1.Structure and Function of GPR126/ADGRG6
Ting-Ting WU ; Si-Qi JIA ; Shu-Zhu CAO ; De-Xin ZHU ; Guo-Chao TANG ; Zhi-Hua SUN ; Xing-Mei DENG ; Hui ZHANG
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(2):299-309
GPR126, also known as ADGRG6, is one of the most deeply studied aGPCRs. Initially, GPR126 was thought to be a receptor associated with muscle development and was primarily expressed in the muscular and skeletal systems. With the deepening of research, it was found that GPR126 is expressed in multiple mammalian tissues and organs, and is involved in many biological processes such as embryonic development, nervous system development, and extracellular matrix interactions. Compared with other aGPCRs proteins, GPR126 has a longer N-terminal domain, which can bind to ligands one-to-one and one-to-many. Its N-terminus contains five domains, a CUB (complement C1r/C1s, Uegf, Bmp1) domain, a PTX (Pentraxin) domain, a SEA (Sperm protein, Enterokinase, and Agrin) domain, a hormone binding (HormR) domain, and a conserved GAIN domain. The GAIN domain has a self-shearing function, which is essential for the maturation, stability, transport and function of aGPCRs. Different SEA domains constitute different GPR126 isomers, which can regulate the activation and closure of downstream signaling pathways through conformational changes. GPR126 has a typical aGPCRs seven-transmembrane helical structure, which can be coupled to Gs and Gi, causing cAMP to up- or down-regulation, mediating transmembrane signaling and participating in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and migration. GPR126 is activated in a tethered-stalk peptide agonism or orthosteric agonism, which is mainly manifested by self-proteolysis or conformational changes in the GAIN domain, which mediates the rapid activation or closure of downstream pathways by tethered agonists. In addition to the tethered short stem peptide activation mode, GPR126 also has another allosteric agonism or tunable agonism mode, which is specifically expressed as the GAIN domain does not have self-shearing function in the physiological state, NTF and CTF always maintain the binding state, and the NTF binds to the ligand to cause conformational changes of the receptor, which somehow transmits signals to the GAIN domain in a spatial structure. The GAIN domain can cause the 7TM domain to produce an activated or inhibited signal for signal transduction, For example, type IV collagen interacts with the CUB and PTX domains of GPR126 to activate GPR126 downstream signal transduction. GPR126 has homology of 51.6%-86.9% among different species, with 10 conserved regions between different species, which can be traced back to the oldest metazoans as well as unicellular animals.In terms of diseases, GPR126 dysfunction involves the pathological process of bone, myelin, embryo and other related diseases, and is also closely related to the occurrence and development of malignant tumors such as breast cancer and colon cancer. However, the biological function of GPR126 in various diseases and its potential as a therapeutic target still needs further research. This paper focuses on the structure, interspecies differences and conservatism, signal transduction and biological functions of GPR126, which provides ideas and references for future research on GPR126.
2.Construction of Tax-PC/SDC/PVP-K30 micelles and their protective effect on alcoholic liver injury
Shi-yu ZHANG ; Jing-meng SUN ; Dong-dong LI ; Xin ZHANG ; Jia-hui ZHANG ; Wei-yu ZHANG
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 2025;60(2):488-497
Taxifolin (Tax) has been proved to be a medicinal edible substance with protective effects against alcoholic liver injury, however, its poor hydrophilicity and permeability have hindered the clinical application of Tax. In this study, we prepared taxifolin-phosphatidylcholine/sodium deoxycholate/PVP-K30 micells (Tax-MLs). Box-Behnken test was used to obtain the optimal preparation process, and Tax-MLs were characterised by transmission electron microscopy and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Physicochemical parameters such as proximate micelle concentration, equilibrium solubility and oil-water partition coefficient were determined, and the release pattern of Tax-MLs was investigated by
3.Association between cannabis use and risk of gynecomastia: commentary on "Gynecomastia in adolescent males: current understanding of its etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment"
Jia-Lin WU ; Jun-Yang LUO ; Xin-Yi DENG ; Zai-Bo JIANG
Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism 2025;30(1):52-53
4.Association between cannabis use and risk of gynecomastia: commentary on "Gynecomastia in adolescent males: current understanding of its etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment"
Jia-Lin WU ; Jun-Yang LUO ; Xin-Yi DENG ; Zai-Bo JIANG
Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism 2025;30(1):52-53
5.Association between cannabis use and risk of gynecomastia: commentary on "Gynecomastia in adolescent males: current understanding of its etiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment"
Jia-Lin WU ; Jun-Yang LUO ; Xin-Yi DENG ; Zai-Bo JIANG
Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism 2025;30(1):52-53
6. Histamine 1 receptor agonist inhibits LPS-induced immune responses in astrocytes via Akt/NF-KB signaling pathway
Jia-Wen XU ; Jia-Hong SHEN ; Yu-Xin WEN ; Jian-Liang SUN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(2):317-323
Aim To investigate the effect of histamine H, receptor (HjR) on the immune responses in astrocytes induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the regulatory mechanism of its signaling pathway. Methods LPS was used to establish an in vitro astrocyte inflammation model. Rat primary astrocytes were divided into the control group, LPS group, LPS + Hj R agonist group (2-pyridylethlamine, Pyri), and HjR agonist group. Astrocytes were treated with Pyri 100 p,mol • L~ for 1 h, then stimulated with LPS at 100 p,g • L~ for 24 h. Cell viability was measured using the CCK-8 assay. The expression of GFAP and HjR was detected by immunofluorescence. Glial morphological changes were observed under a microscope. The levels of proinflammatory mediators (TNF-a and IL-6) were detected by ELISA. The protein expressions of p-Akt, Akt, p-NF-KB p65, and NF-KB p65 were detected by Western blot. Results Compared with the control group, more activated astrocytes with fewer cell processes and branches were observed in the LPS group. Besides, LPS enhanced the GFAP expression level, reduced the H,R expression level and stimulated the production of TNF-a and IL-6 from astrocytes. Pre treatment with Pyri for 1 h ameliorated the glial morphological changes stimulated by LPS, inhibited LPS-induced upregulation of GFAP level and the inflammatory factors secretion. In addition, LPS stimulated astrocytes showed a higher phosphorylation of Akt and NF-KB p65, which was also ameliorated by Pyri. Conclusions H, R agonist can inhibit LPS-induced astrocyte activation and inflammatory factor secretion, and the Akt/NF-KB signaling pathway may be an important pathway for the involvement of H,R in immune regulation.
7. The molecular mechanism of spleen-strengthening and moisture-nourishing liver prescription in treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure based on network pharmacology and experimental verification
Qi HUANG ; Wen-Feng MA ; Zhi-Yi HAN ; Jia-Ling SUN ; Wei ZHANG ; Xin-Feng SUN ; Jian -Ping CHEN ; Xiao-Zhou ZHOU ; Qi HUANG ; Wen-Feng MA ; Zhi-Yi HAN ; Jia-Ling SUN ; Wei ZHANG ; Xin-Feng SUN ; Xiao-Zhou ZHOU ; Jing LI ; Xiao-Zhou ZHOU ; Jian -Ping CHEN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2024;40(3):557-564
To explore the mechanism of spleen- were obtained for the treatment of acute-on-chronic livstrengthening and moisture-nourishing liver prescription er failure, and 244 intersecting target genes and 7 core (JPLSYGF) in the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver target genes were screened. Molecular docking showed failure using network pharmacology and the molecular that the core target genes AKT1, SRC, VEGFA, docking. Methods Relying on TCMSP and Gene- STAT3 , EGFR, MAPK3 , HRAS had good affinity with Cards and other databases, the relevant targets of JPL- quercetin, the main active component in the JPLSYGF in the treatment of acute-on-chronic liver failure SYGF, and had strong binding activity. In addition, in were obtained. String and Cytoscape were used to con- vivo tests verified that the JPLSYGF could reduce the struct PPI networks of targets, core targets were expression of HRAS, EGFR, STAT3 , SRC, and VEGscreened out, and DAVID was used for GO function FA, to delay the progression of acute-on-chronic liver annotation and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. failure. Conclusions JPLSYGF may act on core tar- The main active ingredients of the traditional Chinese gets such as HRAS, EGFR, STAT3, SRC, VEGFA medicine compound formula for JPLSYGF were select- and so on, to achieve the effect of treating acute-oned with a bioavailability OB value of =Э 30% and a chronic liver failure. drug-like DL^O. 18 as the screening conditions, and.
8.Mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu Recipe in Preventing Colorectal Adenoma in Mice Through miRNA-34a-5p/PI3K/Akt Signalling Pathway
Sujie JIA ; Chaodi SUN ; Yifan ZHANG ; Xiaomeng LANG ; Jianping LIU ; Xin KANG ; Shijie REN ; Jingyuan LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):156-165
ObjectiveKey microRNAs (miRNAs) of colorectal adenoma (CRA) were identified and analyzed by bioinformatics methods, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened to construct regulatory relationships. The mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe in preventing CRA was speculated and verified by animal experiments. MethodThe miRNAs dataset GSE50194 was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database of intestinal mucosal tissue of CRA patients, and the differentially expressed miRNAs were screened by GEO2R and Excel. TargetScan, miRTarbase, and miRDB databases were used to predict the target genes of the differentially expressed miRNAs, and an intersection was obtained. Key DEGs were screened through the STRING database and Cytoscape software, and the TRRUST database was used to predict downstream binding transcription factors (TFs). The mRNA intersection was enriched by gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) in the Metascape database. DIANA TOOLS were applied to perform KEGG enrichment analysis of key miRNAs, and the key signaling pathways were selected for animal experiments. In animal experiments, the CRA mice model was established by using sodium glycan sulfate (DSS) drinking combined with intraperitoneal injection of azomethane oxide (AOM), and Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and aspirin were given by intragastric administration at the same time. The experiment lasted for nine weeks. The pathological changes in intestinal tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of miR-34a-5p in adenoma tissue. Protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), phosphoryl-PI3K (p-PI3K), phosphoryl-Akt (p-Akt), and B cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2 were detected by Western blot. The expression of Cyclin D1 (CCND1) was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). In situ terminal transferase labeling (TUNEL) was used to detect apoptosis of adenoma tissue cells. ResultThe GEO database screened the GSE50194 dataset, and miR-34a-5p was selected as the research object from CRA and normal tissue. A total of 93 DEGs were selected. Among them, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were closely related to biological processes such as transcriptional regulatory complex, RNA polymerase Ⅱ transcriptional regulatory complex, enzyme-linked receptor protein signaling pathway, and DNA-binding transcriptional activator activity, cancer pathway, PI3K/Akt pathway, etc. miR-34a-5p is mainly enriched in PI3K/Akt, cell cycle, and colorectal cancer pathways. Five key DEGs were screened out through the Matescape database, among which Bcl-2 and CCND1 were the key DEGs of miR-34a-5p. Further screening of the TFs of key DEGs revealed that E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1) and tumor protein P53 (TP53) were the main TFs of Bcl-2 and CCND1. Animal experiments showed that Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe could effectively up-regulate mRNA level of miR-34a-5p, down-regulate the expression of PI3K, Akt, Bcl-2, p-PI3K, and p-Akt proteins in the intestinal tissue of CRA mice, down-regulate the positive expression rate of CCND1, and increase the apoptosis rate of intestinal epithelial cells. ConclusionIt is speculated that Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe may inhibit the abnormal proliferation and promote the apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells in CRA mice by regulating the miR-34a-5p/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, thus playing a role in the prevention of CRA.
9.Mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu Recipe Regulating Ferroptosis in Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis Based on Bioinformatics and Animal Experiments
Chaodi SUN ; Jianping LIU ; Mingmin DU ; Xin KANG ; Jiancong CUI ; Yuan ZHAO ; Sujie JIA ; Xiaomeng LANG
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):166-173
ObjectiveThe bioinformatics method was used to screen ferroptosis differential genes (FRGs) closely related to ulcerative colitis (UC), and animal experiments were conducted to verify whether the mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe in treating UC is related to the regulation of ferroptosis. MethodThe differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of colonic mucosa tissue of UC patients were obtained from the GEO database, and the intersection of the genes with ferroptosis genes was used to obtain FRGs. The core FRGs were obtained by cluster analysis, minimum absolute contraction and selection operator (LASSO) regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve analysis. In animal experiments, the UC mouse model was prepared by making the mouse freely drink 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and mesalazine were given by gavage for seven days, and the inflammatory infiltration of colonic mucosa was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of E3 ubiquitin ligase (FBXW7), zinc finger protein (ZFP36), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in colon tissue. The protein expression levels of FBXW7, ZFP36, SLC7A11, and TLR4 in colon tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultDataset GSE87466 was screened from the GEO database, and its intersections with the ferroptosis gene were analyzed to obtain 21 FRGs. After cluster analysis, LASSO regression, and ROC analysis, core FRGs (FBXW7, ZFP36, SLC7A11, and TLR4) were obtained. Immunoinfiltration analysis showed significant differences in the expression of initial B cells, M1 macrophages, plasma cells, and M2 macrophages in the colonic mucosa tissue of UC mice, and there was a significant correlation between core FRGs and these immune cells. Further animal experiments showed that the colonic mucosa tissue of mice in the model group was disorganized and infiltrated by a large number of inflammatory cells. The inflammation of the colonic mucosa tissue of mice in each group was relieved to varying degrees after treatment with Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and mesalazine, while the colonic mucosa tissue of mice in the high-dose group of Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe showed almost no inflammatory changes. Compared with the normal group, the protein and mRNA expressions of FBXW7, ZFP36, SLC7A11, and TLR4 in the model group were significantly increased, and the expression of core FRGs in colonic mucosa tissue of mice in all groups was significantly down-regulated after treatment with Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and mesalazine. ConclusionFBXW7, ZFP36, SLC7A11, and TLR4 are ferroptosis genes closely related to the pathogenesis of UC, and Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe can significantly alleviate colonic mucosa inflammation in mice by down-regulating core ferroptosis genes.
10.Improvement of Colonic Mucosa Inflammatory Response in Mice with Ulcerative Colitis by Xiezhuo Jiedu Recipe Through miRNA-155-5p/JAK2/STAT3 Pathway
Chaodi SUN ; Mengmeng ZHAO ; Xiaomeng LANG ; Jie REN ; Xin KANG ; Jiancong CUI ; Sujie JIA ; Yujing MA ; Yue LIU ; Qiang CHUAI ; Wenjing ZHAI ; Jianping LIU
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae 2024;30(11):174-182
ObjectiveThe differential expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) between the active stage and the remission stage of ulcerative colitis (UC) was analyzed by bioinformatics method, and the regulatory relationship was constructed by screening the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The mechanism of Xizhuo Jiedu recipe in the treatment of UC was speculated and verified by animal experiments. MethodThe miRNAs data set of colonic mucosa tissue of UC patients was obtained from the gene expression database (GEO), and the most differentially expressed miRNAs were screened by GEO2R, Excel, and other tools as research objects. TargetScan, miRTarbase, miRDB, STRING, TRRUST, and Matescape databases were used to screen key DEGs, predict downstream transcription factors (TFs), gene ontology (GO), and conduct Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The key signaling pathways were selected for animal experiments. In animal experiments, the UC mouse model was prepared by making the mouse freely drink 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Xiezhu Jiedu recipe and mesalazine were given by gavage for seven days, and the inflammatory infiltration of colonic mucosa was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR) was used to detect the mRNA expression of miR-155-5p in colon tissue. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression levels of cytokine signal transduction inhibitor (SOCS1), phosphorylated transcriptional signal transductor and activator 3 (p-STAT3), phosphorylated Janus kinase 2 (p-JAK2), and retinoic acid-associated orphan receptor-γt (ROR-γt). The expression levels of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ResultThe GSE48957 dataset was screened from the GEO database, and miR-155-5p was selected as the research object from the samples in the active and remission stages. 131 DEGs were screened. The GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was closely related to biological processes such as positive regulation of miRNA transcription and protein phosphorylation, as well as signaling pathways such as stem cell signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, and helper T cell 17 (Th17) cell differentiation. The Matescape database was used to screen out 10 key DEGs, among which SOCS1 was one of the key DEGs of miR-155-5p. Further screening of the TFS of key DEGs revealed that STAT3 was one of the main TFs of SOCS1. The results of animal experiments showed that Xiezhu Jiedu Recipe could effectively down-regulate the mRNA expression of miR-155-5p and protein expression of p-STAT3, p-JAK2, and ROR-γt in colon tissue of UC mice and the expression of IL-17 and IL-6 in serum of UC mice, up-regulate the protein expression of SOCS1 and the expression of TGF-β and IL-10, increase the level of anti-inflammatory factors, and reduce inflammatory cell infiltration. ConclusionIt is speculated that Xizhuo Jiedu recipe may interfere with SOCS1 by regulating the expression of miR-155-5p in UC mice, inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT3, inhibit the differentiation of CD4+ T cells into Th17 cells, reduce the levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-17 and IL-6), and increase the levels of anti-inflammatory factors (TGF-β and IL-10). As a result, the inflammation of colon mucosa in UC mice was alleviated.

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