling methods for proteins are highly researched. Herein, we introduced ß-carbonyl sulfonium compounds for selective cysteine modification in proteins within biological systems. Structural tuning led to sulfonium-based probes with high reactivity and selectivity. These probes show excellent biocompatibility, cell uptake, and specificity towards cysteine profiling in live cells.

Pyridinium-Based Strategy for a Bioorthogonal Conjugation-Assisted Purification Method for Profiling Cell Surface Proteome.

Cell surface proteins (CSPs) are valuable targets for therapeutic agents, but achieving highly selective CSP enrichment in cellular physiology remains a technical challenge. To address this challenge, we propose a newly developed sulfo-pyridinium ester (SPE) cross-linking probe, followed by two-step imaging and enrichment. The SPE probe showed higher efficiency in labeling proteins than similar NHS esters at the level of cell lysates and demonstrated specificity for Lys in competitive experiments. More importantly, this probe could selectively label the cell membranes in cell imaging with only negligible labeling of the intracellular compartment. Moreover, we successfully performed this strategy on MCF-7 live cells to label 425 unique CSPs from 1162 labeled proteins. Finally, we employed our probe to label the CSPs of insulin-cultured MCF-7, revealing several cell surface targets of key functional biomarkers and insulin-associated pathogenesis. The above results demonstrate that the SPE method provides a promising tool for the selective labeling of cell surface proteins and monitoring transient cell surface events.

Dual selective sensor for exosomes in serum using magnetic imprinted polymer isolation sandwiched with aptamer/graphene oxide based FRET fluorescent ignition.

The selective and sensitive detection of cancerous exosomes in serum is critical for early disease diagnosis and improved prognosis. Previous exosome-related research has been limited by a lack of well-understanding in exosomes as well as the challenging background interference of body fluid. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and nucleic acid aptamers can be regarded as the two alternatives to antibodies. When using imprinted polymer technology, comprehensive and precise information about the target constituents is not required. In this study, a novel kind of dual selective fluorescent nanosensor for the poorly characterized exosomes was constructed by integrating magnetic MIP selective exosome capture sandwiched with an aptamer/graphene oxide fluorescence resonance energy transfer system (FRET) based selective 'turn-on' exosome labeling heterogeneously. The overall strategy performance was successively evaluated using lysozyme and exosomes as targets. Good linearity and high sensitivity achieved were demonstrated. The LOD of exosomal detection in serum was 2.43 × 106 particles/mL, lower than other immunology based detection methods. The discrimination between serum from breast cancer patients and healthy people was also primarily studied. In conclusion, the developed sensor with outstanding selectivity, high detection sensitivity, simplicity, low cost, and wide applicability for known or unknown targets present significant potential in challenging clinical diagnosis.

Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides promotes migration of Schwann cells via NOX4/DUOX2-dependent ROS production in rats.

Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides (ABPP), an active polypeptides isolated from the aqueous extract of Achyranthes bidentata Blume, contributes to the regeneration of injured peripheral nerves by promoting migration of Schwann cells (SCs). In this study, we aimed to investigate the possible mechanism underlying the ABPP-induced migration of primary cultured rat SCs. Transwell migration assays indicated that ABPP promoted SCs migration in a concentration-dependent manner by inducing production of NADPH-oxidase (NOX)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of ROS production by NOXs inhibitor apocynin (APO) or diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) partially blocked ABPP-mediated SCs migration. Furthermore, by using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis and siRNA interference technique, we verified the participation of NOX subunit 4 (NOX4) and dual oxidase 2 (DUOX2) in ABPP-induced ROS production and consequential SCs migration. Taken together, these results demonstrated that ABPP promoted SCs migration via NOX4/DUOX2-activated ROS in SCs.

Tubulation repair mitigates misdirection of regenerating motor axons across a sciatic nerve gap in rats.

The repair of peripheral nerve laceration injury to obtain optimal function recovery remains a big challenge in the clinic. Misdirection of regenerating axons to inappropriate target, as a result of forced mismatch of endoneurial sheaths in the case of end-to-end nerve anastomosis or nerve autografting, represents one major drawback that limits nerve function recovery. Here we tested whether tubulation repair of a nerve defect could be beneficial in terms of nerve regeneration accuracy and nerve function. We employed sequential retrograde neuronal tracing to assess the accuracy of motor axon regeneration into the tibial nerve after sciatic nerve laceration and entubulation in adult Sprague-Dawley rats. In a separate cohort of rats with the same sciatic nerve injury/repair protocols, we evaluated nerve function recovery behaviorally and electrophysiologically. The results showed that tubulation repair of the lacerated sciatic nerve using a 3-6-mm-long bioabsorbable guidance conduit significantly reduced the misdirection of motor axons into the tibial nerve as compared to nerve autografting. In addition, tubulation repair ameliorated chronic flexion contracture. This study suggests that tubulation repair of a nerve laceration injury by utilizing a bioresorbable nerve guidance conduit represents a potential substitute for end-to-end epineurial suturing and nerve autografting.

Effect of variation of liquid condition on transformation of sulfur and carbon in the sediment of sanitary sewer.

This study aims to estimate the influence of the typical variation in liquid conditions on the biochemical reaction characteristics of sulfur and carbon in the sediment of gravity sanitary sewers. Thus, a series of experimental tests were conducted with real wastewater and sewage sediment to investigate the potential biochemical process of carbon and sulfur in sediment. Results indicated that the sulfur and carbon biochemical process in sediment with neutral pH is significant in the gravity sewage system. The changes in concentration and the ratios of wastewater component substrates are the key factors in chemical oxygen demand and sulfate reduction rates. Furthermore, the condition of dissolved oxygen in liquid significantly affected the biochemical reaction processes of sulfur and carbon. Finally, the frequent alternation of anaerobic and anoxic with low dissolved oxygen effectively inhibits sulfide accumulation and simultaneously reduces carbon loss in the sewage system.