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Cao J, Li C, Cui Z, Deng S, Lei T, Liu W, Yang H, Chen P. Spatial Transcriptomics: A Powerful Tool in Disease Understanding and Drug Discovery. Theranostics 2024; 14:2946-2968. [PMID: 38773973 PMCID: PMC11103497 DOI: 10.7150/thno.95908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent advancements in modern science have provided robust tools for drug discovery. The rapid development of transcriptome sequencing technologies has given rise to single-cell transcriptomics and single-nucleus transcriptomics, increasing the accuracy of sequencing and accelerating the drug discovery process. With the evolution of single-cell transcriptomics, spatial transcriptomics (ST) technology has emerged as a derivative approach. Spatial transcriptomics has emerged as a hot topic in the field of omics research in recent years; it not only provides information on gene expression levels but also offers spatial information on gene expression. This technology has shown tremendous potential in research on disease understanding and drug discovery. In this article, we introduce the analytical strategies of spatial transcriptomics and review its applications in novel target discovery and drug mechanism unravelling. Moreover, we discuss the current challenges and issues in this research field that need to be addressed. In conclusion, spatial transcriptomics offers a new perspective for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junxian Cao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Basic Research on Prevention and Treatment for Major Diseases, Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
- Analysis of Complex Effects of Proprietary Chinese Medicine, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China
| | - Caifeng Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Basic Research on Prevention and Treatment for Major Diseases, Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Zhao Cui
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Shiwen Deng
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Basic Research on Prevention and Treatment for Major Diseases, Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
- Analysis of Complex Effects of Proprietary Chinese Medicine, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China
| | - Tong Lei
- Institute of Basic Theory for Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Basic Research on Prevention and Treatment for Major Diseases, Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
| | - Hongjun Yang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Basic Research on Prevention and Treatment for Major Diseases, Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
- Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
- Analysis of Complex Effects of Proprietary Chinese Medicine, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China
| | - Peng Chen
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Basic Research on Prevention and Treatment for Major Diseases, Experimental Research Center, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100700, China
- Analysis of Complex Effects of Proprietary Chinese Medicine, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory, Yongzhou City, Hunan Province, China
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2
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Wang Z, Fan X, Mu G, Zhao X, Wang Q, Wang J, Tang X. Cathepsin B-activatable cyclic antisense oligonucleotides for cell-specific target gene knockdown in vitro and in vivo. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2023; 33:548-558. [PMID: 37588686 PMCID: PMC10425675 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Trigger-activatable antisense oligonucleotides have been widely applied to regulate gene function. Among them, caged cyclic antisense oligonucleotides (cASOs) maintain a specific topology that temporarily inhibits their interaction with target genes. By inserting linkers that respond to cell-specific endogenous stimuli, they can be powerful tools and potential therapeutic agents for specific types of cancer cells with low off-target effects on normal cells. Here, we developed enzyme-activatable cASOs by tethering two terminals of linear antisense oligonucleotides through a cathepsin B (CB) substrate peptide (Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly [GFLG]), which could be efficiently uncaged by CB. CB-activatable cASOs were used to successfully knock down two disease-related endogenous genes in CB-abundant PC-3 tumor cells at the mRNA and protein levels but had much less effect on gene knockdown in CB-deficient human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs). In addition, reduced nonspecific immunostimulation was found using cASOs compared with their linear counterparts. Further in vivo studies indicated that CB-activatable cASOs showed effective tumor inhibition in PC-3 tumor model mice through downregulation of translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP) protein in tumors. This study applies endogenous enzyme-activatable cASOs for antitumor therapy in tumor model mice, which demonstrates a promising stimulus-responsive cASO strategy for cell-specific gene knockdown upon endogenous activation and ASO prodrug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinli Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guanqun Mu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaoran Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xinjing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38, Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, People’s Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, People’s Republic of China
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3
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Sun YJ, Chen WD, Liu J, Li JJ, Zhang Y, Cai WQ, Liu L, Tang XJ, Hou J, Wang M, Cheng L. A Conformational Restriction Strategy for the Control of CRISPR/Cas Gene Editing with Photoactivatable Guide RNAs. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202212413. [PMID: 36453982 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202212413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The CRISPR/Cas system is one of the most powerful tools for gene editing. However, approaches for precise control of genome editing and regulatory events are still desirable. Here, we report the spatiotemporal and efficient control of CRISPR/Cas9- and Cas12a-mediated editing with conformationally restricted guide RNAs (gRNAs). This approach relied on only two or three pre-installed photo-labile substituents followed by an intramolecular cyclization, representing a robust synthetic method in comparison to the heavily modified linear gRNAs that often require extensive screening and time-consuming optimization. This tactic could direct the precise cleavage of the genes encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) protein within a predefined cutting region without notable editing leakage in live cells. We also achieved light-mediated myostatin (MSTN) gene editing in embryos, wherein a new bow-knot-type gRNA was constructed with excellent OFF/ON switch efficiency. Overall, our work provides a significant new strategy in CRISPR/Cas editing with modified circular gRNAs to precisely manipulate where and when genes are edited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Jie Sun
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Wen-Da Chen
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ji Liu
- BNLMS, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Jun-Jin Li
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and College of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Wei-Qi Cai
- BNLMS, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Li Liu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xin-Jing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jian Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology and College of Biological Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ming Wang
- BNLMS, CAS Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Living Biosystems, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liang Cheng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), CAS Key Laboratory of Molecular Recognition and Function, CAS Research/Education Center for Excellence in Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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4
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Serrano JC, von Trentini D, Berríos KN, Barka A, Dmochowski IJ, Kohli RM. Structure-Guided Design of a Potent and Specific Inhibitor against the Genomic Mutator APOBEC3A. ACS Chem Biol 2022; 17:3379-3388. [PMID: 36475588 PMCID: PMC9990883 DOI: 10.1021/acschembio.2c00796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nucleic acid structure plays a critical role in governing the selectivity of DNA- and RNA-modifying enzymes. In the case of the APOBEC3 family of cytidine deaminases, these enzymes catalyze the conversion of cytosine (C) to uracil (U) in single-stranded DNA, primarily in the context of innate immunity. DNA deamination can also have pathological consequences, accelerating the evolution of viral genomes or, when the host genome is targeted by either APOBEC3A (A3A) or APOBEC3B (A3B), promoting tumor evolution leading to worse patient prognosis and chemotherapeutic resistance. For A3A, nucleic acid secondary structure has emerged as a critical determinant of substrate targeting, with a predilection for DNA that can form stem loop hairpins. Here, we report the development of a specific nanomolar-level, nucleic acid-based inhibitor of A3A. Our strategy relies on embedding the nucleobase 5-methylzebularine, a mechanism-based inhibitor, into a DNA dumbbell structure, which mimics the ideal substrate secondary structure for A3A. Structure-activity relationship studies using a panel of diverse inhibitors reveal a critical role for the stem and position of the inhibitor moiety in achieving potent inhibition. Moreover, we demonstrate that DNA dumbbell inhibitors, but not nonstructured inhibitors, show specificity against A3A relative to the closely related catalytic domain of A3B. Overall, our work demonstrates the feasibility of leveraging secondary structural preferences in inhibitor design, offering a blueprint for further development of modulators of DNA-modifying enzymes and potential therapeutics to circumvent APOBEC-driven viral and tumor evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan C. Serrano
- Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Dora von Trentini
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Kiara N. Berríos
- Graduate Group in Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Aleksia Barka
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Ivan J. Dmochowski
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
| | - Rahul M. Kohli
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, United States
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5
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Bujalska A, Basran K, Luedtke NW. [4+2] and [2+4] cycloaddition reactions on single- and double-stranded DNA: a dual-reactive nucleoside. RSC Chem Biol 2022; 3:698-701. [PMID: 35755194 PMCID: PMC9175100 DOI: 10.1039/d2cb00062h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we report dual reactivity of diene-modified duplex DNA containing 5-(1,3-butadienyl)-2'-deoxyuridine “BDdU”. Regular-electron demand [4+2] cycloaddition proceeded upon addition of a maleimide, whereas inversed-electron demand [2+4] cycloaddition occurred upon addition...
