1.Structure and Function of GPR126/ADGRG6
Ting-Ting WU ; Si-Qi JIA ; Shu-Zhu CAO ; De-Xin ZHU ; Guo-Chao TANG ; Zhi-Hua SUN ; Xing-Mei DENG ; Hui ZHANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):299-309
GPR126, also known as ADGRG6, is one of the most deeply studied aGPCRs. Initially, GPR126 was thought to be a receptor associated with muscle development and was primarily expressed in the muscular and skeletal systems. With the deepening of research, it was found that GPR126 is expressed in multiple mammalian tissues and organs, and is involved in many biological processes such as embryonic development, nervous system development, and extracellular matrix interactions. Compared with other aGPCRs proteins, GPR126 has a longer N-terminal domain, which can bind to ligands one-to-one and one-to-many. Its N-terminus contains five domains, a CUB (complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1) domain, a PTX (Pentraxin) domain, a SEA (Sperm protein, Enterokinase, and Agrin) domain, a hormone binding (HormR) domain, and a conserved GAIN domain. The GAIN domain has a self-shearing function, which is essential for the maturation, stability, transport and function of aGPCRs. Different SEA domains constitute different GPR126 isomers, which can regulate the activation and closure of downstream signaling pathways through conformational changes. GPR126 has a typical aGPCRs seven-transmembrane helical structure, which can be coupled to Gs and Gi, causing cAMP to up- or down-regulation, mediating transmembrane signaling and participating in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. GPR126 is activated in a tethered-stalk peptide agonism or orthosteric agonism, which is mainly manifested by self-proteolysis or conformational changes in the GAIN domain, which mediates the rapid activation or closure of downstream pathways by tethered agonists. In addition to the tethered short stem peptide activation mode, GPR126 also has another allosteric agonism or tunable agonism mode, which is specifically expressed as the GAIN domain does not have self-shearing function in the physiological state, NTF and CTF always maintain the binding state, and the NTF binds to the ligand to cause conformational changes of the receptor, which somehow transmits signals to the GAIN domain in a spatial structure. The GAIN domain can cause the 7TM domain to produce an activated or inhibited signal for signal transduction, For example, type IV collagen interacts with the CUB and PTX domains of GPR126 to activate GPR126 downstream signal transduction. GPR126 has homology of 51.6%-86.9% among different species, with 10 conserved regions between different species, which can be traced back to the oldest metazoans as well as unicellular animals.In terms of diseases, GPR126 dysfunction involves the pathological process of bone, myelin, embryo and other related diseases, and is also closely related to the occurrence and development of malignant tumors such as breast cancer and colon cancer. However, the biological function of GPR126 in various diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target still needs further research. This paper focuses on the structure, interspecies differences and conservatism, signal transduction and biological functions of GPR126, which provides ideas and references for future research on GPR126.
2.Severity Assessment Parameters and Diagnostic Technologies of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Zhuo-Zhi FU ; Ya-Cen WU ; Mei-Xi LI ; Ping-Ping YIN ; Hai-Jun LIN ; Fu ZHANG ; Yu-Xiang YANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):147-161
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly widespread sleep-breathing disordered disease, and is an independent risk factor for many high-risk chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, arrhythmias and diabetes, which is potentially fatal. The key to the prevention and treatment of OSA is early diagnosis and treatment, so the assessment and diagnostic technologies of OSA have become a research hotspot. This paper reviews the research progresses of severity assessment parameters and diagnostic technologies of OSA, and discusses their future development trends. In terms of severity assessment parameters of OSA, apnea hypopnea index (AHI), as the gold standard, together with the percentage of duration of apnea hypopnea (AH%), lowest oxygen saturation (LSpO2), heart rate variability (HRV), oxygen desaturation index (ODI) and the emerging biomarkers, constitute a multi-dimensional evaluation system. Specifically, the AHI, which measures the frequency of sleep respiratory events per hour, does not fully reflect the patients’ overall sleep quality or the extent of their daytime functional impairments. To address this limitation, the AH%, which measures the proportion of the entire sleep cycle affected by apneas and hypopneas, deepens our understanding of the impact on sleep quality. The LSpO2 plays a critical role in highlighting the potential severe hypoxic episodes during sleep, while the HRV offers a different perspective by analyzing the fluctuations in heart rate thereby revealing the activity of the autonomic nervous system. The ODI provides a direct and objective measure of patients’ nocturnal oxygenation stability by calculating the number of desaturation events per hour, and the biomarkers offers novel insights into the diagnosis and management of OSA, and fosters the development of more precise and tailored OSA therapeutic strategies. In terms of diagnostic techniques of OSA, the standardized questionnaire and Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) is a simple and effective method for preliminary screening of OSA, and the polysomnography (PSG) which is based on recording multiple physiological signals stands for gold standard, but it has limitations of complex operations, high costs and inconvenience. As a convenient alternative, the home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) allows patients to monitor their sleep with simplified equipment in the comfort of their own homes, and the cardiopulmonary coupling (CPC) offers a minimal version that simply analyzes the electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. As an emerging diagnostic technology of OSA, machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) adeptly pinpoint respiratory incidents and expose delicate physiological changes, thus casting new light on the diagnostic approach to OSA. In addition, imaging examination utilizes detailed visual representations of the airway’s structure and assists in recognizing structural abnormalities that may result in obstructed airways, while sound monitoring technology records and analyzes snoring and breathing sounds to detect the condition subtly, and thus further expands our medical diagnostic toolkit. As for the future development directions, it can be predicted that interdisciplinary integrated researches, the construction of personalized diagnosis and treatment models, and the popularization of high-tech in clinical applications will become the development trends in the field of OSA evaluation and diagnosis.
