1.C/EBPβ-Lin28a positive feedback loop triggered by C/EBPβ hypomethylation enhances the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells in restenosis.
Xiaojun ZHOU ; Shan JIANG ; Siyi GUO ; Shuai YAO ; Qiqi SHENG ; Qian ZHANG ; Jianjun DONG ; Lin LIAO
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(4):419-429
BACKGROUND:
The main cause of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is the excessive proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Lin28a has been reported to play critical regulatory roles in this process. However, whether CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins β (C/EBPβ) binds to the Lin28a promoter and drives the progression of restenosis has not been clarified. Therefore, in the present study, we aim to clarify the role of C/EBPβ-Lin28a axis in restenosis.
METHODS:
Restenosis and atherosclerosis rat models of type 2 diabetes ( n = 20, for each group) were established by subjecting to PTA. Subsequently, the difference in DNA methylation status and expression of C/EBPβ between the two groups were assessed. EdU, Transwell, and rescue assays were performed to assess the effect of C/EBPβ on the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. DNA methylation status was further assessed using Methyltarget sequencing. The interaction between Lin28a and ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) was analysed using co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay. Student's t -test and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis.
RESULTS:
C/EBPβ expression was upregulated and accompanied by hypomethylation of its promoter in restenosis when compared with atherosclerosis. In vitroC/EBPβ overexpression facilitated the proliferation and migration of VSMCs and was associated with increased Lin28a expression. Conversely, C/EBPβ knockdown resulted in the opposite effects. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays further demonstrated that C/EBPβ could directly bind to Lin28a promoter. Increased C/EBPβ expression and enhanced proliferation and migration of VSMCs were observed after decitabine treatment. Further, mechanical stretch promoted C/EBPβ and Lin28a expression accompanied by C/EBPβ hypomethylation. Additionally, Lin28a overexpression reduced C/EBPβ methylation via recruiting TET1 and enhanced C/EBPβ-mediated proliferation and migration of VSMCs. The opposite was noted in Lin28a knockdown cells.
CONCLUSION
Our findings suggest that the C/EBPβ-Lin28a axis is a driver of restenosis progression, and presents a promising therapeutic target for restenosis.
Animals
;
Cell Proliferation/genetics*
;
Cell Movement/genetics*
;
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism*
;
Rats
;
DNA Methylation/physiology*
;
CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-beta/genetics*
;
Male
;
Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/cytology*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics*
;
Cells, Cultured
;
Coronary Restenosis/metabolism*
2.POU2F1 inhibits miR-29b1/a cluster-mediated suppression of PIK3R1 and PIK3R3 expression to regulate gastric cancer cell invasion and migration.
Yizhi XIAO ; Ping YANG ; Wushuang XIAO ; Zhen YU ; Jiaying LI ; Xiaofeng LI ; Jianjiao LIN ; Jieming ZHANG ; Miaomiao PEI ; Linjie HONG ; Juanying YANG ; Zhizhao LIN ; Ping JIANG ; Li XIANG ; Guoxin LI ; Xinbo AI ; Weiyu DAI ; Weimei TANG ; Jide WANG
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(7):838-850
BACKGROUND:
The transcription factor POU2F1 regulates the expression levels of microRNAs in neoplasia. However, the miR-29b1/a cluster modulated by POU2F1 in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown.
METHODS:
Gene expression in GC cells was evaluated using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and RNA in situ hybridization. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to evaluate protein interactions. Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed to investigate the biological behavior of GC cells. MiR-29b1/a cluster promoter analysis and luciferase activity assay for the 3'-UTR study were performed in GC cells. In vivo tumor metastasis was evaluated in nude mice.
RESULTS:
POU2F1 is overexpressed in GC cell lines and binds to the miR-29b1/a cluster promoter. POU2F1 is upregulated, whereas mature miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p are downregulated in GC tissues. POU2F1 promotes GC metastasis by inhibiting miR-29b-3p or miR-29a-3p expression in vitro and in vivo . Furthermore, PIK3R1 and/or PIK3R3 are direct targets of miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p , and the ectopic expression of PIK3R1 or PIK3R3 reverses the suppressive effect of mature miR-29b-3p and/or miR-29a-3p on GC cell metastasis and invasion. Additionally, the interaction of PIK3R1 with PIK3R3 promotes migration and invasion, and miR-29b-3p , miR-29a-3p , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 regulate migration and invasion via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) pathway in GC cells. In addition, POU2F1 , PIK3R1 , and PIK3R3 expression levels negatively correlated with miR-29b-3p and miR-29a-3p expression levels in GC tissue samples.
CONCLUSIONS
The POU2F1 - miR-29b-3p / miR-29a-3p-PIK3R1 / PIK3R1 signaling axis regulates tumor progression and may be a promising therapeutic target for GC.
MicroRNAs/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Stomach Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Cell Movement/physiology*
;
Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism*
;
Animals
;
Mice
;
Octamer Transcription Factor-1/metabolism*
;
Mice, Nude
;
Class Ia Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism*
;
Neoplasm Invasiveness
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics*
;
Male
;
Immunohistochemistry
;
Female
3.SMUG1 promoted the progression of pancreatic cancer via AKT signaling pathway through binding with FOXQ1.
Zijian WU ; Wei WANG ; Jie HUA ; Jingyao ZHANG ; Jiang LIU ; Si SHI ; Bo ZHANG ; Xiaohui WANG ; Xianjun YU ; Jin XU
Chinese Medical Journal 2025;138(20):2640-2656
BACKGROUND:
Pancreatic cancer is a lethal malignancy prone to gemcitabine resistance. The single-strand selective monofunctional uracil DNA glycosylase (SMUG1), which is responsible for initiating base excision repair, has been reported to predict the outcomes of different cancer types. However, the function of SMUG1 in pancreatic cancer is still unclear.
METHODS:
Gene and protein expression of SMUG1 as well as survival outcomes were assessed by bioinformatic analysis and verified in a cohort from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center. Subsequently, the effect of SMUG1 on proliferation, cell cycle, and migration abilities of SMUG1 cells were detected in vitro . DNA damage repair, apoptosis, and gemcitabine resistance were also tested. RNA sequencing was performed to determine the differentially expressed genes and signaling pathways, followed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting verification. The cancer-promoting effect of forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1) and SMUG1 on the ubiquitylation of myelocytomatosis oncogene (c-Myc) was also evaluated. Finally, a xenograft model was established to verify the results.
RESULTS:
SMUG1 was highly expressed in pancreatic tumor tissues and cells, which also predicted a poor prognosis. Downregulation of SMUG1 inhibited the proliferation, G1 to S transition, migration, and DNA damage repair ability against gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer cells. SMUG1 exerted its function by binding with FOXQ1 to activate the Protein Kinase B (AKT)/p21 and p27 pathway. Moreover, SMUG1 also stabilized the c-Myc protein via AKT signaling in pancreatic cancer cells.
CONCLUSIONS
SMUG1 promotes proliferation, migration, gemcitabine resistance, and c-Myc protein stability in pancreatic cancer via protein kinase B signaling through binding with FOXQ1. Furthermore, SMUG1 may be a new potential prognostic and gemcitabine resistance predictor in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Humans
;
Pancreatic Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics*
;
Signal Transduction/genetics*
;
Animals
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism*
;
Cell Proliferation/physiology*
;
Mice
;
Uracil-DNA Glycosidase/genetics*
;
Female
;
Male
;
Gemcitabine
;
Mice, Nude
;
Apoptosis/physiology*
;
Deoxycytidine/analogs & derivatives*
;
Cell Movement/genetics*
4.Cross-session motor imagery-electroencephalography decoding with Riemannian spatial filtering and domain adaptation.
Lincong PAN ; Xinwei SUN ; Kun WANG ; Yupei CAO ; Minpeng XU ; Dong MING
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(2):272-279
Motor imagery (MI) is a mental process that can be recognized by electroencephalography (EEG) without actual movement. It has significant research value and application potential in the field of brain-computer interface (BCI) technology. To address the challenges posed by the non-stationary nature and low signal-to-noise ratio of MI-EEG signals, this study proposed a Riemannian spatial filtering and domain adaptation (RSFDA) method for improving the accuracy and efficiency of cross-session MI-BCI classification tasks. The approach addressed the issue of inconsistent data distribution between source and target domains through a multi-module collaborative framework, which enhanced the generalization capability of cross-session MI-EEG classification models. Comparative experiments were conducted on three public datasets to evaluate RSFDA against eight existing methods in terms of classification accuracy and computational efficiency. The experimental results demonstrated that RSFDA achieved an average classification accuracy of 79.37%, outperforming the state-of-the-art deep learning method Tensor-CSPNet (76.46%) by 2.91% ( P < 0.01). Furthermore, the proposed method showed significantly lower computational costs, requiring only approximately 3 minutes of average training time compared to Tensor-CSPNet's 25 minutes, representing a reduction of 22 minutes. These findings indicate that the RSFDA method demonstrates superior performance in cross-session MI-EEG classification tasks by effectively balancing accuracy and efficiency. However, its applicability in complex transfer learning scenarios remains to be further investigated.
Electroencephalography/methods*
;
Brain-Computer Interfaces
;
Humans
;
Imagination/physiology*
;
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
;
Movement/physiology*
;
Signal-To-Noise Ratio
;
Deep Learning
;
Algorithms
5.A signal sensing system for monitoring the movement of human respiratory muscle based on the thin-film varistor.
Yueyang YUAN ; Zhongping ZHANG ; Lixin XIE ; Haoxuan HUANG ; Wei LIU
Journal of Biomedical Engineering 2025;42(4):733-738
In order to accurately capture the respiratory muscle movement and extract the synchronization signals corresponding to the breathing phases, a comprehensive signal sensing system for sensing the movement of the respiratory muscle was developed with applying the thin-film varistor FSR402 IMS-C07A in this paper. The system integrated a sensor, a signal processing circuit, and an application program to collect, amplify and denoise electronic signals. Based on the respiratory muscle movement sensor and a STM32F107 development board, an experimental platform was designed to conduct experiments. The respiratory muscle movement data and respiratory airflow data were collected from 3 healthy adults for comparative analysis. In this paper, the results demonstrated that the method for determining respiratory phase based on the sensing the respiratory muscle movement exhibited strong real-time performance. Compared to traditional airflow-based respiratory phase detection, the proposed method showed a lead times ranging from 33 to 210 ms [(88.3 ± 47.9) ms] for expiration switched into inspiration and 17 to 222 ms [(92.9 ± 63.8) ms] for inspiration switched into expiration, respectively. When this system is applied to trigger the output of the ventilator, it will effectively improve the patient-ventilator synchrony and facilitate the ventilation treatment for patients with respiratory diseases.
Humans
;
Respiratory Muscles/physiology*
;
Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
;
Movement/physiology*
;
Respiration
;
Monitoring, Physiologic/methods*
;
Adult
6.Leukocyte-specific protein 1 (LSP1): A key regulator of cytoskeletal dynamics and leukocyte function.
Puyuan ZHU ; Jinyi GU ; Yuejun LUO ; Yaming XI
Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology 2025;41(8):750-755
Leukocyte-specific protein 1 (LSP1) is an F-actin binding protein expressed in various leukocytes, including lymphocytes, mononuclear macrophages, and neutrophils. LSP1 is highly conserved across different species. Human LSP1 protein contains 339 amino acids, featuring a Ca2+ binding site in the acidic NH2-terminal region and multiple F-actin binding domains along with phosphorylatable sites in the basic COOH-terminal region. Under Ca2+ regulation, the COOH-terminal domain of LSP1 binds to F-actin to regulate cell movement and signal transduction. Additionally, LSP1 activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway through phosphorylation mediated by protein kinase C (PKC) and MAPK-activated protein kinase-2, thereby regulating leukocyte proliferation and chemotaxis. The main effects of LSP1 on leukocytes are as follows: LSP1 plays important roles in neutrophil and macrophage migration, affecting cell adhesion, polarization and movement. LSP1 also functions in endothelial cells to regulate leukocyte transendothelial migration. In addition, LSP1 regulates macrophage phagocytosis through interaction with myosin 1e. Moreover, LSP1 regulates leukocyte proliferation and differentiation and plays significant roles in the development of leukemia and other tumors. In summary, LSP1 regulates leukocyte morphology, movement and function through interactions with cytoskeletal and signaling proteins. This review provides a comprehensive summary of these aspects.
Humans
;
Leukocytes/cytology*
;
Animals
;
Cytoskeleton/metabolism*
;
Microfilament Proteins/physiology*
;
Cell Movement
;
Signal Transduction
7.Dentate Gyrus Morphogenesis is Regulated by an Autism Risk Gene Trio Function in Granule Cells.
Mengwen SUN ; Weizhen XUE ; Hu MENG ; Xiaoxuan SUN ; Tianlan LU ; Weihua YUE ; Lifang WANG ; Dai ZHANG ; Jun LI
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(1):1-15
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are reported as a group of neurodevelopmental disorders. The structural changes of brain regions including the hippocampus were widely reported in autistic patients and mouse models with dysfunction of ASD risk genes, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we report that deletion of Trio, a high-susceptibility gene of ASDs, causes a postnatal dentate gyrus (DG) hypoplasia with a zigzagged suprapyramidal blade, and the Trio-deficient mice display autism-like behaviors. The impaired morphogenesis of DG is mainly caused by disturbing the postnatal distribution of postmitotic granule cells (GCs), which further results in a migration deficit of neural progenitors. Furthermore, we reveal that Trio plays different roles in various excitatory neural cells by spatial transcriptomic sequencing, especially the role of regulating the migration of postmitotic GCs. In summary, our findings provide evidence of cellular mechanisms that Trio is involved in postnatal DG morphogenesis.
Animals
;
Dentate Gyrus/metabolism*
;
Mice
;
Morphogenesis/physiology*
;
Neurons/pathology*
;
Cell Movement
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Autism Spectrum Disorder/pathology*
;
Mice, Knockout
;
Neural Stem Cells
;
Male
;
Neurogenesis
;
Autistic Disorder/genetics*
8.Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Interact with Schwann Cells for Tumor Perineural Invasion by Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
Xinwen ZHANG ; Yijia HE ; Shixin XIE ; Yuxian SONG ; Xiaofeng HUANG ; Qingang HU ; Yanhong NI ; Yi WANG ; Yong FU ; Liang DING
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(6):1003-1020
Perineural invasion (PNI) by tumor cells is a key phenotype of highly-invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Since Schwann cells (SCs) and fibroblasts maintain the physiological homeostasis of the peripheral nervous system, and we have focused on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) for decades, it's imperative to elucidate the impact of CAFs on SCs in PNI+ OSCCs. We describe a disease progression-driven shift of PNI- towards PNI+ during the progression of early-stage OSCC (31%, n = 125) to late-stage OSCC (53%, n = 97), characterized by abundant CAFs and nerve demyelination. CAFs inhibited SC proliferation/migration and reduced neurotrophic factors and myelin in vitro, and this involved up-regulated ER stress and decreased MAPK signals. Moreover, CAFs also aggravated the paralysis of the hind limb and PNI in vivo. Unexpectedly, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was exclusively expressed on CAFs and up-regulated in metastatic OSCC. The LIF inhibitor EC330 restored CAF-induced SC inactivation. Thus, OSCC-derived CAFs inactivate SCs to aggravate nerve injury and PNI development.
Schwann Cells/metabolism*
;
Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism*
;
Humans
;
Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts/metabolism*
;
Animals
;
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism*
;
Neoplasm Invasiveness/pathology*
;
Male
;
Female
;
Mice
;
Cell Movement/physiology*
;
Cell Proliferation/physiology*
;
Cell Line, Tumor
;
Leukemia Inhibitory Factor/metabolism*
;
Middle Aged
9.A Personalized Predictor of Motor Imagery Ability Based on Multi-frequency EEG Features.
Mengfan LI ; Qi ZHAO ; Tengyu ZHANG ; Jiahao GE ; Jingyu WANG ; Guizhi XU
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(7):1198-1212
A brain-computer interface (BCI) based on motor imagery (MI) provides additional control pathways by decoding the intentions of the brain. MI ability has great intra-individual variability, and the majority of MI-BCI systems are unable to adapt to this variability, leading to poor training effects. Therefore, prediction of MI ability is needed. In this study, we propose an MI ability predictor based on multi-frequency EEG features. To validate the performance of the predictor, a video-guided paradigm and a traditional MI paradigm are designed, and the predictor is applied to both paradigms. The results demonstrate that all subjects achieved > 85% prediction precision in both applications, with a maximum of 96%. This study indicates that the predictor can accurately predict the individuals' MI ability in different states, provide the scientific basis for personalized training, and enhance the effect of MI-BCI training.
Humans
;
Imagination/physiology*
;
Electroencephalography/methods*
;
Brain-Computer Interfaces
;
Male
;
Female
;
Adult
;
Young Adult
;
Brain/physiology*
;
Movement/physiology*
;
Motor Activity/physiology*
;
Psychomotor Performance/physiology*
10.The Dance Between Schwann Cells and Macrophages During the Repair of Peripheral Nerve Injury.
Wei LI ; Guixian LIU ; Jie LIANG ; Xiao WANG ; Meiying SONG ; Xiaoli LIU ; Luoyang WANG ; Zijie YANG ; Bei ZHANG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(8):1448-1462
Schwann cells and macrophages are the main immune cells involved in peripheral nerve injury. After injury, Schwann cells produce an inflammatory response and secrete various chemokines, inflammatory factors, and some other cytokines to promote the recruitment and M2 polarization of blood-derived macrophages, enhancing their phagocytotic ability, and thus play an important role in promoting nerve regeneration. Macrophages have also been found to promote vascular regeneration after injury, promote the migration and proliferation of Schwann cells along blood vessels, and facilitate myelination and axon regeneration. Therefore, there is a close interaction between Schwann cells and macrophages during peripheral nerve regeneration, but this has not been systematically summarized. In this review, the mechanisms of action of Schwann cells and macrophages in each other's migration and phenotypic transformation are reviewed from the perspective of each other, to provide directions for research on accelerating nerve injury repair.
Schwann Cells/metabolism*
;
Peripheral Nerve Injuries/physiopathology*
;
Animals
;
Macrophages/immunology*
;
Nerve Regeneration/physiology*
;
Humans
;
Cell Movement/physiology*

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail