OBJECTIVE: To screen proteins interacting with ring finger protein 216(RNF216) through yeast two hybrid experiment, and further clarify the role of RNF216 in the pathogenesis of gonadotropin-releasing hormone deficiency. METHODS: A recombinant expression vector pGBKT7-RNF216 was constructed and transformed into yeast Y2HGold, which was hybridized with a human cDNA library in order to screen proteins interacting with RNF216. The interaction was verified in yeast Y2HGold. RESULTS: A recombinant expression vector pGBKT7-RNF216 was successfully constructed and expressed in yeast Y2HGold. Filamin B (FLNB) was identified by yeast two hybrid experiment, and their interaction was verified in yeast Y2HGold. CONCLUSION An interaction between FLNB and RNF216 was identified through yeast two hybrid experiment. RNF216 may affect the proliferation and migration of GnRH neurons by regulating FLNB or FLNB/FLNA heterodimers.
Gene Library ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/genetics* ; Humans ; Proteins ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques ; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/genetics*

As a representative drug for the treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia and sepsis, Xuebijing (XBJ) injection is also one of the recommended drugs for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but its treatment mechanism for COVID-19 is still unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the potential mechanism of XBJ injection in the treatment of COVID-19 employing network pharmacology and molecular docking methods. The corresponding target genes of 45 main active ingredients in XBJ injection and COVID-19 were obtained by using multiple database retrieval and literature mining. 102 overlapping targets of them were screened as the core targets for analysis. Then built the PPI network, TCM-compound-target-disease, and disease-target-pathway networks with the help of Cytoscape 3.6.1 software. After that, utilized DAVID to perform gene ontology (GO) function enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis to predict the action mechanism of overlapping targets. Finally, by applying molecular docking technology, all compounds were docked with COVID-19 3 CL protease(3CLpro), spike protein (S protein), and angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2). The results indicated that quercetin, luteolin, apigenin and other compounds in XBJ injection could affect TNF, MAPK1, IL6 and other overlapping targets. Meanwhile, anhydrosafflor yellow B (AHSYB), salvianolic acid B (SAB), and rutin could combine with COVID-19 crucial proteins, and then played the role of anti-inflammatory, antiviral and immune response to treat COVID-19. This study revealed the multiple active components, multiple targets, and multiple pathways of XBJ injection in the treatment of COVID-19, which provided a new perspective for the study of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of COVID-19.
Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism* ; Biological Availability ; COVID-19/virology* ; Coronavirus 3C Proteases/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/methods* ; Molecular Docking Simulation/methods* ; Protein Interaction Mapping/methods* ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism*

To establish a method for identifying protein epitopes recognized by therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, the programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) was selected as the target protein. Based on the alanine scanning strategy, a rapid expression method of antigen mutants combining site-directed mutagenesis with mammalian cell expression system was established, the conditions for eukaryotic expression element amplification and cell transfection expression were established. 150 PD-1 protein mutants were co-expressed, and the binding ability of these mutants to anti-PD-1 antibody Pembrolizumab was identified. The epitopes of Pembrolizumab were determined based on the binding ability of protein mutants to antibodies and combined with protein structure analysis, which was highly consistent with the reported crystal structure-based epitopes, indicating that this method is simple and accurate and can be used for epitope mapping of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Antigens ; Epitope Mapping ; Epitopes/genetics*

To predict the targets of active ingredients of Kuihua Hugan Tablets by network pharmacology, and explore the "multi-component-multi-target-multi-pathway" hepatoprotective mechanism of action. First, through traditional Chinese medicine systems pharmacology(TCMSP) and TCM Database@Taiwan Database, main active ingredients of Kuihua Hugan Tablets were screened out based on oral bioavailability(OB), drug-likeness(DL) and effective half-lives(HL). The targets of active ingredients of Kuihua Hugan Tablets were predicted based on the PharmMapper method. Then, the prediction was conducted by screening the target genes associated with chronic hepatitis and early cirrhosis through CooLGeN and GeneCards databases. Target gene functions and signal pathways were analyzed by bioinformatics annotation database Metascape. Cytoscape software was used to construct the Kuihua Hugan Tablets ingredient-target and ingredient-target-pathway network. String database combined with Cytoscape software was used to construct the networks of component-target and component-target-pathway. STRING database was combined with Cytoscape software to draw protein-protein interaction(PPI) network and conduct network topology analysis. Finally, Systems Dock Web Site software was applied in verifying the molecular docking between active ingredients and potential protein targets. A total of 26 compounds and 509 potential targets were screened out from Kuihua Hugan Tablets in the experiment. The results of PPI network analysis indicated that albumin(ALB), insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1), matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP9), matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP2), non-receptor tyrosine kinase proto-oncogene(SRC), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1) and cancer-signal transduction-inflammation-drugs metabolism-related biological processes and metabolic pathways were closely associated with the active ingredients in Kuihua Hugan Tablets. The effects of Kuihua Hugan Tablets in alleviating chronic hepatitis and early cirrhosis indicated the multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway characteristics of traditional Chinese medicines, providing new ideas for further research and development of Kuihua Hugan Tablets.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Protein Interaction Mapping ; Tablets

The aim of this paper was to screen the active targets of Schizonepetae Herba and Saposhnikoviae Radix in the treatment of ulcerative colitis by means of network pharmacology,and to investigate their mechanism of action. The effective components of Schizonepetae Herba and Saposhnikoviae Radix were screened out by traditional Chinese medicine systematic pharmacological( TCMSP)database,with oral bioavilability( OB) ≥30% and drug-like( DL) ≥18% selected as the thresholds. Target PPI network was built between the main components and their corresponding targets. One hundred and eighty-two human genes corresponding to the medicine target sites were obtained from Uniprot database; 3 874 genes corresponding to ulcerative colitis were obtained from Genecard database.A total of 115 intersection genes were screened from disease genes and medicine genes,and the PPI interaction analysis was conducted by using String tool. Disease-target PPI network was drawn by using Cytoscape software,and component-target-disease network was constructed. One hundred and eight nodes and 1 882 connections were found,and then Cytoscape software was used to merge the networks and filter the core network for gene GO function analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The mechanism of Schizonepetae Herba and Saposhnikoviae Radix was then verified by animal experiment. Gene GO functional analysis suggested that biological process,molecular functions and cell components were involved,and it was found that ulcerative colitis might be related to transcription factor activity,and cytokine receptor binding,etc. Gene KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the mechanism of ulcerative colitis might be associated with TNF and Toll-like receptors( TLRs) signaling pathway-mediated cytoinflammatory factors interleukin-1( IL-1) and interleukin-6( IL6). The possible mechanism of the effective components of Schizonepetae Herba and Saposhnikoviae Radix in treating ulcerative colitis might be related to intervening the cytokine receptor binding of TNF and TLRs signaling pathways,reducing the transcription of nuclear factor-kappaB( NF-κB),and inhibiting the secretion of intestinal inflammatory factors IL-1 and IL-6.
Animals ; Apiaceae/chemistry* ; Colitis, Ulcerative/drug therapy* ; Databases, Genetic ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Interleukins/metabolism* ; Lamiaceae/chemistry* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Protein Interaction Mapping ; Signal Transduction ; Software ; Toll-Like Receptors/metabolism*

5-HT₆ receptor (5-HT₆R) is implicated in cognitive dysfunction, mood disorder, psychosis, and eating disorders. However, despite its significant role in regulating the brain functions, regulation of 5-HT₆R at the molecular level is poorly understood. Here, using yeast two-hybrid assay, we found that human 5-HT₆R directly binds to neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1 (Nova-1), a brain-enriched splicing regulator. The interaction between 5-HT₆R and Nova-1 was confirmed using GST pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays in cell lines and rat brain. The splicing activity of Nova-1 was decreased upon overexpression of 5-HT₆R, which was examined by detecting the spliced intermediates of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a known pre-mRNA target of Nova-1, using RT-PCR. In addition, overexpression of 5-HT₆R induced the translocation of Nova-1 from the nucleus to cytoplasm, resulting in the reduced splicing activity of Nova-1. In contrast, overexpression of Nova-1 reduced the activity and the total protein levels of 5-HT₆R. Taken together, these results indicate that when the expression levels of 5-HT₆R or Nova-1 protein are not properly regulated, it may also deteriorate the function of the other.
Animals ; Brain ; Cell Line ; Cytoplasm ; Eating ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Humans ; Immunoprecipitation ; Mood Disorders ; Psychotic Disorders ; Rats ; RNA Precursors ; RNA-Binding Proteins ; Serotonin ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

The study is aimed to construct high quality Salvia miltiorrhiza cDNA library and obtain the SmJAZ8 gene of S. miltiorrhiza by yeast two-hybrid system. In this study， full-length cDNA was synthesized from roots， stems， leaves， flowers and hairy roots of S. miltiorrhiza. The full-length cDNA library was synthesized by SMART method and constructed with DSN homogenization technique. The results showed that the library capacity was 1.45×10⁶， the recombination rate was 100%， and the average size of the insert was 500-2 000 bp. The recombinant vector of pDEST-pGADT7-SmJAZ8 was constructed and transformed into Y2HGold strain. The interaction protein was screened by yeast two-hybrid system. The DnaJ protein and UBQ protein were screened by yeast two-hybrid system. This study has successfully constructed a full-length cDNA library of S. miltiorrhiza， and laid the foundation for the follow-up study on functional gene screening and gene function of S. miltiorrhiza.
Co-Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; DNA, Complementary ; Gene Library ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; genetics ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques

Angelica koreana is an important medicinal plant for some locals in East Asia including Korea. A few reports have shown the efficacy of its phytochemical constituents. We have isolated and purified one compound falcarindiol (FAL) from the methanolic extract of A. koreana roots. At concentrations from to 1 µM to 25 µM, the FAL isolated from the roots of A. koreana exerted no significant cytotoxicity and down-regulated LPS-stimulated pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 in colon epithelial cells, while up-regulating anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. In addition, the FAL decreased the expression of LPS-induced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 protein by Western blot analysis. Colon epithelial cells play pivotal roles in regulating the colon immune system and thus FAL is expected to be candidate agent as therapeutic potential for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by modulating LPS-induced inflammation in colon epithelial cells.
Angelica* ; Blotting, Western ; Colon* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Far East ; Immune System ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Interleukin-10* ; Interleukin-8* ; Korea ; Methanol ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Plants, Medicinal ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases

Escherichia coli ; chemistry ; cytology ; Fluorine Radioisotopes ; MAP Kinase Kinase 5 ; chemistry ; metabolism ; MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 3 ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular ; Protein Binding ; Protein Interaction Mapping ; methods ; Protein Interaction Maps

BACKGROUND: Sorbus rufopilosa, a tsema rowan, is a species of the small ornamental trees in the genus Sorbus and the family Rosaceae found in East Asia. The bioactivities of S. rufopilosa have not yet been fully determined. The objective of this study is to evaluate the antioxidant and anticancer effects of ethanol extract of S. rufopilosa (EESR) and to determine the molecular mechanism of its anticancer activity in human colon carcinoma HT29 cells. METHODS: To examine the antioxidant activity of EESR, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity assay was performed. Inhibitory effect of EESR on cancer cell growth and proliferation was determined by water-soluble tetrazolium salt assay. To investigate the mechanism of EESR-mediated cytotoxicity, HT29 cells were treated with various concentrations of EESR and the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: EESR showed significant antioxidant activity and inhibitory effect on HT29 cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. EESR induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase in a dose-dependent manner by modulating cyclin B, cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (CDK1), and CDK inhibitor p21 expression. EESR-induced apoptosis was associated with the upregulation of p53, a death receptor Fas, and a pro-apoptotic protein Bax and the activation of caspase 3, 8, and 9, resulting in the degradation of PARP. CONCLUSIONS: EESR possessing antioxidant activity efficiently inhibits proliferation of HT29 cells by inducing both cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. EESR may be a possible candidate for the anticancer drug development.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; CDC2 Protein Kinase ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints* ; Cell Cycle* ; Colon* ; Cyclin B ; Ethanol ; Far East ; Flow Cytometry ; HT29 Cells* ; Humans* ; Rosacea ; Rosaceae ; Sorbus* ; Trees ; Up-Regulation