OBJECTIVE: To study the role of JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) signal transduction pathway on the nasal mucosa remodeling in allergic rhinitis rats, to explore whether IL-1β participates the nasal mucosa remodeling in allergic rhinitis by JNK signal transduction pathway. METHOD: Totally 60 male Wistar rats (weighing about 200-250 g)were randomly divided into A (AR group) and B group (control group). The rats in A group were sensitized for inducing AR by intraperitoneal injection ovalbumin and Al(OH)₃. Ovalbumin was respectively dropped in each nasal cavity of every rat for 4,8,12 weeks(A4,A8,or A12 group) each had 10 rats. The rats in B group were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection saline. Saline was respectively dropped in each nasal cavity of every rat for 4,8, 12 weeks(B4, B8, or B12 group), and each had 10 rats. The concentration of IL-1β in serum and nasal lavage fluid were tested by ELASA. The protein expressions of P-JNK and P-c-Jun were detected by immunohistochemical technique. Linear correlation analysis showed the correlation between levels of IL-1β in serum and P-JNK protein, levels of IL-1β in nasal lavage fluid and P-JNK protein. RESULT: The concentrations of IL-1β in serum and nasal lavage fluid of A group were all significantly higher than those of the corresponding B group (all P < 0.01). Compared with A4 group and A8 group, concentrations of IL-1β in nasal lavage fluid of A12 group were significantly increased (all P < 0.01). However the levels of IL-1β in serum were not significantly different among them (all P > 0.05). Mean absorbance values of P-JNK and P-c-Jun in A group were significantly higher than those in corresponding B group (all P < 0.01) and compared with A4 group and A8 group, those of A12 group were significantly increased (all P < 0.01). Strong positive correlation were found between P-JNK and concentration of IL-1β in serum or nasal lavage fluid (r = 0.835 and r = 0.902, all P < 0.01). CONCLUSION JNK signal transduction pathway plays important role in the nasal mucosa remodeling in allergic rhinitis rats. IL-1β participates in AR nasal mucosa remodeling possibly partly through activating JNK signal transduction pathway.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; metabolism ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Male ; Nasal Mucosa ; pathology ; Ovalbumin ; Paranasal Sinuses ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Signal Transduction

Objective:To explore the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of children with childhood absence epilepsy caused by KMT2E gene variants. Methods:The clinical data of 1 case of KMT2E gene variant-associated childhood absence epilepsy admitted to the Department of Pediatric Neurology of Linyi People′s Hospital in January 2023 were collected and followed up, and the child and her family were genetically examined by using whole-exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing, and the pathogenicity of mutation loci was analyzed. The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, Human Gene Mutation Database, PubMed database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang database were consulted with the search term " KMT2E" to summarize the clinical phenotype and genetics of the children with epilepsy associated with KMT2E gene variant. Results:The child is a female, presented with typical absence seizures at the age of 3 years and 8 months, with normal development, video electroencephalogram showing widespread spikes and slow waves around 3 Hz accompanied by typical absence seizures. Seizures decreased after valproic acid was applied at full dosage, and were controlled after combination with lamotrigine. Her clinical diagnosis of childhood absence epilepsy was made. The results of whole-exome sequencing showed that the child had a de novo frameshift variant c.2404dup (p.Arg802Lysfs *8) in the KMT2E gene (NM_182931.3), which had not yet been reported domestically or internationally. The c.2404dup variant was interpreted as a pathogenic variant (PVS1+PS2_Supporting+PM2_Supporting) according to the American Society of Medical Genetics and Genomics variant classification criteria and guidelines. Her parents, older brother and younger sister did not carry the variant and had a normal clinical phenotype. A total of 22 patients with epilepsy associated with KMT2E gene variants were retrieved (including this case, a total of 23 cases), including 10 females and 13 males. All of them were autosomal dominant inheritance, with 20 minor variations, including 8 frameshift variants, 7 missense variants, 2 splicing variants, 2 nonsense variants, 1 synonymous variant, and the remaining 3 cases had large fragment deletions (including 2 cases of the whole gene). Clinical manifestations mainly included epileptic seizures (5 cases of absence seizures, 7 cases of focal seizures with or without secondary tonic-clonic seizures, 9 cases of tonic-clonic seizures, 1 case of spasm seizures, 1 case of myoclonic seizures, tonic seizures, and atonic seizures, 3 cases of epileptic status, and 5 cases of refractory epilepsy, with the onset age of epilepsy ranging from neonatal to adolescence), mental retardation (21/23 cases, 4 mild, 5 moderate, and 5 severe), peculiar facial features (11/23), and autism (3/23), etc. Conclusion:KMT2E gene variant-associated epilepsy is an autosomal dominant disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes, and the novel variant c.2404dup in the KMT2E gene identified in the present study can lead to childhood absence epilepsy, which enriches the spectrum of mutations and clinical phenotype of the KMT2E gene.

