OBJECTIVE: To explore the correlation between clinical manifestations of Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy autosomal recessive 9 FKRP-related (R9 FKRP-related) and variants of the FKRP gene. METHODS: Two children who had presented at the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University respectively due to increased serum myocardial zymogram and hepatic dysfunction on September 30, 2018 and August 3, 2018 were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data of the children were collected. Both children were suspected for Duchenne or Becker muscular dystrophy for asymptomatic high creatine kinase (CK) levels. Peripheral blood samples of the children and their parents were collected for whole exome sequencing, and candidate variants were validated by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Genetic testing revealed that both children have carried compound heterozygous variants of the FKRP gene. The c.545A>G and c.941C>T variants in child 1 have been reported previously, among which the c.545A>G is a hot spot mutation in the Chinese population. Child 2 has carried c.602T>C and c.961G>A variants, both of which were unreported previously. CONCLUSION Both children have met the diagnostic criteria for LGMD R9 FKRP-related. Carriers of the c.545A>G variant may present milder symptoms. Compared with patients carrying null variants, carriers of compound heterozygous missense variants may present with a milder phenotype, manifesting as asymptomatic high CK level.
Humans ; Child ; Asian People/genetics* ; Genetic Testing ; Muscular Dystrophies, Limb-Girdle/genetics* ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; Pentosyltransferases/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of borneol on cutaneous toxicity of gilteritinib and to explore possible compounds that can intervene with the cutaneous toxicity. METHODS: C57BL/6J male mice were given gilteritinib by continuous gavage for 28 d and the damage to keratinocytes in the skin tissues was observed with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry. Human keratinocytes HaCaT were treated with gilteritinib, and cell death and morphological changes were examined by SRB staining and microscopy; apoptosis of HaCaT cells was examined by Western blotting, flow cytometry with propidium iodide/AnnexinⅤ double staining and immunofluorescence; the accumulation of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was examined by flow cytometry with DCFH-DA. Compounds that can effectively intervene the cutaneous toxicity of gilteritinib were screened from a natural compound library using SRB method, and the intervention effect of borneol on gilteritinib cutaneous toxicity was further investigated in HaCaT cells and C57BL/6J male mice. RESULTS: In vivo studies showed pathological changes in the skin with apoptosis of keratinocytes in the stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum in the modeling group. Invitro studies showed apoptosis of HaCaT cells, significant up-regulation of cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (c-PARP) and gamma-H2A histone family member X (γ-H2AX) levels, and increased accumulation of ROS in gilteritinib-modeled skin keratinocytes compared with controls. Screening of the natural compound library revealed that borneol showed excellent intervention effects on the death of HaCaT cells. In vitro, cell apoptosis was significantly reduced in the borneol+gilteritinib group compared to the gilteritinib control group. The levels of c-PARP, γ-H2AX and ROS in cells were significantly decreased. In vivo, borneol alleviated gilteritinib-induced skin pathological changes and skin cell apoptosis in mice. CONCLUSIONS Gilteritinib induces keratinocytes apoptosis by causing intracellular ROS accumulation, resulting in cutaneous toxicity. Borneol can ameliorate the cutaneous toxicity of gilteritinib by reducing the accumulation of ROS and apoptosis of keratinocytes in the skin tissue.
Male ; Humans ; Animals ; Mice ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Apoptosis ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases/metabolism*

Ketone bodies have beneficial metabolic activities, and the induction of plasma ketone bodies is a health promotion strategy. Dietary supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) is an effective approach in the induction of plasma ketone bodies. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms are unknown. In this study, SB was found to enhance the catalytic activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2), a rate-limiting enzyme in ketogenesis, to promote ketone body production in hepatocytes. SB administrated by gavage or intraperitoneal injection significantly induced blood ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in mice. BHB production was induced in the primary hepatocytes by SB. Protein succinylation was altered by SB in the liver tissues with down-regulation in 58 proteins and up-regulation in 26 proteins in the proteomics analysis. However, the alteration was mostly observed in mitochondrial proteins with 41% down- and 65% up-regulation, respectively. Succinylation status of HMGCS2 protein was altered by a reduction at two sites (K221 and K358) without a change in the protein level. The SB effect was significantly reduced by a SIRT5 inhibitor and in Sirt5-KO mice. The data suggests that SB activated HMGCS2 through SIRT5-mediated desuccinylation for ketone body production by the liver. The effect was not associated with an elevation in NAD⁺/NADH ratio according to our metabolomics analysis. The data provide a novel molecular mechanism for SB activity in the induction of ketone body production.
Mice ; Animals ; Butyric Acid/metabolism* ; Ketone Bodies/metabolism* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Hydroxybutyrates/metabolism* ; Down-Regulation ; Sirtuins/metabolism* ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Synthase/metabolism*

Silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) is one of the seven mammalian proteins of the sirtuin family of NAD⁺-dependent deacetylases. SIRT1 plays a pivotal role in neuroprotection and ongoing research has uncovered a mechanism by which SIRT1 may exert a neuroprotective effect on Alzheimer's disease (AD). Growing evidence demonstrates that SIRT1 regulates many pathological processes including amyloid-β precursor protein (APP) processing, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and mitochondrial dysfunction. SIRT1 has recently received enormous attention, and pharmacological or transgenic approaches to activate the sirtuin pathway have shown promising results in the experimental models of AD. In the present review, we delineate the role of SIRT1 in AD from a disease-centered perspective and provides an up-to-date overview of the SIRT1 modulators and their potential as effective therapeutics in AD.
Animals ; Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor ; Animals, Genetically Modified ; Sirtuin 1 ; Sirtuins ; Humans

The common adverse reactions caused by poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors include hematological toxicity, gastrointestinal toxicity and fatigue. The main prevention and treatment of hematological toxicity include: regular blood tests, referral to hematology department when routine treatment is ineffective, and being alert of myelodysplastic syndrome/acute myeloid leukemia. The key points to deal with gastrointestinal toxicity include: taking medicine at the right time, light diet, appropriate amount of drinking water, timely symptomatic treatment, prevention of expected nausea and vomiting, and so on. For fatigue, full assessment should be completed before treatment because the causes of fatigue are various; the management includes massage therapy, psychosocial interventions and drugs such as methylphenidate and Panax quinquefolius according to the severity. In addition, niraparib and fluzoparib can cause hypertension, hypertensive crisis and palpitation. Blood pressure and heart rate monitoring, timely symptomatic treatment, and multidisciplinary consultation should be taken if necessary. When cough and dyspnea occur, high resolution CT and bronchoscopy should be performed to exclude pneumonia. If necessary, PARP inhibitors should be stopped, and glucocorticoid and antimicrobial therapy should be given. Finally, more attention should be paid to drug interaction management, patient self-management and regular monitoring to minimize the risk and harm of adverse reactions of PARP inhibitors.
Humans ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase Inhibitors/adverse effects* ; Phthalazines/pharmacology* ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases ; Fatigue/drug therapy*

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the preferred host cells for the production of complex recombinant therapeutic proteins. Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) is a key enzyme in the purine biosynthesis step that catalyzes the condensation of adenine with phosphoribosylate to form adenosine phosphate AMP. In this study, the gene editing technique was used to knock out the aprt gene in CHO cells. Subsequently, the biological properties of APRT-KO CHO cell lines were investigated. A control vector expressed an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and an attenuation vector (containing an aprt-attenuated expression cassette and EGFP) were constructed and transfected into APRT-deficient and wild-type CHO cells, respectively. The stable transfected cell pools were subcultured for 60 generations and the mean fluorescence intensity of EGFP in the recombinant CHO cells was detected by flow cytometry to analyze the EGFP expression stability. PCR amplification and sequencing showed that the aprt gene in CHO cell was successfully knocked out. The obtained APRT-deficient CHO cell line had no significant difference from the wild-type CHO cells in terms of cell morphology, growth, proliferation, and doubling time. The transient expression results indicated that compared with the wild-type CHO cells, the expression of EGFP in the APRT-deficient CHO cells transfected with the control vector and the attenuation vector increased by 42%±6% and 56%±9%, respectively. Especially, the EGFP expression levels in APRT-deficient cells transfected with the attenuation vector were significantly higher than those in wild-type CHO cells (P < 0.05). The findings suggest that the APRT-deficient CHO cell line can significantly improve the long-term expression stability of recombinant proteins. This may provide an effective cell engineering strategy for establishing an efficient and stable CHO cell expression system.
Adenine/metabolism* ; Adenine Nucleotides ; Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase/genetics* ; Adenosine Monophosphate ; Animals ; CHO Cells ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics*

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI) is a complex cascade process and seriously hinders the recovery of patients with acute ischemic stroke, which has become an urgent public health issue to be addressed. Silent information regulators(SIRTs) are a family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide(NAD~+)-dependent deacetylases, capable of deacylating the histone and non-histone lysine groups. Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that SIRTs are able to regulate the pathological processes such as oxidative stress, inflammatory response, mitochondrial dysfunction, and programmed cell death of CIRI through post-translational deacetylation, and exert the neuroprotection function. In this study, we reviewed the papers about the role and regulatory mechanisms of SIRTs in the pathological process of CIRI published in the past decade. Further, we summarized the research advance in the prevention and treatment of CIRI with Chinese medicine targeting SIRTs and the related signaling pathways. This review will provide new targets and theoretical support for the clinical application of Chinese medicine in treating CIRI during the occurrence of ischemic stroke.
Humans ; Brain Ischemia/therapy* ; Ischemic Stroke/therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Oxidative Stress ; Reperfusion Injury/therapy* ; Sirtuins/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical features and genetic variants of three Chinese pedigrees affected with Limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2I (LGMD2I). METHODS: Clinical data and peripheral blood samples of the three probands and their family members were collected. Whole exome sequencing was carried out for the probands. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing of their family members. RESULTS: Probands 1 and 2 both featured weakness in the lower limbs. Proband 1 had lost walking ability and had pulmonary ventilation dysfunction. Proband 3 had lower limb pain, palpitations and asthma after exercise. Genetic sequencing revealed that proband 1 harbored compound heterozygous c.545A>G (p.Y182C) and c.1391A>T (p.N464I) variants of the FKRP gene, proband 2 harbored compound heterozygous c.545A>G (p.Y182C) and c.941C>T (p.T314M) variants of the FKRP gene, and proband 3 harbored compound heterozygous c.545A>G (p.Y182C) and c.161G>A (p.R54Q) variants. Among these, the c.161G>A (p.R54Q) variant was unreported previously. CONCLUSION Compound heterozygous variants of the FKRP gene probably underlay the LGMD2I in the three patients. Whole exome sequencing is crucial for the diagnosis of LGMD2I. The identification of the novel variant also broadened the mutational spectrum of the FKRP gene.
Humans ; Pedigree ; Pentosyltransferases/genetics* ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Proteins/genetics* ; Muscular Dystrophies, Limb-Girdle/genetics* ; Mutation ; China

This study was aimed to determine the effect of acute cerebral ischemia on the protein expression level of silent mating type information regulator 2 homolog 3 (Sirt3) in the neurons and clarify the pathological role of Sirt3 in acute cerebral ischemia. The mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and primary cultured rat hippocampal neurons with oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) were used as acute cerebral ischemia models in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Sirt3 overexpression was induced in rat hippocampal neurons by lentivirus transfection. Western blot was utilized to measure the changes in Sirt3 protein expression level. CCK8 assay was used to detect cell viability. Immunofluorescent staining was used to detect mitochondrial function. Transmission electron microscope was used to detect mitochondrial autophagy. The results showed that, compared with the normoxia group, hippocampal neurons from OGD1 h/reoxygenation 2 h (R2 h) and OGD1 h/R12 h groups exhibited down-regulated Sirt3 protein expression levels. Compared with contralateral normal brain tissue, the ipsilateral penumbra region from MCAO1 h/reperfusion 24 h (R24 h) and MCAO1 h/R72 h groups exhibited down-regulated Sirt3 protein expression levels, while there was no significant difference between the Sirt3 protein levels on both sides of sham group. OGD1 h/R12 h treatment damaged mitochondrial function, activated mitochondrial autophagy and reduced cell viability in hippocampal neurons, whereas Sirt3 over-expression attenuated the above damage effects of OGD1 h/R12 h treatment. These results suggest that acute cerebral ischemia results in a decrease in Sirt3 protein level. Sirt3 overexpression can alleviate acute cerebral ischemia-induced neural injuries by improving the mitochondrial function. The current study sheds light on a novel strategy against neural injuries caused by acute cerebral ischemia.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; Down-Regulation ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Mice ; Mitochondria ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Rats ; Reperfusion Injury ; Sirtuin 3/metabolism* ; Sirtuins

Adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-ribosylation is a unique post-translational modification that regulates many biological processes, such as DNA damage repair. During DNA repair, ADP-ribosylation needs to be reversed by ADP-ribosylhydrolases. A group of ADP-ribosylhydrolases have a catalytic domain, namely the macrodomain, which is conserved in evolution from prokaryotes to humans. Not all macrodomains remove ADP-ribosylation. One set of macrodomains loses enzymatic activity and only binds to ADP-ribose (ADPR). Here, we summarize the biological functions of these macrodomains in DNA damage repair and compare the structure of enzymatically active and inactive macrodomains. Moreover, small molecular inhibitors have been developed that target macrodomains to suppress DNA damage repair and tumor growth. Macrodomain proteins are also expressed in pathogens, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). However, these domains may not be directly involved in DNA damage repair in the hosts or pathogens. Instead, they play key roles in pathogen replication. Thus, by targeting macrodomains it may be possible to treat pathogen-induced diseases, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
ADP-Ribosylation ; COVID-19/metabolism* ; DNA Repair/physiology* ; Evolution, Molecular ; Humans ; Models, Biological ; Models, Molecular ; N-Glycosyl Hydrolases/metabolism* ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases/metabolism* ; Protein Domains ; SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity*