1.The mechanism of action and prognostic value of Dynamin 3 in gastric cancer
Ruhong TU ; Gildas Eric Sita Emmanuel ; Qing ZHONG ; Chaohui ZHENG ; Ping LI ; Jianwei XIE ; Jiabin WANG ; Jianxian LIN ; Jun LU ; Qiyue CHEN ; Longlong CAO ; Mi LIN ; Changming HUANG
Chinese Journal of Digestive Surgery 2023;22(9):1100-1112
Objective:To investigate the mechanism of action and prognostic value of Dynamin 3 (DNM3) in gastric cancer.Methods:The bioinformatic analysis, experimental study and retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data, fresh gastric cancer tissues, paired normal tissues and the corresponding paraffin sections of 153 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical gastrectomy in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from January 2013 to July 2018 were collected. Tissues and the corresponding paraffin sections were subjected to quanti-tative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting assay, flow cytometric cell cycle assay and immunohistochemical staining, respectively, and clinicopathological data were used for prognostic analysis. The stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD) dataset from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database was collected for bioinformatic analysis. Observation indicators: (1) DNM3 gene expression in TCGA-STAD in gastric cancer; (2) mutations and copy number alterations of DNM3 in gastric cancer; (3) methylation level of promoter of DNM3 in gastric cancer; (4) relative protein expression of DNM3 and p53 in gastric cancer; (5) DNM3 correlation and enrichment analysis; (6) ratio of G0/G1 phase, S phase and G2/M phase of cell cycle progression; (7) correlation between immune cell infiltration and DNM3 in gastric cancer; (8) correlation between results of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and clinical features; (9) analysis of independent factors influencing 5-year overall survival rate of gastric cancer patients. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean±SD, and comparison among multiple groups was conducted using the ANOVA and further comparison between two groups was conducted using the LSD. Comparison between two groups was conducted using the t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and compari-son between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. Comparison of ordinal data was conducted using the rank sum test. The Pearson correlation coefficient or Spearman correlation coefficient was used to test the correlation between groups. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted using the COX proportional risk regression model. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves and calculate survival rates, and the Log-Rank test was used for survival analysis. The Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate correction was used for adjusting of the P-value. Results:(1) DNM3 gene expression in TCGA-STAD. The expression levels of DNM3 gene in the 27 tumor tissues and paired normal tissues of the TCGA-STAD database were 0.775(0.605,1.161) and 1.216(0.772,1.681), showing a significant difference between them ( Z=?2.64, P<0.05). The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of DNM3 gene in 48 pairs of gastric cancer tissues and paired normal tissues of the author′s center were 4.370(2.870,6.040) and 2.520(0.850,4.170), showing a significant difference between them ( Z=?4.39, P<0.05). (2) Mutations and copy number alterations of DNM3 in gastric cancer. There were 16 gastric cancer patients in the TCGA-STAD database with DNM3 mutation or somatic copy number alterations, including 6 cases with missense mutations, 1 case with truncated mutation, 8 cases with copy number gain and 1 case with copy number loss. The mRNA expression levels of DNM3 gene before and after mutation in the 370 gastric cancer patients of the TCGA-STAD database were 6.13(5.40,7.08) and 5.02(3.98,5.46), showing a significant difference between them (Log 2FC=?1.11, Z=?2.59, P<0.05). (3) Methylation level of promoter of DNM3 in gastric cancer. There were 372 gastric cancer patients in the TCGA-STAD database undergoing DNM3 methylation and mRNA examinations, and the results showed that levels of methylation and mRNA expression of DNM3 was 0.198 (-0.458, 0.301) and 6.014 (5.141, 