Smoking-induced CCNA2 expression promotes lung adenocarcinoma tumorigenesis by boosting AT2/AT2-like cell differentiation.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), a type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), originates from not only bronchial epithelial cells but also alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells, which could differentiate into AT2-like cells. AT2-like cells function as cancer stem cells (CSCs) of LUAD tumorigenesis to give rise to adenocarcinoma. However, the mechanism underlying AT2 cell differentiation into AT2-like cells in LUAD remains unknown. We analyze genes differentially expressed and genes with significantly different survival curves in LUAD, and the combination of these two analyses yields 147 differential genes, in which 14 differentially expressed genes were enriched in cell cycle pathway. We next analyze the protein levels of these genes in LUAD and find that Cyclin-A2 (CCNA2) is closely associated with LUAD tumorigenesis. Unexpectedly, high CCNA2 expression in LUAD is restrictedly associated with smoking and independent of other driver mutations. Single-cell sequencing analyses reveal that CCNA2 is predominantly involved in AT2-like cell differentiation, while inhibition of CCNA2 significantly reverses smoking-induced AT2-like cell differentiation. Mechanistically, CCNA2 binding to CDK2 phosphorylates the AXIN1 complex, which in turn induces ubiquitination-dependent degradation of ß-catenin and inhibits the WNT signaling pathway, thereby failing AT2 cell maintenance. These results uncover smoking-induced CCNA2 overexpression and subsequent WNT/ß-catenin signaling inactivation as a hitherto uncharacterized mechanism controlling AT2 cell differentiation and LUAD tumorigenesis.

Inhibition of non-muscular myosin light chain kinase accelerates the clearance of inflammatory cells by promoting the lysosome-mediated cell death.

Infections like COVID-19 are the primary cause of death around the world because they can cause acute lung injury (ALI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and sepsis. Inflammatory cells serve as crucial protective barriers in these diseases. However, excessive accumulation of inflammatory cells is also one of the major causes of organ damage. The non-muscular myosin light chain kinase (nmMLCK) plays crucial of cytoskeletal components involved in endothelial cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion, integrity, and permeability. Our previous investigations found that ML-7, a specific inhibitor of MLCK, promoted neutrophil apoptosis through various signaling pathways. In this study, we found that knockout of MLCK significantly promote apoptosis of neutrophils and macrophages in the BALF of the LPS-induced ALI, meanwhile it had no effect on the apoptosis of neutrophils in the circulatory system. RNA-sequencing revealed that the effect of MLCK knockout in inducing apoptosis of inflammatory cells was mediated through lysosomes. Administering ML-7 into the lungs significantly promoted neutrophil apoptosis, accelerating their clearance. In the LPS- or CLP-induced sepsis models, ML-7 administration significantly improves the apoptosis of inflammatory cells, especially neutrophils, at the infection site but had no impact on neutrophils in the circulatory system. ML-7 also significantly improved the survival rate of mice with LPS- or CLP-induced sepsis. Taken together, we found that MLCK plays a crucial role in the survival of inflammatory cells at the infection site. Inhibiting MLCK significantly induces apoptosis of inflammatory cells at the infection site, promoting inflammation resolution, with no impact of the circulatory system.

Control of mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes by protein S-palmitoylation: Novel therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases.

Mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs) are dynamic coupling structures between mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). As a new subcellular structure, MAMs combine the two critical organelle functions. Mitochondria and the ER could regulate each other via MAMs. MAMs are involved in calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis, autophagy, ER stress, lipid metabolism, etc. Researchers have found that MAMs are closely related to metabolic syndrome and neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). The formation of MAMs and their functions depend on specific proteins. Numerous protein enrichments, such as the IP3R-Grp75-VDAC complex, constitute MAMs. The changes in these proteins govern the interaction between mitochondria and the ER; they also affect the biological functions of MAMs. S-palmitoylation is a reversible protein post-translational modification (PTM) that mainly occurs on protein cysteine residues. More and more studies have shown that the S-palmitoylation of proteins is closely related to their membrane localization. Here, we first briefly describe the composition and function of MAMs, reviewing the component and biological roles of MAMs mediated by S-palmitoylation, elaborating on S-palmitoylated proteins in Ca2+ flux, lipid rafts, and so on. We try to provide new insight into the molecular basis of MAMs-related diseases, mainly NDs. Finally, we propose potential drug compounds targeting S-palmitoylation.

