1.Anti-frostbite effect of miglitol on cold-exposed mice through UCP1-mediated thermogenic activation
Xiang LI ; Hongyuan LU ; Mingyu ZHANG ; Huan GAO ; Dong YAO ; Zihua XU
Journal of Pharmaceutical Practice and Service 2025;43(1):1-5
Objective To investigate the effect and mechanism of miglitol on regulating the energy metabolism of brown adipocytes by activating UCP1 and preventing cold injury in mice after cold exposure. Methods Primary brown adipocytes were induced into mature adipocytes, the effect of miglitol on the viability of brown adipocytes was investigated by MTT method, the lipid droplet consumption level of cells after drug administration was investigated by Oil Red O staining technology, and the level of UCP1, a key protein of thermogenesis in brown adipocytes, was detected by Western blotting. The activity of anti-frostbite was investigated in cold exposure at 4 ℃ and −20 ℃. KM mice, which were randomly divided into control group, cold exposure group, miglitol group and all-trans retinoic acid group, and after 7 days of repeated administration, the body surface temperature of mice was detected by infrared thermal imaging system, the anal temperature change was detected by anal thermometer, and the expression levels of UCP1 and PGC1-α in adipose tissue were detected by immunoblotting. Results Compared with the control group, the lipid droplet consumption and UCP1 expression levels in brown adipocytes in the miglitol group were significantly increased. The levels of body surface temperature and rectal temperature increased significantly after cold exposure, and the levels of UCP1 and PGC1α in the brown adipose tissue of mice increased significantly, which indicated that the miglitol could activate the critical proteins UCP1 and PGC1α of the thermogenesis pathway, increase the thermogenesis of mice after cold exposure, and thus improve the effect of cold injury for toe swelling. Conclusion Miglitol could play a role in improving cold injury and body temperature in mice by increasing the level of UCP1 and PGC1α, which are key targets of the thermogenesis pathway to promote the thermogenesis of brown fat.
2.4 Weeks of HIIT Modulates Metabolic Homeostasis of Hippocampal Pyruvate-lactate Axis in CUMS Rats Improving Their Depression-like Behavior
Yu-Mei HAN ; Chun-Hui BAO ; Zi-Wei ZHANG ; Jia-Ren LIANG ; Huan XIANG ; Jun-Sheng TIAN ; Shi ZHOU ; Shuang-Shuang WU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1468-1483
ObjectiveTo investigate the role of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in modulating the metabolic homeostasis of the pyruvate-lactate axis in the hippocampus of rats with chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) to improve their depressive-like behavior. MethodsForty-eight SPF-grade 8-week-old male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: the normal quiet group (C), the CUMS quiet group (M), the normal exercise group (HC), and the CUMS exercise group (HM). The M and HM groups received 8 weeks of CUMS modeling, while the HC and HM groups were exposed to 4 weeks of HIIT starting from the 5th week (3 min (85%-90%) Smax+1 min (50%-55%) Smax, 3-5 cycles, Smax is the maximum movement speed). A lactate analyzer was used to detect the blood lactate concentration in the quiet state of rats in the HC and HM groups at week 4 and in the 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h after exercise, as well as in the quiet state of rats in each group at week 8. Behavioral indexes such as sucrose preference rate, number of times of uprightness and number of traversing frames in the absenteeism experiment, and other behavioral indexes were used to assess the depressive-like behavior of the rats at week 4 and week 8. The rats were anesthetized on the next day after the behavioral test in week 8, and hippocampal tissues were taken for assay. LC-MS non-targeted metabolomics, target quantification, ELISA and Western blot were used to detect the changes in metabolite content, lactate and pyruvate concentration, the content of key metabolic enzymes in the pyruvate-lactate axis, and the protein expression levels of monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Results4-week HIIT intervention significantly increased the sucrose preference rate, the number of uprights and the number of traversed frames in the absent field experiment in CUMS rats; non-targeted metabolomics assay found that 21 metabolites were significantly changed in group M compared to group C, and 14 and 11 differential metabolites were significantly dialed back in the HC and HM groups, respectively, after the 4-week HIIT intervention; the quantitative results of the targeting showed that, compared to group C, lactate concentration in the hippocampal tissues of M group, compared with group C, lactate concentration in hippocampal tissue was significantly reduced and pyruvate concentration was significantly increased, and 4-week HIIT intervention significantly increased the concentration of lactate and pyruvate in hippocampal tissue of HM group; the trend of changes in blood lactate concentration was consistent with the change in lactate concentration in hippocampal tissue; compared with group C, the LDHB content of group M was significantly increased, the content of PKM2 and PDH, as well as the protein expression level of MCT2 and MCT4 were significantly reduced. The 4-week HIIT intervention upregulated the PKM2 and PDH content as well as the protein expression levels of MCT2 and MCT4 in the HM group. ConclusionThe 4-week HIIT intervention upregulated blood lactate concentration and PKM2 and PDH metabolizing enzymes in hippocampal tissues of CUMS rats, and upregulated the expression of MCT2 and MCT4 transport carrier proteins to promote central lactate uptake and utilization, which regulated metabolic homeostasis of the pyruvate-lactate axis and improved depressive-like behaviors.
3.Four Weeks of HIIT Modulates Lactate-mediated Synaptic Plasticity to Improve Depressive-like Behavior in CUMS Rats
Yu-Mei HAN ; Zi-Wei ZHANG ; Jia-Ren LIANG ; Chun-Hui BAO ; Jun-Sheng TIAN ; Shi ZHOU ; Huan XIANG ; Yong-Hong YANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(6):1499-1510
ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effects of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore its potential mechanisms. MethodsA total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (C), model (M), control plus HIIT (HC), and model plus HIIT (HM). Rats in groups M and HM underwent 8 weeks of CUMS to establish depression-like behaviors, while groups HC and HM received HIIT intervention beginning from the 5th week for 4 consecutive weeks. The HIIT protocol consisted of repeated intervals of 3 min at high speed (85%-90% maximal training speed, Smax) alternated with one minute at low speed (50%-55% Smax), with 3 to 5 sets per session, conducted 5 d per week. Behavioral assessments and tail-vein blood lactate levels were measured at the end of the 4th and 8th weeks. After the intervention, rat PFC tissues were collected for Golgi staining to analyze synaptic morphology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were employed to detect brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), lactate, and glutamate levels in the PFC, as well as serotonin (5-HT) levels in serum. Additionally, Western blot analysis was conducted to quantify the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins, including c-Fos, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1). ResultsCompared to the control group (C), the CUMS-exposed rats (group M) exhibited significant reductions in sucrose preference rates, number of grid crossings, frequency of upright postures, and entries into and duration spent in open arms of the elevated plus maze, indicating marked depressive-like behaviors. Additionally, the group M showed significantly reduced dendritic spine density in the PFC, along with elevated levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1 protein expression, and increased concentrations of lactate and glutamate. Conversely, BDNF and MCT1 contents in the PFC and 5-HT levels in serum were significantly decreased. Following HIIT intervention, rats in the group HM displayed considerable improvement in behavioral indicators compared with the group M, accompanied by significant elevations in PFC MCT1 and lactate concentrations. Furthermore, HIIT notably normalized the expression levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1, as well as glutamate and BDNF contents in the PFC. Synaptic spine density also exhibited significant recovery. ConclusionFour weeks of HIIT intervention may alleviate depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats by increasing lactate levels and reducing glutamate concentration in the PFC, thereby downregulating the overexpression of NMDAR, attenuating excitotoxicity, and enhancing synaptic plasticity.
4.Interactions between Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction and atorvastatin based on human intestinal cell models and in vivo pharmacokinetics in rats.
Xiang LI ; Huan YI ; Chang-Ying REN ; Hao-Hao GUO ; Hong-Tian YANG ; Ying ZHANG
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(11):3159-3167
The study aims to explore the herb-drug interaction between Xuefu Zhuyu Decoction(XFZY) and atorvastatin(AT). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to analyze the transcription levels of proteins related to drug metabolism and transport in LS174T cells, detect the intracellular drug uptake under various substrate concentrations and incubation time, and optimize the model reaction conditions of transporter multidrug resistance protein 1(MDR1)-specific probe Rhodamine 123 and AT to establish a cell model for investigating the human intestinal drug interaction. The cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) method was adopted to evaluate the cytotoxicity of XFZY on LS174T cells. After a single and continuous 48 h culture with XFZY, AT or Rhodamine 123 was added for co-incubation. The effect and mechanism of XFZY on human intestinal absorption of AT were analyzed by measuring the intracellular drug concentrations and transcription levels of related transporters and metabolic enzymes. The results of in vitro experiments show that a single co-culture with a high concentration of XFZY significantly increases the intracellular concentrations of Rhodamine 123 and AT. A high concentration of XFZY co-culture for 48 h increases the AT uptake level, significantly induces the CYP3A4 and UGT1A1 gene expression levels, and inhibits the OATP2B1 gene expression level. To compare with the evaluation results of the in vitro human cell model, the pharmacokinetic experiment of XFZY combined with AT was carried out in rats. Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into a blank control group and an XFZY group. After 14 days of continuous intragastric administration, AT was given in combination. The liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS)/MS method was used to detect the concentrations of AT and metabolites 2-hydroxyatorvastatin acid(2-HAT), 4-hydroxyatorvastatin acid(4-HAT), atorvastatin lactone(ATL), 2-hydroxyatorvastatin lactone(2-HATL), and 4-hydroxyatorvastatin lactone(4-HATL) in plasma samples, and the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Pharmacokinetic analysis in rats shows that continuous administration of XFZY does not significantly change the pharmacokinetic characteristics of AT in rats, but the AUC_(0-6 h) values of AT and metabolites 2-HAT, 4-HAT, and 2-HATL increase by 21.37%, 14.94%, 12.42%, and 6.68%, respectively. The metabolic rate of the main metabolites shows a downward trend. The study indicates that administration combined with XFZY can significantly increase the uptake level of AT in human intestinal cells and increase the exposure level of AT and main metabolites in rats to varying degrees. The mechanism may be mainly due to the inhibition of intestinal MDR1 transport activity.
Animals
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage*
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Atorvastatin/administration & dosage*
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Humans
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Rats
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Rats, Sprague-Dawley
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Male
;
Intestines/cytology*
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Intestinal Mucosa/metabolism*
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Herb-Drug Interactions
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Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A/metabolism*
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Intestinal Absorption/drug effects*
5.Electrophysiological Signatures of Visual Sensations Elicited by Direct Electrical Stimulation.
Yan-Yan LI ; Bo ZHANG ; Jing WANG ; Yuri B SAALMANN ; Mohsen AFRASIABI ; Peng-Cheng LV ; Hai-Xiang WANG ; Huan-Huan XIANG ; Meng-Yang WANG ; Guo-Ming LUAN ; Robert T KNIGHT ; Liang WANG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(9):1617-1629
Direct electrical stimulation of the human cortex can produce subjective visual sensations, yet these sensations are unstable. The underlying mechanisms may stem from differences in electrophysiological activity within the distributed network outside the stimulated site. To address this problem, we recruited 69 patients who experienced visual sensations during invasive electrical stimulation while intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) data were recorded. We found significantly flattened power spectral slopes in distributed regions involving different brain networks and decreased integrated information during elicited visual sensations compared with the non-sensation condition. Further analysis based on minimum information partitions revealed that the reconfigured network interactions primarily involved the inferior frontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and temporoparietal junction. The flattened power spectral slope in the inferior frontal gyrus was also correlated with integrated information. Taken together, this study indicates that the altered electrophysiological signatures provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying subjective visual sensations.
