1.Advances in the pathogenesis and treatment of neutrophils in chronic sinusitis.
Duo LIU ; Jingyu HUANG ; Yu XU
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(10):987-992
The pathogenesis of chronic sinusitis is complex, involving a variety of inflammatory cells and inflammatory mediators, and neutrophils play a key role in the pathological process of chronic sinusitis. Understanding the molecular basis of the pathogenesis of CRS is helpful for the precise diagnosis and treatment of chronic sinusitis. This article will systematically review the mechanism of neutrophils in the inflammatory response of the body, their role in the pathogenesis and treatment progress in CRS, and look forward to future research directions.
Humans
;
Neutrophils
;
Sinusitis/immunology*
;
Chronic Disease
2.Discovery of a potential hematologic malignancies therapy: Selective and potent HDAC7 PROTAC degrader targeting non-enzymatic function.
Yuheng JIN ; Xuxin QI ; Xiaoli YU ; Xirui CHENG ; Boya CHEN ; Mingfei WU ; Jingyu ZHANG ; Hao YIN ; Yang LU ; Yihui ZHOU ; Ao PANG ; Yushen LIN ; Li JIANG ; Qiuqiu SHI ; Shuangshuang GENG ; Yubo ZHOU ; Xiaojun YAO ; Linjie LI ; Haiting DUAN ; Jinxin CHE ; Ji CAO ; Qiaojun HE ; Xiaowu DONG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2025;15(3):1659-1679
HDAC7, a member of class IIa HDACs, plays a pivotal regulatory role in tumor, immune, fibrosis, and angiogenesis, rendering it a potential therapeutic target. Nevertheless, due to the high similarity in the enzyme active sites of class IIa HDACs, inhibitors encounter challenges in discerning differences among them. Furthermore, the substitution of key residue in the active pocket of class IIa HDACs renders them pseudo-enzymes, leading to a limited impact of enzymatic inhibitors on their function. In this study, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology was employed to develop HDAC7 drugs. We developed an exceedingly selective HDAC7 PROTAC degrader B14 which showcased superior inhibitory effects on cell proliferation compared to TMP269 in various diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Subsequent investigations unveiled that B14 disrupts BCL6 forming a transcriptional inhibition complex by degrading HDAC7, thereby exerting proliferative inhibition in DLBCL. Our study broadened the understanding of the non-enzymatic functions of HDAC7 and underscored the importance of HDAC7 in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, particularly in DLBCL and AML.
3.Akkermansia muciniphila gavage improves gut-brain interaction disorders in gp120 transgenic mice.
Jiachun LUO ; Sodnomjamts BATZAYA ; Xuefeng GAO ; Jingyu CHEN ; Zhengying YU ; Shasha XIONG ; Hong CAO
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(3):554-565
OBJECTIVES:
To explore the effect of A. muciniphila gavage on intestinal microbiota and gut-brain interaction disorders (DGBIs) in gp120tg transgenic mouse models of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND).
METHODS:
Intestinal microbiota was detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing in 6-, 9-, and 12-month-old wild-type (WT) mice and gp120tg transgenic mice. The 12-month-old WT and transgenic mice were divided into 2 groups for daily treatment with PBS or A.muciniphila gavage (2×108 CFU/mouse) for 6 weeks. After the treatment, immunohistochemistry, ELISA and qPCR were used to detect changes in colonic expression levels of glycosylated mucins, MBP and IL-1β, eosinophil infiltration, serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels, and colonic expressions of occludin, ZO-1, IL-10, TNF-α and INF-γ mRNA. Morris water maze test and immunofluorescence assay were used to assess learning and spatial memory abilities and neuronal damage of the mice.
RESULTS:
Compared with WT mice, the transgenic mice exhibited significantly lowered Simpson's diversity of the intestinal microbiota with reduced abundance of Akkermansia genus, increased serum LPS levels and decreased colonic expression of glycosylated mucin. A.muciniphila gavage obviously ameliorated the reduction of glycosylated mucin in the transgenic mice without causing significant changes in body weight. The 12-month-old gp120tg mice had significantly decreased cdonic expressions of Occludin and ZO-1 with increased eosinophil infiltration and TNF-β, INF-γ and IL-1β levels and obviously lowered IL-10 level; all these changes were significantly mitigated by A.muciniphila gavage, which also improved cognitive impairment and neuronal loss in the hippocampus and cortex of the transgenic mice.
CONCLUSIONS
The gp120tg mice have lower intestinal microbiota richness and diversity than WT mice. The 12-month-old gp120tg mice have significantly reduced Akkermansia abundance with distinct DGBIs-related indexes, and A. muciniphila gavage can reduce intestinal barrier injury, colonic inflammation and eosinophil activation, cognitive impairment and brain neuron injury in these mice.
Animals
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Mice, Transgenic
;
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
;
Mice
;
Brain
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HIV Envelope Protein gp120/genetics*
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Akkermansia
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Disease Models, Animal
5.ALKBH5 exacerbates psoriatic dermatitis in mice by promoting angiogenesis.
Chengfang ZHANG ; Fei LI ; Bao CHAI ; Jian JIANG ; Yinlian ZHANG ; Xuemei LI ; Jingyu ZHANG ; Yuqiong HUANG ; Zilin JIN ; Yixuan Wang WAN ; Suwen LIU ; Nan YU ; Hongxiang CHEN
Frontiers of Medicine 2025;19(4):653-664
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, and its pathogenesis is largely modulated by abnormal angiogenesis. Previous research has indicated that AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), an important demethylase affecting N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification, plays a role in regulating angiogenesis in cardiovascular and eye diseases. Our present study found that ALKBH5 was upregulated and co-localized with cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) in the skin of IMQ group compared with control group. ALKBH5-deficient mice decreased IMQ-induced psoriatic dermatitis and exhibited histological improvements, including decreased epidermal thickness, hyperkeratosis, numbers of dermal capillary vessels and inflammatory cell infiltration. ALKBH5-KO mice alleviated angiogenesis in psoriatic lesions by downregulating the protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Additionally, the expression of ALKBH5 was significantly upregulated in IL-17A-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which further promoted the expression of angiogenesis-related cytokines and endothelial cell proliferation. Cell proliferation and angiogenesis were suppressed in ALKBH5 knockdown group, whereas ALKBH5 overexpression promoted these processes. The regulation of angiogenesis in HUVECs by ALKBH5 was facilitated through the AKT-mTOR pathway. Collectively, ALKBH5 plays a pivotal role in psoriatic dermatitis and angiogenesis, which may offer a new potential targets for treating psoriasis.
Animals
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Psoriasis/chemically induced*
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Mice
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Humans
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Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics*
;
Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism*
;
AlkB Homolog 5, RNA Demethylase/genetics*
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism*
;
TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism*
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Mice, Knockout
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Signal Transduction
;
Male
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Skin/blood supply*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Angiogenesis
6.N-terminal domain of Rep encoded by beet severe curly top virus mediates suppression of RNA silencing and induces VIM5 expression.
Jingyu XU ; Jianxin LU ; Zhenyu YU ; Meijie HU ; Chengkai GUO ; Zhongqi QIU ; Zhongqi CHEN
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(10):3956-3968
Geminiviruses cause substantial crop yield losses worldwide. The replication initiator protein (Rep) encoded by geminiviruses is indispensable for geminiviral replication. The Rep protein encoded by beet severe curly top virus (BSCTV, genus Curtovirus, family Geminiviridae) induces VARIANT IN METHYLATION 5 (VIM5) expression in Arabidopsis leaves upon BSCTV infection. VIM5 functions as a ubiquitination-related E3 ligase to promote the proteasomal degradation of methyltransferases, resulting in reduction of methylation levels in the BSCTV C2-3 promoter. However, the specific domains of Rep responsible for VIM5 induction remain poorly characterized. Although Rep proteins from several geminiviruses act as viral suppressors of RNA silencing (VSRs), whether BSCTV Rep also possesses VSR activity remains to be illustrated. In this study, we employed a transient expression system in the 16c-GFP transgenic and the wild-type Nicotiana benthamiana plants to analyze the VSR and the VIM5-inducing activities of different truncated Rep proteins haboring distinct domains. We found that the N-terminal domain (amino acids 1-180) of Rep suppressed GFP silencing in 16c-GFP transgenic N. benthamiana leaves. The minimal N-terminal fragment (amino acids 1-104) induced VIM5 expression upon co-infiltration, while C-terminal truncations lacked VIM5-inducing activity. Our results indicate that the N-terminal domain of Rep encoded by BSCTV mediates the suppression of RNA silencing and induces VIM5 expression. Thus, our findings contribute to a better understanding of interactions between geminiviral Rep and plant hosts.
