Glucuronic acid metabolites of phenolic acids target AKT-PH domain to improve glucose metabolism / 中草药·英文版

OBJECTIVE@#Phenolic acids widely exist in the human diet and exert beneficial effects such as improving glucose metabolism. It is not clear whether phenolic acids or their metabolites play a major role in vivo. In this study, caffeic acid (CA) and ferulic acid (FA), the two most ingested phenolic acids, and their glucuronic acid metabolites, caffeic-4'-O-glucuronide (CA4G) and ferulic-4'-O-glucuronide (FA4G), were investigated.@*METHODS@#Three insulin resistance models in vitro were established by using TNF-α, insulin and palmitic acid (PA) in HepG2 cells, respectively. We compared the effects of FA, FA4G, CA and CA4G on glucose metabolism in these models by measuring the glucose consumption levels. The potential targets and related pathways were predicted by network pharmacology. Fluorescence quenching measurement was used to analyze the binding between the compounds and the predicted target. To investigate the binding mode, molecular docking was performed. Then, we performed membrane recruitment assays of the AKT pleckstrin homology (PH) domain with the help of the PH-GFP plasmid. AKT enzymatic activity was determined to compare the effects between the metabolites with their parent compounds. Finally, the downstream signaling pathway of AKT was investigated by Western blot analysis.@*RESULTS@#The results showed that CA4G and FA4G were more potent than their parent compounds in increasing glucose consumption. AKT was predicted to be the key target of CA4G and FA4G by network pharmacology analysis. The fluorescence quenching test confirmed the more potent binding to AKT of the two metabolites compared to their parent compounds. The molecular docking results indicated that the carbonyl group in the glucuronic acid structure of CA4G and FA4G might bind to the PH domain of AKT at the key Arg-25 site. CA4G and FA4G inhibited the translocation of the AKT PH domain to the membrane, while increasing the activity of AKT. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the metabolites could increase the phosphorylation of AKT and downstream glycogen synthase kinase 3β in the AKT signaling pathway to increase glucose consumption.@*CONCLUSION@#In conclusion, our results suggested that the metabolites of phenolic acids, which contain glucuronic acid, are the key active substances and that they activate AKT by targeting the PH domain, thus improving glucose metabolism.

Expressions and effects of serum miR-23a-3p and miR-27a-3p in mice with ulcerative colitis / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective: To explore the expression levels of miR-23a-3p and miR-27a-3p in the sera of mice with ulcerative colitis (UC) and their potential action mechanisms. Methods: Twenty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control group and the model group with 10 mice in each group. The model group mice were induced orally by water with 5% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 7 d. During the induction period, the general condition, fecal morphology and occult blood status of the mice were observed. After 7 d, the whole blood and colon tissues of mice were collected, and the colon lengths and wet weights were measured. The expressions of miR-23a-3p and miR-27a-3p in the sera were detected by qRT-PCR. The expressions of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, coactivator-1α (PPARGC1A), PH domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 2 (PHLPP2), B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), BCL-2 associated X protein (BAX), cytochrome c (CYT-C) and cleaved cysteine-containing aspartate-specific protease (cleaved-caspase-3) were detected by Western blotting. Results: After DSS induction, the model group mice showed mental depression, weight loss, diarrhea, and bloody stool, whose colon lengths were shortened and colon wet weights decreased. The UC model was constructed successfully. In the model group, the expressions of miR-23a-3p and miR-27a-3p in the sera decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the expressions of PPARGC1A, PHLPP2, BAX, CYT-C and cleavedcaspase- 3 in the colon tissues increased significantly (P<0.05), but BCL-2 decreased (P<0.05). Conclusion: The expressions of miR-23a-3p and miR- 27a-3p are low in the sera of UC mice, which may be involved in the occurrence and development of UC by up regulating the expressions of PPARGC1A and PHLPP2 in the colons and triggering mitochondrial pathway to induce apoptosis.

