1.Nucleic Acid-driven Protein Degradation: Frontiers of Lysosomal Targeted Degradation Technology
Han YIN ; Yu LI ; Yu-Chuan FAN ; Shuai GUO ; Yuan-Yu HUANG ; Yong LI ; Yu-Hua WENG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):5-19
Distinct from the complementary inhibition mechanism through binding to the target with three-dimensional conformation of small molecule inhibitors, targeted protein degradation technology takes tremendous advantage of endogenous protein degradation pathway inside cells to degrade plenty of “undruggable” target proteins, which provides a novel route for the treatment of many serious diseases, mainly including proteolysis-targeting chimeras, lysosome-targeting chimeras, autophagy-targeting chimeras, antibody-based proteolysis-targeting chimeras, etc. Unlike proteolysis-targeting chimeras first found in 2001, which rely on ubiquitin-proteasome system to mainly degrade intracellular proteins of interest, lysosome-targeting chimeras identified in 2020, which was act as the fastly developing technology, utilize cellular lysosomal pathway through endocytosis mediated by lysosome-targeting receptor to degrade both extracellular and membrane proteins. As an emerging biomedical technology, nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras utilize nucleic acids as certain components of chimera molecule to replace with ligand to lysosome-targeting receptor or protein of interest, exhibiting broad application prospects and potential clinical value in disease treatment and drug development. This review mainly introduced present progress of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras technology, including its basic composition, its advantages compared with antibody or glycopeptide-based lysosome-targeting chimeras, and focused on its chief application, in terms of the type of lysosome-targeting receptors. Most research about the development of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras focused on those which utilized cation-independent mannose-6-phosphonate receptor as the lysosome-targeting receptor. Both mannose-6-phosphonate-modified glycopeptide and nucleic aptamer targeting cation-independent mannose-6-phosphonate receptor, even double-stranded DNA molecule moiety can be taken advantage as the ligand to lysosome-targeting receptor. The same as classical lysosome-targeting chimeras, asialoglycoprotein receptor can also be used for advance of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras. Another new-found lysosome-targeting receptor, scavenger receptor, can bind dendritic DNA molecules to mediate cellular internalization of complex and lysosomal degradation of target protein, suggesting the successful application of scavenger receptor-mediated nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras. In addition, this review briefly overviewed the history of lysosome-targeting chimeras, including first-generation and second-generation lysosome-targeting chimeras through cation-independent mannose-6-phosphonate receptor-mediated and asialoglycoprotein receptor-mediated endocytosis respectively, so that a clear timeline can be presented for the advance of chimera technique. Meantime, current deficiency and challenge of lysosome-targeting chimeras was also mentioned to give some direction for deep progress of lysosome-targeting chimeras. Finally, according to faulty lysosomal degradation efficiency, more cellular mechanism where lysosome-targeting chimeras perform degradation of protein of interest need to be deeply explored. In view of current progress and direction of nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras, we discussed its current challenges and development direction in the future. Stability of natural nucleic acid molecule and optimized chimera construction have a great influence on the biological function of lysosome-targeting chimeras. Discovery of novel lysosome-targeting receptors and nucleic aptamer with higher affinity to the target will greatly facilitate profound advance of chimera technique. In summary, nucleic acid-driven lysosome-targeting chimeras have many superiorities, such as lower immunogenicity, expedient synthesis of chimera molecules and so on, in contrast to classical lysosome-targeting chimeras, making it more valuable. Also, the chimera technology provides new ideas and methods for biomedical research, drug development and clinical treatment, and can be used more widely through further research and optimization.
2.Establishment of a sandwich ELISA method for CHGA in saliva samples and its preliminary application in stress detection.