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Bujalska
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Kaleena Basran
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University 801 Sherbrooke St. West Montréal Québec H3A 0B8 Canada
| | - Nathan W Luedtke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190 8057 Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Chemistry, McGill University 801 Sherbrooke St. West Montréal Québec H3A 0B8 Canada
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6
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Geng J, Xia X, Teng L, Wang L, Chen L, Guo X, Belingon B, Li J, Feng X, Li X, Shang W, Wan Y, Wang H. Emerging landscape of cell-penetrating peptide-mediated nucleic acid delivery and their utility in imaging, gene-editing, and RNA-sequencing. J Control Release 2022; 341:166-183. [PMID: 34822907 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2021.11.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The safety issues like immunogenicity and unacceptable cancer risk of viral vectors for DNA/mRNA vaccine delivery necessitate the development of non-viral vectors with no toxicity. Among the non-viral strategies, cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have been a topic of interest recently because of their ability to cross plasma membranes and facilitate nucleic acids delivery both in vivo and in vitro. In addition to the application in the field of gene vaccine and gene therapy, CPPs based nucleic acids delivery have been proved by its potential application like gene editing, RNA-sequencing, and imaging. Here, we focus on summarizing the recent applications and progress of CPPs-mediated nucleic acids delivery and discuss the current problems and solutions in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingping Geng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xuan Xia
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Lin Teng
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Clinical Medical College of China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Lidan Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Linlin Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Affiliated Ren He Hospital of China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xiangli Guo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Bonn Belingon
- Institute of Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA
| | - Jason Li
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21210, USA
| | - Xuemei Feng
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Xianghui Li
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Wendou Shang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Yingying Wan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Tumor Microenvironment and Immunotherapy, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Hu Wang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China.
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7
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Gubu A, Su W, Zhao X, Zhang X, Fan X, Wang J, Wang Q, Tang X. Circular Antisense Oligonucleotides for Specific RNase-H-Mediated microRNA Inhibition with Reduced Off-Target Effects and Nonspecific Immunostimulation. J Med Chem 2021; 64:16046-16055. [PMID: 34672619 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.1c01421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Antisense microRNA oligodeoxynucleotides (AMOs) are powerful tools to regulate microRNA functions. Unfortunately, severe off-target effects are sometimes observed. Due to the special topological and enzymatic properties of circular oligodeoxynucleotides (c-ODNs), we rationally designed and developed circular AMOs, which effectively inhibited microRNA functions with high target specificity and low off-target effects. Binding and enzymatic assays indicated that small circular AMOs could selectively bind to and further digest the target mature miR 21, which suggested that the topological properties of circular c-ODNs significantly decreased their off-target effects as microRNA inhibitors. Compared with their linear corresponding phosphorothioated AMOs, circular phosphorothioated AMOs could more effectively reduce the amount of carcinogenic miR 21 and miR 222 and upregulate the expression levels of downstream antitumor proteins of PTEN and PDCD4. In addition, c-PS-antimiRs induced much less nonspecific immunostimulatory effects compared with their linear partner PS-ODNs, further indicating the advantages of circular ODNs in nonspecific immunostimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amu Gubu
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.,Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Wenbo Su
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.,Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiaoran Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.,Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xueli Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.,Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xinli Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.,Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Jing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Qian Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xinjing Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China.,Chemical Biology Center, Peking University, No. 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing 100191, China
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