A Comparative Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals That HSP90AB1 Is Involved in the Immune and Inflammatory Responses to Porcine Deltacoronavirus Infection

Transcriptome Analysis of LLC-PK Cells Single or Coinfected with Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Porcine Deltacoronavirus

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) are the two most prevalent swine enteric coronaviruses worldwide. They commonly cause natural coinfections, which worsen as the disease progresses and cause increased mortality in piglets. To better understand the transcriptomic changes after PEDV and PDCoV coinfection, we compared LLC porcine kidney (LLC-PK) cells infected with PEDV and/or PDCoV and evaluated the differential expression of genes by transcriptomic analysis and real-time qPCR. The antiviral efficacy of interferon-stimulated gene 20 (ISG20) against PDCoV and PEDV infections was also assessed. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in PEDV-, PDCoV-, and PEDV + PDCoV-infected cells at 6, 12, and 24 h post-infection (hpi), and at 24 hpi, the number of DEGs was the highest. Furthermore, changes in the expression of interferons, which are mainly related to apoptosis and activation of the host innate immune pathway, were found in the PEDV and PDCoV infection and coinfection groups. Additionally, 43 ISGs, including GBP2, IRF1, ISG20, and IFIT2, were upregulated during PEDV or PDCoV infection. Furthermore, we found that ISG20 significantly inhibited PEDV and PDCoV infection in LLC-PK cells. The transcriptomic profiles of cells coinfected with PEDV and PDCoV were reported, providing reference data for understanding the host response to PEDV and PDCoV coinfection.

Aberrant Expressions of PSMD14 in Tumor Tissue are the Potential Prognostic Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Curative Resection

Introduction

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a high mortality rate, with curative resection being the primary treatment. However, HCC patients have a large possibility of recurrence within 5 years after curative resection.

Methods

Thus, identifying biomarkers to predict recurrence is crucial. In our study, we analyzed data from CCLE, GEO, and TCGA, identifying eight oncogenes associated with HCC. Subsequently, the expression of 8 genes was tested in 5 cases of tumor tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. Then ATP6AP1, PSMD14 and HSP90AB1 were selected to verify the expression in 63 cases of tumor tissues and the adjacent non-tumor tissues. The results showed that ATP6AP1, PSMD14, HSP90AB1 were generally highly expressed in tumor tissues. A five-year follow-up of the 63 clinical cases, combined with Kaplan-Meier Plotter's relapse-free survival (RFS) analysis, found a significant correlation between PSMD14 expression and recurrence in HCC patients. Subsequently, we analyzed the PSMD14 mutations and found that the PSMD14 gene mutations can lead to a shorter disease-free survival time for HCC patients.

Results

The results of enrichment analysis indicated that the differentially expressed genes related to PSMD14 are mainly enriched in the signal release pathway.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our research showed that PSMD14 might be related to recurrence in HCC patients, and the expression of PSMD14 in tumor tissue might be a potential prognostic biomarker after tumor resection in HCC patients.

TLR7 promotes skin inflammation via activating NFκB-mTORC1 axis in rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease originated from damaged skin barrier and innate/adaptive immune dysregulation. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) sense injured skin and initiate downstream inflammatory and immune responses, whose role in rosacea is not fully understood. Here, via RNA-sequencing analysis, we found that the TLR signaling pathway is the top-ranked signaling pathway enriched in rosacea skin lesions, in which TLR7 is highlighted and positively correlated with the inflammation severity of disease. In LL37-induced rosacea-like mouse models, silencing TLR7 prevented the development of rosacea-like skin inflammation. Specifically, we demonstrated that overexpressing TLR7 in keratinocytes stimulates rapamycin-sensitive mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) pathway via NFκB signaling. Ultimately, TLR7/NFκ B/mTORC1 axis promotes the production of cytokines and chemokines, leading to the migration of CD4+T cells, which are infiltrated in the lesional skin of rosacea. Our report reveals the crucial role of TLR7 in rosacea pathogenesis and indicatesa promising candidate for rosacea treatments.

Target Discovery of Matrine against PRRSV in Marc-145 Cells via Activity-Based Protein Profiling

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) seriously endangers the sustainable development of the pig industry. Our previous studies have shown that matrine can resist porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) infection. This study aimed to explore the anti-PRRSV targets of matrine in Marc-145 cells. Biotin-labeled matrine 1 and 2 were used as probes. MTT assay was used to determine the maximum non-cytotoxic concentration (MNTC) of each probe in Marc-145 cells. The anti-PRRSV activity of each probe was evaluated via MTT, qPCR and Western blot, and its anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated via qPCR and Western blot. The targets of matrine in Marc-145 cells were searched using activity-based protein profiling (ABPP), and compared with the targets predicted via network pharmacology for screening the potential targets of matrine against PRRSV. The protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) of potential targets were constructed using a network database and GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was performed. ACAT1, ALB, HMOX1, HSPA8, HSP90AB1, PARP1 and STAT1 were identified as potential targets of matrine, and their functions were related to antiviral capacity and immunity. Matrine may play an anti-PRRSV role by directly acting on ACAT1, ALB, HMOX1, HSPA8, HSP90AB1, PARP1 and STAT1.

Transcriptome analysis reveals modulation of differentially expressed genes in LPS-treated mouse macrophages (RAW264.7 cells) by grouper (Epinephelus coioides) Epinecidin-1

The marine antimicrobial peptide Epinecidin (Epi)-1 has been shown to exert direct antimicrobial and immunomodulatory actions in teleost, mammalian and avian organisms. For instance, Epi-1 can suppress bacterial endotoxin lipolysachcharide (LPS)-induced proinflammatory cytokines in RAW264.7 murine macrophages. However, it remains unknown how Epi-1 might broadly affect non-activated and LPS-activated macrophages. To address this question, we performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of non-treated and LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells in the presence and absence of Epi-1. Gene enrichment analysis was conducted on filtered reads, followed by GO and KEGG analyses. The results showed that Epi-1 treatment modulated pathways and genes associated with nucleoside binding, intramolecular oxidoreductase activity, GTPase activity, peptide antigen binding, GTP binding, ribonucleoside/nucleotide binding, phosphatidylinositol binding and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate binding. Based on the GO analysis results, we performed real-time PCR at different treatment times to compare expression levels of selected proinflammatory cytokines, anti-inflammatory cytokines, MHC, proliferation and differentiation genes. Epi-1 decreased expression of the proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β, and it increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGFβ and Sytx1. MHC-associated genes, GM7030, Arfip1, Gpb11 and Gem, were induced by Epi-1, which is expected to enhance the immune response against LPS. Immunoglobulin-associated Nuggc was also upregulated by Epi-1. Finally, we found that Epi-1 downregulated the expression of host defense peptides CRAMP, Leap2 and BD3. Taken together, these findings suggest that Epi-1 treatment induces orchestrated changes in the transcriptome of LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cells.