1.SIRT5 Potentiates Hepatocarcinogenesis by Modulating Protein Acylation in Mice
Yu ZHANG ; Feng-Rui REN ; Jia-Yun LI ; Xiang-Yu CHEN ; Zi-Yi WANG ; Qi SUN ; Jun-Cheng ZHAO ; Ye ZHANG ; Zhen HUANG ; Hao HU ; Tao-Tao WEI ; Min XIAO
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2026;53(6):1712-1722
ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. The main risk factors associated with HCC include viral hepatitis (B and/or C), alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which progressively advance to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately evolve into HCC. Surgical resection represents the most effective treatment for HCC, while recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies, have provided improved treatment prospects for patients with unresectable HCC. However, the complex metabolic heterogeneity of HCC limits the therapeutic efficacy. Metabolic intermediates acyl-CoA not only provide energy and substrates for numerous biochemical reactions but also serve as donors for protein lysine acylation, a major class of post-translational modification (PTM). Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein lysine acylation and hepatocarcinogenesis is urgently needed. MethodsThe levels of protein lysine acylation and silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) expression levels in clinical HCC samples were analyzed by Western blot. Quantitative malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples were analyzed by antibody-based affinity enrichment coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proliferation of HCC cells was analyzed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, the apoptosis was quantified by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining coupled with flow cytometry, and the ability of cells to migrate was assayed by Transwell assays. The enzymatic activity of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) was quantified. Transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression of SIRT5 were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9, and primary hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by administration of diethylnitrosamine. ResultsWestern blot analysis indicated that the expression level of SIRT5 was elevated in clinical samples from HCC patients, and the levels of lysine malonylation, glutarylation, and succinylation were significantly reduced in HCC tissues. Knockout of SIRT5 in MHCC-97H and MHCC-97L hepatoma cells suppressed cell proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells significantly. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the differentially malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples revealed significant enrichment in two major classes of biological processes: core energy metabolism (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, fatty acid beta oxidation) and detoxification and oxidative stress response (e.g., response to toxic substance, chemical carcinogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)). SIRT5 removes malonylation from lysine residues in GSTM1 and restores its detoxification activity, which is crucial for the survival of hepatocytes under stressed conditions. More importantly, in vivo experiment indicated that hepatic-specific overexpression of SIRT5 in mice accelerated diethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating the critical role of SIRT5 in HCC progression. ConclusionThis study highlights the previously unrecognized SIRT5-GSTM1 axis as a key regulator in hepatocarcinogenesis, and suggests a potential target for the treatment of patients with HCC.
2.Research progress on the role and mechanism of high mobility group box protein 1 after spinal cord injury
Xin XUE ; Chang-zheng YIN ; Jin-hui CHEN ; Lu-rong HUANG ; Xin ZHENG ; Yi-min LI ; Guo-bao XIAO ; Ping ZHANG ; Jian-hua ZHAO
Journal of Regional Anatomy and Operative Surgery 2025;34(10):918-923
High mobility group box protein 1(HMGB1)is one of the most widely expressed protein member in the HMGs family,which is well known for its involvement in the body inflammatory response.Previous researches have found that it plays a significant role in cell migration,immune identification and neuroprotection.Spinal cord injury is a disease that causes severe damage to the nervous system,and neural circuits are disrupted after a spinal cord injury,which leads to many conditions including ischemia and hypoxia,inflammatory responses,demyelinating lesions,and glial scar formation that are detrimental to nerve regeneration and repair,making it one of the most difficult diseases to treat in the modern spinal surgery field.HMGB1 is upregulated after spinal cord injury,thereby regulating neuroinflam-matory responses,and participating in the neuronal apoptosis,promoting neuronal regeneration,and inducing neural stem cell differentiation and migration,which plays an important role in the process of neural function recovery.This paper summarizes the structure and function of HMGB1,as well as its role in spinal cord injury,in order to provide direction for founding therapeutic target for neurological function recovery after spinal cord injury.
