Polymerase-tautomeric model for untargeted delayed base substitution mutations is proposed.Structural analysis of bases insertion showed that any canonical bases may be inserted opposite rare tautomeric forms of thymi...Polymerase-tautomeric model for untargeted delayed base substitution mutations is proposed.Structural analysis of bases insertion showed that any canonical bases may be inserted opposite rare tautomeric forms of thymine T3*,adenines A2*and A4*so that between them hydrogen bonds are formed.Canonical adenine and cytosine can be incorporated opposite canonical thymine only.Canonical thymine and guanine can be incorporated opposite canonical adenine only.If in the synthesis of DNA containing rare tautomeric forms of thymine T3*,adenines A2*and A4*,involved DNA polymerases with relatively high fidelity of synthesis,mutations not appear.However,if further DNA synthesis will involve DNA polymerases having a low fidelity of synthesis,there may be base substitution mutations.It was shown that the conclusion made in the Tomasetti and Vogelstein cancer risk model that the formation of about 67%of all mutations was not caused by exposure to any mutagens is erroneous.展开更多
Tauopathies are a group of neurological disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia,which involve progressive neurodegeneration,cognitive deficits,and aberrant tau protein accumulation.The dev...Tauopathies are a group of neurological disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia,which involve progressive neurodegeneration,cognitive deficits,and aberrant tau protein accumulation.The development of tauopathies cannot currently be stopped or slowed down by treatment measures.Given the significant contribution of tau burden in primary tauopathies and the strong association between pathogenic tau accumulation and cognitive deficits,there has been a lot of interest in creating therapies that can alleviate tau pathology and render neuroprotective effects.Recently,small molecules,immunotherapies,and gene therapy have been used to reduce the pathological tau burden and prevent neurodegeneration in animal models of tauopathies.However,the major pitfall of the current therapeutic approach is the difficulty of drugs and gene-targeting modalities to cross the blood-brain barrier and their unintended side effects.In this review,the current therapeutic strategies used for tauopathies including the use of oligonucleotide-based gene therapy approaches that have shown a promising result for the treatment of tauopathies and Alzheimer’s disease in preclinical animal models,have been discussed.展开更多
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults.Primary features of Alzheimer’s disease include extra cellular aggregation of amyloid-βplaques and the accumulation of neur...Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults.Primary features of Alzheimer’s disease include extra cellular aggregation of amyloid-βplaques and the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles,fo rmed by tau protein,in the cells.While there are amyloid-β-ta rgeting therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,these therapies are costly and exhibit potential negative side effects.Mounting evidence suggests significant involvement of tau protein in Alzheimer’s disease-related neurodegeneration.As an important microtubule-associated protein,tau plays an important role in maintaining the stability of neuronal microtubules and promoting axonal growth.In fact,clinical studies have shown that abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein occurs before accumulation of amyloid-βin the brain.Various therapeutic strategies targeting tau protein have begun to emerge,and are considered possible methods to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease.Specifically,abnormalities in post-translational modifications of the tau protein,including aberrant phosphorylation,ubiquitination,small ubiquitin-like modifier(SUMO)ylation,acetylation,and truncation,contribute to its microtubule dissociation,misfolding,and subcellular missorting.This causes mitochondrial damage,synaptic impairments,gliosis,and neuroinflammation,eventually leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits.This review summarizes the recent findings on the underlying mechanisms of tau protein in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and discusses tau-targeted treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.展开更多
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2)belongs to the genus Beta coronavirus and the family of Coronaviridae.It is a positive-sense,non-segmented single-strand RNA virus.Four common types of hu...The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2)belongs to the genus Beta coronavirus and the family of Coronaviridae.It is a positive-sense,non-segmented single-strand RNA virus.Four common types of human coronaviruses circulate globally,particularly in the fall and winter seasons.They are responsible for 10%-30% of all mild upper respiratory tract infections in adults.These are 229E,NL63 of the Alfacoronaviridae family,OC43,and HKU1 of the Betacoronaviridae family.However,there are three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses:SARS-CoV-2,Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus,and the latest pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection.All viruses,including SARS-CoV-2,have the inherent tendency to evolve.SARS-CoV-2 is still evolving in humans.Additionally,due to the development of herd immunity,prior infection,use of medication,vaccination,and antibodies,the viruses are facing immune pressure.During the replication process and due to immune pressure,the virus may undergo mutations.Several SARS-CoV-2 variants,including the variants of concern(VOCs),such as B.1.1.7(Alpha),B.1.351(Beta),B.1.617/B.1.617.2(Delta),P.1(Gamma),and B.1.1.529(Omicron)have been reported from various parts of the world.These VOCs contain several important mutations;some of them are on the spike proteins.These mutations may lead to enhanced infectivity,transmissibility,and decreased neutralization efficacy by monoclonal antibodies,convalescent sera,or vaccines.Mutations may also lead to a failure of detection by molecular diagnostic tests,leading to a delayed diagnosis,increased community spread,and delayed treatment.We searched PubMed,EMBASE,Covariant,the Stanford variant Database,and the CINAHL from December 2019 to February 2023 using the following search terms:VOC,SARS-CoV-2,Omicron,mutations in SARS-CoV-2,etc.This review discusses the various mutations and their impact on infectivity,transmissibility,and neutralization efficacy.展开更多
