Dissecting pulmonary fibroblasts heterogeneity in lung development, health and diseases.

Lung fibroblasts are the major components in the connective tissue of the pulmonary interstitium and play essential roles in the developing of postnatal lung, synthesizing the extracellular matrix and maintaining the integrity of the lung architecture. Fibroblasts are activated in various disease conditions and exhibit functional heterogeneities according to their origin, spatial location, activated state and microenvironment. In recent years, advances in technology have enabled researchers to identify fibroblast subpopulations in both mouse and human. Here, we discuss pulmonary fibroblast heterogeneity, focusing on the developing, healthy and pathological lung conditions. We firstly review the expression profiles of fibroblasts during lung development, and then consider fibroblast diversity according to different anatomical sites of lung architecture. Subsequently, we discuss fibroblast heterogeneity in genetic lineage. Finally, we focus on how fibroblast heterogeneity may shed light on different pathological lung conditions such as fibrotic diseases, infectious diseases including COVID-19, and lung cancers. We emphasize the importance of comparative studies to illuminate the overlapping characteristics, expression profiles and signaling pathways of the fibroblast subpopulations across disease conditions, a better characterization of the functional complexity rather than the expression of a particular gene may have important therapeutic applications.

Systematic pan-cancer analysis identifies gasdermin B as an immunological and prognostic biomarker for kidney renal clear cell carcinoma.

Gasdermin (GSDM)-mediated cell lytic death plays an essential role in immunity and tumorigenesis. Despite the association of gasdermin B (GSDMB) with the tumorigenesis of various cancers, whether GSDMB functions as a prognostic biomarker in renal cell carcinoma remains poorly understood. Here, we explored the potential immunological functions and the prognostic value of GSDMB across multiple tumors with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases, including analyzing the relationship between GSDMB expression and prognosis, tumor-immune system interactions, immunomodulators, and immune cell infiltration of different tumors. Importantly, elevated expression of GSDMB is an essential factor for the poor prognosis of kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) patients, suggesting that it might be helpful to predict a survival benefit from a clinical therapy regimen. Furthermore, GSDMB expression promoted the level of CD4+ T-cell infiltration of the tumors but is significantly negatively associated with immature dendritic cells (iDCs) in KIRC. Additionally, we identified TNFRSF25 and TNFSF14 as immunostimulators highly correlated with GSDMB expression. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses showed that GSDMB and its interacting proteins might affect tumor growth through the serine metabolism pathway. Our current results demonstrate a promising therapeutic strategy targeting GSDMB and provide new insights into GSDMB as an immunological and prognostic biomarker for KIRC.

Naked cuticle inhibits wingless signaling in Drosophila wing development.

Wnt signaling is one of the major signaling pathways that regulate cell differentiation, tissue patterning and stem cell homeostasis and its dysfunction causes many human diseases, such as cancer. It is of tremendous interests to understand how Wnt signaling is regulated in a precise manner both temporally and spatially. Naked cuticle (Nkd) acts as a negative-feedback inhibitor for Wingless (Wg, a fly Wnt) signaling in Drosophila embryonic development. However, the role of Nkd remains controversial in later fly development, particularly on the canonical Wg pathway. In the present study, we show that nkd is essential for wing pattern formation, such that both gain and loss of nkd result in the disruption of Wg target expression in larvae stage and abnormal adult wing morphologies. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a thirty amino acid fragment in Nkd, identified previously in Wharton lab, is critical for the canonical Wg signaling, but is dispensable for Wg/planar cell polarity pathway. Putting aside the pleiotropic nature of nkd function, i.e. its role in the Decapentaplegic signaling, we conclude that Nkd universally inhibits the canonical Wg pathway across a life span of Drosophila development.

E3 ligase TRIM25 ubiquitinates RIP3 to inhibit TNF induced cell necrosis.

Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3 or RIPK3), the critical executor of cell programmed necrosis, plays essential roles in maintaining immune responses and appropriate tissue homeostasis. Although the E3 ligases CHIP and PELI1 are reported to promote RIP3 degradation, however, how post-translational modification regulates RIP3 activity and stability is poorly understood. Here, we identify the tripartite motif protein TRIM25 as a negative regulator of RIP3-dependent necrosis. TRIM25 directly interacts with RIP3 through its SPRY domain and mediates the K48-linked polyubiquitination of RIP3 on residue K501. The RING domain of TRIM25 facilitates the polyubiquitination chain on RIP3, thereby promoting proteasomal degradation of RIP3. Also, TRIM25 deficiency inhibited the ubiquitination of RIP3, thus promoting TNF-induced cell necrosis. Our current finding reveals the regulating mechanism of polyubiquitination on RIP3, which might be a potential therapeutic target for the intervention of RIP3-dependent necrosis-related diseases.

Structural Basis of Human Helicase DDX21 in RNA Binding, Unwinding, and Antiviral Signal Activation.

RNA helicase DDX21 plays vital roles in ribosomal RNA biogenesis, transcription, and the regulation of host innate immunity during virus infection. How DDX21 recognizes and unwinds RNA and how DDX21 interacts with virus remain poorly understood. Here, crystal structures of human DDX21 determined in three distinct states are reported, including the apo-state, the AMPPNP plus single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) bound pre-hydrolysis state, and the ADP-bound post-hydrolysis state, revealing an open to closed conformational change upon RNA binding and unwinding. The core of the RNA unwinding machinery of DDX21 includes one wedge helix, one sensor motif V and the DEVD box, which links the binding pockets of ATP and ssRNA. The mutant D339H/E340G dramatically increases RNA binding activity. Moreover, Hill coefficient analysis reveals that DDX21 unwinds double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) in a cooperative manner. Besides, the nonstructural (NS1) protein of influenza A inhibits the ATPase and unwinding activity of DDX21 via small RNAs, which cooperatively assemble with DDX21 and NS1. The structures illustrate the dynamic process of ATP hydrolysis and RNA unwinding for RNA helicases, and the RNA modulated interaction between NS1 and DDX21 generates a fresh perspective toward the virus-host interface. It would benefit in developing therapeutics to combat the influenza virus infection.

Hexagonal CuCo2O4 Nanoplatelets, a Highly Active Catalyst for the Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane for Hydrogen Production.

Catalytic hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB) has been considered as an effective and safe method to generate hydrogen. Development of highly active and low-cost catalysts is one of the key tasks for this technology. In this work, hexagonal CuCo2O4 nanoplatelets with a thickness of approximately 55 nm were prepared. In AB hydrolysis, those nanoplatelets exhibited ultrahigh catalytic activity with turnover frequency (TOF) of 73.4 molhydrogen min-1 molcat-1. As far as we know, this is one of the highest TOF values ever reported for non-noble metal catalysts. In addition, the effects of viscosity and different alkalis on the hydrolysis were also investigated. It is revealed that high viscosity of the reaction medium will retard the hydrolysis reaction. The presence of NaOH, KOH, and Na2CO3 in the reaction solution is favorable for hydrolytic process. In contrast, NH3·H2O will slow down the hydrolysis rate of ammonia borane. This work can provide some novel insight into the design of catalysts with both high performance and low cost. Besides, some findings in the present study can also offer us some information about how to improve the hydrolysis rates by optimizing the hydrolysis condition.

MicroRNA-193a inhibits breast cancer proliferation and metastasis by downregulating WT1.

In many cancers, microRNA-193a (miR-193a) is a suppressor miRNA, but its underlying anti-oncogenic activity in breast cancer is not known. In this study, we found decreased miR-193a (specifically, miR-193a-5p) expression not only in breast cancer cell lines but also in breast cancer tissues as compared with the adjacent non-tumor tissues. Ectopic miR-193a overexpression inhibited the proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion of MDA-MB-231 and BT549 cells. miR-193a reduced Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) expression and repressed luciferase reporter activity by binding WT1 coding region sequences; mutation of the predicted miR-193a binding site abolished this effect. miR-193a and WT1 expression were significantly inversely correlated in breast cancer tissues. Importantly, the anti-cancer activity induced by miR-193a was partially reversed by WT1 overexpression, indicating an important role for WT1 in such activity related to miR-193a. Our results reveal that miR-193a-WT1 interaction plays an important role in breast cancer metastasis, and suggest that restoring miR-193a expression is a therapeutic strategy in breast cancer.

Efficient energy transfer and luminescence properties of Ca3Y(GaO)3(BO3)4:Tb3+,Eu3+ as a green-to-red colour tunable phosphor under near-UV excitation.

A series of Ca3Y(GaO)3(BO3)4:Tb3+,Eu3+ phosphors were prepared by a high-temperature solid-state reaction. Their phase structures were confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction and the element distribution was measured using transmission electron microscopy elemental mapping. The photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra and fluorescence lifetime were studied and discussed in detail. The results revealed that Eu3+ ions can be efficiently sensitized by Tb3+ ions under near-UV excitation. In addition, the energy transfer efficiency can be controlled by adjusting the ratio of Eu3+ and Tb3+ to realize colour tunable emission from green to red. For Ca3Y(GaO)3(BO3)4:0.50Tb3+,0.10Eu3+, the emission intensity at 425 K is 78.11% of that at 300 K, being available to near-UV LEDs.

Serum uric acid levels in patients with myasthenia gravis are inversely correlated with disability.

Uric acid (UA), the final product of purine metabolism, has been reported to be reduced in patients with various neurological disorders and is considered to be a possible indicator for monitoring the disability and progression of multiple sclerosis. However, it remains unclear whether there is a close relationship between UA and myasthenia gravis (MG), or whether UA is primarily deficient or secondarily reduced because of its peroxynitrite scavenging activity. We investigated the correlation between serum UA levels and the clinical characteristics of MG. We assessed 338 serum UA levels obtained in 135 patients with MG, 47 patients with multiple sclerosis, and 156 healthy controls. In addition, we compared serum UA levels when MG patients were stratified according to disease activity and classifications performed by the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America, age of onset, duration, and thymus histology (by means of MRI or computed tomography). MG patients had significantly lower serum UA levels than the controls (P<0.001). Moreover, UA levels in patients with MG were inversely correlated with disease activity and disease progression (P=0.013). However, UA levels did not correlate significantly with disease duration, age of onset, and thymus histology. Our findings suggest that serum level of UA was reduced in patients with MG and serum UA might be considered a surrogate biomarker of MG disability and progression.

Long non-coding RNA HOTAIR modulates c-KIT expression through sponging miR-193a in acute myeloid leukemia.

HOTAIR is significantly overexpressed in various cancers and facilitates tumor invasion and metastasis. However, whether HOTAIR plays oncogenic roles in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is still unknown. Here, we report that HOTAIR expression was obviously increased in leukemic cell lines and primary AML blasts. Clinically, AML patients with higher HOTAIR predicted worse clinical outcome compared with those with lower HOTAIR. Importantly, HOTAIR knockdown by small hairpin RNA inhibited cell growth, induced apoptosis, and decreased number of colony formation. Finally, HOTAIR modulated c-KIT expression by competitively binding miR-193a. Collectively, our data suggest that HOTAIR plays an important oncogenic role in AML and might serve as a marker for AML prognosis and a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Targeting rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor ARHGEF5/TIM with auto-inhibitory peptides in human breast cancer.

The oncogenic protein ARHGEF5/TIM has long been known to express specifically in human breast cancer and other tumors, which is an important member of Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors that activate Rho-family GTPases by promoting GTP/GDP exchange. The activation capability of TIM is auto-inhibited by a putative helix N-terminal to Dbl homology (DH) domain, which is stabilized by intramolecular interaction of Src homology 3 domain with a poly-proline sequence that locates between the helix and DH domain. Here, we attempted to target TIM DH domain using the modified versions of its auto-inhibitory helix. In the procedure, bioinformatics techniques were used to investigate the intramolecular interaction of DH domain with auto-inhibitory helix and, based on obtained knowledge, to optimize physicochemical property and structural conformation for the helix. We also performed affinity assay to determine the binding strength of modified peptides to DH domain. Consequently, two modified peptides, namely, DALYEEYNLVV and EVLYEEYQLVV were found as good binders of DH domain with dissociation constants K d of 0.35 and 2 µM, respectively. Structural analysis revealed that the charge neutralization and electrostatic interaction confer additional stability for these two peptide complexes with DH domain.

2,5-di-[2-(3,5-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine -4-hydroxy-phenyl) ethylene] pyrazine zinc complex as fluorescent probe for labeling proteins.

The binding characteristics between 2,5-di-[2-(3,5-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine -4-hydroxy-phenyl) ethylene] pyrazine (1) or its complex (1-Zn) and serum albumins were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy in pH 7.4 aqueous solution. 1-Zn emitted weak fluorescence at 580 nm in a pH 7.4 Tris-HCl buffer solution when excited at 435 nm, however, the fluorescence intensity increased upon addition of serum albumins with the blue shift of emission peak to 524 nm. The binding constants were estimated as 8.40 x 10(7) and 3.03 x 10(6)mol(-1)L for bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human serum albumin (HSA) respectively, and the number of binding sites was 1 for each. The quenching mechanism of fluorescence of serum albumins by 1-Zn was considered as a static quenching process. The binding distance between 1-Zn and serum albumins and the energy transfer efficiency were obtained based on the theory of Förester spectroscopy energy transfer. The effect of 1-Zn on the conformation of serum albumins was further analyzed using synchronous fluorescence spectrometry. The experiment results clearly showed that 1-Zn is a highly sensitive protein sensor.

Interaction of a new fluorescent probe with DNA and its use in determination of DNA.

In this paper we reported a metal complex 1-Zn (2,5-di-[2-(3,5-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine-4-hydroxy-phenyl)-ethylene]-pyrazine-Zn) as a fluorescent probe sensing DNA. The result of the competitive experiment of the probe with ethidium bromide (EB) to bind DNA, absorption spectral change and polarization change in the presence and absence of DNA revealed that interaction between the probe and DNA was via intercalation. Ionic strength experiment showed the existence of electrostatic interaction as well. Scatchard plots also confirmed the combined binding modes. The fluorescence enhancement of the probe was ascribed to highly hydrophobic environment when it bound the macromolecules such as DNA, RNA or denatured DNA. The binding constant between the probe and DNA was estimated as 3.13 x 10(7) mol(-1) L. The emission intensity increase was proportional to the concentration of DNA. Based on this, the probe was used to determine the concentration of calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA). The corresponding linear response ranged from 2.50 x 10(-7) to 4.75 x 10(-6) mol L(-1), and detection limit was 1.93 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) for ct-DNA.