1.Screening of CLEC3B protein based on bioinformatics and its role in diagnosing sepsis
Yuting ZHANG ; Fulong LUO ; Yingchun HU ; Muhu CHENG ; Wu ZHONG
China Medical Equipment 2024;21(1):119-122,129
Objective:To investigate the CLEC3B protein of differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)in serum of normal persons and patients with sepsis,and explore the possibility that target C-type lectin domain family 3 member B(CLEC3B)protein was used as molecular markers of sepsis.Methods:Peripheral bloods of 10 healthy persons and 18 patients with sepsis were collected,and the data of peripheral serum proteins were collected by data independent acquisition(DIA)method.The data were uploaded to iDEP online platform to analyze the DEPs in peripheral blood of patients with sepsis.Bioinformatics analysis of these DEPs was conducted to screen out the key proteins of sepsis.Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to verify and plot the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves of key proteins.Results:A total of 138 differentially expressed proteins(DEPs)were screened out by using proteomics analysis,of which 34 kinds of proteins were significantly down-regulated and 104 kinds of proteins were significantly up-regulated.DEPs mostly concentrated in cellular processes,biological regulation,biological process regulation,participating binding,catalytic activation,molecular function regulation,immune system,signal transduction and so on.A protein-protein interaction network was constructed by DEPs,which screened out the key protein CLEC3B.ELISA results showed that the CLEC3B protein concentration[(297.73±22.00)ng/mL]of patients in the sepsis group was significantly lower than that[(452.42±191.72)ng/mL]in the healthy group,and the difference was statistically significant(t=13.13,P=0.000).The area under curve(AUC)value of ROC curve,sensitivity and specificity of CLEC38 protein were respectively 0.998,97.73%and 100.0%.Conclusion:CLEC3B is significantly decreased in sepsis group,which sensitivity and specificity are high.It can be used as a potentially biological diagnostic biomarker of sepsis.
2.Exploring key genes for prognosis of spesis based on transcriptome sequencing of mouse spleen
Fulong LUO ; Yuting ZHANG ; Yayi YU ; Yingchun HU ; Muhu CHEN ; Wu ZHONG
Chinese Journal of Immunology 2024;40(4):698-704,713
Objective:To screen key differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in dead mice with sepsis by spleen high-through-put sequencing combined with bioinformatics.Methods:①A mouse sepsis model was set up by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysac-charide(LPS),a 7-day survival curve of mice was drawn,and the modeling doses of survival group and death group were screened out.②Expressions of TNF-α,IL-1β,IL-6 and IL-10 in peripheral blood of mice in control group,survival group and death group were verified by ELISA.③High-throughput sequencing was conducted on spleens of survival group and death group,and the key genes were screened by bioinformatics analysis of DEGs.④Expressions of key genes and proteins were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot.Results:①LPS dosage in survival group was 15 mg/kg(with a mortality of 30%),and LPS dosage in death group was 30 mg/kg(with a mortality of 80%).②Expression levels of IL-6,TNF-α and IL-1β in sepsis mice were significantly higher than those of control group,while expression level of IL-10 was decreased(P<0.05).Comparison of sepsis model groups showed that levels of pro-inflammatory factors in death group were higher than those in survival group,while level of IL-10 was lower than that in survival group(P<0.05).③A total of 2999 DEGs in survival group and death group were screened out by bioinformatics,among which 1185 genes were up-regulated and 1814 genes were down-regulated.Top 5 DEGs enrichment pathways were screened out:"hematopoietic cell lineage""primary immunodeficiency""African trypanosomiasis""leishmaniasis"and"B-cell receptor signaling pathway".Ifit1,Ifit3 and Mx1 were three key genes that were screened out.④Compared with survival group,expressions of genes and proteins of Ifit1,Ifit3 and Mx1 were down-regulated in spleen tissues of the death group(P<0.05).Conclusion:By high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics,Ifit1,Ifit3 and Mx1 are screened out as key genes related to the death outcome of sepsis,which probably influence the outcome of sepsis through the immune mechanism related to virus infection.
3.Analysis of drug-resistant mutations in human immunodeficiency virus-1 infected patients in Chongqing City from 2014 to 2018
Mei LI ; Jungang LI ; Fulong LUO ; Jing WANG ; Yaokai CHEN ; Mei HAN ; Renni DENG
Chinese Journal of Infectious Diseases 2020;38(5):283-287
Objective:To investigate the drug-resistant mutations of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) in patients who received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) from 2014 to 2018.Methods:A total of 880 patients with HIV-1 infection who had been treated with HAART for more than six months in Chongqing Infectious Disease Medical Center from May 2014 to December 2018 were enrolled. Plasma samples were collected, and one-step reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR were taken to amplify protease and reverse transcriptase regions of HIV-1 pol gene region. The obtained amplified nucleotide sequences were compared with the drug resistance database for antiviral drug resistance analysis. Viral genotyping tool software was used to analyze HIV-1 subtype distribution. The categorical variables were compared using chi-square test. Results:Among 880 patients, the plasma HIV-1 viral load was (4.12±0.63) lg copies/mL, the CD4 + T lymphocyte count was (251±124)/μL, and the median duration of antiviral therapy was 26 months. In the subtypes analysis, the circulating recombinant form (CRF) 01-AE subtype was the largest proportion of HIV-1 subtypes, accounting for 38.9%(342/880), and the CRF07-BC subtype accounted for 28.5%(251/880), B+ C subtypes accounted for 16.2%(143/880). Drug-resistant mutations were detected in 534 patients, with a total drug resistance rate of 60.7%. The drug resistance rates of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) and protease inhibitors (PI) were 51.0%(449/880), 58.6%(516/880) and 1.7%(15/880), respectively. The drug resistances to lamivudine, emtricitabine, efavirenz, and nevirapine were serious, and the medium/high resistance rates were 46.8%(412/880), 46.8%(412/880), 51.3%(451/880), and 53.6%(472/880), respectively, while those to zidomidudine (6.0%, 53/880), etravirin (9.0%, 451/880) and PI were not serious. M184IV (47.3%), K65R (22.2%) and K70RE (12.6%) were the most frequent mutations for NRTI. K103NS (25.1%), V106A (19.7%) and V179DE (14.4%) were the most frequent mutations for NNRTI. The most common drug-resistant mutations for PI were L10FIV (7.4%) and A71IVT (6.5%). The drug resistance rate of CRF01-AE subtype (69.3%, 237/342) was higher than those of CRF07-BC subtype (49.8%, 125/251) and B+ C subtype (51.0%, 73/143), the differences were statistically significant ( χ2=22.6 and 14.6, respectively, both P<0.05). Conclusions:The incidence of drug resistance is high among HIV-1 infected patients after six-month HAART treatment in Chongqing City. The drug resistance to NNRTI is the most common, followed by NRTI, while PI is less resistant. Drug resistance is the main reason for the virological breakthrough in HIV-1 infected patients.
4.Exploring the mechanism of action of sour jujube nut compound formula for depression based on network pharmacology and experimental validation
Hanwen ZHENG ; Xinyue LIU ; Haiyan ZHAO ; Jiayin WANG ; Fulong LUO ; Bei FAN ; Alberto Carlos Pires Dias ; Fengzhong WANG ; Qiong WANG
Acta Laboratorium Animalis Scientia Sinica 2024;32(7):901-912
Objective In this study,we aimed to use network pharmacology techniques to predict the key targets of a prescription of Ziziphi spinosae semen formula(ZSSF)compound for depression,and to verify its mechanism of action using a zebrafish model of rifampicin-induced depression.Methods The drug targets of ZSSF were retrieved from the TCMSP database,and the target names were corrected using the UniProt database.Depression-related targets were identified using the GeneCards,OMIM,and NCBI databases.Protein-protein interaction information for the shared targets was predicted using the STRING database.The collected data were then analyzed using the Metascape database to determine GO and KEGG pathway enrichment,and the result were visualized using microbiotics.Behavioral experiments and reverse-transcription quantitative PCR experiments were conducted to verify the therapeutic effects of ZSSF on a zebrafish depression model induced by risperdal.Results 188 targets were screened to find the interactions between depression and ZSSF.The protein-protein interaction result showed that ZSSF primarily targeted TNF-α,IL-2,IL-6,IL-1β,and IL-10 to produce its antidepressant effect.KEGG pathway enrichment analysis revealed that ZSSF exerted its effects on depression through various signaling pathways,including the TNF,PI3K-Akt,and cGMP-PKG signaling pathways.The result of the animal experiments showed that the treatment groups given high,medium,and low doses of ZSSF exhibited significant improvements in movement distance under acoustic and light stimulation compared with the model group(P<0.05).The speed of movement of the treatment groups was also significantly faster(P<0.01).Additionally,the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α,IL-2,IL-6,IL-1β,and IL-10 were up-regulated in the brain tissues of zebrafish in the high-,medium-,and low-dosage groups of ZSSF compared those in the model group(P<0.001).Conclusions ZSSF exerts its antidepressant effect through multiple components and targets,and its antidepressant effects may be associated with its inhibition of inflammatory factors.