3.Progress in the study of anti-inflammatory active components with anti-inflammatory effects and mechanisms in Caragana Fabr.
Yu-mei MA ; Ju-yuan LUO ; Tao CHEN ; Hong-mei LI ; Cheng SHEN ; Shuo WANG ; Zhi-bo SONG ; Yu-lin LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(1):58-71
The plants of the genus
4.The influence of Kruppel-like factor 16 on the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells
Zhi ZHENG ; Xiaosheng YAN ; Yixuan DING ; Jiongdi LU ; Wentong MEI ; Fei LI
Chinese Journal of Pancreatology 2024;24(5):358-363
Objective:To investigate the influence of Kruppel-like factor 16 (KLF16) on the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells.Methods:Immunohistochemical images of KLF16 were collected from 171 pancreatic cancer tissues and their matched paracarcinoma normal pancreas tissues and 8 pancreatic cancer tissues only in GEPIA database. The expression of KLF16 protein was detected by immunohistochemical imaging software. The protein and mRNA expressions of pancreatic cancer cell lines AsPC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 KLF16 were detected by Western blot and quantitative fluorescence PCR. By knockdown or exogenous overexpression of KLF16, the two cells were divided into blank control group (NC group), negative control group (siRNA-NC group), downexpression KLF16 group (siKLF16 group), overexpression control group (OE-NC group) and ovexpression KLF16-OE group (KLF16-OE group). CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay and transwell chamber were used to detect cell proliferation and migration.Results:The KLF16 protein expression level (4.02±1.26 vs 1.73±1.07) and positive expression rate (91.6% vs 13.5%) in pancreatic cancer tissues were significantly higher than those in paracancer normal pancreas tissues, with statistical significance ( P<0.05). After downregulating KLF16 expression and culturing for 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours, the A450 values of both AsPC-1 (0.19±0.02 vs 0.23±0.03, 0.24±0.06 vs 0.36±0.06, 0.45±0.09 vs 0.78±0.10, 0.69±0.04 vs 0.88±0.07) and MIA PaCa-2 cells (0.20±0.03 vs 0.22±0.02, 0.29±0.05 vs 0.31±0.04, 0.47±0.06 vs 0.78±0.10, 0.71±0.02 vs 0.90±0.07) and colony counts [(36±4.32) per well vs (118.51±10.01) per well, (13.6±2.62) per well vs (83.1±9.11) per well], and the number of migrated cells [(16.67±2.05) vs (46.67±5.91), (19.67±1.69) vs (55±4.89)] all decreased significantly. However, after up-regulating the expression of KLF16 and culturing for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, the A450 value of both AsPC-1 (0.21±0.05 vs 0.20±0.04, 0.48±0.03 vs 0.31±0.04, 0.91±0.09 vs 0.72±0.03, 1.28±0.10 vs 1.05±0.02) and MIA PaCa-2 cells (0.20±0.01 vs 0.19±0.05, 0.44±0.03 vs 0.30±0.04, 0.89±0.06 vs 0.72±0.03, 1.19±0.05 vs 1.01±0.10), and the number of cell colonies [(189±6.37)/per hole vs (108±9.62)/ per hole, (141±12.56)/ per hole vs (80.69±10.32)/ per hole]], migration cell numbers [(79±4.89) per hole vs (50.33±4.11) per hole, (79.66±3.85) per hole vs (51±4.08) per hole] all increased significantly. Conclusions:KLF16 is highly expressed in pancreatic cancer. The up-regulated expression of KLF16 in pancreatic cancer cell lines can promote the proliferation and migration of pancreatic cancer cells.
5.PDGFC secreted by CAFs promotes resistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin by PI3K-mTOR signalling pathway
Hao DONG ; Xue-Jie WANG ; Wan-Li DUAN ; Zhi-Mei SHENG ; Li-Hong SHI ; Bao-Gang ZHANG
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(5):833-839
Aim To explore whether platelet-derived growth factor C(PDGFC)derived from cancer-associat-ed fibroblasts(CAFs)can promote resistance of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin(DOX)and the underlying mechanisms.Methods CAFs and normal fibroblasts(NFs)were extracted from freshly resected breast cancer tissue and adjacent normal breast tissue respec-tively.Conditioned medium(CM)from CAFs and NFs was collected and co-cultured with breast cancer cells.Cell proliferation and toxicity were assessed using a Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8).The expression of PDG-FC in CAFs,NFs and corresponding CM was detected by Western blot and ELISA respectively.The influence of CAFs-CM on intracellular doxorubicin content in breast cancer cells was observed by fluorescence mi-croscopy.The impact of CAFs-CM on apoptosis-related proteins BAX and BCL2 was predicted and valifated u-sing the Starbase database and Western blot.The changes in ROS levels,mitochondrial membrane po-tential,and mitochondrial membrane proteins TOM20 and COX Ⅳ in breast cancer cells were measured using DCFH-DA fluorescence staining,JC-1 assay,and Western blot.Results CAFs-CM decreased the intra-cellular doxorubicin content and inhibited the sensitivi-ty of breast cancer cells to doxorubicin.Additionally,the expression of apoptosis protein BAX decreased while the anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 increased in breast cancer cells cultured with CAFs-CM.Further-more,CAFs-CM led to decreased ROS levels and in-creased mitochondrial membrane potential in breast cancer cells accompanied with elevated expression of mitochondrial membrane proteins TOM20 and COX Ⅳ.Further study found that PDGEF was highly expressed in CAFs and CAFs-CM,recombinant human PDGFC produced resistance of breast cancer cells to DOX simi-lar to CAFs-CM,and the specific inhibitors of PDGFRα significantly inhibited CAFs-CM.Further mechanistic studies revealed that PDGFC in CAFs-CM induced chemoresistance by activating PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway.Conclusion PDGFC secreted by CAFs promotes doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer cells through PI3K-mTOR signaling pathway,which provides a new perspective for the development of anti-cancer drugs targeting CAFs.
6.The total flavonoids of Rhodiola japonica promote vascular formation in rat cerebral vascular endothelial cells in vitro and their relationship with VEGFR2 and neurogenic H2S
Mei-Jing ZHONG ; Shuo CHEN ; Zhi-Wu CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(5):865-872
Aim To explore the effect of total fla-vonoids of Rhodiola japonica(TFR)on vascular forma-tion in rat cerebral vascular endothelial cells in vitro and its relationship with VEGFR2 and neurogenic hy-drogen sulfide(H2 S).Methods Using rat cerebral vascular endothelial cells cultured separately and co cultured with hippocampal neurons,different experi-mental methods were used to detect cell proliferation,migration,tube formation,H2S content,and calcium fluorescence intensity,including CCK8 method,cell scratch method,Transwell method,matrix gel tube for-mation,H2 S reagent kit,and calcium fluorescence probe method.Results In isolated cultured rat brain microvascular endothelial cells,H2S donor NaHS(200μmol·L-1)and TFR(90,270,810 mg·L-1)could significantly promote the proliferation,migration area and the number of migrating cells of primary rat brain microvascular endothelial cells,as well as the forma-tion of blood vessels and[Ca2+]i,while VEGFR2 blocker SU5416(10 μmol·L-1)could inhibit the promotion of endothelial cell proliferation,migration and vascular formation by TFR;TFR significantly in-creased H2S content in co-cultured rat brain microvas-cular endothelial cells with hippocampal neurons,and was inhibited by CBS inhibitor AOAA(200 μmol· L-1).At the same time,TFR significantly promotes the formation of vascular effects in co-cultured rat cere-bral vascular endothelial cells,and could be signifi-cantly inhibited by AOAA and VEGFR2 blocker SU5416.Conclusions TFR can promote the forma-tion of blood vessels in cerebral vascular endothelial cells by increasing[Ca2+]i of VEGFR2 in vitro,and can promote angiogenesis by inducing CBS generation of H2S in neurons and acting on VEGFR2 in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells.
7.Interaction between neuron-glial cell gap junction and neural circuit
Hong-Bin WANG ; Jiao YAO ; Hui-Qin WANG ; Zhi-Feng TIAN ; Qi-Di AI ; Mei-Yu LIN ; Yan-Tao YANG ; Song-Wei YANG ; Nai-Hong CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(7):1210-1214
Gap junction(GJ),also known as gap junction,is widely found between neurons and glial cells,and can connect neighboring cells and mediate the transmission of electrical sig-nals between neighboring cells.The GJ channel,which exists between neurons and mediates intercellular electrical signaling,is also known as an electrical synapse.Connexins(Cxs)are the molecular basis of GJ,and are expressed to different degrees in different neurons and glial cells.The presence of GJ mediates different functions among neurons and glial cells,which further influences the establishment of various mature neural circuits,re-flecting the importance of GJ in the maintenance of neural cir-cuits.This review summarizes the relationship between GJ and neural circuits in relation to the effects of GJ and different Cxs on neurons and glial cells,providing new research ideas for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
8.Study on the bifid ribs of Tibetan population in Kangbei area based on multi-slice spiral CT
Yu-Lin ZHANG ; Ping AO ; Li ZHU ; Jiao HUANG ; Zhi-Gang XIU ; Mei-Mei YU ; Wei-Min LI
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(5):404-407
Objective To explore the incidence and imaging characteristics of bifid ribs of Tibetan population in Kangbei area by multi-slice spiral CT(MSCT),in order to provide imaging reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods The imaging data of 1 253 Tibetan patients(661 males and 592 females)in Kangbei area who underwent chest MSCT examination were retrospectively analyzed.The incidence of bifid ribs and its differences between genders and sides were counted.The location of bifid ribs,the morphological charac-teristics of the junction of bifid ribs and costal cartilage,and the change of adjacent intercostal space were observed.Results Among 1 253 patients with chest MSCT,57 patients had bifid ribs,with a total of 64 bifid ribs.The incidence of bifid ribs at the patient level was 4.55%,of which 51 cases had single bifid rib and 6 cases had multiple bifid ribs;the incidence of bifid ribs in male was 4.99%(33/661),the female was 4.05%(24/592),and the difference between genders was not statistically significant(P>0.05).The incidence of bifid ribs was 56.14%(32/57)on the right side,33.33%(19/57)on the left side,and 10.53%(6/57)on both sides,the differences between different sides were statistically significant(P<0.05).The bifid ribs were found in the 2nd to 8th ribs,mainly in the 3rd to 5th ribs.A total of 55(85.94%)junctions of bifid ribs and costal cartilage were obturator type,5(7.81%)junctions were incompletehole shape type,3(4.69%)junctions were double costal cartilage type and 1(1.56%)junction was other type;62(96.88%)junctions were narrow in the upper intercostal space.Conclusion The incidence of bifid ribs of the Tibetan population in Kangbei area is 4.55%,which mainly occurs in the 3rd to 5th ribs,and the obturator type is more common,with the upper intercostal space narrow.MSCT can make accurate diagnosis of bifid ribs and provide accurate imaging evaluation for clinical practice.
9.Mechanism of dexmetomidine alleviating inflammatory injury in rats with lipopolysaccharide-induced myocarditis
Di-Sheng CAI ; Jian-Guang REN ; Xiao-Mei LU ; Zhi-Ying ZHOU
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2024;33(6):479-485
Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine(Dex)on inflammatory injury in rats with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced myocarditis(Myo)by regulating AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)/nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway.Methods Rats were randomly divide into the NC group,the Myo group,and the L-Dex group(10 μg/kg Dex),the M-Dex group(30 μg/kg Dex),the H-Dex group(50 μg/kg Dex),the AICAR group(100 mg/kg AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signal pathway activator),the H-Dex+GSK690693 group(50 μg/kg Dex+0.2 μmol/kg AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signal pathway inhibitor GSK690693),with 10 rats in each group.M-mode echocardiography system was used to evaluate the cardiac function of rats;ELISA kit was used to detect the levels of serum interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)in rats;TUNEL staining was used to observe cell apoptosis;HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of myocardial tissue;RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1(CXCL1),C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2(CXCL2),and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1)in rat myocardial tissue;Western blot was used to detect the expression of AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway-related proteins in rat myocardial tissue.Results There was no abnormal change in cardiomyocytes in the NC group,and cardiomyocytes in the Myo group showed deformation,necrosis,inflammatory cell infiltra-tion,and mesenchymal congestion;necrosis,inflammatory cell infiltration,and mesenchymal congestion in the L-Dex group,the M-Dex group,the H-Dex group,and the AICAR group were improved compared with that in the Myo group;changes in cardiomyocytes in the H-Dex group and the AICAR group were similar to those in the NC group,and changes in cardiomyocytes in the H-Dex+GSK690693 group were similar to those in the Myo group.Compared with the NC group,the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS),expression levels of SOD,p-AMPK/AMPK,p-SIRT1/SIRT1 in the Myo group were obviously decreased(P<0.05),left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV),left ventricular end-diastolic volume(LVEDV),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,CXCL1,CXCL2,VCAM-1,p-NF-κB/NF-κB,NF-κB p65 and cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate were obviously increased(P<0.05).Compared with the Myo group,the LVEF,LVFS,expression levels of SOD,p-AMPK/AMPK,p-SIRT1/SIRT1 in the L-Dex group,the M-Dex group,the H-Dex group and the AICAR group were obviously increased(P<0.05),LVESV,LVEDV,LVESD,LVEDD,expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,CXCL1,CXCL2,VCAM-1,p-NF-κB/NF-κB,NF-κB p65 and cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate were obviously decreased(P<0.05),and the effects were more obvious with the increase of the dosage of Dex.There was no significant difference in the above results between the AICAR group and the H-Dex group(P>0.05).Compared with the H-Dex group,the LVEF,LVFS,expression levels of SOD,p-AMPK/AMPK,p-SIRT1/SIRT1 in the H-Dex+GSK690693 group were obviously decreased(P<0.05),LVESV,LVEDV,LVESD,LVEDD,levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate,the expression of CXCL1,CXCL2,VCAM-1,p-NF-κB/NF-κB and NF-κB p65 protein were obviously increased(P<0.05).Conclusion Dex may alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory injury in Myo rats by up-regulating AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway.
10.Evaluation of life cycle management system on patients'prognosis after transcatheter aortic valve replacement
Ruo-Yun LIU ; Ran LIU ; Mei-Fang DAI ; Yue-Miao JIAO ; Yang LI ; San-Shuai CHANG ; Ye XU ; Zhi-Nan LU ; Li ZHAO ; Cheng-Qian YIN ; Guang-Yuan SONG
Chinese Journal of Interventional Cardiology 2024;32(6):311-316
Objective With the widespread of transcatheter aortic valve replacement(TAVR)in patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis(AS),the life-cycle management has become a major determinant of prognosis.Methods A total of 408 AS patients who underwent successfully TAVR from June 2021 to August 2023 were consecutively enrolled in Hospital Valve Intervention Center.Patients were assigned to the Usual Care(UC)group between June 2021 and October 2022,while patients were assigned to the Heart Multi-parameter Monitoring(HMM)group between November 2022 and August 2023.The primary endpoint was defined as composite endpoint within 6 months post-TAVR,including all-cause death,cardiovascular death,stroke/transient ischemic attack,conduction block,myocardial infarction,heart failure rehospitalization,and major bleeding events.Secondary endpoints were the time interval(in hours)from event occurrence to medical consultation or advice and patient satisfaction.Statistical analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models.Results The incidence of primary endpoint in HMM group was significantly lower than that in UC group(8.9%vs.17.7%,P=0.016),the driving event was the rate of diagnosis and recognition of conduction block.The average time intervals from event occurrence to receiving medical advice were 3.02 h in HHM group vs.97.09 h in UC group(P<0.001).Using cardiac monitoring devices and smart healthcare platforms provided significant improving in patients long-term management(HR 0.439,95%CI 0.244-0.790,P=0.006).Conclusions The utilization of cardiac monitoring devices and smart healthcare platforms effectively alerted clinical events and improved postoperative quality of life during long-term management post TAVR.

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