1.Application of motor behavior evaluation method of zebrafish model in traditional Chinese medicine research.
Xin LI ; Qin-Qin LIANG ; Bing-Yue ZHANG ; Zhong-Shang XIA ; Gang BAI ; Zheng-Cai DU ; Er-Wei HAO ; Jia-Gang DENG ; Xiao-Tao HOU
China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica 2025;50(10):2631-2639
The zebrafish model has attracted much attention due to its strong reproductive ability, short research cycle, and ease of maintenance. It has always been an important vertebrate model system, often used to carry out human disease research. Its motor behavior features have the advantages of being simpler, more intuitive, and quantifiable. In recent years, it has received widespread attention in the study of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for the treatment of sleep disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, fatigue, epilepsy, and other diseases. This paper reviews the characteristics of zebrafish motor behavior and its applications in the pharmacodynamic verification and mechanism research of TCM extracts, active ingredients, and TCM compounds, as well as in active ingredient screening and safety evaluation. The paper also analyzes its advantages and disadvantages, with the aim of improving the breadth and depth of zebrafish and its motor behavior applications in the field of TCM research.
Zebrafish/physiology*
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use*
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Disease Models, Animal
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Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods*
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Animals
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Sleep Wake Disorders/physiopathology*
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Epilepsy/physiopathology*
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Neurodegenerative Diseases/physiopathology*
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Fatigue/physiopathology*
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Behavior, Animal/physiology*
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Motor Activity/physiology*
2.Multiple biomarkers risk score for accurately predicting the long-term prognosis of patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Zhi-Yong ZHANG ; Xin-Yu WANG ; Cong-Cong HOU ; Hong-Bin LIU ; Lyu LYU ; Mu-Lei CHEN ; Xiao-Rong XU ; Feng JIANG ; Long LI ; Wei-Ming LI ; Kui-Bao LI ; Juan WANG
Journal of Geriatric Cardiology 2025;22(7):656-667
BACKGROUND:
Biomarkers-based prediction of long-term risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is scarce. We aim to develop a risk score integrating clinical routine information (C) and plasma biomarkers (B) for predicting long-term risk of ACS patients.
METHODS:
We included 2729 ACS patients from the OCEA (Observation of cardiovascular events in ACS patients). The earlier admitted 1910 patients were enrolled as development cohort; and the subsequently admitted 819 subjects were treated as validation cohort. We investigated 10-year risk of cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI) and all cause death in these patients. Potential variables contributing to risk of clinical events were assessed using Cox regression models and a score was derived using main part of these variables.
RESULTS:
During 16,110 person-years of follow-up, there were 238 CV death/MI in the development cohort. The 7 most important predictors including in the final model were NT-proBNP, D-dimer, GDF-15, peripheral artery disease (PAD), Fibrinogen, ST-segment elevated MI (STEMI), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), termed as CB-ACS score. C-index of the score for predication of cardiovascular events was 0.79 (95% CI: 0.76-0.82) in development cohort and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.76-0.78) in the validation cohort (5832 person-years of follow-up), which outperformed GRACE 2.0 and ABC-ACS risk score. The CB-ACS score was also well calibrated in development and validation cohort (Greenwood-Nam-D'Agostino: P = 0.70 and P = 0.07, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS
CB-ACS risk score provides a useful tool for long-term prediction of CV events in patients with ACS. This model outperforms GRACE 2.0 and ABC-ACS ischemic risk score.
3.Glucocorticoid Discontinuation in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis under Background of Chinese Medicine: Challenges and Potentials Coexist.
Chuan-Hui YAO ; Chi ZHANG ; Meng-Ge SONG ; Cong-Min XIA ; Tian CHANG ; Xie-Li MA ; Wei-Xiang LIU ; Zi-Xia LIU ; Jia-Meng LIU ; Xiao-Po TANG ; Ying LIU ; Jian LIU ; Jiang-Yun PENG ; Dong-Yi HE ; Qing-Chun HUANG ; Ming-Li GAO ; Jian-Ping YU ; Wei LIU ; Jian-Yong ZHANG ; Yue-Lan ZHU ; Xiu-Juan HOU ; Hai-Dong WANG ; Yong-Fei FANG ; Yue WANG ; Yin SU ; Xin-Ping TIAN ; Ai-Ping LYU ; Xun GONG ; Quan JIANG
Chinese journal of integrative medicine 2025;31(7):581-589
OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM).
METHODS:
This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis.
RESULTS:
Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings.
CONCLUSIONS
RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult
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Aged
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle Aged
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Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy*
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Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use*
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Medicine, Chinese Traditional
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Retrospective Studies
4.Research progress on olfactory function and rehabilitation after total laryngectomy.
