Myocardial fibrosis is a serious cause of heart failure and even sudden cardiac death. However, the mechanisms underlying myocardial ischemia-induced cardiac fibrosis remain unclear. Here, we identified that the expression of sterile alpha and TIR motif containing 1 (SARM1), was increased significantly in the ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, dilated cardiomyopathy patients (GSE116250) and fibrotic heart tissues of mice. Additionally, inhibition or knockdown of SARM1 can improve myocardial fibrosis and cardiac function of myocardial infarction (MI) mice. Moreover, SARM1 fibroblasts-specific knock-in mice had increased deposition of extracellular matrix and impaired cardiac function. Mechanically, elevated expression of SARM1 promotes the deposition of extracellular matrix by directly modulating P4HA1. Notably, by using the Click-iT reaction, we identified that the increased expression of ZDHHC17 promotes the palmitoylation levels of SARM1, thereby accelerating the fibrosis process. Based on the fibrosis-promoting effect of SARM1, we screened several drugs with anti-myocardial fibrosis activity. In conclusion, we have unveiled that palmitoylated SARM1 targeting P4HA1 promotes collagen deposition and myocardial fibrosis. Inhibition of SARM1 is a potential strategy for the treatment of myocardial fibrosis. The sites where SARM1 interacts with P4HA1 and the palmitoylation modification sites of SARM1 may be the active targets for anti-fibrosis drugs.

[Objective]To explore the effect of Baoyuan Jiedu Decoction(BJD)on liver lipids and liver mitochondrial function in cancer cachexia mice.[Methods]The mice model of cancer cachexia was established by subcutaneous inoculation of Lewis lung cancer cells,and the mice were randomly divided into normal group,model group,BJD group and medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA)group,which were given continuously for 21 days,and the food intake,body weight and tumor volume of the mice were recorded.Multi-dimensional mass spectrometry-based shotgun lipidomics(MDMS-SL)was used to detect liver lipid content.Changes of liver mitochondria were observed by transmission electron microscope.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect adenosine triphosphate(ATP)content in liver.Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RT-qPCR)was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of liver mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit B8(NDUFB8),succinate dehydrogenase complex iron sulfur subunit B(SDHB)and ubiquinol-cytochrome-c reductase complex core protein 2(UQCRC2).The expression level of liver mitochondrial respiratory chain complex NDUFB8 protein was detected by Western blot.[Results]Compared with model group,the food intake and body weight of BJD group increased,and the tumor growth was slow(P<0.05).The results of lipidomics showed that the liver lipids in model group changed significantly compared with those in normal group,and BJD could obviously regulate 33 lipid molecules after intervention(P<0.05).The transmission electron microscope showed that the morphology of mitochondria in the model group was distorted,some mitochondrial contents were degraded,the outer membrane of mitochondria was broken,and the crista of mitochondria was obviously shortened and broken.Compared with the model group,the morphology of mitochondria in Baoyuan Jiedu Decoction group was obviously relieved,and the damage of crista structure was alleviated.The results of ELISA showed that the ATP content in the liver of BJD group was significantly higher than that of model group(P<0.05).RT-qPCR results showed that BJD could significantly increase the mRNA expression levels of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes NDUFB8,SDHB and UQCRC2 after intervention(P<0.05).Western blot results showed that BJD group could significantly increase the protein expression level of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex NDUFB8 after intervention(P<0.05).[Conclusion]BJD can obviously increase the body weight and food intake of cancer cachexia mice,regulate the abnormal changes of liver lipid metabolism,restore the activity of liver mitochondrial respiratory chain complex,and improve mitochondrial respiratory function and energy metabolism.

Arenavirus infection in humans can lead to viral hemorrhagic fever,which is often fatal and poses a sig-nificant threat to public health.Currently,no effective therapeutic drugs or licensed vaccines are available for arenavirus infections,underscoring the urgency to strengthen the basic research on these viruses and develop novel antiviral therapies.This article summarizes the advancements of research on the structure,life cycle,pathogen-ic mechanisms,epidemiology,detection methods and newly discovered mammalian arenaviruses.Focusing on Las-sa virus,multiple candidate strategies for treatment of arenaviruses are explored,with expectations to provide ref-erences for the development of novel anti-arenaviral drugs.

Nipah virus is a highly pathogenic zoonotic virus.The viral characteristics,epidemiological features,viral life cycle and pathogenic mechanisms of Nipah virus were summarized in the article,and the alternative drugs tar-geting various stages of the viral life cycle,including antibody drugs,peptide drugs,and small molecule com-pounds,were systematically reviewed.The current challenges confronting the process of research and development of alternative drugs for Nipah virus were analyzed,and an outlook was also made on future research direction of candidate drugs for Nipah virus,aiming to provide comprehensive and in-depth theoretical reference for prevention and control of Nipah virus as well as the development of drugs and to facilitate the further development of related fields.

Gene synthesis is an enabling technology that supports the development of synthetic biology. The existing approaches for de novo gene synthesis generally have tedious operation, low efficiency, high error rates, and limited product lengths, being difficult to support the huge demand of synthetic biology. The assembly and error correction are the keys in gene synthesis. This study first designed the oligonucleotide sequences by reasonably splitting the virus genome of approximately 10 kb by balancing the parameters of sequence design software ability, PCR amplification ability, and assembly enzyme assembly ability. Then, two-step PCR was performed with high-fidelity polymerase to complete the de novo synthesis of 3.0 kb DNA fragments, and error correction reactions were performed with T7 endonuclease Ⅰ for the products from different stages of PCR. Finally, the virus genome was assembled by 3.0 kb DNA fragments from de novo synthesis and error correction and then sequenced. The experimental results showed that the proposed method successfully produced the DNA fragment of about 10 kb and reduced the probability of large fragment mutations during the assembly process, with the lowest error rate reaching 0.36 errors/kb. In summary, this study developed an efficient de novo method for synthesizing a viral genome of about 10 kb with T7 endonuclease Ⅰ-mediated error correction. This method enabled the synthesis of a 10 kb viral genome in one day and the correct plasmid of the viral genome in five days. This study optimized the de novo gene synthesis process, reduced the error rate, simplified the synthesis and assembly steps, and reduced the cost of viral genome assembly.
Genome, Viral/genetics* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods* ; DNA, Viral/genetics* ; Bacteriophage T7/enzymology* ; Synthetic Biology/methods*

Objective:To express,purify,prepare antibodies,and analyze the subcellular localization of Toxoplasma gondii thioredoxin 20(Trx20),and to provide the reference for the development of Toxoplasma gondii vaccine.Methods:Bioinformatics-related websites and software were used to perform bioinformatics analysis of the Trx20 protein;specific primers were designed to amplify the target fragment and construct the prokaryotic expression vector;the protein was expressed in vitro and purified;experimental animals were immunized to prepare antibodies;enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)method was used to detect the titer of the polyclonal antibodies;Western blotting method was used to verify the specificity and sensitivity of the antibodies and to determine the natural expression of the protein;immunofluorescence assay(IFA)was used to analyze the subcellular localization of the protein.Results:The bioinformatics analysis results showed that Trx20 protein was a relatively stable hydrophilic protein with a molecular formula of C2172H3412N548O616S20,containing 424 amino acids,a predicted relative molecular mass of 47 700,and a theoretical isoelectric point of 8.55;it was predicted that the protein had one signal peptide,no transmembrane region,contained one domain named"Thioredoxin like Superfamily",and had 35 phosphorylation sites,one N-glycosylation site,and 17 antigenic determinants;in the secondary structure,alpha-helices accounted for 41.51％of the total amino acids,and random coils accounted for 39.86％;the recombinant plasmids pET-28a-Trx20 and pGEX-4T-1-Trx20 were successfully constructed,and the soluble recombinant protein was expressed and purified;polyclonal antibodies were successfully prepared with a titer as high as 1:64 000,and they specifically recognized the endogenous Trx20 protein in Toxoplasma gondii;the subcellular localization results showed that Trx20 protein was widely distributed in the cytoplasm of the parasite.Conclusion:Toxoplasma gondii Trx20 protein is a secretory protein containing phosphorylation/glycosylation modification sites and a thioredoxin domain,and it is localized in the cytoplasm of the parasite.

Background and purpose:In breast cancer surgery,margin status assessment significantly impacts patient prognosis,with positive margins indicating higher recurrence and metastasis risks.Ensuring complete tumor resection is thus critical for surgical success.Indocyanine green(ICG)has garnered attention for its potential real-time imaging of breast cancer lesions under near-infrared light.This study employed ICG for intraoperative assessment of breast cancer lesion margin status and further explored the possibility of optimizing the safe margin distance surround the lesion in normal breast tissue.Methods:Clinical data of patients admitted to the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery,the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University(Affiliated Chaohu Hospital),from December 2021 to September 2022 were collected.A retrospective clinical study was conducted on breast cancer patients who were randomly assigned to either the ICG group or the conventional surgery group.Two to three hours before surgery,patients in the ICG group received a peripheral intravenous injection of 0.5 mg/kg ICG.Intraoperative fluorescence imaging was performed on the specimen before and after resection,as well as on the residual cavity.Near-infrared fluorescence imaging equipment was used to quantitatively measure fluorescence intensity of resected lesions at 4 directions(12,3,6,and 9 o'clock)and detect fluorescence in the residual cavity after lesion removal.Specimens were promptly sent to the pathology department for pathological examination,and safety margins of normal breast tissue in the 4 directions were recorded.The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology(STROBE)checklist was followed for this study.This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University(Affiliated Chaohu Hospital)(No.KYXM-202310-46).Results:This study included 50 breast cancer patients,with 24 in the ICG group and 26 in the traditional surgery group.In the ICG group,fluorescence signals were detected at all lesion sites.Specifically,fluorescence density values at the lesion center,margin,and surrounding normal breast tissue were measured as 251.08±10.73,208.08±19.74,and 156.76±16.47,respectively,showing a gradual decrease from center outward with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Additionally,fluorescence ratios between the lesion center and margin,and center and surrounding normal tissue,were 1.22±0.13 and 1.62±0.19,respectively.After resection,abnormal fluorescence was observed in 2 of 24 cases in the residual cavity,with 1 case being invasive carcinoma with ductal carcinoma in situ and the other normal breast tissue.Ultimately,this study demonstrated that ICG achieved a sensitivity of 95.9%and a specificity of 97.9%in margin assessment.After specimen resection,the safety margins of normal glandular tissue surrounding the lesion were measured.The safety widths for the ICG group and the concurrent breast cancer surgery group were(8.36±6.42)mm and(15.08±4.75)mm,respectively.This difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion:ICG is a real-time,efficient,and cost-effective tracer that can be used to determine breast cancer margins,with excellent sensitivity and specificity.For early-stage breast cancer patients who are eligible for breast-conserving surgery,this tracer helps to reduce the amount of healthy breast tissue that is removed around the lesion.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the activity and mechanism of tetrandrine(TET)against influenza A virus in vitro and in vivo.METHODS(1)Cell experiments.① Human non-small cell lung cancer cells(A549)were divided into TET 0(cell control),1.25,2.5,5,10,20 and 25 μmol·L-1 groups,and H1N1+TET 0,1.25,2.5,5,10,20 and 25 μmol·L-1 groups.The TET groups were treated with the corresponding concentrations of TET while the H1N1+TET groups were infected with H1N1 for 1 h before the corresponding concentrations of TET were added.After 48 h,cell viability was detected using the CCK-8 method.