Humans
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Male
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Female
;
Adult
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Visual Perception/physiology*
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Electric Stimulation
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Middle Aged
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Young Adult
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Electrocorticography
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Electroencephalography
;
Brain Mapping
6.Role of Ferroptosis in Osteoarthritis and Traditional Chinese Medicine Intervention: A Review
Xiaojing GUO ; Huan QIN ; Dongliang XIANG ; Yan WANG ; Li ZHANG ; Bo ZHANG ; Shujin WANG ; Xiaotong LI ; Mingyue ZHAO ; Shanhong WU ; Fei PEI
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(19):263-272
Osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by articular cartilage degeneration, synovial hyperplasia, hyperosteogeny, and narrowing of joint space, which can be caused by trauma, inflammation, and other factors. With the increasing global population aging, the incidence of OA is rising year by year, making it a major public health problem that urgently needs to be addressed. Exploring effective treatment schemes is particularly important. The pathogenesis of OA is complex, including oxidative stress, autophagy, and apoptosis. Recent studies have found that ferroptosis, a new type of cell death, is also an important pathogenic factor in OA, characterized by a series of complex changes such as iron ion accumulation, glutathione (GSH) depletion, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Research shows that inhibiting ferroptosis in chondrocytes can promote chondrocyte proliferation, delay extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and reduce synovial hyperplasia and inflammation. Targeting ferroptosis is a new direction in the treatment of OA. OA treatment includes intra-articular injections of steroids or hyaluronic acid and artificial joint replacement, but there are limitations. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used in the treatment of various diseases because of its low cost, low drug resistance, and few side effects. Cell and animal experiments have further confirmed that TCM can intervene in the treatment of OA with ferroptosis from multiple targets, multiple levels, and aspects, but the mechanism of its treatment of OA based on ferroptosis has not been clarified. This paper discussed iron metabolism, lipid peroxidation, cysteine/glutamate transporter system Xc- (system Xc-)/GSH/glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) pathway, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate(NADPH)/ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1)/coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) pathway, tumor protein p53 in OA, and related molecular targets of Chinese medicine monomers and compounds on ferroptosis inhibition. Their potential therapeutic mechanisms were further analyzed to provide theoretical guidance for the treatment of OA by TCM and useful reference for the research and development of related drugs.
7.The experience on the construction of the cluster prevention and control system for COVID-19 infection in designated hospitals during the period of "Category B infectious disease treated as Category A"
Wanjie YANG ; Xianduo LIU ; Ximo WANG ; Weiguo XU ; Lei ZHANG ; Qiang FU ; Jiming YANG ; Jing QIAN ; Fuyu ZHANG ; Li TIAN ; Wenlong ZHANG ; Yu ZHANG ; Zheng CHEN ; Shifeng SHAO ; Xiang WANG ; Li GENG ; Yi REN ; Ying WANG ; Lixia SHI ; Zhen WAN ; Yi XIE ; Yuanyuan LIU ; Weili YU ; Jing HAN ; Li LIU ; Huan ZHU ; Zijiang YU ; Hongyang LIU ; Shimei WANG
Chinese Critical Care Medicine 2024;36(2):195-201
The COVID-19 epidemic has spread to the whole world for three years and has had a serious impact on human life, health and economic activities. China's epidemic prevention and control has gone through the following stages: emergency unconventional stage, emergency normalization stage, and the transitional stage from the emergency normalization to the "Category B infectious disease treated as Category B" normalization, and achieved a major and decisive victory. The designated hospitals for prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic in Tianjin has successfully completed its tasks in all stages of epidemic prevention and control, and has accumulated valuable experience. This article summarizes the experience of constructing a hospital infection prevention and control system during the "Category B infectious disease treated as Category A" period in designated hospital. The experience is summarized as the "Cluster" hospital infection prevention and control system, namely "three rings" outside, middle and inside, "three districts" of green, orange and red, "three things" before, during and after the event, "two-day pre-purification" and "two-director system", and "one zone" management. In emergency situations, we adopt a simplified version of the cluster hospital infection prevention and control system. In emergency situations, a simplified version of the "Cluster" hospital infection prevention and control system can be adopted. This system has the following characteristics: firstly, the system emphasizes the characteristics of "cluster" and the overall management of key measures to avoid any shortcomings. The second, it emphasizes the transformation of infection control concepts to maximize the safety of medical services through infection control. The third, it emphasizes the optimization of the process. The prevention and control measures should be comprehensive and focused, while also preventing excessive use. The measures emphasize the use of the least resources to achieve the best infection control effect. The fourth, it emphasizes the quality control work of infection control, pays attention to the importance of the process, and advocates the concept of "system slimming, process fattening". Fifthly, it emphasizes that the future development depends on artificial intelligence, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of prevention and control to the greatest extent. Sixth, hospitals need to strengthen continuous training and retraining. We utilize diverse training methods, including artificial intelligence, to ensure that infection control policies and procedures are simple. We have established an evaluation and feedback mechanism to ensure that medical personnel are in an emergency state at all times.
8.Establishment and verification of auditory brainstem implant vocoder model
Qinjie ZHANG ; Sui HUANG ; Haoyue TAN ; Xiang ZHOU ; Junyi WANG ; Yuzi LIU ; Wen WEN ; Jia GUO ; Hao WU ; Huan JIA
Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University(Medical Science) 2024;44(10):1279-1286
Objective·To develope an auditory brainstem implant(ABI)vocoder based on cochlear implant(CI)vocoder characteristics and ABI electrode array topology,and to verify its reliability.Methods·An"n-of-m"coding strategy CI/ABI vocoder was constructed based on MATLAB.Within each frame,only the envelopes of the n channels with the highest energy were selected.The interaction coefficient(IC)(range:1?3),channel numbers(range:5?22),and electrode array topology(CI/ABI)were adjustable parameters,allowing for the synthesis of simulated speech.Psychoacoustic evaluation was employed,recruiting normal hearing subjects to perform closed-set simulated phoneme perception.The phoneme recognition accuracy(20 vowel questions/condition,11 consonant questions/condition)was compared with the corresponding conditions of CI and ABI from reference literature to determine the IC value of the vocoder and verify its reliability.Results·The vocoder successfully synthesized all test stimuli.In the closed-set CI-simulated speech recognition,the simulated vowel and consonant recognition accuracy for IC2 and IC3 conditions showed no significant difference compared to the accuracy reported in the CI reference literature(P>0.05).The difference in vowel and consonant accuracy between IC2 and the literature was smaller than that between IC3 and the literature(vowel|d|=1.6%vs.20%,consonant|d|=8.4%vs.9.9%),thus determining the optimal interaction coefficient of this model as 2.Subsequently,when modifying the electrode array topology to ABI,it was found that the simulated phoneme recognition accuracy for a 16-channel ABI was significantly lower than that for the 16-channel CI group,consistent with the reported literature.The simulated vowel and consonant accuracy within the 5?8 channel range for ABI showed no significant difference(P>0.05),also aligning with the trend reported in the literature.Conclusion·A CI/ABI vocoder based on"n-of-m"coding strategy is established and the optimal IC is determined.The established ABI encoder has been evaluated for high reliability through psychoacoustic experiments.It provides suitable technical means for validating ABI-specific coding strategies.
9.Barley Protein LFBEP-C1 from Lactiplantibacillus plantarum dy-1 Fermented Barley Extracts by Inhibiting Lipid Accumulation in a Caenorhabditis elegans Model
Yan Jia ZHANG ; Ting Meng LIU ; Hao Yu LIU ; Huan DENG ; Juan BAI ; Hua Jian XIE ; Xiang XIAO
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2024;37(4):377-386
Objective This study aimed to investigate the lipid-lowering activity of LFBEP-C1 in high glucose-fed Caenorhabditis elegans(C.elegans). Methods In this study,the fermented barley protein LFBEP-C1 was prepared and tested for its potential anti-obesity effects on C.elegans.The worms were fed Escherichia coli OP50(E.coli OP50),glucose,and different concentrations of LFBEP-C1.Body size,lifespan,movement,triglyceride content,and gene expression were analyzed.The results were analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparison test. Results Compared with the model group,the head-swing frequency of C.elegans in the group of LFBEP-C1 at 20 μg/mL increased by 33.88%,and the body-bending frequency increased by 27.09%.This indicated that LFBEP-C1 improved the locomotive ability of C.elegans.The average lifespan of C.elegans reached 13.55 days,and the body length and width of the C.elegans decreased after LFBEP-C1 intake.Additionally,LFBEP-C1 reduced the content of lipid accumulation and triglyceride levels.The expression levels of sbp-1,daf-2,and mdt-15 significantly decreased,while those of daf-16,tph-1,mod-1,and ser-4 significantly increased after LFBEP-C1 intake.Changes in these genes explain the signaling pathways that regulate lipid metabolism. Conclusion LFBEP-C1 significantly reduced lipid deposition in C.elegans fed a high-glucose diet and alleviated the adverse effects of a high-glucose diet on the development,lifespan,and exercise behavior of C.elegans.In addition,LFBEP-C1 regulated lipid metabolism mainly by mediating the expression of genes in the sterol regulatory element-binding protein,insulin,and 5-hydroxytryptamine signaling pathways.
10.Antiviral Effect of Extracellular Matrix Protein ABI3BP on Vesicular Stomatitis Virus and Its Mechanism:A Preliminary Study In Vitro
Meng XIANG-BO ; Chen MEI-HUA ; Xu NUO ; Li TIAN-QI ; Li SHUAI-CHEN ; Zhou SUN-XIN ; Chen HUAN ; Zhang TONG
Chinese Medical Sciences Journal 2024;39(1):1-8,中插1
Objective To explore the influence of extracellular matrix protein ABI-interactor 3-binding protein(ABI3BP)on vesicular stomatitis virus(VSV)genome replication and innate immune signaling pathway. Methods The small interfering RNA(siRNA)was transfected to knock down ABI3BP gene in human skin fibroblast BJ-5ta cells.VSV-green fluorescent protein(VSV-GFP)-infected cell model was established.The morphological changes and F-actin stress fiber formation were detected on ABI3BP knockdown cells by phalloidin immunofluorescence staining.The mRNA level of virus replication was detected by RT-qPCR in BJ-5ta cells after VSV-GFP infection;western blotting was performed to detect the changes in interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3)andTANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1)phosphorylation levels. Results The VSV-GFP-infected BJ-5ta cell model was successfully established.Efficient knockdown of ABI3BP in BJ-5ta cells was achieved.Phalloidin immunofluorescence staining revealed structural rearrangement of intracellular F-actin after ABI3BP gene knockdown.Compared with the control group,the gene copy number of VSV-GFP in ABI3BP knockdown cells increased by 2.2-3.5 times(P<0.01)and 2.2-4.0 times(P<0.01)respectively when infected with VSV of multiplicity of infection 0.1 and 1.The expression of viral protein significantly increased in ABI3BP knockdown cells after virus infection.The activation of type-Ⅰ interferon pathway,as determined by phosphorylated IRF3 and phosphorylated TBK1,was significantly decreased in ABI3BP knockdown cells after VSV-GFP infection. Conclusions Extracellular matrix protein ABI3BP plays an important role in maintaining the formation and rearrangement of actin structure.ABI3BP gene deletion promotes RNA virus replication,and ABI3BP is an important molecule that maintains the integrity of type Ⅰ interferon pathway.

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