Niqi SHAN ; Shanshou LIU ; Yuling WANG ; Hui LIU ; Shuai WANG ; Yilin WU ; Chujun DUAN ; Hanyin FAN ; Yangmengjie JING ; Ran ZHUANG ; Chunmei ZHANG
Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology 2025;41(4):324-330
Objective To establish a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method for the quantitative detection of Chromogranin A (CHGA) in saliva, and to explore its preliminary application in the testing of saliva samples. Methods Recombinant human CHGA protein was used to immunize BALB/c mice, and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were prepared and screened using conventional hybridoma technology. A double-antibody sandwich ELISA detection method was constructed, and the matrix effect of saliva samples was optimized. This method was then applied to detect the concentration of CHGA in the saliva of stressed individuals. Results Twenty-one stable hybridoma cell lines secreting high affinity anti-human CHGA antibodies were obtained. A pair of detection antibodies with the best effect was selected, and the optimal coating concentration was determined to be 10 μg/mL, with the optimal dilution of detection antibodies being 1:32 000. The accuracy and reproducibility of this method were verified, with both intra-batch and inter-batch variation coefficients less than 15×, and the recovery rate between 80× and 120×. The matrix effect was further optimized to make it suitable for saliva sample detection. Saliva samples from individuals in different stress states were collected, and the CHGA levels were detected using the method established in this study, indicating its potential to reflect the intensity of stress. Conclusion A reliable saliva CHGA ELISA detection method has been successfully established, and its potential as a biomarker in stress-related research has been preliminarily explored.
Saliva/metabolism*
;
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods*
;
Humans
;
Animals
;
Mice, Inbred BALB C
;
Mice
;
Chromogranin A/immunology*
;
Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology*
;
Female
;
Male
;
Reproducibility of Results
;
Adult
3.Buyang Huanwu Decoction Promotes Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury by Regulating cAMP/PKA/NF-κB p65 Pathway.
Si-Yuan LI ; Ting-Ting FAN ; Jian YIN ; Cai-Yun WAN ; Mei-Li LI ; Shuai-Shuai XIA ; Qiang LI ; Liang LI
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(7):635-643
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate whether Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) had a good curative effect on the neuroprotection of red nucleus neurons after spinal cord injury (SCI) and the possible molecular mechanism.
METHODS:
Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 5 groups (n=18 per group) according to a random number table, including the control, model, low- (12.78 g/kg, BL group), medium- (25.65 g/kg, BM group), and high-dose BYHWD groups (51.30 g/kg, BH group). A rubrospinal tract transection model in rats was established, and different doses of BYHWD were intragastrically administrated for 4 weeks. The forelimb locomotor function was recorded using the spontaneous vertical exploration test. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) level in red nucleus was detected through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The morphology and number of red nucleus neurons were observed using Nissl's staining and axonal retrograde tracing by Fluoro-Gold (FG). The expression of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) p65, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in red nucleus were detected using immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS:
Compared with the control group, the utilization rate of bilateral forelimbs, unilateral right forelimbs, proportion of FG-labeled positive neurons, cAMP level, protein expressions of PKA and BDNF, and BDNF mRNA expression were significantly decreased in the model group (P<0.01), while NF-κB p65 was increased in the model group (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the utilization rate of bilateral forelimbs and unilateral right forelimbs were significantly higher in the BL, BM and BH groups (P<0.01), the proportion of FG-labeled positive neurons, cAMP level, protein expressions of PKA and BDNF and BDNF mRNA expression in all BYHWD groups were increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while NF-κB p65 were decreased in all BYHWD groups (P<0.05 or P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
BYHWD possesses a sound neuroprotective effect on red nucleus neurons after SCI, and the efficacy was dose-related. The mechanism may be related to regulating the cAMP/PKA/NF-κ B p65 signaling pathway, finally promoting expression of BDNF.
Animals
;
Spinal Cord Injuries/pathology*
;
Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Male
;
Cyclic AMP/metabolism*
;
Transcription Factor RelA/metabolism*
;
Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/metabolism*
;
Signal Transduction/drug effects*
;
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/genetics*
;
Red Nucleus/metabolism*
;
Recovery of Function/drug effects*
;
Neurons/metabolism*
;
Rats
4.CDK5-Induced HCN2 Channel Dysfunction in the Prelimbic Cortex Drives Allodynia and Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Neuropathic Pain.
Lu CHEN ; Shuai CAO ; Yun-Ze LIU ; Qi-Fan YANG ; Jin-Yu YANG ; Dan-Yang ZHANG ; Guo-Guang XIE ; Xiang-Sha YIN ; Ying ZHANG ; Yun WANG
Neuroscience Bulletin 2025;41(12):2254-2271
The prelimbic cortex (PL) plays a critical role in processing both the sensory and affective components of pain. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we observed a reduction in hyperpolarization-activated cation current (Ih) in layer V pyramidal neurons of the contralateral PL in a mouse model of spared nerve injury (SNI). The expression of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated 2 (HCN2) channels was also decreased in the contralateral PL. Conversely, microinjection of fisetin, a partial agonist of HCN2, produced both analgesic and anxiolytic effects. Additionally, we found that cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) was activated in the contralateral PL, where it formed a complex with HCN2 and phosphorylated its C-terminus. Knockdown of CDK5 restored HCN2 expression and alleviated both pain hypersensitivity and anxiety-like behaviors. Collectively, these results indicate that CDK5-mediated dysfunction of HCN2 in the PL underlies nerve injury-induced mechanical hypersensitivity and anxiety.
Animals
;
Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels/metabolism*
;
Hyperalgesia/metabolism*
;
Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5/metabolism*
;
Neuralgia/metabolism*
;
Male
;
Anxiety/metabolism*
;
Mice
;
Potassium Channels/metabolism*
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Disease Models, Animal
;
Pyramidal Cells/metabolism*
5.Construction of a Prognostic Model for Lysosome-dependent Cell Death in Gastric Cancer Based on Single-cell RNA-seq and Bulk RNA-seq Data.
Peng NI ; Kai Xin GUO ; Tian Yi LIANG ; Xin Shuang FAN ; Yan Qiao HUA ; Yang Ye GAO ; Shuai Yin CHEN ; Guang Cai DUAN ; Rong Guang ZHANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(4):416-432
OBJECTIVE:
To identify prognostic genes associated with lysosome-dependent cell death (LDCD) in patients with gastric cancer (GC).
METHODS:
Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using The Cancer Genome Atlas - Stomach Adenocarcinoma. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was performed to identify the key module genes associated with LDCD score. Candidate genes were identified by DEGs and key module genes. Univariate Cox regression analysis, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed for the selection of prognostic genes, and risk module was established. Subsequently, key cells were identified in the single-cell dataset (GSE183904), and prognostic gene expression was analyzed. Cell proliferation and migration were assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and the wound healing assay.
RESULTS:
A total of 4,465 DEGs, 95 candidate genes, and 4 prognostic genes, including C19orf59, BATF2, TNFAIP2, and TNFSF18, were identified in the analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curves indicated the excellent predictive power of the risk model. Three key cell types (B cells, chief cells, and endothelial/pericyte cells) were identified in the GSE183904 dataset. C19orf59 and TNFAIP2 exhibited predominant expression in macrophage species, whereas TNFAIP2 evolved over time in endothelial/pericyte cells and chief cells. Functional experiments confirmed that interfering with C19orf59 inhibited proliferation and migration in GC cells.
CONCLUSION
C19orf59, BATF2, TNFAIP2, and TNFSF18 are prognostic genes associated with LDCD in GC. Furthermore, the risk model established in this study showed robust predictive power.
Stomach Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Humans
;
Prognosis
;
Lysosomes/physiology*
;
RNA-Seq
;
Cell Death
;
Single-Cell Analysis
;
Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Single-Cell Gene Expression Analysis
6.Imaging study on thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis
Hao-Yang ZHANG ; Ni-Sang CHEN ; Guo-Qing SHI ; Xin YE ; Shuai-Lin LI ; Xiao-Ming LI ; Bing-Hua FAN ; Ying-Sen PAN ; Xiao-Ming YING
China Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology 2024;37(1):26-32
Objective To observe the alteration of thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis(AIS)and the difference of physiological curvature between different types of scoliosis.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 305 adolescent patients taken full spine X-ray in our hospital from January 2017 to December 2021.The patients were divided into normal group and scoliosis group.The normal group was composed of 179 patients,79 males and 100 females,aged 10 to 18 years old with an average of(12.84±2.10)years old,with cobb agle less than 10 degrees.The scol-iosis group was composed of 126 patients,33 males and 93 females,aged 10 to 18 years old with an average of(13.92±2.20)years old.The gender,age,Risser sign,thoracic kyphosis(TK)and lumbar lordosis(LL)in 2 groups were compared,and the TK and LL were also compared between different genders,different degrees of scoliosis and different segments of scoliosis.Re-sults The female ratio(P=0.001)and age(P<0.001)in scoliosis group were higher than them in normal group;the ratio of low-grade ossification was higher in normal group than in scoliosis group(P=0.038).TK was significantly smaller in scoliosis group than in normal group(P<0.001),but there was no significant difference in LL between the 2 groups(P=0.147).There were no significant difference in TK and LL between male and female.The TK was significantly bigger in mild AIS patients than in moderate AIS patients(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference in LL between mild and moderate patients(P>0.05).The TK and LL in different segments scoliosis were not found significant difference.Conclusion The physiological curvature of thoracic and lumbar spine is independent of gender.The thoracic physiological curvature becomes smaller in AIS patients,but lumbar curvature remains unchanged.The thoracic physiological curvature in mild AIS patients is greater than that in moderate AIS patients,but the lumbar curvature is almost unchanged between mild and moderate scoliosis and is similar with that in normal adolescent.The alteration of thoracic and lumbar physiological curvature in AIS patients may be related to relative an-terior spinal overgrowth,and the specific detailed mechanism needs to be further studied.
7.Current status of ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation in treatment of benign liver lesions
Shuai ZHANG ; Fazhu FEI ; Zhixin WANG ; Haining FAN ; Haijiu WANG ; Lizhao HOU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(12):2543-2547
Benign liver lesions mainly include hepatic hemangioma, focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver, hepatocellular adenoma, and hepatic angiomyolipoma. Hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is a type of parasitic disease, and since it mainly occurs in the liver, it is also a benign lesion of the liver. The clinical treatment of benign liver lesions is mainly based on follow-up observation, supplemented by surgical resection. For patients with end-stage diseases, liver transplantation can be performed due to the large volume of the lesion, the invasion of a number of surrounding large vessels, unclear anatomic location, and the possibility of intraoperative rupture and massive hemorrhage. Since patients with poor liver function based on the liver allocation score for organ donation are more likely to get donor liver, it is difficult for patients with benign liver lesions to obtain the corresponding donor liver resources due to the growth pattern of benign liver lesions, thereby leading to the limited application of allogeneic liver transplantation. Since its emergence in the 1980s, ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation (ELRA) has brought a new way for the treatment of such patients. This article summarizes the current application of ELRA in benign liver lesions, in order to provide a reference for diagnosis and treatment by clinical medical staff.
8.Short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation in patients with heart failure
Yankai GUO ; Shuai SHANG ; Tianheng SUN ; Yongqiang FAN ; Jiasuoer XIAOKERETI ; TuErhong Kela ZU ; Xu YANG ; Ling ZHANG ; Yaodong LI ; Yanmei LU ; Jianghua ZHANG ; Qiang XING ; Xianhui ZHOU ; Baopeng TANG
Chinese Journal of Cardiology 2024;52(4):391-396
Objective:To investigate the short-term efficacy and safety of cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) in patients with heart failure.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of patients with heart failure who underwent CCM placement at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from February to June 2022. With a follow-up of 3 months, CCM sensation, impedance, percent output, and work time were monitored, and patients were compared with pre-and 3-month postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) values, and 6-minute walk test distance and New York Heart Association (NYHA) cardiac function classification, and the occurrence of complications was recorded.Results:CCM was successfully implanted in all 9 patients. Seven(7/9) of them were male, aged (56±14) years, 3 patients had ischaemic cardiomyopathy and 6 patients had dilated cardiomyopathy. At 3-month postoperative follow-up, threshold was stable, sense was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle: (16.3±7.0) mV vs. (8.2±1.1) mV, P<0.05; local sense: (15.7±4.9) mV vs. (6.7±2.5) mV, P<0.05), and impedance was significantly lower at follow-up than before (right ventricle (846±179) Ω vs. (470±65) Ω, P<0.05, local sense: (832±246) Ω vs. (464±63) Ω, P<0.05). The CCM output percentage was (86.9±10.7) %, the output amplitude was (6.7±0.4) V, and the daily operating time was (8.6±1.0) h. LVEF was elevated compared to preoperative ((29.4±5.2) % vs. (38.3±4.3) %, P<0.05), the 6-minute walk test was significantly longer than before ((96.8±66.7)m vs. (289.3±121.7)m, P<0.05). No significant increase in the number of NYHA Class Ⅲ-Ⅳ patients was seen (7/9 vs. 2/9, P>0.05). The patient was not re-hospitalised for worsening heart failure symptoms, had no malignant arrhythmic events and experienced significant relief of symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath. No postoperative complications related to pocket hematoma, pocket infection and rupture, electrode detachment, valve function impairment, pericardial effusion, or cardiac perforation were found. Conclusions:CCM has better short-term safety and efficacy in patients with heart failure.