Diacylglycerol (DAG) is an intermediate product in lipid metabolism and plays an important physiological role in human body. It is mainly prepared by hydrolyzing lipid with lipase. However, research on the detection method of 1, 2-diacylglycerol (1, 2-DAG) and 1, 3-diacylglycerol (1, 3-DAG) and catalytic specificity of lipase was not enough, which limits its wide application. To address these challenges, an efficient quantitative detection method was first established for 1, 2-DAG (0.025-0.200 g/L) and 1, 3-DAG (0.025-0.150 g/L) by combining supercritical fluid chromatography with evaporative light scattering detector and optimizing the detection and analysis parameters. Based on the molecular docking between Thermomyces lanuginosus lipase (TLL) and triolein, five potential substrate binding sites were selected for site-specific saturation mutation to construct a mutation library for enzyme activity and position specificity screening. The specificity of sn-1, 3 of the I202V mutant was the highest in the library, which was 11.7% higher than the specificity of the wild type TLL. In summary, the position specificity of TLL was modified based on a semi-rational design, and an efficient separation and detection method of DAG isomers was also established, which provided a reference for the study of the catalytic specificity of lipase.
Humans ; Diglycerides ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Binding Sites ; Catalysis ; Lipase/genetics*

Objective: To investigate the effects of sIL-13Rα2 on the apoptosis of goblet cell in nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis rats. Methods: Forty healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (10 rats per group): control group (group A), AR group (group B), sIL-13Rα2 group (group C) and triamcinolone acetonide group (group D). Ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide were used to establish the AR rat model. After the establishment of AR rat models, 50 μl PBS, 100 μg/50 μl IL-13Rα2 and 3.5 μg/50 μl triamcinolone acetonide were respectively dropped into each nasal cavity of every rat two times a week from 4 to 10 week in group B, group C and group D. Group A was operated with saline instead of OVA. The nasal mucosa tissues were collected at 24 h after the final administration. AB-PAS staining method was used to detect the quantity and secretion of goblet cells in the nasal mucosa tissue of all groups. Immunohistochemistry method was used to detect the expression of Bax proteins.Apoptosis was detected by TUNEL method.ANOVA analysis was used to compare multiple groups, and LSD-t test was used to compare the two groups.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the Bax positive cell rate of goblet cells and the rate of apoptotic cells. The difference was statistically significant with P<0.05. Results: Compared with group A, there were more goblet cells and hypersecretion of mucus in the nasal mucosa tissue of rats in group B while fewer in group C. The goblet cells in group C and group D were significantly fewer than that in group B (0.639 00±0.831 vs 0.956 7±0.980, 0.661 90±0.657 vs 0.956 7±0.980, t value was 2.748, 2.767, respectively, all P<0.05). The immunohistochemistry results showed that the positive expression rates of Bax protein in goblet cells of group C and group D were significantly higher than that in group B (0.880 2±0.125 vs 0.568 7±0.953, 0.938 4±0.200 vs 0.568 7±0.953, t value was -2.292, -2.685, respectively, all P<0.05). The apoptosis rates of goblet cell in nasal mucosa of group C and group D were also significantly higher than that in group B (0.516 0±0.079 vs 0.274 0±0.056, 0.535 4±0.829 vs 0.274 0±0.056, t value was -17.671, -2.225, respectively, all P<0.05). The expression of Bax protein and apoptosis of goblet cells were positively correlated (r=0.859, P<0.01). Conclusion sIL-13Rα2 can induce apoptosis of the goblet cells in nasal mucosa of allergic rhinitis rats, by inhibiting IL-13 and up regulating Bax.