Cigarette smoke extract stimulates bronchial epithelial cells to undergo a SUMOylation turnover.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) characterized by the airway and lung inflammation, is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially among smokers over 40 years of age and individuals exposed to biomass smoke. Although the detailed mechanisms of this disease remain elusive, there is feasible evidence that protein posttranslational modifications (PTMs) may play a role in its pathoetiology. We thus conducted studies to dissect the effect of cigarette smoke extracts (CSE) on the change of SUMOylated substrates in human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEs). METHODS: Samples were collected in HBEs with or without 24 h of CSE insult and then subjected to Western-blot and LC-MS/MS analysis. Subsequently, bioinformatic tools were used to analyze the data. The effect of SUMOylation on cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) was evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: It was noted that CSE stimulated HBEs to undergo a SUMOylation turnover as evidenced by the changes of SUMOylated substrates and SUMOylation levels for a particular substrate. The SUMOylated proteins are relevant to the regulation of biological processes, molecular function and cellular components. Particularly, CSE stimulated a significant increase of SUMOylated CYP1A1, a critical enzyme involved in the induction of oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide a protein SUMOylation profile for better understanding of the mechanisms underlying COPD and support that smoking induces oxidative stress in HBEs, which may predispose to the development of COPD in clinical settings.

Chrysophanol protects human bronchial epithelial cells from cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease characterized by the persistent airflow obstruction. Chrysophanol, an anthraquinone derivative isolated from the rhizomes of Rheum palmatum, has been reported to be protective for some inflammatory diseases. The present report aimed to dissect its effect on cigarette smoke extract (CSE)-induced apoptosis in 16HBECs, a human bronchial epithelial cell line. METHODS: CCK8 cell viability assay was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of chrysophanol on 16HBECs after CSE induction. Western blot analysis, Annexin V/PI staining and TUNEL assay were conducted to test the effect of chrysophanol on 16HBECs apoptosis induced by CSE. Then the western blot assay measured associated molecular pathways to dissect the mechanisms underlying protective effect of chrysophanol on 16HBECs. RESULTS: Chrysophanol protects 16HBECs against CSE-induced apoptosis in a dose dependent manner. Specifically, pre-treatment of 16HBECs with 20 mmol/l of chrysophanol, reduced CSE-induced apoptosis by almost 10%. Mechanistically, chrysophanol manifested high potency to attenuate CSE-induced expression of apoptotic markers, Bax and cleaved caspase 3. In particular, chrysophanol not only represses CSE-induced oxidative stress by inhibiting CYP1A1 expression, but also suppresses CSE-induced ER stress by inhibiting pPERK, ATF4 and ATF6 expression. CONCLUSION: Chrysophanol showed protective effect on CSE-induced epithelial injuries in cell line 16HBECs. And our data support that chrysophanol could be employed to reduce the toxicity of cigarette smoke in bronchial epithelial cells, which may have the potential to decrease the risk for developing COPD in smoking subjects.

Analysis of methyl DNA adducts and metabolites in BEAS-2B cells induced by 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone.

The tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen. It is metabolically activated by P450 enzymes to intermediate methylate and pyridyloxobutylate DNA, resulting in the formation of DNA adduct that is critical for the carcinogenicity of NNK. To directly and objectively examine the DNA adduct formation profiles without the complexity of factors in vivo, in the present study, five kinds of methyl DNA adducts were first identified in the incubation model of NNK established with human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). The level of methyl DNA adducts and metabolites of NNK were quantitatively analyzed, respectively. With the increase of exposure time and dose, the level of methyl DNA adducts and metabolites increased. Furthermore, with the changes of the activity of P450 enzymes, which is the main enzyme regulating the α-hydroxylation of NNK, we found the levels of both methyl adducts and metabolites formed via α-hydroxylation in experimental groups showed the same trend compared with those in control group, while the metabolites formed via other pathways changed in the opposite trend. The result proves that the methyl adducts induced by NNK generate via α-hydroxylation pathway in BEAS-2B cells.

The impact of tobacco smoking on physical activity and metabolism in mice.

Cigarette smoking can increase the risk of many respiratory and chronic systemic diseases. Particularly, cigarette smoke produces toxic particulate matter (PM), which is harmful to the smokers. Although previous studies have demonstrated the toxicity of cigarette smoke PM and its relationship with disease pathogenesis, systematic data for the impact of cigarette smoke PM on physical activity and metabolism in animals are still lacking. In this report, the C57/B6 mice were exposed to cigarette smoke PM in a smoking chamber coupled with the analysis of metabolic changes and physical activity in metabolic cages at indicated time, for a period up to 12-month-old of age. The mice became excited following short period (e.g., 3 months) but listless after long-term cigarette smoke PM exposures (e.g., 9 or 10 months), as manifested by the changes of drink/food intake and daily activities along with increased oxygen consumption and CO2 accumulation. Our data suggest that particulate matter originated from cigarette smoke impairs metabolism and physical activities.

