Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Background: s/Aims: Sarcomatoid hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare histological subtype of HCC characterized by extremely poor prognosis; however, its molecular characterization has not been elucidated. Methods: In this study, we conducted an integrated multiomics study of whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, spatial transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses of 28 paired sarcomatoid tumor components and conventional HCC components from 10 patients with sarcomatoid HCC, in order to identify frequently altered genes, infer the tumor subclonal architectures, track the genomic evolution, and delineate the transcriptional characteristics of sarcomatoid HCCs. Results: Our results showed that the sarcomatoid HCCs had poor prognosis. The sarcomatoid tumor components and the conventional HCC components were derived from common ancestors, mostly accessing similar mutational processes. Clonal phylogenies demonstrated branched tumor evolution during sarcomatoid HCC development and progression. TP53 mutation commonly occurred at tumor initiation, whereas ARID2 mutation often occurred later. Transcriptome analyses revealed the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and hypoxic phenotype in sarcomatoid tumor components, which were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, we identified ARID2 mutations in 70% (7/10) of patients with sarcomatoid HCC but only 1–5% of patients with non-sarcomatoid HCC. Biofunctional investigations revealed that inactivating mutation of ARID2 contributes to HCC growth and metastasis and induces EMT in a hypoxic microenvironment. Conclusions We offer a comprehensive description of the molecular basis for sarcomatoid HCC, and identify genomic alteration (ARID2 mutation) together with the tumor microenvironment (hypoxic microenvironment), that may contribute to the formation of the sarcomatoid tumor component through EMT, leading to sarcomatoid HCC development and progression.

Objective To investigate the effects of STIP1 homology and U-box containing protein 1(STUB1)on the ubiquitination of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4)and ferroptosis in colon cancer cells HCT116,as well as the impact on CD8+T cell-mediated killing of HCT116 cells.Methods HCT116 cells were divided into control group,empty plasmid transfection(pcDNA3.1-vector)group,STUB1 overexpression plasmid transfection(pcDNA3.1-STUB1)group,and co-transfection(pcDNA3.1-STUB1+pcDNA3.1-GPX4)group.Cell proliferation ability was assessed by CCK-8 assay.Clonogenic ability was determined by clone formation assay.Malondialdehyde(MDA)levels in cells were measured using an MDA kit.Intracellular ferrous ion(Fe2+)levels were detected with an Fe2+probe.Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were detected using JC-1 dye.Protein expression levels of STUB1,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),and GPX4 were determined by western blot.The binding between STUB1 and GPX4 was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation.The effect of STUB1 on GPX4 protein ubiquitination was detected using a ubiquitin antibody.HCT116 cells transfected with different plasmids were co-cultured with human peripheral blood CD8+T cells,and the killing ability of CD8+T cells against HCT116 cells was measured using a lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)kit.Perforin,granzyme,and interferon-γ levels in the co-culture supernatant were determined by ELISA.Results Compared with the control group,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group showed decreased cell proliferation ability,mitochondrial membrane potential,and protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4,along with increased STUB1 protein expression,MDA,Fe2+levels,and GPX4 ubiquitination in HCT116 cells.Compared with the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1+pcDNA3.1-GPX4 group exhibited increased cell proliferation ability,mitochondrial membrane potential,and expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4,along with decreased MDA and Fe2+levels in HCT116 cells.After co-culture of HCT116 cells with CD8+T cells,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group showed significantly increased killing rate of CD8+T cells against HCT116 cells,as well as elevated levels of perforin,granzyme,and interferon-γ in the co-culture supernatant compared with the control group.Compared with the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1+pcDNA3.1-GPX4 group exhibited decreased killing rate of CD8+T cells against HCT116 cells and reduced levels of perforin,granzyme,and interferon-γ in the co-culture supernatant.Conclusion Overexpression of STUB1 promotes GPX4 ubiquitination in colon cancer cells HCT116,induces ferroptosis,and enhances the killing effect of CD8+T cells on HCT116 cells.

Objective To investigate the effects of STIP1 homology and U-box containing protein 1(STUB1)on the ubiquitination of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4)and ferroptosis in colon cancer cells HCT116,as well as the impact on CD8+T cell-mediated killing of HCT116 cells.Methods HCT116 cells were divided into control group,empty plasmid transfection(pcDNA3.1-vector)group,STUB1 overexpression plasmid transfection(pcDNA3.1-STUB1)group,and co-transfection(pcDNA3.1-STUB1+pcDNA3.1-GPX4)group.Cell proliferation ability was assessed by CCK-8 assay.Clonogenic ability was determined by clone formation assay.Malondialdehyde(MDA)levels in cells were measured using an MDA kit.Intracellular ferrous ion(Fe2+)levels were detected with an Fe2+probe.Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were detected using JC-1 dye.Protein expression levels of STUB1,solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11),and GPX4 were determined by western blot.The binding between STUB1 and GPX4 was assessed by co-immunoprecipitation.The effect of STUB1 on GPX4 protein ubiquitination was detected using a ubiquitin antibody.HCT116 cells transfected with different plasmids were co-cultured with human peripheral blood CD8+T cells,and the killing ability of CD8+T cells against HCT116 cells was measured using a lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)kit.Perforin,granzyme,and interferon-γ levels in the co-culture supernatant were determined by ELISA.Results Compared with the control group,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group showed decreased cell proliferation ability,mitochondrial membrane potential,and protein expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4,along with increased STUB1 protein expression,MDA,Fe2+levels,and GPX4 ubiquitination in HCT116 cells.Compared with the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1+pcDNA3.1-GPX4 group exhibited increased cell proliferation ability,mitochondrial membrane potential,and expression levels of SLC7A11 and GPX4,along with decreased MDA and Fe2+levels in HCT116 cells.After co-culture of HCT116 cells with CD8+T cells,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group showed significantly increased killing rate of CD8+T cells against HCT116 cells,as well as elevated levels of perforin,granzyme,and interferon-γ in the co-culture supernatant compared with the control group.Compared with the pcDNA3.1-STUB1 group,the pcDNA3.1-STUB1+pcDNA3.1-GPX4 group exhibited decreased killing rate of CD8+T cells against HCT116 cells and reduced levels of perforin,granzyme,and interferon-γ in the co-culture supernatant.Conclusion Overexpression of STUB1 promotes GPX4 ubiquitination in colon cancer cells HCT116,induces ferroptosis,and enhances the killing effect of CD8+T cells on HCT116 cells.

"Solid-liquid excipients" co-production is one of the typical processing methods of excipients used from ancient times to the present day, and is widely applied in various processing schools and regional specialty varieties. This method significantly reduces the toxicity of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), moderates medicinal properties, and enhances clinical efficacy. However, modern scientific research has given it limited attention, and many co-production methods of "solid-liquid excipients" have not been applied in production and practice. This paper reviewed the historical development of "solid-liquid excipients" co-production, outlined modern processing standards and methods in different processing schools, and further elaborated on the purposes and effects of this co-production method. This study is expected to provide references and evidence for further in-depth research, inheritance, innovation, and practical application.
Chemistry, Pharmaceutical/history* ; Drug Compounding/methods* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/chemistry* ; Excipients/chemistry* ; History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional/history*

To construct a high-quality Panax ginseng cDNA library, transcription factors binding to the P. ginseng PgD14 gene promoter were screened by yeast one-hybrid, and proteins interacting with the P. ginseng Pgpht2-1 gene-encoded protein were screened by yeast two-hybrid. In this study, root tissues of P. ginseng were used as materials. Gateway technology was used to construct the P. ginseng yeast one-hybrid library, and duplex-specific nuclease(DSN) homogenization technology was used to construct the P. ginseng yeast two-hybrid library. The pAbAi-PgD14-Pro961 vector was used as bait to screen candidate transcription factors that might bind to the PgD14 gene promoter from the yeast one-hybrid library, and the pGBKT7-Pgpht2-1 vector was used as bait to screen candidate proteins that might interact with the Pgpht2-1 gene-encoded protein from the yeast two-hybrid library. The yeast one-hybrid library had a size of 1.20×10~7 CFU, a recombination rate of 100%, and an average inserted fragment length of more than 1 000 bp. The yeast two-hybrid library had a size of 1.832×10~5 CFU, a recombination rate of 100%, and an average inserted fragment length of about 1 000 bp. The recombinant vectors pAbAi-PgD14-Pro961 and pGBKT7-Pgpht2-1 were transformed into Y1HGold and AH109 strains, respectively, and interacting proteins were screened by yeast one-hybrid and yeast two-hybrid. As a result, 54 transcription factors that could bind to the PgD14 gene promoter of P. ginseng and 42 proteins that may interact with the protein encoded by the Pgpht2-1 gene were identified. This study successfully constructed the P. ginseng yeast one-hybrid and yeast two-hybrid cDNA libraries, laying a foundation for subsequent studies on the functions of the P. ginseng PgD14, Pgpht2-1, and other genes.
Panax/metabolism* ; Two-Hybrid System Techniques ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Gene Library ; Plant Roots/chemistry* ; Protein Binding ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Promoter Regions, Genetic

This study aims to investigate the effects of Bushen Huoxue Decoction regulating adipose-derived stem cells(ADSCs)-exosomes(Exos) on the apoptosis of intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells(NPCs) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK) signaling pathway. Tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide(TBHP)-induced NPCs were divided into control, model, drug-containing serum, blank Exos, normal serum Exos, and drug-containing serum Exos groups. Cell viability and proliferation were examined by the CCK-8 assay and EdU staining, respectively. The cell cycle and apoptosis were evaluated by flow cytometry. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to measure the levels of interleukin(IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α, and IL-6. The mRNA levels of aggrecan, collagen type Ⅱ alpha 1 chain(COL2A1), and ERK were determined by qRT-PCR, and the protein levels of aggrecan, COL2A1, and p-ERK were determined by Western blot. The results showed that compared with the model group, the treatments with drug-containing serum, blank Exos, and normal serum Exos enhanced the viability and proliferation of NPCs, decreased the proportion of cells in the G_0/G_1 phase, increased the proportion of cells in the S phase, reduced apoptosis, lowered the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of aggrecan and COL2A1, and down-regulated the mRNA level of ERK and the protein level of p-ERK. Compared with the drug-containing serum, blank Exos, and normal serum Exos groups, the treatment with drug-containing serum Exos enhanced the viability and proliferation of NPCs, decreased the proportion of cells in the G_0/G_1 phase, increased the cells in the S phase, reduced apoptosis, lowered the levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, up-regulated the mRNA and protein levels of aggrecan and COL2A1, and down-regulated the mRNA level of ERK and the protein level of p-ERK. The results confirmed that the Exos secreted by ADSCs after treatment with Bushen Huoxue Decoction-containing serum promoted the proliferation of degenerated NPCs, inhibited apoptosis and the expression of inflammatory mediators, and promoted the production of proteoglycans and collagen, thus delaying the progression of intervertebral disc degeneration, the mechanism of which was related to the regulation of the ERK signaling pathway.
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration/drug therapy* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Nucleus Pulposus/cytology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Rats ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Collagen Type II/metabolism* ; Humans ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Aggrecans/metabolism* ; Cell Survival/drug effects* ; Male ; Cells, Cultured ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*

Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a highly desmoplastic tumor with poor prognosis even after curative resection. We investigated the associations between the composition of the ICC stroma and immune cell infiltration and aimed to develop a stromal-immune signature to predict prognosis in surgically treated ICC. Patients and methods: We recruited 359 ICC patients and performed immunohistochemistry to detect α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD3, CD4, CD8, Foxp3, CD68, and CD66b. Aniline was used to stain collagen deposition. Survival analyses were performed to detect prognostic values of these markers. Recursive partitioning for a discrete-time survival tree was applied to define a stromal-immune signature with distinct prognostic value. We delineated an integrated stromal-immune signature based on immune cell subpopulations and stromal composition to distinguish subgroups with different recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) time. Results: We defined four major patterns of ICC stroma composition according to the distributions of α-SMA and collagen: dormant (α-SMAlow/collagenhigh), fibrogenic (α-SMAhigh/collagenhigh), inert (α-SMAlow/collagenlow), and fibrolytic (α-SMAhigh/collagenlow). The stroma types were characterized by distinct patterns of infiltration by immune cells. We divided patients into six classes. Class I, characterized by high CD8 expression and dormant stroma, displayed the longest RFS and OS, whereas Class VI, characterized by low CD8 expression and high CD66b expression, displayed the shortest RFS and OS. The integrated stromal-immune signature was consolidated in a validation cohort. Conclusion We developed and validated a stromal-immune signature to predict prognosis in surgically treated ICC. These findings provide new insights into the stromal-immune response to ICC.

This study was aimed at characterizing the variations in hemagglutinin(HA)and neuraminidase(NA)genes of influenza virus subtype A(H1N1)pdm09 isolated during the 2022-2023 influenza monitoring year in Shandong Province,to provide a scientific basis for influenza prevention and control.A total of 14 A(H1N1)pdm09 subtype influenza strains were se-lected randomly by city by the influenza monitoring network laboratory.The vaccine strains recommended by the WHO served as references for whole gene sequencing analysis.A fluorescence method was used to conduct neuraminidase inhibition experi-ments to evaluate drug sensitivity.The A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus in Shandong Province,2022-2023 belonged to the 5a.2a evolutionary cluster in the 6B.1A branch.Nucleotide sequence analysis indicated that the HA and NA genes were closely re-lated to the Northern Hemisphere vaccine strain A/Victoria/2570/2019 in the years 2021-2023,and showed homology of 98.5％to 98.7％and 98.8％to 99.1％,respectively.Amino acid sequence analysis revealed 20 amino acid sequence mutations in the HA protein,but only one virus strain was found to have antigen drift,and three virus strains showed loss of HA protein glycosylation sites.No mutations were found at important sites affecting NA enzymes.The neuraminidase inhibition experiment indicated viral sensitivity to anti-influenza drugs.In conclusion,the monitored virus strains had high overall homology with vac-cine strains but showed some amino acid variation.In the future,continued monitoring of the genetic variation characteristics of influenza viruses will be necessary to understand the risk of influenza epidemics,and the effectiveness of influenza vaccines and therapeutic drugs.