Gene expression analysis suggests immunosuppressive roles of endolysosomes in glioblastoma.

Targeting endolysosomes is a strategy extensively pursued for treating cancers, including glioblastomas (GBMs), on the basis that the intact function of these subcellular organelles is key to tumor cell autophagy and survival. Through gene expression analyses and cell type abundance estimation in GBMs, we showed that genes associated with the endolysosomal machinery are more prominently featured in non-tumor cells in GBMs than in tumor cells, and that tumor-associated macrophages represent the primary immune cell type that contributes to this trend. Further analyses found an enrichment of endolysosomal pathway genes in immunosuppressive (pro-tumorigenic) macrophages, such as M2-like macrophages or those associated with worse prognosis in glioma patients, but not in those linked to inflammation (anti-tumorigenic). Specifically, genes critical to the hydrolysis function of endolysosomes, including progranulin and cathepsins, were among the most positively correlated with immunosuppressive macrophages, and elevated expression of these genes is associated with worse patient survival in GBMs. Together, these results implicate the hydrolysis function of endolysosomes in shaping the immunosuppressive microenvironment of GBM. We propose that targeting endolysosomes, in addition to its detrimental effects on tumor cells, can be leveraged for modulating immunosuppression to render GBMs more amenable to immunotherapies.

The Impact of China's Family Floating Population on the Participation of Medical Insurance in the Inflow Areas.

Background: With the transformation of China's economy and society, the floating population has also shown a new development trend, from individual migration to co-migration with family members. In 2020, among the 376 million floating population, the population flowing to cities and towns was 330 million, accounting for nearly 88.1%. The family mobility of the floating population is not just a simple personal gathering or geographical migration, but a profound adjustment of the living environment, social interaction and the interests of family members. Migrants no longer simply play the role of " urban passers-by", but gradually move with spouses, children, parents, and even settle in the city, which will inevitably produce different public service and social security needs. Objective: To explore the impact of floating population's familyization on the participation of medical insurance in the inflow areas. Methods: This study adopted the form of non-systematic literature review. The key words were floating population and medical insurance. The related analysis of PubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases were reviewed and summarized. Results: Due to the flow between domestic immigrants and regions, their medical insurance is difficult to be guaranteed. The domestic floating population's demand for health services is increasing, but the coverage of medical services provided by medical insurance is not comprehensive enough. Conclusion: It is necessary to integrate the medical insurance system and improve the adaptability of medical insurance to family mobility; protect the welfare needs of migrant families and increase their willingness to participate in medical insurance at the destination; pay attention to the interaction and integration of floating population families, understand and guide them to participate in the status quo of medical insurance, and improve the status quo.

Detection and Isolation of Campylobacter spp. from Raw Meat.

This article presents a rapid yet robust protocol for isolating Campylobacter spp. from raw meats, specifically focusing on Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. The protocol builds upon established methods, ensuring compatibility with the prevailing techniques employed by regulatory bodies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the USA, as well as the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Europe. Central to this protocol is collecting a rinsate, which is concentrated and resuspended in Bolton Broth media containing horse blood. This medium has been proven to facilitate the recovery of stressed Campylobacter cells and reduce the required enrichment duration by 50%. The enriched samples are then transferred onto nitrocellulose membranes on brucella plates. To improve the sensitivity and specificity of the method, 0.45 µm and 0.65 µm pore-size filter membranes were evaluated. Data revealed a 29-fold increase in cell recovery with the 0.65 µm pore-size filter compared to the 0.45 µm pore-size without impacting specificity. The highly motile characteristics of Campylobacter allow cells to actively move through the membrane filters towards the agar medium, which enables effective isolation of pure Campylobacter colonies. The protocol incorporates multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (mqPCR) assay to identify the isolates at the species level. This molecular technique offers a reliable and efficient means of species identification. Investigations conducted over the past twelve years involving retail meats have demonstrated the ability of this method to enhance recovery of Campylobacter from naturally contaminated meat samples compared to current reference methods. Furthermore, this protocol boasts reduced preparation and processing time. As a result, it presents a promising alternative for the efficient recovery of Campylobacter from meat. Moreover, this procedure can be seamlessly integrated with DNA-based methods, facilitating rapid screening of positive samples alongside comprehensive whole-genome sequencing analysis.

Heat shock factor 1 directly regulates transsulfuration pathway to promote prostate cancer proliferation and survival.

There are limited therapeutic options for patients with advanced prostate cancer (PCa). We previously found that heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) expression is increased in PCa and is an actionable target. In this manuscript, we identify that HSF1 regulates the conversion of homocysteine to cystathionine in the transsulfuration pathway by altering levels of cystathionine-ß-synthase (CBS). We find that HSF1 directly binds the CBS gene and upregulates CBS mRNA levels. Targeting CBS decreases PCa growth and induces tumor cell death while benign prostate cells are largely unaffected. Combined inhibition of HSF1 and CBS results in more pronounced inhibition of PCa cell proliferation and reduction of transsulfuration pathway metabolites. Combination of HSF1 and CBS knockout decreases tumor size for a small cell PCa xenograft mouse model. Our study thus provides new insights into the molecular mechanism of HSF1 function and an effective therapeutic strategy against advanced PCa.

Whole Genome Sequences, De Novo Assembly, and Annotation of Antibiotic Resistant Campylobacter jejuni Strains S27, S33, and S36 Newly Isolated from Chicken Meat.

Campylobacter is a leading bacterial cause of gastrointestinal infections in humans and has imposed substantial medical and public health burdens worldwide. Among a total of 39 species in the Campylobacter genus, C. jejuni is the most important species responsible for approx. 90% of human Campylobacter illness. Most cases of the infection were acquired by ingesting undercooked poultry meat due to the high prevalence of Campylobacter in the products. Here, we reported the dataset of raw sequences, de novo assembled and annotated genomes of C. jejuni strains S27, S33, and S36 recently isolated from retail chicken by using PacBio highly accurate long-read sequencing technology combined with bioinformatics tools. Our data revealed several virulence and antibiotic resistance genes in each of the chromosomes, a type IV secretion system in the plasmid (pCjS33) of C. jejuni S33, and a type VI secretion system and a phage in the plasmid (pCjS36) of C. jejuni S36. This study not only provides new sequence data but also extends the knowledge pertaining to the genomic and functional aspects of this important foodborne pathogen, including the genetic determinants of virulence and antibiotic resistance.

Interplay between ATRX and IDH1 mutations governs innate immune responses in diffuse gliomas.

Stimulating the innate immune system has been explored as a therapeutic option for the treatment of gliomas. Inactivating mutations in ATRX, defining molecular alterations in IDH-mutant astrocytomas, have been implicated in dysfunctional immune signaling. However, little is known about the interplay between ATRX loss and IDH mutation on innate immunity. To explore this, we generated ATRX-deficient glioma models in the presence and absence of the IDH1R132H mutation. ATRX-deficient glioma cells are sensitive to dsRNA-based innate immune agonism and exhibit impaired lethality and increased T-cell infiltration in vivo. However, the presence of IDH1R132H dampens baseline expression of key innate immune genes and cytokines in a manner restored by genetic and pharmacological IDH1R132H inhibition. IDH1R132H co-expression does not interfere with the ATRX deficiency-mediated sensitivity to dsRNA. Thus, ATRX loss primes cells for recognition of dsRNA, while IDH1R132H reversibly masks this priming. This work reveals innate immunity as a therapeutic vulnerability of astrocytomas.

Use of a commercial tissue dissociation system to detect Salmonella-contaminated poultry products.

Successful detection of bacterial pathogens in food can be challenging due to the physical and compositional complexity of the matrix. Different mechanical/physical and chemical methods have been developed to separate microorganisms from food matrices to facilitate detection. The present study benchmarked a commercial tissue digestion system that applies both chemical and physical methods to separate microorganisms from tissues against stomaching, a standard process currently utilized by commercial and regulatory food safety laboratories. The impacts of the treatments on the physical properties of the food matrix were characterized along with the compatibility of the methods with downstream microbiological and molecular detection assays. The results indicate the tissue digestion system can significantly reduce the average particle size of the chicken sample relative to processing via a stomacher (P < 0.001) without adversely affecting either real-time PCR (qPCR) or plate counting assays, which are typically used to detect Salmonella. Furthermore, inoculated chicken treated with the GentleMACS resulted in a significant increase (P < 0.003) in the qPCR's detection capabilities relative to stomached controls. Cohen kappa (κ) coefficient and McNemar's test indicate the plating assays and PCR results agree with measurements obtained via the 3 M Molecular Detection System as defined in the MLG standard (κ > 0.62; P > 0.08). Collectively, the results demonstrate that the technique enables detection of pathogens in meat at lower levels of contamination using current industry standard technologies.

Targeting glutamine dependence with DRP-104 inhibits proliferation and tumor growth of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Prostate cancer (PCa) continues to be one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in men. While androgen deprivation therapy is initially effective, castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) often recurs and has limited treatment options. Our previous study identified glutamine metabolism to be critical for CRPC growth. The glutamine antagonist 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) blocks both carbon and nitrogen pathways but has dose-limiting toxicity. The prodrug DRP-104 is expected to be preferentially converted to DON in tumor cells to inhibit glutamine utilization with minimal toxicity. However, CRPC cells' susceptibility to DRP-104 remains unclear. METHODS: Human PCa cell lines (LNCaP, LAPC4, C4-2/MDVR, PC-3, 22RV1, NCI-H660) were treated with DRP-104, and effects on proliferation and cell death were assessed. Unbiased metabolic profiling and isotope tracing evaluated the effects of DRP-104 on glutamine pathways. Efficacy of DRP-104 in vivo was evaluated in a mouse xenograft model of neuroendocrine PCa, NCI-H660. RESULTS: DRP-104 inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in CRPC cell lines. Metabolite profiling showed decreases in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and nucleotide synthesis metabolites. Glutamine isotope tracing confirmed the blockade of both carbon pathway and nitrogen pathways. DRP-104 treated CRPC cells were rescued by the addition of nucleosides. DRP-104 inhibited neuroendocrine PCa xenograft growth without detectable toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: The prodrug DRP-104 blocks glutamine carbon and nitrogen utilization, thereby inhibiting CRPC growth and inducing apoptosis. Targeting glutamine metabolism pathways with DRP-104 represents a promising therapeutic strategy for CRPC.

Repurposing Clemastine to Target Glioblastoma Cell Stemness.

Brain tumor-initiating cells (BTICs) and tumor cell plasticity promote glioblastoma (GBM) progression. Here, we demonstrate that clemastine, an over-the-counter drug for treating hay fever and allergy symptoms, effectively attenuated the stemness and suppressed the propagation of primary BTIC cultures bearing PDGFRA amplification. These effects on BTICs were accompanied by altered gene expression profiling indicative of their more differentiated states, resonating with the activity of clemastine in promoting the differentiation of normal oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes. Functional assays for pharmacological targets of clemastine revealed that the Emopamil Binding Protein (EBP), an enzyme in the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway, is essential for BTIC propagation and a target that mediates the suppressive effects of clemastine. Finally, we showed that a neural stem cell-derived mouse glioma model displaying predominantly proneural features was similarly susceptible to clemastine treatment. Collectively, these results identify pathways essential for maintaining the stemness and progenitor features of GBMs, uncover BTIC dependency on EBP, and suggest that non-oncology, low-toxicity drugs with OPC differentiation-promoting activity can be repurposed to target GBM stemness and aid in their treatment.

Interplay between ATRX and IDH1 mutations governs innate immune responses in diffuse gliomas.

Stimulating the innate immune system has been explored as a therapeutic option for the treatment of gliomas. Inactivating mutations in ATRX , defining molecular alterations in IDH -mutant astrocytomas, have been implicated in dysfunctional immune signaling. However, little is known about the interplay between ATRX loss and IDH mutation on innate immunity. To explore this, we generated ATRX knockout glioma models in the presence and absence of the IDH1 R 132 H mutation. ATRX-deficient glioma cells were sensitive to dsRNA-based innate immune agonism and exhibited impaired lethality and increased T-cell infiltration in vivo . However, the presence of IDH1 R 132 H dampened baseline expression of key innate immune genes and cytokines in a manner restored by genetic and pharmacological IDH1 R132H inhibition. IDH1 R132H co-expression did not interfere with the ATRX KO-mediated sensitivity to dsRNA. Thus, ATRX loss primes cells for recognition of dsRNA, while IDH1 R132H reversibly masks this priming. This work reveals innate immunity as a therapeutic vulnerability of astrocytoma.

Complete Genome Sequence of Campylobacter jejuni BSD5, a Multidrug-Resistant Isolate from a Poultry Processing Facility in the United States.

Raw poultry can harbor microbial pathogens. Campylobacter jejuni BSD5, isolated from a critical control point within a poultry production plant, was sequenced. Genome annotation revealed several virulence genes including antibiotic resistance genes in agreement with the phenotypic results, indicating a potential risk of this strain to public health.

Oncofetal protein glypican-3 is a biomarker and critical regulator of function for neuroendocrine cells in prostate cancer.

Neuroendocrine (NE) cells comprise ~1% of epithelial cells in benign prostate and prostatic adenocarcinoma (PCa). However, they become enriched in hormonally treated and castration-resistant PCa (CRPC). In addition, close to 20% of hormonally treated tumors recur as small cell NE carcinoma (SCNC), composed entirely of NE cells, which may be the result of clonal expansion or lineage plasticity. Since NE cells do not express androgen receptors (ARs), they are resistant to hormonal therapy and contribute to therapy failure. Here, we describe the identification of glypican-3 (GPC3) as an oncofetal cell surface protein specific to NE cells in prostate cancer. Functional studies revealed that GPC3 is critical to the viability of NE tumor cells and tumors displaying NE differentiation and that it regulates calcium homeostasis and signaling. Since our results demonstrate that GPC3 is specifically expressed by NE cells, patients with confirmed SCNC may qualify for GPC3-targeted therapy which has been developed in the context of liver cancer and displays minimal toxicity due to its tumor-specific expression. © 2023 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Rewiring of the N-Glycome with prostate cancer progression and therapy resistance.

An understanding of the molecular features associated with prostate cancer progression (PCa) and resistance to hormonal therapy is crucial for the identification of new targets that can be utilized to treat advanced disease and prolong patient survival. The glycome, which encompasses all sugar polymers (glycans) synthesized by cells, has remained relatively unexplored in the context of advanced PCa despite the fact that glycans have great potential value as biomarkers and therapeutic targets due to their high density on the cell surface. Using imaging mass spectrometry (IMS), we profiled the N-linked glycans in tumor tissue derived from 131 patients representing the major disease states of PCa to identify glycosylation changes associated with loss of tumor cell differentiation, disease remission, therapy resistance and disease recurrence, as well as neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation which is a major mechanism for therapy failure. Our results indicate significant changes to the glycosylation patterns in various stages of PCa, notably a decrease in tri- and tetraantennary glycans correlating with disease remission, a subsequent increase in these structures with the transition to therapy-resistant PCa, and downregulation of complex N-glycans correlating with NE differentiation. Furthermore, both nonglucosylated and monoglucosylated mannose 9 demonstrate aberrant upregulation in therapy-resistant PCa which may be useful therapeutic targets as these structures are not normally presented in healthy tissue. Our findings characterize changes to the tumor glycome that occur with hormonal therapy and the development of castration-resistant PCa (CRPC), identifying several glycan markers and signatures which may be useful for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.

Cancer-associated SMARCAL1 loss-of-function mutations promote alternative lengthening of telomeres and tumorigenesis in telomerase-negative glioblastoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Telomere maintenance mechanisms are required to enable the replicative immortality of malignant cells. While most cancers activate the enzyme telomerase, a subset of cancers uses telomerase-independent mechanisms termed alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). ALT occurs via homology-directed-repair mechanisms and is frequently associated with ATRX mutations. We previously showed that a subset of adult glioblastoma (GBM) patients with ATRX-expressing ALT-positive tumors harbored loss-of-function mutations in the SMARCAL1 gene, which encodes an annealing helicase involved in replication fork remodeling and the resolution of replication stress. However, the causative relationship between SMARCAL1 deficiency, tumorigenesis, and de novo telomere synthesis is not understood. METHODS: We used a patient-derived ALT-positive GBM cell line with native SMARCAL1 deficiency to investigate the role of SMARCAL1 in ALT-mediated de novo telomere synthesis, replication stress, and gliomagenesis in vivo. RESULTS: Inducible rescue of SMARCAL1 expression suppresses ALT indicators and inhibits de novo telomere synthesis in GBM and osteosarcoma cells, suggesting that SMARCAL1 deficiency plays a functional role in ALT induction in cancers that natively lack SMARCAL1 function. SMARCAL1-deficient ALT-positive cells can be serially propagated in vivo in the absence of detectable telomerase activity, demonstrating that the SMARCAL1-deficient ALT phenotype maintains telomeres in a manner that promotes tumorigenesis. CONCLUSIONS: SMARCAL1 deficiency is permissive to ALT and promotes gliomagenesis. Inducible rescue of SMARCAL1 in ALT-positive cell lines permits the dynamic modulation of ALT activity, which will be valuable for future studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms of ALT and identifying novel anticancer therapeutics that target the ALT phenotype.

Joint gene network construction by single-cell RNA sequencing data.

In contrast to differential gene expression analysis at the single-gene level, gene regulatory network (GRN) analysis depicts complex transcriptomic interactions among genes for better understandings of underlying genetic architectures of human diseases and traits. Recent advances in single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) allow constructing GRNs at a much finer resolution than bulk RNA-seq and microarray data. However, scRNA-seq data are inherently sparse, which hinders the direct application of the popular Gaussian graphical models (GGMs). Furthermore, most existing approaches for constructing GRNs with scRNA-seq data only consider gene networks under one condition. To better understand GRNs across different but related conditions at single-cell resolution, we propose to construct Joint Gene Networks with scRNA-seq data (JGNsc) under the GGMs framework. To facilitate the use of GGMs, JGNsc first proposes a hybrid imputation procedure that combines a Bayesian zero-inflated Poisson model with an iterative low-rank matrix completion step to efficiently impute zero-inflated counts resulted from technical artifacts. JGNsc then transforms the imputed data via a nonparanormal transformation, based on which joint GGMs are constructed. We demonstrate JGNsc and assess its performance using synthetic data. The application of JGNsc on two cancer clinical studies of medulloblastoma and glioblastoma gains novel insights in addition to confirming well-known biological results.

Bifunctional Lewis Base Catalyzed Asymmetric N-Allylic Alkylation of 2-Hydroxypyridines.

A chiral Lewis base catalyzed enantioselective N-allylic alkylation of 2-hydroxypyridines and MBH carbonates is documented, affording a convenient access to N-alkylated 2-pyridones with up to 99% ee and 99% yield. Experimental and computational studies have revealed that the strong hydrogen bond interaction between the chiral Lewis base catalyst and 2-hydroxypyridines plays a crucial role in this reaction for the reactivity, chemoselectivity, and enantioselectivity.

MOR promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and proliferation via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in human colorectal cancer.

The mu-opioid receptor (MOR), a membrane-bound G protein-coupled receptor, is implicated in progression and long-term outcome of several types of tumors. However, the expression and clinical significance of MOR in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. In this study, a total of 180 paraffin-embedded samples of paired tumors and normal tissues from CRC patients are used to explore expression levels of MOR by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Results show that MOR is highly expressed in tumors compared with that in paired normal tissues ( P<0.0001). MOR expression levels are associated with the degree of differentiation ( P<0.001) and the regional lymph node metastasis ( P<0.001). In addition, a significant difference is also found in the overall survival (OS) between MOR low- and high-expression groups ( P=0.002), especially in patients with TNM stage III or IV CRC ( P=0.007). Both univariate ( P=0.002) and multivariate ( P=0.013) analyses indicated that MOR is an independent risk factor associated with CRC prognosis. We further investigate the mechanism in MOR-positive CRC cell line HCT116. The results show that silencing of MOR significantly suppresses epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), in addition to suppressing cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In addition, the expression of downstream p-AKT is also significantly downregulated, and the above suppression effect could be rescued by PI3K/AKT signaling agonist. We conclude that MOR mediates EMT via PI3K/AKT signaling, facilitating lymph node metastasis and resulting in poor survival of CRC patients. Our findings suggest that MOR is a novel prognostic indicator and the application of opioid receptor antagonists may be a novel therapeutic strategy for CRC patients with high MOR expression.

Complete Genome Sequences of Multidrug-Resistant Campylobacter coli Strains YH501, YH503, and YH504, from Retail Chicken.

Campylobacter coli is an important foodborne pathogen that can cause inflammation of the intestine and diarrhea in humans. The complete genomes, including megaplasmids, of C. coli strains YH501, YH503, and YH504 from retail chicken were sequenced and de novo assembled. Whole-genome analysis revealed a number of virulence and antibiotic resistance genes, suggesting significant potential for these poultry-originating isolates to cause human disease.

A study protocol of a randomized phase II trial of perioperative chemoimmunotherapy verses perioperative chemoimmunotherapy plus preoperative chemoradiation for locally advanced gastric (G) or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma: the NeoRacing study.

BACKGROUND: Perioperative chemotherapy (ChT) and preoperative chemoradiation (CRT) are both the standard treatments for locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). CRT can achieve a higher pathological complete regression (pCR) rate, but whether this higher pCR rate can be transformed into a long-term survival benefit remains inconclusive. Therefore, relevant studies are in progress. On the other hand, immunotherapy has been established for the first-line treatment of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) and has been widely explored in the perioperative setting. The combination of chemotherapy/radiotherapy and immunotherapy may have a synergistic effect, which will lead to a better antitumor effect. The preliminary reports of ongoing studies show promising results, including a further improved pCR rate. However, the preferred treatment combination for LAGC is still not established. To solve this problem, we are carrying out this randomized phase II trial, which aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of perioperative chemotherapy plus the use of PD-1 antibody with or without preoperative chemoradiation for LAGC. METHODS: Eligible patients with LAGC or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinoma were randomized to receive perioperative ChT, PD-1 antibody, surgery with (Arm A) or without preoperative CRT (Arm B), and PD-1 antibody maintenance until one year after surgery. The primary endpoint of this study is that the pCR rate of Arm A will be significantly higher than that of Arm B. The secondary endpoints include the pathological partial regression (pPR) rate, R0 resection rate, objective response rate (ORR), event-free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), safety and surgical complications. Moreover, several explorative endpoints will be evaluated to find and validate the predictive biomarkers of immunotherapy. DISCUSSION: The results of the NeoRacing study will provide important information concerning the application of PD-1 antibody in LAGC patients during the perioperative setting. Meanwhile, the two treatment protocols will be compared in terms of efficacy and safety. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05161572 . Registered 17 December 2021 - Retrospectively registered.

Rubicon promotes the M2 polarization of Kupffer cells via LC3-associated phagocytosis-mediated clearance to improve liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Acute rejection (AR) after liver transplantation (LT) is closely related to the survival of patients after surgery. Enhancement of the ability of Kupffer cells (KCs) to eliminate apoptotic cells can effectively alleviate AR. METHODS: Rubicon lentivirus (LV) and Rubicon small interfering RNA (siRNA) were transfected into KCs extracted from the liver tissue of mice. Primary KCs were extracted and cocultured with zymosan and apoptotic T lymphocytes. The levels of CD86, CD163, IL-10, TNF-α, TGF-ß, JAK1, STAT6, AKT1, mTOR and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) were assessed via Western blotting (WB) and q-PCR. The levels of CD86 and CD163 were assessed via flow cytometry. mCherry-GFP-LC3 adenovirus (AV) was transfected into KCs. The recruitment of LC3II and the fusion of phagosomes and lysosomes were detected using immunofluorescence. Rubicon adeno-associated virus (AAV) was transfected into the liver tissue of mice via the portal vein, and models of immune tolerance (IT) and AR following LT were established. Pathological changes in the liver tissue were detected using HE staining. Apoptotic cells were assessed via TUNEL staining. The polarization state of KCs was detected via immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: Rubicon-mediated LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) promotes the ability of KCs to degrade and clear apoptotic T lymphocytes. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the product of apoptotic T lymphocyte degradation, activate PPARγ, which further promotes the M2 polarization of KCs. Enhanced degradation mediated by Rubicon contributes to promoting the M2 polarization of KCs and a microenvironment supportive of IT. CONCLUSIONS: Rubicon-mediated LAP promotes the clearance capability and M2 polarization of KCs via PUFA-dependent PPARγ activation to improve LT.