3.Mechanism of action of Qingjie Huagong decoction reducing inflammatory response of acute pancreatitis based on PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway
Xiao-dong ZHU ; Min-chao FENG ; Kun-rong LIU ; Ying BAN ; Pan SU ; Chuan-feng XUAN ; Xiao-yi HUANG ; De-wen LI ; Xi-ping TANG ; Guo-zhong CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(5):978-984
Aim To explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Qingjie Huagong decoction in modulating PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in inflammatory response of acute pancreatitis(AP)mice.Methods Twenty-four mice were randomly divided into Blank group,Model group,Ustekin group,and Qingjie Hua-gong decoction group,with six mice in each group.The AP model was prepared by using rain frogin.Serum α-AMS,PNLP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α lev-els were detected by ELISA;the pancreatic pathology was detected by HE staining;the expressions of PI3K,AKT,and NF-κB-related proteins and mRNAs were de-tected by immunohistochemistry,Western blot,and RT-qPCR.Results Compared with the blank group,the model group showed obvious pathological damage to the pancreas,with significantly higher serum α-AMS,PN-LP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α levels(P<0.01),and significantly higher levels of PI3K,AKT,and NF-κB-related proteins and mRNA expression(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,both the Qingjie Huagong decoction group and the ustekin group improved the histopathological changes in the pancreas of AP mice,decreased the serum α-AMS,PNLP,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-18,and TNF-α levels,and down-reg-ulated the expression levels of pancreatic PI3K,AKT,NF-κB-related proteins and mRNA(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Conclusion Qingjie Huagong decoction may inhibit the inflammatory response and protect pancreat-ic tissues by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway.
4.Molecular epidemiological characteristics of Yersinia pestis in Marmota himalayana plague foci in Subei Mongolian Autonomous County,Gansu Province
Li-min GUO ; Xiao-ling ZHANG ; Yan-yan HUANG ; Cun-shou ZHAO ; Cheng-xin ZHANG ; Guo-ming FU
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(2):158-163,170
This study was aimed at determining the genetic characteristics of Yersinia pestis in Subei County through differ-ential region(DFR),clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats(CRISPR),and variable number tandem repeat(VNTR)analyses,to guide the tracing of plague outbreaks.The DNA of 89 Yersinia pestis strains isolated from various ani-mal in foci of Subei County from 1973 to 2017 was extracted.Primers for genotyping by DFR,CRISPR,and MLVA were used in PCR,and agarose electrophoresis was used to determine whether the amplified products were present.Genotypes were deter-mined through comparison against the DFR database of Yersinia pestis in China.The PCR products were sequenced and com-pared against the online CRISPR database for Yersinia pestis to determine the genotype.The number of VNTR repeats in each strain was calculated through capillary electrophoresis,and the minimum spanning tree was constructed with BioNumerics 7.6 according to the numbers of VNTR repeats from 89 Yersinia pestis strains in Subei County and 11 strains from a Marmota hi-malayana focus in Qinghai Province.The Yersinia pestis strains in Subei County were divided into six main genotypes by DFR:8,7,lb,5,32,and 44.The Yersinia pestis strains were divided into three gene clusters and three genotypes by CRISPR.Ca35'was the main gene cluster in Subei County;the genotype was 26';and the distribution was primarily in Dangchengwan Town,Yuerhong Township,and Shibaocheng Township.Ca7 and CaΔ5'comprised secondary gene clusters,with genotypes 22 and 24,and were distributed in Dangchengwan Town,Yuerhong Township,and Shibaocheng Township.The Yersinia pes-tis strains in Subei County were divided primarily into three clusters:the Dangchengwan Machang cluster,Yuerhong Township cluster and Dangchengwan Town cluster.Therefore,the Yersinia pestis strains in Subei County,divided into major and minor genotypes according to DFR,CRISPR and MLVA,showed different regional distribution characteristics,highly diverse geno-types,and complex population characteristics.These aspects are particularly important in tracing the sources of plague out-breaks.
5.Development and application research of a lung rehabilitation education game software for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease based on health belief model
Jianlan REN ; Kaili MA ; Daiying ZHANG ; Xuemei HE ; Min HUANG ; Hong XIONG ; Yanhua CHEN ; Huaju TIAN ; Lu XIAO
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2025;60(5):525-531
Objective Taking into account the physical and mental characteristics of patients with COPD,we develop and implement a lung rehabilitation education game software,aiming to explore more effective health education practices for COPD.Methods Drawing on the Health Belief Model theory,the game content was developed by semi-structured interviews,brainstorming sessions,and expert consultations,and it was implemented via a WeChat mini program.Patients with COPD from the respiratory department of a tertiary general hospital of Luzhou city between March and October 2023 were conveniently selected as the study subjects.Among them,40 patients from July to October 2023 were designated as an experimental group,and another 40 from March to June 2023 constituted a control group.The experimental group was provided with routine health education combined with pulmonary rehabilitation games,whereas the control group received standard health education.After the intervention,the researchers compared the COPD knowledge questionnaire scores and pulmonary rehabilitation adherence between the 2 groups,and assessed the satisfaction of both patients and nurses with the software.Results No sample detachment.The score of the COPD knowledge questionnaire in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(Z=5.361,P<0.001).The proportion of patients in the experimental group with good adherence to pulmonary rehabilitation(85%)was significantly higher than it in the control group(25%),(x2=29.091,P<0.001).The patients'overall satisfaction rate with the game was 95%,with operational effectiveness receiving the highest satisfaction rating at 97%.Conclusion The pulmonary rehabilitation education game for patients with COPD can improve their knowledge of COPD,enhance their compliance with pulmonary rehabilitation.Patients have high satisfaction with the software.The software enriches the clinical health education methods,which can be used in clinical practice.