Study on expression of the guanylate binding protein 5 and ArfGAP with SH3 domain ankyrin repeat and PH domain 1 genes among pulmonary tuberculosis patients and populations with latent tuberculosis infection / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of guanylate binding protein 5 (GBP5) and ArfGAP with SH3 domain ankyrin repeat and PH domain 1 (ASAP1) genes in pulmonary tuberculosis patients and tuberculosis latent population. Methods Forty pulmonary tuberculosis patients (pulmonary tuberculosis group), 40 latent tuberculosis infection patients (latent tuberculosis infection group) and 40 cases of healthy control (healthy control group) were selected from August 2016 to May 2017. The gene expression was detected in 4 ml peripheral anticoagulant blood by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the relative expression of two genes in three groups were compared. Results The GBP5 gene expression in three groups was significantly differentce (F=7.23, P=0.001). The GBP5 gene relative expression in pulmonary tuberculosis group was significantly higher than that in latent infection group :1.58 ± 0.80 vs. 1.09 ± 0.68, there was significant difference (t=2.93, P=0.004). The GBP5 gene relative expression in pulmonary tuberculosis group was significantly higher than that in healthy control group: 1.58 ± 0.80 vs. 1.04 ± 0.61, there was significant difference (t=3.40, P=0.010). The GBP5 gene relative expression in latent infection group and healthy control group had no significant difference (t=0.39, P=0.700). There was no significant difference in ASAP1 expression among three groups (F=0.26, P=0.770). Conclusions The expression of GBP5 in pulmonary tuberculosis patients, latent tuberculosis infection patients and healthy controls is different, and GBP5 could screen latent tuberculosis infection patients which is expected to be a potential screening marker for latent tuberculosis infection.

The correlation between level of serum APPL1 and urinary albumin excretion rate in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

Objective To investigate the association of adaptor protein,phosphotyrosine interacting with PH domain and leucine zipper 1(APPL1)with urinary albumin excretion rate in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM),and to explore the role of APPL1 in the development of diabetic kidney disease(DKD). Methods According to the urinary albumin/creatinine ratio(UACR),288 newly-diagnozed patients with T2DM were divided into normal albuminuria group(UACR<30 mg/g,n=116),microalbuminuria group(UACR 30 ~300 mg/g,n=95),and macroalbuminuria group(UACR>300 mg/g,n=77). 130 healthy subjects with matched sex and age were used as control group. Serum APPL1,tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α),and adiponectin levels were measured by ELISA method. Results Serum APPL1 level in T2DM patients was significantly higher than that in control subjects (P<0.01), and increased with the rising of UACR. In patients with T2DM, serum APPL1 level was negatively correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate(r=-0.246, P<0.01) while it was positively correlated with HbA1C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin resistance index, serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen, systolic blood pressure, TNF-α, and adiponectin(r=0. 119, 0. 167, 0. 209, 0.194,0.273,0.242,0.131,0.144,0.365, and 0.952, respectively, P<0.05 or P<0.01). Conclusion Serum APPL1 level in patients with T2DM was increased with the rising of UACR, suggesting that APPL1 may be involved in the development of DKD.

Effect of the FKBP51 · PHLPP · Akt signal module on the phosphorylation of Akt and hippocampal neuronal injury after the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of the FKBP51 · PHLPP · AKT signal module on the phosphorylation of Akt and hippocampal neuronal injury after the cerebral ischemia / reperfusion induced neuronal death in rat hippocampus.Methods Transient(15 min)brain ischemia was induced by the four-vessel occlusion in Sprague-Dawley rats.6 rats were used in each group.The antisense oligodeoxynucletides(AS ODN)of PHLPP2 (PH domain and leucine rich repeat protein phosphatases) was used to suppress the assembly of FKBP51 · PHLPP · Akt signal module by intracerebroventricular infusion once per day for 3 days before ischemia.After 6 hours reperfusion,interactions of PHLPP2 and FKBP51 (FK506 binding protein 5) with Akt were detected by immunoprecipitation (IP) and the phosphorylation of Akt was detected by western blot (IB).After 5 days reperfusion,rats were perfusion-fixed with paraformaldehyde and Hematoxylin-Eosin staining was used to examine the survival number of CA1 pyramidal cells of hippocampus.Results Compared to PHLPP2 MS ODN group(1.24±0.24,1.68±0.11,0.58±0.01),PHLPP2 AS ODN suppressed the assembly of the FKBP51 · PHLPP · Akt signaling module(1.06±0.01,1.04±0.13),and increased the phosphorylation of Akt(0.76±0.02) (P＜0.05).Furthermore,compared to PHLPP2 MS ODN group (20.1±2.5),the number of surviving neurons significantly increased in PHLPP2 AS ODN group(88.3±2.7)(P＜0.05).Conclusion The increasing assembly of FKBP51 · PHLPP · Akt signal module can damage CA1 pyramidal cells of hippocampus by inhibiting the phosphorylation level of Akt.

Effects of IGF-1 and oxLDL on expression of phosphatase PHLPP1 in vascular smooth muscular cells / 老年心脏病学杂志（英文版）

Objective To investigate the effects of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and oxidized low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) on expression of phosphatase PHLPP1 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).Methods Rabbit aortic VSMCs were cultured.VSMCs proliferation ability was determined by measuring cell number and mitochondrial dehydrogenase (MD) activity with MTT assay.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of phosphatase PHLPP 1.Results IGF-1 (100μg/L) increased cell number and MD activity to 3.02 and 3.59 times of that in control group.oxLDL(50μg/ ml) elevated the above two parameters to 2.03 and 2.91 times respectively.Western blot showed that IGF-1 and oxLDL inhibited the expression of PHLPP 1 to 39.27% and 40.26% of the control group (P＜0.01).Conclusion IGF-1 and oxLDL may enhance the proliferation of VSMCs by decreasing the expression of phosphatase PHLPP1 .

PH Domain and Cells Sense of Direction / 生物化学与生物物理进展

The cells sense direction is closely related with the proteins that contain PH (pleckstrin homology) domain. PH domain has been found in about 60 proteins, many of which could activate the sequent events of signal transduction via combining with the related binding sites on the surface of chematactic cel ls. The characteristics of this combining are: a.rapid and transient; b.It is only related to the concentration gradient of surroundings outside cells, whi ch is the base of spatial model; c.The distribution of the binding sites on th e cell membrane changes when the researchers altered the position of the chemoat tractant. This is the base of temporal model. To deeply investigate the effects of all kinds of proteins which contain PH domain on cells sense of direction will greatly promote the research of this field, and hence, has great theoretica l significance.

The Effect of PLCgamma1 Pleckstrin Homology Domain on Il - 6 - induced B Cell Response / 대한면역학회지

The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain is a protein module of approximately 100 amino acids, that has been found in signaling molecules, including serinelthreonine kinase, GTPase-activating protein, phospholipase, and some cytoskeletal proteins. Although the specific function of PH domain has not been defined yet, it is believed that this domain is involved in the regulation of signal transduction pathway. The expression plasmids of human PLCg PH domains were constructed to see the roles of them in IL-6 signal transduction. When these expression plasmids are transfected into B9 cells, only N-terminal of PH domain inhibited IL-6-induced B9 cell proliferation. These results suggest that N-terminal of PH domain is critical for IL-6 signal transduction in B9 cells. To search the binding proteins associated PH domains of PLCy1 in B9 cells, Glutathione S-trnaferase (GST) fusion proteins containg PH domains were expressed in E. coli. Then, IL-6-dependent B9 cells were treated with 10 unit/ml IL-6 and the cell lysates were immunoprecipited with GST-PH doman fusion proteins. In vitro kinase assay of immune complex demonstrated that p38 (38 KDa) protein was coprecipitated with NC fusion protein, but IL-6 had no additional effect on it. When S-methaionine labelled cell lysates were used for immunoprecipitation, the same result was observed, conforming the association of p38 with NC motive of PH domain.