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Hokken MWJ, Coolen JPM, Steenbreker H, Zoll J, Baltussen TJH, Verweij PE, Melchers WJG. The Transcriptome Response to Azole Compounds in Aspergillus fumigatus Shows Differential Gene Expression across Pathways Essential for Azole Resistance and Cell Survival. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:807. [PMID: 37623579 PMCID: PMC10455693 DOI: 10.3390/jof9080807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The opportunistic pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus is found on all continents and thrives in soil and agricultural environments. Its ability to readily adapt to novel environments and to produce billions of spores led to the spread of azole-resistant A. fumigatus across the globe, posing a threat to many immunocompromised patients, including critically ill patients with severe influenza or COVID-19. In our study, we sought to compare the adaptational response to azoles from A. fumigatus isolates that differ in azole susceptibility and genetic background. To gain more insight into how short-term adaptation to stressful azole compounds is managed through gene expression, we conducted an RNA-sequencing study on the response of A. fumigatus to itraconazole and the newest clinically approved azole, isavuconazole. We observed many similarities in ergosterol biosynthesis up-regulation across isolates, with the exception of the pan-azole-resistant isolate, which showed very little differential regulation in comparison to other isolates. Additionally, we found differential regulation of membrane efflux transporters, secondary metabolites, iron metabolism, and various stress response and cell signaling mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margriet W. J. Hokken
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
- Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Jordy P. M. Coolen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
- Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Hilbert Steenbreker
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
| | - Jan Zoll
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
- Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tim J. H. Baltussen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
- Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul E. Verweij
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
- Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Willem J. G. Melchers
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands (T.J.H.B.)
- Center of Expertise in Mycology Radboudumc/CWZ, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Bhattacharjee P, Rutland N, Iyer MR. Targeting Sterol O-Acyltransferase/Acyl-CoA:Cholesterol Acyltransferase (ACAT): A Perspective on Small-Molecule Inhibitors and Their Therapeutic Potential. J Med Chem 2022; 65:16062-16098. [PMID: 36473091 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c01265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Sterol O-acyltransferase (SOAT) is a membrane-bound enzyme that aids the esterification of cholesterol and fatty acids to cholesterol esters. SOAT has been studied extensively as a potential drug target, since its inhibition can serve as an alternative to statin therapy. Two SOAT isozymes that have discrete functions in the human body, namely, SOAT1 and SOAT2, have been characterized. Over three decades of research has focused on candidate SOAT1 inhibitors with unsatisfactory results in clinical trials. Recent research has focused on targeting SOAT2 selectively. In this perspective, we summarize the literature covering various SOAT inhibitory agents and discuss the design, structural requirements, and mode of action of SOAT inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinaki Bhattacharjee
- Section on Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 5625 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852, United States
| | - Nicholas Rutland
- Section on Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 5625 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852, United States
| | - Malliga R Iyer
- Section on Medicinal Chemistry, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, 5625 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852, United States
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Construction of three stereocenters via hydrogenative desymmetrization of 2,2,5-trisubstituted cyclohexane-1,3-diones. Sci China Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s11426-020-9873-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Liu Y, Zhang X, Zhan Y, Li B, Lu W, Nan F. Design and synthesis of further simplified pyripyropene A based ACAT2 selective inhibitors. Tetrahedron 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tet.2019.01.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Ohtawa M, Arima S, Ichida N, Terayama T, Ohno H, Yamazaki T, Ohshiro T, Sato N, Omura S, Tomoda H, Nagamitsu T. Design and Synthesis of A-Ring Simplified Pyripyropene A Analogues as Potent and Selective Synthetic SOAT2 Inhibitors. ChemMedChem 2018; 13:411-421. [PMID: 29323466 DOI: 10.1002/cmdc.201700645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2017] [Revised: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Currently, pyripyropene A, which is isolated from the culture broth of Aspergillus fumigatus FO-1289, is the only compound known to strongly and selectively inhibit the isozyme sterol O-acyltransferase 2 (SOAT2). To aid in the development of new cholesterol-lowering or anti-atherosclerotic agents, new A-ring simplified pyripyropene A analogues have been designed and synthesized based on total synthesis, and the results of structure-activity relationship studies of pyripyropene A. Among the analogues, two A-ring simplified pyripyropene A analogues exhibited equally efficient SOAT2 inhibitory activity to that of natural pyripyropene A. These new analogues are the most potent and selective SOAT2 inhibitors to be used as synthetic compounds and attractive seed compounds for the development of drug for dyslipidemia, including atherosclerotic disease and steatosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Ohtawa
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Shiho Arima
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Naoki Ichida
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Tomiaki Terayama
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Hironao Ohno
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Takaya Yamazaki
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Taichi Ohshiro
- Department of Microbial Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Noriko Sato
- School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Satoshi Omura
- Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences and Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Tomoda
- Department of Microbial Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
| | - Tohru Nagamitsu
- Department of Synthetic Natural Products Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan
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6
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Bignell E, Cairns TC, Throckmorton K, Nierman WC, Keller NP. Secondary metabolite arsenal of an opportunistic pathogenic fungus. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2016.0023. [PMID: 28080993 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is a versatile fungus able to successfully exploit diverse environments from mammalian lungs to agricultural waste products. Among its many fitness attributes are dozens of genetic loci containing biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) producing bioactive small molecules (often referred to as secondary metabolites or natural products) that provide growth advantages to the fungus dependent on environment. Here we summarize the current knowledge of these BGCs-18 of which can be named to product-their expression profiles in vivo, and which BGCs may enhance virulence of this opportunistic human pathogen. Furthermore, we find extensive evidence for the presence of many of these BGCs, or similar BGCs, in distantly related genera including the emerging pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of white-nose syndrome in bats, and suggest such BGCs may be predictive of pathogenic potential in other fungi.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Bignell
- Manchester Fungal Infection Group, Institute of Inflammation and Repair, 2.24 Core Technology Facility, Grafton Street, Manchester, M13 9NT, UK
| | - Timothy C Cairns
- Department of Applied and Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Biotechnology, Berlin University of Technology, Gustav-Meyer-Allee 25, 13355 Berlin, Germany
| | - Kurt Throckmorton
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | | | - Nancy P Keller
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA, .,Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Chang NY, Chan YJ, Ding ST, Lee YH, HuangFu WC, Liu IH. Sterol O-Acyltransferase 2 Contributes to the Yolk Cholesterol Trafficking during Zebrafish Embryogenesis. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167644. [PMID: 27936201 PMCID: PMC5147938 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
To elucidate whether Sterol O-acyltransferase (Soat) mediates the absorption and transportation of yolk lipids to the developing embryo, zebrafish soat1 and soat2 were cloned and studied. In the adult zebrafish, soat1 was detected ubiquitously while soat2 mRNA was detected specifically in the liver, intestine, brain and testis. Whole mount in situ hybridization demonstrated that both soat1 and soat2 expressed in the yolk syncytial layer, hatching gland and developing cardiovascular as well as digestive systems, suggesting that Soats may play important roles in the lipid trafficking and utilization during embryonic development. The enzymatic activity of zebrafish Soat2 was confirmed by Oil Red O staining in the HEK293 cells overexpressing this gene, and could be quenched by Soat2 inhibitor Pyripyropene A (PPPA). The zebrafish embryos injected with PPPA or morpholino oligo against soat2 in the yolk showed significantly larger yolk when compared with wild-type embryos, especially at 72 hpf, indicating a slower rate of yolk consumption. Our result indicated that zebrafish Soat2 is catalytically active in synthesizing cholesteryl esters and contributes to the yolk cholesterol trafficking during zebrafish embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nai-Yun Chang
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Ju Chan
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Torng Ding
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yen-Hua Lee
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Chun HuangFu
- The Ph.D. Program for Cancer Biology and Drug Discovery, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - I-Hsuan Liu
