Identification and characterization of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri during gonadal development

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) controls synthesis of sex steroid hormones through hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in vertebrates. But in mollusks, research on neuroendocrine control of gonadal function, such as the function of GnRH during gonadal development is limited. In this study, we investigated the morphology and structure of the nerve ganglia of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri by physiological and histological observations. We also cloned the ORF and studied the expression patterns of GnRH in the scallop. Tissue expression analysis showed that GnRH was highly expressed in parietovisceral ganglion (PVG). The in situ hybridization result further confirmed that GnRH mRNA only distributed in some good-sized neurons in the posterior lobe (PL) and some pint-sized neurons in the lateral lobe (LL). In addition, by examining the expression of GnRH during gonadal development in ganglia, we found GnRH displayed higher expression in the female scallops, and showed significant high expression at the growing stage of female scallops in PVG. This study would contribute to gaining insight into the mechanism underlying reproduction regulation by GnRH in the scallop and help to provide a better understanding of reproductive neuroendocrine in mollusks.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Dermcidin-Containing Migrasomes enhance LC3-Associated Phagocytosis of Pulmonary Macrophages and Protect against Post-Stroke Pneumonia

Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Antibiotics fail to improve prognosis of patients with post-stroke pneumonia, albeit suppressing infection, due to adverse impacts on the immune system. The current study reports that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) downregulate bacterial load in the lungs of stroke mice models. RNA-sequencing of the lung from BM-MSC-treated stroke models indicates that BM-MSC modulates pulmonary macrophage activities after cerebral ischemia. Mechanistically, BM-MSC promotes the bacterial phagocytosis of pulmonary macrophages through releasing migrasomes, which are migration-dependent extracellular vesicles. With liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), the result shows that BM-MSC are found to load the antibacterial peptide dermcidin (DCD) in migrasomes upon bacterial stimulation. Besides the antibiotic effect, DCD enhances LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) of macrophages, facilitating their bacterial clearance. The data demonstrate that BM-MSC is a promising therapeutic candidate against post-stroke pneumonia, with dual functions of anti-infection and immunol modulation, which is more than a match for antibiotics treatment.

FAR591 promotes the pathogenesis and progression of SONFH by regulating Fos expression to mediate the apoptosis of bone microvascular endothelial cells

The specific pathogenesis of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) is still not fully understood, and there is currently no effective early cure. Understanding the role and mechanism of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of SONFH will help reveal the pathogenesis of SONFH and provide new targets for its early prevention and treatment. In this study, we first confirmed that glucocorticoid (GC)-induced apoptosis of bone microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) is a pre-event in the pathogenesis and progression of SONFH. Then, we identified a new lncRNA in BMECs via lncRNA/mRNA microarray, termed Fos-associated lincRNA ENSRNOT00000088059.1 (FAR591). FAR591 is highly expressed during GC-induced BMEC apoptosis and femoral head necrosis. Knockout of FAR591 effectively blocked the GC-induced apoptosis of BMECs, which then alleviated the damage of GCs to the femoral head microcirculation and inhibited the pathogenesis and progression of SONFH. In contrast, overexpression of FAR591 significantly promoted the GC-induced apoptosis of BMECs, which then aggravated the damage of GCs to the femoral head microcirculation and promoted the pathogenesis and progression of SONFH. Mechanistically, GCs activate the glucocorticoid receptor, which translocates to the nucleus and directly acts on the FAR591 gene promoter to induce FAR591 gene overexpression. Subsequently, FAR591 binds to the Fos gene promoter (-245∼-51) to form a stable RNA:DNA triplet structure and then recruits TATA-box binding protein associated factor 15 and RNA polymerase II to promote Fos expression through transcriptional activation. Fos activates the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by regulating the expression of Bcl-2 interacting mediator of cell death (Bim) and P53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (Puma) to mediate GC-induced apoptosis of BMECs, which leads to femoral head microcirculation dysfunction and femoral head necrosis. In conclusion, these results confirm the mechanistic link between lncRNAs and the pathogenesis of SONFH, which helps reveal the pathogenesis of SONFH and provides a new target for the early prevention and treatment of SONFH.

CircRNAs: versatile players and new targets in organ fibrosis

Organ fibrosis can occur in virtually all major organs with relentlessly progressive and irreversible progress, ultimately resulting in organ dysfunction and potentially death. Unfortunately, current clinical treatments cannot halt or reverse the progression of fibrosis to end-stage organ failure, and thus, advanced antifibrotic therapeutics are urgently needed. In recent years, a growing body of research has revealed that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play pivotal roles in the development and progression of organ fibrosis through highly diverse mechanisms of action. Thus, manipulating circRNAs has emerged as a promising strategy to mitigate fibrosis across different organ types. In this review, we systemically summarize the current state of knowledge about circRNA biological properties and the regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs. A comprehensive overview of major fibrotic signaling pathways and representative circRNAs that are known to modulate fibrotic signals are outlined. Then, we focus on the research progress of the versatile functional roles and underlying molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in various fibrotic diseases in different organs, including the heart, liver, lung, kidney and skin. Finally, we offer a glimpse into the prospects of circRNA-based interference and therapy, as well as their utilization as biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of fibrotic diseases. Video abstract.

Research on the Modulation Transfer Function Detection Method of a Bayer Filter Color Camera

Bayer filter color cameras are more and more widely used in the field of aerospace remote sensing, but the Bayer filter causes great degradation in image quality; therefore, obtaining a means of achieving the high-precision measurement of the modulation transfer function (MTF) of Bayer filter color cameras is an urgent problem. In order to solve this problem, this paper develops a slanted-edge method via three steps: the detection of the slanted edge, the acquisition and processing of the edge spread function (ESF), and the acquisition and processing of the line spread function (LSF). A combination of the Canny operator and Hough transform is proposed for the detection of the slanted edge, which improves the fitting accuracy and anti-interference ability of the algorithm. Further, the Canny operator is improved by constructing an adaptive filter function and introducing the Otsu method, which can more effectively smooth the image and remove its false edges. A method of processing ESF data by combining cubic spline interpolation and Savitzky-Golay (SG) filtering is proposed, which reduces the effects of noise and the non-uniform sampling of ESF on MTF. A method of LSF processing using Gaussian function fitting is proposed to further reduce the effect of noise on MTF. The improved algorithm is verified by the MTF measurement test applied to a specific type of Bayer filter color space camera. The simulation and test results show that the improved slanted-edge method discussed in this paper has greater precision and a better anti-interference ability, and it can effectively solve the difficult problem associated with MTF detection in Bayer filter color space cameras.

Outer fold is sole effective tissue among three mantle folds with regard to oyster shell colour

Molluscs constitute the second largest phylum of animals in the world, and shell colour is one of their most important phenotypic characteristics. In this study, we found among three folds on the mantle edge of oyster, only the outer fold had the same colour as the shell. Transcriptome and mantle cutting experiment indicated that the outer fold may be mainly reflected in chitin framework formation and biomineralisation. There were obvious differences in SEM structure and protein composition between the black and white shell periostraca. The black shell periostraca had more proteins related to melanin biosynthesis and chitin binding. Additionally, we identified an uncharacterized protein gene (named as CgCBP) ultra-highly expressed only in the black outer fold and confirmed its function of chitin-binding and CaCO₃ precipitation promoting. RNAi also indicated that CgCBP knockdown could change the structure of shell periostracum and reduce shell pigmentation. All these results suggest that the mantle outer fold plays multiple key roles in shell periostraca bioprocessing, and shell periostracum structure affected by chitin-binding protein is functionally correlated with shell pigmentation. The investigation of oyster shell periostracum structure and shell colour will provide a better understanding in pigmentation during biological mineralisation in molluscs.

Mutation Hotspots Found in Bladder Cancer Aid Prediction of Carcinogenic Risk in Normal Urothelium

More than 80,000 new cases of bladder cancer are estimated to be diagnosed in 2023. However, the 5-year survival rate for bladder cancer has not changed in decades, highlighting the need for prevention. Numerous cancer-causing mutations are present in the urothelium long before signs of cancer arise. Mutation hotspots in cancer-driving genes were identified in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) tumor samples. Mutation burden within the hotspot regions was measured in normal urothelium with a low and high risk of cancer. A significant correlation was found between the mutation burden in normal urothelium and bladder cancer tissue within the hotspot regions. A combination of measured hotspot burden and personal risk factors was used to fit machine learning classification models. The efficacy of each model to differentiate between adjacent benign urothelium from bladder cancer patients and normal urothelium from healthy donors was measured. A random forest model using a combination of personal risk factors and mutations within MIBC hotspots yielded the highest AUC of 0.9286 for the prediction of high- vs. low-risk normal urothelium. Currently, there are no effective biomarkers to assess subclinical field disease and early carcinogenic progression in the bladder. Our findings demonstrate novel differences in mutation hotspots in NMIBC and MIBC and provide the first evidence for mutation hotspots to aid in the assessment of cancer risk in the normal urothelium. Early risk assessment and identification of patients at high risk of bladder cancer before the clinical presentation of the disease can pave the way for targeted personalized preventative therapy.

[Interpretation of the essential updates in guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (Version 2022)]

Chinese Society of Hepatology and Chinese Society of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Medical Association update the guidelines for the prevention and treatment of chronic hepatitis B (version 2022) in 2022. The latest guidelines recommend more extensive screening and more active antiviral treating for hepatitis B virus infection. This article interprets the essential updates in the guidelines to help deepen understanding and better guide the clinical practice.

NeuronMotif: Deciphering cis-regulatory codes by layer-wise demixing of deep neural networks

Discovering DNA regulatory sequence motifs and their relative positions is vital to understanding the mechanisms of gene expression regulation. Although deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have achieved great success in predicting cis-regulatory elements, the discovery of motifs and their combinatorial patterns from these CNN models has remained difficult. We show that the main difficulty is due to the problem of multifaceted neurons which respond to multiple types of sequence patterns. Since existing interpretation methods were mainly designed to visualize the class of sequences that can activate the neuron, the resulting visualization will correspond to a mixture of patterns. Such a mixture is usually difficult to interpret without resolving the mixed patterns. We propose the NeuronMotif algorithm to interpret such neurons. Given any convolutional neuron (CN) in the network, NeuronMotif first generates a large sample of sequences capable of activating the CN, which typically consists of a mixture of patterns. Then, the sequences are "demixed" in a layer-wise manner by backward clustering of the feature maps of the involved convolutional layers. NeuronMotif can output the sequence motifs, and the syntax rules governing their combinations are depicted by position weight matrices organized in tree structures. Compared to existing methods, the motifs found by NeuronMotif have more matches to known motifs in the JASPAR database. The higher-order patterns uncovered for deep CNs are supported by the literature and ATAC-seq footprinting. Overall, NeuronMotif enables the deciphering of cis-regulatory codes from deep CNs and enhances the utility of CNN in genome interpretation.

Abstract 6518: Time course genomic characterization reveals progressive accumulation of mutations during tumor development in a Lynch syndrome mouse model

DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes (e.g., MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, and EPCAM) play an important role in maintaining genomic stability during DNA replication and recombination. Deficiency in MMR resulting from mutations in these genes leads to mutations in microsatellite regions throughout the genome (microsatellite instability; MSI) and in cancer driver oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes, which accumulate over time and eventually lead to cancer formation. Monoallelic germline mutation in MMR genes causes Lynch syndrome (LS). Among LS-related cancer types, the lifetime risk for colorectal cancer (CRC) is the highest (~80%). Frameshift mutations (FSMs) in coding microsatellites produce neoantigens, which have been shown to elicit immune responses. It was thus postulated that they can serve as vaccine targets. To develop a prophylactic vaccine and prevention strategy for this high-risk population, we characterized a LS mouse model (Msh2LoxP/LoxP;Villin-Cre) to determine whether these mice recapitulate the human LS oncogenic process. We found that tumor development was already notable at 7-8 months of age and median survival was 11.5 months. Histopathological analysis showed that tumors were adenoma or adenocarcinoma mixed with mucinous features. Using a targeted sequencing approach, a panel of FSMs in mononucleotide regions were identified in both tumors and histologically normal mucosa, suggesting that Msh2 deletion and FSMs were not sufficient for tumor development. In addition, Apc, Ctnnb, and Trp53 mutations were also observed with low frequency in organoids derived from these tumors, indicating that other driver mutations may be required for tumor initiation and progression, and most FSMs detected in tumors and mucosa were probably passenger mutations. To determine if fecal samples can be used to monitor the FSM load, fecal DNA from different time points was sequenced. We found that FSMs can be detected at 1month of age although the number of FSMs was relatively low compared to that from older mice, indicating that FSMs accumulate over time. MSI detection via fragment analysis confirmed that these tumors were MSI-H. Interestingly, mucosa and fecal samples from a time course study showed progressive increase in microsatellite instability, suggesting the possibility of using MSI score for disease monitoring. Our preliminary data indicates that combined fecal FSM status and MSI score can be potentially used as a biomarker to monitor the tumor development and disease progression for LS colorectal cancer.