② The cells were divided into cell control,H1N1+TET 0,2.5,5,and 10 μmol·L-1 groups and treated as in ①.After 24 h of incubation,the mRNA expressions of matrix protein 1(M1),hemagglutinin(HA),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interferon-β(IFN-β)were tested by the real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).The expression levels of M1,HA,neuraminidase(NA),nucleoprotein(NP),and phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)protein were detected by Western blotting.(2)Animal experiments.① Male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the solvent control group,H1N1 group,H1N1+oseltamivir phosphate(Ose)20 mg·kg-1 group,and H1N1+TET 25,50 and 100 mg·kg-1 groups.The solvent control group and the H1N1 group were ig administered with 0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium(CMC-Na),while the H1N1+Ose group and the H1N1+TET 25,50 and 100 mg·kg-1 groups were ig given suspensions of the respective concentrations of drugs in 0.5％CMC-Na.After three consecutive days of pretreatment,all these groups except the solvent control group were intranasally inoculated with H1N1 to establish an influenza-infected mouse model.The survival rate and body mass of mice were monitored and recorded for 15 consecutive days post-H1N1 infection.② The grouping and treatment were the same as ①.After infection,mice were sacrificed on day 3 and 5.The expression levels of M1,HA,TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6in lung tissues were detected by RT-qPCR,and those of M1,HA,NA,NP,and phosphoryla-tion of STAT3 protein in mice lung tissues by Western blotting.Hematoxylin-Eosin(HE)staining was performed to observe the pathological changes of lung tissues in mice.The levels of IL-6,TNF-α and IFN-β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA).RESULTS(1)① The half maximal inhibitory concentration study showed a value of 18.06 μmol·L-1 for A549 effected by TET.Compared with the H1N1 group,TET 2.5,5 and 10 μmol·L-1 significantly increased cell viability.② The expression levels of M1,HA mRNA and M1,HA,NA protein in the TET 2.5,5 and 10 μmol·L-1 groups were significantly lowered compared with the H1N1 group.TET 5 μmol·L-1 significantly decreased H1N1-induced IL-6,TNF-α and IFN-β mRNA expression levels in A549 cells.TET 5 and 10 μmol·L-1 could significantly mitigate the phosphorylation of STAT3.(2)① Com-pared with the H1N1 group,TET 50 mg·kg-1 significantly improved the survival rate of H1N1-infected mice while TET 25 mg·kg-1 significantly elevated the body-weight of H1N1-infected mice.In the TET 50 mg·kg-1 group,expressions of HA and M1 mRNA,and HA,M1,NA and NP protein in the lung tissues of H1 N1-infected mice were significantly reduced compared with the H1N1 group.Compared with the H1N1 group,TET 50 mg·kg-1 significantly decreased the lung index,improved inflammatory lesions in lung tissues,inhibited the mRNA expressions of TNF-α,IL-6 and IFN-β in lung tissues,and down regu-lated the expressions of TNF-α,IL-6 and IFN-β proinflammatory cytokines in the BALF of the H1N1-infected mice.In addition,TET 50 mg·kg-1 also significantly inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation in lung tissues of mice infected with H1N1.CONCLUSION TET can inhibit H1N1 infection both in vivo and in vitro.The potential mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway,which subse-quently suppresses the inflammatory response induced by H1N1.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the activity and mechanism of tetrandrine(TET)against influenza A virus in vitro and in vivo.METHODS(1)Cell experiments.① Human non-small cell lung cancer cells(A549)were divided into TET 0(cell control),1.25,2.5,5,10,20 and 25 μmol·L-1 groups,and H1N1+TET 0,1.25,2.5,5,10,20 and 25 μmol·L-1 groups.The TET groups were treated with the corresponding concentrations of TET while the H1N1+TET groups were infected with H1N1 for 1 h before the corresponding concentrations of TET were added.After 48 h,cell viability was detected using the CCK-8 method.② The cells were divided into cell control,H1N1+TET 0,2.5,5,and 10 μmol·L-1 groups and treated as in ①.After 24 h of incubation,the mRNA expressions of matrix protein 1(M1),hemagglutinin(HA),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interferon-β(IFN-β)were tested by the real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).The expression levels of M1,HA,neuraminidase(NA),nucleoprotein(NP),and phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)protein were detected by Western blotting.(2)Animal experiments.① Male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the solvent control group,H1N1 group,H1N1+oseltamivir phosphate(Ose)20 mg·kg-1 group,and H1N1+TET 25,50 and 100 mg·kg-1 groups.The solvent control group and the H1N1 group were ig administered with 0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium(CMC-Na),while the H1N1+Ose group and the H1N1+TET 25,50 and 100 mg·kg-1 groups were ig given suspensions of the respective concentrations of drugs in 0.5％CMC-Na.After three consecutive days of pretreatment,all these groups except the solvent control group were intranasally inoculated with H1N1 to establish an influenza-infected mouse model.The survival rate and body mass of mice were monitored and recorded for 15 consecutive days post-H1N1 infection.② The grouping and treatment were the same as ①.After infection,mice were sacrificed on day 3 and 5.The expression levels of M1,HA,TNF-α,IL-1βand IL-6in lung tissues were detected by RT-qPCR,and those of M1,HA,NA,NP,and phosphoryla-tion of STAT3 protein in mice lung tissues by Western blotting.Hematoxylin-Eosin(HE)staining was performed to observe the pathological changes of lung tissues in mice.The levels of IL-6,TNF-α and IFN-β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISA).RESULTS(1)① The half maximal inhibitory concentration study showed a value of 18.06 μmol·L-1 for A549 effected by TET.Compared with the H1N1 group,TET 2.5,5 and 10 μmol·L-1 significantly increased cell viability.② The expression levels of M1,HA mRNA and M1,HA,NA protein in the TET 2.5,5 and 10 μmol·L-1 groups were significantly lowered compared with the H1N1 group.TET 5 μmol·L-1 significantly decreased H1N1-induced IL-6,TNF-α and IFN-β mRNA expression levels in A549 cells.TET 5 and 10 μmol·L-1 could significantly mitigate the phosphorylation of STAT3.(2)① Com-pared with the H1N1 group,TET 50 mg·kg-1 significantly improved the survival rate of H1N1-infected mice while TET 25 mg·kg-1 significantly elevated the body-weight of H1N1-infected mice.In the TET 50 mg·kg-1 group,expressions of HA and M1 mRNA,and HA,M1,NA and NP protein in the lung tissues of H1 N1-infected mice were significantly reduced compared with the H1N1 group.Compared with the H1N1 group,TET 50 mg·kg-1 significantly decreased the lung index,improved inflammatory lesions in lung tissues,inhibited the mRNA expressions of TNF-α,IL-6 and IFN-β in lung tissues,and down regu-lated the expressions of TNF-α,IL-6 and IFN-β proinflammatory cytokines in the BALF of the H1N1-infected mice.In addition,TET 50 mg·kg-1 also significantly inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation in lung tissues of mice infected with H1N1.CONCLUSION TET can inhibit H1N1 infection both in vivo and in vitro.The potential mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway,which subse-quently suppresses the inflammatory response induced by H1N1.

Arenavirus infection in humans can lead to viral hemorrhagic fever,which is often fatal and poses a sig-nificant threat to public health.Currently,no effective therapeutic drugs or licensed vaccines are available for arenavirus infections,underscoring the urgency to strengthen the basic research on these viruses and develop novel antiviral therapies.This article summarizes the advancements of research on the structure,life cycle,pathogen-ic mechanisms,epidemiology,detection methods and newly discovered mammalian arenaviruses.Focusing on Las-sa virus,multiple candidate strategies for treatment of arenaviruses are explored,with expectations to provide ref-erences for the development of novel anti-arenaviral drugs.