New Candidates for Biomarkers and Drug Targets of Ischemic Stroke-A First Dynamic LC-MS Human Serum Proteomic Study

Multi-cohort validation: A comprehensive exploration of prognostic marker in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common form of RCC. It is characterized by resistance to traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, as well as an unfavorable clinical prognosis. Although TYMP is implicated in the advancement of tumor progression, the role of TYMP in ccRCC is still not understood. Heightened TYMP expression was identified in ccRCC through database mining and confirmed in RCC cell lines. Indeed, TYMP knockdown impacted RCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. TYMP showed a positive correlation with clinicopathological parameters (histological grade, pathological stage). Moreover, patients with high TYMP expression were indicative of poor prognosis in TCGA-ccRCC and external cohorts. The results of single-cell analysis showed that the distribution of TYMP was predominantly observed in monocytes and macrophages. Furthermore, there is a significant association between TYMP and immune status. Methylation analysis further elucidated the relationship between TYMP expression and multiple methylation sites. Drug sensitivity analysis unveiled potential pharmaceutical options. Additionally, mutation analyses identified an association between TYMP and the ccRCC driver genes like BAP1 and ROS1. In summary, TYMP may serve as a reliable prognostic indicator for ccRCC.

Promising therapeutic targets for ischemic stroke identified from plasma and cerebrospinal fluid proteomes: a multicenter Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Ischemic stroke (IS) is more common every year, the condition is serious, and have a poor prognosis. New, efficient, and safe therapeutic targets are desperately needed as early treatment especially prevention and reperfusion is the key to lowering the occurrence of poorer prognosis. Generally circulating proteins are attractive therapeutic targets, this study aims to identify potential pharmacological targets among plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins for the prevention and treatment of IS using a multicenter Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

METHODS

First, the genetic instruments of 734 plasma and 151 CSF proteins were assessed for causative connections with IS from MEGASTROKE consortium by MR to identify prospective therapeutic targets. Then, for additional validation, plasma proteins from the deCODE consortium and the Fenland consortium, as well as IS GWAS data from the FinnGen cohort, the ISGC consortium and UK biobank, were employed. A thorough evaluation of the aforementioned possible pharmacological targets was carried out using meta-analysis. The robustness of MR results was then confirmed through sensitivity analysis using several techniques, such as bidirectional MR analysis, Steiger filtering, and Bayesian colocalization. Finally, methods like Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) Networking were utilized to investigate the relationship between putative drug targets and therapeutic agents.

RESULTS

The authors discovered three proteins that may function as promising therapeutic targets for IS and meet the Bonferroni correction ( P <0.05/885=5.65×10 -5 ). Prekallikrein (OR=0.41, 95% CI: 0.27-0.63, P =3.61×10 -5 ), a protein found in CSF, has a 10-fold protective impact in IS, while the plasma proteins SWAP70 (OR=0.85, 95% CI: 0.80-0.91, P =1.64×10 -6 ) and MMP-12 (OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.89-0.95, P =4.49×10 -6 ) of each SD play a protective role in IS. Prekallikrein, MMP-12, SWAP70 was replicated in the FinnGen cohort and ISGC database. MMP-12 (OR=0.93, 95% CI: 0.91-0.94, P <0.001), SWAP70 (OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.90-0.94, P <0.001), and prekallikrein (OR=0.53, 95% CI: 0.33-0.72, P <0.001) may all be viable targets for IS, according to the combined meta-analysis results. Additionally, no evidence of reverse causality was identified, and Bayesian colocalization revealed MMP-12 (PPH 4 =0.995), SWAP70 (PPH 4 =0.987), and prekallikrein (PPH 4 =0.894) shared the same variant with IS, supporting the robustness of the aforementioned causation. Prekallikrein and MMP-12 were associated with the target protein of the current treatment of IS. Among them, Lanadelumab, a new drug whose target protein is a prekallikrein, may be a promising new drug for the treatment of IS.

CONCLUSION

The prekallikrein, MMP-12, and SWAP70 are causally associated with the risk of IS. Moreover, MMP-12 and prekallikrein may be treated as promising therapeutic targets for medical intervention of IS.

Proteomic advance of ischemic stroke: preclinical, clinical, and intervention

Ischemic stroke (IS) is the most common type of stroke and is characterized by high rates of mortality and long-term injury. The prediction and early diagnosis of IS are therefore crucial for optimal clinical intervention. Proteomics has provided important techniques for exploring protein markers associated with IS, but there has been no systematic evaluation and review of research that has used these techniques. Here, we review the differential proteins that have been found in cell- and animal- based studies and clinical trials of IS in the past 10 years; determine the key pathological proteins that have been identified in clinical trials; summarize the target proteins affected by interventions aimed at treating IS, with a focus on traditional Chinese medicine treatments. Overall, we clarify findings and problems that have been identified in recent proteomics research on IS and provide suggestions for improvements in this area. We also suggest areas that could be explored for determining the pathogenesis and developing interventions for IS.

Association of low ficolin-2 concentration in cord serum with respiratory distress syndrome in preterm newborns

Introduction

Ficolin-2 is a serum pattern recognition molecule, involved in complement activation via the lectin pathway. This study aimed to investigate the association of ficolin-2 concentration in cord blood serum with complications related to premature birth.

Methods

546 premature neonates were included. The concentration of ficolin-2 in cord blood serum was determined by a sandwich TRIFMA method. FCN2 genetic variants were analysed with RFLP-PCR, allele-specific PCR, Sanger sequencing or allelic discrimination using TaqMan probes method.

Findings

Cord blood serum ficolin-2 concentration correlated positively with Apgar score and inversely with the length of hospitalisation and stay at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that low ficolin-2 increased the possibility of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) diagnosis [OR=2.05, 95% CI (1.24-3.37), p=0.005]. Median ficolin-2 concentration was significantly lower in neonates with RDS than in premature babies without this complication, irrespective of FCN2 gene polymorphisms localised to promoter and 3'untranslated regions: for patients born <33 GA: 1471 ng/ml vs. 2115 ng/ml (p=0.0003), and for patients born ≥33 GA 1610 ng/ml vs. 2081 ng/ml (p=0.012). Ficolin-2 level was also significantly lower in neonates requiring intubation in the delivery room (1461 ng/ml vs. 1938 ng/ml, p=0.023) and inversely correlated weakly with the duration of respiratory support (R=-0.154, p<0.001). Interestingly, in the neonates born at GA <33, ficolin-2 concentration permitted differentiation of those with/without RDS [AUC=0.712, 95% CI (0.612-0.817), p<0.001] and effective separation of babies with mild RDS from those with moderate/severe form of the disease [AUC=0.807, 95% CI (0.644-0.97), p=0.0002].

Conclusion

Low cord serum ficolin-2 concentration (especially in neonates born at GA <33 weeks) is associated with a higher risk of developing moderate/severe RDS, requiring respiratory support and intensive care.