- Department of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Guo D, Lu M, Hu X, Xu J, Hu G, Zhu M, Zhang X, Li Q, Chang CCY, Chang T, Song B, Xiong Y, Li B. Low-level expression of human ACAT2 gene in monocytic cells is regulated by the C/EBP transcription factors. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2016; 48:980-989. [PMID: 27688151 PMCID: PMC5091289 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmw091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Revised: 08/18/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Acyl-coenzyme A:cholesterol acyltransferases (ACATs) are the exclusive intracellular enzymes that catalyze the formation of cholesteryl/steryl esters (CE/SE). In our previous work, we found that the high-level expression of human ACAT2 gene with the CpG hypomethylation of its whole promoter was synergistically regulated by two transcription factors Cdx2 and HNF1α in the intestine and fetal liver. Here, we first observed that the specific CpG-hypomethylated promoter was correlated with the low expression of human ACAT2 gene in monocytic cell line THP-1. Then, two CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) elements within the activation domain in the specific CpG-hypomethylation promoter region were identified, and the expression of ACAT2 in THP-1 cells was evidently decreased when the C/EBP transcription factors were knock-downed using RNAi technology. Furthermore, ChIP assay confirmed that C/EBPs directly bind to their elements for low-level expression of human ACAT2 gene in THP-1 cells. Significantly, the increased expressions of ACAT2 and C/EBPs were also found in macrophages differentiated from both ATRA-treated THP-1 cells and cultured human blood monocytes. These results demonstrate that the low-level expression of human ACAT2 gene with specific CpG-hypomethylated promoter is regulated by the C/EBP transcription factors in monocytic cells, and imply that the lowly expressed ACAT2 catalyzes the synthesis of certain CE/SE that are assembled into lipoproteins for the secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqing Guo
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ming Lu
- Department of General Surgery, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
| | - Xihan Hu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jiajia Xu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Guangjing Hu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ming Zhu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Qin Li
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Catherine C Y Chang
- Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Tayuan Chang
- Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Baoliang Song
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- College of Life Sciences, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Boliang Li
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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Guo D, Zhang X, Li Q, Qian L, Xu J, Lu M, Hu X, Zhu M, Chang CCY, Song B, Chang T, Xiong Y, Li B. The ACAT2 expression of human leukocytes is responsible for the excretion of lipoproteins containing cholesteryl/steryl esters. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2016; 48:990-997. [PMID: 27688150 PMCID: PMC5091290 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmw095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Acyl-coenzymeA:cholesterol acyltransferase 2 (ACAT2) is abundantly expressed in intestine and fetal liver of healthy human. Our previous studies have shown that in monocytic cells the low-level expression of human ACAT2 gene with specific CpG-hypomethylated promoter is regulated by the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) transcription factors. In this study, we further report that the ACAT2 gene expression is attributable to the C/EBPs in the human leukocytes and correlated with the excretion of fluorescent lipoproteins containing the ACAT2-catalyzed NBD22-steryl esters. Moreover, this lipoprotein excretion can be inhibited by the ACAT2 isoform-selective inhibitor pyripyropene A (PPPA) in a dose-dependent manner, and employed to determine the half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of PPPA. Significantly, it is found that the differentiation-inducing factor all-trans retinoic acid, but not the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α, enhances this ACAT2-dependent lipoprotein excretion. These data demonstrate that the ACAT2 expression of human leukocytes is responsible for the excretion of lipoproteins containing cholesteryl/steryl esters (CE/SE), and suggest that the excretion of lipoproteins containing the ACAT2-catalyzed CS/SE may avoid cytotoxicity through decreasing the excess intracellular cholesterols/sterols (especially various oxysterols), which is essential for the action of the human leukocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongqing Guo
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xiaowei Zhang
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Qin Li
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Lei Qian
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Jiajia Xu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ming Lu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Xihan Hu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ming Zhu
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Catherine C Y Chang
- Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover NH 03755, USA
| | - Baoliang Song
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
- College of Life Sciences, The Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Tayuan Chang
- Department of Biochemistry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover NH 03755, USA
| | - Ying Xiong
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Boliang Li
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
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