6.Present situation of sensors applied to monitoring of spinal morphology and motion
Shi-yu ZHOU ; Ya-qin LI ; Yang-xi HUANG ; Xiao CHEN ; Jing WANG ; Zhi-min LIANG ; Yu-chen GUO ; Xue YANG ; Ling-li LI
Chinese Medical Equipment Journal 2025;46(6):105-110
The application of sensors to the monitoring of spinal morphology and motion was reviewed in terms of the research object and monitoring index.The present situation of the application of sensors was introduced,such as inertial sensor,stretchable strain sensor and electromagnetic sensor.The deficiencies of sensors applied to the monitoring of spinal morphology and motion were analyzed,and the future directions of the application were pointed out.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(6):105-110]
7.Signac.UIO:An Interactive R-Shiny Platform for Single-cell ATAC-seq Data Analysis and Visualization
Yu-Yan LUO ; Xiao-Min LUO ; Jie-Ru HUANG ; Si-Wen XU
Chinese Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 2025;41(11):1579-1589
Single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing(scATAC-seq)is a power-ful technique for studying cellular heterogeneity and gene regulatory networks,widely applied in epigenet-ic research.However,the complexity of data analysis workflows and high programming requirements have limited its broader adoption among non-programmer researchers.To address this issue,we developed Sig-nac.UIO,a modular and visual scATAC-seq analysis platform based on the R Shiny framework,integra-ting mainstream tools such as Signac and Seurat.The platform includes ten key modules covering quality control,cell filtering,dimensionality reduction,clustering,differential analysis,cell annotation,path-way enrichment,motif analysis,and transcription factor footprinting.Through a graphical user interface,users can perform full analyses and obtain interactive visualization results.The platform's stability and u-tility have been validated using a public PBMC dataset and it is currently deployed online(https://xula-bgdpu.org.cn/Signac.UIO),providing an efficient and user-friendly tool for single-cell epigenomics re-search.
8.Drug resistance characteristics and whole genome polymorphisms of group A Streptococcus in Jiangsu Province during 2016 to 2023
Jie HONG ; Hao-di HUANG ; Ke XU ; Zhong-ming TAN ; Hui-min QIAN ; Jie-fu PENG ; Xiao-xiao KONG
Chinese Journal of Zoonoses 2025;41(1):40-46
This study was aimed at understanding the relationships among the drug resistance and genome characteristics of group A Streptococcus in Jiangsu Province.A total of 149 group A Streptococcus strains were collected from hospitals between 2016 and 2023.Thirteen antimicrobial minimal inhibitory concentrations were detected with the micro-dilution broth method.The GAS strains were typed with emm genotyping analysis and whole genome sequencing,to determine the carriage rates of drug resistance genes and the evolutionary relationships among strains.The resistance rates of 149 GAS strains to erythromy-cin,tetracycline,and clindamycin exceeded 90%,whereas the strains showed sensitivity to 8 different antibiotics,including penicillin.Notably,the resistance rates to erythromycin,tetracycline,and clindamycin consistently increased over time.All strains were classified into 9 emm types,among which emm12 accounted for the highest proportion(77/149;51.68%).Signifi-cant statistical differences were observed among emm types,in terms of the drug resistance rate,number of resistant species,and prevalence of drug resistance genes.Furthermore,SNP evolutionary tree analysis revealed 3 distinct clusters within the GAS strains:emm12,emm1,and other emm types.emm 12 and emm1 were the dominant GAS strains in Jiangsu Province.Most isolates were resistant to erythromycin,tetracycline,and clindamycin.Differences in phenotypes and genomic characteris-tics were observed among emm types.
9.The anti-heart failure mechanism of N-acetylcysteine in diabetic cardiomyopathy via ERK1/2 path-way
Jian JI ; Ya-hong HUANG ; Ying-min LU ; Dong-mei YUE ; Xiao-hui ZHENG ; Jin-chun ZHANG ; Zhao-xia WANG
Chinese Journal of cardiovascular Rehabilitation Medicine 2025;34(4):543-547
Objective:To investigate the anti-heart failure mechanism of N-acetylcysteine(NAC)in diabetic cardiomyop-athy independent from coronary artery factors.Methods:A total of 40 diabetic mice after heart failure model construction were randomly divided into two groups,NAC group(n=20,NAC 100mg·kg-1·d-1)and control group(n=20,Saline 100 mg·kg-1·d-1).Echocardiography was performed to detect left ventricular end-diastolic volume(LVEDV),left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),mitral left ventricular early-dias-tolic peak flow velocity/left ventricular late-diastolic peak flow velocity(E/A),isovolumic relaxation time(IVRT)and cardiac output(CO)after 4 weeks.Terminal uridine nick-end labeling(TUNEL)was performed to detect apoptosis in-dex,and Western Blot was performed to detect the expression of extracellular regulated protein kinases(ERK)1/2 after 6 weeks in two groups.Results:Compared to those in control group,mice in NAC group had significant higher LVEF[(40.5±3.4)%vs.(36.9±3.2)%],E/A[(1.5±0.1)vs.(1.4±0.1)]and CO[(10.3±0.6)ml/min vs.(9.9±0.5)ml/min](P<0.05 or<0.01);and significant lower LVESV[(23.1±1.3)μl vs.(24.7±1.5)μl],apoptosis index[(31.2±0.5)%vs.(45.1±0.9)%]and the expression of ERK1/2[(2.2±0.2)vs.(3.9±0.1)](P<0.001 all).Conclusion:NAC exerts anti-heart failure effect by attenuating apoptosis of cardiomyocytes via regulating ERK1/2 pathway.
10.Phase Ⅰ study of intrathecal pemetrexed combined with programmed death-1 inhibitor for leptomeningeal metastases from solid tumors
Miaomiao LIU ; Yushan HUANG ; Guozi YANG ; Panpan TAI ; Xiao CHEN ; Min LIU ; Zhenyu PAN
China Oncology 2025;35(11):1041-1048
Background and purpose:Intrathecal chemotherapy is one of the mainstay treatment options for leptomeningeal metastases(LM)from solid tumors.A previous phase Ⅰ study demonstrated the safety and potential efficacy of intrathecal anti-programmed death receptor 1(anti-PD-1)for LM from melanoma.The synergistic efficacy of systemic chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 has been widely known.This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of intrathecal chemotherapy(pemetrexed)and anti-PD-1(toripalimab)for LM patients from solid tumors.Methods:The subjects were patients with LM from solid tumors who were treated at Affiliated Huizhou Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University/Third People's Hospital of Huizhou City.A 3+3 dose de-escalation strategy was implemented to determine the recommended dose with an initial dose of PD-1 inhibitor(toripalimab)40 mg and pemetrexed 15 mg.Pemetrexed was administered twice weekly for the initial 2 weeks of induction therapy,once weekly for the subsequent 4 weeks of consolidation therapy,and once monthly during maintenance therapy.PD-1 inhibitor was initiated at the 4th administration of pemetrexed,administered every 2 weeks for 6 weeks;subsequently,responders continued monthly maintenance therapy alongside pemetrexed.The primary objective was to assess safety based on adverse events and the recommended dose.All participants were observed to investigate the clinical response rate(CRR),disease control rate(DCR)and overall survival(OS).This study was approved by the ethics committee of Affiliated Huizhou Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University/Third People's Hospital of Huizhou City(ethics number:2024-KY-029-01).Results:Seven patients(male:3,female:4,median age:57 years)were enrolled between June and September 2024,including non-small cell lung cancer(6)and breast cancer(1).All patients presented with positive cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)cytology.Six patients presented LM-related neurological dysfunction.Five patients showed LM-related neuroimaging findings.Six patients completed the induction and consolidation therapy,and subsequently received maintenance therapy.One patient,due to bacterial meningitis,did not complete the final administration of toripalimab during consolidation therapy,and maintenance therapy was administered after infection control.Adverse events rate was 100%(7/7),including myelosuppression(100.00%,n=7),elevation of hepatic aminotransferases(42.86%,n=3),fatigue(28.57%,n=2)and hypothyroidism(14.29%,n=1).Three(42.86%)patients had grade 3 adverse events(myelosuppression).The immune-related adverse event(irAE)rate was 14.29%,manifested as hypothyroidism(Grade 2).No dose-limiting toxicity(DLT)was observed.Thus,no de-escalation was applied.The recommended dose was determined to be PD-1 inhibitor 40 mg in combination with pemetrexed 15 mg.Three patients showed improved neurological dysfunction,1 with CSF cytological response,and 2 with neuroimaging improvement.CRR was 57.14%(4/7)by response assessment in neuro-oncology(RANO)proposal criteria.DCR was 100%(7/7).Three patients exhibited abscopal effects with regression of brain metastasis lesions,primary lung lesion and mediastinal lymph nodes,respectively.As of April 10,2025,1 patient died.The median follow-up time was 7.7(5.9-9.3)months.The median OS was not reached with a 6-month OS rate of 85.71%.Conclusion:The combination therapy of intrathecal pemetrexed and a PD-1 inhibitor was well-tolerated and feasible,while also exhibiting potential clinical efficacy in treating LM from solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer.

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