Against all odds:The road to success in the development of human immune reconstitution mice

The mouse genome has a high degree of homology with the human genome,and its physiological,biochemical,and developmental regulation mechanisms are similar to those of humans;therefore,mice are widely used as experimental animals.However,it is undeniable that interspecies differences between humans and mice can lead to experimental errors.The differences in the immune system have become an impor-tant factor limiting current immunological research.The application of immunodefi-cient mice provides a possible solution to these problems.By transplanting human immune cells or tissues,such as peripheral blood mononuclear cells or hematopoietic stem cells,into immunodeficient mice,a human immune system can be reconstituted in the mouse body,and the engrafted immune cells can elicit human-specific immune responses.Researchers have been actively exploring the development and differen-tiation conditions of host recipient animals and grafts in order to achieve better im-mune reconstitution.Through genetic engineering methods,immunodeficient mice can be further modified to provide a favorable developmental and differentiation microenvironment for the grafts.From initially only being able to reconstruct single T lymphocyte lineages,it is now possible to reconstruct lymphoid and myeloid cells,providing important research tools for immunology-related studies.In this review,we compare the differences in immune systems of humans and mice,describe the devel-opment history of human immune reconstitution from the perspectives of immuno-deficient mice and grafts,and discuss the latest advances in enhancing the efficiency of human immune cell reconstitution,aiming to provide important references for im-munological related researches.

Unraveling the relationship between histone methylation and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)poses a significant health challenge in modern societies due to shifts in lifestyle and dietary habits.Its complexity stems from genetic predisposition,environmental influences,and metabolic factors.Epigenetic processes govern various cellular functions such as transcription,chromatin structure,and cell division.In NAFLD,these epigenetic tendencies,especially the process of histone methylation,are intricately intertwined with fat accumulation in the liver.Histone methylation is regulated by different enzymes like methyltransferases and demethylases and influences the expression of genes related to adipogenesis.While early-stage NAFLD is reversible,its progression to severe stages becomes almost irreversible.Therefore,early detection and intervention in NAFLD are crucial,and understanding the precise role of histone methylation in the early stages of NAFLD could be vital in halting or potentially reversing the progression of this disease.

Targeting cAMP in D1-MSNs in the nucleus accumbens, a new rapid antidepressant strategy

Studies have suggested that the nucleus accumbens(NAc)is implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression;however,the regulatory strategy that targets the NAc to achieve an exclusive and outstanding anti-depression benefit has not been elucidated.Here,we identified a specific reduction of cyclic adenosine monophosphate(cAMP)in the subset of dopamine D1 receptor medium spiny neurons(D1-MSNs)in the NAc that promoted stress susceptibility,while the stimulation of cAMP production in NAc D1-MSNs efficiently rescued depression-like behaviors.Ketamine treatment enhanced cAMP both in D1-MSNs and dopamine D2 receptor medium spiny neurons(D2-MSNs)of depressed mice,however,the rapid antidepressant effect of ketamine solely depended on elevating cAMP in NAc D1-MSNs.We discovered that a higher dose of crocin markedly increased cAMP in the NAc and consistently relieved depression 24 h after oral administration,but not a lower dose.The fast onset property of crocin was verified through multicenter studies.Moreover,crocin specifically targeted at D1-MSN cAMP signaling in the NAc to relieve depression and had no effect on D2-MSN.These findings characterize a new strategy to achieve an exclusive and outstanding anti-depression benefit by elevating cAMP in D1-MSNs in the NAc,and provide a potential rapid antidepressant drug candidate,crocin.

