Applications of genetic code expansion in the study of lysine acylation / 中国药科大学学报

@#Lysine acylation is a ubiquitous protein modification that controls various aspects of protein function. However, it can be challenging to decipher the biological function of site-specific acylation modifications in living cells.The recently developed genetic code expansion (GCE) technology has enabled site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids (UAAs) that are structurally consistent with the natural acylation modifications in vivo through orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pairs, thus facilitating the study of physicochemical properties and biological behaviors of homogeneously acylated proteins.Besides, GCE technology allows for the targeted introduction of UAAs that mimic acylation modifications but cannot be recognized by deacylases, which improves the stability of lysine acylation modification products.Moreover, the insertion of photo-crosslinked UAAs at specific sites of the target protein has been used to elucidate the reciprocal proteome of acylated modified proteins.Based on the introduction of different structural and functional acylation modifications, we described the novel design of GCE technology combined with three types of UAAs, and their application in studying the functional effects of protein acylation modifications on the enzyme activity, protein stability, cellular localization, protein-DNA interactions and protein-protein interactions of target proteins, with a description of the limitations and prospects of GCE technology in studying protein acylation modification.

Driver gene mutations among non-small cell lung cancer tissues and its clinical significance / 临床与实验病理学杂志

Purpose To investigate the mutation rate of EGFR,KRAS,ALK and ROS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its association with clinical or pathological characteristics.Methods 86 NSCLC tissues were included.Fluorescence PCR was used to detect the EGFR,KRAS mutation and ALK,ROS1 fusion gene.The association between EGFR,KRAS,ALK and ROS1 gene and age,gender,smoking history,histological type,lymph node metastasis and other clinical pathological features were analyzed.Results The total mutation rate of the driver gene in NSCLC patients was 62.8％ (54/86).EGFR mutation rate was 76％ (41/54).KRAS mutation rate was 9.3％ (5/54).ALK gene fusion mutation rate was 13.0％ (7/54),and in one of the patients,EGFR 19 deletion mutation and ALK fusion co-exist.ROS1 gene fusion mutation was 3.8％ (2/54).EGFR gene mutation rate was higher in adenocarcinoma and female (P ＜ 0.05),but no significant association was found in age,smoking history and lymph node metastasis (P ＞0.05).KRAS,ALK,ROS1 genes had no obvious correlation with clinical pathological features (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The EGFR mutation and ALK fusion was rather high in patients with NSCLC.More attention should be paid to them.Though KRAS,ROS1 mutations and double mutations were low in NSCLC patients,they should not be ignored.

Specific microRNA expression profiles of lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei region and bioinformatic analysis for predicting their target genes and related signaling pathways / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) related to lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei region and predict their target genes and related signaling pathways based on bioinformatic analysis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>High-throughput microarray assay was performed to detect miRNA expression profiles in 34 paired human lung adenocarcinoma and adjacent normal tissues (including 24 cases in Xuanwei region and 10 in other regions). Gene ontology and KEGG pathway analyses were used to predict the target genes and the regulatory signaling pathways.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Thirty-four miRNAs were differentially expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues in cases in Xuanwei region as compared with cases in other regions, including 23 upregulated and 11 downregulated miRNAs. The predicted target genes included GF, RTK, SOS, IRS1, BCAP, CYTOKINSR, ECM, ITGB, FAK and Gbeta;Y involving the PI3K/Alt, WNT and MAPK pathways.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The specific microRNA expression profiles of lung adenocarcinoma in cases found in Xuanwei region allow for a better understanding of the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei. The predicted target genes may involve the PI3K/Alt, WNT and MAPK pathways.</p>

Mass spectrometry-based protein quantification and its application in pharmacokinetic research / 中国药科大学学报

@#Quantitative proteomics is a mass spectrometry-based toolkit used to analyze and quantify entire proteins contained in whole cells, tissues or organisms. It has become an increasingly important element in exploring the mechanism of various biological processes such as discovering novel biomarkers and unknown drug targets. Emerging advances in biological mass spectrometry instrumentation and data acquisition methodologies have provided a state-of-the-art platform for protein quantification, prompting the research of proteomics evolving from the simple qualitative to the accurate quantitative approach. This review aims to introduce the most recent advancements in mass spectrometry instrumentation and methodologies of data acquisition, focusing on their characteristics and applying fields. It also highlights several significant applications of biological mass spectrometry in pharmaceutical research such as quantifitation of drug transporters and metabolizing enzymes, and pharmacokinetic study of therapeutic peptides and proteins.