Xingqi ZHU ; Xiaoyun QIAN ; Yajun GU ; Xin DOU ; Jie HOU ; Hao WEI
Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery 2025;39(10):980-986
Total laryngectomy is a crucial surgical intervention for patients with advanced malignant tumors of the larynx and nasopharynx. Despite its effectiveness, this procedure permanently severs the connection between the nasal cavity and the lower respiratory tract, leading to the cessation of nasal airflow. This disruption significantly impairs the patient's sense of smell and adversely affects their quality of life. Although olfactory loss is common in these patients, the assessment and rehabilitation of their olfactory function are often overlooked. This article reviews relevant literature on evaluating olfactory function and rehabilitation methods following total laryngectomy, with the aim of providing a theoretical foundation to enhance olfactory rehabilitation and overall quality of life for these patients.
Humans
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Laryngectomy/rehabilitation*
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Quality of Life
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Smell
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Laryngeal Neoplasms/surgery*
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Olfaction Disorders/etiology*
5.Expert consensus on apical microsurgery.
Hanguo WANG ; Xin XU ; Zhuan BIAN ; Jingping LIANG ; Zhi CHEN ; Benxiang HOU ; Lihong QIU ; Wenxia CHEN ; Xi WEI ; Kaijin HU ; Qintao WANG ; Zuhua WANG ; Jiyao LI ; Dingming HUANG ; Xiaoyan WANG ; Zhengwei HUANG ; Liuyan MENG ; Chen ZHANG ; Fangfang XIE ; Di YANG ; Jinhua YU ; Jin ZHAO ; Yihuai PAN ; Shuang PAN ; Deqin YANG ; Weidong NIU ; Qi ZHANG ; Shuli DENG ; Jingzhi MA ; Xiuping MENG ; Jian YANG ; Jiayuan WU ; Yi DU ; Junqi LING ; Lin YUE ; Xuedong ZHOU ; Qing YU
International Journal of Oral Science 2025;17(1):2-2
Apical microsurgery is accurate and minimally invasive, produces few complications, and has a success rate of more than 90%. However, due to the lack of awareness and understanding of apical microsurgery by dental general practitioners and even endodontists, many clinical problems remain to be overcome. The consensus has gathered well-known domestic experts to hold a series of special discussions and reached the consensus. This document specifies the indications, contraindications, preoperative preparations, operational procedures, complication prevention measures, and efficacy evaluation of apical microsurgery and is applicable to dentists who perform apical microsurgery after systematic training.
Microsurgery/standards*
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Humans
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Apicoectomy
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Contraindications, Procedure
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Tooth Apex/diagnostic imaging*
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Postoperative Complications/prevention & control*
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Consensus
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Treatment Outcome
6.Glutamine signaling specifically activates c-Myc and Mcl-1 to facilitate cancer cell proliferation and survival.
Meng WANG ; Fu-Shen GUO ; Dai-Sen HOU ; Hui-Lu ZHANG ; Xiang-Tian CHEN ; Yan-Xin SHEN ; Zi-Fan GUO ; Zhi-Fang ZHENG ; Yu-Peng HU ; Pei-Zhun DU ; Chen-Ji WANG ; Yan LIN ; Yi-Yuan YUAN ; Shi-Min ZHAO ; Wei XU
Protein & Cell 2025;16(11):968-984
Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen to support the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the precise reason why cancer cells are particularly dependent on glutamine remains unclear. In this study, we report that glutamine modulates the tumor suppressor F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) to promote cancer cell proliferation and survival. Specifically, lysine 604 (K604) in the sixth of the 7 substrate-recruiting WD repeats of FBW7 undergoes glutaminylation (Gln-K604) by glutaminyl tRNA synthetase. Gln-K604 inhibits SCFFBW7-mediated degradation of c-Myc and Mcl-1, enhances glutamine utilization, and stimulates nucleotide and DNA biosynthesis through the activation of c-Myc. Additionally, Gln-K604 promotes resistance to apoptosis by activating Mcl-1. In contrast, SIRT1 deglutaminylates Gln-K604, thereby reversing its effects. Cancer cells lacking Gln-K604 exhibit overexpression of c-Myc and Mcl-1 and display resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Silencing both c-MYC and MCL-1 in these cells sensitizes them to chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the glutamine-mediated signal via Gln-K604 is a key driver of cancer progression and suggest potential strategies for targeted cancer therapies based on varying Gln-K604 status.
