1.Brain endothelial HIF-1α exacerbates diabetes-associated cognitive impairment by accelerating glycolysis-driven lactate production.
Jicong CHEN ; Ruohui LIN ; Cuihua JIANG ; Fang CHEN ; Wei LI ; Lei WANG ; Ke PAN ; Jian ZHANG ; Zhiqi YIN ; Yaping HUANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(11):5772-5788
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment. The dysregulation of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) signaling in T2D patients results in impaired adaptive responses to hypoxia, thereby accelerating the progression of complications. However, limited knowledge is available regarding its precise function in diabetes-associated cognitive impairment (DACI). Here, elevated HIF-1α levels were observed in brain endothelial cells (ECs) of db/db mice. Functionally, brain ECs-specific knockdown of H if1 a significantly ameliorated T2D-induced memory loss and neuronal damage. Glycolysis in brain ECs was inhibited in this process, as indicated by RNA-seq, leading to decreased hippocampal lactate production through reduced LDHA expression. Notably, T2D patients showed increased cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels, which were strongly associated with their cognitive dysfunction. Intrahippocampal injection of lactate accelerated cognitive dysfunction and impaired adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) in db/db mice. Conversely, reducing hippocampal lactate levels through the intrahippocampal injection of oxamate delayed the onset of memory deficits. Furthermore, asiatic acid was discovered to protect db/db mice from cognitive impairment by decreasing brain endothelial HIF-1α expression and subsequently reducing hippocampal lactate-induced AHN damage. Overall, this study elucidates the inhibiting role played by endothelial HIF-1α-driven lactate in AHN and highlights a potential tactic of targeting HIF-1α in brain ECs for treating cognitive impairment.
2.Regulation of autophagy-related proteins by electroacupuncture in rats with bone cancer pain
Hongyan QIN ; Xiaoxia HE ; Yujie HU ; Yong LI ; Cuihua LIU ; Wei HU ; Lirong DENG
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2025;41(8):1559-1568
AIM:To investigate the modulatory effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on spinal cord neurons au-tophagy in rats with bone cancer pain.METHODS:(1)Verification of autophagy-related protein expression at different time points in a bone cancer pain model:a total of 56 female Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated(sham)group and a model group.The model group was further subdivided into 6 subgroups corresponding to time points of 3,6,9,12,15,and 18 d,with 8 rats per subgroup.Thermal and mechanical pain thresholds,tibial bone destruction,and spinal neuron marker neuronal nuclear antigen(NeuN)co-localized with LC3B,Beclin1,and P62 were examined in rats at each designated time point.(2)Changes in spinal autophagy proteins following EA intervention:an additional 40 rats were randomly assigned to sham group,model group,EA group,sham EA(SEA)group,and autoph-agy agonist rapamycin(Rap)group,with 8 animals per group.EA was administered to the rats in EA group beginning on day 6 after modeling,the rats in SEA group received needle insertion without electrical stimulation,while those in Rap group received intraperitoneal injections of rapamycin(5 mg/kg).Thermal pain thresholds were assessed at designated in-tervals,followed by mechanical pain threshold assessments conducted on the subsequent day.Treatment continued until day 21,with rapamycin administered at the end of each intervention day.Tibial bone destruction was evaluated using he-matoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Expression levels of LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I,Beclin1,and P62 proteins in the spinal cord were determined by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the Sham group,thermal and mechanical pain thresholds were significantly decreased in the model group starting from day 6(P<0.01).Rat tibial bones exhibited notable damage,with severity progressively increasing over time.Protein expression levels of LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I,Beclin1,and P62 were significantly elevated in the spinal cord at various time points(P<0.01),and these pro-teins were co-localized with spinal cord neurons.(2)Compared with the model group,mechanical and thermal pain thresholds in the EA and Rap groups gradually increased,with statistically significant differences observed from days 8 and 6 onward,respectively(P<0.01).In addition,LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I and Beclin1 protein expression levels were signifi-cantly upregulated(P<0.01),whereas P62 expression was markedly downregulated(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated significantly enhanced positive staining for LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I and Beclin1 and significantly decreased positive staining for P62 in the spinal cord of rats in the EA and Rap groups(P<0.05).Notably,no significant differences were observed in the SEA group(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:EA promotes spinal cord neurons autophagy in rats with bone cancer pain.The enhancement of autophagy may represent a potential mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of EA in bone cancer pain.
