1.m6ATEpre: Predicting YTHDF1-mediated mRNA Translation Efficiency Regulated by m6A Sites via Multi-omics Data Integration
Teng ZHANG ; Ming ZHANG ; Shao-Wu ZHANG ; Lian LIU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(4):1087-1102
ObjectiveThe most prevalent mRNA modification, N6-methyladenosine (m6A) plays an important role in various RNA metabolism, including gene expression and translation. By recruiting different “reader” proteins and their cofactors, m6A modification can affect messenger RNA (mRNA) degradation, splicing, nuclear export and translation. However, the selective mechanism by which m6A sites regulate mRNA translation through m6A reader YTHDF1 binding remains poorly understood, due to a lack of computational methods for identifying context-specific m6A sites that regulate translation. To address this, we developed a novel computational framework named m6ATEpre, the first tool designed to predict cell-specific m6A sites that regulate translation efficiency. Methodsm6ATEpre integrates multi-omics data, introduces a novel feature representation strategy for m6A site sequences, and employs an autoencoder to effectively capture embedded feature representations. Specifically, m6ATEpre first integrated MeRIP-seq data and PAR-CLIP data through overlapping m6A sites with YTHDF1 binding sites and identified YTHDF1-mediated m6A sites. Then, m6ATEpre detected the translation gene by analyzing the Ribo-seq data under YTHDF1 knockdown vs control condition. Genes whose translation is mediated by YTHDF1 in an m6A-dependent manner were identified by a significant decrease in translation efficiency upon YTHDF1 knockdown. Next, we proposed a binary vector indicating the presence or absence of YTHDF1 binding motifs to characterize each m6A site sequence. This represents a novel feature representation strategy for m6A sites. m6ATEpre utilized the autoencoder to extract the potentially important feature representations and constructed a multilayer perceptron neural networks model to predict potential m6A sites that regulating translation efficiency. ResultsA comprehensive evaluation of m6ATEpre was conducted through a series of experiments. We compared its performance against that of a similar prediction task model, as well as other classifiers. The results indicate that m6ATEpre achieved the best prediction performance. In addition, we analyzed different feature representation strategies and performed ablation experiments to validate the rationality of the model design. The results demonstrate that our proposed feature representation strategy has a greater advantage in improving prediction performance. In the HeLa cell line, bioinformatic analysis of the metagene distribution and sequence minimum free energy of m6A sites regulating translation efficiency (m6A-reg-TE sites) revealed their specific properties in translation regulation. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that m6A-reg-TE genes are associated with specific biological processes and KEGG pathways. By integrating the binding sites of YTHDF1 co-factors with m6A-reg-TE sites, we revealed that YTHDF1-mediated and m6A-dependent translation efficiency regulation requires the cooperation of multiple translation-regulatory RNA-binding proteins among its co-factors in the HeLa cell line. Furthermore, we extended our predictions to the dataset of the HEK293T cell line. Similarly, bioinformatic analysis of the metagene distribution and functional enrichment revealed the cell-specific characteristic of these predicted m6A-reg-TE sites in HEK293T cells. Likewise, integrated analysis of multiple YTHDF1 co-factors and m6A-reg-TE sites predicted in the HEK293T cell line reveals their m6A-dependent cooperation in regulating translation efficiency. Conclusionm6ATEpre is a timely tool that will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of m6A regulation in translation efficiency. The source code and datasets used in this work can be downloaded from
2.Impact of DRG payment on length of stay and medical costs in COPD patients from Kashgar region
Jiale YANG ; Ningning WANG ; Aierken AIZEZIJIANG ; Lingkai LIAN ; Xinyi LYU ; Pengcheng LIU ; Wenbing YAO
China Pharmacy 2026;37(8):991-997
OBJECTIVE To analyze the impact of the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) payment reform on the length of stay and medical costs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Kashgar region, aiming to provide localized empirical evidence for the optimization of regional medical insurance payment methods. METHODS Based on the inpatient settlement database of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Healthcare Security Administration, settlement data of COPD inpatients from 17 medical institutions in Kashgar region between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2024, were extracted. The overall changes in patients’ length of stay and costs were compared before and after the reform. Subsequently, interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) was employed to explore the impact of the DRG payment reform on these variables. RESULTS Following the reform, both the average length of stay and various cost decreased significantly compared to the pre-reform period ( P <0.001). At the overall sample level, the average length of stay, average total cost, average drug cost, average medical service cost, and average examination cost per admission all demonstrated significant long-term downward trends after the reform ( P <0.05). However, the decrease in average out-of-pocket costs and the increase in average consumable costs per admission were not statistically significant ( P >0.05). In tertiary medical institutions, the average length of stay and all categories of costs (except average consumable costs per admission) exhibited significant long-term upward trends after the reform ( P <0.05); conversely, in secondary and lower-level medical institutions, the average length of stay, average total cost, average drug cost, average medical service cost, and average examination cost per admission showed significant long-term downward trends ( P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS The DRG payment reform has achieved an overall effect of reducing the length of stay and controlling costs in COPD patients from Kashgar region. However, the effects vary across different levels of medical institutions: secondary and lower-level institutions show a long-term downward trend in length of stay and costs, whereas tertiary institutions exhibit a long-term upward trend. Furthermore, patients’ out-of-pocket financial burden does not show significant improvement.
3.Clinical comprehensive evaluation of 5 kinds of biologic targeted drugs in the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma
Yufei LIAN ; Shujuan XIONG ; Hongtao LIU ; Haijing ZHAO ; Huizhen WU
China Pharmacy 2026;37(13):1755-1761
OBJECTIVE A clinical comprehensive evaluation of five biologic targeted drugs for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) was conducted to provide objective evidence for the rational selection of these medications in medical institutions. METHODS Using the evaluation methods from the Chinese Medical Institution Drug Evaluation and Selection Rapid Guide ( Third Edition ), the effectiveness, safety, pharmaceutical characteristics, cost-effectiveness, and other attributes of five biologics targeting SEA (omalizumab, mepolizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab, and tezepelumab) already marketed in China were quantitatively scored across five dimensions, and their recommendation levels were categorized based on the scores. RESULTS The comprehensive scoring results showed that mepolizumab scored 81.29, making it a highly recommended variety; benralizumab scored 78.05, dupilumab scored 77.84 and omalizumab scored 70.14,all of which are recommended varieties; tezepelumab scored 67.77, considered weakly recommended variety. CONCLUSIONS Mepolizumab shows excellent performance in eosinophil clearance, good accessibility, and is more cost-effective than the others, making it more selective in SEA treatment; omalizumab has more advantages in the treatment of SEA patients with elevated immunoglobulin E levels; dupilumab can be used as the preferred treatment for SEA patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
4.Clinical comprehensive evaluation of 5 kinds of biologic targeted drugs in the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma
Yufei LIAN ; Shujuan XIONG ; Hongtao LIU ; Haijing ZHAO ; Huizhen WU
China Pharmacy 2026;37(13):1755-1761
OBJECTIVE A clinical comprehensive evaluation of five biologic targeted drugs for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma (SEA) was conducted to provide objective evidence for the rational selection of these medications in medical institutions. METHODS Using the evaluation methods from the Chinese Medical Institution Drug Evaluation and Selection Rapid Guide ( Third Edition ), the effectiveness, safety, pharmaceutical characteristics, cost-effectiveness, and other attributes of five biologics targeting SEA (omalizumab, mepolizumab, benralizumab, dupilumab, and tezepelumab) already marketed in China were quantitatively scored across five dimensions, and their recommendation levels were categorized based on the scores. RESULTS The comprehensive scoring results showed that mepolizumab scored 81.29, making it a highly recommended variety; benralizumab scored 78.05, dupilumab scored 77.84 and omalizumab scored 70.14,all of which are recommended varieties; tezepelumab scored 67.77, considered weakly recommended variety. CONCLUSIONS Mepolizumab shows excellent performance in eosinophil clearance, good accessibility, and is more cost-effective than the others, making it more selective in SEA treatment; omalizumab has more advantages in the treatment of SEA patients with elevated immunoglobulin E levels; dupilumab can be used as the preferred treatment for SEA patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
5.Clinical application of KASP-based RHCE genotyping in RhD-positive patients
Xiaoyu LIAN ; Mengdan LI ; Xiaoyu GUAN ; Li TIAN ; Chenying WANG ; Di WU ; Tianqiong LUO ; Xiaolin DU ; Xin JI ; Haixia XU ; Jue WANG ; Ling LI ; Zhong LIU
Chinese Journal of Blood Transfusion 2026;39(5):596-602
Objective: To develop a RHCE genotyping assay based on kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) and assess its clinical accuracy for RhCE blood group determination. Methods: KASP primers were designed to interrogate three RHCE loci: the 109 bp insertion/deletion in intron 2, c. 307T>C, and c. 676C>G. A total of 1 194 RhD-positive inpatients from Chengdu were typed by both KASP genotyping and manual tube serology. Discordant samples (n=10) were retested by both methods and further resolved by Sanger sequencing. An additional 377 cases were tested for the c. 48C>G locus to evaluate the predictive accuracy of individual loci and combined locus testing for RhC antigen. Results: Genotyping concordance with serology was 100.0% for both the c. 676C>G locus (RhE/Rhe) and the c. 307T>C locus (Rhc). For RhC prediction using the 109 bp insertion, overall accuracy was 99.7% (1 191/1 194); the 3 discordant cases were confirmed by Sanger sequencing to be false negatives attributable to 109 bp deletion in intron 2. Testing the c. 48C>G allele for RhC prediction yielded 7 false positives, with an accuracy of 98.1% (370/377). RhC antigen status was determined by combining the 109 bp insertion and the c. 48C allele. After excluding 10 samples with inconsistent results between the two loci, the accuracy reached 100% in the remaining 367 samples. When both loci were applied in combination, accuracy reached 100% in the 367 cases with concordant results. Among the 1 194 patients, CCee (45.8%) and CcEe (31.7%) were the most common RhCE phenotypes. The e antigen had the highest positivity rate (92.2%), and the Ce haplotype was the most frequent (66.9%). Conclusion: The KASP-based RHCE genotyping method achieves high accuracy for clinical RhCE typing. Combining the 109 bp insertion/deletion with the c. 48C allele significantly improves RhC antigen prediction compared with either locus alone. This method was applied to RhCE genotyping of 1 194 RhD-positive inpatients in Chengdu, providing local RhCE phenotype and haplotype distribution data to support RhCE-matched transfusion practice.
6.Stability evaluation of respiratory syncytial virus protectants
Chinese Journal of Biologicals 2026;39(09):1031-1036
Objective To systematically evaluate the protective effects of different viral protectants on the titers of respiratory syncytial virus expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein(RSV-EGFP) under various stress conditions,in order to screen for the optimal preservation protocol.Methods RSV-EGFP samples were prepared with 10% trehalose,15% sucrose,0.1%human serum albumin(HSA),10% fetal bovine serum(FBS),10% DMSO,and 2% FBS,respectively.Their stability was assessed under repeated freeze-thaw cycles(1-7 times),short-term storage(7 and 14 days) at different temperatures(37 ℃,4 ℃),and long-term storage(6 months) at-80 ℃.Viral titers were determined using an EGFP-based reporter gene assay and calculated by the Reed-Muench method.Results During repeated freeze-thaw cycles and short-term storage at4 ℃,15% sucrose exhibited the best protective effect,with a titer drop of < 1.00 lg after freeze-thaw and only a decrease of0.74 lg after 14 days of storage at 4 ℃(P = 0.887 8),demonstrating significantly superior stability compared to 10% trehalose and 10% DMSO.When stored at 37 ℃,15% sucrose had a certain delaying effect on the decline rate of virus titer,but none of the three protective agents showed significant protective effect on RSV-EGFP virus within 7 days(P < 0.000 1);For longterm storage at-80 ℃ for 6 months,the 10% DMSO group showed no significant fluctuation in viral titer within 0-3 months(P > 0.999 9),with only a 0.91 lg reduction at 6 months,which was lower than the 2.38 lg reduction for 10% trehalose and 2.05 lg reduction for 15% sucrose.Protectants containing FBS or HSA showed unsatisfactory protective effects under all tested conditions.Conclusion The selection of RSV preservation agents should be tailored to storage conditions:15%sucrose is suitable for repeated freeze-thaw cycles and short-term storage at 4 ℃,whereas 10% DMSO is the optimal choice for long-term cryopreservation at-80 ℃.This study provides key data support and practical guidance for the stable preservation of RSV in related experiments.
7.Clinical Significance of Decreased Serum IgA Levels in IgG4-Related Disease
Xia ZHANG ; Yuetong XU ; Difei LIAN ; Zhihui WANG ; Hang ZHOU ; Fan YANG ; Yanying LIU
JOURNAL OF RARE DISEASES 2026;5(3):292-302
To explore the clinical significance of decreased serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A levels in patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD). A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with IgG4-RD hospitalized at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2012 to December 2024. Patients were divided into three groups according to serum IgA levels: decreased IgA group (< 70 mg/dL), normal group (70-400 mg/dL), and elevated group (> 400 mg/dL), with the decreased IgA group set as the main research subject. Clinical data were collected to compare clinical characteristics and organ involvement among the three groups, and the correlations between IgA levels and various clinical indicators were analyzed. To further verify the robustness of the results, propensity score matching(PSM) with a 1∶2 matching ratio was performed between the decreased IgA group and the normal IgA group for sensitivity analysis. Meanwhile, principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate the overall distribution differences in clinical characteristics among the three groups with different IgA levels. A total of 330 patients with IgG4-RD were included, including 14 in the decreased IgA group, 297 in the normal IgA group, and 19 in the elevated IgA group. The decreased IgA group had a significantly longer median disease course than the normal IgA group and the elevated IgA group (all Decreased IgA level represents a distinct immune subtype of IgG4-RD, with distinct immunological features (elevated IgG/IgG4 levels, reduced C4 level, and increased EOS count), independent of age, gender and disease course. These findings suggest that serum IgA level has potential value for immune typing of IgG4-RD.
8.Analysis of regulation of prognosis,immune infiltration,and ferroptosis in sarcoma based on stemness index model
Jingxian WEI ; Lian MENG ; Hao SUN ; Tiantian ZHANG ; Chunxia LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(19):4151-4160
BACKGROUND:The stemness index may be associated with the prognosis and immune infiltration of sarcoma,but the specific regulatory mechanism and characteristic genes have yet to be fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the correlation between stem cells and prognosis as well as immune infiltration in sarcoma employing the gene stemness index model and to identify the ferroptosis signature genes associated with sarcoma stem cells. METHODS:The sarcoma RNA sequencing data and related clinical information were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA).The sarcoma RNA sequencing data were grouped using the sarcoma stemness index.Survival data were used to analyze prognosis between groups.Differentially expressed genes were obtained for pathway enrichment and immune infiltration analysis.Ferroptosis-related differential genes were used to construct a protein interaction network and analyze prognostic correlation.Rhabdomyosarcoma cell lines were cultured and divided into adherent cell group and stem cell group.The adherent cell group received no intervention,while the stem cell group was treated with serum-free culture to enrich stem cells in rhabdomyosarcoma cells.qRT-PCR was used to evaluate stemness markers,ferroptosis-related genes,and mRNA expression of ferroptosis-related markers in the cells. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Patients were divided into high and low stemness index groups based on the median stemness index.The progression-free survival of patients in the high stemness index group was lower than that in the low stemness index group by disease risk prediction,suggesting poor prognosis.(2)According to GO and KEGG analysis,the groups with high and low stemness indices differed from one another.There were differences in immune infiltration between the high and low stemness index groups.Nine of the 23 ferroptosis-related genes in the differential genes have the potential to establish a highly correlated network of protein interactions.Patients with high expression of IDO1,IFNG,and AQP5 have a better prognosis,while those with high expression of CA9 have a poor prognosis.(3)The qRT-PCR results demonstrated a significant upregulation of stem cell-related markers NANOG,SOX2,and OCT4 mRNA expressions in the stem cell group compared to the adherent cell group(P<0.05).Compared to the adherent cell group,the stem cell group exhibited decreased mRNA expression level of ferroptosis-related marker SLC7A11(P<0.05)while showing increased levels of ACSL4,GPX4,FTH1,and COX2(P<0.05).Compared to the adherent cell group,the stem cell group displayed decreased mRNA expression level of differentially expressed gene CA9 alongside elevated levels of IDO1,IFNG,and AQP5(P<0.05).Stem cells were strongly associated with sarcoma survival and ferroptosis by bioinformatics analysis and experimental verification.Sarcoma stem cells have aberrant expression of CA9,IDO1,IFNG,and AQP5,which may serve as new targets for sarcoma therapy as well as diagnostic indicators.
9.Oral Herombopag Olamine and subcutaneous recombinant human thrombopoietin after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Dai KONG ; Xinkai WANG ; Wenhui ZHANG ; Xiaohang PEI ; Cheng LIAN ; Xiaona NIU ; Honggang GUO ; Junwei NIU ; Zunmin ZHU ; Zhongwen LIU
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(1):1-7
BACKGROUND:Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an important treatment for malignant hematological diseases,and delayed postoperative platelet implantation is a common complication that seriously affects the quality of patient survival;however,there are no standard protocols to improve platelet implantation rates and prevent platelet implantation delays. OBJECTIVE:To compare the safety and efficacy of oral Herombopag Olamine versus subcutaneous recombinant human thrombopoietin for promoting platelet implantation in patients with malignant hematological diseases undergoing haploid hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. METHODS:Clinical data of 163 patients with malignant hematological diseases who underwent haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from January 2016 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.A total of 72 patients who started to subcutaneously inject recombinant human thrombopoietin at+2 days were categorized into the recombinant human thrombopoietin group;a total of 27 patients who started to orally take Herombopag Olamine at+2 days were categorized into the Herombopag Olamine group;and 64 patients who did not apply Herombopag Olamine or recombinant human thrombopoietin were categorized into the blank control group.The implantation status,incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease of degree II-IV within 100 days,1-year survival rate,1-year recurrence rate,and safety were analyzed in the three groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The average follow-up time was 52(12-87)months.The implantation time of neutrophils in the blank control group,recombinant human thrombopoietin group,and Herombopag Olamine group was(12.95±3.88)days,(14.04±3.71)days,and(13.89±2.74)days,respectively,with no statistically significant difference(P=0.352);the implantation time of platelets was(15.16±6.27)days,(17.67±6.52)days,and(17.00±4.75)days,with no statistically significant difference(P=0.287).(2)The complete platelet implantation rate on day 60 was 64.06%,90.28%,and 92.59%,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.001).The subgroup analysis showed that the difference between the blank control group and the recombinant human thrombopoietin group was statistically significant(P<0.001),and the difference between the blank control group and the Herombopag Olamine group was statistically significant(P=0.004).The difference was not statistically significant between the recombinant human thrombopoietin group and Herombopag Olamine group(P=0.535).(3)100-day II-IV degree acute graft-versus-host disease incidence in the blank control group,recombinant human thrombopoietin group,and Herombopag Olamine group were 25.00%,30.56%,and 25.93%,respectively,and the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.752).(4)The incidence of cytomegalovirus anemia,cytomegalovirus pneumonia,and hepatic function injury had no statistical difference among the three groups(P>0.05).(5)During the follow-up period,there was no thrombotic event in any of the three groups of patients.(6)The results showed that recombinant human thrombopoietin and Herombopag Olamine could improve the platelet implantation rate of malignant hematological disease patients after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation,with comparable efficacy and good safety.
10.METTL3 Regulates the Proliferation,Migration,and Invasion of Uveal Melanoma Cell via Modifying m6A Methylation
Meilan WANG ; Tianqi ZHAO ; Qi SHI ; Lili HAO ; Lian LIU
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2025;46(4):628-638
[Objectives]To investigate the effect of METTL3 on the malignant biological behaviors of uveal melanoma cells and to verify whether this effect is related to m6A methylation.[Methods]Uveal melanoma cell models with METTL3 knockdown,overexpression,and point mutations at m6A-related catalytic sites were constructed via lentivirus transfection.Transwell assays were used to assess cell migration and invasion;CCK8 assays were used to measure cell proliferation and flow cytometry was used to analyze apoptosis and cycle changes.[Results]The proliferation,migration and invasion abilities of C918 and MUM-2B cells with METTL3 knockdown were significantly decreased(P<0.001),while the apoptosis rate was increased.The proportion of cells in G1 phase significantly increased,whereas the proportion in the S phase significantly decreased.Cells overexpressing METTL3 showed significantly enhanced proliferation,migration and invasion abilities(P<0.001),along with a decreased apoptosis rate.In C918 cells,the proportion of cells in G1 phase decreased significantly,while the proportion in S phase increased significantly.The cell cycle distribution of MUM-2B cells did not change remarkably.Following point mutation of m6A-related catalytic sites,cell proliferation,migration and invasion decreased,and the apoptosis rate increased.In MUM-2B cells,the percentage of cells in G1 phase significantly increased;the percentage in S phase significantly decreased and the percentage in G2 phase slightly decreased.In C918 cells,the percentage of G1 phase cells significantly increased,with no significant changes in the proportions of S and G2 phases.[Conclusions]The proliferation,invasion and metastasis of uveal melanoma cells were positively correlated with the expression of METTL3,while the apoptosis rate was negatively correlated.Changes in METTL3 levels differentially affect the cell cycles in different cell lines.The effects of METTL3 on the proliferation,migration and invasion of uveal melanoma cells are related to m6A methylation modification.


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