Highly sensitive photoelectrochemical biosensor for kinase activity detection and inhibition based on the surface defect recognition and multiple signal amplification of metal-organic frameworks.

A turn-on photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensor based on the surface defect recognition and multiple signal amplification of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) was proposed for highly sensitive protein kinase activity analysis and inhibitor evaluation. In this strategy, based on the phosphorylation reaction in the presence of protein kinase A (PKA), the Zr-based metal-organic frameworks (UiO-66) accommodated with [Ru(bpy)3]2+ photoactive dyes in the pores were linked to the phosphorylated kemptide modified TiO2/ITO electrode through the chelation between the Zr4+ defects on the surface of UiO-66 and the phosphate groups in kemptide. Under visible light irradiation, the excited electrons from [Ru(bpy)3]2+ adsorbed in the pores of UiO-66 injected into the TiO2 conduction band to generate photocurrent, which could be utilized for protein kinase activities detection. The large surface area and high porosities of UiO-66 facilitated a large number of [Ru(bpy)3]2+ that increased the photocurrent significantly, and afforded a highly sensitive PEC analysis of kinase activity. The detection limit of the as-proposed PEC biosensor was 0.0049UmL-1 (S/N!=!3). The biosensor was also applied for quantitative kinase inhibitor evaluation and PKA activities detection in MCF-7 cell lysates. The developed visible-light PEC biosensor provides a simple detection procedure and a cost-effective manner for PKA activity assays, and shows great potential in clinical diagnosis and drug discoveries.

[Kinetic study on pyrolysis of psoralen].

In this study, products of psoralen pyrolysis were detected using a solid pyrolysis apparatus and synchrotron radiation vacuum ultraviolet photoionization mass spectrum (SVUV-PIMS). The pyrolytic kinetics of psoralen was also studied by calculating its initial pyrolytic route in quantum chemistry. According to the findings with SVUV-PIMS, three pyrolytic products were observed, CO, C9H6O and C10H6O2. Theoretically, three fragment pathways were calculated for psoralen, in which the major primary decomposition route was de-CO, and the major secondary decomposition reaction was de-CO reaction of de-CO products.

[Multi-component quantitative method of Chinese herbal additives based on fingerprint].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a full-quantified fingerprint method for analyzing Chinese herbal additives by HPLC. METHOD: A HPLC in combination with PDA detector was applied with a phenomenex luna C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) column by gradient elution using acetonitrile-0.1% formic acid solution as the mobile phase. The flow rate was 1 mL x min(-1) and the detection wavelength was set at full spectrum scan. RESULT: According to the selected chromatographic conditions, the full-quantified fingerprint of the Chinese herbal additive has good precision, reproducibility, stability and recovery. CONCLUSION: The HPLC method developed for simultaneous determination of seven compounds is simple and valid. It can be used for quality evaluation and quality control of Chinese herbal additive and its processing products.

Simplified kinetic calibration of solid-phase microextraction for in vivo pharmacokinetics.

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) has been demonstrated to be useful for in vivo sampling in pharmacokinetic studies. In this study, a single time-point kinetic calibration for in vivo dynamic monitoring was developed by simplification of the laborious multiple time-point kinetic calibration, based on the independent desorption kinetics of the preloaded standards from SPME fibers with the changing analyte concentrations. The theoretical foundation and practical application conditions, such as the replicate numbers, the optimal time-point for desorption, and the sampling time, were systematically investigated. Furthermore, the feasibility of using regular standards rather than deuterated ones for the kinetic calibration was justified by comparing to the data obtained using the deuterated standards. All the methods were verified by in vitro and in vivo experiments. The results from in vivo SPME were validated by the blood drawing and chemical assay. These simplified calibration methods improved the quantitative applications of SPME for dynamic monitoring and in vivo sampling, enhance the multiplexing capability and automatic potentials for high throughput analysis, and decrease expenses on reagents and instruments.

Development of the space-resolved solid-phase microextraction technique and its application to biological matrices.

