Integrating proteomics and targeted metabolomics to reveal the material basis of liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome in chronic hepatitis B

Objective To elucidate the biological basis of liver-gallbladder damp-heat syndrome(LGDHS)within the framework of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)as a complementary diagnostic and therapeutic approach in chronic hepatitis B(CHB).Methods CHB patients and healthy volunteers were enrolled from Shuguang Hospital Affili-ated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between August 21,2018 and December 31,2020.They were divided into three groups:healthy group,LGDHS group,and latent syndrome(LP)group.Proteomic analysis using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation(iTRAQ)was performed to identify differentially expressed proteins(DEPs).Metabolomic profiling via ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spec-trometry(UPLC-MS/MS)was applied to serum samples to detect differentially regulated metabolites(DMs).Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)and Gene Ontology(GO)enrichment were employed to explore dysregulated pathways.Principal component analysis(PCA)and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA)were utilized to visualize group separation and identify key metabolites and proteins contributing to LGDHS differentiation.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of key biomarkers,while logistic regression models assessed their predictive accuracy.P values were corrected for multiple tests using the Benjamini-Hochberg method to control the false discovery rate(FDR).Validation of potential biomarkers was con-ducted using independent microarray data and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reac-tion(RT-qPCR).Results A total of 150 participants were enrolled,including healthy group(n=45),LGDHS group(n=60),and LP group(n=45).254 DEPs from proteomics data and 72 DMs from metabolomic profiling were identified by PCA and OPLS-DA.DEPs were mainly enriched in immune and complement pathways,while DMs involved in amino acid and energy metabolism.The integrated analysis identified seven key biomarkers:α1-acid glycoprotein(ORM1),asparagine synthetase(ASNS),solute carrier family 27 member 5(SLC27A5),glu-cosidase II alpha subunit(GANAB),hexokinase 2(HK2),5-methyltetrahydrofolate-homocys-teine methyltransferase(MTR),and maltase-glucoamylase(MGAM).Microarray validation confirmed the diagnostic potential of these genes,with area under the curve(AUC)values for ROC analysis ranging from 0.536 to 0.759.Among these,ORM1,ASNS,and SLC27A5 showed significant differential ability in differentiating LGDHS patients(P=0.016,P=0.035,and P<0.001,respectively),with corresponding AUC of 0.749,0.743,and 0.759,respectively.A logis-tic regression model incorporating these three genes demonstrated an AUC of 0.939,indicat-ing a high discriminatory power for LGDHS.RT-qPCR further validated the differential ex-pression of ORM1 and SLC27A5 between LGDHS and LP groups(P=0.011 and P=0.034,re-spectively),with ASNS showing a consistent trend in expression(P=0.928).Conclusion This study integrates multi-omics approaches to uncover the molecular mecha-nisms underlying LGDHS in CHB.The identification of biomarkers ORM1,ASNS,and SLC27A5 offers a solid basis for the objective diagnosis of LGDHS,contributing to the stan-dardization and modernization of TCM diagnostic practices.

From Bench to Bedside： Targeting Epigenetics for Cancer Therapy

The initiation and progression of cancer not only involves genetic abnormalities, but also epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. Epigenetics refers to the heritable changes that do not involve any structural changes in the target gene, i.e., DNA sequence and protein sequence. Thus, these epigenetic aberrations are potentially reversible, allowing the malignant cells to revert to a state with more normal characteristics. The use of epigenetics is emerging as an effective and promising approach to treat cancer. Epigenetic drugs, which target two well- known epigenetic pathways, namely, DNA methyltransferases and histone deacetylases, are already being applied for the cancer treatment. In the current study, an overview regarding the under-standing of epigenetic alterations in the development of cancer and the current state of epigenetic drug discovery is provided.

定量监控大肠杆菌主代谢目标蛋白质及中间代谢物

【目的】监控大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)主代谢通路上蛋白表达状况及中间代谢物变化,为代谢工程改造提供基础性数据及检测方法。【方法】利用Skyline软件靶向设计主代谢(糖酵解途径、磷酸戊糖途径、三羧酸循环、混合酸发酵途径及脂肪酸合成途径)目标蛋白质label-free(MRM)方法对其相对定量监控;在相同质谱平台(Triple Quad 4500)上利用LC-MS/MS(MRM)方法对目标中间代谢物绝对定量监控。【结果】实验表明不同生长时期内(对数生长期、稳定期及衰亡期)大肠杆菌主代谢蛋白质表达表现出4种不同的变化现象,某一代谢通路上的单一蛋白不能反映该通路的表达状态;磷酸戊糖途径、混合酸发酵途径以及三羧酸循环途径中较多的蛋白质在衰亡期表达量最高,但几种目标中间代谢产物(ATP、ADP、AMP、NAD+、NADH、NADP+、NADPH、Co A、acetyl-Co A)的积累量与对数生长期相比,稳定期及衰亡期都相应减少(除了acetylCo A以外)。【结论】该文中使用的检测方法可以有效地反映大肠杆菌体内代谢的基本状况。