Geminiviridae/genetics*
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Nicotiana/metabolism*
;
Arabidopsis/metabolism*
;
RNA Interference
;
Viral Proteins/metabolism*
;
Arabidopsis Proteins/metabolism*
;
Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism*
;
Protein Domains
;
Plant Diseases/virology*
;
Methyltransferases/metabolism*
;
Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/metabolism*
;
DNA Helicases/genetics*
7.Prognostic study of neoadjuvant therapy for pancreatic cancer based on propensity score matching and subgroup analysis
Xiaohao ZHENG ; Jingyu ZHANG ; Xiaojie CHEN ; Zhen HAO ; Jing LIU ; Zewen ZHANG ; Wanqing YU ; Yun YANG
International Journal of Surgery 2025;52(4):230-238
Objective:To investigate whether neoadjuvant therapy can improve the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer.Methods:A retrospective case-control study analyzed data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database on 12, 103 patients who underwent surgical treatment between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2021. Patients were divided into the neoadjuvant therapy group ( n=3 276) and the upfront surgery group ( n=8 827) based on whether they received neoadjuvant treatment. The neoadjuvant therapy group included 2 342 patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 934 patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The upfront surgery group consisted of 4 335 patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, 1 987 patients receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, 63 patients receiving adjuvant radiotherapy, and 2 442 patients undergoing surgery alone. Propensity score matching was used to eliminate group differences and create a cohort with no statistical differences in other clinicopathological features except for the grouping variable. Variables such as age, gender, tumor location, race, population of residence, tumor diameter, household income, TNM stage, and information on radiotherapy and chemotherapy were used for 1∶1 case matching. T stage, N stage, and the use of radiotherapy or chemotherapy were matched exactly. After matching, 1 182 patients were included in each group: the neoadjuvant therapy group contained 1 155 patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and 27 receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, while the upfront surgery group comprised 848 patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy and 334 receiving adjuvant chemoradiotherapy. TNM staging was reported according to the 7th edition of the AJCC guidelines. The primary outcome was overall survival. Measurement data with skewed distributions were expressed as M( Q1, Q3), and intergroup comparisons were conducted using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Categorical data were compared using the chi-square test or the Fisher′s exact test. The Log-rank test and subgroup analyses to assess interactions between neoadjuvant therapy and subgroup in COX regression models were used to compare survival benefits across variables. Landmark analysis was performed to create segmented survival curves, studying the impact of neoadjuvant therapy on prognosis during different follow-up periods. Results:The neoadjuvant therapy group had a higher proportion of T 4 tumor involving celiac axis, superior mesenteric artery, and/or common hepatic artery compared to the upfront surgery group (14.7% vs 2.8%, P<0.001). Additionally, significant differences were observed between groups in terms of race, location, population of residence, age, tumor diameter, tumor stage, and adjuvant therapy regimen ( P<0.05). The median overall survival time in the neoadjuvant therapy group was 30 months, compared to 22 months in the upfront surgery group ( P<0.001). In the neoadjuvant therapy group, the median survival was 30 months for both neoadjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy patients; in the upfront surgery group, it was 26 months for both adjuvant chemotherapy and chemoradiotherapy patients, 17 months for adjuvant radiotherapy patients, and 12 months for surgery-only patients. After propensity score matching, there were no differences in the distribution of clinical characteristics between groups ( P>0.05), and all patients in the matched cohort had received chemotherapy. The matched neoadjuvant therapy group had a longer median overall survival compared to the upfront surgery group (30 months vs 27 months, P<0.001). Subgroup interaction analysis revealed that T stage had a significant interaction with neoadjuvant therapy, both before (T 4 stage: HR=0.382, 95% CI: 0.319-0.458; T 2-T 3 stages: HR=0.696, 95% CI: 0.656-0.738; T 1 stage: HR=1.199, 95% CI: 0.867-1.657; interaction P<0.001) and after matching (T 4 stage: HR=0.581, 95% CI: 0.414-0.814; T 2-T 3 stages: HR=0.827, 95% CI: 0.734-0.931; T 1 stage: HR=1.320, 95% CI: 0.716-2.433; interaction P=0.043). Subgroup interaction analysis indicated that T 1 patients did not benefit from neoadjuvant therapy; survival curves plotted for matched T 1 patients showed no difference in survival between the neoadjuvant therapy group and the upfront surgery group ( P=0.323). Conversely, non-T 1 (T 2-T 4) stage patients showed significant survival benefits in both unmatched and matched cohorts ( P<0.001). Landmark analysis showing that the survival benefits occurred mainly in the early postoperative period of up to 3 years ( P<0.001), but there was no difference in overall survival between the neoadjuvant therapy group and the upfront surgery group of >3 years ( P>0.05). Patients with Arterial invasion (T 4 stage compared to T 1-T 3 stages) showed a similarly significant interaction with the benefit of neoadjuvant therapy in both the pre-matching cohort (interaction P<0.001) and the post-matching cohort (interaction P=0.037). Patients with T 4 stage disease in the neoadjuvant therapy group had longer overall survival compared to the upfront surgery group (median overall survival in pre-matching cohort: 30 months vs 13 months, P<0.001; median overall survival in post-matching cohort: 28 months vs 18 months, P=0.001). Among T 4 stage patients in the post-matching cohort, neoadjuvant therapy provided significant survival benefits during the early postoperative period of up to 3 years ( P=0.001). However, there was no difference in overall survival between the neoadjuvant therapy group and the direct surgery group beyond 3 years( P=0.729). Conclusions:The prognosis in the neoadjuvant therapy group was better than in the upfront surgery group. Propensity score matching and subgroup interaction analysis showed that non-T 1 and T 4 stage patients benefited more from neoadjuvant therapy, with benefits mainly seen in the early postoperative period (≤3 years).
8.Comparison of multiple machine learning models for predicting the survival of recipients after lung transplantation
Lingzhi SHI ; Yaling LIU ; Haoji YAN ; Zengwei YU ; Senlin HOU ; Mingzhao LIU ; Hang YANG ; Bo WU ; Dong TIAN ; Jingyu CHEN
Organ Transplantation 2025;16(2):264-271
Objective To compare the performance and efficacy of prognostic models constructed by different machine learning algorithms in predicting the survival period of lung transplantation (LTx) recipients. Methods Data from 483 recipients who underwent LTx were retrospectively collected. All recipients were divided into a training set and a validation set at a ratio of 7:3. The 24 collected variables were screened based on variable importance (VIMP). Prognostic models were constructed using random survival forest (RSF) and extreme gradient boosting tree (XGBoost). The performance of the models was evaluated using the integrated area under the curve (iAUC) and time-dependent area under the curve (tAUC). Results There were no significant statistical differences in the variables between the training set and the validation set. The top 15 variables ranked by VIMP were used for modeling and the length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) was determined as the most important factor. Compared with the XGBoost model, the RSF model demonstrated better performance in predicting the survival period of recipients (iAUC 0.773 vs. 0.723). The RSF model also showed better performance in predicting the 6-month survival period (tAUC 6 months 0.884 vs. 0.809, P = 0.009) and 1-year survival period (tAUC 1 year 0.896 vs. 0.825, P = 0.013) of recipients. Based on the prediction cut-off values of the two algorithms, LTx recipients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups. The survival analysis results of both models showed that the survival rate of recipients in the high-risk group was significantly lower than that in the low-risk group (P<0.001). Conclusions Compared with XGBoost, the machine learning prognostic model developed based on the RSF algorithm may preferably predict the survival period of LTx recipients.
9.Mechanisms of Wuzi Yuye Decoction in the treatment of diabetic oligoasthenozoospermia:Based on network pharmacology
Dandan HE ; Junjie WU ; Jinying SHEN ; Binbin ZHAO ; Jingyu ZHU ; Yi YU
National Journal of Andrology 2025;31(10):921-931
Objective The aim of this study is to systematically analyze the therapeutic mechanisms of Wuzi Yuye Decoction in diabetic oligoasthenozoospermia based on network pharmacology and animal experiments.Methods Active components and therapeutic targets of Wuzi Yuye Decoction were screened by integrating multiple databases,and their inter-section with diabetic oligoasthenozoospermia-related targets was obtained.Common targets were identified using the Venny platform,and protein-protein interaction(PPI)networks were constructed via the STRING database.And key targets were screened through topological analysis with Cytoscape.Gene Ontology(GO)functional enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway analyses were performed using the DAVID platform.A mouse model of diabetic oligoasthenozoospermia was established by high-fat diet combined with streptozotocin induction,followed by intervention with Wuzi Yuye Decoction.Body weight,testicular index,and sperm quality were assessed,while histopathological changes were evaluated by HE staining and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).In addition,ELISA,oxidative stress assays and Western blot were used to verify the changes in key pathway-related proteins.Results A total of 36 common targets were identified,including key nodes such as TNF,IL6 and IL1B.Enrichment analysis indicated that these targets were sig-nificantly involved in inflammatory responses,oxidative stress,autophagy-apoptosis regulation and reproduction-related pathways.Animal experiments confirmed that Wuzi Yuye Decoction markedly improved testicular mass and sperm motility in diabetic mice,reduced the levels of AGE,TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-1β in testicular tissues,alleviated oxidative stress damage,and restored autophagic flux and blood-testis barrier function by inhibiting the RAGE/NF-κB/mTOR signaling axis.Conclusion Wuzi Yuye Decoction improves the pathological progression of diabetic oligoasthenozoospermia by synergistically modulating multiple targets,including inflammation inhibition,antioxidant effects,autophagy regulation,and related pathways.
10.Akkermansia muciniphila gavage improves gut-brain interaction disorders in gp120 transgenic mice
Jiachun LUO ; Batzaya SODNOMJAMTS ; Xuefeng GAO ; Jingyu CHEN ; Zhengying YU ; Shasha XIONG ; Hong CAO
Journal of Southern Medical University 2025;45(3):554-565
Objective To explore the effect of A.muciniphila gavage on intestinal microbiota and gut-brain interaction disorders(DGBIs)in gp120tg transgenic mouse models of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder(HAND).Methods Intestinal microbiota was detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing in 6-,9-,and 12-month-old wild-type(WT)mice and gp120tg transgenic mice.The 12-month-old WT and transgenic mice were divided into 2 groups for daily treatment with PBS or A.muciniphila gavage(2×108 CFU/mouse)for 6 weeks.After the treatment,immunohistochemistry,ELISA and qPCR were used to detect changes in colonic expression levels of glycosylated mucins,MBP and IL-1β,eosinophil infiltration,serum lipopolysaccharide(LPS)levels,and colonic expressions of occludin,ZO-1,IL-10,TNF-α and INF-γ mRNA.Morris water maze test and immunofluorescence assay were used to assess learning and spatial memory abilities and neuronal damage of the mice.Results Compared with WT mice,the transgenic mice exhibited significantly lowered Simpson's diversity of the intestinal microbiota with reduced abundance of Akkermansia genus,increased serum LPS levels and decreased colonic expression of glycosylated mucin.A.muciniphila gavage obviously ameliorated the reduction of glycosylated mucin in the transgenic mice without causing significant changes in body weight.The 12-month-old gp120tg mice had significantly decreased cdonic expressions of Occludin and ZO-1 with increased eosinophil infiltration and TNF-β,INF-γ and IL-1β levels and obviously lowered IL-10 level;all these changes were significantly mitigated by A.muciniphila gavage,which also improved cognitive impairment and neuronal loss in the hippocampus and cortex of the transgenic mice.Conclusion The gp120tg mice have lower intestinal microbiota richness and diversity than WT mice.The 12-month-old gp120tg mice have significantly reduced Akkermansia abundance with distinct DGBIs-related indexes,and A.muciniphila gavage can reduce intestinal barrier injury,colonic inflammation and eosinophil activation,cognitive impairment and brain neuron injury in these mice.

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