Funded by the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, under Contract No. HHSN261201500003I

Citation Format: Yurong Song, Shaneen Baxter, Lisheng Dai, Chelsea Sanders, Holli Loomans-Kropp, Brandon Somerville, Ryan N. Baugher, Stephanie D. Mellott, Todd B. Young, Heidi E. Lawhorn, Teri M. Plona, Bingfang Xu, Lei Wei, Qiang Hu, Song Liu, Alan Hutson, Baktiar Karim, Simone Difilippantonio, Ligia Pinto, Matthias Kloor, Steven M. Lipkin, Shizuko Sei, Robert H. Shoemaker. Time course genomic characterization reveals progressive accumulation of mutations during tumor development in a Lynch syndrome mouse model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6518.

Disrupted Topological Organization of White Matter Network in Angelman Syndrome

BACKGROUND

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder that affects neurodevelopment. The investigation of changes in the brain white matter network, which would contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of AS brain, was lacking.

PURPOSE

To investigate both local and global alterations of white matter in patients with AS.

STUDY TYPE

Prospective.

SUBJECTS

A total of 29 AS patients (6.6 ± 1.4 years, 15 [52%] females) and 19 age-matched healthy controls (HC) (7.0 ± 1.5 years, 10 [53%] females).

FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE

A 3-T, three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted imaging by using gradient-echo-based sequence, single shell diffusion tensor imaging by using spin-echo-based echo-planar imaging.

ASSESSMENT

Network metrics including global efficiency (E_g ), local efficiency (E_loc ), small world coefficient (Swc), rich-club coefficient (Φ), and nodal degree (ND) were estimated from diffusion MR (dMR) data. Connections among highly connected (hub) regions and less connected (peripheral) regions were also assessed. Correlation between the topological parameters and age for each group was also calculated to assess the development of the brain.

STATISTICAL TESTS

Linear regression model, permutation test. P values estimated from the regression model for each brain region were adjusted by false discovery rate (FDR) correction.

RESULTS

AS patients showed significantly lower E_g and higher swc compared to HC. Φ_n significantly increased at higher k-levels in AS patients. In addition, the connections among hub regions and peripheral regions were significantly interrupted in AS patients.

DATA CONCLUSION

The AS brain showed diminished connectivity, reflected by reduced network efficiency compared to HC. Compared to densely connected regions, less connected regions were more vulnerable in AS.

EVIDENCE LEVEL

2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.

Monolayer MoS2 Fabricated by In Situ Construction of Interlayer Electrostatic Repulsion Enables Ultrafast Ion Transport in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Highlights

In-situ construction of electrostatic repulsion between MoS2 interlayers is first proposed to successfully prepare Co-doped monolayer MoS2 under high vapor pressure. The doped Co atoms radically decrease bandgap and lithium ion diffusion energy barrier of monolayer MoS2 and can be transformed into ultrasmall Co nanoparticles (~2 nm) to induce strong surface-capacitance effect during conversion reaction. The Co doped monolayer MoS2 shows ultrafast ion transport capability along with ultrahigh capacity and outstanding cycling stability as lithium-ion-battery anodes.

Abstract

High theoretical capacity and unique layered structures make MoS2 a promising lithium-ion battery anode material. However, the anisotropic ion transport in layered structures and the poor intrinsic conductivity of MoS2 lead to unacceptable ion transport capability. Here, we propose in-situ construction of interlayer electrostatic repulsion caused by Co2+ substituting Mo4+ between MoS2 layers, which can break the limitation of interlayer van der Waals forces to fabricate monolayer MoS2, thus establishing isotropic ion transport paths. Simultaneously, the doped Co atoms change the electronic structure of monolayer MoS2, thus improving its intrinsic conductivity. Importantly, the doped Co atoms can be converted into Co nanoparticles to create a space charge region to accelerate ion transport. Hence, the Co-doped monolayer MoS2 shows ultrafast lithium ion transport capability in half/full cells. This work presents a novel route for the preparation of monolayer MoS2 and demonstrates its potential for application in fast-charging lithium-ion batteries.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40820-023-01042-4.

Coenzyme A binding sites induce proximal acylation across protein families

Lysine Nɛ-acylations, such as acetylation or succinylation, are post-translational modifications that regulate protein function. In mitochondria, lysine acylation is predominantly non-enzymatic, and only a specific subset of the proteome is acylated. Coenzyme A (CoA) can act as an acyl group carrier via a thioester bond, but what controls the acylation of mitochondrial lysines remains poorly understood. Using published datasets, here we found that proteins with a CoA-binding site are more likely to be acetylated, succinylated, and glutarylated. Using computational modeling, we show that lysine residues near the CoA-binding pocket are highly acylated compared to those farther away. We hypothesized that acyl-CoA binding enhances acylation of nearby lysine residues. To test this hypothesis, we co-incubated enoyl-CoA hydratase short chain 1 (ECHS1), a CoA-binding mitochondrial protein, with succinyl-CoA and CoA. Using mass spectrometry, we found that succinyl-CoA induced widespread lysine succinylation and that CoA competitively inhibited ECHS1 succinylation. CoA-induced inhibition at a particular lysine site correlated inversely with the distance between that lysine and the CoA-binding pocket. Our study indicated that CoA acts as a competitive inhibitor of ECHS1 succinylation by binding to the CoA-binding pocket. Together, this suggests that proximal acylation at CoA-binding sites is a primary mechanism for lysine acylation in the mitochondria.

Synthesizing metal oxide semiconductors on doped Si/SiO2 flexible fiber substrates for wearable gas sensing

Traditional metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors have limited applications in wearable devices owing to their inflexibility and high-power consumption by substantial heat loss. To overcome these limitations, we prepared doped Si/SiO₂ flexible fibers by a thermal drawing method as substrates to fabricate MOS gas sensors. A methane (CH₄) gas sensor was demonstrated by subsequently in situ synthesizing Co-doped ZnO nanorods on the fiber surface. The doped Si core acted as the heating source through Joule heating, which conducted heat to the sensing material with reduced heat loss; the SiO₂ cladding was an insulating substrate. The gas sensor was integrated into a miner cloth as a wearable device, and the concentration change of CH₄ was monitored in real time through different colored light-emitting diodes. Our study demonstrated the feasibility of using doped Si/SiO₂ fibers as the substrates to fabricate wearable MOS gas sensors, where the sensors have substantial advantages over tradition sensors in flexibility, heat utilization, etc.

Spatiotemporal assessment of immunogenomic heterogeneity in multiple myeloma

Spatial heterogeneity is a common phenomenon in metastatic solid tumors and an evolving concept in multiple myeloma (MM). The interplay between malignant plasma cells (PCs) and the microenvironment has not yet been analyzed in MM. For this purpose, we performed bone marrow aspirates and imaging-guided biopsies of corresponding lesions in newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) and relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) patients. PCs were isolated and subjected to whole-exome sequencing (WES). Non-PCs were studied with next-generation flow (NGF) and T-cell receptor sequencing (TCRseq) to analyze the connection between malignant and nonmalignant cells in the bone marrow and in lesions. Although we observed a strong overlap from WES, NGF, and TCRseq in patients with intramedullary disease, WES revealed significant spatial heterogeneity in patients with extramedullary disease. NGF showed significant immunosuppression in RRMM compared with NDMM as indicated by fewer myeloid dendritic cells, unswitched memory B cells, Th9 cells, and CD8 effector memory T cells but more natural killer and regulatory T cells. Additionally, fewer T-cell receptor (TCR) sequences were detected in RRMM compared with NDMM and healthy individuals. After induction therapy, TCR repertoire richness increased to levels of healthy individuals, and NGF showed more regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, regardless of depth of response. Clinical significance of imaging-guided biopsies of lesions was demonstrated by detection of monoclonal PCs in patients without measurable residual disease (MRD) in aspirates from the iliac crest as well as identification of secondary primary malignancies in MRD- patients. Furthermore, site-specific clones with different drug susceptibilities and genetically defined high-risk features were detected by our workflow.

Convenient tumor 3D spheroid arrays manufacturing via acoustic excited bubbles for in situ drug screening

The quick and convenient fabrication of in vitro tumor spheroids models has been pursued for clinical drug discovery and personalized therapy. Here, uniform three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids are quickly constructed by acoustically excited bubble arrays in a microfluidic chip and performed drug response testing in situ. In detail, bubble oscillation excited by acoustic waves induces second radiation force, resulting in the cells rotating and aggregating into tumor spheroids, which obtain controllable sizes ranging from 30 to 300 μm. These spherical tumor models are located in microfluidic networks, where drug solutions with gradient concentrations are generated from 0 to 18 mg mL^-1, so that the cell spheroids response to drugs can be monitored conveniently and efficiently. This one-step tumor spheroids manufacturing method significantly reduces the model construction time to less than 15 s and increases efficiency by eliminating additional transfer processes. These significant advantages of convenience and high-throughput manufacturing make the tumor models promising for use in tumor treatment and point-of-care diagnosis.

Laser-Cutted Epidermal Microfluidic Patch with Capillary Bursting Valves for Chronological Capture, Storage, and Colorimetric Sensing of Sweat

Flexible wearable microfluidic devices show great feasibility and potential development in the collection and analysis of sweat due to their convenience and non-invasive characteristics in health-level feedback and disease prediction. However, the traditional production process of microfluidic patches relies on resource-intensive laboratory and high-cost facilities. In this paper, a low-cost laser-cutting technology is proposed to fabricate epidermal microfluidic patches for the collection, storage and colorimetric analysis of sweat. Two different types of capillary bursting valves are designed and integrated into microchannel layers to produce two-stage bursting pressure for the reliable routing of sweat into microreservoirs in sequential fashion, avoiding the mixing of old and new sweat. Additionally, an enzyme-based reagent is embedded into the microreservoirs to quantify the glucose level in sweat by using colorimetric methods, demonstrating a high detection sensitivity at the glucose concentration from 0.1 mM to 1 mM in sweat and an excellent anti-interference performance that prevents interference from substances probably existent in sweat. In vitro and on-body experiments demonstrate the validity of the low-cost, laser-cut epidermal microfluidic patch for the chronological analysis of sweat glucose concentration and its potential application in the monitoring of human physiological information.

HotSPOT: A Computational Tool to Design Targeted Sequencing Panels to Assess Early Photocarcinogenesis

Mutations found in skin are acquired in specific patterns, clustering around mutation-prone genomic locations. The most mutation-prone genomic areas, mutation hotspots, first induce the growth of small cell clones in healthy skin. Mutations accumulate over time, and clones with driver mutations may give rise to skin cancer. Early mutation accumulation is a crucial first step in photocarcinogenesis. Therefore, a sufficient understanding of the process may help predict disease onset and identify avenues for skin cancer prevention. Early epidermal mutation profiles are typically established using high-depth targeted next-generation sequencing. However, there is currently a lack of tools for designing custom panels to capture mutation-enriched genomic regions efficiently. To address this issue, we created a computational algorithm that implements a pseudo-exhaustive approach to identify the best genomic areas to target. We benchmarked the current algorithm in three independent mutation datasets of human epidermal samples. Compared to the sequencing panel designs originally used in these publications, the mutation capture efficacy (number of mutations/base pairs sequenced) of our designed panel improved 9.6-12.1-fold. Mutation burden in the chronically sun-exposed and intermittently sun-exposed normal epidermis was measured within genomic regions identified by hotSPOT based on cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) mutation patterns. We found a significant increase in mutation capture efficacy and mutation burden in cSCC hotspots in chronically sun-exposed vs. intermittently sun-exposed epidermis (p < 0.0001). Our results show that our hotSPOT web application provides a publicly available resource for researchers to design custom panels, enabling efficient detection of somatic mutations in clinically normal tissues and other similar targeted sequencing studies. Moreover, hotSPOT also enables the comparison of mutation burden between normal tissues and cancer.

[Utilizing ultra-small volume graft in auxiliary liver transplantation for portal hypertension]

Objective: To examine the clinical effect of auxiliary liver transplantation with ultra-small volume graft in the treatment of portal hypertension. Methods: Twelve cases of portal hypertension treated by auxiliary liver transplantation with small volume graft at Liver Transplantation Center,Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University between December 2014 and March 2022 were studied retrospectively. There were 8 males and 4 females,aged 14 to 66 years. Model for end-stage liver disease scores were 1 to 15 points and Child scores were 6 to 11 points. The grafts was derived from living donors in 9 cases,from split cadaveric donors in 2 cases,from whole cadaveric liver of child in 1 case. The graft recipient body weight ratios of 3 cadaveric donor livers were 0.79% to 0.90%, and of 9 living donor livers were 0.31% to 0.55%.In these cases, ultra-small volume grafts were implanted. The survivals of patient and graft, complications, portal vein blood flow of residual liver and graft, abdominal drainage and biochemical indexes of liver function were observed. Results: All the grafts and patients survived. Complications included outflow tract torsion in 2 cases, acute rejection in 1 case, bile leakage in 1 case, and thyroid cancer at the later stage of follow-up in 1 case, all of which were cured. The torsion of outflow tract was attributed to the change of anastomotic angle after the growth of donor liver. After the improvement of anastomotic method, the complication did not recur in the later stage. There was no complication of portal hypertension. The measurement of ultrasonic portal vein blood flow velocity showed that the blood flow of residual liver decreased significantly in the early stage after operation, and maintained a very low blood flow velocity or occlusion in the long term after operation, and the blood flow of transplanted liver was stable. Conclusions: Auxiliary liver transplantation can implant ultra-small donor liver through compensation of residual liver. This method may promote the development of living donor left lobe donation and split liver transplantation. However, the auxiliary liver transplantation is complex, and it is difficult to control the complications. Therefore, this method is currently limited to centers that are skilled in living related liver transplantation and that have complete ability to monitor and deal with complications.

Waste-biomass-derived activated carbon supported Co-Cu-P nanocatalysts for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

Hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane is a significant and promising approach for on-site hydrogen production at ambient conditions, and developing highly efficient and low-cost catalysts has attracted considerable attention. Herein, waste-biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) was prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and alkali-assisted activation, and non-precious bimetal phosphides (Co-Cu-P) nanocatalysts with a series of different Co/Cu ratios were synthesized on the AC surface through in situ phosphidation method. Owing to the synergetic effects, the optimal Co0.8Cu0.2P/AC presents an outstanding turnover frequency of 26.5 min-1 (25 °C), which is much higher than that of many reported catalysts. The reaction activation energy was measured to be 34.6 kJ mol-1. Benefiting from the ferromagnetic nature of the phosphides, the Co0.8Cu0.2P/AC can be magnetically separated and reused again. After recycling six times, the catalyst still retains 72% of the initial activity, thus indicating great potential for practical applications.

Natural Killer Cells Disrupt Nerve Fibers by Granzyme H in Atheriosclerotic Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Natural killer (NK) cells are enriched in the central nervous system in aging-related atheriosclerotic cerebral small vessel disease (aCSVD), but their roles and underlying mechanism remain to be elucidated. To identify potential cytotoxic molecules released by NK cells in aCSVD lesions, proteomic analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), plasma, and peripheral NK cells from patients with aCSVD were performed. We found that integrin β2 (ITGB2), cathepsin D (CTSD), and granzyme H (GZMH) were highly expressed in NK cells. ITGB2 interacted with intercellular adhesion molecule 1 in vascular endothelial cells. As assessed by immunofluorescence and scanning electron microscopy of the blood-brain barrier model, transwell membranes covered with primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells and astrocytes, we demonstrated that the CTSD-mediated degradation of collagen in the blood-brain barrier depended on the cytotoxicity of NK cells in aCSVD. With the immunostaining in vitro and in vivo, GZMH disruption of demyelinated nerve fibers was reversed by cotreatment with the inhibitor 3,4-DCIC during white matter hyperintensity (WMH) in aCSVD. Our results indicate that NK cells contribute to CTSD-induced damage to the blood-brain barrier and GZMH-induced disruption of nerve fibers during WMH in aCSVD.

Hybridization Engineering of Oxyfluoride Aluminosilicate Glass for Construction of Dual-Phase Optical Ceramics

The construction of transparent ceramics under mild conditionsand standard atmospheric pressure has great scientific and technological potential; however, it remains difficult to achieve when conventional ceramic sintering techniques are used. Herein, a mild strategy for constructing dual-phase optical ceramics with high crystallinity (>90%) based on the stepped dual-phase crystallization of hybridized aluminosilicate glass is presented. Theoretical and experimental studies reveal that the hybridization of the glass system enables a new balance between the glass-forming ability and crystallization and can overcome the uncontrolled devitrification phenomenon during the dense crystallization of glass. Transparent hybridized oxide-fluoride ceramics with fiber geometry and dual-phase microstructures are also successfully fabricated. The generality of the strategy is confirmed, and transparent ceramics with various chemical compositions and phase combinations are prepared. Additionally, the cross-section of the ceramic fibers can be easily tuned into a circle, square, trapezoid, or even a triangle. Furthermore, the practical applications of optical ceramics for lighting and X-ray imaging are demonstrated. The findings described here suggest a major step toward expanding the scope of optical ceramics.

Daylight ultraviolet B radiation ruptured the cell membrane, promoted nucleotide metabolism and inhibited energy metabolism in the plasma of Pacific oyster

The increasing and intensifying ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation in sunlight is an environmental threat to aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting the entire life cycle of wild or aquacultural Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas with photoreception. Due to its complex composition, plasma is an important biological specimen for investigating the degree of disturbance from its steady state caused by the external environment in the open-pipe-type hemolymph of mollusks. We performed a multi-omic analysis of C. gigas plasma exposed to daylight UVB radiation. Hub differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified using the functional classification of Clusters of Orthologous Groups of proteins (COGs) through the protein-protein interaction (PPI)-based maximal clique centrality (MCC) algorithm. Our results summarize three types of UVB influences (disruption of the cell membrane, promotion of nucleotide metabolism, and inhibition of energy metabolism) on C. gigas based on transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic analyses. The associated hub DEGs, DEPs (e.g., nucleoside diphosphate kinase, malate dehydrogenase, and hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase), and metabolites (e.g., uridine, adenine, deoxyguanosine, guanosine, and xylitol) in the plasma were identified as biomarkers of mollusk response to UVB radiation, and could be used to evaluate the influence of environmental UVB on mollusks in future studies.

Cortical and subcortical morphological alteration in Angelman syndrome

BACKGROUND

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with serious seizures. We aim to explore the brain morphometry of patients with AS and figure out whether the seizure is associated with brain development.

METHODS

Seventy-three patients and 26 healthy controls (HC) underwent high-resolution structural brain MRI. Group differences between the HC group and the AS group and also between AS patients with seizure (AS-Se) and age-matched AS patients with non-seizure (AS-NSe) were compared. The voxel-based and surface-based morphometry analyses were used in our study. Gray matter volume, cortical thickness (CTH), and local gyrification index (LGI) were assessed to analyze the cortical and subcortical structure alteration in the AS brain.

RESULTS

Firstly, compared with the HC group, children with AS were found to have a significant decrease in gray matter volume in the subcortical nucleus, cortical, and cerebellum. However, the gray matter volume of AS patients in the inferior precuneus was significantly increased. Secondly, patients with AS had significantly increased LGI in the whole brain as compared with HC. Thirdly, the comparison of AS-Se and the AS-NSe groups revealed a significant decrease in caudate volume in the AS-Se group. Lastly, we further selected the caudate and the precuneus as ROIs for volumetric analysis, the AS group showed significantly increased LGI in the precuneus and reduced CTH in the right precuneus. Between the AS-Se and the AS-NSe groups, the AS-Se group exhibited significantly lower density in the caudate, while only the CTH in the left precuneus showed a significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS

These results revealed cortical and subcortical morphological alterations in patients with AS, including globally the decreased brain volume in the subcortical nucleus, the increased gray matter volume of precuneus, and the whole-brain increase of LGI and reduction of CTH. The abnormal brain pattern was more serious in patients with seizures, suggesting that the occurrence of seizures may be related to abnormal brain changes.