Glutamine/metabolism*
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Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics*
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Humans
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics*
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Cell Proliferation
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Signal Transduction
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Neoplasms/pathology*
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F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7/genetics*
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Cell Survival
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Cell Line, Tumor
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Apoptosis
7.Independent and Interactive Effects of Air Pollutants, Meteorological Factors, and Green Space on Tuberculosis Incidence in Shanghai.
Qi YE ; Jing CHEN ; Ya Ting JI ; Xiao Yu LU ; Jia le DENG ; Nan LI ; Wei WEI ; Ren Jie HOU ; Zhi Yuan LI ; Jian Bang XIANG ; Xu GAO ; Xin SHEN ; Chong Guang YANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(7):792-809
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the independent and combined effects of air pollutants, meteorological factors, and greenspace exposure on new tuberculosis (TB) cases.
METHODS:
TB case data from Shanghai (2013-2018) were obtained from the Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Environmental data on air pollutants, meteorological variables, and greenspace exposure were obtained from the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center. We employed a distributed-lag nonlinear model to assess the effects of these environmental factors on TB cases.
RESULTS:
Increased TB risk was linked to PM 2.5, PM 10, and rainfall, whereas NO 2, SO 2, and air pressure were associated with a reduced risk. Specifically, the strongest cumulative effects occurred at various lags: PM 2.5 ( RR = 1.166, 95% CI: 1.026-1.325) at 0-19 weeks; PM 10 ( RR = 1.167, 95% CI: 1.028-1.324) at 0-18 weeks; NO 2 ( RR = 0.968, 95% CI: 0.938-0.999) at 0-1 weeks; SO 2 ( RR = 0.945, 95% CI: 0.894-0.999) at 0-2 weeks; air pressure ( RR = 0.604, 95% CI: 0.447-0.816) at 0-8 weeks; and rainfall ( RR = 1.404, 95% CI: 1.076-1.833) at 0-22 weeks. Green space exposure did not significantly impact TB cases. Additionally, low temperatures amplified the effect of PM 2.5 on TB.
CONCLUSION
Exposure to PM 2.5, PM 10, and rainfall increased the risk of TB, highlighting the need to address air pollutants for the prevention of TB in Shanghai.
China/epidemiology*
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Humans
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Air Pollutants/analysis*
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Tuberculosis/epidemiology*
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Incidence
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Meteorological Concepts
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Particulate Matter/adverse effects*
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Environmental Exposure
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Male
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Female
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Adult
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Air Pollution
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Middle Aged
8.Impacts of gut microbiota on metabolism and efficacy of timosaponin A-III
Wen-jin HUANG ; Ling-yun PAN ; Xin-xin GAO ; Wei-ze ZHU ; Hou-kai LI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2024;59(8):2372-2380
Intraperitoneal administration of timosaponin A-III (TA-III) has therapeutic effects on high-fat diet-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), but oral administration has no effect. This suggests that gut microbiota may affect the oral bioavailability of TA-III. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is an inflammatory subtype of MASLD. To investigate the therapeutic effect of different administration modes of TA-III on MASH and its relationship with gut microbiota metabolism. In this study, a MASH mouse model was induced by choline-deficient,
9.Therapeutic effect of Xiayuxue decoction on a mouse model of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease induced by high-fat diet and its mechanism
Linqi HOU ; Zhiyi WANG ; Xin ZHAO ; Jie ZHANG ; Wenting MA ; Xuling LIU ; Wei ZHANG ; Le TAO ; Cheng LIU ; Liu WU
Journal of Clinical Hepatology 2024;40(4):712-719
ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of action of Xiayuxue decoction in inhibiting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) induced by high-fat diet in mice by regulating nucleotide binding oligomerization domain like receptor containing pyrin domain protein 6 (NLRP6). MethodsA total of 15 male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into low-fat diet (LFD) group, high-fat diet (HFD) group, and Xiayuxue decoction-HFD group (XYXD group), with 5 mice in each group. Liver function parameters (alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and aspartate aminotransferase [AST]) and blood lipid metabolic indicators (triglycerides [TG] and total cholesterol [TC]) were measured; HE staining and oil red O staining were performed for liver tissue to observe histomorpholoty and lipid droplet deposition; quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the expression levels of inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin-1β [IL-1β], interleukin-18 [IL-18], and NLRP6) in liver tissue; Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of NLRP6, nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), and NF-κB p65; immunohistochemistry was used to measure the expression of NLRP6 and CD68. Mouse Raw264.7 cells were treated with palmitic acid (PA), lipopolysaccharide, and serum containing Xiayuxue decoction to observe inflammation. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups, and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the LFD group, the HFD group had significant increases in the serum levels of ALT, AST, TC, and TG (all P<0.05). Liver histopathological examination showed that the HFD group had marked hepatic steatosis and a signficant increase in NAS score (P<0.05), and quantitative real-time PCR showed significant increases in the inflammatory factors such as IL1β and IL-18 and a significant reduction in the expression of NLRP6 (all P<0.05). Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of NLRP6 showed a similar trend as that of the macrophage marker CD68. Western blot showed that after the downregulation of NLRP6 expression, there was a significant increase in phosphorylated NF-κB p65 (P<0.05). Compared with the HFD group, Xiayuxue decoction effectively improved liver inflammation, upregulated the expression of NLRP6, and downregulated phosphorylated NF-κB p65 in HFD mice (all P<0.05). After Raw264.7 cells were treated with PA, NLRP6 was downregulated to promote the progression of inflammation (P<0.05), and treatment with Xiayuxue decoction could upregulate NLRP6 and inhibit inflammation NF-κB (P<0.05). ConclusionXiayuxue decoction can effectively improve hepatic steatosis and liver inflammation in a mouse model of NAFLD, possibly by regulating NLRP6/NF-κB to alleviate macrophage activation.