动态预涂层在CE联用技术中的应用

毛细管电泳与传统分离方法相比,具有分析时间短、分辨率高、样品/缓冲液用量少、易于自动化、功能多样性等优点。尽管如此,毛细管电泳在分析领域仍未能展现出全部的潜力。这是由于在大多数要求比较苛刻的实际应用中,毛细管电泳难以获得较高的重现性。本文对该问题进行了阐述,并提出了一个很有前途的解决方法。

Identification of anticancer drugs to radiosensitise BRAF-wild-type and mutant colorectal cancer

Objective: Patients with BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer(CRC) have a poor prognosis. Molecular status is not currently used to select which drug to use in combination with radiotherapy. Our aim was to identify drugs that radiosensitise CRC cells with known BRAF status.Methods: We screened 298 oncological drugs with and without ionising radiation in colorectal cancer cells isogenic for BRAF. Hits from rank product analysis were validated in a 16-cell line panel of human CRC cell lines, using clonogenic survival assays and xenograft models in vivo.Results: Most consistently identified hits were drugs targeting cell growth/proliferation or DNA damage repair. The most effective class of drugs that radiosensitised wild-type and mutant cell lines was PARP inhibitors. In clonogenic survival assays, talazoparib produced a radiation enhancement ratio of 1.9 in DLD1(BRAF-wildtype) cells and 1.8 in RKO(BRAF V600 E) cells. In DLD1 xenografts, talazoparib significantly increased the inhibitory effect of radiation on tumour growth(P ≤ 0.01).Conclusions: Our method for screening large drug libraries for radiosensitisation has identified PARP inhibitors as promising radiosensitisers of colorectal cancer cells with wild-type and mutant BRAF backgrounds.

Protein acylation:mechanisms,biological functions and therapeutic targets

Metabolic reprogramming is involved in the pathogenesis of not only cancers but also neurodegenerative diseases,cardiovascular diseases,and infectious diseases.With the progress of metabonomics and proteomics,metabolites have been found to affect protein acylations through providing acyl groups or changing the activities of acyltransferases or deacylases.Reciprocally,protein acylation is involved in key cellular processes relevant to physiology and diseases,such as protein stability,protein subcellular localization,enzyme activity,transcriptional activity,protein–protein interactions and protein–DNA interactions.Herein,we summarize the functional diversity and mechanisms of eight kinds of nonhistone protein acylations in the physiological processes and progression of several diseases.We also highlight the recent progress in the development of inhibitors for acyltransferase,deacylase,and acylation reader proteins for their potential applications in drug discovery.

Animal models of melanoma: a somatic cell gene delivery mouse model allows rapid evaluation of genes implicated in human melanoma

The increasing incidence and mortality associated with advanced stages of melanoma are cause for concern. Few treatment options are available for advanced melanoma and the 5-year survival rate is less than 15%. Targeted therapies may revolutionize melanoma treatment by providing less toxic and more effective strategies. However, maximizing effectiveness requires further understanding of the molecular alterations that drive tumor formation, progression, and maintenance, as well as elucidating the mechanisms of resistance. Several different genetic alterations identified in human melanoma have been recapitulated in mice. This review outlines recent progress made in the development of mouse models of melanoma and summarizes what these findings reveal about the human disease. We begin with a discussion of traditional models and conclude with the recently developed RCAS/TVA somatic cell gene delivery mouse model of melanoma.

在动态涂层毛细管等电聚焦中通过控制电渗流提高分辨率

和传统的凝胶技术相比,毛细管等电聚焦(CIEF)是一种蛋白质的快速分离技术。它可以分离等电点相差 0.004的蛋白质。但是其较差的重现性和分辨率限制了CIEF 的广泛应用,尤其是在高pI 值范围内的广泛应用。然而,采用动态涂层的CIEF 可以明显改善这些现象。

Reverse metabolomics as a novel strategy to annotate the human metabolome

Identifying chemical structures inhuman-derived samples presents significant challenges due to limited structural data obtained from untargeted metabolomics studies.When the chemical structures of molecules are closely related to the phenotypic status of human ecosystems,it becomes invaluable to devise a method for efficiently and systematically determining structures that correlate with the pathophysiological status of humans in a high-throughput approach.

Id2 epigenetically controls CD8^(+)T-cell exhaustion by disrupting the assembly of the Tcf3-LSD1 complex

CD8^(+)T-cell exhaustion is a state of dysfunction that promotes tumor progression and is marked by the generation of Slamf6^(+)progenitor exhausted(Tex^(prog))and Tim-^(3+)terminally exhausted(Tex^(term))subpopulations.Inhibitor of DNA binding protein 2(Id2)has been shown to play important roles in T-cell development and CD8^(+)T-cell immunity.However,the role of Id2 in CD8^(+)T-cell exhaustion is unclear.Here,we found that Id2 transcriptionally and epigenetically regulates the generation of Texprog cells and their conversion to Texterm cells.Genetic deletion of Id2 dampens CD8^(+)T-cell-mediated immune responses and the maintenance of stem-like CD8^(+)T-cell subpopulations,suppresses PD-1 blockade and increases tumor susceptibility.Mechanistically,through its HLH domain,Id2 binds and disrupts the assembly of the Tcf3-Tal1 transcriptional regulatory complex,and thus modulates chromatin accessibility at the Slamf6 promoter by preventing the interaction of Tcf3 with the histone lysine demethylase LSD1.Therefore,Id2 increases the abundance of the permissive H3K4me2 mark on the Tcf3-occupied E-boxes in the Slamf6 promoter,modulates chromatin accessibility at the Slamf6 promoter and epigenetically regulates the generation of Slamf6+Texprog cells.An LSD1 inhibitor GSK2879552 can rescue the Id2 knockout phenotype in tumor-bearing mice.Inhibition of LSD1 increases the abundance of Slamf6^(+)Tim-3^(−)Tex^(prog) cells in tumors and the expression level of Tcf1 in Id2-deleted CD8+T cells.This study demonstrates that Id2-mediated transcriptional and epigenetic modification drives hierarchical CD8^(+)T-cell exhaustion,and the mechanistic insights gained may have implications for therapeutic intervention with tumor immune evasion.

TRIB3-GSK-3β interaction promotes lung fibrosis and serves as a potential therapeutic target

Pulmonary fibrosis(PF)is a chronic,progressive,fatal interstitial lung disease with limited available therapeutic strategies.We recently reported that the protein kinase glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β)interacts with and inactivates the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 to suppress the degradation of the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta(C/EBPβ)in alveolar macrophages(AMs),resulting in a profibrotic phenotype of AMs and promoting the development of PF.Here,we showed that chronic lung injury upregulated the stress response protein tribbles homolog 3(TRIB3),which interacted with GSK-3βand stabilized GSK-3βfrom ubiquitination and degradation.Elevated GSK-3βexpression phosphorylated A20 to inhibit its ubiquitin-editing activity,causing the accumulation of C/EBPβand the production of several profibrotic factors in AMs and promoting PF development.Activated C/EBPβ,in turn,increased the transcription of TRIB3 and GSK-3β,thereby establishing a positive feedback loop in AMs.The knockdown of TRIB3 expression or the pharmacologic disruption of the TRIB3-GSK-3βinteraction was an effective PF treatment.Our study reveals an intact profibrotic axis of TRIB3-GSK-3β-A20-C/EBPβin AMs,which represents a target that may provide a promising treatment strategy for PF.

Discovery of a highly selective VEGFR2 kinase inhibitor CHMFL-VEGFR2-002 as a novel antiangiogenesis agent

Angiogenesis is an essential process in tumor growth,invasion and metastasis.VEGF receptor 2(VEGFR2)inhibitors targeting tumor angiogenic pathway have been widely used in the clinical cancer treatment.However,most of currently used VEGFR2 kinase inhibitors are multi-target inhibitors which might result in target-associated side effects and therefore limited clinical toleration.Highly selective VEGFR inhibitors are still highly demanded from both basic research and clinical application point of view.Here we report the discovery and characterization of a novel VEGFR2 inhibitor(CHMFLVEGFR2-002),which exhibited high selectivity among structurally closed kinases including PDGFRs,FGFRs,CSF1 R,etc.CHMFL-VEGFR2-002 displayed potent inhibitory activity against VEGFR2 kinase in the biochemical assay(IC50=66 nmol/L)and VEGFR2 autophosphorylation in cells(EC50s^100 nmol/L)as well as potent anti-proliferation effect against VEGFR2 transformed BaF3 cells(GI50=150 nmol/L).In addition,CHMFL-VEGFR2-002 also displayed good anti-angiogenesis efficacy in vitro and exhibited good in vivo PK(pharmacokinetics)profile with bioavailability over 49%and antiangiogenesis efficacy in both zebrafish and mouse models without apparent toxicity.These results suggest that CHMFL-VEGFR2-002 might be a useful research tool for dissecting new functions of VEGFR2 kinase as well as a potential anti-angiogenetic agent for the cancer therapy.

Discovery of a highly potent and selective Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor avoiding impairment of ADCC effects for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Dear Editor,Bruton’s tyrosine kinase(BTK)plays a crucial role in the B-cell receptor(BCR)signaling which is essential for B-cell proliferation,differentiation,and cell migration.Aberrant BCR activation has been identified as a major pathogenic factor in several B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma(B-NHL)subtypes,including diffuse large Bcell lymphoma(DLBCL),mantle cell lymphoma(MCL),follicular lymphoma(FL),and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL).1 Therefore,BTK has been recognized as a validated therapeutic target for B-cell malignancies.Ibrutinib,the first approved BTK inhibitor that binds irreversibly to cysteine residue 481,has shown potent clinical activity in the majority of CD20 positive B-cell malignancies.2 However,due to the inhibition of off-target kinases such as EGFR,ITK,and TXK,which have a cysteine residue at the identical position of Cys481 of BTK,Ibrutinib also results in some adverse events,such as the antagonizing Rituximab-dependent NK-cell-mediated antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity(ADCC)due to its irreversible binding to ITK,which is required for FcR-stimulated NK cell function.3 Although several secondary generation inhibitors have shown improved selectivity,4,5 more pharmacologically diverse novel inhibitors are still highly demanded in the clinic.

Ginkgo biloba extract protects against depression-like behavior in mice through regulating gut microbial bile acid metabolism

Depression is a mental disorder with high morbidity,disability and relapse rates.Ginkgo biloba extract(GBE),a traditional Chinese medicine,has a long history of clinical application in the treatment of cerebral and mental disorders,but the key mechanism remains incompletely understood.Here we showed that GEB exerted anti-depressant effect in mice through regulating gut microbial metabolism.GBE protected against unpredictable mild stress(UMS)-induced despair,anxiety-like and social avoidance behavior in mice without sufficient brain distribution.Fecal microbiome transplantation transmitted,while antibiotic cocktail abrogated the protective effect of GBE.Spatiotemporal bacterial profiling and metabolomics assay revealed a potential involvement of Parasutterella excrementihominis and the bile acid metabolite ursodeoxycholic acid(UDCA)in the effect of GBE.UDCA administration induced depression-like behavior in mice.Together,these findings suggest that GBE acts on gut microbiome-modulated bile acid metabolism to alleviate stress-induced depression.

A comprehensive analysis of the Bencao(herbal)small RNA Atlas reveals novel RNA therapeutics for treating human diseases

Cross-kingdom herbal mi RNA was first reported in 2012.Using a modified herbal extraction protocol,we obtained 73,677,287sequences by RNA-seq from 245 traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM),of which 20,758,257 were unique sequences.We constructed a Bencao(herbal)small RNA(s RNA)Atlas(http://bencao.bmicc.cn),annotated the sequences by sequence-based clustering,and created a nomenclature system for Bencao s RNAs.The profiles of 21,757 mi RNAs in the Atlas were highly consistent with those of plant mi RNAs in mi RBase.Using software tools,our results demonstrated that all human genes might be regulated by s RNAs from the Bencao s RNA Atlas,part of the predicted human target genes were experimentally validated,suggesting that Bencao s RNAs might be one of the main bioactive components of herbal medicines.We established roadmaps for oligonucleotide drugs development and optimization of TCM prescriptions.Moreover,the decoctosome,a lipo-nano particle consisting of 0.5%–2.5%of the decoction,demonstrated potent medical effects.We propose a Bencao(herbal)Index,including small-molecule compounds(SM),protein peptides(P),nucleic acid(N),non-nucleic and non-proteinogenic large-molecule compounds(LM)and elements from Mendeleev's periodic table(E),to quantitatively measure the medical effects of botanic medicine.The Bencao s RNA Atlas is a resource for developing gene-targeting oligonucleotide drugs and optimizing botanical medicine,and may provide potential remedies for the theory and practice of one medicine.

Research progress on the pharmacological effects and chemical constituents of Pien Tze Huang and its potential Q-markers

Pien Tze Huang(PTH)was documented as an imperial prescription composed of Notoginseng Radix,Calculus Bovis,Snake Gallbladder,and Musk.It is famous in China and Asian countries due to its excellent effects in heat clearing,detoxifying,swelling reduction,and pain relieving.Modern pharmacological studies demonstrate that PTH shows excellent effects against various inflammatory diseases,liver diseases,and cancers.This review summaries the pharmacological effects,clinical applications,and mainchemical components of PTH.More importantly,its potential quality markers(Q-markers)were then analyzed based on the“five principles”of Q-markers under the guidance of Traditional Chinese Medicine theory,including transfer and traceability,specificity,efficacy,compatibility,and measurability.As a result,ginsenosides Rb1,ginsenoside Rg1,ginsenoside Rd,ginsenoside Re,notoginsenoside R1,dencichine,bilirubin,biliverdin,taurocholic acid,and muscone are considered as the Q-markers of PTH.These findings will provide guidance and assistance for the construction of a quality control system for PTH.

Mapping the epigenetic modifications of DNA and RNA

Over 17 and 160 types of chemical modifications have been identified in DNA and RNA,respectively.The interest in understanding the various biological functions of DNA and RNA modifications has lead to the cutting-edged fields of epigenomics and epitranscriptomics.Developing chemical and biological tools to detect specific modifications in the genome or transcriptome has greatly facilitated their study.Here,we review the recent technological advances in this rapidly evolving field.We focus on high-throughput detection methods and biological findings for these modifications,and discuss questions to be addressed as well.We also summarize third-generation sequencing methods,which enable long-read and single-molecule sequencing of DNA and RNA modification.

From herbal small RNAs to one medicine

In this special topic "Herbal small RNAs, novel precision medicine from Mother Nature", we present four original articles that study the entry of small RNAs derived from herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine into mammalian cells and their function within human and mouse cells, and one review paper focusing on current trends in herb genomics (Du et al., 2017;Huang et al., 2018;Zhang et al., 2018;Li et al., 2019;Xin et al., 2018).

Crosstalk between ferroptosis and stress—Implications in cancer therapeutic responses

Ferroptosis is a newly discovered form of cell death that is characterized by the accumulation of iron‐dependent lipid peroxidation.Research on ferroptosis has seen exponential growth over the past few years.Tumor cells are strongly dependent on iron for their growth,which makes them develop mechanisms to increase iron uptake and inhibit iron output,thereby completing iron accumulation.Ferroptosis can be induced or inhibited by various stresses through multiple mechanisms,making it stands at the crossroads of stresses related cancer cell fate determination.In this review,we give a brief summary of ferroptosis hallmarks and provide a systematic analysis of the current molecular mechanisms and regulatory networks of diverse stress conditions on ferroptosis.We also discuss the relationships between ferroptosis and cancer therapy responses to further understand potential targets and therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment.

Chemo-selective control of Ritter-type reaction by coordinatively unsaturated inorganic salt hydrates

The Ritter-type reaction, without relying on a pre-installed functional group, is a highly efficient tool forthe construction of amides. However, the intrinsic chemo-selectivity that determines the generation ofamides or byproducts limits the efficiency and yield of the reaction. From 68 different types of hydrates,we found that a coordinatively unsaturated inorganic salt hydrate, MgSO_(4)·2H_(2)O, controlled chemoselectivity and eliminated the shortcomings of other synthesis approaches. To rationalize the differencesin selectivity of inorganic salt hydrates, we analyzed their corresponding water content, alkalinity, anions,and cations. MgSO_(4)·2H_(2)O was used with diverse scaffolds and C–H oxygenations, which demonstratedits generality in synthetic utility. Because it is readily available and it significantly improves yield, we expectthat MgSO_(4)·2H_(2)O will have broad application for Ritter-type reactions.