3.CENPI promotes the migration of liver cancer cells and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process by activating the RAS/MEK/ERK signaling axis
Shushu LU ; Wei HUANG ; Sijia GE ; Jing CHEN ; Yu SHENG ; Zhaoxiu LIU ; Cuihua LU
Chinese Journal of Hepatology 2025;33(7):674-682
Objective:To detect the expression level and clinical significance of centromere protein I (CENPI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to preliminarily explore the effects of CENPI on the biological behavior of liver cancer cells and its possible molecular mechanisms. Methods:The TCGA database, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemical staining experiments were used to analyze and detect the expression differences of CENPI in liver cancer and adjacent tissues. The correlation between CENPI expression levels and clinical pathological features were analyzed in combination with clinical data from HCC patients. The value of CENPI in the diagnosis and prognosis assessment of HCC was explored by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of CENPI overexpression on the migration and healing capabilities of liver cancer cells using Transwell and wound healing experiments. Finally, the effects of CENPI on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process in liver cancer cells and the potential molecular mechanisms were explored using Western blot. Comparisons between two groups were analyzed using t-tests, and comparisons among multiple groups were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The expression of CENPI and its correlation with clinical pathological features were analyzed using the χ2 test. Results:The TCGA database analysis showed that the expression level of CENPI was significantly higher in liver cancer tissues than adjacent tissues, which was further validated by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining experiments. Combined clinical data analysis from HCC patients demonstrated that high expression of CENPI was positively correlated with the degree of tumor malignancy, T stage, and disease prognosis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve indicated that the 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high CENPI expression compared to those with low expression. The results of the receiver operating characteristic curve further indicated that the expression level of CENPI had accurately predicted the prognosis of liver cancer patients (area under the curve=0.962). Transwell and wound healing experiment results indicated that overexpressing CENPI in Hep3B and Huh7 cells significantly increased cell migration numbers and healing rates. Further research results showed that overexpressing CENPI significantly upregulated the expression of mesenchymal cell-related marker genes: N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail protein, while the expression of the epithelial cell-related marker gene E-cadherin was significantly reduced. The mechanistic study revealed that when CENPI was overexpressed, the MEK and ERK phosphorylation levels and the expression of RAS protein were significantly increased compared to the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:The high expression of CENPI in the tissues of HCC patients is associated with poor prognosis, potentially promoting the migration of liver cancer cells and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process by activating the RAS/MEK/ERK signaling pathway axis, suggesting that the CENPI gene may be a promising target for HCC treatment.
4.Regulation of autophagy-related proteins by electroacupuncture in rats with bone cancer pain
Hongyan QIN ; Xiaoxia HE ; Yujie HU ; Yong LI ; Cuihua LIU ; Wei HU ; Lirong DENG
Chinese Journal of Pathophysiology 2025;41(8):1559-1568
AIM:To investigate the modulatory effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on spinal cord neurons au-tophagy in rats with bone cancer pain.METHODS:(1)Verification of autophagy-related protein expression at different time points in a bone cancer pain model:a total of 56 female Sprague-Dawley(SD)rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated(sham)group and a model group.The model group was further subdivided into 6 subgroups corresponding to time points of 3,6,9,12,15,and 18 d,with 8 rats per subgroup.Thermal and mechanical pain thresholds,tibial bone destruction,and spinal neuron marker neuronal nuclear antigen(NeuN)co-localized with LC3B,Beclin1,and P62 were examined in rats at each designated time point.(2)Changes in spinal autophagy proteins following EA intervention:an additional 40 rats were randomly assigned to sham group,model group,EA group,sham EA(SEA)group,and autoph-agy agonist rapamycin(Rap)group,with 8 animals per group.EA was administered to the rats in EA group beginning on day 6 after modeling,the rats in SEA group received needle insertion without electrical stimulation,while those in Rap group received intraperitoneal injections of rapamycin(5 mg/kg).Thermal pain thresholds were assessed at designated in-tervals,followed by mechanical pain threshold assessments conducted on the subsequent day.Treatment continued until day 21,with rapamycin administered at the end of each intervention day.Tibial bone destruction was evaluated using he-matoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Expression levels of LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I,Beclin1,and P62 proteins in the spinal cord were determined by Western blot and immunohistochemistry.RESULTS:(1)Compared with the Sham group,thermal and mechanical pain thresholds were significantly decreased in the model group starting from day 6(P<0.01).Rat tibial bones exhibited notable damage,with severity progressively increasing over time.Protein expression levels of LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I,Beclin1,and P62 were significantly elevated in the spinal cord at various time points(P<0.01),and these pro-teins were co-localized with spinal cord neurons.(2)Compared with the model group,mechanical and thermal pain thresholds in the EA and Rap groups gradually increased,with statistically significant differences observed from days 8 and 6 onward,respectively(P<0.01).In addition,LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I and Beclin1 protein expression levels were signifi-cantly upregulated(P<0.01),whereas P62 expression was markedly downregulated(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated significantly enhanced positive staining for LC3B Ⅱ/LC3B I and Beclin1 and significantly decreased positive staining for P62 in the spinal cord of rats in the EA and Rap groups(P<0.05).Notably,no significant differences were observed in the SEA group(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:EA promotes spinal cord neurons autophagy in rats with bone cancer pain.The enhancement of autophagy may represent a potential mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of EA in bone cancer pain.
5.CENPI promotes the migration of liver cancer cells and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process by activating the RAS/MEK/ERK signaling axis
Shushu LU ; Wei HUANG ; Sijia GE ; Jing CHEN ; Yu SHENG ; Zhaoxiu LIU ; Cuihua LU
Chinese Journal of Hepatology 2025;33(7):674-682
Objective:To detect the expression level and clinical significance of centromere protein I (CENPI) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to preliminarily explore the effects of CENPI on the biological behavior of liver cancer cells and its possible molecular mechanisms. Methods:The TCGA database, real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemical staining experiments were used to analyze and detect the expression differences of CENPI in liver cancer and adjacent tissues. The correlation between CENPI expression levels and clinical pathological features were analyzed in combination with clinical data from HCC patients. The value of CENPI in the diagnosis and prognosis assessment of HCC was explored by plotting receiver operating characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Furthermore, we investigated the impact of CENPI overexpression on the migration and healing capabilities of liver cancer cells using Transwell and wound healing experiments. Finally, the effects of CENPI on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process in liver cancer cells and the potential molecular mechanisms were explored using Western blot. Comparisons between two groups were analyzed using t-tests, and comparisons among multiple groups were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The expression of CENPI and its correlation with clinical pathological features were analyzed using the χ2 test. Results:The TCGA database analysis showed that the expression level of CENPI was significantly higher in liver cancer tissues than adjacent tissues, which was further validated by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemical staining experiments. Combined clinical data analysis from HCC patients demonstrated that high expression of CENPI was positively correlated with the degree of tumor malignancy, T stage, and disease prognosis. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve indicated that the 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with high CENPI expression compared to those with low expression. The results of the receiver operating characteristic curve further indicated that the expression level of CENPI had accurately predicted the prognosis of liver cancer patients (area under the curve=0.962). Transwell and wound healing experiment results indicated that overexpressing CENPI in Hep3B and Huh7 cells significantly increased cell migration numbers and healing rates. Further research results showed that overexpressing CENPI significantly upregulated the expression of mesenchymal cell-related marker genes: N-cadherin, Vimentin, and Snail protein, while the expression of the epithelial cell-related marker gene E-cadherin was significantly reduced. The mechanistic study revealed that when CENPI was overexpressed, the MEK and ERK phosphorylation levels and the expression of RAS protein were significantly increased compared to the control group, and the difference was statistically significant. Conclusion:The high expression of CENPI in the tissues of HCC patients is associated with poor prognosis, potentially promoting the migration of liver cancer cells and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition process by activating the RAS/MEK/ERK signaling pathway axis, suggesting that the CENPI gene may be a promising target for HCC treatment.
6.Expression and clinical significance of CENPU in intestinal tissues of patients with colorectal cancer
Ruochun WANG ; Wei HUANG ; Sijia GE ; Jing CHEN ; Han XUAN ; Yang YAN ; Jiawei JIANG ; Mingbing XIAO ; Cuihua LU ; Zhaoxiu LIU
China Modern Doctor 2024;62(11):1-6
Objective To investigate the expression of centromere protein U(CENPU)in the intestinal tissues of patients with colon cancer,and to analyze the effect of CENPU expression level on the prognosis of patients with colon cancer combined with bioinformatics.Methods Firstly,the expression of CENPU in cancer tissues and normal tissues of colon cancer patients was analyzed by the expression of CENPU in tissues was further verified by real-time quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR),Western blot(WB)and immunohistochemistry(IHC).Combined with clinical data,univariate and multivariate Cox regression are used to analyze the correlation between CENPU expression and clinical case parameters of colon cancer patients.Then,the predictive effect of CENPU expression on the prognosis of colon cancer patients are explored by drawing receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and Kaplan-Meier survival curve.Finally,the possible molecular mechanism of the effect of CENPU expression on the progression of colon cancer are analyzed by bioinformatics.Results By qRT-PCR,WB and IHC experiments,we find that compared with normal tissues,the expression of CENPU in cancer tissues of colon cancer patients is significantly increased.Cox regression analysis show that the expression of CENPU is significantly correlated with the age and TNM stage of patients,and is a risk factor affecting the prognosis of patients.Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis show that colon cancer patients with high CENPU expression has significantly lower survival rates.ROC curve show that the model based on CENPU expression has a high predictive power for the prognosis of colon cancer patients area under the curve(AUC=0.832).Bioinformatics analysis show that CENPI,CENPN,CENPD,CENPK,CENPP,CENPM,CENPQ,CENPH,NDC80 and ITGB3BP have significant interaction with CENPU gene.CENPU is involved in DNA repair,MYC/TARGETS/V1 and PI3K/AKT/MTOR signaling pathways.Conclusion High expression of CENPU in cancer tissues of patients with colon cancer is significantly associated with poor prognosis of patients,suggesting that CENPU is expected to be a potential target for early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of patients with colon cancer.
7.Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients (version 2024)
Yao LU ; Yang LI ; Leiying ZHANG ; Hao TANG ; Huidan JING ; Yaoli WANG ; Xiangzhi JIA ; Li BA ; Maohong BIAN ; Dan CAI ; Hui CAI ; Xiaohong CAI ; Zhanshan ZHA ; Bingyu CHEN ; Daqing CHEN ; Feng CHEN ; Guoan CHEN ; Haiming CHEN ; Jing CHEN ; Min CHEN ; Qing CHEN ; Shu CHEN ; Xi CHEN ; Jinfeng CHENG ; Xiaoling CHU ; Hongwang CUI ; Xin CUI ; Zhen DA ; Ying DAI ; Surong DENG ; Weiqun DONG ; Weimin FAN ; Ke FENG ; Danhui FU ; Yongshui FU ; Qi FU ; Xuemei FU ; Jia GAN ; Xinyu GAN ; Wei GAO ; Huaizheng GONG ; Rong GUI ; Geng GUO ; Ning HAN ; Yiwen HAO ; Wubing HE ; Qiang HONG ; Ruiqin HOU ; Wei HOU ; Jie HU ; Peiyang HU ; Xi HU ; Xiaoyu HU ; Guangbin HUANG ; Jie HUANG ; Xiangyan HUANG ; Yuanshuai HUANG ; Shouyong HUN ; Xuebing JIANG ; Ping JIN ; Dong LAI ; Aiping LE ; Hongmei LI ; Bijuan LI ; Cuiying LI ; Daihong LI ; Haihong LI ; He LI ; Hui LI ; Jianping LI ; Ning LI ; Xiying LI ; Xiangmin LI ; Xiaofei LI ; Xiaojuan LI ; Zhiqiang LI ; Zhongjun LI ; Zunyan LI ; Huaqin LIANG ; Xiaohua LIANG ; Dongfa LIAO ; Qun LIAO ; Yan LIAO ; Jiajin LIN ; Chunxia LIU ; Fenghua LIU ; Peixian LIU ; Tiemei LIU ; Xiaoxin LIU ; Zhiwei LIU ; Zhongdi LIU ; Hua LU ; Jianfeng LUAN ; Jianjun LUO ; Qun LUO ; Dingfeng LYU ; Qi LYU ; Xianping LYU ; Aijun MA ; Liqiang MA ; Shuxuan MA ; Xainjun MA ; Xiaogang MA ; Xiaoli MA ; Guoqing MAO ; Shijie MU ; Shaolin NIE ; Shujuan OUYANG ; Xilin OUYANG ; Chunqiu PAN ; Jian PAN ; Xiaohua PAN ; Lei PENG ; Tao PENG ; Baohua QIAN ; Shu QIAO ; Li QIN ; Ying REN ; Zhaoqi REN ; Ruiming RONG ; Changshan SU ; Mingwei SUN ; Wenwu SUN ; Zhenwei SUN ; Haiping TANG ; Xiaofeng TANG ; Changjiu TANG ; Cuihua TAO ; Zhibin TIAN ; Juan WANG ; Baoyan WANG ; Chunyan WANG ; Gefei WANG ; Haiyan WANG ; Hongjie WANG ; Peng WANG ; Pengli WANG ; Qiushi WANG ; Xiaoning WANG ; Xinhua WANG ; Xuefeng WANG ; Yong WANG ; Yongjun WANG ; Yuanjie WANG ; Zhihua WANG ; Shaojun WEI ; Yaming WEI ; Jianbo WEN ; Jun WEN ; Jiang WU ; Jufeng WU ; Aijun XIA ; Fei XIA ; Rong XIA ; Jue XIE ; Yanchao XING ; Yan XIONG ; Feng XU ; Yongzhu XU ; Yongan XU ; Yonghe YAN ; Beizhan YAN ; Jiang YANG ; Jiangcun YANG ; Jun YANG ; Xinwen YANG ; Yongyi YANG ; Chunyan YAO ; Mingliang YE ; Changlin YIN ; Ming YIN ; Wen YIN ; Lianling YU ; Shuhong YU ; Zebo YU ; Yigang YU ; Anyong YU ; Hong YUAN ; Yi YUAN ; Chan ZHANG ; Jinjun ZHANG ; Jun ZHANG ; Kai ZHANG ; Leibing ZHANG ; Quan ZHANG ; Rongjiang ZHANG ; Sanming ZHANG ; Shengji ZHANG ; Shuo ZHANG ; Wei ZHANG ; Weidong ZHANG ; Xi ZHANG ; Xingwen ZHANG ; Guixi ZHANG ; Xiaojun ZHANG ; Guoqing ZHAO ; Jianpeng ZHAO ; Shuming ZHAO ; Beibei ZHENG ; Shangen ZHENG ; Huayou ZHOU ; Jicheng ZHOU ; Lihong ZHOU ; Mou ZHOU ; Xiaoyu ZHOU ; Xuelian ZHOU ; Yuan ZHOU ; Zheng ZHOU ; Zuhuang ZHOU ; Haiyan ZHU ; Peiyuan ZHU ; Changju ZHU ; Lili ZHU ; Zhengguo WANG ; Jianxin JIANG ; Deqing WANG ; Jiongcai LAN ; Quanli WANG ; Yang YU ; Lianyang ZHANG ; Aiqing WEN
Chinese Journal of Trauma 2024;40(10):865-881
Patients with severe trauma require an extremely timely treatment and transfusion plays an irreplaceable role in the emergency treatment of such patients. An increasing number of evidence-based medicinal evidences and clinical practices suggest that patients with severe traumatic bleeding benefit from early transfusion of low-titer group O whole blood or hemostatic resuscitation with red blood cells, plasma and platelet of a balanced ratio. However, the current domestic mode of blood supply cannot fully meet the requirements of timely and effective blood transfusion for emergency treatment of patients with severe trauma in clinical practice. In order to solve the key problems in blood supply and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma, Branch of Clinical Transfusion Medicine of Chinese Medical Association, Group for Trauma Emergency Care and Multiple Injuries of Trauma Branch of Chinese Medical Association, Young Scholar Group of Disaster Medicine Branch of Chinese Medical Association organized domestic experts of blood transfusion medicine and trauma treatment to jointly formulate Chinese expert consensus on blood support mode and blood transfusion strategies for emergency treatment of severe trauma patients ( version 2024). Based on the evidence-based medical evidence and Delphi method of expert consultation and voting, 10 recommendations were put forward from two aspects of blood support mode and transfusion strategies, aiming to provide a reference for transfusion resuscitation in the emergency treatment of severe trauma and further improve the success rate of treatment of patients with severe trauma.
8.Effect and mechanism of mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease 1 on the proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells
Qiqi REN ; Wei HUANG ; Tao MA ; Cuihua LU
Chinese Journal of Digestion 2024;44(6):398-405
Objective:To investigate the effect and possible molecular mechanism of mannan-binding lectin-associated serine protease (MASP) 1 on the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) cells.Methods:From January 10 to October 25, 2022, 20 pairs of fresh liver cancer tissue and adjacent (3 cm from cancer tissue) normal tissue samples of patients who underwent hepatic cancer resection at the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University were collected, and the expression of MASP1 was analyzed. From March 1, 2012 to May 20, 2017, the cancer tissue and adjacent (3 cm from cancer tissue) normal tissue samples of 67 patients with HCC were collected from the tissue sample bank of the Department of Pathology, the Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University and the correlation between the expression level of MASP1 and clinical data of patients with HCC were analyzed. Human hepatoma cells lines SK-Hep1 and Hep3B were cultured, and MASP1 overexpression and MASP1 knockdown cell lines were constructed. SK-Hep1 negative control group, SK-Hep1 MASP1 overexpression group, Hep3B negative control group and Hep3B MASP1 knockdown group were set up. The effect of MASP1 on the proliferation of HCC cells was detected by subcutaneous tumor transplantation experiment in nude mice. The effect of MASP1 on the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition related proteins (N-cadherin, matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9), and E-cadherin), and the effects of MASP1 on the expression of phosphoinositide 3-kinase(PI3K)/protein kinase B(Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) pathway related proteins and their phosphorylation levels were detected by Western blotting. Independent sample- t test, paired- t test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The results of immunohistochemical staining of 20 pairs of fresh tissue samples showed that the expression level of MASP1 in liver cancer tissue was lower than that in adjacent normal tissue (3.73±1.03 vs. 6.76±1.46), and the difference was statistically significant ( t=16.97, P<0.001). The correlation analysis of MASP1 expression level and clinical data of 67 patients with HCC revealed that the expression level of MASP1 was related to vascular invasion of the tumor, and the difference was statistically significant( χ2=5.20, P=0.023). The subcutaneous tumor transplantation experiment in nude mice showed that the volume and weight of subcutaneous tumor of mice in SK-Hep1 MASP1 overexpression group were lower than those of the SK-Hep1 negative control group((165.42±149.08) mm 3vs. (260.42±179.78) mm 3, (0.13±0.12) g vs. (0.18±0.12) g), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=5.15 and 3.89, both P<0.05). The results of Western blotting showed that the expression levels of N-cadherin and MMP9 in SK-Hep1 MASP1 overexpression group were lower than those of SK-Hep1 negative control group, while the expression level of E-cadherin was higher than that of SK-Hep1 negative control group (0.73±0.01 vs. 1.02±0.02, 0.40±0.01 vs. 0.69±0.01, 0.91±0.02 vs. 0.78±0.02), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=24.23, 36.87 and 9.27, all P<0.001). The expression levels of N-cadherin and MMP9 in Hep3B MASP1 knockdown group were higher than those in Hep3B negative control group, and the expression levels of E-cadherin was lower than that in Hep3B negative control group (1.04±0.01 vs. 0.31±0.01, 0.54±0.02 vs. 0.04±0.01, 0.56±0.01 vs. 0.93±0.01), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=163.20, 53.16, 60.74, all P<0.001). The expression levels of phosphoinositide PI3K, phosphoinositide Akt, and phosphoinositide mTOR of SK-Hep1 MASP1 overexpression group were lower than those of SK-Hep1 negative control group (0.59±0.01 vs.1.02±0.01, 0.64±0.01 vs. 1.12±0.02, 0.10±0.01 vs. 1.05±0.02); the expression levels of phosphoinositide PI3K, phosphoinositide Akt, and phosphoinositide mTOR of Hep3B MASP1 knockdown group were higher than those of Hep3B negative control group (0.96±0.01 vs. 0.55±0.01, 0.99±0.01 vs. 0.38±0.01, 0.93±0.02 vs. 0.06±0.01), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=40.87, 40.91, 87.30, 44.17, 107.50, 67.28, all P<0.001). Conclusions:The expression level of MASP1 is low in HCC tissue, and is significantly correlated with the poor prognosis of HCC patients and the occurrence of tumor vascular invasion. MASP1 may affect the proliferation and migration of liver cancer cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, suggesting that MASP1 may become a key gene in the treatment of HCC.
9.Expression of the transmembrane emp24 domain-containing protein 4 in liver tissues of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and its effects on biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells
Liyang WANG ; Wei HUANG ; Shuzhen WU ; Tao MA ; Zhaoxiu LIU ; Cuihua LU
Chinese Journal of Digestion 2022;42(10):667-674
Objective:To examine the expression of transmembrane emp24 domain-containing protein 4(TMED4) in liver tissue of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, and to investigate the effects of TMED4 gene on the proliferation and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and related molecular mechanisms. Methods:The expression of TMED4 at protein level in liver cancer tissue and paracancerous tissue of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemical stainning, and the correlation between its expression and clinicopathological features was analyzed. The effects of TMED4 overexpression or knockdown on proliferation, migration and healing ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo were determined by cell proliferation test, Transwell test, wound healing test and subcutaneous tumor formation in nude mice. The molecular mechanism of TMED4 in regulating the biological behavior of hepatocellular carcinoma cells was preliminarily explored by pathway analysis. Independent sample t test, Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The results of Western blotting showed that the expression of TMED4 at protein level in hepatocellular carcinoma tissue was lower than that in paracancerous tissue(0.52±0.29 vs. 0.83±0.22), and the difference was statistically significant( t=2.54, P=0.022). The results of immunohistochemical examination indicated that the expression of TMED4 at protein level in liver cancer tissue was lower than that in paracancerous tissue(5.46±3.37 vs. 7.58±3.08), and the difference was statistically significant( t=3.49, P<0.001). The expression of TMED4 at protein level was significantly correlated with vascular invasion and Barcelona clinic liver cancer stage( χ2=6.83 and 4.20, P=0.009 and 0.040). The results of cell proliferation assay showed that the absorbance value of SMMC-7721 cells in TMED4 overexpression group was lower than that in control group(1.38±0.05 vs. 2.37±0.08), while the optical density value of HepG2 in TMED4 knockdown group was higher than that in control group(0.76±0.04 vs. 0.54±0.01), and the differences were statistically significant( t=18.23 and 8.85, both P<0.001). The results of Transwell test showed that the number of migrated SMMC-7721 cells in TMED4 overexpression group was less than that in control group(286.30±13.01 vs. 439.70±12.34), while the number of migrated HepG2 cells in TMED4 knockdown group was higher than that in control group(249.00±6.00 vs. 160.00±6.56), and the differences were statistically significant( t=14.81 and 17.34, both P<0.001). The wound healing test showed that the healing rate of SMMC-7721 cells in TMED4 overexpression group was lower than that in control group((0.21±0.01)% vs.(0.45±0.01)%), the healing rate of HepG2 cells in TMED4 knockdown group was higher than that in control group((0.46±0.01)% vs.(0.20±0.01)%), and the differences were statistically significant( t=200.10 and 30.46, both P<0.001). The results of subcutaneous tumor formation assay in nude mice showed that the growth rate of cells in TMED4 overexpression group was slower than that in control group. After cell inoculation for 6 weeks, the subcutaneous tumor volume of mice in TMED4 overexpression group was smaller than that in control group(27.36 mm 3(138.70 mm 3) vs. 1 741.62 mm 3(1 783.39 mm 3)), the tumor weight was lower than that in control group(0.06 g(0.14 g) vs. 1.46 g(1.09 g)), and the differences were statistically significant(both Z=-2.31, both P<0.001). The results of Western blotting showed that the expression of Snail at protein level in SMMC-7721 cells of the TMED4 overexpression group was lower than that of the control group(0.32±0.01 vs. 0.90±0.03), the protein level of Snail in HepG2 cells of TMED4 knockdown group was higher than that of control group(1.03±0.01 vs. 0.97±0.01), and the differences were statistically significant( t=28.49 and 12.31, both P<0.001). The results of real time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction showed that the expression of Snail at mRNA level in SMMC-7721 cells of TMED4 overexpression group was lower than that of control group(0.13±0.05 vs. 1.00±0.15), the expression of Snail at mRNA level in HepG2 cells of TMED4 knockdown group was higher than that of control group(1.25±0.32 vs. 0.21±0.14), and the differences were statistically significant( t=9.62 and 5.10, P<0.001 and P=0.007). Conclusion:TMED4 may affect the proliferation and migration of hepatocarcinoma cells by regulating the expression of Snail, and which is expected to become a potentially therapeutic target for hepatocellular carcinoma.
10.Clinical Characteristics and Treatment of Blau Syndrome in Chinese Children-a National Multicenter Study
Junmei ZHANG ; Xiaozhen ZHAO ; Xuemei TANG ; Yi'nan ZHAO ; Li LI ; Fengqiao GAO ; Xinwei SHI ; Yanliang JIN ; Yu ZHANG ; Lanfang CAO ; Wei YIN ; Jihong XIAO ; Weiying KUANG ; Jianghong DENG ; Jiang WANG ; Xiaohua TAN ; Chao LI ; Shipeng LI ; Haiyan XUE ; Cuihua LIU ; Xiaohui LIU ; Dongmei ZHAO ; Yuqing CHEN ; Wenjie ZHENG ; Caifeng LI
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2022;1(3):252-258

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