10.Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase: Possible Functions and Mechanisms
Xin-Rong LU ; Yong-Liang TONG ; Wei-Li KONG ; Lin ZOU ; Dan-Feng SHEN ; Shao-Xian LÜ ; Rui-Jie LIU ; Shao-Xing ZHANG ; Yu-Xin ZHANG ; Lin-Lin HOU ; Gui-Qin SUN ; Li CHEN
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2024;51(5):985-999
Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase (ENGase) is widely distributed in various organisms. The first reported ENGase activity was detected in Diplococcus pneumoniae in 1971. The protein (Endo D) was purified and its peptide sequence was determined in 1974. Three ENGases (Endo F1-F3) were discovered in Flavobacterium meningosepticum from 1982 to 1993. After that, the activity was detected from different species of bacteria, yeast, fungal, plant, mice, human, etc. Multiple ENGases were detected in some species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Trichoderma atroviride. The first preliminary crystallographic analysis of ENGase was conducted in 1994. But to date, only a few ENGases structures have been obtained, and the structure of human ENGase is still missing. The currently identified ENGases were distributed in the GH18 or GH85 families in Carbohydrate-Active enZyme (CAZy) database. GH18 ENGase only has hydrolytic activity, but GH85 ENGase has both hydrolytic and transglycosylation activity. Although ENGases of the two families have similar (β/α)8-TIM barrel structures, the active sites are slightly different. ENGase is an effective tool for glycan detection andglycan editing. Biochemically, ENGase can specifically hydrolyze β‑1,4 glycosidic bond between the twoN-acetylglucosamines (GlcNAc) on core pentasaccharide presented on glycopeptides and/or glycoproteins. Different ENGases may have different substrate specificity. The hydrolysis products are oligosaccharide chains and a GlcNAc or glycopeptides or glycoproteins with a GlcNAc. Conditionally, it can use the two products to produce a new glycopeptides or glycoprotein. Although ENGase is a common presentation in cell, its biological function remains unclear. Accumulated evidences demonstrated that ENGase is a none essential gene for living and a key regulator for differentiation. No ENGase gene was detected in the genomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and three other yeast species. Its expression was extremely low in lung. As glycoproteins are not produced by prokaryotic cells, a role for nutrition and/or microbial-host interaction was predicted for bacterium produced enzymes. In the embryonic lethality phenotype of the Ngly1-deficient mice can be partially rescued by Engase knockout, suggesting down regulation of Engase might be a solution for stress induced adaptation. Potential impacts of ENGase regulation on health and disease were presented. Rabeprazole, a drug used for stomach pain as a proton inhibitor, was identified as an inhibitor for ENGase. ENGases have been applied in vitro to produce antibodies with a designated glycan. The two step reactions were achieved by a pair of ENGase dominated for hydrolysis of substrate glycoprotein and synthesis of new glycoprotein with a free glycan of designed structure, respectively. In addition, ENGase was also been used in cell surface glycan editing. New application scenarios and new detection methods for glycobiological engineering are quickly opened up by the two functions of ENGase, especially in antibody remodeling and antibody drug conjugates. The discovery, distribution, structure property, enzymatic characteristics and recent researches in topical model organisms of ENGase were reviewed in this paper. Possible biological functions and mechanisms of ENGase, including differentiation, digestion of glycoproteins for nutrition and stress responding were hypothesised. In addition, the role of ENGase in glycan editing and synthetic biology was discussed. We hope this paper may provide insights for ENGase research and lay a solid foundation for applied and translational glycomics.

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