To facilitate rapid in situ analyte monitoring within heterogeneous samples, a space-resolved solid phase microextraction (SR-SPME) technique was developed that utilized miniaturized segmented fibers. Initially, a multilayered agarose gel was used to determine the effects of diffusion-based mass transfer and fiber dimension on the space-resolving capability of SPME. For diazepam within agarose gel, the SR-SPME limit of detection was 2.5 ng/mL, with a linear dynamic range up to 500 ng/mL. The efficacy of the SR-SPME technique was further evaluated within diverse biological matrices (onion bulb, fish muscle, and adipose tissues) containing stratified pharmaceutical analytes. Empirically, the results agreed well with established techniques such as microdialysis and liquid extraction, but SR-SPME was simpler to implement, displayed higher spatial resolution, and was more cost-effective than traditional approaches. Additionally, the segmented design of the SPME fibers and stepwise desorption protocols offer potential advantages within high throughput applications.

Simultaneous sampling and analysis for vapor mercury in ambient air using needle trap coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

A needle trap (NT) technique for simultaneous sampling and analysis of vapor and particle mercury in ambient air using gold wire filled in a syringe needle has been developed. This NT technique relies on gold amalgamation rather than adsorption/absorption to traditional solid-phase microextraction. Hg trapped by Au-amalgamation NT is thermally desorbed in a hot injection port of a gas chromatograph; desorbed Hg is then determined by the coupled mass spectrometer. This simultaneous sampling and analysis technique were optimized, tested, and used for the collection and accurate determination of elemental Hg in ambient air. Linear calibration curves were obtained for Hg sampling by NT when mass spectrometry (MS) was used for detection; they spanned over 4 orders of magnitude. MS offered excellent sensitivity and selectivity. Selected ion monitor (SIM) mode was used for the linear calibration curves. The selected quantitation ion was m/z 202, since m/z 202 was the strongest isotope of mercury mass spectrum. The method was verified with HgCl(2) spiked solution samples. An excellent agreement was found between the results obtained for the Hg-saturated air samples and HgCl(2) spiked solution samples. The use of the Au-amalgamation gas-sampling needle trap method, for the measurement of Hg in air and Hg(2+) water samples, is described herein.

Standard-free kinetic calibration for rapid on-site analysis by solid-phase microextraction.

In this study, a new calibration method, standard-free kinetic calibration, is proposed for rapid on-site analysis by solid-phase microextraction (SPME), based on the diffusion-controlled mass transfer model and equilibrium extraction. With this calibration method, all analytes can be directly calibrated with only two samplings. The feasibility of this calibration method was validated in a standard aqueous solution flow-through system and a standard gas flow-through system. The distribution coefficients of five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including naphthalene, acenaphthene, fluorene, anthracene, and pyrene, between water and the PDMS fiber coating were determined and the concentrations of the PAHs in the flow-through system were successfully calibrated with the proposed standard-free calibration method. The extracted amounts of BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbezene, o-xylene) at equilibrium were also successfully calibrated with this method with two rapid sampling periods at 5 and 10 s. Compared with the previous calibration methods for rapid on-site analysis by SPME, this method does not require a standard to calibrate the extraction, nor does it require additional equipment to control or measure the flow velocity of the sample matrix. In addition, all of the extracted analytes can be quantified without considering whether the system reached equilibrium. The newly proposed standard-free kinetic calibration approach enriched the calibration methods available for on-site analysis by SPME.

[Spectroscopy and XPS studies on molecular recognition of a molecularly imprinted cotinine-specific polymer].

In the present study, molecular imprinting technique was used to develop a method based on noncovalent interaction for the systhesis of a cotinine-specific polymer. The molecular recognition characteristics of the template polymer were evaluated by UV, IR, XPS and 1H NMR. The results indicated that the interactions should be cooperative hydrogen bonds produced by self-assembling of the template and the monomer. The stoichiometric mole ratio of COT-MAA complex is 1 : 2. Furthermore, nitrogen atom of the pyridine ring and oxygen atom of the lactam group in cotinine molecular are hydrogen-bond acceptors, being the predominant binding sites interacting with the functional monomer.

Dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction of catechins and caffeine in some tea samples.

A novel dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction (DUAE) device has been constructed for extraction of five catechins and caffeine in solid sample. The accurate, simple, reproducible and sensitive method for the determination of five catechins and caffeine has been developed and validated. A comparison has been made of the efficiencies by employing DUAE and conventionally static ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The proposed method can not only improve extraction efficiency but also decrease time and solvent consumption. The commercial Chinese tea samples, involving green and black teas, are rapidly analyzed by the proposed DUAE method. The linearity, range, selectivity, precision, accuracy, and robustness also showed acceptable values.

Films coated with molecular imprinted polymers for the selective stir bar sorption extraction of monocrotophos.

The flexibility and simplicity of stir bar sorption extraction (SBSE) have been combined with the selectivity of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). Stir bars were coated reproducible with a 180 microm film formed from a formic acid solution of nylon-6 polymer either nonimprinted or imprinted with monocrotophos. Time sorption profiles were measured for the extraction of monocrotophos from dichloromethane at the concentration of 10-200 micromol/L levels with both types of films in order to compare extraction characteristics. The results indicated that the MIP coated layer showed remarkable high affinity toward monocrotophos and equilibrium adsorption was attained rapidly (60 min) in contrast to free standing molecularly imprinted polymer in which equilibrium adsorption was normally attained after several hours. The stir bars coated with MIP films were capable of extracting four structural analogues of monocrotophos from dichloromethane solution, which suggests that both the amino group and PO part of these molecules is responsible for interaction with the imprinted polymer. Evidence was also presented by FT-IR analysis that the amide-hydrogen-bonding interaction between the MIP-coated films and monocrotophos was originated for monocrotophos recognition. To achieve selective extraction of monocrotophos from sample, stir bars coated with MIP films were washed with 10% (v/v) acetic acid/methanol and methanol. Clean extracts and yields of 95% were obtained, demonstrating the suitability of stir bar coated with MIP films for the analysis of environmental and biological samples. Compared with traditional MIP and SBSE, the MIP-coated film showed not only the high selectivity but also the rapid equilibrium adsorption.

Two-step simultaneous distillation and solvent extraction for isolation both free and bound aroma in tobacco.

In this investigation, a novel two-step simultaneous distillation and solvent extraction (two-step SDE) method was developed to isolate both free and bound aroma in tobacco. Firstly, free aroma were extracted into dichloromethane by SDE for 4 h with SDE sample solution at pH 5.5. Then the SDE sample solution was adjusted to pH 2.5, bound aroma were hydrolyzed, and released as free aroma extracted by fresh dichloromethane. Following, both the free and bound aroma were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The whole isolation procedure of both free and bound aroma was carried out in one SDE apparatus and using one same sample. Especially, the procedure of isolation of bound aroma was greatly simplified. To apply and validate the proposed two-step SDE method, a traditional method were also used to isolate the bound aroma. The total bound aroma obtained by the proposed two-step SDE method and the traditional method were 119.83 mg kg(-1) and 88.9 mg kg(-1), respectively. For isolation of bound aroma, the proposed two-step SDE method was of better extraction recovery, less labourious, solvent and time consuming than the traditional method.

Determination of pyrethroid residues in tobacco by means of solid phase microextraction and GC/MS with the aid of ultrasonic assisted extraction using water as extracting solvent.

A rapid and simple sampling approach using solid phase microextraction (SPME) for pyrethroid residues analysis in flue-cured tobacco was studied. The fibers coated with poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at 100 microm thickness were chosen. Extraction time of 180 s, desorption time of 120 s and desorption temperature of 280 degrees C were selected. The whole sampling process, only including an ultrasonic assisted extraction step and a solid phase microextraction step, can be completed within 15 min. The associated SPME and ultrasonic assisted extraction using water as extracting solvent shows good results for tobacco pyrethroid residues determination. Results indicated that four pyrethroids can be determined simultaneously, and the limits of detection are below 35 ng g(-1) using GC/MS in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The reproducibility of the technique is found to be better than 11.8% RSD.

A new molecularly imprinted polymer for selective extraction of cotinine from urine samples by solid-phase extraction.

Cotinine, the main metabolite of nicotine in human body, is widely used as a biomarker for assessment of direct or passive exposure to tobacco smoke. A method for molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE) of cotinine from human urine has been investigated. The molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with good selectivity and affinity for cotinine was synthesized using cotinine as the template molecule, methacrylic acid as the functional monomer, and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the cross-linker. The imprinted polymer was evaluated for use as a SPE sorbent, in tests with aqueous standards, by comparing recovery data obtained using the imprinted form of the polymer and a non-imprinted form (NIP). Extraction from the aqueous solutions resulted in more than 80% recovery. A range of linearity for cotinine between 0.05 and 5 microg mL-1 was obtained by loading 1 mL blank urine samples spiked with cotinine at different concentrations in acetate buffer of pH 9.0, and by using double basic washing and acidic elution. The intra-day coefficient of variation (CV) was below 7% and inter-day CV was below 10%. This investigation has provided a reliable MISPE-HPLC method for determination of cotinine in human urine from both active smokers and passive smokers.