6.628), respectively. The levels of methylation in DNM3 was negatively correlated with its mRNA expression ( r=?0.38, P<0.05). Results of follow-up in 32 patients showed that the 3-year overall survival rate of 16 cases with high levels of methylation in DNM3 and 16 cases with low levels of methylation in DNM3 was 18.8% and 41.3%, respectively, showing a significant difference between them ( hazard ratio=1.40, P<0.05). Results of immunoblot-ting assay showed that the relative expression level of DNM3 protein in the AGS cells treated with 0, 0.5, and 1.0 μmol/L of 5-azacytidin was 0.270±0.020, 0.357±0.051 and 0.599±0.039, respectively, showing a significant difference among the three groups ( F=57.84, P<0.05). The relative expression level of DNM3 protein in the HGC-27 cells treated with 0, 0.5, and 1.0 μmol/L of 5-azacytidin was 0.316±0.038, 0.770±0.031 and 0.877±0.052, respectively, showing a significant difference among the three groups ( F=156.30, P<0.05). (4) Relative protein expression of DNM3 and p53 in gastric cancer. Results of immunoblotting assay showed that the relative expression of DNM3 and p53 protein was 0.688±0.047 and 0.872±0.041 in the AGS cells transfected with pCMV-DNM3 plasmid, versus 0.249±0.029 and 0.352±0.020 in the AGS cells transfected with control plasmid, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two types of cells ( t=13.77,19.74, P<0.05). The relative expression of DNM3 and p53 protein was 0.969±0.069 and 1.464±0.081 in the HGC-27 cells transfected with pCMV-DNM3 plasmid, versus 0.456±0.048 and 0.794±0.052 in the HGC-27 cells transfected with control plasmid, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two types of cells ( t=10.57, 12.06, P<0.05). (5) DNM3 correlation and enrichment analysis. Results of correlation analysis showed that DNM3 was positively correlated with genes such as RBMS3, CNTN4 and PDE1A ( r=0.52, 0.52, 0.50, P<0.05) and negatively correlated with genes such as SLC25A39, PAICS and GAPDH ( r=?0.41, ?0.40, ?0.40, P<0.05) in gastric cancer. Results of gene set enrichment analysis showed that the set of genes related to ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation were upregulated in gastric cancer patients with DNM3 low expression [normalized enrichment score (NES)=?3.30, ?2.16, P<0.05], while the set of genes related to immunomodulatory interactions between lymphocytes and non-lymphoid cells were upregulated in gastric cancer patients with DNM3 high expression (NES=1.67, P<0.05). Results of gene ontology analysis showed that the low expression of DNM3 was associated with the separation of mitotic sister chromatid (No.0000070), nonsense-mediation of nuclear transcriptional mRNA catabolic process, sister chromatid separation (No.0000819), nuclear transcriptional mRNA catabolic process and regulation of oxidative phos-phorylation (NES=?2.29, ?3.10, ?2.33, ?2.56, ?2.68, P<0.05). Results of Kyoto encycl opedia of genes and genomes analysis showed that metabolic pathway related to ribosome and oxidative phosphory-lation were upregulated and crosstalked in gastric cancer with low expression of DNM3 (NES=?3.34, ?2.21, P<0.05). (6) Ratio of G0/G1 phase, S phase and G2/M phase of cell cycle progression. Results of flow cytometric cell cycle experiments showed that the proportions of G0/G1 phase, S phase and G2/M phase in the cell cycle was 65.1%±3.0%, 17.3%±3.0% and 17.6%±1.0% in the AGS cells transfected with pCMV-DNM3 plasmid, versus 53.4%±4.0%, 26.3%±2.0% and 20.3%±3.0% in the AGS cells transfected with control plasmid, showing significant differences in the proportions of G0/G1 phase and S phase in the two types of cells ( t=4.05, 4.32, P<0.05). (7) Correlation between immune cell infiltration and DNM3 in gastric cancer. Results of immune cell infiltration examination showed that the expression level of DNM3 was positively associated with mast cells, NK cells, pDCs, B cells, follicular helper T cells, effector memory T cells, T cells, central memory T cells, CD8 T cells, DC cells, macrophages, γ-δ T cells (Tgd), iDCs and eosinophils infiltration (Spearman correlation coefficients as 0.41, 0.29, 0.26, 0.20, 0.22, 0.22, 0.13, 0.16, 0.15, 0.14, 0.14, 0.17, 0.18, 0.22, P<0.05) and negatively associated with Th17 cell, Th2 cells and NK CD56 dim cells infiltration ( r=?0.18, ?0.23, ?0.10, P<0.05). (8) Correlation between results of IHC staining and clinical features. Results of IHC staining analysis showed that the IHC score of DNM3 was 3(2,4) in the 105 gastric cancer tissues, versus 6(4,9) in the 105 paired normal tissues, showing a significant difference between them ( Z=-7.35, P<0.05). There were significant differences in gender, tumor location and N stating between the 70 patients with low expression of DNM3 and the 35 patients with high expression of DNM3 ( χ2=4.29, 7.67, 6.86, P<0.05). (9) Analysis of independent factors influencing 5-year overall survival rate of gastric cancer patients. Results of multivariate analysis showed that stage pT3?4 and low IHC score of DNM3 were independent risk factors for 5-year overall survival rate of gastric cancer patients ( hazard ratio=1.91, 0.51, 95% confidence interval as 1.06?3.43, 0.26?0.98, P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rate was 44.3% in patients with low expression of DNM3, versus 65.7% in gastric cancer patients with high expression of DNM3, showing a significant difference between them ( χ2=5.02, P<0.05). Conclusion:DNM3 is a tumor suppressor and an independent predictor of poor prognosis for gastric cancer, which may regulate gastric cancer cell cycle and immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment through methylation.
2.Physicochemical degradation of phycocyanin and means to improve its stability:A short review
Adjali A?DA ; Clarot IGOR ; Chen ZILIN ; Marchioni ERIC ; Boudier ARIANE
Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis 2022;12(3):406-414
The cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis,spirulina,is a source of pigments such as phycobiliprotein and phycocyanin.Phycocyanin is used in the food,cosmetics,and pharmaceutical industries because of its antioxidant,anti-inflammatory,and anticancer properties.The different steps involved in extraction and purification of this protein can alter the final properties.In this review,the stability of phycocyanin(pH,temperature,and light)is discussed,considering the physicochemical parameters of kinetic modeling.The optimal working pH range for phycocyanin is between 5.5 and 6.0 and it remains stable up to 45℃;however,exposure to relatively high temperatures or acidic pH decreases its half-life and increases the degradation kinetic constant.Phycobiliproteins are sensitive to light;preservatives such as mono-and di-saccharides,citric acid,or sodium chloride appear to be effective stabilizing agents.Encapsulation within nano-or micro-structured materials such as nanofibers,microparticles,or nanoparticles,can also pre-serve or enhance its stability.
3.Machine Learning Modeling of Protein-intrinsic Features Predicts Tractability of Targeted Protein Degradation
Zhang WUBING ; Burman S.Roy SHOURYA ; Chen JIAYE ; A.Donovan KATHERINE ; Cao YANG ; Shu CHELSEA ; Zhang BONING ; Zeng ZEXIAN ; Gu SHENGQING ; Zhang YI ; Li DIAN ; S.Fischer ERIC ; Tokheim COLLIN ; Liu X.SHIRLEY
Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics 2022;20(5):882-898
Targeted protein degradation(TPD)has rapidly emerged as a therapeutic modality to eliminate previously undruggable proteins by repurposing the cell's endogenous protein degrada-tion machinery.However,the susceptibility of proteins for targeting by TPD approaches,termed"degradability",is largely unknown.Here,we developed a machine learning model,model-free anal-ysis of protein degradability(MAPD),to predict degradability from features intrinsic to protein tar-gets.MAPD shows accurate performance in predicting kinases that are degradable by TPD compounds[with an area under the precision-recall curve(AUPRC)of 0.759 and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUROC)of 0.775]and is likely generalizable to inde-pendent non-kinase proteins.We found five features with statistical significance to achieve optimal prediction,with ubiquitination potential being the most predictive.By structural modeling,we found that E2-accessible ubiquitination sites,but not lysine residues in general,are particularly associated with kinase degradability.Finally,we extended MAPD predictions to the entire proteome to find 964 disease-causing proteins(including proteins encoded by 278 cancer genes)that may be tractable to TPD drug development.