9.LAMP3 inhibited the proliferation,metastatic and PC-3-induced vasculogenesis of HUVEC by regulating VEGF/AKT signaling
Canwei CHEN ; Zhuangwen LIAO ; Ziwen FAN ; Shuai HUANG ; Yan HUANG ; Binwei CHEN
The Journal of Practical Medicine 2024;40(2):182-187
Objective To explore the impactof Lysosome-Associated Membrane Protein 3(LAMP3)on theproliferation,migration and angiogenesis of PC-3 cells.Methods LAMP3 expression in normal prostate epithelial cells and prostate cancer bone metastasis cells was detected using western blot and RT-PCR.Stable LAMP3-silenced PC-3 cells were constructed,and the effects of LAMP3 on proliferation,invasion,and migration of PC-3 cells were assessed using CCK8,scratch assay,and transwell assay,respectively.ELISA and angiogenesis assays were employed to examine the expression of VEGF and MMP9,as well as angiogenesis of HUVEC cells induced by PC-3 cells.Finally,WB and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of VEGF,AKT/p-AKT.Results Our findings showed that the expression level of LAMP3 was significantly higherin prostate cellsthan in normal prostate epithelial cells,especially in PC-3 cells(P<0.05).We also found that silencing LAMP3 could inhibit the proliferation,migration and invasion of PC-3 cells,along with the expression of VEGF and MMP9 and the PC-3 cells-induced angiogenesis,and these results were statistically significant(P<0.05).Furthermore,LAMP3 downregulated the expression of VEGF and AKT/p-AKT in PC-3 cells.Conclusion LAMP3 can affect the proliferation,migrationand angiogenesis of PC-3 cells through the regulation of VEGF/AKT pathway.Thus,LAMP3 might be a potential thera-peutic target for prostate cancer bone metastasis.
10.Contemporary Evidence Summary of Strategies for Weaning From Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Adult Patients
Chaonan WO ; Shuai ZHANG ; Weifang FAN ; Huiping YAO ; Lili GE ; Ruoyu LUO ; Dechuan DENG ; Juanhong CHEN
Chinese Circulation Journal 2024;39(9):896-902
Objectives:To retrieve,evaluate and summarize the contemporary evidence of strategies for weaning from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation(ECMO)of adult patients,and to provide evidence-based reference for clinical practice. Methods:The Web of Science,Embase,Cochrane Library,PubMed,Wanfang Database,CNKI,VIP website,SinoMed,BMJ Best Practice,National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,Joanna Briggs Institute Library,UpToDate and the website of Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,Society of Critical Care Medicine,American Association of Critical-Care Nurses,European Society of Intensive Care Medicine and Extracorporeal Life Support Organization were researched to collect the literature related to randomized controlled trials,systematic reviews,guidelines,evidence summaries,expert consensuses and clinical decisions in this field.The time limit for the retrieval is from the inception of databases until July 2023. Results:A total of 13 related literature were retrieved,including 4 guidelines,4 expert consensuses,3 clinical decisions and 2 system reviews.Totally 42 evidences were formulated based on retrieved literature,including adequately accessing the ability of gas exchange before weaning from veno-venous ECMO(V-V ECMO)and withdrawing from veno-arterial ECMO(V-A ECMO)as soon as possible when patients's heart function has recovered,involving six aspects such as team composition,anticoagulation measures,assessment before weaning,weaning implementation,cannula and wound management and quality measures. Conclusions:It is suggested to build a professional ECMO team based on the actual hospital situation,to follow the contemporary evidence to standardize the weaning process of patients from ECMO to ensure the patients'safety and improve the outcomes.

Result Analysis
Print
Save
E-mail