α-Synuclein and tau are abundant multifunctional brain proteins that are mainly expressed in the presynaptic and axonal compartments of neurons,respectively.Previous works have revealed that intracellular deposition...α-Synuclein and tau are abundant multifunctional brain proteins that are mainly expressed in the presynaptic and axonal compartments of neurons,respectively.Previous works have revealed that intracellular deposition ofα-synuclein and/or tau causes many neurodegenerative disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.Despite intense investigation,the normal physiological functions and roles ofα-synuclein and tau are still unclear,owing to the fact that mice with knockout of either of these proteins do not present apparent phenotypes.Interestingly,the co-occurrence ofα-synuclein and tau aggregates was found in post-mortem brains with synucleinopathies and tauopathies,some of which share similarities in clinical manifestations.Furthermore,the direct interaction ofα-synuclein with tau is considered to promote the fibrillization of each of the proteins in vitro and in vivo.On the other hand,our recent findings have revealed thatα-synuclein and tau are cooperatively involved in brain development in a stage-dependent manner.These findings indicate strong cross-talk between the two proteins in physiology and pathology.In this review,we provide a summary of the recent findings on the functional roles ofα-synuclein and tau in the physiological conditions and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.A deep understanding of the interplay betweenα-synuclein and tau in physiological and pathological conditions might provide novel targets for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative diseases.展开更多
BACKGROUND Ferroptosis has recently been associated with multiple degenerative diseases.Ferroptosis induction in cancer cells is a feasible method for treating neoplastic diseases.However,the association of iron proli...BACKGROUND Ferroptosis has recently been associated with multiple degenerative diseases.Ferroptosis induction in cancer cells is a feasible method for treating neoplastic diseases.However,the association of iron proliferation-related genes with prognosis in HER2+breast cancer(BC)patients is unclear.AIM To identify and evaluate fresh ferroptosis-related biomarkers for HER2+BC.METHODS First,we obtained the mRNA expression profiles and clinical information of HER2+BC patients from the TCGA and METABRIC public databases.A four gene prediction model comprising PROM2,SLC7A11,FANCD2,and FH was subsequently developed in the TCGA cohort and confirmed in the METABRIC cohort.Patients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups based on their median risk score,an independent predictor of overall survival(OS).Based on these findings,immune infiltration,mutations,and medication sensitivity were analyzed in various risk groupings.Additionally,we assessed patient prognosis by combining the tumor mutation burden(TMB)with risk score.Finally,we evaluated the expression of critical genes by analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)data from malignant vs normal epithelial cells.RESULTS We found that the higher the risk score was,the worse the prognosis was(P<0.05).We also found that the immune cell infiltration,mutation,and drug sensitivity were different between the different risk groups.The highrisk subgroup was associated with lower immune scores and high TMB.Moreover,we found that the combination of the TMB and risk score could stratify patients into three groups with distinct prognoses.HRisk-HTMB patients had the worst prognosis,whereas LRisk-LTMB patients had the best prognosis(P<0.0001).Analysis of the scRNAseq data showed that PROM2,SLC7A11,and FANCD2 were significantly differentially expressed,whereas FH was not,suggesting that these genes are expressed mainly in cancer epithelial cells(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Our model helps guide the prognosis of HER2+breast cancer patients,and its combination with the TMB can aid in more accurate assessment of patient prognosis and provide new ideas for further diagnosis and treatment.展开更多
文摘Polymerase-tautomeric model for untargeted delayed base substitution mutations is proposed.Structural analysis of bases insertion showed that any canonical bases may be inserted opposite rare tautomeric forms of thymine T3*,adenines A2*and A4*so that between them hydrogen bonds are formed.Canonical adenine and cytosine can be incorporated opposite canonical thymine only.Canonical thymine and guanine can be incorporated opposite canonical adenine only.If in the synthesis of DNA containing rare tautomeric forms of thymine T3*,adenines A2*and A4*,involved DNA polymerases with relatively high fidelity of synthesis,mutations not appear.However,if further DNA synthesis will involve DNA polymerases having a low fidelity of synthesis,there may be base substitution mutations.It was shown that the conclusion made in the Tomasetti and Vogelstein cancer risk model that the formation of about 67%of all mutations was not caused by exposure to any mutagens is erroneous.
基金supported by National Institute of Health grant number R03AG075597(to MMK and TP)Department of Defense Award Number HT9425-23-1-0043(to MMK).
文摘Tauopathies are a group of neurological disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia,which involve progressive neurodegeneration,cognitive deficits,and aberrant tau protein accumulation.The development of tauopathies cannot currently be stopped or slowed down by treatment measures.Given the significant contribution of tau burden in primary tauopathies and the strong association between pathogenic tau accumulation and cognitive deficits,there has been a lot of interest in creating therapies that can alleviate tau pathology and render neuroprotective effects.Recently,small molecules,immunotherapies,and gene therapy have been used to reduce the pathological tau burden and prevent neurodegeneration in animal models of tauopathies.However,the major pitfall of the current therapeutic approach is the difficulty of drugs and gene-targeting modalities to cross the blood-brain barrier and their unintended side effects.In this review,the current therapeutic strategies used for tauopathies including the use of oligonucleotide-based gene therapy approaches that have shown a promising result for the treatment of tauopathies and Alzheimer’s disease in preclinical animal models,have been discussed.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82101493(to JY)。
文摘Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults.Primary features of Alzheimer’s disease include extra cellular aggregation of amyloid-βplaques and the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles,fo rmed by tau protein,in the cells.While there are amyloid-β-ta rgeting therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease,these therapies are costly and exhibit potential negative side effects.Mounting evidence suggests significant involvement of tau protein in Alzheimer’s disease-related neurodegeneration.As an important microtubule-associated protein,tau plays an important role in maintaining the stability of neuronal microtubules and promoting axonal growth.In fact,clinical studies have shown that abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein occurs before accumulation of amyloid-βin the brain.Various therapeutic strategies targeting tau protein have begun to emerge,and are considered possible methods to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s disease.Specifically,abnormalities in post-translational modifications of the tau protein,including aberrant phosphorylation,ubiquitination,small ubiquitin-like modifier(SUMO)ylation,acetylation,and truncation,contribute to its microtubule dissociation,misfolding,and subcellular missorting.This causes mitochondrial damage,synaptic impairments,gliosis,and neuroinflammation,eventually leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits.This review summarizes the recent findings on the underlying mechanisms of tau protein in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease and discusses tau-targeted treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
文摘The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2)belongs to the genus Beta coronavirus and the family of Coronaviridae.It is a positive-sense,non-segmented single-strand RNA virus.Four common types of human coronaviruses circulate globally,particularly in the fall and winter seasons.They are responsible for 10%-30% of all mild upper respiratory tract infections in adults.These are 229E,NL63 of the Alfacoronaviridae family,OC43,and HKU1 of the Betacoronaviridae family.However,there are three highly pathogenic human coronaviruses:SARS-CoV-2,Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus,and the latest pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 infection.All viruses,including SARS-CoV-2,have the inherent tendency to evolve.SARS-CoV-2 is still evolving in humans.Additionally,due to the development of herd immunity,prior infection,use of medication,vaccination,and antibodies,the viruses are facing immune pressure.During the replication process and due to immune pressure,the virus may undergo mutations.Several SARS-CoV-2 variants,including the variants of concern(VOCs),such as B.1.1.7(Alpha),B.1.351(Beta),B.1.617/B.1.617.2(Delta),P.1(Gamma),and B.1.1.529(Omicron)have been reported from various parts of the world.These VOCs contain several important mutations;some of them are on the spike proteins.These mutations may lead to enhanced infectivity,transmissibility,and decreased neutralization efficacy by monoclonal antibodies,convalescent sera,or vaccines.Mutations may also lead to a failure of detection by molecular diagnostic tests,leading to a delayed diagnosis,increased community spread,and delayed treatment.We searched PubMed,EMBASE,Covariant,the Stanford variant Database,and the CINAHL from December 2019 to February 2023 using the following search terms:VOC,SARS-CoV-2,Omicron,mutations in SARS-CoV-2,etc.This review discusses the various mutations and their impact on infectivity,transmissibility,and neutralization efficacy.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region,Nos.2022GXNSFAA035622(to MJ),2020GXNSFAA297048(to ZZ)the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.82060268(to ZZ)。
文摘α-Synuclein and tau are abundant multifunctional brain proteins that are mainly expressed in the presynaptic and axonal compartments of neurons,respectively.Previous works have revealed that intracellular deposition ofα-synuclein and/or tau causes many neurodegenerative disorders,including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.Despite intense investigation,the normal physiological functions and roles ofα-synuclein and tau are still unclear,owing to the fact that mice with knockout of either of these proteins do not present apparent phenotypes.Interestingly,the co-occurrence ofα-synuclein and tau aggregates was found in post-mortem brains with synucleinopathies and tauopathies,some of which share similarities in clinical manifestations.Furthermore,the direct interaction ofα-synuclein with tau is considered to promote the fibrillization of each of the proteins in vitro and in vivo.On the other hand,our recent findings have revealed thatα-synuclein and tau are cooperatively involved in brain development in a stage-dependent manner.These findings indicate strong cross-talk between the two proteins in physiology and pathology.In this review,we provide a summary of the recent findings on the functional roles ofα-synuclein and tau in the physiological conditions and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases.A deep understanding of the interplay betweenα-synuclein and tau in physiological and pathological conditions might provide novel targets for clinical diagnosis and therapeutic strategies to treat neurodegenerative diseases.
基金The Science and Technology Commission of Shanxi province,No.201901D111428.
文摘BACKGROUND Ferroptosis has recently been associated with multiple degenerative diseases.Ferroptosis induction in cancer cells is a feasible method for treating neoplastic diseases.However,the association of iron proliferation-related genes with prognosis in HER2+breast cancer(BC)patients is unclear.AIM To identify and evaluate fresh ferroptosis-related biomarkers for HER2+BC.METHODS First,we obtained the mRNA expression profiles and clinical information of HER2+BC patients from the TCGA and METABRIC public databases.A four gene prediction model comprising PROM2,SLC7A11,FANCD2,and FH was subsequently developed in the TCGA cohort and confirmed in the METABRIC cohort.Patients were stratified into high-risk and low-risk groups based on their median risk score,an independent predictor of overall survival(OS).Based on these findings,immune infiltration,mutations,and medication sensitivity were analyzed in various risk groupings.Additionally,we assessed patient prognosis by combining the tumor mutation burden(TMB)with risk score.Finally,we evaluated the expression of critical genes by analyzing single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)data from malignant vs normal epithelial cells.RESULTS We found that the higher the risk score was,the worse the prognosis was(P<0.05).We also found that the immune cell infiltration,mutation,and drug sensitivity were different between the different risk groups.The highrisk subgroup was associated with lower immune scores and high TMB.Moreover,we found that the combination of the TMB and risk score could stratify patients into three groups with distinct prognoses.HRisk-HTMB patients had the worst prognosis,whereas LRisk-LTMB patients had the best prognosis(P<0.0001).Analysis of the scRNAseq data showed that PROM2,SLC7A11,and FANCD2 were significantly differentially expressed,whereas FH was not,suggesting that these genes are expressed mainly in cancer epithelial cells(P<0.01).CONCLUSION Our model helps guide the prognosis of HER2+breast cancer patients,and its combination with the TMB can aid in more accurate assessment of patient prognosis and provide new ideas for further diagnosis and treatment.