4.The effect of short-term antipsychotic treatment on disrupted thalamocortical functional connectivity in drug-na?ve patients with first-episode schizophrenia
Guowei WU ; Yanyu SHEN ; Wen ZHANG ; Zhening LIU ; Eric CHEN ; Hailong LYU ; Yicheng LONG ; Mengjie DENG ; Weidan PU
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry 2022;55(4):245-253
Objective:This study aimed to investigate the effect of short-term antipsychotic medication treatment of patients with schizophrenia on the effect of the thalamocortical resting-state functional connectivity.Methods:83 first-episode drug-na?ve schizophrenia patients and 117 matched healthy controls participated in the present study. The study collected resting-state fMRI data before and after the patients received short-term antipsychotics to assess the changes in the thalamocortical circuits and clinical symptoms. The directional interactions between the thalamus and other brain regions were investigated using a standard seed-based whole-brain correlation by choosing the bilateral thalamus as the seeds. Spearman′s correlation analysis was carried out between the change of abnormal functional connectivity and improved clinical symptoms in patients.Results:Compared with the healthy controls, schizophrenia patients showed decreased thalamic-prefrontal functional connectivity (including the middle frontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex, middle cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobe, all P<0.05, FDR corrected) and increased thalamic-sensorimotor functional connectivity(including the precentral gyrus, superior temporal cortex, middle temporal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, parahippocampus, and middle occipital cortex, all P<0.05, FDR corrected)at baseline. After short-term antipsychotic treatment, the thalamic-prefrontal hypo-connectivity was significantly enhanced, and the thalamic-sensorimotor hyper-connectivity was significantly decreased. Furthermore, the changes of abnormal functional connectivity were correlated significantly with the PANSS total score changes improvement ( r=0.435, P=0.014; r=0.394, P=0.028,uncorrected). Conclusions:The present study replicates previous findings that the abnormalities of thalamocortical circuits in schizophrenia are characterized by thalamic-prefrontal hypoconnectivity and thalamic-sensorimotor hyperconnectivity. Moreover, short-term antipsychotic treatment partly improves thalamocortical abnormalities, which further relates to clinical symptom relief; Restoring of abnormal thalamocortical circuits plays an important role in the early treatment of schizophrenia.
5.The effect of short-term antipsychotic treatment on disrupted thalamocortical functional connectivity in drug-na?ve patients with first-episode schizophrenia
Guowei WU ; Yanyu SHEN ; Wen ZHANG ; Zhening LIU ; Eric CHEN ; Hailong LYU ; Yicheng LONG ; Mengjie DENG ; Weidan PU
Chinese Journal of Psychiatry 2022;55(4):245-253
Objective:This study aimed to investigate the effect of short-term antipsychotic medication treatment of patients with schizophrenia on the effect of the thalamocortical resting-state functional connectivity.Methods:83 first-episode drug-na?ve schizophrenia patients and 117 matched healthy controls participated in the present study. The study collected resting-state fMRI data before and after the patients received short-term antipsychotics to assess the changes in the thalamocortical circuits and clinical symptoms. The directional interactions between the thalamus and other brain regions were investigated using a standard seed-based whole-brain correlation by choosing the bilateral thalamus as the seeds. Spearman′s correlation analysis was carried out between the change of abnormal functional connectivity and improved clinical symptoms in patients.Results:Compared with the healthy controls, schizophrenia patients showed decreased thalamic-prefrontal functional connectivity (including the middle frontal cortex, inferior frontal cortex, middle cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and inferior parietal lobe, all P<0.05, FDR corrected) and increased thalamic-sensorimotor functional connectivity(including the precentral gyrus, superior temporal cortex, middle temporal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, parahippocampus, and middle occipital cortex, all P<0.05, FDR corrected)at baseline. After short-term antipsychotic treatment, the thalamic-prefrontal hypo-connectivity was significantly enhanced, and the thalamic-sensorimotor hyper-connectivity was significantly decreased. Furthermore, the changes of abnormal functional connectivity were correlated significantly with the PANSS total score changes improvement ( r=0.435, P=0.014; r=0.394, P=0.028,uncorrected). Conclusions:The present study replicates previous findings that the abnormalities of thalamocortical circuits in schizophrenia are characterized by thalamic-prefrontal hypoconnectivity and thalamic-sensorimotor hyperconnectivity. Moreover, short-term antipsychotic treatment partly improves thalamocortical abnormalities, which further relates to clinical symptom relief; Restoring of abnormal thalamocortical circuits plays an important role in the early treatment of schizophrenia.
6.Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in China: A Nationwide Multi-center Population-based Study Among Children Aged 6 to 12 Years.
Hao ZHOU ; Xiu XU ; Weili YAN ; Xiaobing ZOU ; Lijie WU ; Xuerong LUO ; Tingyu LI ; Yi HUANG ; Hongyan GUAN ; Xiang CHEN ; Meng MAO ; Kun XIA ; Lan ZHANG ; Erzhen LI ; Xiaoling GE ; Lili ZHANG ; Chunpei LI ; Xudong ZHANG ; Yuanfeng ZHOU ; Ding DING ; Andy SHIH ; Eric FOMBONNE ; Yi ZHENG ; Jisheng HAN ; Zhongsheng SUN ; Yong-Hui JIANG ; Yi WANG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2020;36(9):961-971
This study aimed to obtain the first national estimate of the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Chinese children. We targeted the population of 6 to 12-year-old children for this prevalence study by multistage convenient cluster sampling. The Modified Chinese Autism Spectrum Rating Scale was used for the screening process. Of the target population of 142,086 children, 88.5% (n = 125,806) participated in the study. A total of 363 children were confirmed as having ASD. The observed ASD prevalence rate was 0.29% (95% CI: 0.26%-0.32%) for the overall population. After adjustment for response rates, the estimated number of ASD cases was 867 in the target population sample, thereby achieving an estimated prevalence of 0.70% (95% CI: 0.64%-0.74%). The prevalence was significantly higher in boys than in girls (0.95%; 95% CI: 0.87%-1.02% versus 0.30%; 95% CI: 0.26%-0.34%; P < 0.001). Of the 363 confirmed ASD cases, 43.3% were newly diagnosed, and most of those (90.4%) were attending regular schools, and 68.8% of the children with ASD had at least one neuropsychiatric comorbidity. Our findings provide reliable data on the estimated ASD prevalence and comorbidities in Chinese children.
7.Depressive severity associated with cesarean section in young depressed individuals
Yang XIAO-TONG ; Zhang WEN-RUI ; Tian ZI-CHEN ; Wang KUN ; Ding WEI-JUN ; Liu YUAN ; Wang CHUN-XIU ; Leng HAI-XIA ; Peng MAO ; Zhao WEN-FENG ; Li JIA-YI ; Yang LEI ; Zhang XING-YUE ; Wu LEI ; Wang JUN-HUI ; Fernandez ALEJANDRO ; Si TIAN-MEI ; Fu LIU-HUI ; Ghia JEAN-ERIC ; Dong HUI-QING ; Wang YU-PING ; Wang HONG-XING
Chinese Medical Journal 2019;132(15):1883-1884
8.Incidence and clinical correlates of anger attacks in Chinese patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Ying-Ying ZHANG ; Heng-Fen GONG ; Xiao-Li ZHANG ; Wen-Juan LIU ; Hai-Yan JIN ; Fang FANG ; Sophie SCHNEIDER ; Elizabeth MCINGVALE ; Chen-Cheng ZHANG ; Wayne K GOODMAN ; Xi-Rong SUN ; Eric A STORCH
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2019;20(4):363-370
OBJECTIVE:
Anger attacks have been observed in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), often triggered by obsessional triggers. However, few studies have reported the clinical characteristics and correlates of anger attacks among Chinese patients with OCD.
METHODS:
A total of 90 adults with a primary diagnosis of OCD, ranging from 15 to 78 years old, participated in the study. Participants were administered the Rage Outbursts and Anger Rating Scale (ROARS), Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale-Second Edition, and Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale by a trained clinician. Patients completed the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21.
RESULTS:
A total of 31.3% of participants reported anger outbursts in the past week, and ROARS scores had no significant correlation with age, duration of illness, OCD severity, depression, or stress. However, ROARS scores were negatively related to education level, and positively related to obsessing symptoms and anxiety.
CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that anger attacks are relatively common in Chinese patients with OCD. The severity of anger attacks is related to educational level, obsessing symptoms, and anxiety, which may be a latent variable reflecting executive functioning and emotion regulation skills.
Adolescent
;
Adult
;
Age Factors
;
Anger
;
China
;
Depression/complications*
;
Emotions
;
Executive Function
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Incidence
;
Male
;
Middle Aged
;
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder/psychology*
;
Regression Analysis
;
Severity of Illness Index
;
Stress, Psychological
;
Young Adult
9.Regulation of Pain and Itch by TRP Channels.
Carlene MOORE ; Rupali GUPTA ; Sven-Eric JORDT ; Yong CHEN ; Wolfgang B LIEDTKE
Neuroscience Bulletin 2018;34(1):120-142
Nociception is an important physiological process that detects harmful signals and results in pain perception. In this review, we discuss important experimental evidence involving some TRP ion channels as molecular sensors of chemical, thermal, and mechanical noxious stimuli to evoke the pain and itch sensations. Among them are the TRPA1 channel, members of the vanilloid subfamily (TRPV1, TRPV3, and TRPV4), and finally members of the melastatin group (TRPM2, TRPM3, and TRPM8). Given that pain and itch are pro-survival, evolutionarily-honed protective mechanisms, care has to be exercised when developing inhibitory/modulatory compounds targeting specific pain/itch-TRPs so that physiological protective mechanisms are not disabled to a degree that stimulus-mediated injury can occur. Such events have impeded the development of safe and effective TRPV1-modulating compounds and have diverted substantial resources. A beneficial outcome can be readily accomplished via simple dosing strategies, and also by incorporating medicinal chemistry design features during compound design and synthesis. Beyond clinical use, where compounds that target more than one channel might have a place and possibly have advantageous features, highly specific and high-potency compounds will be helpful in mechanistic discovery at the structure-function level.
Animals
;
Humans
;
Pain
;
metabolism
;
Pruritus
;
metabolism
;
Transient Receptor Potential Channels
;
metabolism
10.Inheritance and innovation of traditional Chinese medicinal authentication.
Zhong-zhen ZHAO ; Hu-biao CHEN ; Pei-gen XIAO ; Ping GUO ; Zhi-tao LIANG ; Fanny HUNG ; Lai-lai WONG ; Eric BRAND ; Jing LIU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2015;40(17):3385-3390
Chinese medicinal authentication is fundamental for the standardization and globalization of Chinese medicine. The discipline of authentication addresses difficult issues that have remained unresolved for thousands of years, and is essential for preserving safety. Chinese medicinal authentication has both scientific and traditional cultural connotations; the use of scientific methods to elucidate traditional experience-based differentiation carries the legacy of Chinese medicine forward, and offers immediate practical significance and long-term scientific value. In this paper, a path of inheritance and innovation is explored through the scientific exposition of Chinese medicinal authentication, featuring a review of specialized publications, the establishment of a Chinese medicine specimen center and Chinese medicinal image databases, the expansion of authentication technologies, and the formation of a cultural project dedicated to the Compedium of Materia Medica.
Drug Contamination
;
prevention & control
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal
;
chemistry
;
standards
;
Humans
;
Materia Medica
;
chemistry
;
standards
;
Medicine, Chinese Traditional
;
standards
;
Reference Standards

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail